In a daze, I walk out into the living room and shove the phone into Riley’s hand. “It’s the guy working Rena’s case. He has some questions for you.”
Her doe eyes get even larger as she whispers a meek hello and begins talking to him. “I can’t believe that bitch is showing her face here. She has a death wish. She wants to be caught. It’s the only explanation.”
I bite my bottom lip. “Driving a red convertible. She wants us to know she’s here. The police are going to be all over her.”
“Why the hell would she come back here, Maeve? Why?”
I swallow and let my gaze dart to my feet. “She’s probably on drugs. You know she isn’t making the most rational decisions. She committed murder. The lights may be on, but she’s not home.”
Riley’s conversation with Chip fades into the background as my friend gets aggressive in her questioning. “Do you know why she’s here, Maeve? Why are you acting like that?”
“Like what?”
“You know something. What is she doing here? You have that face. The one you wear when you’ve buried yourself in some deep shit and you don’t want to ask for help because you’re not used to asking anyone for help, and here I come reminding you that I love you and I will help you with whatever bullshit you’ve got yourself into.”
“No, no,” I say, shaking my head, knowing she’s dead-on.
“You’re lying to me,” Ramona counters.
“What is Maeve lying about?” Aspen noses her way over, now off her phone call. “She doesn’t lie about stuff often, so I bet she made it good.”
“I’m not lying. I don’t know why Rena is here. I mean, there may be a reason she’s here that I know of, but it doesn’t make any sense. I’m still trying to put things together.”
Ramona grabs my shoulders. “Let us help you figure it out. I demand it, actually.” Oh, shit. She’s not playing. “Stavros would want it, too.” Low, honest blow.
“Fine. Let me get her out of here,” I hiss under my breath. It doesn’t take much convincing after she hangs up with Chip she’s properly scared out of her mind, thinking Rena is going to kill her next.
“She saw inside my house,” she rambles. “I can’t die. I have to watch my kids grow up.”
“Riley, listen. Rena doesn’t want to kill you.” She wants to kill me. “You’re safe. They’ll have cops watching our street now. I’m sure Chip told you. I’m not sure why you came over tonight, or what your motives were, but I’m glad you did and I’m thankful you brought up seeing her.” I pause, putting a hand on my hip. “How did you not know? You seem to know everything about everything. Do you not read the news?” Unfortunately, it was everywhere. I couldn’t even go inside the local grocery store without hearing someone talk about it. Our sleepy Colorado town was buzzing.
“I don’t watch the news, really.”
I wince. “Not on social media or anything else? How?”
She throws up her hands. “No! Now I guess I should join something, huh? Is that where I get the scoop? I didn’t want to see my ex and his new shiny life, so I avoid it.”
Hm, an interesting bird indeed. I don’t know anyone besides me who doesn’t obsess over social media in some form or another.
“I feel like a moron. How could I not know? A murderer.” Riley covers her mouth like she’s spoken a dirty word. “At my house.”
“They’ll catch her. Especially if she’s using.” Rena has to be using to have balls this big.
She looks down and says, “I didn’t have any ulterior motives for coming here. I really was just lonely and wanted company.”
“Of course. I’m sorry. Come over anytime.” Now that I know you’re not after my man or out for blood. I say my goodbyes and Aspen and Ramona walk her to the door. Laying my hands on the cold granite in the kitchen, I think about how to tell Lincoln. What way I can spin this that won’t worry the piss out of him and send him running back home to play protector. Lying to him is painful, and I know he deserves to know. Chonk licks my hand, and I pet him, avoiding the ear that will never look like it should again. I still don’t know if Rufio or Rena cut my dog, and it bothers me.
“You have to tell him.” Ramona’s voice cuts through my mental tally of reasons I hate my twin sister.
“Why?”
“Because Turner. That’s why. There’s a little boy asleep down the hall that is fully dependent on you and Lincoln. He needs you both, and if Rena creeps over here tonight, which she won’t, so don’t freak out, Lincoln needs to know.”
