Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
LANCE
“I know it doesn’t look good,” I breathe out. “But there’s no way in hell you guys believe Cricket did this…right?”
I’m in the meeting room with Callen, Linc, Eden, and Vesper. We’re missing one today. I haven’t heard from Cricket for three days since she told me to meet her in the break room, but never showed. It’s too long not to hear from her. Even if she got Gabriel out of the country without the passports and cash, she should’ve been back by now.
After days of worry and confusion, Cricket is not back in my arms like she promised. Instead, I’ve been summoned into work by Vesper, who called us into the meeting room to show us a very incriminating picture.
It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Luca Accardi. He’s dead, with his throat slit so deep, his head is nearly severed. That’s not particularly bothersome. I would’ve done even worse to the man who raped and assaulted my soon-to-be bride. The disturbing part is the name carved into his forehead: Fiona’s name.
Wrinkles are cut across Callen’s forehead as he studies the image strewn in front of us with dismay. Eden’s hand is over her mouth as she tries to look anywhere but at the picture. She’s been with us for over half a year, but she still has a weak stomach for the violence. Linc, sitting right next to me, has his arms folded across his chest. His brows are cinched together in anguish. On the other side of the table, Vesper’s shoulders are tense and squared back, while her eyes are fixed on her folded hands. It looks like she’s contemplating, which pisses me off, because what is there to contemplate?
Cricket was set up. She’s in danger.
“Well, speak up, for fuck’s sake. Anybody, ” I bark.
“Lance,” Callen says calmly, holding his hands out flat. There’s a tense grimace fixed on his face. “Vesper just got this image ten minutes ago. We need a minute to absorb what this looks like.”
“What exactly does it look like?” I ask through a clenched jaw.
“We can’t say it wasn’t justified,” Linc offers in a hushed tone. “What Luca did to her… I’ll never forget what she looked like the day we found her. He tortured her for weeks.” Linc nods to the picture. “He bled out in minutes. I’d say she was merciful.”
“And I’m saying she didn’t do it,” I say through a clenched jaw.
“Lance, when was the last time you talked to Cricket?” Eden asks.
“We reconciled a few nights ago. She called the next morning saying Gabriel was in danger and she was getting him out of the country.”
“Gabriel was in a news article this morning. He made an appearance at the local university yesterday. He donated ten million dollars to the campus last year, and they invited him to cut the opening ribbon on the new library. He’s most definitely still in the country.”
I close my eyes and breathe out in a heavy exhale. “The timing isn’t great, but I know Cricket didn’t do this and run away. How about some fucking loyalty from the ones who love her, huh?”
“We’re not being disloyal, Lance,” Eden says in a pleading tone. “We’re just trying to understand.”
My gaze snaps to Vesper, who is still staring blankly at her hands. “There’s an easy way to prove me right. Cricket’s tracker,” I say. “Turn it on.” We should’ve done that days ago.
Vesper closes her eyes and slowly shakes her head side to side. “There’s no tracker, Lance.”
“What?”
“I wanted Cricket to think I was keeping track of her. To dissuade her from something like this”—Vesper points to the printed-out picture lying in the middle of the table—“but I don’t know where she is.”
My heart beats in pounding thuds as a wave of dread overcomes me. I thought Vesper would always be able to find Cricket. That’s why I felt safe. It was the only thing holding me back, knowing that she was still in reach. But now…
“Cricket’s tough, Lance. She can hold her own. She’s okay.” Callen attempts to console me, but it’s not working.
“Linc,” I mutter, my eyes wide and unblinking.
“Yeah?” He reaches over to clasp my shoulder.
“Do you remember when Eden was taken last year? When you knew she was in danger, how did you feel?”
Linc loosens his grip. He looks across the table at the woman he loves. “My whole world fell from its axis. Something was off. Like every step I took was on an angled surface. I’d breathe, but I couldn’t seem to get enough air. I could feel her fading, and I hated myself for leaving her like that.”
“Like what?” Eden asks, her eyes filled with sorrow.
“Needing me,” he answers. “I left you needing me.” He peels his eyes away from Eden to look at me. “How do you feel right now?”
I focus on the way my blood is boiling beneath my skin. My breath is ragged. There’s a deep-seated rage inside of me for anyone testing me like this. I’m a playful golden retriever…until I’m not. Until you fuck with Cricket. “I feel like I’m going to burn this fucking world down until I find her.” I whip my gaze to Vesper. “Try and stop me.”
Vesper narrows her eyes, unintimidated by my outburst. “And what if she doesn’t want to be found?”
“What are you saying?” My words come out in a hoarse whisper.
“I promised her freedom. I told her if she wanted to leave PALADIN, I’d let her.” Vesper points to the center of the table. “Maybe this is her way of starting over.”
