by Kelly Moore
“Naw, man. Sounds like you found your heart.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“His heart belongs to the military,” Tate snorts. “There’s no room for a woman in it.”
“That can’t be true. According to Nina, there’s an ex Mrs. Beckham.”
“That was a long time ago, and a period of my life I’d like to forget.”
“You must’ve loved her at one time to marry her.”
“I thought I did, but I chose this life, and it ruined our marriage. Tate’s right. I love the military more.”
“But why have you hidden the fact that you were married?”
“Why don’t you mind your own damn business?”
“Because we’re brothers, and we help each other and have each other’s backs.”
“I don’t need my back covered on this.”
“What about Dr. Ruth?” Tate raises her brows. “What does she have to do with your wife?”
“You two need to back off and focus on the mission and leave my private life out of it.” I grit my teeth in anger. I don’t want to expose mine and Lauryn’s affair. It was a long time ago, and she’s made it clear that nothing will happen between us again, even though I know her body came to life the moment she saw me. I was an inexperienced young lover when we were together. I’d love to have her wrapped in my arms to show her the man I am now.
They’re both quiet for a second. “I shot and killed my father,” Theo breaks the silence. “I’m not proud of it, but it changed my life.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I yank my bandanna off my head.
“I thought if I shared something personal with you, that maybe you’d be more willing to open up.”
“This is not the Dr. Phil show, and not everyone has to wear their heart on their sleeve.” I’m gruff in my delivery, but I want him to stop.
“And, not everyone has to be an asshole either. You joined our team, and no one really knows you.” Tate puts her two cents in with Theo.
“I’m not here to be warm and fuzzy with you. I’m focused on the job.”
“Maybe that’s why your marriage didn’t last long,” Tate scoffs.
I unbuckle and forge out of my seat. “My marriage didn’t last because my wife fucked another man!” I storm toward the pilots and stumble when the plane dips from an air pocket. I steady myself with my hand on the ceiling. Damn it, why did I let them get to me? I’m a goddamn SEAL, and I let these two force a conversation that I don’t want to relive.
I open the cockpit door. “How long before we land?”
“We have to keep moving further east. This storm is dangerous. I’m estimating another hour,” the pilot says. “You may want to stay buckled in. We’re going to hit some pretty high winds.”
I stomp back out, but instead of sitting between them, I strap in the seat across from them. “We’re hitting high turbulence. The pilot says it will be another hour. How about instead of delving into my past, we look over the schematics of the Seattle port.”
Tate takes out her laptop.
“I’m sorry she cheated on you, brother. No one deserves that kind of dishonesty in a relationship.” Theo looks sincere.
“I can’t connect in this weather. As soon as we land, I’ll pull it up, and we can look over it on the drive to Seattle.” Tate stuffs her computer back in her bag.
“What about you, Tate? You ever been in love?” Theo looks at her.
“Oh, no, we are not making this about me,” she snorts.
“I think the woman protests a little too much.” Theo laughs.
“Leave her alone,” I say gruffly. I like Theo. He’s a damn good SEAL, but I’m in no mood for touchy-feely shit.
“I’m just trying to have a conversation to kill time.”
“You want to converse, let’s come up with a plan to get our people back alive. Nina has proven to be ruthless and very resourceful, and on top of it all, she already has a head start. She’s done her homework and knows something personal about each of us. She has the advantage of knowing our Achilles’ heel. I say we use the time to figure out what hers is, what’s her weakness?”
“Captain Rebel,” Tate responds.
“He may be a small thread of weakness for her, but there has to be something else,” Theo says.
“I agree. What do we know about her past? Where she grew up? Does she have any family?”
“Rebel couldn’t find anything on her past. It’s like she never existed,” Theo responds.
“Everyone has a past. We just haven’t dug deep enough. She knows us. We need to find out what drives her, or we’ll never stop her.”
“What makes you think it’s more than Captain Rebel? I know women will do crazy things for the men they love, including killing whoever is in their way,” Tate says.
“He was a pawn in her game, and he disturbed her ultimate goal. I think in her sick mind, she cared about him as much as a woman like her is capable of loving another person. But she disappeared for years with no contact with him until we infiltrated her company. It pissed her off,” Theo adds.
“Here is the question.” I tap my finger to my temple. “What made her so cold-hearted? Something in her past created the woman she is today. That’s what we need to find out in order to play her game, and it’s up to us to figure it out before it’s too late. Rebel’s too close to the situation.” I tie my bandanna back on my head.
“He’s right. I’ll get Honor to do some digging as soon as we’re back in commission on the radios.” Tate presses her earpiece.
“Do you really believe that Nina has our people held up in the port?” Theo crosses his arms.
“She’s the type of woman that’s going to leave us scraps unless we catch her off guard. My bet is on one or two of them being held there, but Sean will be the last person we'll find. He’s the closest to Rebel, and he’ll be the final hand she shows.”
“The three of us can’t fight her. We’ll need more men,” Tate responds.
