by Rebecca Deel
“Appreciate it.” He ended the call and glanced at Zoe. “Make your calls. If you’ll give him permission, Zane will arrange for your cell number to be transferred to the sat phone and the Fortress carrier.” He didn’t tell her the bill would go to him. If Zoe insisted on paying, Simon would make sure the monthly bill was equivalent to her usual one. He’d have Zane bill the rest to him.
She called Sasha first and apologized for not being able to fill her orders for a few days and learned the Perk owner had already made arrangements with her former supplier to cover her baking needs for the next two weeks. That done, she called another baker in Cherry Hill and explained that her shop would be closed for a few days to make unexpected repairs. The other baker agreed to take care of the cakes for a baby shower, a wedding, and a retirement party. “Thank you, Misty. I owe you a huge favor.” A moment later, she ended the call.
After that, she called the three customers with the cake orders and explained that she’d arranged for the Cherry Hill Bakery to provide the cakes for their events. The customers offered sympathy over Macy’s death and were grateful that Zoe had worked out other arrangements despite the circumstances.
As she ended the last call, Simon parked in her driveway and turned off the engine. He circled the SUV to meet her at the sidewalk.
“You can go on home while I pack. It’s daylight outside. I’ll be fine.”
Simon shook his head. “Most of your neighbors are at work and the person who killed Macy and Lyons won’t hesitate to take advantage of you being alone. I’ll wait. Is there anything you want me to do while you’re packing?”
“Check the windows and doors. I don’t know if the police checked them before they finished processing the house.”
He kissed her. “I’ll make sure everything is secure.” Simon took the keys from her hand and unlocked her front door. A quick scan showed that nothing had changed since the last time they’d been in the house save for fingerprint powder coating every surface.
Zoe groaned. “It’s looks even worse now than it did earlier.”
“I’ll help you clean when we return.” One of the first things he planned to do was paint her bedroom wall. Zoe didn’t need to see that every time she walked into her bedroom. He nudged her toward the hall. “Go pack while I check the locks.”
She hurried to her bedroom and Simon headed for the kitchen and Zoe’s French doors. He glanced at the window pane that had been broken and breathed easier. Good. Mason Kincaid, cousin to Durango’s medic, had replaced the glass. A call to the contractor early that morning had netted the fast response. One less worry over the security of Zoe’s house.
He still wasn’t happy that she didn’t have a security system here. He understood that money had been tight and she’d chosen to protect the shop first. Didn’t mean he would turn a blind eye to the safety needs in her home now that he knew she’d neglected to set up the safety precautions here. Especially not since she was his.
As he checked that doors and windows were secured, Simon called Zane. “It’s Simon. Need a favor.”
“Name it.”
“Zoe needs a security system installed at her home.”
“Top of the line?”
“Yes. As soon as possible, Z. Someone broke into her home and trashed the place. I don’t want her sleeping in a house that isn’t secure.”
“You want the bill?”
“Copy that. If she protests, we’ll work something out.”
“Understood. How did she like the phone?”
“She loved the cover. Pull the expenses from my account.”
“Copy that. I’m sorry about your father. How are you holding up?”
Hearing those words was a painful reminder of what he’d managed to block from his mind for the past two minutes. “It’s tough to know you could be responsible for your father’s death.”
“Let’s hope that isn’t the outcome of the shooting. We’ll have an installation team in Otter Creek first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks. Zoe said it’s fine for you to transfer her number and carrier.” He gave his friend the information he needed as he walked to the guest room to check the windows for signs of tampering. “Any new information?”
“Should have something for you in another hour or so. We’re working as fast as we can, Simon. We know what’s at stake.”
“Sorry. I want to help and I need information to do that.” He glanced over his shoulder to be sure Zoe wasn’t within earshot. “I’m worried about Zoe.”
“You have reason to be.” A pause, then, “I have to go. Got a call coming in from the Texas team. They’re in a hot zone.”
That explained why Maddox agreed with Bravo going to Hanover. The Texas team wasn’t available to provide backup.
Satisfied the window in the guest room was secure, Simon crossed the hall to check the bathroom window. The window raised easily. On closer inspection, he realized the lock had been tampered with.
Frowning, he worked the lock and concluded it wasn’t functional. Simon needed a way to secure the window until Mason could replace the mechanism. “Zoe, do you have a screwdriver and screws?”
She appeared in the doorway seconds later with the requested items. “Is something wrong?”
“The window lock is broken.” He took the box of screws and the screwdriver from her hands. “How long has it been broken?”
“I unlocked it last weekend to open the window and let in fresh air while I cleaned. The lock worked fine.”
“Huh. Makes me wonder which one of the break-in artists sabotaged your window and why.” Any reason wouldn’t be a good one. He looked back in time to see blood drain from her face and wanted to give himself a swift kick for scaring her more.
“Why did they mess with my window?”
Simon forced himself back to his task. If he gave in to the urge to take her into his arms, they wouldn’t be at PSI on time to meet his teammates. He knew himself, and Zoe was fast becoming his addiction. The more he touched her, the greater the craving to have her in his arms grew. The need to get to this father’s side pushed as hard at Simon as the need to comfort and protect Zoe. “I’ll find out when we catch and question them.”
