Collateral Damage sw-1

by J. L. Saint

  The White House had come through within an hour of the SOO putting him, Weston, Rico, and Beck under arrest. The SOO practically blew a gasket releasing them that quickly. Jack had smiled all the way to General Dekker's office, where he got the ass chewing of his life. He still stung from the dressing down, but in a good way. There'd been a look in the general's eye that said he wished he'd been there.

  The rescue mission had been so different from Delta's usual assault into a hostile situation and Jack found himself thinking more and more about how non-lethal the takedown had played out. It had him wondering about starting a company that did what Lauren had needed. The right men to help at the right time. Men who were capable of lethal force if needed, but also men who could operate outside the military's constraints. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone yet. He, Rico, Pecos, and even Beck were still recovering from what went down in Lebanon. Rico and Pecos had surgeries coming up. Beck was planning to take some time off and Jack was pretty sure it had something to do with his guilt over Ambassador James's daughter. Shalev's daughter was still in a coma.

  For now, Jack and his men would take things a day at a time and see how everything played out. Helping Lauren, rescuing Matt and Mitch, and stopping Menendez/Miles despite his injuries had taken away the desperation that had been eating at him.

  "He is so cool." Livy practically sighed and Jack's frowned deepened. What was the big deal about Bear?

  "He is cool and a lot of fun on and off the show," Jack said, looking forge a connection to Livy.

  Livy turned to look at Jack, wide-eyed. "You know that guy? You really know him?"

  "Spent a month with him in the Tibetan Alps."

  He and Livy had shared a stiff, tension-filled day going to the movies and eating lunch. He'd come back to his hotel room to pack his duffle bag before he dropped her off at her mom's house. He'd been in Ashville four days waiting to see her. Customary for Jill, she'd neglected to tell him that Livy was at camp until after he arrived. Jack had spent the three days looking at the misty mountains and doing some much needed thinking and had decided on a few things. His career had consumed his life. That needed to change. He needed to take time for relationships and to see a horizon beyond being a Delta team leader. His first priority was Livy. He'd see her every week until they developed a relationship past mere tolerance.

  Jack also knew he wanted Lauren. He couldn't get her out of his mind nor out of his heart. Didn't know where that want would take him or her, or even if it was a possibility considering his role in Bill Collins's death, but he realized he hadn't given it a chance. That look she'd given him at Andreas's compound when she had her arms wrapped around Matt and Mitch, wasn't anywhere near a look of disgust. Quite the opposite.

  "Dad!" Livy reached out and punched his shoulder. "You can't stop there. Tell me more!"

  Jack turned his head in shock and Livy's eyes widened even more than they had over Bear Grylls. She hadn't called him Dad in years. Only Father, and she hadn't voluntarily touched him in any way either. That she'd playfully punched him like she used to do when he hadn't told her something she wanted, left them both emotionally open.

  Jack tapped her back like he used to do. "You first, Liv. Tell me what's so big about Bear and I'll tell you anything I know about the guy."

  "Don't you know that just about every hot guy at camp hero-worships him? All us girls were really looking sexy in our bikinis in the canoes and they didn't pay us an ounce of attention. All they talked about was Bear Grylls that and Bear Grylls this. So us girls checked Bear out. And OMG is he uber hot and knows more than the boys at camp could ever dream of knowing. The girls will just die to find out you know him." She frowned. "Can I tell them? It's not secret, is it?"

  Jack blinked. Hot guys? Sexy? Bikini? Uber Hot? Grylls? Livy was ten. Ten freaking years old. He sucked in air, trying to breathe, but not quite sure he was. "Yeah." His throat was thick with emotion. "You can tell them."

  Livy squealed and then turned her attention back to Grylls and sighed.

  What the hell? Jack thought. It was a damn good thing he'd woken up now. Another year or two and there would be no telling what trouble Livy would be into. He didn't think seeing her once a week was going to be enough.

  His cell buzzed and he answered Weston's call.

