Malcolm mechanically went through the motions of making coffee in his office kitchen. There was an elegant
cappuccino machine that had been given to him by a client. He didn’t often use it to make a coffee for someone else, as most of his business dealings were better handled with a bit of scotch. He glanced back through the open door toward where Victoria was working. His hands tightly gripped the handle of the porcelain cup as a wave of guilt washed over him. Damn it all, he mentally cursed.
Distracted by his thoughts, he managed to splash some scalding hot water onto his hand. “Fuck,” he said as he recoiled in pain. He shook his hand in an attempt to soothe the throbbing burn.
“What?” Victoria called across the room, looking up from her files.
“Don’t worry about it,” he muttered. He felt off, like his body wasn’t quite listening to his commands. It wasn’t a feeling he was accustomed to having and he knew he needed to calm down. Victoria’s words had cut him more deeply than he cared to admit.
“You hurt yourself?” she asked in surprise.
“I-yes,” he admitted with a frown. “Just keep working, I’ll take care of this.” He moved back into the room with Victoria and placed a cappuccino down in front of her.
She glanced at the coffee cup before looking back at him. “What’s the matter with you?” she asked with genuine concern.
He looked at her with a furrowed brow. “Tired,” he said quickly.
She looked at him skeptically and her lips pulled into a scowl. “Don’t do that, Malcolm.”
“Do what?”
“Lie.”
Even though her face was hard, he could see the tenderness in her eyes.
“Why do you care?” he asked in disbelief.
“I don’t,” she said, turning away.
He flinched slightly at her words, and felt the need to prove her wrong. Taking the file she was holding out of her hand, he gently brushed some of her hair behind her shoulders. “Victoria,” he said softly. “You know me better than this. You need to trust me.”
“I don’t know anything about you!” she snapped. “Someone once told me not to take anything at face value.” She raised her lip in contempt.
Malcolm wordlessly reached out to grasp her waist and lift her out of the chair. He placed her bottom against his desk and smashed his lips against hers. He kissed her fiercely in an attempt to express his feelings and erase them all at the same time. He leaned forward until his body was mashed against hers like a second skin. She yelped and struggled against his kiss, but he only held her closer.
Slowly, she stopped resisting and began to surrender to his kiss. She moaned into his lips as he passionately invaded her mouth with his hot tongue. Her legs wrapped around his hips as she pulled herself closer against his growing erection. “Malcolm,” she whispered in a hoarse voice. “You can’t keep doing this to me.”
“I know,” he said softly. “I just can’t help needing you.”
“Give me my life back,” she gasped as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She stared into his eyes pleadingly as she clung to him. “I want to help you… but this isn’t right.”
“I know,” he admitted gently. He pressed his forehead against hers. “Just bear with me, Victoria. I’ve been backed into a corner by powerful forces you don’t understand. I have no other choice.”
She pushed him away abruptly with pain all over her features. “Jesus, Malcolm. You think I can’t see right through your bullshit? Do you think
I’m some dumb bitch?”
“I know this is difficult for you,” he said quietly, “but things will be easier for both of us if you just do your job efficiently.” He grabbed a few files and thrust them back into her hands, before straightening his clothes and stepping away.
“Just what kind of a man are you?” she asked in disbelief.
“Not any kind that you would understand,” he responded. “I can’t afford to make decisions based on emotion. This is why I always get what I want.”
She looked down at the files in her hands blankly. “I guess it doesn’t matter who you hurt in the process.”
“It’s a simple cost-benefit analysis,” he said coldly. “My goals are worth your pain.”
She glared daggers at him. “And what happens when you find your daughter?” she asked with unrestrained fury. “What happens if she doesn’t love you or want to be around you? Are you going to threaten her to do your bidding? Lock her up in a tower like you’ve done to me?”
“That is none of your concern,” he said sharply. He walked briskly toward the elevator, calling out a few final instructions over his shoulder. “My driver will take you to and from my office. Naturally, my resources are at your disposal.”
“Just give me a shout when you want me to throw down my hair,” she muttered.
“Be dressed and ready for work at five in the morning,” he told her. “It’s in your best interests not to delay, because you’ll be working all day every day until this case is resolved. Additionally, your assets will remain frozen until then.”
She was silent for a moment, looking at down at her files with indignation. “I think I’m beginning to hate you,” she whispered.
Shrugging callously, he stepped into the elevator. “Good,” he said in a tone filled with venom as the doors began to close. “Use it.”
As the elevator began to descend, Malcolm pressed his forehead against the cool glass in order to soothe his growing headache. He smashed his fist into the thick glass panel in frustration. After a few seconds, he noticed the soft vibrations of his phone going off in his jacket pocket. He reached into his suit and pulled out the rectangular device. The caller ID was useless as it only displayed the cryptic word Unknown. He wondered who it was as he curiously slid his thumb across the touch screen to answer the call.
