Protecting Olivia

by Riley Edwards

  “Caroline’s Tex?” I asked.

  A chuckle came from Matthew, and he said, “I see you shared.”

  “Just enough for her to understand she’s not alone. And yes, Olivia, the same Tex. He has helped all of us over the years. Those are stories for another day,” Caroline replied.

  There was a knock on the door, and Leo’s hand went to his right side, but no gun was drawn. Matthew shot a look at Leo and shook his head. “That’s Abe. I’ll get it.”

  Leo seemed to relax at the mention of Abe’s name but his hand still had not moved. Caroline came beside me as Leo moved in front of me positioning himself between me and the door.

  “Told you so,” she whispered. “That man is not going to let anything touch you. He knows you’re safe in here. He knows that Sam, Hunter, and Kason are somewhere outside watching the house. Not to mention his own team is out there as well. Yet he’s placing himself in front of you as if a bad guy is gonna knock on my door and get past Matthew. He won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  I think Caroline had watched too many romantic thrillers. Leo was doing his job and that was it. Not to mention he had a woman back in Maryland waiting for him to come home, a woman who loved him, that he told he loved her, too. I couldn’t bring myself to tell that to Caroline though. That was another detail I was pretending didn’t exist.

  “Abe, this is Panther and Hash,” Matthew introduced.

  “Abe.” Leo stepped forward to shake his hand.

  “Hi,” I squeaked out. When all of this was over, I was finding the nearest military base and finding myself one of these men. Forget the weak, douchy frat boys. Military men were the way to go.

  “Hash.” Abe greeted but made no attempt to move closer to me or shake my hand. “Ice, how are you today?”

  “I’m good, Christopher.” Caroline smiled.

  I glanced at her with a questioning look. She started to laugh and explained, “The ice on the airplane. After that, the guys nicknamed me Ice.”

  “Thanks for your hospitality, we better be on our way,” Leo announced.

  “Anytime, Panther.” Matthew walked up to me. And by that, I mean right up to my face and lowered himself to look me in the eye. “Hash, I already told this to Panther, but I want you to hear this, too. You have my protection and that of my team. The commander has been notified, and we are on standby. Listen to everything Panther tells you, to the letter. He’ll keep you safe, and Tex will track your every move.”

  Matthew stood and took a step back. I couldn’t stop the tears from forming. Maybe it was relief that all these big strong men would protect me. Or perhaps it was the menacing look on Matthew’s face that made the reality of my situation crash in on me. I could no longer deny how much danger I was in.

  “Thanks.” I sucked in a breath trying to stop the tears.

  Caroline and Matthew walked us to the door, hugs were exchanged, and she did give me her number. With my promise to call her, we were back in the truck following Abe.

  “Did you know about what happened to Caroline?” I asked Leo.

  “Yes. The nickname Ice fits her in more ways than one.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “That woman is calm, cool, and collected under pressure. A lot like you actually. She didn’t freak out when that plane was hijacked. She was like ice and did what she had to do to save Matthew’s life when he was in trouble. Did she tell you she was stabbed in the process?” he asked, never taking his eyes off the road.

  “No.” I was shocked that anyone would want to harm the sweet woman I had met.

  “Of course she didn’t. She jumped on a hijacker’s back to give Matthew time to get in the cockpit. She actually fought the man. The hijacker stabbed her in the side in the process. I told you, the woman is like ice. She didn’t even tell the guys she was injured. She sucked it up and went on her way.” Jealousy hit me hard hearing the admiration in Leo’s voice. I knew it was nothing more than appreciation for her being tough, but it stung nonetheless.

  We sat in silence the rest of the way to the cabin, I was lost in thought about Caroline and everything she went through. I wouldn’t have been calm. I would’ve hidden in the bathroom until everything was over. I wasn’t strong like her, nor was I tough and brave. I wondered if the girl waiting for Leo in Maryland was like Caroline. Did she have a cool nickname, too? Hash. Mine was juvenile and lame. Given to me because I spent way too much time on social media.

