Wicked Intentions (Steele Secrurity Book 4)

by A. D. Justice

  “You’re probably wondering what the fuck is happening right about now.” Rebel paused when he realized Rashad was awake, and he looked down directly into Rashad’s eyes. “I’ll be glad to explain it to you. We don’t have much time, though, so I’ll have to talk while I work.”

  He walked to the freezer and removed the vials of TATP Rashad had already made. He carefully set them up in a row on the small end table beside where Rashad lay on the couch.

  “You are about to blow yourself up with your own devices. Yeah, I know it’s a little shocking since you can’t move at all right now. But it’ll make sense by the end of this story. Try to keep up with me.

  “My wife is the best person I know. She’s a nurse, as you well know since you followed her around the hospital and took pictures of her. She takes care of people who are very sick and fighting for their lives. As an oncology nurse, she’s seen her fair share of tragedy over the years. But she keeps going back, she keeps trying to help, because there are always those patients who defy the odds and beat the cancer growing inside them. She’s an amazing person.”

  Rebel rearranged the furniture in the small room as he talked, moving everything away from in front of the front window so there was nothing obstructing the view into the living room. When he was satisfied with the setup, he turned back to Rashad.

  “You can’t imagine the rage and fury I felt when I learned that my wife, the love of my life, the one person I can’t live without, was buried alive in that explosion you created in the port. For nearly forty-eight hours straight, I did nothing but move rock, concrete, metal, and garbage, desperately looking for my wife.

  “One thing you probably don’t know about me is I’ve always been known for being very level-headed, always considering all sides of the equation before making a final decision, playing devil’s advocate to get others to think differently.

  “But not that night.

  “That night, you changed me, Rashad. What you did to my wife flipped a switch in my brain, and the only thing that kept me focused during that forty-eight-hour journey through hell was meticulously planning every detail of how I’d kill you. And Rashad, I have a great plan.

  “That plan brings us to today. You are a coward, plain and simple. You’ve been in hiding since the bombing, thinking you got away with it all. Thinking I didn’t know exactly where you were and what you were doing every minute of every hour of every day. But I did. The only reason you’ve been alive the last few weeks is because my wife has needed me with her.

  “Imagine my surprise when she told me she can’t get past the fear of knowing you’re still out here, roaming free, and could possibly hurt her again. She needs you to be dead to feel safe. I’m paraphrasing here for the sake of time. The bottom line is you’ll be dead in just a couple of minutes because my wife comes first. Always.

  “You may be wondering why you can’t move a muscle, but you’re fully aware of everything happening to you. As I mentioned, my wife is a nurse, and we’ve always shared every detail about our days, no matter how mundane it is. Turns out, something she mentioned a long time ago suddenly became very useful to me today.

  “You can’t see him because you can’t turn your head, but your cohort Bill Smith is here with you. After my buddy Tucker knocked you over the head and brought you back here along with Bill, I gave each of you a shot. The medical name is long and very scientific sounding, succinylcholine, so most of the medical personnel just call it ‘sux’ for short. When you think about it, that’s very fitting for this situation because it definitely sucks to be you right now.

  “Anyway, ‘sux’ is a paralytic, but it allows you to remain alert and fully aware of everything happening to you and around you. I couldn’t give you the full dosage because that would make your diaphragm stop working and you’d quit breathing. I don’t want you to die too early. Remember I mentioned that you buried my wife in a tomb of concrete and metal? She was conscious during that whole ordeal, just like you’ll both be when this house blows up with you in it.

  “You’re going to stay right here on this couch, and your little invention will be right here at your head. By the way, your head will be the first thing you lose when this blows, in case you haven’t figured that out yet.

  “Maybe you noticed I just moved some furniture around in here. That’s because I need a clear line of sight to shoot these vials of TATP beside your head. When they explode, you’ll be fully awake. You’ll hear me leave the house. You’ll hear the door latch behind me. You’ll wait while the clock ticks, one excruciating second at a time. I’ll take a stroll down the street to my vantage point, set the sights of my rifle on your bomb materials right here by your head, and I’ll squeeze the trigger.

  “When the force of my bullet connects with the temperamental nature of this compound you made, there will be nothing left of you or Bill or this house. For all intents and purposes, what little specs of DNA are left will indicate you blew up your own damn self while playing with the Mother of Satan. You’ll be out of our lives forever. No ghosts. No shadows. No looking over our shoulders for psychos hell-bent on revenge.

  “Speaking of psychos with a need for revenge. Yes, I shot and killed your father. But to be fair, I was rescuing hostages he’d taken from us. He shot at my friends and me first. I simply returned fire while trying to leave his house with the people who didn’t belong there. Technically, he brought all that shit on himself.

  “Like father, like son, I guess. I’ll leave you to sort that out in the few seconds you have left alive. It’s time for me to get home to my wife. Plus, that shot I gave you will start wearing off any time now. Can’t have you moving around too much before the house blows to hell and back, can we?

  “This is the part of the story where I’d normally tell you to bend over and kiss your ass goodbye, but you can’t move. So feel free to just envision yourself doing it instead.”

