33. Cupid
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CUPID
Who would have guessed finding a woman named Riley from Colorado State University would be difficult?
Apparently, it’s difficult given that the current CSU enrollment numbers are nearly thirty-five thousand students. The list Cipher and Chase compiled is longer than I’d like, putting me on edge.
My eyes narrow at the list in my hands. “You’ve got to be shitting me? There are one-hundred-twenty-three possible Riley culprits? How is that fucking possible?”
“The name Riley is popular among college-age students,” Cipher explains, sitting across from me at my desk in my office. “Chase and I realized quickly we couldn’t go off of a first name alone. We included first, middle, and last names, as well as any names that could use Riley as a nickname.”
“Goddamnit!” I drop the list on my desk among the hundred-plus campus ID photographs of our suspects, running my hands through my hair.
“I feel you,” Cipher says, shaking his head in disappointment. “I was looking forward to winning that bottle of bourbon off Chase.”
“Dude,” Oaks says to Cipher from where he stands behind my chair. “It’s not the time to joke.”
“Who says I am?” Cipher retorts, raising an eyebrow. “Pappy Van Winkle is nothing to joke about.”
“Pappy? For real? Damn,” Oaks pauses a moment, musing. “I should’ve learned computers. Pappy is a fine bourbon.”
Annoyed with both of them, I throw my hands in the air.
“What the fuck am I going to do? It’s Sunday—I can’t delay tomorrow from coming.
Vanessa needs to return to classes or risk not graduating on time.
Scalpel is doing a checkup on her upstairs as we speak, and I’m certain he’s going to clear her.
We’re no closer to finding the woman who either suggested or knows who suggested Vanessa to the Black Market Railroad.
And I’m supposed to be okay sending my woman back to that place where who knows who’s watching her? ”
Oaks lays a heavy hand on my shoulder to anchor me from popping all the way off. “It will be okay, Cupid. We’ll double the number of men on her security detail. Nobody is going to get to her.”
“Yeah,” Cipher chimes in, agreeing with Oaks. “I know you assigned Cookie as her bodyguard, but sending another brother with him as backup is another pair of eyes on lookout.”
My fingers work tight circles at my temples as I ask, “Who do I send? I’d go myself if we didn’t have to prepare for the sale with the head of the Denver Mafia. I need most of our crew here packing up the cargo or managing the rest of the club.”
“Whoever you send, they need to multitask, observing while protecting Psyche. Someone who has an eye for detail,” Oaks suggests.
“And intimidating,” Cipher adds with a raised finger. “No offense to Cookie, but he has that pretty boy look—the college girls will be all over him like flies on shit. We need someone who is going to deter people from approaching.”
“Right.” I rub my chin, contemplating candidates. “I need someone who will be blunt and not afraid to speak out if people get too close, someone off-putting.”
The three of us are brainstorming who to send when the air shifts in the room, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I raise my head, rearing back when I notice Crypt standing right behind Cipher’s chair, looking like some dark angel.
“Jesus Christ, Crypt!” I cover my chest with the palm of my hand where my heart is racing.
“Make some noise, buddy,” Oaks says, equally shaken. “Nobody heard you enter.”
“He does that all the time,” Cipher grumbles, turning in his chair to face our brother. “Ever heard of knocking?”
Crypt shrugs. “Y’all were concentrating. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“But scaring the shit out of us is okay?” Oaks asks.
Our enforcer cocks his head, confused. “I wasn’t even trying to scare you.”
Perfect.
A smile creeps across my face. “And that makes you the right man for the job.”
“Whoa there, Prez,” Oaks says. “You sure about this? I mean, we want to deter people from approaching Vanessa. But we also don’t want anyone calling the cops on him.”
Upon hearing the word cops, Crypt’s dark eyes widen. “Cops? Why would someone call the cops on me?”
“You’re a bit…” Oaks struggles to find the right word, probably not wanting to offend our brother.
“Terrifying,” Cipher suggests unapologetically.
Oaks slaps our hacker upside the head.
Cipher covers his head with his hands, glowering at Oaks. “The hell, Oaks?!”
My VP gives him an incredulous look. “Dude, couldn’t you have filtered your response a little?”
“I’m being honest,” Cipher says with a grimace, rubbing his head. “You’re acting like I insulted him.”
“You kind of did.”
Cipher rolls his eyes, turning toward Crypt. “Did I insult you?”
“No,” Crypt says, deadpan. “I like being spooky. It keeps people away from me.”
Cipher whips around to Oaks. “You see? His look is intentional.”
“And his look could instill fear in some sheltered college kid, getting the authorities involved,” Oaks fires back, nostrils flaring. “We don’t want him being removed from Vanessa’s presence and leaving Cookie to handle all the heavy lifting alone.”
Crypt’s head swivels between his two brothers bickering before looking at me. “What’s the job, Prez?”
“I need you to be my eyes and ears, brother.” I wave my hand at the campus ID images scattered across my desk.
“Riley is our only lead to finding the fuckers who hurt Psyche, and we don’t know which of these students is her.
Tomorrow, my ole lady is returning to school.
I want you working with Cookie to keep her safe while also keeping an eye out for anyone who could be our suspect. ”
My enforcer quietly combs through the photos on my desk, his eyes cataloging every detail. “What is Vanessa’s weekly itinerary?”
Pleased to have my enforcer on board, I run through her schedule and what I expect from him. “Cookie will guard Vanessa, and you’ll be the watchdog, backing up Cookie if need be.”
“I can handle it,” Crypt says reassuringly as he continues to scan the many faces in the images.
“I know you can,” I say, pleased. “Oaks has a point, though. You can come across as threatening to those who don’t know you.
I need you to rein it in and only use it if necessary.
No going with her into the classrooms or the clinic.
You stay outside the doors, ready to act on a moment’s notice. You got me?”
“Got it.” Crypt’s hair-covered eyes meet mine. “Can I hold on to these?”
I nod. “Take them. Cipher will make me more copies.”
My enforcer has an intrigued look on his face as he gathers all the photographs into his arms. “I’ve never been to college before.”
Cipher waves a hand dismissively. “Meh. It’s overrated. But the girls are hot.”
“Where are there hot girls?” Cookie asks, appearing in my doorway out of thin air. “I like hot girls.”
“College,” I say, pointing a thick finger at him. “You can pick up college girls on your own time. Your focus is on keeping my woman safe. Speaking of my woman, why are you not standing guard over her?”
“Scalpel sent me to let you know he’s done with her physical exam. She’s cleared.”
I take a shaky breath, letting it ground me and feeling a tad better with a team assigned to Vanessa’s protection.
My woman is heading back to school, hopefully not into the lion’s den.