BOUND

by Akeroyd, Serena

  She was no beauty relative to society’s standards, but to him, she was. And apparently to Chela too, after all, she’d seen something in Lucia that inspired her to craft this portrait.

  He knew what Lucia was capable of. He'd seen her kill, had seen her beat grown men, pulverize them until they started begging for their mommies. She was a monster. He saw that in her, but it didn't frighten him, because the creature in him that could run a gang, that could make millions from illegal acts, embraced the beast in her.

  Two souls, equally as dark, but together, he knew they'd create light.

  The poetic thought had him frowning, and he was relieved when Juan hovered to a halt behind him. He knew it was Juan without the other man saying a word. Juan always wore a cologne an aunt of his sent him from Spain.

  “What's wrong?”

  “I have the file you requested.”

  He turned away from the portrait. “So soon?”

  “A friend in the police managed to pull it earlier than we thought.”

  “It's in the car?”

  “Yeah. It's larger than we anticipated.”

  Martinez frowned but nodded. “Let me say farewell to the family, and I'll be out of here. Get the car ready.”

  Juan slipped away to do his bidding, and Martinez headed over to his mother who was holding a court of her own. Even at fifty-four, she was a beauty. Her black hair was no longer the sable it had once been. Gray and silver streaked through the long waves, but her golden skin, while faintly lined, was as creamy as it had been when he was a child.

  Her eyes sparkled with delight at the night's event, and she had far too many men paying attention to her for his liking. But, he trusted her, had faith in her instincts. She didn't need his protection, even if he wanted to give her it, and he'd learned a long time ago to step back and to let her lead her own life.

  After the past she'd had, the choices she'd had to make to care for his family, he could give her no less respect than to let her have her freedom. When he quit the Lobos, she'd be well-provided for. He'd set up a trust for her a long time ago. His sisters had a similar support, but it wasn't as large as their mother's.

  He never wanted her to be in a position where she required anything from anyone.

  “Mama, tengo que irme.” Mom, I have to go.

  “Adónde? Where? The night's only just started!”

  He shrugged. “Business.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Business, always business. I shouldn't have bothered to ask.”

  “I'm sorry, but it's important.”

  “I suppose Chela should be grateful you made it at all.”

  “I would never have missed tonight.” He frowned at her. “Chela knows that, and so do you.”

  She tilted her head to the side, her cheek ready for his kiss. He bussed her gently and said, “Don't get into too much trouble.”

  Her caramel eyes, a color he'd inherited, sparkled up at him, but she waved him off, letting him slink away to do his own thing. She was angry at him, and he knew that. This was Chela's night. Her first solo and he was walking away after the evening had only begun forty minutes ago.

  For anything or anyone else, he wouldn't have left. But for Lucia, there was no alternative.

  Juan's comment about the file being larger than expected had pricked his curiosity. He'd learned everything there was to know about the woman who had captured his attention. He knew everything from her SAT scores to what platoon her grandfather had served in during the Vietnam war.

  This was the last piece of the puzzle. That missing year when Lucia hadn't been at the academy, the blank space that had prompted her to take an extra year to graduate when she’d been top of the class and impressing all of her instructors in her original year.

  Whatever had happened, he was about to find out.

  As far as he'd been able to discern, Lucia had been a relatively ‘good’ girl. Her school reports had said nothing about her being a nuisance in class. If anything, she'd been the opposite. Popular with most of her teachers, disliked by jealous students.

  So, what had turned the studious girl with a career trajectory to the stars into the woman standing here today…?

  He feared the file, which was larger than anticipated, held the answers.

  It was a compulsion to find out more about her. He'd do the same for any other opponent. How could he face them with the intention of besting them if he didn't know their weaknesses and their strengths?

  In this, he knew he was stretching that personal rule. He was delving into Lucia's private life, into a part someone had gone to great lengths to bury.

  Juan said as much when he left the gallery and climbed into his limo. “Her father had it buried away on lock down.”

  “How did they get a copy to us?”

  “A bribe. We can only hold the file for forty-eight hours. After that, it has to go back.”

  “Can't you take copies?”

  Juan hesitated, his attention flickering between the busy evening traffic and his boss. “You won't want copies of this floating around, jefe.”

  Thus warned, Martinez reached over for the file. Juan was right, what he'd expected to be a slim manila folder was four large boxes.

  “Brace yourself, Martinez,” Juan whispered, his words floating from the driver's seat. “It isn't pretty.”

  Martinez froze, his hands on the lid of the first box.

  “Maybe you should talk to her grandfather,” Juan asked hesitantly. “He’ll paint a better picture than what those boxes have to tell you.”

  At his Second's double warning, he sucked in a breath. “She’s gone to some lengths to protect him, Juan. I respect family too much to invade his world without good reason. If we hadn’t found her, I’d have had no choice but to use him. If I thought she’d tell me any of this,” he rapped his knuckles against the dusty box, “I’d just ask her. But she won’t, and maybe even her grandfather wouldn’t tell me. And I need to know.”

  Juan just nodded, but Martinez sensed his unease.

