Breathless: A Stalwart Security Series Military Romance: (Follow-up to The Alpha Company Women Series)

by Beth Abbott

  Charlie’s shock was evident.

  “Does she know about the connection with Stalwart?” He asked quietly.

  “We don’t think so, yet. But, of course, it can’t be ruled out that she’ll get there.” Marcus explained. “Tulli and Lara are in with Gregor and his security guys, Kris and Yuri, now. He’s trying to explain what’s going on without alarming them too much.”

  “After what they’ve been through, do you seriously think he can tell them something like this and they won’t be alarmed?” Charlie snorted. “They’re going to be petrified.”

  “That’s why Kris and Yuri are in there, too.” Marcus explained. “Gregor has assigned them to be responsible for the safety of the three sisters, along with some of his best men. Stalwart is going to be looking after Sophia and Alex, until and after he’s discharged from hospital, and Gregor’s ex-wife, her politician husband, and Gregor’s son Serge, have agreed to bring forward a trip to Europe by a few weeks, to minimise the risk to them.”

  Charlie nodded.

  “Tuck’s co-ordinating this?” He asked.

  “Tuck and JT talked it through with Gregor late into the night, last night.” Marcus nodded. “Tuck is meeting with the agencies and military this morning, and we know they’ll be backing him one-hundred-percent, as the thought of a cartel bringing the fight to Philly is a step too far for all of them.”

  “I thought there was a limit on what the military and agencies can handle on US soil.” Charlie frowned.

  “There is.” Marcus nodded. “Which is where Yuri, Kris, and the Alpha-Stalwart teams come into play. We’re all licensed to carry firearms, and we all know full well how to use them. If necessary, we can defend on our own turf, and have an advantage. It’s self-defence and government deniability, wrapped up in a shit-kicking package!”

  “Hang on a second there, Rambo!” Sara glared at her husband. “The idea behind our participation is to protect people. Not to start a wild-west gunfight, and shoot shit up!”

  “Ok, now calm yourself down, my little spitfire!” Marcus leaned across the table and took Sara’s hand. “You know we’re not the sort to look for trouble where there is none. We just have the skills to handle it if trouble arrives knocking at the door.”

  “Well, trust me… if that Castille-slash-Vega woman comes knocking on my door, she’ll get more than she damn well bargained for!” Sara scowled. “And God help her if she knocks on Candy’s door! After Castille shooting Alex, I don’t think it would take much provocation for Candy to take the woman out, Krav Maga style, with her bare hands!”

  Sara couldn’t hide the grin as Marcus started chuckling.

  “What’s the female equivalent of a Rambo?” He mused.

  “Rambette?” Sara suggested. “Rambolina?”

  “Ramboletta?” Charlie suggested, seeming half-surprised at himself that he’d joined in.

  The sound of the door opening had them all looking around.

  Gregor entered first, followed by Tulli and Lara, with Kris and Yuri coming in last.

  “How’re you doing?” Sara asked Tulli, half-rising from her seat.

  Tulli held her hand out, urging Sara to sit down.

  “We’re a little shocked.” Tulli admitted. “But Gregor has assured us that everything that can be done to keep us safe will be done, and we’ll have Kris and Yuri and their men watching over us until this problem is resolved.”

  “Which is far more protection than we’ve had for the last six months, and we survived that.” Lara said quietly. “We’ll survive this, too.”

  Sara watched Charlie lean forward, speaking to Lara as though she was the only person in the room.

  “You’re stronger today than you ever have been.” He pointed out. “And now you have people whose sole purpose is to keep you safe. There’s nothing for you to concern yourself with.”

  Lara glanced up at Charlie and blushed, not least because she realised everyone in the room had stopped to listen to them.

  “It’s very reassuring, to have so many people watching over us.” She gave him a shy smile, before looking up at Gregor. “You’re all so kind to worry about our welfare, when you have yourselves and your families to take care of. You really don’t need that extra burden, not when you were already being so generous.”

