Page 97 of Renegade

I rubbed at the back of neck and sighed, “Landon Scott.”

He gasped and went silent for a full ten seconds before replying, “My deal stands. Forty thousand if he never makes it to jail. I won’t have Ekaterina subjected to him any further. Either you take the money or I’ll find someone else, but that man’s life will end soon.”

It’d been a discussion he and I had multiple times throughout the investigation. Once I’d ruled him out as a suspect, he’d turned to plans of revenge.“Detective, I know people who could make her kidnapper disappear. They would never find any trace. I could make it worth your while.”

Once he’d mentioned the cash, I was in. It didn’t matter to me how his guys dealt with it as long as I got the money. Then, Elizabeth got thrust into it. My promise to David trumped my promise to Nikolay.

“Niko, my best friend’s wife was found with your daughter. Trust me when I say that it’s being dealt with.”What the fuck was I doing?I never involved civilians in club business.

There was no way in hell that Nikolay was just a civilian though. After several meetings with him, I’d left feeling like he’d been interrogating me. My guess was CIA operative— or spy. Either one would explain the cash he had readily available to pay off lowly detectives like myself.

“Call me when it’s done and I’ll get you the money. I want proof though.” He disconnected the call as sirens wailed in the distance.

For the first time in a long time, I worried that I’d gotten in over my head. I was no longer just an accomplice to the club. I was now a dirty cop who accepted bribes to look the other way.

I’d lived with the man in the mirror for thirty-two years now. I just hoped after it was all said and done that I’d still be able to.

Lauren

December 2014

Elizabeth winced and I sprang into action. “Do you need me to recline you? Water? The nurse?”

She shook her head and pointed at the cup of water. “Just water,” she mumbled.

Landon had beaten her so viciously that her jaw, finger, and three of her ribs were broken. The surgeon wired her jaw shut and it was hard to understand what she was saying unless you were right next to her. Unfortunately, her baby had taken the brunt of the trauma and had to be taken by emergency C-section. Kaden weighed two pounds and eight ounces and was currently fighting for his life in the NICU.

It was senseless.

Had Mike not insisted that we all haveFind My Friends, she would’ve bled to death. I brushed a stray tear off of my cheek and went back to rambling. “We’ve got to quit meeting like this,” I gently teased and her lips turned up in the slightest of smiles.

I didn’t even know what I was talking about, but I felt like I needed to talk enough for both of us. If I was talking then I wasn’t questioning where Mike disappeared to that night. I wasn’t left wondering why he wasn’t returning my calls or texts. I could pretend that everything was fine.

Elizabeth squeezed my hand and laid against my shoulder as we sat side by side in the small hospital bed. After finding the office like I did, I wasn’t sure that I’d ever see her again. I’d answered countless questions for the police and resisted the urge to call Mike for updates as they searched the office and wrote up their reports.

The commercial for fabric softener disappeared and was replaced with a breaking news banner.

“We’re back tonight with the latest on the search for Landon Scott, the man behind the disappearance of Katya Egorichev. Egorichev was found severely dehydrated and suffering from malnutrition. Her injuries are considered non-life threatening and she is recovering in a local hospital tonight.

“We’ve just learned that Elizabeth Greene was the unidentified female rescued along with Egorichev. Greene, twenty-eight weeks pregnant at the time of abduction, was severely beaten. She was taken by medical helicopter to an undisclosed local hospital where she underwent emergency surgery. Both mom and baby are recovering in the hospital and are expected to make a full recovery.

“Landon Scott was injured in an altercation with a police officer, but managed to flee the scene. His vehicle was found yesterday morning buried in a snow drift. Blood inside the vehicle matched that found on scene. If you have any information on his whereabouts, you are urged to call…”

Elizabeth’s face paled and she began shaking her head while making a choking sound. “Elizabeth?”

She shook her head harder and began hyperventilating. I held her arms down and glanced helplessly around the room. “David? A little help please…”

He jumped up out of the hospital chair and ran over to us. “Beth—deep breaths, baby. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Her chest heaved and she forced out through clenched teeth, “He’s going to come back for me and Kaden—he’s going to hurt him. I can’t let him do that. David, you have to warn the doctors and nurses.”

I grabbed the call button, but David shook his head, stopping me. “Beth, look at me. He can’t hurt you anymore. He will never hurt you again.”

That sounded like…

“David?” I asked, before stopping myself.

He shook his head again. “He’ll never be found.”

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