Securing Willow (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Guardian Elite Book 5)

by KaLyn Cooper

  The limousine pulled under the portico and stopped. She couldn’t move until Flynn opened the door, but he sat there looking out the window.

  “What are we waiting for?” Willow checked her watch. Ambassador Snyder was expecting her in five minutes and she absolutely hated to be late.

  “Rocco is sending out some men.” Flynn looked over his shoulder at her. “I’m going to step out and we’re going to form a semi-circle around you as you get out of the car. We’re not going to move until Gage can bring up the rear. Then, as a unit, we’re going to walk into the embassy.”

  “Oh, just like you do for Mr. Dunaway and Ambassador Snyder.” She’d seen this done multiple times, except she was usually tagging along behind the entourage. This time she’d be in the middle of it.

  “I can just get out and walk in. I’m safe, right?” She looked at the serious faces on Flynn and Gage.

  “Remi wants you protected. Until we get you inside that building, you are our responsibility. Once inside, Rocco will take over your personal protection.”

  “You are to tell Rocco when you’re ready to leave and he’ll contact us,” Gage explained. “Then we’ll do this entire process in reverse.”

  “I understand, but I think Remi is just being overprotective.”

  Flynn gave her a small smile but said nothing.

  A rap on the window made Willow jump.

  “Showtime,” Gage announced.

  Willow did exactly as instructed. When the men closed in around her, she suddenly felt extremely short. Most of them towered at least a foot above her.

  “Ready.” Gage’s voice boomed from behind her.

  Startled, she looked over her shoulder at him.

  “Moving.” Rocco ordered.

  The men all stepped forward, but Willow was twisted, looking at Gage. He grabbed her shoulders and gently turned her forward. “Walk, Willow. We are exposed out here.”

  Oh my God. These men were serious. She walked faster to keep up with their long strides. Willow couldn’t see anything in front of her except Rocco’s broad back, so she looked at the concrete that led up to the front doors and tried to figure out how close she was. The group never stopped moving until she saw white marble under her feet.

  She heard the sigh of relief from the men who surrounded her.

  “We have her now,” Rocco told Remi’s men. “We’ll let you know when she’s ready to leave.”

  To her surprise, Gage touched her shoulder. “You’ll be safe here today.” His gaze lifted to Rocco. “They’ll make sure of it.”

  “I’ll be fine.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “Give me about four hours and I should be ready to leave.” She turned toward Rocco. “I’m ready if Ambassador Snyder is.”

  “He’s waiting for you,” Rocco announced.

  The next two hours were intense as Willow and Ambassador Snyder covered topic after topic. As noon approached, she was shocked when Bruno entered, carrying a huge picnic basket.

  “My friend, I am so surprised to see you here,” she said in Wayuu, then translated for the ambassador, explaining that Bruno was the cook at the Zon Petrol compound.

  In his best English, Bruno announced, “I am humbled to cook for Miss Willow, and honored to prepare a meal for the ambassador of the United States.” He held up the basket and said in Wayuu, “You will not get sick from my cooking. Perhaps the chef here is not as good as me.”

  She looked to the ambassador for permission. “I guarantee you’re going to like lunch.” Taking the basket from Bruno, she leaned in and gave the man a one-armed hug.

  “That’s all the recommendation I needed.” The ambassador walked over and shook Bruno’s hand. “Thank you. Would you care to join us?”

  “No, kind sir. I must return to prepare supper.” When Bruno reached the door, he looked back over his shoulder. “Perhaps Mr. Dunaway and Miss Willow will allow me to cook for you sometime soon.”

  Ambassador Snyder laughed and looked at Willow. “If that isn’t a blatant hint for you to invite me to supper, I’ve never heard one.”

  Willow blushed. “I’ll have to talk with Mr. Dunaway. I’m simply a guest at the compound.”

  It was midafternoon before Willow was ready to leave.

  Rocco knocked and opened the door to the ambassador’s office. “Your car is here, Miss Willow, and my team is ready.”

