Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
After a quick check of the office I found the girls gathered around one of the desks. Each had a coloring book in front of her, and a pile of markers.
I hoped to God those weren’t the adult coloring books that Kira gave Zane. I’d murder a teammate if Cara was studiously coloring in the word Twatface.
Eric watched my approach.
“Mom thought they’d like to color,” he told me.
Ivy.
Thank fuck.
Cara’s head came up and she smiled, waving me over. “Do you want to see what I’m coloring?”
“Of course.”
I stopped next to her and looked down at the coloring book.
In the foreground a king and queen sat on thrones holding hands.
In the background she’d colored the castle pink.
The stars, hearts, and clouds in the sky were inked in purple.
I glanced back at the cartoon queen; her hair was brown.
The king’s was yellow. Both of their crowns were red.
Both sets of eyes blue—the queen’s shaded darker.
When I glanced back at Cara her somewhere-between-Stella’s blue eyes and mine were looking up at me.
“It’s beautiful, sweetheart.”
“It’s for you. You’re the King. That makes Lolo the Queen.”
She had no idea how right she was. Or maybe she did.
And I was keeping that for-fucking-ever.
Without thinking I bent down and kissed her head. “Thank you. I love it. Are you okay to stay out here and color?”
Cara glanced at Gia and nodded. “I’m okay. Gia and Frankie are my new friends. When Lolo gets back do you think she’ll let us have playdates?”
“Yes.”
Lolo wouldn’t be given a choice.
She threw her tiny arms up and shouted, “Awesome!”
“I’ll be in the conference room if you need anything.”
“Okay, Cashy.”
Cashy?
Good Christ.
I walked through the office thinking I didn’t hate the nickname.
“Find anything?” I asked as I entered the conference room.
“We’re going with the working theory Damion snatched Lore,” Kira informed me.
I didn’t like theories. I liked solid proof.
“Theory?”
“She was actively investigating him,” Kira went on. “She’s good at covering her tracks. But whoever is handling her brother’s cyber security is better. When she hacked into his personal computer, she left breadcrumbs and he or she tracked it back to Lore.”
“What exactly is her brother involved in?”
“The better question is, what isn’t he involved in,” Zane interjected. “He took over McKnight Holdings. In the last twenty years he’s expanded. The problem is he doesn’t seem to be as good as dear ol’ dad when it comes to hiding his shady business practices.”
“And that means what exactly?” I pressed.
“In the last seven years, he’s lost near a billion dollars.
” Kira causally tossed that out like a billion dollars wasn’t a shit ton of money.
“Not all at once. There were several six-figure transactions that got…intercepted. But the bigger problem for Damion McKnight is, the money wasn’t his. He was laundering it.”
“Hacker?” I asked.
She shook her head. “CIA.”
Cara’s father, Michael.
“If the CIA had the money, why not take him down?”
Kira and Zane exchanged looks but it was Nebraska who answered, “We don’t have Michael’s files and unfortunately, we can’t ask him. Lore might know, but there’s nothing in her notes that indicated Michael’s motives for dismantling Damion’s network instead of taking him out.”
“So, Damion got fed up with the CIA toying with him and took out Michael and his wife?” I concluded.
“That’s the theory,” Kira rejoined. “The facts are: Lore was investigating her brother. Someone on Damion’s security team found out. And now Lore’s been snatched, her house was torn apart, but nothing was taken.”
I glanced over at Garrett who was sitting on Zane’s right side scrolling on his tablet. If I knew him, he was still checking every available traffic and private security camera near where Lore lived.
No, Stella. Lore was dead. She’d said as much when she left six months ago. Now more than ever she was Stella.
“Other than his residence in Fairfax, he owns an unoccupied warehouse in Woodbridge and a plaza outside of Arlington,” Smith informed me.
“This time of day the Plaza’s a long shot with a grocery store, pharmacy, and restaurant that will all be open and likely busy, but it’s worth checking out. Four units are empty.”
“This is personal,” I started. “He’d take her to his house.”
“Theo, Easton, take the Plaza,” Zane instructed. “Smith, Jonas, you hit the warehouse. Cash, I’m with you hitting the house.” He pushed back from the table and stood. “Unless you want me here with Cara. If that’s the case, Garrett’s with you.”
The Dove is strong and beautiful. She flies the world spreading her love. She helps the Snake keep everyone safe.
I like the Dove.
“She’ll be fine with Nebraska. Give me five minutes.”
Kira pulled her laptop closer. “Theo, I’m sending you everything on the Plaza and directions. “Smith, I’ll send you what you need on the warehouse. Cash, I’ll have the blueprint to Damion’s house before you leave.”
