“Masters is out. Reed with you?” he asked.
No. This was not happening. “Yes. He’s right here.”
“Good. Don’t leave his side.” He released a loud sigh, like he’d been holding air in his lungs for hours.
“Out? How did that happen?” I glanced at Franklin. His brows drew tight, cueing his worry wrinkles. A large, dark form charged the window behind him. The glass shattered. Something hard, brick-wall hard and hot, plowed against the side of my head. My world went black.
* * * *
I tried to open my eyes. Only one worked, and not well. Through blurry vision, I saw glass and blood and Franklin’s hand. I heard a terrible creaking noise like metal grinding against metal, then muffled shouting. I tried to reach for him. My arms wouldn’t move.
Hands snaked under my shoulders and around my chest. I screamed in pain, then heard mumbled voices outside. “Shit, she’s stuck. Can’t get her out.”
“Grab him. Let’s get the fuck out of here. Someone’s called it in already.”
Everything went dark again.
When the world came back into focus, Leland Waters stared down at me with a grim expression. He held my hand, tight and warm in his own. “Welcome back, sunshine. Damn, child. You’re going to force me into early retirement.” He sounded far away even though he stood right next to me.
When I tried to speak, stabbing pains shot up the back of my neck and head. I cringed, which only triggered more pain. “Where am I?”
“Harborview.” He scooted closer and brushed a chunk of hair off my face. “You were in a car accident. Do you remember?”
I remembered bits and pieces, scattered images. I breathed out a “yes.”
“You’re going to be fine. Legs are bruised badly, but no breaks. Face got beat up, your ear took most of the damage. Can you hear me okay?”
I couldn’t. His voice sounded muffled, distant.
I reached up to feel my right ear. It was bandaged.
“Everything hurts,” I said, looking down at myself.
“You’ll be aching for a while.”
“Where’s Franklin?” I’d feel better knowing he was okay.
Leland laid my hand by my side and turned to pull a chair close to the bed, huffing as he sat. “They took him,” he said with a bitter snap.
“What do you mean?”
“A witness to the accident stated that two men pulled him from the car and loaded him in the back of a van.”
“No.”
“I’m sorry, Tatum. We’ve got everyone working overtime to find him.”
That wasn’t possible. Tears stung my eyes. Men like Franklin didn’t get taken. Not my overprotective, gun-toting man of steel.
“They wanted me. They tried to pull me out, but my legs were pinned.” I wiggled my toes to make sure they worked. A rush of relief swept over me when rough cotton rubbed against my legs. “Masters?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“My gut’s going with yes.” Leland nodded.
“How’d he get out?”
“Daddy’s deep pockets, political connections, top-notch lawyers.”
“He’s going to kill Franklin. We have to find him.” I hurt, more than I ever had, but Franklin had to be in a thousand times more pain. He took the whole brunt of the impact. Oh, God. What if he hadn’t survived the accident?
“We’ll find him.”
Panic swooped down, sank vicious claws into my flesh and shred me to pieces. “No, you don’t understand. I need to find him, now. I need to tell him something. He can’t die. I need to tell him….”
The door opened and a curvaceous blonde walked into the room, sucking the oxygen clean out of the space. Her hair, pulled tight in a slick, smart pony, complimented high, peach-dusted cheekbones. Her impeccable gray suit fit every curve perfectly. Her toned legs didn’t teeter a smidge in her mile high spike heels. “Miss Wood, Detective Waters.” She nodded to both of us with a confident smile. “I’m Sasha Reed.” She handed a card to Leland. He glanced at it and handed it back.
Reed? Oh, perfect. My day hadn’t been shitty enough.
“I have a few questions for Miss Wood.” She stared at Leland, not asking permission to speak to me, but more cueing him to leave.
He cussed under his breath. “She just woke up, and the doctors haven’t come in yet. Can this wait?”
“I’m afraid not.” She stepped closer to Leland and crossed her arms. “My agent is missing. Every second counts.”
“She’s the ex wife.” Sasha and Leland’s heads snapped to look at me. Oh, did I say that out loud?
