Reaching up to take out the earpiece, Ethan stopped her with a touch to the forearm. He was shaking his head and gesturing toward the lane in which Art Bowers’ limousine was traveling. Agitation at being kept from saying what needed to be said welled up inside of her and she swung back to face Ethan, whose dimple hadn’t been seen all morning.
“I know,” Ethan murmured, his passion just under the surface of those words. Did he know? Or did he think she still had reservations about them? There was even a hint of vehemence beneath his words that gave her the jolt she needed. Her mind needed to be focused on the next few hours. “We’ll talk after this.”
The black limousine parked behind Taryn’s vehicle and the driver opened his door, proceeding to the back. Within seconds Arthur Bowers appeared and from the frown that marred his face he wasn’t happy to be here. It was interesting to watch him as he looked around the cemetery as if expecting company. She felt Ethan tense beside her and she knew he’d caught Bowers’ conduct as well. Taryn could see another vehicle in the distance. It was Jax, although he’d already pulled off to the side to monitor the situation.
“Showtime.” Ethan stepped around her and took the lead, walking to where the older man stood buttoning his suit jacket. “Art, I’m sure you’ve been looking forward to this.”
“Yes,” Art replied, a forced smile on his thin lips. “If what you say is true and the results come back that the body isn’t my nephew, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to find him.”
“Shall we?” Ethan waved a hand to where Travis Bowers’ grave was located, surrounded by three other men, a large tarp, and a backhoe with a bucket. Once the burial vault was unearthed, the lid would be lifted off and set to the side. The coffin would be inspected, extracted from the vault, and then placed in the back of the medical examiner’s vehicle for transport. Once it was at the lab, conclusive tests would be run to determine the identity of the deceased. “Technically you didn’t have to be here. I’m sure your day is filled with meetings and the results could take a while.”
“My nephew’s body is about to be exhumed. Of course I need to be here. You’re not from Texas, are you, boy? I’m also here to oversee that nothing goes wrong.”
Taryn figured if there was an attempt on her life, Art would have a sound alibi by being here when it happened. He could have gone into the office and been surrounded by hundreds of people, so maybe he just wanted to witness it. She’d finally located the source of the call that Art had made the other day and although they couldn’t confirm it was Neonni’s, what they could verify was that the end user was located right here in the city. Had Bowers given the go ahead for Neonni to take her out? Her death wouldn’t solve his issue of losing his estate. Regardless, the team needed to believe that there were two tangos out there whom had an interest in her.
“How is Alice doing?” Taryn asked as they walked over the grass to where the other men were getting ready to dig into the dirt. “You said she was sick the last time we were at your home. She’s a very sweet woman.”
“She handed in her resignation.” Art was concise and his tone indicated he didn’t want the topic of conversation to continue. He looked around once more as he stood a few feet away from the backhoe. “All right. Let’s get this over with.”
Taryn stood on the other side of Ethan, listening intently to the voices coming across her earpiece. All had been quiet up to the point they were standing in front of the grave. She was trying to make out exactly what was being said when Crest’s voice came in loud and clear.
“Sniper. Eleven o’clock.”
Taryn braced herself to feel the pain of a bullet with her name marked on it but it never came. The three seconds had felt like an eternity. She thought she’d been prepared for this eventuality, but in actuality the fear that pumped through her body was immense. Ethan had stepped into the position that Crest had announced, and before she could move Ethan out of the way Jax was standing behind her. They’d blocked any clear shot that might have taken her out, but she knew that wouldn’t stop whoever was pulling the trigger. They would get two for one, whichever direction Neonni or Ryland decided to shoot. Her heart raced and anger flared at the thought of them putting themselves in danger for her. She was a part of this goddamned team just as they were. Yes, they put their lives on the line for each other, but not in this manner. She suddenly understood the team’s hesitancy in accepting her and Ethan’s relationship. Funny thing was, it had never crossed her mind. The comprehension blow to her chest had almost the same impact that a bullet would have had.
