Shadow Guardian

by Rebecca Deel

  Mercy considered what was best for her and Nico. The man she loved had the memory card. If she admitted as much to Sean’s aide, he wouldn’t have a reason to keep her alive. That would also set Theo on a direct course for Nico. “I took a lot of pictures on my visit to the estate. You were at my side for most of them. I don’t see how those pictures would compromise you or your operation.”

  “This is your own fault,” he snapped. “I escorted you to your car when you said you were finished. Instead, I looked up to see you on the hillside overlooking the estate, taking more pictures of the area where I was meeting my contact.

  Mercy frowned. “But you said Sean wasn’t part of this. He’s involved with a terrorist and doesn’t know it?”

  “That’s right. He thinks the Scorpion soldier is an aide to the Mexican president who’s interested in forming business ties to Jeffries Industries.”

  “Aren’t they worried about Dwayne Jeffries connecting this man to the Scorpions?”

  He shook his head. “My contact made himself scarce when the old man came into the Scorpion compound to beg for his granddaughter’s life. He didn’t know who he was meeting. The senator’s innocent of everything except selling you to me.”

  Shock rolled through Mercy. “Sean has a daughter?”

  “A two-year-old blond beauty.”

  Sick to her stomach, she whispered, “The Scorpions have the girl?” Just the thought of that possibility made her want to barf. The Scorpions were evil personified.

  “Hector and his buddies don’t care about the kid. All they want is the information about ATF raids.”

  “Then who…?” She stopped mid-sentence. “You have her. Why?”

  “You said it yourself. Leverage. I needed the brat to force Sean to hand you to me on a silver platter.”

  “Where is she?”

  A smirk. “Here. There’s an office on the second floor where she’s being taken care of.”

  In a dirty warehouse? “You didn’t have to involve a child in your scheme.”

  “It’s more fun this way. Your bodyguard needed to be brought down. I’m just the man to do it.”

  If Sean’s aide believed that, his opinion of himself was inflated. “You’re the one who broke into my house in Sherwood.”

  “Please. That’s what I have the Scorpions in my pocket for. They stole your precious drawings. I might sell them after I take care of you. Maybe I’ll just burn them.”

  Theo wrapped his large hand around Mercy’s throat and squeezed slightly in warning. “Where is the memory card, Mercy?”

  She stared at him, mute.

  The man’s eyes gleamed. “We’re doing this the hard way?” His hand constricted, slowly cutting off her ability to breathe. “Suits me. I’ll enjoy forcing you to talk.”

  Mercy dragged in a wheezing breath and prayed Nico would hurry. Her time was running out.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Nico stared at his phone. The marker indicating Mercy’s location hadn’t moved for the last thirty minutes. Had her captor stripped Mercy of her jewelry or was she being held at that location? He prayed the second option was true. If Mercy was without her trackers, his chances of finding her in time dropped dramatically.

  Trace swerved around a slow vehicle and dove back into the correct lane of the two-lane road to the chorus of horns from oncoming cars. “Any change?”

  As Nico shook his head, his phone signaled an incoming call from Zane. He jabbed the speaker button. “What do you have for me?”

  “I examined the rest of the pictures from Mercy’s photo shoot at the Jeffries estate. She took several shots of the estate from a higher elevation than the place where she caught the Jeffries on film. The Scorpion soldier was meeting with the senator’s aide, Theo Morris, alone. The time stamp shows the shots were taken thirty minutes after the meeting with the Jeffries and there is no one else around.”

  “Did you run him?”

  “He was one of many people you asked me to run a background check on,” Zane reminded him. “Initially, he came up clean. When I saw the photo, I did a deeper, more creative run.”

  “Hold on. Trace, call Eli so he and Jon can hear this information first hand.”

  His friend activated the Bluetooth system. When Eli answered, he said, “We have Z on speaker. He has information. Go, Zane.”

  “I just informed Nico and Trace that Mercy photographed Theo Morris, the senator’s aide, meeting alone with the Scorpion soldier on the Jeffries estate.”

  “He’s after Mercy’s memory card,” Jon said.

