“Good plan.” He sat back. “We should concentrate on the slightly less popular sites. The bigger ones are harder to get into and tend to have safety checks in place. I think he’d haunt the ones he knew he could get in and out of easily. The Real Connection isn’t huge. I think that might be our starting point.”
“You sure you have time for this?”
“Absolutely. I want to help.” He lifted a shoulder. “I am a little bored at the gym. Nothing exciting about sweaty people. This is far more interesting.”
I laughed, not surprised. Egan loved computers as much as I did and was talented when it came to hacking and investigating. “Okay.”
We drew up a list, dividing it. Tossed around some more ideas.
“I was thinking of calling Marcus and Julian. With their experience, they might have ideas.”
Egan reached into a drawer and handed me a laptop. “Encrypted,” he said.
I used my own program to video call them. Marcus answered, his voice a familiar rumble, his smile wide.
“Damien. How are you?”
“Well, Marcus. I’m well. You alone?”
He turned the laptop he was using so I saw who he was sitting with. “Actually, I’m with Julian and Matteo. We’re having a drink and relaxing. Do you need me to be alone?”
“No, the more, the merrier. I need to pick your collective brains. Egan is here as well.”
“Hold on. Let me get us set up.” A moment later, I could see all three of them. They looked healthy and relaxed. We chatted and exchanged news, laughing over some antics their kids had been up to, offering congratulations on yet another baby for Marcus and Missy. Then Marcus paused. “What’s going on?”
“I have a situation.”
Instantly, they became the men I knew best. Intense, fierce, ready to lend a hand.
“Talk to us,” Julian stated, leaning forward, assuming his role as Commander.
I took in a deep breath and told them everything, leaving out the newer, private parts of my relationship with Raven.
They asked questions, listened carefully. Viewed the sketch that Egan scanned and sent them. They all looked a bit surprised when I described our first meeting and the fact that Raven was now ensconced in my apartment, but they didn’t comment.
“What can we do?” Marcus asked. “What do you need?”
“I could fly out and be another set of hands,” Julian offered.
“No,” I replied. “I don’t want to take you away from your families. I need your contacts. I was the IT guy—behind the operations. You had the more, ah, personal relationships with the law enforcement agencies.” I cleared my throat. “Those known and not known to the public.”
“You need to see if they have anything,” Marcus stated. “If there are any similar cases. If the guy in this sketch is known to them.”
“Yes. They might have reports I haven’t accessed yet. I would rather do it with a phone call than start hacking. I’ll save that for a last resort.”
Julian rubbed his chin. “You said Raven moved to Toronto in the last while?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe this perp did too. Check other provinces. Some of the dating sites are locally supported. Maybe he moved recently too and has done this elsewhere.”
“Good idea.”
“We’ll get on to our contacts right away,” Marcus assured me. He met my eyes. “This girl—Raven. She’s important to you?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Yeah, she is.”
Marcus tilted his head. “How important?”
“It’s early, Marcus.”
He studied me.
“Tell me something,” he replied. “How do you feel when you think about her in danger?”
My fists curled of their own accord. “I want to rage and burn down the city to find whatever it is that is putting her in that situation. I can’t stand the thought of her upset or hurt. Of being alone and vulnerable. It makes me crazy.”
He sat back, a smile playing on his lips. He shared an amused glance with Matteo and Julian.
“Sound familiar, my friends?”
They all chuckled, and Julian shook his head. “Lightning,” was all he said.
Matteo, who had been fairly quiet the entire time, leaned back with a smile. “Should I draw up plans for another house on the island?”
Egan barked out a hoot of laughter, and I shot him a look. “No thanks, Matteo. I don’t think Raven is an island type girl.” I paused. “I mean, I have no idea what our future holds. That is, we haven’t talked…” I trailed off, realizing I had nothing.
They all laughed, finding my bumbling answers amusing.
“Let me know,” he said. “You can always use the guesthouse and come for a break. She’d certainly be safe here.”
Marcus glanced at Egan. “How’s Sofia?” he asked with a wide smile.
Egan’s face fell. “With all due respect, Marcus, fuck off.”
“Still resisting your charms, is she?”
Egan scowled, then sat back, nonchalantly rolling up his sleeves. “Victory will be all that much sweeter.”
Everyone, including me, laughed.
“You could put in a good word for me,” Egan said to Marcus. “She trusts your opinion. You chat me up.”
I smacked his leg. “Wrong expression. You want to chat her up. You want Marcus to talk you up.”
He rolled his eyes and flicked his hand. “Your language kills me. Even after all these years. Talk—chat. What is difference?”
Marcus smirked. “The difference is how riled up you get, which makes you sound as if you just got off the boat.”
Egan huffed and Marcus chuckled. “I’ll put in a word next time we talk.”
Then he focused on me. “You take care of your lady. We’ll make some calls, and you keep digging. We’ll find him. Eliminate the threat, and you can move on to the good stuff.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I signed off and sighed, grateful for friends in high places. I would call in any favor I needed to in order to help Raven.
In the meantime, I’d been gone a while, and I needed to get back to her.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Damien
Raven was still upstairs, sitting on the lounger, her Kindle open but ignored. She was on the phone and offered me a smile as I approached.
“Sounds good, Deb. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She listened for a moment. “Yeah, I’m excited too. We’ll plan it all out.”
She hung up, dropping her phone into her satchel. I bent, kissing her mouth, then sitting across from her.
“Tomorrow?” I questioned.
“Deb’s plans changed. She asked if I could meet her tomorrow afternoon.”
At my frown, she shook her head. “We’re meeting at a coffee shop I’ve been to with her before. You can check it out first if you insist.”
I chuckled. If I insisted. “What is the name of this place? And what time?”
“The Arbour. Two o’clock. We’ll probably be there a couple of hours.”
I nodded. “I’ll sit a few tables away.”