Beau cocked his head in disbelief. “Seriously? That doesn’t sound very Spanish. Chica maybe, but dumpling?”
“What else did she say?” Officer Crenshaw asked.
“She… she said I took something from her, and she couldn’t get it back. I thought she meant you.” McKenna looked up at Beau’s grim face. “But then she wanted information in exchange for my life. She asked about Kelsey. What she liked to eat. Where she shopped.”
“Which sounds like something that Catalina” —Beau jerked his chin at the sketch of the blonde woman— “would ask to get back at Alex. She’d want to hurt Kelsey. What else?”
McKenna blinked as random info-bytes came to her. “She tapped my forehead. Told me to take care of this little girl first, meaning me” —a shiver sneaked up her spine— “or, these are her words, ‘mommy’s going to be very upset, and you know what’ll happen then.’ It was like she knew me.” McKenna scrubbed her biceps with hard up and down strokes, needing the sensation of that woman—whoever she was—off her skin and out of her head. “I can’t get these goosebumps to stop.”
“Anything else?” Beau asked as he tugged her under his arm.
“She called me ‘child’, but not in a motherly way. She said, ‘tell me about Kelsey Stewart, child.’ Isn’t that creepy?” McKenna shivered again, and once more Beau responded, scrubbing his good hand up her bicep and down again.
“Sounds like she knew what happened when you were…” Beau let his voice fade.
McKenna nodded. “Exactly. She knew how to rattle me. She knew what happened when I was a kid.”
Taige canted her head. “What happened?”
McKenna looked at Beau. Before she could speak, he pointed to the fierce Amazon with the braid and snakeskin tattoo and asked, “Do you have any idea who this one is, McKenna? Could she be the mother or grandmother of a patient you’ve treated? I mean, Alex is certain that this one” —he pointed to the short blonde— “is Catalina Montego, and that she’s after him and his team. He thinks that’s why she came after me. But this other one… Is it possible she’s after you for malpractice or mistreatment or” —Beau shrugged— “something that has nothing to do with Alex or The TEAM?”
McKenna shook her head. “I guess, but I haven’t had any malpractice suits filed against me. The clinic had one, but it didn’t include me, and it was settled months ago. I guess it’s possible one of my parents is upset with me, but if they are, I don’t know it yet. My patients like me, Beau. I know they do. There is something familiar about her, though, but I don’t recall seeing her at the office or in the hospital. I can’t place her.” She canted her head, looking at the sketch from a different angle. “Sorry. Wish I could help, but no, I don’t know her.”
But yes... The more she stared into those cruel black eyes, the more McKenna recognized—something. She lifted two fingers to her lips and brushed down on them like she used to do when—
“What are you doing?” Beau asked.
“Nothing. I’m just—”
He turned his body toward her then, his shoulders wide and powerful but the look in his eyes piercingly kind. “Baby, you’re crying.”
“No, I’m not.” But lifting those same fingertips to her eyes, they came away wet. Why yes, I am. How odd? A distant memory hovered at the edge of forgetfulness, like a fluttering moth McKenna couldn’t catch no matter how hard she tried. Elusive. Evasive. Painful...
“Now that you jogged my memory…” Beau swallowed noisily. “McKenna, what was Montego’s evil twin chanting that night? When I first breached your door, I heard her say something about revenge and weird shit like blood and sisters. Thought I smelled incense, too.” He lifted the back of his injured hand to his forehead. “What was that about?”
McKenna shrugged, hating that she felt like a helpless female instead of the capable physician she’d been only days ago. How could he still be so confident, when she and her world were falling apart? “I have no idea,” she bit out, suddenly frustrated. “What do you expect me to say? My dad’s missing, and one of these women has him. Not good odds, is it?”
“That’s not what I—”
“Damn it! My dad’s in trouble, but you’re not doing anything to help him.” She jumped to her feet. “Is that so hard to understand? He’s not hard and cold like you. He’s a gentle man, and he’s kind, and funny, and he’s probably hurt and bleeding, and he’s—” A stupid hiccup jerked out of her, making her look even more out of control.
