by Dale Mayer
She stared at him. “Do bullets like that exist?”
He gave a brief, hard snort. “Unfortunately the answer to that question is yes.”
*
Anders exchanged hard glances with Reyes. Anders understood his friend only had a minor injury, but it had been a close call. Too damn close.
“I’m surprised they didn’t take out the gas tank,” Reyes said.
“I don’t think they expected us to go right through.”
“They should have. They didn’t give us any other option,” Harrison said from the front, his voice hard and curt. “I hit the brakes momentarily and then said, To hell with that. I crashed right through it. No way we’re getting taken. The only option was to go down fighting.”
Angel looked behind them and found the truck following them was gone. “Doing that, Harrison disabled both vehicles and kept us safe,” Angel said, her words warm and admiring. “I still would prefer that we hadn’t met up with them. So they are all gone now? I don’t see the big truck anymore.”
“It pulled off to the side of the road. Maybe they got a flat or two driving through all the debris and glass. They may not be following us, but they’re not done with us yet,” Harrison said. “I figure they’ve called to somebody ahead. That’s why we’re changing our route. We notified your father directly of our new route. The fact that somebody was looking for us today on this road makes me suspect somebody in his office is involved.”
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised,” she said. “He does not inspire loyalty from his men.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Dezi said. “A leader is only as good as his followers believe he is. Otherwise they won’t follow him into battle.”
She realized she wasn’t being fair. “Unless he’s changed in the last five, six years,” she said. “Back then, he had had an affair with the wife of one of the men who worked for him. It caused quite a ruckus and a lot of ill feelings.”
“Of course it did,” Anders said. “Crossing the line like that means everyone questions what other lines he’ll cross.”
“And that’s just part of the problem. He has always had a wandering eye and somehow figured married women were available. The problem was, the married women always acted as if they were available. Of course he loved single women too—the younger, the better.”
Anders and Reyes shared a knowing look. All that had been exposed in the dossier on her father. That knowledge added to their intercepted travel plans today made it even more likely that someone in her father’s employ was involved in all this. Like the old saying goes, keep your enemy closer. How much closer would they be if not all staying at her father’s house?
She leaned forward. “We need to get off this road.”
Harrison laughed. “It’s in progress. Settle back and relax. Keep an eye on poor Reyes there. He’s the one injured.”
“I’m fine,” Reyes said. “I’m just pissed I got caught.”
She turned to look at him. “I’m not. I’m grateful they didn’t have better aim.”
At that, Anders laughed. “I’m pretty sure they figured they had great aim, but they weren’t expecting us to drive through their barricade, or for Harrison to hit the brakes briefly, all making it really hard to target moving objects.”
The rest of the drive was uneventful, but Anders was still pissed and weary. So far these men had resorted to mountain-climbing in extreme winter conditions to get ahold of Angel, and Anders wasn’t sure what they had as a backup plan now that their second attack on this long stretch of road had failed. He’d already contacted Levi, giving him an update, and learned that her father had upped the security at his house for their arrival.
Sitting beside Anders, Angel asked, “What’s the point of going to my dad’s place now? They’ll expect me to be there for sure, what with us back on the ground in England. So all the bad guys are probably gathering there. If Carlo is the intended target, this will bring on a direct attack for him as well.”
Harrison drove through the outskirts of London. “Your father’s already set up with heavy security. Besides, it’s what our orders are,” he said in a hard voice. “If it turns out to be too dangerous there, my first priority is your safety.”
“Only until I’m delivered to Carlo,” she said in a snotty attitude. “So what if my life’s in danger when I get there? It’s not like you’ll disobey your orders and take me away and keep me safe. How many attacks does it take before you reconsider this ridiculous idea? Are you even planning to stay long enough to know how this pans out?”
Anders knew she spoke out of fear, as did his team with him.
Harrison twisted his head ever-so-slightly and gave her a hard look.
The other men stayed quiet. In the rearview mirror Harrison watched as she settled into the seat, her arms crossed over her chest. Anders and his men knew she was afraid, and they also knew that going home to her father was last on her list of her most wanted things to do. But Anders couldn’t help that. He already worried that her father had it wrong in demanding she be taken to his place. Angel shouldn’t be going there. It might be even more dangerous than being in the vehicle now. Anders wondered why Levi hadn’t already countered the client’s wishes.
Anders knew the worst was yet to come as these guys got more desperate. That roadblock would have stopped most people. The attackers would have taken her, after taking out him and his men. He was still under orders, so, until he saw that following those orders would endanger her further, he’d keep on doing what he was told to do. But, at the first hint something was dodgy at her father’s place, he would scoop her up and out of there to keep her safe.
After a quick lunch break on the roadside, they drove further down the road. When they reached the city of London, the traffic increased. By the time they neared her father’s estate, Anders was cranky.
Beside him, she murmured, “The soul of patience, aren’t you?”
“I think every crazy-ass driver is on these streets right now. I never understood why people don’t stay home when they don’t know how to drive.”
