Fate’s Unseen Shadow (Cager #1)

Chapter 17

17

D amon and Ella stood along River Street in Savannah, Georgia, as the bars started to open for the day. Some people were already out, walking the iconic street. A few others jogged along the riverfront, sweating in the late May heat. He and Xavier had come here a couple of times in their twenties, drunk too many adult slushies, and gotten into a few fights. And now he reached for Ella’s hand, a completely different man than he was back then.

“I haven’t been here in ages,” Damon said, looking around as they waited for the others to arrive. “Keep your sunglasses on as much as you can.” With a hard sigh, he added, “Please.”

She lifted her face to his for a kiss. “That looked like it hurt, but thanks for the effort.”

“I just want you safe.” He kissed her, once again, disappointed he hadn’t gotten to spend today alone with her. He needed time to figure out this thing between them. It felt too real too fast. Especially for him. He’d never considered being in a serious relationship before. And now, after a handful of days, the idea of her leaving to go back to her life in Atlanta left a knot in his stomach.

Because his attraction to her was a world away from simply physical.

“They made it,” Ella announced as Slater parked.

“Don’t you two look like a cute couple.” Slater climbed out of the passenger side. “Like one of those romance movies my mom watches.”

Xavier shot out of the driver’s side. “God! I love this damn thing.” He tossed Slater his keys. “Thanks.”

Slater grabbed them in midair. “I don’t know why you don’t buy a sports car. You obviously enjoy cars.”

He shrugged. “Why buy one when I can drive yours, Damon’s, Ryker’s bikes, and now Ella’s hundred-thousand-dollar sedan? I pick friends with good taste in cars.”

“Speaking of Ryker, where is he?” Damon pulled out his phone to look up his location. “He usually beats us places on his bike.”

“Well, we drove down the interstate first to let the little boy play with his toy.” Slater turned as Ryker revved his bike twice, rolling into the parking lot.

He parked beside Damon’s car and killed the engine. He pulled off his helmet. “That was intense as shit. Thanks for running scout.”

“I don’t get it,” Ella said to Damon.

“Slater and Xavier drove ahead of him to warn him of any police.” Damon shook his head. “How long did it take you?”

“An hour.”

Ella’s mouth fell open. “That’s not safe. You took an hour off the drive.”

Ryker removed his gloves. “I wore my gear.”

“Not sure gear will save you if you hit something going 120 mph, but keep telling yourself that.” Slater walked behind Ryker and flipped down his license plate from where he’d tucked it to hide it from the cops. “I used to hate shitheads like you.”

“And now you ask to borrow my bike.” He dismounted the motorcycle. “What’s our first move?”

“Not sure. I spent all morning ejecting men out of the bed with women. Except for you, of course,” Xavier said, smirking at Ryker. “Not sure when I’ll get to mess with you again.”

“Me, neither,” he said with a hard sigh. “Why do you think I wanted to go fast? I need some thrill in my life.”

Slater popped him on the shoulder. “You could try and find yourself a woman. A real one.”

He looked down as he unzipped his jacket. “I could, except I’m really into this woman online, and I don’t want to find someone to just…date,” he said as he glanced at Ella.

Damon appreciated his change in verbs. “Let’s focus on why we’re here. We can split up and cover more ground. Talk to the bar owners. See if anyone remembers anything.”

“I agree.” Xavier took out his phone. “Mom is waiting by the phone if we have any more questions.”

Damon slid his hand underneath Ella’s hair, his fingers rolling over the pearls, his memory jumping back to last night. His body tightened. He cleared his throat to get it under control. “Let’s head to the bar where the mom said he left his phone. It’s at the corner of this block. We need security footage. I’ll talk to this owner. Ryker and Ella can walk to the other businesses and see if they will let you tap into their security cameras.” Damon leaned close to Ella’s ear. “Stay with him and keep a low profile.”

“I will.” She glanced over at the water. “What are the odds this kid is in the river?”

“Not zero. But if he fell in anywhere with people around, someone would’ve seen it and reported it.”

Slater fell in step with Damon. “I called the local police to let them know we were here.”

“How did that go?”

“Fine. They’re still thankful for our help finding that little boy two years ago. Their hands are tied as to when to start a missing person search for an adult without suspicious circumstances.”

“True. But even if he went home with someone, he would’ve gotten his phone. Kids these days would not have gone this long without a phone.” He paused outside the restaurant, lifting Ella’s face to his with a finger underneath her chin. “Stay with Ryker.” He kissed her, and when he raised his head, he looked at Ryker. “Keep her safe.”

