Risky Obsession (Wolf Security #3)

33. Lacey

CHAPTER 33

Lacey

T he sun dipped low on the horizon, casting an eerie glow over the water as I stepped onto the rear deck of Evangeline’s Sister . Relief that everyone was safe dominated my thoughts, however bone-deep exhaustion played havoc with my body.

Kane and Archer carried the bastard who had tried to kill us up the stairs, and as he fought to escape their grip, he yelled through the seventy-year-old oily rag Archer had shoved into his mouth before we left the submarine pens.

Although it was a blessing to have Archer’s help, my detective brain was eager to know more about him, because he seemed too comfortable handling a murderer. Although, during our climb down the cliff to Archer’s raft, the stupid bastard had jumped into the water, and if it wasn’t for Archer diving in after him, he would probably be dead.

I was torn over how I would feel about him dying now. On one hand, he’d tried to kill us twice and I was certain he’d left a trail of dead bodies in our wake. On the other, now that I knew he was connected to Grant Hughes, I planned to interrogate the hell out of him to get answers. I needed to get my brain functioning first. I was so weary I could barely follow Rosalina’s instructions to put away the scuba gear.

I had no idea how Kane was even standing after what he’d been through.

After we finished packing everything away, Rosalina shut the double doors and offered me a smile. “Are you hungry? I could make a quick pasta.”

“Oh yes, please. That would be amazing.”

“By the time you’ve had a shower and changed, I’ll have dinner ready.”

“Actually, Rosalina, could I borrow a phone? I’d like to call Aria and my captain in Australia and let them know what’s going on.”

“Of course.” She led me along a wide passage and down a set of stairs. We passed two doorways before she stopped. “You can use Archer’s office.”

“Oh, are you sure? It will be an international?—”

“Don’t be silly. You’re our guest. Now go sit down before you fall down.”

I released a small chuckle. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. Along the hallway is the Hamilton suite for you and Kane. There are fresh towels in the bathroom. Have a hot shower. I’ll get a change of clothes for you.”

“Thanks.” I curled my salt-crusted hair behind my ears, and my body just about melted at the sound of a hot shower.

As Rosalina exited the room, leaving the door open, I wondered if Kane and my bags were still against the outer wall of the abandoned castle on the hill. That was a problem for tomorrow. I did not have the energy to get them today.

I pulled the killer’s phone from my back pocket and found the photos I’d taken of him after I’d beaten him unconscious. I frowned at the image, and zooming in, I studied his features. Something was so familiar about him, yet I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Where have I seen you before?

I flicked to the next picture. The blood across his face painted a gruesome picture of how brutal I’d been. I was trained in ways to use force to restrain an uncooperative suspect, but my attack on him went way beyond that. I was just lucky I didn’t kill him.

I flicked to the next image and grimaced.

Shoving aside my crushing disgust, I lifted the handset, and with adrenaline seeping from my veins, I dialed Rosebud Police Station first, a number I had fortunately memorized. It was about seven o’clock in the morning back home; Captain Watts should be there.

Sally, the admin manager, answered my call, and after she grilled me with more questions than I wanted to waste time on, she put me through to Captain Watts.

As I waited for him to answer, the yacht swayed, creating a lulling contrast to the chaos clashing my thoughts together.

“Watts,” he barked into the phone.

“Hi Captain, it’s Lacey Brooks.”

“Brooks. Where the hell are you? Aria lost track of you days ago and she’s been doing my head in.”

“I’m still in Germany.” Attempting to be as brief as possible, I summarized everything from my belief that my phone was tapped, to being wanted for murders we didn’t commit. I was up to the part where I knocked out the bastard who tried to kill us, when Kane walked into the room and sat opposite me.

“What a fucking mess, Brooks.” Watts yelled so loud, I held the phone away from my ear.

“You okay?” Kane mouthed.

Shrugging, I covered the phone. “Captain Watts isn’t happy.”

“Christ almighty!” Captain Watts yelled. “Aria’s going to have her work cut out for her saving your ass with this fucking mess, Brooks.”

“I know, sir. Can you give me her number, please? I had to ditch my phone, so I don’t have her contact.”

Kane reached over the desk with his palm up, and as I met his grip, the tattoo on my right wrist snagged my attention.

It was going to take some serious convincing to overcome this mess and keep my job.

“You’ll be okay.” Kane squeezed my hand.

“Sir, there’s something else,” I said into the phone, then I told Watts about the killer talking to Grant Hughes.

“What the fuck? Where is this guy?” Watts said.

“We have him tied up. Sir, can you tell me Aria’s contact?” I asked again.

He grumbled, then gave me Aria’s number.

