Chapter 2
Two days later…
Should I knock?
Quentin Zane stood in the doorway outside of Ellie’s room. She’d shown up on their doorstep, bruised and beaten a couple of days ago. They’d been working on a case, so there hadn’t been time to focus on Ellie or her injuries.
Since her brother, Thomas King, was in the hospital, recovering from a gunshot wound, Zane decided he’d be the one who stepped up and took care of Ellie.
Like it’s a sacrifice. You’ve been dreamin’ about gettin’ close to her again.
The only problem was, Zane was in love with her. Had been for a while now, and it hadn’t shown any signs of letting up. Only, he could never let himself go there, assuming Ellie wanted anything to do with him inthe first place.
He doubted Ellie knew how he felt about her. Mostly because he’d taken great pains to disguise his feelings.
For some reason, Zane got the sense that the door was a Pandora’s box of sorts. Once he opened it, nothing would ever be the same again.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Zane swung around to see Nox standing in the doorway, naked as a jaybird. He didn’t even bother to cover himself.
Logan Knoxville was a former Army Ranger and a sniper. Like the rest of them, he worked for Black Star security. His hair was coal black, and he had big blue eyes. The man also had a distinct lack of boundaries.
He strutted around naked, screwed random women while they screamed and called his name in earshot of everybody, and didn’t have an ounce of shame about any of it.
“Dammit.” Zane glanced at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I saw your fuckin’ dick. Again.” He shouldn’t know whether Nox had foreskin or not. He did.
And his junk was pierced. Ouch.
It must’ve hurt like hell. Although, given Nox’s kinky streak, the bastard had probably gotten off on the pain. Nox was into whips and chains, and God only knows what else.
Nox lifted a shoulder. “If you don’t like it, don’t look.”
“In case you forgot, we had a meetin’ about this.”
“No, y’all said I couldn’t be naked in the kitchen.” He grinned. “This ain’t the kitchen.”
Zane rolled his eyes. “No, we said no nudity in the common areas.”
He shrugged. “Whatever. Back to my earlier question. Why are you standin’ outside her door?”
“I’m not.”
He raised two incredulous brows.
Damn it. Why do I feel like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar?
“Okay, I am, technically, but…”
“But?”
“It’s none of your business,” Zane snapped.
Nox chuckled. “Who pissed in your oatmeal?”
“Fuck off.”
Nox cocked his head to one side, studying him with a curious expression. Then he glanced at the door, before going back to Zane.
A lead ball settled into his stomach.
“Holy shit.”
“What?”
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
“Lower your voice, she’ll hear you.” He winced. “And you don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
“Yeah, that was really convincin’.”
Zane glowered at him, hoping Nox would get bored and go away.
“Well, don’t just stand there, do something.” He made a shooing motion.
“Like what?”
Nox shrugged. “I don’t know jack shit about love. Serenade her. Write her a poem. Buy her some flowers.” He ticked the options off on his fingertips. “The point is, make a move instead of standing around like a stalker.” Nox smirked. “Or better yet, fuck her bow-legged. Yeah, that ought to do the trick.”
“Don’t you have someplace else to be?”
“No.”
“Get lost, Nox.”
“Yeah, yeah.” And then he turned around, padding down the hallway to the shower, buck naked.
And now, I got a ringside seat to his backside. Great.
Zane knocked on the door. This day’s just gettin’ better and better.
***
“What the hell do you think you’re doin’?”
“What does it look like?”
Ellie tossed a shirt into her duffel bag. She’d spent the past couple of days at Tommy’s place, running away from her problems, but it was time to go home and face the enormous crater she’d dug for herself.
Hmph. More like the firing squad.
Zane didn’t respond, just waited her out with a lethal dose of silence. She didn’t mean to be rude, but Ellie didn’t want to answer Zane’s questions.
