Opulent Match [Ménage.com 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (14 page)

“Everyone is in place,” Monroe said, his voice coming from the tiny earpiece in Brody’s ear. “Take the truck in nice and slow. Situate it exactly as we planned.”

“Any sign of her?” Cooper asked, doing as Monroe asked and slowing the vehicle down as they turned onto a gravel road.

“Not yet,” Monroe said. “But the minute we do, we’ll signal you.”

Brody looked out the passenger-side window of the large truck they had been given possession of, feeling every muscle in his body straining against his skin. Neither he nor Cooper had slept last night. The only thing keeping them going was adrenaline and the need for vengeance. He could only imagine what was going through Cyn’s mind, being held against her will.

The phone call they had expected from Jones had come late last night. He had started the conversation by stressing that a woman should be more careful with her purse, knowing better than to leave it exposed. Brody remembered that she had left it outside the office door last night. Jones must have gotten a hold of her ID, or his lackey, because he also mentioned that the name of Sherwood-Hightower had grabbed his attention. Just like they thought, Jones was using her as a security blanket to keep them from backing out. He would release her when the deal was complete and if they backed out, Jones was sure he would get compensation from Cyn. She was worth a hell of a lot more than one shipment of illegal guns.

“We stick to the plan,” Cooper said, pulling Brody’s attention back to the present. “If he doesn’t have her here as prearranged, they don’t get the weapons.”

“Agreed.” Brody caught sight of headlights in a field that was semiopen, with the right side obstructed by trees. “If I find out they’ve laid a hand on her, Jones is mine.”

“Brody—”

“Jackson—”

“Showtime,” Brody said, cutting off whatever Cooper was about to say, effectively doing the same to Monroe. He had forgotten that Monroe was listening in, but mentally shrugged it off. He’d still do what he wanted, regardless of the law. “Two cars and one large supply truck. Once they bring Cyn out and the money changes hands, I’m giving you five seconds to move in, Monroe. After that, they’re open season.”

“Don’t do anything stupid, Jackson,” Monroe warned through the earpiece.

“You should have thought of that when you didn’t keep the woman we loved safe,” Brody said, his words biting. He would have said more, if given the chance, but Cooper had brought the truck to a stop ten feet from where Jones and his associates were.

“Let’s get this over and done with,” Cooper said, “and bring our woman home safe.”

* * * *

Cyn was seated in the backseat of a town car with tinted windows. She knew that Cooper and Brody couldn’t see her, but she hoped they knew she was here and got her out of here quick. Sonny Jones was as bad as a man could get, only out for himself and whatever profit he could turn. His knowledge of her wealth was not to her advantage, and only put her in more danger. She pulled the lapels of her robe as close together as she could, wishing for the thousandth time she’d been wearing regular clothes. Maybe if she had had on her stilettos, she could have jammed it through Jones’s foot. The image of him screaming in pain kept her going.

“Well, let’s see if your men deliver, shall we?”

Cyn looked over to see Jones watching Cooper and Brody’s truck pull to a stop. He was wearing another one of his cheap suits, probably having not noticed that a button was missing from one of the cuffs. He evidently wanted to present a certain image to the world, but regrettably for him, he just came across as a wannabe. Cyn smartly kept her mouth shut, realizing early on that anything she said made Jones angry. And the way he and his men kept eyeing her and the satin robe she was wearing, Cyn figured it best to remain silent.

Sonny Jones got out of the vehicle. Cyn scooted closer to his side of the door, scrunching her nose up when the odor of his cologne lingered. Cooper and Brody had each opened their doors, unfolding their long frames. Their boots touched the ground, revealing their denim-clad legs. It was so good to see them, it took every ounce of mental strength to not go for the door handle and run to them, seeking their protection.

She watched as they exchanged a few words, then saw all three turn toward the other car. A door opened and out stepped a woman with short black hair, cut at a severe angle toward her chin. She wore a black trench coat, with black gloves and high-heeled black boots. Her only other accessory was a black suitcase. Cyn couldn’t prevent herself from appreciating the way the woman was dressed. She certainly had style.

