Innocent Target

by Katie Reus

“I don’t think that’s what Brooks meant by watching out for me.”

  Skye shrugged again, making Hadley even crazier.

  She took a deep breath. “So does that mean you’re going to cease acting like a normal human being anytime I bring a friend by?”

  “That man is not a friend. Maybe your lover, but not a friend.”

  Hadley felt her cheeks heat up and shot a quick glance at Colt, who was definitely ignoring her as he opened the refrigerator, probably to avoid her gaze.

  “What I do with my personal life is my business. Not Brooks’s, not yours, not anyone’s. And you better not have Gage run his information or hack his life or…whatever it is you guys do.” She knew her brother and the rest of the people who worked for Redemption Harbor Consulting engaged in some gray-area behaviors, and she wasn’t quite sure what their consulting consisted of other than “security issues” but she was pretty sure they broke the law. Probably more than she wanted to think about.

  Skye snorted and took a big bite of her sandwich.

  To quote Mary Grace, oh, sweet baby pandas. Because Mary Grace had been right. Skye was going to drive her insane at times. Hadley figured that was something she’d have to learn to deal with. She took another steadying breath. “I’m dead serious. You’re not going to do anything about him. I’ll sleep with whoever I want to.”

  Skye set her sandwich down as she swallowed. “So you’re sleeping with him?”

  Damn it. “No. But even if I was, it wouldn’t matter. I haven’t dated in forever and haven’t had fun in a long time so don’t mess with me. Whatever I do with him is my business.” She knew she definitely didn’t scare Skye whatsoever so she was surprised when the woman nodded.

  “I will respect your privacy as much as I can.”

  Definitely not the answer Hadley had wanted, but it would have to do. Later she was going to have a serious talk with Brooks and ask him to never, ever task Skye with watching out for her in the future. “So what are you guys really doing out here?”

  “We told you,” Colt said. “By the way, have you eaten yet? Since Skye made only herself a sandwich I can whip something up for the two of us.”

  Skye’s eyes widened. “You said you weren’t hungry!”

  Colt just gave his wife a look that Hadley couldn’t decipher before turning back to her.

  Laughing lightly, Hadley shook her head. “I’m fine, but thank you.”

  “Are you going to stick around here for a while?” Skye asked.

  Since she wasn’t going to tell them about the strange conversation she’d had with Axel, she simply nodded. “Yeah, with school out, I plan on doing absolutely nothing for a week.” She also planned to hang out with Axel as much as possible but she wasn’t going to bring him up again.

  “Great. Are you okay with us being out here tonight?” Skye asked, her expression suspiciously neutral.

  Which made Hadley think she was up to something. “Of course.” But if Axel called and wanted to do something, she was so gone. She really wanted to finish what they’d started at his place. Today at the ranch he’d been surprisingly hands-off. He’d been affectionate but he hadn’t pushed for anything more. While she appreciated that, she wanted more.

  And she couldn’t help but wonder if he did. She just hoped that whatever it was he wanted to talk to her about, the reason he’d wanted her to sit tight, was a good thing.

  Chapter 8

  —Live, laugh, love. If that doesn’t work, load, aim, fire.—

  Axel hated leaving Hadley, but he knew one thing for sure: she would be safe on the ranch. He didn’t recognize the woman, Skye, but he knew who the man was even if Colt Stuart hadn’t recognized him. They’d worked parallel on an operation years ago when Axel had been with the FBI, and Colt with the CIA. And they’d only ever crossed paths once during that op—in a conference room where they hadn’t spoken to each other at all. Axel had been sporting a beard then too. Still, there was a chance Colt would remember him eventually. He’d heard through the grapevine that Colt had left the Agency a while ago.

  Right about now he wondered what the hell Colt and his wife had been doing at the ranch and how they had ties to Brooks. Clearly they were friends with Hadley so he felt better knowing Colt would be there.

  Damn it, he should have dug deeper into what Brooks was into now. He’d been too focused on Hadley and any potential threats. As soon as he could, he’d do his own damn research on the man instead of having his tech guy do a run.

