Deadly Game (Fortress Security #5)(79)

“Why are you here, Phillips?” Patch’s cold gaze remained fixed on his quarry though Rowan had no doubt he was aware of every move she and the others made in the room.

“It’s Maxwell.”

Oh, man. Rowan covered Alexa’s ears, knowing where the conversation was headed next. She didn’t want her niece to learn of the deaths of her parents from Patch or Phillips.

“He’s dead and no longer of importance to me.”

“Yeah? He should be. The idiot kept a record of our transactions. All of them, Garcia.”

The boss stilled. “And you are only now telling me of this problem?”

“I was handling it.” Phillips slid a hatred-filled look toward Rowan. “The problem should have been resolved a few hours ago, but the woman ruined everything.”

“Your problem was Maxwell’s fault, then this woman’s? You blame everyone but yourself.” Garcia turned his gaze to Rowan. “Who is she and why did you bring her to my home?”

“This is Rowan Scott, Maxwell’s sister-in-law. She has the records. Or at least she did. I instructed her to turn them over to me. She refused.”

Not exactly the truth. Rowan frowned.

A dark eye narrowed at her. “Where are they, Ms. Scott? You would be wise to hand them over to me,” he said gently.

Somehow, the false gentleness was more terrifying than harsh behavior would have been. This man would shoot her and Alexa if he thought their deaths were necessary to protect himself and his business enterprise. “I don’t have them.”

“Tell him who has them, Ms. Scott,” Phillips snapped.

What choice did she have? Ironic, considering the point Garcia had made to Phillips. Again, her priority was keeping Alexa safe. She believed Brent wasn’t far behind her. She had to. To believe otherwise would destroy her hope. Besides, Phillips already knew Brent’s name. She prayed she hadn’t made a mistake and traded Brent’s life for theirs. “My boyfriend has the records.” She leveled a cutting glance at Phillips. “This man shot my boyfriend and kidnapped me before he obtained the records.”

“I see.” His gaze dropped to Alexa. “And the child? Why is she here?”

“A pawn in a deadly game.”

“Indeed. Did you kill Ms. Scott’s boyfriend, Phillips?”

“I…I don’t know. My men shot him in the chest, then grabbed the woman and brought her to me.”

“So now a trail leads from the records to Ms. Scott and her boyfriend to you.”

“I didn’t know he had them.”

“What is this boyfriend’s name?”

Phillips swallowed hard. “Brent Maddox.”

Garcia’s jaw clenched. “Fortress Security’s CEO is her boyfriend?”

A quick nod.

“You are indeed a fool, Phillips.” He stood slowly. “And I do not conduct business with fools.” He grabbed his gun from the holster, aimed at Phillips, and pulled the trigger. Between one breath and the next, Phillips’ protests stopped and he dropped to the floor in a heap, a bullet hole dotting his forehead.

Fighting not to throw up and scare her niece even more than she already was, Rowan averted her gaze from the fallen kidnapper and made sure Alexa didn’t turn around to see what was going on. “I’ve got you, Lex,” she murmured into the girl’s ear as her niece started to cry softly. “I’ve got you.”

“Drag that garbage out of my office,” Garcia ordered Linebacker. “Then bring someone to clean up the mess.” His lips curled.

The big man hurried to follow his boss’ orders. Once Phillips’ body had been removed, Garcia turned his attention to Rowan. “Now, what am I to do with you and the child, Ms. Scott?”

“Let us go. You don’t want to keep us.”

Garcia tilted his head. “Why not?”

“Trouble will follow us.” Trouble named Brent Maddox. “You know Brent will come.”

A grin stretched the man’s lips. “That’s exactly what I’m hoping for. It’s time to dispose of my greatest enemy.”

Greatest enemy? Goosebumps raced over Rowan’s body. Garcia was setting a trap for Brent and his operatives, and she and Alexa were the bait.





CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX


Brent crouched at the edge of the tree line beside Josh Cahill, leader of the Durango unit, one hundred yards from Garcia’s darkened hacienda. So far, Zane hadn’t detected any online chatter about the arrival of Fortress in the Chihuahua province. Wouldn’t hold, Brent knew. No way to keep that secret indefinitely. Word traveled fast when three private jets landed on separate private airstrips. His goal was to be in place ahead of the chatter. Whether he’d been successful remained to be seen.

One thing he did know. Garcia would have learned by now Rowan was special to him. And that meant using his girlfriend and the child as leverage. Perfect setup to target Brent.

The cartel leader wasn’t stupid. Brent’s reputation for never leaving one of his own behind was common knowledge. Because Rowan was his, he was even more determined to free her from captivity. Garcia knew Brent was coming, just not when.

Zane dropped hints in strategic places about Fortress looking for a kidnapping victim in Costa Rica and Venezuela, a victim who was a high value target to Brent personally. With luck, Garcia would believe he had more time to prepare. Whether or not the cartel leader bought the story, Brent and his people were prepared for strong resistance.