  "They cut her loose," Weston said.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Let her go. Told her to call them if she thinks of anything else and sent her home. Dean just called me. No protective services. Nothing. The International Crisis Summit is next week. The proof from Menendez's compound and the arrest of his operatives before they attacked UAE's holdings will go a long way to soothing some. But there are radicals that are going to be calling for more blood. As Collins's widow, she and her sons could be targeted. They still haven't pieced together all of the puzzles yet, and who else may be involved. There is also five million still hanging out there."

  "They're setting her up. What do you bet the SOBs are putting her out there as bait?"

  "I agree. Listen, some idiots are making anonymous bomb threats to Bragg this afternoon and the place is locked down. Mari went with Holly to the supply store, but their cell phone is jammed. All circuits busy. Otherwise, I'd catch a plane to Atlanta."

  "She's going there?"

  "That's what Dean says. Says one of Bill's friends installed a top of the line security system for her."

  "Gardner?" Jack asked, his skin crawling. The man couldn't rub two nickels to- Shit? Was it possible? Jack ran Gardner's dump back through his mind. The equipment on the porch splattered with water. The puddle of water on the porch. The shooter hiding in the rafters as if he knew someone would come? Was he being paranoid? Prejudiced because the guy was such a loser? Or was Gardner not an innocent victim in this mess?

  "Don't worry. I'll be there in three," he told Weston. "How is Mari?"

  Weston gave an exasperated huff. "Physically she's healed from her cuts and the doctor says all is well with the baby. Emotionally, she's not so good. She's withdrawn, won't talk, and keeps looking over her shoulder as if there's a bullet with her name on it. I'm hoping that once the police catch Dugar she'll relax."

  "Damn. Keep me posted. I'll call after I reach Lauren's." Jack disconnected to see Livy watching him carefully. He wasn't necessarily cutting their time short. She was due back to her mother's house in twenty minutes, but they had just made somewhat of a connection, the first one probably since the divorce and he didn't want to lose that. He wasn't above bribery to keep that connection going until he could get back to see Livy. "I've got something important to do, but since you and your friends are into Bear and he has a new survival book coming out soon. How about I take you and your friends to buy his book and get it signed?"

  Livy jumped up. "Really?"

  "Really." Jack shook his head and figured someday he'd have to tell Bear that Man Versus Wild had saved him and his daughter.

  Atlanta, Georgia

  Lauren didn't think that she or the boys would be spending the night in their house, but they all needed to collect some of their belongings before she headed for the coast. She'd rented a house in Wilmington, North Carolina for a few weeks. Public school had already started in the Atlanta area, but she wasn't going to go that route. Some of what Bill had done was still unknown and unresolved. The GXP formula had been found on tiny data chips inside the race cars. Menendez was in custody, being held in maximum security without bond for terrorist acts. Publicly Bill's name never appeared in any of the news reports and all documents involved in the investigation were top secret with the NCS. But there were still a number of unknowns about the case. Who else might have been involved and millions of dollars out there somewhere.

  In one way her life wasn't ruined, in others it was. She couldn't rest. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't seem to function. Private school and a new life were going to be her first steps to one day have at least one easy moment. But that was a long day in coming.

  Repairs to the house had be
en done and a top-of-the-line new security system had been installed, compliments of Conrad Gardner. He'd sent her an email and she'd thanked him for it. She felt bad in taking it for free, considering his economic state, but had yet to figure out a way to send him money. She hadn't mentioned his trailer and he didn't ask her what she'd done after finding out his boat had blown up. That was odd, but then maybe he didn't want to know if she'd gone to his place or not.

  Delusions and denial went hand in hand with any illness.

  It was strange to walk into the front door of her house, though everything that had been broken was now new, and everything that had been displaced was now orderly, but her home was not the same for her or for the boys. They walked in subdued and clinging to her hands. Only Sasha and Sam bounded happily inside and barked with enthusiasm. Lauren had been surprised when the NCS had brought the dogs to the safe house. It had really helped Matt and Mitch, whose nightmares were keeping everyone awake.

  The boys still had their race cars, minus the formula Bill had hidden inside.