  “That’s my guess.”

  “You did some hacking?”

  “What do you think?”

  A chuckle from the sniper. “What did you find?”

  “Theo has a tidy little nest egg in an account in the Caymans.”

  Nico frowned. “He’s in bed with the Scorpions?”

  “Think about it. The senator has the inside track to a lot of classified information. Wouldn’t be a stretch to think he had access to the information about ATF raids. Jeffries plays golf with the top brass at the ATF. I can’t connect the senator to the Scorpions aside from Mercy’s photo, but I can connect Morris to them along with a hidden account with a large balance. I’d say the mole ratting out the ATF is Morris. If I have enough time, I’ll connect the dots for the ATF.”

  “The senator has a two-year-old daughter named Georgia. He admitted he set up Mercy to be kidnapped again in order to save his daughter.” He ignored the stare from Trace. “I thought the Scorpions had her. Is it possible Morris kidnapped her?”

  “Mercy’s trackers are still showing her at the same location. I’ll check the security and street cams in the area and see if I can spot the child. I’ll text you if I find evidence she’s in the same place as Mercy. Otherwise, contact me when you have her back and I’ll give you an update.”

  Nico ended the call.

  “The senator has a daughter?” Eli’s voice sounded strained. “Guess that explains his actions.”

  “He should have asked for help. If Morris has the girl and learns the information he wants from Mercy, he won’t have a reason to spare either of them. In fact, he has quite a motive for not leaving witnesses behind. If they live and identify him, his whole money-making scheme goes out the window.” A man who was cold enough to use a toddler to blackmail her father wouldn’t hesitate at killing her or Mercy when he got what he wanted.

  “How close are we?” Eli asked.

  “Fifteen miles. We’ll park two blocks away and gear up. The kidnapper is desperate and we can’t afford to skip the precaution.” Even though he desperately wanted to rush in and find the woman he wanted to marry soon if she’d have him.

  “Copy that.”

  As their SUV covered the miles, Nico kept an eye on the position of the tracker while he checked his weapons. Once they stopped and suited up, the operation would execute fast. Didn’t have a choice but to move without complete intel. Mercy had been in the kidnapper’s hands too long.

  By the time they reached their destination, Nico’s iron control had worn thin. As soon as the SUV cruised to a stop, he threw open the door, glancing into the deep shadows where Trace and Eli had parked to be sure they were unobserved by hostiles.

  He grabbed his Go bag and donned gear to protect him while he searched for Mercy. Two minutes later, the Fortress warriors moved toward the address where they hoped Mercy was being held.

  One block from their destination, Nico’s phone vibrated. He held up his fist in a silent signal for his team to stop and checked the screen. Relief swept through him. Zane had hacked into the traffic cams around the area. Georgia had been taken into the warehouse when Jeffries started pressing Mercy to appear before his committee, and the little girl had never left.

  “Georgia’s in the warehouse, too.”

  Jon growled. “A stray bullet might hit the child. We have to take these guys down hard and fast.”

  “Agreed.” Nico signaled the others to move forwa
rd. They prowled down the darkened street with silent steps. When the Fortress operatives were close enough, Nico retrieved his night-vision glasses and scanned the warehouse.

  Six people in the warehouse. The small body at the south end of the building had to be Georgia. One person was with her.

  Two people roamed the building. Two others were in a room on the north side. The person seated must be Mercy. The other person in the room stood over her, hands wrapped around Mercy’s throat.

  Nico hissed. “He’s choking her.” His muscles bunched, ready to ram his Sig down the throat of the person hurting his woman. Trace grabbed him.

  “Use your head. If you race to the rescue, we’ll alert them to our presence. Mercy’s life isn’t the only one at stake, Patch.”

  He knew his friend was right. Didn’t make it easier to hold himself back. Nico reigned in his emotions and focused on what he needed to do to save Mercy, then nodded at Trace. “I’m ready.”

  He glanced at Jon and Eli. “Georgia is on the south end of the building. One tango guarding her. Two roaming guards. Take care of the guard on your end of the building. Trace and I will go after Mercy and the man with her plus the second guard.”

