8. Tate
CHAPTER EIGHT
TATE
“B oss, we got the intruder that was lurking around last night,” Rick announces as he strolls through the office door with a satisfied smirk.
“I get why you'd be pleased about that, but what's with the Joker smile?”
“Because of all the people you'd expect, you'd still be wrong,” he states, rounding my desk. He clicks a few buttons on my computer to bring up the security tapes, and boom. I would have never guessed it.
I bang my fists on the desk. “Fuck.”
“What do you want to do about her?” he asks with no emotion.
“She’s a civilian. We don’t harm them,” I snap, frustrated.
“But we don’t know what she’s seen or who she’s told.”
“I’m not going to torture her into keeping our secret, Rick.” I get my thinking cap on as I’m in unknown territory here. I’ve never had to kill someone innocent. The other bitches in my world deserved it because they were our enemies or double-crossed me and knew too much.
“So, what’s your plan? Kidnap her and hold her prisoner until she breaks?” He laughs.
I swing around in my chair to face him.
“Why are you smirking at me like that? It was a joke, Tate.” My smirk only widens. “Tell me you’re not serious.”
“Oh, I’m dead serious. Get Clint in here.” He doesn't move. “That’s an order, Rick.”
He huffs. “I can see this going sideways.”
I choose not to respond.
I sit staring at the screen, replaying the clip of Sian fleeing from the scene and dashing out of the club with her friend.
Did she tell her friend what she saw?
Has she already informed the police?
Should I be expecting them to storm through my club and arrest me?
It’s not like they’ll find anything. The body has already been disposed of, and the crime scene will be spotless. No evidence, no conviction. It also helps that I have a few police officers on my payroll that would make her claims vanish into thin air.
Rick returns with Clint moments later.
“Boss, you wanted to see me?” Clint's voice breaks my focus.
“Do you have any information on the woman in the video?”
“Yeah. I pulled it after I informed Rick of my findings. Something told me you’d need this.” He steps forward and hands me a file. “That’s just from a quick search in the time I had. If you want me to dig deeper, just say the word.”
“That’s all for now, Clint.” He nods and turns to leave. “One more thing… I want this to remain discreet. No one’s to know you’ve been digging, and I want the system wiped clean just in case, but make a copy and lock it in the safe.”
“Sure thing, boss, but you may wanna know Liam was lurking around the camera room when I pulled that footage. I don’t know how much he saw.” He leaves, and I can feel Rick’s questioning gaze burning into me.
“I have my suspicions about Liam. Keep him close but out of the loop. And why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m just wondering if you've lost your damn mind because I’m fucking clueless about what your intentions are here.” He crosses his arms over his chest and strengthens his stance.
I stand slowly. “Let’s get one thing straight, Rick. I’m in charge, and it would serve you well to remember who you’re speaking to. You may be my most trusted and loyal advisor, but don’t ever question my motives.” I step in front of him, invading his personal space. “Do I make myself clear?”
He smirks. “Crystal.” He steps aside. I follow his every move, on guard for the moment he strikes, if he dares to challenge me. “Just remember who’s watching your back and has always done so.”
“Is that a threat?” It’s my turn to stand tall.
“No, just an honest observation. I’ve never gone against you before, Tate, because I trust you know what you’re doing, but this time… I feel like something dark is coming, if it hasn’t already begun.”
He knows I value his opinion more than most, and it’s bugging the fuck out of me because I feel everything shifting and I have no power to stop something if I don’t know what the fuck is coming. “Fuck you and your cryptic words. You coming with me or not?” I glide past him.
“Obviously. Can’t have you doing something else as stupid as this.”
I smile to myself, knowing already that he’d follow me.
* * *
I drive to the address Clint found, breaking a few traffic violations in the process, but I had a feeling I needed to get here urgently. I park the Range Rover at the side of the road a few houses down and switch off the engine.
“You still sure you want to do this?” Rick asks, breaking the silence.
“Would I be here if I didn’t?” I shake my head.
Rick shifts in his seat. “Do you have a plan yet?”
“Not really, but I’ll see how she reacts to seeing us and go from there.”
