My boots were heavy with each step on the way down to the parking lot. Defeat clung to me like a wet shirt, and I couldn’t breathe. I’d walked out without saying goodbye, without kissing her…without telling her how I felt. And every fiber of my being ached to run upstairs, hold her, and never let go. But I couldn’t, because this overwhelming need to understand everything she refused to tell me drove me to leave, to get in the truck and race home until I had the messages in front of me.

Except, that’s not how it happened.

As soon as I got in the truck, I grabbed my phone off the dash, where I’d tossed it after parking in the visitor spot next to Maggie’s car. And when I checked the screen, I noticed several missed calls from Jarrod, as well as the shop. Then there were texts.

Where are you?

Call me.

Dude, I need to talk to you before you do anything.

Sitting behind the steering wheel, the keys still in my hand, I tapped on his name until the ringing consumed the cab. It went on for what felt like hours, though it couldn’t have possibly been that long; Jarrod had probably been waiting for my call.

“Where are you?” he asked instead of a greeting when he picked up.

I hadn’t really been part of the shop in the past few months after getting out of jail, so it was odd that he would wonder where I was if I wasn’t there. They were all used to me coming and going as I pleased, and as far as I could tell, it didn’t bother anyone. “Getting ready to leave Billings. Why?”

“What are you doing over there?”

“What the hell, Jarrod? I came to see Maggie. What else would I be doing in Billings?”

“Did she tell you anything?” The anguish in his tone kept me from starting the engine. It kept me from leaving the parking lot, getting on the road, and heading home. The only thing I could do was sit there on the phone until he told me what had him wound so tight.

I was lost, not having a clue why he asked so many questions about where I was or what I was doing. And the longer this went on, the more impatient I became. “Kinda. I’m not sure how much it helped. If anything, what she told me makes it worse. The fucker who attacked her is still alive.”

Just saying it out loud was like a stab in the heart. I couldn’t believe she’d lied about this—let alone refused to give me the truth. I wanted to believe she was innocent, but I couldn’t grasp why she wouldn’t just give me answers or why she cared if this asshole lived or died.

“I know.” An emotion I couldn’t place hung in Jarrod’s voice. It resembled sorrow, yet at the same time, rang with sympathy. And as I replayed it in my head, I couldn’t understand what it all meant…the words, the tone, the convoluted emotion.

“What do you mean?” I demanded.

“I was able to get into the phone.” And then silence. He dropped that bomb and then went quiet, as if it answered everything and left no more questions to be asked.

“Get the fuck on with it, Jarrod. What was on it?”

He cleared his throat, and that’s when I heard a door close. He must’ve walked into the office, which would explain his short answers and lack of details in his responses. “You need to step back, man. I understand you have hard feelings for this girl, but you need to put some space between you two.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means you don’t have the half of it.”

“Then tell me what I’m missing.” My jaw clenched until my teeth ached.

“Are you aware that she was friends with Jinx?”

“Yeah…she told me today. She was dating him.”

“Well, I can’t confirm that. They talked a lot, so it’s possible; although, based on their conversations, I wouldn’t have immediately guessed they were intimate.”

“They weren’t,” I gritted out. “I don’t know their story—just that they weren’t sleeping together. Is that what you’re trying to warn me about? Well, I don’t have time for this. Did you find the messages from the other guy or not? She told me there were two—Jinx, and whoever he peddled drugs for. That’s the bastard who hurt her.”

“Listen to me, Talon. I’m not telling you to back away because she dated Jinx. If she explained that part of the story, then great. It’s the other part you don’t need to get wrapped up in. You’ll never win.”

“I don’t need to win. I just need the motherfucker dead.”

“You don’t get it. He’s not some troubled kid or a product of a broken home. He’s a force much stronger than you realize. You can’t take him down, and honestly, I doubt you could kill him. If you did…you’re looking at the end of your life.”

“Stop speaking in riddles before I hang up and drive all the way over there and beat the answers out of you.” It wasn’t an idle threat. I didn’t care if Jarrod was my friend; I wouldn’t allow him to keep something this important from me. I doubted there was anything I wouldn’t do to keep Maggie safe.

“Think about it, Talon. Just stop for one second and think. If Jinx was at Baker’s house, that means he was running with that crew. He was working for the Shadowman. Have you ever stopped to wonder why so many people call him that?”

