by Casey Hagen
“I think we have good news. Looks like Evan and Cole might have found Ashton and Kevin. They’re pulling out now and they’ll call.”
“Oh, God. They saw her? They need to go in and get her,” she said, rushing to him.
He grabbed her arms and halted her while struggling to make eye contact with her as her gaze darted around the room. Her lungs heaved, her ribs expanding with every frantic breath as she fought against his hold.
“They can’t leave without her!” she cried.
“Harlow,” he said, giving her a shake, “take it easy. They can’t just run right in and get her. They can’t risk her life without a plan.”
“She might be cold, hungry, or hurt. She’s probably terrified. Dylan, they have to get her out,” she said, slumping against him, tears streaming down her pink, freshly scrubbed cheeks.
“Shhh, it’s going to be okay. I promise you, we’re going to get her out of there,” he said, kissing the top of her head and holding her tight.
“Why couldn’t they stay there with her?” she asked, tears soaking the front of his shirt.
He wanted blood. Seeing Harlow reduced to this, as terror took over and panic robbed her of common sense, made him want to stand on a mountaintop and yell with the unfairness of it all until his larynx bled. A part of him desperately wanted to rush in and get her out. However, just as he knew he couldn’t turn this case over to his partners, he also knew that he needed them for every decision, for every mission, until this was finished, or else his raging anger could get them all killed.
She wrapped herself around him, curling his shirt into her fists as she cried against his chest, the tears soaking into his t-shirt.
When her knees buckled, he sat in the chair and took her with him, situating her across his lap, where he continued to smooth his hand over her bare arm. It took a few minutes, but her sobs began to subside.
She thumped her fist against his chest. “What if they’ve hurt her, Dylan? What if they’ve changed her? What if I never get my girl back?”
He tilted her face up to his, forcing her to meet his eyes. The aquamarine orbs glowed in a sea of red from being bloodshot and tear-ravaged. “If I have my way, this is the last night she’ll be away from home. I’ve called in a team, and if everything comes together we’ll get her out tomorrow night.”
A couple knocks sounded on the window of the back door. Their gazes snapped to the sound. With it dark out, he didn’t have a shot at identifying who it was. He held his finger in front of his mouth and slid his gun out from under the edge of his laptop bag.
Harlow’s eyes rounded, and her mouth formed an ‘O’.
He moved up next to the wall by the door hinges and nodded from her to the door.
“Who is it?” she asked, biting her lip.
“Hi, Harlow,” Evan said.
Dylan sighed and lowered his gun. “You could have warned me you were heading here,” he muttered, pulling the door open all the way to let Evan and Cole in. Once Cole was across the threshold Dylan started to shut the door, only to have a hand shoot out and push it back open.
“Hey, is that the thanks I get for giving you a hand… again?” Slyder said as he pushed his way in.
“And I helped,” Slyder’s fiancée, Nebraska, said. She wore the saucy grin that used to terrify Dylan right down to his toes. “I drove the car,” she said with a wink, wrapping her arm around Slyder’s waist.
“Good to see you, man,” Dylan said, shaking his hand. “This is my—uh, this is Ashton’s mother, Harlow. Harlow, this is our newest partner, Slyder Ward. And this,” he said, taking Nebraska’s free hand and kissing her cheek, “…is Nebraska NightRaven, a former pain-in-the-ass client of ours.”
“And Slyder’s fiancée,” Nebraska said, shaking Harlow’s hand. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but I’ve got to tell you, these guys are the best.”
“So, what’s this I hear about you having a daughter?” Slyder asked with a raised brow.
“Crazy, right?” Dylan said.
“Yeah, but somehow I think you’re going to hit this whole father gig right out of the park,” Slyder said with a confident smile.
