Rogue Defender (Gone Rogue), page 16
Domina doesn’t say a word. One minute. Two. Three. I raise my head, convinced I’ll find horror, disgust, or betrayal in her eyes.
Tears threaten to spill over her lower lids, and she rises, crosses to me, and wraps her arms around my waist.
“What are you doing?” I ask. “I just told you I killed four people in cold blood nine years after they left Caracas.”
“Did you make them suffer?” She tips her head up, and tears slip down her cheeks.
“No. Double-tap to the head. Close range. I made sure they saw me—recognized me—but I made it quick.” Cupping her cheeks, I brush the tears away with my thumbs. “You’re not running.”
“You killed the men who tortured you. How is that any different than what Trevor did to save you?” Rising up on the balls of her feet, she presses her lips to mine. “I understand why you told me. And why you did not want to. But this changes nothing for me. I care for you, Leo. More than I thought possible. I know you have a past. That you have killed, and that you are capable of killing again. But I also know you are a good man.”
“I don’t deserve you.” Despite my words, I don’t let her go. She’s seen the darkest parts of me, and she’s still here. Still staring up at me with what just might be love in her eyes.
After we came together for the first time—was that really only two nights ago?—I thought I might be falling for her. Now? She’s my entire world, and there’s nothing I won’t do to keep her safe.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Domina
Leo has not stopped touching me since he admitted killing the men who tortured him. We sit on the bed, holding hands, close enough the heat of him seeps into my side.
I want to stay here forever. Safe and protected in this little bubble we have made together. But whoever shot Manuel is still out there. With the election in three days, they will surely try again. And soon.
“What do we do now?” I ask.
With a heavy sigh, Leo shifts to drape his arm around my shoulders and pull me closer. There is something desperate in the motion. Like he’s afraid to let me go. “We go talk to Austin and Trevor. See what they’ve managed to find out in the past few hours. If we can’t get in touch with Cortez through Austin’s contacts, maybe he can talk to Garcia again. The man might be packing up his shit at the Presidential Palace, but he still has influence. At least for another few days.”
Someone raps on the bedroom door, and we both flinch. “Leo? Zephyr’s going to call in five minutes. You awake?” Austin asks.
“If I wasn’t, I would be now,” he says, a hint of annoyance in his tone. “Be right there.”
I try to pull away—to stand so I can help him up—but he tightens his arm around me.
“Domina? Trev and Austin don’t know.”
For a moment, I don’t understand. Until I see the shame in his gaze. He thinks they’ll judge him for the men he killed. “I will not tell them. But, these men are your friends. They will understand.”
“And what if they don’t?” He stares down at the floor, his body suddenly weary. “I can’t protect you on my own. I’m too broken. Too old. Too slow. I thought I could, but look what happened? I need them on our side until we neutralize any threat.”
I want to tell him he’s wrong. I saw how worried Austin and Trevor were when Leo was missing. The man they spoke of was more than an acquaintance. More than someone they used to work with. Leo is practically family to them. But he doesn’t see it, and the two minutes we have left before Zephyr calls is not enough time to convince him.
“Come. We need to get out there.” I wriggle out from under his arm and hold out my hand. “I will keep your secret, Leo. I promise.”
Trevor and Austin sit at the small kitchen table, enough laptops, tablets, and mobile phones around them to fill an entire electronics store.
Leo’s limp is worse than ever, and lines of pain tighten around his eyes and lips. He leans on me, his arm around my shoulders, until we reach the couch. The ruined cushions are lumpy, but Trevor spread a blanket over them.
“About time the two of you got up,” Austin says. “We have pizza, donuts, and yucca cakes. Anything else you want, I can get once we talk to Zephyr.”
“I want my goddamn couch fixed,” Leo mutters. “As if I’d actually hide anything in the cushions. That’s always the first place the police look.”
“Sorry, man.” Trevor stretches his legs out, crossing his ankles, and twists in his chair until his back cracks. “I did what I could. Had to get you out of that hell hole first.”
