Two days had passed since the attack. Blake had finally been allowed into the station to question the psychopaths who’d tried to take his child and kill his wife.
He was mad. Murderous-level mad. Had been mad since that night.
He shoved it down, at least for the moment, following the police officer down the hall to the interrogation room.
Flynn was with Willow and Mila this morning. Blake didn’t want them left alone until he knew for sure everyone was safe from this group of zealots. He needed confirmation that they were working independently and the rest of the church wasn’t involved.
The police had already done their own investigation, claiming the group had been working alone. And his team had been watching the church ever since, just in case.
But he still needed to see and hear the truth from the source.
The officer pulled the door open and Blake’s jaw immediately tightened at the sight of Rob sitting at the table, hands cuffed, eyes narrowed.
The officer stepped back into the hall. “You have ten minutes.”
The door was pulled shut, then it was just him and Rob.
Blake stalked forward a step. “You don’t look nearly scared enough for what’s about to happen.”
There was a small flaring of his eyes, a slight shift in his breathing, but other than that, nothing. “Why would I be afraid? The path I’ve chosen is the right one.”
Fuck, but the guy was deranged. “The right path involves kidnapping a child and murdering her parents?”
“The right path involves protecting the purity of the life God created here on Earth. It involves ridding the planet of atrocities like you and ensuring your kind doesn’t spread.”
Another step forward. “I don’t think it’s people like me society should worry about.” In fact, every second he stood in this guy’s company, he was hit with more regret for not putting a bullet into his skull.
Rob’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you here?”
“I need you to tell me something. And if you lie, it’s not going to work out well for you.”
He scoffed. “I doubt you can do much when people are watching.” Rob shot a pointed look toward the glass on one side of the room.
Blake almost laughed. “No one’s watching, Rob. No one’s going to run in here and save you. This is you and me. So don’t fuck with me, because I’m not in the mood.” He was right on the edge. Saying the guy wasn’t safe with him was an understatement.
Rob almost looked bored. Like he didn’t believe him. “What do you want to know?”
Blake took a final step forward, planting his hands on the table, spanning his fingers, and lowering his head. “Are there more of you?”
One brow lifted haughtily. “More?”
And that was the tipping point.
Blake yanked the guy from his seat, smashing him back onto the table, and leaning in close. “I said, don’t fuck with me. You know exactly what I’m asking, so answer the goddamn question. Are there more people from your church wanting to hurt my family?”
The calm facade finally slipped from the guy’s face, fear and panic dropping his jaw, chilling his skin. His gaze shot to the mirror again.
Blake moved even closer. “I told you. No one’s going to save you. Now, answer my question before I slam my fist into your face.”
He swallowed. “No! I—it was just the six of us. No one else knew what we were planning.”
Blake watched the guy’s eyes, listened to his heart…he was telling the truth.
“Whose idea was it? Who was the ringleader?”
A moment of hesitation.
Blake lifted him up before slamming him back down. One hand moved to the guy’s throat.
Rob’s teeth rattled as his head bounced off the wooden table. “Okay! I’ll tell you! When we found out about you, we made a group decision to try to lead Willow toward the church. Then she got back together with you and…and we didn’t know what to do.”
The guy gave a small cry when Blake’s fingers tightened.
“Then Janet heard her say she was pregnant!” He swallowed. “It tipped her over the edge. She wanted Mila. She has a calling to save vulnerable kids. She convinced us all that you and Willow had to die.”
A calling to save vulnerable kids? Was the guy fucking with him? “No. She doesn’t. If she did, she would have stayed the hell away from my daughter.” Not to mention, she wouldn’t have tried to murder a woman who she thought was pregnant.
“Why did you try to take Willow from her home? And why were you watching Mila’s school?”
Rob frowned. “What? I told you that wasn’t us who attacked Willow.”
Something must have flashed through Blake’s eyes, because the man flinched, cuffed hands flying up to protect his head.
“I’m telling the truth! I swear, we wouldn’t even know where to get chloroform. And none of us have ever been to Mila’s school. We would never do that! It would scare her.”
For a moment, Blake watched him, desperately searching for signs of a lie. He had to be lying, because the alternative was worse.
The alternative meant there was someone else out there. Someone watching his family. His daughter.
Blake only saw truth.
He stepped back, releasing Rob as unease stabbed at his heart.
Motherfucker. There was someone else.
Rushing to the door, he banged three times. He’d barely stepped into the hall when his phone rang. He grabbed it from his pocket. “Steve?”
“Blake, Ahmad’s here, in the US. He’s been here for weeks. He used a disguise and a fake ID to get into the country and has been staying under the radar ever since. We only found him because he showed up on CCTV footage.”
Blake was already running, his unease shifting to terror. Rushing outside, he hung up on Steve and called Flynn. The phone rang out to voicemail.
A fear like he’d never known consumed Blake.
His friend would never let it go to voicemail. Not while protecting his family.
Willow strapped Mila into the back seat, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her cheek. Before she closed the door, she gave her little belly a tickle.
Mila giggled, her hands pushing at Willow’s shoulder. “Mama, stop!”
