Chapter 3
3
MILA
Leaving my apartment building, I smiled when I realized I had a few hours to myself. I’d been assigned to Beth almost since the day I started, and I never had any free time to run my errands. That was what I should’ve been doing, but I was meeting Nick for dinner instead. When he called me earlier today, I told him I didn’t think I could meet him, considering Striker was out of town, but he got back earlier today, so I called Nick, and we picked a place.
I was excited to have some time with my friend.
Next to Beth, he was my only friend in New Hope. Not to mention, I’d spent almost two years of my life with him, and then one day, he was gone. That was undercover work. The Bureau taught me not to get attached to anyone on a case, but that was a hell of a lot easier said than done.
I jumped in my car and headed across town, getting to the restaurant in under ten minutes, which did nothing but remind me of how small New Hope truly was.
I’d just parked and was getting my purse from the seat beside me when something flashed through my peripheral vision. Quickly looking to my left, I startled when I saw Nick standing next to my car. With my hand on my chest, I shook my head and leveled my breathing before shoving open the car door.
I stepped out. “I see you haven’t lost your touch for sneaking up on people.”
“Hard habit to break.” Grinning, he gestured to the Italian restaurant. “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Me too.”
We crossed the lot together, went inside, and were immediately seated.
Looking around, I smiled. “This place is nice.”
“Yeah, Maddie and I come here sometimes. Food’s great.”
I settled back into my seat. “How’s Maddie?”
“Really good. She’s working tonight.”
“And Caleb?” I grinned when his face lit even more than it had when I mentioned Maddie. It wasn’t hard to see Nick loved his little boy.
“He’s such a cool kid.”
“He must get that from Maddie,” I teased.
“Probably,” he agreed.
“I’m surprised you wanted to come out with Maddie working.” Nick didn’t like to miss time with his little family, which made sense considering how much time he lost while undercover.
“Caleb’s at his grandparents’ for a sleepover.”
“Ahh, so you’re living the single life tonight.”
He laughed just as the server approached our table. We ordered drinks and meals quickly, used to being on a tight schedule and making fast decisions.
Nick settled back into his seat and folded his hands over his stomach. “How are you settling in?”
“Good,” I answered honestly. “I mean, I haven’t really had time to explore or even make any friends, considering my assignment, but I hope I can after this is over.”
“How’s Beth doing?”
“A lot better since Jax and Striker agreed to let her work at Elite.” I shook my head and was careful to keep my voice low while I spoke. We were alone in a back corner booth, but I still didn’t want to be overheard. “I don’t know how she did it, Nick. For years, she stayed in her apartment. I would’ve gone crazy, but she managed. When she finally built up the confidence to start going out, Max Skinner was released from prison, and she’s right back where she started. It’s just so unfair.”
“It is, but your idea for her to lend Leah a hand at the office is helping. From what I hear, it’s helping Leah too.”
I smiled. “Leah actually thanked me. I guess she’s been asking for help for a while.”
“Everything good with Striker?”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Well, he’s back from his assignment. He found me and Beth in the gym tonight and gave me shit about teaching her self-defense.”
Nick’s eyebrows drew together. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “It’s only because I was the one teaching her.”
We both quieted when the server approached our table with the food and waited for her to walk away to continue talking.
“Striker doesn’t handle change well,” Nick offered as an explanation.
“He doesn’t like me, Nick.” I lifted my fork and stabbed a piece of pasta. “There isn’t anything I can do to change that.”
He smirked. “Your declaration helped.”
“I don’t follow.”
Still smirking, he leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I think your exact words were, I don’t fuck men .” I took a bite of pasta, but I was smiling when he continued. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret. But only if you tell me why you said it.”
I finished chewing and swallowed. “After about six months in the FBI, I realized I was never going to be taken seriously, especially after overhearing a couple of fellow agents, male agents, make a bet on who could sleep with me first. It had nothing to do with my looks or even me in general. It was all about the competition. I decided to end the competition on my own terms and made it very clear I wasn’t interested in men.”
“Did it work?”
“Like a charm.”
“That’s not how Elite runs, you know. Nobody is making those bets.”
I studied him before answering, knowing I wanted to choose my words carefully. “Striker’s impression of me is that I'm a liability for the team. I had to extinguish that so everyone at Elite would judge me on my skills and nothing else.”
