by Rebecca Deel
“What happened?”
“Let’s sit down,” Josh said, then stopped, breathing deep. “Wait. What smells so good?”
“Chocolate chip cookies. Have a seat. I’ll get some for all of you.”
One by one, Durango and the SEALs stowed their bags out of the way. “I’ll help,” Josh said. “We need drinks as well.” He scowled. “Couldn’t afford to stop anywhere along the way.”
Hmm. Wonder what that was about? In the kitchen, she found a large platter and loaded it with cookies while Josh grabbed bottles of water for his teammates.
Arms full of bottled water, Josh leaned over and kissed her. “Missed you, baby,” he murmured.
“Same here. You okay?”
“I will be as soon as Wright is behind bars and you’re safe.”
With a nod, Del lifted the tray, carried it to the coffee table in the living room. Men from every part of the room surged toward the treats, grabbed handfuls of cookies and the water Josh handed out.
Silence reigned in the room for a number of minutes while the men wolfed cookies and guzzled water. She and Ivy exchanged glances. Del suspected the worried expression on her cousin’s face matched one on her own. She waited for Josh to break the silence. The rest of his teammates settled against the walls or dragged in barstools from the kitchen.
“We would have been here an hour sooner except Wright had us followed.” Josh scowled. “We ditched the tail and rode all over the countryside to make sure we didn’t lead anyone here.”
“Tell us what happened,” Ivy demanded.
Del glanced at her cousin, a grin on her face. The real Ivy Monroe was making an appearance. About time. She’d hidden from life for months.
Josh filled them in on the events at Wright’s estate. “Went just like I feared it would.” He rubbed his face with his hands, expression showing fatigue.
Del’s heart clenched at the sight. “He didn’t give you enough to arrest him.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“When do we leave?”
“What do you mean by that?” Ivy twisted on the couch to stare at Del. “We can’t go anywhere near that man.”
“Not you, Ivy. Just me.”
“What? No!”
“We don’t have a choice, kitten,” Josh said. “We have to take Wright down before he hires someone else. Right now, Alex and I know there’s no one else hunting for you.” He grinned. “The price we’re charging is too high for him to hire anyone else.”
“How high is too high?” Del asked.
“Since you two aren’t going to be cooperative, one million each plus another million for carting books to the estate.”
“Three million dollars?” Ivy’s voice resembled a croak.
“We’re expensive because we’re the best, and you two ladies are a lot of trouble for us bad boys to handle,” Alex said.
Ivy smacked his shoulder. He laughed at her mock outrage.
“How long before we leave?” Del asked again.
“Can’t be too soon or we’ll tip our hand.” Josh wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. “Maybe tomorrow night. If something goes wrong, I want as much advantage as we can get. Working in darkness is second nature to spec ops soldiers. That’s when we do most of our work.”
“Won’t you have to take me, too?” Ivy asked.
“No.” Alex said. “You can’t maneuver with those crutches. We’ll either tell him we killed you or you were out of town when we went after you two.”
“I’d rather be out of town if it’s all the same.” Her voice came out a notch above a whisper.
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. One way or the other, after tomorrow night, Wright won’t be a danger to you or Del.”
Del thought about the way he’d phrased that, the grim determination on his face. A glance at Josh revealed the same from him and the rest of his team. She couldn’t help but be thankful these men were using their skills to help her and Ivy. “Thank you,” she said, catching the gaze of each team member. Most looked uncomfortable at her words. Eli winked at her. When Josh drew her closer to his side, a scowl on his face, she figured he’d seen it. She patted the hand clasping her shoulder.
“How soon will we have the bullet-proof vest you mentioned for Del, Jon?” he asked.
“Two hours, tops.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Eli said. He rose, strode from the room, cell phone in hand. Seconds later, his soft murmur could be heard from the hallway.
When the SEAL returned, Josh nodded his thanks.
“Is this a good time to tell you we found the Swiss bank and Catherine’s account?” Ivy asked.
Alex jerked around to stare at her. “You serious?”
“You bet your boots, buddy.”
“Excellent. So how much is old Xavier desperate to retrieve?”
“Just over $30 billion.”
Stunned silence filled the room. Del and Ivy grinned at each other. Yep, that was the same reaction in the security room earlier.
“Perfect blackmail material,” Jon said. “Tell me the bank name. I’ll access the account and transfer the money into untraceable accounts around the globe. He doesn’t get his money unless Josh, Alex, and Del walk out of that estate in one piece.”
“You’re not going to give him that money, are you?” Del stiffened as she stared at the SEAL. “The money was a gift from her grandfather, a legacy she died protecting for her sons. Don’t let her suffering be in vain.”
“Never,” Jon replied, voice soft. “But Wright doesn’t know that. Josh needs leverage to get you out of the estate. Dangling this money will do it.”
“The only people with account numbers and passwords will be law enforcement,” Josh said and pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning to the others. “Time to plan this op.”
The next hours passed in a flurry of ideas, some retained, others discarded. All dangerous in Del’s estimation. How could they talk about these options without tossing up the cookies she’d fed them? Each man, however, treated this as normal and that amazed her. These men had the skills to do what was necessary and the heart to carry the mission out to its final conclusion. She just prayed they all returned from this one unharmed.
CHAPTER THIRTY
They slowed to a stop in front of Wright’s estate. Josh’s stomach knotted. He hated this. Del being in the same room as Xavier Wright made Josh want to puke. But he wouldn’t let her see his fear for her. She needed him to be confident in his and his team’s ability to pull this off. He knew, however, one stray bullet and her life would be over. If her life ended, so would his.
He glanced at her, seated beside him in the backseat of Alex’s SUV. “Ready, baby?”
“Let’s get this over with before I lose my nerve.” Her voice shook.
Josh leaned over and kissed her, hard and deep. He drew back, cradled her face between his palms. “Remember what I told you, sweetheart?”
“Follow your orders without question or hesitation. It’s okay to be scared and to show it, but freezing will be fatal.”
“Can you do it?”
She pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. “I will. I trust you to take care of me. You make sure you protect yourself as well, you hear me?”
“I hear you, love.” He drew in a deep breath. “I’m going to open the door and drag you out. I need you to fight me and make it look real, like you’re scared to death and desperate to escape.”
“Easy enough since it’s true.” She paused, a worried look on her face. “What if I hurt you?”
He grinned. “You won’t. Ready?”
She nodded.
“Go, Alex.”
After a last glance around the immediate vicinity, his partner threw open the driver’s door, grabbed the cloth bag of books, and slid to the ground. He rounded the back of the SUV and approached the back door.
“Remember you’re onstage every minute until you’re back in this vehicle,” Josh murmured with a last caress of her cheek. As
soon as Alex opened the door, his expression changed to one worn by Chase McKenzie. He’d warned Del how it would be, prayed she understood his actions weren’t his, but those of Chase.
He grabbed her wrist in a firm grip, one he made sure didn’t hurt. Josh dragged her out of the SUV. “Fight me, baby,” he whispered. Immediately Del tried to break away from his firm grip and, when she couldn’t, tried to punch him in the face. He jerked his head back just in time to avoid a bloody nose, yanked her into his arms, clamping her arms by her side.
She screamed, still trying to break away. A small foot stomped down on his boot. Didn’t really hurt, but he had to squelch a grin. She was quite the wildcat. No wonder he loved her so much. “More,” he murmured.
Del redoubled her efforts to get away from his grasp. He scowled over at Alex and said in a raised voice, “Get over here and help me with her before she gouges my eyes out.”
Alex laughed. “Can’t handle one little woman?”
“Wildcat, you mean.” His wildcat. “Just shut up and get over here.”
Another laugh and his partner gripped Del’s arm in an unbreakable hold no matter how much she struggled. Together, they dragged a still fighting Del into the mansion.
“Please, don’t do this. Let me go,” Del begged. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
If he didn’t know she was acting as he’d instructed, his heart would break at her impassioned, fear-filled pleas. “Shut up,” he snapped, jerking her around to face him. “Close your mouth or I’ll do it for you. I’m sick of your whining and crying.”
She gasped at his words.
Josh kept his expression as hateful as he could manage staring into the face of the woman he loved, but his thumb brushed over her wrist in silent apology. He didn’t dare do more than that because the ruckus Del raised had drawn an audience.
“Mr. McKenzie, I see you were at least partially successful.” Wright’s pleased voice drifted across the room.
His hand tightened on Del’s wrist. “She’s been a boatload of trouble. Might charge extra for this one.”
Fury spread across Xavier Wright’s face. “You’ll get what I agreed to pay and not a penny more. Bring her to my office.” He turned and strode down the hall.
Shudders wracked Del’s body, so much so that he and Alex were practically carrying her to Wright. Josh yanked her into his side as if she’d tried again to escape. The action brought her close enough to whisper in her ear, “Okay?”
A slight nod, then a furious, “I hate you.”
“Ask me if I care, Ms. Peterson. You’re nothing but a pain in my backside I’ll be happy to leave behind.”
He and Alex dragged Del through the doorway into Wright’s office. Alex closed the door behind him. Better for Del’s safety if the gunrunner’s men weren’t witnesses to their meeting.
Wright’s eyes glittered as his gaze swept over Del, imprisoned between him and Alex. Made Josh want to punch the man for looking at his girl that way.
“Is that all of them?” Wright demanded, gaze on the bag in Alex’s hand.
“All they had in the house.” He dropped the bag on the desk and resumed his position at Del’s side.
“And the other woman?”
“Out of town,” Alex replied. “We’ll track her down, bring her here.”
“No.” Del went after Alex with a vengeance. “Leave her alone. She doesn’t know anything.”
Josh lifted her away from his partner, spun her around to face him, his back to Wright. “Enough,” he yelled. Josh raised his hand as if he meant to slap her. She cringed away from him, an action which lanced his heart, but was the perfect reaction for Wright.
“Spirited. Good. I like them that way.”
Josh’s jaw flexed. With her body hidden from the sleaze bag’s gaze, he took a second to squeeze her hand, willed her to realize he’d never hurt her. In response, she stroked his hand. The band around his heart eased. He pivoted to face the snake across the desk, Del at his side.
Wright snatched the bag and dumped books on his desktop. One by one, he thumbed through the books until the reached the one with the underlining. Triumph flooded his expression. “Excellent work, gentlemen. I’m so pleased you just might receive that extra payment for the trouble this one’s caused you.”
“What do you want us to do with her?” Alex said, inclining his head toward Del.
“Leave her. Go after the other one.”
Yeah, that wasn’t happening. “What will you do with her?”
“Does it matter? Your duties with this one are finished.”
“Talk or we take our sweet time retrieving the other one. Every day we search, we’ll charge an extra $100,000. And she’ll have that much more time to tell the world who wants her and why.”
Josh saw the exact moment Wright made up his mind to answer. “She’ll be my guest for a while, but eventually, when I tire of her, she’ll die.”
Del shuddered, a small moan escaping her throat.
Fury boiled in his gut while his face remained impassive. He owed Xavier Wright for scaring her and more than intended to pay up. “You’re going to kill her?”
“Was there any doubt as to the outcome of this transaction? Why do you care? The Peterson woman’s nothing to you. I won’t have loose ends to strangle me or my operation.”
“Got him,” Jon murmured in his ear. “Get out of Dodge. Let the feds collect the garbage.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Josh said, his voice hard. “You got what you paid us for. The book, the woman in your office.” He bared his teeth. “I changed my mind. I’m taking her with me.”
“Are you insane? That is not an option.”
“What do you care? You want her dead. We’ll take care of it. Eventually.”
“You, Mr. McKenzie, will do exactly as I tell you to do.”
“I don’t think so.” With the end of those words, he and Alex had their weapons out and aimed at the gunrunner. “Not if you want the money.”
“Money? What money?”
“Oh, in round figures, $30 billion. You won’t see a penny unless we walk out of here in one piece with the woman.”
“Blackmail is pointless.” He held up the book with the markings. “I have the information I need.”
“Not all of it,” Josh said, voice soft. “The money is no longer in Catherine’s account. You can have the money. For a price.”
“And that price is the woman?” Hatred burned in the gunrunner’s eyes.
“Both of them.” Alex moved a step closer to Wright. “I like the looks of the other one.” He nodded at the book. “You still get what you want. Money. Once we have the women secure, neither will see the light of day again. As soon as we clear the gates, we’ll send you the information.”
“You expect me to believe you’ll walk away from that much money? Why should I trust you? You’ve already deviated from my instructions.” Wright slowly shifted his right hand along the desk.
“Uh uh, Xavier.” Alex shifted Del to stand behind Josh without taking his gaze or aim from the man. “A smart man would take his hand away from that panic button. Unless, of course, you don’t mind leaving this room with a few extra holes. What’s it going to be? Rich and intelligent or dead? Just so you know, I would prefer the latter option.”
“Who are you?”
“Forgotten our names already?” Josh shook his head. “I’m hurt, Xavier. Get on your knees.”
“I will kill you for this.” The man sank to his knees, his venomous gaze fixed on Josh.
“A lot better men than you have tried and failed.” His weapon remained steady while Alex yanked the gunrunner’s hands behind his back and cinched them with zip ties. After tying on a gag, his partner darted Wright. Within seconds, he was on the ground with a moan. Josh waited for Alex to confirm the man was out before he lowered his weapon.
“Package is wrapped,” he murmured to Jon as he helped roll the man into a large duffel bag that had been folded and stashed under hi
s partner’s vest. Alex hefted the gunrunner over his shoulder.
“Roger that. Feds are at the gate.”
“Copy.”
He swung around, grabbed Del’s arm. “Let’s get out of here, sweetheart. Look defeated. Drag your feet a little, but not enough to slow us down.” Josh pressed his back to the wall as he opened the door, checked for foot traffic. Nothing. He pulled Del toward the front door.
Shouts from the yard had him tightening his grip on Del. “Do exactly what I tell you.”
The front door opened. Two of Wright’s foot soldiers pulled up short at the sight of them in the hall, weapons drawn but not aimed. Yet. “Thought Mr. Wright planned to keep her around a while,” Thug One said.
“Decided she was more trouble than she was worth.” Josh scowled down at Del. “Told me to dispose of her.”
To her credit, his girl played her part to perfection. She kept her gaze downcast, her slender shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Take the back way. Cops are at the front gate.” Thug Two aimed his chin at the duffel over Alex’s shoulder. “What’s he got?”
“Trash,” Alex said, his expression blank.
“Go,” Thug One ordered. “The feds can’t see her. Might lead to questions Mr. Wright won’t want to answer.”
Josh motioned his partner out the door first as he was the most vulnerable with Wright’s added weight. With a nod at the thugs, he followed Alex to the SUV with Del at his side. He yanked open the back door, picked Del up and tossed her onto the seat, followed her inside just as Alex slammed the hatchback where he’d heaved his burden into the luggage compartment. A quick jog to the driver’s seat and he cranked the engine.
Shouts as Thugs One and Two raced toward their SUV.
“Back way. Go!” With the feds blocking the front gate, he didn’t want to be caught between the good guys and the bad guys.
Alex took off, thugs running after them, firing at the vehicle.
“Down.” Josh pushed Del flat on the seat. “Don’t sit up unless I tell you it’s safe.” He glanced at the luggage area. “How much of the drug did you give Wright?”