by Piper Stone
“Let me guess, you had him on your radar years ago,” Dylan offered.
“I did. He made a mistake, one of his goons leaving a calling card at one of the raves where fifteen young adults lost their lives. I was the prosecutor on the case and we had Salizare dead to rights.”
“But?” Wade asked.
“But as he’s always done, Salizare threatened witnesses and jurors, two ending up dead in suspicious circumstances. As you might imagine, there were a hell of a lot of terrified people, but we finally got him to trial. Once again, he managed to get to the jurors even though they were sequestered in a safe house, the location only known by three people, including me. After that, it was a hung jury. I pushed for a retrial, although my colleagues and my boss were prepared to let the asshole walk. Even had the help of the FBI in pushing forward but some other powerful influences were ready to look the other way. The whole thing pissed me off and I wasn’t going to allow that to happen.” I heard the rattle in my voice as the emotions began to resurface.
Kelly let out a moan before closing the distance, her eyes searching mine. “I was right. The cabin was built for someone you cared for.”
I gave her a half smile. “Yeah, you are. Vanessa was my fiancée. She was the light of my life. We’d known each other since I was in law school.” A lump formed in my throat, a flash of Vanessa’s face shifting into the forefront of my mind.
Wade sighed. “You were threatened.”
“On more than one occasion, including a late-night visit to my office. I didn’t budge. I refused to allow anyone else to get killed. Everything was going according to plans, a new trial date set for a month away but...” I closed my eyes, doing everything I could to shove away the tears. I felt Kelly’s hand wrapping around my arm, the slight squeeze at least giving me courage to finish.
“Shit,” Dylan whispered.
“Our wedding had been planned for an entire year and she refused to postpone until after the trial. On a beautiful spring day in a lovely outdoor setting, I was standing at the altar waiting for her. I’d managed to push aside my job, all the ugly responsibilities, and simply enjoy the moment. When she walked through the set of arches, I was mesmerized. Then everything turned into a nightmare.” I was no longer able to hear my voice, my heart was beating so hard against my chest.
“No,” Kelly moaned.
I took a series of deep breaths. “The gunshots came from all directions and while the entire group could have lost their lives, only three succumbed to their injuries. Um... including Vanessa.”
The eerie quiet that fell into the room was similar to the first time I walked back into my office. There were no words of comfort, no condolences that could begin to take away any of the pain.
“Fuck,” Wade finally managed. “I think we all need a drink.”
Dylan cleared his throat, his voice shaking. “Let me guess. The case fell apart and no charges were brought against Salizare or any of his men for the murder of your fiancée.”
“You are correct; however, the case fell apart for several reasons, including the hard pushing I did on members of law enforcement, anyone at the FBI who would listen, even the governor. I was off the rails, unable to keep my shit together. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat. Within two weeks, I was asked to take a leave of absence. I found out two days later that Salizare was released, all charges dropped.”
“Christ,” Dylan said and then whistled.
“What the fuck did you do?” Wade asked, a look of anger crossing his face.
“After drowning myself in a bottle, I did everything I could to have him rearrested, alienating almost everyone around me. That’s the reason I decided to disappear, change my name, and hunt down Salizare in my own time, although until recently, I didn’t think there was a damn chance I could do that. Anyway, while I was still in Virginia, I’d heard rumor that he was laying low in an estate he owns just outside of Jacksonville, so it became my first stop. As usual, he got away and I was on the wrong end of a few fists, the injuries severe enough I should be crippled. Hawk saved my life and nursed me back to health.” I would also never forget the night I was dragged into the alley. The more I thought about it, the more I knew I’d been set up.
I didn’t like what my instincts were telling me.
“No wonder you’re loyal to the man.” Dylan gave me a nod of respect.
“I owe him a hell of a lot. The cabin was special at one point. Now, it’s only four walls and a roof to me. I doubt it’s even been left standing after Salizare’s men rolled through.” I was forced to face the fact I did care about it, but there was nothing I could do now.
“I’m sorry, man. That’s tough for anyone to go through,” Dylan said, trying to give me a smile.
“You sure it was Salizare’s men who were after us?” Wade shot Kelly a look.
“I’m not certain of anything, but we aren’t jumping to conclusions. A few people knew the location where we were staying. Anyone could have allowed that to slip.”
Dylan laughed. “Definitely sounds like you don’t trust us. I think you need to find out if our guest’s car was bugged.”
“I had no idea what Michael was involved with. I swear on my mother’s grave,” she said softly. “I also didn’t lead them to your cabin. How the hell could I have made that possible? I stole that car at random.” She finally opened up her eyes wide. “The phone I took? Could that have been bugged?”
“Maybe, but it was destroyed right after we found you,” Wade answered.
“That no longer matters,” I stated in an authoritative tone. “The more I think about it, I have a feeling Salizare is completely aware of who I am.”
“Then I suggest you tell us what these big plans of yours are, prosecuting attorney.” There was still an edge in Wade’s voice.
“I contacted an FBI agent I trust, the one who’d been assigned to the Salizare case all those years ago.”
“Jesus,” Dylan huffed.
