As Ashton comforts me, I try to shed the image of what has been engraved on my mind ever since I saw it. I know that image will live with me for the rest of my life and nothing will ever stop the guilt that I didn’t report him to the cops.
There is a very good reason why I didn’t and one I can never explain and that’s what I live with every day of my life. Imogen’s secret is destroying me and I can’t see a way out of it.
It’s soon time to collect the girls from school and Ashton decides to come with me. I’m not silly and know she’s concerned and I’m grateful for it. It feels good to have a friend who has my back because it’s been a long time since I had one.
We set off and chat about any other subject than the one that’s probably unfolding right now in town. I wonder if they found Greyson and what they’re doing to him now. I feel so nervous it’s quite hard to concentrate on anything else, which is why I’m happy to have Ashton’s company.
By the time we reach the school, I feel so on edge it’s difficult to cover it and Ashton looks at me with concern. “You know, I’ll go and get the girls if you want to stay here. It may save you from the endless gossip of the other moms.”
I look at her gratefully and shake my head. “No, it’s fine. I could do with the distraction, really.”
She looks a little worried and I smile reassuringly. “It’s fine, Ashton—I’m fine. I just need to get today over with because all the time Greyson’s out there, I don’t feel safe. I’m sure the guys will sort it, I’ve no doubt about that but I just want this over with quickly so I can get back to normal, for Imogen’s sake.”
I can tell she’s not convinced but I can’t dwell on it because I see the kids racing out and steel myself for the afternoon ahead caring for a five-year-old.
We join the other moms and make polite conversation as, one by one, the children come to claim their moms. Cassie races up shouting loudly and Ashton grins. “Like father, like daughter.”
I laugh because Cassie is the image of Ryder. Dark good looks that turn heads even at this young age and I don’t envy the pair of them keeping Cassie in line in the future. If she’s anything like her father, she’ll be a wild one.
I’m slightly surprised to see she’s not with Imogen in tow but think nothing of it until the steady stream of children dwindles and Cassie looks at Ashton impatiently. “Can we go, mommy? I want to play with Jack in the treehouse?”
I suppose that’s when the panic starts to set in as Ashton catches my eye and the look in hers tells me she feels it too. She turns to Cassie and says lightly, “We’ll wait for Imogen and then we can go.”
Cassie looks surprised. “But she left already.”
I hear her say the words but they sound as if they’re coming in slow motion.
Ashton says quickly, “What do you mean, honey, when did she go?”
Resisting the urge to start screaming, I already know what she is going to say before she says solemnly, “She went to see Principal Harvey and never came back.”
Ashton looks worried and says firmly, “Follow me, we’ll go and find out what’s going on.”
I’m grateful she’s thinking straight because I’m in a blind panic and don’t know what to do first. I almost run to the Principal’s office and they struggle to keep up with me. As soon as we reach it, I don’t even knock and race inside and am just grateful to see she’s at her desk, looking at me with surprise. “Can I help you?”
It all comes out in a rush as I say, “Imogen Martin, I believe she came here to see you today. I’m her mom, where is she?”
The Principal looks surprised, and the hammering starts in my head. She must take all of two seconds to grasp the seriousness of the situation and says firmly, “Tell me what you know.”
Ashton says calmly, “Cassie, darling, tell Principal Harvey what you told us.”
Cassie looks frightened and says in a small voice, “Imogen came to see you and never came back.”
The Principal smiles at her and says in a calm voice, “Now think carefully, Cassie, who came to fetch her?”
Cassie looks thoughtful and says in a serious voice, “I think it was Beth Kinsaid, you know, mommy, the hall monitor I told you about who was rude to me the other day.”
I feel like shaking her but have to keep calm and let the Principal do her job. She nods, “What did she say to Mrs. Benson?”
Cassie looks a little worried as she grasps things aren’t quite right and says in a small voice, “She had a note and Mrs. Benson said it was from you and you needed to see Imogen.”
