Leather & Lace: Trident Security Book 1 (22 page)

Next to him, Ian grabbed his shoulder in a firm yet gentle grip. When he tore his eyes away from Kristen and looked at his brother, Devon saw the sympathy and understanding in the older man's eyes. Ian leaned toward him and kept his voice low.

"I know what you're thinking and you need to stop. This wasn't your fault, just like John's death wasn't your fault. Kristen's alive and you'll do your best to keep her that way. But brother, she could be hurt walking across a street one day whether she's with you or not. Shit happens. You love her. I can see it and so can everyone else. And for some unknown cosmic reason, she loves you, too. None of us are going to live forever, Dev, so do you want to be happy or miserable for the rest of your life? I think it's a no-brainer but, then again, you don't have much of a brain. It must go with your small Irish dick."

Devon snorted at Ian's last comments but didn't answer him. He had to give this some thought. His brother had made a point but it still didn't make Devon feel better as his woman was placed into the back of an ambulance. After they had her loaded, he climbed in and took a seat on the bench next to her, clutching her hand because he needed to touch her. He may not have made a final decision about their relationship yet, but no matter what, he would continue to protect her with his life.

Five long hours later, Devon was helping Kristen climb into his bed after he'd gotten them both undressed, and showered the last of the murky lake water off their bodies. Her body was marred with cuts and bruises and it was all he could do to tamp down the anger of what had happened and the fear of what could have happened to her. He tenderly washed her hair and skin before toweling the excess moisture away. The laceration on her forehead had taken twelve small stitches to close but the plastic surgeon did his best to prevent any visible scarring after it healed. While she did have a minor concussion, as he earlier suspected, the emergency room physician assured them she could go home as long as Devon stayed close and monitored her for any related symptoms.

Brody hadn't been so lucky and, after much bitching on his part, the big geek was admitted to the hospital overnight for observation with a moderate concussion. Devon knew the only reason they'd been able to convince Brody to stay, despite the double vision and nausea he was having, was Ian's threat to retrieve a spare set of wrist restraints from the toy bag he kept in the trunk of his SUV and then call Mistress China to have her come torture the injured man. Their teammate was now in the capable hands of four rotating bodyguards and one very pretty nurse Brody had been hitting on as the others left the emergency room.

Ian was taking care of Jenn in his apartment downstairs. Their niece had suffered a fractured wrist, which was now in a cast, along with her own set of cuts and contusions. When they'd all arrived home, an anxious Beau hadn't been able to figure out which one of his favorite female humans needed him more, Jenn or Kristen, but in the end the dog had followed the younger woman to her bedroom. Somehow Jake and Devon had fared better than the others, walking away with moderate bumps and bruises which would most likely make them stiff and hurt like hell in the morning. In fact, Devon was shocked they'd all walked away from the crash with minor injuries. The airbags and seatbelts had done an unbelievable job.

Boomer and Jake were taking refuge in the spare bedrooms above the Trident offices inside the secure compound. Ian had increased the personnel guarding all of them and sent two additional guards to Marco's place. He wasn't taking any chances with his team's lives. As much as Ian and Devon wanted to bring Marco and his sister to the compound, moving Nina, who was now confined to a hospice bed, wasn't feasible. Devon had spoken to Marco after he'd first called Ian and Boomer to the crash scene, but told him to stay with his sister. The only reason he'd called was he wanted to make sure Marco and the men watching his house stayed alert. The poor guy was torn between staying with Nina or leaving and having her friend take over for him. He didn't want to lose the time he had left with her and he didn't want her harmed by whoever was after the team.

Devon had also contacted Will from the hospital and assured him Kristen was okay but banged up a bit. She'd be fine and there was no need for him and her friends to come to the ER because they would only add to the chaos around them. He hadn't wanted to tell the man in great detail what had happened but a news crew had shown up as Kristen's ambulance pulled away from the scene and the story was on the eleven p.m. broadcast. What they had managed to keep under wraps was the fact the crash hadn't been an accident. They were able to convince the Tampa detectives who'd arrived to investigate that the other driver must've been a drunk who lost control of his car. The last thing they wanted was for whoever was gunning for them to realize they knew someone was targeting Team Four. Despite leaving Tampa's finest in the dark, Ian let the NCIS agents and Keon know what happened, with full disclosure.

After Kristen was settled under the covers, Devon went and retrieved a bottle of water and some acetaminophen which the doctor said she could take every four hours, and set it on the night table next to her. The doctor didn't want her taking anything stronger with her head injury. Devon made sure she didn't need anything else before he climbed into the bed next to her and pulled her to cuddle against him.

"Are you sure you're okay, baby? I know I've asked you the same question every five minutes since we swam out of the lake but I need to keep hearing the answer."

