“Anti-drone tech?” Remi asked.
“Oh, most definitely,” I confirmed. “I’ll skim the outer edges of the property, get as much video and intel as I can. This baby also has thermal and infrared capabilities, so we might even be able to get a body count.”
Levi smacked me on the back. “Great work, bro.”
Remi raised his eyebrows. “High praise indeed.”
“He’ll make me pay for it later, I don’t doubt.”
“Leah just called down to say dinner is ready,” Levi said. “Want us to bring you a plate?”
“Not coming up?” Mikaela asked. Was that disappointment I heard?
“Can’t.” I pointed to the screen. “Time sensitive. Got to stay here and watch this.” I raised my voice so Levi could hear. “But a plate would be nice, slave driver!”
Levi shot a bird over his shoulder as he stepped onto the elevator.
“I’ll bring down some food,” Mikaela said.
“Join me?” I asked.
“Coming, Nix?” Levi yelled.
“Coming!” She looked to me, a smile I might almost call shy gracing her full lips. “I’ll join you.” She turned to go, but glanced back at me before stepping onto the elevator. I was still staring when the doors closed.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Abby —
“Time to get up, baby girl.”
I opened my eyes to Geneva’s sweet face looking down at me. I hadn’t been sleeping, but the world seemed too heavy to handle with my eyes open. So, so heavy. Even now... “What?”
“Time for dinner,” she said, not unkindly. God, I wished she’d stop, except I didn’t know if I could bear it if she did. Still, her kindness threatened to undo me. “You need a shower, and then we’re going down to eat with the family.”
Panic fluttered in my throat. “No, I can’t. I...”
The pull of her tender hands got me to sit up, not because she was strong enough to lift me herself, but because I’d never want to disappoint her. I even found myself swinging my legs over the side of the bed because I knew she expected it. Then I looked down at the covers, threw them back but couldn’t let go of them. Couldn’t stop staring.
This bed... It had been a refuge for months, a sanctuary for just Levi and me. A place of pleasure. A place of hope.
And now I hated it. Yet I couldn’t make myself leave.
Geneva sat next to me. Her wrinkled brown face drew me, anchored me. She’d been late into middle age by the time she took my mother under her wing. Taught her how to care for the baby she hadn’t planned but had loved all the same. There were so many years between that humble beginning and finding Geneva two years ago, learning about the mother I’d never been allowed to know. The mother I lost when I was too young to remember.
And now...another loss. I’d been the mother here, though. And I wasn’t sure I could live through this one.
“You need to be up for a little while, child,” Geneva was saying. “Not long, not enough to tire you out. But being stuck in here staring at the four walls isn’t gonna help you at all.”
I knew she was right. That didn’t motivate me to stand and head for the shower like it had gotten me to sit up.
“Is...” I finally let go of the covers to cross my arms over my belly, holding myself together. “Is Levi downstairs?”
“Of course he is.” Geneva patted my thigh. “Just waiting for you.”
I cringed. There was no of course about it. And the likelihood that he was waiting with bated breath for me to walk into the kitchen was nil. I didn’t know what had happened this morning, but I knew he’d left. When I finally woke around lunchtime, Geneva had been in a comfy chair next to my bed, and Bryant had come in once or twice, telling me Levi had gone to help Eli and Remi with something. I deliberately closed my mind to what that something could be—and to the pain that blossomed when I realized he wasn’t here. My brain understood he wouldn’t leave without a damn good reason, but my heart... Well, it was shattered into a million pieces, so understanding anything was too much to ask right now.
“I can’t go down there yet, Geneva. I can’t.” Levi had told me when he finally came home that Nix’s team was here. His brothers too. Too many bodies. Too many eyes staring at me with pity, knowing... Just, too much everything.
“Half an hour,” she promised, her light tone edged in steel. “Just long enough to eat. You have to eat anyway, right?”
Not really. If I didn’t eat, would the pain go away? Would I be numb? Sounded perfect to me.
