“Take me off speaker.”
Heath’s finger went to the button, but I was done being a silent participant in this conversation—and, really, my entire life. I’d had no control over anything when I had been with Walt. And, most recently, I’d been sitting back and trusting Heath, Roman, and the DEA to take care of me, but I was finished being in the dark.
“Don’t you dare,” I hissed at Heath. “Do not cut me out of this. Roman, whatever you have to say to Heath, you can say it to me, too.”
“Clare,” Roman sighed. “I…ah…”
“I deserve to be involved in this. And I dare either one of you to tell me I don’t. I have more than earned my place in this conversation.”
“Babe,” Heath warned.
“You know what? Fuck you both.” I climbed off Heath’s lap.
His astute gaze followed me as I began to pace.
“I spent seven fucking years being controlled by that maniac. I refuse to let you two decide what I can and can’t handle.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stopped to give Heath a pointed scowl.
His face was tight and his eyebrows pinched together, but when he opened his mouth, it was to say, “Talk, Roman.”
“Light, I don’t think—”
“Talk,” he demanded, his eyes locked on mine. The muscles in his jaw ticked as his traps swelled beneath his gray T-shirt.
Roman grumbled and reluctantly said, “He told her to give you a message. You got twenty-four hours to return Clare and Tessa or, next time, he aims higher.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, and my eyes fell shut. Walter’s menacing, green eyes danced on the backs of my eyelids while resentment and anger swirled within me.
But I wasn’t afraid.
My wounds had healed, and that included the bonds of his mental reign of terror over me.
“Clare, I won’t—” Heath started, but I cut him off.
With my eyes still closed, I confessed, “I want to move out.”
“No!” Roman said definitively.
My lids popped open, a new resolve settling over my shoulders.
“No offense, Roman. But you don’t get a say in this. You can’t make me stay here, and let’s be honest—you need me gone. He’ll come back for her.”
Heath was instantly on his feet and striding toward me.
I held my ground. “Don’t argue with me about this.”
“You’re not fucking leaving.”
“It’s not up to you, either,” I shot back.
His head snapped back as though I’d slapped him. “Excuse me?”
“I love you. I really do. But hiding out in this house is not doing anyone any good. He knows where we are. You yourself said he can’t get to me. And I believe you. But he can get to the people I love to get to me. I have to leave. Me and Tessa.”
“Absolutely fucking not,” Roman barked over the phone.
“Have you lost your mind?” Heath growled.
“Yes!” I threw my hands out to my sides. “I have lost my mind. I’ve lost everything. Walt is not in hiding. He’s biding his time. He’s cold and calculating and arrogant as hell. He’s playing this game and using us all as pawns. It’s what he gets off on. There’s a reason I slept with a knife under my mattress for seven years. And it wasn’t to keep him from killing me. There were a lot of nights where death would have been welcomed. It was because I knew he was going to torture me before he ever let me escape him. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Nothing is off-limits.”
“He won’t touch you,” Heath swore.
I laughed without humor. “Don’t you see? He is touching me. Right now. He’s in this room with us. But I’m sick and fucking tired of playing his games. He killed Ethan tonight…but not Elisabeth. Why?”
Heath planted his fists on his hips and sniped, “Because he’s a fucking psychopath.”
I adamantly shook my head. “It’s all part of his little game to punish us. Do you honestly think he believes that you’re going to give me and Tessa back to him? No. He’s not stupid. But, now, Elisabeth will always be looking over her shoulder. And Roman has to live knowing that Walt got to her right under his nose. He didn’t give a damn about terrorizing Ethan. And that’s exactly why he’s dead.”
Heath crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at me. “I think you give him entirely too much credit.”
“I don’t think you give him enough! He’s going to come for us. And this is not me being Debbie Doomsday. This is a fact. He’s going to send in his army of men and let them do the dirty work. They’ll slay the agents who try to stop them. Devon, Alex, Jude. All of them. Walt will be sitting at home, not caring about the outcome, because he just enjoys the show.”
