“Deal.”
Abrianna returned to her seat. The next three hours were like slicing open every vein on her body. She told them all that she could remember about the Dragon Templars, divulged the ugly rituals, and even told them about some of the children she remembered from years past. Kadir’s hands squeezed hers tighter whenever she came to a particularly odious memory. But the one name she refused to mention was Samuel. She wanted to tell them, she wanted to tell Kadir.
But she couldn’t. After all this time, her heart still wasn’t ready.
“What about Marion Parker?” Randall asked.
Abrianna stiffened. “What about her?”
“What was her role in all of this? We’ve approached her. Right now she’s maintaining that she knew nothing about her husband’s sick double life. That can’t be true, can it? And if it is, why did you never tell her about what happened to you at these gatherings and right underneath her nose in that house?”
“I was told never to tell,” Abrianna said, which was the truth. She and Marion never once spoke about any of it.
“That’s it? You were told not to say anything so you didn’t?” Randall said.
“Marion had her ways of not acknowledging what was right in front of her.”
“Meaning?” Randall pushed.
Abrianna took a deep breath and wondered at this sudden protectiveness that came over her. “Marion had her own hell to live through.”
“She was abused?” Kellerman asked.
“Among other things,” Abrianna whispered. “You should talk to her.”
“We’ve tried. She’s pretty good at stonewalling,” Randall said.
Abrianna cleared her throat. “How much longer is this going to take?”
“A few more questions,” Kellerman said. “Do you have any idea how this organization acquired the children?” he asked. “We’re having a hell of a time finding anything on where they came from. Somebody is providing the children. Surely these men aren’t out here kidnapping them themselves.”
Stumped, Abrianna stared at them. “I don’t know. I don’t know where the children came from.”
50
“Abrianna Parker is back in the news today. She and Mr. Kadir Kahlifa were seen leaving the U.S. attorney’s office earlier today. Many have speculated that this was a sign of the department moving forward with charges against former President Walker. However, anonymous sources within the department say that Ms. Parker may play a pivotal role in the child sex-trafficking charges against her father, Cargill Parker, who was arrested at his private Lynnwood Club a few weeks ago and is currently out on bail.”
Peter Lautner set down his whiskey sour and heaved a long sigh. “This is not good. In fact, this is highly problematic.”
“That fucking bitch,” Cargill swore while nursing his second bourbon. He took several deep breaths to calm his nerves, but the protesters made it impossible.
Lautner continued, “The other members are already anxious. It is taking a herculean effort to make sure that everyone keeps their mouths shut and toes the line, especially the few members whose financial situations are built on quicksand.”
“No need to pussyfoot around, Lautner. You can say the word ‘politicians’ in my presence.”
Lautner grimaced. “I’d rather not. I have allergies, you know.”
“How much?” Cargill asked, recognizing a shakedown when he heard one.
“It’s not cheap. There are seven of them who are getting a lot of heat in their own districts since their arrests. They need guarantees. But with the collective contributing together, it’s a pittance. You won’t even miss the money.”
Cargill frowned. “I miss it now, and I haven’t even given it to you yet.”
“Fair enough.”
“How much are we talking about?”
“One million.”
Cargill made the calculation in his head. “So a little over sixteen million?”
“A pittance for silence.”
Cargill grumbled as he climbed to his feet and waltzed over to his safe. Out of habit he mumbled the passcode as he punched in the numbers. Once it was open, he removed the gun’s lockbox and reached for the bundled stacks of cash near the back.
Lautner stuffed the cash into a leather duffel bag. “Now what about our other problem? I’m sure there’s a new wave of members pissing in their pants and blowing up my office phones as we speak.”
Cargill growled. Abrianna was certainly a problem now that she was no longer under his control. A part of him was surprised that she’d had the guts to even involve herself in this drama. He couldn’t help but be turned on by her defiance. He saw it as a challenge whether he could bring her back to heel.
“Cargill?” Lautner probed, pulling him back to their conversation.
“I’ll handle it.”
“You have a plan?”
“Not yet. I’m still working on it.” He thought about Zeke Jeffreys’s offer to bring his daughter home. But now the man was missing in action. Strange how that kept happening.
“If you have a few more minutes, I have a suggestion.”
Cargill returned to his seat and picked up his drink. “I’m listening.”
“Well. If your daughter is going to play with the big boys, then we treat her like any other adversary, and we attack her weak spot.”
“Samuel?”
Lautner nodded. “The papers are already asking questions. I say we give them their answer. Trust me. The prosecutor won’t want her anywhere near their cases against you or any of the Dragons.”
Cargill thought it over; however, the details of that night gave him pause. “I don’t know. It’s risky, especially if she convinces them of her version of events that night.”
Lautner cocked his head. “Was there more to the story than what you told me?”
“Since when do you believe everything I tell you?”
“Okay. Maybe you should start from the beginning, and I’ll figure out how we can spin it.”
