by Jaime Lewis
He now wondered what type of game her family and the police were playing, because it was no coincidence that she appeared in the same small town her brother lived it. Yes, she had to be silenced.
He had enough money saved to last several lifetimes. It was better to get out now before he was caught.
Claus emerged in the doorway.
“Is everything taken care of?”
“Yes, all operations after midnight tonight will be shut down. New Orleans, Portland, and Corpus Christi were the only three with merchandise. All three locations have moved any remaining dogs to shelters.”
Claus stood there just staring at him and knew the look; something was on his mind.
“Is something bothering you, Claus?”
“I just went by Mia’s apartment to look around one last time to make sure she had nothing there connecting you to your operation.”
Elijah turned to face Claus and raised an eyebrow. “And did you?”
“No, but I did see a familiar face leaving her apartment before I got there.”
When Elijah didn’t say anything, Claus continued, “Terek Larkin.”
“The guy who handles Demitri’s distribution in New England and Canada?” Claus nodded. “Why in the hell would he be at Mia’s place?”
“I thought the same, so I did a little digging and made a few phone calls. It appears that Mia and Terek used to date. According to my source, they broke up earlier in the year. I also found out that Terek doesn’t have any ties in Canada or New England. But he does have several in Washington, D.C. and most of them are law enforcement.”
Elijah rubbed his head. None of this made any sense.
“You think that Terek could be law enforcement?” Then a thought hit him. Could Mia have been playing a role in gaining information? She had access to everything in the clinic. He thought back to the night of the gala and the moment Demitri had introduced Mia to Terek. Terek couldn’t take his eyes off of her. At the time, he couldn’t blame any man for staring at her. She was radiant and a ball of positive energy. After the introductions, he remembered that Mia had remained quiet and resilient, which had been unlike her actions earlier on in the evening. Was Terek the reason she had clammed up?
“Bingo. My guy inside the police department said he’d heard a lot of rumblings about FBI agents infiltrating the city and going undercover to bust major organizations.”
“You think Terek is an undercover agent?”
“I don’t know for sure, but my gut is telling me yes.”
“What about Mia? They could be working together.”
“Mia? Do you really think Mia is involved?” Claus questioned, sounding like he wanted to argue. Elijah ran his hand through his hair. Fuck! Did he really believe she could betray him like this? Did she really have it in her to gather information on him? Sure she had access to anywhere in the office except for the basement, including his office, but he was very careful about what was brought and kept in his office at the clinic. It didn’t matter; he couldn’t take any chances.
“Shit, I need to call Demitri.” He picked up the phone but looked back at Claus. “I think we all have been played. Have the car ready in thirty minutes. We’re making a detour to Virginia before we fly out.”
Claus raised an eyebrow in question, and Elijah explained the phone call he received from Vargas.
A grin appeared on Elijah’s face. Demitri would love to get his hands on Mia. Maybe instead of silencing her, he could make some cash off of her. Demitri would pay major cash for her.
“Do I want to know what evil thought put that wicked grin on your face?”
Elijah looked at Claus. “Probably not.” He stood up and walked over to the safe he had hidden inside a decorative pedestal. Punching in the numbers on the keypad, it opened, and he started throwing stacks of hundred dollar bills into a bag until the safe was empty. That would last a while until he got his overseas accounts settled. His destination was his private estate in New Zealand that he held in a different name. He’d make a few stops along the way to redirect their movements and throw off anyone who may be following. Suddenly, an image of Mia’s luscious body laid out on one of the loungers along his private beachfront popped into his mind. He wanted her so bad. Instantly, he was changing his mind. Even if she was involved, he was going to keep her. She would be punished for undermining him, but in the end, she would be his.
