Black and Blue_Black Star Security

by Cynthia Rayne

  “Blondes with great big tits?” He held out his hands, as though carrying two ripe melons. “Guilty as charged.”

  Storm snorted. “Oh, you like other things, too.”

  King changed the topic real quick. “Hey, man, did you ever do any sexpionage? You never gave us a straight answer.”

  “Ready for one?”

  King nodded.

  “No, because this is the 21st century and I’m not James Bond.” He leaned back in the chair and folded his arms across his muscular chest.

  Speaking of…

  Annie glanced around the room and noted everyone was in great shape. She pressed a hand against the belly she’d developed over the last few weeks. Eating fast food and skipping workouts hadn’t done her figure any favors.

  She made a mental note to visit the gym tonight. She hadn’t been working out as much as she regularly did. Clearly, she was going to have to up her game to keep up with everyone else. With any luck, this gig might lead to other opportunities in her field, a chance to redeem herself, if it was possible.

  Maybe the universe had thrown her a bone.

  “Well, that sucks. It’s a good thin’ you’re smarter than an old hooty owl.” King snorted.

  “A what…?” Storm made a face. “I swear, I only understand half of what you guys say.” If her ears were right, the majority of them were Southern. She thought Storm had a west coast accent.

  “I know you ain’t deaf.”

  He closed his eyes, as though King had just gotten on his last nerve. “I’m just consternated by the use of Southern colloquiums.”

  Annie had a feeling this was an old argument.

  “I think he said constipated.” King glanced at Zane for confirmation.

  “Yeah, that’s what I heard to. You should buy some prunes for that.”

  A muscle jumped in Storm’s jaw. “You know very well I said consternated.”

  Zane snickered. “And quit usin’ all those fancy pants Georgetown words while you’re at it.”

  “Will you stop fuckin’ around? We’ve got work to do.” West clapped his hands together with anticipation. “Were gettin’ off topic here.” Methodically, he went clockwise around the table, introducing King, Zane, Mack, and the newcomer. “And this is Logan Knoxville, a former Army Ranger, and a damn good sniper, if I do say so myself.”

  He nodded to the room. “Call me Nox, everyone does.” He had a devilish twinkle in his blue eyes. His hair was coal black, and he pushed an impatient hand through it. Like the rest of him, he was fit and handsome. And she couldn’t tell how tall he was because Nox was seated.

  “A sniper, eh?” King had a curious streak. Annie was glad he asked the questions, so she didn’t have to.

  “Yeah, I dropped bodies all over the Middle East.”

  King hmmphed and nodded in approval.

  From what she understood about the Rangers, they sat on a target for hours, sometimes days, and took the shot whenever they got a green light. Annie couldn’t imagine watching someone go about their daily life—kissing their kids, feeding the dog, watching television, and then putting a bullet in them. She could never be so coldly detached.

  “Did it ever bother you?” Mack asked. “Pulling the trigger, I mean.” She’d clearly been thinking along the same lines.

  “Why would it? I was doin’ my job. I don’t think, I don’t feel, I just hit the target, and move on to the next one. ” Nox genuinely didn’t seem to understand the question, which was even scarier.

  “Sweet Jesus, you’ve got ice water in your veins.” It wasn’t a dig. On the contrary, Zane seemed appreciative of the man’s detachment. Annie bet the SEALS had trained themselves to focus on the mission, and not worry about the rest.

  “I’m as cold as they come,” Nox said smugly.

  Annie did a quick read of the room. She loved studying group dynamics, finding out who worked well with whom.

  West, Zane, Storm, and King were all friendly since they’d worked with one another. Mack was warm and inviting, although she wasn’t as familiar with everyone else either.

  Storm didn’t quite fit in with the rest of them. He was a classic fish out of water. He might’ve worked with them for years, but he wasn’t quite one of the group. As a female on a largely male staff, Annie had been an outsider at times, too.

