Limit

by McAdams, Molly

  “Does part of that trust include Einstein no longer responding to the emails she demanded I send, or you breaking into my room before dawn?”

  His head bounced in quick, subtle nods. “Something happened to Einstein. By the time we were able to get into her computer, you’d stopped emailing. We didn’t have a way of getting ahold of you.”

  “What happened?” I hated to admit that worry laced my words.

  But that presumptuous girl had been the reason I’d started believing these people were who they portrayed themselves to be.

  She was the reason I’d started to believe they were coming to save Lexi and me from . . . Jesus, something.

  She was the one who’d made me believe ARCK was concerned for our safety. Even though it was a lie . . .

  Their true purpose masked by false pretenses of help. My fabricated stories and real intent.

  All of it.

  Conor rubbed his neck, unease covered his face. “We’ll get to that. For now, I need to get the two of you somewhere else.”

  Fear nearly consumed me, unfurling in my stomach at the unknowns that awaited outside.

  Making my heart race at the thought of what would happen to my daughter if I didn’t do as Conor said . . . and what would happen if I did.

  My attention drifted to the door for a moment, but there wasn’t any sign of Zachary or one of the men that were watching over us. “I want to know what happened and where we’re going.”

  Conor was watching me, patience and understanding in his bright blue eyes. “I’ll tell you what I know when we’re somewhere else. For now, I need to get the two of you in another place.”

  “No, I want—”

  “I know you’re running from your husband,” he said harshly.

  My legs shook as I took a step back so that my legs were pressed to the bed. “What?”

  “But, Sutton, he knows where you’ve been staying. Zachary knows where you are.”

  The members of ARCK weren’t ever supposed to know I had a husband unless they refused to help. I was to stay vague in my story of having witnessed a crime and being afraid for my life as long as possible.

  And I had.

  The last-resort story hadn’t left my lips for months, since the last time Zachary had forced me to rehearse it.

  Conor couldn’t know it unless . . .

  Oh God, Zachary, what have you done?

  An ink-like dread poisoned my veins.

  I had a horrible feeling whatever had happened to Einstein had to do with Zachary because the last day I’d heard from Einstein was the last day I’d heard from him.

  Worries and doubts crept in, and I held fast to the latter, because Zachary’s path was never supposed to cross with ARCK’s.

  He and Jason had left to find Vero.

  That was all . . . that was all.

  “He has information no one should be able to get,” Conor continued in a gentle and somewhat hesitant tone. “But we have to move now because I have a small chunk of time to move you to the next place. Get your daughter, and let’s go.”

  Everything he’d just said screamed truth twisted with double meanings and lies.

  I would know. I’d been talking to them in the same way for a month. And those double-meanings? They were exactly what I’d feared most.

  He took a step toward me, arm extended. “Sutton, we have to—”

  “Don’t touch me!”

  He rocked back and raised his hands. Shock and uncertainty pulsed from him as he studied me. “I won’t touch you. But if your first instinct isn’t to get far from your husband, I don’t think you understand the danger you’re in.”

  “I understand just fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “And I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  A stunned laugh punched from his chest. His head shifted in the beginnings of a shake, but stilled.

  Blue eyes went wide.

  Body tensed.

  Expression shifted.

  “Hi . . .” It was all hesitation and unease and pacification, and when I looked to my right, I knew why.

  My daughter was standing there, looking ready to take on the world, starting with the man in front of us.

  “Alexis, no.” I rushed to her and wrapped her up in my arms, moving her back toward the bathroom door. “I told you to stay in the bathroom. I told you.”

  She waited until I’d knelt in front of her to murmur, “I thought he was hurting you.”

  “No. No, baby, he wasn’t.” I ran my hands over her head and searched her worried eyes. “But even if someone was, staying in the bathroom keeps you safe. So, you need to stay here until I come get you, okay?”

  She just stared without responding for a few moments.

  When she spoke, she said, “He’s scary.”

