I hadn’t seen too much of her in the last two weeks. I hadn’t seen much of anyone except for doctors. My body still ached and continued to have weird side effects from the drugs that were administered while I was in captivity. Against my pleas, Kade sent all of the medical equipment and doctors to my apartment.
I had decided I could no longer sleep in my bedroom and instead, I took refuge in Alfredo’s room, because of course he had his own room. Alfredo was less than impressed with the change of my sleeping arrangements.
Zombie had flown back to his hometown in Texas to bring some of Aaron’s ashes to his mother, who was in a nursing home and unable to attend the funeral. In three days, Aaron would be laid to rest in a small cemetery that overlooked the water.
My mother’s funeral was tomorrow. I’d finally gotten the mental institution to release her body to let Zombie complete her autopsy. It was confirmed that my mother died from blunt force trauma to the neck and head after falling down a flight of cement stairs. However, due to erased surveillance footage and the institution’s unwillingness to cooperate with the investigation, we could not prove that Ricci was behind her death.
Buddha was completely out of sorts. His normal calm and endearing personality had morphed into fits of rage and animosity. He’d spent the last two weeks trying to find Ricci, who had conveniently gone underground.
Chief stood at the front of the conference room that we were borrowing, his unharmed hand braced on the leather-backed chair in front of him. He swallowed hard then stareddown at the floor. The briefest sound of a sniffle caught my attention. He looked up at us, his eyes glassy, as if he were holding back tears.
For a brief second, I looked over at Aaron’s now vacant seat. No matter what conference room we would be in, he always sat next to me. I immediately regretted my decision. I tried to fight the sting of tears that were threatening to shed. My eyes blinked rapidly as I turned my face to the ceiling in attempt to stop any tears from falling.
“There are no words, team, to describe the pain and loss we are all feeling for our fallen brother,” Chief started, now looking up at us. “But rest assured, we will avenge his death. Until then I expect everyone on their A-game. I know it won’t be easy, but I think we can all agree that it’s time we take down the fucker once and for all.”
Buddha grunted in agreement.
Chief brought his gaze to me. “We will all be at tomorrow’s services for your mother, Phantom. We will also avenge her untimely death.”
Buddha crossed his arms. “And how the fuck are we going to do that when we can’t even track the fucker down?” His tone was sharp, biting.
Badger flicked Buddha on the forehead. “Clearly he is getting to that, dummy.”
Buddha let out a huff.
“Anyway… First things first. Phantom, you will be working in the Hive today to look over footage that Kade’s team has uncovered. They will also be debriefing you on the auction that Ricci intends you to be part of.” I nodded in understanding.
The rest of the meeting went by quickly as Chief dished out tasks, knowing we wouldn’t be able to sit idle.
The team at the Hive continued to welcome me. EvenJax. It made me wonder if Kade had explained everything to them.
The auction was two weeks away. I would be expected to go to the designated location with Kade, where he would offer me like a prize to the enemy. Chief refused to let me know the logistics of the mission other than what was necessary for me to play the part. As I headed into the parking garage after the meeting ended, I typed out a text on my phone and nearly ran into Machine.
“Oh, shit! Sorry, Machine,” I squeaked out, as the behemoth of a man braced his hands on my shoulders to balance me.
“Easy there, killer.” When I looked up at Machine, I was not expecting him to look… different.
He had his hair styled to the side on the top of his head, with dark-blue jeans that sculpted him perfectly, accompanied by a white dress shirt that had the sleeves rolled up on his forearms. His scars and the tattoos that covered his body gave him a rugged edge only adding to his look.
I gave him a smirk. “Going on a hot date?”
The bear of a man actually blushed! Pink tinged his cheeks, which only made me smile.
He pinched the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah… actually.”
“Well, I won’t keep you.” I moved out of his reach and began to walk toward Bug. “Have a good night, Machine. Make good choices!” I teased.
I was just about to get into my car when I noticed Machine was still standing where I left him. My brows pinched together. “Everything okay, Machine?”
He looked up at me with a pained expression.
“Kade… He didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.” He paused. “I just… needed you to know that.”
I gave him a quick nod and got into my car.
I couldn’t allow myself to think about Machine’s words. Kade and I hurt each other to the point of no return and that was final.
FORTY-FIVE
