Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
After texting Mya with an update, Julia set her cell phone on the dresser, a Victorian-era piece made from dark wood polished to a shine and decorated with elaborately carved vines, flowers, and an occasional cherub.
Afraid to go into too much detail, Julia only mentioned that she’d seen their “target” and had obtained access to “the list,” meaning the surgeon’s encrypted client list.
Julia’s fingers traced over the top of her ballerina jewelry box sitting next to her phone. It wasn’t something she normally brought along when she traveled, but she was in Egypt to help Tucker’s brother, so she wanted Tucker’s military ID tags with her.
Lifting them out of the box as if they were fragile, she held them in her palm and let her thoughts slip back to the past.
“What are you doing? Did you just throw them away?” The panic she’d felt at the sight of Tucker tossing his tags into the trash had long since been replaced by a deep ache.
At the time, she and Tucker had been at his apartment, which was close to campus, and she’d frantically begun digging for the tags.
“I’m out. I don’t need them. Fuck it.” Tucker had grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her away from the trash.
Stunned and confused, she’d said, “I’ll keep them. You made it home alive. Not everyone did. I want them. I just do.” She would never forget the moment she’d looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and caught a whiff of booze. “Have you been drinking? It’s three on a Tuesday.”
“It was one beer. I’m not working. Chill, babe.” He’d released her and pinned her with a hard look. “And fine. Keep the damn things if they mean so much to you.”
Julia’s stomach hurt at the memories, and as she placed the ID tags back inside the box, she paused at the sight of the flower pendant Finn had bought her today—technically yesterday since it was now after midnight.
Maybe Julia should thank Mya for bringing Finn into her life?
She felt . . . something for him. Something unexpected, and more than just physical attraction. She couldn’t explain it, much less understand it. She was also certain and kind of terrified that his work was more dangerous than he let on when he first started watching over her two weeks ago.
But Oliver’s life was on the line, so there was no time for dissecting thoughts and feelings about Finn or his mysterious job.
“How long will they be gone?” Julia asked as she closed the jewelry box. When Harper didn’t answer, Julia glanced around the room to find her on the balcony, one arm resting over the railing and her phone clutched in her hand. “Something wrong?” She stepped out to join her.
Finn and Roman had made a hasty exit hours ago, but during the last forty-five minutes, Harper had barely spoken a word.
She’d made multiple trips out to the balcony as if she were struggling to find a breath, and surely that wasn’t a good sign.
And Julia was at a loss about how to help since Harper wouldn’t talk about whatever had her on edge.
“Okay, so maybe you’re not allowed to tell me what’s going on with the guys, but my nerves are getting pretty strung out watching you try and keep your shit together for my sake.” Julia eased around the circular table to stand next to her.
Harper’s shoulders fell, and she hung her head, then whispered, “They should have been back a long time ago, and I can’t get ahold of them. The cell service is pretty bad in the city, but if they’re still outside the city limits, it’s basically a no-man’s-land for phones.”
“Oh.” Julia gripped the railing at the realization her worst fears regarding Harper’s silence and restlessness might possibly be coming to life.
“What can I do? How can we make sure they’re okay?
” She did her best to keep herself together and maintain a steady tone because it was fairly obvious Harper was hanging on by a very thin thread.
And if a woman like Harper was that worried, then . . .
“When I went to my room twenty minutes ago, it was to make a call to a friend at the CIA.” Harper peered at her with brows drawn tight.
“What’d they say?” Julia’s voice cracked.
“My contact managed to get a drone over the spot where the guys are supposed to be since they took a different route from the airport than planned, but there were no signs of life on the ground. No movement.”
Little dots appeared in Julia’s vision. When had she slammed her eyes shut? Why was she seeing freaking stars?
No. No, no, no.
“The boys’ vehicles appear to have been destroyed,” Harper continued.
“Maybe by an RPG. So, that could be what’s taking them so long.
They needed to find an alternate means back to the hotel, and there’s no way to update me.
And if they’re on foot, fifteen-plus miles outside the city limits will take time. ”
“And do you think that’s the delay, or do you think something else happened?”
Are they dead? Were they taken hostage? A million other shit thoughts raced through her head and had her knees buckling. She forced her eyes open to find Harper shaking her head, and she wasn’t sure how to interpret that answer.
“I refuse to accept any other possibility than they’re on their way back, and it’s simply taking them longer to arrive.”
“What if we go search for them? Can we rent a car? What can I do?” Julia strode back into the room in a hurry in search of her purse, ready to buy an entire fleet of vehicles or a plane. When she spun around, Harper was right behind her, a torn look in her eyes.
“That’s not really how this works.”
This? Julia tipped her head, eyeing a woman who was maintaining her cool despite the circumstances. “I’m just . . .”
Harper slapped a hand over her mouth, and her eyes grew wide moments before she jetted straight for the bathroom.
Food poisoning?
Seeing the door to the bathroom open, Julia entered, knelt beside Harper, and held her hair back as she threw up.
Harper wasn’t as invincible as she made herself out to be. She was human.
