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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

ROYCE

I grind my teeth together, considering telling the old women bitching in the parking lot to shut the hell up. Nobody cares about their husbands and the erectile dysfunction that seems to run rampant in this town.

Trying to pay attention to all the people outside the grocery store is more than a little difficult when all I can think of is saggy dicks and little blue pills.

If I could go back in time and stop myself from saying I would take Bianca and Gia shopping, I would.

Though it might be nice to play happy family for a while, I haven’t relaxed since we left the house.

Nobody has called to tell me that Noah’s men were close, but then again, they were able to get on my property a few nights ago without triggering the security system.

Gia smiles and bounces Bianca on her hip as they walk through the door of Devil’s Hole Grocery. The scent of crisp autumn leaves and artificial apples blasts through the little diffuser just inside the door.

She looks over her shoulder at me. “Do you mind grabbing a cart? She’s going to want to walk around, which means that if you see the crazy lady sprinting down the aisle after a baby, just leave us alone.”

The corner of my mouth twitches as I pull out a cart. “We could just stick her in the cart.”

“And listen to her cry? I don’t think so.” Gia sets Bianca on the ground and sure enough, she takes off running.

Gia winks at me over her shoulder before chasing after the baby, leaving me with the cart and the list. Bianca’s laughter and her babbling rise above the other noise of the grocery store as they run around the aisles.

A woman looks between them and me as they run by. “That’s a beautiful family you have there.”

As I open my mouth to answer her, Noah steps out of the aisle Gia just ran out of. My jaw clenches, heart dropping to the floor.

How is he here right now?

Did he see them?

“Thanks.” I nod to her, turning quickly and heading in the opposite direction.

Abandoning the cart, I jog down the aisle and the back of the store, heading for Gia and Bianca as they pass by the rainbow-colored cereal boxes.

Gia looks up as I step into their path and crouch down, opening my arms. Bianca falls for it, running straight to me and throwing her little arms around my neck. For just a second, I hug her back, hoping that this won’t be the last time I see them.

I lock my arms around her, standing up and leaning closer to Gia. “You both need to get out of here right now.”

Gia’s eyebrows pull together. “What are you talking about? Where did the cart go? There’s no way the shopping is done yet.”

“You need to take her,” I say as I hand Bianca over, glancing over my shoulder. “Then you need to get in the car and get the hell out of here. Go home.”

“Royce, what the hell is going on?” She takes Bianca and holds her close. Her gaze darts around before locking on me. “You’re acting weird.”

“You need to get home right now.” I pull the keys out of my pocket, pressing them into her palm. “I’ll follow you once it’s safe, but right now, you need to get the hell out of here and don’t look back. Matt should still be at the house.”

“You’re scaring me,” she says, her voice wavering as I grab a black baseball cap from a small rack near the end of the aisle.

She stays still as I settle the hat over her hair, pulling the brim down to hide her face.

After flicking the collar of her denim jacket up, I give her a slight nudge toward the door.

She holds Bianca closer. “Royce, what’s happening?”

“I need you to trust me now. Do you think you can do that? We’re wasting time right now.”

Her tongue flicks out to wet her bottom lip before she nods. “I trust you.”

Thank fuck.

Gia keeps her head down, heading for the door without another word. The bell above the door chimes as she steps outside and within a couple minutes, the rumble of the car’s engine permeates the otherwise sleepy and quiet morning.

As I wander up and down the aisles, my heart beats faster. I don’t know where the hell Noah is lurking now, but there’s a sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach that makes me wonder if he saw Gia.

I thought I got her out in time, but we spent a lot of time talking.

Noah could be tracking her back to the house right now. He could take her while I’m not there to stop him, and then I don’t know what could happen to her.

What’s he even doing in Devil’s Hole?

The two men I caught must’ve been able to get a message to him before I killed them. It’s the only explanation for how he would’ve found us.

Until I turn a corner, I’m sure that I’m going to go home to an empty house.

Noah stands at the end of the aisle with his phone pressed to his ear. Other people are passing around him with loaded carts, shuffling to the side of him to grab jars of pasta sauce before carrying on with their day.

I shuffle closer to the pasta, looking through the boxes and trying to make it look like I’m not paying attention to him.

As I get closer to him, I grin and make a point of turning to him. “Hey, Noah! Good to see you after so long, buddy. How’s New York been?”

My voice is loud, drawing the attention of some of the people around us as Noah turns to me with a scowl on his face. His eyebrows knit together as he puts the phone in his pocket.

Chuckling, I clap him on the shoulder like we’re close friends. “I didn’t think you were going to come see us.”

Noah glowers at my hand on his shoulder. “You better get that off me before I cut it from you.”

His hand hovers near his pocket, and there’s the slim oval outline of a folded knife in there.

People give us curious glances as they shuffle around us and continue about their days.

“Careful, Noah. People have seen us together. You’re not going to want to cause a scene, are you? It wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do.”

Eyes narrow as he leans closer to me. “You’re going to want to think about what the hell you’re doing here. I branded your sister. I’ll give you the same treatment if you test me.”

“Promises, promises.” I grin and lean against a post in the middle of the aisle. “We really should talk about what you’re doing here, though. I know you’re obsessed with me, but I didn’t think you would take to following me around the state.”

He grits his teeth. “Where the hell are my sister and niece?”

I shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I came up here alone to get a vacation from my family. I’m sure you know how annoying Aiden can be when he sets his mind to it.”

