Mark

Lara sits on the bed across from me wrapped in a white robe. Jillian is on her lap, and an empty pizza box is between us. I might be in heaven.

Roland came and traded Jilly for one of the beers and half the pizza. I finished off the rest, and now I’m sitting in my boxer briefs, holding my empty pint glass, watching as Lara traces her nose along the top of our daughter’s head.

She blinks up at me and smiles. “Good?”

“Not bad for hotel pizza.”

“Is it as good as the Everything sandwich from your top secret, probably illegal poboy kitchen?”

“Nothing is as good as the Everything sandwich.”

She wrinkles her nose and winks. “I can think of something better.”

Definitely in heaven.

“I wish we were going to Preservation Hall instead of Montage tonight.” Her voice is almost sad.

“Me too.” I slide my hand around her ankle. “You never told me how the meeting went?”

With a sigh, she looks down at her twisting fingers. “Candi said she’d never been abused or seen any signs of pedophilia, but Molly’s not convinced.”

“So were does that leave us?”

She lifts our daughter and turns her so that Jilly’s head is at her shoulder. “I still want to see him tonight,” she says, gently bouncing the baby. “I’d like to get it over with and go home.”

My eyebrows lift slightly at her choice of words. “And Molly?”

“She’s going to do what she has to do. I can’t be in this anymore.” Her voice is soft, but I can hear her frustration.

Or maybe it’s exhaustion? I wonder if she’ll be able to follow through on letting Molly go. I know how long she’s been tied to that girl. Still, if she’s made it to this point, I’m not going to let the opportunity pass.

“Where is home?”

Again, her eyes flicker to mine, only this time a question is in them. “Where my family is.”

Lifting my hand from her leg, I hold it out to her and wait. She adjusts the baby in her arms and without hesitation places her hand in mine. I give her a gentle pull, and she climbs forward, turning to sit with her back against my side. I wrap my arm around her, our baby secure between us, her little eyes blinking slowly as she drifts to sleep.

I rotate my body so I can hold them closer, Lara’s back to my chest. Both arms go around them and kiss first Jillian’s head, then Lara’s. She turns her face and looks up at me expectantly.

I look down at her, and as much as I don’t want to, I remember the night she blew my mind then broke my heart. “I asked you to marry me in Nice, and you said yes.” My voice is low, with a slight edge. “Then you left me without a word.”

Her chin drops, and she scoots around so her cheek rests against my chest. Jillian dozes against her breast.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she says quietly. “I wanted to be your wife—I still want to be your wife—but I knew what Molly was planning. I couldn’t pull you into it.”

Residual distrust simmers in my chest. “What’s different now?”

Her finger traces a line along our daughter’s chubby arm, and she hesitates before answering. “Now that you’re here, I can’t deny what my soul is telling me.”

“Which is?”

“I can’t run from you anymore. We have to be together.”

Reaching up, I thread my fingers in the back of her hair and gently pull, causing her face to tilt up. Her eyes glisten just before they close, just before I claim her lips, pushing them apart with mine and kissing her deeply.

Our mouths move, tongues curling, and heat simmers low in my pelvis. I want to take her again. I want to slide her robe off and bury myself deep in her clenching heat.

She turns her head, and I relax my fingers, allowing her to press her cheek against mine. “We can get through tonight then start a new life.”

Leaning back, I study her eyes, thinking about how much I love her. How much I want to protect her. How much I want her to have a new life.

“I was thinking about it, and I have an idea.” Her expression changes, but I keep going. “Molly wants Gavin to go to jail—”

“Molly wants him dead.” She moves to the edge of the bed and stands, carrying the baby to the small crib we had delivered this morning.

“I have surveillance equipment. You can wear a wire and see if you can get him to confess.”

Baby settled, she turns and crosses her arms over her waist. Her brow is furrowed, and she goes to the closet. “Would it be like a box or something strapped to my torso?”

“No.” I go to my suitcase. Digging around, I pull out the wireless receiver. It’s as small as the tip of my finger. “We can put this under your collar or in your bra or even behind your ear. I’ll be able to hear and record everything he says. Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone.”