A soft sigh. “Catching them doesn’t seem likely at this point.”
“Count on it. Have you finished packing?”
She nodded.
“Once I check your bedroom windows, we’ll leave. Might be a good idea to check your refrigerator for food that will spoil soon. I’ll take out the trash before we leave.” She was anxious. The necessary task would occupy her and prevent unpleasant surprises when she returned.
After she left, Simon inserted screws so the window couldn’t be raised without breaking glass. He’d let Mason know about the temporary fix.
When he entered the kitchen, Zoe was cinching a trash bag. Simon handed her the tool and screws, then carried the trash to the garbage can at the back of the house.
They drove to Simon’s place where he added changes of clothes and extra ammunition to his bag. “We need to stop by the police station to grab my Go bag from the back of the SUV.”
While he drove, he called to inform Ethan that he needed access to his vehicle.
“I’ll meet you at the curb with the bag. Your vehicle is still being processed.”
“If you release it while I’m gone, give Josh the keys. He can take my ride to Bear.”
Ethan chuckled. “How ticked off will Bear be?”
“Enough that I’ll be in deep debt for life. He takes damage to the vehicles personally.”
“Good luck, my friend.”
He’d have to throw himself on Bear’s mercy. The problem was the mechanic didn’t have much when his beloved machinery was involved.
As Simon headed toward PSI to meet his teammates, he called Mason about the broken lock. “The Fortress installation team will be at the house at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Zoe needs the repair completed before the windows are wired.”
“I’ll take
care of it. What else can I do to help?”
Simon glanced at her, eyebrow raised.
She said, “Josh is arranging for a cleaning company to clean the employee bathroom at the bakery. When they finish, would you have time to paint the room? I need the room to look different. Any color other than what’s on the walls now is fine.”
“I’ll make time for it.” His voice was gentle. “Who has a key?”
“Sasha and Delilah.”
“I’ll take care of everything, Zoe.”
Simon glanced at Zoe after he ended the call. “I know I should have consulted you before setting up the alarm installation, but I need you to be safe.”
“Fortress systems are pricey.”
“They’re worth every penny. You’ll receive a nice discount on the system and installation.” He chanced another look and grinned. “A perk of dating an operative.” She laughed, as he’d meant for her to do.
They met his team and were soon on their way to the airport in Knoxville. While the caravan of PSI vehicles parked an hour later, a Fortress jet taxied to a stop on the tarmac. As Bravo unloaded gear, the jet’s hatch opened and the stairs were lowered. One by one, the Shadow team exited the jet with Ben, their wounded comrade, bringing up the rear.
Simon shook hands with Nico Rivera, Shadow team’s leader. “Thanks for lending a hand in Otter Creek.”
“No problem. If we play our cards right, either Serena Blackhawk or Nate will cook for us. Can’t lose with either one of those chefs providing food.”
“Still, I appreciate you coming on short notice.”
Nico sobered. “What’s the latest on your father’s condition?”
“My brother sent a text a few minutes ago. Dad’s still in surgery. The surgeon estimates another hour. So far, Dad’s doing well, and the doctor is optimistic.”
“Sounds positive. Keep us informed.” Nico faced Trent. “Orders?”
“The women know you’re providing security. Blackhawk and his officers will watch from a distance. If you notice suspicious activity, notify the police chief. If someone goes after our wives, do whatever is necessary to protect them.”
A nod. “Anything else we should know?”
“Assign Joe and Sam to Piper. She’s pregnant.”
A round of congratulations to Liam followed Trent’s announcement. “I’ll take good care of your wife,” Sam, Shadow’s medic, told Liam.
“We don’t have a timeline on our return,” Trent continued. “If Maddox needs your team, make sure another unit replaces you. Durango will trade out shifts with Shadow. Coordinate coverage with Josh.”
“Copy that.” Nico’s gaze shifted to Zoe. “You must be Zoe Lockhart.” He held out his hand. “I’m Nico Rivera. This my team, Joe and Samantha Gray, Ben Martin, and Trace Young.”
She shook his hand. “I’m glad to meet all of you. Simon speaks highly of your unit.”
“That’s because we’re the best Fortress team,” Joe said with a grin.
Liam snorted. “You wish.”
Trent shifted his Go bag to his shoulder. “We need to go. Nico, the keys are with our vehicles.”
“The bird’s refueling and should be ready to lift off in a few minutes. Watch your backs. We’ll take care of your wives.”
As the Shadow team crossed the tarmac toward the SUVs, Simon noted Ben’s slight limp. Looked like Maddox was right. Ben was mobile enough for bodyguard duty but not for the type of missions they usually tackled.
Simon shifted his Go bag to his other shoulder, took Zoe’s luggage, and wrapped his free hand around hers. He led her toward the jet.
“I’ve never flown on a plane this small.”
“No need to be nervous. Fortress jets are always in top mechanical condition. We never know when we’ll have to leave in a hurry.”
After storing their gear in the overhead compartments, he sat beside her at the back of the cabin as the others joined them in the jet. When the jet powered up, Zoe’s face paled. Simon raised the arm of the seat separating them and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
When the jet leveled out, she glanced at him. “Thanks.”
