Savage Love

by Lisa Renee Jones

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Savage

  “Say it,” I order Asher.

  Asher’s expression tightens. “A high-ranking admiral with the US Army.”

  Holy fuck, and there it is, the dirty laundry of my world, and her father’s, sprawled all over the living room floor, dirtying up a morning otherwise filled with sex, tacos, and Starbucks. Seconds tick by, heavy fucking seconds before Candace folds her arms in front of her and turns only to run smack into me. I catch her arms. “Easy, baby.”

  “I was looking for you.” Her voice trembles with the reality of what she’s learning about her father and me, but I don’t sense accusation, judgment, or anger in her. Or even withdrawal.

  “I’m right here. I’m always going to be right here.”

  “We both know what that assassination was. We both know it’s about my mother. What if Gabriel knows? What if—”

  “We don’t know what that was at all. We have no reason to believe that had anything to do with your mother.”

  She eyes Asher. “Do we?”

  “I found no connection to your mother,” Asher confirms. “Nothing obvious or direct.”

  Candace’s eyes whip back to me. “Nothing obvious means nothing.”

  “When I went to work for the black ops project, your father was in charge. We ran tough missions, missions the US couldn’t officially operate. High-risk missions and yes a few went to the heart of DC.”

  “Our own admiral?” she demands. “Surely not.”

  I don’t hold back. The truth rules. The truth has to prevail. “If he was a spy, fuck yes. And the admiral might have actually been our man, not our target. The mission doesn’t always go as planned.”

  “Right,” she says, and she immediately rotates back to Asher. “Can you get my father’s phone records for the weeks leading up to and after my mother’s death?”

  “Those are old records,” he replies. “And I doubt he was using his phone for that call. More likely a government-issued number we need to know, to search.”

  “Or a burner,” I add. “We used a lot of burner phones.” I lift a chin at Asher. “Was there a potential enemy combatant present in DC that day?”

  “We’ll have to talk about the definition of ‘enemy combatant’ for me to answer that and only after I do research,” Asher replies, tossing an empty taco wrapper in a bag. “But we might not have to travel in that direction. I think we know why the admiral was a target. He was on a targeted government committee with Gabriel.”

  “Gabriel?” Candace asks. “Unbelievable. Obviously, my father and Gabriel knew each other far better than I knew they did when I met Gabriel or after. I’m not sure what to make of that. I mean my father didn’t tell me.”

  Just as he didn’t tell her he recruited me for his special ops team either, I think, but this is a rabbit hole better discussed alone and after tonight.

  “I’ve got more to share,” Asher says, grabbing another taco, while Adam, Adrian, and Smith are stuffing their faces so damn fast there will be nothing left. Assholes. “One of the targets on the data drive you gave me,” Asher continues, motioning to me, “was a private businessman that had worked with the CIA as a consultant. He was flagged as a spy in the CIA database but Aaron, our man, the ex-CIA agent I talked about, did some digging. There’s something fishy about the whole thing. The common denominator between your target and the admiral in DC is—”

  “Gabriel,” Candace says.

  “The CIA,” Asher corrects. “Aaron is working to connect them to Gabriel for us.” He’s back to me now. “That mission,” Asher adds, “was before you joined Tag, Savage. If that tells you anything.”

  “It doesn’t,” I say. “I was told everything I did was for the better of our country from day one but the missions were all shitty. They just got dirtier after Tag took over the operation.”

  Candace looks between Asher and I. “Does any of this help us put Gabriel in jail?”

  Asher holds up a finger, sips his coffee and then answers. “Our best bet in my damn good opinion is that we link Gabriel with your father. Then we use that with the message you have threatening him, and we might have enough for an attempted murder charge. Plus, we have the conversation he had with Pocher about getting rid of you.”

  “Fuck, man,” Adam grumbles. “Can you be a little more sensitive?”

  “I’m fine,” Candace says, waving him off and getting back on topic. “Is that enough?”

