Drew took one last look into those rich chocolate eyes pleading for help he couldn’t provide. He took off for the trio of men. Drew had been undercover for nearly a year and the Conti brothers had only recently come to trust him. When a noise had sounded while they were looking at their stolen antiquities, he’d been dispatched to look into it. He’d found the guard. Another noise and there was Teagan Steele. Sneaking into the space.
He slipped through the warehouse and found the brothers gathered around an open crate. The middle brother, Aldo, held one of a pair of tablets with cuneiform inscriptions etched into the fragile clay. They were believed to have originated in an ancient Sumerian city located in present-day southern Iraq.
Vito, the youngest and chubbiest of the trio, looked up at Drew. “Everything okay, Dylan?”
Drew nodded as his undercover name was mentioned. “Just the wind. Looks like we might have a real storm brewing.”
Sal, the oldest, the brother with piercing black eyes, caught Drew’s attention. “If it was nothing, why’d it take you so long?”
“I checked every inch of the warehouse. Thorough, like you taught me.”
Sal didn’t move for a long moment. “My brothers and I’ll get these items repackaged so we can get out of here before the rain hits. Make another pass around the building to be sure it was just the wind.”
As the oldest, Sal called most of the shots. Not easily though. His younger brothers tried to buck his authority whenever possible. Drew still hadn’t figured out which one of them had gotten the family involved in importing and selling illegal antiquities, but Aldo seemed to possess the most knowledge about them.
“On it,” Drew said and gladly took off to check on Teagan and her guard. He strode through the rows of tall racks until he reached the pair. He paused for a brief moment to glance down the aisle. Teagan and her guard remained in place. Both sitting rigid and attentive. Both firing an angry glare at him. Too bad. He wanted her to look at him with one of the warm smiles he’d seen when she’d stopped by the warehouse. But he had to let her think he was a criminal who was willing to restrain a defenseless woman.
He gave her another apologetic look and moved on to the lobby door, where he poked his head out. An SUV pulled up out front. Two women got out. The blonde was another Steele Guardians executive, but he didn’t recognize the one with near-black short hair. Likely another Steele sister.
He’d heard Sal say they were all former or current law enforcement, and Teagan had likely called them here before he subdued her. He had to get the Contis moving and fast. Stop these women from getting inside. The men would have to get the goods out of here or Drew’s undercover assignment would abruptly end before they could find the source for the stolen antiquities.
Drew had invested too much of his life to let that happen. He’d go down swinging if he had to.
Anything short of committing grievous bodily harm and murder.
2
Teagan had failed. She’d let this guy the Contis called Dylan get the jump on her. Despite his unwelcome handling, he seemed kind. Like he really regretted tying them up. Didn’t stop him though. He secured them both.
He was a criminal. Plain and simple.
She cut her gaze around the place again. Searching for any way to get free and catch the Contis and this guy in the act of receiving stolen goods. She’d clearly heard the brothers’ voices, especially Sal, barking orders to his brothers, but he didn’t mention anything about the product they were dealing with.
She could relate to Sal. Not that she called all the shots in the family business. Her sister, Mackenzie, and two cousins ran the company like a democracy, but as the oldest, Teagan often had the final say. Ryleigh and their oldest cousin, Londyn, were the only holdouts who still worked in law enforcement.
What she wouldn’t give at the moment for any one of her sisters or cousins to arrive. She’d been at the warehouse for more than the thirty minutes she’d warned her sisters to follow up on, and her phone had vibrated against her side several times. So they should know she was in trouble.
But would they think to come to her rescue? Or would they think she couldn’t answer for a legit reason? They wouldn’t have a key and would have to force their way into the building.
Would they do that? Would she do that in their position? Yeah, she would, but then she was the leap before looking member of the family. The others were more conservative. Especially Mackenzie. She was controlled but clever. Prim and proper too. Ryleigh was a free spirit. Acting on a whim. Following her heart. So maybe she would be the one to bust down the door.
Nothing was a given, and Teagan couldn’t sit around and wait any longer.
Maybe she would have a better chance of seeing something they might use to get free if she got to her feet. She signaled her intentions to Patrick to move back-to-back with him and rise up. He was a strong and fit guy, and she worked out nearly every day. They would be a good match for each other.
His eyes narrowed, and he shook his head.
He was probably right. She could fall and draw the brothers over here. But the guy who’d zip-tied her had charged back to the group and urged them to get moving. Telling them to take the goods with them and flee before someone arrived.
Had he seen something? Maybe Mackenzie and Ryleigh had arrived?
Maybe.
She gave Patrick a direct stare. The one she used as a boss. He nodded, and they scooted into position, back-to-back. His muscles were firm as expected, giving her confidence. She lifted her feet to flatten the soles of her shoes on the floor. She felt him doing the same thing. She waited for him to stop moving then pressed against his back. They rose, wobbling a bit as they found the right pressure and she made adjustments for her slim skirt.
On her feet, but still leaning on Patrick, she hopped to bring herself into an upright position. He followed suit.Great!They were standing. Now what?
She spotted a crate labeledExacta Knife Refills. Could she get a package out and open it without it falling?
