21
As much as we all wanted to immediately drive over to Damian Rivera’s mansion, storm inside, and confront him, we all knew that we had to be smart about this.
For Elissa’s sake.
If Rivera realized that we were onto him, if he thought that we had any clue as to what he’d done to all those women, he could easily kill Elissa, hightail it out of Ashland, and vanish. He had more than enough money and connections to disappear and live out his days on some remote tropical island, never to be seen or heard from again. None of us wanted that to happen, but we all realized that we were up against a ticking clock. All of his men were dead, and when they didn’t report back to him in an hour or two, Rivera would probably realize that they weren’t coming back at all, and he would act accordingly. We needed to be in position to rescue Elissa before that happened.
We trooped into the kitchen and gathered around the table there so that we could all have a seat and brainstorm together. Finn and Silvio called up all the information that they’d compiled on Rivera, swiping through screen after screen on their phones, trying to pinpoint exactly where he might be holding Elissa.
“He has properties all over the city, thanks to his dead mama’s real-estate business,” Finn said. “And these are just the ones that are officially on file. He could have more buildings off the books or under another name or company that we don’t even know about.”
“Finn’s right.” Silvio shook his head. “Elissa could be in any one of a dozen locations.”
I stood up and started pacing around the kitchen, much the same way Jade had done earlier, trying to remember every little detail of Rivera and Tucker’s conversation the other night. One of them had said something about a guest . . . a woman . . .
I stopped. No, not them, Bruce Porter. The dwarf was the one who mentioned that he’d set up Rivera’s “guest” in his bedroom. What if he’d been talking about Elissa? That meant that she’d been at Rivera’s mansion that night, and she might still be there right now.
“Forget about his other properties,” I said. “Let’s focus on the mansion.”
I told the others my theory.
“That’s kind of a slim thread to follow,” Ryan said. “Do you really think that Rivera would be stupid enough to keep all the women he kidnaps and murders in his main residence? That wouldn’t exactly fit in with how careful he’s been about not leaving any evidence behind.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Think about it. Damian Rivera is a mean, arrogant drunk. He thinks that he can do whatever he wants and that no one can touch him just because he’s a member of the Circle. Besides, he’s gone to a lot of trouble to kidnap all these women, hold them hostage, and make them perform in whatever sadistic fantasy he’s dreamed up. He wouldn’t want to risk stashing them someplace where he couldn’t get to them in a hurry. He’ll have Elissa somewhere close by, just like he probably had all the others close by. The mansion’s our best bet.”
The others agreed, and we moved on to exactly how we were going to get close enough to slip inside the mansion. If it had been anywhere close to dark, I would have gone in by myself, just like I had two nights ago. But it was three in the afternoon, which meant that there was still plenty of daylight and no shadows to hide in. I started pacing again, turning the problem over and over in my mind.
“We need to get Rivera out of the mansion, along with as many guards as possible,” Bria said. “Fewer men means less security and less chance of something going wrong and Elissa getting hurt.”
“But how do we do that?” Owen asked. “It’s not like we can just call him up and ask him to leave so we can break in and search the place while he’s gone.”
An idea popped into my mind. The more I thought about it, the more certain I was that it would work. I went over, leaned down, grabbed Owen’s face, and gave him a long, deep kiss.
After the better part of a minute and a couple of wolf whistles from Finn, I drew back, smiling at him. “You, Owen Grayson, are officially a genius.”
Owen blinked a few times, trying to focus on my words. “I am?”
“You most certainly are.” I kissed him again, then straightened up and looked at Finn. “I need a number for one of your contacts.”
Finn sighed. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“Probably not.”
I told him who I wanted to call. Finn was right. He definitely didn’t like it, but he realized that it was our best option, so he hit a button on the speed dial and handed the phone over to me.
A thick, congested voice answered on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Hello, Mr. Mosley. This is Gin Blanco. Remember that favor you offered me earlier today? Well, I’m ready to cash it in.”
• • •
Thirty minutes later, I was right back where I’d started two nights ago in the woods behind Damian Rivera’s massive estate. Only this time, Finn, Bria, and Owen hunkered down just inside the tree line with me, while Silvio, Jade, and Ryan were waiting in Silvio’s car down the street from the front of the mansion. Jade had wanted to come with us into the woods, but I’d finally convinced her that a small team was the best option for finding Elissa and getting her out of the mansion to safety.
