by Sybil Bartel
My brain shut down, my muscles tensed and I stood there.
Then my hands slammed against her back, I picked her up and I drove my tongue into her mouth. I took what I’d been craving for two torturous days.
Her legs wrapped around my waist and she kissed me so hard, my knees almost buckled. I carried her into the guest room before my brain could kick in and tell me all the reasons why this was a bad fucking idea.
I kicked the door shut then laid her on the bed and came down on top of her. Barely breaking the kiss, I pulled her running tights off and threw them on the floor. I crawled up her body like a starved man and dragged my tongue over every inch in my path. Feathering soft kisses along the pink scar on her thigh, I grabbed the back of her other leg and put it over my shoulder. I licked the flesh of her inner thigh and went for my target. Halfway to her waiting pussy, I froze.
The sun streaming in through the windows fell across her body like a spotlight. Time stopped and dust swirled lazily in the sunbeam, mocking me. I stared at the unmistakable five inch scar just below her bikini line.
And I lost my fucking shit.
I pushed her leg off my shoulder and stood. “Somethin’ you wanna tell me?” I accused.
Confusion clouded her face and she sat up. “Like?” Her arms crossed protectively in front of her.
I was a fucking fool. I thought I knew this girl. I thought I could be myself around her. I thought I knew who the fuck I was giving my heart to. But in that moment, I couldn’t have felt more betrayed if Randy fucking Carter had come back from the grave and fucked her in front of me. “You had a kid with him?”
She scrambled backward.
“Answer me.”
She stumbled off the bed and grabbed her pants.
My fists clenched and my teeth ground together. “You think I wasn’t gonna notice? You were just gonna hide that shit from me? After everythin’ we’ve been through?” It was Leigh, all over again.
“It’s none of your business.”
Un-fucking-believable. “What’s none of my business? That you’re a mother or that you had a hysterectomy? ’Cause those are the only two reasons I can think of for a scar like that.” I spit the last word out.
“Screw you.” Her voice shook.
“You already did that, darlin’. Fucked me real good, I’ll give you that.” Jesus fuck, how could I have been so blind? She’d been lying to me this whole time.
She went for the door but I was quicker. I reached around her and slammed it shut. “I’m not done.” She was gonna come the fuck clean whether she wanted to or not.
“I’m not discussing this with you.” Her whole body trembled but I didn’t care.
“Really,” I bit out, spinning her around. “Then what are we gonna discuss? How I barebacked you and you had every opportunity then to bring up you not bein’ able to get pregnant? ’Cause you didn’t mention it. And most women would’ve. So, I’m placin’ my money on reason number one a twenty-three-year-old has a low transverse incision scar.”
She abruptly turned but not before I saw the utter grief in her eyes.
I forced my voice to go low and matter-of-fact. “Where’s the baby, Nicole?”
She didn’t move. She didn’t breathe. Every ounce of oxygen in the room got sucked into a silent tension so fucking thick, I thought I’d snap.
Just as I opened my mouth to ask again, her shoulders shook with a silent sob.
“He took her,” she barely managed.
Of all the fucking bullshit I thought would come out of her mouth, those three words weren’t even on my radar. “Who took her?”
“Stone.”
A fraction of a second. That was how long it took to register. A nanosecond. A nanosecond I wanted back. An ignorance I wished to hell I still had because I knew what would come next.
I sucked in breath but it didn’t help. My muscles rigid, my teeth grinding, I wanted to throttle her for lying to me and kill Stone. Motherfucking hell, I was going to help her. I was going to find her kid and I was going to do whatever I had to in order to make that happen. She fucking lied to me and I wasn’t walking away. God-fucking-damn it. Like I wasn’t the angriest I’d ever been, I spoke without a trace of emotion. “When did he take her?”
“Six months ago.” Her voice cracked. “She was only fourteen months old.” She choked back a sob.
