Born To Protect (Elite Force Security Book 1)

by Christina Tetreault

  For now.

  At some point, the dude would no longer be a possible asset. Then Congressman Dale Fuller would pay for every slight he’d ever given him.

  “I’ll handle it,” Zane said, his jaw clenched so tightly his lips barely moved.

  He lit another cigarette. He knew Dale was after information and some chick named Kassidy Buchanan. It was why his boys had taken every computer device in the house while also helping themselves to some expensive jewelry. But whatever Dale wanted hadn’t been on any of them, because he issued the order to grab Buchanan’s roommate not long after they delivered the items. Although it didn’t matter, he wondered what kind of info the guy was after.

  “Be sure you do.”

  Just another insult Dale would pay for in the future. The dude really didn’t know how close he was getting to the end of his rope. If Dale did, he sure as hell would show Zane some respect.

  “I’ll call you when it’s done.” Zane disconnected the call and took another drag from his cigarette.

  Chapter Eleven

  For perhaps the twentieth time, Becca checked her cell phone. Kassidy hadn’t said when she’d contact her again, but considering their conversation this morning, she’d hoped her stepsister would call her right after she got the situation at work straightened out—assuming there really was something to straighten out.

  She’d replayed the quick conversation with Kassidy several times today, and rather than go away, the suspicion that her stepsister was lying grew. Becca could understand Kassidy lying about being involved with a married man again, especially considering all the times such relationships had turned into disasters for her. But if her suspicions were correct, and there was no situation at work like Kassidy claimed, what was she hiding and why?

  Becca toyed with the idea of calling Detective Murphy again. During her brief chat this morning, she let him know she’d talked to Kassidy and that her stepsister would be calling him soon. He’d thanked her for the update and told her to contact him at any time if she had any questions or concerns. Would he mind if she called and asked if he ever heard from Kassidy? She’d feel so much better if he said yes.

  But what if he said no? Then what? Would that mean Kassidy really was in some kind of danger and she’d managed to act as if everything was fine this morning?

  She dropped the device back into her purse. She’d give it a little longer. Calling home would be low on Kassidy’s priority list if she were on vacation.

  “I’ve been so busy I didn’t even get a chance to say hello today,” Danny greeted from the doorway, his presence a welcome distraction from her thoughts.

  “I know what you mean. Except for a short lunch break, I spent most of my day in meetings.”

  “At least tomorrow is Friday, and I’m taking it and Monday as personal days. We’re heading to Williamsburg in the morning for the weekend,” Danny said.

  Becca noticed Danny had his briefcase in one hand and his travel coffee mug in the other, suggesting he was on his way out. She glanced at the clock on her computer screen. She’d intended to stay a little later tonight so she could avoid taking any work home this weekend. However, if she left now, she could walk out with Danny rather than alone. Although she hadn’t told the man from the National Mall where she worked, she was uneasy about walking through the garage alone tonight.

  “Are you leaving for the night or off to a meeting?” she asked.

  “Leaving. It’s been one of those days, and I need to put this place behind me until next week.”

  “Do you mind waiting a minute so we can walk out together?”

  Danny shook his head and stepped inside her office. “Of course not.” Setting his travel mug on the desk, he took a seat. “Glynnis and I are meeting my sister and brother-in-law at Ellington’s,” he said, referring to a popular jazz club. “Join us. It’ll be fun.”

  She’d visited the club before with various friends, although she went more for the unique atmosphere of the place than the music itself. “Thanks for the offer, but I have plans.” She closed the last computer file and switched off the device.

  “Not with another of Graham’s friends, I hope.”

  Becca gathered up her belongings and came around the desk. “No. Connor and I actually went to high school together. We ran into each other a couple weeks ago. I stayed with him for a few nights when my new alarm system was being installed.”

  Danny followed her out of the office. “Bring him along. I could use an ally with Jordan there.”

  She’d met both Danny’s sister and brother-in-law at a holiday gathering Danny threw two years ago. She’d gotten along well with both, but she knew Danny and his brother-in-law, Jordan, weren’t big fans of each other. She got the impression there was a long story behind why they didn’t get along, but she’d never asked and Danny had never shared.

  “I’m pretty sure Connor doesn’t enjoy jazz. But sometime soon we can get together. I think you’ll get along well with him.”

  They kept up a steady conversation as they exited the building and entered the parking garage. When Danny opened the door to the stairwell, Becca preceded him up the steps, the ringing of her heels on the metal stairs the only sound around them.

  “If you change your mind, we plan on getting there around nine tonight,” Danny said as they exited on the second level.

  Numerous vehicles remained in the garage, but there wasn’t another soul around. Despite not seeing anyone, the hairs on her arms stood up and a chill went through her body. Automatically, she took a step closer to her coworker as they walked down the row of cars.

  “Okay, I’ll keep it in mind,” she said.

  They hadn’t walked far when a sound caught Becca’s attention, and she glanced around for the source. Up ahead she saw an athletically built man step from a large black SUV with tinted windows. She’d never seen him in the parking garage or her office building, but a lot of people from nearby buildings used the garage too. Her intuition, though, was telling her he didn’t work nearby. Yes, he had on a suit like everyone else who worked around here, but there was something off. Much like this afternoon when Ross sat next to her, she just couldn’t put her finger on what it was about the man.

