“Did anyone ever see you on the ship?”
“I’m sure they did. I didn’t have a room, so I’d sleep in the lounge chairs during the day. At night, I’d roam around. Sneak food out of the kitchen when I could. Occasionally, I’d act like I was a regular guest, but since acting normal wasn’t easy for me, I tried to stay out of everyone’s way. I borrowed some clothes from dryers in the laundry room. I returned them every couple of days. Borrowed more.
“I thought about jumping overboard a couple of times. That just seemed to be the easiest route to peace. Couldn’t do it, though. Too chicken, I guess.” She blew out a ragged breath. “Guess I wanted to live after all.”
Dropping back down onto the pillows, Riley realized she was so tired she could barely hold her eyes open. Justin’s arms came around her, and she snuggled against his shoulder. “They were right,” she mumbled against his chest.
“Who was right, baby?”
“Eden and McKenna. They said getting the poison out would help. It did.”
Hard arms tightened around her. “I’m glad. Sleep now. Okay?”
“’Kay.”
Justin waited until she fell asleep before he let loose an explosive, vile—albeit very quiet—curse. If Dimitri had been standing in front of him, he would have torn him limb from limb with his bare hands without a shred of remorse or guilt.
Tears slid down his face, and he did nothing to stop the flow. What she had endured. What she had survived. God in heaven, he’d never known anyone braver. And she actually believed she was a coward, a weakling. She was the strongest person he’d ever known, bar none.
In a few hours, she would be facing the people who had betrayed her in the worst possible way. He knew she wanted answers almost as much as she wanted retribution. He would get all of it for her, one way or another.
And then he would find the monster named Dimitri and give him a taste of his own medicine.
Chapter Twenty-five
The next time Riley woke, it was daylight and she was alone. She lay quiet for a few moments, absorbing what had happened last night. She’d found a deeper connection with Justin than she could have ever imagined having with anyone. The shared intimacy had been profound and more real than anything she’d ever experienced. So profound that she had opened herself up afterward and shared with him what she’d believed she’d never be able to tell anyone. And then she’d fallen into the most dreamless but peaceful sleep of her life.
Would things change now that he knew everything? How would it affect their relationship, their partnership? She prayed it wouldn’t change things but couldn’t help but worry.
Knowing there was nothing to do but get up and face whatever she had to, Riley bounded out of bed. She rushed through a shower, quickly braided her hair, slapped on a minimum of makeup, and slid into a pair of jeans and T-shirt.
She walked into the kitchen and found Justin there, dressed and in the midst of making breakfast. He turned from the stove, spatula in hand, and grinned. “Hope you’re hungry. I’m making enough to feed an army.”
Relief flooded through her. He was acting normal, natural. She saw affection and warmth in his expression. Not a hint of judgment.
“I’m starving.”
Surprising her, he swiftly picked her up, set her on the counter, and dropped a kiss on her head. “Watch and learn from a culinary genius.”
“We’ve been partners for years and I’m just now learning you can cook?”
Instead of answering, he sent her a wink. And then she watched, stunned, as he showed her he wasn’t all talk. His hands diced and chopped so fast she could barely see the knife. In less than a minute, he had a mound of tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and peppers.
She watched in awe as he briskly whisked eggs and then made what had to be the biggest omelet she’d ever seen. A few minutes later, she was sitting down to the most delectable-smelling meal she’d had in ages. She took one bite of the omelet and exclaimed, “My gosh, you are a genius!”
He grinned. “Just wait till you taste my pasta calabrese.”
They ate in companionable silence for the next few minutes. With each bite, Riley could feel her energy build.
She sat back in her chair and shook her head at her empty plate. “I can’t believe I ate all of that. I feel like I could take on the world.”
“Like my mama always said, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” He pushed their plates aside and then took both her hands. Kissing each one, he held them gently. “Hard to believe these small, slender hands belong to the strongest person I’ve ever known.”
Embarrassed by his praise, she tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her go. Shrugging, she said lightly, “I don’t think I’m strong so much as stubborn. It took me years of therapy and training before I could get to being halfway normal.”
He placed her hands on the table and then covered them with his. “What you endured…what you conquered. Believe me, that’s strength.”
“You know I told you that LCR rescued my sister years ago?” There was pain in his voice, a dark hollowness in his eyes.
“Yes. From a human trafficker.”
“I didn’t tell you the rest of the story, though. We got my sister back home, but she had a tough time coping with what happened to her. Looking back on it now, I don’t think we handled things very well.”
“What do you mean?”
“We babied her, coddled her. Treated her with kid gloves. She went to counseling sessions but quit after a few weeks, said they weren’t doing any good. My mom and dad are what we in Ohio call salt-of-the-earth people. Good and decent. They just didn’t know how to handle her. Lara was the baby of the family, and instead of expecting her to be strong, they made excuses for her bad behavior. The responsibility fell on everyone else’s shoulders, never hers.”
