His Reluctant Savior (The District #3)

30. Chapter 30

“Got it!” Layla announced as she rushed into my office, bouncing excitedly.

Dalton and I looked up, eager for anything new to get this case going. It had been nearly two weeks since we came back home. Dalton had handed over all his evidence to Layla, who worked with Veil to track down the girl who had been murdered in the video. That was the last bit of detail we needed before we could go forward.

“Veil and I finally tracked down the girl,” she said, looking proud and plopping her petite ass on a chair across from my desk, before sliding a folder my way.

Dalton grabbed it first and opened it, scanning the details. “Rubi Salazar. That explains her moniker, Ruby Tuesday. She’s sixteen and came to the U.S. from El Salvador a year ago, seeking asylum after gangs murdered her parents. She traveled to the U.S. with a group of other asylum seekers, so she wasn’t alone. It looks like she made it as far as applying, but then all traces of her vanished.”

“She was either taken or lied to about promises of a successful life in the U.S.,” Layla said.

Dalton continued to read the file and nodded. “The FBI works cases such as these. They can track down some and put a stop to them, but human trafficking is so lucrative across the globe it’s nearly impossible to stop.”

“And that’s where The District comes in. We can go places law enforcement can’t, completely bypassing the legal system where most of these criminals get off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.”

Dalton looked at me and nodded. “Our prisons are so overcrowded, so anyone with enough money has a better chance of going free or having the case dropped than someone without. Prisons are also lucrative.”

He looked at Layla and smiled. “You did good work, Layla, you and Veil both. While it doesn’t fix the trafficking problem for asylum seekers or migrants, at least Rubi can finally get some justice. ”

I leaned back in my chair and nodded. “Now we need to decide who we hit first and how.”

“We can’t take them all out, even if they appear to be accidents or suicides. It’s too suspicious,” Dalton said.

“As I’ve said before, there are worse things than death. I say our first step should be to ruin Devon Mercer from Oilvo and Justin Patel from CloutFox. Take their money out of the game. They will no longer be able to protect Rush and Mardsen, and they will no longer be able to fund the hits on you, Boy Scout, which will also take The Brotherhood out of the game. Although, it’s been intentionally hinted that you’re under our protection.”

“The only ones I truly want to see gone from this planet are Rush and Mardsen. The DOJ Deputy Chief must have been there that night. We don’t have proof or information on where this ‘party’ was held that resulted in Rubi being killed, but to risk everything to hunt me down? He had to have been there.”

I smiled sadly, part of me hating that he was coming into my world, but I didn’t put him here. They did. My only reassurance was that he was in my life and was protected by my family. “Oh, I’m sure the rich assholes were there, too. Besides, we don’t need evidence of him being there. All we need is to show his involvement in the cover-up, which we have.”

A knock on my door sounded.

“Come in,” I called out.

Malik opened the door, stepped in, and stood behind Layla, patting her shoulders. “Nice work, Layla.”

“You mean Pookybear ,” I quipped.

She scowled at me, shoving her big glasses up her nose with a finger. “One day, you’re not going to wake up, Sid. ”

I smiled and spread my hands. “Oh, come on. You love me.”

“That’s the only reason you still breathe.”

I stifled my laugh. Layla wouldn’t hurt a fly, despite being involved with assassins. She was a numbers girl, not a murderer.

“We should take out Rush and Mardsen and destroy everyone else,” Malik suggested.

I nodded. “That’s my line of thinking. We’re going to target the money first, then we can convince Rush and Mardsen that they will be better off dead.”

“Please tell me we can send all this evidence off to a journalist,” Dalton said. “Rubi needs some sort of justice where the world will see what these politicians are capable of.”

Malik sat on the edge of my desk and looked at Dalton. “I understand why you want this, but is it wise to show the country to trust their government even less? I have no love for these men or politicians. But people will not choose more wisely the next time they vote. Humans tend to vote poorly when they are afraid, or they vote with their wallets. Someone worse could be voted in.”

Dalton shook his head. “That’s possible, but the American people deserve to know who their leaders truly are. This case could very well get them to look deeper into who they’re voting for. Hiding this won’t change a thing. Showing the truth has more possibilities to incite some change.”

I agreed with Malik. “Always the Boy Scout,” I said affectionately. “I love your idealism, but the reality just isn’t that. Yes, it could incite change, but it won’t necessarily go in the direction you want it to. Not to mention other politicians… bad politicians could use it to their advantage. And not only that, but if we share with the world what went down, you’ll be involved. They will drag yo u into this, perhaps make you the fall guy, and Owen will be collateral damage. I hate to use your son against you, but I know this from experience with what I do.”

“But we have all the evidence to show why I was on the run and that I’d been a mark,” Dalton said.

