Silver Shield Security Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  “Kendra, could you keep an eye on your mom for a few minutes?” He had to clear his throat to speak.

  “Sure,” Kendra replied, looking surprised.

  “Thanks.”

  Drew had already walked out of the room. Wayne got to his feet to follow the other man then paused and looked down at the pale face of the woman on the bed. He could have lost her. The thought almost made him dizzy. He closed his eyes briefly. He could not live without Emily. He had tried, and he’d failed miserably. Now, he needed a way to convince her that she equally could not live without him.

  “Tell me about the chip.” Drew said without preamble.

  He had walked into a bedroom that did not look occupied. He did not want anyone overhearing their conversation. Wayne must have thought so as well because he immediately shut the door behind him.

  “What are you talking about?” Wayne asked, hiding his surprise. How had the man known about the microchip? He did not think anyone else knew about it. Those who did had died in the fire that had gutted his lab.

  “Don’t bullshit me, Carter. What is this shit about a microchip for the weapon prototype?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Drew’s lips tightened and his eyes narrowed. He was clearly pissed even though his body remained relaxed. Wayne was not fooled; he knew the man was poised to strike at any time.

  “That’s cool. Never mind that there are negotiations going on to take it from you….You know, the microchip that doesn’t exist?”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Drew lost it then.

  “You sonofabitch! You put Emily’s life in danger and brought us on this dud mission and you can’t even be honest with us?” His voice was filled with controlled fury.

  “I didn’t bring you here. You’re free to leave anytime you want.”

  Wayne was equally angry. Who the hell did he think he was to speak to him that way? Emily was his responsibility. He was her husband, dammit! It didn’t matter that they hadn’t been married for seven years. Or that she probably trusted Drew more than she trusted Wayne. None of that mattered.

  There was a brief silence.

  “Really? Well, you better watch your back then because those team members of yours are certainly not going to watch it for you.”

  Wayne’s ears pricked up. “What do you mean?”

  “I overheard the other dude on the phone.”

  “What dude?”

  Drew smiled. It was not really a smile, just a brief upward tip of his lips and then it was gone.

  “Well, it is none of my business, literally. I’ll be leaving with Emily and Kendra tonight. You all can take it from there.”

  Wayne eyed him without saying a word. He knew Drew and knew that Emily trusted him with her life. If he was trying to insinuate that someone on his team had sold him out, then he probably had something to go on. Wayne had known the risk when he’d contacted them. These were people he had not seen or worked with in years and they had all gone on to be wealthy and successful people.

  A traitor in their camp. It would explain why so much had gone wrong. All the seemingly random attacks on him and on Emily. The way the prototype was stolen…that could only have been an inside job. Why had he not seen it before? He had allowed his emotions to cloud his thoughts. His fears for Kendra as well as his feelings for Emily.

  He ran a hand over his head, then pinched the bridge of his nose. For the first time in so many years, his family was complete. But there was still so much that needed to be sorted out before they could really be a family. He let out a sigh.

  “Look, Drew, I’m an ass and I apologize.” The other man met his gaze unflinchingly. Wayne knew he would have to explain. “It’s just hard to know whom to trust. I’ve been alone, fighting this for so long.”

  “We will always have Emily’s back,” Drew said.

  Wayne nodded. He understood the unspoken message. They would have his back to the extent that it was in Emily’s interest. If there was ever a conflict or a clash of interests, there was no doubt about whose side they would be on. He got that. And in some way, he appreciated the fact that Emily had people that were so loyal to her.

  “Tell me about this traitor.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Monday, 8:15 a.m., the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia.

  Emily stared out of the moving car, her eyes focused on the road before her, but her mind was far away…several years in the past, to be exact. She remembered with startling clarity the last time she’d been here. She’d been naïve then. Somewhat innocent and filled with a sense of duty and importance about being called upon to serve her nation. That was until she’d heard the nature of her assignment. She had lost a good chunk of her innocence that day.

  But you still accepted the assignment, a voice inside her said.

  She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had accepted the assignment, even though a part of her had known she was making a big mistake. Well, she had paid for that mistake several times over, and was still paying for it.

  It had marked her foray into military intelligence and the lessons she’d learned had been invaluable in her career as a soldier and also in running her security operation. But once in a while, she could not help but wonder if it was all worth it. Was it worth everything that had happened? Until she’d met Jade Han, she had not even been aware of the full amount of devastation that had been brought into her life because of that one meeting almost two decades ago. And telling herself that if she had turned down the assignment someone else would have taken it was no consolation.

  She had made a mistake and she’d paid beyond her imagination. Now it was time to set things right.

  She arrived at the Pentagon and nosed the rental she was driving into a parking space, then turned off the engine and sat there. She wished she had another option. The last person she wanted to see was the one person she had to meet with. She glanced at the imposing building. If she had her way, she would not have come here. She had avoided it for several years, but now, she had to take care of some unfinished business.

