by Katie Reus
“Hi,” Nika said, giving her a soft smile.
“Hi. I just want to say thank you.” Selina’s voice was so faint Nika could barely hear her.
“Thank me for what?”
“For helping them find my body. My mommy’s still sad, but she seems better now.”
Nika wasn’t sure who ‘them’ was but knew the little girl didn’t have much time to talk. She was already fading. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes you did…that man you were sleeping next to did.”
Nika wasn’t sure what Declan had done. He said he’d look into it but she hadn’t been sure what to expect of him. It amazed her that the little girl knew Declan had even helped. And made her wonder how much spirits were aware of. A sudden knowledge settled in her chest as she realized the reason Selina was here. “Are you coming to say goodbye?”
Selina nodded and lightning fast she was at the edge of the bed, barely a foot away from Nika. “You’re special and you need to stop denying it.”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about being lectured by a ten-year-old ghost. “It was too much before.” When all those spirits had wanted to talk to her all the time and all at once, she’d felt fucking crazy. They’d done it everywhere. It hadn’t mattered it she’d been grocery shopping or taking a shower—they’d always wanted to talk.
“You weren’t ready then. You have someone strong by your side now. When others come to visit you, you must listen. Filter out the extra noise, the ones who don’t need help. Focus on the ones who do.”
She sounded far smarter than a ten-year-old should. “Who are they?”
Selina ignored the question. “You helped me so I want to help you.” Reaching out, she touched her small, cold hand to Nika’s forehead. “Watch.”
A shiver skittered over her skin, but it was short-lived. Nika started to ask what she was doing when her entire world shifted. No longer was she in her bedroom. Instead, she was outside. She looked around her and realized she was in Andre’s massive backyard. Trees and hedges surrounded her.
And there was a man she recognized hiding in the shadows near an oversized gazebo. Everything happening was so surreal. This was real time, not someone’s dream. Somehow she just knew it. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but Selina wouldn’t have shown this to her if it wasn’t important. The man couldn’t see her so she walked up and stood directly next to him. It was too surreal.
When she got closer, he fought off a shiver, but continued speaking into his phone. It didn’t look like a smartphone though, but like one of those cheap ones you could buy at a gas station.
“…he’ll be here tonight. Andre has invited him to dinner. His lover wants to thank him or something.”
“As soon as Yasha leaves, contact me,” a male voice on the other end said.
“Why don’t you just kill him when he’s heading to Andre’s house?”
“Because I don’t know where he’s coming from and I’ve never been able to catch him leaving his house. He has too many decoys and changes his schedule too often to be predictable,” the unknown speaker said.
“I’ll call you, but this is it. After this, I’m out for good.”
“The rest of your money will be wired to you after tonight.”
Nika’s surroundings started to fade. A hazy mist enveloped her until she was no longer outside, but in her bed.
With a start, Nika threw the covers off, ready to go find Declan, but stopped as her feet hit the carpeted floor. Someone was planning to kill Yasha. Maybe she should just let whoever he was do it.
No. One of Declan’s men was a traitor. She had to tell him. He’d honored her request to keep her identity a secret. Considering all the lies she’d told him, she had to do this one thing for him. She owed him. She had to let him know that one of his own men was going behind his back. Besides, for all she knew, the traitorous bastard had been complicit in her sister’s kidnapping. There was a part of her that told her to tell Alena first, but she silenced that little voice.
* * *
Declan quickly scanned the various phone numbers on the spreadsheet Odell had sent him. Barry Green, Andre’s assistant in Vegas, had been making a lot of calls to an unknown number in Miami. To say his call history for the past six months was interesting would be an understatement. The man never seemed to sleep. He received calls at all hours of the day and night from everywhere along the East Coast. Declan highlighted one of the phone numbers and showed it to Odell. “Isn’t there a way to track who owns this phone?”
Odell turned back to his computer screen. “The numbers I’ve looked up so far are from burner phones, but we might get lucky.”
