The Big Guns Read online

  Luke’s eyebrow inched up. “You sure?”

  “There’s nothing there.”

  Adam scoffed. “I’m not buying it.”

  “She’s Trevor’s assistant. Driving her right to our door was dangerous, and you know it.” Luke tapped his pen end over end against the table. “I’m thinking you had a reason.”

  Zach wasn’t a sharer and his feelings for Sela, whatever they were, were not up for the team’s dissection. “Survival.”

  Luke didn’t ruffle. He didn’t stop flipping that pen, either. “We’ve been able to hide our location from Trevor so far. This jeopardizes that.”

  “Trevor and Sela are not in contact.”

  “You’re sure?” Adam asked.

  “I’ve been right on top of her.” Zach closed his eyes. Wrong choice of words. He regretted them the second they left his mouth.

  This was why he usually kept his comments short and cryptic. Couldn’t get into much trouble that way.

  Luke and Adam shared a look before Adam launched into another question, this one delivered in a deadly soft tone. “When you were in the shower?”

  A man didn’t have any privacy around here. “She was right there.”

  Luke swore. “This is a dangerous lady you’re getting involved with, and don’t tell me you’re not involved. I have eyes. She’s attractive and you’re not dead.”

  “Your point?”

  “She could mess you up. You know that, right?”

  Zach didn’t know he was angry until the festering red monster blew. “She’s been kidnapped, hit, shot at, chased and smoked out of hiding. Not once did she panic or turn on me. She was a good partner.”

  Adam smacked his fist against the table. “Because she knows they are Trevor’s men and that they really wouldn’t hurt her. She could afford not to be worried.”

  But she had been terrified. Zach got that much. Every line of her body had mirrored fear as Johnnie moved in, as the gunmen caught her in their sights, as the fire raged.

  “No.” Zach bit the inside of his cheek as he sat back in his chair. He refused to lose what was left of his hold on his temper. “I don’t see it.”

  Luke stopped tapping and held the pen suspended in midair. “Maybe you’re too close to this one.”

  There it was. That damn look again. Luke and Adam glanced at each other, wearing matching blank stares, then looked away again. Zach hated the insider communication. He was an insider. In this case he knew what it meant, that they worried he’d lost his objectivity. Never mind the fact each of them had met their women during…

  Woman? Yeah, he couldn’t let his mind finish the thought. Instead, he went back to the work issue. “Sela is an assignment.”

  Luke threw his pen down. “No, she’s not.”

  The alarm on the console beeped, slow at first, then with manic frequency. A second later, their watches joined in. Adam shot across the floor on his roller chair.

  “Now what?” Zach asked, thinking he’d had enough excitement for a week or two.

  Adam typed on the keyboard until the top middle monitor closed in. “This can’t be happening.”

  Luke stayed calm. “What?”

  With one more click, a close-up of a man’s face came into view. “Trevor.”

  “What?” Panic moved into Luke’s voice this time.

  “At our gate. He’s standing with his hands up in the air, looking at the camera as if he’s known all along where we are.” Adam sneered as he said the words.

  Zach’s mind rebelled. They’d been so careful. The warehouse’s ownership was buried under a labyrinth of paperwork and dummy corporations. Claire had made sure it would be nearly impossible to trace the location back to her. They’d all engaged in evasive maneuvers when they drove to the place every single day, just in case they were being followed. Hell, they used a system of alleys and other buildings’ security systems to create a hacked pathway into the place that wouldn’t show up on any GPS.

  The warehouse was hard to find on purpose. And Trevor had nearly walked up and knocked on the door.

  “Maddie!” Adam yelled loud enough for people in the next town to come running.

  She appeared at the top of the steps. “Why are you screaming like that?”

  “Where’s Sela?”

  Maddie hitched her thumb behind her. “Right here.”

  “Show me.”

  Maddie’s face went dark. “What’s wrong with you?”

