The King, page 32
Fine. Yes. I was scared to death of ever reliving that moment. It was one thing to have open discourse as an agent. Lives were at stake after all. But he let feelings cloud his judgment, and that hurt. And I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to forget that. The way he’d talked to me made me feel so small, made me question everything I said and did. That was hard to shake.
The safe house was just down the street from the Bliss Experience Spa. The plan was hopefully simple enough. Graciella was scheduled for a facial, a massage, and sauna. I booked Tabatha in for spa treatments since Graciella didn't know what she looked like. If Tabs was able to corner her in the sauna, she would dose her with the same compound Lock had been given during his bag and tag, and we’d carry her out as quietly as possible.
Saint was our comms and demolitions expert as well as our backup covering the exits. Lachlan and I were going in as staff.
If the sauna plan failed, our next solution was for Lock to get her. Of course he would be very hands on with her, which I didn't love, but there was nothing I could do about it.
We had been warned that she would be with armed guards. But since she didn't have a guard with her in the Winston Isles, they likely wouldn't know me. So when she went into private areas for her treatments, I would be the one dealing with the bodyguards.
At the safe house, we all changed into our gear, and I grabbed my braids and tied them into a high ponytail. I caught Lachlan looking at me with a sappy smile on his face. “You look like a kid with your hair pulled back.”
“I promise you, I’m grown.”
“Don't I know it.” He licked his lips. “You've got this, Saff.”
“I had better. We’re only going to get this one shot.”
When the three of us were dressed, Saint marched out to set up the van we'd procured. Once we were in back of the spa, we did our comms check then our contact inside the spa let us in through the back door. She smiled at me. “I assume you’re Saff?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I’m Margo. Right through here.”
She led me, Tabs, and Lock to the employee locker room and slipped me the schedule and said, “The bookings are for Jessica.”
I gave her a confused look. “Who's Jessica?”
She laughed. “Ugh, a lot of stars will use pseudonyms. You know, to protect their privacy.”
I checked the schedule. “This is wrong, I think. She's supposed to have her sauna first.”
The young woman shook her head. “She changed it. She’s not going to do the sauna at all now. She’ll be starting with massage.”
I glanced at Lock. “You’re up.”
He nodded. “Got it.”
The three of us were shown to the massage area. Tabs and I waited in what was essentially a green room for the massage therapists. Lock went in and activated his comm unit.
I was shocked when he easily switched into an American accent, asking her if the temperature was right and if she was comfortable. While he went through that rigamarole, Tabs and I stepped out, ready and waiting. But I was surprised to find only one bodyguard. There were supposed to be two.
Tabatha wasn't even phased. She walked up to him and asked if he would like some water. He declined but clearly checked her out as he did so. I pretended to try and tug her along and gave him an apologetic smile on her behalf. He studied me closely and then frowned as if he knew me. Oh shit.
He called after me. “Hey, do I know you?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve just got one of those faces.”
But he started walking toward me, and it felt like a tank was chasing me down. But suddenly, he stopped and sank to his knees then slumped forward.
I glanced up at Tabs, and she shrugged. “We were going to end up here anyway. This just expedited things. Let's get him in the room.”
He had certainly looked enormous, and even with the two of us working on him, it was hard to drag him back to the green room. We had to use a two-man carry to get him out of the way.
While we wrestled him into a cupboard, I pressed my comm unit again. Lock was quiet. Too quiet. “Lock come in. Speak to us if you can hear us.”
When he didn't say a word in response, my heart squeezed. No, no, no. We secured the guard and ran to the door, only to find the massage room open and no Graciella in sight. In the far corner, Lock groaned.
He was coming around and rubbing the back of his head.
“What happened to you?” I searched him over, looking for any bruises, cuts, punctures, anything to indicate he was really hurt. Other than the bump developing on the back of his head, he seemed fine.
“It seems Graciella didn't buy the American accent. When I turned to get the oils and prep the syringe, she hit me with the fire extinguisher over there.”
I cursed under my breath. Tabs was muttering a string of curses out loud, and on the comms, Saint was frantically searching for our target. He said, “She didn't come out any of the exits. We at least have eyes on them with the cameras. She has to still be inside.”
Tabs looked at me. “What formation do you want to run?”
I forced my brain to think through the options. We had done this before and lost her. How had she escaped?
My gaze flickered to Tabs. “Let's say you know your boyfriend—or in this case, boyfriends—is notoriously security conscious. He even sends you to the spa with a security guard. Not to mention he rarely shows his face in public. But every now and again we get a reported sighting. How does it happen?”
Tabs shook her head. “Mate, I don't know. It's not like she's Houdini.”
I glanced at Lock. “Unless she is. Lock, remember at the hotel when we ran that grid and were surprised because there was no way she should have been able to move past us unless she had a predetermined escape route. What if she had one here too? She frequents these places. She's publicly been Massimo’s girlfriend for at least six months now. But what if he's just the public face? What if she's been privately seeing Antonio for years? Someone as beautiful as her wouldn't want to stay away from the spotlight. Somebody like her would need the spotlight. Need to be seen. So Massimo was excellent for that because he's not publicly tied to his father's interests.”
