Her Silver Fox Mountain Men (Lucky Lady Reverse Harems)

Chapter 24

24

James

T hings have changed between us. The intimacy is gone. I slept alone. So did James and Oliver. The separation was difficult, but Elise’s confession struck a chord.

I had to quickly let go of last night’s anger and sense of betrayal in order to move forward but the tension remains just beneath the surface.

The girls are with me in the kitchen when Elise comes downstairs for breakfast.

“Morning,” she says, her voice barely a whisper.

It breaks me to see her like this. She’s dressed in pajama shorts and a t-shirt. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a loose bun, her eyes look sad and puffy. She cried all night, that much is obvious.

“Good morning,” I reply with a weak smile, trying to keep up appearances for the girls. Tricia and Ainsley are way too young to understand what’s going on, and I intend to shield them from whatever comes our way. “Do you want some coffee?”

“No, thank you, I’ll make some tea,” she says, lighting up as the girls greet her.

“Morning, Ellie!” Tricia says brightly.

“Morning, sunshine!” Ainsley chimes in.

“My, oh, my, don’t you two look beautiful at this early hour,” Elise replies. “And in matching overalls, too.”

Tricia brings a spoonful of milk and cereal to her mouth. “Daddy says we’re staying home today, no kindergarten.”

“So, we’re gonna do some finger painting!” Ainsley exclaims.

“Hence the overalls. I get it. Makes sense,” Elise chuckles and turns to look at me. “You don’t want them going to school today?”

I shake my head. “I figured they could use a day off after all the fun and sugar of last night.”

“It’s because of me, isn’t it?” she steps closer, lowering her voice.

“I just thought they’d be safer here until we know where Igor is. I’ve got some agents coming in from Boulder. Once they’re all stationed where they’re supposed to be, everything will go back to normal.” Our backs are to the girls as we continue the conversation in hushed tones.

“I’m so sorry for all of this.”

“I told you, Elise. We’re going to come up with a plan, and we’re going to handle it. In the meantime, I’d really appreciate it if you could take a day off and stay here with the girls,” I calmly reply. “You’ll be reimbursed for the time you spend with them.”

She exhales sharply, waiting for the electric kettle. “Reimbursed. Good to know it’s turned into a business transaction.”

“That’s not what I meant.” I move closer but she pulls away, barely able to look me in the eyes. “Elise. It’s not what I meant.”

“It’s fine,” she says, forcing herself to smile. “I trust you. Whatever you decide, I’ll follow your lead, James.”

“Ellie, you look sad,” Ainsley picks up on my mood, ever the observant spirit.

“I’m okay, honey, just tired,” Elise replies. “Finish your breakfast so we can go into the living room to paint.”

Tricia’s eyes light up with excitement. “You’re painting with us?”

“Yeah, turns out I’m taking the day off, too.”

“YAY!” the twins exclaim in cheerful unison.

It fills my soul with joy to see them like this, yet, at the same time, it breaks me into a million little pieces. I can’t imagine a future where Elise doesn’t walk into the kitchen every morning to join us for breakfast. I don’t want that.

So if I have to bring back an old part of me that I left behind when I was discharged from the Rangers so fucking be it.

“We’re good to go,” Roman tells me as he and Oliver come into the kitchen. All three of us are sharply dressed, ready to tackle what’s ahead.

As they exchange brief glances with Elise, I can see the underlying tension, a hint of what others might consider resentment. It’s not. It’s purely the stress of an ugly truth we’ve chosen to confront, even though it’s not technically ours to deal with. Our honor as men and our love for Elise demand it.

“You three look dapper. May I ask where you’re going?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I reply with a reassuring smile, then lean in and plant a kiss on her forehead. “Just stay here, enjoy your time with the girls, and call us if you need anything.”

“I don’t like this,” Elise whispers, mindful of the twins. “You can’t leave us on our own here.”

