by Rebecca Deel
The knob rattled and the door swung open in silence. Micah adjusted his aim to center mass, waited for his quarry to step inside the kitchen. Bad news for the perp. Micah didn’t miss often.
Come on, Micah coaxed silently. Just a few more steps. Perfect. “Stop right there.”
The man froze.
“Drop the gun and put your hands behind your head. No sudden moves unless you want a hole in your chest.”
Vile curses spewed from the intruder’s mouth, gun still in his hand.
“Back at you, dude.” Micah cranked up his law enforcement voice, two month’s out of practice. “Drop the weapon.”
Still cursing, his weapon hit the floor. In slow motion, the intruder raised his hands to his head. Red-haired Lassiter slipped in the door behind the perp, yanked the man’s hands behind his back and cuffed him before the thug finished his last comment about Micah’s mother. Once the man was secured to one of his chairs, Micah lowered his weapon and moved into the kitchen. He keyed the microphone. “Intruder secured.”
“Copy. Second man is down. Cops are on the way and should be rolling up in a few minutes. I’ll check the others.”
Micah, concealing the limp as much as possible, drew out a chair and sank onto the cushioned surface. He needed information fast. Once local law enforcement took custody, this guy would squawk about a lawyer. He took in the man’s clothes, frowned. Sophie didn’t mention her attacker wearing gangbanger clothes. Black leather jacket, silver-studded belt, jeans, chain, gang tats.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
The man sneered. “You’re a dead man walking. Won’t stop until you’re fertilizer, man.”
Though Micah’s face remained impassive, his stomach knotted. He breathed through the tension, gaze fixed on the confident gangbanger seated across from him. Maybe this wasn’t about Sophie. He prayed she stayed hidden until the law hauled away this man and his friends. The last thing he wanted was for them to realize he had someone in his life who mattered and could be used as leverage.
“You want me dead, why?”
The banger snorted.
“You aren’t smart enough to be the brains. Makes you a patsy. You’re going to jail, dude. Going to be some prison gorilla’s special friend.”
“Can’t scare me, cop. Been there.”
Cop. His intruder knew Micah worked for law enforcement. This was about him, not Sophie. “Your prints are on file.” Micah’s gaze drifted over the banger’s tattoos as if considering which gang he was affiliated with. “You belong to the Bishops.”
Outraged, the banger spewed more curses at him. “I ain’t no Bishop. Don’t know nothing about me or my homies.”
Lassiter popped the back of his head with an open hand. “Watch your mouth, kid.” He turned, eyed Micah. “Want me to run his prints?”
“Your system quick?”
“Now that we know he’s been a guest of the state, shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”
Micah nodded, turned his attention back to their scowling captive. “Here’s the deal. County cops will be here in a few minutes. I want to know who sent you and why. Don’t care whether the information comes from you, Sheriff’s department, or my friend back there. If I learn what I want to know from anyone but you, your homies and new cellmates will know all about how you cooperated with the cops. Won’t be able to sleep, shower, or eat without watching your back until you’re a hundred. Doubt you’ll live long enough to serve out your sentence, though.”
“I ain’t got nothing to say to you, cop.”
Sirens sounded in the distance. Micah judged his time too short to break homeboy and decided to get his answers through other sources rather than waste time or jeopardize a case against him. “Enjoy your new roommate.”
Behind the banger, Lassiter nodded.
Excellent. Micah’s cell phone rang. The number on his screen sent a jolt through his system. Long time since he’d heard from Sanchez. He inclined his head toward the banger. “You got this?” he asked Lassiter.
“Yep.”
Micah answered the call on the way to Sophie. “Winter.”
“The Kings took out a contract on you. Watch your back.”
The dial tone buzzed in Micah’s ear. He slid the phone back in its holder and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, thanks for the warning, Julio,” he murmured. Would have been too late if the Secret Service hadn’t trained him to be over-the-top paranoid.
