Delta Force Daddy

by Carol Ericson

  She pressed her hand against his chest, one finger resting in the hollow of his throat where his pulse galloped. “I’ve been waiting so long to hear those words from you.”

  “Let’s not waste any more time.” He cinched her wrists lightly with his fingers. “We haven’t even checked out the sleeping arrangements yet, but I’m not spending another night without you.”

  Digging her fingernails into his chest, she whispered, “I wasn’t planning on that, either, but I need a quick shower before I crawl into bed with anyone.”

  He kissed her forehead. “You do that. Find us a bed and I’ll make sure everything is secured down here—including that money.”

  “Bring the gun with you...just in case.”

  She slipped away from him and he drank in the photos of Ivy for several more seconds before shutting the laptop. He hauled the bag of cash into the kitchen and stuffed it into the cabinet under the sink.

  He heard water running through the pipes, so Paige must’ve found the shower.

  If he hurried, he might be able to join her. He grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and tucked them under one arm. As he flicked off the light and pivoted toward the staircase, Paige screamed.

  “Asher, they’re watching us.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Asher charged into the dark bedroom, and Paige shouted, “Leave the lights.”

  His forward motion propelled him onward and had him tripping over a piece of furniture, banging his shin on something hard. “What the hell, Paige? I nearly killed myself getting here. Who’s watching us?”

  Turning back to the window, Paige hooked her finger on one of the slats of the blinds. “There’s someone out there on the boat dock, and he has a pair of binoculars trained on the house.”

  Asher’s adrenaline flared and then receded. He caught his breath. “Did he see you?”

  “I don’t think so, not from this window, but he must’ve seen the light from the bathroom.” She adjusted the towel around her body with one hand, causing it to slip farther off her chest. “I came in here from my shower, and on my way to the light switch by the bed, I stopped to peer out this window. I figured the house had a view of the bay. I saw the bay, all right, but I also caught a glimpse of something shiny by the boat dock. It was a figure, a man, turned toward the house and holding something to his face—I’m sure they’re binoculars.”

  “He’s still there?”

  “Yes. Is it possible we were followed?”

  “Anything’s possible, but if he were after us and knew we were here, why’s he waiting outside in plain view? And if he were following us, how did he get here before we did?”

  Paige let the slat drop. “That makes sense, but what doesn’t make sense is that guy spying on the house from the boat dock.”

  “It’s not surprising. If a soldier is on the run, who’s he going to contact for help?”

  “The members of his unit, but this isn’t even Cam’s house.”

  “Because Cam’s house is nowhere near this area.”

  “I guess everyone, including the bad guys, knew about Cam’s new girlfriend except us.”

  Keeping away from the window, Asher perched on the edge of the bed and rubbed his shin. “Is your phone up here? I’m going to give Martha a call. Cam told you to call her when we got here anyway, right?”

  Paige stepped away from the window, her back still rigid, fear still etched on her face. She yanked her sweater off the chair and dipped her hand in its pocket. “It’s here, and I have Martha’s number programmed into it.”

  She handed it to him, and he slid off the mattress to the floor. “We don’t want to show any more light in here than we have to.”

  He tapped the phone for Martha’s number and held his breath through two rings.

  A soft voice answered. “Hello?”

  “Martha, this is Asher Knight, Cam’s friend.” He put the phone on speaker and nodded to Paige.

  “Y-yes. I recognized the phone number Cam gave me. Did you get to the house okay? Is it stocked with food? Is the money there? I arranged everything, and my mother won’t be home for another few months. A doctor should be showing up tomorrow—unless you need him right now.”

  “No. Everything’s fine...except there’s a man watching the house with binoculars from the boat dock.”

  She gasped. “Cam was worried someone might be watching him...us. This conspiracy is so deep and wide, I still don’t feel safe.”

  “You don’t?” Asher raised his brows at Paige, sitting on the floor next to him, and she shrugged her shoulders.

  Martha said, “I’m the one who received the fake emails implicating Major Denver. Cam and I even proved the emails were phony, but it didn’t stop the locomotive that’s barreling forward to nail Denver for treason.”

  “This is messed up.” Asher ran a hand over his mouth. “So the guy watching your house now may just be trying to get lucky on the chance that Cam is helping me.”

  “That could be it, unless you think someone followed you or tracked you. I have an idea. My mother has a cleaning lady who comes by the house all the time. She’s the one who laid in the food supplies. If she were at the house now and noticed someone watching it, she’d call the police.”

  “Martha, this is Paige. You want us to call the police?”

  Martha answered, “I’ll do it and pretend I’m her. The cops will go out there to investigate and chase the guy off, and maybe he’ll believe the only person at the house is my mother’s cleaning lady. He wouldn’t figure you two would call the cops...unless he already saw you.”

  Asher glanced at Paige and she shook her head. “Not that we know of, but if the police chase him off, he’ll be back and I’ll lose an opportunity to get my hands on someone who could give me some answers.”

