"I never realized how much we both have in common. Our brothers being our only family still alive."
"My dad is still alive. Somewhere. Well, I assume he is. But he ran off when we were young. I was a baby, but Will was six when he took off." Maggie lifted a shoulder in resignation. "He doesn't like to talk about him, and I figure that anyone who didn't care enough to stick around isn't worth the effort of finding."
"Same here. I don't know who my dad is. Or if he's still alive. I'm guessing he was a means to an end for my mother. Sully doesn't know his dad, either." Isabel's face lit up suddenly. "Enough about our sad stories. We're here. Alive and well. And Sully has a crush on you. So what are you going to do about it?"
Maggie laughed heartily. It was so nice to have friends again. It had been so long since she'd had any. High school, really. Anthony had kept her isolated while they’d been together. She’d had Jenna and Will, and then Scarlett when she'd started working at the diner. But other than that, friends had been a commodity she couldn’t afford.
"I don't know. I keep throwing myself at him, and he keeps resisting. Well, kind of." Maggie blushed.
Isabel chuckled. "Don't give up on him. He needs you as much as you need him," she said softly.
Maggie wasn't sure if that were true, but they were at the checkout line, so she remained quiet while Isabel paid the bill. The cashier bagged their groceries, and they headed out to the car. As soon as Maggie drew near her car, she stopped, fear rushing through her veins.
"What the hell?" Isabel asked.
The word Whore was spray-painted across her car, the paint running down the side of the car. As they got closer, they saw that it was repeated on both sides, the trunk, and the hood. How had anyone done this undetected?
The two contractors that Sully had sent along ran up behind them. They'd come inside to keep an eye on the women as they shopped, so no one had been outside watching the car. One of the guys barked something into his comms device.
"Get back," he shouted. But Maggie didn't hear him. She saw the note on the windshield. Knew it would change everything. Slowly, she reached out her hand and plucked the note from the wiper.
I know. I'm coming for you.
Spots danced before Maggie's eyes. Strong hands gripped her shoulders. Someone shouted her name, but she couldn't answer.
Darkness consumed her, and she felt herself falling.
He knew.
Chapter 9
Sully knew that he shouldn't have let her out of his sight. As soon as Carl had put in the call that Maggie's car had been vandalized, Sully had run to the Jeep, ready to go get them. When he’d received the second call that Maggie had passed out again after finding a note left for her on her windshield, the hounds of hell wouldn't have been able to catch him before he got to her.
But Carl had called again seconds later, stating that Maggie was ok and that they were on their way back. Rusty, Carl's partner, would stay with the car to give a police statement. Zach had already placed a call to the police chief to let him know what had happened. He was sending someone immediately.
Upon hearing all this, Sully had turned the Jeep around and gone back to his desk to wait for Maggie to return. It was the longest half hour of his life.
He heard them buzz into the gates and went to stand and wait in the hall for her. When the door to the garage opened and he caught sight of her pink hair, he rushed towards her until Isabel stepped in front of him and shook her head.
Sully stopped abruptly, watching as they got into the elevator and went upstairs. Carl strolled over to him.
"She's shaken up. Keeps saying she needs to call her brother."
"Why does she need to call her brother?
Carl shrugged. "Hell if I know. She didn't make a lot of sense on the way over here. Kept muttering something like, ‘He knows, he knows.’ She's really messed up, man. Isabel said that she'd be ok, that she was in shock, so I let it go."
Sully had heard enough. "Thanks, man," he said, patting Carl on the back.
He rushed upstairs, not bothering to knock on her bedroom door. She was sitting on the bed, her back against the headboard, her phone tucked between her ear and her shoulder.
"I need you to go check on him, Jenna," Maggie said, raising her eyebrows when Sully barged into her room. Isabel stood up, a scolding look on her face.
"Not now, Izz," he said quietly. Isabel took a deep breath and sighed.
"Fine. But be quiet. She's on the phone."
Well, duh. That was obvious. But who was Jenna?
"I know he's probably safe. But my gut says it was Anthony who left me that message. If he knows about him, then he's not safe…ok, I'll wait by the phone. Call me as soon as you have him. Thanks, Jenna."
Maggie disconnected the line and wrapped her arms around her middle.
"What's going on?" Sully asked, crossing the room to her and pulling her against him.
"He knows, Sully," she said, tears clogging her throat.
"Who knows what?"
Maggie pulled a note out of her pocket and handed it to him. He read the words, confused by what it meant.
"That was on my car. Anthony knows about Brady. And he's going to take him from me."
"I don't understand, Pixie. Who's Jenna? And who's Brady?"
She took a deep breath, then met his gaze. So many emotions were in her eyes. Fear. Sadness. Regret. Resignation.
"Brady is my son."
* * * *
Maggie watched as Sully's face contorted into confusion, before melting into anger and then acceptance.
"Garmoni's?"
She nodded. Maggie knew that it would hurt him to realize that she'd kept this from him, but it hadn't been the right time to tell him. Now, there was no choice. She had to get to him. Had to keep him safe.
"Where is he?"
"With my brother Will, and his wife, Jenna."
