F-BOMB: Curvy Vigilantes 5: Fatal
highlight_author
Mary E Thompson
highlight_reads
77.0K
highlight_chapters
22
Chapter 1
Tears rolled down Raina London’s face as she walked back into the safe house she’d called home for six weeks. Blood stained the floor, and splintered wood littered the hallway. She turned into the room that was hers and tried not to let the fear rolling through her overwhelm her. She had to be strong. She had to pack her things and get the hell out of there.
It had only been one night. One night since the man she once thought she loved broke into what was supposed to be a safe house and tried to kill her. Would have, too, if not for the heroics of the people helping Raina. She was willing to die for them, and if she thought the terror would end, she would. But she knew Damon Street. He would never give up. Once she was dead, he’d set his sights on someone else. There was no such thing as safe if he was alive.
Lorelei Sloane, one of Raina’s protectors, stood in the hallway outside the bedroom. Raina could feel the other woman’s presence and was grateful for it as much as she hated it. Damon stole Raina’s freedom, her sanity, her life as she knew it. And he wasn’t done.
Raina stuffed the clothes she’d brought with her into a suitcase and ignored the carnage left behind. Being there again was too soon. And Damon knowing where it was meant she couldn’t stay there. They were moving to another safe house. One no one would be allowed in or out of. One that would restrict Raina’s already restricted world to a pinpoint.
She hated Damon. She’d never thought she could hate someone the way she hated him, but she did. If he died, she wouldn’t feel an ounce of sadness. But the man was invincible. She almost wondered if he was immortal. He definitely had more than his fair share of lives.
“Are you ready?” Lorelei asked quietly.
Raina nodded, zipping up the suitcase and turning back to her one and only remaining protector. Lorelei’s partner, Adam Johnson, was in the hospital. He would join them when he was out, but for the moment, it was just the two of them.
No match for Damon, if he tried again.
And he would. Raina knew he would. He hadn’t stopped trying to get her back since she left him almost a year ago—after he nearly killed her. She’d never go back to him willingly. But she knew she’d never be free of him, either.
Lorelei wasn’t back to full strength, but she understood Raina’s need for someone she knew to be there. Adam’s cousin waited in the SUV outside for them—their driver for the day since Lorelei suffered a minor concussion. Liam was staying with Lorelei and Raina until Adam was released from the hospital. Adam’s concussion was more serious, but he would be out soon.
It was a mess. A mess that could have been avoided if Raina hadn’t fallen for a man who was more evil than human.
She kicked herself for the mistakes she made—for letting Damon suck her into his life. For being so weak she believed his lies when he claimed to love her and wanted to only protect her. All the therapy she had helped, until she looked into Damon’s eyes again.
How did she not see him before? How did she miss the way he looked at her?
She knew the answer even as the questions rolled around in her head. She didn’t want to.
Sure, he hid his true self from her for a long time. A man like him didn’t show how evil he was on day one. But there were little signs—moments, snippets, clues. Raina ignored them. She thought she was crazy for thinking Damon was anything less than the perfect man he presented himself as.
And people died because of her error in judgment.
Raina followed Lorelei out to the waiting SUV and sat in the backseat. She struggled to breathe or think or function. Her mind was numb, like the rest of her.
Damon is free.
Marcus’s words from the night before rattled around in her mind. After months of hunting him, he was out within hours. All the hell he put her through, the people he killed, the lives he ruined—all wiped clean by one lawyer in an expensive suit.
Raina was going to be sick.
Liam slowed and turned into the driveway of a small house. The garage door opened in front of them, and he rolled the SUV right into the garage. He turned off the vehicle, and they all waited until the garage doors slid closed behind them.
“Home sweet home,” Liam said.
Raina reached for a smile, but it was hard to find one. Liam seemed nice enough, friendly and kind and smart as hell, but he wasn’t Adam. She’d gotten used to Adam and Lorelei. The three of them got along easily. She fit with them. But Liam…
Raina just wanted it all to be over. Liam was fine. Lorelei was fine. Adam was fine. Raina just wanted to go home, sleep in a bed she picked out, take an endless hot shower, and forget all about Damon Street.
Too bad that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
* * *
Adam Johnson closed his eyes and groaned. He hated being stuck in the hospital. He knew it was where he needed to be, but he still hated it.
When Raina walked in that morning with Lorelei, and they told Adam that Damon Street was free, Adam shook with rage. He started yanking off the pads stuck to his body. He was not going to leave his partner and their witness alone. He couldn’t. He had to be there to help them.
