Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Jake loved her. Eb had known about Wren’s past for a long time. And Tom knew where Makayla was being held. The shocks just freaking kept coming.
Wren sucked in a deep breath. Focus. Her friend—Makayla was alive. They could save her. They could stop this nightmare. Makayla wouldn’t wind up like the others. She would make it home.
She had to make it home.
She’s not like the other victims. Not another vic that will never come home because of the Sweetheart Slasher.
“You need to call Honey,” Jake said to Tom, his voice adamant. “Get her and the deputies, and we will storm the place where Makayla is being held.”
“No!” Almost a scream from Tom. His fingers were shaking. Correction, his whole body seemed to be shaking. “You don’t get it! The caller said—said if he saw any cops or deputies or any of that type of shit, then Makayla would be dead! Dead! I can’t take the chance that they’ll be spotted. I can’t risk Makayla’s life. You have to do it. You know you can. You do this thing for a living all the time! You sneak in, you get the victims, and you sneak out. Done. Dammit, done. Please. ” His voice broke. “I am begging you here. Makayla is my world. I need you to get her out. I know where she is. I will tell you everything. You can save her. You can take down the bastard who took her. You can do it all! ”
“Slow down,” Hunter advised him. His stare was hooded as it swept over Tom. “Take some breaths. You look like you’re about to pass out. What did you do, run all the way to the bar?”
“I searched all over freaking town for Jake and Wren! Couldn’t spot his Jeep!”
“Yeah, that’s because it was totaled. Again, you need to take some deep, calming breaths.”
“Fuck breaths! My fiancée is going to die if we don’t act!”
Wren’s heartbeat drummed in her ears. “Did you…did you find her finger?”
“ What the fuck?” Tom blanched. “What kind of person asks questions like that?”
The daughter of a serial killer.
Obviously, Honey had not yet told Tom to expect that particular calling card.
“I got a phone call. A phone call. The voice was—” Tom stopped. Shuddered.
“Robotic?” Jake asked softly.
Tom’s eyes narrowed. “Y-yes.”
Jake nodded.
“I heard Makayla, though. I talked to her. She’s alive. I know where she is. And you can get her out. The voice…h-he gave me the address, but I’m not freaking superman. If I rush in, we’re both dead. I know it. I know it. I heard some of those people talking at Makayla’s house.” His gaze darted to Wren, then wrenched away, as if he couldn’t stand to look at her too long. “Those true-crime freaks who showed up out of nowhere. They said that her dad—he took couples. Killed them both. Lured one out to be with the other. I get that this is a game. A twisted-ass game. If I go rushing in, then Makayla and I will both die. Makayla can’t die. ” He surged forward and grabbed the front of Jake’s shirt. His hands fisted in the material. “I will pay you. Just like your other damn clients! I’ll pay anything! Just go and get my Makayla. Save her. I am begging you.”
“I don’t like this,” Eb said, his voice carrying just to Jake’s ears. They were still in the bar, but Jake wasn’t going to be there for long.
He had a hostage to save. A killer to take down. A nightmare to stop.
“I need to go with you,” Eb added.
Oh, hell, no. Jake secured his gun. He’d strapped a knife to his left ankle. The gun he’d just secured went into the holster that he’d pulled over his shoulder. The handy thing about Milo’s bar? In the rear of the bar, nestled in a private room, Milo kept a secret safe well stocked with a variety of the best weapons money could buy.
Legal and illegal weapons. Jake was helping himself to the all-you-can-take-buffet. He put another holster on his right ankle. Tucked a small gun inside it before lowering the leg of his jeans.
“Jake, I’m the best backup for you, and you know it.”
True. There was no one he trusted to have his back more than his twin. And since Eb was the best, he stared him in the eyes and simply said, “Protect Wren.”
“Fuck.”
“I can’t walk out of this bar without knowing she has the best guard by her side. You have to stay. I’ll take that prick Hunter with me. He’s good in a fight.” They both knew exactly what dark violence waited in Hunter’s past.
“Hunter isn’t me.”