  Sela stepped up beside Maddie, still wearing her dirty clothes. “Here I am.”

  Luke motioned for Adam to get up. “Go make sure everything is okay up there.”

  Zach sensed Sela was in for more harassment. “I’ll do it.”

  Luke’s glare kept Zach pinned to his seat. “You don’t move.”

  “What are you going to do?” Adam asked Luke.

  Luke’s mouth stretched into a fine line. “Trevor obviously knows we’re here, so we’re going to show him in.”

  Zach felt the world spinning around him, just out of his control. He’d spent years creating a way of life that ensured everything stayed within a certain comfort zone. Now this.

  “Sela?” he called out.

  “What?”

  He didn’t want to believe it, refused to process it. Yet, he had to know if she was with him or with Trevor. Yesterday the answer would have been easy. She’d side with her boss and possible lover.

  But Zach had seen the doubt in her eyes as he dropped comments about Trevor’s illegal past and more men came looking for her. “This is your chance.”

  She glanced at Maddie then back at Zach again. “To…?”

  He saw Sela wrap her fingers around the railing above. He had her attention. “Show me how grateful you are.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Luke asked.

  But Sela knew. Zach could see the way her gaze darted to the right as she evaded. He’d bet she was humming.

  His eyes locked on hers. “Not one word. Trevor comes in and he never knows you’re here. Yes?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  Adam took the stairs two at a time to get up there. “I’ll see to it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  It took another ten minutes to get Trevor inside. Luke escorted him in. Picked him up at the curb and made him wear a blindfold as they drove.

  After all the security fanfare Trevor stood in front of the conference-room table, clearly outraged at his treatment, and folded the black material down from his eyes. “Was that really necessary, gentlemen?”

  Zach felt a nerve on the back of his neck twitch. He hated being this close to Trevor. Worse, having the other man this close to Sela. “It was either that or shoot you for trespassing.”

  “Well, then, I guess I should thank you for letting me in.” Trevor motioned for them to sit as if he owned the place. Luke and Zach ignored him.

  “We’ll stand.” Zach would rather kick the other man, but he settled for hovering over him. They were in control here, no matter what Trevor believed.

  Keeping with his power play, Trevor pulled out a chair and sat down. He looked Zach up and down, taking in the bandage and more than a few cuts and bruises. “What happened to you?”

  “I fell down.”

  “How many times?” Trevor touched his finger to his nose. “And did you land in a gallon of gasoline?”

  Luke took over. “You’ve proven your point, Trevor. You know where we are. Congratulations on your investigative skills. It only took you six months to find the deed.”

  He held up his hands in mock surrender. “There is no need for sarcasm. I come in peace.”

  “That has never been my experience,” Luke said.

  Trevor brushed his hand over his obviously expensive suit pants. “We have a deal.”

  “And I am just itching for you to break it.”

  Luke’s disinterested tone contrasted with what Zach knew was going on inside him. Zach felt it, too. Nerves pinged and crawled. They’d spent so many days trying to ca
tch Trevor and he’d walked right up to their door and handed himself over.

  It took all of the internal strength Zach had not to rip the walls apart with his bare hands. Bruised or not, he knew he had the power to do it.

  “Maybe we can talk alone…or are there other ears listening in?” Trevor made a show of looking around the place.

  With each condescending word Zach’s control inched closer to snapping. Sela was right there and could break away from Adam and come down the stairs. Trevor could do anything or have one of his goons stage an attack. Zach itched with the restless feel of vulnerability, even though he knew that was Trevor’s goal.

  Luke crossed his arms in front of him, matching Trevor’s calm demeanor. “Since you previously decided to storm my house with armed guards, I have to keep a contingent there at all times.”

  Trevor waved the comment off. “That’s in the past.”

  “Maybe, but I’m getting a little tired of cleaning up the dead bodies you leave behind on your informal missions. I can only go the feds and the police so many times on a need-to-know basis before people will start thinking I don’t get along well with others.”

