Forsaken (The Found Book 2) (25 page)

Labado had called and told him what was expected for Annie and Magda, as they would be part of the party favors. Seth had told him to go fuck himself, since he was bringing Portia, he wouldn’t be bringing Annie and Magda. Within an hour of him saying that, a sealed envelope was left with the concierge in the lobby for Seth, inside was an engraved invitation to the event. In it was a handwritten note regarding Annie and Magda. Labado’s point had been made.

“Seth, this is the reason we didn’t want to tell you about Nell. You can’t help her with your attention split in so many directions.”

“Fine. Then I’ll walk away with Annie right now. Get on the next plane to LA and concentrate on my daughter.” As soon as he said the words he knew them for the lie they were. He was a failure as a husband and a father, and he wasn’t even a husband to Annie yet. He said as much to Max.

“It’s not true,” Annie whispered from the couch. Her voice was hoarse. “You are my husband. In my heart, you are and you’re perfect.”

“And that’s why you’ve been sobbing for the last five hours?”

“I saw her Seth, I saw her roll over and smile.”

“You did?” He watched as she lifted herself up on her elbow, and he pushed himself off the floor and went to the leather sofa, lifting her up onto his lap.

“I did.”

“Max, why can’t you help her? You’re a guardian. I thought you were able to take care of all of us.”

“I have some dream walking abilities, but not nearly as strong as yours. What’s more, she knows you, she will want to come to you.”

“That’s not true. I only came to her a couple of times. She won’t know to come to me, she’ll want Annie.”

“She knew you, she asked for her Daddy before you ever knew about her, she’ll want to come to you,” Annie assured him.

“That’s impossible.”

“That’s your daughter. She recognized your picture.” Annie explained how their daughter had pointed to his photo, and Seth stared at her in amazement.

“When this is all over, when you can concentrate, she will come to you.”

“You’re not understanding something. You think I can’t concentrate on helping her? Well what makes you think I’ll be any better concentrating on this mission now? I’m going to screw things up.”

Seth looked at the man who called himself guardian. His power rolled over Seth in huge waves.

“It’s why I’m here. I can amplify your powers, and I have my own. We will stop this, and get you and Annie back to your daughter.”

“You can’t know that.”

“Can’t I?”

“I don’t understand. I mean, we never really discussed your role, when you came to visit in New Mexico. I was just a kid. You spoke to Grandmother a lot more than me.”

“I came over from our world with my memories intact. My purpose is to watch over the people in my care. I don’t have precognitive abilities, but when I know someone is in trouble, and I can’t get there, I can protect them. It’s that simple.”

“Why haven’t you protected Nell?”

“She is protected, Annie. Her own abilities took over and put her in stasis so she didn’t disperse into many different directions looking for you. Now it’s a matter of her finding her way back with Seth’s help. They almost had it. By this time tomorrow, you’ll be with her.”

Seth wasn’t putting his faith in Isaacson, but he was putting it in the
found
team. They could and would bring down this filth, and then he and Annie would be with their daughter. Then he remembered Labado’s instructions and broke into a cold sweat.

Chapter Nineteen

Annie looked at the engraved invitation Seth left on the dresser in the bedroom. She’d left Max and Seth in the office, it might be Saturday morning, but she needed some real sleep in a real bed. After showering, she grabbed one of Seth’s shirts from his dresser, intending to snuggle into bed and sleep in his arms. But after reading the invite, sleep wouldn’t be happening.

The day at Labado’s house she had been concentrating on Magda so much the talk about the party had mostly gone over her head. Since then she hadn’t paid much attention because she knew the whole ordeal would be over before they would have to make an appearance. Now it wasn’t the case.

This invitation actually told Seth he had to bring her and Magda, and referred to them as slaves. They were to wear collars and be dressed appropriately for the night’s festivities. Labado had even taken the time to hand write the instructions for Seth.

“Carson, I look forward to sampling your purchases.”

A long time later, Seth found her sitting on the end of the bed.

