“I take it you’ve had time to look over the information I’ve given to you,” I said, the voice device giving my normally sexy, masculine voice a deep, gravelly timbre. It was weird, to say the least.
“How did you get this?” he asked.
“Not be any legal means, which is why you never knew about it. I’ve been cleaning up the trash—”
“No, what you’ve been doing is taking the law into your own hands!” he snapped, cutting me off in his tirade.
“Sometimes, the law has to be taken into the hands of a vigilante. I don’t need court orders or a mountain of evidence. All I need is probable cause to pursue and remove a threat to the public.”
“You’ve killed two people,” he said.
“I’ve killed more than that, if I’m going to be honest. All bad people the law had no idea were committing atrocities like you’ve seen on that drive. These people are out of your league and they have connections that reach into every form of government, law, business, and entertainment. Pockets deeper than you can imagine. They have been doing this for twenty-five years. Think about how many innocent people have been murdered for their amusement. They aren’t human,” I said. I was actually surprised that he let me get that much out.
“Are you Cobra?” he asked after a short moment of silence.
“You know who I am.” I knew he wasn’t tracing the call. Even if he had such equipment, he didn’t go for it. This was just a one-on-one conversation. He really wanted to learn more, and that was a good thing.
“Why come to me with this information, especially since you said the law can’t touch these people?”
“To be honest, coming to you wasn’t my idea. There is really nothing you can do and if you try, you’ll only be stopped by those in power who are connected to the Killing Game. Other police in other countries have tried and they have ended up dead; many becoming victims of the Killing Game to be tortured and killed at the whim of one of the members.”
“So, you were just looking out for me? I find that hard to believe. Still, that doesn’t answer my question,” he pointed out.
“Why I’m coming to you is because you’re already on the case, but have no idea where to look for answers. You now know why Cecily and Walter were killed. What ties them to their crimes will not be admissible in court and was gathered without a warrant.”
“Yeah, see… shit like that doesn’t help the law bust people like them,” he said.
“Both had been members for over three years, so you had that long before I came around to take care of business, but you were none the wiser to their evil deeds. The paper trail that connected them was only discovered by a hacker extraordinaire. I seriously doubt the police have that jurisdiction. Face it, I can do things you can’t. I don’t need permission, but we both want the same thing.”
“I want to see justice brought to these criminals,” Alexi said, and I watched him slam his fist on the kitchen table. We once fucked on that kitchen table… ahhhh, sweet memories.
“Not everyone will be held accountable, and I want justice too. It’s just we see justice differently. Understand, that even if you’re able to somehow bring all the members to court, all over the world, many would walk free. Too little evidence, or hook ups that go beyond the normal friend of a friend. You’re dealing with organized crime of every faction: politicians, law enforcement, celebrities, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, doctors, lawyers… should I go on?”
“You think they are above the law?”
I laughed. “I know they are. But if I haven’t convinced you that they are… then let me give you a name. A name I’m sure you’re investigating already and haven’t come up with anything. Richard Tate.”
There was a pause, and I knew he was trying to figure shit out. “What about him?”
“Well, the police have been investigating his disappearance since his bodyguards had been killed and you’ve found nothing, am I right? Be honest.”
“What do you know about him?” Alexi asked, and I knew he was fishing.
“The question is, what do you know about him?”
“That he is a very rich and powerful business man with connections to Mayor Danvers and Walter Darring—all business and charity related. Preliminary reports only state that perhaps he was targeted because someone wants to take out the most influential people in the city,” he said.
I chuckled. “You know nothing, and you never will. Their cases will be closed and unsolved. You’ve been digging into Cecily and Walter’s pasts for over a month, trying to find anything you can to figure out who killed them and why. Still, you have nothing. You’ve all looked through what you can in Richard’s life, both business and private, and still, you know nothing. But I know a great deal more, because I am not restrained by the law. Now, I’m asking you, Detective Alexi Taylor… how far are you willing to go to learn even more?”
I knew this was the defining moment. The point where he would make this easy or difficult. Either he would come willingly into this, or I’d have to kidnap him, take him to my hideout, and force him to listen to reason. I really hoped I didn’t have to do the latter.
“Do you know where Richard Tate is?” he asked me.
I was watching his every move through my binoculars and he was sitting up straight, but still sifting through the papers I’d given him. His eyes scanned the details, committing them to memory.
“I do.”
“Where is he?”
“Ah, ah, ah… detective. Do I have your word that you will work with me and not against me on this?”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, if I pull you in, you don’t try to arrest me or any of my comrades.”
“You’re criminals.”
“The people I saved may see me as different.”
“Doesn’t negate the fact that you’ve committed heinous crimes.”
“Well, if you’re not going to be my friend, detective, we can leave it here and you’ll never know what will happen next. Your cases will go cold, or you may even be told to close them and let it go. Already, your captain is pressuring you to do just that. Believe me, he’s getting the pressure from above. You’ll never be able to do more than what you’ve already done, which is nothing.”