  “Get your hands on him?” Paige’s eyes widened in her pale face. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I think it’s a great idea.” Asher smacked a hand on the floor. “Martha, is there a way I can get from the house to the boat dock without being seen by someone down by the water?”

  Paige poked his leg, but he ignored her.

  “You can get down to the water from a path next to the house. He won’t see you coming that way—until you reach the bay. He’s going to see you once you start approaching him from the shoreline.”

  “Unless I come up from the water.”

  Martha responded, “He’ll hear a boat coming, even if it’s a rowboat.”

  “I’m not talking about hitting the water in a boat.”

  Both women gasped at the same time—in stereo.

  Paige jabbed his leg again. “You are not going into that water and swimming up on some guy who probably has a gun.”

  Martha joined in as soon as Paige left off. “The bay will be freezing cold.”

  “I won’t be in there long...and Paige can warm me up once I’m back inside.”

  “Not if you’re dead.” Paige scowled at him.

  Martha sighed. “If I’ve learned anything about you D-Boys after hanging out with Cam these past few months, I know you can’t be dissuaded once you’ve made up your minds.”

  “You’d think my fiancée would know that by now, too.” He ran a hand down Paige’s leg.

  “Then that’s the way to go. Slip out the side door and duck through the fence on that side of the property. Take the path straight to the waterline and slip in from there. You’ll know when you’re at our dock because of the pilings in the water. I know Cam will be disappointed he wasn’t there to help you.”

  “He helped us plenty. And tell that hothead to keep being a hothead. He should talk it up about how I’m a...traitorous bastard. I think those were his original words. If the agents behind this setup believe Cam still thinks I’m accusing Denver of sabotage, maybe they’ll leave him—and you—a
lone.”

  “I’ll tell him when I can. Be careful... These people will stop at nothing to keep spinning the lie about Major Denver, and we don’t know why or who’s behind it.”

  “We’ll watch our backs.”

  Asher ended the call and crawled to the window. “I’d better make sure he’s still there and not on the porch instead.”

  Paige blew out a breath. “This is bigger than we thought. Bigger than a few doctors at Hidden Hills.”

  “I always thought it was. I’m just sorry you’re involved.”

  “I was always going to be involved, Asher.” She scooted on the floor and joined him under the window. “Let me look. I can keep watch while you’re on your way. If he makes a move toward the house, I’ll start turning on all the lights. That’ll be our signal.”

  “Okay. I’ll keep an eye on the house on my way to the water. If I see the lights go on, I’ll head back.” He gestured toward the gun. “You keep that with you here. I can’t take it in the water anyway.”

  She lifted the bottom of the blinds. “He’s still there. You know, if they’re watching Cam and his girlfriend, they would’ve been watching me.”

  “Probably.” He crawled to the bedroom door. “Stay here. With any luck, I’ll be bringing our prey back with me.”

  Putting one hand over her heart, she nodded. “I’ll be ready. Be careful and don’t do anything stupid.”

  “I think those two might be mutually exclusive.”

  Paige blew him a kiss from her position under the window. “I’d give you a real one, but I don’t want to give that guy out there a target.”

  “I don’t think he can see us behind the blinds in a dark room—” he reached out as if to snatch her kiss from the air “—but I’ll take this one to be on the safe side.”

  Asher jogged down the stairs and exited the side door of the house. Staying in the shadows, he hopped the fence that separated the property from the public path to the beach and his boots crunched against the sandy dirt. He’d have to lose the boots before he entered the water unless he wanted to sink to the bottom of the bay.

  He hunched forward and made a beeline to the water’s edge, occasionally casting a glance over his shoulder at the house to watch for the signal. The house remained in darkness.

  About ten feet from the shore, he dashed for a small boathouse with the stranger on the other side. He shed his jacket and pulled off his boots. On his hands and knees he made his way to the water’s edge, the rocks biting into his kneecaps and palms.

  He held his breath and rolled into the frigid bay, his insides curling up as the water embraced him, soaking into his clothing and his flesh.

  He swam beneath the surface, frog-kicking his legs, keeping his left hand outstretched to feel for the pilings of the boat dock. When he reached the other side, he rose to the surface, tipping his head back to take a sip of air.

  With his face out of the water, he paddled around to face Martha’s house. The stranger had his back to the bay, silently watching the house. His powerboat bobbed in the water and Asher used it for additional cover.

  Asher didn’t have any room for error. If the man heard him coming out of the water and he took too long to get out, he’d probably wind up with a bullet in the head and this bay would be his watery grave.

  He floated to the edge of the dock. In one movement, he hoisted himself out of the water and launched at the man.

  The cover of darkness, the element of surprise and the fact that the man had both hands on his binoculars all worked in Asher’s favor.

  Before the stranger could react, Asher had tackled him and smashed his face against the binoculars.

  The man grunted and struggled beneath him, trying to free his right hand pinned between his body and Asher’s knee. Asher helped him out and shoved his hand into the pocket the man was trying to reach.

  His fingers curled around the handle of a gun and he whipped it out and pressed it against the man’s temple. “Who the hell are you and why are you watching the house?”

