by Sloan Storm
“I just want to see it. What’s the big deal?”
Frowning, I unfolded my arms and passed the box to her with reluctance and a warning. “Just be careful with it.”
Ainsley took the small box from me and opened it, pulling out the ring.
“It’s pretty,” she began, holding it up in front of her face and turning it in one direction, then another. “It’s a lot sweeter than that flashy one you got. Too bad you didn’t keep that one though. You could’ve sold it when you left Dorian’s and found yourself somewhere better to live than, well, here.”
It took every ounce of strength I had not to cuss her out. Every freaking second I spent with her was like nails on a chalkboard. As usual, Ainsley was completely unaware of my annoyed state of mind with her. She passed the ring back to me, but not without a final insult.
“Oh well, your loss.”
“Shut up.” I snapped, gritting my teeth.
I extended my hand, opening it. Ainsley dropped the ring into my palm.
“Let’s just go.” I grumbled, closing my fingers around it.
Ainsley didn’t say anything, just smiled at me in that snotty way she always did. Turning away from me she started to walk towards the bedroom door, when all of a sudden, I heard one of the security guards yell from the living room.
“No, no!” the voice yelled. It sounded like Robert, the driver.
With my free hand I reached for Ainsley’s upper arm and grabbed her. She froze and looked at me. Just then, the sickening sound of muffled gunfire rattled off the walls, followed by the unmistakable thud of bodies hitting the floor.
The front door to the apartment slammed closed.
“Find them!”
12
Exchange (Dorian)
I’d landed at a small private airstrip just outside of Pocatello.
While I waited for Ronan to arrive, I sat in my plane and finished up some paperwork before my flight attendant, Carly, approached me.
“Excuse me, Mr. Scott.”
I glanced up at her. “Hmm?”
I’ve just received word that Mr. Volk is close by. He should arrive here at the plane in less than a minute.
“All right, thank you Carly.”
With that, I stashed my work materials and picked up the case, placing it on the desk in front of me while I stood and adjusted my suit and tie.
Emerging into the late afternoon sun, I noticed Ronan’s limo pulling up. It was a helluva a lot cooler than Vegas in Idaho and sure as shit, a lot greener. Right about the time I reached the bottom of the stairwell, the vehicle came to a stop and the driver got out.
Nodding at me, he walked to the back of the limo and reached for the handle. “Mr. Scott, sir, good to see you again.”
I nodded at him in return. “Good to see you again, Ed.”
I climbed inside the limo.
“What’s up man?” Ronan exclaimed.
I slid into my seat and before placing the case on the floor, I looked at my good friend. We exchanged a brief handshake before I leaned back.
“Oh, the usual, you know… Espionage, killings, and fighting with Ainsley about all of it.”
Ronan leaned back in his seat and clapped his hands together, laughing. “I figured she’d be pissed.”
While he chuckled, I lifted the case up and dropped it into my lap.
“Hey,” Ronan said, gesturing towards it. “Sorry about having to reschedule on you. Things are tense right now. Can’t take any chances.”
I shook my head. “Not a problem. We’re here now.”
“In all seriousness,” he began, sitting upright. “Is there any possibility you’ve put yourself at risk by getting this for me?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got everything under control, man.”
Ronan nodded at me, changing subjects. “Hey, you know what today is?”
It’s not like I could ever forget. “Of course I do. First day of basic, fifteen years ago…”
Ronan smiled at me. “You ever wish we could have stuck it out and finished SEAL training?”
“Sometimes, yeah. I do. You?”
“Sometimes.”
After a quick shrug, he finished his thought. “It just wasn’t meant to be, you know?”
“Yep.”
Ronan leaned forward in his seat again, this time reaching towards the case and patting the top of it.
“It’s too bad Malcolm didn’t enlist, didn’t come with me. He could have been a totally different person today instead of what he’s turned into.”
I figured it was better to keep my opinions about Malcolm to myself. I didn’t respond, just nodded at him before changing the subject on my own.
“Do you have what I asked for?”
Ronan nodded at me and then reached down into a small compartment running along the door’s interior. He pulled out a large envelope and extended it to me.
“You know,” he began, easing back into his seat again after handing it off. “That information wasn’t easy to come by. What do you have in store for this poor son of a bitch?”
While he talked, I undid the clasp on the envelope. “That’s not really something I’m comfortable sharing with you. In case something goes wrong, you are better off not knowing the details.”
“I understand, man. Anything I can help with? I mean, other than this?”
I looked at him and continued. “No, this is plenty. I’ll just say I made a promise to someone, and it’s one I intend to keep. The information in this envelope will ensure that I can make good on it.”
“Well, I’ll tell you… Getting anything on this guy was not easy. This must be one hell of a favor, if you plan on going after someone like this.”
Now that I had the envelope open, I reached down inside of it, pulling the contents out about half way before sliding them down inside again.
“Like I said, the less you know the better. If you don’t mind, I want to just leave it at that.”
Ronan nodded his head with one quick snap. “You got it.”
Closing the envelope, I placed it on the seat next to me before resting my hand on top of the case and patting it a couple of times.