  Picking up her pace, she tried to keep her eyes on the man without being too obvious as she and Danny walked.

  “Where’s the fire?” Danny asked with a laugh, picking up his pace to keep up with her.

  She saw the man take a step away from his vehicle and then stop. “Sorry, I’m anxious to get home tonight.” Becca took her keys from her purse and unlocked the door, although they were still several feet from her car.

  Even though Becca knew she shouldn’t, she couldn’t stop herself from glancing back at the man with the SUV. He’d moved away from the vehicle and seemed to be heading their way.

  He could be walking toward the elevator, she reminded herself. She didn’t usually use it because it was slow and, depending on the time of the day, crowded. However, she knew where the elevator was located, and to reach it the man would have to pass this way.

  She eyed her car and wondered how quickly she could reach it if she needed to make a mad dash. Wearing sneakers, she could probably outrun the man and get herself safely locked inside. Becca didn’t think she could manage it in her three-inch heels.

  A ringing cell phone erupted from much closer than she’d like. She didn’t look back to see if it belonged to the man from the SUV or if someone else was now around.

  “Say hi to Glynnis and your sister.” She opened the car door and got inside before Danny managed a response. Becca started the engine as Danny opened his mouth to speak.

  “I will. Have a nice weekend,” he said. “And don’t forget, if you change your mind, we’ll be at Ellington’s around nine.”

  “You too.” Becca closed and locked the door. Before backing up, she checked her rearview mirror. She saw the man slip his cell phone back into his pocket and then continue walking toward the elevator. She didn’t wait to
see if he actually got in it or not. She backed out and drove as fast as she dared toward the exit.

  From the safety of the SUV’s back seat, Zane watched through the heavily tinted windows as his prey drove away. After his call from Dale, he’d spent some time considering his options before scouting out the parking garage again. Thanks to the surveillance his boys had done, he knew Becca always parked on the second level, so finding her car had been easy. When Zane saw it was in enough of a blind spot that Hammer could grab her and avoid being caught on camera, he’d decided to go for it tonight and get Dale off his ass.

  He’d done a quick risk assessment of the situation when he spotted her walking with a man. While he’d prefer her to be alone, the walking suit next to her didn’t look like someone who could put up much of a fight, especially against Hammer. He’d seen what his boy could do with his bare hands and a knife. Hammer could easily take out the dude and grab the chick.

  Unfortunately, just before Hammer made his move, Zane spotted a small group of men and women exiting the stairwell. They were too far away to help if Hammer killed the guy and carried Becca to the SUV, but they’d be able to call the authorities and give witness statements.

  Eventually, the authorities would get involved. When Becca didn’t show up for work, her boss would wonder why and call them. He didn’t need them getting involved before he even delivered her to Dale.

  A single call to Hammer had stopped him in his tracks. The guy wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, as his grandmother used to say about some people, but he followed orders well. He’d done just as he’d been told and kept on walking toward the elevator while Becca got in her car and drove away.

  The driver side door opened, and Hammer got behind the wheel. “Do I follow her?” he asked.

  Zane liked his boy’s enthusiasm but dismissed the idea. She had too much of a head start, and he didn’t have any idea where she was heading tonight. At least this week she’d never gone straight home once. Instead, she’d driven to a house in Dumfries after work Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday she’d driven to an enormous four-story home in Georgetown that he later learned belonged to Senator Lynch, her boss. She could be headed to either of those two locations again, or somewhere else.

  “No, we’ll have to get her later,” he answered, already running various other scenarios through his head. As Hammer drove out of the garage, he punched in Espanto’s cell number.

  “Keep eyes on her house,” Zane said once he answered. “I want to know when she gets there and if anyone visits. If she leaves, let me know immediately and follow her.”

  Other than a few Spanish swears, he didn’t know the language. But he’d been told the world espanto translated to ghost. The name fit the guy on the other end of the line because there wasn’t anyone in his organization who could watch a person or a place and not get noticed better than him.

  “Got it,” Espanto replied before the line went dead.

  Zane tapped his cell against his thigh. He didn’t expect to find her, but he still kept an eye out for Becca’s car as they trudged through the city traffic.

  He had to make his next move soon. He’d gotten a look at her face in the garage. She’d been uneasy, similar to the way she’d been on the Mall this afternoon. When people got nervous like that, they became hypervigilant. They started never leaving a building alone, and in some cases hiring bodyguards to follow them around. He’d seen her house. If Becca could afford that place, she could hire a full-time bodyguard if she wanted. Hammer and several others in his organization could get rid of a walking suit like the one she’d been with tonight easily. However, a trained and armed bodyguard would make it a more difficult, but not impossible, task. He’d already wasted enough time and resources on this damn situation. He didn’t want to waste anymore.

