Kane

by Sawyer Bennett

  “More than one date,” he accuses. “I first saw you at lunch a couple weeks ago.”

  She frowns when she admits, “Yes, it’s been a few dates.”

  “I just can’t believe you’d move on so quickly,” he mutters, raking his hand through his hair.

  Ella throws her arms out in exasperation. “We’ve been separated for months; I don’t call this quickly. And you’ve certainly given me no indication that we were headed anywhere other than divorce.”

  “It’s wrong,” he accuses. “We’re still legally married.”

  “Wrong?” she practically hisses. “Why? Why should I sit at home and repeat the same pattern I did when we were together—a lonely and neglected woman stuck at home?”

  “I didn’t—”

  “You fucking did, and you know it,” she snarls. I have to admit… I have some mad respect for the woman for standing her ground.

  Jim must realize he’s fighting a losing battle as his shoulders slump. “All right… I was a shitty husband. I’m sorry for it.”

  Ella snorts. “Words are easy now, aren’t they? But they’re just words. Saying sorry doesn’t mean anything now.”

  “We can fix this, Ella,” Jim pleads softly.

  “I don’t think we can.”

  Ouch… my heart hurts for him because that was said with confidence. She has no hope.

  “Will you at least give me a shot?” he asks. There’s no mistaking the genuine belief in his tone that he thinks he can do better.

  She’s so confused that her brows practically knot together. “A shot at what?”

  Jim scowls over to her date before returning his gaze to his wife. “To compete.”

  “Compete?” she replies dumbly. “At what?”

  Jerking his thumb toward the man staring uneasily our way, he replies, “At that. Give me a shot at winning you back.”

  Ella stumbles back a foot, looking as if he’d suddenly grown horns. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Jim steps into her. I mean, moves right into her space until she’s forced to crane her neck and look up. She doesn’t try to back away. It’s obvious as they stand so close together—there’s still something palpable between them.

  He doesn’t lower his voice, so I hear him loud and clear. “I want a shot at making you remember the good times.”

  Ella’s eyes flare wide because the rumble of his voice was so laced with sex and innuendo, even I have no doubt about what type of ‘good times’ he’s talking about.

  “You mean the sex?” she demands snidely.

  Dipping his head closer, he huskily reminds her. “It was great sex. And yes, you need a reminder.”

  Ella’s affected, and she knows it, too. She also knows her date is watching, so she steps away from her husband and primly lifts her chin in the air. “A relationship is more than sex.”

  “Yes,” he agrees with a wicked grin. “But it’s a damn good place to start. I’ll stack myself up against any guy you want to date, including that dude back there.”

  Ella’s cheeks flame red. Harshly, she whispers, “We’re not having sex, so there’s nothing to compare.”

  Jim smiles big. So fucking big I swear it dims the outdoor lighting around the food stalls. He’s fucking delighted by that.

  Giving a slight nod to his wife, he merely says, “I’m sorry to have intruded on your evening out. Enjoy yourself.”

  Jim pivots, then starts walking away. Taking a moment to study Ella, I stifle a laugh at her stupefied expression.

  Grinning, I follow Jim. He has his work cut out for him, but he might have some fun while trying to reach the end goal of getting his wife back.

  As we clear the crowd and start heading toward the parking deck, I start to congratulate Jim on a mission well accomplished, but my phone rings in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see the name, “Kynan McGrath” on my screen.

  I’d added him into my contacts a mere two days ago when Jim suggested I call Jameson Security Group to help locate Matthew. They were the outfit Willow was embedded with while on a photojournalism assignment earlier this year. Kynan is the owner.

  “Hello,” I answer.

  “Found your guy,” Kynan simply replies.

  I come to a complete halt. Jim notices, turning to watch me.

  “You found him already?” I mutter in disbelief. I’d hired Kynan and his group only two days ago. I told them the entire history with Matthew and Mollie, and that she thought she saw him here. I’d also told him about the arrest warrant.

