I don’t need reminding of what he’s done, I know everything, I found out things about him that I’ve not told anyone, sickening things that make me sick to my stomach. “We need to find him.”
“You’re going to have to tell me everything about him, I’ll need to know all of his deepest darkest secrets.” Coby says and I raise my brow in question. “You’re telling me that you haven’t delved into him since this shit has happened?” I glare at him and the fucker smiles. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Now, what did you find out?”
“Martin prefers brunettes, the younger they are the better.” I inform them.
Dad’s eyes narrow. “How young exactly?”
“In the past six weeks, I’ve had twelve men come to me, these men aren’t mine, they’re not even in our circle. They know me, they know what I do and they knew Martin was my man. They told me that Martin had sex with their daughters and when the parents found out he told them that they’d have me to deal with.” I say with disgust, each one of those men had the courage to face me, to explain what that fucker did to their daughters.
“How old were they?” Dad bites out.
“They range in age from thirteen to sixteen.”
Dad jumps to his feet, “That animal has been raping these young girls and putting the fear into their parents.” He shakes his head. “Everything about him makes me sick.”
“We all know there’s something wrong with the man, but from everything I’ve heard, it seems as though he wants revenge.” Coby says and I smile as he glares at dad, Coby doesn’t give a shit, he says whatever he wants and doesn’t care about the consequences. “Harrison, you abandoned him, you favored Hudson over him and he wants revenge for that.”
Dad sits back down again, he’s resigned, he knows what Coby is saying is true. “Okay, what is he going to do next?”
“I believe that he’s not finished, he tried to kill Marline and he failed, so he could try again. I’d up security on both Marline and Mia, if he wants revenge, that’s where I’d start. I think his end game will be killing everyone Harrison loves, including Hudson. He may even kill you Harrison.”
“That’s not going to happen.” I vow, “It’s why I’ve asked for your help. I need to find that fucker before he hurts anyone else.”
“Son…” Dad begins, “this isn’t your fault.”
“Yes, Dad, it is. I should have seen who he was. I shouldn’t have let him get that close to me.”
Dad’s eyes shutter close. “If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”
“You should have told me who Martin was, if you had I would have never let him climb the ranks. Saying that, I’m the boss, I should have seen who he was. We’ve all let him get close and that has been to our detriment. Now it’s time to end him.”
Coby smiles, “That’s what I’m here for. I never did like that jackass. Now, I have a friend who may be able to help us. There’s a network for people like Martin that like young girls or boys. My friend is undercover and has managed to infiltrate that network. I’m going to reach out and see if he knows Martin, it could help us find him if he does.”
Fucking hell, if I was undercover I’d kill every single fucker that was part of that network, there’s no way I’d be able to act as though I was friends with one of them. Fucking sick bastards. There’s no way I could listen to the shit they’d say. “Do it.” I tell Coby, the sooner he makes contact the better.
He gets to his feet, pulling his cell out of his pocket and makes his way out of the office.
“Son, I owe you an apology. I should have told you about Martin.”
“Yes dad, you should have.” I’m not going to lie to him, he fucked up.
“Your grandfather and I argued up until the day he died over it too. I told him that he shouldn’t have brought him into the family, your grandfather thought otherwise. Had he known the shit he was bringing into our lives he’d have done it differently.”
I sigh. “That may be so Dad, but I still don’t know why you didn’t tell me, I mean you made him my chauffeur and bodyguard. Don’t you think that was rubbing it in his face a bit?”
“Hindsight is a strange thing. Yes, I regret putting him as your bodyguard. I thought having him do that would keep him out of my business.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it now, what’s done is done. Why did you tell my mom about him?” I’m curious, Mom claims that Dad never loved her, but he told her about Martin, which says otherwise.
“Your mom and I had a weird relationship. As I’ve said, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, more with your mom than anyone else. Your mom thought our marriage was based on love, whereas I always thought of it as a convenience, your mom knew about our lifestyle, she knew the rules and obeyed them. I should have made it more clear to her about what I felt and what I wanted from the marriage.”
