by C. L. Stone
“Okay?” I said, unsure where this was going.
“She started a lawsuit last year against Ethan’s company for failure to fulfill promised donations. There’s paperwork that said she got money from the company, but she never did, and the government was looking in on it and accusing her of lying on her tax statements. She also said that since she had been promised money, she had relied on it, and had spent her time with the kids instead of pursuing other avenues of income. By the time she realized the money wasn’t coming, she was in a lot of financial trouble. She was using her last pennies to file and take them to court.”
“Oh,” I said. “Could hers be one of the accounts in the file?”
“We can’t match up her numbers with what’s in that file. So either hers was lumped in with others or something else happened along the way. That is if this even connected at all to those secret accounts.”
“Can we track where her money went at least?”
“Maybe,” he said. “Ethan’s going through the accounting himself. Michelle was looking at foreclosure, and almost had to give up the teenagers to other foster homes. Teenagers are hard to place anywhere.”
I could imagine. “We should do something,” I said.
He lifted a hand in a stop motion. “I already have,” he said. “I gave her the money for her home last week, paid outright so it’s hers to keep. I asked her to drop the lawsuit, with the promise I’d get to the bottom of it and she’d get back-payment for every dollar promised to her. Ethan agreed, and is making arrangements. I’ve got her covered for now, at least until we straighten it out and so people connected to this doesn’t suspect Ethan might be on to them.” He motioned with his hand toward the tablet still sitting near the settee. “I’ll bet you a nickel that she’s a key to figuring out at least one of those accounts. Ethan’s still working out which one.”
“Should we talk to her?”
“I have,” he said. “I’ve got what I think we need.” He pulled from his back pocket a photo of a strawberry blond young woman, standing beside an old farm house, with a pug at her side. “Maybe you can use her as a reason to convince the others to stay. There’s probably more out there like her that haven’t come forward.”
I took the picture in my hands, looking at the photo. “That might do,” I said quietly. It was one thing to talk about taking down evil rich guys. It was another to know how those bad guys affected innocent people. How could they say no to this now?
“She was promised the money from Nightingale: a nonprofit division within Murdock’s enterprise. A couple of the board members will be joining us on this cruise for the next few days, along with CEOs from other companies who make contributions. Someone somewhere will know what’s going on. Doyle’s working on the numbers Ethan could get from that company and trying to establish where the money goes. He’s also trying to gather details about people coming on board, especially those from Nightingale.”
“What was your plan?” I asked.
“I thought Corey could give him a hand, if he’s willing,” he said. “And for this trip, you and I could mosey around the ship, listen in on a few conversations and maybe make friends with a few people. The others could sneak into rooms and snoop around any laptops and find any secrets we can. You might be able to pull a few cell phones, and we can gather some data.”
That sounded like something we could do. “What do we do if we find anything?”
“Nothing at the moment,” he said. “Not unless it’s life and death. This is just an information gathering endeavor this time. No sudden moves.” He crossed his fingers over his heart. “I promise not to even touch anyone unless something drastic happens.”
I gazed at the photo again. If what he said was true, and Ethan was right, billions of dollars could have come from Michelle’s promised money, and thousands of other accounts just like hers. How selfish could CEOs be if they were stealing money from people who needed it most?
“Okay,” I said.
He stared at me, as if waiting for me to say more. “Okay?”
“Sounds like a decent plan,” I said. “Reasonable. Little chance of danger if we’re careful and do it right. But if this is going to work, I need to look like I’m in charge with the guys, and I need you to listen to their suggestions, too.”
“You’re going to let them take over?” he asked.
“I’ll be in charge,” I said. “But Axel’s going to want to be in command of his team. I need you to at least listen to whatever he says and take him seriously.”
He rolled his eyes. “That guy? Last time he gave me an earful of being careless around you. I didn’t want to point out that you got kidnapped under his nose, not mine. And his Academy is the one full of criminals, not that I can find more than just their team.”
