by Maddie Wade
Chapter Eleven
“So, what happens now?” Autumn was happy despite the situation she found herself in now. Having things cleared up with Mitch meant more to her than she realised. The man had gotten under her skin in the last few weeks. He’d become vital to her mental wellbeing in a way she hadn’t known until things had seemed shaky between them.
Walking back towards the conference room where she’d met some of the guys earlier, Mitch had Maggie back, having retrieved her from Aubrey when she’d had to leave on an urgent call.
“Now we find out where Linton is and exactly what’s going on with the Onyx Cobras.”
“I still can’t believe you know him.” Autumn was still processing that news and everything he’d told her about his past.
Mitch frowned. “That’s just it. I don’t know him, not now. Linton was a good kid, extremely bright, and that’s a bad thing for us.”
Taking the seat she’d had before she was slightly surprised that they were letting her in on this meeting but grateful too. She’d spent the last two years almost feeling as if she had no control over what happened to her and Maggie. These men were giving her that by allowing her to be part of her own future.
Waggs and Lopez moved in next followed by Alex, Jack, and another man she didn’t know who had tattoos on every visible surface of his skin. He, like Lopez, was carrying a laptop.
“Will, this is Autumn and Maggie.” Mitch swung his arm between her and the previously unknown man. “Autumn, this is Will, geek extraordinaire.”
Will grinned at her. “Good to meet you, Autumn.” He settled near the bank of computers and hooked up his laptop.
“Nice to meet you too. You’re Aubrey’s husband?”
He shook his head. “Not yet, but as soon as I can pin her down on a date, I will be.”
“Speaking of which,” Alex began causing the team to turn to him, “Evelyn and I set a date for the New Year.”
His smile was full, and without even knowing him well or meeting Evelyn, Autumn was happy for them. Congratulations echoed around the room from the others, and she felt the genuine affection between these robust operators.
“Now we know we have a party to look forward to at the end of the year, let’s make sure all our shit is dealt with before then.” Jack pursed his lips as he eyed Will. “Will, do you want to tell us what you know about Linton Allen and the Onyx Cobras?”
Will’s fingers moved over the keyboard like lightning as he directed their gazes to the screen behind them. Autumn turned and caught Mitch dodging a wet fist from her daughter, a relaxed smile on his face before it fell at the sight of Linton on the screen.
She fought the shiver of fear snaking down her spine at the sight of the man who’d so carelessly and calmly murdered her husband as he walked across the road on the image. He was tall, good looking some would say, with dark mahogany skin and hazel green eyes. Linton Allen was lean and muscled, and his stride, even frozen in time on the image, screamed arrogance.
“That’s not the kid I knew,” Mitch said with a sorrowful tone.
“Yeah, that’s the truth. Linton Allen joined the Cobras at fifteen. He rose quickly through the ranks and rumour is he’s brutal and swift with his punishment, often carrying out his own hits.” Will gave a quick look of apology to Autumn but carried on. “He trusts very few people, only those closest to him, which is Midas their accountant and Hench, his second.” Two more images appeared on the screen, neither of which she knew.
“As far as I can tell, Anton Williams is mid-level but a bit of a climber. He wants to be top-level but has neither the intelligence nor the stomach for what the Cobras are into now.”
Mitch glanced at her as Maggie wriggled, Autumn leaned in and took her daughter as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to do. He offered her a wink which had her clenching her legs with desire even as the heat warmed her face.
“Which is?”
Mitch leaned back in his seat as Waggs asked the question.
“Drugs and guns. Intel says that the Cobras have been coming up in connection to arms deals made with Pakistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.”
Mitch swung his head to Jack. “Where the fuck are they getting enough weapons to satisfy that sort of demand?”
“This is where it gets interesting and complicated. Allen, as you know, was brilliant and joining the Cobras didn’t change that. We can’t find any links to a pipeline coming into the country, but we can find a tenuous link to a known exporter.” Jack rested his elbows on the table, fingers clasped.
