“The interview rooms. Isaac’s in there with one of them as we speak. We’re going to go talk to the small fry being held in the last room.” He pauses and looks at me with questioning eyes.
I shift my weight from one foot to the other, uncertain why he doubts my ability to do what is necessary.
“We may have to get our hands a little dirty if we want him to talk.”
“I’m ready to do whatever it takes.”
Or at least, I think I am.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
PUNCH. “WHERE.” PUNCH. “IS.” PUNCH. “HE?” Marco pulls back his bloodied hand and delivers another blow. “Where the hell is he hiding?”
“Marco…” I say hesitantly. He glares at me over his shoulder. Then he turns back, grabs the man’s collar, and hits him again.
“Enough, Marco!”
Marco throws the man to the floor and turns to me. His eyes are dark and crazed. His chest heaves up and down with each deep breath he takes. He looks wild. He stalks toward me, and I instantly regret opening my mouth. I take a few steps back until I hit the wall and can’t move any further. Marco continues to walk toward me with his crazed stare.
“You think that’s enough?” His fist slams a hole in the wall beside my head.
I jump, but I refuse to look away. I don’t recognize the man standing in front of me. Marco never loses his control or temper. It’s almost as if someone else is controlling him.
“You didn’t see what they did to her.” Fury burns in his eyes. “The bastard deserves a hell of a lot more than this.”
There is nothing small about the amount of pain he has delivered to the man. I look over at him watching us with his one good eye. Blood drips from the cuts on his face. He winces when he tries to cradle his right arm with his left. I’m sure there is more damage along his body from the blows delivered by Marco’s heavy combat boots. The man takes a sharp breath and winces as he exhales. I agree he deserves to be punished, but I’m not okay with the Marco’s methods.
“He’s going to break physically before you break him mentally,” I tell him. “He’s loyal to my brother. He knows he’ll suffer a much worse fate if he gives him up.”
Marco groans and steps back. The man appears as if he’s beginning to lose consciousness. An idea comes to mind. “Are we almost done? I promised Liza and my mother I’d meet them at the florist this afternoon. We have a lot to do if we’re going to have a wedding in two weeks.”
The man opens his eye and looks at me.
Marco looks at me, too. His mouth drops, his eyes crease at the edges.
I stare intently and hope he catches on.
“Right,” he finally says and backs away. “You’d better shag your ass, then. You don’t need the bride getting pissed at you right before the big day.”
I fight back the laughter. If only the man slumped against the wall really knew the truth behind the words. I look at Marco and back at my messenger. “What about him? Think we should try our luck with the others?”
Marco looks over at the man he’s just spent thirty minutes beating. “Yeah. We can try again later. He’s not going anywhere.”
I nod and follow him out of the room. Once the door clicks shut behind us, Marco laughs.
“Good job in there.” Marco heads back toward the control room. “Mentioning the wedding was brilliant. I’ll arrange to have him escape. There’s no doubt he will let Rhett know about it. Once everything is in motion, all you need to do is pull this sham of a wedding off.”
I grimace. “Thanks for reminding me, man.”
“Sorry.” Marco reaches out and squeezes my shoulder.
“What’s next?” I’m ready for a change in topic. I don’t want to think about the wedding any more than I already have to.
“Well, I’m going to take you home so you can change and meet the ladies at the flower shop. Isaac will sit on the guy and let me know when he makes contact. I’ll inform you as soon as I hear something.”
***
I’m ten minutes late arriving at the floral shop and the scowl on my mother’s face when I join them by the counter isn’t a good sign.
I wrap my arm around Liza, pull her close, and press my lips to her forehead. She tenses underneath my arm and tries to pull away, but I keep her close and force myself to smile. My mother is already suspicious as it is. I don’t need to give her anything more to ride me about.
“Can I have a moment with my fiancée?” I say as the gray-haired florist approaches us, clipboard in hand. I see out the corner of my eye that Liza’s face is pale as a ghost.
