I turned around and left, climbing down the stairs, glancing at a man who walked past me. He gave me a smile, one that I didn’t return. I made my way down the stairs and out to my car, where Xavier was waiting.
“No luck?” he asked. I shot him a look but didn’t say anything, starting the car, and he sighed as we pulled away.
“So what next?”
“We go find Zachary. We’ll try his house first.”
“And if he’s not there?”
“We’ll find him,” I said. I had no idea how, but I’d do it, even if I had to call Ash and have the police keep an eye out for the kid. I had a strong feeling that he had something to do with what had been happening to Victoria, especially after he’d made the comment about the broken window.
“What do we do when we find him, Louis?”
“We follow him. He might go to Victoria’s. If he does, we’ll catch him in the act, threaten him with the cops or something. If he doesn’t—”
“You’re planning on threatening this kid either way, aren’t you?” Xavier asked. I didn’t say anything.
“Louis, you have to talk to me,” Xavier said.
“About what?”
“You know about what. Victoria. Your threat to quit. Everything.”
“I told you how I felt about Victoria, Xavier. I don’t know what else you want me to say. I don’t know what else to say other than that I am in love with her and I want to be with her and nothing—nothing—is going to keep me from that.”
“I’m not trying to keep you from that,” Xavier said. “I don’t have feelings for Victoria. It’s only—it’s a sex thing. I’m not sure why I went over there after—after you told me that.”
“Because it’s not only a sex thing and you know it,” I snapped.
We pulled up to Zachary’s house and he went quiet. The lights were on in his house and we could see his outline in the front room, sitting on the couch watching TV. I parked across the street, facing the opposite direction, the rearview mirror pointed toward his house.
“So what, we just wait here?”
“That’s what a stakeout is, Xavier.”
“I didn’t know we were on a stakeout,” he said, amusement in his voice.
I rolled my eyes at him.
“Since you can’t go anywhere, you’re going to listen to me,” Xavier said.
“Not until you admit that you have feelings for Victoria. I’m not fucking around with you. This is serious.”
He sighed. “I don’t. It’s Tracy. I just lost my wife.”
I looked over at him. “Xavier, I know you better than anybody. I know you better than your own wife did and for longer. You’re in love with Victoria.”
He didn’t say anything, but his jaw went tight.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said to him. “I’m not—I love you, Xavier. You’re like my brother. But I won’t let you have her.”
“I don’t want her,” he said in a frustrated voice.
I shook my head at him. “Maybe it’s better if you’re in denial about it.”
“Even if I did love her, I wouldn’t take her from you, Louis. I am so sorry for what I did. I shouldn’t have gone over there. I was feeling jealous and stupid, possessive.”
I sighed. “It might not matter, anyway. She’s angry with me.”
“She’s angry with you? Why? What did you do?”
“I told her that I went to talk to her brother. And he told me—he told me something about her that she didn’t want me to know.”
“And you’re not going to tell me what it is?” Xavier said.
“No,” I told him. “But either way, it might be over. She might be all yours.”
“I don’t—”
I cut him off by glancing over my shoulder, noticing movement at Zachary’s house. He was on his porch, locking up before going and getting into his car. I started mine and watched as he pulled away, then waited until he got a few feet down the block before I flipped the car around and started to follow him.
“Where do you think he’s going?”
“I don’t know. To Victoria’s, maybe? To see her brother?”
“You think they’re doing this together?”
“I wouldn’t put it past either one of them. The way they talk about her…”
“I know,” said Xavier darkly. “Trust me. I wanted to break that kid in half.”
“You might get a chance to if he even tries to touch her,” I said. “If I don’t do it first.”
“We have to be careful, Louis,” he said, but I ignored him. We followed the kid in silence and I held my breath as we approached the turn-off for Victoria’s apartment, not knowing whether I wanted him to go there or not. I wanted to catch him in the act, yet at the same time, I didn’t want to get Victoria involved in any of this if I didn’t have to. But Zachary didn’t turn off onto her street. He kept going down the freeway and we followed him at a steady pace, staying behind him far enough so there was no way he could know we were tailing him unless he’d been on the lookout in the first place.
He drove for a long time, almost an hour, along the highway and slightly out of the city.
“Louis, do you have any idea where he’s going?” Xavier asked.
“No,” I said in a determined voice. I was growing more curious as we went. He pulled off the freeway finally and onto a country road, one that fortunately a couple of other cars turned onto as well. It would make us look less suspicious as we followed him down the drive, into the darkness where the rural highway was no longer lit by any streetlights. The other cars dropped off until it was only us and Zachary.
“There’s no way he doesn’t know we’re following him,” Xavier said.
“I know,” I said. “He’s leading us somewhere.”
“This is a bad idea, Louis,” Xavier said.
I pushed my shirt over my hip, gesturing to where I had a gun holstered.
His eyes widened. “Louis, turn around. You need to turn around and go back right now.”
“No,” I snarled. “No, he’s threatened her for too long.”
