To my utter relief, she shakes her head no, but she can’t seem to meet my eyes, which is a clear sign that there’s something she’s not telling me. I reach out and gently lift her chin, forcing her to look at me.
“Don’t hide from me. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You look me in the eye, like the incredible, strong woman I know you are, and you confide in me. You let me help carry your burden, because nothing he did and nothing you say will change the way I feel about you. You hear me?”
Her throat bobs on a hard swallow as a single tear spills over. I track its descent over her swollen cheek before her broken whisper fills what little space remains between us.
“He said he didn’t want to touch me while he could still smell you on my skin. That I was a dirty, pathetic whore just begging to be put in her place.”
My nostrils flare as I suck in a deep, calming breath. The grinding of my molars is the only sound in the otherwise silent room, and it takes every ounce of willpower I possess to stay put. Every fiber of my being screams at me to get up and find him, demand that I make him pay for everything he’s put her through.
“He said he’d take great pleasure reminding me of who this used-up cunt belongs to, but wanted to eliminate the problem first so he can take his time with me.”
Motherfucker.
Biting the inside of my cheek so hard the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth, I shrug off my coat and drape it around her shoulders, pulling up the zipper slowly to give myself a moment to regain my composure. Then I tell her to rest while I look for something I can use to pry the anchor off the stone wall. I search every crevice but come up empty. The building hasn’t been used in so long; the previous owner left nothing useful behind.
It’s time to make a choice. I could call in local law enforcement and stay with Charlie until the cavalry arrives, and in my gut, I know it’s the logical next step.OrI could risk leaving her unprotected for as long as it takes me to run back to the resort and grab a crowbar, so I can get her to safety before hunting the fucker down.
Every one of my instincts rebels at the thought of leaving her side. But the second I call this in, I’m forced to do things by the book, and that means I wouldn’t be able to finish this once and for all. Having the son of bitch arrested and shipped off to prison for a couple of years simply won’t cut it. I need him gone from this earth. Eradicated. I need to know he won’t ever come back, that he’ll never have the chance to intimidate or hurt her again.
She doesn’t deserve to live a life of fear, always looking over her shoulder, wondering when he’s going to strike next. I know men like him. A few years behind bars won’t cure his sick afflictions. It won’t stop his obsession with Charlie. Sooner or later, he’ll come for her, and if I don’t stop him, no one will.
“What’s going on in that brilliant mind of yours?” comes Charlie’s hoarse whisper, and I run a trembling hand through my hair, tugging at the strands before I drop to my haunches in front of her. Reaching out, I cup the side of her face and gently brush the pad of my thumb over her reddened cheek.
“I need to find something to get you out of these chains. There’s nothing of use here, and if I call for backup, I can’t take care of him for you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Charlie’s bottom lip wobbles as she takes in my tortured expression, a sheen of tears blanketing her red-rimmed eyes.
“He’s never going to stop, baby. He’ll come for you again and again, and one day, he’ll take it too far. He’ll kill you, Charlie. It’s you or him, and I’ll be damned if I lose another woman I love.”
I notice my slip the second the words leave me, but I don’t want to take them back. I don’t know when it happened, but sometime over these past few weeks, Tink has managed to break through my defenses, firmly burrowing herself under my skin. She’s given me a new purpose. A reason to live again, and even though I know it’sfast, worrying about her these past seventy-two hours, wondering what she’s going through or whether she’s even still alive, made me realize that I don’t want to live without her.
“You love me?” my little warrior asks in an awed whisper, sniffing back her emotions and looking at me like I just gave her the most precious gift. I touch my forehead to hers and briefly allow myself to wallow in this moment.
Caught in the forest green of her eyes and marveling at the surprise turn my life has taken, I rasp, “Fuck, baby, I do. Which is why I’m about to call Chief Moseley to let him know where to find us,” I tell her, making my choice and pulling back to gauge her reaction. “As much as I want Jason dead for what he’s done to you, I’m not about to gamble with your life. Your safety is my number one priority. I’ll figure out a way to deal with your ex later.”
“You love me,” she repeats like she’s having a hard time believing this is real as a dopey smile plays on her bruised lips. I shake my head, unable to hold back my own grin, despite the gravity of the situation.
“Yes, Tink. I fucking love you. God knows I tried to fight it, but between your snarky personality and the way you lay into me whenever I’m being an ass, I couldn’t help but fall for you. What can I say? I’m a sucker for punishment.”
Charlie gives me a watery laugh and presses a soft kiss to my lips. A few silent heartbeats pass before I force myself to break our connection.
“All jokes aside,” I tell her, as she visibly attempts to get herself together. “You saved me from a lifetime of loneliness and misery, and once we get you out of here, I’m handing in my resignation and starting over with you. You’d better get used to having me around because I’m not going anywhere.”
“That’s good, because I was already compiling a list of reasons to convince you to stay. Knowing my time with you was running out just about killed me. I tried to play it off because I didn’t want to risk scaring you away, but I think I’ve loved you for a while now,” she admits, chin wobbling with emotion. “You might be a major pain in my ass, and you drive me crazy most of the time, but you showed me that there are good, honest men left in this world. You made me believe I can have it all, and you have no idea how much that means to me.”
“Aw. Isn’t that just the most heartwarming thing I've ever heard?” The gravelly voice has my head whipping around, and I’m on my feet in two seconds flat. Both of our weapons are pointed at each other, and I silently curse myself for getting so distracted that I didn’t hear him sneak up on us. I make sure my body is positioned in front of Charlie, who looks at Jason with a fearful expression.
“Nice of you to stop by. Been waiting for you to break away from your pack of rookie cops and figure it out. Took you longer than expected, but I finally have you exactly where I want you, Agent.” He uses my title like it offends him, and I tilt my head to the side while I consider my next move.
Despite Charlie’s palpable terror whenever she talked about the monster of her past, the man himself is less than impressive. He’s lean, almost scrawny in nature, and barely comes up to my chin. Physically, he doesn’t look like he’d pose much of a threat, but I’ve underestimated my opponent before, and I’ve learned from my mistakes.
“Figured I’d save us both some time. We’ve been dragging this meeting out long enough, don’t you think? Now, why don’t we both lower our guns and handle the situation like real men?”
Jason’s upper lip peels back, revealing a row of straight pearly whites, framed by gold canines.You’ve got to be fucking shitting me. Who does this motherfucker think he is? Ludacris?
“Or, and hear me out. You hand over that gun… real slow… and then I’ll teach you that touching another man’s property has consequences?”
I huff out a laugh. “Cute. And how exactly are you going to do that?” I ask, confident in my ability to take him down without ever breaking a sweat. This smug prick may think he stands a chance,but there’s no way he can take me on and come out on top. I’m a trained government operative.