For the first time since she entered the room, our gazes met. Damn. She was pretty. Snotty, rich-bitch pretty.
“I’m his boss. I’m here to find him.”
I stopped scrutinizing her long enough to look at Leland. He glowered down at me, protective fury burning in his eyes. If I’d been able to move, I would’ve hugged him. “Leland, it’s fine. I can talk to her.”
“Detective Waters, how about you get her a coffee?” She looked at me. “You love coffee, don’t you?”
I glanced to Leland, whose face changed from pale to brilliant red.
“I’ll be down the hall.” He stormed out of the room.
The blond bitch sat in his chair and crossed her legs, leaning back and clasping her hands atop her knee. “Just so you know, I don’t hold a grudge against you.”
Nothing like getting right to the point.
“What do you mean?” I asked, cranking up the coy.
“I loved him. Still do. But I couldn’t compete with the great Tatum Wood. The marriage was a joke. When I figured that out, I wanted to kill you. Then I just pitied the both of you. Now, this psychotic obsession has put him in danger.”
Sasha’s eyes narrowed. If she were psychokinetic, I’d be dead.
“Not acceptable. I want you to know, I will find him. Me.” She pounded her index finger against her chest. “I’ll be the one to bring him home. Your relationship with Reed is over. Do you understand? He’s been compromised because of you. Stop indulging his fantasy. Let him go, or the agency will be forced to take action.”
It was in that moment I realized I loved Franklin. Deep. Fierce. Forever. I knew, because the absurd idea of letting him go ignited a possessive fury in my gut. Losing him was not an option. I couldn’t imagine living one day without him by my side, whether it jeopardized his career or not. The man was mine. Always had been. Always will be. I wouldn’t let him go.
I choked back the anger rising in my throat. “I understand.” I said what she wanted to hear because I needed her to leave. I couldn’t let her see the emotion welling inside me. The fear that swirled and churned, telling me I’d lost him already. I needed to get out of there. I needed to find my hero.
Sasha Reed, a woman I never wanted to interact with again, stood, nodded at me as if we’d come to a mutual understanding, and sauntered out of my hospital room, cool as a cucumber. I closed my eyes and talked myself out of screaming. It wouldn’t be worth the pain.
After twelve long hours spent in the hospital, all of which were mental torture, Leland escorted me home. He searched my condo and stationed an officer outside my door. I’m sure there were more men in blue scattered throughout the building, but I didn’t ask.
“I’m going to work tomorrow,” I told him before I sent him on his way.
Turning on his heel, he clenched his fists and shook his head. “Not a good idea. You should wait until we find Masters.”
“Is that an order?” I raised my chin.
He looked like he wanted to throw me over his knee and beat some sense into me. “No.”
“Then I’m going to work tomorrow.”
“I’ll drive you, and that is an order.”
I didn’t argue. Quite frankly, I didn’t want to be alone or go anywhere. But I had resources at the office I didn’t have at home. I had to do something. I’d go completely out of my min
d if forced to sit home alone and wait.
If the tables were turned, Franklin would’ve found me by now.
Chapter 19
Blond hair fell in clumps at my feet. I snipped and laughed, snipped and laughed.
“Is this your natural color?” I asked with a sneer. “Or did Franklin make you dye it to look like me?”
Sasha whimpered and shook her head.
“Stop moving. I might slip and take off an earlobe or something.”
She mumbled through the gag in her mouth. I stepped back and pulled the wad of cotton from between her teeth. “What was that? I couldn’t quite hear you.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You are prettier than I am. I shouldn’t have said that.”
I shoved the gag back in. “Too late for sorry.” I brushed the last piece of long hair down the front of her face and cut straight across on the top of her forehead, leaving only half-inch bangs.
Yeah, she looked hideous—and it made me happy.
“Now, what should we do next? Do you like ink?” I asked, revving up my tattoo machine.
“No. Please, no,” she begged.
