Page 5

5

IKE

I peeled the wraps from around my hands as I sat in my car at the curb like I’d been doing so much over the past month. My body ached from the abuse I put it through as I desperately tried to free us from that shipping container. And in the end, I had failed.

I’d never forget the way she looked, her skin cold and pale, her lips colorless…her eyes barely holding any light. My chest ached every time I thought of how it all could have turned out. She wasn’t mine, but if I had lost her, I knew I’d never be the same.

Tossing the wraps on the passenger seat, I stared at the slices on my hands. Angry red cuts slashed across my skin from where the wood cut into my palms as I slammed it against the metal. The pain was more tolerable than thinking about her inside her house right now with Kavanaugh. When I told her to come to me when she was ready, I knew that meant sending her home with him.

I didn’t expect her to end things immediately—or at all. I knew she might still choose him, and I wouldn’t blame her for that. Kavanaugh was a good guy, even if he was fucking lying to her every time he opened his mouth. She deserved someone who would give her everything, and I knew he would strive for that. Me, however…what could I really offer her? Even if I did get my shit together, I had made enemies over the years. There was no guarantee that she would ever be safe.

Unless I left it all behind, but then what would I do?

The passenger door opened, tearing me out of the melancholy of my thoughts. IRIS slid inside next to me, handing over a coffee.

“What are you doing?”

“Joining you on the stakeout,” he answered, setting his cup down. He rubbed his hands together, then blew in them. “Crap, it’s cold out this morning. How can you stand to sit in here without your car running?”

I shrugged, taking a sip of my coffee. I didn’t want to admit to him that I relished the cold. It reminded me of all I had to lose. “Wear a fucking heavier coat.”

“So, what’s she up to this morning?” He pulled out a pair of binoculars and zeroed in on the house.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Checking out the situation.”

“I don’t need you to do that. How did you even know I was here?”

“Jane,” he answered, still looking through the lens. “She said you checked in with her after you were released from the hospital. Something about your new obsession. It didn’t take much from there to figure out where you’d be.”

“And you’re here because…”

He lowered the binoculars, quirking an eyebrow at me. “Isn’t it obvious? If I’m here with you, it ensures that you won’t be spying on my wife.”

I rolled my eyes. “I told you a long time ago that I wasn’t after Jane.”

He snorted at that. “Pardon me if I don’t believe you. So, this woman, isn’t she Kavanaugh’s girl?”

I grunted in response, not wanting to answer that question.

“But you want her. Man, that’s a tricky situation. Who will she pick?” he asked like a game show host.

“Are you trying to get on my nerves?”

“No, but I find I do a pretty damn good job of it no matter where I go.”

“How about you leave before I break my fist on your face?”

“How about I put a bomb under her house and then wait for the chaos to unfold?” he grinned.

“Why the fuck would I want you to do that?”

“Well…isn’t it obvious?” he frowned. “The bomb is there, you rush in and save the day, she chooses you.”

“Shouldn’t you want Kavanaugh to get the girl? He’s one of you.”

“Eh, it’s not gonna work out,” he shrugged, going back to his spying. “You actually stand a chance. You know, if you don’t fucking blow it.”

“How would I do that?”

“Well, I could be wrong, but sitting outside her house like a stalker might not be the best way to go.”

“And putting a bomb under her house is?”

He cut me a look. “Hey, I was providing you with a legitimate way to contact her without needing a desperate reason. It would have worked for you.”

“Thanks, but I think I’m fine on my own.”

“It’s your funeral.”

I shifted in my seat, trying to get comfortable. Despite my time resting in the hospital, I still felt pretty damn crummy. My shoulder was killing me, along with my head. But even though I desperately needed sleep, I couldn’t shut off the gears in my brain. I knew Kavanaugh caught who was behind the kidnapping, but something still wasn’t right. Who fired the shots at the house? Was it really her husband? Was he really behind the bombing? I knew Kavanaugh thought so, but I wasn’t entirely sure about that.

