Ace parked his truck in Carley’s driveway and grinned. This was going to be fun. Nothing like a good old–fashioned ambush to start the day off right.
He climbed down from the driver’s seat and left the safety of his vehicle, careful not to slam the door. No sense alerting her to his presence; the element of surprise was the best thing he had going for him.
He took a quick moment to glance over his shoulder and analyze the perimeter to assure he hadn’t been followed. His observation told him the neighborhood was still quiet in the mid–morning hour and his presence made absolutely no difference to anyone. Except the female he was about to encounter.
With another smirk, he finally made his way toward a set of steps that led to a massive red door. He shook his head. No doubt about where to enter the house. Once he maneuvered the stairs, he stood outside the door and raised his hand to knock just as the barrier flew open.
Instinct caused him to reach for the weapon tucked in his back waistband.
“What are you doing here?”
Carley stood in the doorway, a frown covering her beautiful, porcelain face and her arms crossed tightly beneath her breasts. So tightly that those perfect mounds of flesh almost distracted him. Almost.
“Gee–jus, Carley!” He grasped her elbow, pushed her inside, and then shut the door. “Don’t ever come at me like that!”
“What on Earth are you talking about? You’re the one who showed up unannounced on my porch.”
He drew several deep breaths in an attempt to regulate his pounding heartbeat and then reeled in his temper. In this case, he did owe her an explanation.
“You’re right. I didn’t call first because I wanted to catch you off guard.”
“Well you did,” she mumbled. “But why?”
“Maybe you’d better sit down.”
His suggestion only caused her deep blue eyes to narrow. “Why, Ace?”
“Someone left a bomb on Kat’s doorstep last night.”
“Oh.” Immediately, her gaze cleared of anger. “Is she okay?”
He nodded.
“And Chaos?”
Another nod.
“Thank God!” She unfolded her arms and rubbed one hand across her forehead. “Who?”
“We don’t know. We’re assuming our perp is responsible but we still can’t confirm the identity.”
He didn’t miss the slight tremble in her hand as she moved it from her face. “Thank you for coming over here to let me know.”
“You’re welcome. But that’s not why I’m here.”
“There’s more?”
“No. I’ve told you everything we know. I came to take you to see Kat.”
“Where is she?”
“Chaos took her to his house. We’re scheduled to brief so he thought she might want some company.”
“Of course.” She reached for her purse on a nearby table. “But I can drive.”
“No. We have no idea what he’ll do next and it’s better if he doesn’t realize what company she keeps.”
He braced himself for an argument, irritated but prepared. Carley was every bit as independent as Kat and he knew she wouldn’t give in easily. Not to mention that her red halter top that allowed him a peek at the tanned skin of her abdomen, and white hip–hugging shorts threatened to make him scream uncle. He waited impatiently, his nerves ticking beneath his skin. It was just a ride, for Pete’s sake, but it wasn’t worth her life to allow her to drive alone.
“Fine.” She released a hard breath. “I’ll ride with you.”
Insanely thankful she hadn’t pushed the issue, he glanced at the wall beside the door and frowned. “Do you have a security system?”
“No,” she said as she stepped around him and opened the door. “Just a lock and key.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, Ace. I lock my house with a key. I have a steel door, a deadbolt and a lock in the knob. That’s it.”
“That’s got to change.”
“We’ll see.”
She gave him a smile as she pressed the button beside the knob and then exited and waited for him to follow. Still not convinced the home was secure, he closed the door behind them, held out his hand, and gestured with one finger at his palm.
“Key.”
She reached into her purse and then handed him a keychain that held several keys with multicolored caps. “Green.”
He slid the key into the deadbolt, satisfied when he heard the expected click, and then buried the whole keychain into his left front pocket.
“I’ll need my keys.”
He nodded as he grasped her elbow and steered her to his truck. “I’ll return them when I bring you home.”
“What if I want them now?”
He stopped at the passenger’s door and grinned. “It just might be worth it watching you try to dig them out of my pocket.”
Carley rolled her eyes as Ace opened the door and she climbed inside. He knew darn well she wouldn’t raid his pocket for those keys – not that she wasn’t sorely tempted. And really, it wasn’t entirely disappointing that he kept them only to keep her safe.