“No, but he’ll do. We’ll go in, eliminate the threat, and bring the bride home.” Done. And by eliminate the threat, yes, Jake meant permanently. He intended to take out the mastermind behind this plan. “Two men tried to take Wren the first night on the beach. I never saw the guy Wren spotted behind me.”
“And the other attacker is on the slab in the tiny morgue in town, check. Understood. Exactly where he should be.”
Jake grunted. He grabbed one of the bulletproof vests from the safe. Good old Uncle Milo. “Honey is running down all of the dead guy’s contacts and aliases. She’s already had fingerprint hits on him. Looks like he is some thug for hire. Name is Colin Miller. He did lots of B&Es, had a history of assaults. She told me at the station that she thought he was the type you hired when someone wasn’t paying a debt.” Info she’d revealed before the interrogation. You want a message sent? Some pain delivered? Colin Miller was your guy.
Only he would never be delivering any other messages.
“I get it.” Eb knew the type, too. Clearly. “Hired muscle who follows orders but doesn’t have any real power?”
“Yep. So that makes me wonder if his partner is also hired muscle or if he is the ringleader.”
“Let’s assume, for the moment, that he’s hired muscle. He’s one person. The leader is the second. Probably has more guys waiting in the wings because he’s obviously a planner and he’s coming after us. ” Eb quirked a brow. “We’re not easy targets.”
Nah. “Easy is boring.”
“Damn straight.” Eb sucked in the side of his cheek. “So basically, you could be walking in to face a full army. We have no idea how many people will be waiting for you. And you want me to just sit here with my thumb up my ass while you and Hunter go out to do the fighting.”
Jake put the bulletproof vest on a nearby table and moved to stand directly in front of his brother. He looked straight into those identical eyes and ordered, “Protect Wren.”
“Fuck,” Eb said again as his shoulders slumped.
There were more things that needed to be said, but there wasn’t a lot of time. Not while a woman’s life hung in the balance.
Tom swore he had the exact location for Makayla, but the guy hadn’t shared those specifics yet. He kept stalling on that part. Waiting to make sure Jake wasn’t going to call in Honey and her deputies.
So far, he’d revealed that the abductor had contacted him. Said Tom had to trade himself if he wanted Makayla to go free. Even good old Tom realized that was bullshit. There would be no trade. There would just be death.
And that was why Tom searched so desperately for me. The guy hadn’t possessed Jake’s number. He’d driven to Jake’s house, then to the bar…
Where he was ready to knock down a door in order to get to me and Wren.
“I thought you wanted Wren,” Jake said. He should have held those words back. Definitely not the time for this talk. He got that. But… “I was gonna fight you for her, just so you know.”
“Of course, I fucking wanted her.” But then Eb jerked back when Jake lifted his hands. “Easy, bro. Wanted . Past tense. Wanted not want. As in, I was a horny teenager and she always smelled like vanilla and honey, and when she looked at me with those big, dark eyes of hers, I pretty much wanted to run out and slay dragons.”
Don’t kill your brother. Do not kill your brother.
“I used to think you hated her,” Eb added.
Jake swallowed at that admission from Eb. “I could never hate Wren.”
“Yeah, time and maturity made me realize that. Sometimes, when you want someone so much and you think you can’t have the person, the rage and the need twist in you, don’t they?”
“Thought you wanted Wren,” he rasped again. “So I kept my hands off her. I was the good brother.”
Eb snorted. “Try that shit again. If you kept your hands off her, it wasn’t because of me. Cute try.”
“I fucking love you, dumbass. I would never want to hurt you.”
Eb grabbed his shoulder. Squeezed. “Stop saying nice things. You need to go out and kill someone so that the woman we both love gets to be safe and gets one of her best friends back.” But he didn’t release Jake. “You didn’t want to hurt me because you’re the good one.”
Despite the situation, Jake laughed. “Bull. Everyone knows that you’re the?—”
“The one who lies with a smile?” A warm smile curved Eb’s lips. The smile never reached his eyes. “The one who can fit in with a crowd and laugh and joke but still stay ice cold on the inside because all he’s really doing is mimicking everyone else?”
Jake frowned.