  A couple of hours and they'd be on their way. She hadn't just arbitrarily chosen Wilmington. It was coastal, but it was also less than two hours from Fayetteville. Less than two hours from Jack. Less than two hours from the man she couldn't seem to put from her mind no matter what role he'd played in Bill's death, nor how he'd played his hand with her. He'd made a mistake or two, and she had too. She wasn't willing to leave things the way they were either. Another few days to gather her bearings and she would either call him or get really daring and head to Fort Bragg for a surprise visit as Angie suggested. Angie talked to Rico every day and had flown to Fayetteville to see him in the three weeks since they'd left Peru.

  But Lauren hadn't heard from Jack once. Then again she'd been stuffed in a safe house that even she hadn't know the location of. Still, she was talking about Jack. He could have reached her if he had wanted. She shoved the thought away and turned to the task at hand.

  "Let's put together everything we need for the beach in the living room and then pack the car."

  "Are those men coming with us?" Mitch asked.

  "No. They're not. We don't need them anymore, okay?"

  Matt smiled. "Didn't like them always there. They aren't like Mr. Jack. Mr. Jack was fun."

  Lauren blinked. She hadn't even realized the boys remembered Jack. "Yes, he was."

  "Will we see him, Mom?" Mitch asked.

  "I hope so." Lauren moved farther into the house. "I really hope so."

  Fair Play, South Carolina

  "Oh, hell no!" Gardner yelled at the video feed of Lauren entering her house. He'd been glued to the damn camera ever since he installed the system two weeks ago. He pushed aside the dirty dishes and drink boxes and levered up from the chair his ass was literally stuck in.

  He hadn't expected that they weren't going to stay when they got home. Damn, he had to get there fast. He grabbed the computer he'd been watching via a nationwide satellite card so he'd know how close she was to leaving before he got there. He could always call her and delay her somehow.

  He already had everything set up, hidden in her house, ready. He even had bones in the dog dishes that would drug the beasts. He may have lost the millions but Lauren was worth hundreds of thousands and it was his.

  Rushing to his car, Conrad put the metal to the floor, determined to get his hand on Lauren. It was damn shame she was leaving the house. He would have enjoyed watching her naked in the bathroom or sleeping in her bed. He wanted to catch her pleasuring herself. She had to get it one way or another, didn't she? And with the kids in tow, not many guys would go for it.

  Damn, it was just like the bitch to mess up his plans.

  Lauren let the dogs outside. She had just about everything she could think of in the living room and began packing the car. It had taken her longer than she planned. She carried another load out. Matt and Mitch were still running up and down the stairs, bringing down a favored toy or book. She'd delegated a basket for each of them. Once that basket was full then they were out of room for toys for now.

  She heard the phone ring as she walked in the door, but it didn't ring again and she grabbed another load.

  Dusk had dropped a damper on the bright day and an urgency to hurry up and leave pressed upon her. Cars passed as neighbors returned from work or dinner or carting their kids to extracurricular activities.

  Two more loads and she realized that she hadn't seen Matt or Mitch putting more toys in their basket. What were they up to now?

  "Matt? Mitch? Come on. You guys need to hurry with your stuff. I'm almost packed."

  She picked up another basket but then set it down when they didn't answer. She called them again as she moved up the stairs. "Come on, guys. No fooling around. It's getting late."

  She turned the corner into their bedroom and screamed in horror, her body strangling with shock. Both boys were tied to their beds, tape over their mouths and tears streaming from their eyes. She moved toward them then saw a bomb on the bedside table they shared and froze.

  "No fooling around, Lauren? What a disappointment. I'd love to." Conrad Gardner appeared out of the boys' closet.

  He held up a remote. "And guess what? I'm the one who gets to decide what we do and for how long we do it." He grinned. "I'm wanting to go to your bedroom. Now."

  She could hardly hear him through the pounding blood in her ears. She had to get that remote out of his hands and she would do anything to get it. She slowly backed from the boys' room and back to her room, not willing to take her eyes off Gardner. He followed her smiling.

  "Let me see your tits. I want to see you play with them. Get them hard for me. Or the wee ones go boom."

