Fate’s Unseen Shadow (Cager #1)

Chapter 28

28

“ T ell them to park on the south side. Her condo overlooks the CS Building, and we can’t risk being seen. If she’s dead because you made me wait?—”

“Stop,” Xavier demanded. “We’re better together and almost there. Do not go inside.”

Damon ground his teeth and continued to pace outside Ella’s apartment building, Xavier keeping him on the phone to stall him into not going in on his own. He knew the reason but hated waiting.

Finally, thirty minutes later, the rest of the crew pulled up. Slater and Ryker in Slater’s car and Xavier in Ella’s sedan.

Jeff pulled into a spot behind them. He rounded the front of his patrol car and pointed at Slater as he headed down the sidewalk. “You’re a stupid piece of shit for driving that way. No lights. Over a hundred.”

“Write me a ticket,” Slater shot back, pulling out his gun. “Ready?” he asked Damon.

Xavier pulled out his as well. “I’m going in with him. You stay out here in case they run.”

Slater frowned but didn’t contradict him.

Ryker flew out of Slater’s car, holding up his phone. “It’s Walker. He called Cager, and Lacy gave him my number.”

Damon snatched the phone and flipped it to speaker. “Walker?”

“Shut up and listen. Yeah, I took her. Wrecked your car and brought her to Atlanta.”

“You’re dead.” Damon took a breath to tell him exactly how he’d kill him?—

“Wait!” Walker said. “I called to help. But before I tell you anything, I want full immunity from the cops and you four. I can tell you where she is, who’s there, and their plans. But I’m not giving that over without a few promises.”

“Fine for us,” Damon agreed, staring hard at Jeff. “Are you in, detective?”

Jeff wrestled with the idea for three solid seconds before nodding. “Fine. Where can we locate her?”

“I don’t have her. They do. But they gave me two hundred thousand, and she said she’d make it a million if I found you and gave you the information. Can she do that? Can I get my million?”

“Yes,” Damon said, impatient. “Where is she?”

“I want it right now.”

“And I want her!” he snapped.

Xavier took the phone from Damon’s hand. “You’re about to break it.”

Ryker shook his head. “We can’t transfer the money from her account without her.” He sent the FBI a bland smile. “People don’t like it when I screw with the banking system.”

Agent Tillman rolled her eyes.

“I have it,” Damon announced. “Give Ryker your account information. Ryker, transfer the money. Where is she, Walker? I swear if she dies before I get there, I’m going to bury you with that million.”

“At her place,” he blurted out. “Julia shot Davies in the face for killing her son. That’s one crazy bitch. After that, I got the fuck out of there. Not what I signed up for. Man, you should have seen Ella. When she found out her stepmom killed her dad, fucking headbutted the old lady. Sent her to the ground.”

“That’s our girl,” Slater announced with pride.

“Matteo disabled the cameras in the building. You’re good to get up there without being noticed. They’re having her sign over her ownership and her bank accounts. Okay. That’s all I have. I want my money.”

Damon looked to Ryker and Slater. “If something happens and she can get free, she’ll come out those doors. Get her out of here. Don’t wait on us. Get her away from here.” He handed Ryker back his helmet. “You guys take care of her if anything happens to me.”

“Of course,” Ryker said, frowning at the request.

Damon gave Xavier a hard look and pulled out his gun.

“Last time,” Xavier said, reading his mind before they took off across the street, Jeff right behind them.

“I need to remind you both that you’re not authorized…” Jeff trailed off as Xavier rounded on him, pulling him up by his shirt front.

“We all want Ella safe. If you stay out of our way, we can do that. If you don’t know what we’re capable of, you’re about to have a front row seat.” Xavier dropped him and pushed into the building behind Damon. Both had lowered their weapons but kept at a jog to the elevators. “Top floor.”

The ride was silent, Jeff wiping sweat off his upper lip. The peaceful elevator music out of place.

Xavier stood stoic, facing the door with zero emotion.

Damon was a damn wreck inside.

He closed his eyes, getting it under control. Deep, long breaths. This wasn’t the end. “If Matteo doesn’t cooperate and Ella’s life is at risk, I’m shooting. You can call that premeditated.”

Damon’s statement was met with silence.

The elevator doors opened.

Xavier motioned Damon to go first. “I have your back, brother.”