There was no need to question it, because it wasn’t much of a secret. He managed to control an entire drug operation without ever getting caught. Anytime one of his roaches wound up in an interrogation room or pulled over with a supply in their car, nothing ever came of it. He had shit on the guys who worked for him, their families, their lives—anything and everything—and he used it in his favor. Everyone said he was like a shadow, always there watching your every move.

“You think I’m scared of some pussy who can’t get his own hands dirty?”

Jarrod’s barked laughter caught me off guard. “You’re serious right now? Not get his hands dirty? What the hell do you think happens to the morons who threaten his existence? You know as well as I do how many kids have gone missing over the years. Just vanished. And you think he had someone else take care of that?”

He was right. Once someone made it into his circle…they never made it out. Some, like Jinx, were found dead, but at least those guys were given a funeral. They were the lucky ones—the cops didn’t always solve the cases like they had with Jinx. The others just went missing, and since none of them really had any family, anyone to report it, they were considered runaways. Without a body or reasonable cause to suspect foul play, there was no use in wasting taxpayer money on an investigation that would likely go nowhere.

“I don’t give a shit right now, Jarrod. If you found out who he is, then tell me.”

“You’re not getting it. Just stop for one second and think about what I’m telling you. Think about what information you have. He’s been doing this for years. No one has been able to come close to catching him, like he’s always one step ahead of the law. Kids go missing or wind up dead, and nothing is ever done about it. Take two fucking seconds and think…why wouldn’t someone just go to the cops?”

My thoughts were jumbled, and it took far too long to unknot the information. Suspecting the Shadowman was in law enforcement wasn’t a new concept. Everyone had their own theories, and that was a common one amongst almost everyone in town. The only problem was, there was no way to prove it. Apparently, an internal investigation was done, and nothing ever came of it.

“You think I’m that easily scared? Let a cop come after Jess and then tell me—” I choked on my own words as the entire puzzle fell into place. Jarrod had tried to get me to see it, but I hadn’t been able to join both pieces. And once I did, I couldn’t ignore the obvious signs from the very beginning.

“Now you see? You can’t kill him, Talon. There’s no evidence to substantiate your claim, and there’s no telling how many other cops are involved. You can’t do anything without proof, so even going to the authorities won’t do any good.”

“So I’m supposed to do nothing? I’m supposed to walk away from her because her uncle is a criminal and a cop? That doesn’t work for me, Jarrod. I can’t do that, and you know it. Suggesting it is a fucking waste of your time.”

He sighed, and when he spoke again, his voice was low, almost defeated. “I didn’t figure you would, even if it’s the smartest option.”

“Could you walk away from Jess?”

Silence.

“That’s what I thought.” I’d never understand why people gave advice they’d never take if the tables were turned. “He needs to pay, man. I’ve gotta do something to keep Maggie safe.” And then I realized what day it was. “Shit. She’s supposed to go to his house tonight for dinner.”

Suddenly, more of the picture came into focus. She owed her uncle…for college, and had to give him part of her paycheck every week. The only way to get her out safely was to run away with her, and even then, there was a chance he’d find her—like he had before.

I needed more information, something clear-cut that I could use to take him down.

“Can you send me the texts? The ones from her uncle?” I could’ve gone to the shop to get the phone, but that would mean leaving Maggie alone, and I wasn’t prepared to do that just yet.

“I will under one condition…if you decide to do anything about it, you must hand it over to the authorities. Got it?”

“You just got done saying that’s not an option. Now you’re asking me to basically walk into the lion’s den? Hell no.”

“Talon, listen. I know a guy. He works for the county, and I trust him. He’s not involved…but the only way to make anything stick, is if you have something against him. If you can get Maggie to tell you something, to give you anything substantial, then there’s a chance of it working. These texts and a hunch won’t do shit.”

I couldn’t involve Maggie more than I already had, but he was right. If I could get anything on him, something that couldn’t be doubted or blamed on another living soul, then I could take him down and protect her.

“Fine. Deal. Now send me the texts.”

The line went dead, and a few seconds later, a picture came through with the messages from Maggie’s old phone.

You have something of mine, and I want it back.

Don’t think you can hide from me, princess.

I hope you enjoyed your stay in Mississippi, because it’s about to end.