  “Lara, absolutely none of this is your doing. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time six months ago, and have suffered for it every day since.” Gregor explained. “We could have made arrangements for you to go and stay at a hotel when you got back, then you wouldn’t be in this position now. Please believe me when I say that I’m really sorry you’re in this situation. But you also have to believe me when I say that the last thing you are is a burden.”

  “You know I think you may be onto something. Perhaps the answer is for us to leave now.” Tulli suggested, frowning as she stared into the distance. “Maybe we should just go back to the university where our father worked, and find a hotel to stay at, while we get our belongings back from wherever they’ve stored them. That way we’d be one less distraction, and you could concentrate on people who really matter.”

  Before Gregor could reply, Sara stood up.

  “Ok, sister… you need a reality check.” She scowled at Tulli. “Firstly, after six months, there’s every chance the university will have either thrown all your belongings in the trash, or donated them to a thrift store or charity. Secondly, Mischa needs constant care, nourishing food, and a calm, non-threatening environment. How are you going to find any of that staying in even a modestly priced hotel? Finally, how are you going to pay for a hotel without a source of income?”

  Sara paused for breath, and realised as she did so that Tulli had paled significantly.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t mean to rant at you. Damn hormones!” She apologised. “It’s just that you have to appreciate the danger you could be in, especially if they know your identity as well. The only way to stay safe, and get the right care for Mischa at the same time, is to stay here.”

  Tulli nodded slowly.

  “No, you’re right, Sara. I’m really sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me at the moment… I can’t seem to think straight.” She glanced up at Gregor. “Please don’t think I was being ungrateful. I… we appreciate how much you’ve helped us already. I just hate to think we’ll put you in a vulnerable position just by being here.”

  Gregor stepped forward and took Tulli’s hand in both of his.

  “There’s absolutely nothing for you to apologise for, and certainly nothing to be alarmed about.” He said, kindly. “You’ve barely been out of Colombia for two days. That’s hardly any time to assimilate your new surroundings or take in everything that’s changed. Give yourself a little credit… I think you’re doing remarkably well. The same goes for Lara, too.”

  Sara watched the colour return to Tulli’s cheeks as Gregor spoke.

  “Look, why don’t you guys have something to eat and chill out for an hour.” She suggested. “Tuck will be here shortly, once he’s finished speaking to his associates, and he’ll be able to tell us exactly what is going on. I’ll go and check on Mischa’s progress in the meantime.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Marcus agreed. “I’ll come upstairs with you, in case you run out of steam halfway up.”

  “I can manage one flight of stairs by myself.” Sara said haughtily.

  “I know. But if I walk behind you as you waddle along, I get to watch your ass sway in front of my face as I go.” Marcus grinned. “It’s one of my favourite views!”

  “Idiot!” Sara chuckled.

  “Yeah, but I’m your idiot.” Marcus stood up and pulled her up out of her seat. “And I’m never gonna let you forget it.”

  Chapter 15 – Tuck

  Tuck waited at the elevator door, rubbing his clammy hands together, before finally giving up and pulling his handkerchief from his pocket and rubbing them dry.

  Dammit, he’d been out of the military getting on for twenty years, and y
et the thought that there was a two-star general and a Marine Colonel on their way up to see him was like flinging him back thirty plus years to his first day of basic training.

  Brigadier General Brian Nichol, and Colonel Kip Jones had been at his training camp the day he’d stepped off the bus, Kip having been in the seat two rows in front of him.

  Little did he know then that both men would become lifelong friends, even if the thought of General Nichol in his office did still almost have him hyperventilating with nervous anxiety!

  As the elevator door opened, the General’s booming laugh could be heard all down the corridor.

  “She told me to get my ass out of her kitchen or I could cook my own damn dinner!” Brian Nichol guffawed as he stepped out.

  “Good to hear Mrs Nichol is still keeping you in line, General.” Tuck smiled, before snapping to attention and effecting what he thought was a pretty damn fine salute.

  Considering the General was dressed in cream colour pants and a khaki polo shirt, he thought it might be overkill, but Nichol seemed to appreciate the effort.

