2. Royce
2
ROYCE
“ B lue’s keeping an eye on all methods of transport out of the country. Any mention of a little girl matching our description, and it’ll be flagged,” Dax states with a grim expression. We’re sitting in Xander’s office at the back of The Depot. By the looks of things, Dax has been here all night, talking to Blue and looking into everything. I vaguely recall him saying something to that effect yesterday, but honestly, I was so fucked up after realizing I’d failed Riley that I couldn’t take any of it in. “We’re looking into Lydia, too. Trying to identify the buyer and figure out how they communicated. We missed something somewhere,” he states in frustration, “but we’ll find her.”
“We have to.” My voice is choked. No other outcome is acceptable. Not after I had to watch Riley irreparably shatter in front of me last night. The second we walked through the door without Aurora, she knew .
The sound she made, as though she were physically dying, will haunt me for the rest of my days. I don’t ever want to hear that noise again. Never want to fail her like that ever again.
“How is she?” Dax asks, lips pursed.
Sighing, I lean back in my chair. “Putting on a brave face, but she’s… wrecked.” It feels wrong to share Riley’s vulnerability with him. Based on the darkness that creeps into Dax’s expression, he doesn’t need me to say anything more.
Unable to sit in this office that stinks of failure and desperation any longer, I tap my fingers against the desk and get to my feet. “Keep me posted.”
Dax nods. “You know I will.”
With that, I exit the office. Passing the bar, I lift a hand in farewell to Xander and Rome, who are stocking out before I step outside. The fresh air does nothing to calm the storm raging inside me. Nothing will until I can see Aurora safely ensconced in Riley’s arms.
Climbing into my truck, I pull onto the road and head to my second destination of the day. I’d said we shouldn’t interrogate Lydia yet, but that doesn’t mean I can’t pay her a visit. After all, she does owe me for my time and services.
The drive to Springview passes in a blur. I’m too lost in my thoughts, barely paying attention to the junctions and turns, until I park outside her house.
A moving van is parked at the curb, partly full of boxes. Guess Bertram was telling the truth about her moving in with him. I make a mental note to get Bertram’s home address from Grayson as I pocket my keys and walk up the drive to the front door.
A man wearing a jumpsuit with the moving company logo walks past carrying a box, lifting his chin in greeting. When I reach the door, I don’t knock or announce my presence as I walk inside. Boxes are piled in the entranceway, and peering into the living room, sheets have been thrown over the furniture.
There’s no sign of Lydia, so I move deeper into the house, using my knowledge of the last time I was here to direct me to the room I know belongs to Aurora— belonged to Aurora. When I step inside, I do a double take, wondering if I have the wrong one.
I pop my head into the hall, looking up and down, but nope, I’ve definitely got the correct room. Doing a slow turn, I take in the bland, cream-colored walls and the bare bed. Gone are the soft toys that cluttered it, the pile of games in the corner. The rainbow and unicorn design on the wall. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I’d never have guessed a little girl slept in this room only two nights ago.
Knowing Lydia so thoroughly eliminated Aurora from her life this easily makes my blood boil, and my hands fist at my sides as the need for violence raises its bloodthirsty head. I’m in desperate need of an outlet.
“Ruthless?”
Simply hearing her voice grates against my skin like sandpaper, and my restraint nearly snaps in two. Forcing myself to calm down, I slowly turn to face her.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, glancing nervously around before returning her attention to me. Even though she’s packing to move, she’s dressed to the nines in cream linen pants and a tight tank top that can barely restrain her fake tits. Her heels are silent on the carpet as she approaches, her heavily made-up face making me want to recoil.
“You double-crossed me,” I seethe, unable to hide the true extent of my anger as rage flashes across my face. Stalking toward her, I snarl, “I don’t take kindly to people messing me about, Lydia.”
Her eyes round as she takes a step backward. “I-I didn’t. That’s not what—I didn’t mean to.” Her hands come up, palms facing me as if to stop me from hitting her. Like I’d even want to fucking touch her.
