Rock Chick 06 Reckoning (35 page)

Kim was another employee of Lee’s who worked the computers. She ran searches mostly but also did some phone investigation.

Brody kept going. “See, The People’s Bank is owned by Canault Limited. Canault Limited is owned by SunPower.

SunPower is owned by –”

“Cut to it,” Lee interrupted Brody, having, from experience, learned how to deal with Brody’s exuberance but never having learned to have patience with it.

“APM Holdings!” Brody finished on a shout, the room went hostile and that hostility was coming entirely from Mace.

Everyone in the room knew that Preston Mason was the man behind the multi-national, multi-bil ion-dol ar APM

Holdings.

“What the fuck?” Mace asked, his voice low and unhappy, his eyes on Lee.

Hank knew that, after Stel a was kidnapped by Mace’s dad, Lee had ordered both Brody and Vance to look into it.

Brody could find a computer trail, amongst other things.

Vance could find everything else. Lee was protective of his team and seeing as Preston Mason could pose a significant threat and had made a move, Lee wasn’t taking any chances.

What Hank hadn’t known, until now, was that Lee hadn’t shared this with Mace.

Lee ignored Mace, eyes stil on Brody, he prompted,

“Let’s go back, Brody, this al means…”

Brody blinked then said, “Oh yeah. The People’s Bank owns Travis and Sherry Gunn’s mortgage.”

“Stel a’s parents,” Lee guessed and the hostility in the room increased.

Mace’s calm and relaxed posture started to disintegrate.

He hadn’t moved but his entire body had become visibly tight.

“Yeah,” Brody confirmed.

“Explain,” Mace growled at Brody and Brody’s eyes moved to Mace. With one look at Mace, Brody’s face lost even more color.

“Wel , they’re behind on their mortgage, like, seven months behind. The bank has already sent foreclosure notices.”

Any trace of calm and relaxed was history. Mace unhooked his ankle from his knee, sat forward and put his elbows to his knees, body leaning toward Brody.

Brody took this in and swal owed but pressed on, “It gets weirder.”

“Yeah?” Mace’s voice was deceptively light.

“Yeah,” Brody replied. “See, Stel a’s folks’ve been having problems for some time now. That’s what Kim looked into. Stel a’s Mom’s got cancer and they don’t have insurance. They’re in debt out the ying yang, drowning in it.

They were already behind on payments when The People’s Bank bought the mortgage. It was a bad purchase but that shit happens al the time. What’s weird is that, even though they weren’t current on their payments and fal in’ behind on their other bil s, their credit rating is in the shitter, by the way, they went to the bank and borrowed more money against the house and the bank gave it to them.”

“God damn it,” Lee muttered.

“It gets weirder,” Brody went on and Hank watched Mace close his eyes for a second, sit back in his chair again then train his gaze on Brody as Brody carried on. “This isn’t new.

This al started to go down a year ago.” Brody turned back to Mace. “I wasn’t here then but Kim said it was when you first started to see Stel a.”

Hank watched as Mace traced his teeth with his tongue behind closed, tight lips. Hank knew this wasn’t a good sign.

“Mace –” Lee started but Brody was stil talking.

“It gets weirder.”

Mace’s jaw got tight.

“Brody, just finish it,” Hank put it quickly.

“Wel , I found out al this shit about Stel a’s folks in, like, an hour. Kim’s good at asking questions and friends and neighbors talk, especial y when someone’s sick, so we had the story real quick.” Brody stopped, swal owed, turned to Mace and said, “Ovarian cancer. That’s where it started.

They thought they caught it but it spread.” He paused again and shared quietly, “It’s not looking good.” Mace sucked breath into his nose but nodded at Brody to go on and he did. “Wel , I don’t know why I did it.” Brody shrugged and fidgeted. “I’m no detective like you guys, but it was weird. I mean, why would anyone fuck with a sick woman? Kidnap her daughter?” More hostility from Mace but Brody soldiered on, “So, I started to look deeper and this is where it gets real y weird.”

“Fucking hel , Brody, just –” Lee cut in.

“I’l finish, I’l finish,” Brody said, putting a hand up to Lee then dropping it. “You know that guy who came around awhile ago? Out of the blue, makes a meeting with you, wants to invest in Nightingale Investigations, tryin’ to talk you into expanding?”

“Yeah,” Lee answered but Hank was watching Mace and he didn’t like what he was seeing.

