Innocent Target

by Katie Reus

  “He’s likely heading out of the residential area and toward one of the more industrial districts,” Colt said.

  Skye wasn’t from Redemption Harbor, unlike her husband, Brooks and the rest of the team. But she’d studied the city since moving here and knew what area he was talking about. “So how’s Darcy doing?” Skye asked Brooks.

  “Sitting tight at the condo. She’s busy with her new clients and barely noticed I was there.”

  Well that was surely a lie. “I got a look at some of the security guys at her condo and they’re quite muscled. And good-looking,” Skye murmured.

  Colt shot her a hard look as she contained a laugh. She mouthed I’m kidding, but his expression didn’t soften. She’d make it up to him later.

  “Seriously? You’re messing with me now?” Brooks muttered.

  “Come on, I’ve gotta have some fun. We’re headed south on Ivy Lane right now. I can see you up ahead but we’ll hang back out of sight.” She steered into a closed dry cleaner’s parking lot.

  “According to the tracker, he’s parking at a pay-by-the-hour lot,” Gage said.

  Yep. He was switching vehicles. So he wasn’t a complete idiot.

  “He’s getting into a Chevy Malibu. Dark green,” Brooks said a few minutes later. “I’ll tail him for three blocks, then turn off.”

  “We’ll pick it up from there.”

  “You guys want me to take a turn following him?” Gage asked.

  “No. Focus on finding out who he is.”

  “Affirmative.”

  Gage was trained, but finding out who this guy was would be a lot more important for the team. Because it would be one more way to figure out who the hell had hired these kidnappers in the first place. Then cut the head off the snake.

  As Skye and Colt traded off with Brooks tailing the guy, Gage’s familiar laugh made something ease inside Skye. Whenever he started laughing like a cartoon villain, she knew he’d hit gold.

  “Got him. He’s Steve Barclay. Thirty-five. Army vet. Married once. Divorced. No kids. And…he’s got a federal warrant out for his arrest. For a long list of shit. Once we’ve got him locked down and get what we need, I say we call Hazel and do her a favor.”

  Hazel Blake was an FBI friend of Leighton’s who had done them a solid not too long ago. Skye really liked the woman even if she was a Fed. “Agreed.” Because doing favors for someone at a federal agency? Oh yeah. They might already have a couple “get out of jail free” cards in the form of some very interesting information they’d gathered during an op, but it never hurt to keep current contacts happy. She figured this was the version of normal people networking.

  Barclay took them on a merry chase around Redemption Harbor, but since they were working as a team it was unlikely he’d seen their tail. If he had, he still led them back to a quiet suburban neighborhood where he parked at the last house on a cul-de-sac.

  “It’s a rental,” Gage said once they gave him the address and he did his computer magic. The man really was a genius.

  Made sense. Much easier to stay at a house as opposed to a hotel with nosy staff.

  “From what I can tell there’s a retention pond behind the house. Let’s meet up on the other side and we’ll move on the place. Take him quietly,” Gage said. “I’m parking two blocks over at a gas station. No cameras.”

  Everyone murmured their version of affirmative.

  * * *

  “I’m taking point on this,” Brooks said, his voice tight as if he thought they would argue with him.

  The four of them had set up stations all around the rental house with Colt and Skye in the back near the retention pond. Gage and Brooks were in the front. They were all using the huge trees and neighboring houses for cover.

  “Affirmative,” Skye said even as Colt said the same.

  “I’ve got him on a parabolic mic,” Gage said. “Just a few movements and water running. Now it’s off. Sounds like he took a quick shower.”

  “I say we wait half an hour and see if he rabbits out of here,” Brooks said. “He saw that micro camera. If I were in the same position, I would have left too. Actually, I wouldn’t have come back to my base at all.”

  “Yeah,” Skye said slowly. “I wouldn’t have either.”

  “Unless this is some sort of trap.” Brooks added.

  “Could be, but this guy isn’t big-time.” Gage’s voice was as quiet as the rest of them. “He’s competent, takes a few jobs a year, gets paid and lies low.”

  “Then we wait,” Brooks said. “We’re not losing anyone because we got impatient.”

  Out of all of them, Brooks was a pro at being patient. As a former sniper, he would have to be. She, on the other hand, hated downtime, and though she had been very good at what she did when she’d been a spy, the downtime had always made her stir-crazy. Still did.

  “So what do you guys think of the name C-4 for the dog?” she murmured, scanning the house for any movement.

  Brooks snickered across the line. “I think it sounds like something you would do.”

  “I can’t believe we’re getting such a small mutt,” Colt muttered. “We should get a German Shepherd or something…”

  “Something what? More manly? Please.”

  “I don’t know, something bigger. Like a guard dog.”

  “I like C-4.” She’d never had a pet before and the cute little Shih Tzu had the biggest, sweetest eyes. She’d have to be a monster to have turned the puppy down. “I see movement,” Skye murmured, shifting into fight mode. A shadow peeled itself off the back of the house, moving stealthily toward the chain-link fence around the retention pond. Right toward where Colt was hiding.

  “I got him.” Colt’s voice was whisper quiet.