  The interstate gave way to side roads that turned into a windy small dirt road. We pulled to a stop in front of a small log cabin. I looked out the truck window but couldn’t see any other houses through the thick evergreens surrounding the property.

  “Wait…”

  I cut Leo off before he could finish, “…for you to come around to my side and let me out. I know.”

  I hated that he felt like I was stupid and had to repeat everything.

  Without a word, we followed Abe into the cabin.

  Zane, Garrett, and two other men I couldn’t remember the names of stood in the living room, making the already small space look infinitely smaller with their large frames taking up most of the space.

  Leo and his team jumped into action leaving me standing by the door like a forgotten, broken old toy. There were maps on the table, laptops opened, and tablets scattered on every available surface. How in the world were we all going to stay in this little space?

  Abe walked over to me and took in all the men that had taken over his cabin. “Hash?” When I didn’t answer right away, he tried again, “Olivia?”

  “Sorry. Yes?” I turned away from the guys and gave him my full attention.

  “I know this has to be a lot for you to take in. I want you to know that you’re gonna be safe here.”

  “Everyone keeps saying that. I guess I’m having a hard time believing it. The more precautions that are taken and the more people get involved to protect me, the harder it hits me that I’m in more danger than I know,” I admitted.

  “We have a saying, you don’t have a plan if you don’t have a backup plan. The good news for you is there is not only a rock-solid plan, but there is a backup plan to their backup plan. All contingencies have been accounted for. All you need to know is you’re surrounded by men who have been in tighter situations than this. Yet, there they stand.”

  When Abe finished his explanation, I felt marginally better. Not a lot, and not enough to calm my nerves, but a little. There was something about Abe that inspired confidence and trustworthiness. Like this man would be the person to tell me if I was going to die because he couldn’t bear to lie to me. He might try and soften the blow, but he’d tell me the truth.

  “Thank you for that. And thank you for letting us stay here. I hope we’re not inconveniencing you,” I replied.

  “Don’t mention it. One more thing you have to know. I want to be upfront with you. There are no secrets when planning a mission, and there is no information held back between the team. We’ve all read your file. That means we know about what happened to you in Maryland, your medical records, and your personal file including your family history. I’ll admit there were names redacted, so I don’t know all the details.” I felt my face flush, and the tightness in my chest started. How embarrassing that all these people knew everything about me. “Hash, I need you to take a breath and calm down, before Panther’s big ass thinks I’ve hurt you in some way.” He stopped and waited for me to get myself under control. “I’m telling you this for two reasons. One, I hate lies. I mean, I despise them and do not tolerate them at all. I needed to be honest with you. The second reason is, I understand what you’re going through with your mom. I was lied to about my father as well. I just wanted you to know that when all of this is over, if you ever need an ear, Alabama and I would be happy to listen.”

  I didn’t trust my voice enough to speak. I needed to hurry and find a place to be alone before I cried like a weak little baby in a room full of big strong men. I had never been shown this type of kindness. Abe
was a complete stranger yet he was offering to listen to my family drama. Same with Caroline and Wolf. They didn’t know me, but Caroline was okay with her husband putting his life in danger to help protect me. All these people around me that were willing to sacrifice for one another only proved how alone I was. I had no friends that were out searching for me when I went missing. No one noticed that I still hadn’t been home. I wondered if Mr. Anderson had told Erin how sorry I was and if she was willing to forgive me. I missed her and my mom.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Leo

  I hadn’t heard a word Z had said in the last five minutes. All of my attention was across the room on Abe and Olivia. I had to admit that jealousy was a new feeling for me. I willed myself to stay in place when something that Abe said had upset Olivia. Her face paled, and she was struggling to catch her breath. I was about to go over there when Abe said something to her that calmed her. I didn’t like that one fucking bit. I wanted to be the man that comforted her. Me, and only me. I didn’t give a shit if it was irrational. I had spent the last three days trying to keep her at a distance. The harder I fought it, the stronger the pull became.