“Louis—”
He didn’t have time to finish before Zachary pulled abruptly off the road. I stopped the car in front of the farmhouse he was driving toward, cutting off the lights, watching him stop outside the house. We waited for a long time in the dark but he didn’t get out of the car, only sat there, waiting for us. I gritted my teeth, my whole body tense as I put my hand on the door and opened it.
“Don’t, Louis,” Xavier said, reaching for me, but I yanked my arm away and got out of the car. Xavier hurried after me as I made my way across the lawn toward where Zachary was sitting. I knocked on his car window and he rolled it down, grinning at me.
“How’d I know it was you two?” he asked.
“Get out of the car,” I said.
He laughed. “No,” he said. “I’ll stay here, actually.”
I pulled the gun off my hip, pointing it at his face. His eyes widened in fear.
“Out.”
He got out slowly, then leaned back casually against the car, eyeing the gun. He was trying not to look intimidated, but I could tell by how pale he’d become that he was shitting himself in the face of the weapon.
“Why did you lead us out here?” I asked.
“Because I knew you’d be dumb enough to follow,” Zachary said. “By the way, if anything happens to me, you can be sure that the bitch dies. Or at least gets hurt.”
I felt rage swell within me, was about to open my mouth when I felt Xavier push past me, his hands on Zach’s shoulders as he shoved him back against the car.
“What does that mean?” Xavier asked, his voice sounding as angry as I felt.
“It means your little girl is in trouble,” Zachary said in a snide voice. “And if you’re not careful, she’s going to be in even more trouble.”
“Where is she?” I asked.
He chuckled. “She’s not at her apartment, I can tell you that,” Zachary said. “S
he left as soon as you did. In fact, I’m pretty sure you saw the gentleman she left with on your way down to your car. He mentioned that you looked pretty angry. Did you have a fight with Victoria before you left? Is that what happened?”
“Who is he?” I asked, something sinking in my chest. I remembered the man and how he’d smiled at me, how I’d been too wrapped up to take any notice of him.
“He’s her ex,” Zachary said, and I felt all the blood rush out of my body.
“Jacob,” I said.
Zachary nodded. I looked over at Xavier.
“We have to get to her,” I said to him. “Now.”
“Good luck,” said Zachary in a lazy voice. Xavier shoved him against the car again.
“Where is she?”
“You should call her and find out,” Zachary said.
I shook my head, pulling out my phone, keeping the gun aimed at his face. I dialed Victoria’s number with my heart pounding in my chest, desperate to hear her voice on the other end.
“Louis!” she said when she answered, her voice soft and weak.
“Victoria, angel, where are you?”
“Jacob—”
She was cut off by the sound of a slap, one that made me grit my teeth as she cried out.
“Victoria,” I said, but there was a sharp noise and then a man’s voice took her place.
“Hello? Is this Louis Sylvester or Xavier Kyle?”
“Jacob,” I said sharply. “What do you want? What did you do to Victoria?”
“Nothing, yet,” the man said. His voice sounded cold and empty. Evil. I shivered remembering what he was capable of, what he’d already done to her. “It all depends on what you’re willing to do for me.”
“What do you want?” I repeated.
“Money. Fifty thousand dollars from you and Mr. Kyle each.”
“Fifty thousand dollars!” I said.
Xavier’s eyes widened and Zachary chuckled.
“Don’t act like that’s a big deal to either one of you,” he said.
“Where is she?” I asked.
“She’s with me at my place right now. But we could move at any time. I’ll give you the address if you agree to bring me the money. Zachary will come with you so that you don’t try to get the cops involved.”
“We give you the money, and you give her to us?”
“Maybe,” said Jacob. “After I’ve had my fun with her. Ask Zachary. He’ll tell you where you need to go.”
“Don’t touch her—” I said, but he hung up before I got the words out. My hands were shaking, trembling so much I almost dropped the phone. I looked up at Xavier.
“He wants money.”
“Let’s go,” Xavier said without hesitation, as ready as I was to get Victoria back to safety.
19
Victoria
Fuck you,” I spat, scrambling away from Jacob. He laughed but didn’t follow me, and I felt filled with relief when he let go of my ankle. Just being around him, having him touch me, made my skin crawl. I wanted to throw up remembering what had happened when we were younger, how Jacob had ruined my life and my body all at the same time.
“You wish you could fuck me,” Jacob snarled. “Sounds like you can’t get enough men these days. Two at once? Really? And your bosses?”
“You don’t know anything about me, Jacob,” I said. “You have no idea!”
“I know you’re a slut and you’ve always been a slut. Everybody knows that. Everybody at our church, your family, your coworkers…”
“Jacob,” I said. “Why are you doing this? Do you know how much trouble you could get in?”
“I’m not going to get in any trouble. They don’t want to risk your career or your life.”
“And after they pay you, then what?”
“Then you stay in line. You don’t touch either one of them. You act like a good little girl and save yourself for me whenever I want you.”
Disgust filled me, along with a rage and hatred so deep I’d never felt it before.
