Page 54 of Wicked Love
He shook his head with a frown. “The attack’s still on-going. I can’t stay for long. But I wasn’t accomplishing much at the moment anyway, so at least I can make sure the four of you are safe.”
“What do you mean, under attack?” Dexter asked before Beckett could go on, leaning forward.
Beckett exhaled sharply. “Armed men stormed several of the Storm-owned businesses in the city—including the dance club, the trucking company, and my new office complex. It’s obvious that they were looking to get in quietly and simply slaughter everyone working for me, but thankfully my people are alert and noticed some odd behavior. They were able to get out a warning to the others just in time to be on the defense.”
My stomach had sunk. “What’s happening now?”
“Everyone barricaded themselves in the buildings. But it’s hard on the ground levels that have storefronts with big windows. They’ve ended up holed up in back rooms or basements where they can’t maneuver easily. I’ve been talking to people at each location, and it sounds like most of them have survived so far, but they’re under siege. They can’t leave without getting shot, and they can’t get good shots in at the people who’ve invaded.”
Logan’s brow furrowed. “And you don’t have enough people who aren’t trapped to fight back from the outside?”
Beckett grimaced. “My family has a lot of resources and people, but they’re spread out. This has severely limited who I can call on in the area. I’m rallying everyone I can who isn’t stuck, but I’m not sure if there’s much we can do other than wait it out. If we get into a full shoot-out at all of my businesses, it’s going to draw so much unwanted police attention… That could destroy our holdings in the city in itself. It’d be a total bloodbath.”
My eyebrows shot up, the guys’ account of their escape from the police racing through my mind. “Couldn’t you use the police to scare off Doom’s Seed’s people? If they’re actively firing illegal weapons and making a commotion…”
“Theyhaven’tbeen able to do all that much shooting so far, not so much that the police have been called in. These aren’t residential neighborhoods. Unless they see something they can’t ignore, people in the city tend to stay out of any kind of conflict.”
“Youcould call the cops in,” Slade pointed out with a click of his candy against his teeth.
Beckett aimed a baleful look at him. “And that really wouldn’t help my concerns about police interference with my businesses, would it? They could just as easily end up shootingmypeople as the assholes attacking us.”
My mind worked through the problem. Doom’s Seed wouldn’t want his people detained and questioned any more than Beckett did. And the cops didn’t have to go right at them for the criminals to get worried. From what they’d said, the Vigil guys had gone on the alert as soon as they’d spotted the cops in the library.
“What if… what if you didn’t point them at your businesses at all,” I said slowly. “As long as the attackersthinkthe police are going to show up and arrest them, they won’t stick around, right?”
Beckett raised his eyebrows. “How would we make them think that if it’s not true?”
“Give them something else to investigate. Like… ‘symptoms’ of a problem nearby that’ll draw a whole lot of police attention, close enough that it’ll spook Doom’s Seed’s men but not focused on any property you own.”
Slade tapped his hand on the table. “I like that. Maddie bringing her doctor training to the task in creative ways.”
Beckett’s eyes glazed for a few seconds as he contemplated my suggestion. He was just opening his mouth when his phone rang.
He jerked it to his ear. “Yes?” Then his expression lightened. He stood a little straighter, nodding. “Excellent. You have an address? Send me all the information.”
My heart leapt. But as Beckett hung up, his expression got more serious again.
He looked around at us. “That was one of my tech guys. He’s identified a location on the outskirts of the city where some of the ‘toxic’ fish were shipped regularly but that doesn’t appear to be a restaurant or any other business you’d expect to be ordering raw fish. He isn’t surewhatit is.”
Logan’s eyes widened. “That’s the lead we need. But—you need to deal with this gang war you’ve got on your hands first.”
Beckett swiped his hand over his mouth. “I do. But you know what—I think Maddie’s plan just might work if I put the right spin on it. It reminds me of some strategies that got us pretty far back in Paradise Bend.”
I smiled. “Then let’s do it.”
“Iam going to do most of it,” Beckett said firmly, and paused. “But you four had better come with me. If the police are going to be racing around the city, I want to be sure you’re out of their way. And as soon as this is dealt with, we’ll investigate this place and its toxic fish.”
* * *
As I pressed the dial button, my gaze stayed trained on the street beyond the van’s tinted back window. Beckett had gone off in that direction after we’d parked not far from his office complex. He’d texted me seconds ago telling me to go ahead with my part in the plan. I just hoped this worked, since it’d technically been my idea.
The line on the other end rang, and then a crisp professional voice answered, telling me I’d reached the police department.
“I have a crime to report,” I said quickly. “I was at the Lotus Blossom Spa a couple of days ago, and I saw them selling baggies of drugs out of a back room.”
“Hold on a second.” There was a rustling sound on the other end. “What exactly did you see?”
I improvised on the spot, wanting to make sure they took the accusation seriously. “A couple of people gave the staff money and were handed baggies of this white powder. I saw one of them snort some of it. It was obviously making them high.”
