by Marie Force
We ride in silence and emerge into chaos in the reception area. Everyone is there and in the conference room.
Emmett paces like a hungry tiger about to pounce on fresh meat. His stress and fear are palpable.
Gordon and his team are positioned around the conference room table, all of them working laptops.
“We’ve got surveillance footage from Sebastian’s building,” Gordon announces.
The rest of the group falls silent.
“Leah picked up Marlowe just after noon, and they headed north. We’re going to try to pick them up on other cameras.”
“What about their phones?” Flynn asks. “Any luck finding them?”
Gordon shakes his head. “They’re off. Either they don’t want to be found or someone has them.”
Emmett makes a sound that’s barely human.
I feel sick with guilt over what he and the others are going through because of me.
Hayden glances at me, as if to ask, Are you going to tell them or am I?
“I know who has them.”
All eyes shift to me. I’ve never been more ashamed of my past than I am in that moment. “I recently heard from someone I knew a long time ago. He… He saw me with Marlowe after the press conference, and he wanted something from me, or, I should say, he wanted something from her.”
“What?” Flynn’s exasperation is obvious.
“He wants her to make his niece a star.”
“So what? We get that shit all the time from people we barely know.”
“He’s a gangbanger,” Hayden says. “He’s the one who let Seb go back in the day, and now he’s come back to collect on the ‘favor’ he thinks Sebastian owes him.”
The entire group stares at me in disbelief.
“What did you say?” Flynn asks.
“I told him to fuck off.”
Emmett lets out a roar and comes at me so fast, I don’t have time to react before we’re both on the floor. Before he can punch or strangle me, the other guys are on him, pulling him off.
“Stop!” Hayden’s cry stops Emmett in his tracks. “This isn’t going to help anything.”
“Where are they?” Emmett’s scream is primal and strikes the part of me where my deepest insecurities have lived for all the time I pretended to be one of them. I’m not one of them. I was never one of them.
“I don’t know. It’s been years since I had anything to do with him or his organization.”
“What’s his name?” Gordon asks.
“Turk Santos.”
Judging by the way Gordon’s eyes bug, he knows of Santos and his reputation as a ruthless killer. “We need the LAPD.”
“No.”
Again, they all look to me.
“If you bring in cops, he’ll kill them.” That’s the only thing I know for certain. “He must’ve had eyes on my place before he called me. He knew I’d leave her before I’d subject her to him.” I did exactly what he expected me to do, and I’m terribly afraid I’m going to vomit in front of the people I’ve thought of as my family. After this, they won’t be my family anymore. After this, they’ll never speak to me again, and I won’t blame them.
“Gordon, please tell me there’s something you can do.” Emmett’s plea is so full of heartbreak, it brings tears to my eyes.
If anything happens to either of them, I’ll never forgive myself. The thought of Marlowe and Leah afraid for their lives because of me… This is a hell of a time to realize for certain that I’m in love with Marlowe, that I have been for years, and if I lose her now, I’ll die.
It’s the longest night of my life. Hours go by without any news or clues or ideas or anything. I feel like I haven’t seen Marlowe in years. I’m wavering in my certainty that calling the cops would be a mistake. Surely that would be better than this purgatory. In between bouts of tears, Addie takes care of getting everyone fed with the help of Aileen, Kristian, Natalie, Jasper and Ellie. Max and Stella are here, as are Hayden’s mom, Jan, and Addie’s dad, Simon, who’ve been spending time together lately.
They prop us up throughout the long night, offering assurances that we badly need. I cling to Max’s certainty that Marlowe and Leah are savvy and clever and endlessly capable, that if anyone can get through this, they can.
Hayden must’ve called my mom because she shows up at daybreak with doughnuts and coffee for everyone. After putting the food and beverages on the conference room table, she comes to me and wraps her arms around me. Her familiar scent surrounds and comforts me.
“Stop blaming yourself, hijo. You had no way to know this would happen.”
“If it wasn’t for me, they’d both be here where they belong and not God knows where going through God knows what.” My voice catches on a sob. I can’t remember the last time I cried. Wait, yes, I can. It was when my dad left. I was six. My dad came back on the scene when I was in my early twenties, and he and my mom have reconciled to the point where they hang out but don’t live together. I’m not really sure what you’d call their relationship these days. I’ve made my peace with the past, but I’ll never be particularly close to him, like I am to my mom.
In this moment of great despair, her love and compassion nearly break me. I manage to hold it together, but just barely.
Ellie gasps, grabs her midsection, looks down at the floor and then up at us. “I think my water just broke.”
Jasper lets out a shout and scoops her up into his arms, rushing for the elevator. Max and Stella follow them as everyone else wishes them good luck. I watch them go with a surreal feeling of disconnection from them and the others, as if my excommunication has already occurred, and I’m just biding my time until Leah and Marlowe are found.
Please, God, let them be found.
I haven’t asked God for anything in forever. I really hope he can still hear me, because I’d give anything, anything at all, if he would bring them back to us unharmed.
