Page 17 of Axel (Reed Hawthorne Security #6)

Axel

I meant what I told Savvy. She really doesn’t want to know anything about this man. From what I’ve learned from Stevens and later from Trip, it’s not good. But she needs to know what we are dealing with.

“I’ve learned more,” I say as I walk into the living room, wondering how I’m going to keep her calm. “The man Bob worked for, who is now looking for you, is Thomas Bennett. He has a long rap sheet and has ties to some cartel members.”

She curls her legs under her on the couch. “The cartel? They kill people, don’t they?”

“Yes, they do. That’s why you need to stay here longer.”

Her eyes turn glassy, and then tears fall down her cheeks. “If I testify, I lose my life. My whole life. They’d put me in witness protection. Tell me I don’t have to.”

I rush to her side and put my arm around her. She leans into me .

“I can’t promise you that. But I do know Stevens said there was another related investigation. Hopefully, they have all the evidence they need and won’t need you.”

She wipes her eyes. “But this guy, Bennett, he knows I told the FBI about Bob?”

That’s probably what Bob told him, and I can’t lie to her. “It’s possible.”

“And then Bennett told the cartel? So, even if Bennett somehow gets arrested, there will be someone to take his place and come after me? It will never end, will it?”

“I asked Stevens about that. According to her sources, she believes that’s very unlikely,” I say. “If Bennett tells the cartel you were able to get in and see anything, they’d blame him. That wouldn’t go well.”

She takes a deep breath and wipes her eyes. “Okay, so I stay here until Bennett is arrested? Will he be arrested? Are they looking for him?”

“Yes, to all of that.”

“Do you have a photo? So, we know what he looks like?”

“No, not yet. Stevens said she would send one.”

She’s silent for a moment as we sit there. I’m about to ask her what she’s thinking, but then she says, “I’m going to need clothes and some personal items so I can shower.”

“Maria brought over a few things this morning. I figured her clothes would fit you better than mine.” I stand up and grab the bag that’s next to the door. “She said she included a few other things, too.”

Savvy takes the bag from me. “Thank you.” She heads upstairs .

There’s a loud pounding on my front door. I’m not expecting anyone. I check to see who it is. Durango and Thunder. Thunder’s head is on a swivel, taking in the street and sidewalk.

I open the door. “What’s going on?”

Durango steps inside, and Thunder follows.

“Two men came to the office looking for you. Based on the security video I saw, one of them was Bennett,” Durango says.

“Wait, how do you know it was Bennett?” I ask.

“Myers called after he left and told us. Apparently, he’s following him.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know he was the man you were looking for, or I would have detained him. I did ask him what he wanted, and he wouldn’t say,” Thunder says.

“How the hell did Bennett know to ask for me?”

Durango glances out the window. “I don’t know. But he didn’t ask for Axel. He asked for Hunter Charles.”

Now I’m even more confused.

Durango continues, “Remember that podcaster, Peter? Apparently, he’s been working hard since we met him. He did an episode on RHS and named all of us by our full names.”

“What? That’s not okay. Does Reed know?”

Durango nods. “We all just found out.”

“But how would Bennett know I’m with Savvy?”

Thunder steps forward. “One of Peter’s ‘Breaking News’ videos shows you and Savvy walking somewhere. Peter gives both of your names in his video. And he used your names as hashtags. ”

I clench my fists. That asshole. He has no idea what kind of danger he is putting us in.

“One search of the public records and he will find this address.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Thunder says. “He knows where you are. We need to move you two. Right now.”

Durango steps over to the window and stares out.

“I’ll get Savvy.”

I take the stairs two at a time and reach for the bathroom doorknob. The water is running. I hate interrupting her, but we need to go. First, I knock. No response.

I open the door but keep my back turned. “Savvy!” I yell out.

The water turns off. “What are you doing in here?”

“Bennett is on his way here. We have to go.”

“I forgot to grab a towel,” she says.

That means nothing is blocking the glass door where she is standing naked on the other side. Okay, no. This is why I shouldn’t have kissed her. I need to stay focused.

“I’ll grab you one.”

I run to my bathroom, grab a couple of towels, and then toss them into her bathroom while not looking. “I’ll be downstairs.”

I go downstairs to find Thunder staring out the front window.

“Where’s Durango?” I ask.

“Back window.”

“No one’s getting in the back,” I say.