Of course, Lorelei and Raina both forced him back into bed, and a nurse came in and reattached all the leads, annoying Adam to no end. He’d never been a fan of hospitals, and knowing he was leaving two women who meant a lot to him without additional protection infuriated him.
Street surprised Adam when he broke into the safe house and knocked Adam out before he had a chance to warn the others. He later learned Street also got to Lorelei. Raina and Edie were vulnerable, and Street would have killed all four of them if Mackenzie hadn’t shown up when she did.
Adam’s stomach rolled at the thought.
He knew the important thing was that they were all alive. But he still felt like a failure to have gone down first. He didn’t even put up a fight and slow the bastard down. Street surprised Adam and cold-cocked him as soon as Adam saw him.
Failure was common. It was expected. It was something all agents experienced. He’d lost witnesses before. Lost coworkers. Lost leads. But none of them were as important to him as Raina.
Not that he was willing to admit to anyone else that he’d developed feelings for her. That was between Adam and the shower wall.
His phone buzzed with a text alert. Adam snatched his phone from the table next to his bed and swiped to open Liam’s text.
All set. Moved in. No one will get close.
Adam let go of a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding. He knew Liam would protect Lorelei and Raina, but it still grated on Adam that he wasn’t there to do it himself.
Thanks. Hopefully I’m free tomorrow and can relieve you.
No worries. Caitlyn’s staying with Taylor and Dex. We’re all used to this. Rest and recover so you’re 100%.
Copy.
Adam set the phone on the table again and tried to focus his mind. The goal hadn’t changed. Take down Damon Street. The problem now was that the man was free and knew who they all were. They had to not only find him again, but make sure the arrest warrant meant a judge wouldn’t grant bail. At any level.
Adam thought they’d done that, but they were all wrong. And Street was out.
A nurse came in a little later and asked Adam how he was doing. The guy was a sports fan and liked to talk, so Adam passed the time hearing stories from him about local teams. It meant Adam didn’t feel so completely abandoned and alone.
Fucking hospital.
The nurse left, and Adam stared at the walls again. He thought living in a safe house was boring. He would never complain again. About a safe house, a stakeout, anything.
Afternoon turned to night, and Adam fell asleep. His dreams were a jumbled mess of Street, Raina being hurt, and purple fucking pansies. That last one Adam couldn’t explain. Weird shit happened in his mind.
Morning came again, and the doctor finally said Adam could leave the hospital. It was the best damn news ever.
He let Liam know, and Liam arranged transportation to take Adam to the new safe house.
Only another hour or so, and he’d be back with Raina and Lorelei.
* * *
“Are we being followed?” Adam asked Dunn, Liam’s boss. They’d met once before, but Adam didn’t know Dunn well.
“No,” Dunn answered. He checked all his mirrors again. “I’ve been changing direction and going in weird routes to watch. I haven’t seen anyone following us.”
“We can’t risk exposing the safe house again.”
“I know,” Dunn growled.
Adam didn’t know why Dunn was annoyed by that. It wasn’t like Dunn was the one who was knocked out with a gun to the back of his head.
“We have security on this place twenty-four seven. No one will get anywhere close without us knowing.”
“What kind of security?”
“Motion and heat, signal blockers, and personal surveillance.”
“You’re going to have someone watching us?”
“Yes,” Dunn said. “Outside the house, at least. We have the ability to add cameras inside, but we haven’t done that yet. Is that something you want?”
Adam shook his head and winced. His brain was still scrambled, and sudden movements made him nauseous. “No, outside should be fine. Especially in this cold. You’ll be able to pick up on heat signatures.”
“Yep.” Dunn turned into a driveway and pulled straight into a garage, parking beside an identical SUV. He closed the garage door, then got out.
Adam followed Dunn inside, wanting to see with his own eyes that Lorelei and Raina were okay. And Liam. He should worry about his cousin, too, but Liam hadn’t been attacked.
Liam met them at the garage door, his hand on the weapon in his holster. He looked at them both, then past them to make sure there wasn’t a third person sending them in at gunpoint. Liam relaxed and nodded to his boss, then hugged Adam gently.
“Glad you’re alive.”
“Same,” Adam said. “How’re Lorelei and Raina?”
“Resting. It’s been a long few days,” Liam said.
“Yeah, it has. How’s this place?”
Liam shrugged, but Adam knew his cousin outfitted the house with every toy he could find. It was an F-BOMB safe house—one they were borrowing since the FBI safe house was clearly not as safe as they’d all expected.
