Lawful: Gia ~ Hunter ~ Julian ~ Jarrod

She notices me, pauses, and takes her time covering her ample chest. “You like what you see?”

“I do,” Lex whispers through the coms.

I cover up my whispered, “Asshole,” with a cough behind my hand. “You need to get out of here.”

Taking the woman by her arm, I escort them over to the opposite building, shoving them inside. “They’re your problem now,” I hiss at two DEA agents. They haven’t commented but I heard their amusement loud and clear.

Checking for signs of movement, I dash back to the fire escape and reaching high, pull myself up and clear just as the sound of two cars coming down the alley hits my ear drums. Quickly taking cover in the shadows, I tune out the chatter in my ear and wait, knowing that the other agents who are out here with me have switched back into professionals. Then Colin’s sharp, “Silent,” stops all chatter, and now only warnings or commands will be spoken.

Adrenaline thrums through my body as the cars stop five feet in front of the fire escape. The silence can sometimes be deafening.

A large heavily armed man straightens from the lead vehicle. He’s built like a sumo wrestler and I’m betting he likes to use his brawn to do his bosses dirty work. Joe Abatangelo. The asshole I first became acquainted with back in Lexington when the fucker had something to do with the kidnapping of Rosie McKenzie. Not only that, but he had been due to appear before my wife’s father, Jarrod Carrington, in the high court in Houston for numerous counts of drug and human trafficking charges—he of course had escaped and the guard who’d helped him, had been found dead.

So thanks to an informant we where hopefully in the right place at the right time, freezing our asses off in Dallas to put the bastard behind bars once and for all and the more of his men that happened to be taken into custody with him the better.

The thing is that being in this alley doesn’t feel right to me. Abatangelo has never been known for doing grunt work before so why would he do it now? Something doesn’t add up and when Sumo does a one-eighty I’m pretty sure his gaze briefly skims over my location. The man seems to glance at every known location that an agent is using for cover.

Keeping my silence, I find that I’m not sure of the next move to make. By Sumo’s actions I’m fairly certain that we’ve been led on a wild-goose chase and keeping my temper in check is getting near impossible.

The insistent buzzing in my ear is driving me crazy, and then the orders come through, “Alpha1, stay in position.” That’s all I really hear as Colin continues giving orders to the agents on the ground and the sharpshooters on the roof. Then silence follows, which isn’t unusual but something feels off to me, and I’m not referring to the bad guys beneath me.

Because why the fuck would I be asked to effectively stand down when I’m one of the lead agents? It makes no sense and pisses me off. But before any ‘move in’ orders come through Sumo gets back into the car as though he has all day and slowly pulls down the alley and then out to the street.

“What the fuck?” I hiss while my eyes stay glued to the idling vehicle.

The fear in my belly increases and then when I witness agents slowly moving in toward the remaining vehicle it hits me that I’ve been completely left out of whatever is now taking place.

Unease slithers down my spine as Lex reaches for the drivers’ door

, but he stops suddenly when there’s a shout of, “No,” from within the vehicle. My head snaps to the window as my eyes desperately search for a view of the woman. But then Lex slowly glances up to me, and I know with that look that my whole world is about to fall apart.

14

Gia

Tonight has got to be the most terrifying night of my life, and considering I’ve been kidnapped and shot in the past, that’s definitely saying something.

I’d been at home putting together our evening meal when a man who could probably crush my skull with only one of his hands had appeared. In seconds he had me subdued, telling me that my father would die unless I did exactly what was asked.

How I’d managed to keep the vehicle on the road when he’d told me I had to drive it without deviating off course was a damn miracle. My only problem now as tears stream down my face is for me to wonder if I climb from the vehicle will it explode? I have no idea what they wanted from my father or even if they really did have him. My confusion deepens when armed men wearing black jackets and ball caps with either DEA or US Marshal in large letters across the front, slowly approach.

One agent that I recognize, but can’t name in my panic, reaches for the door but my frantic waving and screamed, “No,” stops him cold as his eyes meet mine before he looks above him.

I try to peer out of the window to see what has his attention and then the person I love most in the world comes into my line of sight and the fragile hold on my emotions breaks free as I start to sob.

Hunter jumps down from the fire escape and after exchanging words with his friend tries to conceal how terrified he is, which he obviously doesn’t succeed at. My hand reaches up and rests against the window while my husband crouches down and covers my hand on his side of the window.

“We’re going to get you out of here,” he drops his head, hiding his emotions from me—I know him well—before he meets my gaze. “What did he wire, Gia? Did you see what he did?”

I shake my head, my lips quivering while I try to put a lid on my fear for now, to help him get me free. “I didn’t see all of what he did, but he said if I open the door the car would explode.”

Hunter nods and his eyes search mine while he lets me see all the love that he has for me. I put my face to the door and press a kiss to the window. “I love you,” I barely whisper through my tears.

His fist clench as he whispers, “You are not saying goodbye to me, Gia. This is not goodbye…Fuck!” His head bows but shoots up when his friend whispers something to him.

“Get the seatbelt off, Gia.” I blink but I completely trust him so I quickly remove the belt, and the next thing the doors are yanked open and Hunter has me in his arms as everyone races to safety.

Hunter crouches down behind a dumpster seconds after the dark and silent night is lit up with a thunderous explosion followed by orange flames and the smell of burning fuel.