by Aly Martinez
“Two minutes,” she repeated with a gentle and understanding smile.
I loved her so damn much that it physically pained me. I didn’t want to wait to start our lives all over again. Elisabeth Keller had been born to be a Leblanc.
To be mine.
But, if she wanted to take this slow, I’d figure out a fucking way to make that happen—for her.
I tossed her a weak smile and finally got my feet moving.
After a brief standoff with the man in the hall mirror, I jogged down the stairs, let Loretta in, locked up, and then headed back up to spend the night with Elisabeth wrapped in my arms.
My wife.
* * *
The sound of the gunshot woke me from a deep content sleep. Elisabeth jerked on my chest, sucking in a deep breath in what I knew would become a scream. I slapped a hand over her mouth and rolled us both to the floor just as the second shot sounded outside the bedroom door. Loretta went nuts barking, and I heard feet scrambling down on the steps.
“Get in the fucking closet. Call nine-one-one. Do not come out until I come back to get you,” I ordered.
Behind my hand, she wildly shook her head as her eyes bulged.
“Go. Now,” I growled, releasing her and heading straight for my bag to retrieve my gun from the side pocket. “Phone, Lis,” I said, sliding it across the floor.
She caught it and then scooped the dog up and rushed to the closet.
I didn’t move to the door until I heard her shut herself in and her panicked voice say, “Yes, I need to report a break-in. There were gunshots inside my house.”
With my back to the wall, my gun held high and ready, I swung the bedroom door open. I listened for a moment, but the house was silent. Still cloaked in darkness, I reached a hand around the corner to flip the hall light on, readying for an attack as my eyes adjusted to the light. As the hall came into focus, the man in the mirror didn’t greet me. A million tiny cracks formed shards still held together but shattered completely, webbing out from two holes.
It seemed the man in the mirror put up one hell of a fight against whoever had made his way up the stairs, probably with his gun held high and darkness masking his true identity.
Slowly, I made my way down the stairs and found the place empty, the back door standing wide open. It was completely intact, nothing broken, nothing splintered. Just. Open.
It had been less than a minute since I’d left Elisabeth upstairs, and the sounds of sirens were already screaming in the distance. In a city the size of Atlanta, that was a miracle the likes of Moses splitting the Red Sea.
A loud boom at the front door made me spin, my finger poised at the trigger.
The door busted open, and it was only a nanosecond of hesitation that saved his life.
We stared, our guns trained on each other, when Agent Light said, “Gun down, Leblanc.”
“Son of a fuck,” I ground out, slowly lowering my weapon.
He kept his up. “You okay?” he asked, scanning the house.
“Yeah, we’re good. What the fuck are you doing here?”
He didn’t reply as he rushed past me, clearing the house, and shutting the back door. When he was finally content that we were alone, he tucked his gun into his shoulder holster and stormed toward me. “You dumb fuck!”
“Excuse me?” I asked, my shoulders rolling back in defense.
The sirens drew closer.
“What the fuck did I tell you? Do not go off half-cocked!” he yelled.
“Light,” I started, not in the mood for whatever bullshit he was about to sling. Elisabeth was upstairs in a closet, scared out of her gourd. I did not have time for his shit.
“You could have gotten her killed!” he roared, stabbing a finger in my direction. “Clare. Tessa.” He paused, his face contorting with fury. “Elisabeth! Goddammit, Roman, I told you Noir was not to be fucked with. So you haul your ass over to his house and engage his wife? Who, by the way, I will fucking add, if you ever lay a finger on again, I will slit your goddamn throat myself.”
“What did you expect me to do after you show me a picture of my child and tell me that she’s in the arms of an abusive criminal?”
The muscles in his jaw clicked as he seethed, “I expected you to keep your shit together! But no, I had to sit my ass in a fucking car, watching your house all night long to keep Noir from coming in here and snuffing you out.”
I took a step toward him, bringing us nose-to-nose, and whispered, “This was one of Noir’s guys?”
He barked a humorless laugh. “Fuck, Leblanc. You signed your death certificate by showing up at that man’s house today. Putting your hands on his wife. Trying to take his family. I want you to imagine for a second some man showing up at your house and pulling that shit. You’d fucking kill them. Now, I want you to imagine a piece of shit like Noir, who’s killed men for innocently sitting in the same room as his woman.” He leaned in close, his eyes flashing malevolent as he whispered, “He’s gonna extinguish your entire family.”
“Fuck you!” I spat, bile rising in my throat.
He shook his head and backed away. “No. You fucked us both.”
Another surge of adrenaline hit me, causing my vision to tunnel. I didn’t give one fuck who this Noir guy was. I’d set fire to his world if he thought he was going to lay one fucking finger on Elisabeth.
“Put your hands up,” came from the front door, uniformed officers flooding in.
Heath kept his attention on me, his back to the door. “You need to get her away from here. You won’t be this lucky next time,” he said, slowly lifting his hands in the air. “Remember. Never seen me in your life.”
“Right,” I mumbled.
He nodded then called out, “Agent Heath Light. DEA. The suspect escaped out the back door.”
