36
Ronald
Amanda
South didn’t hesitate to run after him. No pause for thought, just a release the hounds attack mode activated.
I’m left gaping as she disappears in the crowd. My mind is scrabbling to catch up to what happened. On a sidewalk in plain view of everyone. But no one has turned to find out what the ruckus was. They seem completely oblivious to the fact that someone just tried to shove me into oncoming traffic.
My feet turn in a daze, and I take a single step.
“ Manda! ”
The roared use of my name makes me turn back in surprise. I recognize the voice, but my body instantly reacts even as my brain screams in protest.
There’s a pristine white SUV parked at the curb with a driver inside. And the Matthias group standing on the sidewalk. Blake wasn’t lying about having a meeting with them after all. Now, my heart is protesting, too.
My stomach drops when my eyes meet Ace’s. The anger there drops into a pained kind of surprise when he sees my face. His head starts shaking as if he’s in denial about something. Mikael stops mid-step toward me, and his lips part in surprise. Cade’s face pales, and Gabriel. The only expression of emotion on his face is a widening of his eyes.
I don’t want to look at any of them. As much as I want to beat the shit out of them, I know I’m not ready. Especially with all of them together. They’re still down Jake, though.
Ace’s expression fills with rage. The look makes me shift my grip on the baton, yanking it up so my hand goes to the tape in the center. He’s fast. Coming toward me with clenched fists and gnashing teeth.
I don’t fucking think so.
I twirl the baton into a backhand flip. Once my hand lands closer to the tip I have the grim pleasure of watching Ace’s eyes widen before I swing it up in an arc headed for his chin. He lurches back just in time to land on Mikael with enough force to knock them both back several steps. I release it into a spin that rises into the air and moves out of my sight behind me.
I take the opportunity to grab the first person I see when I spin and pull them into their path. I hear a thud and several people falling to the pavement behind me. People have parted ahead of me, trying to figure out where the baton is going to land. I start running through the opening, catching it as it comes down and breaking into a sprint.
“ Wait! ” Mikael calls after me as if I’m going to listen to the barked tone. That used to happen. Not anymore.
The cold rage snaps up and adds some speed to my limbs. I shove and pull people angrily, getting a lot of curses tossed my way. I hook the end of the baton into as much debris to knock over as I can. A trash can overfilled with cups. A magazine rack. Anything to make bumps in the road to slow them down.
That doom sense is still humming. I’m listening with everything in me. They’re back there. I don’t need to look.
I stay on crowded streets, even though it slows me. It slows them, too, because every person I knock into becomes angry over my audacity and begins to clutter the sidewalk.
A swollen crowd of people are walking toward me without paying attention. I pull the baton into my chest and duck down to bob and weave through them, trying not to make myself noticeable.
No matter how far I get, I don’t see South. Does she have supersonic speed, too?
The crowd disappears, leaving me stumbling forward at the sudden lack of human shields. I flail for a moment and right myself to start running again. Cursing starts up behind me. They’ve hit the beginning of the crowd and are pushing their way through. I have minutes before they reach me.
I turn right to pass an alley and get on another street. Before I make it, someone grabs my forearm, using my momentum to spin me awkwardly into the shadowy alley between two buildings.
I lose my balance and fall heavily on my side in a heap. My air whooshes out of me painfully as my baton bounces off the ground and out of my hand. My instinct has me rolling to my back in the hopes I can get a lungful of air.
It gives the blurry figure in front of me time to straddle my waist and grip my neck in two hands to squeeze.
My body struggles to draw air in and fails. My hips instinctively buck to dislodge him but get nowhere. My focus gets sharp on the black Covid mask covering his face and the random, normal-looking baseball cap. I would have passed this guy without even thinking.
Black spots start dancing across my vision, and fear tries to take hold when my weak arms come up to break his hold. He’s so intent on strangling me that he’s shaking my neck, and my head hits the ground a few times. The violence being used against me stuns me for too long. Useless fear trying to take over.
Get mad!
It’s the only thing that’s going to save me. I’m weakened from Blake and the running. I have to get pissed off if I want out of this.
This asshole thinks I’m going to lay here and let him choke me to death. Where the fuck is my baton?
I let him go and his eyes crinkle up as if he’s smiling under the mask. My arms fall limp, and I try my best to relax. My body is still heaving, trying to get a breath. I shut my eyes and desperately search for the baton.
My scrabbling hands find some kind of trash on the left and the comforting feel of the baton on my right. The base of the hammer end settles in the crease between my thumb and forefinger. I grip it hard as dizziness tries to overtake me and blindly bring my arm up as hard as I can.
