by Linzi Baxter
“Okay, back to the case. What have we found?”
Asher said, “John sent over his preliminary report from the analysis he did on the bomb. He claims the detonator was constructed in a way he has only seen a couple times.” Asher displayed a list of names on the projector. “Here is a list of the people I was planning on talking to.”
I recognized none of the names on the list, and none of them were Russian. “Did John report anything else?”
Asher was tapping his pen on the table. “The bomb had dual trip switches. John has a call in to a couple people to see if they have any ideas.”
Zane stood up. “We’re chasing our tails, going after the bomb maker. Sanchez would’ve hired the job out. Knowing him, he’s already eliminated the man who built and placed the bomb. Why are we not trying to find the fucker?” Zane was pacing back and forth. His anger at the situation was taking over. I understood. When I thought Juan had kidnapped Ant, I had almost lost it.
“This is our only lead,” I replied. “We’ve had facial recognition software running on the NSA satellites and local traffic cameras. He’s not leaving his house, or he has changed his face. Sanchez has been around long enough to know how we would track him and what we would use. The last sighting we have is three days ago at Ant’s school. We tried to track that trail, and it went nowhere.” Juan had showed his face that day because he wanted Ant to come with him. Luckily, my little man was smart enough to hide and ignore Juan’s request.
CJ added, “I have every spare server White Hat has running to find Juan, and nothing has hit. I spent yesterday combing over the dark web message boards looking for anything leading to Sophie or Kat.”
CJ had been working on the case since the beginning. He was good at working with computers. When the case was over, I planned on asking him to come work for AA Security. I needed to run the idea by Asher first, but I didn’t think he would have a problem with it.
Zane took a sip of his coffee. “He won’t look for people on the dark web. He’ll look for people that owe him. I bet Sophie and Kat didn’t get all the money he has.”
“You going to tell Sophie and Kat they failed?”
“No. That stays in this room. I’m not saying they failed. Juan must have had cash hidden somewhere. Emergency funds. Everyone has a few million hid.”
Leave it to a billionaire to think people hid a few million here and there. I knew everyone in our family had a few million hidden in different locations for emergency funds. Juan had been extremely rich at one time, when he was stealing money from Kat and Sophie’s trust funds.
CJ looked around the table waiting for someone to correct Zane. “Umm, no. Most people don’t hide a few million dollars. Don’t know what world you live in.”
“You’re telling me none of you have money hid?” Zane asked.
Asher shrugged his shoulders. “I keep a few million hidden around. Juan’s using hired guns from his past. We need to go back and look through Sophie and Kat’s files.”
“I have a copy of everything on my server,” CJ said. “I think it would be better if I work on the case from here. If Sophie walks in on me looking at the files, she’ll want to help.”
I needed to send my sister-in-law Bridget, the owner of White Hat Security, a gift for allowing us to borrow one of her top hackers. When I finally stole him from her company, I would need more than a fruit basket, though.
“Does Bridget know why you’re here?”
A blush crept across CJ’s face. I knew he didn’t like to lie to Bridget. She wasn’t only his boss but a longtime friend. “No. Bridget would want to help too. I said you guys had a new drug trafficking case, and Asher needed help tracking someone’s activity electronically.”
CJ was right. She would want to be involved in the research. This case was dangerous, and Alex, my older brother, would have my head if I somehow put Bridget in the path of Juan’s destruction. She was also six months pregnant with their second child.
“Were you able to go through the video feed from when the bomb was placed in Sophie’s car?”
“A transformer blew around eight a.m.,” CJ reported. “The power was out for two hours. I have a feeling that was when the bomb was planted. I combed through what video I had and saw no one near the car. White Hat Security has generators, so their power never went down, but Bridget only has cameras inside, not in the garage.”
I remembered seeing a coffee shop next to White Hat Security. “The power was back up when we were working on the bomb. Did you go through the video during the time we were trying to disarm the bomb?”
“No. What do you want me to look for?” CJ asked.
I had to remind myself CJ was trained in pulling data, not in surveillance. He didn’t have the skills to look through video and see a suspect watching the car. A high percentage of criminals came back and watched over their work.
“Anything out of the ordinary. Sanchez would want to know if he failed to eliminate Sophie. He was there, or he had someone watching.” When CJ nodded his understanding, I added, “Give me an update later today. I’m looking through the files of possible new hires. The cases are piling up.”
Zane glared at me, probably thinking we would drop the Sanchez case. But it was too close to home and would have all our attention until we took him down. Still, the calls for new cases kept pouring through the door.
“We’re not dropping Sanchez. But I need to have someone work on the cases coming in.”
I handed Zane, Asher, and CJ folders full of resumes. They were military men and women looking to leave when there term was up. CJ had a puzzled look on his face.
“CJ, I had planned to wait and talk to Asher to make sure he was okay with my idea. But I know my brother, and I know it’s what he wants as well, so there’s no reason to wait.” When I looked in Asher’s direction, he was shaking his head. He knew what I was going to ask. “Will you come work for us?”
The room was deadly quiet. All eyes were on CJ. I didn’t know if he was excited or if he was trying to figure out how to say no.
