Shiloh grabbed the coffee pot being passed around the table and refilled his cup. Man, he needed the extra jolt of caffeine this morning. Whose great idea was it to meet at 6 o’clock in the morning after spending the night at Juanita’s, watching the women down tequila shooters? Oh, yeah, it had been his. He regretted that decision now because he wasn’t at his brightest with barely two hours’ sleep.
Grumbling came from the living room, followed by Brody and Rafe coming into the kitchen and heading straight for the cupboard and pulling down empty mugs. This kitchen was smaller than the one at the Big House, but Dane had volunteered the foreman’s house, hoping to avoid interruptions. All his brothers needed apprising of Renee’s situation, because they needed to come up with a solution and stop Darius and Eileen from killing anybody else.
“Morning. Glad you made it.”
Rafe shot Shiloh a glare over the top of his cup. “This better be good. I pulled a double shift last night, and all I want is to head home and sleep for the next eight hours. And unless you’re going to feed me, can we move this to the living room? This kitchen is too small for all of us.”
Amidst grumbles and shuffling feet, the men sprawled on Dane’s furniture. He wasn’t there yet, still out feeding the herd, but Shiloh knew he’d pop in before they were finished. Unfortunately, running a ranch didn’t allow for a lot of changes in schedule. When the animals needed to be fed, you got up well before dawn, loaded the feed, and hauled it out to the pasture. It was hard work, and he’d done it enough times while growing up he didn’t envy the men out there in the dark, unfurling the hay bales and food for the cattle. He’d decided early on he wasn’t destined to be a rancher; he enjoyed his creature comforts too much. Like being able to sleep past sunrise. Dane, on the other hand, had thrived on every aspect of ranching. Said it brought him a kind of satisfaction nothing else had, and he ran the Boudreau spread with a tenacity and determination that rivaled spreads two or three times its size. A couple of the outfits up in Montana had tried more than once to persuade Dane to relocate and manage their operations, but he’d turned them all down, wanting to stay on the family ranch. Shiloh wondered if his brother had ever been tempted to take one of the offers.
“You talked with Renee. Who’s after her?”
Shiloh should have known Antonio would get right to the heart of why they’d gathered. He’d been due back in Austin today, but he’d called his boss, SAC Derrick Williamson, and gotten the okay to stay and find out everything he could. Williamson headed Antonio’s FBI division, and he’d grown fond of the Boudreaus, even managing to spend time in Shiloh Springs whenever he could. When he’d heard about Renee and her plight, he’d unofficially assigned Antonio to determine the extent and severity of the situation, and report back to determine federal involvement.
“Two people, Darius and Eileen Black. Exceedingly high profile. Located in Kansas City, Missouri. Influential and wealthy.”
“Destiny did some preliminary digging into the Blacks,” Ridge added without prompting. He shot a glance at Shiloh. “They have connections, political and financial. They’re respected in the community as philanthropists, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars every year for numerous charities. A few lawsuits against them, mostly disgruntled employees, which were settled out of court. Nothing that would raise a red flag or put them on any watch lists or federal attention.”
“That’s because they don’t know what Renee does about their so-called pillars of the community.” Shiloh set his cup down on the table, the coffee leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Or maybe it was thinking about the Blacks that did. “The Blacks do run several legitimate businesses, though I’d bet if you dug deep enough, you’d find all kinds of dirty laundry. But they have a…unique…way of supplementing their wealth.”
He stood, feeling antsy and needing to keep moving, because the rage inside him needed an outlet, and he didn’t want to destroy his brother’s home. White hot hatred for people he’d never met coursed through him, and he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, tear things apart with his bare hands. Instead, he was forced to remain in control, because he needed a plan—a carefully constructed, fully integrated, foolproof plan—to take down Darius and Eileen Black, once and for all.
“Don’t just stand there, spill it.” Brody’s voice remained calm, cool, and levelheaded. That was his brother, the one who held onto his temper the best, didn’t let things get to him. Which was good, because once roused, Brody’s temper didn’t cool until he’d defeated whatever caused his wrath.