I couldn’t fucking do it. I couldn’t stand there and see her break and hold on to my anger. I pushed my hand through my short hair and tried like hell to remain detached. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Why the fuck had she kept this a secret? And how did I not know she had a kid? Randy, Kendall, Candle, Stone, fuck, none of them ever mentioned this? How the hell did I miss all the hints she’d dropped about not telling me something?
“Th-that’s why we fought that day. That’s why I left Randy,” she admitted.
My hands gripped my hips. “Explain.”
Tears dripped down her cheeks. “Randy wouldn’t let me call the police.” She glanced at me with so much fucking guilt, I felt it in my gut. “He told me to keep quiet and we’d get her back but Stone still has her. I told Randy I was done. I was going to the police but he freaked. He said I couldn’t. He said that if we did anything, Stone would—he would…” She buried her face in her hands.
Jesus fuck. “Okay, darlin’, deep breath.” I led her back to the bed, sat her down then I squatted in front of her. “Why’d he take her?”
Fury pushed to the surface through her grief. “He was using her as leverage against Randy. He called her insurance. He said if Randy did what he wanted, he’d give her back. Randy wouldn’t tell me what Stone wanted but I know Stone. He wanted Randy to kill someone.”
Fucking Christ. I had to ask. “Is she alive?”
More tears, too many damn tears, dripped down her face and her anger dissolved into raw grief. “Y-y-yes, I think so.”
It was a start. “What’s her name?”
“Maddie. Maddie Archer.”
The picture I’d seen in her bag that first day. It wasn’t of Siren. It was her daughter. “The black-and-white photo in your bag,” I stated.
Siren nodded.
That gorgeous girl had been gone for six fucking months? And Carter had been sitting on his ass getting drunk and high? Motherfucker. Had he even tried to get his daughter back? I fought to rein in my tone. “What was Carter doin’ ’bout this?”
“I’m not sure but he swore he was looking for her. He was protective of her, right from the start. He was always weary of being Stone’s son. He told me not to tell any of the LCs when I got pregnant. We lived west of town. When he was deployed, I didn’t even see any of the LCs. I kept to myself. We didn’t live in their condo until after she was taken. We only moved there because he thought it would help find her.”
And now Carter was dead, taking whatever information he had with him. Fuck. “Okay, you’re gonna sit here for just a sec while I make a call then I’m comin’ back and you’re gonna tell me everythin’ you know.”
Arms hugging her chest, looking small as hell, she nodded.
“Hey.” When she glanced up, there was so such pain in her eyes it hurt to look at her. “I’ll get her back,” I stupidly promised.
I didn’t wait for a response. I strode out of the room with my phone already to my ear. I walked out to the patio so she couldn’t hear me and waited while my call rang three times.
“Not a good time,” Candle snapped.
“I don’t give a shit,” I seethed.
“Christ,” he sighed. “What’d Kendall do this time?”
“Where the fuck is Nicole’s daughter?”
Pause.
“Candle!”
I heard a door open and close then he cursed. “Fuck. It’s true?”
I wasn’t buying his bullshit innocent act. “Where the fuck did Stone take her?”
“I dunno.”
I held the phone so tight, I thought I’d break it. “I’m gonna make this real simple. You tell me w
here the fuck Maddie Archer is and I’ll give you back Kendall.”
“Listen you son of a bitch, I didn’t have nothing to do with the disappearance of that kid. You accuse me of that shit one more time I’m gonna make you eat your motherfucking words. I don’t hurt women or children!”
Okay, maybe I believed him. “You better be tellin’ the truth.”
“Fuck you. If you ever threaten Kendall over me again, I will kill everyone you know.”
“Fine.” Out of habit, I reached to run a hand through my hair. “Nic says Stone took her six months ago and they haven’t seen the kid since.”
His voice lost its edge and turned weary. “Look. I don’t know shit. Randy started working at the shop shortly after he got out of the Marines and he never mentioned a kid. I knew Stone had a son but I’d never met Randy till he started working for me.”
“So how the fuck do you know about this?”
