With Every Breath (Slow Burn 4)

Zack Covington stepped forward, his expression grim, anger billowing from him in waves.

“Beau and I will partner up. Give us some locations and we’re out of here.”

Dane nodded then looked to the rest of his assembled men. “Isaac, you take Shadow and Knight. Eric, you take Dex and Zeke. Capshaw and Brent, you two work together, and I want all of you to be on your toes at all goddamn times. There has never been a more important mission than this one. One of our own is on the line. You make damn sure she’s not caught in the line of fire and that you protect her with your lives. Take Harrington out any way you can, as soon as you can, but make damn sure Eliza doesn’t end up as collateral damage or I’ll have your balls.”

Dane took out his phone and then looked to Wade. “You want north end of town or south?”

“I’ll take north. My men and I will spread out and cover as many locations as possible so give us an entire sector. You and your men see to the rest.”

“I’m forwarding the locations Quinn texted me so check your phones for your assignments. Now get moving so we can take Eliza home where she belongs.”

“Something’s not right. It’s too easy, too obvious,” Wade growled into the phone as soon as the call connected to Dane. “We’re missing something here. He’s not stupid and he’s had a long time to plan this. He wouldn’t bring a victim or lure Eliza to a place that a public record links him to.”

Dane’s voice was urgent and tense when he broke in.

“I was in the process of calling you when you buzzed me. Quinn found something and I think it’s the only logical answer.”

“Spit it out then. We’ve wasted enough goddamn time,” Wade said, his body rigid as he waited, hoping, praying that Quinn had come through in a big way.

“Quinn accessed Harrington’s prison records. Visitor logs, correspondence. His every move or anyone he had any contact with. The cop who testified that he tampered with evidence had visited Thomas in prison just a week before the cop made his confession. Here’s the interesting part. When Quinn accessed records of all correspondence Harrington received while in prison, he discovered that the cop’s wife had been writing to Harrington for a long period of time before the cop visited Harrington in jail and then subsequently confessed to a crime. The cop disappeared right after testifying and most assumed he did so to avoid sanctions and possible jail time. The wife, however, remained in Calvary and owns a house just north of town. Not far from where you currently are. Now, the woman may or may not be a victim. She may be in league with Thomas and helped lure Eliza to her house, but it’s the only logical conclusion. We’ve come up with jack shit on every other lead.”

“Give me the address,” Wade demanded. “I can be there before you. Get there as fast as you can, but I’m not waiting.”

TWENTY-FIVE

ELIZA pulled to a stop in front of a modest ranch-style home in the vehicle she’d hot-wired and stolen as soon as she’d slipped past Wade’s men. The closest neighbor had been a five-minute walk. Eliza had made it in two at a dead run. Since Thomas likely assumed she was in Calvary, he’d given her a deadline that forced her to drive like a demon possessed the entire way, praying she wouldn’t be seen by a cop.

She wiped her damp palms down the jeans she’d chosen, and glanced quickly at her top, praying it would be nice enough for Thomas not to call her out on her lie about wanting to look nice for him. She’d quickly brushed out her hair and fluffed it out by bending over and tousling it with her fingers because Thomas like it that way. Thank God he wasn’t a fan of makeup, in fact he considered women who “painted their faces” whores, which saved Eliza time by not having to apply it.

Opening the door, she got out and sucked in several breaths to compose herself. This was it. This was everything. The biggest test of her strength she’d ever face. One she couldn’t afford to fail. A woman’s life depended on Eliza pulling off the ultimate deception. Eliza’s life depended on it. And no doubt countless other women’s lives depended on Eliza succeeding.

She walked slowly toward the porch and when she reached the first step, the door opened and Thomas appeared, a welcoming smile on his face.

“Melissa, darling, you have no idea how long I’ve hoped for this day. How many nights I spent dreaming of us being together again as we were always meant to be.”

Eliza swallowed and met Thomas’s gaze, careful to keep any hint of anger or disgust from her expression.

“I’m here now, let the woman go,” she said quietly. “I won’t set foot in that house until I see that she’s alive and is allowed to go free.”

In a daring, calculating move, praying she wasn’t making a huge mistake, she sent him a challenging stare, her words an obvious taunt.

“It’s not as though you should have any worry over letting her go free. You can manipulate people so easily without them ever knowing. You can make them do your bidding. All you have to do is make her leave and plant a false memory or simply command her to forget all about you.”

Thomas smiled and Eliza could swear he looked as though he were proud of her. “And yet you seem immune to my powers now. You’re much stronger now. I can’t read you like I could before.”

“I was a vulnerable, mixed-up teenager who only wanted to be loved. I’m not that girl anymore, Thomas. You’re right. I am stronger now, and I don’t want us to be together because you make me feel things that aren’t real. Is that really what you want? A puppet you control, knowing the entire time that her feelings for you are manufactured by you? Don’t you want to be wanted for who you are? Isn’t that what we all want?”

Thomas stared at her, shock reflected in his gaze. But also a glimmer of hope, as though she’d hit the nail on the head and had exposed a vulnerability he’d refused to acknowledge until now. His features softened and then he abruptly turned, stepping just inside the doorway and called for the woman.

A moment later, a pale woman in her forties stepped onto the porch next to Thomas, looking up at him as though awaiting instruction.

Thomas stared hard into her eyes, holding her gaze in a fixed manner. The woman’s eyes glazed and she swayed as though she were in a complete daze. A puppet awaiting its master’s manipulation. But then that was what Thomas cultivated. Mindless followers incapable of making independent decisions.