Ending Evil (The Evil Secrets Trilogy Book 3)

by Vickie McKeehan

  Quinn exploded in his ear. “Ah ha! I knew you guys were up to something. What happened to letting us in on the game?”

  “No need to yell,” Reese managed. “We saw an opening and took it.”

  “This is our personal war and has been for a long time!” Quinn snarled.

  “Was. It was your personal war,” Reese corrected. “Now, it involves all of us.”

  “Oh please…”

  But the kiss he planted on her lips shut her up. “This house is too damn crowded, never a moment to ourselves. Tonight, we either find some way to be alone or we’re leaving this mad house and checking into the nearest hotel.”

  Quinn patted the side of his cheek. “Aw, that is so sweet, but I think I can manage to sneak you into my room tonight without creating a media sensation.” She nipped his ear and snuggled against his neck. “I want you, Brennan.”

  “Yeah? Right backatcha, Tyler. I knew it was just a matter of time. Now let’s go downstairs before I rip your clothes off and have my way tasting that body of yours.”

  CHAPTER 10

  No one ever said communal living would be a walk in the park. With six adults and a baby living under the same roof there were bound to be disagreements eventually.

  Even in a huge house like this one, living together meant there wasn’t a lot of privacy for things like settling differences of opinion or keeping out of anyone’s face when you were pissed.

  At the moment, Baylee was pissed and waging her own war.

  As she stood in the living room, furious, Reese saw another side to the diminutive blonde.

  Who knew her five-three petite frame hid a fierce temper? And it was aimed in Dylan’s direction.

  Hands fisted on her hips, she stood like Xena, warrior princess, staring down the much taller man. “Look at your hair. Why on earth did you have to do that to your hair? What were you thinking? You deliberately didn’t do that here…you deliberately snuck out of this house…”

  “My house, my bathroom. I didn’t want to get black dye all over Kit’s brand-new sinks.”

  “So you admit you snuck out of here and drove all the way to Pacific Palisades…to do that? You deliberately went to that place without telling me, didn’t tell me where you were going because you could have easily been arrested. But you’re so thoughtful and considerate when it comes to Kit’s bathroom fixtures, Kit’s feelings and not mine. And what if you’d been caught, did you consider that?”

  “But I wasn’t.”

  “That’s beside the point. They’ve got you on surveillance cameras now. That place is like Fort Knox. And you lied to me.”

  “I omitted, that’s not the same as lying.”

  “Don’t parse words with me, Dylan Burke. You told me you had a work thing to take care of; you lied.”

  “Geez woman, are you going to throw every word I said back to me?”

  “If I have to, you bet I am.”

  “I didn’t want you to worry, which you would have done if I’d told you what I planned to do.”

  “Of course I would’ve worried. I could be bailing you out of jail right now.”

  “But you aren’t because I was brilliant.”

  “Don’t you dare joke about this and try to get on my good side. You took an awful chance, Dylan. What if…”

  He crushed his mouth to hers just as she was wavering. “I’m sorry. I should’ve said something. But I didn’t want you spending the entire afternoon stewing about it.”

  Kit crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, well, you guys think you can cut us out of this, think again. The Boyds are our nemesis, always have been. From now on we do things as a group or that’s it…Operation Neuter is ours, not yours. You start sharing everything because you aren’t the only ones who can heat up the action.”

  “You seem to forget we’ve known these people most of our lives, fought with them, fought against them,” Baylee pointed out.

  Quinn simply stared at the men until finally she demanded, “Now, which one of you wants to come clean, catch us up on what you were whispering about this morning, besides this venture into the enemy camp done without our knowledge?”

  All three males now faced a trio of pissed off females. Reese cleared his throat and started sharing, telling them about the missing call girls and his accomplice-slash-cousin theory.

  Quinn’s eyes went wide. “You think Cade killed these women with the help of one of his cousins? Wow, and I thought you were the skeptic from hell. Looks like you’ve been hiding a creative side.”

