Roars echoed across the coastline and small beach area off the main road as Boone fought to make his way past the cop from the Whitby Falls PD. Rhett stood motionless, time ticking by and yet it felt like it hardly moved. They’d roped off the beach area, and from what they’d learned from Asher on the drive to the scene, the body had been dumped over the cliff. Rhett felt like he moved in a fog. He needed to find out if this new life he’d tasted was over. If the one woman who’d touched something deep in his soul was gone. If his unborn child was stolen away.
“Get fucking control of yourself,” the cop yelled, grabbing Boone by the jacket and shoving him back. “You don’t want to see this.”
Boone wasn’t muttering words anymore, just screams, veins popping out of his forehead and neck. His eyes wild with fear.
Where Boone had morals, Rhett did not. He couldn’t wait. Everything around him felt slow and unstable, and if he didn’t act soon, he wasn’t sure what he would do. When it became clear they were never going to let them on the scene, Rhett stepped forward and slammed his hand into the cop’s ribs. The guy dropped, gasping for breath. Rhett raced under the tape, dodging every cop who charged at him.
He had to know…
He had to see…
Another cop went to tackle him, but Rhett turned and maneuvered out of his reach. The cliff was right there…he was so close…
But then arms locked on to him, and Rhett roared, “She’s pregnant with my child. Let me fucking identify her.”
Those arms, whoever they belonged to, released him. Maybe at the raw agony in his voice that even he heard and barely recognized. He rushed forward, stumbling over his own feet as he reached the edge of the cliff. There, on the rocks, as the water sloshed up around the ice, he saw the body dressed in a black jacket and jeans, the dark hair. He couldn’t remember…was this what Kinsley was wearing?
A bitter east wind cut across the cliff, lifting the woman’s dark hair away from her face. Rhett’s world slowly turned on its axis. Everything he thought he knew altered as he realized he couldn’t survive without her. Kinsley had been there, every day for years, making him smile, laugh, showering him with her warm affection, pulling him back when he’d been so lost. Something deep inside him shifted as he dropped to his knees, pressing his hands into the cold hard ground. He knew Kinsley’s mouth. He knew her eyes. The lines of her jaw that he’d kissed. The curves of her body. He knew everything about her.
Boone suddenly dropped next to Rhett, and Rhett reached out, grabbing his shoulder. “It’s not her,” he barely managed. “It’s not her.”
“Jesus,” Boone wheezed, staring down at the deceased stranger. “Jesus, Lord. Thank you.” He planted his hands on the ground, bowed his head, and breathed deep.
“I planned to call you.”
Rhett glanced over his shoulder to find Detective Anderson behind them, his dark gray eyes weary. His black cap was pulled down low on his head, only the ends of his dark brown hair showing. “I only learned of Kinsley’s abduction on the drive over. I hadn’t had a chance to identify her.” He stepped closer to the edge. “A couple of guys told me that we’ve got the woman’s husband already in custody. He drove to the station right after and confessed to pushing her and she fell over the edge.”
Rhett turned back to the woman, staring at her. He could survive war, loneliness, and even a gunshot wound. But he couldn’t live without Kinsley and this new life she offered him. One that was hot at night and warm in the morning. A life of laughter and love.
Love.
Fuck, he loved Kinsley, madly, deeply. That’s why he’d spent years trying to protect her, because that’s what he did. He protected those he loved. And he wanted to protect her from the damage he could have caused her. But Rhett knew now that he’d changed, these past months more than ever. He’d touched her once, then everything changed.
This last push, though, that belonged to Kinsley. Her love did that. Every time she smiled at him, he saw that love. Every time those sweet eyes met his, he felt that love. She loved him wildly, and he’d never told her that he loved her back.
Why didn’t he tell her? Why did it take so long for him to realize it?
“I’m sorry about your sister,” Anderson said to Boone, offering him a hand. Boone took his hand and rose, looking slightly wobbly, as Anderson went on, “Whatever I can do to help in finding her, I’ll do.”