They took silent steps down the hall, Jeff trailing along as before. “This isn’t protocol at all,” he muttered under his breath.

“Nope.” Xavier chambered a round in his gun. “Unlike your protocols, the man that plans to kill Ella has lost all right to live.”

Damon pressed his ear against the door. He listened, hearing two voices. And then a third. Two women and one man. He let out a breath and nodded at Xavier. Based on what Walker had said, she was still alive. Now, they had to get inside without pushing Matteo into killing her immediately. He tried the doorknob.

Unlocked.

Surprising, but he’d take the advantage.

Xavier moved flat against the hallway wall on one side and Jeff on the other as Damon eased the door open a crack and dropped to a crouch. From this angle, he heard they were in the living room, but he couldn’t see them.

“Sign these and then write down the rest of your bank accounts.”

“I don’t know the account numbers off the top of my head.”

“That’s bullshit, Elizabeth. You have an incredible memory for numbers. Write them down.”

Damon inched the door open enough to move silently into the condo.

Xavier moved in behind him, crawling into the kitchen to the second opening to the living room.

Damon motioned for Jeff to stay back.

The man scowled, but he did as Damon said.

After moving a few feet on his stomach, Damon paused at the last wall between himself and the living room.

Davies’s body lay to his left, the blood having spread around his head.

Damon readjusted his grip on his gun. Matteo would be next.

“Hurry up,” Matteo demanded. “You’re so slow.”

“She’s always been difficult.” Julia shifted, footsteps in the living room moving away from Damon.

Damon lifted his chin to alert Xavier.

Xavier nodded, readjusting his weight, crouched and ready.

“Don’t you remember my wedding to her father? Didn’t want to wear the dress I picked out for her.”

“That’s because it was ugly,” Ella said with such an exasperated voice, Damon caught himself before smiling. God, he loved her.

This was not how it would end.

He’d have a long life with her. No other alternatives.

Julia turned the corner, walking into the kitchen.

Only three steps in, Xavier struck. Hand over her mouth, he swept her to the ground, catching her to avoid any noise. He put her in a chokehold, her body going limp a few seconds later.

One down.

“Is that all of your accounts?” Matteo asked.

“Yes.”

“Good. Now, sign your new will. It gives Julia all your stock.”

Ella groaned. “Matteo, no one that knows me will believe this. Doesn’t it need a witness?”

“Don’t worry about that. We have plenty of witnesses that can be bought. What the hell?”

Damon froze.

“You have a bank account in Switzerland?” Matteo continued “You never told me that. How much is there?”

Ella lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. Fifty million by now. Dad set it up for me on my thirteenth birthday. I haven’t needed to touch it.”

“Too bad you aren’t better in bed. Might have ditched Julia for you permanently.”

“Me? You sucked in bed. Can’t say I realized that then, but now I do.”

“Because you’re screwing one of those guys Julia hired to find you? You’ll sleep with anyone that looks your way, won’t you?” It sounded as though Matteo had walked across the room.

Damon readied, as did Xavier.

“Julia?” Matteo called as he rounded the corner on Damon’s side.

Damon stood, pressing the gun against Matteo’s forehead. “Sorry. She took a nap.”

Matteo stumbled back, dashing to Ella as she stood from the sofa and grabbing her before Damon could get a clear shot.

He jerked Ella in front of him. “What the hell?” He pointed the gun at Damon and then at Ella’s head. “I’ll shoot her. Leave.”

“You plan to shoot her regardless.” Damon moved toward the hitman, drawing Matteo’s attention to the far side of the room, away from Xavier. “Are you okay, baby?”

Ella nodded with wide eyes.

He looked over her face. “Did he hit you?”

“Yes. So did Walker,” she said.

“I’ll handle him later.”

“I headbutted Julia,” she said with a lot of satisfaction. “She killed my dad.”

He could see the large cut that would need stitches at the top of her forehead. A streak of blood had trailed down her temple and dripped onto her shirt. “Slater is proud.” Damon adjusted his hand on the pistol. It was incredible how easily facing off with someone had came back to him. However, instead of a gun pointed at Xavier’s head by a combatant, it was Ella. Xavier was his brother. But Ella was his world.

He kept his eyes trained on Matteo as Xavier crawled silently through the living room.

