Ford Security

by Clara Kendrick

  Just before we disappear into the stairwell, I take one last look at the dead woman on the rooftop. I know that I will never have all the answers as to why we were kidnapped and held hostage today, but I’m content to live in the fantasy that I was right when I said she was just an imposter trying to take over Seth Grimm’s family business.

  I sigh before retreating back inside the building.

  EPILOGUE

  ANNA

  THREE MONTHS LATER

  My sister says that we’re moving too fast and maybe she’s right, but I guess that’s what happens when people survive the ordeal that Zane and I survived. The experience has forever bonded us, and because of that, our relationship has moved at a lightning pace.

  I hold the door open as Zane brings in the last box from the moving truck and sits it on the dining room table. The box is marked in black sharpie with the label Nursery. He steps away from the table and drags his shirt up over his forehead to wipe away the thin veneer of sweat dampening his face. His body is still as carved as ever. Hell, I think he’s actually become even more fit.

  Ever since we escaped with our lives intact, he has been crazy about staying in the best shape of his life. It’s amazing to me that after everything he’s experienced in his life, that this one incident seemed to be the straw that broke his proverbial back.

  He circles the table to come stand in front of me and drapes his arms over my shoulders. He still looks at me the same way he first began to look at me the day my life changed forever. There’s something beautiful behind those dark emerald eyes and that something beautiful is his soul. I’ve never known a better man in my life.

  He drops his head and kisses me softly. It’s short and it’s sweet, and it still manages to make the butterflies swarm my stomach. All this time later and each kiss is like it’s the first one. He can still make my heart race with nothing more than a quick glance and he can make me melt for any number of reasons.

  “How’s the little guy doing?” he questions, drops a hand to my waist. “Is he kicking yet?”

  “No,” I chuckle. “I think we’re still a long way away from that.”

  “Come on, little guy.” He trails his hand to caress my belly. “I hope he surprises you and he has a twin.”

  “Speaking of surprises,” I say with a light squeal and break away from his touch. I spin around and grab an envelope from off the dining room table and pass it into his hands. “Here you go.”

  “Is this the ultrasound?” he questions, a smile hitching across his lips while his brow furrows. “Our first look at our little baby boy?”

  I shake my head and laugh. “How do you know it’s a boy?”

  He cocks his head sideways. “Haven’t you learned to trust my gut by now?”

  “Just open the damn envelope,” I scold him playfully with a laugh and hold my hands on my hips as I eagerly wait for him to see his surprise.

  He pulls the ultrasound out of the yellow envelope and stares down at the black and white photo. “Oh, we are so screwed.” He throws the photo and the envelope into the air over his head and throws himself at me, wrapping his arms around the back of my neck as he plants a series of kisses against my lips. “But I’m so damn happy. Oh my God. You have no idea…”

  “Yeah.” I force a smile. “Twins.” I chew into my lip and elbow him playfully. “I hope they’re nothing like their father and their uncle Zach.”

  “Oh, trust me,” he winks, “they’re going to be just like us.”

  “I can hardly wait.” I roll my eyes but can’t help but to smile. It’s heartwarming how excited he is for kids. Just three months ago, right about the time I got pregnant, I never would have pegged him as a guy who wanted kids.

  I, however, have always wanted them. But even being a thirty-year-old woman, I wasn’t quite ready to have them. That’s fate though. Always throwing surprises your way when you’re least expecting them. It was fate that brought Zane and I even closer together than we ever were before, and I’m thankful every day for the experience in that tower.

  Back then, in the midst of it, I couldn’t believe him when he said I would look back and be thankful someday. I now see how wrong I was to doubt him. I’m thankful because I survived, but more than that, I’m thankful at how much it changed my life.

  Before I was meek and shy. Now, I’m anything but.

  Before, I was weak and scared, and now I feel empowered.

  And if it weren’t for that nightmare scenario that forced us into close quarters in the most luxurious panic room I have ever seen, then I don’t think I would have had unprotected sex with a man I wasn’t even technically dating, and thus I wouldn’t be about to give birth to the greatest gifts I could ever receive in about six months.

  So yeah, I’m thankful as hell for that experience.

  Thankful for Zane.

  Thankful for the twin boys growing inside me.

  Thankful for this new life we’ve made for ourselves.

  So damn thankful.

  Zane drops his hands behind my back and scoops me up into his arms. I let out a few cackles interwoven with screams as he spins me in a quick circle before he begins carrying me towards the stairs of our own suburban house that we purchased two weeks ago. He carries me up the stairs and once we reach the second floor landing, I kick my legs trying to free myself from him.

  But it’s no use. He’s too strong for me to break from his grasp, and it’s not like I really want to anyways because no matter where we are, no matter what’s going on in our lives, he’s the one thing in this world that makes me feel safe. He’s the one thing in this world that I love without hesitation and without question. He’s my knight in shining armor, but please don’t get it twisted, I’m no damsel in distress.

  Not anymore.

  He pushes through our bedroom door and drops me onto the unmade bed. He makes quick work climbing out of his jeans before he’s climbing on top of me. “What do you think?” he questions from above me, his breath hot and heavy against my skin. “Should we christen our new bed?”

