by Jan Graham
“Are you going to come down from there, or are you going to make this old man walk up the stairs?” Beth shook her head and laughed at Steve Jax who leaned against the railing, one foot on the first step of the curved staircase before her.
Steve Jax was a cop in the Highlands and was a bit like a big brother figure to Beth. She’d known him ever since he’d shown up looking for his sister years ago. The guy was cool. Well, cool for someone in his forties. He eventually married her Aunt Rhia who he’d made happier than Beth ever expected the woman would be. He was friends with her parents but also worked for Marcus occasionally. The Steve/Marcus connection went back years, not that Beth knew the details. Old missions generally weren’t discussed, they lived in the now where assignments were concerned. Steve was one of Marcus’ fringe dwellers, and that was really all anyone needed to know.
“Let’s cut a deal and meet halfway,” she grinned. Despite being close friends with her parents, he’d proved to be a good confidant to her as well. Steve knew she worked for Marcus and had since shortly after Marcus recruited her, and the man kept her secret. Beth admired him, trusted him, and knew if she ever needed help, he’d be there and keep her confidence. Marcus trusted him as well, hence the call today that had Steve guarding her on the way home until Ash arrived.
They met in the middle of the staircase, Steve following her lead as she sat down on the step.
“What are you doing here?” She realized he’d received the request to follow her but didn’t expect he’d come all the way to the city once Ash arrived to take over. Then again, big brother figures could be protective.
“I’m meeting Angel and Rhia later for dinner. They're baby shopping.” Steve feigned a shudder. “I can smell my credit card melting from here. So, since I was halfway to the city by the time Ash showed today, I decided to continue and catch up with Zane for a while. I didn’t expect to see you here looking all forlorn though. What’s up?”
“I’m not forlorn,” Beth emphasized the old-fashioned term. “I’m pissed off with the world. And you know, I can’t talk about missions, so don’t ask.”
Steve knew the rules, missions were a team thing, you needed to be read in on them, and she was sure all Marcus would have asked him to do was follow her without explaining the details. Steve would have complied without question simply because it was Beth who was in danger.
“I know the rules,” he stated matter-of-factly. “So just tell me what Marcus has done to piss you off?”
She couldn’t. Any explanation would have to include details, ones she didn’t want Steve to have. Like the tiny detail she’d been fucking Marcus which apparently had been a mistake. Her anger reignited. He’d backpedaled, saying the timing was a mistake, not the act itself, but who knew if that was true. Putting restrictions on the only way they could be together might be his way of forcing Beth to end things, leaving him free to say he’d tried to compromise, but she’d refused.
Beth growled in frustration, placing her head in her hands, concealing her face. If Steve was too nice, she’d end up crying.
“I said I was angry at the world, not Marcus,” she snapped.
She needed to maintain her rage.
“Marcus is your world. Has been for years now,” Steve stated. “I might be a guy, but I’m not an idiot, Beth.”
Yes, Marcus was her world, and her world appeared to be crumbling around her at a rapid rate. She couldn’t understand why. Maybe she’d been fooling herself they’d eventually be together. She believed the age difference was the only issue they’d face. Clearly, that wasn’t the case.
“What do you know about his wife who died?” she asked cautiously.
Beth wasn’t sure if Steve even knew Marcus at that time or even when the incident occurred. The question was worth asking though, considering it was the excuse Marcus used to try to convince her they couldn’t be together.
“Nothing. I’ve heard rumors, but they’re never reliable,” Steve replied. “You should ask him if you want the details. I’d suggest you do once the current missions over though, don’t muddy the mercenary waters. Splitting your focus between personal and professional fucks things up. You should know that by now.”
Yes, she did know that, and it pissed her off even more. Why drop all this shit on her now? He should have waited until there was a clear space of time with nothing important going on. Of course, in their profession, those moments were rare.
“All I got from him was she died as payback for a mission he’d conducted. I doubt he’ll tell me any more. God forbid, Marcus Delany should reveal his true feelings about anything.” Beth gave a faint smile as Steve stood to leave.
