Steel Rush (In the Shadows#5) (38 page)

I hold my hand up. “Wait…where did you find a connection between Phillip and Brent before now?”

She shrugs. “I didn’t. When I discovered that Phillip happened to own the abandoned Opera house where Thomas’s body was found left in a Dumpster, I passed it off as coincidence because Phillip owns a lot of properties. I assumed he was hoping to cash in on the revitalization project as it expanded in the Lower East End.” She pauses, her brow puckering as she rests her palms on both folders. “But now, I don’t think that’s the case.”

I pick up the stack of papers from the shoe business I was looking through earlier, my hands shaking. “If Brent killed a previous fighter for refusing to take a dive…who’s to say he didn’t try to again?” Setting the papers down, I quickly flip through them, then turn the page, pointing to his full name: Brent Tremmel. “Brent was the one shooting at us!”

When I pull out my phone to call Calder, Talia puts her hand over mine. “Wait, Cass.” She flips the pages forward, then turns the whole thing back to me. “Or it could’ve been someone else.”

I stare at her finger next to another name: Phillip Hemming. A comment Ben made about his father’s fury over his guns being been removed from his home comes back to me and I nod. “You’re right. It could’ve been Phillip.”

Talia’s face sets in determined lines. “This is what you call a pattern, where Phillip and Brent’s lives have crossed in multiple paths.” Lifting her hand from the paper, she nods. “Now you can call Calder.”

“Call me about what?” Calder says as he and Sebastian step off the elevator.

Once we fill Sebastian and Calder in on the details, Calder’s fist is clenched tight around his duffle bag’s strap. “After this fight is over, beyond running an illegal business, the charges against Brent will include Thomas’s murder and our attempted murders.”

“But you only have a partial shoe print. It could just as easily have been Phillip,” Talia reminds him. “Both men have proved they’re willing to commit murder.”

“We’ll present both of them as suspects for the shootings against Calder and Cass. Hopefully forensics will be able to determine which one is responsible.” Sebastian glances at both folders. “As for the other, it makes sense why Phillip would remain in the shadows as a silent partner with Brent in the EUC. With his strong political affiliations, he couldn’t be directly tied to an illegal business like the EUC, so he used layers of shell corporations to hide the money he’s gained from financing that business.”

I gesture to Brent’s folder. “When I tried to talk to Beth about Brent’s questionable business, she defended him saying that Brent is just getting his business ready so he could quickly pivot to a legitimate business once MMA was legalized. He would already have a high-end clientele base and the reputation EUC has established for delivering great bouts. So yes, that ties in with what you’re saying.”

Calder narrows his gaze. “From Phillip’s self-serving perspective, who better to align himself with than the people who have the political power to decide MMA’s fate in New York. He made sure he was poised to benefit the moment the vote finally passed making MMA legal.”

I shake my head at the intricate web of deceit Phillip had pulled people into. “I know Talia couldn’t find any ties, but it’s hard for me to believe that Jake isn’t one of the partners.”

Talia shrugs. “Unless all his money is in his father’s accounts and everything is in Phillip’s name, it’s just not there. He lives off his law firm earnings.”

Setting his duffle back down, Calder snorts and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me close. “Jake doesn’t have his father’s business savvy or cunning. The guy wouldn’t have a clue what to do with that kind of money, let alone know how to hide it.”

“At least we have a lot more to give the police to help with the charges,” Talia says as she glances at her watch. “Oh…it’s getting late. We’d better go get ready.”

Sebastian clasps her elbow. “About that. I was only able to get two tickets via a third party. I need Theo with me as backup, since Calder said the metal detectors would go off if we carried.”

Talia stares at her husband. “I feel like I should go, Sebastian.”

He shakes his head. “You’re safer here.”

She frowns. “I thought it was because you only have two tickets?”

The tension swelling between them is palpable and I totally understand her frustration. I want to go, but I won’t push it. Calder will be distracted if I’m there and he needs to focus on the fight. While Talia and Sebastian face off in a silent contest of wills, Calder lifts his bag and tugs me toward the guest bedroom, saying, “I’m going to get ready.”

As soon as he shuts the door, I sit on the bed and silently watch him change from a button down shirt and jeans to black shorts and running shoes. I study his technique as he winds black tape around his left wrist and palm, then he puts strips of tape between each finger before running the tape around his palm several times.

Once he cuts the end of the tape off, I stand and take the roll, then tape up his right hand for him using the same technique. When he moves his fighting gloves and mouth guard to an outside zip-up pocket in his duffle bag, then puts a towel and change of clothes in the main pouch, I hand him extra gauze and medical tape to keep his stitches covered and clean. As he tucks them away, I watch the raven wing and skull tattoo on his back flex and move with his muscles. The tattoo has faded a bit, looking more worn into his skin. Calder told me that’s the reason he gets it done a few days early so it’ll look like he’s had it for a while. The tough street fighter, Steel, is transforming to life right before my eyes. As magnificent as his body is like this, I don’t want to think about the fact he’ll be in a ring fighting another guy who’s determined to beat the shit out of him.

