I didn’t give a damn how much the DEA wanted to get their claws in Noir. He had taken what was mine. Scared my little girl. Put his hands on my woman. Sent his men into my home. Fuck that.
Walter Noir would not end that day breathing.
My only prayer was that I got to Clare in time to ensure that she would.
“Hey, Light,” Roman called out behind me. “Thanks for having Elisabeth picked up.”
I froze in my tracks and slowly turned to face him. “Come again?”
“Alex told me you sent APD to take her into protective custody. Appreciate it. But I’m gonna swing by the station and pick her up. I’d feel better she’s with me right now.”
I blinked, my distracted mind trying to fit the pieces of the day’s puzzle together. But they were all corners and nothing made sense.
When I’d realized Clare was missing, I hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything else. However, after Noir’s attack on Elisabeth, I should have considered her safety as well.
But I absolutely hadn’t, and I sure as fuck hadn’t called the APD.
I took a long stride toward Roman. “I didn’t…” I started only to stop when the pieces clicked into place. I snatched my phone from my pocket and ordered, “Get Alex on the phone. Now!”
I dialed a different number.
He landed another hand on my face. “What did you tell the police?”
I kicked and bucked as I hid behind my arms. “Nothing! I swear.”
His assault stopped as he barked a laugh and then snatched me upright by my hair.
My hands flew to his wrists, taking some of my weight to relieve the paralyzing pain at my scalp.
His furious gaze burned into me as he brushed his nose with mine. “Do not fucking lie to me.” He gave my hair a hard snatch, wrenching my head to the side. “And what about Agent Light? I’ve heard you think he’s your new man.” He inhaled deeply and released it on a growl. “You are mine!”
With the slice of his arm, I went sailing backward off the bed.
I landed hard, which knocked the breath out of my lungs. I gasped for air as he got to his feet, and then, using my hair, he dragged me across the floor to the nightstand. My body went stiff and a sob tore from my throat as he retrieved a gun from the drawer.
“Walt, please!” I cried as he pressed the metal tip between my eyes.
“Tell me the goddamn truth, Clare. Now or fucking never.”
Suddenly, a noise caught his attention and he quickly aimed the gun to the door.
Relief blasted through my body as I saw a uniformed officer—a savior—filling the doorway.
That relief died along with part of my heart when I saw who was beside him.
“Elisabeth?” I breathed.
“Rorke,” he answered.
“Where the fuck is Officer Marco?” I barked as soon as he picked up.
“Interesting. You want us on the case now that your precious Clare is missing?” he sniped.
I had no time for his bitchy little feelings over jurisdiction. “I found your fucking mole,” I snapped. “He currently has Elisabeth Leblanc, and I’d wager my life that she’s headed to Noir.”
“What?” he asked in outrage. “No fucking way. Anthony Marco is a well-respected cop. You’ve got this wrong.”
I clenched my teeth and searched deep within myself for even a fragment of patience. There was none to be found. “Bullshit!” I boomed. “He used my name in order to convince her bodyguard that I’d ordered him to take her into protective custody. That was twenty minutes ago, and she has not made it to the station yet. Now, where the fuck is he?”
“I, uh…” he stammered. “Shit.”
I stormed to my car, Roman nearly exploding as he followed behind me. His phone was at his ear with Tomlinson on the other end.
“Where is he?” I repeated.
“The DEA has everyone out clearing Noir’s known properties, looking for Clare.”
I slammed the door to my Explorer closed behind me. It echoed as Roman did the same.
“Is he out clearing houses alone?”
“Shit,” he repeated. “Goddamn it. I want you to be wrong here. But fuck, yeah, he’s alone. He was on patrol when we got the call.”
“Okay, I need you to fucking listen to me here. Do not alert anyone. I have no idea who else Noir’s got buried in your ranks. But this stays between us. Track his car. Get me the address. Alert no one. You hear me. Not a single person finds out about this. Yeah?”
“Son of a—”
“Say you got me, Rorke.”
“Light, this needs to be reported. He could be—”
“You tell no one!”
Roman finally detonated, slamming his fist down on the dash before trying to rip the phone away from my ear.
“Let me fucking handle this,” I barked, throwing a hand out to stop him from all but climbing through the phone.
“He has my wife!”
“He has mine too!” I snarled back. “We will get them back. But chill the fuck out and get your head together.”
He stared at me for several beats before curling over and burying his face in his arms. He rocked back and forth in his seat, physically unable to sit still as adrenaline ravaged him. A feeling I knew all too well.
I turned my attention back to Rorke. “You’ve met Elisabeth Leblanc, and I know you’ve heard what Noir did to Clare. Now, that fucking monster has them both. I’m gonna get them out, and you are going to grow a fucking pair of balls and keep this quiet from your chain of command. Get me the GPS location of Officer Marco’s cruiser, and then, when we have both of those women home safe, you can report whatever the fuck you want. But, for right now, you keep your fucking mouth shut unless you are talking to me. Now, say you got me.”
He sighed. “I got you.”
“Good. Get me the damn address.” I severed our connection and dropped my phone into my lap.