“It might be worth talking to Ash and Zane. They were with him from the start, and I know they helped drag him back from the hell Marcus found himself in,” Steve replied unenthusiastically. “But I didn’t tell you that, okay kiddo?”
“Okay. Thanks.” At least it was something. It gave her a direction regarding who to talk to, not that she believed either Zane or Ash would tell her what happened. They’d probably follow the same line Steve had and tell her to ask Marcus about it. Bloody boys club.
They were all as thick as thieves and all used the same excuse—the less you knew, the safer you were. This wasn’t a mission though. This was personal, and she needed to know. Her relationship with Marcus depended on it. After his loss, how damaged was he? Steve said the twins dragged him back from hell, that didn’t sound like normal grief. Why would he vow off relationships because of one incident? Having not been through an experience like that, she could only imagine what losing someone you loved did to a person. Beth recalled the fear she’d felt at the possibility of losing her father who she loved dearly. Could the death of a loved one be so devastating, it crippled you for the rest of your emotional life?
Beth stood and made her way back downstairs to deliver her keys to Zane.
“You okay?” Zane asked his tone firm, concern filling his expression.
Being surrounded by people who cared for your wellbeing was a wonderful thing. Except when you didn’t want it to be. She focused her mind on the task ahead.
“I’m fine, thanks. Apparently, Marcus would like you to deal with this.” She handed over the keys and with a parting wave stepped outside in full view of the criminals who stalked her and the expert surveillance of Ash Reynolds.
Putting herself back in play was the only way this would end, and Beth wanted it over as soon as possible. She understood now why Marcus hated when a plan went to hell. When the mission was put in jeopardy, the pressure of even the smallest hiccup raised the stakes to unbearable levels. Unfortunately, the hiccup in this mission had been them. Marcus and her. She realized now it was all unnecessary. If they’d waited, then she’d probably have been taken and reclaimed by now. She also understood why most of the team, including Marcus, lived by the ‘no regrets’ philosophy.
Regret was pointless. Actions mattered. That’s what she focused on as she walked the city streets heading to her fake apartment. Her actions from this point would make or break this assignment. Girls lives were at stake, and the sooner Beth helped take down the Aussie contingent of Oshimara’s gang, the better.
When she’d left the club, one of her followers exited the car. Unable to turn around and stare, she assumed he still tailed her on foot. The black SUV’s engine had roared to life and driven off not long after her fan started following her. She didn’t dwell on that because it was useless, the vehicle would appear again at some stage. Ash followed as well, she never saw him or knew where he was, but he was there nonetheless. A shadow in the night.
Her apartment block came into sight the same time the SUV ducked into the last dark laneway on her route. Beth’s heart pounded an erratic beat. Was this it? Were they taking her tonight? Mixed feelings flooded her. She wanted the mission over and done with but needed to see Marcus once more before they took her. If something went wrong, she didn’t want the last words between them to be terse ones.
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nbsp; Glimpsing the guy on foot closing in Beth rummaged in her bag as if looking for her keys. Her phone was on which meant, in the event Ash lost her, Billy could still track her. She grabbed the tiny backup GPS, not much bigger than a button, activated it and slipped it in her pocket. Billy assured her that if the kidnappers turned off or ditched her phone, provided Beth had it on her person, this little compact style accessory would cover her. It was the main reason she hadn’t worn anything that didn’t have pockets for the last few weeks.
Nearly level with the laneway, Beth tried to calm her breathing, only just realizing that it had accelerated with her heartbeat. Heavy footfalls filled her ears, her stomach lurched at the stench of body odor that engulfed her as an arm tightened around her waist and a hand covered her mouth. Her struggles were authentic, she wanted away from the smell. When did this guy last shower? At least there was some sort of cloth in his hand, so his skin wasn’t in contact with her mouth. He quickly dragged her off the street, heading into the depths of the dimly lit laneway and awaiting SUV.
