Gray Wolf Security: Back Home

by Glenna Sinclair

  Boone clearly was not aware of his, however.

  “That’s not possible. She’s never mentioned it and she’s the type who would have.”

  “It’s very possible. Thanks to Erin’s information we were able to verify it. She is related to Jack Mahoney and she was coming after Joss and her family as a form of retribution.” Ash crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you know if she’d ever spent time in Wyoming or Connecticut?”

  Boone thought about it for a second. “She was in Wyoming last summer. She called me from there, asking if I’d help her with a little game, but I was already neck deep in something else. I refused and that was the last I’d heard from her until three weeks ago.”

  Ash touched Boone’s shoulder. “We appreciate your honesty. Give us a few more minutes, and then the two of you are free to go.”

  I watched him leave, wondering if he was going off to fill out my severance papers. Boone stood and began to pace, clearly agitated.

  “What?”

  “She lied to me. I thought I knew her better than that!”

  “It explains the personal problem you thought she had with Joss.”

  “I suppose. She was after her because she helped get her uncle arrested?”

  I shook my head, remembering the crash pictures I saw in Joss’s file. “I don’t know.”

  “I’m sorry, Erin. I didn’t know how big this really was.”

  “But you stopped it, Boone. If not for you, Joss would still have no clue this was going on and Elizabeth would still be free.”

  “Maybe.”

  “There’s no maybe this time. You’re the good guy in this.”

  His eyes settled on mine, amusement dancing in them. “You think so?”

  “I know so.” I went to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You’re my hero.”

  He laughed, but he drew me closer. “I like that. It seems like a good reason to stick around.”

  “Yeah?”

  “If you’ll have me.”

  Suddenly, I didn’t care if I lost my job. Knowing that Boone was going to be a part of my life for the foreseeable future was enough. I reached up and kissed him softly.

  “Stay as long as you like.”

  Chapter 30

  Joss

  I watched her through the glass, wanting nothing more than to wipe that sick grin off her face. Mike was in there questioning her, but she was dancing around his words, turning them back on him without giving an actual answer. She was clearly adept at this, familiar with interrogation techniques and impervious to even Mike’s skills.

  “We’re not getting anything out of her.”

  Ash nodded, turning away from the one-way mirror to study me. “You okay?”

  “No. I can’t believe all this is coming back to visit my home.”

  “I know. I never imagined.”

  “What are the chances? All the drunks in the world and the one related to Jack Mahoney had to be the one to kill my family.”

  “It explains a lot.”

  I nodded, grateful to Clint that we had this information now.

  “Kirkland said you were thinking about leaving Carrington in hopes of convincing Mahoney there was no longer a reason to target him.”

  “It’s already done.”

  “Joss—”

  “Don’t chastise me, Ash. It’s been a long enough day as it is.”

  He didn’t say anything else. He just came to me and folded me in his huge, strong arms. It was all it took to make my walls dissolve. I burst into tears, no longer able to hold it all in. Ash just held me, his hands moving soothingly over my back like I was child crying over spilled milk.

  The outer door opened and Mike walked in, his expression darkening slightly when he found me in Ash’s arms.

  “We’re not going to get anything out of her. I think we should just send her up to the county jail.”

  I nodded. “I think you’re right.” I blinked away the rest of my tears.

  He stepped out of the room and Ash gave me a moment to regain composure. He touched my shoulder.

  “You’re welcome to move back into your cottage until you figure things out. It’s still vacant.”

  “Thank you.”

  We stepped out into the hall and watched as Mike walked Elizabeth Runion through the corridor. They paused in the lobby, Mike handcuffing her to a chair as he turned to organize her paperwork. I almost didn’t see it, almost missed the movement. She slipped his gun so easily out of the holster that I thought I might have imagined it. As she lifted it to her temple, she looked me right in the eye.

  “It won’t end here, Joss. It won’t ever end until you’ve lost as much as he has. He’s chosen you as his nemesis and once he does that, hell will be your only salvation.”

  She pulled the trigger just as Mike turned to snatch the gun out of her hand. It was too late. Her blood splattered across his perfectly pressed blue dress shirt, staining the pretty blue with colors I could never unsee.

  ***

  One day back, and I already needed another vacation.

  I lay back on the hotel bed and used Skype to share my daughter’s bedtime story. The news was playing in the background, the story of Elizabeth’s suicide in the headlines. It was muted as I read the same story I’d read to Aidan so often that I didn’t even have to crack the spine to know what order the words were in to be read.

  “I miss you, Momma. When are you coming home?”

  I touched my fingers to the screen, to the beautiful face of my young child. “Soon, I hope.”

  “I want you to tuck me in.”

  “And I want to tuck you in. I will. Soon.”

  She sighed. “Read it to me again!”

  I was halfway through the story when my cellphone began to ring. I silenced it and continued with the recitation, but it immediately began to ring again. Once again, I silenced it, telling the gods and whoever else was listening to my thoughts that I needed just a moment with my little girl. Surely they could give me that much.

  But the phone continued to ring.

  “I have to go, baby,” I finally said with a heavy sigh. “Big kisses and strong hugs.”

