Page 74 of Her Delta Force Protector

Theo rolled his eyes. “Sure.” What he wanted was to get to that cabin. “Call one of your men,” he told Stockton. “Make sure everything’s still quiet over there.”

“Call Frankie,” Stockton said to his Bluetooth.

“Yo,” a man said. “What’s up, boss?”

“Anything changed since I last talked to you?”

“Nah. Dude’s still sitting on his porch with his dog, drinking beer. Ain’t seen the woman, but he goes to the door and talks to her off and on.”

“Keep your eyes open, and if something does change, call me.” Stockton disconnected. “This is gonna be a piece of cake.”

If they ever got there. Theo put his hand on the door handle, intending to get out and lend his help in getting the road cleared. But the chief got in the Caddy, started it, and backed it to the curb, so Theo settled back in his seat. As Stockton slowly drove past the Caddy, the police chief waved. Theo lifted two fingers to his forehead in a salute. What he’d like to do was give the man, and the whole damn town, the finger for putting them almost thirty minutes behind schedule.

“If you ask me, that was weird,” Rex said.

Theo ignored his worrywart cousin. He also stopped listening to Stockton talk about his latest squeeze and her many talents in bed. The man had no class. When he had enough money to move to South Beach, Theo decided he was going to find classier friends.

“Start looking for a place to hide the Hummer,” he said when they were a few miles from the cabin. About a half mile from the gravel road that led to the cabin they found a break in the trees that was big enough to drive the Hummer into. “Stick the keys under the floor mat.”

“Why?” Stockton said.

“In case one of us needs to move it to another location.” Or should he, Theo, need a fast getaway.

“Either one of you decides it’s a good idea to take off without me, I will hunt you down,” Stockton said.

“We’re all in this together. No one’s bailing on the others.” Except him, if it came to saving his neck. “You know the plan, Stockton. Go find your men. Rex will meet up with the bikers. When we have the cabin surrounded, we come out of the woods with weapons drawn. Even if Church is armed, he won’t dare fire his gun being this outnumbered.”

“What if he’s inside by the time we get there?” Stockton said.

“Simple. We order him to come out. Once he’s neutralized, we take the woman. You brought ski masks like I told you, right?” They both showed him their masks. “Good. Go find your men. I’ll call you when it’s time to make an appearance.”

The best plans were kept simple, and his was about as simple as it could get. Church wouldn’t dare try anything with eight men pointing guns at him.

“What are we going to do with Church?” Rex asked after Stockton left. “I don’t want any part of killing.”

“Tie him up and leave him breathing. He has no idea who we are, and with the masks, he won’t be able to describe us. Before you go find the bikers, let’s take a look-see with your drone. It’ll help to know if Church is still on his porch.”

Turned out Rex’s drone came in mighty handy. Without it, he never would have found Harper Jansen hiding in a tree. “Change of plans.”

“We’re taking off?” Rex said hopefully.

“Yeah, as soon as I get Jansen.”

“Damn it, Theo. Why do you think she’s in that tree with a rifle? Because they’re expecting us.”

“You go wait in the Hummer. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes with the woman. Stockton and his men can find their own way home.”

“Tell me you’re kidding. Stockton already said he’d hunt you down if you left without him.”

“Not kidding. Go get the Hummer ready to leave.” His cousin knew his way around computers, for sure, but he thought small. It was time for Theo to strike out on his own. He’d just have to move up his timeline for heading south. Harper Jansen just got promoted to a starring role in his movies.

Because he was brilliant, he worked out the details in his head for leaving immediately with enough cash to seed his new business. Stockton was going to be beyond pissed, not only because his Hummer would be gone, but when he finally made it back to his office and looked in his safe, the pile of cash he kept in there would be missing. Wasn’t his fault Stockton had let him watch the man open his safe several times. Theo grinned as he slipped through the woods to retrieve his star, then it was off to the new life that awaited him. What should his new name be? Definitely something cool.

Rex retrieved his drone, packed it back into its travel case, then loaded it in the Hummer. His cousin had lost touch with reality. Theo had always had a big ego and an even bigger sense of entitlement. Rex had gone along with Theo’s schemes because his cousin really was smart. If only he’d use those brains of his for schemes that weren’t going to get them killed. He was crossing a line today that Rex wasn’t willing to follow.

Rex had worried this day would come, the day he finally accepted that Theo was too far gone to save. If he didn’t get away from his cousin, he’d either end up in prison or dead. Neither appealed, so he’d prepared for it.

There was a passport with his new identity, along with money he’d been saving the past year, in a locker at his gym. In three hours, he’d be back in Fayetteville, putting his contingency plan into action. He had his laptop with him, so he wouldn’t even go home. As soon as he picked up the bag he’d stashed in the locker, he’d take a cab to the bus station where he’d make sure the agent noticed him when he bought a ticket to New York. Then he’d walk a mile or so from the bus station before catching a taxi to the airport, where he’d purchase a ticket with his new identity. If his cousin was still alive after today, Theo would never think to look for him in Thailand.

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