Page 28 of Protected from Malice (Blade and Arrow Shadow Team #1)

RAFE

“This had better be the guy.”

My fingers clench around the steering wheel, tensing in anticipation of the violence I’m about to dole out. Barely restrained anger beats at me, each blow urging me to go faster. To get there already.

Fuck the speed limit and precautions and any attempt at stealth. I want to confront that fucker and beat the truth out of him.

I told Eden I didn’t like hurting people. And I don’t. It’s never been something I derived pleasure from, but rather a means to an end.

But this is different.

The man we’re after is different.

If Tyler’s information is right, which I strongly believe it is, this man is the one who arranged to have Eden abducted. Who thought nothing of stalking her, terrifying her, hiring a fucking killer to take her?—

The car jerks forward as my foot presses down on the gas. Even though my brain understands the logic of a slow and stealthy attack, my instincts disagree. My instincts want vengeance. To punish this man and make damn sure he never bothers Eden again.

Would I kill him if it turns out he’s really the one?

I don’t know. Maybe.

On the other hand, I have Indy and Webb with me. It’s one thing for me to take the risk, but to put it on them? It doesn’t feel right.

If we can get a confession from him, though… If we can find evidence at his house that could anonymously be turned over to the police, ensuring he spends decades in prison?

That might be enough.

“Try not to get us pulled over on the way,” Webb says from behind me. He claps my shoulder and adds, “I know you’re eager to get there. But we don’t want to attract any undue attention.”

My molars grind painfully as I reluctantly ease up on the gas pedal. “I know.” A heavy sigh gusts out. “I know. But I just keep thinking?—”

“So do I.” Indy glances over at me from the passenger seat. “I just want to know already. Put an end to this.”

“It’s probably him,” Webb replies. “Tyler said there’s a ninety-eight percent chance of the results being accurate. That this piece of shit Chris Rickard is our guy.”

After days of coming up against one false lead after another, Tyler finally got a hit yesterday, which is why we’re headed out well after dark to confront our prime suspect.

Though Tyler was right about a burner phone being used to hire the man who broke into Eden’s house, and later, the hotel room, it didn’t end up being a dead end as we feared.

With Leo, Matt, and Beth’s help, Tyler traced the purchase of the burner phone to a convenience store in Portland.

From there, he was able to get a partial shot of the buyer’s face on the store’s surveillance system.

On its own, the partial wouldn’t be enough.

But Tyler was able to use AI to generate the rest of the man’s face, then feed it into facial recognition software to come out with a name.

Chris Rickard. A thirty-six-year-old customer service rep who lives in Sandy, a suburb just east of Portland. A seemingly ordinary man with no known connection to Eden.

But there has to be something. Some reason why he targeted Eden. Did he see her out at a store? A restaurant? Did he follow her home that first time to get her location? Then, as time went on, his obsession with her grew until he decided he wanted to take her for himself?

I’m going to find out. Whether he wants to tell me or not.

And if he is innocent? It’s back to the damn drawing board. Which means Eden’s going to push even harder for her idea, which is setting a trap at her house, using herself as bait.

Obviously, I’m not in favor of that. Neither is Indy. When Eden first brought it up, Indy flat-out refused to consider it. “No way,” he informed her. “It’s not happening. I won’t allow it.”

I was thinking the same thing, but I was smart enough not to say it. Partly because I know I have no right to, but also because telling Eden no is akin to waving a red flag in front of her. And Indy should know that by now.

“It’s a good idea,” Eden snapped at him.

“And you don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do.

” Then she sagged as she added more quietly, “I need to get back to work for real. I need to see this project through. You know it, Indy. If this drug gets FDA approval, it could save people’s lives. People like our dad.”

Because that’s what’s been driving Eden so hard for the last few years. Not just scientific curiosity, but a burning need to find a cure for the condition that took their dad far too soon.

If this Chris Rickard isn’t the one, she’s going to keep pushing until we give in. And no matter how carefully we plan out the op, there’s always a chance of something going wrong. Of Eden getting hurt or traumatized again.

So it had better be him.

It has to be.

We need to put an end to this, as Indy said. Get Eden back to her normal life.

And from there? I’ve been thinking a lot about our future. About my home back in Texas and how far it is from here. How, technically, I could work from anywhere.

