Rascal (Edgewater Agency Book 2)

by Kyanna Skye

  Twilight had come. Shadows drew between the trees and the sides of the three-story house. Rick rang the doorbell and listened to the pleasant echo of chimes sounding through the house. Moments later, the door came open. Martie smiled and stepped aside.

  “Hey, Rick, right on time,” Martie smiled. She was Lucas’ long-time girlfriend. Though they had never married, it was hard to imagine his father without her. She’d started dating Lucas when Rick was fifteen. She was only twelve years older than Rick and was more like the aunt you confided in than a stepmother. Martie always wore elegant clothes, high heels, and dresses that flowed over her tall, thin frame.

  “Are you going out?” Rick asked.

  “Yes, I will be back soon, but too late for dinner,” she said, reaching for her purse and her car keys. She reached up to kiss his cheek. “He’s in the den. Be warned, he’s in one of his moods,” she offered.

  “Why?”

  She shrugged, averting her eyes. “Don’t know.”

  Martie was very patient, and she was practiced in not taking sides. That had been her prerogative since Rick was a kid, but he could tell when she wasn’t being truthful with him. One of these days he’d like to get her away from the house, and just get her to talk about what was really happening lately. He wasn’t around a lot but it was enough for him to see Martie wasn’t happy.

  “Okay, have fun,” Rick said. He was pretty sure he sounded stupid but he couldn’t think of anything better to say.

  “Sure,” she said and slipped past him and out the doorway.

  Lucas Hill had a room set aside as his office, but lately, he preferred to work in his den, in front of the television, sitting in his favorite chair, feet up on an ottoman, and his laptop balanced on his knees. Rick tapped on the open door and his father looked up at him. “Oh, come in. I heard the door. I wondered if that was you.”

  “Hey Dad,” Rick patted his shoulder and took a seat across from him. “Martie left,” he said.

  “I knew she was going,” he replied sourly, looking down at his computer. “Glad you’re here though.”

  “Um, Dad. I think I want something to drink. Can I get you something?”

  Lucas cocked an eyebrow at him. “Well, I am definitely having a drink if you are. You know where everything is.”

  Rick got up, retrieved a bottle of whiskey from a nook in the dining room, and came back with glasses for them both. He poured and had down half his drink before he posed a question to his father. “Is something wrong?”

  Lucas took off his glasses and closed his laptop. “Not really. Business as usual. Sometimes you have to let people know they are incompetent,” he said between his teeth. Lucas had turned over the family business to him some years ago, but he managed several other investments. Rick was glad his father didn’t meddle in his business affairs at this point because he knew what a tough boss he could be.

  “Sorry to hear that because I have something I came here to tell you, and I wanted to avoid piling on if you were preoccupied with something serious. Mother died a few months ago.”

  Lucas stared at him for a moment. “Months ago? How’d you find out?”

  Rick sighed. “I was contacted by her attorney. She had some assets she left me.”

  “Well,” Lucas said. “I’m sorry for you loss.”

  A lump welled up in Rick’s throat. “You’re freaking sorry is all you can say?”

  “I don’t know why you would expect me to say more than that. She’s been dead to me since she left us both. I know it’s different for you,” Lucas took another sip of his drink. “I would hope you understand I can’t be bothered to waste my time with any feelings about her.”

  Rick was stunned. He hadn’t expected much, but some semblance of feeling was in order. Whatever happened, his mother had bared the only children this man had. He filled his glass and knocked back two more before either of them said anything. He’d been about to tell his father everything he’d held back for the last few months, including his search for Erika, and how he was excited to finally be close to meeting her. But he decided it was better not to say anything else. Because if he was equally as dismissive about his daughter as he was about his ex-wife, Rick knew he wouldn’t be able to take it well.

  “Out of curiosity, what did she leave you?” Lucas asked.

  “Property outside of the country. Not sure what I am going to do with it.”