“Pray with me.” My always intuitive mother takes me by the hand and recites the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish.
I close my eyes and say the words along with her from memory, clinging to the faith that was hammered into me as a child. I bargain with God. If You bring them back to us safe and sound, I’ll go back to church. I’ll do whatever I have to. I’d walk through the flames of hell for Marlowe and for Leah, who has come to mean so much to all of us.
I open my eyes to find that Natalie is crying while Flynn tries to comfort her. Leah is her best friend from New York, and Marlowe has become a close friend since Natalie moved out here. Poor Nat has already been through enough. This is the last thing she needs, especially so late in her pregnancy.
Over Natalie’s shoulder, Flynn’s intense gaze connects with mine.
He’s angry. I don’t blame him. Everyone is upset because of me, because of things I did before I knew better and debts that’re being collected in the most painful way possible.
“We’ve got something.” Gordon’s announcement gets everyone’s attention. “Santos’s organization has headquarters near the Port of Los Angeles, and apparently, he has an apartment in the same building. We’re waiting for confirmation of the address, and then we’ll figure out our next step.”
At least it’s something.
“Let’s get over there.” Emmett is like a nuclear reactor about to melt down. Energy rolls off him in palpable waves. He waited all his life to find true love with Leah. This is excruciating for him, and for me, knowing I put him in this awful hell.
“We’re not going over there until we have a fully fleshed-out plan.” Gordon’s tone is stern and uncompromising.
Hayden stops Emmett from leaving the conference room with a hand on his chest. “Don’t, Em. We’ve got to do this right. They’re counting on us.”
“I can’t bear the waiting.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.” Emmett pulls free of Hayden’s grasp. “Your wife is right here. You know where she is. There’s no possible way you understand how this feels.”
Emmett breaks down into sobs, each of them a knife through my heart.
“I’ll go.” I’m standing and speaking before I take the time to contemplate what I’m saying. “I’ll go after them. I’m the one he wants, and if I go, maybe he’ll release them.”
We’re in that room a really long time before anyone comes for us. We’re hungry and thirsty, and we both need to pee. And we’re scared, which I suspect was their plan when they left us there for so long—to make sure we’re good and afraid so we’d do whatever they ask of us.
The guy who took us is the one who returns, his gaze fixed on me. “Come with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere without Leah.”
“You’re not calling the shots here, superstar.”
“Clearly, we’re here because you want something from me.”
“You assume correctly. Your boyfriend could’ve made this easier on all of us if he’d only cooperated with my simple request.”
I realize two things in that moment. One, Sebastian left because this man threatened me. And two, he loves me enough to do whatever it takes, even leave me, to keep me safe. I’m filled with warmth and strength on the heels of these realizations. Sebastian’s love gives me the strength I need to face off with this man, to figure out what he wants and to get us the hell out of here as soon as possible. We both have amazing men to get home to, and I’m determined to get out of here so I can tell Sebastian I love him, too. I think maybe I always have, a thought that makes me want to giggle at the worst possible time.
I look our kidnapper dead in the eyes. “You won’t get anything from me if Leah can’t come with me wherever we’re going.”
He tips his head, gives me an assessing look. “Fine, bring your little friend.”
I grab Leah’s hand and hold on tight as we follow him through a winding set of corridors and into the cavernous warehouse space where men are working on several high-end cars. Flynn would know the exact makes and models, whereas I’m basically clueless. A chop shop, or so it seems. My heart sinks when I notice Leah’s car on the far side of the vast space. The other men completely ignore us as we go up a set of metal stairs. I’m surprised when we step into a stylishly appointed living space.
“Do you want something to drink?”
“We would love some water and a bathroom.”
“Through there,” he says, gesturing at a doorway.
Leah bolts for the bathroom.
He hands me ice water in a heavy crystal glass.
I drink half of it in one big gulp.
“You’re far more beautiful in person than you are on screen.”
Does he expect me to feel complimented by that? “Thank you.”
“A queen such as yourself should be with a king, not a peasant.”
I wonder if he’s the one who convinced Seb that he’s nothing more than a peasant. If so, that’s another reason for me to despise this man.
As he speaks, he touches my face.
I turn away from his touch.
“You don’t need a loser like Lowe.”
It takes effort to hide any noticeable reaction to his insult of Sebastian. I want to spit in his face, but I won’t give him the satisfaction.
“I could give you everything.”
“I already have everything I’ll ever need.” I never blink as I stare into cold dark eyes. His eyes are every bit as dark as Sebastian’s, but with none of the warmth that Seb’s have when he looks at me. That silly man, walking away in a misguided attempt to keep me safe. Doesn’t he know that I’d do anything it takes to keep him safe? “You never said what you want with me.”
“Have a seat.”
Leah comes out of the bathroom, her relief obvious.
“I’m going to use the restroom.”
Leah gives me a fearful look, as if to say, Please don’t leave me with him.