Before he could answer, the front door swung open, and Liam and his father stomped through. Shiloh frowned, because he’d asked Liam to keep his father occupied, come up with an excuse to keep him at the job site. As much as his father wanted to be part of this, it was too ugly, and he’d wanted to shield the older man from being tainted. He should have known better.
“Dad.”
“Shiloh.”
He shot a heated glare at Liam, who stared back, as if daring him to say a word. Knowing his brother, he’d tried to keep their dad occupied, but Douglas Boudreau was like a force of nature, and couldn’t be tamed, especially by one of his sons. Honestly, he should have known trying to keep him out of the mix wouldn’t work.
“What did I miss?”
“Not much, Dad. I explained a couple named Darius and Eileen Black are the people after Renee. They are known movers and shakers in their city. Ridge had Destiny do a cursory background check on them, and they come up clean.”
“She’s digging deeper, going into the dark web, and see if she can find anything,” Ridge added.
“Why are they after our gal?” Douglas eased onto a chair, dwarfing it with his size. Sometimes, Shiloh forgot how big and powerfully built his father was until he got a visual reminder.
“That’s where things get interesting. Have any of you heard of death matches?”
Several indrawn gasps answered him, followed by a flood of curses. Guess that answered his question.
“Renee’s mixed up with death matches?” Douglas shook his head, his expression furious. “I don’t believe it.”
“No, Darius and Eileen Black are. Renee found out what they were doing. She tried reporting it to the police anonymously. Unfortunately, as I stated, Darius had friends in high places, and everything got swept until the proverbial rug. Since she couldn’t go through official channels, Renee began collecting evidence about what the Blacks were doing. Locations, dates, times, photographs and even some video.”
“That’s my girl.” Lucas raised a fist in acknowledgement, and Ridge fist bumped him.
Shiloh explained to his brothers and father everything Renee had told him in the gazebo, all the ugliness she’d witnessed firsthand. He’d read between the lines, realizing there was so much Renee hadn’t told him. Hadn’t wanted to burden him with the totality of the ugliness she’d lived with. Though her life before going to live with the Blacks hadn’t been a picnic, he wouldn’t wish her tormented soul on anyone.
His brothers and father listened to every gory detail, expressions ranging from stony disbelief to fury with every word. In the middle of telling them, Lucas stood and left the room, heading straight out the front door. Shiloh couldn’t imagine the anguish his brother felt, knowing his baby sister’s life involved such depravity and disregard for human existence.
“How is this possible?” Liam perched on the arm of his father’s chair, face white. “We’re talking murder. And for what, fun and games? Public amusement? I’m trying to wrap my head around the logistics of running this kind of nightmare scenario. We’re not talking about living in the country or out in the boondocks, where maybe a body turning up could be underplayed. From what you’ve told us, this happened more than once that Renee saw. How’d they dispose of the bodies? That close to the city, it’s not going to be easy.”
“Probably why they chose the homeless. Nobody’s looking for them. It’s unfortunate, but if somebody disappears off the streets, the only people going to raise a fuss are other homeless people.”
Ridge shook his head, fists clenched on top of his knees. “There’d still be bodies. If they start popping up around Kansas City, eventually somebody – the press, activists, good cops – are gonna start asking questions.” He pulled out his phone and started typing. “I’m gonna get Destiny to check and see if there’ve been a suspicious number of bodies turn up in the area. Otherwise, we’ve got another problem on our hands. Without any physical bodies, it’s going to be extra hard to prove the killings are happening.”
Shiloh blew out an exasperated breath. He hadn’t thought to ask Renee about the homeless people they rounded up off the streets, and what happened after the fights. The more they dug into these supposed death matches, the deeper and uglier everything got.
“Renee didn’t have any idea how many of these fights happened before she stumbled upon the truth. She knows about at least three that she can prove.”
His father stood. “Then we take what she’s got to Williamson. Let him present it to his bosses.”
“Can’t,” Shiloh admitted. “She doesn’t have it.”
“What?”