  To learn who the real Lucia Kingston was, warts and all, was becoming an obsession.

  He wouldn’t stop until every part of her life was an open book to him. No part of her history would be hidden from him.

  She was a puzzle he needed to solve, and he had every intention of cracking her codes. Only then did he feel sure he’d understand her, and when he understood her, he felt certain she’d be his in a way she could never be anyone else’s.

  Like any lobo who’d found his mate, Martinez wouldn’t stop until the she wolf was his in every aspect. Only that would calm the beast in his own soul.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Eva bent down to pick up the piece of paper someone had slid underneath her door. This was the way she usually found most of the sources for her articles.

  Considering this place was small, it astounded her how much went on. Fourteen weeks in and she still had lots to include in the forty-two-sheet paper. But, as she'd learned only the other day, this county was a lot more innocent than she was used to: the sheriff had already thrown Joanie, the mayor, in jail because he'd been seen late at night at the reverend's home.

  Dumbass.

  Unfolding the flap, she peered at the text: The General Store's homemade, All-American Tomato Ketchup comes from Lithuania.

  Looking at the photo, she saw the big cans on the counter in the backroom of the store, product of Lithuania stamped on them, and there was also the owner, Derek Jacobs, decanting the foreign muck into bottles.

  Hiding a grin, she realized she'd just been given her front-page news for next week's paper. She could turn it into a whole exposé. Include some real recipes for tomato ketchup and relish, talk about the history of ketchup, as well as get some opinions on the whole Tomatogate scandal—the whole nine yards. The county would eat this up.

  With a whistle, she walked into her office and picked up her phone. Dialing her Pops' number, she smiled when he answered, “Yes, Ms. Murdoch.”

  “I'm
no media mogul yet, Pops. Just happy with my little slice of action right here.”

  “Where in the hell did the notion come from, is what I'd like to know. Your grandmother, God rest her soul, spent hours with you working on those goddamn English Lit papers, and you only barely scraped under the net.”

  As he was right, she couldn't really be offended. Swinging her feet onto the desk, she settled back into her chair and relaxed. Talking to Pops could be an event worthy of a couple of hours.

  “I just saw it that morning I stopped here and realized it would be pretty cool. Plus, it was only eight grand, and it came with living accommodations. I'd have been a fool to pass the offer up.”

  Pops snorted. “Are you making a profit?”

  “I am, actually. So there!”

  “How much?” he demanded.

  “Not a lot, but some.”

  “Give me details.”

  “That's confidential business information.”

  He hooted. “The last time you had confidential business information your grandmother had to go out and buy you some tampons.”

  She narrowed her eyes at that. “You promised you wouldn't bring that up.”

  “It was fourteen years ago, child.”

  “Still, you pinkie-swore.”

  “Alright, alright. I won't mention it again. But girlie, I worry about you. Especially with this new venture of yours. And I read that article you sent me. You never could keep yourself out of mischief. I don't know what it is you're running from, but do you think it was a great idea to get yourself mentioned on a big website like that?”

  “I wasn't the one who tipped them off. I was a bit worried at first. It's just the kind of crap they put in for segments on the news channels, but so far so good.”

  He hummed at that. “I still can't believe you're just filling the paper with fool antics of the county.”

  “You'd be amazed at what goes on here. A woman's just gone missing. Nothing serious, but the sheriff has arrested the mayor for conspiracy to commit murder! There isn't even a body, for Christ's sake.”

  “Did he do it?”

  “I don't think so. He'd have to be an idiot to kill the woman, but then, Joanie's a bit of a prick. If it does get serious, I'd be surprised. Not only do they not have a body, but they're not following any standard police regulations. I saw him arrest the idiot outside the local bakery, and he didn't even read him his Miranda rights.”

  “Incompetent jackass. No excuse for not following the rules.”

  Pops was a die-hard cop. It was in his bones. “I know. I cringed just watching.”

  “Sounds like they need a decent lawman. Make that, law woman.”

  She smiled. “I can't. Not sure I'd even want to.”

  “The law's in your blood, just like it's in mine and your father's.”

  Eva said nothing, knowing that she couldn't upset him with the truth. She didn't know where she and the law were any more.

  Her time in the Lobos had changed her in ways she didn't want him to know about. She'd done things, things she wasn't proud of, but neither was she ashamed. At least, she wasn't ashamed until it came to telling her Pops. So maybe the things she'd done were bad, but as usual, she was unaffected by the shit she did.

  “How is dad?”

  “I saw him last week. He visited like the dutiful son he is.”

  The scorn in Pops' voice had her lips twitching. Pops didn't get on well with her father. Mostly because of the way her parents had reacted once she'd escaped from Josiah's clutches. Her father, Andrew, had pushed her into a convalescent home and promptly tried to forget about her. Even when the case had come to trial, he hadn't wanted her on the witness stand. She’d had to do it via video link. Then Pops and her grandma had to strong arm Lucia's mother, Lorna, into signing the release forms from the asylum he’d bundled her into. Thanks, dad.

  “Everything okay with him and mom?”

  “Yes.”

