I eased my exploration, ghosting my fingers as carefully as possible over my skin. That side of my face was definitely swollen. My fingertips touched a large bump, and I bit down on my lip to keep from crying out in pain.
I pulled my hands away from my head and found dried blood. Shit. I focused on keeping my breathing even. The last thing I needed was to have a panic attack and pass out. I counted my inhales and exhales. I needed to try and sit up.
I rested an elbow on the bed and tried to push myself up. The zip tie dug into my already raw wrists. I whimpered. I hated the sound of weakness as soon as it escaped my lips. I wasn’t the girl who cowered in the corner anymore.
I clasped my hands together in an attempt to prevent the zip ties from cutting into me any more. I gritted my teeth and pushed as hard as I could on my elbow, swinging my feet over the side of the bed at the same time.
The room swam as I sat up. I squeezed my eyes closed as waves of nausea hit me hard. Do not puke. Do not puke. Gradually, it subsided, and I opened my eyes again. The world wobbled for a moment and then straightened. Moving slowly would be key.
I carefully turned my head to take in the space again. It looked like an old cabin. I prayed that meant I was still in Oregon, maybe still in Sutter Lake. What is the last thing I remember? My mind sifted through memories. The Kettle. Working with Jensen and Liam. Going to the pantry. Blinding pain.
Someone had knocked me unconscious. There was only one person it could be. My stomach pitched, vomit crawling up my throat. Garrett. I inhaled through my nose, trying to still my belly. I had to come up with a plan.
I surveyed the room with different eyes now. I had to find an escape. No windows. There was light, but no lamp. I tilted my head back, ignoring the pain that shot down my spine. A skylight. A skylight that was way too high for me to reach even if I stood on the bed.
There was a door, but I knew who must be on the other side of that panel of wood, and I had no desire to meet him any earlier than necessary.
I needed to see if I could stand. I had to see what else I could find. Most of all, I needed a way out. I shifted my weight forward and extended my clasped hands to help me rise. My body screamed in protest. I felt like someone had thrown me down a rocky hillside.
After two failed attempts, I finally rose. My legs wavered, and I grasped hold of the bed frame. The metal bed frame. Excitement licked at my veins. If I could take apart the bed, maybe I could use one of the rungs to defend myself. I heard Liam’s voice in my head. “Almost anything can be used as a weapon.”
Hearing that sweet sound, even just as a memory, almost brought me to my knees, but at the same time, it gave me a wave of strength that steeled my spine. I had to get back to Liam. I had worked too hard to build this new life. And I’d only just gotten my first real taste of living. I would not let Garrett steal it from me.
I looked down at my hands. My wrists were raw and red, the skin broken on one. The zip ties had to come off. I thought back to how Liam had shown me to break them apart. I hesitated. I had to play weak until the time was right. Until I had a plan. If Garrett came in and I was free of my restraints, he would know that I was stronger than he remembered. I needed him to believe I was a weak girl he could push around.
I kept the zip ties in place. Hooking my thumbs so the restraints wouldn’t pull at my skin, I ran my hands over the frame of the bed. I looked for any joint I could unscrew or any fusion of metal that was weak. I found nothing. Silently cursing, I moved on to the wall. Maybe I could find a stray nail, something sharp, anything that could cause some damage.
My fingertips ran across the peeling wallpaper. Something in the cabin creaked. I froze. My breaths came quicker as my heart picked up its pace. Footsteps sounded on what I thought might be stairs. This was it. I was about to face my nightmare. And I wasn’t the least bit prepared.
42
Liam
I paced back and forth in the break room of the Sutter Lake police station. Anger. Disgust. Self-hatred. They all mixed together in an ugly stew in my gut.
“Liam.” Jensen’s voice paused my pacing. She looked at me from her seat at one of the tables. “You don’t know that this girl had anything to do with Tessa going missing.”
My jaw worked. But what if she did?
Walker strode in, and I was instantly on alert. “We’ve got her in an interrogation room. She hasn’t asked for a lawyer, so I’m going to question her now.”
