Blond hair fell in clumps at my feet. I snipped and laughed, snipped and laughed.
“Is this your natural color?” I asked with a sneer. “Or did Franklin make you dye it to look like me?”
Sasha whimpered and shook her head.
“Stop moving. I might slip and take off an earlobe or something.”
She mumbled through the gag in her mouth. I stepped back and pulled the wad of cotton from between her teeth. “What was that? I couldn’t quite hear you.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You are prettier than I am. I shouldn’t have said that.”
I shoved the gag back in. “Too late for sorry.” I brushed the last piece of long hair down the front of her face and cut straight across on the top of her forehead, leaving only half-inch bangs.
Yeah, she looked hideous—and it made me happy.
“Now, what should we do next? Do you like ink?” I asked, revving up my tattoo machine.
“No. Please, no,” she begged.
“You shouldn’t have threatened me.” I squatted to meet her face to face, then tweaked her nose. “The first one is going to say ‘Franklin loves Killer,’ and I think I’ll put it right…” I circled the needle around her face and settled it on her left cheek. “Here.”
I woke with a start, feeling lighter than I had in days. Sasha Reed had replaced Wallace Cruse as my REM nemesis. Nice. The moment reality settled back in, a black hole opened inside me, sucking air, blood, and life into its abyss.
Franklin.
Not one part of my body wanted to move. Everything hurt. I swallowed some ibuprofen and pushed through the pain. Foregoing makeup, I pulled my hair into a loose pony and slipped on my least binding outfit. Leland waited for me downstairs and as promised, escorted me to work.
“There will be someone outside your door. I’ll be back at five to take you home. Don’t leave, under any circumstance, without one of the officers. Got it?” Grumpy Leland was back with a vengeance and darn if he wasn’t starting to grow on me.
“I shouldn’t have any reason to leave. Don’t worry,” I assured him.
I headed in, trying my best to ignore the throbbing pain stabbing at my head and neck. When I stepped off the elevator, Nan passed in the hall and stopped short, eyes wider than the cup of coffee she held.
“For the love of God, Tatum. What happened to you?”
“Fender bender. No big deal.” I waved her off.
She grimaced. “With a Mac truck? You shouldn’t be here.”
“I can’t sit home. Need to keep busy.” I stepped past her and headed to my office. Nan followed. “Everything okay?” I asked her.
“Things are fine. Can I get you coffee?” She eyed me up and down, eyebrows pinched tight.
“That would be so nice. I’m exhausted just from the walk through the hall.” Talking was even a chore.
“Seriously, what were you thinking, coming to work today? And that was no fender bender. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Look at you.”
“I couldn’t sit home alone, Nan. I’ll take it easy. I promise.” I raised my hands in defense. Ouch.
“I’ll get your coffee. You sit.”
I did as told. I sat at my desk and put my purse away. Nan came back with a steamy cup of java thick with cream, then headed to her office. A few of my colleagues came by and stopped dead when they caught sight of my face.
By eleven o’clock, I’d had to explain the car accident to ten people, leaving out Franklin’s role in the tragedy. I didn’t have the energy to explain to anyone else why I looked like I’d been pushed through a meat grinder, and got up to close my door.
As I approached the threshold, Nan’s voice carried down the hallway. “Are you sure? No. I’m the only one with a key. The security system hasn’t worked for a few weeks. It’s on my to-do list. No, no, that’s fine. I’d rather you didn’t. I’ll check it out on my lunch hour. Thank you.” She slammed the receiver. “What a day.”
I closed the door and got busy at my desk. Wasn’t sure where to start. Google, Facebook, Twitter. The obvious go-to’s led me nowhere. A soft knock made me jump.
Nan peeked her head in. “How are you doing? Can I get you anything?”
“I’m peachy, Nan.” I rubbed at the bandage covering my ear. The throbbing amplified when I pressed against it.
She gave me her I don’t believe you eyebrow raise. “Can I take you to lunch?”
“I would love to go, but I have too much to do,” I lied. “Can I ask you something personal?”
Nan crossed her arms and tilted her head. “Of course.”
“Were you dating Wallace secretly?”
Sorrow dulled her eyes. “Yes, and no.”
“What does that mean?”
“I wanted to be exclusive. He didn’t. I chose to accept sharing rather than lose him altogether.”
