Chapter 13
13
T he last forty-eight hours had been grueling, to say the least. Mission planning had always been one of Bellamy’s favorite parts about his job. He thrived in that environment as much as in the execution phase. His father always told him it was because it got the blood pumping to his brain, the one muscle in his body that he often ignored. Or neglected.
But this time, Bellamy struggled to sit still during the team meeting. His leg rattled and he found himself getting out of his chair and pacing instead of focusing on the task at hand.
Everything about this mission was personal.
Eric had taken years from Octavia’s life.
And from Bellamy’s.
Not to mention the scumbag was kidnapping young boys and girls and selling them to the highest bidder as if their lives didn’t matter.
At least they had proof of that now, thanks to Darius, Wyatt, Waylen, Fenmore, and Agent Georgia Adams’ hard work. They had pieced together years of human trafficking that Lemin had been financing and Eric had orchestrated.
Eric had used his position in the military to find the youths. Lemin and Eric used their money and power to transport the young men and women to various countries, selling them on the black market. Many were sold into sex slavery.
A couple had been traded to a few drug lords in Colombia. Those had been the ones Octavia had reported. The drug dealer had been pissed off because it brought attention to his business. Bellamy had come to understand that Eric had a deal with this one cartel that he’d occasionally give them a mule so they could transport drugs into the United States. This kept the cartel off Eric’s back and allowed him to continue his side gig. However, when Octavia got the families to file missing persons reports with the local governments, things got tough on Eric.
Bellamy believed that was one of the reasons he attacked the village. To make a statement to the cartel. And to deal with Octavia, who had inadvertently threatened his business .
All of it had been disturbing especially since it had been going on for the better part of fifteen years.
He leaned against the fence at the Brotherhood Protectors ranch and watched the dogs run around and play. One of his favorite pastimes. It was nice to see them outside of work mode. It helped Bellamy clear out the cobwebs and refocus his mind. He needed his brain working at maximum capacity. That meant he had to stop giving Eric power over his emotions.
“There you are,” Cooper said as he strolled across the pathway. Rusty and Ethan following. “Everyone was wondering where you went.”
“I needed a minute.” Bellamy ran his fingers through his hair. He was in desperate need of a haircut. He scratched at his beard, which also needed a trim. “Reading how many young people have been reported missing over the years and how Eric has gotten away with so many things isn’t sitting right with me.”
“He’s a real piece of work,” Rusty said. “I’ve seen a lot in my day, and even had to deal with traitors.” He cringed. “But Eric is next level.”
“He has no moral compass.” Ethan leaned against one of the posts. “No regard for human life.”
“I’m looking forward to taking him down,” Cooper said. “It will be one of the best things we’ve ever done. And I’m not saying that because of what he did to us personally. But because he’s just a shit of a human being.”
“It will take every ounce of energy I have not to kill that man.” Bellamy balled his fists. “Selling human beings is gross. And what he did to Octavia? A woman he supposedly loved? He’s despicable.” Bellamy choked on the thought. He’d spent the better part of five years trying to regret all the mistakes he’d made. Now it was impossible.
He should have fought harder. If only he’d been a better man, then Octavia would have never had to suffer. “When I came outside, Claudius was about to make the call to his assistant and make sure his whereabouts were leaked to Eric. Did he do that?”
“Yes,” Cooper said. “Corbin River from the Yellowstone branch has eyes on Eric and Lemin. He’ll let us know when they are on the move. It shouldn’t be too long before Eric heads this way.”
“He better bring Lemin with him,” Bellamy said under his breath. “We need to take them both down at the same time.”
“Agent Georgia Adams is on her way here.” Cooper leaned over and plucked a blade of grass, fiddling with it between his fingers. “Nova and Waylen will meet with her when she lands.”
“Did Nova get settled into her rental okay?” Bellamy asked. He hadn’t told her to leave but understood why she wanted her own space.
“It’s a nice little place,” Cooper said. “Your place was starting to feel crowded.”
“Or maybe she just wanted some time alone with you.” Rusty gave Cooper a punch in the biceps.
“Knock that shit off,” Cooper said. “It’s not like that.”
“Crash and burn, did you?” Ethan laughed.
“Screw you,” Cooper muttered.