“Drop your weapons!” the uniforms yelled in a round of chaos.
“Right,” I mumbled again, squatting to set my gun on the floor.
Heath pulled his from his holster and did the same before retrieving his badge from his pocket. Once the cops were satisfied with his identity, he took over, passing orders out then getting on his phone to bark out more.
I didn’t waste a single second before sprinting back up the stairs to Elisabeth.
The closet door was thankfully still shut, and it was only that sight that finally made my heart slow.
“Lis,” I murmured quietly. “It’s okay, baby. You can come out.”
The door nearly clocked me in the face as it burst open and she came flying out. She launched herself into my arms, her green eyes consumed by fear. “Are…are you okay?”
“I’m good,” I assured, holding her tight.
Her body trembled in my arms, so I scooped her off her feet and carried her to the bed, sitting on the edge with her securely in my lap.
She was terrified, but she was putting up one hell of a fight. Her chin quivered, but not a single tear fell from her eyes.
“The police are here,” I told her, then kissed her forehead.
“I was so scared,” she replied.
I guided her face into my neck, struggling with the knowledge that I’d inadvertently caused all of this. “I know, but it’s over now. And everyone’s safe, okay?” Judging by what Heath had told me, it was a lie, but I’d make it the truth. Somehow. Someway.
“What the hell happened?” she mumbled against my skin.
This time, I only half lied. “I don’t know. You think you can get it together enough to come down and talk to the cops?”
She nodded then hugged me tighter, not budging off my lap. “I just got you back. I can’t…” She trailed off.
My gut twisted. It was a sentiment I shared. If anything had happened to her… Fuck that. I was not going down that road.
I glided a hand up the back of her neck and tilted her head to force her eyes to mine. “No one. And I mean no one will take you from me. Or me from you, okay? I swear on my life I’ll make us safe.”
Her eyes suddenly narrowed
. “Make us safe? It was just a break-in, right?”
“We’ll talk later,” I said, shifting her off my lap. “I need to get dressed.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked my back as I headed toward my bag to pull on jeans and a T-shirt over my boxer briefs.
I ignored her and said, “You need to get…” I stopped when I glanced back and saw her standing there in what could only be described as a church dress. White. Floral. Hideous. “That is a seriously ugly-ass dress.” A smile tipped one side of my lips.
She glowered. “I was naked and hiding in my closet from a gun-wielding burglar while my husband took off after him. I pulled on the first thing my hand landed on.”
My smile grew as I arched an eyebrow and asked, “Your husband?”
“Don’t you dare try to change the subject. What aren’t you telling me?” she snapped.
“Later,” I said, tugging the tee over my head.
“Roman!”
I leveled her with a glare. “I don’t have the energy to deal with your attitude right now. The cops are crawling all over the downstairs, and they’re gonna be making their way up here soon. We can talk later because, right now, I need to get my wife down there so they can take her statement while I make some phone calls and get our shit sorted for the next couple of weeks.”
“Couple of weeks?” she questioned incredulously while crossing her arms over her chest.
Fuck, she was cute.
Cute was yet another thing I did not have time to deal with at the moment.
I didn’t say a word as I walked over, took her hand, and dragged her to the door.
She quickly gave up with her argument when we got into the hall and she took in the broken mirrors. “Oh God,” she gasped, covering her mouth with a hand.
Looping an arm around her waist, I took some of her weight and led her down.
Just as we got to the base, I saw an irate Detective Rorke standing close to a completely unfazed Heath Light.
“And you just happened to be passing by the Leblancs’ house tonight when you heard gunshots,” Rorke accused.
“Yep,” Heath replied curtly.
“Seems awful convenient, Light.”
“Sure does, considering no one ended up dead.” He lifted his head when he saw us come down. His eyes landed on Elisabeth and stayed there as something eerie sifted across his features. “Excuse me,” he told Rorke, already on the move in our direction. He stopped in front of Elisabeth, his eyes so intently studying her face that it unnerved me.
She must have felt the same, because she lifted a hand to rest on my stomach and shifted deeper into my side. “Um, hi?”
“Agent Heath Light, DEA,” he said robotically.
“Elisabeth Keller.”
“Leblanc,” I corrected, then snapped my fingers at Light.
His gaze slowly cut to mine.
I stepped around Elisabeth and tucked her into my back. Lowering my voice, I said, “I need the number of your security guy again.”
He nodded, digging into his back pocket and pulling a card out while mumbling, “Finally, he does something smart.” He passed the card my way. “Shoot me a text when you get free of this shit, and I’ll forward you all of his info. He’s in Chicago, but drop my name and he should be able to get some guys down here tomorrow. Get someplace safe until then. Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I agreed immediately.
Elisabeth’s hand tensed at my back, and I swung an arm back to pat her side.
It wasn’t much, but in that moment, I had nothing else to offer her.
It was a common trend in our relationship.
But it was one I was planning to break.
I could fix this.
I would fix this.
I will fix this.
Chapter Eighteen
Clare
I woke up the next morning feeling run down and achy. I’d cried myself sick over the last few days.
When Walt had finally gotten to me the day before, I’d collapsed onto the driveway as I’d watched Roman speed away.
