Page 23 of Pursued-

He bangs a fist on the door.

It opens, and she’s there, her black hair gleaming in the light, her pale skin glowing like goddamned moonlight.

“Hey, Dad?—”

He grabs her arm and yanks her out of the doorway. She’s wearing the dress I cut off her. It’s held together with strings and duct tape.

I block the path. His guys march forward, and I feel C and Trick at my back.

“Stop,” Rachel says. “Just stop a second,” she says, trying to jerk her arm free from Frank’s grasp.

When he doesn’t let go, I start shoving until I’m through Frank’s guys.

In my peripheral vision, I see weapons get drawn. There’s noise, too, raised voices, feet shuffling. Normally, I can keeptrack of a scene, where the threats are, what my best move is. But that part of me can’t take over because I’ve got one focus.

“Zoe said you were waiting at her place,” I say to her. “She’s looking forward to seeing you.”

Frank’s eyes are fixed on me, but I don’t make eye contact. There’s no good outcome to a stare-down between Frank and me right now.

“I want to see her, too. I thought she’d be here by now,” she says carefully. She winces, and my eyes drop to the grip he has on her arm.

I clench my fists, but keep my arms pressed to my sides. It’s close quarters. If shooting starts, we’ll all likely get hit, including her.

“If Zoe wants to see you, she can come to the house,” Frank says, pulling her.

There’s a second staircase on the opposite end of the landing. The police are ordering guns to be lowered. Frank uses the opportunity to put more distance between Rachel and everyone else. I let them get on the far stairs before I follow, but then I close the distance fast. When they get to the bottom, I’m lockstep with Frank.

He and I both know he’s got no chance if I force a confrontation. I’m too close for him to draw on me, and without weapons, there’s no contest.

“You can wait in Zoe’s apartment. C will bring her to you,” I say. There is zero chance C would bring Zoe here while Frank’s around, but I say it because it’s the one thing I knowRachel wants. I can figure out a way for her to see Zoe later, once I have her again.

Frank grabs her other arm and jerks her around so she’s facing him.Too fucking rough.My arm moves instantly. It’s around his throat in a choke hold.

“Let her go. Right now,” I growl.

He releases her, but my grip tightens. I can free her and end the war. All I have to do is not let go.

“The police,” she whispers, stepping forward. “Behind you.”

I weigh things in my mind.

“Sasha,” she implores. “Please.”

I can’t decide. My heart thuds. Her voice again, pleading, decides it. I release him, and he falls to his knees, gasping for breath.

She steps around him, looking up at me.

When the police grab me, I don’t resist. Frank gets up, rubs his neck, and makes a flicking hand gesture I know well. It’s the one he makes to order someone killed.

I don’t give a shit about his threats. I let the cops cuff my hands behind my back and go down to my knees as ordered. I don’t go the rest of the way down, as they bark at me to do, because it would mean taking my eyes off her.

Frank reaches for her arm, but she sidesteps. “I know you’re angry, Dad, but I told you you were hurting me. Please don’t grab me like that again.” Her voice is soft, and she’s so small. The cops immediately desert me to get around her.

The conversation is short and quiet. She promises to come home by nine. Frank backs up. A cop escorts her back to the apartment building. I finally lie face down on the grass as ordered.

Trick’s on the cops in an instant. He spins a version of events that paints me as the hero who saved a girl from being manhandled and dragged away against her will right in front of the Coynston cops.

“You heard what she said. We all did,” Trick adds. “All Mr. Stroviak did was restrain Mr. Palermo so he’d release his daughter, whohe was hurting.”