Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
M aggie loved driving Ace’s Porsche. Her hands flexed on the steering wheel as she drove to her office. It was a bright, sunny Monday morning.
Yesterday, Ace had taken her into work for the morning. Despite telling him to have a day off, Gus had turned up for her scheduled flights.
She’d spent Sunday afternoon watching Marvel movies with Ace, and necking on his couch. It had been pure bliss.
Now, she was off for her first normal day at work—no bad guys, no killer drones, no bodyguards. She’d dropped him at the Norcross office after he’d insisted that she take his sweet red 911.
He’d also made her promise to call him when she got there. And check in every hour.
She smiled, bopping along to the music on the radio that she had turned up way too loud. He was overprotective and she didn’t mind.
She patted her belly. “Sweet pea, I hope you’re a boy, or your dating life is going to be seriously impeded.”
Haye was gone.
She felt like someone had ripped a heavy blanket off her and set her free. She knew she still had to sort out her life, and that made her stomach a little restless. She needed to go back to her apartment now that she was safe. She didn’t want to overstay her welcome with Ace.
The phone rang. Ace . She thumbed a button for the hands-free.
“Ace, I’m not even there yet.”
“I know. I missed you.”
Aww . Ace Oliveira could be sweet on top of sexy.
“I’ll cook dinner tonight,” she said.
“Nice,” he said. “Need me to pick anything up?”
Her heart did a flip-flop. All so domestic. “No. I’ll grab it.” She nibbled her lip. It was best to face things head on. “And we need to talk tonight. About when I should move back to my apartment.”
A deep growl cut across the line and her hands tightened on the wheel.
“No,” he said.
Maggie blinked. “No what?”
“We’re not talking about this now.” He sounded pissed. “Call me when you get to work.”
He hung up.
She gasped and shook her head. She was the pregnant one who was supposed to be moody, not him.
She finally reached the landing pad. She saw Hetty out, and beside her was the beaten-up Huey. She saw an overall-clad Gus working on the old helicopter.
She locked Ace’s car and strode over. “Morning, Gus.”
He lifted his chin. He had some bruising around one eye, but otherwise looked his usual self. “No guard dogs today?”
“No. I’m a free woman. Haye is being an asshole somewhere in Mexico.”
Gus grunted. “Good riddance.”
Maggie eyed the ancient helicopter dubiously. “Didn’t the police want to impound this?”
“No. Finders keepers.”
“Gus, you can’t just steal a helicopter and keep it.” She wished.
“I stole it from a criminal. It isn’t worth anything. It’s mine now.”
Shaking her head, she headed for the office.
“Oh, a last-minute job came in,” Gus called out.
She cocked her head.
“Husband and wife. She booked a morning tour to celebrate their anniversary.”
“Roger that.”
“Hetty is ready when you are.”
“Thanks, Gus.” She paused. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
He pointed a wrench at her. “No hugging. No kissing. No crying.”
With a grin, she saluted him. Once she was inside, she pulled out her phone and called Ace. “I’m here all in one piece.”
“Good. Stay out of trouble.”
He sounded fine now.
“I always do,” she said. “But sometimes it finds me.”
“Let’s have a drama-free day, gatinha .”
“You’re okay?” she asked carefully. “About talking tonight?”
He made a frustrated sound. “We’ll talk tonight.”
“Okay, Ace. Bye.”
After she hung up, she checked her emails, and also posted on social media. She checked her download stats on the stock sites.
She saw Gus’ notation for a woman named Belinda Stanton. Nice of the woman to surprise her husband.
Maggie’s chest hitched. Would she and Ace celebrate anniversaries? What if things didn’t work out and he ended up marrying someone else?
Ugh . She swallowed the rock in her throat, then took some deep breaths, fighting off the need to be sick.
Shaking her head, she lost herself in her work. Gus wandered in once for coffee, but headed straight back out. The man was obsessed with the Huey.
There was a knock at the door and Maggie looked up to see a forty-something blonde woman bustle in.
“Hi, are you Maggie?” the woman asked.
“I am. And you’re Belinda?”
The blonde nodded, clasping her hands together. “I’m so excited for the tour. My husband’s parking the car. He can’t wait.”
“That’s great. We’ll do a quick safety briefing, then head out to the helicopter.”
The woman clapped her hands. “Great.”
