I sucked in a startled breath and looked on mesmerised, as his hand lifted slowly and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. He left his palm rested on the back of my neck; so hot, so comforting, so intimate... so right.
"I'm not your enemy here, Marie. I'm on your side."
I swallowed thickly, but couldn't find my voice to argue the point or offer a reply.
He moved closer, not removing his hand, but bringing his chest within inches of mine. I had to tip my head up slightly to keep eye contact.
"You are so single-minded," he murmured. "You've got blinkers on. You can't see your way out of the forest, for all the trees. Let me help you," he pleaded, softly. "I swear I'll keep you and Daisy safe."
"Why?" I found myself asking. For some reason I thought his answer would tell me what I needed to know.
Was he doing this because I was a means to an end? The key to having McLaren locked away for a very long time. Or was there a personal reason for him insisting he could protect us? For him pushing me beyond that which a policeman would normally push a witness.
I wasn't sure what reply I wanted to hear.
His forehead furrowed slightly, as though he was trying to think of the right thing to say. Perhaps reading too much into the question, just like I was. His thumb absently stroked the sensitive flesh on the side of my neck, making my heartbeat thrum excitedly with every brush across my skin. He sucked in a deep and slow breath, then gave a short nod. I think it was to himself, not to me.
"This is what I do, Marie," he said quietly, but firmly. "This is my job."
And in that instant I knew that was not the answer I had hoped to hear.
I let a sharp breath of air out and then twisted my body away from his, making a break for freedom. He let me. One quick glance over my shoulder at him, from the door, and I think he looked as disappointed in himself as I was, right then.
I left him leaning against the bench, head tipped towards the floor, scowl on his face. Contemplating what he'd just said and probably my reaction to it.
I'd given a lot away. But damn it! He'd forced my hand. And now we knew.
He was a cop.
And I was a means to an end.
I went straight to Daisy. The need to check on my daughter, to remind myself of exactly why I couldn't give in to this man, was too great. For her I had to keep everything close to my chest. For her safety, and health, and wellbeing, we had to remain out of McLaren's - or any other criminal's - sights.
Abi and Kelly were both up and in the penguin painting room. A paintbrush in everyone's hands as they placed touches onto a four foot high mural of a King Penguin on the wall.
"Wow!" I said with not just a little awe. "That looks fantastic."
"Right?" Abi agreed in a question. "Your daughter has an awesome talent. I'm commissioning three more for over there," she said, pointing to the other corner of the same wall.
"I'm in charge of the iceberg in between," Kelly declared. "They think that's all I'm good for. Big chunks of frozen rocks, floating in a sea of blue."
"I'm sure it's not all you're good for, Kels," Adam announced from the doorway with a sexy smirk.
"Not that you'd ever know for certain, big man," Kelly shot back.
"Dude," he exclaimed with mock shock, clutching at his chest. "Low blow."
"And if anyone has a witty comeback for that, keep it to themselves," Abi suggested. Yep, she'd make a good mother one day.
I laughed, despite my emotional turmoil of moments ago. It was so easy to forget my worries with these women. So easy to pretend we were part of their world.
"So, you heading out now?" Adam asked, directing his question to me. "Ben's just gone to touch base with Pierce, but I think everyone's ready."
"I'll just go say good-bye," Abi said, placing her paintbrush on the side of a can carefully. "Back in a tick."
"Yeah, right," Kelly snorted, receiving a flick of the Abi's fingers as she passed, making dots of blue paint splatter across Kelly's white t-shirt.
"Agh, I knew this was a bad idea," Kelly complained.
"Don't worry, Kels. I can hose you down outside afterwards," Adam offered with a wink.
I shook my head. "Are you guys always like this?"
They looked at each other, shrugged, then both said at the same time, "Pretty much."
A snort escaped me before I could stop it, which made Daisy laugh, quickly followed by Kelly and then Adam. Before long we were all clutching our stomachs and laughing loudly, only to be interrupted by a clearing of a masculine throat.
