by Rebecca Deel
“You’re going to find a top-flight cancer specialist and make an appointment,” Remy said. “Do whatever he tells you. Lily’s just found you. It would devastate her and the rest of your family to lose you.”
“I don’t know who to see.”
“We’ll find someone, Mom,” Cal said. “We’ll get a recommendation from the doctor who diagnosed the cancer in the first place. The only thing that matters is that you fight to get well.”
Her chin lifted, a determined glint in her eyes. “Call your father. Tell him not to bother with the bank just yet. We have calls to make.”
Her son grinned. “Yes, ma’am.” He disappeared through the open doorway.
Elaine turned, looked at Lily. “Thank you for telling me the truth.”
“I couldn’t let you be scammed out of any more money. You need to use it for treatment that might give you a chance to see your grandchildren.”
“What about you and Remy? How long can you stay?”
Regret swept through her. “We have to leave by tomorrow at the latest. We have another team meeting us in Mexico to help us with the rescue.”
“Will you stay here with us tonight, baby? You and Remy? We’ll talk, get to know one another.” Sadness drifted into her eyes. “Maybe you’ll find time to come back and visit later.”
Lily’s eyes stung. “I’d like that,” she said, her voice husky. Elaine settled deeper into the pillows, her eyelids starting to droop. Lily reached over and patted her hand again. “Rest. Remy and I will be back later.”
They left the room, closing the door behind them. Lily held it together until they reached the first floor. Tears welled up. She averted her face from Remy, headed to the front door and out into the warm, sunlit morning. She made it as far as the steps, dropped on the top one and covered her face with her hands, tears falling in torrents.
Air displaced as someone sat beside her. She knew without looking Remy had followed her outside. An arm slid around her waist, tugged her against a muscular chest. For long minutes as she wept, Remy held her, rubbing her back, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head once in a while. Eventually the emotional storm passed and still he held her. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“For?”
“Being here.”
He raised her chin with a finger, stared into her eyes. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else, sweetness.”
“What am I going to do about her?”
“We are going to take Montgomery down, then provide whatever support and encouragement we can to your mother as she fights this disease.”
“You don’t have to do this. She’s not yours to worry over.”
Remy wiped the tears from her cheeks with a gentle touch. “True. You are mine to worry over and she belongs to you. In my book, that means she also belongs to me. I’m in this with you, baby.”
She reached up and kissed him. “You are too good to be true, Remy Doucet.”
“Yeah?” His eyes twinkled. “I’ll remind you of that when I end up in the doghouse over something stupid. According to my mother and sisters-in-law, that’s a foregone conclusion.”
She smiled. “Deal.”
They spent the rest of the day visiting Elaine in short increments and discussing what they’d learned about Montgomery and his treatments with Elaine’s husband, Chris. By the end of the day, the family had the name of the best oncologist in the area and Elaine had an appointment for a consultation in two days as it would take that long for her medical records to be transferred and evaluated.
When midnight came, Remy bunked in with Cal while Lily stayed with Gina. Unused to sleeping near anyone else, it took her a long time to drift off. Remy’s knock on the bedroom door came all too early.
Gina grumbled and threw the covers over her head.
Laughing softly, Lily dragged on her work clothes and boots, tugged her hair into a ponytail, and grabbed her gear. In the kitchen, Emily was already at the kitchen stove, scrambling eggs. Cal stood guard over the toaster, a butter knife ready.
“What are you guys doing up so early?” she asked. “It’s just barely four o’clock.”
“We wanted to send you off with a good meal.” Emily smiled over her shoulder. “Dad’s helping Mom get ready so she can see you and Remy before you leave.”
“That’s not necessary. I promised we would stop in from time to time.”
“Not going to work, Lily,” Cal said as he buttered a piece of toast. “You belong to Mom, too. She always sees us off when we’re going on a trip.”
Mystified, she sat at the table, her gaze seeking out Remy. He just winked at her. Fat lot of help he was. How was she supposed to respond to this? No one had ever cared about her enough to do something like this. Except Remy. A few times over the last year, she’d been injured on the job. Some injuries were serious, others a mere scratch. If he had been in country, he made it a point to spend time with her. More than once, she suspected he’d stayed overnight when she’d been admitted to the hospital, either standing guard over her or just being with her. Before she knew how he felt about her, his actions puzzled her. Oh, Remy was fun, a charmer, and a great distraction when she was stuck in a hospital bed. Now that she understood his motivations, she knew he’d been worming his way into her heart over several months.
Emily pushed the skillet off the burner and grabbed plates from the cabinet. A minute later, she set plates full of eggs, fruit, and toast in front of Lily and Remy. “April has already left for work. Gina will crawl out of bed before you leave, but don’t expect scintillating conversation from her until she drinks at least a pot of coffee.”
Lily grinned. She could relate. Just has Emily had predicted, Gina stumbled into the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee pot. When Cal greeted her, she merely grunted and sipped more of the fresh brew.
While Remy loaded their Go bags in the SUV, Lily spent a few minutes with Elaine and her husband.
