My chest tightens. I grab my phone and dial, pressing it hard to my ear.
The phone rings at the other end. Once, twice, a third time before the line clicks as the person on the other end picks up.
“Ah. Reid,” a voice says smoothly. “We speak at last.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
A low chuckle. “You know who I am, and if you’re calling, it means you’re looking for your precious Sierra.”
My grip tightens.
“Well,” he continues, “she’s with me for now.”
Everything in me locks up for a split second. A sharp rush hits my head, my pulse spiking hard enough to make the room tilt—then I force it down.
This can’t be happening.
“Here’s the deal… give me back what belongs to me, and you can have Sierra back safe and sound.”
A pause.
Then, softer, darker.
“If not…”
His laugh is sinister, filled with menace.
“…she and I are going to have a little fun together, capiche?”
CHAPTER 41
Luke
“Another day, another adventure.” I think as I help prepare the salad for today’s dinner.
It’s a relief, there’s no doubt about it. A bit like before and after an appointment at the dentist. We’d been waiting for some kind of action from Amanda’s husband, and we’d known it would probably not be pleasant. Now it’s happened and we don’t have to wait any more. It’s done. Sure, it’s not over, but Amanda has moved on, and the police raid that was presumably arranged by this Barnes asshole has happened.
On my way from the kitchen to the dining room to make sure the table is laid and everything is ready for our first sitting at seven, I spot Reid turning the corner and I cannot help smirking.
Caught you, you dirty scoundrel!
I know exactly where he’s going. Off to have some fun with Sierra, without including anyone else, such as yours truly.
Sierra mentioned she’d like to have a Reiki session today, and I know where that might lead if Reid has anything to do with it. Well, sorry to spoil your plans, Reid, but if you two are going to have some fun together, you’ll have to include me in your games.
I wipe my hands on the apron I am wearing and untie it from around my waist. Discarding it on a side table, and planning to pick it up again later, I follow him as he heads down the corridor, making for Sierra’s bedroom, which of course confirms exactly what I had suspected. He’s going at quite a pace, too.
“What’s the hurry, lover boy?” I smile, muttering the words under my breath. “Desperate for your oats, eh?”
I reach Sierra’s doorway, a smirk planted, ready on my face, fully expecting to see Reid and Sierra in a clinch, but then I stop.
Something is wrong.
Reid is there, standing by Sierra’s bed. But there’s no Sierra. What’s more, Reid’s whole posture is wrong. Tensed up, his back as rigid as a board, every muscle locked tight, like he’s holding himself together by sheer force. It’s not just physical—it’s something darker. Something coiled and dangerous, barely contained. He’s gripping a piece of paper in one hand, and his phone is pressed to his ear. He seems to be listening to whatever the person at the other end of the line is saying, and although I cannot see his face, I can tell Reid’s not happy with what he’s hearing.
Just as I clear my throat to let Reid know I’m there, the person at the other end appears to finish whatever they have been saying, because now it’s Reid’s turn to talk. As he does, he half turns, and I see the tightness of his neck muscles, the set of his jawline, and most of all the flash of fire in his eyes.
“You listen to me, you cock-sucking piece of shit,” he spits into the phone. “If you touch a single hair on her head, I will kill you. Do you understand? Even if you hide, I will scour the earth for you, and I will not stop until I find you and kill you.”