“You’re right. Chip is sending guys over tonight. I get to be followed around constantly. Yippy! At least this time it’s good guys.”
“Are you seriously salty about having people protect you? I don’t get you sometimes. These people want what’s best for you. They’re trying to keep you alive. Rena is certifiable. She is poison. Everything she surrounds wilts and dies.”
Aspen chimes in. “I’ll call the beefcake for you!” She’s drunk and slurring. “Think he’ll say something provocative on the phone if he thinks it’s you, Maeve?”
“No,” both Ramona and I say at the same time. “I’ll do it, I’ll call him now,” I say louder. “He’s going to get so upset. He’ll treat me like I’m a fragile piece of ceramic or something. It took forever to get him to trust that I’d be okay after he got out of the hospital.”
“Girl, he needs to treat you like a fragile hand grenade, not ceramic.”
I wave her off and take my phone into the office. I do the precursory text to let him know I need to tell him something and ask him to call me if he’s free. This trip is different than the previous ones I’ve experienced with Lincoln and even Rexy. This trip is totally on the down-low. I don’t know what he’s doing or what time zone he’s in, or when he’ll be back. That’s why him being able to be tethered to me via cell phone is a big deal.
Everything okay? His reply is immediate.
We’re fine. Safe. Something came up and I wanted to talk to you instead of type to you. I’ll be up for a while. Give me a call when you have a chance.
I sit down at his desk and open the drawer to the right. There’s all the normal junk you’d assume would be in a man’s desk. The drawer to the right has some folders without labels. I pull them out and open the one on top and see a mugshot of Autumn Glass. I click on the desk lamp and it beams right on her face, like a beacon of evil. The resemblance is there, but oddly I see more of Rena in her than I do of myself. Maybe it’s because I know what they’ve both done. There’re articles and papers on Autumn’s crimes, and at the bottom of the stack there it is, a tiny piece of orphanage intake paperwork for Maeve Glass, three years old, and a little stamped birth certificate.
“Three?” I say my age out loud.
Where was I before that? It has a couple sentences in the description box that says I was rescued by authorities on the street when my under-aged birth mother was arrested. Arrested for what? The panicky feeling in my throat grips me. There’s so much I don’t know, but will soon, if all this crap with Rena doesn’t prevent me from making the girl’s trip a reality. I have to deal with this first. Now I’m left with more questions. Why wasn’t Rena with me at the orphanage? How did she luck out? Where was she? I close the folder when my eyes gloss over. My phone rings and I pick it up.
“Lincoln,” I say, even though I didn’t look at the screen. “I have to tell you something.”
“That’s why I’m calling. What’s up?” He’s out of breath—legitimately breathing heavy. What in the hell is he doing?
“Rena is back.” The only three words that could melt away the security we’ve built up. “I’ve already talked to Chip and they have security on the way.” I walk over to the window that overlooks the road out front and don’t see any vehicles out of place. “She stopped by Riley’s house and was asking about our schedules.”
He’s still breathing heavy on the end of the line, and it’s changed from exertion to fury.
I reassure him, “We’re fin
e. They’ll be able to catch her, Lincoln. I think this might actually be a good thing.”
More ragged breathing, and I immediately regret not waiting until he returns to tell him.
“Please don’t worry about us. I am fully capable of handling things at home.” I stumble on. “I know that’s easier said than done, but Ramona and Aspen are spending the night and the security system is bigger and badder than ever.”
He did updates and added even more trigger points when I moved in. I think it was supposed to make me feel better, but it only makes me feel more vulnerable.
“Lincoln,” I say his name like a plea.
“I knew she couldn’t leave it alone. I knew it. Why do I believe her? Why did I ever believe anything she’s ever said? Why didn’t I shoot her down the second I entered the room like anyone else would have? The second I knew she was a threat? Maeve, it’s my fault she’s still breathing. She wouldn’t be on our fucking street or at the fucking neighbor’s house if she ceased to breathe.”
Clearing my throat, I try to control my emotions when I sense Lincoln’s are roiling. “You’re not like her, that’s why she’s still breathing.”
