Dangerous Protector (Aegis Group Book 5)

by Sidney Bristol

  What was the big deal?

  Who was this knucklehead working with?

  Scott refused to believe the bit of coding was the soldier’s doing. He was maybe a step up from Goon #1, but not enough of a programmer to pull off something as sophisticated as blocking everyone out of Good Global’s network. That took…skills.

  In her prime, Brat might have been able to do something like that, but he didn’t think she could now, or that she’d be able to hide if she did. Hell, she was as white as a fucking ghost and shaking like a leaf.

  To think, this was the child that had taken down his team.

  Those were the golden days.

  Scott leaned his head back.

  They’d really had the perfect ruse. Two teams. One took the fall, and the other slipped out untouched. They’d done the con so many times it was child’s play.

  And then Brat had happened.

  Because of one damn girl he’d lost everything.

  All his money. His team. His rig. His home.

  Going to ground like that had cost him dearly, but at least he’d never been caught. The rest of them? It served them right. Especially Heath. That fucker was the reason they’d all burned. Because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.

  Maybe, when this was all over, Scott should pay Heath a visit. Put that fucker out of his misery. It might even be cathartic.

  “It’s five ’til,” Goon #1 said.

  “Then wait five more fucking minutes,” Scott snapped.

  Let Marco stew a bit longer.

  21.

  Fiona sat huddled in the middle seat of the SUV. They’d packed the whole team, except one, into the truck when the time came to meet up with Marco.

  She still hadn’t figured out who or what Scott was, but she knew he wasn’t a federal officer. He’d lied to her, and these other men were in on it. He hadn’t said it, and she hadn’t acknowledged it, but she was pretty sure they were all aware the ruse was up.

  Fiona was a prisoner.

  And she’d walked into this trap of her own, free will.

  She gripped the arm rests with both hands. If only this was a rescue, and not an information swap. She was goods. A commodity. And both Marco and Scott wanted her because inside her head was the organizational structure for the NueEnergy files. Who would have thought one simple administrative task from her first year working for the company would lay the groundwork for—this?

  She was a cipher.

  A tool.

  That was what she was to them.

  Scott needed her to…she didn’t know. He clearly wasn’t trying to uncover the wrongs NueEnergy had committed. Marco’s theory that Scott was a corporate spy still held water. If that were true, then he’d want the blueprints, specs, and documents about the new wind-powered system NueEnergy was supposed to roll out. But something about that bothered her. It didn’t sit right.

  At least with Marco she knew exactly what he wanted and why. He might have used her, but at least she got it. He wanted his family back the way they’d been. She didn’t know if he had a heart under all that muscle, but his head was in the right place at least. Just not where she was concerned.

  This whole circus wasn’t exactly Marco’s fault, but she couldn’t help but feel as though a lot of what was going on wouldn’t have come about without him.

  If Marco had never been in that bar….

  She wouldn’t have known about the cameras.

  She wouldn’t have known Scott had bugged her laptop, and through her, NueEnergy.

  And maybe, NueEnergy would have killed her to wrap up loose ends. Wasn’t that what she’d overheard? That Eli was now dead, too?

  Josh and the rest weren’t allowing her to see the news or even a TV, but if she was quiet and listened she could get the highlights.

  They weren’t pretty.

  “It’s time,” Scott announced.

  The sound of his voice made her shiver.

  What had she ever done to this man?

  She’d never seen him before that cocktail party.

  Had he really set out to con her from the very beginning? How had she not seen it? Or the deception?

  Fiona hadn’t seen it with Marco, either.

  Which just went to prove she needed to swear off men forever.

  Bad things happened when she fell in love.

  So she needed to stop falling. If only it were that easy.

  The SUV eased into reverse, out of the parking lot, then onto a side street.

  They wound their way around the park, down the residential streets to where they were to meet Marco.

  Fiona swiped a hand over her brow. She was sweating, despite the cooler temperatures. Fall was setting in. It would snow soon. Would she be here by then? Would this be over?

  Josh pulled the SUV into a parking spot twenty feet away from where Marco was parked.

  He wasn’t sitting on the hood anymore.

  She didn’t recognize the car, but then again she didn’t expect to. The last few days with Marco had shown her just what he could do to hide his trail.

  Scott turned to face her, his eyes cold and cruel. She didn’t know who he was, and she didn’t want to. After this, if she survived, she never wanted to think of him again.

  “You get out. You stand there for a count of ten and then walk halfway, got it? Make him tell you the code,” he said.

  Fiona nodded and put her hand on the door.

  “Not yet,” he snapped.

  “Sorry,” she muttered.

  She watched Marco through the tinted window. He sat in the driver’s seat for several long moments, hands on the wheel, staring straight ahead. She couldn’t hear him, but she could imagine the sound of his teeth grinding and the firm set of his lips.

  He wasn’t happy.

  Well, neither was she.

  The last two men she’d thought she loved were both using her for different reasons.

  A sharp, painful sensation pierced her chest and she looked down, briefly wondering if she’d been shot. But, no. That was the way her heart felt when it broke.

