CHAPTER 18 #2
She’s worried I can tell, but she doesn’t try to stop me. Instead, wrapping her arms around me and laying her head on my chest, holding me tight. I rest my chin on the top of her head, closing my eyes. Breathing in her scent as I inhale a deep breath.
“Be safe and come home,” she whispers.
“I will,” I promise. “Now kiss me, baby.”
She tilts her chin up, standing on tiptoe, pressing her lips to mine. We kiss long, hard, and deep. Making it count.
“Love you,” I whisper when we part.
“Right back at you, honey,” Honor replies, a tremulous smile tugging at her lips. “Go,” she orders.
With one last glance back, I turn, grab the bag I’d dropped when we embraced, and shoulder it for the short walk to the clubhouse, where Rowena, Maverick, Tru, and Janis are waiting.
***
That kiss stays with me on the four-hour flight to Florida.
Rowena and I go over the plan several times, and she brings up the schematics for the alarm system and the house.
I don’t bother asking where or how she got it.
She has her own way of doing things and her own resources.
I take it as a win that she’s on my team.
There’s a limo waiting for us when we get to the airport. The five of us enter it. I’m surprised at how quiet the twins have been. It’s not like them.
“You girls good?” I ask.
They nod. “We’re good. I know you all think we only know how to mess around, but I promise that we know how to handle ourselves. We can behave and won’t embarrass Maverick.”
Maverick snorts. “Never thought you would. One of the reasons I asked you both is that you’re family and I trust you, the second is that you know how to protect yourself, and the third is that you’re not a stranger to events like this.”
They grimace, “True,” Janis nods. “Kind of figured we were done with these once Tru was out of the limelight.”
I’d forgotten that Tru had been a champion motocross rider and would have attended events not dissimilar to these. Explained why they had dresses.
“Besides,” Tru looks me in the eye. “He tried to hurt our family, and I know you don’t know us well, but nobody fucks with the Monde family.”
“I like them,” Rowena says, amusement lacing her tone. “Maybe we should hire them.”
Fuck no.
Surprisingly Janis replies, “Thank you for the compliment, but no thanks. We like what we do. Living on the edge is not for us. We don’t mind helping, but we couldn’t deal with the stress you all live with.”
“Fair enough,” Rowena nods. “It’s good that you like what you do. I like my job: it's not for everyone, but for someone like me, it’s perfect.”
The car falls silent. It’s the most I’ve ever heard Rowena talk, and I’m even more surprised to learn something about my protégée that I didn’t know.
Janis glances at her curiously. “Do you have a man, Rowena?”
Rowena eyes Janis suspiciously for a minute. I know she won’t find anything there except genuine interest and curiosity.
A smile tips the corners of her lips, and her eyes soften when she replies. “I do.”
“You do?” I turn and stare at Rowena, my shock clear. Rowena lets out a tinkling laugh.
“Yeah, boss, I do. He’s not someone you have to worry about though.” She reassures me.
“Well shit,” I mutter. “What does he think you’re doing when you leave for weeks at a time?”
“He knows what I do,” she replies. “He’s always known. We grew up in the same town. He was there the first time I took my revenge. He knows all my secrets, and I know his.”
“Rowena,” I growled, concerned that this may be a problem.
Rowena keeps her eyes steady on mine, “Trust me boss, you don’t need to worry about it. In fact, if you think really hard, you’ll know who it is.”
“No shit,” Maverick breathes, shocked. He’s already put it together. Clever fucker.
Rowena gives him one of her half smiles. “No shit.”
“Jesus,” I ran a hand over my face. “Okay. I get it. I’ll drop it for now.”
“Good,” she grins. It changes her entire face. “Because we’re here, and you and I need to get our heads back in the game.”
Laughter escapes those in the vehicle with us. “Schooled by the student, brother,” Maverick grins before turning serious. “Be careful. Both of you. See you back at the hangar.”
The limo stops and the door opens. Maverick gets out then helps Janis and Tru out of the car. Rowena and I’ll get out once the limo’s parked.
We step out of the limo, backpacks slung over our shoulders, and walk away from the hotel. Heading for the address Chief sent, we find the vehicle he arranged for us, the keys tucked inside the wheel well.
Starting it, we join the flow of traffic that leads us out of Jacksonville. The further out we get, the less houses we see, and those that we do, clearly belong to the wealthy.
We follow a narrow road winding through the darkness. In the distance, we catch glimpses of the ocean as we climb higher and higher, following the map to Mulally’s house.