“Just because they don’t drive like you?”
He snorted. “It’s not a case of not like me. It’s a case of not knowing how to drive.”
Harrison pulled up to the double gates to the estate and announced them into the intercom to the side. When they were cleared to enter, the gates opened in front of them. Harrison studied the layout and frowned. “Anything look different?” he asked Angel, sitting behind him.
“No, it still looks like the hoity-toity aristocratic property he has always had,” she said with a heavy sigh.
“Is this not the family home?”
“It was before the family became broken,” she said. “Now it’s just him and his side pieces.” She groaned. “Sorry, guys. This is a touchy subject. Carlo put my mother through hell. I don’t have any respect for a man who would do that to his family.”
Anders agreed with her privately, but it wasn’t his job right now to judge her father’s personal life.
Harrison drove up the lane slowly, his gaze never stopping as it searched the fancy lawns and ornate gardens. “He likes a very Victorian style, I presume?”
“Or his great-grandfather did,” Angel said.
“And yet, you say his great-grandfather. Why don’t you say yours?” Dezi asked.
She gave a half-hearted and self-conscious shrug. “I’ve tried to distance myself from Carlo and all his shenanigans. That means all the men before him too, I guess. But I do love my grandfather.”
“What does your mother do now?”
“She went back to school and became a nurse,” Angel said, her voice softening tremendously. “She works in Manchester.”
“Is she happy?” Anders asked. He watched her head tilt to the side, as she gave the question some serious thought.
“I think she’s happier now than she has been for a long time. The divorce wasn’t nice, and the recovery period left her with very low self-esteem and po
or self-confidence. Being a single parent also didn’t help her cope with the stress.”
“I’m sorry. It’s not an easy way to start a new life,” Anders said gently.
Harrison pulled up to the front of the mansion. Two men in black suits stood at attention there, waiting for them. From the bulge under their shoulders, Anders could see they were armed.
“Security, I presume?” Dezi said. He hopped out, did a full 360 to check out the property and then approached the first man on the entryway. The second never moved from the top step.
Meanwhile, Anders and Reyes had exited the vehicle, also pivoting to take in the full property before letting Angel out of the car.
“At least we’re here,” Harrison said as he shut off the engine. He got out, also did a full circle, checking out their surroundings, then walked to the rear passenger door and opened it for her. She exited slowly and looked around.
Anders studied her pale features and asked, “Is there something about your relationship with your father that you’re not telling me?”
She gave him a shadowed look. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated. “Something you don’t want to share or something you think will either get you in trouble or get him in trouble? Not just that you didn’t want to be here?”
“I really didn’t like living through that divorce, watching what happened to my mother when Carlo couldn’t keep his dick in his pants,” she said smoothly. “My distrust of men hasn’t changed.” She turned her back on Anders and strode away. When one of the security men stepped forward to talk to her, she ignored him and hiked up the stairs.
Anders liked her style, her confidence, holding her head high and heading into her father’s house when it was not what she wanted. Not at all.
She didn’t speak to the security men. The second man at the top of the stairs stepped forward, and she shot him a look. “Get out of my way,” she ordered.
The man stood his ground.
Having been on both sides of that issue, Anders appreciated the security guard was in a no-win situation with Angel.
“You may not enter until we verify your identity.”
“If you’re only now verifying my identity as I’m about to walk into my childhood home,” she said, her hard cold voice carrying clearly, “then you obviously haven’t done your job beforehand.” And she brushed past him.
Amused, Anders watched as the security guard had enough self-confidence in his job to reach out and to physically restrain her. She brought her arm out and down on the guard’s wrist, releasing his grip on her. “It’s never a good idea to manhandle any woman,” she said. “But especially not one used to wrangling mountain wildlife.”
The guard had the good sense to back away.
She was an indomitable force, whether she was on an icy mountaintop or in her icy persona right now. This was a part of her personality that Anders hadn’t seen before. It was an interesting one though. He suspected nothing more was going on between her and her father than what she had said earlier. She was just this upset about coming here. And he could understand not liking being jerked around by the circumstances. But most people would at least still be happy to see their father after so many years.
Anders walked up the stairs right behind her. At the door, she turned and looked at him, waiting. He got the message. He was supposed to stay with her, one way or another. He motioned to his men, and they nodded.
When the security guard at the top of the stairs stepped toward Anders, she held up a hand and said, “Don’t.” Her voice was autocratic and sharp. “He’s with me.” And she turned her back on both security men and walked inside.
As Anders walked past, he smiled at the guards and said, “It’s all right. I’m one of the good guys.” He stepped in behind Angel.
But, if either of those men had been working for him, Anders would have fired them both immediately, and they would have been escorted off the property at that very moment. With his naval background, Anders didn’t give a shit who gave the orders, just that they were explicitly followed. Instructions were clear, and security protocols had to be followed at all times.
