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3
Ian
Iwatched her cross the street, her soft blonde hair lifting in the breeze, at least a dozen shades lighter than when we’d first met her nearly five and a half years ago. When she’d gone into witness protection, I’d known they would force her to dye and cut that gorgeous chocolate brown hair of hers, but she looked good as a blonde too. Softer. Angelic with her heart-shaped face surrounded by wisps of pale strands. It made the pink shade of her lips stand out that much more.
She turned her head ever so slightly, glancing back and scanning the area as if she were looking for something. It may have been for us, since we had just started our efforts to catch her attention, to gauge the waters after all this time. My lips curved into a smile. She knew someone was there. Maybe she wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but she could feel it—feel us, the caress of our gazes on her beautiful skin.
“She needs a better fucking jacket,” Jensen said from where he sat in the passenger seat of the dark SUV we’d followed her in. It was only one of dozens of cars we had at our disposal—almost all of them meant to fade into the background of any environment and all of them for her. This close to Lafayette Square, a black SUV with no license plates wasn’t exactly uncommon, though we did run the risk of junkies approaching for potential scores. All I needed to do was roll down the side window and let Jensen pull his favorite Glock out, and they’d quickly head in the opposite direction.
“Should’ve bought her one and sent it to her place,” Archer commented from the back. “Anonymously, of course.”
Mare turned back and kept walking down the street, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides as she tried to keep them flexible. I didn’t like her walking home this late at night. She should’ve known better than to let herself be so vulnerable. Frowning, I sat forward when, instead of turning right on Montgomery Street, she turned left and headed in the opposite direction of her apartment.
Jensen leaned over the dash, his eyes following her too. “Where the fuck does she think she’s going?”
Archer sat up in the back, turning towards the windshield and glancing up to the center rearview mirror. “Think she’s got a date?” he asked.
“No.” I put the car in drive and pulled forward slightly, keeping the headlights off.
“She doesn’t call or text anyone,” Jensen agreed. “There’s no way she’s got a date.”
“Where would she be going this late then?”
“Did you do what I asked?” I snapped, inching up on the corner of Montgomery.
“Yeah,” Jensen said. “Dug up the phone logs and the recording we had of the landlord’s most recent calls to see what she was so upset about. Turns out they had someone ask about availability of Mare’s apartment. Offered nine-hundred and fifty for it, but the Hansons, being the greedy assholes they are, said they would discuss with their current tenant to see if she could match it.”
“Guess that explains the ‘one thousand’ when the bitch was shouting at Mare yesterday. It was all we made out of that argument,” Archer stated, a confused lilt to his speech that made it seem like he was questioning what he’d overheard. “Why would they up the amount from what they were offered?” My knuckles cracked, the skin pulling taut as I strangled the steering wheel.
“They wanted to see if they could get even more,” I bit out, red hot anger pulsing in my chest as my eyes tracked Mare.
“If she couldn’t pay it, they’d still get more than they currently have, and if she could, then it would be even more of a bonus.” Jensen finished my statement, his lips curled at the situation she had been put into.
“Pull up a map of the area,” I commanded. I didn’t signal as I turned onto the new street and pulled up to park behind a large delivery truck. From where we were stationed, I could still see when she changed sidewalks again, walking along the side of a deserted basketball court surrounded by a tall chain link fence.
“Got it.” Jensen handed me his phone with the map on it. One look and I knew. My teeth ground down against each other, and I cursed, shoving the phone back into his hand as I flipped the lights on. It was too late. She was already cutting through the park, heading to the next street over.
“What is it?”
I ignored Archer’s question and revved up to the street light. “Get out,” I snapped at Jensen.
He stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. I was certainly about to. As soon as I caught up with our girl, I was going to paddle her fucking ass until it was as perfectly pink as her lips. I pointed to the outline of a building on the map still glowing on the screen of his cell. “See that address?” He nodded, his brows puckering as he watched me curiously. “I want you to head over to it. Go in the backdoor, and I’ll meet you there soon.”
“Roger that, Boss,” Jensen said with a nod as he opened the car door and hopped out, disappearing into the shadows.
“Archer?”
His head popped through the two front seats. “Yeah?”
“Follow her on foot. When you catch up to her, do not let her out of your sights. Do you understand?”
“Sure thing.” The backdoor opened, and then he, too, was gone.
I sucked in a breath, my hands tightening further on the steering wheel, the grip hard enough that the wheel threatened to break with a soft whine and crack. The old rage I’d felt burning in the back of my mind flared to life.Nobody puts her in a position to do something like this, I thought, barely restraining the urge to run the red light, but I held back. Barely. As soon as the light turned green, I gunned it, drifting onto the next street and turning into a nearly empty parking garage. I parked the SUV sideways across several lines and got out, rounding until I was at the trunk.
Popping it open, I quickly and efficiently removed my sweatshirt, tugging it over my head and tossing it onto a box of electronics we often needed when using this vehicle; the GPS, laptop, earbuds, and camera monitors all turned off and nestled in their proper spot in the foam interior. I considered opening the case and utilizing some of the gear, but I decided against it, knowing I wouldn’t have use of it in a place that small.
Reaching over the metal case and into the garment bag, I found a black dress shirt and pulled it on, buttoning up the front before tucking it into the waistband of my dark jeans. I grabbed a gun holster from a second container and secured it on my torso. The black suit coat went on over it, covering the two guns to keep them hidden.
When I got back into the front seat, I adjusted the rearview mirror. Tonight was going to be the night. We’d been away from our girl for far too long. We had an agreement all those years ago, our relationship built on a specific foundation of give and take, and if she was going to put herself in this situation, knowing she was for our eyes only, then it was time she understood once more that her actions came with consequences.
Oh, I was sure she hadn’t thought the agreement would survive after all of this, but she’d learn soon enough. She always loved to push, knowing what came when she didn’t listen and I knew she would melt into a puddle bent over my knee again. Why she had kept the trial a secret, we still didn’t know, but knowing Mare, it was more than likely some odd way to protect us. The thing was, we protected her. She should have known that back then, and she should—would—know it now. She wasoursweet possession, playing the perfect princess on a stage filled with light. We were the only ones allowed to see her that way.
And so help me fucking God, if she lets one man that isn’t me, Archer, or Jensen touch her … she won't be able to sit for a month.
