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Chapter twenty-two

Mika

As much as I’d whined and complained about being stuck in the house, now that it was time for me to get out and around town, I had to admit I was a nervous wreck. I knew Hawk and the other guys from Three Bears had my back, but so many things could go wrong.

I could get hurt, Butch could somehow manage to grab me, or—worst of all—one of the guys could get hurt. But I knew this was our best chance to catch them. And this wasn’t just about me. If it turned out they really were involved in human trafficking like everyone suspected, we had to stop them.

We knew the odds were it would take a little time for this to work. I’d basically disappeared from all the places I usually went, so it would take a while for him to spot me. We figured our best bet was to start at my house. Hawk had sent someone over the day before to install cameras inside just so they could keep an eye on me and make sure I was safe. I hated the idea of someone watching me, but it was the only way Hawk would agree to let me go and stay there by myself.

I could tell how nervous Hawk was from the moment we got up that morning. I knew he wished we weren’t doing this, and it meant a lot to me that he was trusting me to make my own decision.

“You know I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t trust you to keep me safe, right?” I asked.

“I know, baby boy. I just hate the idea of that asshole even getting close to you.”

“We both know this is the only way for me to move forward.”

“I do know that. And it’s the only reason I didn’t put up more of a fight. Now, let’s go over the plan again.”

“I’m going to go down to the garage, drive to the grocery store near my house, pick up something for lunch and some snacks, then go straight to the house so y’all can watch me sit around and do nothing for most of the morning. Then, in the afternoon, I’ll go over to Mars’ shop and hang out for a little while.” I paused—this was the one part of the plan I wasn’t a hundred percent sure about. “And you’re sure I won’t be putting Mars or Ziva in any danger?” I asked again.

“I’m sure. One of my guys will be over there posing as a landscaper, doing some work on the outside of the building. When I called Samuel and let him in on the plan, he never would’ve agreed to it if he didn’t trust us to keep Mars safe. You know that, right?”

“I know. I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me.”

“First, no one’s going to get hurt. But you need to stop thinking that way. None of this is because of you. Do you hear me? You’re not responsible for other people’s bad choices.”

That was easy for him to say. “I do know that, but I also know it was my bad choices that got me involved in this mess in the first place. All I can do now is my best to do my part and help put an end to it.”

Hawk’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “All right, Kat’s ready for you. Let’s go down and get you all geared up.”

Kat was waiting for us in the ops center. She had a whole table of electronic devices laid out, and my eyes grew wide at the collection of gear covering the surface.

“Is all of that for me?” I asked. “Hawk said we needed to get me geared up, but I didn’t expect this.”

Kat chuckled. “No, it’s not all for you… at least not all for today. Today, I’ve just got a few things.” She reached over and picked up a small white box, flipping it open. “These look like regular iPods. Everyone wears them now, so no one thinks twice if they see you wearing one. Even better, since so many people use them to talk on the phone, no one thinks twice anymore if it looks like you’re talking to yourself. We used to worry about that, but not anymore… thanks to these little gems. I want you to keep the left one in your ear at all times. That’s the one we’ll use to communicate if we need to talk to you. Sound good?”

I nodded and took the small white box from her hands. Then she handed me a diamond stud earring.

“It was good luck for us that you have your ear pierced because no one ever blinks at an earring. Go ahead and put it in.”

I reached up and removed the silver stud I was wearing and replaced it with the one she’d handed me.

“That’s a tracker. As long as you’re wearing it, we’ll be able to find you.”

I held up my arm, showing the smartwatch they’d given me when this all started. “I thought this had a tracker.”

“It does, but we”—she glanced over at Hawk—“would feel better if there were multiple options, just in case something happens to one of them. And last but not least.” She picked up what looked like a blue ink pen or maybe a flashlight. “This is a stun gun. It isn’t super powerful, but it will buy you some time if you need it.”

I looked at the not-pen and laughed. “I feel like James Bond. Should I be calling you Q?”

“Oh, sweetie, if this makes you feel like James Bond, you should see my other toys.”

“She isn’t kidding,” Hawk said. “She has some really advanced shit.”

She shrugged. “Hey, I gotta keep you boys safe, now don’t I?” She looked back at me. “Now, Mika, you’re all set for today. Don’t forget about that panic button on your watch if you need it.”

“Hawk reminded me about that this morning.” I smiled over at the big man standing there, looking like he wanted to throw up. I’d hoped getting all the techy stuff from Kat would help put him at ease, but it didn’t seem like it had helped much.

“Is it okay for me to put the pen in my pocket? I won’t tase myself or anything, will I?”

“Maybe you should drop it down in your bag there, just to be safe.”

