WE WERE SILENT AS I fitted her with one of the smaller Kevlar vests from my supply cabinet that I kept for clients.
“I’m not wearing a damn helmet,” she complained.
My mouth a tight line, I didn’t argue. A helmet wouldn’t do shit if you were shot in the neck or the face. “You’re gonna keep this vest on at all times, you hear me?” Since she’d refused to wear one when we’d taken the Ducati down to Largo, I wasn’t putting it past her to rip this one off the second we were on the road.
“I got it, I got it.” She batted my hands away and adjusted the straps herself.
My scent all over her, my release inside her, I remembered every second of falling asleep with her last night then waking up and taking her this morning. I’d silently spread her sexy thighs and entered her without asking. Cupping her face, slowly stroking in and out of her tight heat, I’d stared into her gorgeous eyes and made love to her.
Tears had slid down her cheeks when she came. I’d filled her with my seed and prayed like fuck I got to keep her. I’d give her the damn world if we made it out of today unscathed. Kissing her, caressing her this morning, I’d hoped to God I’d showed her what she’d become to me. She’d kissed me back, and I’d felt like I was her world an hour ago, but now that woman was hidden.
I took her face in my hands. “Not too late, chica. You don’t have to do this.”
Hazel eyes full of determination looked up at me. “I’m not scared. I’m mad.”
About to see the fucking asshole who was supposed to protect you from the world, but instead put a goddamn price on your head—I’d be pissed too. Still, I treaded carefully. “I don’t blame you, baby girl. I’m mad enough for both of us.” I tightened my grip and held her gaze. “But we’re not gonna let that cloud our judgment. For the next few hours, it’s all about the mission. Get in, get out. ATF’s on standby. Once Stephens has the guns and calls off the hit, we’re out and you’re done.”
“Why aren’t we just killing him?”
I’d asked myself that every fucking second for the past twenty-four hours, but no matter how I looked at it, we were out of time. “It’d take me at least a day to do recon and set up. Then there’s no guarantee I’ll have a shot. It could take a week before he’d pass in front of my crosshairs. The LCs have three hundred members in south Florida, and all of them are looking for you. We don’t have a week, chica.”
“Then why don’t we just kill him before we give him the guns.”
“There’re women and children on the compound, chica, you know this.” The second I fired, all hell would break loose.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it.” She impatiently pushed my hands away.
“We’re giving him guns, but not ammo,” I explained. “We time this right, he’s caught in possession of illegal firearms and ATF has something to hold him on.”
“And what if that doesn’t work.”
I already had a backup plan in place. Marek was going to take her to the bunker he had on his property and keep her until I took Stephens out. “I’ll handle it.”
No judgment on her face, she almost looked fucking relieved. “Meaning you’ll kill him.”
I didn’t give her confirmation. The less she knew, the better. I kissed her forehead. “We’re gonna get through this, then I’m taking you for the best damn Cuban coffee and lunch in Little Havana.” I winked.
A hint of a smile touched her lips. “You remembered.”
“Every word, chica, every word.” I studied her. “You ready?”
She took a deep breath. “Yeah.”
I slipped my own vest on and loaded extra magazines. Two handguns and my sniper rifle, and I was ready. “Let’s go.”
“I need a gun.”
I froze for half a second. All this time, she’d never mentioned being armed herself. “You know how to shoot?”
She nodded at the gun rack, toward one of the baby Glocks. “I’ll take the G26.”
Fighting a smile at her correct identification of the gun, I silently handed it to her, butt first.
She took the 9mm and removed the magazine.
“Ten—”
She cut me off. “Ten plus one in the chamber. I got it.” She slammed the magazine home then slipped the gun to the middle of her back, tucking it into the waistband of her jeans. “You have any more magazines?”
I grinned, grabbing two. “Sexy, chica, sexy.”
“You think anything I do is sexy.” She didn’t smile as she took the magazines and fitted them into her vest.
Right in that moment, I saw another side of Kendall Decima Reed. And I fucking loved it. “No denying that.” I kissed her again and locked the gun cage. “Let’s do this.”
I took her hand and silently led her to the back elevator and down to the garage. I was mentally going over the satellite images and maps I’d studied this morning while she’d gotten dressed. Tyler said he’d left comms with Neil and a tracker in one of the crates. Marek and Talon were on their way, and I was already calculating distances in my head from two vantage points Collins had spotted during recon in case I had to switch to my backup plan.
The doors on the elevator slid open, and I stepped out with Kendall’s hand in mine.
Then I froze.
I’d expected Neil and Tyler. Even Collins.
But they weren’t the only ones standing in front of my company vehicles.