We all swung around to see Pierce standing at the door looking unimpressed.
"If you're ready, Marie," he announced, and then left. Nothing else, just a statement that was definitely not meant to be a query, but rather a reprimand.
"What's got his boxers in a knot?" Kelly asked, retuning her attention to the wall and her iceberg.
I shrugged, Adam chortled and Daisy said, "He likes Mummy, but Mummy's not being nice back."
Oh, and there went the whole idea of keeping my emotional turmoil and the reason for it out of my daughter’s sight.
"Daisy," I said in soft reprimand. "What on earth do you mean?"
She huffed out an exasperated breath, turned her back to her penguin, crossed her arms over her little chest, while still holding her paintbrush, and then cocked her hip. Such sass.
"I know he likes you," she said, lifting her chin in challenge.
"He likes all of us," I pointed out.
"But he really likes you."
I sighed. Relationship advice from a five year old?
"It's not what you think, sweetheart." I took a step towards her to give her a farewell hug, and she immediately turned her back on me and lifted her paintbrush to the wall. It hovered over her penguin, as though waiting for me to act.
I'd never had Daisy turn away from me before. I'd never experienced my daughter's disdain. I wasn't quite sure what to do.
I reached out a hand to touch her hair, but halfway there, hanging in mid-air, Pierce shouted from the front of the house, "Marie, let's go!"
And I dropped it, clenched my fist, blinked back tears and whispered instead, "Be back soon, Daisy-girl. Love you."
Then left the room before Adam or Kelly could remark on my poor parenting skills.
Chapter 11
And The World Turned To Utter Chaos
I was fuming.
Pierce hadn't said a word on the entire trip to my home, and I hadn't remedied that. He either knew I was mad, seething mad, or he was just as upset as me. But for entirely different reasons.
It wasn't enough that we were displaced, in danger, fearing for our lives. But his interest in me had been noticed by my child. Who at five years old was throwing her first tantrum at her mother. Because I wasn't being nice back.
I let a long frustrated breath of air out and saw Pierce flick his gaze across to me briefly. His lips flattened into two thin lines.
I curled my fists in my lap and stared out at the familiar scene that sped by the car.
Minutes passed. The silence stretched.
Finally our flat came into view. Police tape criss-crossed over the doorway. I hadn't expected that. I sat forward in my seat, my hand coming up to rest on the dashboard before me, my eyes straining to see what else had changed since we were last there.
"I didn't know the Police had been here," I said, stunned.
"Your house was broken into," Pierce replied quietly from my side. "Forensics needed to see if the perpetrator had left any evidence behind."
I shook my head. "But I didn't say you could go do that?"
Pierce blinked back at me, then shrugged his shoulders.
"You'd already agreed to make a statement about it, this was just the next step. You want us to catch him, don't you, Marie?"
God, he was right. And I was being pig-headed. Not nice, as my daughter had already pointed out.
"Of course," I mumbled, opening my door and slipping outside.
&n
bsp; Pierce was beside me in an instant, just as a uniformed cop approached from a marked police car I hadn't even noticed off to the side.
"Nothing to report, Detective. The place is clear and no one has been past it in the last hour."
"Thanks, Mike. Just wait in your unit until we're clear. We shouldn't be long," Pierce advised. The cop nodded and returned to his vehicle. "Ready?" he said to me, placing his hand in the small of my back.
I stared at him for too long, trying to decide why I felt so off kilter around him. He was doing everything a police detective should do. He was making sure I was safe while doing it. Why then did I feel like he had an agenda?
"Marie?" he asked softly. "It's a mess in there, I know you're probably upset about seeing it in this state, but we don't have to stay long. Just grab what you and Daisy need, and we'll lock it up again and go."
I nodded a little dumbly and let him lead me up the path to the front door. Pierce pulled the tape down, and when I fished my keys out of my bag, he silently relieved me of them so he could unlock the door.
