Chapter twenty-one
There was no question where Juan would sleep that night, not after what he and Amber had shared the night before.
Whether they had a repeat or not didn’t matter, not in the scheme of things.
He wanted that connection and closeness, craved the release and satisfaction of pleasuring her.
But holding Amber, falling asleep next to her, waking beside her, settled something deep inside him. Something he hadn’t known he needed.
With that certainty in mind, after dinner, he dropped a kiss on her welcoming lips, another on Zoe’s downy head, then slipped outside to the garage the club used to restore bikes and cars.
Flicking on the lights, his gaze landed on the Vincent Black Shadow Series C Dulcie was almost done with.
They’d never worked with the owner before, or on such a rare bike, but so far, both Dulcie and the owner were pleased.
As were the rest of the brothers. Gaining a name for themselves in the ultra rare market would be a coup.
But the bike didn’t call to him tonight.
He’d assisted Dulcie on a few things, but cars were his specialty.
Neither of the two currently sitting in the garage needed attention, either, but tinkering with them would give him something to do with his hands and body.
Freeing his mind to work out the problem tangled inside his head.
Anthony Ely.
More specifically, how to make sure he went down hard and fast. And permanently.
Not only did the man deserve it, but Juan wanted him out of Amber and Zoe’s life with no possibility of ever popping up again.
Those two were his family now, in a way the Falcons weren’t.
Each important but different. And they were his to protect.
His to protect in a way he’d never had growing up.
If nothing else, his tumultuous, unstable childhood had taught him everything he never wanted.
But until recently, he hadn’t had much cause to think about what he did want.
Now that Amber and Zoe were a part of him, he knew, though.
Safety, security, love. As cliché as it was, he wanted them to have roots and wings and confidence to trust in both.
But first, they needed to deal with Anthony Ely.
Flicking on another light, he walked over to the ’68 Shelby. With the hood lifted, he let his gaze settle on the partially constructed engine block.
What if they couldn’t find evidence showing that Anthony had something to do with the murders? What if they couldn’t prove they were murders at all? Their entire “case” hinged on the murders being provable. If that fell apart, so would everything else.
Well, they might be able to bring charges against Anthony for what he did to Zoe and Amber.
But chances were, if there was a way to cleanly and quickly cut him out of their lives forever, while also protecting Adrian and Clara, Amber wouldn’t go that route.
She’d trade a potential prosecution for guaranteed security, if possible.
And he didn’t blame her for that. She wasn’t just fighting for herself in this.
She had Zoe, Clara, and Adrian to think about.
He drummed his fingers on the edge of the metal bumper valance as he turned the problem over in his mind.
Would it do any good to have someone tailing Anthony?
Or maybe they could manage to get a few listening devices, maybe even cameras, into his house?
He didn’t doubt HICC had the means to do it, but did he want to ask them?
He’d do it himself, but didn’t trust his skills, not this long out of the teams. There’d been a time when he wouldn’t have blinked an eye at sliding through the night, entering enemy territory, placing a few surprises, and slipping back out again.
That they’d be cameras and bugs rather than explosives added a twist, but the basics were the same.
He’d been out of the habit long enough that he feared he’d grown rusty, though. And he wouldn’t risk it. Part of protecting Amber and Zoe meant he had to be around to do just that. He couldn’t be there for them if he got arrested for breaking and entering.
His attention jerked up when the handle on the door twisted, then swung open as North walked in, followed by Scipio.
Now if anyone could slip in and out of a house unseen, North could.
The man looked barely out of high school, even in his early thirties, and moved like a fucking ghost. But even so, Juan would never ask it of him.
North didn’t regret his time in the army, but violence and subterfuge went against his natural instincts.
Juan didn’t want his brother to ever have to make that choice again.
“You want company?” Scipio asked, joining him at the car and leaning against the driver’s door.
Juan gave the question real thought before shrugging. He honestly didn’t know if he did or not.
“We’ll stay until you tell us to go,” North said, walking to the fridge they kept against the back wall. Pulling out three bottles of beer, he handed them out, twisting the tops off as he did.
“It’s feeling shaky, isn’t it?” Scipio said.
Leave it to Scipio to zero in on the problem.
The man could strategize the takeover of a small country in his sleep.
He saw risks and contingencies as clearly as reading a road map.
Juan didn’t even want to know the full picture he saw when it came to dealing with Anthony Ely.
The pitfalls and hazards he’d come up with on his own were quite enough, thank you.
He nodded before taking a sip of his drink. “Everything hinges on being able to prove those eleven people were murdered, or that at least some of them were. Without that, we’re dead in the water.”
“And even if we can prove it, it’s still a stretch to link the deaths to Anthony,” Scipio said. Juan gave a reluctant nod. He’d been thinking the same. But thinking it and admitting it were two different things.