My gaze narrows as I allow Ruthless’s true personality to surface. Menace leaks from my pores, and violence brims in my eyes. “You knew exactly what you were doing when you agreed to my price. Then you went behind my back to another buyer—a buyer you never told me was involved.”
“I-I’m sorry,” she stutters, visibly shaking. She might be afraid, but she’s sure as fuck not sorry. But she will be. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But one day, I’m going to eviscerate this bitch. I will destroy her so thoroughly that she’ll regret crossing me. Regret ever saying a negative word to Riley. Regret the day she decided to keep her daughter instead of giving her up for adoption and at least offering her a chance at finding a loving family.
“I don’t work for free, Lydia,” I snap in her face. I don’t give two shits about her money, but it’s the only justifiable reason why Ruthless would be in her house, so I have to play the part.
“O-of course.” Her gaze drops over me, and despite her fear, heat flares in her eyes, and her tongue flicks out to wet her lips.
Mine curl in disgust. “If you think I’d fuck a two-bit, plastic-filled, dried-up whore after what you did, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Any desire is immediately snuffed out, righteous indignation replacing it as her nostrils flare in anger. “You can’t talk to me that way in my house!”
I step forward so I’m towering over her. “Choose your next words wisely unless you’re eager to find out what shade the carpet turns when it’s drenched in your blood. I may be a criminal, but I value loyalty and honesty.” My gaze drops over her, lips twisted in derision. “You have neither. Frankly, I’ve killed men for less.”
Visibly shaking, Lydia drops her eyes. “I-I’ll get you your money.”
“There you go, that wasn’t so hard,” I purr condescendingly. “I’d suggest throwing in a substantial tip to compensate for your poor decision-making.”
When she turns toward the door, I do a final sweep of the room, hating that there isn’t anything of Aurora’s I can bring home to Riley before reluctantly following her.
“Moving?” I ask, stating the obvious as I trail her into the kitchen. “Guess you’ve got enough money now to start your life over.”
She doesn’t supply any information, probably not wanting me to know anything more about her life than I already do. Pulling open a drawer, she lifts out a checkbook and cuts me a sizable check.
“So, will you ever tell me who my competitor was?” I’m careful to make my tone blase, as though I’m merely curious about who I lost out to.
Her lips thin in smug victory as she huffs a haughty laugh. “It’s just business, Ruthless.” She shrugs, having no idea how close I am to grabbing her by the throat and pinning her to the wall until her pulse stops hammering beneath my palm. “You win some; you lose some.” The sound of her check being ripped out is deafening in the silent room before she holds it out to me. “Seems to me like you’re still coming out on top.”
Her phone chooses that moment to light up with an incoming call. Flicking my gaze toward the screen, I notice Riley’s name. Lydia barely spares it a glance before silencing the call and setting her phone screen side down.
“Answer it,” I say dismissively. When she shakes her head, I put more steel behind my words. “Answer the phone, Lydia.”
Her eyes flick to mine, fear flashing across them before she scrambles to answer the call before it ends.
Bringing the phone to her ear, she sighs in exasperation, “Riley.”
I can’t hear Riley’s side of the conversation, but I astutely watch Lydia’s reaction. Her face is pinched, and it’s clear she isn’t interested in talking to her daughter. It could be because I’m standing over her, but I know it’s not.
Her eyes flick to mine, but I don’t avert my gaze or pretend to give her any semblance of privacy. “Now isn’t a good time.” Riley must say about calling back later because Lydia makes a noise of exasperation. “No. I’m busy. We agreed to weekends. That was your plan.”
God, this bitch!
I take a few steps away, needing to put space between us before I choke her out right here in the kitchen with moving men directly outside her fucking door.
“You can talk on Saturday,” she snaps before ending the call.
My teeth grind, and I seriously debate the merits of just killing her. It’s unlikely she’ll even tell us who she sold Aurora to. Does she even know who she sold her to? Still, the possibility that she might stays my hand—but barely.
“That sounded like a spat over custody arrangements if ever I heard one,” I drawl.