  The SEALs split off from them and melted into the night. Nico and Trace circled to the back of the building and found an accessible window. Nico peered into the room. Empty. Perfect.

  Nico raised the window, breathing easier when it moved without resistance. Hoisting himself over the sill, he slid silently into the room, weapon up, ready to protect Trace as he entered the building.

  Seconds later, his teammate stood beside him. Nico approached the door leading to a hall. Mercy was about two hundred feet to his right, at the end of the hallway. The only thing standing between him and the woman he loved was the roaming guard.

  He eased the door open a crack. The guard was just making the turn at the end of the hall to come this direction. Nico signaled Trace to be ready.

  The sniper moved into position. As soon as the guard passed the room where the operatives hid, Trace stepped behind the guard and clamped a hand over his mouth.

  Nico raced to the end of the corridor. At the door, he heard a male voice taunting someone who was coughing.

  “You think your blockheaded friend will rescue you?” Harsh laughter. “He won’t find you until it’s too late, Mercy. Make it easy on yourself. Tell me where the memory card is and I’ll let you go.”

  Theo Morris was a liar. He couldn’t let Mercy live. She would identify him as her kidnapper and possibly more. Nico tried the knob. It turned easily under his hand.

  “I won’t tell you anything.”

  A crack filled the room as Nico entered from the hallway. Fury exploded in him as Morris reached back to strike Mercy again. Nico sped across the room, yanked Morris away from Mercy, and threw him against the wall.

  The aide slammed against the surface with a satisfying thump and lost his weapon. He spun and dove for the Sig but wasn’t fast enough. Nico kicked the gun to the opposite side of the room.

  With a roar, Morris lunged for Nico.

  He used the aide’s momentum against him and shifted just enough for the other man to race past without touching Nico’s body. He tripped Morris. When the other man hit the floor, Nico dove on top of him.

  Morris swung out with a right cross, cursing.

  Nico blocked the punch and landed one of his own, a powerful fist to the nose. Cartilage crunched, and the other man’s howl of pain filled the air.

  Methodically, Nico rained blows on Morris’s face and ribs. He didn’t bother to pull his punches. He saw and heard nothing but his fists plowing over and over into the man who would have killed the woman Nico adored.

  Two sets of hard hands grabbed Nico and pulled him off Morris. He tried to shake them off.

  “Patch,” Eli snapped. “He’s finished. Let the feds have him. Take care of Mercy.”

  Mercy. Nico’s head whipped her direction. His vision cleared as he threw off the restraining hands of his friends. Nico pulled his Ka-Bar and sliced through the restraints binding her wrists.

  She gasped as the strain on her arms disappeared.

  Nico caught her arms and slowly lowered them to her sides. He frowned at the spot of blood on her injured shoulder. A new injury?

  He circled around and dropped to his knees in front of her. “Where are you injured, baby?”

  “Nico, he kidnapped a toddler. We have to find her.”

  “She’s safe,” Eli said. “Jon has her. No one will touch her.”

  Mercy shuddered. “Thank God.”

  Nico cupped her battered and bruised face between his palms. “Where are you hurt?”

  She gave him a wobbly smile. “I don’t know. I hurt everywhere. Theo used me for a punching bag. He wasn’t happy when I wouldn’t tell him where the memory card was located.”

  “Why didn’t you?” It was good she hadn’t cooperated, but Nico was curious about her motive in refusing to talk.

  “He would have gone after you. I couldn’t take that chance.”

  Nico’s breath stalled in his lungs. She’d endured a beating to protect him. “Mercy.” Was it any wonder that he was in love with her?

  Jon walked in with a beautiful blond-haired, blue-eyed toddler nestled in his arms. The little girl had her arms wrapped around the SEAL’s neck. “Feds will be here any minute. Unless you want to be stuck in this warehouse for hours, we need to leave now.”

  “Go,” Eli said to Nico and Jon. “Trace and I have this covered. Take the ladies to the hospital.”

