by Peyton Banks
He knew the officers had missed it. He didn’t want to alert Sarena to the dangers of who’d truly entered her home. The regular beat cops wouldn’t be able to help her.
Her house was tagged, and it meant they would be back.
“Where is she now? She can’t stay there,” Declan stated.
“She’s upstairs sleep.” Mac’s announcement was met with silence.
“Are you two together?”
“Something like that. Look, she means something to me, man. I’m not sure what, but she does.” He let loose a deep sigh. He was in no mood to argue with his longtime friend. He knew Sarena had impressed Declan during their meeting in the emergency room.
“That’s all I need to know. I’ll speak with Cameron and see what he finds out. I doubt that this is random.”
“I know it’s not. No way,” Mac snapped.
He disconnected the call and finished off his water. He tossed the bottle in his recycle bin then headed back upstairs. There was no way the Demon Lords would be getting their hands on Sarena. The minute he went into the station, they would work on finding out how the Demon Lords knew of Sarena.
The image of Silas in her driveway was the key. He hadn’t been lost. Mac was willing to bet he had been sent to scope out the neighborhood and Sarena was just an innocent bystander.
But if Mac was the target, then they had a leak in the station. When SWAT went on gang raids, they all ensured they wore their full gear and masks to keep their identity hidden. Only someone at the police station would be able to identify the members on SWAT, but who?
He arrived back in his bedroom and found Sarena still asleep. He walked over to his side of the bed and removed his pants. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he reached into the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out his Glock. The cool steel was comforting to him. He placed it on top of his nightstand before sliding beneath the covers.
“Is everything all right?” Sarena murmured as he pulled her curvy body to his.
He breathed in her scent and settled them in the bed.
“Yeah. I just went and got a drink of water. Go back to sleep, baby,” he murmured, running his hand down her back. He stared up at the ceiling in the dark and thought of the movie they had gone to see before dinner.
He now had a better understanding of the hero from the movie. Sarena let loose a deep sigh, snuggling into the crook of his arm.
Yes, he understood completely now.
He’d move Heaven and Earth to keep Sarena safe.
Sergeant MacArthur. How are you?” Sergeant Cameron Kaur met Mac with a firm handshake.
Mac and Declan had driven out to the county’s sheriff’s department to meet with the head of the Gang Unit.
“I’m well. Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice.” Mac nodded to him.
“Any time. We appreciate whenever you and your men can help us out.” Cameron jerked his head to one side, motioning for them to follow him.
They walked through the building until they reached a small conference room. Mac and Declan sat at the table while Cameron sat opposite. They were there to find out information on the last bust they’d assisted with.
They both agreed there was a leak in the department.
“How can I help you, gentlemen?” Cameron asked, pulling a notepad and pen in front of him on the table.
“We have reason to believe that the Demon Lords have tagged a house that belongs to a young lady I know,” Mac began.
Cameron’s eyebrows rose at the announcement.
“My advice would be for her to move.” Cameron chuckled but was met with glares from Declan and Mac.
Mac held back a growl and stared at the sergeant who must have got the message loud and clear. Cameron cleared his throat and turned away from Mac and was met with the same look from Declan.
“I take it the woman in question is someone close to you. But why are they tagging her?”
“Her name is Sarena Rucker, and the only connection to the Demon Lords would be me.”
“Declan asked me to gather information on the last time you guys helped us. I brought the files that are not deemed classified. You boys were there so you can piece together what you need.”
Mac could remember the last raid with the Gang Unit. It had been a warehouse that had been commissioned by the Demon Lords. SWAT had gone in and secured the premises to allow the investigators to take over. It was not a simple covert mission. A few of his men had taken bullets, and the Demon Lords had lost a few men as well.
The amount of weapons and drugs that were confiscated in the raid was newsworthy. Officers from ATF, DEA, the sheriff’s department, and local law enforcement all had to work together. The plan had been executed under the cover of darkness.
That raid had a significant impact on the gang.
“We need to know who was arrested that night, who’s in prison, and who is out,” Mac growled, catching the file that Cameron slid across the table.
“That night the Demon Lords was almost crippled. We almost knocked out one of the key members of the gang. Cost him almost a million dollars in weapons and narcotics,” Cameron said.
“But why would someone target Mac’s woman? There were agents from all agencies that night,” Declan stated.
Mac opened the file and flipped through the photos of gang members who had been arrested that night as Declan and Cameron spoke. Their conversation faded off in the background, and he paused his hand on one photo and felt the bottom of his stomach give way.
It was the mugshot of the man Mac had trained his MP5 on. The man’s malicious eyes that stared at him from the photo were all too familiar. The target had brandished a weapon, and Mac hadn’t hesitated in pulling his trigger.
Trevor Tyree had left the raid in a black body bag.
Mac read the list of known associates of Trevor Tyree and let loose a curse.
He now knew why Sarena was being targeted.
“What is it?” Declan’s voice broke through Mac’s memories.
The leader of the Demon Lords was one Silas Tyree, the cousin of Trevor Tyree.