As much as I wanted to confront Rivera, finding Elissa was our top priority. Once she was safe, though, all bets were off. I might be an assassin, but Fletcher had trained me to follow his code, one that didn’t include torturing people. But I figured that the old man would be okay with me making an exception for Rivera for all those women he’d tortured and murdered. Besides, I still needed information about the mysterious leader of the Circle. Whether Rivera gave it to me willingly or screamed out the answers after I’d cut him up like a chopped salad, well, that was up to him.
I was hoping for option number two, though.
I scanned the mansion and grounds again. A sprawling two-story structure of gray stone, surrounded by acres of lawn, with Bruce Porter’s caretaker cottage sitting off by itself at the very back of the property. Someone had finally gotten around to taking down all the holiday lights and removing all the snowflakes, white velvet bows, and other decorations.
According to Silvio, half a dozen dwarves were guarding the front of the mansion as usual, but no one was patrolling the grounds back here. I supposed that I shouldn’t have been surprised by that, since I’d killed Henry. I was just hoping that Rivera hadn’t noticed how long his men had been gone.
Bria and Owen peered through their binoculars at the back of the mansion, while Finn texted Silvio on his phone, letting him know that we were in position. I palmed one of my knives, focusing on the familiar, comforting weight and the spider runes in both the hilt and my hand pressing against each other. Someone had mockingly drawn my runes on the Dollmaker’s latest victim, calling me out and daring me to find him. I still wasn’t sure if it had been Rivera, but either way, he was going to be the one to regret it.
“Where do you think he’s keeping Elissa?” Owen asked. “The mansion doesn’t have a basement, so she has to be somewhere aboveground.”
Bria lowered her binoculars, her mouth twisting with disgust. “You would think that one of the servants would notice something like that. Rivera holding a woman captive.”
“Maybe they have,” Finn said, still texting. “Maybe he pays them to look the other way.”
“For every single woman he’s kidnapped and murdered over the last two years? I don’t care how well he pays his servants or his guards. Someone would have a conscience. Someone would have cracked and talked by now. At the very least, someone would have tried to blackmail him for more money to keep quiet.” Bria shook her head, making her blond ponytail swing from side to side. “Something about this just doesn’t feel right. We’re missing something about this whole thing. Something big.”
She was voicing the same concerns and questions that I’d asked myself a dozen times over the past two hours, ever since we’d begun focusing in on Rivera. But we were here, and it was too late to turn back now. I wasn’t going to turn back now. I couldn’t. Not until we found Elissa. And if we had to search every single square inch of the mansion, then so be it. I’d promised Jade that I would do everything in my power to find her sister, and I was going to live up to that. Keeping your word was another part of his code that Fletcher had drilled into me, and I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror otherwise.
“We think that Elissa is in the mansion,” Owen said, lowering his binoculars. “But what are we going to do if she’s not?”
I flashed my knife at him. “Then we’ll grab Rivera, and I’ll cut the answers out of him. He might be a serial killer, but I can get him to talk. Trust me.”
“I’m okay with that plan,” Owen murmured.
Bria nodded. “Me too.”
Finn’s phone lit up. He glanced at the caller ID and held up a finger, asking us to be quiet, before he answered. “Yes, sir? Of course, sir. Thank you, sir.” He hung up and looked at me. “Mosley just made the call. Damian Rivera has been alerted to a very suspicious transaction on one of his accounts, totaling more than three million dollars. Mosley’s asked him to come down to the bank in person so they can straighten it out.”
I nodded. That was the favor that I’d asked of Mosley, given his position at First Trust bank.
Bria and Owen picked up their binoculars again and stared at the mansion, while Finn kept his eyes glued to his phone, waiting for an update from Silvio. I looked out over the lawn, but no guards appeared, not even Bruce Porter heading back to his caretaker’s cottage.
Finn had already walked around the cottage and peered in all the windows, making sure that the structure was empty. Porter must be up in the mansion with Rivera. Hopefully the dwarf would drive his boss to the bank and take at least a couple of men with them. The fewer guards here, the better it would be for us and especially Elissa.
A minute passed, then two, then three. Cold worry trickled down my spine. What if Rivera didn’t take the bait? What if he didn’t go to the bank? What if he didn’t leave the mansion?