The only sound in the room was Odell clacking on the keyboard while Declan continued to scan.
“Sorry boss, this number’s a throwaway too,” he muttered, frustration in his voice.
Something about the number was familiar. It played in the corner of his mind but he couldn’t remember what it was. “What about the connection between Barry Green and Rick Savitch?”
“There’s nothing directly linking them, but a handful of these phones can be traced back to a bogus corporation called Skytri. It took some digging, but I found a link between an old PO Box address on file for Savitch and Skytri. And Skytri is linked to the same corporation that owns the warehouse and other property in Miami.”
Yeah, not a coincidence. “That’s really good work, Odell. I’m going to bring this to Andre now.” It wasn’t exactly earth shattering news. Declan already had a good idea that Rick Savitch was behind the kidnapping, but now he had something concrete to bring to Andre. The lover of Andre’s dead wife was going to pay for kidnapping Alena and killing one of Declan’s men.
When he opened the door, he nearly ran into Nika. Her green eyes were bright with worry, but she didn’t look as upset as she had earlier. “Is everything okay?”
“Have you seen my sister?”
“She’s with Andre. They’re—”
She abruptly shook her head. “I don’t really care where they are as long as they’re not here. I need to talk to you. Alone.”
Maybe she’d decided to come clean about everything. He nodded toward the kitchen. “Come on. Kitchen’s usually empty.”
As they strode down the hall, Clay walked out of one of the rooms, closing the door behind him. He had his SIG in his hand. Clay’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second when he spotted them, but then he relaxed.
He smiled easily as he approached them. “Hey boss, just checking the perimeter.”
That was when it hit Declan. The phone number he’d been trying to place looked familiar because he’d seen it once before. When Clay had called him from the hospital after Ethan’s death, he’d called him from a number Declan didn’t recognize. He’d probably used the phone by mistake. “Good. Why don’t you meet me in the office in a few minutes? I want to go over the game plan for tonight before Yasha arrives.”
Clay nodded, smiled almost sadly, and raised his weapon—pointing it directly at Nika’s head.
Declan’s heart felt as if it stopped, as if time actually stilled for one long moment. He couldn’t drag in a breath as he stared at his longtime friend—holding a weapon on the woman he cared about. He’d never lost his cool before in op situations but this was different. This involved Nika. A cold sweat rolled over him in one icy sweep. Declan’s weapon was tucked securely in its holster—under his jacket. His fingers itched to make a move for it, but it would get Nika killed.
For the first time in his life Declan understood what it meant to ‘see red’. If Clay had been just a little closer, Declan would break his neck for pointing that weapon at Nika. His hands clenched at his sides and he made a move to stand in front of her, but Clay shook his head.
“I don’t think so.” With his SIG, he motioned toward the room he’d just exited. “In there. Now.”
Nika paused so Declan nodded at her. “Do as he says.”
Once they were inside, Clay locked the door and kept en
ough distance between them so that Declan couldn’t wrest the SIG away from him without risking injury to himself or Nika.
Clay swore under his breath. “How’d you figure it out man?”
Declan shook his head, wondering how Clay had even known he had figured it out. “I wasn’t sure until right now.”
“Damn it.” He darted a nervous glance around the room. They were in one of the smaller, unused guestrooms that lead to the backyard. Clay pointed his weapon at Nika again and Declan had to restrain himself from simply reacting. If he could just cover the distance between them—
“Make another move and I’ll blow her head off.” There was a deadly edge to Clay’s voice. He recognized it, but he’d never been on the receiving end.
Declan remained still, knowing exactly how something like this could play out if he made one wrong move. Letting Nika get hurt wasn’t an option. “What did you get yourself involved in?” Declan needed to keep him talking so he wouldn’t do anything stupid.
“My daughter’s sick and I needed the money. Simple as that.”
“Why didn’t you come to me? I would’ve helped you. You know that.” They went back a long way. To their fucking military days. Declan took a small, lateral step so that he was standing slightly in front of Nika, but not making a move on Clay.
