Shadow of Doubt (An SBG Novel Book 2) (36 page)

“Nah. The police are asserting their authority that way since the FBI and U.S. Marshals aren’t allowing them to play in the sandbox. Seems we’re the toy the agencies are fighting over and the Senator and the DoD are involved in shutting it all down.”

At that moment, Cappy couldn’t figure out why he had withdrawn his resignation. Most days he loved his job, but there were times when all the wrangling just got old.

Ripping sounded beyond him and he peered over Romeo’s shoulder to watch as Magician helped Michelle take off her vest. Reality slammed into him and his heart stopped. Christ. That bastard must have figured out she had it on and adjusted for the head shot. His body turned to jelly. He’d almost lost her.

Dots blinked before his eyes and he couldn’t breathe.

Talon slapped him on the shoulder, jostling him out of the spiraling hell of visions filled with pain and loneliness that had almost been his future.

“Enough stalling, Capita,” Talon cracked. “Suck it up and take the coming pain like a man.”

“Such bedside manner,” Cappy grumbled.

“Only a select few know my bedside manner and you’re the wrong gender to ever find out,” Talon deadpanned.

“Lift,” Romeo commanded.

Cappy exhaled and raised his arms. Spots danced before his eyes at the action.

They worked the sweatshirt over his head.

“Tell me, Talon,” Romeo said, gripping the top strap of Velcro while Talon did the same on the other side. “Does this bedside manner involve whips and chains?”
Riiiippppppp. Riiiiipppppp.
“Because I can’t imagine a woman willing to stay there without coercion.”

Riiiippppppp. Riiiiipppppp.

“Don’t be imagining my sex life, tramp.”

Cappy tuned them out and focused on Michelle’s beautiful face. Alive. Elation filled his body, making the pain worth every minute.

“Here.” Talon shoved the vest into his hands. “Souvenir.”

Romeo and Talon stood, then strolled toward Magician. Cappy fingered the bullet hole and his emotions seized.
So fucking close to losing her.

“You literally took a bullet for me,” Michelle whispered, kneeling beside him on the ground.

He peered into her watery bronze eyes. “I told you. Your safety is my priority.”

She blinked and the tears fell freely down her cheeks. “I love you so much.”

He wrapped his palm around her neck and pulled her closer. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

He brushed her lips with a kiss meant to convey his love, not just his passion.

Two hours.

Cappy had been sitting on the cold cement ground underneath Ohio Street to keep away from the news helicopters occasionally flying overhead for two hours.

The paramedics had already come and gone. They had tried to get him to go to the hospital but when he refused, they declared he most likely had bruised, not broken, ribs. Though, both medics warned him to get his chest x-rayed to be sure, and to check for internal bleeding. Then they sped off.

Cue the lovely spat with Michelle about his health, but he wasn’t budging. No way would he abandon his team to deal with the fallout and not be by their side. Captains go down with their ships and all that.

Piled haphazardly beside Michelle were their sweatshirts and Kevlar vests. She sat by his side, leaning against a pretty mural adorning the entire cement wall, rubbing his hand between hers. Since the moment his vest came off, she had not stopped touching him. He loved every second. When he gave his family up he also forfeited having people concerned for his well-being.

That wasn’t a knock on the team. They had one another’s backs and would always be there for each other, but to have someone focused on him, someone who
loved
him . . . Wow. He couldn’t describe.

Romeo jogged over the pedestrian bridge with Magician. Wraith and Grady stopped their intimate conversation at the other end of the overpass to stroll over.

Talon wandered closer, still twirling his knife between his hands.

Cappy stood so he didn’t feel like a munchkin, and laced his fingers through Michelle’s.

“Well,” Romeo drawled, closing the loose circle, “SAC Bingham wasn’t happy about it, but the Attorney General agreed with the Senator’s plea. Michelle’s putting her life in danger to help us catch Colin Harris and April Harris’s real murderer outweighed the charges for evading law enforcement. The AG was especially happy when I said the DoD could provide a recording that has Jersey’s confession on it.” Romeo pointed at Cappy. “I’ll let you and the DoD figure out how redacted that tape will be.”

Cappy snorted. “I’ll pass that buck on to the Senator, thank you very much.”

Michelle squeezed his hand. Her infectious smile caused him to grin too.

“Whoop, whoop,” she exclaimed, punching the air. “I’m not a wanted criminal anymore.”

Magician held up a finger. “Wait, there’s something else.” She glanced at Cappy, but the look was too quick for him to catch its meaning. “The U.S. Marshals have terminated their contract with you, Michelle.”