The man who had been in Sarena’s yard wasn’t the real Silas. The man had thrown out the name as a warning to Mac. He was just the messenger, and Mac had basically put a X on Sarena’s forehead by claiming her in front of him. Had he not come over to them, the messenger would have just hit on her while he was scouting out Mac’s home and left.
Instead, he’d gone back to his leader and informed Silas Tyree of something that could be used against him.
Sarena.
Silas Tyree was coming for Mac, and he knew the gangster wouldn’t think twice about using a woman to get to the cop who had killed his cousin.
Chapter 15
Mac was grateful Declan was driving like a bat out of Hell. They had to get to Sarena.
“You’ve got to get ahold of her and tell her not to go to your house or hers,” Declan growled.
“I know. She’s not answering her phone,” Mac snapped. He hit the disconnect button and redialed her number again. Sarena was at work, and he prayed she would be safe while in the hospital. There were plenty of people around in the busy emergency room.
Again, no answer. Her voicemail picked up. “Hi, you’ve reached Sarena. I’m unavailable for the moment. Leave a message, and I’ll be sure to get back to you soon.”
He closed his eyes briefly, listening to her sultry voice recording.
“Sarena. It’s me. Do not go home or to my house. Go to your parents’ house. I’ll explain later. Just go to your parents’ house when you get off work, and I’ll meet you there.” He disconnected the call.
“Why didn’t you tell her you love her?” Declan asked, his attention focused on the road.
“It would be the first time I’ve ever said it,” Mac admitted, looking out the window. It wasn’t like either of them had ever been in a relationship that would warrant emotions and dreaming of a future. “I don’t think it would be appropriate saying it on a voi
cemail at first.”
“But you do love her?” Declan glanced at him before turning his eyes back to the road.
They were picking up speed as he guided the car onto the highway.
Mac wasn’t sure what love was. He’d never allowed himself to grow close to any female. The only female he’d ever had a close relationship with was his mother.
The vision of Sarena’s deep dimples came to mind, her bright smile when she laughed. He was addicted to watching the emotions cross her face when she reached her climax or hearing her call his name while he thrust deep inside her tight channel.
What was love?
If it meant he’d be willing to kill to ensure Sarena was safe, could witness another sunrise, or that he’d have the chance to hold her in his arms again just to watch her sleep, then he’d be the first to admit that Marcas MacArthur was officially in love.
“Yeah, man. I love her. I want her in my life. We are perfect together,” he admitted, rubbing his hand across his face. Just saying it aloud was like a weight off his shoulders. He searched deep in his heart and knew that with every fiber in his soul, she was his future.
‘I don’t care what you’ve done in the past, I’m the present, and if you play your cards right, I’ll be your future.’
Her voice echoed in his head as he thought of how she had burst through his door, her heart on her shoulder. That’s what he loved about her. Not only was she smart and sexy, she had a big heart and wasn’t afraid of going after what she wanted, and that night, she’d made sure he knew he was what she wanted.
“Let’s have a patrolman go to the hospital. Maybe she can’t answer, or you know how we can never get reception in some parts of the station,” Declan said. “Maybe her phone isn’t going off.”
“Good idea.” Mac nodded, glad that Declan was with him. He was used to being the leader and the one making sound decisions.
“Hey, this is Sergeant Declan Owen. I need a patrolman to head over to General Hospital,” Declan ordered.
Mac listened to his friend arranging for the patrolman to go pick up Sarena. The operator put him through to the nearest patrolman to the hospital.
“Officer Thompson, this is Sergeant Owen with SWAT. We are in need of a favor.”
A few minutes later, arrangements had been made, and they drove in tense silence.
“Thompson will pick her up. She’ll be fine,” Declan assured Mac.
“We need to find out the leak. Who in the department would have let Tyree know it was me who killed his cousin? Who would have access to my report?” Mac growled.
“We’re going to have to let the captain know,” Declan stated. “This needs to be looked into. If they are giving this type of information to the gangs, there’s no telling what else was leaked.”
“If anything were to happen to her—”
“Don’t think that way,” Declan cut him off. “She’ll be fine. Whoever leaked this will still get an ass-kicking.”
Damn straight they would. Mac’s fist would be slamming into their face before IRB could get in their ass.
Mac pulled his phone back out and hit Sarena’s name again in his phone. He held it up to his ear, listening to the ringing.
“Come on, baby. Answer,” he murmured.
“Hello?” Sarena’s voice came onto the line.
He bit back a sigh of relief at hearing her.
“Sarena, baby. Are you still at work?” He glanced down at his watch and saw that it was close to her quitting time. As a nurse, he knew that they never got off on time and prayed this was one of those nights.
“Yeah, I’m still here. What’s going on? You sound funny,” she replied.
“I need you to listen to me. There is going to be a patrolman coming to the hospital for you. I need you to go with him—”
“Marcas, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
“I can’t explain now. Just do it. Officer Thompson is his name. He will escort you to your parents’ home when you get off. I’ll meet you there and I will explain everything as soon as I get there.”
