by Lisa Eugene
“Dani—”
“And are you sure it was Robert who had surveillance in your office? I would bet it was Kensington.”
“You’re wrong. Your ex-husband signed Emmy out of the school. He took her.”
I was already shaking my head. “I’m not even sure that’s his signature. And the man the secretary described could be anyone.”
“Emmy is a smart girl. She wouldn’t go with just anyone.”
“There’s been a lot of chaos the past few days, changes in her routine. Her life’s been upside down. There’ve been body guards—strangers all over the place.”
“You’re upset, not thinking straight.”
“This just doesn’t make sense to me.” Taking the few steps to him, I grabbed hold of his arm. I stared into his eyes, pleading in hopes he’d listen. “I hate to say this, but Steven hates Emmy. He can’t even stand to be in the same room with her. He blames her for everything wrong in his life. He wouldn’t take her. He wouldn’t want anything to do with her.”
“He’s strung out on drugs. He’s not going to be rational, or act normally. His texts to you bordered on psychotic.”
“Steven cares about one thing only—getting drugs. He doesn’t want Emmy. He wants money. If he’d done this, he would’ve already texted me asking for money so he can feed his habit. It just doesn’t make sense—”
“Dani.” He pushed his fingers through his hair, ruffling the thick layers. “You’re expecting a drug addict to make sense. Plus, he’s angry. You just slapped him with a restraining order. That might’ve pushed him over the edge.”
I tossed my arms up in frustration, spinning away.
“Steven wouldn’t have been clever enough to avoid all the surveillance cameras at the school. This was planned, carefully executed. Kensington did this. I know he did!” I rushed out. “Just like he leaked our relationship to the media.”
Chase scrubbed a large palm up and down his face. “It wasn’t Joe. I found out today from my source at the Daily News who it was. There was so much going on, I didn’t want to bring it up.”
I idled like a stalled vehicle, my heart needing a jump.
“Phil, my campaign manager. It was Phil.”
“What the fuck?” I gasped, incredulous. “Why?”
“The campaign. He was worried. I’m behind in the polls, especially with the minority vote. He thought if he disclosed our relationship, if the public knew I was dating a black woman, I’d get more support from certain groups. He thought it would help my image.”
I turned and walked toward a window, feeling like I’d been sucker punched with repeated strikes. Phil didn’t mind destroying my life so he could possibly gain a few votes. And from some of the reports I’d seen today, the public was eating up the stories about us—good and bad. The entire thing made me sick.
“I’ve fired him.”
Chase’s voice floated to me, but I kept my gaze out the window. A heavy rain had started, fat drops swelling and clinging to the tempered glass. My gut twisted with a brutal ache. Emmy was out there somewhere. Were raindrops falling on her head? Beating her face? She hated the rain and the feel of cold water on her skin. Was she safe? Was she hungry? Scared?
Blinking away tears, I placed a hand on the cool glass, barely registering the sensation. Every squeeze of my heart pumped out despair, a constant stream in my blood. Kensington was at the bottom of this. I was certain. How could they ask me to just sit on my hands and wait? How could I do nothing when Emmy was out there somewhere?
Pivoting quickly, I did a frantic search for my sneakers. Finding them, I started to slip them on.
“Where are you going?” Chase asked, dark brows drawn.
“I’m going to find my daughter. If the police won’t question Kensington, I will.”
“Dani,” He was at my side, a firm grip on my shoulder. “Listen to me. I know this is agony for you, but let the authorities do their job.”
“I can’t just sit around and do nothing. They’ll never question him.”
“Kensington lives on a secured estate. You can’t just walk up to his gate and demand to see him—especially with these accusations. You’ll get arrested—or worse. How will that help Emmy?”
“I need to find her, Chase!” I pulled away, my head spinning, my heart splitting into pieces.
