Target: A Circle of Justice Novel

by L. P. Dover

  Hands clenching the sides of my desk, her knuckles turned ghostly white as she read the file. “I can see why your body count is so high,” she growled. “I can’t even imagine how their victims feel when they find out their attackers are roaming free.”

  I clicked out of the list and shut the computer. “And imagine how they feel when we kill them.”

  “Oh, I know how it feels to see the one who hurt your family die.” She looked up at me, her face red with rage. “Is it bad I don’t feel guilty for the things I’ve done? At the end of the day, it’s either them or my family. And I will always choose my family.”

  I brushed a finger down her cheek. “Right or wrong, I feel the same way. There’ve been so many times I’ve given into the need and just killed as many of those fuckers as I could. I nearly lost myself in the process. I had to stop.”

  Sliding the chair back, she stood and held onto me, resting her head on my chest. “I’m glad you did.”

  Holding her tight, I lifted the hem of her shirt and rubbed her back. It’d been over an hour since my call to Peter, and I steadily grew more and more impatient, feeling like I might snap. Protecting the woman in my arms was my one and only concern.

  The call we’d been waiting on finally came through. Brina stepped back and I grabbed my phone off my desk. “Peter, what do ya got?”

  He typed away in the background. “I’m sending the video file over now. I hacked into the cameras of the business across the street. So far, it looks like there’s only been one male to enter the store today.”

  I sat at my desk and opened my laptop. “All right, I’m logging in now.” Once I was in the system, I found the file and clicked on it. Brina leaned over my shoulder and we watched a steady stream of customers who walked in and out, all young women.

  Brina gasped quietly, her eyes lit with wonder. “Wow. Business has picked up.” From her tone, I could tell she missed being there. The day would come when I had to let her go. Part of me just always hoped she’d want to stay with me.

  “Okay, he’s getting ready to come up,” Peter said. There was a man who turned the corner and walked into the store. He had on jeans and a blue T-shirt, wearing a navy-blue baseball cap. With his head down, we never got a good look at his face. About five minutes passed and he was right back out and around the same corner of the store. I zoomed in close, but the quality of the video diminished.

  I looked up at Brina. “Recognize him?”

  She zeroed in on the man, her brows pinched in concentration. “I have no clue who he is.”

  “That’s all I could find,” Peter stated. “He must’ve walked from somewhere down the street.”

  “Thanks, Peter. Keep me posted if you find something else.”

  He typed away again. “Will do. I hate I couldn’t be more of a help.”

  Me too. But I had other ways to make sure Brina stayed safe. With a heavy sigh, I ended the call.

  Brina wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “I’ll be fine,” she murmured. “It’s Lexi I’m worried about. If the man’s harmless, that’s fine, but if he’s not, I don’t want him anywhere near her. I told her to call the police if he came back.”

  “Does she know what you are?” I asked.

  Her hands slid off my shoulders. “No. It’s safer for her if she doesn’t know.”

  “Speaking of staying safe, there’s something I want you to have.” I logged off the computer and walked over to the bookshelf on the other side of my office. It stretched across the whole length of the room, filled from top to bottom with books. However, it wasn’t just a bookshelf.

  Brina stared at the collection. “You’re going to keep me safe with a book?”

  “Not exactly,” I said with a chuckle. “Watch this.”

  Instead of the gateway being a book, I had built a panel into the side of the bookcase. From the naked eye, it was nearly impossible to see the wooden plate. The front was smooth, the lines of the panel hidden by the natural creases in the wood. I pressed down on the panel and it sprung open, revealing a keypad.

  She gasped. “Get out of here. I’m dating a real-life Bond.”

  I chuckled. “When I had the house built a few years ago, I made sure there was a place I could keep my things where no one could find them.” Once I was done typing in the number combination, the lock clicked free behind the books, and the middle section of the bookshelf slid out of the way. “I’m showing you this room so you’ll know how to get in, if something happens while I’m not here. I’ll write the numbers down for you.” It was dark on the other side, the only light coming from the multiple television screens. “Go on,” I said, waving her through.

