Reign of evil, p.22
Reign of Evil, page 22
“We’ll talk about that later.” I gave her a gentle push to get her moving, knowing Mac was inhaling Mama D’s biscuits as fast as he could. “I will tell you this much. It involves shopping and spending a lot of money.”
“How much money? And how much shopping?”
Enough to make McPherson regret having agreed to foot the bill for my missions. He thought the trips down to New Orleans were costly, but he hadn’t seen anything yet.
22
“You want how much?” McPherson shouted into the phone. “There’s no way I’m giving you two million dollars!”
“I’m not asking you to give it to me. I’m just asking you to park it in an account for a while. You’ll get it back.”
“No.”
I looked over at Trinity and Lars, hoping for a little assistance — but none appeared to be forthcoming. Trinity just shook her head at me, and Lars… well, McPherson was his boss and he’d already pushed the man pretty far. For the time being, it appeared like I was on my own.
“Look, General — it’s like I told Jace. It’s just for show. They have to see I have the funds required or they aren’t going to play ball.”
“You’ll have to find another way.”
“There’s not another way!” I snapped at him. Lars groaned. Trinity’s eyes widened. I ignored both of them and leaned down over the speakerphone, wanting to make sure the general heard every word. “This is about children, General. Children being kidnapped and sold into the sex trade. We have the chance to catch this guy and stop a major trafficking ring, and you’re digging in your heels over a couple of million.”
“Good try, Taylor, but you’re not guilting me into giving you the money. You don’t even know for sure if this is the guy. You’re guessing. This could be nothing but a very costly goose chase.”
“He’s the guy.”
“You haven’t convinced me of that, and until you do, we have nothing further to discuss,” he said, his tone firm. “We’re done here, Taylor.”
I couldn’t believe it. We’d done our homework. It had taken a few days, but Sterling and Shield had provided almost all the information I’d asked for. We’d checked and cross-checked and then checked again. There was no doubt in my mind that the owner of La Petite Château was Le Roi Démon.
His name was Larón De LaRue — or at least it was what he called himself. Roughly translated, it meant “thief of the street.” My bet was he’d chosen his moniker, especially since it led to a dead end when Sterling started hunting down information on him.
He’d popped up on the scene in New Orleans approximately ten years ago when he purchased what was then a somewhat dilapidated hotel located off the beaten path of the tourist district and then spent a small fortune transforming it into a luxurious boutique hotel that catered almost exclusively to the rich and famous.
Known for his generous contributions to numerous charities in New Orleans, and his dedication to improving the less-developed areas of the city, the man was a darling of the press. The wall by my desk was covered with news and magazine articles extolling his virtues — his irritatingly handsome face featured prominently in each and every one. New Orleans loved the man. They wanted a savior — a hero — and he gave them exactly what they were looking for. Once that was found, they looked no further. No one bothered to turn over the rock and see what lay underneath.
Where he’d gotten his money, no one knew. Where he came from — same story. Larón De LaRue was nothing more than a persona he’d built for himself, just as he’d built his little castle — a facade he hid behind while conducting his true business. A business that would horrify the very people who all but worshipped him.
It was his offices and private apartment that were behind the locked and guarded door at the hotel. We knew it for a fact because I’d sent Devon in undercover to work there. A beautiful woman. A lecherous manager. A lot of flirting… She was hired on the spot.
She’d spent the past few days cleaning rooms, stripping beds, and gathering intel. Not the best assignment in the world, but our little ex-CIA agent was loving every minute of it. Somehow, she’d managed to get a DNA sample from De LaRue that Rivers was running through the FBI’s database even as we spoke.
Mac, who I’d also sent to New Orleans, was posing as her boyfriend, giving him access to the hotel as well as serving as a deterrent to the manager and his less than honorable intensions.
I had people on site. DNA being run. A plan in place. And it was all going to be for nothing, if McPherson didn’t give me what I wanted.
“We have someone on the inside,” I blurted out before he could hang up.
“Do you?” His voice was ominously quiet.
Lars shifted in his chair and shook his head, trying to warn me, but it was too late. I had miscalculated the general’s reaction. I thought he would see reason — but I was wrong. This wasn’t just about the money. It was a power play, pure and simple. One I intended to win.
“Mac and Devon are on site gathering the evidence you want. We’ll have it any time now.“
“How long, Taylor?” he asked. “How long have they been there?”
“A few days,” I admitted. “Does it matter?”
“Only in that I’m just now hearing about it. I thought we had an agreement.”
“We do, General. Or so I thought. Apparently, you’re reneging on your end.”
“I’m reneging? How do you figure that?”
“Our agreement is that I run missions for KOR, and you pay for my rescue missions. You knew what I do — what we do — when you agreed to this arrangement. Now that it’s time to pay the piper, you’ve suddenly got cold feet.”
“We agreed to cover the cost of the mission, but not two million worth. That’s not going to happen.”
“Fine. Then we’ll do it without your help.” Silence descended over the room — the voice on the other end of the line eerily still.
“You will do nothing of the sort,” he said finally. “You will pull your people back and let this go.”
