CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Liam laid his hand on Piper’s knee, concern knotting his gut. Distress had filled her eyes the longer she read Gavin’s last letter. “What is it, Piper?”
“Gavin is sending us on a scavenger hunt.”
He frowned. “This isn’t the information on Barone?”
She shook her head. “He was afraid to leave the evidence where anyone could find it. This is a clue to the next location.”
Simon stared. “A deep crevice in a cave is not exactly on the main tourist route.”
“You have to understand how his mind worked. Gavin created quests for video games for a living. He loved the hunt.”
“Do you like them?” Matt asked.
Another head shake. “I guess he forgot.”
Gavin was more attuned to his interests than hers. Unable to vocalize his certainty without hurting Piper, Liam squeezed her knee and rose. “Where are we going, Sunshine?”
She locked a somber gaze on him. “Hartman, Alabama.”
Stunned, Liam dropped into his chair. Gavin left the next puzzle piece in their hometown where Barone and Piper’s uncle lived? Unbelievable.
Simon dragged a hand down his face. “We can’t leave town, Liam.”
“I’m not letting Piper go to Hartman alone.”
Matt’s eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong with going to Hartman?”
“It’s my hometown,” Piper said. “My uncle and Matteo Barone live there along with Barone’s network of thugs and spies.” She turned to Liam. “Brandy also lives there. If we can’t find her in Copper Ridge, we might be able to trace her from Hartman.”
Cade groaned. “Going to Hartman is a bad idea, Liam. You’ll be in the center of Barone’s stronghold.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Wouldn’t change his mind. He refused to let Piper return home without him. Even if her uncle wasn’t laundering money, that still left Barone desperate to destroy the information Piper sought.
“You aren’t going alone.”
Liam shook his head. “I can’t ask you to go with us. I don’t want Bravo on Barone’s radar. He’s too dangerous and you have wives to protect.”
“I don’t have a wife.” Simon glowered. “Don’t even think about telling me to stay in Otter Creek, man. You need backup.”
“You need the team,” Trent said. “You can’t tackle this alone.”
“This discussion is moot if we don’t have permission for Liam and Simon to leave,” Matt said. “The last thing Liam needs is a warrant for his arrest. He’ll be no good to Piper from a jail cell.”
Trent made a call that he placed on speaker.
A moment later, Brent Maddox answered. “What do you need, St. Claire?” he asked.
“You’re on speaker with Bravo and Piper. Sorry for the late call, boss. We have a situation.”
“Talk to me.”
Trent summarized the events since Piper, Simon, and Liam had arrived in Copper Ridge, ending with the necessity of traveling to Piper’s hometown.
Maddox whistled. “You need more than Bravo to handle Barone and his crew. Let me make some calls. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. In the meantime, lay low and rest. Piper?”
She jerked. “Yes, sir?”
“I know you’re anxious to have answers. Don’t strike out on your own to get them. If I can’t work it out for Liam and Simon to leave the area, I’ll send another Fortress team with you.”
Liam’s jaw clenched. No. He didn’t care who the boss had in mind, they weren’t Liam and Bravo. He trusted his teammates to have his back and Piper’s.
“Wouldn’t going to Hartman with a team of operatives draw attention? My uncle hasn’t threatened me, and Gavin only implicated Barone.”
“Barone has a lot to lose. He’s already rid himself of one problem. He’ll be desperate to eliminate the remaining ones.”
“Me and Liam.”
“Trust me and Bravo or the alternate Fortress team. We’ll protect you while you find this evidence. If we help the feds lock up Barone, you’ll be safe. This will be a long, tough fight and cost more than you realize.”
Piper looked at Liam. “As long as Liam and the rest of Bravo as well as their families are safe, I don’t care about the cost to me.”
Liam kissed the back of her hand. She might not care about the cost to herself but he did. If they didn’t destroy Barone’s organization, the cost to Piper would be unbelievably high.
He glanced at his teammates and saw that they were aware of the consequences as well. Liam had preparations to make in case Fortress failed in Hartman.
A sleepy child’s voice came through the speaker. “Daddy?”
“Did you have a bad dream?”
“I heard voices.”
“I’m sorry, Alexis. I was working,” he said to his daughter. “Tell Trent hello.”
A soft gasp. “Hi, Mr. Trent.”
A smile formed on Trent’s lips. “Hi, sweetheart. Sorry to wake you.”
“Is Grace there, too?”
“Not this time. When I see her, I’ll tell her you asked about her.”
“I wish I could talk to her. She’s nice.”
“She likes you, too. Would you like her to call you later?”
“Oh, yes. Thank you, Mr. Trent.”
“You’re welcome.”
Maddox broke in. “I need to tuck Alexis into bed. Give me a few hours, Liam. I’ll get back to you as soon as I know something.”
“Yes, sir.”
The call ended.
Trent stood. “We’ll let the boss work his magic. In the meantime, we should set up watch shifts.”
“I’ll take the first shift.” Liam was too worked up to sleep.
Cade scowled. “Not happening. You didn’t sleep at the hospital last night and neither did Trent. I’ll take the first watch. You can join the rotation tonight.”
“I’ll take over at four o’clock,” Matt said.
Trent moved toward the suite door with Matt a step behind. “We have the two rooms across the hall if you need us.” With that, he and the medic left the suite.
Simon turned to Cade. “Wake me if you need someone to spell you.”
The EOD man rolled his eyes. “I can handle a three-hour shift.” He waved him on. “Go sleep.”
