Southern Delight (Southern Desires Series Book 3)

by Jeannette Winters

  “I report to Mark.”

  Don nodded and put in the code to dial Kevin.

  “Go, Johnson,” Kevin said.

  “It’s Farrell. I want to speak to Bailey.”

  There was a pause before Kevin said anything. “Where’s Johnson?”

  “He’s . . . tied up at the moment and none too happy with me. Where’s Bailey?”

  Kevin laughed. “She’s outside. Talking to her would be a mistake, Don.”

  “Let me be the judge of that. Put her on,” Don demanded.

  “I’ll need to talk to Mark first.”

  “I don’t give a shit it if Mark approves or not. This is between Bailey and me. It has nothing to do with The Mountain or the file,” Don shouted, filled with anger.

  “Do it, Collins,” Johnson ordered.

  Don turned around to see Johnson still standing there. He’d obviously heard Kevin’s resistance. Perhaps expected it, too. He wasn’t sure if what Johnson said would make any difference, but he appreciated he had his support for once. Don’t know how long it’s going to last.

  Don heard Kevin say, “Bailey, you have a call. Keep it short and don’t ask any questions that you know cannot be answered.”

  He wasn’t calling to discuss anything that he wanted either Kevin or Johnson to listen to, but if that was the only way they were going to get to speak, then he was going to say what he needed to.

  “Hello?”

  Her sweet voice. He ached to be with her just from the sound of her voice. When he’d left her on Sunday, he’d known things could go bad. Yesterday only brought that realization to light. He wasn’t going to tell her how close she was to losing him for good. All he wanted to do was say what he hadn’t. What he should’ve said. Oh, God. How I wish I could hold her right now.

  “Babe, are you okay?”

  “Don? How? I thought—”

  “That you wouldn’t hear from me again? Yeah, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left like that.”

  He felt guilty leaving her so soon after Mark and Hannah left. He’d seen the expression in her eyes, how she’d wanted to beg him to stay but was stoic and strong instead. My girl is amazing. He was glad he got back into The Mountain, as it provided him the chance to figure out what General Floyd had been trying to tell him. I still don’t know what the file contains, but could more people be at risk? This is not why I walked away from Bailey. I didn’t risk my life just to be locked in a cabin when they no longer needed my help.

  “I . . . I understand, Don.”

  He knew Kevin wouldn’t tell her what was going on. Kevin had made that clear. Yet he knew Bailey was no fool. It was possible she knew even more than Hannah did.

  “I wanted to hear your voice. Tell you—”

  “Me too,” Bailey said. “I wanted to tell you . . . I mean there’s so much I wanted to say, but I didn’t . . . I should’ve, just in case . . .”

  He heard the concern in her voice. Damn, she knows. She knows I might not make it back. This is exactly what I didn’t want for her.

  “Bailey, I love you.” Don never thought the first time he said those words would be over the phone with others listening, but he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered to him was that she knew how he felt. Daniel might’ve been one crazy bastard, but he’d opened Don’s eyes to the one thing he knew he couldn’t live without. Bailey.

  He heard her choke back tears before she answered, “I love you too, Don.”

  There was so much more he wanted to tell her. How he wanted to take care of her, but he was not in a place where he could make any promises.

  “Babe, do you still trust me?”

  “With my whole heart.”

  “Then I need you to do something for me.”

  “Anything.”

  “Stay close to Kevin and Mark. Trust them like you’d trust me.” He knew they’d protect her with their lives, and he couldn’t ask for any better than that. If there was any way he could be there to do it himself, he would be. But after the attempted hit on his life yesterday, he knew there was no going back until this was resolved.

  The sounds of her sniffles tore at his heart. Babe, don’t cry. It’ll be okay. God, it has to be. I haven’t waited this long to find you only to have it end so damn fast. Don knew right then that he’d listen to what Mark, Kevin, and even Johnson told him to do. Their career was to protect. He didn’t want it, but for Bailey, he’d have to accept it.

