Pretty Monsters

by Kimberly Carrillo

  Lucien finally spots the marks on her wrists and neck, and he tenses again. "I don't like the reminders though."

  He runs his hand through his hair and pulls. "I really wish I didn't know you like it rough."

  I narrow my eyes at him. "How exactly do you know that?"

  Shrugging, he says, "The maids talk."

  "Maids, plural?" Of course she doesn't miss that detail.

  "Thanks a lot, fucker," I snap.

  Raven rolls her eyes and swats me on the chest. "Like I wasn't aware you used to get around."

  Right, Tessa and the cabin. "Never again. I'm yours, I'll tattoo it on me if it makes you feel better." Actually, a tattoo of a raven would be perfect.

  "I'd have thought you'd have ink. Why don't you?" she asks.

  "Identifying marks. In our line of work, we normally avoid anything that can help identify us," Lucien supplies.

  "All this domestic bliss is great and all, but we should really dig into Fallen Angel. The sooner I can find out if they are trafficking women or not the sooner we can wrap that shit up. I need out of that place, legit or not."

  "Quit," Raven says.

  "We need money," Lucien reminds her.

  "About that. I start working with Ford today." Lucien opens his mouth, and I hold up my hand to stop him. "Raven too, so you don't need to worry about her safety."

  "Did I miss something yesterday?" she asks, confused.

  "No, Ford is going to ask you himself."

  "What will you be doing for a college kid?" Lucien asks.

  "He's the same age we are," I remind him.

  He shakes his head. "We haven't been our own age for over a decade."

  True. A life of endless fighting will age you quickly.

  "Ford is opening a women's only facility to teach self defense, and there will be a women's shelter on site. I'm going to teach some defense classes, and do some cyber security. Raven will meet with women and take memberships so they don't have to deal with a man right from the start. That is, if you are willing to do it," I say, realizing I just assumed she'd want to work.

  I'm stunned when she stretches up and kisses me. "I'd love to. I also want to teach archery and knife throwing. You never know when ordinary objects are the only thing standing between whether you live or die."

  "Knife throwing and archery?" Lucien asks. Clearly, he didn't know about her extracurricular studies at the boarding school.

  She shrugs one shoulder. "Just something I learned in school."

  I swat her on the rear. "We're headed to the gym in a bit. Go get ready while I go through the strip club's files with your brother."

  "Fine, go do nerdy man things," she huffs, then heads to the bathroom.

  I wait until she's closed the bedroom door. "I know you want to save those women, but I don't think you going back to work is going to help them. We need to do what we can from a distance."

  "We still need money," Lucien points out.

  "I told you, I'm going to work at Ford's gym."

  "It isn't even open yet, and it'll take a while until there are enough paying clients to give you a salary."

  "There's a bar a couple blocks away. Maybe they need a bartender. I've already been in there, it is gritty, but no illegal activity."

  Lucien leans back and sighs. "We need to save them. After all the horrible shit we've done, I need to save someone for a change."

  "We will," I promise him.

  He closes his eyes and nods off for a while, having only slept maybe a couple of hours. Raven settles down to read a book she borrowed from one of the girls.

  Left alone, I decide to dig into the files and see if I can find the links we need to break this chain of human trafficking. Saving the women already here is important, but it'll be in vain if they are replaced by new ones. We'd be giving salvation to some while condemning others to be victimized.

  After sifting through dozens of coded files I finally get to the top of the pyramid. Martin Gerrick is listed as the owner of Fallen Angel, except, after an exhaustive search I learn he doesn't exist.

  Gerrick might not be a real person, but there is a lot of property listed under his name. Most of it is cargo ships and planes, but there are also a couple of casinos and other cash businesses, perfect for laundering money.

  "Who are you Martin Gerrick?" I mutter to myself.

  "I haven't heard that name for a while," Lucien says, voice rough from sleep.

  "According to the research I've done, he doesn't exist. No social security number, no birth certificate, nothing but a bunch of assets."

