by Linzi Baxter
“I wish I felt the same. How come every time we cross paths, you make my job harder? I need to know more about your supposed wife.”
I had called Higgins because he was the best detective Ft. Lauderdale had to offer. But if he said one thing wrong or had something against Kat, he wouldn’t make it out of this building. I glanced over at Asher, and it looked like he was thinking the same thing.
I took a swig of the coffee on my desk before I responded. “Supposed wife? She is my wife and has been for the past five years. You better think very carefully before you speak your next words.”
Higgins frowned. “I ran Katherine Ross through the system, and I couldn’t find anything. I also looked for your marriage license to see if the marriage was real.”
Motherfucker. I planned to kill him slowly and feed this fucker to Kat’s pet alligators. “For your information, the agency is working on fixing Kat’s identity. If you spent this much time looking for who vandalized her car, we would know who did it by now.”
“I pulled the CCTV videos from the street. The legal way. We were able to bring the man who vandalized Kat’s car into custody. During the investigation, Greg gave us some interesting information about your wife, which is why I’m here today.”
Here was the reason Kat shouldn’t go around killing people. If Greg had told the police that Kat killed his friend, we might be screwed. But Higgins hadn’t brought police blazing in, so we might be okay. “What kind of information?”
“Your wife killed his friend with a garden gnome,” Higgins said. I could see he was trying to hold back a laugh.
Fuck. That bastard ratted out my wife, but the story sounded so farfetched that Higgins didn’t believe him.
“You saw my wife. She’s tiny. Do you think she could take on Greg and his friend? With a garden gnome?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I didn’t believe the man’s story. You know how things work. I needed to check out the story. But why is he after your wife?” Higgins asked.
“She is helping his wife, Lily, through the Ross Women’s Outreach Center. He’s an abusive asshole.”
Greg needed to be taken out. Fuck. I sounded like my wife.
I needed to get in touch with Alex today and find out if his friend in Dallas had a job opening for Lily. Greg was going to be even more pissed since he was arrested for vandalizing Kat’s car. If we got Lily out of state, it would make it harder for Greg to cause any problems.
“You need to let us know if he gets out,” Asher said.
“He will more than likely make bail today,” Higgins ground out, his square jaw tightening. “Men like him should have a special place in hell.”
I would do anything to protect my wife, and that included taking this fucker out because he turned my wife in to the police. For the past week, I’d preached about going to the cops and doing everything above board in the case with Greg. But if Kat was in danger, I would do anything to protect her. Higgins and his men could show up to our house and look for evidence. They wouldn’t find anything. Yesterday, the alligators that were in the backyard were moved to South Miami, miles from our house.
“What’s wrong with him?” Higgins asked Asher, nodding his head toward Antonio.
“He’s thinking,” Asher said, “and he’s about to come up with a plan. He’s worried about Greg getting out on bail and coming after Kat.”
Asher was close. I was worried we couldn’t stop Kat from putting herself in danger. I reached for the cup of coffee on my desk and took a nice, long swig, enjoying the bittersweet liquid gold running down my throat.
“Do you need help to look for his friend?”
Higgins seemed like he would accept our help but then declined. “No, I can’t imagine your wife killing anyone.”
I shrugged. “She’s a delicate flower.”
I heard a snort from Asher’s direction. He had used his hand to cover his mouth. The fucker was going to blow our cover.
Higgins narrowed his eyes. “I highly doubt you married a delicate flower. You and all your brothers are assholes and need strong women. But Kat doesn’t seem like a woman who would kill someone.”
That was one of the things that made her a great assassin for the CIA. Nobody expected a five-foot-three pixie to take down a three-hundred-pound man with her bare hands or, like the other night, with a garden gnome.
“You’re right. My wife is strong and puts me in my place. I’m going to make sure she has a detail on her at all times. We are also going to put another bodyguard on Lily until everything dies down. I assume Greg is going to be upset that he was caught for vandalizing Kat’s car. If we see anything on our end, we’ll make sure to contact you right away.”
Higgins cursed under his breath. “From the glint in your eye, I can tell you’re bullshitting me. Try not to kill him if he comes after Kat or Lily.”
“All I can promise is that I will do everything I can to protect my wife.”
Higgins let out a sigh and headed for the door. “I’ll let the brass know your wife didn’t kill Greg’s friend.” Higgins put his hand on the doorknob. “I still might need to talk to her.”
“Why?” Dammit. I didn’t need Higgins digging into Kat’s past. One glance at her folder, and he would be back to arrest her for Greg’s missing friend.
“She is going to DC next week with her sister, Sophie. When she gets back, we can set up a meeting,” I informed Higgins. We needed to solve the Juan case before we dealt with the other mess Kat had gotten herself into. Life with Kat was never fucking dull.
“Sophie is Zane Tucker’s fiancé.” It was smart of Asher to drop the Tucker name. No way could Higgins argue about Kat leaving town.
Higgins nodded that he understood. “I’ll look forward to talking with your wife in two weeks. It would be nice to talk to the woman who thawed your heart made of ice.”
