by Maddie Wade
“Yes, I’ll leave the door open.”
“Okay.”
Lacey closed and locked the door and sighed. She was tired but tonight had been just what she needed. Looking at the plates on the coffee table she decided to get it all in the dishwasher now, so the food didn’t stick. She pottered around thinking about what Gunner and the others faced, not really able to fathom the danger. A flash of headlights lit the kitchen, and she watched as K backed out and drove away to do his bit.
It was strange how this big family had come to be with no less than three different private agencies linked by marriage and friendship, and now they were collaborating to keep the most important woman in the world safe.
Happy that her home was restored to its former order, she went upstairs to grab her toothbrush and pyjamas and shoved them in an overnight bag. Sliding her feet into her comfy Ugg boots, the only ones that felt nice on her delicate feet, she switched off the lights and walked next door to Roz.
The door was open, but she still knocked out of habit. “Hello, Roz?”
Hearing no reply, she went further and closed the door behind her. She didn’t call out again for fear of waking the children. The layout was similar to the one next door, so she walked past the entryway and into the living room and seeing nobody, headed for the stairs.
Roz must be feeding Deacon in the nursery, which she’d seen the day after they arrived and was at the end of the hall next to Roz and Kanan’s room, although the baby was in with them for the foreseeable future.
Passing Natalia and Katarina’s room, she saw the girls were both sleeping and smiled. It was sweet to see them so relaxed and happy after the start they’d had. Hearing a slight noise which sounded like baby’s mew, she continued to the nursery and pushed through the door, seeing Roz on the far side of the room on the floor.
Frowning Lacey moved to help her up and jumped as the door closed behind her. Spinning, she saw her worst nightmare. Carmine Russo was holding baby Deacon in his arms and had a wicked-looking gun next to the child’s head.
“Hello, beautiful, did you miss me?”
“Carmine, what… what are you doing here?” Lacey was aware that Roz was injured. She had no idea how badly, but she was moving slightly.
“I came for you beautiful. We have unfinished business, remember?”
“Give me the baby, Carmine.”
Carmine looked at the child with a glint of evil in his eye, and she wondered how in hell she’d ever thought he was handsome. The malice practically emanated from his black soul.
“What, this baby?” He made a show of dropping Deacon which made the baby cry and she jumped forward to try and catch him. Bile rose in her throat as she tried to keep the terror at bay.
“Just give him to me and we can leave. Go someplace quiet and talk.”
“Yes, I want to talk. To make you understand how much you hurt me.”
“I’m sorry I hurt you.”
He cocked his head. “No, but you will be.”
Lacey had never been so frightened in her life, but she had to keep it together, or baby Deacon and Roz would die.
“Here take that rope and tie that bitch up.” Lacey did as Carmine instructed, not making the knots as tight as she could, sensing Roz was coming around and would be able to save Deacon at least.
“Now put the brat in the crib and walk towards me.”
Lacey cradled Deacon close, kissing his downy head and muttering a quick prayer that his crying wouldn’t wake the girls. Placing him in the cot, she moved towards Carmine.
He grabbed her hair and hauled her forward, kissing her roughly, biting her lip until she tasted blood and grabbing her breast hard, pinching her nipple.
“Feel that beautiful. You still want me.” Lacey was using all her skills to keep from puking on his Italian leather shoes. Carmine lifted his hand, and she saw the gun coming at her head but couldn’t stop it as pain exploded in her eye and the world went black.
Chapter 25
It had been a while since Gunner had flown a bird like this one owned by Eidolon, but it felt good to be back as he landed the chopper in a field close to where he was supposed to meet Osbourne. Bás had come through and managed to make sure the key players were in place. The only one that was not one hundred percent was Frederick Granger. Fortis was ready to seize control of Buckingham Palace security. Blake and Astrid had secured the Queen and the King Consort and were waiting for the word to take down her PPOs.
