Guarding Mr. Fine (Tough Love #2)

by HelenKay Dimon

  He needed a closer look.

  “Okay.” He pressed a hand against Rick’s chest. “Stay here.”

  “Aren’t I more likely to be attacked alone in the car?”

  Seth was ten seconds away from stuffing him in the trunk. “You just have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

  “I’m trying to be reasonable.”

  “I fucking hate that.” He clicked the inside light off before he opened the door. He was almost out when he glanced back in and motioned for Rick to join him. “You have a gun?”

  “One gun, a knife and a Taser.”

  “You promise me you know how to use all of them?” Seth knew he should have found a range and taken Rick out there to check. The CIA provided training even to desk types, but Seth really didn’t have a handle on how much desk riding Rick did.

  “Want me to shoot you and prove it?” he asked.

  How in the hell did he sound so calm? That level of cool wasn’t normal. “Let’s go.”

  They didn’t say anything else. Moving low and fast they ran toward the fence. For a falling-down shack of a place the wires looked solid in this area. They skimmed down the far side, moving away from the carport and the light tacked to the pole right next to it that bathed the rocky parking area in a stark yellow cast.

  As soon as they blended in with the shadows, Seth dropped down. He balanced on one knee as he pulled the small black rectangle out of his pocket. Flipping it around, he opened the blades and started cutting.

  “Huh,” Rick said. “Fancy.”

  Seth didn’t say anything. Couldn’t. He focused all of his energy on the task in front of him. Cut as he watched the darkness with one eye and looked for a place to stash Rick once they met with their contact. He was the key to get in and nothing more. Right now he was hovering over Seth’s shoulder while Seth tried hard not to notice him there.

  After a few snips, Seth bent back the frayed end of the wires and created a hole to climb through. Pointing, he highlighted the perimeter of the grassy area. “We’re going to swing out and come at that door from the side. You’ll stay tucked behind the edge of the building and I’ll handle the surveillance.”

  “Got it.”

  Seth shimmied through the small space then covered Rick while he followed. They took off again, ducking around the lights and sticking to the darkness. Gravel and broken branches cracked under their feet. Seth watched his steps, careful not to run into any of the bigger pieces of abandoned junk lying around.

  When a light clicked on by the door, Seth dove for the area behind the stack of old oil tanks. In the air, he snagged Rick’s arm and dragged him along. With a thud, they hit the dirt. Neither of them breathed as Seth took out his gun, waiting to fire.

  Without warning the light clicked off again, shrouding the area in black. “What the fuck?”

  “Animal,” Rick whispered.

  Seth stared at Rick. In the limited light he could see Rick’s blue eyes and followed his gaze. “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s a sensor light.” Rick focused on the wood balanced against the building right near the door. “Something ran into that stack.”

  “Not human?” Seth couldn’t believe he’d missed that. He was off his game and he knew why—the guy right beside him. He hated that Rick was in the middle of this.

  “Definitely not.”

  Seth let the conversation drop. “We go to the wall.”

  Skipping the debate, they started moving. They raced over, making as little noise as possible. Footsteps thumped against the ground but didn’t rise much above the buzzing sound from the lights. Then they hit the wall. The coolness of the pockmarked concrete seeped through Seth’s long-sleeved shirt and chilled his skin.

  Rick looked around. “Where’s our guy? Alec said he’d be here.”

  “I knew we couldn’t trust that guy to do what he said.” Seth should have hit the guy when he had the chance. “Do not move.”

  Seth didn’t wait to see if Rick listened. He took off, sliding around the corner, careful to keep away from the sensor light and out of the range of anyone who might fire from those upper windows.

  He took one step and his foot skidded on something. Looking down, he spied the chain and clipped lock. It looked brand new and like it had held the doors shut, but someone had cut it.

  His gaze shot back to Rick but he hadn’t moved. Leave him here or pull him along? Seth debated the choices. Both sucked. Rick had already been grazed, but that could be a good outcome compared to what might happen here.

