“Our best bet is to follow the money. That list of terrorists on US soil is proof that Rutherford had a major role to play in them being here. I doubt it was directly hands-on, but he had to know what was going on. Whoever paid for it was in direct contact with Rutherford.”
Alex slicked a couple of keys on his computer, and at least a dozen faces appeared on the main screen.
Frida leaned back in her chair. “If you have details, I can send what you have to my contact and start searching for them.”
Alex shook his head. “If we do that, they’ll disappear underground. And that will include Rutherford.”
Kingsley moved forward in his chair, a frown on his forehead. “What do you mean, include Rutherford?”
“He may be the only one who knows everything, as well as where they all are, but we have no solid proof. If they go down, the money man will go after him and put him down if we’re lucky. If we’re not, he will vanish.”
Shane nodded at Alex. “At this point, the mission becomes complicated. Our first goal is to protect Sydney, and that happens by taking down her uncle. To do so, our only lead is the terrorists. So we need to find where the money is coming from. Once we have that bit of information, we can cut off the head, and everything will fall apart. That will ensure Rutherford and his men are sent to prison for a long, long time, and terrorists are taken care of.”
Malco was the next one to come forward. “The entire team has worked at tracing the money, and we came to a consensus. We’ve confirmed that none of his official and unofficial accounts, those we could find, had a major intake of money. Same with his men, though I doubt he would trust anyone else to handle it. So we believe he may have gone another route. Alex, who has the most experience in counter-terrorism, pointed it out. These groups tend to transfer money using family members.”
All eyes turned to Sydney, and her heart leaped in her throat. “You think I wouldn’t have told you about something like that?”
Mercy snorted, and Cain laughed. “No, honey. What we’re saying is that it’s possible that the money is registered under your name somewhere.”
She frowned. “I haven’t noticed anything strange in my bank account. Sorry, guys.”
Emme smiled softly. “I doubt he would be that obvious, Sydney. And maybe we’re wrong, but it’s something we’ve gotta search. It may not be recent. We ought to search back a couple of years. It could even be linked to your parents. We won’t leave any stone unturned.”
Her brain sped up, sifting through the possibilities. “Maybe there is something in my parent’s papers. Some are still at my dad’s, the rest, the important ones are in a safety deposit box. I have the address somewhere. And if I remember correctly, my uncle wanted me to retrieve something from it but I gave him the wrong bank. That’s where I met Kingsley.”
Before she could react, the team was already being divided into three groups, one continuing the web search, another heading to the storage unit, and the third going to her dad’s.
Stunned, she heard Kingsley chuckle beside her. “That means I’m staying here, doesn’t it?”
Kingsley took her hand and kissed it. “No way are we putting you in danger again. We’re gonna stay here, and you’re going to rest until the teams come back.”
She looked around the room, at all the heads already down, typing furiously on their computers.
Deep down, in her current state, she doubted that sleep would come. After her stint at the police station, she felt slightly claustrophobic.
Leaving the room, Sydney stopped in her tracks, her mind blank. For the last few days, she had been pumping adrenaline, on a hunt for clues or on the run to survive. Now having to stop and wait, it was as if her body didn’t know what to do.
Kingsley came behind her and circled her waist, engulfing her body with his heat. “You look so lost. Tell me what’s wrong, love.”
“I wish it was safe to go outside and walk on the beach. I feel cooped up.”
Kingsley kissed the top of her head, staying silent for a moment. “I think I have an idea.”
Letting go of her, he grabbed her hand and led her to a door behind the reception area. Sydney frowned as Cleo smiled at her as she carried a fresh pot of coffee toward the conference room.
Behind the door was a small staircase leading up. When Kingsley unlocked the trap door at the end, fresh air came rushing in. The door led to the rooftop, and to one of the most beautiful sunsets she had seen. It was as if the sky had exploded in every hue of crimson and gold possible. To see the sky, to be outside and have the hint of sea salt tickling her nose was precisely was she needed. Standing there, she closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. It felt better than a hot shower or ten hours straight of sleep, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the smile of the most gorgeous and considerate man she had ever known.
“Thank you. I didn’t know how much I needed this. To see the sky, to be still, just for a minute.”
His smile reached his eyes. “I think we can stay here for more than just a minute. As long as you want, although we may need blankets at some point.”
Relaxing more and more, she admired the horizon, trying to empty her mind of all the anger, fear, and doubt, just to be in the moment. Aware of Kingsley, she focused on the wind blowing her hair and the last rays of sunlight warming her cheeks. She heard him coming closer, stopping short of touching her, merely acting as her protector, as he’d done so many times since she’d first met him when he’d burst through that emergency exit door.
Blindly, she reached for her hand, and he reached out too, touching the ring on her finger before taking her hand in his.
“We did everything backward it seems.”
The sadness she heard in his low voice thickened his accent and made her turn. “What are you talking about?”
