26. Bane
CHAPTER 26
BANE
“ H ow are you feeling about today?” River asked cautiously as I sifted through the folder laid out on the counter in front of me. I took a beat to digest the question. We’d spent a month putting everything together for the raid we had planned for today, and I had the job of checking and cross-checking every lead and piece of information the team had pulled together for it. From who would attend, to the location, security, and most importantly, what was up for auction. The products on the docket for tonight were children, none of whom were older than twelve. I’d even liaised with the alphabet agencies before Bower took that off my hands. That man had his sights locked on a promotion. Word had it there was a head of title up for grabs with one of them if he could pull this off.
Miraculously, we’d managed to turn one of the lower level guys—Marco—in Black Dahlia’s network. The promise of full immunity in relation to the case had him singing like a lark once the paperwork was signed and sealed. What the idiot didn’t know was we had enough dirt on him for unrelated activities that he’d never see the light of day once the night was over.
The guy didn’t know a thing about loyalty, which benefited us exponentially. He worked security for Dahlia’s establishments, namely the strip joints that acted as backstreet brothels, and had a tendency to sample the merchandise with a rather rough hand. We’d acquired several statements from the girls that ended up in hospital because of him.
Fortunately for us, he played poker with guys who were higher up the food chain. And it turned out once those men got some hard liquor into them, they let slip about upcoming events like auctions or big clients that were coming in to sample product.
“I’m cautiously hopeful.” I glanced up at him when a mug of coffee brushed my fingertips. “Come here, angel.” River slipped into my open arms like he was made for them, and when his wrapped around me, I felt settled for the first time in nearly forty-eight hours.
“When do you l-leave?” He tried to hide it, but I heard the tremble in his voice and so did Shadow, who appeared at his feet, his head butting into River’s calf, making him chuckle. It was like that dog could sense when his anxiety spiked and was there instantly, demanding attention and distracting him.
I checked my watch and gulped down my coffee. It seared its way down my throat, but I welcomed the pain and the much needed hit of caffeine. “Montoya should be here in ten.” A sigh slipped past my lips, and I buried my face in his unruly hair. River’s cinnamon and orange scent infused me with a much needed sense of calm and clarity.
“I promise I’ll be back.” I knew what he was thinking, even if he never said it. His fear of me not returning was a palpable thing. It was written in his forest-green eyes every time I caught them. He’d come so far with Joelle’s support, but the fear of abandonment was deeply ingrained in both of us. I wasn’t sure we’d ever get its hooks out of us.
“I know,” he murmured into my chest and tightened his hold on me.
“Cooper’s coming round, isn’t he? Bringing the new pup to play with Shadow?” River tipped his head back and grinned up at me, a childlike wonder sparking in his eyes.
“Yeah. It’s a pom-pom or something.”
I snickered and nodded my head. A dog breed specialist I was not. “Or something, alright.” My lips brushed his forehead in a tender kiss that melted into a smile when River’s fingers traced patterns across my back. My eyes shuttered closed, and I focused on their path. It wasn’t random shapes; he was writing something. A shiver skittered down my spine as my brain tried to piece it all together, but if the thudding of my heart was anything to go by, my heart and body knew already.
“You got it?” he whispered softly.
“No. Again?” His husky laugh heated my face, and his answering smile warmed my insides.
“Now?”
I closed my eyes and focused intently on the path River’s fingers took, like they were painting the darkness with the light of his love. First there was an I, followed by an L, then an o?
“I love you.” My voice shook as emotions overwhelmed me. Although River had become more vocal and confident, he still struggled to say those words, so he found as many creative ways to show me how he felt.
“That’s not all,” he breathed against my ear.
With my face in the crook of his neck, my lips brushing against his silky soft skin, I let my mind drift as he started again. This one wasn’t so easy to decipher, and when I asked him to repeat it, something changed, but the meaning was still the same.
“You did a symbol instead of a word the second time.”
“I did.” He shrugged. “Did you work it out?”
“It took me a minute, but I did.”
River stepped back so he could look at me. Eagerness and excitement lit up his beautiful features. “Well?”
“My heart.”