With a salute, Simon closed himself into the bedroom.
Liam drew Piper to her feet as Cade went to the kitchen for coffee. “Come on. I’ll walk you home.”
She grinned and slid her hand into his. “Your boss seems nice.”
He chuckled at her description of the tough Navy SEAL who started Fortress Security. “He can be. Brent Maddox expects the best from his employees and tells us when we let him down.”
Liam nudged Piper into her room, one lit only by moonlight filtering through the curtains, and closed the door. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “I made you a promise.”
A slow smile curved her lips. “I remember.”
“I don’t break my promises.”
Piper’s arms circled his neck. “Good to know.”
Instead of swooping in like the take-charge Marine he was, Liam reined himself in and nibbled his way across her delectable lips with a series of butterfly kisses before capturing her mouth for a deeper caress.
As soon as his tongue brushed against hers, Liam was lost in a storm of sensation and heat. He’d imagined how sweet her kisses would be many times. Reality was one thousand times better than his imagination. The kiss might have started out sweet but quickly morphed into sizzling heat.
Piper moaned and inched closer. As the minutes passed, Liam became aware that Piper Reece fit perfectly in his arms, as if made for him.
Liam eased back, his breathing as ragged as hers. “Good grief, woman. You have one killer kiss.” Unable to resist the sight of her kiss-swollen lips, he dived back in for another series of kisses before forcing himself to ease up.
He changed the intensity of the kisses to affectionate rather than blow-the-roof-off hot. By the time Liam lifted his head, both of their bodies had calmed down, their breathing almost normal. He brushed her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “Dream of me tonight,” he whispered and left, closing the door behind him.
Cade glanced over his shoulder where he kept watch at the French doors. His lips curved into a knowing grin. “Will you be able to sleep?”
Liam gave a rough laugh. “Doubt it.”
“They’re worth it.”
Piper was a miracle. The women he’d dated to this point couldn’t handle his job or erratic schedule. Piper appeared to take everything in stride even in the middle of her own problems.
Liam couldn’t get over the fact that she’d been worried enough about him to forget the information she came to Copper Ridge to retrieve. She knew he was military trained and an experienced operative and still she was concerned about his safety. Maybe, just maybe, Piper Reece could go the distance with him. He prayed his assessment was right because he was more than half in love with her. Spending this much time with her had deepened his emotional attachment to the woman.
What if she didn’t return his interest? He blew out a breath. He’d coax and persuade her into his arms. There was no other choice. Piper meant too much to him to let her go without a fight.
He turned toward the kitchen to pour himself a mug of coffee when his cell phone signaled an incoming message. Liam pulled out his phone to check the screen and frowned.
“Problem?” Cade asked.
“Maybe. Z wants me to call him.”
“He’s awake. Better find out what’s going on so he’ll go to bed.”
His gut twisted into a knot as Liam called Zane.
“How is Piper?”
“Sleeping, I hope. She was shaken up by Gavin’s death. What’s going on, Z?”
“Trouble. I pulled the security cam footage from Wicks.”
“And?”
“You were right to be concerned about Piper. The pushy tourist was Jared Spencer, your old nemesis from your military days.”
The thought of the deadly Marine anywhere near Piper made Liam’s stomach lurch. “Do you know what he wants?”
“He’s been connecting with your old unit since he was released from prison two months ago.”
Not good. “Did he contact Major Graham?”
“Unknown.”
“One of the other unit members might tell me what Spencer wanted.” Spencer approaching Piper and pressuring her to go on a date concerned Liam. If Spencer was around town for any length of time, he’d learn that Piper was important to Liam. The man was ruthless and wouldn’t have a problem using Piper to target Liam.
“Don’t count on it. I picked up online chatter from unit members saying you’re a traitor and rat. The general consensus is you should have ignored what was happening instead of turning on a brother Marine.”
Disappointment and hurt spiraled through Liam. He’d given blood and suffered bullet and knife wounds for the men and women in his unit. To be accused of betraying that brotherhood cut deep. “Do you know if Spencer is still in Otter Creek?”
“No electronic paper trail to follow. Your man is living off the grid.”
Liam massaged the back of his neck. With his military training, Spencer could live in the woods where it would be impossible to find him unless he wanted to be found. “He could be anywhere, Z. If he’s still in the Otter Creek area, the wives of Durango and Bravo need to be on alert in case he decides to use them to draw me out.”
“I’ll send a warning to the operatives.”
“Cade’s with me on night watch.”
The EOD man turned, eyebrows arched.
“All right. Anything else before I go to bed? My wife has looked in on me twice in the past ten minutes. She won’t sleep unless I’m with her.”
“Start gathering information on Barone’s home in Hartman, Alabama.”
Zane was silent a moment. “Planning to visit the crime boss?”
“Gavin had information to nail Barone for enough crimes to make the feds happy and told Piper he was leaving it for her. That’s why we’re in Copper Ridge. Unfortunately, someone killed him before we arrived. He hid an envelope with directions to another hiding place, this one in Hartman. If we want to put Barone away, we have to play Gavin’s game and hope he hid the information well enough to elude Barone’s people.”
“Dangerous game, my friend.”
“No choice.” Liam glanced at Cade who continued to watch him. “One more thing. I may need alternate IDs for me and Piper as well as background data.” If this situation couldn’t be resolved and Barone and his cronies handed over to the feds, Liam would go into Fortress Security’s private witness protection and relocation program with Piper.