The Senator's Daughter (Heritage Series Book 3)

by Ciana Stone

  That almost brought a smile to her face. If there was one man who could tempt her, it was him, but she'd not lose Russell even for a night with Riggs. "I need help."

  "What, where, and when?"

  "Twenty-four hours. Work out a pickup and Wiley will come to get you. We'll meet in D.C. in twenty-four hours."

  "And what are we going to do?"

  "Right some wrongs and kick the hell out of someone determined to hurt your family."

  "Text Wiley and give him this number."

  "I will. Thank you, Riggs."

  "You never have to thank me. See you soon."

  "Yes. Bye."

  She'd just put her phone down when the door opened. Naomie turned and saw Russell enter. "He's going to make it, but he lost the bottom quarter of his right lung."

  "That's not good news."

  "No."

  "We're out a hell of a lot of money thanks to that bastard."

  "We're insured."

  "That doesn't make it any easier in my book. Let's step outside. The smell in here chokes me."

  They walked outside, and it did indeed smell better. Stars were strewn across the night sky like a handful of glitter tossed upward by a child, twinkling against the velvet darkness. At that very moment, it hit Naomie how finite their lives were and how easily they could be cut short.

  She could see the tension on Russell's face and knew that despite his anger with Delaney, he was scared for his child. He looked down at her. "I can feel you asking. And no, we had no luck. Delaney told us all to fuck off."

  "She'll regret that," Naomie walked over to a small fenced enclosure beside the medical facility and Russ accompanied her. "He'll break her, Russ, and he'll enjoy doing it."

  "Rich said he might be able to pull some strings and have Delaney picked up on some bogus charge to get her away from Petrov."

  "That won't happen. He'll go to ground and take her with him."

  "There's nowhere in this country he can hide."

  "Oh, yes, there is. And he'll not hide, he'll be right in plain sight, taunting you with the fact that you can't touch him."

  "And just how do you think he'll accomplish that?" She could tell from his expression that he didn’t believe her, and she almost hated to disabuse him of his disbelief, but he needed to know the risks.

  "Diplomatic immunity. He has it already. All he has to do is take up residence at the Russian Embassy or the Ambassador's house, and Richard can't touch him."

  She saw the expression on his face change but still jumped when he suddenly pounded the fence rail with his fist. "Son-of-a-bitch!" He looked at her. "What did he mean, about no mercy?"

  "I told you what he did to me."

  "And you think…"

  "Yes. If he knows it'll hurt you, he won't hesitate, and if he's in the Embassy, you won't be able to touch him. You or Richard."

  Russ leaned his arms on the top rail and lowered his head for a few moments. "We have to do something, Naomie. She's my child."

  "I said you and Richard can't touch him, sir."

  His head snapped up and turned to her. "When you say sir, the hair on the back of my neck stands up."

  "I need it to. And I need you to listen to me, Russ. To hear me. Do you understand?"

  "I do."

  "Good. You can't get Delaney, but I can. Actually, I'm the only one who can."

  "No, you can't. Especially not alone. If he gets his hands on you–"

  "He won't. And I won't be alone. I have help."

  "Who?"

  "I can't tell you that. I can only tell you that the people helping me are the best at what they do. I can also tell you that the devil himself would shake at the prospect of having to go up against them. We can get Delaney back. And we can destroy Petrov."

  Russell stared at her for a long time, then looked out over the land. She waited, knowing he was trying to come to terms with the decision he had to make. She remained silent and waited. "I don't want you to go."

  "Russ, look at me."

  It took him a couple of seconds before he turned his head toward her. Naomie put her hand on his arm. "I don't want to go. That's the last thing I want, but I don't think I have a choice. Petrov will hurt Delaney, maybe beyond repair. I know the level of evil he's capable of and I don't know if she could survive it. I don't want her to have to try."

