Retribution Boxed Set (Books One and Two) (3 page)

Xander Secrist pulled his sleek silver Corvette
through the gated entrance to Hunter MacFarlane’s home. Xander didn’t make the
trek to Hunter’s place often since the drive from Portland to the wooded area
of the Wilson River Highway in Tillamook was a good ninety minutes away. He
preferred to offer his assistance via phone or email, but this one got his
blood pumping. It was not only in his line of expertise, considering the crime
had taken place in his city and involved a financial transgression, but the
woman who’d committed the crime was the daughter of John Camden, the man who’d
ruined his father.

There was no way he could ignore that.

Xander parked his car behind Sam’s black Charger
and Ryan’s red Jeep, wondering if Christian would make an appearance as well. It
was odd to think those three men in addition to Hunter had become like brothers
to him. He had an actual brother, but since the untimely death of his father
two years ago, they’d grown apart.

He exited his car, walking toward the three story
log cabin. Golden lights reflected from most of the windows, giving the
structure an enticing glow in the waning evening light. He’d tossed on his
leather jacket, knowing the temps this close to the forest would hover between
cool and cold. He hadn’t been wrong.

As he drew nearer to the front door, he could
hear the bounces of a basketball repeatedly hitting the ground. Someone
grunted, followed by the sound of the ball hitting a metal hoop.

“Like a boss!” Sam called out as curses came from
the other men.

Xander shifted directions and wandered around the
side of the house to find Sam, Ryan and Hunter engaged in a cutthroat game of
basketball. With a quick move, Sam stole the ball from Ryan, turning and bouncing
it as he backed his way into Hunter’s and Ryan’s defense. He rotated, took a
step back, and shot the ball in a perfect arc through the hoop. Hunter caught
it before it landed.

“Damn, I’m
good
.” Sam used the bottom of
his t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, exposing a well-honed six pack of
muscles.

“You’d like to think,” Ryan answered, pulling his
shirt over his head and wiping his face and dark hair with it.

The guys all made it a point to stay in shape. He
could even admit Sam excelled at basketball, but Xander could outrun his ass
any day of the week.

Hunter was the first to notice him. “Xander.” He
acknowledged him with a nod of his head and tossed the ball to Ryan. The other
guys echoed his greeting, but quickly dismissed them as Ryan took the
opportunity of distraction to shoot a clean hoop.

Sam caught the ball. “Doesn’t count.” He shot off
his own and scored again.

“The hell is doesn’t.”

Xander approached Hunter and held out a hand,
ignoring the other two who were happy to continue their friendly competition. Hunter
shook it with a firm grasp, his expression cool and calculating as always. “Good
to see you.”

Xander would never forget the haunted look in his
friend’s icy blue eyes when he’d introduced himself to Xander the first time. “It’s
been a while, man.”

Hunter nodded. “Want to join in?”

“I’d rather hear about our latest case.”

“I thought you might.” One side of his mouth
tipped into a half-smile. For the leader of their group, that was saying
something. Xander had never gotten the full story out of his friend as to why
he’d started his secret vigilante activities, but whatever had spurred him had
left a deep scar on his psyche. Then again, he supposed they all bore wounds of
some sort.

Hunter led the way into his house. Inside, the
walls were constructed of honeyed pine, bathing the rooms with a rich and
rustic warmth. Xander followed him down to the basement where the five of them
housed the headquarters of their operation. They’d fondly nicknamed it “the
cave”.

Their cave was extremely functional. Half of the
enormous room housed several workstations complete with phones and computers. A
white board occupied a good portion of one wall, along with a large cork board
they used to pin pertinent information if needed. The center of the room housed
a well-stocked bar which provided a nice separation from the leather sofas and
a big-screen TV at the other end. They took their missions seriously, but there
was nothing wrong with taking care of some basic needs from time to time like
drinking beer and watching football.

“I’ve got my notes on the desk over there.”

