Boone didn’t know what to say.
“I’ve heard of him,” Rogue stated, from his spot against the wall. “He’s small potatoes. I do believe he just came onto the scene in the last year.”
“So, he’s my competition?” Zayn asked. “He’d better not be getting my damn jobs! I take pride in them.”
“Yep,” said Merry. “But you’re better looking,” she said, sending the picture in the file to the wall. “It’s the Native.”
Stella giggled.
“I know, right?”
“Stop bonding,” Zayn ordered. “I have to K.I.L.L them at some point. Don’t get attached.”
Merry laughed.
“I can spell. L.I.A.R.”
“You can’t kill them,” Stella stated. “I like them. So, direct that at someone else.”
They all looked at Dakota when she pointed right at him, still pissed. Clearly, Stella was loyal to Sarah.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m the bad one. I know. You hate me.”
Stella didn’t go there.
It appeared she was still giving him the icy cold shoulder and would for the rest of the day—or until later when Sarah came back and forgave him.
“Continue,” Dakota stated. “We need to get to him before he gets called out on Storm. I don’t believe that Rosemary will let her go without a fight.”
“Is this going down before we head out tonight?” Rogue asked.
“What’s tonight?” Boone asked.
“We are going to surprise some assholes at a drop where some woman is likely being sold, and we are going to kill them before they can sell her,” Zayn stated.
Boone closed his eyes.
“What the hell is going on in New Orleans?” he asked.
“The usual,” Zayn stated.
“It was rhetorical.”
He smiled.
“I know.”
Dakota understood why the detective was struggling with it. At one time, so had he. As of late, he simply wanted to get through this so he could go to sleep and forget.
He missed Sarah.
“Ignore them. What do you have, Merry?” Dakota asked.
“Here’s his last known address,” she stated, highlighting it on the screen and sending it to their phones. “It’s in the lower Ninth Ward on Port Street, so wear some body armor. Down there, the shit gets real and fast.”
Well, that wasn’t good.
“What about the woman’s name?”
Merry pulled it up for them.
“I don’t think you need to worry about her. Anna Lambert checked into ‘Hotel Morgue’ about two weeks ago—hit and run. She was DOA at the scene,” she stated, showing them the autopsy pictures.
They were gruesome.
“Wow. Look at the angle of her leg. That’s got to hurt,” she stated.
“Uh, she’s dead.”
“Yeah, but still…”
“Run her anyway,” Dakota stated.
They all looked over at the tone in his voice. It was the same one he tossed around, and specifically, when he was getting all bossy, high and mighty.
“Please?” he added.
She did just that.
“Well, it looks like, by her arrest records, that she was a prostitute. She worked for a local madam. She was hooking for a good ten years. Look how far back those arrests go. She started at ‘supposedly’ eighteen. We all know she wasn’t a day over fifteen. Look at her. She was a child.”
They were aware.
Underage sex was huge there too.
“Well, it gives us a place to start,” Rogue stated. “The only question is do we go before or after tonight’s op?”
“I’m available,” Boone stated.
“Uh, no,” they all said at the same time, shutting that down, and fast.
“Why the hell not? I’m able to do anything you guys can,” he stated.
“We kill the people we question,” Zayn stated. “Are you going to do that, Mr. Cop?”
“Well, no.”
“There’s your answer. These are the dregs of N’awlins,” Rogue stated. “You can’t simply question them. That’s not going to fly.”
Boone shrugged.
“Okay, what can I do?” he asked.
“Hold down the fort and help your wife,” Dakota stated. “Maybe we’ll get lucky, and she’ll find something else in that book,” he stated, pointing at it.
“I’ll help too,” Stella said. “I miss doing things like this. I forgot how much fun science could be.”
Before Dakota could say anything, they were interrupted.
“Pardon me?” came a voice.
They all turned.
“Did you find something?” Storm asked from the doorway. She looked rested, and Gamble was behind her.
“We have a name, Storm,” he offered. “Can you look at a picture and tell us if you recognize him?”
“I can try.”
She noticed the people in the room.
“Who are they?” she asked. “Are they part of your team? Are they safe?”
Merry was up and smiling.
She made the introductions and held out her hand.
“I’m Meredith Savage. I’ve worked for the FBI, but now I’m a mom and his wife. He’s Boone.”
Tears filled the woman’s eyes. She put visible space between them.
“What did I say?” Merry asked.
“She’s Storm St. Clair,” Dakota stated. “She was the undercover Fed who was abducted into the sex ring.”
She gasped.
“Oh, jeez! I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have rushed at you. Please forgive me. I’m just so excited to have an adult conversation with someone who isn’t trying to drink from my breast.”
Zayn began laughing, and everyone glanced over at him.
“WHAT? She’s funny. I can’t help it.”
The woman simply stared at her.
“Here, let me get you a tissue,” she stated, pulling a pack out of her bag and handing it to her. “Again, I’m sorry. I learn fast, and I’ll be more cognizant for next time.”