My mother glances between us. “Let’s go see what you’ve got in the back,” she says and guides the florist into the back room.
As soon as they’re out of earshot, I turn to Liza. She’s avoiding eye contact like a canary avoids a cat. “You’re going to have to do a better job pretending like we’re a couple in love preparing for the best day of our life.”
Liza sighs and rubs her arm. “I’m trying.”
“Well, try a little harder.”
Liza flinches, and I see the pain dance in her eyes. I regret opening my mouth. It seems like all I’ve been doing is saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
“Sorry. What I mean to say was that I know this is hard. It’s obvious you don’t want me touching you…“
She sighs. “It just makes it that much harder to keep my distance from you.”
I should tell her that this shows how much we’re meant for each other, but now is not the time or place to hash this out. I stare at her for a moment and reach my hand out to her. I tuck a strand of her wild, dark hair behind her ear and graze my hand along her cheek. “We’re going to have to hold hands. We’re going to have to laugh and share kisses when we think no one is looking.”
Liza nods, and I reach out to take her hand. The familiar jolt of energy jumps between us, and I smile at her. I know she feels it just as much as I do…much to her disappointment.
I lead her through the swinging doors next to the counter and into the back room.
The smell of thousands of flowers hit me at once. The aroma is strong but not overpowering. I could get used to being in a room like this every day. “What do you think of lilies?” My mother asks as we approach.
Liza scrunches up her face and shakes her head. “Lilies? I’m not a fan.” She looks at me through her eyelashes, and I catch the deeper meaning behind her statement.
“Okay,” the florist says. “No lilies. What about peonies? Ellen says your colors are royal blue and white. We have a beautiful selection of blue peonies.”
Liza shakes her head again.
I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close to my side. “What were you thinking, my love?”
“Roses. White roses.”
“White roses? Are you sure, darling?” Mother says. “Roses are overdone and plain. We need some color.”
“Mother,” I interrupt. “If Liza wants white roses for the wedding, she’ll have them. End of discussion.”
My mother’s mouth opens. She looks at me like I just committed treason…which I probably did. But even if the wedding is a sham, if Liza wants things her way, there’s no reason for it not to happen.
As we exit the flower shop, Agent Johnson steps before me. Liza and my mother stop the conversation they were having and stare at us.
I look nervously between the two women and the man in front of me.
“We need to talk.” He stares straight at me with his unwavering eyes. He nods to the left and I glance back at my mother and Liza.
“Why don’t you guys head on back to the house?” My mother’s eyes darken and I look to Liza. Her face shows no emotion; I have no way of knowing what she’s thinking. “I won’t be long.”
My mother wraps her arm around Liza and whispers in her ear as they head toward Liza’s car.
Agent Johnson walks over to a black SUV exactly like the one Rhett blew up, opens the door, lets me climb in, then follows suit. The driver d
oesn’t look back. No one says anything until we start reaching the outside edge of town. Agent Johnson takes out his cell phone and pulls something up on the screen. He hands me the phone.
“What the hell is this?” My mouth starts to water and I feel like I’m about to be sick. I glance at the photo again and gag. I’m not positive but I think I’m staring at the man we released earlier today. His body is badly beaten, much worse than the damage Marco inflicted.
“Does he look familiar?” A lump forms in my throat and I force myself to swallow. I nod and hand the phone back to him. This isn’t supposed to happen. Isaac was supposed to follow him with hopes of finding my brother. “Don’t worry. The men you hired didn’t do this. This is your brother’s handiwork.” My mouth becomes dry and my chest heaves with shallow breaths.
“There was…a man…watching him,” I manage to get out.
“Yes,” Agent Johnson says. “Isaac Knight. I’m afraid we don’t know his location or if he’s okay.”