Walt held me, making my skin crawl as I protectively wrapped myself around Tessa. Both of us sobbing.
She was scared, and I couldn’t blame her.
I was terrified, too.
Walt led us both inside and got us settled on the couch. Then he immediately retreated to his office. Over the next hour, a steady stream of his men came through the front gates, flooding in the back door, and going straight up to join him.
A man had come to help me. And I’d thrown him to the wolves.
And, as I sat on my couch the next day, Walt walking around in nothing more than a pair of slacks, not a trace of anger on his hideous face, I knew that that man was now dead.
I’d seen that picture Roman had thrust in my face. He had a wife, probably a child, and if his assumptions were correct and our embryos had been switched, it was my child. And I’d all but pulled the trigger myself.
The father of my daughter was dead.
But it was the wrong man. It was the kind and decent one who’d put his life on the line to save me—and Tessa.
And I’d killed him.
A tear escaped my eye, and I quickly swiped it away for fear of Walt noticing. I had a million reasons to blame it on after the last few days of drama, but I was all out of lies.
I couldn’t help Roman anymore, but there was one man I could still save. I’d selfishly told Luke everything, putting his life at risk to make myself feel a moment of relief. I needed to stop him from repeating any of it before he was gone, too.
“I’m going to the gym this afternoon. I’ll figure out dinner when I get home,” I said as Walt started up the stairs to his office.
He stilled, one foot on the bottom stair. “I don’t want you going back to that gym.”
My heart leapt into my throat. “What… Why?”
“Why?” he asked incredulously, changing direction and heading back to me.
I steeled myself for an explosion and glanced to the kitchen, where Tessa was sitting at the table, playing with a giant ball of Play-Doh.
I stayed silent as Walt approached.
His knee landed beside me on the couch. The smell of his cologne made vomit rise in my throat. His hand went to my throat, sliding up and tilting my head back so I was forced to look at him.
My gaze flashed back to Tessa as panic ricocheted inside me.
Then, much to my surprise, he bent, kissing me chastely before saying, “Because, after the last few days, I don’t want you out of my sight. There are men out there who think they can put their hands on my wife and still wake up breathing. You gotta know, sweetheart, that that shit does not fly. You’re a Noir.”
And I hated it more than anything else in the world. Carrying his last name was a punishment worse than any he’d ever doled out with his fists.
He gave my throat a gentle squeeze and trailed his other fingers down my chest, between my breasts, and down my stomach before stopping just short of between my legs.
I fought off the dry heave and did my best to control my breathing.
Walt was like a bear in the woods. He wanted dominance, and he demanded that you gave it to him. But, if you showed him fear, it only fueled him. He fed off the power.
I knew this game well. He wasn’t going to hurt me—at least, not right then. But he wanted me to remember that he could.
However, victims often became the smartest players in the game of survival.
Puckering my lips, I silently asked for another kiss. He gave it to me then smiled menacingly.
I lifted my hand and teased the bare flesh at his stomach. “I’m yours, Walt. They touch me, they touch you.”
“They touch you, Clare, they die.”
“I’m yours,” I murmured.
His eyes heated, so I kept talking.
“No one would be stupid enough to challenge you again.”
He licked his lips.
Raking my nails up his sides, I pushed further. �
��You’re Walter Noir. And I’m your wife. I’m untouchable, and I dare them to try.”
“Fuck,” he breathed, dropping his forehead to mine.
“It’s just the gym, honey. A couple of hours on a treadmill to get my mind off the last few days.” I slid my hand over his shoulder and into the hairs at the nape of his neck and whispered, “Don’t let them win.”
He stared at me, his eyes becoming soft at the corners. His stiff body uncoiling under my affection.
“Please,” I added for good measure.
He gave in on a huff. “One hour. And Brock drives you.”
It wasn’t ideal. But it was something. And I needed to get to Luke and make sure he kept his mouth shut about everything I’d unloaded on him. Both of our lives depended on it.
I faked a grin. “Okay.”
His hand tightened at my throat. “You run into any trouble whatsoever, I’ll be there in a blink.”
“I know.”
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, breathing an, “I love you,” on his exhale.
I fucking hate you. “I love you, too.”
* * *
The ride to the gym that afternoon was a silent one.
Brock pulled up in front. Then he got out and opened the back door so I could get Tessa out of her seat. When I had her on my hip, he slammed the door and grunted, “One hour.” He then pulled around to a parking spot with clear visibility of the front door.
At least he isn’t coming in.
“Hey, Clare!” the front desk girl, whose name I could never remember, chirped.
“Hey,” I said, glancing around her toward the row of offices. “Luke in the back?”
“Uh,” she stalled. “Actually, Luke didn’t show this morning, but don’t worry. I called in—”
The world stopped spinning.
I interrupted her on a nearly desperate cry. “What do you mean he didn’t show?”
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I mean…he didn’t show up this morning.”
My hands began to shake, and I shifted Tessa onto my other hip in order to lean my elbow on the counter for balance. “Did you try calling him?” I snapped.
“I did,” she replied cautiously, “but he didn’t answer.”