Strike Fast

by Kaylea Cross

  Tess’s heart started to pound. “Who?”

  “One of Carlos Ruiz’s enforcers.”

  She gasped and blanched, put both hands to her mouth. “Oh, sweet Jesus.”

  “In retaliation for a raid we conducted against some of his guys last week. Apparently, Reid got a text from the asshole around nine,” Kai said as Zaid punched in the code to open the front door. “We didn’t find out until about forty-five minutes ago. Taggart went to meet him at the police station and stayed there until Reid left. That’s when we got the update from Hamilton.”

  Tess lowered her hands and faced the door, her heart sinking. Oh, Reid. Her eyes stung at the thought of Autumn so scared and alone with a monster from Ruiz’s crew. “How the hell did one of Ruiz’s guys find Autumn, and how did he get Reid’s cell number?”

  “Good questions,” Zaid said, his voice flat, hard. The door buzzed and he pulled it open. “The agency and FBI are looking into it now.”

  If Ruiz or anyone else from the cartel had that much info on Reid, then it stood to reason they’d found more about the other team members. “What about you guys?” She slipped past Zaid as he held the door open for her.

  “We’re not sure yet. Analysts are trying to figure out how bad the breach is,” Zaid said.

  She followed them to the elevator and stepped inside, feeling tiny sandwiched between the two big men, especially Kai. “I can’t even imagine what he’s going through right now,” she said quietly.

  “I know,” Zaid said with a shake of his head as they rode up to Reid’s floor. “It’s gotta be hell, because I know how sick the rest of us feel. She’s a sweet little girl and we just want her found safe.”

  If one of Ruiz’s men had taken Autumn, then the chances of that happening were practically nil. They knew it as well as she did, but none of them would admit it because they all wanted to cling to the hope that Autumn still had a chance.

  Tess swallowed and frantically tried to think of what she could say or do to help Reid right now. There couldn’t be anything so agonizing as the pain of a parent losing a child.

  Her insides grabbed tight when the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. She followed the others down the carpeted hallway to Reid’s door, their steps hushed by the carpet. Zaid tried the doorbell and they all waited for a minute.

  Apparently too impatient to try the bell again, Kai reached over his buddy’s shoulder and pounded a big fist on the door. Tess cringed at the level of noise at this time of the morning, but Reid’s neighbors would just have to understand given the circumstances.

  When Reid still didn’t answer, Tess got really worried.

  Kai pounded again, harder this time, the door vibrating against the frame. “Prentiss. Open up,” he called out, his deep voice echoing up and down the hallway in the thick silence.

  Someone a few units down yanked their door open to glare at them. Kai and Zaid ignored the man, so Tess pulled her agency ID out of her back pocket and flashed it toward him. The man quickly disappeared back into his unit and shut the door.

  When she faced the others once more, Kai’s dark eyebrows were drawn into an imposing scowl. He made an irritated sound in the back of his throat and pulled his fist back to begin pounding again, but Zaid held up a hand to stop him and tried a different approach.

  “Come on, buddy, open the door,” he called out.

  Still nothing. Fear trickled through Tess. It was Sunday, May nineteenth. The anniversary of Reid finding Jason hanging in the bathroom. Given that Autumn had just been kidnapped by ruthless cartel members, would he… She shook the thought away. No. No, he wouldn’t. Couldn’t.

  “Reid,” Zaid said with tried patience.

  Finally, a familiar drawl came from inside. “Not up for company right now, boys.”

  Tess closed her eyes in silent thanks and let out a deep breath. Thank God he’s okay. But was it her imagination, or had his voice sounded a little slurred? Tess glanced at the others in question, and the two men exchanged a meaningful, worried glance, their faces turning grim.

  “You know what?” Kai finally threatened. “Either you open this door, or I’ll break the goddamn thing in—”

  Zaid held up a hand and cut Kai off. “We’ve got Tess out here with us. She flew in to see you.”

  They all waited in tense silence for a response, Tess holding her breath. Ten seconds later, footsteps sounded from inside. The lock turned, and the door opened.

