Stacking the Deck (Redemption Club Book 1)

by Anne Marie Becker

  “And the guy survived to brag about his escapades.” Anger made his words come out like bullets. “Unless…” He arched a brow at her.

  “I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you’re asking. But he’s not bragging anymore, either. Nobody else, certainly nobody in the justice system, was making it right for that child’s family, or the family of the firefighter. I’d gotten a second chance with Uncle Tom but that kid, that fireman, they’ll never get another chance. The least they deserved was justice. I used force to get the arsonist to confess, delivered him to the police, promising I’d hunt him down and kill him if he didn’t make a proper confession.”

  He reached out to take her hand. “Hey. I understand why you did what you did. Just as I understand the police might never have caught him without you.”

  “I felt useful for the first time. Like I had a purpose. I hadn’t felt worthy since that night…” Her gut clenched with remembered fear and guilt. “The night my parents died, the fire trucks came and firefighters put out the blaze, but there was little left of the house. They found me in the tree when I started to cough, but I screamed if any of them tried to touch me. One of them climbed up and sat with me, said some soothing things. It wasn’t until Uncle Tom showed up and pried my fingers from the bark that I felt safe.” She took a deep breath and dared to meet Jared’s gaze. “When I take a job, it’s because I want others to feel safe, too.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  “I hope you see the truth now,” Jared said. “You aren’t to blame for what happened to your parents. Any more than I’m to blame for not being there when my mother was murdered by one of her boyfriends.” He and Skye both knew the burden of guilt, and how fighting for others, protecting others, provided some relief.

  Skye’s sigh was heavy but seemed to diffuse the last of her tension. “Yeah, I know.”

  “I once thought I was a superhero. Still do, sometimes.” He grinned when Skye released a quick, surprised laugh. He wanted to see that sparkle in her eyes, always. He lifted his other hand to her chin and traced her smile with his thumb.

  She went still. “Did I pass your test?”

  “Test?”

  “You were making sure I’m not a cold-blooded killer, I believe?” There was humor in her eyes.

  “I thought talking about it might help. Haley’s question seemed to be on your mind. You’re no saint, but neither am I. Your past shaped who you are now, but I hope you see that you shouldn’t have to punish yourself. You don’t have to be a vigilante to find justice for people.” Growing up among conspiracy theorists and vigilante types couldn’t have been easy. He cupped her face so that her eyes met his. “I’m sorry I brought up bad memories.”

  “I suppose it was good for both of us—strengthens the partnership and all that.”

  For her to share her story illustrated the trust she placed in him, and he didn’t take that lightly. But before he could form the words to thank her for that gift, she gestured to the computer.

  “What did Dev send?”

  Swallowing down feelings that were too confusing to put into words, he pulled over the laptop and opened the file.

  Skye looked at him in surprise. “A topographical map of the ranch.”

  “All roads seem to converge there.”

  “Do you think Finn is there now? Hard to imagine an actor-type like him roughing it.” From what they’d found on Finn Tucker, he’d been destined to pursue acting. His parents were both in the field, though not so famous that someone outside the entertainment industry would know them without a little help. They’d divorced when Finn was very young. Based on tabloid reports and the years Finn had spent in boarding school making friends with Ryan Stone, they’d been too busy with their own careers to bother with Finn. After that, it seemed Finn had spent more school holidays with the Stone family than his own. Nothing in the files indicated a young man with violent tendencies.

  Jared considered what they knew of Finn, and the note left on Erica’s body. Jared wasn’t going to let Skye walk into something and offer herself up like a sacrifice. “I think Finn wants you at Three Fortunes and knows you won’t resist a fight, especially when he’s hurting women. Leaving Erica’s body for you is him trying to get you to the ranch again. Which is why I’d like you to stay far away.”

  “But you just told Anderson we’d be there tomorrow, to search for the girls.”

  “No, I said I’d be there tomorrow.”

  She stood. “You can’t keep me out of this.”

  He’d known this wouldn’t be easy, but he wanted to keep her safe. “I know I can’t. But I’m asking, for my own sanity, that you stay here, where I can have a GSS guard protect you. I promise to keep you posted. Besides, we don’t know that Finn is there. He could just as easily be here in town, and you can keep the search going here. But if you do that, let GSS back you up.”

  “I don’t need backup. I need my partner.” She took several deep breaths, struggling to control her temper. “You don’t get to play the hero here. I’m part of this, too.” She spun on her heel and hurried toward the kitchen.

  Yes, she was part of this. She was at the core. And that’s what he was afraid of.

  She heard Jared enter the kitchen behind her and steeled herself for an argument, which is why she jumped when two arms came around her in a warm embrace.

  “I’m sorry,” he said in her ear. “I don’t want to fight.”

  “Then don’t. I’m coming with you.”

  “Finn wants you too bad, and Tristan is still out there, gunning for you, too. I can’t protect you on all sides and look for Chelsea and Loretta. This is about finding them, while keeping you safe.”

  She sagged against him, loving the feel of him against her back, supporting her. She straightened again and pulled out of his arms as she realized she was being weak. She whirled to look him in the eyes. “I know that. And I can protect myself.”

