Chapter 10
Washington, DC
Mitch Hewett walked to the coffee shop, his gaze darting about as he looked for Orrin Loughman. It was only a matter of time before he turned a corner and came face-to-face with Orrin. The scenario he’d painstakingly arranged had turned to shit.
All because the Saints had trusted Yuri Markovic.
He’d warned them that it was a mistake, and the proof now lay before all of them.
Opening the door to the coffee house, Mitch strode inside. He paused, looking around until he saw who he was looking for sitting at a back corner table.
The man looked ordinary and inadequate, the kind of person no one would remember walking past, sitting next to, or even talking to.
Which was exactly what Andrew Smith wanted.
With his coffee in hand, Mitch made his way to the table. He eyed Smith. It wasn’t his real name, but that didn’t matter. No, what was important was the reason for the meeting.
Mitch sat at the table and looked at Andrew’s sandy hair and into his nondescript brown eyes. Mitch wasn’t exactly sure what Andrew did for the Saints—nor did he wish to find out. In matters such as these, it was better to be oblivious of such things.
Andrew took a deep breath and leaned his arms onto the small, round table. His black trench coat was open, revealing a dark gray sweater beneath. “You’re late.”
“I had a lead on Callie. I was hoping to have some information for you.”
Andrew made a face and looked out the window at the passing people on the sidewalk. “We have Miss Reed taken care of.”
“I thought she was my problem?”
“You failed to get to her before the brothers split up and went different directions.” Andrew turned his head to face him. “Things have gotten out of hand.”
Mitch wasn’t going to take the blame for everything. “I’m not the only one who screwed up. We wouldn’t even have this mess if Orrin had been dealt with. Instead, Yuri took out Orrin’s team and kidnapped him.”
“You think you’re telling me something I don’t already know?”
It was the soft tone and the sharpening of Andrew’s gaze that alerted Mitch he might have gone too far. But he wasn’t part of the Saints because he gave up easily.
“I’m reminding you,” Mitch stated. “Callie is mine to deal with.”
Andrew lifted the mug to his lips and took a drink of his coffee before slowly lowering it back to the table. “What’s so important about Callie Reed?”
“I think she could be an asset to our organization.”
That caused Andrew to lift a brow. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
“We’ve already agreed to hand her over to her family.”
Mitch gritted his teeth. He’d done his own investigating into the Reeds when Orrin initially pulled Callie away from the CIA and into his Black Ops team, Whitehorse. The Reeds were nasty individuals, whose ambitions were as grand—if only the family would stop getting busted and sent to jail.
“Agreements can be altered,” Mitch said.
Andrew sat in silence for a moment. “I’ll run it by the others.”
It wasn’t a promise, but it was the only thing Mitch could expect. Right now, that was enough for him. “My team is still looking for Orrin. Owen remains at the ranch in Texas, and we believe Wyatt is still in Texas, as well. However, we’ve lost Cullen. Have you had any sightings of Orrin?”
“No.”
The bite of anger in that one word spoke volumes. “Yuri either?”
“Both have vanished, but it’s just a matter of time before those two pop up. We’re going to ensure that happens very soon.”
Intrigued, Mitch set aside his coffee. “How?”
“We all know how much Orrin loves his sons, even if the boys don’t return the sentiment. We’ve put things into motion that will ensure that Loughman shows up to help his eldest son.”
Mitch sat back and twisted his lips. “Don’t bet on it. Orrin knows how good his sons are. He’ll expect them to take care of themselves.”
“Not with what we have coming for Wyatt.”
“What’s that?”
Andrew smiled coldly. “An old enemy from Wyatt’s past that he won’t be able to handle on his own.”
“What about Ragnarok? One of them has it.”
“It no longer matters. We have Jankovic.” Andrew then pushed back his chair and stood. He looked down at Mitch and said, “You keep recruiting.”
“And Callie?”
“You’ll have an answer soon.”
Mitch waited until Andrew walked out of the shop and blended into the throng of people before he rose. He was well aware that there were Saints watching him.
The organization was far larger than most who were part of it even knew. The Loughmans were fighting a war they’d never be able to win. Mitch was glad that someone was going to bring Orrin down a peg or two.
Now that he knew the Saints had a plan for Orrin, Mitch wasn’t worried about the eldest Loughman hunting him down. Orrin would have too much on his plate—like protecting his sons—to come after him.
Even if Orrin decided to come to DC, the moment the cameras about the city saw his face, the Saints would be alerted. Orrin wouldn’t make it two steps before he was taken down.
The headlines would read that intelligence had discovered a plot to kill the President. Below it would be a picture of Orrin facedown on the ground, handcuffed.
