“Ricky Deming,” Ronan said quietly, though with no less danger in his voice. His finger dropped to the picture on the desk in front of me. “And his younger brother, Levi.”
I felt my insides drop out as my eyes fell back to the picture. The guy looked like nothing more than a scared kid who’d gotten in over his head. He was scrawny and pale and slight enough that a stiff wind would likely blow him over, so the idea of him wielding a knifeand torturing innocent people before brutally murdering them seemed too far-fetched to believe.
“The stepson is gone – he helped his stepfather kidnap Seth last summer.”
I nodded. I’d heard about that. One of Ronan’s first recruits into the group, Mace Calhoun and one of Mace’s lovers, had helped Ronan find Seth. Both abductors had been killed in the process.
“And the other two?” Clearly Levi was still alive or I wouldn’t be sitting in Ronan’s office watching the man trying to keep himself from imploding with rage.
“I had Ricky terminated. He murdered his ex-girlfriend, but got off with a sweetheart plea deal. Served less than three years. Before that, he’d been charged in two different rape cases but prosecutors couldn’t make the charges stick.”
I nodded. “You think he’s the one who killed Seth’s mother.”
Ronan jerked his head in a brief nod.
“And Levi?”
“Served three and a half years for drug possession. Had been keeping his nose clean.” Ronan’s gaze returned to the computer screen. “Until now,” he said ominously.
I had to admit, it didn’t look good. It was unlikely the guy knew Seth and Ronan had sold the house. Which meant there was only one reason he was returning to the scene of the crime.
He wanted a second bite at the apple.
Since he’d already know his way around the place, it would make it that much easier for him to make a second attempt to get what he and his brother had missed out on the first time around.
“So, no charges were ever brought against any of them for what happened to Seth and his parents?”
Ronan shook his head. “We decided to give Levi a chance to clean up his act.”
I nodded. The fact that the guy had been caught with heroin on him was a clear sign of a possible motive for why he’d go after Seth again. Addicts did stupid things to get their next fix. In the man’s muddled mind, Seth would be an easy target, even though he was no longer a child. Not to mention that Seth was anextremely wealthy young man – something that was public knowledge.
I almost felt sorry for the guy. A second chance from someone like Ronan, especially after such a brutal attack on the man who was his entire world, was like winning the fucking lottery. The kid had squandered that…big time.
“I want you to monitor him,” Ronan said. “And if he so much as even jaywalks, I want you to terminate him.”
Ronan’s ruthlessness didn’t surprise me, but his level of certainty at how this would all play out unnerved me just a little bit. Not to mention the stakes. If I fucked this up and Levi got another chance at Seth…
I couldn’t even consider the possibility.
I wouldn’t fuck up, no matter what. I owed Ronan everything. If this kid gave me even one sign that he’d returned to his old ways, I’d take him out with much more mercy than he and his brother had shown Seth and his family.
“You have someone watching Seth and the kids?” I asked.
Ronan nodded. “Seth doesn’t know. And I want to keep it that way.”
I’d suspected as much. Seth had been struggling with anxiety ever since the attack. It had made him borderline agoraphobic before Ronan had come along. Ronan and Seth had the perfect life now and Ronan wouldn’t let anything threaten that, especially not a foolish addict who didn’t even have the brains to seek out a new target.
“Consider it done,” I said as I stood, snagging the stack of papers off the desk.
Ronan nodded, but didn’t stand to walk me out. He looked…defeated. I suspected that came from the fear he was feeling, not to mention the fact that he was having to keep such a secret from his husband.
“I’ll send the rest of the information to you,” Ronan said. “Last known address, financials, that kind of thing.”
I gave him a quick nod and turned to go, but then thoughtbetter of it. “Ronan,” I said quietly and waited until he looked up at me. “Nothing will happen to him.”
A soft sigh escaped Ronan’s lips, but he didn’t say anything. He merely nodded.
I left the study and headed towards the front door. I couldn’t say I was particularly excited about potentially ending the life of young Levi Deming, but Seth and Ronan were family now.