Beth thrashed her legs and arms, which the kidnapper hadn’t secured at her sides when he grabbed her. She reached up, pulling a tuft of hair out of her assailant’s head and let it drop to the ground. They'd have some DNA, provided it didn’t blow away. Blood would be better, but she’d take what she could get. The few backward kicks that landed on the guy’s shins elicited some very satisfying grunts, well, they were satisfying for her.
“She’s a feisty bitch,” the man stated as they reached the SUV. The back hatch was up, and the second man stood glaring as his cohort struggled with her.
“Get her in the back so we can tie and cover her up, Remo,” he snapped.
Nice work, the tuft of hair belongs to Remo. Now let’s see if Remo is clever enough to name his partner in crime.
“I’m trying, Cliff,” Remo growled back.
Beth continued to struggle, her legs flying in all directions as Remo drew closer to the SUV and Cliff. She kicked out aiming high and was rewarded with a direct hit. Cliff reeled back, grabbing his mouth. His expression turned from amusement to fury as he regrouped, dragging her from Remo and backhanding her with such force she saw stars as she hit the ground. That was going to bruise, and if she wasn’t mistaken, she tasted blood. The bastard had split her lip.
Marcus wouldn’t be happy. He expressly said don’t do anything that would get her hurt. The consolation prize for her stupidity was a splat of blood landing near her hand courtesy of Cliff. DNA number two conveniently deposited in the alley. Ash would be watching, calling in for a sweep of the laneway once they left.
“Did you use enough of the knock out stuff on the cloth? Nigel said she’d be out within seconds of putting it over her face,” Cliff asked as he hauled her to her feet and shoved a gun in her face, instantly ceasing her desire to fight back. Shit just got real.
“I thought you put in on,” Remo replied defensively as he grabbed her arms, securing them behind her.
Great, I’m being kidnapped by amateurs.
Her face throbbed, and she could feel her lip swelling as they hoisted her into the back of the SUV.
“Are we going to knock her out?” Remo asked, picking up a blanket and beginning to cover her.
She assumed he meant with the chloroform. Unfortunately, Cliff had other ideas. Beth only just glimpsed the butt of the gun before everything went black.
* * * *
Nik snarled the moment he laid eyes on Bethany. Not only was the woman unconscious, but her left eye was swollen, her lip was split, and the reddened mark on her cheek darkened to a bruise.
“What the fuck!” he exclaimed, lifting her from the floor where Remo dropped her before carrying her to the cot in the cell where she’d remain until Marcus paid for her. “The order was for undamaged goods.”
Remo and Cliff stood silently, like a couple of keystone cops trying to avoid responsibility for the cluster-fuck they’d engaged in. Nik examined her eye, it looked bad enough now, tomorrow when the swelling and bruising reached its peak, there would be no way to hide the damage. This wasn’t merely a bump she’d received while being bundled into the car, it was an intentional attack.
“Tell me she’s unconscious because of the chloroform,” he stated, fixing an ice-cold glare on the two men.
“Chloroform or butt of my gun, what’s the difference? It’s the same result, she’s out of it,” Cliff smiled at his partner in crime and grinned when Remo began to chuckle.
The smile left Cliff’s face as Nik moved with lightning speed, pinning him to the wall, hand squeezing tightly around his throat, Cliff’s feet no longer in contact with the floor.
“The difference is no damage, you fucked-up asshole,” Nik yelled with rage. “She’s no longer in sellable condition. The buyer might decide to renege on the deal that means no fucking payday. It means we have a woman to somehow dispose of because she’s seen your fucking face. It means you’ve put all of us in a position we shouldn’t be in.”
Nik couldn’t control his rage. How much damage had Cliff inflicted on Beth? Were any of her bones broken? A fractured skull? Nik slammed Cliff’s skull against the cement wall accentuating each additional word he spoke. “Do. You. Understand. The. Difference. Now?”
