“And?”
“And, like I told you before, I made it clear that nothing will happen between her and me. Not now or in the future.”
“Because I’m pregnant?”
“When she suggested the relationship I was in wouldn’t last, I told her it would.”
“Because of the baby?”
“That’s what I told her. It isn’t the way I feel.”
“Is this what the ultimatum is about? Me?”
“She told Doc she wanted to leave. And here’s the deal. We can’t force her to stay in California.” He explained that she wasn’t a prisoner or even under any kind of house arrest. “It’s in her best interest to stay there, at least until Caruso stands trial and is sentenced. But if she wants to leave, no one can stop her.”
“Do you believe she’d be in danger if she came back?”
“I do.”
“I don’t like this.”
“I don’t either, Sloane. Believe me. I told you before that if anyone other than Doc had asked, I would’ve said to tell Nick she was on her own if she didn’t want to accept K19’s help.”
“You’d never forgive yourself if you did that and something happened to her.”
“The other thing is, when I first discussed this with Doc, he told me his first wife had been in an abusive relationship before he married her. I got the impression it might have been the only reason he said it. Anyway, he wants me to try to talk her into staying where she is, so I will.”
“Does she know you’re coming?”
“Yes, but not when specifically.”
“I’m going to call my mom and tell her I’d rather go shopping tomorrow.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
I didn’t sleep very well, so neither did Tackle. It was as though we both knew something bad was about to happen, and yet we kept reassuring each other that he’d be back in a couple of days, we’d go to Knox’s engagement party, and if we felt the time was right, we’d tell him we were together. Once that happened, we’d both feel ready to move on with our lives.
“I’ll call you when I land,” he said when he walked me to my car the next morning. “Send me pictures of all the baby stuff you and your mom get today.”
I laughed and waved as I drove away.
My mom said she’d pick me up at the duplex around noon. In the meantime, I planned to pack up more of my stuff, do some laundry, and maybe even try to take a nap.
I woke up when I heard someone knocking on my front door. I rolled over and picked up my phone to check the time. It sure didn’t feel like I’d been asleep as long as I had.
“Huh,” I said out loud. It was only a little after ten. What was my mom doing here so early? I flung the door open to ask, and instead of my mother, Tackle’s ex-girlfriend was standing on my front stoop, and she looked to be about as pregnant as I was.
26
Tackle
“What do you mean she isn’t here?” I asked Ranger when my flight landed and I called him after seeing a message from him.
“Hey, Tackle. How are you?”
“Fuck off. Answer my question. I just flew all the way across the country to talk to Nick, and now you’re telling me she isn’t here?”
“Here’s what I know. Diesel stopped by her place this morning to check in, and she wasn’t there.”
“Are you watching her?”
“Not all the time. I told you we backed off on surveillance.”
I got it. Around-the-clock detail was expensive, particularly when there was no known threat. “Are you tracking her?”
“Negative. Come on, Tackle, think. We gave her a new identity, a place to live, and even tried to get her a job. There isn’t any reason for us to track her.”
“Copy that. Any idea how long she’s been gone or where she might be?”
“Negative.”
“You said you tried to get her a job. Could she be at work?”
Ranger laughed. “Emphasis on the word tried. She didn’t last a day. The other thing to note is the woman isn’t typically out of bed before ten, so the fact that she was already gone this morning made Diesel think she hadn’t just run to the store.”
“When did he stop by?”
“Two hours ago, and she hasn’t returned.”
“I guess I should call Doc.”
“That would be my advice.”
“Thanks, Ranger, and sorry about snapping at you.”
“I get it.”
“Tackle,” said Doc when he answered my call. “I just got word from Diesel that Claudette Caruso has vanished.”
Vanished? That was a strong word. While Diesel seemed to think the woman wouldn’t leave the house that early in the morning, there was still the possibility she was out running errands…or something.
“Have you attempted contact?” Doc asked.
“Not yet. I just landed, talked to Ranger, and called you.”
“Copy that. See if you can get her to respond to you.”
“Will do.” I hung up and called the number of the phone K19 had provided to her. As much as I didn’t want her to have my number, this time I had no choice. It went straight to voicemail.
No luck, read the text I sent to Doc. Headed to her place now.
Copy that, he responded.
27
Sloane
I had so many questions, I didn’t know where to begin. “What are you doing here?” I blurted.
“Can I come in?”
“Whatever you have to say to me, you can say from where you are.”
“Okay, if that’s how you want to play this.”
“I don’t want to play anything, so either say what you have to say or leave.”
“As you can see, Landry has been a very busy boy.” She waved her hand at her stomach and mine. “I came to appeal to you, woman to woman, to let him go so he could do the right thing and be a part of our child’s life, but I see now that you might want to ask the same thing of me.”
“You already knew I was pregnant.”
“I can assure you,
