Dangerous Protector (Red Stone Security #14)(36)

So he still had to kill Tegan. Now that the Feds knew Enzo was alive, this was even better. Alec would kill Tegan and lead an obvious money trail back to Enzo, ‘proving’ that Enzo had hired someone to kill the woman. It wouldn’t matter if Enzo tried to cut a deal with the Feds once that became public knowledge.

If the FBI made a deal with him after a woman like Tegan O’Kelly got murdered on Enzo’s orders, a sweet woman who worked in a coffee shop and had already survived a bombing, the public would go crazy for blood. The FBI only liked to be in the news if they were being praised.

Yes, yes, this could work. Alec would even get a bonus for this. He’d been sent to kill the woman so Enzo would never know that she wasn’t the one who took those diamonds. Now her death would work even more in his favor. It would ensure Enzo went away forever, maybe even got the death penalty.

Pulling up his laptop, he worked fast, typing in commands. Her phone still wasn’t turned on, but he’d find her. Now that he had a pretty good idea of who she’d been staying with, or at least had a relationship with, hunting her down would be easy enough.

Then he’d kill her, make it look as if Enzo had ordered it, and leave a trail as wide as the Grand f*cking Canyon back to the old fool. It wouldn’t even need to be spectacular. Just a clean kill. Sure, the Feds would attempt to hunt Alec down after he killed her, but he wouldn’t leave an evidence trail to himself. He never did. He’d just ghost out of town.

So Enzo would go away for the murder and the Feds would just have to be happy with Enzo. Because they’d never catch him. Alec was too good for them, always had been. And taking on one woman would be one of the easiest kills he’d ever done once he caught up to her. She had no training.

After she was finally dead, Alec’s boss would be happy. Everyone would win. Everyone except a pretty redhead who should have died years ago.

*

“Higher!” Dillon squealed as Tegan pushed him on the swing, his excitement infectious.

Aaron, standing with her, leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Gonna hit the head. I’ll be back in a few.”

She smiled at him, feeling light and free for the first time in years. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Kali danced around the big swing set, thrilled to be out and playing. The park was mostly empty and for the first time in years she knew she was safe. Well, as safe as anyone could be. No one was hunting her. She was outside, breathing fresh air and free from the worries of the last couple of years. Dillon and Aaron were safe. All her friends were okay. Enzo De Fiore was in custody and not going anywhere.

As Aaron headed down the winding walkway, he turned and half waved before he disappeared behind one of the jungle gyms on his way to the washroom. The park was massive and she was surprised there weren’t more people there, especially since it was a Sunday. Maybe people were sleeping in since there had been a cold snap overnight.

Of course, Florida cold compared to some of the places she’d lived wasn’t too terrible. To her it was invigorating. There was no snow on the ground but there was an icy nip in the air that made her think of sitting in front of a crackling fire and sipping hot cocoa—with a certain sexy man at her side.

“You want to walk to Kimmy’s shop and get some cocoa after this?” Tegan asked Dillon amidst his shouts of “higher, higher.” The park they were at was only a few blocks away from the strip of shops where Kimmy’s place was located. Tegan wanted to stop by the Mederos family’s restaurant and Julieta’s shop, too, to see everyone who’d been so concerned about her and thank them for all the food they’d sent.

“Yes!” he shouted. He seemed to be in ‘shout mode,’ as Aaron had called it earlier this morning when Bree had dropped him off.

Apparently whatever virus he’d had was long gone and the kid was full of energy. Aaron had told her it was normal, that was just how kids were. They bounced back like nothing had ever happened.

Even though all her worries about Enzo were gone, there was still a little niggle at the back of her mind that something was going to go wrong. That this bit of happiness she’d found would disappear. Logically, she knew it was a learned response because she’d lived in fear for so long. She wasn’t actually anticipating danger.

“I want to go on the merry-go-round!”

“Okay.” Laughing, Tegan stopped pushing and let the swing start to slow.

She glanced around the park again, unable to shake that weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. A mother was on a bench while her two kids raced across monkey bars. Another mom stood next to a small toddler attempting to climb onto the head of a big plastic fish that had been made to look as if it was coming out of the ground. It was in the middle of a big circular section with soft, squishy material instead of concrete where different plastic sea life sprouted from it. When Tegan had asked Dillon if he wanted to play there, he’d looked at her so seriously and told her he was a big boy now and that section was for babies.

Rolling her shoulders once in an attempt to get rid of the residual tension, she reached for the seat of the swing and stilled it completely so Dillon could slide out.

“Daddy said you’re coming to Christmas dinner with us this year,” Dillon said, tucking his little hand into hers.

The trusting action seemed so natural for him and it warmed her better than any hot chocolate ever could. She still felt like she was navigating foreign terrain where kids were concerned but so far Dillon seemed to like her. “Yes, he asked me to. Is that okay with you?”