by M. S. Parker
“I think she ended up caring about you,” Toni continued. “And when Trask got out of jail, he wanted her to help him with something.” Her eyes slid to Isadora and then back to me. “Maybe a kidnapping.”
“Shit,” Isadora breathed.
“I think she refused, and that's why she left.” Toni let the statement sit for a few seconds before she added, “She wrote that letter and then she...vanished.”
Silence fell for nearly a full minute.
“You don't think she simply moved away, do you?” Colton asked the question I knew everyone was thinking.
I answered it, “Trask killed her for not doing what he wanted.”
“Fuck.” Isadora sank back against Colton.
“Yeah,” Toni agreed. “That about sums it up.”
I couldn't have agreed more.
“We don't have any proof,” Colton said. “But this is probably something Marcum might want to know.”
“I don't want to distract her.” I turned back to my computer. “Not until we know for sure that we have something.”
Eyes turned to me and it was Isadora who asked the question. “How do we do that?”
I pulled up two more browser windows and put searches into all three. Isadora and Toni each leaned in from either side, so I didn't have to explain. They saw it only a few seconds after I did.
An apartment registered to a Lily Trask.
Fuck me.
“I’m going over there,” I said abruptly as I stood.
I hadn't gotten more than two steps when Isadora was right there. “No!” She caught my arm and shook me. “You are not! Didn’t we decide we were going to be smarter than that?”
“We are.” I turned to face her, catching her hands and lifting them to my lips to kiss them gently. “I want you to stay here with Colton and Toni. The security system's been upgraded since they got in before. I have double the security and everyone is working in pairs.” I glanced up at Colton and he nodded at me, knowing what I was going to say next. “And I know Colton's not going to let either of you out of his sight. But I have to go over there.”
“And do what?” She stared at me, terror in her eyes. “You won’t find anything that can help you figure out what happened to Lily.”
“I’m not looking for Lily.” I hugged Isadora without looking at Toni. “You have to understand, sweetie. It’s not about her. It’s about you. It’s about Toni. These sons-of-bitches have done enough. But if they did hurt Lily too...” I didn't want to go there. “Look, I just want to know if they are there, okay? If I see anybody or anything, I’ll back off and call the cops.”
“I don’t want you going over there alone.” She pressed her face against my chest.
“He won’t.” Toni was already on her feet, and pulling on a battered jacket. “Let's go.”
“Wait...no.” I shook my head as Isadora took a step back. “You’re staying here.”
Toni shrugged. “I will if you will.”
“No.” I almost had to force the word out through gritted teeth.
“It's not up for debate.” She twisted her hair into some sort of quick knot, securing it with a band she pulled from her pocket, staring at me all the while.
“No. This could be dangerous.” When all she did was cock her head at me, I had to keep my jaw clenched and count to ten before I responded with one of my usual asshole comments. “It’s not all that likely, but what if they're there? Trask and whoever he's working with are smart. The cops never even found this place.”
“That you know of,” Toni pointed out. “And for all you know, this isn’t anything. But, on the off chance it is? You’re right. They are dangerous. That’s why you’re not going alone.”
“That’s why you’re not going at all!” I barely managed to keep myself from shouting it.
She gave me a sweet smile that I knew was anything but sweet. “Ash, I'm calling you out. You're being an ass. I've already told you that I can take care of myself. More, I've proven that. You've seen it.” She gave me a half-smile. “How does your nose feel, by the way?”
Red crept up the back of my neck. “This is different. This isn't about you getting in a free shot on someone who isn't expecting it.”
“No. You're right,” she agreed, to my surprise. “It's about you going after people who, for all you know could have murdered somebody. And I'm not going to let you go tearing off after them.” She looked up at me, her expression frank. “I know you. You're going to get hot under the collar if you see them. You're going to think about what they did to Isadora and you're going to lose your temper. If I'm there at least you'll stay in the car.”
“No,” I growled, my stomach twisting at the thought of Toni being anywhere near danger. “This isn't up for discussion.”
“Right again.” Her eyes narrowed and the look on her face hardened. “It's not. You and I both know that if you physically wanted to hold me back from going, you could do it. But make no mistake, if you leave here without me? I won't be here when you get back.”
The impact of her words hit me, and I took a step back. I drew in a slow breath and tried to keep from feeling the sudden stab of panic that went through me.
But she didn’t give me time to fully process her words before she continued, “I promise, if I leave, you will never see me again, and if you try to come after me, I will call the cops. I'm not joking, Ash. If you walk out that door without me, we're done. For good.”
***
To her credit, Toni didn't sit in the car with a smug smile on her face. She actually looked nervous as we started down the road, and it took everything I had not to offer to turn the car around and drive her back. She clutched her phone like a talisman, and I knew that, at the first sign of trouble, she'd be calling Agent Marcum.
I wasn’t expecting trouble. I wasn't expecting anything, really. Just because there was an apartment listed under the name Lily Trask didn't mean anything. It didn't mean that Daniel Trask was using his former step-daughter's name.
