Laura Kaye - Hard As You Can

“What’s up, everyone?” Shane asked as he pulled up some chairs and gestured for Sara to sit. Murmured greetings rose up all around.

“Busy morning over here,” Marz said with a wink.

Shane knew the warning he’d shot from his gaze had been effective when Marz held up his hands. Still laughed, though. Fucker.

Sara sat forward in her chair. “Um, can I say something everyone?” She smiled at all the encouragement she received. “I really need to thank you for what you’re going to be doing tonight for me and Jenna. None of you really know me, so it’s kinda . . . um . . .” Sara shook her head and glanced to the ceiling. She rubbed her hands on her thighs and took a deep breath. “It really means a lot that you would help us.”

Pride roared through Shane at her words, and he rubbed her neck, just a small connection to remind her he was there.

“We’re glad to help,” Nick said from his seat next to Becca. “Consider yourself and Jenna part of the Hard Ink family.” Where he leaned against the wall, Easy crossed his arms and nodded. Agreeing voices rose up around the group.

Charlie sat forward in his chair, a frown on his face. “I’m sorry, but you look familiar to me. Do I know you?”

Sara smiled. “We met in passing.”

Becca put a hand on Charlie’s knee. “Crystal helped the guys get you out of Confessions, Charlie.”

The man’s eyes went wide, and he tucked longish strands of blond behind his ears. “I . . .” He nodded. “Thank you. And now your sister’s there?”

Sara nodded, her gaze dropping, and Shane put his arm around her. “Not for long.”

“Uh,” she said, glancing back up again and shrugging. “If you all wouldn’t mind calling me by my real name, Sara? Crystal was my name in the club, and I . . .” She shook her head.

Shane met Marz’s gaze and saw a deep approval roll through his friend’s gaze. One thing was for sure, brave didn’t begin to describe this woman.

“All right, then, Sara, everyone,” Marz said. “Let me catch you up.” Surveying the group, Marz tapped a pen against a legal pad as if ticking off a list. “Overnight surveillance confirms Jenna remains at Confessions and that Bruno is limiting access to himself and someone named Howie.”

Sara gasped. “Really? Oh, my God, that’s really good news.”

“Who’s Howie?” Shane asked.

Bright green eyes filled with hope turned his way. “He’s a manager at Confessions, but he’s always been very protective of me. Howie was good friends with my father years before . . . everything.”

Marz nodded. “Good. Also managed to overhear an eight o’clock delivery time for tonight, so we have our when now.”

“Speaking of tonight,” Nick said, bracing his elbows on his knees. “The Ravens are a go.”

“Ike called?” Shane asked.

“Yeah. They don’t come cheap, but we’ve got twenty-eight additional men on our side, so it’s worth it,” Nick said.

Sara blanched, and Shane laced their fingers together. “How much?” he asked. “Because I have a decent chunk of changed saved.”

“Two grand a man plus a twenty-grand surcharge for the fact they have to cancel tonight’s drag race in order for all of them to come.” Nick threw a long, appreciative glance at Becca, who smiled in return. “Becca agreed to put up the money, so hang on to your savings for now.”

Becca had said from the beginning she’d use her father’s life insurance for anything the team needed, but gratitude still washed through Shane. They had to be in a hundred grand by now with the Ravens’ fee. “Thank you, Becca,” Shane said.

Becca nodded. “You’re welcome. And you should know that Jeremy offered to put up Hard Ink as collateral until we can get all the money.”

Shane gaped. “Jesus, Jeremy, I don’t know how to thank you for that. But I promise nothing will happen to Hard Ink.”

“Dude, it’s okay. I know, and you’re welcome,” Jer said, like he was uncomfortable with all the attention. Jeremy crossed his ankle over his knee, his foot shaking.

“Wait,” Sara said in a tight voice. “It’s gonna cost you . . . seventy-six thousand dollars to get their help?”

Shane inhaled to reassure her, but Becca beat him to it. “Don’t give it a second thought, Sara. I mean it. These guys helped me and Charlie the same way they’re helping you, and it’s our father’s fault they’re in this situation. So it’s not a problem.”

Sara glanced from Becca to Shane, and he nodded. “Thank you,” she said. Shane hugged her against him.

“Something else,” Marz said, pulling a sheet of paper from a stack by his keyboard. “I finished the research into the Port Authority registries to see if any businesses or individuals doing business at the marine terminal seemed in any way relevant to our situation.” He handed the sheet to Nick, and the other men gathered around. Shane kissed Sara’s hand and joined them. “Most are multinational corporations engaged in various sorts of trade. Nothing special. Nothing suspicious. But look at the name at the bottom of the list.”

“Seneka Worldwide Security,” Nick said. “Why is that familiar?”

“To me, too,” Shane said. “Wait, wasn’t the founder prior SF?”

Marz smiled and pulled another sheet from the disorganized stacks on his desk. “Ding ding. John Seneka is prior Special Forces. Old school. Served back in the eighties and nineties. Started SWS right after 9/11.”

“One of a handful of security contractors employing a lot of SpecOp guys after retirement or discharge, right?” Beckett said. “Actually, SWS is known for being a bit aggressive on the recruitment.”

“I didn’t get recruited,” Easy said, bracing his hands on his hips.

“Me neither,” Beckett said, expression dark. Neither had Shane, Nick, or Marz.

“Not surprised to hear it,” Marz said with a sigh.

Something niggled at the back of Shane’s mind, then finally connected. “Whoa,” Shane said, eyes flashing to Marz. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Garza,” Marz said.

“Goddamn Garza,” Shane said, bracing his hands against the desk.

“Holy shit,” Nick bit out, sitting forward in his seat. “Did you make a definitive connection?”

