CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Why couldn’t we just take a break? There was just so much hitting one could take from life before collapsing.
We drove to the town where the headquarters of the DEA in our state was set. The same town where Shane was watching Delilah. She’d been in the hospital, recovering from her injuries and working on her mental and emotional health.
My brother stood guard in her room. He was trained, sharp, and was dedicated to her safety. But there wasn’t much he could do when twelve trained cartel members invaded the hospital, strongly armed, terrorized the place on a shooting rampage, all so they could get Delilah.
That my brother was alive was nothing short of a miracle.
If Pablo wanted our attention, he had it.
We drove in pairs to the city. Mia was with Danny, Aaron drove Ben, and Zach and I were together, leading the group. I gripped the steering wheel and pushed the gas.
My little brother was hurt. My Spitfire and I were out of sorts after my betrayal. A woman we fought so hard to rescue had been taken again.
Pablo chose the wrong fucking people to deal with.
“ Has he tried any sort of contact? ” Mia asked through the speakerphone on the group call we were having on the road.
“ Yes. Fuck! ” Aaron cursed, so out of character for him. “ Mr. Dawson just talked to me. He’s trying to negotiate an escape. Pablo took her to the DEA headquarters. He and a bunch of cartel members invaded the building and are holding Delilah and the employees hostage .”
“That mightn’t be totally bad.” I tried to reason; more to calm myself than to convince them. “We know the building; I can get access to the blueprint. We can create an offensive and be done by the end of the day.”
“ It might not be that simple. Just like they did in the guys’ company, they seemed to have planted bombs in the area. ”
“I can deal with them,” Zach assured us. “This wasn’t a deftly planned escape. He’s getting desperate, I highly doubt he’d have the time and resources to explore the building and flood it with plastic explosives. My bet is that they planted them only on the entrances. They wouldn’t risk killing themselves inside.”
“ How many are they? ” Mia asked.
“ At least twenty; all armed ,” Aaron answered. “ But we’ll know the number for sure once we get there. Law enforcement is still assessing. ”
I sped up on the road, believing the others would follow my urgency. “You said he’s trying to negotiate his escape. What are his demands so far?”
Aaron breathed heavily, seemingly reluctant to answer.
“Aaron?”
“ He’s demanding to talk to Mia. ”
It took us a moment to let it sink in, then the air was filled with a chorus of male swearing. I pounded the steering wheel again and again, fighting the urge to demand that she go back home, lock herself in our bedroom, and stay under the blanket with Hugo until I thought it was safe.
“ How will we make it happen? ” Of course, she wouldn’t falter at the idea of negotiating with the son of a bitch.
From my peripheral vision, I saw Zach rubbing his forehead with one hand while fisting the other. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his jaw was set tight, as he took deep breaths to control himself.
I wasn’t the only one having a hard time accepting Pablo’s demands.
“ We’ll support you one hundred percent if you decide not to engage—”
“How will we make it happen, Aaron? ” Mia repeated emphatically.
Aaron sighed through the call. “ The DEA, the FBI, and local law enforcement are already setting up a space outside the building to keep tabs on his movements and try communication. The CIA will send agents to give us the support we need. We’re supposed to head there as soon as we get to the city. ”
I started our impromptu road trip like a lunatic. I wanted to get there fast to check on my brother, put an end to that nightmare, and bring him back. But given the latest news, I was torn between needing to run to reach my brother and needing to slow down to keep Mia away from Pablo.
Then I remembered we were on a crossroad exactly because I tried to protect her when I should’ve been honest and trusted her ability to take care of herself. But taking care of her was becoming my favorite activity.
Ignoring my instincts, I drove faster. I figured the sooner we’d get there, the sooner we’d deal with the cartel and come back home.
And by “home” I meant the life I shared with Mia.
We arrived in record time, and I guided us through traffic, cutting through shorter paths on the outskirts of town, since I was familiar with the area from my time at the agency.
When I spotted the building, the energy shifted, turning even more intense and erratic. The place was a zoo. Helicopters flew over the DEA headquarters. Several police cars and even ambulances surrounded the area. Across from the big garden in front of the DEA, I could see the tent set up to serve as an improvised office. A SWAT team was positioned in front of it, facing the building, and dozens of police officers milled around waiting for commands. Flocks of journalists ran from the building to the tent, trying to get the best scoop of news.
The tent was surrounded by police tape and heavily supervised. Only approved personnel could cross that line and reach the tent.
Aaron and I showed our credentials to the officers holding the lookers out, and they granted us, Mia, and the guys permission to get in.
We crossed the small grass area, and Ben asked quietly, only for us to hear, “Why go to all that effort to kidnap a woman who wasn’t even part of the cartel? And why bring her here?”
Aaron watched our surroundings with sharp eyes. “He’s a narcissist. He likes the attention. And he must be annoyed at whoever was helping him inside the agency. This is his way of not only calling the spotlight to him but also threatening the man inside.”
“It’s also strategically placed,” Zach chimed in. “We’re close to the Canadian border and the ocean. Both are good ways to escape.”
Ben nodded in understanding. “But why the girl?”
“Because it’d get Mia’s attention,” I mumbled through gritted teeth.
Ben groaned and hurried his steps to walk closer to her. “Mia, maybe you should reconsider this talking to him thing. We can get you to a safe place—”
“Don’t make me hit you in front of all these people, Benjamin.”
“I’m just saying—”
She came to a halt, forcing our group to stop, and turned to him with fire in her eyes. “Don’t piss me off. Given the legal opportunity, I will shoot you.”
Ben took a step back effectively chastised—not to mention a little bit afraid.
