Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
T ony stopped pacing, then looked over at Providence. She nibbled her thumbnail as she followed his movements, probably worried about this reaction. Fuck. He wanted to shout at her for putting herself in danger. Even thinking about her getting hurt sent shivers of ice down his spine.
“Sweetheart, it’ll be okay. You can count on me. I’ll do whatever I can to help.” He half expected her to pull away, instead she nuzzled her face against his neck and clung to his shoulders like he was her lifeline.
As he rubbed up and down her back, she slowly relaxed into his embrace.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled against his chest.
“You don’t need to apologize. I’m worried about you, baby.” He could swear she just sniffed his neck.
“Damn. You smell good.”
That was the last thing he expected her to say, and he chuckled. “I’m glad you think so.”
“Oh my God, I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did. And since I heard it, you can’t take it back now.”
Providence groaned. “I can’t believe I said that. Just shoot me now.”
“Never, I like you too much. Besides, I think you smell like fresh peaches. I’d love to take a little bite right here.” Tony rubbed his finger over her skin where her neck and shoulder met.
She sat back and stared. “Are you making fun of me?”
“No, sweetheart. Not at all. But I think it’s wonderful we’re attracted to each other’s scents.”
“I suppose.” Providence wiggled backward and grabbed her tea. Her gaze was laser-focused on his face, trying to determine if he was lying. He wasn’t worried. She’d learn that when he said something, he meant it. Just as he knew, he’d do whatever it took to help free the women, hopefully without putting anyone in jeopardy.
“Will you let me help?” Tony asked. She looked so forlorn. He had to stop himself from pulling her into his arms and cuddling her. But they were short on time and would have to head back to their offices soon. Besides, she hadn’t shared everything with him yet. He’d bet a week’s salary on it.
“Do I have a choice?”
“You always have choices. But I have more resources. I’m sure Tempest has been a big help, but I have access to people and information she doesn’t.”
Providence nibbled her thumbnail. “Maybe. Tempest got me a phone with a tracker to give to Mary. The signal has been pinging in the same location since Sunday when I set up the app. We think it’s where he’s keeping them. That’s all we know so far. I was hoping to rescue them from the salon. It would be so much easier. But they never bring Mary’s daughter.”
Of course not, they’d never bring the child. It would be a risk they wouldn’t take, even if it would make the other women easier to control. And the phone? He’d figured that out already, when he’d overheard them talking about the GPS tracker. “You haven’t verified that they’re at that location?”
“Not yet. Tempest was planning on driving by there on her way home later.”
“How about we go instead? Text her and let her know that we’ll check it out. Besides, Josh is going to lose his shit when he finds out about this. They all are. Better to keep it as contained as possible.”
Their next mission couldn’t have come at a better time. Tony briefed them earlier, and as it stood now, they’d be leaving by the end of the week for Marikistan. Neither Josh nor Lucky were happy to be going back. But it was the nature of their work. The country was imploding, and they needed to get the Ambassador and his staff evacuated.
Providence nodded. “Yeah, that will work. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen. I promise.”
“Tempest is probably going to be pissed.”
“Eh, she’ll get over it. I have a feeling she’ll be busy this evening.” Tony winked.
“Oh yeah?” Providence smirked.
“Yup, they all will. I’ll pick you up at your house and then we’ll head over there after dark?” Tony checked the time and started clearing away the food and bagging the garbage.
Providence took the bag to help while he reloaded the picnic basket. “I don’t want you to go out of your way. I have plenty to keep me busy. Working a little later won’t be a problem, and then we can go from here.”
“It’s not out of my way. Here, add your address.” He handed her his phone. “I’ll be there at seven thirty. Will that work?”
She added her information to her contact page and handed him the phone. “Yeah, that will work.”
“Great. Now let’s get you back to your office before the sick turn into zombies and start demanding our brains.”
Providence laughed. “If you’d seen what was coming out of some of them, you wouldn’t be joking about it right now.”
“I’m glad I didn’t. Hopefully, it stays that way.” Tony loved the sound of her laughter; he couldn’t help smiling whenever laughed. Someone needed to bottle it.
He walked her to her office and, as much as he wanted to kiss her; he stopped himself. They were on base. Public displays of affection weren’t allowed. He’d promised her she wouldn’t get in trouble for dating him, and he wouldn’t do anything to break that promise.
“I’ll see you later. If something changes, let me know. Oh, and don’t forget to text Tempest that she’s off the hook for tonight.”
“I won’t. Thanks again for lunch.”
“It was my pleasure. See you this evening..”