51
Abrianna took a nail-size bump of Cotton Candy and then tucked the rest of the drug in the back of the top drawer of her chest of drawers. She’d learned it only took a little to get what she needed to function; a little to make her feel good. When she stood, she caught her reflection in the bedroom mirror and froze. What am I doing? After a long moment, she closed her eyes. She was doing what she always did: screwing up.
“I can quit,” Abrianna told herself.
“Baby, is everything all right?” Kadir called out from the bathroom.
“Everything is fine.” She swiped under her nose and rushed to join Kadir, who was already soaking in a cloud of lavender bubbles.
He grinned when she entered. “I can really get used to this.”
“You look ridiculous.” She laughed, referring to the beard that he’d made out of bubbles.
“What? You don’t find it sexy?”
“Actually,” she said, approaching and peeling out of her robe, “you don’t need any added help in that department.”
Kadir swiped his face clean while his gaze caressed Abrianna’s curves, and a smile exploded across his face. “Talking about not needing any help in the sexy department . . .”
Chuckling, Abrianna loved the way he looked at her. Over the years, men had gawked at her on stage, but there was more than lust in Kadir’s eyes. She wanted to name it, but was afraid, just as she was afraid of the new feelings she experienced every time they were together.
When she stepped into the tub in between his legs, he leaned back and slapped on a silly grin.
“Shall I dance for you?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Do you, boo.”
“Really? You want me to do me?” Abrianna rolled her hips and softly sang Rihanna’s classic song “Skin.”
Kadir leaned back and fell under her spell.
Feeling his gaze roaming over her body, Abrianna lost herself in the performance. By the end, she was on her knees, crawling through a clou
d of bubbles and biting her bottom lip.
“Oh. You’re good,” he said.
“Yeah?” She draped her soapy arms around his neck and moved in for a kiss, but stopped short within an inch of his mouth. “Does that mean I’m going to get a big tip?”
“Oh, I got a tip for you all right.”
She grinned as his hard-on stretched against her belly. “Hmmm. I can’t wait.”
Their lips sealed together as Kadir wrapped his powerful arms around her. For the next half hour, they made love among a rapidly vanishing bed of bubbles and ended up with more water on the floor than what was left in the tub.
Some time later, Abrianna lay curled against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat while sleep eluded her.
“You want to talk about it?” Kadir asked.
“Talk about what?”
“It was a long session at the attorney’s office. That was a lot of heavy stuff you unloaded.” He caressed her hair.
She swallowed thickly. “I knew that going in.”
“Still. It was a room full of strangers,” he pushed. “Clearly, it wasn’t easy.”
“No.”
There was a long silence. But it was a comfortable one. She felt protected—safe. And though he’d learned way more than she had originally shared with him about her past, there was no judgment. Outside of her small band of friends, she hadn’t felt that way with anyone else. Certainly not any man she’d ever dated. This was new territory.
Abrianna sighed when Kadir’s lips brushed the top of her head, but then a tear rolled from her eyes. “I never once thought about where those kids came from,” she confessed. “Before Kellerman approached me, I never thought that much about anyone other than . . .” She couldn’t say the name lodged in her throat. Suddenly, she questioned everything she felt a moment ago. What if I’m wrong, and he does judge me for what I’ve done?
More tears cascaded over her lashes.
“You couldn’t have known,” he said. “How could you have? You were a kid yourself.”
“But . . . but . . .”
“Shhh.” He kissed her head again. “You’re being too hard on yourself. Children adapt to their environment. You were stuck in survival mode. Let it go.” Another kiss.
“I have to do something,” she whispered.
“You are doing something,” he said. “You’re going to testify.”
She shook her head, worrying. “It’s not enough.”
“Of course it is.” He tilted her chin up so that their gazes connected, despite the dark. “Don’t put all of this on your shoulders. You’re not being fair to yourself.”
She sat up. “But you heard them. They are worried about their own case. If they are worried, then I should be worried. Cargill is not the man to fuck with on a normal day, let alone coming at him like this. And I’m sorry, but that group of pencil pushers does not fill me with confidence. I don’t think you understand. He could really get off. If he does, he’s going after those who tried to take him out. I’ll be at the top of his fucking list. And I’m out in the open now.”
“You’re working yourself up.” Kadir reached for her, but she swatted his hand away.
“You’re not listening.”
“I am listening. I don’t understand what it is that you think you have to do.”
“I have to make sure that he goes down. If I’m going into that court, I need for this to be a slam-dunk. We need an ace. We have to find out where the Dragons Templar get those kids.”
52
Abrianna and Kadir called and gathered their friends for an emergency meeting at Castillo’s detective agency. Tomi was the only one who couldn’t make it. After Castillo apologized for the mess in her office and offered to make coffee, Abrianna started her speech.
“I guess there’s no other way to start this other than to admit that I need your help.” She looked at Ghost. “Yes, I’m well aware that I’m in constant need of help lately.”
“How did you—”
“Anyway, you guys may have heard that I’m working with the U.S. attorney’s office on their case against my father. The reason they approached me is because they believe their case is crumbling. Tapes of the raid have disappeared, they can’t verify the anonymous tip, computers taken from the property have been compromised, and even the Lynnwood Club’s surveillance has been erased or wasn’t recording that night.”
