Page 20 of Mace

“What does that mean?” Brooke asked. She was stalling, hoping that Mace would get out of the shower and figure out that they had an uninvited guest, but that was also a risky move.

“It means that Mace will decide what happens to you. I’m going to give him two options—dump you for me, or I kill both of you,” Julie spat. “And that would really be a shame because before you took my place in Mace’s life, he loved me. We had a connection.”

“Like you and Reece had a connection?” Brooke asked. Julie turned red with anger and that wasn’t what she needed right now. “I’m sorry,” Brooke lied. She meant every word that she had just said to Julie, but taking them back was the only way to keep herself and her baby alive. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You’re right, you shouldn’t have,” Julie said. “Now, let’s go before I change my mind and kill you right here. Can you imagine poor Mace’s face when he sees you lying on the kitchen floor after bleeding out from a gunshot wound?” Brooke could imagine that and the thought of Mace finding her body scared the hell out of her.

Julie grabbed a handful of Brooke’s hair and yanked her back, poking the gun into her back again. “I said, let’s go,” Julie whispered into her ear.

“Okay,” Brooke cried. She had no idea where Julie was going to take her and leaving a clue for Mace wasn’t possible, even if she knew where she was going. Brooke was just going to have to hope for a miracle and do what Julie told her to do because that might be the only way to keep both her and her baby safe.

Mace

Owen showed up at the bar first, followed by Steel and Mav. “Tell me that you have some news,” Mace begged. The guys having their own security agency was coming in handy. “We were able to do some digging into Julie’s past and found her childhood home.”

“Why would her childhood home be important?” Mace asked.

“Because it’s been empty since her parents passed in a car accident together,” Owen said.

“Okay, what’s the big deal about a vacant house?” Mace asked.

“The house recently had the electricity and water hooked back up to it,” Owen said.

“So, someone is staying there now,” Mace concluded.

Owen shrugged, “It’s at least a good starting point. Maybe Julie wanted to be some place she felt comfortable and took Brooke there with her.”

“It’s a least a lead,” Mace agreed. “So now what happens?”

“Now, we call Julie and get her to meet with you so that we can check out her old house to see if that’s where she’s keeping Brooke,” Owen said.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” he asked. Mace worried that poking the bear might not end well for his girl, and the idea of Julie hurting Brooke scared the hell out of him.

“I do,” he said. “We’ll have the cops meet you both at the bar, and I need you to wear a wire,” Owen insisted.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Mace promised, “I just want Brooke back.”

“I know man,” Owen said. “The cops will be able to monitor your every word once you’re wired up and when Julie admits that she’s taken Brooke, they’ll move in. Mav had set everything up with his detective friend on the force. He knows Brooke and will do whatever it takes to help find her.”

“He knows her?” Mace asked, his protective instincts coming to the surface.

“Not like that,” Owen said, rolling his eyes at him. “They have worked on a few cases together and he’s testified for her a couple of times. Don’t go getting jealous, Mace. Brooke only has eyes for you.”

“I’ll wear the wire,” Mace agreed. He didn’t care who the cop was to Brooke as long as he could bring her back to him, that was all Mace cared about.

“Do you still have Julie’s phone number?” Owen asked.

“I do,” Mace admitted. He pulled his phone from his pocket and called her.

“Julie,” he said, clearing his throat. “It’s me, Mace,” he said.

“I thought that you’d be calling me sooner or later. Your girlfriend and I are getting to know each other, so this better be important,” Julie taunted.

“Is she all right?” Mace growled. “Did you hurt her?”

“She’s okay for now,” Julie assured, “but, I can’t promise that she’ll stay that way. That part is up to you.”

“What do I have to do, Julie?” he asked. Mace would grovel on his knees if that was what Julie wanted.

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