48
Ethan nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of a strange man’s voice in the dining room. He leapt up, knocking his chair back, a motion repeated by Boone, and Myles. How had the man gotten into his house? The property was being guarded by Myles’s constables.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded.
In utter astonishment, Ethan watched Zoë rush to the man, and throw her arms around his neck. He embraced her tightly, keeping his eyes on Ethan, and then stepped back to hold her by the elbows.
“Thank God you’re here.” The relief in Zoë’s voice was unmistakable.
The man looked her over, glanced at Ethan, Boone, and Myles again, then back at her, and tilted his head toward the table. “Is everything you need in that bag?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Grab it, and let’s go.”
She frowned, looked at Ethan, and then back to the man. “Well, um, can we talk about it first?”
The man’s brow furrowed dramatically. Ethan didn’t know who he was, but the closeness between him and Zoë was evident. Appearing to be in his mid-to-late-fifties, the man could be her father, but could be her husband for all Ethan knew.
“No, let’s go. Now,” the man demanded.
Zoë averted her eyes, obviously not pleased with the answer, but she turned to the table, to retrieve her bag.
“Just wait one damn minute,” Ethan snapped.
The man turned inquisitive eyes on him. “Who the hell are you,” Ethan demanded, “and how did you get in my house? She’s not going anywhere until I get some answers.”
“Who I am is of no consequence,” the man replied. His tone was condescending, and Ethan’s anger increased. “I thank you for taking care of her, but I’ll do so from now on. She’ll be safe with me, that’s all you need to know.”
“The hell it is! You’re not going anywhere with her until I know who you are.”
A dangerous look descended in the man’s eyes and Ethan tensed, ready to fight him. No way would he allow Zoë to leave with a stranger, one who’d broken into his home and then started to make demands as if he owned the place. The man took a step closer to Ethan and, as Boone and Myles drew closer, Zoë stepped in front of the man to place a hand on his shoulder.
“Dad, please, Ethan and I are—were—in a relationship. He deserves some answers. Please, tell him what’s going on.”
The man’s disposition changed dramatically at her plea. Ethan couldn’t be sure if it was her request or her identifying him as her father, but the man slowly nodded. “Fine.” He looked to Ethan and gestured to the table. “Please, have a seat. I’ll tell you as much as I can.”
Not fully pleased with the man’s words, wanting the whole story, not a piece of it, Ethan waited as the man sat, taking the seat at the head of the table. Big surprise. He had an authoritative air about him and Ethan was certain he commanded control of any situation he was in. Not willing to relinquish any control to the man, he wanted answers and so took a seat at the table without comment. The others sat, Zoë beside him, Boone, and Myles across from them. Sitting rigidly, Zoë’s father still managed to look relaxed, but Ethan saw the wariness in the man’s eyes. He looked dangerous, despite his current calm demeanour, and more questions surfaced in Ethan’s mind, now certain this man had a military background.
“As you heard, Zoë, as you know her, is my daughter. I know you’ve figured out she’s in danger, considerable danger. I appreciate your willingness to protect her, but it isn’t necessary. I’ll see to her safety now.”
“You’ve secured a permanent identity for me?” she questioned.
“Not entirely. But I will take you to a safe house until your new identity is ready.” He looked to Ethan. “I’ve read your dossier, Collins. You’re a good man who’s served his country well, and I thank you for all you’ve done for her. I assure you, she’ll be safe from now on.” He folded his hands on the tabletop with a finality that irked Ethan. “I’m sure I’ve set your mind at ease now.”
“Not by a long shot,” Ethan hissed. “Who are you? You can’t just walk in here and think I’ll be okay with you taking her away. You keep saying she’ll be safe, but you’re one man. How can you keep her safe? And what do you mean you’ve read my dossier? Seriously, who the hell are you, and who do you work for?”
“CSIS,” Boone said quietly.
As his eyes widened, Ethan looked back to Zoë’s father. He flashed a tight smile.
“Very astute, Bukowski, but you should know I won’t confirm or deny that.”
Ethan shook his head. Zoë’s father being an agent for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service certainly explained both the man’s disposition and the knowledge he possessed. Obviously he knew the identities of all present, he’d used both Ethan and Boone’s names without being introduced to them, and had access to their service records.
“Great, so you’re CSIS. That explains how you got past the men outside, but doesn’t answer everything. Where’s your extraction team? What if you and she are accosted by Rosati’s men when you leave here? Again, you’re one man. I don’t know how many men are coming for her, but I spotted two cars, so, more than four men for sure. CSIS or not, those aren’t good odds.”
Zoë placed her hand over her father’s. “Dad, he has a point. How far out is the extraction team?”
“Six hours,” her father admitted. He nodded slowly as he locked eyes with Ethan again. “Okay, you’ve made a good point, but I don’t want any of you men to endanger yourselves.”
“That’s our choice,” Ethan shot back. “At least mine. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. This is my ranch, I know it like the back of my hand, and know how to protect it. Those men are coming, and we need to take a stand. Here. Being caught out there somewhere by them is certain suicide.” He looked to Boone, and then to Myles. “I’m not asking either of you to commit yourselves, but I’m going to protect Zoë.”
“Count me in,” Boone responded immediately.
