Cam did the deep dive. He handled the details.
Drae brought what he jokingly called the Spock Doctrine. Cool intellect and an ability to instantly assess someone’s threat factor.
Ben wrapped it up with a nice bow. It wasn’t unusual for him to offer no more than a headshake to scuttle someone’s future with the agency.
Images of what? He wrote.
Alex growled. Everything.
After that, they started walking again at a brisk pace. When they got to the split in the path—one way leading directly to the motor pool and the other winding to the family zone—he motioned for Ben to head in one direction while he took the other.
First, he had to touch base with Meghan. His mind couldn’t adequately focus until he was assured she was safe and the twins were okay. Then he’d head out into the desert and wait for the others.
Finn knew he was driving too fast but that didn’t mean he was about to slow down. Jace’s call had scared the fucking shit out of him.
He glanced in the rear view. His security person must hate him right about now.
His truck took the turn-off to the Villa on two wheels before powering forward at a continued high rate of speed. The dramatic squealing as he stood on the brakes to stop at the checkpoint made him grit his teeth.
As he rolled his window down, a guard stepped up to the driver window. The clipboard in his hands got shoved in Finn’s face.
SILENT RUNNING—all caps—was written in black Sharpie.
He nodded his understanding.
A second and third security guard went through some unusual actions. One guy circled his truck with a hyper Shepherd on a tether, and the other held a scanning device used to check under vehicles.
Jesus fucking Christ—this was serious.
Next, he was shown written directions. It was disconcerting to be cut-off from technology, but Duke had briefed him and Remy about this procedure. Tearing through the center console till he found a pen and a crumpled envelope he could write on, Finn jotted down the instructions, gave a one-finger salute of awareness, and headed out at a slower pace.
His heart was threatening to thump right out of his chest. He pressed a hand over the wildly beating organ and took some deep breaths.
It took a half an hour of driving for the directions to lead him far into the private zone. He saw vehicles in a cluster and steered toward them.
Parker, Cam, and Drae were standing around the back of a Justice truck. Ben motioned to him, and he pulled into the spot between two vehicles. He cut the engine but left the keys in the ignition and hopped out.
There was no hand shaking or back-slapping camaraderie when he approached the men. Everyone’s eyes—including his—were shielded by sunglasses, but they all wore the same expression. Anger plus concern.
Ben held up written instructions before tossing a plastic bag at each of them. Finn looked around to see what the others did and followed along.
He was to strip—to his birthday suit. Everything bare to the bone. No watch, no belt, nothing.
Inside the bag was a pair of sneakers, sweats, and a T-shirt with the tags still on. The only underwear consisted of thick, awful tube socks. There were even new sunglasses—cheap pieces of shit from WalMart.
His anxiety level dialed past eleven.
When they were all wearing the brand-new clothes, Ben gathered their individual piles of belongings, slid each into the plastic bag, tied them off and tossed the bunch into the back of his truck.
He felt like he was in a movie.
Cam started walking, and then they all fell into line. After ten or so minutes, Finn saw Alex after they climbed around a pile of stones. He was sitting on a large rock and the vibe his large, muscled body put off was less than friendly.
The others all started talking at once.
“What the fucking fuck, man,” Cam grumbled. “It’s fucking hot.”
Drae also sneered. “I told you we should have built a cone of silence.”
Parker used his lawyer tone to ask the obvious. “Explain why we aren’t in the secure room in the compound. Isn’t this exactly what that damn room is for?”
“It is,” Alex answered in a tone that suggested he was more than a bit exasperated. “But you’ll understand why I took this dramatic step.”
A box Finn hadn’t noticed till this second was next to Alex on the rock. It was a brand-new laptop—still in the packaging. After quickly discarding the useless crap, he produced a separate battery pack—one that Finn assumed was fully charged—and fired it up.
“Finn,” Alex said in a somber tone. “You aren’t going to like this, so let me explain up front.”
“Oh, shit,” Parker murmured.
“First, and most important, you overreacting is what we want. In fact, I’m encouraging you to go full psycho.”
“Why?” he asked.
Cam answered. “Because someone is watching. Right, Major?”
“Yes. What I’m going to show you is supposed to get a reaction—so a reaction they will get. After we’re through here, you’ll find that family security arrangements have been updated. It will be expected following a threat. I want an obvious bodyguard with everyone at all times. The additional layers of surveillance will also remain. It doesn’t hurt to build in redundancy.”
His brother-in-law showed them a flash drive. “This came from the security system. They’re moved to the next level and want us to know they’re watching. The implication that this material could be made public is very real.”
Alex looked at him long and hard. Finn felt like throwing up.
It took but a moment to insert the device and bring up the drive files. There was about a dozen, but what got his attention was the folder named Bisset.
“Motherfucker,” he growled. “What the fuck is that?”
Parker put a hand on his shoulder. He shook him off with an angry grunt.
The violent explosion of reactions when Alex clicked on the file and an image filled the screen shook Finn to his core.
With just one image, a war was declared.