  She stood. “Mr. Ambassador, I will see you tomorrow morning. I plan to arrive about an hour before President Guerra is expected.”

  “Thanks for coming over today. I’ll see you in the morning.” The ambassador stood and walked her to the door.

  Rocco, Rex and Phantom were waiting for her and walked with her to the front door, where she was met, once again, by Flynn and Gage.

  She took a deep breath as the men closed in around her and started out the front door. They had walked about ten steps when she heard a popping noise.

  “Get her into the car,” Rocco shouted.

  “Were taking fire,” Phantom called out to someone, or everyone.

  Bat-tat-tat. Bat-tat-tat.

  “Find that fucking sniper, now,” Rocco ordered.

  Somebody swept her off her feet. Hunched over her body, they started running. The man practically folded over top of her as he leapt into the limousine. He threw her on the seat, shoving her facedown into the soft leather while he covered her body.

  Willow couldn’t see a thing except the empty seat across the way.

  Bat-tat-tat. Bat-tat-tat.

  “What's happening?” She asked whoever was on top of her.

  “We’ve got you. You’re safe now.” She recognized Gage’s voice which was amazingly calm.

  The door slammed. “I’m in. Go. Go.” She couldn’t see him but was sure that was Flynn.

  The limousine immediately lurched forward.

  Ping. Ping.

  “Fuck.” Flynn yelled. “They’re too far out of range, and the fuckers know it.”

  “Did the Marine sniper get a shot off?” Gage’s question rumbled in his chest and vibrated the back of her skull.

  “Yeah. He got one of them, but there were at least two.” Flynn moved to a different window where Willow could now see him.

  “Uhm, Gage, could you please get off me now?” He was heavy and she was having a difficult time breathing.

  “I think we’re far enough away you can let her up.” Flynn continued to move around the back area, looking out each window.

  “Are you okay?” Gage asked as he sat up and took a seat on the other side.

  “What the hell happened back there?” She stared at Gage.

  “A sniper shot at us.” Then corrected himself. “At least two snipers were shooting at us.”

  “You mean, they were shooting at me.” Her voice was quiet even to her. She looked at the two men who almost gave their lives for her. She was a nobody, yet these two wonderful men were willing to get shot to keep her safe. “I don’t understand why somebody is trying to kill me.”

  “Think hard.” Gabe held her stare. “Why would someone want you dead?”

  Willow tried to swallow but a fist tightened around her throat. If they knew what she’d done, of course they would want to kill her.

  What her assailants didn’t know, was that she had even more damning information on their activities. She just hadn’t found anybody she trusted enough to give the information to. She’d hoped, eventually, that she would trust Ambassador Snyder, but she still wasn’t one hundred percent sure what kind of a man he was. When she’d first met former Ambassador Vance, she would never have believed he could do the things he’d done.

  When Remi got home that night, she would tell him everything. She trusted him, body and soul. He was the best man she had ever known.

  Her cell phone rang. It took several seconds for her to dig it out of her messenger bag. Glancing at the caller ID, she took a deep breath. “Yes, Mr. Ambassador.”

  “Miss Cardenas, Willow, are you all right?” Every one of her boss’s words
was filled with concern.

  “Yes, Ambassador Snyder. I’m fine. I wasn’t hit and neither were my bodyguards.” Dread washed through her. “Was anyone at the embassy hurt?”

  “No, thank God. And the Marine sniper killed one of them.” Pride resounded in her boss’s voice.

  “They shot at the limousine.” She cringed, wondering how much it was going to cost to get that big huge vehicle repaired. Then she realized, the limo was bulletproof. Refocusing, she asked, “Does Rocco think I was the target?”

  The ambassador was quiet for a long time. “Yes. We believe you were. But to be on the safe side, we have postponed the meeting tomorrow with President Guerra. It’s possible that you leaving today in a limousine may have just been a trial run.”

  Willow felt absolutely awful. The ambassador and President Guerra needed to meet. Ambassador Snyder had a very important message from the president of the United States that could only be given directly to President Guerra.