  “At ease, Major. We don’t want you throwing your shoulder out. You’re not getting any younger, you know.” Brian Nichol smiled. “And if my memory serves me correctly, I told you to call me Brian at least five years ago, and a dozen times since.”

  Tuck relaxed, holding out his hand to shake the General’s, and welcoming the two men he was so pleased to see.

  “Yes, General.” He grinned.

  “Ryan, good to see you.” Kip smiled at him. “I was hoping to find you fat and bald by now, but I guess that lovely wife of yours is keeping you in shape, huh?”

  Tuck snorted.

  “Listen, these boyish good looks and slim waist are purely down to good Tucker genes and a lot of hard work.” Tuck protested. “That and the fact that Candy is a damn fine cook who likes to keep her husband’s cholesterol to a moderate level.”

  “So, are you going to keep us standing in a hallway, or have you got an office somewhere with your name on the door?” Brian glanced around.

  “Oh, I have an office with my name on the door.” Tuck assured them. “But I also have a conference room where a bunch of people are waiting for this meeting to start. Follow me, gentlemen.”

  Tuck led the way down the hall, past the office door with his name on a shiny brass plate, where he glanced back at Kip and sniggered, before heading into the large conference room where close to twenty people were already waiting for them.

  “There’s coffee on the side table, gents, so just help yourselves. We rarely stand on ceremony here.” Tuck took his seat at the head of the table, and waited while the newcomers relieved themselves of bags and jackets, poured a coffee and took the empty chairs at the table.

  “Ok, gentlemen. Some of your faces I recognise, and some I don’t, so I suggest that we start by doing a quick round-robin of names and organizations, so we all know who’s in play.” Tuck suggested. “I’ll start by introducing my team. I’m retired Major Ryan Tucker, CEO of Stalwart Security, with a short background in the CIA. With me are my wife, Candy Tucker, former Naval Intelligence and FBI, my nephew, Zach Tucker, formerly with the US Rangers, and Captain Jon Thornton, or JT, British military with Alpha Company, a special forces team, now a director of Alpha Company Security in London. Hannah Simons is the wife of another Alpha Company director, and is a certified genius when it comes to all things computer related.”

  Tuck sat back as the rest of the men present introduced themselves. In addition to the Marines, there were agents from the CIA, ATF, and DEA. Cole Arthurs represented the FBI, along with a guy Tuck knew to be his boss, and the Philly Chief of Police sat next to him.

  When they were all done with the introductions, Tuck sat back.

  “Thank you all for taking the time to be here, especially in view of the fact that I gave you very little by way of information with your invitation.” He glanced around the room.

  “To fill you in on the story so far… Stalwart was recently approached by the Russian industrialist Gregor Diminov, to recover his daughter, Sophia, who was missing in Colombia while travelling with a group of doctors. By the time we got involved, a small group of Marines had been dispatched to affect a rescue, led by Alex Morales, my step-son. Obviously, we knew nothing about Alex’s whereabouts other than that he was overseas on a mission.” Tuck explained. “Well, to cut a very long story as short as possible, we sent a team down there, found Sophia and Alex, and got them the hell out of there as fast as we could. We also managed to rescue around forty females who’d been kidnapped and held as sex-slaves.”

  Kip whistled slowly.

  “Busy couple of days, huh?” He asked.

  “Yeah, you could say that.” Tuck nodded. “Although, for my part, I co-ordinated most of it from Philly, while Candy, JT, and another dozen of our team were the ones who flew down there on the mission.”

  Tuck watched the men from the various agencies look at Candy with renewed interest, seeming to re-evaluate her capabilities as she suddenly morphed from being the ‘boss’s wife’ to a serious team player.

  “Unfortunately, we picked up a couple of injuries right at the end of the mission, when Luis Castille managed to shoot Candy’s son Alex, and Drew Dixon, an Alpha Company director, but thankfully neither injury was life-threatening. Both will make a good recovery.” Tuck explained. “That was what prompted my wife to carelessly lose half a dozen bullets from her gun.”

  He tried to keep a straight face, but it was quite difficult.