It’s not exactly isolated. There are a few neighbouring homes, but not many, and none close enough to be a concern. I’m not sure who Chief had watching the place, but the guy had to be good not to be seen.
We find somewhere to park and hunker down to watch. It’s still early, and we won’t be making a move for a few hours. Darkness blankets the area, broken only by the warm glow of the streetlamps lining the road.
In the distance, we can hear the ocean crashing against the rocks. If it were any other night, for any other reason, I’d have enjoyed being here.
Maybe when all this shit is over, I’ll bring Honor and the boys here for a week at the beach.
The intel Chief sent was solid. In all the time we’ve been sitting here, we’ve only seen two guards making rounds.
We watch as the lights in the houses around Mulally’s go out one by one. The second it all goes dark, we move.
“Easy does it, Row. We’ve only seen two guards, but there may be more inside,” I remind her. She gives me a thumbs up and fits her earpiece in.
“Comms check,” she says softly.
“Reading you loud and clear,” I reply with a quick nod. “Let’s move.”
We melt into the shadows, circling the house with practiced silence that comes from experience and multiple operations.
I draw my gun from its holster and cover Rowena, as she makes short work of cutting the alarm, before removing her lock picking tools from a pocket and getting to work picking the lock.
She’s quick and not a second later, the lock yields with a soft click.
I gently push it open. We move in fast. Synchronised just like when we train.
I enter first, weapon raised, Rowena slides in low beside me. We cover each other treading softly against the hardwood floor.
The hallway stretches ahead in dim, amber light spilling from a light left on in the hallway. Expensive artwork hangs in perfect symmetry along the walls. It’s a cold house with nothing out of place.
Working together we clear the living room first. It’s a large open-plan room, with floor-to-ceiling windows, draped in heavy curtains. White leather furniture arranged around a glass table. In the distance, we hear the muted sound of a television.
I signal towards the sound. Rowena nods and we flow out the living room toward the kitchen, finding it empty.
There’s a light showing under a door at the end of the room.
On silent feet, we walk toward it. Standing ready, I grip the handle, and gently turn it, opening the door an inch, just enough for us to see in the room.
Sweat trickles down my cheek under my balaclava making me itch.
I hate wearing them, but they serve a purpose. Keeping our identities secret.
We can’t see them, but we hear them. Two men having a conversation and watching TV.
“Hey, you hear back from the boys who went to check on the boss’s niece?”
“Nah, but the boss is getting squirrelly man. I put him off today, but if I don’t hear anything tomorrow, we’ll have to tell him.”
Interesting. They don’t know their men are dead. Rowena and I share a look of disbelief.
“I’m sure it’s all good. I mean how hard can it be to pick her up? It’s not like she’s being protected by a real motorcycle club. From what we found out, it’s a bunch of rich pricks pretending to be a club. They’re probably weekend riders or some shit.”
I shake my head if only they knew.
They laugh, and I push the door open a bit more. We see them now. Sitting around a table. Empty beer bottles and pizza boxes on the table.
“Yeah, pity they don’t have more women, maybe we could have had some fun. It would have been easy pickings I reckon.”
They laugh, like discussing the rape of women is just another normal conversation. I’ve had enough.
I push the door wide, aim, and fire. The bullet hits with a muted thump, the silencer doing exactly what it’s meant to. Rowena’s shot comes a heartbeat after mine.
They collapse across the table, blood slowly dripping from the holes in their heads to pool on the floor.
Entering the room, we check their pulse even though we both know they’re dead. We do a quick sweep, but don’t find anyone else.
Rowena pivots, checks the adjoining bathroom. Coming out a second later.
Giving me an all-clear signal.
We walk out, back through the kitchen to the entryway.
My eyes track upward.
The main staircase rises ahead of us in a broad sweep, disappearing into darkness on the second floor.
Rowena glances at me.
A small nod passes between us. We move to the stairs, each of us taking a side. Guns ready. Halfway up, we stop.
A sound. Not loud. A single creak from above. Someone’s weight shifting. A grunt, then silence. We wait a little longer, but when we don’t hear anything else, we move.
Continuing, until we reach the top, seeing one, long corridor with several doorways. Methodically, we clear each room, one by one until there’s only one left. We know it can only be his room. The door, like all the others, is wide open.
Entering the room, I walk to the bed and look down at the fucker who threatened my family. My blood is boiling and rage fills me.
I want to eviscerate him. My blood pounds so hard I can hear it.