She settled into the cool, leather seat and watched him walk around the truck and enter the opposite side. Dressed in nicely–snug jeans and a navy blue t–shirt that hugged his biceps like a second skin, Ace tempted her like the devil. His short, brown hair lay tousled over his head, making her fingers itch to play there. And although his green eyes were not focused on her at the moment, she knew there was a distinct, mischievous sparkle in the depths.
She squeezed her legs together in an effort to comfort the ache that was now becoming delightfully familiar and decided that conversation might distract her.
“Do Liv and Sophie know about the incident?”
“Yes.” He started the engine and then backed out of the driveway. “Rebel dropped them off when he headed to the office.”
“I’m concerned, Ace. What if this guy manages to stay hidden?”
“He won’t.” His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, an act that told her he was fiercely determined to find the creep.
“Maybe I can convince her to go away until this is all over.”
“That would be ideal.” He turned a corner onto the street she recognized as one that led to Kat’s house and the turned onto a side street. “But we haven’t been able to convince her.”
“I thought you said Chaos took her to his house.”
“He did. They don’t live far apart.”
“Is he on the beach, as well?”
“No.” He stopped at a stop sign and then continued to follow the winding road. “Have you noticed anyone different around the spa?”
She shook her head. “Kat closes completely when we’re there. Even the employees don’t hang around. In fact, the only oddball I’ve ever seen there is Steven.”
“Who?”
“Steven Hawthorne. He drops in occasionally to drop off paperwork for the charity.”
“And that’s odd?”
“Well, he doesn’t strike me as the spa type. He’s never scheduled an appointment as far as I know and he’s usually in a hurry to leave.”
“Do you think he holds a grudge?”
“Against Kat? I don’t know why he would. They seem to get along fine.”
“Is he jealous of her position on the board?”
“You’d have to ask Kat. She knows him better than I do, but it doesn’t appear like that to me.”
He finally slowed, steered into a driveway, and parked. “We’ll figure out who’s behind this, I promise. Sit tight until I come around.”
He left the truck, walked around, and then opened her door. She took his offered hand and then stepped down, comforted that he and the other men of Alpha Four stood united to protect Kat.
“Thanks, Ace,” she said as they walked to the front door. “I just hope you find him soon.”
As soon as her friend entered the living room, Kat took one look at Carley and grinned. Look who finally decided to take a leap of faith. She left the sofa and met her friend with a hug.
“Thanks for coming, Carley.” She gave the other woman a quick squeeze and then stepped back. “Hi, Ace. Chaos is in the kitchen.”
Ace nodded and left the room.
“I wouldn’t leave you to face this alone,” Carley told her. “How are you?”
Kat locked elbows with her friend and led her back to the sitting area where Sophie and Liv were already seated. “Shaken, but okay. My house is a disaster.”
“James is taking care of it,” Sophie said from the far end of the sofa.
“Good. Your house is the least of your worries.” Carley raised an eyebrow. “What’s Chaos doing in the kitchen?”
“Corking the wine,” Liv drawled.
“Seriously?”
“Yes.” Kat grinned. “And he made a platter of cheese and crackers.”
“What a man!” Carley sat on the sofa next to Sophie.
“He is,” Kat agreed. “He most certainly is.”
Liv raised an eyebrow, opened her mouth to speak, and then abruptly closed it. Kat turned to look in the direction of her friend’s gaze and then immediately understood.
“We’re heading out.” Chaos smirked. “I’m leaving the house in your care.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of it.”
He stepped to the back of the sofa, lifted her hand to his lips, and placed a soft kiss to her knuckles. “The wine frig is stocked. Have fun.”
She sat mesmerized by his tenderness as he placed her hand back on the pillows and then left the house with Ace behind him. She turned back to the group to see all three women just as hypnotized as she.
Sophie finally broke the spell as she stood and headed toward the kitchen. “I’ll get the wine and cheese.”
“It’s so clean,” Carley mumbled.
Liv giggled. “I know, huh? I feel like this house is cut out of a magazine.”
“It gets better.” Kat smirked. “He doesn’t have a housekeeper.”
“Here we go, girls.” Sophie entered with four wine glasses and a bottle of wine and set them on the table in front of the sofa. “I’ll have to go back for the other tray. It’s huge.”
“Thanks, Soph.” Kat poured wine in each glass and then set each on a coaster just as Sophie returned with the cheese tray and set it in the middle of the table.
“Now that we’re alone, I want details.” As usual, Carley didn’t waste time with pleasant conversation as she took a glass and tipped it against her lips.
Kat paused for several seconds, just to add dramatic effect to what she was about to say.
