Page 54 of Back In the Shadows

“Nice digs.” Dope chuckled as he looked around at the red bedspread that matched the worn, red carpet. To my surprise, he gave me a hug. “Glad Ella rejoined the living. I sure did miss her.”

I slapped him on the back a little too hard for his comment.

“Me too. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see her face in my life. We talked some, but I can tell she’s trying to hide how bad things were while she was … gone. I’m worried about her. I don’t want her to be left alone until I can spend more time with her, gauge where she’s at emotionally. I failed to protect her, and I won’t do it again.”

Kip gave me a quick hug too. “Anything she needs, we’re all here for her. When Ryan called to tell us, it was a huge relief. I never thought I’d get a call saying someone had died, then a little later that they were alive. The brain is a powerful thing, man.”

I winced, but the pain in my head when Death wanted to be heard was growing less intense as I became aware of his presence. “Death agrees.”

Kip sat on the rickety black leather office chair, and Dope made himself comfortable at the foot of the bed.

“So, what’s next? What has Ella told you so far?”

I hadn’t noticed at first, but Dope had his laptop bag with him. He unzipped it and removed his computer.

I explained everything Ella had shared with Ryan and me about the home and how we suspected that the person who killed my parents had been keeping tabs on me. He was clearly aware of Death and his activities from the note at the warehouse. Plus, if Xavier was keeping an eye on Ella, it meant he was keeping an eye on me too. How had we not been more careful?

“Did Ryan tell you my childhood house is no longer there, but there is a replica of it near the mountain?”

“Yeah, that’s some fucked-up shit. Someone clearly is obsessed with you and what happened.” Kip rubbed the back of his neck, a clear sign that he was thinking hard.

“And the riddles made even more sense when we learned that. I’m telling you, I feel it in my gut that whoever killed yourparents is behind this. Ella was just a means to an end … you and Death.”

I grunted. “I think it’s more about Death than me since he’s the one killing people.”

Kip barked out a laugh. “We’ll have this conversation again after this is over. If you have a chance to get your paws on that fucker, then I suspect you’ll put him in the ground.”

I shoved my hands in my pockets, unsure how I would feel about that scenario, but I suspected Kip was right. At least these guys knew how to cover my tracks.

“On the plane ride over, I was able to dig into this house. It’s set up under a shell company, and it took me a while to find out who bought the property and built a place there.”

“But you found a name?”

“Yeah, but I suspect it’s an alias.”

“What is it?” I urged him to continue.

“Xavier Manatee.”

“Shit, that’s not an alias. Ella mentioned Xavier was the man that held her captive.” A lump formed in the pit of my stomach at the idea of the bastard keeping her in a glass cage.

“Hmm, maybe he’s not as smart as he thinks he is if I found out who he is and that he owns the replica of your home.” Dope frowned.

“Or hewantsyou to find him,” Kip said.

“That’s what I was thinking too.” I paced the small motel room, ready to see my wife, then go look for the motherfucker. A sudden chill skated over my skin. “Ryan said he has some men guarding the place in New York. I think we need to move Cami and the kids and put them somewhere else. Even with security, I don’t feel right about leaving them there. From what we’ve been able to learn so far, Xavier has been watching us for a while. Dope, we need to make some changes to your methods and security measures since Xavier snuck in undetected.” Imassaged the back of my neck, the tension slithering through my muscles and down my back.

“Where do you want Cami and the kids to stay?” Dope asked.

“Let’s move them to the penthouse in Portland. They won’t be as accessible there. Plus, there’s security at the door to even get into the building.”

“I’ll call Cami if one of you reaches out to the pilot and tells him to meet her and the kids at the airport.” I scooped up my phone from the nightstand and called Ella’s best friend. Even though I wasn’t Cami’s favorite person, she would do whatever was needed to protect the kids.

Ten minutes later, everything was set into motion, but I wouldn’t feel good about their safety until they were inside the penthouse, locked away from the rest of the world.

“We’ll go there, too, as soon as Ella is released from the hospital.”

“And what about Xavier? We’re here in the same state, so I think we should see what we can find while Ryan and Ella aren’t involved,” Kip said. “I’m guessing that Ella has been gone long enough that Xavier knows she escaped, and he’s pissed. It would be a good time to strike.”

---