I was already moving back around my desk to retrieve my cell phone from the top drawer. I pulled up Leroy’s contact number and hit the call button, glancing at my watch as I did. It was half past one here, and Albuquerque was seven hours behind us. That made it…
“It’s six-goddamned-thirty in the morning,” Leroy said when he answered. “This better be good. I was just about to go for my run.”
“It’s not good, but it’s important.” I turned away from the women so I could focus on my conversation instead of theirs. “Ron reached out to Camilla. Party’s on Saturday. Problem is it’s here, in London. You can make that happen, can’t you?”
I wasn’t honestly sure that he could. Sure, Leroy could get on a plane and arrive in time, but Britain wasn’t his jurisdiction. He couldn’t make any arrests without coordinating with the local police, and with the short notice, an operation of that size could very well be out of the question.
But I wasn’t ready to acknowledge the improbability. We’d worked too hard, invested too much time. This had to work.
“Jesus Christ,” Leroy swore loudly in my ear. “This guy is good. He did this purposefully. He never said one word that this might take place off of U.S. grounds. He knew this would pose a problem.”
“He is good, and that’s why we have to take the bloody arse down. Tell me you can make it happen.”
He groaned. “Fuck. Yes. I think so. I have to… Fuck.” I waited as patiently as possible while he thought through the process. “Okay. I know some people at MI6. I’ll contact them, see what we can do. This isn’t their arena, but hopefully they can get us in touch with someone local. I’ll give them your name and contact info, since I’ll be on the soonest flight I can book. They may need to arrange some of this shit with you while I’m up in the air.”
I could hear typing in the background, Leroy on his computer, likely pulling up the contacts he needed as we spoke.
“That’s good. That’s all good.” If I said it enough, maybe it would decrease the size of the boulder in my stomach. “You’ll get on a plane, I’ll wait for the cops to call. What else do you need me to do?”
“I’m going to be honest, Edward. This is going to be tough. There might not be time for warrants. I don’t have authority. I might not even be given permission to go to this shindig with immunity.”
Panic crept into my voice. “You have to be here, Leroy. It’s your name on that invite list. You’re the one he trusts.”
“I know, man. And I’m going to be there. I’ll deal with the red tape afterward. Meanwhile, I need to get things rolling. I’ll call you back when I have some more news.”
“All right,” I said, calmer now that he’d assured me he was seeing this through. “Talk later.”
I hung up and turned around to find both my sister and my wife looking expectantly toward me.
“Call Ron back,” I said, sounding more calm than I felt. “Tell him Leroy will be there.”
She started to cross to the couch, reaching for her purse, but I wasn’t done. Leroy had me worried. If he couldn’t get permission to put this together, if he didn’t have authority, there was a good chance he’d call everything off.
Even if he didn’t, I didn’t feel good about having all our eggs in one basket. Leroy was the one who had developed trust with Ron, but so had Camilla. Like hell was I letting her walk into that party, but she might be able to add another name to the invitation list, if the name was someone that Ron knew for absolute certain wasn’t an undercover agent of some sort.
“And one more thing,” I said as Camilla brought her mobile to her ear. “See if you can get me on that list as well.”
Twenty-One
Celia
I stood in front of the door to the library for several seconds, my hand on the knob. Then changed my mind and headed back down the hallway toward the stairs. Once I reached them, I changed my mind again. I’d tried to hold my tongue, but this was too important, and if I didn’t speak now, it would be too late.
Determined, this time I didn’t pause at all. I threw the door open and marched in.
“Don’t do this,” I said, my eyes pinned on Edward.
He was standing in front of his desk, one hip leaning against it. From his open mouth and the position of his hands, I guessed he’d been mid-sentence when I interrupted.
He looked at me for a solid two seconds before turning his focus back to the others—Leroy who was perched on the arm of a chair, Camilla who was pacing by the fireplace, Dominic and Felisha, two police officers, seated on the sofa.
“—send the signal for the bust to take place?” Edward continued with whatever question he’d begun before I entered.
Following his lead, the others ignored me as well. “The situation has to progress far enough that they’ll be ‘caught in the act’ when we arrive,” Felisha said.
“I can give the signal,” Leroy said. “But if I’m unable to, for any reason, I’ll ask you what time it is. You can naturally look at your watch and hit the button then.”
I’d been in the room earlier, not for long because it made me anxious, but long enough to hear about the watch that they’d given Edward with a button that would send an alarm to the police. Leroy and Edward wouldn’t be allowed to bring their phones in, and they might even be screened for a wire. The watch, though, should pass inspection.
Should being the key word.
Should being the reason I had anxiety.
Should wasn’t definite, and with all the talk of how sophisticated Ron’s operation was, there was no telling how he’d handle someone found to be operating undercover. What would happen if Edward and Leroy got caught?
“Edward, don’t do this,” I pleaded. “Leroy already offered to do it alone. It doesn’t have to be you.”
Except for a glance at me before Dominic spoke, I was again ignored. “Fortunately, since we were already watching Garrick Till, we know the best ways to approach. We’ll be inside within minutes after you send the alarm.”