  “Without sheets?” I question incredulously. “No, that’s not going to happen.”

  “Fine,” he groans and rolls onto his side. He throws an arm behind my back and rolls my body so that we’re side to side and face to face and then he scoots closer still so that there’s barely any space between our two bodies. “Can we at least take a nap before we finish unpacking?”

  “That sounds perfect.” I push a hand firmly against his chest to force him onto his back and drop my head against his muscular chest. With my ear propped to the side, I close my eyes and listen to the gentle beating of his heart.

  And it’s not long before I’m drifting off to sleep. And when I awake, I know he’ll still be right where I left him. I know that for as long as he’s around, I’m safe both physically and mentally.

  I love him in every way someone could ever love another person.

  And I thank God for that crazy bitch pretending to be Lola Grimm every day.

  It’s because of her that I found him. I mean really, truly found him. He was hiding in plain sight and I was too scared to make the first move. Lola Grimm forced both of our hands. I bet she’s pissed as hell while she burns in the fiery pits of hell.

  Just before I finally fade off into the land of dreams, I peel my eyes open once more to get one last glance at him to find that he’s already fast asleep. His chest rises and falls and he looks so damn peaceful with his head cocked to the side. I caress his chest, running my palm in slow circles before I drop my head back onto him and drift off to sleep.

  BOOK FOUR: Sins of the Father

  PROLOGUE

  LOLA

  NINE MONTHS AGO

  I race frantically down the long, damp corridors with a gun trained in one hand. Though my mind is racing, there’s only one thing that’s really on my mind. Zach Richards and his brother, Zane, are about to die at the hands of my father.

  It’s a fate neither of them deserves.

&nb
sp; They’re good people. They’re not like me and my father. There was a time, not too long ago, when I fancied myself as a woman capable of standing apart from my father. My sister, forever the black sheep of the family—too cartoonishly evil, the mustache-swirling kind—had said that the only thing that separated me from the rest of the family business was the fact that my heart didn’t bleed black enough. She’s always been under the contrived delusion that it was a fatal character flaw of mine.

  She’s a damn fool.

  Sweat caresses at the crease of my forehead, and with every step I take towards the inevitable, the more and more I almost lose my nerve. In the back of my head, I know that my father must be stopped at all costs and the Richards brothers need to live to see another day. It’s my intention to take down my father once and for all and to save Zach and his brother, but it’s going to come with a cost.

  Unlike most of the warehouses and abandoned factories my father typically carries out his business in, the interior maze of this particular warehouse is a mystery to me in the moment, even though I’ve been here briefly before—been here just long enough to set the trap that risks destroying my father’s organization from within.

  I take a right turn at the end of a hall but quickly realize there’s a blockade of stacked chairs and tables obstructing of the way.

  I come to a quick stop and wipe the back of my palm over my forehead before twisting on my feet and heading down the opposite direction with a new-found focus on the task at hand. The path ahead is all I can see. It’s like I have an exceptional case of tunnel vision as the world outside the path straight ahead of me blurs out of existence.

  Pale yellow lights swing from the ceiling, casting ominous shadows from above me down onto the old, damp concrete floors beneath me. I’m wearing heels because I’m always wearing heels. That’s what’s expected from someone like me; one of two heirs to an underground criminal organization.

  From just up ahead, I can faintly hear the sound of men’s voices, one of them is all too familiar. It’s my father. I tighten my grip on the gun in my hand, squeezing so tight now that my hand is starting to sweat too.

  I pivot around another corner, this one narrower and tighter than any of the previous ones before. There’s an open door straight ahead, and right inside I can see the twins standing at attention in front of my father, who steps towards the both of them with a gun in hand.

  This is it.

  I race forward and scream out, “Seth!”

  From where I come from, referring to my father by his first name is just about the most disrespectful thing I could ever do, but in this moment that’s not something I can bring myself to care about. I need to steal his attention at all costs before he does something he can never undo, before he can pull that trigger.

  “This ends right here today. Right now,” I continue, pacing forward and past the two boys. When my father—tall, well-dressed, slick black hair, and malice in his eyes—cocks his eyes at me, I just about lose control of my emotions. Tears well up in the corner of my eyes.

  Zane passes me a quick glance and swallows nervously, but my father steals my attention as he grinds out between gritted teeth, “Don’t you have any respect?”

  I half expect him to twist his aim to meet me, but he doesn’t. The gun remains trained on Zane while his eyes narrow in on me. “I’m your father and it’s about time you start calling me that.”

  “I can’t abide by that.” I shake my head defiantly. “Not when you’re acting like a monster.

  “That’s hilarious,” he chuckles like the maniac that I’ve always known he is and takes two careful steps backwards, and then another step so that he’s far enough away from the boys and I can get a good clean shot if I decide to take it. “You enjoy the perks of my hard work every day. You’re a spoiled little brat and you need to put that gun down and get the hell out of here.”

  “Or what, Seth?”

  “Stop calling me that!” He rushes even further backwards and spins his arm so that he’s now aiming his gun squarely at me. My blood runs colds. Though I, too, am aiming my gun at my own flesh and blood, it feels different here. It feels like he’s capable of pulling the trigger with no second-guessing or moral qualms. “I have given you everything in this life and I can take it away just as quickly.”

