He opened the door wider and gestured for Ridley to come in. "I thought you went out last night? Why are you up so early working on the investigation?"
"We did. But I woke up with an idea and decided to chase it down."
He eyed her with disbelief, but didn’t call her on it. Maybe he didn’t care enough to bother anymore. "I'll get the others. Maybe you can start a pot of coffee? I have a feeling we'll need it."
Ridley nodded and dropped her bag and jacket onto the couch, realizing she forgot to put a bra on before she left. She shrugged it off and hurried into the kitchen.
The others filed in, all sleepy-eyed and rumpled, frowning at her in confusion. Amusement pulled at her lips. She'd never seen them this way. When she stayed with them before, she was always the late riser and they were usually up and dressed and on their second cup of coffee before she emerged.
"What the hell, pet? It's barely light out." Cormac scowled at her over the edge of his cup of coffee.
Ridley carried her cup into the living room, gesturing for them to follow her. The doubts were getting thicker in her mind, but she was here now. Might as well lay it out for them.
She set her coffee down and pulled out the papers she printed out. "I had a thought of looking into local news at the time of Tony's death. See if there was anything that stood out or anything about a knave with poison powers. So, I pulled up old articles of the local newspapers. And I found this." She handed each of them a copy of the articles.
"A series of bank robberies?" Maddox’s eyes sharped on the papers she gave him as the last remains of sleep fled from his face.
"Yes. There was a string of them in the months leading up to Tony's death and then they stopped for almost six months before they hit one more and they got caught. It was buried and I had to search for it, but I found one mention of poison generation. And it matches the same evidence found on Tony's body. I used Beckett's software to find out what happened to them and they're still serving time in the knave prison on Ni'ihau. But there isn't a poison generator in there and no arrest report of one. Something fishy is going on there."
Maddox’s expression hardened as he glared at her. "What are you saying exactly? You think my brother was involved in bank robberies? The Legion already pulled that shit, blaming him for his own death."
Offended rage washed over her. How dare he? After everything she’d done to help him find answers? He accuses her of that?
"I'm not saying that at all. I would never fucking victim blame. Ever. I have no idea why your brother was killed. I have no idea if these two things are even connected. My only thought was somehow your brother got on the wrong side of this group and he was killed for it so they laid low for a while until the investigation went cold. Maybe it's nothing, but I figured it was worth a shot going to see the ones who were arrested and see if they have any answers as to who the poison generator was. If it was Misner or Wallace, that gives you a reason to bring him in. They may even give you enough for an arrest."
Maddox’s face softened and he sank onto the couch. "Sorry. I'm sorry, Ridley. I didn't mean to accuse you."
She shoved away the anger still vibrating up her spine. "It's okay. I get it. The Legion investigators were worthless assholes and they should have done a hell of a lot better for you and your family."
"This is really good work. It makes sense."
"Can you get in to see them?" Ridley asked.
Maddox nodded. "We can call Mick, our Legion lawyer friend and I'm confident he can get us in. But you obviously can't go."
She shook her head, panicked at just the thought. "Hell no. I'm not going anywhere near there."
Beckett eyed Maddox warily. "Are you sure you should be the one to go? Reese and I could handle it instead."
"I'm going. He was my brother. There's no way I'm not seeing this through." Maddox’s hands curled into fists on his thighs.
Beckett held his hands up in surrender. "All right. I'll make the call." He pulled out his phone and left the living room.
"What were the powers of the other robbers?" Reese asked.
Ridley double checked her file. "Fog generation, dream manipulation, and a shapeshifter."
Cormac frowned. "Odd combination for bank robberies."
She’d thought the same thing. "Agreed. The poison doesn't really fit either. Everything I read about it looked like they barely even used their powers other than the fog. I'd guess the dreamer got into their heads the nights before the robberies. No idea what use a shapeshifter was. The poison is obvious. He didn't have to kill them to incapacitate them. They were pretty successful for a while."
"What the hell made you think to look into this?" Beckett’s face held a hint of awe.
She wasn’t going to admit a nightmare triggered the idea. "It was just a random thought. I didn't expect anything to come of it. And it still might not. All the leads I've brought to you might turn out to be nothing."
Beckett dialed a number on his phone and left the room to make the call.
"Always a possibility in cold cases,” Maddox said. “But this is the most I've had to look into since his death. At the least, it'll cross off two more suspects from the list."
"The only two suspects." Ridley wished she had more for him. But hopefully this was the answer.
"For now. They aren't the first two I've looked into and if they aren't the last, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."
Beckett came back in. "Mick can get two of us in to visit tomorrow. He'll set up transport as well."
Maddox considered for a moment before responding. "Reese and Cormac can stay here and keep an eye on Misner and Wallace and you can come with me to Ni'ihua."
"Does this mean I can actually get some work done at my garage tomorrow?" Ridley was so behind on everything it was ridiculous. And it wasn’t fair to Malia to leave the whole burden on her.
Maddox grinned. "Thought you could use a day free of intrigue. Especially since you were apparently up all night working on this for us."
"Couldn't sleep anyway." She gathered her things. "I should get going."