“Sweetheart, why aren’t you asleep? You need to get some real rest.” She saw the exact second he spied the papers in her hand. He rubbed the back of his neck.

“We’re going to take him down tonight. All of them,” he assured her.

“I know.” She tried to sound positive. She looked at him through the fall of her hair. He brushed it behind her ear and raised his eyebrow.

“You know the trick, huh?” she asked.

“Yep. Not that I don’t like your hair, but I love your eyes even more.”

She threw the invitation onto the floor. “There’s no way Magda’s going.”

“I agree.”

She plowed on. She’d been thinking about this since she’d seen the invitation.

“The girl has been through enough. She doesn’t understand English or Spanish. You don’t speak Albanian. She’s not going. I’ll have to be enough to satisfy the slimy bastard.”

“I agree, you’re right, you’re not going.”

Annie took a deep breath, the first one since reading the vile note. Then she gave him a sharp look.

“Wait, what do you mean? I’m going. You can’t go empty handed. I just said Magda wasn’t going, I’ll be fine.”

“Neither of you are going, I’m taking Portia.” He sat beside her, and she was warmed by the heat of his body.

“I don’t understand.”

“Vargas Jr. and Soto have been fighting. They’ve both threatened not to come tonight.”

“Oh no.” She wanted this over with.

“It turns out the fight is really about Portia, they both want her, so I’m taking her to tonight’s party.”

“Portia? Your wife?” God she hated using the words wife and Portia in the same sentence.

“Not for much longer, but yes. She’s been sleeping with both of them, and they’re fighting over her. She’s going to be the bait.”

It felt like she was under water, the push and pull of waves had her in their grip.

“This is just too twisted I can’t keep up.”

“It gets worse, Labado’s been sleeping with her too.”

“What kind of world have you been living in?” She shook her head, her hair falling in her face again. Seth put his arm around her and pushed it back so he could look at her. His eyes gave her so much comfort as they looked at her.

“Living in a world without you is hell on Earth. It’s why you’re not going tonight. Even with the raid, there are too many variables. I don’t want you to be at risk.”

“What’s going to happen if you show up with only Portia?”

“Nothing.” There was just the slightest bit of hesitation, but Annie heard it.

“He’s crazy. I saw him in the room. The man is a sick psychopath. I read his note. If you show up without both of us, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

“And it’s the reason you’re not going.” Seth let go of her, swept the invitation off the floor and ripped it into pieces. “You’re exactly right. He’s a psychopath. Vargas is a drug dealing scum and Soto cuts people’s heads off for fun. You’re not going anywhere near tonight’s party.” He stood over her, unlike any version of Seth she’d seen before.

“But.”

“There are no buts,” he said pulling her up so she was standing flush against him. “I’m done with this. You’re never to be put in harm’s way again. Are we clear?”

“Seth, we’ve come so far. This operation is almost over with. We can’t blow it now.”

His eyes glittered like shards of obsidian. “Annie, you’re not hearing me. So let me say this again. I love you. You’re the mother of my child. I will never let you be used again.”

“But.” His lips slammed down, and she was drowning, this was not a kiss, it was the ultimate brand, and she could do nothing but submit and revel in his demand. Dizzy. About to pass out from lack of air. Suddenly she was lying on the bed.

Deeper and longer their kiss went on. How she needed this man in her life. He
was
her life. His hands were everywhere, he was touching her exactly where and how she needed him. Arching up, she moaned into his mouth, and he finally released her lips. Like lightening the shirt was over her head, his fingers at her core, and like thunder her orgasm pulsed through her body.

He slid down, replacing his fingers with his ravenous mouth, bringing a storm of sensation. “It’s too much,” she gasped.

“You can take it.”

His tongue speared inside, driving her even higher than before.

“Oh God.” A whirlwind drove her upwards, everything inside her clamped down and she screamed.

Somehow he was naked, and then he was a driving force. More than she ever hoped for, more than her wildest wish. His hot release deep inside her body sent her over yet again. It blasted away all thought but her love for the man who owned her soul.

