Absolution: The Hunter Mercenary Series (Book Two)

by Morgan Kelley

  “We took out Chesky’s muscle too.”

  “It seems like you’re picking them off one by one to make the core weak. If you remove the players, you destroy the game. Rosemary dying had to weaken this a great deal,” Cordelia stated.

  Rogue watched his woman work.

  She was sexy.

  She was also very smart. They could use more smarts on the team, and he could use her in his life.

  Dakota continued, “Charlotte was killed by a man named Chesky. We can’t prove he pulled the trigger, but we suspect that he was the one who did it.”

  They showed her a picture.

  “He looks like a long-term offender,” she stated. “What’s his deal?”

  Zayn, who had been quiet the whole time, opted to trust Rogue and Dakota.

  “He took my sister years ago, and he sold her to a bunch of assholes. We aren’t sure if he or Rosemary originally began the sex ring, but he’s no stranger to it. Right now, he’s on the lam.”

  Cordy studied his picture in case she ran into him.

  “Are you with us so far?” Dakota asked.

  She nodded.

  “Yeah, I am. He’s been an asshole for a long time,” she stated. “I’m guessing he’s never going to trial.”

  “NOPE,” Zayn stated.

  “Good to know. Who is next?” she asked. It looked like they were taking it down without the local law’s help.

  “We have a couple people left,” Dakota stated. “That’s where you’ll be able to help. We need to locate them.”

  “Who?” she asked again.

  “This is Jasper Hutchinson,” he said, pulling up a picture. “Somehow, he’s connected to Charlotte. They are siblings, but when Rogue was with her, she said she was an only child. We don’t know if she was aware or not.”

  “I say she was aware,” Sarah stated. “He looks similar, and she was connected via this sex web. Charlotte wasn’t stupid. She was a viper, and she’d know.”

  Rogue tended to agree with Sarah on this.

  “That’s what we have to figure out,” Dakota stated. “Since we know Chesky did this, possibly, before Rosemary, we can’t let any of the snakes leave the nest. They know the operation, and we don’t need a sex ring going under only to surface in another city. It dies here.”

  They all agreed.

  “Have you run their parents?” Cordelia asked.

  “We are today when we split up. Some of us have to head out to take care of business.”

  “To do what?” she asked.

  “You’re a nosey broad, aren’t you?” Zayn asked.

  Rogue bristled, ready to jump to her defense.

  “You don’t say?” she asked Zayn. “Let me guess, you’re the astute one on the team?”

  He laughed.

  “Okay, she can hold her own.”

  It looked like Rogue didn’t have to defend his girl.

  Dakota got their attention and answered her question. If she was in, she’d need it all.

  “The guy who worked for Charlotte, Julius, is likely the man who betrayed her. That’s how my gut is playing this out. He disappeared as soon as Purgatory was sold.”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen the outside of the bar. Maybe I can get a drink there sometime?” she hinted.

  Zayn laughed.

  “And this is the problem with cops. You give them an inch, and now they want backdoor access to the hen house.”

  She laughed.

  “Nosey and pushy? You don’t say?”

  Sarah didn’t mention she owned the place. For Rogue, she didn’t go there. She wasn’t sure how much he wanted the woman to know.

  “We’ll see,” she said, instead. “Help us, and I’ll buy you that drink—well, Bunny will.”

  They all laughed.

  “Who is Bunny?” she asked, knowing she hadn’t met anyone named that.

  “It’s Sarah’s other name when she’s interrogating,” Rogue stated. “Bunny is Sarah’s meaner alter ego.”

  “Uh, okay.”

  “That you found weird, and not the rest of this?” Zayn asked. “Really?”

  “No, she actually looks like more of a Bunny than Sarah. That’s all.”

  The woman grinned.

  “I do! It’s the red hair.”

  Dakota cleared his throat.

  “Can we?”

  “Yes, Dad,” Sarah teased, winking at him.

  Dakota actually flushed, and that made Zayn gag to bust his ass.