  “Come home, Mommy.”

  “I will. Soon. I love you, sweetheart.”

  I turned off the laptop and picked up the phone as it began to ring again.

  “What is it, Jules?”

  “There’s been a shooting…”

  Chapter 31

  Joss

  Ash stood in the middle of the street, blood on his shirt as he stared at the bullet riddled car. Fury thrummed through him; I could literally see him vibrating with it. Emily rushed over, her hands pushing me back away from him.

  “Where’s Mina?”

  “They took her to the hospital. It’s not bad, a graze on her left shoulder, but he insisted she be treated in the hospital.”

  “And him? Is he hurt?”

  She shook her head. “No. That’s Mina’s blood.”

  “What the hell happened?”

  She glanced over her shoulder at him before pushing me back a little further. “They were having dinner out. She was on the phone with the babysitter and he was driving. They stopped at the light and another car pulled up along side them. They just opened fire right there and then.”

  “Machine guns?”

  “Semi automatics.” She surveyed the damage. “They should have been killed. It’s a miracle they weren’t injured any further.”

  “They didn’t want them hurt. It was a warning.”

  “For what? What’s going on here, Joss?”

  I didn’t know. I wished I did, but I didn’t know.

  I went to Ash and he growled at me, literally growled, but then he recognized me and let me wrap my arms around him.

  “I’m going to kill them.”

  “I know.”

  ***

  I walked into the house, aware of the odd looks I was getting from my team. They hadn’t expected me to show up here and they weren’t s
ure if they should stop me or not. I was glad they didn’t try because I wasn’t in the mood for it tonight.

  “Joss? What are you doing here?”

  A mixture of hope and anger flashed across my husband’s face. He was alone in the living room, paperwork spread around him as he finished up whatever he hadn’t been able to get done in the office today. It was a familiar sight that made my heart ache.

  “You need to get the girls. We’re going to the compound.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Someone shot up Ash and Mina in their van tonight.”

  “What? Are they okay?”

  “Mina has a wound on her shoulder, but they’re otherwise unharmed. Just traumatized.”

  He nodded, concern marking his expression. “But what does that have to do with us?”

  “Whoever did this was sending a warning. And that warning was more than likely sent at Jack Mahoney’s request.”

  “What?”

  “His niece killed herself in FBI custody today after we arrested her for attempting to gather information on you and the girls. The two happening on the same day cannot be a coincidence. So, please, Carrington, go get the girls and pack a bag. We need to go now.”

  I could see the desire to argue written all over him, but he simply nodded. He quickly gathered his papers and headed upstairs.

  I could have kissed him.

  I went into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of juice, realizing that the nausea had finally passed and had been replaced with a ravenous need to eat. I hadn’t eaten all day. I searched through the fridge, pulling out a chicken leg that tasted like heaven.

  “You used to eat like that when you were pregnant.”

  I turned, unaware that Carrington had come back into the room. “What?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing.”

  “Are the girls ready?”

  “Yeah. McKelty’s just looking for her school bag.”

  I nodded. “A van will be here in a few minutes to take you to the compound. I’m going to go tell my people what’s happening.”

  “You’re coming with us, aren’t you?” Carrington asked, grabbing me by the arm as I tried to move around him.

  “I’ll be around.”

  “Joss, don’t be reckless. Not now.”

  I looked up at him, touched by the concern in his eyes. “This needs to end. Ash is on the edge and these people are trying to manipulate my operatives. It’s getting out of hand.”

  “That’s more reason why you need to stay close. Stay safe.”

  “It’s why you need to send the girls away. They’d be safer anywhere but here.”

  He nodded. “We’ll discuss it.” His hand moved down my cheek, his fingers moving gently over my jaw. I closed my eyes, loving the familiarity of his touch. But then I pulled away, remembering why it was I’d packed my things this morning.

  “I have to go.”

  ***

  I watched from a distance as they were settled in Ash’s house, the girls put to bed in beds that weren’t their own. I knew Rose would make it into this big adventure, keep them from being scared. But I knew they would be scared anyway.

  I should be in there. I should be the one keeping them from being afraid. But I had to keep them safe and those things were mutually exclusive at the moment.

  I went to the office where Emily was waiting for me and stared at traffic camera footage until I was cross-eyed. We couldn’t see their faces and the license plates had been removed from the car. There was no way to know who’d done this.

  It was just a little before dawn when I finally headed back to the hotel.

  “Be safe,” Emily said to me as I climbed into my car.

  “Always.”

  I was too exhausted to worry now. I drove with reckless abandon, glad I wasn’t pulled over. I never imagined someone would be waiting for me in the parking garage. But the moment I stepped out of my car, I saw his shadow move against the back wall.

  “I’m too tired for this bullshit,” I couldn’t help but mutter as he came at me, a knife in hand. I kicked blindly, hitting him in the ankle and causing him to cry out in pain. Then I gave a good punch to the midsection, knocking all the air out of his lungs. He was twice my size, but I’d managed to get the better of him in less than a minute.

  “Go home. Get some sleep,” I said as I delivered a third blow, watching him fall before slamming the side of my hand into the back of his neck.

