18
“What do you think?” Tate asked as she watched Birch read over the speech for later today.
“When are Elizabeth and Dalton getting back?” Birch asked instead of answering.
“Five tonight, why?” Tate asked, suddenly worried her speech was too much. She hadn’t held anything back. She was ready to go after Mollia Domini.
Birch closed the laptop and looked up from his desk in the oval office. Tate was sitting on the couch, and Humphrey sat across from her. Her wheelchair was parked next to her. Two more days and she’d be on crutches.
“And Grant and Valeria?” Birch asked Humphrey instead of answering her.
“They are at the resort already. They are catching the red-eye back to DC and will be here with the girls the day after tomorrow around noon if all goes well.”
“What are we going to do with them?” Birch asked to no one in particular as Tate began to fume.
“Why don’t we send them on another trip? They don’t have to be back until school starts. Tell them they won something and ship them to Saint Thomas or something,” Tate said agitated.
“That’s a great idea. Humphrey, make it happen.”
“Birch,” Tate said with warning in her voice. “The speech you’re supposed to give tonight?”
Birch shook his head. “It’s too good. I can’t do it tonight.”
Tate felt her mouth fall open. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, your speech is perfect, but we need all our ducks in a row before I give it. Tonight you release a generic press statement saying we’re back at the White House and settling back in. Tell them I’ll give a live primetime talk on all the networks soon. More information will be forthcoming.” Birch paused and held her eyes. “Once I read this, there’s no going back. Mollia Domini will know we’re talking about them and the threat level will increase.”
“I know. I thought about that, but it’s time to challenge them head on.”
“I agree, but it’s still a matter of timing.”
Tate let out a breath. “You’re right. I’ll make it happen.” Tate stood up on one foot as Humphrey hurried to her side and helped her into her chair. Birch stood up and slowly made his way around the desk. His left hand never left the desktop as he used it for balance and support.
“Get an advanced copy to Flint. Tell him he can publish it as soon as the speech is over. I’m sure he’ll have something to write about by then,” Birch said about the blogger who had been brought into their fold.
“Should I tell him about Sandra?” Tate asked.
“Yes,” Birch agreed. “But wait until we talk to Jason. I’ll have Dalton check on him. The man is walking on a precipice, and I don’t want him to fall. I thought giving him a mission to focus on, but—”
Tate knew exactly what Birch was worried about. Jason was blank. He had no emotion left but anger. It would be beneficial when it came to interrogation, but deadly for Jason if he decided there was nothing else to live for.
“Good idea. I’ll send everything to Flint as soon as I hear. I’ll see you at dinner. Don’t push yourself too much,” Tate chided as Humphrey pushed her out the door and handed her off to Jessica, Birch’s private secretary.
Birch slowly shuffled back to the desk. The pain in his side started once again, and he just wanted to sit down. Humphrey didn’t say anything as he came up and offered his arm for support.
Birch slowly lowered himself back in his chair, closed his eyes, and took some deep breaths. The pain began to fade, and he opened his eyes again. Humphrey was standing by the desk, looking at his phone.
“Sebastian is back,” Humphrey said with dread. Having your best friend involved in trying to kill you and take out the government wasn’t a subject he liked to talk about. “Alex said his GPS came on at a private airfield in Mexico. FAA records show his private plane just landed and has filed a flight plan to DC. He’ll arrive at five-thirty.”
“Pick him up at the airport. Take a couple agents with you if you think you can’t handle it. Although, after seeing you in action, I believe you could.”
“We all have our secrets, don’t we?” Humphrey joked, although it was true. “Mine just happens to be I enjoyed working out with the cadets I taught.”
“And I’m glad you did. Bring Sebastian to me, and let’s put an end to whatever game he’s playing.”
Humphrey nodded his bald little head and shoved his round wire-rimmed glasses up his nose with his finger. “You’ve got it.”
Birch watched him leave the room and closed his eyes. He didn’t know if they had time to wait or not. This mission with Gene’s kids had blown his timeline, but he couldn’t let them die. By saving them, he was defeating Mollia Domini. He didn’t know if this small battle was important to the war cause or only a distraction.
Valeria scanned the group on the beach from behind her dark, oversized sunglasses. It was the first time they had a moment to scan the guests. The second they had arrived, they’d been presented with the fake IDs in a sealed envelope that Alex had said one of his hacker friends had delivered, and immediately headed to the boutique to buy clothes. From there, they went to their room. Valeria had almost gasped as their concierge had shown them around the massive suite. There was a kitchen, a full bar, a living room, and a balcony that ran the entire length of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living area. That was before they went back to the king-sized bedroom with electronic blackout shades and a separate balcony.
Their new purchases had been put away for them as Grant flipped on the television, and she’d made them lunch with the food that had been stocked in the kitchen. When all the attendants finally left, Grant flipped off the television and they ate before putting on their suits. Sadly, Grant had shaved, although he’d left enough scruff to show his wild Highland side.
