Shattered Valor (9 page)

Kelan radioed their findings back to Kit. Ty was pissed. Counting his run-in with the sniper in Afghanistan and the snake pit, this made a third attempt on his life.

When they got back to the house, Kit convened a meeting in the basement. They had their command center set up in Mandy’s old rec room. Max and Greer were seated at the white folding tables that held various computers and monitors. Owen was leaning against one wall. The other guys were seated in the couches in the middle of the room or standing near them.

“Why does Amir want you dead, Blade?” Kit cut right to the chase.

“You’re assuming it’s Amir who’s behind the attacks.”

“I am. The sniper in Afghanistan could have been hired by Amir’s overlord. Amir had you put in the snake pit. And Kelan said the shooter tonight was using an AK. There were two AKs missing from the weapons room in the bunker. So yeah. I’m thinking it was Amir.”

Ty shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe they didn’t want us to find the bunker.”

Kit’s phone rang. He snatched it up and looked at the caller ID. Seeing that it was an unknown number, he pointed to Max to have the call broadcast to the room.

“Bolanger, here.”

“Good evening, my friend,” a man’s cultured voice came over the line. Amir Hadad, the terrorist they were all itching to get at.

“I’ve been expecting a call from you,” Kit told Amir. It was Amir’s old trick to call and gloat over every small win he achieved in the deadly game of terrorist and hunter they played.

“Forgive me for not calling sooner.”

“You’ve been busy.”

“And you have as well. I see that you have found our lodging.”

Ty frowned. How did Amir know they’d found the bunker? It was obvious that they were in the house, but not that they were in the bunker.

Kit laughed. “That was never your bunker.”

“Oh, but it was. We paid Mr Bladen, senior, a handsome sum for the use of it.”

“C
aveat emptor
, Amir. I guess you’re shit out of luck. Consider that lease null and void.”

“I am contacting you in good faith, Mr Bolanger. I find I have become fond of you. I sent a messenger over earlier tonight. Did you get the message we had him deliver?”

Kit laughed. “Unfortunately for you, he did not complete his mission. But don’t worry about paying your sniper. We took care of him for you.”

“So I understand. It seems Mr Bladen is proving hard to kill. But do not worry—that messenger is the first of many I will send his way. We left some things behind in the bunker. If you let my people retrieve them, we will cease to bother you and yours.”

“So that you can trash Bladen’s place again? I think not.”

“We did not disturb Mr Bladen’s house.”

“No? What about taking his foreman and wife hostage?”

“They were simply collateral damage, as you say.”

“Well, Amir. You are welcome to come for your things. Any time. Bring it.”

“We wish to collect them peacefully, Mr Bolanger.”

“It will give my men and me great peace to greet those who come to collect your things.”

“If you let us do it peacefully, I will tell you what happened to Mr Bladen’s father.”

Kit flashed a look at Ty. “And why would you offer information we already know?”

“You don’t already know this, my friend. If you did, you would not be bothering yourselves with something as unimportant as my business.”

Ty cursed. What the hell did that mean?

“As always, Amir, it’s been a pleasure talking to you. And, please, do send your boys our way. We’ll hold a party for them.” Kit hung up.

“He was calling from Denver,” Max announced. “From a stolen cell phone.”

Rocco looked at Ty. “What was your father into, Blade?”

Ty shook his head. “I did a cursory look into his finances after he died, while I was still in Afghanistan. Nothing jumped out at me other than the fact that he’d made some unfortunate investment decisions. Why would Amir think we’d be more interested in what my father had been up to than in the millions of dollars of heroin and opium he’s bringing into the country? And how did he know we’d found the bunker?”

“Val, Kelan—do another sweep of the house tonight,” Kit ordered. “Anyone watching us would know we’d taken an active interest in the house but not that we’d found the bunker—unless there was some bug, some camera, or sensor we missed. Stay there tonight.” He looked at Greer. “Tell the guys what you found out about Sherri and Trudy.”