Pulling back, Willow sighed. “I can’t help it. I just want to smoosh and tickle you all day.”
Mila’s eyes softened. “I love you too, Mama.”
She pressed another kiss to Mila’s head before closing the door. It was barely nine o’clock in the morning and she’d probably kissed her kid a dozen times already. In fact, she hadn’t stopped kissing her since the incident. Or touching her. Holding her every chance she got. Last night, she’d actually fallen asleep by Mila’s side. She’d only woken in the master bedroom because Blake had carried her there.
Flynn opened the passenger door for her.
“Such a gentleman. Thank you,” she said, stepping forward and sliding inside.
He chuckled. “I know, someone should hurry up and wife me, right?”
He closed the door, moving around the car and climbing behind the wheel.
She fastened her seat belt. “I have a feeling none of you guys will be single for long.”
How could they be? They were all gazillion-feet-tall, beautiful men who spent their days protecting people. If there was a “perfect man” ad, they’d all fit the bill.
He pulled the car onto the road. “Well, I have kind of been seeing someone. It’s not serious though. Just casual dating.”
Willow straightened. “Ooh, that’s exciting? You never know where casual dating could lead, so I wouldn’t be too quick to say that it’s nothing serious. Do I know her?”
There was a small pause. “She’s a doctor at Cradle Mountain Hospital. I met her when I took my mom in for an appointment.” He cleared his throat. “Doctor Astor.”
Willow’s mouth turned down all on its own. Okay, now she kind of hoped he was right and it was only casual.
“I don’t like Doctor Astor,” Mila said from the back seat.
Willow gasped. “Mila!”
Flynn chuckled. “It’s okay. I know Victoria can come off a bit cold.”
A bit? Willow had only met the woman once. It was their first week in Cradle Mountain, and she’d taken Mila in for a routine checkup. She’d mostly just wanted to assess some of the doctors here.
Doctor Astor hadn’t smiled once. Not when she’d stepped into the room and introduced herself, and not while looking over Mila. There’d been no stickers or suckers or getting down on her haunches to talk to Mila at eye level.
Willow scrambled for something nice to say. “I’m sure she’s great. We only met her the one time.” And who knew, maybe the doctor had been having a bad day.
Flynn’s gaze shot her way. She almost cringed. She’d never been good at hiding her feelings.
“How’s your mom?” She needed a change of subject. But more than that, she genuinely wanted to know how his mom was doing. The poor lady had dementia and was the reason the entire team had relocated to Cradle Mountain. From the little Blake had mentioned, she was deteriorating fast.
His gaze checked on Mila in the rearview mirror before landing back on the road ahead. “She’s okay.”
Willow could read between the lines. She wasn’t okay, but he didn’t want to say more in front of Mila. “If she needs anything, even if it’s just a casserole or some company, please let me know. I’d love to help in whatever way I can.”
He gave a small nod.
“Mama, will Daddy meet us at The Grind?”
She looked over her shoulder. “Probably not. He’s…working.” She hated lying, but she couldn’t tell Mila the truth, that he was interrogating the people who had tried to kill her and Blake and take Mila.
“I doubt he’ll be long,” Flynn said quietly, hands tightening on the wheel.
Willow gave a small nod. Turning back around, she gazed out the passenger window. She knew that was true. Rob and Janet wouldn’t stand a chance, not against a guy like Blake, who was trained to interrogate the meanest, deadliest criminals out there.
They were just passing a side street when Willow’s heart stopped.
Her mouth dropped open to scream.
Flynn saw it the same time she did—immediately engaging the hand brake and sharply swinging the car around milliseconds before the speeding vehicle collided with the driver’s side.
Willow’s head hit the passenger window hard, the seat belt scoring into her chest. There was a ringing in her ears, almost like white noise, washing out every other sound.
She blinked, trying to get her bearings, forcing her cloudy mind to work. She was vaguely aware of the pressure of the air bag against her stomach and chest. Of the warm trickle of liquid dripping down her temple.
She ignored it all, turning her head to search for Mila.
What she saw made her lungs seize in icy terror—a man wearing a black ski mask opening the back door, quickly unbuckling her daughter.
Then she was gone.
No!
Willow wasn’t sure if she said the word out loud or in her head. Her hands went to her seat belt, fumbling with the buckle. She shot a desperate glance at Flynn, but the man was unconscious. He’d swung the car to take the brunt of the hit. The wheel was pressed into his chest, blood trickling down his face.
Oh God!
She pressed the latch to the seat belt harder, but the thing wasn’t giving.
Suddenly, her door opened. Then there was a knife slashing at her belt and rough hands pulling her from the car.
Willow fought against the hold. She hit and kicked, but her limbs were sluggish and slower than they should be, and the arms around her were too strong.
When she eventually landed a hit, the guy behind her grunted. Then pain blasted through her head from behind. It had her body going limp, the buzzing in her ears growing louder.
She was thrown onto a hard, carpeted surface…a trunk? A small body landed against her side.
Mila.
That was her last thought before the darkness took her.
