by Karen Anders
Piper held her breath until she saw it, a dime-size metal square with a black head.
“It’s a flash drive,” Austin said. “Son of a bitch. She’s been wearing it around her neck all this time. Well played, Brad Jones. Well played.”
“If I hadn’t ignored everything after Brad’s death, people wouldn’t have died. Those marines, those SEALs, Mr. Utley.” She gripped the counter, guilt making her gut churn. She ran from the room and just made it to the bathroom before she lost everything in her stomach.
Her brother Ty...he could have died.
Dex was there, pulling her hair back as she was sick again. She closed her eyes, but this time there would be no tears. There would be action and justice.
After she rose and he handed her a washcloth, he said, “I know what you’re thinking.”
“It’s all my fault. I didn’t want to face any of it. When I lost them...”
“Goddammit, Piper. Listen, and listen good! This isn’t your fault.” His voice shook with his barely contained anger, his jaw so tight. “I told you that in Afghanistan and I’m telling you now. You didn’t do any of this. Mullins did. He’s the one who’s got blood all over his hands.” His voice was husky and filled with steel. “Not you, babe,” he said viciously, dragging her against him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on to him as fiercely as he was holding on to her.
When they left the bathroom, Derrick and Austin looked concerned and fired up. “We can contact...”
“No.”
Derrick went toe-to-toe with Dex and Piper’s stomach jumped, the queasiness not going away. “Look, Kaczewski, we have a job to do. Find out who masterminded an attack on a contingent of US Navy SEALs, lured them into an ambush. Attacked a wounded SEAL. You! That’s what we were tasked with.”
Austin’s eyes narrowed and the surfer boy suddenly looked much more menacing. “Your men, Lieutenant.”
“I’m well aware of who died in my unit—good men—but I’m not turning this over to NCIS or anyone. I don’t give a damn what your chain of command is. This information stays locked down so no one else dies. This is Piper’s show. Her husband was murdered for this information and she lost her child over this. We’re giving it to someone she can trust. Her brother Edward.”
“But SECNAV...”
“SECNAV can bust me out of the navy, but I’m not budging. I don’t trust anyone. We’re taking this to Edward Keighley, Piper’s brother, and we’re keeping this under wraps until all the arrests are made.”
Piper curled her hand around Agent Gunn’s forearm. “Please,” she said softly. “Trust Dex. He’s kept me safe all this time.”
Derrick turned to look at her and quite plainly wasn’t happy, but as she held his gaze, he huffed out a breath and looked away. “All right. You’ve gotten us this far,” Derrick said, covering her hand and squeezing. “Beck?”
Austin agreed. “Kai is going to chew our asses, but we’ll take this to her brother.”
Piper called and set up a time to meet her brother at his house that night. She told him that what she was bringing to him was huge and that it was Brad who had died for the evidence to put away Robert Mullins.
“I’ve got to call Monty,” she said as Dex and the two NCIS agents were busy strategizing. She picked up her cell and went into the kitchen. She dialed his number and as soon as he answered, she said, “Monty.”
“I’ve got evidence for you, Piper. We should meet.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea. We’re planning on giving evidence we’ve uncovered to my brother Edward at his home tonight at seven.” Piper was so numb, moving on autopilot, trying to sort through everything she’d experienced since she got the call that Tyler had been wounded. She wanted to shut down, but she couldn’t. She had to see this through. “Could you be there and bring what you have?”
“Gladly.”
* * *
As they drove over to Edward’s house, Piper asked again, “Where are Austin and Derrick?”
“They decided to go back to San Diego. There wasn’t anything else they could do here. This situation is solved and you’re in good hands with me.”
It was over. She was going to be safe after she gave Edward the evidence that Brad had gotten with his life. She would be free to continue with her own.
Dex would slip out of her life and suddenly she felt so bereft that she wouldn’t see him every day, go to sleep with him, wake up to him, make love to him.
Her emotions had been so tested this week, along with plenty of danger and shocks that had been hard to take. How could she even begin to sort it all out?
When he was in DC, Edward lived in Bethesda, where their family estate was located. He’d taken over the mansion and the upkeep. It was a lot of responsibility, but Edward was so darned responsible.
They pulled through the gate once Piper gave Dex the code and it closed behind them.
“Just park out front,” she said. They got out of the car and went up the walk.
Dex’s brows rose as she used her key to get inside. “You really are filthy rich.”
They entered the grand foyer, a beautiful chandelier illuminating the white marble floors.
“Go ahead. I know you want to say something about the pillars.”
“No. Just that you have them in your foyer.”
She walked through the house and Dex followed her, looking around. “I can give you the grand tour. Sounds like Edward’s on the phone, anyway.”
She took him into the formal dining room, the more casual living room and then into the gourmet kitchen. “My mom loved to cook.”
“Is your Georgetown home this large?”
“No, but I do have a six-bedroom home.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of space.”
She bit her lip. “I was hoping to fill it with children. The beginning of our political legacy.”
