In the Black Read online

  “Stop it.” She’d had enough of his crap. “I’m walkin’ out, and you’re—”

  “You don’t wanna push me.” He said it with a quiet sort of menace. “Not now.”

  “How can you talk to me like this?”

  Dave shoved her.

  Tears slid down her face, and she stumbled away from him, unable to believe her own ears. It’s like she didn’t know him at all.

  “I’m tired of the way you talk to me. I’m the man of this house, not you. Or have you forgotten? I’m sick of not bein’ respected.” A white line formed around his mouth. “No, I’m sick of you.”

  Ellie didn’t even think about it, she just hauled off and slapped his face.

  They both stood there in stunned silence. The palm of her hand burned, and she’d left a small pink mark on his cheek.

  And then his lips twisted. Dave grabbed Ellie by the shoulder, yanking her closer.

  “No, Dave, stop. You don’t wanna do this.”

  But he backhanded her, sending Ellie stumbling against the wall.

  “The hell I don’t.”

  She tried to run, but he placed an arm on either side of her, pinning her. Dave got in her face. His lip curled. It was almost a snarl.

  Ellie swallowed, gripped by panic.

  Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

  She trembled, trying to pull herself together.

  “Dave, please…”

  “Are you afraid?”

  “Yes.” It galled her to admit, but she’d never had anyone treat her this way, speak to her like this. She’d never seen him so volatile and didn’t know what to expect.

  “What are you gonna do, if the FBI questions you?” Once again, he tried to communicate something with his gaze she didn’t quite understand.

  “I won’t lie for you.”

  He sighed in sheer exasperation. “I’m givin’ you an out, take it.”

  She gulped. “What are you saying?” Had he just threatened her?

  “Don’t make me do somethin’ we’ll both regret.”

  Ellie gathered all her strength. “I want to leave. Now. Let me go.”

  He seized her once more, slamming her back into the wall. Dave was much bigger than her, and he tossed her around like a rag doll, slapping her face, roughing her up. She didn’t stand a chance against him.

  “No, please don’t! Stop!”

  “Make me.”

  Ellie tumbled to the floor and tried to crawl away, but he seized her by the ankles, yanking her back toward him. Dave flipped her over, and he straddled her body, pinning her to the floor, while she tried to scratch and claw his face. He seized her wrists in one hand and bashed in her nose with the other.

  And he didn’t stop hitting.

  Until she blacked out.

  ***

  Ever so slowly, painfully, Ellie picked herself up off the floor. She hurt everywhere, feeling like a big bruise.

  Instantly, she was on guard, but there was no sign of Dave anywhere. Nothing but silence in the apartment and the scream of sirens in the distance.

  Thank God.

  She limped to the window and looked outside. It was dark, and Dave’s car was gone.

  How long have I been out?

  Ellie didn’t have a clue, but she had to get out of there. She needed to be somewhere safe, where Dave wouldn’t follow her. Right now. Ellie needed to see Tommy.

  Without thinking, Ellie grabbed her purse and ran for the door.

  Chapter 2

  Two days later…

  Should I knock?

  Quentin Zane stood in the doorway outside of Ellie’s room. She’d shown up on their doorstep, bruised and beaten a couple of days ago. They’d been working on a case, so there hadn’t been time to focus on Ellie or her injuries.

  Since her brother, Thomas King, was in the hospital, recovering from a gunshot wound, Zane decided he’d be the one who stepped up and took care of Ellie.

  Like it’s a sacrifice. You’ve been dreamin’ about gettin’ close to her again.

  The only problem was, Zane was in love with her. Had been for a while now, and it hadn’t shown any signs of letting up. Only, he could never let himself go there, assuming Ellie wanted anything to do with him inthe first place.

  He doubted Ellie knew how he felt about her. Mostly because he’d taken great pains to disguise his feelings.

  For some reason, Zane got the sense that the door was a Pandora’s box of sorts. Once he opened it, nothing would ever be the same again.