  She had interrupted important international politics. Her very presence there could mean that thousands more would starve in Venezuela. Willow couldn’t let that happen.

  “Sir, I have an idea how you and President Guerra could still meet, but it may take a few days to arrange.”

  She needed to talk to Remi.

  Willow couldn’t wait until their evening walk to talk to Remi, so she met him at the front door as soon as he’d returned from the rigs that day.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Dunaway. Jake has your evening protection.” Remi peeled off and ran to her. He scooped her up in his arms and pressed her tight to his body. “I can’t believe I almost lost you today.”

  “Yeah, that was really scary, but Gage and Flynn got me into the car while Rocco and his men took care of the snipers.” That part of her day was over. She’d had a couple hours to recover from that excitement. At the moment, she had more important things to talk to Remi about.

  He set her on her feet and cupped his hands around her face. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He scanned every inch of her face. “You don’t look okay. Come on. I’ve got a shower. We can talk about it in private.”

  Yes. Talking in private was exactly what Willow wanted. She wasn’t interested in talking about getting shot at. What she had to say, was much more important.

  Remi closed the door behind them, then dragged her to the recliner. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap. “Sweetheart, I remember the first time I was shot at. Nobody ever forgets that life event. I was scared shitless. Talking about it usually helps.”

  She’d never really had anyone to talk things out with, except her mother when she was alive. Willow shifted in his lap.

  Remi rubbed his big hand up and down her back. “It’s okay, sweetheart. You know you can tell me anything.”

  “Ambassador Vance stole billions of dollars from the United States that was supposed to go to the Venezuelan people and he made a side deal with President Mendoza for all the mineral rights from the Orinoco River to the Brazilian border,” she blurted out.

  Remi jerked his head back and stared at her.

  Damn. He didn’t believe her. But she had the proof right there in her pocket.

  “So.” He dragged the word out for several seconds. “You don’t want to talk about getting shot at?”

  “Damn it, Remi I am talking about getting shot at.” She pulled a two-inch-long thumb drive from her pocket. “This is why they are shooting at me. This is why they want me dead.”

  He stared at the pretty purple drive she held between her thumb and forefinger. He didn’t try to take it from her, though.

  “What exactly is on that?” He nodded toward her hand.

  Maybe he did believe her.

  “Contracts, contacts—and you’d be shocked to find out who is involved—bank account numbers and deposits. While the people of Venezuela are starving, these fucking politicians are making deals so they can be billionaires for the rest of their lives. It makes me sick. These are people who are supposed to represent the United States and do what’s best for our country and theirs. Not steal and make side deals.” Willow shook with fury.

  “How did you get that?” Remi’s voice was so calm she just wanted to shake him. He should be as infuriated as she was.

  “From Ambassador Vance’s personal computer. Once a week it was my job to update his calendar, not that he showed up for many of the events scheduled. He only used the embassy computer for official email, and Mrs. Weaver handled almost all of that for him in the last two years. Since he carried his personal computer with him everywhere, and the man didn’t want to miss an opportunity to be in the same room with President Mendoza, he had me put the schedule on his personal computer.”

  Willow took a deep breath because she wasn’t sure the next part was legal. “He had a bunch of tabs open and one of them was named mineral rights. There was some important legislation bouncing around Congress on that subject and I thought he’d left it there for me to copy and write a press release about how it would affect Venezuela.”

  She sighed. “I copied the file. When I got around to look at the file, and discovered what I had, I couldn’t believe what Ambassador Vance and all those people in Washington were doing. As a foreign service officer, it was my duty to turn them in. But since I didn’t know a lot of names on that list, I wasn’t sure who to trust.” She shrugged. “So, I sent a bunch of the files to everybody I thought should see them.”

  She smiled. “When they called Ambassador Vance back to the United States, I knew I’d done the right thing.” She glanced at the drive in her hand. “The problem is, I have a lot more files that somebody needs to see. Our email system will only allow attachments up to a certain size. Some of these files are ten times that big. I almost sent some more from here because I knew this was a secure network, but Mr. Dunaway and Zon Petrol have been so good to me. I was afraid somebody would trace the source back to this compound.”

