by Rebecca Deel
“I know I can’t handle private contractor work full-time.” He wasn’t the only one facing the decision. Either all his team signed on with Fortress or none of them would. War had impacted them all, some more than others. Durango wanted to keep their skills sharp without committing to full-time mercenary work. If Ethan wouldn’t go for a compromise, Josh might have to turn Maddox down. He found satisfaction in rescuing people and pets and didn’t want to give that up. Walking away from his law enforcement job was not an option. “Would you be willing to work with me if my team decides to go in with Fortress part-time?”
“How part-time?”
“Case by case. Maybe once a month.”
“I get first rights to your time.”
“Agreed. All this is tentative, Ethan. Del says she’s okay with it, but we haven’t had much time to talk.”
“She might change her mind, Josh. After what she’s experienced and your recent injuries, a wise woman would reconsider. Can you live with that?”
He dragged a hand down his face. “I can’t live without her.”
“Like that, is it?”
“She’s everything.”
A soft laugh drifted through the speaker. “I know exactly how you feel. Your parents know?”
“When would I have had time to tell them? Mom probably suspects. She’s sharp. Besides, she’s the one who put the idea in my head when Madison first opened the store with Del. Do you know how embarrassing it is to admit she’s right?”
“It’s time to call in the feds.”
“In addition to checking on Serena, that’s why I called. Text me Jordan’s number.”
“As soon as I return to the house. Sorry, buddy, but Serena comes first.”
“Tell her I love her.”
“Will do. And Josh?”
He straightened, recognizing the switch in tone from brother-in-law to boss. “Yes, sir?”
“Do not let down your guard. You can’t truly trust anyone except your own team. Keep your operations base in Murfreesboro. It’s better to keep a degree of separation between you and the town until you bag the target. Great job on this op so far. Don’t screw it up now by moving too fast. I know you want this over with. So do I. We need you coming out of this without any new holes.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I want updates every two hours.”
Josh walked to the porch steps and sat. Based on the sounds coming through Ethan’s phone before the call ended, he had a few minutes before the text came through. Might as well enjoy the peace of the morning. He had a feeling moments like these would be rare in the coming days.
Behind him, the door opened. A moment later, Del settled on the stair beside him and handed over a mug of coffee. She looked incredible for such a short night of sleep. “Morning, baby.”
She smiled, leaned her head against his shoulder. “Morning. Any news from home?”
Josh kissed the top of her head before replying. “Serena’s still battling nausea. Nothing from your mother or my parents.”
“No news is good. Ethan would have heard by now if there was a problem.”
“Sleep well?”
“No nightmares for the first time since Judge Reece’s death.”
He gave her a one-armed hug, touched she remembered which arm had the stitches and had seated herself on the opposite side. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“Have you eaten yet?”
“Nate had breakfast ready when I came downstairs.” He leaned in, kissed her. “What about you?”
Del wrinkled her nose. “Too early to think about food.”
Josh’s text tone dinged. He set aside his mug and retrieved his phone. Ethan. He sighed. Hated to make this call. Jordan would not be happy when he discovered he couldn’t have Granger yet. The feds, however, couldn’t keep him locked down. The man knew more ways to escape than a criminal with a ten-page rap sheet. The Army had done a great job training all of Delta to escape captivity.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s time to call in Jordan.”
“Great.”
Her lack of enthusiasm made him smile. “I’m not happy about it, either. Jordan has jurisdiction because Granger killed people all over the country. I’ll let the feds fight over who prosecutes him for the overseas assassinations.”
“I should go inside while you talk to Agent Jordan.”
“Stay.” He punched in the number Ethan had sent.
The snarly fed answered with a grumpy, “Jordan.”
“Agent Jordan, this is Josh Cahill.”
“Cahill, where are my witnesses?”
“With me.” A string of blistering profanity spewed through the phone in response to his words and fired Josh’s temper. “Watch your mouth, Jordan. My girlfriend can hear everything you say.”
“What do you want, Cahill?”
“You have the jurisdiction I need.”
“Talk.”
For the several minutes, Josh outlined the overnight events and suppositions as to Granger’s employer and his agenda.
“Explains the turmoil we’ve noticed in his organization. What’s your plan?”
He explained replacing Granger as a killer for hire. “A friend’s going to drop my name as a better hired gun than Granger.”
“Got an ego problem, Cahill?”
“Not in real life, but Wright doesn’t know that.”
“You won’t give that bozo your real name, will you?”
“Nope. He’ll want to make sure I’m not a cop.”
“Have enough expertise to lay a false trail?”
“I don’t. A friend does. Wright will see only what I want him to see.”
“Your friend is that good?”
Josh considered what he knew of Jon Smith. Not a lot. Smith didn’t share with people. What Josh had learned about him was learned under fire and holed up in caves in the Sand Box. “He’s magic with computers.”
“Maybe he’d like to work for the FBI.”
“Not in a million years.”
“Whatever. I want Granger.”
Yeah, he knew that was coming. “You’ll get him after this op is finished. The federal cop shop leaks like a sieve, Jordan. I’m not getting shot because Wright has a bunch of your buddies in his hip pocket.”