CJ reached up and wiped his eyes. “Yes,” he choked out.
Asher blew out a breath of relief. “Damn. For a minute, I thought you would say no.”
CJ reached up and wiped his eyes again. “I love working here. Please don’t tell Bridget that. We will tell her my Dom required me to work here.”
“Not going to happen, love,” Asher said with a chuckle. “I’m scared of my brother’s wife. We can tell her together. I think she will understand.”
I really didn’t want to be around for that conversation. Bridget would take it out on the people in the room, and I didn’t want to be added to the no-fly list or be affected by whatever other evil electronic ways she used for revenge.
“Okay. One position filled. CJ, do in-depth backgrounds on all the men and women in those files. We need to hire at least six people.”
I left the men in the conference room looking through the folder as I headed back to my office. I checked in with the temp office assistant.
“Good morning, Stacy.”
She looked up from the report she was reading. “Good morning, Mr. Ross.”
Stacy Carol was in her late twenties. She was on the shorter side, curvy, and had a feisty attitude. She fit in well with the team. Asher and I had hired her three months ago to be the administrative assistant for the office. Her contract was up at the end of the month, and if she wanted to stay, I would offer her a job.
“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Antonio? My father is Mr. Ross.”
“What can I help you with, Mr. Ross?”
“You’re fired.”
She tilted her head as she decided how to answer me. “You won’t fire me. Here is your coffee from next door and your messages.”
I grabbed the messages and coffee and headed to my office. AA Security was on the twenty-fourth floor of Ross Enterprise. Asher and I had opened the firm when we left the navy. My eldest brother owned Ross Enterprise, a
high-end real estate firm. His office was one floor above Asher’s and mine. It was nice being close to both of my brothers. Our youngest brother, Aaron, lived in Hollywood and was a hot-shot actor.
The stack of messages Stacy gave me was written on pink paper. The first message said a man named Zack had called but wouldn’t leave a last name or phone number and seemed like a jackass. Stacy always wrote how she felt about the caller on the messages. I grinned. Stacy didn’t realize she’d been talking to the president of the United States.
I dialed Zack’s cell number from my desk phone. He answered immediately, and I could tell he was in a meeting because he excused himself from the room.
He got straight to the point. “Have you found him?”
I didn’t need Zack breathing down my neck. “I will call you when we have Juan in custody.” Or dead, I thought, but I wasn’t going to tell Zack our plan.
Zack growled on the other side of the phone, knowing what I had left unsaid. “You will not kill him. Bring him in alive.”
“I’ll call you the second we have something.” I hung up the phone, not wanting any more shit from Zack. Something was going on with him, and if he wanted us to know, he would tell us.
I spent the rest of the day going over the reports on the cases we closed last week. We had three more cases come in—a sex-trafficking case, a bodyguard needed, and a cheating-husband case. I was sick of the cases where we were looking into cheating spouses. A knock on the door had me looking up.
Stacy stood with her purse in hand. “I’m heading out. You leaving soon?”
I glanced at the clock. It was time to go get Ant. Kat and I had decided to leave Ant in school. The Ross family donated millions over the years. AA Security installed the security system in the school. When I contacted the principal about Ant’s return, she ran it by the other parents and agreed for us to add additional security. We didn’t think Juan would strike the same place twice, but I had added additional security to the school, just in case. I grabbed my things and headed out to pick up my son.
“How was school today, little man?”
Ant climbed into his booster seat in the back of the Range Rover. When I looked at him, I couldn’t help feeling joyful.
“We had a real live police officer come to school.”
Dread filled my stomach. “Why was an officer in your class?”
“He taught us Stranger Danger and how to call 9-1-1.”
It sounded like a planned visit. That was a relief. “What should you do if a stranger walks up to you?”
Ant was going to the same preschool Asher and I had gone to. It was a private school near our neighborhood. They had good security and great teachers.
“Even if he has my favorite candy, I run.”
I had to hold back the chuckle. I thanked my stars every day that Ant is in my life. Kat and I both wanted another child, and we were working on it. I couldn’t wait for her stomach to swell with my child.
“That’s correct, son. We can work on learning your mom’s and my phone number so you can call us immediately.”
“You’re silly, Daddy. I already know your number and our new address. Those are the first things Mom teaches me when we move.”
Ant had suffered through years of running and changing residences, and they must have come up with a routine. I was glad Kat had already taught our son what he needed to know to get hold of us.
“Your mom is smart. We should pick up pizza so she doesn’t have to cook.”
“Yeah, pizza. Then can I play assassin and bad guy?”
Leave it to Kat to teach our son to play an assassin. We had to work on changing his play habits.
“How about cops and bad guys?” I suggested.
“Okay.”
4
Kat
I had seen the tail two miles back. I had tried to get home early so I could do research on Juan before Antonio came home. He didn’t want me worried about the case, but I couldn’t get Juan and what he had done to my family off my mind. I turned down another street and hoped the car behind me would go the other way, but it turned with me.
“Fuck.”