  My heart faltered before taking off in an uneven, ruthless pace. “Scary how? Does he have Daddy’s smile?”

  Lexi shook her head and then tried to peak out the door.

  I didn’t let her.

  “Can’t you see it?”

  I shifted to look at the man in question as Lexi continued speaking quietly.

  “Do you see his smile, Momma? It’s like Prince Charming’s.”

  The laugh that escaped my mouth was breathless and coated with as much confusion as I felt. I was more torn than ever between what I knew and what I had begun to believe was real during my conversations with Einstein.

  With every minute, I felt myself being pulled in the opposite direction. Knowing Conor was there to harm us, only for his words and actions to bleed with concern that seemed so genuine.

  Zachary had told me that someone from ARCK—or every member—would storm in and try to kidnap us when they arrived. I’d been told to expect that repeatedly until it was all I saw when I closed my eyes, making it impossible to sleep.

  But that hadn’t happened, and Conor hadn’t tried to harm either of us. Not only that, my daughter thought this terrifying man had Prince Charming’s smile even though I was positive he hadn’t cracked a smile since breaking in.

  I looked at Lexi, my head shaking in bewilderment. “You said he was scary.”

  “Giants are scary, Momma.”

  The corners of my lips twitched into a hint of a smile.

  If only I could see the world and people the way she did.

  Alexis didn’t see his tattoos or his terrifying appearance or that he broke into our motel room. She saw his height and connected that with stories. She saw smiles that weren’t there.

  I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Yeah, they are kinda scary.”

  “Do you think he’ll scare the others?” she asked when I pulled away.

  My brow creased as I took her in. There was worry in her own eyes, and her little shoulders were trembling.

  “Lex . . . honey, what’s wrong? What others?”

  “It’s like in my dreams,” she said, her voice full of emotion. “Can’t you feel it?”

  “I thought—” I glanced to the side to make sure Conor hadn’t moved before dropping my voice lower to ensure he wouldn’t hear. “That was just the giant coming.”

  Her head shook in quick jerks. “It wasn’t him. Someone bad is coming.”

  Conor

  I answered my phone without taking my eyes off where Sutton was crouched in the doorway to the bathroom, talking in hushed tones to her daughter.

  “Yeah?”

  “Phoenix had the black folder sorted and scanned into files. Sending you the zip.”

  At Einstein’s direct tone, I looked at the empty desk beside me. “Shit, my laptop’s in the truck.”

  “Find one now.”

  “Not everyone carries computers and tablets with them at all times,” I reminded her as I caught sight of a laptop sitting on the shelf of the bedside table.

  She scoffed. “Not everyone is as amazing as me either. You’re welcome.”

  Once I grabbed the laptop, I moved back to the desk as I filled Einstein and Maverick in on the situation.

 
“I found the girls.”

  “Did you?” Einstein asked dryly.

  “Why don’t you sound surprised?”

  “Because she already knew,” Maverick answered before Einstein could come up with one of her smartass responses.

  I didn’t bother asking how.

  She could have my phone bugged, for all I knew or cared.

  “What I really wanna know is how she is,” Einstein demanded.

  I blew out a weighted breath. “She’s, uh . . . she’s something, all right.”

  Maverick choked on a laugh.

  I could hear Einstein’s smile in her next words. “That good, huh?”

  I grunted something like a confirmation and cut a sharp look at Sutton. “We probably should’ve taken the hint when she wouldn’t give us any information.”

  “Okay, sent. Tell me when you get it.”

  “I’m gonna need—” My eyes rolled when I turned on Sutton’s laptop and it didn’t prompt me for a password. Gritting my teeth, I said, “Gonna need to teach this girl about protecting herself.”

  “Thought that was your job.” Einstein’s tone was pure tease before it switched to impatience. “Jesus, are you on a dinosaur? Did you get it or not?”

