by Angi Morgan
“You need help?” Brian laughed. “Do we stick with the plan? Or call it quits?”
“We never quit, just adapt,” Dev answered before John could.
“Affirmative. A diversion about now would be great.”
John took the steps two at a time to the top of the risers. Gargantuan continued to look in Weber’s direction, but behind him. The only part about this extraction he didn’t like was that Lauren and her mom would be watching him succeed or fail.
He would not fail.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Distraction number one, on its way.”
John listened for signs that his brother might be in trouble. The sound of metal connecting with metal would be the vent cover being screwed back into place. The smoke bomb that Brian lit would be safe and nontoxic to breathe. It would irritate eyes more than anything else.
It didn’t take long for someone to point to the gray smoke trickling, then pouring, from the air vents. The homemade smoke bomb should burn long enough to fill the arena. Long enough for authorities to be called.
If they accomplished nothing else, at least Roy’s stock wouldn’t be sold off today.
No one yelled fire. No one created panic. Several auction workers quietly moved through the crowd and gestured toward the exits. John took out his cell and attempted to search for an internet connection. If anyone asked why he was sitting in a smoke-filled room, he’d use it as an excuse to be unaware of his surroundings. Several people had already looked up in surprise after their heads had been bowed, praying to their smartphones.
Everyone exited quickly. It had gone as efficiently as they’d hoped. Alicia had asked all three of them to promise no one would get hurt. She was riddled with guilt over Tory’s death. It didn’t matter how many times they’d all assured her that Weber had been intent on killing the witnesses.
An option thrown around in their early-morning planning had been to just snatch Lauren and run with her. But it had been shot down, since the police would be all over them before they got to the main road. No, they had to create a situation where the Webers were separated from her. And to get that to happen, Gargantuan needed to take her outside.
A smoke-filled room and he didn’t budge.
Workers argued with the giant, and Lauren sat unnaturally quietly at his side.
Had they drugged her? Threatened her? If the bastards had hurt Alicia’s little girl, he wouldn’t be able to restrain himself. I swear I’ll use every skill I’ve ever been taught as a SEAL. No holds barred.
Lauren coughed and covered her face. Leave. Get her out of here before I have to take matters into my own hands.
“Sir, you really must go outside.”
“What? Sorry, slow Wi-Fi.” John was focused on Gargantuan and hadn’t noticed the young man at his side. “Hey, is there a fire?” He searched for signs of Weber. Neither Patrick or Shauna were in sight. “Do you know where the people in charge are relocating?”
He didn’t give a hill of beans where anyone running the auction was located. He wanted Weber in his sights. He’d never thought Weber would leave Lauren with someone else, but that scenario most definitely worked in their favor.
“I just know that we need to get out of here.” The man sternly laid a hand on his shoulder, encouraging John to leave. Since the giant was leaving, too, John was ready.
“Lead the way. Don’t let me slow you down.”
“Assuming that was a disguised question for me,” Dev said in his earpiece, “Mrs. Witch is in the car waiting with the engine running—probably cooling down. I still can’t believe how freakin’ hot it is here in Texas. My bad, no eyes on Weber.”
“If they’re acting like the concerned grandparents, then why did they both leave Lauren alone with that man?” Alicia asked. “And I agree with Dev that it’s dang hot out here with all these layers of clothes on.”
“Are you in place, Nurse Adams?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Did you say something?” the guy escorting him outside asked.
“Just thanks, man.” John ducked back to the registration area to watch for Gargantuan’s exit. He’d heard the big man give in after the threat of calling security. And seconds later, he appeared, carrying Lauren on his hip.
“Ladies and gentlemen, there wasn’t a fire.” Someone shouted the announcement.
“She looks so scared,” Alicia whispered.
Strange how he could hear her slightest whisper and pick her out instantly in the crowd. He assumed the rest of the announcement that he missed actually stated they’d begin the auction again soon, since people turned around and began talking instead of continuing to their cars.
“She stopped sucking her fingers months ago.”
The giant headed to the car on the far side of the offices. John caught a glimpse of Lauren, fingers in her mouth, sad eyes watering not only from the smoke but also from constant tears.
“Focus on your job, Alicia. Don’t look at anything else. Only your job, hon. That’s it.” John spoke into the cell phone so he wouldn’t appear to be a crazy man just talking to himself. He should have obtained a wireless headset so his hands would be completely free.
He watched the woman he would give up everything for waddle toward him. A blond wig completely changed the way she looked. The padding making her look two hundred pounds helped a lot, too. Man, she must be boiling in all those extra clothes.
The police and fire truck arrived right on cue. Sirens blasted into the chaos and ceased just as fast. The men poured from their vehicles, quickly trying to assess what was wrong. The horses in the paddock nickered, getting more agitated as more smoke blew in their direction and the crowd got louder.
“You’re almost up, Dev. Gargantuan’s on his phone. He’s headed to the car with Lauren.” He stashed the cell in his pocket as Alicia pretended to trip and fall to the ground.
“Do you need some assistance, ma’am?” He was right there to help her. While he pulled her upright, she slipped his weapon inside his belt and covered it with his shirt. “Just remember, if everything goes off without a hitch, we’ll have Lauren back before they know she’s gone.”
