Chapter Nine
En Route
Marine’s Homes
Wednesday
One P.M.
D riving in the blacked-out Hummer, Maura was behind the wheel as they headed toward one of the dead Marines’ homes. They needed to nose around, and then go from there.
At that very moment, Rogue, Boone, and Merry were trying to find the two other Marines—the living ones, so that they could have a little ‘talk’ .
They had their addresses from intel, but there was no doubt in their minds that they would have bugged out if they thought they were in danger.
They were doing some creative hacking to watch security cameras all around those homes to see if they were there.
Well, Rogue was since that was his thing. So far, neither man had shown up, but they would keep an eye on the homes.
Just.
In.
Case.
Unfortunately for them, this mess made it more difficult to find them.
Marines played hide and seek better than any other branch of the military.
Could they be found?
Well, with MATE and some hacking, that was a possibility.
They’d find out.
What they knew was that it would be all about them working as a team to do it.
Everyone was working this case.
Thank God for Zayn and Eve coming in to give them a hand. It was going to be all-hands-on-deck.
As they drove, Jagger was staring out the window, and there was silence in the back.
“Well, I love when we go out and no one says shit,” Zayn admitted. “There’s nothing like that awkward silence to make me feel all happy and giddy.”
Jinx was beside him, and she shrugged.
“When they want to talk, they’ll talk. Why do you feel the need to fill silence with chatter? Would you like to talk about your childhood?”
He stared at her.
“You’re just lucky that I’m afraid of you,” he admitted, amused.
She laughed.
Eve did too.
“I like talking because I like to gossip. What can we talk about? Oh, I know…Gene is back. Do you think he’s going to slap the taste out of Tommy’s mouth?” he asked, going there.
Maura sighed.
“Do you have to be a grandma? What’s next, Zayn? Knitting?” she asked.
He laughed.
“I mean, I make cute babies, so I could probably make a cute hat too.”
Jagger rolled his eyes.
“You make adequate babies. That child is cute because of Stella. Who are we kidding? Tulip is pretty and has blue eyes. Science did that, not you and your slightly questionable sperm.”
He sputtered.
“I made that baby with the motion of the ocean and these hips. That sperm found the egg. That takes skill. The major had to put out signs for your sperm, so they didn’t go the wrong way.”
Jinx laughed.
Jagger actually did too.
The man was just so absurd.
That was his charm.
Jinx defended the man since he was like a father to her.
“Your job took thirty seconds, Zayn. Stella made that baby. You supplied the baby juice. Aren’t you getting too old to keep making babies?” she asked, busting his ass.
He gasped.
“You used to be nice, Jinxy. Rogue made you angry and bitter,” he joked. “You should have found a nice guy. I know a few people…”
The man’s voice came over her vest.
“Her husband is listening to you, dumbass. Knock that shit off or I’m stealing your kids. They are right here next to Uncle Rogue. If you try to set my wife up, I’m giving yours guns. An endless supply of guns.”
Well, shit.
Zayn didn’t want that. An armed Stella was a dangerous Stella—to any bystander.
That shut him up pretty fast.
When the com clicked back on, they heard a different voice.
“We found something, Major,” Remmy said, stopping the jackassery.
“What?” she asked, talking to him through MATE on her vest.
He clued her in.
“Well, Calyx contacted one of her old waitresses, and she asked her about those two particular men. Apparently, the two Marines you are looking for, the living ones, were absolutely mercenaries for BlackStone . They worked for Donore.”
Well, that meant they REALLY had to get to them. They might know where the asshole was.
She wasn’t shocked that Clint Rust and Charlie Hancock were on the naughty list. They likely had a bounty out on them for who knows what reason.
For all she knew, one of them had the crypto key.
“What else did she find out?” she asked, “And thank her for me.”
Her voice came over the com.
“It’s no problem, Major,” she said. “I found out that Captain Clint Rust has a cabin that he uses to stay off grid. He was drunk and running his mouth and mentioned it. He was trying to get that particular waitress to come get naked in it.”
Well, that was good to know.
They at least had an idea of where to point this next, after they visited the two dead men’s homes.
“Can you guys see if you can get the coordinates and more on Clint Rust?” she asked. “I’ll take whatever you can find on him.”
Calyx didn’t hesitate.
“Copy. God. I always wanted to say that,” she said, laughing.
They heard Remington laugh too.