I pulled the sleeve of my jacket up my arm and scratched absently at my wrist. “Blake, I really need you to not talk about their criminal history. Or the Academy.”
“I wasn’t going to tell them I knew,” he said.
“But now Ethan knows,” I said. “And Avery.”
“I couldn’t invite them into this without telling Ethan everything about them. He was suspicious from the start about their motives and how they knew certain things. He isn’t sure if he likes this Academy inside their city, either, but so far, they seem to be do-gooders.”
I nodded slowly, recalling when I’d first met the boys, and how quickly I’d guessed that there was more to them than a group of friends. I had spilled the beans a bit to Blake myself, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t have discovered on his own. Truthfully I was in the same boat. I didn’t know that much more about the Academy than they did. “If the boys learn that they know, though, they might not want to stay. It’s supposed to be a secret.”
“They’re not that secret,” he said.
“I don’t think their team is actually that good at keeping secrets. They get too involved in people like you who are clever and can do a bit of digging to uncover the truth.”
He smiled big, the fox coming back out to play. “So you think I’m clever?”
I blew a short breath out between my lips. His handsome face was too distracting when he was trying to be playful. I pulled away from him and pressed a finger toward my temple. “Can we just focus on this? I’ll need to go talk to them. I don’t even know what I’m going to say. Just tell the others not to mention the Academy around them. At all.”
“Fine, I promise,” he said. He sat back, picked up his drink again and drained the glass. “But I suggest you try to put some distance between you and them after this. I don’t like hearing that you were locked away without being able to contact me if you wanted to.”
“I called you,” I said.
He put down his glass on the side table and turned fully to me. His eyes focused on me, capturing my full attention. “From a payphone,” he said. “The one on the main floor of your apartment building.”
My heart did a skip. I frowned. Doyle must have traced it for him.
“Huge mistake on their part,” he said, his voice becoming soft. “I don’t know anyone who can keep Kayli from doing what she wants. Not a force in the world could stop you if you wanted something.”
I shook my head without really meaning to say no, just amazed at his crazy words. I stood up, adjusting the jacket on my shoulders, a little warm now that I’d been inside for a while. “I need to talk to them,” I said.
He stood, moving close to me. He cupped my chin in his fingers and directed my attention to him. “I’m going to go hide out for a bit,” he said. He smoothed his thumb across my jawline. “Come find me. And whatever happens, don’t let them convince you to leave if you don’t want to.”
I looked at him, but didn’t say anything. I couldn’t make any promises, because I didn’t want to admit the boys kept me from doing anything. I really hoped that wasn’t the case.
He winked at me and then stepped away, heading down the hall. He stopped and turned, looking at me. “Kayli,
” he said, and he paused.
I stood there, not moving, feeling awkward again as I admired his looks and knowing how much of a slob I appeared to be at that moment. Did I look like an emotional wreck, too?
He shifted his weight on his feet and lowered his gaze, looking at the floor. “I thought I’d pissed you off somehow when they said you didn’t want to talk to me.” He slowly picked his head up, and instead of the fox, there was something stronger, more determined. “I swear, girl, if you want to talk to me, don’t ever hesitate. Don’t ever kowtow to anyone. You drive me crazy, but you shouldn’t be afraid to talk to me. You don’t need to send Avery after me to fetch me. You don’t need to call me from a pay phone. I made some mistakes before, and I can only apologize for that now. But I’m here when you need me.”
“I’m sorry I blew up your house,” I said, surprised at my quick admission even though I’d felt it for a while. It struck me how strongly he felt about this, and I had to speak, or I was going to feel too much and I couldn’t be that shaken up right now. “And your boat. And--”
There were noises in the foyer down below. His attention turned to it. My heartbeat quickened, afraid the boys would spot Blake before I had a chance to talk to them, and they’d want to leave before hearing me out.