“Thank you.” Boone shoved his hands through his hair and glanced at Rhett. “We need to find her.”
Rhett rubbed his face, shedding the emotions dripping off him. He needed to think, to get a plan going. He couldn’t lose Kinsley and their baby. Helplessness trembled in his muscles. They had nothing. No one had spotted the van. There were no tips. No leads. Even Whitby Falls PD didn’t know much about this new biker gang. But Rhett knew that going the good way, the right way, sometimes didn’t work. “Go to Dalton,” Rhett said to Boone. “Shake him and get whatever else you can. He very well might know where they’ve taken her.”
Boone gave a firm nod, the horror beginning to fade from his eyes. “Yeah, all right.”
Rhett turned, and was immediately faced with the cop he’d taken down. He was still on his knees, wheezing. Asher stood next to him, offering a bottle of water. “It wasn’t personal,” Rhett said to the cop as he strode by. “You were in my way.”
“Remind me never to do that again,” the cop grumbled. Rhett offered his hand, and the guy took it, rising to his feet.
The cop patted Rhett’s shoulder. “I get it. We’re all good, West.”
Rhett nodded in acknowledgment before heading toward his truck. “Get Anderson to drive you back,” he called over his shoulder. When they’d arrived, he had left his door open and the truck running.
“What are you gonna do?” Boone called after him.
Rhett bellowed back, “Whatever I have to do to find her.” He hopped in his truck, the tires squealing as he sped off.
The engine roared beneath him, the adrenaline waking him up, making him feel alive. His mission in life was to protect. To hunt, if need be, and destroy threats, whatever the cost. As he turned down the first road on the right, his cell phone rang. “What?” he answered with the click of a button on his steering wheel.
Asher asked, “You’re not about to do something stupid, are you?”
“I am.” Rhett hung up and tossed his phone on the passenger seat, ignoring it when it rang again and again.
Kinsley was his. His to protect. His to love, as fiercely as she had loved him. The baby was theirs. He wanted those moments, with both of them. He’d been trained for exactly this mission. And ten minutes later, when he pulled his truck off to the side of the road, he felt primed and ready. He grabbed his gun, and took the safety off to confirm he had a full magazine clip. Then he got out, and every thought vanished from his mind. He met the tall stone fence, then raced toward it, climbing up the side and scaling over the top, landing hard on the other side. He breathed steadily, slowly, keeping his heart rate quiet and out of his head. He moved swiftly through the trees, spotting two security guards standing in the circular driveway. Rhett waited for them to turn away, then he sprinted toward the house. He hid behind a tree then slipped through the first door he found and was immediately greeted by a guard.
In an instant, he had the guy in his arms, squeezing his neck tight, while the guard pounded on Rhett’s arms and kicked out. When he finally fell unconscious, Rhett moved swiftly, remembering the layout.
It felt like a lifetime before he reached the door to the office. With silence around him, the guards unaware that one of theirs was knocked out cold, Rhett opened the door.
Joaquin King lifted his head, surprise filling his dark eyes.
Rhett raised his gun, aiming it at King’s head.
King slowly arched an eyebrow. “Are my men alive?”
“One is taking a nap.”
King chuckled. “A nap, huh?” He leaned back in his chair, calm as any other time Rhett had seen him. “I’m surprised you got past them. They’re skilled men.”
“Today I was better,” Rhett said.
King’s eyes darkened. His mouth pressed into a firm line before he addressed Rhett again. “You’ve got one minute tops before my team storms in here. If you’re here to kill me, I’d do so now.”
“I can’t kill you,” Rhett retorted. “You have information I need.”
“What information is that?”
“The headquarters of the Wild Dogs here in town.”
King’s mouth twitched. “Now why would you think I’d have this information, when you and the police do not?”