“The girls are cousins. It appears there was a divide in the family several years ago when two brothers were convicted of armed robbery. They served eighteen years of their thirty-year sentence then were paroled for good behavior. As soon as they were released, they took up with the east coast branch of the WKB. Those two thugs are Sherri’s great uncles.”

“Holbrook targeted the girls on purpose, then,” Ty commented. “But why attack your own organization?”

“We’re looking into that,” Greer said. “It’s possible they’re competing for the same heroin supplier. Holbrook did bring the fight here, where Amir is.”

“What about Eden? Is she connected to that gang?” Ty asked.

“Not that I can tell so far,” Greer told him. “The girls themselves have no direct connection other than the uncles.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Rocco asked Kit.

“Owen’s got a forensic team on its way in. Kelan will take a guard rotation upstairs at Ty’s tonight. Val will be posted downstairs. Tomorrow, Kelan will help Greer get new security equipment set up around the house and on the grounds. Max will get into the computers left behind. Angel will find out what other secrets the house hides. Blade, find that fucking ledger the WKB wants and do some digging into what your father was involved in before his death. Rocco and I will go through the documents and files Amir’s guys left behind.”

Kit looked at the whole team, then at Blade. “When we can, we’ll be relocating to Blade’s place. Owen will send up a team to clean the house up once Blade’s insurance adjuster has finished his review. Have the Jacksons figure out what we need to supply or replace before we move in—beds, linens, and shit. I’d like to get us moved in a few days.”

Val frowned. “Sounds like we’re settling in for a while.”

“We are,” Owen responded. “This is a good location for our western headquarters. We’re nicely situated between the west coast and the midwest, where there’s been an uptick in gang activity related to domestic and foreign terrorists. We’re peeling back the onion—we’ve barely touched the first layer. We’re going to be here a while.”

“Great,” Val groused. “While we’re putting in orders, then, let’s place one for a service to come in and see to our needs.”

Owen wasn’t amused. “There’s plenty of cold water, Val. Make use of it like the rest of us do.”

“Owen must have ice in his veins,” Max groused to Val as the meeting broke up. “I have to have hot water.”

* * *

Eden slipped out of the girls’ room at the clinic the next morning. It was barely dawn outside, but Tank was restless. She looked to see which of the guys had taken the overnight guard duty and was surprised to see Ty standing there, talking to Greer.

“Hi, Eddie,” Greer said.

“Hi.”

“Sorry to hear about what happened to your friends.” A lock of dark hair slipped over his brow. “Is Trudy okay?”

“She is. They both will be. Eventually. We’re going to be leaving today.”

“That’s good, I guess.”

“It’s good. They can recover more comfortably at home. Ty—you coming or going?”

“Going. Greer’s relieving me.”

Geez. Did the man ever sleep? “I have to take Tank out.”

“I’ll walk with you.”

Outside, crickets were still serenading each other in the damp morning air. The sun had just crested the horizon, but already the day was heating up.

“Owen’s sending some of the guys over to escort your friends to the airport,” Ty told her. “Can you have them ready in a couple of hours?”

She studied him, trying to decipher what Owen was really up to. If they left the clinic under the control of Ty’s team, it would be game over—they’d have no options open to them. They’d have no choice but do what Owen wanted them to. “We don’t need an escort. I’m perfectly capable of getting them to the airport.”

Ty shoved his hands in his pockets. “Don’t get your hackles up, Eden. They aren’t up to driving, and you’ve got both their rental car and your own to deal with. What was your plan?”

She folded her arms and glared at him. Tank planted himself beside her. “I was going to call the rental company, explain the situation, and ask them to come pick up their car.”

“Owen’s putting the girls on his personal jet. The guys and I will help you with their car. We’ll escort you home. Then we’re done. You’ll never hear from us again.” He looked at her. “Unless there’s trouble.”

