The Forbidden Secret (Forbidden #2)

Chapter Fifteen

Zeke Coleman

“If we hit one more fucking wall, I think I might go and blow up his entire fucking house and disregard any casualties,” Jaime groaned as she reclined back in the passenger seat of the car. “I thought this would be our in. It should have been our in.”

I stared out the front windshield as I watched the empty storefront where Clide Newton had entered, surrounded by guards. It was the first lead Jaimie had gotten in all the time we had been watching him. She finally had a location where he should have been vulnerable, but it hadn’t worked out that way.

She flung an arm over her eyes. “He’s too solid. He’s too well-guarded. I think I would have an easier time taking out the president of the fucking country than this man.”

“There’s going to be a way.”

We didn’t have a lot of time. Giovanni had stationed three of his men to cover all the entrances of my apartment while we were away, but I didn’t want to leave Evelina in anyone else’s hands for long.

She was mine to keep safe.

Mine.

“This is fucking ridiculous.”

Jaimie released a huff as if in agreement, but she didn’t move. What was there to do? The situation continued feeling more hopeless with each lost lead. There were no options. Aside from handing over Evelina and allowing her to get close and attempt to kill him, there wasn’t anything we could do.

“The only thing we can do right now is go inside,” she stated, inclining her seat and cracking her back. “They know your face, so I have to go in.”

“If you get the shot to take him out—”

“I’ll take it.”

She reached into the cup holder and grabbed a pair of glasses that had both a hidden camera and an attached microphone that connected to a tablet I brought. I pulled it out and connected the device before allowing it to load.

The picture came through clearly. “You’re good to go. Don’t get caught.”

She gave me a silent look as if to say, “have I ever gotten caught?” She shoved the door open and began walking toward the building. I watched her adjust her concealed firearm beneath her clothes as she waltzed inside confidently.

A part of me hoped that she had the opportunity to take out this threat right now, but I knew it wouldn’t be the case. Clide had been too meticulous. Too careful at every step of the way. I doubted he would allow himself to be exposed now.

But I could hope.

I watched the screen as she walked through the door and glanced around at the small antique shop around her. The flannel patterns and rustic wood of the floors made it look like I would be a popular option for people searching for home décor. It was the kind of store I would imagine Evelina scanning.

A young Russian woman stood behind the cash register and greeted Jaimie with a nervous smile. Jaimie responded in kind and moved toward the back of the store.

I didn’t expect to see Clide Newton sitting at a small table with an Italian man, speaking in hushed tones. I got only a glimpse before Jaimie veered her eyes away and continued moving. She passed by four more Russian men throughout the store, and as she intentionally brushed past one and focused her attention on the concealed weapon at his hip, it confirmed the theory that he was one of the guards.

Taking out Clide Newton here wouldn’t be an option.

“What are you searching for?” one of the guards asked as he came to stand at her side.

He used clear intimidation tactics, standing too close to Jaimie and focusing the full weight of his attention on her, but I knew she didn’t budge. Even without seeing her body language, I could tell from the tone of her reply that she was just as nonchalant as always.

“Why is it any of your business?”

“It’s my family’s shop, and I’m curious what customers are most interested in.”

She stared directly at him, and from the angle of the camera, I could see that she tilted her head in her usual predatory way. “My husband wants some coffee table toppers. We moved into our new apartment a month ago, and the place is feeling rather empty. Now, if you would excuse me…”

She went to brush past him before the glasses panned to him holding her upper arm.

“I wasn’t done talking.”

“If you don’t release me right now, I’ll call the police and pepper this shit hole with horrible Yelp reviews.”

I tipped my head back and laughed at Jaimie’s attempt at sounding like a normal woman. She could kill him a dozen different ways in the next ten seconds, and he wouldn’t even have a chance to draw his gun.

But he released her with a scoff.

“Is this how you usually treat your customers?” I wondered why she was baiting him. She could have played a different role entirely. “You know what, never mind. Fuck you. You’ll be lucky if I don’t call the police.”

His eyes darkened as she turned her back and walked straight out of the shop.

The pieces clicked together in an instant as he followed her out of the storefront, trailing a few yards behind. She walked casually before offering me a wink.

I understood exactly what she was doing now.

I pulled out a large-hilted hunter’s knife and slid into the backseat of the car, waiting for the perfect moment. If we couldn’t get answers inside the shop, we’d get them another way, and Jaimie was smart enough to play this man like a fucking fiddle.

She reached the driver’s side of the car and opened the door. When the man reached her, he grabbed her arm and whipped her around. Jaimie looked back at the store, checking one more time that she was not being watched, before smiling.

“All brawn and no brain is not good in this business.”

Only a flicker of surprise filled his eyes before she struck. She turned and reached behind him, grabbing the back of his head and slamming it into the car.

I slid out immediately, holding the hunter’s knife to the man’s throat. “Make a noise, and I will slit your fucking throat right now.”

He didn’t say a word as I walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk. He looked between us as I pushed him inside, and without a moment’s hesitation, I slammed the hilt of the knife against his temple, effectively rendering him unconscious.

* * * *

The blood dripped into the sink, lightening with each second I scrubbed at my hands and arms. I watched as the light pink turned clear, and I pumped out more soap, rubbing it beneath my fingernails.

“Useless prick,” Jaimie said as she stared into the mirror and ground her teeth. She stitched a small cut on her hairline, drawing a tear from her eye as her nose twitched. “We should have kept him hanging longer.”

I couldn’t disagree.

“Do you need help with the knot?” I asked as she did the second stitch and pulled it tight.

She only shook her head as I turned off the water and faced the guard’s body on the floor of this abandoned building. He had given us nothing. Other than talking about how powerful and important his boss was, there was no information to glean. I had been optimistic this time. He clearly worked at Clide’s side, so he had to have heard something.

But Clide was secretive enough to keep everyone around him unaware of his plans and dealings.

Jaimie exhaled as she knotted the thread and cut the tail from the stitch.

When we had opened the trunk, he had swung a plastic box at Jaimie, and it had split open her head. He didn’t land any more blows, and Jaimie certainly took it out on his hide.

“I’m done trying to appease Giovanni,” I admitted.

She raised her hands in defense. “I’m just contracted to help you in whatever way you need. If we are killing the motherfucker, I’m not going to argue with you.”

I had thought a lot about it. I had considered all the angles, and the only one that guaranteed we could get Evelina away was killing Clide Newton. He came after her so zealously because he didn’t think he had any substantial opposition. He was expending resources but not expecting to lose anything in the process. Realistically, even if I declared myself a threat, he wouldn’t care. I was one man compared to his thousands.

I knew what I had to do, and after another dead end, there was really only one option.

“I’m going to end this.”