Hostage: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 7)

by April Wilson

  Diane nods, smiling at us as she consults her desk calendar. “Don’t forget, you have a three o’clock meeting with Frank Elliot.”

  Frank Elliot. I would have gladly gone the rest of my life without ever hearing that man’s name again. After what he and his wife did to my brother Jake, I have no interest in talking to him. But the man called me this morning, sounding frantic as he begged for a meeting today. Out of curiosity, I made time for him, but I can’t imagine what he could possibly have to say to me. The Elliots burned their bridges with the McIntyres a decade ago, and I have no desire to reopen that old wound.

  I nod at Diane, masking my distaste at hearing that man’s name. “Believe me, I haven’t forgotten.”

  I grab Beth’s hand and lead her toward the elevators.

  “Is everything okay?” she says, glancing up at me as we step into an available car. I push the button for the third floor.

  The elevator doors close, and we begin our descent. I pull her into my arms. “Yes. Why?”

  Her smooth brow furrows. “You didn’t sound very happy when Diane reminded you about your three o’clock appointment.”

  I shrug. I don’t want to expose her to my family’s dirty laundry—at least not until I know what Frank Elliot wants. I don’t believe he’s coming here to dredge up old history regarding Jake, but I can’t be sure until I talk to him. I sigh, knowing I have to tell her something. “I’m meeting with someone I never thought I’d talk to again. It’s fine, just a little distasteful.”

  “What does he want?”

  “I have no clue. It must be serious for him to swallow his pride enough to speak to me. Years ago, he made it perfectly clear he thought the McIntyre family beneath him.”

  “What?” she gasps, clearly affronted on our behalf. “That’s ridiculous!”

  “Thank you for the unambiguous vote of confidence.” I smile as I kiss the top of her head, fully aware of how she’s vibrating with indignation on my behalf. “It’s all right, sweetheart. There’s nothing you need to worry about.”

  * * *

  When we arrive at the martial arts studio, we’re greeted with a vigorous display of physical fighting skills, courtesy of my two youngest siblings. They’re two peas in a pod when it comes to fighting, and they’re dedicated to each other, despite their differences in temperament. Lia’s a snarky little pistol, while Liam is a gentleman and probably the mellowest of all my siblings.

  Like the rest of the McIntyre brothers, Liam is tall—six feet. And he’s a lean, mean fighting machine. He’s not nearly as brawny as Jake or as lethal as Jamie, but he’s got mad skills with his hands and feet. He’s won Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing championships all around the world. When he’s not traveling around the country or overseas competing, he teaches martial arts and self-defense to McIntyre Security employees and clients.

  Lia, on the other hand, is dwarfed by her twin. She’s tiny in comparison, although you’d be sadly mistaken if you assumed she was any less lethal than her twin. She barely tips the scale at a hundred pounds, but she can flatten a man twice her size without breaking a sweat.

  There’s obviously a class in session when we approach the viewing window. From our vantage point in the hallway, we can see the dozen or so women seated in a circle on the mats, and inside the circle Liam and Lia are squaring off with each other, apparently in the process of demonstrating self-defense moves to the class.

  “Ooh, this will be good,” Beth says, slipping her arm around my waist and leaning into me as we watch.

  Lia stands in the center of the circle, looking bored out of her mind, and Liam is positioned a few feet behind her. Liam is talking, undoubtedly giving the class some instruction, but with the door closed, we can’t hear what he’s saying.

  “What are they doing?” Beth says.

  “This looks like a self-defense class, and since Liam is behind her, I imagine they’re going to demonstrate how to get out of a choke hold.”

  Liam walks up behind Lia and grabs her, wrapping one arm around her neck, putting her in a secure choke hold. Immediately, she drops one shoulder, raising the other, and twists to dislodge his grip. With that little bit of an opening, she pivots to the side and pantomimes slamming her elbow into his stomach. Then she mimics shoving her knee into his groin, then hitting him in the face with her elbow, twice in rapid succession.

  After the slow-motion demonstration, they repeat the moves in real-time, moving swiftly and decisively, and Lia doesn’t bother pulling her punches.