“So how is he getting the guns?” Waggs’ jaw clenched as he spoke, and Autumn could feel the anger coming from him.
“Here’s where it gets fuzzy. I found a transaction linking Anton to the purchase of this property here.” He flicked his head at the screen, which showed a large cluster of warehouses in the middle of a farm. “This is a farm owned by Henderson Corp.”
The image changed again, and Autumn’s heart jumped into her throat when she saw her dead husband walking into the building beside Allen and Anton. Her chest tightened, nausea climbing up her throat as the betrayal in front of her manifested in her chest. A hand on her arm grounded her, the warmth of Mitch’s touch holding her together as her nerves frayed at the edges.
“How are Henderson Corp and Anton linked?” Mitch demanded.
“Henderson bought it but transferred it to Anton’s name straight after purchase.”
“That makes no sense.” Waggs crossed his arms and blew out a breath and angled his head to Lopez. “What do we know about Henderson Corp?”
“They make pesticides for agricultural farming. The owner, Verena Finch, is the daughter of Harold Charles who owns Orion Pharmaceuticals.”
Autumn drew in a sharp breath at the link to her old company. There was something she was missing, but she couldn’t figure out what or why.
“Henderson was formed when Finch married her second husband four years ago. Rumour is her father didn’t approve, and they had a huge falling out. Her husband Trenton has a background in farming and agriculture, and they set up the company shortly after they were married.”
“I still don’t understand what this has to do with Allen and Anton.” Autumn looked at Mitch and then Lopez. “How does farming link to weapons and drugs?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
Mitch ran his thumb over his full lips in concentration, and the movement made her lose her own. Even seated with tension rolling off his broad shoulders, she could see the sensuality in the man. He was an arresting sight and one which she’d never get tired of looking at she feared. Yet what was coming to light in this meeting was that a can of worms was open and spilling everywhere at her feet. This mess was so much bigger than she’d realised, believing that it was a simple murder trial when it had to be more than that.
“We held chemicals at the lab that are used in pesticides that have to be controlled and documented for every use. One of the discrepancies I found with Terrell involved one called CH5N. Its main use is for crops, but its formula is very similar to that of Tabun.”
Autumn let her sentence hang not sure what she was trying to say but hoping one of these men would pick up the thread of her thoughts.
Will glanced at her, his eyes alive before they dropped back to the monitor as he began to type like a man possessed. “She’s right, and if that is the case, what are the chances that the Cobras aren’t moving physical weapons but chemical ones?”
A hushed silence fell over the room, the only sound Maggie cooing on her knee as the magnitude of the implication penetrated.
“We need eyes on that warehouse, and I need a full report on anything to do with Henderson, Finch, Orion, Allen, and the Cobras now!” Jack jabbed the table with his forefinger, his face a controlled mask, but his eyes a stormy grey.
“What about Autumn?” Mitch draped his arm over the back of her chair in a protective gesture which made her anxiety ease a little.
“Autumn, is it possible
Terrell was involved in making chemical weapons?” Jack clasped his fingers together as he looked at her.
Autumn raised both eyebrows, her hands smoothing the creases from her little girl’s purple dress as she thought about the question. “It’s possible. Terrell was a brilliant chemist, but I find it hard to believe he’d be involved with that.”
“Yet he was involved in drugs, and you found that acceptable?” Decker asked with a crisp edge to his tone as he stepped forward.
“Decker, that’s enough.” Mitch glared at the man his voice a growl of warning.
Decker shrugged his shoulders and tipped his head. “It was an observation.”
“Yeah well, fucking keep them to yourself.”