“You shouldn’t have threatened me.” I squatted to meet her face to face, then tweaked her nose. “The first one is going to say ‘Franklin loves Killer,’ and I think I’ll put it right…” I circled the needle around her face and settled it on her left cheek. “Here.”
I woke with a start, feeling lighter than I had in days. Sasha Reed had replaced Wallace Cruse as my REM nemesis. Nice. The moment reality settled back in, a black hole opened inside me, sucking air, blood, and life into its abyss.
Franklin.
Not one part of my body wanted to move. Everything hurt. I swallowed some ibuprofen and pushed through the pain. Foregoing makeup, I pulled my hair into a loose pony and slipped on my least binding outfit. Leland waited for me downstairs and as promised, escorted me to work.
“There will be someone outside your door. I’ll be back at five to take you home. Don’t leave, under any circumstance, without one of the officers. Got it?” Grumpy Leland was back with a vengeance and darn if he wasn’t starting to grow on me.
“I shouldn’t have any reason to leave. Don’t worry,” I assured him.
I headed in, trying my best to ignore the throbbing pain stabbing at my head and neck. When I stepped off the elevator, Nan passed in the hall and stopped short, eyes wider than the cup of coffee she held.
“For the love of God, Tatum. What happened to you?”
“Fender bender. No big deal.” I waved her off.
She grimaced. “With a Mac truck? You shouldn’t be here.”
“I can’t sit home. Need to keep busy.” I stepped past her and headed to my office. Nan followed. “Everything okay?” I asked her.
“Things are fine. Can I get you coffee?” She eyed me up and down, eyebrows pinched tight.
“That would be so nice. I’m exhausted just from the walk through the hall.” Talking was even a chore.
“Seriously, what were you thinking, coming to work today? And that was no fender bender. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Look at you.”
“I couldn’t sit home alone, Nan. I’ll take it easy. I promise.” I raised my hands in defense. Ouch.
“I’ll get your coffee. You sit.”
I did as told. I sat at my desk and put my purse away. Nan came back with a steamy cup of java thick with cream, then headed to her office. A few of my colleagues came by and stopped dead when they caught sight of my face.
By eleven o’clock, I’d had to explain the car accident to ten people, leaving out Franklin’s role in the tragedy. I didn’t have the energy to explain to anyone else why I looked like I’d been pushed through a meat grinder, and got up to close my door.
As I approached the threshold, Nan’s voice carried down the hallway. “Are you sure? No. I’m the only one with a key. The security system hasn’t worked for a few weeks. It’s on my to-do list. No, no, that’s fine. I’d rather you didn’t. I’ll check it out on my lunch hour. Thank you.” She slammed the receiver. “What a day.”
I closed the door and got busy at my desk. Wasn’t sure where to start. Google, Facebook, Twitter. The obvious go-to’s led me nowhere. A soft knock made me jump.
Nan peeked her head in. “How are you doing? Can I get you anything?”
“I’m peachy, Nan.” I rubbed at the bandage covering my ear. The throbbing amplified when I pressed against it.
She gave me her I don’t believe you eyebrow raise. “Can I take you to lunch?”
“I would love to go, but I have too much to do,” I lied. “Can I ask you something personal?”
Nan crossed her arms and tilted her head. “Of course.”
“Were you dating Wallace secretly?”
Sorrow dulled her eyes. “Yes, and no.”
“What does that mean?”
“I wanted to be exclusive. He didn’t. I chose to accept sharing rather than lose him altogether.”
Another reason for me to hate the man. He probably used her emotionally more than physically. Ew. Naked with Wallace? I wanted to hurl.
“I’m sorry. That had to suck.”
She sighed and pulled at a string on her cardigan. “We do crazy things for love.”
We? No, just her. And Franklin. I wanted to laugh but that would’ve hurt too much. So instead, I agreed, “Yes, we do.”
“You sure you don’t want to do lunch? You need to eat something. You certainly shouldn’t drive anywhere. Can I bring you anything? Maybe something from the Mexican truck up the street?”
Oh, Nan was bringing out the big guns. I couldn’t resist Mexican food. Damn, it was tempting. “No thanks.”