Rhett knew men like King. He’d studied them for years. He’d hunted them. Men who held a territory didn’t like others in it. “Because they will become a threat to you. Maybe not now. But eventually. And I’m certain you’re already aware of that threat and keeping eyes on them. They have something that is mine. Something I will use hellfire to get back.”
The door suddenly burst open and Rhett sensed, more than saw, three men circle in behind him, weapons drawn.
King held up his hand, freezing the guards in place. “What if I do have what you need, how will it benefit me to assist you?”
“I’ll remove the threat,” Rhett promised. “We both know that no one will come out of there alive. The threat to your territory will be erased without you lifting a damn finger.”
King cocked his head, a smile crossing his face. “It’s a damn shame you won’t work for me, West. I could use a guy like you.”
“You could never trust me, King,” Rhett countered. “I’d kill you the first chance I got.”
King’s men inched their way closer to Rhett, as King grinned darkly and said, “Ah, but that’s what would make it so much fun.”
* * *
The van went over a bump and Kinsley banged her back against something hard, darkness engulfing her because of the blindfold tight against her face. A gun, she grimly realized. The men surrounding her talked to each other and laughed at each other’s jokes, like they hadn’t abducted her. She tuned out their voices and instead listened intently to the outside sounds, counting the minutes since they’d shoved her in the van to establish a time frame. They passed the train on the right. Later, the highway on the left, telling her they had driven past Whitby Falls. A half an hour must have gone by, and she listened for every little detail in case she got hold of a phone. Anything that could help Rhett and Boone narrow down her location. Because undoubtedly, they were ripping apart both towns trying to find her.
She tried to piece together everything that had gone wrong. Had she not gone into her bar, she would never have even been in this situation. From what she saw, Cameron had only been knocked out, and she hoped he got out before they set the blaze. She slid her hand over her belly, worry engulfing her. She had to keep the baby safe, no matter what. She had to be smarter than these men around her. Men who apparently weren’t happy with her just closing temporarily but wanted the bar shut down. Permanently. But the bigger question remained: Why was she still alive? They could have killed her right there in the bar.
Why didn’t they?
The van suddenly slowed, then it turned right, and soon after they’d stopped, her blindfold was torn away. The two guys in the front got out first and then the back door opened. She kept her head down, hoping they wouldn’t feel threatened, not wanting them to act. As long as she didn’t see them, she couldn’t identify them, and hopefully, they’d let her go. She was none too gently tossed onto a concrete floor. She scanned the area, discovering that they were inside a chop shop. She noted the Lamborghini across from her, being repainted, and ten more luxury cars, all being altered.
“Get in that corner,” her attacker ordered.
She scrambled into the corner, unable to look away from him as he used a piece of rope to tie her to a post. He was too rough ever to be handsome. Everything about his face was hard angles and cruel lines, but his eyes were far scarier than anything else. They weren’t only dead; they were evil. Those eyes told her that he liked to hurt people. Got off on it. Once he was done, he warned harshly, “Move and you’re dead.”
She took the threat seriously and remained still. The men got beers and cheered each other on, obviously proud they’d destroyed every single thing she’d ever worked hard for. Her dreams. Her everything. But now she realized all of that was nothing compared to the baby she was desperate to keep safe. To keep far away from the evil creeping into this room.
Rhett…
He’d come. He had to find her.
Minutes turned into hours. And soon, she didn’t even know how much time had gone by. The men were waiting. That much she could tell. Waiting and restless, and all the while, she remained in the corner, sitting there like a target ready to die. She drew in a long, deep breath and shut her eyes. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real. She was finally tasting happiness with Rhett, but maybe that’s all fate would give her. She could hear the men still talking, planning what to do with her. She opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings, looking for any way out.
With a sinking stomach, she realized there simply wasn’t one. They’d shoot her the second she stood up.
“What the fuck is this?”
She jerked at the nearness of the frigid low voice. She kept her head down as roughed-up boots with dirty jeans came into view.