“You won’t be on your own,” Oliver replies in an equally low tone. “We’ve got people set up outside the house and at the gate. Two of them will be on constant patrol around the whole property. The CCTV system is up and running, and we’re tracking every sensor from our phones. You’re safe here.”

Elise gives him a confused look. “We’re never going to be safe while Igor is out there, waiting for the right moment.”

“I need you to listen to me,” I say, gently taking her by the shoulders while Roman keeps the girls busy with a few nifty coin tricks, their giggles reverberating in the background. “Nothing’s going to happen to you while you’re under my roof, Elise. You are our woman, okay? And we’re going to make sure that nothing and nobody drives you out of anywhere ever again.”

She nods slowly, tears welling up in her beautiful, sad blue eyes. “I wish you’d tell me where you’re going, at least.”

“The less you know, the better. Trust me.”

“I do.”

I kiss her again. Oliver brushes his lips across her cheek. Roman gives her a gentle squeeze of the arm and a subtle smile before he walks out. I pop by the girls’ table to hug and smooch both, then follow the guys to the car. We’ve got quite the drive ahead.

As soon as the front door closes behind us, Oliver gives me a brief glance, car keys jingling in his hand. “Kara Konstantinova texted. She approved the meeting.”

“Good.”

We obviously need to talk. The meeting was arranged for noon at Candy’s.

The goal is for the lunchtime rush hour to keep any potential attackers at bay while we talk to Kara Konstantinova. We don’t want any collateral damage or innocent bystanders getting injured or potentially killed over this.

“I feel deceitful doing it this way,” Oliver mutters as we get out of my truck.

I park a couple of blocks down from the restaurant, yet another safety precaution. “I’m not a fan of this tactic either, but it’s a way to deter anybody from coming after us or Kara, regardless of motive.”

“Coast looks clear,” Roman says as he takes the lead. “Our guys did a perimeter check before going in.”

“We trained them right. I’m not worried about their capabilities in protecting Kara while she’s under our care,” I reply. “I’m worried about what Kara might do to Elise if we don’t nip this in the bud. She’s already inside, by the way, seated at our reserved table. She just texted me.”

Roman frowns slightly, stopping to look at us. “Something still doesn’t track. If all the Konstantinovs are gunning for Elise because of the proof she has against Igor, why haven’t they approached her to discuss it first?”

“You make a good point,” I tell him. “Elise clearly wants to be left alone. The evidence she has was intended to keep them away. If I were a Konstantinov and I needed whatever she had on me to stay quiet, I’d arrange a meeting with her to discuss a guarantee in exchange for her freedom and safety. Hell, I’d hand her the divorce papers myself if that’s all she wants.”

“It’s all she wants,” Oliver reminds me. “She was just trying to get away from them.”

I can understand why she felt she couldn’t rely on the Chicago PD—they are notorious for being crooked—but she could’ve gone to the feds with her proof. She could’ve built one hell of a case against the Konstantinovs but she didn’t. She chose to run away and stay away. My guess is that part of her still feels deeply indebted to the Konstantinov family for taking them in.

Except for Igor.

“We’ll go through the back door,” I tell the guys. “If Igor is around, it’s probably best if he doesn’t see us speaking to his sister.”

“Agreed,” Oliver nods.

We take a right at the alley, then move around the building and head for the service entrance of Candy’s. As soon as we reach the door, however, and mere seconds before I notice the black SUV parked just beyond the dumpsters, Roman’s entire body stiffens.

“What’s wrong, brother?” I ask in a low voice.

I follow his gaze. Four men in dark suits get out of the SUV, all carrying semi-automatic weapons.

“Shit! It’s an ambush!” I shout and immediately take out my piece.

POP-POP-POP.

Time stops as Oliver returns fire. I follow. Roman ducks, then bolts forward toward the nearest assailant.

POP-POP-POP.

I can hear screaming and shouting from the main street as the sound of gunfire bounces off the alley walls.

