by Cassie Wild
He heaved out a sigh and held out a hand. “I suppose the bridal jitters are normal.”
These weren’t jitters. Bile was threatening to rise again, and if I didn’t puke on his shoes, it would be a miracle.
Croft had stupidly left Lane’s phone lying on the bed. Would I be able to get to it?
Did I dare even try to do anything else at this point?
I didn’t know.
I wasn’t even sure I cared now.
Apathy settled over me as Ephraim continued to wait for me to take his hand. When I didn’t, he reached over and took mine, giving me a warning look. The glint in his eye promised ugly things, but I’d already known those ugly things were coming.
How was I going to survive this?
How would I take care of the baby?
The baby.
That was how.
Straightening my shoulders, I told myself I’d get through because I had no other choice.
Ephraim sensed something, and he looked over at me in speculation, but I didn’t so much as acknowledge his glance.
He guided me over to stand in front of Saul, and I met the gaze of the man who was going to perform this farce of a wedding.
“Shall we begin?” Saul asked, beaming at us.
I just stared back at him.
But just before he started, something occurred to me. “There is no marriage license,” I said. “We have to go to the courthouse for that.”
“We’ll deal with that detail later,” Ephraim said firmly, his fingers squeezing mine too tightly. “We’ll marry in the eyes of our people first.”
Married.
To this monster.
I took a shallow breath, then another, willing the nausea inside me to settle. I had to get through this.
There was no other choice.
From the corner of my eye, I saw my mother moving to stand by my side.
But I didn’t so much as look at her.
If I never saw her again after this, it would be too soon.
Eleven
Lane
The cop who helped bring Gabriel Marks down was younger than I would have thought – a lot younger.
She looked like she was maybe a few years older than Trice, although she wore an expression in her eyes that I recognized.
Pure cop.
She met my eyes as she approached the table, followed by a tall, dark-haired man that I pegged as being one of the cousins my contact had mentioned.
The other woman had to be a cousin – the resemblance was unmistakable, although where Trice was long and lean, this woman was small and curvy. The similarity was in the face, the dark eyes, and sharp cheekbones. Even the mouth was similar. Looking at her made my heart catch, then it made it ache a little.
I had to find her.
The group was rounded out by yet one last cop – I was spending more time in cop company today than I had, willingly, my entire life. And I’d do it all over again if it helped find Trice.
The two cops spread out on either side of me, and I could see them taking my measure.
“I take it you’re Lane Selvik,” the dark-haired male cop said, offering a hand and a genial smile.
The redhead didn’t so much as nod at me. She was the one I needed help from the most because she was my way to get through to the cousins, but I knew cops. If I wanted to get through to one, I had to play nice with all of them.
“I am.” I accepted his hand and was halfway impressed he didn’t try any of the bullshit posturing with squeezing my hand, trying to prove who was the bigger bad-ass. “And you are…?”
“Detective Lee Hollis.” He nodded at me as he let go of my hand. “Weiss told me I might want to take your call, so…here I am.”
We sat down, and I looked around at the people spread out around the table.
I’d recommended a coffee joint near the area close to where I’d found Trice. I assumed she’d lived somewhere close to there, so hopefully, wherever she was, it was in this general area.
“You’re working on the Marks case.” I met Hollis’ eyes as I made the statement.
“I am.”
I was going out on a limb here because I wasn’t sure, but there had to be a connection. “I’m a member of the Firstborn.”
His eyes didn’t so much as flicker, so I had to assume Weiss had already clued him in or he’d done some digging on the way over here. “I’ve got reason to believe that members of my club are doing business with the clan Marks belongs to. That, I can’t prove. But I do know some guys in the club are running drugs, and I know the LAPD wants them shut down. And I’m willing to help you out if you’ll return the favor and help me with an urgent problem.”
“We don’t usually do favors of that kind,” Hollis said, tapping his fingers on the table.
“What if it helps out a woman in trouble?”
“Is this about Trice?” Suria, who had been silent until now, leaned forward.
Nobody had introduced her, but I knew it had to be her. I nodded and met her gaze. “You’re her cousin, Suria.”
She inclined her head. Still holding my gaze, she said, “She was supposed to show up to go over her testimony against my father today. She never showed.”
“I know. I was there.” Taking a deep breath, I braced myself, then put it all on the table. “Trice’s life is in danger. I heard one of the members from my club talking to the de facto president the other night.”
I explained the whole story, from how I first met Trice, to what I’d overheard between Croft and TU. I left out the more personal details but didn’t whitewash anything else. I made no attempt to hide the fact that I’d all but manhandled her onto my bike and kept her from leaving my hotel room for the past two days while I tried to figure out how to handle Croft.
“You son of a bitch,” Suria spat, her voice shaking.
“I know.” I didn’t bother to argue or defend myself. There was no point. “Hate me all you want. I did what I thought was best.”
“You could have called the cops,” Ravenna said. She was the redheaded cop. She’d been mostly silent until now, but the censure in her eyes was undeniable.
