Rockwell Agency: Boxset

by Dee Bridgnorth

  She never would have expected it, but she was suddenly very glad to be working with Russ. “I’m not the cops,” she said. “Help me, and I can take down Sal’s whole operation and leave Natalie out of the whole thing. Wes won’t press charges. Neither will I. You and Natalie can walk away from this whole thing and start a new life without Sal overshadowing you. But you have to help me with my case first.”

  Russ’ hands gripped the wheel tightly. “I don’t know where Natalie is. After last night, she ran. I haven’t heard from her or seen her. It would have been crushing to her that she failed to take out her mark again. That she failed to shoot you two. I’m worried that she’s going to break. Sal wants her to go to him and be the one to kill her mark. Finish the job. He’s convinced that if she completes this job, she’ll be the person she used to be. The person he thought she was, anyway.”

  “I can’t help you find Natalie,” Jordan said. “Not now, anyway. Not before I handle Sal. He’s going to come after me and Wes—I know he is.”

  “He has Wes.”

  “What?” Jordan’s pulse sped up, and she gripped the arm of the door, where her hand rested. “No, he doesn’t. Wes is in the hotel room.”

  “He said on the phone that he has Natalie’s mark and the guy that I shot.”

  “You didn’t say anything about that,” Jordan said, suddenly unable to breathe. “You didn’t say he had Wes. On the phone. I would have heard you.”

  Russ looked at her strangely. “Yeah, I was focused on Natalie. What did I care if he had the guy I shot?”

  “The guy you shot—his name is Wes,” Jordan managed to say over the lump in her throat. “And he is to me what Natalie is to you, and if Sal has him, Sal could kill him at any time. Oh my God.”

  “Hey, calm down,” Russ said. “Look, he’s not going to do anything until I get there, okay?”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I don’t,” Russ said, “but he’s probably not. He’s definitely not going to kill Alana until Natalie is there to do it for him. So, you have time, okay?”

  Jordan felt slightly comforted, but not much. She didn’t know Sal at all, but even she knew that he would do whatever he had to do to get what he wanted. He was protecting millions of dollars and a business that was going to keep raking in more for him, provided it didn’t collapse. Whoever he had to kill to make sure he stayed in control, he would.

  “When did he take Wes?” she asked. “How long ago?”

  “I don’t know,” Russ said. “I didn’t ask any questions about that. Look, I’m supposed to be going in to figure out how to get Natalie back on board. I want nothing more than for her to never speak to that man again though, so if you want to stage a takedown—I’m in. But you have to be the one to do it. I can’t be the one to take her father from her. So, I’m going to drive in and I’m going to play my part, and you’re on your own. All I’m doing is taking you there, okay? And if it comes down to a fight, I’ll keep you alive. But it’s got to look like I’m fighting on Sal’s side.”

  All she could think about was whether or not Wes was okay, and that was the moment that she realized that, like it or not, she was already in love with him. Her whole world had stopped the moment she knew he was in danger, and nothing mattered—not the case, not Alana, not Russ, not Natalie, not anything—if she didn’t walk out of there with Wes alive. She was head over heels in love with the man, and there was nothing she could do about it. There was nothing she wanted to do about it.

  And if she had just brought him with her tonight instead of leaving him in the hotel room, he wouldn’t be in this position now. He would be safe beside her. If he died tonight, it was going to be her fault that his life was cut short, and that she had lost the one man in the world who could break through her barriers without even trying.

  She only half-heard what Russ was saying, her heart pounding in her ears. “Just get me there. Get me to where they’re keeping Wes. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Chapter 34

  Wes

  It could have been the lingering effects of the drug, but Wes could only stare at Jake as his friend and colleague walked towards him, looking like himself but with a mask of coldness instead of his usual friendly expression. It was hard to believe that less than a week ago, he had been sitting in a bar with him, watching Monday night football, chatting, and buying rounds for each other. That was before he had found out that Jake had slept with Alana. Now he was forced to realize that a man he had once called his friend had been behind this entire thing.

