“You lied to me,” she yelled as her hand made contact with my cheek. It stung, but I didn’t apply pressure. I deserved it.
“Fight back!” she screamed, when she hit my other cheek. When I didn’t, she went completely silent and her hands came up and applied pressure to my cheeks, easing the sting.
Her eyes were wounded, but I could see she’d regained control and that she was sorry she’d hit me.
“It’s okay,” I soothed.
“No, it’s not,” she sobbed, her tears running over. “Why did they target me?” she cried.
“I don’t know, but trust me, I’m going to find out,” I swore.
She nodded her head and brought it down to lie on my chest. I ran my hands up and down her back trying to give her comfort even when I’d been the one to strip her of it. Sentry was right and wrong. I’d hidden it from her to protect her and she was safer not knowing but she wasn’t better off not knowing.
“What about Micah?” she whispered against my throat. “It can’t have been a coincidence that he’s my patient.
“No, it’s not,” I admitted. “I paired you with him. I helped out your professor with something on the condition, that Micah was your patient. I’m not able to see him…not until my charges are dropped, but through you I could hear about his progress. I’m not just doing this for myself, Emerson, it’s also for Micah. The court made him a ward of the state and they put him up at Hale Institution. I made a deal with Sentry to not only drop the charges against me, but to help me get custody of Micah once I was finished helping him out.”
“But there’s just something I don’t understand,” she said, lifting her head, ensnaring me with her ebony eyes.
“What is it?”
“I know you, Hendrik. You could have arranged to see Micah without anyone knowing, but you haven’t. I mean, if you really cared about him you would have moved heaven and hell to see him. Why haven’t you?” she asked.
I shook my head, “I couldn’t risk someone catching me, it would impact my chances of getting custody of him,” I lied.
“No, that’s not it.”
“It doesn’t matter!” I said, lifting her up and putting her back in her seat. Before I could stop her, she made a grab for the keys.
“It does matter, because you need to face whatever it is that’s stopping you from seeing him. How are you even going to look after him when you won’t even go and see him?” she said as she moved the keys from out of my reach.
“Fine! The last time he saw me I almost killed his father in front of him! I was covered in his father’s blood. Covered. I’m scared, okay! I’m scared that he thinks of me as a monster,” I said, looking away.
“No, Hendrik, he thinks of you as his protector. I haven’t known him for long but I do know he misses you, and you never miss something that you’re scared of.”
“It scares me just how good you are,” I whispered.
“What?” she said with confusion.
“I just admitted to lying to you for my own personal gain and here you are trying to make me feel better about myself,” I said, completely and utterly astounded. “You unman me with your generosity.
“I’ve tried being bitter and angry and I didn’t like the person I was. You lied to me but for a good reason. I can’t be angry for you wanting to protect Micah, because if I were in your footsteps I’d have done the exact same thing,” she stressed. “And besides, the way I see it, we’re even. I don’t owe you any future payment,” she quipped lightheartedly.
“Min lilla sky,” I murmured with a smile.
“What does that mean? It’s not fair when you go all Swedish on me,” she complained.
My phone rang again, and when I saw it was Deake, I put up a finger to put our argument on hold. Emerson sent me a feigned glare, but it barely had any heat to it.
“Sentry, how’d it go?” I answered.
“Mostly a success. Nikolai came through, I had my doubts but we did it. We’ve got the head of the Ichor cartel in custody. We took alive whomever else we could,” Sentry said with reluctant happiness.
It was the reluctant part that I didn’t like.
“Wait, what do you mean by mostly a success?” I asked, not getting a good feeling.
Sentry paused, and then replied, “Nikolai didn’t make it . . . He died in the crossfire. I’m so sorry, Hendrik.”
My eyes grew wet and devastation filled me. Mikhail was going to be destroyed by the news.
“I want it known that he was part of this, that he was on our side,” I demanded.
