Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Kain
This morning, I had a call with Detective McNally, who updated me on his investigation regarding the Boston Harbor Hotel explosion.
The suspect had installed a small device inside two centerpieces, creating a minor explosion with a lot of smoke.
Fortunately, the people at the tables suffered only minor injuries.
A note was discovered on the seat of two individuals, one at each table.
Confess, release evidence to the authorities, or you’ll pay.
Anastasia Masterson and Noah Loomer were the people with the notes. Detective McNally still had to interview them, and both had lawyered up.
If the suspect wanted them to die, he could have used a larger explosive. What information did these people have?
After my conversation with the detective, I met with Grayson Wu regarding the renovation of a new building I’d just purchased in Newton.
We’d connected a few years ago at a banquet, and he’d delivered excellent work for me.
In the business world, there were few people I considered friends, but I didn’t mind Grayson and his boys.
The ideas he presented matched my vision perfectly.
I entered Happy Flowers, wanting to see Eva and ask if she was free this week for dinner. It was better than a text message. I arrived home yesterday and couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Bat wings flapped in my stomach as I neared the shop.
What the fuck? I’d never experienced nerves like this.
I had dated little and had met no one who kept me interested.
Fucking wasn’t dating, and I’d done plenty of that.
No strings attached was my requirement, and those women didn’t seem to mind. We got what we both wanted.
I opened the door to Happy Flowers, and sadness and disappointment whirled in me when Erika, the sales associate with curly brown hair, told me Eva had just left.
Gotta work on your timing.
I bought two plants: a succulent thing in a nice porcelain bowl and a jade plant that promised to bring good luck, according to the feng shui card attached to it. Erika said those plants were easy to take care of.
“What are her hours?” I asked, giving her my credit card.
Erika glanced at the chart under the counter. “Normally, she’s here from nine to five on weekdays. But she’s been working more lately, so that could change day to day.”
“Thank you.”
I’d call Eva later.
When I returned to my office, I placed the succulent and jade on my desk and stared at them as though they were aliens invading my office space. There were ten plants in my office, not to mention the others I had at home, which I’d gotten from Happy Flowers.
I wondered how long this would last. Maybe it was just a phase that needed to pass. I’d gone through many phases after my friends and I escaped those woods. The thought brought back a flood of memories. We couldn’t have made it back to the city if it weren’t for our savior.
With thorns catching on my jeans and shirt, I rush in the direction the compass in my hand is pointing. I see a light at the end of the woods and turn around to check on my friends. The musky smell of dirt and wood fills the area.
“We have to get to the main road,” I say, chest heaving with every breath. “You okay, Timber?” He looks pale, as do all the boys.
I probably look just as terrified as they do, but I don’t want to scare them. I’m the eldest, so I need to be brave.
“I just need to catch my breath.” Timber winces. “My calf hurts, but I can still run.”
Hudson grabs Timber’s arm. “Probably a cramp. I’ll help him.”
We continue running, twigs crunching under our shoes. The sound echoes loudly in the air, as does our panting. Hope and fear thrum in the air, but adrenaline pushes us forward.
As we approach the edge of the woods, I slow my pace and extend my hand behind me to make sure the boys stay back. We glance around in the darkness, waiting. Crickets sing their lonely songs while an owl hoots somewhere.
I don’t hear anyone coming after us, so I step out toward the light. A streetlight casts a soft glow on an empty street.
“What do we do now?” Godfrey asks.
“We wait until someone drives up. Then we’ll ask them for help.”
“But what if it’s Victor’s men?” Hudson looks at me.
“That’s why you guys need to hide behind the trees. I’ll call you out once I know it’s safe, okay?”
“What if it’s not safe?” Timber sits on a rock, looking worried.
“Then you run and hide.” I place a hand on his shoulder. “If something happens to me, do what you need to do to stay safe.”
Godfrey and Hudson look at each other and then at me. They don’t like the idea, but they understand my direction.
An engine roars in the distance, and my heart thunders. “Go!” I gesture for them to get out of sight.
I have a knife in my shoe and one in my back jeans pocket for easy access if I need it.
Headlights approach, and their brightness symbolizes the sun after days of darkness. Hope sparks in me, and I pray the driver is a civilian and not part of Victor’s crew.
I step out into the road and wave one arm in the air while the other clutches my stomach, pretending to be injured. I don’t want to look like a threat.
“Please help me!”
The car stops a few feet from me, and the driver steps out, rushing over to me.
“Are you okay?”
I drop to my knees as I study the man with brown hair and friendly brown eyes. I don’t feel threatened. No one else is in his car, so if need be, I can tackle him.
“Please call the police. My friends and I were kidnapped.”
“Oh my God.” He helps me to stand. “Let’s get you into the car. Where are your friends?”
I point to the woods, waving them out. “It’s safe, boys.”
We pile into the car as fast as we can. Harold drives us out of Sturbridge, heading to the Worcester Police Station because there are more hospitals in that city.
“Yo.” Someone pounded on the open door, startling me back to reality. “You busy?”
I glanced up to see Godfrey and Hudson. Both wore jeans and light sweaters, looking casual as if they had all the time in the world. Godfrey owned Luminosity, a renowned jewelry company, and Hudson owned several car dealerships and a restaurant franchise.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Godfrey folded himself into the leather chair in front of my desk.
The women at my gym swooned whenever the Russian-American heartthrob—as they called him—taught one of my self-defense classes.
Hudson occupied the other seat. “We’re meeting for lunch, remember?”
Shit. I’d forgotten about our lunch plans today to review the copycat murders. Timber was away on business and couldn’t join us today.
“Someone gave these to you?” Hudson furrowed his eyebrows at my plants. “They seem out of place.”
Hudson was another popular trainer at Kessler’s Studio.
He didn’t do it for the money because he had plenty.
Classes always filled up when this Vietnamese-Chinese-American entrepreneur traded in his tailored suit for athletic clothes.
Women asked him out constantly, but he always declined.
My boys knew their place. My fitness studio wasn’t a hookup lounge.
They respected my space as I respected theirs.
Each of us owned a building in Etched Square, a name we’d all agreed on. We were all etched with a past that forever bonded us. The four towers that comprised the square were named after their owners: the Kessler, Markov, Gao, and Wolfe Buildings.
I’d met a few of their significant others before, but none of them had long-lasting relationships.
Perhaps we were all cursed. There was probably too much dark energy around us.
I couldn’t speak for them regarding women.
But for me, I hadn’t connected with any woman well enough to want her around for long.
The clingy type irritated me, and I didn’t have time for that shit.
“Plants produce oxygen.” I rose from my chair. “And this office needs more of it.”
Godfrey and Hudson exchanged glances, and both burst into laughter.
“Since when do you care about oxygen?” Godfrey asked.
“Are you sick, bro?” Hudson tried to touch my forehead, but I swatted his hand away.
“It’s good feng shui, okay?”
Hudson snorted while ogling my plants. Christ. They were just plants. So what if they looked out of place on my desk?
“Feng shui?” Godfrey slung an arm around my shoulder. “Fuck, you’re not okay. Let’s go eat. My treat. Food will bring our Kain back.”