Ren shrugged again. “It’s what I need. I’ve been under too long.”
Steve studied him for a long minute. “Got other plans? Hell, Ren, you basically started Omega. It’s been your baby all these years.”
“Might be time to have a different kind of baby. I do believe you know a little something about that.”
“Don’t force me to get out pictures. My son is three months old now and I have at least one for every day of his existence.” Steve chuckled before turning serious. “What will you do?”
“Go back to Montana, I think. I miss it. It wasn’t until I was talking in such detail to Natalie about the farm that I realized how much.”
Ashton stuck his head in from the kitchen. “You guys, we’ve got problems. This town isn’t really equipped for the number of people we brought here with all the press, not to mention gawkers. There’s a fight at the one bar in town and a fire has broken out at the hotel. Locals are asking for assistance.”
Ren shot a look at Steve. “I’m not leaving Natalie.”
“I’ll send Brandon, Lillian and Ashton. This may be just what it seems like, too many people in a town with not enough amenities. But it doesn’t change our overall mission. Freihof is the priority.”
Ren looked over at Andrea, who wouldn’t be going, and she just shrugged. “I’m not like Lillian in a fight—I’m more of a liability. And it would split Brandon’s focus. He worries about me.”
When the team left it was Ren’s turn to pace from window to window—sidearm in hand. Dividing and conquering was definitely one of Freihof’s MOs. Fire was, too.
But Ren would stand guard over Natalie while she slept. The magnitude of the fact that she trusted him enough, at least subconsciously, to sleep was not lost on him. Her brain hadaccepted that it was okay to shut down, that Ren wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
And it was one hundred percent correct.
A couple hours later, looking a little worse for wear, the team returned. Yes, there had been fighting. Yes, also a fire. But nothing that suggested there was any further nefarious intent behind them.
Ren still didn’t sleep. Even with the tracking device on her he wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep until he knew Natalie was safely within the fortitude of Omega HQ’s walls. Nobody got in there.
He hated to wake her up a few hours later, knowing she needed the rest, and her body, which she’d abused so badly saving his life, needed to heal. But it was time. They were doing one last press conference before she was taken to Omega. After that, an agent of her general build and coloring would stay here for a few days to see if Freihof took the bait.
Ren didn’t even want to think about what would happen if Freihof was more cautious than they gave him credit for. If he didn’t come after Natalie—or who he thought was Natalie—over the next few days. If he decided to bide his time, wait for their guard to drop.
It would eat at Natalie’s very sanity. And there wouldn’t be a damned thing Ren could do about it except continuously put her in danger in hopes of luring Freihof out.
The entire team was exhausted but on high alert as they entered the school auditorium once again to meet the press. The county had given the kids the day off due to all the hoopla, but the school was packed with media and townspeople.
Ren kept his arm around Natalie as the mayor of Westwater introduced them. Ren stepped up to the podium, giving everyone his most charming smile. Their plan had to work this time. They needed to draw Freihof out.
“Thank you all for coming. As you can see, Natalie and I are alive and well.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw her flinch at his use of her name. She was on to the fact that he said her name as much as possible. “We appreciate you even thinking we’re newsworthy—”
“We don’t!” someone screamed from the back of the room. “Get out of our town!”
Then Ren threw Natalie to the ground as shots rang out in the air and people began screaming.
Chapter Twenty-One
Natalie wasn’t sure what was happening as Ren’s weight rested on top of her, his hand keeping her head pinned protectively to the ground. She could vaguely hear panicked screams after a couple more shots were fired.
Ren kept them behind the large podium. A few minutes later Steve Drackett crawled over to them.
“Is it Damien?” she asked, trying to keep panic at bay.
“Not according to the sheriff.” Steve kept low, like them. “Looks like it’s some local troublemakers. Definitely heard shots fired from multiple locations, so that would make sense.”
“We need to get you out of here. Back to the safe house,” Ren said. “Then preferably immediately to Omega HQ. This little stunt—if it is, in fact, some local yokels—may change everything. May spook Freihof.”
“It will definitely get a different type of media coverage now.”
They crawled over to the side of the stage and then out the door. Ren and Steve kept her sandwiched between them, both of them with their guns in their hands, Ren with his arm wrapped firmly around her once they got off the stage, as they rushed to the side entrance.