“Thank you, Captain. I’ll ask Aria to tell you what her plans are to get Kane and me home.”

Kane’s blue eyes drilled into mine as Watts repeated again that I’d gotten myself into one hell of a mess before he ended the call.

Sighing, I put the handset down. “I’m not sure I’ll have a job after this. ”

“Hell yes, you will. I’ll make sure of it.”

My heart swelled at the intensity in his eyes. “Thanks, but it doesn’t work like that. I already dodged a bullet to become a cop. I think I’ve used up my lives.”

“Like hell. You’re a great cop. I’ll tell him myself what you did to save me.”

I allowed myself to believe him, hoping that I might come out of this unscathed. But it wasn’t my career that worried me the most. Wondering if Kane truly forgave me shrouded my heart in darkness.

Archer appeared in the doorway. “Hurry up, you two. You don’t want to keep Rosalina waiting, and I have a bottle of champagne with your names on it. We need to celebrate finding that gold, so get a move on.”

Kane tapped on the table. “Okay, Lacey, you give Aria a call. I’ll have a shower. And I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Trust me, Rosalina’s cooking is to die for.”

“I think we’ve had enough near-death experiences,” I joked. “Is that guy okay?”

“He’ll live, unfortunately.”

“I’d rather he lived to pay for his crimes,” I snapped.

“Okay.” Kane stood, raising his hands.

Shit. That was a bit aggressive. “Sorry. I just hate it when people don’t suffer for crimes that hurt other people.”

His face twisted into an expression that I couldn’t read as he backed away. “Yep. Okay. Don’t be long.”

“Kane. Sorry, it’s just?—”

“It’s okay. Make your call to Aria.” He strode out the door.

Goddammit.

I dialed Aria.

“Aria Morgan.” Her brisk tone commanded authority.

“Aria, it’s Lacey.”

“Lacey. Jesus, I’ve been trying to get hold of you.”

“I know.”

I told her about Kane nearly drowning, how I’d captured the killer, and how I believed he also killed Gunter Sachs and the staff at the fancy chateau we stayed at. I finished with details of him trying to kill us.

“Son of a bitch! Who is he?” Her voice sharpened.

“I’m hoping you can tell me. I’ll send you his photo.” I sent her all three photos I took of his bloody face, and I zoomed in on his image as I waited for her response.

“Son of a bitch,” Aria stammered. “That’s Cooper Apollo. The bastard who tried to kill my team and then stole the gold from us in Kyrgyzstan.”

“I thought so,” I said. “You ready for more bad news?”

Aria groaned. “What now?”

“He was on the phone when I whacked him over the head, so the call was live. He was talking to Grant Hughes.”

“What the fuck!”

“I couldn’t believe it either. Do you have any leads on Hughes?”

“No. We doubt Grant Hughes is his real name, though. We’re still picking through the rubble that used to be his house, but so far, we haven’t found anything useful. And on top of that, we’ve had no sightings of him or his chopper.”

“Bloody hell. I told you he’d been planning that escape for a while. I have the number Cooper was talking to him on. Maybe it will lead to something.” I relayed the last number dialed on that phone.

“Thanks, but I have a feeling it will be a dead end. He probably had it encrypted. Sneaky fucker.”

“Aria, speaking of sneaky, I’m one hundred percent certain my phone was tapped.” I gave her a summary of my reasoning.

“Shit. I’m not happy about that.”

“No, I bet.”

“Lacey, you did some excellent detective work over there.”

“Thanks, Aria. Captain Watts isn’t happy with me.”

“I’ll handle him. Listen, Cooper’s connection to Hughes confirms he’s involved with Chui’s criminal empire that never seems to end.” She released an exasperated sigh. “I need to talk to him.”

“I thought you’d say that. I do too.”

“I’ll get a team together and we’ll meet you there ASAP. In the meantime, I need you to keep that gold discovery and Cooper’s capture under wraps.”

“I can do that. Oh, except Kane’s friends, Archer and Rosalina, helped me to save Kane. So they know about the gold.”

She went silent.

“Aria. You can trust them. And you can trust Kane.”

She didn’t respond .

“Aria, I promise you, Kane is one of the most trustworthy people I have ever met. I don’t know where you got your intel from, but it’s wrong.” I shouldn’t be talking to her like that, but she needed to know. I would do anything to protect Kane, including risking my career.

“I trust your judgment,” she said. “But I’m dead serious about keeping the discovery of that gold under wraps. A lot of people have died because of those bars, and we don’t need any more.”

“I know. I understand. You have my word. Oh, another thing, Aria. Because of the dynamite explosion Cooper did, the gold is now underwater. That detonation took out a section of the submarine pen and it flooded the underground bunker, and from what Kane tells me, getting through to the bunker was a really tight squeeze. You’ll need expert scuba divers to extract that gold.”