  “Anyway,” Dakota began, “Julius’s son is tied to this,” he stated.

  “How?”

  “His son is a crooked cop. Before you ask how we know that he’s crooked, he turned up in one of the pages of Charlotte’s books.”

  They told her about the book.

  “Christ! A crooked cop?”

  “Yeah, and we don’t think he was the first or last one. It seems that she liked having one on the payroll. Now, was the cop helping her or Rosemary?”

  That was the big question.

  They waited to see her reaction to that. When you told cops they were dirty, that led to one of two things.

  Horror.

  Or knowledge.

  What they needed to see was if Cordelia Harding was aware that people she worked with could be bad guys.

  “Jesus! That pisses me off! That’s bad for the city. You have to find him.”

  Okay, so far, they liked the way she rolled. She got it, and she didn’t try to control freak it. They already had one person on the team like that.

  Dakota.

  “We will. We have a location that Sarah found, and we are heading there. It may not be Julius’s home, so we aren’t sure. We have to play it by ear.”

  She was down with that.

  “I can’t go looking for a cop,” she stated.

  “Oh, here we go,” Zayn said.

  Again, Rogue went to say something, and Cordelia beat him to the punch.

  “You’re a very angry person. I suggest Yoga. It would balance your energies and calm you down.”

  “WHAT?”

  “Actually, what I wanted to say was stop being an asshole and jumping to conclusions. Men do that a lot.”

  “Guilty as charged,” Rogue stated, raising his hand. “I like to think that I picked that nasty habit up from…someone,” he said, staring right at Zayn.

  His wife laughed.

  “STELLA!”

  “Well, you do that, Zayn.”

  “Children,” Dakota stated.

  They shut up.

  “Later, we have the address to a backroom, illegal gambling place and the invite, thanks to Rogue securing them on the dark web.”

  “Sexy,” Cordelia teased.

  “I am,” Rogue stated.

  “I think she meant the invites,” Zayn stated, bursting his bubble.

  Cordy winked at him.

  No, she meant his felonious ways were enough to get her juices flowing. He turned her on.

  “So, we’re going in,” Dakota stated.

  “Fun,” Gamble stated.

  “Yeah, it’ll be a blast. We’re going to infiltrate and see if we can find Tasunke, also known as Taz, who is Rogue’s father. We saw him last night, and he admitted to being part of this. We know Chesky likes to gamble, so…”

  Cordelia was making mental notes of everything. They really had it under control—more than a cop would. It was clear that Dakota had been a Fed. He was running it like one.

  “We have to decide who is going under,” stated Sarah. “This is important.”

  Dakota knew he and Sarah couldn’t do it.

  Yeah, it was time to go there.

  “Chesky tried to kill you, Sarah, so he can likely ID you. I’m sure that Maxine, his helper we killed last case, gave him all she had on us from that cruise.”

  “Darn! I like playing arm candy,” she teased. “It was so much fun.”

  Dakota thought back to her giving him that blowjob. Yeah, he really liked it, but going forward, safety came first.
<
br />   “Sorry, Bunny, but you’re benched.”

  “So, that leaves Zayn and Stella.”

  She cheered to be involved in it. Only, that didn’t last long at all.

  He shook his head.

  “Nope. She can’t go in. Are you forgetting that she’s Danforth’s child, and we don’t know who saw her when he had her? She’s not safe.”

  “No, I didn’t forget. I just didn’t plan on telling her no and getting that look. Oh, look…you handled it,” Dakota stated, smiling.

  “Asshole.”

  “That’s for not telling me Preston Valley was a fucking wall who could kill me!”

  Zayn laughed.

  His wife’s ire was worth it. Dakota’s face had been priceless.

  “Anyway, you two are out. We don’t know what Maxine told Rosemary. She wanted Stella, and I’m sure she spilled her guts.”

  Zayn didn’t doubt it.

  Rogue raised his hand.

  “I’ll go in,” he offered.

  Dakota shook his head.

