Silver Shield Security Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  Ace bared his teeth in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Two words: Sierra Newman.”

  Slim lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip, his eyes never leaving Ace. He placed the glass on a coaster. “Hmm…”

  He was not giving anything away.

  Ace sat with his legs spread apart. “I actually came here today to do you a service. Let’s call it my good deed for the year.”

  “Oh?”

  Slim drummed his finger lightly on the table, a small smile playing around his mouth. The man did not give anything away that was for sure, but it didn’t really matter.

  “Your men planted a bug on me.”

  “You really should be more careful where you leave your bike then.”

  Ace caught and held the man’s gaze. “Oh, but it was not just on my bike,” he said in a soft voice.

  He was watching Slim carefully, so he saw the blink that showed that he was receiving new information.

  “There was a bug on my backpack. You didn’t know about that one, did you?

  They had debated long and hard at the HQ, trying to find out just how the senator’s men had found Sierra so quickly. That had led them to do a thorough check of Ace’s backpack, the only item that had been left on his bike and had also gone with them to Virginia. They had found the snooping device.

  “That information was not meant for you. It was for the senator and he took Sierra Newman not long after.”

  There was complete silence around the table. Ace felt the tension radiating off the others around the table, who had remained standing the whole time.

  Ace decided to spell it out. “The senator is playing you, Slim. And some of your men are not so loyal anymore.” He took time to look each man around the table in the eye. At his veiled accusation, he saw the rage jump into some eyes and knew that all they needed was for Slim to say the word and he was toast.

  When his gaze returned to Slim, he found the other man leisurely sipping from his glass. He put down the glass a second time and smiled at Ace.

  “What do you want, Moreno?”

  “You need to take the senator down or he will drag you down with him.”

  When they got back to HQ after getting Sierra out of the senator’s residence, they’d met with Emily. The state in which Ace had found Sierra had nearly broken him. He wanted her to regain her life and he did not see that happening if she had to live it on the run.

  “We need to take the fight to them,” Tamika had said, and Ace agreed with her. He was done waiting for things to happen. It was time to make that happen, which was why he was in El Torero.

  Slim nodded. “You are quite smart, I’ll give you that,” he said with another smile. Then he gave a signal to the other men around and they put away their guns.

  “You want us to finish off the senator for you,” he said with a mocking smile. “You forget that he’s not the only one after Sierra Newman. Her life is forfeit, Moreno.”

  Ace told himself to be calm. The man was only trying to press his buttons. “Yet the senator did not kill her when he got the chance. He kept her alive. Why is that, I wonder?”

  “Don’t you worry about the senator, Moreno. We have our ways. As for Sierra…”

  Ace leaned forward and stared down the other man. “Sierra is with us. And it is in your best interest if things remain that way. If you harm her, I will come for you and it is going to be damn ugly. Guaranteed.”

  “Are you threatening me?” Slim asked.

  “Oh no, Slim. I am making a promise.”

  Slim suddenly laughed, the sound hearty and genuine. “You have guts, Moreno,” he said at last. “I like you. You’re in my domain. You may not walk out of this place alive, yet you dare to threaten me.”

  Ace did not laugh back. “A dead man fears nothing,” he said in a quiet and deliberate voice. “You should remember that.”

  Slim stopped laughing and his eyes turned hard. “We’ll take care of the senator. Then we’re coming for you.”

  Ace pulled the collar of his jacket and nodded once. “You know where to find me.”

  “Damn right, we do.”

  Ace stood up. His job was done. He stretched his hand out for his weapon, still keeping his gaze on Slim. He felt the heavy weight of cold metal on his palm and tucked the gun away.

  “We’ll meet soon, Moreno.”

  Their eyes met and Ace knew that Slim would make a formidable enemy. Too bad. He almost liked the man. Almost.

  With another nod, he turned and taking his time, walked leisurely out of El Torero.

