by Addison Fox
“So are we going on the assumption he is or isn’t a card-carrying member of a party dissolved seventy years ago?” Lilah asked. “I admit the whole concept gives me the creeps, but he’s already proven himself to be a dangerous adversary, with or without Lange’s implicit orders. Does his background matter all that much?”
“No. We’re going on the assumption he’s dangerous, and that’s all that matters,” Max said, the words falling from his lips like acid rain.
“You really don’t care?” Violet wasn’t sure why she suddenly did, but Max’s complete disregard for the situation had her as confused as Lilah. “You don’t think this is some clue?”
“Other than further reinforcement that Alex is a fellow psycho who has some power complex just like his boss?” Max shook his head. “I can’t see it meaning much more.”
“But it may explain how they got connected. And how my stepfather managed to garner such loyalty from the man.” Reed moved toward the stack of folders about his stepfather. “If we find the connection, we may find a weak spot.”
“Or we may simply end up with one more piece of this weird puzzle we can’t solve.” Violet didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but for the first time since they’d developed their plan, she had to admit her fear of failure trumped her belief in their success.
What were they all walking into?
And was it disloyal to think they could very possibly be outmanned and outmaneuvered?
Even as she asked herself the question, Violet knew there was no way out. If they went to the meeting, they risked everything. And if they didn’t go, Max Senior and Mrs. B. and Reed’s mother were as good as dead.
Whether it was Lange or Alex pulling the strings really didn’t matter. They wanted the rubies and had proven themselves more than willing to do whatever it took to possess them.
* * *
Max strapped a small side piece to his calf before standing to help Violet with her Kevlar. Had there been any other way, he’d have convinced her to stay home no matter how much she protested. Hell, he wasn’t above tying her up to keep her safe, but Lange’s expectations were clear.
Violet and Cassidy were to arrive with their stones.
As plans went, Max grudgingly had to give credit. The presence of the women, while risking their safety, only added to Lange’s. But it made what they had to do that much more difficult.
He and Violet had garnered some small measure of privacy in a corner of the office, while Cassidy and Tucker took the corner opposite and Lilah, Reed and St. Germain still stood in conversation, heads bent over the park layout. Tucker held it together, but Max knew his friend, and he knew their trip to the park had Buck in knots.
Max ignored his own knots and focused on what he could control. The training he and Tucker had from their days in the corps made them well suited for what lay ahead.
No matter how many times he told himself that, his feelings for Violet had torn him in the opposite direction. How could he do what needed to be done when all he could think about was her? Her safety and well-being were foremost in his thoughts, but they weren’t his only concern.
He’d seen the horrors of war. The evil people could do to each other. He’d give anything not to expose her to the same.
“Are you going to kill him?”
The question stilled his hands as he fitted his own vest, and Max simply stopped and stared. “Who?”
“Alex. Lange. They’re almost interchangeable at this point.”
“Not to me.”
That green gaze was sharp, but confusion clouded the edges. “Why not?”
“Alex put marks on you. He beat you and, while you won’t say it, I’ve no doubt he enjoyed it. For that, I’d give anything to kill him myself.”
“Oh.”
Max refocused on his vest, unwilling to look at the censure in her eyes. He already knew what he’d see: the horrified realization that he was a heathen at heart.
He’d tried to tell her. He’d shared what he’d done to the villagers while battling the terrorist cell, and she’d seemed oddly unfazed.
Perhaps now she’d finally understand what made him who he was. What made him wholly unsuitable for her.
“Max.”
He tugged on the last strap, pulling his vest tight. “What?”
“Look at me. Please.”
He’d look at her—he had far too much respect for her not to—even if he already knew the censure he’d find in her gaze. And the reality that they had no future.
He’d been deluding himself, thinking they could have a relationship.
But once this was over, he’d let her go back to her life. No matter what he believed about the two of them—or how deeply he felt about her—he had to let her go.
She deserved better.
On a hard breath, he lifted his gaze. “What, Violet?”
“I love you.”
The breath never made it past his lips. Instead, it caught in his chest, stretching the Kevlar tight. “What?”
“I love you, Max.” She moved up into his arms, her lips a whisper away even as she kept her hands at her sides. “I love all of you. Your loyalty. Your dedication. And I love how you make me feel.”
“How’s that?”
“Protected. Precious. Special.” She pressed her lips to his, the warm welcome more than he’d ever deserve. “And sexy. We can’t forget that one.”
“Violet.” Her name came out on a harsh moan as he dragged her into his arms. “You’re all those things. And I’m putting you in danger. What does that make me?”
“Since we’re both strapping on vests, I’d say we’re both in danger.”
“I know how to handle it.”
“I’ve faced off with crazy brides. Don’t underestimate my skills.”
“I love you. I can’t bear the idea that something might happen to you.”