I looked at it one more time and then dropped it in my bag that held my current crochet project. If I had to sit around my house all morning, at least I could try to get something done.

“Okay, I guess I’m ready to go then.”

Hawk walked me down to the parking garage, and before I got in my car, he pulled me into a hug.

“The guys have been watching your house since last night to make sure no one was there, so you should be fine. Gator and I will be tailing you. We’ll park a couple of doors down in the driveway of an empty house, so I won’t be far away.”

He brushed a kiss across my lips and then opened my door for me. “Be safe, and remember… we can hear you, so if you need help, just say so.”

Hawk

I rolled by Mika’s house as slowly as possible without drawing attention so I could make sure he got inside safely, then pulled the Sunny Days Cleaning Company van into the driveway of the empty house down the street and killed the engine.

Gator was sitting in the back, and as soon as the van stopped, I knew he’d have all the surveillance systems up and running. I looked back over my shoulder at him. “You got him?”

“Yep. He’s inside and unloading the bag of groceries he bought at the store.”

“I hate this,” I grumbled as I slid out of my seat and joined him in the back of the van.

“Of course you do, but you also know this is our very best chance at putting an end to this so your boy’ll be safe.”

“I know. But I still hate it.”

I knew he was right. This was our best shot, but it didn’t make it any easier to watch Mika walk around his house by himself while he waited for his worst nightmare to jump out and say boo. The cameras we’d installed gave us eyes on almost every angle of the house, and Mika moved into frame on the living room cam, setting his crochet bag on the coffee table before disappearing into the kitchen.

“He’s makin’ himself a sandwich,” Gator said, one corner of his mouth turned up in a grin. “He sliced that tomato like he was mad at it.”

I shook my head, my own lips twitching despite the knot of worry in my gut. “He gets fussy when he’s nervous.”

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. Better to be fussy than foolish. That boy’s got good instincts. He did a great job defending himself against that asshole the other day.”

“He did. I was really proud of him. He did everything we taught him in the class.”

We watched in silence for a while as Mika set his plate on the kitchen table and sat down, his foot bouncing under the chair. He took one bite, then another, but it was clear he wasn’t really hungry.

“I like him for you, Hawk,” Gator said after a moment. “That boy’s a sweetheart. He’s got a lightness to him.”

I nodded, still watching the screen. Mika got up and started fiddling with something in the kitchen drawer. “Yeah, he does.”

“Kinda reminds me of my cousin Jolie… heart so big it barely fits in her chest. Always tryin’ to fix what ain’t hers to mend. Kinda like how Mika feels responsible for any damage his ex might do, even though it ain’t on him. He’s good people. I like him.”

I looked over at him. Gator didn’t hand out compliments easily. “Thanks. That means a lot.”

He waved a hand. “I’m just sayin’. It’s nice to see you smilin’ again. Been a long damn time since I seen that.”

I leaned back in the chair and scrubbed a hand over my face. “Yeah, well, I didn’t think I had that in me anymore. And then Mika... he just walked into my life like it wasn’t a big deal. Like I was someone worth keepin’.”

Gator nodded slowly. “Funny how that works. Sometimes the right one don’t knock—he just strolls in, sets down his bags, and makes a home in your heart like he been there all along.”

I chuckled under my breath. “You get that off a Hallmark card?”

“Nah,” he said with a grin. “Off my meemaw’s porch. Woman raised twelve kids and still had room to take care of the neighborhood strays. She knew a thing or two ’bout love.”

We fell quiet again, watching as Mika flopped onto the couch and pulled out his crochet project. He picked up where he’d left off and started working the yarn, but I could tell his rhythm was off.

“I wish I could be in there with him. He shouldn’t have to be doing this alone.”

“Yeah, but you know if you were in there, ain’t no way Butch would show up. You don’t have to be the one to sit out here, though. We can swap off.”

“I appreciate it. But no. I need to be here. I need to see it with my own eyes if that bastard shows up.”

Gator nodded. “A’ight. But you remember this ain’t all on you. We all got his back. We’re a team. And if Butch so much as breathes wrong near your boy, I’ll make sure he don’t breathe at all.”

I met his gaze. “Thanks.”

He clapped me on the shoulder, then turned his attention back to the monitors. “Now shut up and watch your man. He’s tryin’ to figure out how to fix that knot he made in the yarn and cussin’ under his breath like a sailor.”

I looked at the screen, and sure enough, Mika was muttering to himself, eyebrows scrunched together as he tried to unkink a stubborn twist in the yarn. My chest ached at the sight of him. Brave, sweet, stubborn little thing.