Garrick was a long-time friend of my uncle’s, apparently, and, though Ron was the official host, the party tonight was taking place at his house. I’d never heard his name until this week, but, unbeknownst to Till, he was well-known by the local authorities as a possible sex offender. They’d been trying for months to nail him with something but hadn’t been able to infiltrate his circle. Their investigation was the only reason this sting was able to come together on such short notice. They’d already had the primary evidence gathered when Leroy had reached out. Getting the needed warrants hadn’t been a problem at all.
I’d been flabbergasted as the details about Ron’s circle had unfolded over the last two days. I’d always believed the man who had groomed me and abused me had only been able to do so because he’d had access to me. When I was no longer sent to spend time alone with him, I was convinced his behavior had come to a forced end.
Instead, it seemed I’d only been a small part of his sick network. I likely wasn’t even the beginning. His methods had been too exact. He’d become an expert well before I came into his life.
Every new thing I learned confirmed one thing—Ron Werner needed to be taken down.
But that didn’t mean that Edward had to be the one to do it.
I changed my tactic. “Leroy, tell him. Tell him this is stupid. What if Ron already suspects Edward? What if he discovers the watch before they get in?”
“It’s seven twenty-three,” Leroy said, disregarding me. “We should get going soon.”
“I’ll go up and get changed.” Edward strode past me and out of the room.
Felisha, most likely pitying me, stood and walked to me. “There’s no way anyone will suspect the watch signals the police to come, but, if they do, the worst that will happen is they’ll confiscate it before he goes in. In which case, Leroy or Edward will flash the lights. We’ll be watching, and we’ll see it.”
Her words didn’t comfort me. It only brought up a whole new slew of what-ifs, but I had no in
terest in discussing them with her. I turned away from her only to find Camilla waiting at my side.
“Ron didn’t flinch at all when I asked to put Edward on the guest list,” she said. “He doesn’t suspect. After getting him to Exceso, he trusts me. I understand why this might be hard for you. I don’t know if Edward ever mentioned, but Frank, my husband, was abusive. I knew I needed to leave him, but I stayed eleven years because I believed I loved him. What I’m saying is it’s okay to have complicated feelings about your abuser. It’s natural.”
I was sure my expression was one of horror. There was too much to process. Her husband had abused her? She thought I wanted to stop Edward because I had “complicated feelings” for Ron?
“That’s not—” I shook my head and left it at that. I didn’t have time for this. Turning again, I hurried out after Edward.
In our bedroom, I found his shoes kicked off by the door and his jacket thrown on the bed. I headed toward the closet and found him in his boxer briefs, about to put his leg into his tuxedo pants. He glanced up at my arrival, then, like downstairs, went back to what he’d been doing.
“Don’t go tonight. Please,” I begged. When he didn’t look up again, I snapped. “Do not just ignore me, Edward. That’s not fair.”
He finished fastening his pants then put his fists on his hips and sighed. “You should consider going to Amelie for a while. There will most likely be press clamoring to talk to anyone related to your family. Might do you good to stay away from the chaos.”
Ordinarily, I liked the way he looked out for me. Tonight, when he refused to let me look out for him, it just pissed me off. “Don’t treat me like I’m a fragile fucking flower.”
His eyes flashed with anger. “Then stop acting like a fragile fucking flower.”
Oh, it was on now. I took it as progress. Fighting was definitely a step up from being ignored. “It’s not fragile to want my husband to stay safe. It’s smart. Usually I don’t have to explain intelligent behavior to you.”
He pulled a white dress shirt out of his drawer, shaking it out before shoving an arm in the sleeve. He was calmer when he spoke. “There’s nothing unsafe about what we’re doing tonight. Our plan is solid. We’ve worked hard to gain Ron’s trust, and it’s paid off. I promise you.”
“You can’t promise that when you don’t know. You can’t have any idea what you’re getting into. What if they take the watch? What if you don’t have access to the lights? What if you can’t get word to anyone?” My throat burned, I was so worked up. “Don’t do this. It’s too risky. Let the experts take care of it. It doesn’t have to be you.”
“You’re really asking me to walk away from this? After everything that I’ve done to get here? After all the time and energy and years I’ve put into avenging my family?” He took a step toward me, his voice sharper. “After what he did to you? You’re lucky I don’t insist on murdering him with my bare hands. If you’re worried about the risk, that’s the biggest one I’ll be facing, because believe me when I say that it will take a lot of restraint not to do just that.”
He fumed, his nostrils flaring. “And you’re worried about me being safe? I guarantee you that I’ll be a whole hell of a lot safer than the little girls he plans on parading out tonight to a room full of predators. Little girls as innocent as you once were. How safe are they?”
I wanted to be strong.
But I couldn’t help it—I burst into tears.
In an instant, his arms were around me. He hadn’t gotten to buttoning up his shirt yet, so I pressed my cheek against his warm skin and let all the anxiety, all the fear, all the tension come out through my tears.