Michelle waited a beat, then looked at everyone before asking, “What does that mean?”

“It means you’re no longer in Witness Protection,” Magician answered flatly.

“Oh.” She dug into Cappy’s palm, her eyes searching the ground before she peered at him, worry now replacing her joy. “But, what about the cartel? The YouTube video?”

Cappy ignored the pain in his ribs and wrapped her in a strong embrace. “You don’t have to worry about those bastards. We can keep you safe if you’re open to moving east.”

Michelle leaned back in his arms, her eyes widening. “You want me to move in with you all?”

“No.” Cappy shook his head. “I want you to move in with me. The others happen to come with the house.”

A wide grin stole across her face. The joy she had lost a second ago erupted from her, making the gold flecks in her eyes twinkle. “Really?”

“A very wise woman once asked me a question.” Cappy peered into Michelle’s eyes, mesmerized by the exquisite display. “To paraphrase it, if we stayed in each other’s lives, would we push each other to be better people or feel like anchors pulling each other under and holding us back?”

“Wow, um.” Michelle bit her lip. “I know what my answer is.”

“As do I,” Cappy answered softly with a smile. He ripped his gaze off the beauty and arched an eyebrow at the team. “I have a few things I’d like to say to Michelle. It will be mushy and it would probably mortify Ted. So if you can’t handle it, take a lap.”

Talon thumped to the middle of the overpass and plopped at the edge of the canal. Not really out of range, but whatever. At least he remained out of sight from the vultures overhead.

Everyone else stayed put. By the sappy expressions on their faces, he was going to be teased about this for years to come. Thank God he had thick skin and was man enough to handle it.

He gazed back at Michelle. Her smile was so wide and dopey he had to give her a quick kiss for cuteness.

“Another wise woman said,” he rumbled, wishing his voice was a little smoother, “that a part of her still believes in fairytale endings.”

Surprise burst through her expression. “You remembered.”

“Of course.” Cappy kissed her forehead. “You push me to be a better man, Michelle. Every day I promise I’ll try to live up to the standards of the man you believe me to be. I can’t guarantee I’ll succeed every time, but I’ll never stop trying.
You
agreeing to stay by my side would be my fairytale ending.”

Tears gathered in her eyes and her gold flecks sparkled with the sheen. “Oh my God. That has to be the best thing someone’s ever said to me. Absolutely, I’ll move in with you.”

Cappy whooped and hauled her off her feet, twirling her. He fought the coughing fit from squeezing her too tight against his ribs, but fuck if he’d act like a wuss and ruin the moment.

“Welcome to the family,” Romeo exclaimed with a huge grin. “Wait until you see the plans we’ve drawn up. It’ll be a two-home, luxurious compound by the time we’re done with it.”

“Two homes?” She flattened her hand against Cappy’s arm as if dizzy.

“Yeah,” Grady interjected, tucking Wraith under his arm. “Everyone’s crashing in our house for now, but the team’s bought the one behind ours. We’re going to combine the acres, wall it in, and turn it all into the hub for Delta Squad.”

Cappy lifted her hand to his heart. “I hope you don’t mind really tight quarters for the next few months and loud construction.”

“As long as we’re together it sounds wonderful.” A crease marred the top of her nose.

“What?”

“I just wish my parents were free from all this too.”

His stomach tightened and he glanced over her shoulder at the team. Romeo and Magician shrugged while Grady frowned and Wraith chewed her lip.

“I can’t make any promises.” Cappy rubbed her hand. “But let me see what can be done. With Nacio’s death, maybe the U.S. Marshals would be willing to relocate them to . . . say a small town in North Carolina where an elite Black Ops team just happens to be stationed.”

She squealed. “Oh my gosh, that would be awesome!”

He prayed he could make that happen.

“I noticed something,” Romeo said conversationally, rocking back on his heels.

“What?” Michelle and Cappy asked at the same time.

“You don’t cuss, do you, Michelle?”

She ducked her head and pink stained her cheeks. “Uh, no. It’s a lesson my mom drilled into my head for as long as I can remember.” She shrugged. “I never felt the need to defy it.”

Romeo laughed. “Don’t worry, collectively we curse enough for an army. We’ve got you covered.”

Michelle giggled.

Cappy’s cell phone rang, crushing the lighthearted moment. He ripped it out of its holder on his belt and barked, “What?”

“Uh,”
Ted drew out hesitantly.
“Your comm wasn’t on so I didn’t know how else to reach you.”

Cappy felt for his earpiece but it was gone.