  Oh God.

  Think.

  One thing she knew was Gardner loved himself.

  She reached for her shirt buttons. "It was you," she whispered, pausing after the first button. "It was you who killed Thomas."

  Conrad shrugged. "It was an accident. He wouldn't let me have Bill's letter to see the clue. I'm the one person who needed the five million dollars and Thomas was going to take his letter to the police."

  "You killed Edward."

  "He deserved it."

  "You faked your own death."

  "Ingenious. The perfect crime."

  "It was you who shot Jack at your house."

  "Not so perfect shot. And you shot me, bitch. Now let me have your tits." He grabbed her shirt and ripped the buttons open.

  Lauren backed away as he stared at her lace bra. Think. Think. "Five million. You mean there were clues to five million dollars? The government only found the two Bill left me in the bank."

  Conrad frowned and shifted his gaze from her breasts to her face.

  "What were the clues?" Lauren asked, praying he would remember them, that she'd diverted him from rape for now.

  "There once was a king. He died on a throne. In his land of Grace, did the whole world mourn. Buried like a bone, by the water's spray. He reigns supreme until this day. The jackpot lies as does he, but the real prize will be… That's where Ray's letter ended," Conrad said.

  Lauren swallowed hard and her very soul shook. Ray and his girlfriend had been butchered. Bob's wife shot. Lauren knew how it all ended. "the real prize will be won when green world burns and Earnhardt, Jrs win the race with the super formula in their tanks." She'd never forget those words or forgive the danger Bill had put her and her sons in. Dear God.

  "I have to write this down," she told Conrad. She moved over to her desk, quietly slid her stiletto letter opener into her pocket as she took out paper and a pen.

  Conrad came and looked over her shoulder. His greedy gaze fanatically watched her write every word.

  Anyone who knew Bill knew he'd been an avid Elvis collector. She really didn't have to write any of it down, but she had to buy time. King? Throne? Land of Grace. Graceland. And buried like a bone. That had been Bill's comment about how Elvis had been buried in his own backyard. He'd said it wasn't classy. The man ne
eded a memorial. And by the water's spray? There's no way Bill buried his money in Graceland. But what about the fountain in the backyard here? If she could get Conrad outside and digging, he'd set down the remote.

  "Kings?" She looked up at Gardner. "We don't have any real kings in America like they do in Europe. But I don't think Bill would bury money over there and it clearly says it is buried like a bone. We've got the King of Pop. That was Michael Jackson. Is there a King of Jazz?"

  Gardner's eyes widened and he grabbed the paper. "King…King…King of Rock and Roll. The King. Elvis. Bill often checked out the Elvis impersonators in Vegas. This is talking about Elvis. The Jackpot lies as does he. In Memphis? Do you think Bill buried the money in Memphis? In Graceland?"

  "Maybe." Lauren prayed she'd be able to buy more time. It was a six hour drive to Memphis. "But maybe it's here by the fountain out back. We can look there first. He might have more clues to where the money is there."

  "Smart." Conrad leered at her. "But I'm not stupid enough to take you out back to see." He grabbed her and clamped handcuffs on her right wrist before she could jerk away. Then he snatched her up from her desk chair and dragged her over to the bed, clearly planning to cuff her to it.

  She pulled against him, the metal cuffs cutting into her right wrist. "But you might need my help."

  He held up the remote. "Go boom," he said then grabbed the front of her bra and yanked down hard. Her breasts popped free and a knife of dread sliced her to the bone as Conrad reached for a breast with the remote in his hand. His clammy fingers touched her and she shivered with revulsion.

  "You like that don't you," he said.

  She arched her back as she clutched the letter opener with her left hand. Jabbing upward, she knocked the remote out of his hand and impaled his wrist with the letter opener. Blood spurted as if she hit a vein.

  "You and your brats will die, bitch," Conrad released his hold on her right wrist and yelled, diving for the remote that had landed on the bed.

  "NO!" she screamed, clawing after him. God. Fate. Couldn't do this. Why hadn't the remote landed on the floor or under the bed, somewhere hard to reach?