Page 35 of Montana Justice

“Stop begging. It’s pathetic.” I could hear the smile in his voice, that particular tone that meant he was enjoying this. “You’ll get what you deserve when you prove you’re still useful. Fix this watch situation, get me real intel, and maybe I’ll consider it.”

Tears burned down my cheeks. Lachlan’s face had gone dangerously still, the kind of stillness that preceded violence. His whole body was coiled tight, ready to explode.

“Yes, Ray.”

“Call me tomorrow night. And, Piper? Don’t disappoint me again. You know I don’t give third chances.”

The threat hung in the air like smoke. Then the line went dead.

I dropped the phone like it had burned me, wrapping my arms around myself. My whole body shook now, violent tremors I couldn’t control. The taste of blood filled my mouth—I’d bitten my tongue again.

Lachlan immediately called Travis, his movements sharp and efficient.

“Did you get it?”

Travis’s voice came through the speaker, triumphant. “Got him. He’s using a tower near Whitehall. It’s a start.”

Whitehall. The name hit like a physical blow.

Less than two hours away. My daughter had been less than two hours away this entire time.

While I’d been sleeping in Lachlan’s bed, while I’d been cooking dinner and taking walks and pretending to build a life, she’d been right there.

Close enough to reach but completely out of my grasp.

“How many more calls?” Lachlan asked.

“Two should do it. Each call helps me narrow down the area. With two more, I can pinpoint him within a few houses.”

“Good. We’ll make that happen.”

“I’ll be ready. Also, I’ve modified the watch. Should have it to you within the hour.”

Lachlan ended the call and stood abruptly, putting distance between us.

“Two more calls,” I said, the reality of it crushing. “Two more times when I have to keep pretending everything’s fine while Sadie?—”

“While Sadie stays alive,” Lachlan finished harshly. “She’s alive. That’s the most important thing. We can’t move until we know exactly where she is. If we spook Ray, he’ll take off and take her with him. Or worse.”

Worse. The word conjured images I couldn’t let myself see. Ray was capable of anything when cornered. I’d seen what he’d done to people who’d crossed him over the years.

No. I couldn’t think about that or I’d never be able to function.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” I said, my voice stronger now. “Whatever you need me to do. However many calls, however many lies. I’ll do it all.”

Lachlan studied me for a long moment. In the lamplight, I could see the exhaustion written in every line of his face. When had he last slept?

“Next time, you’ll call him with more false intel about our operations focusing on the east side. We’ll make sure it’s believable. Talk about increased patrols, maybe mention a tip we got about a warehouse out that way.”

“I can do that.”

“Travis will have the modified watch here soon. I’ll wear it whenever I’m home so Ray thinks it’s working again when it gets ‘fixed.’ The transmission will be controlled—he’ll only hear what we want him to hear.”

The planning helped, gave me something to focus on besides the ache in my chest. Besides the way Lachlan looked through me instead of at me. Besides the memory of how he’d looked at me this morning, like I was his whole world.

“What happens after we find her?” I asked, even though I already knew. “After we get Sadie back?”

His expression shuttered completely, those warm brown eyes going cold as winter ground. “That’s a conversation for later.”

Prison. He meant prison. I’d confessed to aiding trafficking operations. There would be consequences. A trial. Sentencing. Orange jumpsuits and concrete cells and visiting hours where my children—if I was lucky—might come see me through thick glass.

But as long as they were safe, as long as they were together and away from Ray, I could handle whatever came next. I’d handle it the way I’d handled everything else—one day at a time, one breath at a time, holding on to the memory of their faces.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words completely inadequate. “I’m so sorry for all of it.”

“Don’t.” The word cracked like lightning. “We’re not doing this now. Right now, you’re the mother of my children and the key to getting Sadie back. That’s all.”

That’s all . Two words that shattered what was left of my heart.

Caleb started fussing in his bouncer, little whimpers escalating toward real cries. I moved to get him, but Lachlan was already there, lifting him and cradling him to his chest.

The contrast hurt—his infinite gentleness with Caleb, his arctic coldness with me.

“I’ll watch him,” Lachlan said, settling Caleb against his shoulder. “You should get some rest. You look ready to collapse.”

I probably did. I could feel the exhaustion in my bones, the kind that went deeper than physical tiredness. Soul exhaustion. Heart exhaustion. The kind that came from carrying impossible weight for too long.

“I can’t sleep. Not when she’s?—”

“Then shower. Eat something. Do whatever you need to do to be functional when we need you to talk to Ray again.” He swayed slightly, the automatic motion of a parent soothing a fussy baby. Caleb settled immediately, tiny fist clutching Lachlan’s collar. “We both need to be clearheaded for this.”

I stood on unsteady legs, pausing at the stairs. “Thank you. For not giving up on her. For helping even though you hate me now.”

Something flickered across his face—pain, maybe, or regret. “I don’t hate you, Piper.”

“You should.” I hated myself.

“Maybe. But what I should feel and what I do feel are two different things.” He turned away, focusing on Caleb, but not before I caught the raw emotion in his eyes. “Go rest. Be ready to get our daughter back.”

Our daughter . Even now, even after everything, he claimed her. Claimed both of them. Claimed the family I’d destroyed before it had a chance to truly begin.

I’d do anything to get Sadie back. Play any role, tell any lie, sacrifice whatever was left of my soul. She was out there—close enough to reach but still impossibly far away.

Lachlan and the Warrior Security team would find her. Would bring her home where she belonged. And whatever happened to me after that—prison, losing custody, Lachlan’s eternal hatred—would be worth it to hold her one more time.

To tell her I loved her. That I’d never stopped fighting for her. That every betrayal, every lie, every piece of my soul I’d sold had been for her.

To tell her goodbye.

Because that’s what this would be. Even if we got her back—when we got her back—I’d lose her again. Lose both of them. But this time, at least they’d be together. This time, they’d be safe.

This time, they’d have their father to protect them in all the ways I’d failed.