“Humph.” Ghost shook his head.
“Our thoughts exactly,” Kadir said.
Abrianna continued, “I can already see that I’m not just a character witness about my adoptive parents, but the feds expect me to be their star witness. The only problem with that is, well, my past. I’m a runaway. I’m . . . a drug addict,” she admitted for the first time and paused before continuing, “I’m an ex-stripper and escort girl. And unlike with the president’s scandal, I don’t come bearing proof: a video and a taped confession. My father has deep pockets. It’s not surprising that shit is disappearing—which means by now with my name being reported in the news as working with the prosecution, I’m in his crosshairs.”
Shawn cut in, “So what do you need from us?”
“The children. That’s how we’re going to solve this.”
Castillo sat forward in her chair. “What about the children?”
“Kellerman, one of the lawyers at—”
“Yeah. I know Melvin Kellerman. I’m the one who told him to talk to you. What is he saying?”
“That they only identified one child, and they have no clue where the others came from. Apparently my father and his secret club are claiming that the government framed them and that the kids weren’t there before the raid.”
“Weak.” Castillo laughed.
“Not if you can pin it on a president who is already embroiled in a frame-slash-cover-up.”
“Okay. Now it sounds clever,” Castillo amended. “Walker framed your father to get back at you for exposing him for framing you. Do I have that right?”
“Exactly,” Abrianna said. “So the key is to find out where or who traffics these children for the Dragons. They have to come from somewhere.”
Castillo shook her head. “I like where your head is but, and I’m speaking from experience in searching for lost children, your biggest problem is the clock.”
“The information has to be stored somewhere,” Roger said. “Phone records, files, computers.”
Ghost nodded. “I can get my hands on the list of the other sickos arrested that night and comb through their shit as well. Somebody fucked up and told somebody something or wrote it down.”
“So you guys will help?”
Draya laughed. “Are you kidding? We’ve been ready to help you take down that monster for six years.”
Kadir looked around the office and hinted to Castillo, “You know, I need a place of employment to tell my parole officer.”
Castillo smiled. “Then you’re hired.”
* * *
The next day, while Abrianna and the gang set up shop at the Agency, she received a call from Bowen & Johnson. The moment the number displayed on her phone, she sensed that it wasn’t good news. That feeling deepened when the receptionist danced around why her attorney wanted her to come into the office. After haggling over the time, she hung up and cast a worried glance at Kadir.
“What is it?”
“I’m not sure. But I need to get over to our attorney’s office.”
His face crinkled with concern. “I’ll go with you.”
“No. You have to check in with your probation officer. I can jet over there myself.” His expression told her how much he didn’t like that idea.
“I’ll be fine.”
“I can go with her,” Draya offered. “As long as we can swing by the MAC store afterward. I have a wedding party in the morning and I have to pick up a couple of blush palettes.”
Ghost laughed. “No offense, but maybe someone who hasn’t been shot should play bodyguard?”
“I don’t need a
bodyguard,” Abrianna said. “Haven’t you heard? I’m a genetically modified freakazoid.”
“Yeah. You may heal fast, but you’re no superwoman until bullets bounce off of you. As long as T4S, the former president, and now your crazy-ass daddy are out there, then you should have someone playing defense with you at all times.”
She wanted to argue, but the squeeze of her hand by Kadir stopped her. “Fine.”
“Good. Wendell can go with you.”
An hour later, Abrianna entered the law offices of Bowen & Johnson with a stone-faced and strapped Wendell following behind. He was led to wait in the lobby while Abrianna was taken into yet another expansive conference room. However, the moment she stepped into the room, she wanted to bolt back out of it.
Peter Lautner sat at the head of the table, grinning. “Hello, Ms. Parker.”
Abrianna cut her gaze to Marcus Johnson, who flashed her a nervous smile. “You know that you’re fired, right?”
While Bowen’s face fell, Lautner’s rich laughter rumbled and filled the room. “Aw now. Don’t blame Markie Mark there. We came here to talk. See if we can strike a deal.”
Abrianna evaluated him. “Deal?” Then she glanced around the room. “And who is this ‘we’?”
“Have a seat,” Lautner said, gesturing to the two dozen chairs around the table. “Anywhere is fine.”
Bowen leaned forward and whispered, “Maybe you should hear him out.”
“Roll up your sleeve.”
“What?” Bowen blinked.
“You heard me. You want me to sit, let me see your right arm.”
His lips twitched. “We both know that’s not necessary. You already know what’s there.”
Abrianna wanted to kick herself. All Dragons had a burn mark in the shape of a dragon on their right forearm. “You’re a Dragon.”
“For life. Now. Sit. Down.”
She clenched her teeth as the conference room door slammed shut.
Bowen jumped, but Lautner simply frowned.
Telling herself to remain calm, Abrianna turned and took the chair on the opposite end of the table.
Collusion Page 26