  “What the fuck are you doing?”

  Zane swung around to see Nox standing in the doorway, naked as a jaybird. He didn’t even bother to cover himself.

  Logan Knoxville was a former Army Ranger and a sniper. Like the rest of them, he worked for Black Star security. His hair was coal black, and he had big blue eyes. The man also had a distinct lack of boundaries.

  He strutted around naked, screwed random women while they screamed and called his name in earshot of everybody, and didn’t have an ounce of shame about any of it.

  “Dammit.” Zane glanced at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I saw your fuckin’ dick. Again.” He shouldn’t know whether Nox had foreskin or not. He did.

  And his junk was pierced. Ouch.

  It must’ve hurt like hell. Although, given Nox’s kinky streak, the bastard had probably gotten off on the pain. Nox was into whips and chains, and God only knows what else.

  Nox lifted a shoulder. “If you don’t like it, don’t look.”

  “In case you forgot, we had a meetin’ about this.”

  “No, y’all said I couldn’t be naked in the kitchen.” He grinned. “This ain’t the kitchen.”

  Zane rolled his eyes. “No, we said no nudity in the common areas.”

  He shrugged. “Whatever. Back to my earlier question. Why are you standin’ outside her door?”

  “I’m not.”

  He raised two incredulous brows.

  Damn it. Why do I feel like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar?

  “Okay, I am, technically, but…”

  “But?”

  “It’s none of your business,” Zane snapped.

  Nox chuckled. “Who pissed in your oatmeal?”

  “Fuck off.”

  Nox cocked his head to one side, studying him with a curious expression. Then he glanced at the door, before going back to Zane.

  A lead ball settled into his stomach.

  “Holy shit.”

  “What?”

  “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

  “Lower your voice, she’ll hear you.” He winced. “And you don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”

  “Yeah, that was really convincin’.”

  Zane glowered at him, hoping Nox would get bored and go away.

  “Well, don’t just stand there, do something.” He made a shooing motion.

  “Like what?”

  Nox shrugged. “I don’t know jack shit about love. Serenade her. Write her a poem. Buy her some flowers.” He ticked the options off on his fingertips. “The point is, make a move instead of standing around like a stalker.” Nox smirked. “Or better yet, fuck her bow-legged. Yeah, that ought to do the trick.”

  “Don’t you have someplace else to be?”

  “No.”

  “Get lost, Nox.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” And then he turned around, padding down the hallway to the shower, buck naked.

  And now, I got a ringside seat to his backside. Great.

  Zane knocked on the door. This day’s just gettin’ better and better.

  ***

  “What the hell do you think you’re doin’?”

  “What does it look like?”

  Ellie tossed a shirt into her duffel bag. She’d spent the past couple of days at Tommy’s place, running away from her problems, but it was time to go home and face the enormous crater she’d dug for herself.

  Hmph. More like the firing squad.

  Zane didn’t respond, just
waited her out with a lethal dose of silence. She didn’t mean to be rude, but Ellie didn’t want to answer Zane’s questions.

  He was one of Tommy’s friends and a member of Black Star Security. Before that, he’d been a SEAL. These Navy SEAL guys could suss out trouble from twenty paces. If she started talking, Zane would figure out she was up to something, and then she’d be screwed. It was tempting to tell one of them what had gone down, but she wouldn’t involve anybody else in her mess.

  Besides, there had been a rift between her and Tommy ever since she started dating Dave. Tommy had never liked the man and hadn’t been shy about sharing his opinions. Ellie had stubbornly insisted Dave was a great guy, but it turns out Tommy was right.

  “Come on, roomie.”

  Ellie swallowed. It was his old nickname for her, and a flood of memories came back to her.

  Before she’d taken up with Dave, she’d lived with Tommy and Zane for a while. They’d been close, until the incident at the beach, the one neither one of them brought up. And while Zane hadn’t commented on her relationship with Dave, she’d gotten the feeling he didn’t approve of the man either.

