GENEVIEVE
“Ihate this.” Isaiah cupped my face, dropping his forehead to mine.
“Me too.”
“It should be me going in there.”
I shook my head. “It’ll never work. It can only be me.”
Our plan was to catch Marcus off guard at home. I was going to waltz up to his door and lie my ass off. A half-cocked plan? Yup. But it was a chance—a slim chance—at putting an end to all of this.
A chance I was going to take.
The chief of police wasn’t going to confess to murder. I gave the likelihood of him admitting to stabbing my mother and shoving me in a trunk slightly above zero percent. But we had to try. What was the alternative? Spending my life in prison? Or Isaiah? Or both of us? Hell no.
At least, not without a fight.
So after we’d spent a few hours hashing out the plan at the garage, we’d all gone our separate ways. Dash and Bryce had taken Xander home. Bryce would be at home with the baby while her father came over to stay with them at the house. Emmett and Leo had gone to do whatever Emmett and Leo had to do.
And Isaiah and I had gone to the apartment.
We’d forced ourselves to eat something. I hadn’t been hungry at first even though I’d missed lunch. But after a few bites of a ham sandwich, my appetite had returned and I’d inhaled the whole thing.
Isaiah had been too nervous to eat. I’d never seen such worry and fear on his face. We’d sat in a silent apartment, on the couch with our fingers laced, until it had been time to leave. Isaiah had insisted on driving, something I knew he only did when he was really concerned about me.
We’d driven my car across town and had been the first to arrive at the predetermined meeting location.
Two blocks away, Marcus Wagner was in his home.
Maybe he was watching television with his wife.
Maybe he was already in bed. It was nearly ten o’clock at night and dark.
At the garage earlier, we’d decided that the time to act was now.
We didn’t want to give Marcus any time to talk to a judge and haul me back in for more questions.
We didn’t want to give him time to settle or recharge.
If there was a time to catch him off guard, it was tonight.
My stomach knotted.
“Be careful,” Isaiah whispered. “If you see him reach for a gun or—”
“I know.” I wrapped my arms around his waist. “We’ve been through it. I’ll be careful. If I think he’ll hurt me, I’ll run.”
“Stay out of his reach. No matter what, stay back.”
“I will.”
He sighed. “We could go to the prosecutor. Or another cop. Maybe one of his officers would like a chance to dethrone the chief.”
In the garage, we’d tossed around idea after idea. That had been one of them. But without evidence, we were stuck, like we’d been all year. No cop would turn against his boss if he had nothing to hang him on.
“We’ve talked about this,” I said. “If Marcus gets word of that, we’ll never win. He’ll never talk and he’ll push even harder on the necklace.” And if he managed to put me in a prison cell, that would be the end. “He’s too smart.”
“But if he doesn’t confess, we’re sunk.”
I tipped my chin up, meeting his gaze. “How do you feel about Canada? We might have to make a run for it tonight.”
He grinned. “If that’s what it’ll take for us to have a life together, I’m good with Canada.”
“We could change our names and live way up north. We’d be like pioneers, living off the grid.”
His thumb stroked my cheek. “As long as your last name matches mine, I’m good with that too.”
I collapsed into him again, drawing in a deep breath of his smell and soaking in the warmth of his arms. Isaiah had a way with simple words that made me feel cherished. He made me feel special. He gave me a place to belong.
Headlights flashed as the low rumble of an engine drifted across the night air.
I unwrapped my arms from Isaiah as Dash’s black truck crept down the quiet street. He parked behind my car, shutting down the engine. Then Dash, Emmett and Leo climbed out. They closed the doors carefully, making sure not to slam them shut.
All three were dressed in head-to-toe black, much like Isaiah. Dash had a gun holstered on his hip while Emmett and Leo had theirs in hand.
Dash’s hazel gaze was cold and deadly. Even in the dark, I could see the menace and calculation behind those eyes. Tonight, he wasn’t my brother or the loving husband of my best friend. Tonight, Dash was the cruel and hard president of a motorcycle gang. And he’d brought along his brothers.
Leo pulled his hood over his head. Emmett tucked a strand of hair beneath his beanie.
“Ready?” Dash asked.
No. I nodded anyway. Then I turned to Isaiah, drinking in his handsome face.
I didn’t want to do this. I wasn’t strong enough. But for him, I’d find the courage. I’d do this for the promise of the life we’d have if we truly set ourselves free.
“Let’s get the mic on.” Emmett pulled a small box and cord from his pocket. The box went into the back pocket of my jeans, covered by the tails of the plaid shirt he’d told me to wear. The wire was fished up my back, and the small microphone was taped into my collar.