All his brothers started talking at once, and he slashed a hand through the air. “Eileen caught Renee at the last fight. She got careless, and Eileen spotted her. Called the guards on her, and she had no choice but get out. They chased her, shot at her when she drove away. Two cars followed her away from the warehouse, and she barely escaped. She didn’t have a choice. If she wanted to stay alive, there was no time to go back for the evidence. It’s hidden in the Blacks’ house.”
“Well, now, we’ve certainly got a crap storm of epic proportions. A couple who have beyond reproach reputations, police corruption, political collusion, kidnapping, and murder. Have I covered all the bases here?” Antonio ticked off each count on his fingers as he listed them. “Unfortunately, we can’t simply arrest them on Renee’s word alone. With their clout and money, they’d be out before the ink was dry on the warrants. Shoot, we don’t even have enough evidence to get a judge to issue warrants.”
“I wish Chance was here, he’d know what we could and couldn’t do legally.” Rafe leaned against the fireplace, coffee cup still in his hand. “Me, I’d swarm the place and toss ’em all in jail. But like Antonio said, they’d be out before the cell door swung shut.”
“This is exactly why I called y’all together. We must come up with a legal plan, one where we can keep Renee from being implicated in the fallout. I want her protected. She’s done nothing wrong, and her life has been in the crosshairs of these despicable people for too long.”
“I agree with Shiloh. Whatever we do, Renee stays out of it.”
Shiloh hadn’t noticed Lucas come back in until he spoke. He met his brother’s stare and gave him a nod. On this, they were in total agreement. Protecting Renee came first, no matter what. Glancing around, he noted all his brothers nodding. Good.
Time to get to work. Darius and Eileen Black were going down.
The waiting was interminable. The stupid woman hadn’t left her hotel room all night. He’d stayed in the lobby until he’d garnered enough suspicious looks he’d needed to make a strategic withdrawal, at least temporarily. Doubting she’d do something stupid like make a run for it in the middle of the night, he’d managed to snag an empty room under his alias, and paid cash. Ticked him off too, because it ended up taking a big chunk of the money he had on hand. He’d need to hit an ATM soon, and pull out more.
This morning, he’d decided to spend a little more cash in exchange for information. He did a quick scan to make sure nobody watched him, and slipped down the hall toward the kitchen. If he was lucky, he’d find somebody either desperate or greedy enough to take a bribe, and he’d find out what room Tina stayed in. Extra bonus points if she called down for room service. Incapacitating one of the staff delivering her breakfast would be a piece of cake.
Staying out of sight, he surveyed each member of the hotel’s delivery staff, weighing their outward characteristics. Studying everything from their haircut to their shoes, it was simple to deduce who might be swayed with a promise of bonus bucks for answering a couple questions. He’d found most people would sell out their next-door neighbor if the price was right.
He chose a tall, lanky blonde male who looked like he was barely out of his teens. Fresh complexion, rosy cheeks, he had the All-American good looks of a farm boy straight from the country, and new to the job. A little raggedy around the edges, but amenable to a quick smile and a bit of conversation. It took less than five minutes to have the lovely Ms. Nelson’s room number, and the fact her breakfast tray was being prepared at that moment. How fortuitous.
Slipping down the hall, he headed for the elevators, and pushed the seventh floor button. If his luck didn’t run out, he was about to get a second shot at Tina. It was imperative to get the answers for Darius, because he knew exactly what his boss was capable of firsthand. Eileen he could handle. She thought she had him eating out of the palm of her hand. Ha! She ‘d been great in the sack, but he didn’t follow anybody’s orders unless they held the purse strings. Eileen might have money and connections, think she ruled Kansas City, but she was in for a rude awakening, coming sooner than she expected.
The dinging of the elevator brought a cruel smile to his lips. He loved his job. The thrill of seeing the fear in his opponent’s eyes, the stink of flop sweat when they realized the danger he represented. He didn’t have a problem whaling on another man, because they had the chance of fighting back, and he always fought fairly. Of course, nobody’d beaten him yet. Hitting a woman, though, he didn’t like it, but he’d do it, because it was part of the job.