I stepped forward. “Let me talk to her.”
Walker held up a hand to stop me. “I think that would do more harm than good. Let me take a crack at her first. If she doesn’t open up, then I’ll think about letting you in there.”
I took another step, pitching my voice low. “I need to be in there. I need to hear what she has to say.”
A muscle in Walker’s cheek ticked. “I’ll let you in the viewing area. I shouldn’t even do that—"
I cut him off. “Thank you.”
Jensen stood. “I’m coming, too.”
Walker let out an exasperated breath. “Sure, let’s just make it a party.”
Walker led Jensen and me down the hall and pushed open a door. Tuck was already inside, along with another officer I didn’t recognize. Walker jerked his chin at Tuck. “Make sure they stay put.” Tuck lifted his chin in response.
Where the hell did they think I would go? I wanted to know everything the girl had to say. Maybe they were worried I would charge into the interrogation room and attack Kimberly Speakman. I never thought myself capable of harming a woman, but if it got Tessa back safely, I’d do it.
I studied the woman in the chair. Kimberly faced the two-way mirror but kept her head down, staring at a spot on the table I couldn’t make out. Her light brown hair was matted and dull, and she twisted a strand around her finger.
I barely recognized her. It was as if life had put her through the wringer, and she had come out battered and bruised. Had her obsession with me done that?
Walker opened the door. He took a seat in front of her but just to the side so we still had a good view of Kimberly’s reactions. “Hello, Ms. Speakman. I’m Deputy Chief Cole.”
Kimberly met his eyes. “Do you know where Liam is? I need to let him know I’m okay. He’s probably worried.”
My stomach twisted. How had Kimberly’s doctors released her if she was this far gone?
Tuck let out a low curse. “She’s totally delusional.”
Walker placed his hands on the table. “I can let Liam know you’re okay as soon as you answer a few questions for me.” Kimberly looked doubtful. “Liam actually asked for your help with this.”
Kimberly’s face brightened. “He did?”
“Yes, he did.”
Kimberly nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! What can I do? I’d do anything for Liam. Anything.”
Walker pulled a small notebook and pen from his pocket. “When did you arrive in Sutter Lake?”
Kimberly seemed to bounce up and down in her chair. “Yesterday. It took me a while to find Liam, but I found him today. I’ll always find him.”
Walker scribbled in his notebook. “Do you remember what time it was when you first saw Liam today?”
Kimberly squinted her eyes as if trying to remember. “No, I don’t know. Morning sometime.”
Walker studied the woman carefully. “Where were you when you saw Liam today?”
Kimberly’s expression took on a dreamy quality. “First, I was on the main street, and I saw him through the window. He was helping in the shop.” Kimberly twirled the lock of hair around her finger more tightly. “I wanted to get a closer look, maybe tell him that I was here, so I went around the back.”
My heart seemed to trip over itself in its rhythm. Please don’t let Kimberly have hurt Tessa. Please. I said the words over and over in my mind. Begging God, the Universe, anyone who might have the power to hear my call.
“Then what happened?” Walker prodded.
Kimberly scrunched up her face. “There was too
much going on back there, people in my way. So, I waited.” A huge smile stretched her mouth. “Then Liam came out.” The smile fell. “But he was really angry. He started punching the dumpster. And then you were there.” Kimberly looked at Walker with a soft smile. “You stopped him from hurting himself. Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to my Liam.”
Walker turned his head to shoot a look in our direction. If Kimberly had seen me losing my shit on the dumpster, there was no way she could’ve taken Tessa. Relief and terror flooded me at the same time. Relief that Kimberly hadn’t seen Tessa as a threat and killed her, and terror that Garrett must have Tessa. I squeezed my eyes closed, pinching the bridge of my nose.
Tuck clapped me on the shoulder and squeezed. “We’ll find her. We’re getting more information. And SWAT is on alert whenever we do.”
I let out a breath and nodded, turning my attention back to the interrogation room.