“I can’t do that.” I looked over at Trinity and then at Lars. It was their futures I was putting at risk, but I was caught between a rock and a hard place. For a moment I was unsure whether I was doing the right thing… then I thought of the children the Roi had taken. How they were waiting to be saved. How we were the only ones that might be able to do it. I was the Sword, and as corny as it sounded, this was my destiny. I had no choice.
“Let me get this straight,” the general barked out over the phone. “You’re refusing to follow a direct order?”
“I am.” I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the hurt and condemnation in Trinity’s eyes at my next words. “I’m proceeding with the mission — even if I have to pay for it myself. And when I’m finished, when it’s all over, I’m gone.”
“You have a contract, Taylor. Or have you forgotten about that?”
“She hasn’t forgotten, General, but apparently you have.” Trinity got to her feet and glared at the phone as if McPherson could see her. “There were specific terms in that contact, and you have indeed reneged on your end, rendering the agreement null and void. She has every right to walk out, and there is nothing you can do to stop her. You have no legal grounds here.”
“What about you, Trinity? Are you prepared to reap the repercussions of her decision?”
“My decision doesn’t involve her,” I said quickly. “I’m leaving — not them.”
“We go where she goes.” Trinity put her hands on her hips and glared at me, a warning not to defy her and speak again. “You lose her, you lose us all. In addition, you can expect a hefty lawsuit for damages owed — one that will make two million seem like a mere pittance. I’m sure the board will be thrilled to lose not only their biggest asset, but a huge chunk of change. And of course, there is the risk that KOR and its members will be exposed in the process.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No. I’m giving you advance warning of what to expect should you not honor your end of the contract. Promises made. Promises broken. Damages to pay. It’s your choice. Call back when you’ve made your decision.” With that, she hung up the phone.
“That might have been a mistake,” I said, hoping she didn’t direct her fury on me now that McPherson was no longer a target. “We still need him to pay for this little adventure.”
She snorted. “There’s nothing little about it. I racked up quite the total on my shopping trip to Dallas, and then there’s the hotel itself. The rooms cost a fortune. McPherson is going to have a fit when he sees how much it costs.”
“Is it less than two million?”
“Of course it is.”
“Then he can’t really complain, can he? He’s getting a bargain.” My phone rang, and I pulled it up, checking the caller ID. It was Rivers. Finally. “You get the DNA results?”
“Well, hello to you too.”
“Hello, Rivers. How are you? So sorry I left you stranded in New Orleans. Do you feel better now?” I asked, then went on without giving him a chance to answer. “Do you have the DNA results or not? I’m in a time crunch here.”
“You know you’re really annoying at times,” Rivers complained.
“So I’ve been told.”
“DuPont,” Rivers said, giving up the fight. “Your DNA belongs to a guy by the name of Stephen DuPont.”
“As in the filthy rich DuPonts of Delaware?”
“No. As in the dirt-poor DuPonts of Louisiana. It’s a common name, Taylor. At least among the French.”
“He’s from France?”
“No. He’s American as apple pie. Born in Lafayette, Louisiana. Both parents died in a fire when he was twelve. No other relatives — at least none that would take him in. He went into the system — took off when he was fifteen and hit the streets.”
“You’re telling me he’s a street kid? He’s preying on kids who are just like him?”
“Oh, no one is like him. He’s smart. Genius smart. He had a crew working for him almost from the minute his feet hit the ground.”
“He have a rap sheet?”
“No, but he has a file an inch thick. That’s what took me so long. The Lafayette PD overnighted a copy, and it took a while to get through it. It’s quite an interesting read. I’ll send you a copy to go over.”
“I don’t have time, Rivers. Sum it up for me.”
“According to the file, DuPont made his money doing then exactly what he’s doing now. Selling children. It was on a smaller scale, and his customers were average joes, but it was enough to whet his appetite and teach him the ins and outs of the business. Lafayette PD brought him in several times, but never had enough to make the charges stick. When things got too hot, he took off. Showed up in New York City, where the victims were plentiful, the clientele more elite, and the profit much better. Stephen DuPont had found his niche, and after a few years he made enough money to move on to greener pastures.”
“New Orleans.”
“New Orleans,” Rivers confirmed. “Goodbye, Stephen DuPont. Hello, Larón De LaRue — entrepreneur and philanthropist extraordinaire. The city embraced him as one of their own, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
The desk phone rang and Trinity picked it up. “It’s McPherson.” She mouthed the words, giving me the choice of taking the call or running from the room.
“I’ve got to go, Rivers.” As tempting as fleeing was, I motioned for the phone, which she immediately put on hold. “Send your report and I’ll go over it. And thanks. I appreciate you hunting him down.”
I hung up on Rivers, and braced for battle with McPherson. Lars had sat there quietly, without voicing his opinion one way or the other. It was his future hanging in the balance, too. Our future…
“When do I get that ice cream you promised me?” I asked. My hand wavered over the phone set as I waited for his answer.
