by Aly Martinez
I jumped out of my seat. “Are they okay? What happened?”
“Everyone’s fine.” He assured. “But I need you to gather your things. We need to leave immediately.”
“Does Roman know yet?” Alex rumbled.
“He does,” Marco replied. “An officer has been dispatched to pick him up as well. Light and the DEA are asking for everyone involved to be locked down immediately.” He tipped his chin at Cathy and Kristen, who were looking on, their mouths gaping. “You get them home safely then meet us at the station.”
Alex nodded, pulling a wad of cash from his pocket and tossing it on the table. Cathy, Kristen, and I all exchanged nervous hugs and whispered goodbyes before Alex herded them out the door.
Marco cautiously led me out the other. His gaze flashed around, one hand on the small of my back and the other at his weapon.
With my heart in my throat and my stomach wrenching with nerves, I climbed into the back of his police car.
“Where is she?” I bellowed, slamming the now cuffed man against the hood of a police car.
“Light, calm the fuck down,” an agent said, trying to step in front of me.
But I was having none of it.
Clare was gone.
There was no such thing as calm anymore.
In the two minutes it had taken me to go after Tessa, someone had taken her. I didn’t know how. Or where they had caught her. Or how I hadn’t seen it. But she’d never even made it to the panic button on the alarm.
Someone taking Tessa had been nothing more than a distraction to get Clare away from me. The cocksucker was too fat. Too slow. Too stupid. Noir never would have sent a man like that if he’d really wanted to get his daughter back. This guy was more than likely some low-level thug who owed him drug money.
“I don’t know!” he yelled. “I was just supposed to grab the girl.”
“And take her where?” I pressed my forearm against the back of his neck.
He grunted under the pressure. “I was supposed to call when I had her.”
I slammed his head into the car again.
“Light!” Roman yelled, jogging up the driveway, Devon right behind him. “What the fuck happened?”
I released the piece of shit. He didn’t know anything, and time was wasting.
I turned on a toe and marched toward my door. “I need you to stay with Tessa.”
He caught my bicep and jerked me to a halt. “Where’s Clare?”
Son of a bitch. It fucking killed me to have to admit it.
I’d sworn to her that he wouldn’t touch her ever again.
And I’d failed her on his first attempt.
“I don’t know. But I’m going to find her. And I need you to stay with Tessa.”
He fell back on a foot. “What the hell do you mean you don’t know?”
I gritted my teeth. “I mean Noir got her, and I do not have time to sit here and explain this bullshit to you. Take Tessa back to your house, lock it down like Fort Knox, and Clare and I will pick her up as soon as we can.”
His phone rang, so he dug it from his pocket. I took it as confirmation that he’d understood me and carried on to the house.
“Heaf!” Tessa cried when I got inside.
A female officer was sitting on the floor with her, and she jumped to her feet and raced over, careening into my legs before I’d even had the chance to squat.
I scooped her up to sit on my hip and gave her a hug. “I gotta go, sweet girl. But Roman’s here, and he’s gonna take you back to his house so you can see Elisabeth and play with Loretta. That sounds fun, right?”
Tears welled in her big, green eyes as she asked, “But where’s Mama?”
I swallowed hard. “I’m going to get her.”
“Where’d she go?” she pushed.
“Listen to me, Tessi. I’m going to go get her. And I’m going to bring her home. And then all of this is going to be over. No more bad men. No more trouble.” I swiped my thumb over her cheek after the moisture had escaped. “No tears. Everything’s fine. I’m gonna take care of this, okay?”
She nodded but started full-on crying. It broke me to have to pass her off, but I needed to get the fuck out of there if I had any hopes of keeping that promise to her.
“I love you,” I whispered into the top of her head as I walked her out to Roman.
“I love you, too,” she cried, clinging to my neck.
I woke up at home.
Not at Heath’s.
Not at Roman and Elisabeth’s.
Not even that shitty trailer I had grown up in.
No, I woke up in Hell.
The only real home I’d ever had.
A man I’d vaguely recognized had grabbed me right off the back deck as I’d watched Heath charge into the house after Tessa.
On instinct, I’d screamed his name. But only once, before I’d made the conscious decision that I’d rather not distract him from getting to her. I didn’t know what he would have done if he’d known we were both in trouble.
But I knew without a doubt what I’d wanted him to do—save our girl.
I’d fought against my attacker, but in the end, it had been a futile effort. He’d dragged me out the back gate and through the neighbor’s yard to a waiting car.
And then everything had gone dark.
I’d woken up in a small house I recognized as the one Walt used for his “business” deals. I’d spent many nights there when he’d get in his moods and I wasn’t allowed out of his sight at all. It was not a place you wanted to be with Walt. Men who went in there with him rarely left alive. I’d cleaned blood off those stone-tiled floors countless times—sometimes, even my own.
I’d also turned the address over to Tomlinson weeks earlier.
And it was only that knowledge that kept me from falling apart after I opened my eyes and saw Walt’s slimy gaze staring back at me.
“Sweetheart,” he purred, sauntering toward me.
I sucked in a sharp breath but showed no fear as I whispered, “You finally came for me.”
