by Leanne Tyler
“I’ve been offered a job in Chicago working for Hawkeye’s new Chicago Protection Task Force if I want it. I guess it really depends on if you want me to stick around.”
She smiled. “Of course I want you to stick around. If you want to stick around.”
He scooped her up in his arms, grabbing her laptop bag in the process. “Let’s get you off this nasty pavement. Hank and Taz are waving at me to come on. It looks like they’re ready to head back to the hotel.”
Simone called Robert Cranston as soon as she got back to the hotel suite to let him know she was safe. “I’m sorry this happened. I know I told you that nothing would get in the way of me fulfilling my obligation to Webster-Reynolds on this trip, but I never anticipated getting abducted on the street before I walked into their building. I’m fully willing to resign my position as soon as I return to Chicago.”
“Simone, stop right there. One of Webster-Reynolds employees saw the abduction and reported it to Webster. When I spoke with Webster today I told him about your father being abducted and how you’d receive a ransom demand, had health issues from it, but was still willing to meet with him, only to be abducted yourself. Webster said he is satisfied with the time you have spent with them this week and last. He doesn’t expect you to come in tomorrow. You can come back to Chicago Friday as planned. Enjoy the extra day to relax if you like.”
“Wow. This is not what I had anticipated. Thank you! Thank you very much for understanding, Mr. Cranston. I’ll be back in the office on Monday.”
“Yes you will. Have a good weekend, Simone.”
She smiled, scooting back on the bed, so that she leaned back against a few pillows stacked in front of the headboard before she called her mom.
“Simone! Oh darling, I have wonderful news. Your father called. He is fine. Said he has been out of the country on business for several weeks and just wanted to check in with us to make sure everything is going well.”
“He did?” Simone shook her head. Oh daddy!”
“So that whole ransom thing was a horrible cruel scam. But I still do not know how they got that footage of you.”
“I don’t either, Mom. So are you and Leland here in DC already?
“Yes. We’re at the Willard. Why don’t we have dinner tonight?”
“How about tomorrow instead? I have a headache and want to turn in early. I’ll probably just order in something.”
“Then I won’t keep you. Have a good early night.”
“Night.”
Simone put her phone on the night stand, slipped off the bed and went to her suitcase to get a night gown and a pair of panties before she jumped in the shower. She scrubbed her hair and body clean, but she still didn’t feel okay. She imagined that must be a fraction of what Colleen was feeling like these days. She brushed and blew her hair dry, making sure it was fully tangle free and dry before she left the bathroom and crawled in bed.
Liam had not come up from the conference room where he’d stopped with Hank and Taz, but that was okay. She needed to rest and if he was here, she might be sidetracked. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep within minutes.
Liam helped Hank and Taz prepare the report on the mission and then get their gear together before they headed to the airport. The two were zipping up their bags, when the conference room door opened and Clayton Reid walked in followed by Sam Jensen.
“You son of a—” Liam went after Sam, but Taz and Hank grabbed him and held him back, but it didn’t stop his fight to get free of them.
Sam held up his hands. “Hey man, I know you’re upset, but I’ve been undercover. If you don’t believe me, ask Reid here.”
“It’s true, Liam. Jensen works for the FBI just like I do.”
“You man handled Simone. I saw the bruises on her arm.”
“Bruises that will fade away, man. Better than if I beat her and broke a rib or something worse. I was the better choice for the abduction, but I couldn’t be there the whole time. Lincler had me doing something else.”
“You tried to recruit me for Lincler.”
“And I would have made sure you failed the medical exam just like Billy Jennings. Besides, you weren’t serious about working for Lincler. You were there snooping for information. I let you snoop. You think I didn’t see you come out of the men’s room and go down that corridor looking around? Why do you think I took you on a tour of the facility down there? Shipping and receiving wasn’t part of a typical recruiting visit.”
Liam stopped pulling against Taz and Hank. “I still should hit you or something. It would make me feel better.”
“Have at it if it would.” Sam held his arms wide for him to come at him.
“I might bruise my knuckles.” He glanced down at his hands now that Taz and Hank had released him. “Are you even married?”
“Nah. You know me, always been single. Danielle’s a friend who posed for the photos so I could have a cover story. She also comes to town if I have a function that she needs to attend.”
Liam shook his head. “I still don’t understand the whole Lincler deal and the gang in Chicago. Why’d did the gang come to the Pied Piper and kill the bar tender?”
“I sold them bad weapons,” Reid spoke up. “I used a division of Lincler to bring them into the country then distribute them. The gang in Chicago was pissed because they spent money on faulty weapons so they went after my daughter.”
“Then Lincler got involved and decided to recoup their losses against Reid by luring Samwell Brady into a bogus deal with Testerman International. As soon as that went down, Testerman vanished.” Jensen grinned.
“Okay, but how does Whittenbrier floating in the Chicago River play into all of this or is that just a coincidence?”
“Nothing is ever a coincidence when a man ends up dead,” Reid said.