Xander stopped long enough to pull a cold one out
of the fridge. He twisted off the cap, the beer hissing its approval as he
glanced over the papers and notes scattered across the walnut desk. A glossy
photo of a young woman caught his attention. Long brunette bangs swept above
green eyes alight with happiness while a big grin highlighted pink, glossy lips
and perfect, white teeth. She could be the proverbial girl next door, the kind
of woman a man would want to take home to meet his mama. He hated to think
someone might be taking advantage of her. He lifted the picture. “Who’s she? Victim?”

Hunter shook his head. “Perp.”

He raised his brows in surprise. “
Really
? She
was Camden’s daughter? “She doesn’t seem like she’d be capable of hijacking ten
million.” In fact, she didn’t look like she’d be up to stealing a cup of sugar.
Hunter had given him a brief overview of the case when they’d spoken on the
phone, but now that he’d seen his target, he was more than curious about the
rest of the details.

His friend shrugged. “Looks can deceive.”

He was well aware of that. Her father who’d taken
his dad for every last penny hadn’t looked like a back-stabbing, soul-stealing
bastard, either. He’d not only stolen from him and his father, but future
generations of Secrist’s as well. “What makes you so sure she’s guilty? Not
that I’m going to mind sticking it to Camden’s daughter.”

Hunter took the photo from him, studying her with
a hard look. “The evidence is pretty damning. I’ll let Sam fill you in on the
specifics. Basically, video footage that places her at the scene. Her computer.
Her fingerprints. A co-worker who’s willing to testify she joked around about
stealing from the company. Her father was incarcerated for a similar crime. They
may have worked together in the past. Now he’s dead, and she’s gone solo.”

Xander hardened his spirit against the beautiful
woman. He’d dealt with people like her before, and if she was anything like her
father, she deserved to spend the rest of her life behind bars.

“In addition,” Hunter continued. “Sam’s pretty
proud of his arrest and conviction record. Wouldn’t want to mess that up. But
more importantly, if the money isn’t recovered, it’s going to affect the
company’s shareholders. One of them, a friend of mine has heavily invested in
First Freedom and stands to lose a bunch. Normally, I’d say those are the risks
of investing, but he just found out his wife has breast cancer. I need to help
him. The police may end up getting Ms. Camden eventually, but I don’t want it
to take months to reel her in. If someone doesn’t jump on this soon, she may
slip through our fingers.”

“Agreed.” He certainly had
no
problem
helping Hunter’s friend, especially if it brought him a degree of revenge.

Xander glanced at a few of the papers on the desk.
Her father’s arrest records. A copy of the lease she’d signed for her apartment.
Her driving record. A copy of the police report. All important information,
some of which Sam had risked his career for. But Sam trusted his “brothers”,
and they trusted him. They all knew, all agreed when they’d signed up that this
was a risky venture. Risky, but worth it, and they’d protect each other with
their lives. “I’m glad you called me in on this one. I’d like to take the lead
if that’s all right with you.”

“I was hoping you would. You’re our financial
expert, and your background in computers doesn’t hurt, either. Sam will be able
to give us some inside info, and the rest of us will be here to back you up if
you need it. I want you to arrange to meet her. Get her to talk to you. Be her
friend. Maybe you can get her to slip up and spew some info that can be used
against her.”

“Absolutely.” He took a long swallow of beer,
allowing the liquid to cool his throat as well as his emotions. His reasons for
joining Hunter’s group had been personal, but he couldn’t let them distort his
vision now. He had a job to do.

*        *        *

Two days passed before Nicole had worked herself
into exhaustion. The house was spotless, but there wasn’t much left in her
fridge to eat. Stress had robbed her of her appetite, but she knew she needed
sustenance. It would be hard to fight an unknown enemy with no strength.

Resigned to appearing in public, she pulled
Stormy’s leash from the closet. Instantly her dog jumped to attention and began
dancing around her feet. “Want to go for a walk?” she asked in a singsong
voice, making her pup more excited and making it harder to actually put on her
leash. A walk to the nearby coffee shop would be good for her. She could get
some fresh air, something she hadn’t had enough of for the past few days, and
she could grab a sandwich and her favorite latte.

