by J. A. Owenby
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head.
Pierce growled at Vaughn. “Vaughn, you’re off the case. Get out of my sight.”
“What?” Vaughn shot out of his chair. “You can’t do that. No one can protect her like I can.”
“Get out!” Pierce’s voice boomed through the space, and he pointed toward the door.
Furious, Vaughn spun on his heels and stomped out of the office.
“Are you fucking serious?” I hissed. I darted out of the room after Vaughn. “Babe, stop.”
Vaughn halted and allowed me to catch up with him.
“We’ll talk to him. Sutton will help. I think Zayne will, too.” I cupped his face in my hands. “I love you.”
His arm slipped around my waist, and he pulled me against him. “I love you, too.” He kissed me roughly. “I’ll call you later.”
My heart plummeted to my feet. I’d just witnessed my worst fears come into play, which meant I had to fix this mess. I spun on my heel and marched back toward Pierce’s office. I’d promised myself that no one else would ever dictate my choices, and I sure as hell wouldn’t let it happen now.
25
I passed Zayne on the way back to yell at Pierce. At least he was smart enough not to speak to me. Fury boiled up inside me. Who did Pierce think he was anyway?
Sutton’s voice reached my ears, and I slowed down as I approached the room. I leaned against the wall right outside the door and eavesdropped. It wasn’t eavesdropping if it was about me, was it?
“Babe, you need to calm down. I know you’re mad. Hell, I understand how you feel. I went after him and nearly beat the shit out of him when I found out.”
“You did?” Pierce asked, surprise in his tone.
“Yup, and I made a big mistake. Vaughn’s totally different with Claire. He really loves her. He hasn’t even hooked up with anyone since our wedding. It’s been all about my sister.”
“She’s vulnerable. Fragile,” Pierce said.
Sutton released a soft laugh. “How easily you forget when I showed up at your door, begging you to help me find Claire. I was a fucking mess. We had no idea if she was alive or dead. I was vulnerable and terrified. I was everything Claire was when she moved up here. But do you know what helped me?”
“What?” Pierce said gruffly.
“You. You loved me. You gave me something to hold on to during the dark days. No one could have protected me better than you.”
A beat of silence filled the air, and I inwardly cheered for my sister.
“I know you’re shocked and told the guys she was off-limits, but could you have stayed near me during the search for Claire and kept your emotions tucked away? We were in each other’s space all the time. It happened. We reconnected and got married.”
“No, I had never stopped loving you. It’s why I didn’t want to help you with the case until I learned it was about Claire. I thought my feelings for you would fuck things up.”
“But they didn’t. If you’d take a step back, you’d see the same thing happened to them. They’re not trying to hurt anyone, baby. They are deeply in love. I want my sister to be happy, and Vaughn is so good to her. I’ve never seen him like this in the ten years we’ve been friends.”
“Are you sure?” Pierce asked softly.
“I’m positive. He even talked to me about what I thought about him selling his house and buying a new one for him and Claire. The dude’s a goner. My sister owns his heart just like you own mine.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, hoping that Pierce would come around sooner rather than later.
“I need a day or two to process it, but I know you’re right. I just … goddammit, Sutton. She’s my little sister, and I am well aware that Vaughn is a straight-up dog.”
“Really?” Sutton’s tone was full of her spunky attitude. “You’re going to tell me that you didn’t have a threesome for your birthday the day before your dad died, and I walked back into your life?”
Pierce coughed. “How did you find out about that?”
“It doesn’t matter. I know you guys had parties, shared women, drank, and God knows what else. The only thing that settled you down was me. Give Vaughn the same benefit of the doubt that all he needed was the right woman to love him. It just happens to be my sister.”
“I love you,” Pierce said. “And you make a good case. If you’re feeling good about this, I am, too. I should make things right with Vaughn.”
“You’re doing the right thing, baby.”
I did a little happy dance, then burst into his office, startling them both. “Can I go after Vaughn. Please?”
Sutton laughed. “Were you in the hallway?”
“No,” I said, rolling my eyes and grinning like an idiot. “Please, can I borrow a car and go get him? He’s torn up over this, Pierce. You said earlier that the FBI feels the danger is contained. Let me bring him back.”