Another reason for me to hate the man. He probably used her emotionally more than physically. Ew. Naked with Wallace? I wanted to hurl.
“I’m sorry. That had to suck.”
She sighed and pulled at a string on her cardigan. “We do crazy things for love.”
We? No, just her. And Franklin. I wanted to laugh but that would’ve hurt too much. So instead, I agreed, “Yes, we do.”
“You sure you don’t want to do lunch? You need to eat something. You certainly shouldn’t drive anywhere. Can I bring you anything? Maybe something from the Mexican truck up the street?”
Oh, Nan was bringing out the big guns. I couldn’t resist Mexican food. Damn, it was tempting. “No thanks.”
“I might be gone longer than usual. Wallace’s neighbor called. She thought she’d seen people in his window. I told her I’d check it out. Nosy old coot. Always in people’s business.”
“You have a key?”
She blushed. “I do.”
“Did you live with him?” Wow. Nan was full of secrets, too.
“No. He flat out refused to live together. Didn’t want to cramp his style.” She sighed and rubbed her chest, above her heart. “I haven’t been there since…well, you know. It’s your house now. I do have some personal items there that I’d like to collect, if that’s all right. Before you do whatever you’re going to do with it.”
Oh, poor Nan. I wanted to hug her. “No problem. See you when you get back. And Nan, thanks for everything you’ve done around here. This place would be nothing without you.”
“Thank you, dear.” Her eyes brightened. “I’ll see you soon.” She headed down the hall, heels clomping against the hardwood.
A tall brunette walked through the door and closed it behind her. “Tatum?” she asked, with an accent I couldn’t place. Holy cow, she was gorgeous. Long and lean, thick, dark brown hair. Dark eyes. “I’m Annalise, a friend of Franklin’s.” The woman I’d mistaken for a whore had a name. The woman who’d been drinking with my man after I gave him the boot. The gal who rocked leather pants like nobody’s business.
Awkward. “Hi.”
She didn’t waste any time getting down to business. “I want to help find him.”
“How did you know he was missing?” I asked.
I noticed a scar stretching from her left ear to between her breasts and disappearing underneath her shirt. “I can’t tell you that.”
“Let me guess,” I whispered, glancing toward the door. “It’s classified.”
She leaned a hip on my desk. “You can say that.”
I glared at her. More secrets. “You work together, for the agency?”
“We did. A long time ago. Couldn’t stand the new boss. What a bitch. I’m a private contractor now.”
I huffed. I couldn’t stand the boss, either.
“Listen. I’m not a threat. I love Franklin like a brother. Nothing more. He saved my life once. I need to return the favor.” Amber eyes stared at me, unblinking, and reminded me of the Irish whiskey Dad favored. Franklin trusted this woman. Maybe I should, too.
I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms. Ouch. Okay, trying to look tough wasn’t going to work, not today. I lowered my hands to my thighs. That was a little more comfortable. “You want me to trust you? Then give me something. What do you do for Franklin? What does he pay you for?”
Chewing on her bottom lip, she studied me. Then she smiled. “Let’s just say if there’s any hacking to be done, I’m the one to call.”
Okay. I could accept that.
I nodded. “We need to find Jay Masters. Can you help with that?”
She smirked. “I’m the best, Tatum. That’s why Franklin uses me. He’d never settle for less.”
Well, Annalise didn’t lack confidence, which was admirable. I couldn’t imagine she lacked much of anything.
She leaned a hip on my desk and spun my stapler. “So, tell me what you know, from the beginning.”
I filled her in on the gory details. From the first rose, to the car accident. She listened. Nodded. Waited patiently for me to finish.
“So they planted evidence to make you look guilty.” She crossed her arms.
“Yes. Here and in Wallace’s house.” A tidal wave of oh shit washed over me. “Wallace’s house!” I yelled. Ow! Holy hell that hurt. I cupped my ear. “His neighbor just called to say she saw someone through the window. Nan left to check it out.”
Annalise stood and crossed her arms. “Well, then. We better be on our way.”
I picked up the phone to dial Leland. He answered on the first ring. “Leland. Hi, it’s me. I know where—” The phone went dead, because Annalise yanked the wire from the socket.
“You can’t tell him about me.” The cord dangled from her hand, the glower she wore made the skin on the back of my neck tingle.
“Oh.” Classified. “You have a car?”
