Mine To Protect (Mine #6) (16 page)

His plan? No, no, it hadn’t worked out so well. If it had worked out, he’d still be up there. He’d be keeping her safe. “Is she all right?” Victor asked and he heard the desperation in his own voice.

“She’s still talking,” Russell assured him quickly. “That means she’s still alive. He’s going to keep her that way. The guy has a job for her.”

“What job?”

Russell and Lauren shared a long look. Lauren’s laughter was gone. “He wants Zoe to kill her father,” she said quietly.

“Give me the fucking headphones.”

Russell nearly threw them at Victor. He put them on and heard Zoe’s voice, seeming to flow right around him.

***

“Kill…Luther?” Zoe laughed at Tom. “You must be out of your mind. He’s in a maximum security prison.”

Tom wasn’t laughing. “That sweet little knife you just pulled out of your dress? You can smuggle one just like it into the prison. I’ll make sure the guards don’t search you too thoroughly. Luther will let you get close to him. Hell, pretend you’re giving the guy a hug. Then slice his throat open.”

“No.”

“Come on, Zoe…” Now his voice was low, wheedling. As if the jerk hadn’t just broken her wrist. “You know you want some payback. How fitting would it be…especially after what he did to your mom.”

“Stop.” She didn’t want to hear this. She didn’t want the people listening to hear this. She just needed it all to stop.

“You were there. I know you were. Luther told me…said it was the one part he regretted. Not killing her, of course, but that you saw it. He said you even tried to stop him. To save her.”

She could feel her mother’s blood on her fingers. On her clothes.

“He tells me things…because I’m his lawyer. Because he knows that I can’t do anything with the crimes he reports. Confidentiality and all that. Lawyer and client privilege.”

“No.” Her chin notched up. “He tells you because you’re just as sick and twisted as he is and you don’t care what he’s done.”

Tom’s face hardened. “I’m giving you the opportunity for payback. You should be thanking me.”

Had he always been crazy?

“Don’t you think it’s fitting that you be the one to take him out? And only you can do it. You can get close enough. He’s on guard with everyone else. Go in there, kill him…and get your life back.”

“If I kill Luther, then I’ll be the one in prison! I’ll be rotting behind bars!”

Tom snorted. “For killing Luther Bates? Hardly. I’ll be your lawyer,” he promised. “I’ll get you off. All I have to do is tell the jury about your mother. About the poor teenage girl who was found clinging to her mother’s dead body because she couldn’t let her mom go. The girl who has a history of mental and physical abuse at her father’s hands. They’ll pull jury nullification. No one will convict you, no matter what evidence is there. You will walk, I guarantee it.”

***

Her mother. Dear God, her mother…
Victor had suspected this truth, but hearing the story this way cut him up. He could barely breathe because he hurt so much…for her. All for her.

Zoe had been through too much in her life. All that pain and she still smiled. Still looked for the good in the world. In people.

In me.

He wanted to take her far away from any pain and betrayal. He wanted to make sure that she was happy for the rest of her life. That she was always smiling. Always happy. Always…

With me.

But she probably wanted to get as far from him, as fast as she could.

“We have the confession we needed.” He yanked off the head phones. He stood facing the van, his eyes on the other two agents. “Now we have to get her out of there.”

“No.” The voice was sharp and it came from directly behind him. “No, Special Agent Monroe, that is
not
how this operation will go down.”

Victor turned—very slowly—and came face-to-face with FBI Assistant Director Percy Chase. The guy wore a long trench coat and his shoulders hunched forward as he glared at Victor.

“There is a police officer still missing! Or have you forgotten that?” Percy blasted at him. “If we move now, we may never see that woman again.”

“I haven’t forgotten a damn thing, and if we move now,” Victor gritted right back, “we can force Tom to tell us where Michelle Lane is. We have the power and the fucking confession, thanks to Zoe. Now we need to do our part and get Zoe out of the Vine before she gets hurt.”

