From Winter's Ashes: Girl Next Door Crime Romance Series - Book Two (32 page)

But she couldn’t form the right words. Wasn’t sure there were any. And in the span of a heartbeat, his eyes widened as if enlightened with the truth. “Let’s go.”

He withdrew the arms that seemed to have been holding her together, and she felt the jumble of her insides threaten another meltdown. Taking her hand, he started toward the truck parked at the end of the street.

Sal mumbled under his breath,
“I’m gonna beat the living—
”

An explosion of ultraviolet light blasted from the ground—the blinding supernova sent them stumbling back onto the dank pavement.

“What the—” Sal’s curse scattered into the sound of a gunned engine.

Joselyn groped the ground, the slushy compost seeping through her dress. When she righted herself a world of mocking darkness toyed with her senses as her eyes continued to absorb the shock of the blast.

Rubber screamed on the water to her right, she bolted to her left.

“Joselyn, hit the ground, I can’t see!” Sal roared with authority that literally loosed her knees and sent her colliding again with the road. A spray of gunfire ricocheted off the walls, bounding the piercing sound back from every direction. But the spitting bullets rained on, pelting metal and glass on the approaching vehicle.

The charge of the engine tickled the fine hairs on the back of her neck as if it was passing over her. Hugging the asphalt, Joselyn jerked her hands up to cover her head, wishing she could see something.

Oh, God. I’m going to die.

“Run!”

Joselyn’s heart crashed as the undeniable sound of the battle between man and automobile ended with a thud and a life-releasing grunt.

No!
A breathless scream choked in her throat. Overrun with a jolt of terror, she leapt to her feet.

Sal was dead. She sensed his life slipping away as if she were holding his heart in her hands.

Honoring his last request, she ran. Aimlessly. Miniscule blips of her surroundings crept into the corners of her blinded eyes. The engine noise revived from its idle.

And when she felt the heat of the engine, it was as if the devil himself breathed on her neck. She knew it was all going to end any second.

Oh, God, please. I don’t know why but somehow this is about me. Don’t let Sal die. Forgiv—

Whack! Black ink bled back into her eyes as something landed with a crack against her skull. Receding into a pit of emptiness, she fell into someone’s arms.

But unlike the peace she’d felt in the arms of her rescuer that first night in the fire, these arms felt like fury. Like pain and hopelessness.

Like a kiss of certain death.

Chapter 41

Finn Carson

Cody raped me, Finn.

For as long as he lived, Finn would never hear words that could dismantle him as much as these. He couldn’t untangle his mind from her words, couldn’t shake away the catatonic shock that gripped him when her confession delivered the fatal blow in his quest for redemption. This was a prison of guilt he would never escape.

Something cruel and vicious on Cody’s face from prom night looped back on the live feed in Finn’s head, tipping him off about ten years too late.

Cody. Finn’s best friend since kindergarten. Who’d been as close as a brother.

Cody had raped and assaulted Joselyn. Practically bragged to Finn’s face about how easily she’d come on to him for weeks after that night, slamming her character and her performance with crude frankness until Finn begged him to stop.

How could he have been so blind?

“It’s all my fault.”
Not only was he
not
a hero, he was the villain. He’d hand delivered her to the enemy.

He felt sick.

He needed to sit, except …

In an instant, the past clicked back into its place, and Joselyn’s absence from the hotel room registered with a spurt of panic. He cursed his stupidity.

Cramming his feet into his shoes, Finn left everything but his gun. Swiping it off the nightstand, he tucked the pistol into his waistband at his back and bolted from the room.

His open shirt flapped like wings as he sprinted to the elevator. The screen adorning each door showed that one car had passed the eleventh floor and was continuing its ascent and the other was in the lobby.

Scrambling to the stairwell, Finn vaulted down each flight of stairs, shooting his gaze down the open spiral core for any glimpse of movement.

Where were those men that had been chasing them?