Alex Vega, Jared Brandt, and Blaze Johnson, all men I served with in the Marines, stood in a circle talking with Tyler and Collins. Then there were the Black triplets, Jagger, Jacek and Jarek, listening to Neil as he pointed at a map spread across the hood of one of my armored Escalades as Dane and Talon stood by.
Eleven men.
All of them in tactical gear, all of them armed, and all of them here for me, for her.
“Dios mio,” I muttered.
“I thought you said you weren’t asking your employees for help,” Kendall whispered.
“These aren’t my employees.” I shook my head in disbelief. “They’re my friends.” I knew Tyler and Collins worked for me, but I hadn’t asked them to be here.
Dane stepped forward. His expression serious as fuck, he held his hand out to Kendall. “Dane Marek.”
Kendall shook his hand, looking equally as stunned as me. “That was you at the club last night.”
Dane nodded once and retreated.
Alex Vega stepped forward with a practiced smile for Kendall. “Alex Vega, nice to meet you, Kendall.” Despite his fatigues and rifle in one hand, his hair was model perfect and he was still wearing his signature expensive watch. I’d never hated his pretty boy act, because he was one of the smartest Marines I knew. He’d fought with intelligence and determination. But having him aim that smile at Kendall made me want to throat punch him.
“Same,” Kendall replied.
Vega looked at me, and his smile dropped. “Got your back, brother.”
I only valued four things before I met the woman standing at my side, God, familia, country, and my brothers. I’d protected the latter three with my life and counted on the man above to protect me. I didn’t do emotion, snipers didn’t get fucking emotional, but all I could give Vega in response was a nod because I couldn’t say a fucking thing past the lump in my throat.
Both hands holding his rifle, Jared Brandt walked toward us and tipped his chin at Kendall. “Jared.” His haunted gaze cut to me. “Talerco brought us in, but you should have. Christensen briefed us. We all have comms. Here.” He handed one to me and one to Kendall.
I forced a swallow, knowing what it meant for him to be standing here, armed and suited up. Out of all of us, Brandt had gotten it the worst downrange. He was lucky to be alive, but most days I wasn’t sure if he thought so. I didn’t fucking judge. I wouldn’t wish his injuries on anyone.
I put my comm in. Then, careful not to touch anywhere Brandt was scarred, I gripped the top of his shoulder. “Gracias.”
“Welcome,” he murmured, discreetly shrugging off my grasp.
I’d asked him more than once to work for me because he had a skill set I’d never seen. Brandt could infiltrate anything. Desserts, jungles, shit terrain, terrorist cells, Fort Knox, it didn’t fucking matter, he’d find a way in, around, over or across. Talon had nicknamed him Ghost because he was one. But after he’d been hit by an IED, he was more of one.
“How you doing?” I asked because I always asked, even though he never answered with any truth.
“Fine.” He tipped his chin toward Neil. “Christensen’s waiting for you.”
I nodded, but then I took a second to tuck Kendall’s hair behind her ear and helped her put her comm in. “Feel the small button on the bottom?”
Her finger lifted to her ear with a slight shake. She nodded.
“Turns it on and off. They’re all on the same frequency,” I warned. “We’ll all hear each other.” I kissed her once. “You okay?”
She nervously stared at my friends. “They all came to help?”
“Yep.” I smiled.
“But…” She sucked in a breath. “Don’t they know what River’s capable of? He could—”
“Chica, these men are the best.” I wasn’t exaggerating. The fucking relief I was feeling, not to mention the gratitude, was immeasurable. “It’s going to be fine. Come on.” My hand on her back, I led her toward the triplets first.
“Jesus,” Kendall whispered. “They look exactly alike.”
I half smiled. “Only till they open their mouths.” I held my hand out to Jacek, the serious brother. “Jacek.”
He didn’t smile, because he rarely did. “Talon called.” He shook my hand.
I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I still silently cursed Talon for going behind my back. “You know I wouldn’t have asked you to be here.” I had no guarantees today would be anything but dangerous.
“Just like I didn’t ask you for your help,” he countered.
“Point taken.” He’d never asked for my help. He’d hired Marek to solve his problems. I’d helped Marek, but then I’d kept an eye out for the triplets for a few weeks after Marek disappeared back into the shadows. Jacek had fed me a steady stream of client referrals ever since. “Today may not be in your wheelhouse.” I wasn’t insulting him. We both knew he wasn’t former military, only his brother Jarek had served. Jacek’s skillset was in a boardroom, building his and his brothers’ empire into a billion-dollar business. So far, he was fucking killing it.
Jagger and Jarek stepped up next to him. “Jagger and I are only firepower. Jarek’s lead. We’re covering your retreat.”
Jagger smiled wide at Kendall. “Are all the women at River Ranch as beautiful as you?”
“Watch it,” I warned, but I didn’t need to.
Kendall dished it out better than I ever could. “More beautiful than you think you are.”
