The Ex Assignment (Rogue Protectors Book 1) Read online

  “Is your head hurting?”

  “Not too bad.”

  His phone buzzed with a text message.

  “It’s about damned time,” he muttered when he recognized the sender.

  “Who is it?” Gabby asked.

  “Business.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Regarding Theo?”

  “Could be. Listen, I may need Levi as well. Can you call Captain Mitchell and see if he can spare a uniform to watch over Theo?”

  “No need. The Cap and Kelso are coming over to the Brentwood house.”

  Declan frowned. “Do they have additional information on who the target was yesterday?”

  “That’s what I’m about to find out.”

  7

  “We never finished our conversation yesterday,” Levi spoke beside him.

  Declan was driving the Escalade through the steep and winding road that was Blue Heights Drive. The rendezvous point with Garrison was at the summit of Hollywood Hills.

  “It’s obvious you and Gabby are not strangers,” his partner continued in a cautious tone. “And personally, it’s none of my business, but to do this job properly, you need to give me a heads up of what’s going on.”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “Figured.” A pause. “Noticed you and Nick Carter had some tension going on there as well. But seeing you and Theo side-by-side tells me there’s a story there.”

  “Gabby and I married and divorced young.”

  “No shit?” Levi appeared to digest this information and Declan stiffened as he felt the other man’s eyes take him in. “Theo takes after you. Clearly, he isn’t Woodward’s son.”

  For a moment, Declan thought he was referring to Gabby. “How about you, Levi? What’s your story?” He decided to redirect the subject, unwilling to discuss his ex-wife since he was seeking answers himself.

  “Nothing as complicated as yours,” Levi exhaled in resignation. “Kelly got tired of my shit and asked for a separation.”

  “You have kids, right?” Declan cut a glance to his partner and caught his sad smile.

  “Yeah. Two girls. Six and four.”

  “Must be hard on them.”

  Levi emitted a derisive laugh. “Actually, nothing is different. The life we had as PMCs? Wasn’t fair to Kelly or the kids. I was hardly home.” His partner turned to look out the window. “I’m a better father now than I ever was compared to when we all stayed under the same roof.”

  At his questioning look, Levi added. “We take turns staying with our girls at the same house instead of shuttling them back and forth between homes. Why I asked that I do this gig two weeks at a time.”

  That was something Declan had never heard before, but it made sense, especially for the welfare of the children.

  He could hear the regret in his partner’s voice and Declan thought of his own shortcomings as a husband. He always wondered if he got his shit together sooner after Claire died, would his marriage have survived?

  Their turn came up the road and he guided the Escalade down a lane that was narrower than the main one with sections unpaved.

  “Anyway.” Levi grabbed the handlebar as the vehicle rocked from side to side before getting back on a wider, smoother plane. “Not giving up on Kelly. Just need to do whatever it takes for her to take me back. I sure as fuck hope she doesn’t serve me divorce papers before I’ve convinced her.”

  “Sorry, man,” was all Declan could say, and a twinge of guilt hit him as he remembered that it was he who’d served Gabby with divorce papers.

  Levi suddenly chuckled. “Have you been taking lessons from Garrison? I asked you the question and I’m the one spilling my guts.”

  He grinned. “Better you than me.”

  “Fucker,” Levi said under his breath. “But thanks. Better you than a bunch of teenagers I guess.”

  “Anytime, bro.” Declan raised his hand in a fist and Levi bumped it with his own.

  A cluster of houses of different architectures loomed before them, lining the street on both sides. Each of them partially hidden with solid metal gates. Assassin’s Hill was no longer a myth. It really existed as Declan was now finding out. It was a group of properties carefully vetted by the CIA—real estate for their operatives who chose to lay low or retire. The choice to live in houses built at the edge of the cliff had its advantages as security efforts were focused on attacks from the street.

  Levi pointed to a rust colored gate and after entering codes into an app the CIA had provided, the gate swung open and Declan drove thru and parked. John Garrison emerged from the house and leaned against an Escalade that was a twin of theirs except with blacked out windows and bulletproof tires. He liked to live dangerously and probably made enemies everywhere. Behind John was a boxy, multilevel home with sweeping windows typical of the structures in the area that took advantage of the view. Declan would bet all his money that those windows were also retrofitted, bulletproof glass.

  “How’s the reunion?” John asked, a smirk on his face.

  “A little heads-up would’ve been nice,” Declan called out as he stepped down from the vehicle.

  He and Levi walked toward the other man.

  “Didn’t have time to hold your hand,” John Garrison replied.

  “Asshole,” Declan muttered.

  He hadn’t seen John since the Yemen mission, but he knew he kept in contact with Kade.

