“Yeah,” came a muffled reply. Then, “Get off me! You’re crushing me!”
She’d know Lacy’s voice anywhere. Thank God, she was okay. More than okay. She was yelling at Logan, so she was in fine shape and very pissed off by the sounds of things.
“Logan?” Mitch called.
“Ye—uh.” They heard a thunk and another groan.
“Logan!” Mitch slid off Alex and soldier-crawled across the dirt to the pavilion. He pulled himself up the stairs on his belly. Lacy stood up. Mitch told her to get back down, but she snorted at him.
“The shooter is long gone,” she said as she tried to wipe the dirt off her blouse and skirt.
Alex got up and walked over to Lacy. Logan was sitting up against the inside of the pavilion.
“Are you all right?” Alex asked him. He gave her a quick nod.
“He’s fine. He’s just winded. I hit him so he’d get off me. He was crushing me. I couldn’t breathe,” Lacy said as she continued to brush the dirt off her clothing.
Alex nodded. She knew what that felt like. She looked around. “Wait. Where did Mitch go? He was just here.”
Logan nodded toward the direction the shooter had been. “He went to check it out.” Logan finally got to his feet and started brushing himself off. “And you’re welcome,” he said to Lacy.
“For what? Almost crushing me?” she retorted.
Logan shot her a look as he continued to brush at his pants. “For saving your life. Standing still while people are shooting at you is not the best idea. You could have easily been killed.”
Lacy rolled her eyes and then smoothed back her hair. “I wasn’t the target. And to be frank, your reaction time was slow, so if I had been the target, I would have been dead.”
“She’s right,” Mitch agreed as he walked back onto the pavilion. He shot a glance at Logan’s face and quickly amended, “About the shooter that is. Whoever it was, they’re not very good, or at least not as good as they should have been to try for that shot. There’s a lot of trees and bushes between here and where they were standing by the wall. It provides great cover but makes the shot harder. Amateurs for sure.”
“So,” Logan asked, “who were they shooting at and why did they stop?”
Mitch halfheartedly brushed off the front of his shirt. “Not sure, but let’s not stay and find out.” He grabbed Alex by the arm and started to walk out of the pavilion. “We have an SUV waiting. Let’s go.”
“Uh, no. I’m not going with you.” She pulled her arm away.
Lacy grabbed Alex’s other arm. “My client—”
Mitch whirled around. “Your client almost got killed two minutes ago. We have no idea who the shooter is or why they’re shooting. Your client needs to get to safety. Now.”
“My client can keep herself safe,” Lacy stated firmly.
“Can she now?” Mitch snorted. “Is that why my brother and I had to take both you and your client down so you two wouldn’t get shot? If we hadn’t been here, you two would have been dead.”
Alex saw red. Just like before. Mitch thought she was weak. She might have fallen for his smile and banter, but she sure as shit wasn’t weak. She got right up in his face. “Oh, really? No one shot at me or Lacy all day until we met with you two. Did you even consider that? We were just fine until now, so maybe it’s you two that the shooter is after. Either way, I’m not going with you. I can take care of myself.”
Mitch fisted his hands. The pulse in his neck was slow and steady unlike hers, which had skyrocketed.
“It’s dangerous to stay here. We’ve no idea if the shooter is gone for good or just in hiding. We need to move now.” Mitch didn’t take his eyes from hers, and the fire burning in their depths just stoked her anger more. If he wanted a fight, she was willing.
Logan broke in, “I think we can come to an arrangement.”
She looked over at him to find him leaning nonchalantly against the entry to the pavilion. His clothes looked impeccable once again. How the hell did he do that?
“What are you thinking?” Lacy asked.
“Let’s agree to you ladies accompanying us down to our office to continue the interview.” Lacy opened her mouth, but Logan put up his hands to cut her off. “You may leave at any time. We will not call the police, and the interview will remain informal.”