He looked back in at me, nodding, and then turned away, disappearing further down the hall. I watched him as long as I could. Some sort of peace had fallen between us. If we were going to help Charleston, we had to do it together. Somehow, it seemed right, even if we usually did a lot of damage when we were together, mostly to him.
Again I heard voices. Marc’s drifted up to me; he was asking questions. I grabbed the drink Blake had poured for me, downing the entire thing in a couple of gulps. It was some sort of sweet strawberry wine. It wasn’t the type of drink I would have chosen, but I wanted the alcohol.
I could use a little liquid courage.
CONVINCING ISN’T EASY
I breathed in the warmed air from the fake fireplace—I believed it was electric with low orange glowing embers and a very low heat. The warmth mixed with the scent of leather and luxury heavy around me. Blake Coaltar. Ethan Murdock. Avery, Fancy, Doyle... It was an interesting team, very capable. They wanted me. Kayli Winchester. A girl who a few months ago was stealing wallets for survival and without much of a future.
I couldn’t blame them for wanting more people on their side; they were just five people against some of the most powerful men around Charleston. Old Mr. Murdock and his CEO cronies had to be major influences around the city. We’d need our own army to help.
I wasn’t sure how much help I could provide, but I was sure the boys would help, though. Once they realized what was really going on, they’d see they had to stay. At least now I was in charge—partially. Would they leave it to just Blake and the others to do it alone?
It burned me to think again about the boys hiding the phone calls. That even Avery and Ethan were trying to get in touch, when we could have been helping sooner. I’d been ill and recovering, but now I felt I’d been so blind, so unwilling to come back out and into the real world. I’d been gone for too long, and I was itching to do something other than mope around the apartment any longer. Ethan wanted to fix things, and that was admirable. If he thought I could help somehow, I’d try.
I shook off the jacket, laying it across the arm of the sofa. I turned around, pacing a little, trying to come up with what I would say to the guys when Avery finally brought them to the lounge.
I picked up a fancy glass decanter on the bar, inspecting it, feeling the weight in my hands. I put it back and plucked a black leather credit card holder from a stack near a cash register. Moving kept me from boiling over with annoyance. I needed to get rid of the extra energy before I threw objects at the guys when they finally arrived.
When I heard footsteps coming, I put the holder down and then stepped out of reach of anything I could throw.
Marc spotted me first as they came up the stairs and into view of the lounge. The width of his shoulders and the cut of his figure was more prominent in the light overhead. The brightness complimented his deep tan, evidence that he spent many hours in the sun. It was funny how everyone looked nice under those lights. Maybe it was done on purpose. Maybe it flattered the guests. In the jeans and jacket, he looked tough like a rock star.
His eyes locked on mine and the frown on his face eased. He gritted his teeth, his cheekbones becoming more prominent. He broke away from Avery, Fancy and Raven, who were looking elsewhere, and hurried up the steps, turning the corner and coming toward me. Part of the longer locks of hair fell across his face.
I stood taller, folding my arms across my stomach. I stood a little awkwardly in the boots and jeans. I tried not to frown, or show any emotion at all.
Marc weaved around lounge chairs to get to me, not even glancing around the ship. “Hey,” he said in a worried tone. “They left you alone? What’s wrong with them?”
I blinked, surprised by his sudden concern, the anger fizzling out of me. “Uh,” I said, trying to collect my thoughts. “Avery and...Ethan were just here. They said you were coming.”
Marc stopped in front of me, close enough that I had to tilt my head slightly up to look at his mismatched eyes. He reached out and held gently onto my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“...Yeah?” I said, confusion surfacing. Was I okay? Blake seemed to have been very concerned for me, too, and I was starting to wonder if I looked different. Maybe being ill had left me looking weaker than I felt. “Are you okay?” I asked.
Marc placed a palm across his forehead, rubbing. “You have no idea. She took us all throughout Isle of Palms, even over to another dock. She tried to get through their security, insisting that was the right dock, only to bring us here. And then Avery tried to give us a tour.” He paused and then looked at me. “You said Ethan?”