  "Neither do I, but there has to be–"

  "There isn't." She said it with enough force that he blinked, which, for Russell, was a strong reaction. "You don't know, Russ. You can't know the pain and fear, the horror. I saw girls die, listened to their screams and his laughter and I know how hard it is to survive when you're in his hell.

  "If I don’t try and she suffers that, it will be on my head. I can't stand by and do nothing when I know what he'll do. If you want her back, I have to go, and I have to leave tonight. I love you, and I know you and if we don't try – if you lose her, it'll destroy you. And if I don't go and he destroys her, in time that will destroy us.

  "As much as I want to turn my back on this, I can't let that happen. I love you too much."

  "There's no real assurance that you or she will survive. How can I let you leave knowing that, Naomie? You're asking me to risk losing two people I love. How can I stand by and watch you go?"

  "By trusting that I know what I'm up against and I'm not going alone."

  Russell stared at her for a long time, searching himself for the right decision. Maybe it was because it was what he wanted, but part of him wanted to give Rich's way a try. Another part was terrified of what would happen to his child. But above all that, the idea of sending Naomie to fight his battle against a monster who had nearly destroyed her went against the grain and scared the hell out of him.

  He knew she'd walk through fire for him and his family, but also knew he'd never have one more moment of peace or happiness in his life if something happened to her. So, how did he make her stay? Could he force her into sending whoever she had convinced to undertake this mission without her?

  Russell jumped on that idea. "No, send whoever you've enlisted help from. Let them be the nightmare you believe them to be, but don't go."

  "I can't ask them to run a risk I'm not willing to take. I have to go, and you know it."

  "No. I don't. We can try Rich's way. Surely Petrov can't hold an American citizen hostage."

  "Maybe not, but you did say she told you to fuck off, so that doesn't bode well. She's not underage and wasn't taken against her will, so what will you use to convince a judge to side with you and demand her release?"

  Russell hated when she came at him with an argument for which he had no defense. "Fine, that won't work. Then do it your way and send your army. But you stay here."

  He could see from the way her eyes narrowed that he'd hit a nerve. Her response confirmed it. "You know I can't blindly take orders, Russ. Not even from you. And I wouldn't have thought you'd ask that of me."

  Russell hoped like hell he wasn't about to make the worst mistake of his life. "Well, I am, and this is the way of it, so listen to what I'm saying. I'm asking you to find another way, a way that doesn't include you leaving and either you honor my request, or you go. But understand this. If you leave, it's for good."

  "Are you sure you want to issue such an ultimatum?"

  "I am."

  "Really? Would you honestly do that?"

  "I will." He was not at all sure he was capable, but he needed her to believe he was. She could send whoever she'd enlisted help from, but not go herself. Something in his gut told him that if she did, she'd never come back and he couldn't face that.

  "Okay," she nodded, and her hand fell away from his arm. "I hear you. I need to get back to Midnight."

  "I'll sit with you."

  "No, I think it's best if you went home. I've got this."

  He knew she was upset and understood. He felt sick to his stomach over the decision he'd forced on her and what it might mean for his child, but it was done, and he couldn't back down. He coul
dn't risk losing Naomie, even if it meant causing them a rough patch to travel to get back to where they once were.

  "If you need me, call."

  "I will." She started to turn away, then stopped and kissed him softly. "I love you. I hope you know that."

  "I do."

  She nodded and walked away. Russell watched her go back into the medical facility then turned and headed home.

  Naomie checked on Midnight, then picked up her phone. She had a favor she could call in, and as loathe as she was to collect, she knew she needed the extra help.

  "Yeah?" She could tell from the sound of Lincoln's voice he expected bad news.

  "I need to call in a favor."

  "Talk to me."

  "There are risks."

  "Explain."

  "Russell's daughter is being held by Aleksei Petrov. Wiley, Riggs and I are going for her, but I think we may need more. Breaking into the Russian Embassy won't be easy."

  "I understand. What do you need?"

  "Can you have air transport for us by dawn?"