  “Give it a minute.” As soon as I was in my email, I clicked Einstein’s message and downloaded the zip file. “All right, it’s downloading.”

  “This folder contained more than we ever could’ve imagined,” Maverick said, something akin to awe in his tone.

  I rocked back from the desk and ran my hand over my head. “Before we get into that, I think I figured out why Zachary was going by Alex.”

  There was a pause before Einstein spoke. When she did, her voice was softer, hesitant. “Why’s that?”

  “Their daughter? Her name is Alexis.” My head snapped to the side in time to see Sutton fly at me.

  Eyes wild.

  Jaw clenched.

  Reaching for my phone and clawing at my arms.

  “He didn’t even try to hide who he was from me, and I still missed it,” Einstein said as I held Sutton at arm’s length.

  “It was just another part of the game to him,” Maverick said through the speaker.

  “What Maverick said.” I grunted when Sutton got in a hit to my throat. Forcing her away, I sent her a warning look but prepared for another attack. “I have to go. I have a hostile client and files to read.”

  As soon as I ended the call, she laid into me.

  “Who were you talking to? You have no right to mention my daughter. And who the fuck are you to come in here, pretending to help us only to turn on us?”

  Every demand was a whisper.

  Every word was said with so much passion and hatred it felt as though she’d screamed them.

  Every question was met with a step closer to me until she was nearly pressed against my chest and looking up at me.

  I folded my arms, putting a barrier between us, and spoke in a pacifying tone. “Protecting you and your daughter will always come first for me until you no longer need me, and I will be the judge of when that time has come. Your lives come before mine. I will not turn on you. Understand?”

  She narrowed her eyes into slits and held my stare.

  “As for the call? That was Einstein. I was getting information and giving some. Considering this is what we do? It was a normal conversation. Nothing could be used if anyone was listening, which isn’t likely to happen.”

  Apprehension filled her words. “I thought you said something happened to her.”

  “Yeah. Your husband did.”

  Her brow drew together slowly. Something like acceptance and worry flashed in her eyes. “I don’t . . . I don’t understand.”

  I unfolded my arm enough to drag my thumb across the screen of my phone and pull up the picture Einstein had sent all of us before we’d headed separate ways for this case. “This your husband?” I asked, turning the phone in Sutton’s direction.

  “Yes.” The response was nothing more than an apprehensive breath.

  “He drugged and kidnapped Einstein. Then he locked her in an underground bunker that was some sort of a fucked-up game designed to slowly kill her,” I said, locking the screen of my phone and crossing my arms again. “Your daughter’s name came up because he pretended to be a man named Alex.”

  Sutton backed up as I spoke, the blood quickly draining from her face. “No, he wouldn’t. He isn’t—”

  Her mouth formed a tight line.

  I watched her . . . studied the impact of my words and the denial that bled from her, and tucked it away to tell my team later.

  Whatever she’d been about to say was clearly begging to be said.

  But she didn’t continue.

  “He isn’t what?” When she only looked at me, I asked, “A sociopath? A master manipulator?” A breath of a laugh rolled from my tongue. “One of our guys is a human lie detector, and he never once picked up on your husband lying. But Zachary admitted everything to Einstein when he was taking her. Probably because he was sure she wouldn’t make it out alive. If we’d been a minute or two later, she wouldn’t have.”

  Sutton’s head was shaking in exaggerated, jerky movements. “No, you’re lying. He—he’s—he does.” She choked on a sob and swung a hand toward the door. “But he wouldn’t do something like that.”

  I took a step toward her, and she backed away. “I nearly lost a girl who means the world to me. I had to watch her limp body be brought out of that goddamn place. And when she finally came to?” I said on a growl. “I had to listen to what your sick fuck of a husband said and did to her. So, don’t call me the liar.”

  Sutton’s eyes screamed denial and pain.

  Her lips trembled with emotion.

  Her shoulders slumped, and her chest seemed to cave in with each ragged exhale. “Why are you here?” she finally asked, her voice thick.

