Born To Protect

by Christina Tetreault

  He strained to hear anything else over the ringing in his ears. Did he have anyone else to worry about?

  Only silence greeted him. While he preferred it to gunfire directed at him, he’d love to hear the sound of police sirens.

  He started moving closer to the door and the prone figure on the floor. Blood pooled under the jerk. If he wasn’t dead, he soon would be. Connor didn’t know about the one downstairs. And he wasn’t going down to find out.

  Heavy footsteps came down the hall. Whoever was coming had heard the shots, so either he figured his buddy with the shotgun had done the shooting, or he had a death wish. Either way, he wouldn’t be walking out of the house tonight.

  As soon as he had a visual, Connor aimed at the newest player and fired.

  Nothing happened.

  Shit.

  A shot rang out before he could clear the misfire or grab his backup weapon, grazing his arm before embedding itself in the wall.

  Immediately another bullet ripped through the room, piercing one of the windows.

  Dropping to a knee, Connor grabbed the spare gun from the bag near his feet. He fired off two rounds in rapid succession.

  The flash from a bolt of lightning streaked through the room, allowing him to watch the body hit the floor.

  God, she was never going to hear right again. Rubbing her ears, she tried to squeeze herself further into the corner of the small closet. She didn’t know how many gunshots she’d heard since she’d been sitting in here. But she knew it’d been multiple ones, and at the moment, she had no idea if any of those bullets had found their way into Connor.

  I wouldn’t be alone in here if they’d killed him, she reminded herself. If whoever forced their way inside had killed Connor, they would’ve dragged her out of the house.

  Unless they just haven’t managed to find me yet.

  Definitely not the kind of thought she should be having, yet Becca couldn’t deny it was a possibility. At this very moment, they might be searching every room and the basement, looking for her. If that was the case, they’d find her eventually.

  And then what? If Connor was dead, there would be no one to help her, and basic self-defense wouldn’t do any good against a gun.

  Please let him be okay. If anything had happened to him, she’d never forgive herself.

  It took a moment for her to recognize the sound as a knock. A moment later, she heard Connor’s voice.

  “Becca. It’s me.”

  Tears streaked down her cheeks, and she brushed them away with a hand.

  “The police are here, and I’m opening the door.”

  When the door opened, she rushed forward and threw her arms around him.

  “The threat’s—”

  Covering his lips with hers, she cut off whatever else he planned to say. At the moment, she didn’t care about the words. He could tell her anything he wanted later.

  She only cared that he was safe and there with her.

  ***

  Becca squeezed her eyes shut. The vision of the blood-soaked floor and the two bodies remained as she struggled to keep from puking again. She’d never been bothered by the sight of blood until tonight. Connor had suggested she keep her eyes closed when they left the room. She hadn’t listened. And when he led her out of the bedroom and past the two intruders he’d shot upstairs, she’d thrown up all over the floor, mere inches from the intruder she recognized as the man from the parking garage who thought pairing work boots with a suit was a good idea.

  Learning from her mistake, she took his advice when they passed the intruder he’d shot downstairs, who was also being worked on by paramedics.

  Safely away from the gory sights, she had no desire to throw up again, especially with several of Connor’s coworkers and the police on the porch with them. Taking several deep breaths, she tuned out the conversation they were having.

  He’s okay. Despite her reminder, she opened her eyes and looked over at Connor.

  When she’d heard the first gunshot, she’d almost bolted for the door, intent on helping the man she was falling in love with. She’d even reached for the doorknob. Thankfully, cold reality hit her before she could exit the closet. She had no training whatsoever and no weapon. If she stepped out of the closet, she’d be more of a liability than anything else.

  So, even though it had killed her to not know Connor’s condition, she’d stayed hidden in the closet as he’d instructed, until he came for her.

  The uniformed police officer went back inside the house, leaving her and the other members of HRT on the porch alone. Surrounded by several highly trained armed individuals, she should feel safe, yet she didn’t. Despite all the steps they’d taken, someone had still managed to find her, and she wanted to know how.

  “How did they find us?”

  Her question brought the conversation to a halt, and all eyes turned her way.

  “We’re not sure yet,” Ax admitted. He crossed the porch and sat next to her on the swing. “Connor told you to leave your cell phone behind. Did you bring it along anyway?”

  Becca shook her head, a little miffed that he immediately thought she’d done something wrong. “I left it and my laptop at the firm. I only brought the stuff Maddie picked up at the store, my purse, and briefcase.”

  Whatever silent message Ax sent Connor, he understood because he headed inside the house.

  “At any point in the past few days, have either been where someone could get to them?” Ax asked.

  “I almost always have my purse with me, and if I’m not at work, my briefcase is at home.”

  “Almost always?” he commented. “When was the last time you went out and didn’t have it?”

  Connor came back out and put her belongings on the small table. He didn’t ask permission before dumping out the contents of her purse. As she watched him sort through the various items, she considered Ax’s question. Across from Connor, Maddie started taking everything from the briefcase.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe the night I went to get Graham at the hospital.”

  “You didn’t have it with you when I picked you up,” Connor replied while he dug through the inside compartment of the purse.

