Gray Wolf Security: Back Home

by Glenna Sinclair

  “Damnit! He’s not here!”

  “Driver of the front vehicle is conscious,” I barked into the com. “We need to get going.”

  “Retreat to the vehicles,” Ash ordered. “Everyone in the vehicles now!”

  I climbed to my knees and Kirkland grabbed my arm, pulling me back just as the roofing material beside me exploded. The driver had gotten out of the car and was firing up at us. Kirkland had just saved me from getting a bullet in my thigh.

  We ran to the door and down the stairs inside the old building, skirting broken steps and the rotting corpses of rats. The SUV we’d come in was sitting idle by the back door. We jumped in and barely got the door closed before the vehicle bounced up onto the highway behind the last car, joining the other vehicles, rushing back the way we’d come.

  Mission over. And it was a failure.

  Thank God!

  Chapter 19

  Carrington

  “What does this mean, exactly?” I whispered near her ear, not wanting to be overheard but needing answers.

  “Not now.”

  Joss moved away from me, edging toward the side of the room. Ash was at the front, pacing in the small space between the wall and the table. Sutherland was beside him, looking over the map that was still spread out on the table. The rest of those who’d gone on the operation were sitting in chairs, looking defeated. Joss did, too, to a certain extent. But there was elation in her eyes that I couldn’t miss. I wondered how the others did.

  “They changed up the route,” Ash announced. “That can be the only answer.”

  “They’ll have to move him again tomorrow,” someone pointed out. “It’s a long drive to Denver.”

  “They were flying. He’s probably safe and sound on board a federal transport plane by now.”

  “Then we missed him completely?”

  Ash glanced at Joss, a deep sadness in his eyes that I’d never seen before. Then he sighed. “I’ll contact my source again and see if we can get more information on his whereabouts. Maybe we can hit him in Denver.”

  “They can’t protect him twenty-four seven,” someone else said.

  It was funny how they were so reluctant to just give up.

  And little touching.

  I slipped out of the room and went to the little porch out back. I needed fresh air.

  I’d been convinced that Joss would return shot or otherwise injured. The idea of her wearing that flak jacket over her baby bump just didn’t sit well with me. To see her come inside with the others was reassuring, but it wasn’t setting my mind at ease as completely as I had hoped it would.

  “Not easy watching them go off that way, is it?”

  Harley McKay—Dr. McKay—was sitting in a low chair at the far end of the porch. I hadn’t even realized she was there. I’d assumed she’d stayed up at the main house where she was a guest of Sutherland’s along with her husband, Kipling McKay. All through the operation while everyone else was inside listening to the radio transmissions, she must have been out here. Alone.

  “It’s not easy watching them come back, either.”

  “No. Especially when just over a year ago, my husband was shot in the leg during one of those operations and still has a limp as a result.”

  I wondered what she would think if she knew I sent my wife out there nearly four months pregnant.

  “You’ve been married to this longer than I have. How do you deal with it?”

  I shrugged. “I didn’t. I pretended it wasn’t happening. She went off to do her thing in the morning and I went off to do mine and we’d meet back at the house. I never asked and she never told.”

  “Was that easier?”

  “No.” I crossed my arms over my chest, thinking about it. “No, not really. Because I wasn’t seeing who she really was and I wasn’t appreciating her for it. It nearly ruined our marriage.”

  She reached up and scratched the side of her neck, leaving bright pink marks there. “Kipling keeps telling me that he’s safe, that he would never take chances. But I can’t…every time he leaves the house to go on one of these little operations? I see bullet wounds and caskets and funeral plans dancing in my head.”

  “Kipling is good at what he does.”

  “He is. And I’d never dream of telling him to stop. Just like he wouldn’t dream of asking me to stop being a surgeon. But that doesn’t change the fact that sending him off to work is more stressful than holding some innocent person’s heart in my hands.”

  “Just wait until you have kids.”

  She snorted. “He wants kids. Desperately. But the idea of raising a child on my own after he’s been gunned down in the streets just isn’t my cup of tea.”

  “Kids can be a solace. And a distraction. And, sometimes, they can bring a calming effect on a person.”

  She nodded slowly. “Did having children keep your wife at home?”

  “Briefly.”

  She laughed softly. “Wouldn’t happen with Kipling.”

  “You might be surprised.”

  The back doors opened and Kipling himself strode through, his limp barely noticeable in the adrenaline driven aftermath of the operation. He smiled broadly when he spotted his wife.

  “I knew I’d find you out here.”

  “You know me too well.”

  I watched as they embraced, feeling as if I was intruding on a private moment. I went inside to find my wife, moving up behind her as she approached one of Sutherland’s operatives.

  “Grainger,” she said, smiling politely as he turned to look at her.

  “Joss.”

  She inclined her head slightly. “I didn’t have a chance to thank you for doing this today.”

  He shrugged. “Anything to help out a fellow Gray Wolf operative.”

  “I’m sorry it proved to be something of a waste of time. But, perhaps, it could have been worse.”