He lay next to her in a couple’s cabana with his arms under his head. A tattoo of a Celtic trinity knot, with its horizontal and vertical lines combining in the intricate design, stood out on his left shoulder. Women were noticing, to say the least, considering his shoulders and chest looked to be sculpted from granite.
“Two o’clock,” Grant’s deep voice drew her attention from a twenty-something in a thong bikini who just dropped her sunglasses right in front of them. Val looked over at Grant and wanted to laugh. He wasn’t even looking at the woman. Instead, he was focused on a man on a lounge chair in the row behind Gene’s daughters.
“I see him.”
“Keep watching. Every couple minutes he looks to his left,” Grant said, putting his arm around her and pulling her against his side. The thong-clad woman huffed and sashayed away. Valeria watched the target as Grant’s hand dropped from her shoulder to fondle the top of her blue triangle bikini top. He turned his head and placed a kiss on her neck as his hand dipped into the thin material of her top.
“Grant,” Valeria squeaked on a gasp when he pinched her nipple into a taut peak.
“Shhh, I’m keeping our cover,” he said, kissing his way down her neck.
Valeria chuckled as she heard a group of women sitting nearby sigh. They’d been talking about Grant for the past thirty minutes. “You’re drawing attention.”
“Good. I want the men to know you’re off limits. Plus, it’s fun.” He pulled his hand from her top and placed it on the indentation of her hip. “Did you see it?”
Valeria nodded as she rested her head on his chest. “The guy that’s getting up, right?”
“Right.”
Valeria watched the man walking off the beach and onto the private path leading to the villas. The path was obstructed from view by various palm trees and flowering bushes.
“I’ll be right back,” Valeria said, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. She climbed off the queen-sized padded lounger and adjusted her bikini bottoms as she casually strolled after the man in the short-sleeved, salmon-colored button-up shirt that was opened to his belly button. The outline of a gun was clearly seen under his shirt and against the waist of his dark blue swim trunks.
Valeria grabbed a fruity drink left abandoned beside one of the lounge chairs and went to cut him off. She hurried to an entrance farther down the beach and began to jog toward her target once in the privacy of the path.
“No, the girls are oblivious,” she heard the man say in Spanish. Valeria stopped and pressed herself into the leaves. The man was around a bend, and she couldn’t tell if he was walking toward her or just standing there talking. “Tonight? Do you want it to be an accident?”
Valeria crept forward when she noticed he wasn’t moving. She peered through the thick foliage and saw the man standing in the middle of the path and slowly circling to make sure he was alone.
“I’ll put something in their drinks. It’ll look like alcohol poisoning. I’ll call you when it’s done.”
Valeria stepped back as the man started walking in her direction. “Oops!” she giggled as she weaved toward him, stumbled, and sent the drink flying down his shirt.
“Stupid drunk,” he muttered in Spanish as he picked a pineapple wedge from where it got stuck in in shirt.
Valeria bit her lip and looked confused. “I am so sorry. I don’t speak Spanish, but let me help you.” She started brushing the drink from his chest. “Oh, dear. I have club soda in my room,” she gestured behind her and then frowned before laughing. “But you don’t speak English so you probably have no idea what I’m saying.”
“I speak Inglés.”
“Oh good!” Valeria tittered and felt stupid for doing so. She sent a slow look from his head to his crotch and then looked back up in embarrassment. “I’m here with my girlfriends this week, and they’re all down at the beach.”
It didn’t take long for the man to realize what she was insinuating, just like it didn’t take long for Valeria to notice the tattoo above his heart showing him to be a member of Hermanos de Sangre.
“You have something to clean it, yes?” he asked, his voice dipping lower.
Valeria bit her lip and nodded. “Right this way.” She reached out and took his hand in hers. He didn’t even question it when she led him behind the villas and into the overgrown lushness surrounding the resort. Not when she reached behind her as she walked and unlaced her string bikini top. And not when she turned and jabbed her fingers into his Adam’s apple. Not even when she spun behind him as he bent over gasping and slipped her string bikini around his neck and pulled.
He struggled, but she put her foot on his back and pulled until he fell lifelessly to the ground. Letting out a deep breath, Valeria tied her bathing suit back on, picked up his gun, and dug around his pockets for his key and cell phone. She dragged him off the path and tossed the gun into the dumpster behind the villas before making her way back to Grant.
“Shall we go for a swim?” he asked when she stopped in front of the cabana and tossed him the phone and key.
“I’ve been dying to.”
“Then let’s go.” Grant took her hand in his as they walked down toward the water. The girls were swimming and the man was nearby watching. He kept looking back at the path, then out to where the girls were.
“Everything go okay?” Grant asked.
