Brianna’s thoughts immediately went to Noah and how his company was involved. She couldn’t let him take the fall for what Richard had done. The evidence had to be controlled by someone who would protect Noah like she did. “No, no one else is involved in this.”
“Does anyone else know about it? If you’ve told anyone, they could become a target themselves.”
“No one knows specifics. Only the general storyline that I’m working on,” she replied.
“People involved in black market weapons trade won’t care that you’re a young woman. They won’t care that your family and friends don’t know specific details. If you go back home, these men will find them and kill them,” Stevens strongly cautioned her.
“What am I supposed to do then?” she probed. “Where am I supposed to go?”
“I can get you back to the U.S. and in the witness protection program. If you have more evidence that I can take to the State Department, I can push for arrests for anyone involved. Once we have everything we need, you’ll be safe and can return home,” he promised.
Sensing her hesitation, he continued. “Why do you think I’m here? I’ve had to help other Americans get out of here safely because of how dangerous these rebel extremists can be.
“That,” he motioned over his shoulder toward the smoke rising from the burning remnants of the jumbo jet, “is nothing compared to what they do to people they take prisoner. Don’t subject your loved ones to that.”
Richard was still on the loose and wanted her dead. Sayyaf was evidently a very dangerous man if even Richard was afraid of him. Bosco was still a threat and she had no idea who else she was up against.
“Okay. Get me back to the U.S. and I’ll keep digging until I have every shred of evidence. As much as I don’t want to go into hiding, I don’t want my family and friends to pay for my mistakes,” she agreed.
Stevens contacted his friend, Palmer, at the U.S. Embassy in Turkey and arranged for her transportation and new identification. When their plane landed and she handed her passport to the U.S. Customs Agent, Kristina Miller was born and Brianna Tate ceased to exist.
After Rebel’s comments, she realized that Stevens suspected that she’d had proof somewhere in the U.S. all long, so he pretended to help her in the witness protection program until he knew for sure. He hounded her for all the evidence in every conversation they had. She gave him the small amount of proof that she could, but she never gave him the ultimate link to Richard – his offshore bank account numbers.
She called him every week with questions on where the case was and when she could go home. With this information, his refusal to stop asking her for more documentation made perfect sense. He knew there had to be more because he didn’t find his name associated with anything. He was somehow implicated in the evidence she gave Noah.
Department of Defense personnel.
U.S. Marshals.
U.S. leaders.
Foreign leaders.
Big business owners.
There were too many high-level people involved for them to just leave Noah alone, to just leave him out of it, even if she handed over her proof. She had brought this to Noah’s door. In her mind, none of this would’ve ever happened if she hadn’t kept digging. She couldn’t let Noah pay with his life, or in jail for the rest of his life, for her stubbornness in getting the story.
After Rebel’s offhand comment, she knew what she had to do. She finished cooking the waffles and excused herself from Bull and Rebel. They barely noticed her absence anyway since they were too busy eating breakfast. Bull hardly even looked at her, much less spoke to her. She missed her brothers, but she couldn’t think of that right then. She had to hurry before Noah woke up and stopped her.
She knew the whole interrogation technique he used with his questioning. It was definitely not the same technique he would’ve used in the field. But he had used that on her too many times during their relationship, especially to find out any surprises she had planned for him. She couldn’t keep any secrets from the man. Even though he agreed to trade her to Richard, she knew he would never go through it. Even if he hated her, he still wouldn’t have done it because he was an honorable man.
So, she had to make the trade herself in a way that Richard would be caught red-handed and couldn’t be protected by his associates. She decided the pre-meditated torture and murder of a young woman, who had proof of his treasonous black market weapons dealings, should be enough to put him away for life. The others involved would distance themselves and allow Richard to take the fall for it all.
She thought of last night and how it felt to be in Noah’s arms again. Her heart hurt and tears pricked her eyes at just the thought of leaving him again. She watched his eyes when she asked him for her final request and knew it was too late for them. There was no going back to what they had because she had really fucked things up between them. So many regrets raged through her mind. If only she had told Noah about Richard. If only she had made him listen. If only she had stood toe to toe with him, fought it out, and made her case known.
If only she had one more day with Noah.
She didn’t know why he changed his mind at the last second, but she almost didn’t go through with it herself. The thought of him making love to her because he felt obligated in some way was just too much to bear. Once he kissed her, though, all rational thought left her. She was only glad she had this one last memory with him. But at that moment, she had to put all of her thoughts and feelings aside and focus on her plan.
Noah’s security firm used state of the art equipment. He had various types of surveillance gadgets and interesting toys that made the jobs easier. Most were at his main office in downtown Miami, but a few items always made their way home with him. Some were worn on clothes, placed in a shirt pocket, or the old-fashion method of taping to the skin. Brianna searched his office and found a remote access digital recorder that was discreet enough to hide in plain sight.