Geneva stood, reached for me. I stared at her hand.
“Just a few minutes, baby girl,” she said, a well of infinite patience in her words.
She meant well, I knew. And she was probably right about what I needed. But facing them all... I bet Nix was perfect, just like Maris was. Strong. She’d never fail her family like I had.
Yes, that was it. A sense of rightness settled in my chest. “I failed, Geneva.” Failed Levi. Failed myself. My child. I was the weak link in a chain of strong individuals, and I couldn’t stand to have that strength staring me in the face.
A distressed sound left her throat as Geneva returned to her seat next to me. “You did not fail, Abigail.” Her frail arm felt far stronger than I could ever be when it circled my shoulders. “A miscarriage is not a failure. It’s not your fault; it’s not anyone’s fault.”
A sob welled up in my throat, choking me. “I failed. I failed him, Geneva. How can he stand to look at me when I’m so weak that I couldn’t keep our child safe?”
She pulled me against her, patted my cheek until I laid my head on her shoulder. Waited long, long minutes until the sobs worked their way out of my system. And then she asked, “Is that what you believe about your mama, girl? That she was weak and that’s why she died? That she failed you?”
Shock shuddered through me. “No, of course not!” My mother had been murdered. She would’ve fought to stay with me. She hadn’t died because she was weak.
Geneva cupped my cheeks and forced me up until I looked into her warm brown eyes, faded now with age. “And how are you any different from her?”
I couldn’t answer, couldn’t find the words to tell her she was right when some small part of me said she was wrong. And maybe she sensed that somehow, because understanding stared back at me.
“Sometimes,” she said, “our heart lies in order to find some sense in tragedy. We need someone to blame, and most often that’s ourselves because we are convenient. Accessible. Beating ourselves up lessens the pain, odd as that might be. But...” She stroked at the tears on my cheeks. “You have to recognize the lies. You have to fight them—because they’ll steal your happiness and your future.”
“What happiness? What future?” My words were filled with the bitterness churning inside me.
“That man downstairs is your future,” she said firmly. “That family waiting to see that you’re all right is your future. And you have to fight your way back to them, for your sake and theirs.”
“I don’t know if I can,” I admitted like a dirty little secret.
But Geneva wasn’t shocked, and she didn’t brush away my admission. “Not right now,” she agreed, then stood again, taking my hand and pulling me with her. “You need each other for that. Trust me, baby girl.” She patted my cheek, her touch and her eyes full of love and an iron will. I knew she wasn’t going to let me just float along. “Just a few minutes.”
Which was how I found myself in the elevator, Geneva at my side, hair hanging damp down my back and my face scrubbed naked. I felt exposed, raw, but a longing I hadn’t let take hold all day was also surfacing—for Levi, his arms, his strength. He was on the other side of these doors; I just had to find the courage to walk through them.
Geneva squeezed my hand, and then we were walking into the foyer. To the left, in the living room, men’s voices bantered. To the right, in the kitchen, male and female voices mingled, all so familiar they made my heart ache. Hurrying was impossible, but I s
trained to get closer to the arms I knew could ease the pain swamping me.
We were almost through the door when Levi appeared in front of me, his wide shoulders blocking out the room beyond him. “Little bird.” And then his arms were around me, solid and strong, and the world that had spun off its axis slowed the tiniest bit. My arms came up beneath his, my fingers fisting in the material of his shirt at his back. The relief was so profound I couldn’t speak. “Mrs. Geneva,” he said, the words of rumble against my ear where it rested on his chest. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Geneva made a sound behind me—pleasure, love, respect, maybe sympathy. “You were right to send for me.”
He had been, I realized. It hadn’t truly clicked till now what Levi had done—he had brought my mama to me when I needed her. Geneva was the closest thing to a mother I’d ever known, and a woman needed her mother at times like this. “Thank you,” I whispered into his shirt.
Levi ducked his head. “Anything for you.”
