by Jami Gray
‘Who you planning on discussing your ‘business’ with now?’
Her eyes flickered to Simon before she could stop. His friend remained silent, but his jaw tensed. Simon hadn’t missed that tell either.
‘I see,’ Ruin murmured, following her logic. With Crane dead, his territory and responsibilities would shift, probably to Simon or Boden or both. ‘Since we’re not going anywhere anytime soon, start talking.’
Instead of the expected bristling reaction, the infuriating woman smiled at him. It wasn’t nice. In fact, if he was being honest, his balls just about disappeared, especially when her bright blue eyes went diamond hard. ‘Arrogant bastard, aren’t you?’
Why tangling with her revved his engine, he couldn’t say, but it didn’t stop him from pushing. ‘You wouldn’t have me any other way.’ As tempting as it was to continue this lethal flirtation, answers were a hell of a lot more important. ‘What did you need with Crane?’
Seconds ticked by in silence as she studied him. Eventually, she came to some inner conclusion. ‘I share, you share, deal?’
He considered what the Raider told him and weighed it against the questions spinning in his head. ‘Deal.’ Of course, it didn’t mean he had to share everything. At least not until he had all the facts and could determine which ones were worth sharing.
She settled on the floor, bringing one knee up to brace her arm. ‘I was looking for someone, and the trail led me north. I decided to swing up and see if Crane had heard anything.’
‘Who were you looking for?’
‘A girl.’ She grimaced. ‘A child really. Her name is Tabitha. Her family asked for my help.’
‘Why you?’
‘They know me and my reputation.’ There was no arrogance in her voice, she simply stated a fact.
‘I don’t know either, so enlighten me.’
She tilted her head, her gaze going from him to Simon and back as she considered. Finally, she spoke, reluctance making her answer stilted. ‘I’m rather good at finding lost things. Under normal circumstances, it’s a simple transaction, you offer me something of value, I’ll track down your lost item and bring it home.’
He ignored the spike in his pulse as a crucial piece fell onto the board. ‘You’re a Bloodhound.’ A group of individuals who specialised in ferreting out information, individuals and objects. Not just the average pieces of information, Joe Shmoes or any old thing, either, they sniffed out significant pieces known to alter alliances and shift power. Their prices for services rendered weren’t for the faint of heart. Neither was their job because being in possession of that type of information made you a target. Not to mention what you went through to get said information in the first place. It was a dangerous business model, and most Bloodhounds kept low profiles, which explained why Charity wasn’t all that forthcoming with her personal information. Talents like that weren’t normally wasted on missing kids unless those kids belonged to someone important or the payment was too good to pass up. Hell, ‘Hounds were normally leashed to seriously powerful individuals, which made him wonder who held her leash. ‘What do you consider valuable enough to track down a missing kid?’
Ire sparked in her eyes, and her lip curled before she stifled it. ‘In this case, I’m not collecting a fee. Her parents are frantic. Tabitha’s a sweet kid and whoever took her needs to pay.’
Despite the ring of truth in her words, he wasn’t buying it. Something more was at play here. ‘Tabitha must be a special kid to get that kind of commitment from a ‘Hound.’
His remark wiped away every trace of emotion, leaving behind a pitiless mask, all the more disturbing for its lack of expression. ‘Tabitha isn’t the first child to go missing. She’s one of nine who’ve disappeared in the last two months.’
His fingers drummed against the mattress as he shared a silent look with Simon. Taking the hint, Simon finally entered the conversation. ‘Did they all disappear from the same place?’
A subtle tension brought a slight stiffness to her otherwise relaxed position. ‘Tabitha and one other girl were taken from Boulder, the others came from various communities.’ Ruin almost interrupted to ask which communities, but didn’t dare risk it, and she continued, ‘During my trip to Pebble Creek, I kept an ear open and heard of the others as I made my way from northern Colorado, through eastern Utah and southern Wyoming and into Idaho.’
Simon’s eyebrows drew down under his sweat-beaded brow as a thundercloud drifted over his features. ‘What age range?’
‘The youngest was nine, the oldest thirteen.’ Charity cocked her head, just like a dog coming on point. ‘Why?’