The cops will be there in about thirty seconds.

The last message soured my stomach. That must’ve been the one she’d received while we were at the bar, the one that made her run. All this had been because of that one text, and it did nothing other than escalate the rage burning inside.

Jarrod was right—there was nothing incriminating in the messages. He could’ve said she’d taken off with his sunglasses, and that was what he’d referred to in his text. That was the problem with written communication…the tone was left to the reader.

These wouldn’t do anything to build a case against the captain of the sheriff’s office.

I would need more.

I sat in the driver’s seat, practically bent over the steering wheel while I racked my brain for anything I could’ve used to pin this on her uncle. I recalled the events of that night—Jinx and his paranoid outbursts. About how he kept saying “he” would kill him. He’d mentioned Lake Cuomo, and as useful as that tip could be…there was no way I could convince them to drain the lake and look for bodies.

Which left me with two choices: go after him myself or do nothing.

I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing, so that wasn’t an option.

Taking matters into my own hands gave me the best chances of protecting Maggie, but even then, nothing was guaranteed. If I didn’t succeed, I would’ve only put her in harm’s way. If I did…I’d never get to see her again. On one hand, as long as she was safe, I would be all right. But on the other, saving her from one demon didn’t mean another wouldn’t find her later, and by that point, my fate would be sealed. I wouldn’t be able to be there for her if she needed me. It was a gamble, a risk of epic proportions, yet I didn’t see any other way around it.

“If he can run his own flesh and blood off a bridge and not think twice, he won’t bat an eye for someone like me.” At the time, I had no idea what Jinx was talking about; I’d assumed he was delusional from whatever drug—or combination of drugs—he was on. Now, it made more sense than I wished it would. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach when it dawned on me—Maggie’s mom had been missing for years, and the only person who had any contact with her was Maggie’s uncle.

His own flesh and blood.

It wasn’t his child…but his sister.

I pushed the door open and leaned out, my stomach clenching in anticipation of throwing up. Because it didn’t just end there. If my assumptions were right, that meant she would’ve died long before Maggie’s grandfather—her mom didn’t own the house.

The morning we’d left Florida, Maggie had mentioned a duffel bag in one of the bedroom closets, and when I’d gone to check it out, I’d found bricks of cocaine along with several handguns. At the time, I figured they belonged to the man who visited once a month—Mr. Falkner. We were on our way out, so I hadn’t felt the need to do anything about it.

Now, it was just one more piece of the puzzle.

It was at that point, I realized I couldn’t get the rest without Maggie.

Slowly, I climbed out of the truck and headed up to the apartment. I didn’t knock, just twisted the knob and walked in. As if my heart hadn’t already taken a beating over the last twenty minutes since I showed up here to ask about the stretch marks, it shattered when I found Maggie on the floor in the hallway—exactly where I’d left her on my way out. I went to her and held her in my arms, finally able to breathe. And once my strength returned, I picked her up and carried her to the couch.

With her arms around my neck, face buried in my shoulder, and chest pressed against mine, she sat in my lap while we both calmed down. I ran my fingers through her hair and held her tight, unable to lessen my grip for fear she’d disappear.

After minutes of only silence, she pulled her head away just enough to press her cheek against mine. With her mouth close to my ear, she whispered, “I thought you left.”

My arm around her waist grew tighter. “I was going to…but I need something from you.”

“I can’t tell you, Talon. I wish I could…I just can’t.”

“I already know.”

Her body grew stiff, and I was pretty sure she stopped breathing. “W-what?”

“Your uncle’s the one behind the drugs, the money. He’s the one who came after you. You don’t have to lie for him anymore.”

She didn’t say anything for so long that I almost wondered if she’d passed out. Then she pulled in a deep breath and relaxed her arms until only her hands remained on my shoulders. “What are you going to do to him?”

“Not sure. That all depends on what you tell me. I could let the authorities handle it, or I could take care of him myself. I can’t turn him in if I only have circumstantial shit on him. Which means if you don’t tell me anything, I won’t be able to choose that option.” I wasn’t trying to blackmail her, just make sure she understood the choices. Whether she gave me what I needed or not was up to her, and if she didn’t want me taking a wrench to her uncle’s skull, she would need to give me something.

