Mistake Me Not

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Nothing was said until they rolled up in the street Lacie and Ryder had fled days before. Sorcha hadn’t been awake for long; her epic yawn was matched by a feline stretch.

“This is it?” Sorcha asked. “Doesn’t strike me as Bruce’s style.”

“Right there,” Lacie said, pointing to the communal entrance that she hadn’t known would be recognizable until laying eyes on it.

It flooded back like a lucid nightmare she’d much rather forget.

Shep got out of the car to stretch his legs. Not to be outdone, Sorcha bounded out immediately after him. Lacie was in no rush to leave the vehicular sanctuary and was grateful that Ryder stayed in his seat too. After his own examination of the building, he turned to her.

“Do you want to make out?” she asked.

The joke was feeble even to her own ears.

“You can stay right here,” Ryder said. “You don’t have to set foot inside. I’ll lock the door and—”

“You’re not going in there without me. If I stay here, you stay here.”

“Do you want Sorcha upstairs with only Shep for protection?”

“Do you want me down here with no one?” Lacie asked.

Ryder looked around. “No, I don’t. I don’t like anything about this. I don’t work like this.”

“Ryder,” she yelped, bouncing to the front of the seat when she saw Shep and Sorcha heading for the door.

“Wait here,” he said and left the car.

Lacie wanted to follow but didn’t want to add to the chaos. They’d all been so wrapped up in their own issues that no one had thought to discuss their non-existent plan. Except now, Ryder was taking obvious control. With a few words, he had Sorcha scurrying back to the car while he and Shep kept talking.

“We’ve to wait in here,” Sorcha said, climbing back into the car at her side.

They sat for a moment while the men spoke then Shep stayed put and Ryder came back to the car. Sorcha rolled the window down as Ryder ducked to talk to them through the space.

“We’re going to go up alone. You two stay here. If there’s any trouble, hit the horn and we’ll be back in a flash. Keep the doors locked and the windows up.”

He spoke to both of them but looked more at her. Yet there was a detachment in his stature. When he turned away, Sorcha began rolling up the window, but Lacie wasn’t placated.

Grabbing for the door, she popped it open. “Stay,” she said to Sorcha while leaping from the car and slamming the door behind her.

The men paused to see her rush over.

“I’m coming,” she insisted.

“No,” Ryder said, taking her arm and guiding her round as though to take her back to the car, but she yanked her arm free from his grip.

“You don’t trust him,” she said, pointing to Shep who watched on. “He won’t have your back. I won’t let you walk in there alone.”

“Baby—”

“No,” she said, shrugging away from his reach. “I’m coming up.”

“Do you remember what happened the last time you were up there, do you?” he argued. “I will not put you in that kind of danger!”

This argument shouldn’t he held there when they may be ambushed at any time. So instead of vocalizing her concerns and wasting time, she skirted around Ryder and got as far as Shep when Ryder caught her up.

“I’m going up.”

Whipping her off her feet, Ryder pinned her to the wall. Lacie struggled until he pushed closer.

“You’re waiting here,” he said. “You’re staying here to be my back-up. My phone is in the duffel. If we’re not back in five minutes, you phone the police and call the contact SW, okay?”

“I don’t want you up there alone,” she murmured, sliding her hands to his face.

“I’ll come back to you, baby, every time,” he said. “Trust me.”

Clinging to him, she held him close, then released him enough to kiss the mouth so central to her pleasure last night. Hopefully it would do the same on some nights in the future.

“Come home,” she murmured to which he nodded while setting her on her feet.

“Do I get one?” Shep asked.

Ryder shoved him up the stairs and glanced at her before continuing on up himself.

She listened to their footsteps until she couldn’t hear anymore. Going back to the street, Sorcha sat eagerly staring out of the car. Lacie gave her a smile, but stayed on the asphalt, pacing, while craning her ear for sounds of aggression or distress.

Her heartbeat echoed in her ears with the reverberation of her footsteps on the sidewalk. Her watch beat each second on the clock, a foot closer, each step a moment in time longer than the rest, dragging out their time apart, their distance. A sound above made her pause. She tipped her head to see Ryder looking down at her.

“They’ve cleared out,” he said. “Come on up.”

Lacie made a stop at the car for Ryder’s phone and for Sorcha. The pair went up the stairs. Sorcha seemed eager to get to the apartment, but the place gave Lacie chills. As if he had known of her anxiety, Ryder was in the doorway waiting for her. Sorcha bounded past him, exuberant that her adventure was progressing.

