Chapter 24
Brianna is goingto be worried.
Hell, she might even be pissed that I’m not back yet.
One to two days has now turned into three, and we still aren’t done, but we are finally getting closer to the end.
Of course, I had to call Hudson several times, and with his help, we led the killers back to Scarlett Island. To where it all began.
I get off the phone with Jordan, who filled me in on everything he and Brianna were able to uncover about John and his past.
Looking across John’s dining room table, my gaze meets his. “So, are we going to talk about the recording?”
His gaze darts away, settling on something outside the back door. The sun has set, and the sky is darkening. “What recording?”
“I don’t have time for games, John. My intel guy found the hit on the dark web, so either they have their wires crossed or you’re lying. Stop being a selfish asshole and think about your daughter for a moment.”
His gaze snaps back to mine. “What about Brianna?”
I growl out, “She witnessed a break in, theft, and murder. She’s had to hide away for the entire summer because you weren’t honest about your past. The isolation has changed her, and she’s not the same fiery woman she was before all of this.”
His jaw clenches as his gaze roams over my face. “Why does it matter that she’s changed? Change can be a good thing.”
I need to tell him how I feel about Brianna. I need to tell him before we finish this mission because afterwards, I’m taking her on a much needed vacation.
Clearing my throat, I softly say, “It matters to me because I’m falling in love with her. I love your daughter, and I want to make her happy. But you keeping secrets isn’t helping anything. It’s not helping this mission, it’s not helping Brianna.”
His lips tighten into a thin line, like he’s trying to keep his anger contained.
I wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to hit me, but to my surprise, he grins and stands.
“That’s wonderful news!”
“It is?” I ask, unsure if John has had an aneurysm in the past few seconds.
“Of course it is. Every father wants his baby girl to be loved and cared for after they leave home, and I know she’s in good hands when she’s with you.”
His approval only makes me miss her more.
“So, now that we have that settled, tell me about the recording.”
He sits back down and lets out a long sigh. “I didn’t record the interrogation and execution, but I was in the room.”
Well, that’s good at least, but doesn’t really help our situation.
He continues. “I warned them against keeping the recording. Sure, some other teams did it and got away with it, but those idiots made a copy for each team member and then bragged about it off base.”
I’m starting to see how the rumors got started and how it turned to John doing the recording.
“Why didn’t you correct them when it was mentioned that you recorded the interrogation?”
“Because it was just a rumor, and I was on my last mission. I had no plans to return, as I was going to settle down and move on with my life. I changed my name and made up a fake backstory.”
“But why keep the evidence? Why not just destroy it? Soak it in water and throw it away? Hell, even burn it.”
If they didn’t find the evidence, they might have moved on and not continued to target Brianna.
“I don’t know. Maybe it was for nostalgia since I was leaving my past in the past. I wanted to forget it ever existed, but wanted to remember my team, so I asked Zach to keep it protected.”
“Well, he did, until the guys figured it out and stole it from Zach.”
He picks up his glass of soda, drinking half of it in one gulp. “That wasn’t planned. None of this was.”
No shit.
I want to tell him as much, but that won’t help me get back to Florida.
“Is there anything else I should know before Hudson gets here?”
He shakes his head. “You know everything now, but I’d like to keep this from the public. How much does Brianna know?”
“After my conversation with my intel guy, she knows everything except for your side of the story and why you kept your past a secret from them.”
“I guess I’ll have to have that conversation at some point.”
“Yeah, but in a month because she deserves a relaxing vacation before coming back here.”
He raises his eyebrow but doesn’t say anything as the sound of a car approaching alerts us of company.
It should be Hudson, but we don’t take any chances.
We grab our guns and head to the front door.
My phone chimes with a text. Looking at it, I say, “It’s Hudson. He’s outside.”
John claps me on the shoulder. “Call me when it’s over and I’ll deal with the police. Also, I need the men alive. There’s a lot I can get the police to overlook, but murder isn’t one of them.”
“I’ll remember that.” I say before holstering my gun and jogging out to meet Hudson.
He’s not in his normal vehicle. He’s in an all white van.
Getting into the passenger seat, I ask, “Where’d you get the serial killer van?”
Hudson chuckles. “There’s a lot you missed over the past several weeks.”
My glance moves to the front door where John is still standing and watching us.
Fucking dick.
“I guess John just forgot to fill me in. What’s the story?”
Hudson drives in the direction of the abandoned warehouses.
“We’ve been busy cleaning house and gathering evidence. While the guys were in Florida, we raided the warehouse and arrested several accomplices. We confiscated all their stolen goods and drugs.”
He pats the dash of the van before saying, “This is one of the workers’ vans. I’m driving it so the guys aren’t suspicious.”
“At least John was doing more than just waiting for this to end.”
“You should cut him some slack, X. He feels horrible about lying to his family.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not cutting him any slack. He put Brianna’s life in danger. Multiple times. Besides, he didn’t have to watch her happiness slip away day by day. It was the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever had to do, which is why I ended up taking her away.”
Hudson stops at a red light and looks over at me. “Damn, dude, you got it bad. I knew this was going to happen. I just didn’t think it was going to be the town’s princess.”
“Yeah, well, it fucking did, so I’d like to finish this as quick as we can so I can tell her how I feel.”
“You left without telling her you love her? Damn.” He shakes his head as the light turns green.
“We kind of left things weird.”
