Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

N oel

Rules.

Don't stay outside too long.

Lock the doors when you're inside.

If you see any movement outside, call me. Do not investigate yourself.

Do not call anyone you knew from before. We can't risk anything at this point.

Keep the gun with you and don't hesitate to use it just like I taught you.

Kage's last commands remained fresh in my mind. I was staring out the window as the sky started to turn gray. It had been a beautiful morning, but I feared another storm was on the horizon.

"What do you think, boy? Is everything going to be okay?" I was asking Max as if he could speak English.

Woof. Woof.

His two subtle barks did help me to laugh a little. "Maybe you're right and I need to stop worrying."

Or maybe I wasn't worrying enough. The man who'd awakened me had something up his sleeve. I could feel it in my bones. Why did I continue to have a terrible feeling it was going to land him back in prison or worse?

No. That just couldn't happen.

He'd been wearing a suit when he'd left. I hadn't even known he'd brought one with him. Granted, I hadn't gone through his things either. I'd left with barely any clothes, forgetting half my makeup and he'd come with Armani and Gucci shoes.

That meant one thing.

He was doing business, and not the kind he wanted me in close proximity to.

I had no doubt the man had a death wish. I would give him a piece of my mind when he returned.

Or if…

I glanced at my wrist as if I was wearing my watch. It was just another thing I'd left behind. As I turned around, I wanted so much to be able to relax and just write to get my mind off everything but right now it was impossible. I had too much fear and dread swirling in my system.

How long had Kage been gone anyway?

It felt like hours when I had a feeling it was less than one or maybe two.

Time wasn't very relative when you were hiding out like a criminal. I'd already glanced at the burner phone he'd given me a half dozen times, thinking of who I should call, sharing the news I was alive. The strangest reality I'd faced yet when I decided it was more of a hassle than anything.

Even with Zoe. She'd ask me a million questions, doing her best to be a sleuth given her profession. I wanted nothing more than to ask for her help in finding out what if anything could be done about Kage's life. But what did I have to go on? That I said he was a nice guy?

I rolled my eyes and headed into the man's office, checking the cameras as he'd told me to do several times while he was gone. Was it really possible I cared so much about the man I could be falling in love?

As I'd pointed out to both of us before, what we were going through wasn't some romance novel trope; more like the curl your toes kind of danger that I wrote about and made money off of.

There were cameras everywhere, pointing in every direction. There was a trip wire surrounding the perimeter that would sound an alarm. If anyone made it past that, the security system on the house would send a blare of sound as well as flashing lights to the exterior.

But as Kage had reminded me, the cabin was still in the middle of nowhere.

The fact his grandfather had such tight security added to my instinct the man had been engaged in the same kind of business as Saldono Rinaldi. If I was right, there were several good reasons Kage was embroiled in the middle of what felt like a war.

I stared down at the weapon on the desk that he'd placed next to the burner phone. Both made this seem far too real.

Everything about this entire situation was surreal but one of the most important things Dr. Mallard had drilled into me that taking my life back would give me life. And no one else could do it but me.

He'd been right as rain.

Kage believed in me he'd found some sense of salvation against the bad deeds he'd done in his past life. But he wasn't willing to allow that life to go. Revenge had a way of doing that to you. I'd wanted revenge. I'd felt the need for brutality. I'd wanted James to die when I'd jammed the piece of metal into him.

I hadn't been able to follow through.

One thing I knew was that Kage deserved a chance at life. He also needed support in his corner, someone who could remind him that there was still a life worth living out there.

That's exactly what I planned on doing.

Whether it was against the rules or not.

I had to find something that would help him one way or the other. There was only one person who could do that.

Zoe.

My heart in my throat, I slowly picked up the cellphone. I had a limited photographic memory, including phone numbers. I rarely programmed any into my phone, only the few that I'd wanted to recognize immediately.

Zoe had been included in that small group.

However, I'd made myself repeat her office and cell number more than once. That allowed my frazzled mind to not need to try to muddle through the horrific thoughts.

I simply dialed her private cell number, hoping she would answer.

On the third ring, she did.

"Zoe. It's Noel. I need your help, and you can't tell anyone we talked. You also can't ask me any questions."

"Whoa. Hold on. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm on a temporary trip."

"You can't lie to me, Noel. I went by your place. I peered in the windows. It's trashed. Someone was inside. Did they hurt you?"

"No. Someone protected me as he's doing right now. I need some information and I need it quickly." I hated hearing about my house, but it was what I'd already expected.

She grumbled under her breath. "I don't like this shit. Fine. What do you need?"