“Malcolm is slipping,” I said, locking eyes with Ronan. “He’s getting sloppy and careless. What the hell was he thinking, getting involved with a fucking loser like Todd?”
Ronan let out a long exhale. “We all know the same people – you, me, Malcolm. He had no choice but to go outside of the usual channels. The problem is that when you do that, you risk dealing with forces you can’t predict. The only thing he didn’t count on was the greed of his middleman. If Todd had been a good little soldier, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation right now. And me? Well, I would be royally fucked.”
I had to admit, what he said made a lot of sense even though I had no idea about the case’s contents. For much the same reason I didn’t want him knowing about the envelope’s purpose, he’d kept the details to himself about the case. That was fine with me.
Ronan continued. “About the men you hired… Do you think there’s going to be any blowback because they killed each other?”
“No, they were independent contractors. We kept it clean. There won’t be any problems. The thing is, guys like that wake up knowing every day might be their last. It was just ironic how it all went down.”
“No kidding,” Ronan replied, arching an eyebrow at me.
Something did gnaw at me about this whole thing. I figured it was time to get an answer. “I got a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“You never told me, and I didn’t ask, but how did you get the information Todd was delivering the package to Reno in the first place?”
Ronan eased back in the seat, chuckling. “If I told you, you wouldn’t fucking believe it.”
“Try me.”
“He showed up at my office in Manhattan.”
I frowned at him. “No shit?”
“Yeah, no shit. I mean, the balls on this fuck
ing guy. He walked right up to my secretary, demanding to see me. How he got in there, I still have no idea. But anyway he tells her that if I won’t see him in the next five minutes, he’s heading straight to the district attorney to tell them what he knows about me.”
“What did you do?”
Ronan paused, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his thighs. “What the hell do you think I did? It’s not everyday someone comes in my office and makes threats like that. I told my secretary to bring the dipshit in to see me. Fuck. Dorian, you know better than anyone that the feds are always on my case. The last thing I need is to give another agency an excuse to crawl up my ass.”
“True. So what happened?”
“Well,” Ronan said, relaxing his posture some. “It was pretty simple. He told me what he had, he told me he was supposed to deliver it, and he told me how much Malcolm was willing to pay him to do it.”
“What did he want?”
“Money. What else would a low life like that be after? He was looking to double up on what Malcolm would have paid by turning the case over to me instead.”
I nodded. “Obviously you didn’t go for it.”
Ronan shook his head.
“No way, man. For all I knew, he could’ve been an informant or just some nut off the street. Besides, I knew I had a secret weapon at my disposal of it all turned out to be legit.”
When he finished speaking he winked at me.
“Anyway, so I knew when and where the transaction was happening, which of course is what you and I discussed before the job went down. If his story was complete bullshit, then no harm would come of it. Turns out he was telling the truth. In the end he was just a really stupid person, just another greedy asshole. Hopefully, this will be the end of it.”
Glancing down at the case, I exhaled. “Hopefully, but I doubt Malcolm is going to give up the fight.”
Ronan’s expression went blank. It probably wasn’t easy to hear. He looked at me. “That’s true. There’s nothing quite like brotherly love is there?”
I never got used to the idea of the two of them being brothers. It couldn’t be possible for two people to be so different. Even so, Malcolm was his problem to handle.
I shrugged. “Honestly, I wouldn’t know a thing about brotherly love. All I’ve got is Ainsley.”
Ronan’s expression changed again, a broad smile stretched across his face. “And how’s that beautiful sister of yours?”
Shaking my head, I chuckled at him. “Still off limits to you, asshole.”
Ronan laughed. “Now you sound like Ainsley!”
Before I could say anything, Ronan spoke again, his brow creased with a serious expression. “Hey man, I just wanted to add, I had no idea about the girl, Tempest. I didn’t tell you that the night you called me, the night you found her. I should have. That selfish prick Todd never mentioned anything about a woman being involved.”
While he talked, I glanced out the window of the limousine and looked at my plane. It wouldn’t be long before I saw Tempest again and held her in my arms.
“What about her?” Ronan asked. “Do you still have her with you?”
I turned and looked at him again. “I do.”
“I see. Listen, if I’m overstepping my bounds here, feel free to tell me to fuck off. But, I’m wondering what you’re thinking by keeping her around. Seems like an unnecessary risk and not like you.”
I was getting tired of answering the same question over and over.
“Yeah, it’s real simple as far as I’m concerned. I think it’s in everyone’s best interest I keep her close. Both of us know Malcolm is not about to let this go. She’s safer and so is your little secret if I keep her under my watchful eye.”
Ronan shook his head. “I’m sure she’s a goddamn knockout if you’re willing to go to these lengths. If it was anyone else but you I would say this is more about getting your dick wet than doing what’s smart.”
I couldn’t disagree with him. If it was anybody else but Tempest, I would’ve let them fend for themselves. But it wasn’t, and I wouldn’t. Ronan sat up straight in his seat again.
“Okay, well, I don’t want to keep you. Thanks for running this up here to me. “
Shrugging, I replied, “No problem. I’m sure you’d do the same for me if the situation was reversed.”
