The Men with the Golden Cuffs (Masters and Mercenaries #2)(105)

“Shit. He’s got something in his hand. What is it?” Jake asked, squinting in the early evening light.

“No idea, but the minute he drops it, I’m on his ass.”

“He’s roughly the same size as her ex-husband. I can’t see his face.” Jake’s voice was a low growl, the sound of a predator waiting on a particularly juicy meal. “Fuck, I hope he has a gun.”

If the * had a gun, they would be perfectly justified in killing him if they managed to get him to pull it. Then Serena wouldn’t have to worry about anything except how soon they were getting married. Because he wasn’t giving up, and he sure as f*ck wasn’t giving in to her fears.

“Come on. Move.” Adam said the words like a prayer, his hand already in his jacket. The weight of his SIG was familiar and comforting. But if they moved too fast, they might spook him. Adam wanted this guy to make a move.

The man in the hoodie turned one last time, his eyes glancing across the parking lot as he slid his phone in his jacket. He was right next to the SUV. Then he did it. He pulled the windshield wiper up and placed an envelope under it.

“Go,” Jake commanded, his voice low.

Adam touched his earpiece and spoke quietly, his calm voice at odds with his racing heart. A fierce joy threatened to overtake him. Fuck, he did like the chase. He moved from behind the trees as he spoke. “Ian, we’re chasing down a suspect. You might want to send the cops out now. This could get ugly.”

Ian’s voice came over the radio. “Will do. Make sure it looks like self-defense, boys. Have some fun.”

Jake moved beside him, silently stalking across the parking lot. The man in the hoodie turned, saw them, and did exactly what Adam hoped for. He took off running.

Adam sprinted across the lot, Jake going for the opposite side so they tracked him no matter which way he went. He heard the man curse and try to turn, but he fell down in a heap, his foot making hard contact with a parking lot barrier. There was a loud thud as the man hit the ground face first.

Fuck. He wasn’t going to get a chance to shoot the *.

“Keep your hands on the ground.” Adam trained his weapon on the back of the man’s head.

Hoodie guy’s fingers splayed against the concrete as though he was trying just about anything to prove he wasn’t armed. “Dude, I’m just a courier. What the hell is going on? Someone call the cops.”

“That’s not her ex,” Jake said, his gun trained on the man, too.

“You got him?” A loud voice split the air across the parking lot. Detective Hernandez.

“Yes, he’s secure. Could you check the envelope he left on the car?” Adam asked. Something was still wrong. “Turn over, very slowly. I’m very impatient today, and if you make one wrong move, I’m likely to pull this trigger.”

Jake watched as the man began to roll over, his body flinching in obvious pain. “Where is Ian going?”

“To talk to Liam. I guess he wanted a little privacy. Or he wanted to buy a drink.” Ian had walked off in the direction of the convenience store. In the distance, Adam could see Liam’s car pulling up. Liam jumped out and started toward the store. “He found out something about our friend here.”

“Dude, I told you. It’s a job.” The man had turned over, and Adam could safely say he’d never seen the man before. And he was younger than Adam had pegged him. He looked like he might be twenty-five.

“Who paid you and what were you supposed to do?” Jake asked.

The young man’s hands had taken the brunt of his fall, they were covered in scrapes and cuts from the pavement. “I was just supposed to put that envelope on the SUV with the license plate he gave me. He told me to try to make sure no one saw me. And I had to do it at 5:30 pm. I don’t know why. And he didn’t tell me how many people would be around.”

“Hey, there’s just a blank sheet of paper in here,” Chitwood said, walking up behind them. He’d put latex gloves on his hands.

Hernandez was behind him, a quizzical look on his face. “It’s addressed to Amber Rose, but there’s nothing in it. What is that supposed to mean?”

Adam didn’t like the feeling in his gut. Wrong. Very wrong. Something about this whole thing was starting to read setup. “Who hired you?”

The young man went beet red. “I don’t know. I work for a courier service. They gave me the job. I thought it was like a proposal or something. I don’t know anything. I had to call back because I forgot the plate number on the car. Do you think I’m going to get fired?”

Adam touched his headpiece as he turned. He wasn’t going to waste another minute. Serena was in trouble. “Sean, I need you to get eyes on Serena right now. Jake and I are coming in.” He waited for the reply. “Sean? Sean, can you hear me?”

“Com’s not working.” Jake took off running for the store. Adam ran after him, praying they weren’t too late.





Serena shook her fifty-first hand. Or something like that. She was desperately trying to remember names and faces. Chris leaned over and whispered in her ear.

“That’s Regina Moore. She runs one of the largest erotic romance blogs on the web. Smile and tell her how much you love her site.” Chris had been utterly indispensable. It seemed to Serena he knew everyone.