Ryker lifted the bottom edge of his shirt, revealing the butt end of a gun. “You know I will. Come on, Ella. Let’s see if we can talk these owners into letting us have their security footage.”

“Does anyone ever refuse?” Ella asked.

“Yes, they do. But the ones with servers online, I can get into regardless.”

They headed to the next group of bars, Damon watching her leave. He didn’t need the distraction. That’s why he’d sent her with Ryker. But the worry would be a constant distraction regardless.

Xavier set his hand on Damon’s shoulder. “You know she’ll be fine. No one looking for her expects her to be in broad daylight at noon in Savannah, Georgia. She doesn’t even look like the same woman. And Ryker’s a good man. He’ll protect her with his life.”

“Wouldn’t let her go with him if I didn’t think that. And I know I can’t keep her locked away, but the idea of her disappearing now is scarier than before. I hate admitting it.”

Shaking his head, Slater looked back at him as they entered the bar. “Hopefully, we won’t have to wait long to solve Ella’s case. That meeting is set up for tomorrow, right?”

“Yes. Face-to-face with Julia Cassin. Based on the little bit I got from Ella, she’s a piece of work. But that’s tomorrow’s problem.”

The place smelled old and musty, like a mix of dirty mop water that needed to be changed and a damp carpet that hadn’t dried since 1983. The interior reminded him of a ship—polished wooden floors, walls, and ceilings. Random nautical decorations had been nailed around, like a wooden ship wheel and a net with a fake starfish. And no bar was complete without a wooden replica of a carved topless woman, typically mounted to the bow of the ship.

And being a bar frequented by intoxicated males, of course the two spots for the breasts looked worn from years of groping.

“What can I get you guys to drink?” a man asked from behind the bar. His hair was shoulder-length and greasy brown. His skin was pale and had a million freckles. He wore a blue T-shirt with the same wooden topless statue on the front, along with the name of the bar.

“Is the owner here?” Damon asked.

“No, but I’m the manager.” He pushed up his glasses. “What can I help you with? Are you the police?”

“No. We got a call from a worried mom that her son hasn’t come home and hasn’t contacted her. She asked us to help since the police won’t start a search yet. She’s tracing his phone to this location since Friday. Do you have a lost and found?”

“We do.”

“If I call the phone and it rings, will you give it to me?” Xavier asked with his phone already in his hand. “His mom gave me his number.”

“Sure. You said the kid hadn’t called his mom. Might make sense if his phone is here.” The guy pulled out a box underneath the bar. “It’s not strange for people to take a day or two to come looking for their phone.” The box had about seven cell phones.

Xavier called the phone number.

A phone in the box rang, and Damon picked it up. The screen showed one percent and then shut down.

“We know he was here at least,” Xavier said from behind him. “Do you have security cameras in here?”

“Of course. I can pull them for Friday night if you’d like.”

“That would be great, thanks. Our tech guy will be back to download it. Do you remember anything unusual happening Friday night?” Xavier held up his phone. “This is the kid we are looking for.”

The manager nodded. “Oh, yeah. I remember him. He sang karaoke. It was karaoke night Friday.”

“Did he seem drunk?” Xavier asked.

“They all seem drunk.”

“Fair enough.” Damon looked around. “Do you have a back door?”

“Yes. It opens to an alley behind us.” He leaned forward and pointed toward a darkened hallway. “Over there.”

“Do you care if I leave that way?”

“I don’t guess so. Walk down the hall and then turn right and then immediately left. There’s an Exit sign above the door.”

Damon turned around. “Slater, go out front and wait on Ryker. Xavier, come with me.”

They walked through the restaurant, and the smell of musty wood was no better in the back than it had been in the front. He shoved open the metal door, and another pungent odor hit him. “Savannah is full of unique smells.”

Xavier laughed and followed him out the door. They looked up and down the alley.

“Are you simply checking it out, or do you have an idea?” Xavier asked. “His friends told his mom that it was like he disappeared. One minute he was there and then gone.”

Damon hesitated before answering. “I’m wondering if there are any cameras back here that would’ve captured him leaving.”

They stood in silence for a minute before Xavier huffed. “We don’t have much to go on right now.”

“Sure as hell don’t,” he muttered. They headed down the alley. The concrete looked wet even though it hadn’t rained in a few days. The alley was the width of one car with a small walkway running in front of the rear entrances to businesses. They passed two women, walking hand in hand, but otherwise it was empty.

