Vic narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t use it on me, would you?”
Meghan didn’t have to force a look of shock. “Of course I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it.”
She smiled. “Okay, but don’t get me in trouble with your father. I’ve gotten rather used to having him around.” She pulled the small cylinder out of her massive leather purse and handed it to her.
Meghan stuffed the baton in the bag with the clothes, then glanced up at Vic. “Have y’all… You know… Ummm…fallen.”
Victoria inhaled a deep breath, then pushed it out in a soft sigh. “No…but it’s because we’ve stopped it. We didn’t want to lose ourselves in a relationship when we had to find you.”
Damn. Why did she have to shoot that arrow into her heart? “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. We’re good. We’re doing things the old-fashioned way. You know, getting to know each other, sneaking kisses here and there. It’s been fun.”
“I do know… With my dad, everything is about old-fashioned values.”
“That’s not such a bad thing.”
Meghan couldn’t help the burst of air that resembled a chuckle. “No…it’s not so bad, I guess. I forget that even though he looks so young, he’s actually forty-nine.” She laughed for real this time, and it felt wrong, but she’d just realized how old her father would be. “He’ll be fifty in a few months. Man, that sounds so old.”
“Jonas is forty-four.”
Is…as if he were still alive. She could only hope that he was still anything. “I know…but he looks even younger than my father does. I swear he looked the same age as some of the kids in college.” She gazed down at the table. Again, this conversation felt so wrong, but she wanted Vic and her father to know that Jonas hadn’t taken advantage of her. That she wasn’t some stupid kid. “You know…we didn’t just jump into bed together. In fact, my dad might not believe it, but I was a virgin. I fell in love with Jonas in the three weeks we were together, and then after he saved me from Tag—”
Victoria leaned over the table so quickly that Meghan stopped talking, wondering what she’d said. Oh, no, she thought. She’d said Tag’s name. Would they know where they were now? Would they try to stop her?
“Tag? Taggart Beaumont?” Victoria hissed.
Meghan gulped. She hadn’t been thinking. She’d just been rambling with Victoria, forgetting that she was one of the top people in the family. “Ummm…I don’t know… I don’t know his last name.”
“Oh, my God. Tag went to school with Ry. Tag’s father. He’s the overseer in Quebec. If… Oh, my God.” Victoria pulled out her phone and hopped up from the table. Before she opened the door to walk outside, she said, “Mike… The Beaumonts… Tag’s been working with Jonas. If they get the Canadians—”
The door closed, and Vic must have dropped her voice again, because Meghan couldn’t hear the rest of her sentence.
Meghan chewed on her nails as she glanced around the store.
She was alone. She had more money than she had, because Vic had paid for everything. And she had her weapon.
Without looking to see if Vic was watching her, she darted across the tiled floor to the rear of the store. All businesses had exits on both sides of the building. It was a fire safety precaution, she was certain.
She slammed through a door marked employees only at the back of the store. Shuffling through boxes of merchandise, she weaved her way to the furthest wall, looking for an emergency light. She glanced up and smiled at the bright red letters above a steel gray door with black and white signs plastered all over it.
Warning! Emergency Exit Only. Alarm will Sound.
She didn’t care. If Victoria heard the alarm, Meghan would be a mile down the street before she put it together. She smashed her hands against the metal bar, knocking open the door, and staggered into the alley.
No alarm. Probably a silent alarm. Good. She glanced in both directions, but then remembered something Reece had said. If I lose a bad guy, I always turn right. When people are fleeing, they don’t stop to think; they take the path of least resistance, which is a right-hand turn.
Meghan took a left and didn’t stop running until she got to the next block. There, she took another left. She ran for no less than a quarter mile, ignoring the people who got frustrated as she whizzed past them.
She hadn’t really cared about showing off her speed, but she hadn’t been stupid either. She also didn’t jump to the rooftops. That was the first place Victoria would look. Instead, she tried to blend in with people on the street. Luckily, it was twilight, so most onlookers wouldn’t even be able to identify her as she rocketed past them.
When she reached a river, she took a right this time, as a left would have put her back in Vic’s direction. At the next intersection, she stopped. She looked for a store, a convenience store, as Jonas had done. She grabbed the first sports jacket and hat she saw on a rack and rushed to the cashier.
“Do you have a map? A local map. Just of downtown Boston.”
The cashier pointed to a rack to the left of the counter. Meghan scanned the different ones until she found one with all the stops for the ‘T’. That’d actually come in handy too.
“That be all, miss?” the cashier asked in clipped English.
“Yes. Do you have a restroom?”
The man narrowed his eyes.
“Please…I have to go really bad.”
She didn’t, but her father had always told her she could get anything she wanted if she was sweet when she sulked. She didn’t see that about herself. She’d always thought she was rather tall and lanky. Nothing like all the shapely southern girls back home.
To her surprise, the man pointed to a door.
“Thank you.” After paying, she hurried into the ladies’ room and changed into the black skirt and top Vic had just bought for her. She pulled on the boots, then covered the outfit with the large jacket, even though it was still warm out.
