**
Back at HQ, Ace paced in frustration while Coralline pulled Sierra’s file from the system.
“I have the important numbers she filled out…just two numbers. Poor child.” She copied them down and handed them to Ace.
He held the Post-it note and stared at the names. Owen Hanson was her editor at the Chicago Daily. The only other name there was Alicia Taylor. He knew Alicia; she was Sierra’s best friend. He walked back to his desk to make the calls. Rusty was already at his computer, searching for any digital clue that would alert them to where Sierra could possibly be. They searched the house but had found no clue about Sierra’s whereabouts.
“Hi, Owen, this is Ace from Silver Shield Security. I would like to talk to you about Sierra.”
“Oh, hi, Ace. What seems to be the matter?”
“You ran her article today and we have reason to believe her life might be in danger.”
“Yes, Sierra mentioned that as well.”
And you went ahead and published that shit! Ace wished he could reach through the line and shake the man. Instead he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, maintaining control of his emotions.
“Right. We need to reach her. Any idea where she is?”
“No, sorry, can’t help you there.”
“What are you saying?”
The other man sighed impatiently. “I’m saying that she did not tell me where she was going just that she was leaving town.”
“And you didn’t think to ask?” Ace could not believe it.
“I thought about it, but decided that I’d rather keep my family safe.”
Ace could feel his control slipping. “Look—”
“No, you look. I’d love to help you, but I’ve got nothing for you. Let me know how things turn out. Good luck.”
Ace heard the dial tone in disbelief. He wanted to punch something, or someone. He had no idea where Sierra was and he was scared that if they did not reach her soon, it might be too late.
Next he called Alicia.
“Hey Alicia, this is Ace.”
“Oh hey, Ace. How are things?” She sounded perky and upbeat, which was a far cry from Sierra’s quiet tone.
“Not good. Do you know where Sierra’s gone?”
“I have no idea, Ace, and it’s killing me. I begged her to tell me, but she said it would be safer for me not to know.”
“Okay…do you have any clues, anything at all that could help?”
Alicia was silent for a few moments. “How could you let her get rid of you, Ace? I put her in touch with you guys in the first place because I was, I am, terrified for her.”
He heard the anger and fear in her voice. “She terminated the contract.”
“Yes, but was there anything that stopped you from sticking to her like a burr?”
He also heard the emphasis on you and he understood what she meant. He should never have walked away that day at the Chicago Daily office. He should have gone back inside and stuck to her till she listened to him.
“Alicia, I promise if we do find her, I will not leave her side till this is all over.” Maybe not even then.
There was no answer on the other end.
“Alicia?” He needed something, anything that could lead them to Sierra before the bad guys got her.
“The only place I can think of is her brother’s best friend. They were both naval officers, he’s retired now…he might have some information.”
Ace’s heart began to beat with hope. It made sense that she would go to someone who could either keep her safe or smuggle her out of town. Someone else that she had neglected to mention. He had a strong feeling that this retired officer would have the answers.
“Thanks, Alicia.” He took out his pen and found a piece of paper. “Do you have his details?”
“No. No, I don’t. His name is Ryan Murphy, but his number is unlisted and I have no idea where he stays.”
Ace felt his heart plummet. He dropped the pen and used his hand to squeeze the bridge of his nose. This could not be a dead end. It couldn’t. “Are you sure?”
“Sorry, Ace.”
He sighed. “Okay, thanks. You should also leave town today. Right now.”
“Actually, I’m at the airport. I’m going on vacation with my family.”
“Okay, bye. And thanks again.”
Ending the call, Ace knew that the safest thing for Alicia and her family was to get out of Chicago for a while. If he got that link from her, the senator’s people would have no trouble getting the same information from her, by any means possible. They would waste no time in trying to get their hands on Sierra, and once they found out she’d skipped town they would leave no stone unturned to get to her.
He needed to get to Sierra and he needed to do that fast, before it was too late.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ace walked up the short flight of stairs to the second floor of the apartment building. He located the apartment he was looking for and rapped on the door. He was here to see Lt. Ryan Murphy, retired. After he had gotten off the phone with Alicia, he had reported his findings to the team. With a name, but no contact address, he’d been sure it would take them some time to track down the man. Time which they did not have. However, that turned out not to be the case.
“I know him,” Rusty had said.
They had turned to look at him in surprise. “You do?” Ace had asked.
It turned out that the man was a former SEAL and Rusty had been one of the intel officers on one of their tours of duty. “We lost track of each other. I asked of him a while back and was told that he received an honorable discharge.”
Which was more than Rusty himself had received. It was something he never liked to talk about and they knew better than to ask.
With a few clicks on his computer, Rusty was able to pull up a phone number and a contact address somewhere in the city, in Avondale.
He had driven out with Rusty’s old model Ford truck. It was in great condition, but would not draw attention like his newer Ford Raptor. And this was Avondale after all, not exactly known for its safe neighborhoods.
Ace rapped on the door again and this time he heard movement.