“I won’t let his last act be covered up. The way I see it, he was an FBI informant, he died being one of us,” Sentry emphasized.
“Thank you,” I muttered.
“No, thank you for coordinating this, without you, none of it would have been possible. Now it’s time for you to finish the job. Come down to my headquarters, it’s time we pieced everything together; you’ve earned the right to listen in on the investigation. I intend on getting answers, you and Emerson deserve them, too.”
“We’re coming now,” I said, ending the call.
“I need the keys, Emerson,” I said holding out my hand.
She relinquished them to me without a fight.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Sentry just took out the boards of both the Ichor cartel and the Valentijin mob. He has the drug lord of the Ichor cartel in custody. It’s time for the both of us to get answers.”
ALONG THE WAY I rang Laurina and clued her in on what had happened. Without me even asking she said she was leaving now and she’d meet me at the FBI headquarters. How she knew I needed her without me saying a thing always completely confounded me, but it also made it that much easier for me to be open to her. Even after everything I’d told her, she still remained a good friend.
“She’s a keeper,” Hendrik said.
“Yeah, she is,” I smiled.
“So, are you ready for this?” Hendrik asked as we got out of the car.
“Not one bit,” I laughed nervously.
“That’s okay because I’m ready enough for the both of us,” he said, taking my hand in his. We walked past the security measures and when we entered the foyer I couldn’t believe who I saw.
“Oh, my God, Emerson, what are you doing here?” My mother cried, rushing to us. Her makeup was running, her eyes were rimmed red, and she was shaking.
“I was asked to come in. What about you, are you okay?” I said fearfully.
“Jude’s solicitors told me that he was taken into custody but I don’t know why,” she sobbed.
“One second, Cressida,” Hendrik said drawing me away.
His eyes searched mine and I saw the same question in his eyes but I couldn’t voice it out loud. “Do you think . . ?” he started then stopped.
My mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.
“I don’t like this one bit,” Hendrik bit out. And I didn’t either. “Just please go and talk to the receptionist I’ll deal with her,” I replied. He nodded his head then let my hand go.
I turned back to my mother and saw she looked overwrought, like she was barely holding on. “I’m sorry, but we have to go up, but I swear once we know any information, I’ll let you know.”
“You can’t just leave me like this!” she cried out, turning angry.
“If I stayed down here with you we’d both be here in the dark, this way I’ll get us some answers,” I said, refusing to back down.
The anger in my mother fled and she fell back against a chair and her whole body slumped. “Okay, I’m sorry, honey, I’m not upset with you.”
“It’s fine, I get it, I’ll be back soon,” I promised as I followed Hendrik into the elevator where he was waiting.
We stopped on level ten and the receptionist exited first. The whole floor was in a flurry; people everywhere, talking with excited whispers. They did just have a major win, but I didn’t know whether to be relieved or scared.
“Ple
ase follow me, Mr. Sentry wanted me to take you to him as soon as your arrived,” the receptionist said. We followed silently, weaving through people, and down a hallway and inside a room filled with monitors, and screens practically on every surface. There were live feeds running and I was probably looking at things I didn’t have the security clearance to see.
“Hendrik, it took you long enough,” a man in a suit yelled from where he was seated in the center of all the chaos.
“Thanks, we’ve got it from here,” Hendrik said to the receptionist, then he began to make his way to the man, tugging me along.
“Sentry, this is Emerson. Emerson…Sentry,” Hendrik introduced when Sentry and I were face to face. But before I could properly greet him, Hendrik interrupted. “What’s the status?”
Sentry sent me a quick smile, and then took Hendrik’s question in his stride. “He’s not talking, and on top of that he’s lawyered up,” he said with frustration. “None of his board is talking either, so my bet is that if he talks then all the others will follow.”
“Why aren’t you in with him now?” Hendrik threw out.
