Deadly Game

by Rebecca Deel

  “Hold up, buddy. Bodyguard?”

  “You can’t be without protection, baby. Invisible Man has already made one run at you and failed. He won’t give up until he succeeds or until we take him down.”

  “You think someone might come after me again in broad daylight?” She sounded skeptical because she was. How stupid were these people? Her shop was busy during the daytime which meant many witnesses.

  “Takes a few seconds to pull a trigger and run. You don’t have surveillance cameras in your shop even though you should, and witnesses are unreliable at recalling a description. The shooter would get away, easy.”

  Her stomach twisted at his words. “How would you prevent that?”

  “Sitting in the shop, watching the customers and the front door. You already know I’m armed. No one will get to you on my watch.”

  She scowled, hating that he was right and mentally guesstimating the cost of an upgraded security system. Maybe Brent’s company had a system for her. She could always offer him free coffee for life if he cut her a break on the price. “How would you get any work done that way?”

  “I’m great at multitasking, babe.”

  Again with those sweet names. It had been a long time since a man had called her that. With her work schedule, she hadn’t dated in the past eighteen months. Her last boyfriend had called her Apple Cheeks, a name she despised to this day. Might have something to do with the fact Ryan had slept with her former best friend and gotten her pregnant.

  Taylor chuckled. “Take this downstairs, kids. I have real work to do. Rowan, listen to everything Brent tells you to do. Try not to argue with him. He knows security and has your best interests at heart.” He grinned. “Even if he is annoying.”

  She blew out a breath. “I understand. There’s a to-go cup on the counter filled with more coffee for you. The other was for Brent when I thought he was going to work. I don’t suppose he’ll need it now.”

  “Ha. You aren’t getting it back,” Brent said, with a twinkle in his eyes. “I’ll just refill it in your shop.”

  Shaking her head, she said, “Let’s go, then. The pastry delivery will be here any minute.”

  In fact, by the time she and Brent made it downstairs and turned on the lights, there was a knock on the back door.

  “Let me get it.” Brent nudged her into the office where she could watch from relative safety. She breathed a sigh of relief when her regular delivery guy walked through the doorway with her normal load of baked goods for the day.

  Workers began arriving within minutes and the day moved into full work mode. Customer traffic would hit a lull around ten and she would try to contact her assistant manager then. If Lacey couldn’t cover her shifts, she’d see if Chase and Karen, another senior employee, would take care of the shop. They’d both worked with her since the shop opened and knew almost as much as she did. Somehow this would work out. She had good people. They would jump in to help. While Rowan loved her shop and customers, her focus was on finding her niece.

  Coffee House was slammed with business, a good thing for her bottom line, but frustrating since she kept hoping for just a couple minutes to call Lacey. Didn’t happen.

  She’d expected Brent to be a distraction. Instead, his presence gave her confidence there wouldn’t be trouble in her shop. Though she hadn’t admitted as much, Rowan worried an attack at work would harm customers or employees, and she didn’t want to be responsible for that. Brent even stepped in to help bus tables when her workers were swamped filling coffee and pastry orders and customers were searching for a table to enjoy their morning drinks and snacks.

  Finally, foot traffic slowed enough for Rowan to sit beside Brent at the coffee bar and call her assistant manager. Chase and another employee were busy busing tables and there were no customers in the shop, so she figured it was safe enough to talk to Lacey. Besides, she was too tired to walk back to her office. The short night of sleep was hitting her hard.

  Before Rowan could explain what she needed, Lacey asked, “Did you get the note from Heather?”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Rowan’s hand clenched around the phone. “When was Heather here?” Beside her, Brent looked up from his laptop, his gaze locked on her face.

  “Yesterday.” Lacey sounded puzzled. “You didn’t find her message?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “I don’t understand. Heather went into your office to leave you a message. She had Alexa with her.”

  “When, Lacey? I was here all day.”