I threw my arm around the back of Roman’s seat and started to back out of my driveway, but then I caught sight of Tessa peeking over Devon’s shoulder as he carried her into the house.
Her scared, green eyes were like a rusty knife to the gut. She should have been oblivious to this kind of drama for at least another…forever. She should be playing with Barbie dolls and watching fucking princes kiss their princesses, not living with the knowledge that someone had tried to snatch her from the safety of a place I desperately wanted her to call home. And then knowing they had succeeded in taking her mother.
I watched until the door closed behind them, a slew of agents and officers still flooding my lawn.
I couldn’t change her past, but I could—and would—change the future.
No more.
This life was done for her.
Blood trickled down Clare’s ashy, white face as her gaze locked on mine.
“We’re even now. I can’t do this shit anymore, Noir,” Officer Marco said.
“You’re done when I fucking say you are.”
“I’m going to lose my job over your obsession with this bitch,” Marco returned, shoving me into the room.
I stumbled on my heels before falling forward and landing on my knees. Clare climbed to her feet and hurried toward me, but Walter caught her by the back of the shirt at the last second.
“Oh God!” I cried, extending my arms toward her as she crashed to the floor.
She jumped up again, clawing her way toward me, only to be forced back down.
Shoving his gun into the back of his pants, he planted a foot on either side of her and bent at the hip as he barked, “Enough!” And then he backhanded her so hard that I had to fight back a dry heave.
“Clare, don’t!” I cried while praying that she would listen to him.
She didn’t.
She spit in his face and shouted, “You bastard! She has nothing to do with this.”
He stabbed a finger into her face. “I warned them, Clare. They kept you from me. You take a man’s wife—my wife—you will lose your
own. It’s time Leblanc learns that lesson. And, if you don’t shut up and remember who the fuck your husband is, you’re going to learn a lesson, too.”
Another round of vomit threatened to escape my throat as twin streams dripped off my chin. Yet, somehow, in the face of evil, Clare appeared to collect herself. Her hunched shoulders rolled back, and the color returned to her cheeks. I’d known that Clare had to have been strong to have lived with Noir for so long, but until that moment, I hadn’t realized how strong she truly was.
I watched in awe as an eerie calm washed over her.
“Clare?” I whispered.
“You still want to be my husband?” she asked him weakly.
Walt seemed oblivious to her sudden change. His face remained hard as he growled, “You’re a Noir. No fucking pig is going to change that.”
She blinked her doe eyes at him and slowly pushed up onto her knees. “I’m still a Noir?”
He gently reached down and threaded his fingers through the top of her hair. “How can you even ask that? What the fuck did they do to you?”
Her chin jerked to the side as if something had struck her.
And I supposed it had, because not even a second later, she fell apart.
A strangled cry bubbled in her throat, and she scooted on her knees to hug his hips. “Oh God, Walt. I was so scared without you. I thought you hated me. That…that’s what they told me. They said you didn’t love me. And that you were planning to kill me. Heath and the police made me stay away.” Her voice caught as tears rolled down her face. “I thought… I just… They kept telling me that they would take care of me. But they didn’t. All I wanted was to come home.” She rose to her feet and gripped the front of the beast’s chest. “They’re awful people, Walt!” she cried.
His malevolent gaze softened as he brushed the blood-streaked hair away from her face.
She dropped her forehead to his chest as her entire body trembled against him.
I had never in my life been more confused—or impressed. I glanced around the room, hoping for an answer, but Marco was the only one there. He was wearing a similar perplexity as he narrowed his gaze on Clare.
“Noir, you’re not buying this shit, are you?” Marco said.
Oh, but he was. Hook, line, and sinker.
The taut muscles under his white button-down visibly relaxed as he folded her into his arms. “I would never kill you, sweetheart,” he murmured as if it were a romantic sentiment. “Don’t worry. They’ll pay for what they did.”
She sniffled and used the back of her arm to dry her eyes. “We need to get Tessa.”
Oh hell no.
“Clare,” I hissed.
“We could trade Elisabeth for her,” she continued. “If you kill Heath, Roman will trade Tessa for Elisabeth. We’ll have our family back.”
I slapped a hand over my mouth as my pulse skyrocketed. No way was Tessa getting near this. And even suggesting something like that left me questioning everything I knew about Clare.
“What are you doing?” I interjected into their conversation.
Walter’s hand snapped in my direction to silence me, but he kept his gaze leveled on his wife. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“Noir, seriously?” Marco called. “This bitch is playing you. She’s been shacked up with Light for weeks.”
She held Walter’s gaze, sliding her hands up and down his chest as she jerked her head to Marco. “I don’t like him. He scares me.”
An arrogant grin tipped one side of Noir’s mouth as he nodded almost imperceptibly.
As she cuddled into his chest, her gaze landed on mine. But she wasn’t there. At least, not the woman I knew.
She didn’t even blink as Walter suddenly retrieved the gun from the back of his pants.
“What the…” was all Marco got out before Noir pulled the trigger.
Marco’s cruiser had pinged at one of Noir’s known properties, less than ten miles away. Tomlinson and a team of agents were already on the way over. Rorke had once again been banished from the investigation, but this time, for obvious reasons, he didn’t voice any complaints.