  Reid stood there in the opening in jeans and a rumpled T-shirt, his face haggard.

  “Hey, brother,” Zaid said quietly.

  Reid didn’t answer. His bloodshot, red-rimmed eyes went right to Tess. Their gazes locked for an instant, then his face crumpled and he shoved past his teammates to reach for her.

  Tess’s heart almost exploded when he dragged her close and crushed her to his chest, holding her so tight she couldn’t breathe. She started to wind her arms around him, but stopped as a terrible suspicion hit her.

  Oh, no… Had he been drinking? She didn’t smell it on him, but his disheveled state and the look Zaid and Kai had just shared worried her. “Reid,” she breathed, unsure what else to say. Of course he was gutted, but he wouldn’t hit the bottle now, would he? She flattened her hands on his broad back and sought Kai and Zaid’s gazes over the top of his shoulder.

  Reid made a strangled sound and tightened his hold, his face buried in the side of her neck. “I don’t know what the hell to do,” he moaned.

  “Let’s get you back inside,” she said to him.

  “I’ll get some coffee going,” Kai said, stepping past them into the apartment.

  Reid stayed glued to her, his face pressed into the crook of her neck as he shook his head. “It was Ruiz. One of his guys took her,” he said, his voice cracking.

  “I heard,” Tess murmured, meeting Zaid’s eyes.

  Zaid reached for Reid’s shoulder, pulled him up and spun him around to steer him back into the apartment. “Come on, man.”

  Reid sucked in a shaky breath and shoved the heels of his hands into his eye sockets as Zaid walked him through the kitchen to the living room and sat him on the couch. Her heart sank when she saw the open bottle of Jack Daniels and the glass on the coffee table. It still had liquor in it. How much had he had?

  Without looking at her, Zaid picked up both the bottle and glass and handed them to her. Tess took them, catching the shame that flashed in Reid’s eyes.

  “I didn’t drink it. I shouldn’t have bought it in the first place, but… Fuck, I just didn’t know what the hell else to do,” Reid said, his voice breaking on the last word as he dragged a hand through his hair.

  “You should have called one of us,” Zaid said, a hard edge to his voice.

  Tess carried the bottle and glass straight to the kitchen and poured every last drop of the whiskey down the sink. Without pause, she checked the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen, the bathrooms and his bedroom for good measure. She found nothing.

  Zaid met her gaze as she walked around the corner with empty hands and she shook her head to let him know she hadn’t found anything. He was perched on the edge of the wooden coffee table facing Reid, his forearms braced on his splayed thighs.

  In the quiet, the sound and scent of brewing coffee came from the kitchen while Kai rummaged through the cupboards gathering mugs. Tess stood still and focused on Reid and Zaid as they stared at each other from two feet apart.

  “Talk to me,” Zaid said.

  Reid drew in a deep breath and collapsed back against the couch cushions with a soft groan, not meeting his teammate’s eyes. Tess walked over and sank down beside him, wrapped an arm around his shoulders and snuggled into his side, offering what comfort and support she could. He didn’t return the embrace, but he didn’t stiffen or push her away, either.

  “Look, I don’t need a goddamn lecture about my drinking,” Reid began in a warning tone.

  Zaid raised a dark eyebrow and stared him down. “You sure as shit do, my friend. Not only
did you almost fall off the wagon tonight after years of fighting to stay sober, you were about to do it when you could get a call at any moment that an actionable tip’s come in, and then you’d be too out of commission to act on it.”

  “I know,” he muttered, looking away, anguish and self-disgust etched into his face. “That’s why I didn’t drink it.”

  “But you wanted to.”

  “Yeah, I wanted to.”

  This was uncomfortable as hell, but there was no getting around it, and under the circumstances Tess agreed with Zaid’s tough love approach. They had to be clear with Reid right here, right now. “No more alcohol, Reid,” she said in a firm tone. “Promise us. It’s only going to put a temporary Band Aid on this, and make it a hell of a lot worse for everyone after.” Wanting to soften the harsh words, Tess rubbed his upper arm with her palm. “Autumn needs you to stay sober.” I need you to stay sober.