“His lawyer said he wanted time to talk with him. Can’t listen or watch, their discussions are covered by lawyer-client privilege. I’ve got Gabriel Hunter coming in, to try take a crack at him, he’ll be here any second,” Sentry answered.
The tension was killing me and I needed to know if the man in the other room with his attorney was my mother’s boyfriend. Now. “What’s his name?” Sentry looked at me, noting I was close to losing it and handed me a file. “This is all the information we’ve got on him so far.”
I opened it up with shaking hands and my heart stopped when I read his name, and saw his face. “H-he’s my mother’s boyfriend,” I whispered in shock.
“What?” Sentry asked moving closer.
I swallowed and with Hendrik’s arm at my back I repeated, “He’s my mother’s boyfriend,” but louder, it was more of a bewildered shout.
“Where is your mother?” Sentry barked out.
“She’s downstairs, why?” I asked.
Sentry didn’t answer. He just turned to the man beside him and whispered something.
“Hendrik, what’s happening?” I asked, turning to him.
His green eyes flared but he gave it to me straight. “They’re taking your mother into custody.”
“No, they can’t, she didn’t do anything wrong. He targeted her, she’s only known him for three weeks,” I whispered back fiercely.
“I’m sorry, Emerson, but we have to cover all bases. I’m not saying she’s a suspect but we need to know if she knows anything. She might know something she doesn’t know would be useful to us,” Sentry said unapologetically.
“Sentry, his lawyer just gave me the heads up. He’s done talking with his client,” a man yelled from across the room.
“And Hunter just got here,” someone else said.
“Tell Hunter to go straight in…he’s already been briefed,” Sentry said. “And I want a live feed on the interrogation on the big screen up now,” he ordered.
A man scurried out to go inform Hunter, while another brought the feed up. And that’s when it really hit me that Jude was the drug lord of the Ichor cartel. He was sitting calmly and silently beside his lawyer, as if he was bored. The door opened and a man stepped in with his back to us. I assumed that was Hunter. He took a seat opposite them. I could only see his side profile. He was eyeing Jude up and down all without saying a word.
I drew my hand to my head as it throbbed, and I could feel the onset of a migraine coming on.
“You okay?” Hendrik said, quick to notice.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I said, even when sweat began to pool at the back of my neck. Another crashing throb went through my temple, and I bit down hard on my lip to prevent from groaning.
I shook it off when the acute pain passed and focused on the screen. Slowly, slowly Hunter turned his head toward the camera and I saw his full face. For some reason I couldn’t hear a thing, it was like all the noise had been sucked out of the room. I fell back, felt someone catch me, and then everything faded away . . .
I WASN’T FEELING too well. It was hot and sticky in the club and I’d had way too much to drink. I looked around me but didn’t see any familiar faces. Where the hell were Liliana and Valerie? I had looked everywhere for them but I still couldn’t find them. Had they ditched me?
Screw it, I was going to head back to our hotel and wait there for them. I sent them both a quick text to let them know even though they hadn’t responded to my calls and I went out the front entrance. There were no taxis next to the club but there were some up farther ahead.
It wasn’t the best neighborhood to be in at this time of the night, but I wasn’t supposed to be alone. A black van stopped beside me. Not getting a good vibe, I began walking back to the club. A man stepped out but I ignored him.
I could feel him at my back, following me so I walked faster. The next second I felt him pressed up against my back and something pricked my neck. I felt my muscles begin to relax, I was trying to move forward but they didn’t obey me. Instead I found myself falling back. It was like I was a puppet, and my strings were being cut. I couldn’t get my hands, legs, or mouth to move. I couldn’t move anything. But I felt everything. I felt his rough hands as he heaved me over his back and threw me into the van, my head hitting hard against something.
“Be gentle, we don’t want her damaged before she gets to the client,” someone yelled from somewhere beside me. It was Jude’s voice!
Horror filled me, but it had no outlet. I couldn’t move which meant that I couldn’t fight!