When she came out, she had her hair tucked up in the hat, and the cashier looked at her as if he didn’t recognize her. Perfect.
Nothing she could do about her height, but Reece wouldn’t give her a second glance if he walked right by her. Never in a million years would he expect to see her wearing a navy blue jacket with bright red socks on the front. After all, she hated blue, and she’d never watched a game of baseball in her life.
Meghan looked up at the night sky. The sun had set, and the clouds had moved in. It looked like rain. Good, she liked rain. Rainstorms drowned out all the sounds in the world, making it easier to escape into her own mind.
But tonight, she wouldn’t be escaping, she’d be infiltrating, like her father used to do. The only sounds she wanted the rain to drown out would be the sounds of her approaching the building. Tag was too arrogant to have moved out.
No, Tag wouldn’t have left. He’d be waiting for her, she was sure of it. He’d practically salivated the one time she’d worn a dress in front of him.
Hopefully she wouldn’t disappoint him tonight.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Vic swung around when she realized what she’d done. She’d left Meghan with the cash she’d received from Reece, a bagful of clothes, and her weapon.
She burst through the double glass doors as Mike jabbered in her ear about the unlikelihood that the Canadians would join up with Jonas, even if Tag had. Since Tag had always been the black sheep of the family.
“I have to go, Mike,” she said.
“What happened?”
She darted her eyes around the store. “I left Meghan at the café, and now she’s gone.”
Mike released a chuckle. “Haven’t you done this before? Remind me not to leave my children in your care, Vic.”
“Meghan’s not a child. Far from it. In fact, I’d bet my Mini Cooper that she’s going to track down Tag. Evidently, he’d attacked her. That’s how Jonas and she had become closer.” She tore a path across the store to the rear exit, since she knew
Meghan hadn’t come out the front. “Strange how life-threatening situations always seem to bring couples together: Lyn and Sabrina, Derrick and Kristina, Reece and me, and then Meghan and Jonas. Maybe you need to start watching, Mike. Maybe you’ll find a damsel in distress.”
“And find a weak woman whom I’d have to worry about night and day. Not on your life. I like my women tough. I think I made myself clear which woman I want.”
Ignoring his comment, she looked up and down the alley. “She’s gone. Dammit! Reece is going to hate me.”
“I wish.”
“Seriously, Mike,” she growled. “Does everything have to be about your libido?”
He released a loud huff. “Victoria, this has nothing to do with my libido. I have no lack of women I can sleep with. Reece hating you, though, could be beneficial to my heart.”
She rolled her eyes at his childish behavior. “I’m not having this conversation with you right now, Mike. Get on the phone and set up our watchers. Boston isn’t that big. We’re going to put an end to these rogues tonight.”
“See…that’s what I love about you, Vic. I’m on it. Keep your phone on you, and I’ll tell you where to meet me. I know how to stop Meghan.”
The line clicked, and she dropped her head, wondering what he’d meant. If only she were as tough as she tried to be. Currently, she felt like a puppy who’d done wrong and knew that she’d get a scolding. Should get a scolding. Only, Reece probably wouldn’t even be upset with her. The question was…should she call or tell Reece in person?
Call. Every second could mean Meghan’s life. Tag had joined up with Jonas for a reason. He had no place else to go. The Canadians had banished him for his crimes against humans.
Every ring of the phone had her heart pounding faster, wondering why he wasn’t answering. After four rings, she hung up and called again. Even if he were busy, he’d know it was an emergency.
“Hey… I can’t talk right now,” Reece whispered.
“Get somewhere safe and call me right back,” she said.
“Is everything okay?”
She sighed. “You said you couldn’t talk.”
“I can’t. I’ll call you in a few minutes.”
Vic reached for the door she’d exited, but it was locked. Now she’d have to walk around the entire strip to get to her car. It was dark, though, and this was an emergency. She glanced in both directions. What were the chances that anyone would be on the roof of a store? She didn’t care. She bent her knees, sprung off her heels, and easily shot up to the roof of the one-story building.
Scanning her surroundings for onlookers, she crossed the expanse of the rooftop, but then ran to the end. She couldn’t very well jump down in front of one of the storefront windows. Once over the top of the alley, she dropped to the pavement and jogged, a little faster than most humans could, across the parking lot to her car.
Which way would Meghan have gone? Nothing but old brownstones and tenements were to her left, so she pulled out on the street in front of the shops and turned right.
As she waited for Reece’s call, she looked for anything out of place. If Meghan had been running, humans would appear startled.
At the next intersection, she took a left, since that road ended at the river, and she’d only have to keep her eyes to the right. She crawled down the street, as slowly as traffic would allow, staring into every shop she passed.
The Bluetooth connected to her car rang, and she stared at the number on the dash, closing her eyes as if it’d disappear. Waiting wouldn’t make the problem go away.
She parallel parked in front of a convenience store and clicked ‘answer’ on her steering wheel. “Hi, Reece.”
“Meghan ditched you, didn’t she?”
“I’m sorry. She said something, and I freaked out and called Mike. We’d been getting along so well. I just wasn’t thinking. I’m sor—”
“It was only a matter of time, darlin’. I’m not mad at you. We couldn’t keep her shackled forever. She’s eighteen.”