  She huffed out a breath. She’d told him everything.

  Remi continued to stare at her. Did he believe her?

  Then he shook his head. He brushed his fingertips along the side of her face into her hair and rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone. “You are the bravest woman I’ve ever met. You were shot at today, and yet you’re more concerned about the starving children and the thieving politicians. How did I ever get so lucky?”

  She pinched her eyebrows together in a frown. “I almost got your men killed today. I don’t consider hiding in the midst of men, who stand a foot taller than me, when bullets start to fly to be the act of someone brave. Gage was brave. He could’ve been shot as he carried me to the limousine. Flynn was brave. He shot back at them. Rocco’s men were brave. They stayed there shooting while we escaped in the limo. I was not brave.” She cupped her hands around his face and looked him in the eyes. “We are now talking about the files on this drive. What do you think I should do with them?”

  “We need to talk to Alex. And we’d better loop Dex in on this conversation, too.” He lifted her off his lap and stood. “Do you trust me?”

  “With my life.”

  He stood and gave her a quick peck.

  He dragged her over to the desk and started up his computer. He had several levels of passcodes to go through before he ordered, “Sit.”

  Willow sat in the desk chair. She held up the drive, but he didn’t take it.

  “Go ahead and slide that drive into the USB port.”

  She did as ordered, and a box instantly appeared.

  Remi leaned in and typed a complicated series of letters and numbers. Another box appeared asking which files to upload. “This is an encrypted line directly to Guardian Security’s most secure server. I’m going to take a shower. Upload whatever you’re comfortable with. When I get out of the shower, we’ll have a conference call with Dex and Alex. Tell them however much you’re comfortable with. I will be right here at your side, but I promise to smell better than I do right now.” He bent down and gave her a quick kiss then disappeared into
the bathroom.

  Willow stared at the box on the screen. She trusted Remi. Remi trusted Alex and Dex. She dropped her hand to the mousepad and started clicking.

  It was déjà vu.

  Willow sat in the backseat of the Zon Petrol helicopter with Remi on one side of her and Rocco on the other. Her stomach roiled as they headed toward another abandoned oil well.

  Ambassador Snyder and Mr. Dunaway sat in the second row of seats chatting away like old friends.

  But there were differences in this trip. Remi held her hand tightly in his. For the past three nights, she’d slept in his bed, not bothering to sneak out in the wee hours of the morning. There was no need. Everyone in the compound knew that she and Remi were lovers.

  From the moment they had said good night to Alex and Dex after that first video conference, Remi had become even more protective of her.

  It had taken a full forty-eight hours to put everything in place. Now, they were flying for miles over thick dense jungle.

  “Landing zone in sixty seconds,” the pilot announced, then dropped to the barren ground next to a military helicopter. Remi helped her out, once again, lifting her easily and placing her on the dusty ground.

  She turned slowly, thee hundred and sixty degrees, taking in the hundred-foot-tall trees that lined the ten acres and the low-growing bushes that had filled in since the site had been abandoned. In the center stood a rusting oil derrick that reminded Willow of the Eiffel Tower. She scanned the steel structure but couldn’t see the two snipers.

  “They’re there,” Remi said as he put his hand on the small of her back and directed her toward his approaching team.

  The bodyguards immediately surrounded Mr. Dunaway and Ambassador Snyder. A moment later, President Guerra and his bodyguards exited the other helicopter. Accompanying the new president were a few staff members, including Luciano Escobar, his director of communications. Willow immediately introduced herself to her counterpart. Although they’d never met in person, they had spent hours on the phone over the past several days.

  Thankfully, all three men had liked the idea of meeting at an extremely remote location, and instead of sitting down, they had agreed to walk as they talked. As Mr. Dunaway began the tour, Willow looked around for Joseph Allen. She didn’t see him anywhere.