Nightingale: A Reed Security Romance

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  “We’re not doing anything to him. We’re protecting him from where the courts are sending him.”

  “It’s kidnapping, Florrie. We can’t do that. We can’t put our friends in that position.”

  “I’m talking about what’s best for Reid.”

  “And what about me?”

  “What about you?” I asked irritatedly. “You’re just pissed because my life doesn’t revolve around you. You’ve always wanted to be the center of attention and since Reid came into our lives, you’ve been pissy that it’s not all working out your way.”

  He gripped my arms and pulled me into him. “I’m not pissy because he’s in my life. I’m fucking pissed that you’d be willing to throw away not only your life, but also mine because you don’t like the cards we’ve been dealt. I’m sorry, Florrie. I’m really fucking sorry, but we can’t just take the kid and run. We’d be running for the rest of our lives. We’d put our friends in a terrible position. And if by chance we didn’t get caught, we could never come home again.”

  “I don’t care about that.”

  “Well, I fucking do. I have a life here, Florrie. I have friends that are like family to me, that I can’t just walk away from. I have a job that I love almost as much as I love you. And you want me to risk all of that and face prison. I would never be able to work in this field again. I would never have the life I have now. That’s a hell of a lot to ask.”

  “It’s for Reid,” I pleaded. “Can’t you see that?”

  “Florrie, he’s going to a good home. Those people love him. They’re his family. Doesn’t he deserve that after all the shit he’s been through? Doesn’t he deserve a chance to live the life that every other kid gets?”

  “He deserves to be with people that already love him, that took him in when he had nothing. He deserves to live with the people that he trusts. He deserves everything in the world and that’s what I intend to give him. If you don’t want to help me, that’s fine. I’ll do it on my own, but there is no way in hell I’m letting you stop me. So, make your choice, Alec. You’re either with me or you’re against me.”

  He took a step back, shaking his head. “Florrie, I’m sorry. I can’t let you do this.”

  “You can’t stop me,” I said as I watched Craig slowly creep up behind him. I took a step back, swallowing hard. “I’m sorry. I love you.”

  He looked confused for just a split second before Craig wrapped his arms in a choke hold around Alec’s neck. Betrayal shone bright in Alec’s eyes, but it was too late. He had betrayed me a long time ago. I watched as Craig knocked Alec out, and the sad part was that Alec didn’t seem to really fight him too much. It was like he was resigned to let it happen.

  Craig laid him out on the ground and stepped over him, snatching my hand. “Come on, we have to go.” He tugged my hand, jerking my attention to him. “We have to leave now.”

  I swiped the tears from my face and nodded. “I’ll get Reid.” I ran to his door and flung it open. His head jerked up and pushed to his feet. “We need to leave right now.”

  We rushed out the door, but Reid stopped when he saw Alec on the ground. “Is he dead?” he asked, his eyes wide.

  “No, he’s just asleep. Come on.”

  I grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door. We ran down the hallway, headed for the escape hatch that would lead us through the tunnel to the getaway at the back of the property. We were almost to the door when Knight stepped out of nowhere and blocked our path. For a second, I thought he was going to help us, but then he raised his gun and pointed it at us.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Move, Knight,” I commanded, shoving Reid behind me. I had my gun, but there was no way I could grab it before Knight took a shot. I glanced at Craig and saw that he was in the same position. I never thought that anyone on the team would pull a gun on me. “We’re leaving.”

  “No, you’re not. I know this didn’t turn out how you wanted, but this isn’t the answer.”

  “Really? After all the shit you’ve done, you think you’re the person to tell me what’s right and what’s wrong?”

  “I can tell you that I’ve been on the run before and it’s not any kind of life that you want to live. Your life isn’t going to be what you’re imagining. You think you can give Reid what he needs? Where are you planning on running, Florrie?”

  “Well, I guess it’s too much to hope that you’ll lend me your house in Colorado,” I smirked.

  “I wish I could, but that’s not going to happen. Trust me on this. I’ve been where you are. What you have here is better than anything you could ever hope for out there. You have a family here. You have a job here. What are you going to do for work when you’re running from everyone?”

  “I have money.”

  “And you’re gonna need a helluva lot more. Do you really think you can find work out there while you’re taking care of a kid?”

  “Coop did it.”

  “Yeah, and if you ask him now, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna say that it was hell on him.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on that,” Coop said, stepping out of the shadows and holding his gun against Knight’s head. “Let her through.”

  Knight’s jaw clenched in anger, his fist gripping the gun tight. “This is going to end really fucking bad if you plan to keep that gun pressed against my head.”

  “I have no problem pulling the trigger, so make your move and pay the consequences.”

  Relief poured through me. I didn’t know if Craig set this up, or if Coop was just doing this on his own, but I was grateful. Knight smirked at me, lowering his arm slowly. He was too calm, too fucking relaxed to just give in like this. Something else was going on. He had a plan. He always had a plan.

  “Sorry, man,” Tony said, stepping out of the shadows, holding a gun on Coop. “You know I’m with you on anything, but not this.”

  Coop snorted. “I thought you were all about fighting for those that couldn’t fight for themselves.”