  Inside the car, he took a minute to calm his racing heart. He raised his wrist to his mouth and was surprised to see the slight tremble. “It’s done. They’ll be going after the senator now.”

  “Kinsella is on standby,” Emily said. “We are going to take two birds out with a single stone.”

  Ace knew it was not going to be that easy, but for Sierra’s sake, he wanted the threat to her life eliminated ASAP.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Inside El Torero, they watched the man walk out. His stride stopped short of a swagger. Slim could feel the anger radiating off his men and he understood too well. It was not every day some upstart walked into his domain to challenge him—as a matter of fact, it had never happened. No one could do what Ace Moreno had just done and get away with it, yet the ex-SEAL had done it.

  “We should have taken him out, boss.”

  And that was why Slim had spent the last few minutes debating whether to let the man walk out. It seemed upstarts like Cosmo now felt they could question his actions. His gaze swept around the table unhurriedly, until it came to rest on his second under chief.

  “You wanna say something, Cosmo?” he asked casually.

  The other man went pale. He swallowed twice and then shook his head. “No, boss.”

  “You’re all wondering why I let him go.” It was something Slim knew. He turned to Mike and nodded.

  “He had his people in here,” Mike said in his usual quiet way.

  “The Feds have also been casing the outfit lately,” Slim said. It was why he made the decision not to rub out the upstart. Thanks to the damn senator, they now had the FBI crawling all over the Abrantes Dukes, looking for the slightest sign or tip off.

  “We’ll get him, boss.” Mike said with confidence. And when they did, Ace Moreno would wish he had never crossed paths with them.

  “Assemble two teams. We hit the senator and the woman at the same time.” Slim was not taking chances. He was not going back to jail. For one, his daughter had promised to disown him if he did and knowing Isabelle, she was dead serious.

  “Tonight?”

  Slim considered the question and shook his head. It was what they would expect. They would be waiting for him to make just that move. But he did not become Slim Johnny Natale, Chicago’s biggest crime lord, overnight. His moves were precise and well thought out and he never missed his mark.

  “Let’s call in Babe.”

  Slim could tell they liked his decision. Babe was one of their enforcers. The deadliest in the family. It was Babe they sent after difficult cases that required skillful handling. He knew exactly how to arrange things so that they looked like unfortunate accidents. They would send Babe after the troublesome senator.

  “Babe handles the senator then?”

  Slim glanced briefly at Mike and kept his expression bland. There was a reason why the innocent-looking man had quickly risen to become his underboss. There was a similarity in the way they thought. They were both ruthless and without mercy. Strategic planners who knew how to hit at the heart of a matter. More than that, Slim trusted Mike. The others like Cosmo, not so much. He knew Mike would take a bullet for him, had in fact, done that once already.

  “The Newman woman is being protected by Moreno and his friends.”

  He looked around to be sure that they understood what that meant. Moreno and the other Silver Shield people were all ex-military and had all served in the Middle East at
some point. This was not just a job for them; bringing down the senator and the Abrantes Dukes with him, had become personal for them.

  “We storm the place and we take no prisoners.”

  From here on out, it was a full-scale war.

  Slim looked around El Torero. He was particularly proud of that restaurant. Half the people who ate there had no idea that it was a stronghold for Chicago’s most notorious crime family. He had heard people refer to them as coldblooded, and that suited him fine. He always put in an appearance every day, to see about his business, but mostly to reassure those watching that Slim Johnny Natale was still very much in charge.

  He glanced at the watch on his wrist. It was a Blancpain 1735 Grande Complication. It had cost him eight hundred grand and was only one of three other watches in that range that he owned. He checked the time. He needed to get home.

  He stood and the others stood up as well.

  “Wait for the signal,” he said and walked out, stopping to greet a few old patrons on his way out.

  **

  Two hours earlier…

  “It’s the only way,” Ace said, his eyes focused on a spot somewhere on the wall before him.

  “It’s suicide,” Tamika said, shaking her head.