Simon’s hands twitched, and Ruin captured his wrist in warning before his friend could form a fist and break the stitches in his palm. Simon blew out a harsh breath and relaxed his hand before answering. ‘A couple weeks ago, we interrupted a small group of Raiders transporting on one of our routes.’ He shifted, bit back a groan, and struggled to catch his breath before finishing. ‘We confronted them, and when the dust settled, we had four dead Raiders and five traumatised kids.’
Charity’s gaze narrowed and the hand on her knee curled into a fist. When she spoke, her question carried the whip of anger. ‘Traumatised?’
Pity softened Simon’s face. ‘They were in bad shape. Dehydration, malnutrition, signs of beatings and worse.’ He shifted uncomfortably, his voice lowering. ‘One is catatonic.’
Unbridled fury uncoiled in Ruin’s gut and spread through muscle and tissue to emerge in a hissed, ‘Mother-fuckers.’
On the other side of Simon, Charity shot to her feet and began to pace, her hands dragging through her still damp hair, curses flowing non-stop under her breath. When she finally stilled, she kept her back to them. ‘So the hit on Pebble Creek was retaliation for a lost flesh shipment?’
‘Probably,’ Ruin answered before Simon could.
Her spine stiffened, but she didn’t turn around. ‘Not that I don’t believe you, but Raiders don’t stray far from Vegas unless there’s a damn good reason.’
‘If they’re offered enough, they would,’ Ruin corrected.
‘And it would have to be a hell of a lot for them to risk crossing Crane,’ Simon added.
Charity turned and propped her hands on her hips, a frown marring her brow. ‘Who the hell has enough influence to convince those roaches to run a suicide mission?’
Taking her question as his cue to start his half of the info sharing pact, Ruin answered, ‘Reznik.’
Chapter 7
Reznik? The blast from the past locked every muscle in Charity’s body tight. That wasn’t the name she expected, but maybe, just maybe she should have.
‘I see you know the name.’ The razor edge of Ruin’s statement was anything but casual.
‘You could say that.’ Dammit, she needed to remember he was no-one’s fool. Rubbing her arms against a sudden chill, she made her way around the end of Simon’s mattress. Memories better left alone crowded close, threatening to set her mind into a tailspin. Nervous energy coursed through her, forcing her to move. She paced the confines of the room, unable to still despite the watching eyes of the too perceptive man and his friend. Her mind clicked through what she knew of Reznik, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t make the pieces work. Finally, she stopped in front of Ruin. ‘What else did the Raider say?’
One dark brow rose. ‘Why?’
‘Because this job doesn’t fit Reznik’s style.’
‘Care to elaborate?’ The barely disguised order came from Simon, who despite his wan complexion, was managing a formidable glower.
Because she could see the signs of pain he was trying to hide and didn’t want to watch all her work go to waste, she didn’t take offence at his tone. ‘Reznik is from New Seattle. He’s a scum-sucking leech who gets off on playing king of the criminal element. However, he stays in the city.’ Something she knew all too well, considering how often she tried to lure him outside the protection of his little kingdom with no luck. ‘Says they p
rovide more opportunities.’ She sneered the last word. ‘It would take a shit-ton of incentive to get him to wander outside of New Seattle. Not only is he perfectly content where he is, but he’s well-protected.’ On levels she was barely scratching the surface of all these years later. ‘What could he possibly gain by Crane’s death?’ She stared at Ruin, who rose to his feet during her little rant.
‘If he likes playing king, then it’s all about power, isn’t it?’ He studied her from inches away, his gaze shuttered and dark, no hint of what he was thinking.
‘Even if he had the resources to pull it off, screwing with the supply lines is a stupid move,’ she snapped. ‘In the hierarchy of power, Reznik would need a ladder to touch Crane’s boots.’
Ruin’s voice was flat and icy. ‘How is it you know so much about Reznik?’
Refusing to bow to his indomitable presence, she closed the small gap between them, going toe to toe with the coldly angry Vulture. ‘Because it’s my job.’
His lips curved, but his smile was far from friendly. ‘Really?’
Wherever he was trying to lead her, she didn’t want to go, but she still answered, ‘Yeah, really.’
