by Katie Reus
She looked around once, then whispered, “I’m in trouble. Sort of. I heard something I wasn’t supposed to. But…there’s no way you’ll be able to help me.” She shouldn’t have even said as much as she had. What the hell was she thinking? She needed to find someone in law enforcement she knew wasn’t dirty. But…how would she know?
Zac’s expression was neutral. “Try me.”
She paused, glancing between the two of them. They looked so sincere and she was certain that they thought they could help her. She doubted they could, but… “Brooks mentioned that you used to work for the government. You might know someone I could talk to.” The words came out in a rush before she could stop herself.
He nodded, looking thoughtful. “So this is something that needs law enforcement?”
“Yes.”
“Then why not go to the cops?”
Swallowing hard, she could feel the color drain from her face. She felt clammy and shaky as she glanced out the window. The SUV was still there. It was too far away to see inside and the tint was too dark anyway. For all she knew, it was empty and she was being a paranoid freak. “I know at least one person involved with what I overheard is a cop,” she whispered, looking back at the two of them. There was no one remotely close enough to them to overhear but she whispered anyway.
Olivia cleared her throat delicately. “Zac and I met because I was being blackmailed by someone, and I couldn’t go to the police for various reasons. He helped me. Zac and Redemption Harbor Consulting saved my life.”
Oh. Darcy took a moment to digest the woman’s words. Sincere and truthful.
She glanced over her shoulder. No one was in the two booths directly behind them. And no one else was close enough to overhear. “The men I heard were talking about a bomb—and hurting kids,” Darcy said in a rush. “In a week’s time.” As soon as the words were out, she felt as if a weight had been lifted.
Zac went still in a sort of preternatural way. It was scary. “Who?” The word was covered in ice.
She paused as their server returned to refill their drinks. It seemed to take an interminably long time, the seconds ticking by. When the woman was gone, Darcy shoved out a breath. “Fair warning, before I tell you anything, I think these people are dangerous. In fact, I’m pretty sure I was followed here. I could just be paranoid, but my instinct is telling me that someone followed me this morning. It was just a feeling I had, like I was being watched.”
Zac leaned back against the booth then, the picture of relaxation as he wrapped his arm around Olivia—who also looked calm. “Open the binder next to you and look down at it. Act as if you’re reading something and tell us who you heard talking,” he said quietly.
She did as he said, her fingers only trembling slightly as she flipped it open in front of her. He didn’t think she was crazy, at least. “My sister is marrying a man named Peter Markov. Oh right, you met them both. Anyway, his father is wealthy. I’m not completely sure what he does, something to do with real estate maybe. He’s rich, to put it bluntly. Over the last few months, he’s completely taken over their wedding. I chalked it up to a sort of neurosis on his part. He likes to micromanage everything.”
It drove her sister a little crazy but Emma was keeping quiet because she loved Peter.
Darcy continued. “In that time, I’ve been given basically free access to his house—ah, his mansion. He’s got great security, including a security guard at a gate at the front of his driveway.” She cleared her throat again and took a sip of her water as she looked at them. “I can’t keep looking at this folder, it will look weird.”
Zac nodded once. “Just go on.” His smile was still in place, easy and relaxed.
“Anyway, I went there last night to meet him. He knew I was coming. But I was early because sometimes he’s early and it makes it easier to just get stuff out of the way. And I’m rambling. Okay, so I got there early and I heard voices coming from his office. The door wasn’t completely closed but I started to knock and realized that it wasn’t him inside. It was a man who works for him.” She couldn’t fight off the shudder that overtook her.
“Who?”
“His name is Oleg Polzin. He’s always given me the creeps. My sister too. He’s never touched us or done anything wrong per se, but…”
“You’re trusting your instinct again,” Olivia said. “He’s just a creep.”
Darcy nodded. Most women had a creep-o-meter firmly in place. Not all women listened to theirs, but she did. “Yes. Put it this way, I would never let myself be alone in the same room with him. I heard him talking to someone. It was a voice that I recognized. It’s random too.”
She quickly relayed the rest of the conversation she’d overheard between Oleg and the detective she’d met on New Year’s after almost being mugged. By the time she’d finished, she wasn’t trembling as much. If anything, she felt stronger, and famished. Like she could eat half of that buffet. Telling someone had lifted the heavy weight pushing against her shoulders.
When she was finished she said, “Are you sure you guys can really help?” She would understand if they couldn’t. She’d just dropped a bomb of information on them. There was no way—
“Yes. This is what we do.” Zac’s tone was matter-of-fact.
“It feels weird not calling the cops.”
He nodded in understanding. “We might eventually involve the Feds. But maybe not officially. If we bring them in now based on just what you’ve heard, they have to play things a certain way, follow certain rules. Get warrants. We don’t.” There was an edge to his tone now. “We’ll rip their lives apart. And if we can’t find anything, we can give an anonymous tip to a couple Feds who will definitely look into Polzin, Turner and Markov. Nothing that will fall back on you.”
She wasn’t sure at all what they would be able to do about this whole thing, but they both seemed positive they should be able to dig up information. She just wanted to make sure the bombing never happened, and that no children got hurt. She got sick just thinking about it.
