When Day Breaks
They hurried inside, Ryker quickly shaking Joe’s, Nathan’s and Swanny’s hands.
“Thanks for coming so quickly,” Ryker said as they climbed the stairs.
“No problem,” Joe returned.
“Eden’s resting, which is good,” Ryker said as they walked out of the stairwell and into the hallway. “Dad is determined that she not know what’s going on, or at least not everything. Not saying I agree, but we’re doing this his way. He’ll give you the info you need so we can act accordingly.”
He stopped outside a hotel room door and inserted the key card. He pushed it open and motioned the others inside.
Swanny’s gaze swept over the interior, noting an older man he assumed was Eddie Sinclair and a younger man who must be Ryker’s older brother, Raid.
Eddie met them halfway, his hand extended to shake theirs as introductions were performed.
Once they were all seated, Eddie leaned forward in his chair and kept his voice low. He glanced toward a closed door where Swanny assumed Eden was sleeping.
“As far as Eden knows, the shooting was random,” Eddie said in hushed tones. “But I know differently. Just before the shooting took place, I received a threat. It’s a long, convoluted story. It’s . . . revenge.”
Swanny’s eyebrow rose and Joe frowned. “Care to elaborate? Do you know the source of the threat?”
Eddie ran a hand through his hair, his eyes dark with worry. “Years ago when I was in a black ops group, we had a mission that was totally FUBAR. We were supposed to take out Raul Sanchez, a big player in drugs and arms trafficking, with human trafficking as a strong secondary contender. He had his hands in just about everything. We finally got our opportunity. His daughter’s birthday.”
He broke off and went silent a moment, emotion simmering in his eyes.
“His wife and daughter got caught in the cross fire. Sanchez and his son got away.”
“Damn,” Nathan murmured.
“It didn’t end there,” Eddie said tiredly. “Years later, Sanchez came after me where I was most vulnerable. My wife.”
He choked and had to visibly compose himself before continuing.
“He killed my wife.”
“Jesus,” Swanny muttered.
“I went after him,” Eddie said in a grim voice. “I couldn’t just let him get away with it. Not when I knew. So I tracked him down, called in someone to help and we took him out. And now . . .”
He rubbed both hands over his face and when they came away, tears glistened in his eyes.
“The cycle of revenge continues. The son now wants to take from me what was taken from him. His mother, sister, and then his father. He sent me pictures of Eden. Told me he would take from me what I loved the most. And God, just hours later, someone tried to kill her.”
He leveled a hard stare at the members of KGI.
“She has an important shoot that begins day after tomorrow. It’s inside, which is the only reason I’m allowing her to go. No way in hell I’d have her in open air where protecting her would be a nightmare. But this is huge for her. I can’t shut her down, not when she doesn’t have the full story, and I don’t want her to know.”
Joe lifted an eyebrow and Swanny could see the disapproval on his face. Swanny was having similar thoughts.
Eden’s family was treating her like a pampered, sheltered princess and it would get her killed.
“The story is that I’ve called you in because I’m worried after what happened today and I want her protected. And I do. She has to be safe at all times.”
“Where is this next shoot?” Nathan asked.
“Paris,” Eddie replied. “It hasn’t been publicly announced that Eden is heading Aria’s new cosmetics campaign. So if we keep her off an official airline and don’t leave a paper trail, then hopefully by the time this guy catches up to her, the shoot will be over and she’ll be back home.”
“We can fly her on the KGI jet,” Joe reassured.
“So you’ll do it?” Eddie asked hopefully. “You’ll take the job?”
Joe’s gaze narrowed. “We wouldn’t be here if we were merely entertaining the idea, sir.”
“Thank you,” Eddie said sincerely. “But I want your word. Eden is not to know what I’ve told you. I don’t want her to be hurt by the knowledge that her mother’s death wasn’t an accident. It was bad enough my boys had to know.”
Joe sighed. “She won’t hear it from us.”
“Daddy?”
Swanny turned in the direction of the hesitant, feminine voice to see Eden standing in the now-open doorway to the bedroom. She was wearing a large man’s button-up shirt, and though she was taller than the average woman, the tails clipped the tops of her knees, baring a good portion of the expanse of her shapely legs.
She sent an accusing look in Raid’s direction. “You promised to wake me when they got here.”
“They just did get here, honey,” Raid said in a placating tone. “I was just about to go wake you. We’ve only finished introductions.”
He didn’t even blink over the lie.
Swanny’s gaze was riveted to Eden. Tousled hair, sleepy eyes and legs to die for. As if realizing she was only wearing a shirt, she pulled at the hem, attempting to cover more of her legs, but the action tightened the shirt over her br**sts, outlining them with clarity, and just a hint of her nipple was discernible through the material.