“W-what do you need from me?” It was clear as day she was hesitant to tell me anything.

But that didn’t stop me. “Are you sure the house in Florida was left to your mom?”

She nodded.

“How? Like have you seen the deed? Seen paperwork? Anything?”

Maggie pulled her face away a little more, which gave me an unobstructed view of her downcast eyes. “I asked him about it, because I thought maybe she had moved to Florida. He told me he helped the estate lawyer facilitate the paperwork because my mom refused to go down there and deal with it. So no, I’ve never seen proof. Why would he lie about that?”

She should’ve guessed any one of the many reasons her uncle had to mislead her. Regardless, it just proved how innocent and naïve she was—which only added fuel to my already blazing fire.

“Your uncle’s name is Dan—or Danny—right?”

Her eyes found mine and a shallow line of confusion dipped between her brows. “Yeah. I call him Danny because that’s what I’ve called him since I was a kid, but most others call him Dan or Captain Culberson. Why?”

Well, shit. That didn’t help. I could’ve sworn the neighbor in Florida had used a different name. “Does Falkner ring a bell? Sound familiar in any way? Maybe you’ve heard someone say it, use it, seen it on anything?”

The crease deepened, and then spread along her forehead. “That was my grandmother’s maiden name.”

“Your grandmother from Florida?”

She shook her head. Curiosity and determination washed away the weak confusion that had been painted on her face. “No. Those were my dad’s parents. My mom’s side of the family was all from Iowa.”

“Just so I understand…your uncle’s mom’s maiden name was Falkner?”

“Yeah.” She narrowed her gaze. “Why, Talon? Where did you hear that? And why all the questions about my family?”

I threaded my fingers through the front parts of her hair and held her head between my palms. “I’ve asked this before, but since I’m lost on what was the truth and what was to keep me from finding out the truth, I have to ask again. Do you know where your mom is?”

Realization flashed in her eyes. Maggie certainly wasn’t stupid. However, a split second later, denial set in, and the slight rigidness of fear vanished. “No. I don’t. Last I heard, she was in California—that was over three years ago. That’s where she was when Uncle Danny helped her with the estate.”

There was no way she believed that to be true, especially after all she’d learned about him. Although, I couldn’t blame her for it. It was her mom, not some stranger or distant relative. Holding out hope that she was alive and well didn’t make her a bad person. It didn’t mean she was gullible or easily fooled. It made her a survivor—trusting whatever she had to if it meant making it another day without falling apart.

There was just one problem…I didn’t have enough time to look into any of this. Yes, there were ways to validate her uncle’s claim; I just didn’t have the resources to get that done before Maggie was supposed to leave for dinner.

Refusing to admit defeat, I pressed my forehead to hers and asked, “What would happen if you didn’t show up tonight?”

“He’ll come here—either tonight or tomorrow. The last time that happened was the day you showed up at the diner. I was distraught after leaving and fell asleep early. He came by the next morning, shortly before you got here. He took my entire paycheck and left me with nothing for the week.”

I fisted her hair when I recalled walking into her apartment that morning and finding her on the floor. I’d been so angry with her, so closed off to my feelings, that I had refused to let the sight of her in tears affect me. Now, I hated myself for it.

When she gasped, I relaxed my grip in her locks.

“How did you find out?” she pleaded against my lips.

“You left your phone at the bar, and before I walked outside to look for you, I picked it up. I forgot all about it until this morning when I found it in the bag containing everything I had on me when I was arrested. I asked Jarrod to get past the lock screen. He sent me the texts from your uncle. I read them.”

“When he found me, he was angry about the money. At the time, he had no idea how much was missing. He was more pissed that I didn’t have my phone. He just kept demanding that I give it to him. He didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t have it. Maybe he needed it to erase those messages before anyone saw them. By now, I guess he thinks it’s a moot point because they haven’t shown up.”

“If that wasn’t his dad…how’d he know to look there?”

“The lawyer told him everything when he called looking for my mom.”

I figured as much, but at this point, I wasn’t willing to leave anything to assumption. “So he was already there when the hospital called him…” It wasn’t a question, or even needed a reply, more of a verbal thought as one more piece fell into place.