Sutton gazed up at Pierce. “What do you say, honey? It would probably do her a lot of good to get out of the house, and she’ll be with Vaughn …” She looked at me. “At his place.”
“Straight there,” I assured her.
“Fine.” Pierce dug in his pocket for a set of keys. “I’m sorry I blew up, Claire. You mean the world to me. I just want to see you happy.”
I flew around the desk, bumped my sister out of the way with my hip, and threw my arms around my brother-in-law’s neck. “Thank you.” I kissed his cheek, then took the keys from him.
“I’ll text you when I get to his place so you guys don’t worry.” I darted down the stairs, out the front door, and to Pierce’s black Mercedes. If it hadn’t been the only one in the driveway, I would never have been able to tell them all apart.
The only thing that kept me from speeding out of the entrance once I’d started the car and adjusted the seat and mirrors was the ridiculously slow iron gate taking its time opening.
“Come on.” I pounded my hand against the steering wheel. Then it dawned on me. It was over. Dillon Montgomery, along with the MC, were about to go down, and Vaughn and I were no longer in a forbidden relationship. The weight I’d been carrying suddenly broke off me, and I let out a loud whoop. Now we could talk about a house, and I could speak to Gemma about the job. Plus, Mom and Dad would need to know. It was going to be all right.
I flipped on the radio and sang to “Joke’s on You” by Charlotte Lawrence. The sky burned a brilliant orange and pink above me. There were still a few hours of daylight left, which would change in another few weeks. At least I would have Vaughn by my side.
I attempted to speed up, but the potholes in the road prevented it. Taking a curve at thirty-five miles an hour, I spotted the Mercedes on the side of the road. I leaned forward and slowed down. Spotting the familiar license plate and Westbrook Security logo sticker, I pulled over and parked behind his vehicle. What in the world was Vaughn’s car doing here?
I hopped out, glancing around my surroundings. I shoved the key fob into the pocket of my jeans. A cool breeze blew across my arms, and I shivered. I’d been so relieved about Pierce not firing Vaughn that I’d forgotten to grab a jacket.
The rays of sun filtered through the abundance of pine trees, and I placed my hand on my forehead, blocking out the bright light. I was at a little park. Searching the area, I finally spotted Vaughn, standing in the middle of the open field. I hurried toward him. The green grass crunched beneath my Nikes as I ran across the wide-open space.
“Vaughn!” I yelled. He didn’t move. Confused, I increased my speed. “Vaughn! Everything is okay. Sutton …” My heart stopped beating as I approached the back of my boyfriend. “What the fuck?”
26
“Hello, gorgeous.”
My mouth gaped open, and I struggled for words as I identified the shaggy brown hair, muscular build, and relentlessly cold grey eyes.
“Get behind me.” Vaughn reached for me slightly, but I didn’t move. “Babe, please,” Vaughn pleaded.
“How?” I shook my head, attempting
to understand what I was staring at. Coen was standing approximately thirty feet away, pointing a gun at Vaughn’s chest.
“You look amazing. I see Spokane has treated you well.” Coen’s face twisted into a sneer. “How about walking over here and sucking my dick.” He grabbed his crotch and laughed.
Vaughn growled. “Don’t you dare talk to her like that.”
Coen’s brow arched. “You’re telling me what to do when I have a gun pointed at you? Claire, you picked a stupid son of a bitch. Apparently it’s your type. Plus he was easier to reel in than you were. The moment he pulled out of Pierce’s driveway, my guy called to tell me Vaughn was headed in our direction. We’d been waiting days for this to fall into place. Your boyfriend is a sucker for a kid pretending to be hurt, too. He parked his Mercedes and ran right into the park. Once I showed up and sent the kid on her way, it was easy to coax him into the grassy field and off the road.” Coen snickered and held up the gun. “Little did we know you’d be right behind him. This turned out even better than we’d hoped for.”
Dammit. Pierce was right—my relationship with Vaughn had clouded his judgment.