“Uh huh.”
“Ethan Murdock?”
“Yup.” What other Ethan did I know?
He glanced around the room now, as if he’d just realized a connection. He looked at the TV, the bar, the fireplace. He shook his head, the longer locks of his hair getting into his eyes, giving him a real punk look. He forced the strands back with one quick comb of his fingers. “I told him he didn’t have to thank us,” he said.
I shifted my weight on my feet, edging back just a half step. I wasn’t sure how he’d like to hear about this. “Marc,” I said, unsure where to begin explaining.
“Kayli,” Raven materialized at Marc’s side. He was broader than Marc normally, but now he seemed massive standing next to him. He gave a slight elbow push to Marc’s arm and focused on me. The lip ring protruded pretty far out and his brown eyes were wild, reminding me of the ones on the bear tattooed on his back. “Where the hell were you?”
“I’m not a baby, guys,” I said, stepping clear of them and putting a settee between us, acting casual, like I was looking around the place. “Avery was just here and he went to find you. I’m fine.” Were they all paranoid? Not that I wasn’t nervous when I was in a dark place I wasn’t sure about, but I wasn’t going to spend my life cowering in the apartment. They shouldn’t have to be that worried that I couldn’t be alone for five minutes.
Marc elbowed Raven back. “Chill out, Raven.”
“I’m not cold,” he said, his Russian accent thicker now. “That Murdock is still out there.”
“But she was with Avery,” Marc said. “And this is Ethan’s boat.”
Raven’s head rocked back and he made a grunt noise. “So?”
Marc sighed and shook his head, then returned his attention to me. “You’re okay, then?”
“I’m fine. I promise.” I motioned toward the room. “This isn’t exactly a prison or a car trunk.”
Marc glanced around the room, looking up at the ceiling and then at the bar.
Raven shrugged, uninterested. “You were gone,” he said.
“So?” I waved my hand at him, I crossed in front of the firepla
ce, pacing a bit to get some of the frustration and excess energy out of my system. Marc seemed to understand but Raven wasn’t letting it go. His eyes were telling me he was angry, and getting just as frustrated as I was. “Raven, I can take care of myself. You let me get McDonald’s earlier.”
“That was different.”
“How was that any different?”
He made a face, his lips moving but he didn’t say anything. Either he couldn’t come up with something, or he was trying to figure out the translation.
“Kayli-Bay-Bay,” Fancy’s thrilled voice rang out. Marc and Raven backed up. Raven crossed his arms over his chest, looking annoyed. Marc forced a smile.
I was thankful for the distraction. I wasn’t going to be able to get to the important part if Raven was going to insist on arguing about other things. “Yes, Fancy?” I asked.
She sauntered in, her thick heels clicking on the marble until she hit the carpet and then sashayed almost silently in our direction. She smiled her thick pink lips at me. “Do you want to join us to continue the tour now that we’ve caught up? You just have to try out the spas.”
Had she been listening and decided to interrupt on purpose? I spotted Avery behind her, standing by and waiting. I got the feeling they could hear everything going on here and would step in if they thought they were needed.
Was I okay with this? For the moment, that was useful, but I’d have to find out exactly how Avery was listening and for what purpose. I wasn’t sure if the guys would like that, either.
I shook my head very slightly to Avery. I needed to talk to the boys alone. They were either in or out. I needed to find out without Fancy there to irritate them any further.
Avery moved immediately, gently taking Fancy by the elbow. “Fancy,” he said softly. “Let’s give them a minute.”
Fancy flashed her eyes at Avery. “Boy, they don’t need a minute.”
Avery’s smile never wavered, and gently, but sternly, he tugged her arm again. “She needs to talk to them.”
Fancy made a pouty face and shook her head. She started walking away, her heels piercing the carpet. “You ruin all the fun, Avery.”