He rested a fist on the bed and leaned into my face, his breath slithering across my skin and his green eyes dancing with arrogance as he said, “Did you think for a single second that I wouldn’t?”
Chills prickled the hairs on the back of my neck. “No.” I shook my head and scooted across the bed. But I hoped for every second that you wouldn’t.
He prowled up on the bed after me. The flex of his muscular body under the confines of his dress shirt made my stomach churn.
He cornered me against the headboard, one hand on either side of me, and cooed, “Welcome home, my love.”
I squeezed my eyes tight as he pressed his disgusting lips to my forehead.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he said, approximately two seconds before the back of his hand landed against my face.
“I’ll be back,” I assured Tessa as I handed her over to Roman.
The truth was I didn’t actually know where the hell I was going, but even if all I had to use was my sixth sense, I was going to find Clare.
I looked to Roman and held his gaze in an unspoken plea for him to take care of her. He lifted his chin and shifted her on his hip so she could rest her worried head on his shoulder.
My chest ached and my legs were heavy as I forced myself to walk away, but it had to be done. That was my family, and I was getting it back. No matter the cost. No matter the consequence. That shit was going to end once and for all.
I didn’t give a damn how much the DEA wanted to get their claws in Noir. He had taken what was mine. Scared my little girl. Put his hands on my woman. Sent his men into my home. Fuck that.
Walter Noir would not end that day breathing.
My only prayer was that I got to Clare in time to ensure that she would.
“Hey, Light,” Roman called out behind me. “Thanks for having Elisabeth picked up.”
I froze in my tracks and slowly turned to face him. “Come again?”
“Alex
told me you sent APD to take her into protective custody. Appreciate it. But I’m gonna swing by the station and pick her up. I’d feel better she’s with me right now.”
I blinked, my distracted mind trying to fit the pieces of the day’s puzzle together. But they were all corners and nothing made sense.
When I’d realized Clare was missing, I hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything else. However, after Noir’s attack on Elisabeth, I should have considered her safety as well.
But I absolutely hadn’t, and I sure as fuck hadn’t called the APD.
I took a long stride toward Roman. “I didn’t…” I started only to stop when the pieces clicked into place. I snatched my phone from my pocket and ordered, “Get Alex on the phone. Now!”
I dialed a different number.
He landed another hand on my face. “What did you tell the police?”
I kicked and bucked as I hid behind my arms. “Nothing! I swear.”
His assault stopped as he barked a laugh and then snatched me upright by my hair.
My hands flew to his wrists, taking some of my weight to relieve the paralyzing pain at my scalp.
His furious gaze burned into me as he brushed his nose with mine. “Do not fucking lie to me.” He gave my hair a hard snatch, wrenching my head to the side. “And what about Agent Light? I’ve heard you think he’s your new man.” He inhaled deeply and released it on a growl. “You are mine!”
With the slice of his arm, I went sailing backward off the bed.
I landed hard, which knocked the breath out of my lungs. I gasped for air as he got to his feet, and then, using my hair, he dragged me across the floor to the nightstand. My body went stiff and a sob tore from my throat as he retrieved a gun from the drawer.
“Walt, please!” I cried as he pressed the metal tip between my eyes.
“Tell me the goddamn truth, Clare. Now or fucking never.”
Suddenly, a noise caught his attention and he quickly aimed the gun to the door.
Relief blasted through my body as I saw a uniformed officer—a savior—filling the doorway.
That relief died along with part of my heart when I saw who was beside him.
“Elisabeth?” I breathed.
“Rorke,” he answered.
“Where the fuck is Officer Marco?” I barked as soon as he picked up.
“Interesting. You want us on the case now that your precious Clare is missing?” he sniped.
I had no time for his bitchy little feelings over jurisdiction. “I found your fucking mole,” I snapped. “He currently has Elisabeth Leblanc, and I’d wager my life that she’s headed to Noir.”
“What?” he asked in outrage. “No fucking way. Anthony Marco is a well-respected cop. You’ve got this wrong.”
I clenched my teeth and searched deep within myself for even a fragment of patience. There was none to be found. “Bullshit!” I boomed. “He used my name in order to convince her bodyguard that I’d ordered him to take her into protective custody. That was twenty minutes ago, and she has not made it to the station yet. Now, where the fuck is he?”
“I, uh…” he stammered. “Shit.”
I stormed to my car, Roman nearly exploding as he followed behind me. His phone was at his ear with Tomlinson on the other end.
“Where is he?” I repeated.
“The DEA has everyone out clearing Noir’s known properties, looking for Clare.”
I slammed the door to my Explorer closed behind me. It echoed as Roman did the same.
“Is he out clearing houses alone?”
“Shit,” he repeated. “Goddamn it. I want you to be wrong here. But fuck, yeah, he’s alone. He was on patrol when we got the call.”
“Okay, I need you to fucking listen to me here. Do not alert anyone. I have no idea who else Noir’s got buried in your ranks. But this stays between us. Track his car. Get me the address. Alert no one. You hear me. Not a single person finds out about this. Yeah?”