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
“I’ve got something to show you,” Evan said, rolling out some blueprints. “We managed to get the layout of the warehouse, but after going there we spotted some alterations inside and marked them on the records. You’ll see here, they’ve sectioned out the whole first floor. There used to be four entry points that opened into one large room. They’ve broken it into two. Both access the first floor. One opens to the front room. The other to a stairwell that heads to the second floor.”
“What about all the broken windows? If they’re using it, why wouldn’t they have fixed those?”
“Actually, they did, just not in the way you’d expect. They left the broken windows and lined the interior with blackout glass so you can’t see what’s happening inside. Anyone driving by wouldn’t think anything of it and would just believe the building was abandoned, when it’s not.”
“Why do I have a feeling that’s only the tip of a very big iceberg?”
“Because you’re good,” Cole said. “The problem is, we counted at least thirty people in that warehouse. In that front room, about twenty looked to be sitting at long tables. We have to get past them first. Then there are two guards in each of the back rooms.”
“And upstairs?” Dylan asked.
“The other six. There’s a large room, and a smaller one in the back corner. Looks like it might have been a manager’s office at one time to oversee production. There are two people at the top of the stairs and then two people outside the door to the office.”
“That leaves two,” Dylan said quietly.
Harlow whimpered, hugging herself. Nebraska’s gaze darted to her, and with a silent look at Slyder she slid away from him, wrapped an arm around Harlow, and whispered in ear.
Dylan shot a look of gratitude at Slyder, and Slyder blinked slowly in acknowledgment. More than ever before, he appreciated the way they all were in tune with each other. Even if that meant they all knew if he was frustrated at times with growing the business or bent out of shape over a woman.
“Would you mind giving me a tour of your home?” Nebraska asked, giving Harlow a sweet, warm smile.
Harlow swiped at the tears pooling in her eyes. “Of course—sorry, I’m a mess,” she said, fanning her face with her hands. “I’m surprised you’d be interested. With your success, you must have a mansion.” A pink flush stained her cheeks.
Nebraska patted her arm. “Honey, all the money in the world can’t buy you a home. You make that with your heart.”
Nebraska took Harlow’s arm and, although she had asked for the tour, Dylan knew damn well that Nebraska had just taken over.
Dylan could give her a big, smacking kiss for it. Harlow needed to relax. She needed to stop playing out all the worst-case scenarios.
Getting sleep tonight would be essential for both of them because, if they managed to pull this all together, they were both going to need to be sharp for what was to come tomorrow night.
Dylan pierced Cole with a look after taking one last glance down the hall. “Level with me. How did they look?”
“One curled up on the floor, the other tied to a chair,” Cole said quietly.
“But both breathing,” Evan added.
“I’ve called in help. I don’t know who’s available. I imagine I won’t hear until morning, but I want to get in there as soon as we can.”
“It’s going to take a big team. I’m willing to bet that group at the tables is processing money or drugs funneling in, and they likely aren’t doing so willingly, since we spotted one looking as though he’d been knocked out of his chair by a guard. But any of them could be armed and have just as much at stake as their bosses. We’re going in under the assumption that every last one is armed.”
“Good. So, let’s put together a couple plans—one with back
up and one without,” Dylan said, clearing the table.
“Dylan,” Cole said, propping his hands on the table and leaning over the blueprints, “without help there’s only four of us. We need to consider one of the plans being paying the money.”
“No.”
“I agree,” Evan said.
“You think they’re going to let me deliver it?” Dylan asked.
“No,” Slyder said from where he leaned against the fridge, always on the fringes, observing. “They’re going to make Harlow take it to them.”
“Where they can overpower her at best and kill her at worst. It’s not happening,” Dylan said.
“And what does Harlow have to say about that?” Slyder asked.
“It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t know what can happen. She doesn’t understand—”
“Your feelings are clouding this.” Slyder pushed away from the fridge but kept his hands in his pockets, his shoulders relaxed, looking like a surfer just chillin’ at the pier. But his eyes, the coolness there, told a whole other story. He’d gone into analytical mode, considering all the possibilities.