  "I can."

  "County airport or somewhere more private?"

  "I'll text you the location."

  "Thank you."

  "No need. See you."

  Naomie put her phone on the table, opened her laptop, and set about making lists of things that needed to be done for Midnight, and the horses in the program. She then rechecked Midnight and left the facility to return to her cottage.

  Now that she'd taken care of what needed to be done for the ranch, she could allow room for the pain. She never imagined things would go the way they had. She felt like she'd been kicked in the heart.

  How could Russ have issued such an ultimatum? Yet even as she asked that question, she accused herself of being unfair. He had no way of knowing what they faced, or what was required to make her plan work.

  Russ innocently believed the others could do it without her, that she didn't need to go. She knew different. The others were trained in warfare, demolitions, weapons, and a host of other things, but none possessed her skillset. She could hack the Embassy's security system and get them in, disabling all surveillance and cameras so that there would be no trace of their presence. She had to go. For Delaney. For Russ.

  But there was more and she felt a good deal of guilt over not being able to tell Russ, something she'd just discovered. Naomie had another friend who just might be getting in way too deep in something that could end up costing life and limb.

  Like it or not, she had more than one person to save, and she couldn't let anyone stop her from doing what she felt was right. Not even the man she loved.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Washington, D.C

  She saw him enter, noticed the way he looked around as if hoping to be recognized and then the way he appeared to fold in on himself as disappointment replaced hope. One of the things she'd gleaned from her research was Winfred Maddox, aka The Surgeon, had one dream that surpassed all else. Fame. He wanted to be recognized. Infamy was his goal and now that he'd been released, exonerated, he was just another mousy little man with nothing of note about him.

  She was there to make him feel that his luck was about to change. As he looked around, she raised one arm. His eyes widened, and she smiled, knowing what Maddox saw, a redhead with a knock-out set of breasts, well displayed in the low-cut top over the push-up bra.

  He hurried over and slid into the seat across from her. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

  "Maybe a little," she said with a sly smile. "But worth it. I've thought about this for a very long time, Mr. Maddox."

  "Winfred, please."

  "Winfred," she let her voice go a bit breathy to speak his name and saw the reaction on his face. She'd bet good money that if she were to kick off a shoe and extend one foot to his lap, she'd find him sporting an erection. But she wasn't interested in him wanting her for anything other than a conduit to fame.

  "Would you care for a drink?"

  "Just a beer, thank you."

  She motioned for a server. "A beer for my companion, please."

  "What's your poison?" the server asked.

  "Whatever you have on draft is fine."

  "Coming right up. You need another, sugar?"

  "No, thanks, I'm good." She smiled up at the server then turned her attention back to Maddox when the woman walked away.

  "Have you ever wanted to hurt someone so bad it keeps you awake at night?" She asked softly, running her finger around the rim of her martini glass and watching the motion. "Have you ever been so hurt by someone, so betrayed that your entire life becomes focused on one thing – getting even?"

  When she looked at him and saw how straight he was sitting, nearly quivering with excitement. "I guess someone as strong and capable as you hasn't ever been made such a fool of, or betrayed so badly."

  "Betrayed?" His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. "How?"

  "A friend," she sighed and took a tiny sip from her drink. "Or at least I thought she was. Boy, did she fool me." She blinked, willing tears to her eyes and then dabbed gently with a cocktail napkin. "I'm sorry."

  "Don't apologize. Please. Tell me what this person did to you."

  She pulled a photo from her purse, one taken the night Amber Walker attended an event at the Smithsonian. As did John Rushing. She slid it across the table and watched as Maddox looked at it. It didn't take any special skills to see the anger on his face. It bloomed like a flower suddenly given rain. His skin reddened and his jaw clenched.

  "John Rushing, FBI. "

  "You know him?"

  "He's one of the assholes responsible for me being falsely imprisoned."

  "Really? Well, then we both have reason to hate him."