“You shut him down but I got a hunch. I looked into him.

That trail was deeper, harder to track but I got it eventual y and that guy, and his money, is linked to Mace’s dad too.” Lee’s eyes sliced to Mace and he muttered, “Power play.”

“What?” Brody asked.

Lee’s gaze moved back to Brody. “Anything else?” Brody shook his head. “That’s it so far.”

“You feed this to Vance?” Lee pressed.

“Yeah,” Brody answered.

“Keep diggin’,” Mace ordered and Brody’s head turned to Mace as Mace kept talking. “Everything. Look into Stel a, me, Lee, Nightingale Investigations –”

“Luke,” Lee said.

“Fuck,” Mace mumbled.

Hank closed his eyes. He knew about Luke too. It would be a long shot; Luke’s past associations were buried in a lot of folders where black marker was undoubtedly used heavily. Stil , you had enough money, you could find out anything. And Preston Mason had more than enough money.

Hank opened his eyes again when Lee started talking.

“Anything, Brody, anyone, any member of the team, any one of the Rock Chicks. This is your mission. You sleep it, you eat it, you fuckin’ breathe it. Find out if Preston Mason has uncovered anything or tied himself to any of us. Even you,” Lee demanded.

“Me?” Brody asked.

“You,” Lee replied. “And while you’re diggin’, you’re buryin’. Anything you can find, they can find. They haven’t found it yet, you bury it so deep it’l
never
be found.”

“Seven years,” Mace put in and Brody turned wide eyes to him. “Go back seven years.”

Hank tensed and so did Lee.

“Mace,” Lee’s voice held a warning.

“Got nothin’ to hide,” Mace replied.

“You do,” Lee returned bluntly.

“Not from him,” Mace went on.

Lee was silent.

“He knows I know,” Mace said, his voice fil ed with soft menace. When Lee didn’t reply, Mace went on, “I got the upper hand, Lee. He knows it. He wants it back. Or, at least, he wants my silence.”

“What are we talkin’ about here?” Hank asked.

“Caitlin,” Lee replied and both Hank and Brody pul ed in breath.

Mace never talked about his sister.

“I know who took her, I know why,” Mace told them both, straight out. “My fuckin’ father was involved in some bad shit, fucked over the wrong people and Caitlin paid the price. He doesn’t want that out and he doesn’t like that I got it to hold over him. He’s playin’ me and he’s usin’ Stel a to do it. He’s demonstratin’ his power, his reach. He wants to ensure my silence. He wants me to know he can control me. He wants me to know, I talk, he can make it hurt.” Lee looked at Brody. “Find Preston Mason’s weakness.”

“I got his weakness,” Mace reminded Lee.

Lee’s gaze cut to Mace. “I want more.”

Mace and Lee locked eyes. Mace nodded and turned to Brody. “What’l it take to bring the mortgage current?”

“Around six K,” Brody replied.

“I’l get you my bank details, you do the transfer to bring it current and I want details on their other debt,” Mace demanded.

Brody’s eyes bugged out. “I have the details and you can’t have that kind of money. Nobody has that kind of money.”

Hank hitched a leg and settled on the desk, one foot on the floor, one foot swinging.

“Col ection,” Hank said.

“No fuckin’ way.” Mace’s voice was terse.

“I’m in. I’l talk to the boys,” Lee added.

“This is my problem,” Mace clipped.

“It’s not your problem. It’s Stel a’s problem,” Lee returned.

“Like I said, it’s my problem,” Mace shot back.

Lee nor Hank nor even Brody could answer that. It was just the flat out truth.

“Dudes, even if everyone puts in, it isn’t gonna touch it.

When I say they got debt, I mean
they
got debt,
” Brody informed them.

“Get Kim on the phone again, talkin’ to friends and neighbors, the local church,” Hank ordered Brody.

“Holy crap,” Brody said.

Mace did not like the turn of the conversation.

“Don’t piss me off,” Mace warned.

“We’re not tryin’ to piss you off, Mace,” Lee bit out, his voice hard. “I’m guessin’ Stel a sat, alone and unprotected, in the back of that limo and Preston Mason threatened her and that pisses
me
off. She’s yours and you’re a member of my team which makes her mine. Anyone messes with you, or her, they mess with me. No one fuckin’ messes with me. We got enough on our plates with Carter; we don’t need your Dad havin’ a way in. I’m cuttin’ off al his routes.

