Page 96 of Beautifully Broken Control

Walker straightened. “Which officer?”

Anna stilled her nervous movements. “Officer Matthews.”

“I’ll have a word with him about taking statements. What did you think was important for us to know?”

Those fingers of Anna’s started tying themselves into knots again. “It might be nothing, but I wanted to tell you, just in case.” Walker nodded, and Anna took a deep breath. “Doug called in sick the past two days. He’s only called in once the entire time I’ve been at Hope House. And this time, he didn’t sound sick. The past few weeks, he’s been acting weird. At first, I thought he was sulking because Kenz was dating Cain. But I don’t know, maybe it’s more?”

My muscles locked the moment Anna had spoken his name, and as soon as she was finished, my fingers began flying. Within minutes, I was in his bank accounts. I scanned the deposits, looking for anything out of the ordinary. His salary was direct-deposited each month, almost always the same. Then my eyes caught on something. I was aware that Walker was talking, assuring Anna that he’d look into it, but I didn’t care. “There’s a deposit in his account for ten grand from three days ago.”

“Fuck, Cain. You can’t just hack into his accounts. I can’t get a search warrant with that.”

I stood, managing not to topple my chair this time. “Do you think I give one shit about warrants or procedure or any of that?” My voice was a low growl as I stalked towards Walker. “The woman I love is in the hands of someone who plans to hurt her for money. Formoney, Walk. Her life meansnothingto him. I am going to do whatever it takes to get her back. And if you even think of trying to put me down, I will take you out. You know I can.”

Walker was strong, but I had feral rage on my side. He knew he couldn’t compete. “You love her?”

I blinked. “That is what you heard out of everything I said?”

Tuck chuckled. It was forced, an attempt to clear some of the tension in the air, but it was there. “Well, we did have it on pretty good authority that you’d never let yourself go down that road again.”

“That’s not important right now—” My words cut off at the ding from my computer that alerted me to a new email. I turned back to the screen. It was from the kidnapper. A photo appeared.

Kennedy. Pale. Eyes stricken. And the side of her face swollen and battered.

He was hurting her. And I would end him for it.

43

Kennedy

A flash wentoff in my face. It was a small cell phone one, but it was enough to have me wincing and shielding my eyes. A throb reverberated in my skull, the pain sharp and stabbing as my vision began to blur again. But none of that distracted from the pain dancing across my chest, the vise that seemed to grip my heart.

“Mom?” My voice was raspy as though I’d smoked a pack a day since birth.

She typed out something on her phone and then placed it in her pocket. “Hello, darling. You’re looking a little shabby.” A flicker of annoyance passed over her face as she glanced at Doug. “Was that really necessary?”

Doug’s face reddened. “I didn’t mean to. It’s just—she was getting away.”

My mother’s hand fluttered across her face as if flicking away a gnat. “It is what it is. Have you given her water?”

“Yeah, she just had some.”

My eyes followed them as if watching some sort of twisted tennis match. It was as if they were discussing the weather, not their kidnap victim. I swallowed, but my throat didn’t seem to want to obey, the motion sticking. “Why?” I was a broken record. I didn’t even care about the how. How she’d found me. How she’d orchestrated this whole thing. I only wanted the why. But at the core of it was only one question. Why did she hate me so much?

My mother scoffed, lowering herself into a chair opposite my bed. “Because my dipshit husband and son couldn’t be trusted to handle anything.”

I blinked rapidly. I didn’t think I’d ever heard her curse before. I didn’t recognize the woman in front of me. She’d always seemed so weak, almost fragile. Forever going along with whatever my father wanted. Doting on my brother. Tolerating me.

I searched my memories, my mind reeling, trying to find any hint of that in this person I saw before me. Snatches of moments flashed. She had always gotten what she wanted. Somehow, every year, we vacationed at her preferred destination, ate at the restaurants that were her favorites. My father had hated the house we lived in, but my mother loved it, so we stayed.

I studied her carefully, and the truth of our relationship hit me with the force of a freight train. She’d hated me because she couldn’t manipulate me. I never seemed to bow to her will quite enough. Wouldn’t date the sons of her friends she deemed eligible. Wouldn’t starve myself into that size two. Avoided her ladies’ lunches at the club like I might catch a plague. They’d all seemed like little things at the time, but they were the types of things my father and brother always acquiesced on. I never did.

“You knew what Dad was doing?” The smoker’s rasp was still there.

My mother scoffed. “Of course, I did. I told him to be cautious, to cover his tracks better, but the man’s ego never could be tamed.” I guess even she didn’t have total control over him. She pulled out her phone, checking the screen. “It shouldn’t be long now. I’m guessing that photo will encourage your beau to move more quickly.” She glanced up at Doug. “Maybe your beating the hell out of her face wasn’t so bad, after all. Might have to do a little more of that if he dawdles.”

Doug stiffened. “I didn’t hit her. She fell. And I’m not hurting her. You said no one would get hurt.”

“Oh, shut up.” In a movement swift and surprising, Mom pulled a gun from the purse in her lap and fired twice. Doug slumped to the floor.

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