Chapter 3 Threat #2
"Killing bad people. People who prey on others, yes. If evidence suggests the world is better off without them, we execute them."
"So you, like, do this regularly?" Tristan asked, his eyes wide.
"Yeah. Believe me, there's no shortage of predators who need putting down."
"But murder …" Tristan argued, still clearly struggling with the new information, "Murder is wrong," he said as if reciting a commandment he learned as a child.
"Murder of innocents is wrong. Murder of monsters is justice."
They locked gazes for a long moment as the words hung in the air, then Tristan nodded and went back to toying with his sugar packet.
"You said you wanted to get information from Wilson before you killed him."
"Yeah, I was supposed to interrogate him about his partners and where he's keeping the girls."
Tristan narrowed his eyes, and Cade sensed the redhead could read his thoughts.
"By interrogate, you mean torture?"
"Yes. If that's what it took to get intel that could save his victims." Cade's eyes stayed glued to Tristan's, and his voice remained steady. No regrets, no shame.
"So you do that a lot, too?"
"Sometimes."
Tristan studied him with a curious, thoughtful expression, and Cade felt relieved that the other man's face did not show revulsion.
Most people could not stomach torture. Most people would instantly judge him, regard him with the same disgust as the scum he hunted.
But he slept just fine at night knowing others wouldn't suffer because he acted.
"And now you're helping me because I'm caught up in your search for the people involved in this human trafficking ring?"
"Yes. And the fact that you're an innocent, and so is your sister."
If any other reason tried to worm its way into Cade's brain, he would not admit it.
Nope.
Tristan ate a few more bites but didn't say anything else. Cade studied the other man and considered what to do to shake his companion from his gloom, to give him some hope.
"If there's anything on the laptop, Annabeth will find it. She'll get surveillance video of the warehouse, too."
"Okay," Tristan mumbled, his expression impassive.
Cade leaned forward and assured him, "Listen. We will find them. We will find her."
With a scrunched-up face, Tristan bit out, "You really believe that?"
"Yes, I do."
His mouth wobbled, but then Tristan drew his lips into a hard line and threw his napkin on the table. His amber eyes blazed with intensity as he said, "Let's go."
Cade suppressed a smirk. He liked this Tristan much better.
Cade drove to the rendezvous point while Tristan sat silently in the passenger seat, but his melancholy mood didn't fill the car like it had earlier.
The sun peeked over the horizon as Cade pulled into a long, tree-lined driveway, and the tires crunched over a gravel road before they reached a clearing.
He parked his SUV next to a white sedan, and Annabeth stepped out.
"Wait here," Cade instructed before getting out of the car and grabbing the laptop.
"Annabeth, hey. Here's the laptop and address of the warehouse that this guy's hacker friend traced to Wilson.
He said there was no activity like he expected.
When he broke in, there was no cargo, but there were signs people were there.
It's not far from where one girl disappeared.
Maybe it's a temporary storage facility. "
Annabeth nodded and traded a black backpack for the laptop. "It's all in there. Cash, laptop, spare burner phone, and the address and code for the safe house."
Annabeth's gaze slid to the SUV as she handed Cade the bag. She squinted a little and said, "I want to meet him."
"What? Why?"
Annabeth didn't answer. She strode to the car, and Cade followed, suddenly nervous though he didn't know why. Tristan rolled down the window and looked at them curiously.
"Hello, I'm Annabeth," she said, holding out her hand.
Cade wondered what Tristan thought about Annabeth's appearance; he knew he had been surprised when he first met her.
She stood less than five feet tall. Her natural silver-blonde hair, pale blue eyes and round face contributed to her sweet, harmless appearance.
No one would suspect she acted as the resident hacker for a group of vigilante assassins, or that she could do things with a computer that would make criminals cringe, blush or shit their pants.
Cade admired her for that.
"Oh, um, hi. I'm Tristan."
"I'm sorry about your sister. Cade said these bastards may have her. We're going to find them."