Lacy’s eyes narrowed. “Absolutely no recording of the conversations that occur in any way, shape, or form. Nothing is admissible. And no tracking devices or any kind of location devices will be planted on myself or my client in the room. We will not be followed when we leave.”
Logan nodded, but Mitch remained silent. “Mitch,” Logan said, warning in his voice.
Mitch spoke through his teeth, “Fine.”
“Great. Let’s go.” Logan signaled that Lacy should precede him out of the pavilion. She sighed heavily and grabbed Alex by the arm. Mitch took the lead and Logan brought up the rear as they headed up the path to the street.
“Are you sure about this?” Alex asked Lacy in a whisper.
“No. But we really don’t have a choice. You want to clear your name, and this is still your best shot. Just choose your words carefully. They’ll record it.”
“They just agreed—”
“Logan agreed. Mitch grunted his assent. I’m willing to bet there will be others who will make it happen without telling Logan. Plausible deniability.”
Alex rubbed her face with her hands. “Well, fuck.”
“Yes. That pretty much sums it up,” Lacy agreed.
They came out of the path and hit the sidewalk. Mitch ushered them into the SUV, and he and Logan hopped in the other side. Somehow Alex managed to get sandwiched in the middle between Lacy and Mitch. When her thigh brushed his, she tried to scooch over, but no matter how much she moved, she couldn’t get away from his touch. It was as if he was following her. She wanted the ride to be over. Heat crawled up her cheeks again. Would this humiliation ever go away?
The worst part was when his arm brushed her breast by accident when he took a phone from Logan. Heat started blooming in other places. She remembered how good he felt beneath her, how hot his kisses were. Her fingers tingled with the memory of his chest muscles rippling under them. She was getting hotter by the second. She needed to get away from this man. She glanced up, and their eyes locked. His gray ones went from cold hard steel to smoky. He knew what she was feeling, and he was feeling it, too.
When the truck jerked to a stop, she pushed Lacy out onto the sidewalk. They were ushered into the building quickly, and she stumbled a bit as she entered the lobby. She was surprised when she looked around. She had figured them for a modern look, all glass and chrome.
Instead, the lobby was small and intimate. Two women were sitting behind a tall desk with a gleaming wooden surface. The lighting was soft. The walls were what she would call greige, a mixture of gray and beige. The artwork was a mash-up of modern and classic pieces, but all of them were originals. It could have been a doctor’s office except for the discreet cameras in the ceiling and the hidden door that blended into the woodwork perfectly. Her life as a thief taught her what to look for, so she recognized the signs.
The entry doors were bulletproof glass, and she had no doubt a steel one would slide out if a panic button was hit. She also knew each woman would be an excellent shot and have at least one gun in a drawer close by.
When they stepped onto an elevator, Alex immediately cased the place. It looked very posh with fancy buttons. Five floors. Expensive wood paneling with no hand holds. Hard to climb out of the top. Camera in the ceiling. There was no doubt in her mind that the elevator could be controlled from the desk below as well as a desk on any floor. They would be able to shut it down at will.
The doors opened on the second floor. Again, there was a welcome desk done in wood with a glass wall behind it. The space behind the glass was done tastefully like the lobby. Browns and greys with touches of color here and there. Fresh flowers. Original artwork. The hardwood floo
rs gleamed, and the rugs that lay on top were plush with calming patterns. The whole place spoke class.
Logan had to have been the one who oversaw the decorating. No way did Mitch have a hand in this. It was just way too classy, too upscale for him. It had all the right touches. She glanced over at Logan. Definitely his style. Made her wonder what the rest of the building was like.
“You own the whole building, correct?” she asked Logan.
Mitch brushed by them and continued through the glass doors down the hallway.
“Yes, we do.” He held the door open for her.
“What’s on the other floors?”
“Why? Are you planning your escape?” He looked amused, and she made a face but mostly because he was. It was second nature. She couldn’t help it.
“The third floor is more office space similar to this one. The fourth is the gym and the fifth is living space, a kitchen, great room area, some bedrooms, that type of thing.”
“Do people live here?”
