31. Reath
31
REATH
I pulled the Suburban over, my gaze on the house just down the street.
We were in an older area on the outskirts of the city. The blocks were larger, and the two-story house ahead was older, with white paint peeling off the sides. The garden was overgrown, and there were no signs of vehicles or movement.
“Let’s go,” I ordered. “Stay sharp.”
We all got out. We were all wearing ballistic vests and armed. I watched Colt and Beau check their rifles with practiced ease. I held my own M16 by my side.
Sean and Jock—two of my best men—were with us. Sean was former Delta and was short, compact, and deadly with a knife. Jock had been a Navy SEAL and was tall and built big. His biceps strained his sleeves.
Across the street, I saw a middle-aged woman come out onto her porch. She tugged a cardigan tightly around her thin frame. Our informant.
I jerked my head at her house, and she nodded and went back inside.
“Colt and Jock, you’re with me. We’ll take the front. Beau and Sean, the back.”
“On it,” Beau replied.
I tapped my earpiece. “Stay in contact and be ready for anything. Auclair and his men are trained. Remember, apprehend only.”
I had a good working relationship with the New Orleans PD, and I didn’t want to stretch that goodwill with a shoot-out.
As we headed toward the house, I thought of Frankie. I thought of the way I’d held her in my arms as I’d carried her out of Smokehouse. She’d been vulnerable, drugged. I thought of her asleep in my bed.
My jaw tightened. Auclair had almost gotten his hands on her.
It wasn’t happening again. I had to stop him.
Beau and Sean disappeared around the side of the house.
I crept up the sagging porch. Colt met my gaze and nodded. Jock was right behind me.
“We’re in position at the back door.” Beau’s voice came through the comms.
“Watch for booby-traps,” I warned. “Auclair is known for setting a few of them. Breach on my mark.” I paused. “ Mark .” I kicked in the door and went in low, my weapon up.
The entry was empty. I moved through to the living area, taking in the sparse, worn furniture. There was no one inside.
I spotted a glimmer close to the floor. “Stop.” I raised my closed fist, then I crouched. There was a wire across the door to the kitchen.
“Beau, I have a tripwire.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Jock?” I said.
The former bomb expert moved forward and then followed the wire toward the wall. He peeked into the kitchen and cursed. “C4. Give me a second.” He pulled some tools off his belt.
“We found a tripwire in the back hallway,” Beau said. “Sean is disabling it.”
A minute later, Jock nodded at me, then Sean and Beau appeared in the kitchen.
“Sean and Jock, clear upstairs,” I ordered.
My men disappeared—silent and alert.
Colt, Beau, and I searched the kitchen. I pulled open the cabinet under the sink. There was a trashcan that held food scraps and takeout wrappers.
“They were here.”
“They’re not now,” Beau said. “There’s a garage out back, but it’s empty. There were fresh tire tracks. Several vehicles were here.”
Fucking Auclair. Toying with us.
Sean and Jock returned.
“All clear,” Sean said.
Anger was like a small seed in the center of my chest. It was swelling and growing.
Colt moved past an old wooden table. The chairs were pushed out haphazardly, and I could picture Auclair and his men sitting there, plotting their moves.
“Reath?”
I followed the sound of Colt’s voice. I didn’t like his tone.
In the living room, my brother stood by the fireplace. He jerked his head at the mantelpiece.
I looked up and saw a photo of Frankie propped up there.
It looked like it had been taken from a distance, her face in profile. She was crossing a street.
My mouth flattened. Yes, the asshole was taunting me.
That hard seed exploded, growing bigger. I turned and rammed my fist into the wall. The drywall cracked, leaving a hole.
It didn’t make me feel any better.
“I want him found.” My tone was cutting. “I’ve had enough of this fucking cat-and-mouse game.”
Colt picked up the photo. “This feels personal, Reath.”
I released a breath. “When I stopped his attack on the embassy in Germany, some of his team was killed.”
“Okay,” Colt said.
“One of them was his wife.”
“Shit,” Beau said.
“She was setting a bomb and planning to kill innocent people. I didn’t interact with him much, but she was the best liar I’d ever met. Had wormed her way into a job at the US Embassy in Germany.”
“And Auclair loved her?” Colt asked.
“If he’s capable of feeling love. He seemed obsessed with her. They were both cunning, out for the biggest paycheck. I think he saw himself in her.”
“And now that he knows you’re involved in this situation,” Beau said, “it’s about more than just getting his hands on Frankie’s project.”
“He knows,” Colt said.
Frowning, I looked at my brother. “Knows what?”
“That you have feelings for Frankie.”
I shook my head.
“Quit lying to yourself, Reath. We can all see it.”
“I don’t want a woman. I don’t need love. I’ve done just fine without it.”
Colt met my gaze. “You need it. More than you realize. We all do. And most of all, you deserve it. You need to get your head out of your ass, because Frankie’s life is on the line here.”
“I’m well aware of that. My feelings are not what’s important here. And Auclair will never get his hands on her.”
I turned and stormed out.