Her attacker responded from his spot on the couch in the sitting area of the garage. “She came up on us at the bar. Wasn’t sure what the boss wanted to do with her. Figure it best to bring her back here.”
“Wrong,” the guy snapped. “You should have left her to burn in the bar. Why the fuck would you bring her here?”
“We didn’t have time to think it through,” her attacker growled. “We acted and grabbed her. There are security cameras there. Killing her was too risky.”
There was a long pause. Then, “The boss isn’t gonna like this.”
The men around Kinsley shifted on their feet.
Kinsley’s hand went straight to her belly. She knew she had to run, get away. Because, suddenly, it wasn’t if she was going to die, but when. A cold sweat washed over her, fear pumping her heart until her head swam.
Rhett…
Her hand pressed tighter against her belly…Oh, little one…
Her family, her friends, her life, it was all flashing through her mind. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Nowhere near ready.
A pair of shoes clicked against the cement floor. Each click deepened her breath a little bit more. Until the man stopped in front of her. The power emanating off him had her lifting her head even though she told herself that she shouldn’t look. Her eyes met the dark stormy depths of his, and she knew there was no getting out of there. The coldness there, the lack of humanity, made her shiver.
Tears welled up in her eyes before she forced herself to blink them away, not wanting to show weakness. Never. Not in front of this killer.
The man finally looked at her attacker with his gun aimed at her. “Do you realize who this is?”
Her captor shifted nervously on his feet. “We had no choice but to bring her.”
“You most definitely did have a choice,” he countered. “You should have put a bullet through her head and left her there.”
Kinsley froze at the sheer callousness that dripped from his voice. She’d never really believed in evil people. She’d always thought that people just made bad choices. But here, with these men, who knew she was pregnant and yet were still speaking about killing her like she was some spider on the wall, she believed evil was very real and present in this room.
She stared into his cold, dark eyes that made her want to flee. Everything about him from his worn black leather vest with the WILD DOGS logo on it, to the way his thin lips dipped down, screamed of danger. “Please don’t do this. I’m pregnant.” That had to make someone stop.
The man didn’t even flinch. Nothing showed on his face, except pure boredom.
Two men strode up and stopped behind him, assault rifles in their hands. They were like soldiers ready to go to war, but this wasn’t war, she wanted to scream at them.
She’d never wanted any part of this. She wanted to go home to Rhett and her family and friends. To her life. A life that was not perfect and was full of flaws, but it was most certainly hers. She wanted more time…
The leader eventually broke the heavy silence. “Bringing her here was fucking stupid.” He shoved his hand into his pocket. “Did you not think about how they will move the earth to find her?”
They meaning Rhett, Boone, and her father. And they would. They would stop at nothing. But she knew there was more at stake here than just her own life and the life of her child’s. Rhett would never forgive himself. He’d never recover. So many lives ruined, all because of the greed of these scumbags.
“They’ve got the security cameras,” the guy on her right said. “We couldn’t kill her there.”
“Again, you could have, and you should have.” The leader turned around and Kinsley heard a telling click. “I’m growing very tired of fixing your sloppy mistakes.” He turned around and fired two shots, killing both her attacker and the guy on her other side.
Kinsley threw her hands over her ears, the bang near deafening, as she stared into her attacker’s dead eyes while blood poured out of his wound. The click of a gun being cocked again lifted her eyes. She scrambled back, the wall stopping her from getting anywhere. “No,” she barely managed. “No. Please.” She’d nearly had it all. Everything she ever wanted. Love, happiness, family, it’d all been right there, ready for her to grab it.
No, it couldn’t end this way. She wanted the husband, the family home filled with memories, the big dinners celebrating people and achievements. She wanted to grow old with someone. There was so much more she wanted to do.
And yet…and yet…the man squared his shoulders and took aim. Kinsley shut her eyes, holding on to her belly. I love you.