They were just glad she was assimilating into their unit. She definitely had skills they could utilize, and Remington wasn’t letting his new wife out of his sight.
Maura went there.
“Merry, can you keep looking at that house to make sure there’s no power spikes, and he’s laying low inside. I know we hacked the cameras in the neighborhood, but if Clint was already inside…”
Oh, Merry got it.
They didn’t want a wild goose chase in a swamp if the man was still in the city.
She would be happy to do that for them.
“I can,” she stated. “It’ll take a few. I’ll let you know what I find.”
That worked for Maura.
“We’re at the home of the first dead Marine,” she stated. “We’re going to go nose around to see what we can find,” she added.
Dakota’s voice came over the com.
“Tell my wife that if she so much as gets a hangnail, she’s staying in and I’m going next time,” he stated. “I don’t care if she is a Snake.”
Eve laughed.
“Calm down, sexy out of control man. I’m literally sitting in the back seat and minding my business. Zayn hasn’t tried to set me up with anyone yet.”
He sputtered, and she shut off her com.
“Men,” she said.
They all laughed.
Parking down the street, they checked out the house where the first marine had been offed. There were no cops there, but they could see the police tape on the door.
It was a decent neighborhood, and with nice places meant security cameras, and nosey neighbors.
“We’re going to have to go in through the back,” she said. “There are houses around it, and while we can block cameras, we can’t block looky-loos.
That was a fact.
Zayn looked at his watch.
“Jinx and I can get in through the back. How about you three sit here?” he asked. “We can play couple in love who wanted a stroll. I’d bring Eve, but no one is going to believe that Jinx is going to share me with anyone.”
Both women laughed in amusement.
“Oh, okay,” Jinx said, rolling her eyes.
As for Maura, she didn’t care how they did it. Just that they did it.
“Search it and see if you can find anything,” she said. “Eve will be backup if you need help,” she stated. “She’ll head out after you, and keep an eye on the back door.”
That worked for everyone.
Jinx pulled off her guns, and placed them on the seat behind them.
Zayn did the same.
When they were in just cargo pants and shirts, Jinx pulled hers off.
“Woah,” Zayn said. “Put the tits away.”
She grabbed a colorful shirt from her bag, and pulled it on.
“Why is my husband looking at tits?” Stella’s voice came over the com. “Whose tits is he looking at?” she inquired.
Zayn knew not to mess with a hormonal postpartum mother.
“It wasn’t me!” he said. “Jinx took off her shirt, My sweet Stella,” he admitted. “It was out of the blue. I think she got hot or something.”
Rogue cleared his throat.
“Do I want to know?” he asked. “Or can I just write this off as some weird-ass pregnancy thing I’m not going to understand.”
Jinx laughed.
“My love, I have a tank top on under the black t-shirt. You know how Zayn is. He likes to bust ass.”
That he did.
Zayn gave her a fist bump.
Why?
She did NOT have a tank top on. She must have forgotten to put one on that morning.
As for this job, there needed to be less talk. They didn’t have time.
“Get moving,” Jagger said. “We need to hit the next house, and hopefully, it’ll be easier than this,” he stated.
They all gave him a fist bump as they got out.
Eve to go one way, and the two ‘lovebirds’ to go the other.
As they exited, everyone had guns tucked somewhere on their bodies, just not in holsters that could be seen.
As they moved down the sidewalk, they held hands, and tried to blend in with the people in the neighborhood.
Since they were alone, Jagger hit mute on his vest, and then did the same on hers.
“I love you,” he said.
Maura knew he was prefacing something with that, but she wasn’t sure what.
“I know, handsome. You’re being quiet. Are we good?” she asked, figuring that was what this was about.
He leaned over and kissed her.
“We’re good. I just worry about you. I don’t mean to be an asshole and bossy,” he said.
Then, he realized that was a lie.
“Okay, I totally mean to be an asshole and bossy. That’s kind of my thing.”
She snorted.
“It’s hot on you. Don’t stress it. I know that you’re stressed out, and this caught you off-guard.”
Yeah, she could say that again.
Reaching for her, he held her hand in his, and they watched the two people get to the front of the house. They saw Jinx holding a black box in her other hand, and they knew all the cameras on the street went dead.
They didn’t see Eve, but then again, they absolutely wouldn’t. She was a Snake, after all.
“I was thinking,” he said.
She glanced over.
“About?” she asked, suspecting it would be about her being in danger.
Jagger went there.