Gunner made sure his mic and comms were secure before checking his weapon one more time. His job was to draw Osbourne out with the promise of the thumb drive and plans, then the rest of Eidolon would move in and take him and his men out. This wasn’t a mission where Osbourne would live—he faced death for his crimes with only them as his jurors.
It irked Gunner that the man would still receive all the accolades of his title, but none of this could ever come out. He would die at the hands of a random criminal shooting and be hailed a hero for the work he’d done.
“This is Viking, check.”
Mitch’s smooth voice came over the radio “Viking, we have visual on you.”
Knowing that he had these men watching over him made him feel more confident about this takedown. Arriving at the rendezvous point at an abandoned cattle farm on the outskirts of London Gunner waited.
“We have a visual on Wasp,” Jack announced, and Gunner felt his heart rate slow, his instincts sharpen, and his brain clear of all the dross and clutter until it was just him and the mission.
“King and Queen are in place to secure. George and Wilma and Fortis are ready for your sign.”
Gunner wondered if the Queen knew Eidolon had given her the nickname Wilma on operations or that Astrid and Blake now had King and Queen as their code names. Wasp fit Osbourne perfectly, the man was a pest that had no good in him only evil intent, looking for its next victim.
Gunner stepped forward as Osbourne walked into the dim lights of the farmyard covered in shit and hay as the drizzle that had been forecast began to fall.
“Do you have it?” Gunner could practically feel the urgency as the man held out his hand for the weapon he would use to end the Queen’s life. They didn’t know his exact plans, but he’d made it clear that he wanted power and to have that he needed to control the Crown, and this Queen was not a woman to be controlled by anyone. Gunner suspected it had to do with the mission where Siren had been a target but had no evidence.
“I have it, but I want to know why you want it before I hand it over.”
He could hear the go sign as Fortis went into the Palace through the service entrance James had left open for them, followed by the low pop, pop as they secured the security rooms. He waited a beat, hearing the rustle of movement as Fortis moved silently and then a shout and more pops. He waited a moment longer and then Zin came over the line.
“Jester secure.”
Gunner knew that meant Fortis had secured the outer rooms and were moving on to the next phase to secure.
He turned back to a blustering Osbourne, his cheeks going puce with anger the hand by his side twitching as if he wanted to pull a gun and kill the man who dared question him. Gunner remained calm, his features showing no emotion, his hands hanging loosely by his sides. He wanted to make sure the Queen and all of the Royals were secure before he finished this.
“What the fuck has that got to do with you? Now is not the time to grow a pair of balls, Ramberg.”
“Oh, really, and why is that?”
“Because it is too late, soldier. The monarchy will fall, and the rightful heir will take the seat of power with me at his back.”
“And who is the rightful heir?”
Osbourne laughed. “You really have no idea, do you?”
“Approaching residence.”
Gunner recognised Jace’s voice through the comms. Being Jack’s, cousin he’d been at a lot of Eidolon functions, and by that, he meant piss ups. He needed to stall Osbourne until this last part of the mission
was completed. It was also the most dangerous as the men close to the Queen could put her in danger if this went wrong.
Gunner breathed through the anger firing his blood and tried to glean more information.
“Why don’t you spell it out for a simple soldier, Osbourne?”
“No, I think it’s more fun to watch you squirm and especially now that your woman is back in the arms of her ex-lover thanks to Frederick and you’re no longer needed.”
Every cell in Gunner’s body turned to ice at those words, and he reacted on instinct. The plan had been to try and get a confession first in case it ever came out and the Palace needed a reason for his death, but now he just wanted him dead and this over so he could call Lacey.
“Fred and Wilma are secure.”
As those words left Zack’s lips, Gunner knew the Queen was safe.
“Golden goose.”
Before the last syllable left his lips, Osbourne’s head exploded, and a series of pops went off around him as men hidden from his sight fell dead to the ground, killed by the men watching over him. Gunner ran straight through the middle of it all as if he was bulletproof, his only thought getting back to Lacey.