She turned her head from its resting spot on his shoulder and placed a soft kiss on his bare chest before getting comfortable again. Her hand rested over his heart and tattoo. "I'm fine Devon, I swear. I was terrified when it was happening but it's over now and everyone is okay. I'm relieved and a little sore, nothing else. It could have been so much worse but we're alive and I just want you to hold me."

He picked up her hand which was resting on his abdomen and brought it to his lips. "I'm so sorry, Pet. It's all my fault you were hurt. God, when I think about how you and Jenn could've been killed it makes me want to tear someone apart."

Kristen winced as she shifted and propped her upper body on her elbow so she was looking down at him, confused and angry at his statement. "How dare you! This was not your fault, Devon. You didn't run us off the road! Some maniac did and he's probably the only one who knows the reason why. I will not let you blame yourself for another person's evil acts. He may have killed your friends, are you saying you feel responsible for that, too? Are you saying you could've somehow predicted the future and stopped him before Jenn's parents or the other two SEALs were murdered? Because if you feel you're responsible for everything that's happened, I'm going to do what Ian threatened Brody with and call Mistress China."

The tension in his body eased and he chuckled at her annoyed rant. "Oh Pet, did you just threaten your Dom?"

Returning her head to his shoulder, she huffed. "Yes I did, Sir. Because my big, bad Dom was blaming himself for something he has no control over. It seems to be a bad habit of his. And if you think you're going to un-collar me and let me go over this–yes, I heard what Ian said to you–then you've got another think coming.”

“Thing.”

She looked at him in confusion. “What?”

“You said ‘another think coming’. It’s another ‘thing’ coming.”

Glaring at his smug face, she huffed again. “Really Devon? You’re going to argue with an English major? Google it sometime. It’s another
think
coming. And why are we even arguing about this? The point is, you'd have to come up with a far better reason to make me walk away from you."

Devon's mouth gaped open. The woman never failed to surprise him and then, she did it again. "So, is it true what Ian said? Do you love me?"

Her question shocked him, causing his breathing to hitch before he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. They were filled with unshed tears but more importantly, they were filled with hope and love–for him. "Yes, Ms. Kristen Anders, I do. I love you. I've never thought I'd find a woman who could steal my heart as you have but I'm so glad I did. I love you, Pet."

The tone of her voice became smug. "Good, because Ian was also right about something else. I love you, too. After my marriage fell apart, I never thought I would say those words to a man ever again. But I'm glad I did and I'm glad it's you."

Devon leaned down and kissed her as tenderly as he could. And then he held her close to his side long after they both fell asleep.

* * *

After the late news broadcast ended, the assassin used the remote to change the TV channel from his motel room bed before downing the last of his bottle of whiskey. He was pissed at himself. He'd taken a big chance, something he rarely did, and it didn't pay off. After watching the compound for several days he hadn't been able to figure out how to get all four targets together. The security had increased and there was no way in, so he needed an opportunity to get them outside the compound.

He'd set up his own surveillance camera in a tree as close to the monitored fence as he dared. While parked a half mile away from the place, he'd watched on his laptop as three out of his four targets, along with two women, climbed into a Ford pickup and he tailed them looking for an opportunity. How they'd all walked away from the crash was beyond him but they did, and as a result his job would be much harder. If his employer hadn't been calling every day demanding immediate results, he wouldn't have taken the chance he did. The bastard had shortened the time frame and given him five days to complete the job or he wouldn't be paid the remainder of his money.

Fuck!

Saturday came and went with no new information on the driver of the Hummer who tried to kill them and no leads were found in the boxes of files in the conference room. They were only about halfway through them and everyone was on edge.

Kristen had brought a change of clothes with her on Friday night since she'd planned to sleep at Devon's but he sent one of the bodyguards to her apartment to pick up a few more clothes and a short list of items she requested. He wasn't letting her out of his guarded home until this nightmare was over. He liked knowing she was in his apartment and he could walk over at any time to see her. The thought of asking her to move in with him had crossed his mind several times this morning but he didn't think either one of them was ready for that big step.

While Devon was with his team, minus Brody, pouring over pages and pages of mission reports, Jenn and Beau hung out with Kristen in his apartment. The two women were sore and stiff so he'd propped them up on opposite ends of his "L" shaped couch with pillows and blankets. He left water, acetaminophen, snacks, the house phone, computers, books and the TV remote within reach and told Beau to guard them with his furry life before he finally headed over to the office.

Despite a pounding headache and some lingering nausea, Brody got himself discharged from the hospital and was brought back to the compound by his bodyguards late in the afternoon. He immediately crashed in the bedroom next to the one Boomer was using.

