Once they finished eating, it was time for the couples to cut the cakes. He gave a quick toast to Dorian, Kai gave an adorable one laced with jokes for his dad, and then chairs were set up so the grooms could remove their brides’ garters. No way he wanted to be part of the whole spectacle but Dan forced him forward against his protests. Dante tossed Taylor’s over his head and it landed on Luke without him reaching for it. Luke looked annoyed. When it was Dorian’s turn, he eyeballed the crowd, pretended to turn around but snapped the garter like a slingshot right into Alex’s face. He caught the strip of lace before it hit the ground and glared at his friend. The crowd cheered.
Taylor tossed her bouquet first and Daphne leaped up and caught it. Dorian shook his head, grabbed it out of his little sister’s hand and handed it back to Taylor to try again. “You’re too young,” he insisted, ignoring her protests as he tugged her away. Taylor’s next toss sent it sailing into the hands of Kayla Hepburn, one of the COBRA Securities agents. She jumped up and down in glee. Kendall tossed her flowers and they sailed right into Kait’s hands. Kait waved the bouquet like a championship trophy.
After the couples danced together as husband and wife the first time, others soon joined in. His sister Allie pulled him out on the sand. “Aren’t you glad Mom made you learn how to dance?”
“Sure, just so I could dance with my annoying little sister.”
Allie wrinkled her nose at him. “So, I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier, but I’m really sorry Olivia couldn’t make it. She asks about you all the time, you know.” Alex stopped abruptly. Allie tripped and he steadied her before piercing her with a narrowed gaze. “And you know this how?”
She smiled. “Because we email and Skype all the time.”
Alex’s mouth dropped open. “You keep in touch with her?”
“Yep. At least two, sometimes three times a week. We’ve become good friends. I can tell her things I can’t tell Mom and Dad.”
Okay, Alex had fallen into a rabbit hole. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I figured you’d come around and realize how amazing she is.”
His gaze narrowed further. “I already know that.”
“Then why haven’t you done anything about it?”
Great. Getting the third degree from a teenager. “It’s complicated.”
“Do you love her?”
“Allie, I barely know her,” he sputtered.
“Then get to know her.”
“Look, I’m not comfortable discuss—”
“I look up to you, Alex. You’re my hero. So act like one and go get her.”
Chapter Five
“This has been a breaking news report on NYC-TV3. I’m Olivia Larrson. We’ll get back to your regular programming after these short messages.”
As soon as the red light on the camera blinked off, Olivia’s shoulders slumped and she collapsed against the chair. She jerked when someone pounded on the glass inside the production booth and she turned to see her producer, Jonah Wyles giving her two thumbs up and beaming with pride. The breaking report had been broadcast not only to the metropolitan New York area, but to the entire country. Television stations all across the United States cut into local programming to air Olivia’s special report of Anthony Purdy’s confession courtesy of the Vigilante. Jonah had been over the moon with the coup.
She’d led off the report with background on the case, including details of the trial where Purdy had been found innocent. They decided against publicizing that they may soon know the location of Lamont Jefferson’s body since they didn’t know for sure the Vigilante would follow through with his claim. They would wait until the cops could actually find the body before any announcement was made.
Detectives Derek Benson and Susannah Kramer of the New York City Police Department were on site, waiting for instructions on where to find Jefferson and Anthony Purdy, most probably dead as well. They didn’t know how long the wait would be since there was no mention of a time frame. It could come tonight or tomorrow or next week. The police decided to go with the theory that the Vigilante would deliver the information as soon as the video aired.
Purdy’s wife had reported him missing earlier in the week and searches turned up empty. Purdy hadn’t been employed for weeks, so they weren’t sure of his itinerary the day he disappeared. They had no way of pinpointing the location from where he vanished. It was as if he vaporized into thin air.
Olivia was happy that Susannah Kramer had been assigned to the case. They attended the same gym and had taken yoga classes together. She had a wicked sense of humor and a twisted outlook on life sharpened by her years on the force. Olivia enjoyed hanging out with the detective.