Leo swallows hard, clutching my hand like it is the only thing keeping him grounded. “About that…”
Glaring at Leo, Trevor arches his brows. “Stop right there. You didn’t hesitate when Dani and I showed up in the middle of the night with half the Venezuelan government after us. Or when Ry called you and asked you to find Franco Rojas. Did you really think I wouldn’t have come?”
“Yes.” Leo’s stomach rumbles, and he swears under his breath. “Shit. I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.”
“Sit. I will get us food.” I squeeze his hand, then head into the kitchen to rummage in the refrigerator. “No pineapple?” I ask after pulling out slices of pepperoni pizza. Trevor and Austin stare at me like I’ve just asked them for ants on top. “What? It’s delicious. If you order it from Palermo’s.”
Leo chuckles, the first truly happy sound I’ve heard from him since the rally. My eyes sting, and the lump in my throat threatens to choke me. “Converted you, huh?” he asks.
Trevor snorts from his seat at the table. “I went for the first pie shop I saw. You want something better, give me directions. Later.”
“I’d eat glue and oatmeal right now,” Leo says. “Or mud, as long as it had some sort of flavor to it. But when this is all over, we’re getting Palermo’s.”
Austin’s laptop dings as I set two cups of strong coffee next to the plates on the coffee table. “That’s Zephyr,” he says and taps the screen.
“Let me see them.” Her demand surprises me, as does the worry on her face when Austin turns the laptop. “Thank God.” Zephyr almost collapses back into her chair. Her shoulders heave, and she calls out, “He’s okay, Ronan.”
After a brief silence, a man comes up behind her and leans down so his face is next to hers. “I told ya’ he was too much of an arse to die.”
“Fuck you too,” Leo says. Despite his words, a hint of warmth infuses his tone. “Heard you’re not confined to the van anymore. Congrats.”
I don’t understand what’s going on between the two men, but they obviously know one another.
“Thanks. I’ll leave ya’ to it, but if ya’ need backup, Trevor…”
“I know. West, Inara, and Graham are on call too. Right now, we don’t want to raise any more eyebrows. But if that changes, I’ll let you know.”
Ronan gently nudges Zephyr’s chin so she turns to him, then plants a hard, fast kiss on her lips. “Don’t be stayin’ up all night now, luv. Unless ya’ want me to…” He lowers his voice to whisper something in her ear, and her cheeks turn bright pink.
“I’ll get you for that one later,” she says and points behind her. “Leave me be. Important shit going on.” As soon as the door closes, she huffs and shakes her head. “Sorry. We haven’t had much time together the past couple of weeks, and it’s getting to him.”
Austin clears his throat, and he and Trevor move their chairs around so Zephyr can see all four of us at once. “Want to tell us what you found? Now that Leo and Domina are awake, we need to get in touch with Cortez. Get her job back and find out what happened after the IPS dragged him off that stage.”
“Right.” Zephyr taps a few keys, and her face disappears, replaced with video footage from the rally. “I couldn’t get a clear shot of the sniper.” She zooms in on the top of the scoreboard. “Sunglasses, knit cap, face mask…facial recognition won’t do shit. But he’s light-skinned, black hair, and right-handed.”
“That only describes a third of the men in Panama,” Austin mutters. “You said you had intel we could use.”
The video footage disappears, and Zephyr’s face fills the screen. “Boss, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re being an ass.”
Leo smiles, and Trevor starts laughing so hard, he has to set his coffee mug down. “What, exactly, would be the right way for him to take it?” he asks.
Zephyr grins and bats her eyes at the camera. “With love. I’ve done almost a dozen jobs for Austin, but this is the first time we’ve worked together. I’m getting to the good parts. I promise.”
Those last two words carry weight, and Austin sighs. “You’re right. I’m tired and I’m not used to being away from Mik for so long.”
Leo’s lips brush my ear. “Mik is his fiancée.”
“She’s fine, Austin. Dax and Evianna’s house is a fortress. Tank and Vasquez are doing drive-bys every few hours.” Zephyr turns her focus to me. “Domina? Dax is Trevor’s boss at Second Sight. Evianna’s his wife. Tank and Vasquez work there too.”