Walker was refocused on his questioning. “Kimberly, this is really important. What did you see in the back alley before Liam came out?”
Kimberly cocked her head to the side. “Why?”
Walker kept his voice even, but I could read the undertones of frustration. “Liam needs to know. It’s important.”
Kimberly pushed hair away from her face. “Okay. There was a car in the alley when I came around. It was still running, and the hatch was open.”
Walker jotted notes. “Do you know what kind of car?”
Kimberly’s hands made the shape of a box. “It was big. Like Liam’s.”
“An SUV?”
“Yes. And then this guy came out of the back door. He was carrying someone over his shoulder. He put her in the trunk and drove away.”
My chest was so tight, I could barely suck in air. My beautiful girl, thrown in the back of a vehicle like she was trash when she was the most precious thing on this Earth.
Tuck gripped my shoulder again. “Keep it together. If you lose it, Walker will have to send you home.”
I clenched my teeth so hard, I thought they might crack. I didn’t give a fuck.
A soft hand took mine. “We’re going to get her back.” The hand might’ve been soft, but Jensen’s voice was hard as steel.
A knock sounded on the door to the interrogation room. An officer popped her head in. “Deputy Chief, there’s someone here you need to talk to right now.”
I straightened. Jensen dropped my hand, and we all headed for the door. Piling into the hall, we followed Walker, who was already striding towards the lobby.
A man stood there. He was vaguely familiar, but it took me a second to place him. He was the regular from the tea shop who had stopped Tessa to talk to her the other day. My blood started to heat. What does this fucker know?
The man had a sober look on his face, and when he saw me, Jensen, and Tuck, he winced. He reached out a hand to shake Walker’s. “I’m Al Burke. I’m a private investigator.”
Walker studied the man. “Walker Cole, Deputy Chief of Police. What do you have for me? I’m in the middle of trying to find a missing woman, and I don’t have time to fuck around.”
Al pulled at the collar of his shirt as if it were too tight. “I have a business out of DC.” My muscles tensed. “I do everything on the up and up. I’m not one of those shady assholes.” Walker nodded and made a motion for Al to continue. “A man approached me to help him find his missing fiancée.”
I made a move to surge forward, but Tuck expected it. With Jensen’s help, he jerked me back into place. Al’s uneasy gaze flicked to me and then back to Walker. “I checked it out. Everything was on the level. Talked to cops on the case, and they said Garrett Abrams was a stand-up guy.”
I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Yeah, a stand-up guy who beat his fiancée so badly she could barely walk at times.”
Al’s voice shook. “I didn’t know. I swear. I did my research, and no one said one word about possible abuse. Mr. Abrams said that his fiancée was mentally unstable. Said that she’d had episodes in the past. I informed him when I located Valerie—or Tessa as you know her. He got on the first plane out here.”
Al looked around the room. “But that was weeks ago. When he got here, things started to seem…off to me. So I stuck around.”
“You didn’t think to, oh, I don’t know, report this to the police?” Walker’s voice was brimming with fury.
Al’s eyes darted all around. “I didn’t have anything to report. But I went by The Tea Kettle this afternoon, and it was closed. Someone told me what happened. It has to be Abrams who took her.”
“Where is he?” I growled the words.
Al shook his head. “I don’t know. I swear, I don’t. I’ve tried his cell, and he’s not answering. It goes straight to voicemail.”
Walker extended a hand. “Give me your phone.” Al swallowed hard but did as instructed. “Did you unlock the back door of the Kettle for Garrett to get in?”
A look of puzzled confusion filled Al’s expression. “No.”
Walker leaned in. “You steal a key for him?”
Al held up his hands. “No. No way.”
Walker studied Al closely. “Have you seen Garrett with anyone else since he’s been here?”
“Just once. A woman.”
Walker straightened. “You know her name?”
Al shook his head. “No.”
Walker handed Al’s cell phone to the officer who had come to get him and pulled out his notebook and pen. “Describe her.”
