Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
I fight the chopper as a gust of wind hits.
Damned storm. Of all times. Allison’s breathing grows ragged in the speaker in my headset.
“Not crashing.” I check the instruments. “We’re good, but we need to get to your father’s fast.”
“I’m ready to drop,” Justice says as he slips on his black tactical vest.
Suddenly, there’s a new voice in my head.
“Beast here. We’re tracking the father’s jet, they’ve got a good tailwind. ETA reduced by twenty minutes. Over.”
Fuck. Not good. We’re being squeezed from all sides. “Copy, we will be landing at the estate in five minutes. And in other news… we have the father’s chopper. Over.”
“What the fuck? Over.” Beast voice rattles my brain, causing my headache to spike.
“We needed a fast ride.”
“Jesus, you two. I’m going to have to put you and JT on a leash.”
“Good luck with that. Over,” Justice chimes in.
Beast doesn’t laugh.
“Look, guys, I gotta fly this thing. Over.”
I lower the chopper down, skimming along the grassy field to the south of the estate property.
This has to be fast so no one thinks we landed.
Another gust hits, making it harder to hold steady. “JT, you’ve got to be quick, man.”
He is all freaking smiles. Classic Justice. “Walk in the park.”
“Is he crazy?” Allison wheezes from the back.
“No more than me.”
Beast growls in the mic from where he is—probably Vandemora. “I don’t know whether to love you guys or hate you.”
“Dropping.” The side door swings open, Justice disappears without a backward glance, jumping to the ground, and I push the bird forward and into a climb.
“Oh, my god! He just jumped.” Allison presses her face to the side window of the chopper, trying to see below us.
“And he’s going to be running like fuck.”
“I don’t know how you guys do this kind of stuff.”
How can we not do it? That’s the better question. Once you do, it’s hard to go back.
“It’s in our blood now. How about you, feeling nervous, babe?”
“Completely.”
Wishing I could hold her, soothe that worry, I have to settle for distraction. “We’ll be back in that plane and taking advantage of the king size bed in no time.”
Justice’s voice comes through the intercom in my head. “I can hear you two!”
“So can I!” Beast shouts.
“Sorry,” I say with a chuckle and no real apology. But I wince as my laughter shoots a pain through my head. “JT, you’ll get your turn one day, even if she’s an AI model.”
“Fuck you very much, meathead. You can’t even tell she’s a machine,” Justice says between huffs of air.
He’s not even really breathing hard, but if he’s covering the distance between where we dropped him and the estate, he has to be flying.
“But your bed’s not warm on a winter’s night.”
There’s a grumbled reply before I cut in. “While it’s fun as hell to tease you, it’s time for business. Going in.”
A wide, clean helicopter pad waits for us. Just yards from the monstrous house, it’s the epitome of convenience. The place couldn’t scream ‘money’ more than it does.
“Daddy’s really loaded, huh?”
“Pretty much.”
Allison’s voice is too quiet, but I have to focus on getting us on solid ground.
“We’ve got an audience,” I remark as I take us in for the last few feet of descent. “Four guards on the driveway. Intel from home base said there were four heat signatures visible from the satellite, so I think we’ve got everyone here to receive the chopper.”
“Copy, over,” Justice replies.
“Goldilocks, remember your promise?” I ask as I power down the chopper, watching the guards out of the corner of my vision. I brush my forearm over my brow to catch some beads of sweat. “This is gonna happen fast.”
“Yes, I’ll do what you say. Just tell me what to do.”
Rubbing the back of my neck, I set aside the headset as the guards talk among themselves.
Fuck, I’m tense. Can’t think of how many missions I’ve done, but none of them have given me a headache like this.
Of course, there was never a little blonde who has taken possession of my heart involved either. “Beast, JT, we’re on the ground. The games are about to begin. Over.”
She grabs my arm. “Hey, are you okay? I saw you rubbing your neck, and you’ve been off today.”
No. Fuck, no. And I won’t be until we’re out of here. “Just been fighting this headache since we left Vandemora.”
Her brows crease as her hold on my arm tightens. “I’m sorry, did you take anything?”