  “That’s not enough,” I say. “Not even close to enough to take him down.”

  “He’s running for office,” Asher argues. “This ends his campaign and forces him to protect himself. And in the spotlight, he won’t be able to kill Candace or her father, and he’ll have no reward for doing so.”

  “You’re not listening to half this story, man,” I snap. “Pocher doesn’t leave loose ends. If we go this route, he might decide pencil dick Honest Gabe is a liability and kill him for us, but he’ll come for Candace and her father, too.”

  “You could say that to any charge we come up with,” Adam argues. “It sounds like you want Gabriel dead. I mean why the fuck are we killing Tag if you want what he wants?”

  “Look, fucktard,” I growl, “you give me a way to take down these assholes without me making them dead, I’ll listen. So far you haven’t and time is wasting. As to why Tag will die tonight? Tag is the ghetto version of Pocher. He won’t leave loose ends. He will come for all of us, Walker included. Right now, all that matters, is getting the General home, and getting Candace out of here before they’re dead.”

  “If killing Tag ends that threat,” Smith says, “why aren’t you suggesting we kill Pocher? I mean fuck, man, you’re a damn assassin. Why not kill them all, Savage?”

  I glower. “You really want me to fight you one day, don’t you?”

  Smith waves a taco. “Only after tacos?”

  My brows dip. “Pocher won’t just die, asshole. A serial killer broke into the man’s house and killed his brother, not him.”

  Candace gapes. “He had his brother killed off?”

  I shrug. “Who the fuck knows with him. He could have set it up. He’s that shitty. My point,” I look around the room, “is that even if he died, the man would crawl out of his grave, bend you over, and fuck you ten times over without Vaseline. He’s not one man. He’s the Society, and the Society is worldwide, and deeper than dirt. And that, my brothers, is why I called Kane Mendez.”

  “Because he’ll kill Pocher?” Adrian asks.

  My lips thin. “No, damn it. It’s not that simple. You have to give him a reason to keep those he wants dead, alive. You have to give the Society, not the man, a reason to keep them alive.” I don’t offer more. They don’t understand the magnitude of the Society and I’m not going to freak Candace out by painting that picture now. I walk to the bags to grab a couple of tacos. “I’m going to eat and so is my baby girl over here. Then we’re going to talk through tonight, which will be one of the best nights of my life. A night where I kill Tag, a rat-faced piece of moving shit, and then I take my girl home with me.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Savage

  Tired of standing and starving while the Walker team sits and eats, I grab the two navy blue chairs framing the fireplace and scoot them into the center of the room. Candace sits. I claim two cups of Starbucks and offer her one. “Starbucks makes everything better, baby,” I say, her words, not mine.

  Her eyes warm with the memories that statement stirs of early morning runs, and our stop by Starbucks on the way home. I wink and snatch a bag of tacos for us to share, claiming my spot beside her, before pointing at the team. “Who’s on first? Let’s recap our plans.”

  “I’m on Team Tag,” Adam says. “I have three backup men out of the Dallas and Houston Walker offices, who’ll be watching our asses.”

  “No,” I say, setting down my coffee and grabbing a taco. “It’s me alone or me with anyone in this room. No one else.”

  “Then it�
�s me and you,” Adam concedes. “We can’t afford to spare anyone else.”

  “I’m with Candace,” Adrian states, “and we have three men running back up.”

  “Now you have six,” I say, considering Adam just gave up three.

  “Right,” Adrian states. “And out of those six, I’ll actually be inside the party as a guest Candace.”

  “As will I,” Smith chimes in. “We’ll use the extra three men to covertly escort Gabriel to the airport.”

  “And I’ll,” Asher says, “be running tech support for Tag’s takedown and Candace’s protection.”

  Candace blinks. “How many men do you have here now?”

  “I called and brought in rush reinforcements for tonight,” Asher supplies. “We’re twelve deep.”

  The doorbell rings and Candace’s eyes go wide. “Rick?”