She stood and gathered her materials. Jonah jogged outside of the booth and enveloped her in a hug. “You were magnificent.”
“Thanks.” She pulled her communications earpiece loose since she was hearing Jonah in stereo.
“We jumped through his hoops, followed his instructions,” Jonah said. “Now I guess we wait.”
“How do you know it’s a he?” Callie Graves asked in a bored tone as she filed her nails. Callie was a stunning redhead with big green eyes and the camera loved her almost as much as she loved herself. She anchored the weekend edition of the news. She hadn’t been happy to have Olivia hone in on her program. It was a juicy story and she demanded to be the person to share the video since it was her time slot. She’d been quickly rebuked by both Jonah and the station lawyers. It wasn’t necessary for them to bend to the will of what was most probably a deranged individual, but until they were sure what they were dealing with, they would abide by his rules since there was no harm involved. Olivia was one of their top reporters and the request to have her introduce the interview didn’t pose a problem to anyone but Callie.
“Just going with statistics,” Jonah stated.
Callie’s producer stuck his head out of the booth. “You’re on in one, Callie.” Unlike Callie, Aaron Wall hadn’t argued about sharing the timeslot with Jonah. He was easy-going and well-liked among the other staff at the station. He was also one of the few who could actually get along with Callie.
Callie rolled her eyes, stuck her file in her purse and stood. After smoothing her skirt, she chirped, “Are you sure you want me to finish the hour and not Princess Olivia?” The grin she aimed at Olivia was condescending. Olivia bit back a nasty retort. It wasn’t her fault the instructions specified that she introduce the clip. She’d have gladly let Callie play the video if it meant she could be in Hawaii right now, celebrating the marriage of her best friend. And seeing Alex.
Callie had been on a crusade to get Olivia fired from the moment she arrived. Callie was pissed that Olivia was picked to host alongside Ernest Walters, a national icon, in the coveted evening news spot. She thought the job should be hers since she’d been at the station longer. Olivia wasn’t sure if Callie knew that it was Ernie’s idea to hire her. He’d seen her report on a serial killer in Vermont and had lobbied for the network to hire her after his last partner had to leave due to illness.
Once Ernie had retired, the network hired Kip Prescott to fill his spot and Callie’s hatred only grew. But instead of aiming her ire at Kip for getting the job, she focused all of her negative energy on Olivia.
“Anyway, it could be a chick. What? Just saying,” Callie muttered at the dirty look from Jonah. “We can be as vindictive as any man.” She aimed her laser green stare at Olivia and smirked. “Sometimes more so.”
Olivia refused to lower herself to Callie’s level. She was glad their paths rarely crossed. She spun around and headed to the Green Room to check on the detectives. They looked bored to tears. She continued on to the office she inherited when Ernie retired…another sore spot with Callie, who used a cubicle in the open area they called the bullpen.
She grabbed her cell and checked her messages. She had a text but it was from Kendall, not the Vigilante: Caught the broadcast all the way in Hawaii. U were amazing, Liv!
Olivia smile
d and typed out: What are U doing watching TV…you’re supposed to be on your honeymoon. Isn’t Dorian keeping you busy?
She didn’t have to wait long for the response: Needed a breather. Believe me, he’s keeping me verrrry busy! It was signed with five winking emoji’s and two kissy lips.
OMG TMI, she texted back, adding a smiley face emoji to let Kendall know she was joking. She was truly happy for her friend and was glad Kendall had found the man she wanted to spend her life with. But she was a little sad for herself. She’d be crawling under the sheets all alone.
Her cell buzzed again and she smiled imagining Kendall’s response to the too much information text. Her eyes widened. It wasn’t from Kendall. She didn’t recognize the number. She clicked to read the message. It was an address with detailed instructions. It had to be from the Vigilante. She rushed out of her office and into Jonah’s. “The Vigilante contacted me.” She showed him the screen. He punched the address into a GPS app on his phone.
“It’s in Queens. We need to tell the detectives.” They hurried to the Green Room. Detective Benson was watching the sports channel while Detective Kramer texted on her phone.