“How are you here? Alive?” I took a few steps toward him, hoping I could persuade him to lower the weapon.
Coen laughed, his voice carrying through the empty park. “It’s a long story. I’d love to chat over coffee, but since you’re short on time, I’ll provide that simple mind of yours with an overview. It was all an act, Claire. Do you honestly believe that I would allow my idiot cousin to control me? Hell, Tucker can’t even wipe his own ass correctly. The MC served a purpose and allowed me to stay under the radar while I reached for better things.”
Bile swam up my throat. Better things? This fucker thought selling children and women as sex slaves was better? I forced myself not to gag as I mentally pummeled him in the face.
“Hello, Claire.” I halted only a few feet in front of Vaughn while a man who appeared to be in his mid-fifties strolled across the grass toward Coen. “I’m Dillon Montgomery. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” He removed his black fedora, and for the first time, I laid eyes on the mastermind of the Dark Circle Society. His ice-blue stare fixed on me, he offered a relaxed and confident smile. His pinstriped suit peeked out of his tan trench coat. He flipped a side of his jacket back and shoved a hand in his front pocket like he didn’t have a care in the world. Hints of grey threaded his short dark hair. Everything about him was immaculate. I wondered if he’d just strolled out of a movie.
“Wait, you’re supposed to be in California. The FBI …” My words trailed off when I realized I was feeding him information.
“A simple decoy that allowed me to pop up to Washington and take what I’m owed.”
“Get behind me, Claire. Please, baby.” Every word Vaughn spoke was tinged with fear.
My feet rooted me to the ground, and I struggled to move. My pulse pounded in my ears while my attention continued to be glued on the monster in my presence. The most wanted man in the world was feet away from me. Terror ripped through me. I wasn’t sure how my legs were still supporting me, but thank god they were. I flexed my fingers, attempting to control the trembling in my hands.
“I suspect you have questions, but before we start, Coen was right about you. You’re stunning. Perky tits and ass. Long blonde hair. Gorgeous green eyes. You’ll fetch a very hefty price.”
“You’re not going to lay a hand on her, you motherfucker,” Vaughn growled from behind me.
“Can I take him out, boss? He’s irritating me.” Coen waved the weapon around, emphasizing his power.
Dillon chuckled. “In due time. I want him to say goodbye to his girlfriend before we eliminate him.”
“No. Please. I’ll go with you, but don’t hurt him. Promise me you won’t. I’ll give you whatever you want.” Little beads of sweat formed above my eyebrow. “Before I go with you, though, I have questions.”
“Of course, you do. Proceed.” Dillon peered up at the sky, appearing bored with the situation.
“How are you alive, Coen? Someone sent me a picture of you dead. Your throat was slit open, and there was so much blood.”
“Oh, that. My cousin is in the drama department at a community college, so she helped me stage it all. Mr. Montgomery needed my help with a bit of trafficking. We needed a new city to work from since your sister and her husband fucked it all up for us. Anyway, you know how it is, Claire. You don’t leave the MC unless you're dead. So …” He gave a half-shrug and laughed. “I died. Sending you the picture was just a bonus.”
I shook my head, still confused. “I thought we were friends. I don’t understand.”
“Man, you really are blonde, aren’t you? Let me spell it all out for you. Me showing up and warning you at your house was all a setup. We flushed you out in order to remove you from the MC’s clutches and to protect our plan from being exposed. After all, I am supposed dead. Since you’ve been here, we’ve kept eyes on you and waited for the right moment to close in. You didn’t truly think that stealing encrypted files and turning them over to the FBI was a good idea, did you?”
“You knew?” My voice rose an octave, betraying the calm demeanor I was trying so hard to present.
“Every fucking step that you took, I was watching over your shoulder. Did you think that Saul wouldn’t hide cameras in his office? Only a chosen few were allowed in there without him, and you weren’t one of them.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “You were like a puppet on a string. I told you to run, you ran.” He snickered. “Although I was well aware that Pierce owned a security company, I wasn’t expecting a fucking fortress. So I’ve been impatiently following you.”
“And it wasn’t for Saul. It was for him?” My face twisted in disgust as my attention landed on Dillon. “You fucking make me sick,” I spat.