“We’re almost there,” Indy says. He gestures to the intersection coming up ahead of us. “Just another mile or so.”

I slow to a stop at the empty intersection, then accelerate through it.

Fortunately, the streets are basically empty by now, just as we’d hoped.

It’s past eleven PM, and most of the houses we pass are dropping into darkness as the residents head off to bed.

And Rickard? Hopefully, he’s home. And if he’s not, we’ll wait until he is.

“Okay,” Webb leans forward. “So we’re leaving the car at the apartment building around the corner, right?”

“Yes.” I glance at the map on the dashboard, spotting the small apartment building a quarter mile south of Rickard’s house. “Tyler already hacked into the security cameras around the building and parking lot. The feed is on a loop, so it won’t record us arriving or leaving.”

Indy nods. “Good.” He reaches beneath his seat and pulls out his Sig. “Are we still good with the plan? Rafe and I sneak around back and enter the house through the back door. And Webb, you’re our lookout until we give you the signal.”

“Sounds good to me,” Webb replies. A soft snick comes from the backseat; a sound I immediately identify as him checking his gun.

“Works for me,” I agree. “We’ll approach from the south, then use the trees around the house for cover. There’s a decent- sized cluster of trees for Webb to hide in with a view of the front. And?—”

As we pass the house, I fall silent. We all do.

It’s a split level, surrounded by trees on three sides. Lucky for us, because it makes our approach much easier. There’s one light on upstairs, glowing softly through the curtains. The moon is mostly hidden by clouds, casting the yard into darkness.

Once we pass by, I say, “He’s in the bedroom. I can recognize the location from the rental listing online.”

“Then we should be able to enter the house and get upstairs without him noticing,” Indy adds. “The critical part will be making sure he doesn’t call the cops before we can restrain him.”

“He may not be too eager to get the cops involved if he’s our guy,” Webb remarks.

“He won’t call the cops,” I growl. “Trust me. I’ll make sure of it.”

I pull into the parking lot and find an empty spot, then shut the car off. My voice goes rough. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Eden safe. If either of you would rather not be a part of this?—”

Indy punches me with his prosthetic hand, and shit, does it hurt. “Fuck you, Rafe. Do you really think I wouldn’t be there? That I wouldn’t want to be a part of this? I know what you do. And I’m more than okay with it.”

“So am I,” Webb says. “I know I wasn’t on your team before, but the way I see it, we’re a team now. And our mission is keeping Eden safe. Shit—” He stops. “Eden might not be my sister or my girlfriend, but I like her. A lot. Whatever it takes, I’m on board.”

My throat goes thick for a second.

Shit.

I missed working with Indy.

I missed being part of a team.

Swallowing hard, I find my voice again. “Okay. I just wanted to make sure.” I lift my chin at Indy, then Webb. “Are we ready?”

In unison, Indy and Webb reply, “Ready.”

In near silence, we exit the car and head away from the apartment building. All in dark clothes, with hoods pulled up around our heads, we’re nothing more than shadows creeping through the night.

Just as we used to, we wordlessly fall into position. Indy at the front, me at his six, and Webb a few steps behind me.

The quarter mile to the house is one of the most critical parts.

We don’t want a curious neighbor to notice three large men skulking through the night and call the police.

But thanks to our training, we cross the distance without notice.

The only living being we come across is a rabbit a few houses short of Rickard’s, and it only stares at us for a second before bounding away.

As we draw closer to his house, my adrenaline surges.

If it’s him…

He terrified Eden. Hurt her, even if it wasn’t directly. Anything could have happened if the kidnapper took her. Fuck. Eden could have ended up like Mandy.

Fuck.

No. Focus.

Now’s not the time for this.

After more than two decades of rigid control over my emotions, now’s not the time to fall prey to them.

Setting my jaw, I take a deep, steadying breath. And another.

Just ahead is the edge of Rickard’s property.

As previously agreed, we duck into the trees, then pause for a moment. I glance between Indy and Webb. Their faces are cast in shadows, so all I can see is the glint of their eyes. “Are we ready?” I ask quietly.

Webb lifts his chin at me. “Roger.”

Indy nods. “Let’s do this.”

On a silent exhale, we move again.

Indy and I dart through the woods towards the back of the house. I can’t hear Webb, but I know he’s getting into position just west of us, closer to the front.