“I love him.”
Sophie’s eye widened. Carley coughed and quickly returned her glass to the table. Liv simply smiled and whacked Carley on the back.
“About time you confessed,” Liv told her as she handed Carley a napkin.
“Yeah well, it’s complicated.”
“Does he know?” Carley croaked.
“That’s the complicated part.” She sighed. “I know he has feelings for me, but he’s fighting some sort of deep, dark demon to express them.”
“Uh, Kat.” Sophie ran her finger around the rim of her glass. “The look in that man’s eyes before he left you today was pure love.”
Liv nodded. “I agree. He very obviously did not want to leave you.”
“I see it,” she agreed, “but something holds him back.”
“Have you asked him about his feelings?”
“Sort of. We had an argument and his only explanation was that we couldn’t have a relationship because he’s protecting me.”
Carley snorted. “I don’t buy it.”
“Me either, but he’s extremely tight–lipped.” She released a hard sigh. “Maybe he’s right.”
Sophie frowned. “Huh?”
“Maybe I have a bad case of bodyguard fever,” she mumbled.
Carley burst out laughing. “No way, Kat. The fact that you love that man is written all over your face. He just needs time to come to the same conclusion.”
“You think?”
“Of course.” Her friend shrugged. “And if not, he’s got two extremely hot, single friends.”
“Two?”
“Yeah, two, one of which questioned me on the way over about Steven Hawthorne.”
“Really?” Kat frowned. “Why?”
“He seems to think he might be jealous of your position on the charity board.”
“I don’t think so. In fact, he showed up at the house last night.”
Liv sat forward. “Why?”
“He said he saw the flashing lights and came to make sure I was okay.”
“How did he see the lights?”
“His office isn’t far. The police cars and fire trucks would’ve driven by there to get to my house.”
Sophie shrugged. “Maybe he was concerned.”
“He’s harmless.” Kat sat back against the sofa pillows. “Besides, he’s had ample time to get to me before Chaos came along.”
Silence creeped through the conversation as if no one wanted to pursue the topic of murder. She, for one, did not. Thankfully, one of them redirected the subject.
Carley gently sloshed her wine against the sides of her glass. “Mr. Perfect really doesn’t have a housekeeper?”
“No.” Kat grinned again, which was quickly becoming a habit when she thought of him. “And, he’s an amazing cook.”
Sophie smiled with a twinkle in her eye. “Question is, does he cook without wearing his shirt?”
“If he does, I haven’t had the chance to see him.”
“Too bad,” Liv mumbled against the rim of her glass.
Sophie lifted her glass, swallowed, and then set the empty vessel on the table. “Give it time. Once you’re safe and sound there will be no reason not to explore your feelings.”
“You are exactly right, Soph.” Kat grinned. “And I intend to take every possible opportunity to do so.”
***
Seated at a long oak table, Chaos glanced around the Alpha Four conference room, decked out with state–of–the–art electronics that allowed them to remain ahead of the bad guys.
Most of the time.
Rebel was an expert tracker, both on foot and behind the computer, which usually gave them the upper hand on a mission. The current perp, however, appeared to be a little more tech savvy than their usual target.
For at least the third time since he and Ace left his house, he second–guessed his decision to leave Kat. It wasn’t that he left her unprotected, he knew for a fact they were safe – the place was a fortress and if any one of them made a move to leave, he would know. He missed her and as badly as he hated to give in to that feeling, he had no choice. The fight just wasn’t in him anymore.
He loved her.
He loved her and he’d almost lost her last night without ever telling her. Damn the past, damn his reservations, and damn the consequences.
“What do we know about the bomb?”
Thunder’s question pulled his attention away from his emotions and reluctantly, he tabled them for the moment.
“Pretty simple device,” he answered. “Small, but intended to cause collateral damage to the person holding it or standing close by. Instructions for building this type are all over the Internet.”
“Any way we can track the components?”
Chaos shook his head. “Available at any hardware store. Common parts that most people use every day. Unfortunately, he was smart to use something so easy.”
“Did we get anything on film?”
“This time we did.” Rebel reached for a remote in the middle of the table and pressed a button.
In less than a minute, a large screen lowered in front of the wall at the head of the table and Kat’s front porch appeared on the surface. Rebel pressed a second button and a panel opened in the middle of the table. A keyboard rose from inside and Rebel reached to pull it toward him.