He shook his head and leant in close. ‘Colour me cynical, but I have a better answer. You’ve got a personal link with him.’ There was no stopping her instinctive flinch or the satisfied gleam in his eyes when he caught it. ‘Oh yeah, you’ve got a hard-on for Reznik,’ he murmured. ‘What’d he do?’ A cruel light flared to life in his amber eyes, and within the confines of his closely trimmed beard his lip curled. ‘You a woman scorned, Charity?’
The unexpected accusation brought her up short. ‘Excuse me?’
‘C’mon, sugar. One of the most sure-fire ways of turning a woman rabid is to trade her in for a newer model. Is that what happened?’
She blinked and fought the urge to slap the arrogance off his face, right after she introduced his balls to her knee. Still, that wasn’t her best move. At least not yet. Instead, she settled for popping his overinflated ego with a piece of the truth. ‘No, dickhead, he murdered my parents.’
That rocked Ruin back on his heels. ‘Say again?’
Huffing out a breath, she decided to elaborate. It wasn’t as if her past was some deep dark secret. ‘My parents were grifters, damn good ones. Normally, they’d have no problems steering clear of trouble. They targeted the wealthy since the pickings were good, but they ran a grift on the wrong man. When he figured out their con, he reached out to a friend of his. Unbeknownst to my folks, that friend was Reznik, who wasn’t happy that one of his buddies got screwed by some run of the mill thieves, especially if they weren’t paying into his coffers.’ Off balance with the unexpected turn of events, the door on her memories cracked, releasing a bitterness grown brilliant with age. ‘He made an example of them, displaying his displeasure in bloody terms far and wide in case others were stupid enough to consider freelancing in what he considered his territory.’
For a moment the only sounds were the dance of the fire behind them, then Simon cut in with a soft, ‘You don’t strike me as the forgiving type, Charity.’
Peering around Ruin, she gave Simon a toothy grin. ‘I’m not, but I’m also not stupid.’
‘So you let him walk away?’
Maybe he didn’t mean to twist the knife in her soul, but it still shredded. ‘A fifteen-year-old street rat would end up smeared under Reznik’s heel. Better to bide my time.’ And build her resources, which weren’t quite up to par with Reznik’s current playing field. But it wouldn’t be long before that changed, not if things continued as planned. She was careful not to let that thought gain too much strength. Ruin was too damn perceptive, and she was juggling enough balls she couldn’t afford to let one drop.
Ruin crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Bide your time until when?’
Instead of answering she mimicked his posture. ‘Uh-uh, your turn. I’m guessing Reznik’s name came up when you were playing with your chew toy.’ She didn’t wait for any acknowledgement on her guess, before pressing forward. ‘In my experience, if someone’s itching to share a name, chances are pretty damn good it’s not the right name. How sure are you that you’re not being played?’
The expression on his face was a weird cross between astonishment and offended dignity.
On the mattress, Simon gave a wheezy chuckle. ‘Ruin, I do believe she doubts your interrogation skills.’
Ignoring his friend, Ruin kept his attention on her. ‘When you show a man his intestines darlin’, he gets highly motivated not to lie. In fact, he tends to spill his guts.’ His grin was all teeth. ‘Pun intended.’ His grin faded, replaced by implacable lines. ‘The Raider was more than willing to share. Seems a few months back Reznik arrived in Vegas with four of his buddies in tow. The Raiders mistakenly thought them easy marks. After Tank’s head, and only his head, showed up decorating the Tower, it didn’t take them long to figure out who was the bigger predator.’
She went through Vegas once, which was more than enough to sour her on the experience. It was crawling with Raiders, led by a giant bruiser known as Tank. Their goal? Terrorise anyone foolish enough to try their luck at passing through. The Raiders made their nests in the crumbling remains of what one old trekker called the Strip. He’d shown her a tattered postcard filled with light-encrusted buildings that boggled the mind. Especially when compared to the desert-gnawed bones of what remained. It was the strangest thing to recognise the Tower on the faded card. When she asked the trekker, he named it Eiffel, something to do with Paris, which lay worlds away on the other side of the ocean in some country she’d never see.
Ruin wasn’t finished sharing. ‘Once Reznik’s posse managed to get the Raiders’ attention, he made them an offer.’
