For a moment, Sam honestly worried Linc might rear back and sweep that computer right off her desk. She cut another look to the screen, to the brunette woman, and then back up at Linc, her own face ashen white, as if she already knew the answer to the question she hadn’t yet asked.
“Who is that, Linc?” she whispered, voice trembling.
Glimmering green eyes still stuck to the screen, Linc tightened his fists on top of the desk, lips curling, brows pulling, and teeth baring as he answered in a low, almost indiscernible growl. “That’s my wife.”
20
Lieutenant Chavez leaned forward on her office desk, fisted hands covering her downturned lips as her serious brown eyes danced across her computer screen and across the profile showcasing a woman named ‘Raven.’ Raven, a slim brunette with cheekbones that could cut glass, grinned coyly at Chavez from the largest photo on the screen. Her ice blue eyes—a stunning contrast to her black hair—remained lifeless even as her lips smiled. A few more photos of Raven flanked the largest one in smaller thumbnails. They all showcased her svelte body, scantily clad in various styles of lingerie. Next to the largest and most demure photo was Raven’s name in big bold letters, followed by her stats—height, weight, and other random facts about her—like a mail-order bride baseball card.
Chavez sighed as she surveyed the profile, several minutes of silence passing before she lifted her gaze over her desk.
Sam and Linc sat on the edge of their seats on the opposite side of the desk, leaning in, watching Chavez with wide eyes. Linc’s knees bopped, his knuckles were growing pale from how tightly his hands were clasped, and the line between his eyebrows looked like it had serious plans of becoming permanent. He appeared moments from launching across that desk, his nostrils flared to an intimidating degree.
Chavez plopped her hands down on the desk, holding Linc’s vulnerable green eyes. “You’re sure?”
He clenched his teeth as if he were in the midst of a scream. “Yes.”
“I remember Lisa.” Chavez motioned to the screen. “This doesn’t look anything like her—” Her words were cut off when Linc shot up from his seat, and she pushed back in her chair with a soft gasp, his towering height feeling ten times taller than it already was as he approached her desk and grabbed her computer screen.
“Different name, different hair color, and she’s lost weight…” Linc swirled the computer screen on its base so that they could both see it, bracing one hand on the desk while slamming his finger into the screen. “But that’s Lisa. I know my wife—that’s Lisa.”
Sam approached the desk as well, placing a soothing hand on Linc’s arm that did nothing but make the frown on his face deepen.
“I didn’t see it at first either, Lieutenant,” Sam said. “But when Linc held up an old picture of Lisa next to this one, side by side, I swear to God a fucking chill went down my spine. That’s definitely her—”
“She was a patient of Penny Nailer’s.” Linc spoke over Sam even though she was defending him. “When Penny was still practicing under her maiden name. I have the records to prove it.” He didn’t give anyone a chance to respond. “I wanna set up a sting. Make a date with Lisa and get her out here.”
Chavez frowned. “Hill, you heard Gregory Richardson. He had to wire hundreds of thousands of dollars to get Kathy flown in from Guatemala. Even if we wanted to—”
“Not on the first date.” Linc shook his head. “Wifing the girls costs hundreds of thousands, but one night is much less. On the first date, the john’s only pay for the night. Gives them a chance to sample the merchandise. The women are flown in for the date, probably accompanied by some muscle, and only after the john approves does the big money exchange hands.” Linc took a deep breath, motioning to the screen. “One night with Lisa is only $5000, you see?”
Chavez looked just as pained as Linc that Lisa had been reduced to nothing but a number, and had to take a long moment before she responded. “And if we did set up a date with Lisa, she’d be accompanied by the same muscle as every other girl.”
“Which would give us the perfect opportunity to get our hands on the animals behind this operation, Lieutenant. I don’t understand what the problem is.” Every bone in Linc’s body shook. “My wife might be alive. Taken hostage by a trafficking ring we’ve been trying to take down for years. Before she disappeared, she was doing a story on that very ring. She’s on our side, not theirs.”