“ That I can do.” Aria chuckled. “I’ll bring Maya or Whisper with me. They’re the best scuba divers I know.”

“Let me know when you’re on your way. You can ring me on this number.”

“Will do. And be careful, Lacey. You have no idea how many people Cooper had helping him.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

“I’ll be in touch.” She ended the call.

I left Archer’s office and as I searched for the Hamilton suite, laughter drifted to me along the passage. It sounded so out of place with the turmoil swirling through my mind.

I found the Hamilton suite and as I stepped onto the plush carpet, my jaw dropped. The luxurious furnishings were straight out of a scene from the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous show. The bed alone was the biggest I’d ever seen. I couldn’t wait to curl up under those covers.

As long as Kane shared the bed with me, that was. It seemed like weeks ago since we slept in a bed together.

Rosalina had draped a long flowing maxi dress with gorgeous purple and pink swirls on the bed. The dress was probably worth more than everything in my wardrobe combined.

I strolled into the bathroom and made the mistake of checking my reflection in the mirror. I looked exactly how I felt . . . shattered.

Mindful of the warning not to keep Rosalina waiting, I fought the urge to stay under the warm cascade for hours. Instead, I quickly showered and washed my hair. After I toweled off, I used the supplied creams along the edge of the basin, and inhaling the glorious aromas, I tried to bring life back to my battered flesh.

I pulled on the dress and admired the silky-smooth fabric against my legs as I left the room and went in search of Kane.

The sound of more laughter led me to the main entertaining area, where Archer was opening a bottle of champagne.

Kane had his back to me, and his wet hair from his shower glistened in the overhead lights.

“There you are.” Rosalina’s face lit up.

Kane turned to me, and although he smiled, something crossed his expression that stopped his grin from meeting his eyes.

“Everything okay with your boss?” Archer’s brow furrowed.

“Sort of. It’s complicated.” I walked to the table which had been set for four people. Delicious aromas filled the room, and my stomach grumbled as I sat.

“Well, complicated is our middle name, right, honey?” Archer grinned at Rosalina.

“Yeah. Unfortunately.” Rosalina rolled her eyes.

“Will your son be joining us? Luca, is that his name?” I asked.

“No, before we got here, Archer flew him to Nonna’s place in Tuscany,” Rosalina said as she ferried a board carrying a perfectly baked loaf of bread to the table.

“Nonna spoils him rotten, so he’s always hounding us to visit,” Archer said.

Rosalina playfully slapped his arm. “You’re just jealous that Luca gets Nonna’s attention now.”

“Hell, yes, I am.” Archer winked at me.

The tension in Kane’s shoulders was palpable, and not at all suited to the upbeat vibes coming from his friends.

Archer popped the champagne cork and cheered. “So, we want to hear all about how you tracked down that gold. Don’t we, babe?” Flashing Rosalina a spectacular smile, he poured the bubbles into my crystal champagne flute.

Rosalina sat and raised her glass. “What shall we toast to?”

“Treasure hunting,” Archer said.

“Surviving a treasure hunt,” I added .

“Oh yes, we can relate to that.” Rosalina fixed her gaze on Archer, and I had a feeling they’d survived many deadly situations in their quest for ancient relics.

Archer winked at me. “To surviving a treasure hunt.”

We clinked our glasses together and after Rosalina explained the meal that she seemed to have made in minutes, Archer told us to dig in.

Dinner was a feast of food and stories, and as Kane and I bounced the details of our treasure hunt between us, he seemed to relax.

Rosalina’s penne with a fiery tomato-based sauce was bursting with flavor, and her homemade sourdough was divine. I ate much more than I anticipated, and Archer made sure I didn’t run out of champagne. I was beginning to feel normal again and more than a little tipsy by the time the meal was over.

After dinner, I went to the bathroom, but when I returned, Kane was gone, and Archer and Rosalina were cleaning up the dishes.

“Let me do that. You have done enough.” I muscled my way past Archer.

“Hell no,” Rosalina said. “Nobody comes into my kitchen but me.” She shooed me away.

“You’ll have to excuse her,” Archer said with a laugh. “She’s Italian.”

I chuckled.

“Kane went up to the spa deck,” he said. “Go join him. We’ll come up in a sec.”

I frowned. “Are you sure I can’t help?”

“Absolutely,” Archer said. “You’ll find him up that way.” He pointed to a set of stairs.

As I made my way to Kane, a knot tightened in my stomach. He took a long time to relax during dinner, and I was certain it was because of something I’d done or said.