  "That's because Martin Gerrick is a name that has been passed down. It's kind of like the Dread Pirate Roberts from Princess Bride. Someone steps into the role when the previous one retires. No one knows who he is," Lucien explains.

  "So, he could be anyone, even your father."

  "Pretty much. It's hard to take down a crime lord who doesn't actually exist. Shit, we're fucked."

  "You can't go back there, but you need to quit in a way they won't be suspicious."

  "He needs to go to school," Raven says from the doorway.

  "How would that help?" I ask.

  "People quit jobs all the time because they need to study. It's hard to work nights if you go to school all day. It won't seem suspicious if he tells them he realized he doesn't want this life. He's young, so it's believable," she explains.

  "Yeah, it's a great excuse, except we don't have the money for it," he says.

  She comes over to us and hands Lucien my phone. On it, she's pulled up the school website. "There's an opening for a groundskeeper. Classes are free for staff."

  Lucien looks at me, and I can see the longing in his expression. He never wanted the life he was being pushed into. I'm jealous because I'd have loved nothing more than to lose myself in a formal education, but like most things, that life isn't meant for me. Doesn't mean it can't be his though.

  "I think you should try it," I encourage him.

  "We can't just abandon these women. I don't even think all of them are over eighteen," he argues.

  "We won't, but we're going to have to be more covert with how we go at them. I'm afraid this operation might be too big for us, and if it's your father–"

  He rakes his hand through his hair. "If it's him then they are screwed. Getting those girls out is doable, but we can't take out an international smuggling and money laundering racket that's been established for generations."

  "We won't quit," I promise him. "But, we're going to have to take them down when we are ready to move on your father."

  "What about Governor Whitmore?" Raven asks.

  Lucien looks up from the phone. "What about him?"

  "You've both said he's Damien's biggest threat. What if this information made it into his hands?"

  "We don't know if we can trust him," I hedge.

  She shrugs. "We don't, but if we agree that most people act in their own self interest, then we can trust him to use the information to bring down Damien."

  "If Martin Gerrick is Damien," I point out.

  "We keep digging. We also find out if he has any federal agents he works closely with. Again, we don't trust them, but at least we can start there," Lucien says, accepting her suggestion.

  I stand up and stretch. My eyes hurt from spending so much time on the computer without using my glasses, and my body aches for a hard workout. "You've got a job to quit, Luce, and Raven and I need to meet Ford at the gym."

  Lucien tosses me the keys. "Might as well take the truck. I'm not going to need it today."

  Ford meets us at the gym after football practice, and he and I start working on the dorms upstairs while Raven gets to work on designing a website for the gym. Shane joins us after class and working for his grandfather.

  The three of us manage to drywall half the space over the course of several hours. We work in silence, but it isn't awkward. When I'm with them I get flashes of what my life would have been like if I'd had a more normal life.

>   Voices from downstairs carry in the still mostly open space. I drop my hammer and take the stairs two at a time. Ted leads Lucien through the work out equipment toward us. Immediately, I know something has gone wrong.

  "We've got a problem," Lucien confirms my suspicion.

  Instead of pulling up the secure site I set up to access the club's files, he opens the tracker I put on Damien's men. "They're getting close. Also, there's this," he pauses while his fingers fly over the keys.

  Just like I figured would eventually happen, Damien is giving a tearful interview with a reporter about his missing daughter and son.

  "Why haven't they mentioned you, Jackson?" Shane asks.

  "Jackson?" Lucien pops an eyebrow.

  I shrug. It is my name, at least I think it is. I focus on Shane's question instead. "Because I don't exist. There's no way he can explain who I am without implicating himself."

  "So much for going to school," Lucien grumbles.

  Damien always finds a way to ruin our lives. Always.

  "For now," Raven comforts her brother.

  "Do you think we've been spotted here?" Lucien wonders.