Suddenly, Beau was on his feet, and she was back in his arms, her cheek pressed against his hard chest. “I got you,” he murmured, his arms locked tightly around her, his one good hand trapping her against him, and his heart pounding.
“But you don’t got my dad, do you?” It was no use. She couldn’t break loose, and Beau gave no quarter, just drew her under his chin while she fumed and cussed and turned into a weepy, blubbering mess.
“No, but I will find him,” Beau told her, his voice so kind despite what she’d said.
“I’m sorry,” came easily to her lips. “You’re not hard or cold, I’m just… I’m so—”
“Scared, I know. Trust me, baby, I know. But you’re not fighting these bitches by yourself. Officer Crenshaw here is—”
“Is at this moment transmitting three very good likenesses of our two suspects to my captain at the precinct,” Taige finished. “In seconds, every police officer and FBI agent in a five-state radius will know who we’re looking for. You both did excellent work here today.”
McKenna turned her head to argue, but Taige was good for her word. She’d sketched the pictures by hand, but one of her drawings now lay face down on what looked like a portable fax machine.
Taige inclined her head to McKenna. “I’ve had the good luck to work with Alex Stewart before. His men are above reproach, and I’ve never known guys who worked harder. You should trust Agent Jennings. I can’t promise, but with The TEAM on your side, your father’s chance of survival just went up a notch.”
A notch, really? One whole notch? Like that’s supposed to make me feel better?
Damn, but talk was cheap. McKenna had heard promises before, from her mother. After Aurora let McKenna out of the closet, always just in time for her to get washed and her hair brushed before her father came home. Just in time to look normal, when she was far from it. Just as soon as...
The oddest tremor of déjà vu rippled up McKenna’s spine. She was a child again. Crying. Aching. Breathless with—
Brrrrrrrring! The old-fashioned ring tone from Taige’s cell jolted McKenna from her childhood reverie.
“Excuse me. I have to take this. Officer Crenshaw. Yes. Put it through.” Taige laid the phone to the table and said, “This pre-recorded call just came into my precinct.”
“McKenna, listen to me,” a man said, his voice laced with terror. “There’s a lot you don’t know, princess. Whatever you do, don’t come looking for me. Please! Stay safe. Stay—!”
The call disconnected.
“That’s my dad,” McKenna cried out. “He’s in trouble.”
Beau was already thumbing his cell phone. “Boss?”
Taige was barking into her phone, asking if her people had traced the call.
McKenna just wanted to scream.
Chapter Forty
“I didn’t press her harder because that night she was injured, and I doubt—”
“You should have!” Beau spat. “We would’ve known we were dealing with Montego and Bitch Two sooner. Fuck, Stewart! What were you thinking?”
So now I’m Stewart again. You son-of-a-bitch…
“Why didn’t you question her if you’re so damned smart? You’re sleeping with her!” he bellowed, wishing he hadn’t accepted this hands-free call from the pain in the ass agent he’d mistakenly hired. Alex hated driving when his temper was up. He tended toward aggression on good days, but the way Beau continually talked back, pushed him toward full-blown road rage.
&nb
sp; On the highway headed back to Maverick’s ranch, Alex would rather have been going home to his wife where another emergency was unfolding. In the middle of investigating not only Golden Horizons facility, staff, and the few leads that surfaced, Mother called. Dempsey had taken a turn for the worse. Mother already contacted her private medical team to transport her daughter back to her private hospital. And Beau had the nerve to call him out?
As usual the hothead didn’t answer Alex’s question. “What’d you find at the assisted living home, huh? Anything?”
The snark in that terse question was enough to choke a camel—or get someone killed. Alex stabbed the end call button on his steering wheel before he punched his dash and broke it. Son-of-a-bitch, he was pissed. He’d no more than clenched the wheel, wishing it were Beau’s thick neck, when an incoming buzzed.
“Stewart!” he growled. So help me, Jennings—
“Alex?” Kelsey asked, a tremor in her voice.
“Yes?” he asked though he already knew what was coming.
“They didn’t make it. Dempsey’s gone. The chopper’s going on into the hospital, so her doctor can declare time of death. Mother needs me. I have to go.”