  “I think it’s entirely possible.”

  “Wait, Mr. X put this on the table?”

  “He had us looking in Connor’s direction for Claire’s murder, didn’t he? He got that one wrong. I’m thinking Cade needs help disposing of the bodies so he enlists someone he knows he can control.”

  “But why would Cade need to turn to a cousin when he’s got a built-in brother stooge named Collin?” Quinn asked, not buying his theory for a minute. “That makes no sense.”

  “Because no one has a bigger mouth than Collin, think about it. He’d go bragging about it first chance he got, you know he would, makes him a loose cannon. Even Cade would understand he couldn’t be trusted.”

  Kit agreed, “He’s got you there, Quinn. In a weird kind of way it does make sense when you take the time to consider it, truly consider the way Cade is and how he wouldn’t want to get his own hands dirty getting rid of the bodies.”

  “How many, Reese, is he supposed to have killed?” Baylee asked, a little sick to her stomach at the thought.

  “Five disappeared, two of which were eighteen. Their families have no idea what happened to them, either. Some of them have been missing for almost three years now without a word. These girls were part of the same escort service and haven’t been seen since they left to go on their assignment to meet Cade Boyd.”

  “Then why don’t the cops arrest him?”

  Jake entered the fray. “They have to have bodies to get evidence. I’m the last person to defend that perspective but... I’d have to add, it’s that same old lame excuse about who they know and how powerful the families are.”

  “Were. The family tree has thinned out quite a bit now,” Kit added.

  “Never underestimate the value of who you know and how powerful your friends are,” Reese pointed out. “Especially when it comes to the system and getting justice.”

  “And no cop is gonna suspect a rich boy like Cade could be a serial killer unless he’s got the goods to back it up,” Dylan said.

  Quinn mulled it over. “Sounds like Mr. X knew from the start the Nutty Brothers were bad news.”

  “I’d say that’s a pretty good bet,” Reese concurred. “At this point, we have to hope the cops nab him with the DNA that’s a match in Claire’s murder.”

  “I don’t like it,” Quinn said bluntly. “Thus far, the cops don’t have Cade’s DNA. Wait. Any chance we could get him to meet with us?”

  Reese cocked a brow. “Who?”

  “Mr. X.”

  “Why? The man’s a professional killer. He has no allegiance to anyone and that includes us.”

  Kit disagreed. “But you can’t have it both ways, Reese. We’re either in or out here, on his side, or we’re not. We either accept him as an ally…”

  Jake shook his head. “You don’t think making their money disappear shows him we’re on his side after getting his e-mail?”

  “I think we need to make sure he knows.”

  “That’s nuts. We barely keep in touch via e-mail; it’s all one-sided. He sends, we receive. That’s the way it’s been.”

  “Not good enough,” Quinn said. “Kit’s right. We need to make sure we’re all on the same page. That includes him. To coordinate a successful strike against these guys we shouldn’t take anything for granted.”

  “I agree,” Baylee put in, eyeing Dylan with a stubborn jerk of her chin. “And anyone who thinks this shouldn’t be an organized effort is just…wrong.”

&n
bsp; “There,” Quinn said. “We have programming geniuses in this room. Surely, Mr. Software and Surfer Boy here can figure out a way to contact him.”

  “I guess we’ve been challenged, eh Mr. Software?” Dylan proffered. “Fine by me. Look, I’m thinking someone needs to go back to Catalina and sail the Sea Warrior, bring her back. Since I’m the one who got her there…”

  “I’ll go,” Reese volunteered. “I’m getting antsy sitting around doing nothing. You and Jake know I’m not any good to you anyway at hacking all the financials you’ll need to access.”

  He cast a glance at Quinn. Going to Catalina for the boat was a clever way to get her alone. “What do you say, Quinn? You up for an adventure or do you want to sit around and brood about getting suspended?”

