by K. J. Dahlen
“I am still not sure. You accused me of…” Her voice fell away. “You acted like I’d gotten pregnant like to trap you or something.”
“That was never it, and I made a mistake. I know you were never with anyone else. It just took me by surprise after I believed I could never father children. Please forgive me. It was stupid. I am so sorry to have hurt you. I love you too much, in fact. So, it hurt me to think…” He paused as if he was overcome with feeling. “I love you, Raven.”
She sighed as tears fell down her cheeks. “I love you too. And the baby?” she repeated.
“My son or daughter will know that he or she is wanted and loved by its mother and its father.” He smiled down at her. He got to his feet and helped her up off the floor. “Come on, we have work to do. You need something to eat and I need to find out more about this other woman.”
When he opened the door, they found everyone waiting for them.
Raven smiled at Pepper.
Barshan looked down at his phone and growled. He looked up at Yuri and shook his head. “We got the hospital reports on the day Pepper was found.”
“Print everything out.” Yuri nodded toward his office. “We need hard copies so we can share the information.” He glanced down at Raven. “Your brother sent along the information he found earlier as well.” He looked over at Roman. “Download the security tapes from the safe house. Let’s put a face to our shooter. Then we can track that bastard down and take him out.”
An hour later, they had a face and a name to go with it. “Oscar Mann.” Yuri swore. “This man is becoming a pain in the ass.”
“But have you noticed anything strange about both shootings?” Sazon commented.
“Strange? Like what?” Mikial asked.
“Strange…like he only shot out the glass.” Sazon nodded. “If he was that close, a sharp shooter like him would have gone for the kill. I think this man is playing head games with us.”
“What kind of head games?” Yuri asked in an angry tone.
“It’s like he’s daring us to come after him.”
“He could be right,” Roman agreed. “From what I know of Mann, he likes the challenge of being smarter than the next guy. This could be his way of calling us out.”
“And while we’re out there looking for him, it would be easier for someone to slip past us and get to Pepper or maybe Raven,” Yuri concluded. “No way in hell is that gonna happen.”
“But why?” Pepper asked. “I’m no body important. I don’t have any money.”
“There’s somebody out there that doesn’t want you around,” Mikial said. “We just have to find him or her and ask them why.”
“It’s time to take a break,” Yuri announced. “Raven and the rest of you need time to eat and regroup.”
Just about that time Yuri’s fax machine began to spit out page after page of information. Raven walked over to pick up the pages from the floor. Glancing over them, she looked up at Yuri. “Nicky found more information. He dug deeper into Pepper’s mom.”
“My mom?’ Pepper repeated. “What about her?”
Yuri joined Raven and began reading the pages Nicky sent. After a moment or so, he gazed up at Pepper. “How about the fact she was worth a great deal of money when she died? Money that went into a trust she had set up for you.”
Pepper shrugged. “This is the first I’ve ever heard about it.”
Yuri turned another page to read it. “Money someone has been using for eighteen years.”
“Who would do something like that?” she asked.
“The bank papers say it’s Cullen Brandt,” Yuri explained. “Not only is money coming out of the account but money is going into it as well.”
“That’s not possible boss,” Mikial spoke up. “Cullen Brandt died within a month of Jessie Carter.”
Yuri shook his head. “Not according to the bank records. He just made a monthly withdrawal of fifty thousand dollars a week ago.” He looked over to Barshan. “Get the banks’ security tapes and let’s find out who this man is.”
“Who is putting money into the trust?” Pepper asked. “There should be no activity at all. Not withdrawals or deposits.”
“That would depend on if your mother’s paintings are still being sold somewhere.”
Raven made a call, “Nicky, we need to know if there is any paperwork regarding a new attorney for Jessie Carter. Someone has been taking Cullen’s place all this time.”
“I know,” Nicky replied. “I just uncovered some video from the bank. I’m sending it to Yuri. I don’t know who he is yet, but I’ll find out and let you know.”
Raven glanced over at Yuri. “Nicky is sending you some video. It shows someone who’s been using the trust.”
Yuri checked his phone and swore. He watched the video for a moment then turned it so everyone could see it. It plainly showed a man walking to the counter and cashing a check. It wasn’t until he turned around that they could see his face. When they recognized him…everyone swore.
“Who is this guy?” Pepper asked as she listened to the grumbles from everyone.
“His name is Timothy Flynn and baby, he’s bad news any way you slice it,” Mikial told her.
Chapter Seven
“That’s Timothy Flynn?” Raven asked.
Yuri snapped his head around to stare at her. “Do you know the man?”
Raven shook her head. “Not personally no, but I have heard of him. You don’t live on the streets and not know how things work, who to watch out for and what situations to avoid.” She motioned toward the photo on his phone. “He was one of the things most of us avoided.”
“Why?” Pepper asked.
“Because of the fact the man is just plain mean and crazy,” Raven explained. “He likes his secrets and if he thinks you’re butting into his business, whether you are or not, he’ll cut you and watch you bleed to death. Rumors run rampant about this guy. He’s the monster everyone talks about in whispers.”