  I walked away, tugging out my cellphone to let the local cops know they had another body to deal with. I never saw the second man.

  The knife sank into my side like a hot knife through butter. He held me close to him as he did it, in an embrace almost like a lover would offer. I fell back against him, exhaustion and pain washing over me. When he let go, I fell to the dirty concrete, my vision darkening for a moment. I watched as he picked up his partner and ran toward a red pickup truck parked a few yards away.

  How did they know I’d be here? Who was watching me now?

  It seemed like Mahoney had eyes everywhere. Was Elizabeth right? Was this never going to end?

  I could feel my blood warm on my skin. My cellphone was still in my hand. I dialed with shaky fingers, Mike’s warm voice washing over me in seconds.

  The sirens came just a few minutes later. It was a relief because it was getting awfully hard to keep my eyes open.

  As I closed my eyes for the last time, I whispered one last prayer.

  Please protect my babies. Let this, let my death, be the end.

  KARI

  Prologue

  Kari

  The prison was huge, hulking. It was funny how buildings like these seemed to always be dark, like they were projecting the darkness that lived inside.

  I was scared, but I tried to hide that from everyone around me. They asked so many questions, wanted to know everything about why I was there. What was I supposed to tell them? That I was here to seduce a man who sickened me in order to save the man who didn’t? I didn’t know how to put that into words anyone would understand, even me.

  But I had to do this. I had to make this right.

  Tommy saved my life. It was my turn to save his.

  Chapter 1

  Joss

  I’m too tired for this bullshit.”

  And I was. Just hours ago, I left my husband and children at Ash Grayson’s compound with the hope that they’d be safe there. I'd then gone to the office to see to the work I was tired of doing. If I heard the name Mahoney one more time… why wouldn’t the man leave us alone? Wasn’t it enough that people were dying all around us? Hadn’t enough happened?

  Mahoney sent his niece after us, trying to put together information on my husband and children so he could figure out how best to hurt me. When we caught her—thanks to the man she’d hired to help her out—she killed herself, but not before telling me it wasn’t over. That it would never be over. Not more than a few hours later, a car full of trigger-happy fools shot at Ash as he and his wife headed home after their weekly date night.

  I moved my family because I felt like I had no choice. They were safe now.

  But was I?

  I assumed he wouldn’t come after me because, by all accounts, he wanted me to suffer after he killed the people closest to me. Maybe he’d changed his mind.

  A man charged toward me in the parking garage of the hotel I’d been staying in for only a day. I cried out, blindly kicking and then hitting him in the ankle, and causing him to bellow with pain. Then a good punch to the midsection, pushing all the air out of his lungs. He was twice my size, but I’d managed to get the better of him in less than a minute.

  “Go home. Get some sleep,” I said as I delivered a third blow, watching him fall forward before slamming the side of my hand into the back of his neck.

  I walked away, tugging out my cellphone to let the local cops know they had another idiot to deal with. I never saw the second man.

  The knife sank into my side like a hot knife through butte
r. He held me close to him as he did it, in an embrace almost like a lover might offer. I fell back against him, exhaustion and pain washing over me. When he let go, I fell to the dirty concrete, my vision darkening for a moment. I watched as he picked up his partner and ran toward a red pickup truck parked a few yards away. Thinking quick, I took a picture with the cellphone that was still in my hand.

  How did they know I’d be here? Only a handful of people knew I was here. Jules. Mike. A couple of others. Had one of them informed on me? Or was someone following me? I was careful…but not so much tonight. Had I missed a tail?

  I could smell my blood, but the pain wasn’t as bad at I’d expected. I rolled to my side, thinking I could stand, but my legs were too weak to hold me. I studied my phone, finding it difficult to focus, but somehow managed.

  “Mike?”

  There was instant concern in his voice. “Joss? What’s happening? Where are you?”

  “My hotel. There were two guys—”

  “I’m on my way.”

  I closed my eyes, thinking how great it was I hadn’t had to tell him what the problem was. He knew. Mike Spencer was an FBI agent, a good man who knew what it was like to work this job. He understood the commitment it took, the time and the patience we had to put into it. He understood me better than…

  I thought of Carrington and my heart ached worse than the throb in my side. I closed my eyes and saw the concern in his eyes when I told him what had happened to Ash and Mina. I expected him to be angry, but he wasn’t. At the very least, he contained it while we prepared the girls for the move to Ash’s compound.

  Carrington understood better than I gave him credit for. But that didn’t erase the guilt I felt when I had to tell him how my job had followed me home.

  The sirens came not long after I spoke to Mike. A stranger bent over me, the lights flashing off the walls of the garage.

  “Where are you hurt?”

  I touched my side. “My back.”

  He pulled me toward him, speaking quickly to a partner I couldn’t see. I felt my clothing torn away, felt pressure on the place that had only throbbed before. Now pain cut through me, bringing a soft moan to my lips. Mike was suddenly there, falling to his knees close to my head. His eyes were dark, his breath laced with liquor. Mike wasn’t the kind to go out drinking after work, but he’d had a hell of a night tonight. A suspect committed suicide with his gun in the local police station. That’d drive anyone to drink.