Shattered Vows

by Kaylea Cross

  “Yes, you can eat everything I put on your plate, and then some. I won’t have you starving my grandchild.”

  “I’m gaining weight every week. He or she is not starving.”

  “Wouldn’t know it to look at you. You’re skin and bones.”

  Molly huffed out a laugh and carried the plates and silverware to the table to set it all out. When they were all seated, they joined hands around the table to say grace. “And may blessed Jesus watch over my unborn grandson or daughter,” her mom finished. “Amen.”

  “Amen.” Molly dished out some black-eyed peas onto her grandmother’s plate.

  “So, have you put any more thought into moving home for good?” her mom asked, sliding four slices of fried tomato onto Molly’s plate.

  Molly hesitated, wishing they could have discussed this somewhere other than at the dinner table. She loved her mom and grandmother, but… This wasn’t home anymore. She didn’t belong here, and that was more evident than ever. “I can’t, Mama.”

  Her mom stilled, platter in hand, and looked at her. “Can’t? Why ever not? You’ve been through such a hard time, and we can both see how sad you are.” She set the platter down, reached for Molly’s hand. “You still miss him.”

  Such a complicated, loaded statement. “The old Carter, yes. But he’s been gone a long time.”

  “Then why go back there? Nothing but an empty house and painful memories waiting for you.”

  Not an empty house. Jase was there, and she missed him so much it was a constant ache in her heart. He would never move out while she was at risk, so they would have to figure out a way to make the best of things. She would pay him rent until the insurance company came back with a decision. If she got the money, she could buy him out. If not, she’d find another place to live.

  “My job and closest friends are there. And there’s also someone I…”

  Her grandmother’s fork hit her plate with a clatter. “Oh, dear lord in heaven. It’s another man,” she said in distress and adjusted her glasses, the red plastic frames a stark contrast to her dark brown skin.

  Her mother looked at Molly sharply, a frown tugging at her forehead. “Is it?”

  She pressed her lips together, fighting the tide of emotion rising within her. “Yes. He’s a friend. A good friend. Except now he’s…something more, maybe, I don’t know.” She wanted him to be, and yet she didn’t. “I’ve made a mess of everything.”

  A shocked silence filled the pause. “Do we know him?”

  Molly nodded and braced for the fallout. “Jase Weaver.”

  Their gasps were perfectly synchronized. “But he’s…”

  “Another former soldier? Yes. He is.”

  Her mom’s lips pursed. “You would really risk going through all that again?”

  Her secret fear stirred, the one that warned her Jase was too high risk. “He’s an accountant now.”

  “An accountant,” her grandma repeated.

  “Are things…serious between you two?” her mother pressed.

  “No. But they could be if I let him in.”

  “Is that smart? Given your condition? You’ve got the baby to think of. Wouldn’t it be better to raise your child here, with family around? Who’s going to help you back in Oregon? Who’s going to be there for you if things don’t work out with him? Who’s going to be there if he decides he can’t handle the responsibility of being a father and takes off one day?”

  Sympathy welled up inside her as understanding hit. Molly’s father had taken off when she was a baby, leaving her and her mom poor and ostracized from their friends and family, who had been scandalized that she’d gotten pregnant out of wedlock, and never approved of him in the first place.

  Her mother made no bones about what a disastrous mistake her relationship with him had been, and how much she regretted it, except for having Molly.

  “Mama, not all men are like that,” she said quietly. “You and I both got hurt, but they’re not all like that.”

  Her mom didn’t look convinced. “You’ve been through enough. I just don’t want to see you make the same mistakes I did.”

  She pulled in a breath before answering. “Mom. Grandma. I love you both, you know I do. But my home is in Crimson Point now. That’s where my future is, and that’s where I want to raise my child.”

  A sheen of tears filled her mom’s eyes. “But that means we’ll barely see you or the baby.”

  “I’ll still come back to visit. And I’d love it if both of you came out to visit us. We’ll all have to put in a little more effort, that’s all.”