“No, hold on. I get it,” Wade said, laughing. “You want both men arrested, the drugs swept off the street. Once law is in your blood, you can’t get free of it.”
“Something like that.” I shook my head, already coming to the same conclusion.
“And what makes you think that the same kind of shit isn’t going to happen, Crockett? Salizare is even more powerful now. There won’t be a rock you can live under where that asshole can’t find you. He had men loyal to him in freaking twenty states of the damn union.” Dylan was exasperated, pacing the floor.
I laughed, lifting my eyebrows. “The FBI are good at what they do, but they aren’t cunning enough to lure in men like Salizare or Capatelli for that matter. However, they will be excellent at destroying a certain portion of their respective enterprises. If my plans work accordingly, both Hawk and I will have our revenge and Michael will get exactly what’s coming to him.”
“You know what? All of this is fucking fascinating,” Dylan said, his eyes twinkling from the realization of what I was suggesting.
“Just how are you going to lure them in? Neither one of them are stupid and if Capatelli is as cunning as you seem to think, he’ll stay as squeaky clean as possible. You have to know that.” Wade tilted his head, a smile curling on his lip.
“True. But Capatelli does want one thing.” I shifted my head in Kelly’s direction.
“You are not going to use her as bait. Over my dead fucking body!” Dylan snapped.
“Yeah, I agree. If this asshole learns that she was with the very men who took his prize, he will kill her. That ain’t gonna happen.” Wade moved to within a few inches of me, his muscles tensing.
There was no doubt by their exclamations how they felt about the beautiful woman who stood stoically watching as her future was played out in front of her. It was exactly the same way I felt.
Love. Need. Desire.
All three were dangerous at this point.
“While I have no intention of putting Kelly in harm’s way, only alluding to her whereabo
uts, Michael wouldn’t hurt her anyway. Not until he got exactly what he wanted and the very reason he was dead set on marrying her. Isn’t that right, Kelly?”
As all three of us turned our heads in her direction, I was able to see a significant change in her eyes, a quiet reverence and hard determination. When she nodded once, she walked toward the door, opening it several inches.
“Kelly, look. This has been tougher on all of us than I could have imagined. In order for this to have any chance of success, we have to work together, trusting each other. The odds are ridiculous at best. That means we need to know what’s in Virginia, Kelly. It may be vital in order to remain alive. What leverage do you have over him?”
While I honestly didn’t expect she’d provide any answer, I hoped she could find a way to trust all of us. A cold wave rushed over me. While revenge was sweet, redemption was the only way to salvation.
If only I could banish the demons.
She took a few minutes before answering and when she turned around, there were tears in her eyes. “First of all, I have no problem with helping you. Michael won’t fall for any kind of tricks. He’s far too smart for that. I’m a hell of a lot stronger than I look.”
“She might be right, Crockett,” Wade said quietly.
“I don’t care if she’s right. I will not risk her life!” The level my voice had raised brought smiles to the others.
“You have to trust me, Crockett. Michael won’t respond to anyone but me. If he’s involved in drugs, that’s just business. What he wants is something far more personal.” Her voice was strong and while she shifted her gaze from one of us to the other, she settled her eyes on mine. “I want that man out of my life forever and I’m willing to do anything it takes in order for that to happen.”
I saw such strength in her, a woman refusing to play any kind of victim. While I’d believed karma had been determined to kick my ass, driving the beast I’d created years before as protection, I realized I’d been wrong. Karma had decided I needed a reminder of joy and happiness as well as love. At that moment, I knew I would die for her.
“As far as what I hope is safe in Virginia, this is all that Michael really cares about.” Kelly closed her eyes as I rubbed her cheek.
And when she spoke the words, I’d already known what she was going to say.
“Our daughter.”
I’d once offered my soul to the devil if he’d allow a change in the events that had happened. Now I completely understood why she’d risked her life in order to get as far away from the monster who’d held her captive.
A man not unlike the one I’d turned into.
Chapter Thirteen
Kelly
Daughter.
My beautiful Emily was born with ten perfect fingers and toes, her bright and bubbly eyes gazing at the world around her. She was a happy little girl, so damn intelligent and beautiful that my heart nearly broke in two the first time I laid eyes on her. I’d also had difficulty believing she could be from the same bloodline as Michael.
She was my angel, the little girl who could make me laugh with her expressions and giggles. Forever curious. Forever loving.
Forever mine.
I’d sworn that Michael would never get his hands on her only two weeks after she was born. The moment he’d learned of her existence, he’d threatened to take me to court if I didn’t share custody. My instinct had told me he’d never let her go, not for a visit. Not for a second. Rage boiled within me, hatred for the man as well as disgust about myself. I’d never intended on getting pregnant, the angst of learning I was growing his spawn inside creating waves of guilt.
Then he’d changed, pretending that the two of us were the only precious things that mattered to him. And I’d been sucked in again like a fool. He’d established a trust for her, even having the finest designers on the East Coast preparing the perfect room for his baby girl. The day I’d been allowed to see it, only hours before being caged like an animal, I’d known that his obsession with her would be my ultimate demise.