“I get it. I watched the intruder hurt Nebraska. He touched her,” Slyder said, his voice turning gravelly and low. “I couldn’t do anything. Not without getting her killed. But she surprised me. She drew on every bit of fury and unleashed a wrath on him unlike anything I ever imagined coming from her. Harlow has been your daughter’s rock for all these years. She may tear up, she may whimper when upset, but women are incredible like that. They feel everything and they turn it into strength and power. When their offspring is threatened… Trust me, man, if you prepare her, she’s got this,” Slyder said.
Evan and Cole leaned back and rocked on their heels. “He said it much better than I ever could have,” Evan said.
“Ditto,” Cole agreed.
Dylan hated letting go. The idea of watching her walk in there, one-hundred-twenty pounds and carrying $200k, made him want to vomit, but Slyder was right. Deep down Dylan knew it.
“So let’s help her go in fully prepared,” Dylan said.
Chapter 6
“You guys are up to something, and you’re not telling me what,” Harlow said to his back while doing her best to rein in her anger.
She’d stayed polite, charming even, as he’d worked with Evan, Cole, and Slyder to put together plans for rescuing Ashton. Plans they’d made without her. She tried to keep the seething resentment from creeping in, but one moment she was waiting for their expert advice and the next a Hollywood starlet had masterfully taken over and pulled her out of the planning all together.
He locked the door behind his team after they spilled out into the night, a measure she figured he had them take to ensure that no one realized they had even been there hatching a plan.
His shoulders took up the whole doorway. His sheer size should be intimidating but she didn’t fear him. She knew first-hand that, despite his size, he’d never hurt her, which allowed her to say exactly what she thought no matter how much it pissed him off and pushed his buttons. “Don’t cut me out of this, Dylan. I’ve been taking care of Ashton all these years; I can do this, too.”
He whipped around and shot her a harsh glare. “No one is cutting you out,” he said, raking a hand through his hair.
“No? Then why all the planning when Nebraska had me give her a tour? Was that part of the plan? Bring in the actress, hope I go all googly-eyed, let her use her acting chops on me, and turn a thousand-square-foot home tour into a thirty-minute trip so you and your buddies can devise a plan without me?”
“Listen, when Nebraska gets going, no one has any control over her. And she’s the real deal. Does she look like she’s going to let the four of us guys tell her what to do, so we can blindside you?”
She fought the way her lips twitched and kept her hands locked on her hips, trying to look unyielding, which was hard to do when a guy stood almost a foot taller and easily outweighed you by a hundred pounds. If he wanted, he could toss her right over his shoulder with no more effort than tossing a bag of potatoes, and she’d be helpless to stop it.
And if he tried, she’d bite him.
“I’ve been there for every moment. Croup, the flu, when she first fell of her bike, strep throat, the first fight with a friend, the first time she was bullied, her first crush, and the resulting heartbreak. I’ve held her hand, I’ve dried her tears, and I’ve reassured her of her worth and that she didn’t need to be afraid. Now, you want to cut me out of that.”
He balled his hands into tight fists, the skin turning white with the force, and took two quick steps toward her, stopping just six inches from her face. He bent down, staring her right in the eye, the muscle in his cheek flexing as his teeth clenched. “You, Harlow, have a hell of a lot of nerve. I could have been there for all those things, had you chosen to inform me that I had a daughter.”
“I already told you I’m sorry for that,” she muttered.
“Yeah, but did you mean it? Because, from where I’m standing, it was complete and utter bullshit. You were appeasing me. You want me here, but on your terms. Well, too goddamned bad, Harlow. When you called me, you opened Pandora’s box and you can’t go back. She’s my daughter and I want her back just as much as you do. I know what I’m doing and I won’t be questioned. Not by anyone, least of all you!” he bellowed.
She hated being out of control. She loathed depending on him.