And it definitely didn't mean that we were wrong about Lily being dead, and that she was using her step-father's last name.
This entire thing was stupid. I knew it, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. I had to know the truth.
Please don't let Toni pay for me being stupid and stubborn. I don't know who that thought was directed to, but I felt helpless and just sending that simple thought out there felt like it was better than nothing.
“This isn’t too far from where I grew up,” Toni said as I swung a left.
We were only about a half mile from our destination. It was a residential area for the most part, the buildings a mix of older homes and those had been set up into multi-family apartment homes. I slanted a quick look at Toni as I came to a stop at a traffic light.
“My parents’ house is two blocks north,” she said, gesturing. She gave me a proud smile. “A genuine house. We keep telling them they should put it on the market for a cool million and move somewhere. Retire somewhere with a beach.”
Aside from wanting the distraction, I wanted to know more about her, so I went with it. “If they're interested, give them my number. I'm always looking for real estate.”
Toni laughed softly. “My dad's told us more than once that the only way he’ll leave that house for good is when they take him out in a body bag. It’s been in the family for over a century. It'll probably stay in the family even longer than that.” She reached over and stroked her fingers down the back of my hand. “How brave are you?”
“Is this a trick question?” I asked warily.
“Well, I already know you're stupid. I mean, we're here, right?”
From the corner of my eye, I could see her staring out the front of the windshield, a smile on her lips.
“But that's not what I mean. How brave are you?”
I frowned as I started forward again. “I've honestly never thought about it.”
“You might want to think about it. If you really want this thing between us to work, yo
u need to.” She twined our fingers together, and I knew she was only half-teasing. “My parents are going to want to meet you...and my brothers have already told mom and dad about...what happened. Or, at least, the part that they know about. And since that includes me going to jail...” Her voice trailed off.
But I didn't need her to continue. I could only imagine what her parents thought of me.
A picture of my mother's face popped into my mind. "Whatever you do, Ash," she'd once told me. "Try hard not to make an enemy of the parents of the woman you fall in love with. Treat her right and they will treat you right. Treat her wrong…" She'd laughed softly then, and had looked over at my father.
Even though all four of my grandparents had died when I'd been young, I knew that there'd been animosity of some kind between my father and my maternal grandfather. I didn't know what, but my mom's statement had always made me wonder what had happened.
Now, my insides were twisting enough to make me want to puke. Suddenly, finding a kidnapper and possible killer didn't seem quite as nerve-wracking. “So,” I asked, striving for a normal tone of voice. “Are they big on holding grudges?”
“It depends,” Toni said as she glanced over at me, her eyes dancing. “If you impress my mom, you've got a chance because she has my dad wrapped around her finger. But if you screw up with her? It won't be pretty.”
“Great,” I muttered, nosing into an empty spot just down the street from where we needed to be. It wasn't exactly a legal parking spot, but I wasn't worried about getting a ticket since we weren't getting out of the car.
I didn’t have time to brood about Toni’s parents, though. There could be answers here. Answers to what happened to Isadora. To Lily. To my parents.
“Which one is it?” Toni asked, squeezing my hand.
“Bottom left.” I pointed with my free hand.
“So I guess we just sit here until...” Her voice trailed off and her hand tightened on mine until it was painful. “Ash.”
I followed her gaze.
My heart gave a hard, painful slam as I saw a light flickering through a gap in the windows. A shadow passed in front of it, paused. The curtain swayed slightly, and then the shadow moved away. For several long minutes, neither Toni nor I moved or spoke. We just watched.
Then Toni tugged on my arm. “Ash. Look.”
He was clad in a long, dull gray jacket, striding up the sidewalk casually. Nothing about him would draw attention. Not really. But as he looked right, then left, his movements almost deliberately lazy, his gaze zeroed in on me. His eyes slid past the black sedan we'd come in. It was a little too high dollar for this area, but it was the most sedate vehicle I owned. The dark tint kept him from seeing through the window, but I had a feeling he still knew who was inside.
Shit.
“It’s him?” Toni asked softly.
“Yeah.”
I watched as he glanced around once more, and then headed up the steps.
Toni let out a breath as she turned to me. “What do we do now?”
Chapter 12
Toni
I knew what I wanted to do, but I asked anyway. I couldn't expect him to take my thoughts and desires into consideration if I didn't do the same for him. So, I blew out a soft, steady breath, and counted to twenty while waiting for an answer. When none came, I offered my opinion. “I think this would be a good time to call the cops.”
Ash made a face, tapping his fist against the steering wheel, but he didn't discount it outright, so I gave him silence as he thought. He didn't speak for the next few minutes as the activity behind the window we were watching grew more agitated. Shadows moved and merged, making it impossible for us to know what was going on beyond the fact that it didn't seem to be good.
Ash said something under his breath, his soft words lost as my phone began to ring. It was Vic's ringtone, and I gave Ash an apologetic glance. “It's my brother.” I didn't bother to specify which one until I answered, “Hey, Vic, make it fast. I’m kinda busy.”