“When we finish up this mess, whenever that is, how about we take a family vacation? I’d love to see my wife in a bikini all pregnant with my child. I’m sure Dianna and Michael would love to go to the beach.”
She smiled.
“Really?”
He nodded.
“We’ll have to go somewhere I’m not recognizable, as Mikey O’, but I think it would be fun.”
She leaned over and kissed him.
“Your wife just so happens to want to be in a bikini for you, sexy Mob man. Maybe later, we can get naked and practice for the beach.”
He grinned.
“Oh, well, I’ll practice for anything with you.”
She winked at him.
Then, focused on the team.
It was go time.
“Here they go,” Maura said, hoping they didn’t get their asses into trouble.
She clicked on her com.
“Eve, they are making it to the door. Get into position, and offer support if anyone comes near the back of the house.”
“Copy, Major. What could possibly go wrong?”
She actually laughed.
Why?
Only, time would tell.
Down the street, Jinx was smiling at Zayn, playing doting girlfriend, but what she was actually doing was scoping out the area.
They might look like a couple, swinging their joined arms, and laughing, but they were anything but.
This recon mattered.
There was one obstacle left, before they could access the house.
When it was good to go, she radioed in.
“We’re clear. The old man who was out getting his mail just went inside,” she said, as they hauled ass between the two houses.
Luckily, it was the middle of the week on a workday, and people were at their jobs.
Once in the back of the house, they walked right past Eve, tucked away in the shadows.
“Be careful,” she said, letting them know she was in place.
“Copy,” they both said, popping in earbuds, and getting down to work.
Zayn pulled out his knife, and popped the lock on the door. Once it was open, the two of them pulled their guns and moved into the space.
And it stunk.
“Holy shit, someone bled out in here,” he whispered over the com, keeping his voice low. “The dude was definitely tortured in this house.”
In their ears, they heard talking from Maura and Jagger, telling them to get it done.
Oh, they would.
As they moved around the rooms, they could see that the crime scene people had been through, and there were black smudges all over the place.
Jinx was curious.
“Can Merry get us the crime scene pictures?” she asked. “I want to make sure nothing is missing.”
It was an odd request, but anything they needed, the team at the bunker would handle.
“Copy,” came Merry’s voice over the com. “I’m hacking the police precinct. I’ll have them pulled up and sent to your phone.”
That worked for her.
She noticed that a few things looked out of place. The reason she knew was the dusting powder from the fingerprint kits looked disturbed. There shouldn’t be a half a smudge on the one counter.
As they moved around, it didn’t take long for her phone to vibrate in her pocket, signaling something was coming in.
Pulling it up, she looked at the pictures, and Zayn was staring over her shoulder.
Well, he’d been right.
“Yowza. He was tortured by pros,” he said. “They wanted something. He’s fileted apart.”
Well, no shock there.
“They were probably looking for that key to the crypto piggy bank,” he whispered.
Probably.
The two of them moved around.
“We found a picture on the wall, it’s of a bunch of Marines and soldiers,” she said. “They are all standing in front of an Apache,” she added.
Maura was curious.
“Put on your camera so we can transmit back to Merry for ID.”
She did.
When she saw it, there were Marines and soldiers in black paint, all posing for a picture.
“Do we have any names?” she asked.
With gloves on, she opened the frame, and slipped the picture out.
“On the back, there are names.”
She held it up in front of the camera on her vest, and they were all seeing it.
Willy
Trent
Ty
Hemmingway
Dan
Anderson
Franklin
Billy
Clint
Charlie
Richard
Thomas
As she held the picture, Maura’s voice came over the com.
“Bring it with you, I know we can’t see their faces because of the black grease paint, but maybe Merry can do her computer voodoo and make that possible.”
They all heard Merry.
“You had better believe it. MATE and I can handle it. Bring it in. If it’s an original photo, I can go in and see what I can pull out and fix it. It’ll take time, but I likely can do it.”
That worked for them.
Tucking the picture into a messenger bag that Zayn was carrying, they kept moving through the house.
Maura was talking to them.
“That’s Richard Clark’s house. We know he’s in the picture. We just need to figure out who the rest of them are, and if they are still alive or dead.”
Zayn was curious.
“Who is the other dead Marine?” he asked. “With house number two?”
She clued him in.
“Thomas Lewiston is the other one who lived in the area. He’s going to be the next stop. Merry is running the names against the platoon records. Thankfully, Elizabeth got us access for those. I’m going to bet that everyone in that picture was in that one particular platoon.”