It’s true. That’s one thing I love about this place. There is a hedge covering the back edge of the property. I have no idea what kind of plant it is, but it has thorns, and the one time I tried to trim them, I got cut up pretty badly. No one in their right mind would try to climb over that.

“Agreed. Those are some cool bushes. I should get some,” Durango shouts from the back door.

Savvy runs down the stairs. Her hair is wet, and she doesn’t have on any makeup. She’s even more gorgeous natural.

“Ready,” she says.

“He’s here,” Thunder says.

I move beside Thunder to glance out the window and spot two men scanning as they slowly walk toward my place.

“We have to go out the back,” Thunder says.

“No way to get through,” I say.

“Yes, there is,” Durango says as he walks into the room. “We need to hop your neighbor’s fence.”

“I’ve never met him.” An odd thought to have right now, but I haven’t met either of my neighbors. I usually keep to myself.

“They’re walking this way. We need to go now,” Thunder says.

“It’s Clinton!” Savvy yells.

“Looks like he’s working with Bennett. Now we know why he left the building so fast,” I say.

“We can talk about this later. We need to go,” Durango says as he leads us out the back door, which I secure on the way out. He hops over first, and Thunder helps Savvy get over. Then Thunder and I climb over .

The prickly hedge doesn’t cover the entire back wall like it does at my place, and we run for the opening.

“They’re out here!” someone yells behind us.

“Run!” Durango shouts.

We all race after him. The opening leads us into someone else’s yard, but fortunately, there’s nothing blocking us from reaching the undeveloped property next door. We eventually make it to the street and turn left.

A shot rings out behind us.

“We need to lose them fast!” Thunder yells.

My side is screaming in pain from the prior gunshot, but I keep pushing. Savvy is able to run very fast, and she’s up front with Durango.

He takes a right on the next street, and I’ve never been happier to see his truck. “Everyone in!” he shouts.

Savvy and I pile into the back seat of the extended cab while Thunder takes the passenger seat. I push Savvy down while Durango peels out of the spot.

Several more gunshots are fired, but it appears they missed us.

“Thankfully, he’s a terrible shot,” Durango says.

He’s speeding way too fast for the neighborhood, but if he doesn’t, those men will be able to catch up to us.

“Head to Manhattan,” Lightning suggests.

“Why the hell would I do that?” Durango asks.

“They won’t expect it,” Lightning says.

“Maybe not, but you know we’ll get stuck in traffic. I’m heading east.”

I sit up and glance out the back window. No one appears to be following us .

“Axel, they know your name, where you work, and where you live,” Durango says. “You need to be under protection now, too.”

“No, I need to call Harding to see if she has a safe house around here we can use.”

I pull my phone from my pocket, ready to make the call.

“No,” Durango says. “Stevens has a place for us to go. First, we need to drop Lightning off.”

Lightning turns around in his seat. “Sorry, I just got back from an assignment this morning and was dropped at the office to report to Reed. I’m supposed to be heading out again tonight on a new assignment.”

“Damn, what did you do to piss off Reed?” I ask. “I thought only Moose was getting back-to-backs.”

Moose is the newest guy in the office, and usually that means he gets not only the worst assignments but a lot of them. Reed likes to make sure we are cut out for the work as soon as possible. Moose has been great and taking it all like a champ.

“No, it’s all related, so it needs to be me,” Lightning says.

“Speaking of Moose,” Durango says. “He’s scheduled to be in the office for a few days and can help us out if we need it. That’s what Reed said earlier.”

“I appreciate all of this,” I say.

“Oh, Reed wanted me to pass on the message that if you see that podcast guy, don’t talk to him. He’s been trying to interview all of us after we leave the office,” Lightning says.

“I have no problem ignoring him,” I say.

“Savvy, you know one of the guys chasing us?” Durango asks .

“Yes, I showed him the property that exploded,” she says.

“He managed to leave just in time. Now we know why,” I say.

I stretch and flinch as pain stabs my side.

“I hope there’s a first aid kit at this place,” Savvy says. “We need to change Hunter’s bandages.”

Lightning turns around and frowns. He’s not used to hearing my first name, either.

“She’s my sister’s best friend,” I explain.

The corner of his mouth curls up, and before I can even warn him not to go there, he speaks.

“Sister’s best friend, huh? I bet Maria told you nothing better happen between you two.”

I sigh. “She did actually.”

Lightning laughs. “No way! That’s hot.”

Durango takes a corner fast, and I push into Savvy.

