The Protected tfp-4

by Shiloh Walker

All things that wouldn’t go well. If he’d decided Gus was a person of interest, he’d put his best people on it and it wouldn’t end until there was bloodshed. Probably lots of it. And she didn’t know what it would take to stop Gus.

  It would take a hell of a lot, she thought.

  Or maybe just a bullet. That was one fact she was almost painfully aware of as they moved through the parking garage. She noticed the placement of the cameras, watched as they moved back and forth. They wouldn’t catch everything, she didn’t think. A few blind spots, just at the end of the aisle, and right . . .

  Shit. That spot right ahead of them. Her skin prickled and she tugged on Gus’s arm, bringing him down to a snail’s pace.

  There was a funny way of talking in a garage. You can say something and the words would go nowhere. And then you could whisper something, and it almost echoed.

  She waited until she heard nothing.

  She didn’t hear the doors close.

  She didn’t hear footsteps.

  But she knew they weren’t alone. It wasn’t even a prickle of awareness on her skin. It was just instinct. And as they walked, she said in a low voice, “We need to hurry. He’s keeping the boy at the safe house, but we’ve only got so much time to get there or he’s just going to take him in. If he goes into custody, it will be hell trying to get him out.”

  “They can’t just take my kid away,” Gus said. He looked over at her and she saw the knowledge glint in his eyes. And she was also painfully aware of something else. As he moved, he shifted his body, placing it behind hers.

  Not cool, that.

  How could he go after his brother-in-law if he was taking a bullet?

  She didn’t know the answer to that. She didn’t care. What she did know was that they needed to be in the car Jones had left. Just around the corner—that next blind spot.

  Both she and Gus hit the ground at the same time and she groaned as her sore muscles screamed out at her. She rolled and jerked her Glock up, aiming it in the face of the man.

  He just smiled and held out a hand to the woman with him.

  The weight that slammed into Vaughnne’s arms was so heavy, she thought an elephant had dropped down on them.

  Gus swung out with his legs and the two psychics went crashing down, but that wasn’t going to last for long.

  Vaughnne rolled to her feet, an order forming in her mouth. But the words died before she could really even give voice to them. Somehow Gus had arrowed in on the one who was the biggest danger. Silver flashed through the air, flying toward the woman. The subclasses were often misjudged by a lot of the psychics Vaughnne had worked with. But anybody who could suppress or boost her gift was a problem in her mind.

  The subclass was no longer a problem. For a moment, she stared at the blade buried in her chest and then looked up, an expression of blank astonishment on her face. Clumsily, she reached for it, but her aim was off and she toppled over to the side before she even made contact. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

  “Anton,” the woman whispered, and the word was faint, almost like a ghost had whispered it.

  That soft, broken sound shattered the other psychic’s stillness and he turned, lunging himself at Gus.

  Gus shot him between the eyes and the odd, muffled pop of the silencer seemed even more disturbing than the woman’s dying whisper.

  Swallowing the bitter, nasty taste of bile rising up in her throat, Vaughnne looked at the woman. There was a chance she might not die if she got help now. A faint chance.

  Crossing to her, she eyed the woman narrowly. “Do you know it’s an innocent boy you’re trying to kidnap?”

  Lashes flickered over the woman’s eyes. Dull confusion shone back at Vaughnne. “It’s a job. Money . . .” She shuddered.

  Turning her back, she looked at Gus. “Get your knife.”

  As he did that, she checked the cameras again. They should still be in the blind zone, but damn it. This was getting dicey already and they were still in the damned garage. Grabbing the man’s ankles, she hauled him between two of the cars. She hadn’t even straightened from his body when Gus dumped the woman on top of him.

  “You would have tried to help her if she had answered the right way, wouldn’t you?” he asked softly, his pale eyes unreadable.

  She stared at him. “I don’t entirely know what the right way is.” Then she turned her back to him and made her way around the front of the car. He could stand there and glare at her or he could follow.