When he’d left her in that elevator, he’d known that she would be able to get Tom’s confession. Zoe was smart and tough and strong. She humbled him with her goodness. She made him want to change the whole world for her. She made him—

I love her.

“Once we know where Michelle Lane is, then we move.” Percy was adamant. “Not a minute sooner. It’s not like Tom Winters is going to kill Zoe. I was listening, too.”

Of course, he fucking was. That had been one of the reasons Victor hadn’t wanted the truth about Elizabeth to leak. He’d known Percy was out there on surveillance watch, too. There had been far too many ears listening.

“He needs Zoe,” Percy said. “He won’t kill her.”

“If she doesn’t do what he wants, then Tom
will
hurt her. He could be hurting her right now.” He couldn’t stand the thought. “Shit, the man took out a hit on her! Doesn’t that tell you he isn’t exactly sane? If he’s pushed, if he gets angry with her, he’ll spiral out of control. Zoe—”

“Can survive a little pain.” Percy waved his hand dismissively. “This case is huge. It will go down in the books—make my career
and yours.
You hear what I’m saying? When we do this…the right way…you can have any job at the Bureau that you want. We’re going to have Tom Winters for all the crimes he committed, and we’ll have a new murder to pin on Luther Bates. Bates will tell us everything we need to know about the crime syndicate in the East. We will destroy them all.”

There was silence from behind Victor. He could feel Russell and Lauren watching him.

“And all of that…” Percy murmured. “All of that can’t really be measured against a bit of pain that one woman might experience for a just a little while, now, can it?”

Victor studied the assistant director. Tall, thin, balding. An arrogant, cold bastard.

“Tell me what you want,” Percy continued, swallowing a bit nervously as the silence stretched and Victor kept glaring at him. “Name your title, tell me the job, just tell me what you want because you have more than earned everything—”

“I want Zoe.”

Percy’s face hardened. The streetlight overhead glared down on him. “She’ll be fine, once we’ve finished the case. When we know where Michelle Lane is being kept, when we have the police officer in custody, then you can take Zoe back into protective custody.” He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “Though I’m thinking that it will be time for us to turn her over to Witness Protection. She gives us what we want on Bates, and then we set her up in a nice house somewhere in the country.”

“I’m not giving her up.” Cold, lethal words.

“She’s just a case,” Percy responded flatly. “You, of all people, should know that personal involvement is never a good idea. I have to say, I’m mighty disappointed in you. Here I am, offering you the world and you—”

“She is my world.” And she didn’t know it.

A long, black limo turned onto the street. When he saw that limo, Luther knew that Drake and Jasmine had arrived. Talk about fast back-up. Drake had told him they were close, but Victor hadn’t realized just how soon they’d be on the scene.

“Get your head in the game, Agent,” Percy snapped. “Stop thinking with your dick.”

Victor stepped toe-to-toe with the bastard. “This is my last case. I’ve been planning a career change for a while now.”

Percy’s jaw dropped. “
What?”

“I’m going private. My brother-in-law and I…we’ll be doing some ventures together.” He gave the assistant director a cold smile. “So consider this my notice, asshole. I’m done with you and your shit. And if you
ever
say anything that so much as
feels
a little negative in regard to Zoe again, I will beat the ever loving shit out of you. FBI or no FBI.”

“B-but—but—”

“Now, I’m going in the Vine, and I’m getting Zoe out. I’m doing that shit, either with your support or without it.” He narrowed his eyes on Percy. “You’re a dumbass who hasn’t been in the field in over ten years. You don’t know when a situation is about to go super nova, but I do, and I
won’t
risk her.”

Percy puffed out his chest. “I won’t allow a single other agent to follow you in there—”

“
This
agent will be following him in,” Russell announced as he jumped out of the van. “Because Victor Monroe has never steered me wrong. I’ll cover his back.”