Chaos sat forward and braced his elbows on the table while anxiety knotted the muscles in his neck. He was finally going to see the prick responsible for almost blowing them to Kingdom Come and when he did, the sonuvabitch better ask for his last rites.
“What time is this?”
“Seventeen thirty,” Rebel answered. “Are we ready?”
Chaos nodded and his teammate pressed a key to cue the recording.
Five thirty p.m. Any second now their guy would enter the frame. Acid churned his gut as he watched his prediction take shape on the screen. There, dressed in black slacks, a black dress shirt, and black sunglasses, a short, stocky man approached the porch with a box.
“There’s our perp,” Ace said from beside him. “Anyone recognize him?”
Rebel gave information they already knew. “He fits the neighbor’s description the night of the alarm breach.”
“Freeze it,” Thunder demanded. “Can we get a facial scan?”
“On it, Captain.” Rebel pressed several keys on the keyboard until a solid green line moved from the man’s head downward to his shoulders and then upward again. In several more seconds, the screen split into two sections – the picture on the left, data on the right.
“Gentlemen, meet Mr. Robert Greene.”
Chaos thought for a minute. The name didn’t trigger any recognition in his brain which told him one of two things: the guy was new on the scene or he was incidental. Unfortunately, the major players left an impression hard to forget.
“According to my research,” Rebel continued, “he’s got a rap sheet a mile long, but nothing related to explosives.”
Chaos leaned forward in his chair. “A hired gun.”
“Most likely.” Thunder nodded. “Question is, who hired him?”
“No reference to who he’s known to associate with?”
Rebel shook his head. “Nothing’s noted. No gangs or crime families mentioned.”
“I’ll notify Everglade Springs PD. They’ll pick him up for questioning, if nothing else. Make several copies of the disc. Kat and the judge may have some information once they view it.”
Ace folded his arms over his chest. “What do we know about Steven Hawthorne?”
Chaos tilted his head to one side. “Not much, why?”
“His appearance last night surprised me. Kat confessed to not knowing him well.”
“Surprised me too.”
“Carley told me this morning he stops by the spa occasionally but only to deliver paperwork to Kat.”
“I’ve only seen him there once. What do you have on his background?”
“Not much. He’s originally from California. Licensed CPA, private practice here in Everglade Springs for the last three years. Several traffic violations but nothing else. No associations with the criminal element.”
“Can you hack Liv’s database?”
Thunder frowned. “What’s your angle, Chaos?”
“Kat mentioned he attends charity functions with a variety of women. I’m wondering who they are and why.”
“No, I can’t.” Rebel grinned and shook his head. “But not for lack of trying. She’s got a helluva firewall. Law enforcement issue if I’m not mistaken.”
“You don’t usually have any problems with law enforcement computers.”
“This one is FBI standard. I can’t get through.”
“What the hell kind of database does she have?” Thunder still appeared perplexed. “And why?”
“You can ask her later, Captain.” Chaos squeezed the bridge of his nose. “What about the charity board members?”
“Nothing.”
“I’ll make the call to the PD.” Thunder stood. “Maybe we can get some insight.”
Rebel ejected a disc and slid it across the table to him. “Tell them to check the bus station. He bought a ticket this morning.”
Chaos smirked as he stood. “Low–paying job, apparently.”
“That, or he didn’t want to get trapped in the air.” Rebel shrugged. “Either way, they won’t have a problem hauling him in.”
“I’ll make the call,” Thunder said as he headed out of the room. “I’ll let you know when they have him in custody.”
“I’m going to do some more digging.” Rebel glanced at Ace. “Do you mind playing taxi?”
“No. Where should I leave Sophie?”
“Here.” Rebel began typing. “I’ll wrap it up when you bring her back.”
By the time he and Ace arrived back at his house and parked in the driveway, Chaos knew what he had to do. Suddenly he felt like he was headed into combat.
“You okay?”
He glanced at Ace, not surprised by his friend’s shit–eating grin.
“Yeah. Spilling your bloody guts is usually messy.”
“True, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to save your sanity.”
He frowned. “Since when did you become so philosophical?”
“I’m all for self–preservation.” Ace shrugged. “Especially when a female is involved.”
He shook his head and left the truck. Poor sap didn’t even realize he wasn’t far behind and far be it from him to tell him.
Once on the front porch, he pressed his index finger to the keypad and then waited for the signal to enter the code. Within seconds, he and Ace entered and he had never been so relieved in his life to see all four women relaxed in his living room and his house still in one piece. Hell, the wine glasses even sat on coasters.