  “We tracked his credit card. It has been used in the Phoenix area as recently as about four hours ago—at a restaurant downtown.”

  “Fuck,” I mutter, scraping my hand along my jaw. That fucker is here. “Now what?”

  “Have you considered baiting him out in the open?” he suggests.

  “And what… make a citizen’s arrest?” I ask glibly.

  “Pretty much,” he replies. “The local police won’t take it upon themselves to use stretched resources to set up a sting. But we can execute a well-thought-out plan, then have them on standby to make the arrest. I’d suggest having Mollie contact him, see if she can entice him into a meeting in a public place. We can help you with that if you want.”

  “The police in North Carolina made sure Mollie very clearly understood we shouldn’t try to engage with him at all.”

  “And that’s generally sound advice,” Kynan agrees. “But the alternative is to wait in fear until he decides to make a move. The fact he attacked her and then tracked her to Phoenix tells me you have no other choice but to take matters into your own hands.”

  “Exactly how would this go down?” I ask hesitantly.

  “Well, first, you’d hire my company. I’ll warn you now—we’re not cheap. I’ll send a team there. We’ll protect Mollie during any meeting she has with him, and we’ll be nearby with local police as we have liaisons there. He’ll get arrested. End of story.”

  “You make that sound way too easy,” I mutter.

  “It won’t be. We have his email and current phone number. If we can’t get him this way, there are other ways we can help, but this is by far the easiest and the fastest. I am betting there is no way this guy will turn down an opportunity to see Mollie if she offers him the chance.”

  “You think he’d be that stupid?” I ask.

  “I think he’s mentally deficient, and he doesn’t have a rational cell in his brain. He’s operating on obsession. He’ll jump at the chance to see her.”

  “I need to talk to Mollie about it, but I like this idea,” I say. “Give me about an hour, then I’ll call you back.”

  “Deal,” he replies, disconnecting the call.

  “Do you mind if we head over to Erik and Blue’s house?” I ask Jim as we resume walking to the parking deck. I take the time to fill him in on everything Kynan just told me.

  It’s a solid plan, and I don’t think there’s time to waste. I want Mollie on board with this tonight so Kynan can send a team here immediately. It doesn’t matter the cost—I want this fuckhead removed from our lives so Mollie doesn’t have to be afraid anymore.

  CHAPTER 20

  Mollie

  Kane pulls his truck into Ella’s driveway, puts it in park, and cuts the engine. He hooks an arm under Samson’s neck—he’s in the back part of the extended cab, but he has his front paws on the console, so his head is between Kane and me—and gives him a nuzzle. “Gonna miss you, buddy.”

  Ever since I first adopted Samson, Kane has always liked him. They’ve bonded some over the years. But over these last few weeks, they’ve become extremely close, to the extent Samson sometimes prefers to curl up on the couch next to Kane rather than me. I know it should bother me, but it doesn’t. It’s been Samson and me—a team of two forever—and now Kane has become a happy third wheel, and I like it.

  Kane releases my pup. “I’m going to stay in the truck,” he says.

  “Okay,” I reply as I snap Samson’s lead onto his collar. Frankly, I coul
d have brought Samson here on my own, but now that Kane knows Matthew is in Phoenix, I’m not allowed to go anywhere by myself.

  The team leaves in the morning for an extended road trip to New York, then Pennsylvania. Somehow, Kane got permission for me to go with the team, so I’ll be tagging along.

  I’d been stunned when he’d told me.

  “How?” I’d asked.

  He just sort of shrugged. “Our owner cares about his team. After I explained what was going on, he said you’re welcome to travel on the plane with us until the situation is handled.”

  And there it is. I’ll be headed to the East Coast with the Vengeance. Ella and Lucy have graciously agreed to watch Samson, so I won’t have to board him.

  “Be right back,” I say. I open the truck door and climb out, Samson jumps into the front passenger seat and follows behind me.