“Can you imagine being drunk and trying to figure out where the hell you are?” They left the narrow area, and Xavier pointed at a staircase. It looked as if it went straight up. “I’d bust my ass going up or down that drunk.”

“I’d pay to watch that.” Damon crossed the cobblestone area to the large dumpster in the corner and peeked over the edge of the blue metal container.

“Anything?” Xavier asked.

“Trash.” Hating to do it, he inhaled. “But I don’t smell anything else.” As in a decomposing body.

“Good.” Xavier headed down the short hill back to River Street, and Damon followed. They turned the corner as Ella and Ryker exited a bar two doors down. Ryker held his laptop, working with one hand.

Ella wore Ryker’s black book bag, looking like a normal tourist in her oversized sunglasses.

“Are you doing good with Ella?”

Damon glanced at Xavier. “What do you mean?”

“It seems like the two of you danced around this thing for a few days, and then bam! You’re together. Like, together together. Not just starting out, dating. Are you worried?”

He frowned. “About what?”

“About when her name is clear and she can return to her old life. Are you worried about what happens then? With the two of you.”

He studied her as she came their direction. “Think about it a lot. So much so that I’m having difficulty staying focused on what’s happening right now.”

“With her in Savannah and working this case?”

“No. I can compartmentalize the case. I want to stop worrying about the future and enjoy our time together. But it’s hard to jump in with the future uncertain. Especially hers. She’s relying on me.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And I’m worried I’m going to let her down. I don’t like this feeling. You know I don’t play what-if games.”

“I know it.”

“But last night, I kept running through scenarios, and it’s driving me fucking crazy. Like what if we can’t clear her name? What if she goes to prison? What if we clear her name, and she goes back to her life, and this thing is over? What if this thing between us is bigger for me than it is for her? I don’t like being so unsettled. For her, this is only a small part of her life.”

“And for you?”

Damon tore his eyes away from Ella to look at Xavier. “For me? She’s it.”

“Damn,” Xavier said, smiling. “I’m happy for you.”

“But that’s another problem. Ella is it for me. I don’t know Elizabeth Cassin.” God, and saying it aloud made the worry real.

“You’re right with your first statement. This isn’t like you. You make a plan, and you stick to it. Stop second-guessing yourself.”

“And what exactly is my plan again? Because planning to fall for a billionaire wanted for murder in less than five days wasn’t on my bingo card when I woke up last Wednesday.”

“You’re so damn dramatic.” Xavier stepped in front of him, blocking his view of Ella. “I’m glad you found someone like her. And you’d be an idiot not to take the chance and see where this goes. As for the actual plan, it’s simple. We find the killer and clear her name. That’s the only plan you need to worry about. Everything else will fall into place.”

Damon nodded, appreciating the focus. “I can do that.”

“Then, when she’s allowed to return to her life, you convince her to stay.”

“And that’s where the plan falls the fuck apart.”

Ella and Ryker walked up to where they stood on the sidewalk.

“Any success?” Damon asked, trying to not let his annoyance at Xavier leak into his tone.

Ella headed straight to him, slipping an arm around his uninjured side. “You’ll have to ask your buddy. He wouldn’t let me look at anything.”

Her presence made the tension drain from his body. He kissed the top of her head, then addressed Ryker. “How did it go?”

“Everyone gave us access. I’m organizing the files,” he said, preoccupied with his one-handed typing.

Kissing her lips, Damon smiled. “Is that what you wanted?”

“Yes.” She smiled, resting her hand on his stomach. “Did you have luck?”

“Found the cell phone.” He directed his next statement to Ryker. “The bar said you can get their footage, too. Did any of the places you visited have cameras on the back door?”

“One did. I wondered if he left that way.”

“Me, too. Why don’t you two post up at the bar where he disappeared? Give you a chance to look at the videos?” Damon took Ella’s hand. “I’m going to walk down River Street and back with Ella. I doubt I’ll find anything, but I want to know what’s around. It’s been a while since I’ve come down here. They’ve added on since then.”

Ella passed Ryker’s book bag to Xavier.

Kissing the back of Ella’s hand, Damon murmured, “Come on,” and started to walk down River Street. He scanned the area, searching for anything that might be related to the case, but his effort was shit with her beside him and Xavier’s “pep talk” still rolling in his mind.

“Is there anything you miss from your old life? Aside from your work?” he asked, even though he was worried about her answer. Because if she missed something he couldn’t give her, she’d leave.