  The drive from D.C. was short and uneventful and so she’d had a lot of time with her thoughts…memories she had done her best to forget.

  Dragging in a deep breath, she let it out in a soft sigh then let herself out of the car. Her arm throbbed. Forcing it into the fitted jacket she was wearing was probably not a very good idea. She should have taken some pain reliever, but she wanted a clear head when she met with the W.D., as they used to call him then.

  She had stopped by a boutique on the way and was now dressed in a dark blue two-piece. The hemline of the skirt ended just below her knees. The only accessory she had on was a pair of stud earrings. She had completed the attire with a pair of black pumps. She looked elegant, but most important, she looked professional. She clutched her purse and walked into the imposing building that was also known as The Pentagon.

  Inside the lobby, she walked up to the counter, not bothering to glance at all the clocks showing different time zones on the wall in front of her.

  “Good morning, how may I help you?” a woman greeted her with a pleasant smile.

  “Good morning. I’m here for General Carter.”

  “Just a minute,” she said before glancing down at something. “Emily Silver?” she asked, then at Emily’s nod, “He’s expecting you.”

  She was given a security pass. A couple of floors later she was shown into a large office. She walked in and heard the door shut behind her. She kept her eyes on the man seated in the chair before her.

  “Emily, it’s good to see you,” he said, getting to his feet.

  “General Carter,” Emily said with a curt nod and stepped further into the office.

  “Welcome. Have a seat.” He waved towards the seat across from his.

  Without a word, Emily sat down and the man took his seat as well.

  “You know why I’m here, General,” she said cutting to the chase.


  She was seething. This man had kept her away from her daughter for so many years. He had cost her unbearable heartache. The loss of several years of her daughter’s life. Her marriage…okay, so maybe she could have handled things better with Wayne. They could have talked things over and tried to comfort each other. So yeah, she could not really blame the failure of her marriage on the man seated across the large table from her. Still, he had a lot to answer for. She gazed at him now, doing her best to keep her face impassive.

  He leaned back and returned her gaze. No hint of what he was feeling on his face.

  “Why don’t you tell me?”

  “All the time, you were behind the kidnapping of my daughter.”

  “Yes,” he said, meeting her gaze squarely.

  Emily felt like the breath was knocked out of her lungs. “Yes? ... That’s all you have to say? You’re not even going to bother denying it?”

  “Why should I?” he asked, spreading his hands. “It’s the truth.”

  She was momentarily struck speechless.

  “I don’t believe you,” she said when she finally got her voice back. “What sort of man sacrifices his family like this? You kept your granddaughter without her parents for half her life! I came to you…”

  She remembered that day. When the police had run out of trails to follow, she’d gone to him at his home. She’d only visited that house once before then. When Wayne had brought her home as the woman he was going to marry. But when her daughter had gone missing, she’d gone to General Carter. She’d begged and pleaded with him to find her child. It was one of the few times in her adult life that she’d cried in the presence of another. He had assured her that they were doing all they could…But it had all been an act. The whole damn thing was an act.

  “Why?” she finally asked, her voice hoarse. “Why?”

  “I did it to protect the people of this country,” he said without apology. “It was my duty.”

  “Duty?” She got to her feet in agitation. “Duty! What the hell do you know about duty? You think this country would survive without families? You killed a family to preserve a country. How does that even compute in your head?”

  He eyed her for several moments after her outburst.

  “Sit down, Emily,” he said quietly.

  She stared at him, every muscle in her body tight with anger and tension. So he thought he could order her around now? Emily wanted nothing better than to wrap her hands around his neck and squeeze that self-righteous expression from his face. She had never been so angry in her life. She eyed him and remained standing.

  “Sit down.” General Carter did not raise his voice, but the thread of steel behind them was unmistakable. Without even thinking about it, she found herself back in the chair she’d just vacated.

  Emily gritted her teeth in annoyance. She couldn’t believe that she’d let him intimidate her so easily. She had always been a little bit intimidated by the man. He was her superior and she’d always had enormous respect for him. But that was over. He had betrayed her and his own son. The thought of what Wayne must have had to endure with such a father caused an almost physical pain in her heart. No, she was not going to let him intimidate her anymore.

  “You are so sure that you’re right, soldier. You have forgotten the oath you swore.”

  She had not forgotten. She remembered every word of the oath she’d sworn when she’d been enlisted. The words came to her now, as clear as though it was only yesterday…

  I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me…

  And she had meant it then. She’d meant every single word of the oath. But she had not realized what it would cost her.

  “You swore an oath, Sergeant,” General Carter said.

  Emily lifted her eyes to his and held his gaze. “Retired Sergeant, General. I am retired. Those words no longer apply to me, or to Wayne for that matter.”

