Chapter 26

Hours later, safely at her desk at Vive, Beckett removed the contents of the ornaments from her purse and laid them on the wooden surface. Unlike the other clues she’d found—the ones in the storage locker—there had been no bundles of cash or bricks of cocaine inside her Christmas ornaments. Instead, she’d found four pieces of folded paper and one key. Each piece of paper had a series of numbers on it, but no explanation for context.

Tapping her fingers on the desk and staring at the papers, she racked her brain for an explanation of what the numbers meant and why they were important enough to have been stored inside Christmas decorations.

Pulling out a pad of paper, she tried to investigate whether the numbers were a code by matching each digit with its corresponding letter. She tried it going backward, forward, starting in the middle and going each way, treating each digit as if it were singular or a double digit, and made nothing other than nonsense. After scribbling for forty-five minutes, she gave up on the notion and booted up her computer, methodically entering each series of numbers into the Internet search engine and hoping for something relevant. She tried each series individually, putting them all together, and in several different combinations of two and three.

Finding nothing, she tried to divide them up into phone numbers, trying all the country codes she could find. When that resulted in her waking up someone she couldn’t understand in Thailand and getting a very grumpy Australian farmer, she cast the idea aside and ran her hands through her hair, trying to figure out what else they could be.

Not a phone number, not a code, not anything that had ever been posted on the Internet. What else could they be? Too long to be a safe combination or a security code. Passwords, maybe? Pleased with her new idea, she brought up the email service Ryan had used and tried to access his email, entering each of the four sequences as a password. When she hit on the last one and the email opened up, her heart slapped against her ribs.

She wasn’t surprised to find nothing other than spam and ads in the inbox. The sent box was empty, there were no folders created, and some investigating showed her it had been several years since anything had been deleted out of the inbox. Pursing her lips, she checked the settings, elated when she found a forwarding address. Logging out and entering in the new email address, she tried the codes, relieved when the same one opened up the new box.

“Not as savvy as you thought, are you Ryan?” Muttering under her breath, Beckett began the process anew, going through everything in the email with a fine-toothed comb.

She got through four more addresses before hitting a wall. Judging by the dates, he’d been using the most recent one within the last four months. Going back through the other accounts to gauge the time between disabling one account and the next, she was reasonably certain she was only one to two email accounts behind him. Writing down the forwarding address from the last account, she brought up her own email and opened a new message.

Heart pounding in her chest, she entered the address and debated over the subject line, ultimately choosing to leave it blank. He’d either open it or he wouldn’t, and nothing she put would change that.

Typing quickly, she wrote several lines.

Ryan,

I found the Christmas ornaments. Found the emails. If this is what you want, you have seventy-two hours. If you haven’t made contact by then, I’ll burn the papers and you’ll never have the numbers.

Beckett

Satisfied with the message, she clicked send before she could talk herself out of it and tucked the papers back into her pocket before exiting out of all the windows she’d been using to track Ryan down. As she settled down to do some work for the salon, a knock at the door got her attention.

“Come in.”

Jenny poked her head in. “Ma’am, a Raul Malatoa is here to see you. He says it’s urgent. He doesn’t have an appointment.”

“Send him in.”

Less nervous than she’d been the last time he’d come, Beckett leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. Jenny showed Raul into the room, and, after bringing in a tray of coffee, closed the door and retreated to her own desk.

“Mr. Malatoa. I’d be lying if I said this was a nice surprise, so I’ll spare us both the pleasantries.”

Raul poured himself a cup of coffee and sipped deeply. “I’m accustomed to being an unwelcome guest. I don’t find it displeasing.” He placed the cup on the desk and folded his hands on his knee. “I trust you’ve had time to think about what we discussed the last time I was here?”

“The answer I gave you hasn’t changed. I don’t have the money or the drugs, and I don’t know where they are. I’m sure you know Ryan is alive. He broke in here almost two weeks ago and gave me some information for a group who would assist me in getting the drugs for your organization. Unfortunately for both you and Ryan, I’m not a criminal.” Leaning forward, Beckett settled her gaze on Raul. “Let me make something clear to you, Mr. Malatoa. If I find Ryan before you do, there won’t be anything left for you to murder. I want to rip him apart with my own hands for what he’s done to me. You could kill me right here, and know you’re on camera doing it. The police are aware of what’s going on with your family, they have your identity, your DNA, and your fingerprints. I’ve done nothing wrong, and I’ve stolen nothing from you.”