My mind begins to fog. The man is dead…Isaac is missing. I haven’t heard from Marco yet. What the hell is going on? My mind wanders as Agent Johnson continues to speak, but I can’t hear him over the pounding of my heart. I pull out my cell phone, find Marco’s name on my contact list, and hit call. The phone rings once, twice, then goes to voicemail. Why hasn’t he called me yet? This is all becoming one big cluster fuck. I’m beginning to question if this is even a good idea anymore. The further we delve into it, the more dangerous it becomes, and the more risk I put everyone in.
I want nothing more than to be able to turn back time and undo everything I’ve done that has led us to this moment. I don’t want these to be the consequences of my mistakes. I don’t want any of this to be happening. I just want life to go back to being normal. Back to the time before my brother began his quest for vengeance.
“Are the plans coming together for the wedding?” Agent Johnson asks.
I nod, and offer him nothing else. I don’t know what to say.
“Good. I think it might be a good idea to announce the date change for the wedding. Maybe a spread in a magazine or an article in the newspaper. So we know that your brother knows when it’s going to happen. The sooner the announcement…the better.”
Rhett should already know…or at least I hope he gave the man long enough drop that piece of information. “I’ll call the Longport Times when I get home and see if they can get it in tomorrow’s issue.”
The driver heads back into town. Again, no one says a word. The air is thick in the vehicle. I catch the driver looking at me in the rearview mirror, and I shift uncomfortably in my seat. Agent Johnson sits quietly next to me, scrolling through his tablet. I can’t help but wonder why he hasn’t mentioned the fact that Marco is still holding the other men captive. Either he doesn’t know, or he’s choosing to turn his head the other way. Maybe as long as he doesn’t acknowledge it, it isn’t happening.
We pull up to the gate in my driveway. I roll down my window and punch in the appropriate code. The gates creak open. We stop in front of the house. My hand hovers above the door handle, and I look over at the agent. “I need to speak with Lily as soon as possible. Is there any way you can put me into contact with her?”
Agent Johnson sighs. He sets the tablet down on the empty seat between us. “I’ll let her know. It will be up to her whether she sets up a meeting or not. That’s the best I can do. If not, then you will see her at the wedding.”
The wedding? That can’t happen. If Liza finds out Lily is there, I might end up with a missing bride. And why the hell would Lily be there, anyway? They’ll be exposing her to more danger. “Lily cannot be at the wedding.”
He’s far too calm. “Relax…no one will know she’s there except for us. And your brother.”
My hand clenches the door handle.
It’s exactly what I don’t want.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I ENTER THE HOUSE with my mind running a mile a minute. Lily is going to be at the fake wedding in less than two weeks. Does she know it isn’t real? Do I want her to know if it is or not? Why do I even still care? I’m not going lie to myself…I do care, and I do still have a place in my heart reserved just for her. A piece of her will always remain with me.
I’m not sure if I should tell Liza about this or not.
But I can’t let her find out by seeing Lily at the wedding…
I rub the back of my neck as I walk down the hall to the kitchen. I hear the sounds of dishes clattering, music playing, and the faint sounds of laughter filling the air.
I enter the kitchen and see my mother and Liza standing in front of the stove. Techno music is blasting overhead through the speakers, and both of them are swaying their hips. I watch as my mother tries to keep up with the tempo, and I try to decide if the sight is frightening or amusing. My mother laughs over the music, and I stand there speechless. Just over an hour ago, they were walking away from me in front of the flower shop, no doubt upset with me, and here they are laughing, dancing, and cooking as if it never happened.
“There you go!” Liza says loudly. “I knew you’d catch on!”
The sound of her laughter warms me to my core. It feels like a lifetime since I last heard her laugh like that.
I walk quietly to the breakfast bar and pick up the stereo remote. I take another second to observe the sight before me before hitting the button to silence the music. My mother turns around quickly and scowls at me. “Hey!” she shouts. “I was just getting into the groove.”
I laugh and shake my head. I look at Liza, who has a huge smile playing across her face. It’s the happiest I’ve seen her in a while. “I’m not sure if I should be worried that Liza convinced you to listen and dance to techno, or that the both of you are cooking.”
