39. Kane
THIRTY-NINE
KANE
“I found it!” Maci howled with laughter as she lifted the second eight of hearts into the air.
“Are you kiddin’ me! You got another match?” Okay, she might have had to peek under six different cards to find it, but I was convinced my kid was brilliant.
We were on the rug on the floor in her bedroom. Warmth from the natural sunlight spilling in and saturating the space, though I thought what really was filling it was the type of ease and joy that I’d never before felt.
“What do you even fink , my Mr. Kane? I told you my mommy said I was really extra smart. I bet it’s even time for me to learn how to read because I know all the letters.”
She shrugged as she piled her new match onto the stack of the other fifteen she’d already uncovered. Blonde pigtails swishing around her cherub, chubby face.
My heart did somersaults in my chest.
Love hitting me like a sledgehammer all while I felt the secondary blow of her casual words. My child still not understanding the ramifications of her mother’s death.
That she was gone and she was never going to see her again .
Knew I needed to tell her who I was and do it soon. Explain to her that I was the one who was going to be raising her since her mommy didn’t get the honor of doing that anymore.
But how the hell did you force out those types of words? Break her heart all while hoping to mend it a little?
“That’s right. And I know your mommy loves you so much. No matter where she is or where she goes.” I settled on that for then.
“And you and my auntie Em,” Maci rambled, not a question.
“Yeah, Maci. Your auntie Em and I love you so much.”
Her auntie Em who’d been gone for so fucking long I was getting antsy. But I could tell when she’d left that she’d needed a breather. Needed some time to clear her head after what had gone down between us last night.
The smile Maci tipped up at me was earth-shattering.
“I fink it’s really good we found your house, Mr. Kane.”
“I think it’s really good, too. Think it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
That smile somehow widened, dimple denting her chin, her button nose scrunched up in the most adorable way.
I was just about to tell her that I wanted her to stay here forever when my cell rang from my pant pocket, interrupting the moment.
I shifted so I could dig it out. I frowned when I saw Charleigh’s name lighting up the screen.
I glanced at the time.
Just after three. She should be in the middle of work right then.
A flash of concern washed through me, but I shoved off the paranoia, accepted the call, and pressed my cell to my ear. “Hey, Charleigh, what’s up?”
“Hi, Kane. Listen, don’t panic. She’s okay?—”
I surged to my feet, the panic she’d just been instructing me not to feel hitting me full force.
“What’s going on?” It gushed out on a low demand.
From the other end of the line, Charleigh inhaled a shaky breath, the words quivering when she released them. “Emery is okay, but she was brought in here to the office. ”
“What do you mean, she’s at the office?” Couldn’t stop myself from hissing it.
Charleigh worked at one of the medical offices here in Moonlit Ridge. The same office as Dr. Reynolds, the doctor who was on Sovereign Sanctum’s books. He was one of the few civilians here in Moonlit Ridge who were on the inside of what we did.
We needed someone we could trust to check out and care for the victims we brought here. Someone who was willing to cover our tracks and take cash under the table.
Charleigh was a medical assistant at his clinic and was currently working toward becoming a nurse practitioner so she could one day take his place when he retired.
She wanted to be an active part of Sovereign Sanctum. Stand in a spot where she could make a real difference for the women and children we brought here on the way to their new homes.
It didn’t matter that I trusted both of them with my life. I still felt like I was going to spiral out.
Charleigh’s voice was held low when she spoke. “There was an incident in the parking lot at the grocery store.”
My guts tangled in a knot of dread, and I glanced down at Maci who was searching through the few cards that remained for her next match. It took everything I had not to flip the fuck out in front of my daughter. In front of this child who’d already lost so much.
“I’ll be right back, Maci, I have to talk to Auntie Charleigh.” I forced it out around the ball of razors that lined my throat.
By the time we left Charleigh and River’s house last night, Maci had been calling my whole family auntie and uncle.
“That’s okay, my Mr. Kane. I’m really busy findin’ another match so I can win the biggest prize.” She uttered it as she went hunting under the cards, thankfully oblivious to the turmoil that clamored through my spirit.
I strode for the door, knees fucking knocking as I stepped out into the hall, voice curling in caged desperation. “What kind of incident?”