“Five years ago, yeah, she was on our side. Five years ago, Lincoln,” Chavez breathed. “There’s no telling what they’ve done to her in all that time. There’s no telling…” She stopped herself.
“She’ll talk to me.” He swallowed thickly. “She’ll tell me everything she knows, Lieutenant, I swear to you.”
“We can’t trust that she hasn’t been completely brainwashed. That she won’t alert her muscle to the sting the moment she lays eyes on you.”
“I’ll do it,” Sam said.
Linc and Chavez’s eyes both flew to her.
“I’ll go undercover. I’ll be the john.” Sam met Linc’s eyes. “Wire me up, and I’ll be the lesbian john who loves brunettes with blue eyes. Set up a date at a hotel bar, get Lisa up to the room—away from the muscle—and corner her.”
Linc’s eyes flew back to Chavez. “Lieutenant,” he begged.
Chavez turned her head, assessing them from the corners of her squinted eyes as she considered their argument. Then, her eyes shot back to the screen. The same chill that had gone down Sam’s spine seemed to go down Chavez’s, because her eyes suddenly widened and she covered her mouth with her hand, fingers trembling.
“How—” Chavez took a moment when her voice broke before motioning to the screen. “How do we do it? How do we set up a date on this disgusting fucking site?”
At those words, Linc and Sam took their first real breaths in minutes, their chest rising in time. Sam’s deep, heaving breath went all the way, but Linc’s died before he could finish.
He knew he’d never complete another deep breath until Lisa was back in his arms.
——
As The Celeste soared across the sparkling ocean waters on her journey to Sydney, Australia, Gage felt like a new man. Not just because he’d spent a day and a half in Hawaii recharging his batteries with the love of his life, but also because he and Veda had taken the first steps to starting their own family. Their own bloodline. Their own legacy. A legacy he would never allow to be tainted with the same secrets, lies, and darkness that had tainted his own.
Just thinking about making love to her made the corners of his mouth lift high as he made his way through the executive halls on Celeste’s upper deck, on his way to a meeting set to be held that morning. The executive wing was closed to the public and fairly quiet, save for the occasional employee who greeted Gage as they crossed paths.
Just a few weeks into his new job as Vice President of Guest Services and Gage was already bored to death. Compared to running a hospital, running guest relations on a cruise ship was so laughably easy he could do it with his eyes closed if he had to. The only facet of the job he really dreaded was the bi-weekly meetings. The tedious, self-congratulatory meetings where nothing was said or done outside of overpaid executives brushing their shoulders off. Most of the higher-ups on that cruise ship truly believed they were doing God’s work by sailing to Hawaii and Australia every month. After working in a hospital environment, where real heroes busted their ass every day, their arrogance was nearly impossible for Gage to swallow.
He bared his teeth and primed himself to do it anyway as he made it to the office at the end of the hall, where the meeting was to be held. He’d braced himself for the dozens of perfectly tailored suits and smug smiles, so when he entered the office and found only two people inside, the color drained from his face.
Eugene Masterson, Chief of Security at Blackwater Cruises, smiled at Gage from behind his office desk. Wall-to-wall windows flanked him, sun blazing in, making his bald head shine even more than the ocean wat
ers that glimmered as they soared past. Standing next to Eugene was the guard who’d put a gun to Gage’s neck, still wearing black battle gear. He was without his helmet and sunglasses that morning, revealing his dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. His jaw rolled as he slowly chewed a piece of gum.
Gage recognized the smirk on the guard’s pink lips instantly, the air slowly leaving his lungs.
“Gage.” Eugene’s green eyes lit up, holding his arms out in greeting. “Please, come in.”
Gage looked around the empty office, holding his tie to his chest. “I’m sorry, am I late? I was under the impression there was a staff meeting this morning.”
“Oh, there is.” Eugene nodded. “If you could close the door and take a seat?”
Unmoved by Eugene’s jovial manner, Gage closed the door while silently cursing himself. Taking a deep breath, he crossed the room, slowly sinking down into the lone leather chair across from the desk. His eyes shifted back to the guard, who was still smirking from where he stood next to Eugene’s chair.
