Page 103 of Ricochet

He released his grip of my throat and tugged a cigar from inside his pocket. “You need to stay alive. For her.” His gaze lifted toward the bedroom where Aubree slept.

“She’ll be fine.”

“For a year, we’ve both watched her. You’ve always seen her through the eyes of a killer, whereas I saw her through the eyes of a savior. Someone I wanted to capture, possess, and protect.” He lit the cigar, blew on the end of it to stoke the embers, and puffed twice, before pacing in front of me. “I fell in love with her, while you continued your crusade to destroy her. It’s not your fault, Nick. You weren’t privy to information that I had. Information that I kept from you, because I thought you’d feel betrayed.” Exhaling a sharp breath, he paused his pacing and splayed his hands to the side. “And you don’t exactly have the best track record for trying to keep yourself alive.”

“Why have me watch over her, then? If you thought I might kill her?”

“Because you’re not an evil bastard, in spite of what you think. I had faith that you’d see what I saw in her, and that your drive to kill her would disappear.” Cigar caught between his lips, Alec shook his head, adjusting his cuff links. “I can’t let you do this alone, Nick. It’s a set up, and you won’t come out of this alive. It’s suicide. Aubree’s fragile— she’ll break if she loses you.”

“She’s stronger than you think, Alec.”

He nodded. “She is. And she’s in love with you. Could you put her through that pain you know so well? Could you take from her what had once been taken from you?”

“Motherfucker.” I shook my head, anger pulsing through me in waves. “You brought her here, so I’d fall in love with her and give up on the notion of finishing this. To the end.” I clamped my eyes shut and rubbed my hand down my face. “She was the only part of the plan that didn’t fit. Never made sense to me and now …” I nodded, wanting to kick myself for being so blind. Not that I wasn’t in love with the woman, but had I known that was the plan all along, I’d have certainly tried to avoid the inevitable pain. “Now I understand. You hoped she’d make me change my mind.”

“I did what I thought was right. What was good for all three of us. I can’t let you kill yourself, Nick. I’d never planned to follow through on the deal.” I could feel him studying me, looking for any indication that I could be swayed. “Think about Lena. What would she want for you? What would she tell you right now?”

An ache throbbed in my heart. My wife, the selfless woman she’d always been, would tell me to stop the madness. To call on others to help find Lauren, and lay the past to rest. Be happy again.

“But you’re the one who loves her!” Rubbing my forehead somehow kept the blackness at bay. “You never tried to make yourself known to her because … you were giving her to me.”

“Yes.”

A moment of clarity sliced through the thick fog of confusion clouding my brain, as I recalled his words from the day I’d watched the Cullings pass out care packages in the streets, when I’d asked him about moving on.

What makes you think I haven’t?

“I guess there’s only one thing left to do, then.” Rising up from the floor, I reached out to shake his hand, pulling him in for a hug. “You deserved her more,” I whispered.

Kicking back a step, I hammered my fist into Alec’s face.

Blood sprayed to the side and his body slumped to the floor. A sharp sting shot up my wrist, and I lifted my hand to bleeding knuckles and a throbbing ache in my bones. I shook out my hand, flexing my fingers to work out the ache, and crouched down beside Alec’s passed out body.

“I’m sorry, old friend. I’m doing what I think is right, too. You’re wrong, if you think I’m doing this for myself, though. I’m doing it for her. I’m saving her. You’re not the only one who fell in love.”

CHAPTER 46

Chief Cox

Cox rounded the perimeter of the old Ironworks building, checking out all of the possible hiding places where a savvy assassin might hide, pausing when his phone rang and Burke’s number flashed across the screen.

Rolling his eyes, Cox answered the call.

“Chief, where are you?” The frantic tone of Burke’s voice put Cox on edge.

“Out of the fuckin’ office. Why?”

“Internal Affairs is here. Someone reported you for something.” He lowered his voice. “They want to speak with you. What do you want me to tell ‘em??”

Riley. The rat bastard. Probably turned him in for threatening the little cocksucker. Should’ve killed the motherfucker when he’d had the chance. “Just … keep ‘em out of my office. I don’t give a shit what you have to tell them, but don’t let the bastards in there, got it?”

“They’re asking about the E-for-E case.”

Irritation battled the panic in his gut. “E-for-E? What the fuck is that?”

“Eye for an Eye. It’s the hashtag everyone’s calling him on social media.”

Fuckin social media. “We’re investigating. We don’t have shit on this guy. That’s what you tell them.”