Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
G igi slipped into the lilac-colored silk robe her sister had lent her and padded to the living room. She was becoming accustomed to having August up before her. Waking up and knowing he was already waiting for her was... comforting.
Maybe that’s why she slept so well around him. Because he was always on alert. Always protecting her. He sat on the couch in the living room bare-chested, one hand between his knees as he did something on the laptop sitting on the coffee table. Stopping next to him, she squeezed his shoulder. “Morning.”
He caught her wrist and tipped back his head to kiss her. “Morning, beautiful. There’s coffee in the machine. Want me to get you a cup?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll get it.” She smiled and made her way to the kitchen.
Her stomach rumbled as she took a quick inventory of the food in the fridge. She spotted a pint of blueberries. Muffins would go great with coffee. After snagging the other ingredients, she got to work. In ten minutes, she had a muffin tin full of batter. She quickly put together a crumble topping and popped the tin in the oven. She set the timer then went for a cup of juice.
August worked quietly, his attention now on his phone. His brow was furrowed and his shoulders were tense. Something had changed.
She sipped her juice, but the sweet liquid curdled with the worry in her stomach. She moved slowly toward the living room and curled up on the couch beside August. On the screen was an image of a man. Gigi immediately recognized Roy Radcliffe. She sat forward as her gaze landed on a hooded man next to him. That thin, clean-shaven jaw...
“Oh my god,” she wheezed. “That’s Todd.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. When was it taken?”
“Three weeks ago,” August said, as he shifted back an inch to show her more of the screen. “Earlier when I searched for his image, I was only looking for photos taken within the last two weeks. Figured that’d be our best time span to find him. Last night I expanded the search to focus on the Radcliffes and this came up. You sure it’s him?”
She nodded. “Look. See that mark? Todd has a mole beneath his right eye. It’s shadowed there, but I’m confident that’s the mole, and his jaw, too.”
“All right. So the Radcliffes are hiding Todd. Question is why. What’s he doing for them?”
She grimaced. “If we knew that we’d be further along. Have you passed this information on to Toth and Rami?”
“Yup. I sent it in the group chat.” He nodded toward his phone. “Just waiting—”
Buzz , buzz
He snatched up the device and glanced at the screen.
“What is it?” She fought the urge to lean forward. As close as she and August had become, she didn’t want to overstep. But he turned the screen so she could see it.
“Ghost found some dirt. Looks like Todd helped the Radcliffes launder eighty-five million dollars through their charitable foundation.”
She gasped. Disgust gurgled in her belly. To think she’d been engaged to Todd. The scheming sonofabitch. “Money from where?” she demanded.
“That’s the ticket.” He typed a reply and set down the phone. “If we can figure out what the Radcliffes are into, then we’ve got leverage.”
“I wish I knew,” she said softly. And boy did she ever. Ending some corruption while taking down Todd would be a win-win.
August curled his hand around her knee. “We’re making progress. Hell, you could be home free in a day or two.” He winked and squeezed her leg, but neither action made the moment light.
She forced a smile and stood, grabbing his coffee mug. Gigi pinched the material of her robe as she made her way to the kitchen, worry clutching her chest.
Once Todd was caught, everything would change. She wouldn’t need August for protection and life would return to normal.
Whatever that was.
She hadn’t lived a normal day in almost four months. She had no home to return to. Her blog was waiting for her to pick it back up, but her followers probably hadn’t stuck around. Ivy had told her that she’d kept her accounts active, but without advertising and new recipes, she’d have become old news in a week.
She’d have to start over. Which was fine. After all she’d survived, she could put more blood, sweat, and tears into something she loved. Rami and Ivy had held money for her, a hundred grand to be exact, so that would help her get on her feet.
But where did August fit in the mix? They had chemistry, companionship, electricity. But all those things were heightened because she needed him and Backcountry Protection Services.
There was nothing she could do but wait. See where things went.
The oven timer beeped.
“Smells good in here. Did you—When the hell’d you make muffins?” August’s awestruck tone made her smile.
Maybe she wouldn’t have August forever, but she at least had him for now.
