by Tate James
Neon colors swirled against the surface, driving through wind and the panic, protecting us—and in the shifting vibrant air I saw the colors of a revolution everywhere.
“We’re almost there,” Cassian murmured and slowed the car.
The snap of a slide came from the backseat. I glanced over my shoulder as Renegade checked the round in his pistol. Lorcan mimicked his actions behind me.
I winced at the sight. I hated guns. Hated everything about them. They took from me. Took my family, took my friends…would they take my lovers as well?
Cassian reached across the space to grab my hand. “It’s all going to be okay. Trust us.”
I turned to him, catching his deep brown gaze. “I do trust you, more than I’ve ever trusted anyone.”
“We go in, you do what you need to do and we’re out. Thirty minutes, tops,” Renegade growled. “In an hour we’re back on the road. We’ll sleep somewhere new tonight. By this time tomorrow you’ll be eating in a different town.”
Another town. Another state. My body shuddered with the thought, sleeping in the Jeep.
“It won’t be forever. Once they start to investigate the sick sonsofbitches and they impeach that piece of shit, we can find a place—a real place.”
Hope flared in my chest, burning like a supernova. A real place…a home with a bed and a bathroom…and them, my protectors. I glanced at Renegade and his cocky smile as he muttered. “As long as Cassian can stop grabbing my ass when we sleep. Lorcan can have him.”
“It was one fucking time,” Cassian snarled and glanced into the rear-view mirror. “I thought you were Gabriela.”
“You kinda look like her,” Lorcan chimed in. “Must be the hair.”
A bark of laughter tore from my lips at the horrified look on Renegade’s face. He lifted his hand, touched the long strands of curling hair near his temple and then glanced to mine. “That’s it. The hair has to go.”
Cassian coughed, hiding a snigger…not very well and then fell silent. I glanced back to the road, and the towering buildings rising in the distance.
Marriott. The thick red letters of the hotel gripped me, taking me back to that night when I was just a kid, the night we met the Senator for the first time.
Nerves settled in…what if this all goes wrong? What if I’m not enough? What if no one believes us? I tried to squash that tiny voice in my head as Cassian indicated and then switched lanes.
“I’ll park in the alleyway. That way we can leave fast if we need to.”
“She has her own protection,” I murmured. “I saw her in the news, surrounded by bodyguards.”
“That’s good news,” Renegade growled. “They can look after her, you’re my priority.”
“And mine,” Lorcan murmured behind me.
“And mine.” Cassian glanced my way. “Always.”
He slowed the Jeep as the front doors came into view and hit the indicator. Horns blared behind us for a second before a yellow cab whipped past.
Cassian nosed the Jeep into the alley and then drove toward the rear before he braked. “We know the plan? Renegade first at the back door, then Lorcan and me flanking either side with you in the middle.” He switched off the ignition and killed the engine. “If anything goes wrong, you run, okay? You run and you stay safe. Lorcan will find you.”
“We’ve been over this,” I murmured.
I liked the plan even less than I had yesterday. Stay together, the words echoed. We’re stronger together. But once their mind was made up there was no changing. They were as stubborn as Momma had been.
“Ready?” Renegade murmured.
I stole a breath and nodded. His door cracked open and he climbed out, tucking the pistol into the waistband of his jeans against the small of his back.
I yanked the handle and climbed out, and the others followed. Cassian hit the button and locked the car. The old Jeep and our clothes were all we had left after the fire. Everything else was gone. But we were lucky, could’ve been worse…Jason Gready and his men had come close to ending it all.
Too damn close.
I felt that fear now that Gready’s father was going to answer for the things he’d done to us…the same things he’d done to his own son. The government was steeped in lies and secrets—secrets that were about to see the light of day.
Expose them all, Leah growled. And let the people tear them apart.
And that’s exactly what we’d do. It was the only chance we had to survive.
Lorcan gripped my shoulder as he neared. “You still want to go through with this?”
I gave a nod as Renegade turned and headed for the rear of the alley. “We don’t have a choice. I’m doing this for all of us.”
The wind kicked up Renegade’s hair as he neared the corner, took one look over his shoulder at me and then stepped up onto the pavement and was gone. We moved as one, following him. The heavy thud of my boots echoed the drum inside my head as I turned the corner and stared at the back entrance to the hotel.
We passed a massive roller door big enough for a truck and headed for the service elevators. Cassian watched the street behind us. Lorcan watched the one in front. Renegade was a wall of muscle, one hand tucked around his body, inching toward the pistol at his back.
He stilled at the first door, reached out, and rapped twice and waited. The door cracked open, darkness was all I saw before it widened, and a guy dressed in a suit stepped out. He took a long look at Renegade and then glanced to the rest of us. “Names.”
“I’m Renegade, this is Shield, Lorcan and Cassian.”
The dude glanced to me. “You got some proof?”
I raised my hand, exposing the tattooed numbers. “You want more than that?”
Cassian slipped away, melting into air before our eyes. The guard’s eyes widened, his jaw dropped as Cassian reappeared in the exact same spot he’d left. “Good enough?”
The bodyguard stepped backwards through the door, and held it open before we all surged forward, following him inside.