“I can tell you exactly how she’s going to react. She’ll slam that door on you so fast you’ll never see it coming.”
I huff, knowing he’s right. “She can try.” I’m all set for getting in there, but a light on the front porch flicks on, and Rick and I watch.
A guy strolls out of the house, shrugging his jacket on and fastening up his trousers. He’s smiling like the Cheshire Cat, and I’m filled with envy.
How can I feel this way about someone I don’t know? On the couple of occasions I’ve seen her, she’s been rude and dismissive. Okay, so that attitude gained my attention and made my dick hard, but that was only because I imagined myself punishing her for her foul mouth and defiance. I could sense her rebelliousness. She was full of bravado, and it intrigued the hell out of me.
Just how far can I push this woman?
The guy wipes his lips with the back of his hand, looks over his shoulder one last time, then walks towards his car.
I pull out my phone and snap a photo of his license plate. It's dark and blurry, but I'm hoping Clint can get something from it.
I sit up straight when he gets close, and the streetlamps light him up.
He looks familiar, but why can’t I place him?
There’s something about his stance that triggers warning bells in my head, and I’m pissed that I don’t know why.
He looks in our direction, smirks, and climbs in. Moments later, he’s pulling away from the curb, and I’m filled with adrenaline, fueled with the urge to kill him and still that feeling of envy towards him that lingers in my veins.
What the fuck is that all about?
“Did you see that?” Rick asks, sitting up straight. “He looked straight at us.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think he was looking at us per se. Just this direction. No one knows we were coming here.”
I grit my teeth in frustration. Where do I know him from? Why do I feel so out of the loop just lately? I’m normally on top of everything. Maybe the fact I’m running around to find someone who witnessed something she shouldn’t have has pulled me away from what I really need to get in front of. The drugs in my clubs and who’s behind it all. All I know is that it’s personal.
I need to sort out this problem so I can track down the fucker who’s trying to break me for whatever reason.
I swing the car door open and stomp to the front door. I bang my fist against the wood twice and wait a beat, but when I don’t get an answer, I try the handle. It’s locked. I turn my head to find Rick is one step behind me.
“I take it you’re adding breaking and entering to your resume?” Rick whispers by my side.
“I’ve done far worse. Anyway, it’s locked. There’s a gate leading to the back. We’ll go in that way.” I shrug and sidestep him, strolling to the gate.
I locate the back door and head straight for it, try the handle, and find it unlocked.
Light on my feet, I venture farther inside and glance around. Everything seems normal in the kitchen, but as I head into the living space, I notice something is wrong. The pillows from the sofa are on the floor, and the table is a little off center. To anyone else, this wouldn’t stand out, but I’m not just anyone else… I’m me. I see what shouldn’t be seen, and the fact that her picture frames on the mantelpiece are perfectly lined up and the rest of the room is immaculate sets alarm bells ringing. Standing in the middle of the room, I spot something on the carpet; a small trail leading towards the stairs.
I pause at the bottom of the stairs. “Something’s not right,” I whisper over my shoulder. I sniff the air around me. “Do you smell that?” I turn around to face him, and he’s inhaling deeply, but he shakes his head. “Sex and blood.” I point to the trail of red on the carpet. “That look like blood to you?” I’m getting a bad vibe. “If what I’m thinking is right, then you need to call Doc.” He narrows his eyes but retrieves his phone from his back pocket. “Wait here.”
I take the stairs two at a time. When I reach the top, I hear water running. I follow the sound and find myself standing outside the bathroom door. I grit my teeth and take a breather, knowing what I’ll find on the other side of the door. I’ve been here before, and it all went to shit for a while, but I can’t walk away. I’m being drawn to her like an addict craving his next hit, heading for the inevitable, yet risking it anyway.
Her cries increase in volume, and I can’t stand it any longer. I try the handle of the bathroom door, but it’s locked.
“Sian… I know you’re in there. Open the door,” I shout above the noise of the shower running.
She lets out an almighty, toe-curling scream, and it makes me want to cover my ears, but I need to get through this door and help her.
With a hard shove of my shoulder, I break the lock and fall to my knees at the sight in front of me.