“I’ve been thinking about that a lot . . . I wonder if Vero felt like she didn’t belong because she was different. She was such a light among awful people. I wonder if that was why she didn’t feel like she could tell me what was going on. Maybe I was just another one of those women in that world she never really felt a part of? And after what just happened, I’m wondering if I ever said anything horrible to her without realizing it.”
“She was your best friend?” When Sutton made a confirming sound in her throat, I shook my head. “Then it wouldn’t have mattered. I’ve said things to Kieran. He and Beck said and did things to each other. It never changed that bond.”
Sutton was nodding, but there was a sudden sadness on her face and in her eyes that was different from before. “What happened to your brother?”
He was shot.
Pushing Kieran out of the way to save him.
I could see it as clearly as when it had happened a year ago.
My head moved in small jerks. “Yeah, we aren’t gonna go there right now.”
“Of course, I’m sorry. That was rude of me to ask.” She looked to the table and ran her slender fingers through her hair. “There is something else I was wondering. About the ones who showed up last night.”
I didn’t say anything, I just waited expectantly. Because Sutton was fidgeting, and I had a feeling she wasn’t waiting for me to tell her to continue.
“First of all, I’m sorry for what I said about the girl. That was . . . also rude. It was a nice thought, what she did for Lexi.” Her eyes darted between the table and me a few times before holding mine. “I’m wondering why they are here instead of in North Carolina.”
“They’ve been here the whole time. They drove up a couple of hours behind me. They’re my eyes outside, and they’re the ones leaving the false trail.”
“And you didn’t think I would need to know that?”
“No,” I said immediately. “I’m keeping you and Lexi safe in here. I’ll keep you safe during transport. They take care of what happens outside the resort. They’re also on the ground looking for your husband because, until we know where he is, we can’t risk relocating you permanently.”
She thought on my words for a moment. “I thought Einstein was doing all that?”
“Einstein does things none of us can, but it’s all hacking into systems and looking for people that way. Combine her with Kieran and Jess, and we always find whoever we need.”
“She couldn’t find me.”
I smiled tightly. The need to defend Einstein rose, but I pushed it down. “No, and that’s the issue we’re facing because Zachary has Garret.”
Sutton’s brow furrowed. She pushed back in her seat until she was sitting straight and stiff. “I don’t understand. They don’t speak. God, as far as I know, they hate each other.”
“But they’re useful to each other,” I said. “Garret’s family is in tech, right?”
“Well, yes, but what does that have to do with Zachary or anything that’s going on?”
“When Einstein searched you, you didn’t exist. At all. When you mentioned your daughter in the emails, she searched for children who had missed school, dropped school, anything she could think of—but there was nothing. According to records, the two of you don’t exist in any form.”
“But we do, I’m right here. Lexi’s in that . . . file. That folder . . . the black folder thing. We were in there.”
I leaned back and folded my arms over my chest. “The man who gathered the information for that folder knew about the tech company and the illegal businesses, so he would’ve had the mind to hack systems. When Einstein erases or creates people, she keeps records locked deep, which is common for people who do what she does. Whoever does the creating and erasing for Tennessee Gentlemen must do it too, and that’s where your information probably came from.”
“But what does that have to do with what’s happening now?” she asked after a few stunned seconds. “And what does that have to do with Garret?”
“You and Lexi were erased. Veronica Woods was created, and her file came from Garret’s company’s server. If I looked at yours, I bet it would say the same. Which means either Garret or one of his employees is the equivalent of our Einstein, and is the person who helped Zachary with all the shit that happened to Einstein since hacking is how they got to her. Both Zachary and Garret disappeared without a trace on the same day, so someone is very carefully covering their tracks.”
“Jesus.” She started wringing her hands again, and it was then I realized what she was actually doing.
She was playing with her ring finger.
With the empty space where I had clearly seen a ring the morning I’d found them at the motel.
“Your ring.”
Her hands stilled. Her body visibly stiffened. Her eyes widened as she stared at me. “What?”
“Your ring.” I nodded toward her hands. “You were still wearing it when I found you. I haven’t seen you wear it since.”
“I, uh, I lost it. I’m not sure where. I noticed it after we’d already unpacked here.”
I wasn’t Dare, the human lie detector, but I was pretty goddamn sure that was a lie.
“Yeah? Need me to look for it?”
Her head was shaking in quick jerks that were setting off every warning bell. “No. No, I have. Everywhere. It’s probably for the best, though, right?”
When she started to stand, I lunged across the table and grabbed her wrist, ignoring the way she jumped and the fear in her eyes.
“You’re lying. Trust me, and I’ll trust you. Lie to me? That trust is gonna be damn near impossible to rebuild.”
“I didn’t want it,” she cried out. “I didn’t want something that tied me to him. That signified I belong to him, so I left it in the motel.”
I loosened my hold when tears filled her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.
“I know what kind of man he is, and I know how he can be. Trust me, I know.” She choked on a sob and pressed her hand to her chest. “But even still, I didn’t know he was capable of what he’d done.”