Inside was a complete mess. I'd heard the tattooed freak crashing around in there. I'd assumed he'd caused chaos. But this? This was destruction on a level I didn't comprehend.
My hand over my mouth I took in broken picture frames, smashed vases, the cracked TV, ripped sofa, stuffing-less cushions, and the scattering of knick-knacks and what appeared to be cereal or maybe broken biscuits all over the floor.
"Who does this sort of thing?" I said under my breath, but Pierce heard me.
"It's a message," he said, hand still on the base of my spine, heat reaching me through his touch, even as my extremities were turning ice cold. "You weren't here, he assumed you'd return to find it." His thumb stroked softly, again absently, as though he wasn't even aware he was doing it. "It looked like he was also searching for something."
That little bit was tagged on the end quite intentionally, I think.
"Did he find it?" Pierce asked, and the cop was back in the room.
I ignored his question and headed towards our bedrooms, intending to pack our bags and leave this place, possibly for good. Strangely, Pierce didn't follow. He headed into the kitchen instead.
The bedrooms were as disorderly as the lounge, perhaps even more so. Not as much damage, but the goon had clearly been looking for something. I assumed Pierce had already seen all of this yesterday, when he stormed off and left us at Ben and Abi's. That's why he hadn't bothered to follow me in here. But I couldn't help feeling let down. Surely seeing my most private place violated like this would bring out the protector in him?
Despite my turbulent emotional responses to this man, I would have welcomed his presence right now. Sorting through the strewn clothing in my room, knowing someone else's hands had touched them, left a vile taste in my mouth. It was going to be ten times worse in Daisy's room, I was sure. So, I knuckled down and focused on what I needed to do. Underwear, outerwear, toiletries, accessories, and hidden away in my wardrobe, in a shoebox full of paraphernalia, our passports and birth certificates.
The goon had sorted through it, but had no need to steal our IDs.
I slipped them all into a duffel bag and then headed to Daisy's room, sucking up the horror of seeing my daughter's precious possessions tossed about without any care. I found everything she'd need to keep her happy for the next little while, but promised myself I would wash all our clothes at Abi's first, before letting Daisy anywhere near them. At least she would have her favourite books and toys on hand though.
I found Pierce waiting patiently back in the lounge. As soon as I walked in his eyes flicked to my overflowing bag and then quickly back to my face.
"Got everything?" he asked, reaching forward to offer a hand to carry the heavy satchel.
I handed it over without hesitation, it was bloody heavy, and saw another flicker of surprise cross Pierce's face. I had no idea what it meant, and the fact that I could pick up these little nuances of his so easily, left me reeling, so I pushed my concerns away altogether. Admitting I was getting more and more familiar with the detective was not particularly constructive.
"Yep, that'll hold us over. I'm keen to just get out of here now."
"I can imagine," Pierce agreed, and headed towards the door.
He gave a quick look around the front yard, before opening the door fully, and then reached back and clasped my hand, tugging me behind him. I was about to protest his contact, when he said, "It'd be best if we just get out of here quickly. It's been over half an hour since we arrived. Anyone could have warned McLaren's man that you've returned."
I shut my open mouth on those ominous words and let him lead me to the passenger door of his car. I slipped in, as he threw the duffel bag on the back seat, and then rounded the front of the sedan waving a hand at the uniformed cop, who was sitting in his vehicle as Pierce had instructed.
"Right," he said, as he manoeuvred himself into the driver's seat. "We're outta here."
He started the car and glanced up at the marked police unit.
Then frowned.
He tooted his horn once, waited for a response and then swore vehemently under his breath, pulling our car up alongside the uniform's.
"Don't look," he said suddenly, accelerating away from the car, while his hand came out and clasped my chin, making me look at him and not at whatever he didn't want me to see.
The moment he passed the vehicle he lifted the handset on his radio and clicked the button to talk.
Nothing.