  Seth wanted Rick out of there until he could find an explanation for the cut lock. It could be he needed more hands, but for his own sanity he wanted Rick out of the firing line.

  “Back to the car.”

  The thud cut off the rest of the order. Seth froze. He held up a hand to signal for Rick to stay still. The second thump was louder but Seth couldn’t place it. With his back against the wall, he eased down toward the entrance. No sign of light or noise from inside.

  No asset waiting to meet them either.

  Seth pressed his hand against the door and pushed it a fraction. The hinges creaked. It sounded like a deafening screech in the vacant spot.

  There was no going back now. Seth pushed until he could look through a sliver of space between the door and the trim. He stayed to the side. No need to make a target in the center of the door. If someone wanted to shoot through it, they’d have to work on the aim and guess wisely.

  Rick slid closer and Seth stopped his travel only long enough to send Rick a warning glare. He could only handle one flank at a time.

  With the minutes ticking by, Seth squinted, trying to make out anything inside the dank-smelling warehouse. Giving up the slow torture, he pressed harder and the door gave way.

  Stale air smacked him in the face. He blinked and his vision started to clear. His gaze caught on a pile on the floor. Bags or blankets. He inched forward and the pile came into focus. A shirt…a leg. A body.

  “Son of a bitch.” Adrenaline pumped through him as he turned back to Rick. The door slammed shut again and Seth had barely focused when a figure shifted behind Rick.

  “I’ve been called worse.” He put a gun right to the back of Rick’s head. “Anyone moves and this one dies.”

  Chapter 19

  Pain shot through the back of Rick’s head. When the gun tapped against his wound his vision blinked out for a second. He managed to get his hands in the air but he wasn’t sure how. Through the shock and confusion he concentrated on one thing—the guy sounded American, or he did a good job of pretending to be.

  Rick hadn’t remembered his weapon until it was too late. He reached for it now but the attacker had already slipped it out of its hiding place at the small of his back.

  Through the choking haze, his gaze slipped to Seth and a new wave of pain hit him. Physical, yes, but this dug deeper. The anxiety welled inside him, spilling out and threatening to paralyze him.

  In this moment all he could see was Seth. Fury showed in every line of his body. He stood there, gun up, with a deadly calm look in his eyes, as if daring the guy to shoot. He presented as a man who had nothing to lose. Like he was on the verge of doing something heroic and very deadly.

  Rick’s heartbeat thundered in his ears. Worries about this being the last day of life blended with the stark panic of losing Seth. That could not happen.

  “Seth, no.”

  The guy behind him laughed. “Listen to your friend, Seth.”

  Seth’s gun didn’t waver. “Fuck you.”

  The guy stopped laughing. “Put the weapon down and open the door again. Then you’re going to step inside or I blow a hole in him.”

  “You’re not going to touch him.”

  “Watch. Me.”

  Seth started moving. His gun remained where it was, but he backed up until his hip hit the closed door. One hand twisted behind him and he touched the handle. A hard shove with his shoulder and it opened.

  Rick waited fo
r someone to jump out or the shooting to start. Neither happened. He peeked around Seth’s solid frame but could only make out forms and shadows. Something on the floor.

  The thumping in his head finally eased when the attacker pulled the gun away from his skull. He didn’t go far but the breathing room helped.

  He stumbled over a bump and looked down to see the discarded chain. It caught around the toe of his shoe and he dragged it for a few inches, wondering if he could somehow kick it into the air and use it as a weapon. It would be easier to grab for the knife he had strapped to his belt. His fingers inched down until he spotted the small shake of Seth’s head. It was barely visible, but Rick got the message.

  He followed Seth’s lead, shuffling his feet and slowly bringing the attacker along with them into the building. Darkness fell over them as all three slipped inside. The slap of cold was immediate. He could feel the breeze through his clothes and seeping inside him. It was as if the temperature dropped the second they crossed the threshold.

