Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
XAVIER
I really wish Lucy hadn’t insisted on being here.
Since the first meeting she attended shortly after her abduction, she hadn’t brought up going again. She seemed content to hear the updates second hand, and I wasn’t about to complain. Not that I hid anything from Lucy, but it was easier to soften the news when I was telling her at home, taking breaks to comfort her whenever she started to get upset.
If she had asked, I wouldn’t have said no. How could I? It’s Lucy’s life we’re discussing.
But I didn’t want her sitting in the conference room watching videos of other captives we were desperately trying to save. I didn’t want her to hear the details of the young man the police rescued just in time, so emaciated his organs were shutting down and his hand so infected it might have to be amputated. And I definitely didn’t want Lucy to see the sickening comments left by some of the people betting on the game, so cold-hearted and evil I felt nauseous reading them.
Lucy’s been through enough already.
So when she announced she wanted to come to this morning’s meeting, at first I tried to dissuade her. I gently suggested that it might be too much on the heels of yesterday’s security breach, and that it might be better if she stayed home and hung out with Sarah and Rambo instead. When she started to dig her heels in, I brought up the nightmares from last night, and how I was afraid this meeting might make them even worse.
“I can handle it,” Lucy replied with a stubborn jut to her chin. “I need to know. The nightmares are going to happen whether I go to the meeting or not.” A tiny wobble shook her voice as she added, “They were on the Blade and Arrow property. Looking for me . I can’t hide my head in the sand, Xavier. It’s time for me to suck it up and hear everything.”
As much as I wanted to argue or outright plead with Lucy to stay home, I couldn’t. Not when I know damn well if I were in her situation, I’d feel the same way.
Does that mean I’m happy about it? No.
While we sit around the conference table waiting for Dante to start the meeting, I keep glancing over at Lucy, carefully assessing.
I don’t like what I see.
The bright light in her eyes has dimmed, replaced by shadows of fear and worry. She’s pale, the only color on her face the bluish smudges beneath her eyes and the thin and trembling line of her mouth. Gone is the laughing, cheerful Lucy of only a few days ago. Now she looks frightened. Anxious. Her Lucy-glow has disappeared.
But as she catches me looking at her, she forces a small smile. Her shoulders set and her posture straightens. She squeezes my hand under the table and whispers, “I’m okay. Really.”
I rub her chilled hand, trying to warm it. “I know.”
She’s not okay, though. How could she be?
After reassuring Lucy over and over that she was safe, she had to face her worst nightmare right on our property. Matt and Dante intercepted the two fuckers—amateurs, like Dante said— well before they got close to Lucy, but that they even managed to breach the fence…
I’m so angry with myself.
What was I thinking, taking Lucy on those walks, knowing the perimeter fence isn’t nearly as secure at the reinforced one around the ranch? I could have brought Lucy to the barn or the garden more often, or we could have walked around the yard, where it’s completely safe.
But they made her happy. And foolishly, I made that my priority, instead of acting like the security specialist I’m supposed to be.
Not that making Lucy happy is foolish. But I should have figured out another way.
Because of my careless decision, Lucy’s nightmares are back with a vengeance, and her fragile sense of security is shattered. She won’t go outside at all now, not even to the barn, and she’s back to jumping at small noises and cringing at shadows.
Fuck. I’m supposed to be protecting Lucy. Not hurting her.
“Xavier.” Lucy leans close, pitching her voice so only I can hear it.
“What, Luce?”
She pauses, and for just a second, I think she’s going to tell me she changed her mind. That she wants to go back to the apartment, that she’s not ready after all, that she’d rather spend the next hour with Sarah and Rambo.
Her expression softens. “It’s not your fault. I know that’s what you’re thinking. But it isn’t.”
She keeps telling me that, but I know the truth. I took her into a situation that wasn’t one-hundred percent safe.
Lucy was in danger and it was because of me.
Just as I’m trying to come up with a response that won’t sound like I’m disregarding her feelings, Dante says, “Okay. Sorry about the delay. If we’re all ready to start?”
Everyone straightens as they turn towards Dante, fully at attention. We all lift our chins in silent agreement, and Dante continues, “I was just texting with Cruz. He was giving me an update on the men we caught yesterday.”
Lucy’s fingers convulse around mine.
Niall leans forward. “And?”
“It’s pretty much a confirmation of the information we got out of them. Hired anonymously on the dark web, payment was supposed to be in cryptocurrency, and Lucy—” Dante stops to glance at her, his brows raised in question.
“Just say it,” she says quietly. “That’s why I’m here. I want to know everything.”
With a small nod, he says, “Alright. So. They were supposed to leave Lucy at an abandoned barn outside Harwood. Once delivery was confirmed, they’d get paid.”
“And the instructions they were given?” I ask. “They didn’t know that Lucy was outside. Were they planning on trying to break into the ranch?”
“Apparently.” Dante’s expression goes dark. “They were told that there would probably be other people here and to use deadly force if necessary.”
Lucy sucks in a sharp breath. “They were going to come inside and start shooting?”
“Hardly,” Niall scoffs. “They wouldn’t have been able to get in here. Not past the alarm system and the reinforced doors and windows.”
Guilt sweeps through me again. If I’d just kept Lucy inside…
“So do we have anything useful from them?” Rhiannon asks. “Some clue to the people at the top?”
“Not from them,” Dante answers. “But thanks to Matt, Leo, and Beth, we’ve made some significant progress.”
“Since the last meeting?” Erik glances first at Dante, then Matt. “What did you find out?”
Matt and Dante exchange a quick look, and a moment later, Matt says, “We’ve made several discoveries over the last few days. And one last night that was particularly promising.”
