Whiskey-Eyed Woman (Soldiering On Book 5)

by Aislinn Kearns

  They made it to Zack’s house in record time, and split up as soon as they got inside, standing as far from each other as they could. Apparently they were both trying to use the other crew members as a barrier.

  Sierra beelined for her friend, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and dropping her head so they could talk privately. Duncan tried not to care that they were probably talking about him—that Mandy was likely airing all her grievances to Sierra, telling her what an asshole he’d been to her.

  Instead, he turned to Blake. “So, what have we got?”

  Blake told him about Tulane’s marriage to a woman that had subsequently dropped off the face of the earth.

  “So, we think that wherever he’s holed up, it’s probably in her name. So now we just have to figure out what that is.”

  “And how far from that do you think we are?”

  Blake made a face, but before he answered, the doorbell rang. Duncan glanced around the room, saw everyone from Soldiering On was already there, and then back to Blake, who shrugged.

  Duncan went to the door, limping as his bad leg finally complained about the activities from the last few days. Including the activities in the shower with Mandy he definitely still wasn’t thinking about.

  He opened the door, and then nearly shut it again when he saw Morris Lennox’s face.

  “What do you want?” he asked, trying to at least be polite enough to ask. This man was Mandy’s father, after all.

  Morris Lennox raised an unimpressed brow at Duncan’s surliness. “I’m here to see my daughter. The press say she escaped. I want to verify with my own eyes that she’s here and safe.”

  Morris’s calm made Duncan feel ever more irritated. “Well, she is. No thanks to you. But we don’t let traitors into our house, so you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t step aside.”

  Duncan rose to his full height. Morris ran his tongue over his teeth, clearly considering his options.

  “Why am I considered the traitor? I just did what I had to in order to keep her safe.”

  Duncan huffed. “Like running to the police when you knew we had a plan already in place to save her?”

  “A plan that was a Hail Mary pass at best. The chances were against it working. At least with the police—“

  “She’d probably be dead,” Duncan interjected harshly. Morris’s eyes widened at Duncan’s bluntness, but he did nothing to soften the blow. “The police in the city are corrupt. They’re on Tulane’s side. And frankly, I’m starting to believe you are as well.”

  Morris fell silent. “I don’t believe that Tulane would do this.”

  Duncan snorted and moved to close the door. Morris threw out a hand, stopping it. “But,” he continued. “My daughter is the most important thing I have in my life. If there’s even a slim chance my friend is who you say—if the cops are as corrupt as you say—then I’ll choose to believe you. For now.”

  Duncan exhaled, some of the tension leaving him. He looked into Morris’s expression and saw sincerity. He wouldn’t—couldn’t—trust the man, but for now he’d give him the benefit of the doubt.

  Morris took a step forward, and Duncan moved aside to let the man in. When they were level, Morris paused, glaring up at Duncan. His stomach knotted.

  “I may choose to believe for the time being that Tulane wants to harm my daughter.” He leaned closer to Duncan, finger pointing to his chest as his voice lowered. “But I won’t forget it’s your fault she was in danger in the first place. If she still worked for me—still with her family—none of this would have ever happened. So just know I blame you. And I expect you to fix this mess you’ve caused. Do we understand each other?”

  Duncan bristled, not saying anything for a long moment. What could he say? Morris was right. It was his fault. Eventually, he gave a single nod.

  Morris tried to step past him, but Duncan stopped him with a hand on his arm. “I might have screwed up,” he murmured to the older man. “But Mandy is her own woman—and she belongs exactly where she says she does. She’s told you time and again she doesn’t want to work for your company anymore. If you want her back in your life, you should listen. She deserves that much, at least.”

  Duncan stared Morris down. Maybe it was a little hypocritical that he’d given Morris advice on something he’d struggled with himself lately. But Mandy was right. She didn’t need the men in her life making choices for her—himself included. And while he warred between needing to respect her and needing to keep her safe, he’d at least try to give Mandy this gift.