  Getting off the ranch was easy enough, though it took everything inside him to leave Hadley. At least she’d promised to stay put. Which gave him time to take care of what he needed to—hunting down one of the men who’d been sent after her. Then he would tell her the truth. He had to. Otherwise he was keeping her in danger and he simply couldn’t do that. Especially since the third man hired to kidnap her should be getting into the country tomorrow—according to his contact.

  She would definitely kick him out of her life after, but that was something he was willing to deal with. Because keeping her safe and alive was more important than anything else.

  He was still stunned at what she’d done last night, how she’d taken over and stroked him to orgasm. And he was fairly certain she’d stunned herself. It had been hot as fuck and he wanted more of it. More of her. He wanted to taste all of her.

  When his phone buzzed again, he quickly scanned through the last round of texts to see if he’d missed anything and slid his earpiece in.

  Isaac answered on the first ring. “About time.”

  Axel wasn’t going to apologize because he paid the man. “What’ve you got?” Because Isaac’s last text said he had something good.

  “Martin Johnson. Your second hitter. Found him through a facial recognition scan. Got a hit from the DMV. Eighty-three percent accuracy.”

  Yeah, that worked for Axel. He knew Johnson’s reputation. He wasn’t the best, but he also didn’t suck at his job either.

  “I tracked him using the license plate of the car he rented. It’s not under his real name. But I did a search on the name he used to rent the car and found the same person rented a house on the outskirts of Redemption Harbor. He was headed in that direction last time I caught him on a camera, but he might not have ended up there. Or even if he did, he could have left since then. I’m not sure where he is but now you have his address and I’ll send you the alias he’s using and everything else I found.”

  “Good work.”

  “Why are you going to all this trouble to hunt these guys down?”

  Brooks was surprised by the man’s curiosity and he certainly wasn’t going to tell Isaac the truth. They worked together, but they weren’t friends. “It has to do with another job. Someone wants to keep their target safe. And they pay better.”

  “Figured as much. I’ll let you know whatever else I find.”

  “Thanks.” It didn’t take him long to reach the rental house. It was on the outskirts of town, just like Isaac said. A quiet area with houses located along a riverbank. Each house he passed looked older, probably built in the seventies, but they were all kept up with neat lawns and a menagerie of garden gnomes. And each place had an actual yard with a lot of space.

  Scanning the neighbors’ houses on either side of his target’s house, he gauged that at least one person was home, given the Ford F150 out front as he pulled into the driveway of Johnson’s rental. Shouldn’t be a problem, but he’d need to ditch this vehicle once he was done here, just to be safe.

  Ball cap and sunglasses on, he stepped outside and leaned against the driver’s side door as he dialed a number he had on file for Johnson. The guy had rented the place for a month, giving himself plenty of padding if the job took longer than normal. According to the info Isaac had sent him, the house was owned by a couple who’d retired in Florida. Now they rented it out using a home rental site. And Johnson had declined the house cleaning service according to the contract, so at least Axel wouldn’t have to worry about some cleaning c
rew showing up unexpectedly.

  Johnson answered on the second ring. “Yeah?”

  “It’s O’Sullivan.” Johnson knew Axel’s real name, just as he knew Johnson’s. That wasn’t always the case in this industry, but there were a handful of men and women whose real identities he was aware of.

  A pause. “What the fuck do you want?”

  “I’m in the driveway of your rental digs. Don’t shoot me if I knock on the front door.”

  Another pause, then Axel watched as the blinds on the left window slightly moved. “What are you doing here?”

  “Need to talk to you about your current job.”

  “So talk.”

  Axel glanced around, then lifted a hand as if waving at a neighbor. The person would be out of the line of sight for Johnson but he’d still think someone was out here.

  “Damn it. Hold on. You want to come in, lose your weapons.”

  “Already did.” Without pause he ended the call and strode toward the front door. As he moved he subtly unzipped his jacket and opened it up. When he stepped onto the front porch, he took it off and moved in a slow circle. If anyone was watching they’d probably wonder what he was doing but he wasn’t worried about it.