  “She’s right,” Drew added. He stood up and began to pace. “I must say I like it though. It’s really daring.”

  “Drew!” Tamika was not finding this amusing. She got up and walked to where Ace was sitting and touched his arm. “Ace, you might not make it out…” Her voice trailed off.

  Ace touched her lightly in a bid to reassure her. Tamika was not one to speak much. It was almost as though she did not like hearing the sound of her voice. That she was so vocal in her protestations meant she was really afraid for him. While Ace appreciated her concern, he knew there was nothing she could say to change his mind.

  “Are you sure about this, Ace?” Emily had been silent, listening to them as they spoke. She had heard Ace out and then remained silent while the others had protested. Ace knew that she was working something out in her brain.

  “I am,” he said simply.

  “It is a risk.”

  “I know.”

  “You might not make it out alive.”

  Ace sighed. Why was Emily stating the obvious? “I know, Emily, but I’m doing it anyway.” It was the only way to get those bastards to take action. The cat and mouse game was driving him nuts and he did not want Sierra to spend the rest of her life in hiding, or on the lam.

  “You are sure?”

  Ace turned his attention to Emily. She was not in the habit of repeating herself. He looked at her intently. Something was obviously going on in her head.

  “I’m sure.”

  She nodded. “I’ve been speaking with Kinsella. The FBI are closing in on the Abrantes. They might be in violation of so many RICO offences. However, Slim is being really careful.”

  “They need something that would make him trip,” Rusty said slowly, his eyes on Ace.

  “If Ace goes in there, it will push them to take action.”

  Tamika frowned at Drew. “Yeah. They’ll blow his head off,” she muttered.

  “He’ll be going down in guts and glory,” Drew said with a wink.

  Ace fought back a smile. Drew loved teasing Tamika and it was fun to watch, even if Tamika did not always find it amusing.

  “Kids, stop fighting.” Emily’s mom came in with coffee for everyone. She gave Drew a stern look.

  “I’m just teasing, Mrs. S,” he said, smiling sheepishly.

  Ace smiled, even though his heart was not in it. He needed to be mentally and psychologically prepared for the meet with Slim Johnny Natale.

  **

  Sierra woke up and stretched. She blinked, taking a moment to get her bearings. She was at Silver Shield headquarters. She sat up and the room began to spin. She took a deep breath and another. Suddenly, everything began to black out. Feeling her way with her hand, she decided to lie back down. After a few minutes, her breathing slowed and the spinning stopped. She opened her eyes and everything was fine.

  Sierra decided to give herself a few moments before sitting up again. She looked around the room. It was light and airy, mostly painted in pastels. Funny, she would not have thought that pastels were her thing, but this room made her feel peaceful and happy. She noticed the French windows and the blinds that ran from floor to ceiling. She would love to see what was on the other end of the windows.

  Feeling a little bit better, she tried to sit up once more, this time taking it slowly. She saw a bottle of water on the table beside her and reached for it. Her mouth felt dry. Suddenly feeling cold, Sierra noticed that she was still wrapped in a towel. Come to think of it, she had no idea how she ended up in the bed. The last she remembered, she was in the bathroom and Ace was knocking…

  Ace.

  The towel was sitting loosely around her. She fastened it securely on her chest and stood up, holding on first to the headboard, then the wall, for support. She dimly remembered that Ace was shot. Looking around for a clock, she discovered one on the bedside table. She lifted it and saw that it was almost eleven p.m.

  I really should go back to sleep. She’d barely finished the thought when her stomach rumbled. But then, I’m hungry.

  She had not eaten anything in two days. She walked slowly to the closet and pulled it open. To her surprise, she found her clothes hanging there. They were the stuff she’d dropped in the van in West Virginia, before she was abducted. She changed into a warm pair of lounge pants and pulled on a sweater. She turned and caught sight of her reflection on the dressing mirror.