He cleared this throat, hoping to disguise his surprise. “Ladies.”
Kat’s gaze was the first to meet his and suddenly he struggled for oxygen. Not only did she knock him on his ass with her do–me grin, the reality of exposing his secret immediately set in. Combat didn’t sound quite so bad after all.
“Did you find out anything new?”
Damn, he hated to tell her but the repercussions of keeping it to himself may cost her life. He gave a slow nod.
“As soon as you finish the wine, we’ll discuss it.”
“We’re finished.” He moved his gaze to Carley who lifted a wine bottle. “I’d tip it to prove it but your floor is so clean.”
“Thank you.” He grinned and returned his gaze to Kat. “We got a picture of the guy who left the package.”
“Really? Did you recognize him?”
“No, and we don’t think he’s behind the threats. We believe he’s doing the dirty work for someone else.”
Her gaze darkened and her eyes narrowed, an action he knew from experience meant anger built inside her. He was relieved not to be on the receiving end this time.
“Did you identify him?” she persisted.
“Yes. Does the name Robert Greene sound familiar?”
“No.”
He moved his gaze onto the other three women. “Any of you?”
All shook their heads in the negative.
“Really, Liv?” he continued. “You’re not covering for a client, right?”
“He isn’t one of my clients, Chaos,” Liv said without hesitation. “Unless he uses an alias.”
He hesitated for a moment, reluctant to mention the disc, but Liv had a point. They needed to see a face.
“I have a picture.”
Kat tilted her head to one side. “Can we see it?”
He walked to the big–screen television hanging on the wall and slid the disc into the built–in player. He then pushed the power button and in seconds, the whole sordid scene played out again.
As soon as the perp appeared on the screen, one of them gasped.
“I’ve never seen him,” Liv said softly.
He moved his gaze onto Kat who now sat incredibly still with her eyes glued to the television. Carley reached to squeeze her hand.
“Me either,” Carley mumbled.
Sophie released a heavy sigh. “Same here.”
“Kat?” he prompted.
“No, I don’t recognize him but if I ever see him again, I’ll make him wish he never set foot on my porch.”
That’s my girl. He fought the urge to grin, relieved to see she hadn’t lost her fight.
“Thunder called Everglade Springs PD. They should have him in custody soon.” He reached to turn off the television.
“Geez, Chaos, you sure now how to crash a party.” Carley stood and collected wine glasses before she walked to the kitchen.
Liv giggled. “We’ve had enough wine for now anyway. Are you the chauffeur, Ace?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Ace braced one hip against the sofa.
Both Kat and Liv stood and exchanged a hug.
“I’ll be at the office,” Liv told her, “but I’m only a phone call away.”
Sophie stood and repeated the gesture. “Me too, but I’m relieved you’re in very good hands.”
“I agree,” Carley chimed in as she returned from the kitchen.
Kat gave them all a smile. “Thanks, girls. And thank you, Ace, for getting them home safely.”
Chaos waited until the girls exited and Ace closed the door behind them before he spoke. “We need to talk.”
Kat raised both eyebrows and his knees threatened to buckle. For the very first time in a very long time, her response to what he was about to say mattered. Whether she reacted positively or negatively, it made all the difference in the world that he gave her information she needed.
“Okay,” she said finally.
He took a seat on the sofa and then patted the cushion beside him, silently asking her to sit. Once she was positioned next to him, he took a deep breath and prepared to rock her world.
“There’s a reason I hesitate to act on my feelings for you.”
He paused, both wondering if she caught the fact that he admitted there were feelings and giving her time to cut and run if she decided she didn’t want to hear his explanation. He held out hope that once she heard the whole screwed–up story, she might not be so hurt.
“Go on,” she prompted.
“You asked if I’ve ever been in love and I told you the truth, I have. Her name was Melaina Costallenos and three years ago I was assigned to protect her.”
“I see.” She cleared her throat. “Do you still talk to her?”
“No. The mission was unsuccessful.”
She gasped and immediately he damned his brutal honesty. Yet, she deserved to know and he didn’t know how else to tell her.
“Her father was a wealthy international businessman who was targeted by the Montez crime family,” he continued. “Long story short, I fell in love with her and my feelings got in the way of common sense. They snatched her right out from underneath me and killed her.”
