Enforce (The Force Duet Book 2)

by M. Malone

  “JJ, look at me. You are not to blame here.”

  “He’s right. You should listen to him.” Lucia’s voice came from behind Jonas. They both turned to look at her.

  Lucia’s gray eyes were shadowed and slightly red from unshed tears. It hurt JJ just to look at her.

  As usual, Jonas could sense her emotions. He pulled JJ closer and kissed her forehead. “Lucia loves you. We all do. Remember that. I’ll leave you two to talk.”

  She watched as he hugged Lucia before walking over to join Noah and Matthias. When she looked back to Lucia, her friend watched her with knowing eyes.

  “You can’t fool me, Jessica Jones. We’ve known each other too long for that.”

  The use of her full name pulled a reluctant smile from JJ. Lucia only pulled out the big guns when she was serious.

  “I’m not trying to fool you. I’m just ashamed.”

  “Why would you be ashamed? You’ve been nothing but a loving, protective godmother to Isabella. And I have no doubt that if you’d been here when it happened you’d have kicked that babysitter’s ass. But you weren’t here, and neither was I. Blaming ourselves for not being here doesn’t get my daughter back. I don’t need you to distance yourself because you feel guilty. I need my best friend to hold my hand so I don’t lose my mind.”

  JJ held open her arms immediately. Lucia practically threw herself forward, holding on to her like a lifeline. She’d been keeping herself so busy with guilt and second thoughts that she hadn’t realized she was also punishing Lucia.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think you’d want to look at me knowing that I might have brought this danger on us.”

  Lucia wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Even if it is this Chamaeleon guy, do you think I blame you for the actions of that psycho? You’re my sister, JJ. I couldn’t love you any more if we were blood.”

  JJ blew out a breath as her own eyes welled with tears. “Oh hell, now you’ve got me crying too.”

  After a few minutes hugging it out, Lucia grabbed her hand and led her to the couch. JJ curled up on one side while Lucia took the other and they turned so their feet met in the middle. This was how they’d always sat together, starting from when they were teenagers. The familiar pose was a bit of comfort in the middle of chaos.

  Lucia glanced behind them where the guys were talking. “Noah is going crazy. If I thought he was over protective where I’m concerned, he’s way worse with Isabella. Whoever took her might as well pick out their gravestone.” Her voice wavered slightly at the end.

  JJ held out a hand and squeezed when Lucia took it. She could hear what her friend was pointedly not saying. Her deepest fear. That even though Noah would tear the city apart to find their daughter, there was no guarantee Isabella would still be alive by the time he found her.

  “Matthias can find anyone. I’m sure he can find whoever did this.”

  Lucia’s eyes swung over to hers. “You really think David would do this to get back at you? It seems so strange. It would make more sense if Izzy were your baby.”

  “Maybe not. I’m probably wrong, and it’s some random person that Noah and the guys helped put in jail in the past or something.”

  JJ closed her eyes and wished with her whole heart that could be true. Because if it was David, it meant his obsession with her was even bigger than she could have ever known. It also meant they wouldn’t find Isabella until he wanted them to.

  After all, David had never lacked patience. He’d waited over seven years to come back and take his revenge.

  The next few days were some of the longest of JJ’s life.

  Noah didn’t appear to have slept the entire time and neither had Lucia, if she took a guess. Every night her friend went into her room, but she came out the next day with the bags under her eyes deeper and darker. Not that JJ didn’t understand. She’d brought work home with her but it hadn’t taken her mind off things a bit. Her sleep had been filled with nightmares of David holding the baby just out of reach and drawing on her face with lipstick.

  She’d woken in a cold sweat after that one.

  One morning while sitting at the kitchen counter, she heard a commotion coming from down the hall. Noise was a part of life when living with so many men, but this was different. JJ abandoned her coffee cup and walked toward the sound. It was coming from Matthias’s room.