***
August bit into a chunk of blueberry muffin covered in melted butter. Flavor exploded on his tongue and he moaned. “Man, is that lemon in there?”
Gigi gave him a knowing smile. “You’re good.”
August sucked the tasty crumbs off his thumb. “No, you are.” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had freshly made baked goods. If Gigi stuck around, he’d have to do double sessions at the gym.
“I’m going to shower.” She stood from the couch, and he watched her return to her bedroom and shut the door.
His mind drifted to the image of Gigi naked under the spray, but he forced his attention to the Radcliffes. With the new information regarding the charitable foundation, it wouldn’t be long before he and the guys learned what exactly the senator was involved with. Telling Gigi that life could be normal in a day or two hadn’t been a stretch.
The thing was, he didn’t know what normal was anymore. In Gigi’s previous version of normal, they hadn’t been together.
Doubt crept in like an eclipse blocking out his happiness. As much as he wanted to believe they could stay in this rhythm they’d found, it was too early to tell. A pang started deep in his chest. He wanted Gigi around him. Every day. The only thing about this whole fucked-up situation that gave him anxiety was the possibility that she wouldn’t want anything to do with him after this.
She’d cut and run before. Who was to say she wouldn’t again, once she didn’t need him? The pang in his chest spread. He massaged the base of his throat, but the tension didn’t ease. He was obsessing. Once this was all fucking done, he’d lay everything on the line.
Ask her out officially? Ask her to move in? Nothing was off the table.
Ring , ring , ring
Snatching up his phone, he saw it was Toth calling. “Hello?”
“Hey. How’s it going there?”
August swung his gaze to the closed bedroom door. “It’s going. Tell me you’ve made headway with the Radcliffes.” If anyone could find dirt on anyone, it was Toth and his connections.
“I made headway with the Radcliffes.”
Some of the tension in August’s chest eased. “And?”
“And it’s all connected. All of it.”
“Tell me more.”
The sound of a car door closing echoed in the background. “I’m heading to the office,” Toth said. “Dana did the groundwork for us and found that the Radcliffes are tied to Val Alvarez. Looks like Roy has been laundering money for the cartel through their charitable organization and Todd was helping.”
“Jesus,” August breathed. Of all the things he’d expected to find, he hadn’t anticipated the connection to the cartel. Not from the senator of all people. “So they have a very personal interest in keeping Todd safe.”
“I’d say. Pretty ballsy of Roy, too, considering the cartel wants Todd dead. The Radcliffes are taking a risk protecting him. Question is, why would they bother? Why not throw Todd to the wolves and avoid the cartel’s wrath?”
“That’s a good question,” August drawled. “And I’m going to ask Roy myself. Got a number for me?”
“Yup. Dana got that, too. I’ll text it to you. Be careful what you say and how long you talk for. We don’t know what resources they have to get to Gigi.”
“Copy that.” August ended the call and a beat later a text from Toth containing a ten-digit number came through. August stood and stalked toward the bedroom. Opening the door, he caught Gigi heading into the bathroom with a change of clothes in her arm.
She stilled. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he rolled the word over his tongue, knowing damn well this wasn’t true. But from here on out he’d do everything in his power to make it okay.
Now he had Todd. He had dirt on the Radcliffes. He could make demands to protect Gigi. And he fucking would. All day. He’d fight as dirty as necessary to keep her alive.
A breath of surprise shuddered through him. He wasn’t shocked by the fact that he’d fight to the death for her but by how fiercely he’d proclaimed it to himself.
“Okay,” she said slowly, her eyebrows bouncing questioningly. “What’s up then?”
“I need to make a phone call. Once I do, shit’s going to get real.” He stalked farther into the room and closed his hand over her cheek. “But I need you to know that whatever happens is to protect you.”
She blinked twice and her hazel eyes grew large. “You’re scaring me.”
“Don’t be scared.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Shower. We’ll talk when you get out.”
“You’re calling the Radcliffes, aren’t you? You’re going to demand they give us Todd.”