  “We don’t know that your father doesn’t periodically check-in on you. It’ll blow our operation. We can’t assume he isn’t aware he has a son.”

  He had a point.

  “I can’t go in,” Zayn stated. “I married Stella. I’m sure Danforth put a hit out on me. Not that I mind. I can handle myself, but…”

  Yeah, blown operation.

  “I’ll go,” Gamble offered. “I’m new in town. No one will know me.”

  That worked.

  “I’ll go,” Cordelia offered. “I did a lot of undercover when I’ve worked with vice. I can hide my identity, and besides, people don’t notice the woman if she’s not gambling. She’s arm candy.”

  Gamble grinned.

  “Well, come to Daddy, arm candy,” he teased.

  “I will fuck you up,” Rogue stated. “I will come over there, and I will kick your ass.”

  Zayn laughed.

  “WHAT?” Gamble asked innocently.

  “Oh, you know what! I’m going to call Merry and ask her to dust my girl for fingerprints!”

  Cordelia stared at him.

  “Your girl?” she asked.

  Well, this was awkward. Here he just blurted that out for everyone to hear it.

  “Yes, you’re my girl.” He pointed at Stella and Sarah. “They are Zayn and Dakota’s girls. That’s how this works. We paired off. You’re mine.”

  “I do have a problem with that,” Cordelia stated.

  Everyone looked uncomfortable.

  “And it is?” Rogue asked, holding his breath.

  “Girls are children. Women are grownups. It’s ‘she’s my woman’. I like that better. I don’t feel twelve.”

  The pressure lifted.

  Rogue smiled at her. She wasn’t going to tear him down, but just give her feelings.

  He was down with that.

  “You’re my woman,” he stated.

  “Apparently, that is how it works,” she stated. “As for going in, I’ll play Gamble’s arm candy. I’m good at doing it.”

  The whole team relaxed.

  Rogue was happy.

  No one was fighting.

  It was going their way.

  Then, her cell phone rang.

  “Oh, shit.”

  “What?” Dakota asked.

  “It’s my boss. He’s calling, likely, for an update. What do you want me to do?”

  “Speaker,” Zayn stated. “No offense, but you’re a freaking cop.”

  She got it.

  “Detective Harding,” she said, answering it on speaker so they could see that she wouldn’t betray any of them. She was in love with Rogue, and these people were his family.

  Plus, they were fighting for justice.

  She appreciated that.

  “Detective, I didn’t hear from you yet today. How’s the thing I had you work on?” he asked.

  She knew this was precarious.

  Lie, and lose her job.

  Be honest and lose Rogue.

  “Well, sir, I’ve worked the whole ‘Charlotte’s life’ angle like I said I was going to do.”

  “And?”

  “I spoke to her ex and his family. They’re clear. Neither had any contact with her in the past three years.”

  “What about that text message she sent before she died? Could they answer that?” Alessandro asked.

  Rogue was watching her.

  “She was running guns. I think the ‘her’ was code for a cargo shipment. I can’t trace it. I think Ms. Shaw was meeting up with a gun runner. She was involved in bad shit.”

  She lied her ass off.

  For them.

  “Well, that’s good work, Detective. I find that surprising since her life looked clean from the outside, but I trust your judgment. Do you need more time?”

  “Yes. I want to keep digging.”

  “Well, you do that. Check-in tomorrow. I’m going to call your partner back to work. I know he took personal leave, but you both have cases coming soon. You two are up in the rotation starting the day after tomorrow.”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

  He hung up.

  She turned off her cell.

  “He checks in every morning. I’m good now. Sorry to interrupt. Where were we?” she asked.

  Rogue headed her way, lifted her chin, and kissed her. Yeah, he trusted her with his life, and he trusted her to be part of his family.

  His mother was right.

  This woman was amazing.

  “Uh, making out at the morning meeting is not permitted,” Dakota said laughing.

  When he set her mouth free, he stared into her eyes.

  “I love you.”

  Everyone on the team stared at them.

