Chapter Twenty
Leo Simmons shifted in the back of the stolen black Ford Explorer, his knee bouncing as the miles dragged on.
He preferred the Escalade, but this would have to do.
They’d grabbed the vehicle from one of Hernandez’s chop shops before leaving Chicago.
New plates, altered VIN—enough to pass a glance, maybe even a routine stop, as long as no one looked too closely.
To anyone else, they were just three guys on a road trip, heading south for a few days off, maybe a little fishing along the Outer Banks.
He almost snorted at the thought. A vacation. Right.
He stared out the window at the dark stretch of highway, jaw working. If they came back with anything, it wouldn’t be fish. It would be the girl—and the bag she’d taken. That was all that mattered. Get the money. Get the gun. Get back in Hernandez’s good graces.
None of this would’ve happened if Susan’s sister hadn’t run off with what didn’t belong to her. He could still hear Susan, frantic and shaking, explaining about the bag and begging him to spare her, the kid, and her mother. As if he would after all the trouble she’d caused him.
After that, everything had unraveled fast. Too fast. He’d handled it, but not cleanly. In the rush, he’d forgotten to get the one detail that mattered—where the sister worked—and now he was paying for it.
Kellerman had made sure of that.
Leo shifted again, his nose still tender if he pressed the wrong way.
His ribs were even worse. One mistake—one detail missed—and Kellerman had made his opinion clear.
The memory left a bitter edge he couldn’t shake.
He didn’t like being on the receiving end of that kind of lesson, and he had no intention of staying there.
He wanted to move up in the organization, but mistakes like that would only hold him back.
Tossing an empty bottle of Mountain Dew into the rear of the SUV, he kicked the back of the front passenger seat. “How much longer?”
Goon Two, as Leo thought of him, threw a folded-up newspaper in his direction. “About eight more hours. Read the paper—that is, if you know how to read.”
The two jerks in front shared a quiet laugh. Leo stared at the back of their heads, irritation simmering, but he didn’t push it. They were bigger, heavier, and worked directly for Hernandez. Picking a fight in the middle of nowhere wouldn’t do him any favors.
It was after three o’clock in the morning when they finally arrived in Elizabeth City and found a local no-tell motel.
They got their requested rooms at the office—two adjoining, ground-floor units around the back of the bi-level establishment.
Goons One and Two took the end room, leaving Leo the other, which was fine with him.
He would rather have made the trip with a few of his own men, but Hernandez had insisted on sending those two to ensure there were no further screwups. Leo didn’t like it, but he understood the message.
Do it right this time.
And he would.
Because once he found the girl, he was ending this mess—for good.
Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Moriah woke in KC’s arms, his warmth wrapped around her like a shield. A glance at the bedside clock told her it was a little after eight. She shifted carefully, enough to study his face without disturbing him.
The hazel eyes she’d come to love were hidden behind closed lids, his long dark lashes resting against his cheeks.
A lock of brown hair had fallen across his brow, and she resisted the urge to brush it back, afraid even that small touch might wake him.
His hair was longer now than when they’d first met.
Had it really only been a little over a week?
It felt impossible. Too much had changed. Too much had happened.
And yet, lying there with him, she felt something she’d never known before. Not just desire, though that was there, steady and undeniable, but something deeper. Confidence. Trust. A connection to him that felt solid and unshakable.
More than anything, she felt safe.
No matter what came next, she believed he would stand beside her. That certainty settled quietly inside her, stronger than the fear that had followed her for days.
“I love you,” she whispered, her hand resting lightly against his chest.
She startled when his eyes opened immediately, as if he’d been closer to awake than she’d realized. “I love you, too, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice still rough with sleep.
Emotion caught in her throat as she searched his gaze. There was no hesitation, no doubt. Only truth.
She didn’t need anything else.
Closing the distance between them, she kissed him, letting everything she couldn’t put into words pass through that simple touch.
He answered in kind, drawing her closer, and for a while, everything else disappeared.
The danger, the uncertainty—all of it slipped away as she focused only on him and the steady comfort he offered.
Time passed before they finally pulled themselves from the bed.