  Nox, on the other hand, was smooth and unperturbed, like he was a thousand steps ahead of anyone else. And she got the sense he had more bite than bark. There was something downright machinelike about the man as though nothing fazed him.

  Annie sat in a room filled with deadly men, yet he’s the only one who gave her pause.

  “So, what’s the mission statement?” Storm asked, bringing them back on task.

  “You think I wrote one?” West raised one disbelieving brow.

  “Then what are the mission parameters?” Storm had an analytical bent and Annie bet he needed to know how West’s vision for the company fit into the big picture.

  “We’ll be handlin’ a bit of everything—bounty huntin’, body guardin’, K&R, and any other security services you can think of.”

  Annie had heard the term K&R before, and it referred to kidnapping and ransom. Snatching people was big business in some parts of the world, including this one.

  “Oh, and before I forget.” West headed into the other room and when he returned, he was carrying a black German Shepherd puppy, and it was the cutest thing Annie had ever seen. “This is Bomber, and he’s for you, Zane. I expect you to feed and train him, raise him up right.”

  Evidently, he saw the question in Annie’s eyes, because West explained.

  “Zane was Ares’ handler on our missions.” Evidently, Ares had been the name of their canine officer. The god of war, how fitting.

  She’d worked with a cadaver dog a time or two. Their noses were thousands of times more sensitive than a human’s, and they could locate a body fast, even one that was hidden.

  “Will do, Chief. Pleased to meet ya, Bomb.” Zane scratched the puppy under the chin and then settled it in his lap, where it promptly fell asleep.

  “All right, let’s get started on a plan. We’ve already got another lead on our first fugitive.” He turned to Storm. “Have you tracked down the bartender/drug dealer from last night?”

  “Yeah, I know where he lives.” Storm nodded to Nox. “Why don’t you come with me to question him? And I’ll get you up to speed on the case since you just arrived. Deal?”

  “Works for me.”

  “Excellent,” West said. “Once you find out where Ryder’s holed up, give us a call. Annie and I will check it out. King, why don’t you come with us?”

  “I’ll bring my Narcan with me, just in case.” Narcan was used to treat an overdose and given Ryder’s habit, they might need it.

  Annie was keyed up, ready to finish this thing. He was the least of her troubles, but capturing him would be a great start.

  She ultimately had her sights on Turner, and she promised herself that she’d be the one to bring him to justice. The bastard had a lot to atone for. A small part of her wanted to take him out in the middle of nowhere and shoot him in the back of the head, leave him for dead. Considering what he’d done to Mike and her, it would only be fitting.

  “And what about the next target? The robber?” West glanced at a file folder, paging through the papers. “What can you tell us about John Doe?” he asked Annie.

  “He’s practically a ghost. They were forced to charge him as a John Doe because he refused to give them his real name.” Annie had gotten as much information about the fugitives as possible before she’d been forced out of her position. “According to his records, the cops interrogated him for days, but he never blinked, and he refused a lawyer, too. Doe represented himself, and according to the court transcripts, he did a decent job.”

  “It says here, he never killed anyone at his robberies.” West frowned.

  “Yeah, and he tried to run interference with Turner, when the man threatened me, whi
ch was strange.” Annie didn’t know why he’d intervened. It didn’t make much sense since she was an obstacle to his escape plan.

  “It sounds like he has a conscience,” Mack said. “Since he’s such a puzzle, why don’t I dig through his court proceedings and other public records, to see what I can find?”

  “He’s all yours.” West slid the folder down the table to her. “Annie, can you give her what you have as well?”

  “Sure, I’ve got some material in my room you might need.” Annie was reluctant to part with her research, but she could use all the help she could get. Maybe Mack could offer a new perspective.

  West continued. “Which leaves us with the serial killer. Turner stabbed two dozen women to death over a period of years. Any insights, Annie?”

  “Turner sliced the women up slowly—thin, painful wounds. They bled out in a matter of hours.” Death by a thousand cuts. “You could say he’s a modern-day Jack the Ripper.”