Son-of-a-bitch! “No. I’m almost home. Wait for me and we’ll fly into the city together.”
Silence. And Alex knew Kelsey’s heart was breaking all over again, that survivor’s guilt was riding her hard.
“Please, sweetheart,” he begged. “I’m almost home.”
“I will,” Kelsey murmured, her voice so incredibly sad. “I... I can’t do this without you.”
She always thought she was the weaker one, but he knew better. He’d be nothing without her. “I’ll be there in ten. Bring Lexie with you.”
“Copy that,” she whispered as the line disconnected.
Alex shook his head at the pain twisting his gut. Beau had to go. That was all there was to it. After Montego and the woman who’d assaulted McKenna were apprehended, after this mess was done, Beau Jennings could go to hell. Alex didn’t have the patience to kiss that bastard’s ass every time he turned around. That was no way to run a business. The TEAM was not only successful, but Americans needed it. What they didn’t need was Beau Jennings. No. Damned. More.
Alex made it home in six minutes and parked his car inside his security gate in seven. Maverick and Gabe were still back at the assisted living home, working with the local police and investigating the unknown fingerprints found on the outside door at one of the rear exits. At least they followed orders.
Running for Kelsey, needing her in his arms, Alex left his car in the driveway, barking instructions for Lee to ensure that everyone at the Wild Wolf Ranch stayed secure. The last thing he needed was Mother’s loss to distract his team. Montego was still out there gunning for him. Someone else could get hurt.
Lee came back with a steady, “No problem, Boss. Officer Crenshaw just left. I take it you know the police received a call from McKenna’s father.”
“Heard it from Beau,” Alex growled as he hit his front porch and pressed his palm to the scanner. “Do we know anything else? Were they able to trace the call?”
“No, they weren’t. How’s Mother?”
“I’m on my way to see her now,” Alex said as he stepped inside his home, the one place no murderer would ever—EVER—enter. “Justice is with her. I never should’ve—”
“Don’t go there. We didn’t have a lot of choices with Montego on the loose. It’s just life, Boss. Sometimes it rains; sometimes it pours.”
“Copy that.” Alex disconnected as he met Kelsey’s tearful stare from the hallway, an overnight bag in her hand. But no Lexie. “Where is everyone?”
Kelsey nodded behind her. “Zack, Harley, Eric, and Jake are with the kids. They’re talking to them about Dempsey and... you know.”
As it should be, the men explaining death to their little ones. “Where’s Lexie?”
“I don’t want to take her. She’s too young. She’ll be safe here.” Kelsey ran a hand through her hair, and Alex wished those were his fingers caught in her tangles. “What are you up to, Alex? David called. He’s bringing Nancy and the kids over, but he’s not staying. He said we’ve got enough firepower here, that you need him elsewhere.”
Alex nodded. “David, Rory, Taylor, and Cassidy are working with Detective Oberg hunting the real Catalina Montego. Connor and Izza are on another lead. But this other woman… The one who hurt McKenna…” He shook his head. “Her prints aren’t in any known database. Hell, we don’t even know what to call her.” Aside from Bitch Two, Beau’s name for her. At least, he got that right. “There’s no paper trail. No way to pin her down. When we get back, I’ve got to talk with McKenna and find out what else she remembers.”
“Talk with her now,” Kelsey urged. “We need to catch her assailant as much as Montego.”
He shook his head. “No. Mother needs us more. You ready?”
It seemed as if Kelsey deflated where she stood. She nodded. Her eyes brimmed, and Alex went to her and folded her inside his arms. “I know, sweetheart, I know,” he whispered as she burrowed under his chin and clung to him as if he were her life. God knew she was his. “It’s never easy. Let’s go be strong for Mother.”
“You’re right.”
Alex glanced over his shoulder at his home while he led Kelsey to the door. He needed a head count of agents and all family members soon. He’d have time do that once he and Kelsey were in the air. For the first time in months, most of his team was home instead of on missions. Only Mark Houston and Hunter Christian were OUTCONUS, out of the country.