“Agreed, but we are all we got when we hit the ground. Rebel is having a team sent to meet us at the port. They’ll be our support, but we better have a damn good strategy in mind by the time we get there. With the information we have on her, I’m sure she already knows where we’re landing, and she’s one step ahead of us. We have to make her misstep before we catch her. She’s owned this building for a long time. There has to be something there to give us a clue. A piece of her is there in that building, and we have to find it and use it against her.”
“Do you really think she’s stuck around?” Tate asks.
“My gut says yes. She wants to watch us play her game of cat and mouse.”
“The one thing I do know about Nina is that there has to be some financial gain in it for her. She’s always been about the highest bidder,” Theo remarks.
“This time is different. It’s personal. Rebel took her down, and she lost a lot of money. I think it was pennies to her, but he keeps getting in her way. She could have disappeared once she broke free. Instead, she came after all of us.”
“Rebel won’t hesitate in killing her this time,” Theo adds. “Not after what she did to Fallon.”
“She’s cold-blooded. I should’ve stopped her when I had the chance.”
“You made the right choice in saving Fallon,” Tate says. “We’ll get Nina, and she’ll pay for her crimes.”
“Not if she’s dead,” I say sternly and none of them argue the point.
The plane jars us again, and Tate looks green. “Where are you from, Tate?” I try to distract her.
“Mister, I don’t want to tell anything personal wants to know something about me?” she chimes in, and Theo chuckles.
“She’s got a point.” He grins.
I press my lips together. “Dr. Ruth was one of the base counselors where I was stationed. She was just starting her career, and she was assigned to me. She tried to save a marriage that was unsalvageable. So, yes, I knew her.”
>
“You knew her, so what?”
I glance at Tate, and she has a look of understanding in her eyes. Theo remains clueless.
“You knew her.” Tate smiles.
“What am I missing?” Theo asks.
“Nothing other than our lives have collided again.” I shrug him off. Funny how our lives can be fated together. I never thought I’d see her again, but here I am, now trying to save her life that’s in danger because of our past. One small link in time may change her life forever.
Chapter 3
Nina
“Zoom in on their faces.” I point to the room where Maxim has his camera closed in on the women. He’s been a loyal employee for years. I met him not long after my affair with Derrick. He’s a plaything with a brilliant technical mind. Not so great in bed, but a bad lay is better than no sex. No man will ever compare to the heights Derrick could take my body. He made me want more and feel more than I ever thought possible. “If you have to kill one of them, make sure it’s the smart one, not the one worth a million dollars simply because she’s got a pretty face.”
“I think the other one is gorgeous.” He smiles.
“She’s pretty but too smart for her own good.”
“I like brains on a woman.” His gaze scans over me. “A hot body doesn’t hurt either.”
“You’ll save the one I can sell,” I snip. I’m in no mood for him, especially since I’ve been around Derrick. That man always makes my skin heat up in more ways than one.
He flips over to another screen. “He’s on the move.”
“Where are you headed, Derrick?” I say, leaning close to the monitor. “Has his team landed yet?”
“No word on them yet. They’ve more than likely been diverted to another airport outside of Seattle because of the storm.”
“Phone the men and tell them to be ready at the port. They’ll need to move quickly. I need to make a phone call.” I walk around the old metal corrugated building that’s been closed for years. Only a few blocks from where Derrick calls headquarters, it was a great find. I’ve been able to plant a few bugs and keep an eye on the comings and goings of his team. This timber factory was booming in its day. Left behind are empty rooms that housed engineering offices, old rusted equipment, tools, industrial shelving, and a faded company emblem on the wall. The smells of wood and stains still hang in the crevices. I walk out back to a large delivery bay area and sit on the concrete floor, dangling my legs over the side, and find the number I want.
“Fallon Davis’s room.”
“I’m sorry, but there’s no one admitted under that name,” the voice on the other end says.
“Look again. Try Fallon Rebel.” Surely he didn’t marry her.
“Nothing under that name, either.”
I push the button to end the conversation. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.” I call Maxim’s number. “I want you to pull up the cameras at headquarters and tell me who is in the building.” I wait.
“The cameras aren’t operational. They must’ve found them.”
“Damn it.” I hang up and dial Derrick.
“Where are you headed, lover? Didn’t anyone tell you there was a storm coming?” I hear his growl.
“When I find you, I’m going to kill you, Nina.”
“Being that I know where you are, it seems that I have the upper hand.”
“Don’t get too comfortable. That can and will change at any moment.”
“Sean’s a sweetheart, by the way. He’s very charming and has the all-American boy looks. Too bad he had to put up such a fight. He’ll have a nasty scar to match yours.”
“This is all part of your game to bait me, isn’t it?” His tone is terse. “Why don’t you tell me what it is you really want and let my team go?”
“I wanted to not get caught and lose time in prison. You cost me loads of money.”
“That’s what it always comes back to for you. You still have plenty of money that wasn’t found, so why don’t you let it go?”
