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“N… no,” she replied.
“Jesus, who the fuck would do this?” Damon growled.
Noah tensed and turned to see Gabe, Mike and Damon peering into the box. Leia closed her eyes, but images of the dolls were branded on her retinas along with the labels attached to their chests.
Dead Papa Bear. Dead Mama Bear. Dead Whore Baby Bear.
The doll made in the image of her father had a water-filled bag tied around its head and fishing net around its body. Her mother’s doll had a bullet-sized hole in her chest. And Leia’s doll had a filet knife inserted in her stomach.
“I’m calling the cops.” Gabe pulled out his phone and dialed.
Noah carried her to the seat farthest away from the table and pushed his fingers through her hair. He kissed her temple and gently raised her chin. “Who delivered the box?”
“I don’t know… Alex from the concierge’s desk b-brought it up.”
Noah’s head reared up. “Get him up here, now!” he said to Mike.
Mike dashed for the phone and Noah looked into her eyes.
“Did he say who it was from?”
“I didn’t ask… I thought it was one of the things I ordered online.” Her lips pursed. Another shudder powered through her.
Noah pulled her tighter into his warmth. “I promise you, baby. I’ll find the bastard and I’ll tear him to pieces.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and clung to him. Numbness closed around her, and the men’s voices washed over her. What felt like minutes later, Paddy walked in, followed by a man in his fifties wearing a detective’s badge.
Alex, who’d been summoned, looked nervously at the towering, bristling men in the room and swallowed before haltingly describing the man who’d made the delivery.
The detective looked at her. “Does that description ring any bells, Miss Michaels?”
She shook her head.
He eyed Noah, then Leia. “Paddy here gave me an abbreviated version of what’s been going on. Is there any reason why you didn’t report the blackmail threat to the police when it happened?”
Paddy clapped him on the shoulder. “Like I told you, they wanted to keep things… in-house. These days, everyone with a camera phone is a damn amateur tabloid hack. Not to mention an extortionist.”
“You including cops in that pointed assertion?”
Paddy shrugged. “No offence.”
The officer pursed his lips and turned to Noah. “And there have been no further threats for over two weeks?”
Noah’s jaw tightened. “Not until tonight.” He rose with Leia in his arms. “I think we’re done here. If you need any more information, Paddy will fill you in. Or call me. He has my number.”
The older man looked like he wanted to argue but sighed. “I’ll take this down to the station, have the box dusted forprints,” he said.
Noah was already walking away, followed by his friends.
All five of them crowded into the lift.
Gabe tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, ignoring Noah’s low growl. “Easy, buddy. Shit, she’s really pale. Want me to call the doctor?”
“I’m… I’m fine,” Leia forced out through stiff lips. She felt Noah’s probing gaze on her and looked up. Whatever he saw in her eyes made his own darken and his breath punch out.
“Noah…”
He shook his head, strode into his condo and headed straight for the bedroom.