Higgins strode out the door, and I turned on my twin the minute it slammed shut. “Fuck, that was close.”
Asher rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I can’t believe that fucker said Kat killed his friend. He admitted he came after her.”
“We need to do more digging on this guy before he gets out on bail. Once he is out, let’s track him down and get this taken care of.”
“I thought you told your wife we were going to let the authorities handle the issue with Greg.”
“Clearly, I was wrong. We don’t want him telling anyone else what Kat did. Let’s have CJ look into this friend to see if any family is going to start asking questions.” I didn’t need this shit on top of being worried about Juan coming after Kat. She was supposed to help the women at the shelter with self-defense, not take out their lowlife spouses.
Asher pulled out his phone and sent a text message. “CJ’s pulling up everything we need. He should have a complete report for us by tomorrow. You understand taking time to pull this data will interfere with CJ looking for Juan?”
We needed another tech person to help sift through the information we had. I started to regret the decision to keep Sophie and Kat out of the op. Maybe it was time we brought them in and they helped us find Juan. That way, we would also have them at AA Security so we could keep an eye on them.
I let out a tired sigh. “I think we should have Sophie and Kat come in and help.”
Asher tapped his shoe on the carpet. “The extra eyes would be good, and we wouldn’t have to put bodyguards on them during the day.”
Kat would be excited tonight when I told her we needed her help on the case. I hope she didn’t fight me about not being able to go to the shelter for a few weeks.
“How do you think Zane will feel about us using Sophie to help on the case?”
“I know he worries all day about her being at White Hat after what happened last week.”
Juan had been quiet for too long. I knew he hadn’t gone away. We needed to figure out what his plan was and get ahead of it.
When we had Juan and Greg behind us, I planned to surprise Kat with the weddi
ng she deserved and to give Ant a brother or sister.
I walked to the window. The view of the city was spectacular from my office. Asher had the same view since his office was next to mine. I wondered if Kat would be happy staying in one location when we had Juan and Greg behind us. The thought of Kat at home and pregnant had my dick hard.
“Hey, we’ll find him before anything happens to Kat or Sophie.” Asher stepped up next to me. “You know I would do anything for my sister-in-law. Hell, Alex might be a dick and spend his time behind a computer, but I know he would help you if you needed it. We are family, and we stand by each other. No way are either of these fuckheads going to get their hands on Kat. Hell, she’s too entertaining to not have around. CJ and I really don’t want to go back to working with your grumpy ass. I’ve noticed a change in you since she’s been around, and I like it, man.”
I understood what Asher was saying. And I would do the same if CJ were in trouble.
Leaving the military to open my own security firm had been the best decision I had made. I got to work with my brother, and it made our relationship ten times stronger. The men that worked for me were like family. When I was in the Navy, I had my brothers in arms, and we would die for each other. But the family I created at AA Security was a bond we would hold for life.
The phone on my desk vibrated and brought me out of my thoughts. FBI Director Charles Westblack’s name flashed across the screen.
Westblack and I had served on the same SEAL team for a couple years. He left the navy and joined the FBI, and worked his way up the ranks. Over the years, we had worked cases together and tried to catch up as much as we could. He called when he was in town so we could get a drink.
I swiped my finger across the phone to answer in speaker mode. “Director.”
Westblack’s deep voice boomed through the phone. “Antonio, I have a situation. We arrested a woman during an op this morning.”
“I don’t understand what that has to do with me.”
But in the back of my head, I guessed who he meant. I didn’t want to admit it out loud because I hoped I was wrong. Asher pulled out his phone and sent CJ a message. He must have come to the same conclusion.
“The lady in custody states she’s your wife. Do you know a Katherine Ross? Because our database can’t find this woman. She’s a ghost.”
“Yes, I have a wife by the name of Katherine Ross. I’m on my way down.” I clicked off the phone. I didn’t have time to answer the questions I knew Westblack would ask.
Asher’s fingers flew across his phone. He didn’t look up when he said, “Mom’s picking Ant up from school. I have the family lawyer meeting us at FBI headquarters, and CJ is going to run AA Security while we are gone.”
I loved my brother. “Let’s go break my wife out of jail.”
10
Kat
Two hours. That was how long they kept me in that room since we arrived at the FBI. I was taken from Nebula Brack’s bunker and escorted straight to FBI headquarters. Nobody said a word to me, and I didn’t offer any once the cuffs were slapped on my wrist.
The cold temperature of the room annoyed me. This tactic might work for someone who hadn’t been tortured before. Six years earlier, before I met Antonio, I was captured by Yar-Mebrab, the head of a terrorist group called Jawid Shapoor. They spent hours using a whip on my body until I lost consciousness. When that didn’t work, they tried to waterboard me. Last, they tried electrical shock. I was tortured for six days before I was able to get the drop on one of the guards when he thought I was weak.
I looked around the interrogation room. There was a one-way mirror that blocked my view of the other side. I was sure the agents on the other side of the window were watching for a sign that I was close to my breaking point.
