by Lila Kane
It was quiet inside, and Tracy had a room all to herself. She appeared to be sleeping, making my heart drop. I wanted to talk to her, to tell her it was going to be okay. To thank her for standing up to Mark.
“I’m not going to wake her,” the nurse said quietly. “She needs her rest.”
I swallowed, hardly able to take my eyes off her. “I know.”
She needed rest, and more, she needed healing. Her face was barely recognizable underneath the swelling and discoloration. Her hair was dull and stiff, probably from the blood and what they’d been unable to clean. Her cheeks were swollen, and I could still see the bruises on her neck.
A low sob slipped out. I reached for her hand, touching it gently. “Oh, Tracy, I’m so sorry.”
Her eyelids flickered. It took her a moment to focus. “I’m…”
The nurse reached for the water on her tray, shaking her head. “Don’t try to talk too much.” She glanced at me. “Her throat is bruised. It hurts her to talk.”
Nodding, I leaned in closer to Tracy so she could see me. She took a sip of water, but wouldn’t take her eyes off me.
“You’re okay now,” I assured her. “There’s someone outside, keeping watch. You’re safe.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. “Safe,” she said.
I nodded. “Right. Safe. Right here. And you’re going to be okay.”
“Ma…”
My stomach clenched. “Mark. I know he did this. He—” I broke off at the nurses warning look. I didn’t want to upset Tracy more. “You’re fine,” I assured her. “Safe.”
“Not safe,” she said, voice scratchy.
“Yes, you are. I promise. I don’t want anything else to happen to you.”
“You…not safe.” She blinked, winced, and then squeezed her hand on mine. “He…angry.”
I pressed my lips together tightly, but couldn’t stop moisture from filling my eyes. “I know, Tracy. But you don’t have to worry about that. You need to focus on getting better. I’m fine.”
“No.” Tears leaked from her eyes.
Frowning, the nurse shook her head. “You’re going to have to leave. She doesn’t need to deal with this.”
“I’m sorry.” I tried to extract my hand from Tracy’s but she held on with surprising strength. “Tracy, relax. Get some rest. Everything will be fine.”
“You…help,” she said. She tried to clear her throat and ended up coughing. “Not yet. Charlotte.”
I met her eyes, saw the intensity behind them. “Tracy, what is it?”
“He won’t stop,” she said, voice scratchy again. “He said…Paige?” She squinted her eyes, trying to remember. “Someone…your friend? He’s going…after her.”
The words jolted me, and with a start of panic, I tore my hand free of Tracy’s. “I have to go.” I glanced back to the nurse. “Take care of her.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I burst through the door, already babbling, ready to get to the car. “We have to go. We have to get back.”
“Wait.” Finn stepped in front of me, hands on my shoulders. “What did she say?”
“She said he talked about Paige, about going after her. Why are you looking at me like that? We have to go.”
Curtis gestured to the hallway. “She’s right.”
“Should I call Paige?” I asked, reaching for my phone. “Tell her to go to security—or that we’re on our way?”
Finn touched my back as we rushed through the hallway. “Let’s get to the car first.”
“Finn, wait.”
Curtis glanced over his shoulder, making sure we were keeping up, while Shane stayed in the rear. “No time. Get to the car.”
I stopped. “But Paige. I have to let her know if something is going to happen.”
Finn gripped my arm. “Charlotte, let’s talk about this at the car.”
“But—”
“Ms. Evans,” Curtis cut in. “This isn’t the time or the place. Let’s get to the car.”
My heart thudded hard in my chest. I’d never seen Curtis so serious, or so firm. This wasn’t good. It meant he was worried. It meant Mark was out there somewhere and we had no idea where.
Finn tried a softer approach, taking my hand in his. “Charlotte, we need to go.”
I let him guide me, barely keeping up with his long strides as we retraced our steps from earlier and returned to the parking garage. Curtis made us wait by the exit with him while Shane got the car, his hand poised over his gun the entire time.
