She turned to him. “So you and Dean have already come up with the plan, and it was your job to get me on board?”
“Looks that way.”
“Because you know our best bet in getting David to agree is for all three of us to gang up on him?”
Jesse didn’t bother to look guilty. If anything, he was proud. “Are you mad?”
“That you manipulated me? No.” She sipped the cold beverage. “I’m kind of pissed at myself for not using this as leverage to get you guys to hire me as a consultant.”
Jesse’s brows lifted. “Hire you? And risk David planting grenades in my boots?”
“The greater the risk, the greater the reward. I’m a valuable asset. I have contacts all over the country, I speak fluent Spanish, and I can open any lock.” Okay, that last boast was a little out of date. There were plenty of locks she’d never encountered and security systems she’d only ogled over the Internet.
He shook his head. “Autumn, I think you’d better consider other career options.”
She admired his loyalty. Summer was the only person in the world who was that loyal to her. Suddenly she was homesick for her sister.
Jesse misread her reaction. He hugged her. “Please don’t cry. Maybe you can help out with some of the smaller stuff. I’d love if we had someone to schedule flights and accommodations. Maybe order supplies and make sure bills got paid. We could use an office manager.”
The patio door slid open. “Why are you hugging my sub?”
Jesse transferred her to David. “She looked like she was going to cry.”
Autumn smiled up at David. “Jesse said I could be the firm’s office manager.”
He stroked her hair away from her face. Remnants of the sunset reflected from the water and made his eyes shimmer. “Were you being manipulative, Sugar?”
She’d been pretty straightforward with Jesse. “Not on purpose, Sir. Jesse said I couldn’t be a mercenary, and I was struck by how loyal he is to you. Then I started thinking of Summer and missing her. That’s when he hugged me and offered me a job.”
David glared, but he aimed it over her head, and it nailed Jesse. “You hired an office manager without consulting the rest of us?”
“Nope. I said we could use one, and I may have implied that Autumn would be a good candidate for the position, but I most certainly did not hire anybody.” Jesse lifted his half empty bottle in a silent toast. “You’re welcome.” With that, he went back into the suite.
David studied her thoughtfully. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Let me consult my Magic 8 Ball.” She mimed shaking the toy and turning it over to read her fortune. “My sources say no.”
Dean stuck his head outside. “David, Autumn, team meeting now.”
The fact that he’d included her as part of the team made Autumn feel pretty darn good. Perhaps he and Jesse were secretly in favor of having her work at SAFE Security. She followed David inside and took a seat next to him on the sofa.
“Our plan isn’t working,” Dean said. “Rossetti called. The FBI thinks Stephanie and her accomplice might be traveling as Bruce and Madison Olivetto. Jesse and I found them by hacking into the docking logs in the marina. They’ve been here for two days, and they most likely have some kind of plan for snatching Autumn and getting the money back. However, the marina is too well protected. We need to lure them out.”
David sat back, his arms crossed and his lips pursed. “Do they have eyes on us?”
“Probably.” Jesse drummed his fingers against the table. “If I was in their position, I’d stay on a boat, keep an eye on you from a distance, and move the second I thought she was alone.”
“We’re not leaving her alone.” David didn’t bother to consider that idea. “This bitch has already tried to kill Autumn once. I won’t leave her vulnerable again.”
Dean and Jesse exchanged a glance. “We have another plan.”
“I’m listening.”
Autumn listened as well while Dean and Jesse outlined their idea for David and Autumn to rent a cabin and wait for Stephanie to come to them. She thought it was a great plan—except for one thing.
“What if they just go to the bank while we’re on our secluded beach and take out all the money? That’s what I would do. Heck, I wouldn’t bother with revenge or killing anyone. I say we drain the account first, and then take the money to the cabin with us. They’ll be online, watching the balance drop. That’s guaranteed to draw them out.” Autumn looked to David, half wondering if he’d picked up on the fact that she’d already agreed to Dean and Jesse’s plan.
Jesse waved a hand. “They can’t access the account because we’ve changed the security questions.”
