Zayn laughed.
“Oh, how about you let her handle that. You’re taking over again. Let her have this one thing without you putting your fingerprints all over it. If she needs help, she’ll ask, and Rogue technically is her partner in this adventure.”
“I have her back,” he stated. “I’ll get her a backup bartender if she wants one.”
Oh, Zayn was amused.
Yeah, Dakota and Rogue were in for a few moments of stark terror when they met Preston Valley.
He nearly giggled.
Dakota felt better.
“How do you want to play this?” Zayn asked, pulling on his customary leather gloves.
“I want to go in, interrogate her quietly, and get out of there. If she’s tied to this, it’s dangerous for anyone to see us there. There is the chance one of her hookers will show up, and then we are killing more than just her.”
They got it.
They couldn’t let this woman go back and tell anyone that they were on their trail. If that happened, the city really would erupt, or worse, Rosemary and Chesky would be on the run.
At the back door, Rogue did his thing. He picked the lock, disconnected the security, and handled the cameras and all within ninety seconds.
He proved his skill.
“Well, we know why he’s on the team,” Dakota stated.
The man grinned.
“I have fast fingers.”
“Said the detective,” Zayn stated, busting his ass.
“Knock it off, you two!” Dakota stated. “That’s some high tech for a hooker, isn’t it?”
Rogue nodded.
Yeah, this had to be the home of someone involved in something nefarious. This kind of tech was beyond safety. It was up there with Carter Foley’s tech.
“There is no way this woman is getting rich off a bordello of pussy. She’s definitely involved,” Rogue stated. “This is the same system I have, and it was expensive. Like deep in crime and being paid off—expensive.”
Oh, they knew who was paying her.
They were on the right track.
Since Rogue did his thing, Zayn and Dakota took over and did their thing. They moved quietly through the large house until they heard a dog beginning to bark.
It was one of those yappy dogs.
Great.
Zayn pointed his gun at it.
“Don’t shoot the dog!”
“I hate those mangy things! They are ankle biters,” he whispered.
“The gun will alert her!”
He had a point.
The dog growled, and it raced toward them, ready to protect the home’s owner.
Zayn scooped it up and tossed it into another room, locking it inside.
For now, he wouldn’t kill a Shih Tzu.
If it bit him…
“That room,” Dakota whispered, pointing at the doorway ahead of them. So far, so good. The madam didn’t make an appearance, and it didn’t look like the dog woke her.
Perfect.
Thank God hookers and madams worked mostly at night. It looked like this was her bedtime.
As they headed into the room, they moved silently toward the bed.
Dakota pointed.
Yeah, there was a woman lying in bed. She was still, and it looked like this was going to be easy.
As soon as they got to the side of the bed, she surprised them, sitting up with a wicked knife in her hand.
And she attacked.
Someone was NOT happy they were in her home, and she definitely meant business.
Chapter Fifteen
Grace Ravenscroft’s
Home
T he whole time that Cordelia sat in her car, she felt like an idiot. Here she was, parked outside Rogue’s mother’s home, with the premise of talking to her about Charlotte. That was one hell of a joke.
She didn’t give a shit about what the woman personally thought about Rogue’s ex. This was all about her, and she was an idiot to try and convince herself otherwise. Truthfully, she wanted to meet the woman behind the Ravenscroft fortune to see if she would like her.
It was a stupid plan.
She was the biggest dumbass on the face of the Earth. Cordelia knew what the woman would think. She came from lowlife scum.
The woman was going to laugh at her.
Still, here she was. In her head, Cordelia had convinced herself that before she got herself personally involved with Rogue, she wanted to see if the woman would look at her with disgust in her well-worn boots, simple car, and non-wealthy self.
A part of her was hoping that she’d hate her. That was the part that knew it would be so much easier if Rogue and she couldn’t start something.
There would be no risk, and more importantly, there would be no fault. She could blame the woman behind the gate and call it a day.
Yet, the other part wanted to fit in—as that kid who never had a world of her own. She’d been on her own since she could remember, and it was getting…lonely.
So, she was sitting in front of the big mansion, wanting to see what Grace Ravenscroft would think of her.
Well, it was now or never.
She had to do it or drive away.
As she built up the nerve, she finally opened the car door and headed toward the gate. Unlike with his house, or that one on Chartres Street, she wouldn’t jump a gate.
That would be a horrible first, second, or third impression. For her, this was akin to visiting the queen.
God!
She hoped she didn’t curtsy or stammer like an idiot.
As she pushed the button, a staunch voice came over the intercom.
“I need to speak with Grace Ravenscroft, please,” she said, trying to sound official.
“And you are?”
“Detective Cordelia Harding. It’s regarding a current case I’m working on.”
Yeah, the case of why the woman’s son made her panties wet.
“She’s not here.”
The voice disconnected and that was it.
Well, that nipped this disaster in the bud. It looked like she had been spared a ton of embarrassment by the universe. Clearly, she had gotten damn lucky that it had intervened. Nothing good would have come from this.