  The blunt answer told her more than her grandfather would have liked her to notice. It meant that Andrew hadn't asked after her. Hell, he probably didn't realize she was no longer in the city.

  To be honest, that was just the way she liked it. If her mother and father kept out of her business, there was less chance of them trying to stick her back in a psych ward.

  A nutcase for a daughter wouldn't do anything for their careers.

  They weren't to know that she was a nutcase, but she had a good game face.

  Smirking at the thought, she said, “Don't worry, Pops. You know it's always good when he doesn't ask after me. That means I'm not on his radar.”

  “Damn fool boy. Can't believe your grandma and I raised that child sometimes. The Force was always a big deal in this household. I worked too many hours, and I got your grandma sorely angry with me for never being at home, but Andrew has taken that to the next level.”

  “At least mother understands. She's just as driven.”

  “A perfect pair,” Pops grated. “Two folks so wrapped in their own drive, their own selfishness, that they can't see the woods for the trees.”

  “I'm just glad I've got you.”

  “I'm always here for you, baby girl. Don't you worry about that.”

  She smiled, because if anyone would find a way to outsmart the Grim Reaper, it was Pops. “If I settle down here, would you come to stay?”

  He paused at that. “You'd want me to?”

  “Of course.” She sniffed. “I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to.”

  “I wouldn't cramp your style?”

  Lucia barked out a ‘ha!’ “What style?! Hell, Pops, there's no need to worry about that. I think you'd like it here. It would be nice to get you away from the city, all that pollution and the noise. It's so quiet here. You'd love it. We might need to get you one of those tapes at first, you know, to get used to the quiet at night, but it's great.”

  “Don't you live over the shop? My knees aren't what they were, Lucia.”

  “I'd look for somewhere else. Somewhere flat.”

  “You sure you want to go to all that bother for me?”

  Lucia sniggered. “What do you think? Of course I do. And it's no bother. I don't want you to be in the city all on your lonesome. I don't care what pals you have, they're not me. You'll meet lots of people. They're a bit odd, but they're nice.”

  “I've seen that paper of yours, odd isn't the word.”

  “We're from New York, Pops, nothing is as odd as the city.”

  He chuckled. “True, true. Well, if you really mean it, then I'd love to.”

  Maybe it was premature asking him to come here, especially with things still up in the air after that goddamn news article, but she didn't want to waste more time. Pops was as healthy as he could be for his age, but she'd lost too much time with him when she was undercover, and now, when she was free from the restrictive hours of the precinct, she could be with him more.

  “Great. I'll ask around for any rentals in the area. You'll love the paper, Pops. If you want, you could have your own column.”

  “Me?” His laughter barked down the line. “I can't write for crap.”

  She smiled. “Just think, your own column to bitch about whatever you want. Think about it, and I'll send you photos of the places we can rent.”

  “Speak to you soon, baby girl.”

  “Love you, Pops. Talk to you later.”

  When they cut the line, Eva smiled to the press office at large. She'd been thinking about asking him to move here for the last few weeks. He always sounded chirpy over the line, but if he missed her as much as she missed him, then he was feeling the distance.

  She'd always been independent, never been a clinger, but where her paternal grandparents were concerned, she'd never liked to be away too long. After Josiah, and when she'd managed to get back on track, the only thing that had derailed her recovery was losing her grandma. It had taken some hard talking-to by Pops to make her see she couldn't give in to the demons.

  The notion that Pop
s would be next, if Martinez didn't catch her first, about killed her. She couldn't think of a time when he wouldn't be in her life. She couldn't think of it, because if she did, she'd feel like she was choking.

  There were certain things Lucia knew to avoid thinking about. A world without Pops was one of them.

  Shaking off her melancholy and focusing on the happiness to come, she looked at the list of numbers her predecessor had left pinned to a noticeboard, and sought the real estate agent's number over in Rapid City.

  When the call connected, she informed the realtor of her requirements and told her to get in touch if something came on her books. There wasn't exactly a lot of empty property in this area. While some parts of the more rural sides to the country were losing their young, Darmon wasn't. The farms and ranches were overloaded with people, with most properties tagged onto ranch land.

  She didn't expect to hear back any time soon, but she'd put in her requests and that was that.

  Settling down into her desk chair, she got ready to do some work.

  When she'd taken over the one-man operation, she'd completely changed the format of the paper. What had once been tedious, snore-inducing local propaganda, mostly about how fucking awesome Joanie was, she'd turned it on its head. The paper was now more of a magazine, only it wasn't glossy. She included anything from recipes to local gossip, national news and her take on it, as well as a larger puzzle section.

  The Neuview New View was not something she'd ever imagined doing, but she was doing it, and she was really enjoying it.

  Could she call it cathartic?

  Yeah, she guessed she could. After a lifetime of being the viewer of hard crime and violence, living somewhere where the general store conning its clients into believing their ketchup was homemade was big news, was bliss.

  Sure, Marjorie's disappearance was a blip in the little haven she'd come to believe this county was, but the whole story surrounding it was a farce. Ramsay deserved to lose his office for the fool way he'd handled the case.