“Do you know—” Lucy’s mouth snaps shut and her cheeks go pink. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s fine, Lucy.” Matt gives her a reassuring smile. “I understand why you’re eager to hear.”
Impatience fills me with restless energy, and I have to fight the urge to drum my fingers on the table or tap my foot. This is new, or rather, it’s post-Lucy—this loss of patience. In the Army, I could stay still for hours without losing focus. I could wait for days until we found just the right moment to stage an attack. But when it comes to Lucy’s safety, waiting is a torturous thing.
“So,” Matt continues, “first off, we found three other… contractors, I guess you could call them, who answered anonymous ads very similar to the one targeting Lucy. We believe the people they were supposed to abduct were intended to be new captives. But fortunately, that’s not going to happen.”
“Cruz said the three men who answered the ads are in custody,” Dante adds. “And the intended targets are under police protection.”
Lucy exhales softly. Her fingers loosen their vise-like grip around mine. “That’s good,” she murmurs. “I’m glad.”
Matt dips his head at her. “It is. And another thing, we’ve been able to trace some more of the people betting on the game. So they’re going to be brought up on charges, too. Fraud. Conspiracy. And—” His features harden. “Between Leo, Beth, and myself, we’re going to make sure everyone in their lives is notified of the illegal activity. Their employers. Spouses. They won’t get out of this without repercussions.”
“Good.” Rhiannon scowls. “Those assholes deserve to be punished.”
“They do,” Matt agrees. “And thanks to the web crawler we have running, I anticipate finding more of them.” He pauses. “It seems like word has gotten out. There’s definitely a significant decrease in interest in the game. There haven’t been any new videos posted in almost a week. And in cooperation with the FBI, all the people who were being held captive have been rescued.”
“So the game is fizzling out,” I say. “But they haven’t lost interest in Lucy.”
“No.” Dante lifts his chin at me. “My guess is it’s because she’s the first to get away. But until we find out the person or people behind this, we won’t know for sure.”
“And that’s the most promising news,” Matt adds. “We’ve made progress on tracing the payments.” He pauses before explaining, “At first, because the payments were being made using cryptocurrency, it was tricky to trace them.”
“Aren’t cryptocurrency transactions traceable?” As everyone turns to Lucy, she explains, “I researched it for a book. And I read that while the person’s identity could be anonymous, there’s still a way to trace payment back to the source.”
Matt nods. “You’re right. Most of the time, it’s not fully anonymous. But in this case, they’re using a currency that’s designed to be untraceable. And the wallets—how the currency is stored—are also anonymous. But thanks to Beth, we’ve found a way to hack the company and take a backdoor approach.”
“So you’ll be able to find out who’s collecting the payments?” Erik asks.
“Eventually, yes. It’s not a simple process, but we have strong reason to believe we’ll find them.”
Lucy turns to me, cautious hope brimming in her eyes. Then she looks at Matt. “So it could be over?”
“I think so. It may take some more time, but yes. I think so.”
Her teeth dig into her lower lip, and her chin wobbles. She swallows hard, and I can tell she’s trying not to cry. After a deep breath and exhale, she says, “Thank you, Matt. And Leo and Beth, too. It’s not enough, just to say it, but… thank you.”
Dante casts a soft look at Lucy. “You’re family, Lucy. You don’t have to thank us.” After a beat, he adds, “So we’re waiting for now. Lucy will stay here, and we’ll have heightened security for the time being. Stick close to headquarters and stay inside the fence.”
And there . Guilt slashes through me again, leaving a stinging wound behind.
Almost like he read my mind, Niall catches my gaze. “I’ve taken Jade into the woods hundreds of times. I made those trails for her. And I never considered that it wasn’t safe.”
“Same,” Dante adds. “Sarah and I go to the pond all the time. I never thought—” He shakes his head.
In a small, sad voice Lucy asks, “So no one gets to enjoy the woods because of me?”
Oh.
My heart.
“No, Luce.” Turning in my chair to face her, I take both her hands in mine. “We’ll figure it out. Extend the fence.”
“Absolutely,” Niall agrees. “First off, it’s not your fault, Lucy. It’s the assholes who came after you. And while we might not be able to use the reinforced fencing around the entire property, we can definitely enclose more of it. The pond. Some of the trails.”
Lucy stares at him for a second, her brow creasing as she thinks. Then she says, “I know the fencing you use is expensive. And with ten acres of land… it would be a lot.”
“Don’t worry about it, Luce.” I squeeze her hands gently. “We’ll make it work.”
“But maybe you don’t have to. What if… I could do it? Or… my parents?”
“Lucy, that’s not necessary,” Dante starts.
“But they have the money. And my dad… he keeps asking how he can help. He knows you guys don’t want payment for protecting me, and he understands. But what you do here, it’s so important. He and my mom want to do something to support it.”
My chest squeezes as I look at her, seeing the fire in her eyes, the glow of enthusiasm building.
“They have the money,” Lucy continues. “I’ve always wanted to pay my own way. But this… it’s different. It could help everyone. Walking in the woods, it helps. It helped me. Jade. Sarah. And if you have other clients here, it could help them, too. When the walls feel like they’re closing in, and you just need to get outside to breathe.”
Dante glances at me, his eyes asking the silent question. Am I okay with it?
Do I want to let Lucy’s parents pay for something so expensive?
If it were just for Lucy and me, the answer would be an immediate no. I want to support Lucy myself. Or I want us to support each other.
But like Lucy said, having the woods protected could help everyone for years to come.
With a small nod in Dante’s direction, the decision is made.
“If that’s what you want, Luce.” And despite being in the middle of a meeting, I lean forward to brush a soft kiss across her lips. “I think everyone would love it.”