“Did they leave anything?” she asked him.

“I’ve looked through what’s left in the trash, but the place is bare.”

“Just like it was,” she said.

The furniture was sparse when they’d been here the last time. The room they’d been in hadn’t had a thing in it.

“Do you want to come in?” he asked. “You don’t have to.”

“We’re a team,” she said.

“Yes, we are,” he said, giving her a kiss then taking her hand to guide her inside.

They spent almost half an hour looking for any hint of where the men had gone, or what they had been up to. But there was nothing of evidential value beneath the takeaway trays.

“What now?” Sorcha asked when they got back to the street.

“Now we follow the money,” Ryder said. “I spoke to Toby last night. There are a few leads though there are more than a few walls in the way.”

“That means someone doesn’t want to be snooped on,” Shep said.

“Yes,” Ryder said. “Which means when we break through the encryptions, we’ll get answers.”

“So we just wait?” Sorcha asked.

“We’ll get answers,” Lacie said. “But there’s no point hanging around here.”

“What an anti-c****x,” Sorcha huffed.

Shep and Ryder shared a look over the car when they held the doors for the women. Lacie caught it but said nothing.

The drive was as silent as it had been before they arrived. There was some chit-chat about the traffic. Shep put on the radio, and they chatted about some items on the news. After that, silence fell over them again.

“We have to find him before next Friday,” Sorcha said.

“Your parents anniversary bash,” Lacie said.

“Yes,” Sorcha said. “Then it’s Sadie’s birthday the following week. Are you coming to the spa weekend?”

“I don’t know,” Lacie said, wishing the silence back.

“You can’t leave me alone with my sister and her friends.”

“Sadie and I don’t get along at the best of times.”

“She’ll be thrilled to have you,” Sorcha said. “It’s all about her, remember?”

“Beth is over that week,” Lacie said.

“Not until the Monday,” Sorcha said. “And she’s only coming for a few days.”

“I’ll wait and see. I have that meeting with Darwin next weekend.”

“Are you expecting to accept his offer?” Sorcha asked, shocked at the notion.

“I don’t expect anything.”

“You don’t even like Darwin,” Sorcha said. “He tried to feel you up at the opening.”

“Which is why I don’t like those things,” Lacie said in jest. Sorcha didn’t laugh and neither did Ryder who turned to her in the same moment. “What? You’re coming with me.”

“Did you tell him about Jimmy?” Sorcha asked, picking invisible lint from her skirt.

“Leave Jimmy out of this,” Lacie said. “He’s harmless.”

“Who’s Jimmy?” Ryder asked.

“An undergrad working with the gallery in town. He’s like her puppy dog whenever she’s in to see Monty, the curator. He’s adorable… he probably won’t like you though. You’re getting access to the underwear he’s been thinking about for months while j*********f,” Sorcha said.

“Don’t,” Lacie said. “It makes me uncomfortable when you joke like that. He’s a sweetheart.”

Sorcha leaned forward toward Ryder. “She’s so naive.”

“What about you?” Lacie asked Ryder.

“What about me?”

“You’re learning all about my life…” Lacie said.

“Good point,” Sorcha said, following Lacie’s lead just as she knew she could rely on her friend to do. “You can’t expect to just move into our Lacie’s life. We have a strict screening process.”

“We do?” Lacie asked. “Has it ever been effective?”

“We stepped it up after Matt.”

“Might have been a good idea to do it before then,” Lacie said.

“Who is Matt and what did he do to you?” Ryder demanded.

“Uh-uh,” Sorcha said. “We’re not answering any more questions about Lacie until we learn more about you. Are you sticking around or are you going to break her heart? Because if it’s the latter you can get lost right now, and we can jet off to Cancun.”

“Carlos,” Lacie said, seeing through her friend’s motive. “Is that where you went?”

“I love his casa,” Sorcha said.

“How many men have you got on the go, sugar-hips? Shep asked.

“No one’s talking to you,” Sorcha sniped.

“Carlos is her cousin,” Lacie explained.

“No more information,” Sorcha said, taking Lacie’s hand on the center seat. “He hasn’t answered the question yet.”

“He’s not going to tell you that he’s playing her,” Shep said. “He’ll just stop calling like every other man on the planet would.”

“Actions speak louder than words,” Lacie said.

“Ask him about Tammy,” Shep said.

“Who is Tammy?” Sorcha asked Ryder.

“His ex-girlfriend,” Shep answered for him. “Super-hot, supermodel type, smokin’, I’m telling you.”