That’s the understatement of the year, but I don’t want to get into that right now. I fucked up, but I’m going to make sure she knows how I feel as soon as I can get back down there to her.
Our conversation stops as we get closer to the abandoned warehouses.
Hudson turns off the van lights and parks down the street from the warehouse. There are no cars outside, but there weren’t any cars parked outside the last time I was here, either.
“Show time.” Hudson says as he opens his door and gets out of the van.
I check my guns and knives one last time before following him across the road. We put our headsets on and go our separate ways.
“You ready?” I whisper into the mic.
“Now or never. As soon as you do your damn job.” Hudson says back.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m getting to it.” I grab the wire cutters from my back pocket.
Just like many times before, we start by cutting the power to the warehouse. Luckily, it’s not that hard since Hudson did a lot of prep work while I was gone.
Hudson goes through the back door while I enter through the side office door.
To my surprise, there’s no one here in the office. I crack open the door and listen for any movement.
“Stupid fucking old building.” One man yells as something skids across the concrete floor.
The other man yells from the other side of the warehouse. “I told Everett this would happen if we set up in an old place, but no, he didn’t want to listen because he was in charge.”
“Yeah, look where that got him. Dead. That’s where. Fucking liar deserved it, too. I’m going to try to find the shop light. I think it’s in the office.”
The other man grunts and says, “I’m going to grab one of the extra batteries for it. We’re going to need it if we are going to get done with this tonight and head south to get the girl.”
I see red. There’s no way in hell I’m going to let them get to Brianna. Not anymore. They had their chance and blew it.
Both men groan and swear when they run into something.
“What the hell?” The man on the other side of the warehouse says.
Hudson’s voice comes through the earpiece. “One down, one to go. He’s heading your way.”
I move away from the door and hide along a wall as footsteps get closer.
My heart races as adrenaline courses through my veins. I want to handle this like I would have in the field. I want to get revenge for all the shit they put Brianna through.
The office door opens, and the man steps inside.
I wait until he’s walking past me to stick my foot out, tripping him, and taking him down to the hard concrete ground. It’s much harder to do this in the pitch black without night vision.
Reaching out, I try to get both of his hands to restrain him, but the guy gets one arm free and lands a punch on my cheek.
“Motherfucker.” I knee him in his stomach.
He lets out a groan, giving me the opportunity to grab both wrists.
It’s a damn good thing that John gave specific instructions to bring the guys back alive because I’d shoot him just to end this now.
Bringing them in alive doesn’t mean we can give them a few extra cuts and bruises.
Digging into my back pocket, I grab the zip ties and secure them around his hands.
He tries to fight me, but I stand, grab my gun, and push it into his chest. “Don’t push me, asshole, because I will pull the trigger without a second thought.”
I pull him up into a standing position and push him forward with the barrel of my gun. “Out the back door.”
He slowly walks through the blacked out warehouse to the van out back where Hudson is waiting with the other guy.
I push him until he’s standing next to his partner. Digging out another pair of zip ties, I fasten them around his ankles so he can’t get away.
The van’s headlights let me see the two men clearly.
“This is the one that pulled the trigger.” I tell Hudson, who gives me a nod.
“How the fuck do you know that? Maybe you are trying to get easy charges to stick, but you have nothing. You don’t have the murder weapon or anything placing us at the scene of the crime. You have nothing.”
The other man chimes in. “Where’s your witness hiding? We have strict orders to bring her back with us. Our boss is looking forward to having her.”
Rage consumes me at the mention of my witness. I’ll go to the ends of the Earth to find their boss if I have to.
I’ll cut off his fucking hands if he dares to even try to touch Brianna, and cut off his dick if he thinks he’s going to stick it anywhere near her.
I ball my hand into a fist, and before I know what I’m doing, I throw a punch toward his mouth.
He spits on my boot. “Did you fuck her? Is that why you are acting like a macho guy?”
Another punch, but this time it’s aimed at his stomach.
He groans in response.
Hudson gives me a knowing smirk, and I roll my eyes. He can see it on my face from a hundred feet away.
I love Brianna. I’m enthralled by her.
She’s all I can think about, even when I should be focused on something else.
She’s all I want to think about, morning, noon, and night.
Digging my phone out of my pocket, I dial John’s number.
It rings and rings and rings.
“What the fuck?”
I end the call and immediately redial.
It goes straight to his voicemail.
“Answer your damn phone. I’ve got somewhere to be.”
I hang up and look at Hudson, who is grinning from ear to fucking ear.
“You can take the van. I’ll wait here for him.”
Sure, the two men are tied up, but it’s still two against one, and I won’t put Hudson in that position. “No. I’ll try him again.”
I redial John’s number and he finally answers right before his voicemail picks up.
I don’t wait for him to speak. “We’re done here. Call in the police. We are ready to leave.”
“That’s what I was doing when you kept calling. They should be there in a minute or two. They won’t question you and Hudson. I told them to pick up the two suspects and I’ll handle the rest.”
Several police cars turn onto the abandoned road.
“The police are here. I’ll be back at your house to retrieve my car after they leave. I want to get back down to Florida as soon as I can.”
“About that.” His tone is very fatherly.
Is he going to chew my ass out now?
Is he going to tell me he changed his mind and doesn’t want me seeing Brianna?
He continues. “I have arranged transportation for you tomorrow morning. I’ll explain more once you get here.”
With a new mission in mind, I clap Hudson on his back. “Let’s go. There’s someone I need to see.”