Hidden

by T K Barber

  Jack tore through the back door and held it open. “Car’s running, door’s open. Go. We got this.”

  Thomas lifted Annalise’s feather of a body and hugged her close.

  Ryker sputtered. “Ket—amine.”

  Vincent and Jack shared a horrified look. Vincent dropped to a crouch and snatched Ryker up by his collar. “You gave her the date—!” He seethed “You were going to—” he shoved him back down to the ground and stepped back, pinning Thomas with a wild stare.

  “Go! Tell the doctor.”

  Thomas nodded and rushed through the doorway. His Anna would be fine. She didn’t have a choice.

  “Jack.” V’s voice was ice.

  Jack clicked his tongue. “Q & A session’s over.” Thomas glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Jack rear back and swing the ax handle in a lightning fast arc. It connected to Ryker’s knee with a sickening crunch. The rawness of the gargled scream that followed sent a shiver through Thomas.

  He positioned Anna’s limp body as gently as he could in the passenger seat, managing the buckle with shaking hands. He slammed the door, rounded the car, and froze when a single gunshot echoed like thunder across the parking lot. Thomas spun back to face the door.

  Jack threw his hands out to the side. “Damn, what’d you do that for?”

  “He told us what he gave her. Quick was his reward.” The gun went back in his waistband. “We need to get rid of him, though. Two gunshots, now.”

  “Fine.” Jack dug out a knife and scratched something onto the ax handle. “But for the record, he didn’t suffer nearly enough.”

  “Agreed. Call Bryan and Leo.”

  Thomas dropped down into the driver’s seat, and shook his head again, forcing more cobwebs away as he cranked the car. He peeled out of the lot and hit the main road. All he could think about now was saving the love of his life.

  Marianna

  She clutched at her chest as she crossed the room in long strides, mind racing. She snagged her gun from the drawer of the small table beside the door and spun, resting her back against the wall.

  “Who is it?”

  “Courier with a package for Marianna Price. I’m supposed to say this will bring down The Wolf.”

  Marianna’s eyes widened. Could that be true? What on Earth . . .

  She put the chain in its holder so the door would only open a crack, flipped quickly to the other side, and cocked the gun.

  “I’m going to open the door. Stick whatever it is through the opening, then pull it closed. I’m armed, and I will shoot you if you so much as stick a finger through, are we clear?”

  “Y-yes ma’am. I—” he cleared his throat. “I understand. I promise that’s all this is.”

  “Very well.” Marianna extended her arm and eased the door open, taking slow breaths. After one heartbeat a large, overstuffed manilla envelope forced its way through. It was big enough to strain against the chain, and Marianna’s brows lifted.

  Finally, it landed with a loud thud on the hardwood, and the door jerked closed in an instant.

  Marianna pressed her ear against the door, rewarded with rapid, crunching footsteps, then tires as what she could only assume was the delivery vehicle peeled away. She stood in place, breathing for a few more seconds before she flipped the safety back on the gun and crossed to snag the package.

  Her name was scrawled across the front in large, barely legible letters. She pursed her lips as she crouched down beside it.

  After flipping it over with the barrel of her gun, she exhaled as she pushed up to her feet. She set the gun down on the table and rubbed the back of her neck. Caution was the word of the day, especially now.

  She stalked to the powder room around the stairwell, snatched open the medicine cabinet, pulled out two rubber gloves, turned and walked straight back to the foyer while tugging them on.

  “Okay,” she muttered as she picked up the hefty package. “Let’s see what goodies you have for me.”

  She carried it at arm’s length into the kitchen and placed it gently on the counter.

  Her heart slammed as she pulled the tape off that covered the little metal clasps. When she opened the flap, she dumped the contents onto the counter.

  Photos, a stack of folded documents, file folders, a flash drive and an envelope again addressed to her.

  Her hands shook. There was far too much information here for this to be some sort of ploy. This was serious.

  She pulled the letter out and took a slow breath.

  Mrs. Price,

  If you’ve received this, I’ve failed to check-in, which means I’m dead. I instructed this package to be delivered immediately in that event.