“Fuck that. I let her kill Stavros because I was too weak to pull the trigger. Never again. Do you hear me? I will never let that woman slip through my fingers again.” More ragged breathing, and I hear gunshots in the distance, and my heart thuds. “I can’t leave. They need me.” His whisper is jagged and full of pain. “Are you sure you’re safe? At least until I get back from this mission?”
Mission? Not a training trip at all.
I swallow hard. “Of course. Focus. Focus as hard as you can on what you’re doing, Lincoln. I will protect Turner. Rena won’t get close to us. She won’t.”
“I’ll call you when I can.” The line goes dead and I’m left with dread. How much can he possibly trust me with Turner?
I draw trouble and Lincoln is probably upset with his decision to bring me into their lives even further. The pit in my stomach hardens as I let all my insecurities slip in. You’re better off gone. You’re not worthy of them. You aren’t worthy of love. No one wants you. You’ll just kill them. You’re not cursed, you’re just an unworthy human. You’re weak. He’ll leave you the second he gets home.
Tears prick my eyes as all my childhood trauma creeps back in. This is when I should call my old therapist and tell her everything I’m dealing with. That I’m not fixed anymore. That Rena broke me. I put my head down and I cry. For the little girl trapped without any options. The same one who had to hide food and learn how to run faster than a grown male at a young age. I would relish the feeling of burning lungs because it meant I was escaping some form of torture. The dank, moldy smell of the cafeteria at the orphanage, and the pitying looks of the women who worked there and knew what was happening to us in the foster homes. All of it rips me wide open now that I know where I came from. Why me? Why couldn’t I have had just one loving family? I know they existed because friends would write me letters and tell me about their good fortune, the birthday cakes they were given, and the toys they got to unwrap at Christmas. It came down to luck, and it’s evident in what life has dragged me through, I don’t have much of it.
The drawer is still open, and I make a move to close it and erase Autumn Glass from my mind, but another paper with my name on it catches my eye. It’s not in a folder, it’s loose. I pull it out, half amazed Lincoln cares for me enough to do his own research, but also scared of what I might find next. Tugging the corner, the sheet comes out. Petition for Adoption is printed at the top. In Lincoln’s small, tidy handwriting, he’s filled in the blank that says Child Name: Turner Wilds, and Adopting Mother’s Name: Maeve Ahern. As tears fall, I run my finger over my name, and then Turner’s. If I’m waiting for a sign, this is it.
Chapter 11
Lincoln
I blow through the front door like a tornado. My mind not being able to calm until I see them unharmed. I’ve talked to Maeve several times since that fateful call. When she told me Rena was stalking around our house, we still had three days left. Chonk rushes me as Maeve and Turner stand from the couch. “Daddy!” Turner squeals, running into my arms first. Maeve looks on fondly. She has a marker in her hand and I see they were coloring on the coffee table.
She hugs me from the side so as not to disturb Turner’s aggressive love. “I missed you, buddy.” I kiss him roughly and inhale the sweet scent of his hair. Safe.
“I colored you a picture! I’ll show you,” he says, wiggling out of my arms.
“And you. My God, the relief I feel at seeing you.” My voice shakes. “Touching you.”
“I’m fine,” she says. “Everything is fine.”
I remember what Isaac told me about that word.
I hug her tightly, resting my chin on the top of her head. Her body trembles at my touch. “Are there any updates? I saw Chip on the way in. They been here constantly, right?”
Maeve nods. “They haven’t seen her. It’s like Rena knew and vanished.”
Closing my eyes, I let anger slip. “I’m realizing that even though it seemed that way, she never vanishes completely.”
“Ramona is on her way over,” she says, wringing her hands together. “Turner is bathed and we had dinner an hour ago. Ramona said she didn’t mind putting him to bed and hanging out here. If you know, you wanted to head over to my house for a little while. To have alone time.”
I can’t reply quick enough. “Yes. Yes.”
