Forsaken Duty (Red Team #9)(41)

He and the nanny went down the hall—she took the classroom, and he took Troy’s room. The heavy drapes were peppered now with holes from the assault. They billowed as the breeze came in. For all Owen knew, that fucking drone had cut an opening in the window big enough for it to come through. He listened for a moment, then peeked around the doorjamb. Seeing and hearing nothing, he stepped inside the room. Still nothing. He went up to the window and looked out, and just as he did, he heard the drone start up again, lifting off a dormer above the window. As soon as it was in sight, Owen blasted it with two shots from the shotgun. It tumbled out of flight, crashing on the ground below.

Owen sighed and slumped against the wall. How many more were out there? Who had sent it? He went into the hallway. The beautiful antique conservatory ceiling was destroyed. Jax and his staff joined him in the hallway. “We’re clear in this wing.” He ordered Spencer and the nanny to finish checking the upstairs. “The rest of my team are clearing the lower levels and the grounds.”

Owen nodded. “Roger that.” He and Jax went back to the panic room, which Jax opened.

Addy hugged her brother, then caught herself before hugging Owen. Yeah, that didn’t hurt.

“Stay with Addy,” Jax said. “I’ll update you when we’re clear.”

Owen looked her when they were alone. Why was it that the drone had only fired on them, not on Jax or his staff? One more little thing that made him think twice about Jax’s loyalties. He still felt like he was being played.

Owen walked out into Addy’s dressing room, leaving the door to the panic room open. He paced around a bit, listening to Jax’s staff call out to each other. When he came back to Addy, she was sitting on the sofa, holding Troy, who was anxiously watching everything.

“Owen,” she said quietly, “thank you for saving Troy. If you hadn’t been here, we would have died.”

“Maybe. Maybe had I not been here, it wouldn’t have happened. Who knows?”

“Are we still leaving tomorrow?”

“Yes. Why don’t you lie down? Try to get some sleep.” He grabbed a blanket from a nearby shelf and handed it to her.

An hour later, Jax came back with an all clear. Owen stared at him, trying to read him, searching for some proof that would put his fears to rest. He didn’t find it.



Jax’s crew had made another sweep of the area early the next morning. It was clear, but Owen was still worried about his team coming in to a trap. Maybe the drone attack last night had been staged to force him to draw in his team. It hadn’t done any lethal damage, after all. And neither Jax nor his staff were targeted in the hit, which Owen found interesting.

He dialed in to his company’s hotline. Using a password to access a restricted directory, he selected Kit’s number. The phone he was using was one Jax had given him; he was very aware of the fact that Jax’s team was capturing everything he did. As soon as he got through, his password would be deactivated. It was standard protocol. The call wasn’t patched through, but he knew all the data about his location and phone number were being sent to Max. All he had to do was wait for a call back.

It came in less than a minute.

“Go,” Owen said to the caller, wanting to make sure it was someone from his team.

“No, you fucking go,” Val snapped. “You called us. Jesus Christ, O. Where the fuck are you?”

Owen grinned. It had been a long while since he’d been so happy to hear someone bitch him out. “Hey, Val. Kit there?”

“We’re all fucking here,” Kit said, a little farther from the phone than Val was. “What’s your situation?”

“I need a pickup. You’ve got my coordinates. You’ll need to bring the helicopter. I’ve got Addy and her son.”

“You found them? Augie too?” Val asked.

“No. Not Augie. Her other son, Troy. He’s six. Use extreme caution and expect unfriendlies. Our location here was hit by a drone last night. There’s a helipad you can land on near the house.”

“I need two gunners,” Kit said.

“I’m in,” Val said.

“Max, you’re up, too,” Kit said. “We’ll get a room set up for Addy and her son, Owen.”

“In my wing,” Owen said.

“Copy that.”

“Helo’s on its way to us,” Max said. “We’ll be there in under two hours. You secure until then?”

“Affirmative.”

“Copy that.”

There was some shuffling on the phone as Val and Max left the room.

“A lot’s happened since you were gone, Owen,” Kit said.

“This line isn’t secure.”

“Roger that. We’ll catch up when you get here.”





14





Owen went outside to greet Max and Val, who were jogging across the field. Val shook Owen’s hand and gave him a man hug. Max’s greeting was much more reserved—a brief handshake and a hard glare. Owen led them into the blue salon where Addy’s brother was.

“Thanks for the quick pick-up,” Owen said. “This is Jax, Wendell Jacobs. Jax—Val Parker and Max Cameron.” The men shook hands.

“You guys hungry?” Jax asked. “Want some food or coffee before you head back out?”