And that would be the last anyone would ever see of him.
It had happened more times than Mitch could remember. The Saints were masters of making people disappear.
“So. That’s Mitch Hewett,” Mia Carter said.
Cullen lowered the binoculars from his face. He gazed out the window of the vacant floor of a building, following Mitch with his eyes. “That’s him. You got the pictures of Hewett and the man he met with, right?”
“Oh, yes,” Mia said as she set down the camera. “I’m going to send them to Callie to see if she can find out who the man is.”
Cullen turned to the side and looked at his woman. “We got lucky that we were able to catch Hewett with someone. That meeting could’ve taken place anywhere.”
“Yet it was so near his office.”
“We’re thinking that man with Mitch is a Saint. For all we know, it could be his best friend from college.”
Mia shook her head. “I don’t think so. Not the way Hewett acted walking into the coffee shop or while they talked. He looked relieved returning to work.”
“I wish we knew what their conversation was about.”
“We’re already taking a huge risk remaining here,” Mia pointed out.
Cullen knew all too well. The longer they remained in DC, the more chances arose for the Saints to find them. He felt trapped, which made him yearn to leave the city behind. But their search for Orrin, the Russian scientist, and anything on the Saints kept them in DC.
Mia put her hand on his chest over his heart. “We’re going to take the Saints down.”
“Eight people are going to bring down an organization like the Saints? We have no idea who is running it or how far-reaching it is. For all we know, the Saints could have infiltrated every government in the world.”
She raised a dark brow as her lips curved into a smile. “Then we go into it believing this group of maniacs are that large.”
“I love that you think we can do this, but I’m a realist.”
“And I’m not?” She gave him a little shove so that he fell back onto the chair. Mia straddled his legs and rested her arms on top of his shoulders.
He groaned as he gripped her hips. When he rose up to claim her mouth in a kiss, she stopped him with a finger to his lips.
“We’re not alone,” she whispered. “It’s not just eight against a million or a billion. There’s Kate. She’s taken a leave of absence from the hospital to help.”
“So, nine,” he corrected.
Mia gave him an irritated look. “Have you forgotten about General Davis? He sacrificed himself so that I could get off the base.”
“He’s dead, love. He can’t help us.”
“My point is that there will be those out there who can and will help.”
Cullen had to admit she was correct in her thinking. “On the flip side of that coin are those who will pretend to help only to betray us.”
“Yes. And as you so frequently point out to me, we’ll have to follow our instincts on each instance. If one of us feels that it’s wrong, then we listen to the other.”
“I think the whole idea is wrong.” He grunted when she pinched the lobe of his ear.
“That’s because you worry I’ll get hurt.”
“I can’t lose you,” he admitted. Cullen cupped her face and looked into her black eyes. “All that matters is you.”
Her gaze softened as she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. “I don’t want to lose you either, but this is bigger than either of us. This affects the entire world.”
It was the same argument they had every day. He didn’t want Mia anywhere near the fighting. After their car had gone over the mountain, he realized he never wanted to feel that powerless again. He loved Mia more than anything.
Yet, his woman was a force to be reckoned with. She was a skilled pilot who loved to push the boundaries and was more than equipped to handle herself whether she was flying a plane or on the ground in the midst of battle.
But as competent as Mia was, there was always a chance that she would be injured or killed. Every time he thought about her being taken from him, he felt as if his heart were being ripped in two.
Was this pain what his father had lived with all these years? Cullen couldn’t imagine what it would be like to discover that someone had murdered Mia. He wouldn’t rest until he found her killer.
Then again, Orrin hadn’t stopped looking either.
“What is it?” Mia asked.
“I love you.”
She cupped his face. “I love you, too.”
“I want to have a long life with you. I want to grow old with you. Maybe have a few kids.”
A smile curved her lips as she laughed. “Kids, huh?”
“Could be. I’m not ruling it out.”
“Then we have something to look forward to,” she said huskily.
He splayed his hand on her back and pushed her forward so their lips were nearly touching. “Yes, we do.”
Dark eyes searched his face. “Hope is what gets some people through the worst times. This is the worst I’ve ever been through.”
“Your association with me has put your family in danger, as well.”
“My father is rich and powerful. He’s already begun making preparations and putting precautions in place. I’m not worried about him. I want to find Orrin, but my worry isn’t with him either.”
Cullen frowned. “Who are you worried about?”
“Callie and Wyatt.”
Since Cullen and Wyatt had never been that close, he didn’t talk to his eldest brother much. Owen was their go-between, and he hadn’t said anything about plans changing.
But Cullen knew firsthand how the Saints could alter things in a millisecond.