“No,” Marz said. “Garza’s still a freaking ghost. Then again, I can’t find much on SWS’s personnel at all, except for Seneka himself and a few public-relations types. What I do know is that this company was one of four that the DoD Counter-Narcotics Technology Program Office contracted a few years back for equipment, materiel, and services in support of counternarcotics activities in Afghanistan.”

“Some of the same kind of work we were doing,” Shane said, his instinct demanding that something useful lay in the middle of all this.

“Exactly,” Marz said. “SWS also seems to have been pretty heavily involved in mentoring Afghan officials in drug interdiction and counternarcotics, as well as training the police in counternarcotics.”

“So they’re right in the thick of it,” Beckett said, pacing. “And now they’re here in Baltimore, too. Coincidence?”

Marz shook his head. “Need more research to know for sure.”

“The photographs offer any help at identifying the boatmen?” Shane asked, glancing at their makeshift most-wanted board.

“The search only found a few of the boatmen,” Jeremy said. “Not the leader.”

“Figures, right?” Marz asked. “But, I’ll keep digging.”

Nick nodded. “Good job tracking this down,” he said to Marz. “This could be an important lead. Anything else?”

“All I got until we have a location for tonight’s delivery,” Marz said, yawning.

“Did you stay up all night?” Becca asked.

“Maybe.”

Nick pointed at Marz. “Okay, you, go to bed for a few hours, or you’ll be wasted tonight. I’ll take Becca to the bank to get the down payment for Ike.”

“Can’t sleep,” Marz said, shaking his head. “Not until I pick the location up from the surveillance.”

Easy stepped to the side of the desk just as Shane was about to do the same. “Just show me how to operate mission control, and I’ll do it.”

Marz looked up at his friend. “Yeah? Well, the minute you hear, wake me. We’ll need to throw together a fast recon. We’re not going to have the prep time we did on Wednesday.”

“Roger that,” Easy said. “Now, what the hell do I do?”

“I’ll come with you, Nick,” Beckett said. “Between the situation and carrying that much cash, I’d feel better if you had some backup.” As the meeting started to break up, Shane returned to Sara’s side. The smile she gave him was like coming home again.

“Appreciate it,” Nick said. “Okay, let’s get anything off-site done this morning, so we’re ready to go as soon as we get that location. The Ravens will be here by four.”

“And then the shit hits the fan,” Shane said. A purchased alliance with a motorcycle gang, a rescue operation, and intercepting a delivery. So, pretty much, a normal Friday night for them now.

Nick nodded, clearly agreeing. “And then the shit hits the fan.”

Sara sat on the edge of the bed, absolutely amazed at what this group of strangers was willing to do for her and Jenna. Part of her mind had wanted to reject what she’d heard them discuss as total fantasy, but then Shane would smile or nod or take her hand in his, and she’d know it was all real.

Still left her feeling like she’d stepped into a fairy tale, though.

Which was why she’d told Shane she’d join him for lunch with some of the guys in a few minutes. She’d just needed to sit in the quiet and wait for the ground to stop moving beneath her feet.

All she knew was, fairy tale or not, sitting in on that meeting gave her real hope that Jenna would be with her again soon. A matter of hours, now.

From her purse on the dresser, a cell phone rang.

Jenna!

Sara gasped, lunged across the room, and tore the phone free. Not recognizing the number, she swiped the button and loudly said hello before she’d even put it to her ear.

“Sara, it’s Howie.”

Hearing the older man’s voice was so unexpected, Sara wasn’t sure how to react. He’d always been kind and protective of her, and Marz had overheard that he was helping with Jenna, but Howie was still inside the Church organization. She couldn’t help but be suspicious, even as her gut said it was okay. “Howie?”

“You need to listen, honey. I don’t have long,” he said in a hushed whisper. “You know what’s happened?”

“Jenna,” she said cautiously, pacing in an almost dazed circle.

“She’s bad off, Crystal. And Bruno is not acting right. Erratic, flying off the handle at everyone—”

“What do you mean by ‘bad off,’ Howie?” God, there were so many ways to read his words. She shivered and hugged herself.

“Horrible seizure when they brought her in. The guys couldn’t even watch. Left the room. And I think he must’ve hit her because she has a black eye. What the hell happened?”

Tears clogged Sara’s throat, but she tried to keep a clear head. “Me,” she said simply.

“Well, he says he’s sending her away tonight, Crystal. If you don’t come. And you shouldn’t. I don’t know what to do.”

Sara’s mind raced. She needed Shane’s help with this. He might know something to suggest to Howie. “Hold on, Howie. I need to check something. Just don’t hang up.”

“Hurry. They think I’m taking a smoke break out back. I can’t be gone long.”

“Okay,” she said. Sara hit the mute button and tore out of Shane’s room. Racing up the hallway, she called, “Shane? Shane?”

He nearly jumped off a stool at the breakfast bar, his expression shifting from surprise to concerned. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Sara held up the phone and blurted out a fast stream of words. “Howie called me from Confessions. This is the old friend of my father’s I told you about before. He called about Jenna. Wants to know how to help. We have to hurry though, he doesn’t have much time.”

Shane crouched to look in her eyes. “Can we trust him, Sara? Do you?”

Sara’s heart beat faster. That was the question, wasn’t it? “Yes. I really think so. I’ll admit I was suspicious at first, but I’ve known this man since I was a kid, and I think he’s genuinely upset over what’s happened.”

Marz slid off the barstool and joined them. “Well, let’s see what he has to say, but no names, Sara. Don’t mention us yet.” He dashed to the counter by the phone and returned with a pad of paper and pen.

Sara turned off the mute and turned on the speakerphone. “Howie, are you still there?”