“Lincler and Whittenbrier were silent partners,” Jensen said. “However, Whittenbrier didn’t want to stay silent any longer. Lincler didn’t want the change and he was afraid Whittenbrier would squeal in retaliation.”
“As dirty as he was? I don’t see that happening.”
“I didn’t either, but when you are power hungry like Lincler, you’re looking down a very narrow pathway and paranoia can set in.”
Liam nodded. “This whole cat and mouse game has ended with two fatalities. I hope it has been worth it.”
“Two?” Reid and Jensen said in unison.
“Yeah. The bartender at the Pied Piper bar where Simone and her friends were last Friday night. He was shot by the gang members when they robbed the place. He died needlessly.”
“What happened in Chicago is on the gang. We can’t help what went down while we were trying to bring Lincler down,” Reid said. “And whether Chicago PD goes after the gang for their crime or not is up to them. We’ve done our part.”
Yeah, you’ve done your part. Made a mess of it.
He wasn’t sure if he liked Simone’s father’s business tactics or what he was doing for the FBI. Likewise, Jensen working for the FBI as well made him question the guy’s scruples. But there wasn’t anything he could do about it. What was done was done, and he had to accept things as they were.
Jensen and Reid said goodbye and Liam walked Hank and Taz down to the lobby where they had a car coming to pick them up for the airport.
“Thank you both again for traveling all the way to help me out in a jam,” Liam said. “Tell Hannah and Sadie I appreciate them both allowing you to come.”
“Allowing us?” Taz said. “No, man. Hannah doesn’t allow me to do anything. I decide what missions I go on. When and where I go. It was part of our marriage vows. Unspoken, but part of them.”
“That’s right, Bro.” Hank slapped him on the back. “Sadie understands this line of work and she knows that when the job calls, we’re on the next plane out. Even though I typically stick closer to home so I can be with her and Emma. But that is my choice, not hers.”
“Yeah. I hear you both. Keep telling yourselves that,” Liam s
aid, walking outside of the hotel with them and waiting by the curb while they got into their ride. “Have a safe trip back to Montana.”
Chapter 17
Simone woke to her alarm the next morning, not believing she’d slept all night without waking up. She turned the noise off, took her phone with her as she went to the bathroom, and sent Colleen as text to let her know she was thinking of her. She combed through her bed ragged hair and brushed her teeth to get rid of the horrible taste in her mouth before going back to the bedroom.
“You not going to work today?” Liam asked.
“I don’t have to go to work today,” she told him.
“You don’t?”
“Nope. I talked to Cranston when I got back to the hotel yesterday and Webster-Reynolds is satisfied with what I have done already this week. They don’t want to see me again until next year.”
“So you made this trip for one day’s work with them?”
“Technically it would have been more if I hadn’t gotten ill or been abducted, but yes.”
He snorted.
“What’s so funny?”
“Civilian work.”
She ignored him and opened up the drawer to the bedside table, taking out the padded room service menu. “I’m ordering food. I haven’t eaten since Tuesday and I’m starving. Do you want anything?”
“You.”
“Well, that is not on this menu. Try again.”
“You drizzled in syrup?”
“Again, not on the menu.”
“I give up. What do they have?” He sat up, looking over her shoulder.
She rattled off the choices and prices.
“That’s not even funny. Get dressed. We’re going to Oliver’s.”
“Where is that?”
“A little place the concierge told me about on Monday. Great food and atmosphere. We’ll eat and be back in no time or we can do a little sightseeing while we’re out.”
“Nice,” she said. “Oh, before I forget, we’re having dinner with mom and Leland tonight.”
“Where?”
“She didn’t say, but I’ll give her a call later this morning to find out.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting your step-dad. He has to be an improvement over your dad.”
“Liam!”
“Sorry, but I find your dad and his part in this whole Lincler business annoying. He is FBI, did he tell you that?”
“Not completely. But I put two and two together.”
“I guess it rubs me raw to know he put your life in danger to set Lincler up using the Chicago gang who tried retaliating against him going after you. And who paid for it? Phil, the bartender. And I don’t even know the man, know nothing about him.”
“He was nice. He was nice to Carly,” Simone said. “He was married. He had a wife, so there is a widow.”
“Damn.” Liam pulled her to him.
The remainder of the day was spectacular, in Simone’s opinion. Seeing the city with Liam was great and having dinner with her mom and Leland at their favorite bistro that evening was even better. Her mom had pulled her aside and asked if there was something going on between her and Liam and she had nodded. For once, her mom had clapped her hands together and smiled, approving of the man she’d picked. Maybe this was a good sign.
She felt like she was floating on air when they got back to the hotel suite. Liam let them into the room and she kicked off her heels before running into the bathroom. When she came out he was sitting on the sofa reading something on his phone. He was frowning.
“What’s wrong?” She hurried over and curled up next to him.
“That bartender’s funeral was today in Chicago. There was gunshots and an explosion in the parking lot. No one was injured, thank God, but Carly and Brand were there. Hawkeye just sent me a text.”
“Oh my God. Poor Carly. When will this nightmare end for her?”
