He took a giant step into the elevator, bumping his chest with Rorke’s. “You are not fucking here!”
I caught the elevator door before it closed and climbed inside. “What the fuck is going on?” I rumbled, squeezing in front of Heath, who had passed the point of anger and was teetering precariously on the edge of blinding rage.
“This man just cost you your daughter,” he growled.
My body jerked. “Excuse me?” I planted a hand on his chest and turned to face Rorke.
“I did not!” the detective assured, visibly shaken.
“You smoke your mole out yet?” Heath shot over my shoulder. “Because I guarantee Walter Noir has heard that his wife gave up DNA to the police and they are both probably dead or dying by now.”
Rorke cocked his head to the side and spat, “I kept it quiet.”
Heath turned and jabbed the L button, muttering under his breath, “If you know, it’s not quiet enough.”
My mind was spinning, and I couldn’t keep up. Finally, I’d had enough. “Somebody tell me what the fuck is going on right fucking now!” I seethed in a volatile whisper.
Rorke started with, “Light thinks—”
He didn’t get another word out before Heath dove around me, grabbed the front of his shirt, and slammed him up against the back of the elevator, snarling, “I know! I don’t think! I fucking know! You have a goddamn cop feeding Noir our every move. Now, once again, I have to figure out a way to clean up your mess.”
“You’re not cleaning up shit, Light. You go anywhere near that house, you’ll blow the entire investigation.”
“Fuck you. Fuck your department. Fuck your entire jacked-up investigation.” He gave him another hard slam into the elevator. “I swear to God, Rorke. One fucking uniform follows me, I’ll have your badge.”
“Really? Because it sounds like you’re about to lose yours.” Rorke pushed back.
Heath’s lips formed an angry snarl. “What’s he gonna do? Call the cops?”
The elevator dinged, and the doors opened to the lobby. Heath stomped out but stopped only a few feet away to turn back and look at me. “You coming with me or what?”
I was. I so was.
Even though I had no idea what the hell was about to go down.
It had been nine days since I’d mailed the DNA to Roman.
I hadn’t heard anything back.
I didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing.
His face wasn’t on the news as a missing person.
But the cops hadn’t showed up to take my daughter yet, either.
I wasn’t positive that was the way it would work, but every night as I fell asleep with her in my arms, a knife under my mattress, Walt curled up behind me, I had the sweetest dreams about that moment.
It would kill me to tell her goodbye.
But the relief of knowing she was finally out of his reach would make it all worth it.
It was the day after Thanksgiving, and I was decorating the house for Christmas when I heard Walt coming down the stairs.
Tessa froze when she heard him, but I gave her a smile and a wink and tossed her a few of the plastic ornaments I’d managed to untangle from the lights.
I kept my back to him, hoping he’d ignore me.
I’d never been more wrong.
I felt him get close, and I steeled myself for his usual hug and kiss.
Only, this time, I felt his hand wrap around my neck, cutting my air off, as he spun me and slammed my back against the wall.
My scream was unable to escape past his grip on my throat.
I had always been afraid of Walt, but I’d never, not once, seen him as angry as he was in that moment.
His face was nearly vibrating as he exploded. “You gave the police our DNA!”
That was it.
The time had come.
It was my day to die.
And, as my eyes frantically flashed to Tessa, who was screaming on the floor, my only thoughts were that I’d failed her for the first, and ultimately last, time.
“What are you planning to do?” I asked, sitting in the passenger’s seat of Heath’s white Explorer as he gunned it toward the Noir residence.
“Haven’t made it that far,” he grunted, swerving around traffic.
Fuck. This does not sound good.
“Then maybe we should pull the fuck over and develop some sort of plan of action here,” I argued.
He ignored me and lifted a phone to his ear. “It’s Light. I need surveillance at Noir’s temporarily shut off for about an hour.” Pause. “Well, that’s up to you, but there’s about to be a fuck-ton of my face up in that shit.” Pause. “Then that’s on you. But I’d suggest you do it now.” Pause. “Right. I’ve got Leblanc with me.”
I heard the man on the other end of the phone shouting as Heath pulled the phone away and pressed the end button.
Fuck. That sounds even worse.
“Heath, man…I’m not sure about this. I want this done too, but I don’t think this is the way to—”
He cut me off. “He’s gonna kill her. If he hasn’t already.”
“Tessa?” I asked, my heart lurching into my throat.
He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. “Clare. Then he’s gonna pack up your kid and leave the city. We might find him again.” His haunting gaze flashed to mine. “But we might not. The one thing I can swear to you is that we do not have time to pull over and work out a plan of action. Now, I can pull over, drop you off, and you can walk away from all of this here and now. Or you can reach into my back seat, dig out my vest, put that motherfucker on, and follow me into the pits of Hell to retrieve your daughter.”
I gritted my teeth.
It wasn’t a choice at all.
If he was right, this might have been my only shot to bring her home to Elisabeth.
So I stayed silent, leaned into the back seat, and pulled a fucking Kevlar vest on, vowing to arm our boys in blue with Rubicon the first chance I got. And then I prepared to take back my family.