  Herein you’ll find everything I’ve collected on Lyle Valentine. The zip drive contains recordings of my sessions with his daughter, Nataly, who he was paying to keep locked away. It turned out she was a fount of information. Once properly motivated. The latest one, I think, you’ll find the most interesting. Use this information as you see fit. My hope is that you’ll give him exactly what he deserves.

  Sincerely,

  Ryker Hunt

  The paper shook before Marianna slapped it down on the counter. She ripped off the gloves and jerked on the faucet as tears dripped down her face.

  She wasn’t dead?

  The towel was in her hands in a flash, then she tossed it down and covered her eyes, begging the tears to stop. She sucked in a shaky, sorrow-filled breath.

  Nataly wasn’t dead. All this time. Marianna’s stomach lurched, and she doubled over. That poor girl. And poor Thomas! She wailed again and clutched her waist.

  So much failure. So much she just ignored or didn’t think to look into. She sucked in a breath and launched to her feet.

  There was no time for self-loathing. She swiped her tears away, grabbed the zip drive and her phone, and ran through the living room. She took the stairs two at a time until she reached the office and shoved through the door.

  She’d make this right.

  She fell into the chair, woke up the computer, plugged in the drive, and bounced her leg as she waited.

  He’d pay.

  Several clicks later, the file opened and before her sat at least a hundred, if not more, voice files. Marianna scrunched her face in an effort to keep the emotions at bay. So many years of Nataly’s life stolen.

  Marianna turned the speakers on and blew out a slow breath.

  A low male voice was first, Ryker, she could only assume. Marianna’s heart raced. When she heard Nataly’s sweet, soprano voice and that all too familiar speech pattern, every ounce of self-control she’d fought so hard for fell away.

  She covered her mouth and wept, tears streaming down her face in rivulets of sorrow as she listened.

  Her eyes popped open, and she held her breath. What? She frantically rewound and turned up the sound.

  “He didn’t do it, ya know.”

  “Who didn’t do what, Nataly?”

  “Tomcat. He didn’t set that fire. Pop did.”

  A heavy sigh filled the brief silence, then the sound of a chair being moved. Marianna didn’t dare move a muscle.

  “What fire would that be?”

  “The one the size of a green house. There was a snake inside, big enough ta take out a wolf.”

  Another silence followed by rustling papers.

  “Do you . . . mean the Greene’s House?”

  “That’s what I said. But seven-year-old cats can’t set fires. Burns their paws. So, the wolf turned the cat into a monster. Then my eyes knew too much, learned too many secrets. I had to die.”

  “That’s very interesting, Nataly. I think we’re done for today.”

  “That mean I can go see Gavin?”

  A cold, empty chuckle was drowned out by the sound of a chair grinding against the floor.

  “Sure, Nataly. Just as soon as you take your meds. There’s a new one today. It might make you a little sleepy though.”


  “Will it hurt?”

  “As usual, you’ll tell me soon enou—”

  Marianna shut the file and swatted every tear off her face. That was enough. If that man wasn’t already dead, she’d have hung him up and peeled the skin off his bones with her bare hands. Slowly.

  But there was something she could do. Three somethings, in fact.

  Her heart squeezed in her chest, tying her stomach in a knot. Could she do the hardest one though? Do what needed to be done? Her lip found its way under her teeth, and she chewed it as she sped down the stairs, another tear escaping.

  She at least had to try. Sitting idle would help no one.

  Annalise

  Beeping. Something beeping woke her first. Then a smell. Sharp. Medicinal.

  She rolled her eyes around in her head, finally managing to peel one eyelid open. Blurry white tiles above her focused after a hard blink. Her other eye popped open.

  Hospital. Hospital?! She sucked in a deep breath and sat up, jostling the bed.

  Thomas jerked awake with a fast head shake, and his face lit up. “Anna! How you feelin’?”

  She wanted to answer, but panic seized her throat and the beeping sped. “Why the hell are you in a wheelchair? Did that asshole hurt you?”