“Figuratively,” she says, coming to where I stand and lifting the square chip from my palm. “It’s so tiny.”

“They make them small enough now they can be attached to a dragonfly drone.”

Her mouth falls open, and she looks up at me wide-eyed. “That’s scary. So like an insect could be tracking you, listening to everything you say?”

“Not an actual insect, but yes.”

She shakes her head and carries her clothes into the bathroom. I walk over to the crib and watch our daughter sleeping. As a detective, I’m more comforted than alarmed by the availability of such devices. They help me keep this little one safe as well as her mother.

When Lara returns, she’s wearing a short skirt and black top, and even without makeup, she’s gorgeous, with her dark hair and eyebrows, fair skin, and full pink lips. I can’t help a smile.

“Here, let me take her down to Roland’s room and get her settled.” She reaches in and lifts out the baby. Jillian squirms and makes a noise as she’s snuggled into her mother’s neck and shoulder. “Get dressed and we can decide how we’re going to handle this while I finish my makeup.”

She starts to go, but I reach out and catch her by the waist, pulling her to me once more. Sliding my hand to the back of her head, I hold her eyes on mine.

“You don’t have to be afraid anymore. I won’t let anything happen to you. Or Jillian.”

She blinks several times, her blue eyes focused intently on mine. Leaning forward, I capture her soft lips in a kiss once more, just a quick one, but her eyes flutter shut. I let her go and for a moment she seems a little dazed.

“Better get going, the sun’s starting to set.”

She shakes her head and goes to the door, and I grin, glad to know I have that effect on her. Going to the small dresser, I pull out a pair of jeans and a white tee.

* * *

Lara

“I’m going to ask him how he could let me be hurt, how he could let Molly be hurt.” I pace Roland’s hotel room with my sleeping daughter in my arms. “I want him to answer for what he’s done.”

“I’ve already given you all the answers you need.” Roland sits on the edge of the hotel bed with his arms crossed watching me.

“Yes, but you’re not him. You can’t answer for him.”

His lips press into a thin line. “Molly has influenced you in the wrong way. She’s got you envisioning justice you’re never going to get.”

That makes me frown. “So you’re saying he wins?”

“Wins?” Roland’s eyes flash. “Wins what? This isn’t a game, Lara. This is underworld shit, and the answer is yes. Yes. In the world of drugs, prostitution, smuggling, gambling, murder, the biggest thug always wins, and he doesn’t have to explain himself.”

“Maybe not, but if no one ever stands up to him and says ‘This is wrong, you’re hurting people’… If no one ever makes him acknowledge that simple fact, then he never stops.”

“You think you’re going to stop him?”

“I don’t know.” Jillian starts to fuss and squirm on my chest, and I know my agitation is upsetting her.

“Give her to me,” he says, lifting her out of my arms.

He puts her on his shoulder, gently rocking until she settles down again.

“You’re really good with her,” I confess.

“Is Mark going with you? I don’t want you doing this alone.”

“Yes. I wouldn’t do anything stupid now that I have her.” I put my hand on Jillian’s back and rub it up and down.

“Everything you and Molly have done for the past six years has been stupid, but at least Mark is here now. Maybe he can stop you before it’s too late.”

My lips tighten, but I don’t tell him my plans yet. I’ll get this night behind me, then I’ll tell him I’m done. “Thanks for watching her.”

I lean forward and hug him.

“Let me know when you get back.”

Mark is fully dressed in dark jeans, a blue dress shirt, and a black leather jacket when I return to the room. He looks amazing, but I don’t have time to think about it. I go to the bathroom and dust powder on my nose, apply some mascara, smooth on some lipstick.

My fingers tremble as I work, and my stomach is tight. All the insecurity and self-doubt are hitting me at once, but I brave through it. We’re right at the end, I remind myself.

“Here.” Mark stops me at the door, lifting my hand. “I’ll attach this inside your sleeve. Try to hold your arm between your bodies to cut down on the background noise.”

