Red. (Den of Mercenaries #1)(77)

Like no one had ever been there.





Chapter Thirty





After Niklaus had gone, Reagan had been too anxious to go back to sleep, too afraid that before he was able to get back to her, something terrible would have happened. She didn’t doubt that he was capable, she knew from the stories his scars told that he could persevere, but that didn’t help her from thinking of the worst things possible.

Until he had come back.

Until he had walked in and smiled at her as though nothing was wrong, as though he hadn’t left hours ago for a job where he could have been killed.

She knew without a doubt that it wouldn’t ever be easy watching him leave. When he came back to her, whenever that might be, that would make it easier to handle.

During those wee hours of the morning, when she was at home in his arms, she didn’t think she could fear anything else.



* * *



The next morning, Niklaus was already gone by the time she woke up, but his side of the bed was still warm so she knew he hadn’t been gone for long.

She had just caught sight of it out her bedroom window as she was turning over, the column of smoke tunneling in the air. Reagan didn’t know why the sight of it made adrenaline kick through her veins, but she knew, just knew that it was the pub.

Not paying attention to the clothes she threw on, Reagan left everything behind as she hurried out, flying down the stairs and out the door as she started in the direction of the pub, nearly taking off at a run as she saw the haze of people far up ahead.

She could see the flames long before she had even gotten close, the smoke dark against the blue sky. The closer she got the more anguish she felt. It wasn’t just a fire, but an end to everything. She had worked so hard for the pub.

Like watching her dreams turn to ash…

“I can fix this,” she whispered to herself, slowing down when she got close, stopping at the edge of the crowd so she could see.

Sure, she had insurance that covered this sort of thing, but sometimes it took months before anything could move forward. If in the case of arson, sometimes it took years for the insurance company to complete its investigation.

Considering that she had been late with her payments, they might very well think she was behind this.

No, she just had to remember that it was just a building. Hopefully no one was hurt.

There was a police officer up ahead, taking a statement from a woman gesturing to the building and telling the man what she saw, but before Reagan could head in his direction, something hard and unyielding pressed against her back, just as an arm curved around her shoulders.

“Say a word and I’ll put a bullet in your f*cking side.”

She froze at the sound of Liam’s voice, not daring to look at his face.

“Walk with me.”

Reagan did as he asked, following him back around the crowd and down the street, towards the SUV she hadn’t noticed on her way down here.

He had set her up.

He must have purposefully done this to bring her out. Practically forcing her into the backseat, he hardly gave her any room to move as the driver pressed their foot to the gas, the car lurching forward as they took off.

As her fear deepened, she couldn’t help but think she should have called Niklaus before she left.



* * *



Fucking bullshit.

“What the hell happened?” Niklaus asked as he and Celt reviewed the footage they’d taken at the park with Elias and his men.

Out of seven cameras, none of them had footage they could use to get any more information on Elias. Sure, one could see Donovan just fine, his face coming through perfectly clear, but Elias on the other hand, it was as if someone had erased where his face would be and instead added a blinding light.

“Only ever saw that once,” Celt said as he played the footage back once more, trying to scrub it as though that might help. “A long time ago. It’s a special kind of spray that causes a camera to not pick up a person’s face—better than a mask because no one realizes the cameras can’t see it.”

“So we have nothing on him?”

They had already checked for a license plate on the car, but that too had been blocked out. While knowing his name might have been helpful, they couldn’t find anything on him.

It was as if Elias Harrington didn’t exist.

Celt shook his head. “Did you think this would be easy? If he’s going up against the Kingmaker, he had to be worth half his stones.”

Niklaus grudgingly agreed to that, pulling his phone free from his pocket and he checked the caller ID, surprised to find Mishca’s name flashing back at him.

“What do you need?”

“We have a problem.”

“No shit? We always have a problem, but what is it today?”

“Reagan.”

Niklaus was already on his feet, heading to the elevator before he even finished saying her name. “Talk quickly, Russian.”

“Someone lit up that pub you said she owns. I had Luka go by her place after I heard, but he said she’s not there.”

“Why didn’t he call me?” By the time he made it to his car, Niklaus was in strategy mode.

“I needed him out looking for her as opposed to going back and forth with you about this.”

“Looks to be your Irishman. The other, Rourke, I think that's his name, has already gone into hiding. His father’s remains were found, said to have been suicide.”