of Joan and other girls in our area. I wiped the ones of Joan. He had thousands of dollars in cash in his safe. I removed most of it but left enough so that no one would notice missing cash. He had videos of the girls and him. I took the ones of Joan.”
“They can get those off the hard drive.”
“I’m not an amateur. I went back to Joan’s house and typed a note from her saying she was sick and had to get help, that she’d meet him in a couple of days. I left it on the bed for him to see. He was so angry. He jacked off, leaving her a ‘present’ and a note saying she’d better be there or he’d inform her mother she wasn’t cooperative and he wasn’t paying that month. He left and went back home.”
“Pleasant fellow.”
“Right? I just sat in the car Josefa had gotten for me, just down from his estate, waited for the house to go up and then checked to make certain he didn’t make it out. He lived in the hills, so it was easy enough to get closer to home. I drove the car to a ravine, pushed it over and made my way home.” She shrugged.
Absinthe slid the pad of his thumb over her inner wrist and the pulse beating there. Every word she’d said was the truth. She’d killed a pedophile. Managed to bankroll a human trafficking victim and recouped cash. Saved a young teen. Had an airtight alibi. She’d been smart enough to make McCarthy’s death look like an accident.
“Moya literaturnaya ledi, I didn’t think it was possible to admire you any more than I already did. Holy mother but you get the job done.”
“Someone has to.” For the first time, real tears swam in her eyes. “The cops knew they raped my sister. They left behind evidence, but as usual, Robert’s father bought his way out of it. He bought the cops, he bought the attorneys and he bought the judges.”
“What evidence?”
“There were photographs of my sister’s body and the scene where my parents were in the living room. Robert’s necklace was wrapped around Priscilla’s wrist. How do you miss that? It was wrapped around her wrist and the medallion was clasped in her fingers. She was smart and she’d torn it off his neck and when she decided to hang herself, she wrapped that around her hand to make certain they knew who had raped her. It was very distinct. Thick chain links. Real gold. The medallion was flat and had the words Rule the World engraved on it.”
“How did you see the photographs?”
She shook her head and pressed her lips together. “I can’t tell you that, but I did get screen captures of them and gave them to my attorney. It was part of the reason I was able to get out of prison and the state made a very lucrative deal with me.”
He knew immediately that someone on the inside of the prison, someone with skills like Code’s, had gotten to those photographs, and Scarlet would never break her silence and compromise them. It shocked him that the pictures hadn’t been destroyed. Someone was either thinking in terms of protecting themselves or blackmailing Holden down the road.
“Fair enough, ledi, you had the proof, and that was the big thing. We don’t hunt unless we know those we’re after are guilty.”
He eased back in his chair to let her know he was switching gears. He wanted to take her to his house and see if she was willing to make the coast her home, to commit to him and his club permanently. He knew it was fast for her, but in order for both of them to disclose the things they needed to each other, they had to count on the connection, that pathway their brains had made—and the truth they shared. They had to jump in with both feet. That meant Scarlet was the one stepping off the cliff, and he knew it was much harder for her—more of a matter of trust than for him. He would have his club to make him comfortable. She would only have him. She’d been let down and she would be afraid.
“I want you to come home with me. I own a house here in Caspar. I’d like you to see if you like it. If you don’t, I’m telling you up front, I’m willing to find another one, anything at all you