by Rebecca Deel
After the operatives left, Veronica stood beside Adam. “What’s wrong?”
A sigh. “Come here.”
Veronica stepped into the circle of his arms and wrapped hers around his waist. “Tell me.”
“I’m the reason you were taken captive in Mexico. It’s my fault you were beaten and tortured, Vonnie.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The tech staff sent back the results of the fingerprints on the men who attacked at Norton’s house.”
“And?”
“They are known members of Peter Collins’ organization.”
She frowned. “Wait. Isn’t that the kingpin who held you captive? I thought he was dead.”
“He is. Someone picked up the mantle of leadership.”
“I thought Fortress took his organization apart.”
“We did. We haven’t seen anything to indicate they’re operating in the drug business. I’ll check with Maddox when he arrives in a few hours.”
“I’m already here,” Maddox said from the doorway. “You owe Rowan another favor, my friend.”
Veronica released Adam and turned to face his boss. “How did you know we were involved in an incident?”
“Taylor called me.”
She blinked. “You know the detective?”
“He was my teammate in the SEALs and works occasional missions for me.”
Remy and Lily walked into the room, arms loaded with bottles of water and soft drinks. They set everything on the table and dropped into seats beside Maddox.
“Taylor gave me the condensed version,” Maddox said. “I want the full story.” They took turns giving the report. When they finished, the CEO rubbed the back of his neck. “Did they track you to Norton’s place?”
“No, sir,” Remy said. “We checked the SUV for tracking devices and we weren’t followed.”
“Someone is watching his house or there’s a camera monitoring the place.”
“Too dark to check for surveillance on Norton’s place, boss.”
“Do we know who these clowns are?”
“We sent prints to the tech division. They belong to confirmed members of Peter Collins’ organization,” Adam said.
Maddox scowled. “We haven’t heard his group resurrected for business. Have you, Veronica?”
“A whisper here and there. From what I observed, there wasn’t an uptick in drug activity in the area the last time I was in Belize.”
“How long ago was that?” Adam asked, his stomach knotting at the danger Veronica had faced on her own.
“Six months. The Collins name is still mentioned with equal measures of respect and fear.”
“Is there anyone left in the organization who could take command?” Remy asked.
Veronica dredged her memories for a moment. “The only person who comes to mind is Lilah Collins.”
Adam twisted in his seat to stare at her. “Lilah? She was never involved in the old man’s business. She was a spoiled rich kid who didn’t know where her father’s money came from.”
“Apparently, she learned fast.” Veronica sighed. “Maybe she’s the reason Interrogator questioned me so closely about you.”
“Why go after Adam?” Lily asked. “He didn’t kill her father.”
“Lilah doesn’t know that,” he pointed out. “She knows I was undercover, my friends pulled me out of there, and her father died on her wedding night. She can’t know which of us took the shot that rid the world of Peter Collins.”
“Does she know what he did to you?” Veronica’s face burned. “How he hurt you? You almost died, Adam.” If he had, she wouldn’t have met the honorable man who was capturing her heart.
Her breath caught. Oh, man. What had she done? She couldn’t be falling in love with Adam Walker. Could she?
He gripped her hand. “But I didn’t die, and if she is the driving force behind what’s happening to you, then she knows I survived her father’s torture.”
“She wants revenge,” Remy said. “We need to let Zane know. He and Claire are prime targets.” His gaze shifted to Veronica. “If she is responsible for the attack on Norton, she knows about you, too, sugar. When she realizes you’re more than a friend to Adam, she will redouble her efforts to capture you.”
“Call Zane, Remy. Veronica, is there a chance Los Diablos is tied to Collins’ organization?” Maddox asked as Remy left the conference room.
Veronica groaned. “The timing is right, but I didn’t connect them. Do your tech people have names of the cartel’s members?”
“We have some. We’ll run them against those in the Collins organization, see if we get a hit.” He stood, selected a soft drink. “Better hydrate while you can. Taylor will arrive soon.”
Remy returned, his face grim. “Eli Wolfe is on his way to Zane’s place. Jon is on night watch out there. I’ve already alerted the rest of the Zoo Crew with the exception of Jake and Curt to head that direction. They’ll relocate Claire and Zane to a safe house. They will be fine, Adam. No one will touch them or Veronica. We have your back, buddy.”
A nod from Adam.
“Zane said when they’re settled, he will start searches on Lilah Collins, her father’s organization, and Los Diablos. If she turns out to be our problem, Fortress will take her down and destroy that organization for good.”
Adam glanced at Veronica. “What are the odds that Lilah is behind your problems with the DEA?”
“Decent. Maybe Zane will be able to trace Lilah to the anonymous emails in my handler’s inbox.”
“She has plenty of cash to get the job done.” He turned to the others. “We can’t focus only on Lilah, though. Someone on the inside knows too much. Lilah couldn’t make all the necessary connections inside the DEA without help. Veronica isn’t careless.” His lips curved. “I ought to know since I had a hard time finding information on her for my own sake.”