  Even in training, Lia plays hard. She’s fast and vicious—that’s her MO. I don’t think Liam is faking it when he steps back and tries to catch his breath after they demonstrate a few basic moves.

  The ladies in the class hoot and holler when Liam raises his hands in capitulation, signaling surrender to his pint-sized opponent. Then he smiles at Lia and reaches out to muss her blonde braids. Frowning, she knocks his hand away and steps out of his reach.

  When Lia steps out of the circle, Beth knocks on the window and waves for Lia to join us in the hallway.

  “I see Liam roped you into doing some demonstrations for his class,” I say when my sister joins us, closing the door behind her.

  “Yeah, well, somebody’s got to show them how to do it right.” Lia looks Beth over, then glances at me expectantly.

  “So?” Lia says, eyeing me as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Are we going on a road trip or not?”

  That’s my baby sister… getting right to the point.

  “Yes, we’re going,” Beth says, grinning.

  “Jonah agreed to this little road trip?” I say.

  Lia shrugs. “He doesn’t know about it. He’s at the recording studio working on his new album—Sam’s with him. I’ll tell him this evening.”

  I pull Beth closer, tucking her under my arm. “If you’re done here, take my wife home, will you? She’s tired.”

  Lia rolls her eyes at me, giving me a knowing smirk. “Gee, I wonder why.”

  “That is none of your business,” I say. My baby sister is far too observant for her own good. “Just take her home so she can relax. If we’re going away tomorrow, she needs to rest up.”

  Lia salutes me. “Whatever.”

  * * *

  After seeing Beth and Lia off, I head back up to my office, debating whether or not to tell Jake that I’m meeting this afternoon with Frank Elliot. I can’t imagine what Frank wants with McIntyre Security. I doubt his visit has anything to do with Jake, and I don’t want to upset Jake needlessly, so I’ll hold off on telling him anything until I know more. I’ll meet with the man in private first. If it doesn’t involve the man’s daughter, then Jake doesn’t need to know a thing. I sure as hell don’t want to do anything to remind Jake of the girl who broke his heart.

  Two minutes before three, there’s a quiet knock on my office door. “Come in.”

  Diane opens the door partway and pokes her head inside. “Mr. Elliot’s here to see you.”

  I sigh, shaking my head and wondering for the umpteenth time why I ever agreed to this meeting. If he needs help with security, he could easily go to another firm. We’re certainly not the only game in town. “Thanks, Diane. Send him in.”

  Normally, I’d get up and greet a potential client on my feet, face to face, so we can shake hands and exchange pleasantries, but honestly, Frank Elliot doesn’t deserve any such consideration. Yes, I’m holding a grudge—a big one—and I’m not necessarily proud of that fact. It’s unprofessional of me. But family is family, and this man hurt my brother, badly, and I can’t let that go. I’ll listen to what he has to say, and then I’ll kick him out of my office and tell him to look elsewhere for help.

  Frank walks into my office looking haggard well beyond his sixty-two years. His suit fits him badly, practically hanging off his shoulders, and it’s clear he’s lost weight. His dark eyes are framed by shadows, making him appear haunted. For the longest time, he stands a few feet in front of my desk and stares at me, his expression a mix
of defiance and resignation.

  I figure I might as well get this over with as quickly as possible, for both our sakes. “Frank.”

  He nods curtly. “Shane.”

  The man really doesn’t look well. “I think you’d better sit down before you fall down. You look like shit.”

  The corner of his mouth quirks up at my blatant assessment, and he laughs bitterly. “Yeah, I guess I do,” he says, taking one of the chairs in front of my desk. “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”

  “Why are you here, Frank?”

  He scoffs, but there’s no amusement in his tone. “Right to the point, eh?” He shakes his head. “Even as a youngster, you never were one to beat around the bush. I guess it’s for the best.”

  “I have plans with my wife this evening, and you’re keeping me from them. Get to the point.”

  He flinches at the mention of my wife, which is fitting considering his history with my brother. Then he nods. “I heard you got married last year. Congratulations. And I understand there’s a baby on the way.”

