by Linzi Basset
“Ah fuck, Lauren,” Keon muttered through clenched teeth as her soft words did what her pleas couldn’t. It yanked his iron control right out of his grasp.
Her muscles clenched and Keon hissed at the sensation of her pussy gripping around his length. He was lost in the satiny warmth of her flesh as they were engulfed in a euphoric overindulgence of their bodies.
“Now, Lauren. Come with me.”
Lauren released a wail that reached a crescendo, until Keon smothered the sound with his lips. He let go the moment he felt the rush of her juices coating his cock. Their bodies twisted in tempestuous convulsions of ejaculate that left them raw as he slumped on top of her.
It took Herculean effort to lift himself off her, only to fall on his back beside her. His hand settled on her heaving stomach as she struggled to find her breath.
He listened to her breathing slow down and finally become deep and even as she fell asleep. He turned on his side to stare at her. He brushed her hair from her face. His heart thudded faster against his chest when she moaned and pressed her cheek into his palm.
“Keon.” His name puffed from her lips.
He dragged in a deep breath, willing his heartbeat to slow down. He traced her lips with his fingertips.
The smile on his lips was luminous—a smile of a man who had finally seen the light.
“Thank you, Lauren, for giving me you and for marrying me.”
Chapter Nineteen
“So, we’re all set for this evening—at six. Max has confirmed Adam’s movements over the past month. It never varies. It seems as Whittaker, he is a creature of habit, which makes this easy,” Rhone intoned.
“We go in, off the motherfucker, leave the house ransacked and we’re out. Ten minutes, max. I don’t want any surprises and we’re not going to dally.” Rhone acknowledged the aggressive responses from around the table with a sharp look. “Yes, we all want to see the bastard suffer but he doesn’t deserve to live and that’s the bottom line. No more games. We’re in no position to risk this any further”
“Roger that, Rhone. But, he’s mine. I’m the one who gets to look into his eyes when he realizes his useless life is coming to an end.”
“Agreed, Keon.” Rhone looked around. “You all know what to do. Any questions or concerns?”
“Nope.” Ethan chipped in. “With Richard handling the tech, there’ll be nothing stopping our entry into his estate.”
“Richard and I have hacked into Black Diamond’s security footage. It’s linked to a security company, so it was easy,” Max said. “We wanted to see who has been to visit him.”
“And?” Lance sat forward, his eyes on the large television screen that lit up as Richard switched it on.
“We’ve been able to identify and verify everyone who’d visited Baxter since he became Whittaker. All of them were business associates, bankers, attorneys, etc., except for this one.”
The screen filled with pictures of a tall man, impeccably dressed, with long red hair and a beard. A video showed him arriving and chatting with the guards.
“He appears suspect and has visited him twice over the past three weeks. He also arrived at their annual Thanksgiving party last night,” Max explained and switched the video to another feed that showed the ballroom where the party had been held. “As you can see, he arrived, aimed directly for Baxter and cornered him. From their expressions, it wasn’t a very friendly chat.”
Jack squinted as he perused the video and the pictures. “It’s weird. I know I’ve never seen that man before but there’s something about the way he walks that seems familiar.”
“Yeah, I felt it too,” Max agreed.
“He does look familiar. Can anyone identify him?” Keon asked, to which Max and Richard shook their heads. “Which means it’s another motherfucker in disguise. Jesus! Is this ever going to end?”
“We’re going to run his features through the forensic program to see if we can identify him. I tried to remove the beard and shorten the hair but we still couldn’t link it to any identity in the system,” Richard pointed to the screen. “I’ll also run it through every personal database I can get my hands on. FBI, CIA, NCIS, all of them. Somehow, I have a sneaky suspicion this guy is squeaky clean which means we might not find out who he is.”
“Which will take weeks. Very well, get to it. Who knows, we might just get lucky. I’m not in the mood for more surprises. Especially tonight,” Rhone barked.