“I’ll give him a fucking show!” Roman exclaimed across the line.
I stopped my rant and walked over to Heath. He had a white-knuckled grip on the phone, so I reached over and pressed the end button, severing our connection with Roman.
He continued his silent glower as I stood on my toes and pecked his lips. “He’s setting up his game. I can’t have him storming in here. Taking the lives of all of those people.”
“And what? You just expect me to let you go? Fuck, Clare. I love you.”
I smiled sadly. “And he hates you. You’ll be the target number one.”
“I can handle myself.”
I kissed him again, but his body remained stiff. “I know you can. And, if you are with us, it will draw him away from the Leblancs. I’m proposing that you let me and Tessa move in with you. It will piss Walter off and ruin whatever he’s been planning to do here for the last few weeks. I lived with that man for too long. I know him. He’s got too much pride to allow you to ride off into the sunset with his family. But he’s so cocky that he’ll want to teach you a lesson—personally. If we get the hell out of here, Walter will come after us, but he’ll leave the army at home.”
Careful consideration flashed in his radiant, blue eyes. He knew I was right. But making him put the protective caveman aside in lieu of a rational endgame was not going to be an easy sell.
Case in point: when he finally opened his mouth and boomed, “No fucking way!”
I’d seen Heath angry; it had just never been aimed at me. And, much to my surprise and delight, it didn’t faze me in the least.
“Tough shit,” I said, “because it’s happening. You either come with me or—”
His face contorted with outrage. “I swear to God, you finish that sentence, I’m going to lose my shit.”
“Then fucking lose it! Lord knows, I already have.” I slapped my thighs. “This sucks. But you’re going to have to trust me. You’ve done research on Walt, but you are not mentally insane. You do not know how that man thinks.” I hitched a thumb at my chest. “I do. I spent years learning how to read him and figure out his next move so I could make sure I wasn’t on the receiving end of his wrath. And I’m telling you we need to leave.”
He stared down at me as he crossed his arms over his chest. “And what? You just want to go back to my house? Set up camp and wait for him to arrive?”
My lips twitched as I fought a smile back. “Um. No.” I rested my hands on his forearms. “I want to go back to your house. Maybe set up an alarm or something. Take one of your fancy DEA agents with us. And, if I’m right and Walt decides to try to get to us, we cut him off before he ever has the chance. Confidence is not something he lacks, and he’s going to underestimate you. We are not going to do the same with him.”
His shoulders sagged as he dropped his arms and folded me into a hug. “Jesus Christ, Clare.”
“We’ll do this smart and safe,” I mumbled against his chest. “I trust you to handle that. And all I’m asking is that you trust me when I say we need to leave.”
“This is crazy.” He groaned and rested his chin on the top of my head. “Roman’s gonna flip his shit. And, as my new boss, that is not going to go over well for me.”
I craned my head back. “Roman’s your new boss?”
/> He swayed his head to the side. “Well, Tomlinson hasn’t fired me yet, but I assume when I tell him I’m moving you and Tessa in with me, it’s going to speed up the process.”
“I’m so sorry. I never—”
“Don’t. I couldn’t care less about my job, as long as I get you and your girl at the end of this.”
“But—”
“End of story,” he snapped.
I crinkled my nose and attempted a glare. He seemed immune.
Rolling my eyes, I gave up. “So, what are you going to be doing for Roman?”
“He offered me a job as the liaison to law enforcement at Leblanc Industries. It seems, after all of this mess, he’s decided to start a new division to ensure all officers of the law have access to Rubicon.” He grinned. “I made that man wear a Kevlar vest one time and I think it changed his life. I swear to God I saw him doing the sign of the cross.” He paused to chuckle. “He isn’t even Catholic.”
I giggled and snuggled closer into his arms. “So, we’re really going to do this?”