“The one who got damn lucky because you are his brother, and you accept me and all my twisted parts, and you were even willing to sacrifice your own chance at happiness…to stay in the shadows because you were seriously afraid of hurting me?” A shake of Eb’s head. “Let me tell you a few quick things. Because, though I love you to hell and back, you can occasionally miss out on social cues. Mimicking was never your strong suit. You just told the world to fuck off and went about your business. Always admired the hell out of you for that, by the way.”
Eb admired him?
“Envied you, too, but that’s a story for another day. When there is no ticking clock.” Brisk now, Eb said, “I sent you to protect Wren because I knew you would. You always protect those in your life. You would sacrifice for those you love, and like I said, experience and maturity made me see that what I might have thought was hate—hate in the way you would never stand too close to Wren, the way you wouldn’t be alone with her, the way you would watch her with such cold eyes…ah, brother, you were dying of love for the woman, but you didn’t tell her. Maybe it was because you didn’t think she’d love you back. You’ve always thought you were the dark one. The one who thrived too much on violence and danger, but, bro, you’re the one who left the CIA. You’re the one who became the hero and helped the people who were being forgotten. You make a living saving hostages. You’re the one who rescues.” A pause. “And Wren loves me like a friend, but you are the one who owns her heart.”
Wren hadn’t said she loved him. There had been no time. She’d just stared at him in shock and?—
“Go save the day, hero. Then come back and claim the woman you love. You deserve to be happy, and so does she.”
Jake opened his mouth to reply, but the door to the back room swung open.
“Jake.” Wren’s voice. Her angry voice.
He spun toward her.
Hunter stood behind her, appearing vaguely sheepish as he peered over her shoulder. “There was no stopping her. She wanted to see you, so she’s seeing you.” But he sidled around Wren and went straight to the safe. “What is this bit of wonderment?” He started poking in the safe. “Oh, I want this.” He took out a big, serrated knife. “And this.” A Glock. “And I’ll need one of those.” He helped himself to a bulletproof vest. “I noticed the one on the table, so I figure if Jake got one, I get one, too, right?” He nodded toward the table where the other bulletproof vest waited.
“Right. You both get bulletproof vests.” Wren strode toward Jake. Her glinting gaze shot fire at him. “The better to not get killed. And you are absolutely coming back without a scratch anywhere on you, understand me, Jacob Charles Jones?”
Uh, oh. She’d used his full name. Random fact? Jake’s parents had been obsessed with A Christmas Carol. Especially his mom. Every year, one of his favorite traditions as a kid had been curling up with her while she read the holiday story to him. And every year, she’d cry and smile and tell him that God had blessed her because she had such a wonderful family.
He’d been named after Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol. Technically, he’d split the character’s name with his sister, Marley.
Eb? Well, that was short for Ebenezer.
But his mom hadn’t just stopped with naming them after the characters…She’d been a huge fan of the author so…
Jacob Charles Jones. His middle name had come from the first name for the author of A Christmas Carol.
Eb, oh, poor Eb. He’d really gotten screwed. His full name was actually Ebenezer Dickens Jones.
A real dick, that was what Jake had often said about his brother.
And his mom had yelled at him every time he’d teased his twin.
I loved my mom so much. She made every holiday special. She made everything in the house better. Then, when we lost her, things in my life went dark.
Wren poked him in the chest. “Not a scratch, understand me?”
He’d been at his darkest when Wren had stopped him from getting hit by that truck at just sixteen. Something he’d never told her…or anyone…not even Eb…Something he’d denied over and over, even, sometimes, to himself, but…
I saw that truck coming.
That one moment when Wren grabbed him—that moment had changed everything. Every single thing. “I might get scratched.” Full disclosure so she would not be surprised. “But I’ll come back. There is nothing in this world that will stop me from coming back to the woman I love.”
Her lower lip trembled. “You are an asshole.”
Eb shoved at Hunter. “Stop digging in the safe. Can’t you see this is a romantic moment? Come on. Let’s give them some privacy.” He nudged Hunter toward the door.
“ Makayla!”