“State your business,” a gruff voice replied from within.
“Hi. This is Ace Moreno from Silver Shield Security. We spoke on the phone? I’m here about Sierra Newman.”
There was silence, but Ace got the sense that he was being watched somehow.
After a few minutes, he heard the latches being pulled back and then the door was opened. Standing before Ace was a sandy-haired man. He was at least as tall as Ace and slightly broader. His eyes were dark, and the lack of emotion in them, darker.
Both men stared at each other in silence, each taking the measure of the other. Finally, Ryan stepped back.
“Come on in.”
The interior of the apartment was dark, and it took a while for Ace’s eyes to adjust, although they did so pretty quickly. He noticed that it was the typical bachelor pad. There was a large sofa and an arm chair, then a large screen TV on the wall directly opposite the sofa. There were no pictures and no personal effects. No sign of the personality of the man who lived there.
Ryan pointed to the arm chair. “Please have a seat.”
Ace did not want to sit down. He wanted to know Sierra’s whereabouts and be on his way. But he knew that the man would take his own sweet time about disclosing that information. So he sat down on the sofa and watched as Ryan took the armchair.
“So what is this about?” Ryan asked.
Ace watched him and debated how much to reveal. “Did you read Sierra’s article on Senator Coleman?”
“Sure,” Ryan said, his expression not revealing a thing.
“I…We believe her life is in danger. A bomb was planted in her car a few weeks back and she hired us to protect her.”
“Yet she came to me.”
It was stated blandly, without any emotion.
Ace gritted his teeth. It galle
d that she had not come to him. Obviously, she had known that her article would spark a reaction, yet she had turned to this man here. Ace paid closer attention to Ryan. Was there something about him that made Sierra go to him? Were they perhaps lovers? He did not want to think about that, so he pushed back the negative feelings that were slowly rising and said nothing.
Finally, Ryan stood up. “Seems to me you have a FUBAR on your hands, sailor.”
A fuck up beyond all repair.
Ace knew he needed to keep his cool. Yes, he did have a fuck up on his hands, but he wouldn’t say it was beyond all repair. Heart blazing, but demeanor calm, he faced the other man. No force on earth was going to keep him away from Sierra if she was in trouble.
“I wouldn’t say that,” he said.
Ryan laughed. It was a dry sound without humor. “I think you need to get the hell out.”
Ace stood up then. He smiled, even though he knew that the smile did not reach his eyes. If the man thought he could get rid of him that easily, he would be mistaken.
“The Abrantes Dukes are going to find her.”
It was a statement of fact. The criminal organization was lethal and they were not people to fool around with. Somehow, they got their man or woman, even if they were put in witness protection.
He weighed the man standing in front of him to see if his words had any effect. His face remained expressionless. A cool customer.
“I would prefer if we got to her before they did.” He pressed his point home. “So I’m asking…” Ryan’s eyes flickered. “I’m begging, please, tell me where she is?” It galled to plead like this, but he would grovel, if that was what it took.
He knew that given some time, they could find Sierra. But time was one commodity they did not have a lot of, and it was fast running out.
Ryan remained silent and Ace got the impression he was testing him, trying to see what he was made of. Ace watched him, wondering what was going on in his head. He used the opportunity to study him.
Ryan Murphy looked like he once was a damn choir boy, maybe in his previous life. He still had that look about him, until you looked into his eyes. Then all thoughts of anything celestial fled. His eyes were dead…that was the only way he could think to describe those eyes. There was no expression, no feeling…nothing. Staring into them was like looking into a deep, vast, empty abyss. Ace recognized the lack of expression though, they were the eyes of a killer.
He felt a thin mist of unease settle on his skin. He knew without a doubt that this man would not hesitate to shoot him between the eyes right on the spot.
“What’s it to you?” he asked at last.
At this point, Ace knew that nothing short of real honesty would work. “If anything happens to her, it will kill me.”
There was no real reaction to his words, except for that brief flicker of the eye, but he knew that Ryan was carefully considering what he had just said.
“Do you love her?”
The question felt like a slap in the face. Love? Hell no! He did not do love, not for anyone and not for Sierra either. But she did mean something to him, he just hadn’t figured out what exactly. His face hardened and his eyes became cool. “I care about her.”
For the first time since he walked into that apartment, Lt. Ryan Murphy cracked a genuine smile.
“I could throw the bullshit flag, but I won’t. Give me a sec to get my gear.” He turned to walk out of the room, limping slightly.
“Get your gear?”
“Seems you’ll be needing a swim buddy.”
A swim buddy. It took him back to the early days of BUD/S training. He’d had a swim buddy for everything. He had done everything together with his team guys and they had become like the brothers he didn’t have. He felt the pressure in his chest as he thought about his team guys. He and Drew were the only ones left of that original team.