I pressed my hand against my forehead, still praying what I was doing was the right thing. "I need you to find out everything you can about a man named Kage Bronson, including anything you can dig up on his wife and daughter's murder. After they were murdered, he became a soldier for the Saldono Rinaldi Crime Syndicate but was railroaded to prison for a crime he didn't commit. I also need you to find out about his grandfather and whether there was a connection between Abbot Bronson of Bronson Industries and Saldono."

"Whoa. Hold on. Crime syndicate? Murders? What have you gotten yourself into?"

"I'm just working on something for a book that's very important to me, including getting details correct. I might have ruffled a few feathers. That's all. Can you do that for me? Please?"

She hesitated and I pressed my fist against my mouth. "It be a tall order, but I'll see what I can discover. Is looking into this the reason your place was trashed?"

"Maybe."

"Jesus Christ, Noel. You're finally recovering from a horrible event and now you want to dig yourself into a situation that might drag you back to it?"

"Please. It's the only favor I'll ask of you. I swear to God."

"Fine but you will tell me what's going on. Where are you calling from?"

"It's a burner phone."

"My God."

"Just trust me. Please. Text me what you find. Okay? Then email after that."

Oh, I was playing with the kind of fire that could burn down a forest, but it was the least I could do for the man saving my life.

Kage

Mistakes.

Freedom.

Revenge.

The three words remained in the forefront of my mind, fueling the villain inside. I was still uncertain if leaving Noel alone was the best idea, but I also knew it was only a matter of time before our location was found.

I'd prefer to be the aggressor in the situation.

I had a bad feeling that my lovely guest was up to something. But I couldn't be in two places at once and I certainly wasn't going to place her life in worse danger. I'd simply handle my business expeditiously and return.

After ensuring I wasn't followed.

Help me.

She was one determined lady. I'd seen it in her eyes. Only I couldn't allow that. Since I'd already established there was no decency left inside of me, next on the list was chivalry. I didn't think that had been completely stripped away. I'd keep protecting the girl with the sharp blue eyes and caustic mouth with everything I had.

As I'd driven down the mountain, I'd thought about her comment regarding my grandfather. Her questions weren't far off from what I'd wondered myself, but whatever the case, my grandfather was dead and the reasons behind the attack on my family were only a small part of dealing with the horrific murders.

Law enforcement hadn't seemed interested in hunting down the persons responsible. Even the private investigator I'd hired at the time had suddenly dropped off the case. Then he'd disappeared off the face of the earth, which had been a not-so-subtle warning to let it drop.

I hadn't.

The anger had only continued to build.

But not once had I been threatened directly.

How many times had I gone over what had occurred around the time of my family's murders? Hundreds, so much so the details had become fuzzy. I wasn't even certain if my memory regarding them was accurate or not. I'd believed then and I still did today whoever had killed them had been sending a message.

I had to think it did have to with my grandfather's company. But I'd found nothing up to that point to indicate any real illegal activities. Granted, I hadn't known what to look for early on before I'd landed in prison. However, the man had kept secrets from me. It had been something even my father had warned me about.

Maybe that memory had been the reason Noel's comment had caught me off guard so much.

First things first.

Handling Saldono. How things were going to be would be explained to him. The reason I was taking the significant risk was simple in my mind.

I wanted to push his buttons.

I also wanted to put a question in his mind.

By doing nothing more than showing up unexpectedly when the man was sending him goons to look for me, I'd disarm and befuddle him. That usually led to mistakes being made, which I could use to my benefit.

My father had called it playing chicken.

I grinned as I pulled the truck into a secure parking lot across from the restaurant where I'd confirmed Saldono was enjoying his lunch. He frequented a few different establishments he felt secure at on a Wednesday afternoon, not bothering to take more than two of his soldiers with him. He was almost always accompanied by a different woman, spending the rest of the afternoon sequestered inside a hotel suite permanently registered in his name.

I'd been asked only once to be one of the guards and only because one of the usual two had come down with pneumonia. It was a well-known secret that somehow, he'd managed to keep from his wife.

Either that or her marriage had been about producing children and shopping for fine trinkets. While breaking into his hotel would have assured privacy, that's not what I'd wanted.

In fact, I wanted as many people to see us together as possible. So when he did make his final move against me, the photos would also be plastered all over the internet.

Even if he ended up dead in the process.

As Dan exited a vehicle, three other men did as well in addition to Big Eddy also coming out of retirement to help with my cause. I immediately had my hand out, but Big Eddy pulled me into a bear hug, clapping his hand on my back.

"Buddy. It is so good to see you living and breathing," Big Eddy said as he pulled away.

