Maddox gaped at her, pain and warmth comingling in his chest. "You've been investigating?"
She scowled like he’d offended her. "I told you I'd help you, didn't I?"
When it became clear Maddox had no words, Beckett asked the question. "What are the names?"
"Frank Misner and Nick Wallace."
Who the fuck were they?
Chapter 6
Ridley
NO SIGN OF RECOGNITION lit up Maddox's face or any of the others. She hadn't meant to blurt it out in front of everyone in the middle of brunch, instead planning to pull him aside before she left. But she could see the questions the four of them were just waiting to ask, and she wasn't interested in having that conversation. She didn't need to hear the blame and hurt she could already see in Reese's eyes. And she also couldn't take any more of the thick silence and stilted conversation. It made her nervous and she was liable to blurt out things much more awkward than admitting she'd been checking into Maddox's investigation.
"Who the fuck are they?" Maddox asked.
Ridley reached into her bag and pulled out the two files she'd built on them and slapped them down on the middle of the table. "Two assholes with ties to the Legion who both have poison generation powers. They were both living in Hawaii at the time of the murder. I don't have much on them yet and it's quite probable it's another dead end since poison generation is a common power.” Though uncommon in the Legion.
Something about the power seemed to twist the marvels who had them. They usually ended up knaves.
Maddox grabbed the files and flipped through them while Beckett already had his phone out, searching through his databases for information.
"How long have you been looking into this?" Cormac asked, his stormy, gray eyes slamming into her.
"Uh...two months." Ridley poked at the fruit on her plate.
Reese scowled. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Ridley shrugged and grabbed her coffee cup. "This is the first time I've found anything the slightest bit promising. It was the first thing that wasn't easily researched."
Beckett looked up from his phone. "How'd you get the names?"
Malia snorted.
Ridley ignored her irritating friend. "I have sources around the city who have been here a long time and are very good at finding out information the Legion doesn't want anyone else to know." Ridley didn't want to know how they came up with the information. She just knew they were excellent at it.
"Sources?" Maddox raised his pierced brow.
She bobbed her head in a nod. "Yes."
"What kind of sources?" Cormac ask, his voice colored with suspicion.
"The kind you don't need to know about." She shoved a piece of bacon into her mouth.
"Illegal?"
What was with all the questions? "I'm not a damn lawyer or a cop or a Legion ace. It's not my job to deal with warrants and red tape and annoying little things like laws. Treat my info like it came from a CI. Nothing new there."
Cormac scoffed. "Right."
Ridley shrugged and stabbed a slice of mango. She wasn't ashamed of the way she did business. The people she worked with were worth a hell of a lot more than the assholes in the Legion. They didn't pretend to be better than they were. They were honest about who they were.
Other than these four shitheads, Ridley would much rather hang out with people from the underbelly of the city than anyone connected to the Legion.
Maddox reached over and covered her hand with his, squeezing it gently. "This is excellent, Ridley. It's a start."
"Hope it ends up being something. If you don't mind, I'd like to get a look at what you all have found so far."
"Already ahead of you, Ridley. I emailed it to you." Beckett didn’t even bother looking up from his phone this time.
"Thanks." If she combined their information, maybe she’d come up with something.
"And good job on the names. They're both perfect suspects."
"I figured you'd have better luck on digging into their lives than Malia and I." She didn't have near the sources or programs they did.
Beckett lowered his phone and studied her. "You know, I can get you access to my personal programs."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Cormac asked.
Beckett narrowed his eyes at his friend. "We can trust her and Malia."
Cormac shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Her shitty house and garage are hardly secure and she's got loads of enemies just waiting to follow her home one day. Your tech in the wrong hands could be devastating."
Shit. Cormac was right. "He has a point. My place is definitely not secure."
"True. But I can make your computer secure. No one but you and Malia will have access." Beckett smiled at her. "It could help you with your work with battered women."
She was almost desperate for those programs. "I'd be a fool to turn that offer down."
"Yeah. You would. And you're many things, but a fool isn't one of them."
Reese snorted and drained his mimosa before shoving his chair back and stalking inside. Ridley stared after him, her heart heavy. She looked over at Malia. "I think it's time for us to go."
"Already? “Maddox asked. “You barely ate."
"Not that hungry. And I have some stuff to catch up on at the shop before we open tomorrow. Text me and let me know what help you need on those two and I'll go over the info Beckett sent." She set her fork down and reached for her bag.
"You plan to keep helping?" Maddox’s thigh pressed into hers, sending heat shooting through her.
He was so fucking massive and gorgeous.
She clutched her bag in her lap and slid her leg away from his. "Of course. I told you I would from the beginning. I assume you're going to want eyes on both of them?"
"Yeah. I figured we could split up and surveille them."
Reese came back outside and rejoined them at the table. "I'll take Cormac with me. You can take her while Beckett runs ops like usual.” He was clearly determined not to spend any time with Ridley.
Maddox nodded. “That works. Malia, are you helping?"
Malia finished her coffee before answering. "When I can. I'll be manning the garage and the website while she helps you."
