by Casey Hagen
He grimaced and his chest tightened. His cheeks flamed with embarrassment for losing his temper in front of them. He looked at each of them, at their hard faces. No judgment, just understanding. And why not? They’d been in his very position—all of them. “What else?”
“Josie didn’t manage to get any information from her father, but only because he didn’t have any. US Marshals haven’t been known to play nice with local police. There’s only one real flow of information, and it’s not in the direction of the local police force,” Cole said. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not surprised,” he said with a nod.
Dylan walked over to the table and grabbed a manila folder. “But we found a kernel of something interesting with the district attorney. Before Caine ever decided to go into law enforcement, he went to college with our dismissive DA,” he said right before he slid that same folder across the table to him.
He flipped it open to find a picture of two guys, an arm slung around each other, their balled fists in the air as they cheered.
“Not only did they go to college together, they were roommates and on the Rugby team together,” Dylan said.
“Which one is Caine?” he asked, although looking at them, he pretty much knew the answer.
“The one on the left.”
He flipped through the stack, most of the pictures from sporting events of some sort where he celebrated, but even in those moments of celebration, a hard edge lingered, evidenced by his square stubborn jaw and the lock of his teeth.
To a less discerning eye, he had sandy-colored hair, green eyes, and Ivy League, golden-boy looks. Xavier tried to keep from picturing him touching Laramie, making lo—no, fucking her. Caine might have pretended to be kind and caring, but he had a motive for everything, and that tainted every second of intimacy between them.
She never brought it up, but he had to wonder about the years after she’d caught him. He’d moved out of their bedroom before, but did he go back after that? He used Harmony to wield power over her, but he hadn’t taken full control, or she wouldn’t have had access to the money. It probably never occurred to him that he should. Arrogance told him he could take whatever he wanted because he had that ace in his pocket.
Which meant he might have slinked back into that bedroom. What better way to humiliate her than to go from the beds of the many women he was using as incubators and force his wife to share her body with him?
He slammed the folder shut. “Do you have hard evidence that he’s involved?”
“Tex has been helping us for the past couple weeks. He managed to get in touch with Harland East, Laramie’s point of contact in Witsec, and it turns out Harland’s been working on this solo and managed to collect evidence. He hasn’t said what it is yet. He’s not keen on phone conversations and prefers to discuss this in person. Between the two of them, they actually managed to put together everything they’d need to get all the major players behind bars, including, as it turns out, the district attorney. This is all contingent on collecting the women Laramie put in hiding.”
“Okay, so this is good news, though, right?” he asked.
“I’ll feel better when they actually meet tomorrow since Harland is in possession of the bulk of the evidence, but yes,” Dylan said.
“So, what aren’t you telling me?”
They glanced at one another, and Dylan shoved a hand through his hair. “We’ve had an eye on Caine…but he’s slipped from the noose.”
“When?”
“Yesterday. We had eyes on him going into his house and then lights out. Our guys assumed he was asleep until about four in the morning when there was a small explosion. The house is destroyed, and the fire marshal is pretty sure it was a propane tank issue, so right now it’s not suspicious. To him,” Dylan said.
“And it is to your guy?”
Dylan nodded. “Oh yeah. He never saw Caine leave the house, and there were no human remains, so at some point in the night Caine slipped away. He had to have known he was being watched.”
“He won’t get to her here.”
“No, he won’t. We know he hasn’t bought a plane ticket, but with friends in high places, he wouldn’t need to. Harland has been tight with information on the women in hiding, but we know they’re close. Within an hour of here. Harland, Tex, and a few more men Tex gathered—you met a few of them the night Sorelli showed up—they’ll be here tomorrow and we go in.”
“Harland better come through, because if he doesn’t, that leaves Laramie and with Caine MIA…” He didn’t say the words; he didn’t have to. They all knew what it meant.
The odds that he’d be the only one of them to not have to watch the woman he loved walk into the line of fire sucked, and the way they all looked at him said they knew it.
Chapter 15
Laramie stood by and watched Harmony in awe as she smiled and darted away from Mason, the special trainer they’d brought in who not only knew how to teach self-defense, but also specialized in evasion techniques for children. And the kicker, he could sign.
Harmony giggled as she darted left, darted right, ducked around mats, and crawled through narrow gaps between stacks of padding. Agile on her feet, she had endless energy and attentiveness.
Where had this little girl been all this time?
Hiding in silence. Her spirit stifled by abuse and tension.
Never again. Laramie would never choose the wrong man ever again. She’d spend a lifetime making up for the time she’d cost Harmony by living in a cold home with a monster for a father.
There’d be endless hugs, snuggles, laughter, and quality time. Their days would begin and end with smiles, hugs, and “I love yous.” She’d do anything she had to in order to give Harmony that, to be able to deliver on her promise of never living in fear again.