Raul picked the cup back up and sipped thoughtfully. “You make compelling arguments, Mrs. McKenzie. Yet I am not convinced you do not know where my property is. You think I am afraid of your police? Of your podunk Sheriff with his shiny badge and little gun? Or of your lover and his brothers? It is you who should fear me.”

“Threats won’t work with me. I don’t have the drugs or money, I don’t know where they are, and there’s not a thing I can do about it. You’re smart enough to know when someone lies to you and when someone is telling the truth.”

Raul finished his coffee and stood, dropping the cup onto the tray so that it shattered. “Ryan was your husband. Perhaps there is some loyalty there between you and him, or some feelings that haven’t yet died off. If what you say is true, and you do not know, then you have no purpose to me.” He rounded the desk, his body moving quickly despite its bulk and his hands darting out to keep her in her chair. “If you have no purpose to me, there is no reason for you to live. Perhaps, though, before I kill you, I can use you to send a message to your husband. To let him see, even from a distance, what my hands are capable of.”

Scared for the first time, Beckett kicked out with one booted foot, making contact with Raul’s groin. As the man crumpled, she shoved the chair back and leaped from it.

“Jenny! Call 911!”

Before she got more than halfway across the room, Raul was on her, his hands on her throat, lifting her off the floor. As air was cut off, she choked and sputtered, kicking with both legs and hitting with both hands in an attempt to break free.

Forcing herself to calm down, she made herself go limp, becoming dead weight that dragged them both to the ground. Screaming when his fist found her face, she brought her knee up into his gut, finding little satisfaction in his grunt of pain. Striking him in the face, she managed to dig her nails into his cheek, drawing blood before he got her onto her stomach; his knee in her back and her arms twisted painfully behind her.

His breath hot and pungent in her ear, Raul pressed his lips to her ear.

“I can do whatever I want to you, whenever I want to do it. Perhaps seeing your bloodied, broken face will show your husband we mean business. Or perhaps it will prove it to you. Either way, there is no downside to this for me. Christmas is in one week. You have that long to get me five million dollars or you will die a horrible, painful death. As will your children, your lover, his family, and all your friends. No one is safe from me, te amo. You’d do well to remember it.”

He yanked her several inches off the floor and slammed her face into the carpet, striking her against the floor three times before standing, leaving her crumpled and unconscious on the floor. Whistling, Raul brushed his hands off on his pants and left the office, smiling at the secretary, who was returning from the café with a sandwich.

“Have a nice afternoon.”

Smiling brightly, Jenny rushed to hold the door for him. “You, too. Thank you for visiting Vive. Come back soon.”

“Oh, I most certainly will. Thank you.”

****

Savi strode down the hall toward Beckett’s office, a to-go cup of iced tea in one hand and a bag with a container of soup and a sandwich in the other. She grinned at Jenny as she approached the desk.

“Beck in?”

Jenny nodded, ignoring the ringing phone. “She’s been in there all afternoon. Haven’t heard a peep out of her. I thought about making sure she was okay after her walk-in this morning, but I didn’t want to bother her. I know there’s a lot going on she hasn’t told me about.”

The hair on the back of her neck rising, Savi beat back the wave of worry. “What was her walk-in?”

“Some guy I’d never seen before. Raul something or other. It started with an M.”

Savi raced around the desk and threw open the door, the bag and cup hitting the ground when she saw Beckett lying prone on the floor.

“Call 911. Now. Tell them Beckett’s hurt. Call the Sheriff’s office, too, and insist on talking to Sheriff Rogers. No one else. When you’re done with that, call Murphy.”

Savi ran to Beckett, not looking back to see if the secretary was doing as she was told. She hit her knees on the floor, rolling Beckett to her back, relief pumping through her when she saw the steady rise and fall of Beckett’s chest. Jenny came to the door, the phone clutched in her hand.

“The paramedics are on their way. So is the sheriff. I got Murphy’s voicemail. Should I call back and leave a message?”

Beckett groaned and rolled to her side, coughing and choking on the blood running into her mouth. Savi shook her head. “No. Call Jax. He was just here delivering some fish. He shouldn’t be back out on the boat yet.”

Jenny ran to comply and Savi turned her attention back to Beckett, crushing the other woman in a hug when she opened her eyes and swore.

“Fucking hell, I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

****

“Murph.”

At the sound of his brother’s voice, Murphy slid out from beneath an SUV, grinning at him as he reached for a rag to wipe the oil from his hands. “Hey. Come to put in a few hours doing some real work?”