  “No, that’s where you’re wrong. I’m all about defending the people that I surround myself with. That includes everyone at this company, and that’s more than just Florrie and Reid. I wish like hell that she had won in court today, but I can’t allow her to go rogue and tear this whole fucking company apart.”

  “You’ve worked here for barely a year,” Craig spat.

  “Cap saved my ass. I was working at a dead end job, fucking hating every aspect of my life. He took me in and gave me a purpose when I had none, and now you want me to spit in his face? Fuck no. Florrie, I’m sorry. I wish I could help you, but this isn’t helping anyone.”

  Knight spun quickly, disarming Coop who couldn’t do much of anything with a gun pointed at his head. I felt deflated. My chances of getting out of here were slipping away. If I didn’t get Reid into that tunnel, we had no chance of getting out of here, and he would be lost to me.

  Knight raised his arm, pointing his gun at us once again. “Back to the living room.”

  I glanced at Craig, who hadn’t had a chance to pull his gun. Neither of us had. If we had tried, one of us could have been shot, and with Reid right next to us, that wasn’t a chance we could take. With no other choice, we turned and headed back to the living room. Knight stopped us just down the hall from the suite I used to share with Alec.

  “Reid, go wait in your room.”

  Reid turned to me and I nodded, letting him know it was okay. He headed for the door and slowly pushed inside. Knight motioned for us to continue down the hall. What I found there was nothing short of my worst nightmare.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Reid

  When I shoved the door open, I expected to see Alec on the floor, but he was gone. I glanced around inside, thinking he would come out of his old room or out of the bathroom, but it was silent. There was no one here. I shut the door and stood there, hands in my pockets, trying to figure out what to do. Everything was all wrong. When Florrie said that we were leaving, I figured it woul
d be with Alec. I had thought that we would just slip out and no one would know any better. But that wasn’t what happened.

  This was all my fault. Florrie and Alec would still be together if it wasn’t for me. They would have their family and their friends and they would be happy. Instead, for the past few months, I had torn them apart. I knew that this wasn’t just because of me. It was because they disagreed on what to do about me. If only I hadn’t tried to hold them up that night. If only I had stuck to the shadows, but I had been so hungry and I just wanted something to eat. I could still remember the desperation I felt. My stomach growled and ached with a hunger that I knew from my time stuck in the senator’s basement. I just wanted it all to end. And when they walked by, I saw my chance. I never would have thought that this is what it would all come to.

  The door opened and Caitlin slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind her. “What’s going on out there?”

  “They’re all fighting over what to do with me.”

  “What did the judge say?”

  “He said that I had to go live with the Fullers.”

  “No,” she said firmly. “You can’t go. You belong here.”

  “Newsflash, even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be staying here. Florrie was going to run with me, but now they’re all fighting.”

  She sat down on the couch, pulling me down with her. “What are you going to do?”

  I looked into her fierce eyes and decided right there and then that there was only one thing I could do. “I’m going to tell Florrie that I want to live with the Fullers.”

  “Why?” she asked in shock. “Why would you do that? Do you actually want to live with them?”

  “They’re not too bad,” I shrugged. “It wouldn’t be that bad.”

  “But you don’t want to go,” she insisted.

  “Well, I can’t stay here. That’s not an option and going on the run with Florrie is going to ruin her and Alec.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I sighed in frustration. “Alec doesn’t want her to run with me. He tried to stop us. None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for me. They’re supposed to be together. They were going to get married, and then I came along and ruined all that.”

  “No, you didn’t,” she said, snatching my hand. “They want you. I know they do.”

  “But that’s not what the judge said,” I explained. “The point is, if I tell Florrie that I want to go live with the Fullers, then she and Alec can get back together. They won’t be fighting about this anymore.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “This all happened because of me. I have to try and fix this. Alec and Florrie have done so much for me. I have to try and get them back together. I think this could work.”

  “But I don’t want you to go,” she said tearfully, slipping her hand in mine. Caitlin had become my best friend over the past few months. I hardly realized it until right this minute. She was always there when I needed someone, and the kissing wasn’t too bad either. But what made Caitlin so special was how she stormed into my life and demanded that I be her friend. I had never had anyone fight to be my friend before, and I knew that when I left here, I wasn’t just leaving behind Alec and Florrie, I was leaving behind my best friend. And I didn’t know if I was ever going to see her again.

  “I’ll miss you,” I said, pulling her in for a hug. She held me tight and her tears slipped onto my shoulder. I didn’t cry though. I had to be strong so that I could go through with my plan. If I was able to do this, maybe I could set things right. Maybe it won’t have been for nothing.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Alec

  I woke up groggy with a pounding headache. I hadn’t fought Florrie, part of me hoping that she would get away. I shook my head and stood on shaky legs. I needed to find out if Florrie made it out of here, but I needed help. With Craig on her side, there was no way I could take on both of them and come out on top. I raced for the door, throwing it open and heading for Cap’s office. Except, when I stepped into the living area, Cap was already there, arguing with Chris.

  “We need to help them get out of here,” Chris argued.