  Rebel picked up his rifle, walked to the door, and didn’t look back until he was in his spot a block away. He casually lifted his rifle to his shoulder, set his sights on the glass vials that held the volatile concoction, and squeezed the trigger with ease. The resulting explosion was so severe, it not only obliterated everything that had been in the old house, but it also knocked down the condemned houses surrounding it.

  He smiled to himself. “Not a trace of evidence left.”

  Rebel exited through the back door and hopped into the waiting car.

  “Feel better now?” Tucker asked.

  “Much better. It’s a beautiful morning, isn’t it? Let’s head back to my house now. Everyone is already there with Heather for our little get-together. We don’t want to be late joining the party.”

  Rebel and Tucker pulled up to the house and found the driveway was completely full of cars.

  “Shit. We’re late. Everyone else beat us here.”

  “Will Heather ground you for it?” Tucker smirked, enjoying busting Rebel’s balls.

  Rebel cut his eyes sharply toward Tucker. “You know I just killed two men.”

  A broad, shit-eating grin crawled across Tucker’s face. “Of course, I do. I helped.”

  “Now I know why Shadow enjoyed working with you on that case in Dallas so much. You two are so much alike.”

  They climbed out of the car and walked into the house, the sounds of laughter and chatter filling the air. When Rebel stepped into the living room, he immediately sought out Heather. Relief flooded him when he saw she was safe, sound, and laughing as she chatted with Liz and Becca. He walked around the room and greeted everyone individually. Becca approached him with outstretched arms and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “It’s so good to see you again, Brax. I always know when you’re home because Heather absolutely glows with love. Thank you so much for never giving up and saving my best friend.” She wiped an errant tear from her eye when she pulled away.

  “I said no crying today,” Heather teasingly chastised her.

  “Who’s crying?” Becca chall
enged with a sly smile.

  “Believe me, there was no way I would’ve left that site without my wife. Thank you for taking such good care of her in the ER. I’m surprised they didn’t toss you out of there on your ear with all the demands you made.” Rebel replied.

  “They couldn’t. I wasn’t working–I was there as a visitor. Plus, they know me and they know they’d have to deal with me at some point later.” Her devious smile and devilish laugh left no doubt Becca would’ve followed through on her veiled threat.

  “If you two will excuse me, I need to speak with the boss for a minute.”

  After a kiss to Heather’s cheek, he easily weaved through the many people celebrating Heather’s recovery. When he reached Noah, he held his hand a second longer than normal when he shook hands. With a pointed look, he delivered a hidden mission update in his innocuous greeting. “It’s a beautiful day for a celebration. There was a big gust of wind earlier, but it blew over in no time.”

  Comprehension lit in Noah’s eyes. “Sometimes a nice breeze can make your whole day.”

  “It most certainly did that.”

  When Noah rejoined Brianna, Heather approached Rebel from behind and wrapped her arms around his waist. She pressed her face against his back and inhaled deeply, drawing in the scent that was uniquely his. With his hands on her arms, he lovingly caressed her while remaining cognizant of her healing wounds. He took her hand in his and tenderly pulled her around to stand in front of him, changing places by wrapping his arms around her waist protectively.

  “You must have missed me this morning.” He smiled against the side of her head and pressed his lips to her hair. “I missed you, too.”

  “I did miss you. Not that I haven’t enjoyed our company, but it’s always better when you’re here with me.”

  “I’m here now. Just had to wrap up some loose ends this morning. How’s your mom holding up?”

  “Subtle change of subject, Brax. She alternates between a complete nervous breakdown and saying she’s fine.”

  “And how are you holding up?”

  “I alternate between a complete nervous breakdown and saying I’m fine.”

  He turned her in his arms to face him. “If it’s too soon for everyone to be here, just say the word. They’ll understand.”

  “No, it actually helps to have them here. Mom and I have been able to share stories about Dad with them. Talking about him helps because it makes me feel like he’s still here with me. Like you said.”

  He lowered his head and softly kissed her lips. “If it’s any consolation, you’re completely safe now.”

  “You got him?”

  “He’ll never be seen or heard from again. I promise.”

  She threw her arms around his neck and murmured against his skin, her words in a breathy staccato. “Thank you. So much. I’m so relieved.”

  Rebel looked up to find Tucker watching them, his head cocked to the side and his eyebrow arched in silent questioning. “Fine. Tucker helped. A little.”

  Heather chuckled and turned to locate him. “Thank you for helping, Tucker. I really appreciate it.”

  “My pleasure.” He winked and chuckled.

  “Was he the secret contact you met in the park?” Rebel asked Silas.

  “Yeah. Tucker had been following Bill since he faked his death and skipped out of Miami. We knew he’d eventually meet back up with Rashad,” Silas confirmed. “We couldn’t risk taking them out too soon, but unfortunately, our sources didn’t have all the information about their plans.”

  “You warned us about that from the beginning, Silas. We don’t blame either of you for what they did.” Rebel knew the guilt of that night stayed with Silas, and he tried to reassure him no one on the team held him responsible.

  Roman dropped his eyes to the floor, and he didn’t seem to hold his shoulders as strong and proud as he normally did.

