Deadly Game

by Rebecca Deel

  Brent’s gaze shifted to the house. Crap. He and Remy needed to take these guys out before the clowns in the front converged on Lily and Rowan. Lily was skilled, but she couldn’t hold her own long against three men hopped up on steroids. His gut churned as he realized his mistake might cost Lily and Rowan big.

  He shifted closer to the jittery man. A quick movement to his right indicated Remy was moving on his target. A short, silent scuffle and his target was down. Brent tackled his own thug from behind. The man gave a muffled shout which was lost in a hail of gunfire from inside the house.

  Brent’s blood ran cold in his veins. He had to get to Rowan. He couldn’t lose her.

  He blocked a series of ineffective roundhouse punches. The man got in a lucky shot to Brent’s temple which had him seeing stars. He shook it off, slammed the heel of his palm into the other guy’s nose.

  Blood gushed as the man roared in pain and fury. Another strike to his opponent’s throat and the guy started gagging. Brent choked him out and scrambled to his feet, flipped the guy over, and cinched his hands together with zip ties. That done, Brent raced after Remy who was sprinting toward the back of the house.

  The hail of bullets stopped and the silence scared Brent more than the sound of rapid gunfire. Were Rowan and Lily alive? He leapt over the fallen limb. By the time Remy kicked in the back door, Brent was four steps behind him.

  As soon as he crossed the threshold, Brent heard something break in the living room. Remy disappeared around a corner. Seconds later, a weapon discharged.

  By the time Brent ran into the living room, Brentwood police skidded around the corner and headed toward the front of the house. His attention zeroed in on Rowan who stood over an unconscious Carstairs with a broken lamp in her hands. Lily was on the floor, flat on her back, not moving. One of Carstairs buddies was slumped on top of her.

  Remy shoved his weapon into his holster, jerked the unconscious or dead man off his wife, and threw him aside. He dropped to his knees beside Lily. “Talk to me, sweetheart.”

  Brent holstered his own weapon and relieved Rowan of the lamp remnants, tossed them aside, and wrapped his arms around her. “Baby?”

  She tightened her arms around him. “They didn’t touch me. Lily fought them off. That man hurt her, Brent.”

  “Remy’s taking care of her. I need you to listen, Rowan.”

  She stiffened and lifted her head. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Her frantic gaze scanned as much of him as she could without releasing him.

  “I’m fine, sweetheart. The cops will be inside in less than a minute. They don’t know who the bad guys are.”

  “I don’t understand. We’ll tell them the whole story.”

  “Until they figure out what’s going on for themselves, they’ll handcuff me and Remy as well as the rest of these clowns.” Yeah, and weren’t they going to raise some eyebrows when the cops realized he and Remy had killed at least two of the men attacking the house, and it looked as though Lily had killed a third.

  As long as Rowan was safe, he’d deal with whatever fallout came his way. He squeezed Rowan a little tighter. His lawyer was earning his exorbitant retainer fees this month.

  Before she could respond, the police swarmed the room, weapons drawn, ordering Brent and Remy down on the floor, hands away from their bodies.

  Brent released Rowan and complied, his movements slow and relaxed. Remy did the same, though the operative stayed where he could defend Lily if her safety was compromised.

  “You don’t understand,” Rowan protested to the nearest policeman. “Brent and Remy are the good guys. They were protecting me.”

  “Baby, it’s all right,” he murmured.

  “It’s not all right. You and Remy aren’t the ones trying to kill me.” She scowled at the law enforcement officers. “What are you going to do with my friends?”

  “For now, place them in the back of the squad cars until a detective arrives to sort this out,” said the nearest one. He motioned to two of the other policemen. They searched Brent and Remy for weapons and confiscated two guns from each man as well as several knives. One of the policemen whistled at the pile of weapons they collected from Brent and Remy alone.

  “Brent, what do you want me to do?” Rowan asked.

  “Call Zane. I programmed his number in your phone. Tell him what’s happened and request a bodyguard until I’m released. Zane will know what to do.” One of the officers yanked Brent’s arms behind his back and cuffed him, then hauled him to his feet. “Don’t leave this house without protection, either one of these policemen or someone from Fortress. No one else.”