“Where is he?”
“Locked down so he won’t blow my cover. By the way, you can stop stalling now. My cell is untraceable.”
More muttered swearing from Jordan.
Since he doubted Del had heard him, Josh let it slide. “So, you in?”
“When?”
“Within the next 48 to 72 hours.”
“We’ll be on the road within two hours of you telling me your location.”
The corners of his mouth twitched. Jordan might want in, but he wasn’t happy about handing over leadership to someone else. He’d get over it. Josh wasn’t putting his life on the line in a mission he hadn’t planned.
He gave the cabin’s address. “A few warnings, Jordan.”
“What?”
“First, you and your team aren’t staying with us. Get rooms nearby. Second, Del and Ivy are under my protection. Interfere with that, they’ll disappear again, and this time you won’t have access to them. Third, you will not antagonize or harass them in any way. If you break that rule, Alex and I will set you down, hard. They mean everything to us. You don’t. Fourth, you will not take over this op. My team follows only my directions. Alex is second in command. Any attempt to wrest control from either of us will be ignored by my team and could end up costing lives. Am I clear?”
“Like playing hardball, Cahill?”
“When my life and the lives of my team are on the line, you better believe it. Now, you in or not?”
“I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Josh shoved the cell into his carrier.
“Agent Jordan didn’t sound happy,” Del said.
“He will be when I let him take credit for capturing a killer law enforcement’s been tryi
ng to nail for years.”
“You should receive credit. You’re the one taking the risks.”
“The people who matter will know who’s responsible. The only thing I care about is keeping you and Ivy safe.”
“He better not try to intimidate Ivy or I will make him sorry.”
“You’ll have to wait your turn, honey. Got a feeling Alex will be the first to plant his fist in Jordan’s face. The rest of Durango will be lined up behind him.” He smiled down at her anger-flushed face. “You can have what’s left after we’re finished.”
Del stood at the counter shredding cooked chicken as the back door opened and the two SEALs strolled into the kitchen. She glanced at her watch. Ten o’clock. They looked well rested, too. She scowled. The men had to have slept fewer hours than she had, but didn’t show the late night. Not fair.
Eli drew in a deep breath. “Sugar, what smells so good?”
“The makings of chicken salad. If you wait a couple hours, I’ll feed you lunch.”
“Deal. Where is everybody?”
“Alex and Ivy are in the living room. She’s sleeping. He’s pretending to read a book while watching her sleep.” Gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling. Alex was a good guy. “Stella’s asleep, too. Deke’s gone to the grocery store since an apparent locust plague swept through here and ate everything in sight. Nate, Rio, and Quinn are patrolling and checking that Granger didn’t leave any nasty surprises behind. Josh is in the security room, watching the monitors.”
“Ah.” He glanced at his friend. “Go report. I’ll stay with this beautiful lady.”
Eli Wolfe was quite a southern charmer and she might fall for it if she hadn’t seen him eat the last two days. The man was an eating machine. And, of course, not an ounce of extra weight sat on his frame. Double unfair. “You just want first dibs on lunch.”
“Busted.” Jon smirked. He left the room with a soft chuckle.
“Oh, now, that hurts.” Eli’s hand covered his heart. “You wound me with your skepticism, Del.”
“Hush.” She grabbed a second cutting board and knife and slid them in Eli’s direction. “Make yourself useful. I suspect SEALs are handy with knives.” With that, she handed him three stalks of washed celery. “Chop these.”
“SEALs rock at knife work, sugar. You would do well to find yourself one of us elite warriors as opposed to a run-of-the-mill Army grunt.”
“I heard that,” Josh said. He opened the refrigerator door, grabbed a bottle of water. “Making a pass at my girlfriend is dangerous to your continued good health, frog boy.”
“Misunderstood on every side.” Eli sighed in mock heartbreak.
Josh came up behind Del, leaned over her shoulder and planted a hard kiss on her lips. One more glare at the unrepentant SEAL before he left the room.
“You’re baiting him. Not smart, Eli.”
“Good for him. Makes him appreciate the treasure he has.”
Del’s eyes misted. Oh, man, whoever won his heart would have a keeper. “Stop it, Eli. You’ll make me cry.”
Horror flashed over his face. “Oh, no. Not that. Can’t handle a woman’s tears. So, what drew you to owning a bookstore?”
She grinned at the quick subject change. It was a good one, though. Nothing she liked better than talking about her business. “What better job for a woman who reads obsessively?”
“Yeah? What do you read?”
“Almost everything. Can’t take horror or speculative fiction, but other than those genres, I’ve probably read a bit of everything.”
“Broad reading taste. If you were to go into your own bookstore as a customer, where would you head first?”
“Mysteries and romantic suspense.” She paused, put down her knife, swallowed hard against the knot in her throat. “Well, they used to be my favorites. Not sure I’ll read one of those books the same way now.”
Eli finished chopping the last bit of celery. He reached over and clasped her hand. “Give it time. You’ll find joy in those books again. In the meantime, try reading those cozy mystery things. You know, the ones with the old ladies who knit and solve murders from their armchair. And if that doesn’t work, try a few sappy romances.” He grimaced. “Maybe you can find a few that aren’t too lame. Anyway, the point is the aversion you feel is normal and will dissipate in time.”
