12. Do You Trust Me?

Chapter 12

Do You Trust Me?

Hunter

L acy’s voice fades as she stares at the grip I have on her hand. “Is everything okay?”

When she pulls her hand away, I raise my eyes to hers. “Um, what did you say your name was?”

“Lacy.” She pulls her wrist towards her chest warily. “It’s Lacy.”

“What’s your last name?” I look at her face, trying to discern whether I’m actually seeing what I hope for or if I’m just imagining things. “Who are your parents?”

“I don’t have parents.”

The young woman is beginning to look exceedingly uncomfortable, and she looks over her shoulder at Megan, who justifiably looks just as confused.

“I was raised in foster care,” she finally adds, only increasing my curiosity about her.

“I see.“

“Hunter, can I have a word?” Megan gives me a sharp look, and I follow after her without any pushback because I’m a little off-kilter.

Closing the door behind her, she studies me and then whispers, “What’s going on? Who is she?”

I stare at her blankly, not knowing what to say. What I’m thinking sounds improbable and frankly a little desperate.

“Hunter?“

“Hire her,” I finally tell her. “I need her bio-data.”

“Hunter.” The sudden fear on Megan’s face snaps me out of my shocked state. “Is there something I should know?” She hesitates, and I can see a flash of pain in her eyes before her face becomes hardened. “I told you that I would step back if you found–“

My heart almost goes still at the words she’s forcing out, so I stop her before she continues. “Wait, it’s not like that,” I promise her. “Don’t be ridiculous. Don’t even think of trying to get rid of me.”

I can see her trying to search my eyes for truth, and finally, her stiffened face starts to relax. “Okay then, what’s going on? Who is she? You clearly seem to know her.”

I’m silent for a moment, and then I ask, “Do you trust me?”

She meets my gaze and gives me a dim smile. “That kind of goes without saying at this point, doesn’t it?”

“If that girl doesn’t have a place to stay, bring her home with you. You told me she was practically homeless and that Naomi is always over at her new boyfriend’s house, right?”

“Yes, but–“

“So don’t let her out of your sight for the next two days.”

“Hunter.“

“Trust me.”

Megan gives me a doubtful look before closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose.

“I just think it’s weird for me to hire her one day and have her live with me the next.”

“Some would say it was weird for me to move you into my apartment building when you needed a safe place to stay.”

“Are you throwing that in my face?”

“No, I’m just making a point, Megan. There was something about you that made me want to take action, to protect you.”

“And so you’re saying you feel the same way about Lacy?” She raises an eyebrow.

“Again, it’s not the same. This is different, but you’re just going to have to trust me. Have I ever lied to you?”

“Fine.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “But she seems like a sweet girl, and she can cook her ass off. You’d better not have anything heinous planned for her.”

“I don’t,” I assure her. “I just need to confirm something, but I need to keep her somewhere safe until I do.”

Megan studies me and then nods slowly. “It’s still weird, but she can stay with me for a bit. I’ll give her my room, and I can sleep in the living room. Even though she’s never home, Naomi still pays rent, and I wouldn’t want to invade her space.”

“Okay.”

“That’s if Lacy even agrees to it.”

“You can be very persuasive when you want to be.” I smile, leaning down to give her a chaste kiss on her pouty lips.

“And so can you, Mr. Middleton.”

An hour later, I tell Lars and Parker to drive both Megan and Lacy to the apartment.

“Stay with them,” I order both men. “Keep your guard up.”

Neither of them probably understands why I’d want my two best men to transport and guard two women who are not an imminent threat, but it’s not a requirement for my security team to understand my orders. The only thing I require is for them to execute them, and Lars and Parker do that without fail.

In the meantime, I’m going to send in the drinking glass that Lacy was using in Megan’s office, along with a strand of my hair, to a local lab that Vaughn has connections with.

“Are you sure?” he asks me, his face grim.

“I have to check, Vaughn. She was wearing colored contact lenses, and her hair was definitely dyed.”

“So you think she’s purposely disguising herself?”

“I’m not sure what’s going on.”

“That’s unlike you.”

“Tell me about it.”

“It’s going to take me at least two days to get the results,” Vaughn says.

“You can’t rush things? I own a piece of the lab.”

“Just because you are an investor in a bio lab doesn’t make science magically work faster for you. It’s fucking science.”

Christian is in my office with us as well, lounging on the couch, working on something on his laptop, when he suddenly looks at me. “What’s with the obsession with the new girl?”

“It’s a long story,” I say, not wanting to explain my whole theory about Lacy.

“Listen, man, I know you have a lot going on, but I actually came by the club to tell you that I found out something about that nurse, Rose Grant.”

“Jonathan’s ex?”

Damn, I almost forgot about the nurse.

“It seems that someone did list her as a missing person, and even after all this time, there’s still an active search. According to the detective I talked to, every few months, someone whom he assumed was her brother calls him to ask for updates.”

Christian sets his laptop aside, interested in this new piece of news. “I wonder why Jonathan would risk exposing himself by looking for her?”