  I’m not interested in making small talk with the guy, let alone wondering how he knows so much about my private life. “Just tell me what you what, Frank.”

  He sits up a little straighter, as if resigned to say what he’s come to say. “Look, I’m sorry for what Sharon and I did to break up Annie and Jake. In hindsight—”

  “Skip the apology and get to the point. Or get out of my office.”

  His eyes narrow, but he manages to swallow his ire. “All right. Fair enough. I’m here because I need your services.”

  “To do what?”

  “I need to hire a bodyguard.” He meets my gaze head on, defiant despite his obvious unease. “I need someone to protect my daughter.”

  “Annie?” Of course he means Annie. Frank and his wife only have one child. “Why does she need protection?”

  “Because her husband is threatening to kill her—ex-husband, I should say. They divorced three months ago.”

  I cross my arms over my chest and take a deep breath, fairly reeling from the news. I hadn’t known about the divorce. But instead of focusing on that, I focus on the rest of his revelation. The one thing I cannot abide is violence against women and children. I’ve seen far too much of it, and I won’t tolerate it. “I’m listening.”

  “You recall that Annie married Ted Patterson, a junior partner in my firm?”

  “Yes. Actually, I recall that Annie was engaged to marry my brother, until you and your wife managed to talk her out of it. She married Patterson just weeks later.”

  At least Elliot has the decency to look abashed. “I—we’re—sorry about what we did. In hindsight, it was a mistake.”

  “No kidding.” I remember Annie. She and Jake were inseparable. He doted on her, and she worshipped the ground he walked on. If any two people were destined to be together, it was these two. At least until her parents started meddling.

  I remember Annie as a quiet, mousey girl. I can picture her back in high school—brown hair, with bangs in her face, intelligent brown eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses, always a book in her arms. She was a bookworm, a nerd, one of the smart kids, while Jake was a jock through and through, big for his age and muscular even then. As a hotshot quarterback on the football team, Jake could have had any girl in that school with a snap of his fingers, but he only had eyes for the quiet little bookworm.

  They got engaged the summer after they graduated. A year later, while Annie was a freshman in college, Jake was working at a hardware store, trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. A week before the wedding was scheduled to take place, she broke their engagement, effectively breaking his heart. Shortly after, she married Patterson, one of her father’s employees. At the ripe old age of twenty, my brother found himself jilted. She wrecked him, and he’s been pining for her ever since.

  I want to tell Frank Elliot to get the hell out of my office. I want to kick his ass to the curb and tell him never to return. But I can’t. I keep picturing that quiet little girl from high school. She wouldn’t have been able to protect herself from a fly, let alone an abusive husband. The thought curdles my stomach.

  “Just give me the facts,” I say, reaching for the small digital recorder on my desk. “I’m going to record our conversation.”

  Elliot nods eagerly, suddenly looking more relaxed. “Yes, I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Just please, promise me you’ll protect my daughter.” Elliot meets my gaze head on. “And my grandson.”

  “I’d heard there was a child.”

  Frank nods. “Yes. Aiden is five, hardly more than a baby.” The man swallows hard. “Annie isn’t the only one Patterson abused. Aiden has bruises too.”

  Too.

  Shit.

  There’s no way in hell I can keep this from Jake. “All right, Frank. Start talking, from the beginning. Tell me everything.”

  Chapter 4

  Beth

  When Lia and I arrive back at the penthouse, Cooper’s already home from the shooting range where he supervises weapons assessment and training for company personnel. We find him in the kitchen mixing up a marinade for chicken breasts. The air is redolent with rosemary and garlic, making my stomach growl. Cooper has mad skills in the kitchen, and luckily for all of us, he loves to cook.

  “Damn, that smells good,” Lia says, hopping up onto a barstool at the kitchen counter. “Why, yes, Cooper!” she says, mimicking Cooper’s gruff, baritone voice. “Jonah and I are free for dinner tonight. Thanks for asking.”

  Cooper glances back over his shoulder at Lia and raises an eyebrow. “Wow, that was subtle. Lia, would you and Jonah like to join us for dinner tonight?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, we would. I’m tired of take-out. I want a home-cooked meal.”