Percy sucked in a sharp, stunned breath.

“I’ve been meaning to say,” Victor murmured to Russell. “I could sure use you in my new business venture.”

“We’ll talk about my split soon enough,” Russell assured him. “Count on it.”

Victor nodded. It was good to have the right friends at your side.

Drake and Jasmine were closing in. Russell was ready to go. And Percy…

“Get the fuck out of my way,” Victor barked at the guy.

The assistant director stumbled back.

***

Lauren knew she had just been witness to a scene that would become legendary at the FBI. Victor and Russell had just handed the assistant director his own ass.

Now they were striding toward the Vine, and Percy was just standing there, looking lost. No doubt, he was feeling lost, too.

She cleared her throat. The idea of striding after those guys was tempting, but she’d just started her career with the FBI. Walking away now? Not so much an option for her.

But doing the right thing? That was what they should all do. “Sir,” Lauren began carefully as she climbed out of the van and moved toward him, “we have Tom’s confession. The longer that we leave Zoe Peters with him, the more volatile the situation will become.”

He whirled toward her. “You think I need some rookie telling me how to do my job?”

Her chin notched up. “Right now, yes, sir, I do.”
Try another tactic.
“Unless you want Agent Monroe getting
all
of the credit for the takedown. I mean, if you are providing tactical support, the operation is still technically under your supervision. But if you let him go in there, without any of
your
team…well, you’re essentially turning everything over to him.”

His jaw hardened. “You were a fucking psych major in college, weren’t you?”

“Yes, sir.” She actually had a Master’s in psychology.

“You think I don’t know when I’m being played?”

“I think you don’t know how to be human.” There. She was probably going to get some really shitty assignments in the future, but she’d spoken the truth. “Didn’t you see the way Victor looked when he talked about Zoe? He loves her. And you were asking him to just keep risking her life. That wasn’t going to happen.”

“Victor Monroe doesn’t love anyone.”

She bit her lower lip. Maybe the assistant director needed to take a few psych classes.

“He doesn’t,” Percy said stubbornly.

“Then why did he just quit the FBI so that he could rush into the Vine and get Zoe Peters back to safety?”

“The cop needs us!”

On that, she agreed. “Then the FBI should be pulling out all the stops. We save Michelle Lane
and
Zoe. We storm that place and we don’t let anyone get in our way.” Each word came out more heated than the last. “I didn’t join the Bureau to sit on the sidelines. With respect, sir, I joined to kick some ass.”

He was silent a moment.

Her hand nervously tapped against her holster. Every moment that passed was a moment that everything could be going to hell inside of the Vine. Every moment…

“Agent Ward,” Percy barked. “Get the tactical team moving.”

“Right away!” A wide grin split her face. She rushed to follow his order.

“And Agent Ward…”

She looked back.

“I think I like you.” He nodded. “You’ll go far at the FBI.”

“Good…because that’s just what
I
want.”

“So what’s the plan?” Jasmine demanded as soon as they headed toward the casino.

The plan?
Get Zoe. Keep her safe always. Throw Tom Winters in a cell and never let him see the light of day again.

He took the gun that Russell offered to him and tucked it in his waistband. “The plan is for me to distract Tom Winters.” A simple, basic plan. “I’ll get all the attention focused on me. While I do that, Jasmine and Drake, you two find a way to access the Vine’s security files.” Jasmine had always been gifted with computers. “You get on the network. Get access to every secret you can find.”

Russell gave a low whistle. “You think you can find Michelle Lane by hacking the place?”

“It’s sure as shit worth a try. Get control of the system,” Victor ordered them. Drake and Jasmine both had plenty of talents—many of which weren’t exactly legal. “I want you to take control of all the security cameras. Turn off the feeds.” Now his gaze zeroed in on Russell. “As soon as they have control, you get up to the penthouse because I will be needing your backup.” He had no idea how many guards would come running once he attacked. “We arrest Winters while we still have our FBI badges and we get Zoe the hell out of there.” He glanced at the team, trying to make sure everyone was in agreement with his spur-of-the-moment plan.
It’s better than nothing.