Myles sighed. “This truly scares the shit out of me, but I’ll be damned if the mafia will come into my town and threaten one of my people.”
Zoë’s father shook his head. “I won’t deny that the help of you three is substantial, but I’m not comfortable with you risking your lives. This is a viable threat, Rosati is part of the Bosa crime family. Best case scenario is he’s acting unsanctioned by the family and only has a small group of men loyal to him.”
“And the worst case scenario?” Myles asked.
“This hit is sanctioned by the family and none of us will be alive come tomorrow.” Silence descended on the group, and Zoë’s father exhaled deeply. “It’s the truth, and you men should know what you’re facing. I won’t ask you to risk your lives for my daughter, but I won’t prevent you from doing so, despite the risks to you.”
He was a man protecting his daughter, and Ethan knew he appreciated the offered help. Still, Ethan needed to be sure Myles and Boone were still on board. Some of the other men might be too, and he’d have to find out. Going to war wasn’t something he desired, but he’d do anything to protect Zoë, whether she wanted him in her life or not. She was truly a victim in all this, and he wouldn’t stand for any harm coming to her.
“I’m still in,” he said firmly.
Boone and Myles announced their desire to proceed and he nodded appreciatively to them. Then he splayed his hands on the table.
“We’ll talk to the guys, and see if they’ll commit to this, too. Not the Carsons, but maybe Sawyer, Rory, Cole, and Chase.” As a thought occurred to him, he frowned as he looked at Zoë’s father. “Rory Bukowski doesn’t have a firearms license, but he’s a damn good marksmen. Is there any way we can get around that, even just for tonight? I mean, provided he wants to be a part of this.”
“He can’t have a firearms license because he’s a convicted felon,” Myles interjected.
Ethan could practically feel the anger seeping from Boone. He imagined Boone wasn’t keen on Rory being involved but didn’t care for Myles’s words.
Zoë’s father nodded. “I’ve seen his record.” At Boone’s scrunched brow, the man shrugged. “He’s your brother so it came up when I accessed your file. I don’t feel his record is pertinent to events here. As Collins said, he’s capable and, if he agrees to help, we could use him. I’ll see what I can do about covering him legally tonight, in order for him to help.” Ethan thought Boone’s look to be a mixture of vindication that Zoë’s father accepted Rory when Myles hadn’t, and concern that Rory would want to help. “What about your constables?” Zoë’s father asked as he looked at Myles.
“I’ll talk to them,” Myles said, “but, if things go south, what about legal ramifications? Me being involved is one thing, but as far as my constables go, I’ll be asking them to possibly use deadly force in a situation where they’re not covered by the RCMP. I mean, we’re not talking about them responding to a call. We’re talking about hunkering down and eliminating a threat that surfaces, right?”
“I’ll assure anyone who commits to this won’t suffer any legal ramifications for doing so.” Zoë’s father said and then sat back. “Now, as far as the men you mentioned, I need to check them out. I’ve already seen the files on you three, on Rory Bukowski, and your constables, Corporal Patton, but the other men you mentioned, please, if you wouldn’t mind relating their full names.”
He pulled out a cellphone and typed in the names as Myles related them, including the Carson brothers, much to Ethan’s dismay. He then looked to Ethan. “What about the men who work for you?”
“None of them are here on the weekends aside from my foreman, Skip, and I’d rather he wasn’t involved in this.”
Zoë pushed her chair back forcibly, drawing all eyes to her. She stood and, as Ethan got to his feet, she shot a fiery gaze around the table. “Well, seeing as I’m not involved in this conversation, there’s no point in me being here. Does no one care what I think about all of you risking your lives for me?” She snorted angrily. “When the lot of you decide what’s best for me, you can let me know what that is. I’ll be in the kitchen.”
She stomped away, and her father rose to his feet.
“Caprice!” When she turned to him, wide-eyed, he shrugged. “You’ll never be able to use your real name again. There seems little harm in doing so now.”
Her eyes narrowed. “This is so easy for you, isn’t it? Relocating me, changing my name? Never asking if I’m okay with it?”
“It’s for your own protection.”
“Yeah, but it’s not what I want,” she shot back and then left the room.
Her father moved to follow her, and Ethan shook his head. “She’s not one of your agents, you can’t order her around.”
“She’s my daughter. She knows how important it is to stay calm and stick to the plan. I’ve trained her for this.”
“Trained her? She’s a chef, not a soldier.”
“Regardless, she’s been prepared for situations like this.” At Ethan’s frown, the man continued. “My job could potentially place her in danger. It’s a reality I’ve always known and so I prepared her, trained her. She’s levelheaded and more than capable of getting through this.” When Ethan added a furrowed brow, the man huffed. “You can condemn me for how I’ve raised her all you want, but it saved her life. I prepared her in case she ever needed to flee, and that need did arise.”
“Yeah, it did, and you’re right, she did everything you wanted her to do. It did save her life, but she’s not a soldier, or an agent, and she wants some control over her life right now. I don’t know the woman who follows your orders, but I know Zoë, and she’s got a great head on her shoulders. She’s smart, capable, and should be a part of this planning process.” Before he received a response, he left the dining room and entered the kitchen.