  “From what I understand, it has been.” He tilted his head slightly, taking in both Joss and me. “I’m glad you were able to get your daughter back.”

  “Thank you.”

  “My wife is expecting our first in a few months. I haven’t even met him yet, and I couldn’t imagine what that would be like.”

  I touched Joss’s back, agreeing with everything he was saying.

  “Congratulations. How is your wife?”

  “She’s good.”

  “Does she still run that motel out on the highway?”

  Grainger nodded. “She does. We both do, actually, when I’m not on an operation for Sutherland.”

  “I guess everything’s pretty much back to normal out there since they shut down Mahoney’s real estate development company, right?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “No new construction or anything.”

  He shook his head. “We’ve been seeing heavy trucks and some backhoes and such, but no construction. It’s kind of odd, actually.” He shifted on his feet, moving slightly closer to Joss as though he was going to tell her a secret. “It looks like building equipment, but nothing’s going up anywhere that we can see. I even asked one of the guys and he said they were just passing through. Yet, we’re still seeing the equipment from time to time.”

  Joss glanced at me, her eyes bright with excitement. “Sounds strange. But, maybe he’s right. Maybe it’s something going up out toward Casper.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Well, congratulations again. If you ever need anything, some advice or anything, just let us know, okay?”

  “Definitely. Thank you.”

  Joss reached behind her and grabbed my hand, drawing me out of the bunkhouse. We walked quickly across the property toward the horse barn where we could see a woman working with one of the thoroughbreds in a paddock just beyond the building.

  “He’s here. At MidKnight.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  Joss gestured at the young woman. “He’s come for her.”

  Chapter 20

  Joss

  “You know I’m ri
ght.”

  Donovan was perched on a bale of hay, Kirkland lying behind him in a bed of straw. David was standing with his arms crossed, studying me like he’d never seen me before. Carrington was leaning against the wall like a fly, just observing the whole thing.

  “Jack Mahoney blames Becky Kay for the suicide of his nephew, Grant Kennedy. That’s how you got him the first time, right, Donovan?” I asked, gesturing to him. At his nod, I continued. “He snuck into her hospital room and tried to inject her with poison. He failed.”

  The room fell silent.

  “And I think I know where he is. Or I have a rough idea. I’ll need you, David, to find out the exact spot.”

  “Where?”

  I glanced at Carrington. “Before his arrest, Mahoney had Carrington and his crew buying a lot of land in this area. A lot. And it’s all out there near the highway, not far from the motel Grainger and his wife own. The original thought was that he planned on building a legitimate resort for the influx of wealthy, Hollywood types that were vacationing in the area. Maybe use it as a place to launder some money. But now I’m thinking he had other plans for it as well.”

  “What? A Storm shelter? A warehouse?”

  “A bunker.”

  “A bunker?” Kirkland sat up, brushing absently at the straw sticking to his shirt. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. A place to hide from someone?”

  “It doesn’t make sense, Joss,” Donovan said. “Why would he come back here to the same place where he was arrested? Why would he take that chance?”

  “Because I think that the construction on the bunker continued despite everything and he thinks he can disappear there for a time. Maybe for the rest of his life.”

  “Why?”

  That was a question I wasn’t ready to answer. It was a working theory, but there wasn’t enough evidence for me to share it right now. I needed more information before I could explain it to anyone else.

  All I could do was shrug. “Why does that man do anything?”

  That seemed to satisfy them for the moment.

  “David, I need you to check county records. There should be permits or something indicating where the bunker is. Once we find it, we’ll get you close enough to see if you can cut into the wireless network that they will undoubtedly have.”

  “No problem.”

  “Kirkland, I need you to quietly gather materials for a raid. I don’t want to alert anyone to what we’re doing, but we’ll need supplies.”

  “I’ve got it.”

  “And Donovan? I need you to stick close to Becks and Lance, make sure none of Mahoney’s men make a move on her before we’re ready.”

  He inclined his head. “We’ve actually got a date to go to one of the local bars tonight, Lance and me. I’ll convince him to bring Becks.”

  “What about me?” Carrington asked, pushing away from the wall.

  “I’ve got you, brother,” Kirkland said. “You can help me. No one will think twice if you want to take out a gun and learn to shoot it, right?”

  “Perfect.” I winked at Kirkland, always grateful for his quick thinking. “Everyone good?”

  I watched their faces, aware that none of them liked the idea of planning an operation without clueing Ash in. But I could also see that they really wanted Mahoney taken out, almost as much as I did.

  “My information is clearly accurate since he wasn’t in the SUV. The governor is working for Mahoney and he arranged for the route to be changed after Ash asked for the information. And I’ll bet big money that Mahoney’s men were on that road near Rock River.”

  “They were.” David pulled out his cellphone and brought it to me, showing me a picture of a group of dark sedans pulled to the side of the road near the Rock River turn off. “I had a friend waiting for them. They were there, waiting all day.”

  He passed the phone around so that everyone else could see.