“Thank you. Just let me see him. I want to get it over with if you don’t mind.”
Merry pulled up the picture of Jake Bradshaw. His smiling face did only one thing.
It made Storm back up, right into Gamble’s chest. He let her stay against him but didn’t move to touch her.
“That’s one of the men who raped me—repeatedly. He wore a mask, but that mole on his chin…”
They got it.
They had their next lead.
“We’re going to go get him. He has an address in the Lower Ninth District.”
She didn’t speak.
Then it occurred to her.
“You’re bringing him here?” she stated, and she actually began shaking. When Gamble placed his hand on her arm, she didn’t flinch away.
They weren’t sure.
“If that’s the case, I have to get out of here. Gamble, please get me out of here. I can’t be near him. Please!”
The man tasked with protecting her knew she was seconds from having a meltdown. She’d had a terrible nightmare while she’d been napping, and he’d had to wake her up from it.
“I’m going to take Miss St. Clair to Café Du Monde. She could use a cup of joe, and some calmer surroundings. I’ll make sure she’s okay.”
“Rosemary might make a move on her,” Dakota stated, being the ever-cautious one.
“Disguise her,” Zayn stated. He could tell she needed to get out of there. He felt horrible for her, so he was willing to chance her safety with Gamble. He didn’t like the man, but he knew he was effective at his job. “We don’t need her being spotted.”
Gamble got it.
“Come on, Miss St. Clair. Let’s go get you a hat and glasses. Then we’ll go eat some sugar and drink coffee. It will make it all better. I promise.”
She followed him out. When she was gone, Merry felt horrible.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rush at her. I kn
ow…”
Stella reassured her.
“You couldn’t have known. She’s been a mess, and rightfully so. It wasn’t your fault. It takes her a little while to adjust to people. It seems Gamble knows how to calm her down.”
Merry took a seat.
“I’ll keep working if you’re going out after that asshole who hurt her. Kill him for me!”
“MEREDITH!” her husband stated.
“Well, he raped her. No love lost there.”
Zayn wiggled his fingers in a wave at the cop as he grinned that Cheshire Cat smile.
“Jesus. It’s a weird day,” Boone stated.
“We’ll handle him, Merry. Ready, boys?” Zayn asked. When no one replied, he cleared his throat. “AGAIN, are we heading out?”
Dakota glanced over.
“I’ll stay here with the ladies,” he stated. “In case they find something, I’ll give you a heads-up.”
Honestly, he didn’t want to be anywhere near Rogue right now. He was hurt, he was angry, and he had some things to handle before tonight.
They mattered.
“Rogue, are you in?” Zayn asked the distracted man. “Or are you bailing on me, brother?”
He glanced over.
No one missed the pain in his eyes.
“I’m in. I’ll get some weapons from the room downstairs,” he said, heading out.
“FIX this,” Stella said, pointing at Dakota when both men were off to prep for their little hunt for Jake Bradshaw. “You tell us this is your team, so lead it. Take ownership and handle the situation. If Rogue leaves, and Sarah is already gone, we’re done, and you know it. Then Zayn is going to get kill-y. NO ONE wants that!”
Dakota didn’t say anything.
He didn’t have to.
Everything Stella said was right.
“We all came together for the better good,” she stated. “Right now, my father, and my ‘dead’ aunt, Rosemary, are hurting people. Put the team first, Dakota. Do the right thing!”
Yeah, and what, exactly, was that?
* * * H U N T E R * * *
Rosemary was feeling a tad bit edgy. The whole situation with the undercover Fed was making her worry. Tonight, they were supposed to move Mercedes to her new owner, but she had that feeling in the pit of her stomach.
That FBI bitch had been saved, and she couldn’t risk her own ass over this. Her operation was taking some hits, but if she went down…
Yeah, it wasn’t worth it—not to her.
On top of Carter Foley losing the woman, her asinine, money-grubbing brother had been digging around the city, looking for her. She had to keep an eye on all of her businesses. While they’d started out as partners, it had gone bad—fast.
He was bossy.
Arrogant.
Untrustworthy.
Oh, and she didn’t like him. There was only room for one person in the family being boss, and it wasn’t him. When he started undermining all of her ‘projects’, it had been time to cut her ties. When he started siphoning off some sex from the merchandise she was pedaling, it had to end.
So, she had to send the man a message.
Right now, they had Mercedes, his daughter, and she was going to a happy home where she would end up someone’s toy. To her, it was just desserts for a man she couldn’t trust. When her partner Chesky had taken them for her, and their other associate, Maxine, she wanted to rattle her brother.
Oh, it had done just that.
It must have shocked him to have his long-deceased wife back into the fray.
That amused her.
Rosemary recognized the woman the second she saw her. Maxine may have faked her own death and changed her looks, but she knew her once sister-in-law.
And that was how she got hooked up with Chesky.
He was decent at what he did, but right now…
She was edgy.
Something was up.
Rosemary could feel it, and this wasn’t her first day doing this shit. She had many years under her belt peddling sexy, young flesh.