"I'll stay behind, possibly set up at their garage since it's closer to where these two live since I’m running ops. Every bit of info, every photo you collect, send to me and I'll compile and search."
"Do you mind us taking over your place?" Maddox asked.
Yes. Very much. She was hoping to help at a distance. "Nope. It's fine. The office should be big enough."
A small smile played on the edges of Maddox’s lips. "If you want, you can stay with us instead. Your room is exactly the same as you left it."
Oh hell no. Definitely not. Horrible idea. "Thanks, but no. It makes no sense for me to live out on the North Shore when my whole life is at Waikiki. I can't afford the commute." A point she’d made before. Several times.
Reese scoffed and shook his head, but everyone else ignored him.
"Are you sure you're willing to help farther than what you've already given us?"
Malia snorted. "She's been pouring over the file she's made for the last two months in every available moment. She's all in with this investigation."
Ridley glared over at the loose-lipped traitor, but relief kept her from being too pissed since Malia didn't mention how she'd been spending so much time at the apartment where Maddox's brother died. They didn't need to know how “in” she actually was. It would make them assume and hope things that weren't true.
This time, she was determined to keep things professional and friendly. No kissing and flirting. Just focused on the case.
"I know why we didn't come across their names last time we ran those with poison abilities. Frank was MIA at the time, I'll need to dig further to see what he was up to during his long vacation from the Legion, and I'm a fucking moron and didn't include Legion contractors. I only went through aces and knaves. They keep the contrac
tors on a separate list, not as easily accessed. They have their own servers. Dammit. I'm sorry, Maddox." Beckett’s shoulders slumped with regret and guilt and frustration.
Maddox clapped his hand on Beckett’s shoulder. "I didn't consider it either. I always forget about the damn contractors. This is why we needed fresh eyes."
"Mercenaries, really." Malia’s eyes spit fire. The man Ridley saved her from was a contractor. But he couldn’t hurt her ever again. Ridley had made sure of it.
"So, Nick Wallace is a Legion contractor?" Reese asked.
Beckett nodded. "Yep. But I'm liking Frank for this."
Maddox peeked at Beckett’s phone over his shoulder. "Why?"
"One, his time away from the Legion. But mainly, he has a black file just like Ridley did. But it's bigger and even better encrypted. It'll take me days, maybe even weeks to get into this."
Fucking black files. Fucking Legion.
Maddox tapped his fingers against the table. "We'll start with him then. We can start light surveillance on Wallace for now when we have the extra time, but we'll focus on Misner. I want to know who his friends are, what job he's working right now, who his family is, what his plans are for Christmas, where he gets his dry cleaning done at."
Beckett chugged half his coffee and set it down with a clank. “Wallace is out of town until the end of the week. We can break into his place and check around, but we’ll have to wait to tail him.”
Maddox groaned in disappointment and frustration. "Fine. We’ll deal with him later. Ridley already got us Misner’s current address and a few photos, but we definitely can get more if we follow him around for a couple days." Maddox turned to Ridley. "I can pick you up tomorrow afternoon and drop Beckett off and we'll take over for Cormac and Reese if that works for you?"
"Yeah, that works. I'll get my work done in the morning and Malia can finish up." Ridley stood, swinging her bag onto her shoulder. "Time for me to go. Thanks for brunch." She couldn’t be here anymore.
She was unable to find her equilibrium surrounded by these men in their tight jeans and motorcycle boots and tattoos and piercings and searching eyes.
"You don't have to leave. You can stay and help us plan."
Ridley cast a glance at Reese's closed expression before shaking her head. "Like I said, I have things to do if I'm going to be busy with this the next few days or more. Besides, I want to print all this information out and read through what you guys have found. See if it sparks something."
Malia stood as well. "And I've got a date with Katy."
Maddox grimaced. "I'm sorry. We should have invited her too."
Malia waved her hand through the air. "No worries. Maybe next time."
"Definitely."
Beckett looked up at Ridley. "I can get you a hard copy of the information if you want. It's got our notes on it, but we've all memorized it."
Ridley shook her head. "No thanks. I'd rather go through it without anyone else's thoughts coloring it."
"Gotcha. I'll get your computer set up with my programs tomorrow while I'm at your place so make sure it's in your garage."
"Will do. See you guys later."
"I'll walk you out." Maddox shoved his chair back and stood.
Ridley wanted to object, but figured it'd be faster if she just accepted Maddox's offer. They'd already tried to draw out her time there and she was almost quivering in her need to get out of there and get back home to look through the information.
She should have stolen this before when she was staying with them. She might have found more sooner.
Chapter 7
Ridley
HER GLOOMY APARTMENT greeted Ridley as she shoved the door closed with extra force. She really needed to fix it, the stupid thing had started giving her trouble a couple weeks ago, not closing correctly unless she used most of her strength. But she hadn't had the time or money to deal with it lately and it kept slipping her mind.
She flicked on the living room light and scowled at her ratty apartment. She didn't care how wretched it looked, but lately loneliness had tormented her every time she crossed the threshold, only nightmares there to keep her company.