  And now her former roommate stood in the doorway, with a fierce expression on his handsome face and she turned away, ignoring him. Or tried to. Zane was six feet tall with steely blue eyes, medium brown hair, and a sinewy, sculpted body.

  He didn’t exactly blend in to the background.

  This had been an opportune time to escape since the team was occupied with closing a case. And her brother was laid up in the hospital for a day or two. He’d saved Savannah Summers, a country music star who’d gotten death threats. Tommy had only been only too happy to protect her. He’d been obsessed with Savvy for years, and now they were dating, which was super weird, but Ellie would worry about that later.

  Unfortunately, Ellie hadn’t counted on Zane ruining her plans. He always seemed to be around, watching her.

  “Are you goin’ back to him?”

  “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” She walked into the bathroom and tossed her toiletries into another bag, eager to hit the road before Zane tattled on her.

  Ellie had arrived here with nothing, but Tommy had brought her an overnight bag after he’d confronted Dave. And by confrontation, she meant a beatdown.

  Tommy said he’d kicked the crap out of Dave. Ellie was torn about it. Part of her was pleased he’d given Dave a taste of his own medicine. The other was annoyed with both herself and Tommy. She was an adult now and shouldn’t go running to her big brother for protection.

  Enough introspection. I’ve gotta hurry.

  It wasn’t easy to move fast.

  Ellie was stiff and sore from her injuries. When she glanced in the mirror, a battered woman stared back at her. Ellie wasn’t beautiful, but she was attractive under normal circumstances. She had blue eyes and reddish blond hair. Now, she had a black eye and a busted lip. Her cheeks were swollen, and red. Dave had been ruthless, holding her down, taking his anger out on her.

  She couldn’t believe someone who’d proclaimed to love her, could be so cruel.

  Zane gently grasped her hand, squeezing it.

  Ellie startled, shrinking away, and Zane released her.

  “Easy, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He spread his hands wide. “Please stop what you’re doin’ and talk to me.”

  “I have to go.”

  “If you do, Dave will kill you this time.”

  Ellie didn’t doubt it. Frankly, she didn’t know why he’d left her alive in the first place, given what he and his friends had planned. But she didn’t have the luxury of walking away from Dave. Not after what she’d found out. Ellie had to tell somebody, stop this madness anyway she could.

  “It’s not me I’m worried about.”

  His brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  Ellie swallowed. Should I say something? What if I end up gettin’ them all killed?

  “Please tell me. I can’t help until you level with me.”

  Ellie considered the enormity of the situation and how many lives were at risk. If something happened, she’d never forgive herself. Things had soured between them personally, but Zane was a decent human being, and he’d know how to deal with a situation like this.

  “Ellie?” he prompted.

  She couldn’t keep this secret anymore. Ellie was in over her head, and out of other options. Unless running away to Mexico was one of them.

  It sounded like heaven right about now. She could spend her days on the beach in a resort town, sipping margaritas, and checking out hot tourists.

  Surrender the fantasy. It’s more likely you’ll end up in San Quentin.

  “Can I trust you?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “This isn’t about gettin’ back with Dave. And if I tell you, you can’t involve Tommy. He’s already hurt, and he’ll try to get involved anyway.” Her big brother was overprotective in the extreme, and he’d just been shot. Tommy needed some rest.

  Yeah, and what’s the real reason you ain’t involvin’ him?

  Shame. Ellie couldn’t even lie to herself anymore. I don’t want him to know how badly I screwed up.

  “I promise. Hey, wait a minute. Does this mean you’re done with Dave?”

  “We’re finished.” It wasn’t even a question. Their relationship couldn’t survive all of this. Strangely enough, Ellie’s emotions weren’t mixed about it. She was glad it was over.

  “Yeah. That’s terrible news.”

  “Then why are you smilin’?”

  His features sobered. “No particular reason.”

  “Zane…”

  “Because you can do better. Because you are better. The man is nothin’ compared to you.”

  This was Zane’s biggest problem.

