Chapter 10
Lefty wanted to lash out. Throw things. Fucking kill whoever it was who’d dared lay a hand on Kinley. But he had to control himself. Kinley needed him to be calm and rational. They needed a plan.
“Brain?” he asked as he watched his teammate pace back and forth. He was the smartest man on the team, and when he got like this, it was a sure sign his mind was working overtime.
“Unfortunately, Brown was correct in that it’ll be hard to prove Stryker is a serial killer based only on shoes.
Especially considering it was the middle of the night, and thus dark, and she was a couple stories above the alley.
But the hotel surely has video cameras, and it should be easy enough to at least prove the girl was with him that night, and possibly Brown too.
Phone and email traffic between the two men—including anything that might look fishy—should be relatively easy as well. ”
“‘Fishy’ like child porn,” Trigger suggested.
“Exactly. That girl was fourteen. And if I’m remembering right, The Alleyway Strangler’s other victims were also underage.
The police can track the ambassador’s movements compared to where the girls were last seen.
But ultimately, Kinley’s right, she can’t just go to the local cops with her suspicions.
They won’t take her seriously, and it’ll be her word against that of a friend of the fucking president’s.
Not to mention, these crimes took place in France.
Any accusations made will be up to Paris police to follow up on.
Brown can be investigated here in the States for the child porn thing, but ultimately, this is France’s case. ”
“Unless he killed before he was stationed overseas,” Lefty said.
“Very true. It’s doubtful his desire for underage girls manifested itself only after he got to France.”
“What about Cruz Livingston?” Trigger asked suddenly.
“Who?” Kinley asked with a tilt of her head.
“Cruz Livingston,” Lefty answered. “He’s an FBI agent who works out of San Antonio.
We know him through a friend of a friend.
We could ask him to come up and keep things unofficial until we hear what he thinks.
Maybe he could look into murders in DC involving underage girls, as well as start a child porn investigation.
It’s possible he can also clear you of treason charges.
You didn’t send those emails, and I’m sure with his connections, he can somehow prove it.
The last thing we want is that shit being brought up in court by a defending attorney. ”
“I can do some digging,” Brain said. “Anything I come up with won’t be official, but if I can pass it on to Livingston and give him a head start, it won’t be a bad thing.
Honestly, if the only thing the prosecutors have is shoes, it’s likely the case won’t go anywhere.
But if there’s video, and other evidence… ” His voice trailed off.
Lefty turned back to Kinley. “You’re staying here.”
She blinked. “I can’t.”
“You can,” he countered. “And you will. If you think I’m gonna let you go stay in a hotel, or your fucking car, or be flitting around when someone’s already tried to kill you once, you’re insane.”
“I could’ve imagined it,” she said weakly.
“You don’t believe that any more than I do. If you did, you wouldn’t be here right now,” Lefty countered.
She bit her lip and refused to meet his eyes.
“Look at me, Kins,” Lefty said.
He waited until she met his gaze. “This isn’t going to be over anytime soon.
Because of Stryker’s political connections, he’s got a lot of power.
He’s going to hire the most expensive and successful lawyer he can find.
The prosecutors are going to have to have all their ducks in a row before they accuse him of anything.
In the meantime, you aren’t safe. Especially since it seems Stryker has already set the ball in motion to shut you up.
You came to me for a reason. It was the right thing to do, and I’m going to do everything I can to protect you. ”
“I appreciate it, but part of me still questions why you’d agree to help some nobody. And now I realize I’ve put your careers in jeopardy. I mean, I’m not sure you guys can fight two career politicians who know the president personally. I obviously didn’t think this out as well as I should’ve.”
“You’re not a nobody,” Gage said firmly.
He leaned forward and wouldn’t let her drop his gaze.
“You’re not nobody. You’re Kinley Taylor.
You’re funny and smart, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I first met you in Africa.
You’re considerate and kind, and while I’m not happy about the reasons behind you being here, I can’t deny I’m fucking thrilled to see you. ”
He didn’t think Kinley was even breathing, but he kept going, not caring that his friends were listening.
