Chapter 15 #2
By that time, Kevlar had arrived with the rest of his team and the sun was peeking over the horizon. Kelli had literally been up all night, and Flash could tell she was on her last leg. He needed to get her someplace safe where she could sleep .
Dude had been the one to tell Kevlar and the others what happened, so Kelli didn’t have to tell it a fourth time. It wasn’t until she was talking to her apartment manager that Kevlar approached Flash…and reminded him of something that hit him hard.
“Brant Williams is still in the wind. And he took both your IDs in Jamaica, which have your addresses. Could this have been him?”
Flash’s first inclination was to say no. No way. But he stopped himself.
Why couldn’t it be him? The man had to be pissed that his kidnapping plan was foiled.
Not only that, but the bus he’d probably paid a good amount of money to modify and bury was no longer viable for future kidnapping plots.
He’d had to leave the country to escape the long arm of the law and was now a wanted fugitive.
So why wouldn’t he come after Kelli in the States? Or Flash, for that matter?
“Fuck,” he said belatedly. It wouldn’t be safe to bring Kelli back to his apartment. Not if this was Williams…not when the man knew where he lived.
“Here. Stay at my place,” Smiley said, holding out a set of keys to Flash. “He doesn’t know where I live, and I can stay at your place. Sit in wait. If he does dare show his face, he’ll regret it.”
It was a very generous offer but Flash hesitated, reluctant to put Smiley in danger, even if he knew his friend could handle himself. Plus…he really wanted to get his hands on Williams.
“Take them,” Kevlar prodded. “It’s a good solution. Since the rest of us have our women to look after, it makes sense.”
Because Kelli’s safety was more important than his own pride—and his desire to take Brant Williams down himself—Flash took the keys. “Thank you,” he told Smiley. “Be careful.”
“It’s not me who should be careful,” Smiley said with a pissed-off glint in his eye. “And don’t thank me yet,” his friend said. “You haven’t seen the place. In fact, it kind of looks a little like this.” Smiley gestured to the mess around them with his head.
Flash groaned as his teammates chuckled.
He saw Kelli heading toward him and immediately turned his back on his friends to meet her halfway.
“I feel bad that the police are asking the manager so many questions,” she said, when Flash took her hands in his.
“Don’t. He has a key to your place, it’s normal for them to question him.”
“Still.”
Flash didn’t feel bad in the least. In fact, he was pretty sure Preacher and MacGyver were making plans to talk to the man themselves after the cops left.
“You ready to head out?” he asked.
Kelli looked around her apartment. There were still crime techs coming and going.
“Remi, Wren, and Addison are coming over in a bit to start going through your things…separating out what can be salvaged from what will have to be thrown away. Wolf and Mozart are going to replace your locks, probably with something that will take four keys and a fingerprint scan to open. Josie and Maggie will talk to Julie about replacing any clothing that was damaged, and they’ll wash the rest so everything’s fresh and clean. ”
“Oh. They don’t have to do that,” Kelli said .
“Of course they don’t. They want to.”
“I just…” Her eyes filled with tears.
Yeah, she was definitely at the end of her rope. “Come here,” Flash said, pulling her into him and holding her tight.
“I don’t know what to say. To do.”
“You don’t have to say or do anything. What you need is some sleep. Things will look brighter when you wake up.”
He felt her take a deep breath. “Are we still going to your place?”
This was the part he didn’t really want to tell her…but he wouldn’t keep secrets from this woman. “Change of plans. We’re going to stay at Smiley’s apartment for a while.”
She frowned up at him. “Why?”
“We don’t know who broke in. But Williams hasn’t been found yet.”
“And he knows where we both live,” Kelli finished for him.
Flash should’ve known he wouldn’t have to explain. His woman was smart. “Exactly.”
She sighed. “All right. But I hate feeling as if we’re kicking Smiley out of his apartment.”
“We aren’t. He’s more than happy to stay at my place. In fact, he hopes Williams is behind this and dares to come to my apartment.”
“I don’t want him getting hurt,” Kelli said softly.
“No way in hell is anyone getting the drop on Smiley. He’s been a mean son-of-a-bitch lately, ever since Bree Haynes disappeared like a puff of smoke again.”