“The only way Los Diablos knew to connect Veronica to Adam was the leak in the DEA,” Lily said, her expression thoughtful. “If we pinpoint that leak, we learn the identity of the person behind the attempt to destroy Veronica.”
“Once we have the confirmed ID, we will destroy the organization.” Maddox’s gaze touched on every person in the room. “No one goes after my people without consequences.”
Footsteps in the hall, then Detective Taylor and his partner, Lonnie Treadwell, walked into the conference room. “Got coffee?” Taylor asked as he dropped into the chair beside Maddox. “Soft drinks and water won’t do the job.”
“You need coffee strong enough to drop a bull elephant in his tracks?” Lily grinned.
“Sounds perfect.”
She rose. “I’ll make a fresh pot.”
“You arrived quicker than I expected,” Maddox said.
“DEA took over the scene.”
“Who was the agent in charge?” Veronica asked.
“Clay Forrest.”
“He’s the head of our field office.”
“He also has an ego that won’t quit.”
“Why are you here? He won’t let another agency interfere in his investigation.”
Taylor smiled. “He doesn’t have a choice. Someone higher than Forrest told him to play nice with local law enforcement. We decided he works the crime scene and I conduct the interviews.”
“I’m surprised he let you do that much,” Adam said.
“You know him?” Taylor asked.
“Unfortunately, I talked to him at my house last night.”
“He’s not worried about anyone but himself,” Remy added.
“What have you learned since you left Norton’s place?”
Between the four of them, they updated Taylor on the latest information and supposition. He sat back in his chair, disgust evident on his face. “From a sheltered, pampered daughter to head of a drug cartel?” His shook his head. “That’s quite a reach.”
“Everything fits,” Remy said. “The only obvious connection between Adam and Veronica is the mission in Belize. They did
n’t cross paths before that point.”
“Or after,” Adam said. “My first time to see Veronica was in Mexico. I asked Zane about her to see if she was safe. He contacted R.J. Walsh.”
He sounded uncomfortable admitting the depth of his interest. Veronica took his hand in hers. “I also contacted R.J. about Adam, to check on his recovery.”
Taylor nodded. “I know Walsh. He’s a good man although I understand he’s hit a rough patch with his marriage.”
Maddox grunted. “Gambling.”
The detective dragged a hand down his face. “Not what I wanted to hear. All right, let’s go back over what happened at Norton’s house,” he said as Lily returned with a tray containing a carafe of coffee and mugs. “You start, Adam.”
By the time they finished recounting the night’s events several times, Taylor’s face was grim. He glanced at Veronica. “You didn’t hear me say this.” He turned his attention to Adam and Maddox. “If Lilah Collins is behind this, Fortress needs to clean out that viper’s nest in Belize or none of you will be safe.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Adam had to hand it to Taylor. The man was thorough; and his partner, Treadwell, was right behind him. By the time the detectives were finished with the question-and-answer session, Veronica was visibly drooping. So were the rest of them. Lack of sleep and adrenaline dump was kicking all of them.
“I’ll send copies of the statements to your email, Adam.” Taylor stood. “Read, sign, and send them back. Anything else happens, I want to know about it.”
“Copy that.”
Maddox rose, shook the hands of both detectives. “Job offer is still open, Cal.”
Treadwell’s eyes widened, his attention shifting to his partner.
“Not yet.”
“Soon?” the CEO pressed.
A slight nod was his response.
Satisfaction gleamed in Maddox’s eyes as the two men left.
No one said anything until the elevator doors closed.
Maddox eyed the four of them. “We need to move fast. I have a few calls to make to clear the mission since the original skirmish with Collins was sanctioned by the government. First, though, you need at least six hours of sleep. I’ll coordinate with Zane. We’ll dig while you rest.” He turned to Adam. “A word with you, then I’ll send you on your way.”
Veronica’s hand tightened on his. Adam squeezed back. He appreciated her concern and support, but this was his home turf.
“We’ll wait in the lobby,” Remy said and escorted the women from the room, closing the door.
Maddox eyed him for a moment. “How serious are you about Veronica?”
Adam lifted his chin, couldn’t explain to his boss what he didn’t understand himself. “Why?”
“It’s obvious your objectivity is compromised.”
His jaw tightened. No. He wouldn’t allow Maddox to use that argument to assign someone else to Veronica’s security detail, not with his boss’s recent history. “Didn’t stop you from doing what was necessary to protect Rowan and Alexa.”
His boss inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Do we have a shot at recruiting Veronica?”
“Before this debacle with the DEA, I would have said no. Now, I think the chance of success is better than half.” Maybe more. Watching her interact with her co-workers and Fortress had been enlightening. Veronica was a perfect fit for Fortress. More important to him than anything else, she would have people she could trust at her back. That wasn’t the case with the DEA, might never be true now that suspicion had been cast on her character and integrity. Didn’t matter how the information that she wasn’t a traitor was disseminated, someone would miss the truth. He didn’t want this woman to be a casualty of friendly fire.
“If we recruit her, do you have an opinion on which unit I should assign her to?”
“What do you think?”
“Could you work with her?”
“No question.”
“It’s time for you to choose a team, Adam. Have you given more thought to possible candidates?”