I parked the car in the driveway of our home and watched the car stop a couple houses down. I wasn’t born yesterday and knew what the driver had planned, so I worked my way around the side of the house. I wasn’t going to let him catch me. There was no way I was going to let someone come into my house and get the drop on me.
The man who came around the corner didn’t have any training. His boots crunched against the rocks on the side of the house. So he wasn’t someone Juan had sent after me. No, this guy was just an idiot and didn’t know who he was dealing with.
“Who are you?” I yelled as he walked around the corner.
“None of your concern, bitch!” His voice was hoarse from years of smoking.
I took a step to the side and tried to get a good look at his face, but the shadow of the house made it hard to see him clearly. “It is my concern since you followed me. Who sent you?”
“No one sent me. I want you to stay out of my business. You keep putting lies into her head.”
“Greg?”
Lily’s husband had followed me home. From what I could make out, he was small, maybe five feet six. I had taken down men a lot bigger than him, so it wouldn’t be a hard fight if it turned into one. But based on how he treated Lily, I prepared for the worst. At least the dumbass had made my life easier. I didn’t have to track him down since he had come to me.
“Yes, you dumb bitch. I came to teach you a lesson about getting into other people’s business.” He shook his fist at me.
The sun had started to set, and it was taking away what little light I had. We needed to get this settled before I lost my light and Antonio came home. Antonio would make me call the cops and turn him in like a good Samaritan would.
Automatically, I reached for my gun, but it wasn’t there. When I went to the women’s outreach center, I didn’t carry my gun. That would change once I got out of this situation.
“That’s funny. Now, tell me what you want before I kill you.”
“Tell Lily to come home, and I won’t kill you,” he yelled back at me.
Lily was safe. Antonio had texted me to say that Jacob had her at one of AA Security’s safe houses. Until we took care of Greg, Jacob would be her bodyguard. Antonio knew she meant a great deal to me, and he would do anything to make me happy.
“Yeah, not going to happen. She needs to stay the fuck away from you.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I didn’t hear the steps behind me until it was too late. My skills weren’t as sharp as they normally were, and I’d let my guard down. A body hit me with full force and threw me forward onto the ground. The ground came fast, and I used my hands to brace for impact.
The kick to the rib hurt like a motherfucker. The second kick was on its way. I grabbed my assailant’s legs and twisted, which sent the man to the ground with a grunt. I jumped to my feet and side-kicked Greg in the groin. It sent the man to his knees.
Greg wasn’t moving for a while. The other man had pulled a gun from his side holster and had it pointed at me. I was used to guns pointed at me. The thug looked over at Greg, who was lying on the ground and crying. I used the opportunity to dodge to the side and pick up a garden gnome Ant had made me buy. I thought the thing was ugly.
I whipped the gnome at the man’s head and hit him dead on. I heard the crack of his skull. When I looked to see if Greg was still on the ground, he was gone. There was no sign of him.
I kicked the gun of the unconscious man to the side, then leaned down to check his pulse, but there was none. “Shit.”
For the next thirty minutes, when I had planned to do research on Juan, I instead had to hide the dead body I’d created. I had made a promise last week not to kill any more people, but this time, it was an accident. I had meant to knock the man out. Who knew the garden gnome would kill him?
Antonio
<
br /> Kat’s car was parked in front of the house, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. My heart pounded in fear. Had Juan taken her? Maybe I needed to move us to a safe house and lock her away. She would fight me, but if she were safe, it would be worth it.
“Daddy, someone’s in the backyard.”
I ran toward the French doors that lead to the backyard. The sight stopped me in my tracks. I told Ant to go play in his room or watch cartoons. He didn’t need to see what his mom had done.
I thought I would tan her hide for this one, but it was hard not to chuckle. She was slowly pulling a body across the backyard. It had to be twice her size, and she struggled with each tug. Kat would tug his feet and then take a break. As she pulled the body, the man’s head bounced across the rocks in the flower bed. Luckily, our backyard was fenced in, so no one could see her dragging a dead body.
I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She jumped. I held her tighter and whispered in her ear, “Kitty Kat, why are you dragging a dead body across the flower bed?”
“Don’t sneak up on me like that. I might have shot you!” She didn’t remove herself from my embrace. It felt so good to have her wrapped in my arms, where she belonged. But I had to concentrate on what she had done and not run my hands all over her body. We had to deal with the body on the ground.
“Not an answer. I need to know why there is a body in our yard where I want to put in a pool.”
“Umm, I took him out?”
“Clearly. Why?”
She let out an aggravated sigh. “He’s friends with Lily’s husband.”
“Still not a good reason. You said you wanted to get out of the assassin business.” I waved my hand at the body. “Seems like you’re back in.”
“I am out of the assassin business.” She pointed at the body. “He followed me home. I told him to leave, or I would kill him.”
If I knew my wife, she might have let him leave, but from what I heard had happened to Lily, she hadn’t planned on letting Lily’s husband live for long. I’d had CJ pull up Lily’s police and medical records. She’d had numerous trips to the emergency room for broken bones, and those were just the ones she went in for. How many times had she stayed home and dealt with the damage on her own? I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts.