Close Cover (Masters and Mercenaries #16)(50)

How could he take her home with him where he was responsible for everyone? Seraphina would need someone to watch over her. Zep…god, he didn’t like to think about Zep. Zep needed round-the-clock watching. Hell, it wasn’t like his momma was a saint. She could get into some kooky situations. Lisa was used to her siblings being high-powered and helpful. Being the head of his family wasn’t an easy task, and then there was the fact that he knew damn well the minute he walked back into town, they would want him to take charge.

What could he do with a woman like Lisa by his side?

He shoved the thought away because he wasn’t taking her home with him. She would take one look at the wharf and run the other way.

He sucked down the last of his beer. What a fucking day. He’d spent the whole of it signing paperwork for his closing tomorrow. So much debt. So much hanging over his head and she wouldn’t even acknowledge she was in trouble. She sat there like it was no big deal.

What the hell was he going to do? The minute he signed the papers, Jean-Claude would hand over the keys and there would be no boss at the wharf. But he couldn’t leave Dallas until he was certain Lisa was safe.

He pulled his phone out and made a few quick notes. The only way out of this problem was to solve the case himself. Something was wrong with Vallon and the way the prosecutor’s office had handled his trial. He needed to talk to the cop who’d broken chain of custody and try to find out what happened that night. He could get the internal report from one of his buddies on DPD. That was where he needed to start.

And Vallon himself. He’d spent the last couple of days going over the thorough dossier Hutch had put together on Jimmy Vallon, including a lot of the reporting around the trial. One of the things that he’d been surprised by had been Vallon’s complete and utter calm. Even the arresting cops had talked about how cool the man had been. It ran counter to how he was in his normal life. He was known for being a bit paranoid, accusing close associates of coming after him.

And yet he’d been perfectly quiet those months he’d been held without bail. His only words when the case had been thrown out had been to thank the judge for his wisdom.

Not the normal words of a mobster, but he couldn’t exactly take Vallon’s attitude to the cops.

His cell trilled and he immediately picked it up because it was Simon Weston. “This is Guidry.”

“Hello, Remy. I’ve been monitoring the city-wide search for our Italian friend. He’s excellent at keeping his head down, but I believe CCTV caught him at a red light two blocks away from Top exactly forty-five minutes ago. I’m going to pull everything I have around the restaurant, but the city is upgrading the streetlights around downtown and we’ve had some problems with connectivity as they bring the new system online.”

Remy looked around. The dining room was perfectly quiet. “Tiffany? Did the last customer leave?”

She’d mentioned she had one customer left. He hadn’t paid much attention because his whole focus had been on the fight with Lisa.

Tiffany glanced down and reached toward the table. “He left me a hundred-dollar bill. Damn, he’s a good tipper. I thought he’d gone to the bathroom, but I guess he was done. I knew it was my lucky night when I heard that accent. Now I can spend way too much on a bottle of Riesling Sebastian wants for his birthday.”

Remy stopped. “Accent?”

Tiffany nodded. “Oh, yeah. Italian. I could listen to him all night. Don’t tell Sebastian though. He gets jelly.”

Remy wasn’t sure why the sommelier would want to do that, but he didn’t care. “Tiffany, get into the kitchen.”

Her eyes widened and he could see she was about to question him. He didn’t have time for that.

“Now!” he shouted. “Tell the chefs to put the place in lockdown, and I’m going to need them to clear every single room.”

Tiffany nodded and took off for the kitchen.

“Si, he’s here and I have to expect that he’s after Lisa. I need backup and I need you to get those cameras online in case he’s taken her.” That wasn’t the likeliest scenario. The likeliest scenario was that the assassin would find Lisa and quietly put her down. Remy was probably looking for a body.

Her body. The one that had given him pleasure and comfort, her arms holding him close. The one that housed her soul and kept her here on earth with him.

“I’m on it,” the Englishman assured him. “And Jesse and Michael and I are on the way. Chelsea is taking over the tech side. Hang on. I’m getting in the car now. Our ETA is seven minutes.”

“Understood.” He shoved the phone in his pocket. Seven minutes would be far too long if Biondo was as good as he was supposed to be. Remy exchanged the phone for his gun, pulling the Colt out and starting for the back of the building.

“Where do you want us?” Javier Leones showed up with Macon and Sebastian and Javi’s new wife, Juliana. All four of the ex-soldiers had guns in hand and looked ready to deal with the situation. “Tiffany and Ally are in cold storage with Calvin watching over them. He’s solid. He’ll secure the kitchen and take care of the women.”

The women who weren’t ex-soldiers.

“Jules, secure the front of house,” Remy ordered. “I need Sebastian to clear the bathrooms. I’m going out back. I haven’t seen Linc and I believe our friend was after Lisa Daley. Consider this man armed and highly dangerous. He’s a known assassin.”