19. Knight
Chapter Nineteen
KNIGHT
Itold her I wouldn’t trace her phone, but I already knew where she was, and she hadn’t seemed to mind.
Knowing where she was meant that I was on the phone with Charles, waking him up, which gave me psychological satisfaction in spite of the fact that he hadn’t actually woken me up.
I was still angry with him. And delirious about everything else.
“I need men on her.”
“We have men on her,” he said, sounding irritated. Of course, because I’d woken him up. It’s like he thought that secretaries should get to sleep.
“How do you have men on her? She’s been off the grid.”
“She posted a video of your accident. I’ve been monitoring for that sort of post for years. I didn’t tell you about it because you didn’t want me to, but of course I’m watching Mrs. VanBuren. Your wife is in danger from your enemies, of whom you’ve made more than the usual in the last few months.”
I scrubbed my face with my hand. “It’s like you switched alliances entirely.”
“She’s your wife. She needs more protection than you do, considering her tendency towards honesty and rescuing villains. How can I switch alliances when you are on the same team, hm?”
I opened my eyes and actually thought about it. “She’s still my wife.”
“Of course. She married you, and then you both signed the certificate.”
“She didn’t say she wanted a divorce.”
“No, she’s processing, not having affairs with every man who could help her forget about you.
There have been several, particularly this one guy whose sister keeps trying to set them up.
I could put a hit on him. That’s what Joey suggests.
He’s not concerned about her staying with Patty.
Apparently, she has to think about things for a long time unless adrenaline’s involved.
It’s probably the perfectionist in her. Indecision.
And she has a lot to weigh, with the baby, her career, and you.
Not to mention her family and her team.”
“That’s a lot to think about.”
“Particularly you. She has to decide whether staying married to a billionaire is worth the rest of it. You’re a drama king.”
I nodded. “Of course she likes having a quiet life, simple, without the drama. And of course she’s got options with other guys. And she’s got family, but it’s her Uncle Patty who was always really reliable, unentangled with the mob.”
“It was a good choice. Hold on.” The phone went dead while Charles did whatever, namely ignore me while I was melting in a puddle of agonizing hope.
Did the baby really kick because he heard my voice?
Why did that make my chest hurt so much?
Was it my heart coming back together? And if Trix didn’t mind me knowing where she was, didn’t that mean she wouldn’t mind if I went to see her?
I could bring the baby stuff. I could wear a suit and be arrogant.
Or I could kneel at her feet and beg her to keep me. In a suit. Arrogantly.
Charles clicked back on. “She’s been taken. There was an attack right after she called. Must’ve been a leak. Maybe Joey? Looks like it was the family, Lucas and company. That means he won’t kill her, but what will he do?”
My body froze and flaked off in slivers of desolation. “There’s no way she’s been kidnapped again. If Lucas took her, I’m going to kill him. With my bare hands. Maybe I’ll kill him, anyway.”
“We aren’t killing him, we’re saving her. Get your priorities in order. Also, you’re going to call Jezabel and bring her team in on it.”
I blinked. I hated Jezabel. She was a miserable scorpion who stung sharp. And I wanted to rescue Trixie all by myself. But what I wanted didn’t matter.
I hung up on Charles and headed for my closet while I called Jezabel. She answered after one ring. “She called you. Nix said she was okay a few days ago, but you know where she is. How many people do you have on her? Are they good enough?”
I rifled through my best suits and took out a nice navy power suit. “No. They weren’t good enough. She’s been kidnapped. Again. And this time it’s by her ex-boyfriend.”
“Last time it was her ex-lover?”
“His father, but yes. My mind is rather blank. She told me I’m hot when I’m arrogant, asked if I slept with my suit on, and is going to find out who tried to blow me up twenty years ago.”
“So the person who kidnapped her tried to blow you up? I can’t imagine a lot of people not wanting to.”
I ignored that last part. “Probably her family. Notably, her mother, but she wouldn’t have her kidnapped. Unless it’s about her finding a baby daddy for her. Maybe she’s helping Lucas kidnap her so she can marry him and join the family permanently.”
She snorted, very loud, very rude. “Yeah, no one who knows Trix would try to pull something that would so obviously fail. Unless this mother doesn’t mind if her daughter dies, she’s not going to try to sell her to someone.”
I nodded as I pulled on a crisp white shirt and started buttoning it up.
“Then her mother isn’t behind it, which just leaves the current mafia boss, Lucas, her ex.
He told her she wasn’t enough of a woman for him when he went to visit her in the hospital after her pelvis was shattered and they told her she couldn’t have kids.
I really want to kill him.” I’d love to wear a fine splatter of blood to go with my tie.
Which tie would she most like to be rescued by?
“Or I could kill him while you rescue her, all heroic.”
“You’re afraid to face her.” I checked my reflection as I adjusted my orange tie. I looked more gaunt than I had three months ago. Cold. Like I might rip out your spine. But the truth is, ripping out spines was incredibly difficult. I’d tried, and it was a mess that Charles hated cleaning up.
She sighed. “Obviously. I’ve been lying to cover for you for years. She’s going to look at me like I betrayed her, because I did. The guilt. You have no idea what it’s like to feel so guilty.”