The recorder would be found if anyone screened her for bugs, so she would wait until the last minute before turning it on. It only required a simple touch to make it start recording, but if anyone were watching, they would definitely know what she was up to. She activated the receiver for the recorder in Noah’s home office, wrote him a letter to explain everything as best she could, and quietly walked out the front door. She left the blindfold tied to the front door knob because she wanted to leave them with the knowledge that she would never betray them. She had kept that with her all these years, and it seemed fitting to leave it with them then.
She ran all the way back to the hotel where her backpack still waited for her. The clerk on duty recognized her and gave her a new key card for her room. She quickly showered, dressed, and checked out. She knew Noah and a small army of men from his security team would be coming for her soon, but she planned to be well out of sight before they found her.
She took off alone down the street and hailed a taxi at the corner. She knew Richard was still in Miami and Noah mentioned he’d gone by his hotel suite to see him. It also helped that his return was all over the news feeds. They conducted interviews at his posh hotel suite and jokingly asked how he tolerated the terrible conditions of his current residence. Hailing a cab, she gave the hotel name to the driver.
“The Villa by Barton G.”
Next, all she had to do was pull off the tricky part. She needed to find out Richard’s plans for the night and confront him. She wanted their meeting to be in a very public place so he wouldn’t shoot her on sight. She needed to catch him in the act and make him talk to her first for her plan to work. Her plan was to spy on a man who was thoroughly trained and highly skilled in reconnaissance techniques. There was also no doubt Noah and his team would employ the same counter-techniques very soon.
Yeah, this will go over really well, she thought sardonically.
She stepped out of the taxi, paid the driver, and walked into the hotel lobby. Scanning the room, she didn’t see Richard anywhere, but she kept h
er face turned from the security cameras as much as possible. She used her ‘Kristina Miller’ identification and government issued credit card to check into the hotel. She knew her credit card transactions were most likely being traced if what she suspected about Stevens were true. But this was the best way she knew to get close to Richard.
She pocketed her room key and exited the hotel. If she planned to fit in at the swanky establishment, she’d need more appropriate clothes. Her current clothes were nowhere near elegant enough to blend in with the other patrons. She left on foot and went in search of the high-end boutiques for a few new items–dresses, shoes, makeup, and jewelry. She also decided to buy an expensive wig that was made of real hair so it would look authentic.
She spent the afternoon shopping in several different stores to find the items she needed and buying them, regardless of the cost. After today, it wouldn’t matter anyway. She was careful to watch for anyone following her as she walked from store to store. After a couple of hours shopping, there was one man who had been at more than one store with her, but he hadn’t bought anything. She mistakenly turned down the wrong street and quickly found herself away from the crowds.
Brianna quickened her pace, but it was too late. A man grabbed her from behind, wrapped his hand around her mouth, and pulled her into a side alley. Her heart pounded as she struggled against his hold and tried to elbow him in the ribs. He shoved her into the backseat of an idling car, where another man was waiting for her.
She blinked rapidly and tried to catch her breath as she gave the man sitting across from her a dirty look. The man who grabbed her slid into the front seat of the car.
“Stevens? What the hell are you doing? Why didn’t you just talk to me?” she yelled.
“Because you are not even supposed to be here. And we shouldn’t be seen together in public.”
“Then why not have your village idiot here,” she motioned to the other man, “talk to me instead? He’s followed me for the last two hours!”
Ignoring her sarcasm, Stevens got to the point of the meeting. “Do you have the rest of the evidence for me?”
She felt completely uneasy being around him after what Rebel said earlier, so she schooled her features and lied. “No, I don’t have it. I’m still working on it. I have your number.”
“I need you to get it to me as soon as possible. I’ll be waiting,” he ordered.
Brianna jumped out of the car and hurried back to the more populated area. There were still a few things she needed to purchase before her mission was complete. The bathroom at a gourmet coffee shop served as her changing room as she transformed into a long, red-haired socialite. She also made sure her eyebrows matched her new wig color.
She hailed a taxi to take her back to the hotel after her earlier mistake. She couldn’t risk being seen by anyone else. She returned to the hotel, bags in hand, and walked in as though she owned the place. She didn’t actually feel the confidence she outwardly displayed. She desperately wanted to be back in Noah’s arms where she felt safe and secure.
20
Chapter Twenty
Noah called an emergency meeting with a dozen of his best men in the downtown office of Steele Security. He arrived well before anyone else got there, even though every man there had immediately dropped everything and rushed in. The dry-erase board was full of information on their newest case.
“All of you have heard a lot about Brianna over the past three years,” Noah explained. “We still have to find out all of the details of what happened, but she wasn’t killed and she’s back. As if this wasn’t complicated enough, the enemy is one of our own. Richard Hollingsworth.”
The rumble of expletives used to describe Richard echoed around the room. Every former military man there understood exactly what Noah meant. One of their own, a brother in arms, had dishonored himself and by association, tainted their reputation.
“If Richard sees us anywhere around here, he will immediately make his move to kill Brianna. We have to assume he has a team of undercover agents, just like we do. We need eyes on Brianna and Richard–immediately. If you see Brianna, grab her no matter what. She is your first priority.”