  Eyes wide, she stepped past the bookshelf and the lights inside the room snapped on. She sucked in a breath. One wall was packed full with guns, and the other was lined with surveillance screens, all recording different areas of my property. “This is absolutely insane. You’ve completely blown my mind.” She walked over to my gun case, eyeing my sniper rifle with fascination. It was my favorite rifle. “I’m so turned on right now,” she whispered. She wasn’t the only one. “I can’t believe you have a Dragunov.”

  My dick sprung to attention. Her knowledge of guns was impressive. Most people would get the Dragunov confused with a Romanian PSL. “Just hearing you know that makes me hard. Now I want to bend you over that table and fuck you.”

  She glanced over at the table in front of the monitors and bit her lip. “What’s stopping you?”

  I’d have given anything to feel her wrapped around my cock, but I couldn’t lose focus. “Soon, sunshine. There’s something I want to give you first.” I walked up to a small, wooden cabinet in the corner, where I kept all my different electronics.

  “Did you make that?” She walked over and knelt down, tracing the C engraved in the wood.

  “I did. I also made the bookcase.”

  Her green eyes twinkled. “You’re just full of surprises. Why don’t you sell your woodwork?”

  “I do,” I said, earning a gasp from her lips. It was a secret I hadn’t told anyone. “There’s a shop right up the road that sells it. The proceeds go to charity.”

  She stared at me, her lips pulling back into a smile. “And here everyone thinks you’re self-absorbed. I can’t believe you don’t want people to know what you’re really like.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t give a damn what others think. You’re the only one that matters.” Reaching into the cabinet, I pulled out a small, black box and handed it to her. “It should be charged and ready to go.”

  She opened it up and glanced over at my wrist. “Is it exactly like yours?”

  Nodding, I pulled out the watch and attached it around her wrist. The face was lined with silver, and the black band stretched to give optimum versatility. It looked like a normal watch. “The kinks are still being worked out.” I pressed the button to turn it on and it lit up. “Basically, it’s a smartwatch. Yuli, one of the women in the Circle of Justice, has been working on it for months. Right now, I have mine programmed to detect if anyone crosses over the boundaries onto my property.”

  She held up her wrist. “What does mine do?”

  There were two buttons on the side of the device, and she saw me press the top one. Almost immediately, my watch lit up and vibrated. “The same thing as mine. Plus, we can send signals to each other. If you’re in trouble, press the top button and I’ll know. On my end, it’ll feel like one long vibration. In return, I can reply with my own signal. After you’ve sent the signal, your watch will vibrate every three seconds when I’m nearby.” Holding her hand, I rubbed a thumb across her wrist.

  She stared down at the movement and shivered. “Does it have a tracker in it?”

  Closing my eyes, I blew out a breath. “It does, but it’s not activated yet. Yuli’s designing them for our team. Once it’s available, it’ll be sent out to all devices.” Taking her hand, I led her out of the room and back into my study. “When all of this is over, what do you say about making
things official?”

  Her brows lifted mischievously and there was a sparkle in her eyes. “Official? How?”

  Pulling her to me, I slid my hands down to her waist. “In three weeks, it’ll be the Cougars first home game for the preseason. I want you with me, to show everyone that you’re mine.”

  “What about when I go back to Charleston? What happens then?”

  I clutched her face and kissed her, loving the way she melted in my arms. She tasted like strawberries, tender and sweet. “I’ll still want you, sunshine. Even if we have to work around the distance.”

  Her eyes glistened. “You’d do that?”

  “I’d do anything for you.” Anything.

  Brina

  (Two Weeks Later)

  Weeks had gone by, and not only were there no answers or leads as to who shot my brother, but the man who’d tried to find me still hadn’t shown his face again. The uncertainty didn’t settle well with me. In one week’s time, Trinity would be moving her things from Boston to Charleston, with a heavy detail of secret service agents following her around. Everyone was tense, even her.

