He nodded, his expression uncertain as he reached for the phone. This was it: this was the moment when we found out if the last half hour had all been for nothing, or whether we had actually gotten something.
“How did you go?”
I watched Mace anxiously, waiting for a sign, good or bad. Relief swept over his face as he crouched down to his knees.
Thank fucking Christ.
We did it. We got the guy.
I began to gasp as I struggled to breathe. My body was shaking so hard that I was struggling to keep warm. A sob escaped from my lips.
What is happening to me?
“Shit, Tim, I’ll call you back.”
Mace raced over and crouched in front of me. He wrapped his arms around me as I sobbed into his embrace.
“Shhh, I've got you. You're okay, baby. You’re just in shock.”
“I'm sorry I just I don't know . . .”
“It's okay, Leet. Let everything out. I'm here for you, okay?”
I nodded as he picked me up. My body relaxed into his arms, demanding rest. I was so tired. I needed sleep.
“Let’s get you home.”
#
I woke up. Mace was lying on my bed, reading. He glanced over at me and smiled.
“Hey. How are you feeling?”
I smiled back, stretching out my feet underneath the covers, my toes curling. I felt better. What time was it? How long had I been sleeping?
“It’s nearly four in the morning,” Mace said, reading my thoughts.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” I asked, my voice still groggy.
He shrugged. “Too wound up. Besides, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
The events of earlier flashed back through my mind. I swallowed hard and then nodded.
“I’m okay. I think I just needed a good sleep,” I said quietly. “So, we have the guy?”
Mace nodded. “We have an address. I have someone staking out the house at the moment, and I’ll go over as soon as we know he’s there and get some answers.”
He will go over? What about me? I sat up, binging the covers with me.
“You’re not going anywhere without me,” I said.
“Leet, look at you. You’re a mess,” he protested, laughing. He shut his mouth as I narrowed my eyes at him. “Look, the best way you can help me is by staying here where I know you’re safe, okay?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I was going over a plan in my head. I pushed the covers back and swung my feet over the side of the bed. Shit, I’m dizzy.
“Can you run me a bath?” I asked, swaying on my feet.
His arm shot out to steady me. I fell back on the bed.
“Just relax, okay? Stay in bed and rest.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Leeta
I must have fallen asleep again.
I sat up, my head still dizzy, but much less so than earlier. Is Mace still here? The sun was shining through the curtains. What time was it? I reached for my phone, which I’d left sitting on my bedside table.
Shit—after noon. How the hell had I slept for so long? Throwing the covers back, I stepped out of bed and reached for my robe, throwing it over my tank and panties. I shivered.
I made it out of the living room without feeling like I was going to fall over, so that was a good start. Fuck. My head was pounding. I felt like I had the biggest hangover. I put on some coffee and threw some bread in the toaster. I wasn’t actually hungry—in fact, the thought of eating made me feel sick—but I knew I had to get something in my stomach. Especially if I was going to be following Mace today.
It was then I noticed the note on the table I picked it up.
Leet, I’ve just gone out to do a few things. I'll come and see you before I go. Call me if you need me. I'll have my phone with me, love Mace.
I stretched my arms across the bench, thinking, while I waited for the coffee.
What I was about to do could quite possibly be one of the stupidest things I'd ever done. But what other choice did I have?
I fingered my phone, hesitating, before picking it up and dialling. My heart raced as it rang once, then twice, then three times. I was just about to hang up when he answered.
“Leeta?”
“Yeah, Ben, it's me…” Maybe this was a really bad idea.
“Did you want something?” he asked. “I mean, it's good to hear from you but after the other day…”
With my back against the cupboard, I slid down until I was sitting on the kitchen floor. Burying my face in my hands, I groaned. This was such a bad idea.
“Are you there? What's going on? Do you need me to come over?” he asked, sounding worried.
“God, no, don’t come over.” I sighed, realizing there was no way around not telling him the whole story. “Remember what I told you the other day? About my boyfriend?”
“That he was cheating on you,” Ben said, his voice dark.
I sighed. “Look there’s more to it than that. I can't go into much detail, there's not enough time. But I need your help.”
“Whatever you need. But are you sure? I mean, the guy cheated on you…”
“His sister was raped. Mace has tracked down the guys he thinks are responsible. But I'm so scared. I'm scared he’s going to front up there alone and try and handle this himself. Will you come with me?” I asked, my voice small.
“Of course. Of course I will, you just tell me when and I'll swing past and pick you up.”
“Thank you,” I said, relieved. “I'll text you, okay?”