“How often are you at his house?” Savage asked.
“All the time. And the rehearsal dinner will be at his mansion. But I’m seriously over there all the time, so if you need me to get into his office—”
“No!” It was said almost, well, savagely. “You’re not going to be doing any recon or anything that puts you remotely in danger. We’ll just want to know anytime you’re over there for your own protection. We’re here to help you. Everyone with our company is well trained. You know Brooks, so you must know that.”
It felt weird to be talking about him, but she nodded. Brooks had military experience and was an all-around badass. She hadn’t actually known that when she’d first met him—she’d thought he was a sweet, charming cowboy. After getting to know him and hearing some of his stories, she could guess how trained he really was. “Will Brooks be involved in this…whatever this is?”
“Is that going to be a problem?” Zac’s tone was mild.
“Of course not. Right now, this isn’t about me. It’s about…” She wasn’t even sure. Darcy shook her head slightly. “I’m just worried about what might happen. This not knowing who might be targeted is terrifying.” Because the stuff she saw on the news every day told her how very dark the world could be.
“For now, you’re going to live your life like normal. But we’re going to have to check out your house and sweep your vehicle to make sure your conversations aren’t being bugged.”
She blinked. Uh, what? “Are you serious?”
“Yes. If you thought you were being followed, there’s a good chance you were. Maybe you’re just being paranoid, but I’ve learned to never ignore my instinct. You shouldn’t either. Since we’re your clients, it will be easy for you to meet with us and have everything look normal. A dress shop is the perfect cover. Can you set something up tomorrow for Olivia?”
When she nodded, he continued.
“Good. I can have someone check your car out while we’re inside,
make sure your vehicle doesn’t have a tracker or something on it.”
She nodded even as bile rose in her throat. This felt very real and very scary. She hated feeling out of control, and right now she felt trapped in a whirlwind. Still, she found her voice. “What else are you going to do?”
“Rip apart Polzin’s life. And Stanton’s. And Markov’s.”
“What about my sister’s fiancé?” Because Darcy had no idea if he was involved in any of this. She didn’t want to think that Peter could be, but what if he was? Oh, God.
“We’ll dig deep. If he is, we’ll find out.” The promise in his voice was deadly.
She simply nodded because she couldn’t find her voice anymore. Their server chose that moment to arrive with their food and though nerves skittered through her, she still picked up her fork and tried to act normal. As if she hadn’t heard two men talking about hurting kids and…maybe bombing something. As if she hadn’t just trusted virtual strangers with the knowledge. Somehow, she managed to take a few bites, though the food was like cardboard going down. She thought she’d been starved but actually eating was another matter.
After a few minutes of eating in silence, she set her fork down. “So, I feel weird talking about this now, but if we are meeting at the dress shop, you should be there to actually shop for your dress.” No need to waste the opportunity.
Olivia smiled. “Oh, I plan to try on dresses. And hopefully get one picked out. I’m a very decisive person.”
Something perfect in a bride, as far as Darcy was concerned. “Good. I’ve also brought some things for you to go over regarding band versus DJ and things like that. These are the things that you can narrow down easily and then point me in the right direction.” It felt beyond strange to be talking about wedding stuff after their earlier conversation, but this was why they’d agreed to meet in the first place. She’d just ended up spilling her guts to them.
“Sounds good to me. We want this to be as simple as possible. And trust me when I say that Zac will be able to help you. I wasn’t kidding when I said he saved my life.”
Darcy had a lot of questions about that, but didn’t bother asking. If they became friends, Olivia would share the details. For now, all she really cared about was finding out what those men had been talking about—and stopping them before anyone got hurt.
Chapter 7
—There is nothing quite as complicated as family.—
Brooks slammed his fist into the punching bag, barely registering the sensation. Sweat poured down his face and body as he expended the energy pulsing through him. Now that he knew how badly he’d screwed up, he was consumed with what he’d done to Darcy. He couldn’t sleep, and didn’t care about eating.
No, the only thing he cared about was Darcy.
Shifting on his feet, he hit the bag over and over, pummeling it with his fists in an attempt to release the anger inside him. Not long ago they’d installed a gym at the consulting building and though he rarely used it, now he was glad it was here. He normally got his workout on the ranch, with his horses, but more and more he’d shifted into taking jobs with the consulting company.
He hadn’t even realized something was missing from his life. Other than Darcy. But apart from her, he’d been satisfied. His work was honest and he enjoyed it. It was more than he’d hoped for when he’d gotten out of the Marines. He hadn’t been sure he’d be able to transition back to civilian life. But the ranch had made it possible—if not easy.
Then he’d started working with Colt, Skye, Gage, Leighton and Savage. And they were really helping people. People who couldn’t otherwise afford to help themselves. Or if they could actually afford it, they couldn’t go to the cops. Even if they occasionally—often—operated outside the law, it felt good.
When he paused to grab his water bottle, movement from the corner of his eye made him turn.
Savage and Gage strode into the room like two forces of nature. Gage’s expression was neutral but there was a grimness about Savage. He’d been best friends with the man for a long time so it was easy enough to read him.