“Son of a—”
“Say you got me, Rorke.”
“Light, this needs to be reported. He could be—”
“You tell no one!”
Roman finally detonated, slamming his fist down on the dash before trying to rip the phone away from my ear.
“Let me fucking handle this,” I barked, throwing a hand out to stop him from all but climbing through the phone.
“He has my wife!”
“He has mine too!” I snarled back. “We will get them back. But chill the fuck out and get your head together.”
He stared at me for several beats before curling over and burying his face in his arms. He rocked back and forth in his seat, physically unable to sit still as adrenaline ravaged him. A feeling I knew all too well.
I turned my attention back to Rorke. “You’ve met Elisabeth Leblanc, and I know you’ve heard what Noir did to Clare. Now, that fucking monster has them both. I’m gonna get them out, and you are going to grow a fucking pair of balls and keep this quiet from your chain of command. Get me the GPS location of Officer Marco’s cruiser, and then, when we have both of those women home safe, you can report whatever the fuck you want. But, for right now, you keep your fucking mouth shut unless you are talking to me. Now, say you got me.”
He sighed. “I got you.”
“Good. Get me the damn address.” I severed our connection and dropped my phone into my lap.
I threw my arm around the back of Roman’s seat and started to back out of my driveway, but then I caught sight of Tessa peeking over Devon’s shoulder as he carried her into the house.
Her scared, green eyes were like a rusty knife to the gut. She should have been oblivious to this kind of drama for at least another…forever. She should be playing with Barbie dolls and watching fucking princes kiss their princesses, not living with the knowledge that someone had tried to snatch her from the safety of a place I desperately wanted her to call home. And then knowing they had succeeded in taking her mother.
I watched until the door closed behind them, a slew of agents and officers still flooding my lawn.
I couldn’t change her past, but I could—and would—change the future.
No more.
This life was done for her.
Blood trickled down Clare’s ashy, white face as her gaze locked on mine.
“We’re even now. I can’t do this shit anymore, Noir,” Officer Marco said.
“You’re done when I fucking say you are.”
“I’m going to lose my job over your obsession with this bitch,” Marco returned, shoving me into the room.
I stumbled on my heels before falling forward and landing on my knees. Clare climbed to her feet and hurried toward me, but Walter caught her by the back of the shirt at the last second.
“Oh God!” I cried, extending my arms toward her as she crashed to the floor.
She jumped up again, clawing her way toward me, only to be forced back down.
Shoving his gun into the back of his pants, he planted a foot on either side of her and bent at the hip as he barked, “Enough!” And then he backhanded her so hard that I had to fight back a dry heave.
“Clare, don’t!” I cried while praying that she would listen to him.
She didn’t.
She spit in his face and shouted, “You bastard! She has nothing to do with this.”
He stabbed a finger into her face. “I warned them, Clare. They kept you from me. You take a man’s wife—my wife—you will lose your own. It’s time Leblanc learns that lesson. And, if you don’t shut up and remember who the fuck your husband is, you’re going to learn a lesson, too.”
Another round of vomit threatened to escape my throat as twin streams dripped off my chin. Yet, somehow, in the face of evil, Clare appeared to collect herself. Her hunched shoulders rolled back, and the color returned to her cheeks. I’d known that Clare had to have been strong to have lived with Noir for so long, but until that moment, I hadn’t realized how strong she truly was.
I watched i
n awe as an eerie calm washed over her.
“Clare?” I whispered.
“You still want to be my husband?” she asked him weakly.
Walt seemed oblivious to her sudden change. His face remained hard as he growled, “You’re a Noir. No fucking pig is going to change that.”
She blinked her doe eyes at him and slowly pushed up onto her knees. “I’m still a Noir?”
He gently reached down and threaded his fingers through the top of her hair. “How can you even ask that? What the fuck did they do to you?”
Her chin jerked to the side as if something had struck her.
And I supposed it had, because not even a second later, she fell apart.
A strangled cry bubbled in her throat, and she scooted on her knees to hug his hips. “Oh God, Walt. I was so scared without you. I thought you hated me. That…that’s what they told me. They said you didn’t love me. And that you were planning to kill me. Heath and the police made me stay away.” Her voice caught as tears rolled down her face. “I thought… I just… They kept telling me that they would take care of me. But they didn’t. All I wanted was to come home.” She rose to her feet and gripped the front of the beast’s chest. “They’re awful people, Walt!” she cried.
His malevolent gaze softened as he brushed the blood-streaked hair away from her face.
She dropped her forehead to his chest as her entire body trembled against him.
I had never in my life been more confused—or impressed. I glanced around the room, hoping for an answer, but Marco was the only one there. He was wearing a similar perplexity as he narrowed his gaze on Clare.
“Noir, you’re not buying this shit, are you?” Marco said.
Oh, but he was. Hook, line, and sinker.
The taut muscles under his white button-down visibly relaxed as he folded her into his arms. “I would never kill you, sweetheart,” he murmured as if it were a romantic sentiment. “Don’t worry. They’ll pay for what they did.”
She sniffled and used the back of her arm to dry her eyes. “We need to get Tessa.”