“Awhile back, me and some of the brothers were drinking and one of them mentioned his old lady was knocked up. Another brother said he’d better not let Stone know or he’d wind up like Randy and his missing kid. When I asked what the hell they were talking about, everyone got real quiet.”
I refrained from telling him what a fucking piece of shit he was and asked what I needed to ask. “Then what’re the rumors goin’ ’round?”
“I don’t know, like I said, no one talks about it.”
I wanted to reach through the phone and pound his apathetic face in. “And that doesn’t strike you as fucked-up?”
“A lot of shit strikes me as fucked-up, doesn’t mean I stick my nose in it.” A noise sounded in the background like breaking glass. “Shit, I gotta go.” Candle hung up.
I dialed André.
He answered on the first ring. “How’s the love nest?” He chuckled.
“Siren has a daughter that Stone took six months ago. She hasn’t seen her since.” I didn’t want to think about the kind of hell Siren had been dealing with all this time.
He instantly sobered. “Are you kidding me?”
“We gotta find her. She’s not even two years old.”
“Fuck, Doc. Kid extractions aren’t my specialty.”
“They are now.”
“Dios mios.” He sighed wearily. “All right, give me everything you’ve got.”
“I gotta talk to Siren. I’ll call you back in ten with a full report.”
“Roger that.” He sounded like the last thing in the world he wanted was my call back.
“Hey.”
“What?”
I blew a breath out. “Thanks.”
He let out a tired laugh. “Shut the fuck up. I’m hanging up before you start telling me you love me.”
I was strung so tight, I didn’t even smile. I walked back inside, trying hard as fuck to shut down my emotions before I talked to her, but she was gone. I checked the bathroom and the hallway—nothing. Unease was settling in when I heard a noise coming from the walk-in closet. I looked around the corner and found her on her knees going through her bag. “What are you doin’?”
She jumped. “I was just…” Her shoulders rose once then she stood and turned toward me with her hand outstretched. “Here.”
I looked down at the cell phone that was caked in dried blood as she held it in her trembling hand
“I took this off his…” She cleared her throat. “Off him. His call log might help. He said.” She paused and inhaled sharply. “Right before he died, he said he’d found her. Before I could ask him where she was, he…” She trailed off.
I studied her for a moment. “You got anythin’ else from that night?” I didn’t need her implicating herself in a murder.
As if she knew what I was thinking, she shook her head. “No, that’s it.”
I nodded but when I stepped forward to take the phone, she flinched then her face shut down.
I knew what that expression meant. I knew and now, more than ever, it pissed me the hell off. She’d lied to me. She’d kept her secret. She’d withheld the most important part of her and now she was shutting me out?
I lowered my voice to quiet demand. “Come here.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. “I don’t, I swear. I only took his phone.”
“I believe you. Come here.” I needed to know.
“Why?”
I watched her for any sign of a reaction but she didn’t move. “You want my help?”
“Yes.” Her hands twisted.
“Then come here.”
“You’re angry with me.”
“Furious.” Angry didn’t begin to cover it. And whatever I thought I was proving right now was only going to lead to shit. But I wanted to know what she thought would happen between us now.
She shifted her feet but she didn’t move in my direction. “I did come to you.”
“I’m not talkin’ ’bout when you came to my shop.” Just like Leigh, she was cutting me off. I could see it in her eyes.
She looked around the room like she was buying time. When her eyes came back to mine, there was determination. “What about Maddie?”
I gave her one more chance. “I told you I would find her. That’s not what I’m talkin’ ’bout.”
“I don’t understand.”
Yes, she did. “You want me, we’re gonna talk. You only want your kid back, André will find her.”
She stared at me and for once, her big blue eyes weren’t hiding her emotions. Grief, pain and something I stupidly mistook for yearning clouded her face as unshed tears welled. “Talon,” she whispered.