“I will never let you touch me again,” I spat at him, shrinking even further back when he leaned into me. His breath smelled like the alcohol he’d been drinking since I’d woken up in a daze on his couch. Back at my apartment, I’d answered the door assuming it was Louis again, but had been greeted with a cloth soaked in chloroform that had knocked me out for an unknown amount of time. The next thing I knew, the phone had been passed to me, and I’d heard Louis’s concerned voice on the other end.
“You’re not going to be able to stop me,” Jacob said. “And I won’t have to, anyway. Not if you behave. I’m not interested in having sex with you, Victoria. I’m a priest. I’m only interested in punishing you if I need to.”
“You’re disgusting,” I growled at him. “If you touch me, I will kill you. I’ll die before I let you.”
He laughed. The doorbell rang then, and my head snapped over to see Jacob cross the room to open the door. Louis rushed in past him and over to me, kneeling beside me. I was surprised to see Xavier behind him, his eyes on mine, a look of concern and fear on his face.
“Are you okay, angel?” Louis asked, putting his hand to my cheek.
“Enough of that,” Jacob roared. “Get back from her.”
Louis stood up, staring at Jacob. Somebody else entered the house then—Zachary, who was sneering at me as he walked in.
“Get away from her,” Jacob said to Louis. “Don’t touch her. Or you’re going to regret it.”
“We have your money,” Louis hissed, nodding at Xavier, who pulled out a thick envelope and handed it to Zachary. “Now we’re leaving.”
“Not so fast,” said Jacob, who gave a low whistle. The door opened then and a man stepped out—I was surprised to see it was Jeremiah, and that he had a sly smile on his face.
“Hello, gentlemen,” he said to Xavier and Louis, who stared at him as if he were a ghost.
“Jeremiah, what are you doing here?”
“I found that I had something in common with this gentleman,” Jeremiah said, glancing over at Jacob. “We’re both tired of this arrangement between the three of you. And I’m tired of you undermining everything I say. So here’s how this is going to work.”
“How what’s going to work?” Louis said.
“You’re going to let Zachary take the Walker case and become partner. You’re not going to argue about it anymore—I’m tired of hearing it. You’re also going to end this torrid affair with Victoria.”
“Or what, Jeremiah?” Xavier asked. “What exactly are you going to do?”
“Or she’ll never be safe,” Jacob said, grinning at Xavier. I felt a shiver run through me as he said it, knowing that he meant every word. “I’ll always be watching her.”
“And if we call the cops?”
“You won’t. This kind of case would go public. It would destroy your careers and reputations—everything you’ve ever worked for. It would destroy hers, too. You know that.”
Louis glared at him, opening his mouth to speak.
“Let’s go, Louis,” I said to him softly, glaring over at Jacob. “You gave him his money.”
“No,” said Louis, his hand going to his hip. He had a gun!
“Come on, Louis,” Xavier said, taking Louis’s arm, but Louis stood, frozen. I stood up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek and wrap my arms around him.
“I love you,” I said to him. “Let’s go. We’ll figure it out.”
He looked over at me, and a small smile spread across his lips as we turned to go. It was then that Jacob let out a snarl and jumped forward, knocking Louis to the ground.
“Louis!” I cried, but everything happened too fast for me to stop it. The two men rolled on the floor, and Xavier was rushing toward them when I heard the gun go off, echoing through the room. There was a cry of pain and my eyes widened when I saw the shocked look on Louis’s face.
“Louis!” Xavier said, rushing toward him. It was then that Jeremiah crumpled to a heap on the floor across the room. I lo
oked over to see that he was on the ground with blood spreading around him, a bullet wound in his chest. I stared at him, then glanced over at Louis, who was frozen on top of Jacob. Jacob was holding the gun, his mouth wide open as he stared at Jeremiah’s body.
“Jesus,” Xavier said, rushing over to Jeremiah. “Call the cops.”
“No!” Jacob said, but was cut off when Louis’s fist collided with his face, knocking him out cold. There was a noise by the door and I glanced to see Zachary darting away, running across the front lawn. We watched him go as Louis pulled out his phone to call the cops while looking over at me.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a gentle voice. I nodded, looking over at where Xavier was standing next to Jeremiah.
“He dead?” Louis asked.
Xavier nodded grimly.
“This is going to be a hell of a lot of paperwork,” Louis said, sighing, and I had to laugh as we waited there for the cops.
20
Louis
So here’s the guest room,” I said to her, standing in the doorway.
She looked inside, her eyes scanning the room before she looked up at me. She was biting her lip in the most distracting way and there was no more anger in her features, but she had made it clear in the beginning that she didn’t plan to share a room with me, that she was still upset about what had happened with her brother.
“Thanks,” she said. She went inside and sat down on the bed, looking up at me. I lingered there, staring at her, at the soft bruise on her face. All I wanted to do was kiss it and make it better, but I knew all I could do was wait it out. I realized that was exactly what was happening with Xavier, too—that I’d pushed away both of the people I loved the most. I sighed, running my hand through my hair.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” I said to her.
“See you,” she said quietly, holding my eye for a moment longer before I closed the door.
I went into my bedroom, lying down on the bed, closing my eyes and trying to get some sleep after what had been a long, excruciating night. It had felt like it would never end, but now that it had I felt as wired as ever.
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