Page 8 of Abra's Acquisition
“He paid me well. There’s also the fact that he’s an asshole, and like almost all assholes with money, he could have made my life very difficult. I was afraid that if I said no, he’d go out of his way to destroy me. My practice is small and not yet established. I’ve just started making a name for myself, and Erickson is the type of man who could destroy it. I couldn’t afford to make him an enemy, although I guess he is now.”
“You don’t have to worry about Erickson coming after you,” Pirate says. “I left him a message informing him that we have proof that he kidnapped you and held you against your will. If he doesn’t want us to send the information to the cops, he’ll keep his mouth shut.”
I glance at Abra, who grins at me as he offers me his hand. As he leads me outside, Pirate follows, as does Lake. Lake has a small suitcase in his right hand as he leads the maid outside. I offer her a smile as we leave.
CHAPTER SEVEN: ABRA
Olivia’s brother and our prospect, Levi, met us out front of Erickson’s house in the club SUV. Lake loads the maid’s suitcase in the back before he settles her in the backseat. I help Rey into the SUV next to her.
“Levi will take you back to the clubhouse. You’ll be safe there, both of you. Erickson won’t dare show up there looking for you.”
“What are you going to do?” Rey asks me.
“I’ll meet you there after I make a quick call. I'd like to review everything you know about Maison des Cinq Chênes.”
With that, I shut the car door and pound on the roof to let Levi know he can take off. Once they’re on their way, Pirate, Lake, and I hoof it to our bikes. We parked around the corner from Erickson’s home. I’m tempted to wait until he returns, but I want to get back to the clubhouse and check on Rey. She showed immense strength during her ordeal. Not only did she have the presence of mind to fasten herself a weapon, but she didn’t freak out. I wouldn’t have blamed her if she had, not after getting kidnapped twice in two days. However, it’s obvious that Rey is made of sterner stuff.
“She’s an impressive woman,” Pirate says after we take off.
“She is,” I agree, glancing over at him. “You interested?”
“Nah, she’s not my type. Don’t get me wrong. She’s smoking hot, but I don’t think she’s interested in me. She only had eyes for you.” Pirate shoots me a dirty grin.
I shake my head at his comment. He didn’t see Rey’s eyes. I did. She wasn’t looking at me with lust or longing. No, those gorgeous green eyes held nothing but suspicion and accusation. She’s well aware that I’m the one responsible for her kidnapping. I just hope she knows that I never meant to put her in danger.
We catch up to the SUV, and I notice Rey turning to watch us. I lift my hand in a wave, but she turns back towards the front without returning it. I hear Pirate chuckle over the Bluetooth headphones in our helmets. I sent him a glare before returning my attention to the SUV. The roar of other motorcycles reaches us. I glance in my side mirror to see Hex, Zip, and Dixie catching up. Hex and Dixie slide into the front while I move up to join Zip. Lake and Pirate bring up the rear.
I smirk at the people who stare at us as we roar onto the highway. It’s amusing to watch the wide-eyed wonder on the faces of the kids, while the dad or mom driving avoids looking in our direction. They likely believe that by making eye contact, they’re risking us following them home.
As we park, the Old Ladies come outside and swarm the SUV. They take charge of Rey and the maid before disappearing inside. Glad to see Rey is in good hands. I follow Hex inside.
“What happened at the park?” I ask him as we move to the bar to accept beers from another prospect, Conor.
“He showed up with two bodyguards in tow. They pretended they weren’t together, but it wasn’t as if they could blend in. They looked like former football players who have gone to seed. They stood around in dark suits and sunglasses, holding their wrists up to their mouths while they continuously scanned the area. Erickson checked his watch so many times that I’m surprised he didn’t take it off and toss it away as broken.He didn’t look happy when he stormed off. I considered approaching him, but honestly, I had more fun watching him melt down. It took him way too long to figure out that you tricked him. I guess you didn’t have any trouble at his house?”
“Not a bit. Pirate accessed his security feed and made some copies before deleting everything. I found some information that I want to discuss with Cicero,” I say, pulling out the documents I stole from Erickson’s desk.
“You stole those? He’s going to think I took them!” Rey snarls behind me as she makes a snatch for the documents. I just manage to keep them out of her reach. “Fuck, I’m ruined. He’s going to ruin me.”
“No, he won’t,” Pirate says. “I have proof that he kidnapped you. We’ll make sure he knows if he causes you any trouble, we’ll send the proof of his guilt to the police.”
“You should do that anyway,” Rey says. “Send it to my brothers.”
“We may still do that, but I want to wait,” I tell her.
“Why? Is it because you stole that figurine? You’re afraid that I’ll tell my brothers that the reason Erickson kidnapped me was because he thought I assisted you in the theft?”
I nod slowly. “That’s part of it. Even if you don’t tell them, Erickson will. He doesn’t have proof that I stole it, but I don’t want the police looking for the item. You see, I didn’t steal it for myself; I stole it for a man who once saved my life. If the cops found my friend with the figurine, he could go to jail. I don’t want that to happen. He said he needs the figurine for some research he’s doing. He also said that Erickson stole the figurine from the real owner.”
Rey chews on her bottom lip as she studies me. “Really? Erickson stole it?”
I nod.
She sighs. “What is your friend researching?”
“The De Villiers family. His parents are experts on the French Revolution as well as the French Quarter. Cicero has developed a keen interest in uncovering the secrets of the family, their house, and their land.”
“He’s looking for the treasure?”