Eden’s attention snagged on the jet part of what Ty was saying. “Owen’s private jet? We can’t pay for that.”

“It’s going east at noon today whether the girls are on it or not. It might as well carry a couple of passengers. Owen is not charging you for it. Nor is he expecting anything in return. Accept the gift.”

She eyed him warily. “Why would he do that?”

“It’s self-serving.” Ty shrugged. “The girls are a distraction. As long as they’re here, we have to guard them.”

Eden sighed. “You guys are overpowering.”

He grinned. “Hand me your phone. I want to make sure you’ve got my number.” He dialed himself from her phone and saved the number, then saved her number on his phone.

A few hours later, she was helping Sherri and Trudy into the back of their rental car. They wore loose, casual clothes and had their hair in simple ponytails. Without their elaborate, big hair-dos and heavy make-up, they seemed like birds with broken wings whose feathers couldn’t quite be arranged comfortably, Eden thought. They were tired and in pain and scared.

Greer brought their things out, then got into the passenger side of the rental car. Kelan was in the driver’s seat. There was a black SUV in front of them and another behind Eden’s SUV. She headed back to her car, where Ty was sitting in the passenger side. Owen’s team was either making a big statement with a large presence, or they expected trouble. Both options made her nervous. She’d be glad to see an end to the danger.

She just wished it didn’t mean the end of Ty as well.

Their little cavalcade reached her apartment a few hours later. They’d taken the girls to the private hangar. Eden had insisted on waiting until their plane was in the air before they left. Her apartment was just a short drive over from the Cheyenne airport. She hoped no one would see her being escorted home by two big, black SUVs. Her neighbors across the hall were an elderly pair of sisters. They kept an eye out for all the residents of their building. She didn’t want to endanger them by telling them any information. Nor did she want to have to lie to them.

She parked in her regular spot and got Tank out. She let him do his business while Ty spoke to the driver of one of the SUVs. Ty and Angel flanked her as she walked into her building. She paused on the steps and waved to the guys. Val had his window rolled down. He waved back.

What a weird few days she’d had. Hard to believe, but she was actually going to miss the guys. Ty was walking ahead of her and Angel behind her when they moved up the stairs. At five feet six and half inches, she wasn’t a short woman, but these men made her feel tiny. Both were nearly a foot taller than she was and were as much wider. Neither had their guns in their hands, but they were tense and ready for anything.

When they reached her apartment on the third floor, Ty had her unlock her door, then made her wait with Angel while he checked out her place. He came back a few minutes later and opened the door for them. Angel stood just inside her apartment. Ty drew her farther into the room, giving the two of them a bit of privacy.

Eden looked up at him, trying to memorize everything about him. The faint dimples beside his mouth, the roundness of his lips. His nose was strong, a perfect size for a compelling face like his. His eyes, with their piercing gray color, looked like a November sky, stormy and troubled. The tawny fringe of his lashes matched his short hair.

He was the most interesting man she’d ever met. She hated saying goodbye to him. Neither of them spoke as they looked at each other.

“Right,” Angel blurted, breaking into their intense connection. Eden dropped her gaze to Ty’s chest. “I’ll just wait outside. See ya, Eddie. You did good work last night.”

“Bye, Angel. Thanks for everything.” She looked at him. “Thank the guys for me, too, okay?”

He nodded, then slipped outside, leaving her alone with Ty.

“You have my number,” Ty said. “Call me. Call me any time, Eden.”

She looked up at him, wondering what that meant. Was he feeling the same as she was at their parting? She couldn’t even explain what it was she was feeling—she’d never experienced it before. It felt like being sucked into a cavern. Dark and unfamiliar.

“I know I don’t have to tell you to be aware of your surroundings, but I’m going to anyway. Watch for cars following you. Watch for people in parked cars where they can observe your apartment or your activity at work. Let me know if you get prank phone calls, threatening calls, calls where someone just listens to you.”