  Morris eyed him for a long moment, then gave a sharp nod. “I’ll try to make up for my own mistakes, as long as you make up for your own.” Despite the man’s pleasant expression, it felt oddly like a threat. Duncan agreed, knowing he needed to make up to Mandy for the way he’d hurt her, as well as do everything he could to keep her safe.

  Morris breezed past Duncan into the living room, a look of satisfaction on his face.

  Duncan watched the other man as he headed towards his daughter, hoping for the best. Mandy gave him a frosty reception, but made no move to order him to leave, so Duncan headed back over to Blake.

  “Where were we?” he asked.

  Blake eyed Duncan for a moment, apparently noticing his intense scowl, but wisely chose to say nothing. “We were trying to figure out what to do about Tulane.”

  A need to conquer his enemy welled up inside Duncan. He’d been willing to wait, but not for any longer. He needed this done. He needed Mandy safe and out of his life. To do that, he needed the quickest possible path to deal with Tulane and the threat he presented.

  Duncan considered his options. “So, either we wait him out—which could take years, given how well he’s hidden himself before. If we do that, we’ll be looking over our shoulders the whole time, wondering when he’d strike. And it would also give him time to mount an offense. He could destroy evidence, pay off a judge, anything to get out of his current predicament.”

  Blake nodded. “Not a great option. So what was your plan, the one you thought of earlier?”

  Duncan considered the room for a moment, looking at his colleagues. But more than that, they were his friends. All of them were in danger while Tulane was on the loose, Mandy most of all. And he couldn’t allow that, even if it meant he had to put himself in the firing line for them.

  “We smoke him out,” he murmured. “Give him a reason he can’t resist.”

  Blake raised his eyebrows. “You want to make yourself into bait?”

  Duncan shrugged. “It’ll work. Tulane sees me as the reason this happened to him. If I’m out of the way, life will go back to normal, in his mind. He won’t be able to resist the chance to destroy the guy making his life miserable.”

  “It’ll work,” Mandy’s voice said from behind him. Duncan turned to find her a few steps away, eyes narrowed as she glared at him. “I spent time with Tulane, and he’s hot-headed and has an impulsive streak.”

  “So why are you looking at me like you’re mad at me for suggesting it?” he asked.

  Mandy crossed her arms over her chest. “Because there’s no way in hell you can do this. It’s so dangerous! You can’t get yourself killed over this guy.”

  Duncan stared at her for a long moment. “If it’ll keep you—and everyone else—safe, then I can and I will. My safety be damned.”

  She gritted her teeth. “That’s stupid.”

  He shrugged. “That’s our option. Unless you know how to find Tulane?”

  “You know I don’t. Not yet. But Sierra said they were working on it.”

  Duncan turned to Blake. “What do you think the chances of finding this woman is—Tulane’s wife?”

  Blake shrugged. “Hard to say, but we’re running out of places to look.”

  Duncan looked back at Mandy with a triumphant expression on his face. “See. This will be our best option.”

  Emotions flew across her face, some he didn’t recognise, others he was afraid to acknowledge.

  “It w
as one thing when you turned a blind eye to the recklessness of our friends,” she said, gaze flickering to Blake and back. “But it’s another thing to risk this danger yourself. Why would you do this? Why not wait until all the other avenues are exhausted?”

  Duncan’s gaze flickered to Morris, standing at the back of the room, then returned to Mandy.

  “Because I want this over and done with.” He wanted to get away from the temptation Mandy presented him with and move on with his life.

  Some of that must have shown in his expression because her face fell, her eyes stricken.

  He couldn’t let himself care that he’d hurt her, so he turned his back and began to plan.

  Chapter 18

  A flurry of chaos gripped the team as the efficiently readied themselves for the next stage in the plan. Mandy glared at her father from across the room as he called his friends in the press. He was enabling Duncan, practically sending him to his death. Stark fear ate her, burrowing in beneath her skin until it was all she could think about. Why could no one else see this was a terrible idea?

