Elizabeth checked it out. “Well, you have military grade, so you’re good. No worries. We’ll get everyone through this and then you can go back to your normal life and have a baby.”
Oh, she wished.
Greyson too.
Only, it wasn’t looking that way. It was so overwhelming and hopeless.
“I wish I had your optimism. How do you know we will?” Emma asked, rubbing her eyes. She’d lost two men she loved and Natasha.
The odds were NOT in their favor.
“I’m crazy, and I don’t look at things the same way everyone else does. I just went head-to-head with an ex-mob man, who thought he could beat me.”
“What happened to him?”
She laughed.
“Classified.”
That was good enough for her. Emma had heard about this woman through her husband. He had faith in her, so that meant she’d have faith too.
“We’re here,” Ivan said, pulling into the underground parking garage. He stopped at the check-in and looked around.
“Is this all there is?” he asked, worried that it wouldn’t be enough.
“Roll down your window. I guarantee Elizabeth, Emma, and myself will be safe here.”
He went with it.
As soon as he rolled down the window, he picked up the green scanning light that moved down his face. It was pretty high tech. He’d seen things like that at military installations.
He was good with that.
“ID,” the voice said.
“I’m escorting…”
“ID,” it repeated. “We need to see photo ID, Mr. Ivan Bennett.”
It took him a second.
“Facial recognition?” Ivan knew that was impossible. He’d been wiped from the databases, so he could be a ghost while he did the protection duty for high-powered people. It shouldn’t have been able to scan him. That meant someone had given them the heads up—Callen must have given them a head’s up.
Greyson leaned between the seat to deal with security.
“I’ll handle this.”
He wasn’t shocked that the place was in lockdown mode. Dimitri must have warned them at some point that the trouble was on its way.
Greyson leaned forward.
“It’s me. We’re coming to visit the Archers,” he said, not giving them anything more. This was about being covert for his wife and child’s sake. “He’s part of our new security team, and we have a secondary car coming too.”
Once it scanned his face, the gate lifted, and the steel spikes in the ground dropped away.
“Okay, sir. Check in at the desk, Mr. Croft.”
He motioned for Ivan to head in.
“This is the most secure building in Vegas. You can’t get in unless you live here, you work here, or they know you.”
Well, that was good to know.
At least Elizabeth would be safe inside. That was all Ivan was worried about. He knew they were working but the Crofts were NOT his job. She was.
Ethan had specified that.
Ivan wasn’t going to go against the boss man.
It wasn’t happening.
“Why didn’t you tell them that Callen had a condo?” Elizabeth asked.
“Because it takes too long out here. Once we’re inside, we can explain. I don’t like the idea that Viktor Marchenko could be sitting on this place, waiting for Dimitri. One shot, and he’s taken out me or Emma.”
She understood.
Inside, Ivan parked in a designated spot for visitors. Helping the Crofts out, Heath towered over Emma like a momma duck over one of her babies.
Greyson was glad to have him.
That made his life easier.
As a second car entered the garage, he parked it beside them.
They waited for the man to get out.
“I can only imagine what this check-in is going to be like,” Gamble stated. “That’s some high-tech stuff,” he stated.
Yes, yes, it was, and Greyson was glad. Emma might be safe here.
They headed toward the elevator carrying some of the Croft’s things and the giant file with all the information the FBI had on the sex trafficking.
As they crammed themselves into the elevator, it headed to the main floor.
“Give me the details of this building,” Ivan asked. “I need to be able to set up a perimeter to protect the Eagle’s mate.”
She stared at him.
“I’ll kick your ass if you ever call me that again. I have a damn name, and you know it.”
Ivan kept his face serious.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, what I meant to say was the Eagle’s vicious partner in life and bed.”
She snorted.
Ivan was going to be Ivan.
Greyson filled him in.
“There are two ways into the building—this elevator from beneath the building, and the front door. If you try to get in the front door, there’s a body scan right there. There’s also cameras and high security. That’s where people go if they are visiting or working on the elevator, doing a delivery.”
“Once inside?” Ivan asked.
“They have to stop for fingerprints, ID, and anything else the guard on duty asks.”
Elizabeth whistled.
“Well, Callen picked a good place to keep me safe.”
Yeah, he really did.
Only, security had an issue.
“Uh, that’s a problem,” Gamble stated, as he stared at the boss’s wife with unusual eyes. One was blue, and one was green.
“Why?” she asked.
“I’m not going to show up on a scan.”
Ivan was with him on that one. He nodded in agreement with Gamble.
“I won’t either and neither will Heath or Wilcox. When we were hired, we were erased from the database. We aren’t in any system.”
“Well, this should be fun,” she stated. “I hope you like a cavity search.”
Ivan looked horrified.
“That’s for calling me ma’am,” she stated.
Greyson laughed at the easy nature between Elizabeth and her security. He’d had that with Dimitri.
Once.
“I’ve got it. This is my thing.”
The door opened, they headed into the nicely decorated lobby. Behind the desk sat some tough looking guys. They reminded Elizabeth of the men watching her.