  After a beat of silence, Trevor tried again. “I am not here to talk about old grudges.”

  “We’re listening,” Luke said.

  The face Zach saw on the news when Trevor was donating money to charity in some big show of extravagance or giving long-winded speeches about his dead brother, the crooked congressman, dissolved in a mask of fury. No longer struggling to find carefully chosen words, Trevor let the rolling anger inside him show. “Where is she?”

  So, this was a mission. He wanted Sela back. Zach leaned in, pretending he hadn’t heard the question. “Excuse me?”

  “Sela Andrews.”

  “Your girlfriend?” Luke asked.

  “My assistant.”

  Zach didn’t know what she meant to Trevor, but she sure deserved more than a toss-off description. Zach struggled to keep his hands at his sides instead of around Trevor’s neck. “Did you lose her?”

  “This is not a game.”

  When Zach went to answer, Luke held up his hand and took the lead. “Why do you think we have her?”

  “I saw Zach on video at her front door.”

  The news stole Zach’s breath. He was always so careful. Adam told him the positioning of the cameras at Sela’s apartment and how to stay out of sight. Zach refused to believe he’d blown cover in order to get to Sela. He hadn’t lost his edge.

  “You have a tape of me?”

  “You’re not the only ones who know how to hide a camera. You were there. She went missing.” Trevor’s voice returned to his usual upper crust, condescending tone. “Where is she?”

  Zach tried to wrestle his thoughts back under control. “We don’t hurt women, even your women.”

  “She is a valued employee.”

  He made her sound as important as a lamp. Zach hoped his instincts were right about her and that she wasn’t lying. The idea of Sela with this guy made his stomach heave.

  “What’s the end game here?” Luke asked.

  “There have been some, shall we say, issues.” Trevor stared at the ceiling as if contemplating his next words. “I need to know she is here of her own free will.”

  The guy acted as if he’d never sent death squads after them or had his people kill government officials who could point to him as a player in the WitSec mess. “Issues? Is that what we’re calling your illegal activities?”

  Trevor talked right over Zach. “She was upset the day she disappeared.”

  “And?” Zach asked.

  Trevor locked his gaze on Zach again. “I need to know if you are the reason for that.”

  Luke slid over, putting his body in Trevor’s line of vision. “If we see her, we’ll call you.”

  Trevor frowned. “This is serious.”

  “I can see that.”

  “If you—” Trevor stopped, and took a deep breath, as if struggling for control. After a few seconds he continued. “She is not part of our fight.”

  Luke cocked his head to the side. “How deep are you in this WitSec scam?”

  “We are talking about Sela.”

  “I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk about a topic I cared about.”

  Zach winced at Luke’s harsh tone. Since Sela could hear every word, Zach wondered if that jab was for her benefit.

  “Why would someone take her?” Zach asked Trevor.

  “Like you, I engage in dangerous work.”

  Zach hated being compared to this guy in any way. “Try again.”

  Trevor didn’t even blink. “She is innocent.”

  “I doubt that if she hangs out with you.” Luke kept tweaking but Trevor would not lose his cool.

  And unless Adam had put a gag in her mouth, neither did Sela. She didn’t come running down the steps or scream for help. Zach had no idea what that meant.

  “I will find her,” Trevor said.

  Zach took that as a threat but Luke just shook his head. “Not my business.”

  Trevor delivered that tsk-tsk sound he was so fond of. “I would hate to see our agreement threatened over this.”

  Luke matched the show of strength with some of his own. “Our deal doesn’t extend to your assistant.”

  Trevor stood. “I want her back by tomorrow.”

  Like he owned her. Zach didn’t think he could hate this guy more. “Good luck with that.”

  Trevor whistled as he glanced around. His gaze ended at Luke. “Nice place you have here, by the way. It’s a good use of Claire’s money, or should I say of her ex-husband’s money?”

