by Susan Stoker
“You’re still blaming yourself for this shit, and you need to knock it off.”
In spite of the fear and heartache she felt, Lexi let her mouth spread into a hint of a smile. “You giving me orders, Kenneth? Because last I checked, I sign your checks. Not the other way around.”
“Yeah, well.” He grimaced. “This hole in my shoulder should give me a free pass tonight. Don’t ya think?”
Her smile fell flat as the weight of the situation pressed back down onto her shoulders.
“Ah, hell, Boss. I didn’t mean—” Kenny stopped himself short. He looked up, toward the ceiling and waited.
“What?” Lexi followed his line of sight.
“You hear that?”
She listened closely for a few seconds before shaking her head. “I don’t hear anythi—”
A slight shuffling sound reached her ears. It was so faint she barely heard it, but it was there. Right above where she and Kenny sat.
“There!” he spoke with a hushed whisper. “I know you heard it that time.”
“Yeah.” Lexi nodded. “I did.”
Though she couldn’t be sure, but it almost sounded like someone was on the roof.
The police? Trevor? Or maybe there was a fourth guy standing guard up there in case the cops tried to enter.
When they heard the sound again, Lexi became convinced it wasn’t another robber. The person moving above them was being too quiet. Too cautious.
Because they don’t want Bryan and the others to know they’re there.
“They’re coming in,” she told Kenny quietly.
“About damn time.”
“Agreed,” she chuckled. She just prayed things wouldn’t get worse before they got better.
“What the fuck’s so funny?” Bryan growled as he walked over to them.
Lexi didn’t bother looking at him when she spoke. “Nothing.”
“No? Because it sure sounded like something to me.”
Go away, douchebag.
“I told her a dumb joke,” Kenny lied. “That’s all.”
“Yeah? Why don’t you tell it to me?”
Kenny slid her a quick glance before looking up at Bryan. “It’s really not that funny.”
“Did I ask if it was funny, shithead? No. I asked you to tell me the fucking joke.” Bryan kicked his booted toe into Kenny’s side, causing Kenny to cry out in pain.
“Stop it!” Lexi shot to her feet, putting herself between the two men. “He didn’t do anything to you, so why don’t you just go back over there and let us be?”
The guy had already proven he didn’t like being stood up to, but she didn’t care.
Kenny was her employee. Her friend. Her responsibility. And she refused to stand idly by and watch this asshole hurt him more than he already had.
“My, my, my…” Bryan smirked. “Boss Lady grew some balls.”
“I’ve got more balls than you’ll ever have.”
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, but that didn’t make them any less true.
“That so?” Bryan snarled. Using his free hand, he grabbed hold of her upper arm and pulled her body flush with his. “How about you prove it.”
“Leave her alone!” Kenny hollered from his place on the floor.
The rest of the kitchen staff watched in silent fear as Bryan’s cold, gray eyes fell onto Kenny. Then, in a surprising move, he used the hand holding the gun to pull off his ski mask, revealing his face for all to see.
The first thought Lexi had was that he was an unremarkable man. Not attractive, but not really unattractive, either.
His light brown hair was a bit too long and mussed from the cap. His eyes made her think he was in his late-twenties, maybe early thirties, but the lines on his face and the stubble covering his chin made him look deceptively older.
To her, Bryan looked like someone most people would pass by on the street and not even notice.
Maybe that’s why he’s doing this. To get noticed.
He started pulling her toward the back of the room and around the corner, to her office.
“Stop! What are you doing?” Lexi tried—and failed—to free herself from his painful grasp.
“I’m thinking you need a reminder of who’s in charge, here.”
Fear spike through her, pricking her insides like a million tiny knives. “Let go of me!”
Determined not to disappear around that corner, she tried digging in her heels. But since she was literally in heels, the only thing Lexi managed to do was slip and lose her footing.
She started to fall, but Bryan kept his hold. He yanked her back to her feet with such force, she thought her shoulder was going to pop out of place.
Shit that hurt!
“Please!” Lexi grasped at the shelves. The wall. Anything within reach to keep her from moving even an inch farther. “I’m pregnant!”
“Yeah, right.” Bryan snorted. “Do I look that stupid to you?”
Uh, yeah…you do.
“You bitches are all the same.” Bryan stopped walking long enough to spew his hateful words. “You want, want, want, but the second things don’t go your way, you turn into manipulating cunts.”
“Bryan!” The youngest of the three hollered through the kitchen window. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Showing this bitch what it feels like to be used up and spit out.”
“Please.” Lexi shot the other guy a frantic look. “Don’t let him do this.”
He glanced back at her with an expression of shock and pity but ignored her and continued talking to his partner. “Dude, our deadline’s almost up. The cops are gonna be calling with our shit, so we need to be ready, and…fuck. You took off your mask?”
“Shut the hell up, little brother,” Bryan ordered. “Just keep an eye on this bunch and let me worry about watching the time.”
Little brother.
So that’s who the third man was.
Lexi was locking that information away for later when Bryan started walking again.
“Seriously, man.” His brother tried getting through to him again. “Is that really necessary?”