Tony scrolled through his phone as he made his way to his office. He needed to get in touch with his former teammates prior to picking her up later. He’d told her the truth about his resources. These men were more like brothers than friends. They hadn’t gotten together in a few years, but some friendships never change, no matter how long it is between visits. Both men could be anywhere in the world right now. After retiring, they took on contract work—mostly security jobs. He hoped they’d be able to offer some insight into how the traffickers worked in the US.
Deciding to go with Mike first, he was typing his text when his phone rang. When he saw his brother’s name, he answered immediately. They were often in sync with each other, and he’d just been thinking about calling the other day. Bob beat him to it.
“Hey, bro, how it’s going?”
“It’s good, Tony. Got a few minutes to talk, or is this a bad time?” Bob Knox asked.
His brother sounded different. Excited, maybe? He chastised himself for not calling Bob sooner. The anniversary of their parent’s death was next weekend. Maybe it was that. “Sure. What’s up? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, better than okay. Chelle is pregnant.”
“Wow. Congratulations. I’m going to be an uncle again. Outstanding news.”
“Yup, she’s due in August. We’d been trying since Louie was a three, but it finally took twelve years later.” Bob laughed.
It was great to hear his brother so carefree. “How is the kid taking it? Not many teenage boys want a baby around.”
“Actually, he’s really excited. He’s told all his friends already. I think I have the only fifteen-year-old in existence who is looking forward to babysitting.”
“Yeah, well, wait until he has to change his first shitty diaper.” Tony chuckled.
“You may be right. Hell, I’m not looking forward to that either.”
“This is really wonderful news. I’m sure Chelle is ecstatic.”
“Oh yeah, she is. Worried, too. She thinks she’ll be too old to chase after a toddler in a couple of years. But Louie swears he’ll help. I guess time will tell.”
“That’s true. But he’s always been a good kid. I’m sure that won’t change now.”
“Right. You’ll need to come visit soon. It’s been forever since we’ve seen you. I have a bottle of bourbon with your name on it.”
“Bribery will get you everywhere.” Tony laughed. “Actually, I have some news, too. It might be too early to say anything, but I think I met someone.”
“You think or you did?” Bob teased.
“Oh, I definitely did. Her name is Providence. She’s an amazing woman. A doctor stationed on base. She’s beautiful, compassionate, and a total badass. Who knows, maybe I can talk her into coming with me when I visit. Would that be okay?”
“You never have to ask. We’d love to meet her. I don’t think I’ve heard you talk about any woman since Eileen.”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far. We’ve only had two dates…”
“I know you, and I can hear it in your voice. You’ve already fallen for her.”
Bob was right. He had fallen for Providence, even if he wasn’t ready to share his feelings with her yet. There were too many things that could still go wrong. The last thing he wanted was to jinx it.
“Don’t start. Aren’t you busy enough between the store, a teenager, and a pregnant wife? You don’t need to be sticking your ass into my love life.”
Bob laughed. “Yeah, yeah. You don’t just want me pulling out your baby pictures if you bring her.”
“That would be true. I’d have to kill you. New baby on the way or not.”
“I’d like to see you try. Anyway, I’ll let you go. I’m happy for you, Tony. Don’t scare her away.”
“I’ll do my best. Give Chelle and Louie my love. You take care. If you need me, I’m just a call away.”
“I know. Same goes for you. Bye.”
Tony didn’t remember when Bob had sounded so happy. Maybe when Louie was born. Poor kid was named after their grandfather. No wonder he had an old soul and wanted to take care of the baby. Tony sure as fuck wouldn’t have wanted to be saddled with an infant at fifteen.
When Tony finally got back to his office, Rick Kerns, their CIA liaison, was waiting in the reception area. Rick wasn’t a bad guy, even though he was an alphabet man. Trusting him was something else. Depending on his orders, it could go either way. They’d had quite a few run-ins in the past when the CIA operative endangered his teams. The Marikistan mission was supposed to be an evacuation only. If Kern was involved, something else had to be going on.
“Hey, Rick. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”
“Nope, it’s all good.”
“Good. Come on in.” Tony unlocked his door and gestured for Rick to head in. “Yeoman, hold my calls.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tony closed his door and sat behind his desk. “What’s up? I know you wouldn’t have come all the way over here unless it was important.”
“You’re right and you won’t like it. The team needs to spin up and head out by zero four thirty. The rebels grabbed the ambassador’s executive secretary on her way home from work. Our mission just escalated from assisting with the evaluation to rescue.”
“Fuck. It’s never easy, is it? I swear the team has spent more time in Marikistan than most of their citizens. Do you have the updated package? The team will be ready. Are you tagging along this time?”