His voice thickened. “She turned to drugs and alcohol. We had interventions, family counseling. Nothing helped. When she was nineteen, she jumped from a bridge about five miles from my parents’ farm.”
“Oh, Justin, I’m so sorry.”
“The family never really recovered. Each one of us asked what we could have done differently. And though I know we enabled her, letting her remain a victim, I look back on it now and realize one very important issue. Lara never wanted to be saved…rescued. She never tried to save herself.
“That’s the difference between you and her, Riley. You helped rescue yourself. You became your own hero. Do you know how phenomenal you are?”
“I had a lot of help.”
“All the help in the world is worth nothing unless you’re willing to help yourself.”
The lump in her throat was now the size of a bowling ball. She felt the sting of tears and almost panicked. Crying, today of all days, was strictly prohibited.
She was saved from breaking her no-tears policy by the buzz of her cellphone. She’d laid the phone on the table beside her. “It’s Noah.”
Kissing each hand once more, he let her go so she could answer. She answered and put the call on speaker so Justin could hear. Noah, as usual, was to the point. “Meet us in the hallway in half an hour.”
“Will do,” Riley answered.
She ended the call and then looked up at Justin. “Guess we’d better get ready.”
“I’ll clean up in here.”
“It’ll be faster if we do it together.”
Five minutes later, the dishwasher was running and everything was set to rights again. They went into the bedroom and continued to get ready to leave. Just as they were about to exit, Justin stopped at the door and took her in his arms again. “When this is over, let’s take a trip. Just you and me. Together. No phones. No bad guys. Just us.”
“Where to?”
He grinned. “That safe house in the mountains is paid up through next month.”
“Sounds perfect.”
He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, her nose, and then a soft, thorough one on her mouth. “Thank you, Riley.”
He dropped a hard, quick kiss on her mouth. “Just thank you.”
Taking him at his word, she smiled and then opened the door.
The instant they were in the hallway, all gentleness disappeared and Justin became her implacable, grim-faced LCR partner. His eyes coldly determined, he growled, “Let’s go rescue some kids and kick some asses, Ingram.”
Riley realized something profound. Justin had done that deliberately, to make a statement. When they were alone, sharing their lives, themselves, they were Riley and Justin. Friends, lovers, confidants. Their intimacy was hot, affectionate, fun.
In their LCR world of danger and high-risk stakes, they were Ingram and Kelly, full-fledged partners, their trust in each other complete, total.
This realization, more than any other, gave Riley hope for the future. Their future.
Chapter Twenty-six
Los Angeles, California
The instant he saw the caller ID, William’s heart gave a hopeful lurch. He grabbed the phone, his anticipation so great it took almost no effort to act like the excited, hopeful parent of a missing child. “Mr. McCall? You have news?”
“Yes, Mr. Larson. Very good news. Jessica has agreed to meet with you. We’ll be landing in Los Angeles in just a few minutes.”
“What? She’s with you? But I—I wasn’t expecting this. I assumed you would tell me where she is and let me meet with her there. I’m…uh—”
“I thought you would be pleased, Larson.”
The concerned surprise in McCall’s voice jerked him upright. Play it cool, idiot! Remember you’re anxious to see your little girl. “Yes. Yes. Of course I’m pleased, Mr. McCall. I was just caught off-guard. But I’m overwhelmed with joy and delight. I never expected it would be so soon or turn out this way.”
“I told you from the beginning, Mr. Larson. We set up the meet. We need total control in case things go wrong. Jessica is wary of seeing you. Like you feared she would, she’s made some outrageous claims. She claims you gave her to a man who beat and raped her.”
William kept the anger out of his voice. That little bitch would not spoil things now. “I’m not surprised. That was one of her most frequent delusions.”
“It’s apparent that Jessica is a deeply disturbed young woman. Very unstable. However, she has asked to see you. If things go well, and she agrees, I’ll release her to you. I trust that you’ll get her the help she needs.”
“Oh, most certainly I will, Mr. McCall. You can definitely trust me on that. The instant she’s with Loretta and me again, back where she belongs, she’ll get exactly what she needs.”
“Excellent. I’ll meet you at 1201 Sheffield Avenue. There’s a small office complex there. Suite 1001. One hour.”
“One hour? Oh, but I—”
“Larson, are you sure this is what you want?”
“Of course it is. I’ll be there, Mr. McCall. Thank you so much for all your hard work.”
The instant the call ended, William let loose a long string of curses and then made another call.
“Jessica is on her way to Los Angeles.”
“What? I thought you were going to grab her.”
“That was my plan until a few moments ago. The jerk that found her is on his way here, bringing her to me. What was I supposed to do? Tell him I’m not ready to see the daughter I’ve been searching for the last eight years? I had no choice.”
“Very well. You take possession. This actually works better for me. I’m in the States and can be there in a matter of hours.”
William decided his day was looking up. This would all be a bad memory soon. “I’ll text you the address. While we’re waiting for you, I’ll make sure Jessica understands that disobedience will never be allowed again.”
“Do whatever you like, but if I see one bruise on her when I get there, you will pay.”