Only Tom was in the doorway, blocking their exit. Frantic, desperate Tom. “You have to get Makayla! There is no time to waste!”
No, there wasn’t time. Not enough time to tell Wren all the things he wanted to say to her. Or, at least, there wasn’t time now. There would be, after.
You are an angel. My angel. So what if you don’t have wings? You saved me that long ago day. Saved me when I was lost because I couldn’t handle the grief that came from losing my mom. Everyone else seemed to be able to keep going. Eb and Marley—they didn’t give in to the dark. Even my father adjusted. But I couldn’t. And then, there was you.
The sunshine in his darkness.
“I’ll be back, Wren.” It was a vow. “And I’ll bring Makayla. The threat to you will be eliminated, and you will have your life back. Your business. Everything will be protected.”
She shot onto her toes. Grabbed the nape of his neck and hauled him toward her. Wren’s lips planted against his in a hard, desperate kiss. She kissed him with passion and hunger. Need and?—
Love?
Wren pulled away. Glared. “Fuck the business,” she said bluntly.
“Dirty mouth,” Eb chided. “What would Uncle Milo say?”
“Fuck the business,” Wren repeated. “And I don’t want the same life back. I want a new one, with you. So don’t you dare get hurt. You come back, and we start again. Got me?”
I will have you forever.
There would be more time, later. Time to tell her all of his secrets. Time to confess that he’d been watching over her for far too long. Needing her, for far too long.
But he had a job to do. An enemy to eliminate.
His fingers brushed carefully along her bruised jaw. He hated that bruise. “I’ve got you,” he said. Finally, he had her. He didn’t intend to ever let go.
“I’ll protect her,” Eb swore. “Count on me.”
“No!” A sharp cry from Tom. He pointed to Eb, then Jake. “You both have to go! Makayla needs you!”
“I’m going with Jake,” Hunter explained. “He’ll have backup. Don’t worry about that score.”
But Tom’s eyes widened with terror. “He needs more! Eb, you have to go, too! You know Makayla! You know how sweet and innocent she is and— the guy said he would cut her up! Would kill her! You both have to go!” He hurried to stand in front of Wren. “I’ll stay with her. I swear, I won’t leave Wren’s side. I will stay with her every moment.”
Yeah, no. Not happening. “No offense, Tom,” Jake told him though he didn’t actually care if Tom did take offense, “but I want my brother protecting Wren.”
“You don’t trust me?” Tom’s seemed stunned.
“It’s not about trust. It’s about the fact that I know Eb would die to keep Wren safe.”
Tom blinked, owlishly.
“I would,” Eb agreed with a nod. “Though I prefer to kill in order to get the job done. Not to die. Dying is not the thing, you know?”
A tremor shook Tom’s body. “You’re both crazy.” He scampered away, frantic steps. His shoulder rammed into the side of the large safe. His head whipped from one person to the next to the next. “You’re all crazy.”
“We’re the crazy ones who will get your bride-to-be back,” Jake pointed out. Really, was hurling insults the way to handle the situation? Tom was not making friends. But then again, he’d been a prick back in high school, too. “Now give us the address.”
“I-I don’t have it…yet. Not exactly, anyway.”
“What?” That had not been what the man said before. Jake was sure as hell not in the mood for games. Or deception.
Tom shoved his hand into his pocket. “I was just told to get over toward St. George Road. I’m being given directions, piece by piece. That’s what the caller told me. Said to be ready. Th-the first direction just came to me. My phone just dinged.” He hauled the phone from his pocket. “That’s why I rushed back here to get you. You need to go, now. A new direction is supposed to come in approximately every five minutes from here on out . You have to follow every direction. Hurry! You have to get over to St. George and be ready for what happens next! Hurry!”
Jake stalked toward him. He swiped the phone from Tom. “You stay at this bar with Eb and Wren, understand?”
“I just want Makayla back,” Tom whispered. “That’s all.”
“And I’ll get her back.” Though he wasn’t gonna say the task would be easy. “For the last time, let’s call Honey. It’s what we need to do.”
“No! Makayla will be dead if you bring in the authorities!” Panic had Tom’s voice breaking.