  Sierra stared at her hair. It was everywhere and looked like she’d just stuck her hand into an electric socket. A couple of weeks ago she would have freaked out. At that moment, she just did not care. She found a handful of elastic bands on the dressing table and used a couple to hold her hair back as best as she could.

  Slipping her feet into a pair of socks, she decided to explore. Her stomach growled again, reminding her that it needed sustenance. She stepped out the door and was immediately confused.

  Do I go right or left? She pointed one way first and then the other, not sure which way would lead her to food.

  “Hey, honey, I was just coming to check on you.”

  Sierra sagged in relief when she saw Coralline Silver. “Oh hi, Mrs. Silver.” Her voice sounded scratchy.

  “Are you hungry, dear? Why don’t you go back to bed and I’ll bring you something?”

  Sierra shook her head then winced at the pain. “No, Mrs. Silver. I would like to stretch my legs a bit. That’s if you don’t mind.”

  “Alright, sweetie. You come with me to the kitchen then.”

  Sierra followed her through the maze that was the Silver Shield Headquarters. It was not really that much of a maze, but there were so many turns that she knew there was no way she could have found the kitchen.

  The kitchen was a large, airy room with a huge table in the middle. It had a period feel to it and Sierra immediately felt at home.

  “Here, have a seat at the table,” Coralline said as she slipped on an apron. “I made a chicken casserole for dinner and there’s still some left over. Too bad there’s none of that lovely apple pie you made me.” She flashed a warm smile at Sierra.

  After a few minutes, she came over with a bowl of hot soup. “You haven’t eaten in a while, am I right?” At Sierra’s nod she went on, “This will make the food go down easier.”

  Sierra took a couple of spoonfuls of the soup and felt the comforting warmth fill her body. She sighed and took another spoonful, listening idly as Coralline chattered on. Her voice was soothing, and slowly, Sierra felt the tension of the past two days drain out of her body.

  “Here you go.” Coralline put a plate of chicken casserole in front of Sierra and took the now empty bowl of soup.

  “That was so good, Mrs. Silver. Thanks.”

  “Oh honey, everyone just calls me Mrs. S,” she said with a smi
le.

  Sierra smiled back. “Thanks, Mrs. S.”

  The soup had taken the edge off her hunger, so Sierra was able to savor the meal. Still, she was done in no time. Mrs. S had stepped out a few minutes earlier with a cup of coffee, so she used the time to quickly wash her plate. Once she was done, she stood, uncertain of what to do with herself. She had no idea where Ace was, or anyone else for that matter. The place seemed so quiet. Maybe they had all gone home. But Ace should have been with her. He was her bodyguard. At least she was pretty sure she had asked for him when she was given a choice. She remembered that much.

  With a sigh, she strolled out of the kitchen. She heard the sound of a computer and followed it. It led her to Rusty.

  “Hi, Rusty.”

  He saw her and stood up. “Hey, Sierra.” He paused. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

  “I got hungry,” she said with a shrug.

  “Yeah. You didn’t eat a thing for awhile.” He had returned to his seat and was peering at a screen. He always seemed to be gazing into some screen or the other. She noticed the steaming cup of coffee beside his computer and realized that Mrs. S must have been bringing coffee to Rusty when she left the kitchen.

  Then something he said struck her. “Wait,” she moved closer to him, “how did you know I didn’t eat anything?”

  His hand swept a wide arc. “We were able to hack into their security system and our cameras caught you.”

  That was when she noticed that there were several screens on the wall. There was something familiar about one of them. She looked closely and saw that it was the Spanish restaurant, El Torero.

  “Why are you watching El Torero?” She knew it was Slim Natale’s stronghold, but why would they have cameras focused on the restaurant? Were they expecting an attack?

  The camera suddenly caught a man walking into the restaurant. Everything inside Sierra immediately froze. No. she did not want to believe what her eyes had just seen.

  “Is that… was that…?” The thought was too horrifying to even consider. Why was Ace walking into the Abrantes Dukes domain like that?