Chambers glanced at the screen. “He’ll be here soon.”
“Enough time to grill a burger?”
“You’re seriously not letting up, are you?” Chambers’ mouth broke into a grin, and he lifted the tray of finger sandwiches toward me.
“I don’t want the damn sandwiches.” I couldn’t stomach eating the same thing I fed Clara. It felt too intimate, a violation of her perfection. I wasn’t worthy of sharing that with her, and no, I didn’t care that it made no sense.
“Either you cook me a burger, or I will.” An empty threat, Chambers presence at our planning session wasn’t required, but mine was.
Chambers looked at his cellphone and gave a sigh. He tapped the screen then looked up. “Xavier is delayed.”
“Great. I want a double cheese, tomatoes, and don’t try sneaking in any of that green stuff.”
“Lettuce is good for you.”
“Don’t care.”
“Picky much?” Chambers stood and stretched. “Bug up your butt?”
“No. I’m hungry.” As if on cue, my stomach rumbled.
Chambers left to cook my dinner. Gay, and deeply submissive, ordering him to serve me might seem odd, but it fulfilled a need within him. Oddly, he wasn’t involved in a sexual relationship with the man he called Master either.
Xavier had some other hold over this man. I didn’t ask, except to determine how it might affect our roles in the upcoming meeting. And in Xavier’s absence, I did what I could to appease Chambers’ inner submissive, like barking orders and demanding he cook my dinner.
As our strategy session seemed to be delayed, I settled in one of the chairs and picked at my nails. What I did not do was think about Clara.
In this, I failed miserably.
Chapter 26
Clara thought I was a good man. I wanted to be that for her, but wishing and wanting were two vastly different things. The only thing I had to offer was devastation and destruction. There were so many others who would suffer if I didn’t do what had to be done.
Mitzy and her damned 8 by 10 photograph kept running through my mind. Mitzy knew Clara. It’s why she shoved Clara’s photograph in my face. Mitzy wanted me to see the person Clara was rather than the statistic she had become.
So many nameless victims.
How was I going to save them all?
By destroying Clara.
My inner voice spoke a truth I refused to embrace.
There has to be another way!
The screen in front of me flickered and a face appeared. Kate’s icy expression glanced up and our gazes collided across the span of thousands of miles. She was back in Georgia with my brother, Kevin, and Lily, pissed off by my disappearance and no longer in control.
“Josh.” Her curt greeting had me gritting my teeth.
“Kate.”
There was no reason for us to exchange pleasantries, although I hoped Chambers returned soon. Beneath the harshness of her stare, I felt exposed and vulnerable.
“You could have said goodbye.”
“And let you talk me out of this?”
“If I knew what this was, I might agree. What the fuck? You certainly went off script.” She glared at me.
“I did what was necessary.”
“And what is that? Disappear without a trace?”
“I didn’t disappear. Chambers has been with me the entire time.”
“This is not what we agreed to. You were supposed to stay and help us pull apart the operation.”
“Your plan was doomed from the start. No one would expect me to be a whiney little bitch and work my way up from the inside. And for what it’s worth, I told them you sent me.”
“You fucking bastard,” she said. “The plan was solid.”
“It was a piece of shit. No disrespect, but you have no idea what kind of men we’re dealing with.”
“I have a very good idea.”
“Bullshit. You think you do, but you don’t.” I ran my hand through my hair and tugged on the roots. “You’re a small thinker.”
“Small thinker? You fucking prick.”
“Save it. We’re doing this my way, or not at all.”
“All it takes is a phone call, ass-wipe, and you’ll be back behind bars.”
Briefly, I wondered if she knew about the dead men I left behind. She didn’t mention it, and I sure as shit wasn’t going to bring it up.
A quick glance at the ceiling and two slow breaths helped lower my blood pressure before responding. I steeled my gaze, determined to meet her grit with a strength she had never seen.
“I’m never going to jail again. You think you have me over a barrel, locking up all my funds, but I’ve made plans of my own.” Wu helped here. “I can walk away right now and you won’t be able to touch me. Now, I suggest you don’t piss me off, sit back like a good little girl, and let the men figure shit out.”
She sputtered, calling out every obscenity, but I was done being played. With Wu at my disposal, the world was my proverbial oyster.
Of course, there was the matter of rescuing his children. For that, I needed Xavier’s connections, and pissing Kate off probably didn’t help. Not that I cared. This world infested my soul and filled every fetid breath with its vileness. Kate thought she understood, but she hadn’t walked the path I had.
My subconscious spoke to me, vile things which made my skin crawl. My shoulders hunched and a shiver raced down my spine with the evil it whispered. I didn’t want to listen, but it was a perfect plan.
The screen beside Kate flickered and a man’s image appeared. This was the first time I saw Xavier. All our previous correspondence had been through Chambers. I greeted him with a nod.
“Mr. Davenport,” a cultured voice rolled out of the speakers and even I couldn’t resist the dominance laced in every syllable of my name, “it’s nice to meet you, face to face, as it were.”
“Xavier, I presume?”