  The man grunted and swore. His body bucked beneath Asher’s.

  “It’s not gonna go that way. You’re gonna answer my questions, or you’re a dead man.”

  The man narrowed his eyes and spit out of the side of his mouth.

  “Your stubbornness is gonna get you killed.” Asher pushed off the man’s body and rose above him, aiming the gun at his chest. “Get up.”

  The man staggered to his feet, the binoculars swinging from his neck.

  Asher ripped them off and kicked the back of the man’s legs. “Get moving—toward the house. If you try anything, I’ll shoot.”

  They walked in silence, one ahead of the other, the swishing, sloshing sounds of Asher’s wet clothing the only noise.

  As they approached the back door, the patio lights illuminated their way. Then the door swung open and Paige greeted them with Asher’s weapon pointed at them.

  “You did it.”

  “I surprised him. He hasn’t said a word yet...but he will.”

  Asher prodded the man into the house as Paige slammed the back door behind them. She scooted past Asher and his prisoner and settled a dining room chair on the hardwood floor. “Have him sit here. I found rope and tape in the garage.”

  Asher searched the man’s pockets and pulled out a phone and a set of keys. Placing a hand on the man’s shoulder, he shoved him into the chair. As Paige held her gun on their captive, Asher tied the man’s ankles to the legs of the chair and secured his hands behind him.

  “Let’s start over.” He put his face close to the other man’s. “Who the hell are you and why are you watching this house?”

  The captive licked his lips. “Why are you doing this? Why didn’t you just call the police?”

  Asher kicked the leg of the chair and the man’s head snapped back and forth. “I’m asking the questions. What are you doing here?”

  “I’m casing the place.” He lifted his narrow shoulders. “This is a ritzy neighborhood and I heard this house was empty.”

  “Then why are you out there watching it instead of breaking in?”

  “Wanted to make sure it was empty. I came by boat, saw a light go on upstairs, and that stopped me.”

  “Stopped you, so why didn’t you go away? Find another house to burglarize?”

  “This is the one I was told to hit.”

  Paige jerked her head toward Asher. “Told to hit? Someone commissioned you to burglarize this property?”

  “Not like that.” The man shook his head back and forth, the ends of his scraggly hair spewing droplets of water from Asher’s watery takedown. “Just heard a rumor around town about some of these fancy beach houses and the ones left vacant. This was one of them.”

  “That still makes no sense. I don’t know many thieves who would stay back from a property they wanted to break into and watch it with binoculars.”

  The man snorted. “You know many thieves?”

  Asher growled. “You have no idea.”

  “Are you acting alone in this plan?” Paige still held the gun, but she’d let it slip from her tight grip. “Is there anyone else out there?”

  The man’s dark eyes flickered. “Just me.”

  “I don’t believe you.” Asher’s jaw ached from tension and shivering. How the hell was he going to get information out of this guy...especially with Paige here watching?

  “Believe it or not, buddy. Why aren’t you calling the police? Did you two break in here, too?” He laughed, and the laugh turned into a hacking cough.

  “And what if we did? What would the police discover about you? Some nobody who doesn’t exist anywhere? A fake ID? Fingerprints leading to no one?”

  A muscle twitched in the corner of the man’s eye.

  He knew something. Asher lunged at him and closed his hand around his throat until the
man’s eyes bulged from the sockets. “Tell me who you work for and what you were doing outside this house.”

  The man choked and his body squirmed in the chair.

  Asher released him suddenly, and the chair tipped on its back legs. “Answer me.”

  Asher felt Paige’s hand on his back, and his spine stiffened. He couldn’t properly question the man with Paige looking on in judgment.

  The man’s eyes watered and one tear slipped from the corner of his left eye. “Go to hell.”

  Gritting his teeth, Asher stalked to the kitchen and pulled a knife from a block on the counter. He returned to his prisoner, avoiding Paige’s wide-eyed stare.

  He loomed over the man, wielding the knife at his throat. “You’re going to tell me what I want to know, starting now.”

  The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, but he pressed his lips together and closed his eyes. “I already told ya.”

  Asher flicked the blade against the man’s flesh, and a drop of blood beaded on the side of his neck. “You can die from a thousand paper cuts just as assuredly as you can from a slice across your jugular.”

  Paige sucked in a breath behind him.

  “Take your best shot, buddy.”

  Asher tapped Paige’s right arm, the gun dangling from her fingers. “Keep your weapon trained on him. I’ll be right back.”

  Asher strode to the door leading to the garage and flipped on the light. He scanned the tool bench against the wall, noting the drawers Paige had left open in her search for rope, and slid a hammer and a pair of pliers from the hooks on the wall.

  He returned to the dining room, untied the man’s hands and grabbed one, splaying his fingers on the arm of the chair.

  “Hey, hey, hey.” The man tried to snatch his hand back, but Asher drove his fist into the back of his hand.

  Then he brought the hammer down on one of the man’s fingers and the guy let out a howl, which blended with Paige’s cry.

  “Why are you here and on whose orders?”