There’s the sound of something snapping as I hit his body and a short grunt before the hands disappear.
My eyes open, my vision blurrier than before. I see a blob of what I assume is a black mask and an uncovered face. Whatever is in my left hand gets slapped over his cheek, causing him to cry out in a breathless voice.
My body spasms, bringing my right arm up in a weaker hit to the same spot that makes him scramble to get away from me. His movements are uncoordinated enough he almost falls on his face. Whatever trash I hit him with got into his eye.
The way I contort to try to suck in air reminds me of a fish flopping around. The first lungful burns my throat and starts a coughing fit. It’s sweet and painful enough to motivate me to move again. My throat is scraped raw by the violence of it.
I roll to my knees, keeping a firm grip on the baton. My wavering path away from his hunched form takes me further into the alley. Something I don’t want.
“You stupid fucking cow!”
If I could speak at the moment, I would applaud him for not immediately falling into calling me a bitch. Then I would lay into his ass about strangling me.
I use a handy dumpster to force myself upright and swing around, still dizzy.
Dizzy enough that I think I’m seeing things when Jake appears over the guy’s shoulder.
He’s so busy clutching his ribs and bent over cursing he doesn’t seem to notice the sweetly smiling man staring at me. A single tap on his shoulder has him trying to spin around, but whatever pain he has in his ribs is making him wobbly. Jake helps by grabbing one bicep to finish the turn.
I stand in stunned silence as Jake grabs the front of his shirt and turns him to slam his body into the wall of a building. The tighter confines of the alley, along with the rows of dumpsters, make it easy to bounce my attacker from surface to surface.
The guy tries to defend himself, but every hit he lands on Jake’s sides or over his elbow to break his hold doesn’t seem to have an effect. Jake is totally focused on slamming him into every available surface. Then he lets him go to return the favor and tenderize his ribs. He’s relentless as the guy immediately tries to bend down to cover his torso. It takes only two vicious punches to the jaw to finish, sending him sprawling onto the trash-littered ground, unconscious.
As soon as he’s down, Jake spins to face me, his friendly smile in place. The effect is even more startling because I realize that smile never left his face the entire time he was beating the crap out of the guy.
He’s dressed in a pin-stripe suit that does him a lot of favors. The jacket is open, revealing a buttoned vest over a white shirt and deep purple tie that makes his eyes a brighter blue. He’s gone from cute boy next door to cutthroat businessman in the blink of an eye.
Unsure of how to react, I take a step to the side to ease my way out of the alley. I’m gasping for air desperately now, and the coughing has eased. But my head and neck hurt so badly, and it’s hard to focus. My grip tightens over the baton, slowly trying to bring it into a better position to defend myself. Too slowly.
In a blink, he strides up to me, and a gentle hand goes over my wrist, keeping the weapon down. His other arm wraps around me, jerking my chest into his as his hand goes to my ass and clenches hard enough I wince. It feels like he just clamped me against him and won’t ever let go. He turns us both as if we’re dancing and carefully backs me into the bricks of a building. The smooth way his body maneuvers mine is erotic to my confused senses.
“Hi,” he says softly, heated breaths panting over my face. The only sign he exerted himself a second ago.
All words desert me as the feeling of doom vanishes from my chest. The smile fades from his face and the expression I’ve seen quick flashes of takes over. His eyes seem to sharpen and become more intense. The only difference this time is that he looks less like a mad scientist and more like a serial killer who has his prey cornered. He takes in the swelling at my cheek, the split in my eyebrow, and the new necklace I’m sure is going to turn black and purple soon.
I’m not fighting him. Or putting up any kind of struggle as he fully presses his body to mine. My brain is screaming at me to run while my heart is saying hey, it’s Jake! He isn’t hurt. He feels even better than he looks. I didn’t realize I was still that concerned for him until the feeling drops away.
“I see my imp has been busy while I’ve been away,” he remarks casually as his eyes narrow on my wounds.
“Get away from me,” I manage to get out hoarsely. The words spark a wobbly sense of panic, and I try to get away from him. I don’t have enough strength in my limbs to manage it. I’m more wavering on my feet than struggling. My arm comes up to create a space between my chest and his but ends up flopping uselessly. As soon as I try to move the baton his fingers tighten over my wrist. Not hard but enough that I know a spin won’t happen.
His expression darkens, and his eyes meet mine. They seem blank, like South’s, for a split second until I see deeper. There’s something wild in them that I don’t recognize. My brain is screaming that it isn’t good, but my body is sagging weakly, all of the fight washing out of me as pain takes first place.