He gave an exaggerated nod, bending slightly at the waist. His sharp gaze swept the view he would have of the room. “Where is Chambers?”
“Cooking my dinner.”
“Is that so? He’s supposed to be here for the meeting.”
No doubt Chambers would be reprimanded for his absence. I held back a chuckle. It hadn’t been my intention to put Xavier on alert, but it kind of felt good to have the upper hand. I imagined this man wasn’t used to being taken by surprise.
“I’m sure you can chastise him later, but shouldn’t we begin?” I didn’t want to prolong our meeting any longer than necessary.
Xavier’s gaze cut left, to what I could only presume was another part of the screen, or another screen entirely. “It’s nice to see you again. Always a pleasure to speak with the Mistress of Pain.”
“Mistress no more, sir.” Her demure reply whispered through the speakers, but the melodious undertones of her voice hinted at sensual secrets every man craved. The woman was a siren with that voice.
“Yes, of course, I’m sorry, but I thought you still carried that title.”
“No more. I instruct others now. That moniker is retired.”
“Congratulations then. I would love to meet the man who captured your affections.”
Out of view of the camera, I fisted my hands and pressed them to the sides of my legs. The flowery conversation turned my stomach and tested my patience. I had shit to do.
Like figure out what the hell I was doing with Clara.
That voice in my head whispered dark, deviant thoughts, and I shut it up with difficulty. No way would I consider what it said. Although…
I leaned forward and tapped the screen. What a useless thing to do, Xavier and Kate continued prattling on.
“Excuse me.” I cleared my throat. “Do you mind if we begin?”
Xavier’s gaze cut to the right. “We’re waiting for another to join. He’s been delayed. How are things coming with your acquisition?”
Another? What the fuck? It was only supposed to be the three of us, four if you coun
ted Chambers. Also, the way he spoke about Clara, as if she were a thing to be acquired, stirred my anger. I reined in my emotions, however, determined to maintain control.
“Who is joining us?” I tried to control the irritation flooding my voice, but failed.
“My partner.”
“Who the fuck is your partner?”
“An interested party, nothing more.” Xavier dismissed me with his callous tone. That’s what happened when two dominant men gathered in one room, or rather, one virtual space. The air clotted with the testosterone we slung at each other. I didn’t care who Xavier thought he was. No man commanded my actions.
Been there.
Done that.
Served jail time as a result.
I was done being a pawn for anyone but myself.
“I’m not interested in evasive answers.” My teeth ground against one another. “I know you, Kate, and Chambers.” There was Pete too, but he was a bit player and would focus on cleaning things up in Georgia when all this came to an end. “Who else is joining us?”
“As I said, an interested party.”
“Not good enough.” I rose from my seat, my intention clear.
Xavier coughed into his fist as a third video screen flickered to life. Instead of an image, static filled the screen and an electronically altered voice boomed out of the speakers.
“Mr. Davenport forgive the mode of this introduction. For many reasons, my identity must remain hidden.”
“Who the fuck are you?” I didn’t care who this little shit was. They blindsided me with this additional party, and I was not amused.
“I’m the man who arranged for your parole, among other things.”
What the ever-loving fuck?
I scratched my head as the room spun around me. This man made a big claim, if it was a man. The electronic voice could be anyone, male or female. Not that I cared. I didn’t like surprises. If they, and I meant the collective they—Xavier, Kate, and this unknown person—didn’t have my balls in a sling, I would consider leaving.
The only thing keeping me in the room was my obligation to Wu. My honor demanded the repayment of my debt to him. Kate thought I owed her and Lily, but they were wrong. I paid my debts to them. I bore those scars on my back.
I waved to the screen filled with static.
“What the fuck is this? My ass is on the line and I don’t like being played.” I headed to the door, full of righteous anger.
Kate’s sharp voice pulled me up short. “Running away?” Her tone turned derisive. “How typical…tsk…Joshua Davenport, sit your ass down.”
Her command snapped across the distance and raced down my spine where it drew my balls up tight. The woman worked magic with her voice.
“You want a seat at the grownup’s table? Well, this is your fucking invitation.”
Xavier cupped his hand over his mouth, failing to hide a grin, while a buzzing sounded from the static filled screen.
I pointed to each screen in turn. Not knowing how the camera picked up my image, I didn’t fucking care. These people thought to use me, manipulate me, and insult me, but they had no idea what I was capable of. If they did, they wouldn’t hide behind cameras.
That voice in my head had grown louder over the past five minutes, whispering atrocities even I couldn’t stomach. But, it might be just the thing which met all our needs.
I met Kate’s sharpness with something altogether feral and hideous. “Shut the fuck up. As for the rest of you, this conversation goes nowhere until I know everything about each of you, from the color of your hair to the color of your underwear. You need me. I don’t need any of this shit, and I’m two seconds from walking the hell away.”
Xavier gave a nod of respect. Kate’s complexion paled, and for once, her gaze dropped. The static from the other screen flickered and then an image appeared.
A man with snow-white hair stared back at me with glacial-blue eyes and a face cut from granite.