The sleeves of my sweater hang long over the tops of my hands, and he fastens the tiny device next to the inside of my wrist. I’m wearing a black bodysuit underneath the open-knit sweater and a short black skirt over opaque tights and boots. I look like a club kid. All I need is neon hair.

“How do I do that without being suspicious?” I hold my arm down as I inspect my sleeve for any signs of the bug. It’s invisible.

“Get a drink. Hold it in front of you, chest height.” He demonstrates with a bottle of water.

It sounds easy enough. I grab my bag, and we’re out the door headed to Montage. We walk quickly up the sidewalk holding hands. I’m comforted to have him with me, but my insides are shaky. I can’t stop second-guessing myself.

“Where’s Molly tonight?” He glances at me, and I assume it’s the reason he thinks I’m so antsy.

“I don’t know. I texted her a few times, but she hasn’t responded.” I think back to her moment after our meeting with Candi this afternoon. “I hope she’s in her room, but she doesn’t tell me much these days.”

The crowds grow thicker as we approach the line of bars around Pike and Pine Streets. Mark pulls me to him when we see the sign for our destination.

“You go in alone and see if you can find him. I’ll switch on the receiver and hang back out of sight. Don’t be afraid. I’ll never be too far to save you.”

He’s big enough to make good on that promise against anyone now. His reason for bulking up warms my insides. My hero…

Everything is different from the night so long ago when he tried to save me from the darkness. We were brutally separated that night, and the memory of how it went down makes me hesitant to leave him.

The biggest thug wins…

My eyes are huge, but I step away from him, into the unknown. A shudder passes through my stomach, and I count my steps as I approach the garishly decorated club.

A familiar voice makes me jump. “Lucy!” Looking up, I see Joshua trotting from the alley to me. He’s wearing a vintage sharkskin suit, and his hair is now silver.

He stops in front of me, looking around. “You alone tonight?”

“Uh, yeah,” I glance at the clump of kids hanging in the alley where he was just standing. “Is Molly with you?”

“Who?” His brow creases.

“I mean… Maggie.” I am seriously fucking up the aliases on this job.

His eyes narrow a bit, and I know he’s onto us. “Haven’t seen her since the Redwood. Is that why you’re here? Are you looking for her? I can keep an eye out—”

“No. I actually… I was going to go ahead and talk to Brisbee if he’s around.”

“Oh, yeah! He’s right inside.” Joshua’s eyes sparkle, and he starts for the door.

My stomach twists, and my feet seem to be rooted to the spot. I can’t seem to go forward, insecurity blanketing me in waves. I’m not sure if I can do this. I try making myself go, internally commanding my feet to move, when someone bumps into me from behind, and I stumble forward. I look back to see another skinny kid in jeans and a beanie smoking a cigarette.

“Sorry.” He staggers toward the alley, and I’m irritated at his clumsiness. But it worked. It got me moving.

Mark is with me…

He’s never too far to save me…

I can do this. I’m not alone. Who knows? I might even get him to say something on the record, and we can send him to jail.

If I’m brave enough to go through with something like that.

One time, a long time ago, Roland told me I was wicked brave. I’ve never felt brave a day in my life, but having Jilly compels me to do what I know is right. It keeps my feet moving forward, if only to try and rid the world of one more abusive scumbag.

Joshua holds the door, and I go inside. The club is noisy and packed, and a live band is getting ready to play.

“The Hep Cats,” Joshua shouts at me, and I frown.

“What?”

“The band. They’re called the Hep Cats. They’re pretty good.”

My eyebrows flicker up, and I nod, trying to seem like I care. The truth is my mind is focused on one thing, and it’s twisting my insides into painful knots.

“There he is!” Joshua holds out a hand, and I see Gavin through the crowd.

He’s dressed more casually than when he met with Molly, but it only makes him seem taller, more intimidating. I need a drink.

“Can I get a drink first?” I shout to Joshua.

“Sure!” He leads me to the bar, and we face each other. “I’ll get you a Capri Sun.”