“It’s been taken care of,” Valeria told him as she submerged herself under the water.
Grant dove under and came up behind her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to sit on his leg. Valeria leaned back, and they floated there for a moment in complete silence, watching the two sisters splash in the water.
“Do you ever remember being that innocent?” Valeria asked quietly from behind her shades.
“Aye. I grew up like that. It wasn’t until I was active duty that I saw the evil of the world. I knew evil existed, but I had never seen it in person. I threw up after my first bad mission. Dalton was with me. It changed my life forever. That was years ago now. Now I’m no longer surprised by evil. I only hope to rid the world of as much of it as possible before my time is up.”
“I’ve thought about walking away. It used to bother me to kill someone. It doesn’t anymore. What if I’m becoming just as evil as those I kill?” Valeria asked, tears welling in her eyes as she admitted her biggest fear.
Grant tightened his hold on her, pulling her against his chest. “There’s a difference between doing bad things for a bad reason and doing bad things for a good reason. Stopping Mollia Domini, stopping Hermanos de Sangre, those are good reasons.”
Valeria nodded as she broke apart in the middle of the ocean. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks and plinked into the water. While killing didn’t bother her like it used to, what Grant said resonated. She wanted to do good. She wanted to make the world a better and safer place. And she would see this to the end, knowing she was doing what was necessary to keep good people safe.
Grant kept Valeria in his arms as they continued to watch the young women smiling and laughing while they swam in the ocean. However, when the man watching the women got up and headed for the path to the villas, Grant had to make his move.
“Why don’t you sun for a while? Rest, order us some drinks, and I’ll be right back.” Grant placed a long kiss to her temple before letting her feet touch the soft sand beneath them.
“I can do it,” Valeria said stubbornly, and Grant knew she wasn’t talking about ordering drinks.
“I never thought you couldn’t.” Grant winked and waded out of the ocean. He didn’t look back. He didn’t want Valeria taking that as a sign that she could kill the last target. It wasn’t that Grant wanted to either. But feeling Valeria cry silently almost broke him. And while she said it didn’t bother her, she was wrong. Otherwise she wouldn’t be crying into the Pacific.
Grant grabbed the key to the men’s room and the towel with the gun wrapped inside the folds. What they did wasn’t easy. It wasn’t supposed to be. But they were here because they could do what wasn’t easy. Lizzy, Dalton, Valeria, all of them. They were involved because of a deep drive to protect innocence. To protect vulnerability. To protect those who didn’t know they needed it.
As he put the key into the door, kicked it open, and fired, he knew no one would know he saved two young women that day. No one would know these wicked men would never kill anyone ever again. They wouldn’t be able to sell drugs to children or the weak and desperate. They wouldn’t hurt anyone ever again. And he was fine with that because two women could now live out their lives free from danger. They may go on to save others’ lives, invent the cure for cancer, teach children, or simply raise families of more good people.
Valeria was waiting for him in their suite. Her tears were dried, but the look she sent him said she understood. When you lived in the shadows, when you saw evil, you needed light. And she was his light. Valeria stood, her back to the large tinted windows and held out her arms.
Grant came to her, starving. Starving to clear the memory of death, starving for life, compassion, and understanding that Valeria held. Grant might be a stubborn Scot, but he knew when he had something special in Valeria.
Their kiss was hard and hot as he pushed her against the windows. His hips pressed against hers as she ran her hands over shoulders and down his chest. She shoved his trunks to the floor, and he kicked them away as his mouth broke from her lips and traveled down her neck, across her collarbone, and to her breast. He reached behind her and with two quick tugs tossed the bikini top to the side. His tongue circled her puckered nipple before latching on and sucking until Valeria tossed her head back and cried out with pleasure.
Valeria held Grant’s head to her breast as he fell to his knees before her. Heat radiated from his body as the cold glass pressed against her back. She raked her fingers through his dark auburn hair as he moved his other hand to strip her of her bikini bottoms.
Grant moved lower, kissing his way down her stomach, and circling her navel with his tongue before sliding his tongue and fingers between her legs. A wave of heat flashed through Valeria as she felt her body coil and then snap with release.
Breathing heavily, Valeria leaned against the window, now seeking its coolness. Her body was flushed with her pleasure as Grant reached for the package of condoms she’d picked up on the way back to the room. His eyes had turned dark green with anticipation, but Grant paused.
“Lass?”
Val nodded once and saw the flare in his eyes as she silently told him to take her. And he did. In one quick motion, he had her against the window with her legs wrapped around his waist. Grant lifted her, tilting her hips toward him, and slid into her. Valeria let go. She let go of the past and the future. Instead, all that remained was the present, being in Grant’s arms. The sensations curled her toes and made her dig her heels into his lower back. An aching feeling fell on her as the walls crumbled from around her heart. Before she knew it, she tumbled over the edge screaming out his name.