"It's good to be seen. Thank you, guys, for coming," I answered and shook Dan's hand.

"You look older," Dan told me, half laughing. "But damn good. You've put on some bulk."

I glanced across the street, just able to catch sight of the restaurant in question. "An important thing to do when I was shoved into a cage like an animal."

"Yeah, I hear you," he said.

"You sure you want to do this?" Eddy asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure." And I was.

"It's dangerous for you to play games with the man."

Dan's comment was understood. I turned my head to stare him in the eyes. He'd always been a voice of reason, but he also knew when I was determined to do something, it would happen no matter the consequences. "I learned a long time ago that by just planting a seed, often the truth would spiral on its own, festering into a painful boil."

I'd worked with the other three men over the years and they were studying me intently. I'd been considered a bit crazy even then.

"He ain't gonna budge, Kage. He truly believes you killed Antonio so you could take his throne." Mark was finally getting older, or at least he appeared that way. Our line of work certainly took a toll on a man's body.

"Would you prefer I assassinate him?" I had no intention of doing that unless pushed. Maybe Noel's influence had infected me with the desire to build a new life.

"I doubt your parole officer would take too kindly to that," Dan teased.

"Yeah, well, he's a putz. Let's go." They knew the plan, their presence showing Saldono I'd picked up where I'd left off before being railroaded.

With or without him.

I knew exactly where Rinaldi's table was. As soon as I walked in through the front entrance, I marveled at the fact the place had barely changed. It was dark, meant for hard-drinking corporate moguls with its exotic woods or a romantic movie in the making. It was the kind of Italian place highlighted in years gone past, complete with white table linens.

It had also been frequented by members of crime syndicates since it had opened its doors in nineteen fifty-one. A long time. I could only imagine how many murders had occurred inside.

But not today.

When I heard the buzzing sound of a text coming in, I feared it might be something from Noel. Shifting aside, I pulled it into my hand, navigating to the texts. Noel had sent a single picture. What the fuck was she doing? It wasn't a close-up but the instant I looked at it, I was thrown past into the past on the night I'd left in the middle of a storm, coming home to a family that had been slaughtered.

And before.

Memories that hadn't surfaced, meetings my grandfather hadn't discussed, shipments that were kept in a warehouse I'd yet to be taken to.

As I started to refocus, Dan moved in front of me.

"What's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I have." As soon as I turned my phone where he could see the screen, he whistled.

"Oh, shit. Who sent that?"

"Someone who has my best interest at heart." I was almost disoriented but knew that the game had just turned into Russian roulette. If I wasn't careful, the chamber would be spun the wrong way.

What the fuck had my grandfather been into? Drugs? Illegal drugs and weapons? No wonder my father had wanted nothing to do with him and had all but disowned me for agreeing to work with the man. Why hadn't my father told me the truth?

I couldn't lament over that now. Nor could I change the past.

At this point, what I did would only alter the future.

"What do you want to do?" Dan asked as I slid my phone back into position.

"Exactly what I came here to do. Rattle Saldono." As soon as I started to walk away, he grabbed my arm.

"Wait. Are you thinking he had something to do with your wife and child's murder?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Then why hire you?"

"Haven't you heard the expression—you keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Saldono all but shut down my grandfather's encroaching business by employing me. And he could keep a watch on the product of tragedy. It was a very effective method." I felt cold inside, more so than I'd felt before. However, I also had more control, the pain not nearly as bad as it had been for ten years. Ten years.

Now I could have my revenge.

"Yeah, I have. He deserves to die," Dan snarled.

"No, my friend. As a couple of wise people recently reminded me, we deserve to live. That's what I intend on doing."

And I did.

I would also tan the woman's hide for meddling and not listening to me right after I'd told her what she meant to me.

The chill remained but now, I was the viper, carefully preparing a strike. I buttoned my jacket and headed deeper into the restaurant, no one bothering to even look in our direction. One thing that had worked to my benefit was that I'd changed enough since being carted away that few would do a double-take to gawk at the horrible convict. Especially since I was dressed in the second thing I'd purchased after getting out of the joint, the truck the first.

What my beautiful girl also didn't know was that I'd hidden a significant amount of cash inside of the cabin, enough we could disappear if necessary for a very long time and live more than comfortably.

Not that I had any real plans of entertaining that thought.

My, wasn't my mind all over the place?

I was smirking by the time I was only a couple of feet from the table. As expected, Saldono was with a lovely but way too overdressed woman. At least she was a brunette this time. It would seem he was branching out.

She was laughing at whatever stupid joke he was telling her. Since one of his hands was underneath the tablecloth, I could only imagine what naughty deed he was doing while wooing her.