His mouth twitched. “Toth just found out the Radcliffes’ charitable foundation is funded by cartel money.”
“What?” she wheezed. Tossing her clothes on the bed, she folded her slight arms across her chest. “Well, I’m not missing that call for anything.”
He chuckled and pulled out his phone. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
Gigi sat on the bed, her face pinched in an eager scowl. “Hurry, I can’t take the suspense.”
“They’ll probably deny everything,” he mumbled, as he called the phone number Toth had texted him. The line rang in August’s ear, and he cleared his throat as he paced in front of the bedroom window.
“Roy speaking,” a cool, arrogant voice answered.
“Mr. Radcliffe. You have something I need,” August said lazily. He kept his tone even and controlled despite the arcing apprehension inside him.
Silence stretched for several seconds, long and painstaking. But August forced himself to wait and not seem too eager.
“Do I? Who is this?” His tone was light but suspicion dripped from the question.
“I can be your friend or your enemy, Roy. Your choice.”
“Who the fuck do you think—”
“Easy.” August dropped the word with the force of a hammer. “I know about the work you’ve done for Val Alvarez.”
Silence.
“I also know you have Todd Dorser. That’s all I want. Give me Todd and this nightmare doesn’t have to go any further for you.”
Heavy breaths came through the speaker. No doubt Roy was weighing his words as carefully as he counted his money. “What makes you think I know where Todd is?”
“Don’t play games,” August volleyed. “Unless you want me to leak the evidence I have about where you got the eighty-five million dollars for your charitable foundation.”
“Uh... what? I—”
“Give me Todd, Senator, and our conversation can end here.”
“What do you want with him?” Roy asked, anxiety in the demand.
“I want to hand him over to his Mexican friends. After that, I don’t care what happens to him.”
“Did they send you? Val? Oh, fuck. He must know we’ve been hiding him. Goddammit !”
The yell made August wince, and lifted his gaze to Gigi, who was sitting on the bed. She’d tucked her ankles under her hip, and the pale purple housecoat had slipped off one shoulder. She shouldn’t look so fucking gorgeous right now, with her teeth nipping on her plump bottom lip and her eyes a worried sheet of glass, but she did. He winked to reassure her.
“No one knows anything, Senator,” he said. “Not yet anyway. I meant it when I said that if you hand over Todd, our business is done. You have my word.” August’s business with him might be done, but the authorities would get a little tip on the charitable foundation’s dealings.
“You think I give a shit about your word? I don’t even know you.”
“I guess not.” August shrugged. “But you can be damn sure this’ll be front-page news if you don’t do what I say right fucking now.”
“Fine,” he said, his tone clipped. “Give me instructions.”
“Where is he exactly?”
“At my house on San Juan Island.”
“Good work, Senator. You get points for honesty. Take him to the dock in Anacortes this afternoon at 3:00 p.m.”
“No, that won’t work. You think Todd’s just going to trust me and come into the city? He’s been hiding at my place for over three months. He’ll know something’s up if I suddenly demand he blow his cover. I’ll come to you.”
August turned to face the window and surveyed the harbor in the distance. It could be a trap. He could be trying to draw August out.
Let him fucking try. “We’ll meet you at your San Juan property at 3:00 p.m., and if you try anything to fuck this up, know I’ve got a whole team of people here who can and will leak everything we know about you and Val Alvarez.”
“I don’t want any trouble. Todd’s been freeloading for months. Take him.”
Interesting. Roy could pretend he didn’t give a damn about Todd all he wanted—he was still a senator aiding and abetting a criminal. Which meant he wouldn’t be taking the risk unless he had a lot to gain from keeping Todd alive.
“Good. We’ll see you soon. And Senator? No need to send the address.” He clicked off and tucked his phone in his pocket.
A fiery sense of accomplishment rushed through him. They were getting somewhere. Once August had Todd in his possession, he’d cut a deal with the cartel.
Still, August couldn’t shake a feeling of disquiet. He wasn’t certain this afternoon would go off without a hitch.
Whatever happened, it couldn’t cost them their only bargaining tool.