Chapter 38
Chapter thirty-eight
Tristan
“Fuuuuck.”
With her silky curls wrapped tight around my fist, I watched Kate swallow me inch by torturous inch.
Her eyes, dark with desire, never left mine as she took me deeper. A soft moan escaped her lips, the vibration sending shivers up my spine. I fought the urge to thrust, letting her set the exquisite pace.
Her free hand roamed up my thigh, nails lightly scraping sensitive skin until finding their target, teasing and exploring. My breath caught.
“Kate,” I gasped, tugging on her hair.
She hummed in response, the sound almost purring. Slowly, torturously, she pulled back, swirling her tongue as she went. Then when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, she dove forward again, taking me to the hilt.
My head fell back against the wall, a groan torn from my throat. Her ministrations grew more fervent, her movements more frantic.
I was close. So, so close.
“Fuck, baby, I’m...” I managed to choke out, my voice hoarse with need.
She redoubled her efforts, one hand gripping my hip to hold me in place. The other continued its maddening exploration, fingers dancing and stroking in perfect counterpoint to the rhythm of her mouth.
My entire body tensed, muscles coiling tight.
She must have sensed how close I was. She looked up at me through dark lashes, eyes gleaming with wicked intent.
With a final swirl of her tongue, she pushed me over the edge.
Waves of pleasure crashed over me. I cried out her name, my fingers tangling further in her curls.
Those hazel eyes kept mine captive as she slowly released me with a satisfied smile.
I didn’t waste any time. Hooking my fingers under her arms, I hauled her to her feet. My mouth was on hers not even a breath later. I kissed her like I never wanted to let her go. Like she was mine, and I was hers.
“So naughty,” I murmured between kisses. “Sucking me off in the middle of a hallway where anyone can walk in on us.”
Her tongue darted out, licking the corner of her mouth. I wanted to draw it back into mine. To be fair, I’d wanted to do that even before we left for the fundraiser.
And now with her looking like an angel and minx all rolled into one, I wanted to do a whole lot more than just kiss her.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Her eyes grew wide. “You want to leave?”
“Yeah. I wanna go home and watch silly video clips with my girls. And later when Millie’s asleep, I want to properly thank you.”
Her cheeks flushed, but the frown marring her forehead remained. “If we leave now, you can kiss that partnership goodbye. Lewis has been all over the place, shmoozing and sucking up.”
I glanced over her shoulder where a couple huddled together. Faint whispers and giggles floated toward us. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
Taking Kate’s hand in mine, I bent down to look into her pretty eyes. “I don’t care about that anymore. In fact, I don’t care about Livingston and Thornburg. What if I wanted to quit and start my own firm?”
She stared at me, her features even. Seconds ticked by. My heart slowly crawled up into my throat and stayed there. Then when I couldn’t take it anymore, the brightest smile spread across her lips.
“Then I guess you need a decent assistant.”
I didn’t dare kiss her again. With my emotions running as high as they were, there’d be nothing stopping me from spinning her around and taking her right there against the wall. As tantalizing as the idea sounded, I’d be a good boy and wait until we got to the car.
That was why I laced our fingers and hurried toward the exit. I could practically feel the cool metal of the handle in my hand when someone smacked me on the shoulder blade.
“Small world.”
How long had it been since I’d heard that voice? I couldn’t be sure. I only knew it wasn’t long enough.
Tightening my hold on Kate’s hand, I steeled my spine and spun around.
“Father.”
A jolt of shock rattled through my bones when I saw him. He seemed smaller and less intimidating than I remembered.
“Heard you got passed over for partner.” His tone had the same condescending edge to it. “And got…married.” There was no mistaking the disgust in his voice.
I didn’t care.
For the first time in my life, I didn’t give two shits. Not about him. Not about rubbing anything in his face. I didn’t even care that both he and mother had robbed me of so much as a child.
I couldn’t.
Not when I’d received so much more. Not when I had Kate and Millie.
Tucking Kate into my side, I leveled him with a stare. “You heard right.”
My father pulled a face. “You didn’t invite your mother and I to celebrate with you. Do you really care so little?”
Of course he’d turn this around on me. Heaven forbid this man actually apologize for his part in my screwed up upbringing.
I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind but snapped it shut before a single word could escape. My parents would never change. Not because they couldn’t, they simply didn’t want to. The life they lived was one they’d chosen for themselves.
Just as I chose for myself.
“No, Father,” I started. “I don’t care at all.” Without waiting for a response or sparing him a second glance, I held on to the woman who anchored me like no other and walked out the door.
“Are you okay?” Kate asked when we were outside.
Cradling her face between my palms, I lowered my mouth to hers, answering her question with a long, languid kiss.
I could’ve easily kissed her for hours, but we both knew it never stayed at only kissing with us.
Not when every touch of her lips and stroke of her tongue sent my blood roaring through my veins.
Breaking the kiss, I pressed my forehead against hers, my hands tracing up and down her arms. A smile formed on my lips. “As long as I have you and Millie by my side, I know I'll be okay.”
Those stunning hazel eyes met mine, conveying more than any words could ever express. I’d never know what exactly I’d done right for this woman to love me the way she did, but shit, I’d spend every day for the rest of my life making sure I deserved it.
I was about to tell her that when her phone buzzed to life. Shooting me an apologetic look, she pulled it out of her purse.
Her frown was immediate. “It’s Izzy.”
With a hard swallow, Kate lifted the phone to her ear. Whatever Izzy said had Kate’s eyes widening as she slapped her free hand over her mouth. She shook her head, repeating the word no over and over.
“Kate.”
I reached for her. My touch didn’t even register. She just kept shaking her head and repeating that one word.