“Hello, Mal. How are you, old boy?” came the overly cheerful voice.
Malcolm gritted his teeth in anger, and closed his eyes before responding. “Brant. I can’t say it’s a pleasure.”
“Don’t be like that, brother!” Brant said with wicked amusement. “But I suppose we aren’t brothers anymore, since my sister dumped your mongrel ass.”
Malcolm felt his jaw lock as all the muscles in his torso grew taut. “I see that your vocabulary hasn’t improved in the last five years,” he responded, fighting the temptation to hang up the phone. He knew that Brant wouldn’t be calling unless there was a critical reason.
“Word on the street is that you’ve found a new pet,” Brant said dangerously. “I hope that this time, it’s a low-bred peasant suitable for your pedigree.”
So that’s what this is all about, Malcolm thought to himself and his lips curled into a smile. “Yes, Brant. You should have vetted her more closely before sending her into my territory.”
“Don’t sound so angry, Mal. I was just having a bit of fun. I’m just glad you took a fancy to her,” Brant said innocently. “Even unwanted strays need company.”
Malcolm’s frustration grew, despite his best efforts to remain detached. He reached out and hit the emergency stop button on the elevator to make sure this conversation wouldn’t be heard by anyone else. “I have to hand it to you, brother. You’ve outdone yourself this time,” he said darkly. “But you went a little too far; you tipped your hand.”
“Oh, I did nothing of the sort,” Brantford responded with forced mirth. “You’re never going to find them. Stop chasing ghosts, Mal.”
“Ghosts?” Malcolm hissed, clenching his fist. “My wife and child are not ghosts. I will find Elizabeth and Claire, and I will put an end to your sadistic torment.”
Brantford chuckled deeply over the line. “If you think you’re ever going to get your mongrel claws near my sister or my niece again, you’re sadly mistaken. But please enjoy that little reporter bitch-I figured she was the perfect little chew toy to distract you. So innocent and righteous! Isn’t that just your type, Mal?”
Malcolm flexed his fist so tightly that his nails cut the skin of his palm. Warm trickles of blood dripped down his hand and fell to the floor. “Times have changed, Brant. I’ve grown up, and I’ve become a lot more ruthless, thanks to you. This isn’t a game to me anymore. This is war. If you don’t return my daughter, you might wake up one morning to find that everything you love has been ripped away from you.”
“How charming! The puppy is baring his teeth. You forget that I know you, brother. Your bark has always been worse than your bite.” Brant chuckled almost fondly. “You’ll never see my niece again, Malcolm. Little dogs should know better than to get into scuffles with gods.”
“Go on, Brant,” Malcolm said softly, “keep thinking you’re invincible. One of these days, I’ll show you what a god really looks like. It will be the last thing you see.” He hung up the phone and took several deep breaths. He knew that in order to survive what was coming, he would have to dedicate himself completely to his cause. It was all or nothing. He only hoped that when the dust settled he would have his daughter in his arms and be able to walk away with his life intact.
He doubted that last part.
Victoria fumed as she sat at Malcolm’s oak desk, trying to get started on the job. She couldn’t believe that she had allowed
him to kiss her after all that had happened. Not only did she allow it, but she had enjoyed it. A lot. She shifted in her chair uncomfortably, for her body still hummed with the lingering sensations. She felt a sharp pain in her rear that reminded her of the humiliating night before. She was disgusted with herself for still wanting him; how could she even stand him? Fuck this, Victoria. Just finish the damn job so you can get back to your life. It was difficult to get started on work at all. Her mind was so focused on Malcolm’s cruelty that it was nearly impossible to digest the information in front of her.
“Just relax. You’re Victoria Chase, and there isn’t any secret you can’t find,” she said aloud in an attempt to reassure herself. “Just focus on finding the girl. Familiarize yourself with the case, and develop a plan of action. Just like any other story.”
Even as she flipped through the papers, she felt like she was missing the whole picture. She wondered what had happened to result in Malcolm losing his wife and daughter. She hadn’t even known that he had been married. “So it was before you got all the money,” she mused as she scanned the files.
She needed to keep shifting around in her seat to find a comfortable sitting position while she worked. The task proved difficult and the memories the pain in her ass brought to her the forefront of her mind distracted her from the task at hand. Stop thinking about him fondly, Victoria. Stop thinking of how wonderful it felt to be fucked in the ass and just focus on the pain. That’s all that’s real about Malcolm Cage.
She shook her head and she returned her focus to the job of looking for Malcolm’s daughter. There were pictures of possible sightings all over the world of a woman Victoria presumed to be Malcolm’s ex-wife. She was often wearing sunglasses and a scarf to conceal her features. The locations ranged from South America to Africa, and even select cities in Asia and Europe. She moves around a lot, Victoria thought as she continued to work.