  Lucas nodded. “I know we were supposed to have dinner, but Martie didn’t cook. We might as well order something. How do you feel about Thai?”

  Erika got a text message from Alec asking her to meet him at an address at two that afternoon. It was downtown, but she wasn’t familiar with the number. Curious, she drove around the block just to double check the address. It was an old abandoned building on the edge of the garment district, a former clothes wholesaler which had been out of business for the last decade. She was parking her car when her phone buzzed for a second time. She sighed and pulled her cell from her pocket to read it: meet me on the roof.

  Five minutes later, she was climbing the stairs up to the roof. She halfway thought it might be a trap of some sort. She hadn’t spoken to Alec after all. When she got to the roof Alec was waiting there, hands in pockets. He smiled, and she joined him at the railing.

  “Nice view from up here, except for the smog,” she commented.

  “Hi to you too,” he said and kissed her. He reached out and gave her a squeeze, and then quickly drew away. “Uh, you’re packing?”

  “Just in case I got here and some of Pascale’s cronies were here,” she said. “Not for you.”

  “Ok, well good, because I hope not.”

  “Don’t worry baby. You’re too cute for me to hurt you,” Erika teased.

  “You didn’t say that on our first date,” Alec replied.

  “I didn’t know better,” she countered. “Why are we here?”

  “I figured this is as good a place to discuss that job you want me to do.”

  “You made up your mind?” Erika asked. “Really? I thought there was no way you’d do it.”

  “Under one condition,” he said. “This really had to be your last job.”

  “That won’t be a problem,” she said. “Honestly, if I thought I could get away without pulling this one, I would. But a deal is a deal, I can’t go back,” she frowned. “Lovely view, except for the smog,” she said. “I guess we’re up here because there’s a good view of Oberon Gallery from here?”

  “Exactly,” he said. “Just far away enough that someone operating with the right equipment wouldn’t get seen.”

  The Oberon had been around for five years, a small gallery across the street from a hotel and walking distance to the arena. There were multiple exits, all leading to heavily traveled thoroughfares, which was important for a quick getaway.

  “If we’re a two man team,” Erika said. “What are we worried about having someone on a roof for?”

  “Um, I didn’t want to say anything until all parties agreed,” Alec said. “But I figure if this is your swan song you might as well go out right. I have backups.”

  “Backups?”

  “My own guys. All former black ops. Including the one who taught me everything I know.”

  “I don’t want to seem insulting, but you trust them?”

  “With my life,” Alec replied without hesitation. “On more than one conversation.”

  “If you can, then I will. They know the deal about me?”

  “Yeah,” he replied, reaching for her hand. He felt relieved when she laced her fingertips through his. “They want to help out.”

  “It’s on your behalf then.”

  “I’ll tell you more about my brothers,” he said lightly. “But today I wanted you to know I’m ready to do this.”

  Erika grinned. “You know, I can only half believe I’m saying this,” she paused. “This has to be the most romantic thing a man has ever done for me.”

  Chapter 7

  Martie Hill, Lucas�
�� wife, could always tell when there was trouble brewing with her husband. The problem with him was that he never wanted to talk about it, and asking questions only seemed to worsen his mood.

  She tried to ignore his mood swings, the long hours on the phone at night, the way he shut himself into his office after business hours were over. There were some things that she felt she shouldn’t have to ask him about. As his wife of almost twenty years, he should feel comfortable confiding in her. After all these years he still didn’t and that annoyed and alarmed her.

  She knew, for example, that he was grieving for his first wife.

  Well, maybe grieving for her overstated things. He had regrets about her might be a more accurate description. And now that she was gone he was wrestling with what it meant to know he’d never see her again, even if it were to argue with her for one last time.

  He’d known that his ex, the mother of his son, died a few months earlier. What she thought was bizarre was that he wasn’t concerned about telling his adult son his mother was dead.