With little regard to the terrain, the woman gracefully glided across the rough ground until she was close enough to shake hands with Cooper and Brody. Both declined her offer, which probably wasn’t the wisest decision, based on the woman’s expression. After a brief discussion, Cooper and Brody led her around the truck. Cyn lost sight of them.

Getting antsy, waiting for them to present themselves again, horrible images started to pop in Cyn’s mind. She knew this was her creativeness showing through, but right now, she could have done without it. Had the woman been armed? Was she now holding them at gunpoint? What if she had a silencer? Cyn had written about a man who used a silencer once, committing murder in front of her heroine. Cyn’s breathing started to get a bit erratic, with all the possible scenarios running through her mind.

“Excuse me, but can I get out now?” Cyn asked the driver, who was the same man who had followed Jones into Cooper and Brody’s shop last night. “It looks like they are finishing up,” Cyn lied, wanting to just get out of the car and make sure that Cooper and Brody were safe.

“No.”

Well, that was to the point
. Cyn looked back out the window. There was no movement. Biting her lip, Cyn reached back to make sure her clip was still holding her hair in place. Damn, she forgot the thing had fallen out. Taking both of her hands, she pulled her hair together at the base of her neck and tied a loose knot in it—one of the benefits of having such long hair. Slipping off her slippers, Cyn noiselessly placed her hand on the silver door handle. If she had them on, they would have only slowed her down. Her goal was to get to Cooper and Brody as fast as she could, without getting caught. Counting to three, Cyn yanked on the handle and practically fell from the car. She had taken three steps from the vehicle when all hell broke loose.

* * * *

“We’ve got the woman in sight. She’s making a run for it!”

Cooper looked up from the weapon in his hand, making eye contact with Brody. One of Agent Monroe’s men must have spotted Cyn. Knowing that wherever she was running from, one of Jones’s men would be on her within seconds, Cooper knew they didn’t have a choice but to end this. He just needed Anna Cruz to say those four little words.

“And the money?”

“I have your money,” Anna said, finally giving them what they needed. “My men will—”

“Hey, get back here! Sonny!”

Fuck, they had just run out of time. Brody pulled his weapon, slipping behind him as quickly as he could. Jones had turned and walked hurriedly around the side of the vehicle. In a blink of an eye, Anna and Cooper had each pulled their weapons simultaneously, holding each other at gunpoint.

“Well, it seems we have a little standoff,” Anna said, drawing her words out.

“Easy, Anna,” Cooper said, knowing he could use this one-on-one time to his advantage. “Jones took our woman. You have no part in this. You can take your guns, leave your money, and be on your way.”

“Why would Jones do that?” Anna asked, her hand never wavering on the gun in her hand. “Does he not trust you?”

“We’re here, aren’t we?” Cooper pointed out, hoping to just get her men to ease off of whatever was happening up front. Once she took possession of the weapons and left him the cash, Monroe and his agents would stop her on the gravel lane before she reached the main road. That would leave Jones and his men for Cooper and Brody to deal with. “To show you our good faith, you can take our truck. We have a score to settle with Jones, and it has nothing to do with you.”

“Take your truck?” Anna said, laughing. “How gullible do you think I am? I haven’t worked my way to the top of this cartel by spreading my legs, Mr. Jackson.”

It dawned on Cooper that Anna thought the truck would be tracked, maybe even thinking they had placed GPS devices on it. Knowing he would never convince her otherwise, Cooper went back to the original plan.

“I understand,” Cooper said. “But standing here, holding each other at gunpoint, is not going to resolve this issue any faster. So I suggest you get your men and start transferring these weapons to your vehicle, while we take care of Jones.”

“Fair enough.” Anna whistled. Her men didn’t come around the truck immediately, which made Cooper more nervous than her. What was happening up front, and did Brody have the situation under control? “Carlos!”

Cooper breathed a sigh of relief when her man came around the back of the truck. “Sorry, Ms. Cruz. We wanted to make sure that Mr. Jones had everything under control.”