  “No fucking way. Do you realize what we’re risking if we do that?” Cap shouted back.

  “This is all your fault,” Chris said, turning to me. “You should have fought harder for them. What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking that this wasn’t a battle we could win. Besides, he’s going to a good home-”

  “That’s your fucking excuse?” Chris shouted. “You know jack shit about these people. Whatever your research is telling you, that says nothing about what it’ll be like when they get back to Utah. You have no fucking clue what’s going to happen to that kid.”

  “Just because you had a shitty upbringing doesn’t mean that he will.”

  “No, but I sure as fuck know what happens in homes like that,” he spat.

  Sinner sauntered in, walking like he didn’t have a care in the world, but I knew that his whole body was thrumming with tension. The question was, whose side was he on? “Alright, everyone just chill. You’re ruining my afternoon off. Now, let’s all just take a step back and think about this logically.”

  “You be logical, I’ll be realistic,” Chris shot at him.

  “Hey now, there’s no need to get nasty. I was just going to point out that this would have happened no matter what Alec decided to do. These people found out about Reid and they wanted him. You can’t blame Alec for that.”

  “We can blame him for being a pussy,” Jules shot back. “And you by association.”

  Sinner held a hand over his heart. “That hurts, man.”

  “You’re siding with the wrong people,” Jules said.

  “Now, look at this from my point of view. One, I’m already in enough trouble with Cap on a day to day basis because of Maggie. I really don’t need to add to the pile of crap that’s poured on me by siding against Cap.”

  “Thanks, man,” Cap nodded.

  “No problem. B, I very rarely make mistakes.”

  “I don’t know, fucking Vira seemed like a mistake, but you still did that,” Cazzo grumbled.

  “Hey, I said I very rarely make mistakes. And you couldn’t technically count that as fucking. Besides, you should be on Cap’s side with this. You’re a part owner in the company,” Sinner shot back.

  “Yeah, well, as part owner, I’m fucking telling you that this is wrong.”

  Enough of this shit. We couldn’t just keep hashing this out. We needed to move before Florrie got away with Reid and ruined her fucking life. “Enough! Cap, we gotta stop them. If she leaves the property with Reid, she’s fucked. There’s no helping her after that.”

  “That’s her choice to make,” Chris said, pulling his gun and pointing it at me as I stepped for the door. I stopped in my tracks, raising my hands slowly. I had expected some push back from some of the guys, but never in my life had I thought one of them would pull a gun on me.

  “What the fuck are you doing, man?”

  “I’m doing what I have to to help Florrie.”

  “Whoa,” Burg said slowly. “Just calm the fuck down. This is insane.”

  “Pick a side,” Chris spat.

  I glanced at Cap, who nodded slightly. He pulled his gun, holding it right on Chris. “I get that you want to help Florrie, but this isn’t the way to do it. Shooting your teammate isn’t going to help.”

  “Neither is not helping one of them. Do you know how fucking ridiculous this all is?” Chris asked. “So you all went along for the fight when I went after Ali and my kid. You took on two fucking gangs for me, but you aren’t willing to help Florrie when she wants to fight for her fucking kid?”

  “It’s not the same thing,” I argued. “You were getting your kid and Ali out of danger. Reid isn’t in danger.”

  “You think he’s not in danger,” Chris argued. “Your woman is telling you something different and you’re not fucking listening!”

/>   Sinner pulled his gun, aiming right at Chris. He had two guns on him now, but his was still pointed directly at me. Suddenly, everyone was pulling guns. Cazzo was pointing his at Cap. Hunter and Derek were on opposite sides, aiming their weapons at each other. Jules had his weapons drawn, pointed right at Burg. Ice was right behind Chris with a gun pointed right at his fucking head. Lola, Gabe, and Rocco all had their guns pulled, but looked unsure of where to point them. Storm and Chance both took up protective stances around Chris, aiming right at me, while I just stood there, hoping not to get shot.

  “Everybody just calm the fuck down,” I shouted, trying to lower the tension in the room. This was fucking insane. “Look, this isn’t your fight. This is between Florrie and me.”

  “No, that’s where you’re wrong,” Cazzo argued. “I’ve seen this before. Hell, look at what I pulled Vanessa out of. You can’t expect us to sit by and let that happen to Reid.”

  “Not this time,” Ice said, pressing his gun against Chris’s head. “You know I would do fucking anything for you guys, but we have to draw the line somewhere. I can’t fucking do this again. I’ve risked everything for this company. I’ve put Lindsey in one bad situation after another for this company, and now you want me to do it again? I have to put my family first.”

  “And what about the rest of us?” Storm asked. “Who gets to decide when we fight and when we walk away? You sure as shit didn’t walk away when Morgan and Chance were in danger. That was going up against the cartels and you didn’t walk away then.”

  “You’re talking about something completely different,” Derek cut in. “That was life and death. Now you’re talking about putting the company, all of our jobs, our families at risk. The kid is in the system. A judge made a ruling in his case. If we go against that now, you can kiss this company goodbye. None of us will ever work in this field again. The company will go bankrupt, and we just recovered from that once. How the fuck are we going to do that again when we all just put everything we have into this?”