Ramsey Security (Ramsey Security #1-3)(33)

"What if his people kill you or Troy?"

"That's not your job to worry about. You take care of yourself. Get healthy so that you can enjoy Locke's eventual death."

Nodding, I sip my coffee while trying to wipe away the stain from my dream. Locke will lose, I tell myself. He will die, and I will live. I'm free, and he will never have another Rose.

With a bad case of bed head, Troy stumbles into the kitchen. He blinks a few times before frowning. I think he suspects Minka might be meddling in his love life. Her devious grin likely doesn't help matters. Yet when his gaze falls on me, he loses the frown and gives me a sleepy smile. Troy is what I have to lose, but he's also why I'll fight my way out of the darkness.





25


~~~

Troy

Driving Me to Distraction

Rafael calls around nine am to warn me about a possible threat. The trip to the shrink is now a four-man job. Minka offers to make it five, but she's been up all night, and Rafael wants everyone sharp. When I suggest we call off the trip, Rafael just says no. He doesn't have to explain. The professional in me knows Darla can't hide in the apartment forever. The killer in me also knows Locke will send his men into the building if there's no chance to grab her outside.

We need to catch one of these guys to get information. My heart refuses to put Darla in danger, but my head is currently running the show.

Darla trusts me. Even when she notices Rafael and Manny pull into the garage, she doesn't panic. Yet she knows something is up. Her gaze finding me, she waits for reassurance. I give her a small smile and a nod. Nothing more, not in front of the others. Nonetheless, these small gestures are all Darla needs to be calmed.

Saskia opens the back door of the small black SUV. "There's a blanket. You should cover yourself and lean down in the seat. Stay hidden."

"Why cover myself?" Darla asks with her gaze on me.

Always the charmer, Saskia answers, "In case the windows shatter from gunfire."

Darla frowns, looking at me for reassurance. I gesture for her get into the SUV, and she obeys. Trusting me means she'll follow our rules and play it safe. If I fail her, though, I have no one to blame except the man in the mirror.

"I'll be the lead car," Rafael says, standing next to the SUV while Darla gets comfortable. "Manny will bring up the rear."

"Do you know something concrete?"

"One of Saskia's buddies from Bosnia accepted the job from Locke. Locke's lackey Mister Punishment is talking with the contact. We haven't gotten anything on Locke's location, but the lackey indicated there's another player already in Houston."

"How do we know her buddy is telling the truth or won't take the job?"

"Would you want to piss off Saskia?"

I glance at the little redhead with her cold eyes. "No, I guess not." Shutting the car door so Darla can't hear our conversation, I step closer to Rafael. "Are we using her as bait?"

"No."

"You're lying."

Rafael gives me his nice guy smile. "If it were my woman, I'd think the same damn thing as you, but hiding doesn't work. They'll find a way in. We could send her into hiding, but eventually, Locke would find her. Or he'd go after her sister to find out where she is. The guy is sick in the head and won't give up. This way we control the situation in our town at our pace."

"So how is this going to go down?"

"You have a small SUV to get around traffic easier. We have the big ones to draw his attention."

"If it's a him."

"True but we know it's a single contractor. We also know the job is still to extract Darla from us and return her to Locke. With four of us out today, no decent contractor will make a move. We don't need him to. We just need to spot him, tag his info, and track him down."

I glance at Darla in the backseat, hiding under a blanket. "If we get in over our head, you need to be willing to bring in the cops. Nothing happens to Darla."

"Tia will be online with us the entire time. If we need help, we'll get the cops involved. I'd rather we get our hands on the guy and squeeze him for info."

Rafael walks to his lead car while I start the SUV. Saskia sits next to me with a weapon in her hand. I lean into the backseat and caress Darla's head under the blanket.

Following Rafael out of the parking garage with Manny close behind me, I focus on the road while my partner looks for anyone tailing us. The shrink's office is twenty minutes through downtown, leaving a lot of time and distance for someone to cause trouble.

We drive for ten minutes before Manny radios that we have a tail. Saskia surveys the cars around us. I stay focused on the traffic while my hand reaches back to pat Darla's shaking leg.

"We're halfway there," I tell her.

Darla says nothing, but I think I hear her crying.

"The black car," Saskia says, glancing out the back window. "The driver keeps looking at Manny's vehicle."

"Two cars back, I see him."

"Let him tail or lose him?"

I study the burly man barely fitting in the compact sedan he's driving. "It's likely a rental. Can we get the plates?"

Saskia radios Manny. Before she gets the answer, the black compact makes a move around a slower car until the contractor is crisscross from us.