Drake nodded. “Sounds good to me…provided you don’t get yourself killed while you’re fighting to get the guy’s
attention.”

Jasmine grabbed Victor’s arm. “He won’t.” The threat was in her eyes. “He’d better not.”

“Don’t worry, Jazz. I’ve got too much to live for now. Dying isn’t on my agenda.”

Her brow furrowed. “Vic?”

“I need her. I can be happy…with her.”
I am happy with her. As long as I can get Zoe to forgive me. As long as I haven’t screwed things up too badly. As long as I have a chance.

Jasmine’s face softened. “Then let’s get her the hell out of that building.”

Damn straight.

***

“I need proof that Michelle is alive.” Zoe licked her lips. They’d gone desert dry. Her wrist still throbbed and nausea churned in her belly. “Before I do
anything
else, I need proof.”

Tom tilted his head to the side, seeming to consider the matter.

“Proof of life,” Zoe whispered. “I have to get it or there is no deal that will ever happen.”

“Fine.” He marched back to his laptop. Typed on a few keys. Then he spun the laptop around to face her. “Here you go.”

She inched closer to the desk so that she could see the laptop screen. Video footage was playing. Footage that showed a woman—bound hand and foot and gagged—as she lay on a lush, four-poster bed.

“I gave her a nice suite,” Tom said. “Pity she can’t really appreciate it.”

Michelle is in the hotel.

“Now…” He snapped the laptop closed. “Do we have a deal?”

“I can’t kill Luther Bates.”

He sighed. “Fine.” Tom pulled out his phone, dialed quickly, then put the phone to his ear. “The guest in room 2804 is checking out. Make sure there isn’t a mess when she leaves.”

The guest…

“No!” Zoe screamed because she knew exactly what the bastard was doing.

“No?” Tom’s brows climbed. “Why not? Michelle is of no use to me if you won’t make the deal for her. Better to just kill her now.”

“No, don’t!”

“Then do we have a deal?” he asked silkily. “Say it, Zoe. I need the words. I need to hear you say that you’ll kill your father.”

“Why?” Zoe paced away from him, hurrying toward the windows that overlooked the city. She’d gotten his confession. When Victor had spoken those last words to her in the lobby, she’d realized what her job was. She’d
done
the job. Now shouldn’t the FBI be storming in to save the day? Tom had just said where Michelle was. She’d seen her…
alive.
It was time for the good guys to swoop in and stop this nightmare.

Only…no one was swooping. Her shoulders hunched as she stared at the street below. There was no sign of swarming cop cars. No men and women in bullet proof vests rushing toward the building. “Why do you need me to say the words?” Zoe asked, trying to buy some more time. “So you can record me…the way you recorded Victor’s little attack on you? Then you’ll take my words and show them to Luther. Show him that I could never
really
be trusted. That you’re the only one who had his back all this time.” She was just bullshitting but even as she said the words, they did make a twisted kind of sense. Frowning now, she glanced over her shoulder at him. “
Why
do you want me to say the words?”

His eyes gleamed. “You’ve always protected him.”

No, she hadn’t.

“Luther told me that you were the one who would never turn on him, no matter what. That blood was thicker than anything else.”

Zoe shivered. “And he wasn’t going to promote you in the organization because you weren’t family.”
Not unless you married me.

“Screw that old family mob nonsense. I have the brains. I know this operation inside and out.”

You don’t know me.

“I want to hear the words because it will make me fucking happy to hear them. Consider it my final payback against him. He was always so sure you’d keep choosing him. That you’d never do anything against him.” Tom laughed. “Even when you were screwing the FBI agent, Luther was adamant that you could be trusted. That you wouldn’t reveal anything that would hurt him. And the damn thing is…you haven’t. You were in FBI custody for months and you still didn’t talk. No new charges came against Luther, and every day, he just got cockier and cockier.”