“I do.”
“Good. Can you help me sneak out?”
She laughed. “Do you know how to use a gun?” Like shooting were a natural talent every able-bodied female possessed.
“No.” Why did that make me feel inadequate?
“Good thing you have me then. Grab your things. Let’s go,” she ordered.
I snatched my purse and followed her to the elevator. When we reached the bottom floor of the parking garage, she held up her hand to hold me back, then peaked through the opening.
“Hello again, officer.” She lowered her voice and her lashes.
He placed a hand on his belt, shot me a glance and nodded. “Afternoon.”
Annalise struck him once in the throat and he fell to the ground. “Let’s go.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward an inconspicuous minivan. I wasn’t surprised to see computers and weird-looking equipment where the back seats should’ve been.
“Did you knock him out?”
“No. Just down, long enough for us to get out.”
Gritting my teeth to absorb the pain, I buckled myself in. “I can’t believe he’d take Franklin to Wallace’s house.”
She pulled out of the garage and into traffic, cutting off a taxi. “It’s brilliant, actually. The perfect place to hide.”
We drove in silence for a few more blocks. I white-knuckled the edge of my seat while she weaved through traffic. “Franklin believed you were safe. That’s why, when you told him you never wanted to see him again, he didn’t come after you right away. He told me he’d give you one week to come to your senses. That’s why he drank and wallowed. He believed you were out of danger. Otherwise, he would’ve taken you back to one of the safe houses.”
I rolled my eyes. What I wanted to do was spin in joyous, girlie glee. I should’ve known he had a plan. “I’m surprised he gave me a week.”
“Me too,” she huffed.
Twenty minutes and twelve broken traffic laws later, we pulled over a block from Wallace’s house. Nan’s car sat crooked in the brick driveway.
“Is this house for real?” she asked, craning her neck to get a good view. “Is that a parapet?”
“Sure is,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“You’re shitting me. And a turret? Who was this guy?”
I chewed the inside corner of my mouth. I remembered sitting in the turret with Dad as a child. He used to let me look across the sound with Wallace’s binoculars. Well, until I witnessed an indecent act on a yacht drifting on the water. I wasn’t allowed back up after that incident. The salmon paint and mint green trim would have to go bye-bye. I was sure the neighbors wouldn’t complain.
“What do we do now?” I asked, trembling with nervous energy. At least the adrenaline negated some of the pain.
She shut off the engine and slipped into the back of the van. Raising a finger to her lips to keep me quiet, she slid large headphones over her ears. I watched her shoulders relax as she released a long puff of air. “He’s in there. He’s talking. Sounds like two men and a woman are with him.”
For the first time since I woke in the hospital, I could breathe properly. I hadn’t realized the weight of worry crushing my sanity until it lifted off me and dissipated into the air. He was alive. “Now what?”
“You wait here. I get Franklin.”
Over my dead body. I couldn’t sit still while he fought for his life. “No. I want—”
“Can you shoot?” she interrupted.
“No.”
Annalise reached into a metal box, pulled out three intimidating weapons and tucked them into the belt of her pants. “Use a knife?” she asked, piercing my resolve with an ice cold, steely glare.
“No.” Damn.
“Dodge bullets?”
Bingo. “I’ve been doing some of that lately.” Sure, I wasn’t much good at it. But at least it was experience.
Her eyes softened and she laid a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll get him. I promise.”
“If Jay is in there, he’s big and he can fight.”
The dark-haired beauty laughed at me. “I appreciate your concern. It’s cute. Are you a good driver?”
“Sure.” Even better when I can move muscles without them screaming in protest.
“Get in the driver’s seat. When you see me come out with him, get your butt up there and be ready to roll.”
I nodded yes.
Annalise walked casually up the sidewalk. Her ability to hide guns in her tight pants and black T-shirt boggled my mind. Was that part of secret agent training? I’d have to ask Franklin. When she disappeared around the back of the house, I glanced around the neighborhood. Aside from a yapping dog two houses down, it was quiet.
My phone buzzed and I dug it out of my handbag. “Hi, Leland. I’m sorry we got cut off earlier.”
“What’s going on, Tatum? Please tell me why your friend took down one of my men.”
“It’s classified. That was pretty cool though, huh?”
“Why don’t you ask him how cool it was?” It’s too bad Leland never had kids, because he killed the chastising parent vibe.