“You can understand that a guy with my kind of lifestyle doesn’t exactly have the best track record with cops,” I said dryly.
Hollis and Ravenna shared a look, then Hollis looked back at me. “If shit comes down that points at you, I don’t know if we can do anything about it.”
“I’ve been…careful to avoid most of said shit,” I told him. “So have the smarter guys in the club. Things weren’t always like this.” Frustration edged my voice, and I knew there would be a time for self-recriminations and doubt later on, but I couldn’t waste that time now. “Guys knew how things used to be. If they were dumb enough to jump because the current president told them to, that’s their own fault.”
“What do you need from us?” Ravenna asked, drawing my attention her way.
“I think Trice was grabbed this morning by a member of my club…and I’ve got good reason to think she might have been taken to somebody in the clan.” I flicked a look at Suria. “I heard they were trying to force her to marry. Where can I find her?”
Suria blew out a slow breath. “I can tell you, but I’m going too.”
The man with her put a hand on her shoulder. “So am I.”
“No.” Ravenna shook her head. “This is a police matter. You can’t get involved.”
Suria offered a sweet smile. “For all you know, there’s nothing going on. You can’t get a warrant on this. They won’t even let you inside if they suspect you’re cops. I, however…I can get us inside.” Her eyes swept around the table. “I can get all of us in.”
“How?” I demanded.
“I’m still figuring that out.”
Suria and Nicco stood in front of me.
I was doing my best to look unobtrusive, standing behind them with both Ravenna and Hollis at my side.
They were doing their best not-a-cop impression.
; I wasn’t so sure I was buying it, but Suria had said she’d get their attention. Once she had it and got us inside, she told us it was up to us. She couldn’t think of a better plan, and she warned us that there might not be enough time to figure one out – Ephraim wasn’t known for his patience. I’d asked who he was.
Suria had grimly told me that was the guy Trice was being forced to marry.
Suria banged on the door a second time, and it opened, revealing the woman I’d seen when I’d gone by Trice’s place.
Her mother.
The things Trice had revealed to me about this woman made my hair stand on end, and I wanted to hit something. Just keeping my mouth shut took more of an effort than I would have thought possible.
“I want to see Trice,” Suria said, her voice aggressive.
The woman lifted her chin. “It’s too late.”
“Jade, you’re going to let me see her, now.” Suria was insistent, a threat underscoring every word.
“She’s married,” Jade said, shaking her head. “It’s over, Suria. Just go.”
“You’re going to let us in because if you don’t, my sister is waiting at the police station. I’ve got five minutes to call her. Otherwise, she’s going to start telling some very ugly stories…about all of you.”
I’d wondered how she planned to bully her way inside.
Now I wondered just what kind of shit she and her sister – and Trice – must have lived with growing up because the woman glanced behind her, then swallowed. “Suria, you can’t do this…”
“I’ve already wasted almost a minute,” Suria said coolly.
“I’ve got friends in the DA’s office,” her brother offered. He’d introduced himself as Nicco, in very rigid tones. I knew these guys weren’t impressed with me. I could understand. I wasn’t impressed with myself. But they loved Trice and were going all out for her. That was all that mattered to me. “Not only are they going to be very interested in what Joelle has to say, they’re going to be interested in the very detailed letter that Suria left with Joelle. She’s already a witness against Gabriel, Jade. Do you want to join the list?”
The woman fell back, clutching at the door with white fingers.
I gave her a withering look as I passed by. Recognition sparked in her eyes. I bent down and softly said, “Be quiet.”
She just nodded jerkily and shut the door behind us.
“Where is my cousin?” Suria demanded in a voice far louder than needed as she stormed inside.
I looked around, but I didn’t see much of anything. It was a big, rather opulent house – and almost empty, from what I could see. Although who knew who lurked in the depths.
“Where is everybody?” Suria demanded, turning to look at Jade.
Jade flapped a hand off to her right, and Suria headed in that direction.
We ended up in a large, formal living room.
“Where is she?” I muttered.
Suria turned a frigid look on her aunt, and the woman gestured, again. Suria, along with Ravenna, headed down that hallway.
I was two steps from following when somebody appeared in a doorway
Croft.
“You.” The word was like a blade slicing from my throat.
He caught sight of me and jerked back.
I pounced. We’d caught him off guard, and the piece of shit barely even put up a fight.
I heard the cop behind me shout, but his words meant nothing.
Other voices broke out, and I realized the noise had alerted the occupants of the house that there was company.
I had Croft under me, though, and that was all that mattered. “You put your hands on her,” I said, panting as I slammed my fist into his face. “I told you not to do that.”
He twisted, almost managed to throw me. Images of Trice’s face washed in front of me, and a new wave of fury broke over me. “You brought her back here,” I snarled. As he slammed a fist into my jaw, I grabbed his head and drove it onto the marble floor. Again. Again.
He went lax under me.
I was about ready to slam his head a fourth time when polished loafers appeared in the corner of my eye. “You should probably hold off killing him. We still need to find Trice.”
Trice’s name was the only thing that got through to me.