  “It’s the tuxedo services,” Asher informs her, tapping his computer screen. “I can see your door.”

  Her brows dip, and the adorable pucker between her brows that she hates and I love appears. “Tuxedo services?”

  “Of course,” I say. “Me, Smith, and Adrian need to look spiffy, baby.”

  She gapes. “You? You’re going to be at the party?”

  “As a guest of my father who agreed to get me in. No doubt, to please his buddy Tag. It’s the best way for me to take the toddler Tag off guard. He’s easily distracted. He’ll see me there and be certain I’m there to kill Gabriel.”

  “Because you will,” she snaps. “The first time you see him touch me, you’ll lose your shit.”

  “I said the same damn thing,” Smith snaps. “Listen to your woman, Savage.”

  “The first time he touches you?” I challenge. “He better not touch you.”

  “That’s not realistic,” she argues, “and the very fact that you just said that is making me worse of nervous wreck than I already am. I won’t be able to hide my discomfort from him knowing you’re waiting to kill him. The instant he tries to touch me, I’ll be afraid you’re going to lose your shit and that endangers you and my father. You are not going to the party. The end.” She stands up and walks to the door to grab thee tuxedos.

  The guys smirk and smile. Already on my feet, I shoot them two fingers and follow Candace to the foyer where I hang out at the side of the doorway out of view, until she shuts the door. I take the garment bags from her hands. “No,” she says before I speak.

  I lower my voice for her ears only. “This might be the only time outside our wedding you see me in a tux, baby.”

  She blanches. “Wedding?”

  “Hell yes, Candy, baby. Wedding. I’m not going to blow this night and miss the chance to make you mine again.”

  “Is that a proposal?”

  “Hell no. I wouldn’t propose with those assholes here and us standing in the damn foyer. This right now is a promise of what’s to come after tonight. I’m not blowing that. Trust me. I’m asking you to trust me.”

  “If he touches me—”

  “I won’t lose my shit unless he pulls some shit.”

  “Define ‘pulls some shit’.”

  “I will protect you. You know I have to protect you.”

  Her eyes soften. “What comes after tonight, Rick, that’s what matters.”

  “Is that right?”

  “You know it is.”

  “Well then, baby. Let’s go finish this planning and get you packed, so we can go home together.”

  She nods and kisses my cheek. I cup her head and give her a long stroke of tongue while she gives me a sweet little moan that has my cock twitching and my heart burn every shade of right. That’s when you know you have the right woman—when she can talk to your cock, your mind, and your heart, all at the same time without even trying. I wouldn’t just kill for this woman. I’d die for her. I just hope like hell that doesn’t happen. It’d be a bitch to win her back and then end up dead. I stroke her damp lip and motion her to the living room.

  We rejoin the Walker team and I’m pretty sure I just asked her to marry me, and she said yes. I just need to get us through this night and ask her properly.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Candace

  My body is still warm from Rick’s kiss, my heart even warmer from his promised proposal when we enter the living room and rejoin the Walker team. We’ve barely sat down in our chairs again and I’ve barely started to gather my thoughts when my cellphone rings.

  “It’s Gabriel,” Smith warns, tapping his MacBook that sits in front of him before I can even reach for my cell “I can tell you from our surveillance that he’s sitting at breakfast with his campaign manager.”

  “I hope she takes him back to his room and spreads her legs again after they eat so that he stays away,” I say, grabbing my phone from my pocket.

  Smith snorts his coffee. Rick snorts laughter. “Quiet!” Asher snaps.

  I inhale and take the call. “Hi,” I say, and I don’t look at Rick or anyone in the room. I stare at my sneakers, praying this is the last call from this man that I have to take, ever. “How are you?”

  “Running late,” he says shortly. “I’m about to walk into a meeting with the governor which is why I’m calling. I’m sending a car to pick you up at eight. I’ll meet you at the party.”

  “And then you fly out after the party?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. When I get back, we’ll fuck like rabbits to make up for all this fucked up separation.”