“Yeah. I’m not sure who called. It could’ve been him—either way, I’ll never know. I woke up and he was there, like a reminder that I’d never be able to escape. I couldn’t tell anyone. Even when the police came to get my statement, he stayed in the room, pulling the law enforcement card. I wasn’t a minor, so he didn’t have to be present. Still, not once did the officer question it. Then he took me home.”

“How were you able to move out of his house?”

“It took a while, but I guess he didn’t want to chance me overhearing something, or tracking his whereabouts to use against him. Eventually, after I begged for a year, he let me leave—as long as he knew where I was. For a while, he’d show up everywhere, making sure I understood he was watching. I couldn’t go to work without seeing him drive by.”

As much as I needed to hear the truth, it completely gutted me. I hated the control he had over her, and the way he wielded his power. He’d gotten away with it for far too long, and I refused to let him take one more breath without paying the price for the pain he’d caused.

Now, if I ended up choosing to take this to Jarrod’s friend at the sheriff’s office, not only could I point them in the direction of the house in Florida to check on, but they could also pull up phone records and find out he hadn’t been in Iowa when Maggie had been attacked. Both great in theory, as long as the trail led directly to her uncle. Except, both would take time to get—and they would need a warrant to go through the phone company to get the information. If I’d learned one thing about phone records and the law from my trial, that was it.

I had to be smart about this. If I set out to pin everything on him, I had to ensure I gave as much detail and unquestionable proof as possible—proof that would only point to Captain Daniel Culberson. It was a risk…a gamble, because if I chose to leave it up to the authorities and it didn’t stick, Maggie would undoubtedly be put in harm’s way.

And it would all be my fault.

If I did everything right, he would be locked up for a very long time—potentially, the rest of his life. In order for that to happen, I’d have to prove that Maggie’s mom was dead, and had been since she went missing six years ago, long before the paperwork for her grandfather’s estate had been signed. Because that would prove that her uncle had forged the documents with the understanding that she wouldn’t return. However, my entire plan was contingent on a body being on the bottom of the lake—information that had come from the mouth of a paranoid junkie.

And I didn’t have time to waste on a damn warrant.

So I rolled the dice.

I held Maggie’s face and pressed my lips to hers. I poured every ounce of emotion into that kiss and prayed she could hear my thoughts. She’d done it so many times before, but this was the one that counted. She needed to know how I felt before I walked out that door, in the event I didn’t come back.

“You smell so fucking good,” I whispered when our mouths parted. “Don’t ever forget that, okay?”

It’d never been said, but she’d used that phrase enough to make me believe it was her way of expressing how she felt. Even though she thought I’d said the words this morning—or wrote them—I hadn’t, and I refused to utter them for the first time in this moment. With our pasts being mysteries and our future up in the air, it was just easier to use her words than the real ones—saving those for the next time I had her in my arms.

“Don’t go, Talon. We can run away. We can take off like we did before. Just me and you.”

My voice became stuck in my throat when I croaked out, “I can’t live like that—always worried that he’ll find you. I don’t care what he does to me, but I won’t let anything ever happen to you again.”

“You can’t kill him. He’s a—”

“I won’t. I promise, sweetheart…I won’t kill him.”

She shook her head, tears cascading in waves down her face faster than I could wipe away. When her eyes found mine, they were so light they had seemingly lost their color—ghostly. “He’ll do something to you, make you disappear, leave you for dead and make it look like an accident. And he’ll get away with it. He can manipulate the system…lose evidence, get people to lie for him. You can’t take him down.”

“I have a plan. But I need your word on something. Okay?” I waited until I had her undivided attention, until I was positive she could hear me over the deafening thoughts that riddled her mind, and when she touched my face, I felt confident I had her. “Go to my apartment and stay there until I tell you what to do next.”

“I can’t let you leave.”

“You don’t have a choice, sweetheart. This is me, scooping you up and keeping you safe. And right now, the only way I can do that is if you’re at the shop. Jarrod will keep an eye on you. If something happens to me, he’ll know what to do.”

“No,” she cried, her face scrunching in pain. “I can’t live without you.”

“Hopefully, you won’t have to.”

She clung to me tighter. “I can’t let you do this. I’ll come with you. I’ll confront him with you, or go to the cops and tell them everything. Please, Talon…don’t try to be the hero.”