  A brittle pause followed her words. “I see. Your mind’s made up, then?”

  She couldn’t stay here any longer. She needed to get back to work and face everything, including trying to mend the damage between her and Jase. “Yes.”

  Molly’s mom shared a look with her own mother, then gathered her plate and stood. “Well. I seem to have lost my appetite. You two finish up. Please excuse me.”

  “No, I’m not hungry either,” her grandmother said, and left the table as well.

  Alone, Molly forced a few bites of dinner down her throat. Once again it was more about her mother’s feelings than any consideration for her.

  She shook her head. Her mom and grandmother were both angry now, but they had to see the truth as plain as she did. They might not like her decision, but this was her life and she had to do what she felt was best for her and her baby.

  Later, up in her room, she checked her phone. Sierra and Poppy had both texted her, excited about the ultrasound pictures and checking in to see how things were going.

  Could be better, she answered. Just broke the news that I’m coming back home to OR. They weren’t happy.

  But they would get over it. They had to, otherwise they wouldn’t have a relationship with her or her child.

  They can deal. When are you coming back? Please say you’ll be here for the author event Friday night, Poppy said.

  Right, the book signing with Zoe Renard. Poppy organized so many events for the shop, Molly had forgotten all about it. Poppy and Sierra were both insanely excited about it.

  And I need to get you into the bridal dress shop, Sierra added. Time’s ticking.

  Yes, it sure was. The wedding was coming up fast. Molly smiled and messaged back. All right, I’ll book my flight tonight and let you guys know the details.

  She found a flight for the next afternoon and booked it. Outside the window, storm clouds were gathering on the horizon. Within a few hours the heavens would open up and the thunder and lightning would begin. A good storm used to excite her. Now it only reminded her of that terrible night Carter had snapped.

  She’d also never forget how wonderful Jase had been to her. How incredibly safe she’d felt the moment he’d arrived.

  Picking up her phone, her heart began to pound as she stared at the screen. It seemed only fair to warn him that she was coming back.

  Rather than texting him, she called, unsurprised and a little relieved when it went straight to voicemail. “Jase, it’s me. Just calling to tell you I’m coming home. My flight arrives in Portland tomorrow night.”

  She paused. See you soon? No, she had to be careful with her wording. She didn’t want him to read anything into this. “Bye.”

  She set the phone down and put a hand on her belly where her little one was nestled all safe and sound. Life goes on. “Well, little one. Time to go home and face the music.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “What do you mean, you can’t find her? Where is she?”

  Rafe didn’t react to Mick’s annoyed tone coming through the phone as he steered down the curving highway. “Somewhere near Charlotte.” He was still trying to find an exact address.

  “Is she coming back?”

  “Dunno. Haven’t found anything telling me that one way or the other.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter, his palm damp.

  “And what about the insurance policy?”

  “Still waiti
ng.” He purposely kept his answers clipped because he didn’t want to talk. He had shit to do and not much time to get it done. Only a few days remained for him to come up with the rest of the money. He’d do whatever it took to make that happen.

  A beat of silence passed, and Rafe could feel the coldness of it through the phone. “That bitch better pay up.”

  “She will.” One way or the other. The organizations had connections all across the country. He was more concerned about the insurance company dragging its feet. Without the settlement, he would be hard pressed to get much from her anyway. Definitely not enough to pay off the remainder of his debt.

  He shoved the uneasy thought aside. He’d lost too much sleep in the past few weeks. He had to focus, stay sharp. Until the life insurance policy came through, there was nothing more he could do.

  “Get on it,” his boss growled.

  “Mick. Have I ever not gotten you the money?” he finally said with tried patience. “I’ll handle it.” Just as he handled everyone who owed them money. They always paid in the end, because of the ruthless reputation Rafe had earned. People who tried to run learned they could never run far or fast enough to outrun him and the organization.

  And those few who didn’t pay paid with their life, or the life of someone they cared about.

  “Where are you right now?” his boss demanded.

  “Just on my way to pay Eli another visit.”