“You really think you’re a smart shit, don’t you?”
“I just happen to know what’s really going on. And now that you do as well, what’s it going to be?”
I had my fingers crossed that he would just accept my offer, so I could clue him in. I was debating on whether or not tonight would be the night I’d expose myself, or did I keep giving him info on the sly like tonight? Ugh, if I knew Alexi, he’d want the full-access pass.
“If I’m going to do this, no more of this cloak and dagger shit. You want me to trust you, to work with you and disregard the manner in which you’re dealing out your brand of justice, I have some stipulations of my own.”
“You really don’t have anything to bargain with, you know that, right?”
“See, I think you’re wrong, or why else would you be coming to me now? You want something from me, or maybe you need me for some reason. Whatever the reason, I have stipulations and if you’re not ready to hear them out, then we can act like this conversation never happened and I’ll see for myself just how far I can get on my own with what you’ve already given me,” Alexi countered.
Well, he had me there. If I was going to get Bishop to help me, which I desperately needed, I had to have a cop on board. Alexi was the only one I felt I could trust. I hated how these two men were grabbing on to my short and curlies. “What are your stipulations?” I asked, giving in a little.
“I want all in. You want me to keep my department out of it, I will. From what I’ve read of these files, you’re probably right about me not being able to do anything more with what I have, but that still won’t stop me from trying. But… and this is a big ‘but’, if I work with you and learn more about what’s going on… I may be able to find a way to take them down.
And that’s what I want to do, if we can take this Killing Game out the legal way… that’s the route I want to take.”
“Is that it?” It was pretty much the same bullshit Bishop was sprouting, so not too much of a stretch for me to just agree to Alexi asking for the same thing.
“Yeah, I keep your secret, you let me into your inner circle.”
“If you betray me, you’ll never—”
“I’m giving you my word and I’m a man who stands by my word,” Alexi said, cutting me off again.
“I’ll get back with you,” I said, then ended the call. I watched him hang up his phone and he didn’t make any other calls. He placed his cell on the table the put his face in his hands. I bet he felt like the entire world was resting on his shoulders right at that moment. The fact that he didn’t immediately call his partner was a good sign that he was going to keep his word.
He leaned back, took a deep breath, and I continued to watch him for another hour as he read over the files several times and even watched the video footage again. It was time to make my big move. I removed my eye mask and the voice device, slipping them both into my bag. I made my way down to the ground level, crossed the street, and walked up to his level. I was still wearing my Cobra outfit, but he wouldn’t know that. I knocked on his door and waited for him to answer.
I could hear his footsteps as he walked up to the door and peeked through the peephole. Next, he unlocked the locks and opened the door. “Hey baby, tonight isn’t a good night.” He looked me up and down and snorted. “What the fuck are you wearing? Are you coming from some Daddy leather bar?”
“No, and we need to talk,” I said, and didn’t wait for an invitation before I pushed past him.
“What the fuck? Eric, I’m serious, you look hot as fuck in the leather, but I’m really not in the mood,” Alexi said.
I didn’t answer him. I figured after our conversation and what he’d learned, sex would be the last thing on his mind, so I had given up that hope a while ago. I only walked over to the end table by the sofa and reached under it, removing one of the bugs I’d planted a while back.
He frowned, his eyebrows creasing as his lips snarled up. “What the fuck is that?” he asked, pointing at the device I held between my fingers.
“You know what it is,” I said. “I planted another one in your bedroom.”
He stormed over to me and shoved me back against the sofa. “You were spying on me? Why?” he roared.
“If you sit down, I will explain everything,” I told him. I wasn’t worried about him hurting me, not physically, at least. All the pain he could cause me was emotional, and by the look of anger and confusion on his face, I was already doing the honors to him. I hated that he was looking at me that way. A part of me wished I could have just avoided all of this, but I knew I couldn’t.
Alexi sat down on the edge of the coffee table opposite me and kept his gorgeous but stern gaze on me the whole time. “Start fucking talking.”
“I planted these before we really got to know each other as we do now,” I began.
“That means shit if you’ve been spying on me all this time, Eric… if that’s even your real fucking name. Turns out, you were a better liar than I gave you credit for.”
“I’m skilled in many things, Alexi. You are the detective who was on my case. I needed to know what you knew, so I could stay one step ahead of you and your investigation,” I confessed.
His eye bulged, his mouth dropped open, and then he stood up from the table and took several paces away from me. He ran his fingers through his hair, then over his face, and then back through his hair. The look of horror and surprise that I was the killer he’d been looking for literally crushed me. He turned his back and I looked away, almost ashamed of the pain I’d caused him, but it had been for a good reason. One that I believed in. “Jesus Christ, you’re him… Cobra?” He turned to me as if expecting me to confirm, so I did, looking at him and nodding.
“I was mixed in with the Killing Game before I ever met you and committed to taking them down.”
“You killed those people,” he said, and he looked like he wanted to puke by the disgusted expression on his face.
“I did.”