  "The apartment manager did spend a lot of time looking at Raven." There's no way he wouldn't take a bribe. "The bigger threat is the fact that the strip club is going to know you weren't who you said you were."

  "How long before they track the spyware?"

  "It depends on if anyone they have is as good as either of us with computers."

  "Do we run, or make a stand?" Lucien asks.

  "If we run, we're going to have to keep running. All of our time and energy will be focused on staying one step ahead." Even though I believe this, I still want to grab Raven and flee.

  "You've got us here, I say you make a stand," Ford asserts.

  "People could die," I warn.

  "Better make sure it's them then," Ted says, surprising us all.

  25

  One Step Back

  Raven

  The guys work into the night getting a couple of the rooms ready to be used. Shane and Ted leave for a bit to get mattresses for us and to empty out our apartment. They return with Jen and Amber in tow.

  "I saw your picture on the news today," Jen says.

  I turned away when Lucien queued up the interview. If I didn't know what a snake he was under his slick exterior, I'd have fallen for Damien Blackthorne's act.

  While I didn't watch it, I could still hear it. Damien is alleging we were taken by a political rival. Governor Arthur Whitmore was never mentioned by name, but the implication was clear. Just the cloud of suspicion could be enough to swing the election away from the popular two-term governor.

  A governor who happened to install an anti-crime task force focusing on organized crime. Taking down Whitmore serves Damien on several levels. Not only can he expand his network by using the government as an extension of his crime network, but he also eliminates a very real threat.

  I can see all of this as if I'm watching two chess masters battle. Every move is plotted several steps ahead, and I have a sinking feeling I am only a pawn in this game. If he's taking these moves now, what bigger surprise is he holding on to?

  "Raven, have you heard what I've said?" Jen waves her hand in front of my face.

  I blink several times, exiting my inner musings. "No, sorry. I was just thinking about what it means that he's taking this step now. We've been gone a few weeks now."

  "Yeah, and we've got another problem. No one has seen or heard from Jess in over a week."

  "She’s the girl from my impromptu party?" I should feel worse that she’s missing, but I think I'd lose my shit if she came on to Sin in front of me again. I can barely be in the same room as Tessa, and at least I know she's got a twisted thing with Ford.

  "Then we might have a problem if she sees the news. I think she’d call us first though. The girl has issues, but she's never disappeared before." Jen bites her bottom lip and stares out the window.

  "Do you ever have one of those creepy feelings like something bad is going to happen and you're powerless to stop it?" Jen whispers.

  Amber isn't paying attention to our conversation. She's busy setting food out on a fold out table so the guys can eat as soon as they are done working upstairs. They've been at it for hours without a break, and a bunch of hangry, dirty men doesn't sound like a good time.

  "My entire life is one of those creepy feelings. I do have a sense I'm missing something," I answer her.

  "What are you missing?" Lucien asks. He strolls over to the table. Amber stares at him dazed. He winks at her and piles food on a plate as if that's a normal reaction he gets from women.

  "None of us have heard from our friend Jess in over a week, and it's not normal," Jen supplies.

  "I can try and call her again," Amber offers. She takes out her phone.

  Lucien is moving around her and freezes. "That's Jess?"

  She lowers her phone, and we all wait for him to explain his reaction. "I've seen her."

  “Yeah, she was at the party for Raven,” Jen reminds him.

  Lucien shakes his head. "That’s not what I’m talking about. I remember her from the strip club. She isn't going by the name Jess, but that's her. Of course, the girl I met was so strung out I am not sure she's there totally by choice or just to keep her high going."

  "Fuck! I swear that girl is nearly too stupid to live!" Ford curses.

  "Ford–" Jen admonishes.

  "Just save it, Jen. She's been doing stupid shit for the last six months. I know both of you have seen it. Ever since she hooked up with that loser with the muscle car she's been spiraling. We'll help her, okay, but we can't run off half cocked because she's trying to exorcise her daddy issues by shoving her tits in men's faces for dollar bills."