“Here it is.” Michelle reached over his shoulder and held up a wire with a mangled end.

“It’s smashed,” Cappy answered into his phone.

“Can Michelle hear me?”

Cappy plucked her earpiece up from dangling against her chest, flicked it on and held it to her ear. She fiddled with it until it was in. “Now she can.”

“Oh, sorry.” Her cheeks flared red. “I didn’t think anyone would want to hear me hyperventilating after I knew Jersey was dead.”

Cappy patted her back. “Don’t worry about it.” He repositioned the phone. “What’s this about, Ted?”

Talon rejoined the group, his face pleasantly dour.

“Raul.”

Michelle flinched and Cappy straightened. “What about him?”

“I finally nailed down what happened to him.”

Tiny prickles of pain dug into his arm, and he looked down to see her nails digging in and her hand whitening.

“He’s dead.”

Michelle exhaled so hard she bent over at the waist.

“You’re sure.” Cappy rubbed circles on her spine, feeling every hard ridge and lump underneath her turtleneck. For the rest of his life he planned on making sure she knew how beautiful she was despite the marks.

“Yes. There were three Rauls. One a worker in the drug fields who was captured during the raid. He and his family were relocated to California where they work with a migrant contingent on various fruit farms. The second an old man who died of a heart attack when you all stormed the compound. The third is the guy I believe you’re interested in.”

Michelle’s straightened.

“This Raul was in his mid-forties and considered a lower member of Ramon’s inside circle. He escaped but was later captured by the Policia Federal and thrown into one of their prisons.”
Ted hesitated.
“Let’s just say the atrocities done to him in there were on par with what he doled out. He died in confinement.”

Another vise Cappy hadn’t realized lingered around his heart snapped free. “Thank you, Ted. Excellent work.”

High fives and smiles were traded among Michelle and the squad.

“Don’t hang up yet,”
Ted rushed to say, stopping Cappy from doing just that.

“Something else?”

“A message from the Senator.”

Joy.

“We’re to take several weeks’ vacation but after that be ready to work. He also said he’d call as soon as he broke free from the bullshit to thank us himself.”

“That’s nice,” Talon grumbled. “When can we leave?”

“As soon as we’re ready, actually,”
Ted replied with the best answer possible, then followed it up with the cherry on top.
“He’ll have his plane available within an hour’s notice.”

“Good thing we’re already packed.” Cappy grinned. “Ted, let him know we’re on the way to the airport.”

Two weeks later—Ridge Creek, North Carolina

“Topping national headlines at the noon hour,”
the radio broadcaster asserted dryly through the Jeep’s speakers,
“new charges have been filed against Victor Dalmingo, former CEO of SweetBriar Group. Multiple counts of conspiracy to commit murder and first degree murder charges were filed by the prosecutor’s office, indicting Victor Dalmingo in the deaths of Kansas Senator Bob Harris’s—”

Cappy flicked the ignition off, glad to block out yet another news report about Victor’s activities coming to light. He peered at his passenger and smiled, taking her hand and giving it a small kiss.

“Ready?” he asked, disengaging the locks on the doors.

Michelle beamed. “Absolutely.”

They strolled up the walkway, hand-in-hand. He unlocked the door to the house located just a few miles from their compound-in-the-making. The feeling of coming full circle hit him as he stepped back to let Michelle go in first. Once she crossed the threshold, he followed and shut the door.

This was the same house the team had used as command central for a short time when they first arrived in Ridge Creek. To have it stay connected with them felt right. The floor plan was almost an exact match to Grady’s, though there were a few differences, like this house not having a full back wall of windows (but that allowed it to have a covered deck) and the floors were carpeted instead of hardwood.

“Mom’s going to be overwhelmed,” Michelle said, surveying the stacks of boxes and furniture the federally vetted moving company had placed haphazardly. They covered almost every inch of the living room floor.

He rested his hands on her shoulders. “She’ll have us to help her.”

Michelle snorted. “Dad’s not going to like having to stay in bed while we’re out here unpacking.”

“He’ll grumble, but he’ll adjust. He knows his recovery depends on him taking it easy the next few weeks.”

She turned in his arms and wrapped her hands around him. He got lost in the gold flecks gleaming in her irises. Stroking his thumb over her cheek, he cupped her face.

She pressed into his hand and he couldn’t resist leaning down for a kiss. Her lips parted and he delved inside, tasting sweet southern iced tea and temptation. He inhaled and pulled her closer. What he meant as a quick demonstration of his love quickly escalated into so much more.