  Less than ten seconds later, the door opened with Johnson standing back in the shadows, a SIG in his hand. “Step inside slowly.”

  Axel rolled his eyes, because the guy was overreacting, but did as he said. “I’m going to set my jacket on this table and I’ll lift my arms.” He wasn’t going to attack the guy. Not unless Johnson pushed his hand.

  Nope. He was going to appeal to Johnson’s greed. Because it usually worked with guys like this. Not that he had any room to get up on a high fucking moral horse since he killed people for money too. But he had a code at least and he only knew half a dozen others who did as well. It was why Hadley’s contract had ended up in his hands in the first place. Someone had known it looked wrong and hoped he’d take care of it. AKA help her.

  Getting that file had changed his life in a way he’d never imagined. He was going to make sure it saved hers.

  He waited patiently as Johnson holstered his weapon and scanned him with a wand for any electronic devices. Johnson took out Axel’s phone, removed the battery and set the pieces on the table next to his jacket. Then he scanned Axel’s jacket. When he was satisfied, he set the wand down and faced off with him.

  “How did you find me?”

  Axel scoffed. He wasn’t going to give away any secrets, something Johnson would know. “I’m here to make you an offer. Walk away from your current contract and my employer will double your fee.”

  In his mid-thirties, Johnson was about five feet ten, well built and a decent-looking guy. Unlike some of the men in their profession, he didn’t look rough. Nope, he clearly took care of himself or at least didn’t abuse his body with drugs or alcohol. Johnson ran a hand over his closely cropped dark hair. “That’s an interesting offer.”

  Axel shrugged. “Take it or leave it. It’s a one-time offer.”

  “Who hired you?”

  He scoffed again. “Come on.” They both knew Axel wasn’t going to answer.

  Johnson tapped his chin once. “I saw you out with her. I wondered why you were in town. Thought you must have started slumming it and taken this job.”

  Yeah, because Johnson at least knew that Axel wasn’t going to kidnap a woman. That wasn’t his MO. “Nope. Got a client who wants to keep her alive. So walk away and you still get paid. Win-win for everyone.”

  “What happens when word gets around that I don’t finish my jobs? Work will dry up.”

  Axel snorted now. “Please.” They both knew that wasn’t true. Johnson was just looking to get paid more. Something Axel had planned on. Greedy bastard.

  He leaned against the nearby doorframe “You doing her? She’s hot.”

  Axel simply kept his expression neutral, even though he wanted to smash his fist into Johnson’s face for that comment.

  Johnson sighed and tilted his head once, telling Axel to follow him. “Let’s talk in the kitchen. I need a beer.”

  Axel’s instinct kicked in as he followed after the man. Something was up, but he wasn’t sure what yet. Johnson was known for being semi-choosy about his jobs and not being a total psycho. It was why Axel had approached him like this.

  He tensed as Johnson opened the refrigerator door, ready for the man to pull out another weapon. Instead he pulled out two domestics and handed one to Axel. Though he had no intention of actually drinking it, he took what was offered. He could pretend to be civil.

  “I’m not walking away for double but I will for quadruple. I know what the bitch’s father is worth and I’m guessing he’s the one who hired you.”

  Axel simply lifted a shoulder, which would look like a confirmation.

  “Figured as much. So…quadruple it and I’m gone. I like easy money.”

  Paying off Johnson was going to deplete a hell of a lot of his savings, but it was worth it. Hadley was worth it. After Johnson was out of the picture, that would be two down and one more left to get rid of. By whatever means necessary. He just wanted this done with no mess. “Fine. My client will need to know where to wire the funds. And I’m going to watch you call in and cancel with your own client.”

  “So how is she?” Johnson asked as he ripped a piece of paper from a Post-it pad on the fridge.

  Axel stayed quiet.

  “Come on. I’d been looking forward to fucking her before handing her over to that moron.”

  Axel forced himself not to react. “Seriously? You’d damage the merchandise?” He hated talking about Hadley like that but he needed to play a role. Even if he wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off Johnson’s face. With his fists. Repeatedly.