Principal Harvey reaches for her phone and says urgently, “Colton, I need to speak to Beth Kinsaid. Can you check if she’s left already and if not, bring her here?”
She looks at her computer and reaches for her phone and we watch her dial a number and wait while tapping her fingers on her desk. “Yes, good afternoon, Mrs. Kinsaid, it’s Principal Harvey. Please, may I trouble you to bring Beth to my office? … No, she’s not in trouble but may be able to help us with something.”
I catch Ashton’s eye and she looks worried which does nothing to calm me, if anything, I feel like trashing the office with frustration because I know something’s happened and I’m not going to like it.
Cassie clings onto to Ashton’s leg and says in a small, quivering, voice, “Is Imogen ok, mommy?”
Ashton reaches down and lifts her into her arms and says calmly, “Of course, darling. There’s nothing to worry about.”
We hear a knock on the door and a petite woman looks inside with a worried expression, holding the hand of a slightly older girl who must be Beth. Mrs. Harvey smiles and says briskly, “Thanks for coming so promptly Mrs. Kinsaid.”
She turns to Beth and says calmly, “Earlier today you went to Mrs. Benson’s classroom with a note from me to fetch Imogen Martin. Please, can you tell me who gave you the note?”
Bethany looks surprised. “A man.”
I think my heart stops beating, and the world turns black. Ashton holds me up and I hear her say firmly, “What man?”
The Principal says urgently, “Did you recognize him, Beth?”
She shakes her head and says falteringly, “No, I thought he was a teacher.”
I can sense the tension and Ashton says, “Did you go with Imogen?”
Beth looks uncomfortable. “No, I had to get to class.”
Mrs. Kinsaid looks as worried as the rest of us as Principal Harvey says gently, “Thank you, Beth. You can go home now.”
I hear them leave and the Principal grabs hold of the phone, saying, “I’m calling the Sherriff’s department.”
I think I shout, “No, please.”
They all look at me in surprise and I feel the tears streaming down my face as I say in a broken voice, “It must be Greyson, her father. It has to be.”
Ashton looks at the Principal and says in a calm voice, “It’s ok, Principal Harvey, I’ll call my husband. I’m sure he’ll know what to do.”
The Principal shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I need to inform the authorities at once.”
As she lifts the receiver, I hear Ashton on her cell, “Ryder, we need you.”
20
Flash
Tyson and I head into town toward the Ventura building. I take with me a growing sense of frustration as I itch to lay my hands on the fucker that Jennifer calls a husband. I’m grateful that Tyson came with me because I’m fast losing my shit and he will have my back.
We park outside the building and remove our helmets and a wide path clears around us. I don’t blame them because these are people going about their daily business who give us a wide berth for fear of drawing our attention. I know we look threatening, it’s all part of the job. Just one look at us is usually enough to have people cower in fear and I relish it. Tyson is hard-faced beside me and looks around him with irritation before growling, “Let’s do this.”
We head inside the clinical reception and must look a strange sight among the respectability that lives wi
thin these walls. We approach the reception and I note the interest in the receptionist’s eyes as her voice wavers, “Um... may I help you?”
I lean on the desk and say firmly, “Greyson Martin, I need to pay him a visit.”
She swallows hard and I see the uncertainty in her eyes and I can tell she doesn’t know whether to call the cops or slide me her number. I see the conflict as she starts to breathe heavily and licks her lips in anticipation before consulting her screen and saying in surprise, “He’s not here.”
Fighting the urge to grab the monitor for myself and verify her words, I’m grateful when Tyson says roughly, “Have you seen him today?”
She looks around her nervously, “No, it says on the system he’s been out of the office for several weeks and has been working out of our Michigan office.”
Feeling the dead-end hitting me hard in the face, I say carefully, “Can you call his office so I can speak with him instead?”
She nods and I watch her shaking fingers dial the number and then she says breathlessly, “Good afternoon, this is the Ventura office, please can you put me through to Greyson Martin?”