More importantly, where was Joselyn?

Dammit!

As he made his descent to the ground level, time slowed—taunting his too-little, too-late effort to save the day, again.

First he tries to save the girl. In all his runaway passion he almost takes advantage of her at the worst possible time. And then in his knee-jerk reaction to do right by her, he insults her in the most tactless way imaginable.

I’m not like you?
Could he have conjured worse words in that moment?

Oh,
and the hurt etched into that beautiful face. Not only from his thoughtless words but from her heartbreaking confession.

Finn couldn’t erase it from his mind. Those bright amethyst eyes turning gray and lifeless. The carefully cool mask she wore to hide the hurt he’d caused all those years ago.

It all made sense. Her reaction to Cody in Finn’s apartment, her trepidation to Finn’s anger when they were locked in the panic room—she had been attacked, imprisoned, abused for a night of emotional and physical torture.

And Finn, being a proud and dense jerk, had not only put her there but had bought in to every line of Cody’s masterful deceit.

How different things might have been had Finn only heeded his father’s advice about the truth? How different Joselyn’s life might be without having suffered such a defining act of violence?

Dear Mom,

Something happened. I have no one, I’ve lost everything … and nobody cares. I’m thinking I’d rather be with you.

The words from Joselyn’s diary wrapped like fingers around his neck and shook him to the bone.

She was haunted still. Might have even tried to take her own life. Something that traumatic couldn’t easily be erased or reconciled.

“Joselyn, forgive me.” He breathed the words into existence. Praying she might somehow be able overcome the devastating consequences of his stupidity. Yes, Cody’s violence had caused this. But knowing Finn could have prevented it brought his every inadequacy to the surface.

If he could have one more chance, Finn would stop at nothing to earn her trust, protect her, and show her exactly how much he’d always loved her.

Would it be enough?

Well, he’d been trying to barter for forgiveness for all his mistakes so far and that wasn’t going so well.

But with that thought, something invaded Finn’s spirit. Some awakening that was nearly impossible to explain but irrefutable nonetheless.

He needed saving.

Not only today in this crisis, but every moment of every day.

All his life he’d been trying to prove himself worthy, but the truth was, he’d been found worthy all along. It wasn’t about being brave enough or strong enough, because when it came right down to it, it wasn’t about him at all.
When I am weak, you are strong.
The words nestled into his most vulnerable places, packing into the wounds that had robbed him of his true strength and now readied him for battle. He was made for this. To be a warrior. To stand strong against whatever giants stood in his path and keep on fighting
.

And that was exactly what he intended to do. He’d fight it all. The doubt, the fears, the failures. The enemies, in his head and in the flesh. Because somehow he knew, though the battle was just beginning, the war was already won.

The ballroom, the restrooms, the lobby with all those reporters—Joselyn was nowhere to be found.

He must look like a lunatic, but he didn’t care. Joselyn’s safety was the only thing that mattered. So where was she?

Realizing it should have been his first line of defense, he slipped into a quiet hallway lined with small offices and placed a call to Archer.

Not even a full ring later, Archer answered, shouting, “Finn! What happened?”

Burning hot sweat prickled his skin, “I—I—Where’s Joselyn?”

The distinct sound of a stretcher retched in the background, muffled sounds of medical jargon crept through the speaker.

“She’s gone, Finn!” Archer barked his fury, which, to Finn, only meant one thing.

Gone? As in …

He couldn’t force himself to fill in the blanks. His mind shrunk back, retreated to someplace safe. Numb, but safe. The only thought he could muster was a cry from the depths of his soul.

God, please.

“—And Sal is fighting for his life! I need some answers. Get out here, now!”

The door that now dumped Finn into a waking nightmare was the very point of inception for the promising evening.

Crime scene precautions were in full orchestration, the bustle of activity had awakened the dank and sleepy alley. Spotlights from patrol cars and a nauseous rotation of reds and blues strobed out through the narrow space, casting long, dreary shadows in places of darkness.

