Chapter Ten
Lawson woke with a smile on his face. He was tired and a little stiff from sitting out on the porch with Sarah so long the night before, but it had been worth it.
They’d cleared the air and he’d finally told her he had feelings for her.
And kissing her… He could kiss her all day and never get tired of her sweet sighs, her pink cheeks and the feel of her skin.
She’d made him feel like a teenager again.
It was nice to let everything else fade away and just concentrate on her.
On them. Seeing her radiant smile at breakfast made it even better.
They sat together, arms and hands brushing as they ate, and conversation flowed easily around them.
He couldn’t wait for this mission to be over, for Granger to be behind bars, so they could move forward.
After breakfast and cleanup, everyone went to their respective work locations to check in and take care of their immediate duties.
Cade and Aaron had a few things to handle around the property while Xavier and Lawson holed up in the office.
Xavier had some paperwork to finish up while Lawson spent time on the phone with the sheriff, filling him in on their plan.
They had a lot to get done in a short amount of time before putting their plan in motion later that day.
Since the men would be busy all day and into the evening with their mission, the women had decided to drive down the mountain to Blue Ridge that evening for a much-needed break. Lawson was glad to see Sarah feeling better, more like her old self. Having her friends close definitely helped.
After the women left for town, Cade, Lawson, Xavier and Aaron gathered in the office, which had become their war room as they planned their attack against Victor and his men.
Lawson was all too aware of just how much was on the line.
Not just Warrior Peak, though that was part of it.
Mostly, it was just Sarah. After spending time together last night, his need to protect her had skyrocketed, and he knew he was going to do whatever it took to ensure she didn’t have to face any of the trouble this operation might bring to them.
“Are we almost ready to move out?” Xavier asked, glancing around the room.
The other men replied with nods. They were all armed, all ready to take on whatever came next.
Each of them was taking a different rest stop to keep watch for the comings and goings of Granger’s men, and, if the opportunity arose, to grab them before they could do any harm.
Really, it was a reconnaissance mission, but Lawson could tell that the rest of them, like him, were itching to take it to the next level and actually snatch up one of the evil bastards involved in this trafficking.
“It’s nearly dark, so we should get stationed at our rest stops as soon as we can,” Cade replied.
Lawson nodded in agreement.
Xavier glanced over at him. “You alright?”
“I’m fine,” he lied quickly. Truth be told, he’d been worrying a whole lot in the last day or so about what they were getting themselves involved in.
Playing back their earlier conversations in his mind, Lawson could understand the others’ true fears of setting out on this mission.
He didn’t want to share his own concerns, though, because he knew that would break the morale.
Even though this was the place he usually felt the most comfortable—working with the guys to come up with a plan to take down someone vile and dangerous—this was more intense than what they had faced off against before, and there was just no avoiding that fact.
Granger was a big fish and capable of bringing down hell on their heads if he decided to, for their interference in his business. One slip would be all it would take to have him and his thugs on their trail.
Then there was Lainey to think about, too. He knew he would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to her or her family because of his failure to act. It made Lawson so mad when he thought of all the people who had failed to lift a finger when she’d brought it to their attention.
But he couldn’t let his emotions get the better of him.
He needed to keep himself under control.
Now, more than ever, there were so many people relying on him to see this through.
Not just Lainey, but all the women whom Victor had already targeted and was using and abusing for his business and his own perverse needs, and those still yet to be taken.
But not on his watch, if he could prevent it.
Lawson rose to his feet and looked around the room. If there was anyone in the world he trusted to pull off an operation like this, it would be these men in front of him.
“Last chance to back out if you don’t want to get involved,” he warned them. He wouldn’t blame anyone for deciding they didn’t want to be part of this. Hell, if Lainey hadn’t asked for his help, he wasn’t sure he would have put himself in the line of fire at all.
But all three men looked back at him steadily, and Cade answered for the group, with confidence. “We’re all in.”
None of them wavered for a moment. They really were in—all in.
Lawson nodded back. For the first time since Lainey had brought this to him, he felt hope rise in his chest. They were going to do this.
End Victor Granger’s reign of terror once and for all.
AN HOUR OR so later, Lawson pulled his truck to a halt in the desolate rest stop he was using as his stakeout position.
The small building was set back from the road, surrounded by thick trees, with a restroom door at each side of the structure lit with a single flickering bulb between them, and a broken snack and soda machine in the center.
It was dark and gloomy. It felt as though the whole place was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
After killing the engine, Lawson climbed out of the truck and looked around. No vehicles coming either way—this place was empty. An easy hunting ground for anyone searching for women in trouble. He doubted there was CCTV out here, and even if there was, it likely hadn’t worked in years, anyway.
Lawson flicked on the warning lights in the truck, a sign that something was wrong and that he was in need of help.