  She hadn’t been in his room many times, but she remembered that it was taken up by a lot of screens and there were always a bunch of laptops lying around. As she got closer, she slowed her steps so the guys wouldn’t hear her.

  “I can’t believe you found him.”

  That sounded like Jonas’s voice. JJ inched a little closer. They’d all avoided speaking about the search for the missing babysitter in front of Lucia, so she’d only gotten a few updates from Jonas.

  “It wasn’t easy, mate. He’s definitely one of us.”

  One of us? What did that mean? JJ shook her head. Lucia had hinted about Noah, Matthias, and Rafe sharing some sort of shady background, but she didn’t know too much about it. Did that mean that David knew them? Maybe Jonas was right and this really wasn’t about her. The sound of Matthias’s laugh brought her back to the present conversation.

  “Bloody wanker. He actually thought he could proxy off some server in Russia for his emails to throw me off his scent. Like I’m some amateur.”

  Jonas’s deep laugh came next. “Not sure what the fuck you just said, but I assume that means you know where he is?”

  “Yeah, he’s still in New York. Fucker got an apartment in the East Village on 10th like it was nothing. He’s clearly not worried about us finding him. Not sure why he’s still hanging around if he doesn’t want to be caught.”

  JJ’s mind immediately started spinning. She put a hand over her mouth, sure that she’d scream or cry or something and give away that she was listening. But there was only one reason David would hang around New York instead of hiding out.

  Her.

  “Look, I think it’s best if we keep this quiet for now. The girls are already on edge. So let’s not mention anything until we know more.” Jonas’s voice brought her out of her daze.

  It was just like him to want to spare them more pain. She thought of Lucia and her haunted eyes. She didn’t want her friend to get her hopes up only to have them dashed either. Which was why she knew what she needed to do.

  JJ slipped down the hallway, holding her breath until she reached her room. Jonas always seemed to have a sixth sense about when she was up to something, so she could only hope to make it out of the penthouse without arousing any suspicion. But she couldn’t just sit here wasting time if there was a chance she could find David and end this.

  You don’t even know exactly where he is.

  JJ ignored the completely reasonable doubts rushing through her brain. It was true that she didn’t know exactly where David was but if she knew the street, there was a good chance she could find him if she walked around. She knew him. She knew how his twisted mind worked. What he wanted was to break her down, scare her, and prove his dominance. That he could show up whenever he wanted and there was nothing she could do. It would be just like him to hang out a sign saying ‘come find me JJ’ just to fuck with her mind. As Matthias had pointed out, he clearly wasn’t hiding.

  Maybe if she gave him what he wanted, then he would give Isabella back and leave her friends out of this.

  All she could do was pray that he hadn’t hurt Isabella. Because if he had hurt her goddaughter, JJ was prepared to rain down whatever vengeance she could, even if she died trying.

  Once she reached her room, she changed from her lounge clothes into jeans and a T-shirt. She avoided her own eyes in the mirror as she brushed out her hair and pulled it back into a high ponytail, the same way she’d worn it back when she’d been with David all those years ago. Her stomach clenched, disgusted at the idea of dressing to please him, but she reminded herself that this was for Isabella. She could do anything, even flirt with a p
sycho, if it meant her best friend’s daughter got to come home safe.

  Her fingers hesitated over her favorite red lipstick. It wasn’t the same color she’d worn as a teenager, but it was pretty damn close. Before she could overthink it, she swiped the crimson shade over her lips. Then she grabbed her handbag and walked out into the hallway.

  No one was in the hallway, a small blessing, so she didn’t waste any time going directly to the elevator and riding it down to the garage level. Her heart pounded furiously the entire time as she walked to her car, sure that at any moment Matthias would come running after her. The guy never seemed to sleep and had surveillance out the ass, so she could only pray that he was still distracted talking to Jonas. She didn’t breathe normally until she pulled out of the garage and onto the street.

  Then her heart started pounding for an entirely different reason. Every mile she covered was taking her closer to the source of all her nightmares. Her personal boogeyman. And she was placing herself right in his clutches.