“As the main leader here, I have the final say and decide how much this family is put at risk,” Malik said, looking at Dalton. “I understand how you feel. But there are many forms of justice. The fact is, there is a trail of bodies behind you, which means there is a trail of bodies behind us. Exposure puts us all at risk. We have agreed to do things your way, Dalton Reed, but this family comes first. We are the shadow, not the light. These men will suffer. Rubi may not get the justice you would like, but she will have her revenge.”

Dalton opened his mouth to argue, but Malik held up his hand. “Putting this out in the open will also put your son at risk, as Sid said. Keeping you and Owen out of this will allow the boy to live a relatively normal life. Is your son not a priority?”

Dalton shut his mouth and sagged before nodding. “You’re right.”

“I agree with Malik, Dalt,” I said. “You and Owen come first, but so does my family… and you are a part of that family now.”

“Okay. You’re right. But still… it’s fucking frustrating.”

“Trust me, babe. Rubi will be at peace, as will you.”

Dalton and I left Owen behind at The District with Luca as the best babysitter. Luca had brought along his protective Cane Corso, Cleo, knowing she would also protect Owen, while we camped down the street from Deputy Chief Mardsen’s three-story brownstone home in Georgetown.

Meanwhile, Dante, Malik, and Easton handled Speaker Rush. They would subdue him until we got over there after we wrapped it up with Mardsen. Malik rarely involved himself directly on an assignment, and I appreciated the hell out of him for it.

We parked on O Street, which was busy enough not to draw attention to ourselves as we stared at the white brick home built in the early 1900s.

“Nice house,” I said. “What do you think it costs?”

“It’s got to be at least six million for this area.”

“And how much does our Deputy Chief make?”

Dalton shrugged. “At most? Around two hundred thousand.”

“So, he couldn’t afford a house this nice?”

“His wife is a fairly successful lawyer, so who knows? Or maybe he has a wealthy family.”

“God, who cares!” Sully snapped from the backseat. “Just get his ass home, and let’s do this. You all owe me for the company reorganization.”

“Shut up and put in your headphones if you don’t want to listen,” I said.

“Touchy, touchy.”

I eye-rolled and shook my head as Dalton smiled. “Pain in the ass.”

I only chose to bring Sully because he would do the hard job while I witnessed it. Dalton insisted on coming, and this way, he wouldn’t get his hands dirty either… or see me get my hands dirty .

And yes, it was also a handout to Sully, who complained non-fucking-stop about the change in direction, to at least get him to shut the hell up.

“Remember, Sully. We are encouraging him to take his own life. We don’t want it to look forced. I have his suicide note, so we need him to sign it, then do whatever he wants to take his life.”

He put his hands together in a praying motion. “Can I make him hurt just a little?”

“Jesus…” I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I should’ve brought Easton. That would be a no.”

“You’re even less fun than Mal.”

“You’re biased. I’m way more fun than Mal.”

A minute later, a white Lexus pulled up to the front of the house. Mardsen got out and walked up the short flight of steps, unlocked his front door, and stepped inside, turning on his porch lights since it was dark outside.

“You’re up, Sully. Subdue him and text us when he’s ready. We’ll come around back, so we go in unnoticed. And no toying with him,” I added as he got out of the car and shut the door behind him.

“Do you think he’ll listen?” Dalton asked.

“Who knows? He’s always a wild card. It’s hard to control someone like Sully. Malik is only good at it because Sully is obsessed with him. At the end of the day, Sully does what Sully wants, but despite all his complaining, he generally abides by the rules. He’s very good at what he does. Malik trained him well.”

Ten long minutes later, I got a text from him that Mardsen was ready .

Dalton and I put on gloves before getting out of the car. We walked toward the alley behind the house and inside through the back door Sully had left open. Then, we continued through the house until we reached his office.

We found Sully sitting on the edge of the desk, twirling a knife through his fingers as Mardsen sat at his desk and watched the movement warily.

He was a mousy man, close to sixty years old, lean, and not very tall. His ash-brown hair was thinning at the top.

“My wife will be home shortly. You’re making a huge mistake threatening me,” he said.

“Your wife suddenly had some evidence get lost on her case, so she’s having to stay late.” I spread my hands and shrugged. “Sorry, but we couldn’t have her interfering.”

“Security has caught all your faces. You will be discovered,” he insisted.

I smiled. “Well, we kind of took care of that, too. It’s amazing what someone with hacking talents can do. It’s just you and us.”

Dalton stepped out from behind me with his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. “You… You ruined my life! I came to you for help and to fight injustice. So what do you do? You betray one of your own for greed and power. Were you there? Were you at the party? Did you know Rush killed that girl that night?”

“The ineptitude. How does a little analyst like you get away from hired thugs?”

I raised my hand. “Yeah, I would be one of those thugs. You see, we were hired, but Dalton and I go way back. But let’s talk ineptitude, shall we? You sent too many people after him—too many people with knowledge. And car chases, my man? Seriously? This right here, at this moment, was only a matter of time.”