“How’s Jane?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

“Good. Writing another book. She actually kicked me out of the house last night because I was distracting her.”

“What were you doing?”

“Sitting. I was literally sitting there.”

“Just sitting?” I asked, glancing over at him.

He shrugged. “Okay, I may have been eating chips. Is that so wrong? I can’t even eat chips in my house anymore?”

I chuckled, taking another sip of my coffee. “You were distracting her.”

“I don’t need to hear you say shit like that. It makes me think you were around a little too often before.”

“Yeah, well…”

I paused for effect and caught him staring at me expectantly.

“Yeah, well, what?”

“Huh?” I asked, turning to face him, pretending I didn’t know what he was saying.

“You can’t just say something like that and leave it hanging. Either you were there or you weren’t.”

“Why does it have to be one or the other? Why couldn’t I have been there and also not have been there?”

His face got all splotchy with rage, which brightened my day just a little. “You were there? Fuck, I should have known you were there. I was under the impression she just met you in a dark alley, but if you were actually fucking there—Christ, I should have seen this coming!”

“Would you relax? I was never there. I was just messing with you. Besides, you know she was too obsessed with Alexander Pierce back then. I was a blip on her radar.”

“A tall blip,” he grumbled.

“Yes, I’m tall. And I dress nicely. Would it kill you to try a little?”

“Try to look like a pretentious prick?”

“It’s not pretentious. Just because I care how I look doesn’t mean I—you know what? It doesn’t fucking matter.”

He sighed heavily. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter. I still got the girl, and you’re still sitting outside Isla’s house, waiting for a glimpse of her. Meanwhile, Kavanaugh is inside, probably getting his dick wet.”

I clenched my jaw, pushing those images from my mind. Turning on the car, I shifted into drive.

“Where are we going?”

“To get some fucking answers.”

“Cool. Do I get to blow someone up?”

“Would you shut up?” I snapped.

“All I’m saying is, you could have told me we were going to another state.”

I rolled my eyes as I drank my coffee—my third cup today. “You got into my car. That’s on you.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t sign up to stalk your would-be lover’s ex.”

“I’m not stalking.”

“Then what exactly are we doing sitting outside his house?”

I flung the door open. “We’re going to have a chat with him.”

“Wait—” He jumped out, running around to step in front of me. “Think about what you’re doing.”

“I am.”

“You can’t beat him up.”

“I’m not.”

“Thank fuck.”

“You’re going to do that.”

He stopped and looked at me funny. “What?”

I held up both hands for him to see the cuts. “I’m still injured. And my shoulder hurts.”

“You poor, poor man,” he said with less empathy than I would have liked. “We can’t beat him up.”

“No, but we can have a chat with him.”

“And what would this chat consist of?”

“Talking. You’ve interrogated people before.”

“Yes. And I’ve seen your interrogations. Seriously, the man had three out of four broken limbs. It’s amazing that anyone would believe he fell off a roof.”

Man, I was getting accused of things left and right. “I did not put him in the hospital last time.”

“Yeah? So, you didn’t decide to do what you do best?”

“Actually, I didn’t because Isla wouldn’t have wanted it. She didn’t like her husband, but she didn’t want to see him hurt.”

He opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. “You really do love her.”

Rolling my eyes, I sidestepped him and marched up the sidewalk to his house.

“That’s it, right? You’re not just obsessed with her. You love this woman.”

“When we get in there, remember what we’re doing.”

“Sure, but why the hell didn’t you just say you loved her?”

I climbed the steps, already feeling winded. “Why do all of you feel the need to tell each other about your magical love?”

“I wouldn’t call it magical, but that’s not the point.”

I sighed, wanting to wrap this up. “And what is the point?”

“The point is that you went against your nature and held back when you really wanted to pounce and take this asshole out. And the only reason you would do that is that you’ve fallen in love with her. You don’t want her to hurt or blame herself for what happened to her ex, so you ignored your instincts and stepped back.”

