Chapter Seventeen #2
Iona dropped onto a loveseat and leaned her head against the back. “That list would be too long to handle in the next few minutes. Can we narrow it down a little?”
“She’s right.” Elias joined Iona. “The number of people who want us dead grows with each mission, Andre.”
“Do you remember Jared Brown?”
Elias ran a hand down his face. “Yeah, of course. How could I forget that freak?”
“I don’t know who he is.” Iona nudged Elias with her elbow. “Talk.”
“Andre and I arrested him five years ago. He wasn’t happy that we’d interrupted his killing spree and threatened to cut out our hearts when he was released. Since he’s serving a life sentence for murdering three family members, he won’t be getting out soon, if ever.”
“Can’t say I’m sorry to hear it. That’s horrible.”
“Yeah, his family thought so, too.” Elias shifted his attention to Andre. “Why did you ask about Brown?”
Man, he hated to tell his friend the news.
No help for it, though. Andre would also have to share the information with the rest of his teammates.
The members of Echo unit had worked alongside him and Elias to capture Brown.
“He escaped from prison three days ago. The Marshals haven’t been able to find him. ”
Elias stared. “Tell me you’re joking.”
“I wish.”
“Think he knows where we are?”
“What do you think?”
His friend grimaced. “Our fellow cops are still angry at us for turning on one of our own. They probably said too much to the wrong person, and word got back to Brown.” Elias growled. “Yeah, he knows we moved to the Nashville area.”
Iona frowned. “This is a large area. How would he discover your location?”
“The guy is a genius, even if he is crazy as a loon.”
“And he has friends with their hands in every corner of the criminal world,” Andre added. “Brown having a computer hacker in his posse of friends wouldn’t surprise me. So, yeah, he knows where we are and has someone tailing us if he’s still interested in us.”
“We need to warn the others,” Riley said.
Elias looked at Andre with his eyebrow raised. When he received a nod of approval, he pulled out his phone and called Seth.
“Talk to me,” was Seth’s greeting.
“We need a conference call with the rest of Artemis and Echo.”
“Explain.”
Between the two of them, Elias and Andre updated Seth on the latest happenings.
“Oh, man. I thought we’d seen the last of Brown for good.”
“So did I. Somebody lost their focus or bought into his good-buddy act in the prison.”
“The guard who looked the other way needs to lose his job and face charges.”
“I know a few people who have some influence. If I have anything to say about it, he’ll be a guest of the state in a cell right beside Brown.”
“When you talk to your influential friends, tell them about Harlen Ludlow, too.”
“Why?”
“Good old Harlen found an excellent attorney who filed an appeal and won. He was released a couple of weeks ago.”
Seth sighed. “This is one reason I don’t miss law enforcement. We did our jobs, so why is Ludlow out in society again?”
“Someone in the lab allowed evidence in his case to be exposed to evidence from a different case.”
“The lab can’t retest with a new sample?”
“Apparently, the sample isn’t large enough for retesting.”
“Unbelievable.”
“Do you want me to set up the conference call with the rest of our teams?” Elias asked.
“Nope. This situation is becoming more complicated by the hour. All of Echo was involved in building a case against both men. If they plan to retaliate, they’ll come after all of us. We caught them the first time. I say we go after them as a unit.”
Iona shook her head. “The Marshals won’t appreciate the interference.
I’d prefer not to spend quality time behind bars.
” Her gaze flicked to Elias. “I have other plans that don’t include wasting time in prison.
Aside from that, we already have a mission.
Riley and Andre. Our priority has to be them.
Brown and Ludlow are down the priority list for me. ”
“Understood. We’ll work around the Marshals if we cross paths with Brown and Ludlow.”
“Stella Armstrong,” Riley said. “She might help with the Marshals since she used to be one. Based on our conversations at PSI, she and her partner, Deke Creed, have kept in contact with their friends in the Marshal service. They might help if we run afoul of the Marshals looking for Brown.”
“Good idea,” Seth said. “Andre, you and Riley call Stella and explain what’s going on so she’s not blindsided if we have to call on her and Deke for aid.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell me where you are.”
He blinked. “We’ve checked into The Rosewood Hotel in Murfreesboro.”
Seth whistled. “Swanky safe house. Expect us within the hour.” He ended the call.
“This is why I love working for Fortress.” Elias stood. “Teamwork. We always have each other’s backs no matter what.”
Iona nodded. “Stella will bring Deke into the mix, and together they’ll put out feelers to identify the Marshals assigned to the search for Brown.”
Andre held out his hand to Riley and tugged her to her feet. “We’ll call Stella.”
“She might be on shift right now,” Riley said. “Contacting her may take a while.”
“Then we’d better start the process. If we can’t reach her, we can try Deke.”
“While you’re talking to one of them, Iona and I will look at the room service menu.” Elias grinned. “I can’t wait to see what’s on the menu in a place like this.”
Andre snorted. “With our luck, the portions are tiny and the food names unpronounceable.”
Iona laughed. “You’re as bad as Grant. Come on. Let’s check the menu. If it looks decent, we’ll order room service for all of us while we talk about this mission.” The two of them grabbed the room service menu and sat at the breakfast bar with a notepad and a pen.
Andre led Riley through the French doors and outside onto the balcony. Their room was at the back of the hotel, overlooking an elaborate garden with a maze and flowers blooming everywhere with every color petal imaginable.
“Wow.” While Andre couldn’t say that he knew gardens, this one was exceptionally beautiful.
“This is incredible.” Riley stared at the view in front of them. “I’ve never seen a garden this elaborate. I know English gardens used to have mazes, but this is amazing.”