Although Remy was the main subject, all the women were in the picture. Bad enough but what took things into the danger zone was when and where this photo was recorded.
At Pete’s.
During the private, invitation-only after party.
A darkness crept into his vision. He was going to fucking murder whoever was behind this.
There were dozens of shots—all from that night.
Lacey on the pole.
The men in their kilts.
The damning shots of their women dressed like strippers on a stage and even Remy. Alone. At the piano.
He couldn’t handle it. That song and her vulnerability were things that never should have gone beyond the people who were there. The betrayal was mind-boggling.
Drae pointed something out. “Every shot is the same angle. It’s a stationary camera.”
“Excuse me?” Finn ground out.
“Yeah. Look. All the same. If I had to guess. I’d say it was placed near the ceiling on the back wall—near the front door.”
Alarm and worry blew apart his calm. There’d been nothing but nonstop work inside Pete’s for months. They installed a fire protection system, had all the lighting redone, hardwired a bunch of bar signs, and basically spiffed the place up. In that light, it was possible that a surveillance device was placed. He exploded when it dawned on him how long it could have been there.
Everyone else emotionally detonated at the same time.
There was yelling and threats. Drae’s preferred retribution involved blood. Parker had the look of a crazy man who just realized his power. Cam’s face made Finn pause. He looked … dangerous.
And Alex. Holy fuck. The guy radiated anger.
After they calmed down and carefully reviewed all the images, Alex removed the flash drive, pulled out a revolver, and shot the laptop to smithereens.
“Do your thing, Finn,” he was told by all present.
“We need you to go batshit crazy.”
“What about the women? Will they know? What’s the plan?”
“We’ll keep the actual pictures from them for now. It’ll just start something if they see them, and we have enough darts flying through the air as it is. But they need to know there was a serious security incursion. It will explain the bodyguards.”
“Um, Alex,” Parker murmured. “This might mean nothing, but a few weeks ago when I was in Sedona with my dad, I was pretty sure we were being watched. Nothing I was able to pinpoint, but I did snap some surrounding pictures. Forgot all about it until right now.”
Cam perked up. “The day I found Cassé in the parking lot at the Double M, I swore someone was watching—but the dog distracted me.”
“Ah, Jesus.” Alex kicked the dirt for emphasis. “It’s been there the whole time.” He glared at each of them. “Find out if there’s anything else.”
Parker nodded and crossed his arms. He also put off a menacing vibe.
“Okay, look,” Alex said in a chilly voice. “Conduct yourselves as if someone is watching. Give them a show. Bear in mind that I think all this stuff falls under the false flag category. Not sure yet what any of it means, but this isn’t my first rodeo. Emotionally charged diversions intended to confuse and distract are from page one of the creating a drama manual.”
“While we run around like maniacs, something is being planned. Do I have this right?” Finn asked.
“Pretty much,” Cam said. “Not very inventive. Smells a little bit like antiquated tradecraft. There might be a clue there,” he added.
Drae chimed in. “Does it strike you as odd that this happened while Duke is gone?”
Everyone’s head swung to look at him.
“I mean, from a follow-the-dots standpoint. Alex’s algorithm. The diversionary tactic involving Angie. The drone. Physical surveillance we are invited to find. You’re right. This whole thing suggests an old hand pulling the strings.”
What the hell did any of this mean? He was out of his league, so Finn went away in his head while the others argued and brainstormed.
Remy had been through so much. It took ages, but now that they were on the other side of the mountain after a long, arduous climb, he just wanted a period of calm where they could explore their feelings and decide about the future.
He had to tell her everything. If he didn’t, she’d freak. Remy didn’t need him to protect her from the truth. She was a grown-up and could handle whatever came their way.
Alex barked out a series of orders and instructions. All contact about this matter was by courier. Ben would take the lead. There was to be no electronic chatter—none. And everything else had to continue. All the daily stuff. They weren’t to deviate from the normal.
The long walk back to a waiting Ben was done mostly in silence. They each took their plastic bag, and that was it. Without any further discussion, each man drove away.
Finn took the long way home. He packed up FiFi’s stuff, grabbed some changes of clothes, and headed back to the Villa. Along the way, he called Barry, and conscious that the conversation might be listened to, he explained that he had a migraine and would be in later.
He needed time to figure out what to do.
Was he going to rip down the back wall of Pete’s looking for the surveillance camera? Yes. But first he had to square things with Remy.
When he arrived at her apartment, FiFi yipped excitedly. On the climb up the stairs to the second floor, he counted his steps and girded himself for Remy’s reaction.
She was a lot calmer than she expected to be. Was that because of her military background? Probably.
It took the better part of an hour to calm Finn down when he burst through her door with the dog and an overnight bag. If he intended to parse what he knew, it didn’t show. From the second their eyes met, he launched into an angry tirade and gave her chapter and verse of everything that happened. She never cared for him more than at that moment. Instead of treating her like a delicate object, he’d thrown down and invited her to strap on a pair.
