Chapter 18
Maverick
Weapons.
Alexia watched me intently as I slapped a new magazine into my Glock, shoving it under my waistband of my jeans before noticing her purse had been tossed onto the end table beside her, the handle of the SIG Sauer she’d mentioned making an appearance.
She noticed my line of sight and as if it was an involuntary action, touched the gun, fingering it lovingly. All the while, her eyes were locked on the small room hidden behind the bookcase.
“You’re prepared for a war,” she said absently.
There were several guns placed in holders on one wall, other weapons including a selection of knives on the other side. “If necessary.”
“Is every vigilante’s home adorned this way?”
Chuckling, I nodded while contemplating whether to slide a knife into a duffle bag and keep it by the bed.
Not a bad idea. I grabbed another magazine, adding everything to a small bag before taking a step away and allowing her to see the interior of the room.
“There’s a panic room as well where the majority of my weapons are stored. ”
“A panic room. Like in the movies.”
“Very much so. No one can get inside. There’s access to every security camera located on the property as well as communications to the outside world that can’t be shut down even with the loss of electricity. There’s food. Water. Blankets. Something for you to keep in mind.”
“You think he’ll come here?”
“I don’t know what to think any longer.”
“Everything for survival.” Her voice was somewhat hollow. I couldn’t blame her after the day we’d had. I’d almost killed the bastard when he’d attacked her. I’d been close enough if the guards hadn’t interfered, the man would be dead and I’d be behind bars.
The rage lingered, festering inside.
Samuel’s brother had used a mentally impaired man, able to convince him that he was a killer and that what he’d done was a good thing. I still couldn’t fathom how anyone could do that to a family member.
It was late and the two of us were exhausted. Tomorrow I’d have a meeting with Raven Intel so we could combine knowledge and begin a formal hunt for the killer. With one girl missing, it was only a matter of time before more were taken.
What I felt certain of was that Samuel’s visitor had more knowledge of what the hell was going on than he wanted to admit. I’d put in a couple of calls to try to bypass the system. If the warden wanted to play hardball, he wouldn’t like what happened at the end of the day.
I’d do what was necessary to keep Alexia safe and locate the missing woman, including having personal bodyguards that she couldn’t dodge. “As much as possible.”
“Do vigilantes compare notes?”
After turning off the light, I tossed the duffle closer to the table and closed the door along with moving the bookshelf back into position.
Before I answered, I returned to the couch, sitting down while keeping my distance from her.
She’d been so lost in thought I had no clue what was going through her mind.
“Raven Intel.”
“What?” Her eyes lit up.
Nodding, I grabbed my glass of scotch, inhaling the rich scent. “What we call ourselves. And you won’t breathe a word of what I’m about to tell you.”
“Mum’s the word. I pinky swear. How many of you are involved in the group? Where do you operate out of? Do you have regular missions?” The questions flew from her mouth.
“Whoa. Hold on. Five core members, but we have others who work with us, experts we’ve worked with over the years. We have no one base of operations.”
“Which is why you have a panic room full of weapons and a computer system designed for a hacker.”
“Something like that. We know each other very well and can easily place our trust in one another.”
“I hope you’ll allow me to meet them.”
“We’ll see.”
She shook her head. “You’re so cautious of everything.”
“Because I learned a long time ago that I had to be.” I eased the weapon from behind my back, gently placing it on the table.
“He’ll come for me. Won’t he?”
“If he tries, he’ll have to get through me and that’s not happening.”
“Always my protector.”
“Not always.” Not when I should have been.
Reaching over, she almost touched my arm but folded her fingers instead, pulling away.
The loss of her touch and the silence were deafening.
“You were there when I needed you the most. I will never forget how you risked your life for me.” When she pulled her hand free, I could easily tell how traumatized she remained and the rage surfaced all over again.
Which would do me no good.
I wanted nothing more than to rip the fucking asshole to shreds.