  “I will, Don. I promise.”

  “That’s my girl. I’ve got to go. Be strong, Bailey.”

  “I love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Don disconnected the call and felt sick to his stomach. He’d spent his life building a very successful business. Right now he didn’t give a shit if the terrorist took it from him. All he cared about was Bailey and getting back to her. Let this be over soon. I’ve got a life waiting for me to start.

  The phone rang, and he tossed it back to Johnson.

  “Go, Mark,” Johnson said.

  “Where are you?”

  “We’re at the safe house, the team is working on securing the perimeter,” Johnson reported. “He’s with me on the call.”

  “Good, good,” Mark said with great relief in his tone. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine, but Daniel . . .”

  “I know, I heard. I’m very sorry, Don.” Mark cleared his throat, and his voice returned to business. “I have someone of interest on the line with us.”

  “Who’s that?” Don asked. He’d just gotten off the phone with Bailey. Was she there in Savannah and this was Mark’s way of telling him she was up-to-date with the mission? No way. Mark is as tight-lipped as they come.

  “Master Sergeant Margaret Graham, actually,” she said.

  “Maggie?”

  “You’ll get my name right someday, Farrell.”

  “Why the hell are you with Mark?” Don asked. He and Johnson had just been told the real Margaret Graham was dead. What the hell was going on? Should he now be second-guessing his instructions to Bailey to stay close to Mark? Mark is aware, so what the hell do I do here? Communicate as if all is okay?

  He wasn’t a military man, but he was more tuned-in to his intuition lately, and it said she was lying, though he couldn’t place what made him distrust her. Not sure I like the company you’re keeping, Mark. You better be damn sure you can trust her, because I’m not sure I do.

  “You’ve put the entire project in jeopardy,” Maggie said. “And its Master Sergeant to you,” she added.

  Touchy. He wasn’t about to play her game. He wanted answers, but only from someone he trusted, and that was Mark. “What does she know, exactly?” Don asked.

  “The Mountain is a Department of Homeland Security operation,” Mark said. “She knows a lot, and I didn’t tell her anything.”

  “Is this a good thing? Because if she knew I was about to get shot at and didn’t tell me, then I still don’t trust her.”

  “You were not alone out there. People were watching and protecting you,” Maggie said.

  “And someone died doing it,” Don shot back.

  “He knew the risk. We all do.”

  Don didn’t want to hear her patronizing speech about how Daniel was only doing his job. As far as Don was concerned, no job was worth the price Daniel just paid. “Then next time maybe it will be your neck out there instead of people I care about.”

  Maggie didn’t respond to his snide remark. Instead, she began to inform them of what she knew. “I reached out to Mark after finding some of General Floyd’s notes that mentioned him. I’m grateful for all the help I can get at this point. But now that introductions are over, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of it,” Maggie said. “Don’s snooping around and giving me a shut-down date to threaten the higher-ups has given me a very small window of opportunity.”

  “I didn’t hear about a shut-down date,” Mark said.

  “I ad-libbed,” Don said. “What’s this window for?”

  “I
have only two ex-military men left who are loyal to me. The rest are non-military, and I was told it was a private sector. Whoever they are, they’re not on our payroll,” Maggie said.

  “We were able to trace a few calls from within The Mountain to one of the men that’d been in Savannah. One of the four Hannah had been able to identify,” Mark added.

  Mark wants that guy bad. After what they’d done to people he cared the most for, he must want to slowly torture them to death. If Maggie had a way to get them into The Mountain to take these guys out, he’d play along, but he’d be watching. Right now his trust level was nil.

  “I can create a distraction on the eighth floor that’ll cause most of the guards to leave their posts. They’ll all go to that floor, but you can’t let them actually get through the security doors. They can’t have what’s inside,” Maggie said.

  “What’s so important on the eight floor that they’d swarm to it?” Johnson asked.

  “A dog will come running when a dinner bell is rung. That’s exactly what I’d do,” Maggie replied.