  Jake walked over and squatted down in front of Wes, smiling without any warmth. “Not looking so good, are you? I wondered why you called out from work. That’s not like you. Turns out you had a nasty wound from involving yourself in business that you should have stayed the hell away from.

  Stupid fucker. He’s got less than an hour to live, and he doesn’t even know it. God, I’ll be so glad to get rid of him. What person dreams of moving to the South and working for a landscaping company all his life? No ambition. No intelligence. No anything. How he got a hot babe like Alana is beyond me. But she sure did get bored with him quickly enough.

  Wes tried to tune out Jake’s thoughts and focus on what was happening in front of him. “Did she know?” Wes asked. “Did Alana know it was you?”

  “Of course not,” Jake said, laughing humorlessly. “Alana was a dish, but she wasn’t particularly intelligent. She knew how to follow orders—until she stopped doing that, too. But no. She never suspected that it was good old Jake who passed her name along to Sal here after she landed that jewelry store job. When she bragged to me about the diamonds she had supposedly found, she had no idea that I knew what she was up to. When she got drunk and bragged that she was a key cog in a massive enterprise, she had no idea that I was going to have to report her, and that Sal would put a hit out on her. No—Alana never saw much further than the image in the mirror. She was too blinded by vanity and greed.”

  Wes’s eyes darted over towards Alana’s lifeless body, and he quickly looked away, shuddering at the sight. “When I confronted you about sleeping with her …”

  Jake’s eyes got big and wide. “Oh yes, I’m so sorry about that, Wes. Oh, God, I just feel awful that you had to find out that way.” His mocking tone faded and his expression went back to ice. “I played the part well enough, didn’t I? Didn’t want you poking around and asking too many questions about my relationship with Alana. I needed you and everyone else to keep thinking of me as the harmless, good guy. That’s what allowed me to keep scouting out the houses of those rich assholes that we did all those stupid elaborate landscaping projects for.”

  Thinking back to the night that he had heard Jake’s thoughts, Wes realized that he should have read more into them. Jake had seemed panicked at what Alana might or might not have told him. Wes remembered Jake wondering what else Alana might have said to him. He hadn’t interpreted it as anything other than a guilty conscience about the fact that Jake had routinely slept with his girlfriend. But of course, now he knew that it had been about so much more.

  “Sal called me in when he figured out you worked with me,” Jake said, standing up again. “He thought I might like to do the honors, in case Natalie isn’t up to it. Or in case she can’t be found. I really hope she’s not up to it, Wes. You’ve always been pretentious. Walking around work like you own the place—like you’re so much better than the rest of us.”

  Wes stared up at Jake, slowly shaking his head. “I am better than you. I’m not a cold-blooded murderer and a thief. I can’t believe I ever trusted you.”

  “Boo-hoo,” Jake said, smirking as he walked back over towards Sal. “Tell us where your new little lady friend is, and I’ll kill you quickly. If you don’t, then we’ll draw it out as painfully as possible. It’s your choice.”

  Wes clenched his jaw, adrenaline flowing through him that demanded that he get up and fight. He refused to give into it, though, knowing that in his condition he was no match for the
two, armed men. He needed to be smart—not reactionary. “Even if I knew I wouldn’t tell you,” he said. “I have principles. Standards. Neither of you would understand that.”

  Jake rolled his eyes, then looked at Sal. “Let me do it, boss.”

  “Russ is on his way,” Sal said, checking his phone. “He should be here in ten minutes or so.”

  “But Natalie isn’t with him,” Jake said. “You have no idea where she is, or if she can do this. Let me take care of this little shit, here and now.”

  Sal looked at Alana, pressing his lips together in a thin line. “I wanted Natalie to be the one to end her. It was supposed to be that way. The whole plan has fallen apart. I don’t know where Natalie is. She’s even hiding out from Russ.”