“So?” Sorcha demanded at Shep’s salacious suggestion.

Lacie wriggled deeper into her seat. A woman like that would know how to do things to a man that Lacie had never heard of.

“I’m telling you,” Shep said. “She was every man’s wet dream. He probably had to blackmail her into bed. How did you get her into bed? You were on the job, right? Did you d**g her?”

“How many times did you meet Tammy?” Ryder asked Shep. “Two or three times max.”

“I didn’t have to meet her. No guy cares what comes out of the mouth of a woman like that, unless it’s his c**k then pumping its way back in.”

“Lovely,” Sorcha said.

“True story,” Shep said. “Ask him about his g**g of eight. Ask him about their work off the books.”

“Full of yourself now,” Ryder warned. “But you’ll have to stop this car eventually.”

“What have you got yourself involved in, Lace?” Sorcha asked. “You thought my taste in men was risqué, you’ve got yourself a thug. Every woman loves a bad boy, how lucky are you? Maybe he could beat the crap out of Matt for you.”

“This conversation is entirely inappropriate,” Lacie said.

“That’s Lacie’s way of saying she’s creeped out,” Sorcha said. “How long will it take for you to find Bruce?”

“Who are you talking to?” Lacie asked.

The men looked at each other. Lacie would swear the scent of testosterone ratcheted up.

“I don’t care who finds him so long as someone does.”

“I’ll find him for you, sweetheart,” Shep said.

“You’re doing such a great job so far,” Ryder said.

“I’m working off your sketchy information,” Shep said.

“You didn’t consider getting any of your own?”

“You boys better play nice,” Sorcha said. “There will be a very big check at the end of this for whoever gets the information about where he is and what he’s up to.”

“You want accurate information,” Lacie said.

“Sure,” Sorcha said. “But there’s nothing wrong with a little healthy competition.”

They turned into Lacie’s street. A moment later, Shep stopped the car and jumped out to rush them all out of his car, probably so he could get back to the investigation. When everyone had piled out and retrieved their bags, Sorcha lifted a hand.

“I want a meeting tomorrow,” Sorcha said. “And I’ll expect an answer. Shep’s office at noon.”

Shep jumped back into his car and sped away down her street.

Sorcha took Lacie’s hand. “Girl’s night! Only you can make me feel better.”

Lacie knew what that meant. The rest of the day would be pedicures and cocktails… virgin.

“Okay,” Lacie said. “Give me a minute.”

Sorcha glanced at Ryder, then went into Lacie’s place using her own key.

Ryder threw his bag into his truck. “Seems I’m not the one who is going to have the trouble sharing,” he said. “I thought we could do dinner.”

“She’s going through a tough time. I know she isn’t always easy, but she’s scared. I don’t envy her position. I would be terrified.”

“You’ll never be in that position,” he said, gathering her into his arms.

“I envy your confidence.”

“I’ll never be mixed up in anything that could endanger you. And for sure you’ll never be in her condition without me at your side.”

“We haven’t really had a chance to… talk about this.”

“We could do that tonight,” he said. “I’ve got a big bed and a great view… I can light a few candles…”

“I don’t know how long Sorcha will want to stay. She might sleep over.”

“I’d be a lot more fun,” he said, teasing.

She didn’t get the sense he was offended. He meant what he was saying yet didn’t begrudge her Sorcha. That made Lacie like him even more.

“You’re very patient,” she said, lifting her elbows to his shoulders when he leaned against his truck, stooping lower. “Can I take a rain-check or is it a limited time offer?”

“Take whatever time you need,” he said, gathering her hair in his hands and using it to pull her head back.

“We probably shouldn’t make out on the street,” she said.

“Probably not,” he said, edging his mouth closer. “The truck’s right here. Got time for a quickie?”

When she laughed, he closed the last of the space between their lips, tasting her so thoroughly that the idea of sneaking him in through her bedroom window seemed an appealing option.

“I’ll call you tonight,” he said.

She shook her head. “Let me call you.”

“Uh-oh,” he said then kissed her again.

“I’m not going to blow you off,” she said.

“Sure, not out here on the street.”

“Would you stop teasing me for a second,” she said, smiling. “I’ll phone you when I get a break from Sorcha. I know it seems silly, but…”

“But?”

“I’m not wild about flaunting any happiness I might have just now while her life is so… all over the place.”

“Okay,” he said. “I better get back to the office and work on locating this guy.”

“You weren’t tempted by the check,” she said, watching him open the driver’s door.