Noah concluded his mission speech and motioned for everyone to gear up. It wasn’t quite like the forty-pound backpack he carried in the Army, but he was dressed for battle, nonetheless.
Bull, Rebel, and the dozen-man team joined Noah at the billboard as they mapped out the area around Brianna’s original hotel and around Richard’s hotel. The search at her hotel had turned up minimal information. She had checked out and left on foot. The clerk pointed in the general direction she walked, but her trail went cold very soon.
The computer techie of the group, Brad, had a search running on the local taxis, in the event she used a credit card in her name. The chances of finding her were essentially nil since they didn’t know her alias name. Brad also worked to retrieve all the information from the flash drive Brianna gave Noah. Reviewing the data, he whistled, “Girl’s done her research, Reap. This is huge.”
Brad continued with his recount of the evidence Brianna had saved to the flash drive to give them more details than Brianna’s letter had given. “None of these contracts are the standard ones you signed, Reaper. Your signature has been forged and according to her notes, all the escorts you provided were illegal.
“If anyone had been caught, you would’ve been sent to jail for life…if anyone had let you make it that far. With the names attached to this operation, they would’ve buried you. She was right. This would’ve never hit the press. You’d be dead and the story would’ve been buried along with you.”
Bull lowered his head and swore under his breath. “That son of a bitch.”
Noah nodded and shook his head. “With all the escorts I’ve approved, it could’ve gone wrong at any time. At best, I would’ve been hung for treason.
“Richard and I were friends since high school and he purposely involved me in running guns to a band of murdering rebels,” he seethed. “Then when Brianna found out, he tried to kill her. I will have Richard’s head for this,” Noah vowed.
Bull’s phone vibrated and he glanced down at the name on the screen. Noah looked at him expectantly, and Bull said, “I have to take this, Reap,” as he stepped out of the room.
A moment later, he returned and walked to the computer where he changed the search parameters to find financial transactions for ‘Kristina Miller.’ The computer returned numerous results at several boutiques. “Got a hit,” Bull called out.
They looked at the store locations on the map, and Rebel commented on how close the stores were to Richard’s hotel, just as the computer returned a room charge hold for The Villa by Barton G.
“She’s at the same fucking hotel. We have to find her before we’re too late,” Noah growled. He then passed out pictures of her to the other men, but with the charges at the wig shop, he reminded the men that she had changed her looks again.
With everyone briefed on the mission and dressed for urban warfare–meaning suits, button downs, wireless communication earpieces, and gun holsters under their jackets and at their ankles, the security team climbed into the SUVs and drove to the hotel.
Noah decided he would check in as a guest and try to get eyes on both Brianna and Richard. Several pieces of his security equipment would help them keep watch over all the exits. If all went well, they would also have ears in Richard’s suite.
Bull pulled out his cell phone again. He briefed the person on the other end on the plans for the night and ended the call. Noah turned around in his seat and stared at him as he waited for Bull to report in.
Bull said, “Don’t ask, Reaper. Just trust me.”
Noah stared hard at Bull. “You know I do. But if you’re pulling someone else in, don’t you think we need to know so we don’t shoot the wrong guy?”
Bulled nodded, but said, “You probably won’t even know he’s there, Reaper.”
Still sensing the tension, Bull added, “Look m
an, I’ve been too hard on her. Yeah, it sucks that she let us believe she was dead. But she had a damn good reason and I didn’t even give her a fucking chance.” He folded his arms across his chest, as he took a deep breath, “I gave my word I’d always have her back and I let her down, man. I’m doing my damnedest to fix that.”
Noah gave him a look and a nod that said he knew exactly what Bull meant.
The drive from Noah’s downtown Miami firm to the South Miami Beach hotel seemed to take forever. Noah was anxious to get there and stop her before she could do anything else stupid, or before Richard found her. He walked up to the counter and requested a suite and a meeting room. The team needed somewhere private they could set up for the night, and it would be too conspicuous for the entire team to crash his suite.
With only ten suites in the hotel, Noah was lucky to get the last one available. The concierge showed him to the meeting room and he called the rest of the team waiting outside in the SUVs. They brought all the gear in and began to set up for surveillance. The hotel had once been a private mansion, and while definitely large and elegant for a single owner, at only three stories it was small in comparison to other hotels.
Noah scouted the hotel as discreetly as possible. He noticed the people checking into the suite next to Richard’s had just arrived. A young man in a dark suit with a hotel nametag was carrying their bags into their room. Noah picked up a couple of bags and followed the other man into the suite. He discreetly placed a listening device on the wall shared by Richard’s suite, just behind the wall sconce so it wouldn’t be seen. He knew they wouldn’t be able to get into Richard’s room undetected, but this room gave them the closest access point that he could get.
The young man thanked Noah for his help with the bags. Noah slapped him on the back and with a smile said, “Any time kid.”
Wicked Games: The Extended Edition (Steele Security #1) Page 23