  He was closer to the moving figure. Still, Skye always got a little nervous whenever her husband put himself in danger. She figured that would never change, no matter how strong and capable he was. There was always going to be a part of her that simply worried for him. Even if worrying didn’t do shit.

  “We got your six.” Brooks’s response was just as quiet. Even though he’d wanted to take point on this, it didn’t make sense when Colt had the best angle.

  Skye remained where she was as Colt disappeared into the shadows, becoming nearly invisible as he used huge oak trees to his advantage. The moon was obscured by clouds tonight, giving them all an advantage. And there wasn’t much light on the back side of this house and none illuminating the retention pond, which was definitely a bonus. The lack of light was probably the reason Steve the kidnapper had decided to exit out the back of the house. Maybe he knew he’d been followed or maybe he was simply taking extra precautions. She was betting on the latter, considering all the evasive driving he’d done. This guy thought he was safe, alone.

  If there had been only one person following him, he would have lost the detail. But it was pretty damn hard to evade a team of drivers. It was one of the pros to working with a team. Something she appreciated now.

  As he moved west, Skye remained in place, all the muscles in her body tense as she waited for the man to get close enough to where Colt was lying in wait. She couldn’t even see Colt, but she knew where he had to be.

  They’d all donned dark clothing and ski masks, because they were going to be turning this guy over to the Feds when they were done with him and they didn’t want him to be able to identify them. The fewer people who knew who they were, the better. Even if this guy was a total douche, he might have a big mouth and someone might eventually listen to him if he talked about a team of people kidnapping him.

  Like a jaguar bursting from the trees, Colt attacked with sharp precision, not making a sound as he body-slammed Barclay.

  With a grunt, the man went down, and to give him credit he didn’t panic. No, he started to fight, drawing his arm back for a punch.

  But he was no match for Colt who had a hell of a lot of training, first with the Marines and then with the CIA.

  Her husband moved swiftly, maneuvering th
e smaller man onto his stomach and gripping him in a chokehold as the guy clawed at the grass and dirt beneath them. Barclay flailed about, gasping as he fought the inevitable.

  Skye raced toward the two of them even as she counted one, two, three. By the time she reached them, the man wasn’t moving but Colt held firm, still putting pressure on his windpipe. Skye continued counting and when she reached the right number she said, “Stop.”

  Colt was already loosening his grip. Without pause, he’d grabbed the man’s wrists and yanked them behind his back. Watching the way he moved, with such economic precision, it was hard not to admire how incredibly sexy he was as he hog-tied the man with a couple flex ties. Yep, that was her husband.

  “I’ll get the truck,” she whispered, racing off into the darkness. It was time to get some answers.

  Chapter 17

  —Entitlement is a delusion built on self-centeredness and laziness.—

  Max slid his earpiece in as he steered into the parking lot of the local feed store. “Yeah?” he answered on the second ring. There was only one man who had this number. Well, not really a man, but a man-child. A moron, but Max wasn’t picky about who hired him. The only thing he cared about was getting paid.

  “Give me some news,” Man-Child snapped.

  This guy was impatient, but that was usually the way of it. Guys like this had to hire guys like Max because they were pussies and couldn’t handle shit themselves. Max glanced around the parking lot to survey the other patrons. It was half full, which was good for him. He’d be leaving this vehicle here tomorrow after he’d wiped it down. “I’m in the process of getting to her. I should have her soon.”

  “I’ve heard that before.” There was a tremor to the man’s voice now. Probably because he was high. “And no one has delivered!”

  “Well you should have hired me first.” Max knew why the man-child hadn’t, of course. He cost more. But Max was also better at his job. Mainly because nothing was ever personal to him. He viewed things with a critical eye and didn’t make emotional decisions. Because the only thing that mattered to him was the bottom line. This kind of shit wasn’t personal to the people he kidnapped or killed. They were just part of a business arrangement. Except this client was a pain in the ass. Everything for Man-Child was about emotions. Entitled moron.

  Even going after this target was stupid. But it wasn’t Max’s problem. He’d do what needed to be done, drop her off to the client, and get his money.

  “I’m not going to be available for communication for the next twelve hours, possibly twenty-four.” Normally he didn’t go into that much detail, but a client like this one needed his hand held. Max could adapt to the situation.

  “Why?”

  He held back a sigh. “Because I’m going to be doing my job. Taking her is going to be tricky now that she’s gone to ground.” And he was assuming she had since she wasn’t at her place and her phone wasn’t traceable. “I’ll contact you when I’m in Miami.” And not a moment before because that was not how he worked. He might hold this guy’s hand a little, but he wasn’t going to cater to him. He was doing a job and that was all that should matter to any client.

  “Fine,” the man snapped. “If you try to double-cross me—”

  “You know my reputation.” He cut the fool off. “I always get the job done.” Of course there had been a few exceptions to that rule but the people he had decided to double-cross were all dead. So there was no one to ruin his pristine reputation. “Have you had contact with the others recently?” He needed to know if anyone else was going to get in his way. He’d simply eliminate anyone but he liked to know what he was up against.

  “No. All three of them have gone radio silent.”