  “Wow. He moves…fast,” Stella stated. “I think he beat Zayn. We all know he beat Dakota.”

  “Copycat,” the big man muttered.

  Sarah smiled at them.

  Yeah, this felt so much better. Everyone was happy.

  “I love you too,” she offered back. “I really do.”

  Rogue was ready to face the world.

  “Sorry,” he said, focusing on Dakota. “I felt the need to say that, and the spirit moved me.”

  “Well, get the spirit to move you towards helping us locate Julius. We need to head out.”

  Before Cordelia could say anything, Dakota gave her a job.

  “Can you do some research?” he asked, handing her a tablet. On it, there was the FBI emblem.

  “Wow, someone’s getting some help,” she stated, noticing they were using government equipment. “I can work with that.”

  That was good.

  “We need to keep running Jasper and Charlotte, to see if they connect other than siblings by way of their parents. Can you handle it? Later, you’ll have to get ready for a party. Sarah will hook you up.”

  She saluted him.

  “On it, boss.”

  They all groaned as Dakota smiled.

  “FINALLY! I like her. Someone here appreciates me. This was a long time coming. Welcome to the team, Detective.”

  Zayn sighed.

  “You’ve gotten attached. What if I have to kill her?” he asked. “That’s going to be awkward.”

  No one believed him.

  Zayn liked her.

  They could tell.

  And Rogue…he loved her.

  Chapter Twenty

  Somewhere In

  New Orleans

  T he whole thing was blown. Rosemary’s death put a hole in their operation, but Chesky had no choice but to kill her. He couldn’t risk the weakest link in their chain. It was her or all of their hard work.

  The answer had been easy.

  It had to be her.

  After all, it was all her fault. She got emotionally involved. It became about hurting her brother and trying to keep her lover, Taz.

  That’s sick infatuation made it go South, and Chesky wasn’t down with that. For now, he needed to handle it.
/>   Danforth was dead.

  Rosemary was gone.

  Yeah, it was time to regroup and clean up the mess. For now, he was going to find people he could use to make him more money.

  Oh, he wasn’t leaving.

  Not even close.

  They had a sweet operation there. They were on the gulf, on the Mississippi, and in a city of sin.

  Yeah, he was here to stay.

  But first…he made a call.

  “Yo,” the man said, answering the call.

  “Taz, it’s Chesky.”

  “Oh, come on! Is she trying to get you to talk me into coming back?” he asked.

  “No, she’s decided to leave New Orleans,” Chesky stated, not telling the man he ended her control. “I’m going to be running the show. The heat was on her, and Rosemary couldn’t handle it.”

  “Really?” he asked.

  “I need a partner. How about half the money instead of ten percent?”

  There was a pause.

  “Are you shitting me?” he asked.

  “No, I’m not. You’ve been helpful, and I think this mission can be saved. Would you be interested in joining up?”

  “Fifty-fifty?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s meet to talk,” Taz stated. “I want to work out all of the details.”

  “Tonight, I’m free.”

  Again, there was a pause.

  “I have that gambling thing tonight. It’s going on. Do you want to meet there?” Taz asked.

  “Can you pop out for an hour? There’s a coffee shop a few blocks over. We’ll work out the plan, and you’ll be back in ninety.”

  He thought about it.

  Taz knew the operation made a shit ton of money. With just his ten percent, he’d been able to squirrel away one hell of a nest egg. With fifty…?

  Shit!

  He’d be loaded.

  “I’ll be there. You had better not be yanking my chain. If you are, Chesky, you’re dead.”

  He laughed.

  “I’m on the up and up. Rosie bailed. I need someone reliable.”

  “Okay, see you there.”

  Chesky hung up.

  “Yeah, Rosie, sorry about that bullet to the brain, but you started thinking with your pussy, and I can’t risk that. You should know that from your past. Sex is sex, and business is…money. I’m going to make this sex ring great again. Watch and see. Now to handle the loose ends.”

  And he would.

  Because women…they were for fucking. Men were for ruling the world.