Chapter 15 #2
We both laughed for a few seconds, but the heaviness of what we were dealing with was never far from our minds.
Another bout of extreme nervousness filtered into my system. As I rose from the table, I was surprised how shaky my legs felt. The freeing moment faded, my thoughts skittering once again at the ugliness that life could be.
“I promised Briana I’d always take care of her.
You have no idea how angry I am at myself.
She’s just a child, completely innocent and I abandoned her.
I’m a terrible sister. After everything she went through, years wasted, my God.
” I pressed my fisted hand to my head and within seconds, he’d taken it into his, suddenly standing right beside me.
He was dangerously close, the sweep of goosebumps nothing in comparison to the heavy throb between my legs.
“Listen to me. And I seriously want you to pay close attention to what I’m about to say. Okay?”
Even though I tried to pull my hand free, he refused to allow it, tugging me closer until I felt the need to anchor myself.
I did so by placing my palm against his chest. As always, the rush of vibrations from the touch was stifling, but he had a tremendous way of making me feel as if there was no one else in the world. “Okay.”
His smile was brief. “I don’t know what the two of you went through, but I completely understand the complex and sometimes insanely annoying sense of protectiveness found in older siblings.
My sister was infuriating when not terrorizing my brothers or offering her sweet smile while trying to win one over on me.
It took me a very long time to both realize and accept that she was her own person and there was little I could do to prevent her from the dangers of the outside world.
Other than to be there for her. She made her choices and you bet I’ve felt guilty.
More times than I can count, but even if I’d managed to alter her decisions, I knew in my heart she’d resent me for the rest of my life. Try and give yourself some slack.”
There was such a haunted look in his eyes that I was momentarily captured by the harsh reflection.
While short lived, it allowed me to experience one of the darkest, most intimate portions of his life.
If only by standing on the outside looking in.
My reaction was involuntary, the subtle profoundness of his words exactly what I needed.
I leaned into him while wrapping my fingers around his shirt. “Thank you.”
Very slowly he lowered his head, leaving me breathless, an ache forming that rattled my senses.
And in that moment, all I could think about, all I hungered for was for him to kiss me. Yet as if the magic had been shattered by an unseen force, we both pulled away.
The strangeness of the emotions was overwhelming, enough so I turned away from him.
“Do you honestly think we’ll find her? Or save the other women? Bring the justice you want so badly? I know that’s what you want to happen and for some crazy reason that defies logic, I do trust you, but those men are dangerous.”
Kendrick took a deep breath, staring off into space for a few seconds. “Come with me.”
After grabbing the stack of sketches and with his grip on my hand firm, he dragged me from the kitchen, heading down the hallway and up the stairs to a door that had been locked.
When he opened the door, I was shocked to see the number of computer monitors and systems lining one wall.
On another were smaller monitors highlighting what appeared to be every inch of the house, including cameras pointed toward the ocean.
“What is this place?”
“Call it command central. We all have one, although mine is much less sophisticated.”
“What happens here?” I was fascinated, walking closer to the security monitors. In watching nothing but the waves churning against the shore, I had a sudden more intrinsic comprehension of the level of danger existing in the darkest corners of the city.
As Kendrick flanked my side, he pointed to another console.
“As I mentioned before, within our group, we have people skilled in everything from hacking to effective breaking and entering into the most secure facilities. And yes, we employ criminals as they provide information that we would otherwise not be able to obtain. We have worldwide connections allowing us access to highly secure data from financials to every dirty little secret used in manners of blackmail and extortion. We use every covert method available to get what we want. And we are very successful.”
Another shudder caught me off guard as I fully comprehended what he was sharing with me, trusting me.
“You take the law into your own hands.” I don’t know why the pieces were finally forming into an intricate puzzle, but they were.
Now I realized the group he was a part didn’t simply cross the line of lawful and unlawful; they obliterated it.
“How many people have you brought justice to?”
“Six or seven, give or take.” The sly smile on his face was a clear indication details wouldn’t be forthcoming.
“This must cost a fortune.”
“Four of the five founding members have plenty of money, including Maverick, the guy who owns this place. I assure you he can afford the glitz and glamor of million plus dollar systems given his illustrious writing career.”
“Maverick?”
“Maverick Callahan.”
I had a sudden death grip on his arm. “The author? Please tell me you’re talking about the author of Kill Me Dead and The White Silence.”
He laughed subtly as if remembering a conversation, hanging and shaking his head. “You’re a fan. Fabulous.”
“Are you kidding me? I have every book he’s ever written on the bookshelf in my bedroom.
He’s the most dynamic author I’d ever read; his colloquialisms and the captivating way he describes the darkness every one of us have inside is phenomenal.
He is without a doubt the man I’d most like to meet and share dinner with. You know, to ask questions.”
I couldn’t quite decipher his expression, but I had a sense he was a wee bit jealous. For a few seconds, he regarded me in silence, his sapphire eyes sharp.
“Of course after you and I have a proper dinner together.”
As he grumbled under his breath, he moved toward one of the computers.