Bryan stopped again, this time so quickly Lexi slammed against his back. Swinging them both around, he stared back at his brother. “Have I ever let you down?”
The other man licked his nervous lips and shook his head. “No.”
“That’s right, I haven’t. And I’m not about to start, now. So do me a favor and watch the kitchen while I take care of my other…business. Trust me.” He smiled down at Lexi. “This won’t take long.”
Bryan was too busy arguing with his brother to notice another round of shuffling above them.
Please, God. Please let that be someone coming to help us.
5
Trevor tread carefully across The Gardens’ roof. He needed to move as quickly as possible while making as little noise as possible. Thanks to his Delta days, he was an expert at doing just that.
“D, you read me?” he asked through the coms he and Derek both had with their other portable gear.
“Loud and clear, brother.”
The pressure in his chest eased slightly. Entering a situation without physical back-up wasn’t ideal, but he wasn’t about to wait on the others to arrive before going in.
Knowing Derek was able to see and hear what was happening inside allowed him to focus on the task at hand.
“You have a visual yet?”
“Affirmative. Looks like the customers are all sittin’ up against the dining area’s far west wall. There are two men on them, weapons in hand. Look to be AR-15s. Both have bulging pockets, so I’m guessin’ they have extra mags, as well.”
He had to ask. “Any sign of Lexi?”
“Negative.”
“Try the kitchen.”
He needed to know she was okay. It had been far too long since he’d talked to her, and it took every ounce of training Trevor had not to let himself imagine a bunch of worst-case scenarios.
“Switching camera views, now.” There was a slight pause and then, “I’ve got her. Lex is in the kitchen, squatted down by the sink. She’s holdin’ pressure on that Kenny’s guy’s shoulder. I can’t make out what they’re sayin’, but they seem to be doin’ okay. Scared, but okay.”
Thank Christ.
Trevor closed his eyes and hung his head. Drawing in a calming breath, he took a few precious seconds to regroup before continuing on.
“I should be moving directly over them right about now.”
The plan was for him to get inside by using the roof access he’d had installed when the building was constructed. Lexi had insisted on having her private office in the back, near the kitchen. That way if her staff needed her, she’d be close by.
Trevor had argued that it wasn’t safe because if a fire broke out in the kitchen while she was working in her office, it could potentially block the building’s back exit, and she’d be trapped.
So they’d compromised by having a galvanized roof hatch with a folding staircase installed directly above her office.
“Hold up!” Derek warned.
Trevor froze. “What is it?”
“Pretty sure Lexi just heard you.”
That’s right, baby. I’m coming for you.
“Okay, I think you’re clear. Ghost steps, man.”
“Copy that.”
He’d only taken a few more steps when Derek’s voice came through the coms again. “Shit. Not sure what set him off, but our guy’s pissed. He’s yelling at Lexi, and…ah, hell.”
“What?”
“He just took off his mask.”
Damn it.
Revealing his face to the hostages could mean one of two things. The HT with Lexi was either so arrogant he didn’t think it mattered, or the son of a bitch didn’t plan on leaving any witnesses behind to ID him. No matter which way you went, it wasn’t good news.
Except…
“Can you run facial rec?”
“Already on it.” There was a slight pause and then, “Fuck! Trev, you need to get your ass in there. Now.”
His chest tightened. “SITREP.”
“Prick just grabbed Lex. He’s pullin’ her toward the back. She’s tryin’ to fight him off, but he’s got at least a hundred pounds on her. Looks like he’s tryin’ to take her to her office. Goddamnit!”
Son of a…
Trevor pulled his weapon—one equipped with a military-grade suppressor—from his
waistband. He double-checked the chamber to make sure it housed a round.
Moving as quietly as he could, he covered the remaining distance to the metal hatch with precision and ease.
Entering the code only he, Lexi, and a few select employees knew, Trevor’s patience was paper thin waiting for the red light on the security keypad to turn green. The second it did, he lifted the hatch, being careful not to go too fast and give his position away. He began pushing against the folding metal staircase.
Once the hydraulics kicked in, he waited until it was mostly unfolded to begin his descent into Lexi’s office. He was halfway down the steps when he heard her terrified voice.
“Please. Don’t let him do this!”
Derek spoke again. “Fuck. They’re comin’ your way!”
No shit!
Trevor pushed away his anger and focused. “I’ve got this, D. Keep an eye out front and wait for my order.”
Trusting in what he said, Derek went radio silent. Because that’s what his team did. They trusted one another.
A familiar voice traveled through the office walls.
“Shut the hell up, little brother. Just keep an eye on this bunch and let me worry about watching the time.”
So at least two of the three HT’s are brothers. Duly noted.
Knowing the man had his hands on Lexi again—he’d warned him about that shit—Trevor’s insides burned with the need to kill. But despite his desire to end the bastard, he somehow managed to keep his shit together in order to do what needed to be done.
Climbing the rest of the way down, he chose to lift the metal staircase back up to avoid suspicion when the asshole came into the room. Thankfully, the state-of-the-art set-up was nearly silent in its movements.
