Ramsey Security (Ramsey Security #1-3)(21)

"Do you like lots of cheese?"

Her smile makes my chest hurt. More than anything, her happiness gives me a powerful urge to hunt down Locke and end his miserable life. The sooner that he's dead, the sooner Darla will smile like this for me again.





16


~~~

Troy

Solving the Puzzle

Darla makes sexy little moans of approval while eating the omelet. I could listen to her all day, but she goes silent after washing her plate. I watch her move soundless around the apartment and wish I could talk to her without worrying about my every word. I'm mentally bitching about my ridiculous problem when Darla retrieves a puzzle from a bag Shelley brought over the day before.

"I like puzzles," she says when I stare at her too long. "We worked on them every Sunday when I was growing up. I had to stop when Shelley had kids since they stole pieces and tried to eat them. Her cat still does."

Leaning against the couch near where she's sitting crossed legged on the floor, I watch her turn the hundreds of pieces face up. I have no interest in helping her put together a kittens frolicking in the grass puzzle. Instead, I watch her, admiring her every frazzled hair. I enjoy the way her lips break into a pout when she's confused about two puzzle pieces linking. I especially like the way she smiles when she matches up large sections.

Ten minutes after she begins, my phone purrs with the soft sounds of Sade. I spot Darla smiling at my ring tone. Minka thinks I'm a fool for having it, but I get the distinct impression Darla's view of me just improved.

"What's up, Habanero?"

"The lurker made another pass-by of the apartment. Rafael tagged the guy and shadowed him for only a few blocks before being made. This guy was a pro to pick out a car following him in so much traffic. He still panicked and took off through an intersection trying to ditch Rafael. Now he has the cops on his ass. The local stations are covering the chase."

I change the TV station from relaxing music to a news station. I see a helicopter view of a black Mercedes two car lengths from a line of perusing cops. Darla glances at the TV, but quickly loses interest and returns to her puzzle.

Studying her relaxed expression, I need to make things right for Darla. Kill whoever needs killing. Burn the world down to give her a rebirth. She can't understand why I'd want her while I don't understand why I shouldn't.

"What do you need me to do?" I ask Minka.

"You can switch off and join us at home base or play house with the client."

As much as I itch to get downtown and see what happens if this guy is caught, Darla needs me to stay with her. No one else will do. This fact gives me a sense of pride and possession. Darla exists in a world where only a very few people own a key. I'm one of them, and I'm not leaving.

"I'm staying here. I'll follow the news, and you can keep me informed if you ID the guy. Locke is finding these people somewhere."

"Saskia found the beauty supply chat room where Zivkovic and Locke connected. It's gone silent since Zivkovic was capped. We're looking to contact a few people who work the circles Locke might go for help. If he does, they'll tip us, and we can track down Locke."

I feel Darla's gaze on me. She hides behind messy hair as soon as I look at her.

"I need to go, but keep me updated," I say, hanging up.

Darla isn't even pretending to work on her puzzle. She's heard Locke's name and is rummaging around in her head full of bad memories.

"This guy was scoping out the apartment," I explain, pointing to the TV where the car barely dodges a van while speeding on a highway. "When he spotted one of our guys following him, he did this shit. The cops will handle him now. Once he's in custody or dead, we'll get his ID and track down his info. Locke tightens the noose around his neck every time he sends one of these f*ckers."

Darla stares at me, and I try to piece together what her expression might mean. Taking a stab in the dark, I sit on the arm of the couch and sigh.

"I've met evil people in my life. Not bad people but truly evil people. Bad people can change. They can find God or fall in love or get hurt and have an awakening. They can change, even if they'll never wash away the blood on their hands. Men like Locke aren't bad, though. He's evil. His entire world looks different from the world we see. His excuses make sense to him in a way they'll never make sense to us."

Darla crosses her arms, thinking of the man who stole her physically and still holds her mentally.

"Locke needs to be destroyed much like we put down rabid dogs. He can't control himself. He breathes and bleeds evil. It's all he can do. The only way to protect the world is to end him. Now because you ran and he's on our radar, Locke will be destroyed. Had you stayed, he would have ruined lives in a million little ways you never knew about."

"I'm a big hero."

"I sense sarcasm in your comment."

Darla frowns, sulking even. I tap her knee with my foot.

"I'm not a shrink, and I don't talk about feelings. I do know life isn't fair and thinking otherwise is childish. We all need to grow up and realize evil exists, bad things happen, and good people get f*cked. Once you accept these facts, you can face evil and beat it back. Otherwise, you're living in a fantasy."

"Fantasies aren't so bad."