“Sorry.”
“No, you’re not. What’s going on? Who’s the woman?” he asked, demanding my compliance.
“Never mind her. Jay has Franklin at Wallace’s house. Nan is there, too.”
“How exactly do you know this?” I could tell he was walking by the way his breaths blew into the phone.
“There’s another man here. Don’t know who he is.”
“Goddamn, Tatum,” he yelled. “Tell me you aren’t there.”
I cringed. “I’m not there. Technically, I’m a block away.”
“Get out of there, now. Leave. I mean it. If you step one inch closer to that house I’ll lock you up and throw away the key.”
“I can’t leave. I have to drive the getaway car.”
“Getaway…what…I don’t even want to know. I’m on my way.” He ended the call, but not before I heard a few unpleasantries.
I stared at the house. Minutes ticked by. Soon, I heard sirens in the distance. The closer they came, the harder my heart knocked against my breast.
He had to be okay. Had to be.
I tapped on the steering wheel, bounced my leg up and down. Fidgeted in my seat.
A pop, pop, pop came from the house. I never wanted to hear that sound again. My adrenaline spiked into overdrive. I started the engine and peeled away from the curb. I lurched to a stop in the grass a few feet off the driveway and limped toward the front door.
He had to be okay.
As I stepped onto the front stoop, the door swung open and Jay stumbled out. Face pale, eyes wide, he wrapped an arm around his midsection. “Ah, Tatum. I’m afraid you’re too late. You missed the fun.”
The sirens were deafening behind me and red lights bounced off the windows of the house.
“You’re the worst thing that’s ever happened to me,” Jay sputtered and lunged toward me. I jumped back and he fell at my feet, landing on his back. Blood spread across his torso and stained the Italian tile of the front stoop.
I stepped over him and stumbled inside. Annalise crouched over Nan, who lay with her face to the floor. Over her shoulder, Franklin slumped in a chair, arms tied to the sides, head hung forward with the handle of a knife sticking out of his right pectoral. Another man lay motionless at his feet.
I called his name and hobbled to him. He didn’t move. My heart seized. My lungs deflated. So much blood. Everywhere.
I cupped Franklin’s cheeks, his skin ice against my fingers. I lifted his face to see me. There was no life in his eyes.
Behind me, I heard shouting and footsteps barreling through the door. I looked up, Annalise was gone.
And I was losing Franklin.
“No!” I shouted, pulling his face closer to mine. “No.” My hands trembled against cold skin. “You aren’t going anywhere, you hear me?” I slapped at his cheeks as if that would wake him. A thick arm ensnared my waist and tried to pull me back. I kicked, punched, and pinched until I was free. Franklin needed to know what he meant to me. Maybe he’d fight harder. “You can’t leave me, Franklin. I love you. Do you hear me? You can’t go away.” I wrapped my arms around his head and held him to my chest. “Wake up, please. I need you. I love you so much, don’t leave me. You can’t—”
“Tatum.” Leland placed a hand on my shoulder. “Let me have a look.”
Tears poured down my cheeks, burning my skin. I knelt and held his face in my hands again. “Don’t leave me, please. Wake up, please. Wake up,” I pleaded, stroking the sides of his bloodied face.
Leland called over his shoulder, “Where’s that fucking ambulance?”
Someone answered, “ETA three minutes.”
“Tatum. You need to let me do my job.” He placed his hands over mine and pulled them away from the lifeless body of the man I loved.
I wanted to die. I wanted to pull the knife from his chest and plunge it into my own. Oh, God, it was the worst kind of pain, seeping through flesh and bone, suffocating any hope. I fought to stay close to Franklin, to breath him in for as long as I still had him here on earth. Leland used his muscle and forced me away. “Hold her!” he shouted.
Somebody grabbed my shoulders from behind, squeezed tight and pulled me back. I fell to the floor and gasped for air.
Leland blocked my view of Franklin. “He’s breathing, but barely.”
Nan lay on her stomach, arms wrapped around her head in a protective lock. I crawled to her side. “Oh my God, are you okay? Did they hurt you?” I lifted her arm. Purple and blue covered the left side of her face and her eye was swollen shut.
Nan’s tears flowed almost as heavy as mine. “Is he dead? Oh, Tatum. I tried to help, I tried.”