  He and Levi stopped their approach when another man came out of the house.

  “It’s clear,” the guy said. His gaze landed on the newcomers, expression neutral.

  “Let’s talk inside.” John motioned to his colleague. “Migs Walker. Declan Roarke. Levi James.”

  The men exchanged chin lifts and entered the house. Walker had thick dark hair, eyes almost black, maybe of Hispanic or Italian heritage. His dark faded denims, white tee, and keychain hanging around his hips, reminded Declan of a biker in a motorcycle club. Scuffed boots and full sleeves of ink on each arm completed the image. It wouldn’t be a stretch if the man was working undercover if he was with Garrison.

  “Have a seat.” John motioned to the chairs around a ten-person dining table.

  “Is this gonna take long?” Declan asked, pulling out a chair and planting his ass in it. Levi took the one beside him. Walker remained standing behind John. “I wanna get back to Gabby and Theo.”

  “I’ll get to the point then,” John said. “Contrary to what you might think, Roarke, this has little to do with your newfound fatherhood. That was just a bonus of our investigation.”

  “Of course.” He didn’t think he was so important as to get special treatment from the CIA.

  “The agency is concerned with Ortega’s LA criminal network.”

  Declan’s gaze flicked briefly to Walker before returning to John’s. “So, this is about Gabby? You want me to spy on her?”

  “That and other things.”

  A protective instinct reared inside him. “You don’t think she’s dirty, do you?”

  “We have no reason to believe she is.”

  That didn’t give him any relief.

  “Local LEOs are hunting down Ortega for his role in the fentanyl attack. That’s no reason for us to get involved, but it’s concerning. It’s even more concerning that he may have acquired a biological weapon.”

  “What? In LA? How and why?”

  John glanced at Walker. “Care to elaborate? Migs has been undercover in the Ortega organization.”

  “If he’s undercover why doesn’t he know where Ortega is?”

  “Let me rephrase that,” John replied, a hint of irritation crossing his face. “He’s newly undercover. Ortega is extremely paranoid and divides his network into cells that have no idea what the others are doing. It’s how he maintains control,” John said. “We’re lucky Migs has been assigned to Ariana—Ortega’s sister.”

  “If you have an in via Ortega’s sister, why do we need to be involved?” Levi asked.

  “Because we’re not sure when Ariana
will see her brother again,” Migs replied. “There’s recent intel that Ortega has cancer and is trying alternative medicine as well as chemo. His sister runs one of those vitamin therapy spas in Beverly Hills, but we doubt that’s where Ortega will go.”

  Declan gave John a look. “Vitamin. Therapy. Spas?”

  “Don’t ask,” he muttered.

  “It’s a thing,” Levi grinned. “They stick an IV in you and pump you full of the good stuff.”

  Declan wasn’t sure if he was more perturbed by the idea of a vitamin therapy spa or the fact that his partner knew what it was.

  “How do you know that?” he asked the question anyway.

  “My wife mentioned it.” Levi scratched the scruff on his chin sheepishly. “I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. Listen to her more. Pay attention to the things she talks about related to her job.”

  Declan fought back a smile. “You never mentioned what she does for a living.”

  “Make-up and special effects,” he said, then added proudly. “With the rise of net streaming, she’s in demand and has to travel sometimes.”

  “Sounds interesting,” John cut in. “Maybe we could find some work for her.”

  Levi scowled and his mouth zipped shut.

  Rescuing his friend, and in case John wasn’t kidding, Declan asked, “Is Ortega’s sister involved in his brother’s criminal enterprise?”

  “Not that I could determine,” Walker said. “All her clients seem legit. She does charity work at a clinic in the Valley. I haven’t gone along on any of those yet.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Declan chuckled, but more out of an incredulous epiphany than humor. “Of course. IV injections in a spa? Makes a great front for drugs.”

  “Bingo,” Levi agreed.

  “I haven’t found anything that incriminates Ariana yet,” Walker growled with more ferocity than Declan expected from an undercover agent talking about his target. “So let’s not jump to fucking conclusions.”

  “Are we having trouble staying objective, Walker?” John asked, frowning.

  “Not sure what you’re asking.”

  “No danger of falling in love with Ms. Ortega, right? ‘Cause I don’t care for a repeat of the Yemen fiasco.” At this last statement, Garrison stared pointedly at Declan, who smirked. Things would have ended so differently in Yemen if Kade hadn’t gone rogue.

  “Don’t know what went down in Yemen, but I assure you that’s not happening,” Walker snapped. “Anyway, we’re getting off track. Two of Ortega’s trusted inner circle were killed in the Friday sting by GHD. He’s pissed and the whole criminal underworld is bracing for him to declare war on the city. The fentanyl attacks are only the beginning.”