“He made contact,” she told them. They both snapped to attention immediately. Susannah slid her phone in a pocket and Benson clicked off the television. She handed them her cell. Susannah pulled hers back out and typed in the address, coming to the same conclusion as Jonah that it was in Queens. “Let me pull up a satellite map. It appears to be an abandoned lot in an industrial area.” Detective Benson called for backup and a forensics crew and the officers jogged to their car.
“I’ll find Roddy and Phil and we’ll head over.” Jonah hustled to round up the camera crew, who were on standby just in case the Vigilante made contact tonight. Olivia grabbed her bag from her office and closed the door. She paced to the small parking lot behind the station just as Roddy skidded the outside broadcasting van to a stop in front of the door. She climbed in and buckled up.
“Would’ve been nice for the cops to wait for us so we had a police escort,” Roddy grumbled as he shifted into gear. Traffic was heavy for a Sunday evening and it took forever to reach the Queensboro Bridge. The address was just past the off-ramp. Jonah instructed Roddy to the lot already surrounded by swirling blue and red lights.
“I’ll get the scoop.” Jonah jumped out of the van.
Olivia had seen dead bodies before, but it never got easier. She prayed she wouldn’t see any tonight. She stayed close to the van as Roddy and Phil set up for a remote broadcast. She adjusted the mic in her ear, allowing her to communicate with Jonah.
“We’ve got a body,” he said.
“That was fast. Lamont Jefferson?”
“No, this one hasn’t fully decomposed yet. Definitely Anthony Purdy.”
Olivia had expected the news but it didn’t diminish the sorrow for the loss of a life, even if the man was a murderer. “Can you tell how he was killed?”
“Not at all. No gunshot wound or blood that I can see. It just looks like he’s sleeping. Wait, I’ll get an official report.” There was some chatter that Olivia couldn’t make out and then he came back on the line. “They won’t tell me anything, but it looks like they found the burial site.”
It felt like hours passed as they excavated the body. Roddy and Phil played cards in the van and she curled up on the bench seat and tried not to mess up her hair. Finally, Detective Benson gave them the green light to announce the discovery of Purdy and the possible remains of Lamont Jefferson. Until DNA tests could be conducted, they couldn’t positively identify him, but next of kin had been notified.
Olivia fixed her hair and touched up her make-up as Roddy and Phil prepared the cameras for broadcast. Phil gave her a thumbs up and switched on the lights. Olivia spoke into the microphone. She hadn’t done a live report from a crime scene since she’d moved to New York but it was like riding a bike. “This is Olivia Larrson of NYC-TV3 with a breaking news report.”
#
Alex watched the news report with rapt fascination. Olivia looked professional and composed and so damn beautiful, it took his breath away. He tried to focus on the words she was saying, but he kept getting lost in her blue eyes.
He wasn’t sure he’d get to see the report but Kendall thought it would be broadcast across the country, and it had. Olivia gave a brief introduction with background on the case and then played the video. It was chilling, knowing the person had been arrested for the crime but found innocent when in fact, he was guilty. When the report ended, he clicked off the television and stared at the black screen. Maybe he should take it as a sign that since Olivia couldn’t make the trip to Hawaii, they weren’t meant to be together. That thought depressed the hell out of him.
With a sigh, he pushed to his feet and pocketed his room key. He had one more day in paradise…he was determined to make it memorable. If that meant hooking up with a random woman to exorcise the memories of Olivia from his brain, so be it. He’d just stepped into the lobby when a small body plowed into him.
“Hey Alex, I was just coming up to get you. Why was the skeleton afraid to cross the road?”
Alex smiled at Kai. “Hum, because he has no eyes so he couldn’t see the walk sign?”
Kai snorted. “Ha, no, but that’s a good one.”
Alex scrunched his brows in thought. “Because he was lazy bones?”
Kai guffawed. “Lazy bones! That’s another good one. But again, no.”
“I give up. Why was the skeleton afraid to cross the road?”
“Because…because…he had no guts!” Kai doubled over in laughter. Alex couldn’t help but laugh with him. The kid cracking himself up was always funnier than his jokes. “See, it’s funny, right? I knew you’d think it was funny. Told you, Dan.”