  Part of her still loved Marco. She didn’t think he was entirely evil, or that he’d meant to hurt her this badly. He had advised her against falling for him, after all. Almost as though he’d tried to warn her ahead of time that he’d simply break her.

  If only she’d listened.

  Marco pushed the driver’s side door open and stood. He turned his back toward them, bracing his hands on the hood and tipped his head up, as though he were relishing the feel of the sun on his face and the wind in his hair.

  She’d seen that look of bliss on him, but only in the desert. Only in Moab.

  “Go. Now!”

  Fiona scrambled to open the SUV door, but the seatbelt jerked her back.

  Ug. Great.

  She released the catch and stepped out.

  It was her first time out of doors since she’d walked into the devil’s arms.

  Scott was the devil she knew.

  Then what was Marco?

  As if he’d heard her thoughts, he turned from the car, his dark gaze resting on her.

  She still had no idea what he was thinking when he looked at her that way, but it couldn’t be good. From the thin set of his lips to the tightness across his cheeks, he didn’t look happy.

  And yet…her heart beat faster when she met his gaze.

  The poor organ didn’t realize this man was going to reject her again.

  He didn’t love her.

  She’d always known it would be one-sided. There was no one to blame for her heartache except herself.

  “Go,” Scott growled at her.

  Fiona put one foot in front of the other.

  Looking at Marco hurt.

  Why did she have to be broken? Why did she fall for men so easily? Why couldn’t once, just once in her life, someone love her back?

  She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.

  This wasn’t about her. It was about the data. NueEnergy. No one cared
about her pain except herself.

  Fiona opened her eyes and stared at the white shirt stretched across Marco’s chest.

  How’d they get here so fast?

  She wanted to reach out and hug him, let him fold those big arms around her, but he wasn’t here to tell her it was all going to be okay, that he’d fix this. It’s all been a lie.

  “What are the passwords for accessing the server?” That voice was hers, but it was hollow. She was reciting the words Scott had told her to say. The answer didn’t matter to her.

  “Goddamn it, Fiona. Look at me?” Marco’s fingers brushed her jaw.

  She flinched at the touch. Her nerves were too raw for him to ask that much of her.

  “The passwords?” she asked again, staring off at the playground.

  “Are you okay? Has he hurt you?”

  She laughed, because what was she supposed to say?

  “Fiona?” He reached for her.

  “Don’t,” she snapped. It was self preservation. She couldn’t take it anymore. She just couldn’t.

  “I’m sorry…”

  She blinked, as rapidly as she could, but the tears were coming anyway.

  It was too much to hope she could get through this with some dignity.

  “Fiona, I—”

  “You used me.” She stared at him then, tears leaking down her cheeks. Let him see the damage he’d done. Maybe he had a conscience that would tell him next time—if there was one—don’t do it.

  Marco stared back at her, a tiny wrinkle between his brows.

  “You used me, just like Scott. Don’t pretend you’re any better, or that you care, or any of it.”

  “I do care. I’m sorry. I—”

  “Stop it. Just—stop it. I want to get this over with.”

  “Fiona, Scott isn’t who you think he is.”

  “I’m aware of that. And neither are you.”

  “No, I mean, Scott DuPry died months ago. Whoever this man is, he’s not Scott.”

  That didn’t surprise her.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied.

  “Fiona, come with me. I did wrong by you, but I’m not—”

  “You think I have a choice?” She tilted her head. “I’m a prisoner here, Marco. Those men? They have guns. And they keep me locked up.”

  “Where? Do you know where?”

  “Some sort of rental house.”

  “How far did you drive? Did you see anything?”

  She opened and closed her mouth. Time was lost on her. She was too wrapped up in her own head and the pain.

  “Fifteen, twenty minutes? I don’t know.” She shrugged.

  “Tick-tock,” Scott said.

  Fiona glanced over her shoulder, a little surprised Josh wasn’t pointing a gun at her.

  “The passwords?” She stared up at Marco. How could a man so rough be so…beautiful?

  “I don’t have proof, but I think I know who Scott is.”

  “That’s not going to do me any good. The passwords will.” God, it hurt to be this close and yet this far away from him. Fiona’s knees trembled and her legs felt like jelly.

  “Getting into that information is going to get you killed. As soon as they have what they want, you’re dead.”

  “And without the passwords I’m no good to them alive, either. I’ll take my chances, thanks for your concern.”

  “No.” Marco shook his head. “I’m not playing with your life that way.”

  “Why the change? You were always playing with my life.”

  “Fiona.” He shut his mouth so hard his teeth clicked together. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

  “No, you just meant to use me. Like Scott.”

  “That’s—no. In the beginning, maybe, but no. I—”

  “Fiona,” Scott barked her name.

  “The passwords?” she said again.

  “No. I’m not going risk your life like this.”

  “That’s rich, coming from you. What do you care what happens to me so long as you get your precious cabin back again?”

  Marco took a half step closer and bent his head. They were face to face now. Another time and place, her stomach would do somersaults and she’d lick her lips, because when he looked at her like that…he was going to kiss her panties off. Not this time. Never again.

  “I care,” he growled.