“Don’t get too feisty now, Claire. One shot and your boyfriend will drop to the ground, and you really will watch someone bleed to death,” Dillon warned.
I bit my lip, scrambling for a way to help Vaughn, but we were in a wide-open space where a crazy, unstable man held a gun trained on us.
“You were the insider that was working with Dillon.” I spoke it as much to myself as I did them.
“Now you’re connecting the dots. Good job. Maybe there’s hope for you yet. Not that you’ll need brains for where you’re going,” Coen goaded. “You’ll have a chain attached to your neck and be led around like a dog.”
“Shut your goddamned mouth,” Vaughn roared.
Coen released a maniacal laugh. “I have to admit, you two have been a lot of fun tonight, but all good shows must come to an end.”
“Agreed. Time is running out. Come here, Claire. We need to go.” Dillon motioned for me to join him.
“Don’t do it, Claire. I’m begging you.” Vaughn’s voice cracked with fear.
My mind spun out of control, grasping for any way out of the situation. I glanced behind me, my gaze focusing on the man I loved. “I love you. You set me free from all of the darkness, baby. My heart will forever belong to you.”
“Claire, don’t.” Vaughn shook his head.
A glint of metal caught the corner of my eye, and the rest of the events unfolded in slow motion. Through sheer will and determination, I propelled my feet forward, darting in front of Vaughn.
Searing pain rushed through my body as I slammed into him, and my legs buckled beneath me. Vaughn broke my fall, and we both collapsed to the cold, unforgiving ground. He slipped his arm around my shoulders and held me. My limbs went limp, and I struggled to comprehend the entirety of the situation.
“What did you do? Why did you jump in front of the bullet?” Vaughn cried, cradling me in his arms. “Don’t leave me, Claire. Please.” He smoothed my hair, his body shaking beneath me. “Hang on, baby. I can hear the sirens.”
I reached down to my lower stomach and held up my hand. Blood ran down my fingers and my wrist. “I love you,” I whispered. “You’re the only safe haven I’
ve ever had.”
“Help!” Vaughn screamed. “Someone help! My girlfriend’s been shot.” Vaughn choked on his tears as he kissed my forehead. “I can’t live without you, Claire. I just found you. I can’t lose you. Please hang on.”
Gunfire filled the air, and Vaughn pulled me against him, my blood soaking his shirt. “Pierce and Sutton are here. They must have tracked our cars.” Vaughn clutched me to him. “Help, Sutton, she’s going to bleed out!”
“Hey, kiddo, it’s me. Help is here, Claire. The paramedics are coming. You need to hang on, all right?” Sutton kneeled next to me and rubbed my leg. “When you never checked in that you were safely at Vaughn’s house, I tried to call, and there wasn’t an answer. Pierce called Vaughn, but no response. We pulled up the tracker app and realized both your cars were at the park. We knew something was off. You’d promised you wouldn’t stop anywhere.”
Thank God Sutton had exceptional intuition.
Vaughn’s tears landed softly on my cheek. As hard as I tried to focus on the sounds around me, I was drifting in and out of consciousness.
“I love you both. Please tell Pierce, Mom, and Dad …” I struggled to breathe. “I love them.” I groaned as the pain intensified. “Vaughn, I would have had your babies,” I choked out. I attempted a smile, but I’d lost most of the feeling in my body. My arm fell to the ground, and my lungs struggled for one last breath.
“No!” Vaughn screamed.
Then my world faded into blackness.
27
People had it all wrong. There was no hell, only light and love. How did I know? If anyone should have burned for eternity, it was me. I had lied more times than I could count. I’d stood by and watched women get beaten at the MC club. I had witnessed people overdosing in front of me, and I’d never called 911. Guns that murdered innocent children were packaged and shipped while I watched. I’d finally grown a pair of balls when a young girl showed up at the club. I’d seen her little face on the news. She was a missing child. After the second time, I phoned the FBI, but they had already tagged me as a potential asset. Agent Will Chapman had reached out to me the next day. I sealed my fate the moment I stepped into a meeting with him.