“As you can see, my hair is the palest blond. As for the color of my skivvies, I prefer commando. Now, if we’re done pissing on each other, do you mind if we continue?”
“And who are you?”
Two things struck me about the man on the screen. First, he wasn’t a killer. Not yet, but a lethal promise flickered in the pale depths of his eyes. Second, he would have no problem making that transition. I didn’t know who he was, except the man held a power I couldn’t comprehend, but I felt it. I felt it deep in my bones.
He had the look of a man who lost something precious. I’d seen men like him, men with a great emptiness that ate at their souls. If there had been any humanity in this man, it had been erased years ago.
Man on a mission?
Yeah, this man was on a vendetta, and I was merely one piece of the puzzle, or maybe a more apt description was that I was the chum in the water he was using to get to a bigger prize.
I should have been more fearful, but I had my own ax to grind. The man behind that screen would sacrifice everything for vengeance. My respect went to him. Taken or given, in the end it didn’t matter, but I wasn’t his to use.
My plan.
My life on the line.
This was my damn meeting.
“Tell me, how far down this rabbit hole are you willing to travel?” The voice in my head snapped and snarled, growing louder and more insistent with each passing second.
“As far as necessary,” the man said.
“I need to know your name and your endgame.”
“My name is Forest Summers and as far as an endgame that’s simple. I seek vengeance.”
“Well, that’s something I understand. Lucky for us all, I have a plan.”
“We already have a plan.” Kate’s voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. “One you blew when you went off script.”
“I set up the perfect opportunity.”
Chambers returned with a tray holding a steaming burger. He glanced around the room, taking in the different screens. When his eyes landed on the new player, his jaw gaped.
I took the tray from Chambers and placed it on the counter. My stomach rumbled and my hunger made me irritable.
“I agree with Miss Summers.” Forest’s voice rumbled.
Burger grease dripped down my fingers and I gestured between the two screens, interrupting him. “You two related?” He and Kate had the same last name.
Forest shook his head. “No.”
I didn’t think they were, but it seemed an odd coincidence.
Xavier cleared his throat. “Now that we’re all here, I suggest we begin. We have two days to make the insertion.”
“About that…” I took a bite of burger. “This is fucking delicious, Chambers.” Wiping grease from my chin, I took my damn sweet time chewing as they all watched.
The plan was to have me return to Georgia with Clara where I would show off my ability to mold her into the perfect and obedient slave. That meeting would cement my place inside that operation and then we would springboard to a meeting with Zane Carson.
Why jump through hoops? Besides, the entire premise behind their plan was riddled with holes, and I’d already shut down the Georgia operation.
Kate pursed her lips. “Do you really have to eat like a pig?”
“It’s a fucking awesome burger.” I lifted it to the screen. “I’d share, but you know…”
She was in Georgia, thousands of miles away. I didn’t know where Xavier called in from and who knew about our newest visitor. Kate had a point. The burger was messy. I put it down and wiped my hands.
“As for Georgia, I’m not going back there.” I pointed to Xavier. “You need to set up that intro with Carson.”
“Zane Carson doesn’t meet with people he doesn’t know. He won’t agree to that. You have nothing to offer, which is why we set up the Georgia connection. We proceed with the original plan, insert you into the operation, and only afterwards do we front you as a potential supplier to Carson.”
“That will take too lo
ng.”
I didn’t know how long Wu’s kids had. He hadn’t said much about the ransom demands except that encroachment into his territory wouldn’t be tolerated. I didn’t think he’d willingly sacrifice his children, but who knew what Wu was capable of.
Knowing what Carson wanted with Wu’s territory, my subconscious had been hard at work.
“It’s best not to take risks,” Forest said, “we continue as planned.”
“I disagree, and I have the perfect thing to tempt Carson into a meeting.” Vileness defined Zane Carson, and I would speak directly to the depravity lurking within him.
Forest and Xavier exchanged a look while Kate stared at me. The technology behind our meeting made communication seamless.
When Kate scowled, it felt as if she were laying into me from two feet away. I had to remind myself she was not in fact in this room. Whether Forest and Xavier communicated privately wasn’t clear, except the pause in conversation stretched through and past uncomfortable.
“We proceed as planned.” Forest spoke with authority, except he assumed too much. He was not in charge here.
“No. We do this my way. My only question is how badly do you want Carson?” My attention shifted to Kate. “And how much are you willing to put on the line?”
She pressed her index finger to her breastbone. “Me?”
“You and Mitzy.”
“What the fuck do you need Mitzy for?”
“A demonstration.”
“This is silly. Xavier and Forest have worked a long time setting this whole thing up. You don’t get to walk in here and change everything at the last moment. You running off half-cocked is going to get you killed, Clara too.”
I slammed my palm down on the table and Chambers jumped. “No one is laying a finger on Clara.”
“Right,” Kate said, “which is why we stick to the plan.”
“Your plan is a moth-eaten monstrosity. An idiot can see through it.”
Xavier and Forest exchanged another look. I thought one of them would step up, but was surprised when it was Chambers who spoke.
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