As he stepped into the house, he stood there, his eyes adjusting to the dim interior. He felt a hand slide into his. He looked down to see Angel’s fingers now laced into his. He wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but he stepped protectively closer. Her fingers trembled. Now that he was close enough to see her face, he realized the autocratic attitude was steel stiffening her spine because it was either that or breaking into tears.
He retracted what he had thought earlier. Something else is involved here. Yet he whispered to her, “It’ll be okay.”
“No,” she said sadly. “It never is when it involves Carlo.”
He gripped her fingers tighter. “Then let’s lead into the lion’s den. The sooner we get this over with, the better.”
Chapter 9
Angelica hated the fact that she was even here. She took a few moments, taking several calming breaths, and then led the way toward Carlo’s office. But she refused to let go of Anders’s hand. She didn’t know why it bothered her so much to be here this time. But she figured this play was one of Carlo’s machinations to bring her back to him. Whether he was in any actual trouble was a different story.
She hadn’t trusted him in a long time, and that wouldn’t change now. He was a very good manipulator, an abuser. Her way of dealing with it had been to stay away. She’d watched her mother crumble, her mother’s love for Carlo die, and her mother’s self-esteem and personality completely drain away, turning her mother into this one insignificant woman who was then tossed aside as if she’d had no value. Her mother had taken years to recover and had finally found a purpose again. But, for her, the anger over everything her mother had gone through sat under Angelica’s sternum, just waiting to explode.
Nobody stopped them as they walked down the hall.
She was hardly dressed for Carlo’s rigid house rules, but she didn’t give a shit. One of the first things he would likely do would be to tell her to get changed. But, even when her bags were brought up, she had nothing Carlo would consider proper dinner attire. Besides, she was tired and cranky, not to mention incredibly stressed after the earlier attacks, wondering how Nate was and if Reyes would be okay.
The office door was closed in front of her. Knowing it would piss him off, she dropped Anders’s hand, grabbed both doors knobs, pushed open both doors at the same time and stepped through.
Carlo looked up, anger rippling across his face. “I see you still know how to make an entrance, my dear.”
She inclined her head slightly. “I do,” she said. “Now do you want to explain to me what this cloak-and-dagger nightmare is about?”
“I don’t owe you any explanation,” he said.
Anders stepped up to her side.
Her father looked at him and dismissed him with a wave of his hand and said, “The staff stands outside. Nobody’s allowed into my office without my say-so.”
“He stays with me.” Angelica’s voice was hard. “And now you owe me and him an explanation.” She motioned at the chair beside her. “Anders, please take a seat.” And then she settled into the one beside him. “Carlo?”
“That is no way to address your father.” He glared at her, got no response. Then he looked at Anders and said, “I don’t care what boy toy you might be, there’ll be no discussion here until you leave.”
At that, Angelica stood, reached for Anders hand, linked her fingers and said, “Good seeing you, Carlo, as always. Goodbye.” And she turned and walked out.
Immediately he stood on his feet and roared, “Wait! What are you doing?”
She twisted and gave him a hard look. “I told you. He stays with me. If you order him out, then you are ordering me out. This trip was a waste, and you’re being your usual manipulative self. That pisses me off even more.” She glared at him.
Carlo glared back, then relented. “Fine then. He can sit down. But this is p
ersonal. I can’t discuss any of it while he is within earshot.”
“Then nothing has changed. Have a good day, Carlo.” She exited his office and continued to walk along the hallway toward the front door.
He came around the desk and after them.
She caught sight of Anders’s face. His jaw was hard and sculpted, but a glimmer of amusement was in his gaze. She knew he probably wanted to ask a million questions, but this wasn’t the time.
Carlo raced past them and stood in front of her. “Now look. This is a family matter. Obviously I won’t discuss it with anybody.”
“You will discuss it with Anders and me, or you will not be discussing it with me at all.”
“I told you in the beginning that I don’t explain myself,” he said, “so that’s an easy answer. No discussion.”
“If you won’t give me an explanation as to why I was plucked off that mountain, taken away from my work and dragged all the way into London, then I’m not staying.”
“You are here, and you are staying here. You were told what you needed to know,” he said smoothly. “Obviously you will be filled in with greater details after these men are paid and leave.”
Anders stepped partially in front of her, crossed his arms and looked down at her father. “You hired us to do this job. I presume you have already paid Levi. And we aren’t leaving Angelica alone here—or anywhere else—unless her attackers have been caught. So she stays with me, and, if she wants to leave, then she will leave.”
Angelica watched Carlo. His face turned moderately red in almost a panicked fury. He was nothing if not British—and upper crust at that. He stiffened his jaw, locking and unlocking it, and then said, “At least stay for a meal. You’ve traveled a long way.”
“And then what?”
He shrugged. “I’m hoping you’ll calm down and not be quite so resistant. I’m doing this to save your life.”
“So you say. For all I know, you’re doing this to save your ass.” She deliberately used that term, knowing it would upset him. He didn’t like her to use any vulgar words, regardless of the context. Personally she thought it was very appropriate.