“I’m glad we’re going back tomorrow. I need to be there for my team, now that I know that you are potentially out of danger.”
“Am I?”
“Yeah, Hawkeye just informed me that the gang member that they had in custody was murdered in his cell this morning.”
“What? How did that happen?”
“They aren’t sure yet. There’s an investigation to see if it was an inside job, you know a hired hit, by a rival gang or what.”
Simone laid her head on his shoulder, running her hand up and down his arm. “No one is really safe are they? We think we are, but we just never know.”
“It’s the world we live in.”
“I don’t like it very much at times.”
“We just have to strive to make it a better place by being better people.”
“I suppose.” She rose to her feet and reached out her hand to him. “Come, let’s go be better together.”
“We’ll be more than better, we’ll be fantastically awesome together, sweetheart.” He took her hand and pulled her to him, capturing her mouth with his, hungrily kissing her.
Simone melted against him. “You know when I said I wanted to be casual?”
He nodded.
“Forget that. There is nothing casual about us.”
Liam threw his head back and held his hands up. “Thank God!”
She laughed and he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her into the bedroom.
Epilogue
The plane ride back to Chicago was tortuous. Simone couldn’t wait to touch down and get back to her apartment, drop her luggage off and go see Carly. Liam had tried repeatedly to get ahold of Brand without any luck and Commander Burns had been unreachable.
As soon as they got into the airport, Liam’s phone started pinging with text messages. They stopped in the waiting area for him to check them before going to college their baggage.
“Forget going to your apartment first. We’re heading to Chicago Med. Brand’s been injured.”
“Oh no! Is it serious? Was he shot? Was Carly with him? What about Carly?”
“Whoa, sweetheart. Give me a second to answer your questions. Carly wasn’t with him from what Will is telling me. She’s at the hospital with Hawkeye. So we will go join them there.”
“Okay.” Simone felt her chest begin to constrict and her breathing become shallow again. She leaned forward and put her head between her knees until the blood flow ran to her head and she could breathe normal again.
Liam rubbed her back. “Did you take your pill this morning?”
“Yes. But it’s still too soon since I started taking them. I still have reactions like this to news of this nature.”
“Do you think you can slowly raise up? I’ll go get you some water.”
“I don’t want water. I want to go see Carly …and Brand of course. I want to make sure our friends are safe.” She smiled and squeezed his hand, silently praying for the day this all was put behind them and she could live a normal life again. If that could ever happen.
Liam called their driver at the PD and he was there to get them by the time they collected their baggage. Then they were on their way to Chicago Med. No matter how Simone was feeling, she made sure she came off as Miss Ray of Sunshine to her friends as soon as she got to the hospital.
“Carly! Jules!” Simone’s squealed and it echoed around the private waiting area of Chicago Med as she entered the doorway with Liam right behind her.
Carly turned and so did Jules. But then from the far right in the seating area, Simone saw someone she hadn’t seen since college.
“Oh. My. Gawd,” a brunette said, getting to her feet. “Simone Reid.”
“Margot Wills!”
Simone left Liam and she practically ran to meet up with Margot in the middle of the room. They shared their favorite French kiss-kiss on each cheek, and then Margot took a long look at Will and Liam up and down.
“Burnsie,” Margot said, turning to the commander, pointing to the men with her index finger. “Can you get me one of these?”
“Yeah, Commander Burns, she reall
y needs one of these,” Simone chimed in, “to keep her out of trouble.”
The man looked baffled by the request and he tinged red around the collar. “No. And double no. I should have known the two of you knew one another. You’re too much alike.”
Margot and Simone giggled, hugging one another. Linking arms, they walked over to the two-seater and sat down to talk.
“So what have you been up to, Margot? I lost touch with you after graduation when you went to Paris for that internship.”
Margot rolled her eyes. “Oh that. It ended and I stayed for three months more because I considered myself a Parisian by then. However, the Senator wasn’t having any of it. He begged me to come home. So I did. It’s so great to see you again. First I’m reconnected with Carly and now you. Of course there is Jules here, but she hasn’t bothered to say hello since she walked in with her hunky guy. And she probably won’t. We never were on that much on speaking terms.”
“You could change that,” Simone suggested.
“And break with tradition?” Margot shook her head. “That might upset status quo.”
Simone giggled. “I’ve missed you, Margot.”
Liam watched as Simone chatted with the woman across the room and half listened to what Will was saying to Hawkeye about not being able to reach Brand on his cellphone all week.
“I haven’t been able to since last Saturday either,” he said.
“I’ve had no trouble,” Hawkeye said. “Have either of you heard from Kincaid?”
They both nodded.
“I know for a fact that Brand hasn’t heard from him either,” Carly offered. “We discussed it on the way to my job interview. He was worried about all his men because they’d been silent.”
“Carly mentioned this when Jules and I arrived so that’s why I asked Donovan about it,” Will said.
“Do you think someone has tampered with his phone?” Liam asked.
Hawkeye shook his head. “It’s unlikely. He’s been around very few people other than Kevin Petree and Carly all week.”
“Don’t forget Ragsdale,” Carly said.