“Do Samantha and Lauren know what we’re planning?” Ethan queried.
He sipped on his coffee and sighed blissfully.
“No and we’re not going to tell them. The less they know, the better.” Keon leaned forward to grab one of the chocolate chip cookies and chomped on it. He glanced at his friends before he said quietly, “I married Lauren yesterday.”
“You what? You? But you said you’ll never marry again.” Jack asked with disbelief.
“Yeah.” He took another cookie and chewed on it. “You know I applied for her to legally adopt Beckie since the one before had been fraudulent. She’s Beckie’s mother and I can’t change that. And because I have no interest in falling in love again, this solved two problems in one.”
“Do tell,” Lance interjected with a wide smile.
“Wipe that smile off your face, mate. Yeah, sex is a bonus but this way, Beckie will be taken care of should something happen to me.”
“Well, congratulations, mate. You deserve to have someone in your life and yeah,” Ethan chuckled when Keon opened his mouth to protest, “I hear your reasons but remember, love is like a thief in the night. You never see it coming.” He glanced at Rhone. “Although, some people are too hardheaded to realize it.”
“When’s the party? Come on, Keon. You can’t get married and not celebrate.”
Keon looked at Jack. “Now, you sound just like Beckie. She’s adamant we have the whole enchilada—her words—and is already making plans.”
“Right, let’s get to work. I want to go over our movements again. Richard, you’re on,” Rhone brought them back to order.
Everyone straightened and paid attention as Rhone covered every aspect of their plan. All of them were in agreement. Nothing was allowed to go wrong. Adam Baxter was meeting his maker later this day.
* * * * * * * *
“I don’t understand, Lauren. You haven’t said it but I know you love Keon. It’s in your eyes every time you look at him. So, why not grasp this opportunity and make it work.”
Samantha’s words echoed in Lauren’s mind. He was a force inside her mind, her heart, one with the power to tear down walls she had built high over the years.
He had taught her it was okay to need, to desire, even to lust, but in the process, he’d made her love him. A love that was so strong that she’d never be able to walk away. And that was root of all conflict. How did she live without his love?
“I know Samantha but you know it’s always been all or nothing for me. He doesn’t love me. He’s made it clear from the first day that he has no interest in falling in love again.”
“Yeah, he also said he’ll never get married and he did.”
“He married me to protect me and to give Beckie a mother in case something happens to him.”
“I don’t understand. He didn’t need to marry you to protect you, sis or for Beckie’s sake. All he needed was a will. What happened? You’re not telling me something?”
Lauren frowned. She should’ve known Samantha was too sharp to miss anything.
“He phoned again yesterday morning. ‘I’m coming for you.’ That’s all he said.”
“The fucking bastard! He won’t leave us alone, even after all this time. He’s a fucking monster that needs to be eliminated from our lives. I have been making plans, trying to figure out how to get him alone but still maintain control of the situation. We need to confront him, like I did when he tried to force me to kill Rhone. Catch him off guard once again and show him we’re not going to allow him to have the upper hand over us. Ever again.”
“For how much longer, Lauren? I know how Precision Secure operates. It’s why they have such an impressive success rate. They plan everything down to the last dot on a page. It’s time to face our fears and show Adam Baxter he doesn’t scare us anymore. We don’t need Rhone or Keon to fight our battles. We’re strong enough on our own. We are not weak. And I refuse to simply sit like a lame duck, waiting for that motherfucker to make his next move.” Samantha got up. “I’m going to change.” She turned at the door. “I don’t expect you to come with me, sis. As a matter of fact, I prefer that you don’t. I don’t want you to see me when I become what he turned me into.”
“I am coming with you. He destroyed my life, Samantha. He fucking maimed me! It’s my due.” She looked down at the jeans, sweater and sneakers she was wearing. “Do I need to change?”
“No, you’re fine. Very well, sis. We’ll do this together.”
