A Real Bad Boy(31)

       
           



       

But it didn't matter because we didn't need manpower. We needed a  confession. He was never going to tell us who the other man was, he was  never going to admit to each and every damn murder, but now that we had  him, the truth had to come out. There would be so many investigations.  Of him, of the Atlanta Police Department. Fuck. It was going to be a  hell of a shit storm and the aftermath was going to be intense.

"So do I," I said slowly. "I like to have the kind of fun where I barge  into someone's evil lair, I make sure that a camera is squarely on their  face and I live stream a fucking confession right onto ever major news  network. Where I also make sure that the FBI is contacted and that I  have someone tracking it all to make sure that SWAT is about to arrive  before I fucking tell them jack shit."

It was my turn to grin like I'd just caught my prey. Because I had. The  look on his face was so fucking priceless. The shock, the anger, he went  through all of the emotions while I watched the team swing in, knock  doors down and surround them.

"You think we were just going to come in here without any real backup?" I  asked. I'd had this coordinated from the very beginning. It was why I'd  hired Glitch and my team. Working with the government came easy to us.  Fuck, it was second nature. We may have operated independently for a  while, but it was always somehow under US command.

I was a merc, but I wasn't a fucking traitor.

"Cut the feed," I said to Glitch. We were very careful with it. It was  on my clothing, my face never showing, but Miles Landis, he was front  and fucking center. He'd fucked with the wrong people for too damn long.

"You were working with the FBI?" Leo asked, his face fixed on mine. "This whole time?"

"How do you think you got my name for the interview?" I asked. "I never  wanted to deceive you, Leo. You deserved revenge. But I wasn't about to  let you turn into a killer. And there are fifteen other girls who need  to be accounted for. Fifteen other families who need justice. Revenge.  You're too good a man to take that away from them."

"So the friendship, the secrecy, it was all an act?" he asked. "You're just an agent? Glitch?"

"Not to me. I meant every word I said. I'm not FBI; we just work with  them." It was the truth. I didn't lie to him, not once. Not about  anything other than the involvement with the FBI. I wasn't an agent, I  just contracted for them from time to time. It was easy, and it was  interesting. But I kept my cover. Hell, I didn't even admit who I was to  myself until the most essential moment. That was a part of the job. It  was why I kept my life separate from my job.

Why I tried not to get involved.

But Leo stood there shocked, angry, and a part of me felt like total and  utter shit. This was the hardest part of my job and I knew it. But I  also knew he'd thank me if he understood the consequences of taking a  life. If he understood the anger and the nightmares and the never-ending  anger that boiled inside, just under the surface.

We watched as they escorted Miles out of the building and down the  stairs, and we stood there while everyone else filed out. I wasn't sure  what he was going to do, but no matter what it was, I wouldn't fight it.  He was angry, hurting. And he was probably tired.

Once they got what they were looking for, exhaustion filled the pit of  rage that had been driving them for so long. I'd seen it so many times.

"Fifteen other families?" he asked. Like he was considering the ramifications of that for the first time.

"None of them with the means or the pull that you had," I answered. I  didn't know their names. I didn't even know until Glitch found the files  how many of them existed. I knew multiple murders fit the profile. I  knew women had been disappearing and that Atlanta wasn't doing anything  about it. That it wasn't in the news.

"I can live with this," he said finally. "If that means that I won't be the only one who will receive closure."

I nodded. "We might not ever find out who else was involved, but now you  know the truth. And so can the families of the other victims." I didn't  know if it was good consolation, but I knew that I had to say  something.

"You're obviously fired," he said. "But I'm glad that I hired you."

I nodded. I turned to leave, sure that after I cleared out I would never see him again. That was usually how it went.

"If you don't have anything else lined up, though, analytical skills  like yours could be put to good use in my latest venture. And it would  come with a significant pay raise." He reached out a hand towards me.  "I'm looking for a partner who I think could make it work."

"Would it be local?" I asked.

"Absolutely."                       
       
           



       

"Then I will definitely think about it," I said, and then I turned and  walked out. I'd need to do an exit interview later with the FBI, but it  was worth it. All of it. And now I had a new job offer to think about.

I had a family to take care of, and my life would have to change. I knew  that. Willow was on my mind, so I grabbed my phone and I dialed her,  but she didn't pick up.

Shit.

Six missed called from Ruby. What the hell? Was she in the hospital again?

I dialed her as quickly as possible.

"What is it?" I asked. I tried not to let the worry seep through my voice, but it couldn't be helped.

"Willow hasn't shown up for work today and she isn't answering her  phone. I know she was sick, but I expected her to at least pick up, you  know? I covered for her at work, but I'm worried about her, Zach." She  paused. "I dunno if something happened, but I've called every hospital  and none of them are holding her or anyone who looks like her. What if  she was too sick to call 911?"

My head instantly ran through every possible scenario and every dark  ending. She could be anywhere, bleeding out, sick, or worse. I couldn't  handle losing her.

"I'll go home, see if she is there, maybe trace her steps," I said. "We'll find her. Don't worry."

Shit. I grabbed my phone and dialed Glitch. "You still at the office?" I asked.

"Yeah, just finishing up the process of transferring all the video over to headquarters."

"You still got computers set up?"

"Yup."

"I need you to run a search for me. Willow Ford. Any surveillance you  can find. Anything that shows where she may have been headed. Cellphone  records, traffic cameras. Anything."

"I'm on it," he said. "I'll call you as soon as I find something."

I got in my car and drove. Fucking Hell.



***





Zach

Her keys were still in the lock at her house; her car was there. But she  wasn't. No sign of blood, no sign of trauma. At least not anywhere  inside or outside of the house. I couldn't find anything, not a single  clue.

Shit.

Glitch better sure as hell have something for me. I called again.

"You found anything?"

"Depends. How calm are you?" he asked.

"I'm not. Give me whatever it is you got."

"I think I found her. Or someone who looks like her. Traffic camera at  the corner of her street picked up her car coming into her drive, but  then another car leaving. One that maybe was parked further down the  driveway, or maybe one adjacent? I'm not sure, but I got the plates and I  followed it all the way to a little house in North Georgia on the  border with North Carolina. Ah, the things you can do when tapping into  government surveillance."

"Give me the address."

"Sure man." He gave me all the details and I wrote them down. I had a  feeling she wasn't heading back into North Carolina of her own free will  and I was of a mind to drop by and see exactly what was going on.

I checked for my side piece before I got into the car, because I wasn't  going to risk anything when it came to bringing my woman home.





Willow



"Did you really think I'd just give up and walk away? That you could  send your fucking henchman to scare me and I'd back off?" He sneered as  he talked. I didn't know where we were. We'd been driving for hours  before he pulled me out of the car and into some little house. It was a  pretty thing. Nice. Clean.

"I never sent anyone after you, Elijah. I just want to live my own  life." I wasn't going to give him what he wanted. This was not going to  be about him. It was my life. My decisions. I didn't care that he had me  locked up. I didn't give a shit. I wasn't going to come crawling back  to him for anything.

"You don't have a life without me. Don't you understand that?" he asked.  He grabbed me and shook me. "I love you, Willow. No one else does."

"You don't know what love is," I spat. I wasn't going to listen to his  declarations. His lies. "You pronounce it and you wish it and then you  let out the dark side of you. You use it to trap people, Elijah. I won't  be trapped by you anymore."