“Took some aspirin on the plane. Probably dehydrated. Maybe I’ll drink some of Daddy’s French mineral water while we have a look around.”
I half expect Beast to make some remark, but he remains silent.
Assessing the guards as they shift between their feet, and talking among themselves, I reach for the handle on the door.
“Stay put, Goldilocks. I’m coming to get you.”
When I reach her side of the bird, she’s eagerly opening the door.
“Now listen to me. Don’t touch me once I help you out. Don’t look at me like I’m someone you know personally. Got it?”
She accepts my hand as she climbs down, but she hisses on contact. “Your hand is really hot.”
“Course, I am. You’re involved. Let’s go. The clock isn’t ticking, it’s burning. Now, let me do the talking.”
She falls into step, walking silently beside me as we follow the sweeping brick sidewalk toward the house.
Ahead, the guards are perking up. Weapons in the ready.
I toss up a hand casually. “Afternoon. Lucky we beat that storm. Ms. Westerly is here for a quick meeting with her father. She has laryngitis, so I’m speaking for her.”
A peel of thunder rolls across the sky behind us, and all of us turn to look.
“We’ll just wait for his arrival inside. He’ll be coming by car because of the storm.”
They look at the helicopter, then me. “Where’s the usual guy?”
“He’s in the head at the airport. You know, some kind of bad food thing. I got called in for backup.”
They share a look.
“What, did he eat the same thing you guys did?”
One of the men rubs his stomach. “You know, I’ve been feeling a little weird.”
Groans all around from the other guards.
Another’s face is turning red. “I’m gonna be furious if I get the runs from that stupid salad the chef made today.”
Perfect. Half of them will be in the head within five minutes.
“Hey, guys, do you think Ms. Westerly could go inside before this storm unleashes? She could use some water. I don’t want her father thinking we held her up talking about diarrhea.”
Allison clears her throat on cue.
One of the guards leaps into motion, rushing to open the door to the mansion. “Right this way. Been a while since I’ve seen you.”
Allison motions to her throat.
“Oh, sorry,” the guy says, looking sheepish as he walks us into a gigantic foyer.
The ugly doesn’t stop on the outside of the monstrosity. Westerly’s not only a crook, he’s got piss-poor taste.
The guard rubs his stomach, winching.
I almost grin as he says, “Allison, you know where you’re going, I’m sure. I need to head to the… um, bathroom.”
She nods and grabs my elbow and drags me away. After we round a corner, she lets out a ragged breath. There’s a tremble in her hands, but her steps are calm and sure.
That’s when I hear the pop, pop, pop of gunfire outside.
Allison screeches to a halt, her attention snapping to me, and I wink at her.
Justice is right on time.
Realization hits her, and she hides a grin, and drags me quickly through a right hand turn, up a flight of stairs, and into a large office.
The pops continue outside, and I cross the room to the window for a look.
“JT’s got them running around like chickens with their heads cut off.”
“Thank god.” Allison starts moving books on a shelf. “The access to the bunker room is through here.”
“That’s not predictable.”
“I never said he was original.”
“Or a good decorator.”
She snorts, making a cute sound as she laughs.
After moving a few more books, Allison tugs on a small handle. Nothing happens.
“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me this thing is broken.”
When the door doesn’t budge after a few more tugs, I fit my front to her back, wrapping my arms around her. “Let me help.”
“With what?”
“Anything you want as soon as we’re out of here.”
The sound of light footsteps in the hallway has me cursing inside my head.
“Hear that?” I ask in a whisper close to her ear.
Allison grabs my hand and shoves it in her hair, almost as if she’s messing it up.
“Mmmm, yes,” she whispers, “I love that.”
Oh. Shit. I know what she’s up to.
I press my pelvis against the tight curve of her ass. Letting my voice go husky, I play along, “Like that, sweetheart?”
“Mmmmhmmm.”
The footsteps draw closer until they’re punctuated by a woman’s gasp.
Allison feigns being startled, and I make a displeased sound in the back of my throat, muttering, “Bad timing, whoever you are.”