Using the long, wooden rod Lexi kept over in the corner, he hooked the loop on the inner hatch and shoved it closed. Quickly, Trevor then replaced the rod and positioned himself behind the office door.
Triple checking his weapon, he took a few seconds to steady his breathing. It wasn’t easy given what was at stake. Was even harder when the bastard who had Lexi uttered his next, chilling words.
“So do me a favor and watch the kitchen while I take care of my other…business. Trust me, this won’t take long.”
No, dickhead. It sure won’t.
Trevor’s teeth ground painfully together, his need to kill causing his trigger finger to twitch. He had a pretty good idea what the son of a bitch was planning to do to Lexi, but Trevor would have to be dead before he ever let that happen.
And he had no plans of dying anytime soon.
Footfalls reached his ear through the wall. He listened to the man’s smug, sure-of-himself stomps, using those and the quick clicks of Lexi’s heels to prepare for action.
It wasn’t easy, keeping a cool head. Not when his rage was a living, breathing thing.
Though he may have looked in complete control, Trevor’s insides shook as he fought against the primal need to protect his wife and child. It took everything he had not fling the door open and fill the prick full of holes.
Soon, Matthews. You’ll get your chance very soon.
Once again, Trevor called upon his training to remain still and silent. When the footsteps got closer, he blocked out Lexi’s unanswered pleas and held his breath.
Then he waited.
The door flew open. The man pushed Lexi inside with such force, she fell to her hands and knees. Fucker.
His target stepped inside, the man’s focus one hundred percent on Lexi. “You’ve been a pain in my ass all fucking night.” His arm shifted as he swung his gun in her direction.
To control her? Shoot her? Either way, Trevor couldn’t take the chance. Not when it came to his wife and child.
He aimed his weapon and pulled the trigger. The single, near-silent shot instantly severing the man’s spinal cord at the base of his neck.
The asshole dropped where he stood.
Lexi screamed, scrambling back to avoid the body. Confusion and shock fell over her face, but then her eyes rose to his, and he knew she understood.
Without a word, Trevor shoved his gun into his waistband and went to her.
“Alexis!” Her full name fell from his lips.
“Trevor?” she sobbed. His wife reached for him.
With emotion clogging his throat, he pulled her to her feet and held her close. Kissing the top of her head, he let his lips linger there as he squeezed his eyes shut and sent up his own silent prayer of thanks.
“I th-thought…” Her breath hitched. “He was going t-to…”
“Shh…I know, baby.” He rested his cheek against her silky hair. “I know. He can’t hurt you or anyone else, ever again.”
She lifted her head, the most beautiful set of red-rimmed eyes searching his. “Is it over? Can we go home, now?”
“Almost.” Through his mic, he spoke to Derek again. “Target one is down, Derek.”
“I heard,” Derek replied immediately. “Nice work, brother.”
“Status?”
“The other two are still in the dining area, oblivious to what just went down.”
“Good.” Trevor nodded. “Send them in.”
There was a slight pause before Derek asked, “You don’t want the honors?”
“No.” Trevor looked down at his wife. “I’m right where I need to be.”
Because if all hell broke loose, he would be putting himself between her and anyone who dared come through that door.
“Copy that. Sendin’ in the troops,
now.”
Lexi blinked away more tears. “What’s going on?”
“SWAT’s securing the other two targets.”
Right on cue, the sound of glass shattering, women screaming, and men yelling erupted from the front of the restaurant. Thankfully, there wasn’t any gunfire.
Lexi’s entire body tensed. “Do you need to go?”
Trevor shook his head. Cupping her face, he stared into her baby blues, thanking God once more that he had the opportunity to do so.
The bruises and scratch on her face, along with the angry marks on her arm, made him wish he could kill every single one of the bastards. But his relief that she was alive and seemingly okay overshadowed his need for revenge.
“I love you so much, Alexis.” He leaned in for a kiss before pulling back and placing his hand over her lower belly. “I love you both.”
She sucked in a breath and her eyes grew wide. “You knew?”
“Not until tonight. Charlie let it slip, but don’t be mad.” He quickly added. “There was talk of SWAT storming the place, and she was afraid the tear gas would harm the baby.”
“I’m not mad.” Lexi smiled. “I thought everything needed to be perfect, but I was wrong. When those men stormed in here tonight, I realized it didn’t matter when or how I told you. The moment would be perfect because we’re what make moments like that perfect. You and me. Together.”
God, he loved this woman.
“I love you, angel” he decided she needed to hear the words, again.
“I love you, too, Trevor.”
He kissed her again. They were still kissing when someone cleared their throat from behind him.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you’d want to know…the building’s secure.”
He turned and saw Eric standing in the doorway. “The other two targets?”
“In custody.”
The two men shared a solemn nod.
Tilting his head to the side Eric offered Lexi a genuine smile. “Hey, Lex. Damn glad to see you’re okay.” Glancing down at the body lying near Trevor’s feet, he shook his head. “This guy, on the other hand…”
“That’s Bryan.” Lexi stared at the body with disgust. “He planned this whole thing. Even admitted it out loud, so it should be on the security footage.”