I wrapped an arm around her. “Shhh. It’s okay. He’s fine. He’ll be just fine.” If I said it enough, it’d have to be true.
Paramedics burst into the kitchen. Leland pulled a utility knife from his back pocket and cut the binds off Franklin’s wrists. His arms fell to the sides. They laid him on a stretcher, and a man lifted me to my feet and walked me outside. “We need to clear the scene, Miss Wood. I’m sorry.”
I buried my face in my palms and released a flood of tears. My face, my head, everything hurt so damn bad, but I couldn’t stop. Franklin couldn’t be gone. I’d just found him.
We reached the ambulance and paused. “Detective Waters wants you to ride with Reed to the hospital. Can you climb up?”
I didn’t answer but crawled into the back of the vehicle. A few short breaths later, Franklin, motionless and pale, was lifted in.
The ride took eons. I held his hand, tried to breathe, and willed my heart to continue beating.
The waiting room walls closed in around me. After four hours, I called Lizzie. She brought me clean clothes and greasy bar food that I couldn’t eat. We didn’t talk. Lizzie held my hand and let me cry. Leland checked in a few times, promising he’d be there as soon as he finished at the scene. Jay Masters and the other man were dead. Gunshot wounds. Nan was recovering from a nasty blow to the head. She’d already been released from the hospital.
Seven hours after our arrival, a nurse came in and asked me to come with her. “He’s asking for you.”
My heart compressed, pumping the black, oily sludge from its chambers, then filled again with bright red, energizing blood. “He’s okay?” I jumped out of the seat so fast, my head buzzed and the room spun. I had to grab the nurse for balance.
“He’s going to be fine.”
I kissed Lizzie and told her to go home. “I’ll check in with you later.” She waved as I strode through the swinging door, feeling the weight of a thousand lifetimes lifting from my shoulders.
“Killer,” he breathed as I walked through the door. His playful smile gutted me.
“I hate you,” I cried and buried my face in his uninjured shoulder. I didn’t want to break down in front of him. I wanted to be strong, show him I could handle whatever shit came my way, but the sight of him blew the false composure I’d mustered to bits.
He pressed his face to the top of my head. “Shush, baby. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I thought you were dead,” I mumbled into his chest.
“Silly girl. You think I’d let death take me away from you?”
“No,” I snorted. “You wouldn’t.”
“See? You worried for nothing.” Soft lips pressed into me. “Besides, you hate me, remember? You should be throwing a party.”
I lifted my head and looked long and hard at his gorgeous, battered mug. I reached out to stroke his face, and he closed his eyes, a low groan rising in his throat. “Say it. Please. I need to hear you say it. Just once.”
I leaned over and kissed the corner of his mouth that wasn’t bruised and swollen. “I love you.”
He kissed me back and his lips slackened against mine.
“Sleep, Frankie, I’ll be right here,” I whispered. And I would be. Every day. Like he’d always been there for me, waiting in the shadows.
“Isn’t this the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen?” Sasha leaned over my shoulder, blowing her minty breath across my cheek.
My fists clenched. I wanted to punch her. Lucky for her, my body wasn’t up for a game of Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, not giving her the satisfaction of looking her way.
“It’s time to let him go. You’re only going to hurt him if you stay. His career will be over.” Sasha splayed her hand across my back and rubbed with comforting strokes. “He’s nothing without his job.”
“I’m nothing without him.” I shrugged her hand off me and turned to meet her square on. “I’m sure you know how that feels.”
Her composure faded for the briefest moment, and she stepped back before she forced a challenging smile. “You almost got him killed.”
Protective, possessive rage swirled in my abdomen and rose to settle in my cheeks. The throbbing heat made my eyes water. I straightened my shoulders and stepped closer to the woman who’d pushed my last button. Wrong day to challenge me. “Maybe. But I found him.” I pressed my index finger into my own chest. “I brought him home. Me.” I raised my other hand and pointed at her, then toward the door. “You failed. I win. Now, get the fuck out of here.” My chest rose and fell in rapid bursts.
Her peachy cheeks darkened to red. “I’m not a woman you want to piss off. You don’t want me as an enemy.” Sasha’s gaze drifted to Franklin, drew up and down the length of his body and rested on his face, then she turned to leave. I had a feeling it wasn’t the last I’d see of Sasha Reed.