Brooks hadn’t realized he’d moved but suddenly he was standing in front of them. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to tell you something and you’re going to remain calm. You’re not going to rush out of here like a jackass,” Savage said quietly.
Energy pumped through Brooks. There was no need to even add that kind of disclaimer unless something was wrong. He nodded, but there was only one thing he had to ask first. He figured Savage would have told him, but just in case… “Is anyone hurt?”
“No.”
“Fine. I won’t storm out of here.” Unless something has happened to Darcy, he added silently. No one, not even Savage, would stop him if that was the case.
“Olivia and I had a meeting with Darcy this morning about wedding stuff,” Savage started.
Brooks was silent as Savage gave him a rundown of their morning and everything Darcy had told them. Savage had been right to forewarn him. Because he did want to storm out of here and go to her. But he wasn’t going to. If someone was watching her, he didn’t want to put her in danger. But they were definitely going to be sweeping her place and finding out if she was being followed as she suspected. And they didn’t need to wait until later to check her place out.
“So Markov is dirtier than we imagined,” Brooks finally said.
Savage nodded. “It would appear so.”
“We already had a file started on Markov,” Gage said. “But you already know that. It’s my number one priority right now. With Skye and Colt gone on that other job, this is going to be our only focus right now.”
Normally they divvied up duties diplomatically, but it was clear what they’d be working on. He’d never been personally involved with someone on a job before—and wouldn’t be taking a back seat just because he was this time. “We need to make sure Darcy and her sister are safe. What do you know about Peter Markov?”
“I’m still looking into him,” Gage said. “He doesn’t seem to have any financial ties at all to his father. No properties, no accounts, nothing.”
But that didn’t mean anything. “What are we going to do about keeping Darcy safe?” Brooks hated the very idea of her being near Markov or anyone who worked with him, but he also knew it wasn’t avoidable. Not without raising suspicion.
“I’m still working on that,” Savage said. “However, there’s something we can get started on in just a few hours. I want to search Turner’s house.”
The detective. “I’m going with you.” That wasn’t even up for discussion.
Savage nodded. “I figured. I also think you should talk to Hernandez, and casually bring up Detective Turner, see what you can find out about him. Is there any way you think Hernandez is dirty?”
Brooks’s first instinct was to say no, he truly didn’t think Hernandez was dirty. If he had, he wouldn’t have called the man when Darcy was almost mugged. But right now, with Darcy in potential danger, he wasn’t going to trust anyone but his closest friends. The people who had always had his back. “I don’t think so. But I won’t pull on that string unless absolutely necessary. If I bring up Turner it might seem strange.”
“Yeah, let’s shelve it, then. Listen…I hate to even bring this up, but your father runs in the same circle as Semyon Markov. From what Gage has been able to find out about that wedding rehearsal and wedding, it’s huge. More than just people who are friends with the bride and groom. Which lines up with what Darcy told us. Apparently Markov has taken over their wedding and is inviting an insane amount of people.”
“You want to see if my father can somehow get an invitation?”
Savage shrugged. “If not get an invitation, at least reach out to him, maybe on some bullshit business proposal. If we can get in his house without having to break in, that would be ideal.”
“I’m going to be hacking his computers anyway,” Gage added. As if that was ever in question.
Brooks had a lot of issues
with his dad. Douglas Alexander hadn’t exactly been an absentee father, but he hadn’t been the best father. The man was now trying to make up for it. It was as if he’d had an epiphany—or a knock in the head—in the last year, and wasn’t remotely the same man who had raised Brooks. The man who’d gone through wives and girlfriends, only caring about outward appearances. Now, his father was smitten over Olivia’s friend and former nanny, Martina Cruz. A woman much closer to his age and more appropriate for him than all the others. But she was giving him a run for his money, thankfully. Brooks’s dad didn’t need anything handed to him. “Yeah, I can talk to him.”
“Good. Go grab a shower and we’ll meet in the conference room. Well start going over the details of everything.”
“Okay,” he said, picking up a hand towel from the neatly stacked pile near the door. Before he’d taken more than three steps, Savage’s voice stopped him.
“Don’t call her.” A soft order with an edge to it. Savage had never spoken to him like that before, never flat out told him what to do.
He wanted to snarl at his best friend and tell him to screw off. Instead, he didn’t say anything at all, just left the room. He deserved a medal for not calling her. Hell, for not rushing over to see her right now. But doing so would be stupid. If someone was watching her, she needed to be living her life as normally as possible. Which meant she lived it without him in it.
And he would never put her in danger.
* * *
Dust kicked up on the long dirt road as Brooks drove his four-wheeler toward the house his father was staying at on their property. Technically the whole estate belonged to Brooks because his father had given it to him, but his father had use of it. He’d spent the last decade—maybe longer—in Florida. Brooks hadn’t been counting. As soon as he’d been old enough, he’d joined the Marine Corps. To his surprise, his father had actually been proud.
Now Douglas Alexander had moved back to Redemption Harbor and was apparently staying for good. Of course, Brooks would believe it when he saw it. He wasn’t certain he bought into this whole “changed man” thing.