My hand tightened around my knife. Then I’d go in and confront him after all, no matter how many guards were in there with him—
Finn’s phone lit up with a new message. “Silvio says a car just pulled out of the front gate. Porter’s driving, and Rivera’s in the passenger’s seat.”
I’d been hoping that they would take at least one more man with them, but this was the best—and only—chance that we had to find Elissa.
“Good,” I said. “Let’s go get our girl back.”
Finn nodded and texted Silvio, telling him that we were going in. He put his phone away and pulled a silenced gun out from the small of his back. Bria and Owen both had similar weapons in their own hands. We all plugged transmitters into our ears so that we could talk to each other, checked to make sure that they were working properly, and headed for the mansion.
Since no guards were patrolling back here, we were able to sprint all the way across the lawn and over to the stone patio that surrounded the pool. We hunkered down behind the patio furniture and peered in through the windows. I spotted two women in the room where the giant Christmas tree had been, boxing up ornaments and other holiday decorations. I glanced in through the other windows, but I didn’t see any more servants or guards.
“Remember,” I whispered to the others. “We need to be as quiet and as invisible as possible. We get in, get Elissa, and get out.”
Finn, Bria, and Owen all nodded back to me, and the four of us split up. Keeping low, Finn and Bria hurried over to a side door, which was unlocked, and vanished inside the mansion. Owen and I climbed up the same trellis that I’d used two nights ago to reach the second story.
I got to my feet, hurried over, and plastered myself against the side of the mansion. I waited until Owen was next to me, and then I eased forward and peered in through the window.
The white velvet bow had been removed from the frame, giving me a clear view inside. Rivera’s office looked the same as before. Empty desk in the corner, fancy bar and shelves of liquor along one wall, photos lined up on the mantel, expensive antiques everywhere. Disappointment filled me. Now that we knew that Rivera was the Dollmaker, I’d half expected to see Elissa tied to a chair in the office. But of course things could never be that simple and easy.
Still, the office was empty, so I reached out and raised the window, which was unlocked. I held my breath, just as I had the other night, waiting for alarms to ring out, but none did. Rivera hadn’t fixed his security flaw, and I was going to take advantage of it again.
Owen and I slipped inside the office, and I left the window wide open behind us, just in case we needed to make a quick exit with Elissa.
“Where to now?” Owen whispered.
“Since she’s not in here, Elissa is most likely to be in Rivera’s bedroom. It’s the biggest room in the mansion, besides this office. Let’s go.”
We crept over to the office door and stopped, listening, but no movement sounded on the other side of the thick wood. Owen twisted the knob and wrenched the door open so that I could peer out into the hallway beyond. It was empty, and I gestured for him to open the door the rest of the way. We slid out into the hallway and stopped, looking and listening, but the mansion remained quiet.
I frowned. Normally, the quiet would have been a good thing, but right now it bothered me. Rivera’s perimeter men had been gone for more than two hours. You would think that someone would have noticed and tried to contact them by now. If my men hadn’t returned from a job, I would have been doing everything in my power to track them down, in addition to circling the wagons and bringing in more guards. Maybe Rivera was too drunk to notice, or maybe he just didn’t care what happened to them. Maybe his guards were as disposable to him as all the women he’d murdered.
Despite Mosley’s ruse to get Rivera out of the mansion, I’d still expected the place to be crawling with guards, but it was as silent as a tomb. Weird. More worry and apprehension swept through me, but we were here now, and I wasn’t leaving without Elissa, no matter what dangers we might encounter.
I gestured for Owen to stay behind me. He nodded, and together we crept down the hallway, quietly opening every door and peering into every room we passed.
But all of them were empty, except for their fine furnishings.
My frustration grew with every single room we searched. The mansion was large, but it wasn’t infinite, and we were running out of places to look. Finally, I reached the door to Rivera’s bedroom, the last and final room on this floor. Once again, I stopped, listening, but I didn’t hear anything.
I looked over at Owen, and he raised his gun and nodded, telling me that he was ready. I nodded back.
I tried the knob, expecting it to be locked, but it too was open, just like everything else in the mansion. Surely Damian Rivera wouldn’t be so foolish as to kidnap someone and not keep her under lock and key, but apparently, he was. So I decided to roll with my good luck. I opened the door, and Owen and I swept inside the room, our weapons up and ready.
But it was also empty.