  The phone call ended. Morris turned to Duncan with a nod, and Duncan left the room, apparently to prepare for his date with death.

  Mandy turned to Blake, but he was already loading himself with weapons, strapping guns and knives to holsters on his thighs, back, and chest.

  “Why are you helping him?” Mandy asked softly. Blake paused in his movements and slowly raised his gaze to her.

  He sighed. “Duncan has put a lot of faith in me over the years. More than I deserve, at times. I know you hate the leeway he gives us, but it’s meant a lot to me. Now, I’ll do the same for him.”

  Mandy wrapped her arms around herself, telling herself she shouldn’t care. Duncan had made his feelings for her more than clear, in front of everyone here. But as angry and sad as she was about how things were between them now, she couldn’t shut her own feelings off so easily. Not even to save herself grief.

  “But he’ll get himself killed,” she insisted.

  “Not if I’m there,” he said fiercely. “And Zack. If we express doubts now, he’ll just go without us. But we’ll be there to protect him.” He patted her on the arm. “We’ll keep him safe. Don’t worry.”

  Mandy nearly scoffed. As if she could just turn off her worry so easily. But he was right. Duncan was safer with him and Zack than if he was alone. Destiny, too, had said she’d be there, so she could arrest Tulane if he showed up. It all made sense.

  Yet the worry still gnawed a path through her mind.

  “Sam will stay here to protect you, in case Tulane thinks you’re unguarded and comes for you, okay? And Paul will be here, too, since he’s still searching for Gloria. It’ll all be over soon.”

  He gave her his usual charming grin and she relaxed slightly. Hopefully he was correct.

  Duncan came back into the room, Zack close behind him. All looked ready for battle, from their weapons, to the concentration etched onto their faces.

  Blake joined them. Duncan gave her one last, lingering look. The kind of look that spoke of regret and goodbye. Then, he disappeared out the door, Blake and Zack close behind.

  Sierra sidled over to her and squeezed her hand. “It’ll be alright,” she whispered, but her eyes followed Blake as the men got in the car.

  “I know,” Mandy lied, more for her friend’s sake than her own.

  They fell silent, watching the car drive off. Mandy couldn’t help feeling a sense of foreboding, but she swallowed it.

  A throat cleared behind her. Mandy spun around to see her father standing a few feet away from her.

  “What do you want?” she asked, not bothering to disguise her annoyance with him.

  “What’s that for?” he asked, scowling.

  “You helped send Duncan into a dangerous situation that might very well lead to his death,” she told him, incredulous that he couldn’t see.

  Morris shrugged. “It was his choice.”

  Mandy’s fist clenched. “You still helped him. Encouraged him. Why?”

  “Duncan put you in danger,” Morris said, stepping forward. “He needs to get you out of this.”

  Mandy’s brows shot up. “Excuse me? What the hell are you talking about?”

  “So many things,” he shot back. “First, he lures you away from me. Then, the next time we speak, you had just survived a near-death hostage situation. Then, the next time, your office has blown up, you’re nowhere to be found, and then you’re kidnapped. This mess all started with him.”

  Mandy drew in a deep breath, trying to keep her calm. But her words still came out in a hiss. “First of all, I left your company before I’d even met Duncan—properly at least. I left because of you, no one else. I get you want to put the blame on someone else rather than admit your own faults, but I left because you didn’t respect me, end of story.”

  Morris blinked, then opened his mouth to say something. Mandy held up her hand to stop him, not willing to listen to his excuses. “No. Not now. And you know, the hostage situation you mentioned? The one that kicked all this off, and is the reason we’re in danger now? I dragged Duncan to that. He didn’t want to come, but I insisted. So, if you want to blame anyone for that, it should be me.”

  Morris blinked, clearly trying to process this.

  Mandy continued. “Though if you really wanted to blame someone, the real person responsible for this mess, you should be blaming your friend Tulane, since he’s a goddamn terrorist.”