He needed Sophie and Junior far away from him so they weren’t caught in crossfire meant for him yet he feared entrusting their safety to anyone else. And Sophie still had someone after her and whatever her sister had stolen.
Micah sighed. Which danger posed the greatest risk to Sophie? Him or her thug?
#
Gaze fixed on computer monitors, Sophie rubbed her stomach in an unsuccessful attempt to soothe herself. Junior didn’t seem bothered by the heat signatures moving on the split screens. She hoped the immobile figures on the ground were the bad guys, not Brent’s team.
She hated this sit-and-wait game. What if Micah got hurt while she sat in this steel box? Junior thumped her in the side. “Bored, huh? Trust me, it might be a lot more exciting outside this room, but we might be in your dad’s way.” Might? Sophie laughed. Definitely. She couldn’t shoot a gun if her life or Micah’s depended on it or hide anyplace smaller than a closet like this one. “I don’t regret this basketball belly, but let’s face it, kid. We are a liability to your dad. The least we can do is stay here and hope he releases us soon.”
Back hurting and sick of sitting, Sophie rose and paced the circumference of the safe room. Each pass by the monitors, she scanned for changes. She wished she knew enough about Micah’s system to change from infrared to camera view. Not that it would do much good, since darkness had fallen and clouds obscured the moon and stars.
On the next pass, more infrared figures had joined the party outside. Why couldn’t technology be so advanced the good guys showed up in white hats? Sophie leaned closer to the screens, willing one of these blobs to identify itself as Micah.
Sounds of a code being punched in the keypad caught her attention. The handle turned. Sophie held her breath until Micah’s grim face appeared in the doorway. “Micah.” She hurried across the room and into his open arms.
“You and Junior okay?” he asked, arms folding her as close as her extended belly allowed.
“Better now. What happened?”
He released her and gestured toward the computer chairs. “Sit for a minute.”
She swallowed hard, wishing for water to wet her suddenly dry throat. What happened while Micah was gone? She didn’t have a clue what repercussions he dealt with on a normal day in the field, but he seemed more serious than she expected unless something had gone wrong. Sophie sat, her hands gripping the padded arm rests. “Tell me.”
“Six guys tried to sneak into the house. Brent’s team took down five of them; I took down the other inside the house.”
“Six?” Sophie whispered. Oh, Sierra, she thought. What did you get me into? Anger twisted in her gut. Worse yet, what had her sister gotten Micah involved in? He didn’t deserve more trouble when his career stood on shifting sand. If she brought more trouble, Micah might be happy to see the back of her. Nausea bubbled in her stomach. What if he changed his mind and tried to take Junior?
Not a topic for today. This day had brought enough trouble without adding a series of unanswerable “what ifs” to the equation. “Is everybody okay?”
“One member of Brent’s team thinks he broke his ankle. Other than that, no injuries on either side. Rutherford County law enforcement just arrived.”
“Six men.” Sophie cradled her stomach between her palms. “They didn’t want me to get away. What kind of trouble did Sierra bring on us, Micah?”
Micah reached over and grasped her hand with a gentle squeeze. “We have a problem, Sophie. These men weren’t after you.”
A cold knot formed in the pit of her sto
mach even while a surge of embarrassing relief rolled through her turbulent emotions. At least she hadn’t brought these thugs to Micah’s doorstep. “They were after you?”
“Afraid so. You might be safer with someone else.”
“No. When it comes to cops, I’m not the trusting type. You’re just starting to grow on me.”
A small smile curved Micah’s lips. “Yeah?”
“Who’s after you this time?”
He stiffened. “I don’t have stalkers all the time.”
Sophie smiled though she felt like crying for both of them. How could things fall apart in two days? “Cops aren’t popular in the criminal community. My family doesn’t send their arresting officers Christmas cards.” Her gaze dropped to Micah’s hand massaging his thigh. “A friend didn’t shoot you in the leg.” She focused once more on his face. “Who’s after you this time?”