“Would you like something to drink?”
“No, I’m too excited.”
Maggie smiled. “When your husband gets here, we’ll get started.”
“I’m here,” a male voice said.
Maggie’s mouth went dry. Davis Haye stood in the doorway, a ball cap pulled low over his eyes.
The blonde woman’s smile widened. “He’s not actually my husband. Yet. He accidentally married the wrong sister.” She wrapped herself around the man and the pair kissed.
Oh, ew . Maggie kept her face blank, her pulse racing out of control. “You’re not in Mexico.”
“No.” Haye smiled at her. “I love when people follow my breadcrumbs exactly where I want them to go. Fucking Norcross and that boyfriend of yours had you guarded like the gold at Fort Knox.”
“Why come after me? What does it achieve?”
“You ruined everything ,” he roared.
Maggie forced herself not to react. “You’re a murderer who took the easy way out.”
“I. Lost. Everything.” He stalked toward her.
She backed up and bumped into her desk.
God . Terror left her shaky. Her baby. Ace. She wouldn’t let this asshole destroy her life.
“You’re to blame for your own bad decisions,” she said.
He leaned in close, invading her space. “If you hadn’t put that fucking drone up, and if you’d just kept your mouth shut,” he hissed, “everything would’ve been fine. I had a new building inspector in my pocket. I just needed Marks out of the way, with no link to me.”
“You’re a murderer.” Maggie looked at the blonde. “You’re sleeping with a killer. And he’ll kill you when you’ve outlived your purpose.”
Belinda tossed her hair back. “He loves me.”
Maggie snorted. “I suspect he told that to your sister, too.”
The woman stepped forward and slapped Maggie’s cheek. The blow whipped her head to the side.
Belinda’s face twisted. “Don’t mention that bitch.”
“Enough.” Haye pulled a compact handgun out of his pocket. “Now, we’re heading out to your helicopter. You’ll be smiling, like everything is great. You warn the old man out there, who burned down my hangar and stole my helicopter, and I’ll fill him full of bullets.”
“To be fair, your helicopter is a piece of junk,” Maggie said.
Haye waved the gun and her breath stuck in her throat.
“Out to the helicopter. Now. Be convincing.” He slipped on a pair of reflective sunglasses. With the hat and glasses, he just looked like any other guy.
Crap. Crap. Crap .
Maggie desperately tried to think of a way to stall Haye and slow him down.
How could she alert Gus without giving it away? She felt the gun barrel jammed into her back.
“Remember, warn him and I’ll shoot him.” Haye’s voice was stone cold. It shot ice through her veins.
She didn’t doubt him for a second.
Maggie pulled in a shuddering breath and led the couple outside.
“Smile,” Haye murmured. “Like you’re selling us the tour.”
Maggie waved an arm. “That’s the Golden Gate Bridge over there. I’d like to drop you off it.”
“Keep moving.”
Gus looked over and Maggie managed a cheerful wave. Her mechanic looked at her, then the couple, then nodded.
“We’re going to get in your sexy bird, and we’re going to take off,” Haye said.
She swallowed. “Then what?”
“You’ll take us for a nice little tour of the Bay,” he said. “Then we’ll find a quiet place to shoot you and push you out. Belinda, here, can fly.”
The woman’s eyes gleamed. “I took lessons.”
As Maggie stared into Haye’s face, she saw he wasn’t quite all there. He’d lost rational thought somewhere along the way.
Damn . He was a man on a mission. He couldn’t be reasoned with.
No . She kept her face carefully blank, while her insides were alive. She wasn’t giving up. She had too damn much to live for.
A tiny spark of life was depending on her. Hers and Ace’s child deserved to live.
Maggie climbed into Hetty. She just had to wait for the right opportunity.
* * *
Ace tried to shake off his bad mood and focus on the screens in front of him.
He had a small backlog of work to get done, but damn if he didn’t miss having Maggie with him.
A part of him wasn’t ready for her to be out of his sight. He hadn’t told her, but he had a tracker on his car, and he’d set up a facial-recognition alert for Haye.
If the guy showed on any CCTV within a certain radius of Maggie’s business, it would trigger an alarm.
The thought of her moving out of his place curdled his gut.
Fuck, no.
Maggie was his . They had a baby on the way. He was in love with her.