“But if we disappear with the cash, Stephanie will think we’re leaving for good. She’ll be forced to follow. That will show her we’ve split up, and it’ll convince her that she needs to strike now.” David warmed to the idea. “Dean and Jesse can leave separately from us. We can make a big show of taking them to the marina and seeing them off. Then we go to the bank, drain the account, and head to the cabin for a romantic getaway.”
Autumn eyed him with more than a little hint of irony. “Only I would be attracted to a man who thinks setting a trap for a serial killer is a romantic getaway.”
“Oh, Sugar, you won’t be with me.” He turned to Dean. “How fast can Frankie get here? She’s a little taller than Autumn, but if we dress her the same and put a wig on her, we can switch her out for Autumn at the marina. Autumn can go with you two while Frankie and I wait for psycho and company.”
Autumn stood, looming over David with the full force of her Domina side. “I’m going to that cabin with you.”
“Fine,” he said. “If you give up the idea of working for SAFE Security. This is your final adventure. You will never again put yourself in a vulnerable position.”
Motherfucker thought she was manipulative? Just wait—this conversation was far from over. For now, though, she acquiesced. “Fine.” Her single word carried the full weight of an I’ll-show-you challenge.
Dean cleared his throat. “There’s just one fly in the ointment here. Frankie called. She needs backup. I’m heading out on the next flight.” He nodded toward a lone suitcase sitting next to the exit door. “I’m already packed. That leaves Jesse as backup for you.”
David nodded, his expression grim. “How bad off is Frankie? Does she need both of you?”
Dean shook his head. “Jesse will follow as soon as you’re done here. If we need you as well, we’ll let you know.”
Autumn glanced at David. “As your new office manager, I could make all the travel arrangements.”
Frowning, Dean leaned forward. “Office manager?”
Planting seeds meant she was one step closer. Maybe David wouldn’t let her join the team in the way she wanted immediately, but she had faith in her ability to work her way from one position to another. She rested her fingertips on Dean’s arm. “Jesse’s idea. Think about it. Take your time.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The cottage was barely more than four walls, and it was half the size of her apartment. One wall featured a kitchenette, one had a door to the patio and a small table for two, one had a front door and two windows, and the last one had a double bed pushed against it.
“It’s tiny,” he said. “I can’t believe we left a luxury hotel and paid a thousand bucks for this.”
“It’s cozy, perfect for a romantic getaway.” She examined it closely, picking up everything that wasn’t nailed down. She wandered onto the open-air porch overlooking the pristine beach. Waves crashed on the shore in a gentle lullaby that reminded her of lazy summer days. “It has a great patio, with furniture and a shower.”
David joined her on the patio. He peeked around a weathered wooden fence on one end of the patio. “The bathroom is outside. If you have to go during a storm, you’re shit out of luck.”
“That would be a real shit storm,” she agreed. This wasn’t
the first place she’d stayed at that had an outdoor toilet and shower. At least this one had a cover over the toilet, though that wouldn’t be much shelter in a storm. “I need a pry bar, a hammer, and finishing nails.”
“Why?”
How could he not know that the first order of business was to stow their valuables in safe locations? “So I can hide the money and the passports. Seriously, Sir. Did you think we should just leave it out in the middle of the room?”
“Yeah. In a neat pile to taunt our target into the open.”
Autumn rolled her eyes. If an opportunist happened along, or somehow their targets got away with the money, then it was best to have most of it hidden safely away. “Are you going to help or not?”
“Yes, and I added that eye roll to the list of your transgressions. You may not sit comfortably for a week.”
After that last spanking, she’d just now started sitting comfortably. Part of her couldn’t stop goading him, though. She chalked it up to being a lifelong smartass. He went outside and scrounged around in a small closet near the outdoor latrine. While he did that, she grabbed a square plastic piece from her purse. It looked like nothing, but it was her laser alarm system. She angled it up to catch anyone approaching the cabin. Set in a remote area, they couldn’t even park next to the house. The driveway ended at a path lined with thick foliage that led to the cabin. Lush tropical forest surrounded them on all sides. It was very secluded.
