Chapter 18
When I woke up, I wandered into the sitting room still half asleep.
I glanced at the clock; it was past noon.
I went to Maddox’s door and knocked. No answer.
I wondered where he went. I decided to get dressed and order food before exploring and trying to find out if any progress had been made with Charlotte.
I ordered a club sandwich and headed into the bedroom to find clothes. When I reemerged, I was wearing a pair of denim shorts and an old Guns N’ Roses tee shirt. I even managed to find a pair of sandals. Maddox was sitting on the couch like he’d been there for a while.
“Hey, where were you?” I asked.
“I went to the control room to get an update.” There was a knock on the door, and I crossed the room and opened the door. A pleasant-looking brunette was standing at the door with a cart of food.
“Club sandwich, and we did add fries and a side salad,” she said, smiling.
“Thank you,” I said, opening the door further, allowing her to wheel in the cart. She nodded at Maddox and turned to leave.
“Enjoy,” she said as she closed the door. I turned to the food and started removing the tops from the plates.
“Do you want any? I’m sure there is plenty.”
“No, I ate earlier.”
“Do you have any new information to share?” I asked him, sitting down on the couch with my plate.
“Ronan made it to Louisiana and just got done meeting with the team.”
“Is he going to need reinforcements?” I asked as I took a bite of my sandwich.
“No, they don’t need reinforcements. I’m not entirely sure you’re going to get your cousin back, though.”
I swallowed my food and looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
“Explain.”
“It would seem that her addiction to trouble has blurred her vision slightly. She isn’t being held against her will; at least, it doesn’t appear that way.
She was seen getting into a car with Alexander, and she was laughing and in no way restrained.
She was acting as if she was on a date with her boyfriend. ”
What the hell was she doing? Charlotte has no sense of self-preservation—she would make a terrible cryptid.
“Are you sure? Like, can you show me proof?” I needed to see it for myself. She was always reckless, so I wouldn’t put it past her—but seriously?
“When you are finished eating, we will head to the control room. Ronan doesn’t want to make a move until he talks to you.”
I got up from the couch and carried the plate to the cart. I set it down and replaced the cover.
“We can go now,” I said, swinging the door open and stepping into the hall.
Maddox exited right behind me and led the way down the hall to the control room just past the elevator.
He entered the room first and held the door for me.
On the large screen in the front of the room was a picture of Charlotte with her arm linked with who I assumed was Alexander.
He was tall, over six feet. His shoulders were broad, and his head was completely bald.
His black beard, however, was large, full, and hid half of his face.
Tall, dark and handsome, tan skin and an olive tone.
He was Mediterranean—Italian was my guess.
He was wearing jeans and a suit jacket. The picture was taken from behind, with his face turned toward the camera.
Unaware he was being watched—at least we hoped.
“Is it just a picture, or is there a video?”
“We have a video,” Maddox said, bending over and pressing a button on the keyboard in front of him.
The picture came to life, and my cousin was walking arm in arm with this man down the street.
She was laughing and having a good time.
It was definitely not fake. He opened the door for her, and they got into a waiting vehicle.
She kissed him before she climbed in. My anger started to rise, and I knew I needed to get the hell out of this room.
She was never going to grow up, and I was always going to be the one picking up the pieces and trying to fix whatever she fucked up this time.
“Is this all the evidence? Do you have more?” I asked, wanting all the information before I lost my shit.
Maddox hit another button, and it skipped to the next video. This showed the two of them dancing at a club and drinking. She kissed him and went to the bathroom—alone. He didn’t even follow her, and she returned without a thought.
“Get Ronan on the phone please.”
Maddox picked up the phone next to him and dialed a number. A few seconds later, he hit the speaker button, and Ronan’s voice boomed through a speaker in the ceiling of the room.
“Joslyn? Are you there?”
“Ronan. I’m here. Do you have any new information or just the shit Maddox showed me?”
“That’s all we have. Nothing that would lead to any other conclusion than the videos I sent.”
“Send the team home. Pack up and get your ass back here. If she wants to be there, then that’s where she can stay. Alexander is done. He has no bargaining chip, just a new bitch to follow him around.”