Ridley tried to shake off her ghosts so she could focus on Maddox's as she crossed the room to her rickety desk in the corner and flipped open her laptop. She bent over and pulled up her email, sending the massive file to her printer. It'd take a while to finish the job, so she left it to print out and stripped out of her clothes as she headed into the bathroom, wanting to wash the day off of her, wanting to banish the scorn and hurt in Reese's eyes, the hope in Maddox's, the understanding in Beckett's, the distance in Cormac's.
She'd been unable to hide her shitty mood once they sat around the table on their deck, the mournful tune of the ocean in her ears. But she couldn't keep letting her guard fall down around them. She didn't want them thinking it had anything to do with them. It didn't. Not really. They'd just brought things long since buried back to the surface with their questions and nosiness and desire to help her and know her and uncover her secrets.
Which left her raw and unstable.
What she needed was to keep her word, help Maddox find closure and justice, what little of it there was to be had in his situation, and then she could move on from them. They were in Hawaii mainly because of his brother. Maybe once they had answers, they'd leave and she could get back to her life before them.
She groaned as the hot water pounded onto her back, loosening the stiff muscles from the long ride, trying to bring back the fun and peace she'd felt as she sped up the mountain, so close to the edge. Riding and exercising were the only time she could find her calm. As soon as it was over, everything crashed back onto her.
Damn those shitheads for bringing everything she had spent a decade trying to escape from back to the forefront of her mind.
Washed off and a little more relaxed, Ridley hopped from the shower and dried off, padding back into the living room naked to check on the printer progress. It was only half finished. With a sigh at her ancient, slow-ass printer, she ducked into her bedroom and dressed in a pair of yoga pants and oversized tourist sweatshirt that hung off her shoulders.
It was way too early to go to bed, but she wanted to be comfortable while she went through the files Beckett sent her. The printer still heaved and spewed out pages, so she started a pot of coffee and gathered folders and post-its, highlighters and pens.
By the time she had a fresh cup of coffee, had all her supplies spread out on her coffee table, the printer finally quieted. She made sure it had actually finished the job instead of just finally giving up on living.
It still lived, a thick stack of paper smelling of fresh ink waiting for her to dive into.
The paper was still warm as she picked up the pile and shuffled the pages into a semblance of order, carrying it over to her couch. She loved new information, still crisp and clean, untouched before her collection of highlighters and scribbled notes covered it. She curled her legs and feet beneath her, grabbed her coffee, and began to read.
She had to give it to the shitheads. They were thorough as hell, leaving few stones unturned all over the country. Leads had taken them to all sorts of places -—DC, New York, Texas, California, Washington, even Germany. Every lead had brought them to a dead end. Their freshest lead which had brought Maddox back to Hawaii had nothing to do with poison generation.
There was a supposed witness whose information didn’t pan out. They were just hoping for the reward.
Ridley was convinced the answers were here on the island even if the actual murderer wasn't. Misner and Wallace could be innocent of the murder, but she had a gut feeling this was still where they'd find the truth. It was where it had happened. They just needed to find some witnesses. Someone knew something somewhere. They just had to poke their noses in enough holes to see what popped up.
Her throat closed when she got to the photos and police reports of the murder. Maddox's brother, Tony, had been a handsome man, cut down barely before
his life began. His veins bulged, stained black, and a green and black froth dried on his gaping mouth. Clear sign of poison generation. This information, she already had though she hadn’t seen photos. but when she turned the page she found the Legion's report.
She scoffed at the piss poor investigative job they did, barely including more information than the regular police. They'd interviewed the other residents of the apartment building, questioned Tony's friends and family, and they concluded he'd gotten involved with the wrong people and had paid the price. Since he wasn't a Legion ace and there was no evidence linking him to a major knave, they didn't bother trying too hard.
Ridley circled the names of the Legion investigators, wanting more info on them. Maybe they weren't just lazy. Maybe they were a part of it. She wasn't sure if her own personal views of the Legion was coloring her thoughts, but something here was dirty. Those two may not have wanted Tony dead, they may not have been involved, but they still deserved a little something special from her for their shitty job.
It wasn't just her father who made her despise the Legion and the supposed heroes who made up their ranks. It was bullshit like this. It was every battered woman who came to her for help when a man with powers hurt them and the Legion did nothing. Fuck all of them.
She'd love nothing more than to take down the entire corrupt organization. But it was too massive and too many knaves had their fingers in the pockets of the leaders, her father included. They were worse than politicians, taking bribes and power in exchange for leniency or coverups.
Fuckers.
Nothing she read in their files ruled out Misner or Wallace. They were both still strong suspects. They might still be ruled out, but at least it was somewhere to start looking.
She smiled as she remembered the hope and fire lighting up Maddox's eyes, banishing some of the shadows in his green gaze. She liked being the one to soften his hardness. She liked it too much. Which was dangerous as hell for her. Because he had the ability to soften hers as well and that wasn't something she could afford with him. With any of them. She'd already let them in way too far past her guard. So much so she'd dropped her walls earlier today.
Boom (Aces and Knaves, #2) Page 3