My voice cracked and broke on the last word as I took him in. If someone had told me a year ago I had found the boy who became my anchor during some of my darkest days and that he would become my lover, my life, the centre of my universe, I would have hit them up the backside of the head and asked how much they’d had to drink.
My hands cupped his face, thumbs brushing over his flushed cheeks. I could admit I was drowning in River, suffocating on him, but who needed air when I had him? This moment felt pivotal, but I couldn’t fathom why. Overcome with desire, I sealed my lips to his. His sharp inhale allowed me access, and my tongue wrapped around his as a fresh wave of his taste burst across my tongue. River surged forward as he pushed up onto his toes, and his hand snaked around the back of my neck, his blunt nails trailing across my skin. Before I could deepen the kiss further and pull him into my lap, we were interrupted by someone hammering on the door.
River broke away, mirth dancing in his eyes. “No,” I grumbled and pulled him back to me. I felt his wicked smile against my mouth.
“Put that boy down, and get your ass out here, Benson!” Montoya yelled through the mailbox, making River snicker as I groaned and nuzzled into his neck.
“Why? Why me?”
“Shut up, you big softie. Today is the day. I’ll be in the car. You’ve got two minutes.”
My gaze swung to River, who looked suitably rumpled and good enough to eat. I leaned forward, but his finger on my lips halted my progress.
“But…”
“No.” He chuckled and shook his head. “The s-sooner you go, the sooner you can come home to m-me.”
“Fine.” Rolling my eyes, I pressed a kiss to his forehead, nose, and eyes before he pushed me away and ordered me out of the house, stating he had puppy cuddles to look forward to.
The station was a hive of activity when we arrived. We headed to the situation room where everyone that was involved in tonight’s op was already waiting. Bower stood at the front of the room. The whiteboard behind him laid out our movements and locations down to the minute. He went over every detail with a fine-toothed comb before dismissing us with the order to get our heads on straight and gear up for the op.
Unusually for Davis, he had been quiet during the briefing, focused on his phone with a furrow between his brows. Warning bells rang in my head and got louder the closer I watched him.
Bower had saddled him with a couple of rookies, who would monitor the wider perimeter and notify us of any unexpected arrivals. Keeping Davis out of the action was an intentional move on Bower’s part, now that his suspicions had been raised after the fire and Barnes’s sudden resignation.
Montoya and I made our way to the locker room and did a final check of our equipment. A heavy sense of foreboding hung over us as the rest of the team slowly ambled in and did the same. This was our third raid, and I hoped against all hope this one was successful after the first two failed.
Dahlia herself had become a ghost and vanished off the face of the earth. River had said she had eyes everywhere, and I was starting to think he was right more than he knew. I couldn’t help but think Davis wasn’t working alone.
The two messages she’d sent me had upped the ante, and it had been harder than ever to get approval for this operation. If it failed, I feared it would all come crashing down on my shoulders, and then where would that leave River?
“Don’t go there, Benson.” Montoya’s hand latched onto my shoulder with a nail-biting squeeze. “We need to think positively, or that bitch wins.”
“I know.” My head hung forward as I braced my elbows on my legs. “I just…I’m?—”
“Scared?” I nodded. She sat down next to me, her shoulder brushing mine in support. “I get it. You’ve got more than any of us riding on this.”
“Mmmm.” I finally had someone to fight for and everything to lose. I refused to allow that reality to come to fruition. Our time was finite, and I wanted to spend every moment I had left with River. To love him through all the seasons of his life, to have the honor of watching him grow and discover new things and experience this blossoming love between us.
That’s why this raid had to work. I refused to accept failure.
“Bower won’t put you on parking duty if it turns out to be a bust.” She glanced around, a shifty look in her eyes. “I have?—”
“Don’t. I have a feeling I know what you’re going to say, and I have the same feeling. If the worst happens tonight, come to mine and we’ll talk it over before going to Bower.” She gave me a nod and left the room to grab one more hit of caffeine before our long night.
As night fell, a cold, starless sky watched as all the teams moved into position and checked in. Montoya and I sat on the roof of a nearby farmhouse, watching the high rollers come in their droves. Their blacked out cars crunched on gravel as they formed a line resembling a uniformed army of ants, crawling along after one another until they disappeared into the underground parking garage. The windows of the mansion were blacked out, and if it wasn’t for the guards patrolling the site or the torches lining the driveway, you would think the place was deserted.