“You know I have.” They had discussed the topic at length.
“Care to share your conclusions?”
Adam shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Fair enough. When you’re ready, I expect a list of names.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Get some rest. I’ll contact you in a few hours.”
He stood. “We need to restock our weapons, boss. Metro police confiscated everything we had on us.”
“Go to the weapons vault, get what the four of you need.”
“Thank you, sir.” Adam rode the elevator to the lobby. “Weapons vault,” he said to the others as he held the doors open.
“Weapons vault?” Veronica looked puzzled.
“Fortress keeps a large stockpile of weapons on hand for operatives to use. We can restock our hardware from the vault.”
She frowned. “Why not replenish from our own stash?”
“Safer to stay away from both houses. We attracted a lot of attention in both places.”
Once the elevator doors closed, Remy said, “Do you have a place in mind for us to stay?”
“The Garden Hotel in Murfreesboro.”
“Oh, good choice.” Lily’s cheeks turned an interesting shade of pink.
“You’ve been there.”
“For our anniversary.” A good memory from the expression on her face.
The elevator stopped below ground at the weapons vault. Adam slid his security card through the scanner to access the hallway. “Choose anything you want.” He paused. “Within reason.”
“No rocket-propelled grenade, huh?”
The three operatives chuckled. “Between the three of us, we already have a few of those.”
“Oh, man.” Veronica sighed. “Sometimes I wish that was standard equipment for the DEA.”
The four of them chose handguns and knives to replace those confiscated by the police.
“Just think, Veronica. You would have access to these weapons all the time if you joined Fortress.” Lily nudged her as they re-entered the elevator. “Come on. You know you want in.”
“It’s tempting,” Veronica admitted.
Adam kept his expression neutral although inside he was anything but neutral. He longed to weigh in on the discussion, but the decision had to be her choice. “No pressure. Just remember you have options.”
While Remy drove toward Murfreesboro, Adam called the hotel and reserved a suite for them.
An hour later, he swiped the key card to open the suite door on the second floor. “Choose a room, Vonnie. Remy and Lily will take the other one. I’ll bunk on the couch.”
“I’ll take the one on the right.”
“Who’s taking first shift?” Remy asked.
“I will.” Adam was wise enough not to mention how tired Lily looked.
A nod. “I’ll relieve you in three hours.” The couple went into the second bedroom and closed the door.
“I feel guilty leaving you on the couch.” Veronica laid her hand over his heart. “I should sleep out here. You would be more comfortable on a bed.”
“I’ve slept on far worse than a luxurious couch.” His arms circled her waist. “Someone has to stay out here in case we have a breach.”
“I can do that.”
“You are more than capable,” he agreed. “However, you’re still recovering from the hospitality of Los Diablos. You’re not up to full strength yet. Plus, you are the principal, not the protector, on this mission.”
Adam captured her lips with his, spent several minutes indulging in Veronica’s taste. By the time he lifted his head, he knew he needed to send her to bed. His self-control was almost gone. “Go rest. I’ll be here if you need me.”
“What did Maddox want with you?”
“I’ll talk to you about that later. You have my word.”
“Your discussion concerns me?”
He nodded. “We’ll talk.” Another kiss, this one
whisper light. “Go, sweetheart. I’m trying to remember I’m a gentleman. Help me out.”
Veronica gave him a dazzling smile and went to the bedroom.
Adam blew out a breath after the door closed behind her. Whew! Veronica Miles just did it for him. No matter her mood or how tired she was, he loved being around her, loved her smile. Watching her sleep made him go soft inside. Listening to her voice soothed as much as stimulated him. And her eyes? Oh, man, he could drown in those beautiful eyes. But what a way to go.
He sat on the couch and stretched his legs out in front of him. He sounded like Remy, Zane, and Maddox over their wives and they were crazy in love with their women.
Adam froze. Was he in love with Veronica? He drew in a slow, deep breath, knowing he was in so deep it was too late to stop the slide. Over the past year, he began to care for Veronica. During the past few days, he’d fallen for the woman who might break his heart. If she didn’t feel the same about him, Adam didn’t think he would recover with his heart intact. And that confirmed what he already suspected. What Adam had with Jessica was nothing compared to this runaway freight train.
He wanted to tell Veronica he loved her, but the timing couldn’t be worse. They’d be an amazing team. If she would take him on with all his baggage. Not many women could handle what he did for a living. Veronica could. If he was lucky, she would agree to be his partner on the job and off.
Two hours into his shift, Zane called.
“You and Claire okay?”
“We’re safe. We’re in the Garden Hotel in Murfreesboro.”
He grinned. “First floor?”
“Yes, why?”
“Remy, Lily, Veronica and I are staying on the second floor.”
Zane chuckled. “Good choice. Why are you staying here?”
“Veronica’s home and mine have been compromised. Too many people know both locations. After that fiasco at Norton’s, I wanted to give Vonnie a chance to rest without worrying who would come after her next.”
“I don’t blame you. Listen, R.J. is trying to locate Veronica. He called and left three messages within fifteen minutes, saying it was urgent that she contact him immediately.”