As hot as it was, he missed her when she’d stepped away from his hold.
“I certainly hope you’re right.”
“Piece of cake.”
“I can’t believe you said that, John,” Dev whined.
“Why? What does Dev mean?” she asked, looking up at John with the same sad, worried eyes of her daughter. The tension and stress of the past few days had begun to show in the dark circles, but she was still the most beautiful woman around. Especially to him.
He had completely fallen for Alicia Adams—nurse, mother, friend. He could freely admit that he had it bad. But who would he tell? His best friend, who would try to talk him out of leaving the navy? His brother? Things were better, but he didn’t feel like discussing a future with Alicia with him. Not yet.
“He just jinxed us. I’d elaborate, Alicia, but a cop is walking right toward me. Going off comm. Excuse me, Officer?”
“Dev’s a superstitious old woman, that’s all. He thinks it brings us bad luck to say an operation will be easy.” He smiled, trying to reassure her. He didn’t know if it worked. They had to separate before they drew more attention to themselves.
He also didn’t want her to ask if Dev’s superstitions were founded in truth. Unfortunately, they were. He hadn’t been the person to say it back then, but he remembered how things had gone south real fast on ops that should have been easy ins and outs.
John stayed in the center of everything. Making eye contact with as many people as possible. Staying visible. Making certain Brian could not be accused of any part of this. If things went bad it would be on his head. Not Brian’s.
He caught the silent version of his b
uddy’s performance. It appeared convincing enough—at least from a hundred yards away.
Dev showed the Aubrey officer fake county Child Protection Services credentials and pointed to where Gargantuan had set Lauren on the back of Shauna’s car. Where the man had obtained the necessities—earbuds, costumes, fake credentials—to pull this stunt off in such a short time, he had no idea. It definitely made him appreciate that his friend had come to watch his back and lend a hand. Or two. Or three.
The officer split the crowd, and Dev, dressed like a bent-over old man, followed. The officer showed the paper to Gargantuan, who immediately banged on the rear window of the car.
“Why are you still here?”
John spun in the direction his shoulder was being yanked. “Weber.”
“You’re behind all this smoke business, and when I find out how, you’ll be in jail for good this time.”
“Yes, it has been a long while, Patrick. Glad things are going so well for you.”
“Why, I should—”
“Hit me? Go for it. Take your best shot, man.” John wanted to throw the first punch. Wanted to make this piece of worthless scum bleed and beg for him to stop.
“Hey, John, hang on there, bro.”
Brian interrupted his mental picture of tearing Weber to shreds. It would have been nice.
“Stick to the plan, Johnny,” Alicia said. “Forget him. We need Lauren.”
Today the objective was the rescue of an innocent four-year-old girl. One day it would be the arrest of the murderer in front of him. He hoped it would be his testimony that locked this rat away and sent him to death row in the Huntsville State Prison.
The rat’s cell phone was buzzing like crazy. If he could keep Weber occupied for five more minutes, Dev might have everything wrapped up and be able to get to safety without any trouble at all. Let Shauna handle CPS taking Lauren into protective custody. Weber’s involvement might slow Dev down. The more his friend was questioned, the more opportunity there was to mess up.
“What do you want from me, Weber? I just came to buy some horses.”
Weber shoved at his shoulder. “I want you to leave. I’ve told everyone that your drug money’s no good here. You’ll never get your hands on Adams’s stock. Your family’s always been a second-rate quarter-horse farm and that’s what you’ll continue to be.”
Weber removed his shades. His dead eyes stared while one side of his mouth tilted into a smirk. “Or have you been gone too long to notice, John?”
Damn, his fingers itched to curl into a fist and lay this guy flat, teaching him a lesson or two along the way. Especially the lesson of the Sloane brothers. It didn’t matter which one you were dealing with.
“Don’t do it, John. They’ll throw me in jail before you can blink. Remember, you’re me right now.”
“I got that,” John answered his brother. Fortunately, the answer worked for Weber, too. If Weber drew him into a fight or acknowledging his identity, it would be more difficult to complete their mission.
“Then get out.” Weber’s cell buzzed again and he reached into his pocket.
Don’t let him look at it. “There’s one thing I don’t get at all.”
His opponent—even if only sparring with words—rolled his shoulders and angled his stance, ready to throw a punch. “I can’t wait to hear. As if your opinion means anything to anyone around here.”
Yeah, Weber was razzing up the crowd, upsetting them, reminding them of the past and another fire. John could hear their murmuring. He hated that Brian had fought this battle for so long on his own.
“I don’t get how things work at your ranch, Weber. Remind me. With no horses or stock, we might have to call it something else, and there really isn’t any word. But that doesn’t matter. Who’s in charge? Do you take orders from Shauna or her money? How does it feel selling off the horses you actually worked with in the stables?”
“Why, you...”
John prepared for the punch. He was going to roll on the ground right into the legs of the crowd gathering at their raised voices.