  The attacker reached over and hit a switch. A light at the far end of the long room clicked on. A yellow cast flooded part of the building and chased some of the shadows away on their end.

  Rick scanned the area right by his feet then out a bit more. His stomach rolled when he focused on the pile on the floor. Not debris. Not garbage. A person, crumpled and lying on his side.

  A man dressed in all black with his arm outstretched in front of him. If he’d held a weapon at one time, it was gone now. Blood pooled under his head and not a single muscle moved.

  Rick started to go to him, but the attacker grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “You’re too late for him.”

  The rough reply cut through the cavernous two-story room and sliced through Rick. Seth didn’t show any reaction but Rick felt the loss to his bones. He didn’t know the fallen man but he’d bet he worked for Alec. That was the only explanation.

  Seth kept them all moving. He stepped backward without looking. Shifted until he stood next to three piles of crates. Even with his glasses on Rick couldn’t read the labels. He didn’t recognize the company name printed on the side of the box. Not that the contents mattered anyway. The vaccines and the guns faded away under the very real possibility of not getting out of there alive.

  “You have my attention.” Seth stopped walking. “Talk.”

  “You and your friend here have become a problem.”

  That meant his cover had been blown. Rick had no idea how that had happened.

  Even as danger knocked and despair suffocated him, Rick wanted to know who was behind the scheme. Where everyone fit in and how someone picked up on him as more than a fill-in diplomat.

  Staying alive depended on finding out more. On keeping the guy talking. It might buy them time for Seth to act, or it might just give them answers. Rick didn’t know what to hope for right now.

  He responded to their attacker, hoping to get his attention and give Seth a bit of an edge to do whatever it was he did in these situations. “Who wants me out of the way?”

  “We’re not playing twenty questions.” The man continued to hide behind Rick.

  Seth’s smile was feral. “So you don’t know anything.”

  “I know you are standing in the way of some very lucrative shipments. They start up again soon, and you’re a potential problem. Apparently you’ve been asking questions and making things difficult.”

  “That’s my job.”

  “We have a system. One that depends on people looking the other way, and apparently you’re not a team player.” The attacker made a humming noise as he stared at Seth. “I’m not sure who you are but it’s damn unlucky you tagged along tonight.”

  “I was thinking the opposite.” Seth didn’t so much as twitch as he stood there. He waited, unmoving, as they talked. “What’s the plan now?”

  “You’re going to join your friend here.” The guy lowered the gun, just for a second. The barrel slipped down and pointed to the still form on the floor.

  The unexpected blast had Rick ducking. Air whizzed by his cheek. A surge of heat followed the deafening bang. The guy behind him listed then fell against Rick, bounced right off his shoulder and dropped boneless to the floor. The gun hit the cement with a pinging sound and spun around.

  Rick watched it all, felt the pull on his arm as the attacker went down. He strained to see if the man was breathing but his body didn’t move.

  His gaze shot up to Seth, who hadn’t so much as blinked to give away what he’d planned. He’d pulled the trigger. One shot and that was it.

  Now Seth dropped down and touched the guy’s neck. He shook his head before moving onto the other body. Next came a quick pat down of both but that also came up empty.

  Seth stood. His gaze swept over Rick’s face, studying him. “You okay?”

  “No.” He didn’t see a reason to lie when he could feel the numbness moving through him.

  Another shooting at another time. The result was the same. Rick heard gunfire and his body froze. His brain shut off and his chest ached.

  “Hey.” Seth snapped his fingers in front of Rick’s face. “We need to go.”

  “The shipment.” Rick couldn’t spit out much more. He knew from experience it would be a few minutes before his mind rebooted and he could function on any sort of intelligent level again.

  “Checking.” Seth slid around the crates and shoved the lid off the top one. He dug around inside, shifting the contents around. “Damn.”

  The clipped anger helped to snap Rick out of his stupor. His brain refused to click into action but the gray at the edge of his vision cleared. A few deep breaths and his lungs kicked into gear.