That made their lives easier having a list to work off of, and to cross off the victims.
From it, they knew the last two were dead.
As they kept looking through the house, they knew one thing.
“There are things missing,” Jinx admitted, using the photos. “Someone has been here after the man was killed,” she admitted. “I can see the evidence list, and they didn’t take things other than samples.”
That was odd.
Especially since he was likely killed for that crypto code.
“What’s missing?” Maura asked.
“Pictures on the walls, some books on the shelf, and…,” she didn’t get to finish.
“We have company,” Eve said, over the com. “You have two men that are in the back,” she whispered. “Advise. Do you want them in or dead?”
Zayn didn’t hesitate.
He slapped his hand over Jinx’s mouth, and pulled them into a corner where they could tuck away.
“Stay where you are, Eve,” Maura said. “Jinx and Zayn, if you’re in danger, contain them. Let’s see what they are doing there.”
Oh, likely the same thing they were.
Looking for fifty million dollars.
The cameras on their vests went on, and they could see that the two Marines were playing hide and seek.
With someone in there.
None of the Marines hiding spoke. Instead, they all listened.
“We had to have missed that key. We have to keep looking,” he said. “Until we find it, we have to recheck everything. You know what Von wants. If we fuck this up, we’re dead,” he said.
Yep.
They were right.
The two Marines, Richard and Thomas, had died because of that crypto key.
Maura had an idea, and she clued them in.
“We’re going to follow them when they leave the building. Eve, you follow if they go out the back, and Jagger and I will follow if they come out the front,” Maura said.
“Copy,” Eve answered.
The other two were silent, and they knew why.
The boss continued.
“If we have to leave you, borrow a ride, and we’ll give you coordinates.”
Still, they said nothing.
The two men were moving around in the living room.
“Did you close the back door?” the British one asked the other.
“Yeah, Willy. I told Von that the crypto key wasn’t with this dude. It has to be with the doctor. That’s the only possibility.”
The other man sighed.
“Trent, yeah, but he hauled ass into the swamp. They are still tracking him. He’s with that guy, and they think he’s a soldier. He was too fast.”
Jinx and Zayn watched and that sounded like what Calyx had told them. They might be talking about one of the guys in the bar.
Who was the doctor though?
When the one soldier tossed a book on to the floor, he pointed.
“We should check upstairs one last time.”
That worked for Trent.
Together, they headed upstairs.
The whole time, they could hear them talking, and moving around. They weren’t up there more than ten minutes. When they came down, they were empty handed.
Good.
Now, they needed the men to leave.
They.
Got.
Lucky.
“Let’s get to the other Marine’s house. Maybe we missed something when we killed him. That crypto key has to be somewhere.”
The man had a bag with him.
“If we don’t find it at these two places, there are only a few more places it could be. Someone in the platoon has that key, or the man hid it. That means it’s likely with the doctor like we thought.”
They kept walking, and they were unable to hear them as they went out the back door.
“Did you get all of that?” Zayn asked. “They think the crypto key is with someone who escaped into the woods. A doctor. Wasn’t that what Calyx said?”
Maura’s voice came over the com.
“She never mentioned a doctor. Merry, if you can hear me, are any of the people on that platoon list a doctor?” she asked.
It took a minute.
“Nope. No Marine doctors,” she said.
Jagger corrected her.
“The doctor wouldn’t be in the Marines. They’d be a Navy man who was embedded with them.”
She looked again.
“Nope,” she said. “There are no Navy dudes on the list. All are Marines or Royal Army.”
Well, shit.
“Then who is the doctor?” Jagger asked.
Only, they didn’t get to keep talking about that.
Eve gave them a heads-up.
“The two you just encountered walked toward the front of the house, and heading your way, Major,” she warned.
Oh, she saw them.
“Copy. They are getting into a sedan. Jagger and I are going to follow. I’ll put my tracker on. Find us. We will have to detain them shortly. I want to know what they know. I want to know who the doctor is, and if Clint Rust has that key. We might be able to use that key to lure in Von Donore.”
Now, that was a good plan.
As for them tailing them…
That worked for them.
“See you at Thomas Lewiston’s home, or wherever this wild goose chase is taking us,” Zayn admitted.
Honestly, Maura didn’t know. This was not normally how they worked a case. This was like a scavenger hunt.
They were looking for pieces of this puzzle.