We'd all aged but Saldono looked like a stuffed pig ready to pop. His suit was ill fitting, sweat beading across his forehead from the limited exertion and I gathered a stench of perspiration from his pits.

What in God's name had this woman been promised to get her to tolerate spending time with the man?

Since he didn't notice my arrival, I merely slid into one of the chairs in front of him, immediately snapping my fingers at the waiter. Any waiter.

Meanwhile, Mark and Sam immediately stopped Saldono's goons from trying to convince me to walk away and not bother the pig.

As if I would pay any attention.

I'll be damned if it didn't take the puffy man almost ten full seconds to recognize me. By that point, a waiter had scurried over, already looking nervous. Hell, maybe my scraggly mug had been plastered on the nightly news. I could be a celebrity by now and not know it.

When recognition finally settled in, I had a feeling instead of groping the chick, he was reaching for his weapon.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I told him as I opened my jacket, allowing him to see I was armed. "It's a favorite spot for you to seduce your weekly girls and the owners are good people. Besides, you won't walk out of here alive."

"What's going on, Daddy?" the girl asked, her voice high enough it would quickly get on my nerves. It was like one of those cartoon moments and I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say to her.

"Why don't you take a little walk, baby. I have business to discuss." He nearly pushed her off the edge of the booth. She was already cursing under her breath.

Daddy, huh?

Kind of made me a little sick.

"I'll have a Macallan, neat. Put it on my friend's tab here. He owes me," I said to the waiter and sat back in my seat comfortably.

Saldono lifted his glass indicating a refill, never allowing his eyes to leave me except when he flitted his gaze up to the four men standing close.

"So, you're getting into the business, Kage. I would think that would go against the mandates of your parole."

I laughed. "I'm running my grandfather's company, Saldono. And unlike you, given I make billions, I often use some old friends to ensure my meetings are handled professionally."

He appeared uncomfortable, which is exactly what I wanted.

"Yes, well, I wish you well, my friend. Now, what can I do for you?"

I waited until the drinks were brought less than a minute later before answering him. "First of all, I just wanted to let you know that if you continue to send your goons after me, they will all die like those I've already handled." I wasn't prepared for the fact the man looked confused. "Oh, you don't know anything about it?"

Either he was losing a part of his mental faculties, or he really didn't know. "It was nothing more than a warning. I'm sorry if things got out of hand."

"Like by trying to kill a woman I just met, someone I was providing assistance to. Was that a mistake?"

He finally pulled himself together, able to laugh. "It was nothing more than a reminder that you stay on your side of the playing field and I'll stay on mine."

I enjoyed a sip of the expensive scotch before leaning over the table. "Let's cut to the chase, Saldono. You blame me for Antonio's death when there's a small part of you that knows I had nothing to do with his murder. Yet, as you always told me, blood is thicker than water. Since I was right and Gio is behind the attack, doesn't that place a question in your mind? Some doubt? He has the most to lose if I unearth the evidence I have against him and against your trusted friend Domingo."

He slammed his hand on the table, almost knocking over my drink. "How dare you accuse my boy of doing something so atrocious. He wants nothing to do with you. He has more important business to deal with."

"Mmm… Well, then I was wrong. I'm certain Gio is fully entrenched in taking over for you as he should be. However, did it ever dawn on you that one day he will manage to cut certain ties you've relied on and put you in a position where you'll no longer have any control? I'd hate to see that happen, my friend. Especially after everything you and I went through together. Just a reminder, while blood might be thicker than water, it doesn't mean it can't be laced with arsenic."

He studied me intently for a full minute. "What do you really want, Kage?"

"All I want is what was promised to me. A life. I took a fall for your son. I will not live my life looking over my shoulder. I am a bit deranged. Remember?"

"Are you threatening me, Kage? That doesn't look good on you."

"Neither does it for you to be taken advantage of."

I'd piqued his curiosity as much as I'd desired. Now it was simply up to him what he did with the information. What I did know about Saldono was that he didn't like betrayal of any kind.

"What evidence do you have?" he finally asked.

Bingo.

"Do you remember the day you ordered a hit on that one man? The day Antonio was killed?"

"I remember everything about the day you destroyed my family."

"Then ask yourself two things. One. Why did Gio insist Antonio be a part of the assassination and more important, why and how did your informant, a man you'd trusted to provide information for years, get the information wrong? Also, why and how did the cops show up so quickly? If I'd been the one to plan Antonio's murder, I would have ensured the location was off the radar completely. I had no desire to find myself behind bars."

