Moses and Jules don’t return to the house until about an hour after I expected them back. I’ve been helping Trey connect the dots, mapping out what we know of Ricardo’s life. So far, all we’ve got is he had a few fuck buddies, liked to party, ate like shit, and wasn’t a very good criminal.
We found this last bit out by googling all the addresses he’d used his GPS to find.
“So that house reported a foiled break-in, that one reported an attempted robbery, and this guy shot at someone in the dark who got away? Ortiz was the most piss-poor crook I’ve ever heard of.”
“But he did manage to get lucky with this one,” Trey says, reading an article on his screen. “Husband found stabbed to death. Wife was arrested but later released when evidence didn’t support the cops’ theory that she was a suspect.”
“Fucking Ricardo,” I say, checking the time again. I didn’t need to bother because the rumble of the SUV comes through the open slider door a moment later.
Trey and I glance expectantly at each other. “They’re back,” we say in unison.
I jump out of my seat, relieved Moses is finally home, because I’ve felt all sorts of unsettled since the minute he walked out the door. But when he walks in, my stomach twists into a knot at the expression on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
He closes his eyes for a beat before finally meeting my gaze. “Got some bad news, mama. You’re gonna want to sit down for it.”
My entire body stiffens. “Why? What happened? Just tell me. You’re freaking me out right now.”
Moses comes toward me and pulls me against him. “We went by your old place. The house.”
“What? Is Desiree okay?” My heart thunders in my chest, and I hold my breath. When he just shakes his head, my heart catches in my throat. “Fuck. Fuck. Just tell me, Moses. My brain is going all over the place right now. Whatever you’ve got to say, it can’t be worse than what I’m imagining.”
He dips his head forward, touching his forehead to mine. “It was bad, mama. We got in and out. Called the cops on an anonymous tip line.”
A shudder works through his body, and fear floods my veins.
“Jesus Christ. What happened to her?”
Moses lifts his head away from mine, and then slowly shakes it back and forth. “You don’t want to know. But ... she’s gone. It washim... and she’s fucking gone.”
For the first time since this whole fucking thing started, tears stream down my face. “No!” I clench my hands into fists and pound them against Moses’s chest as agony rips through me. “No! This isn’t fucking fair! She didn’t do anything to anyone! What the fuck?”
Moses holds me while I rage and cry and scream until my throat goes hoarse. When I tire myself out, he cups the back of my head and brings it against his chest.
For several long moments, I stand there depleted, scared, and fucking livid.
I suck in a snuffling breath. “What the fuck are we going to do? This has to end. We have to fucking end this. Desiree didn’t do anything. This shouldn’t have touched her. He’s gotta fucking die. I’m gonna fucking kill him myself.”
My phone vibrates on the table, and Moses glances over at it. “Keira. You want to talk to her?”
My body vibrates with aching wrath, and the last thing I want to do is dump it all on Keira. “I don’t know.”
“I called Mount on the way back here. Told him what happened. She might already know. Talk to her, mama. Talk to your friend.”
He picks up the phone and offers it to me. My hand shakes as I take it from him and tap the screen before it stops vibrating.
“Hey,” I say, my voice raw.
“Oh my God, Mags. I just heard. I’m so sorry. I know you and Desiree were close.” She sounds utterly sympathetic and likely on the verge of tears herself.
“Yeah,” I say, not sure how else to reply.
“You’re not okay, so I’m not going to ask. But ... I really, really want you and Moses to come stay with us. Lachlan agrees. Whoever this guy is, he’s not stopping until he finds you, and I’m not losing you.” She’s rambling, and her voice rises when she begs, “Please, just say yes. Please.”
I know my man won’t leave anyone behind. “There’s more than just me and Moses. We’ve got two of his guys too.”
“You’re all welcome. We have plenty of room. Andno onecan get to you here. It’s literally the safest place in the entire city. Hell, the entire planet.”