“He does business with the Irish mob but not even they want him as part of their organization,” Yuri added.
“Then why is he taking money from a trust set up by my mother?” she asked.
“That my dear, is a very good question,” Yuri commented. “One we will have to ask him if and when we get our hands on him.”
“So now what do we do?” Pepper asked.
“We continue to gather information,” Yuri replied. “We find and detain Oscar Mann and we find some kind of connection to Timothy Flynn.”
“We also have to discover how Leon Knight became attorney for your mother’s estate,” Mikial added to the list.
“Let’s begin a timeline of events,” Yuri suggested. “Maybe if we can all see it as the event occurred, we can figure this out.” Gathering up everything they had, everyone moved to Yuri’s office and began setting up the timeline going back eighteen years.
When Roman put the photo of Timothy Flynn next to the photo of Cullen Brandt, Pepper took a moment to compare the two. She saw the same bone structure and jawline. She saw the same eyes and the same hairline. Timothy had red hair and green eyes while Cullen had dark hair and blue eyes but there were enough similar features that they drew her eye.
“Oh, my…” she whispered.
Mikial turned and stared at her for a moment. “What is it?”
Pepper motioned at the photos. “Don’t you see it?”
“See what?” Raven asked as she joined them.
“I think these two men might be related. They both share similar features.”
“You know something, she could be right.” Raven nodded after she studied the photos for a moment.
“Yuri, what do we know about the family of either of these men?” Mikial asked.
“Not much at the moment but we’ll know plenty in a little while.” Yuri picked up his phone and called down to security, giving the order for a family tree of both Cullen and Timothy. When he finished, he came over to stand beside them. “What makes you think they might
be related?”
Pepper pointed out the similar features.
Yuri noted them and nodded. “Good catch.”
Pepper shrugged. “Maybe being the daughter of an artist pays off.”
A short while later, Yuri had lunch sent up from the restaurant in the lobby of the hotel. While they ate, more paperwork came in. This included a family tree of Cullen and Timothy.
Mikial took it and began searching it for a common thread. A few minutes later, he swore. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“What is it?” Yuri asked.
“The two men are indeed related, not only to each other but to someone else we know.”
“Who would that be?”
“They are both cousins to McKenna Knight,” Mikial announced. “Not closely related but related all the same.”
“And who is McKenna Knight?” Yuri asked.
“Long time wife of Leon Knight.”
“And who is Leon Knight?” Yuri asked.
“About six weeks ago, Leon Knight came to see me. He’s an attorney here in town and he wanted to talk to me about a possible new investor he wanted me to consider at the Import/Export shop. I told him I wasn’t interested in taking on another investor, silent or otherwise. Then he told me about this artist whose work he represented.” He turned and nodded at Pepper. “The artist was Jessie Carter. He showed me an example of her work and we agreed to give her time in the Gallery. It was going well until yesterday and well…you all know how that turned out.”
“Do we have a picture of the Knight family?”
“I think so,” Mikial answered.
“Let’s see the entire Knight family then,” Yuri commanded.
Mikial printed a photo of Leon’s family and hung it up beside the photos of Cullen and Timothy.
Pepper brought the painting of her as a child and set it up next to the other photos. Standing back, she began to search for similarities. She didn’t find any between her painting and the photographs. After a while, it drove her nuts so she backed off and went to get another cup of coffee.
From a distance, she glanced back at the painting and the photos. While the others continued to set up the timeline, she observed the photos while still looking for a common link. She didn’t know why but she had a feeling there was something here everyone, including her, was missing. She felt a knot in her shoulders and raised her hands to the area.
Her fingers couldn’t quite reach so Mikial stepped up and began rubbing her neck.
Pepper moaned. “God, that feels good. I’ll give you a week to finish.”
Mikial chuckled and leaned closer. “As much as I like these groans I think I prefer the other ones you make. The ones you make when I’m deep inside you,” he whispered in her ear.
“Me too,” Pepper whispered back. “I love the feel of you inside me.”
Mikial groaned. Taking a step away he said, “Don’t tempt me sweetheart. It wouldn’t take much to drag you down the hall.”
“Now you’re teasing me.” Pepper reached for him. Mikial took another step away and her hands fell to her sides.
“Hush, please don’t look at me like that,” he whispered. “If you touch m, I’ll lose control and I need to concentrate on what’s happening right now,”
Pepper took a deep breath and when she exhaled it, she nodded. “Yeah, we all have work to do don’t we?”
“We’ll be together in a few short hours,” Mikial promised.
“Okay, I guess I can wait that long,” she whispered back. “But no longer.”
Mikial gave her a look that promised her everything. He turned and led her to join the others.
Over the afternoon, they discussed everything they’d uncovered up to that point.
A few minutes after this, Yuri got another call. When he answered the phone, his eyes sought Pepper’s. After a few more minutes, he ended the call and faced the young woman. “I have some bad news for you, but first I must tell you, you are going to be safe here. Nothing and no one will hurt you as long as you stay with us.”