Unable to resist her curiosity, she nudged, ‘What kind of offer?’
Ruin grimaced. ‘We didn’t get that far.’
From the floor, Simon snorted, then cut off a moan, drawing their attention. ‘What a surprise.’
Taking in the wounded man’s drawn face and lips lined white from pain, Charity dropped her arms and shook her head. ‘Time for another painkiller.’ Scanning the floor near the mattress, she spotted the edge of the kit peeking out from behind Ruin. She stepped forward, unsurprised when Ruin tensed. Instead of poking at him, she simply put a hand on his hip and gave a little push. He moved back without comment. Crouched next to the kit, she found the last of the painkillers and looked around for the cup. If Simon took a turn for the worse in the next few hours, she’d be forced to use her stash of Mary Jane in her saddlebag. It wouldn’t do a thing for a fever, but it would help dull the pain.
Ruin crowded in behind her, and the heat of him blanketed her spine and shoulders as he reached around her and retrieved the cup near Simon’s saddle pillow. She handed Simon the pills as the splash of water being poured came from behind her. Simon popped the pills in his mouth with a grimace, then accepted the half-filled cup Ruin offered.
She settled cross-legged on the floor, resting her arms on the mattress. At her side, Ruin did the same. When Simon handed back the empty cup, she set it aside. Knowing it wouldn’t be long before exhaustion sucked Simon under, she asked, ‘The kids you rescued, are they still at Pebble Creek?’
Simon nodded. ‘We have them safely tucked away. Gives them a chance to recover.’
Remembering the stern-faced female in charge of the wounded back at Pebble Creek, she made a guess at whose capable hands was doing the tucking. ‘Mandy?’
‘You met her?’
‘Briefly.’ Something tight in her chest loosened, not relief, but something close to it. ‘If I can, I’d like to talk to the kids when we get back.’
Next to her Ruin said, ‘If you’re expecting information from them, it’s a long shot.’
‘What he said,’ Simon added, his words starting to slur. ‘Already tried.’
Propping her chin on her palm, she stared over Simon’s torso and into the fire. ‘Not looking for information, just want
to see if one of them is Tabby.’ Of course, if she found the girl in the traumatised group, what then? Taking her all the way back to Boulder meant leaving the Raiders to Ruin, and by extension the Vultures. Not something she was prepared to do because if Reznik was behind this, this might be her chance at payback. Not that dealing with Reznik was completely personal, not anymore. More like a mix of business and sadistic pleasure.
‘Might not be her.’ Simon’s voice carried a hint of kindness.
A lump settled in her throat. Swallowing past it, she murmured, ‘I know.’
‘If your girl is there—’ Ruin’s deep voice drew her attention, ‘—what’s next?’
She turned her head and held his gaze. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You giving up your piece of Reznik?’ There was no sign of judgement in his posture or voice.
She frowned. ‘Who said I was giving up anything?’
He didn’t answer, just continued to watch her in that disconcerting way of his.
‘If she’s with Mandy, I’ll leave her there until this mess gets straightened out. If,’ she stressed as guilt battled with duty while vengeance waited on the sidelines, ‘we prove Reznik’s behind the kids’ kidnapping and Crane’s death, I intend to get my piece, but I’m not completely greedy. I’ll make sure there’s something left for you and your friends.’
‘Friends?’
His bland tone didn’t fool her. Wearily shaking her head, she went back to staring at the fire. ‘With the shape he’s in, we can’t move Simon, but I’m not stupid enough to believe the other Vultures aren’t winging their way to you as we speak.’
From her right came Simon’s mumbled, ‘I can make it down the mountain.’
Stifling her sigh at the evidence of yet another fragile male ego, she simply turned her head and stared him down. Based on the fact that his one good eyelid was barely holding steady at half-mast, the painkillers were finally kicking in. When it fluttered closed and didn’t lift, she turned away, letting him sleep. Without Ruin poking at her or Simon to tend to, the aches and pains she managed to ignore to this point made a comeback. Her shoulder ached like a bitch, her eyes were gritty with exhaustion, and every muscle begged for sleep. Unfortunately, she needed to stay awake, because chances were high now that his body was more worried about healing than breathing, Simon would spike a fever.