For the Fight (Romantic Suspense) (Beyond Blood, #2) (8 page)

I topped the last basement step, breaking into the main bar area. Kite and Jacob stood at a table, far in a corner as if there was anyone else inside. There wasn't. “Did you find him?” I blurted, approaching them.

They were hunched together, watching me expectantly. My blood was pumping, then boiling, when Jacob handed me a large envelope. “Look at that, and you can tell us.”

Fuck, I was shivering. Opening the package was a challenge. Flicking the top back, I gripped the sheet of paper inside and slid it into the light. I didn't know if I was going to vomit or cheer or just start laughing insanely.

The black and white photo was old. It had been printed recently, crisp and unmarked. It was a single face, close up and zoomed in. Blurry, but I didn't need detail. One look at those eyes, and I knew. Even with a filling replacing his once upon a time gap-tooth, I fucking knew.

In my hands, I crushed down on the paper and tore the edges. “Tell me where he is.”

“I take that to mean it's the man we want,” Jacob said calmly.

I shot my glare at him, knew I was speaking too fast—too anxious. “Where is he, Jacob. Tell me where he is and what the fuck his name is.” God, it was him. It was really him. In my hands, I held the mugshot of a monster.

“Take a breath and chill out,” Kite said. He reached for me, tried to grab my shoulders and soothe me.

I shoved him away, lips pulled back over my snarling teeth. “No! You got this photo, you must know his name! I paid you, right? Do your part and
tell me!
” In my mind, all I could see were her eyes. Wet, wide eyes that fixed on me and saw me. A little girl who realized I couldn't save her. How could I have? I was six years old, what was I going to do?

But she'd watched me. Cece had known I was there in that closet.

She'd known I was a coward.

“Shit!” Kite hissed, gripping me under my arms when I fell. I didn't remember falling, but the edges of my vision were a black sinkhole. He was warm against me, my cheek on his bare shoulder until he settled me into the booth. Someone went to take the photo from my fingers; I dug in, a death grip. They stopped trying.

“Breathe,” Jacob instructed. He bent over me, his familiar scent filling my head. I was dizzy, though the humiliation of nearly fainting grounded me. Sitting up, I put the photo between my knees so I could grab the glass of water Kite handed me. I wasn't giving the picture up. It was the closest thing to proof—physical proof—that my memory of that murderer was real.

The two men sat across from me, their eyes wary and unsure. Wiping my mouth, I put the glass on the table as steadily as possible. It still trembled, which I hated. “I'm fine. Stop looking at me like that.”

“You nearly fainted, you're not fine,” Jacob said.

My attention swayed to him, sticking on his subtle frown like glue. I wanted to watch him for a reaction. “Of course I nearly fainted. You found the man I'm after. Tell me who he is, Jacob.”

His inhale made his tie ripple upwards. He was dressed like he was ready for a fancy party. His composure was infuriating. “I only have the photo. I don't know his name.”

I thought I was going to pass out again. I reached for the glass, stopped when I saw how my arm vibrated. I didn't want them to see me so unstable. “How?” I asked, begging my voice to become crisp and accusing. “I don't get how you could get a photo and not his name?”

“I met with a man who had heard of your murderer. He knew about Frankie and the insurance bullying.” Jacob sat next to me, his arm on the cushion over my head. “All he could give me was a printed photo, but trust me, Marina... with this we can find out who he is.”

Looking him in the eye, those soft, baby-blue centers that didn't fit who Jacob was, I tried to see into his head. Was he lying? I couldn't say. Not knowing was awful, but... holding the envelope, the photo of the man I was after, started giving me new strength. “It took four days to get this photo?” I asked cautiously.

Jacob didn't move a muscle. “Yes.”

Glancing at Kite, I spotted how he was standing there with his hands deep in his pockets. He looked at me, forced a small smile.

I swear, they knew something I didn't, but...

“Alright,” I said, finally able to drink the water without spilling it. It was soothing on my throat. I drank until it was nearly empty, breathing out in a rush. “Thank you for finding his picture, Jacob. I mean that.” His gentle smile dug at my defenses. I kept my tone casual. “You must have gone through a lot to get this. Four days is a long time.”

The edges of his eyebrows dipped. “Indeed, it is.”