  “Don’t you remember? You took the deposit to the bank. That’s when I went home, sick.”

  Rowan had forgotten. She hadn’t been able to take the deposit to the bank’s night drop the evening before because her sister had called, begging her to visit. Heather never told her why she wanted to see Rowan.

  “Heather arrived as I was leaving,” Lacey continued. “She said she’d write a note and leave it on your desk. If you can’t find the note, call and ask her about it.”

  A fresh wave of grief swept over Rowan. She so wished she could call Heather and talk to her for a minute, tell her she loved her one more time. “I wish I could,” she choked out.

  Lacey laughed. “Oh, come on, Ro. It’s not that hard to pick up the phone.”

  “Lacey, something terrible happened.” When her voice broke, Brent drew her into his arms. “My sister and her husband were murdered last night.”

  Her assistant manager gasped. “Rowan, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. Was Alexa hurt?”

  “She’s missing. Whoever killed Heather and Jay took her.” And failed to kill Rowan thanks to Brent’s foresight.

  “How can I help?”

  “Work with Chase to cover my shifts for a few days. The police are investigating the murders and Alexa’s disappearance, but a friend is also looking into it for me.” And she expected Brent to have results faster than the police.

  “Of course. Don’t worry, Ro. We’ll take care of Coffee House.”

  “Thanks, Lace. Look, I know you’re supposed to be off today. Can you work anyway?” Maybe her jerk of a boyfriend wouldn’t complain under the circumstances.

  “No problem. I have a couple errands, but I should be there by one. That work?”

  “It’s perfect. Thanks.”

  “See you soon. Again, I’m really sorry about Heather, Rowan.”

  Rowan ended the call and buried her face against Brent’s neck. She allowed herself a minute to revel in the comfort of his arms.

  “You are amazing, Rowan Scott,” Brent murmured in her ear. “I don’t know anyone who would hold up as well when faced with losing a family member.”

  “Alexa needs me. I can’t let her down.”

  “You won’t. None of us will.”

  “Rowan?”

  She glanced up from the shelter of Brent’s arms. “What is it, Chase?”

  “Everything all right?”

  She gave a succinct explanation. “Help Lacey keep Coffee House running smoothly for a few days.”

  “We’ll work out the shifts, Rowan. Don’t worry about the shop. Let me know if you think of anything else I can do for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Be alert to anything odd,” Brent said. “Someone broke into the apartment upstairs overnight. We’re sure it’s connected to the death of the Maxwells.”

  “If I notice something, do I call the cops?”

  Brent reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. “I’ll have one of my people in the shop soon. They’ll handle an emergency. Then, call me.”

  Chase glanced at the card. “Will do. Rowan, we can handle the shop if you need to leave.”

  “Not until Lacey arrives. She should be here soon.” She eased away from Brent. “I’m going to my office for a while, Chase. If you need me, come get me.”

  After Chase continued the cleanup from the morning’s customers, Brent said, “What’s going on, baby? I know Lacey said something that upset you.”

  “Come wi
th me.”

  Curiosity lit his gaze as he closed the lid of his laptop and grabbed his coffee cup. “Lead the way.”

  Once they were inside her office, she closed the door. “Lacey told me Heather stopped by yesterday to talk to me, but I was at the bank. Heather left a message.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Wouldn’t you have seen it?”

  She shook her head. “I haven’t been in here since I returned from the bank. We were slammed and I was shorthanded. I still have the afternoon deposits in my floor safe in the storeroom.” Rowan hurried to her desk and rifled through the papers strewn across the wooden surface. She frowned. Receipts for supplies, order forms, catalogs from two suppliers, junk mail. No note from her sister. “Nothing.”

  “Maybe the note fell to the floor.” Brent peered under the desk, shook his head. “Would Heather leave the note in a drawer so it wouldn’t be shuffled in with the other papers?”

  She yanked open the top drawer and saw a white envelope with her name scrawled on the front in her sister’s handwriting. “This must be it,” she murmured.