I don’t want to, but I’m about to wet my pants. I hand her the glass of water and move quickly toward the bathroom, anxious to get back to her as fast as possible. I’ve never been so happy to pee in my life. I return to the room, and Leah is visibly relieved to have me back.
I sit next to her and take her hand. “How about you tell me what you want so we can go home?”
He turns on the television, picks up a remote and points it at the unit. “Watch this.”
A blonde girl of about fifteen or sixteen comes on the screen, introduces herself as Ariel and proceeds to put on a polished performance that includes singing, dancing and acting. I’m actually quite impressed by the girl’s raw talent, not that I’ll tell him that.
When the video ends, he turns off the TV. “What do you think?”
“She’s a lovely girl.” That much is true.
“And very talented, wouldn’t you say?”
“She has potential.”
He doesn’t like that response. “What does that mean?”
“Just that she’s young, and with a little polish, she might be able to turn her potential into something.”
“You’re going to make my niece a star.”
I laugh. “If only it was that easy.”
He pulls out the handgun he flashed earlier, cocks it and points it at Leah. “Let me simplify things for you—make her a star or your little friend here is dead. Are we clear?”
Leah begins to cry.
I struggle to keep my composure with a gun pointed at the young, adorable assistant I’ve come to love like a little sister. “It’s not as if I can wave a magic wand and make her a star. It doesn’t work that way.”
Stepping closer to us, he presses the gun to Leah’s head.
She trembles violently from the effort to remain still.
“I’ll meet with her and see what I can do.”
“And then you’ll make her a star.”
“I’ll do everything I can for her.”
He drops the gun from Leah’s head. “Now, was that so difficult?”
Leah sobs uncontrollably in my arms. I hold on tight to her while wondering what happens now that I’ve agreed to give him what he wants.
Chapter 19
I’m tackled by Hayden and Flynn, who drop me like a felled oak even though I outweigh them both by at least twenty pounds of muscle. But I’m no match for the two of them together, especially in my current state of despair. I let out a cry that’s full of rage and fear and frustration. I know where she is and they won’t let me go to her?
I lose all pretense of pride and break down into helpless sobs. “Please let me go. I’ll get them back.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Flynn tightens his grip on me. “We’re going to do this the right way and let the experts do their jobs.”
When they realize they’ve succeeded in subduing me, they leave me to sit on the floor with tears rolling down my face as I stare off into space, trying not to think about what Marlowe and Leah might be going through at the hands of one of the most ruthless people I’ve ever met. I once saw him gun down another guy’s mother because she wouldn’t tell him where her son was.
I’ve always known he’d come back for me at some point. I got lazy and let down my guard, and now the person I love most in the world is in mortal danger, along with someone who is an innocent bystander.
I should’ve stayed the fuck away from her. None of this would be happening if only I’d kept my hands off her. I cross my arms against my knees and put my head down as the memories of the kind of happiness and contentment I only dreamed about before her come flooding back to remind me of what’s at stake.
Much later, I pull myself off the floor and go into the men’s room to splash cold water on my face. I use a paper towel to dry my skin, open my eyes and find Emmett standing behind me.
“Is he going to kill them?” His voice is strained, his face tight with tension and his eyes… They’re full of heartache.
“I hope not.”
“I’ll die without her.”
“I’m so sorry
to have done this to them and to you.”
“I don’t blame you.”
My laugh is harsh. “I sure as fuck do.” The choices I made years ago are ruining the lives of the people I love. How is that not my fault?
“You’d never subject any of us to something like this. We know how much you love us all, and we love you just as much. No one blames you.”
I nearly break down again. “I refuse to think about myself while they’re in danger.”
He gives me an oddly curious look. “Are you in love with Marlowe?”
The question takes me by surprise. In light of everything that’s happened, I find I can’t lie to him. “Yes.”
Emmett nods. “I wondered.”
Now I’m even more shocked than I was before. “When?”
“Always.”
I’m stunned to hear that, because I didn’t let myself go there until recently, so I was under the impression that no one else knows how I feel about her. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that the sharp-as-fuck Emmett Burke figured it out before I did.
We leave the men’s room together and return to the conference room, where Gordon is briefing the others on the plan he and his team have put together. As I listen to what they’re saying, a sinking feeling comes over me.
“Any questions?” Gordon asks.
“If you go forward with this plan, you and your men will be dead before you know what’s hit you. The whole place is probably booby-trapped. You’d be walking into a massacre.” I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “As much as it pains me to say it, you need cops to pull this off.”
Kristian pulls out his phone. “I’ll make the call.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re subjected to the wrath of Sgt. Markel, Kristian’s contact at the LAPD. “What the hell were you all thinking, sitting on this overnight?”
Flynn’s not having it. “Let’s move past that and focus on how we’re going to get them out of there.”
Markel glares at him. “I’ll call in the gang unit and SWAT. This is officially an LAPD operation now. The rest of you are to stay right here and let us do our jobs.”