  I swallow harshly and exhale nervously. “You mean like you did with my mother?”

  “Your mother was sick.” He shakes the gun furiously and it’s like there’s gravel in his throat or something. Most people have never seen him like this, but I’ve seen this before. As evil as he can be, there’s still a soul somewhere deep inside. I’m just not convinced it’s capable of being saved at this point. “And me putting that bullet through her brain was the most humane thing I could have done for her.”

  “How?” I choke on my own tears as they stream down my face and threaten to choke me. My mother always used to say that you could drown in a half-inch of water, and though she’s dead now, I’ve never actually believed her until now. “How can you stand there right in front of me and say that?”

  He shakes his head softly and scoffs. “I’ve spent my entire life protecting you, but if you can’t get out of your own way then I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.”

  “Let these men go,” I demand, my finger dancing precariously close to pulling the trigger. “They have nothing to do with this.”

  “No, you’re wrong.” His eyes avert back to Zane and Zach. “They have everything to do with this. Maybe they didn’t before, but things have changed now. They have inserted themselves into the family business and if they walk out of here alive, they will be taking with them all the family secrets and I’m not about to let that happen.”

  “I’m not giving you that choice… Dad.”

  Calling him by his desired choice of words seems to freeze him dead in his tracks. Something passes over his eyes—a glimmer of humanity, perhaps? Out of the corner of my eyes, I see Zane raising his hands as if he’s throwing in the towel and surrendering. I can’t help but feeling that he’s seen the same familiar look in my father’s eyes, but if I could, I’d tell him to not let his guard down.

  Zane swallows and wets his lips before stepping forward slightly. “Seth—”

  “Shut up!” My father races towards Zane and pushes the gun against his forehead, pushing deep against his skull. “Say another word and I’ll blow your brains out the back of your head.” His eyes shift sideways to Zach as a raucous smile hitches across dry lips. “Or better yet, I’ll kill your brother first…” He spins the gun sideways so that it’s pressed against Zach’s cheek, leaving an imprint. My eyes drop at the sight. I’m here to save both brothers, but it’s Zach that I’m the closest to. After all, it was him that followed me down into this dark world first. “The last thing you’ll ever see is your brother’s blood painted against the wall right before his cold body collapses to the floor.”

  My heart skips a beat as my finger squeezes the trigger.

  Not once.

  Not twice.

  But three times and because I’m Seth Grimm’s daughter, all three shots land right where I aimed because he’s been teaching me how to use firearms since I was old enough to stand on my own two feet.

  My adrenaline keeps me calm, I think. Even while it seems as if my insides are shifting at the sight before me. My father’s eyes drop first and then his head as he glances down at his blood-stained chest. Dark, red matter leaks through his white-collared shirt. He stumbles backwards, and then cries out in a potent combination of shock and pain, and then he finally stumbles to the floor.

  I would cry but I can’t. I would scream but I’m too afraid of not being able to stop. With the gun still aimed squarely ahead, I find myself in a trance of sorts. Somehow, I manage to break myself out of that mental state.

  I cock my eyes over to the boys and sigh heavily. “We have to get out of here,” I say as I drop the gun to my side. “There’s a bomb that’s set to blow any minute now.”<
br />
  It’s a bomb that I set myself to cover up what I came here to do. The plan going off without a hitch requires his followers believing that what’s about to transpire here wasn’t an accident.

  “That’s all I need to know,” Zach takes a measured step backwards and then grabs onto his brother’s shoulder. “Zane, come on!”

  And just like that, the two brothers twist on their feet and race out the very entryway I just came in through. My eyes drop to my father bleeding out on the floor. He’s still alive, his hand trembling. It’s a God-awful sight and there’s a restless feeling of guilt delving into the deepest pits of my soul. I want to do something, anything. I want to take his pain away—as evil as he can be, he’s still my father—but with an empty clip, there’s not much I can do and the bomb’s about to blow…

  “I’m sorry, Dad…” I say lowly, unsure if he can even hear me before I’m spinning around and giving chase to the two brothers.

  My feet stampede against the wet floors, water being kicked up against the back of my legs. The steel walls sound like they’re shifting, as if they’re about to buckle but I consider that that’s probably only my imagination. With every step I take, it’s like I’m running away from both my past and my future. There’s a torrential downfall of thoughts coursing through my mind, and with every step I take, I begin to lose my will to carry on.

  Down at the end of the hall, Zach throws the exterior door open and early morning sun beams into the long, narrow hall. From all the way back here, I can feel the heat on my skin and that’s when I come to a complete and total stop. I cock my head over my shoulder, hit with an overwhelming somber sensation that threatens to chill me to my core.

  When I crane my head back towards the two brothers, all I can do is nod gently. I’m not nodding to them though. I’m nodding to myself, because I’m realizing what I have to do. Not because I want to do it, but because I need to do it.

  Zane holds the door open for me for a second longer but a certain look passes over his face, and it’s like he realizes that I’m not coming with them. I can’t go with them. There’s work to be done here.