I want to sit down and have a pint of ice cream with some alcohol to wash it down. And some aspirin. What do I have to do to make that possible?
He slowly releases his hold on my ass and brings his hand up to lightly run his fingers over my neck. Even with the gentleness, I wince at the burning sting.
“I see now,” he whispers and nods to himself.
The same hand reaches behind him underneath the jacket and then stiffens to point at the guy who’s slowly regaining consciousness. I get a brief flash of something black in his hand before Jake’s arm jerks. At the same time, a loud clap of sound deafens me.
I cringe, turning my face away from the sound as if that could help. An insistent ringing starts up that sends every other sound into the background. My head hurts too damn much for this.
Jake’s body moves, his chest rumbling against mine. I can tell he’s speaking, but not what he’s saying. It’s all mumbles and earnest looks of concern as I stare up at him in dazed confusion. My hands go up to grip his shirt in my fists to keep steady. I feel wobbly, and he’s the only stable thing I have near me. I don’t notice when the baton falls to the ground.
Something pulls my attention away from his face and toward the empty mouth of the alley. Jake’s head follows. He leans away from me to toss the gun from one hand to the other and aims where I’m staring before I stumble. When I fall into him, he stays stiffly in place. His arm bands around my waist to hold me close.
Mikael rounds the corner with a gun at the ready, Ace close behind him. They take in the situation with calm expressions and focus on the guy instead of Jake. Their mouths move for a second before the muffled sounds snap into painful focus.
“-in public?” Mikael is saying angrily.
“He put his hands on her. I killed him,” Jake’s tone is way too reasonable for that kind of action.
“Get her out of here,” Ace seethes, his attention going to me. I’m mostly hidden behind Jake’s body, so he doesn’t see much.
Jake’s arm lowers, replacing the weapon at the small of his back. Both arms go around me this time as he frowns.
“Can you hear me?” he asks slowly. His hands move restlessly up and down my back, the heat searing me. I feel like I just got dipped in ice water.
I blink and nod a few times. That intense expression is overwritten with concern and a brief flash of irritation.
“Sorry about that, meine Seele. I didn’t think about the noise. He won’t interrupt us again.”
“Jesus, Jake,” Mikael grunts and moves past us.
Jake ignores their furious commentary and brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. I’m still nodding, and I can’t seem to stop. It’s agonizing. I just thought my knee hurt. Am I in shock? I should be running away from them. They’re going to toss me back in jail or worse.
Fingers pinch my chin and tilt me to see Ace next to Jake with concern all over his face. I’m too dazed to be mad at the move.
“You alright, darlin’?” His eyes rove over me, taking in the bruises I have covering me like a rash.
“Grab her weapon,” Jake instructs him with a confidence I haven’t heard before. “I’m taking you home now, meine Seele . Ok? Stick with me.”
Jake begins slowly backing up, forcing Ace to let go. My hands clench on his vest, and he pauses, making a soothing noise in his throat.
“I’m not leaving you. It’s fine. We’ll get home and have a hot bath together. How does that sound?”
It sounds wrong. I’m starting to think my sanity deserted me somewhere in this alley. He sounds so rational but his words are not what I’m expecting. Maybe I have a concussion.
A white SUV pulls up at the entrance of the alley, distracting me from his crazy speech.
“I can’t,” I mutter in confusion, my steps shuffling as he leads me away from whatever destruction is behind me. My lack of any particular feeling is beginning to irritate me. I embrace the familiar emotion gratefully.
“Did you just shoot that guy?” My voice is weak, and I sound like a bullfrog. I haven’t let him go, but my disapproval is apparent.
“I did,” he says in the soothing tone of someone trying to lure a feral cat to a food dish.
The door of the vehicle behind him opens, and Gabriel appears, looking furious. He sees Jake, and his mouth opens, then his eyes flit to me, and it snaps shut. Emotions cross his face so quickly that I can’t identify them before he settles on the cold mask.
“Get her in the car, Jake.”
No. I can’t let that happen.
Jake sees the panic flooding my face and tightens his arms around my waist to heft me up and carry me to the car.
“No,” I croak, my feet coming up to brace against his knees and keep him from moving. I’m distantly surprised that he can carry my weight. Especially with me struggling even though it’s feeble at best.
“I’ve got you now,” Jake whispers, confusing me. “No one will ever touch you like that again. I’ll kill anyone that tries, I promise you.”
His arms release me, and hands grab my arms to pull me into the vehicle. I barely keep my feet as one hand lets go, and the other yanks me close.