Chase’s strong arms came around me, crushing me to his chest. The pain on his face was unmistakable, grief smudging out the color of his eyes. They were dark with restrained anguish. I punched and kicked, trying to tear myself from his grasp. The more I fought him, the tighter he held me.
“We will find her. I promise you,” he whispered into my hair over and over.
Eventually, my body collapsed in his iron grip. Strength depleted, I sagged heavily against him. I dug my fingers into his back as my cries tumbled into sobs.
Chase’s large palm cradled my head. He gently stroked my tangled curls, promising softly, “We’ll find our little girl.”
***
“Girl, you’ve got to try to eat something.” I ignored Wanda as she pushed the plate of food at me. “You’ve got to keep up your strength.”
“Not hungry,” I mumbled, flipping through the newspapers I’d had her bring me.
“The only person I know more stubborn than you and your mother, is that daughter of yours.” Wanda took my hand, enveloping it in comfort. “She’ll come back to us safe. She’s a tough cookie.”
I listened to Wanda’s words, but despite them, I could see the worry swirl like a storm in her dark eyes. Pulling my hand away, I swallowed the bile rising into my throat, fighting the desperation flooding me.
“Now,” she continued. “I’ve spoken to the police commissioner twice today, and several organizations have stepped in. Steven won’t get away with this.”
Hearing Steven’s name, I raised my head, staring blankly at Wanda. Her lips tightened in anger.
“He’s in a hell of a lot—”
“This isn’t Steven!” I snapped.
“Danielle,” she groaned, her head swinging toward the closed bedroom door. We were at Chase’s apartment. She eyed me cautiously. For the past few hours, she’d listened to me rant and rave, but I knew even my strongest supporter in life was having a hard time believing me.
“I can’t sit here and do nothing while that man has my child.” I voiced the words that had been spinning in my head all day. Doing nothing, sitting idle, was killing me.
“You’ve got to let the police handle this,” Wanda urged, sounding too much like Chase.
“I have to do something.”
“I know how hard this is, but let Chase—”
“Let Chase what? Let him tell me I’m being irrational? Emmy is my daughter. I need to fight for her! I need to find her!” My voice broke with emotion and I felt the tears falling.
“You’re not alone in this. Chase is just trying to help. He’s come through before. Look what he did with CPS and at the courthouse with the restraining order.”
“You put a lot of faith in Chase,” I said to my friend, wiping my eyes. My head tilted as I regarded her. “You’re the one who sent him down to the courthouse, aren’t you?”
Wanda didn’t blink as she stared at me. “Yes. I called him.”
I threw up my arms, disgusted. Who can I trust anymore?
“You don’t have to fight every battle by yourself. That man loves you, Danielle. Let him help. I know he’s not perfect, but you need to believe in him, in what you have together. It’s the real deal.”
Returning her steady gaze, I said, “The only person I can believe in is myself. My daughter needs me.”
“Let the detectives do their job.”
I scoffed, choking down another useless reply. The detectives should be looking elsewhere for answers. Silently, I bent my head back to the paper, feeling Wanda’s concerned stare bore into me.
“Promise me you won’t do anything crazy.” Wanda’s sigh circled the room, her voice full of warning.
Keeping my head down, I ignored her. I’ve always had to fight my own damn battles and I was ready to start swinging.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Lowering the baseball cap, I shadowed my eyes, then surveyed my surroundings. The hall was surprisingly empty except for the occasional straggler who was late for the midday lecture. I checked my phone again, pulling up the article about Senator Kensington. He would be addressing students at the NYU School of Business today. I’d been checking the papers daily and following his public schedule on the Internet. This would be my only chance.
Trying not to analyze fully what I was doing, I tucked myself into a small corner of the hall just outside the Tisch ballroom. Emmy was now missing for two days and I was skating on the edge of insanity, functioning automatically on pure adrenaline. One minute, my body was weak with grief, and the next I was bursting with a frantic energy to act, to do something.