There’s a short silence before she nods, “Oh, yes, of course, thank you.”
Replacing the receiver, she says nervously, “He left yesterday. They told me he was heading back here, so I’m sure it won’t be long before he returns. Maybe he got held up.”
Tyson exhales sharply and I feel the frustration tearing me apart. Thanking the receptionist, I turn and say quietly, “What do we do, wait here or check his home again?”
Tyson shrugs, “Wait here, I guess. I’ll call it in and get Brewer to track his cell. That may give us some intel.”
He makes the call and I look around feeling the rage building. Fuck this, we don’t usually operate blind. Whoever fed Ryder his intel had better hope we find the fucker because I intend on taking it out on him personally if we don’t.
Tyson ends the call and says gruffly, “We’re to wait until Brewer calls. Let’s get some air, places like this suck the air from my lungs.”
I follow him out and think about my friend. Like me, he has his problems which he keeps close to his chest. I’m not sure why he has such a dislike for, men in suits, as he puts it but I’m guessing it has something to do with the reason he became a Reaper in the first place. We all have our secrets and keep them close until we’re ready to deal with them and I’m sure he’s no exception.
We head outside into the bright sunshine of the day and sit astride our bikes, waiting for the call. We say nothing and just look around broodingly. It must be five minutes in that a large, black, limo, glides to a halt across the street and I look at it with interest. I’m guessing some hotshot is inside and am curious to see who they are. It pulls up outside a fancy hotel, one of the best in town and both Tyson and I watch as a uniformed chauffeur walks to the rear and opens the door with a flourish.
A few suits get out, the usual bodyguard types and I wonder who they’re guarding. Then I see a white rhinestoned covered boot appear before a long, shapely, leg pushes it to the dusty sidewalk. This is closely followed by the rest of a body that drives men mad with lust and causes wars to start.
My mouth drops open as a slim blond emerges from the overly large car and blinks as the sunlight hits her eyes. She squints up at the sun and then her eyes find ours across the street and I watch her face change in an instant.
Even from here I see the shock on the prettiest little face I’ve seen in quite a while and one that I recognize instantly - Sunny Scott, the new Country and Western star that’s riding high in the charts.
I turn to Tyson and immediately know something’s wrong because he’s turned as white as a sheet and looks as if he’s seen a ghost. Looking back, I see the same look on the country star’s face as they stare at each other in disbelief. It takes just a brief second, but it’s like a chain reaction that defies time. They are not strangers, that much is obvious and almost immediately the guard around her closes in and she’s swept away through the back door of the hotel.
I let out my breath and say softly, “You know her, don’t you?”
As I look at my friend, I have my answer with no words spoken. For the first time in my life, I see Tyson look destroyed.
His cell rings before another word passes his lips, and he grabs it on autopilot and listens hard. Then, without a backward glance, he says roughly, “We’re needed at the school, now.”
His words hit me hard and I know we’ve got a serious problem. This can only mean one thing, Imogen.
21
Jennifer
I think I must be in shock along with everyone around me and I can’t think straight and my body is threatening to dissolve into a mass of fear and pain. So much pain that makes breathing difficult and words take on no meaning but all I can think of is my poor little girl being taken by the man I fear the most.
I collapse in the chair in front of the principal’s desk and put my head in my hands, trying to shut out the scene that’s playing around me so cruelly. My heart beats frantically as I try to think where he could have taken her. All I can think of is those damned tickets to France and say in a voice that sounds as if it’s coming from somewhere far, “The airport. Check the airport and flights to France.”
The principal says in a slightly hysterical voice, “Why, do you know this man?”
The tears leak through my fingers as I whisper, “It must be Greyson, her father.”
I almost sense the relief in the principal as she says, “Then that’s fine. At least if her father took her, she’ll be safe. I wouldn’t worry Mrs. Martin; he won’t be able to take her to another country without the authorities knowing about it. Stay strong and the sheriff will deal with it.”