Remy knew when Jace swept her from her office and forced her to go home that some sort of serious shit was going down, but in no way had she anticipated the strange tale Finn unloaded. None of it made any sense. She agreed that appearances suggested the whole bullshit nonsense was for one reason—to drive Alex crazy.
If someone was trying to fuck with the Major, she was more than ready, willing, and completely able to slid her big girl panties into place and go kick some ass.
They had an early dinner and discussed how he should play his part at Pete’s. She liked the idea of him going full psycho. That was what a man protecting his woman would do.
He prodded—gently—trying to ascertain her reaction to knowing there were pictures of her at a moment of intense personal vulnerability.
She shrugged it off. As far as moments in time went, that one was significant. But it was water under the bridge, and oddly enough, Remy found that she didn’t really care. So what? And it wasn’t like she was the only target. Whoever was behind this knew that focusing on the women was sure to get a reaction. In her mind, the maneuver showed a weak hand. The villain in the scenario—whoever it turned out to be—wasn’t playing from a position of strength.
Hmm. There was something about that thought. Having given loads of mental energy to the study of revenge, she always came to the same conclusion. Revenge was weakness. Up front paybacks and retribution had more weight while secret vengeance got stuck in the mud.
“You’re taking this awfully well,” he commented after a short make-out session. She was tempted to tell him she was an easy mark once he put his tongue in her mouth.
She responded matter-of-factly. “I’m just a pawn. All of us are. It isn’t about me. The three of them ... Alex, Cam, and Drae. That makes sense. It’s about one or all of them—most likely with the Major in a starring role. Parker’s involvement confuses me, but what the fuck do any of us know about how the whole Team Justice dynamic really played out.”
He made it clear right away that they’d be staying at her place because of his concerns for her safety. “I don’t want you leaving the compound,” he demanded. His voice was rough with anxiety, and she wanted to thank him for caring.
“Don’t worry. I’ll stay put and see to FiFi. Do you know if your minder has been assigned? What I mean is, when you leave here, I know the bottom-line surveillance continues, but will you also have a visible bodyguard?”
He studied her face with his sharp-eyed gaze. “Are you worried about me?”
Her squirm was involuntary reflex until she reminded herself that she wasn’t hiding from her feelings any more.
What was that saying? The truth set you free? Yeah, that. She went with that.
Feathering her fingers on his cheek, she nodded and curled into him. He stroked her back. The confidence in his touch soothed her. Eventually, she felt his chest quiver with a chuckle and raised her head.
“Will you marry me?”
Good lord. The man was incorrigible. She smacked his arm. “Cut it out.” Remy made no effort to hide her grin.
“Just checking.” He sniggered.
“Oh,” she said with a snarky laugh. “I get it! Will you marry me is the Beantown technique for taking my temperature.”
“My dad’s suggestion,” he told her with a conspiratorial wink.
Momentarily thrown, she gaped and then howled with laughter. “Yep,” she admitted. “I can totally see that.”
“Whew.” He chortled. “Dodged a bullet on that one.”
“Why? You afraid I’d say yes?” She was so sure she had him and was at the ready with more snark, but he grew serious.
“I’m afraid you’ll say no.”
And that declaration more or less shut her up.
After he left, she took a shower, basted herself with her favorite body lotion, and set up a comfort spot in front of the TV. With the dog on her lap, a bowl of salsa, and a bag of torti
lla chips at the ready next to a tumbler filled with ice water, she decided NetFlix was the way to go and searched for something to binge watch.
Chapter 21
“Georgie,” Brody growled with a sharp tug on the leash. “Easy, buddy.”
The nearer they got to home, the more agitated the dog became. Searching for reasons, he eyed the normally obedient canine. Straining against the tether, his four-legged walking companion was doing the dragging as they rounded the corner and their driveway came into view.
Having no damn clue what was making the mutt so anxious, he walked a little faster to ease the restraint, but instead of relaxing, the damn dog tried to take off running. Catching him by surprise, Brody floundered to find his footing before he ended up face planting on the sidewalk. As his feet pounded, he sincerely hoped the neighbors weren’t witnessing his undignified fall from grace. Some fucking dog whisperer he turned out to be if a little girl’s pet got the better of him.
“George! Shit! What the goddamn fuck,” he barked.
The firmer he held the leash, the harder it was to control the dog. An unexpected growth spurt around the time they settled in Arizona gave the brown mixed breed an edge. There was nothing quite like the challenge of walking a muscular and overly energetic goofball.
At the front door, George stood on his hind legs, pawing the door while Brody punched in the door code and tried to knee him aside. As the door swung open, the dog let out a pitiful whine at the same time that Bella was heard frantically yelling.
What the hell was going on?
He barely got the leash off George before he took off again, scrambling up the stairs in the direction of the commotion.
“Sweetie, settle down, okay?”
That was Heather’s voice using her mom-in-charge voice. Didn’t sound to him like Bella was having it.
“No!”
When his head topped the stairway and the second floor living room came into full view, he was startled to find Bella, arms defiantly crossed as she stomped her foot. “You don’t understand! What if she’s scared?”
Enduring (Family Justice Book 8) Page 44