Gage licked his lips and let out a breathy laugh. “Listen… I’ve already explained to this gentleman that I got lost the other night. I was simply giving myself a tour of the ship and wandered into the hull by mistake.”
Eugene smiled warmly while leaning forward on his desk, clasping his hands together. The action made his massive arms pulse under the jacket of his black suit, and Gage couldn’t help shooting back to Eugene’s nickname in high school: Kong.
The nickname was still appropriate. In fact, Gage was sure Eugene’s arms were twice as big now than they were back then. No longer just Kong, but Kong on steroids.
“Listen, Gage,” Eugene said. “We’ve been friends for a long time.”
“We have.”
“And I mean it from the bottom of my heart when I say I trust you one hundred percent. I want what’s best for you. When Mr. Blackwater gave word that you were finally getting a spot with your family’s principal business, the spot you’ve been fighting tooth and nail for, for years, no one on this ship was more thrilled to hear it than me.”
“Thank you.” Gage nodded, not blind to what lingered beneath Eugene’s friendly tone. He imagined it was the same tone mafia bosses used while offering one of their worst enemies a brand new Rolex.
Eugene shifted in his seat. “And since you and I are such good friends… Since I know how important it’s been to you, for years, to be acknowledged by your father in a real way… I’m going to keep the fact that you were at the bottom of this ship, without clearance, between us. I’m going to keep the fact that you attempted to bribe one of my finest officers, between us. I’m going to keep the fact that you have three overrides logged into the system—the same three overrides required to access the hull of the ship that you…” Eugene made finger quotes. “‘Got lost’ in, between us. Since we’re such good friends. But, Gage? Please hear me. I won’t do it twice.”
Gage snuck another look at the guard, who was still rolling that wad of gum between his smiling teeth.
Eugene continued. “The Vice President of Guest Services has no reason to be in the hull, which is why it took three overrides for you to get down there in the first place. I won’t ask why you were so determined. I’ll just implore you not to overstep your boundaries again. Because, trust me, if this got back to David Blackwater, he wouldn’t be anywhere near as forgiving as I am. From this day forward, I’ll be following up with the head of my team, Officer Brady.” Eugene nodded to the guard that had yet to speak. “Daily. I’ll be watching closely for any overrides logged under your name. Daily. And I’ll be watching you, Gage. Daily.”
“I understand.” Gage wasn’t swayed by Eugene’s threat but rejuvenated.
By threatening him, Eugene had just confirmed that Gage wasn’t fighting for Veda—for their future family—in vain. Even if that moment would slow him down, it was still a relief to know that he was on the right track.
Gage smile genuinely at Eugene. Not because Eugene had won the war. Not because he was Eugene’s biggest fan at the moment. Not even because Eugene was doing him a huge favor by keeping a terminable slip up between them. No, Gage smiled at Eugene because, for the first time that morning, he was imagining the fake testicles implanted in Eugene’s ball sack on the other side of that desk. Recalling the hysterical tears that had filled Eugene’s eyes, months ago, when he’d been wheeled into the hospital with his scrotum ripped to shreds. The tears that had once caused Gage to feel incredible guilt, now only left him smiling a glorious smile.
He didn’t know why The Shadow Rock Chopper had chosen the men she’d chosen. He didn’t know why she’d chosen Eugene Masterson, but at that moment, all Gage knew was that she’d chosen the right one.
If he had a hat on his head, he wouldn’t have hesitated a single moment in tipping it to The Shadow Rock Chopper.
Whoever she was.
21
Veda smiled over her shoulder toward her living room couch, a few weeks later, giving Jake and Hope a full view of the plunging back in her lace dress. Her grip on the matching black clutch bag tightened when both their eyebrows shot up from where they were curled up on the couch, unable to tell if the expressions on their faces were good or bad.
“It’s a little risqué for a high school prom, isn’t it?” Jake asked, eyebrows still raised high as he brought a glass of red wine up to his lips, taking a slow sip. “Unless your real goal is to nail the captain of the football team in the bathroom stall, in which case, you nailed it, bub.”
