Page 16 of Hayes (Voodoo Guardians #37)

“This is probably the last thing you guys wanted to be doing. Shopping,” smirked Victoria. Jak and Gator laughed at her, while the two bodyguards of the sheikh just nodded.

“I don’t think any of us minds, Victoria. Honestly, it’s nice to see you off the property and out of the house, although this was definitely not what I thought of for you,” laughed Gator.

“Me either,” she smiled. “Kind of strange that it just took getting that message from Hayes to get to me. Maybe he should have tried that sooner.”

“No,” said Jak, looking around the mall. “Hayes is too good of a man to ever do anything like that to you. Well, you’ve got plenty of choices in stores. Where do you want to go?”

Victoria did a little circle, staring at the dozens and dozens of high-end retail shops. Prada, Gucci, Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and much more.

“Isn’t there a Target or Walmart near here?” she said, crinkling her nose. Gator and Jak chuckled, then looked at the local bodyguards.

“Miss, the sheikh has ordered the shops to give you whatever you need. This is his treat. I would suggest you buy everything you like,” he smiled.

“Oh, no. No, I can’t do that,” she said, shaking her head. “I only need a few pairs of jeans, some comfortable shoes, and undergarments.”

“Wait one moment,” said one of the guards. He turned and walked into the shop for Chanel, and the woman smiled, nodding at Victoria and waving her over. She stepped inside, and the woman simply pointed to a chair.

“Please have a seat. We will have all the things brought to you. I’m guessing you are a size four.”

“Yes. You’re very good,” said Victoria.

“Thank you, madam. I will get you some juice.” She returned with a tray of juice and tea for the men, along with a small plate of fruit, nuts, and other snacks. Thirty minutes later, six large bags were placed in front of her.

“What is this?” asked Victoria.

“Everything you need. If we have missed anything, please just call, and we will have it delivered to you.” The bodyguards picked up the items and began walking out.

“Wait! How do I know that it fits or I like it?” asked Victoria. The bodyguards turned, frowning at her.

“Madam, I have never known a woman who does not like Chanel, Dior, or any other designer featured here. Trust Malai. She is the best at what she does and has never misjudged anyone’s size.”

“Don’t argue, honey,” said Jak. “You’ve got yourself some clothing, and you’ll be just fine.”

As it turned out, she had more than clothing. There were handbags, watches, bracelets, earrings, dresses, six pairs of shoes, including two pairs of comfortable shoes.

“Where on earth will I ever wear any of this?” she asked.

“I’d say we’ll be doing a lot more dinners out,” smirked Hayes, walking into the room. His hand was bound in enough layers of gauze to look like a cast. He looked tired and weak.

“Hey, are you alright?” she asked, walking toward him.

“He’s done considerable damage to that hand,” said Cruz. “The surgeon sent by the sheikh was amazing, but it’s highly likely that he’s not going to have full feeling in that hand again. I’m not sure what the Navy is going to say.”

“No. No, we can’t have gone through all this only for them to make you leave,” she said with genuine sorrow.

“We’ll worry about that later,” he said, kissing her. He leaned on her as she walked with him to the sofa. He stared at the haul and just shook his head.

“What do we do now?” asked Victoria.

“We have to find out what Bonds wants and what Aamani is looking for, other than Hayes.”

“Have you ever encountered him before?” asked Victoria. “Maybe on another mission, did you see him or stop something he was attempting to do?”

“No. Never. I knew of him, of course. Many in the spec ops community know who he is. But I’ve never met him.”

“But Bonds knew him,” said the young woman standing and pacing around the room. “Bonds, who watched you manhandle communications devices, data, complex mathematical problems, and much more. Bonds knew your abilities.”

“What are you saying?” asked Luke.

“I’m saying that maybe what Aamani wants is Hayes. His mind and what it can do for him. With him, he’d have the secrets to every weapon, device, or vehicle created by G.R.I.P. Even if you didn’t want to, under duress, torture, or drugs, you would give up the secrets.”

“Shit,” muttered Hayes. “Has anyone ever thought to do this before? Has anyone attempted to take any of us before?”

“I feel like that’s a yes, but I can’t put my finger on who it was,” said Cam.

“But you damn sure bring up a good point. Sooner or later, the world will figure out who our boys are, our sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons, and use them for their own evil. Ryan. Ryan was one they tried to use for secrets.”

“How did we forget that?” asked Luke.

“I think there are a lot of things we’d like to forget, but we can’t,” smirked Gator. “We have to find Bonds and Aamani. Somehow draw them out and stop them. With Hayes’ testimony, Bonds will be on the Navy’s most-wanted list, especially after all those men were killed.”

“Fuck. He killed my team. Our team. He never once gave a second thought to that. He killed them all,” said Hayes in a fog of painkillers.

“We need to get him to bed,” said Cruz. “Let’s go, big boy. Time for you to rest.”

Cruz jerked his head toward Gator and Jak for some help, and the two big men lifted him, carrying him fireman style up the steps to his room.

“What do I do?” asked Victoria. The resounding response echoed throughout the house.

“Nothing!”