  “I could have done it without damaging her…much.” He snorted as he finished writing the account number down. “Not like it matters. I get the feeling my client plans on hurting her if he gets his hands on her.”

  Axel tried not to react but his emotions must have shown on his face, and whatever Johnson saw, he didn’t like because he stiffened. So much for feigning civility. Dropping the paper, Johnson stepped forward, clearly ready to attack.

  Using all his training, Axel tossed the full beer at Johnson, knowing exactly what the man would do. It was human instinct unless you had the training—and Johnson didn’t. Johnson’s hand snapped out to catch the beer and Axel attacked like a rabid animal.

  He couldn’t dredge up any remorse for what he was doing either. He’d wanted to do this the easy way, but screw this monster. This man had wanted to rape and hurt Hadley before turning her over to another monster. And he’d said it so easily, as if he’d done it before. Probably had.

  Which just sent Axel into full-on attack mode. As Johnson lost focus, reaching for the damn bottle like an amateur, Axel struck out, slamming his boot into the man’s knee.

  Screaming, Johnson fell back as his leg buckled, slamming against the Formica countertop. He wasn’t down though. With wicked speed he withdrew the SIG he’d holstered. Before he could fully raise it, Axel slammed a fist against his face.

  Johnson blocked with his other arm, but it threw him off-balance. He fell back again and Axel broke the wrist holding the weapon, making him scream again.

  Needing the guy to shut the hell up, he pounced on him, slamming his head against a cabinet. Wood cracked and splintered even as blood spurted everywhere. Wrapping his arm around Johnson’s neck from behind, he utilized a move he’d done more times than he cared to think about.

  Breaking a neck wasn’t as easy as it looked in the movies, not when someone was struggling, but Johnson was screaming, so caught up in his own pain he was simply thrashing around like a fish.

  Pathetic.

  No wonder he’d washed out of the army. Axel broke his neck, relief coursing through him at the familiar sound of it snapping.

  Instantly Johnson’s body went limp, turning into a dead weight.

  Axel let him d
rop to the tile floor, inwardly cursing the mess. He had to dispose of the body and clean everything up now. Including repairing the damage he’d done. Then he’d have to clean out everything Johnson had at the house. He couldn’t leave his own truck in the driveway too long either. No, he’d have to move it somewhere, then return here. He assumed that Johnson had his rental in the garage so he’d use that to dispose of the body. He’d just leave it in the trunk and set it on fire somewhere remote. Johnson would be found eventually but Axel didn’t care about that as long as it couldn’t be traced back to him.

  All this was going to take time. Time he’d have to be away from Hadley. Which was why he’d wanted to do this the easy way. Dammit.

  Hurrying back to the foyer, he put his battery back in his phone and texted her.

  Still prepping for the interview. How’s the rest of your day going?

  She answered almost immediately. Good, reading by the pool. Wish you were with me.

  God, he loved how honest she was. No games for her. Wish I was too. I’ll see you soon though. Text you as soon as I’m free?

  Please do. I’d like to do dinner tonight if you can?

  I’m in. I’ll call you when I’m on the way. He didn’t plan to take her anywhere because he didn’t want her out in public. But he would be telling her the truth. Most of it anyway. That someone wanted her kidnapped and she needed to stay at her family’s ranch where she’d be safe.

  Of course then she’d tell him to fuck off, though probably in nicer words than that. And that would be that. He’d lose her.

  He told himself that it shouldn’t matter. That they barely knew each other. But it did matter. The thought of losing her now, when this little spark between them had just started… Hell. He felt like he was losing everything.

  Chapter 9

  —Honesty is better than sugar-coated bullshit.—

  Axel reread the text he’d just seen from Hadley. Even though he knew it wasn’t going to change. When he saw the timestamp from a couple hours ago, his stomach tightened. She’d received a call from a vet she knew through her school program who’d asked her if she wanted to shadow a surgery. And she’d said yes. Because of course she would. She had no idea there was a threat against her.