  “Sure you’re ready to go to school?” I stared at Trinity’s back as she looked out the door at the meadow. Blonde hair pulled high in a messy bun, I couldn’t help but smile at her. She had grown into her role of first daughter eloquently. For the longest time, I was afraid she’d go wild and rebel, just like I warned Noah she still might do if he didn’t loosen the reins.

  Trinity lifted a glass of tea to her lips, the ice cubes clanking against the glass. “I don’t know what I’m ready for, B. I hate not knowing what’s going on. It scares me.”

  I walked over to her and squeezed her shoulder. “I know. Maybe we can get out of the house today and ride on the boat. Tomorrow’s the last day of my rental at the lake house, and I need to make sure everything’s locked up.”

  Moaning with delight, she looked at me over her shoulder. “That would be awesome. I could use the fresh air.”

  “Then it’s settled. Once Josh is done working out, we’ll go.” Josh was in the basement, working out in Wade’s gym; something I needed to be doing, but didn’t have the energy. Every night, Wade gave me enough of a workout. “Why don’t you go tell him, and we’ll get ready to head out. I could use some fresh air too.”

  I started down the hall toward Wade’s room. His bedroom smelled like his cologne when I walked in. Every morning before leaving for work, he’d kiss me and whisper I love you in my ear, thinking I was still asleep. I was going to miss hearing it when I left.

  Changing quickly into my bathing suit, I threw my clothes on over it. Trinity and Josh were already waiting in the living room, sitting on the couch with their arms around each other. Soon, they’d have to go back to being discreet.

  “Just got off the phone with my father,” Trinity called out, holding up her phone.

  “What’d he say?”

  “That our mothers are flying home from the Bahamas to D.C. today. Nana apparently has had too much time away, and she’s not happy you’ve ignored her calls.”

  Groaning, I pulled my phone out of my purse and saw three missed calls. “Shit. I forgot it was on silent. I’ll call her tonight.” I texted Wade to let him know we were going to the lake house, then I shoved it back in my purse. “Ready to go?”

  “Do you mind if I use the bathroom before we get on the boat?” Trinity asked, once we arrived at the lake house.

  We all climbed out of the truck and I handed her the house keys. “Josh and I will be on the dock.”

  Taking the keys, she hurried inside. Josh took off his T-shirt and slung it over his shoulder. I stared at him, watching the way he snuck glances at me. “Why do I have a feeling you’re about to say something I don’t want to hear?” He sounded tired.

  We walked down the grassy hill to the dock. The grass crunched under our feet from lack of rain, which was why it was so miserably hot. At least in Charleston, we had the wind and sporadic thunderstorms to help.

  “It’s not something you don’t want to hear, Josh. All I’m saying is that once you’re back in public, you and Trinity can’t be all over each other like you’ve been here. The media will have a field day.”

  Sighing, he untied the front end of the boat. “Trin and I have already talked about this. I’ll keep my distance when we’re in public. But as soon as she’s out of school, we’re going to come out about it.”

  The heat started to make me dizzy, so I jumped on the boat and under the shade. “And then what? You move in together, get married, and live happily ever after?”

  He burst out laughing and it brought a smile to my face. I was so glad he and Trinity were happy together. “As a matter of fact, yes,” he said. “Looks like you and Chandler will be doing the same thing.”

  I shrugged. “Don’t know. We haven’t discussed the details. Our lives are in two different cities.”

  He stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. “Whatever you say, Brina. I’ve seen the way Chandler looks at you. He’d die for you. Besides, you have a lot in common.” He winked and I rolled my eyes. “I still can’t believe he’s part of the FBI. The man has got some serious connections.”

  “That he does. You wouldn’t believe the equipment he has in his house.”

  He sat across from me and reached for my wrist so he could fiddle with the watch Wade gave me. “I see that. When did he say this thing will fully be updated?”

  “Not sure,” I replied. “But it’ll be one hell of a device when it does.”

