Chapter 15
15
Every moment felt like a goodbye for Nina. The way her brother hugged her a little longer than usual, the way Zeke kissed her before they got out of bed, the way they lingered in the shower and sipped coffee and took the long way to the Rose Protection Agency office. It was all a little slower than usual, a little softer, a little harder.
The bright sunshine outside was an unfair distraction for the day. She wanted gloomy and dark. Something that matched her mood and gave her an excuse to feel sad.
“Are you ready?” Lorelei asked as Nina pulled her shirt down to cover the microphone clipped to her bra.
Nina shook her head. “Is anyone ever ready for something like this?”
Lorelei pressed her lips into a sad smile. “I don’t think so. But we’re going to be watching every second and we will make sure you’re safe.”
Nina looked into the eyes of the agent. “Do you really mean that?”
Lorelei didn’t hesitate to meet Nina’s gaze. “Yes. I know what that woman, and her employees, are capable of. I know hurt first and ignore the questions later is their MO. And I know they won’t hesitate to kill you, no matter what the consequences are.”
“How are you going to prevent that?”
“You’re not going in there alone. We worked with the owner and have agents posing as employees. We have cameras and security you’ve never heard of and we will know exactly what we’re dealing with before they walk in the door.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we will know if Gwendolyn and her people are carrying guns or knives or any other weapons. We will know how close someone needs to get to you to hurt you. And we will make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Nina exhaled slowly, trying to trust the agent she wasn’t sure she trusted.
“I know you don’t know me. I know trusting a stranger isn’t easy. I wish we’d had time to get to know each other, but every single person involved in this operation is doing it to stop her. If I could be there without causing suspicion, I would be.”
Nina snorted. “You don’t think me and Frannie having coffee is suspicious?”
Lorelei grinned wryly. “I’m sure Gwendolyn will know it’s a trap. But we’re hoping it’s a big enough one that she can’t resist.”
“How are you letting her know we’re there?” Nina had been wondering that the whole time. Did they assume Nina was being followed? Or Frannie? Or did they have a leak in the department?
“We know she’s watching both of you. Your brother and Zeke are aware of it. We wanted you in protection yesterday, when we found out you were followed, but they insisted on giving you one more night with them.”
“What?” Nina gasped. “What does that mean?”
“It means after this, we don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re going to do whatever we have to do to keep you safe.”
“Even if I refuse?” Nina hated the idea of being captive, even if it was for her own good. She told Monty and Zeke that the day before. Why didn’t they tell Lorelei?
“No,” Lorelei said. “We can’t force you. But we hope you’ll consider it.”
“I won’t. I was her prisoner for long enough. I’m not going to be anyone else’s.”
“Understood,” Lorelei said, not fighting but also not happy. “Frannie should be here soon, and we can go.”
“Isn’t she getting wired up?”
“Her husband did that already. Marcus wanted to make sure Frannie was okay and got her set up at home.”
Nina drew a breath. Why didn’t Zeke do that? Or Monty? They both disappeared when Lorelei said it was time to get her set up.
“There’s Frannie,” Lorelei said, stopping Nina’s runaway thoughts.
Nina stood and watched Frannie make her way through the office with her hand securely in the police captain’s. Nina hadn’t met Marcus Patrick, but she’d heard enough about him from Gwendolyn to know he was a good man. Gwendolyn didn’t hate people unless they were good.
Frannie walked into Monty’s office and dropped Marcus’s hand, abandoning him to approach Nina. Frannie pulled Nina into a warm hug and held her tight. “I’m so glad you’re going to be there with me for this.”
“Why?” Nina blurted.
Frannie breathed a laugh and released Nina. “Because you’re strong and smart and together, we are going to make sure Gwennie comes in safely.”
“Do you still care about her? Think she can change? That she’s good?”
Frannie shook her head. “I don’t know. I struggle to match the woman I knew years ago with the monster you and Lorelei know. Gwennie had me fooled for a long time. She was never evil to me, but I know that wasn’t the case for most of the people who knew her.”
Nina snorted. “Definitely not.”
“As for her changing? I don’t know. I’ve seen too many women abused over and over again by the same man after he promises not to hurt her for me to think people change easily. I think we have to have a reason, a damn good reason, to want to be better. I think maybe I want to believe people can change, but I also think some people are beyond the point where they can or are willing to try.”
“She’s never going to change. She’s a murderer. Even if she stopped hurting people, she needs to pay for what she’s already done.”
“Yes, she does. And I think the best thing for that is prison. She deserves that.”
“Not death?” Nina asked. It was what she thought Gwendolyn deserved. A slow, agonizing death that gave her a taste of what all of her victims went through.
“Death is too easy,” Frannie said. “It’s an escape. People think death is the answer, but death is just death. It means she never answers for what she did. She doesn’t have to sit there and listen to people like you tell their story. It’s freedom from persecution. I don’t think anyone deserves to get out of it easy.”
Nina sucked in a breath and wondered if Frannie hated Gwendolyn even more than Nina did. “I can’t let her hurt anyone else.”
“I agree.”
“Shall we go?” Lorelei asked.