Finn’s arm came around my shoulders, holding me close to his body, and I shivered at the chilliness of the garage. Goosebumps raced up my arms, but it wasn’t all from the lack of heat.
Shane pulled the car so close, I almost had to step back.
“Get in,” Curtis instructed.
Finn and I both climbed into the backseat, and I immediately leaned forward. “Paige—”
“I’ll call someone at security,” Curtis said.
“Don’t you think we should go there?”
Finn grabbed my waist and pulled me back to the seat. “If Mark’s there, it’s not safe. Buckle up.”
I looked up at him, feeling sick as I forced my shaking hands to buckle the belt. Curtis was already on the phone, speaking quickly with instructions. Finn gripped my hand, and it felt like he was trying to stop me from asking questions rather than reassure me.
“Finn, this isn’t good. I have a bad feeling. Tracy said Mark was talking about Paige. She could be in danger.” His fingers squeezed lightly on mine, and I covered my mouth with my free hand, my words a choked breath of distress behind my fingers. “We can’t leave her there.”
I scooted as far as the seatbelt would allow, curling my arm around Finn’s waist. “Please do something.”
His jaw clenched and his arms circled tightly around me. “Charlotte, they’re handling this. You said you’d do what needed to be done, and that’s keep you safe.”
With my stomach still whirling, my eyes burning with tears that threatened to spill, I waited endless minutes for Curtis to get off the phone. For him to tell me everything was fine. For him to say anything. No news, no plan, was killing me.
Finally, Curtis turned from the front seat. “We’ll head to Oasis, pick up Paige and speak with Detective Winters and Detective Stone. I’ll check where Dustin is in the meantime. The plan is to keep you surrounded until Mark is picked up.”
I straightened, adjusting the strap of the seatbelt. We were headed to Oasis, which made relief pour over me. I’d already had to watch Mark hurt Tracy, I couldn’t bear to do the same with Paige.
When we arrived at the parking garage, Finn gripped my hand tightly. “Straight to our apartment, okay?”
My stomach did one long, nervous roll. “I’m…”
The car slowed to a stop.
“What is it?” Finn asked, unbuckling his belt.
“I’m scared,” I said quietly, clenching my hand on the strap of my purse.
He exhaled, shaking his head. “Charlotte. You’re safe, okay?”
“It feels like…” I didn’t finish my sentence before my phone rang from within my purse. When I saw Paige’s name come up, I exhaled just like Finn had, but this time in relief. “It’s Paige. Hello?”
The silence on the other end only lasted a minute before a deep voice spoke in my ear. “Hello, Charlotte.”
My whole body tensed, shock ripping through me. I gripped Finn’s hand, my nails digging into his skin. Mark, I mouthed.
Curtis whipped around in his seat. Speaker, he told me.
I pressed the button on the phone, my hands shaking so badly it took three tries. Finn gripped his hand around mine to hold it steady.
“I know you’re there,” Mark said. “With your entourage.”
“Where’s Paige?” I asked.
“She’s right here with me. Safe and sound.”
“I want to talk to her.”
He chuckled, but there was an edge to it. Usually, he was calm, in con
trol. Now he sounded like he was barely containing himself, like he was on the verge of laughing hysterically or shouting at me.
“Why don’t you come see her?” Mark asked. “Then you two can talk all you want.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Finn was shaking his head. “No,” he whispered.
“Please let me talk to Paige. I want to know she’s all right.”
Mark laughed. “She’s a little…tied up right now.”
I automatically reached for the door handle, startled when Finn caught my hand. “Let her go, you don’t have to do this.”
“I just want to talk, Charlotte,” Mark said.
“We are talking.”
“In person.”
Finn shook his head again, looking ready to grab the phone from my hand. Curtis whipped out his cell phone and dialed a number, getting out of the car before he began talking.
Shane made a circling motion with his finger, trying to get me to keep Mark on the line longer. I fumbled for words, anything to get him to tell me that Paige was okay.
“Just let her talk to me a minute,” I said, my voice calmer than I felt. “I need to know she’s okay.”
