CHAPTER 25
THEO
The soundof Velcro tearing seemed to echo like a gunshot in my bedroom. I pulled the straps of the Kevlar vest tight, until it bit into my ribs. It was heavy and it restricted my breath, but it was also necessary. The sensation was a jarring contrast to what had happened in the room only minutes earlier. My skin still hummed with the memory of Maggie’s touch. I could still feel the sting of the marks her pretty nails had made as they dug into my thighs. A sign of how desperate we were for each other. How hungry.
I grabbed the black long-sleeved shirt and pulled it over my head. It did a lot to hide the vest, but it couldn’t hide the intent behind it. Normal people didn’t wear bullet proof armor. I was going into the line of fire and I needed to do everything possible to get home safely. I had people counting on me. Always had. But now more than ever. My family had always been the driving force. But now I had a woman and children who needed me to return. More people were relying on me and I loved it. Loved them.
I checked my reflection once more. Theo the CEO had left the building, and I doubted he would return. Not in the same way, anyway. The man staring back at me though, was just as cold,and just as ruthless but armed with the kind of weapons meant to do physical harm.
My mind drifted again to what happened earlier.
‘I’m just fighting for my wife.’
The words I whispered in the darkened room played on a loop inside my mind. It had slipped out, a by-product of adrenaline and fear. And yet, even with a clear mind and mission to execute, I still could not bring myself to regret them. She may not be my wife yet, but she would be. We both knew that. Girlfriend was not enough for what she meant to me. She sure as hell was no longer my employee. But she was mine.
And I was hers.
I patted one pocket to make sure I had my phone, my mind already drifting to the jeweller in San Diego I planned to call as soon as Fred was in cuffs. Between him and Tiffany they’d come up with something perfect. I didn’t want to wait for the right time. The right time was eight years ago when I let my insecurities get in the way. The right time was the moment she told me she wanted to be wooed. I knew then that I would propose. And instead, I had been wasting time.
No matter what happened today, Fred would be out of our lives, and she would have my ring on her finger very soon. One so heavy, it would remind her that she would never be alone again.
I grabbed my sidearm from the dresser, checked the magazine, and slid it into the holster at my hip. The weight of it grounded me and I exhaled a long breath. Reminded me that I had a job to do.
“Time to get this show on the road,” I muttered to the empty room.
Before she went back downstairs, Maggie said Connor and Jaycee were in the media room. And with Zoe and Hayden at camp, no one spotted me as I walked down the stairs. I movedsilently through the hallway, avoiding the kitchen. I could not look at Maggie again. If I saw the worry in her eyes, I may not have left. And I needed to leave. I needed to end the day being able to tell her that Fred was no longer a problem.
I stepped out of the front door and into the oppressive afternoon heat. In the centre of my driveway, the engine of the armored transport idled. The sound was low and guttural and vibrated through the soles of my boots. Hunter’s game face was ready and waiting as he stood at the driver’s side door.
The SUV was a beast of a vehicle. A modified model plated with B6-level armor, capable of withstanding assault rifle fire and grenade blasts. The glass was two inches thick and tinted so dark it was almost obsidian. The tires were military-grade run-flats with reinforced sidewalls.
I walked a slow circle around it, checking the seals, and nightlines. We’d spent a fortune on the research and development of these vehicles. There were only ten in existence. Three belonged to agencies within the US government. Nick Salinger had bought five of them, because he was an over the top motherfucker. I owned the remaining two. Well technically they belonged to Snow Enterprises’ Protection Gear Division, but they were mine. It was excessive. At least, for a CEO it was. For someone living in the shadows while he brought down some of the biggest arms dealers, though? Completely necessary.
My cellphone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and squinted against the glare. The message was from a man named Miller, the lead guard in charge of Hayden’s security detail for the day.
Security:Package secure. En route. ETA 1800.
I puffed my cheeks and let out another breath. Hayden was on his way home. That was one less thing I had on my mind. I forwarded the message to Maggie. She would relax once Zoe andHayden were home safely. It was thelast day of camp, and the week had gone off without a hitch.
I had to admit I was concerned when the topic came up. But we put a plan in place and seeing the happy smile on my son’s face every night, told me I’d made the right decision. He was the intellectual in the family. Besides needing the mental stimulation, he also worked better with a project to focus on. We were all invited to the last day of camp, and I looked forward to seeing what he had been working on.
I slid the phone back into my pocket. There was nothing else for me to check on. I could focus on the real threat.
Hunter pressed his comms unit and nodded. “Copy.” He looked over at me and tossed a unit my way. “Ready?”
“Let’s do this.” I said as I caught the comms unit and placed it in my ear.
The drive to the industrial district was a blur of strategy. I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. Fred in handcuffs was the objective. From what our analyst, Jared Wilson, could tell, Fred was just a pawn and burning me was his objective. I could handle that. I wanted a world that was safe for Maggie and the kids. I didn’t need my cover since I had no intention of returning to the distribution arm of Snow Enterprises once the mission was complete.
“Intel is solid.” Shiloh’s voice spoke into my ear. She was likely with Nick or another member of the team. “Tracker on the decoy shipment is live. It’s stationary, but at the warehouse. No movement detected on the perimeter senses.”
That made sense. There was no way they wanted attention around while that shipment exchanged hands. “They’ll wait until close of business before they move out. They’ll hunker down inside until then.”
I stared out the window as Hunter continued talking, filling the dead air with Shiloh over comms. I watched as thebeautifully manicured lawns of suburbia gave way to concrete and chain link fences.
“They think they’re the middle guy. But they’re being used from two sides. The arms dealer and this Rival person.” Shiloh was talking out the op. It seemed to be her way. While I chose to stay silent.
Hunter was happy to accommodate us both. Which was what likely made him a good team leader when he was a Delta Force Soldier. “They’re desperate. And that will make them sloppy.”
