Chapter 14
Hudson
It was kill or be killed.
That was something I’d heard from one monster who’d waltzed into my courtroom. When asked by his attorney why he’d taken the lives of four individuals, two of which had been innocent bystanders, that had been his answer. He’d made the statement as if everyone sitting on the jury would understand.
His look of surprise when the verdict had been read and he’d been found guilty on all counts seemed out of place. At least to me. However, his world was and theirs would always be different. It was the survival of the fittest, only the strongest and most ruthless men and women surviving.
Some monsters were a product of their upbringing. Some longed to please whatever master they’d attached themselves to. Even social media had a solid influence. All the experts and the thousands of studies on human psyche had arrived at the same conclusion.
Everyone had a dark side. The difference was in the makeup of our moral code as to how far we’d be willing to go over the line. Not only with heinous crimes, but also with any of a dozen sinful proclivities.
Sex.
Drugs.
Women.
Torture.
That left me questioning whether my moral turpitude had someone gotten skewed by sitting in the courtroom, trying to comprehend the minds of both criminals and the jury.
“Your witness is inside,” Chase said as soon as I climbed out of my truck.
“She has a name. Valentina.”
“You know it occurred to me that by using their names, we’d find ourselves getting too close.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
He suddenly appeared uncomfortable. “Because we might not be able to save them all.”
His words were more hard hitting than I could have imagined. Was he right? Yes. But not this time. I would do everything in my power to keep Valentina safe.
“I assume she followed orders.”
He chuckled. “She did. She even took the back roads to get here. We weren’t followed.”
“Good.”
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” He glanced at the duffle bag I was holding, the end of the bat sticking out by over a foot.
“Are you going to tell me why you sent backup?”
“Because you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s obvious.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “You mean you didn’t believe I would go through with keeping her safe.”
“Don’t put words into my mouth, Hudson. This is something new for all of us.” He pulled the bat free, holding it under the security light. “Blood.”
“It was useful. At least we left them alive.”
“I understand Maverick participated in this foray into sin.”
Huffing, I ripped it from his hand, returning it to the bag. “Interesting choice of words.”
“I’m an interesting guy.” We’d never experienced a moment of awkward silence.
Until now.
“Taking control was long overdue if you ask me.” I glanced at the almost full moon, still processing the violence. Yes, it had been necessary.
“Maybe so, but I think we need to go about this business very carefully. Erasing people from this earth is still a crime.”
“Not unless their bodies are found.”
His eyes opened wide. I could tell I’d shocked him.
Maybe I’d shocked myself. However, the old adage was true.
Everyone had a line and everyone had a reason to cross it.
“By the way. You look like hell. You have blood on your shirt. You might want to change since you have guests. I doubt you want to give little girl nightmares.”
Glancing down, I nodded. “You’re probably right. I appreciate you looking out for Valentina.”
His scowl turned into a grin. “You got it and you’re welcome. When do you get out of court tomorrow?”
“I have two cases right after lunch.”
“Then we meet afterwards. I’m working on a case myself that’s a little dicey, but I’ll juggle some things around. Let’s meet at my house. I have a few things to show you.”
“Show and tell. You’ve been keeping secrets.”
We’d been friends for long enough I knew what he was about to say, but I allowed him to take the lead since he was the one putting himself out on a limb. “If we agree to do this, we all need to take an entirely different oath.”
One of secrecy and silence.
“Understood.” I waited outside until he drove away. Maybe I knew she’d question where I’d been and what I’d done.
Providing answers would be interesting.
I headed into the house and took a deep breath.
The house was quiet.
Not what I’d expected, but what I’d hoped for.
Just walking inside felt different than when I’d left only a few hours before. In coming home and finding Valentina missing, I’d felt a strange sense of loss immediately before the reality that she had no understanding of how much danger she was in had jetted through me.
While I hadn’t been certain where she’d gone, I’d immediately had my suspicions. While I might not know much about the woman, what I’d learned months before during the trial was that she preferred staying to herself and was intent on handling whatever issue or tragedy came her way.
