Page 24

Two days later…

M ax put Levi and Steve on guard out in front of Sara’s place the following Monday night.

He himself had been in and out of Sara’s place over the weekend and would come back when he was finished with what he needed to do.

But right now, he had to hunt Blake Stevenson down. Once Levi and Steve grabbed coffee and food and were sitting in Levi’s SUV in front of the house, Max drove away. The tires of his jeep squelched on the asphalt as the vehicle barreled through the dark streets.

He stopped at his facility and picked up Leo. The dog, sensing his mood, stayed on high alert, riding shotgun.

Max squeezed the wheel as the tires ate up the road.

His destination—Lily’s apartment.

He wouldn’t be able to get inside because of the security on the doors, but he needed to see the building.

He wanted to be there when Blake stepped out of the doors. He wanted to be the last thing Blake saw before he died.

The way Max figured it, Blake had to be looking for Lily, and if Max got lucky, Blake might not be back yet.

If he caught Blake out in the open, it would only take him seconds to end the fucker’s life.

And because Blake had ostracized Lily’s friends over the past year, the man had no clue where Sara lived.

And Max was going to keep it that way.

Max pulled up and double-parked in front of the apartment building and sat with his jeep idling. It was dark and with the storm breaking, no people were outside.

He thunked his head on the seat behind him and kept his eyes staring at the building. Two cups of coffee from the drive-through sat in the middle center console and he lifted one to sip from.

His stomach growled, but he wasn’t hungry, and even the thought of food was unappealing.

Hopefully, Sara had been able to get Lily to eat some of the homemade soup over the weekend. Something liquid would be easy for Lily to swallow with her bruised lips and jaw.

At first, Max had thought that her jaw was broken, but thankfully, the bone was intact.

Blake wasn’t going to be that lucky.

Max intended to break every bone in the man’s face.

He was going to do to Blake exactly what the fucker had done to Lily.

And more.

Much, much, more.

The night was long and around four AM, Max drove to a nearby gas station, used the restroom, and let Leo do his business.

Returning to the apartment, Max parked once again, this time he found an open spot directly across the street from the entrance.

A couple of hours later, daylight finally crept through the gray sky. There was still no sign of Blake, but Max figured the guy had to come out at some point.

Max was a very patient man. As a member of Army Special Forces, he’d had to stay still for long periods of time, waiting for enemies to show themselves.

Compared to that, watching and waiting for a scumbag was easy.

If Blake was even home.

Max kept turning over in his head what Detective Ward had told him about Blake and being in the vicinity of the two men’s deaths. That Ward thought Blake was a killer wasn’t too far of a stretch to Max.

The question of whether or not Blake was home was answered half an hour later when two police cars rolled up to the front of the building just past seven in the morning.

Twenty minutes later, the two cops emerged with Blake in handcuffs.

That’s fine, Max thought. Blake would eventually be released on bail, and Max had all the time in the world to take down the abuser.

Max spent the rest of the day moving his things into William’s basement apartment.

Anything to keep from calling Lily.

He was trying to separate himself from her. And it wasn’t because he didn’t want her with every inch of his soul, it was because she might not forgive him after he killed Blake.

“You want that?” William pointed to the foosball machine in the corner.

“Not really.”

“Bring it, we can put it in my game room,” William said, walking over to manhandle the gaming table away from the wall.

“That works.”

Max didn’t have much and the furniture in the basement was much nicer than the stuff he had. So, there weren’t all that many boxes to be moved. This was their second trip here and they had finished moving his things in a few hours.

“Thanks, man.”

“No problem. You’ll be helping us out too.”

The rent on the basement was reasonable and it would save Max half of what he had been paying for his dumpy place.

From his place, he made a quick stop at the iPhone store and picked up a new phone and charger for Lily.

After dinner, Max left William and Michelle’s place and headed back over to Sara’s to relieve Levi and Steve.

“Get some rest,” Max told both men. “I’m going to need both of you off and on until this is resolved.”

“Do you think Blake sent the threatening notes?” Steve asked.

“I’m pretty sure he did, but we don’t know for a fact. So, keep your eyes open.”

“You got it,” Levi promised before they drove away, Max turned toward the house.

Sara pulled back the curtains and checked the porch before opening the door at his knock.

“Hi, she’s still on the sofa,” she whispered, her smile including both him and his dog. “You’re both welcome to come inside for the night.”