  JJ blanked her mind, clearing out all thoughts of how foolish this was, and focused on driving. When she saw an open meter she took it, even though she was still five blocks away. Walking would give her time to calm down and also the chance to scope out the neighborhood. She was familiar with the East Village, of course, as any long time resident of the city would be. It really wasn’t the kind of place she’d expect David to settle. He’d always been obsessed with having and being the best. She wouldn’t expect him to like the punk, modern vibe of this diverse neighborhood. The David she knew would have wanted to find the most expensive, exclusive place possible in the city.

  A guy selling CDs tried to get her attention, and she shook her head with a smile. Any other day she’d probably have bought one just to help the kid out. But today she had a mission. When she finally reached 10th Street, her nerves were strung so tight she felt one deep breath away from snapping in two. Her eyes roamed both sides of the street, waiting. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was looking for, only that she’d know it when she saw it.

  Then her eyes landed on a shop across the street. The awning over the door had the store name in faded cursive.

  Chameleon.

  JJ stopped in her tracks, ignoring the muttered curses from the people around her. That was it. It had to be. It was spelled differently than the code name he used but the coincidence was too much. Her hands tightened into fists. He thought he was really cute living above a store with his code name. This whole thing was one big joke to him.

  She wasn’t sure how long she stood there before she finally sprang into motion. Traffic was heavy, which made it even easier to dodge around the cars and taxis to get to the other side. Once there, she glared at the awning as if it could give her the answers she needed. Then as if she’d summoned him, he was there.

  “David,” she breathed.

  To her surprise, he didn’t seem alarmed that she was there. It was almost like he’d been expecting her.

  “Jessica. There you are.”

  He smiled at her, as if she’d only gone out for coffee and he was welcoming her back home.

  And JJ knew then that she’d made a terrible mistake.

  chapter 3

  After talking over a few alternatives with Matthias, Jonas went straight for JJ's room and knocked. "JJ? You there?"

  When she didn’t answer, he opened the door and stuck his head in. Empty. All damn day he'd been dying to get to her. Sure, he'd only been gone three hours, but she’d been uncharacteristically quiet via text message. Normally by now she’d at least have butt-dialed him or something.

  He backtracked and found Matthias still sitting in front of his laptop. "Hey, you seen my girlfriend?"

  Matthias shook his head. “Nah, mate. But from the camera, I can see her purse isn’t on the hook by the door. Maybe she went out for some air. Maybe heading back to the office? She has a project she's working on. Do you want me to check her phone?"

  A part of him wanted to tell the kid no, that he trusted JJ. He didn't want to confine her into a prison much like her old psycho ex had done. That's what he told himself. But the words were out of his mouth before he thought about them. "Yeah, would you?"

  Matthias whirled his chair around. "Yeah, you got it.” In seconds, Matthias frowned. "She's in the East Village. On 10th and —" suddenly Matthias dropped his head and kept shaking it. "For the love of Christ, is that woman mad?"

  Jonas did not like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"

  When Matthias looked at him, his eyes were bleak. "I don't want you to panic, but it looks like she's headed straight for West’s place."

  Ice doused Jonas's veins. "What the fuck? Who let her out of the house?"

  Matthias put up his hands. "Easy mate. It's not like this is a prison. You and JJ both said you didn't want that for her. If that's what you wanted, I would've merrily locked her in her room, and she would've cussed me the fuck out. You know how she is. You know how she gets. You said you didn't want that. Which is fine by me, but we’ve all got to get on the same page. Either she's under protective custody, or she has freedom to move. But right now, how about we all just get down there and get her before she does something stupid."

  Jonas shook his head. "No. I'm going. Do me a favor and alert Noah and the others. I might need backup."

  Matthias nodded even as he jammed his ear comm unit in.