Dex squeezed her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Piper.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Hey, now look here. There’s a pool. Why didn’t you learn how to swim?”
“I don’t know. I was too busy doing things and the shallow end of the pool was fine.”
The doorbell rang and Piper headed back toward the front of the house. “I’ve got it, Edward.”
He came out of a wood-paneled room and covered the receiver. “I’ll be a few more minutes.”
She pulled open the door to Monty, who had a man with him dressed in a suit. “Pippy,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight for a minute. “I’m so sorry about all this terrible news and all that you’ve been through.”
“Come in.” Monty entered the foyer and eyed Dex. “This is Lieutenant Dexter Kaczewski.”
The man behind him lifted his arm, and before she could even shriek, he shot Dex in the chest. The bullet pushed him back and he hit the floor hard.
Piper’s scream echoed off the walls as the man grabbed her by the hair and dragged her down the hall, past Dex’s prone body.
Sobbing, he took her into the library where Edward backed up and the man shot him, too. By this time, Piper was in so much shock and pain she could barely think straight. The man shoved her onto the small sofa in the mahogany-paneled room.
This was the man who had chased them and tried to kill them in DC. She was sure of it, and he was with Monty.
It was almost more than she could process. “I trusted you.”
“This isn’t personal, Pippy. It’s business. Now turn over the evidence to me and this will be very painless for you.”
“No,” she bit out.
“Pippy,” he said softly, like he was still in her good graces and she was little again. “Don’t make this hard on both of us. Nyx isn’t a patient killer.”
“No, he isn’t
,” Robert Mullins said as he strode into the room. “Senator Jones, I warned you about going against me.”
“You’re in on this together.”
“No,” Monty said. “He’s blackmailing me.”
“Monty had your husband killed because of the bill, but I made sure to let Monty know how damaging it could be to his company. When your brother started digging, Monty got nervous. He used my contacts to get the information about the SEALs, and when you went running off to him, it was the perfect scenario. I made sure to include one of my men to make sure the job got done right, but then your navy SEAL stepped in and all bets were off. The two of you were very good at hiding, but now it’s over.”
“Nyx,” Robert said, and he raised the gun.
Piper closed her eyes. They were going to kill her whether she gave them the flash drive or not. She wasn’t going to give in. The assassin turned slightly and pulled the trigger. Suddenly, Monty staggered back, his face going white as he clutched at his chest. “You...bastard.”
He careened into the bookcases and fell to the floor.
“Poor Monty,” Mullins said. “He thought he was going to get the information and turn the tables on me. But I always have a backup plan. Now, Senator, give me what your very resourceful and goodie-two-shoes husband collected on me.”
Piper glared at him. “You’re not going to get away with this.”
“You mean those two NCIS agents.” He shook his head. “That’s the trouble with law enforcement. There’s always a chance of dying in the line of duty.”
“You’re a monster.”
He advanced on her, grabbed her by the shirt and hauled her up. “I will be sitting in the White House and you will be nothing but a memory. They’re never going to find your body. Oh, and Nyx will take care of Tyler. Just so you know.” He backhanded her across the face and shoved her back on the sofa. “Kill her, search her and make sure her and the SEAL are never found. Leave Montgomery and Edward here and clear out the place of anything valuable. Ditch that rental of theirs. You can keep any of the profits you make.”
The man turned to her with a cold smile on his face and her insides iced over. He raised his gun. “Goodbye, Senator Jones. You’ll get to see your SEAL and your brothers soon.” Mullins said with a smirk.
The shot exploded with a violent crack.
Chapter 17
Dex watched the assassin drop and he set his sights on Senator Mullins. “Sooner than she thought,” he growled. Recognizing the sharp edge in his voice and the almost uncontrollable urge to double tap the bastard, he made his muscles relax. Locking his jaw against the rolling sensation in his belly, he clenched and unclenched his teeth, trying to bring the rage under control. The hot, violent surge of adrenaline finally abated.
“Dex!” Piper cried. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, and he could tell that she was so relieved. He hated the subterfuge, but he was only doing what he promised to do. Protect her. He and Edward had worn vests in the event that Montgomery was the one who had betrayed Piper and Ty. Derrick and Austin hadn’t really gone back to San Diego. He’d just let Piper think that. They were on hand to handle an arrest if needed.
“Move a muscle. Please, just give me a reason,” Dex said.
Mullins held his hands up. “I didn’t have anything to do with those SEALs.”
“Maybe not, but you are part of the conspiracy and are just as guilty as Montgomery.”
Austin and Derrick came into the room and Austin roughly cuffed him while Derrick went over to Edward and gave him a hand up.
Confusion darkening her eyes even more, she made a helpless gesture with her hand. “You’re wearing vests. Oh, thank God,” Piper said, jumping off the sofa and running to her brother, hugging him tight.
“Bulldozer. It’s so good to see you.” He looked over at Dex. “You the SEAL?”
Dex walked into the room and took the hand that Edward offered. “Thank you so much for saving my sister and for uncovering my brother-in-law’s murder. We owe you so much.”