His eyes fell on their joined hands and the golden ring. “I mean that in an ideal world, I would have seen you on the street, we would have talked, maybe I could have convinced you to come for a coffee. We would have dated, and after many, many dates I would have popped the question in a romantic setting with a diamond ring in hopes you’d say yes.”
Her practical mind took over. “What are the odds of that happening? I hardly went out, and you don’t seem like a guy that goes for walks for the fun of it. If not for this situation we would never have met. Admit it.”
Kingsley stepped in front of her and took her other hand. Eyes downcast, she saw the ring on his hand and licked her lips in apprehension. “I… I feel as if I’ve trapped you because of my problems. You’re a good man. It’s in your blood to act when someone is in danger. What if it was that selflessness in you that turned you into my knight in shining armor? Maybe our emotions got mixed up. If you want, we can have this marriage annulled.”
He cupped her cheek to force her to look up and cut off the flow of words, uncertainty, and pain spilling from her. His blue eyes gleamed with tenderness, but his face was severe. “I know how I feel about you. Too often in my life I’ve had danger pursuing me like a shadow. That constant fear for my life, and the lives of my team, always made things clearer. From the moment I saw you, I knew. You’re not the first person I’ve saved, Syd, but you’re the only one who’s touched me, deep in my soul. I don’t know what happened and I don’t care. But I’ll tell you what it’s not. It’s not mixed up. It’s clear as I see you, touch you right now. I love you. It’s as simple as that. My only regrets are that you’re still in danger and I wish that I’d been able to propose properly. Ask you in a more traditional way. Because I can be traditional.”
His smirk made her smile. The words he spoke warmed her belly and wrapped around her heart. “We did everything backward, Syd, but if that was the only way I got to have you in my life, I wouldn’t change a single thing.”
“We barely know each other. What will happen once we take care of my uncle?”
Gently, he brought her into the safety of his arms. “Why don’t we discover that as we go? One step at
a time? For example, I would like it if we could find a place by the sea. It may be expensive, but I’m going to ask for a raise after this mission.” When he winked at her, she laughed.
“Caitlin asked me to help her with her K-9 squad. What do you think?” She was nervous about revealing her intentions as they’d never talked about the future before.
“Would that mean you’d be at the Agency all the time? Because if that’s the case, I love it. You need to have your own dog, too.”
Sydney thought about the little ball of fur she had seen that morning, and her heart started to beat faster. “Do you like dogs?”
“Yes. I love them. And I can’t wait to discover everything else you like and dislike.”
Snaking her arms around his neck, she whispered against his lips, “I love you.”
With a groan, he took her mouth for a heated kiss that made her burn for him. When he finally allowed her to take a gulp of air, he spun her in his arms.
“We need to discuss where we’ll live, and we need enough space in the backyard for your dog and still be close to Alliance. I can’t wait to take you home and show you around. That could be our honeymoon.”
“You’ve got everything planned.” She should be scared of how fast things were going between them, but she wasn’t because it was the right and most perfect decision.
“You’ll see that I’m good with details. It has to do with disarming bombs for so long. We need to change your ID to Knight, get you a passport too. And I’ll put your name on my papers, including my life insurance.”
Sydney rolled her eyes. “There’s no rush. I’ve never had a life insurance policy, so I can continue to be insurance-less for a while longer.”
As she giggled, Kingsley’s face turned expressionless for a moment. It was something she saw him do when he was struck by an idea. “What? What did I say?”
“That’s it! That’s how he hid it.”
Sydney looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “What are you talking about?”
Kingsley kissed her brow before touching her shoulders. “The team went through everything under your parent’s names, and yours and didn’t find anything. He could have hidden the money through a life insurance policy under your name. It’s not something we would have looked at because the amount of any insurance can be significant and it’s not something we would suspect. And if I remember correctly, Alex said that he’d found your name under a life insurance. Rutherford probably took it out under your name and it’s something so common you would have dismissed it.”
“You mean a real life insurance policy?”
“I doubt it, but if it looks and feels like one, why would we have checked where the money came from? I wouldn’t be surprised to find it in the papers you stored in your safety deposit box. That would be something you would have naturally put there.”
Hope surged through her. “Is it what we need to get rid of him?”
Kingsley kissed her hard before smiling at her. “I sure hope so. Let’s go tell the team. And with a bit of luck, we can put this nightmare behind us and plan for the future. Our future.”
24
“It’s the only way, Knight!”
Kingsley faced off against Mason. “I don’t fucking care, find another one. She is not going into that bank. It’s probably a trap, and you know it.”
“I know, but we’re prepared this time, they won’t get to Sydney, I promise. And we don’t have time, she’s the owner of the box, she has to be there.”
Kingsley paced back and forth across the room, one hand on his hip, the other running through his hair in frustration. “We both know you can’t guarantee her safety!”
Cain glanced at the two men, his face calm. “Any better ideas?”
