August
“Where are they?” I ask as I burst into the front door of Jameson Force Security.
Rachel meets me, knowing full well I’m in “charge forcefully in, ask questions later” mode.
Rachel Wright is first in command at the Vegas office of Jameson, a position she ascended to when our owner, Kynan McGrath, moved the official headquarters to Pittsburgh. I’d involved her as soon as I’d gotten off the phone with Leighton.
Still not sure my pulse has returned to normal from her phone call. Fuck, from her very first words, my body had reacted because I could hear not only the fear in her voice, but also the resignation that her life was once again forced into a different direction.
“August… they’re here and they spotted us.”
I’d known exactly what she’d meant. Hadn’t needed clarification. Hadn’t questioned if she’d perhaps been mistaken. I’d taken a deep breath while willing my voice to be calm and reassuring.
“What happened?” I’d asked.
“We were just walking through the Grande Casino, and my dad spotted them. Two guys he recognized. They were playing blackjack.”
“Did they see you?”
“Yes,” she exhaled.
“Did they seem shocked?” I pressed.
“Yes,” she exclaimed. “As a matter of fact, yes… I remember one guy seemed surprised, but then Dad was dragging me off and we were running.”
“That’s good,” I reassure her. “That means this was just bad fucking luck… coincidental. Where are you now?”
“Um… we just passed the Golden Nugget. We didn’t want to go near your house, so we’re just circling around.”
“Is anyone following you?”
“I don’t think so,” she replied shakily before asking her dad, “See anything?”
At that point, I’d assumed Mike was driving, and I’d been grateful for it. The quaver in Leighton’s voice sounded like she was on the verge of losing it.
“I want you to head straight for my office,” I’d instructed. “I’m texting you the address now. You’re not far from there. Some of my teammates will be outside waiting for you. Don’t worry about parking. Just pull up on the street, get out of the car, and head in. They’ll handle everything else.”
“Oh, God,” she’d moaned, and I’d known she was playing out what that scenario might look like. If they were being followed, would there be a mad dash indoors through a hail of bullets as the mobsters drove by?
I’d sure as fuck prayed not, but we’d be ready.
“I’m heading out now,” I told her. “I’ll meet you at Jameson.”
“No,” she’d screeched. “Don’t leave Sam. You need to get him out of here. Now. Take him and run.”
“Leighton,” I’d murmured, lowering my voice to a gentle hum to try to bring her down. “You said they’re not following you, right? They were surprised to see you. It doesn’t sound like they know your identities. I believe Sam is probably safest at my house, but I’m going to have some guys come over and stay here with him, okay? Just until we can sort this out and come up with a game plan.”
She hadn’t been convinced. I could hear it in her voice—she didn’t have an ounce of trust in what I’d told her. At that moment, fear and the need to run had taken over her, but fuck if I’d let that happen until I was absolutely sure there was a monster to run from.
Rachel moves closer, arms crossing over her chest. I want to blow by her, find Leighton, and… what?
Christ… I just want to hug her. Promise to protect her. To never let anything happen to her, Sam, or Mike. My immediate need right now isn’t to solve this dilemma—it’s just to embrace her.
I force myself to settle, plant my feet, and give Rachel my attention.
“I called Kynan. He has somebody at DOJ checking into this. We’ll be hearing something back soon, I hope. Until then, it doesn’t appear they were followed here, but there’s always the possibility those men made Leighton’s car.”
“It’s registered to their address in Denver,” I muse. “But it’s easy enough to take that address and learn Mike’s new name.”
She nods somberly. “If that’s the case, then their covers could be completely compromised.”
“Which would include Sam’s,” I sat, following through to that conclusion.
“Well, we won’t know for sure until the DOJ can listen in on the phones they have tapped and talk to some informants. Could be a few days.”
I shrug, considering best and worst-case scenarios. Worst is they manage to figure out Mike’s real identity and have the means to track his credit card purchases. It could potentially put them close to my house if he’d bought something near my neighborhood. Still, there’s nothing putting him specifically at my house. Nothing they could dig up quickly that could tie me to the family.
“Fuck,” I mutter, scrubbing a hand along my jaw in irritation. It was bad enough Leighton and I seem to be at a crossroads, and now… we may actually be forced to go in opposite directions.
“Where are they?” I ask again.
She gestures over her shoulder. “Conference room three.”
I find Leighton and her dad sitting beside each other, heads bent in close and holding hands. I can’t imagine what they’re feeling now, but if it’s anything close to what they were feeling when they first had to flee a decade ago, I bet they’re hatching plans.
