Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
AMbrOS
“All in favor of cutting Pig?”
I look around the room as everyone casts their vote and throw in my “aye” when it’s my turn.
“Ayes have it,” Havoc states. “All right, I’ll take care of it. Does anyone else have anything they want to discuss?”
“I do,” G says, not looking at us as he types something into his laptop.
We wait for him to finish before he looks up.
“I’ve been looking into Fullnet Security.
We know Jack—or Sam—was using them as a cover, but I had to question if it was just convenience or something else?
Same with the woman he asked Kruger—or more specifically, ELM—to find. ”
“You think they’re involved?”
“No. I do think there’s a connection, though.
Like they crossed paths somehow because this guy is meticulous and never seems to forget anyone.
Turns out Fullnet Security was hired to escort Annie Davis to a court date after she received death threats from her now ex-husband.
Normally, not much is done in those situations, unfortunately.
But Annie had a grandfather who was friends with a local councilman.
He called in a favor, and she got a little protection that day. ”
“Okay, still not seeing the connection.”
“I checked the court files for the day, and a report was added into evidence—a report corroborating Annie’s account of domestic violence and the injuries she sustained.”
“Who made the report?”
“A student nurse by the name of Lilian Taylor.”
Kruger curses. “Lilian as in Lil? I thought her name was Lilac?”
Powers leans forward before G can reply. “What does this mean?”
“On its own, not much. But it’s a trail, and when there’s a beginning, there’s an end. At least now I have something to follow. Aside from that, I now have the likely identity of who our PI’s client is.”
He hits a button, and a face appears on the large screen behind him.
I’m about as straight as they come, but even I have to admit he’s a good-looking guy.
I could easily see why women would be attracted to him.
And as Powers narrows his eyes at the image, I’m left wondering if there was more going on between him and Lil than he let on.
He’s been different since she left. I mean, he was never a chatty Cathy, but he’s definitely kept to himself more since, and I never see him with any of the club girls—or any girls, really.
“Meet Dr. James Taylor. Surgeon and husband to Lilian Taylor.”
“Fuck,” Powers grits out.
“There’s more,” G warns him. He puts up another picture, this one of James and Lil on their wedding day. In this one James is sporting a thick dark beard and chunky black glasses. Lil looks like she’s barely out of high school.
“Why wouldn’t she tell us?” Circus questions.
“Maybe because Lilian has been missing and presumed dead for a decade. She disappeared six months after they got married. A month after that report was filed.”
I blink in surprise before the room explodes into a dozen questions. Questions I don’t think G has the answers to, judging by the frustration on his face.
“Alright, motherfuckers settle down,” Havoc roars. Everyone shuts up, knowing better than to push.
“G will keep looking for answers, but right now this is all we have. It’s not hard to assume Lil married this guy young, and at a guess, the guy who dated her changed the second he became her husband. It’s not a story we haven’t heard before.”
“So she ran and hid here, the last place on earth a surgeon would look. Only by luck or by chance, he gets wind of it and starts looking for her.” Mac shrugs.
“And when he found her, he started taunting her, making her feel like she had no choice but to run again,” Powers snarls.
“What I don’t get, though, is why toy with her at all? The notes, the stalking? He announced he was here, which gave her time to run. He shot himself in the foot by not snatching her when he had the chance.”
“He’s a sick fuck who gets off on torturing her,” Midas throws out, catching everyone’s attention with the feral glint in his eye. “It’s all a game to him. He thinks he’s so fucking clever. So it must sting, knowing she’s gotten the better of him, not just once but twice.”
“We need to find her before he does,” Capone says gruffly.
“Working on it.” G sighs, rubbing his eyes. “The good news is, while he’s focusing all his attention here, we know he doesn’t have her. Hell, he’s threatening us, hoping we’ll find her for him, so he’s having as much luck as we are in that respect.”
“What about the cops? Is this still an active missing persons case?”
G shakes his head. “She’s been presumed dead.
The case isn’t closed, as far as I can tell, but I doubt anyone is actively looking for her.
Plus, I did a little digging into James’s private life.
I’ll give the guy his due—he likes to keep his shit private.