  Security could show up at any second. So could any number of visitors, and for all she knew, these two had partners somewhere. They needed to get out of the hospital before bystanders got hurt. She had no problem compromising herself or crossing her own lines to go after a monster, but letting innocent people get hurt was a line she couldn’t and wouldn’t cross.

  She didn’t bother to look backward. Gus was behind her before she’d even gone five feet.

  But if she thought the discussion was over, she was so very, very wrong.

  * * *

  BORROWED time. Esteban was now operating on borrowed time and he knew it. The men he’d sent after Alejandro had failed. The first pair . . . well, he’d allow himself the one mistake.

  But then there had been nothing but more mistakes.

  Every which way he turned, he was outsmarted or outmaneuvered and now he had it confirmed that the boy’s uncle was no longer operating alone. A woman had been seen with him.

  He didn’t know who she was, but this changed things.

  Matters were even worse than he liked to think. Too many knew how badly things were going.

  He’d updated the profile on the site with a vague reference that hopefully people would realize was an increase in the reward.

  One of them had outright said, And what good is that if I end up drooling down my hospital gown?

  They knew what had happened in Orlando. Somehow they knew.

  He no longer wondered just how many of them were legit.

  Too many of them were very skilled. Too many knew exactly how badly things were going and it seemed the wiser ones were pulling back.

  Options were becoming too limited for him now.

  The boss had already called him home. He was driving in that direction. Driving. Not flying. Señor Reyes would expect him to fly, but the señor could fuck himself. Of course, he didn’t want to appear like he wasn’t following orders. But he wanted to think his options through. One last time.

  He could run, of course.

  There had always been that option, but if he ran, and if he was caught . . .

  His gut twisted and his bowels felt watery even thinking about it, but he still had to consider running. It wasn’t an option that left him filled with happy, pleasant thoughts.

  The other option . . . just thinking about it made him feel better. Peaceful. That decided him. Mind made up, he turned off the interstate. It only took a few hours to reach the spot he had in mind. He ignored a call from the señor and had a moment of terror when he thought he’d spotted a car that appeared to be following him. But it hadn’t been. Thankfully.

  Up ahead, the road branched and he hit the turn signal, pressing down on the brake as a bunch of guys on motorcycles roared around him. The thick, dark green of the cypress trees seemed to surround him. It was pretty here. So very green. He’d always enjoyed this area. Hot and humid, but that was Louisiana.

  Taking the keys out of the car, he grabbed the computer bag from the seat next to him. Before he climbed out, he wiped it down, careful not to leave any fingerprints. He did the same at the trunk when he pulled his small carry-on from the back.

  Options. He’d spent so much time thinking about his options and so much time living in fear lately. His best bet had been finding the kid, getting back to the boss, but with each passing day . . . no. The odds had gotten slimmer and slimmer, and now, they were just about nonexistent. He’d never thought that Gustavo Morales would cost him this much. He’d always expected it wou
ld be the boy he had to worry about.

  After all, Gustavo had been a well-known philanderer. The señor had had him investigated and Esteban had done the same. Nothing in the man’s past led Esteban to think he would have proven to be such a problem. He played at life. He went to parties, even did some modeling. Modeling, of all things. He hadn’t been very successful at it, but the man floated around and didn’t appear to succeed at anything, except sleeping with women.

  Rumor had it that he wasn’t above playing man-whore to some of the more financially well-off women in Mexico.

  He never should have been an issue.

  Yet, Gustavo had been the problem from the beginning.

  Reyes had said that Gustavo wouldn’t be a problem. But the man had been wrong. The bastard. Esteban let himself think that way . . . now. As he made his way into the swamp, he decided it was okay to finally think about the señor in whatever way he chose. He’d never thought that Reyes was the one who passed on the . . . weird . . . abilities to his son, but he hadn’t wanted to take the chance and he’d always been careful to monitor even his personal thoughts when it came to one Ignacio Reyes. But no more. There wasn’t any point, not after tonight.

