Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center
Charlotte, NC
Present Day . . .
Someone was going to die. It would happen slowly. Painfully. Someone was going to die very soon, and Rafe Owens had every intention of being the source of their demise.
They shot her.
Four long, torturous hours ago, two men he hadn’t recognized had ruthlessly gunned down his daughter.
One minute, Rafe was standing on the sidewalk in front of his building, making Sunday dinner plans with Shadow—or Alice, as he and his late wife had named her the day she was born—and her husband, Slade. And the next—
They shot my daughter.
A random drive-by. That’s what the police had dubbed it. But he knew better than to believe that was true.
Shadow worked for Tactical Operations, or Tac-Ops for short. It was the elite hostage rescue team Rafe owned and controlled.
The feisty blonde was the team’s resident tech genius. Beyond brilliant when it came to computers, Shadow’s skills as Tac-Ops’ overwatch were impressive by the highest of standards. Unfortunately, keeping the world safe came with a hefty price.
There were risks that came with the kind of job they had. Serious ones they all knew and willingly accepted going in. One such risk to their safety was the collection of enemies teams like his accrued along the way.
Rafe had them. They all did. Even Shadow, whose part in their quest for justice largely took place behind the safety of her screen.
You can’t be certain the shooting had anything to do with the job.
Maybe it did. Maybe it didn’t. Either way, the cops had it all wrong.
There was nothing random about pointing a gun at another human being. And pulling the trigger, well, that was a conscious, purposeful choice.
I will find them, sweet girl. I’ll find them, and when I do—
A weary sigh escaped as Rafe lowered himself into one of the hospital’s private waiting room chairs. Leaning forward, his head fell between his broad, tense shoulders, and his elbows came to a rest at his knees.
He was crawling out of his skin with worry. It had been hours since Shadow had been rushed into surgery. The hope that God would spare Alice’s life was the only thing keeping him sane. That and the fact that the rest of his team was here to offer support to him and Slade.
Rafe’s worried heart broke for the former SEAL. The poor man had already lived through thinking he was going to lose the woman he loved once before. They all had experienced the terror of thinking they’d lose their beloved Shadow to a sadistic killer.
Moving blindly, Rafe’s hand went to his lower left abs. He absentmindedly rubbed the area that still occasionally held the slight stirrings of pain. It wasn’t real. The months-old scar was already fully healed. But every now and then, mostly in moments of high stress, he felt it.
The burning pain. The fear. The crushing sense of helplessness he’d felt that day, knowing he was bleeding out while his daughter took on the man who’d murdered her mother.
Rafe forced his eyes to open, his gaze immediately landing on the dark crimson staining the beds of his fingernails. No matter how many times he scrubbed his skin, Shadow’s blood refused to leave.
It was a gut-wrenching memento. A reminder of what he stood to lose . . . again.
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
The rumbled comment came from Slade, who had just sat in the chair to Rafe’s right. When he looked Slade’s way, his chest tightened with empathy for the suffering the other man was experiencing. The typically stoic man’s emotions were uncharacteristically written all over his sullen face.
“She’s going to be fine,” Rafe assured his son-in-law. “You know Shadow. She’s strong. Tough.”
Slade huffed out a breath. “And stubborn as hell.”
“That, too.” His lips twitched as he gave the other man a slight nod. “Alice is a fighter. We’ve both seen it with our own eyes. She survived the past, and she’ll make it through this, too.”
God, he hoped those words were true. Because if they weren’t—
“You think this has something to do with Stanton?”
“Michael Stanton is behind bars in Allenwood, where he belongs.”
The federal high-security prison in Pennsylvania was the perfect home for a man like Stanton. A former CIA-turned murderer-turned former United States Senator.
At the time of her death, Stanton had been Shadow’s mother’s partner in the CIA. But then, he got greedy, and that greed turned him into a cold-blooded killer.
The country never knew, of course. Not after the bastard had risen within the political ranks. He was stopped, though. Just this past year, Michael Stanton was finally brought to justice.
Not by Rafe. Oh, no. That credit belonged solely to his daughter. Shadow had searched and hunted, using her incredible brain and connections to track the man down. But when she had the chance to take his life for what he’d done, she didn’t.
He would have. If he hadn’t been lying on that damn floor after having been shot, Rafe would have pulled that trigger, and he’d have been justified in doing so. But Shadow chose instead to be the stronger, better person.