  Spoken as he sits next to the woman he’s fucking like a rabbit. The man really is a priceless turd as my mother used to say. “I’ll see you at the party.”

  “Okay. You’re upset?”

  “I’m not upset,” I say, and my voice lifts, damn it, why does my voice lift?

  “You’re upset.”

  “I’m not upset, Gabriel. Go to your meeting. I’ll see you soon.”

  “I’m bringing you a gift. You’ll forgive me when you see it, I promise. Gotta run. Love you.” He hangs up. I disconnect and slide my phone back into my pocket, glancing at Rick. “He’s sending a car at eight. And he’s leaving right after the party.”

  “Thank fuck Eric came through,” Rick grumbles, handing me my coffee. “And I heard. He’s bringing you a gift.”

  “He’s not meeting the governor,” Asher interjects, clearly avoiding that bad topic, before he explains to the group. “He told Candace he was headed to a meeting with the governor.”

  “As long as he stays away, I don’t care what’s he’s doing,” I say, grabbing my coffee.

  Adrian eyes my hand and points. “Don’t forget to wear your engagement ring tonight. He’ll notice that shit is missing.”

  My eyes go wide. I threw it on the floor last night. “Oh, crap.” I start to get up.

  Rick catches my arm. “I have it.” He doesn’t offer to give it to me. Instead, he hands me a taco. “It’s better for you than that ring.”

  I give him a “really?” look and he leans in and kisses me. “Really, baby.”

  I purse my lips. His eyes smolder. In turn, I dig into my taco, because really, tacos seem like the only thing that makes sense in this crazy world right now. And Starbucks. Planning recaps begin and I eat and drink, listening to the preparations for the night. All the while, I think tonight will change my life.

  That’s all I can think the entire time the Walker team is talking. One way or the other, this night is a new beginning and an ending. I just pray I celebrate my new beginning with my father alive and well.

  “One last thing before we leave,” Adrian says as everyone packs up. “I plan to have you in sight at all times, but I’d feel better if you were wired. However, we’re afraid Gabriel will find the microphone.”

  Rick grunts with the idea that Gabriel will be that intimately by my side tonight.

  “Make a scene if you have to,” Adrian continues. “Scream with a foot cramp or spider bite. Be creative. Just buy time and wait for me if we get separated.”

  Nerves explode in my belly just thinkin
g about what situation might make me that desperate. I can’t imagine one at the party, but they can, and that means they foresee trouble. Or maybe that’s just their nature. God, I hope so.

  When finally the team heads for the back door to leave, I’m relieved. I need some breathing room to deal with the stress of tonight. I might need a drink. The guys are all filing out when Rick receives a text and grabs his phone only to curse. Adam falls back and both of us ask, “What’s wrong?”

  “Kara just sent me a text. Kelly left.” He eyes me. “That’s Max’s wife. Max being my buddy that left Tag’s operation behind and disappeared.”

  “I remember,” I say. “I thought she was at a safehouse.”

  He scrubs his jaw. “She was. Kara had her but she pulled a gun on Kara and left.” He dials his phone and the call is short but not sweet. He ends with, “I hope like hell that’s true. Do what you can. Thanks, Kara.” He disconnects. “Kelly told Kara she had one last chance to find Max but she had to go alone. She doesn’t trust us or she’d know that’s not true.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Pray Max is alive.”

  She’s running.

  If Rick doesn’t kill Tag, we’ll be running, just like Kelly. The problem is, that even once Tag is gone, Gabriel will not be gone. Pocher will not be gone. Rick might not be running from me anymore, but it seems we might be running together. I wait for a sense of panic to overcome me but there is none. I’m worried about a lot of things but not this. If I’m running with Rick, I know I’ll be just fine. Adam heads out and Rick locks the door and when he turns back to me, I say as much, “We’ll be hiding in New York, won’t we?”

  “Not for long, baby. I promise.”