Kern opened his case and handed Tony a folder marked Top Secret. Just another day at the office. “Here you go. Let me know if they have questions. And yup, I’ll be tagging along.”
“Just don’t fuck things up. Where you go, trouble follows,” Tony said.
Kern rested his hand on the doorknob. “I think that goes for everyone on your team, too. Just have them on the bird at zero four thirty.”
Tony nodded. After Kern left, he read through the folder. What a clusterfuck. Their mission took a turn for the worse. And they had less time to prepare since they were leaving in the morning. It’s not the first time and wouldn’t be the last. As operators, they knew to expect it.
He got Quinn on the phone and set up a briefing. He knew they’d be bitching, but the thrill of the mission would settle them down. Sometimes he missed that. At least there was a silver lining to the shit show—he’d be able to keep the team in the dark about Providence’s plan. They’d raise holy hell when they find out, but it should be over and one by the time they returned.
T ony grinned when he saw Providence waiting on the sidewalk in front of her townhouse. She’d changed out of her uniform and into solid black clothing. She looked like she was ready for a heist.
He pulled into the first open spot and jumped out to meet her at his passenger side door.
“Nice look for a cat burglar,” he commented as he held open her door.
“I wanted to blend in.” She shrugged.
Tony hid his smile. If they were going to break in, maybe, but he had no intention of letting her leave the car. Tonight was about verifying the location of the women, and that’s it.
“It would if we were getting out of the car. But we’re not. It’s a check and verify mission only.”
“What do you mean, we’re not getting out of the car? There’s no fucking way we’re driving over there and sitting on our asses while those women are suffering inside. We need to check it out and see if there is an easy way to rescue them, for fuck’s sake. I was hoping we’d get them out tonight since it’s the two of us.”
Ah. He was wondering how she’d avoided a potty mouth after so many years on a ship. Since he’d met her, he’d been waiting for her to start swearing like a sailor, literally. “I’m sorry. But we’re not getting out. We don’t know what we’d be walking into without more recon, plus I’m not carrying. I’m not risking you.”
“But it’s not about me. It’s about those women.” Providence’s figure vibrated with anger.
“Whoa. I didn’t say we would never do it. Just not tonight. Baby steps, sweetheart. This is the safest option for everyone. You’re going to have to trust me on this. I’ve been part of more rescue missions than you can imagine.” He reached for her hand where it rested on the center console, but she pulled it away. “Are you willing to take a chance and trust me?”
Most of her anger deflated as he watched. As a doctor, she’d be even more concerned. Her oath to do no harm urged her into action. He was lucky she hadn’t already gotten herself hurt, or worse. Providence was smart, and he knew she thought things through. And she needed to think this through, too. If she listened to his reasoning, she’d have to agree.
She mumbled something. He’d swear she said, “I’ll give him sweetheart.” Then she sighed. “Do I have a choice?” Her irritation with him or the situation, or maybe both, came out loud and clear.
“You always have choices, Providence.” He didn’t want to push her too hard. But she needed to understand she was his now, to love and to protect, even if she didn’t want to believe it.
“If you can’t agree to this, then you can go on your own. Maybe Tempest can pick you up? If that’s what you decide, I won’t stop you. But I advise against it.” If she got out of the car, he’d tail her until she returned home. There wasn’t a snowball's chance in hell he wouldn’t be there to protect her. She was a grown woman, and he refused to take away her autonomy.
“Fine.” She huffed and buckled her seatbelt. “But why didn’t you bring your gun? It was your idea to do this tonight.”
“It was, but we don’t have enough information. I have two of my old SEAL buddies looking into active trafficking rings in the area. Besides, we’re not positive this is where they’re being kept yet.”
“Are you sure telling me everything? You’re not secretly planning to go back later and rescuing them yourself, are you?”
Tony turned to her. “I know better than to keep things from you. Sure, if you were a civilian, and it was my job to protect you, that would be one thing. But I want a relationship with you. I’m old enough to know that lying or even hiding information from you would fuck up any chances we have. But this comes down to trust. Without it, we might as well give up now. What do you say, sweetheart? Are you all in?”
He held his breath as he waited for her answer. It seemed like he’d been doing that a lot around her. But this was “go” time. She would either take a chance on them or he’d let her go. On the surface, anyway. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to walk away.
In the dim light from the streetlamps, he watched the tension in her shoulders ease. Then she reached for his hand where it rested on the center console. The air rushed into his lungs as he took a deep breath.
“I trust you. It doesn’t make sense to me. I hardly know you, but there’s just something..."
He nodded. That same something made him realize she was it for him.
“We’ll do it your way. But you need to explain why. Just saying no will never work for me. Trust or not.”
