11. Gideon
11
Gideon
River refuses to leave Kat’s side, even though her mother is there to help. Sean had been a godsend. We all knew Kat wouldn’t be able to work full-time with two babies, so hiring him had been the perfect solution.
Sean had already proven his worth when he joined us overseas to rescue a kidnapped woman. He didn’t talk much, but when he spoke, it was always useful. He also kept Laney updated on people from their group home. He was the only person from her past, reminding me how alone she was.
Every day, Sean gave me reports on Jonah Reeves. He always knew precisely where Jonah was; all it took was asking his computer a question, and it spat out the answer. When Jonah turned up in Southern California, we made sure Laney and Haley stayed inside.
Sean had an uncanny ability to track Jonah’s every move. He even posed as a jogger, running past the house where Jonah was staying, and managed to plant a listening device in the yard. We didn’t tell Laney any of this—she didn’t need more reasons to feel terrified.
Why was that son of a bitch here? Did he know Laney and Haley were nearby? How could he possibly know? My thoughts churned as my phone rang. I picked up on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“It’s Sean,” he said, his tone urgent. “He’s on a boat. Be careful—he might be heading to your house. I’m on my way there now. Keep them inside.”
I hung up and went straight into the house. “Laney!” I called out. She ran into the kitchen, worry etched across her face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, breathless.
“He’s on a boat. Sean thinks he’s headed this way.”
Her face paled. “What? How would he even know I’m here? Does he have someone like Sean working for him? Where can I hide?”
I pulled her into my arms. “He won’t get in the house. I’ll take care of everything. I want you and Haley to stay in your room until I come for you. This might be a false alarm. Sean could be wrong.”
“Sean isn’t wrong,” she said flatly. “Where did he say Jonah is?”
“On a boat.”
“Then he’s on a boat,” she said, her voice trembling but resolute. “Give me a gun. If any of his men come in here, I’ll kill them.”
“Do you even know how to use a gun?” I asked, startled.
“Yes. Gavin made me take lessons, and now I know why. He must’ve known his father would come after me. But he didn’t warn me that a devil would find us and try to take my baby from me. He should have told me! Damn him!”
Reluctantly, I handed her a gun. She slipped it into the oversized pouch of her sweatshirt.
“Please, be careful with it,” I urged.
“I will. But I need to stay calm for Haley. She can’t know something’s wrong.”
“I won’t let him anywhere near you. I promise.” What I wanted to do was hold her close and reassure her. But I couldn’t—not while she was living here, relying on me. I had to wait until this nightmare was over before I could tell her how I felt.
Sometimes, I caught her watching me and wondered if she felt the same way. But she always looked away before I could be sure.
I stepped outside, scanning the water. If I saw that bastard, I would blow his boat out of the water. I had already decided—I would kill him. I’d been planning it ever since he showed up in California.
So it can be today or tomorrow. I didn’t give a damn. Hopefully, it will be today. I sat down, and then Sean stood there. “Pull up a chair. I’ll get us a beer.”
“No, I’ll get it. Where is Laney and Haley?”
“They’re in their room. Sean, have you ever used a gun?”
“Once, I’ve never told this to anyone, but I killed a man I caught raping a two-year-old toddler. I took the baby to the church, and the pastor’s wife took her. She kept herand raised heras their daughter.”
“No one ever questioned you about the guy?”
“No. Joanie and I pulled him until he fell into the river. I don’t know if he was ever found.”
“Was he a foster dad?”
“Yep.”
“How old were you?”
“I was thirteen, and Joanie was twelve. It gave her nightmares for years. The pastor saved her. He talked to her about evil people who hurt others. He said that guy wouldn’t hurt anyone else.”
We both heard the boat. I set my guns on the table next to me and held my big one in my lap. Raven walked around to where we were. He saw the guns and stopped.
“Where is he?”
“In that boat there.”
“Fuck! Where are my sister and niece?”
“In their room. Do you have your gun?”
“Of course.”
“Then sit down and let’s see what happens,” I said.
