CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Piper strolled hand-in-hand with Liam from the museum, feeling the weight of someone’s stare on them. She fought the urge to glare at the man sent to retrieve Gavin’s information. Barone must be desperate if he resorted to having them tailed and intercepted in broad daylight.
What information was worth this much effort to retrieve? She scowled. The information wasn’t worth Gavin’s life or Liam’s. Maybe she should leave Hartman and encourage Liam and his teammates to do the same. Zane was resourceful. The Fortress tech genius would uncover Barone’s secrets without Gavin’s information.
Piper sighed, knowing that option wasn’t possible. Barone had to pay for murdering Gavin and Piper wanted to be part of his downfall. Gavin was a good friend before their relationship fell apart. She’d fulfill his request as a tribute to the good memories they shared.
If the security guard thought they had the information, he’d confront her and Liam, then take them to Barone. The crime boss wouldn’t let them go if they handed over the envelope in her pocket. They knew too much.
“I want to run,” she muttered to Liam. “And that’s saying something since I hate jogging.”
Liam chuckled. “You’re doing great. You’re a perfect partner in crime.”
Her lips curved. “We did steal the package without Barone’s security guard seeing us.”
“He’s not a sterling example of private security. He wouldn’t make the cut at Fortress or PSI. We’d have booted him from the school by the end of the first week.”
Liam unlocked his SUV and tucked Piper inside. He handed her the seatbelt and leaned in for a brief kiss. “You up for a field trip?”
“If the trip takes me out of this town and away from our creepy watcher, you bet I am.”
He flashed her a grin and shut the door. The operative took his time circling the back of the SUV and climbing behind the steering wheel. Liam slid the electronic signal detector into his pocket and cranked the engine.
“That’s a neat gadget. After this is over, I might ask your boss for one.” The thought of Liam’s enemies tracking her movements and threatening their children made everything inside her protest. No, she didn’t believe danger would dog her steps every minute. At the same time, she couldn’t afford to slack off on the vigilance. Liam depended on her to protect their family while he was on missions.
“It’s an important tool in my line of work.” He glanced at her before cranking the engine. “Are you worried about this man in particular or in general? I promise I’ll protect you until my last breath.”
She hadn’t meant to give Liam the impression that she didn’t trust in him or his protection measures. “I believe you. I was thinking about protecting our future family while you’re on missions. Having a signal detector would help me be sure no one followed us around Otter Creek or kept track of our movements with a tracking device.”
“You are one in a million, Sunshine,” he said, voice huskier than normal.
“Did you find a tracking device?”
He nodded. “I’ll go to a gas station and fill the tank. While I’m doing that, I’ll remove the tracker that clown slapped on the undercarriage of my ride.”
She smiled at his disgruntled attitude and words. “Won’t the guard become suspicious if the tracker shows we’re parked at the gas station for more than a few minutes?”
“Not if the tracker is moving.”
She stared a moment. “You’re attaching the tracker to another vehicle.”
“Yes, ma’am. Hopefully, it will be a vehicle that’s passing through town on the way to somewhere else. Won’t keep the goons off our tail for long but we’ll have enough breathing room to discover what information we have and how to pass it to the feds before Barone’s crew catches up.”
“Where are we going?” she asked as Liam drove from the lot.
“Amaretto. It’s the safest place I can think of to see what Gavin left for you and figure out our next move.”
She reached for her pocket, intent on pulling the envelope free and checking the contents.
Liam wrapped his hand around hers. “Wait until we’re in the lodge with my teammates. If we have access to traffic cams, so does Barone. My windows have a special protective coating on them to blur pictures taken with a camera. Still, someone will see you have something in your hands which would incite a feeding frenzy.”
Piper grimaced. Nice visual. Reminded her of sharks circling their prey, waiting to move in for the kill. Instead of giving in to her curiosity about the envelope’s contents, she contented herself with holding Liam’s hand.
Minutes later, he parked beside a gas pump on the opposite side of town from Amaretto. “Are you hungry?”