She doesn’t latch onto my bait, instead thrusting the check into my hand. Her tone is clipped as she snipes, “I trust this will be the end of our business.”
Accepting that I’m not going to get anything else from this exchange, I give her a slimy grin as I pocket the check. That will make a nice initial deposit to Aurora’s college fund. “I hope you get everything you deserve in life, Lydia.”
Outside, I approach the back of the moving van and stop one of the movers, asking if everything in the van is going to the same place.
“She said that pile there could go to charity.” He points to a small stack of brown boxes. There’s no writing on the outside to indicate their contents. Regardless, I pluck a hundred-dollar bill from my wallet. I hand it over to him, along with my address, and ask if he can deliver them there instead. With a shrug, he takes the money.
Exhaustion tugs at my bones as I slot my key into the front door of the house later that night. I’ve spent the last however many hours driving around, avoiding coming home.
Avoiding facing her.
I deliberately waited until I knew Logan would have dragged her up to bed. Except, as I step into the house, a flash of auburn hair draws my eye to where Riley is sitting at the bottom of the stairs… waiting.
I stop on the threshold, realizing my plan has backfired as Riley’s gaze lifts to mine, and she slowly rises to her feet. She’s wearing an oversized Huskies t-shirt that belongs to Logan, a black pair of boxers peeking out the bottom and accentuating her long, toned legs.
Her loose, wild hair falls past her shoulders, framing her unnaturally pale face. In the light of the hall and the nightmare of the past few days, her hazel eyes glow darker than usual, more brown than green. I hate looking into them now. I hate the lack of spark I see there, the flatness staring back at me.
I watch as she swallows, sucking her lower lip between her teeth as she gathers the courage to ask. Not that she needs to. I already know the only question on her mind.
“You should be resting.” There is nothing but weariness in my tone as I delay the inevitable a moment longer.
“Not like that’s actually possible…” Her fingers twist in the front of her t-shirt, those wide, anxious eyes boring into me.
The force of her words hit me like a hurricane, and I have to steel my spine to stop myself from falling back a step. It’s not that I didn’t already know how impossibly hard this must be on her.
It’s the guilt.
Knowing that this is all my fault.
That if I hadn’t fucked up, she would be cuddling beside a sleeping Aurora upstairs right now instead of a wraith of her former self, staring at me like I might have all the answers when that’s the last fucking thing I have for her.
“Did you…” Her question hangs like a guillotine in the air between us.
“Dax and his guy are looking into it.” The words are ash in my mouth, and my tongue is thick and swollen as I spit them out. I don’t mention her mom since that turned up jack shit.
I’d given Logan a heads-up about the boxes being delivered to the house, and he messaged earlier to let me know he’d hidden them in the spare room before Riley saw them.
I’ll go through them once I’ve convinced Riley to go back to Logan’s bed. Not that I’m expecting them to reveal anything, but I have to do something. The thought of just lying in bed, alone with my thoughts… nope. I can’t rest until I have a lead—anything to alleviate the heartache etched into the very lining of Riley’s being.
Any piece of information, no matter how small or insignificant. I just need something to go off—a breadcrumb to follow. A little girl doesn’t just disappear into the ether. Aurora is out there somewhere, and you can bet your fucking ass I won’t rest until I find her.
I’m sure she didn’t expect any other answer, yet her face is still crestfallen at my response. I can’t look at it for more than a second before I have to tear my gaze away, nostrils flaring. Despair floods the hall, leaving a tang in the back of my throat that no amount of alcohol or brushing my teeth will erase.
“Go back to Logan, sweetheart.” It takes all of my self-control to keep my voice even. I keep my gaze averted, unable to meet her eyes, but I hear her. Instead of climbing the stairs like she should, she descends the final couple of steps before padding toward me barefoot.
She doesn’t stop until her arms wind around my waist and her face rests on my chest, ear pressed to the staccato rhythm of my heart.
I go still, fingers itching to touch, to lose myself in her. To bury my nose in her hair and inhale her fruity, floral scent that resets me in a way that I’ve only ever been able to achieve by running myself ragged on the field or splitting skin in the ring.
