Dangerous Victor: (Soldiering On #3)

by Aislinn Kearns

  He could feel Radha’s warmth beneath him, anchoring him.

  But he didn’t stop to enjoy it. Still with a grip on the duffel bag, Zack hauled himself, then Radha, to their feet. The bad guys were scrambling through the window, obviously having decided the door was too difficult to penetrate.

  As his ears cleared, the steady thumps from the front increased in volume. There was no way that was a human shoulder hitting the door. They must have brought in something to help them break it down.

  Zack bypassed the door, dragging a stumbling Radha after him. He’d trained to ignore the effects of a flashbang, but she hadn’t. Worse, she’d hit the ground pretty hard when he’d thrown her.

  The front door splintered behind them. They had seconds to work with. Zack had dealt with less.

  He went to his bedroom first, intending to go out the back window, but before he even stepped into the room he saw movement outside, beyond the window. They must have the house surrounded.

  Instead, he kept going. When he reached the spot where the staircase to the attic pulled out, he stopped. Radha knocked into his back.

  “What is happening?” she hissed.

  “We have to go up.” He tugged on the string and the staircase unfolded itself. As it hit the ground he heard the final crack of wood as the front door gave out.

  His heart slammed in his chest. “You first,” he said, pushing Radha up the stairs, not even considering where he placed his hands.

  “There’s no floor at the top, so stick to the rafters and head towards the window.”

  He was seconds behind Radha. When they had reached the top, he reminded her to head towards the arched window that dominated the far side of the attic. He used the time to haul the ladder back up. Then, he tugged on the string, pulling it up so the people below couldn’t use it to pull the ladder down.

  Just in time, too, because he could hear their voices below.

  Zack stood and leapt nimbly from beam to beam, catching up to Radha with ease. He gave her a quick smile, but it was too soon. Inches from them, bullets pierced the ceiling below them with a slight ripping sound, embedding in the roof above them.

  Radha made a small, strangled noise of fear. Zack didn’t slow. He raced forward even as the bullets followed him, nearly catching at his heels. He slammed his fist—his good fist—through the glass, and the window shattered instantly into tiny pieces. He stepped out onto the roof overhang and held his hand out to Radha.

  He ignored the pain as she clutched at it, the small, bloody cuts on his hand making the grip a little slippery.

  The bullets had stopped temporarily, no doubt because the shooters were all making their way back outside to catch the two of them.

  Zack half stepped, half slid, down the roof overhang. Radha followed close behind, still clutching desperately at his hand. Zack turned to her.

  “I’m going to jump first and help you, okay? Be ready.” He untangled their hands and jumped before she could reply.

  His knee jarred a little on the landing, but it was otherwise smooth. He turned and held out his arms. Radha hesitated only a second before leaping into them. She knocked them both off balance, Zack landing with a thud on his back, the breath rushing out of him.

  He rolled so he was on top of her, their bodies fitting neatly together. He took one moment—less than a breath—to enjoy her beneath him, before he levered himself into a standing position. He hauled Radha up, grabbed the duffel bag, and ran for the fence line.

  Bullets whizzed past. It was clear that whoever these guys were, they didn’t have military training, since they apparently couldn’t hit a moving target. Thank god.

  Zack didn’t have a hand free, otherwise he would have returned fire just in case. As it was, getting away had to be his first priority, and he couldn’t risk that just to get some pot-shots at the enemy.

  They reached the fence line, and Zack burst through a specially-installed section of the fence that gave way at a touch, leading to his neighbour’s yard. Radha again followed, their hands clutched tightly together.

  He dodged around the corner of the house, fewer bullets following them now. They must be running out of ammo. Amateurs.

  Zack and Radha stepped out onto the suburban street that ran parallel to Zack’s, the cool night air filling their lungs with every gasp. Zack turned right, moving as fast as he dared given that he had to make allowances for Radha being a civilian.

  Zack breathed heavily, and Radha was worse. He needed to get them to safety. Thankfully, the men chasing them were falling behind. No doubt they would give up the chase once they were out of bullets.

  “Where are we going?” Radha gasped as he turned another corner.

  “We need a car,” he replied. Thankfully, he knew where to get one.

  Chapter 13

  Two blocks from his house, Zack came to a stop in front of a nondescript sedan.

  “Why are we stopping?” Radha asked, urgency clear through her heaving breaths.

  “I said we needed a car,” Zack told her.

  Thankfully, they hadn’t seen much of their pursuers. Either they had given up the chase, or had fallen far behind. Both options would give him and Radha enough time to get away.

  “Are you going to steal it?” Radha asked.

  Zack frowned, shook his head, and then squatted near the back wheel. He dug at the curb, trying to find the loose bit of pavement he knew had to be there.

  “This car belongs to Soldiering On. It’s here for if employees need it. Which we obviously do.”

  “And it just happens to be near your house?” she asked, incredulous.

  Zack shook his head. “There’s a fleet of them. But, yes, this one was put near my house.”

  A piece of the concrete fell away, revealing the key nestled within. Zack cracked a grin.

  “Hop in.”