“How do you know?”
“Experience. Instead of reading, though, I watch cowboy movies when memories from various ops crowd in.”
Del made another trip to the refrigerator for mayonnaise and sour cream. She detoured to the pantry for a box of golden raisins and laid everything on the counter. “PTSD?”
Eli stiffened. “Some,” he said, voice rife with caution.
“I think Josh deals with that as well. He stocks up on books. Sometimes he’ll go through two or three a week. I’ve noticed he reads more when he’s had a tough week on the job.”
“Most of us have coping mechanisms.” He tilted his head. “Does it bother you?”
“Why should it? People who’ve never been to war can have PTSD because of trauma.”
The SEAL sat in silence a moment, gaze fixed on her. “You are smart and beautiful. Cahill’s a lucky man. Enough sap for now. What do we do with this other stuff?” He waved a hand at the condiments on the counter.
She handed him two spoons, a measuring cup and a mixing bowl. “I need three cups of mayonnaise and two cups of sour cream mixed in this small bowl.” While he measured and stirred, Del added onion powder, salt, pepper, and raisins to the larger bowl of chopped chicken.
She combined the ingredients from the two bowls and, after covering it, placed it in the refrigerator.
“Hey, where’s my sample?”
“There’s food?” This from Quinn who walked in from the living room, looking hopeful. “Something smells great.”
“Lunch,” Del said. “You’ll have to wait until Deke returns with bread and pita pockets. Before you say it, no, you can’t sample now.”
Josh came into the kitchen, spotted Quinn. “Where are Rio and Nate?”
“Living room.”
“I’ll meet you there in a minute.”
With a smart salute, the spotter spun on his heels and retraced his steps.
“Something wrong?” Del asked.
“Come sit with me while Quinn and company report. You’ve been on your feet for hours.”
She glanced at the clock. No wonder her feet hurt. “Ivy awake? Maybe we should meet in the kitchen.”
“I’m awake,” Ivy called from the other room.
Josh held out his hand and led her to the couch. Ivy curled up on one end of the couch, leaving room for her and Josh. Alex was seated on the floor in front of Ivy, her hand draped over his shoulder. Del winked at her cousin and Ivy’s cheeks flamed. She hoped Alex stayed around a while. It would be a lot of fun to watch this friendship develop into something more.
The rest of Durango sprawled around the room. Eli brought in a barstool for himself. When Nate snorted, smirking because of the stool, Eli just shrugged.
“Wuss,” Nate muttered.
“Smart, if you ask me.” Eli grinned.
“Didn’t.”
“What did you find?” Josh asked.
“A few rigged concussion grenades, a stash of weapons, bunch of flashbangs.”
“What’s a concussion grenade?” Ivy asked.
“A grenade meant to stun rather than kill,” Alex said. “Makes you go deaf temporarily, causes a bad headache. Disorients the enemy.”
“You have experience with those things?”
“Courtesy of the Army.”
“Why leave his stuff?” Del asked. That didn’t make sense to her. Granger had to know Durango was here and well armed.
“A few options,” Josh said. “One, he thought he could slip in undetected, snatch you and Ivy, get out fast. Two, he planned to sneak in, steal the book, and leave without us knowing he’d been here. Three, he wanted to talk and didn’t want to show up heavily ar
med.”
“Four,” Alex added, “he wanted to prove he was better than Durango.”
“Failed,” Quinn said.
“Granger lost the hardware because he wanted to move fast,” Nate said, voice quiet. “Most likely scenario is he planned to take you to Wright. Couldn’t afford to take Ivy because her injury would slow him down. He knew we’d be after him like a hunting dog on a rabbit.”
“Thank God he planned to leave Ivy alone,” Del said. She clasped her cousin’s hand for a few seconds. “At least I could have run if I got the chance.” She pretended not to notice the grim looks exchanged by Josh’s team. Guess it was a high probability she wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity.
“What about your planted story, Major?” Nate asked. “Any nibbles?”
“Jon says he’s floated the story in the right places and set up a throwaway email account. Still waiting for Wright to take the bait.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
A light tap on the door of Josh’s darkened bedroom woke him. He glanced at the time. Three o’clock. Sighed. Who needed a full night’s sleep or as close as he ever came to it?
He slid out of bed, weapon in hand. Didn’t suppose one of Granger’s buddies would be tapping on the door, but it never paid to trust blindly. Back pressed against the wall in case shots were fired through the door, he murmured, “Yeah?”
“Contact,” Eli said. He and Jon were taking turns keeping watch on the monitors and the throwaway email account.
Looked like they might be on the move soon. “Five minutes.” Wouldn’t be wise to jump on the email too fast. Might look desperate. Plus, after two weeks of little sleep, Josh wanted time to fully wake up before taking on Xavier Wright.
The SEAL said nothing more, but Josh heard him moving down the hall. Deliberate on his part like it had been with Alex. Eli and Jon moved in silence unless they wanted to be heard.