Hope surged like a cruel joke and I dropped my wall. “I’m angry you lied but I’m not judgin’ you. I’m not walkin’. I’m standin’ here offerin’ us a chance.” I knew I shot at Randy. I knew we had a mountain of baggage between us. But I was staring at a woman who’d made me feel human for the first time in two years and goddamn it, despite everything I wanted a chance at happiness with her.
Tears slipped down her cheeks. “Maddie is my priority,” she said carefully.
My heart sunk and I reached for any other way I could interpret those words but I couldn’t find one. Worse, I couldn’t blame her. Her daughter should be her priority. Everything she’d kept hidden, everything she’d done, it was for her daughter. She thought she was keeping her safe. I didn’t hate her for lying, I fucking admired her strength. But I was done playing hero.
I locked down my expression and turned.
“Wait,” she called, panicked. “I wasn’t finished.”
I didn’t even pause. “I am.”
“Talon!”
I didn’t bother to look back. I walked out.
I GRABBED MY CAR KEYS instead of the rental’s keys and was at a bar in South Beach before my conscience could kick in. On a roll with bad decisions, I snagged the first blonde who made eyes at me and an hour later I was shit-faced and she was worse.
“Fuck.” I rubbed a hand over my face. “What shot number is this, Huntress?”
The blonde giggled then slurred, “I dunno. Three? Ten?” She tried to look sexy as she leaned toward me. “Does it matter?”
“Suppose not.” I threw back another shot. “I ain’t fuckin’ you.”
Her bottom lip stuck out like a cartoon caricature. “Why not?” she pouted.
Because she wasn’t Siren. “I don’t do blondes,” I lied.
She leaned back, affronted. “Seriously? What kind of bullshit is that?”
I threw a few bills on the bar and stood. For a second, I had sea legs. “The kind you’ll thank me for later.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I took in her straight blonde hair, cute face, and fake tits. She was decent. “Lemme ask you somethin’. Why you in a bar on a perfect beach day?” The sun was hot and the waves were big for south Florida.
She drunk grinned. “To get laid.”
I smirked. I was right, she was a huntress on the prowl.
She pointed a finger at me. “Why are you here?”
&
nbsp; “Good fuckin’ question.” I tipped my chin at her. “Thanks for the distraction, darlin’.” I aimed for the exit.
Too shit-faced to drive and too sober to pass out in a hotel, I stripped off my shirt and hit the beach. I could use a run but with the alcohol coursing through my system, I didn’t have shit for motivation. I walked to where one of the hotels had umbrellas and lounge chairs set up on the sand and claimed one. A cabana kid was on me in a flash, asking for my room number. I pulled a hundred out of my wallet and shoved it at him. “Just takin’ a nap.”
“Yes, sir.” He took the cash and left.
Five minutes later, I was out.
I woke up as the sun was setting. I put my sunglasses on anyway and made my way to the Challenger. Five meters out, I let out a string of cuss words.
André was leaning on my car, doing something on his phone. He didn’t even look up when I approached. “I was about to come get you. Make sure you didn’t fall in.”
“Fuck you.” I unlocked the doors with the remote.
André shoved off the car and looked up. Then he grinned. “Nice fucking haircut, jarhead.”
“How’d you find me?”
“Tracker on the Challenger.” He made a show of looking at my head and laughed. “You didn’t actually pay for that shit, did you?”
“Fuck you again.” Wait. “You’re tracking me?” Damn it, I knew I should’ve taken the rental.
He held up his cell and showed me a map-looking app. “And your phone.”
Jesus Christ. “Is anythin’ I do private?”
“Nope,” he said cheerfully.
I got in my car and he followed to the passenger side. “Find your own ride, dickhead.” I leaned my head back. Reeking of sweat and booze, my mind a mess, I felt like I’d been chewed up and spit out.
“And let you get a DUI all by yourself?”
“I’m not drunk.” Not anymore. “Whatdaya want?” I needed a gallon of ice water.
His voice went all business. “I talked to Nicole.”
My chest took a hit. “Good for you.”
“Going radio silent for six hours, you didn’t leave me much choice.”