Gabriel keeps me next to him as Jake hops in to squeeze me between them. The door stays open long enough for me to see Ace’s furious face as he sets the baton on the floorboard at my feet. Then it slams closed.
Cade is sitting across from me, looking pissed. He leans across the seat and opens a cubby by one of the armrests.
“We should go.” Jake’s smile reappears from the corner of my eye. My brows furrow at the switch in personality.
Cade sits up with a bottle of water and opens it to hand to me. I stare at it blankly and he gives me a tight smile.
“It will help your throat until we can get to the doctor.”
“You can get her another one. Unopened,” Jake says teasingly.
Cade’s eyes snap to him and widen slightly. “I didn’t-”
“ Unopened, Cadey,” Jake’s smile turns into a baring of teeth. His arm moves to prop along the backrest behind my head, enveloping me in the smell of his cologne. I’m more focused on the scent of citrus, wood, and spice than anything else.
Gabriel’s hand tightens over my forearm as he stares at my face. He’s getting a great up-close view of my swollen cheek. I watch the slowly retreating water bottle in a daze.
“Are we all on the same page now?” Jake looks around at them both as Cade digs out another water with a concerned expression.
“We are ,” Cade insists, extending his arm with a fresh water bottle with the cap on. Jake takes it and inspects it carefully before handing it to me.
I’m suddenly parched, my tongue dry, and the water looks amazing. It tastes almost sweet, but I struggle with swallowing and tilting my head back to drink. When I get a few sips, I lower my head to pop my neck. It gives me a little relief, but not much.
I’m still drifting in a haze as they stare at me. Until the door opens again, startling me, and Ace gets in followed closely by Mikael. When I jump, Jake’s arm drops onto my shoulders, and Gabriel’s hand tightens on me. Both Ace and Mikael glare at Jake as they settle with Cade in the middle. The three look like the beginnings of an extremely violent football team.
“That was beyond reckless,” Mikael begins to lecture. I tune him out. If they’re focusing on Jake it gives me an opportunity to defend myself.
My eyes slide down to the floorboard where the baton is waiting for me to pick it up. Jake’s leather shoe goes over it and presses down. My lips tighten over the move as his thumb rubs over my shoulder as if it could soothe me.
“I’d rather not get hit with that,” he interrupts Mikael to tell me with a gentle smile. I don’t think he’s listening to whatever lecture is going on. “I’m impressed by the damage you did. His ribs on the left? Very spongy, my imp. After only two hits. It can stay down there for the drive. You rest.”
I don’t respond as my eyes slide away to take in the buildings we pass without moving my head. I didn’t notice we had started moving, and the idea is making the unease rise past the ache in my head. I can’t tell where we’re heading, but the doom feeling doesn’t make an appearance.
The damn thing is on the fritz. Stupid, useless superpower.
A silence descends over them like a wet blanket and all the attention swings to me.
I ignore them, focusing on finding a location that I recognize so I know where we’re going. There’s five of them and one of me. And at least Jake and Mikael are armed. It’s safe to assume the rest are too. It hasn’t passed my notice that none of them are surprised that we just left a dead man behind. Even the driver I haven’t really seen isn’t in hysterics over it. Not exactly a good sign for me.
Less than twenty-four hours of freedom, and I’m either going back to jail or heading to a place where they can bury my body. The abruptness of it pisses me off. I thought I’d have at least a week to track people down.
I’m just starting to wallow in ‘I had a good run’ thoughts when my text chime rings out. It takes my dazed mind a second to catch up to the fact it’s really my phone. I reach for my back pocket and pull it out without much thought behind it.
The screen now has chunks of glass missing and is darkened enough I can barely read it. I’m lucky it still works. Now I have to figure out if I have glass in my butt or just in my back pocket.
South: Taking him to Shade. They have two days before I come get you.
I frown at the text as several more come through from an unknown number in a flood.
Unknown: Hi Amanda! Don’t be scared. They know you didn’t steal any money. They feel really bad about everything.
Unknown: The apartment destroyer WAS NOT ACE! They’re all innocent! I took the proof if you need it! Please please please give them another chance. They got played.
Unknown: This is Tera.
Unknown: Text back if you need B&E advice. I’m so excited you’re into it!
I don’t know how to respond to either one. The amount of disappointment that South isn’t tracking me down to bust me out of this is stifling. She still thinks they’re the safest option, despite my arguments. I take off a glove to text her back first, what’s left of the glass crunching under my angry typing.
Me: Asshole. Who’s lazy now?
South: You. Get out yourself. You have two days before I show. Make them count.