The windows had nearly fogged from the molten anger rolling off Roman as we sped through town.
“How the fuck are you so calm?” he asked.
I kept my eyes on the road as I stated definitively, “Because I’m going to get her back.”
He curled his lip. “You don’t fucking know that. I swear to God, if he so much as—”
“Nope,” I interrupted, shaking my head. “Don’t do that. Don’t let your mind go there. They’re gonna be fine.” I cracked my neck. “Clare can handle Noir.”
I felt his incredulous gaze jump to me.
“Are you fucking crazy?” he asked. “I’ve seen the shit he used to do to her.”
My knuckles turned white as I gripped the steering wheel. I’d seen that shit too, but I refused to think about it. She’d asked me to trust her weeks ago, and I’d be damned if now was the moment when I broke that promise.
“He could have killed her every day for seven years,” I said. “He never did. She’s lived in that lion’s den before and come out on the other side. She’ll do it again.”
Roman scoffed, clearly not sharing my confidence. “And what about Elisabeth?”
“She’ll take care of her, too.”
“Jesus Christ, I fucking hope you’re right.” Roman banged his head back against the headrest. “You need to take my vest,” he told the ceiling.
“Keep your shit,” I grunted, weaving through traffic.
He peeled his shirt over his head and unstrapped the Velcro on his vest. “He’ll be gunning for you, Light.”
I turned off the highway, opting for a side road with less traffic. “He’s a sociopath. He’s gunning for civilization in general.”
He dropped his Rubicon vest on the center console between us. “You know what I mean. He’s got my wife, but it’s you he’s gonna be after.” His eyes darkened, and his jaw ticked. “Besides, anything happens to me, Elisabeth will be taken care of. Clare needs you. Tessa too.”
My chest tightened. He was only partially wrong.
“I need them, Leblanc. I’m going to get her back. Elisabeth too. But you’re putting that fucking vest back on or I’m shooting you myself.”
“Come on. Don’t be a dumbass. The DEA is not going to let me storm in there this time. You need this shit more than I do. Kevlar will slow a bullet, but Rubicon will stop it.”
I turned to look at him. Roman and I had butted heads more often than not. He was stubborn as a fucking mule and didn’t have any problem letting you know when he thought you were wrong. Which was basically any time you disagreed with him. But, with all of that said, he was hands down one of the best men I’d ever met.
He’d waded into the middle of this mess from the very start. Blood, sweat, and tears, he’d been there from the moment he’d found out about Tessa. He didn’t give a damn that she wasn’t his child. He’d never backed down or cowered from what seemed like the impossible task of keeping both of our families safe. The world needed more men like him. And, if it hadn’t been for his woman being at Noir’s place, I would have pulled over and left his ass on the side of the road just to ensure he woke up the next morning.
As it stood, I didn’t have that choice.
I did, however, have the choice to put him in that fucking vest to make sure he at least didn’t go home full of bullet holes.
“Then we better hope my aim is better than his.”
“Light, don’t be stupid,” he objected.
I ignored him. “We’re two minutes out. Suit up.”
Elisabeth screamed and frantically crawled away, but I felt not one ounce of remorse as Marco’s lifeless body hit the floor.
Maybe I was just as ruthless as Walt after all.
Or maybe I was just happy to rid the world of one more maniac.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that he was the APD’s mole who had gotten Heath
’s friend killed. But, worse than that, I knew for certain he was the worthless piece of shit who had somehow gotten to my friend—my only friend—and hand-delivered her to the Devil himself. He’d more than earned his spot in Hell as far as I was concerned.
Something had broken inside me when Walt had reminded me that I was his wife.
Or, more accurately, something had been reborn.
No matter how much I hated it, I was Mrs. Walter Noir.
He’d spent years emotionally terrorizing me, but in that time, I’d learned how to manipulate him to stay alive.
I hadn’t thought I’d had any of that left in me after I’d lived in the light with Heath. But, the moment Elisabeth had walked through that door, an all-too-familiar darkness had consumed me. And, as long as Walt was alive, I’d never fully escape it.
Jail was no longer good enough. I wanted him wiped from the face of the Earth.
For the first time, I had a life to fight for.
A daughter who depended on me—and for more than just to keep her alive.
A handsome, kind, and warm man who loved me—and not in the warped and disgusting way Walt had.
And, lastly, I had a baby I hadn’t even had the chance to tell Heath about yet growing within me. I’d only found out earlier that morning. I didn’t know how far along I was. Or even if it would be a viable pregnancy, given my history. But, for that one moment, as I’d cried tears of joy on the floor in Heath’s bathroom while staring down at those two pink lines I’d tried so hard to avoid when I had been with Walt, it was a baby—a piece of me and a piece of Heath. Conceived in love and not fear. The way it always should have been.
I would not allow Walt to take that away from me.
Or take me away from them.
“Will you get me something for my face?” I asked softly.
He leaned away and cupped a hand on my jaw. “When are you going to stop being so damn difficult? You don’t have to fight me on everything.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. I’ll do better. I swear.”
The Complete Retrieval Duet Page 35