  “The DHS commissioned The Mountain to lure in the terrorists who took down the lab in North Carolina,” Mark said. “The same ones who rented a room in Savannah.”

  And killed Derrick’s wife and daughter. “You’re telling me that entire facility was built strictly as a trap? I’ve been there too many times, and it is too well laid out not to be operational.”

  “If we made a mock location, then we never would’ve had a chance. These people are not amateurs. Billions of dollars have been invested in this. And we’ve succeeded in a big way, but we had to put some valuable bait in the trap. They wouldn’t bite for anything but the real deal.”

  At first he thought he might be the bait, but he was of no use to them unless it was money they were after, and these guys weren’t scammers. They were after something else. Is it the building? That doesn’t make much sense because it is stationary. They could only hide out there for so long. It was what he wasn’t being told that concerned him. If Mark were in front of him, he would be able to read what was actually going on. I hope he’s not turning over control to someone we still don’t know we can trust.

  “What is the bait?” Don asked.

  “Not something I can disclose,” Maggie replied.

  Damn it. Mark, say something. But he didn’t push the subject.

  “What’s the plan for getting inside?” Mark asked.

  “The window of opportunity on this is very short. After I set off the alarm, you’ll have to take out the guards at the gate. Move fast. There were twenty men watching this facility, but eight haven’t shown up for their shifts.”

  “I can tell you four won’t be showing up ever again,” Johnson said.

  “You have them in custody?” Maggie asked.

  “No. I killed two, and have confirmation on the death of two more by the team,” Johnson answered.

  “We are not out for a bloodbath here. You know it’s hard to interrogate a dead man,” Maggie stated.

  “Four less I have to watch my back for,” Johnson replied.

  “That’s not how we do things,” Maggie said.

  “We don’t work for the DHS. If you don’t have the grit to do what needs to be done, then I’m not sure you’re the right person to get us inside. But this is my team, and we’re going in with or without your assistance,” Mark stated in the tone that demanded respect.

  Now that’s the man I know. About time, buddy. Don couldn’t wait to hear Maggie’s response, but she was quiet for the first time. So there is someone she’ll back down for. Good to know.

  “That leaves four unaccounted for,” Mark said. “Every time we kill one of these bastards, two more appear. So tell me why I should bring my team in to deal with your problem, Master Sergeant. I’ve got bigger fish to fry. Unless there is something you wish to share about what they’re really after.”

  “It’s not the building they’re after. We’ve got to do everything in our power to stop them from finding the chemist and bringing her here to finish what she started in North Carolina.”

  “That’s incredibly convenient, given the fact I never told you about the chemist, Master Sergeant. If we kill the guards, it doesn’t get us anything. As you said, we can’t learn anything from a corpse.”

  “I have it on good authority that the new head of security is his second-in-command,” Maggie said. “He was only brought in yesterday. That means they have to be close to finding her. If they do, I know they will bring her here. It is set up and ready to go. The only thing they need is her.”

  “And you don’t know where she is?” Johnson asked.

  “If we did, I wouldn’t need you, would I?”

  “I’ll need photos of your team so they don’t get hit in the crossfire. And send me one of this second-in-command too,” Mark requested.

  “I really don’t care what you do with him,” Maggie commented.

  “That’s generous,” Don said. “But I don’t see what you get out of this. I know why we’re in on this. What’s your game, Maggie? Don’t say you’re doing this just because it’s your job. You are there with very limited resources. You wouldn’t reach outside of your agency for help unless you were truly desperate. Am I right? Have you gone rouge?”

  “It’s Master Sergeant—”

  “We’ve already determined you’re not military,” Don said. “You’re not who you say you are, so why should we trust anything you have to say?”

  She paused for a minute, and no one said a word. Don had called her out, and he wasn’t sure how Mark felt, but if he was putting his neck out there, he wanted the truth from the people who said they were on his side.

  Her voice was not as strong and confident as he was used to when she finally spoke. “There were people lost in the North Carolina flood.”