“What’s that?”

“Cherry vodka, pomegranate liqueur, limoncello, and sprite.”

My nose wrinkles, but he waggles his eyebrows. “You’ll love it. It’s better than the Dreamcicle shit you were having last time.”

“I didn’t like that one either.”

We stand waiting for the drinks, and Joshua studies me. “I’m not sure what you’re up to, but I like you.”

Pressing my lips together, I nod. “Thanks. I like your hair.”

He grins sheepishly. “I did it for Molly… I mean, oops! Maggie.” Our eyes meet, and he starts to laugh. “It’s okay. A lot of kids around here change their names. Look at Candi. Her name was Gert. I’d have changed it, too. That sounds like a bodily function.”

“Why did you change your hair for Molly?” I ask, trying to stay focused.

He shrugs. “Candi was kind of hard on her.”

“She can take it.” I lift my drink and sip it. It’s not terrible, way less sweet than the neon blue disaster I had before.

“Think she likes me?”

My nose wrinkles, and I search for an answer that won’t make Joshua feel bad. “She doesn’t really talk to me about stuff like that.”

He nods, and his eyes return to the bar. I don’t know if he believes me, but I’ve taken another sip of adult Capri Sun, and I know I have to do this now. Straightening, I lift my drink and step away from the bar.

“I’d better get this over with.”

He waves to me. “I’ll be here.”

He enters a lively discussion with another couple at the bar, and I’m not sure if he knows them or if he’s doing with them what he did with Molly and me—making new friends. Just like that.

Either way, the drink has taken the edge off my nerves, and it enables me to hold my hand the way Mark said. I only feel a little squeamish as I cross the crowded space to where Gavin stands at a back wall, his eyes on the band tuning and tweaking their instruments.

I’m within two feet of him when his blue eyes flicker and land on mine. It’s like a lightning strike, and the rest of the bar disappears. I’m trapped in his sinister gaze, the once-placid expression transforming into a frown as he recognizes me.

My lips part, and I do my best to control my breathing.

Inhale…

Exhale…

Slowly in and out.

No hyperventilating.

“Lara,” he says. “What are you doing here?”

“Gavin.” I lift my chin slightly. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”

“What about?”

I swallow my fear, still my hand trembles as I hold the neon orange drink at chest height between our bodies. Mark is here…

“Are you afraid?” I manage to sound coy.

“Afraid?” He laughs, pushing off the wall. “Of course not. Follow me. We can talk in my office.”

He walks through the crowd, and I do my best to keep up with his fast pace. We go straight up the staircase at the back wall to a room with a large, tinted window overlooking the dance floor and bar below.

“Shut the door behind you,” he says, circling a small desk and sitting in the leather chair behind it.

The closed door muffles the noise of the crowd. Do I still need to hold my hand at my chest? I decide not, and put the drink on the edge of the desk, sitting in the wooden chair across from him.

“It’s been a long time,” he says, his eyes not betraying any emotion. “How have you been?”

He studies me. He’s looking for answers, for the reason why I’ve appeared here out of nowhere. I wonder how much he’s even tried to keep up with us since we left with Freddie, since the old place burned to the ground.

“I’ve been better.” My voice is calm, even.

“You look well. I heard you had a baby.”

I blink rapidly, my heart hammering in my chest. “Who told you that?”

I was careful, using fake names and staying off the grid when Jillian was born. I didn’t want Mark tracking me down, so how did Gavin? A flash of betrayal echoes through me, closing my throat. Only one person could have told him. But has Roland been talking to Gavin behind my back? Why?

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he laughs. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Let’s cut the crap, Gavin. If you know about my daughter, I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

He leans back, crossing an ankle over his knee. “I only heard about your baby through the grapevine. I actually have no idea why you’re here. You’ll have to tell me.”

If he thinks I believe that…

“Okay.” I inhale a steadying breath. “I’m here for answers. I’m here for you to admit what you did and tell me why—”

“Admit what I did?” I’m still breathing rapidly, worked up from the start of my speech, but he leans forward in his chair. “Admit that I took you in, took care of you, gave you a home, food to eat, a chance to live out your dream as a singer?”