He looked at Claus. “Let’s do this and then get the fuck out of here.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Terek sensed the presence behind him right before he heard the swoosh sound of the bullet being fired. Luckily he had fast reflexes, and had been able to duck and take cover behind his car before his head got blown off. He felt the burn on his upper arm and winced. Blood oozed from the wound, but not enough to immobilize him. He had his gun pulled and ready to counter the attack. He waited and listened but heard nothing. A few moments passed when a voice echoed in the air.
“Did you hit him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Go check. Demitri said to make sure he can’t talk.”
“Why the fuck do I have to go?” The guy complained. Terek wanted to call the guy a pussy.
“Because I said so. Now go. Demitri said once the hit is done to let Elijah know.”
“I thought he and Claus were heading out of the country.”
“They are, after Elijah ties up some loose ends in Virginia. Now go fucking make sure that dude is dead.”
Shit! Elijah was going after Mia. He needed to warn Detective McDonnell.
He heard footsteps approach the rear of the vehicle and moved into position. As soon as the guy rounded the rear bumper and was in Terek’s eyesight, he didn’t hesitate and fired off two bullets into the guy's chest. The guy jerked before falling to the ground, motionless. He heard another set of footsteps running. He readied himself for another attack, but instead heard a car door slam followed by tires squealing. He poked his head around the back of the vehicle and saw a small SUV racing away from the scene. He took a deep breath then got into his car. His arm hurt like a bitch. He pushed aside the pain. He’d had worse injuries in his days as a Green Beret. He put the car in drive and raced out of the city. He wasn’t stopping until he got to Virginia Beach. He pulled his phone out to call his supervisor to report that his cover had been blown, and to call Detective McDonnell; however, all he kept getting was a busy signal. It was like his phone was jammed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was a quiet ride back up the mountains. It was like a damn convoy coming up the mountain. Stitch and Mia rode with Ace and Alex, while Potter, Tenley, Frost, Autumn, Irish, and Bailey all followed in their vehicles. Potter had wanted Tenley to stay behind because of her condition; however, she was adamant that she was going, come hell or high water.
Diego, Skittles, and Dino stayed behind to keep an eye on things in town. Derek and Juliet, with help from Tink, were keeping an eye on all the kiddos back home. Stitch had told everyone to stay in town and not get involved, but just as he suspected, not one of them budged, making comments that they were a team and would fight as one. Moments like that were why he loved his brothers in arms. Even off the battlegrounds, his team stuck together as one force to be reckoned with.
Stitch looked down at Mia who was sound asleep with her head in his lap. He couldn’t stop running his fingers through her silky, raven-colored hair. The image of her with that haunted look on her face plagued him. He was familiar with flashbacks and how they could wreak havoc on a person, but he prayed he would never have to see that look again on her beautiful face for as long as he lived. It was heart-wrenching to watch when there was nothing he could do.
There were so many people milling around the area where Mia was, so it was hard to say who could’ve been wearing the cologne that Mia had smelled. Before they left, Paul said that he would pull videos from the cameras and see if he noticed anything. Derek and Tink were in contact with Detective McDonnell. According to McDonnell,
the case was being turned over to the Feds because of the legalities involved. They were closing in on Dr. Walters as a suspect of a huge puppy trafficking operation that now expanded to other states. He hadn’t told Mia that part yet.
Ace glanced at him in the mirror as he drove. Stitch knew Ace was worried about Mia. He’d been quiet since they got Mia into the car and started making the trek up the mountain. Alex had tried to make small talk, but she had given up when it was apparent Ace wasn’t in the mood for conversation.
Once they arrived at the cabin, Stitch carried Mia straight up to the bedroom and tucked her into bed. She was out cold. With all the excitement and sudden movements, she had overdone it a little, and both Ace and Stitch thought it was best that she take a pain pill, which meant she wouldn’t be waking up any time soon.
As he walked out of the bedroom, he almost collided with Ace.
“You okay?” Stitch asked, knowing it was a stupid question because he knew his friend was anything but okay. He could see the turmoil etched in Ace’s expressions. The only other time he’d seen Ace this torn up was when Alex had been rescued and was fighting for her life.
