Page 73 of Unfulfilled Promises
Looking up, he simply said, “Tell me what that bastard told you and you can go back to your family. I’ll never contact you, and you’ll never see me again. I just can’t watch my son fall apart before . . .”
His words trailed off as two of the four camouflaged men got withing striking distance, and instantly, one took off in a run at Ricardo. He made full contact with him from behind, knocking him off the boulder and causing the gun to fall onto the ground. I jumped from my seat as the second figure raced around the boulder and straight to me.
He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me into the air as he whispered, “I found you. Please tell me you’re okay, baby.”
I pulled back and realized his whole face was covered in grease paint, hiding his features, but I recognized his eyes and the feeling of safety in his embrace. He did what he’d promised and he came for me.
“I’m okay. We walked out here and we’ve been talking ever since,” I said as he placed me back on my feet.
I looked around him to see the other two figures helping the first secure Ricardo’s hands before hoisting him to his feet. They went to march him away, but I ducked around Seth and said, “Hold on, I have one more question.”
A defeated Ricardo lifted his eyes to me, and I saw the resignation in his gaze. This was his last hours on earth, and there was no escaping his fate. Approaching him, I stood in front of the pudgy man who had been an architect of my madness. Seeing him bleeding, handcuffed, and about to die, I didn’t feel anything but relief.
“Does he know he’s your son? Does Waylon know he’s hunting his own father?” I inquired and watched as Ricardo’s whole body shook and tears rolled down his chubby cheeks.
“S-s-she never t-told h-h-him,” he cried, and if there was anything good about him, I might have felt bad.
But I saw him stand next to Kelly, pretending to be the king of the castle, and I watched him demand favors from some of the girls when Kelly was being difficult. I saw him smooth talking Sergey, trying to gain favor for a better position. So, I had no sympathy for him.
He did deserve to know one thing before they took him wherever they were going, and I wanted his personal quest to save his son, or more than likely himself, to end with heartache and betrayal. Looking him directly in his eyes, I simply stated, “There was no money. It was another lie of Sergey’s to keep you and Kelly in line, when in reality, the Feds had seized most of it. It was another play in his con job, and you fell for it.” Looking at who I believed to be Booker and Caldwell, I requested, “Take him away and do whatever you need to. I don’t have anything else to say to him.”
They began to drag him away as he tried digging his heels in and bargaining. “You’re wrong. The Feds seized about thirty percent of the money and the rest disappeared. Sergey wasn’t lying. He was using you as a bank book. You have to tell me, Regan.” They dragged him deeper into the woods as he pleaded, “Please, don’t do this. You have to save me.”
I looked at the fourth man who was hidden behind the paint, and when he smiled, I knew it was James. Seth walked up next to me and took my hand in his. “Waylon’s Ricardo’s son? What the ever-loving fuck?”
“We need to go back so I can tell you what I just uncovered. There may be a way to find Waylon if you crack into Ricardo’s email account. Apparently, Waylon is on a quest to kill anyone who hurt him, and the last person was his dad. Only he doesn’t know it’s his dad.” I shook my head and lowered my voice. “Was he telling the truth about the money?”
James stepped closer. “If he was, then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now, we need to let everyone at thehouse know you’re okay. Devlin and Lucian have Rylee and the ladies locked down, the Death Hounds are circling, and everyone’s worried sick about you.” We turned and started to walk back to Lucian’s house as James asked, “Why did you go with him, Regan? You could’ve been lost to us forever.”
I heard a catch in his voice, so I slowed down and turned to explain. “He was going to take one of them if I didn’t go, but after we got out here, I got pissed, and it wasn’t hard to get him talking. He’s always been a chatty bitch, and today,” I looked at Seth and smiled, “I remained calm, I asked questions, I planned my escape, and I waited for you to find me.”
“Good job, baby. I’m so proud of you,” Seth remarked as we kept walking back. “I’m just sorry you had to experience this. He should’ve never gotten close to you.”
“I’m glad he did.” They both gave me a look that said I was crazy, so I needed to explain. “Ricardo was a shadow during those years, always waiting to pick up the scraps and acting like he was special. Finding out he’s Waylon’s dad is just . . .” I made an explosion sound and the motion near my head.
A part of me felt sorry for the pudgy FBI agent who was targeted by a Syndicate mistress hellbent on corruption. But over the years, he had time to make better choices and leave the criminal empire behind him. He chose to push for money that wasn’t his, and I believe it was greed and not out of love for someone I never saw him show any attention to.
But I had to wonder . . .
Was Waylon actually Ricardo’s son, or was that another lie from Kelly to achieve her and Sergey’s goal of domination?
And was he telling the truth about the money? Were there really hundreds of millions of dollars hidden in offshore accounts, just waiting to be claimed?
And if there was, why couldn’t I remember the frickin’ numbers?
Chapter 34
Seth
We were almost back to Lucian’s house when Regan asked, “How did you find us so quickly?”
James glanced at me, and I tried to explain, hoping it wasn’t going to piss her off. “I slipped a tracker into your purse before we left Atlanta.” She cut her eyes to me, so I added, “I didn’t want you uncovered, and I know you’re mad, but it saved you, so I’m not going to apologize. I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure you’re safe and protected.”
It took a moment, but she replied, “Thank you. I wish you would’ve told me about it, but . . . I’m glad you did that.”
James gave a surprised look at me as we emerged from the woods. Devlin and Lucian were standing on the front porch, and when they saw us walking up, Lucian yelled over his shoulder, “They’re back.”
Rhys ran out of the house, followed by Hannah, Rylee, Grace, and the rest of the ladies. He jumped over the stairs and ran up to us, pulling his sister into a hug. “Are you okay? Why did you leave with him?”