“Welcome back to Sky Villa, Mr. and Mrs. Croft,” the one stated, coming around the desk. He was loaded down with a few guns.
They could see them.
At the desk, Emma hugged him. It was clear she was very familiar with him.
Clearly, she genuinely liked him.
“Mrs. Croft! You should come see us more often,” Tommy stated.
“We’re here to see the Archers, and we’re likely staying,” she stated.
“Who are they?” Tommy asked, pointing at the entourage that was following.
“We lost our security, and they’re the new people.”
Then, he pointed at Elizabeth.
“Wait! Aren’t you…?”
And so, it began…
“Yes, and my husband just bought a place here. I’m sure you have me on some list where I’m allowed to come and go as I please.”
He pulled a clipboard and read it.
“Yes, ma’am! We have you right here. I’m sorry that I gave your driver a hard time. We’re very particular who we let in.”
When he looked right at Ivan, she laughed. “Yeah, I’m not so particular.”
“Really?” Ivan asked. “You’d do me like that and in front of strangers? I’m not feeling the love.”
She snorted.
Tommy continued, “Mr. Whitefox left a list of who could access the home. I have you and Mr. Blackhawk,” he began, rounding it off with all of the security.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You still have to be fingerprinted, ma’am.”
“Elizabeth. I hate ma’am. It makes me mean, and no one likes me mean.”
; Immediately, she pointed at Ivan before he could say something snarky. She cut that shit off at the pass.
“DON’T. You will get a strip search.”
He laughed and raised his hands in surrender.
They took the next ten minutes to check in. There were fingerprints for Elizabeth, and when they came to the security team, she stopped them.
“They aren’t being fingerprinted.”
“But, Mrs. Blackhawk, it’s procedure.”
Before he could say anything more, Emma pulled a couple of hundreds out of her wallet. “Oh, look! It’s bonus time!” she said handing each man three of them.
“You didn’t see anyone from the FBI coming in here, and you also aren’t going to scan them.”
They looked uncomfortable.
“Tommy, my family is in danger. Surely, you saw the news. Mr. Gideon’s sister was killed.”
“I saw it, ma’am. He was here, but he left today. We tried to convey our sympathies…”
Greyson patted the man on the shoulder.
“We need to hide. We came back here because we know this is the safest place. Mr. Whitefox is letting us use his place. We need your help.”
Tommy got it.
They all liked the Crofts. They gave them Christmas gifts, took care of their families, and were good people—despite what the media said.
“Head on up.” He went to hand the money back to Emma, but she stopped him.
“Buy dinner for yourselves, or just put it away for a rainy day. We appreciate your help.”
They tucked the money away.
“We won’t say a word about you being here.”
Greyson shook his hand.
“Thank you.”
Elizabeth was glad they were able to buy them some privacy. They were going to need it.
“On what floor is the condo my husband bought?” Elizabeth asked, waiting for one of them to answer.
“The penthouse.”
“What?” she asked.
“Uh, the penthouse, ma’am?” he repeated. “You know, at the top of a building?”
Ivan whistled.
“Someone really wants you to marry him,” he teased, “or he thinks you’re a freaking menace and knows someone’s likely to try and kill you.”
She elbowed him.
“Shut it, toad, or I will ask for a strip search, and I promise I will enjoy it more than you.”
“I am sexy,” he stated.
She snorted.
“Key?” she asked.
He handed her one.
Together, they headed toward the elevators. Once inside, everyone looked a whole lot calmer than they had before. They were heading up, and they would be safer than on the streets.
Security liked that.
Greyson LOVED that.
Elizabeth didn’t give a shit either way. She was supposed to be out in the public eye. It was her job.
They headed up, and once on the upper floor, Ivan pointed up.
“Penthouse means the top, so are we talking the very top, out in the open, or the top floor with a roof above us?” he asked, trying to get the lay of the land.
“There’s a pool above us,” Emma stated.
Elizabeth giggled.
They all looked over at her. It was so unexpected that it made it funny.
“What? All work and no play makes me a bitch. I like to work out, and swimming is a good form of cardio.”
Emma laughed.
“There are private cabanas if you want to cuddle up to a Native man.”
Gamble raised his hand without even hesitating. There was amusement in his bi-colored eyes.
Ivan shook his head.
“She’d eat you alive and dump your remains off the side of the building before Ethan Blackhawk even got the chance to cut out your internal organs. Put your hand down and save yourself while you have the chance.”
She snorted and gave Ivan a fist bump.
“I do love my team. Apparently, they know me and know me damn well.”
Oh, they really did.
They headed toward the door, and Elizabeth tossed Ivan the key. She knew there was no way he’d let her just walk into the place. He was going to make sure it was clear.
Ivan opened the door, and the security guys headed into the place to clear it.
“We could have gone in,” Emma stated. “No one will be in there. Security downstairs is tight.”