The marriage was to ensure that she remained with him, no matter what happened to me. No ugliness in the courts. No nasty stories in the newspaper.
To use her to get to him would take everything out of me. My sanity. My dignity. My humanity.
But if there was a way legally that he could never get his hands on her again, I was perfectly capable of playing the good little fiancée for a night, merely terrified to marry a man of such importance.
If he ended up dead?
Sighing, I nibbled on my bottom lip, trying to figure out if I was that kind of woman. Did he deserve to die? I wasn’t able to answer that question. My sister and I had been raised differently, learning that human life was more precious than money or the finer things in life. Yet I’d seen the haunting look on Crockett’s face, the coldness in his eyes as if he was required to eliminate two lives.
To think that he’d been on the right side of the law the majority of his life was gut-wrenching. Then hearing about his beautiful fiancée being gunned down had nearly broken my heart. I understood him; his sadness and anger, his frustration and the very reason he’d shut himself off from the world.
All I wanted to do was get away from the horror, enjoying spending time with all three men. I bit back a laugh at the thought. How could I care about them on any level? I didn’t know them, at least not really. Then why was I tingling all over from just being in close proximity to them? Why did three rugged men drive me to the point of madness, my body overheating?
My pussy wet.
My nipples aching with every movement.
Swallowing, I pressed my fingers against my lips, savoring the scent of the ocean. I had to learn to trust all three men in order to get through this. I needed their strength and care, allowing me to spread my wings, finally breaking the tenuous hold Michael had over me. Yes, I could do this.
I would do this.
For Emily.
“I’d forgotten just how much I love the ocean and this place is actually perfect,” I said, more to myself than the other three men who hovered around me like guardian angels. When the sun began to set, only then did they allow me to venture outside, as long as the lights were off in the room. The warm breeze and lapping of the water against the shore managed to take some of the horrors of the past few days away.
I couldn’t believe how much I’d gone through in a little over forty-eight hours.
Including finding three big bear kind of heroes. Rough. Gruff.
Loving.
I took a sip of the drink I’d almost forgotten was in my hand, closing my eyes as the cool liquid slid down the back of my throat. While the bourbon had been served in a cheap plastic cup, the smoothness and taste were a small reminder of the finer things in life. The ones Michael had promised me.
“That’s why I brought us here,” Crockett said. He remained against the balcony wall, his boot planted on the siding, staring out at the last remnants of light, the moon already creating a shimmer across the water. “When I arrived at the first exit for Jacksonville, I just kept going, uncertain of what the hell I was doing. Liked the name of the town so I took the exit and drove up and down the street just off the ocean, stopping here. I spent three days staring out at the water, trying to find a way to heal.”
“Healing from that kind of shit takes a long time,” Wade half whispered. “But we’ve all needed that kind of solace from time to time.”
“When was the last time you saw Emily?” Dylan asked.
They’d been careful to allow me to open up, to share small pieces of a life that had been stolen from me. My heart ached for my little girl. I only prayed she was okay. “Five months. I refused to tell Michael where she was, even though he believed I was prepared to bring her to him. The only smart thing I did before arriving at his estate was to make the decision to leave her behind. I didn’t care what he did to me, but I refused to have her growing up with a monster for a father.”
“Your sister has her?” Wade�
��s voice held a tremor, a level of sadness I hadn’t heard in him before.
“Ashley was the only person I knew I could trust with taking Emily to a safe location. I left her a message to leave North Carolina just before I wrecked the car. She purchased a little place on Smith Mountain Lake. She called it her dream house, a fixer upper with heart.”
“That was risky given Michael’s connections,” Crockett said quietly.
“I know, but what was I supposed to do? I’d been summoned by Michael. Looking back on it now, every word he’d said to on the phone and in emails had been a treat sugarcoated with everything I’d needed to hear. He loved me. He missed me. He wanted nothing more than to make my life happy. We could be a family. What bullshit. Since Ashley was still using her married name, although she’s been divorced for years, I didn’t think Michael would be able to find the house, at least right away. By then, I’d hoped to reason with him, but with Michael, it’s all about him. Now, I don’t know if he’s holding both hostage, especially since I fled.” Sighing, I brought the cup to my lips, a single tear falling into the bourbon. Fuck. I was stronger than this. I couldn’t let that asshole get the better of me.
I’d meant every word I’d said to Crockett and the others. I would do anything in my power to have him stopped, including losing my life if necessary. Then maybe my baby could grow up in a safe and happy location. A chill raced down my spine, a sick feeling gnawing at my stomach.
Dylan moved behind me, his chest pressing against my back, his strong arms wrapped around me. As he kissed the top of my head, he whispered, “Everything is going to be all right.”
I wanted to believe him, but I was losing all hope.
“I’m sure she’s safe. We all agree that Michael wouldn’t hurt his own daughter,” Wade added. “She seems valuable to him.”
“No, but you don’t know my sister. She would fight to the death in order to protect her niece. Michael has no conscience. He wouldn’t care if Ashley was hurt or even killed. But I swear to God, I will cut out his heart myself if he lays a hand on either of them.” I continued to shiver even as the heat of Dylan’s body sizzled almost every inch of my skin.