“Windows and doors are tagged. Including the egress. Cameras at all the entrances. Heat and motion around the whole perimeter. No one will get within a mile of this place without us knowing.”
“What if they pull into the driveway and just start shooting?”
“Windows and walls are all bulletproof. Won’t stop them forever, but should slow down whoever shows up long enough for you to get out.”
“And how would we do that?”
“Secondary exit out the back. Garage opens both ways so you can drive out the back and disappear into the woods, then get back on the road half a mile south of here.”
“Jesus, you really thought of everything.”
“Not our first rodeo,” Dunn said with meaning. They lost someone. No more chances. Adam respected that.
“What do I need to know?” Adam asked the other two.
Dunn and Liam exchanged a glance.
“Tell me.”
“Street’s in the wind. As expected. The lawyer who bailed him out is not talking. Says his client will appear in court if there are charges that are substantiated. He’s calling foul on everything. The way evidence was collected, the circumstantial nature of it all, everything. He’s saying Street isn’t guilty and that he’s been framed for everything we have him on.”
“What about beating the shit out of his girlfriend? Doesn’t that count for anything around here?” Adam barked. He’d seen the police report from the night Raina left Street. The bruises on her face and body. The X-rays showing the broken bones. The fear in her eyes. If nothing else, they should have been able to hold him for that.
“He has a court date. But the rest? We know it’s all him, but our proof isn’t good enough.” Liam’s voice was soothing but did nothing to calm Adam’s frustration.
“Are you fucking kidding me? He knocked me out cold, same with Lorelei. Doesn’t that count for anything? We’re FBI agents. Attacking us and holding Raina and Edie at gunpoint should be something worth holding the fucker on.” Adam was baffled. What the hell kind of lawyer wanted a man like Damon Street out in the world? The only answer was a crooked one.
“The judge agreed with the lawyer,” Dunn told Adam. “We believe they’re both involved in Street’s organization.”
“Fucking hell. Makes sense, though. So, now what?”
“We play their game and we nail him. We can’t stop now when we’re this close,” Dunn said.
“I agree. It sounds like we need to take out the judge and the lawyer, too, though. Otherwise, Street will keep going free.”
Dunn and Liam nodded.
The three men talked a little longer, then Liam and Dunn left. Adam insisted he was okay and could handle things, but once they left, he sat on the couch with his eyes closed, willing the throbbing in his brain to subside.
Ten minutes later, the squeak of a door down the hall had Adam lifting his head and pretending to be fine again.
Raina stepped out of the room and looked both directions. When she saw him on the couch, her lips lifted in a ghost of a smile. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Adam was striving for casual, but seeing her made his entire body ache. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and protect her from all the evil in the world. He wanted to kiss her senseless and make sure she never knew hate again. He wanted to erase the bruises and scrapes from her body and keep any harm from ever coming to her again.
But he couldn’t do any of that. Because he was her protector, not her boyfriend. She was recovering from an abusive asshole of an ex, and the last thing she needed was an overprotective asshole trying to convince her to be his woman.
Nope. He had to keep his feelings to himself and treat her like any other witness.
“How are you feeling?” he asked when she got closer.
Raina sat next to him on the couch and tucked her feet under her. She shrugged. She propped her elbow on the back of the couch and put her head in her hand, then cringed and changed positions.
Street dragged her around by her hair. She was lucky he didn’t rip chunks out from what Lorelei told Adam. One more thing Adam wanted the sick piece of shit to pay for.
“I’m tired,” Raina finally said. “I feel like I could sleep for a week, but when I close my eyes, I see him.” Her words went soft at the end. She drew in a breath. “I never should have left him.”
“Why would you say that?”
“He would have killed me by now if I’d stayed there. Then all the people I care about wouldn’t be in danger, and I wouldn’t be living in fear. I know he’s going to kill me. He’s not going to stop until he does. All I’m doing right now is delaying the inevitable. And the fear is getting to me. He’s thriving on it, feeding on it. He knows I’m scared, and he’s enjoying playing with me—with all of us. And I hate it.”
“I know. But we’ll get him. We’ll take him down, and he’ll never hurt you again.”
Raina breathed a mirthless laugh. “I thought that before. I don’t think I can believe that. Not now. Not after the last few days. The only way Damon will ever stop is if he’s dead.”
Adam saw the determination in her gaze. She knew Street better than anyone else. She was right. Adam knew in his soul she was.
Which meant there was only one answer. Damon Street had to die.