  "I think you're all missing the bigger problem. She's connected to all of you. There was a chance Damien's men wouldn't question you at the apartment more than to show our picture around, but now they're going to look harder." Sin's voice is resigned.

  "Everyone is in danger now," Lucien agrees.

  "Not if we act fast," Teddy suggests. Gone is the lovable goofball façade. In its place is a look I've seen more often on Sin and my brother.

  "What's your plan?" Sin seems to have picked up on the change too.

  "Do you know her schedule?" Teddy asks Lucien.

  "She should be getting off work around midnight. It's too late to catch her going in to work."

  "Jackson, since your face wasn't broadcast on the news tonight, I think we have to be the ones to go and get her." His entire demeanor has changed, and it's freaking me the fuck out.

  Sin's eyes narrow as he reassesses Teddy. "Why you?"

  "I know I've got a lot of explaining to do. Let's just say my background is more like Lucien's than Ford or Shane," he explains.

  Teddy seems to stand taller, his muscles bunch and ripple. I'm not sure how he managed to downplay his powerful frame, but he's far more deceptive than I'd given him credit for.

  He sighs, realizing he isn't going to be able to deflect our interest from his past. "My name isn't Ted Reese. I mean, it is, but Reese is my middle name. My real last name is O'Brian."

  Ford and Shane trade puzzled looks. "Is that supposed to mean something?" They clearly have no idea who their friend really is, but judging by the look on Lucien and Sin's faces, they do.

  "Are you from Chicago, Ted?" Sin asks. His voice is deadly calm.

  Ted nods. "Yeah, my dad was the head of the Irish mob in Chicago. From the time I was able to walk I've been trained to be one of his soldiers so I'd be ready to take over. Except, my mother was a good Catholic girl who, despite her love for my father, never accepted I'd follow in his footsteps. Every chance she got she made sure I held on to my morals."

  Lucien silently moves next to Sin. "Theodore O'Brian was murdered in his bed. I thought his entire family died that night."

  “That was the story the FBI fed the press. The truth is my dad came home that night with
two bodies in the trunk of his car. He sent my mom to her room while he made me help him carry them to our basement while he waited for some of his men to show up to dispose of the bodies. It was a fucking mom and a kid not much younger than I was at the time."

  He's purging a blackness from his soul and can't seem to stop now that he's started. "He kept explaining that sometimes drastic measures were necessary. They weren't criminals, they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Without a second thought he ended both of their lives.

  "This was my legacy, and I couldn't do it. When he turned his back on me I knocked him out with a shovel. Once he was out I went and told my mom to get the car. Then I went back inside, doused all the bodies with gasoline, and lit a match. I don't think he was even dead when he started to burn."

  "Shit, man. We've known you since junior year of high school. You killed a man when you were fifteen?" Shane is pacing.

  One thing is certain. After tonight this group will never be the same.

  "Everyone has always bought the act. When you present yourself as a clown, most people accept it and don't look too deep. A war broke out amongst my father's men for control, and the ones who weren't killed were rounded up by the governor's anti-crime squad."

  Sin looks like he's contemplating killing Ted just to be safe. I move next to him and slide my hand into his. He takes a deep breath through his nose and exhales. "You fooled me, and that never happens. I want to trust you, because the alternative won't go so well for you."

  Ted smirks. "Don't write me off that quickly. I'm not nearly as passive as I led you all to believe. But I'm not your enemy. In fact, I've got plenty of reasons to help you kill Damien Blackthorne."

  "When I met you at the bar you really worked hard to include me in your group. You knew who I was." Sin isn't asking him, only letting him know he's figuring it out.

  Ted nods. "I noticed you as soon as you came in. The two guys who were with us were just a couple of assholes one of the other girls brought. I needed them gone, so I slipped one of them something to make him drunker knowing the bartender would ask his friend to take him home. I wasn't sure if you were there for me, and I needed to feel out what you knew."