Zach intervened, “We’re worried that’s all. Look at what they did. He managed to invade a hospital, kidnap a woman, and invade a federal building, all without getting caught. It’s a twisted miracle. ”
Mia raised her eyebrows in contemplation and leaned her head to the side. “Yeah…but if you think about it, it’s not very different from us. I mean, you were six feet under and still gallivanting around the state. I guess anything can happen.”
She rounded on her heels and marched ahead toward the tent, leaving five grown, trained men speechless.
I hurried to her and pulled the door of the tent for us to get in, and the energetic chatting engulfed us. Until they noticed our presence.
As we walked inside, the noise gradually slowed to a stop. The ones who knew me and Aaron nodded in greeting. The ones who recognized Mia from our latest assignments or her time at the agency watched her in awe—the legend has returned. But the few ones who knew Zack could only curse.
Edward’s eyes rounded like saucers, his mouth agape.
Edna grabbed the edge of the main desk. “Dear God, he’s alive.”
Mr. Dawson stared at Zach in a mixture of impassiveness and wariness. “What an interesting turn of events.” He glared at Mia. “Should I assume you knew about this?”
“Of course, I did. All those times I cried was because my favorite TV show got discontinued.”
“She didn’t know about it, sir.” Zach intervened. “But I believe we have more pressing matters to deal with.”
Mr. Dawson frowned at him, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He shook his head slightly and pointed at one of the many monitors. “How much do you know already?”
“The basics,” Aaron answered. “I told them about the kidnapping and the attack at the hospital.”
“Where is my brother?”
As if summoned by my question, Shane appeared at the door cursing at a policeman. “I don’t give a fuck about credentials; I’m not going anywhere.”
“It’s okay, Smith,” Aaron assured the officer. “He’s with us.”
Not caring about the audience, I strode to my brother and pulled him into a hug. “How are you?”
He slapped my back. “Mad as fuck. I want to get this son of a bitch.”
Before Mr. Dawson could retort, Mia stated, “He’s part of the operation!”
He eyed Shane intently. “Are you sure you’re up to the task after what happened to you?”
“I’m here to take the fucker down, sir. Nothing will keep me from doing it.”
Mr. Dawson tipped his chin and didn’t say anything.
Mia touched Shane’s hand and mouthed asking him if he was okay. He gave her a sharp nod, fire dancing in his eyes, and it was answer enough .
Aaron pulled us back on track. “What do we know so far?”
Edna clicked on the computer next to her so we could watch the recorded feed. “Twenty-five armed men. All strong and heavily armed.”
“But they aren’t trained,” I considered.
Mia nodded, still watching the monitor. “They’re a brute force but have no strategy. We can work with that.”
Mr. Dawson was fuming by our side, barely containing his discomfort. “He escapes from prison, hides for a very long time, and now is demanding to talk to you. Is there anything you aren’t telling us? Do you know what he’s planning?”
She raised her scarred brow at him. “What are you implying exactly?”
“Have you been in contact with him?” He snapped. “Is there any way you know what his intentions are?”
“Of course, there is! The first thing he did today was text me ‘good morning’ and tell me how he planned on attacking my brother-in-law, kidnapping Delilah again, and running away. We share all kinds of personal information. You know, our greatest shame, our biggest fear. Yesterday, he listed his kid’s flaws and the lowest points of his marriage.” She leaned closer to him and whispered dramatically, “He's not performing anymore.” She placed her index finger in front of her lips. “ Shh , it’s a secret.”
He pursed his lips. “A simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ would have sufficed.”
Mia squinted her eyes. “Would it?”
Mr. Dawson breathed heavily. “We’d all benefit if we took this seriously.”
“I agree. Shall we?” She retorted promptly and turned around to look at me.
It was time to ignore our differences for the time being. It was time to join forces for the greater good. I couldn’t help hoping that would remind her how well we fit together. She wasn’t just the best partner I’d ever worked with.
She was the only partner I wanted for my life.
I smiled shyly at her, pulling my glasses up the bridge of my nose, and she did the same. I stepped closer to her and intertwined our pinkies.
Energized by each other, I whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention.
She eyed the room to announce, “I want underground teams asap. We need to know what’s going on under the building. Tremors, movements, anything.”
“How many helicopters are over us?” I asked our superiors.
“I asked for five,” Edward answered me. “All military.”
“Great. I want them in constant communication with us. Also, bring us the IT team. ”
Mia chimed in. “We need to learn about their arrival. Where they came from, what was in their trucks, what kind of armory they have.”
Aaron stepped forward. “I also want a full team of bomb specialists. We have Zach already, but we can’t risk a new surprise.”
Mia looked at him and nodded in gratitude and understanding, before letting go of my finger and clapping her hands. “Everybody back to work.” As the commotion grew again to fulfill our instructions, Mia turned to our superiors. “How has he been contacting you so far?”
Edward pointed to a phone. “He called once and warned he’d only talk to you. He hasn’t reached out ever since.”
Mr. Dawson picked it up. “You probably should call—”
She shook her head. “He wants to talk to me and he must’ve seen me arriving. He’ll call again. It’s his show. I want to see how he’ll play it out before I make my move. Until then, we have a lot of work to do.”
We danced within the tent, moving from one monitor to another, running from one team to another, instructing them to the best of our abilities, collecting as much information as we could get.
Then a shrill ring echoed in the small space. We all seemed to hold our breaths.
Mia walked leisurely to the main desk. Zach and I followed her and stood by each side of her. It was her fight, her round to win, but we wanted her to know we’d have her back if needed.
She looked down and closed her eyes, and for the first time since I met her, I heard her praying quietly. She peered up at her brother and they nodded at each other. Then she gazed at me. “Would you be around?”
“Anything for you.”
She picked up the headset, took a cleansing breath, and grinned. She was in the zone. “Tomorrow, we rest.”
So, Zach and I echoed, “Tomorrow, we rest.”