  Rowan turned the envelope over and slit the flap. Inside was a folded piece of paper and a flash drive. She handed the flash drive to Brent, then opened the note. “Ro,” she read out loud, “Keep this safe. Don’t tell anyone you have it unless something happens to me. I think Jay’s in over his head. You were right all along. I should have listened to you sooner.” She glanced up.

  “Right about what?”

  “That Jay was a loser. Sounds like Heather was ready to leave him.” If only she’d followed through sooner, Heather might be alive and Alexa safe.

  “Don’t,” Brent said.

  She lifted her gaze, startled. “Don’t what?”

  “Blame yourself. You couldn’t have known. Your sister was a grown woman and you’ve been warning her for a while, haven’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “She made the choice to leave him, baby. Unfortunately, Heather’s decision wasn’t fast enough. Don’t play the what-if game. You’ll lose every time.”

  Wise words. “Thanks.”

  A short nod, then, “Do you want to see what’s on this drive?”

  “Definitely.” Rowan booted up her laptop and held out her hand for the drive. “Let’s find out what the big secret is.”

  She slipped the memory stick into the USB port and clicked on the dialog box. Rowan frowned. “There’s only one file, a small one.”

  Brent circled the desk to look at the screen. “Open it. Let’s see what we’re dealing with.”

  She clicked on the file. The document was a list, but she wasn’t sure what the list was supposed to be. The columns of words didn’t make any sense. They were random letters. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Alexa had played on the computer and saved her handiwork. “What do you make of that?”

  “Interesting.”

  “It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I think the list is in code.”

  She stared. “Code? As in secret government agent spy stuff?”

  Brent’s lips curved. “Except I doubt Jay Maxwell was a government agent, secret or not.”

  “I don’t suppose you have someone on staff who rocks at decoding secret messages.”

  He was silent a moment. “Actually, I do.”

  “Do we send him a copy of the file?”

  “He’s on medical leave at the moment, but he’s restless. I think he’d enjoy coming to Coffee House.”

  “Tell him if he’ll come here, I’ll ply him with coffee and pastries.”

  Brent grinned. “He won’t be able to resist.”

  “Was he injured on a job for you?”

  His gaze darkened. “Yeah, he was. A few months ago, Adam was held captive by a drug dealer and tortured for information. He’s still recovering.”

  “We’ll treat him right, Brent.”

  Brent crouched by her side. “I have no doubt about that. I wanted you to know why he looks a little rough.” He leaned over and kissed her as though he had all the time in the world to indulge in her. Man, she was fast becoming addicted to his touches and kisses.

  Brent stood. “Do you have a blank flash drive? I’d like to make a copy of the file for Adam to work on.”

  “I think so.” She indicated her messy desk with wave of her hand. “I bought two last week and they’re buried in the paper blizzard.”

  “I’ll call Adam while you look for one of them.” He pulled out his cell phone. “Adam, I have a job for you if you’re interested.” He listened a moment, then chuckled. “Good. I need you at Coffee House in Washington Village. Bring your laptop.”

  As he slid his phone into his pocket, Brent received a call. He glanced at the readout, froze.

  Rowan’s fingers clutched the flash drive she unearthed. Maybe Detective Taylor was calling with an update.

  Brent raised the phone to his ear and said, “Mr. President.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Brent grimaced. President Martin calling less than twenty-four hours after his last contact wasn’t a good sign. “What do you need, sir?”

  The Commander in Chief sighed. “I hope your team is ready, Brent. The situation in Mexico is heating up.”

  “They’ve been alerted. Time to activation?”

  “Immediately. Get them in place. Wait for my order to execute.”

  “Copy that, sir.”

  “Brent.”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Tell them not to get caught.” Martin’s tone was grim.