There was shuffling in the background, and then a faint whimper. “Paige! Paige, are you there?”
Mark returned to the phone. “Well…she’s out of it. Happy to hear your voice, I’m sure, but not happy about this tie I’ve got here.”
“Oh, God.” The blood drained from my face. “Don’t hurt her, you hear me? You don’t lay another hand on her—”
“My rules now,” Mark snapped. “Get up to Paige’s apartment in ten minutes, or she’s not going to make it. And Charlotte, darling, you’d better come alone.”
He ended the call, leaving us all in stunned silence.
Dropping the phone on the seat, I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying but failing to hold in my sob. “Finn, we—we have to do something.” I swiveled in my seat to face Shane. “I have to go up there. I—”
“No, stop,” Finn said. “Stop. You’re not going up there.”
“Curtis,” I said, shoving my door open. Finn’s fingers grazed my elbow, but I wouldn’t stop. I hurried around to the front of the car as Curtis said something else into the phone.
“They’re tracking her number,” Curtis said, pulling his mouth from the phone. “To see where they are.”
“Paige’s apartment,” I burst out.
Finn and Shane exited the car as well, and Finn arrived at my side, his fingers firm around my arm. “You’re not going up there.”
“He’ll hurt Paige. He’ll kill her like he tried to do with Tracy.” I wrapped my arm around my stomach. “Oh God, I have to hurry.”
Curtis listened to someone on the other end of the phone, and then nodded. “Good. Get up there now.” He ended the call. “Your detectives are on their way up to Paige’s apartment. They tracked her cell phone—”
“No. No. They can’t go up there.” I started for the door to Housing, but Finn gripped me around my waist. “Stop. Finn, please. You heard what he said. Let go!”
“He told her to go to Paige’s apartment alone or he’d hurt her,” Shane relayed to Curtis. “Ten minutes.”
Curtis jerked his head to the doors. “You go. Dustin will meet us at your apartment.”
“Wait,” I started. “Dammit. You can’t—”
Curtis swiveled to face me. “We’re going back to your apartment right now.”
“He’ll hurt her. He said he would. Finn.” I looked up into his face, his weary eyes, and the set to his jaw that said he’d already made up his mind. “Please. It’s Paige. I can’t—” My voice broke.
“We have to trust them, Charlotte.” He brushed a tear from my cheek. “Let’s go.”
“I have to get up there. You heard what he said.”
Curtis gripped my elbow, surprising me, and between he and Finn, ushered me to the door. We burst into the hallway to the lobby and went straight for the elevators.
“Wait. Finn—”
But neither of them stopped, their grips firm as we reached the closest elevator and Curtis pressed the button for the floor to our apartment.
I swiveled to face Finn again. “Just let me go in first. The detectives can come afterward. If I could just talk to Mark—”
“He’s past negotiating now,” Curtis said, pulling out his gun. “He’s already made up his mind and you’re not going to change it.”
I started to argue, but Curtis met Finn’s eyes. “Stay behind me. Charlotte, you need to focus. Do what I say.”
Finn gripped my arm hard, holding me close to his body. The elevator dinged and released us to our floor. Curtis stepped out cautiously, looking both ways and heading toward our apartment. Finn reached for his key card, but Curtis shook his head and pointed.
The door was already cracked open.
Finn tugged me behind him, shielding my body with his. My heart thudded with panic, my breathing growing shallow. I thought Mark was downstairs with Paige, but was he up here instead? And where was Dustin?
Curtis gestured to the other apartment, where he and his team had been staying since we knew Mark was in the city. With his free hand, he pulled out the key card and kept his gun ready while he swiped.
He walked in first, slow and steady, while Finn and I followed behind. When Curtis stopped suddenly, I ran into Finn, and then gasped when I saw the body on the floor.
“Dustin.”
I started forward, but someone grabbed me from behind, yanking me off my feet briefly before pressing something cold to my temple.