Fear gripped Sarena as she packed up for the night. She wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but if Marcas felt she needed an escort to her parents’ then so be it. Deep in her gut she knew not to argue with him. Something in his voice had her believing that something was desperately wrong and she’d better do as he’d said.
“Everything is going to be okay,” she murmured to herself, shutting her computer down for the night. She was unable to get most of her audits done since the emergency room had picked up with a few traumas that had come in throughout the day. There was no way she would have just stayed in the office while her staff suffered. “I’ll have to finish this up tomorrow.”
She left her office and closed the door behind her, then walked through the department, waving to her staff as she headed toward the time clock. She swiped out and hefted her bag on her shoulder, tucking her badge into the side pocket. At the sound of her name being called, she jumped.
“Excuse me. Are you Sarena Rucker?” a voice called out.
She turned to see a patrolman standing at the end of the hallway. “Yes, I am.” She nodded, butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.
“Evening, I’m Officer Thompson,” he announced as she walked toward him.
“Yes. Nice to meet you,” she said.
He reached out his hand, and she took it in a firm grip.
“I’m to escort you home,” Officer Thompson said, pulling his hand back from her.
“Yes, I received a call from Marcas—Sergeant MacArthur—informing me that I should go with you.” Her hand shook when she pushed her offending hair behind her ear.
He must have noticed her nervousness because he offered her a warm smile.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll get you safely to your destination. We’ll take my car, and someone can grab yours later.” He motioned for her to follow him.
They walked through the corridors of the hospital leading toward the back entrance that led to the employee parking lot.
“I bet you don’t escort women home on the normal.” She chuckled, trying to make light of the situation.
“I would say this is actually a perk of being a police officer.” He smiled, making her feel comfortable. They shared a laugh, and he held the door open for her. “They did leave this part of the job description out when I joined the academy.”
They exited the building, and the night sky greeted them. A patrol car was parked next to the curb, still running.
“So how long have you been a cop?” she asked as they walked toward the car.
“About— What the?” Thomson exclaimed.
Dark figures appeared from behind the bushes and rushed him.
Sarena, unable to let loose a scream from pain bursting forth from the back of her head, felt herself falling, then darkness claimed her.
Chapter 16
It had been twenty-four hours since Sarena’s kidnapping. Mac growled and leaned back against the wall of the conference room listening to Captain Donald Spook speak about the case.
“Officer Thompson has been upgraded to critical condition. He made it through the brain surgery to relieve the bleeding,” Captain announced. “I am being kept apprised of his condition. I’ve spoken with his mother just a few minutes ago and offered her our condolences.”
Nods went around. The air was tense with the thought that one of the boys in blue was hospitalized by a heinous act from low-life gangsters. The entire SWAT team was scattered around the room along with other investigators.
Officer Thompson had been found lying on the ground, having been beaten within an inch of his life. There was no sign of Sarena.
The Demon Lords had her.
It had taken everything Declan had to hold Mac back from turning rogue and going after her. It was Declan who’d forced him back to the station so they could develop a tactical plan to find Sarena.
It had torn his heart apart last night when he’d arrived at the R
ucker’s home to inform them their daughter had been kidnapped by the notorious gang. The sound of Mrs. Rucker’s scream still echoed through his mind. That certainly wasn’t the way he’d wanted to meet her parents for the first time. He’d promised the Ruckers he’d bring their baby girl home safe and sound—and he would keep his promise.
“I’m going to turn this meeting over to Sergeant Owen and Sergeant Kaur from the sheriff department’s Gang Unit.” Captain Spook nodded to Declan who pushed off the wall from his position next to Mac.
He’d have to give his friend some credit. Declan didn’t sleep a wink last night. He was right by Mac’s side the entire time while they worked with the Gang Unit trying to pinpoint where the Demon Lords could be hiding Sarena.
“Listen up,” Declan announced, striding to the front of the room. He and Cameron had scoured it down to two locations that were well-known as hideouts of the gang. Declan stood before the other officers in the room and ensured he met the gaze of each and every one of them. “This is not only just a woman being kidnapped by a gang. No, this is personal. I know we are usually not ones to gossip or call in a favor, but I want you all to know that Sarena is the girlfriend of our very own Sergeant MacArthur. She’s one of us.”
Eyes shifted to Mac at the announcement. He could see the surprise in his team members’ eyes. None of them knew of the involvement between him and Sarena. His team mates moved to stand beside him in a show of support.
He knew without question they’d have his back against anything. He gazed at Zain and Iker who stood beside him and nodded his thanks. He met the gazes of Ashton, Brodie, and Myles and knew his team would be all in for whatever to save Sarena.
Murmurs went around the room. The air became tenser because now this was personal for them all. The Columbia Police Department protected their own. Once word got out, every man and woman who wore a badge would definitely be on the lookout.
“And that’s exactly why Sergeant MacArthur should sit this one out,” a voice said as the door swung open.