Page 53 of Unfulfilled Promises
Rhys seemed unsure, but what the hell did he think I was going to do with Regan? She was asleep, had more stitches than I wanted to think about in her arm, and she was having to eviscerate herself with the pain she’d carried for too long. I wasn’t a dog or someone who had expectations.
If she and I ever got to the point where she wanted to be physical, then we could cross that bridge at that time. I knew she had a painful past, so if it never happened, I would be okay with that too. Sex was the easiest part of a relationship, and that’s what I wanted from Regan—a relationship, not some mile-high booty call.
I sat in the forward-facing seats across from the couch so I could keep an eye on her throughout the flight. If she needed me, I could simply reach across and touch her, but from this spot, I was also able to monitor her and plan what our next move would be.
We were still no closer to finding Giovanni or Dick Pickens, but we knew Giovanni was in Atlanta and we needed to find him before he slipped through our fingers. I feared Regan wouldn’t be able to stop looking over her shoulder if she knew he was still out there and possibly hunting more innocent women.
Stupid fuckers, all of them.
The pilot climbed onboard and glanced at us before going into the cockpit and closing the door. He was a trusted member of Devlin’s team, but I suspected everyone who worked for him was going to be thoroughly questioned and investigated. The madman would find those who betrayed him and make them pay. That was certain.
A few minutes later, we were taxiing down the short runway, and as we lifted off the ground, I reached over and placed a hand on Regan, making sure she stayed still and asleep as we took off.Once we reached altitude, I checked on her then walked to the front of the plane and sat on an armrest on the aisle so I could still see her over the seats.
“Where do we start looking? The system hasn’t detected Dick, and we have tens of thousands of cameras in the city looking for him. How the fuck does he keep evading us?” Devlin began, and I could see this was worrying everyone.
“John’s phone is being analyzed by Skid while we’re traveling, so if he finds anything, he’ll let us know immediately,” James answered, “but I feel like there’s something right in front of us that we’re missing.”
“What is your gut saying?” Rhys inquired.
James looked at his cousin and said, “I feel like we already got all the pieces to the puzzle, especially with the information we’ve gotten from Regan so far, we just don’t know what the picture is supposed to look like. Something is slipping past us, but I can’t figure out what it is.”
Exhaling, I glanced back at Regan before suggesting, “Let’s go over what we do know and what we’re overlooking may show itself.” I made sure not to speak too loudly as I began. “Regan was taken from her dorm room, and for the next year, she was basically strapped to Sergey’s side. John sent Stella an email letting her know where he was, and when she killed him, Regan was taken to Kelly, where she spent months. Then, somehow, she was given or traded to Giovanni Marcora, the illegitimate brother of the man Devlin killed.”
“Who’s been bankrolling this bullshit? That girl, Wren, and Regan both said Giovanni was in a heated conversation with someone who’s financing the operation. Who in Atlanta has the kind of capital needed to restart the Syndicate without wanting a piece of the pie?” Caldwell inquired.
“That’s the million-dollar question. Regan believes Sergey was feeding her account numbers for the missing money fromthe Syndicate, but if memory serves me correctly, there wasn’t much money left after the Feds seized everything,” Lucian reasoned.
“But Regan said Sergey was siphoning money before he turned on the families. So, what if they’re looking for the missing money and believe Regan has the account information they need? What if they convinced someone the money was real, and that person is financing everything, waiting for their payday?” James asked.
Devlin looked at Lucian. “Do you still have any contacts in the Bureau who may have a lead on who’s been moving money? Or is there someone who you think may be secretly funding this?”
Lucian pinched his lips and shook his head. “The money was never something I was involved in, and as far as I knew, the Bureau was using the seized funds to pay to build the case, but I was basically pushed out before I could confirm.”
“What if Dick Pickens is calling the shots? What if he discovered the money and is using it to make his way to the top of the Syndicate?” Rhys asked.
“Then why let Giovanni leave with Regan and then demand he come back the same evening?” James interjected, and I could see his point.
“Basically, we’re no further along than we were earlier,” Devlin stated before a small voice from behind us drew all out attention.
“I think I know who’s funding it all, and if I’m right, we may be able to catch them all together. Or at least Giovanni.” Regan was sitting up on the couch and she looked exhausted.
I stood from my perch and walked back to her. Squatting in front of her, I took her hands and placed a kiss on each, being careful not to jostle her wounded arm. “Who’s that, darlin’?” She cast her eyes down, and it seemed she was hesitant to answer.When she lifted her eyes, I could tell she was conflicted as she glanced at the attentive audience we had before turning back to me. “Who do you think it is?”
“I don’t know his name, but I know how he fits into the puzzle James was talking about.” She looked down, and I followed her line of sight as he smiled at her. “I remembered something from the last day I was with them. I don’t know his name, but . . . it was Kelly’s other son. The younger one that she abused.”
“Waylon?” I asked quietly, and she shrugged
“I never saw his face or heard his name, but the last day before . . . before Giovanni dragged me away, he told Kelly he thought he found it, and then one of the other girls said she had him looking for some kind of buried treasure. I thought it was bullshit and just whores gossiping, but something about it all seems too . . . convenient.”
I lifted my eyes to her and asked, “Why do you seem sad?”
“Isn’t . . . he’s Hannah’s half-brother. She’ll hate me more than she already should.”
Kissing her hands again, I explained, “Darlin’, no one hates you, and there is no way Hannah will ever feel anything but love for you.”
“But he’s her family.”
Rhys approached, and when he took a seat next to her, I gave them some space as he tried to speak with her. “Hannah loves you, and I can tell you this because she and I have had this conversation. Waylon is someone she tried to give grace to, noting the harsh, abusive environment he grew up in. But he’s a stranger to her and she has no loyalty to him. I swear to you, she could never be mad at you, especially if you’re right and he’s the puppet master pulling the strings and the one responsible for all this pain.”