“I might be gone longer than usual. Wallace’s neighbor called. She thought she’d seen people in his window. I told her I’d check it out. Nosy old coot. Always in people’s business.”
“You have a key?”
She blushed. “I do.”
“Did you live with him?” Wow. Nan was full of secrets, too.
“No. He flat out refused to live together. Didn’t want to cramp his style.” She sighed and rubbed her chest, above her heart. “I haven’t been there since…well, you know. It’s your house now. I do have some personal items there that I’d like to collect, if that’s all right. Before you do whatever you’re going to do with it.”
Oh, poor Nan. I wanted to hug her. “No problem. See you when you get back. And Nan, thanks for everything you’ve done around here. This place would be nothing without you.”
“Thank you, dear.” Her eyes brightened. “I’ll see you soon.” She headed down the hall, heels clomping against the hardwood.
A tall brunette walked through the door and closed it behind her. “Tatum?” she asked, with an accent I couldn’t place. Holy cow, she was gorgeous. Long and lean, thick, dark brown hair. Dark eyes. “I’m Annalise, a friend of Franklin’s.” The woman I’d mistaken for a whore had a name. The woman who’d been drinking with my man after I gave him the boot. The gal who rocked leather pants like nobody’s business.
Awkward. “Hi.”
She didn’t waste any time getting down to business. “I want to help find him.”
“How did you know he was missing?” I asked.
I noticed a scar stretching from her left ear to between her breasts and disappearing underneath her shirt. “I can’t tell you that.”
“Let me guess,” I whispered, glancing toward the door. “It’s classified.”
She leaned a hip on my desk. “You can say that.”
I glared at her. More secrets. “You work together, for the agency?”
“We did. A long time ago. Couldn’t stand the new boss. What a bitch. I’m a private contractor now.”
I huffed. I couldn’t stand the boss, either.
“Listen. I’m not a threat. I love Franklin like a brother. Nothing more. He saved my life once. I need to return the favor.” Amber eyes stared a
t me, unblinking, and reminded me of the Irish whiskey Dad favored. Franklin trusted this woman. Maybe I should, too.
I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms. Ouch. Okay, trying to look tough wasn’t going to work, not today. I lowered my hands to my thighs. That was a little more comfortable. “You want me to trust you? Then give me something. What do you do for Franklin? What does he pay you for?”
Chewing on her bottom lip, she studied me. Then she smiled. “Let’s just say if there’s any hacking to be done, I’m the one to call.”
Okay. I could accept that.
I nodded. “We need to find Jay Masters. Can you help with that?”
She smirked. “I’m the best, Tatum. That’s why Franklin uses me. He’d never settle for less.”
Well, Annalise didn’t lack confidence, which was admirable. I couldn’t imagine she lacked much of anything.
She leaned a hip on my desk and spun my stapler. “So, tell me what you know, from the beginning.”
I filled her in on the gory details. From the first rose, to the car accident. She listened. Nodded. Waited patiently for me to finish.
“So they planted evidence to make you look guilty.” She crossed her arms.
“Yes. Here and in Wallace’s house.” A tidal wave of oh shit washed over me. “Wallace’s house!” I yelled. Ow! Holy hell that hurt. I cupped my ear. “His neighbor just called to say she saw someone through the window. Nan left to check it out.”
Annalise stood and crossed her arms. “Well, then. We better be on our way.”
I picked up the phone to dial Leland. He answered on the first ring. “Leland. Hi, it’s me. I know where—” The phone went dead, because Annalise yanked the wire from the socket.
“You can’t tell him about me.” The cord dangled from her hand, the glower she wore made the skin on the back of my neck tingle.
“Oh.” Classified. “You have a car?”
“I do.”
“Good. Can you help me sneak out?”
She laughed. “Do you know how to use a gun?” Like shooting were a natural talent every able-bodied female possessed.
“No.” Why did that make me feel inadequate?
“Good thing you have me then. Grab your things. Let’s go,” she ordered.
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