“I don’t have confirmation yet, but this attack is related to the shooting in D.C. The six guys are members of the 5th Street Kings, a gang which originated in New York and spread nationwide.”
Sophie frowned. “A franchise of gangs?”
Micah huffed out a laugh. “Guess you could say that. They have a website that keeps popping up on the Internet. Causes law enforcement a lot of frustration. One of the gang members is a computer whiz, one the FBI or CIA would love to recruit and aim at the terrorists.”
Scary thought. Then again, who better to track terrorist activity on the Internet than a home-grown terrorist? She scowled. “These guys were after you for killing their gang mate? You’re talking to me, so they failed. Is it over now?”
“These guys don’t quit unless they’re called off.” He leaned back in his chair, stretched his legs in front of him. “The Kings took out a contract on me, Sophie. They won’t stop until the contract is lifted or I’m dead. I don’t want you and Junior in danger because of me.”
Sophie closed her eyes, blocking the sight of Micah’s guilt-riddled expression. She knew about contracts. A couple of her more notorious relatives were in the federal penitentiary in Brushy Mountain for fulfilling one of those contracts on an FBI agent and a U.S. Marshal. “How much are you worth?”
“My source didn’t name the price tag. I made some calls so we’ll know in the next few hours.”
“If it’s too high, you’ll have to disappear until the contract is lifted or die.” She opened her burning eyes. “What can we do?”
Muscles in his face tightened. “Find you a safer bodyguard, one who won’t get you killed.”
“No. Next option?”
“You’re not being reasonable, Sophie.”
“Our baby needs you. Are you willing to trust us to someone else, someone who doesn’t have as much invested in our safety?”
Micah lunged to his feet and paced away from her, the back of his neck flushing bright red. “I’m not at my best. One moment of inattention, a gunshot ends your life. One move the wrong way, my leg gives out. No, Sophie, I don’t want you with anyone else.” He turned to face her, eyes glittering. “I want you and Junior alive and safe, even if it means another agent protecting you.”
“You are our best defense, Micah. I won’t trust our son’s safety to anyone but his father. What’s our next option?”
Micah sat as male voices sounded in the distance. Since the hunky Secret Service agent didn’t appear concerned by the commotion in the other room, Sophie yanked her attention back to Micah.
“The next option is to go on the run.”
Not an attractive alternative. Moving every day, watching over her shoulder had Sophie wrinkling her nose. She hated to travel on a good day. In this weather and 1,000 weeks pregnant? Sophie shuddered, but forced herself to ask, “Pluses and minuses?”
“On the plus side, you’re out of your normal sphere, so the guy who attacked you won’t know where to find you.”
“Wait. Wouldn’t he trace my credit card activity or cell phone GPS or some other high-tech tracking thing?”
Micah shook his head. “You’ll be off the grid. Cash only. We leave your cell phone here, battery disconnected.”
“I don’t have that kind of cash available, Micah. I would have to at least access my account, which leaves anyone a trail to follow right to you. And I need my phone to keep in contact with my workers. Natural Health doesn’t run itself, although my employees could keep things going for a few days without me.”
Micah waved off her concerns. “I have accounts in other names with large enough balances to cover us.”
“Isn’t that illegal?”
“Undercover assignments and a couple friends on the shady side of the law who owed me a few favors. In my line of work, it pays to have escape plans in place. We need a cell for each of us. In order not to leave a trail a mile wide for the Kings to follow, I could buy a couple Thuraya satellite phones.” His lips curved. “No self-respecting terrorist would be caught conducting business without one. Can’t hack or trace it. It’s the bane of law enforcement.”
“This option also has the added benefit of getting you out of the line of fire as well.”
“Not concerned about that.”
Yeah? She cared about his handsome face being in range of some thug’s gun. “And on the minus side?”
“We won’t be in a position to find whatever Sierra stole. Not a problem if they can’t find you, either.”