  That was interesting. This guy had gone off half-cocked because his pride was injured and he’d hired men without the correct skill set to kidnap someone. Not complete amateurs but not the best either. Not that Max was the absolute best either. He knew his limitations and only took jobs he thought he could do. Hadley Lane was a challenge only because of who her family was. He’d been getting a little bored, so he was actually looking forward to this job. “If you bring anyone else in to this job in the next forty-eight hours, I will hunt you down and kill you. And I won’t be quick about it.”

  The other man cursed then said, “Understood.”

  The guy might be a fool but he wasn’t completely stupid, Max thought as he ended the phone call. Then he took the battery out. He’d toss it out the window once he left here. First, however, he wanted to check out this feed store.

  He’d figured out that the girl must be at her family’s ranch. It was the most secure place and if he was hiding from someone, it was where he would choose to go. He hadn’t been able to find out much about the brother other than he seemed to have a few business interests but mainly ran the Alexander Ranch. The girl hadn’t posted anything on social media lately, so no leads there.

  Her father, Douglas Alexander, was supposedly retired but still seemed to keep a finger in many of his businesses. And the man had just returned from Miami so Max’s money was on him being at the ranch too. Maybe because he was concerned for his daughter? Who knew. The only thing Max knew was that if he wanted to grab the girl, he had to get on that ranch. Because all three of the men that had been hired to kidnap her were now missing or at least out of contact. That couldn’t be a coincidence. So either Douglas Alexander had paid them off or he’d killed them. Which meant he might be waiting for a full-on attack.

  Max was at the feed store because the Alexander Ranch got their deliveries weekly from it. And he was going to be on the next truck that made its delivery to them.

  Sometimes the easiest way into any impenetrable fortress was the one that people tended not to pay attention to. Hired help often blended in. And he always used that fact to his advantage.

  No one would expect this type of entry. And if he got this right, he’d get onto the ranch, get the girl, and get out. Of course, things rarely worked out so easily, but he wasn’t afraid to do what was necessary to get a job done. And collateral damage was sometimes a reality.

  Chapter 18

  —Life is too short for bad sex and shitty people.—

  Axel strolled around the perimeter of the Alexander estate, looking for any holes in the security. Since it was after dark, it would theoretically be easier for someone to hide. Though maybe not so much, because of the thermal capabilities of the security cameras. He’d already reviewed the exterior camera feeds but he wanted to see where they were positioned. C-4, potentially Skye’s new dog, followed along with him, sniffing at everything but for the most part keeping up with Axel. She was a cute little thing, even if she was a mutt.

  Once he’d done two sweeps of the estate, he knew it was time to go back inside. Even if he didn’t want to admit out loud that he was avoiding Hadley, he knew that was exactly what he was doing. Because the whole declaration he’d made about waiting to have sex felt pretty stupid right about now. He was trying to protect himself, he could admit it. At least to himself. But he also knew that no matter what he did, if she walked away from him, he was screwed regardless. Because he’d already fallen for her. There was no turning back at this point for him. It didn’t matter whether they’d had sex or not. And she was an adult. She said she wasn’t going to regret him. He had to trust that.

  And he really, really wanted to be inside her right about now.

  When he stepped inside the back door, a blast of warmth hit him. He was surprised to find her sitting there at the kitchen island, sipping on a glass of red wine.

  Her entire face lit up with a smile when she saw him, revealing that little dimple that drove him crazy. “Did C-4 take longer than you expected?”

  He pulled his gloves off then shrugged out of his coat and hooked it on the coat rack by the door. “I was actually checking out the security cameras. Your dad let me look at all the security feeds but I still wanted to see where they were set up myself. He’s got an incredible system
here.”

  And apparently they had sensors all over the ranch so if someone inadvertently triggered them while sneaking around, an alert went out to Brooks, Douglas, and their security team.

  “So listen,” Axel said, feeling out of his depth. “I’m really into you.” God, he felt like an idiot saying it like this. What the hell was he trying to say anyway?

  It looked as if she was about to respond when her dad stepped into the kitchen.

  Douglas Alexander gave a warm smile to Hadley and a civil, reserved one to Axel. “Hey sweetheart, I see you’re taking advantage of the wine,” he said, smiling.

  She smiled at her dad. “It’s the bottle you recommended and you are right, it’s amazing.”

  “Would you mind if I steal your friend Axel for a few minutes? I wanted to talk to him about some security stuff.”

  Even Axel knew that was a big fat lie and he was pretty certain that Hadley did too but she simply smothered a smile and nodded. Then she picked up her glass of wine and winked at him. “You guys can use the kitchen, I’m headed to bed.”

  At the word bed, far too many images replayed in his mind and he had to shut them down fast. Especially since it seemed her dad was finally going to have some sort of talk with him. He’d been waiting for it. And he respected the guy for being concerned about his daughter. Axel knew that he was no prize. For the love of God, look at what he did for a living. If he had to prove himself, he would. He didn’t care how long it took.

  Once Hadley was gone, the older man stepped to the fridge. “Want a beer?”

  He shook his head. He was going to be sober until this entire threat was neutralized. Not that he drank much anyway. “No, but thank you.”

  “So what did you think of the security around the house?”