For the fifteenth time, I glanced at the clock on the wall. Ant needed to be picked up from school. Antonio would be called when I didn’t answer or show up. Fuck. Antonio would be pissed when he found out I had been detained by the FBI. They would tell him I was at the bunker. He would want to know how I found out about it.
The metal door to the interrogation room swung open and banged against the wall. The agent was trying to get a rise out of me.
He looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I had seen him before. He was old for an agent. His hair was salt and peppered, and he had stress lines under his eyes. For his age, he was in shape and would intimidate a normal person. It had been a while since I had been interrogated. I thought I might have some fun until Antonio showed up.
“Katherine?” The agent’s voice was deep and had a hint of a Southern drawl. “Do you know why you are here?” He folded himself into the metal chair across the table.
Did this guy really think I would just turn over my information? This would be more fun than I originally planned.
“Nope. The agents didn’t tell me why I was handcuffed and brought in.”
“Are you really going to play it that way?” Agent No-Name laid the folder he held on the table and gave me his full attention.
The need to get out and back to my family was stronger than the fun of playing with Agent No-Name. “You want info, but I don’t even know your name. From the TV shows I’ve watched, I know you’re supposed to give me something for the information I have.”
He nodded and tapped the folder on the table. “I’m Director Westblack. Now, tell me why you were in that bunker.” He stared me down.
I shook my head. “Why is the Director of the FBI in Florida interrogating me? You ran my name and prints. What came up?”
Director Westblack was a friend of Antonio’s. If my prints or information were in any system, he wouldn’t be in the room with me. I knew my information wouldn’t show up anywhere. The CIA didn’t let their operatives’ information appear in any database.
He leveled a glare at me. “Why do I have the feeling that you’re more dangerous than you’re letting on?” He pointed at the folder. “And you already know nothing came back on your prints or name. So I ask you again—why were you at Nebula Brack’s bunker? Did you help with the arms sale?”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise, and the director cussed under his breath. I didn’t know anything about an arms sale. They weren’t after Nebula for the same reason we were after him.
“I don’t know anything about a sale.”
My hands were still cuffed to the table, and I indicated them with a nod. “Are these really necessary? I highly doubt I could take you down.”
It would be hard, but I had faith that I could take him if necessary. But I wasn’t going to cause issues with the FBI. I wanted to see if I could get more information out of him before I told him to call Antonio.
“I’m not sure that’s safe.” Westblack frowned. “You might be small, but you radiate a vibe that is dangerous.” But he unlocked the cuffs, contradicting his own words with his actions.
Westblack cocked his head. “Time to start talking, Ms. Stewart. You also disrupted a planned raid. It looks like the bunker had been cleared out. I’ll ask again, did you move the weapons.”
Over the years, I had meant to go to the DMV and change my last name. The first time I’d gone, the line was wrapped around the building, so I kept driving. I hadn’t made it back. Maybe it was time to get that done. It would make it easier when I got arrested.
Westblack was right. I needed to stop the game and get Antonio down here to get me out of this place.
“Ross.”
“I don’t understand. What does Ross mean?”
The director looked over his shoulder at the one-way mirror. He thought it meant something for his case.
“My last name is Ross, not Stewart.” When he looked like he was going to say something, I continued. “My husband is Antonio Ross.”
The director sprang from his chair and headed toward the door, pulling a cell phone out of his pocket on the way. Antonio would be with me soon.
Antonio
I gripped the wheel of the Range Rover w
hile I swerved through traffic. My eyes never left the road, but I wasn’t really paying attention to it. I had a mental picture of my wife in an interrogation room. What the hell did she do to get arrested by the FBI? It had to be something big if the director was involved. Kat was strong. She wouldn’t take crap from him.
Ten minutes later, we pulled into the Miami FBI building. “I can’t believe my wife is being detained.”
Asher raised his eyebrow. “You found your wife dragging a dead body across the lawn the other night. And you can’t believe she’s being detained by the FBI?”
I didn’t respond to Asher right away. I headed toward the glass doors. “Let’s find the director and break Kat out of here.”
“Hopefully, we can break her out. We still don’t know why she’s here.”
A million different scenarios ran through my head. In one, she had killed someone and gotten caught in the act. I swung the heavy bulletproof glass doors open and was hit with a cold blast of air. With a quick glance around the lobby, I spotted the receptionist desk. “I’m here to see Director Westblack.”
“I’m sorry, sir. The director is not here. He works out of the DC office.”
I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket and redialed Westblack’s number. He answered on the second ring. “I’m down in reception. According to them, you don’t work here. If you don’t work here, why do you have my wife?”
The phone clicked off on the other end. The director didn’t respond to my question. The receptionist’s phone rang immediately. Her face paled when she answered it, and her only words were “Yes, sir.”
“He’s on his way down,” the receptionist whispered. I didn’t care if he yelled at her. They had my wife.
Five minutes later, I saw Westblack exiting the elevator. “Where is she?”
Asher rested his hand on my shoulder. “You need to cool it, man.”
I took a deep breath.
Westblack motioned for us to enter the elevator. He didn’t say anything until the door closed. “Let’s head to my office and talk, and then you can see your wife. I want to know why she was at my op location today.”