Al’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “She was, uh, tall. Bleach-blonde hair. Real, uh, curvy. And she was dressed fancy. It stuck out in my mind because it didn’t really seem to fit with the feel of Sutter Lake. I’ve seen her around a few times, and she’s always dressed the same.”
Our entire group froze. Froze because we knew exactly who he described.
43
Tessa
I hurried to the bed, doing my best to ignore the way my vision swam, and my stomach churned. I collapsed against the mattress. Pain radiated through my skull, and I bit my lip to hold back my whimper. I curled into a ball. I needed to appear as weak and feeble as possible.
A key sounded in the lock. I squeezed my eyes closed. God, I wasn’t ready to face this. Face him. My heartbeat seemed to echo all the way to my toes. The creak of an old door opening sounded. I held my breath.
The bed dipped, and the familiar scent of a too-fragrant cologne filled my nostrils. I had to fight a gag and the bile that wanted to surface. What I wouldn’t give for the crisp, clean, uniquely-Liam scent right now. I held onto that smell in my mind.
A finger ran down the side of my face. “Time to wake up, Valerie.”
I wanted to shudder. I didn’t. I also didn’t open my eyes. Maybe if I didn’t react, Garrett would leave.
He leaned over me, shaking the mattress around my head. “Wake up!” He screamed the words, sending blinding pain through my head.
I blinked against the light, spots dancing in my vision. They did nothing to disguise the monster right in front of me.
“There she is. I was worried for a minute that I might have caused permanent damage.” Garrett’s eyes gleamed as if the prospect thrilled him.
I said nothing. I knew whatever I said would only end up causing me more pain.
The look in Garrett’s eyes hardened. “Thought you could run away from me, did you? Do you have any idea how foolish you made me look?” Spittle flew from his mouth, hitting my cheek. I cringed. “I had to pretend you’d been kidnapped to save face in front of my colleagues.”
Garrett pushed to his feet and began to pace. “Thankfully, they believed me hook, line, and sinker.” A small grin appeared on his lips. “I actually think they felt so bad, it helped me get a promotion.” The grin fell away. “But I wasn’t going to just let you go. You belong to me.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. Belong. The way Garrett meant it, was a dirty word. I thought of how it felt to belong to the extended Cole clan, to belong to Liam. Tha
t was beauty, light, and love. Garrett had twisted something pure and made it into something evil.
Garrett stalked closer, grabbing me roughly by the face. I couldn’t hold in my cry of pain. His eyes flared, clearly enjoying the sound. “And then you had to turn into a whore. Spreading your legs for that filthy musician. You’ll pay for that.”
Garrett released his hold with an angry thrust, snapping my head back, and forcing me to let out a gasp. He took up his pacing again. “Now we can’t go back to DC. My colleagues have seen the photos. They know you ran away. I’ll never be respected there again.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly through my nose, trying desperately to ease the waves of agony coursing through my body.
“Look at me when I’m talking!”
My eyes snapped open at Garrett’s bellow. “I’m sorry.”
“She’s sorry,” he sneered. “You’re not sorry now, but you will be.”
I swallowed against my dry throat. How long have I been without anything to drink? I pushed the thought from my mind. “Where are we going?”
A slow smile stretched across Garrett’s face. It was pure evil. “Well, sweetheart—” I cringed at the nickname he always used when he was furious with me. “We are going somewhere far, far away. A country where there are no extradition treaties. A place where no one will have the power to do anything about the bruises on your face.”
Nausea swept through me. If Garrett got me on a plane, I was as good as dead. Worse, I’d wish I was.
He stalked closer to me. “I’d like to fuck some sense into you right now, but you know I can’t stand to touch you when your face is messed up.” He gritted his teeth. “Why do you always have to make me so mad? Why do you force me to hurt you? There must be something twisted in you that likes it.”
Rage, hot and thick, swam through my veins. There was a dark time in my life where I would’ve believed Garrett’s words. Thought that I had done something to deserve his slap of my face or the whip of his belt across my back. There was a time I would have believed that there was something broken in me that called out for that kind of attention.
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