“Whenever you can fit me in.” He gave me a little grin, and I relaxed. Lars was in my corner, and dinner with ice cream to follow was in my future. I’d had to cancel before, and there hadn’t been time since then, but that was about to change.
“How about tonight?”
“Tonight it is.” He pointed to the phone where McPherson sat on hold. “You should probably answer that. He’ll be in a bad enough mood at having to concede to your demands as it is.”
I nodded and hit the speaker button. “You wanted to talk to me?”
“I’m sending Jace to Stone Hill to keep an eye on you.”
“Great. Can’t wait to see him. Is this permanent, or just to make sure I don’t run off with your two million?”
“It’s temporary, Taylor. The board approved the funds you requested, but they want one of our people on site to monitor the situation. And you.”
“They don’t trust me.”
“You scare them,” McPherson corrected. “For that matter, you scare me. This isn’t a small-time pimp, Taylor. From what Jace tells me, this guy is a local celebrity. Taking him down is going to get messy. It will draw attention and the last thing KOR wants is attention. We prefer to stay in the background.”
“Tell them not to worry. I have that end covered. This won’t lead back to them.” Or it wouldn’t, as long as Rivers had done his part right. “How soon before the account is set up?”
“Clair’s working on that now. She’ll call with the details when it’s done. Should be within the hour. Jace will be arriving before end of day. Is there anything that you require?”
“Just that you pay the bill when this is all over.”
“I gather it will be a large one.”
“Like you said, we’re playing in the big leagues now. It’s going to cost more. A lot more.”
“If this guy is what you say he is, I’ll be happy to pay for taking him down.” He paused a second, and I took in a deep breath, knowing he wasn’t finished. “So what do I tell the board? Are you and your people staying now that you’ve gotten what you wanted?”
“That depends on whether they sign the new contract,” Trinity answered, cutting me off. “The old one is no longer valid, remember? I’ll draw up the revised contract and have it to you before the end of the week. Then we’ll talk.”
“I look forward to it,” he said dryly. Then he hung up on her.
“Revisions?” I asked
“We have new expenses. A nursery to put in. Bigger houses to build. I’m thinking we need a lake by the church with trees and benches to sit on and relax. Maybe a walking path around it with evergreens and willows. That would be nice.”
“Trinity…”
“McPherson isn’t the problem, Taylor. The board he answers to is. They’re the ones that balked at the two million, not McPherson. He was just the messenger.” She shook her head in frustration. “This needs to cost them, Taylor. They knew the conditions of the contract, and they broke them anyway. They need to think twice before they do it again, or we’ll be going through this every time you want to run a mission they haven’t handed down.“
“Hey,” Sterling said from the doorway. “You guys have a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?” I answered, before Trinity had a chance to send her packing.
She gave me a look, narrowing her eyes into squinty little lines, but I didn’t care. Turnabout was fair play after all, and if I didn’t do something to distract her, she’d manage to spend more of that two million that KOR had so readily accessible. According to her, she’d already amassed a pile of receipts in Dallas, and she’d only been there for less than a day.
“You wanted to know when we had your new identity ready,” Sterling said. “I think it’s just about done. I don’t get it, but we did like you wanted and only provided you cover on the last ten years, just like LaRue’s — then you disappear completely. All we need is your alias, and we’re good to put it out on the web.”
My phone pinged with an incoming message. It was the file from Rivers. The one on DuPont. The timing couldn’t have been better. I quickly opened it and scrolled down, searching for the information I wanted.
“Lilly DuPont,” I told her. “That’s his mother’s name.”
“The Roi’s mother?” Sterling’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “Why on earth would you choose that? It’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull. He’ll run a background check on you for sure, and he’ll know you’re not who you claim to be.”
“That’s exactly what I’m counting on. It’s bait, Sterling. Going down there is pointless if he stays locked behind that door. I was worried about how to draw him out, but now I won’t have to. He’ll come to me.”
“If he’s smart, he’ll run the other way.”
“But he won’t.” Trinity gave me smile, having put the pieces together. “She’s sending him a message that she knows who he is and what he is — something no one else has done. His ego is so big he won’t be able to resist finding out who she really is and what she wants with him.”
“Which is why it’s imperative that the trail not lead back to us,” I added. Trinity, Lars, and I all turned to Sterling, the unspoken question hanging in the air.
“Seriously?” She gave us an eye roll, irritated at what she considered an insult, then pinned her gaze on me. “The only way he finds out who you are is if he has some sort of voodoo priestess on his payroll. I mean, it could happen. It’s New Orleans. There was that woman — Marie Laveau. She was like the voodoo queen, but she did good voodoo, not the bad stuff, and everyone liked her. I’m thinking if the Roi has a priestess at his beck and call, it’s an evil one, just like him. She could cast a spell and hunt you down, or make a voodoo doll that looks like you and stick pins in it.”
“I get it, Sterling,” I said, cutting her off. “Just get it ready to go. Once the account is set up and linked to Lilly’s name, you can upload the bio to the web. Put it where he can find it. I don’t know how advanced his tech people are.”
“We’ll spread it around. No problem.”
“We’ll need aliases for the rest of the team and Jace as well.”
