Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

“ L ife is dangerous business—few indeed get out of it alive.”

—Elbert Hubbard

Gage

Life itself was dangerous business. I’d known that just by going with my father to his office a couple of times when I’d been fairly little. Between the traitorous employees, the ruthless corporations vying for portions of my father’s business, and the hours involved, the work of a CEO and owner could be brutal.

Yes, thankfully, with three people running both companies plus the resorts, the workloads were spread, but I’d already started wondering whether a second tier of highly trustworthy people could be hired, trained, and put into place not only to provide assistance but for an eventual future when all of us wanted to take a real step back. I was the youngest, not yet forty, but that didn’t mean I didn’t see the value of taking time off.

Especially when it could mean that soon I’d have a family. At least as I adjusted my tie, grabbing my sunglasses, I was able to smile. Was that something she might want? Hell, I thought so, but I wasn’t entirely certain.

“You look handsome,” Evangeline said from the doorway of my home office.

“You think so?”

“You’re going to fry given the heat, but you look marvelous, darling.”

We both walked closer to each other where she promptly adjusted the knot on my tie ‘her’ way.

“You need to keep in mind it remains a lovely eighty or so in San Diego this time of year.”

“Beautiful, I must admit, and with the ocean breeze coming in, I can’t lie this is one of the most gorgeous places on earth.”

I was happy to hear her say that. Before either one of us could say anything, both Jeff and Ron popped in, still on the job and they would be for at least a few hours given their late arrival.

“Now, I want you to meet a couple people I’ve worked with and known quite personally over the years. Jeff Tyler, Ron Reynolds, this is Evangeline Weathers. Your… ward for a lack of a better word.”

She turned around to face them. At least she had a smile on her face. “Their ward? What am I, seventeen?”

“No, you are a highly sought after woman and not in a good way. They have military and security training. They’ve hired men they trust and that I also know who are going to provide twenty- four/seven security. This meeting I’m attending won’t last long but I want to ensure nothing happens. I assure you they know what they are doing. Don’t hesitate to track one of them down should you need something. Here is a burner phone that can’t be tracked with Jeff and Ron’s number. Mine as well.”

“Where’s my phone?” she asked innocently enough.

“Do you honestly think given the technology and money at their fingertips the cult leaders didn’t find a way of placing trackers on phones?”

It hadn’t seemed to dawn on her. “Oh, shit. I never thought about that.”

“They are very sophisticated systems used today, Miss Weathers,” Jeff told her. “They use what the military does because with money you can buy anything. I’ll need to check every item you brought with you to ensure there’s not a wayward tracker on anything else.”

“It won’t take long. I just brought a purse, but I purchased that much later after I left the commune.”

“Still,” he continued. “Better safe than sorry.”

“Whatever you need.”

I breathed a sigh of relief she was being agreeable. “You can go outside to the pool. They will be guarding the area, but you can’t just take a walk.”

“I’ll also be installing some pretty sophisticated tracking systems that can’t be detected,” Ron added. “A little military goodie that is amazing.”

“That’s great to hear,” I told them. “They can come and go in the house and I’ve already informed Emily, Camilia, and Juan with a limited version of what’s going on. It’s business as usual and I highly doubt anyone will attempt an attack in the middle of the day, but we must be prepared for anything.”

“Understood. They are dangerous. Men and women have disappeared and I’ve searched for them.” Her eyes were still full of sadness.

“Well, we’re going to see if we can stop their dangerous activity very soon. As I said, I’ll be back as quickly as I can. We’re putting the final pieces of a plan together. You and I can try and enjoy tonight.”

Evangeline nodded. “Be careful yourself.”

I had to grin. “You’re worried about me?”

“Somebody has to.”

She could make me laugh.

As well as make me crazy.

The night before, the thought of possibly losing her had never been far from my mind. That meant one thing.

I could fall in love with this girl.

God help me.

“Alright, guys. Keep her safe. Call me if you see anything odd.”