She could see that it had taken a massive amount of money and skilled private investigators to even track down these blurry photos; she had no idea how she was going to find a woman who was basically a ghost in the wind. “What I really need to do is follow the money.” “There isn’t any,” a voice from behind her said.
Victoria spun around in her chair, gazing up into the face of Malcolm.
He looked shaken up and on edge.
“What do you mean?” she asked in disbelief.
“She pays for everything in cash. Trust me, if it was a matter of money I’d have found her a long time ago.”
“After so many years, she’s bound to have run out of cash…”
Malcolm shook his head. “Not with her funds. She could also be using purchased identities and credit cards.”
Victoria took a deep breath. “Jesus, Malcolm. Why are you asking me to do this? I don’t… You should be using the FBI or CIA.”
“Tried that,” Malcolm said quietly. “They gave up. I’m on my own.”
Victoria swallowed nervously. “Okay… uh. Do you have any connections for us to track cell phones? Or possibly even landlines? Any kind of surveillance or NSA type of work?”
“I have all kinds of illegal software over there,” he said, gesturing to a room adjacent to his office. “I’ve tried my best, but like I said… all dead ends.”
She looked at him with a furrowed brow as worry began to build inside of her. “Malcolm… I’ve cracked some complicated riddles in the past few years, but this one might be out of my league. The last time I worked a case like this, I was hunting normal people with normal amounts of money. I have to be honest with you… I’m not sure I can do this.”
Malcolm moved to sit on the desk in front of Victoria, and took both of her hands into his. “If anyone can do this, you can. It’s because you care, Victoria. The FBI doesn’t care. The CIA doesn’t care. It’s just a job to them, but to me-it’s my life.”
“Okay,” she said softly, after a moment’s consideration. She pulled her hands away from him and sunk her teeth into her lip, chewing softly. “Well, in that case, I’m going to need a better understanding of the big picture. I’m going to need to understand Elizabeth’s motivation for leaving you. Tell me the whole story, Malcolm.”
He hesitated, looking at her cautiously.
“This isn’t personal,” Victoria told him, picking up a notebook, “but I can’t help unless I know why. Unless I know everything.”
Malcolm’s shoulders sagged in defeat. He reached up to run a hand through his hair in frustration. “I had the wrong pedigree,” he said resentfully. “Her family never approved of me.”
“Being a billionaire wasn’t enough to impress them?” Victoria asked in surprise.
“I was only ‘new’ money,” he explained dryly. “Elizabeth abandoned me on our daughter’s fourth birthday. I had to leave the party to run to the office for an emergency. Back in those days, the business was just really getting going and I was overwhelmed. I had to work all the time, and Elizabeth felt neglected. When I came back a few hours later, she was gone. I got a note saying she never wanted to see me again because she found out I was having an affair. An affair that never happened.”
Victoria flinched slightly. “Did you ever find out where she got that information?”
“Her brother,” Malcolm explained through gritted teeth. “He despised me. I’m almost sure that he planted false evidence and poisoned me in Elizabeth’s mind.”
She considered this for a moment, putting her fingers on her chin. “Okay. I’m going to need to know everything you can tell me about this brother.
“Merciless and cold-blooded doesn’t even begin to describe him,” Malcolm said with a grimace. “Brantford Cunningham is a man that doesn’t stop until everyone that annoys him is floating belly-up in a river. Or fed to the sharks-and that’s not a metaphor.”
“Whoa. You married a Cunningham?” she asked in disbelief. “The oil Cunninghams?”
Malcolm nodded his head gravely. “Yes, Elizabeth Cunningham is my ex-wife.”
Victoria was reeling from the information. “I know that name,” she said as she hastily reached for her phone. She opened up a browser and searched for the name. “Now I remember,” she said, snapping her fingers in excitement. “My boss worked on this story. Your wife supposedly died in a tragic car accident.” She glanced up at Malcolm curiously. “You’re telling me that story is a lie?”
He nodded. “I can assure you it was a lie,” he said bitterly. “Elizabeth and I had a shotgun wedding during our second year in college. I was poor and she was rich, but we were in love. It didn’t matter to us, but once her family found out, there was hell to pay. I was accused of being a gold digger and only after her money.” He moved off his desk and began pacing in his office. “Once they found out she was pregnant, they all disowned her. All except her brother who pretended to be supportive; but he had his own agenda to break us apart.”
“But it didn’t work until he convinced her that you were cheating,” Victoria finished. She furiously scribbled in her notebook as the picture began to grow clear in her mind. This explains why he treated me like this. It must be impossible for him to trust anyone, she thought to herself. As soon as she did, she mentally kicked herself for trying to excuse his behavior.
Malcolm crossed his arms as he stood at his office window. “Brant helped her fake her death and essentially wrote me out of her life. He erased all evidence that we were ever married. It was like he just carved a chunk of my life away, and left me with empty memories.”