Alex glanced over at Dan Bradley who was shaking his head fondly at Kai. Dante’s parents and Taylor’s had become good friends since their children fell in love. They were taking Kai and Gracie on a tour of the Islands but they didn’t leave until tomorrow. Kai wanted to hang with the guys before they left.
“Do you feel better now?” Kai asked in all sincerity. Kai didn’t like for people to be sad so he memorized jokes to cheer them up. The kid had a heart as big as Texas.
He ruffled Kai’s hair and laughed when the kid batted his hands away. “I didn’t feel bad before.”
Kai pointed to Dan. “He said you were all puppy dog sad and mopey because your girlfriend couldn’t come to the wedding.”
Alex narrowed his eyes and glowered at Dan. He was going to punch him, ninja warrior champion or not. He stalked over.
“Fight, fight,” Kai crowed.
Dan’s eyes widened comically, for Kai’s benefit Alex was sure. Then he pulled his fiancée in front of him. “Save me, honey,” he said.
Kaitlyn elbowed Dan. He “oofed” and let go. “Save yourself.”
Kai was dancing between them, making punching motions. “Get him, Alex,” he coaxed. “He called you a big man baby who sleeps with a binky.”
Dan gaped at Kai. “What? I did not.”
The kid shrugged. “Eh, I read between the lines.” He threw some more punches.
They both burst out laughing. “Come-on, you little bloodthirsty troublemaker.” Dan shoved Kai in front of them and threw his arm over Alex’s shoulder. “Let’s go grab something to eat. Then we’ll hit the waves. Bet I can learn to surf before you can.”
“You’re on.”
Chapter Six
The Vigilante watched the news with a satisfied smile. Olivia did a masterful job, projecting the right amount of professionalism, compassion and integrity to the segment. It had been broadcast to the entire country! That wasn’t even one of the stipulations, but what a bonus. The demands had been met, as the Vigilante knew they would be. A push of a button fired off a text with the location of the bodies. Several burner phones had been purchased for this reason since they were untraceable.
The air felt good when the Vigilante stepped outside. Two m
ore confessions were set to go and they would both be delivered this week with the same stipulations. It was better to strike before the guilty became suspicious, watchful. It’d been ridiculously easy to lure the predators to the confessional, as the Vigilante had named the interrogation room. People tended to acquiesce to a trustworthy face.
But once the next two videos were released, the job became much harder. The guilty would be on guard. They wouldn’t be as easy to manipulate. It was just a matter of getting them inside the door and administering chloroform to knock them out.
Purdy hadn’t been easy. He was a big man and it took quite a bit of maneuvering to drag his bulk into place. A flat furniture dolly helped. Getting him into the chair had been a feat, too, but measures had been taken in anticipation. Pulleys and a winch had been attached that would lift the man into the chair where he could be tied up. Well, not chair, exactly. Toilet was the correct term. The Vigilante didn’t want to deal with cleanup after he administered the fatal dose of succinylcholine. The drug induced instantaneous cardiac arrest but it appeared as if the person died of natural causes. The Vigilante wasn’t blood thirsty, but thirsty for justice. Anchoring the accused to the toilet would make clean-up easier since the bowels would release upon death.
Once the man had been secured in place, wires had been attached to his body in very strategic places. They would provide a shock at the push of a button, a back-up if the truth serum that would be delivered intravenously didn’t do its job. The person had to confess or suffer the consequences.
The Vigilante had a veritable pharmacy on hand, thanks to a quick trip to Mexico. Chloroform to knock them out. Truth serum to force a confession and succinylcholine to end their life.
Torture wasn’t legal and maybe it wasn’t humane, but these monsters had gotten away with their crimes and couldn’t be tried again due to double jeopardy laws. The Vigilante reached a breaking point and decided to take action. Heaven was out of the picture since God most likely wouldn’t open his arms to a killer, no matter how justified. But life had been a living hell for a long time, so the Vigilante was prepared for an afterlife of the same.
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