A biting wind whipped up off the vast expanses of arable land surrounding us, burning my cheeks. I rubbed my hands together as my fingers slowly turned numb. I knew there was money in the skin trade—big money—but seeing the breadth of wealth that had arrived had my stomach churning like a savage ocean. Acid burned the back of my tongue, decimating River’s sweet taste. My heart was in my throat, and it felt like I was choking on air at the thought of the depravity taking place inside those stone walls.
I wanted to throw caution to the wind and storm down the gates with my gun raised, catching every one of them and making them answer for their crimes, but we had our orders. And orders were always followed. Our watches were synchronized, and tension bled into the air, thickened with anticipation and something I couldn’t quite pin down with each passing minute.
“The auction is about to start,” I murmured. Montoya glanced up at me with her binoculars in her hand as she tracked the guards’ movements. The night was deadly silent. The only sound apart from our shaky exhales was the eerie whistling of the wind.
“Go time can’t come soon enough. The wait is excruciating.” I hummed in agreement and flexed my fingers. “It seems too quiet, too calm,” Montoya mused, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
My hand shook where it rested against my gun. I couldn’t have agreed with her more, but we had to stick to the plan. Otherwise, mistakes would be made and lives put at risk, both those of our officers and the innocents being held inside. Casualties were bound to occur, but we wanted to keep blood spill to a minimum. It wasn’t long until Bower’s voice sounded through our comms as the first team moved into position to take down the guards covering the perimeter. We watched as each one was taken out silently before an alarm could be raised and alert those who were inside.
“Time to go.” I tapped Montoya on the shoulder, and we swept down from our vantage point. “Moving to hand signals. Stay on my six.”
Montoya became my shadow as we melted into the night and made our way at a clipped pace to our meeting point, where we convened with the rest of our group. Beta team would enter the back of the property through the cellar entrance with the intention of liberating the children who were being held. A couple of clicks out, we had vans and an unmarked ambulance on standby to move them to a safe house and administer any required emergency first aid.
Alpha team would breach the property by the side entrances to the east and west of the mansion and lock down all entrances to the ballroom. If everything went according to plan, we’d walk out with Dahlia and her associates in cuffs. My eyes were on the prize. I’d leave every other sick fucker who was present to the rest of the team, but that bitch was mine. She’d made it personal, and I could be as vindictive as the next person. I wanted my face to be the last one she saw when she took the last breath of fresh air she’d ever get as a free woman.
“Split. Split. Split,” Bower ordered. The teams divided as we reached the property line. Things moved swiftly, and my heart thundered like a war drum. My blood whooshed in my ears as adrenaline flooded my veins, sharpening my senses and bringing the world into focus around me.
Once we were in position, we waited for the signal to breach the property. We had to time it perfectly, so each team entered the building at the same time, leaving no exit unmanned if anyone tried to run. Trepidation skittered across my skin, and it felt like time slowed as we waited with bated breath for the go sign.
“Go. Go. Go.” Alpha team moved as one as Montoya opened the unlocked door. The others swept in, making sure the coast was clear. I scoffed at the arrogance of the monsters who thought they were untouchable. A malicious smile lifted my lips behind my mask as I entered the building and closed the door behind me.
On silent feet, we followed the blueprints we’d memorized through reception rooms and libraries, then down the grand hallway that led to the ballroom where tonight’s activities would take place. We lined up, four agents on either side of the door, and waited for confirmation everyone was in place.
Focused on regulating my breathing, my fingers flexed around my grip. Someone tapped my shoulder. I glanced up to see Montoya waving her hand in front of her neck before tapping her ear. After a momentary confusion, I got what she was getting at, and strained my ears, trying to hear anything above the breathing of our team, but the house was silent. Surely, if there was an auction going on, we’d have heard them by now.
Lead filled my feet as the truth set in. My jaw clenched, and I ground my molars while we waited for the signal to enact the final part of tonight’s plan. It took every single year of my training not to allow my growing disappointment to derail my focus. Lock it down, Bane. Focus on the now. You can’t fuck up.