Scanning the figures in the crowd, Finn found the outline of a beast of a man towering over every other silhouette. Archer.

From sheer determination of will, Finn managed to push past a protesting uniform setting up a perimeter to slide under the crime scene tape.

“Archer,” Finn charged into the huddle with more confidence than he felt. The armor he’d rallied inside the hotel felt like shavings of chainmail shedding from his skin with each step toward the answers he needed but feared all the same.

Continuing to bark orders, Archer held up his hand to Finn. “… all of these buildings searched. I want no stone left unturned, you copy? Someone had to have seen something, and since Sal’s vision was compromised we’ve got nothing on the vehicle. We’re pulling the feed from the traffic cams, but without any leads, we don’t know what we’re looking for.

“This guy’s smart. And highly dangerous. These homemade flash grenades we found hidden near every entrance tell us we need to be on guard for anything. He was ready for us. And now, the only assurance we have that she is alive is that there’s no body. The clock is ticking. This is everyone’s first priority. Even the smallest blip, I want to be contacted immediately. You all have your orders. Go!”

Archer whirred around, his dark eyes menacing. “What the hell happened? How’d you get sep—”

“What do you mean gone?”

A flicker of sympathy softened Archer’s hard glare. “Taken.”

Taken.
That one small word packed enough punch to level him. Keeping his legs steady enough to stand on was nothing short of a miracle. And the only reason he could rationalize that he was still breathing was because Joselyn wasn’t dead—though they couldn’t be sure of that without evidence.

But something—maybe hope—dug its heels into Finn’s gut. Call it a premonition, or perhaps wishful thinking, but Finn could feel her heart beating as if he were still holding her in his arms.

She’s alive
. He knew it as sure as he knew he loved her.

“Are you sure it’s her? It’s only been a couple of minutes. Maybe she’s headed home. I—”

“We found her diamond earring right over there” Archer pointed. “About thirty feet further there is a trace amount of blood in the slush. We are waiting for confirmation that it’s Joselyn’s, but Sal’s word is enough for me.”

“Sal? What did Sal say? And how could he not see anything? How could—” Finn’s mind raced ahead with too many questions. It was too much talk, too little action.

“Sal found Joselyn in the alley. He was manning the truck when he noticed one of the guards walk out onto the street about a hundred yards east from his station. Called it in right after we were alerted to the breach on the inside, so all our men were covering the ballroom. Sal went to check out the unguarded entrance. It’s my understanding that that’s when Joselyn tumbled out.”

Lowering his eyes, Archer shook his head. “Sal started losing consciousness again when he got to that part. The paramedics are taking him down the street to Barnes-Jewish Hospital. I’ve given strict orders for someone to call me as soon as he’s lucid again. Hopefully he’ll remember something.”

Finn fought to tamp down the hysteria accelerating in his veins and ripping his heart to shreds. “God, we have to find her.
Now
. He’s gonna kill her.” He raked his fingernails into his scalp, pinched his eyes shut like it might all be a bad dream. “I messed up. It’s all my fault.”

Archer took a step forward and lowered his voice. “Keep it together. We’re gonna find her. Now, go home, Finn. I’ve got work to do.”

“Absolutely not. I can control myself. I want to help.” And like the flip of a switch, Finn sensed his composure click back into place. Felt that fireproof shield he’d once carried rise up and surround him. He might stumble his way through this transformation, but he wouldn’t rest until he got it right.

Archer’s eyes burned into his, discerning Finn’s unwavering resolve. “Fine,” he growled. “You can come. But before you go off and do anything stupid …” He clapped a hand on Finn’s shoulder and closed his eyes for a beat.

“What are you doing?”

“Praying that agreeing to let you help wasn’t a giant mistake.”

Finn shrugged off his hand. “Dude, if you’re gonna pray you better be aiming those favors at finding Joselyn.”

“Already got it covered.”