Later, standing under the shower spray, she found herself laughing softly, the earlier tension gone.
At first, she’d blushed when he stepped into the tub behind her, unused to sharing something so personal, but that uncertainty hadn’t lasted long.
Surrounded by steam, she leaned into him easily, the closeness no longer unfamiliar but something she welcomed. His hands moved over her in slow, unhurried passes, drawing her attention away from everything else.
When they finally stepped out, the mirror was fogged, the room still heavy with heat. As they dried off, she caught sight of red scratch marks across his back—evidence of how tightly she’d held onto him during their passionate lovemaking.
Concern flickered for a moment, and she reached out, her fingers hovering. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.
He glanced over his shoulder, a hint of a smile in his expression. “Don’t be.”
Something in his tone eased the last of her worry, leaving behind a quiet calm she couldn’t quite put into words.
As they walked hand in hand into the living room, Moriah spotted Sean at the table, a mug of coffee in one hand and his attention fixed on the computer in front of him. He glanced up as they entered.
“Uncle Dan’s on his way with breakfast,” he said.
“He got someone to cover the store and already spoke to Sheriff Griffin and brought him up to speed. Griffin’s putting his deputies on alert—watching for Illinois plates and anyone who doesn’t belong.
He’s also adding an extra patrol in Whisper and said to call if we need anything. ”
Moriah absorbed that, her gaze drifting toward the window.
She’d only been in Whisper a short time, but it didn’t take long to see how closely people looked out for one another.
A place like this didn’t miss much. If the sheriff was taking things seriously, it meant the danger she’d brought with her wasn’t as far behind as she’d hoped.
Brian headed toward his assigned unmarked car, a black duffel bag slung in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
After Sean had filled him in on the latest from the DEA regarding Moriah’s family, Brian had gone into headquarters early and sat down with his supervisors.
With confirmation that Moriah wasn’t a suspect—and that there were compromised officers in the Chicago PD—Assistant Director Johanssen and Special Agent in Charge Culpepper agreed her location needed to stay off the radar.
For now, they would follow the DEA’s lead and keep things quiet.
That didn’t mean everything else stopped.
He still had his own cases to manage, leads that couldn’t wait simply because something bigger had landed in his lap. Sliding into the driver’s seat, he set his coffee in the holder, started the engine, and eased out of the lot, his thoughts circling back to the past two days.
KC had stepped into something complicated. They all had their share of trouble over the years, but this one carried more weight than most. And like it or not, it centered on a woman.
That in itself wasn’t unusual. The Malone brothers had never lacked for female attention. Between their looks and their builds, dating had always come easy. What hadn’t come easily were the kinds of relationships that stuck. None of them had gone looking for anything serious.
Until now.
KC wasn’t playing this one lightly. Brian had seen it in the way his brother looked at Moriah, in how quickly he’d stepped in without hesitation. Whatever had started between them, it had taken hold fast.
If they could get through this, things might work out between them.
Better KC than him. He wanted no part of something like that.
Letting out a slow breath, he shifted his grip slightly on the wheel.
He liked Moriah more than he’d expected.
After everything she’d been through, she held herself together better than most would have.
She’d given them what information she could about her sister’s boyfriend, asked the right questions, and didn’t back down when the answers weren’t easy to hear.
There was strength there, even if she didn’t fully realize it yet.
He made a left turn, his gaze flickering to the rearview mirror out of habit.
Two cars back, a black SUV made the same turn.
His attention sharpened. It appeared to be the same vehicle that’d pulled away from the curb behind him when he’d left the SBI parking lot.
Coincidence, maybe.
Or not.
He kept his speed steady, watching without making it obvious.
Time to find out.
KC’s cell phone rang when his uncle arrived with breakfast, and he answered it without looking at the screen as he unlocked the porch door to let Dan and his canine companion in. “Malone.”
Brian’s voice came through, clipped and focused. “Picked up a tail leaving the office. Black Explorer with Illinois plates. Three men inside. I’ve been giving them a slow tour of Dare County. Tags come back to an Andrew Peters out of Chicago.”