  “Huh?” He looked down and snorted. “Oh. Naw, I just—they didn’t have a chair in here, so I grabbed this from up the hall. Hope someone didn’t need it. I was still a little fuzzy-headed, though. Pop put somethin’ in the water he gave me.”

  She nodded and leaned back on her elbows as her heart slowed. “I’m pretty sure that’s what Ryker did.”

  Thomas reached out and smoothed the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “I say we swear off water from here on out. Whaddya think?”

  She laughed. “Deal. Water’s overra—”

  Her eyes bugged and tears formed when she caught up. “THOMAS! God!”

  She grabbed every part of him she could reach and pulled him up onto the bed with her.

  He laughed and positioned himself beside her. She couldn’t get him close enough.

  “Scoot over, this rail thing’s diggin’ in my back.”

  She laughed through tears and wriggled further over.

  “Atta girl, there we go.” She wrapped her arms around his head and neck, holding him close.

  “Thomas, are you okay? I was so worried!”

  He nodded in her grip. “Better now. I’ll be even better when I get to kiss ya again.”

  She chuckled and loosed her hold. He shook free of her arms and claimed her mouth. A whimper left her throat, joined by a quickening beep from her monitor, as she grabbed handfuls of his collar. She’d never get enough of the way he kissed her. Soft and hard. Fast and slow. Just . . . everything.

  He eventually pulled back and grinned at her. “I love you.”

  She bit her lip and rubbed noses with him. “I love you, too”

  A sigh left him as he circled his left arm under her back, his other draped over her waist. He rested his head on the center of her chest as she ran her nails through his hair.

  Perfect. Well, minus the hospital part.

  She had just laid back on the pillow and let her eyes drift closed when he rested his scalding hot palm on her stomach. Her heart stammered, and she tilted her chin, bringing the top of his head into focus. What was he thinking about?

  “Anna.” He lifted his thumb, peeking under his hand, then pressed his palm down again.

  “Hmm?” She swallowed a lump. Had a pretty good idea what was on his mind, now.

  Another few seconds of silence followed, and he readjusted on the bed. He spread his fingers on her stomach, and slid his arm back down her side, pulling her close again.

  “I was gonna kill him.” His voice was quiet. Sad.

  Her stomach dropped. She had no doubt he would have. Her fingers ran a smooth path down the side of his face.

  “But, you didn’t.”

  “Yeah, but I was.” He moved his palm back to her stomach and it filled with butterflies. “I’m not right for you. You need someone who ain’t violent. Who can, ya know, control his damn self.”

  “Thomas you’re exactly right for me. And don’t you dare say otherwise. I don’t want anyone else.”

  He picked his head up, his red eyes finding hers. “I don’t either. But you deserve some—”

  “Stop.” She cupped his face. “You know what I deserve? To be loved. You know what you deserve? The same damn thing. And guess what? You’re going to love me, and I’m going to love you. Forever. It’s that simple.”

  A shine formed on his eyes. “What if I hurt you?”

  She shrugged. “What if I hurt you?”

  He opened his mouth to respond, but she silenced him with a kiss. “You and I won’t hurt each other. Not really. We know what real hurt feels like.”

  He winced and tried to pull away, but she held his face tight. “I don’t regret a single thing that happened to me Thomas. My whole life. Every awful and awesome thing brought me straight to you. Would it have been nice to have a fucking normal mother? Yes. To not be held prisoner? Yes. But I wouldn’t change a single second if it meant you and I wouldn’t have met.”

  He blinked those amazing eyes as he searched hers.

  “Yeah,” he said, voice cracking. “Me either.”

  They gazed at each other in silence for several long seconds. He broke eye contact first, and laid his head back down, this time pressing his cheek to the middle of her stomach. She trailed her fingers through his hair again.

  “I just wish he’d loved me, you know? Like, what’d I do wrong?”

  She shook away a tear and swallowed around the knot in her throat. How many times had she had this exact conversation with Nick over the years?

  The knot cleared enough that she could speak. “You didn’t do anything wrong. We didn’t. It’s not our fault. They just don’t know how to love like we do.”