The door closed behind us with a bang and we were thrown into darkness. Someone grabbed me from behind. Rough hands pulled me until my feet skidded, and my chest pressed against the wall.
“Weapons,” the bodyguard snarled against my ear. “Or no one goes anywhere.”
2
The snap of guns being cocked echoed in the space around us. The guard’s hands were torn from my arm as Renegade heaved him into the air. I blinked into the gloom and raised my hands. “Whoa.”
“Bad move, dude,” Cassian muttered and clucked his tongue, aiming his pistol at the guard’s head. “I’ll let you in on a friendly piece of advice, as friendly as you’re gonna get dangling like a damn puppet. You see three guys with a woman…don’t go for the fucking woman. What kind of idiot are you?”
The guard kicked and punched, fighting like a two year old throwing a tantrum. “Let me the fuck down now.”
Renegade glanced my way, his eyes skimmed my face and my body before he was satisfied. “You okay, babe?”
I inhaled hard and swallowed a shudder, before I nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’ll never understand assholes like you.” Cassian trained the muzzle on the guard’s chest as Renegade lowered his feet to the floor. “You think going for the weakest makes you the strongest.”
“You have no idea, do you?” Lorcan murmured and glanced toward me. “She’s stronger than all of us put together.”
The guard’s feet skidded as Renegade shoved the asshole backwards and took a step after him. “Now, how about we do this again, only this time with some fucking respect?”
The guard reached up, gripped the lapel on both sides of his jacket and yanked, straightening the creases. “No fucking weapons,” he snarled. “Not if you want a meeting with the Senator.”
Renegade just snarled and shook his head as he strode past him. “You fucking idiot. We are the weapons.”
Cassian and Lorcan waited for me as I followed Renegade along the hallway, headi
ng for the green lights of the service elevators. Heavy footsteps behind us raced to catch up. The asshole glanced at me as he passed.
I wanted to reach out and ram my fist into his middle, but what would it do? He was one of many…one, of everyone really. I could fight assholes like him my entire life and still not win.
Anger burned like an inferno inside me—one that never dulled. If I couldn’t earn their respect, then maybe I’d learn to earn their fear…
The asshole inserted his card into the elevator and pressed the side of his earpiece. “We’re on our way up. They’re armed…and pissed. I tried to take their weapons…yes sir, I attempted to disarm them.” He flinched and then paled. A roar echoed from his earpiece. He yanked the speaker from against his ear. His voice now quiet and humble. “No sir, no one told me to sir. I understood it as protocol. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.”
He lowered his hand from his earpiece as the doors opened with a ding.
“How was that chewing out?” Cassian muttered. “Sounded fucking awesome from where I stood.”
The guard blanched, said nothing and stepped inside. Renegade glared the asshole down from the rear of the elevator. Lorcan’s lips curled with the hint of a smile.
Cassian’s mouth would get us in major trouble one of these days.
I said nothing, just pressed my spine into the side of the elevator and dropped my gaze. My heart was thundering, not from the attack, but with what waited for me upstairs.
“You’re gonna be fine,” Renegade murmured, not taking his eyes off the guard for a second. “If you’re not what she needs, then we disappear…it’s that simple.”
I wished it was that simple, still I nodded and reached for his hand. Thick fingers caught mine. Cassian moved close by reflex. Lorcan glanced toward us. They loved…they comforted, and as the elevator slowed at the tenth floor…they did what they did best—they protected.
The elevator stopped with a jolt. The guard was the first out, shoving through the barely opened doors in an attempt to look fucking important.
“What a douche,” Lorcan murmured and followed.
I clenched my jaw. The guy didn’t say much…but when he did… “I agree.”
I stepped to the side, letting Renegade past, waiting as he glanced left and then right and then spoke. “All clear. Stay close though.”
Lorcan and Cassian fell in step, letting Renegade surge forward. If Gready and his men were waiting for us, then this was the perfect moment to strike.
The guard stopped outside a closed door, raised his hand and pressed his ear piece. “They’re here.”
The hotel room door opened with a rush. The guard inside glanced at the asshole with a stony gaze and then shifted to us. “Please, come in.”
Renegade glared at the guard as he passed and stepped inside. “Thank you.”
Lorcan was next, leaving me and Cassian at the rear. The door closed behind us and the locks engaged. Three bodyguards stood inside the doorway. They glanced at Renegade and lingered. I was used to guys sizing him up, searching for a weakness. It was funny really.
“If you don’t mind,” the guard behind us murmured. “You’ll get your weapons back when you leave. It’s for your safety more than the Senator’s.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” Cassian muttered and reached around to drag his weapon free.
Renegade and Lorcan followed, pulling their pistols out and handing them over. They looked at me once until I shook my head.
“She hates guns,” Cassian answered.
Another guard motioned toward the wall. “You understand.”
There was a huff, and then a murmur. Still we all turned and placed our hands against the wall. Renegade looked over his shoulder, watching them as one of the guards skimmed his hands along my arms, under my breasts and then around my waist before they dropped lower.
I turned and stared at the wall, feeling Renegade’s anger ripple through the room. He snarled as a hand slipped between my thighs. I swallowed hard, my face burning before they pulled away.
