Chapter 18
Hugo
“Nothing?”
I’m standing out on the deck, watching Ragnar practice lifting his leg on every blade of grass in the backyard.
“No. The feed is too grainy to make out the license plate. All we know is it’s a black or navy, older model Toyota RAV with the spare tire on the back.”
Bess went straight upstairs to have a shower after we got home, while I let out the dog who’d been cooped up all day. I took the opportunity to call Althof for an update.
Apparently, he found what he thinks might be the vehicle Ken Choi is driving.
It was caught speeding through the intersection on Cooper Drive at Victoria shortly after I found Bess hauling out the garbage.
Cooper Drive is where the back alley running behind the businesses on the coffee shop side of Main Street comes out.
“It’s probably stolen,” I point out, frustrated at the lack of progress. “If he’s got any sense, he’ll be switching out vehicles every chance he gets.”
“I put a BOLO out on the RAV, and I’ll keep an eye on incoming stolen vehicle reports.”
“And what’s the word on the Lotus Squad?”
“Mancuso is checking in with the Seattle PD Gang Task Force. Those guys will likely have confidential informants on the inside, who may be able to shed some light on what the hell is going on. Or at the very least, give us an idea of the whereabouts of the gang’s main players.”
Jason Mancuso is the Spokane FBI agent Rick met with earlier in the week. I haven’t met the guy—he must be new to the Spokane office—but it’s always useful to have connections in other branches of law enforcement.
“Good. Keep me up-to-date.”
“Will do. I assume you’re not planning to come in tomorrow?”
Tomorrow is Sunday. Carson is scheduled to be back from Seattle somewhere around dinnertime.
Shit. I really would’ve liked to have seen this resolved before he gets home, but that may have been wishful thinking. Unfortunately, sitting on my ass doesn’t help matters either, so I should probably go in for a bit and put some added muscle into this investigation.
“I’ll probably be in at some point.”
“Are you sure? What about Bess?”
“She’ll come with me. No safer place than the station.”
I’m not sure how Bess will feel about that. I believe she had plans to sit down with Phil to hash out ideas for Phil’s charitable venture. But those will either have to wait, or move to the station, where I’m sure we can find an empty space for them to use.
“Fair enough,” Althof concedes before he abruptly signs off. “Talk later.”
I slide my phone in my pocket and brace myself against the railing, waiting for Ragnar to tire of sprinkling the lawn, two drops at a time.
In the meantime, I wonder if perhaps I should give Larry a call, see if he can keep my son for a couple of days. Carson could crash with Cody, like the kids used to do when they were younger, but something tells me a sleepover at a buddy’s when you’re seventeen doesn’t quite hold the same appeal.
My son is becoming a man, he’s proven as much over the past year or so, and it’s a little bittersweet to see him forge a life of his own. It’s a bit sad Emily didn’t get a chance to witness this last surge into adulthood, she’s the one who deserves the kudos for raising such a great kid.
For too much of Carson’s life I let work absorb me, letting Emily take on the brunt of parenting and running the household. I’m not proud of the fact I took her for granted for more years than I should’ve gotten away with, but I’m grateful I had a chance to try and be a better husband.
Unfortunately, that was only after Emily was diagnosed with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
A particularly aggressive form of breast cancer against which she barely had a chance.
The fast-growing lump in her breast was discovered by her lover, the physical therapist in Spokane she went to see every week for the better part of a year to help her with a rotator cuff issue.
He’s the one who whisked her over to the MultiCare Deaconess Hospital to get it checked out.
It was a blow, in more ways than one, and I was so fucking angry about all of it—the betrayal, the lies, the cancer—but part of that anger was also directed at myself.
I dropped the ball on our marriage first. Sure, I may not have slept with another woman, but my work was my mistress and she demanded all my time.
I was so full of the importance of what I was doing, I casually brushed off any concerns Emily brought up about our marriage, our family.
To the point where she no longer bothered telling me how unhappy she was, she just went and did something about it.
Yeah, I was pissed and hurt and, fuck, humiliated, but I couldn’t lay all the blame at her feet. I had to own some of it myself. So as my wife was battling that godawful disease, I made sure to be the husband she’d always deserved.
Unfortunately, she didn’t get to enjoy him for very long.
“I was wondering where you’d gone.”
I turn around to watch Bess stepping outside with her almost black hair still damp from her shower.
Ragnar, who hears her voice, finally comes bounding up the steps of the deck to greet her.
“I was waiting for that one to finish marking every square inch of the yard,” I grumble.
My complaints make zero impression on the dog, who seems perpetually happy, with tail wagging, tongue lolling, and what looks like a smile on his face.
“Are you okay?” Bess asks, stepping up to me and putting a hand on my arm.
She has a look of concern on her face as she scrutinizes mine.
I guess my trip down memory lane must be showing.
Reaching out, I slip my arms around her and tuck her head under my chin.
Only a faint hint of sadness over what was lost lingers as Bess molds herself against me.
She feels right in my arms, and I realize how fucking lucky I am to be getting a second chance to do this right.
Bess
“Nothing more you can do at this point anyway.”
I look across the kitchen island at Savvy, who dropped by as we were putting away the remnants of our dinner.
There weren’t a ton of supplies in the house, but I was able to scrounge up enough to throw together a couple of quesadillas. If we are going to be holed up here much longer, we’re going to need some groceries. Maybe we can pick a few things up tomorrow.
“I know, but it helps to visualize when we’re in the space,” I try to explain.
“You’re just going to have to visualize it another day,” Savvy fires back dismissively.
I think she’s still ticked she had to find out from someone, other than me, about Ken showing up last night. She’s worried, I get that. So is Hugo, which is why the two of them are ganging up on me about spending tomorrow at the sheriff’s station.
