Chapter 32 Rook
ROOK
The next afternoon, I was halfway to West Philly when Asha called.
“Wildfire?” I answered.
“I think I found something.”
That got my attention. I turned down the stereo. “I’m listening.”
“Niall sold a property six months before he died. I followed the paper trail and found the purchaser’s funds came from an offshore account.”
“So?”
“It looked the same as Niall’s other accounts, like copy paste identical. My guess is he created it.”
“Who purchased it, then?”
“As far as I can tell, Niall purchased it from himself but made it look like someone else had. The house is in the name of another shell corp—not one listed in Niall’s assets.
It’s layer upon layer of smoke screens, but when you peel it all back, your brother went to a lot of fuss to hide that he owns a single-family home in Chestnut Hill. ”
An upper-class neighborhood north of the city. Peaceful. Clean.
“Send me the address,” I said. “And meet me downstairs in ten.”
I turned the car around.
When I rolled in, Asha was already waiting at the basement parking lot, Finn by her side. She wore a pink hoodie over skintight leggings, and her hair was pulled into a low ponytail.
She slipped into the passenger seat of the Bentley, looking both suspicious and impressed.
“This is what you take for a low-key recon?” She buckled her seat belt.
I smirked. “It’s black. That’s as subtle as I get.”
A half hour later we reached our destination. Quiet streets, ivy-wrapped homes, and picket fence perfection. Chestnut Hill was the kind of suburb where neighbors still borrowed sugar and the air smelled like old money.
We parked a few doors down from the address and settled in to see who came and went.
The house we watched was two stories, dark brick with navy shutters and white trim. The front garden was neatly manicured, complete with a white chrysanthemum bush in full bloom and a child’s tricycle parked near the porch.
Asha’s foot tapped the floor. She sipped from one of those giant insulated cups with a handle and watched the house like a hawk.
Two hours later, movement caught our attention. A white SUV pulled into the driveway, and a woman stepped out.
Average height, curvy, with golden-brown skin and long, wavy hair that bounced with each step. Her dress clung in all the right places. Big tits, small waist, killer hips. Not my type, but definitely Niall’s.
She unlocked the front door and slipped inside.
“Did you see that? She smiled and spoke as she walked in,” Asha murmured. “Someone’s home.”
A few minutes later, an older Asian woman came out the front door. The curvy one handed her some cash and waved goodbye with a sunny smile, then closed the door behind her.
“What do you think?” Asha asked, but I was already on my way out of the car.
“Rook—shit—Rook!” She scrambled out behind me. “You can’t just charge up there like you’re kicking in doors on a raid!”
I kept walking.
“She’s going to freak out,” Asha hissed at my side.
“I need to know who she is. And there’s no point sitting here all day just watching, is there?”
We made it to the front porch, and I rang the bell. No answer. I rang again.
Then the door cracked open, and a shotgun met me through the gap.
“Step back!” the woman barked, her Hispanic accent thick, her voice shaking. “Back away or I shoot!”
Asha’s hands flew up. “We’re not here to hurt you.”
I shoved the door wide and grabbed the barrel, twisting it sideways and wrenching it from her hands. She staggered back, wild-eyed and terrified.
Asha shoved my shoulder. “What the hell is wrong with you? She’s scared out of her mind.”
“Who are you?” I demanded.
“Get out,” she snapped, wrapping her arms around her middle. “You have no right to be here.”
A shuffle behind her drew all our eyes. A small boy waddled into view, clutching an action figure in his chubby hand. Drool glistened on his chin.
He couldn’t have been more than eighteen months old. Tan skin, dark curls, blue eyes that stopped my heart cold.
“Go back to your room, Niall,” the woman said, voice soft but urgent.
Niall.
Asha and I stared at each other.
I looked at the boy again. The shape of his nose, his mouth. His blue eyes were just like mine. Just like my brother’s.
“I’m an uncle?” I croaked, barely recognizing my own voice.
The woman stared, breathing hard. Something shifted in her eyes. Recognition. “Rook?” she whispered.
I nodded. “Aye.”
She stepped forward and reached out with one hand as if unsure whether she could trust what she was seeing, then lowered it just as fast. “You look like your brother.”
I shrugged. “There’s no need to be polite about it. He was always the better looking one.”
Her lips quirked, just slightly, and she covered her mouth when her breath hitched.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Catalina. How did you find us?”
I didn’t even know where to start.
“It’s a long story,” Asha said. “Do you mind if we sit?”
Catalina hesitated and said, “All right. We have a lot to talk about.”
She led us to a dining room with white curtains and sun-warmed wood floors. After she reassured Niall Jr. that everything was okay, he plopped down beside a pile of toys near the window. He watched us and chewed on the ragged ear of a stuffed rabbit while Catalina brewed coffee in the kitchen.
I couldn’t look away from the kid. It was like seeing part of Niall again. Same inquisitive eyes. Same little smirk.
Catalina set mugs of coffee on the table and sat across from us. Hands clasped and shoulders tense, she said, “I assume you’re here because you have questions. What would you like to know?”
I had so many. All of them swept through my mind like a hurricane, leaving me speechless.
“Why don’t you start by telling us how you and Niall met,” Asha said.
Thank Christ I had her with me. Someone that held steady when my emotions threatened to drag me under.
“We met four years ago,” Catalina began. “At a party in Jersey. I was working that night. Not as a waitress.”
Asha blinked. “Oh.”
Catalina gave a sad smile. “Niall didn’t know I was an escort at first. The conversation was easy between us.
I didn’t have to pretend to like him. We just…
hit it off. He was gentle. Kind. Something about him made me feel safe.