“Abort. Abort. Montoya and Benson, remain there. I’m coming in. The rest of you, clear out.”
“What the fuck?” Henderson hissed as he turned to me, his eyes narrowing. “What’s going on?”
My shoulders slumped, and defeat washed over me. “I have no idea. Head out to the designated meeting point and wait for further instruction.”
Henderson stuck his middle finger up at me and followed the rest of the guys out the way we had come. After a few minutes, Davis’s voice filled my ear, and I cringed at his smug tone.
“Beta team found thirty men downstairs, all drivers who were hired to collect a Mr. Jacob Benson and his team. There is no one else in the property.”
“I’ve taken statements from all of them—it was a rush job that came through tonight. I’ll liaise with the company owners tomorrow, and once I’ve got my hands on the payment details, I’ll trace the sender and see what I can find out,” Jordan said next, sounding as deflated as I felt.
Montoya looked at me, confusion clear on her face. I kicked the wall and threw my mask on the floor. “FUCK!”
“What’s wrong? What do you know?”
“D-Davis.” Anger consumed me as his words played over and over in my head. “He said the drivers were all waiting to collect me and our team, and confirmed the building is empty.”
“Shit.”
“This is so fucked up. She used me. She fucking framed me, Montoya. There’s no way Bower will let me continue working on this case. W-what’s going to happen to River if I’m pulled from his protection?” Fear lanced through my heart like a bolt of lightning, turning it to dust.
“Don’t. Don’t go there.” She growled and yanked my head down to her level. “Don’t let that bitch get inside your head. Do not let her win.”
Before I could answer, the clacking of shoes echoed down the hallway from where Bower had entered through the unlocked front door. The flashlight in his hand swung wildly, the bright beam carving a blinding arc of light in our direction. My hand shot out to cover my eyes, and he was standing in front of me before I could even blink.
“What the fuck happened, Benson?”
“I-I don’t know, sir.” I hung my head, and focused on my booted feet. My hands balled into fists, then relaxed at my sides as I drew in a deep, calming breath. It took every ounce of self-control to swallow the vitriol on the tip of my tongue. Arguing over something beyond my control would accomplish nothing. But having my integrity questioned? That was dangerously close to crossing a line. I could only hope Bower would see reason before I reached my breaking point.
“You were played. Clearly, your turncoat is more manipulative than you thought. He. Fucking. Played. You. Do you understand how much this raid tonight cost? Our department can’t afford to keep blowing the budget on failures like this.”
“That’s not fair, sir. If you look at it logically?—”
“Do not question me, Benson. I have given you a hell of a lot of latitude in this case.” What he meant was he’d given me enough rope to hang myself if it failed, which it looked like it had. I couldn’t dispute that.
I cleared my throat, steeled my spine, and pulled my shoulders back. I looked Bower straight in the eye. “I’m certain it was Davis, sir.”
Bower eyed me. I felt the glacial weight of his gaze drag from my head to my feet before it returned to my face. “And what do you have to support that claim?”
“He was the only one on his phone during the briefing. There was a two hour window between it and when we left,” I explained. “He had plenty of time to notify his contact so they could change locations. That, and the drivers were waiting here to collect me and my team.”
His hand ran down the side of his face. I could see him weighing the odds of what I was saying, but he wasn’t willing to give me an inch and changed tack. “Have you at least scoped out the ballroom?”
“No, sir. We waited here like you ordered.” Montoya stepped up next to me, turning her glare toward Bower. He might have been our boss, but she never backed down when she felt someone was being treated unjustly. She was my best friend, but my partner first and foremost. We protected each other. We were loyal to a fault.
“Do I have to do everything myself?” he grumbled and pushed the doors open to the grand ballroom. His anger made them fly back until they crashed into the walls, the sound echoing in the vast space.