  The statement needed no explanation. The authorities and cartels active in the Chihuahua province hated Fortress. If St. Claire and his unit were caught, they would be locked in a Mexican prison and forgotten, or outright killed. “I’ll pass the message, Mr. President.” He ended the call, then placed another to Zane. “Z, activate St. Claire’s team.”

  A soft whistle from his tech guru.

  “I want to know what our people are walking into before we deploy. Tell St. Claire to pack heavy.” In other words, prepared for heavy resistance when they rescued the ambassador’s family. Brent wondered if he needed to activate another unit to help. Maybe Durango, Cahill’s Delta team.

  “Copy that. Anything happening with Rowan’s situation?”

  “Guy named Carlos Salazar took a run at her last night.”

  “She okay?”

  “Oh, yeah. The lady has courage in spades.” His gaze locked with her puzzled one.

  “You get him?”

  “Taylor has him down at the station.”

  “Good job, boss. I assume Salazar has a few new bruises.”

  Not as many as he’d wanted to dish out, but enough. “What do you think?”

  “That’s he’s lucky to be breathing. I’ll get back to you soon about the situation in Mexico.”

  Brent turned to Rowan. “Find the flash drive?”

  She passed him the original and a blank one. “Mr. President? You’re not talking about William Martin, are you?”

  His lips twitched. “You’re surprised I know the President of the United States?”

  “Well, yes. You talked to him like he’s a friend.” That wasn’t normal. None of her friends knew high-powered politicians, let alone treated them like pals.

  “He is. We were friends before his election.” He crossed to her side. “One of my teams rescued his daughter and grandson.”

  “Oh, wow,” she whispered. “I remember Charlotte being kidnapped. She gave birth to her son during the rescue.”

  Brent chuckled. “Our medic had the privilege of helping Sam into the world. He said Sam’s birth was the one bright light on that harrowing journey to freedom.”

  “I’d love to meet her and Sam. I admire her resiliency and ability to be a great mother, and still represent her father. I hope I do as well with Alexa.”

  “Charlotte won’t be traveling much more.”

  “Why not?”

  Brent figured telling Rowan about the new pregnancy wouldn’t be a pro
blem since the news media would catch on soon enough. Besides, Rowan could use good news. “She hasn’t announced it yet, but Charlotte’s pregnant again.”

  Rowan smiled. “That’s great. I’ll keep quiet about the baby until Charlotte releases the news.”

  “Would you like to go with me the next time I travel to D.C.?”

  “Sounds like fun. Are you sure you want me to go, though? I can’t leave Alexa behind.”

  “Baby, I don’t expect you to leave your niece here, especially not now. I thought she’d enjoy playing with Sam.”

  “Thank you, Brent.” She kissed him lightly.

  A knock sounded on the door. Chase stepped partially inside the office. “Sorry, boss, but foot traffic is picking up and Lacey isn’t here yet.”

  “I’ll be right there.” She eyed Brent. “Do you want to work here?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll sit at the coffee bar until Adam arrives. Then, if you don’t mind, I will work here. I have calls to make.” Calls better conducted behind closed doors. Brent picked up his laptop and coffee, and followed Rowan to Coffee House’s main room.

  Customers were lined up for coffee and pastries. The shop buzzed with conversation and the sounds of the machines used for some of the specialty coffee drinks.

  Instead of logging onto his computer and copying the flash drive, Brent watched Rowan. She greeted most of the customers by name, laughed with them, made suggestions for coffee flavors for those who asked for a recommendation, provided a free small cookie for each child who came to the counter, and kept the orders going as she connected with her customers.

  She was good. Really good. He’d been impressed with her since he first walked into her shop. Brent was usually one of her first and last customers of the day so he didn’t see her in action like this. No wonder Coffee House was popular.

  The bell over the door rang and his operative strode into the crowded shop. Adam looked more energized than the last time Brent had seen him. Probably had something to do with him having a mission, even if the work was local. Brent’s operatives didn’t like inactivity. Most of them returned to duty sooner than they should.