They’d dropped Dean and Jesse at the airport. While Dean had boarded the plane, Jesse had doubled back to the cabin. Jesse would approach from the southwest. If all had gone right with their plan, he would be in position by nightfall. He’d keep watch on the cabin while Autumn and David waited inside. Stephanie and “Bruce” didn’t stand a chance.
On the way to the cabin, Autumn had made David stop at a grocery store. While he waited, she had run in to buy some food staples and several thousand meters of plastic wrap. After setting her alarm, she set to work wrapping bundles of money. The house sat on a crawl space, so she wouldn’t need to pry up floor boards. Some of the money went in the obvious places—the machinery in the back of the refrigerator, the access panel of the hot tub, inside the lid of the toilet—but most would go in places few people would consider.
David returned with his offerings. “I raided the maintenance closet. It now has a busted lock. Here’s a construction stapler, pry bar, and finishing hammer. No nails.”
But the construction stapler was a nice alternative. “I’m going under the house. Can you pry the facing off the base of the lower cabinets? Be careful not to leave scratches.” She changed into older clothes, shimmied under the house on her back, and got to work stapling the plastic-wrapped money to the underside of the floorboards. When she finished, she army-crawled out to find David waiting for her.
“I stowed as much as I could fit, and you’ll be glad to know I only left one scratch. It’s on the inside, though, so it’s not noticeable.”
She dusted the sand from her clothes. “Great. How much is left? We can pile it on the table like you wanted—so they can see it the moment they walk in. We’ll backlight it so that it seems to glow. Maybe set out a nice bottle of wine, and some finger foods.”
“And we’ll be laying in wait while staring at the weirdly romantic tableau?”
“No. The wine and snacks are for us. We’ll tie them up and make them watch while we sip wine, eat yummy treats, and mock them.”
David frowned. “Mock them?”
“Sir, she tried to kill me. She came into my apartment, told me all the ways she violated my privacy, how she set me up, and then she threatened to kill my sister if I didn’t swallow a handful of pills. I have earned the right to mock her.”
At this, David merely inclined his head and nodded while frowning.
They’d hidden most of the money, and Autumn counted the rest as she arranged it into an artistic pyramid-shaped centerpiece. David called Jesse to update him on their progress, and Autumn decided to make dinner. She washed and sliced fresh fruits and vegetables, arranging them on plates that she placed around the centerpiece. Then she added diced cheeses, several kinds of crackers, dips, and spreads. When she finished, she stepped back and admired her handiwork.
Having wandered outside while on the phone, David came back in once he was finished speaking to Jesse. “Wow. That looks beautiful, Sugar.” He hugged her from behind and peppered her neck with kisses.
“Thanks. What did Jesse have to say?”
“They took the bait. They set sail from the marina a half hour ago and are en route, sailing around the island. Jesse pinged their GPS, so he has a lock on their location. They’re probably waiting to catch us unaware.”
Autumn clapped. “I love when a plan comes together.”
He laughed. “I thought you didn’t really watch TV growing up?”
“We didn’t.”
“But the plan thing—that’s Hannibal’s line from The A-Team.”
She leaned back to stare blankly. “My dad used to say it.”
“When this is all over, I’m going to make you watch an episode with me.”
She believed that her father would co-opt a line from a popular show. He used to watch TV sometimes in hotels while she and Summer played. Wiggling her ass against David, she added, “Naked. I want to do a lot of things with you naked.” She turned and draped her arms around his neck. Part of her wanted to forget why they were there and enjoy the secluded, minimalist paradise. “Nobody will be here for at least a half hour. Let’s grab some food, go down to the beach, and appear to mess around.”
“We need to lie in wait.”