“Leo and HICC can track his digital trail. Using CCTV, they can even track his physical trail. But none of that can replace having someone on the ground. Someone inserting themself into his life. Someone who can see things firsthand,” North said.
Juan inclined his head, not at all surprised he and his brothers thought along the same lines.
“He won’t trust easily, though. It’s unlikely he’d let someone new infiltrate his life.
But what about someone tailing him? What about getting bugs or cameras in his home?
I don’t know how much business he does at home, but based on what Amber’s said, it’s his kingdom. The place he feels most in control.”
“And where he rules. Where he feels most comfortable,” Scipio added.
“Especially if he believes no one suspects him of anything. I’m guessing he’s paranoid, but arrogant. Men like him think their home is their fortress and that no one will dare lay siege,” North said.
“But can we lay siege?” Juan asked. “Stealthily and safely?”
North and Scipio shared a look.
“What?” Juan said.
“Antonia Ewing reached out to me the other day,” North said.
Juan frowned. “Toni? What’d she want?” At one point, years ago, he and his brothers had all thought the woman worked for the CIA.
She’d hung around their teams far more than normal and asked way too many questions.
But the day she literally dropped from the sky into one of their ops and single-handedly managed to wipe out a terrorist cell that had slowly been backing them into a corner, all with a grin and her makeup intact, had shattered that belief.
Toni was something. A bit crazy, for sure. But she wasn’t CIA.
“She’s been spending time in DC, doing the rounds,” North said.
Juan winced. “If anyone should not be doing the political rounds, it’s Toni. If she gets bored, she’s likely to steal a helicopter and go for a joyride, or parachute into Camp David just to prove it can be done unnoticed.”
North grinned and Scipio’s lips twitched. “She did break into the Oval Office, said hi to the president, then read the riot act to the head of his Secret Service team before waltzing out,” Scipio said.
Juan had zero problems picturing that scene. “I can’t imagine that went over well,” he said, chuckling.
“It did not. Thankfully, the Secret Service was aware there’d be security drills, so didn’t shoot first and ask questions later,” Scipio said.
“There’d be a team of dead Secret Service if they’d done that,” North replied. Both Juan and Scipio nodded.
“Why’d she call you?” he asked.
“She wanted to know if our network needed any help. She’s bored and looking for something to do.
Her boss suggested she find something that was useful to society.
” North paused, smiled, then added, “Of course, she then had to point out how interesting it was that he didn’t view finding gaps in the president’s security as useful. ”
Juan chuckled again. Toni lived her life without a filter. And possibly a bit of a death wish. Although he and his brothers long ago agreed that the Grim Reaper had decided she was too much for him to handle, so he’d leave her to this earthly plane.
“If anyone can infiltrate Anthony’s life, whether in person or electronically, Toni can,” Scipio said.
“And we’d be performing a community service if we give her something to do,” North added.
“Will we tell her why?” he asked. “The murders will get her back up, but I’m a little concerned she’ll go rogue if she finds out what Anthony did to Amber. And Zoe.”
North studied him as he took a sip of his beer. “Do you really care if she does?”
Juan paused. Did he? Toni going rogue could mean all sorts of things, none of which would end well for Anthony. It would be nice to get justice for the murders, but at the end of the day, what did he really care about? Not even a question: Amber and Zoe.
“No,” he said slowly. “I guess I don’t.” He didn’t want Toni to put her life or her career at risk, but Toni was Toni. She’d make whatever damn decisions she wanted to when she wanted to.
Both Scipio and North watched him, as if waiting to see if he’d change his mind.
He appreciated the caution because once they unleashed Toni, she couldn’t be reined in.
But the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea.
As crazy as the woman was, he trusted her.
Her moral compass was fixed firmly on true north.
“Call her,” he said.
North pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. A few seconds later, a ring echoed in the cavernous space.
“North,” a familiar voice answered. Both husky and a little raspy, Toni always sounded as if she was ready to step on stage and croon out a Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald tune. Or Adele.
“Please tell me you have a woman and six children that need to be extracted from a cult?” she continued. “Not that I want a woman and six children to be trapped in that kind of fucked-up situation, but since shit happens and women get trapped all the time, the least I can do is help get them out.”
“Hey, Toni,” Juan said.
Silence. “Juan? Is that you, you sexy beast? I’m still holding a grudge about that night in Kabul.”
He laughed. “Bullshit. That was not a legit offer. You just enjoyed seeing me squirm.”
A husky chuckle filled the line. “That was fun. You didn’t know how to escape me.”
“Ha, I did so, but I didn’t want to embarrass you in public. I like living too much.”
She laughed outright, her unrestrained guffaw pulling smiles from all of them. “Good choice, soldier. Now please tell me you have something interesting for me?”
North and Scipio looked to him. He took a deep breath. “Funny you should ask. Your timing couldn’t be better. We have a little project for you.”