As she turned and headed toward her car, a long limo pulled up the street, toward her, and stopped.
Oh, Jesus.
NO!
NO!
NO!
She was so close to escaping too!
The window slowly rolled down, and it was her worst nightmare. Inside, there was an older woman, who looked on the frail side.
“Can I help you?” she asked as a child hopped around the seat in the back. The child was holding a quilt with colorful letters and numbers.
“Are you Mrs. Ravenscroft?” she asked.
“Yes, and you are?”
“Detective Cordelia Harding. I needed to speak with you regarding Charlotte Shaw.”
Okay, total lie.
She was going to hell.
“Oh, okay! That’s not a problem. Why don’t you head inside the gate, and I’ll meet you at the house? I’d walk you up, but I don’t have the energy to chase my granddaughter. She’s out of control like my son used to be.”
And there was Rogue’s child.
She was a pretty little girl. You could see the touch of Native looks in her face, but the rest of her was totally Caucasian. As for the wild part…yeah, she recalled him manhandling her and putting her in cuffs.
Wild was an understatement.
“Yes, ma’am.”
The limo window closed, and they vehicle accessed the property. Cordelia walked up the drive, checking it all out. The yard had a ton of pink peonies. Well, someone really liked them in their garden. Behind them, there were even more, and it looked so pretty she wanted to sniff them.
She was such an idiot.
God!
Someone slap her.
Behind the garden, there were a couple of swing sets, playsets, and all things princes
s. Someone’s grandchild had a lot of fun in that yard.
When the vehicle stopped, the door opened, and the little kid was out and off to play. The older woman moved more slowly pulling herself to her feet.
Cordelia actually held out her hand to help her, and Grace took it.
“Thank you, Detective. Don’t get old. It blows.”
She laughed.
Cordelia didn’t expect that to come out of her mouth. In fact, she was shocked knowing what she knew about the Ravenscrofts.
That was not what a rich person said, right?
“One day you’re running around, and the next you’re a snail,” she said, pointing to a bench in the garden that overlooked the play area for the child.
“I can’t let Peony out of my sight. She’ll scale the fence and run for it. She’s sweet but full of energy.”
She helped her sit.
Well, that explained why the garden was full of peonies. Someone liked that name.
“Thank you,” Grace stated as she got comfortable. “Now, would you like some coffee?”
“Not if you have to go make it,” she stated.
Yeah, she didn’t look like she’d survive the voyage across that huge yard.
Grace smiled in amusement.
“If my son catches me making coffee, there will be hell to pay. Normally, I send the people in the house on silly chores just so I can make one measly cup in peace.”
She didn’t know what to say.
To Cordelia, that sounded…normal. Well, minus the hired help part. The only help she had was herself.
“If it’s no trouble, I’d love a cup,” she stated. “I’ve only had one today.”
Yeah, her son’s cup.
God!
She felt like a fool.
“Perfect, Detective. I would like some myself.”
She motioned to a man standing on the large porch, and he hurried off to get them some.
“Now, to what do I owe this visit? You’re that detective my son has been curious about, aren’t you?”
Well, that caught her off guard.
So much for recognizance mission to see what the woman would think of her. The jig was up. Cordelia didn’t know how the woman knew.
Oh, shit!
If there was a God in Heaven, she wouldn’t know that she’d fucked her son stupid yesterday.
“Um…”
She smiled.
“Here’s a little advice from an older woman when it comes to secretive dalliances. I had one once. Don’t let anyone see you if you don’t want them to talk. Rogue’s gardener and my gardener are one in the same, and Joey stopped by to drop off some things I needed for Peony.”
Shit!
Busted by the help.
Great.
“Okay, I’m going to be totally honest with you. I do have something tied to Charlotte’s death, but I mostly wanted to see if you would even let me date your son.”
She stared at her.
“Let him? Are we talking about the same son? Mine is tall, has his hair to his shoulders, and has more tattoos than a mother should allow. That son? Because Rogue does what Rogue wants to do. I don’t ‘let’ him do anything. He’s an adult.”
She didn’t know how to process that.
“If you’re looking for my approval…”
Here went nothing.
“He told me that you hated Charlotte, and I didn’t want to fall for him, only to have you say I’m not worthy of him.”
The woman stared at her.
“Who hurt you?” she asked.
“Who hasn’t?” Cordelia countered.
“Oh, sweetheart, let’s be blunt. You’ll find I speak my mind, but I do it with just reason. Charlotte…I didn’t like that snake. In fact, I had held my tongue for about six months before I said anything.”
She listened.
“Here’s the story of why I told my son to dump that slutty trash bag.”
Oh, this should be good.
“They came here for dinner, and my son went to take a personal call. Well, she thought I left the room to check on dinner. I returned too fast for her. I overheard her talking on the phone. She was using my son. That was when I stepped in and said something. As a general rule, I would never interfere with my son’s love life.”
