Silver Shield Security Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  She laughed in disbelief. “Counseling! Are you kidding me?”

  “You’re just going to end eighteen years of marriage? I can’t believe you won’t discuss this!”

  He was getting angry now. Who did she think she was? She always thought she was better than him, and he was sick and tired of her attitude.

  He didn’t bother to think about how unreasonable his thoughts were.

  “I’m not doing this, James. Just get your things and get out.” She sounded weary.

  James opened his mouth to press home his point, but the words never came. He felt a sharp pain in his chest. He lifted one hand from the wheel to hold his chest.

  “James?” Penelope looked at him in concern, which quickly turned to fear when his eyes began to bulge and she saw that he was struggling to breathe.

  “James!” She screamed his name.

  The car swerved to the side, entering the other lane. James seemed to have completely lost control over the vehicle. Just then a four-wheeler came around the corner.

  Penelope screamed as the truck came at them. She grabbed the wheel, struggling with it as she tried hard to steer out of the path of the oncoming truck. The car swerved to the right, then to the left. James was not moving, but the only thing on Penelope’s mind was avoiding the truck.

  But it was too late.

  Even before the crushing impact of the truck, which first sent the car into a tailspin then end over end, James had already stopped breathing.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Slim walked into El Torero. He knew immediately that something was wrong. He eyes swept around the restaurant as he walked to his place. He smiled, his face revealing nothing. The men were already waiting for him at the booth in the back of the restaurant.

  They all stood when they saw him, waiting till he was seated before taking their seats.

  He gave each of them a level stare. It felt like years ago, when he was the one who planned the deed. Except unlike his uncle, Slim had never become complacent. He did not deceive himself that they were all loyal to him, and he knew that once there was a perceived weakness, one of them would attempt to strike.

  Letting that Moreno guy off so easily was seen as a perceived weakness.

  He nodded when his drink was brought. Well, it would be interesting to watch at any rate.

  Slim turned his attention to the man with intense eyes. He had the natural olive skin tone of his people, although with his short brown hair, some might mistake it for a tan.

  “I saw your work,” Slim said to him.

  It had been all over the news. The fatal accident which claimed the life of Senator James Hugh Coleman, placing the senator’s wife in a coma with very little chance of recovery.

  “The woman got in the way.”

  Slim shrugged. Some things could not be helped.

  “What did you use?”

  “Potassium chloride. He had a lot to drink.”

  Slim knew about potassium chloride. It was one poison that left no trace in the blood and when a person with high blood pressure took high amounts of the drug, a cardiac arrest was imminent if the person did not get help on time.

  He glanced at the man. There was a reason why Babe was the Number One hitman of the Chicago mafia family. He was also the most feared in the country because his methods were sophisticated. Nothing could ever be traced back to him. Babe had close to a hundred kills under his belt and homicide investigations were undertaken in only two of those. All others were put down to death from natural causes, just as the senator’s death would be termed.

  “Good job, Babe.”

  With a bow acknowledging Slim’s praise, the man called Babe left.

  Slim looked at his men. He wondered which of them were still loyal to him. He locked gazes with Mike, his Under Chief and brother in-law. Something passed between them.

  Slim relaxed. He had nothing to fear from Mike, at least for the moment.

  His gaze swept around the restaurant again. He noticed something different. The people there seemed to be casual diners, but he knew they weren’t. Most were members of the organization. Some were probably there for him, while others were there to watch the outcome.

  “What about Sierra Newman?” Slim asked.

  “No location yet, but we’re close.”

  “How close, Mikey?”

  Mike smiled. “We got something in the works, boss. She can’t escape us.”

  Slim understood that Mike did not want to disclose everything. They would meet at his home later in the day. It was his wife’s birthday. They could discuss the details then.

  “We are not going after the woman.”

  The faces around the table registered their surprise.

  “Now the senator is out of the way, she poses no threat to us.”

  “But, boss, it’s going to send the wrong message.”

  Cosmo again. The man was really beginning to think highly of himself. Slim looked down at his drink and pretended to focus all his attention there. He was rewarded before long by a glance between Cosmo and one of the other men at the table.

  It had been brief, but combined with their body language, Slim had read the message. There and then, he made up his mind.

  He pulled out his Beretta and fired. One bullet in the heart and a second to the head. Cosmo was dead before he hit the floor.

  Everybody went still. Slim turned his gun to Cosmo’s partner in crime and finished him off as well.

  He placed the gun on the table where they could all see it.

  “Anyone else want to challenge me?”

  There was complete silence in the room. All eyes were fixed on Slim. He looked around and slowly, everyone returned to what they were doing.

  “Like I said, our focus is Moreno.”

  Mike nodded. “He should not have come here.”

  No, he shouldn’t. There was no way they could let him live now, it would send a wrong message. Then more assholes would think they could just walk into Slim Natale’s territory and issue challenges. That wouldn’t do.

  “You find the woman; you will find Moreno,” he told Mike.

  “On it, boss.”