“Everyone gear up and be ready to roll out in twenty.”
I stalked out of the conference room thinking this was the most slipshod rescue mission we’d ever pulled together. I also didn’t give the first fuck, as long as we were on the road sooner rather than later.
Nothing or no one was going to stop me from bringing Stella home safely.
I found Cara exactly where I’d left her—happily coloring with her friends.
“Hey Cashy! I started a new picture.” She waved the book before she plonked it back onto the desk. “A unicorn.”
“Can you stop coloring for a second and come here?”
She glanced back at Gia and Frankie and smiled. “Be right back.” Then she handed Frankie a marker. “You can use the pink now.”
Once the marker was exchanged, she hopped off the chair and rushed to my side. I swept her up into my arms and walked far enough away the girls couldn’t hear.
Fuck. I didn’t know how to start this.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, likely picking up on my panic.
Christ. I could face down the Taliban but I couldn’t tell a little girl I needed to leave her after I promised her I wouldn’t.
“No, sweetheart, but I need you to stay with Nebraska—”
“No!” she shouted and shoved her face in my neck.
Fuck.
I should’ve eased into that.
Zane stopped at the base of the stairs that led up to his office.
I jerked my head for him to come to me and Cara.
I watched as his long strides ate up the distance between us and prepared for the shit I was going to be on the receiving end of for all of eternity.
But if it helped Cara, I’d take all this shit talk my boss could dish out.
When he stopped next to us, I kissed the top of Cara’s head. “Remember the story Lolo told you about the King, the Dove, and the Snake?”
“Yes. Do you know the story?”
“I do,” I told her. Cara lifted her face and immediately turned her attention to Zane. “Remember I told you that Zane was the Snake?” She nodded so I went on. “And Lolo said he can turn fear into power.”
“Lolo said he was magic.”
“He is,” I confirmed. “And remember when she told you that the snake only shows his magic to his friends, his most trusted warriors?” She nodded so I again continued. “And remember when she told you the Dove was beautiful and flies around spreading her love?”
“I remember. I like the Dove.”
Good, she still liked the Dove.
“Well, right now I need you to be a warrior.”
“I can’t be a warrior, Cashy, I’m supposed to be a princess.”
“You can be both,” Zane told her. “A warrior princess.”
Cara’s eyes got wide. “I can?”
“Yep. And right now, I need you to be a warrior princess. The strongest, most powerful warrior princess in all the land while I go with Zane to look for Lolo.”
“Will you bring Lolo here?”
“As soon as I find her,” I promised.
“Is she fighting dragons and bad witches again?”
Good Christ but this girl was so fucking strong.
“Yes.”
“And she needs her King to help her fight them?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. So will you stay with the Dove while the Snake and I go get Lolo?”
She started to shake her head but stopped, then shoved her face back into my neck. “No! I’m scared.”
Fuck.
“That’s why you need the Snake,” I told her. “He can use his magic to help you turn fear into warrior princess power.”
Her head popped up and her eyes went wide. “How?”
Zane held out his arms to her and said, “Come here, Princess Cara, and I’ll show you.”
Cara hesitated for a moment, then she leaned toward Zane. He easily swung her into his arms and hugged her tightly. His head dropped to her ear and he whispered something I couldn’t make out.
“A special guard?”
Zane nodded toward Eric.
“You promise?” Cara asked weakly.
“Yes, Princess Cara, and while we’re away the Dove will be here to watch over you and my wife, Ivy.”
“Mrs. Snake?” Cara gasped.
Holy fuck, Ivy’s going to kill me.
“I’ll bring you back five dollars and an ice cream cone if you call her Mrs. Snake while we’re gone.”
Scratch that, Ivy’s finally going to murder her husband in his sleep, and there will be no talking her down.
“Okay. But Lolo says I have to be kind and share so you have to bring back ice cream for all my friends.”
I heard Zane grunt. Not at the extra ice cream he’d be bringing back for all of the kids. But because the mere thought of Lore telling anyone to be kind did not compute.
Ivy and Nebraska were both walking across the office headed our way. This could get messy.
“Zane—”
“We have a deal. Are you ready?” Zane interrupted me to ask Cara.
“Yep.”
“Okay, here goes.”
Zane tilted his head and gently kissed Cara on the cheek. “Magic,” he whispered when he lifted away.
“Magic!” Cara shouted then threw herself back into my arms. “You’ll be safe, Cashy. The snake promised to sink his fangs into anyone who’s mean to you. Stay with him and you’ll be safe.”
“Here we go again,” Ivy muttered under her breath.