“You stupid cunt!” Walt yelled into my face.
His hand was still around my throat, and I struggled to pry his fingers away.
I couldn’t breathe, and I was precariously close to losing consciousness.
But knowing that, if I let go, I’d probably never wake up again gave me the strength to slam my knee into his groin.
His body jerked and his grip loosened long enough for me suck in a sweet gasp of oxygen.
He regained his hold on me, but with fresh air in my lungs and a lifetime of fear fueling me, I threw my fists into his face and another knee into his groin, and then I shoved him as hard as I could. Desperation made me strong, and he stumbled back.
Suddenly free, I took off at a dead sprint. Snatching Tessa off the floor and then darting to the front door.
My pulse was roaring in my ears, but I could hear his footsteps echoing behind me.
I pushed myself faster.
I struggled with the door before swinging it open and racing out front.
I only made it two steps before pain detonated at the back my head, forcing me to a sharp halt before snatching me backward.
“No!” I screamed as Tessa fell from my arms.
Heath parked one street over, and we jogged the rest of the way up to the Noirs’ front gate. His gun was drawn as he scanned the perimeter. The sun was just starting to set, and the pink Georgia sky made for a picturesque view. From the outside, it looked just like any other Atlanta mansion. No one could have imagined the evil residing inside.
However, as a man’s vicious yell came from inside the house, I jolted into a reality I’d never wanted to be a part of.
“Fuck!” Heath growled. “I’m going around the side to see if I can get in. You stay here,” he ordered before bolting away.
The man yelled again, and this time, I heard the shrill of a child screaming too. An icy rage sent a shiver down my back, and fire shot through my veins. Shaking the tall, metal structure, I furiously t
ried to find a way inside. The steel wouldn’t budge no matter how hard I fought. Refusing to stop until I got to Tessa, I attempted to squeeze my bulky body between the bars, but it was useless.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” I snarled, using my weight to try to pry the bars apart.
I’d managed to wedge my shoulder between two of them when I saw the front door swing open. Clare came flying out, Tessa in her arms, Walter Noir directly behind her.
“Clare!” I yelled as Walter snatched the back of her hair, pulling her to an abrupt halt and sending Tessa to the ground.
“No!” Clare screamed as she fell.
I shoved an arm through the bars, frantically trying to reach her, but she was yards away. “Tessa!” I shouted next, hoping I could get her to come to me. Her small body would have fit through the bars.
Terror churned in my gut as Walter slammed Clare into the ground then charged after the child.
I rammed my shoulder into the gate again, yelling, “Don’t you fucking touch her!”
I swear to God I was going to rip that son of a bitch in half.
If only I could get my hands on him.
I twisted, diving for Walt’s ankle as he went after Tessa. I caught him with one hand and sent him stumbling to the ground just as I heard a man yelling. I glanced up, fear consuming me at the possibility of it being one of Walt’s men.
Only for my heart to burst when I saw Roman Leblanc standing like a white knight coming to rescue Tessa from the dragon’s lair.
He was there.
Someone had come.
The sob tore through me as I fought to keep Walt down.
“Take her!” I shrieked. “Take her!”
“I can’t reach her!” he shouted, thrusting his arm through the metal bars of my prison.
Walt reached back, ripping my hand off his leg.
“Tessa, go!” I screamed when he got back to his feet.
She was hysterical, tears streaming down her face, blood dripping from her scraped knees and elbows.
“Mama!” she cried, running from Walt but too afraid to go to Roman.
She was so close to being free. I couldn’t allow him to get his hands on her again. Drawing up the remainder of my strength, I pushed to my feet and sprinted after him. Slamming into his back, I once again took him to the ground.
“Goddamn it!” he barked, rolling over, his fists flying at my face.
“Tessa, go!” I ordered, doing my best to defend myself from Walt’s blows.
Even through the struggle, I heard Roman trying to coax her over to him.
“Tessa, don’t you fucking move!” Walt barked, his hands momentarily slowing their assault.
I couldn’t see her from my position, but I prayed that Walt’s reaction meant she was heading to Roman.
I couldn’t do anything but hurry her along and try to ease her into the arms of a stranger. “Tessa, it’s okay. Please, baby, go to him.”
Then, suddenly, the chaos stopped.
Everyone stopped yelling.
Tessa’s cries fell quiet.
And, in the silence, I actually heard the Earth begin spinning again.
She had to have gone to Roman.
He had to have finally gotten her.
She was safe.
She was safe.
Oh my God. She’s finally safe.
Tears poured from my eyes.
My job was done, and within a second, my entire battered, beaten, and exhausted body finally gave out. Gravity finally defeated me as I sagged on the concrete driveway.
My arms and legs were limp as one more of Walt’s fists landed on my face, but I didn’t feel it amongst the euphoria and relief.
“She’s safe,” I found myself repeating as I felt Walt rise up off me.
Keeping my eyes closed, I waited for the final blow that would end it all.
I smiled, eager for the darkness.
But it never came.