“Doubtful that you understand guilt. Why did you lie to cover for me?”
“Because you’re good for her.”
“No, I’m not.” The man in the mirror looking back at me was as psychotic as they came. And I had the blood on my hands to prove it. Not currently. I had a manicure yesterday. I wasn’t actually in Mongolia just because I was establishing a hotel chain there. No, I was in Iceland.
“Ask me why I came to the desert and joined Nix’s team, where Trix was.”
I hesitated. “We don’t have time for a long confession.” I was almost dressed, and then I was going to war.
“It could be relevant.”
I sighed heavily. Jezabel didn’t know how to come out and tell me what I needed to know clearly. Lies were her language. This could go on for days, not telling me what she wanted to say. “Why did you come out to where Trixie was? Don’t tell me you’re her stalker too.”
“Did you research her father’s family? Why did you go to that particular race camp when you were a kid?”
“I heard about the O’Hara’s in relation to my mother’s death.
” Telling her personal information made me want to rip out my own spine.
But we needed to get this conversation finished so she could help me with this situation.
I needed all the intel I could get to save Trix.
“They were just gangsters, nothing serious. And Trix was…”
“Your goddess, yeah, but whoever said what you heard wasn’t talking about her mother’s family.
They were talking about her father’s. Her aunt specifically.
Took out eight blocks in Constantinople, where your mother died.
Weird that they both died at the same time.
The fallout would have been worse if your mother hadn’t taken her out before the fire spread. ”
I sat there, frowning at my black shoes. “You’re telling me that you’ve been stalking Trixie because you think she’s a threat to the greater good?” That was absolutely unthinkable.
“Her aunt was also called ‘Dragon.’ Rumor was that she had wings of fire and could levitate. Before she threw a fireball and turned you into ashes.”
“Good rumor. But it’s nonsense.” It was more ridiculous than any of the other crazy stories I’d heard connected to the super serum.
“Which is why she pulled you out of an inferno and came away without a burn, just a scar through her eyebrow from broken metal. You had burns, but they healed quickly, and she got you so fast. Almost like she could push the fire away from you.”
I snorted. “I would have noticed.”
“No, you wouldn’t. She looks at you and your brain turns off.”
I finished tying my shoes and ran a hand through my hair. “I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“Well, if you hadn’t lost the device you stole from one of my vacation homes, you would have.”
I blinked a few times at my reflection. It was her intel Jackson stole, that she retrieved when she kidnapped Trix to the hotel? “So many of your cards are on the table. I’m not sure if I can handle it.”
“I’m aware. But you’ll get it together because you have to rescue your dragon without triggering the next apocalypse. After the alterations you made to your own already messed-up genetics, I’m sure you can keep up.”
I ignored that last part. “You’re saying that my mother took out her aunt, and they both died in the battle, but her aunt burned down eight blocks first?”
“During and after. But yes.”
“And you think that Trixie is in danger of causing even greater desolation?”
“Of course. Because she’s pregnant. Pregnancy is not a stable situation for serum babies.”
I shook my head. “I’ve been working with Joey. He’s got some markers, but nothing like what you’re suggesting.”
“Because it’s X-chromosomal linked. Anyway, we have to keep her stress levels down when we go in.”
I could agree with that. But Jezabel spent a decade watching Trixie to see if she needed to take out a serious threat? What kind of psycho was she? Did I want to know? “Fine. She’s dangerous. You know that I don’t care as long as she and the baby are safe.”
“She and the baby won’t be safe if she loses control.”
“Thank you for the heads-up. What do you want in return for the intel?”
“Obviously, you save her while I take out the ex, and then when she’s forgiven you, you convince her to forgive me.”
“That’s not all that you want.”
“An alliance between the two of us. Stop breaking into my fortress and trying to steal things back. You’re wasting energy you could be spending on the greater threats.”
“Seriously, what do you actually want?”
She exhaled a breath. “One of your guys saved me when I was shot. I technically owe you.”
“One of my guys? He didn’t mention it.”
“You’ve been preoccupied this year.”
My phone buzzed. It was Charles. “I’ve got a call.”
“The ex probably wants to kill you. Take you in exchange. You’ve been really annoying to a lot of people.” She hung up.
I took Charles’ call, trying to keep my breathing even. “Yes?”
“We got a message from the kidnapper. He’d like to exchange you for your wife.”
“Perfect.”
He hesitated. “How is that perfect?”
“It’s according to plan.”
“Whose plan?”
“Jezabel’s.”
“We’re all dead.”
“Not Trix. Did you look into Joey’s whereabouts? Contain him. I don’t want to lose him doing something stupid. And I don’t want him anywhere near her. Also you.”
“I’ll be where you are.”
“Send me the message.”
“You aren’t even hesitating.”
“Of course not. I’ve waited my whole life to save my wife.”
He hung up, and then the message came through with an address in downtown New York and basic instructions: Get into the black sedan. Alone. 13:05.
I headed up to the roof. I had a helicopter I needed to take to the jet. I had an appointment with destiny. Maybe I’d get to die for her. That would be beautiful. I was wearing the perfect suit for a funeral.