Shadow Guardian

by Rebecca Deel

  “Knowing you suffered bothers me.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I suppose I’ll have a scar from the bullet. You called my wounds a sign of bravery. I see yours the same way.”

  Nico closed his eyes briefly, then stepped back and yanked on his shirt. “We have to get out of this room. My self-control is almost gone, and you deserve honor and respect from me.”

  She followed him to the kitchen in silence. The buzz of conversation dropped off as they walked into the room, and Shadow turned as one to eye them.

  “Well?” Sam asked Nico.

  “Well what?” He frowned.

  “You know what.” Trace scowled. “Don’t keep us in suspense.”

  Joe shook his head. “Open your eyes. The answer is all over his face.”

  Nico rolled his eyes, then turned to Mercy. “You aren’t allowed to change your mind because of my nosy teammates.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm before facing his teammates. “She said yes.”

  A cheer went up from the men of Shadow. Sam leaped up from her seat and embraced Mercy. “Congratulations,” she whispered. “I’m happy for you and Nico.”

  Over her shoulder, Mercy caught the longing on Joe’s face as he watched Sam before he noticed her watching him and blanked his expression. Oh, yes, that operative was nuts about the pretty medic.

  “I’ll make the coffee,” Ben said. “Who has first watch?”

  “I do,” Nico said. When his teammates just stared at him, he said, “I’m too revved to sleep, not to mention the million stitches Sam put in my side ache like a bad tooth.”

  “Fifteen,” the medic corrected as she returned to her seat beside Joe. “I gave you pain killers to dull the ache. Quit whining and take them.”

  “Brat.” His voice held no heat.

  “I’ll take the first watch with Nico.” Trace stood and stretched. “Give me a few minutes to shower and the rest of you can scatter.” He left the room.

  “Anyone hungry?” Ben measured the coffee grounds. “I found the makings for sandwiches in the refrigerator. That will do for a quick meal tonight.”

  “I could eat.” Joe rose and opened the refrigerator door. He peered inside, then grabbed several items and dumped them on the counter. He made a return trip, this time for soft drinks and water.

  Mercy found bags of chips and carried them to the breakfast bar. “Sam, the plates are in the cabinet beside the stove. Nico, there are condiments in the refrigerator. Let’s put everything on the breakfast bar and we can serve ourselves.”

  “Are you going to eat?” Nico asked.

  “Not a chance. I’ll make myself a cup of tea for now.” When he looked concerned, Mercy laid a hand over his heart. “You said each of us processes adrenaline differently. I’m not a stress eater. I’ll eat when I’m ready. Besides, you fed me very well at the hotel. I’ll be fine even if I can’t eat until tomorrow morning.”

  Once Shadow finished their meals, all of them scattered except Trace. He and Nico helped Mercy put away the sandwich material.

  When the kitchen was cleaned, Trace turned to Nico. “You want the security room or the rounds?”

  “Rounds for the first half, then the security room after Sam’s meds kick in.”

  Nico’s friend grinned. “Copy that.” He headed for the security room.

  Nico tucked a strand of Mercy’s hair behind her ear. “Are you ready to turn in?”

  “Not yet. I can go to my room if I’ll distract you.”

  He chuckled. “You will always be a distraction I enjoy.” His smile faded. “You said you saw a distinguished looking man in Hector’s compound. Did you get a good enough look to draw his face?”

  “Maybe.”

  “You mentioned wanting to draw again. Would you try to draw this man? I don’t know if he’s important, but it gives us another strand to tug and might lead to the answers we need to protect you.”

  Finally, something she could do to help end this nightmare. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Excellent.” He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “I need to check outside. Where will you be able to sketch best?”

  “Living room. I’m always more productive when I’m comfortable and relaxed.”

  A nod. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  Mercy went to the office and grabbed the pad of paper and a handful of pens. In the living room, she chose the couch. The cushioned back was comfortable for her shoulder and the lighting was good.