“So why did you tell her?” I ask again, my dad would make a great politician, he dodges questions like a pro.
He sighs heavily. “Your mom made me promise at the beginning that there would be no secrets between us. I told her about Martin along with every other stupid mistake I made while I was young.”
“So what changed, when did you stop being honest and faithful?” I’m fucking glad that I found Mia, I wouldn’t bring myself to marry someone I don’t love. Hell I definitely wouldn’t have had children with them.
“Your mom and I argued a lot, she knew that I didn’t love her, I never told her I did, I wouldn’t do that. She hated me for not loving her and I resented her for falling in love with me. The arguments turned violent and we’re both at fault for it. I should never have laid my hands on her but your mom gave as good as she got. I’m not justifying what I did, but giving you the entire story. You hated me because you thought I was a liar and a cheater. Your mom married me knowing that I didn’t love her and that I was with other women.”
Fuck, I didn’t want to know this shit, “Yes dad, I get that but you still treated her like crap, you made her cry every day.”
He turns away from me, “I know that, but what was I supposed to do? Pretend that I loved her? I wasn’t lying to her, I never lied to her.”
“Dad, you beat her until she was bloody,” I say through clenched teeth, the memory of her lying on the floor with blood over her face, a tooth missing, and a swollen eye.
Guilt is written all over his face. “I know, and that was the last time I ever raised my hand to her. I went too far that day, I knew that it was time to leave. Things between us got real bad, I left and went to Tina as I knew that it would be the only way we could move on. I never intended on divorcing your mom that was never on the cards. Until that day, I lost it, I couldn’t take the arguments, the shouting, the threats.”
I change the subject, nothing good can come from this. What dad’s saying makes me doubt everything mom has told me. Yes dad was violent, a cheater, and he was angry, but what he’s told me is mom knew about Tina and by the sounds of it, others. Their marriage wasn’t what she made out. I’m not going to delve into it any deeper. Right now, I get along with both of my parents and if I find out mom lied, I’m going to be pissed. “Dad, are you going to be able to kill Martin if the time comes?” It’s something I’ve been unsure of, even though he says he hates him, I’m not sure if he’d be able to kill his son.
“Yes,” he says without hesitation. “I understand where that question has come from, but my loyalty is to you, not only as the boss but because you are my son.”
I raise my brow. “He is your son too!”
He’s shaking his head, “No, he isn’t. Having sex with his mom was stupid, I told her to get a damn abortion but she didn’t listen. She thought that she would trap me by keeping it. Stupid fucking decision ever. She ended up crawling back to her husband and acting as though it was his. I never had anything to do with any of them again, until Martin began acting out, your grandfather thought he’d step in and help. Even when Martin joined our organization, I made sure that he was kept away from me. So no,
I won’t have any qualms about killing him. He is not my son, never was and never will be. That fucker killed my wife and raped my daughter. He’s a dead man.”
That makes sense in such a fucked up way. “Good, because I don’t want you to go crazy when I kill that fucking asshole.”
“You have no worries,” Dad reiterates and relief washes through me. I believe him, he’s not going to stop me nor is he going to give a shit.
The office door opens and Coby walks back in. “Spoke to my friend,” he says with a smile as he sits down. “Now my friend is a cop but he also knows me and knows about you.”
I cross my arms over my chest, glaring at him.
He tuts. “Not in that way asshole, I wouldn't do that. I meant he knows what you both did for me and he’s going to help us out. Martin is part of that network. He’s reached out in the last couple of weeks, he’s been using his contacts to stay hidden. Martin has given my friend all the information he needed to find out where they hide when the cops are looking for them. They help one another out so they’re not found.”
I shake my head in disgust, fucking sick bastards. “Where is he?”
