Kade didn’t have a choice.
If he went, he was part of this. He’d be there to back up Shelby, but he’d also skip out of how much work? What if there was an emergency? What if they needed all hands on deck? What then? He’d been on thin ice, as of the incident with Taylor and Vito anyway. Could he lose his job?
If he refused, this was the end of the road. He and Shelby would part ways. His brothers would be on their own, come what may. And what if he was on the crew called in to patch up whatever holes his brothers shot in people?
How did he make a choice like that?
“All right. This better not take long.” Kade jumped down and secured the back of the ambulance.
If he didn’t get fired, it would be a minor miracle. He was already in enough hot water over going rogue for Ian’s girl. After this was over, he’d have to keep his nose clean. No cutting corners, no breaking the rules, just doing his job by the book.
Sasha led them to another nondescript silver sedan. The floral seat covers indicated the owner was likely female and young.
Another man sat in the back of the car, a gun laying on his thigh. The fourth guy didn’t say a word, which was more unnerving than Kade wanted to admit.
This wasn’t Kade’s world. It wasn’t where he belonged.
“What are you doing?” Sasha scowled at Kade in the rearview mirror.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” He unbuttoned his uniform shirt and peeled it off. “If we’re going someplace with cameras, I don’t want my name plastered across my chest.”
“He’s right,” Anton said.
Sasha grunted and shook his head.
Kade watched the buildings whiz past, the people, the cars.
Sasha drove for nearly a half hour. Eventually, he pulled into a parking garage below some sort of high rise. They slid into a guest spot. A couple spaces down was a familiar motorcycle.
Shelby had beaten them.
Kade got out and glanced around.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Upstairs. Come on.”
Sasha took the lead. Anton and their fourth member didn’t seem to know where they were going. Kade didn’t like relying on his oldest brother. Sasha routinely did what was best for himself over others. Still, they were all in this together.
They took an elevator up to the eleventh floor. Sasha led them to a suite at the end of a hall and punched in a code to gain access.
Kade glanced around, trying to take it all in.
No furniture. No branding. It was completely empty. Barren.
Sasha paused.
“Where to now?” Kade asked.
“No clue.” Shasha shrugged.
“This doesn’t bother you?”
“What?” Anton asked.
“This whole thing?’ Kade peered down one hall, then the other. “It’s not weird to you?”
“This is how he operates.” Sasha crossed his hands in front of him and stood with his back to a wall.
Muted footsteps came their way, and Gil stepped into view.
“Come on. You’re late.” Gil waved them to follow.
Kade and the others followed Gil through the suite into an inner, windowless room. It was dim. Several other people waited, all standing.
Three were up against the wall, clustered together.
In the middle of the room, so close a deep breath might cause bodily contact, were Shelby. And Ogden. He had one hand against her cheek, his head bent, lips moving.
Kade crossed the space before he could think better of it. He wrapped an arm around Shelby’s shoulders, glaring at Ogden.
Just because they were hired for this farce of a job, didn’t mean he could touch Shelby.
“Anyone ever tell you to keep your hands to yourself?” Kade said.
Ogden lifted his gaze to Kade.
There was a…light in the man’s eyes. Kade had seen it in men, the crazy ones, right before they blew themselves up.
What the hell were they involved with?
18.
Shelby would never admit how grateful she was for Kade’s arm sheltering her.
Her skin was still crawling from the phantom feel of Ogden’s hands on her face.
He’d called her Sharon.
It was a detail she hadn’t forgotten, but which also hadn’t seemed to mean anything. Until they were face to face. Now…she wanted to get away. Far, far away.
“And you are?” Ogden stepped back, giving Kade a once over.
“Kade Tsaplin. You threatened to kill my parents, or maybe you forgot?” His eyes narrowed.
“I don’t know who you are.” Ogden shrugged. “It’s just business.”
“Yeah, well, hands to yourself. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t touch what’s mine.”
That word—mine—should’ve pissed her off, but right now Shelby was grateful for that stamp of ownership. Kade might not be able to protect her, but she appreciated the sentiment.
Ogden’s eyes…changed.
He put his complete focus on Kade. She could see the moment the rest of the room ceased to exist.
“Since when?” Ogden asked.
“Since now.”
“That fast?”
“Some things are.”
“Huh.” Ogden’s gaze flicked from Shelby then back to Kade. “How much?”
What?
Was he serious?
“Excuse me?” Kade said slowly. Like a viper uncurling itself, those two words vibrated with dangerous intent.
“Everyone has their price. What’s yours, Kade Tsaplin?” Ogden tilted his head to the side a fraction of an inch.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Kade shook his head.
“It’s business.”
“Yeah, well, Shelby’s not for sale. I thought this was a legitimate operation.” Kade glanced at her then the other men. “If you’re looking for hookers, this ain’t the place.”
Shelby needed to figure out what the hell was going on. This wasn’t anything she’d been prepared for.
“Such a crass association with a rather innocent word, don’t you think?” Ogden pivoted and took two steps. “Hooker, or one who hooks. It used to refer to agriculture, now it’s a disreputable word that means sex in exchange for money. I never said sex was part of the bargain.”