  Wes held his breath as Sal contemplated, and his heart sank when Sal nodded.

  “Fine,” Sal said. “He’s all yours. Just keep it clean.”

  “Oh no,” Jake said, grinning. “I plan to get messy. But don’t worry—he’ll be taken care of, guaranteed. I won’t leave you with the mess. I clean up my own.”

  Sal was already walking towards the door. “I don’t care what you do with him. But if he tells you where the girl is—I want to know immediately. I’ll be out here, meeting with Russ. Let me know when it’s done.”

  When Sal walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, it was just Wes and Jake staring at each other, Alana’s dead body in the background, bleeding out onto the ground as she slumped over. Wes swallowed hard, but worked to keep all trace of his nerves off his face and out of his body language. He glared back at Jake, putting disdain and pity in his voice as he spoke.

  “Do you really think that you’re going to win this one?” Wes asked, shaking his head. “You won’t. You might kill me, and that’s fine. But you have no idea who is coming for you if you do.”

  “Oh, I’m terrified,” Jake said, walking in a circle around the large, empty room, pacing out the space. “What are you going to do, send your little two-bit investigator after me?”

  Wes thought about Jordan in all of her incredible power and beauty. He thought about seeing her as a royal blue dragon flying around the clearing. He thought about all that she had told him and all that he had seen in her thoughts. She might be small—she was even the smallest dragon out of all her friends—but she was fierce, and she was determined. Even if she didn’t get to him in time, she would avenge his death, and Jake would die, shaking in his boots. It was a comforting thought that Wes tucked away inside of him, as he watched Jake walk around the room.

  How do I do this? Jake was thinking. Do I get complicated? Do I bring in the table to strap him down on? Or do I just …freestyle?

  The grogginess was finally fading from Wes, and he struggled to move, testing his shoulder after it had been abused and further injured by the men who had brought him here. Sharp pains shot through his arm when he tried to sit up better, and he knew that he had little hope of warding Jake off.

  Freestyle, I think. Too much trouble to bring in the table. Don’t have anything to use for straps. I can’t be greedy. Let’s start simple. Let’s kick him right in the balls, just because I’ve always wanted to.

  “You’re going to kick me in the balls?” Wes asked, arching an eyebrow. “God, that’s brilliant torture. Wow. Good for you. Well done.”

  Jake had started to walk towards him, but he stopped in his tracks, his eyes narrowing warily. “What did you just say?”

  How did he know that? Did I say that out loud?

  Wes had no idea if what he was doing would work, but it was the only tool he had to fight back. So, he doubled down. “No, you didn’t say that out loud. You’re just that transparent, Jake.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Jake shouted.

  Forget kicking him in the balls. I’m going to cut him up.

  “Yes, that’s a better idea,” Wes said. “Do you have a knife on you? I would start by cutting off some appendage. A finger, maybe? An ear—oh that would be symbolic, wouldn’t it?”

  Jake stared at him, his hand poised over his pocket where his knife undoubtedly waited. “Stop,” he said, shouting the word. “Stop doing that. How are you doing that?”

  What is he, some kind of sorcerer or something? How does he know everything I’m going to do before I do it?

  “I’m not a sorcerer,” Wes said, faking a yawn. He put his hand up over his mouth, shaking his head. “Oh, dear. Sorry. It’s just that you’re taking such an awful long time to do…anything.”

  I’m going to bleed him dry. I’m going to pop his eyeballs out of his sockets and cut out his tongue and shove my knife through his ear.

  “That seems excessive,” Wes said, having to work hard to keep his voice modulated and casual. “Do you really need to pop my eyes out and cut out my tongue? Because if you’re just going to shove your knife through my ear afterward, that’s a lot of work for nothing. The knife in the ear will kill me.”

  Jake was white as a ghost, and now he was backing up instead of moving forward. “What the hell are you? Get out—stop it! Get out of my head!”

  Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Kill him—kill him now. He knows everything you’re thinking. He’s in your head. He’s hearing you right now. Oh God! Get the fuck out of my head!

  Jake was unraveling, his eyes wild. Wes was all in. He couldn’t back down now. Maybe he could make Jake run out of the room or faint. Maybe it would enrage Jake so much that he would charge at him with that knife in hand. He didn’t know which, but if he didn’t keep going then Jake was definitely going to kill him.

  He had to try.

  Listening closely to Jake’s thoughts, Wes smiled.

  “Yes,” Wes said. “I can hear everything. I can hear you thinking about stealing from Sal. I can hear that you’re worried I might tell him. I can hear you wondering if I can hear you worrying about whether what Isabelle said about your small dick is true. I can hear every single insecurity you have rolling through your thoughts right now as you hope that I won’t find each one of them out. I know everything, Jake. I especially know that you’ve underestimated what I can do. And I know that you have no idea what the consequences are of killing me. I would be surprised if you live through the night.”

  Jake was standing there, trembling now. His hand was clenched around his knife, his eyes were narrow with hate, and his mouth was twisted into a furious grimace.

  Wes held his breath, watching his former friend and wondering what decision he would make. When Jake turned around, facing the other way, Wes dared for a moment to hope that he had deterred Jake from his deadly plans. But his hope was short-lived. Jake spun around again, knife in hand, and he charged toward Wes, murder in his eyes and in his thoughts.

  As he watched Jake, feeling as though it was all happening in slow motion, all Wes could think about was that he was never going to see Jordan’s beautiful face ever again. He was never going to get to tell her how much he felt for her.

  I love you, he told her in his thoughts, pushing them towards her though they would never reach. I love you.

  Chapter 35

  Jordan

  “It’s here,” Russ said, turning off the dark road and into the parking lot of a nondescript building. Sal has a number of buildings around town, but this is the most secure and out of the way.”

  Jordan was only half-listening to Russ. It had taken all of her self-control to keep from bursting from the car the moment that she had learned he had been taken and flying to the building as fast as she could. Maybe if she had known exactly where she was going, she wouldn’t have been able to resist.

  “What are you going to do?” Russ asked, looking at her warily. “I’m really not sure about this.”

  “Focus on Natalie,” Jordan said, pulling her seat belt off as he parked the car. “Go in there and say whatever you need to say and do whatever you need to do to keep them distracted. I’ll handle things from my end. You said you didn’t want Natalie to know that you facilitated her father’s takedown. She won’t.�
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  Russ nodded, opening his door. “Be careful. Sal is more dangerous than you think.”

  Jordan watched as Russ walked toward the building, standing beside the car and surveying the building. She quickly assessed the area, tuning in to whatever she could see and hear. Russ paused beside the door, looking back at her uncertainly, but she couldn’t worry about him any further. He had been a ride to this place, and they had the same goals, but otherwise, there was no reason for them to work together. The only thing that mattered right now was Wes. Once she had him secured, she’d worry about the rest of the people in there and taking down the deadly organization.

  As she headed towards the building, she pulled her phone out and sent a drop of her location to Barrett with a quick message. Found headquarters. They have Wes. No time to explain.

  She got a text back immediately. Backup?

  Jordan scanned the area, seeing nothing else around the building. She had no idea what was in store for her when she went inside, or who she would have to combat to get to Wes. Yes, she texted back. Take no chances with Wes’s life.

  Putting her phone away, she pressed herself up outside of the edge of the building. She listened for sounds within, but the first sound that reached her ears were the footsteps of a guard patrolling the area. Before she had time to prepare, he rounded the corner of the building and they were face-to-face. He pulled his gun, starting to shout out loud, and Jordan rushed him, twisting his arm back, yanking the gun from his grasp, and hitting him in the back of the head with it before he could utter a sound. She had moved quickly and silently, and now she had a weapon at her disposal.

  Hopefully the guard was alive, but she couldn’t stay to find out.