She’d make sure Harmony knew to her very core that people who love you, who really love you, don’t set out to hurt you. They don’t hit, belittle, and humiliate.
Mason gave the signal for Harmony to stop, and she skidded on her sneakers right in front of him. Crouching down, he got on her level and gave her a fist bump and went right into his next set of instructions.
Harmony turned and waved, her smile so big her eyes squeezed shut. Laramie let out a breath and blew her a kiss, knowing in just a few minutes, she’d be off with Jake for some training of her own.
Somehow, she didn’t think she’d be smiling.
Plotting his demise maybe.
“I have to give Dr. Thorne credit. He did good with this guy,” Cora said as she stepped up next to her.
“The doc found him?”
Cora narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “Why, yes. I thought you knew.”
“No, I had no idea,” she said past sudden tears clogging her throat. Every time she turned around, he’d done something else for her to make her life better, to make Harmony’s life better, and what had she done? She’d been an ass.
Did she really have to fast-track this? Why was it so damn important for her to push him? They all had their shit to get over, and she couldn’t give him more than a whisper of time to wrap his brain around all of this?
He sat by her night after night while she was in a chemically induced coma, while the darkness stifled her, keeping her away from everyone she loved. She remembered that voice. Knew him before she’d ever spoken a word to him.
So much support and what had she done? She’d marched right into the light without noticing or caring that he needed more time to catch up. Most people did around her. And by marching into the light, she was leaving him in the dark. Alone again.
She’d grown so much, but some impulses still popped up to surprise her just when she thought she had finally gotten all of her shit together.
“I guess that means you don’t know about the sign language lessons he’s been taking either,” she said, clucking her tongue.
“What? No,” she whispered. “Since when?”
“Since I got here. When I arrived, he’d already
“I know why…listen, I know I’m in my place, and you’ve managed to go back to your life and all, but do you think you could maybe watch Harmony tonight so I can speak with him?”
“Sure. Actually, I guess she didn’t ask you yet, but some of the kids were going to have a slumber party in the theater room tonight. I’m sure Harmony would love to go, but the last thing you should be doing is sleeping in a sleeping bag on that hard floor. If you want, I can take her and bring her back to you first thing in the morning.”
“I love you,” she said, leaning her head on Cora’s arm.
Cora laughed. “Where I’m from, the way to say I love you is with chocolate.”
“I can’t just run right out to the store and make that happen, but I know a guy.”
Laramie goaded Jake into pushing her harder, and the man finally caved. Or he was just letting her nag him so when she was stooped over and shuffling on aching feet, he could say she’s the one who asked for it. Either way, she paid for it dearly. The minute she set Harmony off with Cora for her slumber party, she climbed into a tub full of steaming hot water and prayed for relief.
She hadn’t been able to freely soak in a tub whenever she wanted since before the first time Jackson hit her. She never trusted leaving Harmony alone with him so she’d defaulted to only showers and only after he’d left for work with Harmony playing in the playpen in the middle of the bathroom where she could see her at all times.
That would change. She’d take back all the luxuries she deserved for being a good mother and a hard worker. Once she did, no one would ever take them from her again.
Something told her that the doc would be the kind of guy to set up a bath for her. Maybe he’d even stop in to rub her feet while she rested under a blanket of suds with candles burning around her.
All the more reason he was worth waiting for.
Just the thought of him and a sense of urgency fired inside her. The need to just be close again. To hear his voice. To see his hesitant smile.
Restless, she pushed up and grabbed her towel. Knotting it around her, she left a trail of water behind on her way to the closet.
None of these clothes were hers.
Oh God, not now.
Her chin quivered. Biting her lip, she slid hangers, taking in the leggings, jeans, dresses, shirts, and sweaters, none of them familiar.
She’d been wearing athletic clothes for days. Clothes she had assumed Lucas had brought her, but now she wondered. How would he know her size? Or did they just stock clothes in varying sizes for all the women who wound up here?
All it took was one look at this closet to have the truth sit on her lungs, crushing her from the inside out.
She wasn’t so different from these victims after all.
Her hand shook, and she fought the nausea that swirled in her belly.
“I’m not a victim, dammit! I’m not,” she protested to the silence of her closet as pretty colors and soft fabrics hung before her. “Fuck you, Jackson Caine,” she ground out. “And fuck everyone who helped your vile ass. Rot in hell!”
She tore a dress off the hanger and dragged it over her head. Snagging a pair of underwear from the top dresser drawer, she slid them up her legs and made sure her skirt was pulled free of the waistband. Shaking, maybe a bit crazed, she left her hair in the knot on her head and left her apartment in the direction of the front lobby.
Lola sat at the desk, her poufy hair bobbing to the beat of a Beach Boys song coming from her wireless speaker.
“Lola?”