Veda frowned, offense clouding her face as she surveyed her black dress. The dress’s long sleeves and high neck had seemed plenty appropriate to chaperone the senior prom that evening at Blackwater Prep. The only thing even remotely sexy about the dress was the low back and perhaps the lace sleeves, which were sheer enough to hint at her chocolaty skin.
“Risqué?” Veda beamed. “The dress falls below my knees. I’ll probably be the most covered up person there. Considering how grown high school girls are these days, I doubt I’m at risk of luring in any horny teenage boys.”
Jake smacked his lips.
Veda looked to Hope for some support.
The corner of Hope’s lip lifted high from where she was curled up on the couch next to Jake, leaning on the back, chewing a big wad of gum. One of her tattooed hands was buried in her dark hair, cradling her tilted head, and the other wrapped around her own glass of red wine, her black nail polish standing out against the liquid.
Hope squinted her heavily lined hazel eyes and licked her black lips. “I mean, I still haven’t forgiven you, so I refuse to tell you how fuckin’ hot you look in that dress, below the knee or not.”
Veda sighed. “You’ve got to get over it, Hope, honestly.”
“The fuck I will.” Hope set her wine down on the coffee table, so hard it nearly broke the stem of the glass. “You came home to exact revenge, dragged Jake and me into the chaos along the way, and then pussied out halfway through. Pathetic!”
“Hey, speak for yourself. I’m happy she’s done.” Jake held up his hands. “She was playing way too close to the fire, Hope. Lincoln Hill literally walked in on her at the scene of the crime. By the grace of God, he let her go. If he hadn’t, she’d be in prison right now, rubbing clits with her overweight cellmate. She can’t spit on a blessing like that.”
Hope motioned to her. “Linc wants the booty so badly, he’d let her go ten more times if it came down to it, which wouldn’t even be necessary because she’s only got five more to go.”
“Honestly? My heart wasn’t even in it with Liam O’Dair.” Veda sighed heavily, tightening her fingers around her black clutch. “The real reason I was more savage with him was because I just didn’t feel like it. I didn’t feel like taking the time to maintain his vitals, keep his bleeding under control, or even stitch his sorry ass back up. I just wanted to get it over with and go home, get in bed, and cuddle with my boyfriend. As it turns out, I had no boyfriend to cuddle with because my moment of clar
ity came too late. As soon as I stopped giving a shit about retributive justice, Gage became obsessed with it and is well on his way to getting himself killed. I’m not stopping just for me, but for him too. For you guys. Jake’s right, Linc almost took me down. If he had, he would’ve eventually found out you two helped me along the way. We’d all be going to prison. I can’t live with that. It’s not worth it. I just want to be happy, and I am. The love of my life, by the grace of God, is still alive. He’s on a cruise ship that’s docking right as we speak—“
“Where his fiancée will be awaiting him upon arrival.” Hope rolled her eyes.
“Fake fiancée,” Veda corrected.
“The same fake fiancée he’s set to marry within the month?’ Hope asked. “The same fake fiancée he’s bound to by contract? A contract his piece-of-shit family forced him to sign? The same piece-of-shit family who hates everything about you? This is what you’re giving everything up for, Veda? For a man who’s set to be married to another woman? A man you can’t even see or talk to because he has to pretend he hates you? Who said romance is dead!”
“Gage is handling it.” Veda’s voice went weak. “I trust him to handle it—”
“You just said he’s going to get himself killed—”
Veda ignored her. “ And when he finally discovers the truth about his family, lets go of these Jason Bourne delusions of grandeur, and comes back to me, I don’t want a four-inch plexiglass between us because he’s visiting me in Shadow Rock Prison!” Veda’s shoulders collapsed when Hope continued to shake her head in disapproval of her life choices.
Hope made one last-ditch effort. “What about ten? We still don’t even know who he is.”
All Veda could do was shrug. “I don’t care.”
“You’re full of shit. You could be looking number ten dead in the eye, every day, and not even know it. How will you ever sleep at night?”
Raw (Revenge Book 6) Page 14