Vendetta (Otter Creek Book 10) Page 20

  Shock stole her breath. The long-term implications of Mayor Parks’ campaign hurt Paige’s heart. A few ugly comments from the man would ruin any chance of future ministry for Marcus.

  “Can you see yourself as the wife of a common laborer?”

  “I want to be your wife no matter what you job is. Many well-respected people would be willing to write a reference for you. Would Fortress hire you?”

  He turned, eyebrow raised. “You think I could be an operative?”

  “I believe you can do any job you feel passionate about. Fortress has the training academy at PSI. Why couldn’t they teach you how to be an operative or a bodyguard? If you were interested in working for them, that is.”

  “Hadn’t thought about that side of Fortress. Besides, I already work for them.”

  Her mouth gaped. “You do?”

  “I’m a counselor for their operatives. I imagine Maddox would be willing to hire me full-time if I approached him about it.”

  “At least you’ll have options if Cornerstone is foolish enough to let you go. I’ll follow you wherever your job takes you, whether it’s in Nashville or somewhere else because I love you, Marcus.”

  “Could you be happy if we moved?”

  “As long as I’m with you, yes.”

  Marcus wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “I’m thankful God brought you into my life.” Finally, he eased back. “We should go back before Josh or one of the others looks for us.”

  In the kitchen, Nate turned as they walked inside. “Josh was looking for you. He’s in the security room with Alex. He has news from Otter Creek.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  “You have news from home?” Marcus handed Josh and Alex each a bottle of water.

  “Thanks. Nick called.”

  “Did something else happen?” Paige asked.

  Josh gestured to two chairs along the far wall. “You might want to sit down.”

  That didn’t sound good. “He found out something new.”

  “Nick arrested Seth Parks earlier this morning.”

  “Why?”

  “Arson.”

  “He set fire to the orchard.” Paige dropped into the nearest chair. “Why would he burn our trees?”

  “When Nick asked him that, Seth said your grandmother is standing in the way of the shopping center.”

  Marcus rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated at the sheer stupidity of Seth’s actions. “He’s sixteen years old. I doubt he cares about a mall. What’s his real motive?”

  “My guess is it has something to do with either his father or his grandfather. Both of them are rabid supporters of this project. What I can’t figure out is why they’re both pushing the development. Neither one of them owns property up for purchase. At least, I don’t think they do.” Josh frowned. “I’ll see if I can identify the owners of the properties Davidson has targeted. Maybe that will give us insight into Seth’s motive.”

  Marcus hesitated to say anything because he had no proof of his suspicions. Josh was discreet, though. Had to be with his military background. “Josh, have you noticed the relationship between James Parks and Seth?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Paige and I were at the Parks home yesterday before we learned Dalton was missing. While we were there, James arrived. There’s something off about their relationship. Seth seems afraid of his father. He acted like a scared mouse instead of the confident young man we see at the center.”

  “Any evidence of abuse before now, Marcus?”

  He shook his head, frowned. “If I had noticed bruising or cuts, I would have told you or one of your brothers-in-law.”

  Alex glanced over his shoulder. “We know Parks is a bully. Wouldn’t be surprised to learn he bullies his family along with anyone else he meets in Otter Creek.”

  “I can attest to that,” Paige said. “He came after me in my office at the center.”

  Josh scowled. “What did he want?”

  “For me to pressure Gram to change her mind about the orchard and B & B. He wasn’t happy when I refused.”

  “Did he hurt you?”

  “Nate encouraged him to leave.”

  A snort from Alex. “A very polite way of saying Nate kicked him out. He must not have touched Parks or the mayor’s son would have filed assault charges.”

  Durango’s leader grinned. “Nate can intimidate with a look.”

  Paige turned to Marcus. “Should you be expecting a visit from the police?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t I regret what I did.”

  Josh and Alex stared at him. “What did you do?” Josh asked, eyes narrowed. “And it better not be something I have to arrest you for.”

