Page 68 of Shattered Love
The man stares at me, hard. “Sit down.”
I cross my hands over my chest, my stance wide. “Nope. I’ve got to get out of here. There’s something Ineed to do.”
Watching me.
It’s the old game of who will break the stare first.
He does. “Your daughter is safe, but her life depends on your next move.”
His words stop me cold.
Before he can blink, I have him by the throat against the wall, my forearm across his neck. I push against it, hearing him wheeze.
“You better start fucking talking now before I snap your neck.”
He swallows visibly. “You’re under protection.”
I lift my lip, baring my teeth. “I don’t need protecting. I need to get to my baby girl. I promised her mother I would keep the monsters away. I promised her I was coming for her.”
Shaking his head. “They think you’re dead. If they knew you were alive, they would kill her.”
I grin. “A ghost is the best surprise.”
He pushes me away. “You wouldn’t get anywhere near the place. They will kill her in front of you. If you want her alive, you need to do this with us.”
I let him go. “What exactly are you doing?”
He straightens his tie. “We have an informant watching over your daughter. She’s alive. They are giving us daily updates.”
“You’re trusting a fucking rat with my baby girl’s life and expect me to sit here with my thumb up my ass and wait?”
He studies me. “No, the man watching her is one of us, the best there is. He’s been assigned to this case and has been in deep cover for the last few years. He asked me to give you this.”
He hands me a manila envelope and I rip it open. Quickly reading the note.
“Motherfucker,” I growl, pulling my hair. I shake my head. “I’m not fucking happy about this.”
A phone rings. The man passes it to me.
“Stone,” I hiss out, already knowing the bastard on the other side.
“I hear you’re up, and I’m guessing Anderson has explained everything.”
Growling. “If one hair on her head is touched, I’m killing you. I’m holding you responsible for her life.”
He sighs. “She’s a fuckinghellcat. She’s a lot like you.”
I grunt.
“I’ll check in at 3:00 p.m. every day. If I don’t, then the boys know what to do.” He disconnects the phone.
I go to chuck it against the wall, but realize it’s my only line of communication to my daughter, so instead I grab the table from the end of the bed and chuck it across the room. My breathing is ragged.
“He’d better be good.”
Anderson nods his head. “Inferno is the best there is.”
I pace the room like a wild animal. I can’t stand still, sit down, eat, or sleep knowing they have my baby girl.