“I know it’s hard to let go of the survival skills you put in place to make it in the FBI, but you need to know that you won’t need them at Elite. No one is out to get you. No one is judging you.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Not even Striker?”
He exhaled heavily. “Maybe Striker. But he judges everyone.”
Laughing, I nodded and pointed my fork at him. “I appreciate your honesty.” When he grinned and lifted a bite of food to his mouth, I continued. “I’m so happy to be working with you again. I know our last assignment together was awful, but I’ve honestly never had a better partner.”
“I agree.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “The only other agent I worked as well with was Cam.”
“Cam Dimarco. That’s right, I forgot Jax and Brody’s brother was in the FBI.” When Nick nodded, I continued. “To be honest, there are a lot of them, so it’s easy to get confused.”
Nick laughed. “Yeah, I get that. It’s a big family with seven boys and one girl.”
“Were you surprised when Cam joined the police force?”
“Nah. He always said after he was done with the case, he wanted to join the force and work with his brother Luke.”
“The Daniel Sullivan case?”
“Yeah.” Nick shook his head. “I can’t believe we’re still dealing with shit from that case.”
Something had bothered me since Beth was assigned to me. “Do you think we’re being too cautious?”
He seemed to consider that before replying. “No, I honestly have a bad feeling that Beth is still a target for Sullivan’s associates.”
“But why?” I shrugged. “What could they hope to get from her now that he’s dead?”
“That’s what we need to figure out.”
We both dropped it, probably lost in our own thoughts about the case. Unfortunately, we’d both seen the underbelly of this town and knew some people wanted nothing more than revenge.
We finished our dinner with more small talk, and Nick walked me to my car. It was a good night. I needed that. Needed time with a friend, someone who knew me from my time with the FBI. Someone who understood the decisions I’d made since coming to Elite, including lying about my sexuality. It was a protective reflex when Striker confronted me, but one I don’t regret. Things had calmed down between us with my admission, and I needed that while I proved I belonged on this team.
I was driving home when my phone rang. Glancing at the screen in my car, I saw Striker’s name and shook my head. I’d bet my paycheck he needed me to come home so he could slink away and keep pretending he didn’t have feelings for Beth.
Grinning, I accepted the call. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“I’m taking her to the hospital.”
A chill ran over my skin from the panic in his tone. “What the hell happened?”
“I think she was poisoned. I need you to go to the apartment and grab the Hawaiian pizza. I didn’t lock the door either, so be careful. And call Brody, tell him what the fuck is going on so he can meet me there.”
“Done,” I replied. “What else do you need?
“Get me that fucking pizza and the delivery kid from Raminos.” He lowered his voice to a growl. “And don’t give him to Brody, Mila. That little fucker is mine.”
When he disconnected, I immediately dialed Brody and relayed Striker's information. He told me what he needed me to do before disconnecting. I swore when I needed to stop at a red light but used that time to call Ramino’s. As soon as I found out the delivery kid was still out, I called Nick, and he agreed to meet me at Ramino’s.
I was at our apartment building in less than five minutes, and after I parked, I sprinted into the building. Residents were in the lobby, and one stopped me to ask what was happening, considering they watched Striker carry Beth out. I explained she’d gotten sick from something she ate, so he took her to the hospital, which seemed to calm them down. The residents in this building usually kept to themselves, so I can only imagine the look on Striker’s face when he ran through the lobby if they were even asking me what was going on.
Careful to take in my surroundings, I made my way to Beth’s apartment, went inside, and did a quick search, but when everything was in place, I grabbed the pizza box still holding almost an entire Hawaiian pizza, locked the door behind me, and began searching the building.
When nothing seemed out of the ordinary around the outside of the building, I took the pizza box to my car, laid it on the front seat, and pulled my phone from my pocket.
With a quick search, I found Cam’s number in the list of contacts Brody had me add to my phone when I first started.
“Mila.”
That was all he said. “Did you hear?”
“Brody called me. Do you have the pizza?”
“Just got it. I checked the building and her apartment, but nothing seemed out of place.”
“I’m on my way to Ramino’s now. See you in five.”