“Travel. I used to take so many trips. I realized how hard I worked when I watched my father work himself into a heart attack. In the last year, I changed my schedule. I gave myself Mondays to get my life in order. And every few months, I try to sneak away alone and go somewhere for a few days. I might read, sightsee, or sleep, depending on what I need. I used to think it was leaving work behind and resting. But being here makes me realize that I really just enjoyed seeing new places. Today is nice.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “Can we go somewhere when this is over?”

“Yes,” he said so quickly, she picked her head up to look at him. He tried to cover it up with a small smile. “We’ll go anywhere you want.”

She grinned, moving in front of him and walking backward. She pushed her sunglasses up on her head, her blue eyes squinting in the warm sun. “You’ll like my private jet.”

“Will I?”

“Yes. I’ve never taken anyone on it with me aside from Teddy and my father.” She leaned forward. “It has a bed,” she said, her voice dropping into a flirty whisper.

He chuckled. “I’m assuming you want to use this bed.”

“Yup.” She stopped walking, but he continued, wrapping her up in a hug. “I want the pilot to wonder if he hit turbulence.”

“I’ll do my best.” He looked past her, the reason he was in Savannah coming back in the next second. “There’s some construction up ahead past the market.”

Ella looked over her shoulder before stepping back to his side. “Does that mean something for today?”

“Maybe. This means there are a lot of hazards. Or if there was foul play, that’s an easy place to dump the body.”

She tightened her hand in his. “Do you think he’s dead?”

“I hope not. I never assume someone is dead. He’s a nineteen-year-old kid who got drunk. A million things could’ve happened to him. And he wouldn’t be the first drunk kid to do something stupid that got him hurt or, yes, killed.”

“How long do you think this will take?”

“For us? Only until the police start the search. We’ll back off. I hate it he’s missing, but we need to focus on kids. That’s why we started. I agreed to today because of Ryker. I knew if we could get access to the security cameras that we could give the police a shove in the right direction.” Damon turned to face her. “We need to head back and see if he found him in the videos. If we at least get his last known location, then maybe we can find a freaking clue as to where to start the search.”

“Okay.” She tipped her face up, and he brushed back her hair.

“I’m glad you came with me.” He dipped down, drawing her into a soft kiss that stayed on that narrow edge of pushing for more. But he ended it, needing to go back to the others.

“I’m glad I came, too.”

As they drew closer to the bar, Xavier strode out, Slater behind him.

“What is it?” Damon asked, sensing something was off.

“Got a pic of the kid. You were right. Stumbled out the back door. The security camera of the bar two doors down caught it.” Xavier looked at Ella and then Slater. “And right into what looked like a drug deal.”

Slater’s face remained devoid of emotion. Not a good sign. “Caught the entire thing on camera. PD are on their way. Ryker is staying here to meet them and show them what we got.”

Damon dropped his arm from Ella. “Where are the two of you headed?”

“To check the dumpster on the next street over,” Xavier answered, as he and Slater had already begun to walk away.

“Dammit,” Damon muttered. He handed Ella the key to his car. “Drive home.”

“What?” She held up her hands. “No. I can wait with Ryker. I’ll stay out of the way.”

“Ryker is meeting the police.” At her stubbornness, he repeated it. “The police , Ella.”

It seemed to dawn on her. “Oh. Got it. But?—”

“Drive home. Go the speed limit.” He walked with Ella to his car, waiting until she climbed inside. When she was safely on the road, he turned and jogged, catching up to Xavier and Slater at the end of the block. “What did the video show?”

“Him getting gunned down. Point-blank shot to the chest.” Slater took faster steps. “He’s dead. Just don’t know where.”

“Fuck.” They rounded the corner, and Damon could smell it. Not strong, but it was there. The other guys did as well, everyone slowing their walk a little bit. He’d checked the other end of the alley but not this direction.

“We need to wait,” Slater said, stopping ten feet from the dumpster.

“Who is going to call his mom?” The men looked at each other.

Damon closed his eyes, part of his mind going numb with the job he had to do. “I will. But let’s first confirm the body.” That last shred of hope would remain until the police confirmed what they knew. The kid was gone. Before Ella had come into his world, he’d processed the grief and sadness and moved on with his life. Now, each case seemed to turn into a what-if situation where he was faced with the reality that he might not be able to save Ella in the end.

What if the next person he was searching for was Ella?

What if he couldn’t save her?

What if he found her only to lose her?