“Say something?” He had a receiver pressed to his ear.
“Uh . . . hi.”
“Good enough.” He shoved the receiver into his pocket. The red light blinked that it was recording. “Stay within eight feet. Keep him from seeing your back and you’ll be fine. Try not to rustle your hair around.”
“I could put it up?”
He shook his head. “Down will help hide it.”
“Okay. Don’t play with my hair. Keep a straight face.” And lie, lie, lie.
What the fuck am I doing? I was a paralegal, not a spy.
“We’ll be here the whole time.” Dash put his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry.”
“What if you can’t get in?”
“We’ll get in.” Leo winked at me, then he and Emmett shared a grin.
Was this fun? Because I was not having fun. Maybe their confidence would rub off on me. I could use some—a lot.
“Okay.” I sucked in a deep breath. I can do this. “Let’s go.”
Dash squeezed my arm. Emmett and Leo gave me a sure nod. Then Isaiah took my hand as we started down the sidewalk. We walked one block, our footsteps dull thumps on the concrete.
“Emmett, I—”
He wasn’t there. None of them were. I scanned the lawns in the neighborhood around us but there was no sign of them. They’d disappeared like ghosts into the night.
“Where’d they go?” I asked Isaiah as my steps slowed.
“They’re out there.” He tugged me forward. “Don’t worry.”
I swallowed hard, forcing my legs to keep up with his pace. My footsteps felt off and unbalanced. There wasn’t any strength in my strides. Isaiah was basically pulling me along.
“I can do this,” I whispered.
“You can do this.” He gripped my hand tighter.
We continued toward Marcus’s house. At the garage earlier, Dash and Emmett had wanted to do a drive-by to scope the place out. They’d known where Marcus lived but couldn’t remember details about the home or property.
So we’d taken one of the old cars from the back lot at the garage, one of the few that actually ran, and crammed inside. It had smelled like rust and dirt as we’d driven across town, Dash and Emmett up front, Isaiah and me in the back. Leo had stayed with Bryce and the baby.
We’d passed Marcus’s house once and Dash hadn’t slowed down. He and Emmett hadn’t even glanced at the front door. Meanwhile, my face had been pressed to the glass, memorizing every single thing I could about the country-blue rancher in ten seconds.
There was a tan wooden door and a porch swing.
As we approached it tonight, that swing was glowing from the overhead light.
“I’ll be right there. Behind that bush.” Isaiah pointed ahead. We were four houses away.
“Okay.”
Three houses.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too.”
Two houses.
My heart raced.
One house.
Isaiah stopped, pulling his hand free of my grip before urging me forward with a gentle nudge.
None of the guys would approach the house until I was already there. They didn’t want to risk tripping a motion light while Marcus was inside.
Then while I was talking to Marcus at the front of the house, Dash and Leo would be breaking in through the back door. Isaiah had refused to let me out of his sight, so Dash had made the decision to hide around the side of the house.
I gulped, taking one step after another until I was at the base of the sidewalk that led to the front door. I fisted my hands.
I can do this.
I’d do this for Isaiah. I’d do it for Dad. I’d do it for Mom.
Fuck you, Marcus Wagner.
There, standing right in front of his house, I knew I could do this. He’d stolen my parents from me. If there was a chance I could make him pay, I was taking it.
I wanted to do this.
I took one step and caught movement at my side. Isaiah crept onto the lawn between the chief’s house and the neighbor’s. His pace matched mine as he took care not to get too far ahead.
As I reached the porch, he ducked behind a tall bush, completely hidden from view. The only way Marcus would see him was if he came all the way outside and halfway down the sidewalk.
But he could see me. Isaiah was there, watching. Even from a distance, I’d lean on his strength.
I stepped onto the porch and into the light. Then before I could doubt myself, I shoved my finger into the doorbell button.
A moment later, a light flicked on from inside, illuminating the front bay window.
My hands shook. Here we go.
The lock on the door flipped and Marcus filled its frame. He was wearing the same thing he had at the station, a button-down shirt and jeans, but the ends of his shirt were untucked and wrinkled.
“Genevieve?” He narrowed his eyes and straightened his shoulders, already putting up his guard.
Damn it. I was so outmatched. “Hi.”
That’s what I was leading with? Hi?
We were fucked.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
There was no point in small talk. Dash had encouraged me to cut to the chase. We were going for surprise, after all. So I shook off my Hi and pictured Mom’s face.
“You loved her.”
He blinked.
“You loved her. And you killed her because she loved Draven.”