Dauntless (The Agency Dark Affairs Duet Book 2)

by Amélie S. Duncan

  My face grew hot, and my blood pounded. My sense of self shattered as despair whirled my mind into a frenzy. I couldn’t stop looking and what I saw was worse than I had imagined. There was no coming back from this. There was no going up from here. I was publicly defiled. Finished. They’d made good on their threat and won. To them, their action was a demonstration of power, but to me, it was a desecration of my soul. Everything stopped as I gave into it. Tears threatened my eyes, and I wanted to give myself over, but if I did, I feared they wouldn’t stop. My throat caught fire with pain. I struggled to fill my lungs with air.

  “Gia.”

  No. Don’t speak. Never speak or show myself again.

  Fight this now.

  I can’t.

  My body kept shaking and shaking. “Gia. You’re a fighter. A survivor, sweetheart.”

  Light blue eyes shone through the fog—Elliott.

  Where did he come from? So, absorbed in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed the car had stopped moving or that we were across town. But it didn’t matter now. Elliott held me.

  “I asked Tove to bring you here,” he said. His thumbs stroking my cheeks.

  “You’ll survive this. You have me, Dane, your family, and real friends right by you. You can count on that.”

  The lump lodged in my throat robbed me of speech.

  “They will pay for this. I can’t stay…we found a maid that worked for Vincent. She tried to leave the country out of Las Vegas. She’s giving names, which means we don’t need him. They know we have her, so that’s why…”

  The video was released to discredit me. “I need to…speak to her.”

  “Okay. I’ll find a way,” he replied. “I’ll see about making that happen…. I’m going to make it right. It takes time, and it’s a process to get justice, but I trust it. We will win.”

  I swallowed. “We will.” We had to.

  We were outside a building in the emergency parking spot. We would have to move on.

  Elliott leaned close. “How about you come in and we can have an early dinner together?”

  I flinched. Be out in public? No way, not yet. “I’m too upset. I just need to be alone right now.”

  “I know that,” he rubbed my shoulders. “But I don’t think that’s a good idea. Tove, go on and take Gia back to my place. I don’t know when I’ll be able to return tonight, but as soon as I can, I’ll be with you. You’re a fighter, Gia. You amaze me every fucking day.” He kissed me hard on the lips and climbed out of the car.

  My insides warmed at his sentiment. I didn’t want him to go, but I needed him to be out there fishing out whoever did this. “Thank you.”

  I’d needed to find my way out of this mess, not fall apart now, but how?

  My phone buzzed, and I let it go to voicemail. When it went off a third time, I checked the phone. It was Dane. “Hello?”

  “I’ve been trying to reach you. I know what happened—”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said and sighed deeply.

  “Okay,” Dane replied calmly. “I know it’s hard, but you did the right thing. Trust me, this will pass. I’m here to listen when you’re ready…I left a ticket for you at the airport. I know you’re going through a lot right now, but I wish you would come. Elliott and I spoke about it last night. He must work on the case; he can’t be around as much as he wants to. He will have to come over here anyway soon with Angel—”

  I wanted to stay, but I also wanted to get away.

  “Yes. I’ll come.”

  He gave me the details, and I went back to Elliott’s home. Caving under the impact of the day, I went straight to his bed and slept.

  Later, when I thought more on my reason for leaving Seattle, it wasn’t solely to escape. I wanted to be there to support Dane and to have a chance to see Angel again. She may have been incoherent in her speech, but in the end, she’d been right.

  I was becoming her.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Elliott: More leads in the case. I’ll tell you soon. See you in New York.

  Keep your head up. Xx

  Elliott had come back late that night for a few hours before he had to leave again. When he was here, he respected my need to not talk about the video leak, though I was having a hard time avoiding it. Every time I emptied my voicemail, it was refilled by local and top news channels, papers, and magazines. All offering an interview to share my side of the story. My email was much the same. Some messages were from business contacts asking for more explanation on what I did to decide whether they would continue to work with my company and me. While others had already made up their mind about me, even going as far as requesting that I take a leave of absence from charity boards and panels that I, as well as my father, had been a member of for years. The world I built for myself was crumbling.