Jagger laughed. “Point taken.”
I held back a smirk only because I wasn’t going to break my glare, then I turned to Jarek and held my fist up. “Didn’t know you were in town.”
His knuckles bumped mine. “Yesterday I wasn’t.” He didn’t explain. He nodded at his brothers. “Talon has us covering your retreat on the access road.”
Jesus, I hoped Talon hadn’t gotten his wish on the C4. “Only firepower?”
Jarek frowned. “Do I need more?”
As if he had a sixth sense, Talon walked up behind Jarek. “I still say we bring the C4.”
“No.” No fucking way. I wasn’t going to let today turn into a damn genocide.
Jarek glanced at Talon then me. “It’d save ammo.”
“See?” Talon dramatically mouthed an explosion sound as his hands spread wide.
Kendall recovered from her earlier shock of seeing all my friends and looked at Talon like he was out of his fucking head. “You have issues.”
“None that can’t be solved by a pretty woman.” Talon grinned. “Or explosives.”
Brandt walked past us carrying a large duffle. “No explosives.”
Talon dropped the smile as we shared a look. Then he shook his head as if clearing something he didn’t want to remember. I’d been there when he’d triaged Brandt, but I’d been far enough away not to see the carnage of the explosion up close.
Talon smiled again, but with less enthusiasm, and followed Brandt. “How ’bout grenade launchers. You got any of those in that duffle?”
I thanked the triplets and led Kendall toward Neil, Tyler, and Collins, but I stopped in front of Blaze to bro hug him. “Been awhile. How’s Layna?” Me, Blaze and Talon had all been in the same unit.
“She’s good.” Blaze was built like a brick shithouse and austere as fuck. He could’ve been Neil’s twin, if Neil and Blaze looked anything alike, or were born in the same country. But they did share the same lethal stare. Blaze used it to look down at Kendall. “Nice to see you again.”
She glanced at his arms. “You grow more muscles every time I see you.”
“You get more complicated,” he countered.
Kendall smirked. “Same old me. Tell Layna I said hi.”
Neil cut in. “We are ready.”
Tyler and Collins hefted bags loaded with ammo into the two armored SUVs, then we all stood in front of the map Neil had.
Neil glanced at the group. “Lead vehicle is Luna, Marek, and Stephens’s daughter. I will follow in the truck with Talerco. Tyler and Vega are in the second armored SUV behind the truck. Brandt and Collins go in first on perimeter while Tyler scopes the front gate. Vega stays with the vehicles. The triplets are on the access road, two klicks from the compound gate, covering our retreat. Johnson is on wide perimeter. Six vehicles, only three approaching the gate. Marek, Talerco and I will unload. Stephens’s daughter stays in the vehicle unless we have to produce her, then every position turns guard. Return fire only, no hostages, in and out. The triplets hold position until we all clear the property. Questions?”
I was already shaking my head. “Kendall shouldn’t be in the lead vehicle.” I wanted her as far away as possible from Stephens.
“It is what will be least expected.” Neil glanced at Brandt and Collins. “Head out.”
Hating that Neil was right, I pulled Kendall a few feet away and cupped her face. “You don’t have to do this. I’ll take care of Stephens and you can stay here.” I’d make it work, one way or another.
Her shoulders straight and proud, she didn’t even consider me. “I’m not afraid.”
I wanted to both shake her and kiss the fuck out of her. “I know you’re not, chica, but you’re safer here. Come on, don’t do this. You’ve got nothing to prove.” The second I said it, I realized it was the absolute wrong thing to say to her.
Her face twisted as she leaned back from me. “You think I’m doing this because I need to prove something?” Incredulous, her eyes narrowed. “Do I look like I give a fuck what anyone else thinks?”
Dios mio. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“I don’t know what you meant.” She spun.
I caught her arm. “Chica—”
“I don’t know what you meant because I don’t know you, and you clearly don’t know me.” She yanked her arm away and stalked toward the SUV Dane was getting into.
Neil and Talon got in the truck. The triplets got in a Range Rover. Tyler and Vega got in my second armored Escalade, and I stood there like the fucking idiot I was.
Blaze slapped me on the shoulder as I stared after Kendall.
I shook my head. “You see that shit?”
“Saw it, heard it, live it.”
“You’re not fucking helping.” A chorus of vehicle engines turned over in the underground parking of my building.
A rare smile hit his face. “No, I’m not. I’m just glad it’s not me on the receiving end today.”
Christ. “Me too.” He’d been through hell and back to get his woman.
Blaze glanced at me, and his expression sobered. “You wouldn’t love her if she didn’t push back.”
There was that word again. “For once, I’d like her to listen to what the fuck I say.”
Blaze’s smile returned. “Where’s the fun in that?” He walked toward his Yukon.