  Before she started, Mercy closed her eyes and went back in her mind to the night of her kidnapping. Ignoring all the ugly things Hector had threatened, she concentrated on bringing the mysterious man’s face into focus.

  With the details in her mind, Mercy opened her eyes, selected a black pen, and began to draw.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Nico walked a circuit around the house and grounds, looking for signs of intrusion. When he was satisfied nothing had been tampered with and no one was waiting to launch an attack, he returned to the cabin and stood in the doorway to the living room, watching Mercy.

  His heart turned over in his chest to see the beautiful woman working on the picture Nico asked her to draw. He couldn’t quite get a grip on the fact Mercy had agreed to see where their attraction went. He was half afraid she would wise up and kick him to the curb.

  Of all people, he knew exactly what a bad risk he was for a woman. His job was secure and he made a good living. Maddox saw to that for all his operatives. However, job security and money didn’t make up for the fact his job was hazardous. Every mission could end with his death.

  Mercy thought he was some kind of hero. Nico grimaced. He was a finely-honed weapon Fortress aimed at the enemy. No, the true hero in this situation was Mercy. She was the one putting her heart on the line with a man engaged in a risky career. If he died on a mission, Mercy would lose everything. Again.

  Mercy was the one with a lion’s courage, not Nico. He didn’t know if he would have had the strength to take a chance on loving someone again after a devastating loss.

  Nico backed away in silence and left her to work while he checked in with Zane and Trace. Shadow’s sniper turned when Nico entered the security room. “Did Mercy go to bed?”

  He dropped into a chair beside his friend. “She’s working on a sketch of the man she saw in Hector’s compound.” He inclined his head toward the screens. “See anything out of the ordinary?”

  Trace shook his head. “Makes me uneasy.”

  Nico scanned the screens. “Maybe we got away clean.”

  “Maybe.”

  If they didn’t, why were the people after Mercy holding back? Perhaps they thought a delay would encourage Shadow to relax their guard. Unfortunately for her attackers, Nico had a personal stake in Mercy’s safety, and that made him more dangerous than ever. Mercy was his to protect. To him, no price was too high to keep her out of Scorpion’s hands.

  A frown. If the gunrunners were the ones still pursuing Mercy. His teammates were right. The Scorpions should have moved on to the next easiest target to free their boss. Yeah, she was an HVT, but she wouldn’t command much leverage unless the gang of criminals knew how close she was to President Martin and his family.

  The handiwork of the ATF traitor? The law enforcement community had access to information about Mercy. Nico still wasn’t satisfied with that conclusion. He shared his musings with Trace.

  “She’s important to Martin, but Mercy also brings a ton of trouble. She has a team of elite bodyguards protecting her with more a phone call away. Looking at it from that standpoint, she’s too much trouble for them to continue the pursuit unless there is another, more compelling reason to target her.”

  Nico pulled out his phone and called Zane before he glanced at the time. He winced.

  “Yeah, Murphy.”

  “It’s Nico. Sorry, man. I didn’t look at the time.”

  “No problem. How is Mercy?”

  Didn’t
figure the tech guru wanted to know Nico believed Mercy Powers was the most beautiful woman on the planet. “Safe for the moment. We had some trouble at the hotel.”

  “I gathered that from the number of ID requests I received from your team. What happened?”

  He gave Zane the short version of events. “Any hits on their prints?”

  “I just sent the results of my search to your email. The men are associated with the Scorpions. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn their last known location was in Mexico. No record of them having crossed the border into US territory.”

  Nico scowled. “The Scorpions are too persistent.”

  “Yeah, Maddox thought the same. He’s expecting your call.”

  “As soon as our conversation is finished.”

  “Any injuries?”

  “One of the clowns got in a lucky swipe with his knife.”

  “How bad?”

  “Fifteen stitches in my side.” He figured he might as well tell Zane the truth because his friend would ask who was injured. “I need a favor.”

  “Name it.”

