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There were mentions of murder for hire, but nothing was ever proven. I’d have to get more creative if I wanted anything real. I had been living in La La Land, taking in those around meat face value. I had now come to the realization that nothing was what it seemed.
The Ducanes were the head of a secret society that had become a criminal organization. Damon was part of a biker gang, albeit an Australian one, but with recent events, I hadn’t failed to notice that he was amassing his own team here in the States. His plans weren’t widely known, but I had this feeling he had something else up his sleeve.
The last on my list was the Lennox family. Everything so far had turned up nothing; I’d have to dig deeper into the dark web for the answers I sought. Stryker told me he was waiting for Phee to wake up before letting us in on anything else. It wasn’t hard to figure out that there was something darker hidden in his past. He knew more about the others than any of us. It was just frustrating to know that there were more secrets out there. I didn’t know how I felt, exactly, but I knew that until everything was out in the open, I would feel really uneasy around everyone.
Focusing back on my laptop, I made sure my line was secure before I logged back on to the dark web. I had been waiting on a contact to send me some more information about the Lennox family. If Stryker wouldn’t tell me, then I’d find out another way.
Ghosted: I got that information you wanted. You got the payment?
Me: Yeah, I got the money. Where do you want it?
Switching screens, I logged into Alexander Ducane’s bank account. As I’d said, my skills were good. Why should we pay for the information?
Ghosted: Send it to the following account ….
While I waited for the account number to come through, I decided to make a few more deposits. The account I was using was one that the Ducanes used for their clubs. The money was dirty, but it didn’t mean it couldn’t be used for something good. The blinking light at the bottom of the screen told me the number was there. Sending the money through, I returned to the chat.
Me: Money sent—Ready for the file transfer.
Ghosted: Thank you for your business. Transfer incoming. I don’t know what you’ve gotten involved in, Fingers, but if shit blows up, leave me the hell out of it. These are people you don’t want to get mixed up with.
Me: Thanks for the warning. If I need anything else, I will let you know.
Ghosted: No problem. Pleasure doing business.
As I sorted through the first lot of files, I started to get a clearer picture of the Lennox Family. No wonder Ghosted didn’t want any involvement. They had links to a shitload of underworld murders. The body count for Stryker’s family was high. With each file I opened, I saw their hands get dirtier. Weapons trafficking was the other thing that stood out.
The only comfort I took was that they didn’t deal with sex trafficking but judging by the reaction that Stryker had when we watched Kyle’s videos, I’d hazard a guess that’s the only line they drew. I needed answers, and I needed them sooner rather than later, so if Stryker wasn’t going to tell me, then I’d get them myself.
Chapter Eleven - Phoenix
The noise around me was loud. It sounded like I was in the middle of a football match. A persistent beeping sound made my head pound as if there were a herd of elephants walking around inside. The smell hit me next. I could no longer smell the musky scent of sweat that had surrounded me when I had been taken. Now, everything smelled sterile. It was kind of like the Pine-O-Clean my mother used to use when she’d cleaned the kitchen— sterile and clean, mixed with the slight hint of floral perfume. My senses were overloaded, and it made everything hazy.
I could hear quiet whispers somewhere in my room, talking softly to each other.
“You should have seen the look on the nurses’ faces, Phee,” Jonah’s voice said to me, like I was part of the conversation. “When Damon walked in with Madden, I swear, Angel, they put out a hospital-wide notice.”
“Why? And who’s Madden?” I tried to answer him, but my mouth wouldn’t work. I tried to open my eyes... and nothing. Nothing moved. My limbs felt so heavy, it was as if they were tied to cinder blocks. I could feel something warm around my hands.
I tried to move my fingers to let them know I could hear them. That I was there with them, but the darkness pulled me back, and the sounds faded back into the nothingness.
The beeping sound was back. It was louder this time. God, that was annoying. The upside, I guess, was that my head didn’t hurt as much. I could feel my neck itching. My whole body felt like someone had thrown itching powder all over it. Whatever I was lying on was hard and lumpy. I tried to wriggle, to get comfortable, but again, nothing moved.
There were new voices this time. Deep in conversation.
“Did you find anything new in that thing?” It was Damon I could hear this time. He was asking someone a question, his voice full of curiosity.
“Not much that we didn’t already know,” Logan answered. He sounded flat, a little defeated. The sound of his voice had me seeping back into the darkness as images played like a movie of the day he’d shown up at the cabin.
A hand wrapped around me from behind and my mind was foggy, as my body went limp and a familiar voice said, “I told you I’d be back, Kitten.”
The beeping around me sped up before I was plunged back into an empty void.
“Hey, Firecracker, brought you some lilies today,” Stryker told me. I felt his kiss on my forehead. I could hear the scrape of a chair, right before a gentle thud; he must have put the flowers down somewhere. “I think they look better than the weeds Lo’ keeps bringing you.”
“Hey man, not fair,” Logan quipped. The rustle of fabric off to the side told me they were close by. I didn’t know why he was there, though. Logan and I hadn’t been on speaking terms for a while. “Hey, Tiny Dancer, you think you could wake up for us soon?”
Someone squeezed my hand. Flinching, I tried to pull my hand free.