  “Is this gonna be a problem?” Z pulled me from my thoughts.

  “Come again?”

  “Swear to Christ, you’ll find my boot up your ass if you screw this up and get yourself dead, or the girl,” Z commented.

  “You know that makes zero sense, right?” I laughed.

  “You wanna split cunt hairs, or you wanna focus on the op and stop making googly eyes at Olivia?”

  “The fuck you talking about? I do not make googly eyes.”

  Z had finally lost his mind. Too much pressure and lack of sleep were making him see things.

  “Really? You want me to get you a mirror? You’re looking at Abe like you want to kill him for daring to talk to the girl. And when your eyes land on her I swear you think you’re on some fucking honeymoon instead of an op. I think Jaxon should sit on her and you can run back up.”

  That got my attention. “The hell you will. Olivia is mine,” I growled.

  “Is she now? And does she know?” Z smiled. Sneaky fucker made me give away more than I wanted.

  “No.” I wasn’t going to elaborate or give Z any more information.

  “Is it going to be a problem for you? I need you focused on this op. Gomez is in the United States. Facial recognition has him entering LAX under the alias Louis Smith three hours ago.”

  “I’m good.”

  Zane studied me for a minute before he picked up his tablet and continued, “He has a three-man team with him. Tex led him straight to you. Find, fix, track, and kill. Everything is in place for you to take him out. Gomez thinks we’re willing to make the trade.”

  “How’d you pull that off? I thought Peter was being tight-lipped about the man he had in custody.”

  “Blue team got the thumb drive out of Peter’s safe. I could’ve asked Tom for the name, but I didn’t want to put him in the position of divulging state secrets. This way Tom is a hundred percent clean and I still got the intel we needed. Tex and Garrett tracked Jose Siles. He was a lowly money launderer for the Gomez Cartel. Seems that Siles wanted out and contacted US officials. A low-level sweep was carried out, Siles got picked up and placed in protective custody providing he gave up everything he knew. Seems the man has more value than the cartel gave him credit for. He not only had voice recordings of meetings but his office was covered with cameras. Stills and video. Gomez doesn’t know Siles has turned and wanted his best money launderer back. Seems good men are hard to find in Bolivia.”

  Well damn. Peter Newton would rather keep his witness than give him back to the cartel, who will most likely kill Siles, than save his daughter’s life. Good to know.

  “Where is Siles now?” I asked.

  “Rendition. On a small island off of Iceland,” Z answered pointing to the map on the table.

  “How did you get Gomez to believe the US was willing to trade?”

  “Garrett fixed travel documents for one Jose Siles to be transferred to a safe house in California. Those travel documents were leaked by Peter Newton to Gomez.”

  “Then Olivia doesn't need to be here. If Gomez is coming to us, it’s an easy takedown, and we all go home.”

  Relief washed over me. It was over. Zane could take Olivia back to DC, and I would stay and take out Gomez.

  “Not so fast. She needs to stay. If shit goes sideways, we need Olivia as bait. There is the one small issue with the mole that was working with Clark. The CIA wants his name. Peter is willing to trade Olivia for the name.”

  “Not fucking happening,” I roared. “I swear to God I will cut Peter’s throat before that happens.” The entire room fell silent, and all stares were on me. I didn’t give a fuck if they all thought I was crazy. “And you went along with this shit storm? I’ll take her and run before I let this plan go down. You’ll have my resignation, and we’ll walk out that door. I dare any of you fuckers to stop me.”

  Olivia was across the room shrinking behind Abe, that only pissed me off further. Olivia had no reason to be scared of me. And hiding behind Abe, like he’d be able to stop me if I wanted to take her. She was mine, and no one was going to use her for anything. I was making all the decisions from here on out. I trusted Z, I promised Olivia she could too. I was wrong.

  “Calm the hell down, Panther. Fuck no I didn’t. But you think I don’t know those spooks aren’t following us? I know how they work, fuck, I was one of them. It’s what I’d do. If we move her now, they’ll know we have no intention of following orders and setting up the trade. She stays put.”

