Page 13 of Protecting His Ex-Wife
“This the place?” I check with Seth and he gives me a tense nod.
“You stay here.” With his bad leg, Seth’s better being the getaway driver—just in case we need to make a quick exit.
I nod to Lyle. He pulls the side door open, and we step into the humid night.
Seth used his special skills to track Paul to this address. It’s a warehouse on the edge of town. I don’t expect to find him here, but this must be where Caroline’s supplies are.
Swinging a crowbar casually in one hand, I approach the entrance to the warehouse.
The door lock comes apart easily, and we duck down as we enter the dark space, our military training kicking in. Cardboard boxes are stacked haphazardly, and I give Lyle the signal to look left while I go right.
We move silently through the warehouse until we meet up at the far end. There’s no sign of anyone here. Just us and a pile of boxes.
I cut one open and shine my flashlight inside. Sure enough, there’re rows of supplement packets and crushed berry pouches. We’ve found what we’re looking for.
I put in a call to the small truck that’s waiting around the corner with a couple of guys from Lyle’s MC club. They offered to help out, and I thought it was better than tearing Bronn and Kieren away from their new babies.
It takes about an hour to empty the warehouse and load the contents into the back of the truck. I didn’t realize how big Caroline’s business had grown, and a shock of pride goes through me.
I was planning on storing the stuff in Amy’s old room, but we’re going to need more space than that.
The MC guys leave in the truck, and Seth pulls out after them.
“You found where this asshole is staying, right?”
“An apartment in Boyle Heights. I did facial recognition on the CCTV and tracked him there.”
I don’t ask how he hacked into the complex LA CCTV system. I’m just happy that he did.
“Take me there.”
Seth gives me a long look. I keep my gaze straight ahead, allowing the anger that’s been burning inside me since I found out the extent of this guy’s crimes against Caroline to simmer to the surface.
“You sure about this? Didn’t you promise Caroline no violence?”
I crack my knuckles and tilt my head from side to side until my neck clicks. “I never promised. And all I’m going to do is get her money back. Save her from going through the courts.”
“I’d do exactly the same if anyone touched my woman,” Lyle says from the back.
I give a snort. “You need to have a woman first, man.”
Seth chuckles, and Lyle looks out the window with an expansive arm gesture. “She’s out there somewhere, waiting for me.”
The laughter eases the tension. But I don’t let it ease my anger. I’ll get Caroline’s money back, but that fucker is going to pay for what he’s done to her.
9
CAROLINE
I’m woken by the sounds of movement in the house. My pulse quickens and I reach under the bed for my baseball bat. My fingers brush against emptiness, and my gut clenches with fear. Then I remember where I am. I’m in Tony’s spare room. I’m safe.
Gray, pre-dawn light peeps through the curtains as I pull on a robe and pad out of the room.
My brain can’t make sense of the situation. There are men in the house moving boxes, and in my sleep addled brain, I wonder if someone’s moving out.
I recognize Seth and Lyle, Tony’s military buddies who are now part of the Sunset Security firm where they all work. The other two guys are wearing biker jackets with “Underground Crows MC” emblazoned on them.
It’s the local MC club that patrols the coast. From what I hear, they do some dodgy dealings but also a lot of good. I’ve got no idea what they’re doing in Tony’s house.