  “It’s too late to care.”

  “Fiona, get over here now.”

  “Passwords?”

  “No.”

  Fiona turned.

  Marco’s hand wrapped around her wrist.

  She wasn’t strong enough for this.

  “Let go of me. Now.” Her voice didn’t even shake.

  He released her and she let out a breath that shook her shoulders.

  Head high, she walked back toward the SUV. She felt Marco’s eyes on her the whole way.

  He said he cared. It was a lie. A line. He knew how to play her. She’d given him the instructions, after all, so maybe it was her fault he’d broken her heart.

  Yeah, right.

  That one wasn’t on her.

  It was on him.

  When she was finished being pathetic, she’d see the truth. Right now though, she was drowning.

  “Well?” Scott prompted her.

  “He won’t give them to me.”

  “What?” Scott glared across the lot at Marco. “I thought we had a deal.”

  “We did. I never promised to give you the codes.” Marco’s deep rich voice carried well over the distance. A bit of breeze sent his dark hair waving across his face.

  Scott muttered something under his breath and turned toward the SUV.

  This was it then.

  It was time to go back to her cage.

  “How about this then.” Scott dug his hand into her hair, nearly bending her backward. The cold press of metal against her jaw stopped all logical thought. “You tell me the codes or I shoot her. Right now.”

  Oh God…

  She was done for.

  Marco muttered curses under his breath.

  He’d known this was likely to happen. It’s what he’d do in Scott’s position.

  “I’ve got the driver,” Ghost said through the ear piece.

  “Scott, don’t do anything stupid,” Marco said.

  “You’re forcing my hand here.” Scott tightened his hold on Fiona. Her eyes were so wide and full of fear…

  Scott was going down. Marco didn’t care what the cost was, he couldn’t hurt Fiona like this.

  “You’re aware I’m not alone?” Marco swallowed. He wanted to charge over there and really kick this guy’s ass. He hadn’t done a good enough job the first time. Clearly.

  “Your guy shoots me, I shoot her.”

  “You do that, you get nothing.”

  “We both get nothing.” Scott grinned.

  Just what Marco thought. Scott wasn’t in this for the money or anything tangible.

  “Make the deal,” Ghost said.

  “How about this?” Marco shifted. Just a little. His gun was in the door of the car. He could grab it in a split second, but it might not be fast enough.

  “The password,” Scott said again.

  “You know you’ll need more than one, right? We’ve had time to do a lot of altering.” Marco put his hand on the open window.

  Scott swore.

  “There’s a code though. We used a list to generate all new passwords. I’m sure you know it.”

  “You tell me the password and the code, she lives.”

  “No, she stays. I tell you that, Fiona stays here.”

  “No can do. I need her. Just like you do.” Scott smiled.

  “I don’t need her. I already got what I wanted. You forget, I went into this knowing what I needed.” Marco shrugged. It was a lie, but let Scott think otherwise. “It’s a good deal, Scott. If you have the passwords and the code, I’m sure you can sort it all out. You’re good like that.”

  “The guys in the car are armed. I
see two guns.” Ghost must have moved closer if he could see more than just the driver. Marco didn’t dare glance around for the other man.

  Scott turned and said something to the men in the SUV.

  “Driver is moving,” Ghost said.

  The driver got out and circled the SUV. His firearm was out of sight, but Marco assumed the man was still armed.

  “Meet him halfway,” Scott said.

  “Not without Fiona.”

  Marco hated hostage situations. Someone was always going to lose. He might survive this, but if Fiona died… If she were hurt… Surviving might be the worst outcome.

  Scott and the driver spoke in hushed tones. It appeared not everyone was in agreement.

  The driver reached over, wrenched Fiona from Scott, and marched her forward.

  Damn it.

  Leaving the car meant being exposed. With no weapon besides the knife in his boot. He hadn’t dared keep his gun on him for fear that they’d split with Fiona before he got eyes on her.

  Marco took one step and then another forward. He couldn’t look at Fiona or the fear in her eyes. He kept his gaze on the man, and Scott just over his shoulder.

  They met halfway between the cars.

  “Password? Code?” The driver bit off both words.

  Yeah, Marco figured everyone here wanted to put a bullet between his eyes. It was great making friends.

  “Can you remember this? Or should you write it down?” Marco asked.

  “Tell me.”

  “N, zero, V, four, B, L four, C, K.”

  n0v4bl4ck.

  Marco didn’t have proof.

  Just a hunch.

  He heard Fiona’s shark intake of breath.

  “The code?”

  “He’ll know it.” Marco tipped his head forward.

  The driver frowned.

  “That’s it. It’s the password. Scott’ll know the code when he sees the password.” Marco rocked forward on the balls of his feet.

  “I’m ready,” Ghost whispered.

  Yeah, Marco was sure Ghost was ready to shoot at something.

  “Take her.” The driver shoved Fiona forward.

  Marco caught her around the waist and dragged her close. She might hate him, but she was alive. He backed up, as did the driver, neither turning their back on the other. This was a threat Marco knew.

  “Get in the car. Crawl through the driver’s side. Now.” He pushed Fiona behind him.