“No,” he said. “But if we get her life in order, we can flaunt whenever the hell we want.”

He got in the truck and started it up while buzzing the window down. “You be careful,” she said, curling her fingers around the door over the slit the window had just disappeared into.

“I’m going to be sitting at a desk, baby,” he said, but accepted her kiss.

“I’ve heard RSI can be a real pain.”

“True,” he said. “But I’ve got you now. All of those worries are in the past.”

He winked and she took the leg of his aviators from her cleavage to slide them onto his face.

“I’ll phone you later.”

She kissed him again and backed off. With a wave, he disappeared out of her street. Lacie had an evening with Sorcha ahead, though she wished she’d been in that truck at his side. Telling herself that she would have time with him when this was over was a consolation, but not much of one. Still, she wasn’t the type to turn her back on her truest friend. She certainly wouldn’t just because she had a man of her own.

As it happened, Sorcha did go home. After midnight. By the time Lacie got her friend into a taxi and on the road, she decided it wouldn’t be fair to keep Ryder awake one night, then wake him up in the small hours the following night with a phone call. While getting ready for bed, she made up her mind to phone him in the morning, first thing, as soon as she woke up.

Sorcha had departed in a better mood, which at least meant Lacie’s sacrifice of time with Ryder was worth it. Lacie recognized her own exhaustion and the aches in her body for what they were: overexertion. The reminder of their carnal antics warmed her; she treasured every twinge.

For once, she got to sleep relatively quickly, or she assumed she did. When she opened her eyes, the numbers on her alarm said three eighteen. Sometimes her insomnia struck that way. She could close her eyes and go to sleep but would wake up a couple of hours later and be wide awake. Except, she still felt tired and hadn’t woken with the usual energy that told her sleep was history.

A creak came from somewhere within her apartment. She sat up in bed. Her insomnia hadn’t woken her at all. Another sound drew her focus around, but that noise wasn’t the same as the first. This was like a click and the slide of something metallic: her front door.

Instantly, Lacie was off the bed and on her feet but didn’t know where to go. Her bedroom window was on the same wall as the living room one, and the communal entrance door. Going to that might alert whoever was breaking in to her being awake.

Her parent’s house had been broken into when she was a teenager. She hadn’t slept for months after that. Therapists that she spoke to now attributed her insomnia to that incident. Afterward, her family had moved, but it didn’t matter. They’d been violated in their safe space and that didn’t go away in a hurry.

Looking from one side of the room to the other, she recognized her options were slim… her gaze snagged on the floor. Without thinking again, she shifted the edge of the rug and got the trapdoor open just enough to squeeze through. Using a loose thread, she pulled the rug back into position as best she could.

Getting herself into the dark corner of the unlit, windowless room, her fears were confirmed. Heavy footsteps echoed from above. While she couldn’t tell exactly how many people there were, there was more than one, more than two, and likely more than three. The footfalls stopped and there was some mumbling she couldn’t make out.

Pulling her knees to her chest, Lacie cursed herself for never getting a phone line installed down there. With no exit, she could have just chosen her own tomb. If they found her down there, she could fight. She had a few tools that could inflict some damage, but if they had guns… or numbers.

“Lacie Louise!”

That was when her blood froze. Her mouth sealed itself over her arms, still holding her knees up.

“We’re here for you! Where are you, Sweet-Cheeks?”

Her body locked itself in a spasm because she knew that voice. Her nightmare had invaded her home.

“Bruce told us we’d find you here! Where are you, Sweet-Cheeks? Boss doesn’t want you out and about! You’ve seen us all now, little one! Why don’t you come back to us, Sweet-Cheeks! We’ll look after you! You’re part of our g**g now!”

More mumbling followed a laugh and then there was a crash like something being pushed over. Glass shattered. Mumbling. When they spoke to each other, the bass of their voices carried, but she wasn’t sure of specifics. In a break-in, she would assume that burglars would try not to make noise. It was something of a contradiction that these guys weren’t conscious of their voices. One of them had shouted, and from the sound of things the place we being trashed.

She hadn’t moved in long ago, but she’d never be able to sleep here again. All she could hope was that the g**g left some of her things intact. But when the mumbling stopped, the crashing carried on.

Closing her eyes, Lacie let her head fall back. Tactless, or inexperienced, whichever one it was, they must have assumed that she wasn’t there. They hadn’t spent much time looking for her and her place wasn’t exactly a palace to get lost in. If you took the apartment at face-value, hiding places were scarce. Her love of her sanctuary had just saved her life. She was sure of it.