Talon (Uncompromising #1)(83)

“Six months ago.” Her voice cracked. “She was only fourteen months old.” She choked back a sob.

I couldn’t fucking do it. I couldn’t stand there and see her break and hold on to my anger. I pushed my hand through my short hair and tried like hell to remain detached. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Why the fuck had she kept this a secret? And how did I not know she had a kid? Randy, Kendall, Candle, Stone, fuck, none of them ever mentioned this? How the hell did I miss all the hints she’d dropped about not telling me something?

“Th-that’s why we fought that day. That’s why I left Randy,” she admitted.

My hands gripped my hips. “Explain.”

Tears dripped down her cheeks. “Randy wouldn’t let me call the police.” She glanced at me with so much fucking guilt, I felt it in my gut. “He told me to keep quiet and we’d get her back but Stone still has her. I told Randy I was done. I was going to the police but he freaked. He said I couldn’t. He said that if we did anything, Stone would—he would…” She buried her face in her hands.

Jesus fuck. “Okay, darlin’, deep breath.” I led her back to the bed, sat her down then I squatted in front of her. “Why’d he take her?”

Fury pushed to the surface through her grief. “He was using her as leverage against Randy. He called her insurance. He said if Randy did what he wanted, he’d give her back. Randy wouldn’t tell me what Stone wanted but I know Stone. He wanted Randy to kill someone.”

Fucking Christ. I had to ask. “Is she alive?”

More tears, too many damn tears, dripped down her face and her anger dissolved into raw grief. “Y-y-yes, I think so.”

It was a start. “What’s her name?”

“Maddie. Maddie Archer.”

The picture I’d seen in her bag that first day. It wasn’t of Siren. It was her daughter. “The black-and-white photo in your bag,” I stated.

Siren nodded.

That gorgeous girl had been gone for six fucking months? And Carter had been sitting on his ass getting drunk and high? Motherfucker. Had he even tried to get his daughter back? I fought to rein in my tone. “What was Carter doin’ ’bout this?”

“I’m not sure but he swore he was looking for her. He was protective of her, right from the start. He was always weary of being Stone’s son. He told me not to tell any of the LCs when I got pregnant. We lived west of town. When he was deployed, I didn’t even see any of the LCs. I kept to myself. We didn’t live in their condo until after she was taken. We only moved there because he thought it would help find her.”

And now Carter was dead, taking whatever information he had with him. Fuck. “Okay, you’re gonna sit here for just a sec while I make a call then I’m comin’ back and you’re gonna tell me everythin’ you know.”

Arms hugging her chest, looking small as hell, she nodded.

“Hey.” When she glanced up, there was so such pain in her eyes it hurt to look at her. “I’ll get her back,” I stupidly promised.

I didn’t wait for a response. I strode out of the room with my phone already to my ear. I walked out to the patio so she couldn’t hear me and waited while my call rang three times.

“Not a good time,” Candle snapped.

“I don’t give a shit,” I seethed.

“Christ,” he sighed. “What’d Kendall do this time?”

“Where the fuck is Nicole’s daughter?”

Pause.

“Candle!”

I heard a door open and close then he cursed. “Fuck. It’s true?”

I wasn’t buying his bullshit innocent act. “Where the fuck did Stone take her?”

“I dunno.”

I held the phone so tight, I thought I’d break it. “I’m gonna make this real simple. You tell me where the fuck Maddie Archer is and I’ll give you back Kendall.”

“Listen you son of a bitch, I didn’t have nothing to do with the disappearance of that kid. You accuse me of that shit one more time I’m gonna make you eat your motherfucking words. I don’t hurt women or children!”

Okay, maybe I believed him. “You better be tellin’ the truth.”

“Fuck you. If you ever threaten Kendall over me again, I will kill everyone you know.”

“Fine.” Out of habit, I reached to run a hand through my hair. “Nic says Stone took her six months ago and they haven’t seen the kid since.”

His voice lost its edge and turned weary. “Look. I don’t know shit. Randy started working at the shop shortly after he got out of the Marines and he never mentioned a kid. I knew Stone had a son but I’d never met Randy till he started working for me.”