  “How and when did the CIA get involved? This was supposed to be off the record.” When did this turn into a cluster fuck?

  “Day one, when Peter’s dumb ass made an unsecured call to me, and before I could shut him up the call was traced. I had no option but to play along,” Z explained.

  “I’m gonna fucking kill him. So much for national security. And why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

  That was the part that really bothered me. I hated secrets.

  “Because I knew you’d react like this. I needed you in a place where I could lock you down. If I’d told you when we stopped in Ohio, you would’ve gone rogue and taken her. I’m not wet behind the ears, friend. I knew that if you took her, I’d never find you.”

  He was right on all accounts. If I had known the CIA was involved, Olivia and I would’ve disappeared. Spooks fucked everything up.

  “I am holding you responsible if Olivia is hurt in any way. And mark this Zane, if Olivia is taken there will be no place that Gomez, Peter Newton, and the CIA can hide. Every last one will pay with their lives.” White hot rage coursed through my veins. The thought of Gomez getting his hands on Olivia made me murderous. “Fuck!”

  “Everything will be okay.” A soft hand on my bicep pulled me from my thoughts. How had I missed Olivia coming to stand beside me? “You’ll keep me safe. I trust you.”

  “You don’t understand, tesorino. We’re bringing the bad guys here to this house.”

  “I understand. I also know you won’t let them take me again.”

  “We’ll let you two get settled in. The perimeter has been wired, and Jaxon and Colin will be at the end of the road. Garrett and I will be a hundred meters to your west in an outbuilding. You’re covered,” Z clipped.

  I knew Zane was pissed at my outburst. I was known for control. I never broke under pressure or lost my cool. I couldn’t bring myself to give two shits if he was pissed or not.

  “Roger that.”

  I didn’t bother looking at the rest of team as they packed up their gear, and I didn’t say goodbye when they left.

  Abe was quietly standing by the door, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

  “You good?” he asked.

  I thought about giving him a bullshit practiced answer, the one that would be expected from a fellow operator, but this was Abe. The man could sniff bullshit out a
mile away and would call me on it so fast my head would spin.

  “Fuck no, I’m not.”

  “You know me, brother. I demand honesty at all times. But I have to admit, I understand why Viper withheld that information until you got here. This isn’t a mission for you, it’s personal. I get it, believe me, I understand. You gotta get yourself in check and think about this logically, methodically, and execute the mission.”

  He was right. I knew that I had to shut my emotions down if I wanted to keep Olivia safe.

  “Copy that.”

  “I’m headed back down the mountain. I’m sure Wolf told you already, we’re on standby if your team needs us. Truthfully, I don’t see that happening. This is an easy op. Gomez and his men will come up the mountain, and you’ll take them out. I read the report, Gomez wants Siles back. So much he’s willing to personally come and get him. Makes me wonder who Siles really is if he’s willing to take such a risk. Anyway, try not to get too much blood on the hardwood. It’s a bitch to get out.”

  Abe had a point. I had been so wrapped up in Olivia I hadn’t thought about why Gomez would personally come and get him.

  “Appreciate all your help, Abe. I’ll be in touch soon. Hopefully, we can contain this to outside.”

  Abe waved to Olivia and left us alone in the cabin for the first time. Now that Olivia witnessed my breakdown, I wasn’t sure what to say to her.

  “I’m sorry if I scared you. I really wish you hadn’t heard that,” I admitted.

  “It’s fine. I wasn’t scared.”

  She was sitting on the leather sofa with her heels on the edge of the cushion resting her chin on her knees. She looked small and young, and damn beautiful. I don’t know what it was about this girl that had me so tied in knots. She made me lose all control.

  “Are you hungry? The kitchen is stocked.” It was past dinner time, and we hadn’t eaten anything since noon when we hit a drive-thru.

  “I am.” She unfolded her legs and stood up. “Sit down and relax, I’ll cook us something. Anything you don’t eat?”