  By the time we make it up to the front door, it’s already opening. Lucy runs out, Ella standing at the threshold with a smile. Lucy drops to her knees and hugs Samson, who wags his tail furiously in exchange. I was told the last time he’d been with Lucy, which was only an overnight visit, they were inseparable and she ran him practically into the ground throwing the ball to him.

  “Ready to go play, boy?” Lucy asks. I lean over and give my dog a short hug, but he’s already forgotten me. It seems like once we stopped traveling, he decided to become a dog of the people.

  Lucy and Samson run into the house without a backward glance.

  “Want to come in?” Ella asks, making a motion with her hand.

  I throw my thumb over my shoulder. “Kane’s waiting for me in the truck. And we still have to get packed up.”

  Ella leans to the side to see around me. She gives a “cutesie” type of wave to Kane, a smirk on her face. Kane lifts the hand resting on the steering wheel to return the greeting.

  “I appreciate your help with Samson,” I say to Ella, and her gaze comes back to me. “I hate to board him. And once this stalker stuff gets resolved, I won’t be going to as many away games.”

  “We’re always happy to take him,” Ella assures me warmly. “Lucy is in heaven, and Samson is such a good dog. He’s no trouble at all.”

  “I predict this might lead to Lucy asking for a dog of her own,” I say with a laugh.

  Ella nods with bright eyes. “Oh, she’s already asking. And I’ll probably give in. She has wanted a dog for years, but Jim’s allergic.”

  “They make medication for that,” I point out.

  Ella chuckles, but her expression turns a bit sober. “I’m sorry you’re going through all of this.”

  I’d told Ella my situation when I had called to see if she’d watch Samson for this trip.

  She leans to the side to smile at Kane again. “And for what it’s worth, he’s doing the right thing by insisting you stick by him for now.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I reply with a sigh.

  “Do you think Kane is being antisocial… or is he just embarrassed to talk to me after the adventure he and Jim had last night?” Ella asks with a good-natured laugh.

  I snort, thinking of how ridiculous Jim and Kane must have been last night. I haven’t heard the details because we were more focused on talking about Matthew and a plan to lure him out. Ella doesn’t seem peeved about it, though. “Boys will be boys.”

  Ella laughs with a sly look back at the truck. “Well, let’s just say it’s a little ironic Kane is being so protective of you having a stalker when he and my husband stalked me on a date last night.”

  “How mad were you?” I ask curiously.

  “Not overly. It was actually kind of funny, both thinking they were being so sneaky and me busting them.”

  I glance at the truck, seeing the defiance written on Kane’s face as I’m sure he can guess what we’re now discussing. “So, what exactly did Jim say?”

  Ella’s gaze dips, and a coy smile plays on her lips. When she raises her head, she admits, “Jim says he wants a shot at me.”

  I frown. “A shot at you?”

  “He was jealous I was on a date. He said he wanted to compete for me to prove we should be back together, I guess.”

  “Oh, wow,” I murmur, my heart squeezing just a bit in a swoon. “And are you going to let him?”

  “I’m not sure,” she says with a shrug. “I’ll just have to see what he comes at me with.”

  “Are you serious about the man you’re dating?” I ask, now just being full-on nosy.

  She shakes her head. “We’ve been on a few dates. Shared some goodnight kisses, but it hasn’t gone beyond that. It’s hard to date as a single mom, and he travels for work. But I do like him. He asked me out again, so we’ll see.”

  I lean in toward her with a conspiratorial smile. “Keep dating him. It’s good to make Jim work for it.”

  Ella laughs, then, surprisingly, she grabs me for a hug. “I like the way you think, Mollie.”

  When we separate, I head down the porch steps. “Thanks again for watching Samson.”

  “I’ll text you lots of pictures,” she assures me.

  I wave as I walk back to Kane’s truck. I’m barely in the door before Kane starts the engine. I manage to get my seatbelt on as he backs out of the driveway.

  “When are you going to tell me the details of your little stalker adventure last night?” I ask.

  For the first time today, he smiles. I know he’s been weighed down with fear for my safety, as well as determined to focus on how to solve the issue. But now his eyes shine with mischief. “It was fun watching Jim act like a high school kid trying to win the popular girl’s attention.”