The feeling that something truly evil was bearing down on him lingered. Well, bring it on, he thought. You think I can’t whip your ass, Montego? You too, Bitch Two? Try me. Fuckin’ try me! I’ll end the both of you before you hurt one more person!
Pissed that the expletive reminded Alex of his headstrong agent and another problem he didn’t need, Alex shielded Kelsey from street traffic while he escorted her quickly to their car. He’d no more than opened the door when he saw it. Jerking her back into his arms, he pressed her face into his chest before she could see what lay on the back seat. His pistol sprang automatically from his underarm holster to his hand.
Son-of-a-bitch, had that been behind the driver’s seat all along? Since he’d left Golden Horizons? Which meant Montego’s been inside my car.
“Alex? What’s—”
“In the house. Now,” he ordered, his sharp eyes measuring shadows and every minuscule movement as adrenaline coursed through him.
Kelsey promptly did as she was told, while he backed with her to the front door, his arm around her and his weapon ready to kill. In seconds, they were safely inside. She’s been in my driveway! “I want Zack, Harley and Jake in here now. Please get them.”
“You bet,” she murmured as she hurried to obey.
The agents he trusted soon swarmed the living room, all armed and all prepared—like Kelsey—to follow his lead. Bronzed as a Tahitian god with three times the testosterone, Zack arrived first. “What’s up?”
A lanky survivor of one too many combat tours, Harley followed on his six. “Don’t tell me, Montego’s dumb enough to come after you here?”
“Not sure,” Alex bit out. “It’s either her or Bitch Two.”
Jake Weylin, another survivor and a former Marine who’d proven to be a damned good infiltrator, cocked his head. “Bitch Two? There something you need to tell us, Boss?”
“Yes, but first, Harley and Jake, check the perimeter. Hurry.” Alex didn’t have to look to know his men had instantly followed orders, that they were already scouring the house and grounds for intruders. Which Alex doubted they’d find, since his dogs hadn’t raised an alarm.
Zack approached Alex with his pistol drawn, the barrel raised. “So what’s going on? Is Montego really here?”
“Someone sure as hell was. There’s a severed finger on the back seat of my car, and now we’ve got
two suspects.”
“Montego’s got help?”
Alex closed his steel entry door, slapped the deadbolt, and activated the alarm. “Not sure, but while Beau and McKenna were sitting with the forensic artist, they both remembered different things from their attacks.” Alex ran a hand up his stiff and aching neck, wishing he’d listened to Beau instead of discounting his version of who he’d sincerely thought he’d seen. A man? No damned way. But a different woman altogether? That made sense.
“From what Beau recalled, we’re dealing with two psychotic women who may or may not be working together. I’ve got to get over to Maverick’s to question him and Doc Fitz.”
“Then go,” Zack replied quickly. “Jake, Harley, and I can take care of things here.”
“No, I need to visit Mother first.” And I need to wait for Howie, and, son-of-a-bitch! Is it asking too much for Karma to stop dogpiling on my TEAM!
“But what’s the biggest rock?” Zack asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“The biggest problem. You can’t push them all up hill at the same time. Pick one and let us handle the rest. Now choose.”
Alex wiped his hand over his face. If it were only that easy. Delegation in the line of fire or on the front line didn’t come easy. He didn’t shirk responsibility or ask his men and women to step up to chores he himself wouldn’t do. Ever! He led, not pushed from the rear where things were safe, orderly, and clean. Combat was ugly, and it was dirty, but a real man stepped up and fought alongside his troops. If Grandpa Stewart, who’d fought at Iwo Jima, had taught Alex anything, it was how to be that real man.
Yet, something had to give. And his people came first. Like he’d told Kelsey, “I’m going into the city,” Alex said as the first kink in his neck let loose its tight grip on his jugular, not that his migraine felt any better. “Maverick and Gabe can sort Beau and McKenna once they get back to the ranch. I won’t be gone long. In the meantime, keep my daughter safe.”
Zack inclined his head to Alex. “She’s my daughter, too.”
Beau (In the Company of Snipers Book 18) Page 26