  “You could learn to cook,” Cooper says, turning back to his culinary work.

  Lia rolls her eyes. “You’re funny.”

  I walk over to my adopted father, who looks very handsome with an apron draped over his well-worn blue jeans and T-shirt, and put an arm around his waist, leaning in to kiss the side of his arm. “How was your day?”

  “Good,” he says, pouring the marinade over the chicken breasts. “How was yours?”

  “Great. Lia and I are making plans to go away for the weekend. To Jake’s cabin.”

  Cooper looks skeptical. “Just the two of you?”

  “The guys are coming, too,” Lia says, reaching for a bowl of fresh strawberries. She bites into a berry and chews. “Princess has cabin fever—who can blame her? We could all use a change of scenery.”

  Cooper still doesn’t look convinced. “And Shane agreed to this?”

  I laugh, bumping him with my hip. “Yes, he did. Don’t sound so surprised.”

  Cooper washes his hands and dries them on a paper towel, then he gives me his paternal face. “Honey, I don’t think you should go out of town so close to your due date.”

  I lay my hands on my belly. “It’s not that close. I still have another six weeks.”

  “Besides, we’re not going far,” Lia says, reaching for another strawberry. “It’s only two hours away. If something happens, we’ll hoof it back home in plenty of time.”

  Cooper shakes his head, obviously not impressed with Lia’s argument. But before he can respond, the elevator chimes, and a moment later, Jonah and Sam walk into the penthouse.

  “Something sure smells good,” Jonah says, as he heads straight for Lia.

  “That’s our dinner you’re smelling,” Lia says, pulling Jonah close for a kiss. “We’ve been invited to stay for dinner. Oh, and by the way, we’re going out of town tomorrow—just for one night. ‘Kay?”

  Jonah shrugs as he cups the back of her neck and leans in for a second kiss. “Hey, I go where you go.”

  Sam heads over to Cooper and me, tossing me a quick smile. “Hey, princess,” he says, giving me a fist bump. Then he stops directly in front of Cooper, grabs him by the apron, and pulls him clos
e for a kiss. “Hi, babe. How was your day?”

  “It was good,” Cooper says. “How about yours?”

  “Oh, my God!” Lia says to Cooper. “Are you blushing?”

  Cooper gives her a flat stare. “No, I am not. And you’d better stop that right now if you want to stay for dinner. It’s not too late to uninvite you, young lady.”

  Lia hops off her barstool and drags Jonah by the hand to the seating area by the hearth. “I’m not saying another word.”

  While Cooper sees to dinner, Sam and I join Lia and Jonah on the sofas. Positioned strategically in front of a towering stone hearth, two sofas and two armchairs surround a huge coffee table. Sam and I crash on one of the long sofas. I kick off my sandals and tuck my feet up under me, and Sam stretches out beside me.

  “So, where are we going?” Jonah says, pulling Lia onto his lap.

  “To Jake’s cabin,” she says. “It’s our last wild fling before the baby comes.”

  Sam laughs. “You mean my godson, don’t you? Lucas Samuel.”

  Lia rolls her eyes at me. “Oh, for God’s sake, why did you name your baby after Sam? He’s never going to let us forget it.”

  I laugh as I reach over to pat Sam’s back. “Oh, maybe because he saved Luke’s life. And mine.” I lean over and kiss his cheek. “He’s my hero.”

  Lia groans. “Oh, please stop. Sam’s head is big enough already.”

  The elevator pings, announcing a new arrival, and we all turn our heads as Shane walks through the foyer door. I heave my cumbersome body up off the sofa and rush to meet him. “You’re home early!”

  He pulls me close for a kiss. “I thought I’d come home so we can pack for our trip.”

  Cooper stalks out of the kitchen, slinging a hand towel over his shoulder as he parks himself in front of Shane. “I can’t believe you agreed to let her go out of town right now. Are you crazy?”

  “Most likely, yes,” Shane replies, biting back a grin as he heads for the refrigerator to grab a beer. “Don’t blame me. I succumbed against my better judgement during a fit of passion.”