He knew that if Granger really had his men working up and down this highway, it wouldn’t be long until one of them showed up to check it out.
And, when they did, he needed to make it look as though he was a woman.
He sighed as he strung some pearls from the rearview mirror and slipped a pink, fuzzy cover over his wheel.
Then he scattered some feminine paraphernalia around the cab—colorful notebooks, a shiny pen, a hairclip, a bright pink backpack and a pair of high heels—where it would be seen.
Luckily, he’d been able to borrow some stuff from the women—actually, they all had.
The others would be setting up their vehicles like this, too.
Then he got out and leaned a spare tire against the truck and placed a couple of tools on the ground. To anyone driving by, they would think there was a woman in trouble and in need of help…provided they didn’t see him.
The trap was set. Now, he just had to wait for someone to take the bait.
He headed over to the restroom and knocked on the women’s side, making sure it was empty. When no one responded, he pushed open the door and leaned up against the wall, pulled out his phone and fired off a text to the others to let them know he was in position.
Along the highway, Cade, Xavier and Aaron would be taking up their positions, all of them prepared to snare one of Granger’s men as soon as they got the chance.
It might not have been the most foolproof plan, but they needed to get their hands on one of the boots-on-the-ground guys to figure out exactly how his operation worked.
Their texts came in one after the other, letting him know that they were ready to go.
Lawson glanced out toward his truck, sitting there by the side of the road, and wondered if this had been the right call.
He pushed down those thoughts. He couldn’t let any doubt get into his mind—he needed to keep a clear head.
He knew the guys were all relying on one another to pull this together, and he wasn’t going to be the weak link to bring it all crashing down.
Soon enough, one of Granger’s men would see a vehicle on the side of the road, broken-down and apparently belonging to a woman.
They’d pull over, ready to snatch up another innocent, and instead, they’d be faced with a highly trained ex-cop, former military man, or former agent for their troubles.
Lawson hoped they picked his rest stop to come to.
He wanted to see the looks on their faces when it happened.
He listened to the road outside. Nothing, just stillness. Damn, he hoped an actual woman didn’t turn up looking to use the restroom—it would be hard to explain what he was doing in here if they did.
He needed something to pass the time, to keep himself from overthinking. Then, he thought of Lainey. It had been a few days since he had last spoken to her, and he’d told her he’d update her once they got their plan in motion. Now seemed as good of time as any.
He dialed the number of the burner phone, and she answered a few seconds later.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Lainey, it’s me,” he greeted her. “How are you doing? Everything okay?”
“So far.” She sighed. “What about you guys? Have you had any luck yet?”
“Not yet,” he admitted. “But we’re working on it.
We’re stationed along the highway now, all four of us, waiting for one of Granger’s men to take the bait.
As soon as we have one in our custody, we’ll get back to you.
We’re going to use him to get all the information we can about the man himself and his operation. ”
“You be careful,” she warned. “They’re violent men, Lawson. They don’t hold anything back. He must do something to ensure their loyalty because they’re completely devoted to him.”
“I will be,” he promised her. “You don’t have to worry about us, Lainey. We can handle ourselves.”
“I just wish there was more I could do to help.” She sighed. “I hate hiding out here, having you and your friends risk your lives for me and my family.”
“You just focus on staying safe. Stay inside, keep your door locked, keep a look out for any trouble,” he told her firmly. “That’s the most important thing right now. And keep your phone close.”
“I will,” she acknowledged. “I just don’t like feeling useless.”
“You’re not useless,” he assured her. “If you hadn’t brought this to us, we would never have known who was causing all this trouble, right? You’ve given us a break. And now, we can use it to bring these guys down for good.”
“I know you’re right,” she replied. “Just…look after yourselves, okay? I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to one of you for helping me out.”
“No worries, just stay sharp,” he reminded her. “I should go. I need to keep focused on what’s happening here. But with any luck this will all be over soon.”
“I hope so,” she murmured, and he could hear the smile in her voice at the mere thought of it.
“I’ll speak to you later,” he promised her, and they said their goodbyes, leaving Lawson in the quiet of the night once more.
He tucked his phone back into his pocket, and pushed the door open another couple of inches.
How long were these guys going to make them wait?
They had laid out the perfect honey trap for them, and now, they just needed them to take the bait.
When he thought of all the women who’d been lured into this nightmare, all the girls who had been kidnapped and forced into doing God only knew what for that man, it was hard for him to keep his cool. He’d seen a lot of nasty stuff over the years, but this? This might be the worst of it.
But he could handle it. They all could if it meant stopping this criminal organization. His thoughts drifted back to Sarah, their kiss. He had something good going for him now. Lawson knew he’d do anything to protect her, keep her safe. No matter what.
No matter whom he had to take down in the process.