“We will be, but we won’t look like it. I set up my silent alarm system in case they circle around and come in from the street. I’ll put my phone on vibrate, and it’ll go off when they get here. In the meantime…” She gestured toward the open door leading to the patio. Beyond that, a pristine, private beach awaited them. “I made plenty of food. We can spread a blanket and look like we’re absorbed in feeding each other. Having us in the open will draw them out and give us an advantage because we’ll be able to see them coming. Besides, I’m hungry.”
He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up in a very sexy way. “I’d rather hide in the woods and watch for them to approach. We don’t have weapons, and I don’t see you talking to any arms dealers you may or may not have screwed over, so we need some way to get the upper hand.”
She went outside. He followed to find her ripping twigs from a fallen branch.
“What are you doing?”
“Weapon. And you’re right—I don’t know any arms dealers around here. We’d have to break into someone’s house and hope they have an illegal gun that we could steal. We could do that, but it would take time.” She hefted a branch the size of her arm. “This’ll hurt.”
He took it from her and pointed it ominously. “Freeze, or I’ll stab you.”
She rolled her eyes.
“There’s another one. Sugar, maybe I’ll look for a switch while I’m out here. I see red birch, and you’re definitely asking for it.”
Well, yeah. The spanking he’d issued four days ago had been about his stress release. Besides the op, she had a lot of other things on her mind—Summer’s health, an imminent move to a new city with a man she’d only known for a month, clearing her name, and—though she didn’t want to think about it—the idea that she’d been kidnapped as a child and raised by her kidnapper. She could do with a cathartic release. “Sir, you’re supposed to hit them with the stick. There’s no warning, no threatening—just good, old-fashioned whacking them upside the head.” She took it from him and swung hard at a nearby tree trunk. Rather than absorb the force, it bounced back.
David laughed and took the stick from her. “Watch out, or you may whack yourself in the head.”
“It’s still a good weapon. I’m bringing it with us on the picnic. I’ll pretend it’s my walking stick. I’ve always wanted to be one of those hikers who pok
es the ground with a stick.” If she wanted to sneak up on a cabin where some bitch she thought she’d killed was holed up with her money, she’d dock somewhere nearby but out of sight and sneak up on them.
“Pokes the ground? What are you looking for?”
“I don’t know. Quicksand, maybe. Or a hornet’s nest. It’d rather not step on one.”
He laughed, a loud guffaw. “Because poking it with a stick won’t agitate them at all.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’ll show you agitation.”
He caught her in his arms and kissed her cheek. “Let’s get you fed.” He led her inside, and she brought her big stick along. They gathered food and grabbed an extra blanket from the cupboard. David led her to a spot on the beach near where the waves lapped at the sand. She spread the blanket and positioned her stick within reach while he set out the food. It would have been terribly romantic if they weren’t bait for a serial killer and her boyfriend.
David plopped down and patted the place next to him. Autumn joined him. She dragged a cracker through cheese spread. Before she finished chewing her first bite, she snagged a handful of grapes. It all tasted so good, and it had been many hours since the light lunch they’d scarfed earlier.
“I would have thought you’d be too nervous to eat.” David casually popped a cube of pineapple into his mouth.
Autumn shook her head. “I’m ravenous.” Okay, she might have been stress eating just a little.
They ate in silence, with David grazing from the many dishes and Autumn shoveling it down without tasting anything. He watched her the whole time. As he casually spread garlic butter on a wheat cracker, he said, “Want to talk about it?”
With the earpiece he wore, she knew Jesse was listening in, and yet that didn’t make her feel self-conscious. David’s friends understood discretion, they didn’t judge, and they were fiercely loyal. She paused, a handful of fruit and nuts in her hand. “I guess I’m nervous about moving to a new city.”
“Why?”
For the first time in her life, she was putting down roots. She had a good friend, many acquaintances who were primed to become friends, and her sister was finally on the mend. “I don’t know anyone there. I’ve moved plenty, but never anywhere in the Midwest. Dad kept us in coastal states or in the Southwest. When Summer and I wanted out, we purposely chose a Midwestern state because we knew Dad avoided them.”
Re/Leased (Doms of the FBI Book 5) Page 33