“I don’t know…” he hedged.

He would stay more alert if he were out in his jeep, but the thought of being close to Lily changed his mind.

That Blake was behind bars helped his decision.

“You can sit in the recliner,” Sara said hopefully. “I know she’d feel safer with you in here and so would I.”

“Okay,” he said and stepped inside. Leo stayed by his side and he would until he gave the okay.

Taking off his boots, Max left them at the front door and followed Sara into the living room.

A rug sat in front of the fireplace and Max snapped his fingers and pointed to it.

Leo trotted over and curled up on the carpet, his muzzle rested on his paws, eyes locked on Max.

Lily was asleep on the couch, her golden hair spilled over the side of the cushions, the long strands glowed in the faint firelight.

Her face, a mass of healing bruises, was partially buried in the comforter.

Every time Max looked at her, the rage grew. When he pulled off his heavy coat, Sara took it from him and draped it on a nearby coat rack.

Max drew the Ruger from his holster before he sat in the recliner. Sara disappeared and returned with a red and black plaid blanket and placed it over his lap. He settled the fully loaded handgun on top of the blanket.

Christmas tree lights twinkled, ornaments sparkled, and beneath the tree on the red and white skirt were brightly wrapped packages.

Sara settled back on the far end of the couch, closest to his chair.

“How she’s doing?” he asked.

“She’s still shaken.”

Max nodded, his gaze locked on Lily.

“I think…she was waiting for you to call her.”

Guilt cut into his gut and Max nodded, handing Sara the bag.

“It’s for Lily.”

“I’ll help her set it up,” she said and after a moment continued, “We called an attorney friend of ours who’s in New York and is flying back in the morning.”

“Where do you know him from?” Max frowned, the last thing they needed was some stranger showing up.

“It’s a her and you know Ana…she went to school with us.”

“Ah, yes,” Max nodded, remembering Lily talk about Ana when they’d dated. He’d even met the woman once a long time ago.

“Anywho, she’s criminal law though, but should know a good divorce attorney,” Sara said, continuing to fill up the silence with whatever popped into her head.

Sara wasn’t normally a chatterbox, but Max chalked it up to nerves. Eventually, the woman grew tired and headed off to bed after making him a cup of coffee.

Max wanted to scoop Lily up from the cushions, blankets and all, and keep her close.

But the last thing he wanted was to cause her to panic.

So, he sat there and reminisced about the times he had held her. The times they’d laughed, loved, and cuddled together.

Not marrying Lily and keeping her safe had been the stupidest mistake of his life.

And one of his biggest regrets.

Sometime during the night, he dozed even though he told himself not to, but he’d been up well over forty-eight hours. Sheer exhaustion crept in quickly.

His sixth sense kicked in around two AM and he gripped his Ruger and slid open his eyes.

Leo’s head lifted immediately, ears alert.

Max’s eyes landed on Lily.

She lay with her cheek resting on the comforter, her eyes locked on him.

He couldn’t see the color of her eyes in the firelight, but he knew they were as blue as a clear sky over a meadow.

The way she was lying with her cheek pillowed, it appeared as if she was not battered.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked roughly, clearing his throat.

“No.” Her voice was a little above a whisper.

“Want some water?” He eyed her empty glass and when she nodded, he stood and moved into the kitchen.

When he returned to her, he crouched next to the couch and when she drank from the glass and handed it back to him, he placed it on the table.

Her eyes flicked to Leo. “Who’s this?”

“That’s Leo.”

“Guard dog?” Her brows lifted.

“Primarily yes, but he’s also a tracking and detection dog.”

“Detection?” She looked confused.

“Bombs.”

“Oh.” She curled sideways and gazed at him.

Rather than remain crouching, Max sat his ass on the floor next to the sofa.

That Lily was letting him this close was a win in his book. And when he gently brushed the hair away from her cheek, she didn’t flinch.

Her eyes looked worried though.

“What?” he murmured.

“Did you kill him?”

“I was waiting for him, but the cops arrested him.”

“Don’t kill him.” She closed her hand over his where it rested on the cushion. When he didn’t answer, she continued. “I don’t want you in jail, locked up behind…”

She didn’t say that last word, but Max knew. He wanted to reassure her, but in reality…Blake was living on borrowed time.

Max could make no promises.