  “To save you. To protect you.” I stepped back and shrugged. “But if you don’t trust me, this isn’t going to work.”

  A hitched breath burst from her chest. “I’m not sure I trust anyone.”

  “Then this isn’t going to work,” I said simply and sat at the desk.

  I needed to get the girls out of this motel and somewhere safe, but I needed them to go willingly.

  If I were to pick them up and shove them into my truck, I wouldn’t be doing myself any favors, and I needed all the damn favors I could get with this case. Especially with someone like Zachary out there.

  And she was still so damn far from being willing.

  I had just opened the main file from Einstein when Sutton reached for the computer. “This is my computer!”

  I pushed her hands away each time she tried to snatch the laptop. “I needed one.”

  “You can’t just go through my things.”

  Exasperation leaked from me when I turned on her. “I’m not going through it. I’m using it to go through files Einstein sent me. You also don’t have a password on this.”

  Her cheeks flamed with heat, but she lifted her chin defiantly. “That doesn’t give you the right.”

  “The minute you asked for our help, it did. As soon as we get you out of here, Einstein’s going to go through everything she needs to in order to make sure no one can find you once we have you somewhere safe. At that point, you’ll already be on your way to that location and won’t have a say because we’ll be wiping this computer.”

  If I hadn’t been watching her so intently, I might not have noticed the slight widening of her eyes.

  This girl and her damn red flags.

  “You keep asking why I’m here, so why don’t you tell me why I’m here, Sutton.” When she just stared at me hesitantly, I said, “You asked for help but won’t tell us anything we need to know. I get here, and you attack me and then fight me on everything I say.”

  Her stare drifted to the bathroom and held there for a few moments before falling to the floor.

  “Why am I here, Sutton?”

  Glassy eyes fl
ashed to mine, pained and vulnerable. “I don’t know anymore.”

  It wasn’t an answer, but it was the most honest she’d been since I’d walked in.

  I shifted in the seat to start going through the file, but I had only made it through the first page when Sutton asked, “What did he say?”

  There wasn’t a need to ask who.

  I knew.

  I lowered the screen of the laptop and turned to face her, but she was back to staring at the bathroom door again. Worry and confusion and fear warred on her face.

  Scrubbing my hands over my face and through my beard, I loosed a sigh and thought of what to say—what to tell her.

  “Einstein was there, she could tell you best,” I finally said. “But we just got her back three days ago. It’s going to take a long time for her to recover mentally, even for someone like Einstein.”

  At that, her mouth twitched into a faint smile, as though even Sutton had come to recognize Einstein’s tenacity and ornery nature in their short conversations over the last few months.

  “He got her to agree to a date. Drugged her. She started to notice the effects and panicked, and that was when he first slipped—called her Sutton.”

  Her eyes widened and met mine.

  “That was when it all started clicking for Einstein—who he really was. He told her that she should’ve left it alone. Should’ve left ‘her’ alone. Said you taking his daughter away from him was a game and claimed that you liked the ‘slow chase.’”

  Sutton walked unsteadily backward and fell roughly to the bed.

  Her hands gripped the edge of it.

  Her head lowered as her chest heaved.

  “Do you want me to stop?”

  “No.” The word was soft, almost a plea. As if she were silently begging me to stop while asking me to continue.

  I blew out a rough breath. “Uh, he said he liked giving you the illusion of safety before letting you know he was coming for you. And that this”—I waved a hand to indicate the motel room, her freedom—“was an illusion, and he’d come for you when you least expected. But if we helped you, then it was game over. Because as good as he is at finding people, we were better at hiding them, and that he never said you could leave.”

  I watched her disbelief and grief and anger for a while before I understood that she wasn’t going to respond and that I needed to give her the only privacy we could afford in this tiny place. So, I turned, opened the laptop, and forced myself not to give in to the questions and thoughts bouncing around in my mind.