Kingsley racked his brain for a way out of this situation and found none. The only way to make the bank give up the deeds to the life insurance policy was for Sydney to go in and go through the security checks in place for it.
“Fuck,” he shouted in frustration.
“If we go in early, just after the bank opens the place should be quiet. We’ll have some of the team inside and some in the surroundings. We won’t lose her.”
Kingsley nodded at Mason. “Fine,” he growled, “but I want inside as close to her as I can get.”
“Bad idea. Let me take point with her. You’re already worked up.”
“Are you saying I can’t protect my woman?” Kingsley asked ready to put Mason’s teeth down his throat.
“No. I’m saying you’ll be better placed working this from outside the bank. My skill set is close protection, it’s what I do best. Let me do it. I won’t screw this up.”
Mason was right but Kingsley had to fight the burning feeling in his gut that made him want to pick up Sydney and run. “Fine, we do this your way, but if I get one whiff that it’s going sideways, I won’t think twice about taking over.”
Mason nodded his agreement. “I would happily step aside.”
Caitlin, who had been sitting quietly watching them argue, threw up her hands in frustration. “Now that’s settled can we get the rest of the team in here and plan the logistics? We have less than two hours before the bank opens.”
Kingsley felt like his jaw would snap it was so tense. “Yeah, let’s get this done. I’ll go fetch Syd.”
Caitlin gave him a wink and a grin. “How about I do that? You two always manage to get distracted.”
Kingsley laughed at that and agreed.
He sat down opposite his teammates a few minutes later as the plan was explained to them all, including Sydney who was seated on his right side. “Is that okay with you, Syd? If it isn’t, just say so and we’ll find another way.” He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
He watched as she looked around the room before setting her gaze back on him. “If there were another way you would have found it, so no, I’ll do it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She cupped his cheek. “I trust you guys implicitly.”
“I’ll be the one inside the bank vault with you, Sydney. We feel Kingsley will be better placed outside.”
“Okay, whatever you think best,” Sydney replied looking at Mason as he spoke.
Ideas were tossed about and dismissed until the team had a plan they thought would work best for them. It involved the entire team being either inside or outside the bank. It was a risk, especially as they thought there was possibly a leak inside the bank that would inform Rutherford if she moved the papers. Kingsley knew though that there was no other way and he could only pray their plan worked.
At 9.02 am that morning, Sydney walked into the Highstreet branch of the Bank of America and moved to the reception desk. Mason was beside her, and she knew he was in constant communication with the team. He was highly efficient, capable, and was probably amazing at his job, but at that moment, Sydney would have given anything to feel Kingsley’s calming hand at her back, smell his scent close to her, calming her frayed nerves.
“Hi, my name is April. How can I help you today?”
Forcing a measure of calm she didn’t feel, and digging her nails into her palm, she took a deep breath and greeted the woman with a smile. “Hi, my name is Sydney Ann Rutherford. I’d like to access my safety deposit box, please.”
“Certainly, do you have your ID?” April tilted her head with a genuine smile.
“Yes.” Sydney handed over her ID, glad that Kingsley and Malco had retrieved her wallet from her apartment that first day. She held her breath while April looked it over and then typed the numbers into the system. Sydney felt like she wanted to vomit as she waited.
April looked up and then down at the computer again. “I just need to get the manager to deal with this one. Security levels of this kind are over my clearance I’m afraid.” She offered another small, friendly smile that showed her dimples. The girl was pretty and probably only around twenty-three or four.
As she walked away, she felt Mason move whisper close to her ear. “This
is all normal, standard operating procedure for large accounts. Just relax, Sydney, you’re doing great.”
Sydney let the breath she was holding go and pretended to look around, noting that Mercy and Nick were inside the bank acting as a couple with a stroller. Cain was waiting to pay some money into the bank in the line for the teller. The rest of the team she assumed were outside.
April came back with a man in his fifties, who was slim, and smart looking with glasses and a beard.
“Miss Rutherford, I’m Clive Watkins and I’m the manager here. I understand you would like to access your safety deposit box.”
“Yes, I would,” Sydney replied fighting the desire to explain herself to this man when she had absolutely no reason to do so.
“Of course. If you would give me a few moments, I’ll grab your file and take you through. I see it’s the first time you’ve been back since you opened it, and it’s been a while. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you may have,” he said with a nod before moving to the set of doors at the back and disappearing. Sydney waited patiently for a few minutes until he returned.
“This way, Miss Rutherford.”
He began to walk away, and she and Mason followed the manager toward the vault. They passed through two sets of doors with guards on them before getting to the vault. The manager used his thumbprint and a key before he was allowed access to the retinal scanner. That safely accomplished, he led them through to the highest security vault and toward the boxes of records. The floor felt squishy beneath her, and she wondered why. She couldn’t remember it from the only time she’d been there, so she turned to look at Mason for an answer.
Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology Page 147