He was one of Tommy’s friends and a member of Black Star Security. Before that, he’d been a SEAL. These Navy SEAL guys could suss out trouble from twenty paces. If she started talking, Zane would figure out she was up to something, and then she’d be screwed. It was tempting to tell one of them what had gone down, but she wouldn’t involve anybody else in her mess.
Besides, there had been a rift between her and Tommy ever since she started dating Dave. Tommy had never liked the man and hadn’t been shy about sharing his opinions. Ellie had stubbornly insisted Dave was a great guy, but it turns out Tommy was right.
“Come on, roomie.”
Ellie swallowed. It was his old nickname for her, and a flood of memories came back to her.
Before she’d taken up with Dave, she’d lived with Tommy and Zane for a while. They’d been close, until the incident at the beach, the one neither one of them brought up. And while Zane hadn’t commented on her relationship with Dave, she’d gotten the feeling he didn’t approve of the man either.
And now her former roommate stood in the doorway, with a fierce expression on his handsome face and she turned away, ignoring him. Or tried to. Zane was six feet tall with steely blue eyes, medium brown hair, and a sinewy, sculpted body.
He didn’t exactly blend in to the background.
This had been an opportune time to escape since the team was occupied with closing a case. And her brother was laid up in the hospital for a day or two. He’d saved Savannah Summers, a country music star who’d gotten death threats. Tommy had only been only too happy to protect her. He’d been obsessed with Savvy for years, and now they were dating, which was super weird, but Ellie would worry about that later.
Unfortunately, Ellie hadn’t counted on Zane ruining her plans. He always seemed to be around, watching her.
“Are you goin’ back to him?”
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” She walked into the bathroom and tossed her toiletries into another bag, eager to hit the road before Zane tattled on her.
Ellie had arrived here with nothing, but Tommy had brought her an overnight bag after he’d confronted Dave. And by confrontation, she meant a beatdown.
Tommy said he’d kicked the crap out of Dave. Ellie was torn about it. Part of her was pleased he’d given Dave a taste of his own medicine. The other was annoyed with both herself and Tommy. She was an adult now and shouldn’t go running to her big brother for protection.
Enough introspection. I’ve gotta hurry.
It wasn’t easy to move fast.
Ellie was stiff and sore from her injuries. When she glanced in the mirror, a battered woman stared back at her. Ellie wasn’t beautiful, but she was attractive under normal circumstances. She had blue eyes and reddish blond hair. Now, she had a black eye and a busted lip. Her cheeks were swollen, and red. Dave had been ruthless, holding her down, taking his anger out on her.
She couldn’t believe someone who’d proclaimed to love her, could be so cruel.
Zane gently grasped her hand, squeezing it.
Ellie startled, shrinking away, and Zane released her.
“Easy, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He spread his hands wide. “Please stop what you’re doin’ and talk to me.”
“I have to go.”
“If you do, Dave will kill you this time.”
Ellie didn’t doubt it. Frankly, she didn’t know why he’d left her alive in the first place, given what he and his friends had planned. But she didn’t have the luxury of walking away from Dave. Not after what she’d found out. Ellie had to tell somebody, stop this madness anyway she could.
“It’s not me I’m worried about.”
His brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Ellie swallowed. Should I say something? What if I end up gettin’ them all killed?
“Please tell me. I can’t help until you level with me.”
Ellie considered the enormity of the situation and how many lives were at risk. If something happened, she’d never forgive herself. Things had soured between them personally, but Zane was a decent human being, and he’d know how to deal with a situation like this.
“Ellie?” he prompted.
She couldn’t keep this secret anymore. Ellie was in over her head, and out of other options. Unless running away to Mexico was one of them.
It sounded like heaven right about now. She could spend her days on the beach in a resort town, sipping margaritas, and checking out hot tourists.
Surrender the fantasy. It’s more likely you’ll end up in San Quentin.
“Can I trust you?”
“Absolutely.”
“This isn’t about gettin’ back with Dave. And if I tell you, you can’t involve Tommy. He’s already hurt, and he’ll try to get involved anyway.” Her big brother was overprotective in the extreme, and he’d just been shot. Tommy needed some rest.