  As soon as they were on their way, Zack tucked his phone into the hands-free device. His finger hovered over Duncan’s name for a second before remembering their phone call earlier. They were on their own. Shit.

  Zack racked his brain for options, then realised there was someone else he could call.

  Destiny picked up after two rings.

  “Zack?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “How did you know?”

  She snorted. “I don’t think you’ve ever called me twice in one day before.”

  “Right, well, I’d like to report a break in. And attempted murder. And possibly some other things I haven’t thought of yet.”

  “Destruction of property?” Radha suggested.

  “And destruction of property,” Zack confirmed.

  New urgency entered Destiny’s voice. “Tell me what happened.”

  Zack did so, explaining what had happened, with Radha adding details.

  “It could be connected to my investigation,” Zack finished.

  “The money laundering?”

  “Yeah. And Louis’s murder.”

  “Are you sure? Because there has been some gang activity in your area recently.”

  “It’s too much of a coincidence, otherwise. They had to be after us specifically.”

  Destiny sighed. “Good point. Be careful. Victor Garrera is an extremely dangerous man.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll stay out of harm’s way.” His gaze slid to Radha. He had to protect her.

  “Right. I assume you’ll be going dark now?” Destiny asked.

  “Yeah. I have to ditch the phone, so we’ll be out of contact. I won’t tell you where we’re going, either.”

  “Okay. Keep safe.”

  They were about to hang up when Radha interrupted. “Wait! Victor knows who my parents are. If he’s after me, are they in danger?”

  Everyone fell silent. Radha sucked in a shaky breath as she realised what their non-answer meant.

  “Okay,” she said. “Destiny, I—”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Destiny replied. “I’ll give them a protective detail.”

  Radha ble
w out a relieved breath, and Zack reached over to squeeze her arm before returning his hand to the wheel.

  Radha continued, calmer now. “Can you tell my parents I’m okay? They’ll worry if I don’t check in.”

  “Sure thing,” Destiny said sympathetically.

  They said their goodbyes and hung up.

  The car was silent for a moment.

  “So, how long have you known Destiny?” Radha asked, her voice tired and wan.

  “A few years now. She’s an honorary member of Soldiering On, but she went into the police force instead of joining the company.”

  Radha hummed thoughtfully. “So, she’s going to arrest Victor Garrera?”

  He glanced over at her. She was hunched low in the seat, her arms wrapped around herself, shivering. The adrenaline must be leaving her in a rush.

  “Probably not, unless there is strong proof he was involved. I doubt that will be the case, given the kind of guy Victor seems to be.”

  She stared at him. “But he nearly killed you.”

  “Not him, personally. Thugs. Criminals. Guys who will go down for the crime while he hides behind technicalities. It’s the way these things always work.”

  “Victor is evil. It was the same with Diego, all those years ago.”

  “I’m sorry. We’ll do our best to find our own proof. There has to be something we can pin on him, even if the cops won’t touch him.”

  She nodded jerkily at that.

  “For now, we need to get you somewhere safe.”

  Radha nodded. “I’d like to go home.”

  Zack cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, home won’t be safe.”

  She slanted a pleading glance his way. “Not even my parents’ house? We could protect them ourselves.”

  He knew she wasn’t entirely seriously, but Zack shook his head. “Especially not your parents’ house. Our presence will put them in a lot more danger. Destiny will see they’re protected.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes and she nodded. “So, where will we be safe?”

  A muscle ticked in Zack’s jaw. He didn’t want to tell her this next part. It reflected badly on Soldiering On, and despite everything, Radha was still their client.

  “Unfortunately, Soldiering On might, might, have been compromised. This means we can’t use any of the safe houses.”

  Radha stared at him. “So we have nowhere to go?” she asked, her voice soft and small. She looked so vulnerable, curled up against the door. His heart ached for her.

  “We’ll find a hotel. Somewhere out of the way. We’ll hole up there until this blows over, and Destiny finds out who’s behind it all. We just gotta lay low in the meantime.” He tried to inject as much confidence as he could into the words.

  She nodded, but didn’t say anything more. Zack fell into silence and let her process everything that had happened tonight, hoping she could pull herself together. Not that he’d blame her if she couldn’t.

  Zack cruised through downtown Portsboro, keeping an eye out for any potential tail. He didn’t notice anything suspicious, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

  He brooded over his house, over Victor, over the sort of kiss between him and Radha. More importantly, he brooded over how Victor had known Zack was onto him. He’d only started cracking the case in the last few days. Who could have known how the investigation was progressing? Only he and Radha knew about it. It was their own secret project.

  Anton, or Sandy, or one of the others must have found out and relayed it back to Victor. But he and Radha had been careful, so how did they find out? He couldn’t be sure.

  Based on tonight, Victor clearly solved his problems with violence. Zack wished he could call Duncan and warn him, in case he went after Victor for those kids Zack had sent to him. Guilt gnawed at him. What if he got Duncan and those boys killed?

  Zack mused on these thoughts as he pulled up around the back of a hotel he’d only ever driven past. Radha was fast asleep, the adrenaline drain clearly having taken it out of her.

  He hesitated a moment. He didn’t want to wake her up, not when she looked so peaceful. But the desire to protect her overrode the poor impulse, and he reached out a hand to gently settle on her shoulder.