No. I shake my head. “You’re wrong.” I stand and stare at my comrades. I’m enraged at their nonchalance. “Do you guys not get it? One of us is missing. She’s not just another assassin serving PALADIN. She’s our family. She’s going to be my wife. Cricket would never leave without saying goodbye. I don’t care what kind of renegade you think she is. She needs you to have faith in her even when it doesn’t make sense.” I grip the edge of the table and watch my knuckles turn white. “And if that’s not enough motivation—understand this. There is no Lance without Cricket.” I look at Vesper with an angry, pleading stare. “If you give up on her, you’re giving up on me, too.”
Vesper’s eyes flick to Eden. “What do you think?”
Eden tucks her long, brunette hair behind her ears. “You can’t ask me to be logical about this, Vesper. She’s my best friend. If you’re asking me what we should do”—Eden meets my gaze and gives me a short nod—“release the dogs.”
Vesper takes in a deep breath, then begins to bark out orders. “Callen, get the security footage from Cricket’s apartment and The Crusader. I need to know exactly when she went off the grid.”
“On it.” Callen doesn’t waste time. He’s on his feet immediately, patting my back as he passes by to leave the room.
“Linc, I need you on a flight to Italy.”
“Leonardo?” Linc asks.
Vesper nods. “He sent me this photo. He didn’t even blink at his son’s death, the cruel bastard. I want to make sure he’s not on a manhunt for Cricket. Luca was killed in Italy. If she’s there, she won’t make it out on her own with the mafia hunting her down.”
Linc nods in reply.
“Eden, come with me. We’re going to the White House. I need to know if Vienne has anything to do with this,” Vesper continues.
“What about me?” I ask. “If you think I’m just going to sit here and—”
“Find Gabriel and see what you can find out,” Vesper says.
I nod. “Right.” I’m on my feet in the blink of an eye, immediately deciding on searching his hotel to start.
“Lance,” Vesper says, stopping me.
I turn around and lift my brows askingly.
“If he hurt my daughter in any way, bring me his head.”
I stop by my condo before heading to The Crusader to hunt Gabriel down. Cricket mentioned the penthouse is his primary residence. If he’s not there, we can try the bed-and-breakfast. We know because of his appearance at the university yesterday that he’s still in town. I suppose if he was guilty of killing her, he’d be halfway to China by now. Hunting a billionaire with endless funds and resources is like finding a needle in a haystack. It could take years to track him down. But make no mistake, if he’s culpable, I’ll only consider it job security. My new life mission will be ending Gabriel Lochland.
But the moment I open my condo door, my search is over.
There he is, sitting with one ankle crossed over his knee on my living room couch. Gabriel smiles when he sees me. He holds his hands up in the air, one of which is heavily bandaged.
“Are you armed?” I level a dangerous stare at him.
“Not at all,” he replies.
I whip out my pistol from the inside of my leather jacket and point the barrel right at his head. “Well, that was a dumb move on your part.”
Unnerved by the threat of death, Gabriel uncrosses his legs and smooths his dress shirt. “I just came here to talk.”
“Probably best not to start a conversation by breaking into a man’s home.”
He arches one eyebrow. “Good advice. I’ll keep that in mind moving forward.”
I tease the trigger of my gun with the tip of my finger. “Cocky of you to think you’ll be moving forward anywhere.”
“I heard they call you Lance. Is that correct?”
“I heard they call you a cocksucker with mommy issues. Is that why you were fucking the First Lady? Your mom didn’t pack enough school lunches for you or bake homemade cookies, so you turned out to be a deranged, bomb-making hellion?”
With an amused full smile on his face, Gabriel rubs across his chin. “If I’m being honest, my mom wasn’t really much of a cook. But I think she loved me just the same.” He blinks expectantly. “Any more insults you want to throw my way, or would you like to put the gun down now and talk?”
I don’t lower my gun. In fact, I grab the other that’s tucked behind my back in my belt. With two barrels pointed at Gabriel’s head, I say, “Go ahead and talk. I think I’ll keep my mute buttons handy, though.”
“Clever.” He smiles. “I’ve been working with the mafia, mob, and various terrorist organizations for as long as I can remember, and know what’s true about ninety-nine percent of the time?”
“I don’t know, but you’ve got me on the very edge of my seat.”
“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, Lance.”
“I know my strengths. I’ll never be a Mensa member, but I can lodge a bullet between your eyes, pull it out, then replace it in the exact same spot with another from forty feet away. I’d be thrilled to use you as a human target board. So cut the riddles, Gabriel, because I’m running out of patience, and I’m having a very angsty, finger-twitching kind of day.” I tap against the trigger again menacingly.
“Usually, powerful men are the most unhinged when they are actually very scared. That’s what I’ve learned. So, I’m assuming the reason you’ve got your feathers all puffed up is because you’re worried about Fiona.”
Every bone in my body knew Gabriel was behind this. It’s why all I feel is rage when I look at his face. An assassin should always trust their instincts. I just don’t understand what clouded Cricket’s better judgment that she trusted this man.