  “I told him to stay away from Paige, that if he cornered her again, he’d be dealing with me.”

  “No bruises on either of you?”

  “He jabbed a finger in my chest. I persuaded him not to do that again.”

  “Maybe that explains the black eye Seth was sporting when Nick arrested him.”

  “He didn’t have a black eye when we saw him. Did he say how he was injured?”

  “The classic explanation. He walked into a door. Nick didn’t buy the explanation and gathered enough evidence to arrest James for battery.”

  “I wanted James to leave Paige alone. He scared her. I couldn’t let that pass without a warning.”

  “We do the best we can with the knowledge we have, Marcus. There are always repercussions. By saving Brent, you essentially lost your life. No one has stood up to James. If he’d cornered Del, I would have gone after him myself, cop or not.”

  “Has he tried to intimidate you?”

  A flat look from his friend. “He knows better than to try.”

  Josh and his teammates would wipe the floor with Parks. At least the man was smart enough to avoid a confrontation with Durango.

  “At least now, James will think twice before he pushes your girlfriend around.” Josh looked at Paige. “Nick also wants me to show you the picture Zane sent of your attacker.”

  “Why? I didn’t see his face. It was too dark in the hallway.”

  “Will you look anyway?”

  She took Josh’s cell phone and examined the picture on the screen. “I have seen him somewhere. Around town maybe. No. Wait. I’ve seen him with the developer and Mayor Parks.”

  Josh stared at her. “This guy is a hit man. What dealings do Parks and Davidson have with Bianchi?”

  “Can’t wait for you to tell Ethan this one,” Alex said.

  “What a mess this is going to be. Are you sure about this, Paige?”

  “Positive. I saw them when I took the trash to the Dumpster behind the community center. This doesn’t make sense, though. I thought Bianchi worked for O’Reilly.”

  “He’s a freelancer and Zane is the best in the business at covering a person’s trail. Bianchi probably hasn’t had much luck with the hunt and took on another job if Davidson or the mayor did hire him. If that’s true, it was pure luck that Bianchi crossed paths with Marcus and reported his location to O’Reilly.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “I’ll set up a videoconference with Ethan, run this past him and Nick. We can’t afford to sit on this. Bianchi is too dangerous to have around Otter Creek.”

  “Agreed.” He couldn’t just sit here. He needed to do something, anything. Marcus stood, turned to Paige. “Sweetheart, do you want more tea? I need water. I’m under Rio’s orders to drink plenty of water today.”

  “Actually, water sounds good. A bottle for me, too, please.”

  He leaned down and brushed a kiss over her lips, then returned to the kitchen.

  Nate turned away from the stove, eyed him. “You okay, Marcus?”

  “I suppose.”

  “Don’t sound convincing. Try again, the truth this time.”

  “The man who attacked Paige might be connected to Mayor Parks and Franklin Davidson. He’s also the man being paid to kill me.”

  “Double dipping. We’ve do
ne that a time or two.”

  “Durango only kills when it’s necessary. Bianchi makes a living at killing and he enjoys his job. Who does that?”

  “People with no conscience. Unfortunately, the world is full of them.”

  “He could have killed Paige. If I hadn’t walked into the community center when I did, he would have. The attack wasn’t about me at the time.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “O’Reilly hired him to find me, but Josh thinks he picked up the side job for Parks and Davidson. Bianchi must have thought he’d won the lottery when he saw me with Paige. Talk about an easy job.”

  “Locating you was a stroke of luck. The good news is you’re not an easy man to kill, Marcus.”

  Small comfort. “Losing Paige would gut me.”

  “You won’t. Know how to handle a weapon?”

  He nodded. “Maddox insisted on training me himself.”

  “You carrying?”

  “Ankle holster.”

  “Good. If a time comes when you need to pull the trigger to protect yourself or Paige, don’t hesitate. Second guessing yourself will get both of you killed. We’ll do our best to make sure the choice of whether or not to pull the trigger isn’t necessary. If he slips past us, do what you have to.”

