Chapter 65
“How did you figure it out?”Orion asked, folding himselfinto the chair. He gestured for all of us to take a seat in the lounge area. “Would you like anything to drink?”
I spotted several bottles of my Sacred Sins and Sensual Enigma in his wine selection.
“Sure.” I needed to calm the storm within me.
My boys and I exchanged glances. I had my suspicion when I’d asked him to look up information on Aimee and Orion.He’d taken his time in delivering information about her. But it was my request on Orion Reimann that told me something was up. He’d asked me too many questions.
Not that he didn’t ask me questions during prior requests, but his tone and swift reply made me wonder what triggered my PI. Besides, I’d been pondering on the people around me and my friends. Who knew the most information about us? Who knew of all the illegal—yet necessary—acts we’d committed to protect those we loved?
There was only one person—someone we hadn’t met in person. The initials O.R. connected the final dots. He’d told us to address him that way, but I’d been used to calling him my PI. So, a plan brewed in my head.
“No one but you knew about the special phones used at the museum today. My boys did, but I trusted them.”
Remi pulled out his phone and smirked. “We also discovered a photo of you at a café in Boston where an ‘informant’ was supposed to provide info on Orion Reimann.”
I’d fabricated a fake story about someone offering information on Orion Reimann in Boston. Orion had showed up and fallen into our trap.
Smiling, he placed the wineglass on the coffee table. “The PI work started as an accident.”
“What do you mean?” Remi asked, his jaw twitching.
Though Orion hadn’t done anything to harm us—not that we knew of—we felt betrayed by this ordeal. He also kidnapped a young girl. What else was he up to?
“Like you, I have my agenda. WhenI was contacted to do work for you.” He looked at Remi and the others before meeting my eyes. “I discovered something interesting about all of you.”
“What?” Grayson asked.
“That you’re like me—VATV.”
“What the fuck is that?” Royce asked, looking like an angry Thor.
Orion smirked. “Vigilantes against the villains. Everyone in this room has committed deeds that would put us in prison.” He looked at Forrest. “Even you, doctor. But we’re committing ‘crimes’ to fight the filth on this planet. Do you agree?”
My friends and I exchanged glances. Orion wasn’t wrong. We’d all done things that would be immoral or even evil in the eyes of society.
“And you helped us because of that?” I asked.
Orion nodded. “The more I helped you,the more I realized that you were men I wanted on my side—respectable men with a mission.”
“Why should we trust you now?” Forrest asked.
“I could’ve used your information against you from the beginning,” Orion replied. “But I chose not to.” He looked at each of us. “I’ve done nothing to harm you or your loved ones. In fact, I’ve saved your women twice.”
An uproar sounded in theroom.
“What are you talking about?” Remi rose from his chair, followed by Grayson, Forrest, and Royce.
The last thing I needed was a fight. That wouldn’t get us answers.
Rising to join my friends, I asked, “How?”
“Your women went shopping three months ago. I intercepted an order to have them eliminated by two eight-wheeled trucks.”
I looked at my friends. Fear and relief were splashed on their faces.
Vivian had gone on a shopping trip with the girls a while back. I didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if Orion hadn’t stopped those men.
“The Trogyn?” Grayson asked.
“How do you know this?” Forrest inquired.
He smirked. “I have a company that’s more advanced than NASA. You know little about it, and I prefer to keep it that way. Let’s just say that NASA often hires my team to do their work.” He rose from his seat, stepping close to us. “How did you think I got all that secret information for you so quickly? So discreetly?”
I couldn’t believe this. It all made sense now. He’d done tasks for us quickly and efficiently. We’d paid him well, but he’d never needed the money.
“I got intel The Trogyn was after you.” Orion went to the wine counter and poured himself two fingers of whiskey. “They suspect you’re responsible for the last few disruptions to their businesses. And they want payback.”
“I knew they’d figure it out eventually.” Royce stepped up to the counter and poured himself a glass of whiskey, gesturing to the boys and me if we wanted any. Remi and Grayson nodded, but Forrest and I declined.
“So what did you do?” Grayson asked.
“I deflected information from you as best I could. My men ensured the two drivers never made it.” Orion finished his whiskey and put the glass down. “So now the organization thinks you know about their attempts. They’ve backed up a bit, but not for long.” He leaned against the counter, tucking a hand into his pants pocket. “Which is why I needed to meet you. The game has gotten bigger. The stakes higher.”
Orion was an asset to keep. If we didn’t welcome him, he’d work independently. We were all stronger together.
“When were you planning to tell us who you are?”
“Now. Things are also escalating for me. I stopped the human cargo shipment that Ghost wanted to deliver to the Europeans.”
“You saved Aimee from her kidnapper. Why?” I asked.
“Because, like you, I don’t like harming children. I’d been searching for human traffickers within the New England area. So, when you gave me her info, I knew where to look.”
“Why didn’t you tell us you found her?”
“Because they wanted Aimee for her gift. Her recovery would only intensify their search for her. They had to believe they were still getting their ‘product.’” Orion smiled. “Plus, her incredible memory helped me locate a few things on my list.”
“What do you mean?”
Orion gestured to the room full of paintings and artifacts. He pressed a button on his phone, and the wall with the paintings slid away, revealing a new wall with three interesting paintings. Two abstract paintings and one floral.
Royce walked up to a flower painting about forty-eight by forty inches. “This is a Georgia O’Keeffe.”