Oh, and so far, they were finding out plenty.
Now, would it be enough to take out Von Donore?
Truthfully…
That was anyone’s guess.
* * * Hunters * * *
Area Fifty-Two
Outside
Same Time
When Elizabeth realized that Gene wasn’t inside the concrete lair, she went looking for him. With a little help from MATE, she was able to find him.
On the upper deck, where the helicopter had been, sitting in a lounge chair, the man was chilling out.
Well, as much as a person could when they had just had to do something incredibly difficult.
As she approached, he turned his head, and saw her coming.
“Hey, Honey,” he said, patting the chair beside him. “I see you found me.”
Elizabeth knew that if Gene wanted her that close, there was likely a reason.
Someone was struggling.
It looked like she had to help the man work his way through it. For the last hour, Ethan had been texting her non-stop, and she didn’t answer.
Honestly, she didn’t know what to say to him.
When she sat, he held her hand in his bigger one, and kissed her knuckles lovingly.
That was one of the sweet things about Gene.
He was truly a kind, loving guy. He was very aware of people’s feelings, and gentle with their souls. Now, he was trying to fight that rage.
Oh, she knew the kind that was brewing. Honestly, it was the same she felt when she found out that Sam had been murdered.
Or that Charlie had meddled in her and Chris’ relationship by sending in the marriage license.
Oh, and there was the fact that Tony Morell had come across her father as he was dying, and left him for dead to spite her.
Yeah, she knew rage.
It fed her many times.
“Want to talk about it?” she asked.
Actually, Gene did. He needed to get it off his chest, and Ethan wasn’t there. Now, he was going to test out the theory that she was also part of his heart.
By trusting her.
“I wanted to kill him. I wanted to hurt him so bad for punching me in the face. Then, I wanted to strangle him for trying to hurt you, a woman, and what this is doing to Ethan. I’m barely containing my rage.”
The irony was, Gene looked cool, calm, and collected, but clearly, he wasn’t.
She brushed some of his dark brown hair from his forehead, and let him continue.
“Ethan has been on edge, and he is worried I don’t want to come back. Tommy put that fear there. Even out of my life, he’s interfering in my life.”
She reassured him.
“Ethan will be okay,” she admitted.
He hoped so.
“I’ve been in love with Ethan for what feels like my whole life,” he admitted. “I wish I never left him.”
She was honest.
“We’re on the path we’re on because we’re supposed to be here. You had to leave, Gene. If you didn’t, he wouldn’t have met me, and he wouldn’t have his family. You began the healing process, I continued it, and now, we finish it together.”
He kissed her on the cheek.
“I love you,” he said. “I know when I went into this, I saw you more as Ethan’s wife, and the woman who allows me to have an open relationship with her husband, but I need you to know it’s more.”
She was honest with him.
“At first, I was worried, Gene. I know how much Ethan loves you. When Ethan owned it, I was still worried. Now, I’m not because I’m in love with you too,” she said. “I’ve grown to love you in ways I never knew possible. What we have isn’t sexual, but it’s deep.”
He rested his forehead against hers.
“I know. I feel the same. After that last case in Philadelphia …I was so scared,” he admitted. “I nearly lost him all of those years ago, and going back there…”
She squeezed his hand.
“That case was brutal,” she admitted. “I’m glad we were able to handle it, and to save Corbin Price. It matters. That’s all part of your past, and your story. So that makes it mine too.”
He knew Elizabeth was an angel.
“You’re a good egg, LaRue,” he said. “Even all of those years when you saved Ethan and me from the director, and went to bat for me with Gabe, I never knew we’d be here. I’m glad we are. I can’t wait to marry you too. I love our new home, and I love that we’re finally safe.”
She kissed him softly on the lips.
“I need a favor,” Gene admitted.
There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for her family. All they had to do was ask.
“What?”
“If he comes for our family, and tries to hurt you or Ethan, I know I said I’d do it, and I will, but I need you to be my ride or die without Ethan knowing. I don’t want him to know what lives in me. I would murder for him.”
So.
Would.
She.
“I need to make sure that Tommy doesn’t get a second chance to make a move on my family.”
She knew what he was asking, and honestly, she had already made plans. At this moment, Reaper and Wolf were taking him home. Later, when she had a moment, she’d talk to Lewis and have him put a web around her family.
With Russian spies out there still, and a disgruntled man, she wasn’t taking any chances.
None.
At.
All.