Ace appeared to think before he spoke. “I don’t think I ever want to see that look of fear on my sister’s face again.” Ace glanced over Stitch’s shoulder into the bedroom. “I know she’s asleep, but I just need to see she is okay.”
“Go on in.” The last thing Stitch wanted to do was stand in between Ace and his sister. Especially at a time like this. He was quite sure if he had a sister, he’d want to be as close to her as he could to keep watch over her. “What are the others doing?”
“Alex, Autumn, and Bailey are making up the beds in the other rooms. Tenley is pitching a fit because Potter won’t let her help.” Ace snorted a laugh. “On my way up the stairs, I heard Potter threatening to tie her to the chair.”
Stitch raised one of his eyebrows. He found it hard to believe that anyone could tie Tenley down, although it would be Potter if anyone could accomplish that feat. Ace must have seen the question Stitch was asking himself because he smirked. “Tenley was refusing to listen to Potter, so he picked her up and put her on his lap. She isn’t going anywhere.”
Stitch just shook his head. “Who would’ve thought Potter would be so pussy-whipped.”
“Shit, who thought any of us would be. Hell, we are all dropping like flies. If the trend continues, there won’t be any bachelors on the team.” Ace then shook his head. “In all seriousness, I want to thank you again for everything you’ve done for Mia.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Ace. I love your sister and would move heaven on earth for her.”
“I know you would, and that is why I am so damn happy for the both of you.”
Ace’s phone rang with an incoming call. He looked at it, then glanced at Stitch. “That’s strange; it’s Paul from Bayside.”
Stitch didn’t move from where he stood. Paul wasn’t a very talkative man, so his calling wasn’t to just shoot the breeze. He just listened to the one-sided call.
“Hey, Paul, what’s up? He’s there, at the bar? Yeah, I know him, and he is legit. Really?”
Stitch heard the floor creak behind him and saw Alex moving in with her phone to her hand, and judging from the expression on her face, she wasn’t coming to deliver good news.
She looked at Stitch. “Who is he on the phone with?”
“Paul.”
“He must be calling Ace about Terek.” She looked up at Ace. “Terek just called me; you need to call him. But before you do, I need to show you something.”
Ace finished up and disconnected from Paul. Alex hit some icons on her phone, and the video surveillance from Bayside appeared. Both Stitch and Ace looked down at Alex.
“What? I had Paul send me a couple of the video feeds. I wanted to take a look myself and see if I saw anything or anyone hanging around Mia.”
“And,” Ace asked.
“And…see for yourself, and you tell me.”
Stitch leaned in to view the feed. Alex was able to manipulate the video a little more, but Stitch didn’t recognize anyone. Ace, on the other hand, had. He looked back at Alex.
“Is that who I think it is?”
Alex nodded. “The guy that we passed coming into the clinic when we were leaving?”
Stitch asked them about the guy, and they explained. Stitch hardly believed in coincidences, and he stood his ground in this instance as well. What are the odds a guy seen at Dr. Walters office was at the bar in their small community?
“So, are we all saying this has to be the guy? Can we call Paul and see if the douche is still there?”
“Hang on and let me call Terek,” Ace said and dialed his phone and put it on speaker.
“Hey, Terek.”
“Hey, man. Alex wouldn’t say, but please tell me you guys have Mia someplace safe.”
Stitch looked at Alex, and she just grinned and shrugged her shoulders. He shouldn’t be jealous of the guy, especially when he was only trying to help Mia out, but he couldn’t help it. Even though he knew the reason behind their breakup, he still wasn’t happy with how it all played out.
“Mia’s safe. We left the beach and headed up into the mountains; what’s wrong? I just got a call from the owner of the joint we hang out at. He said you were just there.”
“Yeah. Look, things have taken a turn in the case I’ve been working on.”
“What does that have to do with Mia?”