He took me to a hotel, and we spent the night together.
” Her smile grew as she stared into her coffee.
“An amazing night. I left before he woke and couldn’t bring myself to ask for payment.
My handlers made sure to find him to get what they were owed.
” She sipped her coffee. “I thought I’d never see Niall again after that.
But he kept coming back for me, again and again.
Even though he knew what I was. Even though I told him I could never be free to start something real with him. ”
“You couldn’t leave?” Asha asked.
Catalina shook her head and eyed her boy. He was oblivious to the nature of our conversation, too young to understand any of it.
“I was brought into the country through El Paso. They told me I’d have a job working as a waitress.
But when I got here, they said I had to pay off my debt in other ways, and if I didn’t, they’d kill me.
They’d kill my family. Soon enough, I realized they were never going to let me go.
Niall swore he’d find a way to free me. So he went to my handlers and told them to name their price.
Their figure was so ridiculous they must’ve assumed he’d never pay. But he did, and they let me go.”
“How much?” Asha asked.
“Twenty million, cash.”
I glanced at Asha, and she shrugged. “My analysis should’ve flagged a withdrawal like that. Niall must’ve hidden it somehow.”
I pressed the heels of my palms against my eyes. “He never told me any of this.”
“He wanted to keep me separate from your world, to protect me from it. He used to say what was the point of saving me from one dangerous life only to trap me in another?” She moistened her lips.
“You loved him,” Asha said softly.
“Very much.” Catalina nodded. “He was the only man who showed me kindness. The only man who made me feel safe. And when he found out I was pregnant, he was so happy.” A fat tear rolled down her cheek.
I rubbed a hand over my mouth. Everything about this hurt. My chest ached like I’d taken a punch.
“Who smuggled you over the border? The Albanians?” I asked.
“No.” Catalina looked as though she wanted to say more, but her eyes again flicked to the boy on the floor.
I leaned forward. “Who, then?”
“I’m not sure I should say. We’ve had no trouble, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“No trouble?” I raised my voice, and Asha gave me a stern look, reminding me to keep my temper in check. “Someone had Niall killed. Don’t you want to make them pay for it?”
“Of course I do,” Catalina hissed. “But I also want my son to live without a target on his back.”
“Keeping quiet didn’t save Niall. If he’d told us what was happening, the Beasts could’ve protected you all.” I pointed at her. “He died for your freedom. The least you can do is help us get justice.”
Asha grasped my arm. “Rook, that’s not fair.”
I waved her off. “She needs to hear this.” I held Catalina’s stare. “These last two years, I’ve blamed myself for Niall’s death because I wasn’t here to watch over him. But you played a hand in it, too.”
“I know that.” Catalina’s lip quivered as fresh tears welled in her eyes. “Not a day goes by that I don’t remember Niall’s sacrifice and that I was the cause of it.”
“So do the right thing now. Tell us everything you know.”
Catalina sniffled and pinched her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she nodded slowly. “Los Cuervos Cartel smuggled me into the country. They run a pipeline from Central America, bringing in women. In the group I crossed with, most were younger than me. Barely teens.”
I swore under my breath. My blood simmered.
Everyone in the Philly underworld knew the Beasts didn’t tolerate human trafficking. No exceptions. If Los Cuervos was operating here, right under our fucking noses, then they were going to bleed for it.
Catalina continued, “But Los Cuervos were just the runners. There was someone above them giving out orders. I heard Don Miguel call him El Dueno de las Almas. The owner of souls.”
Asha and I shared a look. The owner of souls? Sounded strikingly similar to the Soul Collector to me.
My hands clenched into fists. Beside me, Asha shifted in her seat.
Torin and Aidan needed to hear about this.
“Thank you,” Asha said quietly. “That’s extremely useful information for us.”
Everything Niall had done was for Catalina’s safety. If the Soul Collector found her alone and vulnerable, his efforts would be for nothing.
Asha slipped a hand into her pocket and drew something out beneath the table, angled so only I could see. It was a small velvet ring box. The one from Niall’s room.
My brow creased. “You carry that around with you?”
“Call me optimistic, but I was hoping our little field trip might uncover the rightful owner.” She aimed a puzzled look at me. “That never occurred to you?”
Maybe it should’ve. Torin had been right to insist on a third party to handle the investigation. Before finding that ring, I never would’ve imagined Niall had a woman he loved, let alone a child.
“Guess it’s a good thing I have you.”
“May I?” Asha glanced at the box, then flicked her gaze toward Catalina.
I gave a slight nod.
She slid it across the table. “We think Niall wanted you to have this.”
Catalina reached for the box and opened it. She blinked rapidly, more tears threatening as she stared at the ring.
“It’s a protection ring.” Asha held up her hand to show her own.
“And it’s a commitment,” I added. “It means the Beasts of Belfast claim you for life. No one touches or threatens what’s ours.”
The ring Asha wore meant more than she realized. More than I’d ever say out loud.
Catalina’s fingers curled around the box.
I exhaled slowly. “I think you should come with us. Let the Beasts keep you safe. Both of you.”
“Niall didn’t want that for us. That’s why he kept us away from your world.”
“Aye, but you’re exposed here.”
“We’re not safe anywhere.” She flattened her palms on the table. “You think I don’t know how dangerous your enemies are? I lived and breathed their mercilessness for years. Running won’t save me.”
“It won’t be forever,” Asha said. “I’m going to find out who had Niall killed”—her eyes met mine—“and Rook’s going to finish him.”
Catalina remained silent for a moment before she asked, “Where will we go?”
“Let me make a few calls.” I rose from my chair. “I know someone who can help.”