Page 30 of Deadly Threat
She thought about the threatening note that Amber had kept hidden from her. It still galled her.I’m no cub. And whoever had taken Amber was going to pay for this.
On the other hand, the mayor— regardless of who was in office—received threatening notes all the time. Had Amber even known it was from Damon? Had the FBI proven it came from him? Every politician had plenty of enemies, there were plenty of wackos out there, too. “She wouldn’t cave to anyone’s demands, and he couldn’t kidnap me and keep it a secret.”
“It seems personal to me, and that keeps bugging me, but it might not have been. Kidnapping you was his downfall. King may have even encouraged it, seeing a way to get Marcher out of the picture and create the void he needed.”
She tried to think like the man next to her. “It backfired and King also ended up behind bars. He must not be all that smart.”
“Don’t underestimate him. He certainly didn’t give up, biding his time to start working the angles. Even from prison, he had resources to lean on, the Quattro members who escaped arrest. All he needed was a way to unite them again. Once he laid that groundwork, he hired or blackmailed this Beak fellow to kill Damon. Risky by some counts, since he was incarcerated himself, but those previously loyal to Marcher were sure to look to King for guidance. He was the face of the gang, not Marcher.”
“Marcher hid behind his companies.”
“Exactly.”
The fog and clouds made her feel chilled. Or maybe it was the conversation. She stroked Ladybug’s chest. “I know it happens, but it seems challenging to run a criminal organization from jail.”
Malachi’s hand on the steering wheel gripped it loosely. “It actually has a few advantages.”
She shot him an incredulous look, rubbing her arms with her hands.
He adjusted the air vents, dialing up the temperature a few degrees. “We don’t have to get into that right now, but Marcher had gang members in with him, and prisoners are industrious. I doubt it was hard for him to mete out orders and keep things running. Men like Marcher attract people looking for power. Much like your sister. The Bureau confiscated the assets they could find, but according to the reports, not everything. His businesses— both legitimate and not—exist all over the world, under many other names and shell companies. He still had plenty of money, as well as power, and his followers knew it. Now King has taken up the mantle, if he can get free and disappear. The only thing in his way is Newt.”
“You mentioned that King was holding Beak’s girlfriend as collateral. Why would he do that?”
“To ensure Han doesn’t turn on him. King takes care of her, brings the Komosu into the Quattro family, and adds foot soldiers to his ranks. Then he gets the Feds to release him for this supposed covert op, and recruits his old buddy Lopez to reel in Newt. Marcher’s son is most likely sitting on the many assets his father kept hidden—and he may not even realize it.”
The cab grew shadowed, visibility worse as a light rain fell. Mia massaged her temples. “It’s too convoluted for me. Too…”
“Criminal?”
She nodded, relieved he understood.
Malachi turned on the wipers and headlights. “King wants what Damon had. Damon ends up in prison, King hires the Komosu to kill him, thereby leaving the leadership of the gang, and a whole lot of assets, free for the taking—if he can get Newt out of the way. King gets what he wants, re-emerging down the road with a fresh identity and a well-established organization to run. Men have killed for a lot less.”
She liked how he laid it out so methodically. She knew little about this world, and his breakdown kept her from feeling totally ignorant.
His face was as handsome in profile as it was straight on. She snuck peeks at him, admiring his strong jaw and broad shoulders. “And kidnapping Amber? You think it’s this Komosu crew, proving their loyalty? Like some kind of initiation? You said they were Korean—the person who dragged her out of the limo and threatened me, was not. He was QC, I’m sure of it.”
The rain began to fall in earnest and Malachi increased the speed of the wipers. “It could have been a joint venture—that guy might have been along to make sure things went as planned. I have a feeling it was more than an initiation, but I’m not sure what else just yet.”
She asked the question that continued to niggle at her. “Why not take me, too?”
He glanced over and must have seen her guilt. His big hand reaching out to grasp hers. “I know this is tough, Mia. You weren’t the target this time because the goal is different. You can’t blame yourself.”
“For some weird reason, I do.”
Maybe it was a twisted version of survivor’s guilt. At the peer meetings, attendees sometimes talked about that. One of the regulars brought up how he had survived a shooting while his three best friends hadn’t. He felt he didn’t deserve to live, and he had no explanation for why he hadn’t even been grazed by a bullet when the gunman opened fire.
Malachi’s caress was gentle, light. It always was. She hadn’t been touched in a long time except for the hug Amber had crushed her with last night at finally seeing her face-to-face. It felt exhilarating, welcome even, but she also felt shy.
There were moments his hand on her wasn’t enough. She wanted to be embraced, held, comforted. All the while the guilt kept pushing her needs aside.
Oh, who was she kidding? She wanted more than just to be held. If she was going to start living again— really living, she needed love, intimacy, passion. Even if Malachi hadn’t possessed a big sexy brain to go along with his muscles, she would have wanted to jump him. The fact he did?
Look out, big guy.
But now wasn’t the time. When this was over and Amber was home safe and sound—Mia had to cling to that thought—Malachi and her libido were going to square off.
Turning her hand to entwine her fingers with his, she clutched it and let his warmth sink into her skin. The faintest lift of his lips was there and gone when she did it. He didn’t say anything or release his hold, as the rain continued and the wipers kept clearing the windshield, she didn’t either.