There was still no one storming the penthouse. There was only silence, all around her.

“You’ve got so many damn weird daddy issues,” Tom spat at her.

And she had to laugh. “Yes, I do.” A cold smile curved her lips. “But you want to know why I never talked? Why I didn’t go to the FBI?” She lifted her hand to her right ear. Pressed on that little earring. To him, it would probably just look like another nervous gesture. To her…

I’m turning off the feed.

She thrust back her shoulders. “I didn’t talk because I’m not some innocent girl. I never have been.”

He was watching her with curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

“I saw him kill my mother, but that wasn’t the only time I saw who Luther truly was. He made it his mission for me to see everything. To know
everything.
” All of the pain she’d held in check bubbled out now. “He planned for
me
to take over his operation, you see. So he forced me to watch the blood and the pain and the hell he wrecked. I didn’t get sent to boarding school right away. I stayed with him. He made sure of it. And sometimes…” Her voice grew raspy. “He made me help him.”

Tom’s eyes had widened.

“One day, he brought in a drug dealer who’d tried to betray him. Luther wanted me to take care of the guy. Me. A teenager. When I told him that he was crazy, Luther put a gun in my hand.” She was shaking as she remembered this. “He put a gun in my hand and then…then he put
his
gun to my head.” She lifted her left hand, made it into a pretend gun, and put it right next to her temple.

Shock covered Tom’s face.
I guess Luther didn’t tell you this secret.

“Luther said either I would kill that guy or I would be the one dying.”

Tom took a few fast steps toward her. “
You
killed the dealer. That’s why Luther was so certain of you. He had that man’s death on you. So if you betrayed him, then he’d turn you over to the cops—”

“I didn’t kill him.”

He stilled.

“The guy was crying, begging in front of me. Saying he’d made a mistake. That he’d never do it again. Luther was yelling for me to shoot. And I—I yanked the gun up. I turned it on Luther and I shot.”

Tom blinked. “You…shot Luther?”

“And he shot me.” Her breath sawed out. She moved her hand, brushed back the heavy mane of her hair, and showed him the faint white scar on the side of her head. She worked to constantly hide that scar. Even Victor had never seen it. “Because I’d moved, the bullet…it didn’t do much damage to me. Just grazed me.
My
bullet tore into Luther’s stomach, but he had doctors at his beck and call. They fixed him right up.”

“What happened to the drug dealer?”

Her gaze lowered to the floor. “When Luther was better, he brought me to see the man again. And he made me watch while the guy was slowly tortured. It took five days before he died. By that point, I wanted to kill the guy just to stop his pain.”

“Luther has always been good at getting what he wants.” There was
admiration
in his tone.

There was only hate in her voice as she said, “When it was over, Luther told me that it was all my fault. Every cry. Every scream. Because things could have ended quickly for the guy. But they didn’t. Because I did that. I made him hurt more. And Luther told me that if I ever tried to stop him again, he would make sure
everyone
I cared about went through that same hell.” She let her hair fall. “Once you see someone die that way…while you are helpless to stop their pain…it changes you.”

He came toward her. Lifted her hair again and traced that faint scar. His touch revolted her, but she didn’t move as he said, “Luther shot his own daughter.”

That was the part that she thought Luther might have regretted. Because when their guns had exploded that faithful day, and blood had poured down the side of her head, Luther had screamed. Not with fury. Not with pain.

With fear.

And he’d screamed her name.

Tom was silent a moment, then he shrugged as he dropped his hand. “I still want to hear you say that you’ll kill Luther Bates.”

“Fine.” She bit off the word. “I will kill Luther Bates. Are you happy now?”