  I wanted to go away. I wanted to disappear.

  Had Angel went through the same thing?

  Had she, unlike me, refused to sacrifice herself and went away willingly to wherever The Agency sent her? Maybe she thought it would be temporary at first, but found she couldn’t leave? Or had she trusted “Simon,” gave in, and he took complete control of her life?

  I had spent the better part of the night and the following morning writing down the things I remembered Angel telling me at the hospital. I had so many questions now. She tried to warn me, but I had dismissed her so easily. I had thought myself too good. She’d been right. I was just as vulnerable. Just as easily scarred as I imagine other women must have been when they went up against The Agency. My humiliation was the symbol of their wrath, a warning of what happens if the other women choose to defy their desires. Moreover, now with Angel mentally incapable and the legitimacy of my claims tarnished, would there even be a case against them?

  Even so, I wasn’t ready to give up, and in that, they underestimated me. I just needed to find out more about them. I decided to do my own sleuthing.

  I logged on to the internet via my computer and searched for the name, Loren Blake. Angel had told me to contact her in the hospital. My search returned with a few results; however, none had a public address. Of course, I’d suspected that it wasn’t going to be that easy. Then again, I remembered I did have access to someone that could help me.

  After showering, I put on a sweater and jeans. I went for the minimum make-up: a penciled brow and a pale gloss. I finished up by pulling my hair back in a tight bun before I went downstairs to find Tove. He had the television on in the living room but was reading. “Is there somewhere you’d like to go today?” he asked as I approached.

  “Actually, there is a place I’d like to go, but I’ll need your help,” I said taking the seat next to him on the couch. His brows rose as I continued to speak, explaining who Loren Blake was in relation to the case. Dane told me Angel had visited her in Seattle before her disappearance and only when she gave him her belongings, which was much later, did he find the card from The Agency. I ended by saying, “I’d like to talk to her. I need to feel like I’m doing something, and I want to know what I’m up against. And Angel had mentioned I should speak with her. I can’t find her address; will you please help me?”

  His brows lowered. “You have no idea who she is or what she’s up to. Elliott says most of the people involved in this case are dangerous. I can’t take that risk especially not with his girlfriend.”

  I smiled inwardly. Did Elliott tell him I was? I’d think about that later. Right now, I wasn’t going to let that excuse stop me from trying. “I won’t be alone if I do go to her house, and more than likely, she won’t want to talk to me. Even Angel gave Elliott more to work with when she spoke with me alone. Angel said she may know something, and I believe her. Please?”

  “I understand what you are asking, and I’m sorry for all that’s going on with you,” he began calmly. “But it’s Elliott’s case and my job. If he gives the okay, then we’ll go together, but—” he said speaking over my excited exclaim. “It’ll be a long shot to get Elliott to agree to let you
go, even with me.”

  “If he says no, let me talk to him,” I said after he placed his cup down and took out his phone from the back of his jeans.

  “Would you give up now if he says no?” he asked.

  I lifted my chin. “Probably not.”

  He shook his head and grinned. “You’re stubborn. Just his type.” I wanted to ask more about Elliott’s type, but he had the phone to his ear and started speaking. I could hear Elliott’s voice raised even from where I was seated.

  “I’m out of it. You tell her,” Tove said and handed the phone to me.

  “I told him just what I’m telling you, No,” Elliott said curtly.

  “Hear me out first,” I said. “You called her a ‘dead end,’ but Angel didn’t think so and thinks there is something that we may have missed with her.”

  “Angel’s messed up. You can’t count on her,” he pointed out.

  “Maybe,” I agreed. “But even you admitted she gave you something useful. I’m not going on my own or anything. She may turn me away. I just… after all I’ve been through I still feel like I’m in the dark. I need to know more. I want to be ahead of them.”

