Sin (The Waite Family) (30 page)

Her phone was ringing. Sin tried to remember where she’d put it
when
Payton rolled over her and handed it to her. With a quick kiss he rolled back over and went back to sleep. She looked at the caller
ID
and nearly fell off the bed in her
need to answer it.
She didn’t even get out a greeting before he barked an order to her.

“Kitchen. I’m waiting.” T
hen the line went dead.

Sin pulled on some clothes then woke Payton. She had no idea why
,
but she wanted him close.
She started out the door
,
but turned and retrieved her gun from under the pillow and checked the magazine before she looked up at Payton.

“Do you
think you’ll need that
?
” he asked as he pulled on a pair of jeans.

Her mouth watered at the sight of all that flesh
,
but
she
turned her back to him so she could think.
“I don’t know. But I’d rather be armed than not.”
She watched as he did the same and slipped his gun in the back of his jeans.
“Thank you.”

“No problem.
We are an odd couple and I can live with that.”
With a quick kiss to her nose
they went down the stairs.

They entered the kitchen with
caution
and looked at the man sitting at the table with a glass of iced tea and a box of donuts in front of him.
The light from the moon shone on his dark clothes and bald head. Sin reached for the light switch when he stopped her.

“Don’t. The less people who know we’re up
,
the better.
You Cooperider?”
Payton nodded.
“Good, you might as well have a seat too. This involves you more than anyone.”

Sin grabbed two more glasses from the cabinet and opened the fridge. She wasn’t surprised to find the light out and it dark in there as well.
She put the jug
of tea
on the table and let Payton pour them both a glass.

“You know a man named Wickett?”
Again
,
Payton nodded.
“He’s got a real hard-on to see you dead.
I don’t care why
,
but you should know he’s been a busy man tonight.
I
’ve
been—
”

“Who the hell are you?
I’m sorry
,
but this is a little much.
We get woke up in the middle of the night, come down to a darkened kitchen to find you sitting here having breakfast as though you don’t have a care in the world
,
and you tell me Wickett is out to get me.
I know that.
Do you think we can start from the
beginning?
I’m Payton Cooperider and you are…”

Sin grinned.
“Payton
,
this is Roger Shipley
, my friend
. This is the man that David told us about. He’s been working undercover, remember?”

The men shook hands
before Shipley continued
.
“Wickett has your mother and sister.
Can’t tell you where he has ‘em right now
,
but I think he might be coming here.
He took them about an hour ago.”

“Wait. That can’t be. My mother has armed guard
s
with her at all times.
How can…he killed them.
Fuck.” Payton got up to pace.
“You say an hour.
His plane was grounded and he was being followed. I take it he has other means of transportation.”

“Could be
,” Shipley said.
 
“
He hired me about
eight
months ago to do some work for him. And before you ask,
I can only share what I know for sure, the rest is up to Patterson to tell you
. The government thinks he had a bit to do with what went down in Africa.
I’m not so sure he was the head of it, but he had been in on it.
He just do
es
n’t strike me as the planning and follow through sort of guy.
Sort of a dumbass
,
if you ask me.
Someone, maybe the governor of his state
,
is
working
with someone higher on the food chain
than Wickett to get the ball moving on a few more projects
.
But
Wickett
did need you dead cause of this trial coming up.”

“You told him where I was.”
Payton sat down hard.
“I don’t understand how you found me when he couldn’t.”

“Because he’s looking for Quinn too, right
?
” Sin asked. She figured a man like Wickett had given up too easily when he’d run away with his tail between his legs.
“And when you found Quinn, you found me
,
and through me, Payton.”

“Something like that.”
Shipley
grinned again.
“You look good
,
Cap.
Getting laid regular-like suits you.”

“Fuck off, Shipley.
You brought a killer to my door. I’m in no mood to play nice with you.”
She started pacing.
“If he took Payton’s family an hour ago
,
where
would he be coming from?”

Payton answered first.
“Virginia.
My sister
Shaller is living with my mom temporarily.
Do you know if they are hurt?”

“No, don’t know anything other than there was a dead man in the house and three more on the property.
The house wasn’t broken into
.
The
alarms were disengaged so we know he was inside when she came home.
There was some blood, but not enough to indicate anyone was hurt badly enough to be dead.”
Shipley reached into his
jacket and pulled out an envelope. “Took those for you.
You know that man there?”

Payton opened the envelope and several pictures spilled out.
“Yeah, this man is my mother’s personal guard. Phillip Salix.
He had been with my dad before her.”
While he looked through the pictures
,
Sin questioned Shipley.

“
What kind of transport does he have? And has he changed
ID
yet?”
She pulled a sheet of paper off the memo tablet on the wall.
“Tell me what you know and what sort of things we have to work with.”

“A plane he had in Zanesville. I knew about it
,
but figured he couldn’t get to it. Should have figured he’d have a hidey hole somewhere.
Far as I can tell
,
he had all his worldlies sold in a few hours before he landed in Virginia.
Cost him a pretty penny too.
He was in and out of the house before I knew he was gone. I was on another assignment for him when he pulled that shit.”

“I don’t know this man.
He wasn’t a part of the group that regularly took care of my mom.”
Payton handed the picture to Shipley.
“Who is he?”

“Figured someone had to let him in the house
so
that could be him
,
I suppose
.
Must have been part of his crew at one time
or another, but nothing I can verify
. He had some jerk-off tailing me
for
a few days
,
but I took care of him
.
Had to set him straight on a couple of things before he decided to die
.
Oh yeah, got a message for you.
You
r c
hief said to tell you to kill the bastard and get your ass back to Jersey.
He is tired of covering your ass.”

“My chief?”
Payton looked hard at Shipley.
“How the hell did you know about my chief and where the hell did you see him?”

“That’s where I
was
when your mom was being taken.
He, Wickett
,
had me go and do a few…he called them clean-ups
. I had to kill the mayor and your
c
hief.
The mayor is sitting in a jail cell singing his heart out and your chief
,
last I saw him
,
was taking notes.
”
Shipley pulled out a cell.
“Said when you believed
me
,
I was to have you call him.”

Payton put the phone in his pocket
without calling.
Sin was grateful for his trust
.
“Tell me what you know about my mom and sister.
Tell me like you would her.” Payton pointed at her.
“I want to be a part of this and get her back and make that cocksucker pay.”

~~~

When his cell phone rang an hour later Coop wasn’t surprised. His mom was the only one who had this number and she would only call him if it were
an
emergency. What he was
surprised
about was how long it had taken her to call.
That worried him more than anything.
He
didn’t want to think about what Wickett had been doing to them since he’d taken them.
As insane as Coop thought Wickett was…he really didn’t want to think about that.

“Hello
,
dear,” his mother said.
“
I’m in a bit of a wicket pickle here. I was wondering if you could please meet your sister and
me
somewhere
?
We have some rather pressing issues that need
to be taken
care of.”