  He stroked a finger across her forehead, brushing the tension there. “I’m well aware of that. Do it for my sake. I can’t have my attention divided.”

  “That’s why I prefer to work alone.”

  “So you understand.” He scanned her eyes. “You’ll stay here?”

  She read trust and compassion in his expression, but also fear. Did he think she would botch things? Then again, her track record with people wasn’t so good. But no way would she sit here and let him ride off toward danger alone. Still, he wouldn’t let this go until she acquiesced, so she gave him a neutral answer. “I’ll consider it.”

  At ten that night, Finn rolled his shoulders to relieve the tension before he opened the side door to the old Las Vegas theater. It was unlocked. Another one of Ryan Stone’s playgrounds, it was an abandoned property owned by Robert Stone. That family had more than it could ever need, while the peons who served them, who entertained them like court jesters, had little. Finn supposed he should feel lucky to bask in the glow of the Stone success, and for a long time he had. No longer.

  He’d channeled his anger at Ryan’s betrayal—calling this meeting and not believing in Finn—into planning the biggest hunt they’d ever hosted. Skye would bring in a record amount of money from people desiring the privilege of hunting a huntress. Tonight, Finn planned to lay out a proposal to appease the Club members who would sit in judgment.

  But if that wasn’t enough, fuck them. He’d enjoy hunting her himself, as he’d wanted to all along, and rub it in their faces later when they realized he was a genius, infinitely smarter and more creative than Ryan-Fucking-Stone.

  As he strode onto stage with determined, confident strides, two bright spotlights switched on, one focusing on him and the other on a podium. Clearly, he was supposed to stand there and argue his case. The Club had only held two of these trials over the past five years, which made this betrayal by his supposed best friend all the more insulting. He couldn’t see faces in the audience, but that was the way these things worked—as anonymously as possible. Every
member wanted something, something shady and dangerous and usually illegal. They owed debts, or paid them in advance as credit toward something bigger. It was a phenomenal dark deeds bartering system, especially when transactions, and the members who carried through with them, were kept secret.

  There were only a dozen charter members, people he and Ryan had recruited over the years, and they were the ones who’d be in attendance today. He knew some of them from previous meetings, but didn’t know how many might be on his side today. Probably none, since they were all afraid of Ryan. They’d be firmly in the golden boy’s camp. Hell, Finn had happily camped there, too, until recently. A man could only take so much humiliation.

  And Ryan was about to heap a bit more on—this time, publicly.

  “State your name,” Ryan called out as Finn stepped up to the podium.

  “Finn Tucker, also known as Joker.” Their code names were for more clandestine jobs, and for the records in the ledger. “What are the formal charges against me? I have a right to know.”

  “Endangering the Club, and its members, for personal gain.”

  “I’ve only ever acted in the best interests of the Club. I created the Hunting Grounds for the pleasurable pursuit and financial gain of all of its members. It’s become a successful endeavor.”

  “But you’ve started committing rogue acts outside of Hunting Grounds activities. You killed Erica Dubois and left her to be found by authorities.”

  “As a way to lure even bigger and better prey.” He smirked. “Hell, Erica wasn’t any challenge at all. Any hunter who’d paid to participate would have demanded a refund. On the other hand, her death will lead Skye Hamilton to one of our gatherers, who is waiting at this very moment for her to show up. Skye will make us hundreds of thousands of dollars if we host a big hunt. I just need a day or two to pull it all together. I’ve already been contacted by three Club members who want to be in the hunting party, and after seeing Skye’s picture and portfolio, they’re each offering half a million for the privilege to hunt her.”

  There was a long silence, followed by a wave of approving murmurs. He was swaying the vote in his favor. He could feel it. Everyone here was in this either for the thrills or the money. He was promising both.

  Besides, nobody could defeat him when he was on stage. He’d always been good at persuasive arguments. Ryan had made a colossal mistake, taking him on.

  “Skye is from a ranch near the Grounds,” Ryan’s voice rang out. “And you already took Loretta from there. That’s too many connections that could lead back to us, or to my father, whose name is on the deed. Ever heard the saying, ‘Don’t shit where you eat’?” A chorus of soft laughs followed Ryan’s remark and Finn stiffened with anger. “Your actions will bring the authorities down on us and put the whole club at risk. Skye already came after me and she’s not going to let this go.”

  “I don’t want her to. Her desire to find us is what will bring her to us. There will be no risk once she’s been gathered. She’s the only one who cares about Loretta, and Skye Hamilton is like a ghost. Nobody knows she exists. All connections will be broken once she and Loretta are gone.”

  “And Chelsea?”

  “Who?”

  “Chelsea Wright. Another girl you took in recent weeks. Guess you didn’t research her family tree before you took her.”

  Some of Finn’s confidence slipped, but he shored it up. “She was a dancer. She already owed the Club money. Besides, you were there that night we took her.”

  “You took her. If I’d known who her brother was, if you’d done a fucking background check, you would have realized she wasn’t a viable candidate for a hunt, that someone would miss her when she was gone.”

  “Who?”