“You’ll be careful, won’t you?” Elaine’s blue eyes were filled with concern. “And you’ll call the minute you return? I know I don’t have the right to ask you to do that. I gave up that right thirty years ago. But it would ease my mind.”
“I’ll call you. I don’t know how long it will take to find our client’s wife, remove her from Montgomery’s compound, and get out of Mexico. It could take several days.”
Remy strode into the room. “Bags are loaded, sweetness.”
Elaine held out her hands to Lily. Heart in her throat, Lily clasped her birth mother’s hands.
“You come home to me in one piece, baby.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Elaine’s gaze shifted to Remy. “Same goes for you, Remy.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He leaned over, kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll bring her back to you,” he murmured. “You have my word on that.”
Chris stood, clapped Remy on the shoulder. “Be careful.”
“Yes, sir.”
He turned to Lily. “You’re welcome here at anytime, Lily. It’s been a treat getting to know you and your boyfriend. Your mother has loved you since you were born, honey. I know I’m not blood kin to you, but I would be honored to have another daughter.”
Stunned, Lily didn’t know what to say. How could a total stranger open his heart and home to her? He absolutely adored his wife and children and now was opening the family circle a little wider to admit a woman with no family before now. She couldn’t put what she felt into words, could barely do that with Remy and she was more than half in love with the dark-haired Cajun. Knowing the words were inadequate for the huge swell of emotion flooding her body, she said, “Thank you.”
“Lily.” Elaine squeezed her hands. “I don’t know exactly what you’re going to face, though I know it’s going to be dangerous. I want you to remember that I love you and I’m very proud of the woman you’ve become. It hurts my heart that you basically had to raise yourself, but you are an amazing woman. You and Remy take care of each other.”
“Try not to worry
. You concentrate on getting well.”
At the front door, Cal shook Remy’s hand, gave Lily a one-armed hug. “Give Montgomery an extra kick from us, will you?”
“You bet.” She smiled. “He won’t know what hit him.”
Remy reached for her hand. “Let’s go take down a scammer, honey.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Remy leaned over and kissed Lily as the Lear left the ground. He took his time, enjoying the texture of her lips, the warmth of her skin under his fingertips, the sound of her contented sigh. The skin at the back of her neck was like velvet, soft and smooth. Nothing would make him happier than having the right to touch Lily Stanton every day.
When he finally eased away from her, Lily’s eyelids fluttered up. “Wow. What was that for?”
“You are amazing, Elf.”
She grinned. “I guess my kissing technique was superb.”
He burst into laughter. “That’s not what I meant, though your kisses are so superb they send my pulse rate into outer orbit. I was talking about how you dealt with the Higgins family.” The smile slid from his face. “You told me you didn’t know how to act with a family since you never had one. From where I’m sitting, you are a natural with the Higgins clan as well as the Doucets. You gave Elaine exactly what she needed.”
Lily looked puzzled. “I didn’t give her anything.”
“Time, sweetheart. Openness. Mental pictures of the better things in your life. She was devastated by the news about Montgomery, yet you gave her laughter when she needed it the most. You made her part of your world by describing the people you work with and gave her a chance to know the daughter she was forced to give up so long ago. Some people might have been hateful and ugly when faced with a birth parent. You treated her with dignity and gentleness.”
Her face flamed. “She seemed pretty taken with you.”
“What can I say? She has good taste.” Lily’s laughter brought a smile to his lips. She truly didn’t know how special she was. If she’d give him the chance, he wanted to spend the rest of his days showing her how much she meant to him. He’d love nothing more than to wake with her in his arms for the rest of his life.
If his brothers could hear him now, they’d never let him live it down. Of course, each of them had turned into saps when they were courting their future wives. If the Doucet brothers found out, he’d get over it. In a few years. He controlled the flinch that wanted to cross his face. Yep, they were going to rig him for a very long time, just as he had them. That’s what family was for after all. They might get in each other’s business and definitely in each other’s faces when the situation warranted, but they always had each other’s backs. No one took on one of the Doucet boys without a challenge from the rest of them.
“Time to make some plans, Elf. We need to check the schematics for Montgomery’s compound and find a way in there. Got a feeling we don’t have much time.”
“Montgomery knows we’re onto him.” Lily pulled out her laptop and turned it on. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent his goons to blow up his office and burn all the files.”
“He cobbled together a decent frame job while he was at it. I’m surprised Baylor and his sidekick didn’t take us to the station for more intense questioning. I would have if I were investigating that fire.”
“We may have gotten out of town before they had a chance to do just that.”
“Maybe. More likely, Maddox called in some favors.”
His cell phone chirped. Brows furrowed, he checked the readout, growled.
“What’s wrong?”
“James got a ransom demand. They want five million dollars for Christine’s safe return.”
“Are we wrong about Montgomery’s involvement in her disappearance? Is it possible someone else kidnapped her?”
Remy shook his head. “It’s just not likely, honey. All the tracks led us right to Montgomery’s door. The man wants more money.”
Lily frowned. “Most scam artists cut their losses and bail when their scheme is discovered. It’s easy enough to set up somewhere else under a new name. Why doesn’t he tell Christine she’s cured and turn her loose?”