She crumpled in on herself, her back heaving, her sobs tearing at me.
I released my hold on her wrist, but I couldn’t seem to pull my hand back.
It was resting on top of hers, engulfing hers, and I knew I needed to move it.
Knew this was wrong.
But taking my hand away wasn’t an option.
“I think Lexi knew,” she murmured after a while.
She was resting her cheek on the table and had an arm curled protectively around her head.
The other hand was still under mine.
She hadn’t tried to move it.
“What do you mean?”
She lifted her head enough so that her chin was on her arm and her red-rimmed eyes were staring at something just past me. “About Zachary. She said he had a bad-man’s smile. I thought I had kept her from it all. I thought . . .”
“Thought what?”
Her stare flicked to me, shame covering her face in those seconds before there was a quick knock on the door.
“Room service.”
Sutton quickly sat back, blinking away whatever she’d been about to say, and pulled her hand out from under mine to brush away the lingering wetness on her cheeks.
I tried not to notice . . .
The loss. The feeling of wrongness. The way my body craved to reach for her hand again.
A growl built deep in my chest as I pushed from the table and headed for the door.
Agitation and need pounded through my veins.
A need I couldn’t afford.
Wrong time. Wrong place. Wrong girl.
Story of my fucking life.
Sutton
“You cold?” Conor asked from where he was sitting against one of the walls, staring at his laptop.
“Me?” I glanced from Lexi to Conor, only to find him watching me. “No.”
He shut his computer and tilted his head, hi
s eyes moving to my hands. “You’ve been pacing in tight circles, rubbing your arms and wringing your hands.”
I clenched my hands into fists against my stomach, refusing to acknowledge that he was right. “I’m fine. I—” The words jumbled in my throat, making it impossible to speak.
When Conor’s eyebrows lifted in question, a short, airy laugh tumbled from my mouth, and before I realized it, I was moving, pacing again.
He set his computer on the floor and headed toward me, his voice low so it wouldn’t carry to Lexi. “Either you’re cold or there’s something wrong. Tell me.”
My shoulders caved with a defeated sigh when he placed his hand on my elbow, keeping me there and facing him.
I wouldn’t acknowledge that I swayed toward him.
Or that the heat from his hand warmed me and comforted me.
I wouldn’t acknowledge that his voice moved through me in a way that resonated and lingered.
“There’s something I wanted to ask you,” I whispered and then hurried to wet my lips. “Or, well, something I was hoping you would help me with. But I’m not sure if it’s even a good idea, and you’ll probably laugh at me.”
“Try me.”
I nearly backed out and made up a half dozen other things to ask before finally saying, “I was wondering if you would help me learn how to defend myself.”
Surprise covered his features as he released me.
“See? It’s stupid.”
“It isn’t,” he argued quickly. “It’s smart to know how. But tell me why you want to know.”
“Let’s play a game, Sutton.”
My palms swept up my arms again as I tried to ward off the soul-deep chill. “Because I’ve never been able to,” I confessed, shame dripping from my words. “And my attempt with you was pathetic. I don’t want to be in that position again.”
“No attempt to protect yourself is pathetic, but there are things you should know, especially when coming at a man over a foot taller than you.” He dipped his head close as he passed me, causing chills to race over my skin, and whispered, “Like don’t.”
“Wait”—I turned to follow him—“what do you mean don’t?”
His mouth was stretched into a breathtaking smile when he glanced over his shoulder at me. “You’ll see.”
Twenty minutes later, all the oxygen punched from my lungs.
I stumbled back and started falling just as Conor grabbed my arm to stop me.
His light eyes searched my face as he steadied me, his fingers somehow both firm and gentle. “You okay?”
I wasn’t sure which was worse—the odd pain of having the breath knocked out of me or the humiliation of having Conor stop me mid-run so effortlessly.
“Ow.” I lifted a hand to my chest and rubbed at the Conor-sized ache.
I was kicking myself for ever thinking this was a good idea and seconds away from giving up on the entire thing.
“Aren’t you supposed to be going easy on me?”
“No,” he replied. “Tell me if you’re okay.”
I rubbed at the pain for another second before dropping my hand. “Well, I’m starting to think it isn’t fair that I can’t get past your freakishly long arms.”
His chest jerked with a silent laugh as he released me. “Doesn’t matter if it’s fair. It’s real. And if this were real, I would’ve already knocked you unconscious and kidnapped you about fifteen times.”
Odd how he was teasing me about the very thing I’d feared he would do.
If he only knew . . .
The corners of his mouth twitched when I got back into place. “Let’s go.”
I considered his relaxed stance for all of a half second before running at him.
He sidestepped me and tapped my shoulder as I passed, making me stumble a few feet before finding my balance.
“Okay, this isn’t working,” I said, throwing my hands into the air.
“It isn’t working because you keep charging me. When are you ever going to charge someone?”