I found him leaning against the railing with his gaze fixed on the faint glow where the sun had set on the horizon. His muscles rippled beneath the simple white shirt he wore, which must have been provided by Archer.

As I approached him, he turned to face me and our eyes locked. The weight of unspoken words hung between us, but I had no idea what to say.

“You look stunning tonight,” his tone was as gentle as the breeze.

His comment surprised me.

“Oh, thank you. ”

His gaze lingered, sending a shimmer of warmth through me, easing the worry that coiled in my stomach.

My heart raced as I stepped closer. “Kane, I sense that I said something earlier that pissed you off?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“I know I did. And I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t.” He swung his gaze away and inhaled so deeply that his chest rose.

“Just tell me what I did, okay?” I snapped, frustrated by his reluctance to open up to me. “Kane, I’ve said sorry for lying to you and I meant?—”

“Shh.” He placed his finger on my lips.

My heart raced with the anticipation of what I hoped would explain the pieces of the Kane puzzle that refused to fit together.

“You were right about people needing to pay for their crimes,” he said.

“Oh, okay. Thanks. I’m very passionate about that, and not just because I’m on the force.”

A darkness crossed his eyes. “I know. I’ve seen it in your actions.”

“Is that a bad thing?” I frowned.

“No. The opposite.” The storm brewing behind his eyes grew darker.

My heart thundered in my chest, echoing the turmoil in my mind as I waited for him to open up.

“When I was twelve years old, my sister Megan did something that changed my life forever.” His painful memory seemed to etch across his face. “Megan stole a valuable antique porcelain figurine from our mother to show off to her friends at a sleepover. But during the night, Megan accidentally broke it.”

“Whoops.” I cringed.

“Yeah. But Megan begged me to take the blame. She was the golden child—a perfect, well-behaved, straight-A student. And I . . .” Kane sighed. “Well, I was the one who always got into trouble. So, I told our parents that I broke the figurine.”

“Wow. Okay.” My heart constricted at the anguish in his tone. “And what happened?”

Kane grew even more grim. “My parents declared that was the last straw and sent me away to boarding school as punishment.”

“What? But didn’t Megan set them straight? ”

He shook his head. “Even to this day, she declares it was me who broke the figurine.”

“Jesus, that’s heartless.”

“Yeah.” He swept his hand through his hair. “Megan invited me to her wedding a couple of years ago. I guess she’d hoped it would be a truce. It was the first time I’d seen her and my parents since the messy court case over Pops’ will.”

“And did she apologize?”

“No. Sometimes I think she actually believes the lie.”

“That’s terrible.” A deep sadness for him settled on my chest as I placed my hand on his arm. “No wonder you were so angry at me when I lied.”

He swept me up in his gaze. “Yes. I was furious at you, but I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Kane. You don’t need to apologize for anything.”

“I do. I felt betrayed all over again, but my anger was over the top.” His lips dipped in a sad smile. “But the difference is, you admitted your lies and your reasons for doing what you did. And I can also see how much the guilt is eating you up.”

“It does.” The weight of my guilt would be there forever. “And now that I know about your sister, my lies are even worse.”

His gaze softened. “What happened with you doesn’t even compare to my sister’s lies. You had a good reason. Megan’s deception was a selfish betrayal that ruined our family. She’s had plenty of opportunities to come clean, but she hasn’t.”

A lump swelled in my throat. “I’m sorry your sister did that to you. And your family. But they’re the ones who are truly suffering because now they don’t have you in their life. They’re missing out on a truly incredible man.”

A bittersweet smile tugged on his lips, yet pain swam in his eyes.

“Thank you for telling me,” I said. A question burned in my brain, yet I hesitated to ask until the knot in my stomach tightened to unbearable. “Kane, does this mean you forgive me?”

He scooped my hair around my ear and cupped my cheek. “Yes, I forgive you.”

A sob burst from my lips as I wrapped my arms around him. The tears I’d been holding back released as relief washed through me.

He crushed my body to his, and as I listened to his heartbeat, I wiped tears from my cheeks. “Thank you. That means the world to me. I promise I will never lie to you again. No matter what the situation.”

“I’m so –”

“Okay, you two love birds,” Rosalina said, cutting Kane off. “Who wants dessert?”

“Or whiskey?” Archer appeared behind her.

“Or both.” Rosalina swept across the deck toward us like she was on roller skates, carrying a tray topped with an assortment of bite-sized sweet treats.

Kane and I stepped apart, and the wonderful moment we’d had was taken over by his friends and another round of celebrations.

Each time Kane glanced at me, I was certain there was something he desperately wanted to ask.

I just hoped my response wouldn’t ruin the beautiful connection between us that we’d finally repaired.