"And where is that?" he asked calmly.
"A small town in North Carolina, just north of Raleigh. I need to get to him, Sully. If Garmoni knows about him—"
"He'll use him against you. I get it. Let's go."
He was going to help her. Even though she hadn't been entirely honest about her past, a past she was ashamed of and still running from, Sully was an honorable man. A good man. And he was going to help her.
Maggie took out her go-bag. Sully lifted a brow in question, and she shrugged. "Old habits die hard."
Sully left her room and went to his own. Isabel put her arm around Maggie as they walked out to the common area. "Are you ok?" she asked.
"I will be once I know Brady is safe."
"How old is he?"
"Four."
"You've sacrificed so much for him," Isabel said. It was comforting to know that she understood.
All that Maggie had done in the last few years had been for Brady. Staying away from him had been to keep him safe. It killed her not to be with her son every day. To not be there to watch him grow up.
Will and Jenna were amazing parents, but they would never love Brady the way she did. Now they were pregnant with their first child, and Maggie felt guilty that they had the added burden of raising Brady along with their own baby.
Sully exited his room and walked toward her, a bag slung over his arm. "We'll bring him back here. He'll be safer where we can keep an eye on him."
"Thank you," Maggie whispered, tears filling her eyes. These people had been so kind to her. Giving her a place to stay when she'd been homeless. Keeping her safe. Now going with her to rescue her son, and bringing him here for safekeeping.
The idea of having him close by filled Maggie with elation. Maybe Castle Investigations would be able to put Garmoni away for good. Then she'd be able to raise Brady herself. The idea took root in her heart as she climbed into Sully's Jeep.
They'd been on the road for about thirty minutes. Maggie kept checking her phone. It had been almost an hour since she'd called Jenna, and she hadn't heard back from her yet. Unease skittered along her
spine.
Finally, her phone buzzed, and she answered it on the first ring.
"Jenna?"
"He's not there," Jenna cried, sobs gripping her voice.
"What do you mean, he's not there?"
She heard Jenna breathe in deeply. "I got to the school, and the administration said that a man showed up shortly after I dropped him off this morning and presented them with court-appointed papers stating that he was the legal guardian of Brady. They had no choice but to let him go. He told them that if they called us, he would call the police. He made it seem as if we had no claim on him. I had to have Will bring our guardianship papers to them to even get the information out of them."
"It was Anthony?"
"Yes."
The single word struck fear inside her unlike anything Maggie had ever felt. Tremors started in her belly and flowed out to her fingers. She couldn't stop shaking.
"We're on our way," Maggie said softly, not sure how she had the ability to even speak.
"I'm so sorry," Jenna said, sobs choking off her words.
"I know. It's not your fault. We'll be there soon."
When she ended the call, Maggie looked around, realizing that Sully had pulled over.
"Why are we stopped?" she asked.
"I needed to make sure you were ok. Garmoni took him?"
"He came with court papers. I assume he paid off some judge to get them. He's got several in his back pocket."
"Call Jenna back. Tell her I'm sending a team down. We're going back to the compound. If Garmoni took him, then he's probably already on his way back here. I guarantee he had one of his guys leave you that message, knowing you'd check on the kid while he was in North Carolina kidnapping him."
"But why now?" Maggie asked.
"That’s what we're going to find out."
"I’m scared, Sully."
"I know, love." He took her hand in his and kissed her palm. "We'll find him. It's what we do best."
Chapter 10
She has a son. The thought kept running through his mind. He'd thought they were growing closer. Even before she ended up on his payroll after her house had been destroyed, he'd thought they were getting to know each other at the diner.
And yet, he'd known very little about her. She'd been engaged. She'd had another man's baby.
The thought of anyone else touching her made him crazy. It was irrational. He had no claim on her, and he certainly had no claim over her past. But he'd be a liar if he said he hadn't thought about her belly round and swollen with his baby one day. For months, his thoughts had been consumed with her. Then she'd gone and kissed him after Zach's wedding, and it had been all he could do not to throw her over his shoulder, demand that she marry him, and keep her locked up in his castle forever.
But that's pretty much what Garmoni had done to her. And he wouldn't try to tame her. He wanted her, yes. But he wanted her to come willingly.
Sully had kept her at a distance in order to keep her safe, but it seemed that Maggie was perfectly capable of getting herself in danger without his help. He wasn't sure if that made him more willing to take a chance on being with her, or less willing.
The truth was, she was safer with him than she was without him. So what was holding him back?
As they drove back to the warehouse, Sully had to know.
"Is there anything else I need to know?"
"You mean, besides the fact that I was engaged to a mobster and had his baby? A baby I didn't think he had any knowledge of until this morning?" She leveled a glare in his direction. "Nope, I think that's about it."
Sully sighed. "I'm just making sure there won't be any more surprises. I need you to be honest with me."
Maggie turned to face him, pulling her knee up in her seat and tucking her foot under her bottom. "It wasn't any of your business. No offense, Sully. But Brady had nothing to do with any of this. Well, at least that's what I thought. I was going to tell you. When I was ready."
He nodded. "I know."
"I trust you. I just needed time."