“I’m not worried about my job, because I believe in you.
If you say that you saw the ambassador to France with The Alleyway Strangler’s last victim, I believe you.
And we’re going to find a way to nail his ass so he can’t hurt anyone else. ”
“He’s personal friends with the president,” Kinley said softly. “You don’t know the kind of power that exists in Washington, DC. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.”
“What was her name?” Lefty asked.
“émilie Arseneault,” Kinley told him, knowing exactly who he was talking about.
“You think émilie’s not worth fighting for?”
Kinley was shaking her head before he’d finished asking the question.
“Right. Someone has to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.
émilie certainly can’t talk about what happened to her.
I won’t lie and say this will be easy, because it won’t be.
But if you were the kind of woman who could ignore a girl being murdered, I wouldn’t be so attracted to you. ”
Kinley flushed.
“I think that’s our cue to head out,” Doc said, the humor easy to hear in his voice.
“I’ll be in touch with anything I find out,” Brain said. “I’m going to start with some basic internet searches. I won’t get too crazy into this because the last thing I want to do is lead a hitman straight to Texas.”
“When you’re ready to talk to Cruz, let me know and I’ll reach out to him,” Oz offered.
“My sister’s coming into town tomorrow, but you know I’m here if you need anything,” Grover said.
“You need help moving her in?” Lucky asked Grover.
Grover eyed Lucky for a moment before nodding. “That’d be great. I don’t know how much stuff she’s brought. I got the impression she left pretty quickly, but she’s not telling me much.”
“She in trouble?” Lucky asked, his brows furrowing.
“With Devyn, there’s no telling,” Grover said honestly.
“I’ll come over to your place in the morning, we can head to her apartment together.”
“Sounds good.”
Trigger waited until everyone had left before turning to Kinley.
“I second what Gillian said, you’re welcome at our place whenever you want.
You don’t need to call ahead of time. Although if we don’t answer right away, we might be busy.
” His eyebrows waggled up and down suggestively, making Kinley laugh.
“I think I’ll call, if that’s all right with you,” she said with a grin.
Trigger smiled, but then he sobered. “Gillian’s friendly. Very friendly. People like her. But she’s picky about who she decides to be friends with. Especially with everything that happened down in Venezuela and after.”
“Um…okay?” Kinley said.
“What I’m trying to say is, it’s rare that she clicks with someone as easily as she has with you.
She’s got three friends she’s had forever, and as long as I’ve known her, she hasn’t really tried very hard to get close to anyone else.
Inviting someone into our apartment so they can eat, shower, and do their laundry is—unfortunately, for my peace of mind—just like something she’d do.
But, she wouldn’t invite them to stay, and she certainly doesn’t lend them her precious books.
She likes you, Kinley. When she said she’d love to spend more time with you, she was serious.
She already thinks of you as her friend. ”
Lefty had his hand on Kinley’s back, so he felt her muscles tighten. He moved without thought, pulling her into his side. She stood stiffly in his half embrace and stared at Trigger as he continued.
“Not only that, but I like you too. I’ve known Lefty a long time, and I’ve never seen him so worked up over a woman.
Worked up in a good way, that is. Trust him, and trust us, to help you through this.
I’m guessing it won’t be easy, and there won’t be a fast solution, but we’ll do everything in our power to keep you safe from whoever wants to silence you. ”
Kinley studied Trigger for a long moment before nodding. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Trigger then gave Lefty a chin lift and turned and left the apartment.
Lefty moved to lock the door behind his friend and when he turned back to Kinley, she was staring at the door. “Come on, Kins,” he said, pulling her into his side again and leading her back to the couch. “How do you feel? Do you want something to eat? Some orange juice?”
She shook her head.
“Talk to me,” he begged. “What’s going through your head?”
She turned and met his gaze. He could see the confusion and how overwhelmed she was just by looking at her. How he’d come to know her so well in such a short amount of time, he had no idea, but there it was.
“I don’t understand.”
“What don’t you understand, sweetheart?” he asked gently.