“Don’t worry, boss. Everything will be fine.” Jeff seemed so certain. “And I did some research on the group you mentioned. Bad seed.”

I lifted my eyebrows, nodding. “You nailed it perfectly. We’re going to piss on them.”

After grabbing my keys, I pulled her into my arms and roughly kissed her lips.

“Get a room,” Ron teased.

I gave him my middle finger. At least I had people I could trust. Hmmm… I wondered how they would mind becoming part of the second tier. It would provide them more benefits, and profit sharing to start with. I might mention it to my brothers.

“Get ice cream on the way back. Honey ,” she said in a teasing voice.

“Oh, yeah? What flavor?” The wistful look, the one that would grab at my heart for hours or days was right there under the surface. I could tell with every passing hour she was close to losing it, doing everything she could to hold it together. I couldn’t imagine what it felt like to have a child ripped from her. I also couldn’t imagine how angry she must be at her parents. Although she’d realized and accepted her mother was a pawn as well.

God, I hated that word.

“Hmmm. Surprise me with three. And sugar cones.”

I threw a look at Jeff who was grinning. At least the guys likely realized why I adored her. “Oh, yes, princess. Anything else? Sprinkles?”

“Sure, why not? And soon you’ll be calling me your queen.”

I knew she was just teasing but it struck me much differently than it would have just a few weeks ago. Well, I had considered myself a playboy in those days. Hopefully, my errant behavior had ended.

I once again thought about my brothers, trying to explain I might want additional time off and grinned. They might laugh but we weren’t getting any younger and we all preferred running the Royal Players Clubs. A second tier was a good idea. Days like today reminded me of that.

“Anything you want. Princess.”

As I headed out, I turned back to study the woman once more. She was doing the same with me. Why did I have a terrible feeling that not only was the shit going to hit the fan, but that it was entirely possible lives of people I cared about would be destroyed?

Nope.

Not going to happen.

Not on my watch.

Glorious downtown San Diego. Well, our offices were closer to the beach, which was one reason both our father’s corporation and our wealth management firm sites had been selected. It was funny that so many people thought of us as a quaint town, where you could get anywhere within minutes. That couldn’t be furthest from the truth.

With seventy miles of beachfront property, over three hundred and seventy square miles within the city limits, and over one point four million people, we were considered the eighth largest city in the country.

However, the quaint areas were what we were known for, including the boardwalk.

Yes, I’d adored growing up and living here, even if both islands we’d purchased were wonderful refuges.

Still, I could live anywhere else with a family. As I pulled into the parking garage of what had been my father’s corporate offices, it was impossible to take my mind off Evangeline.

The ominous feeling remained but I had faith in my men.

I parked in one of our secure spots, ensuring I hadn’t been followed, as I’d checked several times during the drive. I’d also checked the cameras countless times before leaving the house. Jeff was right. You couldn’t be too careful.

As I headed to the private elevator, a strange sense of being watched fell over me. While it wasn’t my usual method of operation, I whipped out my weapon, holding it in both hands and walking the perimeter in a wide arc.

I’d spent the remainder of the night with my iPad, sitting in the chair I’d fallen asleep in, watching Evangeline sleeping fitfully. Her nightmares had continued, the girl even murmuring some horrible things she’d likely gone through. I’d researched every article written on Weathered Heights, digging as deep as the internet would allow. It was interesting how I had a feeling someone in their employ had an internet scrubber.

Hell, we did as a corporation.

However, I had access to a portion of what some would call the dark web thanks to Jeff. I’d found some interesting articles written by two different reporters who I couldn’t locate. They certainly didn’t work for the same people as they had before. One included a San Diego-based internet newspaper that handled very opinionated pieces, nothing held back. They weren’t as political as they were about shaking up criminal activity and ruthless corporate activities. Why a reporter had attached themselves to doing two articles about Weathered Heights and what he called the Council of Evil Men was beyond me.

It would be a good thing to contact the current editor in chief this morning given the man was no longer registered on their reporter roster. Nor could I find his name anywhere. That was disturbing as fuck.