“We’ll walk through it later.” When this mission was over, he’d take Riley to the garden and let her explore as long as she wanted.
“I’ll hold you to that promise.” She pulled out her phone and turned to Andre. “Stella and I are friends. Want me to call?”
That surprised him. He didn’t know she kept in contact with Stella. “Sure.”
After a glance around to be sure no one else was in their vicinity, Riley made the call, placing it on speaker.
After two rings, Stella said, “Detective Armstrong.” In the background, phones rang, and people yelled and cursed.
“It’s Riley. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were on shift.”
“It’s fine. Hold on a sec.” In seconds, the noise was gone. “I’m in an empty office. We can talk without the raucous sound effects in the background. Are you all right, Riley?”
“Sort of. I need a favor.”
“Name it, and then I want more information.”
“First, you need to know you’re on speaker with Andre Marsh.”
“Hello, Andre. How’s it going, my friend?”
“Good.”
“But with qualifications, right?”
He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“All right. You first, Riley. What do you need?”
“You still keep in contact with your friends from the Marshal service, right?”
“Yes, I do. So does Deke.”
“We need you to find out who is working on a fugitive investigation involving Jared Brown.”
Stella groaned. “I saw something about that this morning. Do you think he’s coming to Otter Creek?”
“He might come for us,” Andre said. “Specifically, me and the rest of Echo unit. We’re the ones who caught him and built the case against him. He should still be in prison. This man is extremely dangerous, Stella.”
“So I gathered. It’s all right for me to alert Deke as well?”
“Of course. Talk to your husband, Nate, about it, but you should be careful who you tap for information. You don’t want Jared Brown to notice you or think you’re a threat.”
“Thanks for the warning, Andre, but you know Nate and the rest of Durango. Anyone who threatens them or their families won’t survive the battle.”
“They have to be there to respond. Brown is excellent at catching his victims off guard. Just be careful, all right? I don’t want you hurt in helping me.”
“Understood.”
“How are you feeling, Stella?” Riley asked.
“Like I’m about to explode, thank you very much. This baby is growing so fast that I’ve run out of room.” She gave a huff of laughter. “And Nate and I can’t wait to meet him.”
“We won’t keep you,” Andre said. “Let us know when you have names for us.”
“Do you want me to mention Fortress’ interest in the investigation?”
“That’s your call, but the way Nate feels about you is the same way I feel about Riley. If Brown or anyone else comes after her, he’s dead.”
“Got it. Tread carefully around the Marshals. You won’t do Riley any good behind bars.”
“That’s why we need you and Deke,” Riley said. “We’ll do our best to steer clear of the Marshals. Ultimately, whether we encounter Brown depends on him.”
“Understood.” Stella paused. “I have to go. The craziness in the bullpen is multiplying. Call me later, Riley.” She ended the call, then rounded on Andre. “Did you mean it?”
He blinked. “Mean what?”
“You said you felt the same way about me as Nate felt about Stella. Did you mean it?”
A ball of ice formed in his stomach. He had hoped Riley would miss that slip. He should have known that wouldn’t happen. She missed nothing. Her mind was razor sharp, as were her computer skills. Time to man up. “I meant every word, Riley.”
She stared. “Andre, you’ve seen and talked to Nate Armstrong. He adores Stella and loves her fiercely.”
“I know.”
“What does that mean?”
“You know what it means, baby.”
Riley drew in a deep breath. “Andre, please. Don’t make me beg.”
“Never.” Andre cupped her nape and drew her against his body. “I love you with everything in me, Riley Sloan. I love you so much I can’t imagine a life without you in it.”
“Andre.” Her voice broke. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve been sure since our first mission together. I have no doubts.” His grip around her neck tightened a little. “I need to know I’m not in this alone.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. “You’re not. I love you, too. So much that I can’t breathe without you.”
“Thank God.” Relief surged through Andre. “Just so you know, if you didn’t feel the same way, I would have wooed and courted you until I persuaded you to my way of thinking.”
She smiled. “Your way of thinking?”
“Sure. I would have spoiled you until I convinced you I was worth the risk to your heart.” Andre pressed a hard, possessive kiss to her mouth. “I will guard your heart and treat you like the precious treasure you are to me. You can trust me with you.”
“You can trust me with your heart, Andre. I adore you. The best day of my life was the day I met you. Every day since has only gotten better.”
“Good. I hope you remember that on the days when I screw up.”
“Do you screw up often?” she teased.
“Of course. I’m a guy.”
Riley laughed. “You’re safe with me.”
“And you’re safe with me. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Riley, but I will always cherish you.”
The French door opened, and Elias stepped out. “Sorry to interrupt a moment. The boss wants to talk to all of us.”
Andre frowned. “Does he want to wait until the rest of our team is here?”
“Nope. Maddox has a meeting in a few minutes. He said we could share his news with the others.”
What had gone wrong now? “We’d better not keep him waiting. The boss isn’t patient.”
“He never calls during a mission,” Riley said.
“We’re not in a hot zone.” Elias stepped back.
Andre nudged Riley toward the suite and followed her inside.
Iona handed Riley her laptop. “Thought you’d want this.”
She nodded and clicked on the secure Fortress web browser. A moment later, Brent Maddox’s face appeared on the screen.
His somber expression tipped Andre off that something was very wrong. Whatever it was, must have happened recently because Seth and the rest of their teams didn’t know about it.
“Riley, I have some bad news.”
She stiffened. “What is it, sir?”
He hesitated, something Andre had never seen him do. After a momentary pause, Brent sighed. “Look, there’s no easy way to say this, but your friend Angie is dead.”