"Stay. I'll make breakfast." Beckett shoved his phone into his pocket.
Maddox nodded. "Yes. Stay. We could use your input while I plan out how I want to handle the interrogation."
She looked down at her nipples saluting the four of them. "Can I borrow a hoodie or something?"
Heat flared in their eyes, and they each hid smirks.
Reese stood. "I'll grab one. Maddox's would swallow you whole, Cormac is too prissy for them, and Beckett is behind on his laundry."
Ridley snorted and eyed Reese. He almost sounded normal. Had he finally forgiven her?
She was still torn between keeping things business-focused or allowing more to grow, but since Maddox mentioned it was a planning breakfast, she still had time to decide.
Chapter 20
Ridley
RIDLEY WIPED SWEAT from her brow and leaned back to look at the bike with satisfaction. She'd missed working on these beauties the past few days and Malia was thrilled to finally have a little time off to clean her apartment.
Boring.
But she had really been stepping up for Ridley. They needed more help at the garage. Especially if Ridley continued to work with the guys. And if she did, they'd have to work something out because she wouldn't give this up.
The alarm for an emergency SOS through their website rang on her phone. She grabbed it with slippery and greasy hands. "Hello? I'm here. Don't be afraid. What do you need?"
A woman’s shaky voice came through the line. "Help. Please. He...he's making me hurt myself. I can't stop. He left me here and I can't s-s-s-stop."
"Where are you?" Ridley scrambled for a pen, scrawling down the address the woman stuttered out. "Okay. I've got it. I'm on my way to you now. Find somewhere safe and stay on the line." Ridley put the woman on speaker and shot Malia a text as she hurried over to the safe she kept in her office with weapons and an extra mask.
Sh
e didn’t have time to change into her usual outfit, so the jeans and tank top would have to do.
By the time she was outfitted and armed, Malia still hadn't responded. Dammit. She was probably blaring music while she cleaned.
"Does the man who hurt you have powers?" Ridley asked.
"Y-yes. He has mind control."
Oh no. Oh hell. Dammit. "Do you know how long he'll be gone?"
"No. He could be back any minute." The woman sniffed, pain coating her voice.
"Are you hidden?"
"Yes, but he'll find me. I'm not allowed to leave. I can't."
Ridley couldn't go up against mind control on her own. Before she could change her mind, she sent Cormac and Reese texts with the address and asked for backup against mind control powers. They both replied immediately that they were on their way.
Relief trickled through her.
"There are two men headed your way too. You can trust them. Their names are Cormac and Reese so if they get there before me, let them help you."
"Okay."
Ridley hopped on her bike and took off with a squeal of tires and scent of burning rubber. "Keep talking to me. I'm right here with you."
"Talk about what?"
"Tell me your name."
"It's Beth."
"Beth. I like that name. Can you tell me the name of the man who's hurting you?" Ridley pushed her bike faster, ignoring red lights and stop signs.
"Donald."
She wanted to know who she needed to look into. "He have a last name?"
"Lester."
Donald Lester? He sounded like a prick. "Well, his name sucks ass. It's no wonder he turned evil."
A wet laugh rattled from the girl. "I guess."
"Does he work for the Legion or is he a knave?" He had to be one or the other. No way would the Legion let a mind control marvel go free of their control.
"He's a knave. He's somehow stayed under the Legion's radar."
"What does he do?"
"Cons people out of their money."
Of course. Made sense. He’d be able to force anyone to give him anything he wanted. "How'd you get tangled up with such a catch?"
"He never gave me a choice. He came in to the restaurant I worked in and made me leave with him. After a month, he made me marry him."
"How long have you been with him?"
"Two years."
"That ends today. I'm almost there." Ridley obeyed the GPS voice in her ear telling her to turn left.
"You don't understand. He's so powerful. No one can fight off his powers."
Ridley ignored the fear and unease pooling in her stomach. "Hopefully, no one will have to today and we can get you out of there before he comes back."
"That won't matter. I'm not allowed to leave. I physically can't."
Shit. That wasn’t good. "What if I knock you out?"
"That will work, but as soon as I wake up I'll go right back to him. He's got tons of backup orders in place that he regularly reinforces. I shouldn't have called you. No one can help me."
What a complete and utter fucker. "How did you find me?"
"I searched online for help for battered women. In a forum someone sent me to your site."
Ridley wished her safe house was already prepared. "Do you have any friends you can stay with?"
"No. He's kept me completely isolated."
"Of course." It was a common tactic of abusers.
She screeched to a stop in front of a surprisingly modest house. "Beth, I'm here. I'm coming in. Okay?"
"Oh, thank God. Thank you so much."
Ridley leapt off the bike and raced for the front door. "Can you let me in or do I need to break in?"
"You have to break in."
"Any security?"
"No."
"Good." Ridley smashed the butt of her gun into the glass beside the door and reached her hand inside to unlock it. "Where are you?" The door she broke in through entered into a kitchen.
"I'm in the coat closet in the living room."
"Come on out, Hun. It's safe."
"I-I can't move."