“A temporary alternative. When I resurface, the thug and his boss will be waiting. And I will have to resurface, Micah.” She pointed to her stomach. “We’re coming into the home stretch. I have a doctor’s appointment every week. If I go into labor early, I’ll be tied to an epidural for the duration.”
He opened his mouth, his eyes sparkling.
“No.” She glared. “I refuse to have Junior without good drugs to dull the pain unless it is a dire emergency. Baby and I have a plan in place. He’s agreed to wait until an opportune time to make an appearance. I don’t want some crazy plan filled with labor-inducing stress to throw the birth blueprint into orbit.”
By the time she’d finished her diatribe, Micah was laughing. “Want to know how many babies I’ve helped bring into the world who didn’t follow their mothers’ blueprint?”
“Junior is better trained than those babies. Aside from our son deviating from the plan and messing with my head, any other negatives for this alternative? No? Well I want a third alternative, buddy. The first two options don’t thrill me. What else is open for vote?”
“Go cash only for everyday expenses and stay in a new place each night using my alternate identities and credit cards. You don’t go to the store, but we can search for what Sierra stole. If we’re lucky, we’ll find the information we need in the journals we already have.”
“And if we’re not lucky?”
“A friend will go through Sierra’s remaining boxes while Brent’s guys install the security system in your house. Thugs after us won’t know who to track. The guy I’m thinking of could get inside the White House and out again without anyone being the wiser. Going through a bunch of boxes and leaving with those notebooks will be child’s play to him.”
Sophie remained silent a moment. Shouted curses and sounds of a scuffle in the kitchen had Micah on his feet and at the safe room door in seconds. He listened a moment, then looked over his shoulder at her. “Wait here.”
She waved him off, raised her legs and propped her feet on his seat. She stared at her swollen ankles, the bane of pregnant women. How could her ankles be swollen when all she’d done today was sit? She sighed. Probably needed to drink more water. She scowled. That meant more bathroom visits within minutes of the first sip.
She thought through the alternatives Micah laid out. Sophie still considered the third option best. No trail, but it utilized Micah’s undercover identities. Would he agree to spring for Thuraya phones if they chose the third option? It would be safer for both of them and make Micah an even harder target for the King’s computer hacker to find. With Micah, she didn’t worry so
much about the baby’s safety. No doubt, the Secret Service agent wouldn’t appreciate her concern for his welfare, might take offense at the implied weakness on his part.
Sophie leaned forward and rubbed her back. Her concern had nothing to do with his weakness. It did, however, have much to do with minimizing disadvantages and enhancing strengths.
She used similar methods running Natural Health. She loved her customers, wanted to see them live a healthier life. For some it meant encouragement to get off the couch and onto the treadmill. Others needed a nudge toward the doctor’s office. Helping her customers find the right supplements and nutritional balance brought her joy and fulfillment.
Nature provided vitamins and minerals the human body needed to survive at optimal health. When nature wasn’t enough, modern medicine filled the gap and delivered a boost into better health. Nothing beat a mile-wide smile on a customer’s face when research paid off.
She glanced up as Micah walked through the doorway. No more scuffling sounds came from the kitchen, only a low murmur of male voices. “Everything okay?”
“The gangbanger wasn’t feeling too cooperative.” He lifted her feet and slid into the chair. Scooting closer, Micah turned the chair so Sophie’s legs draped across one of his and rested against the other. “Is that comfortable?”
Face hot, she considered telling him it wasn’t and moving her feet. Problem was, her feet didn’t hurt and that massaging thing he was doing on her calves made her want to stay in that position forever. Well, at least for the next few minutes. She sighed, closed her eyes again and drifted.
“Sophie?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you want me to stop?”
“Not if you want to live to see Junior’s face.”
Micah’s sudden burst of laughter had Sophie’s eyelids lifting. She stared at his handsome face and chocolate eyes, wondered who her baby would look like. If he was half as attractive as his father, Junior would draw females from the cradle. She grinned.