“Not yet.”
“You should be. You didn’t eat breakfast.” He gave her a knowing look. “You’re not a stress eater, are you?”
“Afraid not. When I’m stressed, I don’t want food.”
“You need the calories even though your stomach isn’t giving you hunger signals. We’ll find something your stomach will tolerate when we reach the lodge.” He exited the vehicle.
While the nozzle deposited fuel in the tank, he grabbed a handful of disposable towels and rubbed away dirt on his SUV. At one point, he disappeared from view. When he stood, he glanced at Piper and winked.
Some of the tension eased from her body. He found the tracker and removed it.
He opened her door. “I’m going inside for soft drinks. Lock the doors. I’ll only be a minute. If something spooks you, honk the horn.” Another quick kiss and he closed the door again. When she activated the lock, he walked to the convenience store, stopping a moment to admire a sports car. He touched the bumper as though checking out the finish and went inside the store.
Piper grinned at the smooth transfer of the tracker from his SUV to the sports car. True to his word, he was back in less than two minutes with two drinks in his hand.
He handed her a soft drink that contained ginger and cranked the engine. After entering the lodge’s address into his GPS, Liam drove from the gas station. “We’re taking a circular route to the lodge. I don’t want to lead Barone’s henchmen to Bravo or Texas.”
For the next hour, Liam made random turns, asking Piper questions about various sites they passed. When he deemed it safe to proceed to the lodge, Liam followed the GPS directions.
“What do you know about the Texas unit?” Piper had heard them mentioned by Bravo and Durango but no one gave details about the group. Maybe they didn’t talk about other units for security reasons.
“Bravo worked a few missions with them. They’re an interesting bunch.”
“I know they’re from Texas.”
“They’re also from various branches of law enforcement and have some very unique skill sets. It’s unusual for one of our units not to have former military members in their ranks.”
“What are their skills?”
He shook his head. “Oh, no. I’m not telling their secrets. Find out for yourself what they can do.”
Piper frowned. “It’s not fair to whet my curiosity and refuse to tell me. I won’t be spending much time with them.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll figure it out.”
She huffed out a breath. “Hurry up, then.”
His laughter filled the cabin as the SUV leaped forward. Within thirty minutes, he parked at the back of the lodge next to the trio of Fortress SUVs. Liam circled the hood to open Piper’s door. “Come on, beautiful. Let’s get you inside in case I missed an unfriendly tail.”
Holding hands, they walked to the back entrance. Halfway down the corridor toward the bank of elevators, the back door opened again and Cade entered.
“Anything?” Liam asked his teammate.
“Nope. You’re clear.”
“What does that mean?” Piper asked.
“No one followed us from Hartman except Cade. You’re safe here.”
“We’re safe here,” she corrected. “I’m as concerned about you as you are about me.”
“We have your back, Piper.” Cade caught up with them and pressed the call button for the elevator. “Let us worry about your safety and Liam’s.”
She didn’t think Liam would cede control of the situation to his teammates. He was a hands-on kind of man. Her cheeks burned. Very hands on. She loved the frequent touches, the hand holding, and the kisses.
They rode to the fourth floor in silence and Cade led the way down the hall toward the back of the lodge. He stopped in front of one door and knocked.
A moment later, the door opened to reveal a man whose height topped six feet four inches with a chest that seemed as broad as the span of Piper’s outstretched arms. If she’d seen this guy on the sidewalk at night, she would have crossed to the other side of the street to avoid him.
The stranger’s lips quirked. “About time you got here.” His voice was deep and rich. “We were about to send out a reconnaissance party to escort you to safety.”
Liam snorted. “I’m touched by your confidence in my skills, Jesse. You planning to let us in?”
The mountain of a man stepped back. “The party’s in the living room.”
“Did you order room service like I asked?” Cade motioned for Piper and Liam to go ahead.
“Took four carts to bring in all the food. The bellhop made a bundle in tips for this delivery.”