  Jonas was out the door in a flash, just barely remembering to grab his keys for the SUV before running down to the garage. The elevator was too slow. He preferred the stairs, so at least he could physically do something.

  The next ten minutes were an exercise in reckless driving. He navigated the streets like a complete maniac. Luckily, GPS and a proprietary software Matthias used directed him around all the traffic. And thankfully, he could park fucking anywhere. "Come on, come on, come on.”

  The last thing on earth he wanted to be was too late. Too late to stop her; too late to help her. When he saw her, he skidded the car to a stop right in front of a hydrant. Fuck, they could tow him if they liked. This was more important. In his ear, Matthias's voice rang clear. "Noah's on his way. Rafe too."

  "Do me a favor and tell them to hurry."

  As he approached, he saw that JJ was talking to someone. Right in front of the door of — oh fuck. Yeah, that was West, and JJ was reading him the fucking riot act.

  To his credit, the guy was taking it and just insolently leaning against the doorframe. As JJ went all extra-JJ on him, her cursing was inventive. Her arms were gesticulating wildly. She was at desperation-level angry and Jonas picked up his pace, jogging to reach them. Before he could do anything, Chamaeleon pulled her close.

  Mother Fucker. He held her so tight, JJ's arms and legs flailed. Jonas sprinted, his gun out of its holster and raised. "Let her go, asshole."

  Over JJ’s shoulder, the son of a bitch smirked. "As you wish. She came to me man. If you don't know how to keep your woman happy, don't put that on me." Then he shoved JJ away from him so hard that she fell on her ass. Then the bastard turned and went back inside.

  What Jonas wanted to do was run in right after him. But JJ was his main concern. She was shaking, and had curled herself into a little ball, rocking backward and forward. "Baby. Are you okay? Look at me. Tell me you're okay. I need to hear the words."

  She nodded. “I'm — I'm okay. I—" She shook her head. "I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't have come. But I couldn't sit around anymore and just wait. I overheard Matthias say he was here, and I thought if I just saw him and gave him what he wanted, he’d let Isabella go. But instead, he said he didn't know what I was talking about and called me crazy. And then I lost it. I know he’s been watching me. I accused him and he said I was making it up and —"

  The tears streamed down her face. Jonas bent down to his haunches and wrapped his arms around her. All he could do was hold her in the middle of the sidewalk with pedestrians streaming around them. He created a cocoon around her so that she was unaware of anyone els
e but him.

  When Rafe and Noah showed up, he shook his head and inclined it toward the door. "He's in there."

  Rafe patted himself down, doing an automatic weapons check. And then he headed straight for the door. But Noah clamped a hand on his shoulder. "No. I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told him.” He inclined his head toward Jonas. “We can't go in weapons hot. He’s a private citizen, and that's his residence. The FBI's handling that angle. Besides, we don't know what booby-traps he's got set up. And I don't want us barging in there and him hurting my fucking daughter."

  Noah's voice wavered, and a jolt of pain sliced Jonas's heart in two. His woman and his best friend were in the most unimaginable pain, and there was nothing he could do about it. What if you'd just taken a shot. He could've just taken the guy out. And then they would have decreased their chances of finding Isabella.

  In his arms, JJ started to shake. And all he could do was hold her tighter. He knew how terrified she was. He completely understood it. Because he was terrified, as well. The difference was he knew exactly what to do about it.

  When he got his hands on David West, he was going to throw out all his opinions about due process and kill the fucker with his bare hands.

  Jonas’s hands shook as he clipped JJ into her seat. "Are you sure you're okay?"

  She nodded. “Fine. I don't know what I was thinking. I just— if he hurts Isabella — I don't know what I'll do."

  “We'll get her back." Jonas tucked her hair behind her ear. "But not by you going off half-cocked."

  She smirked, and he knew that the old JJ was in there somewhere. "You said cock."

  "And sooner or later I can show you mine. But first, let's get you home. Okay? Lucia's got enough on her mind without worrying that something is going to happen to you too."