Lock’s eyes went wide. “So when she wants to do something like this, she uses public avenues but keeps her private access in case of emergency.”
“Exactly. Tabs, get Margo back in here. See if we can get a map. Blueprint would be better.”
In our comms, Saint laughed. “I'm faster. I've already put them on your tablet. But she's got a head start.”
“Hopefully it won't matter. I'm looking for where she's going to end up. I don't want to follow her. I want to beat her there.”
Tabs whistled low. “Holy hell.”
I frowned staring at my tablet. This was a long shot, and I could feel the doubt trying to creep in. What if you're wrong? What if you fail… again? What if this time you do lose a team member?
I gnashed my teeth together, zoomed in on the map, and encircled the spot. “Can you guys see that? What is that? Where is it?”
This time it was Tabs who had the answer. “That looks like a commercial building with some live-work properties. If this is accurate, it'll drop her right out onto the main street. She can walk into those commercial properties and vanish. There's also a tube station near there.”
I glanced at Lock, and he nodded. “Tell us what you want us to do.” His words were clear and direct, and he was willing to follow me. Wherever I was leading he was willing to go.
“My money says she's going here. And if we lose her, we're not going to see her for a very long time. So let's go.”
The three of us wasted no time running to the van, and Saint already had it warmed up and ready to go. And he drove like the devil himself was chasing him through the streets of Manhattan until we made it to the office building. He parked illegally, and all four of us strapped on our Kevlar and grabbed our guns, though it would be best not to get into a shootout in the middle of Manhattan. That would end poorly.
We clambered out, and I sent Saint and Tabs to the subway entrance just in case. Then I went with Lock to the primary entrance that would take her into the commercial building.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much else for me to do except pace and worry and freak out that I’d made the wrong call. What if this wasn't right? What if she had simply walked out of an exit we didn't know about?
My gut said this was the way, though. But could it be trusted?
Lachlan’s voice was low when he spoke. “This is the right decision, Saff. My opinion obviously doesn't matter, and it shouldn’t. But I can see you second-guessing yourself. You’re right about this. Trust your instincts.”
I swallowed hard and lifted my gaze to meet his. “Since I was a kid, I’ve always hated making mistakes. I know mistakes in the field mean dire consequences. I just feel the added pressure, that's all.”
He swallowed hard as he paced back and forth with me. To the rest of the world we probably looked like two employees on a smoke break. “I'm sorry. I know I’ve said I’m sorry before, but I don't think I fully understood. I should never have questioned your field decisions. I have the benefit of not being the one in charge. The benefit of not having my head roll if I make a bad call. You have to think of not just yourself but the whole bloody team. Trying not to get any of us killed, trying to catch the bad guy, trying to improvise the plan. I didn't account for any of those things in your decision-making, and honestly, it wasn't my place. I was just terrified for you, and I acted exactly like Gabe. Not because of your ability, so don't ever think that. I know I haven't been around very long, but I’m getting the impression you are one hundred percent a badass.”
My eyes stung, and I blinked away the rushing flood of emotions. He was right, I didn't need him to have an opinion. I didn't need for his apology to sink in. But having him acknowledge that my decisions carried a certain weight and risk helped a lot. “I appreciate that.” All I could do was nod as I try to shove aside the emotions. I didn’t have time for them. But it did mean a lot knowing that he saw. He might not fully understand, but he could see a sliver of what I was dealing with.
The look he gave me was full of understanding and love. It was the second part I didn't want to see. Because our situation was still impossible. And just as I was going to say something, to beg him to stop looking at me like his world began and ended with me, the side door to the garage opened. And a woman with dark hair, wearing a spa uniform and flip flops stepped out.
“Graciella, I’m so glad you could join us. You have given us a merry chase, but God, will it be satisfying to bring you in.”
She tried to dart back toward the door, but Lock blocked her path and shook his head. “Oh no, you don't. It was very rude of you to hit me on the back of the head. You should apologize.”
She turned to face me with a glower. “So you caught me. You can't hold me. Although, I am surprised to see the two of you together. You weren't fooling anyone in the Winston Isles. The way you looked at each other was too passionate. A long-term couple doesn't look at each other like that or fuck like that. But you did give me a hell of a show.”
I grinned at her. “Honey, if you're jealous, just say that. Now, let's get you back to London so you can share everything you have on your multiple boyfriends.”
39
Lachlan
I wasn't even nervous when I walked into Gabe’s office.
He glanced up with a scowl that smoothed out when he saw it was me. “King, did we have an appointment?”
I shook my head. “No. But this is urgent and pressing.”
He sat back at his desk, his brows furrowed and hands steepled. “What is it?”
Right to it then. “A while ago, you offered me something. A chance to be more. You were right. My life lacked meaning. Direction. And much to my chagrin, my grandfather was right. I was aimless. Hearing about Charlie, that I wasn't responsible, changed everything for me.”
