Page 33 of Finding Haven (Haven #2)
Zack
This little fucking minx. She thinks that she can just taunt me like this and get away with it. There’s no way I’m going to let her continue without a car. We’re rectifying this situation immediately.
Leaning back in my seat to pull my wallet from my pocket, I pull out a handful of twenties, more than enough to cover our meal plus extra for Molly.
The woman has worked hard to take back her life, and though she would never admit it, I know every dollar counts.
Throwing the cash down on the table, I stand from my seat and offer my hand to Quinn.
“Let’s go,” I say, my eyes locked on hers.
“Where are we going?” she asks, slipping her hand into mine as she slides from the booth.
“To get you a new car.” I guide her to walk beside me, placing my hand at the small of her back as we step out of the diner and head towards the parking lot.
“Wait, you can’t be serious,” she stammers. “You can’t just buy me a new car, Zack.”
It’s cute that she thinks I can’t.
“And why not? You can’t rely on transportation provided by strangers, and I don’t like the idea of you riding a bike everywhere you go. Once in a while, fine. But not on a regular basis. It’s not safe, Quinn. ”
She huffs her agreement as she falls silent, walking beside me as I lead her to my car. When we reach the car, she pauses and waits for me to open her door.
“Good girl,” I murmur under my breath, leaning past her to open the door and guide her into the seat. I would reach across her and buckle her seat belt if I didn’t think it would earn me one of her bratty glares.
My phone rings as I’m rounding the car to the driver’s side. I pull it from my pocket with a groan when I see Ace’s name displayed across the screen. He rarely calls unless it’s urgent, and the way dread is coiling in my stomach tells me this time is no different.
“Mercer,” I snap, not bothering with pleasantries as my stomach fills with dread.
“Sh-she’s gone. He took her! That fucker has her,” he yells, panic lacing every word.
He doesn’t need to elaborate. With his latest assignment taking a more personal turn, I’ve been keeping an eye on the cameras we installed at the bakery.
The owner has been dealing with an obsessive ex, and given the guy’s recent actions and behavior, we were anticipating a move like this.
The assignment that brought Ace home and his involvement with the bakery owner have invited more complications than we originally expected.
The Phoenix Legion doesn’t do cold cases or loose ends.
Everything must be handled with finality.
Ice settles through my veins like a hailstorm as I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Meet me at the hotel,” I say curtly, disconnecting the call before he has the chance to answer. Heaving a sharp sigh, I slide into the car behind the wheel and turn to Quinn. “Change of plans.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can, but it’ll probably be a while. I need you to stay here while I’m gone.” As soon as I ended the call with Ace, I brought Quinn back to my home. It’s the only place I can be sure she’s protected and out of harm’s way.
She folds her arms over her chest, shifting her weight to one hip as she eyes me. “Why? What’s going on?” Her biting tone slips as her voice trembles with the final word spoken.
Understandably, she’s scared. I can’t give her too many details, but she knows this involves my other job.
“Please, Sugar. I need to know you’re safe. I won’t be able to focus if your safety is in question,” I tell her honestly. It’s bad enough that I’m about to head to the hotel to do what I can to track down Ace’s girl; I don’t need to be worried about something happening to Quinn as well.
Her eyes brimming with tears. “Promise me you’ll be safe, Zack. You have to come back to me.”
Stepping towards her, I grasp her chin between my fingers and tilt her head back, bringing her gaze to mine. “I will do everything within my power to return to you, baby.” Leaning down, I press my lips to hers as my other hand wraps around her waist, pulling her against me.
I can’t promise what condition I’ll be in when I return, but I will come back to her. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to hunt down someone at the last minute, and it certainly won’t be the last. It is, however, the first time I’ve had to find someone I have personal ties to .
Thankfully, this isn’t completely out of the blue. We knew that this guy would be making a move against Chelsea one way or another.
Quinn gathers the front of my shirt in a tight fist as she drags me impossibly closer, ensuring no space remains between us as she fuses her body to mine.
My tongue swipes at the seam of her lips and slips between them to glide along hers.
She elicits a soft moan, and I swallow it down, dropping my hands to her waist as I gently guide her body a step back from mine to break the kiss.
“Being with you gives me a reason to come home, Sugar. I will walk through fire to make it back to you,” I tell her, a slight smile tilting at the corner of my lips.
Before we can get too carried away, I show her how to make sure the house is secured and tell her to make herself at home.
I meant it when I said I didn’t know how long I would be gone.
There’s no way I’ll be calling it a night before we find Chelsea and take care of the sadistic fuck who has targeted her.
By the time I make it to the Elysian, I find Ace waiting for me in my office, aggravatingly pacing the floor as he repeatedly flips a steel blade between his fingers. “He took her,” he growls through gritted teeth.
“I’ll find them,” I assure him, walking past him and dropping into the chair behind my desk.
It takes a few minutes to get everything fired up and running, and he’s hovering over my shoulder the second my fingers are flying across the keyboard.
I’ve got facial recognition running on Chelsea and her ex, accessing every security camera within Haven Beach city limits.
As I’m working, Ace informs me that Hailey is on her way back from scoping out Chelsea’s last known location, where she found her phone discarded in the street of a rundown neighborhood.
“It’s really hard to focus when you’re hovering over my shoulder like that,” I snap as my attention flies across the multiple screens, desperately searching for any sign of the gray sedan in question.
“I can’t fucking lose her,” he growls, spinning to swing his fist into the wall behind my desk. His fury motivates me to work faster. This isn’t just another victim we’re trying to rescue; it’s the love of his life. I know that if the tables were turned, I would be acting the same way.
I haven’t been directly involved in any cases since leaving the Hartridge Police Department.
I haven’t had the desire to be involved in any capacity aside from tracking down targets and providing intel for members.
For years, I’ve remained behind the scenes in the cold, distant comfort of my office.
Keeping my distance has been a much-needed defense mechanism.
One I didn’t realize was actually a hindrance until I met Quinn and she completely changed the course of my life.
My eyes catch on a familiar gray vehicle as it maneuvers down various side streets, heading out of Haven Beach towards Rivercrest. I watch for a moment, speeding up the video footage and quickly pulling up the security footage for cameras throughout the next city over.
This motherfucker.
“I’ve got her,” I shout, bringing the camera feed up onto the main screen and enlarging the video, optimizing it to be as clear as possible.
The car was last recorded making its way into Sutton Ridge, a small mountain town.
I recognize a few of the road names from one of Ace’s latest assignments, rattling them off to him as I turn to face him.
His hands are clenched into fists at his side, his chest heaving with weighted breaths. “I know where he’s taking her.”