“Someone is always here but no, no one lives here full-time. It’s more for the guys to grab a bite or catch some sleep if they are on a job and don’t have much time off.”
He tried to usher her through the door, but she balked. Lacy glanced at her.
“Let’s talk on the fifth floor. I’m hungry,” Alex said.
Logan’s expression flickered for a second, but then his face returned to neutral. “We can certainly order in if you like.”
“That’s great, but I’d like to talk in a more comfortable setting.” Alex smiled up at him.
Logan frowned but nodded. “Give me a minute.” He walked through the doors and down the hallway. He disappeared into the same room as Mitch.
“What’s going on?” Lacy asked.
“Well, if they’re going to record us or play other games, might as well make it more complicated for them. Besides, I gotta say my ass hurts. Mitch crushed me, and I’m bruised all over. I can’t bear the thought of sitting on a hard chair in a conference room for the next few hours, but I’m not telling him that,” Alex said quietly.
Lacy rubbed her thigh and made a face. “I agree. Comfortable furniture does sound better. I’m feeling somewhat beaten up myself. It was like being taken down by a rock wall. I’m going to need a bath tonight. I’m starting to stiffen up.”
Alex nodded. “Besides, I’m starving, and there’s a kitchen up there. Maybe they have snacks.”
Lacy started to laugh, but the sound died in her throat when she saw Logan emerge from the conference room. He did not look happy. And if his expression was dark, Mitch’s was positively thunderous. Another man emerged behind them who looked so similar he could only be their brother Gage. His coloring and height was closer to Logan than Mitch, but the animalist way he moved was much more in line with Mitch. His face was blank, but it was almost scarier that way.
“Here it comes,” Lacy whispered.
“What?” she said as she glanced at the men advancing toward them.
“The storm, and it’s going to be a category five.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Mitch was going to kill Alex, no doubt. He had no idea what this game was about, but he was done playing. They’d just found out that someone had taken a shot at Jake while he was going to see Dan in the hospital again. He was hit, but it was only a graze. Mitch was in no mood for taking any shit from her.
He followed Logan through the door and was about to tear a strip off Alex when Logan put a hand on his chest. His gaze swung to his brother’s face. Logan gave him the subtlest head shake. Then he turned toward the women. “Why don’t you ladies head on up? Sloan, can you please accompany them and see if they need anything? A drink perhaps or something to eat?”
“Of course, Mr. Callahan.” Sloan stood and walked around the desk. She smiled at Alex and Lacy and then led them onto the elevator. Once the doors closed, Logan whirled around and faced his brother. “You cannot go up there screaming. She’ll shut down immediately, and we won’t get anything out of her.”
Mitch’s blood went cold. It was just like when they were kids and Logan used to order him around. He took a step closer to his brother. “Don’t you dare tell me how to play this. I’ve faced off against some of the worst this world has to offer. I can break her.”
“Yes, you can. Break. Her.” Logan stopped and stared pointedly at his brother.
Mitch frowned, and then he understood what his brother was saying. “That’s not what I meant.” He scowled.
“Isn’t it? I know bull in a china shop is your usual approach, but you can’t always do that. Dex told me she hung up on you earlier when you yelled at her. He listened in.”
Mitch decided then and there to kill Dex. He clenched his teeth until his jaw hurt.
“Mitch, this has to be done delicately, especially now that they are shooting at Jake in the Hamptons.”
“You don’t think I know how important this is?” Mitch roared. “That I would risk Jake’s safety over my ego?”
Logan leaned back against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. “I’m not questioning your loyalty to your friend. He’s mine and Gage’s friend, too. We all want to do right by him. But going up there and screaming at Alex is not going to cut it. So, get yourself under control. We need to have a united front and be smart about this.”
Mitch’s hands were clenched at his sides. He wanted to plant a fist in his brother’s face so badly. He could beat his brother to a pulp in a heartbeat. He could make him beg for mercy in about two minutes. Logan had no idea how much effort it took to keep all that training at bay and not do anything. But deep-down Mitch knew he loved his brother and wouldn’t hurt him no matter how much his brother pushed him. And in this case, Logan was right. Again. It pissed him off to no end.
