“I have Dante on her tail,” I inform him. “Hawk can get to her before she does something stupid.” It’s a plan which eases the tension in Crow’s shoulders as they visibly relax.
“Do it.”
Hawk is out the door before we can say anything more. This is something he enjoys. The chase. Being a retired soldier has given him the instincts of a killer, and his stint in MMA has allowed him the strength to take down any bastard who tries to get in his way.
Crow paces the carpet in front of my desk, and I wish he would leave me to my work. The app beeps with Hawk’s location, and I map out Lucille’s location for him. It will link up to his phone, ensuring he’ll be able to find her quickly. We weren’t going to bring her here for at least another week, but it looks like our little Goldilocks will be our guest sooner rather than later. She went underground when her father was arrested, and it was my job to keep tabs on her, and her mother. Since the mom is still Stateside, there hasn’t been much movement.
But Lucille has been working in London for almost a year now. When we moved over here to settle, I knew Crow chose the smallest town close to London so we could get to her if needed.
The house that sits in a quiet little town is our home. It’s old gothic architecture lends to the eeriness of the location. A cemetery flanks the grounds to the rear, and the hills of green farmland offer views from the front door.
It’s stunning. A picture postcard.
But what happens inside the walls of our home, is another story. Since three monsters live here, and soon we’ll have a pretty little golden princess to taunt until she gives up the location of her father’s associates.
He wasn’t working alone. We know that much. Now he’s trying to contact her, because there is no other person who would call her from home. Her mother is still in a home, being looked after, so the number which has been ringing her must be him or one of his cronies.
When you have connections in every law enforcement agency in the world, and the money to buy the information you need, you learn a lot. It’s why we’re so good at our jobs.
“Do you need something to do?” I quip teasingly, glancing at Crow.
“Don’t give me shit for being anxious,” he throws back, and I can tell he’s craving blood. There’s a dark, sordid part of Crow none of us have truly seen yet. He doesn’t kill innocent people, but he enjoys slaughtering bastards who deserve it.
We settle into silence with Crow walking back and forth in front of me, while I continue my search on who is looking for our girl. She’s ours. There’s no doubt about it, and when we get her here, at least we’ll know she’s safe.
As safe as she can be living in a house with three violent psychopaths.
“Fuck,” I curse when I finally find something. Crow is beside me in seconds. The anxiety he’s emitting is like a goddamned cologne. “Would you calm the fuck down?”
“No. Not until she’s under our roof.” I can’t argue. “What did you find?”
“Her father has been making inquiries. His connections on the outside are tracking our girl.” We should have seen this happening, but we didn’t. I didn’t. When it comes to tracking and hacking, I’m the fucking king, but I missed it. I know it could have our plan teetering on the edge of falling apart.
“Who are these bastards?” Crow’s voice has turned to hunger. “I’ll find them.”
When my code throws back an address, Crow is out the door before I can say anything. I watch him race from my office and I can’t help but smile. There are sights I can never tire of and looking at Crow from any angle is one of those.
When I first met him, he was fighting with one of the boys at school. A bully. The asshole had stolen some girl’s lunch, and Crow had taken it upon himself to play the hero. Over the years, after the heartache his family had suffered, he’s changed. He isn’t a hero anymore, but there is still a goodness inside him. Something I have loved about him since the moment I saw it.
He’s loyal to a fault. He will kill for those who he cares for, and he has, so many times before. Once for me. I owe him my life because of it. Sitting back, I watch the map as it tracks both Hawk and Crow, as well as our little Goldilocks.
She’ll soon be here, and when she is, it will be like we planned. Hawk reaches her on the map, the two dots inches from each other, and I smile. Soon, he’ll have her in his car, leaving the piece of shit she drives at the side of the road. We’ll have Dante sort it out, but for now, the focus is on getting her here before anyone else finds her. Crow on the other hand is making his way to our stalker’s house, which will be another hour.