Yeah, and what’s the real reason you ain’t involvin’ him?
Shame. Ellie couldn’t even lie to herself anymore. I don’t want him to know how badly I screwed up.
“I promise. Hey, wait a minute. Does this mean you’re done with Dave?”
“We’re finished.” It wasn’t even a question. Their relationship couldn’t survive all of this. Strangely enough, Ellie’s emotions weren’t mixed about it. She was glad it was over.
“Yeah. That’s terrible news.”
“Then why are you smilin’?”
His features sobered. “No particular reason.”
“Zane…”
“Because you can do better. Because you are better. The man is nothin’ compared to you.”
This was Zane’s biggest problem.
He reminded her of the Katy Perry song, Hot N Cold. When it came to her, he couldn’t make up his freaking mind. One day, he was all over Ellie. The next, he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. It was schizophrenic, and she wouldn’t allow herself to get sucked in this time.
“Not that I’m defendin’ Dave, but you don’t even know him.”
“I know he hit you,” Zane said quietly. “I also know you’re upset and you need to heal.”
Yeah, he had that right. She ducked her head.
She’d seen the anger on his face when he’d taken in her injuries. Although she wasn’t sure why he’d gotten so worked up. Maybe it was because she was Tommy’s little sister. Therefore, she was one of the gang.
“And I’m not talking about the wounds on the outside. Those are gonna take a long time.”
“You almost sound like you’re speakin’ from experience.”
“Maybe I am.” He cleared his throat. “Now spill it.”
And that’s when she had a revelation about him. Zane never talked about his past. He kept things light, on the surface. He didn’t offer up many details about his history.
“I think Dave’s gonna hurt some people.”
“What exactly are you saying?”
“He might be buildin’ a bomb, Zane, and he’s gonna use it.”
“What the fuck…?” Zane blinked.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, back up. I’m missin’ somethin’ here.”
Ellie gave him an abbreviated version of events about the keycard and Dave’s reaction. She also told Zane about the company he’d been keeping, and their extreme views. And she mentioned Anubis, but Ellie had been deliberately vague, only saying it was a dangerous chemical, which was the truth.
“Wait a minute. You’re sayin’ he’s one of those sovereign citizen guys?”
Since Dave had taken up with Marshall and his crew, she’d done some internet research. The sovereign movement was a growing subculture in the country. They believed the government has no authority over them, and they weren’t subject to laws, like paying taxes.
“Yeah. He’s always had anti-government leanings, but he’s gone off the deep end.” She’d love to blame this all on Marshall, but Dave knew better. Evidently, he just didn’t care anymore.
Until the other day, she assumed he’d never lay a hand on her. Ellie had been wrong. What else had she missed?
“And when you confronted him, he attacked you?”
“Yes.”
There was no other way to characterize what he’d done. And she’d been trying to rationalize it, make sense of it, but Ellie couldn’t.
“Have you gone to the police? The FBI?”
“No.” She glanced away.
And the guilt ate at her. When she’d picked herself up off the floor, Ellie should’ve gone straight to the police and told them everything, but she’d been too afraid. What if the FBI thought she was a terrorist? She had visions of being taken to a black site somewhere.
Although living with the fear of what they might do, was even worse in a way. At least if she came clean, her conscience would be clear.
“Because he got the key from you?” Zane asked gently.
“Yeah. Technically, I’m an accessory, but I didn’t have a hand in this, Zane. You’ve gotta believe me.”
“I do.” He nodded. “This ain’t on you. You had no idea what he was gonna do, or even that he’d taken it.”
“Somehow, I doubt the FBI will see it that way. They’ve probably pieced it together by now.”
His brows darted into his hairline. “Give me your phone.” He held out his hand expectantly.
“What? Why?”
“Don’t ask questions. Give it.”
She pulled it out of her pocket and slapped it in his palm.