Before he could reply, Trent’s cell phone signaled an incoming call. Conversation inside the cabin tapered off. Although the conversation was short and mostly one-sided, Trent’s expression darkened the longer he listened.
When he ended the call, Bravo’s leader looked straight at Simon. “We have a problem.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Zoe stared at Trent. “How can that happen? He was at PSI and now he’s vanished into thin air.” Unbelievable. How could Isaac’s friend, Chris Hollister, have slipped away? Where had he gone and what was he doing?
The questions left her feeling uneasy. From the interaction she’d witnessed between Chris and Simon, the trainee hated Simon. Did he hate the operative enough to do something drastic, like shoot Simon’s father? She hadn’t believed anyone in her life was that evil until a killer murdered Macy. After seeing Chris’s reaction to Isaac’s death, Zoe wouldn’t be surprised by anything he did.
“When was he last seen?” Simon asked.
“He attended the afternoon training session and left campus. No one’s seen him since.”
A scowl. “PSI’s dorms are gossip central, worse than the Otter Creek biddies at sharing information. I can’t believe somebody didn’t pry the information out of him before he took off.”
“Josh and Alex questioned his friends. Hollister was upset about Lyons’ death and blamed you. He thinks you killed Lyons to protect Zoe.”
Didn’t take a genius to figure out the only reason Simon would kill Lyons was to protect someone who couldn’t protect herself. Zoe.
She shifted her gaze from Trent to Simon. “Is it possible that Hollister went to Hanover?”
Simon’s body went motionless. “He had enough time to fly there.”
“Then you’ll be able to discover if he bought a ticket.”
“If he flew commercial. He could have taken a private flight. If you pay the pilot enough money, he might leave a name off the manifest.”
“Is that illegal?”
Simon’s lips curved. “Money talks.”
“If he has that kind of money, why is he training as a bodyguard?”
“Good question, one we’ll ask Hollister when we find him.” Liam folded his arms across his chest. “Lyons and Hollister were childhood friends.”
“We need to learn everything we can about them.” Trent pointed at Matt. “Dig into Hollister’s financial background. Simon and Zoe, take his history. Cade, find out where Hollister went. It’s rare for people to successfully go off the grid. Most of them make mistakes. See if he made any in the past few hours. I’ll take Lyons’ background. Liam, look at his money trail. We already know he was getting money through Macy’s second account. See if Zane and Bridget have tracked the money back to the source and if other red flags appear. We can’t do anything to help Simon’s family for the next few hours. We’ll push the investigation forward as far as we can while we’re in the air.”
“And once we’re on the ground in Hanover?” Simon asked.
“Your family will be our focus. We’ll unearth what we can on Lyons and Hollister in our off time. Anything you find, pass to Zane as well. Dig hard for the next two hours.”
The operatives grabbed laptops from duffel bags and settled in to work. Simon reached into the overhead compartment and grabbed his computer. “Need a snack or drink?”
She shook her head. “Where do we start?”
“We’ll log into Fortress Security’s system and tear apart Hollister’s background.”
“Did Fortress run a background search on him?”
“Several. Nothing out of the ordinary showed up or Maddox wouldn’t have sent him to PSI.”
“That means the Fortress process is flawed or something changed since he arrived at PSI.”
“No background check is infallible, but ours is thorough.”
“Have you
been in his face often since he arrived at PSI?”
“We don’t hold their hands. These are strong and opinionated men and women. We can’t coddle them. Our training is tough because we’re trying to keep them and their principals alive. We don’t apologize for that. The trainees know what to expect from the first day of orientation. There are no surprises.”
“You have been in his face.”
“Along with every other trainee at PSI.” He frowned. “But you have a valid point. I have been hard on him because of his belligerent attitude. Maybe he resented it.”
“He has a big ego.”
“You know him?”
“Not really. Because he hung around with Isaac, running into Chris was inevitable.”
Simon’s eyes narrowed. “Did he touch you or hurt you?”
“Only Isaac did that one time.”
Apparently satisfied, Simon booted up his computer and entered his passwords to his company’s website. He clicked on a program and typed in Chris Hollister’s name. “Let’s see what Zane learned on the background checks.” He angled the computer screen for Zoe to see the information.
She scanned paragraph after paragraph of data, impressed by the amount of information amassed. Hollister grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama along with Isaac. He was one of seven children in the Hollister family, all boys. His father had been a Marine. His mother had stayed at home full time until her sons were grown and had left home. She’d passed away from cancer while Chris was at college. He was the youngest child. “It’s sad that he lost his mother,” she murmured.
“Yeah. I can’t imagine that and don’t want to.” He pointed at another section of the screen. “Look at this. Tell me what you think.”
Her attention shifted to the new section of the document. “Chris and Isaac were competitive shooters.” She looked at Simon. “Does that mean they competed in target shooting?”
“That’s right.”
“How are Chris’s marksmanship scores at the gun range?”
“Top of his class.”
“What about Isaac? Was he as skilled with a gun?”
“He scored high in our evaluations at PSI. Usually, he and Hollister vied for the top spot.”