Devon had retrieved Kristen's laptop when he grabbed her duffel bag from her car and she worked on her daily word count, managing to write more than she'd expected to. Jenn had several assignments for college which kept her busy for the day as well. Will had called and insisted on seeing his cousin was okay for himself, so Devon invited him, as well as Kayla and Roxy, over to his apartment for a simple Chinese take-out dinner. Since he wasn't willing to risk leaving the compound with Kristen, it'd been the only other option. Jenn, Ian and Beau joined them while Jake and Boomer tended to a woozy and grouchy Brody as they hung out in the rec room above the garage, eating pizza and watching a ballgame.

The two groups of family and friends sitting at Devon's dinner table immediately liked each other and conversation flowed. Once Jenn learned Kayla was a social worker, she'd latched onto the woman asking her all sorts of questions, which the older woman was happy to answer. Jenn was still trying to find her future niche in the world and was considering social work as her major. Roxy and Ian discovered they had mutual acquaintances and, between them and The Covenant, the two had plenty to talk about. Despite the man's effeminate mannerism, Devon found Kristen's cousin funny and easy to talk to. He was surprised to learn Will was an assistant curator at the Tampa Museum of Art, because the stuffy sounding position didn't fit with the man's loud and bubbly personality. He'd laughed when Will told him how Kristen referred to Devon and his teammates as the sexy six-pack which elicited a groan and eye roll from his Ninja-girl.

The evening was enjoyable and relaxing despite their brush with death a day earlier, but Devon and Kristen were relieved and exhausted when everyone left a little after nine o'clock. Kristen was grateful Devon had eased her cousin's concerns over her safety and promised to keep him posted. After being there for her when her marriage collapsed, she knew it was difficult for Will to leave her safety in Devon's hands but her cousin finally decided the man was trustworthy and would guard her with his own life. He even joked that if anything else happened to her, he would find a way to sneak in and redecorate her Dom's apartment in purple and florescent green with farm animal themed fabrics.

Less than ten minutes after closing the door behind their guests, Devon had Kristen naked in his bed. Neither one of them were up for anything strenuous so instead, he made slow, passionate love to her. He skimmed his soft lips over every cut and bruise from her head to her toes. When she insisted she wanted to do the same to him, he made her stay reclined on her back, with her head on her pillow, and by moving and twisting his body, he brought each one of his bruises to her mouth. After she was satisfied she had kissed every one, he settled himself between her legs and leisurely pleasured her. They were both so aroused by the time he put on a condom and eased himself between her wet folds, it was only a minute or two before she found her release with him following a few moments later. It hadn't been the explosive ending they usually reached, but a gentle free-fall over the edge and what it lacked in physical intensity, it more than made up for in emotional strength. It was a confirmation they were alive...and in love.

* * *

The next morning began as a repeat of the day before, with pages and pages of boredom making Devon's eyes cross. They were getting nowhere fast despite all six of them were back to reading the reports, along with the two NCIS agents. Brody's double vision and nausea were pretty much gone this morning and he was sitting at the conference table with the rest of them, with his chair tilted back and his sneakered feet upon the table. After the first hour, Ian finally stopped harping at him to keep his size thirteens on the floor.

They were about to break for lunch when there was a knock on the closed door. No one groaned since it couldn't be Paula who was off for the weekend. From his seat, Ian yelled, "Come in."

One of the MPs swung the door open and they all froze at the sight of a pale and shaking Jenn with a wide-eyed Kristen holding the girl's arm to steady her. Jenn's eyes were filled with tears, her chin trembling. "U-Uncle Ian."

Everyone jumped up from their seats as Ian raced to their niece's side. Somehow he managed to hide the brief flash of panic which shot through him and everyone else in the room. "What's wrong, Jenn? What happened?"

She lifted her non-casted arm toward him and it was then they saw she was holding a thin CD case. It was a blank one which was used to copy files. "I found this in the storage box with my CDs."

When she didn't say anything further, Ian looked back at his teammates and saw the same confusion he was feeling on their faces. He took the case from her and opened the cover. "What the...?"

Devon watched as his brother's face paled a few shades. "What is it?"

Ian read the words on the surface of the disc aloud. "Ian–if something happens to me, this is my last will and testament–Jeff."

"What the hell?" Brody stepped over and took the computer disc from Ian and then brought his laptop out of sleep mode. "Why the heck would this be in Baby-girl's things? Shouldn't this be with his lawyer? I mean, his lawyer had his will, right?"

Ian nodded as he pulled Jenn into his arms and hugged her tight. "I'm sure it's nothing, sweetheart. Your dad's lawyer probably gave him a copy of the will and somehow the disc ended up with your stuff when we packed everything up." He looked intently at Kristen over Jenn's shoulder.