  Mick grunted. “That’s tonight?”

  “Yep. Money should be in the account by midnight.” That would put a pretty dent in what Rafe owed the organization, but still not enough. Not goddamn enough.

  “Good. Let me know when you’re done. Then I want you to double up on Molly Boyd. You’re not getting soft on her because she’s a pregnant widow, are you?”

  Rafe snorted. “Not likely. I’ll get the money.” He disconnected before Mick could say anything else and pressed harder on the accelerator. The Audi responded immediately with a smooth purr that pushed him back into the plush leather seat.

  This stretch of road was all but deserted this time of night. To his left the ocean sparkled beneath a half-moon, the waves exploding into sheets of foam where they crashed against the rocks.

  His target was eleven miles to the northeast, in a sleepy little bedroom community tucked away at the edge of a large forest. He parked three blocks from the house and gathered his tools from the passenger seat. The upper middle class neighborhood was quiet, only a few people out walking their dogs as he made his way to the three-story brick home on the middle of the street.

  Eli tended not to set the alarm when he was home, and a quick check proved that tonight was no different. Only Eli’s car was in the double garage. Rafe pulled on his gloves and slipped inside the back door, cutting the wires that connected the security cameras to the main system.

  The downstairs was quiet and dark. An elderly dog appeared at the foot of the stairs. Some black and white fluffy lap breed. It stared at Rafe a moment then let out a growl.

  Rafe lunged forward and zapped the animal with his baton stun gun before it could make another sound. The dog jerked and hit the floor, unmoving as Rafe continued past up the carpeted staircase.

  All was quiet upstairs, but a faint, flickering line of light coming from under the master bedroom door told him Eli was inside watching TV.

  Rafe paused at the door a moment, making sure he was undetected, then burst into the room.

  Eli jumped a foot in his bed, where he reclined naked, the blonde beside him that was definitely not his wife screaming.

  Rafe stopped just inside the doorway and raised his pistol. “Don’t. Fucking. Move.”

  Eli sat frozen, his pale blue eyes huge in his pale face while the blonde cowered in the bed and drew the blankets up over her naked body. “What are you doing here?” he blurted stupidly.

  He knew why. And this wasn’t the first time he’d tried to screw them out of money he owed. That had dire consequences. Rafe shook his head. “I came for my money, Eli. I’m tired of waiting.” He spared a glance around. “Where is it? Somewhere close by, I hope. For your sake. I’m kind of in a hurry.”

  Eli gulped at him. “I t-told you, I don’t—”

  Rafe advanced on him. The blonde stifled a shriek and scrambled to the far side of the bed while Eli cowered against the tufted headboard. “Where’s my money, Eli? I’m not gonna ask again.”

  The man shook his head, his throat working as he swallowed. “I—I don’t have it here, b-but I’ll get it. I’ll get it, I swear, I…” He broke off when Rafe stalked toward him, shoving the pistol into the back of his jeans and pulling a KA-BAR knife from the sheath strapped around his ribs.

  Custom made, the lethally sharp blade was matte black.

  Eli’s eyes bulged. “W-what are you doing?”

  Rafe shot out his free hand to wrap around the back of Eli’s neck and slammed him face first into the bedside table. The woman screamed almost as loud as Eli as his nose exploded on impact and sat there, frozen with fear.

  Rafe let him go and stood by while Eli covered his face and began crying. Blubbering like a fucking little girl and begging. Rafe pulled in a breath, fighting for what little patience he still had. “The money, Eli. Where is it? Give it to me now, because if you think that was bad, you really won’t like what’s coming next.”

  Eli shook his head and kept babbling, tears and snot mixing with the blood pouring down his face.

  Fuck this. There was only one way this was gonna end, because everyone knew what happened if he had to chase people down to collect the money. “Don’t you fucking move. Hear me? You so much as twitch, and I’ll kill the girl.”

  Eli froze and went quiet.