  He sighed down the phone line. “She had nothing before and probably has even less now. Dane found The Agency’s card when she gave him the things she left, and I don’t know what she’s up to now. I’ll run a quick check, and if she comes back clean, you can chat with her, that is if she’ll speak with you.”

  I exhaled. “Thank you.”.

  “Don’t thank me,” he grumbled. “You will follow and do exactly what Tove and I say to do. If he decides it’s unsafe, you leave with him. Understood?” Even though he was being a hard ass, I could hear the worry in his voice. “Agreed?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Now if everything checks out, I’ll let you go and give you the questions you’ll ask her on the ride to her home,” Elliott said. “Let her see Tove is with you and let me know how she reacts. Make sure you stay in sight. When it’s over, you call me, understood?”

  “I will,” I vowed.

  Tove and I waited for Elliott to call back, and by early afternoon, he was able to give us an address to Loren’s home on Whidbey Island. Waiting for the Mukilteo Ferry gave Elliott and me plenty of time to talk on the phone and to go over his request. We both thought it better to show up than be turned down by phone, though since she cooperated a while back, he didn’t think she would avoid speaking to me.

  The road she lived on was paved, though single-laned. Her house, which was at the end of the street, was a two-story colonial revival of powder blue siding and white columns. Although there were no lights on, the absence of tire tracks in the snow leading to her double garage driveway suggests she is home. I put on my coat and walked up the slate path to the front porch with Tove. My conscience finally kicked in when I pressed the doorbell. I worried as we waited at how aggressive this must seem, coming over unannounced and expecting her to talk to a stranger no less. But then the door opened to the cheery face of a tall, thin woman with light brown bobbed hair. “You’re early, but everyone from Cross King is welcome.”

  Tove and I glimpsed each other in confusion, then I stepped forward. “No. We’re not from Cross King church.” I assumed it was a religious affiliation but decided to cut to the chase. “Loren Blake? I’m Gia Ruiz or Washington Governor Walsh’s ex-wife as you may have heard about. I’m sorry for just showing up like this. I know your friend Angelica Browne.”

  “My name is Mrs. Olson now. I’m married, “Loren said and turned the sleeves down on the end of her pink cardigan. Her pale eyes lit in recognition. “I’ve heard of you. Sorry about what happened. I have nothing to tell you that I haven’t already shared with the police. You shouldn’t have come all this way.”

  “Since I’m here, can I at least speak with you for a few minutes?” I asked. “I won’t take much of your time. When I saw Angel in the hospital, she asked me to speak with you.”

  She looked at Tove and fidgeted. “Even though you’re familiar, I don’t usually allow strangers into my home, especially men.”

  “Is there a place around here you feel comfortable?” I asked.

  “Well, there is a bench in a covered patio in the back,” she offered.

  “Gia,” Tove said warningly. Elliott hadn’t wanted me to go off alone, but I turned to him and pleaded, touching my handbag to let him know I had my phone. “I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll be on the other side of the door,” he told me.

  “Thank you,” I told him.

  I followed her to the back of the house where she opened the door to a covered porch in the backyard. She turned on a black metal fireplace and took the red upholstered chair, then she motioned for me to take the padded bench, which I did. “Thank you, and I apologize again for just showing up. Things just seem to be getting worse. I just wanted to see if there was something I was missing in Angel’s story.”

  “I’m really sorry for you both,” she said empathetically. “I…I’m really in shock. I can’t believe what happened to Angel. I’ll forever feel guilty about it.”

  “How is what happened to Angel your fault?” I asked gently. “She came to visit you?”

  She dipped her head. “Yes, she did. I don’t know what you heard about me, but back then I had a serious heroin habit. I hid it until I couldn’t, then I left New York to get clean. I had started doing better, and when Angel called me, I invited her to come visit. When she did, I immediately got back into drugs just like Angel.”

