Sinner Like Me by Avril Ashton

Six

Kane couldn’t stay still. He kept pacing, first one end of the living room where Syren and Mateo and Tommy were huddled over a phone, and then the other side. He’d called Gabe and Angel, and they were waiting for Syren’s plane to touch down. In the meantime, they had nothing but time as they waited for Billy or Tommy to pinpoint Monica’s location. Or at least the place she’d been when she called earlier.

The situation was hard to wrap his mind around, to fully grasp. His daughter was gone, snatched from them. Nina too.

He strode out of the room and to the backyard, where they’d let O.G. out to run around. The dog bounded up to him and licked his fingers with a whine. “I know.” It was like O.G. could tell shit wasn’t right. That they were out of their minds with grief and worry and...

He didn’t want to contemplate what that Monica woman would do to Nina and Càtia. He did know that if one hair on their heads was out of place, he’d be slicing that bitch up himself.

After the last phone call, Syren had come clean, explaining that Monica had posed as a potential client to get a meeting with him. The meeting where she’d shared the surveillance photos taken of them, their family.

Kane sank onto one of the wrought iron benches they’d placed around the large backyard. He should have been told. He couldn’t understand that shit. He’d needed to know right away. And along with the heartbreak of having his child stolen, he had to deal with the fact that Monica had taken an innocent encounter with Vince and turned it into something Syren might never get over. He stared down at his bare feet in the grass, O.G. sitting next to him, long pink tongue hanging out as he stared at Kane with a quizzical expression. Their lives were turned upside down in a fucking blink and he—he balled up his fists and rested them on his thighs—he was helpless to do anything. He couldn’t go to the authorities, couldn’t call any of his fellow law enforcement people, because that could turn a bad situation worse. Not to mention the fact that every fucking body inside his house was a criminal in some kind of capacity.

Not that he cared about that. If anybody could get Càtia and Nina back it would be these men.

He got to his feet and went back inside, nodding at Tommy, who stood near the back screen door. He’d met Tommy and Mateo for the first time when Syren and Kane returned to the States from Costa Rica to plan their wedding. Kane hadn’t thought Syren had many friends. Or any for that matter, besides Angel. He’d been surprised when the doorbell rang one evening and Mateo Oliveros stood there, a younger man who turned out to be Tommy by his side. They’d had dinner, some conversation, and before Kane knew it, those two were a fixture in his house. Mateo was a tough nut and took some getting used to, but Tommy made up for Mateo’s brash and rough attitude. He’d grown on Kane for sure. Enough for Mateo and Tommy to be a part of their wedding in a very surprising way. Càtia had even taken to calling them Uncle Matty, which Mateo hated, and Uncle Tommy.

“Hey.” Tommy smiled at him. “You okay?”

“Not yet, but I will be.” He made his way to the living room, Syren’s voice reaching him before he entered the room.

“Don’t fuck with me, Dutch. She’s not allowed to live, do you understand? Not after she took my daughter and Nina. Not ever. That bitch is toast and if you feel you need to stop me, try. I like you, but not that much. My family comes first and if you’re a threat you’re dead. It’s that simple.” He ended the call and cursed viciously.

Kane stood there with his arms folded and took in his husband. Syren had gotten dressed before Mateo and Tommy came over, wearing a white shirt tucked into the waistband of dark trousers, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His feet were bare though, and Kane grinned at the purple nail polish he and Càtia had put on Syren’s toes days before. Syren’s hair was a mess, but Kane liked it.

He cleared his throat and Syren spun around, eyes wide, his face so pale he was damn near translucent.

“Kane. How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough.” Kane strode over. “Sit, you look like you’re going to fall down any minute.” He pointed to Bailey’s chair. Syren had insisted they keep it right where it was. “Sit,” he insisted when Syren hesitated.

Syren sat and Kane fell to his knees before him. He didn’t like the wary fear in Syren’s purple eyes.

“Do you remember when we made love here, on this chair?”

“I-I wouldn’t call it making love.” Some of the tension on Syren’s face and in his shoulders melted away when the corners of his mouth quirked. “It was—”

“It was me, making love to you.” He rubbed his palms over Syren’s thighs. “I loved you so much, I couldn’t find the words to adequately describe it.” He cupped Syren’s face. “It was a fierce burning thing inside me, eating me up, consuming me. Taking you here, on this chair, was the first time I told you I loved you. Only I didn’t use words.”

Syren’s lips parted. His thighs trembled under Kane’s touch.

“That was before,” Kane said.

Syren closed his eyes. “Before what?” he whispered. “Before I kept secrets? Before I put our family in danger?”

Even though Syren wasn’t looking at him, Kane shook his head with a smile. “Before you forgave me for accusing you of the worst kind of betrayal, for not recognizing when you were being hurt.” He would forever agonize over that. Would never stop blaming himself for walking away and leaving Syren while he was being hurt so profoundly. “Before I dropped to my knees on that beach with a ring.”

Syren’s eyes flew open.

“Before you stood with me in our backyard and said ‘I do.’ Before you gave me a daughter.” Kane paused and cleared his throat. “You will never lose me. You will piss me off and make me angry. You will push me, but lose me?” He leaned up, lips hovering over Syren’s. “Never that. Never that.”

