Page 19 of Bradford (Boston Bay Vikings #18)

brADFORD

The jerk in the passenger seat used to date Florence.

I don't know what she saw in him. He presents himself as successful.

I was expecting him to be wearing gang clothes, whatever those are.

Instead, he's wearing an expensive suit, his hair is neatly groomed, and he looks like a successful businessman.

I've been angry since he and his two friends pulled guns on me while I waited for Ellison and Florence.

Realistically, I was waiting for Dillon to show up.

I wince at the thought of how angry Florence will be for being kept in the dark about this part of the plan.

I didn't want to keep her out of the loop, but Ellison insisted it was necessary to keep her safe.

Of course, I agreed. I would have agreed to anything to keep her safe.

Dillon hates me for being with Florence.

When he speaks of her, he refers to her as his girl.

The asshole knows nothing. He had one of his men check me for a tracker, but he didn't find anything.

Little do they know that I have the tiniest tracker stuck to the sole of my foot, about the size of a dot.

It feels like a crumb got stuck in my shoe.

"Do you realize that there's nothing my dad can do about the warehouse now? Law enforcement knows about it. Taking me isn't going to get either him or Reyes what they want. Surely you should know that by now. You don't come across as an idiot."

Anger radiates off Dillon as he turns to face me, processing my words.

His eyes narrow, and his jaw clenches. "You think you're so clever, don't you?

" he sneers. "But we'll see just how smart you really are once we get where we're going.

" He snickers. "Just so you know, I have men waiting for Florence to return to the hotel.

She's a pretty little thing. I was stupid to mess up with her. " He grins. "I'll make it up to her."

He's baiting you. Ignore him.

I feel like jumping forward and punching him in the face. Instead, I take a deep breath, knowing Florence will be safe. Ellison has enough manpower with him, including law enforcement. She's the safest person in the state right now.

"What's really going on?" I ask, watching Dillon closely.

"This isn't over a warehouse. There are more for sale in the area.

There always are. What's so special about that one?

" My eyes stay focused on the man as I realize I’m right.

But what the hell is so special about that place?

It doesn't have dock access. It's out of the way in a rough forestry area, so it's secluded.

Trucks can't get down the track, but SUVs and small vans can.

That's not useful if they're being used for human trafficking.

"The reason why is none of your business. Once we have unobserved, twenty-four-hour access to the warehouse, you get to go home to daddy."

"My dad said the warehouse was empty. What was left behind?"

Dillon clamps his mouth shut and narrows his eyes before facing the front.

I haven't seen the warehouse, but according to my dad, it's empty. There are offices without furniture. Large open spaces with nothing left behind. He said he'd sent men in to haul the trash out. What the hell is so important?

Trees distract me as the large SUV makes its way along a narrow road. The daylight dims as we enter a tunnel of kissing trees. When we exit, I notice a large yacht directly ahead on the river.

God, I hate boats.

I've never had a stomach for being on the water. "If you're planning on putting me on that, then I hope you have plenty of sick bags. My stomach and boats do not mix." I wince, not looking forward to this. Not that I was anyway, but this is worse. I hate getting sick.

"Fuck!" Dillon curses. "You're serious?"

I don't reply. I stare ahead, trying to commit to memory what I see so I can repeat it later.

Unfortunately, there isn't much to see. As the SUV comes to a stop, I spot two men with guns standing on the dock beside the boat.

My door opens, and I step out, keeping my arm close to my body and my hand protecting my side.

They had been rough when they dragged me from the car back on the island.

The humidity hits me the moment I'm outside.

I glance around, but I only see trees and tall grass in the direction we traveled from.

The only sound is the buzzing of insects.

The men gesture for me to follow them onto the boat, but their expressions are unreadable.

I can't shake the feeling that something ominous is going to happen if I get on that boat.

I hesitate at the gangway, and suddenly, I feel a gun shoved into my back.

"I could kill you now. I'd enjoy it," Dillon says. "We've taken you. Only us will know if I kill you while your father is busy giving us access to the warehouse. It's your choice."

I whip my head around to look at him. "You'll kill me once you have what you want anyway."

"That is untrue, Mr. Winchester."

At the sound of a new voice, I turn back to the boat and meet the hard gaze of another man. "Reyes?"

"Please join me. I guarantee your safety as long as your father cooperates."

