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“There are factions out there who would pay a great deal of money for players to throw the game, so to speak.”
Jared understood in an instant. Davis had gone merc on them, selling out his team to the enemy. “All those lives,” Jared spat out.
Davis shrugged. “It was alotof money,” he replied. “Literal truckloads of money.”
Flexing his hands, Jared contemplated attacking his former friend. There had been whispers over the years; there always were when it came to accidents that left military men and women dead. Jared had always believed his friend had been scapegoated. To know that all of those rumors were true was devastating—made worse by having Davis there beside him, talking about them as if they were chatting at some sort of barbecue. “Why are you here, Gavin? Why now? Feeling some need to unburden yourself?”
Davis laughed, and it was a harsh, unflattering sound. He continued to walk. “No, I’m here to warn you.”
“Warn me?”
The man nodded. “Your woman is in danger. Her ex, a guy called Tucker, was looking to hire someone to abduct her and bring her to him.”
Something clicked for Jared.Hadn’t Rita said that the guy who scared her was super tall?“You delivered a message to her from him.”
Davis didn’t deny it. “He approached me because he liked the irony of the situation—me kidnapping the love of my old buddy’s life—but I turned him down.”
“Why? Out of some sort of friendship?” Jared spat out the last word. This conversation had shown him that Davis didn’t even know the meaning of the word.
The other man shook his head with a derisive snort. “No, he couldn’t afford me. He paid me to carry a message, but when it came time for the down payment on the rest, he was full of excuses.” He crossed his arms over his chest, like this was a matter of principle for him. “I stopped doing jobs without money upfront years ago. You learn that quick, for sure.”
Jared clenched his jaw. “Why warn me at all?”
“I thought you deserved to know what was coming. I said no, but someone else might say yes, even with just a promise as payment.” He scratched at the side of his head, casual. “In fact, it may have already happened.”
His world narrowed. “What do you mean?” He backed away from Davis. “What is this?”
As Jared turned to run back to the house, Davis called out to him, stopping Jared in his tracks. “If you had been in the house, he would have killed you. At least this way, you have a chance to get her back.”
“Who did he hire? Where is he taking her?” Jared demanded.
Releasing his arm, Davis smiled. “He is someone who used to work for me, learned his shit from a master. And as for the where—” Davis shrugged. “Well, I heard that her ex has a yacht berthed in Long Beach. Might want to start there.” As Davis turned to walk away, Jared grabbed his arm.
“Why, Davis?”
“Why, what?”
“Why tell me this?”
Shrugging, Davis looked at his old friend. “Her ex is a sanctimonious shit who doesn’t know how to move on. You, at least, I liked.”
“That’s not it.” Davis had been willing to sell him and the rest of the team out before—Jared doubted the man would clue him in just for old time’s sake.
Davis shook him off. “That’s all you’re getting.” Jared released his arm, but it was only so he could aim a solid punch to the other man’s jaw. Davis went down like a sack of potatoes. Jared used what he had on hand to secure Davis to a picnic table. Then he called the cops and told them where to find him.
Davis came to laughing and spitting out blood. “I imagine I won’t be seeing you again. Guys like me don’t last long in prisons.”
“Are you suicidal or something?” Jared asked. “Is that why you’re doing this?”
Jared took in his sad eyes—and his refusal to answer the question—and for a moment, he felt a pang for the man who had once been his friend. He opened his mouth to say something, but Davis spoke first. “Hurry, Jared. They have some time on you.”
As Jared broke out into a run—his ankle screaming—he prayed that Davis was wrong. As he ran across the park, all the missed cues, the failed missions…the pieces started falling into place. As he neared the house, he slowed down. Nothing looked amiss. Not wanting to alarm Rita, he walked casually toward the front door. He could hear Casey barking in the backyard, and his heart kicked into gear with a fresh wave of adrenaline. She never barked. Reaching the door, he pushed it slowly open; it was unlocked.
14
“Rita?”
Silence.