“Assuming it’s him,” I say.

“Oh, it’s definitely him,” Vaughn adds. “I’ve done a deep dive into the nurse’s background, and I guarantee you that there’s no one else alive who would care enough to keep checking on her whereabouts.”

“But if Jonathan’s looking for her, that means she isn’t with him, which could mean that she’s in some serious danger.”

“That could also be a possibility,” I muse.

“Right, he could still be the rich boyfriend her coworkers mentioned Rose having, but they also could have had a falling out once she realized how demented Jonathan is.”

“Another possibility,” I agree. “But we just don’t know enough yet to draw any definitive conclusions. Are there any other concrete leads, Vaughn?”

“A woman matching her description was seen around a few homeless shelters.” He frowns. “The only reason she stood out to those who were questioned is that she traded her clean clothes with those of a homeless person who was in a nearby tent community. The woman remembered her because she thought it was odd.”

“So, Rose was actively trying to avoid detection,” I say. “What else do we know?”

“I’m the best in the city.” Vaughn shakes his head. “But you know how long these things take. The wider the information network, the longer it takes. This Rose person is determined to hide, which means she could literally be anywhere right now. I need more time.”

“I’m losing patience, Vaughn. If it was indeed Jonathan who tried to kill me, he needs to be neutralized sooner than later. I can’t have the streets thinking I’m weak.”

“I know, and I’m on it, but there’s one more thing I didn’t tell you. Rose’s mother stopped showing up to work a few months after Rose disappeared. When the police found her body, she had been tortured, and the dead body was fresh. My suspicion is that Jonathon was trying to draw Rose in by using her mother, and that failed.”

Something churns inside of my stomach upon hearing that. Torturing and killing an innocent woman to use as bait? I know I’ve done some very illegal things myself, but there are limits to what I will do, and if this is true, Jonathan’s gone too far.

“Find him, Vaughn,” I tell him, frustrated with our lack of progress in finding one damn man.

“I’m on it.”

After Vaughn leaves, Christian looks at me warily. “There’s something else you should know.”

“What the hell else?” I explode.

“Don’t shoot the messenger, man.”

“Just say whatever it is you’re going to say.”

“Chinatown is completely being taken over,” he says grimly. “Some of our contacts there were attacked by an unknown group of gang members. Three are three fatalities, but one managed to escape. The Eastside Riders and Blood Nation both said that they have nothing to do with it, but our man who escaped said differently. He says it was a joint effort from both gangs.”

“What’s our guy’s name?”

“Pike.”

“Is he being protected?”

“He is now.”

My eyes darken. “Contact the presidents of both gangs and arrange a meeting tomorrow night. Maybe I’ve been too lax.”

“This is all just a little too convenient.” Christian stretches his legs, looking thoughtfully at his laptop. “There’s definitely somebody behind the scenes who’s pulling the strings. Just a few days ago, one of my contacts told me that there’s been some unusual activity between those two gangs.”

“Like what?”

“Both gang leaders have been meeting someone for the past couple of weeks. The meetings are held in private, and she’s been trying to find out who it is, but now that three of our allies are dead, she’s keeping a low profile for now.”

“She?”

“She’s the old lady of the sergeant-in-arms of Blood Nation.”

“And you trust her?”

“As much as I trust anyone who’s a part of a biker gang. Remember, I’m a lawyer.”

“Did she see anything else?”

“She keeps hearing a name that is being tossed around in the club. She said they call him the Executioner.”

I digest this new information and lean back in my seat. “We’ve heard that name before, and it’s coming up far too often for my liking. Keep looking into it.”

“Both Vaughn and I are on it, but if Jonathan is this Executioner person, I still don’t understand why he sent a shooter to your penthouse. The attack was unsuccessful.”

“He was sending a message,” I say plainly. “The assassination attempt was well planned out, but I don’t think he wanted or expected it to work. He just wanted me to know that he could get to me, especially in the place where I feel safest: my home. Whoever this is, I’ve underestimated him, but I’m not going to do it again.”

“Coward,” Christian hisses.

“His approach is quite smart, actually.” My smile is cold. “He’s trying to garner support and allies by overriding my previous alliances.”

“Alliances?” Christian echoes. “I’d hardly call the relationship you have with those gang bangers alliances .”

I tap my fingers on the desk and consider the last few months of my life. I’ve been lax. I’ve been distracted. I’ve been worried about protecting one woman when the whole underworld network I’ve built is falling apart around me.

“Point taken, but that’s why I think it’s time to remind these people why I’m at the top of the food chain.”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about.” Christian grins with approval. “I look forward to refreshing some memories out there.”

I smile in return, but instead of sharing Christian’s enthusiasm, Megan’s beautiful face pops into my head, and for the first time in my life, I feel the impulse to hesitate.

I’m not out here playing a kid’s game. This is a dangerous and deadly world. And I have to wonder… is all of this really worth the chance that I could lose her ?