Fuck. What did that mean and why was he looking at me like that? His eyes flashed, a finger rubbing the indent of his lower lip. He was taunting me. I had to resist reaching up, my own lips buzzing with the memory of his rough kiss.

Kite stepped in, putting a new glass in front of me. This one was darker, he offered a similar drink to Jacob. “Let's celebrate,” he said, beaming proudly. His knuckles stood out against the amber liquid, catching the low lights. The letters of his tattoo were engraved like forgotten names on old gravestones. “Step one is complete, we have a lead on this guy.”

“You're right,” Jacob agreed. Both of them sat on either side of me in the booth, sandwiching me. I had no where to go, my skull throbbing with their combined voices and scents.

When the glasses were raised, I shook myself and smiled.
Yes, this is worth celebrating.
We were some perverse version of the Three Musketeers, our glasses raised to clink together in unison.

Something warm touched me on my left. Glancing down, I spotted Jacob's leg against my thigh. Before I could think of how to react, Kite put his hand on my shoulder. Goosebumps ran outward. My flesh was a security system, warning me I was under attack from all angles. What the hell were these two men thinking?

Strangling my glass, I chugged it back and emptied it in one go. “Well!” I coughed, tears burning from the harsh alcohol—I thought it was whiskey. “Uh, now that we have a photo of him, what do we do next?”

Pushing his empty glass aside, Kite leaned across me, speaking to Jacob. “While you were gone, we finished the move out process.”

He nodded, one blue eye rolling my way, then back to his friend. “So everything is packed up?”

“She has a new bag of stuff at my place, but otherwise, yeah.”

I didn't like how they were ignoring me. I also didn't like how light-headed I was getting from the pressure of the both of them forcing their warmth on me. Tapping the glass, pretending it was a gavel, I finally had them staring. “I said,
what
do we do next?”

Kite tilted his drink, frowning at the air inside. “The next step is more research. We need to find out where this guy is.”

“And
who
he is,” Jacob added flatly.

“Right.” Kite stared at his hands, focusing there. “Yeah, that too.”

Wriggling in place, I tried to subtly indicate I wanted them to let me up. Neither of them budged. “Fine. Let's go do some research. I can start showing this picture around.”

Jacob's chuckle was velvet and ice. “That's a great way to let him know someone is after him.”

Their cavalier attitude was getting under my skin. “You two know how badly I want to find this man. I've been sitting on my hands since the start, I want to take some action. To be proactive.”

“You weren't doing nothing,” Kite said with a shrug. “I took you shooting. That was something.”

“Yes,” I agreed, my thankful smile a little weak. “I appreciated it. And I'll need more lessons. But right now, I want to start looking for this man.” Gripping the envelope, I brought it up between us.

Jacob was too fast. The paper left my fingers, stolen by his. My mouth fell open, gawking at how he held it tightly and out of reach. “You really want to look for him, today, instead of doing something more relaxing?”

I couldn't take my stare off of that envelope. It was like Jacob had taken my limbs, my guts. My soul. I needed it back and I
knew
he realized it. “Yes.” I licked my dry lips. “I would rather look for him than relax.”

There was a sly edge to Jacob's grin. “Fine. Maybe I've heard where he'll be tonight.”

He offered the picture. I took it back, clutching it to my chest. He was so close to me, I noticed the freshness of his skin. He'd taken a shower before he came here. The edge of his collar was still damp. My tongue was wooden.
I might see this monster in person... tonight?
“Where?” I whispered.

“You said you didn't put everything in storage. Do you own any fancy dresses?”

Warily, I shook my chin side to side. “What? No, I don't own anything like that.”

Looking over my head, Jacob winked at Kite. “Then we're going to need to fix that.”

Marina

––––––––

I
couldn't sit still. Even as the silver vehicle drove languidly down to the shopping center, I could do nothing but fidget in the heated seat. Jacob's car was familiar to me, Kite had driven it the first night I'd met them. But Jacob himself had never been in it, not with me.

Now, he sat inches away, reclining comfortably like driving was second nature to him. Soft, classical music flowed from the speakers. Outside, the world was dreary and limp; chilly.

In our private little pocket, the air was wild fire.

