by Rebecca Deel
Through the ear piece in Adam’s ear, Remy said, “You do realize I can hear everything you’re saying, right? You need some new lines, Adam.”
“I think he’s doing great,” Lily chimed in. “So is Vonnie. You guys sound like sappy newlyweds.”
“Would you zip it?” Jake groused. “As the only single person on this team, you’re causing me some serious embarrassment. Remy is right, Adam. You need some new lines.”
“Hey, I got the girl, didn’t I?”
“By some miracle. Remy, does Adam have a tail?”
“Yep, a tricked out SUV. Lily is texting Z the plates.”
Nice to know his gut hadn’t lied about someone besides a teammate watching him and Veronica. “There’s a shopping center three blocks ahead on the right. Jake, veer off and take the next right. The road parallels this one and will lead right to the store where I’m taking Vonnie.”
“Copy that.”
In short order, he arrived at the shop and parked. Knowing Remy and Lily were close, Adam helped Veronica from the SUV and took his time kissing her. Never a hardship. He would love to kiss this woman for the rest of his life.
“This feels weird,” she murmured against his lips. “I don’t like knowing someone is watching.”
“More than one in the vehicle,” Remy said. “Two bruisers. Zane says the car is registered to the Collins estate.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised.” He slid his hand down Veronica’s arm and laced their fingers together. “Let’s give them what they’re expecting.”
The next hour passed more pleasantly than Adam had expected. His teammates kept up the smart aleck comments over the comm system. Instead of being irritating, knowing they were close and watching over him and Veronica was freeing. Their banter and relaxed interaction with each other confirmed Adam’s gut feeling that this team was the right one.
“Can we eat now?” Lily asked. “I’m starving.”
“I’m with her,” Jake said.
Adam gave his teammates the name of a restaurant nearby and the directions. “Remy, Lily, go ahead. Jake hang back with us.” He paid for their purchases with his Fortress account, glad Maddox was picking up the tab when he saw the total. “Just for future reference, is this a normal shopping spree for you?”
A snort from Veronica. “Are you kidding? I hate shopping and I’m not a clothes horse. I’d rather buy online than in a store any day.”
Adam laughed. That was a sentiment he’d heard from Lily more than once over the past year. He had a feeling Veronica and Lily would be good friends.
At the restaurant, Adam noticed several people sneaking looks at him from different tables around the room. Some of them he recognized from his undercover days with the Collins organization. Others seemed horrified and fascinated by the scars he still bore from his time in Collins’ torture chamber.
“Ready to leave, love?” Veronica asked, her gaze steady on his.
The band around his heart squeezed tight. She’d seen the stares, knew why he was attracting attention, and it didn’t bother her. In fact, Veronica didn’t appear to notice his scars. She just saw Adam.
“More than ready.” He kissed the back of her hand, wishing they were on a real honeymoon without an audience watching every move.
She leaned over and captured his lips in a lingering kiss. “Come on. We have better things to do than hang around in a restaurant.”
After they left the restaurant and parked in the hotel’s garage, Adam grabbed their bags from the back of the SUV and carried them to the lobby where he registered and received the suite key card. The hotel had an open floor plan with too many flowers and plants for his taste. It also included an indoor atrium and interior balconies on each of the fifteen floors that gave guests a great view of the greenery below them.
Although most people would appreciate the atmosphere, it reminded him of too many missions in jungles. Made Adam want to wield a machete to hack a path to the elevator. Following an elevator ride to the third floor, he unlocked the door and ushered her inside.
As soon as the door was locked behind him, Adam signaled Veronica to stay quiet. Ten minutes later, he’d gotten rid of four listening devices and two cameras. Veronica hadn’t blinked at the bugs, but seeing the cameras made the color drain from her cheeks.
“Won’t Lilah and company be suspicious when they realize we got rid of everything they planted to spy on us?”
He chuckled. “I would be a poor operative if I didn’t search the suite. Believe me, they would be more suspicious if I hadn’t made sure our room was free of surveillance. Remy, anything in your room?”