I roll my eyes. “You’re not helping.”

“Sorry, but I gotta lose these guys.”

That wasn’t what I was referring to. Sensing Savvy’s stare, I glance over.

“Maria really said that to you?” she asks.

I nod. “She did.”

Savvy laughs. “She warned us off of each other in her own way.”

Lightning must realize when she laughs that she isn’t bothered by his teasing, so he drops it.

We get Lightning home after driving east practically to the ocean and back. Then we head to the address Agent Stevens gave Durango .

The house is in Queens, in the middle of a neighborhood. A very busy neighborhood.

“This is a safe house?” I ask. “There are people everywhere.” Keeping watch is going to be exhausting.

“Yeah, it’s busy. Which is good because Bennett and whoever he’s with can’t get through here without being seen or being on who knows how many door cams,” Durango says.

I glance around and notice cameras on most of the houses. My guess is the FBI uses this place when they want someone to come for them to collect video evidence.

“Where is Stevens staying? Next door?”

Durango frowns. “I have no idea. Why?”

“Trust me. She’s close,” I say as we take the stairs to the front door. “This feels more like a setup than a safe house.”

Durango punches in a code and gets the door open. “Yeah, it’s certainly not how Harding operates.”

We step in, closing the door behind us.

“Good afternoon!”

And there is Agent Stevens. Just as I predicted but closer. Durango gives me a look, and I nod.

“This is Agent Myers.” She motions to a man sitting on a couch in the living room.

He waves at us.

“He’s been working on a related case involving Bennett and the men he’s working for. We are teaming up here in case Bennett finds you.”

Durango steps forward. “Yes, we spoke on the phone earlier. ”

“How would Bennett find us? I thought this was a safe house,” I say.

Myers stands up. “It is. But you know, sometimes things go sideways.”

Not usually with safe houses. Something about this doesn’t seem right. But I don’t want to scare Savvy, so I hold my tongue for now.

“You have a first aid kit?” Durango asks.

“Yes, in the bathroom upstairs,” Stevens says.

Durango turns to me. “Let me help you with your bandages. Savvy, you wait down here.”

I follow him upstairs. We need to discuss what exactly is going on here.

“This feels wrong,” I say once we are in the bathroom.

“Something is off.” He opens a drawer and finds what he needs.

I take off my shirt and let him get to work.

“This part is going to hurt.” He says a moment before using a cotton pad with rubbing alcohol to clean the wound. He tapes a bandage in place. “Would you rather be in a safe house with only Savvy?”

I think for a moment. “Actually, yes.”

He stands up straight and arches a brow. “Something happen between you two?”

“What? No, of course not.” Now is not the time to mention the kiss. But that shouldn’t have happened, and I made it clear nothing more would happen. At least not while Savvy is in danger.

“Uh-huh. Well, if nothing is going on, then it shouldn’t be a problem for all of us to be around. More eyes. ”

He’s right. “I have no problem with you or Agent Stevens.”

“All done.”

I put my shirt back on.

“I’ll keep my eye on Myers. If I see or hear anything, I’ll let you know,” he says.

“Thanks. I’ll do the same.”

We head downstairs and find Savvy sitting in the chair in the living room, reading a book. Myers is sitting across from her, watching her. It doesn’t sit right.

“What are you reading?” I ask, as I stand to block Myers’s view of her.

She turns the book around for me to see the cover. “It’s a crime thriller. Not a big selection.” She motions to a shelf that holds a few novels. “If I had my phone, I could play a game.”

Her phone that I threw out the car window.

“Sorry about your phone. I really thought that was how he was tracking you. I’ll get you a new one.”

“Any chance you can get me one today?”

I sit across from her. “Afraid not.”

“Okay then. I guess you will have to entertain me then.”

All sorts of inappropriate things go through my mind. “What do you mean?” I say, my voice a little lower than I want it to be.

She gets up and walks past me to the bookcase. As she walks back, she tosses a box onto the coffee table. A chess set.

My phone buzzes, and I check it. “Peter again.”

“He’s calling you?” she asks .

“He’s calling all of us from RHS. No one is answering. I should answer and tell him he endangered a witness.”

She reaches over and places her hand on mine. That snaps me out of my anger at Peter.

She nods at the game we are about to play. “Let’s focus on the game instead. Get ready to lose,” she says, grinning.

She’s grinning. We are running from someone who possibly wants to kill her, and she’s grinning. Damn, I really do like her.