For that matter, so was Finn. There were no superheroes in real life.
And that meant, God forbid, there might come a day when Finn didn’t make it back home.
If tonight’s events were any indication, it was clear his bodyguard gig had simply been a favor to Michael.
This, whatever he was doing tonight, was his real job.
“I’m sorry.” Harper winced and shifted back onto her bottom a few minutes later, setting her back to the wall behind them.
“Don’t apologize. Never.” Julia wet a face cloth with cool water and handed it to her.
“This isn’t nerves. I don’t think it is, at least.” Harper tipped her head back and shut her eyes. “I think I may need to move the wedding date up.”
Julia sat next to her. “What do you mean?”
“I’m, um.”
“Ohhh, you mean you’re . . . pregnant?” Julia bit her lip, unsure whether to say Congratulations or Oh, dear.
“I don’t know for certain, but I haven’t told Roman yet. I need to buy a test to be sure.”
“You should do it together. The test, I mean. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Things will be difficult if I am. Don’t get me wrong, I want to be.
But Knox and A.J.’s wives are pregnant. And well, this is just between us, but Wyatt’s wife, Natasha, told me she’s pregnant, too.
Wyatt hasn’t mentioned it to anyone yet because he’s doing the our-world-is-too-dangerous-for-a-baby freak-out at the moment.
So, if I am pregnant, we might need to bring on more staff. ”
“Oh. Um.” Julia didn’t know what to make of the confession.
So many babies. Harper was right. And the world was dangerous and scary, so she didn’t blame Wyatt for freaking out.
“Everything will work out.” What else could she say?
That no, life didn’t always work out the way you planned?
That good people died for no freaking reason?
Harper smoothed her hair back and adjusted her tee, which read Being a functional adult every day seems a bit excessive. “Come on, let’s go find them,” she said like she hadn’t been puking her guts up five minutes ago.
Julia shook her head, then stood and reached out a helping hand.
Harper grabbed it and easily sprang to her feet. “You wouldn’t happen to have any mouthwash, would you?” she asked sheepishly.
A few moments later, Julia snatched her purse, so she’d have funds accessible if they needed it, then followed Harper into her room.
“You know how to use one of these?” Harper showed Julia a gun inside what appeared to be a black purse holster, and Julia accepted it.
“I do, actually.” She carefully tucked it inside her oversized purse, thankful it was big enough to conceal the weapon.
Harper hid her own gun at the back of her dark jeans, then covered it with her shirt. “Let’s go.”
When the elevator doors opened in the lobby, the sounds of sirens met her ears, and her heart jumped into her throat. “It’s not because of them, right?”
“No, those sirens shouldn’t be about our guys.”
Our guys. Were they mine too?
Finn feels like mine.
Why does he feel like mine?
She shook free the crazy thoughts and followed Harper’s lead, sweeping her eyes over the lobby that shouldn’t have been so crowded at midnight. Whatever was going on outside had people gathering the same way cars slowed to view an accident alongside the road. Nosy.
They worked their way through the crowd, and Julia clutched her bag containing the Glock tight to her side.
Harper seemed unfazed now by her bout of vomiting. She was a woman on a mission. To save the father of her child. If she was pregnant.
They exited the hotel and immediately stopped.
Police cars and ambulances, their lights flashing, filled the porte cochére where cars usually pulled up for valet service. Walkie-talkies squawked, and police hollered at people to move along.
Two men in paramedic gear were lifting a black body bag onto a stretcher that still lay low to the ground. Julia held back a gasp when she spied Giorgio Ferrari’s face just before it was covered by the zipper.
“Was that the surgeon? Did you see that, too?” Harper whispered as the police tried to shoo them back inside.
“Police only. Go back in,” a uniformed officer said in what she assumed was Arabic, then repeated it in English, but Julia was frozen in place at the sight of another bag on a stretcher, this one already zipped tight.
Was that Lorenzo? What in the hell happened?
“Get inside,” the officer prompted again.
“We’ll need to go out the side exit of the hotel,” Harper suggested, grabbing Julia’s arm and urging her back into the lobby. “Does anyone know what happened?” Harper raised her voice to the lobby in general, most likely hoping someone would answer.
“Both bodies were thrown from the fourth floor,” a woman who appeared to be an American replied.
“I heard they were killed before their bodies were tossed. Surprised their faces weren’t too messed up after that fall,” a man with a British accent spoke up.
“We’ll have to deal with this later,” Harper murmured to Julia as they rushed to the far side of the lobby.
At the end of a long hallway was a sign above the door with the familiar Exit sign lit up in red.
Harper reached the door first and flung it open.
Julia, hot on her heels, nearly ran smack into Harper’s back when she came to a full stop.
Julia leaned to the side to see what had happened.
And there was Roman, standing on the other side of the door with his arm extended as if he were about to swipe his way into the building.
Harper leaped into his arms, and Julia’s shoulders fell with relief at the sight of the other four men behind Roman.
“Sorry,” Roman rasped. “It was a hell of a night.”