Hammer still struggled to breathe without thinking of murder, but Liam’s logic finally penetrated. “She’s not a fucking sex worker.”
“I know.” Liam tugged on his arm and shoved him into a chair. “But you’ve got to calm down. The important thing is that she’s alive and—”
“Yes, but what the fuck else do we know?” He made a mental note to call the TV station and ream them out as soon as he’d seen Raine and assured himself she was well.
Liam sighed tiredly. “Too little, I grant you. But since I was just here last night with Kyle and cunt-face, I can tell you that nothing happens quickly. Beck is back there with our girl, expediting what he can and watching over her. When there’s news, you know he’ll tell us.”
Vaguely, Hammer realized that, somewhere in the midst of all the shit they’d endured, Liam had learned to trust Beck. They hadn’t exactly been buddies since meeting just over a month ago, but Liam finally had decided not to hate the guy anymore. A small but welcome victory.
Right now, Hammer would chuck it all just to see Raine.
He stood again, feeling ready to crawl out of his skin. “I can’t stand this.”
“Do you think I can?” Liam asked. “I’m every bit as worried as you, Macen. But you darting back and forth, wearing a path into the carpet, won’t make anything happen faster.”
God, he needed Liam’s voice of reason…but sometimes he really despised it. At least he had his best friend at his side. That kept him from tearing up the place. Now if he could just crush the TV and kill the reporter…
“I feel like shit,” he admitted.
“You look like shit,” Liam returned with a little grin. “But I don’t suppose I look any better.”
Wearing yesterday’s clothes and all covered in blood, no. Hammer glanced down at himself, then over at Liam. “Not so much.”
His friend sank into the chair beside him. “I can hardly breathe, mate. While she was missing, I just kept asking myself how I was going to survive without her.” Liam stared down at his hands, wincing at the remnants of blood in his cuticles, under his nails, despite the twenty times he’d washed them. “She’s my life now. It was bad enough when I’d convinced myself she didn’t love me. But a world without her at all is one I don’t want to live in.”
“Yeah. If we’d lost Raine…” He swallowed a lump in his throat. “I couldn’t go through that shit again. It would be a billion times worse than what I went through with Juliet.”
“I finally understand how you must have felt when she died. I can’t change the past, and I’m more sorry than I can say that I wasn’t there for you. But I’m here now.”
He exhaled a rough breath. “That means more than you know.”
The glass double doors whooshed open. Seth came striding in, plastic bag in hand, beside Dean Gorman.
“What’s the news about Raine?” Seth asked.
Hammer shook his head. “Nothing. We don’t have a fucking clue.”
“I can give you some news on the investigation,” Dean offered, sweeping a coat from his broad shoulders. “Gwyneth has been arrested for conspiracy to commit a kidnapping, as well as aiding and abetting. The fact that she left the assailant a voice mail with a time stamp prior to Raine’s actual abduction and recanted the scheme might persuade the judge to give a little leniency, but…” Dean rubbed at his neck. “Her sparkling personality will undo all that. I see the judge slapping her with contempt of court in the first five minutes. She had the nerve to complain about the smell in the squad car and insisted we find an air freshener.”
Liam groaned. “That sounds about right. What’s likely to happen to her?”
“She’s already lawyered up, and she’ll probably work out some deal. But with the voice mails on your phone, Liam, and the one she left on Bill Kendall’s, I’d say she’s going down for a long time.”
“There is a God,” Seth muttered.
“And He’s smiling down on us for a change.” Hammer clapped Liam on the back.
“As long as I don’t have to look at the bitch’s face again, I don’t care,” Liam said.
“On the flip side, the crime scene at the warehouse is being processed. I need pictures of your clothing.” Dean held up a camera and snapped a few shots.
“Hell, you can have them,” Liam swore. “I won’t ever wear them again.”
Hammer looked down at his own stained, grimy garments. “Me, either.”
“I figured you’d want clean clothes.” Seth handed them the bag in his hand. “There’s a set for each of you.”
Macen peeked inside, thrilled to find a complete change, down to the shoes. “Thanks, man. This will feel a whole lot better.”
Liam nodded. “I’m grateful we won’t be seeing Raine while still covered in blood. Thank you, Seth.”