  Man, he hated this. He hated being led away from Rowan’s side in cuffs as though he were a criminal. Even worse, the knowledge she was vulnerable until one of his operatives showed up for guard duty made his stomach twist into a knot. The Brentwood police were well trained, but they weren’t Fortress trained. Brent wanted only the best for Rowan.

  The next few hours passed with agonizing slowness. Zane sent Adam Walker to watch over Rowan and dispatched Jake Davenport to the hospital to stay with Lily. Once the details were known and verified, Brent and Remy were released without their guns.

  “Did they have to keep my favorite Sig?” Remy muttered as they walked out of the station.

  Brent snorted. “Mine, too. We need to stop by Fortress before moving to another safe house.” He scanned the street, spotting the all-night coffee shop. He nudged Remy. “I need coffee before we head to the hospital.” Adam had texted Brent, telling him Rowan had insisted on going to the hospital to check on Lily.

  “Don’t think you’ll need it,” Remy said. “Look.”

  Jon Smith and Eli Wolfe walked their direction. Eli carried a cardboard tray with two to-go cups.

  “We leave you to your own devices and look what happens, boss.” Eli grinned as he handed Brent one of the cups. “Black, as strong as the shop across the street makes it.”

  “Appreciate it.” He sipped the steaming brew, praying the caffeine worked a miracle. He needed a few hours of sleep. Fat chance of that happening any time soon. The visitation for the Maxwells was in a few hours. “Why are you two here?”

  “Zane sent us.” Jon’s lips twitched, his equivalent of a smile. “We’re your ride to the hospital and we’re taking over the watch from Remy so he can stay with Lily.”

  With a nod, Brent climbed into the waiting SUV with Remy. Should have figured Zane wouldn’t miss small details like that. Now Remy was free to help his wife mend.

  Within half an hour, they walked into Vanderbilt Hospital. Remy hurried to the information desk to inquire about his wife. A minute later, he returned. “She’s in 1334. Cracked ribs and a concussion.”

  As they approached her room, Brent noticed Adam standing guard at the door, a phone pressed to his ear.

  “Keep me in the loop, Z,” Adam said. “Brent and the others just arrived. I’ll pass on the word.” He ended the call and slid his phone into his pocket, a scowl on his face. “Glad you and the Cajun are in one piece, boss.”

  “So am I. What’s going on?”

  “Carstairs is in the wind. The Brentwood cops brought him to Vandy for treatment and he slipped out of the emergency area and disappeared.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Rowan woke with a start when the door to the hospital hallway opened. She’d meant to rest her eyes for just a minute, but a glance at her watch told her one minute had stretched into sixty. She’d slept in an uncomfortable chair for an hour and had the stiff muscles to prove it.

  Remy hurried to Lily’s bedside. Rowan breathed a sigh of relief. Brent must be here, too. From the rumble of male voices in the hallway, he was receiving an update from Adam.

  Jake Davenport stretched in his own chair. “Remy, Lily is doing great. She’ll be released tomorrow. Take her home and spoil her for a couple weeks. Maybe take her to Louisiana. Your mother’s cooking will fix her right up.”

  “You sure she’s all right, D?”


  “She told the doctor to tell me everything. I’ve seen her chart, x-rays, the works. I’m sure, man. She’s a tough little thing. What happened to the guy beating on her?”

  “Dead,” Remy said, voice flat.

  “Good. Brent’s in the hall?”

  A nod. “Jon and Eli, too.”

  “I’ll be back.” Jake clapped Remy’s shoulder and glanced at Rowan. “Coming?”

  Rowan stood, winced at the sore muscles making themselves felt. Remnants of ditch diving. She followed the medic from the room and stepped into Brent’s open arms. He hugged her tight. Immediately, the ball of ice in her stomach melted.

  “You okay?” he murmured.

  “I am now that you’re free and Lily is recovering.”

  Brent turned to Jake. “You agree with the doctor?”