He checked the phone and sighed, clearly relieved. “Has it been off this whole time?”
“Why?”
“Just tell me, roomie. It’s important.”
“No, my battery died, and I didn’t bring my charger.”
“Good.” After pulling out the battery, and the SIM card, he smashed it to smithereens.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Sure, it hadn’t been a fancy phone, but it was all Ellie had.
“The feds might be trying to track you. A cell phone is like carryin’ around a homing beacon.”
Right. They could ping the nearest tower and find her.
“Oh.”
I’m an idiot. I didn’t even think about it. And they would have caught up with her, if not for dumb luck. This is why Ellie needed help. She didn’t have a clue what she was doing.
“So, can we go now? I wanna stop him before he does somethin’ terrible.”
Maybe she could talk him out of this. If they both went to the FBI and told them everything, perhaps they'd be lenient. Their relationship was over, but she didn’t want Dave to rot in jail. Or worse, end up with a needle in his arm.
Besides, she just knew Marshall was the leader of the group. His views were the most extreme. He had to be behind this.
“In a minute. I’m still tryin’ to wrap my head around this. Why do you think he’s buildin’ a bomb?”
“In order to disperse a chemical, you would need a delivery system for maximum damage. All those guys have military training, and Marshall used to work with IEDs in Afghanistan.”
Improvised Explosive Devices were a real problem for the military. Terrorists used them to injure or kill a lot of soldiers all at one time.
“Are you sure?”
“Let’s put it this way, I’m ninety-nine percent sure.” There was still a small glimmer of hope. “My intuition has been screamin’ at me the past couple of days.”
“Okay then. I’ll help you find him.”
Ellie went to the window, opened it, and then dropped her duffel bag onto the ground below. Tommy and his buddies lived in a rustic red and white barn, which had been converted into a house and headquarters, or HQ as Tommy called it.
It sat atop a brick foundation on the edge of a hill, surrounded by a couple of lush acres. There were large windows on the front of the structure. It was encircled by a brick patio with a large fire pit.
There weren’t any trees in the front yard to hide behind. So, there was no way to sneak out of this place, without someone noticing. The backyard was another story since it had a lot of foliage obscuring the view.
“What are you doin’?”
“I can’t walk past your friends with a bag on my shoulder. They’ll tell Tommy, and I won’t make it over the county line.” She placed a hand on her hip. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
Zane sighed. “You’re not. Come on, let’s go.”
Together they walked downstairs, all casual like. The place was quiet until they passed the kitchen.
“Where are you two going?”
Mack was seated at the table, eating a bowl of shredded wheat. Tommy had introduced her to the whole gang earlier. Mackenzie Pierce was thirty-one years old with curly red hair, a snub nose, and wide-spaced blue eyes. A light dusting of freckles dotted her face.
Mack was a strange name for a woman who was only an inch or two over five feet tall, but it suited her. For what she lacked in height, she made up for in attitude, or so Ellie had been told. And she was inclined to believe the hype. Ellie had a feeling Mack could give Tommy a run for his money when it came to getting her way.
“None of your damn business,” Zane said.
“Walmart,” Ellie said.
They’d spoken simultaneously.
Ellie winced.
It was an amateur mistake. As a teenager, she’d been an expert at sneaking out of the house. Believable lies were the most crucial aspect. They should’ve coordinated a story before heading downstairs.
Mack raised doubtful eyebrows.
“They’re probably gonna sneak off to have sex,” Nox said, around a mouthful of cereal.
Zane coughed and looked away. And she must be blushing because Ellie’s cheeks burned.
“What?” Nox shrugged. “I noticed a vibe.”
A vibe? What was he talking about? They were friendly, nothing more. These days anyway. Zane had made himself abundantly clear. He only wanted her friendship.
“So, where are you really going?” Mack asked.
“Out,” Zane said.
“You’re going to see Dave, aren’t you?”