Walking her backward, he found the wide side of the floor-to-ceiling fireplace acting as a partition between the living and dining rooms. Her shoulder blades hit the stone and she deepened the kiss. He groaned and fit his thigh between her legs.

She had come so far in the past few weeks. She still couldn’t take being on the bottom when they had sex but that didn’t matter; they just became more inventive with their positions. The biggest leap forward was this, her ability to not freak out when he pinned her against the wall.

She ignited, matching his passion and fueling it with her own. Her hands fisted the back of his long-sleeved shirt and she adjusted her position, now riding his thigh muscles. The little mewling noise she made as she worked herself against him drove him insane.

Christ, he wanted her
now
.

He tore his mouth away and thumped his head against the stone. The coolness of surface did little to douse his desire to take her against the fireplace. His breaths sawed in and out and he reached down and pegged her hips against the stone.

“I don’t think your parents will appreciate it if we christen their new house before they even have a chance to see it,” he murmured, forcing himself to step back.

Her bronze irises were so dark with desire and her clothes so sexily disheveled, he made himself take another large step away.

Her chest rose and fell and he groaned when her gaze darted down to his crotch and she licked her lips.

“Killing me,” he strained and adjusted his hard cock in an attempt to find some room. No luck.

She inhaled audibly. “Me too, but good point.” She swiped her hands through her hair and exclaimed, “Dang, I don’t want to stop.”

“You and me both.”

Her face lit into a half smile and she said ruefully, “I meant to kiss you in a way that showed how much your pulling strings means to me.” She straightened and adjusted her dark-green sweater back into place.

Oops. Guess he got a little carried away and started pulling the thing off.

“I still don’t know if all of us being in the same city is safe, but I’m not giving them up again.”

A little bit of doubt plagued him. With the Senator’s help, he had talked the Marshals into relocating Mr. and Mrs. Fields to Ridge Creek, North Carolina. The agreement was that her parents would stay under the Marshals’ watch for the next six months. If nothing happened, then they’d be released from their protection. But, if something did happen, the Marshals’ would remove the Fields from the area and not let anyone know where they went. It was an unusual arrangement and something they’d never done before, but once the director had been told about the existence of an elite squad in the area, he stopped fighting. Cappy just prayed the man actually kept his word to maintain the secret and stick with the cover story that Cappy owned a security company. With that story in place, no one should blink an eye at the enhancements he had installed on the house last week and it would help explain his absences when he was away on business “consulting.”

“You won’t have to give them up,” he promised, pointing to some of the upgrades like the top-of-the-line alarm system. “Besides the new tech, you know the team will help protect them.” He checked his watch. They had about ten more minutes before the U.S. Marshals showed up, escorting Pat and Jim Fields to their new home.

Michelle fiddled with a flap on one of the boxes stacked beside her. “I got an e-mail from my landlord. I’m officially out of the lease.” Her teeth worried her bottom lip and her eyes changed to doubt. “You sure Grady doesn’t mind all my stuff sitting in his basement?”

He took her hand. “Not at all. He knows it’s only temporary. You have time to figure out what you want to keep and what you want to donate.” He smiled. “You’re going to be quite busy from now on with your new position. You sure you’re up for it?”

“Pfffft,”
she scoffed, lifting her chin, and a twinkle returned to her irises. “Wrangling a bunch of macho, testosterone-filled adrenaline junkies into order will be nothing. And I do include Wraith and Magician in that description, by the way.” She laughed. “I’ll be the best home-based office manager Delta Squad’s ever had.”

He chuckled. “Since you’ll be the first one we’ve ever had, I have no doubt you’ll be the best.” He leaned forward and whispered huskily, “Sexiest one too. Not sure how I feel about the other men working alongside you—”

She bent over, holding her sides, laughing. The sound was musical.

“Yeah, right,” she wheezed.

“You’re mine,” he growled for effect, but had no heat.

She straightened at the change in his tone and he crowded her against the fireplace again. “I knew you were mine when I broke through that door six years ago, then life got in the way, but when you opened the door to the OTE, I knew you’d be mine for life. I may have not handled it the best, but make no mistake, you are the
only
woman for me. You’ve given me back a piece of my past and guaranteed I’ll have a future to look forward to. These past two weeks living with you have been more than I dreamed of.”

Her eyes filled with tears and she grasped his hands now holding onto her face. “You made me feel beautiful again. Showed me someone could love me no matter what happened or how ugly my scars are—”

“Not ugly,” he whispered fiercely. “They’re marks of strength and courage. You
are
beautiful and I’m going to show you just how much for the rest of my life. I love you, sweetheart. Now and always.”