I stared at him, then I turned and pounded on the door, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You love her,” he hissed right before the door opened.

Shawn—the asshole—answered the door, his eyes going wide with fear from his wheelchair. Fox had really fucked him up. “Can I help you?”

“We’re here for a little chat.” I shoved my way inside, leaving him no room to argue as I stormed into his house, which had been outfitted for him to recuperate at home.

“What do you want?” he asked, wheeling into the room, but leaving a good distance between us.

I took a seat on a chair that was more Isla’s style than his. “I would like to know what made you put a bomb inside your wife’s fridge.”

He paled slightly under the bruises that had faded. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“See, I know that’s not true. I could always get the man you met with last time if you would prefer his line of questioning.

“What? He’s here?” The terror in his eyes was palpable. I would have felt bad for him if I didn’t despise the man so much. Fox must have really fucked with his head.

“Why, Shawn? Why would you want to kill your wife?”

His eyes kept darting to the door, but he didn’t say a word. He was scared, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of Fox or someone else.

“Listen.” He licked his lips nervously, his eyes darting all around. “It was stupid, okay? I…she just made me so mad.”

I cocked my head at him. “Because she chose to have a life without you?”

“Because she was supposed to stay with me! We were married. You don’t just walk away from those vows!”

“And did you vow to never hurt her? To love her unconditionally? Or was that all a lie?”

His jaw clenched hard as he stared at me. “She walked out on me.”

“So, you decided to kill her. That seems logical.”

Again, his eyes looked to the door.

“Who are you waiting for, Shawn?”

“No one,” he answered a little too quickly. “Look, I learned my lesson, okay? It’s done and over with.”

I stood, buttoning my jacket. “Oh, it’s nowhere near done, Shawn. I want answers, and you’re going to give them to me.”

I slowly walked toward him, my steps measured and calculating, but before I reached him, there was a knock at the door. His eyes widened and I could practically smell the fear rolling off him. “Expecting someone?”

IRIS quirked an eyebrow at me, then walked over to the door, peering through the window. “IKE—” He dove to the side just as gunfire erupted inside. I pulled my gun from my holster, rushing to drag IRIS out of the way, but he was already army crawling into the living room.

“I fucking told you this was a bad idea!”

“You said not to beat him up,” I snapped. “Does it look like that happened?”

Two men breached the door and strode inside. I popped up, firing two shots as IRIS pulled something from his pocket.

“I’ll go around back?—”

While I was attempting to formulate a plan, IRIS pulled the pin on a grenade and tossed it around the corner. I ducked just as it exploded, sending shrapnel around the room. I slowly raised my head, peering into the doorway.

“What the fuck was that?”

“While you were looking for a way out, I cleared the path for us,” he said, getting to his feet and brushing off the remnants of the wall that was splattered on him.

“With a fucking grenade?”

He cocked a grin at me. “Come on, you know you liked it. Man, I never get to do that with Thumper. It’s always IRIS, don’t blow that up. IRIS, we’re trying to dismantle that bomb. Or IRIS, we only want to talk to them. I should have joined Max’s team. At least they’d let me have fun with explosives.”

“Didn’t Cash hire you because you’re an EOD expert?”

“Yeah, so?”

“So…dismantle.”

He rolled his eyes dramatically. “If I wanted to dismantle bombs, I wouldn’t have become an EOD expert.”

I rolled that around in my head, but no matter how many times I said it, it didn’t make sense. Not that it mattered. I swung my gaze around to Shawn, but he was no longer there. I hurried through the house, searching for any sign of him, but the only thing I found was his wheelchair by an open back door.

“Looks like he was faking how injured he still is,” IRIS said.

I stepped outside, looking around. No, those men weren’t here for us. “I have a feeling someone else wanted to have a word with him.”

He groaned. “We’re not going to another state, are we?”