  Heather noticed Roman’s remorseful expression. “We don’t blame you either, Roman. You tried to warn me, I remember that very vividly.”

  “That’s right. Everyone in this room went above and beyond to help and support us during that time. We couldn’t ask for a better family.” Rebel made it a point to look each person in the eye, conveying the seriousness of his message.

  “Speaking of family, I think Steve has an announcement he’d like to make now.” Heather released Rebel and moved to stand next to Steve.

  The aggressive chemotherapy treatments had taken a toll on his body, leaving his muscles weak and his energy level at a negative number based on a scale of one to ten. Ever the nurse, Heather reached down to steady and assist him when he began to stand up and address the crowd.

  “Yes, I do, my favorite nurse in the world.” Steve winked. “I’ve been a fighter all my life. I’ve worked hard, built a successful company, and took no prisoners. On the outside, everything in my life appeared to be the epitome of success. Houses, cars, money, nice things—on the surface, I had it all.

  “It wasn’t until many years later when I realized everything I’d worked for and spent my hard-earned money on was worthless without my family by my side. As hard as this is to say, finding out I had advanced cancer was a blessing in disguise because it brought my kids back to me. With them, I gained another son, another daughter, and now a granddaughter. If I could just get Silas married off, I’d have one more daughter. Hint, hint.”

  The room erupted in laughter, and all eyes swung to Silas.

  “Yeah, don’t hold your breath on that, old man.” Silas laughed good-naturedly with his father.

  “By extension, my new daughter brought Liz into the fold, who brought her son, my doctor, in. The cancer brought me here to Houston for treatment, where I met my favorite nurse in the world, only to find out her husband is one of my son’s best friends. While I hate cancer and what it’s done to my body, I wouldn’t trade one thing I’ve lost during the last several months of treatment for all the wonderful things I’ve gained.

  “I love you all. I want to thank you for standing by me, checking on me, taking care of me, and making sure I got the best care possible. I would’ve been dead long ago if it weren’t for all of you. I would’ve missed my daughter’s wedding, getting to hold my granddaughter, and so many important events in my family’s lives.”

  Sara sat behind Steve, sniffling and attempting to control her emotions. He turned to take her hand and jerk his head to the side, indicating for her to join him. The room was silent as Sara stood next to her husband, hand in hand, waiting for Steve to continue. The air hung thick with apprehension as they tried to gauge what he would say next.

  “We received some unexpected news recently we haven’t had a chance to share with you because of everything that’s occurred. We wanted to tell everyone at the same time because of how much you all mean to us. Dr. Stanton put me through the full gamut of blood work and body scans, and he said the experimental treatment has been a success. There’s no sign of any cancer cells or tumors anywhere in my body.”

  Tears of happiness and relief flowed freely among the shouts and cheers of excitement.

  “It’s been a long, hard road. Many times, we weren’t convinced he could withstand another round of treatment. But he refused to give up. He kept saying his kids needed him, so he had to try anything they threw at him.” Sara spoke through her tears, sharing a tiny portion of the months of hell she’d witnessed firsthand. “With all the sadness that wicked man caused, we thought everyone could use some good news.”

  “That is truly wonderful news, and I’m so grateful you shared it with us today. Seeing something good emerge after all the evil of the last few days lifts my spirits and renews my faith,” Kay replied. “I’m sure some will think I’ve made a rash decision, and maybe I have, but everything Steve said only reinforces to me it’s the right one.”

  “What decision, Mom?”

  “I’m moving to the Miami area to be close to my family. With Emmett gone, there’s nothing holding me here now. Honestly, we’d talked about
moving there in a couple of years when he retired. He wanted to see the merger through first to make sure everyone’s jobs were preserved. My timetable has just changed. As soon as I can get odds and ends wrapped up here, I’ll join you in sunny Florida.”

  “Mom, I’m so glad. I’ve been sick just thinking about leaving you.” Heather hobbled in her boot over to Kay and wrapped her arms around her.

  “Bryan and Jackie, no pressure or anything.” Shadow playfully teased Rebel’s parents. “It’s not like everyone here is going back to Miami soon or anything.”

  “We may just surprise you one day. You never know,” Bryan replied with a gleam of challenge in his eye.

  “Joe and Emily, all eyes are on you now,” Silas added. “Don’t think you’re immune from the peer pressure of this group.”

  “We are definitely going back to Miami,” Emily confirmed. “I never wanted to leave in the first place.”

  “Since we’re all sharing good news, Colton and I have some news to share.” Chaise looked lovingly at her husband before turning back to her expanded family. “We’re pregnant!”

  After a boisterous round of congratulations for Chaise and intentionally harsh backslaps for Bull, the mood in the group was decidedly upbeat and hopeful for the future. Everyone gathered on the back porch where the men argued over grilling burgers and hot dogs and the women chatted about the excitement their futures held.

  Throughout the day, Heather and Rebel passed unspoken messages to each other. Messages that conveyed how thankful one was to have the other. Messages of the deep-rooted need for the other they shared. Messages that said they knew tomorrow wasn’t promised, so love would be given freely as if every day were their last day.

  The wicked intentions of one man only served to strengthen their bonds of steel.

  EPILOGUE

  Two Years Later