  He could dig all he wanted—the only things he’d find in the pockets were gum and maybe a few hair elastics. “But it would’ve been at home.”

  “Someone got to it.” Connor held up an object that was most certainly not a pack of gum.

  “Found another one.” Maddie held out a similar-looking device.

  Ax joined Connor and Maddie, leaving her to wonder how the items had ended up in her belongings. Even if she had left them at home and gone out, she always set the alarm. If anyone tried to get in, it would’ve gone off and the monitoring company would’ve alerted both her and the police. She hadn’t received any calls from them since having the system installed.

  “They got into my house again, didn’t they?” As unlikely as it seemed, there was no other explanation. She left the swing so she could be part of the conversation and because she needed to be close to Connor.

  Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her against his side. Unfortunately, the physical contact didn’t have the effect she’d hoped for.

  “Looks like it. But we can get a location on them now.” Connor held out the device he’d removed from her purse and dropped it into her hand. “We’ve used these. Unlike some tracking devices, these use the cell towers. They work similar to the way the locating device on a phone works. Since we have them, cyber will be able to find the son of a bitch who’s after you.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  He’d never committed an act of violence. He preferred to leave that to others. It was better that lowlifes like Zane got their hands dirty than him.

  This time Dale would make an exception. And he couldn’t wait.

  He’d start with Becca André.

  While he’d known from the start she’d die, it hadn’t been because he held any ill will toward her. No, her death simply would’ve been a nece
ssary one after he got Kassidy’s location from her. He’d been content to let Zane or one of his thugs take care of the matter in whatever manner they wanted. No questions asked.

  Not anymore.

  Now, he’d do it himself and enjoy every second of it. She deserved to die for giving his name to the authorities. Before she opened her big trap, they’d had no reason to link him and Kassidy together.

  Dale tossed the FBI agent’s business card in the trash and left his condo.

  Once he got what he needed from the spoiled bitch, he’d make her pay, but perhaps not as much as her stepsister.

  Yeah, Kassidy would suffer a hell of a lot more than Becca. Because of her double-cross, he was on the verge of losing out on millions while at the same time dishing out money to a thug like Zane. Not to mention, because she’d been unable to keep her mouth shut, her stepsister had known about their involvement and shared it with the damn Feds.

  He entered the coffee shop and ordered. Despite the time, the place was packed, and he grabbed one of the last empty tables. For both their sakes, Zane better have news tonight. So help him, if Zane didn’t get him what he wanted, he’d do everything in his power to bring the man and his organization down for good.

  “Do you have my package?” Dale asked, the noise in the shop so loud tonight he covered his other ear to better hear Zane’s response.

  “Out for pickup.”

  “You’re sure?” Zane had promised he’d have her already. Instead of delivering Becca, he kept giving Dale excuses.

  “Been tracking her every move. I know exactly where she is. And I know where my guys are. We’ll deliver her to you soon.” Zane sounded a cocky as ever. “Have my payment.”

  “Half tonight,” Dale snapped out. They’d already settled on the terms, and he wasn’t open to renegotiating. “You get the other half when you bring me the second one.” Dale ended the call and reached for his sandwich.

  Shit. Dale’s gaze hit the cell phone he’d put down before he got the sandwich off the table. He’d used the wrong phone. How the hell had he made such a mistake? Until now he’d been so careful. He’d only contacted Zane using the burner phone he’d purchased for that specific purpose, and he never made a call to him from his condo.

  Tonight he’d screwed up, and he put the blame squarely on Becca André’s shoulders. If not for her, the FBI wouldn’t have made their visit and he wouldn’t be preoccupied. No, his mind would still be focused on the end goal rather than revenge.

  A single phone call to the guy isn’t enough to prove anything, he reminded himself, and then bit into his sandwich. He had a long night to look forward to and didn’t want something as simple as hunger getting in his way.

  Chapter Twenty

  Becca drained another cup of the high-octane coffee. In order to drink it, she’d added so much cream and sugar that she’d probably ingested enough calories to equal three king-sized candy bars. She wasn’t worried about it. Not tonight anyway. And at least drinking the stuff gave her something to do besides pace around HRT’s kitchen or stare at the walls. She eyed the pot and considered pouring a fourth cup.

  Better not. She already had the jitters, and another dose of caffeine might make them a semipermanent condition. Instead, she tossed the paper cup in the trash and selected a bottle of flavored water from the fridge.

  Resuming her spot at the table, Becca wondered if someone would come in soon with an update. They’d returned to Elite Force hours ago, or at least it seemed like hours. Knowing her luck, only thirty or forty minutes had passed. Honestly, there was no way to tell. The kitchen she was sitting in had no windows, and no one had ever bothered to set the clock on the microwave. She assumed her cell phone was still wherever Connor had left it earlier, and she hadn’t thought to ask him for it before he deposited her in here and walked away. Before they left the cabin, Connor had retrieved their personal belongings, including her watch, from the bedroom. Probably assuming she wouldn’t need anything in the bag, he’d left it in the car rather than bring it inside the firm with them.

  Through the doorway she watched two men exit the meeting room she’d sat in following the kidnapping attempt at the hospital, an event that felt like two lifetimes ago. Had it really been less than forty-eight hours ago? It seemed impossible, but she knew it was true.

