“Are we letting the police in on this one?” Rusty asked.
The other three paused. Ace looked at Emily and swung his gaze to look at Ryan. None of them was in favor of informing the police.
“Sierra didn’t want them involved. Didn’t trust them,” Ryan said.
Ace remembered the way she’d reacted when they had first mentioned bringing in the cops.
“I trust Kinsella, but I can’t say the same for the others,” Emily said.
Just then the intercom buzzed. Emily placed it on speaker. Coralline’s voice came through.
“Emily, Captain Kinsella is here with another policeman. They’re asking for you guys.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
She took her finger off the speaker button and sat back.
“We need to take a decision now. Are we informing them?”
“Hell no!” Ryan said.
“I think we should,” Ace said at the same time.
Ryan turned to glare at him and Ace glared back. Who did the man think he was anyway?
“Look, we can’t leave them completely in the dark.” Ace was trying to be reasonable. “We’ll inform them, but not all of it.”
They both frowned at each other then looked at Emily.
“We’ll share on a need-to-know basis,” she said briskly and stood up.
They went out to the reception area to see the captain, except for Ryan who chose to remain seated where he was. Ace immediately recognized the other man with him.
“Inspector Fairchild,” he said, shaking the man’s hand. He was the cop who had spoken to them after Sierra’s car was rigged with a bomb.
“You were with Miss Newman the other day,” the man said with a faint smile.
Ace nodded.
“Fairchild is handling the investigations.” Kinsella said. “We would like to have a word with Sierra, if you’ve located her.”
The Silver Shield Security personnel exchanged glances.
Ace knew instantly that revealing any information they had would be a mistake. Kinsella was one of the good ones, but Ace did not know anything about the other man and did not want to play Russian roulette with her life.
“Actually, we are also searching for her and would appreciate any leads.”
“That’s odd. You were protecting her, right?” this from Fairchild, which made Emily raise an eyebrow.
“Miss Newman terminated our contract.”
He eyed them with a pleasant smile on his face. “Odd.”
Emily smiled back but did not reply.
“Do we put up posters?”
Everyone stared at the inspector in horror. Posters would be a grave mistake.
“No posters, Fairchild. We don’t want the Abrantes organizing a manhunt for her,” Kinsella answered as his phone beeped. He brought it out of his pocket and gazed at the screen. “Once they discover that she’s missing, there will be a prize on her head.”
“Sir, we have been after the Abrantes for so long. Since she has already put herself out there as bait, I’m just saying we take advantage of the situation.”
Ace felt the rage well up out of nowhere and was ready to take the man down. Emily touched his arm. Just a slight touch, no pressure, but he got the meaning.
Kinsella lifted his head from his phone and turned his gaze to the inspector. “No posters,” he said in a voice that brooked no arguments.
Ace clenched his fists then deliberately unclenched them one finger at a time. He surreptitiously glanced at the clock behind the reception desk. They did not have time.
“Keep us posted.” Kinsella signaled to Fairchild and both men left.
There was a brief silence. Then the doors swung open again. They all stared in surprise as Tamika walked in.
“Hey, Tamika, missed me, huh?” Rusty said, giving her a hug.
She smiled and nodded at the other two. “Client delivered safely.” Then she gestured with her head. “Someone’s out there watching this building.”
The result was immediate.
“What?” Emily snapped
The playful look fled from Rusty’s face.
Ace just swore.
“Black unmarked van. Two blocks away. Dodgy looking characters.”
“They think we’ll lead them to Sierra,” Rusty said slowly.
Those were Ace’s thoughts exactly. These Abrantes dudes didn’t waste any time. They needed to get going.
“What’s up? Saw the SMS feed,” Tamika asked.
Emily nodded to her to follow and proceeded to get her up to date.
Ace went back to Ryan. “Let’s go.”
The other man simply lifted an eyebrow, but he stood up and followed Ace. They went deeper into the house and took the stairs that led to the basement.
“This where you hide the bodies?”
Ace simply snorted. So the man had a sense of humor, albeit a dark one.
He pressed in the code then placed his palm on the scanner. Next he looked into the scanner for an iris scan. After a few whirls and beeps, the heavy door was open.
Inside what was really the armory, Ryan let out a low whistle. “What sort of gig do you guys run here?” he wanted to know.
Ace just shrugged. “Help yourself.”
Without hesitation, Ace went for the SABR, his weapon of choice. Then he picked up a Glock 17 as well as some explosives.
Ryan looked around, going from one weapon to the other. He touched them reverently, then after a brief pause, picked the M24E6, a machine gun that was lightweight and easy to carry, but also very deadly. It had a rapid firing rate. Ace noted that Ryan handled it with a great deal of familiarity.
“Good choice.”
Ryan simply nodded.
“The Abrantes Dukes have men watching us,” he told Ryan.
Ryan just shrugged. “We’ll lose them.”
Ace held his gaze for a moment, then nodded.