“Oh. Thank you. I wondered, but…” Shrugging, I settle closer to Leo. “I did not want to interrupt to ask.”
“The night after Ronan introduced me to everyone, I was so overwhelmed, I made him print out pictures and write their names on the back.” She grins, and it’s so obvious she cares for all these people. A pang of regret slams into me. Who do I care about? Mina. Larissa. Manuel. And Leo. Everyone else I work with? That is all they are to me. Coworkers.
The screen switches back to video from the soccer stadium. This time, it’s footage of the crowds in the stands. “I didn’t have anything for you until now because running more than ten thousand faces through facial recognition is a hell of a load on the system. Not to mention all the red flags I had to sort through. Drug convictions, assault charges, domestic violence complaints…every one had to be investigated. Had to pull in Ripper this morning. We’re down to nine men and one woman.”
Ten photos fly onto the screen like playing cards. Zephyr gives us a summary of each. Name, occupation, violent crimes, bank account balances… So much information, it makes my head spin. Leo’s too from the way he sinks back against the cushions and pulls me to his side. Austin and Trevor, though, scribble notes on their tablets and ask questions every few minutes.
“And then there’s this guy,” Zephyr says. “Domina? Take a good look at him.”
Sitting up, I narrow my eyes at the screen. “I have seen him before. But…I don’t know where.”
“He’s a low-level staffer on Eduardo Muñoz’s campaign. And for the last ten minutes of the rally, he was on his phone, right next to the west gate. When Cortez’s detail went on full alert, Gustavo Bernal slipped out of the stadium and into a black SUV with no plates. I lost him when a bus blocked the traffic camera a mile from the stadium. Maybe he just wanted to see how the crowd reacted to Cortez’s speech. But maybe…”
Leo straightens with a muffled groan. “Maybe he knew exactly what was going to happen. Or thought he did. And when the sniper didn’t land a kill shot, he rabbited.”
“Give the man a gold star,” Zephyr says as her face fills the screen once more. “Rip agrees with me. This is the guy to start with.” She taps her keyboard a few times, and Austin and Trevor’s phones vibrate on the table. “Sent you all the info we could get on everyone. We’ll keep digging—look for offshore bank accounts, spouses, parents, kids with accounts beyond their means, all of it. But this should be enough to get you started. Oh, and Leo?”
“Yeah?” He’s still exhausted, and his right hand shakes until he balls it into a fist and his knuckles turn white.
“I wiped all the data from your phone and tablet. The Ministry of Public Service still has them, and they’ve been trying to break your encryption non-stop. If they do, the only thing they’ll find is a truly unhealthy obsession with puppies dressed up in Halloween costumes.”
Leo’s shoulders slump, and he nods. “Shit. There wasn’t much on there I can’t recover, but…I didn’t back up the last few pictures…”
“Oh, please,” Zephyr says. “Like I’d let you lose data. Austin has new tech for you, and I’ve already restored everything. Even gave you a new lock screen.” She winks, then stifles a yawn. “I’m going to catch a few hours before Ronan comes to drag me out of here. Call me if anything breaks.”
The screen goes black, and Leo staggers to his feet. “Phone,” he says to Austin. “Now.”
The man chuckles and digs in a small duffel bag on the floor. “I was going to surprise you with it. Should have known Zephyr would put an end to that plan.”
Leo taps the power button, and the screen lights up.
Oh, my God.
It’s a picture of us. Smiling, having lunch at Cucina de Mare.
“I didn’t back up the last few pictures…”
The ones of us. The last few photos were all of us.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Leo
I can’t stop staring at the phone. I was too out of it when Austin, Trevor, and Domina found me to even think about what the Ministry might be doing with my tech—or my apartment—but as soon as Zephyr said she’d wiped everything, I realized what I’d lost.
Having this picture—the only one of just the two of us—soothes me in a way I didn’t know I needed.
“Leo?” Domina’s right next to me, her hand on my arm, squeezing just above my elbow. “Did you hear Trevor?”
I blink hard, and dammit. I need my eye drops. The lack of sleep combined with repeated blows to the head didn’t do my prosthetic—or my eyelid—any favors. “No. Sorry. What did you say?”