With no other choice, I climb the small gangway and step onto the boat. The moment I do, my stomach turns. I hate how I react to being on the water.

"He gets sick on boats," Dillon scoffs.

"I have something for that. Follow me."

Without thinking twice, I follow Reyes inside the boat and realize it's much nicer inside than out. I sit down where Reyes indicates, finding a bottle of water and a small bottle of pills in front of me. I eye the pills, wondering what the hell he's giving me.

Reyes sits opposite me and takes the water and pills. He shakes out two pills, pops them in his mouth, and washes them down with the water. "I keep my word, Bradford. Take them. You'll feel better."

Feeling sick as a dog, I take them, hoping I won't drop dead. My eyes run over his knuckles that are bruised and bloody. He lays his hands flat on top of the table and says, “MacFarlane needed a reminder as to whom is in charge.”

Does that mean the man is dead?

I’m not sure I want to know. Instead, I ask, “What do you want from my father?”

Reyes sighs. "My safe."

The man is deadly serious, and I frown. Surely my dad would have noticed a safe sitting around. Or did he find it and decide to keep it for himself? Sadly, that wouldn’t surprise me.

Reyes clears his throat. When I meet his stone-cold gaze, he says, "You are going to help me get it." I don't have a choice, and I'm worried knowing that my fate is now tied to whatever dangerous plan he has in mind.

Thankfully, the pills have worked. I hate being weak when it comes to being on the water, especially since I've always enjoyed being by the ocean.

I'm not afraid of water. I swim. I took lifeguard training and passed the certification test during my senior year of high school.

I shake my head as one of Reyes's men leads me from the cabin.

I'm about to be shoved below deck, a thought that makes me queasy.

A scuffle breaks out at the stern of the boat.

The big guy with me releases his hold and starts to draw his weapon.

I use all my strength and shove him. He stumbles forward as I make a run for it toward the gangway, hoping to get back onto dry land.

Gunfire erupts around me, and chaos ensues.

Men in black and dark green swarm the boat, their guns raised.

Ellison charges toward me, determination in his eyes. "He's with me," he says firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Glad we got here in time."

"No shit!" I respond, adrenaline coursing through my veins. "Where's Florence?"

"In the car." I follow him as law enforcement rounds up Reyes and his men. I'm also happy to see Dillon on his knees with his hands zip-tied behind his back. I smirk at the asshole. He deserves everything that's coming to him.

“I’m not sure but I think MacFarlane might be dead.

Reyes has busted up hands as though he’s beaten someone.

” I pause. “Reyes has a safe in the warehouse, and that's what he wants.

He planned to use me to gain unobserved, twenty-four-hour access to the building.

" I pause when my feet touch land. "The question is whether my dad found the safe and decided to keep it.

" I wince. "I feel bad saying that about my dad, but if that's the case, then it's his fault things have been happening to Florence and me. "

"Bradford!" Hearing her voice, my heart thuds, and I turn around to see her running toward me.

I vaguely hear Ellison muttering about how lucky I am as I move toward Florence and embrace her tightly.

I bury my face in her neck, breathing deeply and enjoying the feel of her in my arms. I never want to let her go.

"You didn't tell me," she whispers, breaking down into tears.

Fighting my own tears, I hold her close and nuzzle her neck. I slowly trace her jaw with my lips, trying to calm her down. I kiss the corner of her mouth, then pull away, knowing we can't continue here.

But Florence has other ideas. She grabs my face and pulls me back in for another kiss.

As I deepen the kiss, I feel a surge of emotion and realize that I'm almost in love with this woman.

My hands tremble and my blood rushes south with desire as I run them through her hair. I never want this moment to end.

The sound of a throat being cleared interrupts our moment, and I reluctantly pull away, my heart still racing. I quickly kiss Florence on the forehead and face Dodge, who rolls his eyes. “If you’re done, I’ll give you a ride back to the hotel.”

"We're not done, but we'll behave so we don't offend your delicate sensibilities." I grin as we follow Dodge. "I think we need to head to the hospital."

Dodge shakes his head. “Ellison relayed the info about the safe to the Feds. They're on their way to talk to your father. Talk to him later before heading down there, okay?"

"Sure." I slide into the SUV beside Florence. As soon as we fasten our seatbelts, I take her hand and intertwine our fingers.