I don't know if I felt relieved, but I definitely felt better about the whole situation. I had a plan—it might not be very good one, but it was a plan nonetheless.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Leeta
“So, you just turn up on this guy's doorstep and expect him to spill his guts?” It didn't sound that much of a plan to me. It was later that evening, and Mace had stopped over. I assumed on his way to confront the buyer. I had already texted Ben, ready for him to pick me up once Mace had left.
“Yep, that's what I'm thinking. Are you ready?” he asked looking over at me.
My mouth fell open. “You mean you’re letting me come?”
“If I've learned anything by now it’s that there’s nothing that I can say that is going to stop you doing what you want.” He kissed the top of my head and walked towards the door.
Shit. That wasn't part of the plan.
“Wait,” I called out. “We, uh, we can't go yet.”
“Why?” Mace asked, confused. “We don't have time to waste. We need to get moving.” The doorbell rang. I bit my lip, trying to ignore his confused look as I raced to answer the door.
This is not good.
Hey.” Ben smiled at me. I smiled back, trying not to notice how sexy he looked in his jeans, white tee, shirt and jacket. I turned around and smiled at Mace, who was glaring at me.
“Okay, so I didn't actually think you were going to let me go with you,” I began.
How the hell was I going to get myself out of this mess?
Mace and Ben in the same room with me? That was a train wreck waiting to happen.
“Leet, who the fuck is this guy?” Mace growled, his eyes shooting daggers at me.
“This is Ben,” I said weakly.
“Ben?” repeated Mace, his voice dark. “As in your ex-fiancé Ben?”
“The one and only.” I laughed. This is so not funny. “Look, I called him because I didn't think you were going to let me go with you. There was no way in hell I was going to let you go there alone.”
“Fine, but why him? Why couldn't you've called Tim or someone?”
“Hey,” Ben said, waving. “Right here.”
“Tim?” I snorted, ignoring Ben. “You’ve got to be kidding me! What use would he be if you were knocked unconscious and dragged inside this dude’s house?”
“Great, so he knows everything?” He shook his head in disgust and stormed outside. I pushed Ben out the door, slamming it shut, and raced after Mace.
“Just put your ego aside for one second and think about your sister, okay? Can you do that?” I asked, grabbing his arm. “This isn't about you and me. Or Ben. It's about finding these guys, right?”
Mace nodded, but his expression told me he was far from happy with the whole situation.
“Fine. Let's go.”
I jumped in the front or his car, Ben getting in the back. Mace turned to me, a snide look on his face.
“Any other boyfriends we need to pick up? Maybe an ex-husband or two?”
“Can you shut the fuck up and just drive?” I snapped. Then I laughed. “I'm sorry, but you’re the last person to be having a go at me right now, so quit it, Mace. Before you say something you’ll regret.”
He muttered something under his breath and then reached for the stereo knob, turning the volume up. I sighed loudly, resting my head against the window.
It was pointless trying to talk to him now. Maybe I shouldn't have called Ben, but I only did it because I was worried about Mace. Why couldn’t he see that?
The address we had was for a house in a quiet street in one of Melbourne's more affluent suburbs. I shivered, goosebumps trailing up my arms. This was not the type of place I’d expected someone who was into this kind of shit would be living. It shouldn’t have shocked me as much as it did; in my line of work, I was forever learning it was often the people you least expected to be keeping the biggest secrets. I glanced sideways at Mace.
“So, what now?” I asked.
“Now we go up there and get some answers.”
Mace got out of the car. I winced as the door slammed. So maybe he was still a little bit angry. I turned in my seat and flashed Ben a sympathetic smile.
“Sorry about this,” I said. “He's not always so tightly wound.”
Ben's eyes twinkled as he smirked at me. “You’re sure about that? It seems to me that you have a type.”
“Just get out and stay the hell out of the way,” I muttered. The last thing I needed were his games.
We walked up to the door. I glanced at Mace, looking for a sign of nerves, or anything that would tell me how he was feeling. He took a breath, exhaling quickly, and then rapped loudly on the door.
He's shaking. I wanted to reach out and touch him, let him know I was there for him, but I knew that wouldn't help. Right then, that would probably make things worse.
My heart jumped as the door flew open. A guy stood there. He was just an average-looking guy—mid-thirties, moderately attractive . . . just an ordinary-looking guy.
Next to me, I heard Mace gasp. My head whipped sideways. Did he know the guy? I looked from the guy to Mace and back again.
The guy stood there, brow furrowed, a blank expression on his face. Recognition flashed through his eyes, then shock, and finally he smiled.
"Well, well, well. Look who it is. Mace, right?”