Chapter Seventeen
NOT LONG AFTER Grant ended the conversation with Seth, Rayne joined him on the balcony. He extended his hand to draw her against his side.
She studied him for a moment. “You okay?”
“Not even close. I told Seth what we found.”
“I did the same with Iona. The more our teams know, the better for their safety.”
“Yeah. Seth will contact Noah and Violet so they’ll be more vigilant.”
Rayne wrinkled her nose. “I hate that we’re interrupting their honeymoon.”
“Better that than risk their lives. We’ll make it up to them somehow.” No idea how he’d accomplish that, but he’d think about it.
“I’ve been thinking about Beau’s death.”
“What about it?”
“I don’t think the killer worked alone.”
Grant froze. “Why do you say that?”
“Think about it. We don’t have proof, but if we’re right about our assumption that Beau allowed the killer to shoot him to save his wife and kids, your friend had to know without a doubt that they were in danger at that moment.
Otherwise, based on what you’ve told me about him, Beau would have fought to take down the enemy and come up with a way to save his family.
In order for him to give up, he had to believe their deaths were imminent and surrendering was the only way to save them. ”
“I agree. However, you and I both know Eileen and the kids are lucky to still be alive. If Beau is dead, the greater likelihood is that the killer will get rid of the rest of the family to tie up loose ends, and Beau wouldn’t be able to stop him.”
“My point is the killer couldn’t be in two places at once. We should consider the possibility that he has a partner.”
The French door opened behind them again, and Riley poked her head out. “Hey, room service just delivered our food.”
“Excellent.” Grant led Rayne toward the suite. “I’m starving.”
Riley shook her head, a smile curving her lips. “Of course you are. I’m wondering how large your grocery bill is.”
“You don’t want to know.”
Inside the suite, three serving carts were parked near the breakfast bar along with silverware, plates, a large carafe of coffee and a second smaller one containing herbal tea.
The operatives filled their plates and migrated to the living room to eat. Andre polished off one plate of food, then refilled it and his coffee mug. He eyed Grant. “Did something happen after I went to sleep?”
Grant set his empty plate on the coffee table and cradled his coffee mug in his hands. “Not exactly. Rayne and I researched the members of Red Dawn.”
Riley frowned. “What did you learn?”
“Except for the members of Echo unit and five other soldiers, the rest of the military personnel who had boots on the ground during that operation are dead.”
She gasped.
Andre set his mug on the table with a thud. “What do you mean, they’re dead? We lost five on the mission. More men have died since Red Dawn?”
“That’s right.”
He dragged a hand down his face. “Are we talking accidents, cancer, suicide, or something else?”
“Every one of them was murdered, Andre.”
The operative stared. “You’re sure?”
He nodded. “Beau Reed was the first one to go down. One shot to the back of the head. The second man to die was Isaac Hill. He was shot once through the heart not too long after his wife was also murdered.” He continued listing the deaths for his teammates.
By the time Grant finished his gruesome litany, Andre’s expression was grim. “I can’t believe this.”
“The facts don’t lie. When Rayne and I double-checked, we discovered the pattern of family or friend deaths that preceded the deaths of the soldiers.”
“Like Jed, Selena, and Dante,” Riley murmured.
He nodded. “Looks like the killer wants to continue the job by moving on to Echo unit. Logistically, we look like easy pickings because we live in proximity and still work together.”
“Why do this?” Andre stood and paced. “There has to be a reason for all these deaths.”
“Revenge,” Riley suggested.
“Again, why? What happened on that mission that set this guy off?”
“He might have a partner,” Rayne said.
Andre stared. “How did you come to that conclusion?”
She explained the timing of Beau’s death.
“Grant said he was as tough as they come, that he wouldn’t just kneel and let someone shoot him without doing his best to fight his way out of the situation.
But the medical examiner’s report said the only injury to his body was the gunshot wound to his head. ”
“No defensive wounds, so he didn’t fight back,” Andre murmured. “That’s not like him.” He was silent for a moment, then asked, “What did the killer have on him that Beau would give up without a fight?”
“Think about it.” Grant wrapped his arm around Rayne’s shoulders. “What did Beau value more than anything else in this world?”
“His family,” his friend answered without hesitation. “Beau would have done anything to protect them.” His eyes widened. “That includes standing down and letting someone shoot him if it kept his wife and kids safe.”