  “I bet,” I reply with a smirk, looking out the passenger window at the houses we pass.

  “And did he succeed?” Kane asks.

  I shift in the seat to cock a brow at him. “Succeed in what?”

  “Did Jim get Ella’s attention last night?

  “I do believe he did,” I say with a grin. “This should be fun to watch play out.”

  “Unless Jim fails, then it will be tragic.”

  Reaching over, I play with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Don’t be pessimistic. Love usually prevails.”

  Reaching up, he takes my hand in his and pulls it over to rest on his thigh as we drive along. But I can tell by the look on his face and lack of response, he’s already left the conversation about Jim and Ella.

  He’s thinking about Matthew and the plot to catch him.

  When we got back to Kane’s place last night—me still in my pajamas since I’d been whisked away from a super fun evening with the girls—Kane and I had debated the merits of Kynan’s suggestion.

  To my surprise, Kane was ultimately against doing it. He thought the risk was too significant if I put myself out there to meet with Matthew.

  “What if he shows up with a gun? Just shoots you right there?” he’d demanded.

  Before I could answer, he threw out another scenario. “Or what if he has a knife, grabs you, and he’s able to drag you off while we can’t do anything to help because he has a fucking knife at your throat?”

  Admittedly, they were all valid concerns. The only reassurance I could give him was that Matthew was not a “gun” person. He wouldn’t even touch mine.

  The knife thing, I wasn’t so sure about, but I reminded him that we’d have trained Jameson professionals on scene with guns at the ready.

  We ended up calling Kynan, who had to explain the generalized plan to Kane, in detail, three times.

  And still, he wasn’t convinced.

  Ultimately, I had to make him understand it was my decision, not his, and I felt we should do it. I’d put my arms around his neck, snuggled in closer beside him on the couch, and said, “I want this over with, Kane. I don’t want it hanging over our heads. I want to live my life—our life—without constantly looking over my shoulder.”

  He succumbed with a grumble, but he’d made me promise that if Matthew responded, we’d abandon the plan if he sounded crazy or unhinged. />
  The plan is simple. Kynan had sent us some suggested text of what to say in my email to Matthew. It was crafted with the help of a full-time psychologist he employs, and it supposedly has triggers in it that will hopefully make him feel safe in approaching me. We’re to send the email when we’re on the way to the airport to board the team plane for New York, which will be in just a few short hours.

  With me being gone for almost four days, it’ll give Jameson time to get their team here and set up. If Matthew responds to my email, Kynan and his psychologist will help me craft my responses so we can lure Matthew in without raising his suspicion.

  “You’ve got to get out of your head,” I say to Kane as we drive along.

  He jolts, turning his head only briefly to glance at me. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you are all up in your head over this thing with Matthew. You can’t stop thinking about it. It’s making you irritable, which I don’t like, but, more importantly, it’s going to mess with your game if you don’t clear that shit out of there.”

  Kane glances at me again, back to the road, then to me one more time. I finally get a genuine smile. He squeezes my hand. “I know you’re right. And I promise I’ll have my game head on when the time is right.”

  “You better,” I warn sternly. “The regular season starts this week. There’s no room for errors.”

  “Understood, Coach,” he barks out like a solider responding to his sergeant.

  We both laugh. I lean against the headrest, wondering how my life had changed so radically in such a short period.

  There was definitely a catalyst.

  “In some ways, we should thank Matthew,” I ponder aloud.

  “What?” Kane snarls. “Thank that fucker for what?”

  “Had he not attacked me I’d have never been scared enough to run to you. If I hadn’t run to you, I wouldn’t have met Jett, he wouldn’t have asked me on a date, you wouldn’t have been jealous, and we wouldn’t have kissed.”

  Kane’s trying not to smile, but I see it in the corners of his eyes. He grouses out, “I’ll admit he set things rolling, but I’d never thank that douchebag.”