Rising, I wiped the back of my hand across my face, eying the cop who approached, pulling something from inside his coat.
I recognized the disposable wrist restraints and braced myself.
“Behave yourself, big guy,” Hollis warned me. “Or you’re next.”
He knelt down next to Croft just as the man moaned at my feet. “Fuck, he messed you up, didn’t he?”
I heard a scream and took off running.
It wasn’t long before I heard boots behind me, but I didn’t slow down.
Ravenna shouted, “Damn it, Selvik. Let the cops handle this!”
The cops had had the time to find Trice while I was beating the shit out of Croft, and they hadn’t done it.
There was another scream, even more panicked. I veered around a corner and saw two opulent doors at the end of the hallway.
There.
She was there.
I hit the door full force, plowing into it with my shoulder.
Trice was on the bed, a man covering her body.
That was all I saw before I lunged.
Grabbing the bastard, I hurled him off her and went down on him, striking out, a fist to his face, then to his gut.
“Lane, stop it!”
Stop it?
Were they nuts?
But a sound caught my ears.
Trice.
She was crying.
I hit the man on the floor again.
Another low sob came to me.
Slowly, I straightened and turned my head.
Trice sat on the bed, shaking and shuddering. She wore a pretty white dress, but it looked like a travesty on her. The top half had been ripped, and it sagged down, revealing the upper curve of her breast, which trembled on another sob.
She was crying.
Because of me.
I’d promised to take care of her, and I’d failed.
Trice’s eyes met mine over her cousin’s shoulder. I looked away, feeling unworthy of meeting that gaze.
I’d failed her.
Behind me, I heard Ravenna hauling Ephraim to his feet.
“I’m going to fucking sue!” he shouted.
“Yeah,” Ravenna said. “Good luck with that. Forcing a girl to marry you? Not cool, man. Not cool at all.”
As she led him out of the room, I followed her.
I shouldn’t even be in the same room as Trice. Not now.
Twelve
Trice
It all happened so fast.
One minute, Saul was pronouncing us man and wife, telling Ephraim he could kiss me. Then Ephraim did kiss me, and I jerked back, disgusted.
Ephraim glared at me, suddenly furious.
He jerked me toward him, and the need to heave grew more urgent as he leaned toward me again. At the last possible second, I turned my face.
Ephraim grabbed my wrist and started to pull.
I wanted to dig my heels in, resist. I looked all around, desperately, futilely. Mom was staring at her hands. The men from the clan were talking amongst each other.
Croft was grinning.
Through the big, overly extravagant house, Ephraim dragged me, and I half-stumbled, almost tripping as the narrow column of the dress’s skirt prevented me from moving too fast.
Any time I didn’t move fast enough, he jerked on my arm harder.
My hair spilled into my eyes, and I shoved it back, only to wonder why. It wasn’t like I wanted to see what was happening, wanted to see him – this monster, my husband.
All too soon, we came to a set of double doors at the end of a long hallway, and Ephraim shoved them open and dragged me inside.
He practically threw me on the bed. My head spinning, I thought I’d get sick. Th
en he came down on top of me and tried to kiss me again. I turned my head away, desperate for air.
“Stop,” I pleaded. “I’m going to get sick.”
He ignored me, jerking up to glare at me. He grabbed my face, squeezing. “You’re my wife now, Trice. You’ll do what I want.”
He ripped my dress, and I knew I had to let him do what he wanted, or he’d hurt me. That could hurt the baby,
But as he was hauling my dress up, the world seemed to explode.
I’d almost been numb at that point, willing to accept my fate, then the world…exploded.
Now, with Ephraim gone and Suria holding onto me, there was too much going on in my head, but I was aware of one thing.
Lane had been here – and now he was walking away.
Was it because of…
I stopped the thought. I hadn’t wanted to marry Ephraim.
I hadn’t had a choice.
Lane would understand that, right?
“I need to go,” I said, the words trembling as I pushed them out.
Suria still clung to me, but I fumbled free of her arms. “I need to talk to Lane.”
“Lane?” she asked, looking appalled.
I stared at her, pleading.
She must have understood something on my face, because she let go and I rushed out of the room, clutching at the loose front of the dress where it bagged over my chest.
Ephraim had ripped it. I wanted to finish the job, get it off my body, so I never had to see it again.
But first…Lane.
“Lane!”
I caught up with him just as he rounded the corner. In front of him, I saw a redheaded police woman walking Ephraim out, and I knew I didn’t have much time. Desperate, I looked around for a door. Spying one, I shoved it open and pulled him inside. I shut the door and spying a lock, I flipped it. “Where are you going?” I asked, trying not to wince at the plea in my voice.
“You should go back to Suria,” he said, his voice gentle.
“I want to be with you.” I bit my lip and moved closer, hoping he wouldn’t back away. He didn’t, so I lifted my hands to his chest. He stood there, rigid, unyielding. He didn’t pull away, but I would have given almost anything to feel his arms around me just then. “What are you doing here? How did you all find me?”