“So what’s your plan?” Steve asked, his voice sad in a way she could tell he was holding back emotion. And she’d never even met the man.
Mint said, “Stick it out. Get him where I want him and force him to make a move. Then I’ll take him out.”
“I’d feel better if you had backup.”
“The sheriff is down. Walker is with Perkins.”
“I’m sending you an address. It’s the closest airport. By the time you get there, I’ll have a plane on the tarmac waiting to bring the two of you back to Virginia.”
“You want us to come home?” Mint asked.
“We need to regroup, figure out our next move. You need to get off the ground in Colorado and head back here.” Steve paused. “I’ll talk to Walker and Perkins about clean up there.”
She sucked in a breath. “He’ll know.” Emma had to say it. She knew it was true down to her bones, and nothing in her could deny it. Whatever move they made, the blackmailer would know.
Steve said, “I have people on the plane. When you pull in, they’ll protect you. And I’ve covered your tracks as much as I can, chartering it using a shell company not linked to Double Down. Your names won’t be listed on the manifest. Once you lose the guy behind you, you’ll be home free.”
She figured he’d only explained that because of everything that’d happened. Maybe all the stress and anxiety was there in her voice. He probably didn’t explain himself to that extent normally. Still, she couldn’t let go of the fear.
She said, “He sent that…thing.”
Mint glanced at her. “It was a UAV.”
She didn’t exactly know what that was, but it kind of proved her point. “He’ll know.”
“You need to trust us.” Mint squeezed her hand for a second, then moved it back to grip the wheel. “It’ll be okay.”
Emma shook her head. “There’s a murderer right behind us. I’m not going to be okay.”
She didn’t even want to think about what Mint’s intentions were with the guy. She’d seen far too much bloodshed. Were more people going to die? Even if they were bad, was she supposed to be happy about death? It wasn’t ever going to make her feel better. Not even if it was them vs. her. She just wasn’t built that way.
“Emma,” Steve said, jogging her from her thoughts. “What did the blackmailer ask you to approve?”
It took her a second to realize he was talking about the reimbursement requests. “One of the senator’s staff members had put a deposit down on the caterer for a charity fundraiser the senator was having.” She thought over what day it was, realizing she’d already lost track. “It’s this weekend, though it’s likely been canceled now.”
“Anything else?”
She thought for a second, then said, “The other reimbursement request was for the same event. For the cake decorator.”
“Both food,” Mint said. “And both related to this event.”
“So what does a blackmailer want with a charity fundraiser?”
Emma couldn’t figure out the answer to that.
“Emma can send you a link, get you all the info.” Mint glanced at her, a question on his face.
She nodded. “I will.”
Mint grabbed the phone. “Gotta go.” He hung up, the car drifting to the center line for a second before he caught it. Then he took a turn at the last minute. Emma looked back to see a black truck do the same thing, with a screech of its tires. Mint drove a half mile and then pulled around the back of a closed down store. Not just shut, but permanently closed.
He pulled over, close to the wall so that she’d scrape brick if she opened her door. Boxing her in? Or cocooning her in that web of safety he wove around her.
Emma’s hands shook as she rubbed down the legs of her dirty jeans. She didn’t even want to think what her hair looked like right now… She shut that thought off. Not wanting to be that kind of woman, even as a distraction technique when the situation got really crazy. Her mom cared that much about her appearance, even when her life was out of control. Maybe especially during those times.
Emma needed to figure out what kind of woman she was going to be. Maybe she should already know that, but surely some people had to wait until their late twenties to discover the kind of person they were.
Mint said, “Head down. Don’t get out, no matter what you hear.”
She didn’t meet his eyes, not wanting to see what was there. Or for him to see what was in hers. She was close to the edge. About to lose it. She knew herself well enough to know it was only a matter of time before she finally gave in to the stress and anxiety of everything that’d happened and ugly cry for, like, days.
He slipped out of the car.
The truck engine roared. Emma didn’t turn back. She hunkered down in the seat, her breath coming fast now. He was going to kill that guy. She didn’t want the man to kill her, but the idea that Mint was going to end someone’s life, just to protect her. A sob rolled up her throat. She let it out, her body bucking. Tears rolled down her face. He was going to allow a black mark—the taking of another life—to be placed upon his soul.
For her.
The shot rang out. Her whole body jerked, and she gave in to the tears.
Mint opened the car door and got back in. “Em…”
She looked up. “I can’t do this. I can’t live this kind of life.”
He started the engine and shifted to drive. The last thing she saw on his face before he turned away was a wash of something that looked an awful lot like disappointment.
Chapter 16
The warehouse was quiet when they pulled in, trailed by an SUV with two armed guards inside. Night had fallen, casting shadows in corners he’d rather have seen into. Too many places to hide. A couple of cars were parked in the lot, not much movement in the warehouse or around it. Lights were switched on behind the blinds—some on timers, some on because they needed to be. Mint had called ahead so Steve knew they were coming. He’d given his assistant the rest of the day off—or at least, Mint figured that was the case since Steve answered the phone himself.