And telling.

Then there was the state legislator from Connecticut who’d quit politics not long after having a run-in with Dreyfuss Winston, Heidi’s father. Plus, there’d been a few other shorter articles from people attempting to buy legitimate houses for sale in the community and the crazy shit they said they had to deal with, including threats from unknown people. And being told they weren’t worthy of living there.

The entire story was insane.

But I had no doubt very truthful.

I covered about fifty feet in all directions within the garage. There wasn’t even a single person getting in a vehicle. I knew every place someone could hide as well and there was no one. Obviously, the night before had truly bothered me.

After storing my weapon once again, I returned to the elevator, actually stepping inside this time. At least we had keycards for various aspects of our world, including this elevator. That helped tremendously with security.

All of our employees at the various companies had been put on notice that there could be odd occurrences. Travis was watching the girls, who were leaving this morning. We had a lot of power set in position, including our location, but that didn’t mean their stealth operations couldn’t come up and bite us.

Maybe I should have followed my longing to enter the military and become Black Ops. My father hadn’t forbidden me to do so. He wasn’t that kind of dad, but my mother had nearly been hysterical, terrified she’d lose her only son.

However, they’d sat me down, given me options, and allowed me to make my choice. Jeff had also helped, telling me I was far too unruly to make it through boot camp. Still, he’d been a good friend and over the years, had taught me everything I knew about weapons. He’d also provided different methodologies in security and protection services, identifying hackers and explaining how vulnerable most corporations were.

With a photographic memory, I’d been able to maintain almost one hundred percent of the information.

As I rolled in through the massive all-glass doors, the receptionist waved at me, genuinely happy to see me. As our father had gotten older, he’d become a bit of a curmudgeon. At least we’d brought fresh ideas and different actions.

I found my brothers already inside Valerio’s office. We all had exceptional views but he’d taken over Pops’ space, which had afforded him the best corner of the building. There was a bird’s-eye view of the ocean, which always brought a level of peace.

“We were almost worried about you,” Braxton said.

I laughed and shut the door. “After my guest’s run-in with a bear last night, I was being extra cautious in telling Jeff and Ron what I needed.”

They both narrowed their eyes like I’d turned into a green alien.

“Don’t ask. A silly but dangerous occurrence.”

“Yeah, I’ll say,” Valerio snorted.

“Did you discover anything?” I looked from one brother to the other before grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. If I had more coffee, I’d be far too jittery to operate at one hundred percent.

“The chatter out there is nonexistent, which means we should be concerned. Now, I hired some men to do a little snooping on the organization, including driving through the community. I learned early this morning as soon as they left, they were stopped by the police, hassled, and taken down to the precinct.”

I think I was staring open-mouthed at Valerio. “What the fuck?”

“Yeah. They were locked up with a bogus charge only to be released later with a warning to be careful where they went in the city and it would be best for them to consider returning home.” Valerio was laughing.

“Who don’t they own?”

Braxton pulled out his iPad, scrolling to something he’d been working on. “I have a buddy who went to college near there. I chatted with him and he mentioned one dude pledging to a fraternity who everyone thought was weird as shit. The kid had a Maserati at fucking eighteen. He lived off campus in a really nice house. His attire was more like what a fashion model would wear and he never interacted with other students, including at the fraternity.”

“Let me guess. He was turned down,” I said, half grinning.

“You bet. Mysteriously, after the kid was given the news, the fraternity house erupted in fire that night. Destroyed the building and almost killed everyone inside and do you want to know why other than the explosion that occurred?”

“The doors were blocked or locked.” Valerio’s voice had dipped.

Braxton nodded. “These are more than dangerous people.”

“The good news is that the information Evangeline managed to steal was a goldmine. It lists names of men and families within the cult and material to blackmail every single one of them with. I had someone check the names to the county records, which they had pulled. We matched every house. That included every single person except for…”

“Dreyfuss Winston,” I said under my breath.