“Why are you always so understanding?”
“I’m a realist. Where are you?”
“Are you still at your office?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll come get you. Mike’s getting a team ready. We’ll cover every end of Boston. If she starts anything, we’ll find her. Did you find anything on Jonas?”
“Actually, I did. As always, I went to the source. My father had never trusted computers…said info could be changed. I agree. We’ll talk in the car, though. Just text me when you’re on the street, and I’ll come down.”
Vic scanned the couple of people who’d evidently just exited the convenience store, but then made a U-turn and headed to get Reece.
She blew out a long breath as she thought about Mike’s words. Reece had been right. Mike was still making a play for her. Unlike the last time he’d made his wants known, though, this time, she felt nothing. Nothing but Reece Buckley filled her heart, and once again, she’d failed him. If they lost Meghan now… She couldn’t even imagine the loss. For Reece or her.
For the first time in her life, she’d felt the stirrings of motherhood. Sure, Meghan was an adult, but even when women grew up, they needed other women. Maybe even more so.
Maybe if she could find Meghan, she could convince her that they could heal from the loss of their mothers together.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Meghan eyed the seven-story building from across the street. Light emanated from every window, even though the smoked glass made it impossible to see inside.
The clouds had released their wrath, pelting the streets with their fury, obscuring the surrounding buildings. Whether she could see it through the downpour or not, she knew the old tavern was next door. The roof of the four-story building would be easy to access, then she could make it to the top of her and Jonas’ building, not Tag’s.
Since the structure was old, not sleek and contemporary with glass and steel, she could easily scale the exterior. The architectural moldings and ledges would provide perfect handholds and footholds.
Also, the building behind their building had been demolished, so there was nothing but construction, which meant no tenants would see her climbing the building in the middle of the night.
Cheers and bellows emanated from the tavern as she skirted her way around the brick wall, scrunching her nose at the smell of urine and beer. No wonder Jonas had never wanted her outside by herself. Who knew what she’d run into.
She easily pounced onto the first level of the fire escape, and from there, swung up, as she’d done on the balance bars in school, to the next level. If she weren't so ticked, she’d be enjoying herself. It wasn’t often that she stretched her muscles.
She walked to the far side of the roof of the four-story building, got a running start, and then pushed off with every bit of strength she had. Her hands were just able to grip the slippery edge of the roof. She swung one leg up, assuring herself that if she fell, it was only about three stories.
Using her leg and her one hand, she pulled herself up and over the wall, falling to the gravel, and then rolled to a squatting position. She stopped cold.
“Hello, baby. So nice of you to join me in our special spot. Remember our first night together. You know…when I saved you from that piece of trash.”
Meghan stood straight, then pulled her baton from her waistband. She whooshed it out, loving the way the metal sounded when it sliced through the air. Knowing how she’d love it even more when it made contact with Tag’s head.
She crossed her arm across her chest, resting the baton on her shoulder. “First of all, I will never be your baby. Second of all, you have never, nor will you ever, save me.”
Tag stood from the lawn chair he’d been lounging in. “Don’t want to be my baby. Fine. Then you’ll be my bitch.”
He was tall, as tall as Jonas, and larger, but it didn’t matter. She was madder and had a weapon.
Attack first, Victoria had said. Aim low. Of co
urse, Meghan wanted his head, and she knew she couldn’t overpower him, but the entire time she’d sparred with her father, she’d been thinking about Tag.
“Did you kill Jonas?” she asked.
“Of course, I did. And if Vic and your father hadn’t shown up outside Baler’s apartment building, you and I would be enjoying our honeymoon right now.”
That was all the proof she’d needed of his guilt. He’d been there. He’d seen Vic and Reece.
She charged across the expanse of the building, baton held high.
Tag reacted immediately, lifting his arm, ready to grab the baton as she swung it against his head. But her father had warned her of that, and Victoria and Jonas had told her where to aim.
Right before she reached Tag, she slid on the gravel, using the momentum of her run and her fall and brought the baton down, smashing it into Tag’s kneecap.
As soon as she passed him, she rolled to her feet, and then came down against the back of his neck.
He fell to the floor of the rooftop, holding his knee with one hand and crawling toward the door with his other. “Please, stop. I won’t hurt you.”
“No, you definitely won’t be hurtin’ me, Tag. You won’t be hurtin’ anyone ever again.” One more blow and he’d be dead, just like her beloved.
She raised the baton over his head as he turned to look at her. “Please, no. Please don’t.”
She felt nothing. No remorse.
“You’re the piece of garbage, Tag, and now, you’re gonna rot in hell!” She brought the baton down, but it stopped mid swing.
Without thinking, her muscle memory from the hundred times she’d practiced the move with Jonas and Victoria took over, and she twisted in the opposite direction of the hand that had gripped hers and rolled to the ground. She immediately dropped to the floor of the rooftop, then pulled Tag up by his neck, with both of her hands firmly gripping the baton.
She backed up against the wall, squeezing back on the bar.
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