  Even their best preparation and skill may not be enough. Bianchi or one of his men might slide through Durango’s defenses. Faced with the choice of possibly killing a man or dying, he’d chose to live and protect Paige every time. Resolve replaced the icy knot in his gut. “Thanks. I needed the reminder.”

  A nod. “Cold drinks are in the fridge, including water.” Nate gave him a pointed look.

  “Rio has a big mouth.”

  “Only when he’s concerned about the health of someone he cares about. You are among that number. Count yourself lucky.”

  No point in rebutting Nate’s unsubtle reminder. Marcus grabbed two more bottles of water and carried them into the security room, handing one to Paige. “Did you talk to Ethan?”

  Josh twisted in his seat. “He’s on a conference call. He should be in contact soon.” As if on cue, Ethan’s face appeared on the computer screen along with Nick’s.

  “Sit rep.”

  Josh spelled out what they’d learned and surmised.

  The police chief’s eyes glittered. “Have you contacted Murphy yet?”

  “I wanted to run this past you first.”

  “Do it. Tell Z I want to know everything yesterday. Do you have enough backup in case the op goes south?”

  “Fortress is only an hour away,” Alex said.

  “You could be dead in seconds and you can’t guarantee Bianchi won’t bring in more help, especially if he figures out you and your teammates are protecting Marcus and Paige.”

  “Eli Wolfe and Jon Smith are available.”

  “Bring them in.” He turned, looked at Nick. “You have something to add?”

  “James Parks bonded out of jail since he hasn’t been arrested before. He’ll get a slap on the wrist and told to take anger management counseling.”

  “In other words, he could go after his family or Paige again.” Marcus scowled. “How is this fair?”

  “Small town, Marcus. The judge we drew is on friendly terms with the mayor. I have eyes on Parks. He won’t be able to sneeze in town without someone knowing and reporting it.”

  Josh leaned closer to the screen. “Who?”

  “Jake Davenport and Remy Doucet will trade off with PSI trainees.”

  Marcus shook his head. “Not good enough, Nick. That doesn’t stop him from hurting his family.”

  “No, it doesn’t. Unless his wife is willing to file a complaint against him, our hands are tied.”

  “What about Seth and his arrest?”

  “His family needs to hire a top-notch attorney. We found his prints on a gas can at the orchard. I obtained a court order to check under his bandage. He lied about having a scratch. No question the injury is from a burn.”

  “Has he confessed?” Alex asked.

  “Not exactly. He keeps saying he was trying to help and never intended for anyone to be hurt.”

  “How does burning my grandmother’s orchard help? The fire could have spread to other parts of the area, including our B & B. Is that what he wanted? To put us out of business?”

  “He refused to say.”

  “The fire must be connected to the shopping center. Both the mayor and his son are pushing hard for the development. What we don’t know is why. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “Agreed,” Ethan said. “Find me that connection, Josh, something I can use to tie Bianchi to the mayor and the shopping center project.”

  Paige gripped Marcus’s hand. “Can’t you arrest Bianchi, Ethan?”

  “If we can find him, we’ll book him on an attempted murder charge. The problem is he’s not been seen around town since you left Otter Creek. Josh, tell Zane to call in every marker he has. I don’t want this clown hurting more of my people.”

  A nod. “I’ll call him as soon as we finish.”

  “Are you going after Mayor Parks?” Paige asked.

  “If he’s guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, you bet I am.”

  Alex folded his arms across his chest. “And if he’s guilty of only having bad taste in friends?”

  A cold smile curved the lips of Otter Creek’s police chief. “I’ll point out the danger dogging his companions and taint any prospects he has of reelection. It would be my pleasure to leak the news to the media sharks, especially Meg. Keep me posted, Josh, and watch your back.”

  “Yes, sir. Any rumors making the rounds about Marcus?”