And the idea that he might take Ashton from her, that Ashton might want to go with her father, terrified her to the depths of her being.
Ashton had spent her childhood craving a father. She had started noticing daddies at about three, when they frequented the park on the weekends. One Saturday morning, her first real friend, Kelly, had shown up at the park with her father in tow. Ashton had stared in wonder at the way he pushed her on the swing, swung her up onto his shoulders, and climbed through the jungle gym with her.
For the first time, she’d worried about being inadequate.
And today was second.
“I don’t know my place with my daughter anymore. Tomorrow you’re going to rush in there and get her out. She’s finally going to have the father she’s always wanted. Where will I fit into that? Can’t you understand how terrifying that is for me?”
“About as terrifying as going in to get her. My little girl’s first time seeing me is going to be in full gear, with a gun. I’m six-five. I weigh two-thirty. My daughter might very well see me and shrink in fear. Do you have any idea what that does to me? I hate that this is going to be her first impression of me. Not to mention I will be seeing my child for the first time tied up, bound, held hostage. Imagine what that will do to me.” He cocked his hip on the edge of the counter and crossed his arms. “I just hope when I see her for the first time, it won’t be the last.”
Goosebumps rose on her skin, her stomach churned with fear, grinding in on itself, and she flinched. “You don’t think…”
“I won’t let anything happen to her, even if that means something has to happen to me.”
“You both need to come back, Dylan. She can’t find out her dad is here, flesh and blood, and then lose him in the very next second.”
“If I have my way, we’re both going to walk out of there but, come hell or high water, my team will all surrender their last breaths to get Ashton out.”
“Will it just be the four of you?”
“I hope not. I called in a few favors. I’ll know by morning who we’ve got. Look, you should know, the guys think if we don’t get a large enough team to go in tomorrow night, that we should default to the original plan and have you go in at the arranged meeting time with the money.”
“And you don’t agree?”
“I don’t want you anywhere near there.”
“Dylan—”
“But I won’t stop it. On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“We go over self-defense. I need to know that you’re not going in with no way to fight, in c
ase they try to hurt you.”
She smiled, thinking back to the classes she took with Ashton at the local martial arts center. “I’ve got you covered there. Ashton and I took self-defense courses. She knows what to do and so do I.”
“So, if I grab your arm and yank you to me like this…” He snatched her wrist and, before she could twist out of his grip the way she had been taught, he had her thigh to thigh and chest to chest. His brown eyes gleamed with victory.
She’d see about that.
She stretched the fingers of the hand dangling at her side and closed her fist tight, keeping the knuckle of her index finger protruding a bit more than the others before bringing it right up between their bodies and popping him under the chin.
His teeth rattled with the force of the hit, his eyes widened before he loosened his grip on her wrist and grabbed his jaw. “Son of a bitch!” he shouted, backing away from her. “That hurt, dammit!”
She held her palms out and shrugged. “Isn’t that the point?”
“Not when we’re messing around. Jesus,” he said as he swiped his mouth with his thumb.
When he pulled it back to look at it, she spotted a streak of blood. “Oh, God. I’m sorry,” she said, grabbing a napkin from the table and rushing to dab at the corner of his mouth.
“For beating the shit out of me? You should be,” he said with a gruff laugh. “I think you enjoyed that.”
She bit her lip to hold in the bubble of laughter.
“Your eyes are dancing,” he said, taking her wrist again, halting her movement.
“Okay, so I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel good to get one over on a SEAL. Especially one your size. I think I’m ready for this.”
“One trick doesn’t mean you don’t have more to learn.”
“I have ten tricks, thank you very much.”
“Ten,” he muttered, dabbing at his mouth again. “Maybe you can show me the other nine tomorrow. Give me a chance to heal first.”
“Maybe I need to take you to Urgent Care. I mean big, bad Dylan, career Navy and overall warrior, needs to recuperate from the dollop of bloodshed in a single woman’s home in suburban California.”