Terek explained about being ambushed and what he had overheard.
“Shit! Are you okay?”
“Just a minor flesh wound. I my damn phone just started working about thirty minutes ago or I would’ve called sooner. Look, from what I heard, Dr. Walters is looking for Mia. He has to be in Virginia. The police went to his penthouse to arrest him, but he’s gone. His staff said he left with four bags. The police also picked up the two guys who abducted Mia. They confessed to everything and gave up a lot of information on Dr. Walters. Mia wasn’t the intended target. It was Willow, the receptionist from the clinic. When Elijah found out that the guys had picked up the wrong woman, Claus, Elijah’s second in command, apparently got rid of her.”
Ace swallowed hard. Shit, he knew that Willow was Mia’s friend.
Terek continued, “I found out Elijah has some inside help at the NYPD. One of them is in your town.”
“I think I know who you are talking about. There is a guy we just saw on a video at the restaurant we frequent, and he is the spitting image of a guy Alex and I saw at Dr. Walters office.”
Ace described him, and Terek agreed it could be the same guy.
“He’s supposedly attending a law enforcement conference.”
“Yeah, I know about it. It’s over in Norfolk. A bunch of our friends from Virginia Beach PD were attending. Actually, we saw some of them tonight.”
Stitch felt the goosebumps crawl along his skin. He met Ace’s glare, and he knew Ace was thinking the same as he was.
“Terek, this is Stitch. Are you still at the bar?”
“Yeah, I’m sitting in my car in the parking lot.”
“Alex is going to call Paul right now. Go back in there. He can pull up the video feed from tonight. There was an incident earlier. Mia suddenly had a flashback, and it wasn’t pretty. She was able to tell us that it was a cologne someone was wearing that set it off. Can you take a look at the feed and see if it is the same guy you are talking about?”
“Sure. Whatever you guys need.”
“He is wearing a ball cap with an American flag on the front. You’ll see him walk behind Mia.”
“Okay. I’m on it. Let me get in there, and I’ll give you guys a call back once I take a look.”
“We appreciate it.”
Ace hung up, and Stitch ran his hand thru his hair.
“Ace, with Elijah looking for Mia, we can’t let our guard down.”
“I know Stitch, I know. If they come, we’ll be ready. The good thing is that we aren’t still in to
wn.”
“Yeah, but it only takes one person to say the wrong thing, and we could have trouble on the doorstep.”
“Well, let’s just hope that doesn’t happen.”
Within five minutes, they had their answer, and it wasn’t good. The man in question at the bar was Brice Vargas, a detective for the NYPD and an inside informant for Dr. Elijah Walters. An arrest warrant had been issued for him as well.
Trouble was by the time Terek took a look at the video and walked around the bar searching for him; he was long gone.
Now, the team had to sit tight and wait.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Elijah stared out the passenger window as Claus drove them through the mountains' winding roads toward the town where Mia was thought to be hiding. Thanks to Vargas’ investigative skills, he was able to gather information on Mia along with her brothers and his friends who had been hiding her but insinuating to outsiders that she was missing. He knew Mia’s brother was in the military, but he was surprised to learn that he is a Navy SEAL.
Vargas had called and said a buddy had contacted him, telling him that the Feds wanted to talk to him. He quickly made his way out of the city limits of Virginia Beach and was heading up towards the mountains following Mia. He was lying low, but said he would meet up with him once he got into town.
They entered Elkton, Virginia's city limits, which was only about forty-five minutes from where Mia was supposedly hiding out. He had a plan in place, but upon hearing that it was a large group that traveled with them, he needed to revisit and adjust those plans. Vargas had mentioned there were four other men and four women who had joined Mia and her lover. Knowing he was dealing with Special Forces soldiers, he needed to be smart and create a well-thought-out plan. These guys wouldn’t fall for just anything, but he needed to find a way to draw their attention away from the women, specifically Mia.