Emma cracked her door before he even got around to it. She didn’t look at him. She hadn’t spoken one word to him the whole flight there.
The two armed guards got out of the vehicle behind them. Men Steve could call when he needed help. Not hired guns, just friends he would now owe a favor. For Mint. Men he knew couldn’t be bought.
Mint nodded to both of them, and they all headed for the door where he punched in the code and let them inside.
“Kitchen’s down there.” He motioned to the hall. “Last door on the right.”
The two men passed them and headed right for it.
Emma stood with her spine completely straight. So straight she was going to strain something soon enough.
“Malone.” Steve strode toward them from the other direction. He angled right for Emma, hand held out. A warm smile for her. “Ms. Burroughs. I’m glad to see you made it here safely.”
“Um…thanks.” She glanced between them. “Steve, right?”
“Steve Preston.” He was the consummate politician, all smiles and warmth. But Mint had seen that switch he made to lethal businessman. And he didn’t mean a boardroom deal. Steve’s dealings had more to do with his aim with the Sig he kept under his jacket. “Let’s get some coffee, shall we?”
Emma nodded. “That would be great.”
It was like Mint didn’t even exist. They walked in front of him. Steve glanced over his shoulder toward Mint and frowned. Mint shrugged. Only Emma knew what was going on in her head. Apparently, the fact he’d shot the guy following them—a man who’d been a party to Craig and Drew’s deaths—had been the last straw. Was she done with him now?
If Mint had left the guy alive, then he would’ve reported back to his boss. Mint had taken the phone off his body to see what Double Down could get from it. If Craig and Drew hadn’t been killed, Mint would have had them question him. See if they could get information from him about who the blackmailer was. I
f the blackmailer hadn’t covered all his tracks, they could have got something.
But now his teammates were dead. Mint couldn’t gamble on the fact the blackmailer might have messed up. It had been far simpler to eliminate the threat to Emma. The blackmailer had taken from Double Down, so Double Down had taken from him. Mint didn’t figure whoever it was would be all that cut up about hired mercenaries dying, but he had to know that Double Down was serious about this.
Deadly serious.
They filled mugs of coffee, and Steve walked Emma to the conference room. When they settled on chairs, Mint said, “Got an update on Perkins?”
“Doctors are looking at her. Walker stuck with her, though he called in his people on the RV bombing and the man you left on the highway. If there’s anything to find, the FBI will find it. Walker has promised he’ll keep me posted.” Steve shrugged. “I’m hoping there will be at least something that will lead us to a possible identity for our blackmailer. But I’m by no means holding my breath.”
Mint set his cup down. “Good.”
“Can I…” Emma paused. “When is the senator’s memorial?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
The man had been killed four weeks ago. Was this a sign from God that she was here at the right time? Sadler had been buried. This was a small service for friends and family to remember him.
He said, “We’re sending team members to be there, just in case something happens we need to know about. But other than having a presence there, we’re going to leave it alone. Bradley and Rachel have agreed it’s for the best that they steer clear, even though he’s their uncle.”
Emma nodded, though it didn’t look like she agreed. It seemed her emotions were close to the surface. He could see she wanted to argue. But instead, she just sat back, looking spent. Like she had no energy and needed sleep. Which was pretty much exactly how he felt.
“What I’m concerned with is how this fundraiser relates to everything that’s happened.” Steve paused. “We have two days to figure out what the blackmailer considers to be so important he would get people he wanted in there.”
Mint said, “The requisition requests were about the caterers.” When Emma nodded, he went on. “Can you tell us more about that?”
“Okay.” She didn’t sound sure, but at least she made eye contact with him. If only for a brief second. “The vendor that I signed off on was a last minute bid. I don’t know enough about caterers to know if this was a good decision or not. He wanted me to sign off, approve the choice, without even talking to the senator. Then the aide who had put it all through and set up the catering for the fundraiser was going to let the senator know about the decision.” She frowned for a second. “I honestly don’t think the senator cared who was hired for it. I think the whole fundraiser thing wasn’t much more than a strategic move to convince people he was altruistic. He needed a feel-good.”
Steve nodded. “Rachel and Bradley had a few things to say about their uncle and not much of it was good.”
Emma winced. “He was always nice enough to me, I guess. Just like he had more important things on his mind. Even so, this fundraiser is a good thing. It will benefit the children’s wing of the local hospital. What’s not good about that?”
“Could be a front,” Mint said before he realized it had been out loud. “The catering company could be a friend of a friend, someone doing a favor for someone else by getting them the job. Then again, it could also be something else entirely.”
A ploy to discredit the senator. But he was dead now, so what would that do?
A way for someone else to take the credit for the senator’s work.
A terrorist attack.
Unless they figured it out and, if needed, put a stop to it, Mint didn’t know how they would get the answers they wanted. And yet, that wasn’t his primary focus. As much as he was all in on this operation, what was foremost in his mind was having the chance to talk to Emma without the stress of everything happening hanging over their heads. He wanted…a lot of things. Most of which he wasn’t going to consider, given the fact she would barely even look at him.