It was funny how the thought of being deprived of
the little pleasures in life could make a person so much more appreciative of
them.

The sun hovered low in the sky by the time she
left her apartment. Nicole stepped out of the building into the early evening. Light
traffic cruised past as she made her way to the coffee shop a couple of blocks
away. Being outside, filling her lungs with the crisp air scoured out some of
her stress as her muscles stretched and contracted. Stormy trotted along beside
her, happy to be near her owner and enjoying one of their daily rituals. Maybe
keeping things as normal as possible was what she needed to help her until the
police figured out she was innocent.

Nicole tied Stormy to one of the metal bistro
chairs sitting vacant outside and entered the coffee shop. Immediately, the
rich, soothing aroma of ground coffee caressed her senses. She strode forward
like she normally did, but an odd sensation grew from a tiny bud to full blown
with each step. It took her a moment to realize everyone in the shop stared at
her.

The normal, welcoming atmosphere had shifted to
something hostile. She widened her eyes as she glanced from the cute newlywed
couple to the woman who usually had her nose in a book to the older gentleman
who always ordered a large coffee, straight black. These people who she’d
always considered part of her outer social circle had turned on her.

She swallowed her mortification as she continued
to the counter. She forced a smile as she greeted the curly red-haired barista
who’d made her favorite latte time and time again. “Hi.”

“May I help you?” he said, a chill frosting his
words, his offer to get her
the usual
noticeably absent.

“I’d like a chai tea latte.” A sandwich seemed
more than her stomach could tolerate at the moment.

The sound of door chimes tinkled behind her, and
the barista looked over her shoulder to see who’d entered or left the building.
She followed his gaze.

A dark-haired man in a trench coat and suit
walked in and casually approached the counter. He trained his gaze on the menu
hanging above them, giving her a momentary chance to appreciate him.

He was several inches taller than her, and even
beneath the layers of business wear, it was obvious he was fit. A light dusting
of a five o-clock shadow across his jaw lent him a sexy, mysterious look.

She couldn’t deny she’d always had a thing for a
man in a tie.

“What size? The barista pulled her attention away
from the newcomer, the worker’s wary blue eyes narrowing as he studied her.

“Uh…grande.” Just like she always ordered. She
blinked rapidly, the unfriendliness surrounding her becoming more apparent and
stealing center stage from the cute guy.

“We’re out of that size.”

Nicole eyed the stacks of white cups with the
blue logo sitting behind the counter, but didn’t want the embarrassment of
calling him a liar. “A small one then.”

The red-headed guy shook his head. “Don’t have
any of that size, either. Maybe you should try a different coffee shop.”

She took a step back, humiliated beyond belief,
and bumped into the man behind her. She looked to his face to apologize, but he
was focused on the barista.

“Don’t be a jerk, man.” His voice came out in a
deep rumble that made the woman in her sit up and take notice. “Give the lady
her latte.” His expression burned with annoyance.

The barista widened his eyes. “Do you
know
who she is?”

“I read the papers. But nothing’s been proven
yet,” the guy continued. “So, why don’t you give her what she asked for, and
let the justice system handle the rest? I’ll take a grande of your medium roast
while you’re at it.”

The guy hesitated a moment before he cussed under
his breath and turned to do his job.

Nicole’s flight response had completely engaged,
but how could she leave when the dark-haired guy had defended her like he had? “Thanks
for that.” She had no business being out in public, especially in a place known
for socialization. She was better off hiding in the shadows until she could get
her mess resolved.

“No problem,” he said with clipped tones. He
turned his head, but didn’t immediately meet her gaze. Instead, he glanced
about the coffee shop as though daring anyone else to say something. The man
still appeared agitated, and Nicole couldn’t quite figure out why. The barista
had impugned
her
integrity, not his.

When he did finally look at her, the depth and
brilliance of his hazel eyes captured hers. Intelligence bounced back at her,
and the discerning ability to reach down into her soul left her feeling off
balance. She needed to get out of there while she still had a shred of sanity
and dignity.