Mack had somehow seen through them. And then Ellie remembered Tommy had told her Mack had a background in psychology and used to work for the feds. She’d also been a member of their hostage rescue team. So, she could probably spot a lie at twenty paces.
Zane started to speak, but Ellie interrupted him.
“You won’t tell Tommy?”
She mulled it over for a minute. “I won’t lie to him if he asks me, but I won’t volunteer the information either.”
It was enough for Ellie. All she needed was a head start. With any luck, her brother would be too preoccupied to notice.
“Come on, Ellie, we should go,” Zane said, backing toward the door.
Mack stood. “Hold up, Nox is coming with you.”
“The hell I am.” Nox scowled.
“They need you, even if they don’t realize it.” Mack patted his arm.
“He’s a big boy, and he don’t need a babysitter.” Nox nodded to Zane.
“Yeah, what he said.” Zane kept on walking.
“But he might need back up.”
Ellie groaned. She’d like to keep this quiet, but Mack might be right. Who knows what they were walking into? What if Marshall and the crew was there?
Nox pinched the area between his eyebrows. “You’re gonna bug me about this until I say yes, aren’t you, Mack?”
“Pretty much.” Mack grinned. “Bon voyage.”
He huffed. “Fine.”
“If you’re comin’, get a move on. We don’t have a lot of time.” Ellie was anxious to get back to the apartment. She was beginning to think, she shouldn’t have left. What if it was too late to talk some sense into Dave?
Nox winked. “Don’t you worry, darlin’. I’m former military. I could be ready to go to the moon in ten minutes.” He bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
And he was true to his word.
Fifteen minutes later, they were on the road.
***
When they pulled up outside the apartment building, it was quiet.
It was early in the morning, and most folks were at work. Although, there was a nondescript SUV near the office door. She was about to hop out of the Jeep when Zane locked all the doors.
“Hey, what gives?” She slammed a palm against the glass.
“Wait for it.” He nodded to the office.
Just then, two men in dark blue suits headed out the door. They had short-cropped hair, gleaming shoes, which must’ve been freshly polished. They looked official, determined.
“Are those…?”
“FBI agents? Yeah,” Zane said grimly. “G-Men are easy to spot.”
She sank down in the backseat, putting her head in her hands. They must be after her, or Dave.
“Oh my God, the feds are involved. This is actually happening.” She blew out a breath. “They’re gonna take me to GITMO, lock me in a cell, and throw away the key.”
This whole thing was bonkers, like a nightmare come to life.
“Naw, domestic terrorists go to supermax. Worst case scenario, they’ll just execute you,” Nox said.
Her stomach clenched. On the way over, Zane had given Nox the basics, so he knew what he was walking into.
“You’re not helpin’,” Zane bit out.
“Wasn’t tryin’ to.”
Zane punched Nox in the arm.
And Nox hit him back.
“Stop it,” she hissed.
“We’ll settle it later.” Nox shook his head. “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re screwed, darlin’.”
“Yeah, I figured that out.”
The agents drove off, but the boys didn’t get out of the car. Instead, they scanned the parking lot. Ellie waited anxiously.
“What are you looking for?” she whispered, as though the agents could hear her for some reason.
“They didn’t just bug out. I’m guessin’ they left someone behind watchin’ the place.”
Sure enough, they spotted another suity agent in the corner of the lot, eating a sandwich and observing her door like a hawk scoping out a mouse.
Something else occurred to her.
“Dave isn’t here, is he?”
“Nope,” Nox said. “The feds would be sweatin’ him in a room, instead of spyin’ on his place.”
“I’m guessin’ he high tailed it out of here after you and King gave him a beat down,” Zane said to Nox.
She hadn’t had a chance to explain herself, or the situation before King had taken off with his posse. Truthfully, she was out of it that night.
“That tracks.” Nox grunted. He looked all kinds of worried whenever we rolled up. Evidently, it was the feds he was concerned about.”
“We should still check out the apartment, in case he left anythin’ behind.” Zane turned in the seat to face her. “Is there a back entrance?”