"Why don't you go back to Dev's with Kristen and we'll check it out. If it's anything you need to know about, I promise I'll tell you, okay? Kristen, would you mind calling for some pizza for everyone. Order enough pies for the MPs and guards, too. Lunch came around fast and we're all getting hungry."

Devon was proud of Kristen. She realized Ian was worried about what was on the disc and took command of Jenn by wrapping her arm around the young woman's shoulders. With a reassuring smile and false bravado, she turned to lead the girl back down the hallway. "Sure, no problem. And no anchovies, right?" Before the door shut again, he heard her say, "See, I told you it was probably a copy. Come on, Beau, we'll get you some kibble, too."

As he sat down and inserted the disc into his laptop, Brody grumbled, "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm getting really sick of pizza." His teammates and Dobrowski all crowded around him as the file was scanned. "It's only one file. A word doc." The document came up on the screen. "Three pages long."

"Print it," Ian ordered.

The nearby printer started spitting out pages and Ian went to grab them. The rest of them began to read over Brody's shoulder. The computer geek was the first to comment. "Is Jeff fucking kidding me?"

Barbara Chan had remained seated since she wouldn't be able to see anything with six big men surrounding and reading the fifteen-inch screen. "What's it say?"

"It's a list of SEALs he worked with over the years and what he bequeathed them upon his death."

The agent looked puzzled and shrugged. "So? What's wrong with that?"

"Well, he left me his snow-blower and a pair of snowshoes. When was the last time it snowed in Tampa? He left Ian his collection of shot glasses from around the world–I didn't know he had one–and a paperback copy of
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader
. Prichard was supposed to get a surfboard and one of those singing mounted fish which is ridiculous since the man lived in fucking Iowa."

Boomer chuckled, reading over his friend's shoulder. "It's not as bad as what I got. A dancing reindeer and his old combat boots. My feet are two sizes bigger than his. What the hell am I going to do with those?'

Pointing to a name on the list, Jake started laughing. "Oh man, Urkel must have pissed him off at some point. He left the guy a collection of used jockstraps and a deflated basketball." Steve 'Urkel' Romanelli had been their Heavy Weapons Operator and the man to beat on the basketball court when they were playing one-on-one.

"The whole list is like this, it's fucking nuts," Brody added. "Did Jeff have a fucking screw loose and we didn't know about it?"

Ian had taken a seat across the table and was shuffling through the pages in front of him. "No, it's a coded message. Do you see how the names aren't indented but the rest of the entry is?"

"Yeah."

"It looks like the names are in random order. They're not alphabetical or in order of service dates, or even how he was closer to some more than others. Devon doesn't show up on the list until the bottom of the second page and he's listed as
Sawyer, Devon
. Marco is two above him and he's down as
Marco DeAngelis
. By the way Reverend, he left you his ugly Christmas sweater and a yellow rubber ducky. Sometime you're going to have to tell us what that's all about." Jake rolled his eyes as Ian flipped one of the pages over and grabbed a pen. "He's using some first names, some last and some call signs. Start reading off the names, Brody, exactly as he has them."

"Okay, You're first. “I.' Next is
Archer, Pete…Neil Radovsky…Boomer…Urkel…
” Brody continued down the entire list then eyeballed Ian, along with everyone else.

"
Ian, bury me in the place I hate the most–Jeff Mullins.
" While the rest of them watched in total confusion, Ian jumped up from his chair and started searching the content papers taped to the front of each box they hadn't gone through yet.

Dobrowski jumped up to help. "Which one?" he asked.

"Colombia. Ernesto Diaz."

"It's over here, I think." The agent moved over to several stacks of boxes under the large video screen on the wall. "Yeah, here it is. Four boxes."

Ian rushed over and grabbed the top cardboard box with Dobrowski picking up the second. Devon scratched his head in confusion. "Um, Boss-man, you going to clue the rest of us in?"

Dropping the box on the table, Ian threw the lid off and started removing the large files, tossing one at each member of his team. "Don't you remember how much Jeff was complaining about being in the jungles down there? Said he'd rather be any place else on earth. He hated it there. It was his last mission with us and he was bitching because it had to be with all those damn mosquitoes and creepy crawlers." Ian kept a file for himself and took a seat. "Jeff figured something out. Something which had to do with this mission and for whatever fucking reason he had, he was investigating it himself. He needed to give us a starting point but couldn't risk the hint being found if something happened to him. Anyone looking at the list would think the guy was joking around or, like Egghead said, just plain nuts. Whatever evidence or notes he had were probably stolen with the rest of the stuff taken to make it look like a burglary gone wrong. The answer we're looking for is somewhere in these four boxes."

"Son of a fucking bitch." Like the rest of the team, Devon grabbed the file which had landed in front of him, sat down and started pouring over every little detail of the month-long mission.