A harsh bark of laughter erupted from Clay’s throat. “You got two million bucks lying around for experimental therapy in Switzerland because I don’t, and my insurance company sure as hell doesn’t. You,” he tipped the SIG at Nika, “reach under his jacket and pull out his weapon. Slowly.” The last word was said with that same deadly edge.
Nika looked at Declan with wide, green eyes. More than anything Declan wished he’d been able to protect her. If he’d gotten into Clay’s head before now, he’d have known his friend—friend—was a dirty traitor. He’d never relished violence but right now he wanted to rip Clay’s head off for doing this.
Nika’s hands trembled as she pulled Declan’s own SIG out.
“Who are you working with? Rick Savitch?”
With his free hand, Clay rubbed a hand over his forehead. “Yeah, no sense denying it,” he muttered. “He wants Andre and his father to pay for the death of Ivy. If Andre hadn’t switched vehicles the day of Alena’s kidnapping Rick would have taken him but never would have let him live. I’m not sure exactly what Rick has planned but he’s going to kill Yasha eventually. He wants Yasha to see his son die though. To suffer. I think he might be targeting Andre’s sister too. I, I never meant…It doesn’t matter! Nika, put the gun on the floor, then kick it over to me.”
She did as he demanded, then sidled up next to Declan.
But Clay wasn’t finished. With his free hand, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a zip tie. He tossed it toward Nika. “Secure his hands to the bedpost. I can see what you’re doing so make sure it’s tight.”
“Sorry,” she muttered as she tightened the clasp around his wrists.
“Why’d you kill Ethan?” Declan asked.
Clay shot a nervous glance at the door. “I didn’t want to, but Rick ordered me. There was no way Ethan could explain why he’d taken the back roads that morning and Rick was afraid he’d spill his guts once he healed.”
“Why was Ethan working for Rick?”
“Fucking money, man!” His weapon hand trembled slightly before he regained focus. “You’re coming with me.” Clay tipped his weapon directly at Nika again and Declan swore his heart stopped. Clay was going to suffer for this.
“You don’t need her. No one knows about you but me. Just leave her and get the hell out of here. You already have a head start. No one will find us for a while.”
Clay shook his head. “I don’t have any more zip ties and I’m not taking the chance. The girl comes with me. Insurance. I’ll drop her off as soon as I’m away from here.”
Declan yanked once, hard enough the entire bed rattled. “I swear to God if you hurt her, I’ll hunt you down and kill you.” He’d do a lot more than that, but vicious threats would mean nothing to a man like Clay. Declan just wanted him to understand what he intended.
“I’m not going to hurt her. Damn it, Declan! This wasn’t supposed to happen. This isn’t personal and I seriously hope you catch that bastard, Savitch. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just needed the money.” He switched his attention to Nika. “Grab the sash tying one of the drapes and cover his mouth.”
Silently she did as he asked, but Declan noticed the trembling of her hands as she untied the fastening and walked toward him. Once she was finished, she still stood by Declan.
Clay waved his weapon at her. “Get over here now.”
Nika cast Declan a pleading look but did as Clay asked. Declan grunted but she’d done a good job tying him up. He could only watch as Clay tucked the SIG into the pocket of his jacket and grabbed Nika by the arm.
As they walked from the room, something primal surged through him. Struggling against the bedpost, he yanked with all the strength he had. The ties cut through his skin but the pain barely registered. The queen-sized bed had a canopy frame so even if he managed to shimmy up to the top, he was still blocked.
Using one foot as an anchor to ground him, he lifted his other leg and kicked at the post. It was a difficult balance and the frame was fairly solid, but as he kicked and jerked with his hands and foot, a deep cracking sound split the air.
He experienced a burst of hope. They hadn’t been gone that long. If he could just get free, he could save Nika…crack!
The entire frame shifted and the post finally broke free under the abuse. He used his weight to pull the post backward. It slammed against the dresser but he dragged it until he could slip his bound wrists off the broken wood.