“Okay,” one of the guards muttered. “You’re good. The Senator’s waiting.”
The whole thing took a matter of minutes, but it felt like hours since we left the car. I just wanted this to be over…wanted to be on the road, running again.
I swallowed hard and then took a step. The others fell behind, letting me take the lead. This was my time, my decision…my evidence.
She turned as I stepped around the end of the hallway. Senator Leah Williams smiled. “Gabriela,” she murmured and then took a step, crossing the floor in an instant.
She was just like I remembered, strong and determined. “Senator.” I glanced to her husband and then opened my arms as she stepped close and wrapped her arms around me.
“My, you’ve grown, just like our Spark.” Her voice rumbled through her chest as she pressed me close. Then she pulled away and glanced behind me. “These must be your companions. Welcome, I’m Leah, this is my husband, Seth. Thank you for coming. This means a lot.”
I scanned the room, searching. “Your daughter…”
“She didn’t come. I thought it was best she stay at home. We can go over any information she’s given us. It’s all documented.”
A flare of warning burned inside. “She was supposed to be here. We were giving our testimony together. That’s what you said.” I lifted my gaze to the Senator and caught the flinch in her eyes. “That’s what you told me over the phone.”
Her husband looked away. Something was wrong…very wrong.
“You’re using her,” Lorcan growled. “You’re using her instead of your daughter. They’ll come for her. You understand that, right?”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Renegade snarled and dragged a hand through his hair. “Fucking assholes.”
“Now wait,” her husband growled. “We wanted to bring her. We were going to bring her. But she’s too…”
He looked to his wife.
“Volatile,” the Senator murmured. “She’s too volatile…She won’t talk to us. She barely even looks at me anymore. She’s been taking prescription drugs, we think she’s addicted.”
My stomach sank with the words.
“You’ve got to be shitting us.” Renegade turned and paced before stopping and stabbing the air with a finger. “So you just figured Shield would take the brunt for everyone? Fuck you people disgust me.”
He turned to me, as did Cassian and Lorcan. “What do you want to do, babe?”
A tremor raced through me and the walls seemed to close in. I tried to think without the panic inside my head. Scattered thoughts slipped through my fingers. If I left now it’d be all over. Everything Momma had fought for gone.
“I know you can do this,” Leah murmured. “You’re stronger than Elizabeth. You always have been. We couldn’t trust she’d keep it together. But we trust you can. You’re our only hope, Gabriela. You’re the shield. Be the shield.”
“Don’t,” Cassian growled and shook his head. “Don’t do that. You think she needs someone else manipulating her?”
The Senator flinched and then straightened her shoulders. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” She glanced toward me. “It’s wrong of me to ask this of you. I know that.”
But she had no other options. It was written all over her face.
The choice was laid before me, turn tail and run or face the monster of our past. So much had happened—I glanced at Renegade, Cassian and then Lorcan. My statement had been the nail in Gready’s coffin—the one piece of evidence corroborating Spark’s account of what they’d done to us.
“Maybe we should take a breather,” Seth murmured. “Let her think on this. It’s a lot to take in.”
“No,” Leah growled, eyes steely, waiting for me to make the right decision.
“She’s changed her mind, Leah. Come on. Let’s just take a breath and think this all through.”
He stepped close and reached for her arm. I caught the flinch in her face. She didn’t believe him…she didn’t
believe anyone. Except for me.
I licked arid lips and then answered. “I’ll do it. I’ll do what you need.”
Two faces of the same coin. One disappointed, the other elated. The Senator’s husband turned away as Leah stepped forward, opened her arms and wrapped me in a hug. “You’ve made the right decision.”
A phone beeped. The senator’s husband turned, grabbed his phone and stared at the screen. “The front desk. I need to take this.”
He strode past and slipped behind us. There was a murmur from the guards before the door opened and then closed.
Leah gave a sigh, sounding exhausted. I saw her then, really saw her and not the memory of the woman I once knew. Dark circles under her eyes. Her shirt was crumpled, hanging from her frame. She looked exhausted…more than exhausted. She looked done.
I shifted from one foot to the other. “So, I’ll meet you there, tomorrow morning at nine?”
“I’ve instructed them to take you into a separate room. You’ll give your evidence from there via a video link so you won’t have to face him, or anyone else.”
Anyone else meant the most powerful man in the US, President Harper. I gave a nod and then broke her gaze. She looked desperate as I turned. I guess we all looked desperate. Desperate for this to be over.
“See you there,” I murmured and turned away from her.
This meeting wasn’t how I envisioned…not at all. I swallowed the bitter taste of disappointment and strode toward the guys.
“Ready to get out of here?” Renegade murmured. “Place gives me the damn creeps. Too many walls.”
We’d been running for so long we’d forgotten what it felt like to have walls around us and floors hemming us in. I gave a nod and glanced to the others. “Let’s get out of here.”
I made for the door, leaving them behind while they grabbed their weapons.
“Shield,” Cassian called as I grabbed the door handle and yanked. “Wait for us.”
The asshole guard waited outside, the Senator’s husband no more than five steps away. “I’m okay. I just need some air.”