No social media presence anywhere, nothing that would get flagged.
If anything, I find him a little too squeaky clean.
The only thing that’s come up so far is Lil.
And even then, he’s portrayed as the poor husband who’s grieving his missing wife.
He has a fucking fan group of women fawning over him. ” G grimaces.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me? You see how many bang buddies people on death row get? The world is a fucked-up place.” Probe frowns in distaste.
“Keep us up to date, G. If you find any way of narrowing down the search, let me know, and we’ll send out a couple of brothers to look for her.
I don’t want to send them out blind anymore.
It’s a waste of resources when we have that asshole in my town causing shit.
I care about Lil as much as the rest of you do.
But I have women and children here to think about, and he’s already proven he has no issues using them to get his point across.
I want each of you to keep your eyes open.
This guy is fucking unhinged and likely well-funded.
And with that PI in his pocket, he has found a kindred spirit. ”
G looks up from his screen before anyone asks. “I have nothing on Jack/Sam. He’s a ghost. He’s either the world’s best PI or he’s something else altogether.”
“Like what?”
G looks at me with a cold expression. “A hitman.”
* * *
Citi is just adding the last dish to the dishwasher when I walk in.
“Hey, angel. Star go down okay?” I move up behind her and slide my hands to her hips, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.
“Yeah, she crashed hard. How was church?” I grunt, making her sigh. “That good, huh?”
“I can’t talk about it, Citi.”
“I know, and I’m not asking for information, I’m asking if you’re okay.”
“I’m good, I promise. Just tired.”
“Why don’t you jump in the shower, and I’ll get you a beer. We can snuggle and watch something, or we can have an early night.”
“We?”
“I just want to be where you are.”
“Fuck, how did I get so lucky finding you?”
She turns and lifts her arms. Taking the hint, I pick her up, holding on tight as she wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my hips.
“Shower with me?”
“How can I refuse an offer like that?”
I grin against her mouth as she kisses me before carrying her upstairs. “Have I told you how much I like having you here with me?”
“Maybe once or twice,” she whispers as I walk her into the bathroom and sit her on the counter. I turn on the shower before I strip out of my clothes, hanging my cut on the back of the door. She watches me with hungry eyes as I move toward her. I reach for the hem of her T-shirt. “Arms up.”
She does as I ask, so I can drag her T-shirt up and over her head.
I toss it away and reach for her bra strap, her skin breaking out with goosebumps everywhere I touch.
I pull the bra free and kiss her collarbone before moving down to the spot between her breasts.
She shivers as I trail my tongue down her body.
Picking her up once more, I set her on her feet before I crouch before her and drag her sweatpants and panties down her legs.
Once they’re pooled at her feet, I offer her my hand for balance as she steps out of them.
Once she’s steady, I release her and slide my hands up her legs and over her hips so I can cup her ass and hold her closer to me as I bury my face in her pussy.
I growl, feeling a fierce need for this woman.
She makes me feel like I’ve finally come home.
There is nothing she can do or say that will ever change that for me.
I’ve always been a tenacious bastard, with a driven, single-focused need.
Once upon a time, I plowed all of that energy into fighting.
Now all my thoughts are centered around this goddess in front of me.
I wish she could see herself the way I do.
I press my nose to her curls and breathe her in before looking up at her. “Hold on to me, angel.” She looks down at me, confused, but her hand slides into my hair anyway. When I lift one of her legs and hook it over my shoulder, opening her up to me, her breath hitches with anticipation.
I drag the flat of my tongue over her clit.
Her hands tighten in my hair as she gasps, which makes me do it again.
The taste of her is nirvana. If I had to choose a way to go, it would be with my tongue in her pussy and her legs wrapped around my head.
I feast on her like she’s my last supper and don’t relent until her legs buckle and she comes, whispering my name like a prayer.
When she stumbles, I swoop her up and carry her into the shower and pin her against the tiles. She cries out as the cold tile presses against her overheated skin. I swallow them down as I press my lips, still wet with her arousal, to hers.
She kisses me back with just as much hunger, her nails digging into my shoulders. I adjust my hold so I can slip the head of my cock inside her.