"Fuck!" He glanced in the rear view mirror, swore again and then hit the button on his bluetooth speaker device and said, "Comms."
The dial tone sounded and three rings later a voice announced, "North Comms," over the speaker. I hadn't breathed once.
"Ten-Ten," Pierce said immediately.
"Go ahead," came the brusque reply accompanied by rapid key tapping over the line.
"Detective Sergeant Pierce, possible fourteen-ten of a uniform at 118 Williamson Ave."
Oh, this was not good. I glanced over my shoulder back towards where the cop's car was still sitting, but couldn't make out a thing from this distance. Pierce had the hammer down.
"Are you still at the scene?" The guy on the other end asked.
"Negative. I have a civilian on board and am being followed."
"Your current location?"
"City bound, Williamson Ave and Elgin Street."
A slight pause.
"We have units responding from Ponsonby Road and Great North Road. Description of the assailant?"
"Dark blue late model Ford Territory, unable to get a clean line of sight to the license plate."
I flicked a glance over my shoulder and noticed the erratic driving of a Ford Territory bearing down on us at great speed.
"Eyes forward, Marie," Pierce said softly.
"I might be able to see the license plate number," I offered, amazed I could form a complete sentence, as my heart was in my throat and my chest was starting to ache from lack of air.
"It's OK, babe," he replied immediately, placing a hand on my cheek and gently making me face forward. "Just hold tight."
Sirens could be heard coming from up ahead, the odd flash of red and blue in between the morning traffic. The speed with which the lights alternated; red-blue-red-blue-red-blue, matched my rapid pulse.
"What you can do is dial a number on your phone for me, while I keep Comms on the line."
My focus returned to Pierce, away from the mayhem building outside - just as he'd probably intended - and I nodded. Then fished my cellphone out with shaking fingers.
"Any updates?" came the voice over the speaker.
"Negative. Standby," Pierce replied in clipped tones. Then his voice softened as he said to me, "Got it, babe?"
The phone was vibrating in my hand. Not because it was ringing, but because my trembling had almost gotten uncontrollable. I nodded, keeping my focus on him, and not the world flashing by outside, as he rattled off a number for me t
o dial. I had to press the buttons twice, because the shaking had escalated even further.
I placed the phone to my ear, unsure who would answer, but waiting for the call to connect anyway. My eyes remained locked on Pierce's face, who alternated between glancing in the rear view mirror, looking forward, and flicking a quick gaze at me every now and then.
"It'll be all right. The blue and whites will cut him off and we'll be home free," he whispered, squeezing my thigh just once and then returning his hand to the steering wheel.
A cop car screamed past, lights flashing, siren blaring, and did a movie style u-turn in the middle of the road, to come at the Territory from behind. Another marked police car came at us from a side street, attempting to cut the Territory off, but somehow the SUV managed to evade it, almost tipping up on two wheels to get around the sudden block. Helicopter rotor blades could be heard above, as we made it onto Ponsonby Road, the shadow of the chopper crossing the street in front of us, as it kept up with the chase.
"Eyes forward, Tiger," Pierce semi repeated, making me realise I was sitting sideways in the car, trying to watch the terrifying activity out the back window.
Just as he spoke someone answered my cell call; I missed their greeting completely.
"Sorry, who's this?" I said into the phone, right when Pierce swore, then the car swerved and my cell left my hand, tumbling to the footwell. I reached down, fumbled between my feet, then grasped the device as Pierce started jammering away to the Comms guy on the speaker phone about a spike block that had just failed and almost taken us out.
"You there?" a man shouted down my phone.
"Y..yes," I said breathlessly.
"Sounds exciting, sweetheart," the man replied steadily on the other end of the phone. "Wanna tell me who you are?"
"Marie Cox," I managed to say, before I squealed as our car rocketed forward, an ear splitting crunch sounding out, as the Territory rammed us up the rear end. "Holy fucking shit," I exclaimed. "I thought they only did that on TV."
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