She listened.
“Really. You really came here thinking I would judge you and tell you to stay away from him?”
Cordelia laughed.
“Yes. He made it sound like your final opinion was the end all of all things.”
She laughed.
“Oh, Detective, I have bad news for you. Rogue is his own obstacle. I don’t tell him what to do. I did twice. Once was when he wanted a tattoo. I told him don’t do it. They were addictive, and he did it. Forty-some later…”
Cordelia was amused.
Yeah, she’d seen them, and that was fine by her.
“The only other time was when he brought that viper to my home. I didn’t like her at all. She was hideous on the inside and outside. I told my son no way in hell.”
She pointed at Peony.
“And that’s the outcome, and I am so damn glad he didn’t listen again. Still, he makes his own decisions.”
“I was worried.”
Grace patted her hand.
“You’ve had a hard life, haven’t you? For you to think I’d look down on you says it all.”
“Oh, you could say that. Your son…he’s something. I know I should run, but I genuinely like him. He’s got a good heart and is a really good person.”
She smiled because as his mother, she knew that, but that this woman came to her home to do this, and said those words?
Yeah, she liked her a lot.
“Yes, I know.”
“And he is going to be a pain in my ass.”
That made her really laugh.
“Oh, Detective Harding, you have no idea. Between us girls, I’ll be honest. Since I got sick, he’s been a pain in mine too.”
A man brought a tray with two cups of coffee, little tiny sugar cubes, and a silver pitcher with cream.
And that was what she was talking about. In her house, they used packets and powdered creamer when she ran out of half and half.
Grace could see her staring at it.
“What do you take in it?”
“Cream.”
She made her a cup.
Then she made hers and sent the man away.
“You think I won’t like you because we have money and you’re a cop?”
She nodded, but there was more, and since she’d already done all this, she might as well go all of the way and own it.
There was her secret shame.
“When I was little, my parents weren’t the best people in the world—and they still aren’t. My dad was a thief. I loved him so much, but I knew, even then, that he was doing bad things. I didn’t see it. All I remembered was him making me breakfast and loving me.”
Grace listened.
She knew what her son did, despite him trying to pretend he ran an investment business. He wasn’t fooling anyone.
Not her.
A mother always knew.
“Well, he got caught. So, off he went to jail, and he was in and out for the longest time. Meanwhile, I was with my mother. I don’t think they were ever married. I’ve never been able to prove it.”
Grace listened.
She did what a mother did. She let the woman spill her guts to feel better.
“Well, my mother turned to prostitution to make the rent. Then came the drugs to cover the pain of selling herself, and then the rent went unpaid. The Child Protective Services stepped in and took me away.”
“How old were you?”
“Old enough to remember that I never had a swing set, a mother who cared, or a full belly.”
Grace put her hand on her leg and Cordelia wiped her eyes. She didn’t know why she was telling this woman everything. It was gushing out of her in a torrent, and it was freaking embarra
ssing. This wasn’t who she was anymore. She was strong, independent, and…crumbling.
This was proof that Grace Ravenscroft had to practice witchcraft or something. The only other reason she’d be spilling her guts was that Cordelia was madly in love with her criminal son.
DING.
DING.
DING.
Oh, this was bad.
Cordy was in love.
“Please continue,” Grace offered.
“Well, there’s not much more. I went into the system, and I never looked back. I don’t come from this,” she said, waving her hand to encompass the wealth, “and I am vastly uncomfortable with it. I can face down a knife-wielding wacko, but put me in that house, at a big table, and I’d weep.”
“I don’t judge you by your past. Would you judge my son by his?”
Cordelia shook her head.
“Well, between us both, I know what he really does for a living, and I would guess you do too. You’re a smart woman, Detective, and you’d know.”
“I do know.”
“Good. We are on the same page, and I don’t have to protect him. He’s a thief. The boy has always had sticky fingers. It started with small things. Then one day he brought the neighbors painting home. I nearly stroked out. To him, he loves a challenge. That was one more reason why Charlotte wouldn’t be good for him. She wouldn’t make him work for it. She’d make him work and she’d drink him dry. I think you’d call him on his bullshit.”
“There is so much of it to call him on. I’d be busy.”
Grace laughed.
“Yes, yes, you will. If you really need my blessing, know that you have it. Now leave me out of this. A relationship is two people. You can handle this without me, and I’ll tell him the same.”
She was relieved.
“I’m sorry I came here and pretended to want to talk to you about her. I just don’t want to get in any deeper, and then have you hate me.”
“You slept with him, didn’t you?”
“Oh, this is all kinds of awkward. How do I answer that and not sound like some sexed-up hussy?”
She laughed outrageously.
“I only wish my son were here to blush up a storm. He tends to be stuffy. You will rattle his cage, his life, and his world.”
Cordelia sipped her coffee.
“Thank you for not making this hard,” she stated. “You could have really broken me.”
Absolution: The Hunter Mercenary Series (Book Two) Page 39