“Talk fast,” I growl out.
“Oh, come now. I’m the only person who knows where she is. I assure you that. Not my staff, my guards, and not even my personal fleet of hitmen. You kill me, and Fiona dies. So, you see, Lance, in a way, I did come armed.”
Whether or not he’s bluffing, one thing is apparent. He has me by the balls. “Where is she?”
Gabriel rolls his eyes. “You can’t possibly think it’s that easy, right? You thought I came here to confess?”
“I thought you came here to die.” But I have no choice but to lower both of my guns. “You have my attention. Now, get on with it. What do you want?”
Gabriel flexes the fingers of his uninjured hand, then balls up a tight fist. “First, you should know—Fiona is alive…for now.”
“Is she hurt?”
His lips twitch into a smirk. “Let’s say she’s pretty uncomfortable.”
“Fucker,” I bark out. “Speed it up before I hook my finger behind your eyes and pop them out one by one.”
“That’s very aggressive,” Gabriel says with a small chuckle. “Okay, I’ll tell you what. The whole situation is pretty simple. All I want is a trade. I have the woman you want. You can get to the woman I want. How about an exchange?”
“Vienne?”
Gabriel closes his eyes and nods. “Yes, Vienne.”
“What are you talking about? Vienne says she’s been trying to contact you for months. Try answering your fucking phone.”
He lets out a boisterous laugh. “Is that what she told you? God, she’s the same as she’s always been. Master manipulator. Vienne doesn’t just lie, she knows how to create an entirely different reality.” Gabriel pokes his temple forcefully. “And I swear once she’s in there, she’s never coming out.”
“So I call her for you, and you let Fiona go?”
“‘A’ for effort, but not quite, Lance. I need you to bring Vienne to me. Alive and conscious. She and I have a lot to talk about.”
“How the hell am I supposed to do that? I’m her security detail. I don’t summon her, she summons me.”
“I suppose you’ll have to get creative.” Gabriel rises and fishes in his left pocket. My guns are raised once more in defense, but all he pulls out is a phone and sets it on the coffee table. “Here are the rules, Lance. This phone has a tracker. Keep it on you at all times. If I find out you’re following me, Fiona dies. If you contact your comrades, Fiona dies. If you fail to bring me Vienne, Fiona dies. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
“Your rules?” My jaw is clenched so tight, the words barely come out.
“Attaboy. That’s exactly right. My rules and my rules alone. Now, I’m going to walk out of here and give you six hours to get the job done. You’re going to get a text on that phone with the location when it’s time to meet me.”
He brushes against my shoulder as he passes. It’s so tempting, but I can’t give in to the urge to wedge a bullet into the back of his skull. “She was actually trying to help you. She stuck her neck out to get you to safety. And this is how you treat her.”
“Hey,” Gabriel snaps. It’s the first time I’ve seen him agitated during this entire conversation. “I didn’t start the games, don’t blame me for winning. And for the record, if she had wanted me, she could’ve had me. She threw that away for”—Gabriel points right at my forehead—“you. So don’t let her down, Lance. Get the job done, and let’s not make this messy.”
“Know what I’ve learned about men like you?” I ask.
“What’s that?”
“Your deals are usually dirty. You thrive off of fooling people. I’ll bring Vienne to you, and you’ll kill Fiona anyway.”
He shrugs innocently. “What choice do you have but to find out?” Gabriel pats my back before he leaves the room. “Keep that phone close,” he calls over his shoulder.
I look around my empty condo, feeling sick to my stomach with worry. Images in my mind of Cricket bleeding, bruised, and broken, lying in a torture chamber somewhere make me sick.
Hang in there, C. I’m coming. I’m going to fix this. I just need C to be strong enough to survive until I get there.
I pull out my personal phone and send a text message to Vienne.
Me
Hey, we need to talk.
I wait about twenty minutes, but there’s no response. I can’t imagine that the First Lady is glued to her phone. But also, I suspect I’m being ignored. So, I try a different angle.
Me
I met with Gabriel, and I have information about Project Tasmanian.
Vienne
You found it?
That , she responds to. Of course. I almost don’t feel bad about lying to her.
Me
Yes. But I’m going behind PALADIN’s back by telling you this.
We need to meet, in private. Then, I’ll give you all the information.
Vienne
Give me a few hours to arrange my absence. I’ll send you a location.
Me
Please hurry. Time is running out.
Vienne
Thank you, Lance. I knew I could trust you.
I suck the air between my teeth as I consider the huge line I’m about to cross. Vesper would probably put me down if she knew I was contemplating this. I can’t be certain that Gabriel doesn’t intend to hurt Vienne. But that’s a secondary concern. I need to see Cricket alive, then I can work my way out of this mess.
Truthfully, there isn’t a damn line imaginable that I wouldn’t cross to save my girl.
Even if that means kidnapping the First Lady.