  “Lily needs a few weeks to heal, but she will recover. In a fair fight, she would have taken them down, Brent.”

  “Test results confirmed the drugs?”

  “Oh, yeah. High levels of steroids in Carstairs and the two you and Remy captured. I suspect the same results will show up in the other men. Maybe Taylor can confirm those results for us with the ME’s office or Zane can hack into the ME’s computer files.” He patted Rowan’s shoulder. “From what your lady told me, Carstairs was getting ready to pull the trigger on Lily. Because of Rowan, he didn’t get the chance.”

  Brent’s arms tightened around her. “Any leads on Carstairs’ location, Adam?”

  “Not so far. Zane’s monitoring all his accounts and his phone. So far nothing.”

  Rowan lifted her head from Brent’s chest. “Carstairs is missing? I thought he was in police custody.”

  A grimace from her boyfriend. “He escaped.”

  Terrific. Now they’d have to keep watching over their shoulders for Carstairs. The knot in her stomach reappeared. She sighed. At this rate, she wouldn’t be eating much any time soon.

  “We’ll find him, baby.” Brent cupped the back of her neck.

  “Want me to track him down, Brent?” Jon asked.

  He was silent a moment, then shook his head. “Stick to Zane’s plan for now. Carstairs will find us soon enough.”

  “Boss, I’m due at the coffee shop in a few minutes,” Adam said. “Should I call for a replacement?”

  “No. Jake will stay with Lily and Remy. Watch your back, Adam.”

  “Yes, sir,” he said and walked away.

  “He looks good,” Eli said, then grinned. “For a Marine.”

  Brent chuckled. “Let’s get out of here. Rowan needs to rest.”

  Taking care of her again. What about him? She suspected Brent hadn’t slept much before the attack. “So do you. Eli, will you and Jon be taking over guard duty so Brent will sleep?”

  “Absolutely.” Eli winked at her. “He needs lots of beauty rest. Sorry, sugar, but in my opinion, your boyfriend needs serious help in that department.”

  “Wolfe.” Brent scowled his direction, but his eyes were twinkling. “Shut up.”

  Eli burst into laughter. Even his taciturn partner chuckled. In the SUV, Rowan settled into the backseat with Brent while Eli climbed behind the wheel.

  Once Eli drove from the parking garage, Jon handed Brent a gun along with bullets in some kind of black metal holders.

  “Thanks.”

  “Figured the cops confiscated yours.”

  “Yeah. Second weapon I’ve lost to the cops this week. Which safe house are we headed to?”

  “Zane set us up in a suite at the Garden Inn in Murfreesboro. He used it when he was protecting Claire.”

  An hour later, Rowan walked into a very nice suite. “This is wonderful.”

  “I’ll tell Z you approve.” Eli bolted the door. “One of our female operatives picked up clothes from your place and brought them here.” He nudged her to the bedroom on the right. “See if you need anything else.”

  “Trying to get rid of me, Eli?”

  “No, ma’am. Just want to be sure you’re comfortable before we move on to the next portion of the agenda.”

  Right. Inside the room, Rowan closed the door and turned on the light. On the bed was a suitcase and a garment bag. She opened the soft-sided case and examined the contents. The operative hadn’t missed anything important. It would be nice to have a choice of clothes.

  The garment bag drew her attention next. What was in there? She didn’t own a garment bag. Rowan grasped the zipper and separated the halves. Her breath caught on a soft gasp.

  Inside was a gorgeous navy blue dress along and a black pant suit with two pairs of low heels, all the perfect sizes. Where had this come from? A small white envelope was in one of the shoes. She slid the card out. Oh, man. The outfits were from Brent, things he hoped would make two difficult days a little better.

  Until this point, she’d been teetering on the edge of falling in love with the SEAL. This simple act of kindness pushed her all the way over and now she was in a freefall she had no hope of stopping. Rowan couldn’t deny the truth. She was in love with Brent Maddox.

  The question now was how did he feel about her? Hopefully, he’d grow to feel the same. Being in love by yourself was scary business. Rowan closed the garment bag, grateful to forgo shopping. She’d dreaded the prospect of buying clothes for this occasion, knowing she would have had a difficult time holding her emotions at bay. Because of Brent’s thoughtfulness, she didn’t have to.