Gage put a hand on Mitch’s back. “I know,” was all he said. Gage had always known how Mitch felt around him and Logan. He’d been the peacemaker for years. He also knew what Mitch was capable of and that Logan had no idea how lucky he was that Mitch didn’t decide to forget they were brothers.
“Okay, let’s do it,” Gage said as he hit the button for the elevator. Mitch took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. He tried to clear his mind like he did before each mission. He had to be clear and focused to react fast.
Jake came to mind. Mitch had left him with Drake. He was fine, but still. It was on Mitch if anything happened to his people. He had to get this case figured out before someone else got seriously hurt.
He stepped onto the elevator and tried not to think about Alex almost getting shot in the park. It had been an instantaneous reaction to cover her once he heard the gunfire. Keeping her safe had been the first thing and then tracking the shooter. Fear had hit him like a sledgehammer. It didn’t work that way on missions, but the thought of Alex hurt gutted him. He pushed that thought aside as they walked out of the elevator. It wasn’t important. He didn’t need to understand it, not now. Now he just needed to get answers.
The plush leather cushion sighed as Mitch sat in the chair to the left of Alex and Lacy who were on the matching couch. Both had sunk into the puffy cushions and were munching on cheese and crackers from the plate in front of them on the coffee table. Sloan got up from the couch beside Lacy, and after asking the women if they needed anything else, and being told no, she left.
Logan sat in another overstuffed chair next to the right of Lacy. He grabbed a water bottle off the table and poured himself a glass using one of the clean cups on the coffee table.
“So, how are you ladies feeling now?” Logan asked.
“Fine,” Lacy responded. Alex merely waved since her mouth was full of crackers and cheese.
Gage took a bottle and sat on the fireplace hearth that was directly across from the couch. He looked over and caught Mitch’s eye. He tilted his head slightly toward the women. Mitch knew he was asking if he could take the lead. He looked down and saw that his fists were clenched and made a concerted effort to open them but when he couldn�
��t, he looked at Gage and gave a slight nod.
He snuck a peek at Alex. She brushed long black strands of hair out of her face. He hadn’t seen this wig before today, or the dog collar for that matter. If he didn’t know her as well as he did, he never would have been able to pick her out of a crowd. No wonder Interpol had no idea who she was.
Gage cleared his throat. “So, let’s get down to it if we could. Alex, can you tell us exactly how you came to be in the garage last night?”
Alex glanced at Lacy who nodded. She took a deep breath and then started to speak.
“So, I got a call from my handler who said we had a job. He told me it was to retrieve something from Jameson Drake. He gave me details, and we worked out a plan. Last night I executed that plan.” Alex leaned over and took a sip of water, then sat back and remained silent.
“That’s it. That’s all you’re going to say?” Mitch asked, incredulous.
Alex shrugged. “That’s it in a nutshell.”
Logan sent Mitch a look, but Mitch ignored it. “Let’s get some details. When did you take on the Drake job?”
“Hmm.” She closed her eyes in thought. “It was after the…” She paused. “But before I did that side thing for...”
She was being very careful not to divulge details, he noticed.
She opened her eyes again. “So, about a month ago or six weeks ago?”
“How many jobs do you pull a year?”
Lacy leaned forward. “Don’t answer that.” Alex kept silent.
“Do you know who hired you?” Gage asked.
“Diana Sterling,” Alex replied, taking another sip of water.
Mitch ran his hands through his hair. “So, you know the client, but they don’t know you.”
“Yes, mostly.” Alex pulled a pillow onto her lap and started playing with the tassels.
“How long did it take you to plan the job?” Mitch watched her closely.
“The plan is always fluid going in. I don’t solidify anything until I get the lay of the land. This time it only took a few days to put it all together.”
Break and Enter Page 20