Lauren watched Samantha run upstairs. Was it the right thing to do? Killing someone for the monstrous acts he’d performed over the years? Shouldn’t he face justice in the legal way?
No. Justice was for those who deserved the opportunity to turn their lives around. He didn’t deserve any. Samantha is right. It’s time to show him we have the courage to face him and end the reign of terror he’s had over our lives. The bastard has to die.
Samantha returned and quickly went down to the basement. She reappeared with a large duffel bag a few minutes later. Lauren watched in amazement as she unpacked her sniper rifle and with quick, efficient movements assembled it. She loaded two bullets in the chamber and ensured the safety lock was on.
She fished out a vicious looking knife that she strapped onto her thigh and stuffed a pistol in the back of her pants.
Lauren held out her hand. Samantha shook her head.
“No. This is what I do. I’ve killed a number of people before but it’s never easy to forget them. I still see every target’s final expression at night in my dreams. Let me take care of this.”
“What if he disarms you? I can’t stand by and watch him hurt you or worse, kill you. At least with me armed, we have a double shot at this.”
Samantha hesitated and searched Lauren’s expression. She knew how empathic she was but the hardness in her eyes proved that for Adam Baxter, she had none.
“Come on, sis. You know I’m an excellent shot and I’ve been practicing over the years.”
“Very well. But as backup only. I don’t want you to have to live with it.”
She handed her a Springfield Armory 9mm Luger Pistol. Lauren tested its weight in her hand, checked the magazine and cocked it once.
“It’s a beauty.” She attached the silencer and took the knife Samantha held out to her and strapped it to her thigh and pocketed the pistol.
Samantha pulled her long hair through the back of a black cap and Lauren followed suit with the blue one she handed her.
“Let’s go,” Samantha said and walked into the garage. Enzo had gone grocery shopping so they didn’t need to be evasive.
“You said you’ve been planning this for a while.” Lauren said as they got into the Range Rover. “What exactly is our plan?”
“I’m going to invite him to meet me at a deserted warehouse just outside of town. We used it in the past for team meetings. Not that he was ever there himself, except via hologram but he knows where it is.” She glanced at Lauren. “And I’m going to give him what he’s been after all this time,” Samantha replied as she made the call to the landline of the Black Diamond Corporation using the car’s bluetooth speakerphone.
“Yes, I’d like to speak with Mr. Whittaker please. This is Samantha Frazer.” She listened to the woman’s response; a grim smile on her face. “Tell him it’s regarding the ‘Force of Nature’ project.”
“Well, well, this is a surprise,” the same voice that had grated into Lauren’s ear the day before echoed through the car.
Samantha noticed her hands fisting on her thighs.
“Really? I would’ve thought you’d be expecting my call. Especially after the failed trick you’d tried on Rhone.” That had been Samantha’s Joker to catch Adam off guard. Once he knew Rhone was released, he’ll know his days were numbered and would be eager to get her on his side.
“What are you talking about?”
They could hear the weariness in his voice which he tried to hide behind a cough.
“Trying to set him up for Vitale’s murder. Oh, you didn’t know? It didn’t stick, Baxter.”
His curse sounded harsh in their ears. Samantha laughed gaily. “Next time, make sure you have concrete proof before you try and set him up. It seems you’re slipping, Bulldog. Maybe they did more than change your face; they rendered you stupid too.”
“Fuck you, Ace. I don’t have time for this shit. What do you want?” he growled vehemently.
“It made me realize that it’s never going to end. You’ll never walk away, will you, Adam? You’re going to keep chipping away at all the defense systems around me and Lauren until I give in.”
“At long last you see the light. Get to the point.”
“I want to meet. I’m ready to talk business.”
Silence followed her statement. “Why the sudden change of heart?”
“You said it all those years ago. Once you’ve killed and felt the rush it generates, it’ll always be in your blood. I miss that. I might just as well admit it.”
“And what about Greer? Are you gonna walk away from him? Just like that?”
