Richard knew this question would come sooner or later. Letting out a deep breath, he replied, “No, Noah, she wasn’t with me. I’m sorry, man.”
Noah nodded, never lowering his eyes from Richard’s. “At least you’re home safe.”
Noah and Richard easily engaged in a light banter over the next hour. Noah relayed some of the more memorable stories that Richard had missed out on. Noah felt like a part of himself had been restored in getting his friend back, but another part of his heart felt like it had been ripped in half again.
When the news first broke of Richard, he had held onto some hope that Brianna would emerge alive, too. But when Richard confirmed she wasn’t with him, he knew she had been on that fateful flight and he felt like he had lost her all over again.
Noah found it difficult to keep his mind on the conversation at times, even though he was glad to be with his old friend again. His mind returned to thoughts of Brianna and how tense their relationship had become those last few weeks they were together. If only he had one more chance with her.
The conversation lagged and Noah finally said, “I’m going to go now and let you get some rest. You probably have people coming out of the woodwork to talk to you. I’m just glad you’re home, man.”
Noah felt guilty for the fleeting wish that Brianna had returned, instead of Richard…or even with Richard. He was glad for his friend, but something felt off about the circumstances. There were no reports of any demands for his release. The U.S. government won’t negotiate with terrorists, so that wasn’t an option, either. Something didn’t add up in the way that Richard suddenly appeared on the scene, in Miami, and seemingly unscathed.
You’re sounding like a conspiracy theorist now, Reaper. He shook off his suspicious thoughts and chalked it up to the fact the press hadn’t been given a lot of information, yet. More would come to light after the government officials decided what unclassified information could be released. His military career had taught him all too well how some top-secret information would never be declassified.
Climbing in to his truck, he pulled out his cell phone and punched in his friend’s number. He recounted his visit with Richard to Bull. They ended the call and Bull promised to relay the information to Rebel.
* * *
Richard closed the door after Noah left and smiled at his cleverness. So far, so good, he thought smugly. He believed Noah was so shocked to see him that he didn’t doubt his concocted story at all. Not yet, anyway.
“Now,” Richard voiced aloud, “It’s time to get my business back up and running.”
Richard picked up the phone and dialed. “Remember me, old friend? It’s time for me to come back to work. I’ll need your help in getting started, and I’ll definitely make it worth your while.”
The voice on the other end hesitated before he answered, “Richard. Saw your picture in the paper. What can I do for you?”
“Meet me tomorrow night. We need to talk, in person,” Richard demanded.
“Let me know where and what time. I’ll be there,” the man replied.
“One of my men will contact you tomorrow. Looking forward to it.”
Richard fisted his hands and paced in the hotel suite. Angrily, he stalked back and forth across the room, spitting out his thoughts to himself.
“That stupid little bitch. She thought she could beat me. Three years I’ve had to lay low, and now I’m going to make her pay for it. Slowly and painfully.”
He had a very lucrative business set up before Brianna somehow got ahold of incriminating information against him. She went deep into hiding and took that information with her. Until he got it back, his life was on the line. Technically, he had always been in danger, due to the type of people with which he conducted business, but he could handle them. As long as he obtained the goods they needed, there was nothing to worry about.
But Brianna had been on a mission to tell his story and nothing had swayed her from that. He’d waited three years for her to show back up at Noah’s door. His life and plans had been put on hold while he looked for her. If he reappeared before he found her, she’d annihilate him. He thought he had made sure his tracks were covered, but somehow Brianna found out. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
When his hired man, Bosco, called to say he’d found Brianna, Richard was elated for the first time in three years. She hadn’t left the safety of her hiding place on her own, but he knew that his picture on the front page of every newspaper and Internet post would jar her into action. He wagered it all on his assumption that she’d be more worried about Noah’s safety than her own. For Noah, she’d let her guard down and Richard would make sure she disappeared permanently this time.
Richard had recently received word that there was a dirty CIA agent looking to make a small fortune in weapons trafficking. The agent turned out to be an old acquaintance from his military days. He planned to use his friend to build his business up again, and more importantly, keep his customers from cutting his head off. His CIA friend would have the right connections to get the specific weapons he needed for this shipment.
Richard made a few more calls to his former friends and business partners. The majority of the men he used as his security team had less than stellar backgrounds, but that fit his plan perfectly. Someone less educated, less cunning, and with a criminal history made a great fall guy in the event something went wrong. Still, he’d be very careful in how he set up any business meetings.
Several hours later, darkness fell in Boulder and Bosco watched lights flicker through the windows along the row of townhouses from his spot in the tree. All of the houses, that is, except Brianna’s house. He climbed down from his perch and silently moved across the yards and the street. He walked along the wall at the side of her townhouse to the back sliding glass door. Giving it an easy tug, the door slid open.