Charleigh hesitated, and that dread was sinking like a stone to the pit of my stomach. Just knowing it was something bad. Intuition kicking in that my girl was in trouble.
“I think I need to let her tell you what happened when you get here. Raven is already on the way to your house to pick up Maci. She’ll take her to her and Otto’s place. She has Nolan with her, so hopefully Maci will be excited about that.”
“Is Emery hurt?” The direct question scraped out on a ragged plea. A sea of rage already bubbling to the surface.
“She’s going to be fine,” Charleigh whispered. “I promise. Just get down here.”
“Okay.”
With the way I was shaking, I was barely able to end the call and stuff my phone back into my pocket. I swallowed around that painful, jagged ball, forcing a smile onto my face as I went back into Maci’s room. “I’ve got great news, Angel Face.”
Maci’s head popped up. “What?”
“Auntie Charleigh just told me that Auntie Raven is coming over here to pick you up so you can go play at her house. Nolan is with her, so that means you get to have a surprise playdate.”
In a flash, Maci was on her feet. “What? Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
She did a exuberant jig in the middle of her room, that excitement Charleigh had been talking about pouring out of her.
Too bad I wasn’t able to share in it.
“This is a really extra special day because I got to play wif you for so long, and now I get to play with my best friend, Nolan, and I got so many friends that my heart goes boom.” She jumped into the air and threw her arms out as she said it.
God, she was perfect. Nothing less than a treasure. My own heart boomed in determination and something else entirely. The truth that this was what Emery had become to me, too.
A treasure.
A treasure I would do absolutely anything for.
“All right, we’d better hurry downstairs so we can meet her. ”
Maci grabbed my outstretched hand. “Good idea. We can’t be late.”
We rushed from the room, Maci skipping along at my side, completely immune to the torture eating me alive, thank God. Last thing I wanted was to cause her any stress.
By the time I was whipping open the door, I could hear the hum of a car approaching in the distance, and about thirty seconds later, Raven’s little white BMW emerged from the thicket of trees that veiled my house from the club and made it feel like my place was completely secluded.
Dust billowed behind her as she barreled down the road, and I clutched at Maci’s tiny hand as we waited for her to come to a stop in front of the house.
The back window slid down to Nolan grinning like mad. “Hi, Maci! Did you know we get to play today? I had an extra booster at my house that I got too big for, and now you get to have it, so you can sit right next to me.”
“I like that plan.”
I hurried down the porch steps and around to the rear driver’s side. Raven was already out of the car and opening the door. I quickly strapped Maci in, kissed her forehead, murmured, “Have fun, sweetheart,” then shut the door.
I straightened to Raven standing there with a boatload of worry carved into her expression.
She must have seen the same thing reflected in mine because she rushed, “Charleigh said Emery is fine, Kane. You know she wouldn’t mislead us. Go on and take care of her. Otto and I have got Maci for the rest of the night. You don’t need to worry about her.”
“Thank you.”
She slipped back into the driver’s seat, and I ran to the detached garage, punched in the code to open one of the bays, and grabbed the key for the blacked-out four-door Mercedes, knowing if Emery had wound up at the doctor’s office, she’d been injured in some way.
As much as I wanted her body wrapped around me on my bike, I wanted to shield her more .
Take care of her.
Ensure she was safe.
Fuck. I wanted to make sure she was safe.
I shoved it into reverse and went flying down the drive.
By the time I got to the end of it, I was right on Raven’s tail.
Raven turned right where it would take her up the south ridge of the mountains to where she and Otto lived, and I peeled out as I took the left that would lead me deeper into town.
Sweat beading on my hairline, I weaved in and out of traffic as I took the couple of turns required to get to the medical complex where Dr. Reynolds’ office was located on 9 th .
Guts a tangle of nerves and fear.
Thought I was going to come apart when I caught sight of the plaza, just fucking needing to get to her.
To see her face.
To know that she was whole and safe.
The tires squealed on the pavement as I made a quick left into the parking lot.
I didn’t go to the front. I wound around to the back to the private entrance that was only used for Sanctum business.
Somehow, I already knew that was where Charleigh would meet me.
Fear clawed up my insides when I saw River’s bike sitting near the door.
No doubt, this was Sanctum business.