“Understood,” William said stiffly.
Ending the call, William surged to his feet. Dammit, this wasn’t the way it should have played out. McCall was supposed to tell him where she was. He would’ve had her taken, then Dimitri would have taken over, and William would have been out of it. Now he was going to have to continue to play the joyful, grateful father.
Growling his frustration, he went inside the house. Loretta was out for the day, which was a blessing. Having her tag along was the last thing he wanted. She was much less skilled at acting the caring parent than he was. The woman didn’t have a caring bone in her body.
He’d get the girl and take her to the new house he was getting ready to set up for some new merchandise. It would be the perfect place to store her until Dimitri arrived.
And even though he’d been warned not to leave any bruises, he’d make damn sure the bitch knew what he thought of her. After all the frustration and expense he’d gone through to get her back, she owed him that.
***
Riley’s transformation from kick-ass Elite operative to sad, defeated Jessica King was something Justin would not have believed if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. It also hurt his heart in ways he could barely comprehend.
Is this what Jessica had looked like when McCall found her? Limp, lank hair, pale face, slumped shoulders, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. Nervous hands that couldn’t keep still. Her thin body jumping at every loud noise.
His gut told him she had probably looked much worse.
He remembered what she’d looked like when Eden and McKenna had taken her into the back room of the plane a couple of hours before they landed. She had walked back there with her head held high, posture straight, and a glint in her eye that said she was ready to take on the vermin and win. Now, she looked as though she’d been beaten to the ground and would never rise again.
Her thick hair was still long but they’d done something to make it look greasy and lifeless. Her skin had a dull, sallow cast. She wore jeans and a button down cotton shirt but he could swear she looked as though she’d lost twenty pounds. Her clothes hung from her body as if they were two sizes too large.
Riley’s eyes were always gleaming with life, sometimes with anger, occasionally with humor. But absolutely, totally alive. Jessica’s eyes were dull, lifeless…defeated.
Even though Justin tried to remind himself that this was an act, that Riley was one of the best at assuming an assigned role, he had to clench his hands to prevent himself from going to her. He wanted to make her look at him so he could be reassured that behind the façade of defeat and anguish was the strength and determination he knew she possessed in spades.
“We’re set,” McCall said. “Larson sounded both surprised and panicked at first. And then predictably arrogant.”
The room was filled to capacity with operatives. Each one had their individual assignment. By the time Larson arrived, the room would be empty save for McCall and Riley. They all knew each other’s jobs and roles. Before McCall had even tried to assign him a role, Justin had done it himself. Fortunately, McCall was in total agreement. Justin’s job was to protect Riley at all cost.
McCall zeroed his gaze in on Riley. “He may have to hold you for a while, maybe a couple of days, until Dimitri arrives. Since he never physically harmed you before he turned you over to Dimitri the first time, I’m hopeful he won’t harm you now. Regardless, I want no heroics from you, Ingram. Do not put up with abuse in the hope of gathering more information. We’ll get it later, once we have him in custody. If things get rough, we’re getting you out.”
She gave a solemn nod, but Justin saw the customary stubborn set to her mouth. He knew his partner. She’d put up with a lot to get what she needed. And Justin would be close by in case that happened. Sacrificing Riley was not part of the plan.
“Any questions?” McCall said.
When no one spoke, he continued, “Even with light traffic, it should take Larson another half hour or so to get here. Still, let’s get in place and be ready.” He glanced over at Riley. “Ingram, I’d like to talk to you for a minute.”
All the other operatives filed out. Justin was the last one to leave. He gave Riley a nod of encouragement before walking out the door.
Riley smiled slightly at Justin’s nod. That was a deviation from their normal thumbs-up acknowledgment, and she found she liked the change.
“Doing okay?” Noah said.
“Yes. I feel like I’ve been preparing for this for a long time. Glad it’s finally happening.”
“We’ve come a long way.”
She caught a glimpse of what looked like worry in his dark eyes. “I’ll be fine, Noah. I can do this.”
“If I didn’t think you could handle it, you wouldn’t be here. That’s not an issue. But I meant what I said earlier. Do not take any abuse from these bastards. We’ll bring them in and do what we have to do to get the information we need. You don’t have to—”
“I know that, Noah. I promise I won’t take anything I don’t think I can handle. I’ve suffered enough abuse at their hands. I won’t take more. Trust me.”
“I do.” He suddenly smiled, and Riley couldn’t help but smile back. If not for Noah, she would be dead. She had no doubt about that. She owed this man so much. “I won’t let you down.”
“You never have. You’ve exceeded every expectation every single time.”
“I don’t plan to change.”
Noah laughed, as she’d intended.
A buzzer on Noah’s phone gave the alert. Larson was within five miles of their location.
Riley met Noah’s eyes, and they both grinned. This was it. Justice was at last here.
Chapter Twenty-seven
“When we get there, I’ll go in alone. Try to stay out of sight. I don’t want McCall to know I brought you with me.”
RunningScaredBN Page 20