Would life really put her right in front of him, close enough to reach out and touch, and then snatch her out of reach again? He didn’t like that idea one bit.
Steve, or Bradley, would tell him to pray. That if God didn’t want him to have this—to have Emma in his life after all this was done—then Mint wasn’t going to get the chance. Even though he’d been in the military, and he was under Steve’s authority now, Mint had never really submitted to anything. Not willing to relinquish the power over his life.
He’d fought way too long, and too hard, to get the freedom and independence he enjoyed now. Was he willing to give that up if it got him Emma’s smile, pointed in his direction again?
**
Emma was racking her brain, trying to think up what the blackmailer wanted with the fundraiser. At the same time, she was considering the fact the senator’s funeral was hours from now. Could she even go when people probably still considered her a suspect in his murder? Aaron was dead, but who knew if that information—and the fact he’d killed the man—had been disseminated?
“Emma?”
She blinked up at Steve. “Yes?”
Two chairs down from hers, Mint didn’t move. She’d shut him out, and she knew that. Just as she knew there was no reality where she’d have done differently. He’d protected her, but it had cost both of them. Yes, he’d done the right thing. But Emma hadn’t been able to handle it on top of everything else.
She wanted to be strong. But maybe she needed to face the fact she wasn’t.
And she was too tired to muster the energy to talk to him about any of it.
Steve smiled like she was his little sister who he was determined to make sure was all right. It was sweet, but the reality was she didn’t know any of these people. They might be perfectly good-natured. And if she had the luxury of being wrong because they weren’t, then she might be able to risk it. But she didn’t have that luxury. Not now.
Which made her wonder if she ever had. Her activities and friends had both been curated by her mother. Her apartment. Her clothes. Had she made a single decision about her life that her mom didn’t have a hand in? One. Getting that paternity test done.
And that had led to a man’s death.
Steve said, “We’ll find you a room where you can crash. Get you a shower and some fresh clothes.” He checked his watch. “I’m expecting—”
The door flew open, and a young woman about Emma’s same age filled the doorway. A handsome man stood right behind her, a frustrated look on his face.
“—Alexis anytime now.”
This was Alexis? That meant right behind her was Bradley, brother to Rachel Harris the senator. Senator Francis Sadler had been their uncle.
That made them her cousins.
Right here, in front of her, was her cousin and his wife.
Emma stood. “Uh…”
The woman surged at her. That was the only way she could describe the rush, the flying braids. “Emma Burroughs. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Was it? Emma figured she wasn’t lying. No one could fake that much excitement. She just didn’t know what the reason for it was. Alexis went on, “We’re so glad you’re safe, aren’t we, Bradley?”
He smiled and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Emma let go as soon as he let her. His handshake was firm, but not one of those manly handshakes that felt like they’d broken every bone in your hand. That was good, at least.
“You can’t believe how relieved we are. Mint said you were good but, seeing for ourselves, we can really believe that everything’s going to be all right for you now. You’re safe.”
Emma nodded. “Right.” She was pretty sure the exact opposite was on her face. This woman was a little premature, considering this was far from over. They didn’t even know who the blackmailer was. Yet.
Steve said, “Alexis,
maybe you could show Emma where she can sleep. Get her settled.”
The woman beamed. “Of course.” She wound her arm in Emma’s and they were off. Emma glanced back before they turned the corner. Mint, Steve and Bradley stood in a huddle. Mint looked over at her. As if he’d sensed her attention on him.
He gave her a sad smile.
Emma’s heart lurched as they headed down the hall. Alexis chattered away, as comfortable with Emma as she might be with an old, dear friend. This woman was completely happy. Her life was exactly as she wanted it to be, like she was living the dream.
Emma figured she might be the same way if it happened to her. She’d come out of her shell. Like someone who was completely sure, down to their soul, that they were absolutely loved.
“You look exhausted.”
Emma nodded. “I really am.” It wasn’t feigned. And she figured it wasn’t too rude to state the obvious. This woman, by all accounts, knew what she was feeling. She’d been through the ringer.
Alexis stared for long enough that Emma said, “What is it?”
“Just…” She paused and bit her lip. “Don’t break his heart.”
“Excuse me?”
“Mint. Please don’t break his heart.” Before Emma could give voice to her objection, Alexis continued, “I know he looks all tough and everything, but he’s really sweet.”
Sweet?
“He saved my life.”
Emma just stared at the woman.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed a soft side under that tough guy exterior. You know that’s a front, right?”
“Mint is…” Emma wasn’t going to say that. “You know what? That’s between Mint and I, I think.”
She was so tired she didn’t have much of a filter right now, but she actually sounded like her mom. She winced, remembering everything her mom had said about Alexis after the news broke publicly—when Alexis had claimed a raunchy video was her, when in reality it was Senator Rachel Harris in the video.
She wasn’t about to put Alexis in the same light her mother had. Or Rachel—the woman who had been drugged and victimized.
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