“Negative.”
“Jake?”
“Same.”
“Good. Looks like Lilah hasn’t made the three of you. Rest. Watch some television. We’re going to be the suite for a while.”
The afternoon was quiet. Adam’s teammates checked in periodically, but for the most part stayed silent. He and Veronica spent the hours getting to know each other better.
Knowing the suite would be checked when they left for dinner, Adam mussed the covers and punched the pillows so it looked as though the bed had been occupied. That done, he turned the television on low to an old movie and drew Veronica down on the couch beside him. She settled against him and there they sat for the remaining hour of the movie.
When the credits rolled, Adam signaled his team. “We’re ready to leave. There’s an outdoor cafe down the block on the right where Z made reservations for us. We’ll walk and enjoy dinner outside. If Lilah is going to take us tonight, it will be there or on the way back to the hotel.”
“The three of us will take one SUV and watch from down the block. We’ve got your back, Adam,” Remy said. “Yours, too, Vonnie.”
“Zane told me Escobar copped to forcing Carver off the road. He’s also responsible for the attacks on Carol Rossi and Graham Norton. Maddox also called. Fortress is in position and waiting for a move by Lilah’s cronies. They’ll let you know if there’s any activity.”
“Copy that.”
He faced Veronica, held out his hand. “Sweetheart?”
A smiled spread across her mouth. “After I change clothes, I’ll be ready to take down the woman threatening my husband.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Veronica spun around, arms spread. “What do you think?” She decided if they might be taken to the Collins estate tonight, she needed to wear clothes easy to maneuver in. Hence the pants and shirt in a dark color, both of them easy to run in if she needed the mobility. She’d prefer to have combat boots on her feet, but compromised with closed shoes that laced so they wouldn’t fly off in a fight.
Adam’s eyes lit with wild heat. “You look so beautiful that I want to take a bite.”
“Aww, come on,” Jake complained through the ear pieces. “You’re causing my blood pressure to spike.”
Veronica laughed along with the others. “Sorry, Jake.”
“If that was true, you wouldn’t have flirted with Adam for the last six hours.”
“You’ll survive.” She turned to Adam. “I guess we can’t carry a lot of weapons on us.”
“Not tonight.”
“We have extras for you and Adam,” Lily said. “You won’t be weaponless for long.”
“I hope not. I feel under-dressed without my Sig.”
“We’re heading to the garage,” Remy said.
Veronica and Adam waited five minutes before leaving the suite. “Will someone retrieve our belongings?” she asked.
“I doubt we’ll have time.” Adam pressed the elevator call button. “The room has to look occupied. Lilah’s cronies will check.”
She sighed. “I like everything I chose. I hope someone appreciates the clothes.”
When they walked from the hotel into the tropical night, Veronica drew in a deep breath. Flowers scented the air. People strolled along the sidewalks on both sides of the street. No one seemed in a hurry. Laughter and the chatter of excited voices filled t
he night. Cars passed them at a sedate pace.
“Two bruisers are following,” Remy said. “Half a block behind you. Both look Hispanic. One’s on the heavy side, the other tall and thin. The big one’s wearing a white shirt, the other blue, black pants. Both are packing. They’re not trying to conceal their presence.”
Veronica slowed to a stop in front of a store display window and pointed out a couple of items to Adam. He’d want an excuse to see the two men trailing them down the street.
He bent his head as though having trouble hearing her voice with all the noise on the street. Less than a minute later, his hand squeezed her hip in a silent signal to move on.
As they continued to the cafe, Adam said, “Jake, get a picture and send it to Zane.”
“Copy that.”
“I’d rather be the hunter than the prey,” Veronica said.
“Same.” Adam steered her into the cafe and requested a table on the terrace. Two minutes later, they were seated outdoors with menus in their hands. Veronica ordered a tropical salad with grilled chicken and sparkling water. The last thing she wanted was a heavy meal that might slow down her reaction time.