Grimly, Jake nodded. “Give me the password on your phone.”
Tom did.
Jake studied the texts that Tom had already received. His head angled toward a watchful Wren. What would he be doing if she’d been taken? If she’d been the one to leave a bloody dress behind for him to find?
I would destroy anyone and everyone in my way as I fought to get to her.
He had to go back to Wren. Once more. He closed in on her.
“We are wasting time!” Tom choked out.
Jake pulled Wren into a tight hug. His mouth went to her ear. “Stay near Eb.” Eb would protect her.
He eased back.
“You stay alive,” she told him.
He planned to do just that. After all, he had far too much to keep living for.
A life with Wren waited.
“I’m walking him out,” Eb announced. “Then I’m securing the bar. We’ll stay here in this place until we hear back from Jake and Hunter.”
Wren wrapped her arms around her stomach. She’d been through plenty of horrors in her life, but watching Jake walk away pretty much gutted her.
He loves me. He’s heading straight into danger.
And I haven’t gotten the chance to tell him that I love him, too.
Why hadn’t she said those words? So what if they’d had an audience? She’d wanted to shout the truth to the world.
But…
He was gone.
She hadn’t said the words. And she was so terribly, horribly afraid.
“Is he gonna bring her back?” Tom’s voice. Low. Scared.
Her gaze darted to him. He stood right beside the large safe, looking too pale. When his arms moved a bit, she saw the deep imprints of sweat in his pits. Sweat also beaded his brow.
“If anyone can bring her back, it will be Jake.” I should have said I loved him. Why hadn’t she? Why?
Because my father drummed it into me that love isn’t real. That in the end, people will betray the ones they swear to love. That we can only protect ourselves in this world. Love is a lie.
Love is a lie.
So when Jake had confessed, she hadn’t responded because she was still trapped in the hell her father had made. “No more.”
“What?” Tom asked.
She hurried for the door. She had to get to Jake and tell him. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—be afraid any longer. Her hand grabbed for the door handle and Wren wrenched it open.
A tall, broad-shouldered male stood there. Intense, topaz eyes. Thick, dark hair. A jaw made of granite and a face built for sin.
The wrong twin. She didn’t need to look down at his clothes to know she was staring at Eb. She knew just by gazing into his eyes.
I’ve always been able to tell them apart just by how they look at me.
“I need to tell Jake something,” Wren rushed to say.
“He’s gone, Wren.”
Her heart squeezed in her chest. She’d been too late.
I’ll have the chance again. This isn’t some ending. I’ll be able to tell him how I feel. She would. I will be able to tell him…
I love you.
His Jeep had been totaled, so Jake headed for Hunter’s SUV. His feet crunched over the gravel in the lot. He wanted to glance back at the bar, but he kept his focus forward. He had to stop thinking about Wren. Concentrate on the job.
She knows I love her.
And he intended to spend each day for the rest of his life proving that love to her.
Hunter hopped into the driver’s seat. Jake took shotgun. They tossed their bulletproof vests into the backseat.
“Let me make sure I’ve got this mess right…” Hunter’s index finger tapped against the steering wheel. “We’re just going to blindly follow directions that are sent to us on that guy’s phone? That’s the plan?”
“No.” One hundred times, no, they weren’t doing that bullshit. As far as he was concerned, that was just some trick that the kidnapper had been using on Tom. Keeping him distracted and busy and chasing his own tail. Jake wasn’t dealing with that BS. “ You’re going to get Declan Flynn on your phone right now. He’s going to use that tech magic of his and all his shady connections—and he’s going to trace the number that is sending the texts to Tom.” Did it look like Jake was in the mood to blindly do any damn thing? This wasn’t some freaking scavenger hunt. This was life or death. “We’re going to get Declan to pinpoint the sender’s address, and we will go in with guns blazing.”
Hunter’s lips curled in a slow smile. “I knew you were the twin I liked better. Knew it from the very first time we met.”
Jake grunted. “Get your best friend on the phone.”
Hunter got his best friend on the phone. And then they started tracking their prey.