  Rafe reached across the bed and dragged the blonde across the covers by her hair. She shrieked and grabbed hold of his wrist to keep him from yanking her hair out. Rafe quickly bound her wrists behind her with zap straps, then secured her ankles and gagged her with duct tape. Once she was trussed up, he picked up her squirming form and dumped her in a chair in the corner before securing her hands to the frame.

  Then he turned back to Eli. The man was still on his knees in the middle of the king-sized bed, his face wet with tears and blood. “Don’t,” he rasped as Rafe advanced on him.

  “Last chance,” Rafe warned, knife back in hand.

  Eli shook his head, eyes wild, and lunged for the other side of the bed.

  Rafe seized him by the hair just as he had the blonde, and sliced the knife across Eli’s ribs. The man squealed like a stuck pig and instinctively flashed a hand out to staunch the line of blood streaming down his side.

  Rafe caught his wrist and wrenched it up and back. The crunch of snapping bone was lost under another ear-piercing scream. But Rafe wasn’t done yet.

  He waited for Eli to settle slightly. Waited for those pale blue eyes to open and settle on him, blind and hazy with pain. Before Eli could draw another breath Rafe sliced the blade through the base of Eli’s index finger.

  Eli’s eyes all but popped out of his skull, his mouth opening on a scream of agony and horror as his finger hit the snow-white coverlet. “Jesus Christ!” he bawled, trying and failing to wrench his hand free of Rafe’s unrelenting grip.

  Rafe wrenched his bleeding hand up to Eli’s face. “I’m gonna keep going, Eli,” he warned. “One finger at a time, and when they’re all gone, I’ll slice off your balls. And then your dick.” He raised the knife again, as if to cut off another digit.

  “Okay! Okay, Jesus fucking Christ, I’ll give you the money!” Eli sobbed. The blonde was crying behind them, great jerky sobs that didn’t affect Rafe in the slightest.

  “Where is it?”

  “I—I’ll transfer it. All of it. Just…” He broke down crying, his pudgy body shuddering. “No more. Please, no more.”

  Rafe released the bloody hand but didn’t move so much as a step away from the bed as he pulled out his cell phone and called Mick. “Give me the account number,” he said to Eli.


  The man cried through the entire transaction, but within ten minutes the money was being transferred to the first of the accounts Mick would run it through, to clean and hide it. Eventually it would land in one of their offshore accounts.

  Rafe put his phone away, wiped the bloody knife over the coverlet to clean it, and slid it back into its sheath. “You know what happens if you call the cops, yeah?” he said in a bored tone. His work here was done; he wanted to get working on the next job.

  Eli’s head bobbed up and down as he huddled there on his knees, cradling his bleeding hand to his chest, the severed finger lying inches from his knee. “Y-yes. I won’t. I swear.”

  No, he wouldn’t.

  Rafe paused in the doorway to look back at him. Eli was gawking at him. So was the blonde.

  He stared back at the man long enough to see the relief bleed from that pale face, and fear and resignation to creep back into his eyes. Rafe gave him a lopsided smile. “Yeah. You know how it works.” Utter ruthlessness had propelled Rafe to the position he enjoyed now. The only way to keep it was to maintain that reputation.

  He drew his silenced pistol and fired a single shot, hitting Eli directly between the eyes.

  The woman screamed beneath the gag as Eli toppled over, dead before he hit the bed.

  Rafe turned on her. She was a cute little thing with huge brown eyes. Pleading eyes. Rafe almost felt bad for her. She might be a slut willing to fuck Eli while his wife was away, but she had nothing to do with his debt. She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  Unfortunately, she’d seen and heard too much.

  The carpet made Rafe’s footsteps silent as he crossed to her. She shook her head, tears streaking down her cheeks as she stared up at him. Rafe’s heart squeezed. He hated this part of the job.

  “Close your eyes,” he murmured, brushing a lock of hair away from her tearstained cheek. “I don’t want you to see me leave.”

  She was so afraid she was shaking, but he could see the faint hope in her eyes. Hope that he would walk away and let her live.