Yeah, she was pulling the plug.
Pulling out her phone, she made a call. When Taz answered, it was time to change up the plans.
“Yes?”
“Don’t go to the drop tonight.”
“Uh, then I won’t get paid to meet your buyer and get your money—thus getting my money.”
“Something bad is going down. I’ll have my guys hook up with you later in the week. It feels off to me.”
“My time is money.”
“I’ll add ten percent.”
That worked for him. He was a businessman, and he had a business to run. While he liked the pussy perks, he liked the cash better.
“Okay. Call me.”
Oh, she would.
Tasunke Harris was one of the best people in the city to do her dirty work. He didn’t ask questions.
There were some people you trusted in N’awlins, and some you didn’t.
He was her right-hand man. Plus, he ran that club, and that gave her access to young girls being wild. A few drinks and they were on their way to new daddies.
When she hung up, she called her other person and gave him the heads-up.
“Jasper, keep her hidden a couple more days. The heat is on. I can feel it. When that nosey bitch Charlotte died, she rattled the N’awlins cage. I could kill Chesky for talking me into trusting her!”
“Okay, Rosie. She’s being a good girl.”
“Are you damaging the goods?” she asked. “My big client really needs her now that his other piece of ass is gone. Carter wants her. He likes to break them himself.”
“Well, I only fuck her a few times a day. You said I could, right? She’s a pretty thing with that hair.”
“No marks! If you break her, you had better have the cash to buy her!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
She hung up.
Now it was time to listen to the streets, watch what was going down, and pay close attention. The city was coming alive, and that, in her experience, was never a good thing.
A stirred up N’awlins was a bitch.
All Rosemary wanted was to survive.
* * * H U N T E R * * *
Tuesday
Afternoon
They tracked him all over the place. They went from location to location, trying to find Jake Bradshaw. If he was partying with the man who had Storm St. Clair, then he likely knew who he was.
That was what they needed to find out. In order to end this sick animal’s reign of terror in N’awlins, Carter Foley, and Rosemary Harrington, needed to pay.
Only, it wasn’t going to be easy.
It was clear that the man’s life was an alias, and he wasn’t who he said was. At this point, he could be anyone hiding in plain sight.
That money…it screamed illegal deeds and someone who wanted his real-life protected. This was his playboy side, and his real identity was out of their reach.
Until they got Jake’s name.
The man would give something up.
Zayn knew it.
Worms always tilled the shit until something rose to the surface, and he was going to make sure Jake told them everything.
That was their only choice.
This case was tough—even with the FBI help.
What also was tough was the whole situation happening around Zayn. While he was notorious for hating people, he genuinely liked the men around him.
Rogue grew on him.
And Dakota?
Yeah, he was an acquired taste.
Now the men he liked were falling apart. It was time for a little brotherly intervention of sorts.
“So what happened?” Zayn asked, finally asking about the man’s up-close encounter with the detective.
“A nightmare.”
“You couldn’t get it up, huh? I hear that happens to men your age.”
Rogue stared at him.
“I’m about two years older than you—if that. As for getting it up, that wasn’
t what I was talking about. Impotence was NOT the issue.”
“Then what was?”
He hesitated.
“Listen, we are about to go into a dangerous situation tonight, and we need everyone on board. We don’t have the luxury of jacking around. Spill it, and let’s work through it, Rogue. Really. Get your head in the game.”
He was right.
So, Rogue told him about the evening before and the detective copping a squat outside his home.
Then how it blew up.
“She’s touchy about her family.”
Zayn laughed.
“Well, those of us who came from dirt tend to be when faced with your life.”
“My life?”
“Come on! You live in a house that’s ridiculous, and you have a man who drives to your home just to make you a burger when you want one. You, son, are out of touch with reality.”
“It’s my reality.”
“Yes, but not hers. She had to come to grips with it fast. Then, you did lie to her, right?”
“Yeah, so Chesky doesn’t try to make her his bitch. I don’t want her getting involved in this.”
“Well, she already is. She pulled this case, and fate generally doesn’t do shit without a reason. What happened today?” he asked. “Is that when you boned the babe?” he asked.
“Yes. It was this morning.”
He waited.
“I was all stirred up, and then she showed up in one hell of a mood. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Well, you were thinking with your dick. That was what you were thinking.”
He didn’t argue.
It was true, and that was the problem.
“When you met Stella…,” he began and then stopped. “Never mind,” he said, changing his mind.
Why even get that hope?
She was a cop, and he was the bad guy. They came from two different places, and clearly, since her parents were not what she believed in, she’d stay far away from that.
Cordelia would avoid him like the plague.
“Hey, you are moody.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“If you need to vent, do it.”
“I’m good.”
Well, he wasn’t going to hold him at gunpoint until he told him what else was on his mind. With the men he’d come to respect and call family, he knew pushing was always a bad idea.
Absolution: The Hunter Mercenary Series (Book Two) Page 29