“Okay. Let’s move.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
They waited for the cover of darkness. Ace pushed his Harley-Davidson Street Bob out of his garage unto the front drive. He had decided to buy a place instead of renting an apartment. This two-bedroom house was exactly what he wanted. It stood apart, almost like it did not want to fraternize with the other homes on the street. The backyard was completely hidden from view. He’d turned the second room into a gym, which he used whenever he was at home.
He picked the house because of how strategically it was situated; just at the top of a slight hill so that the road sloped down. It was also the last house on the street, which made it easy for him to notice if anyone was watching him. Not that he expected them to be camped right outside his home, that would be stupid.
Which was why he had decided to use his motorcycle. He knew they would follow him and he had every intention of shaking them loose.
Ace climbed astride the bike. Then remembered something and hurried back inside. Five minutes later he was cruising through the busy Chicago streets towards Chicago Midway International Airport, the planned rendezvous spot. He made some crazy turns, zig-zagging in and out of different streets. After he circled round a couple of streets, he came to the conclusion that no one was following him.
Through his aviators, he scanned the area. He glanced at his mirror as well. He was going at high speed, weaving through the cars on the freeway, but he knew damn well there was no vehicle on his tail.
He pressed on the clutch, blipped the throttle and felt the wind speed by as he tore through the road till he got to the turning for the airport. He went to the special hangar that Silver Shield personnel used.
Emily and Rusty were both waiting for him.
“What took you so long?” Emily asked, walking briskly to where they briefly went through an official-looking area. “Ryan’s already on the tarmac.”
“Something’s off,” he said.
“What’s up? The Abrantes dudes give you trouble?” Rusty asked.
Ace shook his head. That was just the point, they didn�
�t. “No one followed me.”
Emily stopped in her tracks and turned to him with a worried frown. “What are you saying, Ace?”
“I’m saying that there was no one following me.”
It bothered him. They were watching the office earlier that day, Tamika had spotted them and he’d also seen them when he left. He shook them off before he got to his house, but he knew they probably already knew where he lived.
He was also aware of the fact that he had not seen anyone around his house did not mean that there was no one. So if they had decided not to follow him, it could only mean one thing.
The single thought hit all three at the same time.
“Shit!” Emily muttered.
“I only left my bike for a minute, two tops.” And when he’d returned he had not thought to give it a clean sweep, just in case.
“This is not good.”
Ace glanced at Rusty and could see that he was worried.
Emily looked thoughtful then she straightened up. “You’re clear for takeoff in fifteen. ETA is…” she glanced at her watch, “twenty-three hundred hours, local time.”
Ace looked at his watch, it was already eight pm, which meant the flight would be about a little less than three hours.
He looked up and she nodded at him. He understood what she meant. There was nothing they could do about the tracking device on his bike. But he would do what they had been trained to do; he would roll with the punches.
He held out the keys to his ride. Rusty snatched them with a gleeful look.
“Cool.”
“Hey, treat that baby right.”
Emily snorted and he turned to her with a stern look. “Show some respect, woman.”
She rolled her eyes, laughed and drew him into a bear hug. “You take care, okay?”
Rusty patted him at the back. Ace swung his backpack over his shoulder and turned to leave.
“Wait, I forgot to give this to you.” Emily handed over a big brown paper bag.
“What’s in it?” He didn’t open it, just kept his gaze on Emily.
“Papers, documents. Stuff you’ll need.”
He nodded. Without speaking further, Ace turned and jogged towards the white Cessna Sovereign. It was a craft that Silver Shield Security personnel used often. It belonged to Emily’s ex-husband, a man she never, ever talked about. In fact, they were all forbidden to think about him. Not like Emily had said anything about it, but each time his name came up, she turned all frosty and got that mean look in her eye, like a rattlesnake poised to strike.
They were all war veterans, brave men and woman, every single one of the Silver Shield operatives. But as much as they would each die for her, Emily scared them a little. Actually, more than a little. There was a silent consensus that where He-that-must-not-be-mentioned was concerned, they would all suffer selective amnesia.
Ace found Ryan seated in the cabin of the Cessna. His face was buried between the pages of what looked to be a thriller. Ace peered at the cover, it was Stephen King. Not his favorite author, but he read his stuff.
“Took your time,” the other man said without looking up.
“Yeah.” Ace was not in the mood to talk. He needed to brood.
“Such a girl.”
Ace narrowed his eyes as he took a seat opposite Ryan. “Wanna tell that to Emily?” he asked lightly.
Ryan shot him a glance before going back to his book but not before Ace saw the startled look in his eyes. Yeah, he should have tried saying that to Emily, then he would have found out exactly how a girl reacted when she was mad. Not a pretty sight, that was all he could say.
Before long they were airborne. Ace looked out the windows and watched the ground recede. Thanks to him, the bad guys would trace them to the airport. With their far-reaching tentacles, it won’t take much for them to find out all the planes that took off at that time and where they were bound.
One thing the Abrantes had was numbers. There were so many of them that they could dispatch assassins to every city where a plane was headed to and all at the same time. Without a doubt, there would probably be a hit team waiting for them on their arrival. At best, they would be close on their heels.
“We have a safe house in New York,” Ace said.