“You know that, and I believe it, but Igor ‘The Terrible’ has to check everything. God forbid I get a sliver on some wood flooring. He’ll flip his shit. I have to choose my battles, and it’s less stress if I let him play G.I Joe.”
Greyson laughed.
“Ah, to have that problem.”
It was only another minute before the door opened, and Ivan peeked his head out.
“It’s clear.”
“Thanks,” she said.
Greyson had a tradition he didn’t plan on forgetting, and he wanted to cheer his wife up. So, he scooped her into his arms like he’d done once when he brought her there.
“Let’s welcome ourselves home.”
Ivan rolled his eyes.
“Great. More mush.”
Heath bumped him with his elbow to shut him up. “You have a girl. Stop your bitching. I’m the odd man out.”
Gamble laughed.
“No comment. The ladies love me.”
Elizabeth headed in, and it looked like something Callen would buy for them. Even if it was temporary, it was Jackson James’s style.
It was sleek.
It was slick.
It was wealth.
“Let me guess. You thought antlers and rugs?” Ivan asked as she headed in to look around.
“Yeah, I did,” Elizabeth admitted. “Then again, this is Jackson James. It’s going to be like his persona. He’d want clean.”
“And yet he likes you dirty. Go figure.”
She laughed as she found a fancy-schmancy coffee maker in the kitchen.
Oh, he was going to get some kisses for this.
“Yeah, I know. If there’s coffee, someone is going to get lucky.”
Gamble again went to raise his hand.
“I have two Native men on speed dial who will kill for less. No poaching the boss’s wife,” Ivan warned. “It’s the number one rule.”
Emma laughed as Greyson put Emma down, so she could stand beside him.
Elizabeth was opening kitchen cabinets and looking around to see how stocked it was.
It was loaded.
Bless her husband.
“This place is fabulous, and Callen is a God,” she said, pulling down coffee and lots of it.
There was a note on one of the bags of coffee, and it was addressed to her.
The man had some skill when it came to handling the details. He knew her well.
She opened it.
‘My sexy wife,
I miss you. Ethan has all the fun. We have two weeks until our wedding. I stocked the fridge. Eat something, and don’t live on coffee. I love you. Keep yourself safe, and make sure you come home to me.
JJ.’
She loved that man.
He was amazing.
“Enough about the coffee,” Ivan stated. “Please tell me this place is decked out in tech,” Ivan stated as Elizabeth made a pot of coffee and then tossed him the giant remote that was on the counter. It was the size of a tablet.
Ivan hit one button and it all came to life around them, answering his question.
They were live.
“We are in business.”
Greyson was impressed.
“I can’t thank you enough for this,” he stated. “I was ready to send Emma away and let them take me down.”
Elizabeth figured as much.
Ethan too.
That was why they were there.
“We told you we had your back. Ethan has eyes everywhere. He’s one of ‘those’ guys now. It’s creepy and hot at the same time.”
“How can we
repay you?” Emma asked.
“You pretend it never happened. I’m not worried about what people say, but Ethan’s job has security clearance one notch below the president, so he’s scrutinized.”
They got it.
“How many bedrooms do we have here?” Gamble asked. “Dibs on my own room.”
Ivan laughed.
That was some funny shit.
This man was clueless.
“Oh, princess, I have bad news. We don’t sleep. We nap. Once Elizabeth gets going, we are going with her. You’ve had it cushy playing undercover Fed.”
Elizabeth was surprised at the tone of animosity. Ivan was the easiest person to get along with, but he was shooting daggers at Gamble Holloway.
That only meant one thing.
“Do you two know each other?” Elizabeth asked, sensing the tension between them. There was something there. Ivan was riding the other man’s ass. She knew it wasn’t a dislike for Natives. He genuinely liked Callen and Ethan.
That meant it was likely personal.
“Not formally,” Gamble stated. “We’ve run into each other a few times on the job.”
“He was dishonorably discharged,” Ivan stated with contempt. “He was asked to leave the Marines for conduct unbecoming a Marine.”
Oh boy.
To Ivan, that would be a bad thing, and he would take it as a personal insult.
“What did you do?” Elizabeth asked.
“Sorry, that’s classified.”
“I won’t let you stay,” she stated. “I have to trust the people around me. Give me something, or head on out. I trust Ivan and his judgment. He’s my backup. You, I have no idea who the hell you are.”
Ivan stood beside her as the man measured up his options. Finally, he spoke.
“I had certain skills, and I used them. I was a plant then, and I’m one now.”
“I don’t care,” Greyson stated, and he really didn’t. “Just keep my wife alive. I don’t care about your past. I care about her future,” he said, pointing at his wife.
Elizabeth knew they needed the backup, especially Greyson and Emma. She’d be fine with Ivan.
“Is this going to be an issue, Ivan? Heath?”
The bigger man had found cookies in one of the cabinets in the big steel and granite kitchen.
“Not for me. If he tries to betray us, I’ll kill him. It’s fairly cut and dry.”
“I didn’t betray anyone,” he stated. “I had a job to do, and I was picked for my skills.”
True Justice Page 12