A Perfect Love (23 page)

“Shhh.” Liam’s mouth was pressed against the back of my head.

Taking deep, calming breaths, I rubbed my face of their salty tears. Swallowing back my emotion, I sat up and looked at Mace. “I don’t want him dead.”

Liam tensed.

“I do, but I can’t. This isn’t some jacked-up movie. This is my life,
our
lives.” I knew Mace could make it happen if he wanted to. I wasn’t sure exactly what he was involved in since leaving the police force, but I knew enough to know a call would be all it took. The thought should have horrified me. It didn’t. He loved me, loved Liam, and I knew, regardless of some of the choices he made, he wasn’t bad. He was trying to live, to survive in a pretty shitty world, working with the cards he was dealt.

Mace nodded in understanding. “Okay, but I
will
find him tonight. I promise you.”

Not knowing exactly how he planned to do that since nobody had heard a single thing from him, not even a sighting over the last few months, was beyond me, but the fierce determination of his words made me believe him.

When the ambulance arrived, along with the police, Mace took off with one of the officers while Liam led me to the paramedics. My legs were finally working.

“Ella and Preston are meeting us at the hospital. I’ll travel with you and then I’m going with Mace. He’ll pick me up from there.”

My eyes met his, challenging me to argue with him. I knew this was something he had to do. “Okay,” I agreed in defeat.

He released a sigh of relief. “Your parents should be there, too.”

“Okay,” I repeated. I needed my parents if Liam was not there. I still had yet to feel my baby, but I refused to think the worst. With a pounding head and achy limbs, I climbed into the waiting ambulance after refusing to be strapped to the stretcher outside of the ambulance, and then finally lay down while the paramedic started taking my vitals and asking questions.

A rapid beating of a heartbeat filled the ambulance as soon as my stomach was strapped up to their machine. Tears of relief escaped, trickling down my face as I looked at the monitor. Liam took hold of my hand and kissed it, his own gaze facing down. When I turned and looked at him, his eyes shined, mirroring my own relief. Tilting my lips into a genuine smile, he returned it and placed his lips against mine.

“I love you, baby.” He pulled away, but remained just inches away from my face. “You see, everything is going to be fine.”

I nodded, finally believing it. We were all safe. All I needed was the news of David behind bars and all my worry could evaporate. While I still wished I had the will and the means to pound the crap out of the sick bastard, I would have to leave that to my fantasies.

I was not that person.

Once in one of the curtained-off emergency rooms, Liam sat at my side while a doctor cleaned away the blood on him. A smack of his head on the side window was hard enough to break the glass and cut him. After a couple of small stitches, Liam smiled at me and kissed me goodbye as soon as my frantic parents arrived with Preston and Ella in tow.

Through all of the craziness, it took me a while to work out why Ella was wearing a cute fifties-style dress, before I remembered it was her birthday party.

“Surprise,” I half-heartedly smiled before my tears took over.

I was engulfed in my parents’ arms immediately, one on either side of the bed. I could only imagine what I looked like. Having hit my own head hard, I was aware of the egg-sized bump on my temple, and the blood on my own face and clothes from Liam.

“My God, baby girl,” Mum whispered behind her tears.

Taking control of my sobs, I answered, “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“The baby?” my dad was brave enough to ask.

“She’s fine.”

“
He’s
fine,” Liam added. My parents pulling away from me, we looked toward him at the door. I thought he had left already. He smiled and winked, attempting to make me feel better. It did, but also brought back my tears. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.” He turned to Ella, who threw herself in his arms and hugged him tightly before Preston gave him a man-hug, patting his back. “Look after her,” he instructed Preston. “Call me if she needs me.”

Preston nodded. “Will do.”

Throwing me one last look, he gave me a tight-lipped smile, his eyes filled with warmth and love. “Love you.”

I bobbed my head, ignoring the pain it caused. “Love you, too.”

Chapter Eighteen

Liam

Even though every fibre of my being urged me to pummel the shit out of David once we found him, Jo’s words remained a mantra in my head. There was nothing I wanted more in the world but for David to die. I had desperately hoped he had OD’d already, and that was the reason no one could find him.

When Jo’s yell urged me to look back at the road, the horror unfolded in slow motion. A figure had stepped in front of our travelling car, just a few metres ahead. As I slammed my foot on the brake and fought to correct the car, David’s face was the only thing I saw with the blur of movement. A smile lit up his features, his eyes piercing mine.

I had no idea where he’d appeared from, how he’d known we would be there, or anything concrete, but there were a couple of things I was sure of. He’d intended for us to hit him and wanted to cause damage in the process. It was multiple shades of screwed-up.

My bike was waiting for me when I exited the hospital. Kid handed over my helmet and jacket before he got in a waiting car driven by Jackson. I nodded in thanks. “Where to?” I asked Mace.

“Alain’s first.”

Bobbing my head in agreement, I started my bike and followed Mace out of the parking lot. It didn’t take us long until we pulled up outside of Alain’s overgrown yard. Kid and Jackson remained in the car, while Mace and I headed for the front door. We didn’t even have to knock before Alain answered. “He’s not here,” he said quickly.

I looked at Mace who lifted a brow. “But he was. You been holding out on us, Alain?”