“Goddamn right. You know you can count on me for anything.”
With that, I passed the case to him, glad to finally be rid of it. Ronan stuck out his hand and I took it in mine, shaking it. After, I shifted in my seat and got ready to exit the limousine.
“Hey,” Ronan started. “I’m going to be coming to Vegas soon for business. We should have dinner. Of course Ainsley is always welcome.”
Sliding across the seat and opening the door, I nodded in his direction. “That sounds good. You know how to reach me.”
After getting out of the car, I took a handful of steps towards my plane as Ronan’s limo pulled away. I stood there, thinking about what he said.
What was it about Tempest that made me want to protect her so much? Fuck, it was like I’d been hypnotized from the first second I laid eyes on her. Every day that went by, I felt more drawn to her, more connected. The truth was, I still hardly knew her. Even so, there was no doubt, no question deep in my bones, I would do anything to keep her safe – anything.
The good news was that goddamn case wasn’t my problem anymore. Soon enough, Malcolm would find out that his brother finally had possession of it. Still, I was going to feel a hell of a lot more comfortable once I was back in Vegas and had Tempest safe in my arms. Yeah, maybe I’d been overly cautious about protecting her from Malcolm but if being a success in business taught me anything it’s that just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t out to get you.
If it was just between Malcolm and me, that would be one thing. Tempest wasn’t ready to deal with somebody like that. She might have been tough, feisty, and independent, but none of that amounts to shit when bad men with wicked intentions come calling.
13
Forewarned (Tempest)
Wrapping my hand around Ainsley’s forearm, I raised the index finger of my other hand to my lips. She snapped her head towards me, eyes round like saucers.
“Who is it?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
I shook my head but didn’t say anything. Motioning for her to follow me, I started to take a couple of steps towards my bathroom. I stepped to one side, gesturing for Ainsley to go in ahead of me.
“Hurry up,” I muttered.
Just then, two voices I didn’t recognize caught my attention. I couldn’t tell if they were talking or arguing but they were definitely speaking Spanish.
Oh no!
Could it be that my dad’s warning was coming true? Had these men come to kill me for what happened to the hitman?
Following Ainsley into the bathroom, I scampered inside, closing the door behind me as quietly as possible. How would I even begin to explain this to her? I had no doubt that’s what was happening. As for Dorian’s men, I assumed the worst.
Oh my God. Fuck.
After locking the door, I turned and looked at Ainsley. She stood frozen next to the toilet and the only window in the bathroom. Even though she’d been nothing but a bitch to me since day one, this wasn’t her problem. I had to find a way to get her out of there. Dorian would kill me if something happened to his sister, and as much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to her either.
“Where the hell did they go?” one of the men yelled, his thick accent making it difficult to catch each word.
“Check the back, bedrooms, bathrooms,” the other man demanded. “Those bitches are here somewhere.”
Fearing they’d be on us at any second, I pointed towards the window. Ainsley nodded, turning and unfastening the latches. Around that time, I heard one of the men walk into my bedroom. My eyes darted back and forth, focusing on the door knob to the bathroom and Ainsley wh
ile she worked to open the window.
“It’s stuck,” she grunted, still whispering. “I can’t get it to budge.”
I licked my lips and stepped around to the other side of the window to help her. Pushing together, we finally got it to open. But when we did, dried paint around the edges made a horrendous cracking sound when it came loose.
Terrified, Ainsley raised both of her hands to her face, covering her mouth. I clenched my jaw, snapping my head towards the bathroom door again. Almost immediately, the man who entered my bedroom banged away on it.
“Open the door! Open the door!”
There wasn’t much time. Shit. Who am I kidding? There wasn’t any time. Ignoring him for the time being, I climbed on top of the toilet seat and looked out the window. The drop appeared to be about ten feet. Pulling my head back inside, I looked at Ainsley.
“Hurry!” I whispered, pointing towards the open window. “You can make it if you go.”
To my shock, she stepped back and shook her head. “I’m not going to leave you here by yourself.”
The man started to kick the door, each violent blow rattling the hinges. I grabbed Ainsley by the wrist. Her eyes locked on mine.
“I’m begging you… Please.”
I tried to pull her to the window, but she dug in, refusing to take a single step.
“No,” she began, snatching her wrist free of my grasp. “Dorian would never forgive me, ever, if I left you alone and something happened. I’m not going anywhere.”
Unfortunately, our mutual concern about what Dorian might or might not do cost us. The other man joined the first, and between their combined efforts, the door started to crack and splinter.
Ainsley and I backed into the wall. It was only a matter of time. Finally, they burst through, one of the men pointing his gun directly at both of us.
“Hands up!” he shouted.
The other man stood in the doorway, also with his gun drawn and pointed in our direction. Doing as we were told, Ainsley and I walked with our hands in the air, being directed back to the living room. Once we entered, I staggered to a stop.
“Jesus!” I yelled.
Ainsley gasped.
The bodies of both Dorian’s security guards lay there. Each had taken bullets to the head.