  The meeting room door opened again. Connor appeared in the hall, followed by Ax. They exchanged a few words before Ax walked away in one direction and Connor headed toward the kitchen. He wore a T-shirt, and there was a white bandage on his wound, yet she could still picture him standing there with blood dripping down his arm. It was a sight she’d never forget.

  When he’d opened the closet door and she’d seen the blood, her heart had stopped. In that moment, she’d realized the truth. She wasn’t falling in love with him. She was already there. The realization had quickly been followed by the thought that he might die because he’d been protecting her.

  Even his verbal reassurance that the wound wasn’t serious hadn’t helped. Only after he’d wiped the blood away, allowing her to see he only had a gash and not an actual bullet hole through his arm, had her heart returned to a more normal beat.

  “I don’t have a lot of time, but I wanted to give you an update before I left,” Connor explained, grabbing a coffee and joining her at the table. “Kassidy has been located.”

  He drank half the cup while she processed the four words. “As in you know where she is for certain, or HRT physically has her?”

  “HRT was part of the team that went in, but the FBI has her in custody.” He leaned toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I wish I could give you more details, but I can’t until I get the okay from Ax.”

  Details would be nice, but she understood. “Is she okay?” Regardless of what Kassidy had or hadn’t done, Becca hoped she remained unharmed.

  “Yeah. She doesn’t have a scratch on her.”

  All the other details would eventually come out, especially if she had stolen the research as everyone suspected. “Good. Has anyone told Robert?” Becca didn’t need to speak to her stepfather to know the man was going crazy, not knowing whether Kassidy was okay or not.

  “No idea. But if someone hasn’t contacted him yet, they will.” He drained his cup. “Thanks to cyber, we know where the bastard who’s been after you is holed up.”

  Connor’s mouth covered hers before she could ask if that had anything to do with why he didn’t have a lot of time.

  “It’s almost over. But until I get back, you’ll stay here.”

  “Where are you going?” She asked the question even though her mind already knew the answer. They’d managed to track down whoever had planted those little devices in her purse and briefcase, and he planned to go after them.

  He met and held her gaze. “Exactly where you think, Becca.”

  The image of Connor’s body motionless and covered in blood much like the intruders she’d seen tonight formed. Asking him not to go was pointless, regardless of her feelings. “Be careful.”

  Over Connor’s shoulder, she spotted Maddie standing in the doorway. Becca didn’t care if they had an audience or not. Closing her eyes, she took possession of his lips and focused all her attention on communicating her feelings to him.

  “Save it, Romeo,” a male voice she didn’t recognize called into the room. “We’re out of here.”

  She’d known at least one person was watching, but the comment from the newcomer made her blush anyway.

  Connor pulled away and stood. “Be back soon. Mad Dog is going to keep you company.” He moved away and paused at the doorway. “Keep her from thinking too much.”

  Yeah, not possible. Until he returned alive and unharmed, she’d be thinking about nothing but him.

  “I’ll do my best,” Maddie answered before coming into the kitchen and picking up the cup Connor had left behind. “Man, I wish I was going with them.” She tossed it into the trash can before pouring what was left in the coffeepot into a new cup.


  Although it would mean being in danger, Becca shared the woman’s sentiment. Connor hadn’t even exited the building yet and already she was worrying. If she were with him, she wouldn’t need to wait to find out if he was okay.

  She watched Maddie—she just couldn’t think of her as Mad Dog, no matter how many times she heard Connor call her that—get a fresh pot of coffee started.

  “Did Ax or Connor ask you to babysit me?” A conversation wouldn’t stop the thoughts going through her head, but it would help pass the time. Right now she couldn’t do anything but pass time.

  “Nah, I’m not allowed on any operations until I’m done with physical therapy.” Finished at the counter, she joined Becca at the table. “I offered to keep you company while Connor’s gone.” She crossed her arms on the table. “And don’t worry, he’ll be back.”

  She wasn’t worried if he’d be back; it was the state he’d be in when he came back that concerned her.

  “Safely. So relax.”

  “Are mind reading abilities a prerequisite for a job here?” Becca inquired. More than once Connor had done the same thing to her.

  Maddie smiled, and Becca again wondered why a woman would choose this type of career. “If such a thing existed, it might be,” she replied. “Some people are easy to read. Whether you like it or not, you’re one of them. But, like I said, there’s no reason to worry. Connor and the team know what they’re doing. He and everyone with him will return in one piece.”

  “How many are with him? Or can’t you tell me?” On television, it was always two or three good guys going in after a gang of bad guys. She always guessed it didn’t happen like that in real life. It would simply be too dangerous, but knowing for certain would go a long way right now.

  “The team sent tonight consists of six and, trust me, they all know what they’re doing.” Maddie sounded confident. “Plus, they’re not going in alone. Because it’s believed this is tied to your stepsister, the FBI and the local police are involved as well.”

  “And they have the element of surprise,” Becca added. At least she hoped they had surprise on their side. If whoever planted those devices knew the good guys were coming, they might be able to overtake Connor and whoever was with him.