“Ah...yeeeahhhhh...” He drew the words out. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”
The tone of his voice made a shiver go up my spine. “Spit it out, Victor.”
“It’s just...well, you wouldn’t by any chance be doing some...investigating of your own?” He hesitated, and then continued, “Because that might not be the best idea at the moment.” Off in the background, I heard my brother talking to somebody in a hurried tone. When he came back on the phone, his voice was stronger. And more concerned. “I’m serious now, Toni. You need to go. Shit is about to go down in all kinds of different ways.”
Adrenaline surged through me, followed quickly by a chill. “Trouble...”
“Yeah. Go!”
I shot a look over at Ash. He was still staring at the building, but I had a feeling he could hear the conversation clearly enough. Judging by his clenched jaw and the tense set of his shoulders, however, he wasn’t planning on going anywhere.
Shit.
I'd known this was a bad idea.
I looked over at the building too. The activity behind the window had gone still. But there was a sudden tension that hadn't been there before. Now that I thought about it, things had been oddly quiet before. Throat strangely dry, I looked up the street, and then down, noticing things I’d missed earlier.
The plain car parked a few spaces up from ours. Nothing fancy, but still a bit out of place.
The couple that looked almost too casual at the bodega. They were together, except they weren't. No touching and no lingering looks. They smiled and leaned toward each other, and others might have been fooled, but to me, it looked fake, forced. And they kept watching things besides each other.
Something was off.
Something was really off.
Just as that thought came into my head, I heard a noise. Tires, squealing as they rounded the street.
Then, another sound. Sirens.
I tensed.
A black SUV slammed to a stop next to my side of the car, and Ash wrapped his arm around me, hauling me back against him. The driver was focused in the opposite direction, but the man in the back seat was looking at me.
And his gun was pointing in my direction.
Shit.
Vic’s voice shouted at me from the phone I still held clutched in my hand.
“I’m here,” I said without lifting the phone to my ear. Vic’s shouting ceased. “Somebody’s got a gun pointed at us.”
Vic’s furious cussing reached my ears much better than his tinny response from a few seconds ago.
“It's going to be okay.” Ash's voice was low and steady in my ear.
My heart was racing. The body’s fight or flight response, I told myself. I knew which one I wanted to go with. Flight. Flight sounded really good. But I didn't have anywhere to go.
“Uh-huh.” I kept my eyes on the man with the gun. He was no more than ten feet away. Would be hard to miss us at this range.
“Son of a bitch...”
Behind me, Ash tensed.
The men and women I’d already guessed to be undercover cops were running, some towards us, some towards the apartment building.
“Get down,” Ash said.
“What?”
He didn’t explain, just pushed me down and covered me with his body.
A bang nearly deafened me, and I heard Ash swear again. He shifted and I felt something hard scrape against my cheek.
“Are you hurt?”
His voice sounded strange, muffled, and for a moment, I was afraid he'd been injured. Then I realized it was only that my ears were still ringing. I nodded.
“I'm fine.” I pushed back against him.
“Wait.” He kept his hand on my back as he lifted himself up slowly. “Fuck,” he muttered.
I sat up, confirming I wasn't in any danger when Ash didn't immediately protest. As soon as my head cleared the window – or what had been the passenger's side window – I saw what Ash was staring at.
Another gun being pointed at me, at us. Except I was pretty sure that the woman holding it was a cop, and a familiar one at that. She didn't look like she was about to shoot us, but she didn't look entirely friendly either.
“Stay where you are,” she said.
“Like hell...” Ash started to move, but stopped when I reached over and put a hand on his arm.
“I think it’s okay, Ash.” I was surprised at how steady my voice sounded.
Behind the cop, I saw two men being pulled out of the SUV. The driver was swearing, but the man who'd had the gun – the one who'd shot at Ash and me – looked almost bored. I cut my eyes toward the apartment building again and saw Trask being led out in handcuffs.
“All right, rich boy, let's get you and the lady out of the car nice and slow.”
We did as she ordered, but as I stepped onto the sidewalk, my eyes narrowed, as much at how familiar she seemed as the way she was talking to us. It was something about the way she cocked her head, the set of her chin...
“Son of a bitch.”
A man's voice caught my ear and I looked toward it.
“Vic?”
The cop scowled. Without looking back, she said, “Gallagher, I told you I’d handle this.” Pointing at me and Ash, she said, “You two, my car. Now.”
Suddenly, it hit me. Holding. The people. The smells. The hooker–
“It was you!” I shouted.
Her eyes darted away from mine. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Vic’s hand clamped over my arm before I could press the matter. “Come on, Sis. You should sit down. Now.”
I glanced behind me to make sure Ash was following. I wasn't surprised to see that he was right there, his eyes finding mine. He wasn't going to leave me.
Chapter 13
Toni
“Give me a reason.” Marcum glared at me.
“Ah...well, I can tell you that I didn’t think we’d see anybody.” I shrugged.
My head was pounding with all that had happened.
Finding out that my troublemaking brother who used to get in trouble with the cops so often was now one of their informants...and with the FBI.