  He reached the rickety old dock and eyed the surrounding area.

  This would do well, he thought. Very well. A mosquito landed on him as he knelt to catch the rope tied to the dock. He caught the rope and untied it, absently humming to himself as he worked. It felt nice, he thought. Having a plan in mind. Taking the stress, the burden off his shoulders. He didn’t have to worry anymore. Not now.

  Once he’d finished untying the boat, he took his personal documents, both the real ones and the fake ones, and put them in his carry-on. Then, with a quick look around, he tossed his computer case into the deep, brackish water. Maybe it would be found. Maybe it wouldn’t. But it wasn’t his concern anymore. Neither was Reyes. Neither was the boy. Neither was that bastard Gustavo Morales.

  If he had been feeling benevolent toward the señor, he could have left his information where the man could put it toward some sort of use, but he wasn’t feeling benevolent. At all. If anything, some part of him almost wished the boy luck. The boy, not that cabrón Morales. Morales could rot in hell, right along with the señor. Right along with Esteban.

  Of course, if he really wanted to wish the boy luck, he could call off the psychic wolves, but there wasn’t time for that. He had to take action before the señor decided to send somebody after him. In all likelihood, there were already people looking for him.

  No. If the boy was going to survive, he’d do it on his own, without any help from Esteban.

  Eyeing the narrow little boat, he climbed in.

  There was just one thing he really needed.

  He pulled it out, stroking the cool metal idly. It would be full night soon. He could hear the odd, eerie music of the night creatures. He rather enjoyed it. He’d go deeper into the swamps before he did anything.

  It was almost over.

  He’d enjoy the quiet of the swamp. And then he’d die there . . . his way.

  * * *

  REYES lowered the phone to the desk.

  Esteban wasn’t answering.

  It was an irritation more than anything else, but if he didn’t return his calls soon, Reyes would be very upset.

  Esteban didn’t want to see Reyes angry. Things were already not looking well for him.

  Absently, he glanced up, eyeing the door. Usually, when he was feeling frustrated, one thing made it better.

  Nala.

  But she hadn’t been her normal self lately.

  Ever since she’d slipped away from him for a few days. He closed a hand into a fist, remembering. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so hard on her when she came back. And she had come back. She’d come back—he hadn’t tracked her down, although he’d certainly tried. It was like she’d disappeared into the wind.

  That was part of why he’d been so angry. If she left again . . .

  No.

  She wouldn’t. She knew now what would happen.

  Brushing that thought aside, he focused on the matter at hand. Esteban. His missing son.

  Reaching for the phone, he made a call. It was time to bring Esteban home. Time for a changing of the guard, so to speak.

  “Jorge. Please come to my office.”

  * * *

  SLUMPED in the chair, Nalini kept her back against the wall, the laptop on her legs and her expression bored.

  Even when Ignacio came her way, she didn’t look away from the screen, although she did shut down the screen to the website she was hacking into. That damned site, The Psychic Portal.

  He settled on the lounge next to her and stretched out his legs. “Are you still ignoring me?”

  She reached for her glass and took a long, deep drink of the sweet rum concoction. It was about the only thing she trusted to numb the pain just then. When she’d made it back to Ignacio’s villa, he’d smiled at her, kissed her . . . and then slammed a brutal fist into her face. You are never to leave here without my permission, Nala. This is the only warning you’ll receive.

  Her face felt like it had been hammered and that wasn’t far off. Ignacio was a buff guy. She could have avoided the hit, but she’d rather he not know she could. She’d already revealed more than she’d wanted to, just by disappearing. He knew she could get away from him, and she also knew he’d sent men after her. Knew that they’d been rather useless at finding her.

  That wasn’t good.

  So she’d taken the hit, much as it sucked. Sometimes a woman just had to do lousy things. He’d pay for that hit sooner or later.