Autumn laid a hand on Mitch’s leg, and he glanced at her. “It’s okay, he’s protecting you. I get that.” She looked at Decker. “In answer to your observation, I didn’t find it acceptable at all. Anyone that deals in drugs is abhorrent, but it’s a hard pill to swallow to imagine that the man you loved, the father of your child, was involved in making and producing chemical weapons. I grew up surrounded by drug dealers, so it’s an easier step for me to take, whereas this isn’t. So, to answer your question with an open mind rather than an emotional one, then yes, Terrell could’ve been involved.”
Decker gave a small nod, a smile twitching his lips. Autumn had a distinct impression that few people challenged him or his cunning insight.
“Wow, she totally schooled you, Deck.” Lopez laughed, which gained him a glare from Decker.
“Can we get back to the problem at hand and the reason we’re meeting.” Mitch threw up his hands but offered her a small grin of respect.
“Yes, let’s do that. I have somewhere to be tonight.” Jack gave Mitch and Alex a glance but said no more.
“Mitch, it goes without saying you’re on protection detail, but I want Waggs with you on that. I know security at your place is tight but I’d recommend you keep all outdoor activity to a minimum until we can have eyes on all the players and get them under surveillance.
“Alex, I need you to get us operational control on this. Find out whose radar the Cobras are on and speak to the Palace if necessary so we can control the external factors. I don’t want to fuck up any long term investigation or op, but this is a matter of National Security and falls under our remit.”
Alex stood. “On it.” Alex grinned at Autumn before swiping a gentle hand over Maggie’s head. “Good to meet you, ladies.”
“You too, Alex.”
“Will, can you help Lopez and also figure out how Anton found Autumn?”
Will grinned at his brother. “I can. Are you asking if I will?”
Jack shook his head and blew out a long-suffering breath. “Don’t bust my balls on this.”
“But it’s so much fun.” Will chuckled as he walked to the door, making Autumn laugh at the banter between the brothers.
“Deck, you know what to do. Oh, and before I forget, Madison handed in her notice already.” Jack glared at Mitch. “Apparently she’s going to nursing school.”
Mitch smirked. “What? She said she wanted to be a nurse, and we all knew she hated this job. I saved you from wasting your time training her up.”
“Yeah except now I have no admin support, and I’m back looking for staff as well as the other hundred things I need to do.”
“I can do it,” Autumn said before her brain had even engaged.
Jack and Mitch both looked at her, pinning her with an eagle eye. “I’m used to admin tasks, did my certification in editing and business while I was pregnant and in hiding. Plus, you already know my background.”
“You’re hired.” Jack slapped the table and stood, the first real smile on his face and boy, the man was fine.
Mitch laid a hand on her arm, concern in his warm brown eyes. “Are you sure about this? It’s a lot to take on, and you have Maggie.”
“I can bring her with me, can’t I?” She glanced at Jack for confirmation.
“Sure, as long as the work gets done here I don’t care if you work around your daughter and bring her with you.”
She glanced back to Mitch. “See, it’s fine and this way you don’t have to worry about me not being safe when you’re at work. You and Waggs can carry on as normal in the day and Maggie and I are safe at Fort Knox.”
“If that’s what you want.” Mitch still looked perturbed, but she didn’t call him on it.
“You’ll need to sign an NDA before you start, but Lopez can sort that out.”
Jack strode from the room but stopped at the door addressing Mitch. “Can you arrange cover for tonight or do you want me to take someone else?”
Again, Autumn got the feeling this was over her head.
“I can ask Nate or Bebe if they’re free.”
“Fine.” Then Jack was gone.
“Want to get that ice cream now?” Mitch asked with a grin, and Autumn returned it.
This man was dangerous in so many ways but only to her heart.
Chapter Twelve
Mitch rested his elbow on the car window as he watched the deserted area around the abandoned farm. The sky was dark, with only a crescent moon to offer any light. Luckily, he had his NVGs if he needed them, but this should be a quick meet. A tendril of unease crept down his spine as they waited, the meeting time coming and going.
“He’s late,” he said stating the obvious, knowing Jack and Alex would pick it up on the comms, even as he spoke to Waggs and Decker who were in the car with him.