  Chapter Twelve

  Although he hated grilling Becca to find out if she had any information that might help them track down Kassidy, he needed to. He’d tried calling her before lunch but only managed to get her voice mail. Later in the afternoon, he sent her a text message, but she’d quickly sent him back a reply, letting him know she was in another meeting and wasn’t sure when she’d be done. He’d found her response odd. The police had sent detectives over this morning, so she knew Kassidy was missing. In that kind of situation people usually took time off from work. Why hadn’t Becca?

  Reaching her front door, he rang the bell, anxious to get some answers so he could report back to Ax.

  When the door opened, thoughts of gathering intel for work disappeared. Instead, the need to pull her close and lose himself in her overwhelmed him. Dressed in shorts and a plain T-shirt, her hair hanging loose over her shoulders, she was the walking embodiment of a sex goddess. Stepping inside the house, he reached for her. Questions could wait until after he’d tasted her. Lowering his head toward hers, he covered her mouth with his.

  Given the choice, he’d continue their reunion upstairs, but at the moment it wasn’t an option. So after one more pass across her lips, Connor raised his mouth from hers. “I’ve missed you.”

  Considering her stepsister was missing and possibly in danger, he expected to see worry or perhaps sadness reflected in her eyes when she met his. Instead, he saw unease.

  “How are you holding up?” he asked. Before he questioned her, he needed to know she was doing okay.

  “I’m fine. A little stressed maybe. It was a crazy day,” she answered. Taking his hand, she started down the hall. “I’m so glad tomorrow is Friday.”

  Fine? If his stepsister, Jill, a woman he didn’t even like, went missing, he wouldn’t be fine. Despite the bad blood between them, he’d be worried about her welfare and would do what he could to bring her home. There was no way Becca could be fine when the police and Elite Force security were out searching for Kassidy’s whereabouts. Not unless she’d been found safe and the police had already notified Becca but not Ax.

  “Sorry I couldn’t talk earlier. My day was literally one meeting after another.” Becca sat and folded her legs on the sofa. “Unless you really want to go out, I thought we could stay in tonight. Maybe watch a movie or something.”

  “Whatever you want.” Putting off uncomfortable questions wouldn’t make asking them any easier. Connor cleared his throat before he said, “Are you sure you’re okay? Did you hear anything from the police?”

  She tilted her head to one side and blinked. “The police? Regarding the break-in?”

  “About Kassidy,” he answered. “I know two detectives stopped by this morning.”

  “How do you know that?”

  Fair question. “Lafayette Laboratory hired Elite Force to help find Kassidy.”

  “Hired Elite Force? I thought the company provided private security.”

  He couldn’t go into everything the company did, but he could clear up this misconception.

  “We do a lot of things. I’m actually part of the firm’s HRT, hostile response team, and one of the things we do is locate missing people. Earlier this summer, I led the team searching for a missing little girl up in Boston.” Connor took a seat next to her. “As soon as we were brought on board today, my boss contacted the Alexandria police, so I know two detectives questioned you. It’s why I called earlier. I wanted to make sure you were okay and ask if you had any information that might help us find Kassidy.”

  Becca didn’t speak, but she didn’t need to. Her face told him she was trying to wrap her head around all the information he’d shared.

  “But she’s not missing, Connor. She’s on vacation. I talked to her this morning.”

  Not at all the statement he’d expected. “This morning?”

  She nodded. “Before I went to work.”

  The cyber division would know if Kassidy used her cell phone at any point today. Last he’d checked with them, it hadn’t been used in over a week. “Are you sure it was her? There have been no incoming or outgoing calls to her cell phone in days.”

  “How do you—Never mind,” she said
, shaking her head. “Yes, of course it was Kassidy. She said someone made a clerical error when putting in her vacation days. She promised to call the lab and Detective Murphy from the Alexandria police department right away and get everything straightened out.”

  People made clerical errors all the time, but he wasn’t buying Kassidy’s excuse. The lab wouldn’t want to spend unnecessary money searching for a person who was simply on vacation. If Kassidy had called them, someone would have reached out to Elite Force to let it know its services were no longer required, saving a lot of money.

  Becca’s voice said she wasn’t buying it completely either. “You doubt her explanation,” he said.

  She nodded slowly. “I know people make mistakes, but I’ve caught Kassidy in a few other lies recently. And something keeps telling me she was lying today. But I don’t know why she would lie about being on vacation. At least to me. I don’t care what she does.”

  The more she talked, the more Connor’s suspicions grew. They’d assumed Kassidy was a victim. It was looking more and more like she was intentionally in hiding.

  “I hoped she’d call back and tell me everything was good with work and the police. But I haven’t heard from her again.”

  “Did you check with the detective?”

  “No. Honestly, I’ve been thinking about it, but I’m almost afraid to.”

  “Do it now, and I’ll call my boss. Maybe he’s gotten some news since I left the office.”

  He waited until Becca left before calling Ax. “Becca spoke with Kassidy early this morning. She gave her a story about being on vacation and the lab making a clerical error. According to Becca, Kassidy promised to call both the lab and the detective who stopped by the house.”

  “We both know Kassidy didn’t use her cell phone,” Ax said. “And if she called Lafayette or the Alexandria police, they would’ve let us know.”

  Connor watched Becca reenter the room as he listened to Ax. Kassidy hadn’t done as she’d promised, Becca’s face said as much.