  **

  It was late evening and Sierra burrowed deeper beneath the blankets. The strenuous activities of the last couple of days had finally caught up with her and she’d laid down for a quick nap, which had turned into several hours, from what she could see.

  The entire room was plunged in darkness so she assumed it was already dark outside. She ached in places she did not even know she could ache. She yawned, still a bit tired, but feeling amazing at the same time. She hadn’t felt this good in forever.

  Her mind went back to the last couple of days. They had arrived at the safe house two days before and she had spent almost every moment in bed, making love with Ace. The man seemed to have relentless energy.

  She sighed at the thought. A smile lighting up her face. She really should get up and prepare the meal this time. Janey and Drew had been handling kitchen duty.

  “Hey, sweetheart.”

  She opened her eyes to find Ace setting a glass of orange juice by the bedside. She shivered in delight at the sight of him. He really was a gorgeous man.

  “Hi.”

  His hands free, he leaned forward and kissed her thoroughly.

  “Missed me?” she teased when the kiss was over.

  “You have no idea,” he said with a wry smile.

  Sierra smiled. She knew just how he felt. She wanted to spend every waking moment with this man. Sleeping moments too, come to think of it.

  “Is that for me?” she asked, referring to the glass.

  “Don’t see anyone else here.”

  She sat up, resting her back against the pillows then reached for the glass. She noticed a cup of coffee next to it. She lifted an eyebrow and he shrugged.

  “That’s mine.”

  “So sit and tell me what’s bothering you,” she said, patting the space beside her.

  Ace gave her a
curious look as he picked up the coffee mug. “You think there’s something bothering me?”

  “Yup.”

  He settled in beside her. “You bother me,” he said quietly.

  Sierra was arrested by the look in his eyes. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  “Oh, it’s a very good thing.”

  They both smiled.

  “So I’m listening…”

  He sighed, “Well, it’s about the senator.”

  Sierra suddenly lost appetite. Had he found them? Did they need to move again? She handed her glass to him. He placed both cups on the side table.

  “Just tell me, Ace.” She sounded tired, even to her own ears.

  “He was killed yesterday.”

  She felt her face lose color. “What? How?” It was the last thing she’d expected to hear.

  “Fatal motor accident,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Do they suspect foul play?”

  “Well, he seems to have pissed off a lot of people, but they think it was a heart attack. We won’t know for sure till the autopsy’s done and they check the car for signs it was tampered with.”

  Sierra’s heart was pounding in her chest and her palms felt clammy. She rubbed them on the covers. She did not feel good all of a sudden.

  “Do you think the Abrantes got to him?” she asked finally.

  Ace let out his breath in a sigh. “It seems likely, but there’s no way to find out.”

  “I’m not sad that he’s dead,” she said honestly. “But I am scared. If they got to him, they will be coming for me next.”

  She wrapped her arms around her middle, suddenly feeling cold.

  Ace didn’t say anything. It was the outcome they’d hoped for after his visit to El Torero, but he couldn’t say that to Sierra. So he wrapped his arms around her.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you, Sierra. I promise.”

  She knew that he would keep his word. Ace Moreno was a man of his word and if he said he was going to keep her safe, she knew he would give up his life to do that.

  And that was the problem.

  She did not want him caught in the line of fire. She knew that it was what he had signed up for, but she also knew that if anything happened to this man, her life would be over.

  She tried to imagine loving someone else and couldn’t.

  “I think we should leave. Maybe skip the country. We’ll take up new names. A new identity.” She turned in his arms and held his face between her palms.

  Sierra knew that her desperation was showing on her face, but she didn’t care. She was desperate. Desperate to put the madness that had characterized her life lately, behind her for good.

  “Sierra—”

  “No, Ace. Please. Let’s just get out of here. I can’t take it…” her voice broke. She took a deep breath and let it out. “I know they’re coming for us. I can feel it here.” She put a fist on her chest.

  Ace felt the last piece of ice around his heart crack and give way. He gazed at the woman in his arms and wanted to shield her from the world. He used his thumb to trap the tears that were falling from her eyes.

  “Sierra, sweetheart.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as she sobbed on his chest. “It’s going to be alright, baby. It will be alright.” He rubbed his hand over her back in a soothing motion.

  After a while, she calmed down.

  “I’ve soaked your shirt,” she said.

  Ace tipped her face upward. “Sie, honey, feel free to soak all my shirts any time.”

  Her face filled with color and she lowered her lashes, hiding her expression.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Ace.”

  He stepped back and reached for the box of tissues on the coffee table beside them. “Hopefully, we won’t have to find out,” he said as he held out the box of tissues to her.

  Sierra wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She felt foolish for weeping all over Ace. She had kept all her emotions buried deep inside and the pressure had been building. The news of Senator Coleman’s death had blown off the lid.

  She glanced at Ace. He probably thought she was a nut case. She glanced down at the tissue in her hands, wishing that she could just straighten it and thereby straighten her life in the process.