Syren’s face crumpled, bit by gorgeous bit. He caught his bottom lip with his teeth and he stared at Kane, his body shaking. “Marshal.”

“I thought I was in love with you before,” Kane said, “But now, every day, I love you more. Every time Càtia calls me daddy, I love you more. Every time I kiss you and you make those sexy fucking whimpers, I love you more.”

Syren’s arms circled his neck, pulled him close, and Kane went into his husband’s embrace, kissing Syren’s cheek.

“I’m in love with you,” he continued. “More now than ever. You can get me angry, but you can never get me to leave you, to leave this family. My heart is here, with you and Càtia, so wherever you are that’s where I’ll be.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Syren replied. “I just want you safe. I just want you here.”

“You’re used to doing things alone.” Kane leaned back, met Syren’s eyes. “But you’re a married man now. That ring on your finger means you’ll never be alone ever again. And if you share things with me, if you’re open with me, you’ll never hurt me.”

Syren nodded slowly, his nose red.

“I’m not scared of who you used to be. You’re good at that shit, and I married you knowing about all of it. There’s no reason to be mad at you for your enemies targeting our family, but I want to know about it. That way, we’ll be prepared to deal with it, together.”

Syren’s bottom lips trembled. “I knew you would be perfect for me the first time I saw your photo. The reality is so much better, Marshal. So much better.”

“Of course it is. You deserve it, and I want to give it to you. All the time.” Kane kissed him. A quick peck then he went back for more, slower this time, tongue sliding in when Syren opened for him. A familiar dance, but kissing Syren was never quite the same all the time. There was always something new to learn, to discover about the man in his arms.

“Ow, my eyes!”

Kane jerked upright as his brother and Rafe walked into the room. “Gabe.” He got to his feet and pulled Syren up. He hugged his brother, held him tight when Gabe didn’t let him go. Rafe and Syren hugged as well. When Gabe finally released him, Kane shook Rafe’s hand.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Shit. Where else would we be?” Gabe looked Syren up and down. “You hanging in there, Tiny?” He used the nickname that was guaranteed to get Syren’s ire rising.

“I’ll be fine.” Syren’s refusal to take Gabe’s bait was telling. Kane hugged his husband.

“We brought two more guns to the party.” Rafe jerked his head toward the doorway.

Juan Pablo Castillo and his husband, DEA agent Shane Ruskin-Castillo, stood there. Kane wasn’t over that fucking kiss between Syren and Castillo, but he’d learned to deal. He greeted the men and thanked them for coming.

There was a certain loyalty Rafe and Castillo had to Syren, and Kane was damn thankful for it. He’d want those two men on his side rather than against him any day of the week. Mateo and Tommy came back inside and Kane ordered pizza, hanging up just as Syren’s phone rang.

Everyone tensed.

“It’s Billy.” Syren answered on speaker, “Billy, you’re on speaker. Go.”

Billy took a breath. “Okay. She called from a moving vehicle. The signal pinged on at least three different cell towers, but I can tell you the route she took. She also didn’t turn off the phone, so I can tell you where it is now.”

“Give it to me.”

“A hotel two towns over.”

“Okay, thanks, Billy.” Syren ended the call and faced the room. “I’m going there. Now. Tommy, I need you on the computer. Find a way into that hotel’s security feed. We need to cover our tracks, boys. Shane, you and Gabe stay with him. Please. Just in case.” Kane was already moving out the door when Syren said, “Shit. Wait. Hold up.”

Kane whirled around at the panic in Syren’s voice. “What?”

“How did she know who I was?” Syren looked around. “Only you guys know that I’m Syren, everyone else knows me as Faro. She knew our business, my family, our address, where Càtia goes to school, where Nina lives.” He dropped onto the couch. “She knows every fucking thing. How is that?”

Castillo stepped forward. “You thinking one of us gave you up?” He didn’t sound angry, just curious.

Syren waved away Castillo’s words with a smile. “I trust you guys with my life, more importantly with Kane and Càtia’s life. I know better.”

“Then what are you thinking?” Kane asked.

Syren held up a finger as he hit redial on his phone. “Billy, get me everything on Monica. Who she’s been meeting with and all her travel information from the second news broke that Delatorre died.” When he hung up, Syren looked up and around the room. “This isn’t a coincidence, not a fucking overnight plan. She knew too much. And she knew where to hit.”

Kane frowned. “She’s working with someone?”

Syren nodded, his hair falling into his eyes. “And I’m guessing she’s not the mastermind.”

“Shit,” Rafe cursed. “You got any ideas?”

Syren laughed, but it wasn’t an amused sound. “Faro’s enemies are numerous. Too many to name.”

“We’ll find out,” Kane said with vehemence. “We’ll find out, but right now let’s move.”

“We got a plan or we gonna go in guns blazing?” Mateo asked. “I’m good either way.”

“Calm your ass down.” Pablo glared at Mateo, who shrugged.

“What? I’m just asking.”