Piper pressed a hand to her stomach. The idea of eating made her feel nauseous.
Jesse’s gaze dropped to her hand for a second before returning to her face. His eyes narrowed. “You haven’t eaten, have you?”
Did she have a sign plastered to her forehead? “I’m not hungry.” Still.
He turned accusing eyes to Liam.
The sniper stiffened, muscles bunching in his jaw. “I’ll find her something she can handle or I’ll go buy food for her. I take care of those I care about, Phelps.”
Liam pressed his hand to Piper’s back and urged her inside a suite. Bravo and four other men ranged around the living area and the small kitchen. They stood when she walked inside.
Wow. Talk about testosterone overload. They all looked tough with muscular builds and eyes that missed nothing.
Liam wrapped his arm around Piper’s waist, the hold proprietary as though warning off competitors. “Piper, this is Brody Weaver, Logan Fletcher, Sawyer Chapman, Max Norton, and Jesse Phelps, better known as the Texas unit. Guys, my girlfriend, Piper Reece.”
Matt moved closer, frowning. “Does your throat hurt?”
Her cheeks burned at being the center of attention. “Some.”
“What happened?” Jesse asked.
Liam ushered Piper to the couch and brought both teams up to date on the incident earlier in the morning.
A man who looked as though he belonged on a movie set or a magazine cover scowled. “Is that clown still alive?”
“Hard to get answers from a dead man,” Liam replied.
“Did you learn anything we can use?” Logan asked.
“Not much except Rusty was paid to find Gavin’s information. He doesn’t know who hired him.”
“Is he lying?” This from the man called Max.
“Oh, yeah. He knows exactly who hired him and he’s not saying.”
“He’s too afraid of Barone to name his employer,” Piper said. “I don’t work for him and I’m scared of the man.”
“You’re smart enough not to work for a crime boss,” Sawyer pointed out.
Matt went to his medical bag and grabbed a packet. He dropped two capsules onto Piper’s palm. “Mild pain meds. You need to eat and take them.” He pointed his finger at her when she opened her mouth. “Don’t argue. You won’t help Liam if he has to carry you around because you’re weak from fasting.”
She glared at her friend. “How did you know I was going to protest?”
“Your face shows every thought in your head. You’d be a terrible poker player.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He was right. She was a terrible liar. Piper happened to think that was a good trait. She looked up when Jesse handed her a soft drink.
He tapped the cap. “Drink and take your pain meds. I’ll fill a plate with food I think your stomach will tolerate while Liam tells us the rest.”
“Sit rep,” Trent said to Liam.
Piper drank part of the soft drink and swallowed the pills while Liam told the teams about their encounter with Barone’s security guard and finding the tracker on the SUV.
By the time he finished, Jesse had brought a plate covered with small portions of several bland foods as well as what looked to be a large slice of pound cake. Lemon from the looks of it. The cake looked and smelled fabulous.
“What did Gavin leave for you?” Simon asked Piper.
She paused with her fork halfway to her mouth, pulled the envelope from her pocket, and handed it to Liam.
Liam ripped open the envelope and unfolded the short note inside. He was silent a moment, scowl deepening the longer he read. “I don’t believe this.”
The food Piper had already eaten threatened to make a reappearance. “What did he say?”
“He gave you another location to visit.”
“I told you. He was a gamer. He was all about the quest.”
Liam turned his head toward her, fury burning in his eyes. “If he wasn’t already dead, I’d hunt him down and kill him myself.”
She blinked, surprised. “Why?”
“His next hiding place is in his suite.”
Piper felt the blood drain from her face. Her appetite disappeared in a flash. “Oh, no.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Brody asked.
“Two things. One, I bet his suite was the first place his father’s cronies looked for the information. Obviously, they didn’t find it or we wouldn’t be having to look over our shoulders all the time. Second, the suite is in the heart of Matteo Barone’s house. Gavin lived with his father.”
In order to get the information they needed to have a life, Piper and Liam would have to face their worst nightmare in the flesh.