Tony understood that. She wasn’t a young girl, just making her way in the world. Providence was an intelligent woman. “No problem. It’ll take us about twenty minutes to get to Fremont Street. I’ll answer all the questions I can.”
“Okay. I don’t like it. I’m worried about them. John, the douchebag, could make any of them disappear. He’s done it before. We can’t let this drag out, Tony.”
“I know. And we won’t. Mike and Pat are working on it. They have been all afternoon.”
“You trust them?”
“With my life, more importantly, I trust them with yours. Just as I would trust any of my teams with you. But the circle stops there.” She drew in her breath and squeezed his hand. Her reaction surprised him. Had no one ever taken care of her before?
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“As a heart attack. Don’t doubt me for one minute.”
“All right then.” She nodded, then turned to stare out the side window.
“Any other questions?” That couldn’t have been the only one.
“I get why we’re waiting, sort of. But why we can’t just check out the surroundings?”
“The main reason is we don’t know the setup. I don’t have equipment to check for hidden devices, or the time to check for cameras. If they picked us up on surveillance, they’d recognize you.”
“Dammit. I didn’t think of that.”
“I go through this process for every mission we’re assigned. Focusing on the big picture. Making sure there are no holes in our operation. To have plans and backup plans. We never go into the field without at least three options. That planning has saved a lot of lives over the years.”
“And I guess Tempest would have known not to check things out, too?”
“Yes, she should have. Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t have done it, anyway. But as Naval Intelligence, she would hopefully know better.”
Providence nodded and chewed on her thumbnail. “There is something else I’ve been worried about.”
“What’s that, sweetheart?” Tony glanced at her before returning his eyes to the road. He wasn’t as familiar with this part of Norfolk, and he didn’t trust the map software. Another byproduct of his job.
“When we rescue them, where will they go? I don’t have room to take in five women and a little girl.”
“Don’t worry. Mike is already looking into that too. Hopefully, we’re going to have a couple of options for them. It will depend on whether they want to stay here or go back home.”
Providence shook her head. “You’re already ten steps ahead, aren’t you?”
“If I didn’t think about the complete picture, I wouldn’t be worth much as a commander. I’m responsible for the health and welfare of my team. It’s a burden I’m proud to carry every time I send them out. But I need to know I’ve done all I can to ensure they come home safely to their families. Your operation isn’t any different.”
“You’re pretty amazing, you know that, Tony?”
“I don’t know that I’m amazing, but if you believe I am, I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations,” he said as he pulled the car into an open spot down the street from the address the GPS spit out.
“Is that the building?” Providence released her seatbelt and leaned forward. “It looks like a crack house.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me if it is.” Tony turned off the lights but left the engine idling. “What time does the salon close tonight?”
“Usually by eight, but they have to clean before they leave.”
“Good. They should show up soon, if this is the right place.”
Providence pulled out her tablet and opened the tracking app. “The signal is still pinging from inside there.”
“Mary must have stashed the phone rather than bring it back and forth. Has she texted you at all? Or made any contact?”
“No. It’s part of what has me worried. What if they found the phone, and this isn’t even where they are? Or if it’s a trap?”
“All of that is possible, and another reason not to take unnecessary chances. We’ll give them some time to see if they show up. If they do, I’d say this is probably the house.”
They didn’t have long to wait. Less than fifteen minutes later, a white van drove past them and pulled into the driveway of the rundown two story brick home. Tony opened the console and pulled out a camera. He got photos of the plate number for the van, and a bunch more of the women and the men with them.
He shot a few more photos as they made their way to the side of the house and down a set of stairs. It figured they’d keep them at basement level. No windows either. It would make extraction more difficult, but not impossible.
After he was sure there was no other movement, he turned to Providence. She’d been splitting her focus, watching the women, then gazing at him as he clicked the shutter on the camera. When he was done, he tucked the camera back into its hiding spot.
“How are you holding up, baby?”
“Honestly? I’m not. I think I’ve been hoping all along I was wrong. That none of this was true, even though I knew in my heart it was. Facing it with proof is a lot harder.”
“I get it. It’s difficult to accept that people can treat others like that.”
“What are you going to do with those photos?”
“As soon as I get back to my computer, I’ll send them to Mike. He’ll run them through facial recognition software to see if we can identify any of them.”
“How long will that take?”
“Hopefully, we’ll have something by tomorrow. We’ve gotten all we can for now. Let’s get you home.”
She nodded. After she clicked her seatbelt, he eased from between the two vehicles he’d used to help hide them. Maintaining their stealth mode, he held off turning on the lights until he reached the stop sign over a mile down the road. Providence turned in her seat and watched the house until it was out of view.