That costs money, fuck it. Bottom line, a woman’s dyin’ and that woman is Stel a’s mother and your father is leanin’ on them. Suck it up, we’re al steppin’ in.” Without waiting for a response, Lee turned to Brody. “Find me something on Preston Mason and if he’s got in anywhere, I want to know.” When Brody sat staring at Lee and not moving, Lee leaned forward. “Do it, Brody. Now.”

Brody nodded, jumped up and actual y ran out of the room.

“I don’t like this,” Mace was back to sitting, apparently relaxed but anything but. His eyes were sharp and angry and they were trained on Lee.

“I know you don’t. I was in your spot, I wouldn’t either. I’m sorry, Mace, but you got no choice,” Lee replied.

“Don’t like that either,” Mace told Lee.

“We gonna have a problem about this?” Lee asked.

“Yeah,” Mace responded instantly.

Hank intervened. “Mace, you know Luke took a bul et for Roxie.”

Mace knew immediately where Hank was heading and shot back, “Flesh wound.”

“Lucky chance, it could have been worse,” Hank returned and Mace pressed his lips together because he knew Hank was right.

Hank went on, “You know what Eddie and Darius did for Indy. You know that gets out, Eddie’s fucked; his career in the toilet. Eddie’s also pul ed back from Marcus, he hates it but he’s done it, for Jet. And you watched Jet get shot and we al know what that meant.”

“Hank –” Mace broke in but Hank kept going.

“We al know what Darius had to do to disentangle himself from the shit swirling around Jules too. We know what Hector’s livin’ with because he fucked up and nearly got Jules kil ed tryin’ to protect Roam’s street cred, of al fuckin’ things.”

“I get it,” Mace snapped.

“You don’t,” Hank replied. “You’re new to this so I’l tel you, bein’ tangled up with a Rock Chick means makin’

certain sacrifices and livin’ with your decisions. The time to make yours is now.”

The vibe in the room stayed hot as the three men stared at each other.

Final y, Mace muttered, “Fuckin’ hel .”

Hank glanced at Lee. Lee returned his look, took in a breath and Lee’s gaze moved back to Mace.

“Turner cal ed last night.”

As Mace’s head snapped toward Lee, the vibe in the room shot back to hot, so hot it was combustible.

“He’s on side,” Lee finished.

“What the fuck does that mean?” Mace asked.

“That means he quizzed Stel a. He didn’t find out dick and encouraged me to look into your Dad. He told me she didn’t know about your sister but I’m guessin’, since they obviously had the conversation, she knows the basics now and she’s curious. He’s on board with keepin’ her in the dark. I know you don’t like it but you got an al y in that guy.

He’l take care of her.”

“I’m gettin’ her back,” Mace returned.

“Hold off,” Lee advised.

“No fuckin’ way,” Mace responded.

“You get her back, you’l force your father’s hand. We don’t need that right now.”

Mace hesitated a beat then he shot out of his chair and exploded, “
God damn it!
”

Hank winced then he went tense. Mace, angry, could be Hank winced then he went tense. Mace, angry, could be practical y uncontrol able, even double-teamed by himself and Lee.

“Calm down, Mace,” Hank said low.

“Fuck that. I don’t play by his rules,” Mace growled, his entire body visibly tight, such was the hold he had on himself.

“That isn’t smart,” Lee warned.

Mace stood there, straight, taut and furious then, out of nowhere, his body relaxed. He took another breath in through his nose and a slow grin spread on his face.

His voice was quiet when he said, “I’l be smart.” Without another word, Mace moved to leave and Lee glanced at Hank before cal ing, “Where the fuck you goin’?” Mace didn’t turn when he replied, “Gotta get some keys cut.”

Then he was gone.

* * * * *

I was sitting on the couch in the television room, my monogrammed stationery on my lap, a half written letter to a friend in Charleston lying there forgotten. Shamus, Hank and my chocolate lab, was curled into himself on his huge, denim doggie bed in front of the wood-burning stove.

It was the first evening I’d been home in days. The front windows had been replaced. There were cameras everywhere and the new alarm system on al the doors and windows was armed the way Vance, who brought me home, showed me how to do.

I was sitting there staring out the window (or, more accurately, staring at the drawn curtains over the window, Vance told me to do that too) and I wasn’t thinking about my letter.