Coby’s smile widens. “I know where he’ll be tomorrow. He’s coming back, he’ll be staying in Long Beach.”
“How accurate is this intel?” I question.
“Highly. These men and women are extremely cautious. They only trust each other, there’s no way he’s going to believe anyone will know where he is. They communicate via the dark web, no one can infiltrate it or so they think. It’s got a high level security and only members can access the site, there’s only one way you can become a member and that’s if you are invited.”
Fucking hell. “You’d think they’re running some sort of military op or some shit.”
Coby nods. “Close enough, the man that set the site up is a military man.”
“Fucking sick fucks.” Dad growls in disgust. “We’ll have the fucker surrounded, he won’t know what hit him.”
“We need to coordinate with my friend, once you take Martin down, the others are going to scramble. So we need to time it perfectly so that no one gets spooked,” Coby tells us.
“We’ll arrange it for early in the morning. We’ll have him being watched, but that way, he’ll believe that he’s fine where he is.”
“Hudson, that’s good, it’ll give him a false sense of security along with making the others relax. Getting them early in the morning or late at night will mean they’re asleep and won’t be expecting it,” Coby says. “Let me know the time and I’ll have my friend coordinate it with his task force.”
“Four am, arrange it and let me know, then we’re going to set up surveillance, I want my men there as soon as possible in case he turns up early.”
Coby gets to his feet, a smile on his face and his cell to his ear as he leaves my office.
“Not long left son, we’re going to get him. The walls are closing in.”
I smirk. “That fucker is going to be in a world of pain when I get my hands on him.”
“Payback’s a bitch.” Dad smiles, baring his teeth.
“Dad, find a quiet place for us to bring him. Somewhere no one will stumble upon us or hear his tortured screams.”
Dad gets to his feet. “I have the perfect place. I’ll have it ready for you. We’re going to get him son, we’re going to make sure he knows that he’s messed with the wrong fucking people.” Dad leaves and I get to my feet, I’m looking forward to seeing Mia’s face when I let her know that Martin is dead. That the monster is gone.
Thirteen
Mia
“Mia, are you okay?” Sarah’s voice pulls me from my inner musings.
Blinking, I look at her, “Huh?”
She tilts her head to the side, studying me carefully. “Mia, you’ve been quiet, are you okay?”
Glancing at Hudson’s closed office door I sigh. “Today was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time, we’re all so happy. I was so stupid, I stopped looking over my shoulder. Martin has been quiet for so long, I was naive thinking that it was over.”
She grasps my hand. “We all did, we all thought he’d given up. I truly believed that this was over. You’re not naive, just as I’m not. He played us, we all had our guards down, but Mia, we’re not sure if their meeting is about Martin.”
I roll my eyes. “God, this is so fucked up. I hate not knowing what’s happening.”
She gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. “At least we got to shop.” She smiles and I shake my head, she has her priorities right.
Hudson, Jagger, Harrison, Sarah, and I went shopping. We bought everything for our baby. We have his stroller, we bought his entire nursery furniture, and I couldn’t help myself and bought loads of clothes for him. Once we’d finished shopping, we went for some lunch and that’s when all hell broke loose. Hudson got a phone call, I watched as his eyes darkened and his jaw clenched. I knew immediately that something had happened, none of the men spoke. The entire car ride home was tense, and then as soon as we got home they went into his office and shut us out. They’ve been in there for almost three hours now and I’ve no idea what is happening. I’m scared, my mind instantly goes to Martin, wondering who he has hurt now, what has he done now?
“Jagger and I were talking…” She begins and I smile at her, “we really want to have Allie baptised, but not until Martin is gone. We want it to be a celebration, not have everyone looking over their shoulders.”
“That sounds amazing, once all this is over, we’re all going to be in need of a celebration.”
Her smile widens. “We want both you and Hudson to be Allie’s godparents.”
Tears slowly fall down my face. “I’d be so honored to be Allie’s godmother.” Hudson and I have discussed who’s going to be our baby’s godparents and we want Sarah and Jagger to be them.