He disconnected, and I jumped in my car, but my conversation with Nick, not even an hour ago, echoed through my mind. I guess he’d been right, and Beth was still a target. I saw Cam and Nick outside Ramino’s when I pulled alongside the curb. After giving them the pizza, they relayed their plan, and Cam told me to go to the hospital, saying they would take it from there. I was back in my car and heading to the hospital in minutes. I pulled into the Emergency Department, parked, and headed for the automatic doors.
The doors opened, and I rushed through, my eyes immediately landing on Brody and Striker.
I could tell Striker was pissed before he even opened his mouth, but I knew he would be. “Where the fuck is the shit I sent you for? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you.”
“Brother,” Brody began, but I held up my hand. I didn’t need Brody to defend me.
“I called Cam and Nick, who met me and took the pizza. Nick and I know the same people, and he called in a few favors to get the forensics back on the pizza ASAP. I also called Raminos, and they said the delivery kid was still making deliveries tonight. Cam told me he had called their brother Luke, who, you know, is a detective with the police, and he had headed to the pizza place. He’s camped out at Raminos right now, waiting for the kid to return so he can take him to the station.”
“I told you I wanted him,” Striker growled.
I knew he was scared. He wasn’t even trying to hide how much the thought of losing Beth affected him, but he needed to realize I was on his side.
I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “If you think for one minute that any of your team will let you make impulsive decisions that could affect not only your freedom but also your life, then maybe you’ve forgotten who’s on your team.”
He stared at me for a few seconds, and it almost seemed like he respected what I said, but I had a hard time reading him. Striker had been a SEAL with Brody for ten years. He was practiced in keeping information and emotions to himself, so I had no way of knowing for sure if I’d done the right thing, but my gut told me I had.
When he finally nodded, I continued, “I also did a sweep of the building, didn’t see anything or anyone out of the ordinary, and calmed down the people in the lobby who were scared when they watched you carry Beth out. I told them she’d gotten very ill and you were taking her to the hospital. Don’t be an ass if they stop you to ask how she is.” I grinned, remembering the movie The Shawshank Redemption playing on Beth’s television. “By the way, I like your choice of movies.”
“It was Beth’s pick.”
“She has good taste.”
Striker shifted his attention from me to Brody. “We need to move on Skinner.”
Brody put his hands on his hips, but Jax responded this time. “Can’t.” He held up his hand, signaling for Striker to hear him out when it looked like he was going to argue. “I’ll sit down with Cam, who I think has the lead on this case over Luke, after we get an update on Beth.”
“I said we need to move,” Striker growled, “not the cops.”
“Not gonna do that, brother,” Brody said. “We don’t know Skinner was behind it. We need more information.”
“No chance this was a coincidence. She was safe with no incidence until Max Skinner was released.”
Jax crossed his arms over his chest. “We know that all signs point to him, but we have to play this shit right. We can’t put the company at risk with the cops and the FBI keeping an eye on him.”
Striker’s eyes narrowed. “This is about the fucking company?”
When it looked like Jax and Striker would come to blows, Brody jumped in. “The company employs a lot of men. Men who wouldn’t fit in damn near anywhere else. We can’t sacrifice their jobs. But you have my word. This will not go unpunished. We just have to be smart.”
“Family for Elizabeth Sullivan.”
Striker turned to face the doctor when Beth’s name was called and took a few steps away from us. When he addressed Striker as her fiancé, I grinned. No doubt Kyle did that in the system so we could get the information we needed. Taking a step forward, I didn’t even try to pretend I wasn't listening as the doctor confirmed she had been poisoned with arsenic but would be fine. When I heard that, I let out the breath I’d been holding.
“Christ,” Kyle spoke after the doctor walked away. “I didn’t want to believe it was true.”
“It’s an odd choice.” I shook my head, remembering what I’d learned about arsenic poisoning. “It doesn’t have a predictable ending. Unless he wanted to scare her but not kill her.”
“He was sending a message.” Jax crossed his arms over his chest.
“To her or us?” Kyle asked.
He considered that for a moment. “Both, if I had to guess. He told us without saying a fucking word that he can get past her protection. But something tells me he didn’t want to kill her.”
“My gut’s telling me the same,” I agreed.
Brody ran his hand around the back of his neck. “Why the hell didn’t you get sick?”