A deep red cast tinges the tops of his cheeks and his ears, anger flashing in his gaze. “I’m not interested in playing games with you, Royce.”

“Damn shame that is.” I push off the post, shifting closer to him.

He grabs me by the collar before dropping me as soon as he gets a dirty look from an older woman. “You’re playing stupid with me, but we both know that you have them.”

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.” I smooth down my shirt, grabbing a jar of pasta sauce from the shelf and testing the weight of it in my hand.

If it comes to it, I could smash the jar into his temple, and it might be enough to stall Noah for a little while.

Noah’s hands curl into fists, his knuckles turning white. “I know you’re lying to me. You’re going to tell me what the hell you’ve done with my sister.”

Not heavy enough. I need something better.

I stoop down and grab a larger can. “I still don’t know what you’re talking about, and to be honest, I feel like we’re going around in circles. So, why don’t you admit that the real reason you followed me up here is because you miss what we used to have.”

Taunting him is a dangerous game.

He could come after me the moment we’re both out of the store, but then at least his attention would be on me and not Bianca or Gia.

Making him angrier is only going to make him more prone to mistakes.

But it could make him more dangerous to them as well, should he get through me and hunt them down.

Right now, I have to toe a careful line, not wanting to push it too far and put my girls more in danger, but to also make him annoyed enough to focus on me.

Noah rips the can from my hand, setting it on the shelf before invading the little space between us. “I don’t know what the fuck kind of game you think you’re playing, but it’s ending right now. You’re going to tell me where they are, and in exchange, I promise your death would be quick and painless.”

I give a dry chuckle, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him back a step. “Now, where would the fun in that be?”

“Would you rather I torture you in front of your family? You should’ve been there to hear the way Ellie and Sean were screaming when I tortured them. Do you want to put your family though that?”

What I want to do right now is slit the bastard’s throat.

I have more than enough weapons at my disposal. It would be all too easy to grab the glass bottle on the shelf and break it open before driving it deep into his neck. It would leave a horrible mess behind, but it would be worth it.

I can’t wait for the day he dies at my hands.

“Even if I did know where they were—and I don’t—I would rather die than hand them over to you.”

Noah smirks, his arms crossing over his chest. “I’d be more than happy to arrange for that.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, sunshine.” I crack my knuckles before nodding with a smile to a small family passing us.

A couple of Noah’s men appear at either end of the aisle, making my pulse pound. With the shopping carts they have blocking the way, nobody is getting in or out of the aisle.

If Noah decides to beat the hell out of me, nobody is going to come help.

Not that I need them to. Three against one are decent odds.

They’ll be on the ground and bleeding before they know what hit them.

“Royce, I don’t want to be the one to hurt you. I like you. I see a lot of myself in you.” He slips his hand into his pocket, closing it around the knife. “You would have potential if you were willing to turn your back on your family.”

“Over my dead body.”

Noah shakes his head, mock sympathy on his face. “There’s only one way that this is going to end, and that’s with your family dead. Tell Aiden that he can shove his negotiations up his ass.”

“I don’t think you’re in the position to demand things when members of your family are missing, do you?” I lean against the post once more, but I’m tense, listening for movement at the other end of the aisle.

Even though I hate the bastard, Noah is smart. He’s not going to start a scene in here. Not one that would get the police called and both of us arrested.

Instead, he steps closer to me. “I want Gia and Bianca back. Either you bring them to me by sundown, or I’m going to be paying a little visit to the house on the river and you’ll be lucky if I allow you to die.”

My spine stiffens as I stand straighter.

The air leaves my lungs as he slams his fist into my stomach before spinning on his heel. His man at the end of the aisle disappears, letting him through.

Within a minute, Noah is outside and getting into a sleek black car, rolling down the window to look at me one last time before he drives away.

I stand tall, taking a deep breath before calling Aiden. “We have a problem. Noah is here in Devil’s Hole. I’m going to get them out, but he knows where we’re staying. Gave me until sundown to take care of business.”

“Can you get them out?” Aiden asks, the sound of an alarm going on in the background. “He didn’t see either of them, did he?”

“No. He only suspects that they’re with me, but this is going to be confirmation.” I head out of the store to a motorcycle sitting near the curb.

Thankfully, the keys have been stored in the compartment beneath the seat.

Aiden sighs. “Get them out of there as fast as you can. Get somewhere safe but avoid the houses we have. Someone is leaking locations to the Rinaldos, and we can’t take the risk anymore.”

“Got it.”

I end the call and turn the phone off, stuffing it in my pocket before gunning the bike to life. The loud rumble fills the air as I turn in the direction of home.

Don’t let me be too late.

Though I don’t think Noah is a man of his word, I have to believe that he will wait until sundown to attack.

I just have to get to the house faster than him and get Bianca and Gia out.

My heart races as I twist the throttle, the bike shooting forward faster as I weave through the sleepy little town traffic.

The winding road that leads back to the house doesn’t have a single car on it. The forest blurs on either side of me, the icy wind tugging at my jacket as I go faster.

As soon as I stop at the top of the driveway, I turn off the motorcycle and let it fall to the side, taking the stairs to the front door two at a time. The car is in the driveway, but that doesn’t mean that Noah and his men didn’t get here first.

My heart pounds in my chest, blood rushing in my ears. The world around me comes down to what’s in front of me as I grab the handle.

I’m half expecting to walk in to find an empty home, Matt dead in the hallway after trying to defend Gia and Bianca.

It feels like I can’t breathe as I twist the knob and step inside.

Please don’t let them be dead.