“I’m—”

The doors to the penthouse flew open. No, they’d been
kicked
open. Chunks of wood flew through the air. Victor stood there, chest heaving, a gun in his hand and fury on his face. “Guess what, asshole?” he shouted at Tom. “I decided I didn’t fucking like your deal.” He reached into his pocket and yanked out the keycard he’d used in the elevator earlier. He tossed it onto the floor at Tom’s feet. “So I’m making a new deal. One that involves me, walking out of here with Zoe. And you—you spending the rest of your life behind bars.”

Tom rushed toward his desk. He yanked open his laptop and started tapping on the keys. “You shouldn’t be up here! My guards should never have let you—”

“The guards I encountered on my way up are…indisposed, so to speak.” Victor flashed his shark’s smile. Definitely killer.

“The video feed isn’t coming up!” Tom yelled. Spittle flew from his mouth. “What in the hell?”

“Oh, must be a technical glitch,” Victor said, sounding not even a little surprised. “That shit happens.”

Tom’s hand dropped away from the laptop.

“Zoe…” Victor said her name softly. Carefully. “Zoe, why are you holding your wrist that way?”

And she realized she was cradling her right wrist against her stomach. “It’s broken.”

Victor’s face…changed. His eyes seemed to burn brighter, but his expression became so dark, so menacing that, for a moment, she almost felt as if she were staring at a stranger.

“Come here, Zoe,” Victor said softly. He still had his gun aimed at Tom. “Come to me.”

Right. This was it. The good guy swooping in. Only she wasn’t convinced Victor was the good guy, not any longer.

I hate secrets. I’m so sick of them. Sick to death of them.
She started walking toward Victor. At least this particular nightmare was over.

“Stop, Zoe.” Tom’s voice was mild. “Take another step, and the guard in Michelle’s room will blow her brains out.”

Her gaze jerked to him. His fingers were poised over his phone.

“One click, and I send the order to kill. Maybe my security system is glitching, but I can still use my phone and text just fine. The guard in the room will kill her, and Michelle’s blood will be on you. Just like your father said…everyone you care about, right? It goes back to you. To
your
fucking choices.”

She stilled.

“Come to
me,
Zoe,” Tom said.

“Zoe…” Victor growled.

“To me or she dies.” His finger was so close to the phone’s screen.

Zoe looked at Victor. “Tell me that the FBI heard which room she’s in. Tell me that a team already has her and that he’s bullshitting me. Please, please…
tell me that.
”

A muscle flexed in Victor’s jaw. His gaze was still locked on Tom. “Drop the phone or I will shoot your ass right now.”

That is Victor’s answer. He wants Tom to drop the phone because Michelle isn’t safe yet. The FBI doesn’t have her.
But Tom’s finger was too close. If Victor fired, Tom could still carry out his dark order. He could hit send on the text—

She rushed toward Tom. “Don’t.”

With his left hand, Tom grabbed her, yanked her close and used her as a human shield. “You have got to stop caring so much about other people. Serious weakness, sweetheart.”

She didn’t think so. Caring about other people—that was what stopped her from becoming a monster. From being just like Luther.

He’d wanted her to stop caring. He’d wanted to alienate her. To make her see that people couldn’t be trusted. That your friends turned on you. That your lovers betrayed you.

Only blood matters.

She stared across the room and into Victor’s eyes. He still had his weapon up and aimed. Only right then, it was aimed at her because in order to shoot Tom, Victor would have to shoot her, too.

“How the fuck do you really think this will end?” Victor asked as he eased closer. His grip on that gun never wavered. “Here’s a newsflash for you,
Tom.
Zoe was wired. The FBI heard every single word you said up here with her. That jammer on your desk—you turned that shit off when I left, remember? Only you forgot to turn it back on. We’ve got you. You are done.”

“No!” Tom’s hold on Zoe tightened. “No, I won’t go down like this! I won’t!” And she knew he was going to send that text. She couldn’t let it happen. Zoe threw her entire body back against Tom and they fell to the floor in a heap.