This utter dick of a friend. I can’t tell if she’s giving me space to continue destroying Gabriel’s things or taking a vacation from my drama to play torture games with her fiancé.
I can’t text Tera like that, though. She’s too kind for my usual snark, and I did nothing to have her risking herself to save my ass. She at least deserves a fuck ton of respect.
Me: Hi Tera. Thanks for your help. Stay at home and safe. No more meetings with shady people!
So much for all the yelling I planned to give her. I’m not into kicking puppies, though.
She sends back emojis, mainly hearts and clapping hands. How is someone this sweet an expert in breaking and entering? Does she send apology letters afterward?
Everything goes silent again, and I return my focus to the windows, clutching the phone in my hands.
Gabriel softly clears his throat. Ace starts popping his knuckles. Cade glares at Jake. Mikael shifts in discomfort. They look like they had a rough night, which amuses me for a second. While they are still dressed in familiar clothes Jake looks fresh out of a fashion shoot. It makes their wrinkled suits and exhausted faces more obvious.
“Let’s catch up,” Jake says pleasantly and twists to prop his knee on the seat between us. His arm moves away until his hand is gently cupping the nape of my neck. It gives me more breathing room but keeps his foot over the stick and my body frozen under his touch.
“I’ll start. I placed cameras in your apartment after I first saw you. I’ve been watching you for quite a while. Following you too.”
All of the other guys straighten in surprise to give him dirty glares.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell us?” Ace snarls.
My head tries to snap in his direction but I can’t twist that way without it hurting. I wince and touch the back of my head carefully. There’s a giant knot hiding under my hair. His hand starts gently massaging the tense muscles in my neck, careful to stay away from the bruises coming up.
“I know you’re angry with me, meine Seele . I’d like you to put that aside for a moment so we can get focused. Stop playing with it, or it will get worse.”
I can’t focus on anything other than the pain at the back of my head. He grips my wrist and carefully draws my hand away from my head. He checks my gloved fingers for blood, then holds my hand like we’re on a date, intertwining our fingers and resting them together on my thigh. The grip on my neck disappears, and my hair tumbles down to hide my face. The instant feeling of relief helps me pay attention.
“The man that left the false bank statement was hired by Loser. I assume you’ve already spoken with Blake? Your vicinity to his building is promising for it.”
I roll my eyes to see Jake’s hopeful expression through my hair.
“I did,” I rasp out carefully. The words sound ominous and threatening, but they’re perfect. I feel my lips twitch up in a small, satisfied smile. I should feel bad for what I did, but the feeling is absent.
Jake’s grin comes back out and he nods as if he’s proud of me. It actually feels good for a second before I squish the feeling. I don’t need his approval.
“You faced Blake alone ?” Cade snaps and leans forward with his teeth gritted. “Do you know how dangerous that was?”
My eyes roll up to him without moving my head, and my expression flattens out. This man is too stupid to live. Why can’t he be put in front of me on the list of people to die? I’ll move down the line and get a few more hours. Like tripping someone in a horror movie to keep the killer at bay. I never would have thought I was the type.
The look on my face makes him close his mouth and lean back warily.
“Did he offer divorce papers?” Jake interrupts with glee, making Cade glare at him.
“We have bigger obstacles than that right now,” Gabriel interrupts with a frigid tone.
“Did you see who trashed my place?” I ask Jake and drop my eyes to the baton. He hasn’t moved his foot yet. I’m not sharing anything with these assholes, no matter how wonderful anyone else thinks they are. Fool me once and all that.
“I did,” Jake rolls with my lack of answer as if we’re the only two people here. “Marcos, something. I can’t remember. He was paid by Judge Fullerton. His charges were dropped on his upcoming case like magic. His first day of freedom got used up trashing your things.”
Good for him. Now he’s free for me to beat the shit out of him for ruining my panties and my sanity. A mental anguish lawsuit with broken bones as a payout, no corrupt lawyers necessary.
“I hope you don’t mind but I took point on that one. If I overstepped, I apologize. I’ve already spoken with him. His hospital room is 337 if you feel like you need something more from him,” he offers blandly and untangles our fingers to pull out his phone.
My brows furrow at the notes app he opens and the paragraph he’s looking at. It’s angled so that I can’t read it but it doesn’t seem intentional. He put him in the hospital. And he’s apologizing for not letting me get a few swings in? Why haven’t I been paying more attention to Jake again?
“Marcos Perez. The room number is 33 5 . Ander Springs Emergency Hospital, critical unit. Entry is tight but doable. He won’t be able to say much for a few weeks, though, if he manages to survive, so perhaps we should wait.”