  He was a true sadist, getting off on their fear and terror. He’d raped them as well. They’d all had vaginal abrasions from rough sex, although Turner hadn’t left any semen behind. Presumably because he’d worn a condom.

  “Turner’s all about control.” Nox leaned forward. “It’s an aphrodisiac to him. Everything happens on his timetable. My guess is, he’s the mastermind of this group.”

  Something told her, Nox identified with Turner, at least when it came to being a control freak. He might be dangerous, but Annie didn’t have Nox pegged as a deviant or anything.

  Nox turned to her, evidently sensing her thoughts. “Huntin’ bad men on the run is what I do, so I know the type. In Afghanistan, I went after terrorists who tried to evade our government and took them out when a drone strike wasn’t feasible. I’m familiar with the case because it made national headlines and I was curious, so I looked into him.”

  “I came to the same conclusion.” Annie just knew he’d coordinated the escape, although she didn’t have any real proof. “And then they fled the scene without a trace.”

  Nox glanced at West. “I’m bettin’ he’s kept the rest of them in line until it was safe to venture out.”

  “You think he’s been bidin’ his time, too?” West asked Annie.

  Annie nodded. “Maybe he has an off the grid hideout? Or some friends the police don’t know about?” In cases like these, the authorities spoke with a fugitive’s family members, friends, and acquaintances to see if anyone was helping them. “And it took me months to get a lead on Ryder, but I haven’t heard anything about the other two. They’re gonna be a lot harder to find.”

  “Why don’t I see what I can find?” Storm offered. “I have access to databanks that might be useful.”

  “You still have your security clearance?” West asked.

  “Not exactly.” His grin was sly.

  “Say no more. Work your magic and see what shakes loose. Anythin’ else we need to discuss?” West glanced around the room and everyone shook their heads. “Dismissed.”

  And just like that, the chase was on.

  Chapter 6

  God, I miss him.

  Whenever Annie had downtime, her thoughts drifted to Mike.

  While they were waiting to hear back from Storm and Nox, Annie had gone upstairs to her temporary lodgings. When she wasn’t busy, Annie obsessed about the wrong turns she’d taken, and what she could’ve done differently. To avoid a wave of guilt, Annie kept busy.

  She jotted down a quick to do list and got started.

  She’d wanted to catch her boss on the phone, Mr. Lancaster, but she got his voicemail instead. Annie left him a detailed message, explaining her situation. Since she was a floater and didn’t have a regular job, Annie figured it wouldn’t be a huge deal. Truthfully she wouldn’t miss work at all. She hated leaving her shift smelling like a deep fryer.

  And then Annie unpacked and settled in.

  It was much better than the crappy motels she’d been staying in. There was a full-sized bed, a nightstand, a closet, a chest of drawers, and a small desk in the corner of the space. The linens on the bed were clean and looked new. Annie spent the rest of the day, doing laundry on the second floor, grabbing some groceries from the local store, and going through her records.

  Later on in the evening, after she’d checked every item off her list, Annie laid in bed, twiddling her thumbs, and staring at the ceiling.

  Once again, her thoughts drifted to Mike.

  “Nope, gotta keep busy.” Annie threw on a pair of leggings and an Ohio State shirt and headed downstairs.

  Time to work off some calories.

  When she arrived, she found Mack swinging a kettle bell over her head. Mack wore matching athletic gear—a blue and black muscle shirt with leggings. Along her left leg, Goal Digger was written. Even her Nikes had a matching blue swish.

  “Hey,” Mack said. “Felt like doing some lifting, too?”

  “Yeah.” She picked up another kettle bell, although hers was smaller and mimicked Mack’s movements, concentrating on her muscles. In a few short minutes, Annie was huffing and puffing.

  Geez. I should lay off the fries.

  “Thanks for the intel on Doe.”

  “No problem. Find anything useful?”