Nik released his grip on Cliff and smiled as the man slumped into a heap on the ground. The red mark around Cliff’s throat pleased him. As did the dazed look on the guy’s face and the fact he was gingerly checking the back of his head, his fingertips coming away reddened with blood. Nik hoped Cliff hurt more than Beth did. He deserved it.
He moved back to Beth as she lay on the cot. When he growled an instruction to Remo, the man didn’t hesitate to obey, running off to get an ice pack and a cloth so Nik could tend to her wound. Nik checked Beth for additional injuries. Apart from a few tiny bruises that should fade by morning, nothing else needed attention. Her clothes were all in place, so the men hadn’t violated Marcus’ second stipulation. Beth remained untouched. His boss’s polite way of saying no-one was to fuck his baby girl.
Providing everything went to plan, Ash would have been tailing her, and now sat somewhere on the perimeter of the warehouse they were in. Watching, waiting. He would have seen the scuffle to grab her. The hit with the gun that brought her down. How had Ash stayed in place and resisted the urge to intervene? Nik knew he wouldn’t have been able to, not in his current state. Marcus would also know about Beth’s injury. Ash would have reported it the moment it happened. God, how furious must the Boss be?
“Let me see her,” Nik glanced up, hearing Nigel’s words.
This would be interesting. Nigel showed no tolerance for mistakes. Hell, he had no tolerance for anything, really. Remo handed Nik the ice pack and stepped aside to give Nigel access to Beth. Nik wasn’t going anywhere. Nigel could look but not touch. It was his job to keep Beth safe until delivery, and he intended to do just that. Nigel peered down at Beth then fixed his gaze on Cliff who remained slumped on the floor, his back to the wall.
“What’s wrong with you?” Nigel spat the question at Cliff.
“He’s recovering from Nik slamming his head into the wall a bunch of times,” Remo replied, totally missing the point of Nigel’s question.
The guy was definitely a sandwich short of a picnic as was Cliff, which made them even more dangerous in this line of work. They were either too stupid to remember or just didn’t care about the rules, getting the job done any way they saw fit, but often with devastating consequences. Beth was a prime example of that.
“Nice work, Nik,” Charlton stated with a nod.
Nik gave a wry smile, then tensed, as the look of disdain Nigel directed toward Remo turned lethal. Charlton was just as hazardous as these two idiots, even more so. The only human life he exhibited any regard for was his own. That made Charlton a wild card. He no longer needed to bow down to his Japanese counterpart or be required to follow anyone’s rules but his own. Nik sat on guard next to Beth, thankful this job allowed him to carry an arsena
l of weapons, concealed and unconcealed, without anyone batting an eyelid. They all carried weapons, hence Beth’s injuries. At least she didn’t show up with a bullet wound. Cliff hadn’t been that stupid, but from the look on Nigel’s face, he’d pay as if he did.
“Let me rephrase that, and you shut up Remo or I’ll hold you personally responsible for your partner’s fuck up.” Nigel squatted in front of Cliff. “Do you know how much money you’ve cost me by marring her like that?”
Cliff shrugged and mumbled something that sounded like an apology. Nigel appeared not to listen.
“That is the woman our client wants,” Charlton pointed to the cot. “She’s the one who gets me a hefty bonus, a bonus I’m now going to lose because I’ll have to discount her as damaged merchandise. Luckily, by the end of the evening, I’ll have backups in the event our client isn’t into messed up faces.”
Nik stiffened. Charlton must have ordered collection of the other girls when he found out about Beth.
“How many backups?” he asked. “You know I haven’t been able to connect with anyone overseas, so we only have the one client here. That means one girl needed.”
Nigel just looked at him and smirked. Nik knew Charlton wanted the other two choices for his wicked celebration games once the sale went through. Which meant, two innocent girls were now in the firing line for rape and murder at the hands of this evil psychopath. This mission was going from bad to worse by the second, and the sooner it was over, the better.
“Two,” Nigel answered before turning his attention back to Cliff. “Now, I can think of only one way to recoup my bonus, Cliff. You won’t be getting paid.”