I was supposed to be disbursing pictures of Emmy throughout the neighborhood with Wanda, Mom, and the amazing army of volunteers who’d staggered me with their compassion, but I knew my efforts would be most productive here. I needed answers the police wouldn’t provide. Steven had yet to be found.
Knowing my coward of an ex-husband, he’d probably heard the news Emmy was missing, and fearful of tangling with the police, ran. I didn’t believe he signed Emmy out of school. There was no real proof it had been him. He wasn’t on any of the surveillance cameras entering or leaving the building.
He’d know the police would come directly to him, especially with the court hearing pending. Steven was probably scared, holding up somewhere with one of his ho’s.
Thunderous applause snagged my attention. Kensington had finished up his segment and should be leaving shortly. Ten minutes later, I was still waiting, anxiety singeing my skin like a live flame. Stepping out of the alcove, I scanned the hall. The security that had been posted outside the ballroom was gone, the cavernous hall now empty. Alarm cruised swiftly through my veins.
Did he leave? Did I miss him? Fuck.
I’d had Chase’s driver bring me here. Once Chase found out I’d sought the senator out, he’d be livid, but I couldn’t think about that now. Kensington must’ve left through a back door. Finding an emergency exit, I quickly stepped out into the summer heat.
I spotted Kensington heading toward a waiting limo on the side street, flanked by two other men. My heart skip started, then began to race, but the only thing on my mind was Emmy, finding her, and getting answers. Without a second thought, I skidded to a stop in his path, stopping his progress. The two men immediately stepped forward.
“Where’s my daughter?” I yelled at Kensington, fists balled at my sides.
Surprise widened the senator’s eyes, then it was quickly traded for keen recognition. The older man glared at me, anger and scorn carving deep grooves in his face.
“I know you did this,” I accused. “Whatever sick game you’re playing, you won’t get away with it. Tell me where she is!”
The two men with him were now at my side, prepared to pounce. People on the sidewalk started to take notice and stopped to gawk. One woman identified me from the news, taking out her cell.
With a wave of a hand, Kensington called off his men. He adjusted his suit jacket and straightened his shoulders.
“Obviously Mrs. Carmichael is distraught and suffering from grief. Her child is missing,” he said loudly, playing to the gathering crowd as he continued to the limo. His voice was placating, a serrated edge on my already frayed nerves.
“Tell me where she is!” I demanded when he had to pass me.
His steps barely slowed, but he leaned in, brown eyes dilated with malice. “Now you both know how it feels.”
I exploded, my body a live grenade of pain and rage. The senator’s bodyguards grabbed me, human shields keeping me from getting to the senator as he slipped into the safety of his car.
Not once did he look back as his limo rolled away.
***
Chase dug the heels of his hands into his eyes and scrubbed hard. His driver had relayed every detail, how he’d had to remove me from the scene that had quickly escalated to a public spectacle. Thank God there’d been no reporters, and so far nothing on public media.
Rolling flat on my back, I stared silently up at Chase, feeling small and empty. Things hadn’t gotten any easier, and my world wasn’t any brighter. I was in his room, on his big bed where I’d retreated as soon as I’d entered his apartment.
Exhaustion drew fine lines around his eyes, and his handsome face was stubbled with a day’s growth of neglect. My heart broke all over again as I realized just how deeply he, too, was affected by Emmy’s abduction.
Stiffening, I braced myself for the inevitable fight, for his angry tirade, for him to tell me I’d been crazy to do what I’d done today. I’m certain Wanda would’ve said the same. I knew I was lucky I hadn’t been arrested. His jaw was firmly set, gaze scattering over my face like it was a page he could read.
I wanted to do nothing but weep, but weeping wouldn’t bring my daughter back. My baby girl was still missing. I couldn’t summon my voice to explain what was going on inside me, explain the horrible sense of stillness as if everything had shut down. I just prayed that Kensington wouldn’t hurt Emmy.