His hands were still hooked together, but at least he was free of his anchor. He pulled the sash out of his mouth as he rushed from the room. Heart pounding, he ran into Nathaniel walking from the kitchen holding a sandwich.
“What the hell—”
“Cut me free. Now!”
Without pause, Nathaniel dropped his food, the plate splintering against the hard floor as he pulled a knife from his pocket.
Declan didn’t give him a chance to ask questions. “Clay’s been working with Rick Savitch. He took Nika less than five minutes ago. They won’t have gone far. Radio everyone and tell them to gear up. Tell Odell to pull up whatever satellite views he’s got of this area. Give me your weapon and cell.”
“Here.” Nathaniel was already pulling both out.
Forcing down the panic raging inside him, Declan sprinted for the front door. His vehicle was parked around the side of the house and he had a spare key in it. Before he’d made it around the palatial home, he stopped when a flash of movement caught his eye.
One of the guards who watched the perimeter was jogging down the driveway with Nika next to him. For a brief second, his axis tilted, but he pulled it together and ran toward her.
Nika’s eyes were wide as she reached him, but she looked unharmed. “He didn’t hurt me. As soon as he was past the driveway, he let me go—”
Not caring that he had an audience, he cupped her face and crushed his mouth over hers. He’d never felt so desperate, so hungry, but he had to convince himself she was real and unharmed. His tongue rasped against hers with a barely contained hunger. He slid his hand around and grasped the back of her head and held tight. His fingers slipped through the curtain of her hair. Her kisses were just as fervent as his. Underneath him, her body trembled slightly and he almost came undone.
“Boss!” Nathaniel’s voice made his eyes snap open.
Fuck him, he was out of control. He pulled away from a dazed looking Nika. Her green eyes swirled like a mercurial summer swell off the Atlantic.
Turning, he faced Nathaniel but blocked Nika from the other man’s view. “What?”
“Everyone’s ready, but…” He nodded in Nika’s direction.
“Take your brother, Ramon, and Rico. Stay in contact w
ith Odell and see if you can hunt down Clay.” It burned Declan up that he wasn’t the one hunting that bastard down but he couldn’t leave for two reasons. Nika, being the main one. But Yasha would be there soon and Declan needed to be at the house. “He might have let her go, but we’re bringing him in. I’m going to alert the local PD and see if they can put out a BOLO on him.” He didn’t want to involve them but sometimes he had to go the police route. He’d do it for Nika.
Later, once Nika had a chance to decompress he was going to take her down to the police station to make a statement. Clay had held her at gun point and taken her prisoner. Declan assumed she’d want to press charges because he sure as hell was going to. They just had to catch him first. If she didn’t want to, he planned to take care of Clay personally.
He turned back to Nika. “I want you to go upstairs and stay in your room with your sister.”
She glanced around to make sure no one was close before turning back to him. “Listen, I was coming to tell you that I had a dream about Clay when he stopped us.”
“It doesn’t matter now.” He already knew Clay was dirty. Nothing would change that.
“No, it does matter. The man he talked to wanted him to call when Andre’s father left tonight. Whoever was on the other line wants to kill him tonight.”
Suspicion warred inside him that she was telling him. “You’re sure?”
“I know what I saw. What are you going to do?” she persisted.
“Talk to Andre about the man I think was behind your sister’s kidnapping and figure out what we’re going to do about it.”
“You’ll come get me though, right?” Her voice was edgy and uneven.
After just having a SIG pointed at her head and seeing those crime scene photos, he was impressed she was keeping it together so well. He wanted to stay and comfort her but he had too much to do. “I’ll be up there as soon as I can. If I could go with you I would.” Not caring if anyone saw, he cupped her cheek gently and rubbed his thumb over her soft skin.
His heart still thumped an erratic drumbeat and he knew no matter how long he lived he’d never be able to get rid of the memory of seeing her with a SIG pointed right at her. Now she was safe and that was what mattered. He planned to keep her safe.