“Some attribute its roots to the Civil War general, Fighting Joe Hooker.”
“A man who reads. Too bad I don’t pay you for useless facts.” Ogden pivoted. “Gil, the details, please?”
Shelby glanced up at Kade, who squeezed her tighter to his side. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d plastered herself to a man, but near him seemed the safest place to be.
What the hell?
Ogden began a high-level overview of their plan, skimming the details. Gil had already briefed them a number of times on the plan, and the different ways it could go down. There would be no hitch because the FBI had designed their strategy based on Gil’s hierarchy of what could go wrong.
A face filled the screen.
“Mr. Bell? Which one of you is Mr. Bell?” Ogden pivoted, scanning the people.
Blake, their security specialist, raised his hand.
“Ah, Mr. Bell. Who is this?” Ogden gestured at the screen.
“My wife,” Bell said.
“Right. And so, you understand that if you fail to deliver the merchandise, Mrs. Bell will be the one to pay for your shortcomings, correct?”
“Yeah.” Bell grimaced.
One by one, Ogden flashed pictures on the screen, reminding them all what they had to lose.
“The Tsaplin brothers. Well, the older two, there, right?” Ogden gestured at Sasha and Anton.
A picture of Kade’s parents sitting in lounge chairs out behind their house filled the screen.
“You two understand the drill?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes, sir.”
Oh, no…
Shelby swallowed.
“Kade, Shelby.” Ogden t
urned to them. The projector flipped off, leaving the room bathed in low light. “If one of you screws up, I’ll kill the other. Personally. Understand?”
“Not unless I kill you first.” Kade delivered the line as coolly as a true killer.
“I like a man with a backbone, Kade, I really do. But remember, you now have the most to lose. There’s Shelby here, your brothers, and your parents. Don’t piss me off.” Ogden turned toward Gil. “I believe we’re done here.”
Ogden and Gil exited the room. The others threw glares at Kade and Shelby.
She needed out of here before her knees gave way.
This was all wrong. Something wasn’t right. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
“Hey? Look at me, please?” Kade cupped her cheeks and tipped her chin up.
She stared into his dark eyes and leaned into his support.
They’d made a mistake showing Ogden that they cared for each other.
He used relationships, saw them as weaknesses. Despite knowing that, she still wanted to kiss Kade for coming to her rescue like that. In what world had she thought she could do this, face down the man who was most likely behind her parent’s death?
“Can we go?” she whispered.
“Yeah. Come on.”
Kade wrapped his arm around her waist.
“What are you doing?” Anton stalked toward them, keeping his voice low.
“Back off.” Kade strong-armed his brother out of the way and hustled Shelby out of the darkened room.
Being in the light helped a bit. Shadows and lurkers avoided the light.
Kade guided her out of the suite.
Ogden and Gil were nowhere to be seen.
They got in the elevator before the others had left the room. She didn’t draw an easy breath until the silver doors slid shut, and then it was as though all the strength bled out of her. She slumped against the wall and pushed her hair back.
“Shelby? What happened?” Kade stood too close, and yet, his nearness was a comfort.
“I don’t know. I don’t know at all. I just got there, and then he was there. He started talking at me. It caught me off guard because it was like…he kept talking like he knew me. And then he called me Sharon again, and…I just sort of lost it.”
“Who is Sharon?”
Oh, dear.
She wasn’t supposed to say that.
“Shelby, who is Sharon?”
“My mother. Sharon was my mother.” If Shelby was going to trust anyone with this information besides Rusty, it had to be Kade. “I think Ogden is why my parents were killed.”
“I’m sorry about that, boss. I’ll take care of that Roma boy.”
“No, no, it’s perfectly fine for a man to stake his claim.” Iestyn smiled at his reflection. It was all so deliciously perfect. Truth be told, he’d been rather put out when the man showed up, but now? It was going to be even more perfect than he’d planned.
“Are you sure? I can nix him and go with plan B.”
“No need. We are on schedule?”
“Do you mean the one everyone knows about or—?”
“Our schedule.”
“Yes, sir.”
At times, Iestyn found it beneficial to fake out his people. Give them a certain amount of misinformation. Sure, there were hiccups, but in the larger picture, sometimes it was necessary. Since he didn’t give a rat’s ass about the art, the job was fluid.
The elevator dinged and Iestyn stepped out into the suite that had served as his hotel for the night. Just because he was toying with the FBI didn’t mean that he had to play loose. One of the ways he’d stayed out of law enforcement’s hands was to keep moving.
“Brent, our things packed?” Iestyn undid the buttons on his suit and began changing clothes. A good disguise had always assisted him well.
“Yes, sir. The car is ready and waiting.”
“Perfect.”
He was going to enjoy getting to watch Shelby at work. She wasn’t the inspired artist that her mother was, but she had a good eye and learned fast. There was hope for her. And he was so looking forward to seeing her blossom.