Frannie nodded and took Nina’s hand. They turned to the door, and Frannie smiled at her husband. “Nina, this is Captain Marcus Patrick, my husband.”
“I know who you are,” Nina said. “Gwendolyn hates you.”
Marcus smiled, a delighted glint in his eyes. “I think that makes me very happy.”
Nina chuckled. “It should. She said you’ve ruined too many of her plans.” Nina looked at Frannie and Marcus. “Probably for far longer than she ever told me about.”
Frannie nodded. “I met Marcus when Gwennie and I were still close. She told me to stay away from him, but I didn’t listen.”
“She probably would have gotten you involved in her business.”
Frannie nodded. “Probably.” She stopped and reached into her bag.
For a second, Nina panicked. Was it all over? Was Frannie going to kill her right there? With her cop husband and all the protectors around them? With the FBI standing there?
When Frannie pulled out a black scrap of fabric, Nina tried to calm her racing heart. “I know this is a weird thing, but I wanted to give this to you. It’s a mask. It’s something we all have. The first time I faced Damon, I wore mine. It made me feel strong. Like I could do anything.” She handed over the simple black mask with an elastic loop to hold it in place. “I know it would be strange to wear it now, but I hope you’ll accept it. We all feel as though you’re one of us, and we are all with you today and always.”
“All?” Nina asked, studying the mask and feeling oddly touched by the gesture.
“The Curvy Vigilantes. We’ve all fought against Gwendolyn and her organization. Tried to stop them. From Frannie at the beginning of all of this years ago to you today. All of us want the same thing, and we’ve all worked to move closer to ending this,” Lorelei answered for Frannie.
“You’re one?” Nina asked Lorelei.
Lorelei pulled out a black mask that looked just like Nina’s and slid it on. “Proudly.”
Nina put the mask on, feeling silly but not caring at the moment. She looked up and saw Frannie wearing one, too.
Frannie reached for Nina’s and Lorelei’s hands, grasping both tightly. Lorelei offered her other hand to Nina, giving Nina the option to grab hold or not.
Nina slid her hand into Lorelei’s and drew a breath. Curvy Vigilantes. She wasn’t alone. She didn’t need to know the others to feel their power. They were connected. The beginning and the end.
And it would end. Gwendolyn would stop her reign. Nina would make sure of it.
“Thank you,” Nina said.
“Thank you,” Frannie replied.
“Time to go,” Lorelei informed them.
Nina sat across from Frannie at the coffee shop and tried to feel normal. She’d never once in her entire life sat at a coffee shop. Ever. When she was a teenager, they didn’t really have the money for her to go out with friends and do things like get coffee. And when she was with Gwendolyn, she couldn’t be seen in public.
“Just relax,” Frannie whispered. “We’re okay.”
Nina tried to smile, not feeling less anxious just because she was being told to relax. They were at a table with four chairs toward the back of the coffeeshop. Nina wanted to sit in a booth, but Frannie said no. If someone sat next to one of them, they would be pinned and unable to get away if necessary.
Yeah, relax was not happening.
“Tell me about your brother. You two seem close,” Frannie said.
Nina knew it was a way to distract her. Get her talking and stay on a safe subject. Monty and Zeke and God knew how many more people were listening, but Nina could sing Monty’s praises for days. “He’s amazing. I mean, he’s a pain, but he’s amazing. He was always someone I could count on, even when we were little.”
“With your dad?”
Nina nodded. “Mon… my brother always protected me. From everything. Never wanted anything bad to happen to me.”
Frannie smiled at Nina’s slip. No names. It was harder than Nina expected.
“It’s nice to have someone like that in your life.”
“Did you?”
Frannie smiled. “I had a friend like that. And now my husband.”
Nina knew Frannie was talking about Gwendolyn. It was hard for Nina to think of Gwendolyn as a person who had friends. She left the house less often than Nina, and Nina never left.
The front door to the coffeeshop opened, and a man walked in. He was turned away from them, but there was something about him that had Nina on edge.
The man walked to the counter and ordered. Nina stared at him the whole time.
“Do you recognize him?” Frannie asked in a quiet voice.
Nina tried to shake her head, but then he turned. A smile lit his face, and he approached.
“Nina! Is that you? Good to see you out and about. Who’s your friend?”
Nina gawked at him. Robert was one of her regulars. One of the men she thought were there for her. Who would protect her if she’d ever needed him to. Seeing him in the daylight, in a random coffeeshop, was shocking, to say the least.
“Never mind,” Robert said, pulling out the chair next to Nina. “I already know who Frannie is. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Frannie didn’t blink, just smiled. “It’s always good to meet friends of Gwennie’s. How is she doing? Is she joining you?”
Nina struggled to keep up. Robert was there instead of Gwendolyn? No. It wasn’t possible. Was it?
“She’s great. Really sorry she couldn’t be here. The two of you together, though. What are the odds?” Robert laughed loudly, leaning back in his chair.
The flash of something shiny caught Nina’s gaze. The heel of a gun. She gasped, and Robert followed her gaze.
“Whoops. Should keep that hidden. Wouldn’t want to make anyone nervous.”