Ryan put down his book and nodded. “The problem would be getting her there.”
“Right.” Airports would be risky because they would be watching every airport for any sign of them.
They would need to leave as soon as they had Sierra. Ryan had hidden her away in a remote cabin in West Virginia, near the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was quite brilliant and she could maybe have stayed there hidden from everyone. But it was not foolproof and they had wanted to be sure that if either the Abrantes Dukes or the senator’s men found her, she would at least have a fighting chance.
His phone beeped. It was a text message from Rusty. He found the tracking device that was cleverly placed on the motorcycle. So now they had no doubt that they could be traced to the airport. Ace did not doubt that they would also find out what flight they took out of the Chicago Midway International.
He leaned back against his seat and shut his eyes. A sharp image of Sierra formed in his mind. Her wavy auburn hair and soft eyes. Eyes that seemed to look deep into his soul, past all the defenses he had perfected over the years. He would keep her safe no matter what it took.
The greatest resistance would be from her though, he didn’t think she would be happy to see him. Which was tough because he was desperate to see her. She would probably yell at him or say something nasty, but he didn’t mind. Anything was better than the complete and utter shutdown of communication between them. It was driving him crazy.
“If you hurt her, I will have to kill you.”
Ace’s eyes popped open. The words were spoken quietly but were no less deadly. He settled his gaze on Ryan. He didn’t look up from the book he was reading.
Ace eyed him without saying a word. What he really wanted to know was what made Ryan think Ace had the power to hurt anyone.
“You’re assuming a lot.”
Ryan simply snorted.
Ace turned to look out the window. He could not see anything, of course. Everywhere was dark. The night was Ace’s favorite time of the day. He loved the anonymity it afforded. In the dark, everything seemed the same and yet, nothing was as it seemed. It was a mystery he always loved unraveling. The darkness was a SEAL’s best friend, particularly when they were on special operations. Yet, looking out the window, he did not feel the usual peace that accompanied nightfall. Instead he felt—bleak seemed like an exaggeration, yet that was exactly how he felt. Bleak. He also felt restless.
I don’t want this…I don’t want you…
He felt a dull ache in his chest.
“I see that look in your eyes.”
Ace felt Ryan’s piercing gaze on him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He turned to face Ryan now and saw the look in the other man’s eyes. He thought Ace was an idiot. That much was clear.
“Sierra is special. Don’t even think of starting anything with her if you’re going to chicken out halfway. If you break her heart, you will answer to me.”
It was probably the most Ace had heard him say in one go. But that was not what made him pay attention. There was an intensity about Ryan that made him sit up and take notice.
“What’s it to you, anyway?”
Ryan stared at him, his face expressionless. Then without a word, he went back to reading his book.
He’s in love with her. Ace could not believe how he’d missed it. But right there in the cabin of the Cessna, he saw it clearly. Ryan Murphy was in love with Sierra, but for some reason, he was never going to do anything about it.
“You love her.”
Ryan went still. Then slowly took his eyes off the pages of his book and focused on him. And Ace saw the eyes that until now had been cold and expressionless were suddenly filled with a fiery passion that would have scared lesser men
. But Ace did not scare easily.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Yeah, he’d touched a nerve alright. He could see the barely restrained anger in the other man.
“What I don’t understand is why you haven’t said anything to her. Hell, you didn’t even try, right?
A muscle in Ryan’s jaw began to tic. But he did not say anything in reply, just glared at Ace. But Ace wasn’t done yet.
“Is this how you plan to spend the rest of your life? Warning off all the men who come around her?”
Then suddenly, as though he’d been doused by a bucket of ice water, Ryan’s anger cooled and the fire went out in his eyes. He smiled at Ace, a smirk really.
“For some reason you’re trying to get me mad,” he said at last. Then he shook his head. “Not gonna happen, sailor.” He picked up his book and resumed reading.
Ace did not know what to make of the man. Did he really think that he would hurt Sierra? Then he sighed. He knew the answer to that one. He would never deliberately hurt her, but she was an all or nothing woman. He could not give all and she would not settle.
He rolled his shoulders to relieve the tension. He was on that plane for one purpose only. To keep Sierra safe long enough for the authorities to apprehend the senator and the Abrantes Dukes, regardless of how long it took. That was his sole mission and he had to keep that at the forefront of his thoughts all the time.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Pack your stuff and wait at the gas station a couple of miles from the cabin. No one must know that you’re there.
Sierra read and re-read the text message that had come in about half an hour ago. She waited in the shadows, inside the woods and watched the gas station from where she was hiding. It was almost midnight and everywhere was dark. She had on thick boots for walking and a thick coat over her clothes. The temperature was not exactly freezing, but it was really cold. She had been walking for half an hour though, so she felt a bit warm.
She placed her duffel bag on the ground, it was all she’d left with. She sat on it and wrapped her arms around her body. An involuntary shiver went through her as she looked around. She had stayed off the highway and walked through the woods, using a flashlight and praying that she did not run into any wild animals. Or snakes. She shuddered involuntarily at the thought of snakes.
Silver Shield Security Box Set Page 13
