He pushed all the pain and worry for Solene from his mind, embracing the adrenaline, the danger. He fought hand-to-hand, blocking, advancing, and bracing for contact. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sue rise groggily to her feet, narrowly miss being stepped on, then rush, stumbling, from the bathroom.
He tried to stop her but found himself stymied by his opponent. Not wanting to leave Solene anywhere near the guy, Deacon continued to fight, keeping him away from her stall.
They continued to dance back and forth, the grace in his adversary a thing of beauty. But Deacon didn’t have time to deal with him. At any moment, a civilian could come walking in. He didn’t want to have to explain this mess to the police. The dead body would be a problem.
“Who are you working for?” he asked, breathing hard, as he lured the man in for a combination strike. They ended up grappling, both locked and unable to counter, forcing a temporary stalemate.
“Our employer wants to talk to the lady. She won’t be harmed. But the same can’t be said for you if you get in the way.” The man blew something into Deacon’s eyes, momentarily blinding him, and escaped while Deacon fought to clear his vision.
He heard the door slam shut and swore. After using some water to clear his eyes, he noted the two bodies on the floor. One dead, the other starting to moan as he came to.
“Shit. Come on, Solene.” He found her passed out in the stall, folded over herself on the toilet. Graceful even on the can. Somehow, he didn’t see her comforted by the thought. Carefully easing her into his arms, he ignored his aches and pains and took her out of the bathroom. A few onlookers noticed him carrying her, so he forced a smile and shrugged as he grabbed their belongings. “Too many motion-sickness pills. Out like a light.”
He kissed her forehead and hurried to the stairs. With no help for it, he positioned her over his shoulder, sucked in a breath at the large bruise there, and hurried to the auto deck. They passed no one, and once on the lower level, he did his best to make it appear as if he were helping her walk to the car instead of carrying her to it.
Once at the vehicle, he dropped their things, eased Solene to the ground, and pulled out his phone. He used the mods the Business installed on it to check for tampering. A scan showed no incendiaries to worry about, but he removed two tracking devices, placing them under the vehicle in front of them.
The attack in the restroom had been a diversion. And a lead. Though no one had admitted to Romero Burleigh’s involvement, Sue Ahn’s presence pretty much confirmed it. The woman had been enamored with the ex-contractor for some time, and everyone knew it.
But why so much effort to get to Solene? Unless Burleigh had lost his mind and thought he could snatchTheSolene Hansen, ex-supermodel and friend of Noel’s girlfriend.
Burleigh’s amorous pursuits—if one could call them that—had gotten him fired from the Business. Had he not run as soon as he’d gotten his walking papers, Deacon would have taken him out. Since Big Joe had told him to leave well enough alone, he had. With other, more important missions to worry about, one less monster on the payroll had to suffice.
The thought of Solene in that asshole’s hands made him furious. And worried. He hurried to get them both inside the car.
Once the ferry docked, he drove them to the hotel where Noel had chosen to meet. Deacon sighed. How the hell would he get Solene up the stairs without being noticed?
The staff entrance, of course. He shot a text to Noel.
An hour later, dressed in a hotel staff uniform, he wheeled a laundry cart to room 402. Deacon knocked. “Laundry pickup.”
Noel answered.
After letting Deacon and his cart inside, Noel locked up. He turned to study Deacon’s costume and the bulging laundry cart. “Seriously? This is the best you could come up with? You’re bruised, the uniform is clearly too small, and I can see Solene’s head pushing against the fabric liner of the cart.”
Deacon glared and removed the towels covering Solene. He gently lifted her and placed her on the bed. He grabbed their duffels as well. “Can you lose the cart for me?”
Noel sighed. “I’ll be right back.”
Once alone with Solene, Deacon checked her pulse, ran his hands over her again, looking for injury, and realized she would likely have to sleep off whatever she’d been given. Despite her sedation, she seemed well enough, her pulse steady, her face free of bruising and, from what he could see of the rest of her, she looked the picture of health.
He changed out of the uniform back into his jeans and tee, groaning at the bruises on his shoulder, ribs, and hip.Damn. I can’t believe I fell for dust in the eyes. I havegotto get back into training.The fight had been shoddy, his attention divided between Solene and the enemy.
He normally didn’t worry about keeping himself from harm, going into danger with a come-what-may attitude. But now if he went down, Solene would be fair game. He couldn’t do that to her. He wouldn’t.
Deacon stared down at her, aware that even asleep she took his breath away. What the hell was he going to do about her?
Noel returned, gave him a critical once-over, glanced at the passed out Solene, and sighed. “Tell me.”
Deacon ran down the events of the past few days, keeping his relationship with Solene to himself. He wound down, trying to put the pieces together. “So, I’m thinking with Sue Ahn involved, we have to be looking at Romero Burleigh as our mastermind. But the three of us never had an op with him. Individually, yeah, but he had nothing to do with Mexico. Or am I wrong?”
Noel shook his head. “I’ve had a few smaller ops down there, but nothing as big as Sinaloa. And that one was all about the Diablo Blanco cartel and Jonas Hood. Unless somehow Burleigh was involved and we’re all unaware of it.”
“I had no intel detailing Burleigh’s involvement. And I was in deep. I knew what was going on. Maybe the Mexico connection in that note with the baby was meant to distract us.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea. Just like I have no idea why the bastards keep trying to kidnap Solene. Why would they want to talk to her? What the hell does she have to do with anything?”