Dex nodded as the sound of sirens in the distance got closer.
“Did you get everything?”
Edward walked to his desk and picked up the camera and pushed a few buttons. “Yup, got it all. Mullins isn’t going to be able to either buy his way or talk his way out of this. He confessed to everything. Unfortunately, Montgomery isn’t going to stand for his crimes, but he got what was coming to him.”
EMTs came into the room, but the billionaire and the assassin were both dead.
Edward removed the digital card and put it in its case, handing the evidence to Derrick.
“The NCIS agents didn’t go back to San Diego. They came here and you set all this up. Gave you two vests and planned the video.” Piper looked at Derrick. “Why did you leave me out of this?” she demanded.
Derrick looked at Dex. “This one is all yours, boss,” he said, and left the room, Edward following him. They were alone.
“Why?”
“You already had enough heartache and I didn’t see the need to add to it. If Montgomery was on the up-and-up, we wouldn’t need the vests and the camera, but if he wasn’t, we were covered. Well, Mullins wasn’t the only one with a backup plan. I sent NCIS here and you know the rest. I knew you would trust me to keep you safe. I wished he hadn’t been involved. A betrayal by a friend is so much harder to deal with.”
She nodded and went into his arms. Now she knew how she would react to losing Dex, and the thought of him in the kind of danger a SEAL lived every day was too much for her.
“Piper, I’ve got some military stuff to deal with. I’ve got to call my CO and let him know what happened and they’re probably going to make me go to Walter Reed, but I want to talk to you about us.”
She closed her eyes and slipped out of his embrace. Leaning against the desk, she folded her arms and she looked at him. “I can’t,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I want to be strong enough to be the woman you need, but I can’t take the risk of losing you to...”
“Combat.”
She huddled in her arms, a terrible anguish lining her face. “I see what you deal with in a war zone. I’ll know you’re in jeopardy every day and I can’t ask you not to do something you’re so passionate about and so good at. I would never do that, never let you down.”
He swallowed hard, knowing with all his heart this was the woman for him. The problem was, she didn’t know how strong she was. She didn’t think she could stand by him, but he knew differently. She was scared and she had been through a lot the last week. He would let this be for now. But he realized he had to let her go. It had to be her choice to want to be with him. She would have to come to him.
There wasn’t anything more to talk about. She cried silently as Dex turned and left, stopping briefly to tell Edward that Piper needed him.
He walked out of her house and got into the rental and sat there for a moment as if that assassin’s bullet had pierced his chest and opened a gaping hole.
He called his father and brother and let them know it was over and he was done.
* * *
When he called into base command at Coronado, California, and asked for his commander, he was sitting on the bed he’d shared with Piper; the suitcase from Afghanistan was stuffed with the meager clothes he had.
When the call went through and Dex explained where he’d been for six days, his commander ripped him a new one for a full fifteen minutes and ordered him to Walter Reed. His mother was already taking care of the house, and the files and computer had been confiscated by NCIS.
Austin and Derrick had already gone back to San Diego, and Mullins was being processed, charged with so many crimes, least of all treason. Stephen Montgomery was lucky he was dead.
Experiencing another jolt of fury, he stripped down and donned swim trunks an
d hit the pool, swimming lap after lap until his lungs shut down and his legs gave out. That’s where Rock found him.
His brother hadn’t said a word, just hauled his ass out of the pool and into the house. He forced him into the shower, his mouth tightening when he saw the wound on his side.
“Jesus. Why aren’t you in the hospital, for God’s sake, Dexter?”
“I got my ass chewed and I’m supposed to get some goddamned R and R before my CO wants to see my ugly mug in Coronado. I’ve been ordered to Walter Reed.”
“Well, let’s get you over there.”
He just gave Rock a hard, flat look and Rock backed out of the bathroom. Dex stood there and then, dizzy and feeling sick, he leaned against the counter.
The face reflected back at him showed a haggard, hunched man with thick scruff and shaggy, dripping hair. He’d chased his brother out of the room. He didn’t want him to see him come apart at the seams. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, struggling with the tightness in his throat.
Piper was finally safe. He could finally let go.
“I’m coming back in there if I don’t hear that shower come on...like...now.”
He stood there for a moment and thought about Spaceman, Slim and DJ. He gave them some head and heart time, pissed that they had died for nothing.
The room started to spin and he held on tighter to the counter.
“Rock...” he breathed, his knees buckling. He was heading to the floor, but as he started to fall, his brother was there, catching him.
“I got you.”
Dex came to lying on the bed and Rock was on the phone. As soon as he got off, he helped Dex to his feet.
“That was Walter Reed. They’re expecting you,” Rock said as he set his broad shoulder under his brother’s armpit and half carried him out of the house.
Dex rose, catching the lingering scent of Piper as he exited the room. He didn’t know why, but he was suddenly angry with her. Maybe it was because anger was safe and it shut down everything else he was feeling. And when he was around Piper Jones, he needed to be shut down.
Maybe, he thought grimly, that was how he would survive losing her.