He rocked me, his voice soft and soothing. “We’re so close to having this be over, bird. I want to be there when it is. I need to be there. I need this motherfucker to know that I’m behind this. That this is for us. That this is for you.”
I hated it, but I got it. How many times had I imagined doing horrible things to my uncle? Or my father for not believing me? I’d even started to fantasize what my father would say when this all went down. It was sure as shit I’d tell him that Ron was in jail because of me. I suspected that would be the best part of all this.
Could I ask Edward to give up the best part for him? When he’d emphasized so many times that he was sure this would be the only way he’d truly be able to heal?
The tears fell faster. “You’re going to see things, Edward, shocking things, and you’re going to know how it happened for me. I don’t want you to see that. I don’t want you to know.”
“Oh, bird.” He forced my chin up so he could look into my eyes. “It doesn’t matter what I see. Nothing that happens tonight will change that terrible things have already happened to you. If I know more of the details of that, or if I don’t, it doesn’t change that I am bloody deep in love with the woman those terrible things turned you into. Let me prove that love to you. Let me be there to see his face when they nail the bastard.”
My breath shuddered as I drew it in. “Okay.”
He swiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb then kissed my forehead. “Thank you.” Then his lips found mine, and he kissed me with his gratitude.
He pulled away reluctantly. “I have to finish dressing now.”
I nodded, then left him in the closet. The outburst having drained me of all my energy, I only made it to the armchair in the bedroom before I had to sit. As Edward said, all of this was almost over. After all the years I’d spent believing Ron would never be punished, he was finally going to have to face his wrongs.
It was exciting, in a way. And overwhelming. Was this really part of the healing process? Was this a necessary step? Would I be free of his hold on me once and for all after tonight?
I closed my eyes, trying to imagine that relief. Instantly, I was taken over by a memory from the distant past. The first party that Ron had brought me to, not the one where he’d auctioned parts of me off to the highest bidder, but one that had occurred the year before. He’d dressed me in a fancy gown, one much too mature for a girl of twelve. My breasts had only started to come in, and the bodice of the dress gaped, showing my nipples if I wasn’t careful. I remembered being self-conscious about it, constantly trying to pull the dress up while Ron swatted my hands away.
“Leave it,” he’d said. “You’re breathtaking. Let all my friends see how gorgeous you are.”
Then he’d paraded me through the den filled with men in tuxes who gave me similar compliments as I passed. I was instructed to address each one as sir, told to thank them for their praise. Told to not look away when someone pulled out his cock and stroked it in my presence or when one of the scantily clad women put it in her mouth while the man stared at me with a heavily lidded gaze.
I opened my eyes and shook the memory from me, swallowing the bile that had formed in the back of my mouth. These thoughts still haunted me. Less than they once had, but they still popped up now and again, when I least expected it. I was pretty sure that no matter what happened tonight, even if Ron was put away for the rest of his life, the past would still linger. I wouldn’t be magically healed. Vengeance couldn’t undo what had been done.
But Edward believed it could. Maybe believing would be enough to make it true for him.
So when he came out of the closet looking crisp and dashing in his tux, I ignored the knot in my stomach, ignored how he reminded me of the men from that party in the past, and smiled appraisingly up at him. “Good luck,” I said. “I hope it’s all that you need it to be.”
And if it wasn’t, I wondered what it would take, what he’d have to do. Wondered how far he’d go to reach the ending he desired.
I stayed sitting there for a while after he left, not thinking about anything while the sun set out the window, spreading orange and pink rays across the wall. It was almost dark when I finally stirred from my daze. I stood and flipped on the overhead light then picked up Edward’s shoes and jacket and carried them to the closet. After putting the shoes on their space o
n the shelf, I took the jacket to the bag designated for drycleaning, remembering to check the pockets before I dumped it in. There were only a few items this time—a pen, a small stack of business cards, a piece of stationary folded into a square.
Being nosy, I unfolded the paper, and when my eyes found Camilla’s signature at the bottom, I decided to read the entire thing.
Eddie,
I haven’t always been enthusiastic about your schemes, even when they’ve been orchestrated for my benefit. I want you to know that I do support you, that I appreciate what you’re doing in the name of our parents, and that I’m forever grateful for what you’ve done for me. After what we did to Frank, I didn’t think that I’d ever be able to say that, but you were right—his death was the best thing to happen to me. I’m lucky to have you on my side.
Camilla
With my heart in my throat, I read it again. And a third time. I thought about what Camilla had said earlier, that Frank had been abusive. I thought about the odd ways she’d talked about her husband’s death in the past. Thought about Edward’s admission to having no boundaries.
Then I sank to the floor in shock.
Because I was pretty certain that I’d just learned that Edward killed Camilla’s husband.
Twenty-Two
Edward
Leroy and I arrived separately to the party. My driver had taken him and dropped him off while I’d driven myself, leaving about ten minutes after he had. It was likely an insignificant detail that few people would pick up on, but we decided it was better to take every precaution.
“No cameras or recording equipment of any kind are permitted,” the security guard at the door said. He gestured to a row of containers laid out on a long table behind him. “You can leave your phone in one of the boxes.”
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