I'd almost started to understand Kite. How to handle him, what to expect. It wasn't perfect, but it gave me some stability. With Jacob, nothing existed in my mind but dark whispers and deft fingers. A single salty, cruel kiss.

I didn't know either of them, not exactly...

But Jacob was mystery given form.

Digging my nails into the seat belt, I fought to find words. Why did he make me so nervous?
Because the last time you were alone with him, he snatched you up and made you bleed.
What was worse, was that I'd loved it.

Lost in thought, I tumbled around the reason we were driving at all. Jacob's plan had sounded insane when he proposed it, but it had been my fault it came up. I wanted to take action. He offered me the chance. “So,” I said, hating how hollow that single word sounded, “You really think he'll be at this thing tonight?”

Jacob turned us into the parking lot of a large shopping mall. “I can't say. It's just something I was told.”

“By who?” I asked, giving in to my anxiety.

He cut the engine. The sound died, no longer able to hide my nervous breathing. Fuck, I needed to get it together. Jacob didn't make it easy, not with how he faced me and reminded me how blue his god damn eyes were. “I don't know who,” he said carefully. “I didn't meet them face to face.”

Shaking my head, I wrinkled my eyebrows. “The internet told you our mystery man was going to be at some posh event tonight?”

His teeth were slow to show, but when they did, I couldn't help but think of deadly fangs. Even his laugh was jagged. “What are you fishing for, Marina? Are you trying to figure out if I know more than I'm telling you?”

I hesitated, then gave up. “Yeah. Pretty much.”

“Still don't trust me?” he whispered. He was referencing our last meeting.

I didn't want to be reminded—didn't need to be. I had a hard enough time forgetting that morning. “I feel like... you're leaving things out. You were gone for four days, Jacob. What did you do that whole time?”

His lips curled at the sides. “It isn't important. Even if I wasn't saying everything, what would it matter? All you have to go on is what I've found so far. Right?”

Of course he was right. “Fine,” I said, looking out at the parking lot. I didn't want to see his face. Not when I braced myself for my next question. “Did you... do something terrible?”

The silence was long and stifling. I felt the molecules in my ears, the hairs on the backs of my arms. If I didn't see his eyes... maybe I could free myself of the burden. If he'd hurt someone—or done worse—to get me closer to my revenge, it would have been hard to handle. But I had  goal. I'd accept anything if it got me closer to it.

I told you. Sometimes, I'm a coward.

I waited for Jacob to answer me, and I came close to glancing over and ruining the opportunity I had given him to lie. His voice was gentle, emotionless. “Yes. I did a few terrible things.”

Fingers touched my elbow. Jumping, I spun to find him inches away from me. The intensity that hid under his surface was peeking at me through a thin curtain. “Marina,” he said in a throaty hush. “If I lie to you... lie for you, and the result is the same, will it matter?”

Jesus, the structure of my spine was giving out. “I don't want you to lie,” I said. “I'm honestly scared of the truth. I'm worried about what you did.”

The side of his lips went up, an invisible wire pulling it towards one ear. “You, scared? I can't believe that.” He still held my elbow, fingers doing nothing but
feeling
me. “Let me keep my secrets. Please. I prefer it that way.”

“Secrets I can understand. If I quit probing, can you tell me this much? You really
are
planning to find this guy for me, right?”

He ran a finger over his chest. “Cross my heart, I promise. You'll know his name soon enough.”

There was a fierce urge building in me. I focused on pushing it down. Thinking of Kite, of how it could only hurt him if I gave in to this insane, yanking ache for his friend, gave me just enough strength. Another moment, I might have crumbled and kissed Jacob. Me, the one initiating it this time. I wasn't proud of my desire.

Jacob spared me the conflict. Opening the car door, he eyed the sky. “It might rain, we should hurry.”

Nodding, I followed him out. “Will you let Kite know where we are so he can meet us?”

“He's sure to find us after he gets his own shopping done.”

“You trust him to buy the right stuff for tonight?” I teased, hoping to erase my awkward mood. “Seems like you have to do everything for him.”

Snorting, Jacob held the door for me so I could walk into the sprawling mall. “He's capable of dressing himself. I suggested he try to emulate me.” Tugging at his vest, Jacob preened. He was playing around, but I could have watched him adjusting the bits and bobs of his three piece suit for hours.