  He closed his eyes, his head sagging forward as though it was just too heavy to hold up any longer. “God dammit, if anything happens to her, then I don’t wanna be here,” he rasped out, and Tess’s chest constricted.

  “You can’t give up on her,” Zaid said, his voice hard. “You fucking can’t. Understand? Giving up is not an option. Not for any of us.”

  Reid turned his head and shot Zaid a lethal glare. “You think I’m giving up on her? Fuck you, Zaid. You were right next to me the night we found Victoria Gomez. You saw what they’d done to her. And now that sick fuck’s threatened to do all that to my baby—” His voice shredded and he glanced away, his jaw flexed so tight Tess could all but hear his back teeth grinding.

  “Still not giving up,” Zaid said, his voice level but firm.

  “Me neither,” Kai said, carrying a mug of coffee in and thrusting it at Reid. “So drink up, brother. You gotta be ready when they find her.”

  Reid shot him a searching look. He snatched the mug without saying anything and brought it to his lips.

  Zaid got up and walked around the coffee table to take the easy chair opposite Reid, easing the tension in the room. Kai brought her and Zaid mugs of coffee before seating himself on the loveseat arranged perpendicular to the couch, his big frame making the heavy piece of leather furniture look almost dainty.

  “Who sent you guys, Taggart or Hamilton?” Reid said dully.

  “Taggart talked to Hamilton, and Hamilton texted all of us,” Kai answered. “We volunteered to come over. So yeah, we all know the gist of it.”

  Reid grimaced and lowered his mug. “Yeah? Well you didn’t hear the part where Sarah started screaming and hitting me when she heard the news about Ruiz.” His fingers flexed around the mug handle, a restless motion that screamed his agitation. “Said it’s my fault. That my job had not only destroyed our family, but now it’s destroyed our daughter, too.”

  Tess winced and squeezed his shoulder, the muscles iron hard beneath her hand. “She was upset. I’m sure she didn’t mean that.”

  Those deep blue eyes drilled into hers like a laser. “That’s exactly what she meant. And you know what? She was right.”

  Tess shut up. And God, no wonder he’d been about to hit the bottle after that on top of everything else.

  “How the hell did they get your personal information?” Kai demanded.

  “No fucking idea. As of right now there are two-dozen agents in various agencies scrambling around trying to get answers. And you guys better beef up your personal security until we know how far the leak’s gone.”

  “I’d say it’s gone way too fucking far already,” Zaid said from the easy chair, his expression dark.

  Reid set the coffee mug on the table, ran his hands over his face. “I just want her back.”

  “We all do,” Kai said. “And we’re all here for you. If we get a lead on where this asshole’s hiding, we all want a piece of him. But most of all, we want Autumn back safe and sound. We’ll all do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

  Reid nodded and lowered his hands. “Yeah. Christ, yeah, I just want her to be safe.”

  Oh, God, please let her still be alive, Tess prayed. The alternative was straight up horrific and unthinkable.

  After a few minutes of silence, Reid finally began to open up to them. She stayed beside him as he outlined the sequence of events that had led them to now. An hour later he seemed to sort of shut down, and there was nothing more his teammates could do for him. He was restless and hurting and clearly not in the mood for company.

  “Look, I appreciate you guys coming over, but you don’t need to keep vigil with me,” he said to his teammates. “Both of you go on home and get some sleep. If I hear anything else, I’ll let you know.”

  Kai and Zaid exchanged a look, then Zaid focused on her. “You staying with him?”

  “Yes.” She sought Reid’s gaze. “Unless you don’t want me to?”

  “I want you to,” he said, his bloodshot eyes holding hers.

  “Okay. You guys call us if you need anything, you hear?” Zaid said as he got to his feet.

  Tess stayed on the couch while Reid saw his teammates out. When he locked up and turned back to her, he sighed and let his shoulders slump, exhaustion clear in every line of his face and body.

  Aching for him, she got up and closed the distance between them, sliding her arms around his waist and leaning into his body as he embraced her. “You’ve got good friends, Reid. They love you and Autumn.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He pressed his cheek to her hair. “I didn’t expect you to fly up here.”