“Oh, yeah? How's that?”
“Part of me felt like I deserved my families disdain. That I needed to lean into that bullshit stereotype. And you were right about something else. I have been an island all on my own. But the Rogues Division has taught me about teamwork. The value in trusting one another.”
He watched me intently but said nothing.
“In addition, Saff taught me how to open up again.” Here went nothing. “I understand the rules of Rogues Division. No fraternization. But consider that she's the actual heir, and she brought in the man responsible for the death of two agents. And she also brought in Graciella Natanya, so now you have a path to get to Antonio Igno.”
Gabe pressed his lips together. “We're not changing the rules just for Saff. I love my sister, but we're not making special concessions.”
And there it was. I wasn't usually a gambling man. But there were some moments in time when you had the perfect hand.
“I understand. Obviously, you want to know what you get out of it. And the answer is me. Even if I’m not allowed to date her officially, you have to know I intend to break that rule as often as possible. I will bide my time until my year is over and then I’ll walk away from Rogues and she’ll be mine. Or…” I continued, knowing I had his attention now, “I stay. Complete my training, and when I graduate, I’ll become the billionaire Rogue you’ve been looking for. Call sign The King. I think it has a nice ring to it.”
Gabe lifted a brow and watched me like a hawk. “You would give up what you call your freedom for my sister?”
“Every single day. Without question, without hesitation. I fell in love with her before I knew this place existed.”
Gabe sat forward then and shoved a slip of paper toward me. “It's already done, but something tells me you're going to need a whole hell of a lot more than a slip of paper to ride off into the sunset with my sister.”
I frowned at him. What the hell was he talking about? Curious, I picked up the slip of paper from his desk. It was a communique from Oversight. I scanned the document quickly, and then my gaze flickered up to stare at him over the paper. “Were you ever going to tell us?”
“Did you deserve to be told if you couldn't sack up and fight for my bloody sister?”
The sheet of paper outlined that Oversight was going to lift the restrictions on fraternization between agents, as studies had now shown that close interpersonal relationships led to healthier agents.
Now all I had to do was convince Saff to take a chance on me again.
Still, easier said than done.
Gabe's eyes met mine and he chuckled. “It seems you still have your work cut out for you.”
Saffron
There was a knock at Tabatha’s door while she was in the shower. When she got out, we were going to order food, and she was going to indulge my need for grease and wine and bad movies. One rule, no romcoms.
When I checked the security monitor, I frowned. How the hell did Gabe know where Tabatha lived?
He's ops lead. He knows everything.
I tugged open the door with an attitude and was surprised to find my brother with bags of groceries.
“Do you have plans on ruining my off time too?”
He ignored me and pushed past, heading straight into the kitchen as if he owned the place. “You know this place better than I do. Show me where her wok is.”
“Your first mistake is assuming that she owns one.”
His brows lifted. “Honestly, what grown adult doesn't have a wok?”
“Stop it, Gabe. What are you doing here? I promise you, Tabatha doesn't want to see you. And I certainly don't want to see you. And why did you bring groceries?”
“Because I intend to cook for my sister. And her... friend. If she can be called that.”
“Don't let her catch you insulting her in her own kitchen. It won't end well for you.”
My brother sighed and leaned against the counter. “I can use a regular frying pan, but I intend to still cook for you.”
I stared at him, unable to believe that this was my brother. “Are you sick or something?”
He shook his head. “No, but I probably have been acting that way for far too long. I know it's not much, but I would like us to start repairing our relationship. I've made a lot of mistakes. None that can be fixed with a simple dinner, but it's a start. It's something I can do. A small part of something that I can use to say I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you.”
I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. “What brought this on?”
“Someone reminded me that when you love someone, even if it doesn't get you what you want, you still do the best thing for them. And while I did think I was doing that, I was smothering you. You, little sister, are one hell of a field agent. And I owe you for catching Webster. Something I had been unable to do on my own.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “And instead of saying thank you, I berated you. You are 100% correct. I am not your father. I'm your big brother who loves you, but I need to give you space.”
This was all I had wanted to hear the for last two years of my life, but now that I was finally getting it, it felt surreal. I didn't even realize I was crying until a hot tear hit my hand when I swiped at my nose.
“I don't know what to say, Gabe.”
He shrugged as he pulled open several doors until he found what he was looking for. As it turned out, Tabatha did in fact have a wok. He found the oil and then made quick work of putting on rice and cutting up vegetables and chicken. “I have something else for you too. The envelope in the bag, pull it out.”
I did so and pulled out the contents. “What am I looking at here?”
“Just read it.”
My eyes quickly scanned the document, and as I read, the bottom fell out of my belly. The fraternization restriction had been lifted. And when I looked at the date stamp, I noticed it was four weeks ago. “What did you do, Gabe?”
“When I saw how happy he made you, how much confidence he gave you, I realized I needed to give you some freedom and control. So, I put in the petition. I know it's only a small part of an apology, but it's a start.”
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