  "What did he do to you?"

  "Broke my heart. Cheated on me. With the woman in that photo. Amber Walker, daughter of Senator Richard Walker."

  "I bet you'd like to see them pay for what they did to you."

  "I bet you're right." She took a sip of her drink, then added. "Wouldn't you?"

  "You have no idea. But I can't get close to Rushing."

  "Maybe not, but I can."

  "That doesn't help me."

  "Doesn't it? I can bring him right to you."

  The way his eyebrows rose told her he was interested. He'd taken the bait. Now all she had to do was reel him in.

  *****

  Naomie and Lincoln had the safe house set up, and she'd successfully hacked her way into the security of both the Russian Embassy and the home of the Russian Ambassador. While Lincoln went to meet with contacts who would provide whatever firepower he felt was required, she accessed the surveillance feeds to determine where Petrov was keeping Delaney.

  She'd just finished checking all the cameras in the Embassy when her phone pinged. Naomie took a look and immediately picked it up and typed three words. On my way. She hurried through the building to the rear entrance and pressed the button to raise the garage door.

  A dark SUV pulled in. She lowered the door and turned to see Wiley and Riggs get out of the SUV. "Didn't this place belong to the Russians?" Wiley asked.

  "It did. Someone whose name you don't need to know was kind enough to give me access to it for the duration of our mission."

  "Which means someone else knows what we're planning?" She could tell from the look on his face he wasn't happy.

  "No. They have no idea. Only that we're going to get Delaney out."

  "And these are people you're sure you can trust?"

  Naomie realized she needed to do more than answer. She needed to prove to him his trust in her was warranted, and the way to do that was to tell him what he wanted to know. "The AG let me use this place once before – it's how I turned the tables on Petrov with those photos of the President's son. He'd had the photos doctored, so it looked like Senator Walker in them rather than Junior. I needed a base of operations that was secure and off the grid, and she allowed me to use this."

  "Nice," he nodded, then added. "Thank
you."

  "I'm the one who should be thanking you," she said and cut a look at Riggs before adding. "Both of you are free to walk right now. I wouldn't hold it against you, and I hate to tell you that if we're caught…"

  "We're on our own," Wiley finished her sentence. "Yeah, not my first rodeo."

  "And I don't want it to be your last, so we're going to make sure we pull this off. Grab your gear, and I'll show you the control center. There are four bedrooms furnished, a fully stocked kitchen and the place is completely secure. And all that aside, with luck, we won't be spending long here."

  She waited for them to grab their gear and then led the way, talking as they walked. They left the garage and stepped into what looked like a large storage room, complete with several commercial-grade freezers, large sinks, and storage cabinets. "Because the rear of the building is windowless, I chose it as the safest location." She crossed through the room, opened a door on the wall to their right, and started down a long hallway.

  "This hall basically divides the downstairs in half. All rooms to the right are windowless and safe from any electronic surveillance. The bedrooms are here." She opened a door, continued and opened three more.

  At the end of the hallway was a door that stood open. She entered, and they followed her inside.

  "Whoa," Riggs said when he walked in. "Sweet."

  "Isn't it?" She smiled. "I've hacked into the Embassy and the Ambassador's house and just finished looking at the feeds for the Embassy. Petrov and Delaney aren't there, which means he must have her stashed at the Ambassador's house."

  Her phone pinged, and she pulled it from her pocket. "That's the last member of our team. Hold on while I let him in."

  "Last member?" Wiley asked.

  Naomie walked over and tapped on the only keyboard on the long desk. Two monitors on the wall lit. One showed the driver's side of a black SUV similar to Wiley's. The other showed the interior of the garage. The driver's window lowered, and Naomie looked over her shoulder at Wiley.

  He grinned. "I might've guessed."

  She typed in a sequence, and the garage door opened. Then she turned back to look at Wiley and Riggs. "Linc agreed to help. As you know, he's very adept at scoring–um, equipment."