It’s unreal she thinks I’d have issue with it. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to leave Turner. With you just getting home and all.” It’s adorable how nervous she seems to be about arranging a fuck fest with her fiancé. “I know he needs to come first, I just assumed because he’d be sleeping he wouldn’t know we were gone, and Chip will stay here, I just talked to him. Because they haven’t seen Rena, he said it was safe. He thinks she’s back in Mexico.”
I pull away to meet her eyes. “Did they get the flight logs?”
Her beautiful blue eyes fill with tears as she shakes her head. “They aren’t sure how she’s getting back and forth. It’s like she’s a ghost.”
The cartel is shady as fuck. I wouldn’t doubt they have underground bunkers she’s hiding out in. I’m not talking about shitty ass, leaking bunkers either. It’s how they move drugs. We’re learning a lot about this cartel, and everything new I find out shocks me a little more. The doorbell rings and we both check out the security app at the same time and laugh. It’s Ramona.
“Do you like my picture?” Turner extends the torn piece of paper up to me. “I didn’t rip it out very nicely and it tore.” It’s a black puppy with brown on the tail.
“Is it Chonk?” I ask him, as Maeve lets in Ramona and they chit-chat about their day.
Turner frowns. “No. I don’t know what Chonk looked like as a puppy. Do you think he was this cute?”
“Cuter,” I say. “I bet he was the fattest puppy in his litter.” I always bring him something back from trips, and this one is no exception. He keeps eyeing the small duffel bag I set down at the door. “You want to see what I brought you?”
“Yes! Yes!” He skips over as I squat down and unzip the bag.
I hand him a small, hand-braided collar. It was made by women in the village we were staying in. “This is too small for Chonk,” he says, narrowing his eyes at the fabric.
“I thought you could put it on one of your stuffed animals.”
Now his eyes light up. “The one Maevey gave me!”
I nod. “That’s what I was thinking. Do you like it? It has your favorite colors.”
“I love it. Thank you, Daddy!” Ah, I got a daddy. “I’m going to go get my animal.” He scurries off to his bedroom. He has small hand-carved, wooden animals from my trips to Africa, and Conch shells I dove for from Seychelles. He has bits and bobbles from all over the world and he treasures each one, asking me to tell a story to go with the gift.
Turner returns with what I think is a bear a
nd the collar fastens around his neck and fits perfectly. “Ah, there you go. Maevey told me you’re going to stay with Ramona for a little while before bed. That okay with you, buddy? Tomorrow, I’ll bring you to school and we can do something fun after. What do you say?”
“I say, yes!” Turner is excited and Ramona takes him by the hand and leads him to the coffee table where the art supplies are laid out.
“You can shower when we get to the mountain house.” She doesn’t call it her house. Maeve is careful, thoughtful with her words and I used to think it’s because she was constantly hiding something from me, but now I know it’s just because she’s highly attuned to the emotions that surround her.
I swallow hard as she picks up a small bag. “See you in a bit, Ramona. I owe you!”
Kissing Turner, I thank Ramona and follow Maeve out into the garage. “You really had a plan tonight, didn’t you?” I ask as we get into her car. She took the space next to mine, and the third garage is now nothing but storage.
She pulls out of the garage and doesn’t leave the driveway until it closes behind us. “I wanted to talk to you and didn’t want to do it in front of Turner.”
“I’m stinky, dirty, covered in grease and gunpowder, and I’ve had a hard-on since I buckled my seat belt. Are we doing major talks while I’m in this state?”
Maeve smirks, but doesn’t take her eyes off the road. “When you put it that way, should I pull over now and have my way with you, my wayward warlord?”
Laying a hand on her arm, “What is it?”
“I saw the folder in your desk drawer.”
“On Autumn Glass?” My tone lowers.
“Yes, and the one on Aria.”
“It was mere due diligence, Maeve. I was going to show you. You know everything in those folders already.”
She shakes her head. “I get it. Rexy was the same way. I’m not upset about the folders.”
On His Six : A Summit Seduction SEAL Novel (The Summit Seduction SEAL Duet Book 2) Page 11