“Kate,” I said again, a bit louder this time.
Her gaze shot to mine, and two thick tears rolled down her cheeks.
This time her “No,” came out in a broken sob before she launched herself into my arms.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my heart thundering dangerously inside my chest.
Nothing could’ve prepared me for the broken words that left her mouth.
“Millie’s gone.”
Ice cold tendrils of fear slithered down my spine. “What do you mean she’s gone?”
Her head snapped up, her eyes big and wild. “We need to go.” Grabbing my wrist, she hurried toward the valet.
“Baby, stop.” I dug my heels in, giving her no other choice than to stop. I waited until she faced me before I spoke, “What the hell is going on?”
“We don’t have time for this,” she yelled. I’d never seen her this frantic before. “I need to go.” She was borderline hysterical. “Someone took Millie. She’s gone, Tristan. She’s gone.”
In an instant, the world stopped moving. Pain shot through my chest, sharp and fierce. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve sworn someone had sliced my heart out.
And if this was how I felt, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Kate was going through. Doing my best to remain calm, even though I was a raging mess on the inside, I went through the motions of getting our car and driving to Izzy’s apartment.
Kate’s emotions were all over the place.
She went from uncontrollable sobbing to being eerily still then back to sobbing.
It was impossible to reach her, but that didn’t stop me from whispering comforting words and promises of getting our girl back. Because I would. Even if it was the last fucking thing I did; I’d get our girl back.
I kept repeating those words, maybe even more for me than for Kate, until we pulled up at Izzy’s. The car hadn’t even rolled to a full stop before Kate flung her door open and sprinted inside.
The sight of flashing police lights and various police officers scattered about was almost too much for my heart to take. It made this whole nightmare real.
“Shit,” I muttered, lifting my hand and rubbing it over my chest.
Who the hell would do this? And why?
Knowing we needed all the help I could get; I dialed Mac Tanaka’s number. When I told him our girl was taken, he’d simply asked for the address, then with a promise to be there soon, hung up.
My next call was to Rafe and Liam.
I didn’t even know what to tell them or what they could do. I just knew I needed them.
After we hung up, I made a call to one of the firm’s private investigators and then one more to the connection I had at the Department of Transportation.
We needed footage of this street as soon as possible.
Once that was done, my gaze sought out Kate. She was talking with someone who I assumed by the lack of uniform was a detective. My feet moved before my brain had time to issue the command.
A few quick strides and I was next to her, tucking her into my side. It was only then I spotted Izzy on the other side of Kate. Another curse rolled off my tongue. Whoever had done this wasn’t above using brute force.
With one eye already swollen shut and a deep purple bruise forming on the skin beneath it, it was clear Izzy had put up a fight.
The fear that’d wrapped around my spine earlier intensified. If the bastard had done that to her, what was Millie’s fate?
Images, horrible, horrible images flashed through my mind while the detective asked his questions. Kate and Izzy answered, both their voices trembling. Pure fucking torture, that’s what this was.
“Why are you here?” I bellowed. “Shouldn’t you be out there looking for her?”
The detective didn’t even flinch. “I understand your concern—”
“You don’t understand shit.” The sentence ripped through my lungs. “Unless it’s your baby girl who’s missing, don’t tell me you understand.”
His features softened slightly. He parted his lips, probably to feed us more bullshit about him understanding, but before a sound could escape, a hand landed on his shoulder.
“I got it from here, Simmons.” Mac gently pushed the other detective out of the way. His gaze shot to Izzy, his features hardening. “All right,” he said. “Tell me everything you can. No matter how insignificant you may think it is.”
Voice shaking and tears streaming down her face, Izzy explained how the pizza delivery guy barged into her apartment and started asking where Millie was. Not the little girl but Millie.
He knew her name.
Something niggled at the back of my mind. Like a blurry photo that wasn’t in focus. Squeezing my eyes shut, I concentrated. It wasn’t until Mac asked something about Millie’s school that it hit me.
“There was a guy,” I all but shouted. “Millie called him Mr. Red. She’d said he was always there at school watching the kids.
” As the words tumbled over my lips, guilt licked its way through my veins.
“I didn’t think much of it because when I looked, I didn’t see anyone, and she didn’t mention it again. ”
Shit. I should’ve paid closer attention, should’ve investigated. Instead, I simply filed it away. What if it was this guy? What if…
“Do you remember the exact date this happened?” Mac pulled me from my thoughts.
I told him everything I could think of, knowing if anyone would be able to do something with this information, it was him. Once he was done, he promised to be in touch. Then he was gone.
Sometime while we were answering questions, the rest of our families showed up. Liam, Everlee, Cece, and Rafe along with Kate’s parents and even Eleanor and her husband. They were all there just waiting to offer their support.
I was grateful. Heaven knew we’d need it. Especially since we’d been ordered to go home. Mac told us if this was a ransom, we had to be there in case the kidnapper called with his demands.
How the heck were we supposed to sit and wait while our girl was out there with a damn monster? He had to be one to take her the way he had.
“Shit.” More curses spilled over my lips as I dragged my hands through my hair. “Shit, shit, shit.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I begged any deity who’d listen to keep her safe. To bring her back to us. Time ticked by as I kept my eyes closed and forced hope into my heart. When I finally opened them again, Kate and I were on Millie’s bed.
She had Mochi clutched to her chest while her head rested on mine. She wasn’t asleep, just stared out into the distance. Her eyes were red, her cheeks still wet with tears. I didn’t even have to glance in a mirror to know I sported the same look.
I pressed my lips to the top of her head. “We’ll get her back.”
It was a promise. A vow. One I intended to keep.