CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Liam leaned against the railing of the balcony, his hands gripping the wrought iron. Gavin was crazy for leaving the next clue in his father’s mansion. How did he expect Piper to retrieve it? He shuddered to think what might have happened if she’d faced this treasure hunt on her own. At least with the two of them working together, he could protect her.
He thought through various scenarios and tossed them out almost as soon as they appeared in his head. He couldn’t come up with anything safe enough to take Piper into Barone’s stronghold. The problem wasn’t going in. It was surviving long enough to leave the estate grounds.
If he couldn’t come up with anything, Liam and his teammates would plan a nighttime foray onto the estate. He wasn’t risking Piper’s life for another clue.
Simon came out on the balcony. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m not.” He turned toward his best friend. “I can’t let her do this, Simon. I could lose her. If that happened, I wouldn’t survive.” He wouldn’t want to. Piper was necessary for his survival. If he lost her, he’d break apart.
Some big, bad Marine and black ops soldier he was. For a man whose strength had been honed in the hottest firefights, Piper’s strength left him breathless. She knew she was outmatched in training and experience for this job, yet she forged ahead because she had no choice. Most women of his acquaintance would have cut and run long before now. Piper never would. She wanted justice for Gavin even though his betrayal cut deep.
“We’ll take precautions.”
Liam snorted. “Might look suspicious if I take her to Barone’s place dressed in full body armor and a combat helmet.”
A quick smile. “Probably.” Simon gave him a sidelong glance. “What about getting an invitation to the estate?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you received an invitation to visit Barone, you could spread the word around town that you were going to the estate grounds.”
He stared at his friend. “I don’t love this idea. It still leaves too much opportunity for danger to Piper. Besides, how do you expect us to wrangle an invitation to the crime boss’s home? Piper can’t call him and ask to come for a visit.”
Simon was silent a moment. “Word should be spreading about Gavin’s death. Piper doesn’t need an invitation to pay a condolence call to Gavin’s father since she’s in town. She’ll draw more attention if she doesn’t go. This is a small town. Her visit will be expected. Better still, she can take you with her as well as her uncle. No one will question your presence since you’re engaged and want to support the woman you love.”
Liam stared out at the landscape again, a ball of ice in the pit of his stomach. The last thing he wanted to do was take Piper to Barone, but he couldn’t see a way around it. He and the other Fortress operatives could slip onto the estate in the middle of the night. However, the likelihood of a confrontation while outnumbered by the enemy was near one hundred percent. Barone would claim his security force had protected him against armed intruders. A law enforcement community in the crime boss’s pocket wouldn’t question Barone’s version of events.
If by some miracle they made it inside the house without encountering at least one of the numerous guards, Piper was the only one who knew how Gavin’s mind worked. Liam and the others might find the next clue but wouldn’t be able to decipher it. He wouldn’t have known where to look for the other two clues if not for Piper.
Besides, he’d read the clue directing them to the Barone estate. Gavin hadn’t left enough obvious information for Liam and his teammates to know where to start looking. The longer they stayed in the mansion searching for the clue, the greater risk they took of being discovered in a confined space.
“I know you don’t want to take her to Barone’s estate. A condolence call is the most natural way to take her where she needs to be for the next clue.”
“How did Gavin expect her to get onto the estate grounds?”
A shrug from Simon. “Her uncle.”
Made sense. If Piper mended fences with her uncle, Gino Romano could wrangle that invitation with no trouble. One man visiting an old friend and bringing his niece along for the visit wouldn’t raise suspicion.
“Liam?”
He turned and held out his hand to Piper. Liam wrapped his arms around her. “Feeling better?” He hadn’t liked how pale she’d been earlier, grateful the two medics had taken care of her while Liam came to the balcony to call Maddox.
Simon used a hand signal to indicate he and Liam would talk more later.
Piper nodded. “You were right. I needed to eat.” She tilted her head back and smiled. “Don’t tell Jesse, but I’m pretty sure it was the pound cake that did it, not the rest of the food he piled on my plate.”
Amused, he dropped a quick kiss on her mouth. “I thought your secret vice was chocolate.”
“Preferred vice, although it’s not a secret. I think sugar in all forms is my downfall.” She cupped his jaw with a soft palm. “Talk to me, Liam.”
“Reading my mind again?”
“I know you’re upset. You weren’t able to find a way to get me inside Barone’s estate?”
“Simon and I thought of a way.”
“But you don’t like it.”
“I don’t want you within a hundred miles of that mansion or Barone.”
“I’ll be safe because I have you with me.”