I slowly turn to give him a look of disbelief that he ignores as he continues reviewing his notes.
“Next up is the Matthias tech that planted the virus. Nicholas Hall was paid by Blake. I think he and Fullerton are working independently on isolating you, even though they’re linked through the property purchases. None of these plans are coordinated. Most of your assailants have been untrained. Until today, that is.”
This means that Blake and Fullerton were trying to box me into returning to Blake’s side for the money and the pictures. She’s in some of them, after all. Low-level attackers that can be released from jail easily and put back in without much fuss. Now that I have a major player’s attention, the attackers are becoming professionals. How awesome.
Jake’s thumb scrolls down to another paragraph. “Next, we have Lance Anderson, Chris Dunn, and David Bethesda. All paid to make it convincing to Gabe and the rest that you were guilty of theft. They were paid by Fullerton as well, but I turned them over to the real Matthias with big pink bows in your honor. Again, I apologize for taking liberties in your name.”
“You what ?” Gabriel breathes in icy fury.
Pink bows? How hard did I hit my head?
“I needed to get an old friend’s attention, and that was the fastest route,” he tosses back without remorse. “Matthias would like you to answer when he calls, Gabe. I made sure to leave your phones intact at home for easy use. You’ll likely find several messages by now.”
“Jake,” Mikael starts in a voice rumbling with anger.
Jake’s head slowly rises to pierce the big man with a blank-eyed stare.
“Yes, Mikael?” He sounds sweet, but the look on his face says he’s ready to stab him fifty-eight times if he isn’t careful. “You can’t possibly blame me for searching for a friend to back me up. He would listen to my arguments without protest, unlike some.”
Cade winces and looks away.
I’m so confused. But not enough. Does this prove the mafia theory? Is Gabriel the spoiled son of a Don and these are his henchmen? Maybe they’re the drug angle of this. It doesn’t feel right, though. He said he hates the mafia. Not to mention, I don’t think sweet Tera would believe drug dealing was innocent . Then again, she’s best friends with South. What do I know anymore?
“Since none of my fellow team members wanted to listen to my defense of Amanda, the rest falls to me and people I can trust at my back.”
“Jake, I didn’t mean to-”
He cuts into Cade’s protest with a raised hand without taking his eyes off Mikael. “I get it, Cade. Your issues I understand better than anyone else here. We’ll discuss it. Until then, I’d like everyone to take a moment to pull their heads out of their asses while Amanda and I compare notes.”
He turns his head, casually dismissing their furious expressions. “Where was I, meine Seele ?”
Jake is looking at me expectantly, but I’m frowning at his fluid slip into German. It keeps happening, leaving behind a faint accent that disappears quickly and returns without warning. Meine means my or mine, I think. I have no idea what the other word is.
“Oh, yeah,” the American accent returns in a blink. “You’ve handled Blake. Can I assume that I’ll be visiting the hospital to ask him my questions?”
I don’t answer him, my chin dropping so he can’t see my expression anymore. He makes a thoughtful sound and continues.
“I have feelers out to find anyone else in Matthias LLC that’s involved. I’ve run out of people to question other than the Judge. What have you found? What questions have you been asking?”
My brain slowly processes what he’s telling me without showing on my face. This is a curveball, and I’m not sure what ballpark I’m in now. Mafia Central Fields?
He’s freely offering his help, and he’s steps ahead of me. And behind at the same time. He hasn’t mentioned the golf course or anything more. He’s focused on the people who made it possible for me to get arrested.
That confirms they had me highlighting to keep an eye on me. But it adds to the fact that they’re still in the dark about what’s going on under the surface. They must have thought I knew more, and I was drawing out the reveal so I could use them. There was never any trust with them. They wanted to use me until I supposedly tipped my hand with the theft.
I could explain it all to them. Let them do their worst against the people who have me in their sights. But I would have to trust them for that. I’m not falling back into that mindset if I can help it. For all I know, this is another trick.
The people I’m giving information to all believe they’re innocent, but I have a lot of doubts.
There’s no way I can verify Jake is being honest. Even if he took me to a hospital and showed me the guy who tore up my apartment, I wouldn’t know him.
Am I wavering on their association with Blake already? After everything I’ve gone through, my trust issues should be screaming at me. They aren’t. Neither is the warning system.
There’s also the fact that somewhere out there is an account with my name on it that has who knows how much money in it. It might be where Gabriel’s money went, too. They might already know about it. I could ask, but I can’t afford to do that. It isn’t just me in danger here, and I can’t forget that.