Despite my desire to put a stop to that right now—any thought of a scenario that would take Leighton and Sam from me—I give in to a deep emotional need right now.
I move around the conference room table, Leighton following my progress as I advance toward her. Putting my hand to her arm, I pull her up out of the chair, breaking her contact with her father.
Then I yank her into me, so she’s pressed into my chest, and band my arms around her. She goes taut, momentarily doesn’t react, and then… yeah, right there… she melts and actually snuggles into me.
Not for long, though. She gives in just briefly before she’s pulling away. A quick peek at Mike tells me I’ve shocked him with my spontaneous act of affection toward his daughter.
Leighton sinks down in her chair, immediately worrying at her lip with her teeth. “Sam’s okay?” she asks.
I nod. “Got two men there on the outside, armed and watching. My parents are keeping him entertained. He has no clue what’s going on.”
Leighton sighs with relief, but then asks the tough question. “What are we going to do?”
Seizing on the opportunity to put the situation into perspective, I let my gaze move between Leighton and Mike. “We don’t know if this is anything to worry about just yet.”
“They’re here,” Mike growls, rising slightly in his seat. “They know I’m in Vegas. By this time tomorrow, there will be dozens of their men combing this city.”
“Which is why you won’t be galivanting around it,” I reply, giving him a pointed look. “But you’re safe here. I believe you’re going to be safe at my house as well. There’s nothing tying us together.”
Well, there is, but I don’t want to worry them. Hypothetically, I suppose a determined mob family hell-bent on revenge could hire the best investigator out there. If they were able to make Leighton’s car and get her license plate number, they’d track her to Denver. They’d find out about Mike. When they talked to neighbors, they’d ultimately learn about Sam.
That he has cancer and the family went to Vegas for treatment. Some deep digging might turn up people who—for the right amount of money—would give up my name as being the father who came to the hospital every damn day.
It’s conceivable they could find me. Not something that will happen today, but it could eventually.
“Let’s see what Kynan’s contacts at DOJ have to say,” I reassure them. “We’ve got a guy in the Pittsburgh office who can even run risk assessments once we get the information in.”
Mike gives a stiff nod as Leighton’s bleary-eyed gaze moves out the window. When the door opens, Rachel comes in carrying a laptop. “I have some good news.”
Leighton and Mike sit straight in their chairs. Rachel puts the laptop before them, and I move up behind her to see what she has.
“The security office at the Grande Casino sent us over the relevant camera feeds,” she says over her shoulder. “Got a friend of a friend who works there.”
She leans over, taps a few buttons on the keyboard, and a black-and-white video pops up. It’s grainy, but I can clearly see Mike and Leighton walking through the casino, their arms hooked. The camera is pointed on their back and facing a blackjack table as they approach it.
We quietly watch it unfurl. The men are clearly surprised to see Mike, who moves with incredible speed to pull Leighton away. Both men jump up from the table to give chase. Mike quite brilliantly cuts to the right, maneuvering through slot machines, and then we lose sight of them.
Rachel taps another button. A feed comes up. “This is Mike and Leighton leaving the casino. Those men don’t follow them out the door.”
Once again, she hits another key, so yet another feed pops up. “The outside street view camera.”
We watch as Mike and Leighton hurry across the street, then disappear into the parking garage. We wait for several moments before the men finally fly out the door, both running a few paces in opposite directions. Both scan all around, clearly frustrated not to have caught up with their prey.
They come together, talking animatedly with waving hands. One of the men pulls out a cell phone and calls someone, presumably to report their sighting. Then they both return to the casino.
“The exit for the parking garage is on a different street,” Mike says. “It would appear they didn’t get our license plate.”
“Appears that way,” Rachel says with a smile. “Doesn’t mean they’re not coming to Vegas to search for you, but, at least for now, it doesn’t look like they’re going to get your current identity.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Leighton says, a tinge of hysteria in her voice. “We can’t take any chances. We need to leave. Figure out a way to get new identities.”
Frantically, she implores me. “Surely you have some contacts, right? Even black market. We’ll do whatever it takes.”
I hold my hands up, trying to calm her with my tone. “Not so fast, Leighton. We don’t even know how serious they are about pursuing y’all. It’s been a long time, and it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. They may not dedicate the resources.”
“But they may send an army,” she counters.
“Regardless,” I soothe. “For the time being, I think you’re still very safe at my house. I won’t ever let anything happen to you, Sam, or Mike. Let’s just head to my place. When we hear from the DOJ, we can further assess the situation.”
Leighton and Mike exchange a look. Thankfully, Mike seems to be the more trusting of the two. He merely nods, indicating it’s fine for a short-term plan.