  Mandy glared at him, panting as if she’d run a mile.

  “You really mean it, don’t you?” Morris asked softly.

  “Yes,” Mandy said emphatically. She wasn’t sure which bit her referred to, but she meant every word.

  “Duncan really didn’t steal you away from me?” he clarified.

  Mandy shook her head. “I came to your company wanting to make a difference. You just wanted me to make money. We were never going to see eye-to-eye working together.”

  Morris took a few steps and slumped into the nearest armchair. Mandy hesitated, then followed, crouching beside him. Pity welled up in her at his defeated posture, and she fought against it. She’d been angry too long to give up now.

  “He was right,” Morris muttered cryptically. He glanced at Mandy and caught her gaze. “I always thought we were alike, you and I,” he said, almost whispering. “That’s why I wanted you to inherit, why I wanted you to follow in my footsteps. We’d always been so close, that I just assumed…” he paused, swallowed. “I was just blind, wasn’t I?”

  Mandy gave him a wry smile. “You’re not the only one.” Duncan, too, had been determined to see her as someone other than herself. Someone that would hurt him.

  She ached at the thought, knowing she never would. But it was his loss he’d never know that. She loved him, but she was done fighting. Her father admitting he was wrong would have to satisfy her. It was a victory she’d fought for and won.

  It would have to be enough.

  “And Duncan really wasn’t the one that put you in danger? Your life was never like this before.”

  Mandy shrugged. “Honestly, we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe we’d be safe now if we’d just let it go, stopped investigating. If we hadn’t tried to find who was responsible and make them pay. But that’s who I am, Dad. I need to fight to make this world better, including punishing people that have done wrong.”

  Morris nodded slowly. “I see that now. I still wish you hadn’t, but I see why you did. You’re amazing, so strong and determined. You made the right decision in leaving me, because you’ve come into your own in the last few years. I’m so sorry I didn’t see it sooner, my dear.”

  He reached out and clasped her hand. He ran the fingers of his other hand across his brow, as if trying to soothe a headache. Tears welled in Mandy’s eyes. This was all she’d wanted, all she’d hoped to prove to her father. She’d wanted him to see her for who she really was.

  “I’m just glad you see it now.”r />
  He squeezed her hand and gave her a wobbly smile. “How can I make it up to you?”

  Mandy huffed out a laugh. “Unless you can tell us where Tulane and his wife might be hiding before Duncan does the press conference, I don’t think there’s much.”

  Morris’s brows tugged down. “What does Gloria have to do with any of this?”

  Mandy blinked. “You know her?”

  “Of course. I had dinner at her house once. Lovely lady.”

  Mandy cleared her throat. “This house,” she asked carefully. “Where is it?”

  Morris frowned in thought. “Oh, now that’s a question. It’s a while back now.”

  He tapped his chin. Mandy resisted the urge to hurry him up as he thought, tension rising in her.

  “I believe it was on Oakland,” he said.

  Mandy turned around, gaze finding Paul. “Hey, did we ever look into any properties on Oakland for Tulane’s hiding spot?”

  Paul’s brows shot up. “No. Not at all.”

  Mandy grinned and turned to kiss her father on the cheek as thanks. “We have to go. If we can find Tulane before Duncan does this press conference, then we can keep him safe.”

  Sam stepped forward. “Should we tell Duncan we might have found Gloria?”

  Mandy shook her head. “He’ll try to stop us. You heard how determined he is. We’ll have to go alone.”

  Destiny tugged on her uniform, trying to ignore the activity around her as Duncan, Blake, and Zack scouted the area they’d chosen for the press conference. They were mapping all possible exits—even the outlandish ones, and preparing for when Tulane inevitably arrived.

  The sun sank behind the horizon as the worked, casting a dusky glow across the city.

  Destiny was inexplicably nervous, and not just for Duncan’s sake. She knew once she appeared on camera—giving Duncan an appearance of legitimacy because of her uniform—her days as a cop were numbered.