  “Send an operative to the safe house to pick up a sample of the coffee the bellhop delivered for Mercy. Call the lab and expedite the analysis. I need to know if the contents contained anything besides coffee. If it did, I want to know if the cops held him or if he’s been released from their custody. I also need a location on the two clowns who attacked us in the alley behind the hotel.”

  “Copy that.”

  “One more thing, Z. Mercy is working on a sketch of a man she saw in the Scorpion compound. This guy wasn’t one of Hector’s flunkies. If she’s able to complete the sketch, I’ll send a copy to run against facial recognition.”

  “I’ll see what I can find out and send the results to your email. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  Trace got to his feet. “I need to walk for a bit. I’ll run the next round of security sweeps while you watch the screens.”

  Once Trace returned, Nico would check the email from Zane and see who Shadow had dealt with at the hotel. He scanned the monitors, paused when he noticed a shadow moving in the fourth quadrant. He relaxed again when the shadow morphed into a deer foraging for food in the woods surrounding the cabin. Good thing Joe wasn’t awake or he’d be plotting the demise of the 12-point buck.

  A moment later, he received a text from Zane. Jon Smith was on his way to pick up the vial of coffee and would deliver it to the 24-hour lab Fortress used for analyzing substances.

  When Trace returned to the security room, he brought two mugs full of coffee with him. “Thought you could use this. Have you taken the pain meds yet?”

  Nico just stared at his friend who smirked.

  “Didn’t think so. Suck it up, Patch. You’ll be more maneuverable if you aren’t hurting as bad.”

  “I can handle it,” he griped despite a slight curve of his lips from Trace’s use of Nico’s military nickname.

  “You’ll handle the pain better with help.” His friend sent him a pointed look. “You’re grumpy when you’re hurt, man. We don’t deserve your attitude and neither does your woman.”

  That last statement made Nico pause. “Yeah, all right.” He didn’t want Mercy to regret taking a leap into the unknown with him. Digging the pills out of his pocket, he popped an antibiotic and a pain pill after confirming by sight that the pain killer was mild. He didn’t want to be sluggish in case a problem developed on his watch.

  After two more security sweeps, Mercy walked in with her sketch pad.

  Nico rose and went to her. “How did you do?”

  “Take a look.” She turned her pad around.

  He and Trace examined the man she’d drawn.

  “Nice,” Trace said. “If this guy’s face is anywhere on the Net, Z will get an ID on him from your drawing. I’m amazed you did this from a glimpse of a man you saw for maybe two or three seconds on a night you were afraid for your life.”

  “I remember faces. I guess it’s part of my artistic nature.”

  “Lucky for us.” Nico took the sketch pad to the office, scanned the drawing, and sent it to Zane’s email, then sent his friend a text so he could start the process of running the man’s likeness through the Fortress facial recognition program.

  That done, he glanced at the clock and turned to the woman who had followed him into the office. “It’s late. Let me walk you to your room. You need to rest.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll go to sleep in a couple hours.” He didn’t know how long he would sleep. Nico laced his fingers with Mercy’s and escorted her to her bedroom.

  He stepped just inside the door, circled her waist with his arms, and drew her close for a series of deep, drugging kisses. When Nico lifted his head, Mercy drew in a ragged breath.

  “Wow.”

  Wow, indeed. His heart raced as though he’d just finished a ten-mile run. “Sleep well. I won’t be far if you need me.” He brushed the pad of his thumb over her lips and forced himself to release Mercy and walk from the room.

  On the first floor, he took a moment to refocus his mind on protection rather than the woman who was fast worming her way into his heart. He returned to the security room and Trace. “I need to report to Maddox.”

  His friend rose. “I’ll take the next circuit outside.”

  Nico dropped into the chair at the computer console and grabbed his phone. A moment later a gruff voice answered.

  “Maddox.”

  “It’s Nico.”

  “Sit rep.”

  He brought his boss up to date, ending with the news about the detailed sketch Mercy had put together of the stranger she’d seen in the compound.

  “Excellent. I’ll touch base with Zane in a few hours to see what progress he’s made. Has Jon arrived yet?”