Bosco called Richard after he searched her townhouse. “She’s gone. Yeah, I checked the house. She must have gone out the back. Clever little minx, huh? I’m on the next flight to Miami. Be there in a few hours.”
Richard was extremely pleased with himself. He had secured several new contacts, talked business without anyone even knowing, and made a few new deals. His covert venture would be back in full swing soon. It was so much easier to be the bad guy when he looked and acted like the good guy. No one really watched his every move when they viewed him as part of the world’s elite class.
He was back in his element now, instead of hiding in some dirty Third World country. Damn, the last three years have been hell, he thought glumly. His last shipment before going into hiding was interrupted and the buyers were not happy. It was a good thing he had built a long relationship with them and convinced them he could help them in the future. In the meantime, he helped them build their own supply networks and stayed alive.
His buyers helped him get back in the U.S. because they learned of a new weapon being developed and they wanted it. Richard’s DOD job and all his contacts would help him get them. He’d make enough money off this one shipment to retire to his own private island, but he knew he wouldn’t stop there. He had some favors to pay back first, though.
It wouldn’t be long before Brianna showed up, and he could tie up all the loose ends. He arranged for his face to be plastered across every major newspaper, but he already knew where she was hiding. He had plans for Brianna and Noah.
Noah served his purpose. Too bad he started thinking with his dick over that stupid little bitch, Richard smugly mused.
* * *
Noah drove to his Steele Security office in downtown Miami. It was a Saturday afternoon, so he could’ve gone home instead of to work. His men were fully capable of planning and coordinating security for the foreign dignitary reception at the Miami Premiere Banquet Hall later that night. He honestly just didn’t want to go home yet.
The night Noah and Brianna reconnected in the Rainbow and Bead Pub replayed in his mind as he drove. He could see her across the bar, laughing and having fun with her
girlfriends on her birthday. He could smell her perfume and feel her touch. The electricity between them hadn’t diminished in any way.
When he found her, she worked for the Miami Herald and frequently traveled for her investigative stories. His new security business was growing by leaps and bounds and occasionally called for him to travel. Regardless of their time demands, they always made time for each other. They stayed up all night and talked for hours on end about everything and anything.
He fell in love with her in every way during their time together. Her love of life and her determination to live each day to the fullest was contagious. She loved to laugh and found humor in most anything. She didn’t let daily aggravations and frustrations get her down. She always looked on the bright side, and was somewhat naïve to how dangerous the world could be. He had seen the evil first hand, but she helped balance him with the good that was still in the world.
When she caught wind of a big story that she was both excited and anxious about, she couldn’t wait to dive in headfirst. As she investigated and gathered information from various sources, she talked with him less and less about it. Whatever it was she found, it had rocked her foundation, changed her, and altered their relationship. She became more reserved, nervous, and he was convinced she looked at him differently. He tried to talk to her about it several times, but he didn’t get the answers he needed.
He knew he could push and get the answers he wanted. He was trained to interrogate suspects in numerous ways and he was good at it, but he drew the line at using those tactics on the woman he loved. If she wasn’t ready to talk about it, there was a reason and he knew he needed to give her space.
Their last conversation continued to haunt him three years later. She’d approached him in his office and asked if they could talk about what was going on. He wanted to hear it, get it out in the open, and fix whatever had gone wrong between them. But losing the only woman he’d ever loved was the only thing that frightened him.
He replied that he was too busy at the moment, stating that they’d talk about it later. But his ‘later’ never came.
“If only I’d known that would be the last time I ever saw you.” Noah shook the memory from his mind.
He would forever regret how poorly he handled that conversation, the last one he had with her. He still didn’t know what she’d found that had changed her so drastically over those last few weeks together and having those unanswered questions was difficult to live with. His feelings for her didn’t change, still hadn’t changed, but the regret of not fighting tooth and nail for her, for them, was palpable.
“They say you never know what you have until you lose it. I knew what I had, but I realized too late that I didn’t do enough to keep it,” he stated aloud.
Brianna was still as much a part of him today as she was on the day he found her again over four years before. It had been three years since she died, and he still thought about her every single day. Noah didn’t date for a full year after Brianna’s death. He just couldn’t bring himself to even remotely care about another woman. He had occasional dates over the past two years, but nothing serious.
Walking into his office, he decided he had to get his mind on work and off of Brianna. The reception planned for later that night was both a blessing and a curse. On the good side, his firm had been hired to provide additional security for the major international event. His firm worked with the local Miami police department and with various other federal organizations to coordinate coverage. His business was doing very well and had gained significant accolades from influential people in the world. The coverage from tonight would only further that, and then he would focus on opening more security firms in other major cities, employing more ex-military men in a position that suited their training and discipline.
The downside was he wasn’t actually working the event. While he always considered himself to be on duty, his date for the evening didn’t. He wasn’t looking forward to spending the evening with this particular acquaintance. Alexa Bishop was part of the Miami elite club and her wealthy family made significant contributions to political campaigns.