I glared at him. “I charged you that first day.”
“And it didn’t work,” he said gently, not that I needed the reminder. “You give up?”
“Jesus, yes.” Exhaustion and gratitude wove through my words.
“Then come here.”
I studied his expression for a moment before warily moving to stand in front of him.
I regretted ever asking for his help.
I was annoyed with how fast he was for how absurdly tall he was.
I was embarrassed that I couldn’t even get close enough to touch him.
And I hated that I couldn’t stop looking at him.
The way his bright eyes seemed to dance. The way his smile seemed to change his face completely. The way his muscles rippled at the slightest movement.
God, don’t get me started on his laugh.
Rich. Full. Free in a way that made me long to hear it again.
The way he was fighting a smile when I reached him let me know my thoughts had to be written across my face. Blood rushed to my cheeks as I worried over which ones he was seeing.
“Before we started, I told you not to come at a man my size. Now you see why,” he said in a low tone. “If your attacker comes at you, don’t charge. Do what you can to hide, even if they’ve already seen you. Because, if you charge, they’re ready for you and know what you’re about to do. If you hide, you have a chance of finding something to defend yourself with and making them come to you.”
“Oh, Sutton . . .”
“Let’s play a game.”
I forced the sinister words from my mind and tried to ignore the ice-cold fingers gripping my spine. “Okay,” I said with a jerky nod. “What do I need to find?”
“Anything sharp to stab them with. You can even use your damn heels if you don’t see anything else.”
“I knew those were a good choice,” I murmured, but he just continued with a soft laugh.
“Anything long that you can wrap around their neck. Because these?” He tapped on my hands, and my breath caught when he trailed his fingers along my palms, leaving heat in their wake. “They wouldn’t be able to do much around my neck other than annoy me for the second or two it takes me to remove them.”
“Okay.”
“Once you get the hiding part down, we’ll talk about where to aim.” He took a few steps back and nodded. “Let’s go.”
My mouth opened in protest. “I thought we were done.”
“With your way. You needed to get it out of your system.” He rolled his neck and set those eyes on me. “Go.”
I turned and started for the kitchen, but I had only made it two steps before Conor gripped my arm and spun me back so that we were chest to chest. “Got you.”
Was it horrible that, for a second, I forgot what we were doing?
How was it possible the fear that had plagued me for years was completely absent in this situation? It should be crippling me.
All I could focus on was how close his mouth was and the way his body felt, so big and hard against my much smaller frame.
I blinked away the thoughts and tugged against his hold. “You have to let me get away first.”
“Let you?” That damn Prince-Charming smile was back, teasing me with those boyish dimples as he released me and prepared to go again. “You have a lot to learn.”
Sutton
One Month Ago . . .
I bit nervously on my bottom lip as I scanned the email I had memorized from one of ARCK’s members. A reply to me that had been sent nearly a month ago, except I’d never sent an original email in the first place.
Another reason to be so damn frustrated with Zachary.
Another reason to hate him.
If it hadn’t been enough to find out that he’d been drugging me for over a year, to realize how the plans for rescuing Vero had shifted only an hour later had me ready to scream and fight and do something I’d wanted to for so, so long.
Except I’d been too stunned to s
ay anything at all. Too stunned to move.
Not that I would’ve been able to get far.
When Zachary told me to pack, I’d thought he and Jason had found Vero without ever needing to put our original plan into action—for me to email her captors with our fabricated story. To lure them back to Brentwood in hopes of trapping and arresting them to find out where Vero was.
I’d thought he had planned for Lexi and me to stay with my parents while they went to find my friend.
As a safety measure.
As a way to keep an eye on me while he was gone, a way to control me.
Only to realize I’d had it so, so wrong when Zachary dropped us off at a motel and introduced us to the six FBI agents working this case who were to watch over us while he and Jason were gone.
To keep us in place.
Before he left, he’d taken my phone and wallet and left us with a laptop, telling me as long as I had it, he could find me. He gave me one instruction: Read everything.
The six men were also given one instruction: Don’t let the girls leave.
Once I’d stopped silently seething and had gotten Lexi as settled as I could, trying vainly to make her believe we were having an adventure, I’d read everything, as Zachary had called it.
It was nothing more than a letter and a short email conversation, explaining what he couldn’t to my face because he was a coward.
He wrote that he and Jason were still going to find Vero and that the plan was the same, only with minor tweaking. Minor being, our daughter and I were to stay in a seedy motel, waiting for human traffickers to come for us. I was told to remember the story we’d been working on, to practice it, and that it was to remain a last resort to buy them time.
He reminded me incessantly how smart these people were and how I needed to be convincing. He never mentioned Lexi. He never apologized for roping her into this—he never apologized at all.
At the top of the email conversation he’d saved for me, he wrote: “Read this, know it, believe it. Remember, they lie to make you wonder. They lie to gain your trust. You need to do the same so we can find Vero. Wait for my word, I’ll feed you the lines.”
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