He eyed me warily, but I sensed he was thinking about what I'd just said. "I'll take that under advisement."

"I also wonder why my wife and daughter were killed." I simply enjoyed the drink, probably more than I should since it would seem another storm was on the horizon.

"I told you years ago that I had nothing to do with that horrible event."

"Yes, you did and it was. Their murders changed me. Forever. However, I found it interesting the timing and the fact that you were once buddies with my grandfather. I didn't know how close you were until recently. Then he decided he wanted to take a portion of your business. Is that how it was, Saldono? You decided that you'd teach him a lesson, but you couldn't kill him because there would be a blood retaliation."

While I was winging part of what I was saying, my mother had told me I was very good at embellishing a story and making it seem truthful. However, when I lifted my gaze, I could tell I'd pretty well hit the mark.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You know why I hired you. You were full of anger and potential."

Now wasn't the time to lose my cool. Exhaling as if nothing bothered me, I pulled out my phone, navigating to the photograph and simply sliding it across the table.

I'd never seen him turn such a pale shade of gray before.

He was already grinding his teeth, more sweat sliding down his puffy cheeks. I wanted nothing more than to blow his head off but remembered one good piece of advice my father had given me over the years.

If I wanted real revenge, I'd do so by living life to the fullest.

"You asked what I wanted, Saldono. You know what I want. I want my good name fully restored. I want your firstborn son to get the justice he deserves and only you can provide that. I'm going to allow you to handle that within your… house. But I will tell you this, if you dare attempt to lay a finger on the woman who brought me back to life, I will return and this time, your favorite restaurant will need a total renovation. Are we clear?"

I remained unblinking for some time, finally lifting a single eyebrow.

He took a deep breath and reached for his drink. I couldn't help but notice his hand was shaking. "I'll take it under advisement, Kage."

My anger was just enough that when he smirked, I did react, jamming the blade of the steak knife into his hand. "See to it that you do."

As I stood, I admired the pain I'd caused by securing his hand to the table. However, he wasn't going to allow anyone to know he'd been hurt by a man formally in his employ.

And I certainly wasn't going to say a word.

So, I simply walked out.

"What the hell was that about?" Big Eddy asked as he flanked my side.

"Keep your ear to the ground, my friend. I have a feeling some shit is going to go down."

"You know I'm out of this business."

When I lifted my head, he nodded. He knew he owed me more than one favor.

"Fine, I'll keep my ear to the ground. I suggest you get out of here."

Dan flanked my side as well. "Eddy is right. Lay low for now. Saldono doesn't take kindly to being threatened."

"Yeah, well, I don't either. Thank you for your assistance, gentlemen. I had a feeling that's all I'll need for the time being."

"I'll call you if I hear anything," Big Eddy said.

"You do that."

I wasn't even certain what to feel at that point although it seemed another weight had been lifted off my chest. I made it to my vehicle before I finally took a deep and very rattled breath.

And in the next few seconds, I could see Kelly's face peering down at me from heaven. It was as if she was telling me that it was time to move on.

Tears formed in my eyes for the first time in so long. They stung as the truth finally settled in. It was time to go home to the woman I was already falling hard for.

I rubbed my eyes and started the truck, prepared to pull out when I heard another distinctive ring and not something I would use. That prompted me to remember I'd brought Noel's real phone with me.

As soon as I pulled it into my hand, I noticed the call was coming from a detective she had listed on her contacts. What the hell. I had a very bad feeling about this. "Noel Young's office."

"Who the hell are you?" the gruff voice asked.

"A friend. What can I do for you, Detective?"

"I need to talk to Noel."

I growled my answer. "Yeah, well, she's not available. If you have something to tell her, it can go through me." I was harsh, which I didn't give a shit about. My hackles were raised. There was something terribly wrong. I could feel it all the way into my bones.

"There's a chance she's in danger. Just have her call me."

"Listen, you asshole. She's lived in the shadows her entire life because of what she was forced to endure and it took your department fucking years to bring that suspect into custody. So don't act like you can wait to share some news with her. I need to know. Now!"

"Jesus, buddy."

I hissed in a threatening way. "You won't like me if I'm crossed. Talk."

"Fine. Christ. You need to warn her."

"About what?"

He hesitated. "A copycat killer. James Jones groomed a man to take his place. The evidence was just found inside a hiding place in the man's house. I can't believe we missed it."

"Meaning what?" Every muscle bristled. "Who is this asshole?"

"His name is Joel Baxter. He's a goddamn member of the justice department. He flew under the radar this entire time. And the new guy has every intention of finishing what James started. Noel's life is in imminent danger."