  “We know that. A woman and child,” Don said, never forgetting Derrick’s family.

  “Not just them. Master Sergeant Margaret Graham among them—my twin sister. It was no accident. She was slaughtered, shot in the back and left to die with no way to escape the water. So yeah, this is personal. I went off the radar at DHS and took my sister’s identity. I knowingly accepted a suicide mission to take down as many of these bastards as I can trap in my net. You think you want them gone? You think you have anything close to the hatred I feel for them? If so, then bring it and help me.”

  The men were stunned into silence. Don heard the pain and anger in her voice. It was the same as he’d heard in Derrick’s. Pain that, after years, hadn’t faded. A pain he couldn’t comprehend and would do everything in his power to stop others from experiencing as well.

  The word “sorry” wasn’t going to cut it. “What do we call you?” Don asked. “Who are you really?”

  “Just call me Maggie or Master Sergeant. Until this is over, that’s who I am.”

  “Okay, I’m in,” Don said.

  “No, you’re not,” Mark said. “If we go in, there will be heavy gunfire. You know the risks we take.” I do now more than ever.

  “I’ve walked in there every week without a gun or a guard, knowing I might not make it back out. Now you’re telling me I can’t go in with your highly trained team? Bullshit. I’m going, with or without you,” Don said firmly.

  Mark sighed. “When’s this window?”

  “Get your men here in six hours. If you’re late, don’t bother.”

  “We’ll be there,” Mark confirmed before he disconnected the call.

  Don let out a long exhale.

  “You’re crazy, Farrell. I don’t think you have a clue what you’re walking into,” Johnson said.

  He was right. You could watch all the action movies you wanted, but they never portrayed what it was really like when that gun was trained on you, and it was decision time. But he wasn’t doing this for glory or recognition. Daniel had given his life to protect him. If he were still alive, Daniel would’ve been in there with these guys.

  “Don’t assume you know what I’m
capable of, Johnson. I’ve learned a lot from your boss over the years. I plan on making it out alive.”

  Because, I have someone very special I promised to see again.

  “What do you mean we can’t stay here? What’s going on, Kevin? Why do we need to go to Honeywell?” Bailey asked once Hannah was out of earshot.

  “Mark’s instructions,” Kevin answered as he threw clothes in his duffel bag. “So I suggest you pack quickly. Our ride will be here shortly.”

  “Where is Don?” Please tell me he’s safe. Tell me he’ll be in Honeywell waiting for me.

  “With Mark.”

  Those words were like a knife to her heart. She knew whatever they were going to do was so dangerous they needed to leave Savannah for their own protection. Knowing Don was going to be in the middle of that scared her to death.

  “Can I call him?”

  He shook his head. “I know it’s hard. This is what you get when you get involved with—”

  “A construction worker?”

  Kevin looked up at her. “Damn. I keep forgetting he’s not one of us, because right now, Bailey, he is. And because of that, you need to let him do his job. Anything else and you’ll risk not just his life but every man on that mission.”

  “You’re not going?”

  “No. Only one of us can be there. This is Mark’s team.”

  “So you’ll be with us in Honeywell?”

  “No. I have my own assignment.”

  So why are we going to Texas? “Derrick is protecting us? Casey is pregnant. We can’t bring this stress or trouble to them.”

  “They were involved in it long before the rest of us. The ranch has been under Mark’s protection. He’s had a team there for the past year. You’ll all be safe there.” He turned and faced her. “If I didn’t believe it, I’d stay.”

  Bailey sat on the bed, her legs trembling too much to hold her. “It’s like watching a movie. I want to turn it off, but the remote doesn’t work.”

  Kevin stopped what he was doing and sat beside her on the bed. He wrapped his arm around her and said, “Keep the faith, girl. That man loves you, and all he wants is for you to be safe so he can come home to you. Remember he said to trust Mark and me. This is where you decide what he means to you. Do you love him enough to trust him?”