Grant pointed at him. “Exactly what we concluded.”
“You said these murders were connected, and I believe you’re right. If it’s true, why did the pattern change?”
“What do you mean?”
“The killer took Eileen, Anthony, and Blaze hostage to use as leverage against Beau. Obviously, the plan worked. So why change an effective method for the rest of the murders?”
No one said anything for a moment. Finally, Rayne said, “Maybe Beau was the practice run.”
“Doesn’t look like the killer needed practice.” Riley scowled. “He didn’t have any trouble out of an experienced Special Forces soldier based on the medical examiner’s report and the police reports.”
“But this method of killing required a second person, the mysterious partner,” Grant said. “If he didn’t want to have anyone else involved, it would require a change in method. After Beau’s death, the killer chose family members and friends close to the target first and shot them in the heart.”
Andre looked thoughtful. “One shot, one kill,” he murmured.
“Yes.”
Riley looked from Andre to Grant and back. “What am I missing?”
“The shooter knew exactly where to aim and hit his target every time. Do you know how hard that is?” Andre refilled Riley’s coffee mug and set it on the table in front of her. “We can do it, but we’re trained snipers and sharpshooters. This guy knew what he was doing.”
Riley’s face drained of all color. “A sniper is targeting you?”
“All of Echo and the people we care about.” Andre cupped her chin and pressed a light kiss to her mouth. “That includes you.”
She surged to her feet. “We have to warn the others.”
Grant held up his hand. “Already in progress.”
“Thank God.” She shoved a hand through her hair, leaving her tresses is disarray. “What time are we eating with your family, Grant?”
“Six o’clock. Why?”
“Good. That gives us several hours to dig up as much information as we can. Your family is reluctant to accept protection from Fortress. If we unearth enough information to prove the danger is real, they may be more inclined to take the help Maddox offered.”
“Perhaps. I wouldn’t hold my breath, though.
Bowens are a stubborn bunch.” He’d earned his reputation as never-say-quit Bowen long before he’d enlisted in the military.
It was a family trait passed down through multiple generations.
The chances of Grant successfully changing the minds of his immediate family were slim to none.
“I guess we’ll see if overwhelming evidence does the trick.” Riley set her empty plate on a serving cart and grabbed her computer. “No one else is going to die on my watch if I can prevent it.”
Grant and the others followed suit and stacked their empty dishes on the serving carts, then pushed the carts to the hallway for hotel employees to clear away. They each grabbed their laptops and returned to the living room.
Andre glanced at Grant. “All right. I have my laptop and a mug of coffee. I’m armed and ready for battle.” He made a show of cracking his knuckles. “What’s my assignment, boss?”
“We have twenty soldiers who were assigned to Red Dawn. Take out the five soldiers killed during the mission and the five members of Echo. That leaves ten to investigate.”
“Four of the ten died in the past month. Are we focusing on the six men still alive or all ten?”
“All ten plus their families.”
Riley blew out a breath. “Actually, we should still include the men who died on the mission and their families.”
“Why?” Rayne asked.
“Think about it. Those five men had families who might hold a grudge because of the deaths of their loved ones. Like we discussed earlier, we can’t discount the need for revenge.”
Andre groaned. “As much as I hate to admit it, Riley is right. We have to include our fallen comrades and their families and friends in our search.”
Riley wrinkled her nose. “That’s a lot of research to cover in the few hours we have between now and dinner with your family, Grant. I’m fast but I’m not a miracle worker.”
Grant inclined his head. “That’s why we’re volunteering to help. Divide the soldiers and their families by four. We’ll go at this in pairs. Seth, Teagan, Iona, and Elias will be here by noon, and you know they’ll want to help as well.”
“Got it. Give me a few minutes to divide the work. I’ll send assignments to your Fortress email accounts.”
Minutes later, Riley’s assignment list popped into Grant’s email. He flinched when he saw the length of the list of people he and Rayne were assigned to investigate. He knew the list would be extensive, but this task was daunting. Finishing the research before the family dinner seemed unlikely.
He glanced at Rayne. “We should get busy. Otherwise, we’ll look like slackers.”
She tossed a teasing glance toward her teammate. “Yeah, Riley is a slave driver. That’s our computer queen. All work and no play.”
Riley glared at her. “I heard that.”
Rayne and Grant chuckled.
“Get to work.”