Page 87 of Strictly Forbidden

There were cameras everywhere, pointing in every direction. There was a trip wire surrounding the perimeter that would sound an alarm. If anyone made it past that, the security system on the house would send a blare of sound as well as flashing lights to the exterior.

But as Kage had reminded me, the cabin was still in the middle of nowhere.

The fact his grandfather had such tight security added to my instinct the man had been engaged in the same kind of business as Saldono Rinaldi. If I was right, there were several good reasons Kage was embroiled in the middle of what felt like a war.

I stared down at the weapon on the desk that he’d placed next to the burner phone. Both made this seem far too real.

Everything about this entire situation was surreal but one of the most important things Dr. Mallard had drilled into me that taking my life back would give me life. And no one else could do it but me.

He’d been right as rain.

Kage believed in me he’d found some sense of salvation against the bad deeds he’d done in his past life. But he wasn’t willing to allow that life to go. Revenge had a way of doing that to you. I’d wanted revenge. I’d felt the need for brutality. I’d wanted James to die when I’d jammed the piece of metal into him.

I hadn’t been able to follow through.

One thing I knew was that Kage deserved a chance at life. He also needed support in his corner, someone who could remind him that there was still a life worth living out there.

That’s exactly what I planned on doing.

Whether it was against the rules or not.

I had to find something that would help him one way or the other. There was only one person who could do that.

Zoe.

My heart in my throat, I slowly picked up the cellphone. I had a limited photographic memory, including phone numbers. I rarely programmed any into my phone, only the few that I’d wanted to recognize immediately.

Zoe had been included in that small group.

However, I’d made myself repeat her office and cell number more than once. That allowed my frazzled mind to not need to try to muddle through the horrific thoughts.

I simply dialed her private cell number, hoping she would answer.

On the third ring, she did.

“Zoe. It’s Noel. I need your help, and you can’t tell anyone we talked. You also can’t ask me any questions.”

“Whoa. Hold on. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m on a temporary trip.”

“You can’t lie to me, Noel. I went by your place. I peered in the windows. It’s trashed. Someone was inside. Did they hurt you?”

“No. Someone protected me as he’s doing right now. I need some information and I need it quickly.” I hated hearing about my house, but it was what I’d already expected.

She grumbled under her breath. “I don’t like this shit. Fine. What do you need?”

I pressed my hand against my forehead, still praying what I was doing was the right thing. “I need you to find out everything you can about a man named Kage Bronson, including anything you can dig up on his wife and daughter’s murder. After they were murdered, he became a soldier for the Saldono Rinaldi Crime Syndicate but was railroaded to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. I also need you to find out about his grandfather and whether there was a connection between Abbot Bronson of Bronson Industries and Saldono.”

“Whoa. Hold on. Crime syndicate? Murders? What have you gotten yourself into?”

“I’m just working on something for a book that’s very important to me, including getting details correct. I might have ruffled a few feathers. That’s all. Can you do that for me? Please?”

She hesitated and I pressed my fist against my mouth. “It be a tall order, but I’ll see what I can discover. Is looking into this the reason your place was trashed?”

“Maybe.”

“Jesus Christ, Noel. You’re finally recovering from a horrible event and now you want to dig yourself into a situation that might drag you back to it?”

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