Quickly, I place my hand on my leg and glance around the room to make sure no one caught a lapse of letting my guard down. It’s bad enough I have a large red flag in the form of a brace on my wrist, reminding everyone of the day that I let my emotions get the best of me.
Landon’s voice cuts through my never ending thoughts and I focus my attention on him.
“Well. I’ll commend you all on a job well done. You have done everything I would have done and more. Unfortunately, I agree with you. Whoever this is, he’s an expert and didn’t want anyone finding him.”
Great. Even the leader of this entire organization looks just as lost as everyone else is.
“So, what would you advise us to do next?” Zoro asks.
Wesley leans forward, his hands balling and resting on the table. “You sit and wait for them to mess up.”
Indy’s eyes narrow and he briefly glances at his husband before returning his attention back to Wesley.
“You’re going to need to explain to us common, non-psychotic folks what you mean, almighty dark lord?” Harper’s voice is full of sarcasm and maybe a hint of hatred. Her eyes never meet Wesley’s, but the look he is drilling into the side of her head could kill someone on the spot.
Leaning over, he whispers something in her ear before turning his attention back to the group. “My apologies. Harper is jealous that she doesn’t share the same instincts that we do within Resilience.” He pauses for a brief moment as Harper drives her elbow into his ribs. Hard. My eyes widen at his lack of reaction and glance at Tucker, who mouths “scary”, before turning his attention back to the table.
“Whoever is responsible is a professional. They have done this before. You have exhausted all your attempts at finding him and it has been unsuccessful. Now you wait for them to mess up. Even the most trained killer cannot stay hidden for long. Especially because they kidnapped Aries while he was on a mission. They are waiting for you to give up and strike you when you least expect it. All you can do is sit back and wait for them to come to you. And when they do, be ready, because this will be your only chance at getting Aries back. That is, if he is still breathing.”
It feels as if a knife is stabbing me in the chest at Wesley’s casual innuendo that Aries may not be alive at this point rings in the air.
Logan leans forward, her eyes narrowing at Wesley. “Nice delivery. You couldn’t have just told them to be prepared? You had to throw in that last jab?”
Wesley shrugs and sits back against the booth, clearly done with the conversation.
Geez. That man is terrifying.
“Although his delivery may be off, Wes is right. All we can do is wait.” Landon looks to me and continues, “Taylor. I’ve heard your skills are excellent. You will be crucial when they expose themselves, so even if you come across something that looks like a dead end, explore it.”
I nod, and a bit of pride fills my chest at my obsessive digging. The past nearly two months have been futile, but if the leader of the most lethal and successful mercenary group thinks I should continue on my path, I sure as hell will.
The rest of the room erupts in chatter and I excuse myself, needing a break from the noise.
My feet move quickly and as soon as I shut my door, I walk straight to my bed and fall face first into the mattress.
An overwhelming wave of exhaustion hits me and I feel myself drift off to sleep, the mental and physical stress of the past few months smacking me in the face.
Where are you, Aries? Just give me one sign and I will come running.
Chapter Seven
Aries
“Thecourtrewardsfullcustody of Rayne Clark to Aries Clark. It will award Ms. Malott one afternoon per week with the child under the supervision of Mrs. Nancy Malott, Mr. Clark, or Mr. Boone Davidson. A thirty-day suspension of Ms. Malott’s visitation will follow any failure of the mandatory weekly drug screenings. At which time, the court will perform a second drug screening and if Ms. Malott passes, we will reinstate her visitation.”
The bang of the judge’s gavel echoes throughout the court, and Boone and I wait for him to exit the courtroom before speaking.
The second he does, I turn to Boone and just as my mouth opens, Tana’s screaming interrupts us. Her arms fly around her and the only thing stopping her from leaping over the table is her mother, Nancy.
“You stupid son of a bitch! How dare you take my child from me! You will regret the day you crossed me, you sorry sack of shit.”
A huff of laughter escapes me, and I make my way around the table and toward the exit. I stop just in front of the small wooden gate and look over my shoulder at her. “Rayne needs a mother in her life and that will always be my number one priority. But you need to get sober and think about what truly matters. Until that is your daughter, I have nothing else to say to you. Goodbye Tana. Nancy, see you next weekend.”
I don’t stick around to hear Tana’s rebuttal; she screams at me as I walk out of the courtroom. My little girl is with a random social worker and I need her back safely in my arms, where she belongs.
Unfortunately for me, I had no idea what was waiting for me just a few short weeks after that successful day.
I shake my head to rid the thoughts from the first day of my ticket to hell and let my attention fall back to the water dripping on the floor from a leak in the ceiling.