  “Some people think he has a family emergency or he’s ill and didn’t want to worry anyone. The majority bought the idea that he was with Paige, Jo and the others.”

  “Nothing about Gram going on a cruise?” Paige asked.

  “Not yet. I hope we’ll have Bianchi under wraps before long and we won’t have to worry about their safety. Marcus, focus on yourself and Paige. Trust us to take care of the rest.”

  “You have a plan?”

  Ethan smiled.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Marcus looked at the operatives around the table. “You sure there isn’t another way?”

  “Do you want to be looking over your shoulder the rest of your life?” Josh countered.

  “You know I don’t. I want my wife to walk down the streets of Otter Creek in safety, for my kids to play without fear.” But could he sanction what they were proposing?

  “The plan will make sure that happens.”

  “Will it? You can’t guarantee the results. What if O’Reilly digs in and sends more hit men instead of backing off permanently?” He shoved his hands through his hair. “You don’t know him, Josh. He’s utterly ruthless and doesn’t care about the fallout as long as his goal is met. What if he refuses to fall in line?”

  Alex set his empty coffee mug on the table surface. “Do you want to know the answer to that question?”

  “No, but I think I have to know the truth.”

  “We eliminate the threat to you and Paige.”

  Eliminate. The word sunk deep. Nausea swirled in his gut. “You’re a cop, Josh. You’re sworn to uphold the law.”

  “You’re my principal, Marcus. My job is to protect you and your future wife.”

  “What about your badge and the oath you took?”

  “Ethan and I have an arrangement. If I hand him my badge without an explanation, he knows not to ask questions.”

  “What if you’re caught?”

  “I won’t be. Besides, I won’t be going in alone. I’ll have my teammates and Adam Walker’s team.”

  “The Zoo Crew will want in on the op as well as Maddox,” Jon said.

  Eli snorted. “He’ll probably take over the operation, especially since it’s his debt to repay.”

  If only his life was in jeopardy, he’d convince the operatives to come up with a different plan
or relocate him. But he was tired of hiding. More important, he was afraid for Paige. At least they knew what Bianchi looked like. If Durango or the OCPD took down Bianchi, O’Reilly would send more hit men, and the next time they might kill the woman he loved more than his own life.

  “Trust us, Marcus. This is what we do for a living.” He grinned. “No one does intimidation better than Fortress.”

  Marcus looked at Jon. “Can Dana handle you being gone?”

  “She’ll be with Brenna. Since we don’t know how long the operation will take, Zane and Claire extended an invitation to our wives. Dana is comfortable with Zane and she loves Claire as much as she loves her own sister.”

  At least that was one worry off his shoulders. Dana wasn’t comfortable around most men, but since Zane was wheelchair bound, she thought the Fortress tech guru was harmless. Z was a SEAL. Wheelchair bound or not, the man was one of the most highly trained operatives on the planet. Probably just as well Dana didn’t realize that Zane Murphy would kill without hesitation to protect his wife and Eli and Jon’s wives.

  A phone signaled an incoming text. Josh checked his screen and smiled. “Zane started dropping hints about our location three hours ago. He says O’Reilly got word and passed the information to Bianchi. Looks like he’s taking the bait.”

  “How long do we have?”

  “Five-hour drive plus recon. My guess is we’ll have visitors between two and four in the morning.”

  “How many people is Bianchi bringing with him?”

  “Doesn’t matter. We’ll handle them. You know what to do if they slip past us?”

  Marcus tapped his head. “We’ve been through the plan several times. I’ve got it.”

  “Good. Get some rest, Marcus. The sensors are operational around the property. We’ll wake you when there’s a perimeter breach.”

  Marcus started to refuse, but a narrow-eyed look from Rio had him holding up his hands in surrender. He left the kitchen and noticed the light burning in the living room. He frowned. The room had been dark after he walked Paige to her room and went to talk to the others. He doubted Quinn would have come out of the security room to turn on a lamp. Special Forces teams preferred to work in darkness.