“How can you kill people and sleep with me?”
I looked off to the side, because in all honesty, I really couldn’t explain how I processed things. I shrugged, then turned to face him. “I sleep better at night knowing the people I’ve dealt with won’t be hurting or killing anyone else. I don’t have to worry about a jail or court releasing them, so they could do it all over again. I see what I’ve done as a service to those who can’t do it themselves. Should I feel remorse for killing someone who could torture an innocent child to death? You saw the footage, Alexi. That boy got only a portion of the justice he deserved when I killed Walter. I still need to get to the executioner carrying out the murders and the people who keep the Killing Game going. Then, and only then, will all those victims have their justice.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
I looked away from him because I needed time to think about my reply.
“Answer me!” he demanded.
I turned back to him. “Because…”
“Answer me!” he roared this time so loud, it actually jarred me and I jumped, which didn’t happen to me often.
“Because I was falling in love with you!” I blurted out in a rush of words that sounded like one long word. It seemed to be the only way I was going to get it out. I exhaled and stared at Alexi, who was staring back at me with a stone-faced expression. I hated that expression, because I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, not one inkling. “Say something,” I begged after the silence between us got to be too deafening.
“What do you want me to say?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know, shit… anything.”
“The man whose smile brightened my day… who I was also falling in love with just confessed to being the very vigilante killer I’d been searching for. Forgive me if I’m needing a moment or two to process this, Eric… if that’s your real name.”
“Yes, it’s my real name,” I confessed in a whisper, because I was still reeling from him admitting that he was falling in love with me too. I knew my feelings for him were strong, and we got along like two peas in a pod. But this was something that was both devastating and exhilarating. My heart throbbed inside my chest and I fought hard to fight the strain of wanting to cry, because I feared that by exposing myself, I had ruined what I had with him.
“What’s your last name?” he asked.
“Cayden. Eric Cayden. That is the truth.” My voice broke and I coughed to clear my throat. I didn’t want him to see just how vulnerable I felt. But then again, maybe it didn’t matter if he saw. Maybe it was better that he did. At least, that way, he could see how genuine I was.
“I believe you,” Alexi said, then he went into his kitchen and returned with two beers. He tossed one to me, which I caught, and sat back down on the table. He took a few swigs and gestured at my bottle. “I’m not drinking alone right now, you better not waste that.”
I looked down at my bottle and took a few swigs. The cold beverage was refreshing going down my parched throat. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was until I started drinking. “I didn’t sleep with you all those times because I was spying.”
He rolled his eyes and smirked. “The bugs you planted did that for you. So, what, you just liked my cock and company?”
“My friend warned me about getting too close to you for this reason. But, I couldn’t stay away. Yeah, first, it was your cock, then I began to love your company and everything about you. I hated having to lie to you, Alexi. But I knew even though we were on the same side of the law, we were still on different sides of the law.”
“You don’t think the law applies to you,” he said.
“And neither do the people I take out. That brings me back to Richard Tate. I have him, he’s unharmed, but I need him to get to the others. W
e have a plan, which entails flying to Russia where Richard is to meet with one of his Killing Game contacts.”
“Do you speak Russian?” Alexi asked.
“Nope.”
“Does your friend?”
“Nope.”
“You’re taking quite the risk going to a country whose language you don’t understand and into a lion’s den that may be above your skill level,” Alexi said.
“It is the risk I’m willing to take. I’ll have back-up.”
“Does this back-up speak Russian?” Alexi asked, one eyebrow cocked.
“I didn’t ask.”
“You might want to do that.”
“Sure. But if he doesn’t, are all these questions leading up to something other than pointing out my lack of linguistics?”
Alexi sighed and took another swig of his beer. “It’s that attitude of yours that turns me on so much. Right now, though, it’s pissing me off, so check it. You don’t have the privilege to be incredulous at this point.”
“Duly noted.”
“I mean it.”
I held my hands up. “This is me, surrendering.”
He lowered his head, shaking it. “Jesus, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that this is all happening.” He looked back up at me. “A part of me wants to beat the fuck out of you right now.”
I shrugged. “I mean, you could try, but it’ll only hurt you more,” I warned.
“Oh, why is that?”
“Because, I’m an Enhanced Human. My skin is impenetrable, I’m extremely strong, I can change myself to look like whoever I want, and I heal very fast.”
His jaw slacked again as he looked at me in astonishment. “All this fucking time, I never knew.”
“It’s because I have these abilities that I use them to save people.”
Alexi sighed—heavily. “I get that you see that angle and I can’t deny that there isn’t truth to that. It’s just… from what I do know of you, I can’t see that being a side of you, Eric. How could you do it? I mean, mutilate those people? It was sick.”
“I wanted to give to them just as good as they gave their victims. Why should Walter die with a bullet to the head, when he tortured that boy until he finally got bored of hearing the child scream and seeing all the blood before issuing the final blow? If it’s any consolation, I did puke afterward.”
Cobra- The Vigilante Box Set 2 Page 20