I didn’t have any other choice; I picked Maggie up and carried her to bed. The entire way down the hall and into her room, she remained wrapped around me. And as soon as I had her on the mattress, her lips found mine. Her motivation was obvious, though I wasn’t about to argue. This could potentially be the last time I ever felt her beneath me, and there was no way I’d walk away from that.

I pulled away just enough to slide her leggings down, and once I had her top off, I began lavishing her body in enough attention to last a while in case things went wrong. It didn’t take long to have her begging for me, but there was one thing I had to do first.

“Let me use the bathroom real fast, sweetheart. I’ll be right back, I swear.”

I didn’t have to go, but I needed to reach out to Jarrod, and there was no way to do that in front of her. If she refused to stay at the shop where she’d be safe, then the only other choice I had was to call in reinforcements. Thankfully, he didn’t make me wait for a reply—nor did he hesitate to agree.

Tears filled Maggie’s eyes when I returned to the bed. I tossed my shirt on the floor and unfastened my pants, but the sight of her in pain halted me from taking them the rest of the way off. I climbed between her legs and hovered over her body.

“Don’t cry.” I kissed her right cheek, drying it with my lips. “I’m right here.” And then I did the same to the other side. “Don’t think about anything other than me, okay? Just me. Us. Be with me in this moment, and we’ll worry about the rest later.”

She nodded and pulled my mouth to hers.

* * *

It took Jarrod just over half an hour to get to the apartment, which hadn’t given me enough time to ensure I’d be on her mind for a while to come. But nothing could’ve been done about it. Even if Jarrod hadn’t been on his way, we were getting dangerously close to when Maggie was supposed to be at her uncle’s house.

“Can you text him and say you got out of work late, that you’re running behind?”

The fear in her eyes cemented my fate. My decision had been decided right then and there. If she were that worried about showing up five minutes late…I would never be satisfied with anyone else “handling” him.

I took her phone and typed the message myself, ignoring her panicked pleas from behind me. And less than a minute after I sent, “I’m running five to ten minutes behind,” he replied with, “You’re aware of the interest rate. I don’t mind the clock ticking.” It enraged me.

When I handed back her cell, I glanced between Maggie and Jarrod. “Go with him to my shop.” It wasn’t a request. “Stay there. Don’t go anywhere until Jarrod tells you to. Got it? If I’m arrested and he’s free, you’re not safe here. Jarrod will keep up with his friend in the sheriff’s office regarding the situation and update you if I’m not able to.”

“So you’re going to turn him in?”

“Yes.” That wasn’t the entire plan, but it was the gist of it; it was all she needed to know. “Which is why you need to go to Fleetwood. He’s gonna realize you aren’t showing up, and he’ll come after you. He won’t touch you at the shop.” I turned to Jarrod and asked, “You’ll stay with her, right?”

“Yeah, man. I’ll take the couch in the office.” There was no hesitation. He had a pregnant girlfriend at home, and not once did he pause to consider it. That was the sign of a good person.

“Go pack a bag. I don’t know how much you’ll need, so just take whatever you can fit.” I waited until she was in her room before pulling Jarrod outside. “I need to fill you in just in case something happens.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Talon? You said you’re going to the cops.”

“And I will.”

He scoffed, his anger not well hidden. “When? After you confront him?”

“I’m not going to do anything. I’ve got it under control, so don’t worry about me.”

“If you had it under control, you wouldn’t feel the need to fill me in.”

I ignored his logic and continued to tell him all the information I had—what Jinx had said about the lake, about “his own flesh and blood,” Maggie’s mom, the phone records for when Maggie had been attacked. Everything I had on him, down to the deed for the house in Florida, I gave him in hushed tones to keep Maggie from overhearing.

I’d managed to get it all out—as well as have Jarrod look up public records for the house, finding it in the name of Amanda Abrams—by the time Maggie came to the front door wearing her black hoodie and a bag over her shoulder. I never wanted to forget the way it felt to see her in that jacket, whether it was mine or not.

“I need your keys, sweetheart.”

Without question, she handed them over and then wrapped her arms around my waist. “You smell good,” she whispered into my chest.

It nearly destroyed me, but I repeated the sentiment against the top of her head. I couldn’t look at her; I’d never be able to leave if I did. So instead, I kissed her forehead, then her lips. And then quickly bounded down the steps to the parking lot.