She’d chosen to let the man live.
“Just because Stanton is in prison doesn’t mean he couldn’t have orchestrated his own act of revenge.”
“I’ll look into it,” Rafe promised Slade. “I’ll put a call into the warden at the prison. Get copies of his phone and visitor logs.”
“I’ll make a few calls, too.”
“You need to focus on your wife. She’s going to need you when she wakes up.” His lips curved into a sad smile. “Even if she refuses to admit it.”
“And in the meantime?” Slade’s frustration came through clearly. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
“Patience, son. The time for action will come soon enough.” He put a supportive hand on his son-in-law’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “For now, we’re both exactly where we need to be.”
“Boss is right.”
They looked up to see they’d been joined by the man they called Bones. Beckett Stone, the team’s medic, was standing a few feet away. Next to him was his soon-to-be wife, Evie. The two were holding hands, their expressions matched with the same level of worry the rest of them felt.
“Do either of you need anything?” the sweet woman asked.
Evie’s big, brown eyes searched his before shifting to Slade. Her dark curls were piled high on her head as if they’d been haphazardly gathered together. Like the others, she’d gotten here as quickly as she could.
“I’m good,” Slade muttered.
Rafe offered her a genuine smile. “Nothing for me, thanks. But I do appreciate the offer.”
“Okay. Let me know if you change your minds.”
“What’s taking them so damn long?” Slade growled, pushing himself back up to his feet. “Shouldn’t they have at least given us an update by now?”
“I know you’re anxious to hear somethin’, brother.” Bones shoved his hands into the front pocket of his jeans. “But the hospital is the one place where no news really is good news.”
Slade ran a frustrated hand over the scruff covering his jaw. “I just wish I knew what the hell was going on with her, you know?”
“I do.” Bones nodded.
“We all do.” Falcon and his wife, Avery, joined them next. “It’s hard, but you just have to trust that they’re doing everything in their power to fix her.”
Rafe’s gaze slid to Avery’s round belly, his heart aching as he thought of his own child currently fighting for her life. “How are you holding up?” he asked the petite brunette.
She and Falcon, whose real name was Garrett Morgan, were expecting their first child soon. A baby boy, from what his daughter had said. News they’d all learned at Avery and Garrett’s gender reveal party that had taken place earlier that afternoon.
“Me?” Avery frowned, her hands absentmindedly rubbing her adorable baby bump. “I’m fine. My only concern is for Shadow.”
“I can appreciate that.” He smiled. “Just make sure you’re taking care of yourself and that growing baby of yours.”
“I am,” she promised.
Garrett wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Don’t worry. Between me, Colt, and Alex, I’m pretty sure we’ve got Aves covered.”
“Lucky me.” Avery’s pretty eyes rolled playfully before rising to meet her husband’s caring gaze. “Not only do I have my handsome husband watching over me, but my sister and her new fiancé—who already happens to be my brother-in-law—were also more than willing to offer up their assistance.”
“Because we love you.” Garrett leaned down and placed a sweet peck on the tip of his expectant wife’s nose.
“It’s true,” Rafe affirmed. “Besides, when else in your life will you have the chance for them all to wait on you hand and foot?”
A soft chuckle left Avery’s shoulders shaking. “Ooh, that’s true. I never thought of it that way.”
“Me, either.” Garrett sent Rafe a playful scowl. “Thanks a lot, Boss.”
He gave a slight dip of his chin in response. The other man’s lips parted as if he were about to say more when the door to the waiting room opened, and a man in surgical attire entered the room.
Looking around, the fifty-something surgeon said, “I assume you’re the family of Alice Garrison?”
“We are.” Slade hurried forward. “How is she? Is she going to be okay?”
The surgeon’s unreadable expression didn’t change as he met the worried man’s gaze. “Are you her—”
“Husband,” the former SEAL cut off the doctor’s question. “Please. Is she—”
“Your wife made it through surgery, Mr. Garrison.”
“Oh, thank God.”
The rest of the room joined in, adding their own individual sighs and exclamations of relief. But then the doctor held up a hand as a signal to quiet the room. When they grew silent, he continued updating them on his patient’s condition.
“Your wife survived the surgery, but the bullet did extensive damage when it entered her body.”
Slade’s face grew pale. “What kind of damage?”