The Jeep rolled into the garage after getting through the new security Zach had installed. Maggie and Sully left the car and went straight to the conference room. The team was already gathered there.
Sully took his spot at the head of the table, and Maggie sat next to him.
"Thanks for getting here so quickly. I know you're all working on other things. Maggie's son Brady was kidnapped earlier this morning. We believe sometime around nine-thirty." He glanced over at her for confirmation, and she dipped her chin in agreement.
"Garmoni was supposed to be unaware of his existence. Maggie and her brother and his wife escaped from Atlanta several years ago with the help of a nonprofit organization that helps domestic violence victims. We need to know how he found out, and what his game plan is. And we need to find Brady and rescue him."
Maggie's eyes filled with tears, and Sully resisted the urge to comfort her. He put his hand on her thigh under the table and squeezed. He might not be able to wrap his arms around her right now, but he could certainly let her know that she wasn't alone. Her hand drifted to where his was, and she held on to it tightly.
"Zach, any news on Garmoni's location?"
"I've got a make and model of a car. A black Mercedes CLS Coupe. I don't have the tag number yet. I've given the information to the FBI. They've got people looking for him."
"Any idea where he's holed up?" Lucas asked.
"I have a few options. Think you can get some of your informants to talk?" Zach asked Lucas.
"Maybe. I need more to go on, though. The missing kid will help. Most of them don't like it when kids are involved."
"Good. What else? We need to find out where he's taking Brady and get to him quickly," Sully said.
"You're not going to like this," Zach started, and Sully's face darkened.
"No," Sully said before Zach could finish.
"What?" Maggie asked, glancing between the two.
"I said no," Sully stated again.
"It's the only sure way we can guarantee he'll contact us."
"I won't risk her," Sully said.
"I’m assuming that by 'her,' you mean me. That makes it my decision, not yours," Maggie said defiantly.
"I'm in charge of this team. You work for me. It's my final say."
"It's my son at risk, Sully."
Sully pushed his hands through his hair, then slammed his fists on the table.
Zach took that as his cue to continue.
"I believe he'll talk to Maggie. He wants something from her. The message he sent this morning was a testament to that. While Lucas is asking around about the kid, he can also send a message to Garmoni that Maggie wants to talk."
Sully caught the shiver that went through Maggie's body, but she put on a brave face and lifted her chin defiantly.
"I'll do it."
"We'll get you a secure line, a phone only for this purpose. There will be no way for him to trace the call or find out where you are. My bet is that he already knows where you're staying."
"Fine," Maggie said, with more bravery than Sully knew she felt. He'd seen her when she was talking about what Garmoni had done to her. He'd been brutal. Savage. Sully was sure there was more. More that she wasn't sharing. But what he knew was bad enough.
"Get the burner phone. Lucas, send the message. Maggie, you go nowhere without one of us." Maggie opened her mouth to protest, but Sully lifted his hand. "It's the only way I’ll agree to this. I trust my contractors, but I trust my brothers more. One of us will be with you any time you set foot off this property. Understood?"
"Yes," she said. Sully breathed a little more easily.
"Do you think he'll hurt Will and Jenna? She's pregnant. I'm worried about them."
"I've already got men on the way down there to interview the school and get Will and Jenna's statements. They'll stay with them until this is over."
"Good. Thank you."
Sully nodded.
"Any updat
es on The General?" Sully asked.
"Cate's been hard at work trying to reach Christy Knox. Our FBI contact through the president located her. Cate's been calling since yesterday but hasn't reached her," Gabriel said.
"Get someone out to her location, now," Sully said.
Zach punched something on his computer. "On it."
"Do you think her location's been compromised?" Gabriel asked. Christy Knox was the former madam for an elite escort service in D.C. The General had used the service to funnel women through before shipping them off to the highest bidder. Christy had secured information on The General and had passed on some pictures and files. Most of it had been circumstantial. Sully had a feeling that she knew more than what she'd shared, though. Christy had been placed in the witness protection program after the Castle Investigations team had kept her safe for weeks. No one was supposed to know where she was.
Sully had a bad feeling about this.
"Find her," he said, worry gnawing at his gut. "Anything else?"
"You think Maggie's son being kidnapped is connected somehow?" Ethan asked, and Isabel's eyes shot up to Maggie's. Maggie's eyes were wide and scared. Damn it, Ethan.
"I'm not sure."
"Why would it be?" Maggie asked.
"I just find it a bit coincidental that of all the criminals in the U.S., The General chose your ex-fiancé to lead his illicit army."
Maggie's face lost its color, and Sully hated The General even more for putting her through this. Sully was going to kill him whenever he got the chance. Mark his words. The General would pay.
* * * *
Her poor little boy. Maggie knew he had to be scared. He didn't know anything about his father. He certainly didn't know he was a mean son of a bitch. Surely Anthony wouldn't harm his own son.
The thought brought her no comfort.
Anthony wasn't known for sentimentality. Her only hope was that Anthony would see Brady as the heir to his empire. Over her dead body would that ever come to fruition, but if it kept Brady alive and safe for now, she'd take it.
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