  My lips parted. “I never heard Angel was into drugs. Dane never mentioned—”

  “Dane wouldn’t,” she said and lowered her eyelids. “She was into drugs, sex. He never saw anything but good in her. He was crazy about her. But how can I blame him now? I should have told him where she was and who she was hanging out with here. She ended up in a worse hell than she had there.” She sniffed, and I reached over and pulled a tissue from a decorative box on the table and handed it to her.

  I softened. “What happened when she came here?”

  “She wanted to party,” she replied. “She had the money that I needed to keep my habit. I was not in any shape to protect her or myself.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  She shook her head. “Don’t be. I’m sorry. I failed her. I’m the one that didn’t let her go back to Dane. I pushed her to go out. I didn’t tell him at the time because I was embarrassed, but she had a lot of cash on hand, like she had a big sponsor.”

  I frowned. “What did Angel need with a sponsor? She had her fashion business.”

  “She could design, but she wasn’t great with money,” Loren explained. “Not with friends like me around. She had an entourage that would make a superstar’s look small. Angel’s friends were mostly users like me. She hated to be alone.”

  I swallowed. Neither did I. I didn’t like upsetting Loren, but I knew I had to at least ask more about what might help the case. “Do you know the name of the sponsor or where she met him?”

  She rubbed her temples like she was trying to recall. “I remember thinking it was common. She might have told me, but there were so many men back then. He was from New York. The calls she received I think was from New York, but I couldn’t be sure.”

  “So, you didn’t meet him?” I asked.

  “No,” she answered. “I didn’t even ask her any questions about him. All I wanted was more drugs. When she came here, we did a few sex clubs, parties, orgies. I had gone into a drug binge and was out for days. When I came back to myself, she was gone.” She clasped the gold cross around her neck. “I went back to rehab. I turned my life around.”

  “I’m happy for you, and I’m sure Angel would be too,” I said.

  She smiled and exhaled. “Well, that’s all I have time for today.”

  “Thank you,” I told her and stood. “If you can think of anything else, would you call me?”

  “Sure. Let me get my phone so that I can take down your number,” she said.
“I should have offered you coffee. I’ve been rude.”

  I waved my hand. “It’s okay. I came unannounced. I’m just grateful you spoke with me. I wish I understood why The Agency wants to destroy me.”

  “You mustn’t think of them as wanting to destroy you,” she said smoothing the back of her chair. “Women have grown so far from their purpose. They forget they were created to serve man’s needs.”

  I bit my cheek hard to stop myself from challenging her. After all, I hadn’t come to question her beliefs, though I found them annoying, I rose and accidentally knocked the tissue box I had handed to her earlier, and we both bent down to pick it up. She moved her sleeve back to her elbow, and I froze. Her wristband. It wasn’t black like the one I had worn on the boat. Rather, it was gold, with a tiny jeweled heart-shaped lock.

  The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Our eyes met, and she gave a short shake of her head.

  “It’s not what you think,” she said. “It only came about after I got out of rehab. I met someone that was a member, and with his help, I turned my life around. I’m off drugs. I have a beautiful home, friends and a community. I can’t have kids but always wanted them. No one would let me in my past life, but now I’m about to adopt twins…. The Agency isn’t bad. My life was ruined, and now it’s better. There are bad people in good places just like there are good people in bad places.”

  “Your friend, Angel was tortured,” I said. “Her mind is gone, and all you can say is your life is better?”

  “I’m sorry for Angel,” she said. “Everyone is upset by what happened to her. It goes against The Agency’s policies. I’m living proof. The blame is not The Agency’s, but the bad people using it in a way it wasn’t meant to be… I think you should go now.”

  I pressed my lips together. There was no use in trying to change her mind. In her eyes, the man that was keeping her saved her. “Yes, I believe I should. I know I can’t talk you out of it, but if you ever feel threatened or scared, please get help.” I was on the patio when she called out to me.