“I want answers first. And Monica is mine, everyone else is fair game.” Syren got to his feet. “We have to find out where she’s keeping Càtia and Nina because I doubt she’s keeping them in a hotel room.”

They loaded up in Mateo’s SUV, Kane driving with Syren riding shotgun. His husband had dark glasses on, his face emotionless. The other men piled into the back. With one hand on the wheel, he fucking prayed.

Getting into the hotel was easy enough. They all walked in like they were supposed to be there. Their target was on the twelfth floor, but they needed key cards to get the elevator doors working. They couldn’t use the stairs either since all doors were opened only with those fucking key cards. In the end, Syren booked a room while the men fanned out, keeping their eyes peeled.

Kane stood next to Syren, his heart thumping in his chest. Anxiety dripped cold sweat down his back. The inactivity as they went through the process of booking the room grated on his every fucking nerve, but finally, they were done.

Everyone filed into the elevator once Syren used the key card, no one speaking. Syren grabbed Kane’s hand again, and Kane squeezed him. Soon enough they were at their destination. The hallway was empty but lined with security cameras.

Mateo knocked. “Housekeeping. I’ve got some clean towels for the bathroom.”

Castillo grunted. “Really?”

“Hey, I’m improvising here,” Mateo whispered.

Kane just rocked back on the balls of his feet and waited. Footsteps shuffled within.

“We didn’t ask for towels,” someone called out from the other side of the door.

“Hey, I was told to bring them, so I brought them,” Mateo said. “You want them or not?”

The knob twisted, the door creaked open, and Castillo grabbed the man who peeked out by the neck.

“Hello.”

Kane kicked the door wider and everyone rushed in as Castillo walked the man backward. Two others were in the room and they jumped to their feet, but only one had his gun drawn in time. Kane launched himself at the one with the gun, holding him in a headlock while Rafe grabbed the other.

“Drop it.” Kane pulled his gun from his waist and pressed it to the man’s temple. “Where’s Monica?”

“We don’t know any Monica.”

Syren took the gun from the guy Kane held and handed it to Mateo. “Then I’ll deal with you.” He screwed on the silencer on his gun. “That phone on the table, who does it belong to?”

No one spoke. Castillo tightened his hold on the other man’s throat and he gurgled. Rafe didn’t have a gun, but he did have a wicked blade in his hand that he pressed to his captive’s throat.

“I think you guys better start talking,” Rafe said. “It’s only gonna get worse if you don’t.”

All three men were obviously not American, as they spoke with a heavy Brazilian accent.

The shorter of them, the one Castillo held, shrugged. “It’s my phone.”

Syren pulled the trigger, shooting the man Kane held in the knee. He collapsed with a shout of pain. “I don’t have time to make you fucking suffer, but I’ve got just enough time to kill you,” Syren said calmly.

Kane had never seen him in this light before and damn it, he liked it.

“Tell us where you got the phone.” Castillo slammed the guy he held into the wall.

“No. Don’t do it, Rico.” The man on the floor at Kane’s feet writhed, grabbing his bleeding knee. “Don’t tell them nothing, man.”

Syren shot him. In the throat.

“Nice,” Mateo murmured.

Kane’s dick got hard.

Syren faced Rico as the one on the floor bled out. “Monica took my daughter. I will kill every one of you to get her back. So, I’m asking you one last time, where did you get the phone?”

“M-Monica gave it to us.” Rico’s dark eyes were wide with fear, his face going from red to purple as he fought to breathe against Castillo’s hold.

“And where is Monica?” Kane asked. “Do you know where she has our daughter?”

Confusion flashed in Rico’s eyes.

“Yes, our daughter.” Kane gestured between himself and Syren. “We’re married.”

“But— You’re Faro.” Rico gaped at Syren.

Syren grinned. “I am. Which should have been your first clue not to fuck with what’s mine. Where is Monica?”

“She left hours ago. S-she didn’t say where to.”

“But you know where she’s holding Càtia and Nina, don’t you?” Syren prompted.

“We were there.” Rico nodded. “We took them.”

Kane breathed through his mouth in an effort to calm his bloodlust. “Well. You’re gonna have to pay for that. Where are they?”

“An abandoned house in Hartford.” Rico’s voice shook as he gave the street address. “Monica said you stole from her, from Delatorre,” he told Syren. “That’s why we helped.”

“And that’s why you die.” Kane didn’t think twice before pulling the trigger. Rico’s head lolled to the side, a red dot in the middle of his forehead. Castillo released him, and Rico’s body slumped to the floor.

“Let’s go get my niece,” Rafe said. He looked down at the man he still held at knifepoint, a hand over his mouth. “Oh, my bad.” A flick of the blade and the man pitched forward, his throat cut from ear to ear.

Syren’s phone rang. “Dutch. Yep. Twelfth floor, room 12-C. You’ll need bags for three.” He paused. “No. My guy is taking care of the cameras. Bye.” He hung up then turned to Kane and the rest. “Dutch’s crew is on their way to clean up.” He held out a hand to Kane.

Kane grabbed it and brought it to his mouth, kissing Syren’s knuckles. “Let’s go get our daughter.”

Mateo pouted as they got into the elevator. “I got dibs on the next kill.”