He reached the chopper and saw Waggs run from the woods nearby. His job had the most risk, so it made sense for the medic to be close.
Gunner was calling Lacey as he threw on headphones and started the bird. Waggs jumped in beside him and closed the door, taking his own phone out and dialling a number. Gunner could hardly focus on what he was doing, his brain on autopilot as he tried again to reach Lacey and failed.
There could be a perfectly normal explanation for her not answering. It was two in the morning, and she could be in a heavy sleep, but every sense of urgency in him told him this wasn’t the case.
They hadn’t been able to find Carmine since he’d been released from prison and that wasn’t normal, not for a team who had both Will Granger and Lopez on their side.
He could hear through his comms as news came through that the Queen and the King Consort were safe and that Fortis had taken the Palace. James Fitzgerald would ensure the woman taking over as Deputy Director had all the information she needed, if not all the information.
The press office would handle the news of the accident, and news of the tragic death of Deputy Director Osbourne and any other loose ends would be handled between the agencies of Fortis, Zenobi, Eidolon, and the Palace.
“Viking, I just heard from K, Carmine attacked Roz in her home. He threatened Deacon and Lacey agreed to go if he left the baby alone.”
Waggs was watching him closely as he relayed the information and Gunner held a death grip on the chopper’s controls, not allowing emotion inside his head. If he did, he’d lose his mind, and he needed to stay in control so he could hunt down Carmine, get Lacey back safely, and then slit the bastard’s throat for touching what was his.
“Get Bás on the line.” Gunner knew his tone was harsh, but he also knew Waggs would do what was needed.
The night sky seemed to stretch endlessly in front of him as he made his way back towards Hereford, a thirst for blood on his tongue seeking vengeance for every hair he hurt on Lacey’s head and that was before he started avenging Deacon.
“Viking, this is Bás.”
“What the fuck happened, Bás?”
“Not sure. Last I heard Osbourne didn’t know where Russo was.”
“What about Frederick Granger?”
“He’s with Osbourne, isn’t he?”
Gunner looked at Waggs, a moment of understanding passing between them. “No, he fucking isn’t.”
“I’ll find him.”
Bás hung up and Gunner fought with whether he’d been a fool to trust the man, but he’d shown him nothing but support.
“Gunner, I have Cosmo on the radar. Her tracker is holding still at her place of residence.” Lopez had been lightning-fast off the mark to find her, and he realised every free agent would be looking for her.
“ETA is thirty minutes. Who do we have free?”
“Just Zenobi. K won’t leave Roz who’s fit to be tied.”
Gunner knew that threatening the newborn baby of a woman like Roz was a death sentence and if he weren’t feeling so bloodthirsty right now, he’d let her have at it.
“See if Bebe, Evelyn, and whoever else they have available will check it out?”
“On it.”
Never had a journey seemed so long, the feeling of helplessness that was overwhelming him was almost so thick he couldn’t breathe.
“Stay frosty, Gunner, we’ll get her back.”
Gunner glanced at the man who had been the quickest to forgive his sins with desperation on his face. “What if he hurts her before I can get to her?”
Waggs pursed his lips, his jaw ticking with anger. “Then you help her heal, brother. We all do.”
Waggs nursed his own pain so privately nobody knew how broken he was, but Gunner had seen it. While he’d been working for the enemy, he’d followed Waggs when he’d gone back home to see his parents on the anniversary of his twin brother’s death, and Gunner had witnessed his pain first-hand.
He hadn’t told a soul and would carry it the grave, but it was that knowledge that made him sure Waggs would do what it took to stop others feeling the same grief that consumed him.
Chapter 26
Lacey woke with a jolt, her heart hammering in her chest as the memory of what happened slammed into her. The smell of stale smoke was the first thing she noticed as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. It took a minute before she realised where she was, the pain in her cheekbone throbbing and clouding out everything else.