Ace watched Ryan leave the room with mixed feelings. He did not know what to make of the former sailor.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Inside El Torero, a Spanish restaurant in Avondale, a group of five men sat around a table in the back booth of the restaurant. One of them was Slim Johnny Natale, the head of the Abrantes Dukes family. With him was his under chief, Mike Vitale, who was also his brother-in-law, his second under chief, Cosmo Rossi, and two of his trusted foot soldiers. They were all dressed in casual formal, some wearing jeans with a formal shirt, while others wore dark suits with tee-shirts inside. Slim was the only one who was fully dressed in a custom Giorgio Armani suit.
He leaned back against his chair and rested his elbows on the arms, bringing the tips of his fingers together like a child saying a prayer. Except, prayer was the last thing on his mind.
The others watched him as intently as one would watch a snake that was reared to strike. Their body language was tense, their faces wiped clean of all expression. People had been shot dead because of the twitch of a facial muscle.
Slim’s body language was relaxed, almost easy going and genial. He had an open face that invited you to confide in him. When he laughed, it was full-bellied and filled with good humor. The sort of laugh that beckoned, tempting you to join in. But not one person in that room was deceived by that languorous state he projected. Slim was superbly alert and aware of every movement in that room. He ruled his empire with such brutal force that he struck fear in the hearts of those who knew him. Love him or hate him, one thing was indisputable: Slim was a man to be afraid of.
While he was in prison, he managed to hold on tightly to the reins of the organization, much to the chagrin of some who sat there with him. No matter how you looked at it, Slim Johnny Natale was a force to be reckoned with.
“Give me the report,” he said in a deceptively quiet voice. He was staring at an unseen point, just over their heads.
“We sent our men over to her house. The bodyguard folks were there.” Cosmo spoke in a cool but respectful voice. There was nothing in his tone to show what a nervous wreck he was. What they were dealing with was a colossal fuck-up and though he knew it was not his fault, he didn’t doubt that the boss would find a way to pin it on him.
“I see.”
“We did not want to attract attention. We’ll return tonight.”
Slim nodded once. He turned his penetrating glance to Cosmo. “Dispose of her, and anyone else that’s with her.”
Cosmo nodded.
“What do we do about the senator, boss?” The question came from Mike.
Mike was married to Slim’s sister. He had a face that looked deceptively innocent and a heart that was forged in the pit of hell. His unassuming façade made him a lethal enemy and even Slim knew he was not safe from Mike. The man was ambitious as hell and made no move to conceal it. He made up for it in spades with his intense loyalty.
“He has become too much of a risk,” Slim pointed out. The senator had outlived his usefulness and was beginning to drag them down with him. It was time they ditched him, but it had to be a strategic move. He knew too much.
“We haven’t firmed things up with his replacement.”
Both Cosmo and Mike nodded. “We should never have bombed out her car like that,” Mike said.
Slim agreed. He had told the senator that there was no need for that, but the man was as obstinate as a bull. Damned self-entitlement. The stupid man had turned a harmless little butterfly into a bee with a venomous sting. Always had to have things done his way, and Slim had humored him for as long as he was useful. But it was time they showed him who was truly in charge. There was no way Slim was going to take the fall for this.
“Clean up this mess.” He took his time to look each one of them in the eye, to make sure they got his meaning. Either the mess went away, or they did. “I don’t want any more screw ups.”
They all nodded.
“And keep watch over the Silver Shield personnel. If any one of them so much as shits, I want to know.”
Slim got up and so did the others around the table. His daughter had a performa
nce at Symphony Center. She was the violinist for the Chicago String Quartet and was slowly making a name for herself in the world of classical music. He was not going to miss her performance because of some idiot politician who had more ego than brains.
**
Back at Silver Shield offices, Emily, Rusty and Ace were once again in the command center. This time around, Ryan Murphy was with them. They were working on a detailed and strategic plan. It had been agreed that Ace and Ryan would go to Sierra to make sure that she was safe and stayed that way.
“Once you have her, you would need to constantly be on the move,” Emily was saying. “You can’t afford to remain in one spot.”
Because anywhere they were, the Abrantes guys would be close on their heels. If they had any hope of evading them, they needed to stay several steps ahead.
Slim Johnny Natale had an entire army at his disposal. If they decided to storm where Sienna and crew were it would take a miracle for them to get out alive. The criminal organization took no prisoners.
“Does she know she’s not to use her phone or credit cards?” Rusty asked.
Ace turned to look at Ryan.
“I gave her a Blackphone.”
Rusty whistled. A Blackphone was not just any kind of phone. It was specially designed with privacy in mind. The calls, texts, everything could be encrypted so that they couldn’t be traced or hacked. Well, at least in theory.
“So she knows we’re coming?”
Ace needed to know. For some reason, he did not want her to know he was coming for her. He had this strong feeling that she would disappear if she got to know.
Ryan met his eyes. “She is expecting me.”
“Sierra is really smart. Let’s give her some credit, okay?” reminded Emily.
Ace was not so sure. Yes, she was a smart woman, no arguments there, but he didn’t think publishing that article had been the smartest thing to do.
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