“Ooooh!” Lola jumped in her seat and whipped around. “Laramie, honey. You scared the bejesus out of me. What can I do for you?”
“I was looking for the do—um, Dr. Thorne. Is he on duty tonight?”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Brewer is on tonight.”
“Oh, I—well, never mind.”
“That doesn’t mean Dr. Thorne isn’t on the property though,” Lola said with a twinkle in her eye as she tapped her pen on the counter in front of her.
“Do you happen to know where he is?”
“I’m probably not supposed to tell you this, but he’s in the staff apartments. If you head right down that hall over there, he’s staying in unit 5.”
“You won’t get in trouble for this, will you?”
“Oh, please. He doesn’t like to admit it, but he loves me. And if he doesn’t want to find that I’ve replaced his Hawaiian coffee he loves so much with instant, he’ll just bite his tongue if he does have a problem.”
“Ouch. Okay.” Laramie spun on her heel but stopped to glance over her shoulder. “Lola?”
“Yeah, honey?”
“Thank you.”
“You just put that smile back on his face; that will be thanks enough. I don’t know what happened between you all the other day, but he hasn’t been the same since.”
“Totally my fault, but I’m going to fix that right now.”
“You do that. And Laramie?”
“Hmmm?”
“I wouldn’t mind an invite to the wedding.”
The thought should terrify her, but instead, a bubble of laughter slipped from her lips, and she bounced on her feet, eager to see him.
She followed a cream-colored long hall with soft light sconces running along the walls. Her heart hammered, the sound pounding in her ears obliterating the silence.
Jitters took over and her hands shook. By the time she reached five, all the way down on the left, she balled her hands into fists and opened them to flex her fingers to alleviate the shaking before ringing the doorbell.
She pushed the button, her heart slowly climbing so she thought she might have to fight to squeak her voice past where it settled in her throat.
God, she’d never been nervous with a man. Never.
This one matters.
Not that some of the others didn’t, but the truth of the words slammed into her chest, and she worried she might blow it.
The door opened, and Mother of God, he stood there in a pair of sweats, his chest bare.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
He, uh—well, wow. She couldn’t even think in complete sentences anymore. Really, what did she expect? She’d seen his arms, and arms like that weren’t connected to a dad bod under the cotton.
A light dusting of hair spread across his chest, thinning but trailing over his ridged abs straight down past his belly button and into his waistband.
“Laramie,” he said, taking a step back and opening the door all the way.
She followed him inside, the door clicking shut behind her.
“Hang on a minute,” he said before disappearing into a dark hallway. He came back just a moment later, stretching a gray T-shirt down over his stomach, putting a barrier between them.
Maybe he’d made his decision and now this was just her being pathetic following after him.
“How did you find me?”
“Were you hiding?”
His lips twitched. “No.”
“Lola told me where you were. I wouldn’t give her hell for it if I were you because she’s already thought of a rather cruel punishment if you do.”
“Now that doesn’t surprise me.” He winced and scratched the back of his head. “You want something to drink?”
“No, I just came to say something, and then I’ll go. I don’t want to interrupt.”
“I was just reading. No big deal. Come on,” he said, reaching for her hand, but he seemed to think better of it, his gaze landing on his hand, and pulled it back.
His apartment looked a lot like hers. White cabinets, stainless-steel appliances. No dining table for him; instead, he had four chairs along a modest island separating the kitchen from the living room.
Dan Brown’s Origins sat on the couch cushion with the flap of the dust cover saving his place. He set it on the coffee table and waited for her to sit before taking a seat of his own.
She clutched his throw pillow to her stomach and picked at the corners. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “And I don’t want you to think I’m only saying that because I feel like I have to in order to get us back to where we were. I just, I feel like I ridiculed you a little bit. I didn’t know guys like you existed. Guys who took their time. And I shouldn’t expect you to go at my pace. Hell, with my history, I shouldn’t be setting the pace, and I definitely shouldn’t be handing you ultimatums. I just wanted to say that. Cora told me about you reading to Harmony. Not that I’m only here because you did that. And I’m not saying you did that to get in my pants or anything. Oh God. I’m going to go. So—um, anyway, that’s all.” She scrambled to her feet, the pillow slipping from her hands, and her toe caught on the corner of it as she stepped away. “Shit. Dammit.”
A warm, thick arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her, holding her close.
She sagged against his heat; she couldn’t help herself. Her cheeks burned as mortification swallowed her whole.
His palm flattened on her stomach, and his lips dropped to her bare shoulder.
The spicy scent of his cologne teased her as their breathing shifted so they were inhaling and exhaling together.
“Is it my turn to talk now?” he asked, the words dancing over her skin.
“God, I hope so.”
“I had every intention of talking to you in the morning. There are things I need to say. I had reasons for not wanting to do them here or at your place, but that doesn’t matter now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing.”
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