Page 63 of Evil Beautiful

“It’s been a long 48hours, Hawk. I’m about to hit a shower and get some rest. I will talk to you again tomorrow.”

I flicked a hand towards Rico and the screen went black.

A groan started deep in my gut and burst free as I stalked around my desk and sank into the chair, throwing my head back and closing my eyes.

“Boss, you said you were going to shower and get some rest. Gideon will be here soon. He’s on his way back from the IDMC’s compound. He reported that Kellen is doing well and is secure. Why don’t you both get some rest? We’ll tackle the hag problem in the morning when we’re all fresh as freaking daisies.” Kevin said. His voice was calm but filled with a tiny bite of humour at the end.

I wasn’t feeling very reasonable or prone to smiling after seeing the state Mitch was in.

I had to go back to the hospital to check on him then reach out to the families of the men we had lost.

My night wasn’t done, not by a long shot.

There wouldn’t be rest for me anytime soon.

Neither would there be for Gideon.

We needed to know who the hell the two women we found in the cellars were and Mitch was the only one who could tell us. The women were traumatised and not talking to anyone, not even Lex. Maybe Gid could get something from them but until such time we would be keeping them at the mansion under close guard. And giving them the medical attention they needed.

And then there was Mitch.

Gideon was close to Mitch and had already indicated that he wanted to be the one to reach out to his family and friends. I had Rico pull up his file and there was only one contact person listed as next of kin. She was a cousin on his mother’s side of the family. He was an only child and both parents were deceased. No friends were listed other than Gideon and the team.

“I would love to climb in a shower and go to bed but I can’t. We have things to arrange for tomorrow and Gideon and I need to get to the hospital for an update on Mitch. I know we left Lex with him and he’s safe but I still want to check in personally. I need to call the families of the men we have lost to let them know and…”

My phone rang and glancing at the screen I waved Kevin to silence before I answered.

“Lex, what’s going on?”

“We have a bit of a situation here, Boss. A woman turned up claiming Mitch is her long lost cousin. The hospital is waiting on credentials. According to the ward sister the woman wants to fly him to London to see a specialist there. What do I do?”

Damn and blast.

“I’m on my way. Don’t leave him alone for even a second, no matter what. We’ll be there soon.”

Rubbing a tired hand over my eyes I stood. “Rico, do another deep dive on Mitch. Get me the information I need to keep him where he is right now. I want to know if the woman at the hospital is the real deal and if she is how she found out he was injured. None of us informed her of his hospitalisation or the extent of his injuries. How did she know? If she isn’t the woman we have on file as the cousin I need to know who pulls her strings. If he’s a plant in my organisation I need to know how deeply we’ve been compromised. Call me when you have something.”

Rico nodded his face looking like a thundercloud. He was upset because he and Mitch were good friends and he would hate to have missed something.

“Will do, I’ll run facial recognition using the hospital’s security footage and call in a favour from Face’s crew. Between us we’ll get the information you need.”

“Good.” I left my office with Kevin and Deke close behind me, texting as I strode towards the lift.

Meet at the hospital. Something has come up with Mitch.

He answered within seconds.

On my way.

I could always count on my best friend.

He was there when I needed him, come what may.

Gideon

I heard the raised voices as I walked down the passage towards the ICU. They were coming from the visitor’s waiting room. I walked in to a standoff between Dom and Strange of all people.

“Strange, what the hell are you doing here?” I frowned at her as I walked in and closed the door behind me. Too many people were listening to what was happening in here.

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