Twenty-One
Walking out of that apartment and leaving Lorna alone is physically painful. The ache growing in my chest feels like a block of cement. All I want to do is lock myself away with her and keep her safe. With me.
Forever.
But I can’t.
She’s not the kind of woman who can stop living her life and doing her job. Not that I’d have a snowballs chance in hell of stopping her, but still. The sooner she gets back to her normal life, the better. For both of us.
Twenty minutes later, I’m back in the FBI building meeting with my team. Time is of the essence, so we’re suiting up while we go over the plan. Just before oh-five-hundred, we’re closing in on Diamond’s location. There’s a solid perimeter set up around the house in case he and his crew decide to bail. That would be the safer way to end this. Because if they want to fight, it’s going to get ugly and quick.
As soon as I get the word, we move in. My point man breaches the door, and we file in and clear the first two rooms in less than thirty seconds. I want to relax, but I know better. As soon as we start for the stairs, they start shooting. We fall back into defensive positions and hold our fire. When they do as well, I call out.
“This is the FBI! The house is surrounded! There’s no way out! Give yourselves up!”
I swear I hear someone laughing above us. I’m about to call out again when more gunshots ring out. Through the ceiling. We scatter and make our way for the door before filing out onto the porch. I radio our situation to the perimeter team. For the moment, we are at a disadvantage. It’s not until our backup arrives that they’re able to give us the support we need to flush them out.
A few strategically placed flashbang grenades followed by some tear gas send them running. With the advantage back in our favor, we swiftly disarm and secure them. But when the dust settles…
“Where’s Diamond?” I demand.
I’m not surprised when no one responds with anything other than smirks and a couple of ‘fuck you’s.’ Setting my anger aside, we do what’s necessary to bring in the seven members of his crew and then search the house. We take in plenty of evidence to lock up his boys for quite some time. And Diamond when we finally catch up with him.
By oh-six-hundred, things are finally settling down. More than once I’ve almost slipped away to call Lorna, but I’m worried about waking her. God knows she has to be wiped out given all that’s happened in the last couple of days. Sure, she’s used to the normal crazy and pressure that comes with her job, but this was beyond anything she should have to deal with.
After I debrief with Director Jackson, we meet with our surveillance team to try and pin down Diamond’s location again. Unfortunately, the cell phone he was using when he was working with Ellis, the same one he called me from this morning, is no longer in service. The fact that he was smart enough to ditch it is really pissing me off. With nothing new to report, we leave them to their job. And I finally get to call Lorna.
Director Jackson is still walking beside me when I initiate the call. It rings only once before she picks up. And I’m smiling until I hear his voice again.
“Pitbull.”
My feet stop moving in the next millisecond. Director Jackson follows suit and turns toward me. His eyes locking with mine as I growl out his name.
“Diamond.”
Director Jackson’s eyes widen. Then he’s on his phone in the next second, no doubt sending a team to Lorna’s once again compromised situation.
“If you’ve laid a hand on her-”
“The bitch ain’t here,” he snaps.
Ice courses through my veins. I must sway on my feet because Director Jackson is quick to place a steadying hand on my shoulder. I do my best to gather my thoughts and keep Diamond on the line. Then I curse myself when I realize what I’ve done.
“But I guess she was here,” he chuckles.
“Your fight is not with her.”
“The fuck it ain’t,” he barks.
Jackson looks at me and nods, motioning with his hand to keep him talking.
“She was doing her job,” I say with semi-calm.
“Don’t matter,” he says in a low voice. “Venom was as good as dead. He would have bled out if you Bureau fuckers hadn’t shown up and let the medics in. Then I wouldn’t have lost that territory.”
“Before it’s all said and done, you’re going to lose it all,” I threaten.
Once again, his laughter seems to echo around me. I grit my teeth at the sound.
“Maybe,” he finally says. “But all I know for certain is that I will have my revenge. On all of you.”
I take a breath, but my words are cut off as he ends the call.
“God dammit!”
“The team is two minutes out,” Jackson says.
Unable to do a damn thing to help, I simply pace and wait for an update. When it comes, it’s nothing good.
“No sign of Diamond,” Jackson sighs.
“And what about Lorna?” I snap.
“They’re checking the security cameras now.”
“Jesus Christ,” I breathe. “I’m going to fucking kill her.”
Jackson chuckles, but I find nothing funny in this.
“You think she’s a step ahead of him then?”
I stop pacing and meet his amused expression with one that I’m sure is filled with anger and worry.
“God, I fucking hope so.”