He sucked in a resigned breath. “I’m gonna see what I can come up with. I need to talk to Tomlinson. I have a security system at the house, but it’s not good enough for this shit. I’m not taking you and Tessa there until it’s one hundred percent. But yeah, Clare. I’m gonna try. I don’t necessarily agree with this move, but I see your point.”
“And you trust me,” I prompted.
He grinned down at me. “And I trust you.”
“And you love me.”
“And I love you.”
“And you’re going to take care of me and my girl.”
He bent forward and touched his lips to mine. “Always.”
I closed my eyes and nuzzled against his chest.
His breath breezed past my ear as he whispered, “But I’m gonna need you to throw at least one round of Wheel of Fortune so I can build my confidence back up for an operation of this magnitude.”
A bubble of laughter sprang from my throat. “Of course, Winter Woman. You want to kiss my watch too?”
“I wanna kiss you.”
I hadn’t been wrong about how Roman was going to react to Clare and Tessa’s moving out. He’d lost his fucking mind. We nearly came to blows after he accused me of thinking with my dick and not my head. He didn’t mean it, but that didn’t mean it didn’t piss me off. The worry was etched in his face, but like the miracle worker she was, Elisabeth somehow managed to talk him off the ledge of insanity. She was still recovering and in a lot of pain, but never underestimate the power of a good woman when it comes to her man.
Elisabeth wasn’t thrilled with losing everyday access to Tessa. But, after a private conversation with Clare, she put on a smile that did nothing to hide the fear in her eyes and acted supportive.
It took me over a week to get my security system updated. Our new security plan came complete with DEA surveillance on the outside of the house. We didn’t have agents waiting at the door anymore, but they were still in and out a good bit. We were keeping things tight without being overt.
As I’d expected, Tomlinson fired me. Or, really, he told me he was going to fire me as soon as Noir was behind bars. He couldn’t risk assigning someone new to Clare’s case.
With the information Clare had provided the department, they were able to take a large chunk of Noir’s operation down. And, slowly but surely, they were making great strides at bringing him down completely. After his little stunt with Elisabeth, he’d gone back into hiding. All it was going to take was one of his men who were now in custody to give up his location and we’d be home free.
“Oh my God, it’s so cute!” Clare exclaimed, bouncing with excitement in the passenger’s seat of my Explorer.
I hadn’t stayed at my house in weeks, but even with the lingering unease I felt about bringing Clare and Tessa there, I had to admit that it felt really fucking good to be home.
“Heaf, dis you house?” Tessa asked.
My whole body jerked, and Clare’s hand slapped down on my forearm.
“Did you hear that?” she whispered.
Oh, I’d heard it. Never had my name been so sweet.
It made me a bitch, but a lump lodged in my throat. Until that moment, I hadn’t realized that I actually cared what Tessa called me. Luke was a façade, but with a simple syllable, she’d made me something real in her life. And, if I had anything to say about it, something permanent.
“Jesus,” I breathed. After clearing my throat, I managed to speak. “Yeah, sweet girl. This is our house now.”
Clare squeezed my arm and offered me a smile.
Fuck, Walter Noir was insane. That man had had it all.
An amazing wife.
A gorgeous daughter.
A beautiful life.
But, for some reason, he hadn’t been able to get his shit together enough to hold on to it.
And thank God for that.
Because, now, she was my woman.
My girl.
My life.
Before I was forced to hand my balls over, I turned the car off and shoved the door open, saying, “Let’s go in.”
Tessa squealed as I unbuckled her from the car seat and again as I planted her on my shoulders.
Clare rounded the hood and took her place under my outstretched arm. “I have to confess, after seeing your yard, I’m even more excited.”
I chuckled and looked down. “You’re frothing at the mouth to get your hands on those bushes, aren’t you?”
“Yes! I know it’s January, but that’s just sad. They’re never going to bloom this year if you don’t trim them back.”
“Have at it, babe. The backyard should make you damn near orgasmic if this got your motor running.”