“Let it go?” I tap my finger to my lips. “Have you ever been hungry enough to eat out of garbage bins? Or, if you wanted clothes you had to steal them from a laundry mat? Better yet, give up someone because you knew their life would be better if they weren’t trapped in a world of disgust or a life without love in it?”
“Is that where your hate stems from, your childhood? I’m sorry for the things that happened to you as a kid, but you’re an adult now. You don’t have to be stuck in the past.”
“You’re right. I don’t, and I’ll never be put in a vile situation again. I choose to be filthy rich and never want or need for anything.”
“At all cost to other people’s lives.”
“Yes.”
“I feel sorry for you. You’re the true definition of a narcissist.”
“No. I don’t want your pity. That’s one thing I’ve always loved about you, Derrick. You don’t pity people. You take what life has thrown at them, and you make them stronger, so don’t go giving me your fucking sympathy.”
“What do you know about love, Nina? You have to give love to get it back.”
“You loved me even when I felt nothing more than a small amount of emotion toward you. And, you have no idea what I’ve done for love. I wouldn’t have…” I stop myself from telling him about my sister.
“You wouldn’t have what, Nina?”
“You need to stop worrying about me and concentrate on how to save your people, or they’re going to end up just like your Gunner team. They’ve already been ambushed. Now it’s time for the slaughter.” I hang up when he starts yelling.
I get up and go back into the room with Maxim. “Pack up this equipment. We’re moving locations. As soon as this storm lets up, get a boat ready.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to hell, Maxim. Get Derrick’s brother out of the freezer, that’s if he’s still alive by now. He’s going with us.” I take one of his guns from his holster.
“You going somewhere?”
“I need to see something for myself. Be ready to leave when I get back.”
I storm out to my rental van and head straight for the hospital. I toss the gun in my purse and slide in a back door when an employee comes out for a smoke break. I walk down a long hallway past a locker room. I slip inside and take a white coat out of a locker. I tuck my hand in the pocket to find a hospital ID. “Lucky girl.” I find it easy to blend in when you act like you belong. I stop at a nurse's station.
“I need to find out what room my patient was sent to after surgery.” I flash the secretary my badge with my thumb over the picture. She barely looks up.
“What’s your patient's name?”
“Fallon Davis.”
“It says here, she’s deceased.”
“Just tell me what room she went to?” Derrick could easily have it added to her file with his connections.
“It looks like after she transferred out of ICU, she was put in a private room. Room number 305.”
I nod and head to the elevators, but change my mind and take the stairs. When I reach the third floor, I crack the door open and look down the long hallway. I see one of Derrick’s men outside a room. “You lying bastard. You’ll pay for that.” I step back into the stairwell and call Maxim. “Temporary change of plans. I need one of our doctors on staff to give me a sedative. We’ve got a patient that needs to come with us on our trip. You might want to tell him it’s got to be big enough to take down a horse.” Derrick’s man is the size of a stallion. “Tell him to have it delivered to a coffee shop directly across the street from the hospital. I’ll be waiting for him.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Maxim always does what I ask without question. The next call I make is to the head of operations at the port.
“I need you to shut down the port immediately. Code red is in place.” I hang up, knowing he understands. He’ll have the shipment of women gone, along with all their records. We’ve kept the bare minimum around, s
o in case of an emergency, it could be cleaned out within an hour. He’ll either put the crate of women on a boat, or he’ll have them moved to another location. My desk will be his second priority. He doesn’t know where my safe is located, and neither does anyone else, so it will be secure.
I sip on a cup of coffee until I see the familiar face of the doctor who’s always been more than willing to give me what I need for a handsome price. I’ve made him tons of money, and I know where he’s hidden the bodies of his enemies. He’s more than happy to help for a price.
He sits at the table next to mine. He bends down like he’s tying his shoe and puts a syringe in my open bag. “This should do the trick,” he whispers, then leaves.
While I finish my coffee, I call Maxim again. “I need you here to help me. My van is parked out back. I’ll prop open the hospital door directly across from the van so you can get inside. Take the stairwell to the third floor and wait for me. Make sure Sean is not able to move before you leave. We’ll come back and get him.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
I throw my empty cup in the trash on the way out. I move the van closer to the door and press the button to lock it. I wave my badge in front of the scanner by the door, and it opens. I dig a paperclip out of my purse and bend it, shoving it in the hole so that the door won’t fully close. I make my way back up the stairs and peek out. Derrick’s man hasn’t moved. A few minutes later, I hear heavy footsteps coming up the stairwell, and I know it’s Maxim.
“There’s a large man guarding the door. I need to get in that room.” I pull the syringe out of my purse, handing it to him and securing the gun in my hand. “He knows my face, and I can’t let him see me. I’ll keep my head down and walk in behind you. Jab this in his neck and shove him in the room. I’ll take it from there.”
He nods.
Walking out in front of me, I stay closely hidden behind him. When he walks past Mad Dog, I let him see my face. He goes for his gun, and Maxim thrusts the needle into this neck and quickly moves him inside the room. He lowers him to the floor before he can fall with a loud thud. I step further inside and see Fallon, and she happens to have a visitor, Fiona.