  He stepped up and looked in the crate. Saw what looked like cans and pouches of food. Working fast, they pushed crate after crate to the side and checked each one. In silence they lifted off lids and pawed through military-style meals-ready-to-eat.

  “No vaccines.” Which made some sense to Rick, but he still didn’t get what was happening.

  “No weapons either,” Seth shot back. “We definitely need to move. There’s no way this guy was alone out here.”

  Seth didn’t wait for a response. He headed for the door. Got a few feet outside before a body knocked him to the ground. The shape flew out of the shadows and nailed him in the side. Took him down.

  Frantic, Rick looked for his weapon. For any weapon. His shoes scraped against the ground as he stumbled and searched. Giving up, he headed out. He’d use his knife if he had to.

  He heard the grunts first. Opened the door just in time to see a man slam into Seth’s side again as he tried to get up to his knees. Dirt kicked up around them as the sensor light clicked on. Dust filled the air as fists landed against bone.

  They rolled. Each time they slipped to one side the light would flick off again, only to pop to life again when they stumbled back to the sensored area. Their bodies thudded and thumped. The man’s foot slipped and he went down hard on a knee. He yelled as he scrambled to his feet again and dove for Seth’s legs.

  They circled and grabbed for each other. Rick thought he heard the crack of something that sounded like bone. He slipped his knife out of his pocket. One slashing swing and he’d neutralize the attacker.

  Just as he thought it, the guy flipped Seth onto his back. Seth kneed him. Wrapped his hand around the guy’s neck. It was an all-out battle for survival. It lasted less than thirty seconds but played in slow motion in Rick’s head.

  The attacker straddled Seth and reached down. Balanced an elbow against his neck and leaned in. Seth kicked and shifted. His hips left the ground. That’s when Rick spied the flash of metal. The gun. He dove for it, wincing when he took a kick to the arm as Seth flailed.

  The attacker must have sensed him coming. He turned and lunged but Rick got the shot off. The first hit the guy in the chest. The second hit his temple and sent him crumpling to the ground. Rick didn’t know if he fired again. His muscles wouldn’t move and he couldn’t figure out how to lower h
is arms.

  Seth rolled to the side just in time. The body missed him as it dropped, but he was slow to get up. He pushed against the ground and balanced on his side. Heavy breathing surrounded him.

  “You okay over there?”

  It wasn’t until Seth spoke that Rick realized he’d fallen back on his ass and just sat there holding the gun. “I will be.”

  “You can shoot.” That was all Seth said.

  It was enough to clear Rick’s head. “Told you.”

  He couldn’t look down at the sprawled form beside him. Couldn’t think about killing a man. That wasn’t his job and he didn’t want it.

  “We need to call Nathan for cleanup and get out of here.” Seth cleared his throat as he pushed to his feet.

  It all sounded good. Smart. But Rick couldn’t move. “Right.”

  The words the first guy said came rushing back to him, cut right through the haze choking him. One that depends on people looking the other way, and apparently you’re not a team player. That sounded like Ed or Owen…someone who should have known better.

  Seth started to walk away then stopped. He lowered his hand down in front of Rick. “You need to come with me.”

  “Where?” he asked, expecting the obvious answer of the consulate.

  “To shoot Alec.”

  —

  Seth still shook twenty minutes later. Not from the shoot-out. Not with panic or worry, because he didn’t operate that way. No, this was flat-out fucking fury.

  After a few calls on a phone Seth didn’t even know Rick had on him, they met Alec in the lot in front of an ornate three-story building. It looked like a renovated cathedral but the sign suggested it was an office building. The sun hadn’t come up yet and the streets were mostly clear in this part of town. The few streetlights illuminated the rows of empty parking spaces.

  Alec Drummond wore a suit like he hadn’t even left work yet. Seth thought it might be easier to just bury the guy in it.

  He didn’t let him say one thing as he exited his car. “Give me a reason not to fucking kill you.”

  Alec put up a hand to stop his two bodyguards as they stepped forward. “Because if you try I’ll beat you to death?”