“I thought that was your limo in front of me,” Jax said, flashing a smile toward Art Bowers as if nothing had occurred. Taryn was still braced to be hit by the bullet, but she knew Jax had picked up on something to keep up the ruse of this disinterment. That didn’t stop the adrenaline that was coursing through her body and the perspiration that was seeping from her pores. She knew it was a mixture of physical and emotional awareness. “Can’t miss that license plate.”
Taryn was grateful that Jax continued the conversation so that she could pick up what was being said over the earpiece. Ethan’s eyes were still hidden behind his glasses, but it was easy to feel the tension rolling off of him. From what she could gather from the mounting chaos in her ear, someone had caught a glint of sunlight that had come off the optics of a weapon located farther out than the perimeter they had set. The area had been scouted beforehand, but unless they had tripled their number of men no location was infallible. Crest’s protocol had been initiated and within moments the situation had been contained.
An hour later, the entire time feeling like there was a sight to her forehead and a knife to her heart, the vault lid was sitting off to the side and the coffin had been raised. Taryn’s nerves were the only objects shot, regardless of the fact that Crest had everything under control. According to the chatter, Trevor Neonni was out of commission and the feds were on their way. Unfortunately Ryland was nowhere to be found. Waiting for that fatal shot to the head had wreaked havoc on her body and emotional exhaustion was settling in. All she wanted to do was join the others in the thick of things. Watching a coffin dug up for the last sixty minutes wasn’t something she had wanted to do to pass the time. The only thing it did generate was Bowers’ fidgeting. It was obvious that he’d thought this would end differently.
“Well, we have a long wait until the medical examiner compares the dental and medical records to that of Travis’.” Taryn smiled, although it felt like her cheeks were going to crack. She held out a hand to Art. “I do hope they confirm that your nephew is still alive. Should you need help in locating him, we’d be happy to provide assistance.”
There was a vein in Art’s temple that was pounding, and honestly, it looked quite painful. It wasn’t enough agony as far as Taryn was concerned, accepting the fact that this man had undoubtedly hired someone to eliminate her. All they needed now was proof connecting Bowers to Neonni and they would be able to make an arrest. She wanted to be at the scene where Crest was awaiting them. She stepped away when Ethan would have placed a hand on her lower back.
“Ethan and Jax, are you ready?”
Taryn knew that Jax would simulate joining them when in actuality he would follow Bowers to wherever he might be headed after this. Her bet would be that he would go directly home and then he’d attempt to contact a specific number, which no one would now answer. As long as he made that call and they could connect the phone to Neonni, they would have things sealed shut in regards that part of the case. That, of course, still left Ryland out there like a loose cannon as well as leaving her personal life in tatters. Ethan hadn’t reacted like a teammate earlier by stepping in the sight line of a large bore sniper rifle. He’d been acting like an overly protective mate.
“I’ll meet you back at the hotel,” Jax answered, his lie flowing easily off of his lips. He lifted a hand in salute as he walked away, heading toward his vehicle which was now directly behind Bowers’ limousine. “I hope you find the answers you seek, Mr. Bowers.”
Everyone disbanded and Taryn jerkily made her way to the passenger side of the SUV. She situated herself into her seat and had the door closed before Ethan could even walk around the front of the vehicle. She focused on the coffin being deposited into the ME’s van, where it would then be transported to the appropriate destination. She mentally made a note to hack into the system so that she saw the results immediately after the final report was published. She tried to think of anything other than the conversation that she and Ethan had to have.
“What the hell is your problem?” Ethan asked harshly, slamming the driver’s side door shut and whipping off his sunglasses. “You were supposed to stay within twelve inches of me the entire time.”
Taryn bit the inside of her lip to prevent herself from replying without thinking her words through carefully. She slowly reached up and removed the earpiece, deactivating it so that Crest or the rest of the contractors couldn’t hear their conversation. Ethan did the same, although his movements were in anger. Well, he could join the club because she wasn’t feeling very happy at the moment either.
“You put yourself directly in that tango’s sight picture,” Taryn stated in a deadpan voice, still looking straight ahead as the coffin was secured inside the back of the hearse. “You didn’t think twice. I wasn’t your teammate out there, I was your lover.”