Soon, he’d have her and the future that should have always been his. It was too perfect. Even his best laid plans were not on this level. It was a sign, a gift from Sharon. His Sharon. Now, he’d get to spend the rest of his life with her, if he was patient enough to let the plan come to fruition.
He could wait.
He’d waited this long.
What was another few days?
Kade swung his leg off the motorcycle, his body still vibrating, and not from the bike.
There was so much more going on here than he’d been told.
How had a guy like this managed to never get caught?
It was fast becoming Kade’s personal goal to ensure Ogden didn’t get the chance to hurt anyone else again.
Kade wanted to do more than just punch something. He wanted to make this Ogden guy pay. If he had the gall to say something like that to Shelby’s face, what else would the guy do?
“Kade? Kade, stop.” Shelby planted a hand against his chest.
He stared down at her, the tension headache pounding in his skull.
“You have got to calm the fuck down,” she said.
“He—”
“Yeah, he did. We handled it. Move on.”
“He can’t—”
“Tsaplin, where the fuck have you been?” The driver from Kade’s unit rounded the ambulance and threw his arms up.
Shelby glanced over her shoulder.
“What the fuck am I going to tell them?” Kade didn’t have the inklings of an idea how to spin this.
Shelby grabbed him by the shirt and pulled. He rocked forward. Their mouths met in a hard, bruising kiss.
“Let them come to their own conclusions,” she said against his lips.
“Seriously?” The driver kept talking shit.
“I’ll put in PTO today.” Kade straightened and started fastening the buttons.
“Do you have what you need?” Shelby’s brows lifted, and he knew she wasn’t talking about his shirt.
“Fuck. No. I’ll get my hands on it.”
The Fire Marshall credentials. He needed the badge, maybe a different shirt.
“Text me? We’ll figure out where to meet when you’re off.” Shelby smoothed his undershirt against his chest, then buttoned a single button.
“Are you going to be okay?” Kade couldn’t imagine how difficult this had to be for Shelby.
“I’ll be fine.” She shrugged.
“Text me if you need me. Or to…talk.” He might not know what to say, but he could listen. Sometimes that was more valuable.
“We’re too close to this. Go. Finish your shift. We’ll have plenty to do later.”
Kade nodded and turned on his heel, doing the rest of the buttons up.
Now, how was he going to cover his ass with his team?
“Sorry, something came up,” he said to his unit driver.
“Yeah, your dick. What if we’d gotten a call while you were out?”
No call.
Some of the tension leaked out of Kade.
His greatest fear was that he hadn’t been there for a crisis.
“I’ll be back in a sec.” Kade finished his buttons.
“You’re just going to walk away from me?”
“Isn’t that what I’m doing?” Kade didn’t like being this person, but he had to be. To protect Shelby. His brothers. His parents.
“What’s up with you?”
Kade continued to ignore his driver.
It was safer that way.
The fewer who knew what he was up to, the better.
He was finally beginning to understand Shelby.
Kade stalked inside the firehouse. Eventually, he lost his shadow.
He hated what he was about to do, but it had to be done.
The resident fire captain had completed his deputy period under a current fire marshal. He’d shown off his
new digs just the other day, bragging about how he was going to get to do more. The guy was so damn excited.
And now Kade was going to sully that joy.
Because Shelby needed him.
For his family.
“Hey, Kade.” One of the other fire fighters waved at him, face glued to his phone.
“Hey, the captain around?”
“Hm? Oh, no.”
Kade stood in the hall, watching the guy leave.
This was too easy, and that was probably the hardest part to stomach.
19.
Shelby kept her arms wrapped around herself, eyes on Rusty, trying to not look at Kade.
He was worming his way under her skin, into places he had no right to be. She didn’t like it.
For the last twenty-four-plus hours, she hadn’t eaten, slept or remained still for long. Something about those last few moments where Ogden stared into her eyes. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong. The only thing that made her feel better, safer, were the random texts from Kade.
She wasn’t about to admit that she’d spent half the night sitting on the curb down the block from the firehouse. Because Kade’s presence made her feel safer. Why? She had no fucking clue. It wasn’t like he was Superman or anything, he just…he looked out for her, when others were too happy to stand back and watch her fall. She wasn’t used to that. She didn’t know what to do with it.
Even Rusty could only offer her token protection. Anything more would destroy her usefulness to the bureau.
“Okay, from the beginning.” Rusty turned from the dry erase board. A line down the middle divided the two sides of the operation. “Kade?”
“I walk through as Fire Marshall tomorrow. Vet the set up. I’m in place the night of the gala to let the team in.” Kade shrugged.
“Hopefully, it is that easy.” Rusty turned to Shelby. “And we will…”
“Tomorrow we will do load-in. Place the paintings. Ensure tracking devices are attached to each one. I need to be in two places at once.” She rubbed her head. “The cases were delivered late to the rest of the team, so I have to somehow get everything delivered and hung, and show the freaking team how to steal it all. God, this is a nightmare.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Kade asked. “And shouldn’t the museum have… I don’t know, a team that can hang them?”
Her Prince (Twisted Royals #2) Page 16