  “No shit. I wonder if we can buy some. Just think how much they’d help us. Trinity could wear one and I’d always know if she was safe.”

  I had to believe there’d come a time when our lives wouldn’t be in danger. But it seemed like there would always be someone trying to hurt me and my family. Peering out at the lake, boats flew by carrying groups of people, all laughing and having a good time. I wanted to be like that, to not have a care in the world. Growing up, I had everything I could ever want, but there was always something I wanted more.

  Freedom.

  The people around me had it . . . and I envied them.

  The fresh air and time away was just what we all needed. The water felt good against my skin as it sprayed in the air. It made me miss the ocean. The first thing I was going to do when I got back to Charleston was ride the waves.

  My phone beeped with a text from Wade.

  Wade: Leaving work in an hour. My father wants us to eat dinner with him at his house. Sound good?

  Me: YES! We’ll see ya soon. Getting ready to pull into the dock.

  “Guys, we’re going to eat dinner at Glenn’s house tonight,” I said, guiding the boat into the dock.

  Trinity rubbed her bare stomach. “Sounds good. I’m starved. Do I have time to take a shower before we go?”

  I laughed. “Yes. I don’t want you smelling like musty lake water.”

  Chuckling, Josh jumped out of the boat onto the dock and I shut the engine off so he could pull us the rest of the way into the boat slip. “If you want, you both can go inside and change clothes. I’ll tie up the boat.”

  The bathroom called my name, so I couldn’t argue with him. “Thanks, Josh. It won’t take long to lock up.”

  Trinity kissed him and walked with me up to the house, linking her arm through mine. “The past couple of weeks have been crazy. I loved spending time with you.”

  I squeezed her arm. “You’ll see me a lot more when you get to Charleston.”

  Her smile faded. “First, I have to leave Boston. I’m not looking forward to seeing Warren. I feel so guilty. He doesn’t know anything about Josh.”

  We walked inside the house and I stopped at the stairs. “Then I wouldn’t say anything about it. You ended it and that’s all that matters. The less he knows, the better.”

  She nodded, but I could see the pain in her eyes.

  Hurrying up the stairs, I used the bathroom. Taking off my bathing suit, I stuffed it into my bag and tossed it
onto the bed, then changed into my tank top and shorts.

  A yelp came from downstairs. Then the whole house fell into silence.

  “Trinity, you okay?” There was no answer. “Trinity?”

  An overwhelming sense of dread washed over me; the same feeling I’d felt when my dad was shot. Chills ran down my spine and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Of all the days to not have my gun, it had to be today. Taking a deep breath, I tiptoed out of the bedroom and down the stairs, one at a time. That was when I heard Trinity’s muffled cries.

  “Brina, run!”

  My body went into full attack mode. Jumping down the last few stairs, I turned the corner to find her restrained in a man’s arm with his hand over her mouth. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her eyes pleading for me to run. Ignoring her silent request, I met the man’s dark, brown gaze. I recognized him from the video taken just outside of my shop. He was the man who’d been looking for me.

  “Let her go,” I growled, ready to fight.

  His lips pulled back into a dangerous smile, but then his eyes shifted to something behind me. “She’s not going anywhere, and neither are you,” a voice said. The cold metal of a gun pressed into the back of my head and I froze. Where’s Josh?

  Trinity’s eyes widened in shock and she gasped.

  “Surprised to see me, baby?” the man behind me jeered.

  Her niece swallowed hard, face growing paler by the second. “Warren.”

  It was her ex-boyfriend. He pressed the gun harder into my head, his arm snaking around my waist. “Do as I say, and I won’t blow your head off. My friend over there can snap Trinity’s neck with one twist.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Trinity cried.

  Warren chuckled. “All in good time, sweetheart.”

  The other man’s predatory gaze raked down my body. “Now we have two Carmichael’s. Double the pleasure.”

  The pressure from the gun ceased, before Warren pushed me over the top of the couch, jerking my arms behind me, binding my wrists. “Do you know who that man is over there?” he asked, nipping my ear.