  “Brood, my ass. I’m worried about my damn career here, Brennan. If you can’t see that…”

  “I told you, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll have you back doing rounds a good week ahead of schedule. Bet?”

  “You’re on. If I’m not back on rotation in a week, you lose, and I post an online message for all the world to see that says the great lawyer Brennan is nothing but a shyster.”

  “But if I win, you post that I’m the best damn lawyer in the entire state of California.”

  She shrugged. “Sure, why not? I can lie with the best of them.”

  Dylan glanced around the room. “If you really want to get to Catalina today, I’ll call my buddy to fly you over there in his chopper, same way Baylee and I got back here.”

  “It’s kind of late in the day. Once you get to Avalon, you might as well stay at Dad’s house for the night. I’ll go get the key,” Baylee offered.

  Reese slapped Dylan on the back. “Make the call. I’ll go get my gear. Quinn, if you’re coming with me, pack up. We leave in twenty minutes.”

  “Sure, how else am I going to bug the hell out of you to do what you promised?”

  As it turned out, Dylan’s friend couldn’t fly them over to the island, so they went with a commercial helicopter charter out of San Pedro harbor for a hundred-and-seventy bucks a pop that promised to get them to the island in just over fifteen minutes.

  For Quinn it had been a long time since she’d indulged in a trip—anywhere. Immersed in med school for the past several years, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d packed a bag for an overnight stay.

  As she crawled into the leather seats of the Eurocopter AS-350, she felt a little like a competitor on Survivor, off to an unknown adventure to some exotic place. Sure enough, once they lifted off and became airborne, she knew she’d definitely left her comfort zone as nerdy doctor. In minutes, they were out over the glistening, sapphire water.

  The only other times she’d flown to Catalina, they’d made the excursion in William Scott’s little plane.

  The ride in the helicopter wasn’t that much different, other than it was far noisier. The charter had promised a soundproof cabin, but there was no mistaking the whoop whoop whoop of chopper blades. Now, without thinking, she gripped Reese’s hand in exhilaration.

  Once out over the ocean, Reese leaned into her ear. “What are you thinking?”

  She leaned back. “This was a good idea, to get away. After last night…”

  He nibbled her ear and said, “Let’s make the most of having the house to ourselves then.”

  Their eyes met. Quinn turned her mouth to meet his so she could kiss those sexy lips of his. They stayed hugged up against each other, like lovers, her head on his shoulder for most of the trip.

  As they got closer to the Island, though, her sense of adventure kicked in. She sat up straighter to gaze out the window. The first thing she noticed was how green the hillsides were this time of year. She might not know a whole lot about blossoming plants, not like Kit or Baylee, but she could differentiate a daisy from a tulip. Thanks to spring rains, these slopes were bursting with an array of golden lotus, purple chia, and white mariposa lilies.

  After all, she’d hiked these same trails and terrain as a kid, exploring its rocky slopes and climbing its peaks and valleys. She’d once made a point of studying the vegetation, the indigenous plants and wildlife, too.

  She smiled at the memory of the teasing she’d endured from Kit and Baylee. They’d pretty much tagged her as a nerd even back then. But her friends couldn’t possibly understand the freedom she’d felt at trekking those hills, getting outside, enjoying nature after spending so much of her early years confined to grungy surroundings.

  Her mind deep in thought remembering those carefree days of summer, before she knew what was happening, they were touching down at the Avalon heliport.

  As dusk fell, as the sun started its descent over the horizon, the summer sky became a burst of dazzling oranges and reds, a view Quinn often missed while inside the hospital on duty.

  Crawling out of the cabin onto the asphalt tarmac, they both took the time to stand there a moment and marvel at the atmospheric conditions that would turn a simple setting of the sun into such a brilliant sight.

  “We might have found something else we have in common,” Quinn commented and nodded her head in the direction of the skyline. They watched, mesmerized, as the sun completed its drop below the horizon.

  “Who knew the lawyer and the doctor could find common ground,” Reese wisecracked.