Adam’s lips curved. He echoed her order. “I’ll feed you more later,” he said after the waiter left them.
“I’ll hold you to that. A steak and baked potato sound perfect.”
“I married a woman with good taste.”
Through the ear piece, Remy said, “Maddox called. Zane noticed a spike of cell phone activity coming from the Collins estate. It’s probably not a coincidence that the two clowns following you around town have been answering phone calls almost constantly in the last few minutes. My guess is they’ll try to take you tonight.”
“Good.” Adam’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “I’d rather get this over with and start the campaign to win my wife’s hand the proper way.”
Hearing those words from Adam made Veronica’s heart turn over in her chest. He was such a good man, one with more integrity in his finger than her father had in his whole body.
Technically, Maddox was right. She and Adam were married. However, he had been romancing her all day, acting as though he still needed to win her heart. How could she not love Adam Walker?
“Z also got a hit on the facial recognition system. The bruisers work for the Collins organization.”
She and Adam exchanged smiles. At least they knew who stalked them. Good to know another party wasn’t involved to muddy the waters.
For the rest of their meal, Veronica and Adam stuck to neutral conversation topics although they touched and kissed frequently. She reminded herself the physical interaction was for their audience. Didn’t matter. Every time he touched her with such gentleness, Veronica’s heart melted a little bit more for the Marine sitting across the table from her. What she wouldn’t give for this to be a real honeymoon without danger dogging their steps.
Adam paid the check, then walked hand-in-hand with Veronica along the sidewalk, slowly heading toward their hotel. “Where are they, Remy?” he asked.
“One of them is moving up, fast. The other peeled off to the right.”
“He’s circling around,” Veronica said.
Adam squeezed her hand. “He’ll come at you.”
“He assumes I’m the weak link.”
“He’s wrong.”
Nice to know the man she would love to marry for real believed in her skills. Ahead one hundred feet was a dark alley. There, Veronica thought. That’s where the second guy would come at her. Hated that she had to let the thug think she was unaware. If she’d been that oblivious to her surroundings over the years, she would be dead by now. Her job had never been safe, especially in the countries and neighborhoods where she worked.
She and Adam kept to the same easy pace even as the predator behind them closed in. A shadow shifted at the mouth of the alley. Seventy-five feet. Fifty feet. Ten feet.
“Moving in now,” Remy said.
Seconds later, the tall, thin man left the shelter of the alley’s shadows and pointed a gun at Veronica.
Adam shifted his weight, then stopped as the beefy guy behind him shoved a gun against his spine and said, “Do exactly what we tell you or your wife dies right here.”
Wife, not woman or girlfriend, Veronica realized. They knew she and Adam were married. Maddox had been right. Lilah Collins checked the details to make sure the cover story was true, looking for leverage to control Adam. “What do you want?”
“Come with us.”
Adam scowled. “Why?”
“Shut up and move, Walker.”
Thin Man wrapped an arm of steel around Veronica’s waist and shoved the weapon into her side. “Let’s go, lady. You should have chosen a better man. Maybe you’d like a taste of one of us.”
Veronica laughed. “You have a death wish. I would kill you before I let you touch me.”
He shoved the barrel of the weapon deeper into her side. “We’ll see who has a death wish before this night is over.”
“Leave her alone.” Adam reached for Veronica.
Beefy Man rabbit punched him in the kidney. Adam dropped to his knees, dragging in a ragged breath.
“Adam!” Veronica broke Thin Man’s hold and crouched beside Adam, prepared to blow her cover to protect him while he was incapacitated. There was a reason Special Forces soldiers knifed a kidney if a target had to die without making a sound. The pain left the victim unable to utter a sound.
“Vonnie, did he use a knife?” Jake asked.
“No more fists to the kidney,” she said for the medic’s benefit. “We’ll go with you. Just don’t hurt him.” If she’d been free to do what she wanted, Beefy Man would be rolling on the ground with a broken knee cap. Veronica longed for a chance to take down these two bozos.