A massive four-poster bed dominated the space, black silk sheets trailing off one side and down onto the floor. Antique clocks, vases, and other knickknacks covered the nightstands on either side of the bed and the mirrored mahogany dresser that took up most of one wall. Empty champagne flutes and bottles littered the floor, and some stuck out from underneath the bed and the dresser. The air reeked of alcohol and cigar smoke, mixed with Rivera’s nauseatingly sweet cologne.
But Elissa wasn’t in here, and there was no sign that she had ever been in here. No ropes or other bindings perched on the nightstands, no women’s clothes or accessories strewn across the floor, and, most telling of all, no golden tubes of Heartbreaker lipstick sitting on the dresser. Frustration surged through me, but I pushed it aside, hurried over, and opened the door to the walk-in closet, while Owen checked the attached bathroom.
But they were both empty too.
“Dammit!” I hissed. “She’s not here. Finn, Bria, you guys got anything downstairs?”
Finn’s voice crackled back to me a second later. “Nothing. No sign of Elissa anywhere. Just those two women still working on those holiday decorations. I’m sorry, Gin.”
I sighed. “Yeah. Me too. Keep looking. Owen and I will do the same up here.”
“Roger that.” Finn signed off.
Owen and I searched the bedroom, but there was nothing out of the ordinary, except for all the empty bottles of champagne.
Owen shook his head. “Surely he doesn’t drink all this by himself, does he? It’s a wonder his liver hasn’t exploded by now.”
I let out a harsh, humorless laugh. “You should have seen him guzzling down booze in his office the other night. You’d think it was water and he’d just run a marathon the way he was swilling it down.”
That bothered me too, more than anything else about this whole situation. Sure, Damian Rivera was arrogant, and he liked to hit people. But he was also a lazy drunk. He didn’t seem to have the smarts to kidnap and kill so many women, much less to actually get away with it for so long without leaving any evidence behind. But I didn’t have time to think about it right now, so we left the bedroom and searched the entire floor again, looking for anything that might lead us to Elissa.
But after ten minutes, I had to admit defeat. “She’s not here,” I said, talking to Finn and Bria through our earpieces again. “She’s just not here.”
“Yeah.” Finn’s voice was as sad as mine was frustrated. “There’s no sign of her down here either. Let’s meet on the patio and regroup.”
Owen and I went back to the office to leave the same way we’d come in. I didn’t want Rivera to know that anyone had been inside his mansion. At least, not until we’d found Elissa. Owen went over to the window and peered outside, checking to make sure that no guards had come around to the back of the house. But I lingered in front of the photos on the fireplace mantel, looking at them all again and hoping that I would find something, anything, that would tell me where Elissa was.
For some reason, I found myself studying that photo of Damian with his parents. In particular, his mother, Maria, caught my eye. The strange thing was, the more I stared at her, the more I realized that Maria Rivera looked exactly like Elissa and all of the Dollmaker’s other victims. Young, blond, pretty. But what made my heart drop and made a chill run down my spine was her makeup.
Her lips were painted a familiar, sickening blood-red.
Of course, she wasn’t holding a tube of lipstick in the picture, but I knew—I knew, deep down in my bones—that she was wearing the Heartbreaker color.
Could this all be about Maria Rivera? Did Damian have some deep-seated mommy issues that had twisted him into a serial killer? Was he kidnapping women so he could kill his own mother over and over again? If so, why? What had Maria done to her own son that was so terrible? That made him want to beat and strangle her substitutes time and time again?
Owen noticed that I’d stopped in front of the mantel, and he came over to me. “What are you looking at?”
I pointed to the photo. “Who does she remind you of?”
He didn’t see it for a moment, but then he leaned forward, his eyes narrowing with understanding. “Elissa . . . and all the other victims.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Rivera is our guy. He has to be.”
“So where is Elissa?” Owen asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m not leaving here without her. C’mon. Let’s go meet Finn and Bria.”
Owen nodded and headed back over to the window, but I stayed where I was, still staring at that photo of Maria Rivera standing with Damian and his father, Richard, with Bruce Porter hovering in the background. It was your average family picture, completely innocent and innocuous. But once again, something about this whole situation bothered me, some nagging little thing that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I looked over the photo for a third time, but try as I might, I couldn’t puzzle it out.
“Gin?” Owen asked. “You ready?”
“Yeah,” I said, finally turning away from the photo. “Let’s go.”