Halfway down the corridor, he stopped in front of room 716. There it was. Behind the door lay the answers he needed. Darius had held his foot on Bruce’s neck for so long, he’d almost gotten used to it. Once he found Elizabeth and delivered her to Darius, he was finished. Done. He’d walk away and never look back, because this payday would put him over the top and he could retire. Find a house on the beach in a country where he couldn’t be extradited and live in relative luxury for the rest of his days. Sounded like paradise. The only thing standing between him and his new lifestyle stood on the other side of the closed door of room 716.
The elevator dinged again, and he heard the rattle of a cart rolling across the elevator doors. Perfect timing. So simple pretending to be a hotel guest coming down the hall, the busboy never even looked his way, simply uttered a good morning as he rolled the cart past. With a single blow, Bruce knocked him out cold, and dragged him to the storage area. He doubted anybody would be looking for supplies any time soon. If they did, well, they’d find a surprise.
He walked back to the breakfast cart, and straightened the cuffs of his jacket. Pushing the cart forward, he knocked on the door and announced, “Room service.”
“Just a minute,” came from behind the door, her voice feminine and sweet. Within moments, the door opened, and Tina stepped back, a hairbrush in her hand. She barely gave him a second glance, and she motioned toward the table by the open curtains. “Just put it over there, thanks.” Without a backward look, she walked toward the table.
He rolled the cart into the room and closed the door behind him, silently engaging the security lock. Stepping around the cart, he savored the feeling. She might have been smart enough to have her Texas friend secure her this room, but she’d let a stranger across the threshold. After this, she might think twice before opening the door.
“Good morning, Tina.”
She spun around so fast, her robe swirled around her legs, shock coloring her expression. Ah, there it was, the first scent of fear. The recognition of the potential threat he posed. A heady combination. He winced when he felt the hairbrush bounce off his chest. Good, she planned on fighting back. A bit of spunkiness always added a bit of cachet.
“Chance!” she yelled, and he crossed the room, needing to shut her up. It wouldn’t do to have her alerting half the floor there was trouble. He grabbed her by her upper arms, shaking her vigorously.
“Shut up. Nobody’s going to help you.”
“Wrong,” a deep voice sounded from behind him. Turning Tina loose, he spun around, only to be met with a hard fist to his jaw. He staggered back, staring at the tall, blond, half-naked man standing there in a pair of boxer briefs, hair damp from the shower. Droplets of water spread across muscles that rippled beneath the skin, revealing he’d put up a fight in defense of Tina. Clever girl, she’d called in reinforcements to protect her. Too bad it wouldn’t help.
He dove for the man, grappling with him as they landed on the floor. Trying to ram a knee into his groin, he missed, hitting his thigh. The other man wrested his arm free, and slammed his elbow against Bruce’s forehead, and his head rocked back. With a roar of outrage, he swung widely, grazing the blond guy’s shoulder. Somehow, using some kind of crazy jujitsu-style move, he wound up with his arm wrenched behind his back, pulled taut, causing excruciating pain to his shoulder.
“Who are you, and who do you work for?” The other man got right into his face, his eyes blazing with anger.
“I’m not telling you nothing. Let me go.” He jerked and turned, trying to loosen the man’s hold, but couldn’t break free. Kicking back, his shoe connected with the other man’s shin. A grunt of pain made him kick back again, hearing it hit with a solid thunk. When the other guy’s grip loosened, he wriggled free and sprinted for the door, with one last look over his shoulder. The man’s expression was calm, hands fisted at his side. He didn’t give chase. Guess he realized he needed to stay and protect the little lady.
Bruce slowed his run to a brisk walk as he headed for the elevator. He’d get another chance, and this time he’d be better prepared. The bodyguard piqued his interest, because he’d displayed moves only a professional would know.
He headed for his room to regroup and clean up. This wasn’t over. The answers he needed were behind that door, and he couldn’t walk away. Darius owned him body and soul until Elizabeth came home, and then he’d be free. Until then, he had a job to do.