“Get him on his feet,” he snapped. “Now.”
Veronica leaned close. “Adam, can you stand?”
He gave a slight nod.
She hoped he was telling the truth because she couldn’t haul him to his feet on her own. She did what she could to aid Adam as he struggled to his feet. When he swayed, Veronica wrapped her arm around his waist to steady him, afraid he’d go down again if she didn’t anchor him to her side.
“Adam,” Jake said over the ear piece. “If you’re seriously hurt, call this off. Maddox and the others are in place. We aren’t putting your life at risk.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Veronica caught Adam’s hand signal to hold position. “Where are we going?” she asked Thin Man to keep the thugs’ attention on her and off Adam.
“To the parked black SUV by your hotel.”
She and Adam continued walking up the street. By the time they reached the vehicle, Adam wasn’t leaning on her as much although he was careful to make it seem as though he still needed assistance.
The vehicle was parked in a dimly lit section of the street. Veronica doubted anyone noticed the forced march to the vehicle at gunpoint.
While Beefy Man pointed the gun at Veronica, his partner used zip ties to cinch their wrists together. Thin man shoved Veronica into the backseat first. Adam followed right behind her.
“One move against either of us and the first bullet goes into your wife, Walker,” Thin Man said, then slammed the door and climbed into the front passenger seat. He twisted and pointed the weapon at Veronica.
Nice. She hoped he wasn’t the nervous sort. The roads around Belize City weren’t the smoothest she’d ridden on.
Veronica watched the landmarks, memorizing their route. Her stopover in Belize the year before was too short to familiarize herself with the layout of the city. If she had made her connecting flight on time or resisted the urge to explore the city last year, she wouldn’t have learned Adam’s location.
She shuddered. So close. She’d come so close to losing the chance to love this man. Adam pressed close to her side. Veronica turned, noted his upraised eyebrow.
She couldn’t say what was on her mind. Instead, she leaned her head against hi
s shoulder, grateful he was alive and they were together.
Adam pressed a kiss to her forehead. Since Thin Man had cinched their hands in front, Adam covered her hands with his, as though offering silent comfort. With subtle movements, the operative maneuvered the small knife in his hand, slowly cutting her zip tie almost all the way through. One good flex would free her hands.
When he pressed the handle against her palm, she returned the favor. By the time she finished, they were driving through the gates of a large estate. The place was alive with activity and blazing lights inside the massive house.
With only seconds before they reached their destination, Veronica closed the thin knife and slid it back into place on the underside of Adam’s watch.
Over the ear piece, Maddox said, “Adam, Veronica, as soon as you confirm Lilah Collins is in the estate, we’ll move in. When the rest of your team is in position, we’ll be ready.”
“In place in five,” Remy confirmed.
Beefy Man drove the SUV to the back of the house. “End of the line, Walker.” He climbed out and opened Veronica’s door. “You first, lady. Any trouble from you, and your traitor husband gets a bullet in the head.”
She glanced at Adam. He winked at her. Oh, yeah, the operative was cool under pressure. Knowing almost twenty operatives waited for one word from them steadied her breathing. Let the games begin.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Adam followed on Veronica’s heels, using his body to protect her from the goon prodding him with the barrel of an HK. At least they weren’t manhandling Veronica yet. His gut knotted. Eventually, Lilah would send someone after Veronica to make Adam pay for his role in Collins’ death.
He glanced around the large kitchen as they walked through. Nothing had changed in the gourmet kitchen where two chefs were on call twenty-four hours a day. Had a craving for an omelet in the middle of the night? No problem. One of the chefs on duty would create a masterpiece for you. Having meals available when he was on guard duty during the night was great. Tonight was no different. Mariko Tanaka turned from the large stove to see who was coming into the kitchen. Her gaze caught his a moment, then she turned away without acknowledgment. Guess Mariko thought he was a traitor, too. “Where are we going?”