Shaking his head frantically, Alain denied it. “Honest, Mace, he turned up today. It was the first time I’d seen him in months. I thought he was dead. He was all sorts of messed-up, though. He was off his face, so goddamn high. He didn’t tell me where he’s been, either.”

“How long ago?” I asked.

“That was about two hours ago.”

“Did he say what he was up to?” Mace picked up the questioning.

Alain gulped and looked between the two of us, sighing in defeat. “He said some shit about making you boys pay and finally having the backing to do it. I ignored him, thought he was full of shit. It didn’t seem to be meth he was on, either. He was too edgy.”

Mace nodded and walked away. I remained standing for a moment, wondering where the hell he was going. Alain took that as his cue to retreat, closing and locking the door behind him. “Hey,” I called out to Mace. “What are you thinking?”

Astride his bike, Mace was fierce. “McKenny.”

“What the hell do you mean? We haven’t heard from him in weeks. Nothing’s been going on.” I threw on my helmet and started my engine.

“Call it a hunch.”

“Shit!” I revved my bike and dipped the clutch, following Mace as he rode to a different part of town.

He wasn’t heading where I expected him to go. I assumed we would be showing up at McKenny’s house. Instead, we pulled up outside a small rundown warehouse, right on the outskirts of town. Hopping off my bike, I removed my helmet, placing it on the seat. “What is this place?”

Mace turned toward me, his gaze intense. “One of McKenny’s. It’s an all-purpose place of squaller.” I looked at the building and agreed immediately.

It was a shit hole.

We headed to the front and were greeted by a stench of putrid vomit. I had to control the gag that sat at the base of my throat. “Fuck.”

There were bodies strewn across the place—alive, I assumed, from the occasional fluttering of eyelids, but all were completely out of it. We headed further into the building, pacing a few shady looking guys, who took one look at us and drifted into the shadows. We finally reached a closed door.

Mace turned to me. “You ready?”

It was obvious he was convinced David was in the back room. I had no idea how he knew it, but my faith in my big brother was true. Closing my eyes briefly, I nodded and prepared myself for what we would find.

It was a makeshift bedroom, with a swag mattress on the floor, and a small table lined with papers and needles. The stink in the room wasn’t any better than the rest of the building. Taking in the room after adjusting my eyes to the dim light, my focus landed on David. He was pacing the room, talking to himself, delirious.

Mace hesitated a moment before looking back at Kid and instructing, “Make the call.” I glanced back at Kid’s retreating form as he held his phone to his ear, looking at Mace in question. “Police.” He shrugged.

I knew he felt exactly as I did, a bittersweet regret that he wouldn’t suffer as he should, but sometimes it was necessary to keep hold of one’s sanity by not overstepping the shady areas of grey. Right or wrong, despite our own desires to see this piece-of-shit dead, we’d made the right call.

Stepping into the room, David stopped and his head snapped in our direction.

“Boys.” He grinned, the look of a psychopath on the edge. Images of Jack Nicholson popped into my head and I swept them away, knowing I was on the precipice of losing my cool as it was.

David twitched, no longer in full control of his nervous system. “Good night?”

I was surprised he showed some semblance of being lucid.

“How’s that sweet bitch of a wife of yours?”

“Fuck you!” I spat out. “You could have killed her, you bastard.” I stepped forward, but was caught on the arm by Mace.

David looked between the two of us and grinned. “The baby die?”

I lunged at him and roared, “You bastard.” My punches landed true, not giving him enough time to defend himself; not that I thought he could anyway. As soon as he hit the ground, I landed a solid kick to his gut before Mace pulled me back. I twisted to face him, adrenaline pulsing through my veins, needing to go back and finish the shithead off.

“No.”

I closed my eyes in defeat and acceptance at Mace’s one word, but it was more than that. His understanding nearly had me coming undone. Jo, our baby—my life was with them. I nodded, jaw clenched, knuckles throbbing with a sensation, which felt surprisingly good. Stepping back, I leaned against the wall as I watched Mace crouch down before him.

“Where have you been this whole time? I know you haven’t been here.”

Delirious laughter escaped from David as he lay on the ground. Blood covered his already-swollen face, one eye closed tightly. “Just waiting for the time to see that bitch of his pay for putting me behind bars.”

It took all my will not to finish the job and beat the life out of him, but I bit my tongue and breathed out my rage.

“Looks like you failed at that,” Mace said, his voice low. “Now, where have you been? I know someone must have been helping you lay low. There’s no chance you could pull that off by yourself.”

David lost his vicious smirk. “Maybe so. It’s a shame. Taking the two of them out, plus the bastard of a child, with me would have been the way to do it.”

“Mace, shut him up. I swear to God—”

“I’ve got it.” His focus was solely on David. “Jo is the only reason you’re alive right now. Quite appropriate since you want an easy way out. I didn’t pull in any favours last time you went down. My mistake. It won’t happen again.”

His words sent a thrill through me. David would pay once on the inside. I closed my eyes in relief.

“Now, who was helping you?”

David’s sardonic grin was back. “Seems like you’ve made some enemies. Started when you were a pig. He’s gunning for you.”

“McKenny?”

“Yes.”

I had no idea why David was giving him what we wanted, or what that meant for Mace. Noise from the open doorway interrupted us. Mace stood and backed away as four officers and a detective stepped into the room. It was Enfield. He headed toward Mace and shook his hand.