“Well, that would depend, Adam.”
“On what?”
“If you promise to leave Lauren alone from this point on.”
His laugh crackled over the speaker. “I should’ve guessed something like that was coming. So, let me get this straight, you’re willing to come and work for me and leave Rhone, and the only condition is that I leave your sister alone?”
“Are we gonna meet or not? I’m not prepared to discuss this over the phone.”
“Very well. Let’s meet in an hour in downtown DC. On—”
“No. Do you think I’m stupid, Adam? I don’t trust you. I never have and I never will. We meet on my terms on my turf. Take it or leave it.”
“Where?”
“The Silver Sting warehouse. Thirty minutes.” Samantha ended the call without giving him an opportunity to respond.
“Do you think he’ll come?” Lauren asked after a long silence.
“He’ll come but he won’t be alone,” Samantha said with her brows drawn together.
“Why do you say that?”
“I got the feeling there was someone with him. Didn’t you notice the subtle hesitation in his voice? Almost like he was being instructed.”
“We need to phone Keon and Rhone, Samantha. This changes everything.”
“No. It only changes the number of people who die today and no,” she said after a brief glance at Lauren, “it’s not going to be either of us.”
“But what if it is the assassin who killed Vito Vitale?”
“I’ll be ready for him, sis.”
“Are you sure? You said yourself after watching the footage that he was an excellent shot. And if Adam brings him along, he’s not going to walk through the front door with him,” Lauren said as she worried her lip between her teeth.
“I know that, Lauren. Look, I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. As long as you cover Adam, we’ll be fine. Now relax, we’re nearly there. I picked an area in the warehouse where they can only approach us from one side. No windows, no additional doors. If his cohort wants a shot, he’s going to have to enter with Adam. It’s going to be a one on one scenario, sis.”
That appeased Lauren and she fell silent. She tried not to think of the emotional impact it would have on her when she came face to face with her tormentor of the past sixteen years.
“Just remember, Lauren. He’s not going to look like the man y
ou once knew. You need to be prepared and not let him coax you into believing he’s changed. He knows your weaknesses better than you do yourself, so you have to close your mind to everything but the memories of what he did to you.”
“Oh, don’t worry, sis, I know what he looks like. I wasn’t going to take the chance of him blindsiding me again.”
“Be careful. We’re here,” Samantha guided the Range Rover between the two warehouses toward the back. It was deserted.
“Do you think he’s here already?” Lauren asked with bated breath.
“Not unless he used a chopper, which I doubt. No, we’ve got at least a fifteen minute lead on him. Let’s get inside. I don’t want any surprises. We need to be ready for him when he walks through the door.”
“Or them,” Lauren reminded her softly.
“Yeah, or them.”
* * * * * * * *
“What is it, Max?” Rhone looked up from the layout they were studying to double check for any loopholes in the plan. It was the first time they were taking so many precautions ahead of time.
“Er, you’re not going to like this, Rhone,” Max hedged just as the rest of the team piled through the door. Richard pushed his wheelchair around the table and linked his iPad to the television screen.
“This is a live feed from the aerial traffic cam system,” he said.
“Fuck! What the hell is she doing at a warehouse?” Rhone exploded as they watched the silver Range Rover drive to the back of the warehouse. “Where the hell is that?”
Richard glanced at Max. Rhone’s fist slammed down on the table. “Talk, goddammit!”
“It’s in the industrial area next to Lake Barcroft,” Max responded. He glanced at his watch. “By car, about a forty-five-minute drive from here this time of day.”
“Fucking women don’t listen!” Keon exploded as he noticed two figures exiting the Range Rover on the passenger side.
“Zoom in, Richard,” Rhone barked, his heart faltering at the implication of what he noticed in Samantha’s hands.
“Fuck,” Samantha is carrying her sniper rifle and is that . . . yep, Lauren is carrying too.” Jack verbalized what they were looking at.