He leaned forward, braced his elbows on his knees, and lowered his head. A dead silence followed and he expected to find her gone if he ever managed to look up again. Instead, her soft silky voice traveled the distance between them.
“Chaos, you can’t convince me you were to blame for her death.”
He lifted his head, not surprised by the compassion in her eyes. “It’s true. She wanted to go to the florist to buy flowers for her mother’s birthday.” He released a hard breath. “I didn’t tell her no.”
“Did she go without a guard?”
“No, but—”
“But nothing.” She took his hand and braided their fingers. “You cannot be responsible for someone else’s decision.”
“It was my decision not to go with her.”
“You can’t go back.” She gave his hand a tight squeeze. “I realize it doesn’t change the outcome, but I have to believe you made the best decision you could at the time.”
He couldn’t stop the smirk that pried apart his lips. “I’ve run that through my head every single day since it happened. Do you understand now why I want you to follow instructions?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean you’ll cooperate without questioning me?”
“No.”
He released a genuine laugh at her response. He knew without a doubt that her answer was honest. “It was worth a shot.”
“Let’s talk more about these feelings.”
He groaned. “That’s all you took from this conversation?”
“No.” She squeezed his hand again. “I’m sorry you’ve experienced so much evil. But I distinctly remember you mentioning you have feelings for me.”
“I do.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
“You’re welcome.”
His nerves tightened as he waited to hear what she’d say next. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her to know the depth of his feelings, he just didn’t much like how vulnerable the admission made him.
“How about a beer?”
“Okay,” he agreed cautiously.
“Relax.” She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “That’s enough talk about feelings for now. We have plenty of time.”
***
He relaxed in his study, comfortably tucked in a leather wingback chair, while he reviewed the day’s events. Things were progressing quite well in the whole scheme of things. His earlier phone call with the others had given him confidence that the plan was now barreling toward a satisfactory conclusion. Taylor was not invincible and he intended to prove it.
There was a distinct reason he had waited to make his move. He had allowed himself ample time to watch, to learn, and to plot. He found it quite humorous that no one even noticed he operated right under their noses.
He snickered out loud in the silent room, giving himself credit where credit was due. His smooth and deceitful method had managed to convince even the skeptical victim. Yet, he wasn’t too confident to realize he mustn’t celebrate just yet. Although he would get past Taylor, he knew the other man would not make it easy. In fact, it would be downright difficult.
He continued to wait for the phone call that would finally bring word of success, somewhat concerned by the amount of time that had passed. He had received confirmation that the deed had been done, just not from his source. The lack of communication proved worrisome.
He stood and walked to the window, gazing into the bright blue, cloudless day. If the operation had gone as expected, the playing field was now level and the obstacles were dwindling. With the lack of resistance, he would rise to the top of his organization once again.
Finally, his phone rang from the desktop and he rushed to answer. Although, the greeting was not one he expected.
“We have a problem.”
His associate’s confession made his stomach turn. “What kind of problem?”
“I left the package like you requested, but I’m pretty sure the camera got a picture of me.”
“I see.” Ice water ran through his veins. “How did this happen?”
“I checked the area ahead of time, but I didn’t see the tiny eye above the door until I had already set the trap. It’s so miniscule I missed the damn thing.”
Heated silence crossed the line as he worked hard not to throw the phone across the room and through the pane of glass.
“You are correct,” he managed finally, “this poses a definite problem on your behalf.”
“I’m not entirely sure anyone can identify me. I was in and out pretty fast.”
“Do not undermine Taylor’s ability, it will get you killed. I would suggest you run as far as you can. You might manage to stall him for a few days, anyway.”
“I’ll need a transfer to do that.”
“I will not pay you for failure,” he said firmly and quietly. “I have others to whom I report and I will not take the fall for your error.”
“Then how the hell do you expect me to disappear?”
“You’ll have to figure that out on your own.”
“If I’m going down, I won’t go alone.”
He smirked at the other man’s bravery. “Your fear makes you desperate. Have you forgotten you have no way to connect me?”
“There’s always a way.”
“Try if you must.” He sighed. “If I were you, I’d concentrate on an escape. Taylor won’t be far behind.”
He disconnected and buried the phone in his pocket while he reached for a set of car keys on the desk. Anger colored his vision as he headed for the door. The bumbling idiot’s mistake had cost him precious time. The others would not be happy but perhaps he could soothe their disappointment with a new plan.
And this time, he’d take matters into his own hands.