With a sigh, I told him about the dark hallway and my unfounded fear. He listened, then nodded. “Thank you for telling me. What else?”
I was shocked how well he knew me. That it wasn’t just my momentary panic that was on my mind. “Deb met someone at the coffee shop.”
He leaned forward, intent and serious. “Tell me everything.”
I repeated the conversation, and he didn’t interrupt. “I saw a guy walk in not long after you did in a suit, carrying a messenger bag. Deb was smart to check him out. You didn’t notice him, I assume?”
“No.”
He sighed. “No doubt just a random meeting. I’d feel better if I could check it out myself.”
I grinned and handed him my phone. “I had Deb tell me the name of the company he works for. This is the link he gave her.”
“Smart girl.” He scanned my phone, his finger swiping the screen quickly. He paused a few times, then shrugged. “Looks legit.” He sighed. “Should I leave it alone?”
“If his picture matches and it looks legit, I think we need to leave it. It’s Deb’s business, and she really likes him. If this thing with Andy hadn’t have happened, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. They met in a coffee shop.”
“You’re right, I suppose. If she wants more info on him, I can dig and find out his background.”
“How?” I asked. “How are you able to do that, Damien?”
He set down his glass. “I always loved computers. I taught myself a lot, plus I went to school. Law enforcement fascinated me, and I thought I wanted to be a cop. A CSI, actually. I started studying it. I also took lessons in weapons. I excelled in the firing range. I could hit any target, no matter the circumstance. But I was frustrated when I realized I could spend years studying to be a CSI and never work in that field, and although I was a great shot, I had no desire to be a cop and work the streets.” He flashed me a grin to make me relax. “Or be an assassin.”
Recalling the time I’d asked him if he was an assassin, I smiled back. He continued.
“Then one day, I was approached about a different job. One that would put my computer skills to use. My gun skills as well.”
“Oh?” I asked.
“A private agency known as Hidden Justice.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“That’s the point. Most people haven’t or won’t ever know of our existence.”
“What was the mandate of this, ah, agency?”
I met her eyes. “To seek out, locate, and eliminate the scum of the earth. Those who prey on the weak. The poor. Women and children, especially. Sex trades, drug rings, child porn. You get on our radar, you’re done. There is no trial or second chance. Your fate has been determined.”
I felt my eyes widen. “What if you’re wrong?”
“That has never happened. Not once. It is a very specialized agency. Run by an elite group of men.”
“You said you owned a security company.”
He sat back. “I do.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ll tell you, if you want to know.”
“I do.”
“Okay, then. Get comfortable, Raven. This will take a while.”
* * *
I shook my head. “So, Matteo, Marcus, and Julian all now live on an island somewhere with their families.”