“Too many things could go wrong, Piper. One bullet would kill us both.”
Her brows knitted. “I don’t understand.”
“If Barone or one of his men took your life, I would do my utmost to kill every one of the thugs on that estate. I wouldn’t survive against odds in the enemy’s favor.”
She leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Then we make sure that doesn’t happen. Brainstorm with your teammates and find a way to accomplish the goal. I know you, Liam McCoy. You don’t quit without a fight.”
Liam tugged her closer to his chest. She didn’t understand. “It’s not worth the risk to your life, Sunshine.”
“The alternative is a life on the run. I don’t want that for either of us. We deserve to live without fear. If the only way to accomplish that goal is to beard the lion in his den, then we conquer that great cat and let the feds cage him.”
His lips curved. Courage in spades. No wonder he adored this woman. Unfortunately, she was right. He wanted to be free to love and live with her in Otter Creek, surrounded by their friends and colleagues. “All right. We’ll talk to the others, come up with a plan, and a billion contingencies.”
Inside the suite, the operatives gathered with Piper and Liam when he explained what he needed.
“Can you draw a rough sketch of the Barone mansion, Piper?” Brody asked.
“I’ll try. It’s been a while since I’ve been there. Matteo might have remodeled the place.”
“It’s a place to start.”
“What happens if there are changes?”
He smiled. “We’ll adjust. It’s what we do.”
For the next hour, the operatives bounced ideas off each other, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of each option until they settled on the strongest plan of attack.
“What do you think, Piper?” Trent sat against the wall and stretched his legs out in front of him. “See any flaws in our plans?”
“I can’t think of anything better. I say we go for it. I’m ready to hand the feds everything they need to send Matteo to prison. What’s the first step?”
“Talk to Romano,” Liam said. “We need him on board. He’ll play a crucial role in helping us gain access to parts of the house off limits to town visitors.”
“Should I call him now?”
“I’d prefer to broach the subject away from the house. Your uncle has security cameras everywhere. Some of the cameras may not be connected to his security system.”
“Let’s take him out to dinner. There’s an Italian restaurant he loves on the opposite side of town. We’ll talk to him as we drive to the restaurant.”
Simon nodded. “I like it.”
“Who’s on night watch?” Liam asked.
“I’m pulling first shift, Matt has the second.”
The knot in his stomach smoothed out. He trusted the members of the Texas unit to have his back. Liam trusted his own teammates more. “I need to drive Piper back to her uncle’s place. Romano goes to bed around 9:00.”
Simon slid off the barstool. “I’ll grab my gear and be ready to go in two minutes.” He left the suite.
Liam turned to Trent. “Orders?”
“Get as much information as you can about Barone’s place from Romano while you’re out of the house. Have Piper call me and leave the connection open so I can hear the information firsthand. Check in every two hours unless you’re asleep. We’ll let you know when the shift changes.”
Simon returned with his Go bag in hand.
Liam escorted Piper to his SUV, scanning the area for threats. To this point, their location hadn’t been compromised. After helping her inside, he climbed behind the steering wheel. “Call your uncle and invite him to dinner.”
He listened to one side of the conversation as he headed for the highway. When she ended the call, he glanced her way. “He agreed?”
She nodded. “He was surprised by the invitation but pleased we wanted to spend time with him.”
Liam heard guilt in her voice. “I planned to invite him to dinner before we left town, Sunshine. We moved it up a day or two.”
“You were?”
He wrapped his hand around hers. “Even though you and Romano were at odds, he’s your family. I want to know him and I want you to know mine. They’re going to love you.”
“I hope so. I’d feel terrible if your mother didn’t think I was good enough for you.”
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Liam circled around Hartman to come into town the same direction they’d gone out. He didn’t want to point observers toward Amaretto.
Minutes later, he parked in front of the Romano residence and traipsed to the front door to assist Piper’s uncle to the SUV. As soon as he stepped on the landing, the front door opened and Romano walked outside.
“Where are we going to dinner?” the older man asked.
“Ricci’s.”
Romano’s eyes lit. “Excellent. It’s my favorite restaurant.”
“Piper told me.”
The other man glanced at Liam as they descended the stairs. “Want to tell me what’s really going on?”
Liam flashed him a grin. “Dinner and a favor. We didn’t want to talk inside your home.”
“Because of the bugs.”
“Yes, sir.” He opened the SUV’s back door and waited for the older man to climb inside before getting into the driver’s seat.
Liam started the vehicle and drove from the estate grounds. As he turned onto the street toward the center of town, he glanced in the rearview mirror. “Let’s talk, Mr. Romano.”