Whoever was being kept in those cages is counting on me to stop making mistakes. As much as I want to tell them and get victims out quickly, I can’t trust that’s what they’ll do. Would they even care? I would have assumed anyone would until recently.
When my mouth stays shut, Jake nods with a concerned frown. He brushes the hair away from my face in a delicate sweep. His eyes move over my neck. “How hurt are you, my imp? Any confusion? Blurred vision?”
Everyone focuses on me while I stare at the baton, willing it to magically appear in my hand. Gabriel’s hand squeezes my forearm again like he’s trying to get me to talk. My continued silence seems to be a prompt for everyone else to talk to me.
“Shade said that a car tried to hit you?” Mikael asks softly. He acts like he’s a cop questioning a fragile witness. I’m surprised he isn’t offering me a tissue and a hug.
That event feels like it happened a lifetime ago. Jesus, it’s Tuesday. How am I going to make it through this when I don’t expect to make it to Wednesday?
“What else?” Jake asks him with a scowl. His intensity is focused as he scrolls to start taking more notes. “What have I missed?”
Mikael is eager to share with him, and Cade solemnly pitches in. They’re watching me as if they’re waiting for me to add details or reasons behind it. All while looking like they kicked a puppy on accident and are stuck watching it struggle to stand back up. Assholes.
I squeeze my eyes shut to help block out the conversation they had with Tera and Shade. It doesn’t work well, but it does ease the throbbing headache that started at some point.
They told them about a virus that made me look like a thief. So, no money got moved. It shoots my hopes to find the account through that transaction in the foot. They go over my apartment getting trashed again with a pointed explanation of how it wasn’t Ace. My graceful trip down the stairs. But Shade didn’t bring up the properties, which I find interesting. It’s enough to keep my mouth firmly shut. Shade knows, and that’s all that matters.
Their faith in this group is concerning. I expected Shade to break in or make demands. Instead, he and Tera gave them proof of my innocence and Tera is telling me they’re innocent too.
I’ll have to thank Tera again. It’s so hard to imagine her being a genius at hacking and breaking and entering. She probably has some superpower, too. The world is not how I knew it months ago. Again .
“I wouldn’t be surprised if both of them are at the house waiting to throw more info our way,” Cade finishes in exasperation.
That gets my attention like he used a cattle prod on me.
“ Not Tera ,” I protest with a demanding, angry rasp, surprising them. “Leave her out of it.”
“She’s pregnant, and we’ll start keeping her away as much as we can,” Jake agrees gently, squeezing the nape of my neck in reassurance.
“None of this makes sense,” Ace interrupts, totally focused on me. He hasn’t looked away once. It makes me sad because I didn’t get that when I needed it desperately. He can take it away whenever he wants. I’m not relying on it anymore.
“The escalation of events is too fast for what we’ve found,” Gabriel agrees. He shifts next to me as if he’s trying to get my attention.
“I think this goes deeper,” Jake says and scrolls to another app on his phone. “Blake and Fullerton are red herrings to cover something else. Well-funded but incompetent.”
More competent than them. They have no idea what’s really under the surface. If they aren’t acting.
“Manda?” Ace asks hesitantly.
This is the point where I would normally explode all over them. Or maybe that was thirty minutes ago? Either way, it isn’t happening now. All that rage is locked up tight. Assaulting Blake felt way too good and I’m spent. Besides, they don’t get any more pieces of me, big or small.
They wanted to play mystery team. I’m not on it with them. I told them that in the beginning. They can use whatever mafia ties they’ve got and make their own mess. I have other plans.
The car slows, and my attention goes to the window as we pass a massive metal fence. I hurt too badly to turn and watch it close behind us. I’m stuck looking at a freshly cut lawn and then a massive house with a stupidly long driveway that makes my lips curl in disgust. It’s the type of place Blake always dreamed of living in.
A pristine white mansion with two levels sprawled across a green expanse. There are at least eight big pane windows on each floor with light curtains that cover without blocking out the light. There’s even a balcony on the second floor with lounge chairs waiting for occupation. Pillars everywhere. A rich scumbag’s dream taken right out of a magazine.
The garage is open if the giant building that could house fifty cars can be called that. I can see at least three white SUVs inside. The driver doesn’t go into it. Instead, he circles to the entrance of the mansion.
There are two people standing on the steps leading to the house. I can’t escape the damn stairs everywhere.
My body tenses up as they watch the vehicle with tight, professional smiles.
“Doctors, meine Seele . Nothing to worry over. It’s all right,” Jake says with a frown.