She draped her arm around my hips, tucking her hand in the back pocket of my jeans as we strolled up the sidewalk to my front door.
I released Clare long enough to use my key to open the door.
But, after I’d swung it open, the world stopped turning.
“Take her,” I growled, passing Tessa off to her mother before racing into my house.
The alarm beeped in warning as I spun in a circle, my heart slamming in my chest and ice coursing through my veins.
“You have got to be shitting me!” I growled, storming over to the bar that divided my kitchen and my living room. A vase of flowers sat on the granite countertop. I plucked the card off, read it, and then threw it on the counter. “Son of a…” I trailed off as I snatched my phone from my back pocket.
“Heath?” Clare called cautiously, her gaze flashing around the room.
“Put your code into the alarm, babe,” I ordered.
I dialed my phone as I listened to the chirps of her dialing her numbers into the security panel.
“Do I need to hit the green button?” she asked.
“Yep,” I snapped, lifting my phone to my ear.
He answered on the first ring.
“Leblanc? Put Elisabeth on the phone.”
“She’s in the shower. Everything okay?”
I gritted my teeth. “No. Everything is not fucking okay. I just got home and there are goddamn floral throw pillows on my couch.”
He barked a laugh.
“This is not funny! I have a coffee table, Roman. It has coasters on it.”
He continued to laugh.
I turned in another circle, taking in the explosion of patterns that had most definitely not been there when I’d left the day before. My gaze landed on Clare, who was biting her lips to hold her laughter back.
I pointed at her. “Did you have any part of this?”
A giggle escaped as she shook her head.
“Oh, Heaf, you house is beautiful!” Tessa exclaimed, rushing over to what could only be described as a massive vase filled with petrified branches covered in glitter.
My stomach actually churned at the sight.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and turned away only to find a table with a wicker basket next to the door
. A matching pair of motherfucking sconces were mounted on the wall above it.
“Roman, put your wife on the phone,” I demanded.
“You know Elisabeth had help. Maggie was more than willing to let the delivery people in.”
“Of course she did,” I grumbled.
“Maybe you should have stayed here?” he said, his voice thick with amusement.
“Is that what this is? Payback for leaving?”
“No, that’s Elisabeth’s way of making sure Clare and Tessa are comfortable and not living in a bachelor pad. However, when you get upstairs and find all of those scented candles in your bedroom, that’s your payback for leaving.” He laughed again before saying, “Call me if you need anything,” and then he hung up.
I fisted my hands on my hips and turned to the kitchen only to wince when I saw pink-and-white-striped dishtowels hanging on the door of my oven.
Clare’s arms wrapped around me from behind. “I think it looks nice.”
I raked my hand through my hair. “This isn’t going to work out. I think we need to get a divorce.”
She laughed musically. “We aren’t married.”
“Then, for the love of all that’s holy, please tell me why my house looks like we just celebrated our tenth anniversary.”
Her chest shook against my back. “Maybe I can talk to Elisabeth and see if we can switch some of it out for something a little more…uh…gender neutral.”
Tessa shoved past me and went straight to the fridge. “Heaf, you got chocolate milk?”
I sighed. “I don’t know, sweet girl. But, from the looks of the place, I’m betting there is probably some rose water in there.”
Clare laughed so loud that my smile broke before I could even stop it.
She slid around to my front. “Breathe, honey. They’re only decorations.”
I looped my arms around her hips and brushed my lips with hers, admitting, “I’m scared to go upstairs.”
She smiled against my mouth. “How about I go up there first and get rid of anything that could possibly be construed as feminine?”
“No. My guys cleared the house right before we got here, but I should still check it out first.”
Her eyes grew wide as her hands drifted under the hem of my shirt. “I won’t lie. I knew she was up to something. She asked me to help her pick out a new duvet. But I remembered she’d just gotten a new one.”
The Complete Retrieval Duet Page 32