****

He hated wearing tuxedos. The first time he had worn one was at his farce of a wedding. Annie watched him with a forlorn expression. It was hard to believe this was the same woman who slept so sweetly in his arms all morning and afternoon.

“It’s going to be all right.”

“I know.”

“We’ll be in LA in less than twelve hours. This will all be behind us, we’ll be a family.”

“Eventually.”

Fuck, he hated thinking of the time it would take to divorce Portia. He knew she would be in jail after tonight. Even if they couldn’t implicate her in the murder of the boy who had spurned her years ago, she was still involved enough in her father’s and Labado’s operation to definitely warrant prison time. It should help expedite the divorce process. There was always an annulment, but that would be harder to prove, and the bitch would likely contest it.

Seth took Annie in his arms and hugged her, and she melted into his embrace.
God they were made for each other.

“You better get out of here, everybody else has left.” Annie took a step back and ran her hand down the front of his suit.

“Yeah, Portia’s waiting for me. She thinks we’re going out to dinner with Leslie and Labado.”

“Wasn’t she suspicious?”

“She was so happy to be let out of the house, she wasn’t questioning anything.” He looked at Annie, she was standing in the bedroom, barefoot, wearing jeans and a red sweater, and she looked glorious.
Just twelve more hours, Natani.
Then he would be back to his real life, a life that mattered. A life with meaning.

“Walk me to the door.” He held out his hand. They walked down the hall, past the living room where Magda was watching a singing talent show on television.

“We’ll be home before dawn. I’ve arranged for a private plane to take us to LA.” He watched Annie sigh in relief.

“Be careful, I’d die if something happened to you.”

“We have a plan. Sierra has been talking to Isaacson, they’re going to come through, and once it happens, everything will fall into place. I’ll be back before Magda has time to finish all the Hot Pockets.” He loved he’d startled a laugh out of her.

“Don’t bet on it. I eat when I’m stressed.”

“That’s a damn lie.” He kissed the tip of her nose, and pulled her close for another hug. He couldn’t tell which one of them needed it most. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Chapter Twenty

Magda took to American junk food like any normal teenager. When she originally confronted Seth about the appalling amount of unhealthy food in kitchen, he said Nate had brought in what he had called necessary supplies. It all clicked in, Nate Goodman was notorious for eating gargantuan amounts of junk food.

Annie watched as earlier Magda made her way through a can of Cheez Whiz, black olives and crackers. Then during a reality show there had been chocolate icing on Graham crackers. Now she was eating a bowl of whipped cream with maraschino cherries. Magda was definitely fascinated with any food that sprayed out of a can. At the rate she was eating, the girl was going to gain ten pounds before dawn.

Annie checked the listings, Grease would be playing shortly before ten, and the musical should work well for Magda even in English. God knew Annie wouldn’t be able to sleep until Seth returned. They were midway through the film and Annie thanked God they were in such a luxurious penthouse considering how loud the Magda had the volume. She’d been right, Magda loved the movie. Apparently she’d seen it in Albania, and she was singing about being Sandra Dee. The girl had a great voice.

Suddenly the television exploded. Magda screamed and fire raced along Annie’s scalp as her head was yanked backwards over the top of the couch. She was staring up into cold dead eyes, a gun was pressed into her temple.

“You’re late for the party,” the man whispered, she heard nothing else.

It was deathly quiet. What happened to Magda? Annie was too scared to say a word. The man standing over her knew it. He grinned, showing his crooked yellow teeth. Finally, he let go of her hair.

“Stand up. Don’t scream or I’ll just tell my associate to cut off a finger from your little friend. I was told we get to maim you if we want. My associate likes doing that kind of thing.” She looked at Magda, she was being held over the shoulder of a thin wiry man. He winked at her. Annie shuddered.

“There’s a car waiting in the garage. You will be taken to the party. It’s all up to you how many fingers or hands she has when we get there.” Magda groaned. She looked green. “Do you understand me?” Annie nodded.

When they got into the elevator, Annie saw the body of someone in a uniform. He was wearing a nametag with the name of the building. They must have gotten the master key from him. Magda groaned again.