“Exactly.” Valerio grinned. “Copies are already with our attorney should anything happen. They will be forwarded to the various news sources and to the FBI.”

“And Evangeline’s father? What do they have on him?”

Valerio sighed. “He botched a surgery clearly. There are details. He could go to prison.”

“Fuck.” I rubbed my jaw before pulling out my phone. “What about Damien?”

“No sightings anywhere but that means little in a small town where it seems Weathered Heights is protected.”

“Who are you calling?” Braxton asked.

I handed him my iPad, which had the article cued up from the former reporter at the San Diego paper. It only rang twice before Bill answered.

“Bill Smithers.”

“Bill, Gage Royal. We haven’t talked in a little while.” He’d been instrumental in providing good press for both companies. We’d gotten to be pseudo friends, including playing a few games of darts over way too many beers.

“Hey, Gage, brother. I had you on my mind the other day. Don’t worry. Good stuff. What can I do for you?”

“Do you remember a reporter by the name of Leo Jackson?”

The instant his breath hitched, I knew something was wrong.

“Why are you asking?”

There was even a hint of fear in his voice.

“He wrote some interesting articles on a place called Weathered Heights out of Connecticut.”

“Yeah,” Bill said, still stressed. “I tried to warn him it wasn’t in his best interest, but the kid was tenacious as a freaking bull.”

“Why did you warn him?”

“If you’re asking me this, you already know the answer. The fucking people controlling that twisted community are bad news. All I had to do was call what I thought was a buddy of mine at the police department near there when I read a strange article printed a few years before and suddenly, I received threats to keep to myself. Mind my own business. That they knew where my family was.”

Exhaling, I glanced from one brother to another. “He disappeared.”

“Well, for a couple weeks but he turned up somehow pulled up by a rip current. He’d been chained to a block and tossed into the ocean. Before that happened, his face was beaten in.”

“Fuck. You don’t need to tell me any more.”

“Look, Gage. You’re my friend so I am going to warn you. Stay the fuck away. They are too powerful, and they have no problem hurting people. They are well financed, and secretly have their hands in several corporations. The only reason I know is that I found some of Leo’s notes that he’d carefully hidden here in the office. He hadn’t had an opportunity to use that information yet. I’m telling you. Stay the fuck away.”

The fear in the man was palpable.

“I appreciate all you’ve provided.”

“Be careful,” Bill added and hung up.

“Are we talking about a reporter?” Valerio asked.

“Yeah, I think at least two were murdered after daring to write articles.”

They looked at each other. I couldn’t blame them for being nervous.

“We need to go to Connecticut. That’s the only way we can find Damien.” I almost laughed twenty seconds later when neither one had said anything.

Valerio did sigh and walked to the window.

“Fine,” I hissed as I thumped down my water bottle. “I’m going. I couldn’t give a shit less if you are.”

“Don’t do this, Gage. We’re not going to allow you to do this alone, but it needs to be calculated very carefully.”

“I won’t argue that point but with the threat we left, the fact the men you hired were run out of the town, and the knowledge Evangeline is with me? That’s an explosive recipe and both of you know it. The best thing we can do is use an element of surprise. That child is missing his mother. Did anyone think to check her little house?”

“First thing my guys did. It was tossed,” Valerio admitted. “And from what he could see, a few of the kid’s things were taken. He wasn’t certain. When I said trashed, I mean windows broken, a sledgehammer or something used on the walls. Light fixtures ripped out of the ceilings. Just insane. Like someone had a tantrum.”

How the hell was I supposed to tell her that her house was trashed as well? “Her husband, who used to beat her and locked her inside the house.”

The two men were many things. Ruthless. Power hungry. Some might even call them greedy, but the one thing which had been drilled into us by our father was that women were the backbone of any family. They were not to be abused. I could tell something clicked inside of them, both men as eager for blood as I was.

Valerio took a few seconds to confer with his eyes with Braxton. “You know I have a few of my own army buddies that I would call mercenaries. I’m going to hire them.”

“How many?” Braxton asked.