“Let’s clear something up right here and now. I would have acted no differently had we not taken this to another level.” Ethan rubbed his eyes in frustration, as if this conversation was an inconvenience. Taryn’s grip on her composure slipped slightly. “This is your life we’re talking about.”
“This is our mission,” Taryn finally snapped, turning to look at him. Ethan was shaking his head in disagreement. “Let me rephrase what just happened in simpler terms. Had that scope been trained on Jax, you would have stayed in position. We both know a shot like that would have taken both of us out. I finally get why the team would be uncomfortable with our relationship.”
“You seem to be under the impression that we didn’t have a target to protect.” Ethan leaned over the console and hooked a finger into her vest to bring her closer to him. Taryn wrapped her fingers around his wrist, warning him that this wasn’t the time or place for them to be touching each other. He ignored the pressure of her fingers. “The mission isn’t Ryland at this point in time. You are our Personal Security Detail subject, which means had it been any one of us out there we protect our primaries with our lives. I had your front…Jax had your back. I’m not the one who seems to be confused on fucking protocol, so get your act together before we get to the scene and everyone is watching our every goddamn move.”
“You and I need ground rules if this is going to work. If you can’t see that then we need to reevaluate.”
Ethan released her vest and sat back against the seat, obviously furious with the way this morning had turned out. She also hadn’t missed the hurt in his eyes over her words. Couldn’t he see that he had it all wrong? Taryn knew that she wouldn’t get through to him now and felt a slice of guilt at basically telling him that she wasn’t sure this could work. He wouldn’t agree with her and it was pointless for them to argue at this time. The mission
was
in regards to bringing Ryland in and having justice served. Unfortunately she was just a causality in this war and Ethan had just shown her that their personal decisions might have just ruined anything they might have had and worse…the friendship they might have just destroyed.
* * * *
Taryn stared at the body of the man Art Bowers had hired to extinguish her life. Trevor Neonni’s throat had been sliced from one end to the other, leaving a gaping hole in his neck and an expression of disbelief on his face. The Barrett 82A1 with a Leupold Mark 4 scope wasn’t his usual MO, but considering there wasn’t a chance in hell he could have gotten close to her without being detected, he’d used the only approach available—a long-range shot with a larger caliber than any of them would have guessed. The .50 caliber Armor Piercing (AP) or M8 round was easily identifiable by the black tip and would have passed through all three of them standing in a row, hardly slowing for their body armor. All their armor would have served to do was keep the carnage pretty much contained as their bodies dropped in a heap.
“Expect a call,” Crest stated, looking pointedly at Taryn. “Ryland
will
contact you.”
“When you said you had the situation contained, I thought you meant you had Neonni in custody.” Taryn had maintained her poise and made sure she didn’t look the least bit ruffled that she’d come within seconds of being eliminated or the fact that Ethan still hadn’t looked at her since getting out of her vehicle. “I take it we’re all in agreement that this is Ryland’s handiwork.”
“Absolutely.” Crest scanned the surrounding area, his dark Ray Ban sunglasses sitting on his head allowing his intense green eyes take in their environment. “He’s here…or at least was. Do you have your phone number setup ready for a trace?”
“Yes,” Taryn answered, her focus still on Neonni’s body. “We both know it won’t do any good though.”
She crouched low to the ground, seeing if anything stood out. From what she observed Neonni had been in position to take the shot and had been caught from behind. The knife used had been extremely sharp, for the gash was a straight clean cut and the nick on the spine was deep. Blood covered the weapon, along with the man’s hands, ground, and flowers that had been planted next to a tombstone. Chances were the man would have gotten off at least one shot due to his position far enough back from the line of contractors that Crest had hired. It was fortunate that Ryland had neutralized the threat.
“Any of the men get a visual on Ryland?” Ethan asked, still looking at the body. Taryn could have cut the air in the Pathfinder with a knife as he’d driven around to the other side of the cemetery to where Crest and the crime scene awaited them. Every time she looked at him all she could think of was that he and Jax would have died too. “Vehicle description? Anything to go on?”