“God, please let me gut him,” Sully said, smiling smugly at the man’s flash of fear, staring at Sully’s twirling knife again.

Mardsen looked between Dalton and me. “It doesn’t matter. There are people who have the means to keep us protected. Money rules the day in the end, whether you like it or not.”

“You mean, means like billionaires Mercer and Patel? I hate to break it to you, but as we speak, they are currently being ruined from within. Mercer suddenly had a financial crisis and lost everything. Patel… Well, let’s just say that everyone will soon learn he likes to diddle little girls, using his social media platform to find his victims. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. They’re both finished.”

Mardsen tried to stand before Sully shoved him back down and pressed his sharp blade to his throat, careful not to cut him.

His eyes turned pleading as he looked at Dalton. “Reed, look… you were just collateral damage. You shouldn’t have been sent that footage.”

“Collateral damage?! Fuck my life! You put my son’s life at risk, asshole! You’re a piece of shit, pathetic, small-dicked, money-grabbing… fuckhead!”

I chuckled. “Well said, babe.”

He looked at the three of us. “So, what is this? Do you want money? Power? I can give it to you.”

“What do you think, Boy Scout?” I asked, toying with Mardsen, already knowing the answer.

The slight man sat up taller. “Yes, whatever you want. I’m sorry we hunted you. But… It’s over now. You can be wealthy. Your son can go to any school of your choosing. ”

Dalton rested his hands on the desk and leaned into Mardsen’s face. “You can’t buy me. A young girl was trafficked, raped, and murdered. A young girl seeking a better life than what she had. She came here for safety, and all she found were people who hated her and wanted her dead. People like you and Rush disgust me. No, you can’t buy me. The only way to appease me after all of this is death.”

His eyes were suddenly panic-stricken. “Wait, what? No, no, no…” Then his eyes pinged to Sully’s knife. “We can talk about this. Surely there’s something you want or need. Tell me!”

I moved Dalton out of the way and sat on the other end of the desk. “Here’s how it’s going to go, Wesley … Your choices are how you kill yourself—and trust me, you’ll want to. Because in a few hours, all the evidence we have compiled on you, Speaker Rush, Congressman Fines, your two billionaire friends, and your FBI buddy Derrick Meckes will be sent to journalists across several news organizations. They will know the extent of Rubi Salazar’s death, your sex trafficking ring, the murder of Evelyn Vega, and the hiring of several organized crime syndicates to take out Dalton Reed and his five-year-old son. It’s pretty damning, don’t you think?”

Sully leaned in and grinned at the man, which I knew could be terrifying for those who didn’t know him. “Or I could just pop in my music and take my time peeling off your flesh. It wouldn’t be the first time. No one would know. Besides, this game is getting boring and annoying. I really want to have some fun with you. I’d start small,” he explained, dragging his knife gently across the man’s cheek, careful not to cut him. “Then, I would work my way down to your arms and legs. Next, I would work on your stomach. The stomach really hurts. That’s usually when men start screaming. I’ve kept my pets alive for long periods as they suffer. Nothing’s more fun for me.”

And that was the main reason I’d brought Sully with us. Mardsen visibly shuddered and started sweating. A bead of water trailed down his face from his temple.

“Or you can end things quickly by your own hand. Either way, you’re going to die tonight.”

The man suddenly burst into tears, begging and pleading. Sully’s eyes rolled as he shoved his earbuds into his ears, getting ready for business. “Big baby. You’ve been given choices. That’s more than what Rubi got,” he said, surprising me.

Sully stood, tucked a hand under the man’s arm, and lifted him to stand.

“What’s it going to be?” I asked.

He sobbed again, looking at us with leaking and begging eyes. “Please.”

“Choose!” Dalton yelled, losing his patience.

“D-drugs…”

I nodded. “Do you have any?”

“ A-Ambien … A new prescription.”

“Take him up to his bedroom and put him in the tub. I’ll bring up some water.”

Sully did as he was told as I turned to face Dalton. “Stay down here, Boy Scout. Just because you’re a part of my life now doesn’t mean you have to face death.”

I expected him to argue, but instead, he hugged himself and nodded, looking down at his feet. “Does it make me a coward? I wanted him to pay, but… ”

I pulled him against me, and he wrapped his arms around me. “Not wanting to be a killer doesn’t make you a coward.”

“I’m still complicit.”

“You are,” I said, because there was no point in sugarcoating it.

“But I don’t want to see it either. I thought I did, but now that I’m here…”

“It’s okay. Sully and I will handle the dirty work. Why don’t you go back to the car? We’ll be out soon, then we can face Rush together.”

“Okay.”

I lifted his chin to look at me before I pressed my lips to his, giving him a kiss I wanted to deepen but didn’t. We had a job to do. “Go on now.”

After I handed him the keys to my car, he walked off, and I headed upstairs to watch Wesley Mardsen sign his life away, literally and figuratively.