Rolling over, she welcomed the softness of the mattress beneath her, but the pull on her shoulders made her realise that someone had bound her wrists with a soft tie at her ankles and wrists. Lacey tried to sit up, her stomach muscles tensing, and she thanked yoga for her core strength. Swinging her legs off the bed, she realised she was in her own bedroom but not why, and that was the most important question, or perhaps she did know and fear was the thing keeping her from facing it.
A figure moved from the corner, and she bit back the scream in her throat as she saw Carmine move into the light coming through the balcony window cast from the moon. He’d dressed as he always did in a three-piece dark suit, the red tie he usually wore was missing and she knew then what the softness on her skin was. Lacey would have preferred the rough burn of rope or plastic to this pseudo kindness. Black hair swept back from his high forehead, it was difficult to see the handsome man she’d met who had charmed her and made her laugh. Maybe it was the truth of his character that made him seem so hideous to her now.
“I see you’re awake, beautiful.”
Her pulse pounded in her neck so hard it was almost painful, and she was convinced she was about to have a heart attack from pure fear. It took everything in her not to shy away from him as he moved closer, yet her body still shook. When he stroked her cheek, the impulse to pull away was too strong, and she yanked from his grasp.
Carmine’s face twisted in a cruel mask and he grabbed her chin in a painful grip she knew would leave bruises. “Don’t you pull away from me! You belong to me, Lacey, and I’ll touch you whenever I wish.”
Anger surged, and despite the tears on her cheeks, she locked eyes with the man who’d tortured her and hurt her in ways no woman should ever be hurt. A man who was cruel and nothing like the man who now loved her, a man who cherished her and valued her as a person.
“I belong to no man.”
Carmine pushed her away and laughed in her face. “Is that what you think, Lacey? That you aren’t property?”
He began to pace as she watched him like a hawk, making herself ready should an opportunity arise to save herself. Gunner and the team were away and, please God, she prayed Roz was safe, but there was no guarantee anyone would find her in time before whatever Carmine had planned for her happened.
“I’m not property. I’m a person.”
“
No, you’re a trophy, a beautiful trophy, and you’re mine.”
“What do you want from me, Carmine?”
“Everything, Lacey. I want you to commit, to love me and give me heirs to show my father and brother that I can make you submit to me.”
Lacey angled herself until she was facing her tormentor as she wiggled her feet. She needed out of these binds if she had any hope of saving herself, but they were too tight for her to get out of.
“I need to use the bathroom.”
“Can’t it wait?”
Lacey ignored the petulant response and answered him, playing to his weakness. Carmine found menstrual blood disgusting, and she used that against him. “Not unless you wish to clean up the blood that is about to leak from my body.”
His lip curled, and she saw the open disgust on his face. He moved close and pulled her roughly to her feet, untying the silk from her ankles and wrists. It dawned on her that her feet were now bare, and her last shred of hope that the others would find her faded. Her boot with the tracker inside was nowhere in sight, and she was on her own. Carmine stood by the bathroom door that led to a darkened space behind her, the electric still off from the fire.
He grabbed her by her hair and angled her face, so his lips were next to her ear. “Don’t do anything stupid, little girl.” He shoved her away and stepped back as if her blood could somehow taint him. Lacey wasn’t on her period, that problem only lasting a few days, but it was her memory that had served her this time and the way he treated her every month as if she was a leper that needed to be confined to a room with no visitors.
Lacey closed the door and looked around for a way out of her nightmare and found none. Her breathing coming too fast made her dizzy as panic began to overwhelm her. Dropping her head, she braced against the sink and tried to control her breathing. When that was under control and the near-meltdown had passed, she decided to use the bathroom while she had the chance, not knowing when the next opportunity would present itself. Spotting a bottle of talc on the side, a hint of an idea came to her, and she hoped like hell it worked.