“What now, Matteo? What’s your plan? You shoot Ella, I shoot you. You shoot me, Detective Moore over there will shoot you.” Damon called over his shoulder. “Jeff, it’s your turn to come out here and introduce yourself. You remember Ella.”

Answering the summons, Jeff left his hiding spot, gun drawn, but pointed at the ground.

“Do it,” Ella said.

Damon subtly shook his head.

She lifted her chin. “Do it,” she repeated.

His gut tightened. She remembered. With a small smile, he softly said, “It’ll be okay. I promised you I’d protect you.” He readjusted his grip, but his aim remained steady and relaxed. You’ll be okay.” She had to be okay. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered.

Matteo shifted on his feet. “Shut up! Where’s Julia?”

“Not coming to your rescue,” Damon said.

Xavier made his move. He popped up, gun pointed at the back of Matteo’s head. “Surprise.”

Matteo shifted, trying to see who it was, his hold loosening around Ella.

Ducking to the opposite side, Xavier grabbed Ella around the waist, dragging her to the ground, away from Matteo.

As Matteo turned back, gun in hand, he swung it Ella’s direction.

Damon fired.

One shot.

To the head.

Matteo fell where he stood.

Ella started to fall but Xavier caught her.

In two steps, Damon was there, taking her into his arms. “Don’t look.” He took long steps out of the condo to the hall. Then into the elevator.

“You’re safe. Thank God you’re safe.” He kissed the top of her head, the reflection in the elevator mirrors seeming like a different couple.

She didn’t speak on the ride down. Only clung to his shoulders as she buried her head into his neck, breathing rapidly, like she was trying to keep her shit together. When the doors opened, a wet spot had formed on his shirt and he realized she’d started crying.

Slater ran forward with Ryker. “Is she okay? Hurt? Xavier?” Slater asked without a pause, looking past Damon toward the building.

“Xavier’s fine, and I don’t know about her.” He looked past the guys to the FBI. “Two of the killers are dead upstairs. Julia was disabled in the kitchen. You’ll need to make a call to your team now.”

“What about Jeff?” Agent Diggs asked.

“He made a great witness.”

Phones in hand, calling in support, the FBI agents took off at a jog toward the building.

“Waiting around for the FBI or leaving?” Ryker opened the passenger side door of the car. “Your call.”

Damon looked at Slater. “We need to stay, don’t we?”

“It’ll look better if you do.” He lifted his chin. “Kill him?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Slater came closer to them. “Ella, darling. You’re safe now.”

Ella sniffed and lifted her head. She skimmed her fingers along Damon’s cheek. “Thanks to you guys.”

Slater hissed. “Damn, honey. You really did headbutt her.” He stepped close and moved her head to the side. “At least you hit a hard part of your head.”

She reached up to touch it.

“Don’t.” Damon set her on her feet, keeping an arm around her waist for support. “It’ll be fine with a few stitches, but don’t touch it. It’s open and will hurt.”

“Where is Julia?” Ella sniffed again and looked at the building. “Is she dead, too? You said disabled. I don’t know what that means.”

Her body shook, so he wrapped her up tighter. “No. Xavier choked her out. She’ll wake up arrested and go to trial for the murder of your father and Davies.”

Ella nodded, wincing. “My head’s starting to throb now.”

Making the decision, he stood and turned to Slater. “We’re going to the hospital to get this cleaned up and to see if she has a concussion or anything else. The FBI can question us there if they want.”

“Go. We’ll take care of it.” Ryker patted Damon’s back. “You did good.”

He pulled out the gun and handed it over to him. “I don’t think they want me walking into the hospital with this thing.”

“Perfect shot,” Xavier announced as he entered the circle, grinning. “Like always. I left Jeff standing in the same spot he was when you shot Matteo, still in shock and trying to figure out how to write this report.”

Sirens sounded as Atlanta PD rushed onto the scene.

Ella turned and hugged Xavier. “Thank you.”

He patted her back. “Anytime. Do we need to start calling you Elizabeth now?”

“Nope.” She pulled away and looked over her shoulder at Damon. “I think I’ll stick with Ella.”

Damon took her from Xavier and kissed the tip of her nose. “Ella Vargas as soon as I convince you.”

She rose on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Won’t take much.”

After a light kiss, he helped her get settled in the car. “Let’s get you checked out at the hospital so I can take you home.”