  “Maybe.”

  How’s that for vague? “Care to share?”

  “Doe isn’t your common criminal. He works alone, never with a team, and he targets wealthy individuals.” She cocked her head to one side. “And I wonder if he uses social media to coordinate his attacks?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “All of his targets used Instagram. They liked to take pictures of their meals in fancy restaurants, the designer clothes they wore to fancy parties. I noticed most of them geotagged their precise locations.”

  “So he knew exactly where they’d be. Smart.” It was so simple but brilliant. Annie didn’t know why people weren’t more careful online. It was a stalker’s paradise, and people willingly offered up intimate details of their daily lives.

  “Yes, he’s very cunning and resourceful.”

  It almost sounded as though she admired him.

  When Mack had gone through the source materials, she’d no doubt seen his mug shot. Even Annie had to admit Doe was attractive, ridiculously so.

  Although, she couldn’t see past West.

  She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the man all damn day. He lingered in the back of her mind, a constant temptation. Annie tried to push the intrusive feelings away, and focus on the case, but it had been difficult. No, impossible.

  Enough about West.

  “We also had a robbery at the bank in town, and I wonder if there might be a connection.”

  “Doe doesn’t hit banks.”

  She shook her head. “No, but I think it might’ve been a distraction while he went after another target. I’ve noticed there are other robberies in the same vicinity when he makes a move, but I’m not sure if my hunch is right, or just a data glitch. I’ll get back to you when I know more.”

  “Thanks.”

  Annie glanced around, taking the room in, searching for another topic of conversation. She could use some company. Since Annie had been a floater, nobody really knew her at work. At night, she’d been in anonymous hotel rooms. Annie hated to admit it, but she’d never been so lonely.

  Annie had sorely missed working with other law enforcement professionals, people dedicated to protecting others and serving the law. It felt good, right somehow as though she belonged here.

  Don’t get too comfortable, girl.

  Once she got the bastards, she’d still have to figure out what to do with the rest of her life, and it’s not like any other agencies would touch her since she’d been fired from the Marshal Service. She’d be lucky to get a position as a mall security guard.

  “I expected to see more equipment here.”

  “West is a big believer in high intensity training.”

  “Have you known him long?”

  Mack pushed a dam
p curl from her forehead. “No. I just heard about the job opening from a friend of mine and got in touch with West.”

  “So where are you from?” Mack asked, making conversation.

  “I’m from the Cincinnati area, what about you?”

  “Pittsburgh.”

  “And you were an FBI agent?”

  “Yeah, I was.”

  Annie got the impression it was a sore subject, but she couldn’t resist prying.

  “How long were you with the Bureau?”

  She turned away. “Not long enough.”

  I’d better move on to another topic quick.

  “So what’s his story?”

  “West?”

  Annie nodded.

  Mack set her kettle bell down. “I think you should ask him, not me.”

  “Yeah, of course.” She flashed a smile, trying to cover the awkwardness.

  “You feel guilty, don’t you?”

  “What makes you say that?” Now, it was Annie’s turn to feel defensive.

  “See, you answered the question with a question, which is a dead giveaway.”

  Annie flinched. Mack had scored another direct hit. Damn, she’s good.

  And then Annie remembered what Mack’s expertise was in, hostage negotiations, which meant she was insightful. She must have a psych background.

  “Sorry, but I read between the lines easily.” She shrugged. “I don’t see the point in screwing around.”

  Me either. “Yeah, of course, I feel guilty. I got my partner killed.”

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself. We all fuck up.”

  “But this was a huge mistake, and the consequences were disastrous for some people.”

  “I didn’t say you should forget what you did, only that you should forgive yourself, and move on. After all, can you change what happened?” After wiping her face, Mack slung a towel over her shoulder.

  Annie shook her head.

  “Then maybe wallowing in it, isn’t the best use of your time. Why not translate all that emotion into action?”

  “You’re probably right.”