  “Her brother, Jared Bennigan. They have different fathers, and thus different last names, but it would have required only a few questions to connect those dots.”

  Fuck. Finn’s brain scrambled to find a new tactic to convince them of his path. This didn’t change anything. “Things are already in motion. We can remedy this. Jared can be dealt with.” He and Tristan had already taken care of Mark for similar reasons. Jared was just one of those loose ends that would be tied up.

  “I’ve received a motion that we evict you from the group.” Ryan’s words rang with the sound of a gavel against a judge’s desk.

  “From whom?”

  “You know I don’t have to reveal that.”

  “Fuck that, Ryan. You know me. You and I are brothers in every way that matters. You know I wouldn’t do anything to endanger the Club.”

  There was a long moment of silence and Finn felt hope spurt through him. Maybe he’d gotten through. He heard a few whispers in the dark arena and assumed the members were consulting with Ryan.

  “The motion to evict you came from me,” a deep voice rang out. Robert Stone’s voice.

  Finn’s knees wobbled and his gut turned to hot liquid. He’d heard this voice for the majority of his life, but never with such quiet anger as it held now. “Sir, I can explain.”

  “Ryan’s told me about reviving the Club, and I’ve found out through various unpleasant means how you’ve managed to fuck things up for yourselves. You’re done. The Club is over. It was over years ago, when I ended it the first time. I’m taking charge and ending it again. You’re finished, both in the Club and with my family.”

  “Let me redeem myself.” The long pause that followed his plea gave Finn hope. “I can do it. Like I said, I already have plans in place. I’m going to use Skye’s uncle to lure her. Tom Hamilton’s the only family Skye has left. Besides, he’s in the Redemption Club ledger. He’s one of us.”

  “Everyone out,” Stone ordered suddenly. Several gasps erupted in the audience, followed by the sound of a muffled argument, and several sets of footsteps retreating. Finn could see shadows of shapes moving among the rows of seats and silhouettes as some people moved through the door at the end of the aisle. A moment later, the lights flipped on and Finn blinked as the darkness cleared. The only people remaining in the audience were Ryan and Mr. Stone.

  “Tell me more about using Tom Hamilton,” Stone said.

  Finn felt exhilaration flood his loose limbs as he jumped off the stage and walked forward. “He’s the one who’s been blackmailing you.” His gaze met Ryan’s, but his friend’s emotions were, for once, unreadable. “I can get rid of him for you, and save you millions of dollars in blackmail payments.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Skye brooded over her morning coffee, regretting the promise she’d made to consider not following Jared for twenty-four hours. She had to go with him, had to be there to take Finn down. But before Jared emerged from the room with an overnight bag so that she could argue her position, the chime of her phone sounded.

  She scooped up her phone from the table, a spike of hope piercing her as she spied the incoming text. Tom. And an address—one that she recognized—along with instructions not to tell anyone he’d contacted her.

  “I’m all set,” Jared said from the doorway.

  She set her phone down and went to accept his embrace, wrapping her arms tight around him. “Be safe.”

  He tipped her chin up and looked into her eyes. “Thank you. I know you want to come, but—”

  She stopped his words with a kiss. “I know you’re only trying to protect me. But be warned, I will be right behind you.”

  He arched a brow. “Twenty-four hours.”

  She shrugged. “Unless I have a reason to come sooner.”

  It was his turn to silence her with a kiss. “A GSS guard should be pulling up outside any minute. He’ll be here if you need anything.”

  After another kiss, this one slower and seemingly full of emotions they hadn’t spoken aloud, Jared grabbed his bag and left. She went into motion the minute his car disappeared down the road, knowing she had to move her car to the street behind Jared’s and return to the house before the GSS guard showed up. She’d greet the
guard, let him see she was okay, and then sneak out the back.

  She slowed her little used car to a stop in the dirt driveway and got out. She glanced up at the tree she’d loved and then at the trailer that had replaced the ramshackle house she’d hated. Tom had been hiding here? She’d just driven by it a few days ago. But that seemed decades away, from a time before she trusted Jared. Strange how the ghosts of her parents didn’t seem to linger here now, as they had the other night. Over the past week, she’d done more to dispel the power of the past than she had in the previous twenty years. She had Jared to thank for a lot of that.

  She stepped up to the door, blinking as the midmorning light glinted off the aluminum foil in the windows. The practice was meant to deflect light and heat, a poor man’s substitute for air conditioning.

  “Uncle Tom?” Her voice rang out along the empty lot, carried away by the hot wind that blew dust around her. She blinked it away and tried the knob. It turned easily beneath her hand. Prickles of warning rose up along her spine and she reached for the gun she’d tucked into the back of her waistband, under her tank top. Her knife and cell phone were in the pockets of the khaki cargo pants, but the gun would look more intimidating if she encountered anyone who shouldn’t be here.

  Nudging the door open, her gaze slowly adjusted to the lack of light before she took a step inside. There was no movement, no reaction at all to her presence. She took another step and crossed the threshold.

  There were signs somebody had been here recently. A couple of cigarette butts stuck out of the ashtray on the table that served as an eating area. Tom’s brand. He must have been feeling stressed if he was back to chain smoking.