Ridley winced in sympathy and rage.
"Okay. That's fine. I'll come to you." Ridley crossed from the kitchen into the living room, and opened the closet door. "Oh, Hun."
Horror froze Ridley for a moment as she stared at the woman who was scraping her fingernails down the flesh of her face, her phone at her side.
Ridley shut off the call and squatted down in front of Beth. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay?"
"How?" Beth was frozen with pain and terror, blood everywhere.
What the fuck kind of messed up shit was this?
Ridley held out her hand. "Can you take my hand?"
Beth raked her nails down her neck, blood welling in its wake. "I can't. I have to keep doing this. I was barely able to make the call."
What the fuck? "All right. I'm going to reach under your shoulders and help you stand. Is that okay?"
"Yes."
Ridley slid her hands beneath the woman's arms and steadied herself. "Now."
Between the two of them, they got Beth on her feet and out of the closet, but she kept raking her nails across any available flesh.
Beth's eyes widened in horror at something behind Ridley.
Ridley spun around, gun aimed, but she slumped in relief at the sight of Reese. She recognized him even behind the mask.
Ridley turned back to Beth to reassure her. "It's okay. It's one of my friends I told you was coming."
"What the fuck is going on here?" Reese asked, his voice hard.
"No time to explain. Where's Cormac?"
"He's on his way. He was farther than I was since he was watching Misner."
"Tell him to come using his power." They may need his invisibility if the mind control knave showed up. "I've got to figure out a way to get her out of here."
"Let's just go."
"We can't. She can't. He ordered her with his powers to stay here and do this to herself." Ridley explained everything else Beth told her, trying not to look at the bloody woman who continued hurting herself while she did.
What was worse was the way she didn't scream or cry or even wince. She had a dead, hopeless look in her eyes and it took every ounce of control Ridley had not to explode with rage.
She caught a glimpse of a photo resting on a table against the wall. "Is that him? Is that Donald?"
"Yes. That's him." Beth's lips curled in disgusted hatred, the first sign of emotion on her face since Ridley arrived.
Good.
"I have an idea." She looked at Reese. "Stay with her. I'll be right back."
Reese nodded, grimacing at Beth, helplessness in his eyes. She winced back at him before she hid herself in the kitchen, not wanting Beth to see what she was about to do.
It was her only idea and she hoped it worked. She'd never put her illusion powers against mind control before and she wasn't sure which would come out of top.
They were about to find out.
Chapter 21
Ridley
AFTER A LAST GLANCE towards the living room, Ridley focused on the photo of Donald and pushed her power over herself, transforming into the piece of shit prick. She checked her reflection in the window, and satisfied with how she looked, she stalked into the living room.
Beth gasped, panic and terror staining her face. "Donald. You're home."
Ridley pitched her voice low and quiet, unsure what he sounded like and tried one command first. "Stop hurting yourself."
Beth's hands dropped to her sides as she fell to her knees on the floor. "I can explain."
"In a moment. All my previous commands to you are over. You may leave and you don't have to ever come back."
"What?" Beth blinked in confusion.
"You can leave. Go ahead." Ridley wanted to make sure it was working.
Reese figured out what she was doing and took Beth's arm. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."
Beth let him lead her
out the door. It worked. Ridley released the illusion, glad to be rid of Donald's disgusting form. "You can come back in now."
Reese brought her back inside and Beth gape at her. "What is going on?"
"It wasn't really him. But it worked. It tricked your mind enough to get you out from under his thrall. Now. We need to move fast. Is there anything you absolutely have to have?"
She shook her head, her body trembling with the aftershocks of adrenaline. "No. I don't need anything here."
"Then let's get the hell out of here."
Beth stumbled. "I still don't understand."
"I'll explain it later. We don't have time." Ridley looked over at Reese. "You on a bike or did you drive your car?"
"Car."
"Good. I don't think she could hang on the back in her current condition. Any idea when Beckett will be back? She needs medical attention, but if we take her to the hospital, he could find her."
Beth’s shaking worsened. "No. No hospital. A first aid kit will take care of it and some pain reliever."
"Beckett will be back late this afternoon,” Reese said.
"Can you ask him to come to my place and help her?"
"You're taking her home with you?" Reese frowned, disapproval on his face.
What the hell else was she supposed to do? "Yeah. Until I have the safe house set up, it's the only option."
"But you don't know her." Reese whispered the words beneath his breath so Beth wouldn’t hear.
"Doesn’t matter. She needs my help." Hopefully, she wouldn’t regret it.
Reese’s jaw hardened. "I'm staying with you."
"Fine." Whatever it took to get out of there.
"Who the fuck are you and what are you doing with my wife?"
Shit. Ridley and Reese's whispered conversation kept them from noticing Donald's return. They spun around, reaching for weapons.
“Drop your weapons. Now.” Donald’s voice left no room for disobedience.
Their guns clattered to the floor. Ridley tried to bend and pick them back up, but she couldn’t move, his control over her mind and body complete. Panic tried to overwhelm her, but she fought it back and stomped it out.
Boom (Aces and Knaves, #2) Page 9