“Mr. Weber, there’s an emergency at your car. They’ve been trying to get you on your phone.” Weber’s fist was raised and ready to strike, but he dropped it as soon as the messenger spoke his name.
“Dev has Lauren. The officer’s escorting him to his car,” Alicia said.
“See, piece of cake. No extra work involved,” Brian quoted the mantra of the day.
“I may not be able to have you arrested, but I can do one thing.” Weber dusted his hands off and gestured to one of his workers nearby. “Escort him off the property and see that he doesn’t return.”
John shrugged out of the hands of the man attempting to “escort” him to his truck. They needed Dev to have Lauren out of sight when Weber realized he’d lost her. John was certain he’d blow his top, and he wanted witnesses. But the unknown factor was that they didn’t know if Weber had friends in the Aubrey police who might detain a CPS administrator until confirmation could be obtained from county.
So Dev had to be out of sight. He was only to his car, buckling Lauren into the child-safety seat.
“Tell me when they’re out of here and completely clear.”
“Huh?” the guy shoving him to the parking lot said.
Both Brian and Alicia confirmed and kept feeding him the details.
Another push between his shoulder blades and John had had enough. “Come on, man. I can walk faster if I’m not tripping every time you push. I’m leaving, so back off.”
Most of the crowd had migrated toward the so-called emergency with Weber. The guy shoved again.
“Am I in the clear?” John asked.
“That’s an affirmative,” his brother answered, imitating Dev’s voice. “Everyone’s watching the show Shauna’s putting on.”
“Buddy, you ain’t never going to be in the clear in Aubrey.” The man—John thought he was the younger brother of someone they’d gone to school with—shoved again.
John didn’t trip. Or budge.
But he did turn around.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Donny Ashcroft marched John to the parking lot just like Patrick had instructed. He hit John again in the middle of his back, but this time John didn’t move. He pivoted and fired off a right cross that dropped Donny to the ground like a fly. Alicia watched from the corner of the building and tried not to giggle. Poor man, his jaw would really hurt for a while. It wasn’t nice to hit someone when they weren’t looking. But in all fairness, John had asked the guy to stop pushing.
“Dev’s driving through the gate,” Brian stated.
She waved to John so he’d know where to find her, but he followed after Patrick. There was a determined look on his face. The same one that had been there when he’d taken her away from Lauren last night.
“Let’s get out of here.” Brian’s uneasiness was plain in his shaky voice.
“He needs to be down the street and around the corner. We can’t risk anyone catching a glimpse of the license tags on the rental.” John ran into the crowd.
“I’ve got another smoke grenade.”
“Use it. We need the cops occupied here. Not pursuing Dev.”
“But, John, Brian’s in the paddock with the horses and they’re already skittish.” Apprehensive didn’t begin to describe the level of nervousness thrumming throughout her body. For a couple of minutes there, it was almost over—right up to the word pursuing. When would everything be back to normal?
But did she want the return of her normal?
“Do it,” John commanded, and ran in the direction Patrick had gone. “We don’t have a choice.”
Seconds later smoke billowed toward the sky on the far side of the corral. The horses neighed excitedly. They smelled the smoke and didn’t know there w
asn’t a fire. She knew how they felt, scared to death by the unknown.
The makeshift fat suit she wore was cumbersome and stifling in this heat. And the wig was horrid and itchy. It was like having straw stuck into a woolen cap. They’d thrown her layer of fat together by stuffing clothing from the secondhand store into an outdated pantsuit. She couldn’t wait to be out of this costume and back with Lauren. Before that could happen, they had to give Dev time to get away.
But she couldn’t do anything except stand to the side and watch.
John’s look after he’d punched Donny brought back more memories than of losing Lauren or Tory’s death. Now she’d visually lost track of both brothers and was afraid of what John might do. She could hear noise and thought she caught bits of words through her ear microphone thingy, but they weren’t clear enough to distinguish.
Dev was at his car, and the police officer had joined the firemen returning from the corral. She joined the back of the crowd and resorted to good old-fashioned face-to-face communication to find out what was happening.
“What’s going on now?” She didn’t ask anyone specifically and received a slew of answers.
“There’s a fight.”
“It’s Sloane and that big man.”
“Isn’t that the Weber bodyguard?”
“I heard the police took Lauren Adams away.”
“That must have crushed Shauna.”
Once the people started gossiping, they wouldn’t shut up. Some of them believed the media propaganda. Others didn’t believe a word of what they saw on television. They all crowded together and wanted to see the fight between John and the man he referred to as Gargantuan.
A collective oh rang through the crowd as they witnessed a punch. All she saw were two arms soaring backward through the air.
Under her breath she added, “That looked like John flying backward.” And then louder she asked, “Who’s winning?” She was still unable to see over the heads in front of her. She had to get out of here before she passed out from heat and a lack of clear air.
“I can’t say for sure, but I think John may be getting his butt kicked by this guy.” Brian’s voice shot inside her head like a DJ on the radio. It was a strange feeling, having someone chat in your ear. But also a comforting feeling, having them right beside you. She wanted to turn and glare at his words. In spite of their content, his friendly voice—so like John’s—was comforting to hear and meant he was still close enough to help.
