Page 104 of Cooper

This could break her, and that terrifies me more than almost anything else.

The last thing I want is to be responsible for that strong, vibrant woman losing herself.

I steel my resolve and walk up to the front door.

I knock and call out to her. “Ma? You home?”

I hadn’t given her a head’s up, just in case anyone has been watching her, so she night not even be home.

“Mom?”

The house is eerily quiet, and I’m surprised when the doorknob turns easily. She usually keeps her doors locked. It’s habit after living on her own for so many years.

“Mom, you home?” I call out louder this time.

There’s a strange noise in the kitchen and then my mother’s voice, which sounds a little strange. “I’m, uh, I’m in here, Coop.”

She only calls me Coop when something is wrong.

Fuck.

Am I too late?

Dread slides down my spine and settles in my gut like a bag of cement.

I pull the weapon I brought with me from Limaj from the back of my waistband and slowly walk into the kitchen.

The scene in front of me makes bile rise in my throat.

A familiar face looks up at me with a smarmy smile.

“Captain Ryan Cooper. Welcome home. Your mother and I were just about to have some tea. Would you like to join us?

My mother is sitting at the kitchen table, paler than I’ve ever seen her, and she meets my gaze almost guiltily. Like this is her fault.

We were going to set her up as bait, but they weren’t supposed to get here first.

And it’s worse than I imagined because leering over her is a man I never thought I’d see again.

He said I needed to remember his name, and I do.

I also seen his face in my nightmares.

Yusef Mustaffa.

Mother. Fucker.

THIRTY-FOUR

Natalia

I sit straight upin bed, my heart racing and sweat pouring off me.

Dammit.

It’s only been a few days, but I’ve had nightmares every night since Ryan left, and it feels like I’m spiraling.

Tonight’s was the worst one yet, and everything inside of me is screaming that something is wrong. He left without a word and I’m furious about that, but I’ll deal with that—and him—when we get him back here.

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