The woman was absolutely ruthless when it came to business, but her elegant good looks and instant charm fooled many people in the boardroom. They never guessed that she was the biggest shark in the water. She knew what she wanted, and she was accustomed to getting it.
Alexa had made it clear, on more than one occasion, that what she wanted was a commitment and a ring from Noah. He had made it abundantly clear to her that scenario would never happen. He frequently encouraged her to find someone else and get married, because that life was not in the stars for him. She always sidestepped the conversation and acted as though she hadn’t heard him.
He wasn’t playing hard to get, and deep down he thought Alexa knew he told her the truth. But for now, they continued to use each other and take what they needed, whether that was an occasional escort to a high society function, or for sex.
Alexa’s father, William Bishop, built his business in exporting and shipping goods to other countries. Through his business dealings, he became very familiar with numerous foreign dignitaries, ambassadors, business leaders, and other officials at all levels of the U.S. government. William would rub elbows with all the right people at the event tonight, who could grease the wheels at the shipping ports, speed up the red tape of customs, and make him even wealthier than he already was.
Noah opened his email to double check any last minute security changes that were required for the evening’s event. He found an updated attendee list that added Richard Hollingsworth to the party.
15
Chapter Fifteen
The unsettling feeling of being watched wouldn’t go away. So as Brianna’s new identification said, ‘Leslie Solomon’ made airline reservations for a flight leaving from Denver early that afternoon. In the beginning of her three years of WITSEC living, she purchased an older car and parked it in a storage unit that was just over a mile from her current house.
One thing about her townhouse she was grateful for was how the backyards were arranged. Around each yard stood an eight-foot tall wood privacy fence with a built-in gate that led to the next yard. Another gate was positioned along the back line of fencing that led to the neighborhood directly behind the townhouses.
Her neighbor to the right of her townhouse was close to her age and had small kids. They talked at least once a week and had left their adjoining gate unlocked in case the kids’ toys ended up in the wrong backyard. She knew it wasn’t safe to leave through the front door, so she eased out the back sliding glass door, through the gate to her neighbor’s yard, and then on to the back gate.
With her current disguise, no one watching would realize she didn’t belong to that yard as she walked through the back gate. She was nothing more than a woman visiting for a neighborly chat. She continued walking through the bordering neighborhood and on to her hidden second car.
Inside the Denver airport, she checked in for her flight and walked to the line for security. She knew there were cameras all through the airport, especially at the security checkpoint, so she kept her head down as much as possible while waiting in line, without appearing suspicious. As she neared the TSA agent checking identification and boarding passes, a moment of panic hit her when she realized it had been three years since the Leslie Solomon license had been made.
Drastic changes in appearance raised too many questions in an airport. She handed her license and boarding pass to him and held her breath. He looked at the picture on the license, then at her, then back at the picture, then back at her. He finally made a few marks on her boarding pass and handed it, along with her license, back to her. He eyed her somewhat suspiciously, but when she spoke with her southern twang, “Thank you so much,” his look softened. He smiled and said, “Have a good flight,” before turning to the next person in line.
She made it through the checkpoint without incident and walked to her gate to wait for her flight to Miami.
She was certain that her Kristina Miller alias had been compromised, but wasn’t sure if Leslie Solomon had been or not. Until she knew for sure, she had to be extra careful when she arrived in Miami. The newspaper article said Richard Hollingsworth was in Miami, so she knew it wasn’t him watching her. But then she knew he wouldn’t do it himself. No, she thought, he would be in Miami…with Noah.
With her thought, she let out an exaggerated and exasperated sigh. She’d have to think this through carefully. There were certain tasks she had to see to herself and plans she had to carefully lay out until this fiasco was over, one way or another. She never felt completely safe in trusting Marshal Stevens. Something about the man just didn’t seem right from the beginning, and his lack of surprise over the recent turn of events solidified her resolve.
She heard the airline attendant announce over the intercom that her flight had started to board. Brianna collected her purse, stood with her boarding pass in hand, and waited for her zone to be called. As she walked down the jetway, she wasn’t sure if she was walking to or from hell, but she had a sneaking suspicion this would be the hardest trip to Miami she would ever make.
She settled into her seat, buckled her seatbelt, and listened as the flight attendant reviewed the safety information on the TV screen in front of her. When the plane began to move, she leaned her head back against the seat, closed her eyes, and let her mind rest. She’d been running on an adrenalin-high for several hours now and was beginning to crash. She knew she was safe for at least the next four hours.
She reasoned that even if her current alias had been compromised, no one would try anything on a plane full of people. Once she landed in Miami, she would find a small hotel, pay with cash, and stay out of sight. If anyone recognized her as Brianna Tate, whatever name she used wouldn’t save her anyway.
Wicked Games: The Extended Edition (Steele Security #1) Page 16