“He’s gonna be okay,” Gator said. “We got him.”

“Yeah,” I murmured, watching the man I loved through the grainy black-and-white lens. “We got him.”

A few minutes later, Mika let out a frustrated huff and tossed the yarn aside. I knew his mind wasn’t really on what he was doing, so I hoped whatever he was working on wasn’t important.

He reached for his phone and started typing furiously. A few seconds later, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the text he’d sent me:

Mouse

This is a waste of time. If he knew I was here, he would’ve shown up. I’m going to Mars’ shop.

“He wants to head over to Mars’ shop. Can you check in with Bobby and make sure he’s there and everything’s good to go?” I asked, and Gator nodded.

Me

Give me just a sec to make sure everything’s in place at the shop.

Mouse

I hate that I had to involve Mars in this, but his shop was one of my regular stops.

Me

I doubt he minds. He’s getting a day of free yard care out of the deal.

Mouse

I mean, that’s a good thing. He works way too hard trying to keep everything looking perfect for his retreats and things. I still don’t like it, though.

Me

Don’t forget to put in your earpiece as soon as you leave the house. We don’t have cameras on you once you’re out.

Mouse

I won’t forget.

“Bobby says he’s all set,” Gator said. “He’s out front, edging the walk. I also alerted Chance that we’re gonna be on the move.”

“Thanks.” I was so focused on Mika I didn’t even think about Chance and his team. They were parked a few blocks away, ready to jump in and help if Butch showed his face.

Me

Okay, baby boy, you’re good to go, but head straight to the shop from here,

Mouse

That’s the plan.

We sat in the drive and watched until Mika’s car went by, then waited to make sure no one was following him. When we were sure they weren’t, we backed out and headed toward the north side of town, where Mars’ shop was located.

I didn’t like the fact that I wouldn’t have eyes on Mika from inside the shop, but we had Bobby outside, and Mika would be wearing his earpiece so we could hear him.

I drove the van past the store. There was parking in the back of Mars’ shop, but as we’d discussed, Mika had left his car parked right out front where anyone could see it. A Chinese restaurant was just down the block, so I pulled into that lot and found a spot.

I climbed into the back so I could watch the front of the building. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

“I’m glad we installed these cameras back when that arsonist was targeting Station 69. There aren’t many CCTV cameras on this side of town.” Gator reached over and pushed a couple buttons, and the monitors lit up with an image of the storefront.

I inserted my earpiece and tapped the side, turning it on. “Bobby, did you see Mika go inside?”

“Yep. The package has safely reached the destination.”

I rolled my eyes, and Gator chuckled. Bobby was new, and he treated everything we did like it was a top-secret covert op.

“I’m the package, right?” Mika asked through the earpiece.

“Darn right you are, sweetheart,” Gator replied.

“Who are you talking to?” I heard someone ask.

“Sounds like Gator,” Mika replied.

“Oh well, tell him I said hi.”

“Gator, Mars says hi.”

Gator grinned over at me, and I shook my head. “You guys just go about your day and pretend we aren’t here.”

We sat there for about twenty minutes, listening as Mika and Mars talked about events Mars was planning for the shop and new merchandise he’d gotten in.

I could tell when they got comfortable and forgot we were listening because the conversation shifted from shop talk to gossip and rumors.

Normally, Gator and I would’ve done the same, but I wasn’t in the mood for small talk today.

“So,” Mars said. “Hawk’s like a really big guy, huh?”

Gator glanced at me, trying not to laugh.

“Yeah, he is,” Mika said.

“So like proportionally—” Mars trailed off, waiting for Mika to respond.

I cleared my throat loudly as a reminder that we were still here and still listening. Even though I had nothing to be ashamed of in that department, Mika would be mortified later if he answered that question.

“Mars,” he scolded, and I could just imagine him pointing to his ear.

“Oops, sorry about that. We totally weren’t talking about the size of anyone’s… well, you know. Anyway, what do you think about these fluorite spheres, Mika? Aren’t they just gorgeous?”

We sat there for a couple hours while Mars handled customers and chatted with my boy. By then, I figured we’d been at it long enough, so I sent Mika a text telling him we should call it a day.

We hadn’t seen Butch, but we’d known it might take a few days for him to spot Mika—assuming he was still in town. Now came the part of the plan I’d put my foot down on. Chance had wanted Mika to sleep at his house alone in an attempt to lure Butch out, but there was no way in hell I was agreeing to that.

His car would stay there all night, but he wouldn’t. Instead, one of Chance’s guys with a similar build to Mika’s—wearing a hoodie—would be sleeping in Mika’s old bed while my boy was safe at home with me, where he belonged.