The van started up and it drove for miles, eventually the noise of traffic faded away and when I heard nothing but the sound of the engine I realized we were getting farther and farther away from the city. And farther away from help.
Suddenly we stopped. Jude moved, I heard the door open and him getting out. A woodsy smell hit me, confirming my worst fears. We were somewhere out in the woods!
God! How long would the drug last for? As soon as I began to get movement back in my body I was going to make a run for it; even if I had to I’d crawl.
“She’s perfect,” I heard a voice from somewhere out of my vision. “The drug worked?”
“Yes, perfectly, Boss,” I heard Jude respond. “She’s completely paralyzed, but conscious.”
“Exactly the same as the last girl. She hasn’t shown any signs of regaining her memory. Of course, one subject isn’t enough to test the drug. Put her in position, the client is waiting. And don’t give away the fact that the drug is still in its experimental stages.”
“Of course,” Jude said, lifting me in his arms. Without support, my head fell back and I got a look at the boss’s face. He was cold, ice cold, and he was looking at me like I was a product. And he was none other than Gabriel Hunter.
Eventually we walked so deep in the woods that his face became a blur and my head snapped back and forth so many times it was sore.
“This is your mark,” Jude said, laying me on the ground. “She’s all yours,” he said to someone I couldn’t see. His footsteps faded away, and a businessman took his place.
“You look just like her,” he gasped in shock.
What the hell was going on?
Then his face morphed into deep-seated anger, the murderous look he sent me had me scared for my life.
“You remind me of my wife, she left me. Made a fool out of me. You look so much like her I can imagine you’re her. I’ve wanted to get back at her for so, so long,” he whispered psychotically. “And now I can,” he smiled maniacally.
I saw his foot lifting up but I couldn’t bring my hands up to stop the blow. It made contact with my stomach and I felt something crack. The force of the next blow to my back pushed me until I was half lying on my stomach half lying on my back. My mouth was filled with dirt. There was no welcome relief. He kept on hitting me. I felt my bones breaking and I couldn’t do anyt
hing to stop it.
The only reprieve was when he positioned me on my back again, I could breathe easier but it didn’t last for long when I realized the reason why. His hands pulled my legs apart and he unbuckled his belt. I closed my eyes, finding that place where I could lock everything down. I could feel what he was doing, his hands biting into me, him thrusting into me, tearing away my innocence; I could hear him groaning above me. Eventually, when the pain began to be too much, I welcomed the darkness and let it take me away . . .
ONE . . . TWO . . . THREE . . . I count in my mind.
I’m awake but I feel rootless—bodiless, like I’m a feather floating through the air, at the mercy of the wind. All I can do is lie in wait and count the seconds away.
Four . . . Five . . . Six . . . I breathe, unable to shake the feeling that something is not right. But I’m safe in here alone with no one to touch me. If I stop counting, then I’ll wake up and I don’t want to face whatever is waiting for me on the outside.
Seven . . . Eight . . . Nine . . .
“You need to wake up,” a disembodied voice whispers.
No, No, NO!
Ten . . . Eleven . . . T–Twelve . . . I continue to count obstinately.
“WAKE UP!” The voice yells with an urgency I can no longer ignore. I can’t save myself if it may mean sacrificing someone else. I take a deep breath and drop the walls of my mind, one by one, flinching as I allow myself to regain consciousness.
Slowly my senses awaken, my hearing the first to return. Met by silence broken merely by the piercing shriek of cicadas, I pause, on high alert, waiting for the voice to speak. I open my mouth to speak but close it quickly; maybe if I speak I’d give myself away.
My eyes open next, and my vision is filled with red. My heart stops as I realize that the red substance is none other than my own blood. For one selfish second, I hope I’m wrong but the guilty thought vanishes as I attempt to lift a hand to swipe at the slick liquid obstructing my sight.
But nothing happens. I feel no flicker of tendon or muscle responding to the synapses of my brain.
The Leverager Page 23