I tipped my head up and forced myself to meet his eyes. “Still? Even now?” And then it all welled up inside me and I couldn’t hold back the words. “How could you love me? After—”
Anger flashed across Levi’s face, and his fingers on my lips cut me off. “Don’t ever, ever say something like that again; do you hear me?” Palms on my cheeks, he bent low until his lips brushed mine lightly. “How could I not love you, Abby? You’re my life.” He kissed me again, then pulled back. “You always will be.”
I closed my eyes and prayed he was right. Prayed I could go back to that time when I trusted every word that came out of his mouth to be the truth. For now, I just had to walk in faith, didn’t I?
“Is everyone in the kitchen?” I finally asked.
His warm hands returned to my back, glided down to grip my hips, holding me tight against him. “They are. Just family. You can meet the others later.”
Relief weakened my muscles, and I leaned heavily on his strength as he and Geneva led me inside.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Nix —
Eli had intended to stay at his computer and work through dinner, but when he found out Abby was coming downstairs, our intimate dinner for two had been canceled. Instead I took a plate down to Monty, who volunteered to watch whatever it was Eli had in place work. At least he’d understand it. I, on the other hand...
After eating, the rest of us gathered our dishes and returned them to the kitchen, where Remi had insisted we leave them for him and Eli to take care of. Levi and Abby were nowhere in sight, but we agreed to congregate in the bat cave at the top of the hour to begin mission planning. Eli gave me a wink from the floor where he and Brooke were playing with Diesel and a thick length of rope with knots at both ends. Leah caught it, giving me a smug smile as I exited the kitchen. I smiled as well, all the way to the elevator.
“Y’all have everything you need downstairs?” I asked the guys as we descended. Titus pulled his hair back, coiling it into a bun and securing it as he answered. “It’s fine. Better than most places we’ve laid our heads.” He grinned at Rhys’s grunt of agreement. “There’s a full bath in the bat cave we are welcome to use,” he said with a snicker.
“How cliché is the name ‘bat cave’?” Rhys asked under his breath as the elevator doors slid open.
“And yet pretty accurate if you consider Levi Agozi’s double life,” I pointed out.
“Exactly,” Titus agreed.
“Exactly what?” Monty asked from his seat at the computer setup, although setup was a bit understated given the fact that the Agozi brothers could probably run the US end of a nuclear war with this system. Seriously I had flashbacks to War Games each time I entered the room, though I had little doubt that whatever voice spoke to Eli through his headphones sounded nothing like Joshua and everything like a sultry, sexy bombshell.
I hadn’t realized I was grinning at the idea until Monty grunted a “What?”
I wiped the grin off my face, going for neutral. “What what?”
Monty rolled his eyes and turned back to the computer, but I swore his lips twitched like he found something funny. I couldn’t imagine what.
Maris came through the elevator doors next, having taken a few minutes to lag behind with Brooke. The flush of her skin told me how much she was enjoying the embrace of the Agozi family after being stuck with four soldier types who often didn’t appreciate the comforts of home and companionship as much as she did. What would it do to her when we were finished here? Would she want to stay when we left? If anyone could be trusted with her safety—and her cover identity—I felt sure it was Eli and his brothers, but the thought of her not with me...
Guilt did a slow crawl through me. The point wasn’t whether I needed Maris; it was what Maris needed. And if stability and a family made her happy, didn’t I have an obligation to offer her that.
I put the idea on the back burner as the brothers entered the basement. Levi’s skin was gray, his eyes tired as he moved toward the conference table, but his shoulders were squared, his lips firm. Determined, just like we were. It was time to take X out.
Levi gestured around the table, and we all took seats except for Eli, who crossed to the computer, probably to review the collected data. Levi didn’t wait.
“As I’m sure Nix has informed you, we’ve agreed to work as one team for this mission. She will act as my second in place of my brother.” Levi nodded toward Remi.