“That’s the woman he found in Vegas, right? ”
“Right. And she’s the one who saved Ellory and Yana from the man who’d sold them for their organs.”
Kelli frowned. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
Lord, Flash adored this woman. She was in the middle of her own shitshow, and yet she was still thinking about others.
“No. Bree’s clearly in some kind of trouble, but she also knows a thing or two about staying under the radar.
We’re all hoping she musters up the courage to talk to one of us at some point. ”
Kelli swayed in his arms, and Flash was officially done talking.
He put an arm around her shoulders and physically turned her toward the door.
They’d already gotten the okay to leave from the detectives, who had both their contact info and would get in touch when they had any information about the break-in or if they had more questions.
Flash waved at his teammates, and they all gave him chin-lifts in return.
Kevlar had promised he’d talk to their commander and let him know what was going on, and why Flash wouldn’t be at work that day.
The others were going to be helping the women get Kelli’s belongings straightened out.
There would probably be lots of food being delivered to Smiley’s apartment by that afternoon, if he had to guess.
Flash had never been as grateful for a group of friends as he was for his, right about now.
Dude approached when they reached Flash’s SUV. Kelli turned to him and, as if she’d known the man for years, gave him a long, heartfelt hug. “Thank you for coming when Flash called.”
“You need anything? You call. If Flash and his team are deployed, my friends and I are always available. No matter what. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Kelli sassed lightly, smiling up at him. But what she saw in his face made her amusement fade.
“Never gets old,” Dude said with a small chuckle, before turning her back toward Flash and giving her a gentle push into his arms. “Take care of her,” he ordered, before spinning around and heading across the lot to his own car.
“He’s…intense,” Kelli muttered.
“You have no idea,” Flash said. Everyone knew about Dude’s sexual preferences.
How he liked to be completely in charge in the bedroom.
Sometimes his dominance leaked out in other aspects of his life…
and it was obvious that, while Kelli didn’t fully understand the vibes he was putting out, she was still affected by them.
“Come on. I need to get you to a bed.”
Kelli smiled up at him. “I like the sound of that.”
Flash shook his head. He hadn’t meant that the way it sounded, but now that he thought about it, the idea of holding her in his arms as they both slept was extremely appealing.
As he drove them toward Smiley’s apartment, Flash’s mind turned to the question of who had broken into Kelli’s apartment. Why? What did they want? Would they come back?
Was it Williams?
He had too many questions and not enough answers. But whoever it was had failed…because Kelli had held her composure. And if he tried again, he’d find Kelli was no longer alone. Flash vowed to stay by her side until the perp was found .
And if it was Williams? The asshole who’d kidnapped them and buried them alive?
He was a dead man. No one messed with what was his.
And Kelli Colbert most definitely belonged to Flash.
Brant Williams scowled as he watched the hubbub die down outside the bitch’s apartment.
How the fuck had he missed her? Where was she hiding?
He’d scoured the apartment and assumed he must’ve missed her leaving at some point.
But he hadn’t. She’d been there the whole time!
He’d fucked up another chance for a big payday.
Yes, he was in the US mostly because he hated that the Navy guy and the bitch had escaped, and because he wanted to prove he was smarter than that asshole and all his friends.
But it was expensive in the States. After just a few days, Brant realized the money was too important.
He needed it. A lot of it. So he could move on with his life…
in luxury, like he deserved. So tonight, he’d planned to take the woman and hold her for ransom, just as he’d intended back home.
Then the Navy guy had come to the rescue.
And in the last week, Brant had learned he wasn’t just any Navy guy…he was a fucking SEAL. No wonder he’d been found so damn quickly.
But Brant wasn’t giving up. Not yet. He’d be patient. He knew where the SEAL lived. That was probably where he was taking the bitch right now.
Eventually, he’d figure out a way to show both the bitch and the SEAL that in the end, he was the smarter man. He’d get his money one way or another. And he didn’t care who he had to kill for that to happen.
He needed a new plan— again —but he’d figure it out. And when he did…both the bitch and Wade fucking Gordon would die. The end goal was money, but almost as important…he wanted those two to pay for fucking up all his original plans.