Jax wandered over to the desk and plucked his brother’s keys from the top, pocketing them before answering. “I don’t know how to make this sound better than it is, so I’ll just say it. Raul Malatoa went to Vive this morning. He attacked Beckett. She’s in the hospital.”

Murphy’s face drained of blood, his skin turning ashy white. He leaped to his feet and dashed for the desk, looking for his keys. Jax grabbed his arm, turning Murphy to face him and gripping his shoulders firmly.

“I’ll take you. You’re not driving like this. My truck’s parked out front. She’s okay, but she’s banged up. Savi is with her right now, and the sheriff has a guard posted on the door at the ER.”

“How bad?”

“Broken nose, cracked eye socket, concussion. He split her lip good, and they were checking to see if her jaw was fractured. Savi’s going to call when they know more.”

“We’ll be there before then.” His jaw set, Murphy strode out into the street and jerked open the passenger door of his brother’s truck. “Let’s go.”

Jax slid behind the wheel and started the engine, backing out onto the road. “She’s okay.”

“I just want to see her for myself.”

“Caleb doesn’t know, yet. He’s still in school.”

“We’ll call him when we get there.” His eyes glued to the road, Murphy bit off the next words. “I want the fucker in a cage. Or dead. Either would work.”

“Clint’ll get him. We have him on video coming into and leaving the salon and Beckett’s injuries to verify what happened. They’ll have already put him on the no-fly list and have every cop in the state looking for him. We’ll find him.”

Murphy stared stonily out the windshield. “She’d better be okay. I don’t know what I’d do if she isn’t. I love her, Jax. More than I even knew I could.”

Jax reached over and grabbed his brother’s hand, holding tight. “I know. I know. She’ll be fine. Savi wouldn’t lie. She’s okay.”

****

Savi stood at the nurses’ station, filling out paperwork with the information she’d found in Beckett’s purse. Looking over the form and making sure she’d entered the insurance numbers correctly, she slid the card back into her pocket. When two hands closed on her shoulders, she jumped and shrieked, whirling around with panic in her eyes.

Murphy jumped back, throwing his hands in the air and taking another deliberate step back, giving her space.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that. Where is she? Is she okay?”

Savi pressed a hand to her chest, mentally coaching herself to take deep breaths and force herself to calm down. “She’s okay. Her jaw isn’t fractured. They just brought her up to room fifteen, down the hall on the left.”

Savi handed the clipboard back to the nurse and followed Murphy, watching as he paused outside the room to make sure he was calm before pushing open the door and entering it. She watched Beckett light up when she saw him, and watched Murphy perch on the bed, gathering Beckett in his arms as gently as he would have an infant. Emotion rose in her throat at the scene, and she closed her eyes, trying to force the tears back. When she opened them and found her vision blurry, she swore and ducked out of sight, turning and running into Jax’s chest.

He grabbed her elbows to steady her, raking his eyes over her face. “Hey now, what’s this about?” Gently, he brushed the tears from her cheeks, lifting one eyebrow when she recoiled from him. “You okay?”

Savi took a deep breath and held it, using the time to bring herself back under control. “I’m fine. It’s just been a long day. Seeing Beckett unconscious in the floor with blood everywhere. I really thought she’d gotten killed in her office there at Vive with me just across the damn salon, and there was nothing I could do. I was helpless.” Sniffling, she pulled her arms loose from his. “She’s the best friend I’ve ever had. We laugh and talk and I feel like Beck’s been the sister I always wanted and never got to have. The way the three of you are with her…it’s beautiful. You’re so close, so familiar with each other. It’s the most beautiful thing I think I’ve ever seen.”

When Jax spoke, his voice was soft and she knew he was being careful not to upset her any more than she already was. “That’s what family is and does. Or what it’s supposed to do anyway. Support, love, understanding.” He laid his hand gently on her shoulder, smiling when she didn’t shy away. “You haven’t had much of it, have you?” When she didn’t answer, he continued. “You brought Lyla here because you wanted to give her a family. To give her some roots. Didn’t it ever occur to you that you might find the same thing for yourself?”

Savi knew if she spoke, she’d cry. Emotions battled one another for dominance, and she trembled from the strain to keep them in. When Jax very gently, but very persistently gathered her in his arms the same way she’d watched Murphy gather Beckett, it was more than she could take. Clinging to his shoulders, her arms wrapped tightly around him, Savi gave in to the flood of emotions, sobs wrenching their way from her, tears soaking into the soft fabric of Jax’s old work shirt. Without a word, without any judgment, he held her, his grip steady and touch soft, until she’d cried herself out.