“It’s the Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1. Sold for forty-four-point-four million in 2014. It’s the highest-paid painting by a female artist.”
“I thought it was in the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas,” Grayson said. He and Natalie often visited art shows worldwide.
“The one in the museum isn’t real.” Orion turned to look at us. “An elite member hired someone to replicate and replace it.”
“How did you get it?” Remi asked.
“That’s not important.” Orion pressed the button on his phone again. The walls with the previous paintings slid back, covering the Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1. “What’s important is that the owner is very angry right now.”
“Who is he?” I asked.
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
It made no sense to me, but Orion was an enigma. He probably purchased the painting from someone else for twice the amount.
“What about these other paintings and sculptures? Do they belong to someone too?” Forrest gestured to some abstract seascapes and landscapes and figures on display throughout the room. They were probably worth millions but not as precious as the ones behind the wall.
Orion tucked his hands into his pants pockets. “They belong to me.”
“You know what I’m asking,” Forrest retorted.
“And that’s my answer,” Orion replied.
“What are you? A fucking thief?” Remi asked.
Why would a quadrillionaire steal?
Orion laughed. “I’m a collector of fine things. Let’s just say some of the paintings in here belong to the members of The Trogyn.”
“So they’re after you too?” Grayson studied him.
“Which is why we need to take them down.” Orion’s expression hardened.
“What are you going to do with the art?” Forrest asked.
“Don’t know yet.” He shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll be useful someday. I might gift them to Attikus since he let me use this room for storage.” He offered me a smile. “When I learned how important Aimee was to your girlfriend, I wanted to use this opportunity to return her and introduce myself.”
“Did you know Aimee asked a homeless man to help her?” I asked.
“Not at first.” His eyes gleamed with amusement. “I took her around Boston, bought her things, and tried to let her be a kid. She confessed when she trusted me. That was only after I showed her photos of the children I’d rescued and kept from the news.”
Orion admitted he’d rescued the girl locked up with Aimee in Boston. He’d already returned the girl to her parents. She had been drugged and didn’t remember much, but her recovery looked promising.
The image of the little girl wrapped in a blanket popped into my mind. “You saved that little girl with an FTM card in her coat?”
His lips thinned. “She was already dead when I got to her. I wanted to send her back to her family and use that opportunity to show the public a glimpse of their dark world.” He looked at us. “FTM—follow the money. People need to open their eyes. Human trafficking is a massive business. Money is truly the root of all evil.”
The little girl had been identified recently. Her family had a formal funeral for her in North Carolina. Orion had given her family closure. There were so many families still waiting to hear news about their missing loved ones.
“Why are you revealing your identity now?” Remi asked.
“Because I’m not your PI anymore.” His lips thinned. “My enemy has joined the elite club within The Trogyn. We can work together to destroy them.”
“We have a common enemy.” I looked at my friends.
“And I’d like to invest in WaterFyre Rising.”
“Why?” Remi studied Orion.
“It’s a brilliant game. You did send me copies ofthe demos to upload onto a second secure site, you know.”
Thirty minutes later we’d learned what he’d been doing, a synopsis of his demo that followed the WaterFyre Rising theme. It seemed like he’d wanted to join us for a while now. We also learned how he’d saved our women the second time. He was a beneficial ally for us.
“Please accept my apology for not informing you sooner about my identity.” Orion looked at us. “We all have agendas. We all have reasons for our actions.”
My friends and I looked at each other. Their expression showed they also wanted Orion on our side. He had connections and assets beyond our reach. The man was a fucking quadrillionaire. Money could buy a lot of things, and Orion could be the man we’d been waiting for. He’d been right in front of us all this time.
“You don’t need our help,” I said.
“No.” He smirked.
Asshole.
“But I’d like your help. The more people we have fighting The Trogyn, the better. They’re just one of many organizations out there with an agenda.” His eyes intensified. “I need intelligent and cunning men like you to help me win this war. Discuss amongst yourself.”
Orion wandered the room, reviewing something on his phone while my friends and I chatted. There wasn’t much to discuss, but we didn’t want to imply that we needed him in our circle. That would be a sign of weakness.
“He saved our women,” Forrest said.
“Twice,” Royce added.
The second time was when Audri, Michelle, Natalie, Kiera, and Vivian had met up at a restaurant in town. The assholes had planned on setting a bomb off in the restaurant. I’d heard about the two dead bodies at the back of the restaurant on the news, but didn’t know the reason. Now I knew why, and Orion had my sincere gratitude.
“The fucking Trogyn,” Grayson seethed.
“We could use another friend,” Remi said.
“What say you?” I asked my friends.
Everyone nodded.
I turned to face Orion. “Does Attikus Mount know you’re using his museum for this little business meeting?”
Orion smiled. “He’s a close friend of mine.” His eyes gleamed. “And he would also be an asset to our VATV club.”
Vigilantes against the villains. The phrase made me think of the antiheroes in books, but more complex. This was our unique definition. In the eyes of the villains, we were their enemies.
“Attikus is already an investor in our video game,” Remi said.
“Like me, he knows your worth.”
I looked at Remi. Questions multiplied in my head, but this wasn’t the moment to discuss another man.
The boys and I walked up to Orion.
Remi extended his hand. “Welcome to the WaterFyre Rising Club.”
I studied our new member. “When do we get to test out a demo of Level Six?”