“Roll over,” Chase instructed, surprising me.
I let my gaze linger on his face, then silently turned on my side away from him.
My body shuddered when his arm slid around my waist. Then there was his hard body at my back, pulling me into a cozy shelter. Chase’s soft lips grazed my temple and I inhaled his clean, spicy scent, dragging it deep into my lungs.
“You should try to get some sleep,” he whispered against my ear, and I exhaled a breath that choked in my throat.
“I can’t.”
“You haven’t slept in two days.”
“I can’t.” Neither have you, I wanted to say.
There was a pause before he said, “I have a physician friend who can prescribe you something that might help you.”
Shaking my head, I found his hand and laced my fingers with his, gripping him so tight I knew it must hurt. The case management team from The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had given me referrals for emotional counseling. The numbers were still sitting on the table.
Chase curled around me, cocooning me in the refuge of his big body. I didn’t need medication. My head was too full, my heart too empty. I couldn’t deal with counseling now. He was enough. His support, his love, his presence. Just this man at my back.
He held me so close I blended into his shadow and sank to a place where finally blackness enveloped me.
***
CHASE
Dani jerked awake in bed, sitting upright. Looking around the dimly lit room, her gaze settled on me. It was well past midnight and a dusky gloom crept through the bedroom window. I sat next to the bed on a chair, watching her. I loved to watch her, to imprint her form on my brain. Her presence gave me peace, but seeing her suffer such agony destroyed me.
“Chase?” she whispered.
“I’m here, Dani,” I replied after clearing my throat.
A memory surfaced of the first night in my office I’d watched her sleep. I’d realized then that my tough, determined woman was also deeply scarred and scared of her vulnerability. A lifetime of hardship had hardened her outer shell, but inside she still hurt, inside she was afraid to love and trust. It was then that I’d promised to always protect her, to be that champion she’d never had.
There was no way in hell I’d let anyone ever hurt her or Emmy. I’d kill, maim, bribe, lie, perform tyranny and topple governments if I had to to protect them—whatever the hell was necessary.
Dani frowned, and I followed her gaze to my hand, to the repetitive movements of my fingers that turned over and over again. I was barely aware of the action. The sight of the item winding slowly between my knuckles made my chest squeeze and burn.
The rubber band Emmy had gi
ven me. I’d kept it, treasured it.
Pain broke open in my chest when I looked back at Dani’s face. I loved her beyond reason, with every cell and fiber in my body.
She’d told me what Kensington had said to her, described the evil she’d seen in his eyes. I didn’t know what to believe anymore, but the longer Emmy went missing, the harder it would be to find her. That I knew for a fact. I’d thought the authorities would’ve brought her home by now, but the rewards I’d posted and the many hotlines hadn’t yielded viable results. I’d even hired a private investigator who’d so far been useless.
“I know a way to get Emmy back,” I said evenly, watching her inhale sharply.
She stared silently and there was something like fear in her eyes. She knew what I was about to say.
“Los Lobos.”
***
As much as Chase’s plan terrified me, it opened a window of hope. From what he’d told me, the group of mercenaries was ruthless, but highly efficient.
I was uneasy dealing with them, knowing what they were capable of, but right now they were our best option. I was beyond desperate. They’d have no fear, unlike the police commissioner, of Senator Kensington. As long as the price was right, they’d find Emmy. This had been a huge decision for Chase. He risked a lot by aligning himself with a group that frequently circumvented legal channels. And then there was the issue of contacting Los Lobos given everything going on with his CEO.
Unfortunately, he’d have to ask for Robert’s help, a man he’d condemned for using the mercenaries for his own wicked purposes.
His campaign was withering slowly. This was the time he should be rallying support, energizing voters with his outreach programs, and broadcasting his platform. To win he had to seduce the public and sear his name into the consciousness of every eligible voter. Instead, he was grieving with me, wading through this terrible darkness enveloping us.