My startled cry was cut short by Mark’s terrible voice in my ear. “Nice to see you again. No, no, you’d better stay back,” he told Finn. Curtis pointed his gun in our direction, but Mark was flush behind me. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt, do we?”
Mark backed up, out the doorway, and I stumbled in his grip, panicked breaths barely escaping my lungs.
“Don’t do this,” Finn warned, coming after us with measured steps. “There’s nowhere to go.”
“I’m well aware.” Mark didn’t sound concerned at all. He knew there was no way out of this, but he was doing it anyway.
“You might want to back off,” Mark warned.
He walked us to the entrance to my apartment, still safe behind me so Curtis couldn’t get off a shot. I held back a whimper, my eyes locking with Finn’s.
“This is only going to make it worse,” Curtis told him. “Let her go now and you might get off a little easier.”
Mark laughed. “There’s no going back now.”
“Mark,” Curtis said calmly.
“Fuck you,” Mark said.
He held his arm over my shoulder, shooting the gun before I could even blink. My gasp was drowned out by the noise, by the horror of Curtis collapsing on the ground. With my ears ringing, I tripped over Mark’s feet as he yanked me into the apartment.
He tried to shut the door, but Finn burst through and Mark took aim again. I shoved against his arm, throwing him off, but not before another shot rang out.
Finn flew back into the door, hand clutching his arm.
“No! Stop!”
And then the tie was around my throat, pressing tight enough I couldn’t get out another sound.
“That’s better,” Mark murmured in my ear.
Finn slid to the floor as Mark stepped next to him to kick the door closed and lock it. When Finn reached out, as if to grab him, Mark jammed his shoe into Finn’s gut as he pointed the gun.
I shook my head. “N...noo…” I managed to get out from behind the tie.
Mark loosened the tie enough for me to plead for Finn’s life. “Please, don’t. He’s nothing anymore. You’re here now, we’re together again, just leave him alone.”
Finn grunted, rolling onto his side and trying to get up. Mark kicked him in the stomach again, and I watched as blood smeared the floor.
God, no, not Finn.
“Please,” I said to Mark, trying to turn in h
is grasp. “It’s just you and me now. That’s what you came for, right?”
Mark pulled me further into the apartment, the tie still around my neck. I stumbled along after him, part of me relieved he didn’t seem to want to hurt Finn anymore, and the other part of me knowing this was it for Mark. This was the end. He knew he wasn’t going to get away with this, and someone was going to get hurt.
“You ruined it,” Mark hissed. “You ruined everything.”
He punctuated every word with a tug on the tie. I curled my fingers around the cloth, trying to pull it from my neck.
“Why’d you run, Charlotte? Why?”
Breathless, I couldn’t answer with anything but a cry of surprise when he yanked on me again. He dragged me down the hallway to the bedroom, where rose petals coated the surface of the bed.
I whimpered, my eyes taking in the scene. Candles. Red roses. A piece of black lingerie. No…
Mark slammed the door closed and shoved me to the ground. I broke my fall with my hands, but jarred my knees and my wrists with the impact. When I spun around, Mark was pushing the dresser in front of the door. Bottles of perfume fell over and shattered on the floor, filling the room with an overpowering floral scent.
I scrambled backward, afraid to go near the bed. Afraid Mark would put the tie around my neck again. I got to my feet, inching toward the end table. The only thing I could think was that there was a gun inside.
If I could get to it, maybe I could do something. Maybe I could stop this.
“I waited this whole time, plotting and planning, just for some stupid bitch to get in the way,” Mark spat, facing me. He tapped the gun against his temple. “Tracy never was as good as you. You always kept your mouth shut like a good little slut, until you got it in your head that we didn’t belong together.”
“It was a mistake,” I said, the familiar placating words automatically popping into my head. “I shouldn’t have left you.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.” He glanced around. “And now look at the mess you caused. It’s over for us, Charlotte.”
“No, it’s not. We can fix this,” I said reasonably, thinking maybe he was out of it enough to actually believe my words.