“Maybe it’s a little bit of both that should worry you,” Liza teases and flashes me a smile.
I don’t know what has happened in the past hour but it’s like her whole attitude has turned around completely since I left them to go for a ride with Agent Johnson. Either that, or she’s doing an amazing job pretending.
The front door slams shut, and we all jump from the sound.
“Reid!” Marco’s voice booms through the house. Liza’s face drops. Her happy mood is gone and is now replaced with a cold, hard stare. My mother glares at me with wary eyes but no one says anything. “Reid!” he yells again.
“In the kitchen,” I call back to him.
I hear the sound of falling footsteps against the hardwood floor. I can sense his anger in the way his heavy footsteps stomp toward the kitchen. He walks—no, he storms—into the kitchen. His face is hard, his lips in a tight line, and his forehead is creased with lines.
“We need to talk.” His voice is hard and his eyes hold mine. “Now.”
“Excuse me,” my mother says. I know she’s thinking of Agent Johnson at the florist shop, and now Marco and his angry approach. She’s making connections in her head. “I think it’s time you fill me in on what’s going on.” She takes a step forward, but Liza gently grabs her arm.
“I don’t have time right now, Mother. There’s an emergency that Marco and I need to talk about.” I don’t break my gaze from the pissed off giant in front of me. “You’re going to have to just wait.”
“Like hell I do.”
“Ellen…” Liza says gently.
I tear my eyes from Marco but keep an eye on him out the corner of my eye. I’m not sure what he might do if I’m not looking. “Let it go.”
Liza stares over the top of my mother’s head and looks at me like she wants to kill me.
I need to get all this taken care of. I don’t really care about myself. Liza and my mother are what matter. Mother’s chemo ended three months ago, and for now, the cancer has decided to stop its vicious attack on her body. But I know it is stressing her out, and that’s the last thing she needs.
I think right about now would be a good time to just give my brother what he wants the most: Me.
If only it were that easy. Rhett won’t be satisfied until he hurts the ones I love. I just want him to make his move already. I just want him to come for me and get it over with. I’m sick of waiting. I’m sick of wondering when he is going to strike and how. If this goes on much longer, I’m going to break just like he wants, and then I won’t be able to stop him.
Marco storms down the hall without waiting for me. I don’t try to catch him; I know nothing I say or do is going to calm him down. I only hope he has information about Rhett. Someone has to know something. His men aren’t going to give him up. It’s a waste of time… but it’s also a waste of time telling that to Marco. If he was upset about the girl they attacked, he is going to be enraged if something happens to Isaac. Isaac is the closest thing Marco has to family
We walk into Marco’s room, and he storms over to his makeshift desk. His body is tense and hunching over the table. I take a few steps toward him, but hesitate when he slams his fist on the table, and in one fluid motion, he pushes everything onto the floor. Computer monitors shatter; papers fly everywhere. When it isn’t enough, he flips the table.
“He has him,” Marco says under his breath. “I just know the sick bastard has him.”
“Look, Marco, I know you’re upset…”
Marco spins around. His face is red and his eyes are dark. The hairs on my arm stand at attention.
“Upset? I’m livid, Reid. I’m torn down the fucking middle. Isaac has a family—as in a wife and two children who love him. What am I supposed to tell them if he doesn’t make it out of this?”
My skin goes cold. “I don’t know what to say, Marco.”
“There’s nothing you can say.” Marco’s eyes go blank. “I’m going after him. I’m getting Isaac back.”
“How? We don’t even know where to look for him.” I’m trying to keep calm for Marco’s sake. He’s upset, he’s worried for his friend, but someone needs to be rational here and it isn’t going to be him.
“If I have to tear down every building in Longport,” I see him clench his fists by his side, “I will find him.” This quiet Marco is even more frightening than the madman who was here a moment ago. “I promised his wife I would make sure he was safe and he would be back before she started to miss him. I intend on keeping my promise.”
If I Say No (Say Something #2) Page 14