Chapter 31
TOM
“Find her!” I bark, the speaker crackling as Royce does whatever the fuck he can to give us an exact location.
Kat sobs my name, her screams and the scraping and crunching of metal filling the car.
This is why I don’t get involved.
This is fucking why.
Because my heart is in my god damn throat as I press the pedal down as far as it will go.
“Intersection of Spruce and Highland!” Royce’s voice is confident.
Grounding.
Hell, it’s the only thing holding me together right now as I fight back the panic.
And I don’t panic.
Muscle memory and adrenaline are running the show right now, my ability to function in high-stress situations like breathing.
I just do it.
Thank fuck for that, because otherwise I’d be losing my shit more than I already am.
“I’m coming. Just hang in there,” I say out loud both for her and for me.
She has to be all right, not just because she’s my client and I’ve never lost a case but because I care about her.
Want her.
Need her like I need my next breath.
And I should have fucking told her.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“Breathe, Kat. I need you to stay focused.”
I do my best to talk her through it, the steady stream of comforting bullshit like a song you hear every day on the radio. You don’t even have to think about it; you just know all the words.
“Turn right here,” Grimm says from the passenger seat, his hand wrapped around the handle above the door, the tires squealing as I take the turn faster than reasonably safe for most people.
But I’m not most people.
I’m Tom Fucking Oakden.
“Her tag isn’t moving,” Royce updates as my gaze swings to Grimm before landing on the road.
“Three blocks.”
“Where the fuck is Jace?” I bark.
“Behind us,” Grimm replies as we wind up on a straightaway lined with trees, tire marks on the asphalt. Even with the fading sun, it’s clear something happened here.
Something bad.
My gaze sweeps from side to side like my head is on a swivel, and then I see it.
The car.
“She’s there.” I point. “Tell Jace and Ozzy to sweep the area.”
He nods, murmuring into his earpiece as I lock down every emotion I possess to keep her and my team safe.
The front bumper of her car kisses a hedgerow, the driver’s side absolutely beat to hell with damage, the rear light smashed, and the back bumper crushed.
And that’s just what I can see.
“Kat, can you hear me? We’re here. We’re coming to get you,” I tell her, driving the final distance across the intersection and into the grass as I throw the SUV in park.
Grimm and I exit in unison, both of us scanning the area looking for anyone still lurking around.
“Do you have her?” Royce asks, his voice no longer calm as he waits for the answer.
With Grimm on the other side of the vehicle, I approach the driver’s door and knock on the glass, “Kat, can you—”
Wide eyes take only a second to focus before she’s scrambling out of her seat belt as I rip the door open, catching her as she jumps into my arms.
Fuck.
I hold her tighter as I stumble back a step, her face buried in my neck, my skin damp with her tears.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” She says the words over and over, but now’s not the time.
“Dark paint transfer,” Grimm says as Jace and Ozzy circle back to us.
“Give me a minute,” I tell Grimm and he nods, heading the other two off as I walk with Kat still in my arms to the passenger side of my SUV. “I need you to sit,” I tell her as gently as I can, setting her on the seat and unlocking her arms from around me.
“I was so scared,” she whispers, her face red and splotchy from crying, and without thinking, I brush the wetness from her cheeks, cradling her head in my hands before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You’re mad.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry I—”
“I know, Kitten,” I tell her because I do. I know she’d never have left if she’d thought this would be the result. “Are you hurt?”
She shakes her head. “No and it wasn’t Jace’s fault. I snuck out and—”
“I know. But I need you to realize we have rules in place, Kat. You could have been taken”—I swallow hard—“or worse.”
“Tom.”
“Please stay in the car, okay?” It takes everything in me to keep my voice even as I spot the abrasion on her chest from the seat belt. She’ll probably be bruised, but it’s nothing compared to what it could have been.
“Promise.”
I drop another kiss to her forehead, my lips lingering on her skin for a beat before I straighten and close the door.
Three sets of eyes land on me as soon as I round the back of the SUV, and Jace is the first to open his mouth.
“Boss, I’m—”
“I know.” My gaze locks on his because while I’m pissed, we can’t control everything. “Figure out where you messed up and do better. Be better and don’t let it fucking happen again.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The Blues are on a winning streak.” I meet each of their eyes and wait for a nod of acknowledgment.
It’s a last resort.
A code.
And one I’ve only had to use a handful of times. Usually we can work with a contingency plan somewhere in the middle, but not this time. Kat and I will be off the grid.
Untraceable.
Secure.
I can hear the detachment in my voice, compartmentalization the only thing keeping me from absolutely losing my mind in this moment. “Ozzy, go check Kat over. She definitely got whipped around, but I didn’t see anything at first glance.”
He nods and does an about-face toward my SUV. We all have some medic training, but his remains the most extensive at this point.
“Phone.” I hold out my hand and Grimm places his in my palm. “Royce, give me something.”
“Grimm scanned the car and there’s definitely a tracking device somewhere in there that’s not ours. Guys will get it back to Kat’s house. Tow truck is already en route. We’ll bring her car back here and rip it apart. They’ll sweep her house again, then lock it down and put eyes on it.”
“Good.” I rub my hand over my jaw. “I’ll let you know when we arrive. Call Samson and see if he’s ready to make the jump.”
“He didn’t give you his number,” Royce says.
“That’s what I have you for,” I tell him and he chuckles.
“I’ll let you know.”
“Hook him up with Ozzy if he agrees.”
I say the words to Royce but I’m looking over my shoulder at Ozzy and the grin spreading across his face as he nods at me from the SUV.
It’s been a while since he’s gotten to train anyone.
And that’s a shame because even if they’ve been a good candidate, one week with the man in front of me could have them running for the hills.
Saves us the headache.
And paperwork.
“You got it.” Royce disconnects and my skin feels too tight.
It’s time to go.
“Boss.” Jace takes a step forward, the apology clear in his expression, but I shake my head.
“You fucked up. But we got lucky.” Knowing we all need a reset, I add, “Once you take care of the car and the house, head back to base. Get one of the other guys not on a case to take the first shift at the house and then all of you grab some gloves and take a couple of rounds in the ring.”
“Dibs,” Ozzy calls as he rejoins our little circle, and Jace hangs his head but snorts out a laugh because he knows what’s coming.
“How you handle this,” I tell Jace, “determines if you stay here. I can’t keep you if you second-guess every decision you make.”
Instead of cowering, Jace stands taller, his shoulders back. “I’ll get my head on straight.”
“Good.”
“Oh, come on,” Ozzy whines, “I was hoping to knock him around a bit before the self-reflection kicked in.”
“Watch them,” I tell Grimm and he sighs, resigned, but I know he’ll enjoy taking a few swings just as much as the rest of them.
“I will.”
“How’s Kat?” I ask Ozzy, who meets my gaze and dips his head.
“She’s going to be sore. Some bruising and abrasions but otherwise she’s just shaken up.”
“Good,” I say even though the words feels like ash on my tongue. She should never have gotten hurt. “We’ll reconvene in the morning.”
Shaking hands with each of them, with a terse goodbye, I make my way back to the SUV and take a steadying breath before opening the door and climbing inside.