“What is it?” Pepper whispered as she got to her feet and stepped toward him. “Is it Paul or Marie? Did someone get to them? Are they all right?” She gripped his upper arms tightly. “Please tell me they’re okay.”
Mikial got up and wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her away from Yuri.
Yuri took her hands and told her, “Paul and Marie are all right. This doesn’t concern them at all.”
“Then what? What’s wrong?” she begged.
“This news concerns your roommate, what is her name? Sami.”
“Samantha Newton. What about her? She was supposed to be staying with her boyfriend Jake Loocke.” Pepper’s body shook. “What happened to her?”
“She and her boyfriend were crossing the street in front of his apartment when a car came out of nowhere. It struck them just as they got to the curb. The boyfriend is okay but Sami is in the hospital with a broken leg.”
“Nooo!” Pepper cried softly as she struggled to get out of Mikial’s hold on her.
“Honey,” Yuri spoke softly to her. “She’s going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that! She got hurt because of me. Next time, she might be killed and it would all be my fault.”
“Don’t be ridicules.” Yuri scoffed.
Mikial glared at his friend and quickly turned her in his arms. “Honey, this isn’t your fault. None of this is. This mess is someone trying to hide a secret.”
Pepper felt the tears roll down her cheeks. “But Sami doesn’t have anything to do with this. This is between me and this other person whoever he is.”
“Don’t you see?” Mikial reasoned. “This is his way of getting you to come to him. He’s out there waiting for you even as we speak.”
“But I don’t know any secrets either. I didn’t even know who I was until earlier today.”
“He’s drawing you out before you can discover his secrets,” Yuri explained. “He’s probably waiting for you to go to your friend so he can take you out of this equation altogether.”
“Oh, my god!” Pepper moaned. She turned to Mikial. “I need to go to her.”
“Baby, you can’t,” Mikial told her as he tightened his hold.
“But I can’t leave her out there on her own!” She wailed.
“She won’t be alone or unprotected,” Yuri assured her. “Paul said he would put a man on her and if you’d like, so will I.”
“Please.” Pepper glanced at him. “I wonder what whoever is behind this thinks I know? It’s like the first few years of my life are gone. For all I know, they are gone forever. I’ve never remembered them other than in my nightmares, and those I don’t remember when I’m awake.”
“I understand that but whoever is behind this doesn’t know this.” Yuri nodded. “We are very close to figuring this out, please be patient just a little bit longer.”
“But people are getting hurt because of this.” Pepper stared at him with teary eyes.
“Your friend is going to be okay,” Yuri assured her. “If she is any kind of friend, she wouldn’t want you to get hurt because of this.”
Pepper turned and buried her face in Mikial’s chest. “It isn’t fair. I didn’t ask for any of this.”
Mikial growled deep in his chest at her distress. “We’ll find whoever is responsible for this and he will pay for hurting you. I promise you that.”
She laid her head against his chest. “I don’t know how much more I can take. This is all too much.”
“It will be over soon,” Mikial promised.
“I think I’ll go lay down for a while. I can even think anymore.”
“You can take her across the hall to the other penthouse apartment,” Yuri told him. “You’ll have to stay with her but she should be safe there.”
Mikial nodded and led Pepper out of the room. Then they crossed the hall and entered the other apartment on that floor. This was where Nikoli stayed when he was in town and where Misha and Sergi had stayed a f
ew weeks ago when they came to see Raven and Nicky.
The apartment had the same layout as Yuri’s. Living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms, an office, two bathrooms and a study. Mikial leaned down and picked her up into his arms. Then he walked down the hall and entered one of the bedrooms.
Laying her on the bed he was getting up when she pulled him back down on top of her. “Please don’t leave. Stay with me.”
“Sweetheart, I will be right here. But for now, I think you need to sleep.”
“No I don’t need to sleep. I need you. I need you to help me forget what’s going on.”
“Honey,” Mikial groaned.
“Please,” she begged. “I need you.”
Mikial’s mouth crushed down on hers. When they broke the kiss, he whispered, “Are you sure you want this now? I’m not certain I can do gentle right now. My need for you is too great.”
“Take me.” Pepper groaned and ground her core against his growing cock.
Mikial all but ripped her shirt over her head. His lips and teeth nibbled her neck as he tore at her pants, dragging them down and off. His mouth covered her nipples through the material of her bra and Pepper moaned.
She pulled his shirt up and ran her fingers over his skin. Mikial got impatient and drew his shirt over his head. Then he fell on top of her again. His mouth suckled her neck and he could feel her pulse jump. His heart pounded in his chest as he reached down for her panties. Slipping his hand under the band, he could feel how wet she was. He slipped two fingers into her and felt her response then he pushed them in and pulled them out. He then lowered his mouth and latched onto her clit, sucking in her sweet flavor.
“Ohhh!” Pepper moaned.
Mikial licked her up and down as he kept pumping his fingers.
Pepper arched her body in ecstasy. “Oh, god!”
Pulling his fingers out, he kept sucking on her button as he raised both hands up and tweaked her nipples.
Pepper screamed as she thrashed around “Oh, Mikial!” Her body went rigid as she came.