I walked over to the phone, picked up the receiver, and slammed it back down, ending the call. I turned to Maddox. “I have a club sandwich calling my name.”
I walked out of the room and went back down the hall to my room.
Once inside, I reclaimed my plate along with my spot on the couch.
I picked up the remote and flipped through the channels, stopping on an old eighties movie.
As I took a bite of my food, Maddox came through the door.
He grabbed the salad from the cart and took a seat next to me.
We didn’t speak until the food was gone and the movie ended.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he said, holding his hand out for my plate.
I handed it to him as I stood and went to the fridge.
I rummaged around until I found what I was looking for—limes.
I took three limes from the fridge and set to work, locating a cutting board and knife.
Maddox positioned the dishes onto the cart and then grabbed the bottle of tequila from the bar.
I finished cutting the limes and placed them in a bowl.
I grabbed the salt from the counter and placed everything on the coffee table.
“I haven’t decided if I want to talk about it or not. But probably not. Are you drinking?” I asked him seriously.
“Do you want me to?”
“I don’t care what you do. I don’t give a shit what anyone does. That just causes me unwanted grief,” I snapped as I licked the back of my hand and sprinkled salt on it. Maddox took the top off the bottle and held it out to me.
“No shot glass?”
“Do you have any answers? Because all you keep doing is asking me fucking questions. It’s kind of annoying.”
“Answers to what?” he said, smiling.
“See, there you go again. I don’t know. The meaning of life—answer that one,” I said sarcastically.
“You do know you’re a bit of an asshole.”
“Because? You wouldn’t know anything about being an asshole. And yes, I did know that—try to keep up.”
“Slow down, killer,” he said, tipping the bottle to his lips. I let out a deep sigh and grabbed the bottle.
“I just can’t believe she is this stupid. What the hell is she thinking?”
“Okay, I get that Charlotte is a dumbass and all of that, but you just called off the team. This isn’t going to stop them from coming after you. So, what did you accomplish by sending the team home and bringing Ronan back here?”
“Well, if he isn’t wasting his time torturing my cousin, then if I call her, she might just answer the phone if he tells her to.
This also helps him concentrate his efforts on getting to me.
It would seem to me that he thinks he has an advantage, with Charlotte apparently infatuated with him.
So, what exactly does sending in a team accomplish?
If they don’t kill Alexander, then my cousin being back with me is equivalent to him having someone on the inside.
She trusts him; you can see it. He has probably told her more than any of us have.
There she is important—she thinks. I really don’t need her getting hurt because she got stuck in the middle or—for fuck’s sake—put herself there. ”
“So, then what is your plan?”
“I don’t have a plan, but this going down in Louisiana right now is definitely not the plan.”
“You’re worried about Ronan.”
“I’m worried about Charlotte, but I can’t stop her from being stupid, and if we don’t let her do what she wants, then we are the kidnappers.”
The frustration was wearing on me. I took another swig from the bottle and stuck a wedge of lime between my teeth. The citrus flooded my mouth, soothing the burn from the tequila.
“I’m pissed.”
“Because that’s not obvious,” he quipped.
“Fuck you. I’m kind of over the drama; I have my own. I don’t want to deal with hers anymore.”
“That’s understandable. She is an adult and definitely not your responsibility. I also think if you asked her, she would say exactly the same thing.”
“You are correct. She is also kind of na?ve and doesn’t understand when enough is enough. Sort of self-destructive. Also rarely willing to accept responsibility when things go south. It’s always someone else’s fault. I should try to call her and see if she answers.”
“No, you should not do that. At least until Ronan gets back and we can monitor the call,” Maddox insisted.
“Yeah, you are probably right, and I shouldn’t call since I’ve been drinking. I don’t need to say something stupid. I may anyway, even if I am sober, but let’s not add a fun little element like alcohol.”
“Good idea. Now you drink. I am going to give Ronan a call and tell him what you are thinking—if that’s okay with you?”
“Yeah, sure. I think I am going to call and have them bring me stuff to make margaritas.” Maddox laughed as he disappeared into his room. I picked up the phone and called the kitchen.