Another reason I’d been so easily attracted to her.
Being self-supporting, she didn’t like accepting help from anyone. That’s why she’d gone to work as if nothing had changed when in fact everything had. Since I’d taken the matter into my hands, Luis Delgado would be forced to realize his days were numbered.
At least if I had anything to do about it.
The heavy dose of adrenaline was fading, leaving little more than exhaustion as well as some mental numbness. Yet no guilt. None.
With the alarm set, I made mental note to check the system thoroughly in the morning, maybe adding a few more cameras.
As soon as I walked into the living room, I noticed Valentina lying on the couch.
A half glass of wine was on the table in front of her.
She’d done little more than remove her shoes and curl up in a ball.
At least she was safe. I walked closer, standing over her as her chest rose and fell in an even rhythm. She was fast asleep.
Sighing, I thought about disturbing her, even carrying her up to bed, but Chase was right.
Blood splatters covered much of my white shirt, a dead giveaway to what I’d been doing.
She believed me to be one of the good guys.
Maybe I just didn’t want her to realize that I’d walked with the element of evil for a few hours, enjoying using my skills locked up since leaving the military.
Or maybe I just wanted her to think of me as a hero instead of a villain for a little while longer.
Whatever the case, I tugged the throw from the back of the couch, gingerly placing it on her sleeping form.
After grabbing a drink for some heavy decompression, I headed into my office, placing the bag I’d brought with me and placing it on the desk’s surface.
Pulling the bat free, I twisted it back and forth. A good four inches at the top were covered in blood splatters. What struck me as odd was that I had no intention of washing it off, removing evidence. Because I just didn’t care.
They’d gotten off easy in my book. I knew all about the Delgado Cartel. They robbed, murdered, raped, and sold deathly combinations of drugs without giving a shit whether doing so caused deaths. They were true scum of the earth and deserved every strike of the bat.
The whiskey was going down way too easily tonight.
Maybe because I’d stared at the bat for longer than I should.
Half laughing, I put down my drink and headed to my safe I’d installed when having the house renovated.
I’d learned a long time before that there was a strong need to protect myself.
Not only because of the profession I’d chosen, but also given the temptation my house on the water offered to would-be criminals.
I also had built a nice collection of weapons, a hobby learned from my father.
I pressed the hidden button and an entire bookshelf swung open revealing the finger scan security panel.
As soon as the light turned green, I flipped the handle.
I had a smaller safe in my bedroom where I kept a few weapons in case someone broke in during the night, but this had the majority of my collection.
As an anal person, I returned the various weapons to their respective locations, taking a few minutes to ensure I had enough ammunition. During those few minutes, I could barely keep my mind off my guest.
Had I gone over my personal line because of her or for her? Or had the easy decision been made based on years of feeling as if the bad guy always won in the end? Maybe a little of all of the above.
After closing the door, I headed to my office window, staring into the darkness at the waves as they crashed against the shore.
I’d never really thought about how lucky I was.
I was wealthy, powerful to some degree, and certainly respected amongst my colleagues.
I had no problem walking into a restaurant and obtaining a table.
I also could buy any damn thing I wanted.
But it had never been enough.
I polished off the drink, catching a slight coppery scent lingering on my clothes. Time for a shower, although even washing off the blood wouldn’t erase what I’d done or that I’d crossed a line. Somehow, I had a feeling I’d learn to live with myself and the decision I’d made.
Valentina was still sleeping soundly and Bella was safely nestled in the room where she’d been before. This time, she had a stuffed bear snuggling close, one of the nightstand lamps on for a nightlight. I’d need to grab some things from their apartment, so they’d feel at home.
The thought brought a comforting smile to my face.
As quietly as possible, I headed to my room, stripping off my clothes as soon as I was in the bathroom.
Amusement replaced the continued fury when I glanced into the mirror.
The one bastard had taken a chunk from my forehead.
At least the blood was dried. Laughing, I winced as soon as I touched the skin surrounding it. A badge of honor.
Or a mark of a vigilante.