The fucker was playing with us and there was nothing worse in my mind than not being able to control a situation.
However, the ball was in the fucker’s court, although I doubted he’d expected our visit to his brother. That would rile him.
Sitting back, I realized just how normal it seemed to have her sitting next to me inside my house.
I’d never wanted to share my place with a woman.
Why? Because my entire life had been about solving crimes, putting the bad guys away and protecting justice.
Even in my books, there was little difference other than I could bend the scenarios to suit the ending I wanted.
Instead of the criminals getting the upper hand.
“Samuel’s house, the one you found him in. Did it list him as the owner?”
“It did,” I told her. “Which was another reason the investigation stopped the moment Samuel was captured.”
“What happened to the estate?” She lifted her eyebrows.
“Good question.”
“Maybe it defaulted to his brother.”
“My guess is to a shell corporation, possibly auctioned off. And before you get excited, criminals have perfected the art of hiding shell corporations that only a hacker can locate. Let me make a phone call and see if we can unravel the mystery.”
I tugged out my phone, thinking about who best to call.
What I’d told her was true. We had a list of people on our team to call.
While I could definitely access certain information, my gut told me what she was asking for would be difficult if not impossible to find.
But we had a man on our team who was could track down anything.
Ruger answered on the second ring. “Our bestselling author. I just finished your latest book. I must say, I didn’t see the killer coming. Excellent job. But since you called me at midnight, you aren’t hoping for a book review.”
Ruger Swanson was a tough man, a former convict turned hacker who’d been a godsend during the last year. “Maybe later. I need you to find out what happened to a piece of property and any bank accounts surrounding it from a case I worked on thirteen years ago.”
“The Python Killer.”
“Are there no secrets in this organization?” She was studying me as I talked, her expression of amusement creating another wave of desire.
“None. I’ll see what I can find. If the asshole is good, it could take as much as twenty-four hours.”
“Whenever you have it.”
“I’ll let you know.”
After tossing my phone onto the table, I rubbed my hand through my hair. “Tomorrow I’ll officially begin the hunt.”
“You mean we will.”
“You’ll do nothing of the kind. I will do what’s necessary to keep you safe, including going against your will if necessary.”
“My dangerous protector.”
“Something like that.” During the entire drive, I’d done nothing but think about how suffocated I felt in dealing with the Python Killer and whatever his next plans were.
Had he been watching my lovely guest for some time, furious that he’d been unable to complete his plans with her?
Was the shift all about the execution? That was the only logical reason I could think of.
I found it interesting that I’d spent way too much time comparing myself to the killer after what he’d said. Maybe because somewhere deep inside, I knew the man was partially right.
Including the fact I’d enjoyed killing before. Up until Raven Intel, all under the guise of doing my job. Well, I was still doing my job, only I had no issue crossing the line. Maybe I never had.
“Have you ever wondered what will happen when you die?”
I spit out a half shot of scotch, the liquid splattering across my shirt. Alexia lifted her head from where she’d rested it on her bent knees, peering at me with wide eyes full of sadness and exhaustion. It had been one hell of a long day.
She’d changed into ratty jeans, both knees with holes and an untucked shirt that I could swear from the size she purchased in the men’s department. And she looked sexy as hell, more so than in heels and a dress or suit.
My mind was completely in the gutter.
A slow smile spread across her face, a hint of the mischievous light I’d come to adore finally replacing the flat line of dread and knowing.
After wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I shook my head. “I can’t honestly say I’ve given it much thought. I haven’t been to church in a very long time. Don’t tell my mother that. She calls every Sunday to check on the status of my soul.”
Chuckling, she leaned back, bringing her glass of wine to her lips.
“I’d like to think there will be some sense of peace, but honestly, I just don’t know any longer.
Maybe there’s nothing but darkness, suffocating shadows with nothing but time and space to spend picking apart every horrid thought and deed. ”
“That’s very… depressing.”