  Zach saw Luke’s shoulders tense and stepped in before the boss lost it. Trevor was the one guy who could push Luke too far.

  “Almost as nice as your office. Adam got in there without any trouble last time. Got right up to your private office and put a gun to your forehead,” Zach said.

  “I have plugged some security holes since then.” Trevor wiped his hands together as if he’d touched something dirty or beneath him while in the room.

  “And so will we.”

  Trevor looked past Zach. “Tomorrow, Luke.”

  He shook his head. “You’re talking to the wrong people.”

  “Maybe your WitSec contact can help you,” Zach suggested.

  Trevor walked right up to the huge metal door of the warehouse. He tapped on the thick slab. “I suppose I need a top-secret exit code to get out of here.”

  “It’s tempting to knock you out and throw you in the street.”

  “That’s the difference between us, Zach.” Trevor laughed at a joke only he got. “Well, one of them.”

  “Enlighten me.”

  “I fight with my brain, not my muscles.”

  “I prefer to use a gun.”

  Trevor’s smile faltered a little. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “You do that.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Adam walked down the stairs a few minutes later with Maddie and Sela behind him. “What was that about?” He called out the question to his team members below.

  “A warning.” Luke headed for the coffeepot and started pouring.

  Sela wanted to ignore it all. Sitting up there, listening to Luke and Zach throw out innuendos and Trevor not denying them pricked at her. She wasn’t naive. She knew Trevor had a dark side. Washington, D.C., was a power hub and Trevor moved in the center of it. He could be ruthless and demanding.

  More than once she’d heard him on the phone, spewing out condescending barbs in that smooth tone of his. He answered his ex-wife’s viciousness over the custody of their son with an ongoing stream of hate. But he’d always been fair with Sela.

  Despite the rumors to the contrary, he’d never made a pass. Never even looked at her in a way that made her uncomfortable. He also ignored her former boss’s attempts to ruin her name. She’d been trapped by a boss trying to save his son’s reputation and got blamed for embezzlement. The compan
y insisted firing her and not prosecuting her for something she never did was somehow a gift. They said they had evidence, though none existed. They said she deserved to be unemployed, and she had been. They took everything from her and never cared. It was about protecting who they were in the community, and if that meant destroying someone they viewed as a low-level employee, then that was fine with them.

  Trevor saw through it all. He heard about the so-called evidence and discounted it. He actually listened to her side and hired her, entrusted her with top secret programs and never made her feel as if she was being tested. In her mind, that made him one of the good guys. She focused on his charity work and belief in her and blocked out everything else that conflicted with the image.

  Zach, Luke and Adam—they made her see Trevor in a different light. One far less flattering. If half of what they said was true, every time she picked up a phone or started investigating a private matter for him, one that was off the company books, she put someone in danger. Possibly even Maddie.

  He’d sucked Sela into a life she didn’t understand or want.

  She had to hold on to the railing to keep from falling down. Her legs were shaky as she hit the bottom step.

  Zach was beside her in a flash. Concern showed in his eyes. “You okay?”

  “Honestly? No.” She made it to the conference table and slumped into a chair.

  “You’re not alone.” Adam stood right across from her and there was nothing charitable about his dark look. His fury filled the room until the air felt heavy.

  Zach shook his head as he slipped into the chair beside her. “Not now.”

  “It’s okay.” She reached out and touched his hand, comforted by his closeness.

  No, on some level she deserved this. She hadn’t been an active participant but she let a lot slide. All those secret meetings about Luke and Recovery. She’d been trained not to trust them, but they hadn’t shown her anything but decency. Sure, Adam didn’t like her. That was clear, but she knew deep down that grew out of his concern for his friend. She’d put Zach in danger at least three times since he stepped into the cabin.

  She’d been bred to believe they were the bad guys, unfairly hunting Trevor because he was powerful and a potential threat to them. Now that argument didn’t make any sense.