Titus frowned at the middle Agozi brother. “What’s your plan for security here?” he asked. I’d seen his gaze lingering on Brooke in the kitchen. We didn’t go into areas where there were children very often, but when we did... Well, let’s just say Titus was particularly jumpy around children. I didn’t know the whole story except to say I thought his nerves had to do with not being able to keep them safe. Children were fragile, unpredictable—in a war zone, that combo was deadly. And given X’s past actions, we couldn’t ignore the possibility that the mansion could in fact become a war zone.
Remi planted his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “We won’t be here,” Remi said, voice deep with tension. “We can’t risk it. We have a friend—”
“Bryant,” Levi said. “He was here earlier today.”
Remi nodded. “He’s good backup, thirty-year veteran cop. The two of us will take the women and Brooke to a bunker we established a long time ago. One entry/exit point, buried deep, already stocked. No one is getting in or out unless we allow it.”
Maris spoke from the end of the table. “I’d like to go with you if you’ll allow it, Remi. I’m an excellent shot—”
“And a damn good fighter,” I added. “But are you sure?” Maris didn’t go on ops, but she was nearby. She wouldn’t be if she went with Remi.
She met my eyes squarely. “I am. I can do more good helping to keep them safe.” Her gaze shifted to Remi again. “If you’ll have me.”
Remi didn’t hesitate. “It would be much appreciated.”
Maris relaxed as she leaned back in her chair. I scanned the table as my attention moved back to Levi and couldn’t miss the heightened tension sharpening Rhys’s face. He might not like Maris’s decision, but it was hers to make, not the rest of us. Mentally reminding myself to speak to him privately after the meeting, I tuned back in to the conversation.
“I’m thinking a two-prong approach might be the easiest,” Levi was saying. “Distract and flank.”
“Distract how?” Monty asked.
Levi stood tall at the end of the table, hands on his hips. “By offering myself as bait.”
Immediate tension filled the room, and I didn’t miss Eli’s chair turning so he could look at his brother.
Rather than dismissing the idea, I asked, keeping my voice neutral, “How do you mean?”
Levi focused on me. “We have Sullivan here, and tempted as I am, we’re not killing him.” His frown seemed disappointed at that. “I say we deliver the target to X. If he wants the man dead, let him do it.”
Sile
nce reigned as we all digested the idea. “So”—I shifted forward in my seat—“you’d escort Sullivan in.”
“Correct.” Levi’s jaw ticked. “They’ll likely bring us straight to X. I’ll be stripped of any weapons the second I cross the threshold, but I don’t need weapons to take the bastard out.”
“They know that,” Rhys pointed out. “The man will be covered with guards before you get anywhere close.”
Levi bared his teeth. “Exactly. That’s where you come in.”
“They won’t leave the front door open just because you arrive,” I said.
“I have some thoughts on that,” Eli said. I looked over to see him leaning close to one of his screens, staring intently. “Just a sec.”
We waited while he fiddled with things on his computer I had no way of understanding, and then he grabbed a tablet from the desk and brought it over to us. “Fucking A, I think I have the perfect solution.”
Eli settled the tablet in the middle of the table and clicked Play on a video already queued up. “This is part of the surveillance the drone has captured so far. I have some detailed images of the grounds we can use, and the thermal has given us a good idea of the amount of resistance we will hit—on aboveground floors, anyway.”
“How do you know there are underground floors?” Titus asked, picking up on the hint the same as the rest of us.
“Because of this.” Eli paused the video at a particular point. “This is a hundred meters south of the complex. You can see the thermal camera is picking up heat signatures on the ground in human shapes, as well as diminishing signatures moving toward the complex.” He pointed to one yellow and red blob in the flat backdrop that seemed to resemble a full torso, then another head-shaped blob. “We know these aren’t on the surface because regular video shows nothing but woods. And thermal only penetrates so far into the ground. Which makes me believe there’s a tunnel here, slowly sinking farther underground the closer it gets to the main building of the complex.” Eli closed the video and brought up an image of a sketched map. He tapped his fingers on the largest building, situated closest to the south end of the complex. “Here.”
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