“There’s no one in this world I’d want more. I love you. More than words can describe. You’re someone that Allie will look up too, that will protect her.”
“Always,” I reply emphatically. I’d do anything for that little girl.
Sarah glances at her watch and then to Hudson’s office door. “How much longer do you think they’re going to be?”
I know that she’s anxious, she wants to go back to Allie. Jagger’s mom has her today, that woman absolutely adores her granddaughter. Whenever she can, she wants to be with her, it’s something I absolutely love, I hope Marline is like that with our baby.
Grabbing my phone off the table I quickly send a text to Hudson asking him if he’s okay. He doesn’t respond and it hurts but there’s nothing I can do about it. If he’s not ready or not able to talk right now, then I’m going to have to wait. Until then, I’m going to have to make myself busy so that I don’t go crazy. The thoughts are the worst, my mind is spinning with different scenarios, each one worse than the last.
I walk into the kitchen, I’m starting to get hungry and I know if I am, Hudson and Jagger are too. I chop garlic and coriander, I heat up butter over the stove and wait for it to melt, once it has, I add the garlic and coriander. I rub it under the skin of the chicken, it’s something that Lacey taught me once, she said her grandmother showed her and it was the only meal she could cook. Once I have rubbed it into the chicken, I put the chicken into the oven and start peeling the potatoes and carrots. I can hear Sarah on the phone in the sitting room, she’s checking up on Allie, she’s been texting Jagger’s mom all day.
I heat up a cooking tray with some Olive oil as my potatoes and carrots are boiling. Once the potatoes are par-boiled I put them into the heated tray and love hearing that sizzle as the olive oil hits them.
“Damn, something smells nice in here.” I turn my head at that voice and smile. “You should be resting,” Harrison tells me.
“I needed to keep busy, is your meeting finished?” I ask hopefully.
“Yeah, do you need any help?”
I shake my head. “No thank you. Grab a beer and take a load off. Dinner wil
l be ready in thirty minutes.”
He kisses my cheek. “Yell if you need a hand, I’ll send Jagger in.” He grabs a couple of beers from the fridge and I laugh, I can imagine him sending Jagger in here to help although if I really needed help, they’d all be here helping me.
Once Harrison leaves, I take out the potatoes out of the oven, placing the tray on top of the counter and turn the potatoes. They’re crispy on the outside, just the way I wanted them to be. Once I put the tray back into the oven, I reach for the cupboard above my head and grab plates.
Hands slide around my waist and cup my bump, I smile as his head rests against my shoulder, his lips on my neck. “You okay, Princess?” he murmurs.
“Yeah,” I lie. “Are you?” He makes a humming noise, I know that he’s not, even though he’s holding me he’s still really tense. “Dinner’s almost ready, will you set the table for me please?”
He places another kiss against my neck. “Of course.” His hands withdraw from my stomach, and I instantly feel the loss. I bend down to take the chicken out of the oven, and jump when Hudson’s voice booms. “What are you doing?”
Placing a hand on my chest, I turn to face him. “God, you scared the life out of me. I’m getting the chicken out of the oven, what does it look like?”
He glares at me, his jaw clenching. “Mia, you’re six months pregnant, you shouldn’t be bending over.”
“Hudson, I am pregnant, not an invalid. I’m capable of bending over. Please just set the table.” I feel as though he’s scrutinizing every little thing I do. He’s been checking up on seeing what a pregnant woman shouldn’t be doing. It’s driving me crazy, I’m not stupid, I would never put my child at risk.
His face blanks, he knows that he’s been annoying me by constantly saying things, it’s as though he doesn’t trust me or something and it’s hurtful. I turn away from him and go back to doing what I was doing before he rudely interrupted me. He leaves the kitchen and I sigh with relief, we’re not going to argue.
Forever Love (Kingpin Book 3) Page 11