“Twelve. Coupled with the men you have we could have enough of an army to do this.”

Braxton snorted. “I know a few technical whizzes that can perform miracles on laptops sitting outside in the dark. Plus, they’re definitely nasty men themselves. Don’t be surprised if the tattoos and rough-looking hair put you off.”

I took a deep breath. “She’s worth it, brothers. She’s very worth it but she won’t survive without her child. I will do anything to get Damien back and make her smile again.”

Valerio walked closer. “Even if it means killing a few people, crossing that last line we swore we would never cross?”

I didn’t need to think about it. “Yes. Even if it means selling my soul to the devil.”

Braxton clapped me on the back. “Yeah, you got it bad.”

“What do you think about sending a warning shot across the bow?” I asked. I wasn’t certain yet what I had in mind, but the bastards believed they had an upper hand.

“You really think her ex has a screw loose?”

“I do. I think he’s power hungry, the kind of man who refuses to allow anyone to take or have what he wants. Whatever the reason he set his sights on Evangeline, what occurred has burned him for years.”

“Speaking of which,” Braxton said. “I am curious if anyone knows why she was allowed out of that marriage.”

“Even Evangeline was shocked, although she threatened to drag Joseph through the mud. Maybe her father had some hidden, damning information.”

“Maybe,” Braxton sighed. “So many questions. Maybe they had a change of heart?”

“Right,” I hissed.

Valerio burst into laughter. “As if that would matter. They’d just muzzle her. No, there has to be something her father did or knew.”

“Which is why they seem to have him on a short leash.”

I glanced at Braxton. “Which is why he helped aid them in taking his own grandson.”

“Then I suggest one of the first things we do when we get there is hunt down Mr. Weathers. She did mention a couple haunts a few of them use, including a golf club outside of the community. We need to get him alone.”

Valerio made sense. “Yeah, we do. Do we have a picture?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’ll email you a group shot of a few of them. Plus, remember he still has a smaller office about twenty miles out from the community.”

“That’s where to try and talk to him.” I would double check on details about the man with Evangeline.

“As far as the email, I’d say it was a good idea. Why don’t we send it now to good ole Joseph. If he is a bit deranged, he’ll be furious, coming out of the woodwork to some degree.”

Valerio nodded, already typing on his keyboard. “The other thing Evangeline managed to provide was a good two dozen email addresses. She was very clever. The only thing I worry about is that pulling the information could have been tracked.”

“Which means they’ll just kill her,” I snarled.

Valerio nodded. “Here we go. This is supposedly Joseph’s private email address for use only by the cult. Do you want to do the honors?” he asked me.

“Yeah, why not. I’ll read it out loud to see what you guys think.” I had thought about so many things I’d say to the prick. However, in truth, I didn’t dare put them in print anywhere. What I said to him when I had my hand wrapped around his throat was entirely up to me.

I thought about what might bring him out in the open and laughed, already typing.

I was able to chuckle, but the bad feeling remained. This was going to get dangerously ugly. When I was finished, I allowed them to read it, Braxton laughing first.

You are a man of many words. I have your former wife. She’s right where she belongs. However, stealing a child the court awarded into its mothers custody means you’re a very bad boy. But don’t worry, you’ll be absolved of your sins soon enough.

Valerio almost choked. “Really? You sound like some minister.”

“If I said what I wanted, I might be shoved in jail.” I was sick to death of wearing a tie, already ripping at it.

“Good point and I know what I’d say. Hit send. If he really is deranged, that will set him off. How? We don’t know.” Valerio sounded exhausted.

I did. It was a necessary part of luring the rat from his nest. Just a few crumbs here and there. “He won’t want another man touching her. We can only hope he has the child and will need to hand him off for a little while.”

Braxton nodded. “We leave tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” Valerio confirmed.

“God help us all,” I said and I wasn’t certain why. This wasn’t the kind of trip where God should be involved. We weren’t going to be the best of men under any circumstances.

But so be it.

That’s what you did for love. Right?