The car slows to a stop, and Jake doesn’t hesitate to open the door and slide out. He quickly grabs the baton and offers me a hand to help me get out. I eye it warily and then meet his blank gaze.
“The good doctors will check you out. Are you feeling well enough for that?” His happy smile is back, but it’s fake. All of his happiness has been fake. It’s the brief flashes that I’ve seen of him that are real. The monstrous aspects that I’m just beginning to understand.
It isn’t like I’m in any shape to make a break for it.
I slap my hand in his, grimacing as all the aches and pains clamor for my attention. He doesn’t pull me. His hand offers support for my stiffened muscles to use to stand. Sitting still for the extended drive has made everything start aching.
Jake steadies me as I get out, wobble, and move forward. My knee is starting to ache again, making me limp with gritted teeth. Jake wraps an arm around my waist to add more support.
“That’s not good,” a chuckling voice pulls a scowl from me. The younger-looking doctor sees it, and the smile falters. “I’m Dr. Fischer.”
“She needs privacy,” Jake interrupts in a dark tone with a hint of an accent. “You’ll see her in the study, and you won’t touch her for this exam unless she gives you express permission.”
“R-right,” the doctor stutters and hurries into the house with his older counterpart following behind him.
“You will take little Jakob with you,” Jake mutters to me and hands me the baton.
“Jakob. The baton?” The Germanic pronunciation of Jacob is interesting. “Are you from Germany, Jake?”
“Deutschland,” he corrects me with a grin. “And yes, I was born there. A story for another time. I’ll bring you a fresh set of clothes to put on after the good doctor sees you. If he offers you medication for the pain, take it, meine Seele . I can tell that you’re hiding wounds from me.”
Look what he can’t force me to do.
Our eyes meet like two bulls locking horns in stubbornness. My enraged brown versus his serial killer blue.
“Then I will prepare you a medicinal bath instead,” he relents with narrowed eyes.
I’m not sure how to handle this version of him. I definitely can’t ignore him now. Who knows what he’ll do if I’m not paying attention?
“Can I speak to you for a second?” Cade says through gritted teeth. He’s talking to Jake and looks absolutely furious.
“I regret being the one to leave you,” Jake informs me with a smile that holds a lot of malice. “I wouldn’t have let anyone touch you, meine Seele . If you believe nothing or no one else, you can believe that.”
I keep my mouth shut as I frown. I have a lot of questions, but it looks like the people who actually know him have a few as well.
“If you’re in doubt, I still have young Nicholas Hall in the basement.”
“ Now ,” Cade snaps and grabs his bicep to pull him away from me. Jake gives me a wink before he disappears around a corner with Mikael hot on his heels. Ace and Gabriel are the only ones left with me. I have no idea where to go.
“See if there’s a body in the basement,” Gabriel mutters to Ace. He’s trying to be quiet, but his voice seems to echo around us in the empty cavernous entrance.
“No,” Ace snaps back. “I’m not leavin’ her.”
I try not to roll my eyes at that. When I fail, I see the doctor waiting in front of an open doorway. I don’t hesitate to join him. The door closing quietly behind me lets my shoulders droop with relief.
“Let’s take a look,” the doctor says with a pained smile. The other doctor asks me to remove as much clothing as I feel comfortable with and offers me a hospital gown.
I look at the professional gear they have gathered in the room and decide to let them take a crack at all my issues. They leave for me to get changed and come back in as soon as I give them the all clear.
Halfway through the exam, they look horrified, and the older one quietly asks me if any of them did this to me. I’m confused about the question.
“Are any of them dead?” I ask blandly. My voice is still hoarse but talking to him has eased it some.
He blinks at me and says, “Fair enough.”
He offers me a heavy-duty pain medication that I refuse. I’m not drugging myself up with so many people here. I tend to get chatty when I’m loopy.
Then he tells me to try ibuprofen and a nap. That sounds better, but a nap is unavailable at the moment.
The sluggishly bleeding scrape on my arm, plus the stench of the alley, has him handing me a bottle of antibiotics that he demands I take without argument. He gives me some bandages and ointment for it. My split eyebrow, which started sluggishly bleeding at some point, is sealed with some kind of super glue for skin that burns like hell. The back of my head has two goose eggs that hurt, but no concussion. My knee is a little swollen. All-in-all, I’m not as bad off as it feels.
A gentle knock comes from the door and I twist in the chair to watch the doorway. Jakob hasn’t left my hand once, even when the doctor asked me to set it aside. When I pull it onto my lap, he clears his throat and checks the door. He comes back with a plush robe that he offers to me.
“Your bath is waiting.”
Service with a really wary smile. What a great hotel.