“This is the chance we’ve been waiting for. If I see that bastard, I’m killing him today.”
“You’ll have to get in line because Gideon says he’s blowing the boat up with him on it,” Sean volunteered.
We heard a loud noise, and then a voice spoke. “Send my granddaughter out here to me, and I will let all of you live. If you don’t send her out in five minutes, I will kill all of you.”
I looked at the boat. It was large and had two motors. We would have to hit both gas tanks to blow that boat up. I turned to say something to the guys whenI heard bullets whiz past us. The boat exploded into little pieces. All of us jumped up and ran to the edge of the water.
“Who the fuck did that?” I asked, looking around. Then, I saw Laney standing with a rifle in her hands. I rushed over to her and took the gun. “Go back inside. I don’t want you involved in this. We will say they were having trouble, and the boat blew up.”
“That bastard won’t ever hurt us again,” she said, looking at me. I gave the rifle to Raven, and he took it to his place.
“Let’s go inside,” I said to Laney.
“No,” she replied, her voice firm but shaking. “I want to make sure he’s dead. I don’t want to see him floating away on something. You don’t know this man like I do. He’s the devil.”
“Stay beside me,” I said, wrapping an arm around her as her body trembled. It didn’t take long for the police and fire department to arrive. I turned to Laney. “The fire department and police are here. Let me do the talking. I don’t want them hauling you off.”
She nodded reluctantly. “I’m going back inside with Haley,” she said. “Please make sure he’s dead before you leave the beach. If he survived that explosion… kill him.”
When the police arrived, they asked what had happened. Raven stepped forward and started talking, his tone calm and measured.
“We heard them yelling something about trouble with the boat, and then it blew up.”
“Do you know how many people were onboard?” one officer asked.
“No, but I saw at least four,” Raven replied before turning to me. “What about you, Gideon?”
“Yeah, four,” I confirmed. “Could’ve been more, though. The boat was large. They came pretty close to the beach. Not sure if anyone jumped overboard. Do you think they were drug runners?” I asked, feigning curiosity as I glanced at the officer.
“I don’t know,” he said, looking toward the water where their boats were already searching for bodies.
I turned to Raven and Sean. “Why don’t we give you a hand? We’re Army Special Forces and have worked on operations like this before. With the motors off, it’ll be easier for us to use canoes and spot anyone floating before the sharks show up.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” the officer started, but Sean and Raven were already sliding the canoes into the water.
I took one of the canoes from Sean and climbed in. Together, we started paddling across the water, scanning the surface.
“We’ve got someone!” a voice called out. Raven and I paddled over to them and saw the body—clearly dead.
Then, another man was found, and they pulled him into the police boat before we got there. My heart clenched when I saw who it was: Jonah Reeves. He was alive.
I met Raven’s eyes. No words were needed. We both knew he couldn’t survive. If Jonah lived, Laney and Haley wouldn’t.
“We need someone to help this man!” the policeman shouted.
“I’m Army Special Forces,” I said, paddling over to their boat. “I’m also a medic. Let me take a look.”
Climbing aboard, I knelt beside Jonah. My face stayed neutral, but inside, I burned with rage. I leaned in, pressing my thumb to the side of his neck, cutting off his blood flow. While I pretended to examine him, I ensured he’d never take another breath. All the while, I kept up the act, pretending to resuscitate him.
“He didn’t make it,” I finally announced, sighing heavily. Then, as if the realization had just dawned on me, I said, “Wait… this man is Jonah Reeves. He’s the head of the Chicago mob. They must’ve been running drugs.”
That was all it took to shift the conversation.
“Why would the head of the Chicago mob be out here running drugs?” one officer asked skeptically. “He’s got plenty of men to do that for him.”
“I have no idea,” I said, shaking my head. “There were at least four men on that boat. I hope you find them before the sharks do. No one should be in the water with all this blood—it’ll bring them in fast. You’ll need to shut down the beach for a few days while you search.”
Raven held the canoe steady as I climbed back in. I gave the officers one last look. “Good luck finding all the pieces,” I said before we paddled away.