The prospect isn’t particularly appealing, but I can’t really complain too hard since I’m the reason Hugo is going in on his day off.
So, I suck it up and concede.
“Fine. I’ll give Phil a call.”
Hugo, who is putting away the baking tray I used for dinner, throws me a cocky grin over his shoulder. I roll my eyes in response and grab my phone off the counter.
“Of course.”
Phil is one of the most laid-back people I know and agrees immediately to meeting me at the sheriff’s station instead of the coffee shop.
I like that she’s casually unconventional, refreshingly outspoken, and doesn’t care much what others think.
It’s the kind of easy confidence you might expect from a veteran of the music industry, but despite her colorful background, she’s really embraced her new chosen life in Silence.
Her desire to invest in the community is evidence of that, and I really look forward to collaborating with her.
While I’m on the phone with Phil, I notice Hugo and Savvy having a quiet conversation in the background.
Just as I end my call, I catch the last few words of something Savvy is saying.
“…bring him in on murder charges.”
“Murder?” I gasp, grabbing on to the front of my sweater as my chest feels tight.
Savvy winces as she and Hugo exchange a look. Then they turn to me, but my focus is on Hugo, who is wearing a look of guilt.
“What murder?”
“Remember I asked you about the owner of the vehicle they found that was seen behind Clem’s shop around the time of the fire? Victor Zhang?”
I nod.
“I didn’t want to mention to you we found him in the trunk of his car. Dead.”
“Killed,” I clarify, my blood running cold through my veins.
“Execution style,” Hugo confirms.
“Because he torched the wrong place,” I guess, feeling the oppressive weight of fear press down on me.
Oh, I was scared before—I’m all too familiar with the kind of violence the Squad can wield—but the execution of this Victor Zhang, and stuffing him in the trunk of his vehicle to be found, is a clear message.
Shane Lee is dead serious about his revenge and not in the mood to entertain explanations, and that doesn’t bode well for my brother or me.
“First we find your brother, then we’ll find them,” Savvy says encouragingly. “We’ve got the cooperation of the FBI, and we’re throwing every resource we have at it.”
My smile of gratitude in her direction is a little weak.
As much as I value their investigative talents and appreciate the effort they’re putting in, I’m not so sure they’ll be able to get to Shane Lee, who is the head of the snake in the Lotus Squad.
It’s been tried before, but he’s a slippery eel and a charismatic leader; he’ll have plenty of minions like my brother willing to take the fall for him.
I remember sitting in the courtroom when my brother was led in.
My abject disbelief when he chose to plead guilty, not even putting up a fight to charges I knew for a fact could not be attributed to him.
I’d come prepared to fight for him, but he didn’t even bother putting up any kind of defense for himself.
After he was convicted and sentenced, I’d gone to visit him in prison, wanting an explanation. That’s when he told me what he’d done, and why I could not breathe a word of it.
I didn’t, unlike my brother, who unburdened to someone he thought he could trust. Hugo and Savvy have given me absolutely no reason not to trust them, but still I have not breathed a word. Doing so would sign my brother’s fate, as well as my own.
But I’m not sure how long I can hold on.
“Well, I should be heading out,” Savvy announces as she gets to her feet. “Nate was planning to get the firepit going outside, and Tatum offered to make some hot chocolate. But I’ll see you two in the morning.”
She walks over to me and grabs me in a firm hug.
“Hang in there,” she whispers by my ear. “Hugo will look after you if you let him.”
I don’t know if he heard what she said, but as he walks back in after showing Savvy out, he’s got a smirk on his lips.
“What?”
He shrugs his shoulders but continues coming my way until we’re toe to toe.
“Will you? Let me look after you? Although, the way I’ve been wanting to look after you all night is probably not what Savvy meant.”
The sexy rumble of his voice and the heat in his eyes directly translate to a warm dampening of my panties.
The rush of fear I felt earlier is already fading. We’re locked up tight behind a security system Battaglia Security is monitoring, a team of Roy’s men are patrolling the neighborhood, and the dog has been fed and walked.
So when this man I’ve been lusting after for longer than I care to admit offers to look after me in that tone of voice, I’m eager to find out how.
Leaving him standing in the kitchen, I turn on my heel and head for the stairs. I’m halfway up when I hear his heavier footsteps rush up behind me, and suddenly I’m swept off my feet.
He carries me into the bedroom where he lets himself fall back on the bed, taking me with him.
His hands immediately slip under my sweater, sweeping it up and over my head.
Next, he unhooks my bra before rolling us over so he’s on top.
His kiss is thorough as his hands snatch away the lacy fabric and then reach down for the buttons on my jeans.
I love the way he growls in my mouth when his touch encounters a part of me he likes, as he does when he slips a hand down the front of my panties and his fingertips encounter my slick folds.
Abruptly, he rips his mouth from mine and sits up, tugging my jeans and underwear down my hips.
I squirm in anticipation, waiting for him to get naked as well.
Instead, he lowers himself—fully dressed—between my naked thighs, pushes my knees out so I’m spread wider, and latches his mouth to my aching core.
I’m quickly overwhelmed by the lashing of his tongue, the tug of his lips, and the deep penetration of his fingers.
Lost in an avalanche of sensations, I grind myself into him, pleading and reaching for completion.
When it comes, my body jerks with the violence of it, leaving me shaking and gasping for air.
When I finally catch my breath and open my eyes to look down, I find Hugo’s blue eyes looking back.
“Beautiful,” he mumbles.
It’s obvious he observed me through the throes of my orgasm, and self-awareness immediately creeps in. But before I can reclaim some modesty, he lowers his head and gently licks along my crease, flicking my sensitive clit with the tip of his tongue.
Then with a smile on his lips, he presses a kiss to the inside of my thigh.
“I could live on the taste of you.”