“Didn’t eat the same pizza,” Striker explained. “I ordered a Hawaiian just for her.”
“Has she had it before?” Brody inquired.
“She said it was her favorite, and when I asked her where she wanted to get it, she said Ramino’s.”
“Her pattern,” I muttered.
“What?” Jax asked.
I looked at the line of men in front of me. “Her pattern. Beth is a creature of habit. She likes certain foods, certain movies, and she loves a schedule. I’ve noticed she does the same few things every night in the same order before she goes to bed. Same thing in the morning. I’ll bet if you ask Leah, she’s already developed a new set of habits at work.” I met Striker’s stare. “She never changes her routine. Even when we were in DC, she kept the same routine. She only adjusted it to where she was. Anyone who lived in the same house as her and her brother would’ve noticed her routines and habits. They are that consistent.”
“Dammit.” Jax tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. “That makes our job more difficult.”
“Not necessarily.” I tilted my head to the side. “We just need to find a way to change some of the more obvious habits, the ones he would’ve already guessed, and to let him know.”
Striker crossed his arms over his chest. “How?”
“She needs to be out in public more,” Jax answered.
“No.” Striker refused. “No fucking way.”
“Brother,” Brody started, but Striker cut him off.
“We’re not making her a walking target.”
“If we want him, we’re gonna have to draw him out.” Jax glanced at Brody before he continued speaking. “He’ll make more mistakes if he’s frustrated.”
When Striker dropped his eyes to the floor, Brody asked what we were all wondering. “You in?”
He eventually nodded, but he didn’t look sure of his decision. “I’m in.”
“I have a little bit of a crazy idea.” I had a thought while they were talking, but I wasn’t sure how it would go over. “The delivery kid knows you answered the door, Striker.” I focused on him. “If he’s reporting back, he’ll report you were there with her. She and I have never opened the door to any delivery people. As far as anyone watching would know, I only give her a ride to work, and we live in the same building.”
He shrugged. “So?”
Kyle smirked. “The hospital records will list you as her fiancé.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “No.”
“He obviously knows she’s not in prison, and I have a feeling he’s gonna remember you from the day Sullivan was shot because you were on the ground. He had every chance to see you. It’ll piss him off that Beth is not only walking free but engaged to one of the men who took him down,” Jax said.
“As far as he knows, you’re already living with her,” I pointed out, considering Striker lived across the hall from her. “I’ll just move into your apartment, and you can move in with Beth.”
“I’ll do it from my own apartment.” He was attempting to negotiate, and if I didn’t know better, I’d almost think he seemed panicked at the idea of living with her.
Jax settled his stare on me. “If he has eyes in the building, they’ll be watching to see where you are.”
“If he found his way into the surveillance, then he already knows I live across the hall,” Striker pointed out.
“Yeah, but something like this would force a man like you to move in closer, to want to be with her all the time,” I stated. “Plus, she trusts you, Striker, and we need her to feel comfortable with the person protecting her while we start putting her out in public more.”
“I think it’s our best option right now,” Brody said. “If we don’t see any movement on his part, then we can back off.”
“I don’t think playing her fiancé or living with her is gonna make a damn bit of difference.”
“Maybe not,” Jax acknowledged. “But unless you have a better idea that’s legal, then we’re gonna give it a shot and see if there’s any movement on his part.”
“We’ll meet and hash out the details.” Brody glanced around the empty waiting room. “I don’t like talking about this out in the open even though this place is empty.”
“Agree.” Jax ran his hand through his hair. “I’m going. Keep me updated. I’ll catch up with Cam and see where we are.”
Kyle grinned at Striker. “I’d like to be the first to congratulate you on your engagement.”
I chuckled, not surprised in the least that Kyle attempted to use humor to settle Striker’s nerves. Moving past the guys, I sat in one of the waiting room chairs. Kyle followed and sat on one side of me while Brody sat on the other.
Striker’s eyes flicked among all of us. “You don’t have to wait.”
“You stayin’?” Kyle asked.
“You know I am.”
I smiled at him and crossed my right leg over the left in an effort to get comfortable. “Then your team’s staying.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brody’s grin and smiled to myself. I was determined to show Striker I was an asset to this team and one he could trust.
No matter what I had to do.