Trev shoots me a look of disbelief. “You need a solid eight hours, man. Not another cup of coffee.”
“You want me coherent for the call to Cortez?” I fill my mug, then Domina’s. “No amount of caffeine in the world will keep me up much longer, but I need to know we’ll be safe here tonight.”
“What do you call all of this?” he asks, gesturing to the firepower and tech strewn about my living room. Three M4 rifles, six handguns, enough ammunition for half a dozen firefights, comms units, GPS trackers, night-vision goggles, tactical gear… They thought of everything. “Give us some credit, Leo. We might be ‘retired’ from government work, but we still know our shit.”
I slump against the counter, exhausted, in pain, and embarrassed at just how much of an ass I’m being to one of my only friends in this world. “Sorry. I’m wiped. Not thinking straight.”
Trevor ambles into the kitchen, shoots Domina a quick glance, and angles his head toward the couch. “Give me a minute with him?”
“I have some extra blankets next door,” she says. “If you and Austin are going to sleep here…”
Pritchard stands, tucks one of the comms units into his ear and holsters his Glock. “That’d be great. We’ll be right back.”
Fear prickles along the back of my neck. I don’t want Domina out of my sight for even a minute. But Austin won’t let anything happen to her. Hell, he’s a better protector than I’ll ever be. He’s got two working eyes, and only minor shrapnel damage to his shoulder. In a fight, I’d bet on him every time.
“Five minutes,” I manage before they unlock my door. “Be back in five minutes.”
“We’ll be back when we’re back.” Austin shoots Trev a look I don’t understand before shutting the door.
“I set up cameras in the hall, the elevator, and at all exterior exits. No one’s getting in,” Trevor says, clapping me on the shoulder.
“Don’t fucking touch me.” I jerk away, stumble, and crash to my knees in front of the fridge. “Goddammit!”
Trev thrusts his hand out in front of my face. I don’t have much of a choice. After the beating those Ministry assholes gave me, I’m more broken than ever. Clasping his forearm, I let him help me to my feet, but shake off his hold so I can limp to the table under my own power.
“Want to tell me about that giant stick up your ass?” Trev asks when he takes a seat across from me. “Because when I was in your shoes, I didn’t understand why Dax and Ry would fly halfway around the world for me, but I sure as shit wasn’t an ungrateful bastard about it.”
He’s right. But admitting it? I don’t know how.
“I work alone.” Staring down at my right hand, I flex the fingers that no longer feel a damn thing. “Twenty-two years, and all but maybe a dozen of my ops were solo.”
Trevor’s brown eyes darken, and he runs a hand through his hair. “So were mine, dumbass. Try again.”
I stare at the door, willing Austin and Domina to return. Both because I can’t stand having her out of my sight and to save me from this conversation.
“They’re staying at Domina’s until I tell Austin you’re done being a colossal jerk.”
I’m out of the chair so fast, the room starts to spin. Even dizzy, my reflexes aren’t total shit, and I grab Trevor’s arms, hauling him up and pinning him against the wall. “You had no fucking right!”
“I had every fucking right.” The lethality in Trevor’s tone warns me to step away, but I don’t listen. He doesn’t move, doesn’t fight me, doesn’t do a damn thing but hold my gaze. “I haven’t gone on mission since Venezuela. Traveled with Dani a couple of times, but that’s it. Dax and I agreed. Unless it’s a member of this family in trouble, I stay in Boston.”
“Then why are you here?” If my voice weren’t so hoarse, I’d be shouting, but instead, the words aren’t much more than a harsh whisper.
“Don’t you get it?” Trevor shakes his head. “You’re family, asshole. For years, you were one of the only people I could talk to. When Dani and I needed help, you got us out of the country. No questions asked. And even though you were stuck in the van with Ronan—trust me, I know how unpleasant that is—without your help, I’d be dead. One more victim of La Crypta and that piece of shit Ochoa.”
Shock steals my words and any fight left in me. I stagger back, unsteady on my feet until Trev takes my arm and guides me over to the couch. “Sit before you end up on your ass again.”
