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“So, tell me what you see when you look at Rouxier. What’s his reason for being?”
Rouxier’s reason for being? When we’d first come to this case, along with Ryder and Luca, we were tasked with scouting and collecting information. Surveilling Rouxier was like watching a masterclass in manipulation, but when we watched, it became clear that Rouxier was motivated by two things.
“Money and an overwhelming need for taking things that belong to other people. That’s what makes Rouxier tick.”
“So, he’s easily manipulated on the money side, then?”
“Not so far. We tried to get in there through the whole video debacle, but what happened with Josh… It was supposed to be the start of me earning a place on Rouxier’s side… but I couldn’t.”
“Because Josh was a good fuck?” Kayden asked crudely, although his expression didn’t match his words—if anything, he looked compassionate.
“No, Jesus! Because… ”
“You looked into Josh’s eyes and saw a man who would save a kitten from a frozen Manitoba lake.”
Okay, what? “‘Manitoba’?”
“Duh, of course, Manitoba. Dude, it’s fucking cold up there.” He rolled his eyes at me as if he was making perfect sense. “All I’m saying, you know the measure of a man, so stop beating yourself up over what you did because it’s done now. Yeah, you lost your chance to ingratiate yourself with asshole number one who only thinks of money and manipulating everyone, but you saved a kid and a man who would do anything also to save the said kid. Also, kittens.”
I was baffled, but when I glanced up at Kayden, he offered me a soft smile. “Bet you feel better now, right?”
“So much better,” I deadpanned.
“Okay, so we have money as a motivator for Rouxier, and he likes to manipulate people, but to what end? Is it about control, respect, or desiring more money? He’s involved in trafficking; is it for cash, or is there a more perverse, darker side to him? Also, where does Josh’s ex-wife fit into all of this?”
At face value, Rouxier had political ambitions that went much higher than the level he was at, and yes, it was all about the money and prestige and being untouchable.
The door to the laundry room shut—hell, I hadn’t even realized it had opened, so much for my focus—and Josh leaned back against it. I imagine he was stopping his son from coming through, or at least to get a warning.
“Ruth’s from a good family,” he murmured, and it took me a while to connect the dots.I need more coffee. “We’re talking old family money, respectability. We met in college, and for a while, she was okay to… be with me. She wanted more, Rouxier came into her life, and that was it. Ben never liked Rouxier, and the last time Ben came home after staying… ” He stopped and shook his head.
“There were bruises,” I prompted, recalling the soft words he’d said to me in the hotel room. A night that seemed so long ago but was barely days behind us.
“Yeah, on Ben’s arm, where Rouxier had dragged him out of the kitchen for eating a cookie before dinner, for God’s sake. Ben was scared, and Ruth never did a damn thing, all too lost in whatever future Rouxier was promising.”
“Okay, this is good,” Kayden said. What was good about it? He tapped the table. “Rouxier has his focus on bigger, better things, we don’t know what evil shit is in his head yet, but we can find out. Also, his political aspirations are another way in. Not to mention ties to the cartel, who might be funding his political machinations.” He slammed a hand on the counter and made everyone jump. “We’ll fix this.”
“And Ben stays here. Safe.” Josh said.
“You’re not going anywhere. You both stay here. Safe,” I corrected.
Josh looked as if he was going to argue, but the door banged on his back, and he stepped aside to let Ben through, who grinned up at him and handed him a mewling Oreo. “Can I get a drink, Dad?”
And with that, I finished my weird conversation with Kayden when he headed to the comms room. I was thrown into a glimpse of domestic bliss as Josh made a drink for Ben, then himself, and the two of them went to the sitting area and cuddled up on the couch, talking about a book with aliens in it. My heart hurt from what I might have done to them, and I knew I would jump in a frozen lake for them both.
And probably the cat as well.
ChapterEleven
Josh
I was reading to Ben,five days into our enforced protection, the same as I had every night.
“Why are we here again?” Ben asked for what must be the twentieth time.
I was about to start the next chapter when he blurted the question. It took me a few moments to come out of the universe of space pirates, and into the real world. One where Ben, Oreo and me were in the middle of nowhere, in a cabin that was both prison and haven, with men who talked about us as though we were something to be handled.
Keep them safe. Keep them here. How do we fix it, so Josh and Ben are going to be okay?I’d seen some images on the screens, albeit it briefly. They were surveillance photos of Charles Rouxier, the kind I’d seen in TV shows, taken from long-distance, blurry, and nothing of what I’d seen made any sense. Charles in meetings, in his car, talking to various people—all images caught in stills from videos. All I knew was that there was something bad happening that could affect my son, and I would do anything to make sure that Ben was safe. Even sit on this sofa, read books, and never move.