The familiar sound of my name made my eyes flutter open.
Walt was standing there. A gun to his temple.
A long, muscular arm at the other end of the trigger. My daughter safely tucked into his side. Warm, blue eyes I immediately recognized stared back at me.
“Heath, give me the girl!” Roman called.
Heath?
I blinked as he dug the gun into Walt’s temple. Then he whispered something in Tessa’s ear and set her down.
Glancing back at me over her shoulder, she reluctantly ran to Roman and clung to his neck as he gently guided her between the bars of the gate.
“Just get her out of here,” I begged.
“Oh, I am, but I’m taking you, too,” he said.
Oh my God. It has to be a dream.
But not even my mind could have conjured a moment that beautiful.
“Okay, Luke,” I whispered.
I fell in love with a man who didn’t exist.
What started out as romance ended in hell.
His words turned to razor blades.
His kisses converted to fists.
His embrace became my cage.
His body transformed into a weapon, stealing parts of me until ultimately….
I broke.
I hated him.
My sole job in life became to protect our daughter.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever escape the prison he’d skillfully crafted from my fears.
Until the day our savior arrived.
This is the story of how I escaped the man who thought he owned me.
The transfer of my life and my family.
“Okay, Luke,” Clare breathed.
Never had more beautiful words been spoken.
Her eyes shined bright with life, staring up at me as if she’d just witnessed a miracle.
I knew I had. I’d spent the last half hour with fire consuming my soul, fearing she was already gone.
I’d spent over three months being devoured by that possibility.
“Okay, Luke,” she repeated when I failed to form a single syllable in response.
It was the wrong name.
But she could call me whatever the fuck she wanted. Just the sound of her voice would have kick-started my heart to beat for another century.
“Luke?” Noir whispered, a flash of recognition hitting his face just before he exploded. “You motherfucker!” Ducking under my arm, he knocked the gun from my hand, sending it skittering across the concrete.
But I didn’t need a weapon for what I was going to do to him.
I had three years of watching that piece of shit from afar. Months of watching Clare drag herself to a fucking gym with bruises covering half of her body while tears poured from her hopeless, blue eyes. And weeks since one of his men had killed Atwood.
I’d dreamed about the moment when I could get my hands on him—and not while wearing a badge, when the best I could do was subdue him and then haul his ass to jail.
No. I wanted Walter Noir to suffer a thousand slow deaths before his toxic, black heart fell motionless.
And I wanted nothing more than to be the man responsible.
I’d seen too many tears fall from her eyes.
Too many times she’d flinched when I’d reached for her as though she didn’t understand that hands could be gentle.
The bite marks he’d left on her shoulders and the bruises on her swollen face had slashed through me in a way I knew I’d never heal.
I’d fought the overwhelming desire to tell her who I was on a daily basis. To force her and Tessa to come with me.
But, every day, as I helplessly stood at that gym door and watched her walk to her car, fearful she wouldn’t make it back, it had broken something inside me.
Fuck the investigation. That’s what I’d said the day I had taken it upon myself to involve Roman Leblanc. I couldn’t sit by and do nothing any longer.
I’d be damned if a bitch like Walter Noir was going to fight me over her now.
He would lose for no other reason than I refused to fail her.
> Catching him around the waist, I lifted him high before slamming him down to the concrete face first.
His head cracked, but like a rabid dog, he got right back up.
At six four, two twenty, I had the clear advantage in size, but whatever he lacked in that department, he made up for with mental instability. That crazy bastard had no respect for his own life, much less those around him. He’d happily battle to the death before surrendering.
“Luke!” Clare cried, pushing herself to her knees and then crawling toward us.
“Get out of here,” I growled at her, landing a hard fist to the side of his head.
His knuckles found my face, splitting my lip wide. The pain didn’t even register amongst the chaos, and the sight of my blood dripping down lit me ablaze further.
That would have been Clare’s blood if we hadn’t arrived in time.
It would have been her face rather than mine taking the brunt of his anger. All while Tessa innocently stood by, watching him brutally murder her mother.
Just the thought multiplied my strength.
Smashing his head into the concrete, I dove over him, going for my gun, but he caught me around the waist.
“Son of a bitch,” I huffed when a heavy punch landed on my ribs.
However, with his hands down, I was able to hook an arm around his neck and squeeze impossibly tight while wrapping a leg around his torso for leverage.
My vision had long since tunneled, but as he bucked beneath me, it was images of Clare smiling that kept me holding on. The sound of her laugh drowning out the blood thundering in my ears. The memory of her shaking body as she clung to my neck and confessed the depth of Walter’s depravity was like a lit match to my adrenaline.
This was my fight—hers.
When his body sagged, it took self-restraint only years in the DEA could engrain into a person to release him while he still had a pulse.
Killing Noir was on the top of my list of priorities, but I knew, for the Administration, he was a small fish in a big pond. We needed him alive.
Finally satisfied that he was out cold, I let go and rolled off. My chest heaved from exertion, but I immediately searched for Clare, only she was no longer there.
The Complete Retrieval Duet Page 18