  He reminded her of the Katy Perry song, Hot N Cold. When it came to her, he couldn’t make up his freaking mind. One day, he was all over Ellie. The next, he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. It was schizophrenic, and she wouldn’t allow herself to get sucked in this time.

  “Not that I’m defendin’ Dave, but you don’t even know him.”

  “I know he hit you,” Zane said quietly. “I also know you’re upset and you need to heal.”

  Yeah, he had that right. She ducked her head.

  She’d seen the anger on his face when he’d taken in her injuries. Although she wasn’t sure why he’d gotten so worked up. Maybe it was because she was Tommy’s little sister. Therefore, she was one of the gang.

  “And I’m not talking about the wounds on the outside. Those are gonna take a long time.”

  “You almost sound like you’re speakin’ from experience.”

  “Maybe I am.” He cleared his throat. “Now spill it.”

  And that’s when she had a revelation about him. Zane never talked about his past. He kept things light, on the surface. He didn’t offer up many details about his history.

  “I think Dave’s gonna hurt some people.”

  “What exactly are you saying?”

  “He might be buildin’ a bomb, Zane, and he’s gonna use it.”

  “What the fuck…?” Zane blinked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, back up. I’m missin’ somethin’ here.”

  Ellie gave him an abbreviated version of events about the keycard and Dave’s reaction. She also told Zane about the company he’d been keeping, and their extreme views. And she mentioned Anubis, but Ellie had been deliberately vague, only saying it was a dangerous chemical, which was the truth.

  “Wait a minute. You’re sayin’ he’s one of those sovereign citizen guys?”

  Since Dave had taken up with Marshall and his crew, she’d done some internet research. The sovereign movement was a growing subculture in the country. They believed the government has no authority over them, and they weren’t subject to laws, like paying taxes.

  “Yeah. He’s always had anti-government leanings, but he’s gone off the deep end.” She’d love to blame this
all on Marshall, but Dave knew better. Evidently, he just didn’t care anymore.

  Until the other day, she assumed he’d never lay a hand on her. Ellie had been wrong. What else had she missed?

  “And when you confronted him, he attacked you?”

  “Yes.”

  There was no other way to characterize what he’d done. And she’d been trying to rationalize it, make sense of it, but Ellie couldn’t.

  “Have you gone to the police? The FBI?”

  “No.” She glanced away.

  And the guilt ate at her. When she’d picked herself up off the floor, Ellie should’ve gone straight to the police and told them everything, but she’d been too afraid. What if the FBI thought she was a terrorist? She had visions of being taken to a black site somewhere.

  Although living with the fear of what they might do, was even worse in a way. At least if she came clean, her conscience would be clear.

  “Because he got the key from you?” Zane asked gently.

  “Yeah. Technically, I’m an accessory, but I didn’t have a hand in this, Zane. You’ve gotta believe me.”

  “I do.” He nodded. “This ain’t on you. You had no idea what he was gonna do, or even that he’d taken it.”

  “Somehow, I doubt the FBI will see it that way. They’ve probably pieced it together by now.”

  His brows darted into his hairline. “Give me your phone.” He held out his hand expectantly.

  “What? Why?”

  “Don’t ask questions. Give it.”

  She pulled it out of her pocket and slapped it in his palm.

  He checked the phone and sighed, clearly relieved. “Has it been off this whole time?”

  “Why?”

  “Just tell me, roomie. It’s important.”

  “No, my battery died, and I didn’t bring my charger.”

  “Good.” After pulling out the battery, and the SIM card, he smashed it to smithereens.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Sure, it hadn’t been a fancy phone, but it was all Ellie had.

  “The feds might be trying to track you. A cell phone is like carryin’ around a homing beacon.”

  Right. They could ping the nearest tower and find her.

  “Oh.”

  I’m an idiot. I didn’t even think about it. And they would have caught up with her, if not for dumb luck. This is why Ellie needed help. She didn’t have a clue what she was doing.