“Well, of course. I am a much better dinner companion than Maverick.” After huffing, he pulled up a screen, his fingers flying and I realized he was making a video conference call, yet I didn’t recognize the application.
He noticed I was peering over his shoulder.
“We use very secure platforms, all systems protected by powerful firewalls. Both our privacy and security are paramount with what we do.”
“That means you can’t be hacked or spied on?”
His chuckle was as dry as his sense of humor.
“There are always hackers who can bypass any firewall, but we have experts constantly monitoring every system, which is connected through use of satellite and bouncing capabilities. Plus, we have our own hacker. If anyone tries to hack a single computer or secure phone line, alarms will go off, every scrap of information and contacts rerouted through another an even more secure server. Every mention on the dark web of any activity pointing fingers in our direction is a red flag we don’t ignore. ”
“You’ve thought of everything.” I was highly impressed, more confident than before.
“Often, we’re dealing with some very skilled, highly trained individuals who’ve managed to calculate ways of kiting the system that no one has ever heard of before. There is no such thing as too much caution or security.”
A man’s face suddenly appeared on the screen and I gasped, even covering my face with my hands to keep from making an obscene outburst.
“Hey, Mav. Meet your biggest fan. This is Reese Murphy.” He pulled back, eyeing me with that same cute smirk on his face, eyes almost daring me to gush all over Maverick. “Oh, and no flirting. That’s against the rules.”
“For you maybe, bro, but not for me. My biggest fan, eh? Well, hello, Miss Reese Murphy. I’m honored you’ve read a book or two.”
“All of them. At least twice.”
He laughed, the creases in his eyes giving him a rugged appearance, which wasn’t far removed from the photographs on his book jackets. “I’m impressed. I think you are my biggest fan. I’ll certainly never be able to say that about my buddies. Now, will I?”
Kendrick shot him his middle finger and the gesture of disdain highlighted their close friendship.
“You’re former FBI, an admirable position.” I was beginning to realize just how highly skilled the group truly was. “I have so many questions.”
“I am, although the longer I’m out of the game, the more uncertain I am that my work was admirable.
However, when this nightmare is all over, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have over a very intimate dinner,” Maverick offered, exchanging a mischievous glance with Kendrick who grimaced in response.
“Fuck you, buddy.”
Maverick’s laugh was good natured and as strange as it might sound, I sensed the same determined darkness that I’d instantly seen in Kendrick. They were very close, the relationship calming my nerves. “Not that I’m not honored to meet a fan, but you reached out on the business line, Kendrick.”
“That’s because my guest of honor needed a little convincing that we knew what we were doing.”
Maverick sat back in his chair, allowing me to see he was in an office with a massive whiteboard behind him, notes written across almost every inch. While his handwriting was difficult to read, I knew exactly what he was working on.
The case involving the Privileged.
He noticed my intent gaze, his following mine. “I’m a little old school, Reese. I found that the act of physically writing notes was always helpful in solving a case. You’d be amazed how you can put two and two together.”
“Does that mean you’ve solved anything?” Kendrick asked.
“Maybe one clue.” Maverick stretched. “They need a gatekeeper and I’m not talking about Steven Powell, a man with no existence.”
“No surprise there,” Kendrick said, laughing. “So who are you thinking is the gatekeeper?”
“He’d need to be someone high enough in power that he would be alerted immediately if anyone was making inquiries into the group.”
The two of them had a strong connection. Kendrick’s face clouded. “Someone like the director of the CIA.”
“Or the FBI. It all depends on how broad reaching the group’s web is.” Maverick lifted a single eyebrow. “But I’d be very careful if I were you.”
“I understand.” Kendrick’s voice was clipped. “Have you heard from Catcher?” He looked at me. “The man on the inside of the Privileged.”
Maverick shook his head. “Which unnerves me a little bit.”
Catcher. The man on the inside. Now I understood even better how Kendrick’s infiltration had come about and the lengths he and this group had gone to. Whatever happened, I’d be forever grateful.
“Yeah, well, it’s best we all move forward very carefully. I’m about to send off some sketches of the women we noticed. Any activities with the seaports?”
“None. I’ve alerted the port master and I have a buddy on the Coast Guard. None of the women will be heading out on any of the cargo ships.”
“Don’t forget yachts. They could hide women very easily in the lower compartments,” I offered.
Maverick grinned. “She’s a keeper, Kendrick. And she’s right. I’ll talk to my buddy with the guard and have them expand their watch, checking for anyone heading out to international waters.”
“Good. Let’s hope for a hit on the women and for a phone call.”
Maverick nodded. “Don’t let the old doddering fool bother you, Reese. Kendrick is mostly harmless.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Kendrick laughed and ended the call, immediately taking the sketches to a scanning machine. His silence was a clear indication some unsaid but important communication had passed from one to the other.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Not good enough. This is about this gatekeeper. Isn’t it?”
“While Maverick’s idea is a damn good one, if he’s correct, that could create additional problems.”
“Because you might know the person he’s talking about.”
He nodded. “And if that’s the case, my cover has already been blown.”