“Not sure.” But he was afraid Montgomery got word James had hired Fortress to track Christine. If he had any connections with the local law enforcement or federales, even the cartels, they would have been sure to tell him that not only would Fortress track Christine, they would shut down his operation permanently. Fortress had a lot of enemies in that part of Mexico.
He called James. “Did they call you or send the ransom demand in the mail?”
“Email.”
“Forward it to my email account. Whatever you do, don’t pay that ransom.”
“They have my wife! I’m not going to let them kill her.”
“If you hand over the money, you’ll be signing her death warrant. They won’t have any reason to keep her alive. Don’t pay them.”
“What am I supposed to do? I have twenty-four hours to gather the money.”
“Do you have that much money?”
“Wilder Industries does, but it will bankrupt the company. I won’t even have enough to cover the payroll this week. I don’t care about that. I just want Christine safe by my side.”
“We’ll get her back, James. Lily and I are on the way to Mexico to Montgomery’s compound.”
“Is that where she is?”
“We think so. No way to know for sure until we get there. If she’s not, we’ll keep searching. We won’t give up, no matter how long it takes. When they contact you again, tell them you can’t raise that much money by the deadline, that you need another day at least. Tell them the truth, that the company’s in financial trouble and cash is scarce.”
“But they might kill her. I can’t take that chance.”
“James, they want that money. They need Christine for leverage. When you ask for the deadline extension, demand proof of life. Delay them until we get there. We have a team meeting us near the compound. If she’s there, we’ll get her out. But you have to buy us the time we need to rescue her.”
“Bring her home to me, Remy.” James’ voice sounded thick. “I’m trusting you with her life.”
He sent Zane a text, telling him to trace the email James was forwarding, then slid his phone into his pocket and glanced at Lily. “He’s going to cooperate, but we only have two days to pull this off. We’ll be lucky if James holds out that long.”
Lily slid her laptop over so they could study the schematics of the compound. “Guess we better get started.”
Remy examined the layout of the grounds, wished they had satellite images. The flat schematic of the grounds didn’t tell him enough about possible approaches, whether they would have cover or not. Even a small rolling hill might save a life. “Call Z. See if he can tap into a satellite.”
While she talked to Zane, he memorized the house plans. That was one massive house, well over 15,000 square feet. Made Remy wonder if the place belonged to a drug lord before Montgomery bought it. Maybe he was allowed to use the place for a cut of the profits. Easy money for whatever faction was in charge in the area. Finding Christine in that place would be a challenge. Hopefully, they’d be able to pinpoint her location by the time Durango arrived at the rendezvous point.
Lily set her phone aside. “Zane said the satellite will be in range in an hour.”
“Good enough. This is one huge compound, honey. There are four outbuildings plus the main house. Six exits in the house, which is good for us. More escape routes.”
“How are we supposed to cover all that with only seven people?”
“Not a problem once we narrow it down to the one building where she’s staying. If we’re lucky, we can pinpoint where she is in the building. If not, we do it the hard way. Once Z sends the satellite images, we can map out approaches to each building and the compound as a whole.”
Lily pointed at the screen. “Whoever built this place didn’t build it with an eye for security. That’s a huge bli
nd spot. No outbuildings on this side of the house, so we won’t have to worry about being seen by someone in them.”
“Looks like the best approach is from the back of the property, but I expect security measures have been set in place. Probably cameras, maybe motion sensors.”
They spent the remaining hours studying the area surrounding the compound with the help of the satellite images. An hour before they landed at a private airstrip, Zane called.
“What do you have, Z?”
“The ransom email was sent from the Chihuahua province in Mexico. My guess is Montgomery sent it from his compound, but I can’t be certain. It’s possible your principal has been taken by someone else in the same area. The authorities down there aren’t exactly law-abiding citizens.”
“More like the wild west. Anything else?”
“Durango team checked in. They’re already on the ground, making their way to the rendezvous point.”
“Pass a message to them. We’ll be wheels down in an hour. From there, it’ll take us two hours to reach them, barring complications.”
“Copy that. Remy, make sure you’re locked and loaded. I don’t want to lose any more friends.”
“I hear you, Z. See you soon.”
“What did he say?” Lily asked.
“Durango’s already in Mexico. We should meet up with them in three hours.”
Lily stood. “We have just enough time to check our gear and see what toys Mitchell left for us.”
In the early afternoon, the Fortress jet touched down at a private airstrip owned by a man with loose ties to Maddox. As the plane slowed to a stop, Remy and Lily strapped on their gear and replenished their water supply.
On the ground, a dusty Jeep waited for them with keys in the ignition. The surrounding area was deserted except for a few birds in the trees.
“Looks like a ghost town,” Lily muttered.
“Not safe to be seen aiding the enemy.” He slung his Go bag over his shoulder. “Time to bag a scam artist.”
Remy sat behind the wheel, cranked the engine. His eyebrows rose. This ride didn’t look like much, but it purred like a kitten. How much horsepower lay under the hood?