“Hold me, Royce,” she murmurs into my chest. “I need you to hold me. And I think you need me to hold you, too. We’ll keep each other from breaking.”
I cave instantly, my arms coming to wrap her in a hug as I lower my face to the crook of her neck and inhale like I haven’t breathed fresh air in decades. I lean into her comfort as she leans into mine, and together, we hold each other up.
“I don’t deserve your compassion,” I murmur, my lips brushing against her soft skin. “I failed you.” My words are so low I’m not sure if she hears me. I didn’t intend them for her, anyway, so it doesn’t matter. I said them more as a reminder to myself.
Still, her arms only tighten around me as she shifts in my hold so she can tuck her face against my chest. Her forehead rests against my pec while I hide my face in her hair. When she speaks, her voice is soft, her words clear. “You could never fail me, Royce. All you do is lift me higher. You’re my wings in the storm, plucking me from the chaos and carrying me to safety.”
Refusing to believe her beautiful words, which are like arrows piercing directly into my heart, I shake my head. “If it hadn’t been for me, Aurora would be here—” I choke up, squeezing my eyes shut against the sting of tears.
My breathing is erratic as I struggle and fail to wrangle myself under control. All the while, Riley runs her fingers through my hair and holds me. The fact that she’s the one comforting me when I should be comforting her is the only thing that gets me to toughen up, and I force deep breaths into my lungs.
Placing her hands on either side of my face, Riley forces my face away from her shoulder until she can look me in the eye. Despite missing her usual spark of life, a fierceness in her stare has me straightening.
“I don’t want to hear you talk about yourself like that ever again,” she states in a stern voice that only a mother can adopt. “I will say it again, because I get the distinct impression you don’t believe me… You, Royce King, have never , not once, failed me.” Her features soften, her thumb stroking back and forth along my cheek as she holds my gaze. “If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have even known what Lydia was up to. I’d be naively sitting here assuming everything was fine, completely unaware that my daughter…” Emotion chokes her as she glances away to compose herself.
When she looks back at me, her eyes are glassy, but her voice is strong as she continues, “We would have no fucking clue what’s going on. It’s because of you that we have this insight. That we can do everything we’re doing right now to find her.” She releases a long exhale, her hands sliding down to cup the sides of my throat. “Grayson only gave me the gist of it, though I can only imagine what you were subjected to in order to gain Lydia’s trust... The part you were forced to play.” Fresh tears glitter in her eyes, this time of gratitude, of awe, of love. “The fact that the three of you were willing to pay for the safety of my daughter…” She shakes her head, but her eyes remain on mine as she presses a hand to her heart. “There are no words to express how I feel in here. And even though it didn’t work out the way we wanted, I know you’ll do everything to get Aurora back because that’s the type of person you are, Royce. You don’t stop. You’re not built to fail, so stop beating yourself up. Especially when all you’ve ever done is be there for me, even when I couldn’t see it.”
My hand slides to the back of her neck, giving a quick squeeze. “I’d do all of it a hundred times over if it meant you had Aurora right now,” I rasp. “And you’re right. I won’t stop until that little girl is safe in your arms. She might have slipped through my fingers once, but I learn from my mistakes, and hurting you is a mistake I never intend to repeat.”
Holding me captive with her gaze, Riley slides her hand down to mine, entwining our fingers. “Come to bed, Royce. Aurora needs us to get our rest so we can find her.”
Helpless to this woman’s pleas, I follow as she leads me up the stairs to Logan’s bedroom. At this point in our relationship, I’ve gotten used to sharing a bed with him, so I don’t think twice about his half-naked form sprawled across three-quarters of the bed.
Pulling back the covers, Riley climbs into the middle of the bed, and Logan immediately pulls her against his hard chest without cracking an eyelid.
Stripping down to my boxers, I slide in beside her, and she immediately tangles her legs with mine. Sharing a pillow, our faces are inches apart, and when sleep drags me into the deep beyond, I go with a newfound peace.