When he turns to face me, I take his dog tags off and slip them around his neck. My heart aches a little without them, since they’ve been on me the past couple of days, but they’re part of his Steel persona and belong with him tonight. “For luck.”

Calder winks at me, then hands me the tape to wrap up his tags. Once I’m done, I tap the tags and give a wry smile. “I like wearing them. They make me think of you.”

Calder touches my neck and frowns. “I don’t like seeing a bruise on you.”

“Then stop biting me,” I say, snickering.

He lifts his gaze to mine, regret flickering. “Is that what you want, Cass?”

I lift up on my tiptoes and whisper against his jaw. “
Never.
”

He instantly cups my face and presses his mouth against mine in a tender, lingering kiss. Breaking our kiss, he pulls something out of his shorts pocket and moves close to hook it around my neck. When the material tightens and I realize it’s a choker, my stomach does somersaults. All the doubts I felt earlier about us floats away. To Calder…I’m his.

I inhale his wonderful scent and when he lifts his head to meet my gaze, my fingers instantly move to my throat. I smile at the feel of the leather under my fingers. “I really missed this,” I say, excited to have it back.

Calder’s eyes shift to a deeper green as he slides his thumb along the leather band to touch the silver raven in front. “It looks perfect on you. I expect you to be wearing this and nothing else when I get back tonight.”

I admire his confidence and freaking adore his swagger. Wrapping my arms around his hard waist, I lay my head on his muscular chest and listen to his heart’s steady thump. After a full minute of basking in his hold, I look up at him. “You’d better come back to me,
able
to make good on that implied promise.”

“Tell me you love me,” he says, folding his arms around my body.

I slide my hands up his muscular back and grin. “I do.”

His gaze narrows. “When I get back I’m going to make you pay for teasing me.” Crushing me to him, he drops a kiss on my nose. “Be prepared to be ruthlessly provoked, then well-fucked, angel. I can’t wait to watch you come apart with my necklace on.” As a shiver of anticipation rushes across my skin, he moves his lips to my ear, his voice husky with heat. “This time around I will fill you up until you’re overflowing.”

After I snicker at the contrast of Sebastian wearing a tux as he stands beside Calder in a sweatshirt, shorts and sneakers, I walk up to Calder and kiss his jaw, then whisper in his ear, “I love you. Now go kick ass.”

Talia presses her lips together and doesn’t say anything when Sebastian kisses her on the temple.

Once the men leave, I sit down on the couch beside her and tuck her auburn hair behind her ear. “Why are you so upset with Sebastian? It’s not like you can take out a two-hundred-pound bad guy like your man can. And with two Navy SEALs there watching over him, Calder will be much safer.”

Talia lifts her shoulders. “It’s not that, Cass. Of course I want Calder to be as protected as possible. It’s just…” She looks away and sighs.

“What?” I poke her ribs to make her look at me.

Taking a deep breath, she exhales quickly. “I just have this feeling I should be there. I can’t explain it.”

I eye her, my chest tightening. “How strong is this feeling?”

She curls her fist against her stomach. “Deep in my gut.” Her green eyes flick to mine. “I almost feel sick, Cass.”

I exhale slowly and reach for my purse leaning against the couch. “Sebastian is going to kill me,” I mumble and lay the ticket that Beth gave me on her thigh.

Talia’s eyes widen and she looks up at me. “Where’d you get this?”

“Beth gave it to me.” I point to the envelope. “This event’s secret location is at an old abandoned ice rink. The address is inside with your ticket.”

When Talia jumps up and runs into her room to find a dress, I call out, “Please be careful!”

I wait a half hour after Talia leaves to pick up Calder’s phone he’d left on the island. Flipping through his address book, I find Sebastian’s number. I figure that thirty minutes is long enough that Sebastian won’t send her home, but there’s no way I’m letting my best friend head over to that abandoned ice rink alone, no matter how strong her gut instinct is.

Me: This is Cass. Talia is about ten minutes behind you. Wait for her!

Sebastian: Be glad you caught me before I went inside or I’d have your hide.

Me: Women’s intuition. She needs to be there.

Fifteen minutes later, I finally get a text back.

Sebastian: Got her. Thanks for having her back.

Me: Crack open that EUC!

Setting my phone down, I smile, admiring Talia for sticking to her guns about her instincts. I should trust mine more. I stare at Brent and Phillip’s folders, shaking my head. I just can’t believe that Phillip would have a business relationship with Brent that didn’t include Jake, considering that’s most likely how Brent knows Phillip in the first place.

Frowning, I pull Brent’s folder toward me and open it, turning to the page on financial holdings. I skim until I find the corporation Talia talked about, the one with the sum of money she couldn’t identify. My gaze freezes on the company name.

ScrapE.

I jerk my head up, my heart racing. “Holy shit!”