  “Once a soldier—”

  “Always a soldier. Is that what you were going to say, sir?” she asked, cutting him short. His eyes narrowed, the only sign of his displeasure at what he probably considered her insubordination. “I want no part of this…this was not what you made me believe. I had no idea how much pain it would bring to my family. I’m telling you right now that I want out!”

  “Negative. This is too important to our security. I need Wayne to present that prototype in seventy-two hours. Which means you better get your ass out there and retrieve the stolen hardware ASAP.”

  Emily got to her feet a second time. “I’m sorry, sir.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” he barked.

  “It means that when I say I want out, that’s exactly what I mean. From here on, I am on my own. My loyalty and allegiance is first and foremost to my family.”

  “What family are you talking about, soldier? The one I fucking gave you?”

  Emily flinched. His question was below the belt and it had hit its mark. Well, she could match him meanness for meanness. She placed her palms flat on the table and leaned down.

  “You know me, General. You fucking created me. Since you seem to love oaths so much, here’s one for you. If anything happens to either Wayne or my daughter, I will come after you. Personally.” She kept her voice low, but the fury came through.

  “Are you threatening me, Sergeant?”

  “No threat, General. Oh no, this is my solemn promise.” She straightened up and picked her purse. “I’ll see myself out.”

  She was almost at the door when he spoke.

  “Perhaps you need to rethink your strategy, Silver,” he said.

  Emily paused and half turned. “What do you mean?”

  “How do you think Wayne is going to react when he gets to know just how complicit you are?”

  She felt the blood drain from her face, but she would be damned if she betrayed any other emotion. Pulling herself to her full height, she let her lips stretch on a small smile. “Well, that’s my problem now, isn’t it? Goodbye, Sir.”

  Emily was seething by the time she got to the car. She got behind the wheel, then paused to dig into her purse for the pain reliever, threw two into her mouth and swallowed before dumping the purse next to her on the passenger’s seat.

  She pulled out of the parking lot still filled with anger. Someone needed to teach that man that he could not go around playing god with people’s lives. He needed to be taught a lesson. Unfortunately, she was not the person to do that. She had too much going on at the moment. Wayne was a target and so was Kendra. They both needed her. If Wayne thought he could send her off to Chicago while he faced everything else on his own, he had another think coming.

  The drive back to D.C. was even worse than the one to Arlington. This time her thoughts were more tortured and she could not find her equilibrium. What would she do if Wayne found out the truth about her? Well, it could not be worse than the way things currently were, right? Except that he would hate her. She was tough. She could handle many things. Even her daughter’s kidnapping had not destroyed her; she had found a way to rise back up. But Wayne’s hatred…she was not sure she could live with that.

  It should not matter what the man thought about her, but it did. So much.

  Emily frowned at that thought. Why did her heart threaten to splinter in two at the thought of Wayne hating her? Could it be because she cared more about the man than she was willing to admit, even to herself?

  Oh, cut it out, Silver. You don’t care for the man, you love him!

  As quickly as the thought came, she pushed it away. But it wouldn’t stay banished forever. It kept edging back to her consciousness.

  “I don’t have time for this,” she murmured as she maneuvered the vehicle. She did not have time for love.

  “Then maybe you have time for this?”

  Emily felt the cold end of a steel barrel pressed to her temple
. She clutched the wheel as her heart skipped a beat. What the hell was going on?

  “Who are you and what do you want?” she asked in a clipped voice.

  “I’m the one with the weapon here, so you’re going to do exactly as I say.”

  She glanced at the rear mirror, but could not see anyone. She cursed herself for being so consumed by her thoughts that she had not bothered checking the car before getting in. In her defense, she was at the defense headquarters of the United States. How was she supposed to know that she was not safe there? Yeah, stupid question, especially after nine-eleven.

  “I could crash this car,” she said conversationally.

  He—it was obviously a male voice—laughed, but the sound was without humor.

  “Yeah, I suppose you could,” he said thoughtfully, “But you won’t. You have too much to lose, like a daughter? I, on the other hand, have nothing to lose.”

  Emily heard the shrug in his voice and bit her lip. He had called her bluff. She knew better than to speak words she could not back up with action. She had so many years ahead with her daughter, there was no way she was giving that up for some psycho with a gun.

  Just then, what he said struck her.

  “Wait…what do you know about my daughter?”

  “I know that you went through a lot to get her. You wouldn’t want to lose her so easily.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We have your daughter.”

  Four words.

  Four simple words, but they struck terror deep in her heart. They had Kendra? How was that even possible? She had left Kendra with Drew with strict instructions to get her to the safe house in Chicago. And who the hell were they?

  For once she was not wearing her earpiece so she could not make a quick call to her people. She had given her wrist device to Kendra and her phone was inside her purse. She glanced at the purse on the seat beside her.