“What are you doing here?” Nina asked.
“I was told you’d be here. I jumped at the chance to see my girl. How could I not?” He tucked a stray piece of hair behind Nina’s ear.
How many times had he done the same thing before? How many times had she thought it was a sweet and thoughtful gesture?
His fingers lingered on her jaw. “Have you missed me?”
Nina couldn’t breathe. The barista brought Robert’s coffee and breakfast sandwich to the table.
He looked up at her and smiled brightly, thanking her for delivering his order, then sipped his coffee. He groaned in pleasure, a sound Nina knew well from their many times together.
“This coffee doesn’t taste nearly as good as you do, Nina.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked again.
Robert smiled. She used to think that look was charming and kind. Not anymore. It was a sneer. A judgement. He scanned her body and lifted his gaze to hers. “I was sure I had to be mistaken when I showed up for our weekly appointment and was told you were gone.” He leaned closer, kissing her neck. “Do you really think you can disappear on me?”
Nina shivered at the threat in his voice. “I don’t belong to you.”
“Yes, you do.” He took another sip of his coffee, then picked up his sandwich. “I paid for you. I paid more than if I’d just bought you, but I paid for you. I even paid to make sure you were clean when I arrived, so you’re welcome for that, too. I paid to keep others away from you. I needed to know I wasn’t going to get something from you.”
“You know all of that was illegal, right?” Frannie asked.
Robert looked at Frannie, the condescending smile one you’d give a child who spoke out of turn. “I guess being married to a cop has given that moral compass of yours a good straightening, hasn’t it? It wasn’t so true years ago when you walked away from a dying Casey Slater.”
Frannie gasped.
Nina swallowed. “What do you want, Robert?”
“Well, first, my name’s not Robert. Did you really think I was going to use my real name with you? No. But I did use my real dick when I fucked you. Every week. For years, Nina. It was so good. You could have come to me when you ran away, but you had to go to your brother’s friend. I mean, I get it, the man is a specimen, but Gwendolyn is pissed. She thought she could trust you. All those years together. She took care of you. Do you remember when she used to brush your hair at night? When you two would have dinner together? All the things you used to do. She missed that.”
“That was a long time ago.”
Robert pounded the table, making all the mugs and plates jump. “I was talking, Nina. You don’t get to interrupt. You’re the whore who takes my dick when I tell you to. You don’t get an opinion.”
“She’s not a whore,” Frannie growled. “And she’s never going to touch you again.”
Robert shook his head slowly. “You never should have left, Nina. And if you’re smart, you’ll go back home. Let Gwendolyn take care of you again. She misses you.”
“I’m never going back to her,” Nina whispered. She’d lived in fear for most of her life. First her father, then Gwendolyn, but sitting next to Robert and hearing the venom in his voice told her Zeke was right. The FBI wasn’t going to stop Robert or Gwendolyn or anyone. They wanted someone in custody, and they were willing to sacrifice Nina and anyone else they had to in order to get what they needed.
“Shame,” Robert said. “A real shame.”
He grabbed Nina so fast she couldn’t react in time to stop him. His lips came down on hers hard. Punishing. His tongue tried to press into her mouth, but she fought him. He yanked her hair, making her gasp, and he pushed his tongue into her mouth. His other hand went to her thigh, trying to pull them apart so he could get access to her.
“FBI, hands up!”
Robert pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, tugging her hair to control her. “We could have had a few more years together, Nina. Until you let those crazy ideas about us out and I would have had to put an end to you.”
Nina gasped.
“Enjoy your last few days.”
Robert was yanked away from her, his hold on her hair jerking her forward.
Nina put her hand to her mouth, wincing at the cut from his bite, and watched as Robert was forced face down on the counter. Handcuffs were slapped on him, then he was dragged from the coffeeshop and into a black SUV waiting outside.
Nina was still shaking, the whole thing taking a minute or two.
“I’m so sorry,” Frannie whispered. “I thought I was ready for this, but I never thought… Are you okay?”
Nina shook her head. Tears leaked down her cheeks. She felt dirty and violated and ashamed. She needed to hide. To get away from everyone and take a shower and try to forget about the last twelve years of her life.
“All those thoughts you’re having right now, don’t listen to them,” Frannie said. “They’re wrong. You were tricked, and you were threatened, and you did nothing wrong, Nina. Do you hear me? You did nothing wrong.”
Nina shook her head again. “How can you say that? How can you even think it might be true? I told myself he was good to me. That if the situation were different, he might have been someone I could care about. But he was lying to me the whole time. I had no idea.”
“He was good at it. He manipulated you just like she did.”
“I let it happen. I wanted to believe it all. I wanted someone who cared.”
“You have people who care. And they’d never do anything like that to you.” Frannie nodded to Zeke and Monty, both arguing with the agents at the door.
Zeke looked up and his gaze connected with Nina’s. She expected disgust or disapproval, but all she saw was the same look he’d given her since she opened the door and saw him waiting for her outside the convenience store.
Zeke deserved better, but with everything so raw, Nina wasn’t strong enough to walk away from him. All she wanted was to be in his arms and feel safe for one more night.