  A black SUV slowly drove up the drive to the cabin at that moment. A few keystrokes brought the driver into focus as he exited the vehicle along with his companion. “He just pulled up with Eli.”

  “Keep me posted.” Maddox ended the call.

  Nico went to open the door for the two operatives. He waved them inside. “Didn’t expect both of you to serve as courier.”

  Jon and Eli followed him into the kitchen and accepted the mugs of coffee he poured for them.

  “Got to keep Jon in line,” Eli said with a smile.

  “How are Brenna and Dana?”

  Jon’s lips curved. “More beautiful than ever.”

  Nico stared at the legendary sniper. “I don’t think I’ve seen you smile. Ever.”

  A snort from Eli. “All you have to do is mention Dana and he loses that sniper ice. He’s nuts about his wife.”

  A cool look from his teammate. “You think anyone would believe you aren’t as crazy about Brenna?”

  Eli grinned and held up his hands in surrender.

  Having made his point, Jon turned back to Nico. “Where’s the package?”

  He handed over the vial of brown liquid. “Coffee with a possible additive. The man who brought it to the room was antsy and insisted on delivering the coffee to Mercy.”

  “Was he armed?” Eli asked.

  Nico frowned. “Sig, knife, and a garrote.”

  “Get information from him?”

  “ATF showed up too soon and called the Murfreesboro PD.”

  “Too bad,” Jon murmured.

  Trace walked into the kitchen. “Jon, Eli.” He poured the last of the coffee into a mug and found the supplies to make another pot. “Hungry?”

  Eli shook his head. “We had a late dinner with Brenna and Dana. Need a hand tonight?”

  Nico studied the SEAL. “You know something I don’t?”

  “You haven’t had a chance to check your email yet, have you?”

  “I was getting ready to do that when you arrived. Give me the quick version.”

  “The three men you encountered at the hotel are associated with Scorpion, and the bounty on Mercy has doubled.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-
ONE

  A ball of ice formed in Nico’s stomach. “What does she know worth $4 million?” He looked at Trace. “I left the sketch in the office. Maybe Jon and Eli know the man Mercy saw at the compound.”

  Jon frowned as the other sniper left the room. “Mercy drew this guy’s face?”

  “She’s an artist. Ever heard of MJ Powers?”

  Eli’s eyes widened. “Who hasn’t? Mercy is MJ, huh? Brenna loves her art.”

  “Dana, too.” Jon set his empty mug on the counter.

  Trace returned and handed the sketch to Eli. He and his teammate studied the paper a moment.

  “Is that who I think it is?” Eli looked at Jon.

  “Sure looks like it.”

  “Care to enlighten us?” Nico stared at the two operatives, his pulse racing at the prospect of a new direction to focus his search.

  “Dwayne Jeffries.” Eli handed the sketch to Nico.

  He stared at the drawing. “Should I know him?”

  “Only if you follow politics.”

  “He’s the father of Senator Sean Jeffries.”

  Nico’s head snapped upward. “Doesn’t he head the Intelligence Committee?”

  “That’s the one.” Jon leaned against the counter, arms folded across his chest. “The senator has a lot of power on Capitol Hill. He’s one of those men who have a captive audience every time he speaks.”

  A power broker with influence. Was this man or his father the one offering the bounty on Mercy? “They come from money?”

  “Dwayne founded Jeffries Industries. The company’s net worth tops thirty billion. An import/export company with ties to almost every country on the planet.”

  “What do they specialize in?” Trace asked.

  “Sporting equipment, including weapons for hunting.” Eli set aside his mug.

  “Guess the Jeffries wouldn’t have a problem offering $4 million for Mercy.”

  “Chump change for them.” Jon slid the vial of coffee into a pocket of his cargoes and glanced at Eli. “You staying?”

  “I’ll give them a hand.” He grinned at his friend. “Tell Dana I said hello.”

  Jon’s cheeks turned red as he pivoted and left the cabin.