“Yeah, there’s a freight elevator people use to move in. It’s in the rear corner of the building.”
“Then we’ll park around the block and sneak upstairs.”
“He’ll see you when you walk in the front door.” Since her apartment faced the pool, they’d have to take a stroll right in front of the agent’s car.
Zane grinned. “Not if I come in through the back window.”
He pulled out of the parking lot, slow and cautiously like they had nothing to worry about. She sucked in a breath as they passed by the FBI agent’s car, still crouching low in the seat.
Thankfully, he didn’t follow them.
After Zane had removed the license plate from their vehicle in case the FBI “got nosy” they headed upstairs. They stepped out of the freight elevator, and Zane broke into her apartment through the bedroom window by putting his elbow through the window pane and muffling the sound with a jacket.
If she weren’t worried about a terrorist attack or going to jail, she would have been concerned about her personal safety. Evidently, she’d been an easy target for a thief.
“How’d you learn to do that?”
His smile was smug. “We usually kick down doors, but occasionally a mission calls for stealth. It’s hard to keep me out of a place.”
Unfortunately, they’d broken in for nothing. They’d divided up the apartment to search it, but all of Dave’s stuff was gone.
In the closet, her clothes hung in one half, and his side was barren. When she went to the bathroom, his personal hygiene products were gone—razors, shaving cream, deodorant, everything.
Dave hadn’t left anything behind. Except for her.
Once again, Ellie waited for a rush of emotion, sadness or anger. Instead, she felt nothing, just emptiness.
Dave, what have you gotten yourself into?
Then she heard strange noises coming from the living room. When she headed in, Ellie noticed the furniture had been rearranged. The apartment had come with the basics, including a couch, and a coffee table. And the guys had moved everything around.
Zane and Nox were speaking to one another in low, urgent tones. They stopped once they saw her.
“So, you decided to give this place a makeover?”
“No, we were lookin’ for evidence. Any idea what this is?” Nox toed a square of carpet against the wall. It looked as though someone had cut into it with a box cutter.
“No.” She’d never noticed it before. “That’s where the couch used to be.”
“Evidently, Dave had somethin’ to hide.” Nox knelt beside it. “What do you say, Zane? Should we open her up?”
“Have at it but be careful.” Zane herded her towards the door and placed his body between her and the hidey hole, which was infuriating.
“Get out of my way. I wanna see what’s in there.”
“Not until I’m sure it’s safe.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s probably—”
When Nox flipped up the carpet and opened the panel underneath, something made a distinct clicking sound.
And then things happened in slow motion, like a movie, or a dream.
“Go!” Nox shouted, running for the door.
Zane scooped Ellie up like a sack of flour and tossed her over his shoulder. He ran with her onto the balcony. There was a flash and then a big ball of fire in her living room.
It surged toward them, and all she could do was point in horror.
Before Ellie could say anything, Zane jumped over the railing into the swimming pool. Nox was right behind them. They plunged into the water as the fire billowed over their heads, venting harmlessly into the air.
She floated up to the surface.
Ellie coughed and sputtered, unable to believe her own eyes. Before Ellie could make sense of it all, Zane grabbed her by the shirt collar and yanked her to the side of the pool.
Nox had already gotten out and was running for the Jeep. Once again, Zane lobbed her over his shoulder and took off running. Meanwhile, the FBI agent stopped gawking at the massive fireball and got out of his vehicle.
“Freeze! FBI!” He pulled his weapon.
Lickety-split, Nox shot out his tires, and then he laid down cover fire for them while Zane ran with her. He tossed her in the backseat, and Zane started up the Jeep. He pulled away from the curb on screeching tires, and they found Nox halfway down the street, running like a marathoner. Zane slowed down, threw open the passenger door, and Nox hopped in.
The FBI agent was jogging behind them, shooting, swearing. Zane floored the Jeep, and they took off.
Ellie couldn’t believe what she’d just witnessed.
Her life had literally gone up in flames.