  She blinked sleepily awake, a soft smile gracing her lips. His breath caught at the sight.

  “Hi,” she murmured. Then, she blinked, coming fully awake. “Where are we?”

  She peered out of the car’s windshield, looking at the low, tattered buildings and neon lights.

  “We’re in Lynchburg,” he told her, naming a suburb in the north of Portsboro.

  She raised her eyebrows. “Why here?”

  He shrugged. “It’s out of the way and low key, in case anyone is looking for us. I know it isn’t a great neighbourhood, but the people around here don’t tend to want to get in anyone else’s business. I’m hoping that means we can blend in.”

  She stared at him for a moment, then looked away with a nod.

  “What?” he asked, sensing her tension.

  She glanced at him, paused, and then seemed to come to some kind of decision. “Blend in to the whitest neighbourhood in Portsboro? I don’t know if an Indian person has even set foot here before.”

  She was only half-joking, he knew, but his face flamed. He hadn’t really considered that when he picked the place they’d hideout.

  “It’s not like we’ll be wandering around much. I won’t blend in, either.” He waved a hand in front at his face to prove his point. “But we can go somewhere else if you want.”

  She shook her head. “No. Whatever you think is best. You’re the expert.” She gave him a smile to show she meant it.

  “Okay.” Zack reached into the back seat and pulled the duffel bag into his lap. He tugged out a hoodie and slipped it on, pulling the hood over his face as best he could.

  “I’m going to let you do most of the talking,” he said to her. “I still think you’ll be the least recognisable of the two of us.” He dug through the bag, not looking at her.

  She made a sound of distress. “But what do I say?”

  Zack glanced over at her. “You ask for a room. One near the back if they’ve got it.”

  “Just like that?”

  Her eyes were wide as she stared at him. Fear, not just about this next step, but about their situation in general, haunted her eyes. Zack sighed. He should be more sensitive. He didn’t spend much time around civilians these days. He was too used to operatives that knew their roles without having to be told. Radha was not one of those people.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he told her. “We’ve got people on our side, we’ve got smarts. We just need to lay low and buy ourselves time to regroup. I’m going to need your help on this next bit, and then I’m going to take charge, okay?”

  Zack had always been more of a grunt than a leader. He didn’t particularly like giving orders. But Radha seemed to take this well enough. She gave him a sharp nod to show she understood.

  “Do I need a disguise?” she asked.

  Zack cracked a smile. “No. I doubt this hotel clerk will even look twice at you. Unless it was for…you know…personal reasons.” His face heated as he glanced at her assessingly, trying not to let his gaze linger where it shouldn’t. “Although, perhaps it is best if you look a little less…professional.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “I mean, this neighbourhood is not really a hangout for management-types like yourself. It’s a bit more downmarket, as you know.”

  “So you want me to dress down?”

  “Yes.” He really needed to work on his communication skills.

  Radha hesitated for only a second before shrugging out of her suit jacket. He noticed a tear in the shoulder he suspected had come when he’d thrown her to the kitchen floor.

  Next, she untucked her burgundy shirt from her dress pants. It already looked mussed enough to imply she didn’t take the best care of her outfits. Lastly, she hooked her fingers into the top button of her shirt. Zack
looked away hastily before she could pop them.

  “What do you think?” she asked him.

  Zack glanced over, making sure with a reconnoitring glance that she was still decent before he looked her over.

  She looked just the right kind of messy. Maybe a dentist’s receptionist that’d had one too many at evening drinks with the girls. “You look great,” he told her. “I mean…perfect. For the part.”

  She grinned. “Thanks.”

  Zack tugged the hood further over his head to hide his blush. “Should we go?”

  It was going to be a long night.

  Chapter 14

  As they were walking across the car park to the hotel’s entrance, Radha wrapped one arm around Zack’s. He’d said to get ‘a’ room, implying singular, which Radha took to mean they were going to play a couple.

  And that suited her just fine.

  He shot her a surprised glance as she pressed in close to him, but didn’t say anything or push her away. In fact, she could have sworn he leaned a little closer to her. Radha’s heartbeat kicked up a notch, and not with fear.

  They made it to the front desk of the hotel. Well, what passed for a hotel. The paint on the walls might once have been white, but was now so cracked and stained it was difficult to be sure. The carpet was in a similarly dire state, covered in cigarette burns and other, less identifiable marks. Everything in the lobby looked like it hadn’t been updated in twenty years.

  The same could be said of the clerk. As Zack had suspected, the man didn’t even look up as they walked in. He was in his fifties, sporting an impressive mullet that was thinning a little on top, and skinnier than was probably healthy.

  Radha locked a smile onto her face.

  “Can we have a room, please?”

  Zack hung back a little, his head turned to hide his scars. Radha’s heartbeat was no longer steady as she waited for the man’s reply.

  “Sure. Pay upfront. One hour minimum.”

  One hour? So, it was one of those types of hotels.

  “We’d like two nights, please,” she said primly.

  At that, the clerk finally glanced up in surprise. “Huh,” he said. “Fine. I’ll need your card.”