At that moment, we hear the cavalry approaching as the distinct rumble of motorbikes disturbs the usual serene sense of calm that settles over a school when the children have left for the day. I sense the principal’s unease as it becomes apparent that there is way more than one of them. I watch her hands shake as she tries to maintain her calm, professional, exterior, as her school is overrun by the most unwelcome of visitors.
The silence hangs in the air as we wait for the inevitable which doesn’t take long. The footsteps charging toward the office door settle my heart—a little and as the door opens Cassie screams, “Daddy!”
She breaks free of Ashton and races into the arms of her father who swings her up and grips her tightly before saying in a stern voice, “What happened?”
Ashton fills him in and he looks at the principal and says roughly, “You call the cops?”
She nods fearfully, and he says grimly, “Ok, we could use them.”
His gaze falls on me as I stutter, “I think it’s Greyson; he must be trying to take her to France.”
He hands Cassie back to Ashton and drops to his knees before me, taking my hands in his and says softly, “Why do you think that?”
I tell him what I know and he barks over his shoulder, “Snake, detail some guys to the airport. They may be on a flight to France, make sure it doesn’t leave.”
I feel my heart settle a little as he says to Ashton in the soft voice he reserves only for her, “Take Cassie home, darlin’.”
Turning to his daughter, he reaches down and smooths the worry away before smiling and saying gently, “Good work soldier. Now go with your mommy and make me a picture of what happened today.”
He kisses the top of her head and she says happily, “Ok daddy.”
As they leave, she turns and says with a worried voice, “You will bring Imogen home, won’t you daddy?”
He nods and winks. “You know I will.”
Her smile is huge as she follows Ashton from the room and we hear her say excitedly, “Daddy will make it all better, mommy. He always does.”
The door closes and leaves an awkward silence behind it. Principal Harvey looks so worried she may pass out at any second and the sound of more bikes arriving does nothing to curb her fear.<
br />
Ryder smiles at her and says charmingly, “Maybe you can rustle up a hot tea and brandy for Jennifer, it looks as if she could use something for the shock.”
The Principal needs no further instruction and jumps to her feet hastily. “Um... of course, I’ll see to it right away.”
She heads out of the door as the one I want to see the most rushes in—Flash.
He races to my side and pulls me against him hard and as I feel his strong arms wrap me in the comfort I need right now, I hear Ryder filling him in. Drawing back, Flash looks at me with concern and says reassuringly, “It’s ok, Jen. He can’t harm her; he won’t leave this country; we’ll make sure of it.”
Ryder nods and I cry, “You don’t understand.”
I watch them share a look and Ryder says bitterly, “I think we do; you don’t need to spell it out.”
I almost can’t control my fear as I cry, “You have to know, she’s not safe, he’s a monster.”
Flash says firmly, “Have you got someone watching the house?”
Ryder nods, “Yes, Brewer sent some guys to the house. If they’re there, they won’t leave.”
The tears stream through my fingers as my voice breaks, “He knows.”
Ryder says calmly, “Who knows, darlin’?”
I begin to shake as the full sense of horror hits me. “Imogen isn’t safe, he told me he knows.”
Speaking in a very calm but firm voice, Flash says, “I think you need to fill us in, Jen. Now is not the time for secrets.”
I almost can’t form the words as I whisper, “If Greyson knows who Imogen’s father is, I’ll never see her again.”
The Principal heads inside and Ryder says firmly, “I’m sorry ma’am, please can you give us a moment?”
She backs out of the room as we hear the police sirens heading our way. “Of course, I’ll go and meet the sheriff.”
As she leaves, Ryder says urgently, “We don’t have long. Tell us, Jen, who is her father?”
The cry that comes from deep within me is like a wounded animal in so much pain they are about to die. I shake my head furiously, “I can’t tell you, please don’t make me tell you, I promised.”
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