Bellamy welcomed the lighthearted reprieve. Because they had decided not to announce to the world that Octavia was alive, he knew that Eric wouldn’t wait too long before jumping on a plane and flying to Hawaii. He would need to handle this situation with Octavia before that happened.
The intel Claudius passed on to his assistant was that he had come to Hawaii because he’d heard through certain underground sources that Bellamy and his team had gone to Colombia. That they had found Octavia and brought her back to Hawaii. And that his intel had been right on the money. Now he was working on how to deal with the fallout from why she’d been hiding for five years.
That should be enough to make Eric jump.
“Here comes your girlfriend.” Cooper pointed toward the main building .
Bellamy smiled. His chest puffed out with pride. While the last two days had been hard between all the fact-finding and planning, the nights with Octavia had been what held him together. Holding her in his arms. Making love to her. Waking up with her. It was the only thing that made sense in his world.
“You’re not even going to deny it,” Rusty said.
“He’s got it so bad that even his dogs are jealous.” Cooper shook his head.
“You’re the one who’s jealous.” Ethan chuckled.
“Hey, babe.” Bellamy ignored them all. He took her into his arms and kissed her sweet lips. “How ya doing?”
“I’ve got some news.” She rested her arm around his waist. “Bowie sent me out here to tell you that Corbin called. Lemin and Eric are on the move. Eric’s private jet is being gassed up and a flight plan has been filed. I bet you can guess where they are headed.”
Bellamy glanced at his watch. It was a little after five in the evening. A direct flight from DC would be a little over eleven hours. Eric wasn’t stupid. He’d need to do recon before planning an attack. He wouldn’t move in on them tonight. Not unless something weird went down. But he’d be ready no matter what.
“Did Corbin say if anyone else was with them?” Cooper asked. “I can’t believe the two of them would come to us alone.”
She shook her head. “Corbin said he’d call once they got to the airport. But he did mention that Eric made a phone call to a guy by the name of Tommy Campria.”
“Crap,” Bellamy said.
“Isn’t he working for some security organization in California now?” Rusty asked.
“I thought he was a mercenary,” Cooper said. “But whoever he’s working for these days, it’s bad news. He left the military with so many blemishes on his record I’m shocked he never got court-martialed.”
“Somehow, I’m not surprised he’s working with Eric,” Bellamy said. “But we need to be prepared for some serious gunpower coming our way.” He pulled Octavia closer. “This won’t be a confrontation. He’ll come at us in the shadows and try to take Octavia.”
“My father wants to announce I’m alive.” She glanced up, catching his gaze. Sucker punched him every time. “He’s inside Waylen’s office right now, pacing, yelling, flapping his arms. I guess he knows about this Tommy guy too.”
“Oh, he knows Tommy and your dad is one of the reasons Tommy left the military with his tail between his legs.” Bellamy nodded. “Because I promised to keep you in the loop and this does affect you, I need to know how you feel about this. We have enough proof to have Eric and Lemin arrested for the human trafficking ring. We can turn all that over to the Feds and let them deal with it when they land. What we don’t have is the proof that Eric was the one behind the attack on your village.” Bellamy traced the scar on her face. “Or what he did to you. If you want him to be held accountable for that, we need to continue with this plan and let him slink in here like the snake that he is. But that means you’re bait. It means we’re putting you in danger. If we announce you’re alive, he can’t come at you. There will be too much press. Too many people surrounding you to do that. There would be too much heat on him if he tried.”
“I want him to pay for everything,” she said with a strong voice. So strong and confident it brought a curve to the corners of his mouth. This was the Octavia he loved so much. The one who stood up for herself and others.
But it also scared him because so many things could go wrong with this plan.
“If we turn it all over now, it goes to court and he could be found not guilty. If we play this game his way, he’s arrogant enough to admit what he did to me. I want to hear him say it. I need that,” she said.
Bellamy inhaled sharply. As much as he hated putting her in harm’s way, he wanted that too. And it wasn’t just for her. He needed it for himself. “All right. It’s settled. We’ll let him case out my place and we’ll set the trap.” He closed his eyes for a brief moment before blinking them open. “Let’s go. We’ve got some work to do. Eric might be a patient man, but something tells me he’s not going to wait too long to come for you.”