  After another few seconds he sighed. “I guess not.”

  “But you don’t need him. You’ve got me.”

  He cinched his arms tighter, hugging her like a pillow in the middle of a nightmare. “Ya got me too, gorgeous.”

  “Is sh—Annalise!” Nick’s voice entered the room before he even did. Thomas’s body went rigid, and he sat bolt upright. He tried to scoot down to the bottom of the bed, but Annalise grabbed his arm to keep him there.

  Nick’s eyes stayed trained on her, his jaw jumping before he finally spoke. “How’re you feeling?”

  Was he even going to acknowledge Thomas? Oh, maybe he already had while she was out. She shrugged. “Nearly good as new. Is Scarlet here?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. She’ll be up in a minute.”

  “Cool.”

  An awkward silence fell over the room. Thomas shifted to adjust his weight on the bed. Nick eyed Thomas, then flicked his gaze back to her. She picked at her thumbnail. After another few seconds Nick spoke. “Are you hungry? I can have the nurse—”

  “No.” She smiled. “I’m good. And if I do get hungry, Thomas and I’ll go eat somewhere.”

  Another awkward pause as he stared at her. A frown creased his forehead. “Yeah. I guess so.”

  He took a step toward her and crossed his arms. “Are you okay, though? Anxiety wise?”

  She shrugged and nodded. “For right now, yeah. It’ll hit me soon, I’m sure. But, when it does Thomas’ll—

  “Yeah.” Nick let out a single, soft humorless chuckle. “I get it. That’s good.” He paused and drew in the side of his mouth. “Good.”

  Scarlet bustled in behind Nick and exhaled as she rounded him to get to her. “Oh my gosh, we were so worried.” She reached behind Thomas to hug Annalise’s neck. “You feeling okay? Need anything before I force your brother to leave you alone by dragging him away?”

  Annalise let out a high-pitched chuckle. “I’m good.”

  Scarlet smiled and stood upright. She turned that sam
e smile on Thomas and patted his shoulder. “Thanks for taking good care of her.”

  “Yeah no problem. Always.”

  Annalise looked at Nick around Scarlet. His brows were pinched, his cheek still locked under his teeth. A heavy weight settled in her chest. Oh, Nick.

  She cleared her throat. “Hey can y’all give me and Broody Brody a minute?”

  Nick snorted and shook his head while Thomas and Scarlet laughed.

  “Absolutely. Send him out when you’re tired of the grumping.” Scarlet walked over to him and rubbed his arm on the way by.

  Thomas caught her gaze. “I’ll go find a nurse. Or a doctor. Someone, and let ‘em know you’re up.” He grabbed her hand and kissed her wrist, riling up the butterflies in her stomach. “I’m hoping’ they’ll let us go soon.”

  It took all she had to let his hand go. To let him get up off the bed. To walk through that door. He turned and held her gaze. “Be back in a minute, gorgeous.”

  She nodded and blew out a slow breath. He’d be back. No need to freak.

  And then it was just the two of them. Nick didn’t move. Annalise cleared her throat.

  “I know you’re worried about me.”

  “Yeah. I am.” The Nick floodgate opened. “What the hell were you thinking? I told you to stay in the car. And then you just go roaming the city like you’re invincible. This is too much, Annalise. Him. What you went through just now. All of it. What kind of life is he going to give you?”

  She fumed, the beeps on the standing box beside her speeding up. “The best fucking life I could ever have, Nick!” She took a slow breath when he winced. “Look. You’re my brother. I love you. Nothing is going to change that. Me and Thomas moving in together, getting married, having a family, none of that.” His eyes widened with each syllable of those words.

  “Moving—”

  She held up her hand. “All I’m saying is, we’re okay. I’m okay.” His jaw snapped shut. “I’m ready. You did a good job.” Her throat clogged with emotion, and he rubbed a hand down his face, snagging a tear. “A great one.” She swallowed. “But it’s,” a tear dripped down her own cheek, and she swatted at it. “It’s time. I need this. I can do this, Nick. But you’ve gotta let me live my life, you know?”