“Then let’s trust in our plan and make sure it doesn’t.”
Max reached for her as she leaped into his arms. The move was immediate, as natural as breathing, and oh-so-right. Their lips met, and he was desperate to show her in the physical all he felt inside.
He wanted a future with her. And while he’d been on far too many missions to take her comment as anything but deeply naive, he found himself believing her anyway.
They had love on their side.
And now that they’d found each other, there was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her safe.
Chapter 18
The drive to Klyde Warren Park should have been a short one, but the early evening traffic was at a standstill. Reed crept, inch by inch, toward their destination, the snail’s pace only raising the tensions in Lilah’s delivery van to the point of breaking.
St. Germain had opted to drive alone. Violet wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but she had to acknowledge it might be for the best their new friend was on his own. Or so she told herself. There was something about the agent that didn’t settle right, and she couldn’t define why.
She’d originally thought it was the fact that he was new to their small circle, but she discarded that idea when she acknowledged Tucker, Reed and Max were also quite new to their circle. And then she’d suspected it was Knox’s natural British reserve, but even that didn’t quite fit.
It really came down to one thing. Why was MI5 so interested in helping them?
She’d chewed on that since they’d returned home to find Knox St. Germain in their kitchen, and she hadn’t reached a satisfactory answer. In the end, Violet admitted, even if only to herself, if the problem went away and their loved ones were returned safe, did it really matter anyway?
With that foremost in her thoughts, she reached over and patted Cassidy’s arm, the gesture a mirror to her friend’s only a few days before. The drive ho
me after her ordeal at Lange’s hands seemed like it had happened in another lifetime.
And maybe it had.
Since returning, she’d made love to Max, accepted him into her life and fallen in love with him.
She was light-years different from the woman who’d stood outside a downtown hotel on Saturday night, contemplating her life and her future.
There was a time she’d have believed that transformation impossible. Yet when she’d finally given in—finally opened her eyes and seen Max standing right before her—it had been so easy. And so very, very right.
Reed took the last turn for the park and pulled into a small parking lot in short walking distance. Although they’d argued about any number of getaway scenarios, they’d ultimately opted for basic parking, with the added benefit of backup from the cops Reed had already put into place.
“You’re sure the cops are sound, Graystone?” Tension rode Tucker’s words, the harsh tone so at odds with the normally laid-back man. Violet caught Cassidy’s gaze, the quick roll of her eyes conveying exactly what they both needed to say.
Like her, Cassidy was strapped into Kevlar and carried a gun of her own. She’d also repeated their strategy and mapped out the plan to Tucker at least three times on the drive.
Despite the eye roll, Cassidy was gentle. “We’re ready, baby. Please believe me.”
“Promise me you won’t take risks?”
“I promise.”
Their conversation matched the one Lilah had had with Reed before they headed out, and again, Violet was struck by how much their world had changed in such a short time. She and her two best friends. All of them single, now all of them in love.
The ruby she’d protected since removing it from the safe-deposit box was hard in her grip, and she relaxed her hand, opening her palm to look at the stone. The fiery color that immediately identified the gem as a ruby winked at her in the dying light from outside the van window.
She’d been sincere in her questions to Max earlier. While the rational part of her didn’t believe in curses, the question still lingered.
Did the stones hold some sort of power? And if they did, was there even greater power to be had in bringing them together?
While each of their relationships were unique, it was difficult to argue with the fact that a month ago, she, Cassidy and Lilah were all single.
And now, all three of them were desperately in love and planning their futures.
Did the stones have an impact?
“It’s time.”
Max interrupted her wayward thoughts, and Violet opted to keep them to herself. As far as she was concerned, it didn’t matter how she’d found Max. What mattered was that she had found him. That truth lingered in her mind as he extended a hand to help her out of the van. And as she gazed into the crystal-clear blue of his eyes, she knew the truth.
How they got together mattered far less than all the reasons in the future they’d choose to stay together.
* * *
Alex pulled the zip tie into place around the old man’s wrists before dragging him out of the large black SUV. He’d sensed a bit of fight in the old bear and braced himself for some sort of attack, but the man had remained surprisingly docile.
Which only set Alex’s senses on high alert.
The old man had something up his sleeve. Of that he was sure.
With a nod toward the old woman he’d already tied, he pushed Pops toward her. “Hands out. Both of you.”
The lingering fear he’d seen off and on in the woman’s gaze flared to life, but the stubborn old man just stood still, staring him down.
Just like his grandson.
Alex fought the light shiver that raced down his spine at the blatant show of disrespect. Without thinking, he gave the man a hard shove into the side of the van. Baldwin’s age coupled with the surprise attack had him stumbling, and the woman screamed out as he fell to the ground, unable to break his fall.
“You monster!” She screamed it over and over, her voice rising with increasing shrillness before he dragged out his gun.
“Shut up. Now.”
