Page 133 of The Marine

“I don’t know. But her husband—ex-husband—whatever. Kael, whose name is actual Johnny Trevis, is in custody so she’s not with him, or at home, or at her friends. She left the wedding in the middle of the photos and hasn’t been seen since.”

I let that sink in.

“My god. Has she been abducted? Did Kael...whoever...did he have accomplices?”

She’s watched too much TV. Not that we didn’t consider that. We hadn’t completely ruled it out, but from what we know, Johnny Trevis worked alone. He was simply abusive to women.

“I can’t believe he was a fugitive. All this time.” Mrs. Sutton shook her head, then eventually lifted her eyes to mine. “He hurt her.”

I nodded.

I would never not blame her, even though Briar was now a grown woman making her own choices. If her mother had found the courage to leave her husband, it would’ve taught Briar—even subconsciously—that there are other options in life.

That she didn’t have to stay.

That she could have left Kael years ago and... fucking been with me instead.

Goddamn it.

She belonged to me right from the start.

These fucking people. I want to scream and turn back time, to protect her.

“Where would she go?” I asked, pushing back all the things I want to say to her.

Finding Briar was far more important

“I would’ve thought she’d be with Alice and Trina. Otherwise I don’t know,” her mom said. Then she proceeded to tell me I needed to stay away from her daughter and her family, that I was a no good (insert a bunch of choice words here).

That’s when I crossed the room and stood in front of her, fury pouring from me. I didn’t care how terrifying or intimidating I’d looked.

“If I have my way, when I find your daughter, I am going to knock some sense into her. Knock your toxic words out of her and marry her.”

Her mother gasped.

“So you have until then to sort your shit out and accept it, because I swear to god if you destroy this last chance for both of us to be happy, and for your daughter to be loved by a man who will finally protect her, then you will have to answer to your maker.”

Not that I was a religious man, but it was the safest threat a man like me could make.

Not the one I wanted to make, let me tell you.

I watched as she fish-mouthed it for a long moment, before I spun and stormed out of the house.

And damn, I enjoyed the sound of it slamming behind me.

Now, almost a day later, it just feels bittersweet. The truth is, I don’t know if Briar wants me, and we still have to find her. But I’d waited ten years to say those things to her mother and yeah, it felt fucking good.

After I left, I’d driven around for hours going to all the spots we went to.

I rang Alice.

I rang Trina again.

I had my team on autodial, but we had nothing to trace. Briar didn’t have her car or her phone, but she did have her debit card. She was smart enough to get cash out from an ATM near her apartment. That’s the last transaction she made late yesterday afternoon.

Five hundred dollars.

It would run out soon.

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