  Martie had almost gone to Rick and told him herself. Regardless of what relationship—or lack of one---he had with his birth mother, it was the kind of information he deserved to know. When he came to the house this last time, she still wanted to tell him, but Lucas had already sworn her to silence. In some ways, maybe it wasn’t her place. She was fond of Rick but it wasn’t like she raised him herself. He’d only lived with them for a couple of years early on in their marriage, and she ended up being more like an older sister than a stepmother to him.

  When Lucas made up his mind about something like this he was stubborn. Even though she decided to abide by his wishes to keep peace in their home, she felt bad about it. She wouldn’t have wanted anyone to keep a secret like that from her.

  According to what Lucas told her, his ex-wife had cancer, but that wasn’t what killed her. A mix of pills and a glass of wine had ended her life. There was no way to know if she committed suicide, or if she just was trying to alleviate her pain with a good night’s sleep. Lucas handled the arrangements and had her laid to rest in England.

  There was a lot to the whole story which she didn’t know. Lucas claimed to not have known where she was for years, so how was it he knew when she died?

  Martie suspected a lot of things, but there wasn’t much she knew for sure.

  Two days after he visited his father, Rick called Martie on her cell phone. They didn’t tend to speak, but she had given him the number years ago, so he had it in case he ever needed to reach his father but couldn’t get him on his home line.

  “Hi there,” she said warmly. “I’m away from home, but your Dad is there if you’re looking for him…”

  “No, I wanted to speak to you,” Rick interrupted. “Where are you? I could pick you up.”

  She bit her lip. “I’m out running errands.”

  “That’s fine,” he said. “I promise I won’t take much of your time, I just need to see you away from the house.”

  She offered to meet him at a local family restaurant; it was public, neutral ground, and someplace she could easily explain to her husband. She could say that she ran into Rick and just decided to go have a cup of coffee with him. It sounded reasonable. One way or another, she always ended up having to explain such coincidences to Lucas.

  Rick was already in the parking lot when her car pulled up, arms crossed over his chest. The serious expression on his face made her heart drop. This was not going to be easy.

  He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and they walked into the restaurant together. He asked for a drink and she ordered coffee. The uneasy feeling in the pit of Martie’s stomach let her know she wouldn’t be eating anything soon. She already regretted agreeing to meet with him. Taking a deep breath in, she tried to calm her frayed nerves by reminding herself that she wasn’t trapped. She could still leave anytime she wanted to.

  “I don’t mean to be rude,” Rick said. “And I usually wouldn’t put you in the middle of anything that concerned my father but I need to know, how long has he known my mother is dead?”

  Martie had been practicing what she would say when the topic finally came up. She had expected some version of this question but presented with his righteous, smoldering anger, she wasn’t sure what to tell him.

  Rick went on, and as she spoke she scrambled for the right thing to say.

  “My mother’s attorney got in touch with me a few months ago to let me know she had passed away and that there was an inheritance,” Rick said. “When he told me that she had been sick for some time and that she had arranged for things, I assumed he meant that she also took care of plans for her service as well. Here it is I come to find out that an anonymous person took care of her funeral. I’m betting it was Dad.

  “I didn’t go to Dad when I first found out about my mother’s death because honestly, we have never had the kind of relationship. He’s never said a kind word about her. I didn’t want to hear what he had to say unless he could at least be decent about it, especially when I first found out and was reeling from the news. But when I talked to him, I realized he already knew. It was no surprise, and I’m willing to bet now he knew soon after she died.”

  “I might as well tell you,” Martie sighed. “I think he found out shortly after it happened. He asked that I didn’t tell you. At first, he promised to do it himself. And then he said that it was none of my business and I had better keep quiet about it.”

  Rick cursed, leaning back against the booth. “That’s what you were afraid to tell me.”

  “I really wanted to,” Martie began. “Lately, I’m at a loss with what’s going on with your Dad, and every time I try to get him to talk to me about it, he just withdraws further.”

  “Business?” Rick asked.