“It is not your place to worry about Mr. Jones,” Anna said, reprimanding him. She lowered her gun, but Cooper noticed she didn’t put it back into her coat pocket. “Mr. Jackson and Mr. Jones have unfinished business, but it is not ours. Have our men transfer these weapons.”

Cooper angled his head toward the briefcase. He was relieved when Anna handed it to him and then stepped back. “I appreciate the professional courtesy to allow us to handle this situation.”

“Business should never cross the line into our personal lives, Mr. Jackson,” Anna said. He wondered if something had happened to a loved one of hers, as her eyes had clouded over with grief. Not wanting to get drawn into something that wasn’t his problem, and knowing she was likely going to be spending the rest of her life in prison, Cooper remained silent. “Do what needs to be done. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Likewise, Ms. Cruz,” Cooper said, breathing a sigh of relief that he could now concentrate on making sure that Cyn was okay.

Not quite turning his back on her, Cooper reversed a few steps before making his way to where he could hear voices. Finally able to see, Cooper’s heart stopped. It looked like a three-way standoff, with Cyn the only one unarmed. Brody had his gun pointed at Jones, while Jones had his gun pointed at Cyn’s head. Her eyes were wide with fear, but her back was straight, showing that confidence they loved so much about her. Cyn’s blue robe was dancing around her calves as the wind had picked up. She looked like a beautiful witch in all her glory, about to cast her spell. Seeing how dire the situation was becoming, he hoped it was a good one. From the sound of it, the conversation was going downhill.

“Either way, you die,” Brody said, holding his gun steady.

“I think you’re bluffing, Jackson,” Sonny yelled back. He was losing his cool, and his real colors were shining through. “I took your woman as collateral. From the minute you contacted me, something hasn’t been right.”

“In case you missed it, the deal closed just like we said it would,” Brody responded. “Your mistake was involving Cyn. We don’t let those types of errors be overlooked.”

“Jones, you can walk away,” Cooper hollered out, getting closer to where they were. He had to stop when Jones’s lackey held up his gun. “I will guarantee that Brody will let you leave if you put down your weapon.”

Cooper hoped like hell that Brody was just playing good cop/bad cop, because the last thing Cyn needed to see was Brody murder someone in cold blood. Cooper kept his gun aimed at Jones’s man and inched a little closer.

“And how do I know that he won’t come after me later, huh?” Sonny took a step closer to Cyn, causing Brody to tighten his finger on the trigger.

“Sonny, don’t be stupid,” Cooper warned.

“So how do you suggest we end this?”

“I’ll end it.” Cooper heard the gunshot before turning to see Anna holding her weapon, which was still pointed at her target. Looking back, instead of seeing Sonny dead on the ground as he expected, Jones was holding his bleeding hand to his chest and staring at his gun on the ground. Cooper knew he was weighing the odds of whether he could pick it up quick enough before Anna or Brody got another round off.

Instead of Cyn running toward him or Brody like he thought she would, she made his heart stop beating when she dove for Sonny’s gun. Before Cooper could take care of Jones’s man, Anna had already fired another shot. This one was aimed directly for the man’s leg, taking him to the ground. Before Brody could reach Cyn, she had already gotten her hands on the weapon and was lying on the ground, with the weapon pointed up at Sonny. Cooper breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that this situation hadn’t taken her spunk.

“Remember, Jackson, you owe me,” Anna said, before turning on her heel and walking toward one of the cars. The back door was open, with Carlos waiting nearby. Before getting in, she turned to face him. “This doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you, just that I know who can be useful to me in the future.”

Cooper looked at her in question, but all he got back was a smile, her white teeth shining against her red lips. She looked over at Cyn and then disappeared into the back of the car. For a brief second, guilt filled him. He knew Monroe was about to sweep in and make arrests. Sure enough, men started to come out of the woods, yelling for everyone to get their hands up. Vehicles with their red and blue lights flashing made their way down the gravel lane, blocking anyone’s attempt to leave. They were supposed to wait, letting the truck drive toward the main road, but with things having gone down the shitter, Monroe took control.