  “Yeah, I was starting to wonder if we might kill each other in our sleep,” Quinn agreed.

  Since the price of the charter flight included ground transportation, they jumped in a waiting taxi, one of the rare vehicles allowed on the Island, and headed off to their destination.

  Twenty minutes later the cab pulled up in front of William Scott’s Spanish-style villa, a place Quinn knew well since she’d spent several lazy, laidback weeks of blissful summer vacation here.

  Standing there on the street looking up at the house, it didn’t take long for a big dose of nostalgia to hit her.

  The beach, the mountains, the house itself, reminded her how many hours she and her friends had whiled away at this very spot, either boogie-boarding, snorkeling in the pristine water, or exploring the surrounding hilly campgrounds, scavenging for all kinds of treasures campers had inadvertently left behind.

  The Island had been a kid’s outdoor paradise.

  Somewhere between MCATs and surviving med school, she’d forgotten all about those special times.

  A jolt of flashback took her to third grade and the very first time she’d seen this place.

  Spring break that year had finally arrived the third week of March, when she’d been shocked to learn her new friends, Baylee and Kit, wanted her to come with them to someplace called Catalina Island.

  All Quinn knew was it sounded tropical and a little bit like heaven to go away for a week anywhere without Ella or Ross bugging her.

  The fact that Kit and Baylee had invited her to tag along with them to someplace called Avalon and to a beach house, no less, had been nothing short of a gift. No one had ever invited her anywhere. It hadn’t required a great deal of persuasion on her part to get Ella or Ross to agree to the trip. They’d been as eager to get rid of an eight-year old as the eight-year-old was to get rid of them.

  At the Santa Monica airport, with her two friends chatting the entire time, Quinn, a little awestruck to be included, had taken her first airplane ride. She’d climbed into a compact cabin crowded with enough stuff for ten people and listened as the occupants bubbled with more enthusiasm than she’d ever witnessed firsthand.

  For a child who hadn’t known much stability up to that point, to go from roach motels to the grandeur of Beverly Hills was a journey in itself.

  Since August, she’d gone from eating store-brand peanut butter spread on stale crackers to devouring three healthy meals a day, some of which were now prepared by an expert, five-star personal chef. And now, to be included on a weeklong sojourn six months into the school year with two new friends was a lot to digest over a short period of time.

  As compelling as that all
was for Quinn, the icing on the cake seemed to be leaving behind that feeling of oneness forever and actually having friends, friends who seemed to experience their own challenges at home.

  It hadn’t taken more than that first month of September, when the school year was still brand-new, or a genius mentality for Quinn to recognize black and blue marks on both of her classmates.

  To sit and listen as Mrs. O’Malley talked about math or spelling while Quinn did her best to acclimate to her new surroundings, she’d noticed things. Things like how terribly shy Kit was about raising her hand to answer questions—about any subject. The only activity the tall-for-her-age Kit seemed to like doing was when she got to use her crayons. Then there was Baylee, so much shorter than both of them but unwilling to contribute anything of her own to the conversation, especially whenever an adult was nearby.

  Those little details tipped the scales for Quinn.

  She could certainly tap into their mindset. All three girls seemed reluctant to pipe up and join the discussion.

  After all, history had told Quinn adults could not be trusted.

  When the grown woman thought back now to those first couple of weeks of a new school year as she struggled to adjust to getting up every morning and heading off to class on a regular basis, she could pity that little girl.

  Finding a comfort zone in the exclusive Beverly Hills private school they had chosen for her had been anything but easy.

  Back then Quinn Tyler hadn’t just felt poles apart from the other kids. She’d even looked the part. Her Native looks had caused more than a few pushes and shoves in line. The insults and slurs she’d tried to mostly ignore were the main reason she’d had a couple of fights by the end of September.

  So months later, when she’d found herself standing at this very spot as an eight-year-old guest…no one had been more surprised than reticent Quinn Tyler.