  Right now, she was having fun ignoring him. It was pissing him off, too. She really liked that.

  A cruel hand reached out and closed around her wrist.

  Thank you for making this so easy. She turned her head and listened for about five seconds as he said gently, “I will not tolerate being ignored, Nala. I let you pout for a short time, but it’s done.” He gestured to the laptop. “I wish to make love to you. Put that away.”

  She touched her tongue to her lip, watched as his gaze lowered to her mouth. She was kind of tired of behaving. She’d been doing it for too long already. “You know what . . . I’ve got a better idea.”

  * * *

  “WHY did you bother asking her anything?”

  Vaughnne just stared at the window in the coming night. Her gaze was blank and her face was serene. She didn’t look all that bothered by the fact that she’d just seen him kill two people, but he knew better.

  Something was bothering her and he’d get to the bottom of it. He had to know just how far he could trust her, just how far she’d go. She said she wanted Alex safe, but while he’d do anything to see it happen . . . he doubted she’d do the same, doubted she could say the same.

  “Because I needed to know,” she said when he continued to stare at her.

  “Why?”

  Her lashes swept down low for a minute. “The agent in me gets it. I know why they were there and I had very little, if any doubt, that they knew what they were doing, that they knew they were after a kid. Did they stop to question why somebody was after a kid? Question his motives? His reasoning? Any of that? I don’t know. And the agent in me knows this . . . they didn’t care. They had a job to do and that’s all that mattered. I know that. I get that. I’ve seen some damn shitty stuff, doing the kind of work I do—that’s why I do it. To help put a stop to it. But there’s another part of me that just . . . doesn’t. And I had to know. I had to ask.”

  “You still want to trust people,” he said softly. He turned his head and stared out at the scenery as it raced by. The highway lights blurred around him and he kept watching the mirrors, waiting to see sirens. Vaughnne had a police scanner in the car and they’d heard the alert go out once the bodies were found.

  That had been more than an hour ago. He’d heard them talk about a “disturbance at the hospital,” but so far, he and Vaughnne hadn’t been connect
ed to it. He hoped it wouldn’t happen because having his description splashed on the news wasn’t going to do his situation any good.

  But if it happened . . .

  He pushed the thought aside and focused on Vaughnne. “You must see the lowest forms of life out there, corazón. The work you do. How you lost your sister. Yet you still think you can trust people.”

  “Oh, I know I can trust some,” she said softly. “But this isn’t about trusting people. It’s about not being willing to believe everybody out there is a monster.”

  Gus closed his eyes. Life was easier when he trusted nobody. Nothing. When he kept his focus solely on the boy. When his life revolved around Alex, it was simple. It was complicated now and he didn’t like that.

  Memory flashed through his mind and his blood heated as those memories rose up to whisper, Oh, you didn’t like it? Didn’t like fucking her? Don’t want to do it again?

  His heart thudded against his ribs, hard and heavy, and he resisted the urge to open his eyes and look at her. He’d have her again. He already knew that. But it was more to ease that hunger than anything else. It had to be; there was no way he’d let himself need anybody. No way he’d let himself want anybody in his life. It was hard enough just letting himself love Alex, knowing how easily that could be shattered and lost.

  “How far do we drive tonight?” Vaughnne’s voice cut through the dark, edgy hunger and he bit back a curse.

  “Drive until you can’t see straight,” he said sourly. “Then pull off to the side of the road and I’ll take over.”

  A smirk twisted her lips. “Okay, then. And I assume I head toward Mexico, right?”

  * * *

  DRIVE until you can’t see straight.

  She was tempted to jab him with something sharp. Or thump him over the head with something heavy.

  Granted, she’d be biting off more than she could chew, but the jackass brought out the worst in her and she couldn’t help it.

  Still, he’d be surprised at just how far she could go without sleep.

  If she hadn’t had the shit walloped out of her in the past few days, between him slipping her the damned drugs and the car wreck, she could manage another day or so without it.