Roman tackles one of the goons and takes him down. The others fire their weapons at him, but Oliver and I cover him, firing round after round. As they shoot back, we’re forced to take cover behind a dumpster, bullets ricocheting off the metal.

“Call 911!” I hear someone shout from inside Candy’s.

“Roman, pull back!” I call out.

“Just… one… minute,” he growls as he snaps the guy’s neck.

I empty my magazine and quickly reload while Oliver covers for me. It’s just what Roman needs to move back and join us behind the dumpster.

A second assailant falls, blood pooling around him.

“Two fuckers down. Two more to go,” Roman hisses.

“Too late,” I say, watching as the survivors fire in our direction then jump back into the sleek black SUV.

“Fuck,” I grumble as I watch the car swerve at the end of the alley and drive back onto the main street. They’re gone.

The back door bursts wide open and the three of us immediately point our weapons at the two men stepping out. “At ease, gentlemen,” one of them says.

“Chip,” I breathe, recognizing our agent.

“What the hell happened?” he asks, visibly alarmed and on edge.

I measure him from head to toe, observing the black suit and the semi-automatic pistol in his hand. “Where’s Kara?” I ask.

“As soon as we heard the first shots, I sent her out of here. She’s gone,” he says, then glances down at the fuckers we managed to drop. “All dead?”

“Two out of four,” Oliver shakes his head. “The others got away.”

“They were waiting for us in the alley,” Roman says. “A complete ambush.”

I give Chip a curious look. “Everybody okay in there?”

“Yeah,” he nods. “There was no commotion at the front. Fucking hell, Jim, they were targeting you.”

“They must’ve assumed we’d take the back door,” Roman says.

“I need to talk to Kara,” I tell Chip.

Oliver, Roman, and I patiently wait for Chip to contact her while the sound of wailing sirens grows louder. This place will soon be crawling with sheriff’s deputies and crime scene investigators.

“Shit,” Chip mumbles, staring at his phone screen.

“What is it?” I ask, my stomach dropping. The adrenalin has yet to wear off.

“I can’t reach her,” he says. “I keep getting her voicemail.”

“Who’s with Kara Konstantinova right now?”

“Perry, Jason, Horowitz, and Delaney. They rushed her out of here on my command as soon as we heard the shots.”

“Then you and Jones came out here to see what was going on.” They both nod in acknowledgement. “Alright, call the others. Get someone on the line now. We really need to talk to Kara. This was a direct attack on us, not on her. And judging by their weapons and overall demeanor, they knew what they were up against,” I add, pointing at the dead men on the ground.

Red and blue lights flash across the back alley.

Chip gestures to Jones and nods at the assailant with a broken neck. “Check them for IDs before the deputies take over,” he says. “Whoever they are, they’re undoubtedly connected to the Konstantinovs somehow.”

“What was Kara’s mood earlier?” Roman asks him.

Chip’s expression turns to one of frustration and anger when he still can’t get ahold of anybody. I can tell from the look on his face that things are about to get a hell of a lot worse. “Sir, none of our agents are picking up. Voicemail, all of them.”

“Cell phone jammer,” Roman suggests.

Oliver curses under his breath. “Someone from the Konstantinov side just declared war on us.” A split second later, he’s fishing through the dead guys’ pockets, pulling out a couple of burner cells and wallets.

Chip gives me a stern nod. “You go ahead, sir. We’ll handle the cops.”

“They’ll need statements from us,” I tell him.

“I’ll make sure the sheriff understands that you had pressing matters to attend to, matters that couldn’t wait.”

As the first deputies spill into the back alley from the other side, Roman, Oliver, and I are already out of sight and headed back to our car, guns safely holstered. I’m getting too many wartime flashbacks as I try to keep my pulse and my breathing under control. The more I think about what just went down, the more worried I become.

We’ve got missing agents and a missing Kara Konstantinova. We’ve got two surviving hitmen on the run. There’s no way this doesn’t end in horrific bloodshed unless we get to the truth first.