37
Ryder
K oby sprawls on my couch, holding a whiskey, another waiting for me on the coffee table beside a glass of white wine for Bianca.
I grab my drink, taking a sip while he gathers his thoughts. The scowl tainting his features is a rare sight. He’s usually the picture of calm, all sharp smirks and easygoing attitude.
“You look like shit,” I say, hoping for a snappy reply that’ll iron out the deep eleven between his brows.
He shoots me a glare. “Real helpful.”
Bianca perches in the armchair, watching Koby with a mix of curiosity and concern.
“What’s got you so worked up?” she asks softly.
He looks her over, a shadow of a smile on his lips. “Look at that. No longer snappy, huh? I see my boy got you off properly.”
Bianca chokes on her drink, her face turning a brilliant shade of pink, and I slam my glass down, fighting a childish urge to throw a cushion at his stupid face.
“Koby, I swear—”
“What? Am I wrong?”
Bianca rolls her eyes, amusement twinkling in the corners. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“So? What’s with the intrusion?” I ask, then point at the glass he’s refilling. “And your exceptionally high intake?”
It takes another three large gulps of whiskey before he exhales and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I need you to dig up everything you can on Leilani.”
“Does Carter know about this?”
His jaw tightens, his free hand raking through his hair. “Not yet. I want information. Can’t imagine why that’s any of his concern. He’s got bigger shit to deal with.”
“Alright, then why ?”
“Because Jax is full of shit. I don’t buy what he said. She’s not jumpy because of Carter; she’s scared of Jax. And I don’t get why she’s with him if that’s the case.”
“Maybe she doesn’t have anywhere else to go?” Bianca offers. “Maybe she’s uncomfortable with his line of work? I know I was at first.”
Koby shakes his head. “No. I’ve seen enough women in bad situations to know what it looks like. This screams bad, Bianca. She’s not stuck. She’s trapped . I need to know why.”
So I can fix it hangs in the air, unspoken.
“She didn’t seem to mind all that much when he stuck his tongue down her throat,” I point out, earning a glare sharp enough to decapitate heads.
“Don’t,” he spits out. “Don’t go there.”
Damn, he’s got it bad. And he’s not wrong. Leilani does look like she’s in a bad situation. Her hands fidget constantly, eyes dart around the room like they’re searching for exits, and every time Jax so much as moves, she flinches.
“You want me to find out why she’s with him?”
“I want everything,” Koby says, leaning forward. “How she ended up with him, why she stays, where her parents are—everything. Anything you can find.”
“You still haven’t told me why ,” I point out. “You were see-through earlier in Scarlett when you saw her.”
His shoulders stiffen and he downs the last of his drink. “I can’t explain it. I don’t know how... I see her, and I want to grab her and fucking run.”
“How are you so deep already? Did you know her before?”
“No. Never saw her until last week.”
“Okay. I’ll see what I can find. We might need an informant or two on the case. And for that you need Carter’s approval.”
He nods but doesn’t move a muscle.
“You won’t leave until I’ve found something, right?” I sigh. “It’s midnight and you’re a pain in my ass.”
“Yeah, but you love me anyway.” He brightens up when I grab my laptop.
“This will be boring, won’t it?” Bianca asks, rising to her feet. She leans over me, pecking my cheek. “I’m going to bed.”
“I’ll be there soon, baby.”
Once the bedroom door clicks behind her, Koby leans over the back of my chair, eyes on the screen.
“You’re hovering,” I say, my fingers flying over the keys.
“Deal with it.”
I don’t bother arguing. He’s stubborn. He’s also restless and smells like a liquor store.
“Anything yet?” he asks ten seconds later.
“You realize these things take time, right? More if you keep interrupting. Even more if you keep breathing whiskey at me.”
He grumbles something sour as he moves away, pouring himself another glass. The bottle is near empty, and I’ve barely put a dent in my drink.
“She’s good for you,” Koby says, his voice quieter than before, like he doesn’t want Bianca to overhear.
I glance at him, surprised by the lack of mockery or amusement in his tone. Koby makes a joke out of everything, so hearing him this... sincere is odd.
“Yeah, she is,” I admit, fingers moving across the keyboard as I run Leilani’s name through every database I can access.
“Good. She’s calmed you down. Before her, you were wound up tighter than Carter.”
I huff a quiet laugh. “You should see you right now. You look ready to jump out of your own skin.”
The clink of his empty glass against the coffee table is his only response.
My laptop pings and a notification from the facial recognition software running in the background pops up on the screen. My heart lurches into high gear.
Match: Charles Vaughn.
“Fuck.” I click open the short footage.
Koby’s at my side in a flash. “What? What have you found?”
“Vaughn,” I grit out.
The footage loads, grainy but clear enough to see his face as he wheels down the street. A street I know well. A street in Columbus. The time stamp in the corner tells me the footage is twenty minutes old.
“What the fuck is he doing?” Koby asks, watching Vaughn turn his wheelchair and enter the Millenium Hotel .
My thoughts race, my hand already reaching for my phone as I hack into the hotel’s surveillance system. It takes less than a minute to pull up the feed, another one to find the footage from the lobby with the correct time stamp.
I dial Carter, watching Vaughn exchange words with the front desk clerk before being handed a key card. He disappears into the elevator, his face a picture of tragedy. He’s aged ten years in a few months. He looks like a terminal illness is sucking the last remnants of life from his system.
The line rings twice before Carter picks up.
“Ryder?”
“Vaughn’s in Columbus,” I say. “He checked into Millenium twenty minutes ago. I’m watching the footage now.”
Carter swears loudly. “He’s fucking asking for it now. Drop whatever you’re doing. Call Koby and meet me at the hotel as soon as you can. I’ll call Broadway.”
“Koby’s already here. We’ll head out now.”
“Good. I’ll see you there. Don’t go in without me.”
Koby’s pacing by the door, his jacket in one hand, car keys in the other. If he thinks he’s driving while his blood’s running amber with whiskey, he’s delusional.
I dial Arthur next, barking out an order the second the call connects. “Get to my place. Now. Vaughn’s been spotted in Columbus. I need someone here watching over Bianca.”
“On my way. Fifteen minutes tops.”
I hang up, shoving the phone in my pocket as I head to the bedroom. Bianca stirs when I sit on the edge of the bed, her eyes fluttering open. She looks soft, half-asleep, and content. The last thing I want is to pull her out of this peace but I have no choice. Better she finds out from me.
“Koby and I are leaving for a while.” I brush her hair over her ears. “Vaughn’s in Columbus.”
She sits up immediately. “Vaughn?”
“We’ll handle it. You’re safe here. There are two men outside and Arthur’s on his way. He won’t be long. I’ll be back soon.”
She nods, but the worry in her eyes doesn’t ease. “Be careful. He’s... unpredictable.”
“I’ll be okay.” I kiss her forehead, my lips lingering long enough to take the edge off the maelstrom in my chest.
I grab my loaded holster and strap it on as I march out of the bedroom. Koby’s pacing the apartment now, a restless kind of energy not allowing him to wait in one place.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Yeah, let’s catch a bad cop.”