“I’ll be your alibi any day of the week. We’ll handle it.”
When Ivan cleared his throat, appearing in the doorway of Area Fifty-Two , she glanced over.
“Yes?”
He moved toward her, and put his lips by her ear, saying something.
Gene couldn’t hear him.
When he was done, she looked at Ivan.
“Is that so?” she asked. “He’s a tricky one. Okay, Ivan. Get Raphael here. I want to see him.”
He nodded and headed away.
“Is everything okay?” Gene asked. “Is Ethan okay?”
She nodded.
“Yeah, Honey, don’t worry. Everything is fine. I just want you to do me a favor.”
He lifted a brow.
“What?”
Raphael appeared so it would have to wait a second.
“You needed me?”
She went there.
“I want you to transport Gene back to the jet, and send him home. I want him to go back and be with Ethan. He shouldn’t be here any longer.”
Gene was surprised.
“You’ll be here alone.”
She was fine.
“I have three Marines up my ass, and a building full of mercenaries. Not you, too, now, Gene. Come on. I can ‘do bad’ all by myself.”
He laughed.
What was he thinking?
She could hold her own.
Elizabeth was deadly in her own right. She’d proved that for years.
“I can’t help it. I worry,” he said. “You’re part of my world, and you’re helping me raise our daughter. I like you in one piece.”
She would be fine.
Really.
This was her gift to him. Being here wasn’t making his life better.
It was making it hell.
“Go find Ethan. He’s rattled. I can tell.”
How did she know?
Oh, a little Ivan birdy told her.
Gene was grateful to her. Honestly, he didn’t want to be here.
Only, now, he was curious.
“Can I make a stop somewhere? Whenever Ethan and I are here, he gets me beignets and with the jet, they won’t be too cold when I get them back to him. I might try and find that love spell to make him my slave.”
She laughed and pulled a crisp hundred from her pocket.
“Get me four. I have some people that might need that spell,” she said, joking.
That amused him.
When he kissed her, it wasn’t the peck on the lips that she’d expected.
He.
Kissed.
Her.
Oh, and she kissed him back because in their world, you never knew when one kiss could be your last.
As he broke it, he smiled.
“Thank you for helping my heart. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.”
She winked.
“That’s my pleasure, Darlin’. Want your mint gum back?” she asked.
He took it and popped it back into his mouth like it was a normal thing—because now, it was.
“Be safe, Elizabeth.”
Oh, she would.
“Raphael will keep an eye on you. You’ll be safe. Then, he’ll come back here and babysit me.”
That worked for him.
“Thanks,” he said. “I love you, Kitten.”
She snorted.
“You’re a nut, but you’re my nut,” she said, slapping him on the ass when he walked past her.
When he and Raphael were gone, she was curious.
“Ivan?”
He stepped out of the shadows.
“Yeah, Medusa?” he asked.
“Is Reaper back yet?”
He was honest.
“Lewis never left. He let Wolf handle it. He wanted to kill the man for trying to punch out his friend, and I wholly think he should have. I can’t take you anywhere.”
She laughed.
“Okay, feisty leprechaun. Calm down. I would have knocked him on his ass. Gene just got to him first. If anything, I should be pissed. You know how I like punching bitches in the pie hole.”
He calmed down.
She pulled out her phone and texted Reaper. It didn’t take long, and he headed onto the concrete deck where they were.
“Thank God Zayn isn’t here. I had to walk past his kids to get up here. He would have tried to eat my liver,” Lewis joked.
She patted the lounger.
“I have a job for you.”
He lifted a brow.
“What now, Boss?” he asked.
Elizabeth was being proactive.
“I want you to keep an eye on Thomas Bernard. I have a bad feeling that he’s going to make a move on either Gene or Ethan.”
“And you?” Ivan asked, worried about all three of them.
She pointed.
“Mind your business, toadstool,” she said. “You’re not driving this bus.”
Ivan rolled his eyes.
He actually was because anyone who went for her had to go through him, and he liked not being shot.
“And if he crosses the line?” Lewis asked.
She didn’t mince words.
“Do what you do best to mitigate the outcome of the situation.”
And there it was.
He nodded.
Well, then, his orders were clear.
“See you later, Director,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek before heading out. “I’ll keep you updated.”
As he left, she felt bad.
Oh, Elizabeth didn’t want to do it, but if Tommy tried to hurt anyone in her family, she’d pull the trigger on it.
Without a doubt.