  A soft knock grabbed her attention. Brent stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “Do you like them?”

  She smiled and circled his neck with her arms. After sharing a long, deep kiss with the man of her dreams, she said, “They’re perfect. How did you buy the outfits? We haven’t been apart in days.”

  Brent chuckled. “I’m a power online shopper. Comes with having sisters and a mother with discerning taste in clothes. At least that’s what they tell me, anyway. I used one of their favorite clothing websites and had them shipped overnight.”

  “Thank you.”

  His expression sobered. “It’s not much, baby. While I can’t alleviate the hurt, I’m glad to take one burden off your shoulders.”

  “I don’t know if I could handle this without you. You’ve been my rock.”

  He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else, Rowan.” Brent eased away from her. “We ordered room service. You have about twenty minutes before the food arrives. If you want to freshen up, you have time. After that, a nap is on the agenda for both of us.”

  “Deal.”

  Rowan returned to the common living room as the food was being delivered.

  “Perfect timing, sugar.” Eli rubbed his hands together. “We ordered a little of everything, hoping to entice you to eat something.”

  She stared at the massive amount of food. A little, huh? There was enough food there to feed her for a week. Then again, these men were a lot more physically active than she was. They must burn calories with their rigorous training routines. She didn’t kid herself about Brent’s level of training. He wouldn’t allow himself to be less prepared than his operatives.

  Once Rowan managed to choke down enough to satisfy the three men urging her to eat, Brent kissed her and nudged her toward her room. She turned at the door, her hand on the knob. “What about you? Where will you sleep?”

  “For now, in the second bedroom. Tonight, I’ll sleep out here on the couch. I don’t want to be far from you.”

  Those words followed her into her dreams. She woke four hours later, groggy after the long nap. Rowan had to admit she felt better.

  In the living room, Eli turned from keeping watch out the window, smiled. “You look rested.”

  Jon glanced up, studied her face a moment, then gave a nod of approval.

  Amused, her lips curved in response. “Is Brent awake?”

  Eli turned back to the window. “He will be soon now that you’re up and moving.”

  “Brent said you like hot tea.” Jon set aside his laptop and crossed to the k
itchenette. He poured hot water into a to-go cup and covered the mouth with a lid. “There are two bags of chamomile mint tea in here.”

  “Thank you, Jon.”

  He shrugged. “This is my wife’s favorite tea when she’s stressed or upset. Thought it might help you, too.”

  The door to the second bedroom opened. Brent’s gaze locked on hers as he approached. “How do you feel?”

  “Better. Any word from Zane on Carstairs or the kidnappers?”

  “I just checked with him. There’s been nothing so far. He’ll keep monitoring the electronics of the main players. We’re also watching the compounds of all the militia groups.”

  “What are you hoping to see?”

  “Alexa moving around one of the compounds. I don’t have the personnel to raid each one. If we spot her, we’ll go free her and bring her home.”

  Hopefully, they would rescue Alexa before her parents’ funeral.

  After eating another light snack, Rowan changed into the navy dress and matching heels. When she returned, Brent and his operatives were wearing dark suits, conservative ties, and white shirts. “Oh, wow,” she murmured. “You three look like male models.”

  All of them grimaced. “Do us a favor, sugar,” Eli said. “Don’t spread that around to our friends.”

  Between the three of them, they kept her mind occupied so that she didn’t dwell too much on the ordeal ahead. The drive to the funeral home was filled with funny stories about their time in the military, some of the scrapes they’d gotten into, the practical jokes they’d pulled on each other.

  Eli parked in the lot, then he and Jon moved a small distance away to give her and Brent a moment together before facing the people gathering.

  “If the crowd becomes too much for you, tell me. We’ll slip away for a few minutes to give you a break.”

  The next four hours passed in a haze. At one point, Brent led her to a break room for a soft drink. By the time she was back in the SUV, exhaustion had set in. As they entered the suite, Brent said, “Are you hungry?”