Page 200 of Forever Never
“This means you can’t go anywhere alone. Neither can Camille. You two need to stay in the house until we find him.”
“She said Mexico,” she said, nodding in her mother’s direction.
“That was his family’s plane. The flight plan they filed this morning. The Chicago PD isn’t too concerned about tracking down someone for domestic assault in Cancun.”
“You don’t think he’s on that plane?” she guessed.
He shook his head. “Remi, it’s already hit the news. The divorce, the abuse allegations, and now a botched arrest. He’s got nothing left to lose.”
She closed her eyes again and let out a shaky breath. The one thing, the tiny veneer of protection Camille had against the monster, had been stripped away. Warren Vorhees no longer had a face worth saving. He was already ruined. And there was only one thing worth living for now.
Revenge.
“He’s coming here,” she said.
“He won’t get near you as long as you do what I say.”
She felt utterly helpless and disgusted by it. Brick and her mother could strap on guns and march off to face danger. But she had to lock herself away inside and wait for someone else to finish the fight. It felt wrong. Because this was as much her fight as anyone else’s.
If Warren was out for blood, so was she. She wanted to be the one to turn the key in the lock. To watch the embers of his power snuff out and die. She wanted him to be revealed for exactly what he was. An inhuman monster with nothing to live for.
“Remington,” Brick said, the warning clear in his growl.
“What?” she asked, stubbornly.
“I know that look. This isn’t some illegal party on Round Island that you’re missing out on. This is life or death. This is a battle I’m trained to fight. One that I’m not going to lose. But you have to do your part.”
“Yeah. My part is to play the damsel in distress in my stupid ivory tower because once again, I’m incapable of taking care of myself.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“This isn’t me going off to fight your war. We’re partners in this. And we’ve got to play to our strengths. Which means I go break the bad guy’s face while you keep Camille in one piece. She needs you right now. She’s minutes from falling to pieces. That’s why she came to you. Because you’re the strong one. So let me fight the enemy while you protect your friend.”
She glared at him, then rolled her eyes. “Damn it. You’re really good at that.”
He pulled her into his chest, ignoring the hustle and bustle of the busy bullpen around them. “Yeah? Just wait till I ask my big question.”
“Brick, I swear to God, if you turn it into something like ‘Remington Honeysuckle Ford, will you get tacos with me tonight?’ I will be ordering an extra large body bag and digging a real big hole in the Grand Hotel’s rose garden.”
He ran a hand gently over her face. A sweet, soft, soothing touch. “Are you telling me you’d turn me down for tacos?”
She felt a smile tugging at her lips. “Of course not. I’m not an idiot. I’d eat the tacos and then bury your body.”
“You’re a hell of a woman, Remi.”
“Yeah. Yeah. And you’re my big brawny man mountain who had better make Warren Vorhees regret ever laying a hand on a woman.”
“I know you’re being sarcastic. But I still like the sound of it.”
Her flirtatious retort was cut off by the station door flying open. In strolled two scowling suits. The first, a woman, long and lean in a boxy polyester suit the color of horse shit. The second was a baby-faced man who looked like he’d practiced his scowl in the mirror and wouldn’t be able to grow facial hair if he tried.
“Who are they?” Remi asked.
“Feds,” Brick growled.
According to every cop TV show she had ever watched, a territorial pissing match was about to occur. One that had probably never happened in the history of Mackinac Island.
“Oh, boy,” she said.
Brick gripped her arm and steered her toward the side door. “You’re going home.”