Waggs was sitting in the front beside him. “It’s only a few minutes.”
Mitch turned to Waggs his brow raised. “Have you ever known Gunner to be late?”
“Did we ever know Gunner at all?” Waggs asked with a sardonic lift of his brow.
Mitch wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he didn’t. The fact was, Gunner had betrayed them all, throwing everything back in their faces. Fuck, he’d even knocked him out and tied him up when he’d confronted him about the op in Monaco. It was a bitter pill to swallow to know someone he’d trusted with his life had been the one sabotaging everything.
Yet Mitch understood on some level. The bastards had threatened his sister, kidnapped her from the nursing home where she was cared for after a brain injury had left her unable to care for herself.
Would he have done the same? He hoped not. He hoped he would’ve been a better man. These men were as much family as his blood were. Gunner choosing to go against them rather than trusting them to have his back had almost ripped the team to shreds. Only Jack being the leader he was had kept the team together.
“You think we can trust him?” Mitch asked the million-dollar question.
“No,” Waggs answered sharply.
Mitch lifted his head to the rearview mirror to look at Decker. “What about you? You’re the shrink, what do you think?”
Decker’s lips tightened. Mitch knew he hated when they called him that. “I think there’s something else going on we don’t know about.”
“Like what?” Mitch asked, surprised by this analysis.
“I don’t know, but something. The Gunner I knew would’ve come to us about his sister.”
“Even though he kept her a secret?” Waggs asked.
“Yes. Because from everything I’ve seen, Gunner still trusts us, despite how it looks.”
“Yeah well, that shit doesn’t go both ways,” Waggs snarled as he checked the time on his watch.
As he did headlights slashed through the night sky and the tension in the car rose, electricity pounding out of them.
“Heads up, boys,” Jack said over the comms as Gunner stopped the old car close to the old, metal silage barn. He got out and instantly Mitch could see something was wrong. Gunner staggered before falling to his knees.
“Waggs, get out here now,” Jack demanded through their ears as he stepped forward to grab Gunner.
All three men were out of the car and running towards Jack and Gunner as Alex covered Jack’s back. Mi
tch had his gun in his hand, not trusting this wasn’t a trap of some kind. When they got to the two men, Gunner was on the ground. His face was barely recognisable and covered in blood. He had a cut above his eyebrow and a broken nose by the looks of it but Mitch suspected it was the injuries he couldn’t see that were causing the most problems.
Waggs was on his knees, his medic training kicking in as he triaged Gunner, lifting his shirt to show his abdomen covered in so many bruises it looked like one giant injury. “What the fuck happened to you?”
Gunner tried to brush his hand away. “It’s fine.”
Waggs ignored him. “Don’t be a dick. Let me check you over. You could have internal injuries.”
“Nah, just some broken ribs.”
Jack was standing slightly back, assessing things with Alex. “Let him check you over, Gunner.” The words were harsh and commanding and seemed to get through to Gunner because he fell back to the ground with a grunt.
Mitch kept his eye on the surrounding area, knowing Jack was doing the same as Alex walked around the back of the car. Lopez had them on camera from the drones he was using remotely.
Trust was a hard-won commodity in this job and even more so now.
He thought of Autumn and Maggie, hoping they were tucked up safely in bed. Nate had offered to stay with her once Mitch—with her permission—had shared her situation with him. With Liam, Reid, and Blake being on a recon op in Belize after a contact gave them a tip about increasing violence against the Crown, they were short on bodies. With the Royal tour next year, it was vital they stay on top of these things, and that included wrapping up this threat from inside.
Waggs looked up. “He needs an MRI scan.”
“No.” Gunner started to sit up, his breath hitching as he bit back grunts of pain.
“What happened?” Jack folded his arms over his chest, his face a stony mask of anger.
“I had to prove I was loyal to them. They tortured me until they were satisfied I wasn’t working with you.”