  Suited him. Nico hated dealing with the feds. “I’ll have to carry you, Mercy. We parked two blocks away to prevent Morris’s men from spotting us.” Without waiting for her to agree, Nico scooped her gently into his arms and strode from the dirty warehouse.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Nico paced the hospital corridor outside the examination room where a doctor was examining Mercy. What was taking the man so long? He’d been in the room for nearly an hour.

  Maybe Mercy had extensive internal injuries. Nico’s gut knotted. If she required a long recovery period, he’d have to postpone his mission to dismantle the Scorpions and take a leave of absence from Fortress. He refused to leave her until she’d healed.

  He grabbed his phone and called Joe. “Any word on Sam?”

  “She’s still in surgery. I’m worried, Nico. The surgery is taking longer than the surgeon said it would.”

  That news concerned him as well. “Doesn’t it always? How many times have we been injured and Sorensen took longer than he predicted to complete the surgery?”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Look, I know you want to destroy the Scorpions, but I’m not leaving Sam while she’s recovering. She’ll need help, and you know she doesn’t have anyone but us.”

  That meant Shadow would be down a medic and a spotter. “I understand. I don’t know how soon we’ll go after the Scorpions. I’ll be with Mercy while she heals. I want to know the minute you hear anything about Sam.”

  “Yes, sir.” Joe ended the call.

  “You’ll wear a path in the floor if you keep pacing,” Jon said. His lips curved as he watched Nico.

  “You wouldn’t be patient, either, if Dana was behind that door.”

  A shrug. “I’d be in there with her so I’d know what’s going on.”

  “You’re married to Dana. I can’t demand entrance into Mercy’s examination room.” Yet.

  “How soon will you remedy that?”

  “If I had my choice, today. I still have to convince the lady to take an even bigger risk by marrying me.”

  The door to the examination room opened. “Nico?”

  He moved toward the doctor, heart in his throat. “I’m Nico.”

  “Ms. Powers is asking for you.”

  “How is she?”

  “She has cracked ribs, deep bruising to her face, arms, and torso. I replaced three stitches from her gunshot wound. The stitches broke during the abduction and bea
ting. Ms. Powers will fully recover. She needs to take it easy for a couple weeks and follow up with her doctor. I’m admitting her for observation tonight and gave her pain meds so she will be sleepy. However, she can leave tomorrow.”

  “I’m staying with her.” He dared anyone to try to throw him out of Mercy’s room. They’d lose. “I’m also her bodyguard. My teammates and I will be armed.” Nico wasn’t convinced the danger to Mercy was in the past. The Scorpions had a score to settle with her. Mercy had cost them their mole.

  “I’ll make sure the appropriate people are notified. An orderly will arrive soon to take Ms. Powers to her room.” With a nod, the doctor left.

  “I’ll keep watch,” Jon murmured. “Focus on Mercy.”

  Without glancing back, Nico pushed open the door and walked into the room. Mercy lay on the bed, face swollen in places and already beginning to bruise. The sight of her injuries made Nico want to hunt down Morris and inflict more damage.

  When he wrapped his hand around hers, Mercy looked at him. Relief and something he couldn’t identify filled her gaze. “How do you feel?”

  “Like a bus ran over me.” Her words were slurred and her eyes looked glazed.

  Amusement outweighed the fury inside him. “Hate to tell you this, kitten, but you wouldn’t pass a sobriety check right now.”

  “I’m a lightweight when it comes to medicine.”

  Jon peered into the room. “Orderly is here. I checked his credential. He’s legit.”

  Nico nodded and helped Mercy sit up and swing her legs over the side of the bed. Jon held the door open for the orderly to push the wheelchair inside the room. Ten minutes later, Mercy was ensconced in a new bed on the fifth floor.

  “Will you stay with me?” she murmured as her eyelids drooped.

  He squeezed her hand. “I’m not going anywhere. If I step out of the room for a minute, one of my teammates will be with you.” He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Rest. I’ll be here.”

  Mercy scooted over with a grimace and patted the bed beside her. “Would you mind holding me?”

  “You know I don’t mind, but I don’t want to hurt you.”