Tonight, he’d make that very clear. Tonight, he’d tell her that they were getting married.
An alarm pinged on his computer and his muscles locked.
He touched the screen and an image filled it.
Davis Fucking Haye.
On the street outside Dragonfly Aerial.
“ No .” Ace rang Maggie’s cell phone as he sprinted for the door.
No one answered.
The Norcross office was pretty quiet today, with most of the guys out in the field. He saw Vander step out of the kitchen holding a coffee mug. One look at Ace’s face and Vander snapped to attention. “What’s wrong?”
“Haye just showed up on CCTV at Maggie’s office. She’s not answering her phone.”
Vander cursed and set his coffee mug down. “Let’s move.”
Once again, they sprinted to the SUVs.
“Anyone else around?” Ace asked.
“Rhys is out. Rome’s escorting Sofie to an event in LA. Saxon is following up on some leads on the Courtland job.”
Fuck . As Vander tore out of the warehouse, Ace tried to find some calm.
Be okay, Maggie. Hold on.
“I can’t lose her.”
“You won’t.” Vander broke the speed limit as they roared north.
“Gus should be there.” Ace quickly pulled out his tablet and did a quick search. Once he had Gus’ cell phone number, he punched it in.
Vander honked the horn, and yanked the wheel. They dodged around a slow-moving car and picked up speed.
“What?” Gus’ grumpy voice.
“Gus, it’s Ace. I picked up Haye on CCTV near you guys.”
Gus’ curse was creative, and anatomically impossible.
“Have you seen him?” Ace asked.
“No. Maggie’s got a couple here for a tour. They’re celebrating their anniversary.”
“Could the guy be Haye?”
“Dunno. Maybe. Only saw him from a distance, and he was wearing a hat and glasses. I didn’t get a close look.”
Damn . “Maggie isn’t answering her phone.”
“She won’t when she’s with clients.”
Ace blew out a breath. “Keep an eye out for Haye, but don’t intervene, Gus. He’s dangerous.”
“I know, Oliveira. You on your way?”
“Yes.”
“With your badass boss?”
“Yes.”
“See you soon.”
Ace relayed the details to Vander.
“We’ll be there in five minutes,” Vander said.
Those five minutes felt like five years.
As Vander screeched to a halt, Ace saw Maggie walking with a couple across the landing pad to Hetty.
The guy was standing too close to her. Right behind her. He had a cap pulled low over his face, but the clothes were the same as what Haye was wearing in the CCTV image.
“It’s Haye,” Ace snapped.
“He’s got a weapon on her,” Vander said.
They slid out of the X6.
The trio were near the helo now.
They got inside and the rotors started to move.
No! “Vander, we need a plan.” One that didn’t get Ace’s woman killed.
Vander opened the trunk of the X6. A heavy-duty lockbox was bolted in the back. Vander quickly unlocked it using his palm print.
It was filled with weapons and he handed a Glock to Ace before taking an M4 assault rifle for himself.
“Let’s move before they take off,” Vander said.
Weapons up, they moved across the landing pad.
The wind from the rotors buffeted them.
Ace came up on Haye’s side, his Glock up.
When the man spotted him through the glass of the cockpit, he lifted his own weapon, but held it aimed at Maggie’s head.
Fuck . Ace’s jaw worked.
Maggie’s face was pale, but he saw that she was pissed.
Vander stepped up on the other side, the rifle up. He knew exactly how to use it.
Haye leaned over and rammed the barrel of the gun against Maggie’s temple. She winced.
Ace couldn’t breathe. He wanted to pound the man to mush.
Haye’s lips moved.
Maggie’s mouth firmed into a flat line, and she met Ace’s gaze.
Shit, he just wanted to reach in there and pull her out.
A second later, the helo’s skids lifted off the concrete.
No. No . His heart was beating so hard he couldn’t breathe.
He wouldn’t let her face this alone. Wouldn’t let this asshole end all that was Maggie.
Ace jammed the Glock in the back of his waistband.
As the helo lifted off, he ran after it, sprinting toward the end of the pier.
“Ace!” Vander roared.
But all his focus was on Maggie.
The helicopter lifted higher and Ace leaped off the end of the pier, out over the water…
And grabbed onto one of the skids.
He gripped hard as the helicopter soared up into the sky and out over San Francisco Bay.