“You don’t know anything about my dreams.”

His eyes are cold, level. “And you know nothing about me.”

“I know a little bit. What are you doing here… in Seattle?”

“Running a club. A very successful one, at that. It’s so much easier without the constant drain of the theater and the productions and the insurance. God, the insurance.” He sits back again, as if he’s just a normal businessman talking shop.

I’m not fooled.

“But you’re still dipping into the sex trade. I thought Guy was behind it, but it was always you.”

His eyes narrow. “Guy was a madman. I had to keep him on a leash.”

“Is that why you had the sex club?”

“Is that what you call it?” He chuckles, and my stomach turns. “He had certain tastes, fetishes if you will. I did what I could to keep him appeased.”

“Fetishes,” I say the word as if it’s bitter.

“I’m sure you’re aware of them. Virgins?”

“Is that why you gave him Molly? Why you gave him me?” My voice rises on the last word, and I’m losing control of my emotions.

Gavin’s expression is closed. “I did everything in my power to keep you away from him. You made that deal yourself.”

“I did it to protect Molly.”

“Molly… Molly,” he mocks me. “Get out of here, Lara. I’ve had enough of your sentimental notions. Go home and leave me alone.”

He stands as if he’s through with this conversation, but I’m on my feet just as fast. “I’m not finished yet.”

“Yes. You are.” In three steps he’s right in front of me, bearing down with his intimidating gaze. “Don’t cross swords with me, girl. You have more to lose in this than I do.”

I take a staggering step back, but my leg bumps into the chair. “I-I don’t know what you mean… I don’t have anything to lose.”

His lips part with an evil grin, blue eyes glittering. “You have everything to lose. You don’t want what I know getting out. You don’t want the truth going public.”

“You’re wrong. I want the truth now.”

“What truth? About the body in the salon?”

“What bod—”

“The body I helped cover up. The one that was never completely destroyed?”

“No.” My vision clouds, and I fumble for the door.

I rip at my sleeve, scratching at the hem, trying to get the bug off of me, trying to keep Mark from hearing these words…

“You arranged your experience with Guy against my warnings and attempts to help you.” My hands slip along the wall, searching for the door to run, but he’s behind me, on top of me, pushing me down with his accusations. “I told you to stay away from him, but you ignored me. You lured him into your dressing room, then you brutally murdered him.”

“No!” I scream, my hands cupped over my ears.

“Yes, little Dark Angel. I have it all recorded. Every room in that theater was under surveillance, yours included, and Landry has the thumb drive. Come at me, and you will lose everything. Your daughter, your freedom, your life.”

I shudder violently, as if frigid cold water is being poured down my back. My fingers finally locate the doorknob, and I turn it, slamming the door wide open and racing down the stairs.

All the words he said are screaming in my mind. Cameras, surveillance, the secret I thought was hidden, burned up in the fire. Landry, the corrupt New Orleans cop… He dug it up, and now he’s just waiting to send my world crashing down around my head.

I’m out the door, running for the hotel, when Mark steps out of the alley, blocking my path.

“Oh!” I pull up short, holding up my arms as if to defend myself.

“Easy,” he says.

I’m breathing fast, and we’re far enough away from the bar that the noise is subtler, muted.

“Mark…” My voice trembles and breaks.

He watches me, blue eyes distant, withdrawn. He looks at me like I’m someone new, someone he doesn’t know. He’s a cop, a hero. Long ago he told me he wanted to be one of the good guys. Now he knows I’m just as bad as all the bad guys we’ve left littered across the continent. My sins are out, and I’m no different than the rest of the fallen angels in the hell we left behind.

“We need to get to the hotel.” He takes a step to the side and puts his hands in his pockets.

All the gestures of love, the embraces, the warmth, are gone. Now he addresses me as if I’m a person of interest, a suspect to question. I wonder if he’ll read me my rights.

He only tilts his head to the side. “We have to talk.”