  “She lost her bullets?” Brian Nichol frowned in confusion.

  “Yep, but there’s nothing to worry about.” Tuck reassured him. “The post mortem has recovered all of them from Luis Castille’s skull.”

  A few of the agents chuckled as they realised what he meant.

  Candy, on the other hand, was blushing furiously.

  “I’ll have you know that not one of my bullets was lost ‘carelessly’!” She insisted. “Every one of them ended up exactly where they were meant to be.”

  “Nice work, Mrs T.” Mike Parks, one of the DEA agents nodded. “I don’t think there’s one of us in my unit who wouldn’t have liked to take on that job.”

  “Anyway, as I said, our team and the hostages managed to get out of there a couple of days ago, and our people came back to Philly, while we transported most of the hostages to somewhere in Colombia where they could be properly cared for, before being returned to their families.” Tuck explained. “We managed to wipe out Luis Castille, his nephew, Rafa, most of his men, and a large drug shipment. What we hadn’t had time to finish, our Russian back-up team finished for us, after we left.”

  “Sounds like a good job, well executed.” Brian Nichol nodded. “So where do we come into things? If the job is done, and the good guys won, why have you invited us in for a pow-wow? It’s not in your nature to boast about your successes, Ryan, so obviously that leaves me wondering whether something didn’t go quite so well with your mission.”

  “Everything went as I described. Apart from the two injured men, everything was textbook with the extraction.” Tuck assured the General. “But what few people knew prior to this week, was that Luis Castille had a child. One Luciana ‘Lucky’ Vega. One very pissed off daughter!”

  One of the ATF guys sat forward.

  “The same Luciana Vega that’s married to Hector Vega? You’ve gotta be shitting me? She’s Castille’s daughter? Man, that explains where that bitch got her ruthless streak from! She’s as mean a mother-fu…..” He stopped short of saying the word, as if remembering there were females present. “I mean, she’s the meanest woman you’ll ever meet.”

  The agent might have stopped short of the description he wanted to use, but everyone knew what he’d intended to say.

  “It’s the same woman.” Tuck confirmed. “And apparently, she knows about Gregor’s involvement from some big-mouthed Russians, and is looking for revenge.”

  “How do we know that?” Kip asked. “Y
ou said that you only found out yesterday that Castille had a daughter.”

  “That intel came from my team.” Mike Parks leaned forward. “The DEA have managed to get someone into Hector Vega’s cartel. He’s been under for two years, and has the ear of Hector’s brother, Jesus. Apparently, Jesus isn’t exactly a fan of Lucky Vega, but while his brother is still alive, and she’s still making the cartel richer by the day, there’s not a damn thing he can do to get rid of her.”

  “And your agent knows for certain that Senora Vega is looking for revenge?” Kip clarified.

  “Up until yesterday, we weren’t aware of the connection either. But Luciana lives by the old adage of keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Mike explained. “She knows Jesus would put a knife in her back as soon as look at her, but for the fact that his brother would have him skinned alive if he ever touched her. But what that does mean, is that with our agent being one of Jesus’s lieutenants, he sometimes gets to spend time sitting at the Senora’s table, listening to her lunatic rantings. Apparently, yesterday, when she found out about her father, she went on a rampage, destroying furniture and shooting up the place. Three of her own people got killed by stray bullets.”

  “So, what’s to stop Luciana getting rid of Jesus, then?” Candy asked, curiously. “I mean if he’s a thorn in her side, why doesn’t she just arrange for him to have an ‘accident’?”

  “Oh, he’s a thorn, make no mistake.” Mike smiled. “But he’s as clever as she is, and he never does anything to arouse suspicion that he’s anything but one hundred percent supportive of her. He makes out that he’s her number one fan, and of course, that makes Hector happy. Plus, he’s got a lot of supporters who don’t think a woman should head up a cartel. They accept her while Hector is alive, but should anything happen to him? Luciana’s in a Catch 22 situation. She knows he wants her dead, but can’t prove it. But she can’t get rid of him, as the men wouldn’t stand behind her.”