  “Maybe,” she said. “It feels like more than that.”

  “Cheating?”

  She shook her head. “I would be used to cheating. He tends to be happy when there’s a newbie in sight.”

  “Martie I’m sorry, I hate to be so blunt.”

  “Well at least someone in the Hill family is,” she said, looking down at her coffee cup. “If I weren’t driving home I really would have ordered something stronger.”

  Rick ran a hand through his hair. “Did he say why he was waiting to tell me?”

  “No,” Martie said. “The whole thing is strange if you ask me. You know, growing up my family wasn’t like this. Maybe you liked your relatives or you didn’t but when something was going on everyone knew about it, argued about it, and got over it. I’m not sure what this hiding the truth is about. And I should have went ahead and told you, I was just worried your Dad was going to pop an artery once he found out about it.”

  “Sounds like him,” Rick said. “Tell me something. Has he mentioned anything about my sister these last few months?”

  Martie paused. “No. Do you know where she is?”

  Erika had heard about where Alec lived with the other black ops officers he called his brothers but she still hadn’t expected the breadth of the space. Four houses, one for each man, with another house in the middle which they used as their office space. At the gate, Alec punched in a code to allow them to enter. She couldn’t help but notice the cameras and the amount of security, and she had a feeling there were a few more she didn’t spot. These homes were more than secure; the place was a fortress. She could only wonder what kind of past these men had which made them feel the need for this many layers of precaution.

  Alec parked his car in front of his house.

  “I’ll give you the grand tour later,” he said. “I don’t want to be late. The guys are already waiting.”

  “Waiting for me,” Erika said. “Why do I feel like I’m meeting your mother?”

  Alec shrugged. “I don’t know. You can’t be nervous. Are you?”

  “Ugh. I’ll get over it,” she told him. “I’m sure it’s a momentary lapse.”

  He leaned over and kissed her deeply. She gently pushed him away. “Al
right, I’m sure we have time later but it’s not going to make a good impression if we get carried away out here.”

  He took a deep breath. “Yeah, agreed.”

  She pulled down the sun visor to check her makeup. He quickly wiped his mouth, and when they were ready they walked up to the office together.

  Apparently, the guys had seen Alec’s car pull up because they had left the front door of the office open. When Erika and Alec got there, the three men were sitting in the living room.

  They stood up when the two of them walked into the room together, and Erika smiled. She really was more nervous than she wanted to admit even to herself. These men were not only the people Alec considered his family, but they were also tasked with helping her pull off her last heist. She was counting on their abilities to help her do this and no matter how much he trusted them, she’d never worked with these people before. All her information about them came from what Alec told her.

  Alec made all the introductions. The tech guy was David, a muscular man with a shaved head and a thin coating of stubble on his cheeks. He offered his hand and gave her a firm handshake. He wore a loose white t-shirt which did not conceal his thickly muscled arms and chest. He stood a whole foot taller than Erika. She’d have never guessed that he was the computer savvy type. By the looks of him, she would have guessed he was a bouncer, maybe a bodyguard.

  Jesse was just under six feet tall, with long, muscular limbs. His skin was a light golden brown, but his eyes were a cornflower blue. His hair was cut into a well-kept Corvallis which would be curly if he let it grow out longer. He smiled and greeted her warmly. He had a dazzling smile—definitely a lady’s man. He wore slacks, a neat dress suit, and tie. She caught a whiff of his cologne, pleasantly sweet but with a touch of salt. There was a reason he was often the salesman, the person who brought customers on and often closed the deal.

  Kiefer, the leader, was also dressed casually; his long sleeved sweater covered his tattoos. He had wavy dark hair and eyes that were a deep, midnight blue. There was a tiny white scar above his left eyebrow, a tilted line which looked like and accent mark. There was something about the man—a center of calm. She imagined him commanding any room that he stepped into. He shook her hand and placed his other on top of both her hands. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said simply.