What we saw when he did would be burned into the inside of my skull forever. The cavernous room was deserted except for two bright spot lights that were directed at the floor in the middle of the room, illuminating the macabre scene displayed for our—or my—viewing pleasure. The coppery taint of fresh blood filled my lungs as I sucked in a sharp inhale. In the middle of the illuminated circle lay another body. I didn’t need to get a good look at the unfortunate soul to know who the victim was. Devastation rocked through me at the thought of having to tell River that another one of his friends had lost their life in a war they’d had no choice but to be sacrificed in.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” I muttered under my breath as Bower and I stepped into the bright circle of light. “Stop!” I flung my arm out in front of Bower, halting his progress. He turned to me, his irate face a deep shade of puce.
“You better have a good reason for this, Benson. There’s another dead body in here!” he ground out and crossed his arms over his chest, turning the full weight of his accusatory gaze on me. I refused to cower. I would not crumble or give him any reason to think I was guilty, even by association.
My shoulders rose and fell as I took a moment to get my rapid breathing and flaring temper under control. “I do, sir. If you look closely at the floor, you’ll see why.” I gestured with my hand, and his eyes followed to where I was pointing. His head tilted to the side, and his hand flew up to cover his mouth.
“Thank you.” Bower’s genuine tone surprised me. “I couldn’t see it from where I was standing.”
“I was lucky the light caught on the blood. This is just like the one the other day,” I continued. “The victim’s body had been brutally tortured, his skin flayed from bone. Neck slit and blood drained. The MO matches perfectly, even down to the blood used to leave a message. The only difference this time is that it’s on the floor and not a wall.”
“Montoya, get Daniel down here now.” She jerked her head in acknowledgement and spun on her heel. “Wait,” Bower barked, holding out a burner phone. “Take this, and tell no one. Make sure Daniel understands this stays between us.”
“Yes, sir.” Montoya slipped the phone into her pocket and headed into the hallway to call Daniel.
I crouched down, inspecting the floor, and pulled out a pair of gloves. Snapping them on, I dipped my finger into the viscous liquid. It was cold to the touch and tacky, but still fresh. Poor Gabriel hadn’t been dead for long, that was for sure. Daniel would be able to confirm the time of death for us. This game of cat and mouse was getting old. It felt like we were chasing our tails rather than making any headway, and each warrant we applied for was harder to get. We had a limited window left to solve this case before it went cold and Black Dahlia won.
“Can you see what it says, sir?” I peeked up at Bower as he paced the circumference of the circle with his cell in his hand and was momentarily blinded by the flash when he snapped a photo.
“Next move. You lose.”
“Huh?”
“That’s what it says.” He exhaled heavily and scrubbed his hand down his face. “Does it mean anything to you?”
Bowing my head, I answered. “Yes. It’s personal, just like the last one. Dahlia is targeting River, and by extension, me. She seems to think he can make us stop the investigation. That’s why she’s killing off River’s friends.”
The sound of Bower’s shoes on the hardwood floors echoed in the cavernous space. “This isn’t a bad thing. It means we’re close, Benson. We’ve got her rattled, and it’s just a matter of time before she makes a mistake. We need to keep pushing.”
“I agree sir, but…” I glanced over my shoulder, looking for Montoya. It was time to put forward our theory and see if he agreed. I had an idea, but I didn’t know the why.
“What is it?”
“Daniel will be here in thirty, sir,” Montoya said as she stepped up beside me. “Oh, shit.” Her eyes widened as she took it all in. “That’s the same MO as?—”
“Yeah, it is,” I agreed and cleared my throat. “Montoya and I have a theory about why Black Dahlia keeps slipping through our fingers.”
“Alright, let’s hear it.”
“Oh, Daniel also confirmed that some of the evidence he’s been working on has been tampered with. Luckily, he has trust issues, and made duplicates of everything.”
“That’s just fucking awesome.” Bower narrowed his eyes in exasperation. “This is the biggest case I’ve ever worked, and it’s going to shit.” He shook his head before turning back to me. “What’s your theory?”
“We’ve got a mole.” The color drained from Bower’s face, and I could see the cogs turning in his head. “The only people that have known the finer details of this case—dates, times, and locations—are the team directly involved. This raid was only confirmed this afternoon. No one left the station, and all the phones were locked.”
“No!” Montoya shouted. “Remember, you commented about someone on their phone during the brief.”
An evil smile curved my face. “I know who our rat is, sir, and just how to catch him.”