Page 26 of Gone (Gray Wolf Security #23)

Frank turned quickly to see the dark gaze of the giant in the tree line. Sly stood next to him, several of the others lined up with him. Panicking, he gripped the hair of Erin, yanking her toward his body, using her as a shield.

“Very courageous of you,” said Gaspar. “I guess that’s how you win, right?”

“You. I saw you on the ridge. Who the fuck are you? Where is my money?”

“You have no money,” said Nine, staring at his wife. She had the audacity to mouth ‘I love you,’ and he wanted to jump out of his skin. “You have nothing. The FBI has your wife in custody.”

Frank was visibly shaken by that, the blood at his shoulder seemingly coming faster.

“Let the woman go,” said Ghost.

While they kept his attention, Sara, Lena, Faith, Grace, Lauren, and Tory were gently pulled back by the others. He never even heard them.

“No,” he said, shaking his head vehemently. “No. She’s my ticket out.”

“You’re not getting out,” said Ghost. “Don’t you get it. We all have you in our sights. We’re bigger, faster, and better equipped.”

“One bullet will kill her,” he said, pulling her back again. Erin knew they wouldn’t risk her life, but if someone could get a shot from a different angle, she had a chance.

“I didn’t say I’d shoot you,” said Nine. “Family. Family is good to have.”

That’s when Erin knew. Trak was nearby. She heard it. The whisk of wind hitting steel as it flew through the air. The gurgling sound of the man behind her, gagging on his own blood. His hand released her hair, gripping his throat as the blade exposed itself through his Adam’s apple.

Erin ran toward her husband, falling into his arms as he held her tightly, kissing her face. Wilson, Adam, and Cruz knelt beside Peter, checking his wounds, waiting for Frank to finally fall.

When he did, his body was paralyzed by the location of the knife’s entrance. He just stared up at the clouds, gasping for air.

“You shouldn’t have fucked with my family,” said Trak, looking down at the man.

It was hours of interviews with the FBI, airlifts for Peter to the nearest hospital, and the exhausted team thrilled to know that the woman and her nieces were safe.

“You guys are handy to have around,” said one of the agents. “Thanks for what you did for Agent Eagle. He’s got a long road to recovery, but someone with your team said a special helicopter will be taking him to her home for recovery.”

The team laughed, shaking their heads.

“That would be my mother,” smirked Gaspar. “We’ll take great care of him.”

“What about the wife? Francis?” asked Ghost.

“She was in on it the entire time. Worked for Grizzly as a dispatcher, but her background was in tech. She knew what she was doing and hid her tracks well. She’s confessed to everything, although I doubt that will make much of a difference now.”

“No. There’s been too much damage done,” said Ian.

“Hey, one more thing. Who made the hit with the knife? I’ve never seen aim like that in my life.”

“Does it matter?” smirked Gaspar.

“No. I just want to know who to stay away from if I ever decide to join the dark side.”

“That’s easy,” said Ghost. “All of us.”

Exhausted, hungry, and just wanting showers and soft beds, they booked at the hotel near Mama Irene and Ruby, only to discover that the two women had taken over the restaurant’s kitchen.

“Mama, you can’t just charge in and take control of a kitchen like this,” said Baptiste.

“I don’t mind,” smiled the man. “Your mother and Miss Ruby have been giving me some great recipes to try. I’m happy to play sous chef to them any day of the week.”

“See, Baptiste, some people appreciate my skills,” said Irene.

“Mama, we all appreciate your skills. It’s just the way you go about showing them we have trouble with.”

When three familiar faces walked into the restaurant, the men all smiled, standing to say hello to Barb, Abigail, and Adelaide.

“Well, look at these pretty faces,” smiled Dex.

“We wanted to come by and thank you again,” said Barb. “We just left the hospital and heard about the FBI agent who was shot in all this.”

“We took him flowers and cookies,” said Abigail.

“You did?” smirked Dex, turning, he looked at Irene. She stared at him, daring him to say a word.

“We did,” smiled Barb. “He’s a very nice man.”

“Yes, very nice,” grinned Gaspar. “Had some rough things happen in his life, but he’s a good man. Solid.”

“You need a good man, Aunt Barb,” said Adelaide.

“Addy!”

“What? Mom says it all the time. Besides, he was nice and cute.” Barb laughed at her niece, just shaking her head.

“We’re gonna go back and see him tomorrow,” said Abigail.

“I’m sure he’s gonna like that,” said Ruby. “Y’all hungry?”

“No, thank you,” smiled Barb. “I’m going to get the girls back to our cabin and just enjoy one another for tonight. Thank you all for what you did for us. We’ll never forget it.”

“Bye, Mr. Dex. Bye, Mr. Kane.”

“Bye, Mr. Spook!” yelled Adelaide. The men just laughed, waving at the girls, then turned to Mama Irene.

“Irene, did you send that woman to poor Peter?” asked Kane.

“Why do y’all always expect the worst from me? That boy is all alone, and he was part of our family. He is part of our family. We’ll be makin’ sure that he does alright. If it works out with Barbara, then great. If not, well, things have a way of happening at Belle Fleur.”

“Oh, Mama,” laughed Gaspar, hugging the tiny woman. “You’re too much sometimes, not enough on others, but most days, you’re just right.” He kissed the top of her head and wandered off to his room to shower and change.

“Too much? What do you think he meant by that, Ruby?”

“I got no idea, hun. I don’t think either of us is too much. ‘Cept maybe around my hips,” giggled Ruby.

“You boys go shower and hug them girls a little tighter. We’ll handle the food. Come down in an hour.”

“Yes, ma’am,” came the echo of voices.

“When do you suppose we’ll ever stop obeying that little, tiny, old woman?” asked Nine. Trak looked at his oldest friend and grinned.

“With luck. Never.”