The unease he’d felt at the selection of the park only grew. Even with the later hour, there were still people milling about, and he questioned again the wisdom of coming here.
“Alex. Leave them alone. Help the man up.” Tripp stood by his side, his wife firmly in hand, her wrists already tied.
A wave of loathing nearly had his knees buckling, but Alex held it together. He reached down and dragged on the old man’s hands, pulling him to a sitting position. He had to give the guy credit. He might be frail, but he was determined. Baldwin Senior dragged his hands away, rolling himself to a standing position as he shunned any further help.
“Max. Are you okay?” The old woman practically whimpered as she came to stand beside him.
“I’m fine, Jo. Let’s get this over with.”
Alex dragged one more zip tie out of his pocket and pulled at the two sets of bound hands. “You want to help each other so much. Why don’t you work on standing upright.”
Ignoring the feeble attempts to wrench their hands away, Alex managed to get them tied and stuck together before he moved behind them. With the old man’s ability to run even more hobbled, he forced them to perp walk toward the northwest corner of the park.
* * *
As they’d arranged, Violet and Cassidy walked ahead of him and Tucker. Max fought the urge to move forward and cradle Violet beneath his arm and knew Tucker fought the same battle about Cassidy.
“How you want to play this, Buck?”
Tucker turned toward him. “Whoever has the cleanest opportunity gets them out of here as soon as the gems are passed. Whoever’s left runs detail with Reed and his men.”
“Men I’m still not fully convinced we can trust.”
“I trust Reed. That’s got to be enough.”
Max knew the detective had done everything in his power to ensure the smoothness of the op and his mother’s safety. Reed had spent quite a bit of time hand-selecting the men and women who were currently stationed around the park’s perimeter. He’d also brought in Masterson again, and Max already knew the computer whiz to be a good guy.
But damn it, he didn’t want to take any risks. None. Zero. Zilch.
“You know I want a shot at Alex.” Max whispered the words, unwilling to have them catch on the light summer breeze that brushed through the park.
It wouldn’t do to have Violet get wind of his plans. Literally.
“I know. And I’ll give it to you if I can, but Cassidy and Violet come first.”
“Of course.”
Max understood what that meant now. Violet would always come first.
They found benches in the corner of the park, the late hour ensuring the area was empty. The support team Reed had brought in had also swept the area for their needs and had removed any unnecessary foot traffic.
They were exposed, but they weren’t without help. He had to keep remembering that.
“Don’t move.”
The voice whispered behind them, and Max whirled, unsure of how any of them had missed Tripp Lange’s entrance.
And then he was forced to reassess that. The man looked several decades older, his disheveled appearance at odds with the suave man-about-town he’d always been.
All except for the eyes.
That cool, reptilian gaze stared back at him, assessing Max, then moving on to Buck and further to Reed, Violet and Cassidy.
“You have the gems.”
“Where’s my mother?” Reed shifted on the balls of his feet, the only indication of just how close he was to leaping on his stepfather and beating the answer out of him.
“She’s safe. For now.”
“Why did you do it? She loved
you. Cared about you. Why did you betray her? All of us?” Reed asked, the questions spilling forth with all the force of a geyser.
And then Max saw it. The gentle touch of both Violet and Cassidy, calming Reed as he stood before Lange.
The image he’d held before reformed in his mind, solidifying in that moment. Violet was a warrior. In the greatest tradition of the Greeks and Romans, she was a goddess—a woman who understood the real values in life. Friendship. Honor. Love.
The love he had for her welled up in him, seeming to spill outward even as it filled him to the point of bursting.
She was everything to him.
“Enough games, Mr. Lange. Where are Diana, Jo and Max Senior?”
“Safe.”
“Get them. Now.”
“Due time, Miss Richardson. Due time.” Lange’s eye were flat. Soulless.
“Are you hard of hearing?” Max tossed the insult, drawing Lange’s attention off Violet. Curious as to what Lange might do next, Max was suddenly grateful St. Germain hadn’t shown yet. The man would likely be giving him signals to wrap it up and minimize the jabs so as not to poke the bear in his den.
But Max was beyond caring. It was time to end this.
He kept his voice even and smooth, an effort not only to control the situation but also to keep calm and order and minimize the roiling chaos that already gripped each of them with tight fists. “Why don’t we move this off to those benches over there? I picked the northwest corner for a reason. This is between us, Lange. The rest of the park needs to remain unharmed. Call your man, have him bring your hostages over and we’ll make a deal.”
“Big words for a man who doesn’t have a leg to stand on. I’ve got the people you care about, and if you don’t quit screwing around and give me what I want, I’ll start picking them off one by one.”
The image of his grandfather dying at the hands of such a brutal criminal nearly stilled him, but Max chose that moment to go for broke and prayed Pops wouldn’t be harmed for it.