  However, even if she did straighten her life, she knew that just like the tissue, her life would never be the same again.

  Ace could see that Sierra was embarrassed by her crying jag. She was such a strong woman that it must have galled her to show what she would consider a weakness.

  “C’mere.”

  She looked up then slowly took the few steps necessary to get to where he was standing. She had braided her hair into a ponytail earlier in the day and several strands had escaped. She had dark smudges under her eyes and they had turned red from her tears. But she’d never looked more beautiful to him.

  Sierra looked at Ace. There was a tender smile on his face. “Are you okay?”

  She smiled. “No more waterworks, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  His smile broadened. “You are gorgeous.”

  Sierra laughed, suddenly feeling shy. “Oh please! Stop flattering me and show me where I can get a computer.”

  “A computer?”

  “Yeah. I haven’t checked into work for ages.”

  “You’re on leave, are you not?” He walked back to the bedside and picked up her glass of orange juice.

  “Yes, but I get leads sometimes or information I might need to follow up on.” She took the glass from him with a grateful smile, feeling thirsty all of a sudden.

  “Huh, always the journalist.”

  She laughed. “It’s in my blood. Dad was a war correspondent. Sometimes I think it was the most important thing in his life.” Her smile faded.

  “My father was a college professor and mom was a doctor.”

  Sierra went still. He had never spoken about his parents before.

  “What happened to them?” she asked quietly.

  “A plane crash.” He sighed. “Dad was flying the plane. Sometimes…”

  Sierra touched him. “Sometimes?”

  He stroked her arm absently. “Sometimes I wonder if he did it deliberately, you know, crashed?”

  She frowned. “Why would you think that?

  Ace ran a hand through his hair and finally said aloud what he’d never told anyone before. “Mom was having an affair. I heard them talking about it.”

  Sierra opened her mouth in shock. He saw her eyes turn soft in sympathy. Ace turned away. He did not want pity, and not from Sierra of all people. What he needed from her was so far beyond pity that he didn’t want that emotion clouding anything.

  Still, he was glad he told her. He felt lighter than he had felt in years, like a heavy burden had been lifted off him.

  Sierra wrapped her arms around him, hugging him from behind. He caressed her arm. He was grateful that life had led him to this woman. She was one of a kind.

  “Come on, let’s go find that computer. I believe there’s an office somewhere here.” He pulled her around and dropped a kiss on her mouth. “You can go dig up all the leads you need.”

  “Are you calling me a professional snoop?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.

  “If the shoe fits.”

  Sierra hit him and hurriedly stepped away. Ace pretended to go after her and listened to her laughter as she fled the room. He followed slowly, his heart singing.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Somewhere in Chicago

  Mike Vitale’s phone rang. His wife was preparing dinner and the kids were running around. He laid down the onion he was chopping, kissed his wife and stepped out to answer the call.

  “We’ve found her.”

  “Good.” Mike slipped the phone into his pocket. He saw his wife from the window, she was dancing as she stirred the pot on the stove. A smile played around his mouth. He blew a kiss to her, even though he knew she couldn’t see him. Then he turned away and slipped into
the darkness.

  Just around the corner from his house, there were four vehicles parked. Three SUVs and one sedan. He slipped into the passenger seat of the sedan.

  “Where?”

  “Geneva.”

  “Switzerland?”

  “Nope. Geneva, Illinois.”

  Mike nodded. That was a suburb about two hours away from Chicago. He glanced at the time. It was seven p.m. It would take them a little less than two hours, which was perfect. It would be dark then.

  He had known that she would not be able to resist logging in to her office email. They had sent one of their men to the Chicago Daily as an IT guy, after one of their regular IT people had met with an unfortunate accident, which had him hospitalized. Their man hacked into the central network, creating a tracking system that would alert them whenever Sierra Newman logged in to her office email.

  It had seemed like a shot in the dark, but he knew journalists. Always eager for the next scoop. And Sierra Newman was no exception either.

  They were a total of fourteen people on this mission. Although the order had been to take out Ace Moreno, Mike knew that everyone in that house was going down. Failure was not an option in this case.

  Mike had no idea if he would survive this raid. He had every intention of going home to his wife and kids, but he was also aware that anything could go wrong. Such was the nature of their job.

  Using the app their tech team had created, they found the house without much trouble.

  “Locate the cameras and shut them off.”

  Several men clad in black jumped out of the SUVs and spread out around the property.

  **

  The first indication they had that something was wrong was Rusty’s phone call. As a rule, Silver Shield operatives did not communicate via calls. They used the text messaging system for higher efficiency. No one could overhear a text message.

  When his cell phone rang, Ace froze. “It’s from the HQ,” he said.

  Drew pulled out his gun, going immediately on alert.

  He slid his thumb over the screen, answering the call. “Ace here.” He listened briefly and cut the call. “Hit the lights.”

  Drew was already turning off the lights in the den. They had chosen it as their preferred location because the only windows there overlooked the garden at the back, therefore those inside could not be seen from outside.