Page 52 of Desire Me
“My heart sees just fine, thank you very much.” Leah shook her head. “You agreed we’d come get her.”
“And we will take her home,” Remi said, jacking Saint’s tension right back up, “if that’s what she still wants when we’re done.”
“It’s what I want,” Rae said behind Saint. Her footsteps crossed the hardwood floor toward the hallway. “I’ll get my things.”
“I’m afraid that’s going to have to wait,” Remi called, stopping Rae in her tracks.
“Why?” Saint asked.
“Because I have some news.” Remi gestured toward the living room. “May we sit?”
Saint stared at Remi for a long moment, debating. But like Remi, Saint knew the man in front of him was safe with Rae, and if that was the case, he was safe to be in Saint’s home.
He stepped aside, waving the couple into the living room.
Rae turned back and beelined for one of the lone chairs flanking the fireplace. Saint could have refused to leave her isolated, but after feeling the sting of her glare, he told himself to pick his battles and stood in front of the fireplace instead, close but not too close. Rae didn’t seem to appreciate his restraint, though Elliot smirked his way as she sat at one end of the sectional sofa.
When they were in a loose circle, Remi pulled a photo from his pocket and laid it on the coffee table for everyone to see. A tall man, sunglasses in place against a glaring sun, dark hair barely peeking out beneath a baseball cap. It took no more than a second to realize this was the man from the hospital.
Rae gasped.
“Recognize him?” Remi asked.
Her fingertips were already at her temples. Saint fisted his hands, forcing himself to stay in place despite the nearly overwhelming urge to take her in his arms, settle her on his lap, and massage her temples until the headache went away.
“His face— He was in the van that morning.”
“Van?” Saint hadn’t heard her talk about a van.
Rae studiously avoided his gaze as she answered. “When I was hit. I was a couple of blocks down from the apartment. I went to cross the street, but a van pulled up and blocked my path. The cargo door opened”—she pointed to the picture—“and he was there, reaching for me. I backed up as fast as I could, out of his reach, and that’s when I was hit.”
“So your hit-and-run wasn’t this guy?” Leah asked.
Rae shook her head. “He was trying to get me into the van.”
“They weren’t trying to kill you,” Saint said, thinking through the scenario. “They were trying to kidnap you.”
“And the hospital?” Leah asked.
“We thought he was trying to finish the job,” King said. “What if he wasn’t? What if he was trying to take her with him?”
“Or interrogate her,” Remi said. Saint’s stomach cramped just thinking about it.
“So either they need her for some unknown reason, alive,” King said, continuing the train of thought, “at least for now—”
The pain this time nearly doubled Saint over.
“Or they need info she has,” King finished.
All eyes turned to Rae, who shrugged, obviously frustrated. “I have no idea. My brain hasn’t spit out that information yet.”
“Well”—Remi pointed to the image—“maybe he can tell us.”
Saint’s entire body tensed this time. “You know his identity?”
“Knowing Rae was from the Northeast helped. We narrowed our search down to criminal connections from that area, mostly mafia up there. This guy happens to be a known associate of a criminal network specializing in trafficking north of New York State.”
“Out of reach of the heavy mob influence,” King observed.
