“Ms. Leblanc?” a uniformed police officer said, approaching our table.
We all turned to look at him, and Alex immediately pushed to his feet, brushing his coat back to rest his hand on the weapon at his side.
The officer’s gaze flashed to Alex for but a second. “I’m officer Marco with the APD. I’ve been sent to take you into protective custody after a break-in at Agent Light’s home.”
I jumped out of my seat. “Are they okay? What happened?”
“Everyone’s fine.” He assured. “But I need you to gather your things. We need to leave immediately.”
“Does Roman know yet?” Alex rumbled.
“He does,” Marco replied. “An officer has been dispatched to pick him up as well. Light and the DEA are asking for everyone involved to be locked down immediately.” He tipped his chin at Cathy and Kristen, who were looking on, their mouths gaping. “You get them home safely then meet us at the station.”
Alex nodded, pulling a wad of cash from his pocket and tossing it on the table. Cathy, Kristen, and I all exchanged nervous hugs and whispered goodbyes before Alex herded them out the door.
Marco cautiously led me out the other. His gaze flashed around, one hand on the small of my back and the other at his weapon.
With my heart in my throat and my stomach wrenching with nerves, I climbed into the back of his police car.
“Where is she?” I bellowed, slamming the now cuffed man against the hood of a police car.
“Light, calm the fuck down,” an agent said, trying to step in front of me.
But I was having none of it.
Clare was gone.
There was no such thing as calm anymore.
In the two minutes it had taken me to go after Tessa, someone had taken her. I didn’t know how. Or where they had caught her. Or how I hadn’t seen it. But she’d never even made it to the panic button on the alarm.
Someone taking Tessa had been nothing more than a distraction to get Clare away from me. The cocksucker was too fat. Too slow. Too stupid. Noir never would have sent a man like that if he’d really wanted to get his daughter back. This guy was more than likely some low-level thug who owed him drug money.
“I don’t know!” he yelled. “I was just supposed to grab the girl.”
“And take her where?” I pressed my forearm against the back of his neck.
He grunted under the pressure. “I was supposed to call when I had her.”
I slammed his head into the car again.
“Light!” Roman yelled, jogging up the driveway, Devon right behind him. “What the fuck happened?”
I released the piece of shit. He didn’t know anything, and time was wasting.
I turned on a toe and marched toward my door. “I need you to stay with Tessa.”
He caught my bicep and jerked me to a halt. “Where’s Clare?”
Son of a bitch. It fucking killed me to have to admit it.
I’d sworn to her that he wouldn’t touch her ever again.
And I’d failed her on his first attempt.
“I don’t know. But I’m going to find her. And I need you to stay with Tessa.”
He fell back on a foot. “What the hell do you mean you don’t know?”
I gritted my teeth. “I mean Noir got her, and I do not have time to sit here and explain this bullshit to you. Take Tessa back to your house, lock it down like Fort Knox, and Clare and I will pick her up as soon as we can.”
His phone rang, so he dug it from his pocket. I took it as confirmation that he’d understood me and carried on to the house.
“Heaf!” Tessa cried when I got inside.
A female officer was sitting on the floor with her, and she jumped to her feet and raced over, careening into my legs before I’d even had the chance to squat.
I scooped her up to sit on my hip and gave her a hug. “I gotta go, sweet girl. But Roman’s here, and he’s gonna take you back to his house so you can see Elisabeth and play with Loretta. That sounds fun, right?”
Tears welled in her big, green eyes as she asked, “But where’s Mama?”
I swallowed hard. “I’m going to get her.”
“Where’d she go?” she pushed.
“Listen to me, Tessi. I’m going to go get her. And I’m going to bring her home. And then all of this is going to be over. No more bad men. No more trouble.” I swiped my thumb over her cheek after the moisture had escaped. “No tears. Everything’s fine. I’m gonna take care of this, okay?”
She nodded but started full-on crying. It broke me to have to pass her off, but I needed to get the fuck out of there if I had any hopes of keeping that promise to her.
“I love you,” I whispered into the top of her head as I walked her out to Roman.
“I love you, too,” she cried, clinging to my neck.
I woke up at home.
Not at Heath’s.
Not at Roman and Elisabeth’s.
Not even that shitty trailer I had grown up in.
No, I woke up in Hell.
The only real home I’d ever had.