"Thanks for helping me," Tristan managed with a tight smile.
"Cade's the best," Annabeth offered. "Don't worry. You're in good hands."
Tristan's gaze darted to him, and Cade felt self-conscious when the other man's eyes raked over him a little too slowly.
"Oh, I'm sure I am," Tristan drawled.
Annabeth's eyebrows shot up, and one side of her mouth ticked up. "Well, I'll be going. I'll let you know when I find something."
"Thanks, Annabeth. Tristan, we're switching cars."
"Why?"
"The guy from the motel knows what my car looks like. They'll be searching for it."
Tristan frowned. "Won't that lead them to Annabeth?"
"She'll take it to Hamm's garage and hide it there. She'll be fine."
Accepting that explanation, Tristan got out of the SUV and made his way to the white car, while the other two watched him.
"He's cute," Annabeth remarked as they switched car keys.
Cade swiftly slid into defensive mode. "What?"
"You heard me. He's cute. Your type, too."
Cade scoffed. "I don't have a type."
"Whatever you say, sweet cheeks," Annabeth teased, clearly humoring him.
"Annabeth," Cade growled in warning.
She just waved him off. "I'll be in touch. Keep him safe."
He grunted in response, sullen over Annabeth's comments. He retrieved his gun kit from his trunk, got into Annabeth's car and punched the address of the safe house into the GPS.
Tristan didn't speak until Cade pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall with a general store, a food market, and a liquor store.
"Why are we here?"
"We need clothes and food. I'm not sure what will be at the safe house, and I don't want to be stuck eating pasta and canned soup for a week."
Tristan's eyes popped open. "You think we'll be there for a week?"
"I hope not, but it's better to plan for it."
Once inside the store, they made a beeline to the men's clothing section, and each picked out a few pairs of sweatpants, t-shirts, underwear and socks.
"Get a hoodie," Cade instructed.
The comment earned him a raised eyebrow from the other man.
"You were cold before," he explained defensively.
Tristan studied him with a curiosity that made Cade's brain sputter. Because he couldn’t decipher its meaning, he pushed the thoughts aside and turned his back to the other man, hiding whatever nonsense might show on his face.
Ignoring problems had always worked well for him in the past.
Cade Kingsley, king of denial.
"Grab one, and then let's get some toiletries," he said gruffly.
They each selected a few items from the personal hygiene section, and Cade pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to Tristan.
"Get anything else you need. I'm going to the grocery store to get some food. What do you like?"
At the mention of food, Tristan's eyes brightened. "Um, chips, popcorn, cookies. Oh, and Coke."
Cade scoffed loudly. "What are you, twelve?"
"What? I like snack foods. And you said there'd be pasta and soup for meals."
Rolling his eyes, Cade said, "Fine. Pay for those and meet me at the car."
Tristan shot a cheeky, "Yes, sir," at him, and Cade's thoughts immediately wandered into X-rated territory.
Was that little shit doing it on purpose?
He didn't even want to contemplate the possibility. Tristan couldn't possibly know what he was into, so it must have just been a joke. One that hit a little too close to home. Right?
Focusing on his immediate task, he walked to the market. When he emerged with Tristan's requests along with meat, potatoes, fresh fruit, veggies and granola bars, he tossed the bags into the back seat and slipped behind the wheel. Glancing at Tristan, he noticed the other man fidgeted nervously.
"You okay?" Cade asked, frowning.
"Yep!" Tristan chirped.
Cade squinted at him, sensing something was off. "You got everything? Paid with no problems?"
"Yes, I did everything you told me to."
The words conjured up salacious images Cade needed to squash ASAP. This fucking guy and his big amber eyes and his 'Yes, sirs' and his fuckable body.
Cade put the car in gear and pulled onto the road toward their destination, frowning as he contemplated the direction of his thoughts.
He was a professional, and this was a job, so that had to be his priority.
But he had a sinking feeling that, while the safe house would be a refuge for Tristan, for him it would be a dangerous test of self-control.