  Everything Rahul Rush had told me was panning out. So far. It was time to check out the biggest secret he’d told me. If it was true, it could blow all of this out of the water.

  Everyone headed out to work on the tasks that I assigned them. I could see Carrington looking back over his shoulder a few times as I walked toward the guest house that Kirkland and Mabel had made their own. I waved, trying to show him I was okay. But he knew me better than that.

  Mabel was in the living room, rocking the baby in the big rocking chair Kirkland had bought and refurnished for her when their first child, Matthew, was born. She looked up and smiled when I came through the door.

  “I heard it didn’t go well,” she said in a low voice.

  “No. He wasn’t there.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I shrugged. “Ash is determined. We’re going to regroup after he gets some information from his contacts.”

  “That’s good, I guess.”

  “It’s what’s necessary.”

  I started across the room, but a cramp low in my belly made me misstep. Mabel got up and set the baby carefully in the portable crib they kept in a corner of the room. She caught up with me as I reached the stairs.

  “You need to take a seat and let me get you some tea.”

  “I’m fine. Just tired.”

  “You will sit down. That’s not a request.”

  I glanced at her, not used to her being forceful. But I did as she said, moving to the couch to sit against the pile of pillows she insisted on packing against me. She disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a steaming cup of tea after just a few minutes.

  “It’s passionflower tea. It’ll help with the discomfort.”

  “Discomfort?”

  “From the pregnancy.”

  I blushed, my eyes dropping to the pretty cup in my hands. “How did you know?”

  “I spent my childhood surrounded by pregnant aunts and multiple members of our church. I know what a pregnant woman looks like.”

  “You haven’t told…?”

  “Kirkland? He wouldn’t figure it out if you were in labor.”

  I laughed and she joined in.

  “That’s too true.”

  “And I have no reason to tell anyone else. It’s your news to share.”

  I nodded, sobering again. “We’ve decided to wait until all of this with Mahoney is over.”

  “I understand.” She sat beside me and rested her hand on my leg. “Can I just…I know how much trouble you had when you wanted to get pregnant before. If there’s anything I can do to help now, just ask.”

  I glanced at her, tears filling my eyes. “I just wish it was already over so I could sit back and enjoy being pregnant. With everything…this is probably the last time I will experience this and I wasn’t even able to tell Carrington until recently. It’s not how I saw this going, you know?”

  “I know.”

  “I love Gray Wolf, love the life it has provided me. I mean…Ash saved my life when he brought me into Gray Wolf in the first time. If not for him, grief over my husband and son would have taken over everything.” I shook my head as I stared into the tea again. “I owe him so much I can’t even begin to express it.”

  Much to my horror, the tears began spilling down my face. Mabel just patted my knee, patiently waiting for me to get control.

  “Not just Ash. Kirkland was my best friend. He kept me from going crazy when Carrington and I were having so many problems. Just hearing his voice on the phone calmed me down. And those days the two of you welcomed me here…it meant everything to me.”

  “I think he’s still your best friend.”

  I chuckled a little. “Yeah, I guess he is.”

  “I have to say, I was kind of jealous when he and I were first together, watching the way he was with you. It was so clear how much he loved you. It took me getting to know him better to understand what that love was. I’ve never seen two people have such a tight bond and not be romantically involved before.”

  “Carrington was the same way, I think.”

  “But I know now t
hat you’re his family. Everyone at Gray Wolf, but you more than anyone else.”

  I nodded. “And he’s mine. We understand each other. We have this bond that comes out of the tragedies of our childhoods, I think.”

  “And I’m glad you found each other. I fully believe if he hadn’t met you first, he wouldn’t have been capable of being with me. Not when we first met, anyway.”

  I thought about that for a minute, about the Kirkland I met when I first moved to Santa Monica. What she said was truer than she could ever know.

  “And now I’m dragging him down a path that I don’t see the end of. I don’t know what will be waiting for us when it’s all over. And that scares me, not for myself, not for my family, but for everything. And everyone. If this goes badly—”

  “You’re doing what you have to do. No one doubts that.”

  “I never wanted to bring them into this.”

  “You didn’t. They chose this.”

  I sighed heavily. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t feel that way.” I sipped the tea she’d given me, the mild cramps in my abdomen already calming. “I don’t know if my heart is in this work anymore. And that’s the true tragedy of all this.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they all believe they’re doing this for a fellow Gray Wolf family member. That’s not what I feel like anymore. My thoughts, when they aren’t on Mahoney and how to protect my family, are in distant places, traveling the world and spending time with my family while they’re still young enough to want to be with me.”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  I sipped a little more of the surprisingly sweet tea. “My head’s not in the game anymore. I’m seriously thinking of quitting, but Ash counts on me. He needs me in Santa Monica.”

  “I’m sure Ash of all people would understand if you put it this way to him. He has children, too. And your daughter—you just went through the worst thing a parent can go through short of experiencing a death.”

  “I’m sure he would, too, but it doesn’t make it easier.”

  “The things that are truly worthwhile aren’t easy, Joss.”