  “I couldn’t stay there while you were going through this.”

  He was quiet for a long moment, then nuzzled the top of her head. “He sent me a picture of her.”

  She stiffened. “What?”

  “He took it in the car after he’d taken her. She was in her ball uniform. And her face…she was so damn scared, Tess. It just killed me to look into her eyes and not be able to help her.”

  The level of cruelty necessary to not only target a federal agent’s family in revenge, but to attack an innocent child and then send taunting texts to her father was testimony of the depraved animals the Veneno cartel had in its ranks. “I hope he doesn’t surrender when they find him,” she said, her voice cold. “I want him dead.”

  “You and me both.”

  Tess ran her hands up and down his tense back, hoping to soothe him, wishing there was something more she could do to help him bear this. “Are you hungry?”

  “No, can’t eat right now.”

  “Think you could get some sleep?”

  “No.”

  She understood.

  “It’s Jason’s anniversary today.”

  She lifted her head from his shoulder to look into his tortured face. “I know.” God, how much pain could a man bear before he broke?

  “That, on top of everything else and what happened with Sarah after she heard the news about Ruiz… It’s no excuse, but I drove past a liquor store on the way home and I just thought, ‘fuck it’. So I stopped and went in.” Shame flickered in his eyes.

  “I poured everything down the sink,” she said, not sorry but bracing for his anger anyway.

  “Thank you,” he said instead.

  She relaxed and rested her cheek against his shoulder again, glad he’d allowed her to stay and that he wanted her here at such an emotional time. “Welcome.”

  He was silent for a minute before speaking again. “You know, when I first quit drinking I thought cold turkey was too hard so I switched to a non-alcoholic beer. Then I had to quit even that because it tasted too close to the real thing. I was doing pretty well by the time Autumn was old enough to understand what alcoholism meant. I never hid it from her. When she was about five or so I told her exactly what it was and that I was doing my best to stay sober. She looked up at me, cocked her head and said I should try root beer instead.”

  Tess smiled, picturing it easily in her mind. “That’s adorable.”

  “Yeah. I always make sure I’ve got some of our favorite
brand on hand. There’s some in the fridge right now.” His grip on her tightened and Tess squeezed her eyes shut, his pain slicing through her. “They’re gonna find her, right? The cops or the feds. Hell, even a citizen, I don’t care.”

  The desperation in his voice shredded her inside. “Yes.” There was no question that Autumn would be found. Tess just hoped they found her in time.

  They stood holding each other for a while before Reid spoke once more. “You’ve gotta be exhausted,” he murmured against her hair.

  She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

  “You should sleep.”

  “I’m not sleeping if you’re not.” That wasn’t right. She’d come here so he wouldn’t have to bear this alone.

  He kissed the top of her head. “How about we lie down together for a while then, and if you fall asleep, I won’t hold it against you.”

  “Okay.”

  Lacing his fingers through hers, he led her past Autumn’s closed bedroom door to the master bedroom. The lights were off, but there was enough coming through the open doorway from the kitchen for her to see the big king-size bed she hadn’t paid attention to before while she’d been looking for bottles.

  Reid laid his phone on the bedside table, then pulled the covers down. Tess took off her shoes. Fully dressed, they both climbed in, and he immediately pulled her into his arms. She settled against his hard frame with a sigh and slipped an arm around his waist, surrounded by his heat and scent, willing him to take the comfort she offered.

  He curled one thick arm around her back, and sifted his free hand through her hair. “I’m so damn glad you’re here,” he whispered hoarsely.

  “Me too,” she whispered back.

  They lay together in the silence, listening to the sound of each other’s breathing, each of them hoping his phone would ring with good news.

  Praying for a miracle.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Autumn jolted awake in complete darkness. Fear surged through her, making her body go rigid, her heart swelling painfully in her chest. Her arms and legs ached from being bound together behind her. Her mouth was dry, the piece of tape over her lips. She was still locked in the trunk, but it wasn’t as hot as it had been. Where had the man taken her?