  “I’m still not seeing how Levi and I come in? We’re merely bodyguards at this point, and I doubt we’ll be privy to Gabby’s briefing with her boss, especially if she’s on leave.” Declan’s eyes narrowed. “Was it Ortega who called the hit on Gabby and Theo? Payback for LAPD’s Friday op?”

  “Probably,” Walker said. “Like I said, Ortega is on a rampage.”

  “So, let’s cut the crap. What exactly do you need from Levi and me?”

  “You in particular,” John said. “How well are you acquainted with Claudette?”

  He managed to keep his seat. “What about her?”

  “What do you know about her and Ortega?”

  “What?” Declan whispered. This time he leaned forward. “What does Claudette have to do with that fucker?”

  Garrison pushed a file toward him. “She appeared on our radar only recently. But the DEA has a file on her that goes back twenty years. More so in the last three since the popular party drug XZite exploded on the Hollywood scene. She and Ortega were lovers. She was his connection to the Hollywood elite. They’d met up over the years, but it was DEA’s belief that Ortega was just stringing her along, using her position as Peter’s wife as a Hollywood insider.” The CIA officer leveled him a stare. “What do you remember of your relationship with her?”

  “Never had a relationship with her. I slept with her once before I married Gabby,” Declan gritted out. “I’m surprised that isn’t in the fucking file like everything else.”

  “And the time Gabby found her in your apartment?”

  Declan’s chair scraped back and he surged to his feet. “Where the fuck are you getting this?” He slammed his palm on the table.

  “Calm down, Roarke,” John said. “We’re just establishing how well you know her.”

  “How about you tell me something? How the hell did Theo end up being Peter and Claudette’s?” Declan growled. “You tell me how the hospital fucked up that badly and maybe …” his voice shook with fury. “Maybe, I’d consider prostituting myself to her again.”

  Everyone flinched, including Garrison. Declan left the table and stalked to the windows, staring at the city he loathed. Did he ever regret his time as a male escort? No. Because it gave his sister almost two years to live comfortably. Claudette was a reminder of what he hated of that life. One of the few clients he’d slept with at a time when he was backed into a corner, when the insurmountable debts made him feel like he was drowning. So fucking Claudette for information? He’d kill her first for stealing Theo.

  “We can only go by the hospital records,” John replied evenly. “And we’re talking seventeen years ago. It seems the quickest way to find your answers is to go straight to the source.”

  “Was Peter complicit in the switch?”

  “We wouldn’t know, but then again, the answers are right here in LA. Gabby should have access to his files, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  His stomach turned as it was looking more and more likely that he needed to play Claudette. “How does she figure into this Ortega mess now?”

  “Claudette Dumont runs her own skin care line,” Garrison said. “She’s never been destitute, but she’s ambitious. She gives off the bored Hollywood wife vibe, but she’s cunning and a survivor. After Peter Woodward divorced her, she moved on to Antonio Andrade.”

  “The same Antonio Andrade of Andrade Industries?” Levi interjected. “He owns several pharmaceutical subsidiaries, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes. He’s the manufacturer of XZite. Claudette hooked up with Andrade right around the time the drug appeared on the Hollywood circuit. Again, the party drug is not our concern,” John answered. “But I’ve tapped into a reliable source that one of Andrade’s labs has developed a bioweapon. He has numerous facilities, all legit on paper, and we’re not certain which lab is our target.”

  “So, she has a habit of latching on to men in power and switching babies,” Declan muttered in disgust. “But why Theo?”

  For a long time, the CIA officer didn’t say anything. Frowning, Declan turned away from the windows and faced the men at the table. “What are you not telling me, John?”

  “There was a rumor,” John stated carefully. “And this was merely speculation in a DEA report that Claudette’s baby was not Peter’s but Ortega’s.”

  Declan’s brows shot to his hairline. “Well, that’s bullshit.”

  “We know,” Walker piped in after having been on the sidelines in the discussion. “Ortega’s been erratic these past few months. Some say it’s the cancer, but my two cents? It was because he found out that Theo wasn’t his son and why he had Peter killed.”

  “I’m surprised Claudette is even in LA,” John said. “Which is why we think she’s agreed to become a go-between for Andrade and Ortega.”

  “So Ortega wouldn’t call a hit on her?” Declan asked.

  All the men assented.

  Claudette did hold all the answers. “I don’t know if I can even look her in the face. I’d kill that bitch.”

  “Roarke. We’re talking about a bioweapon.”

  Declan knew he had to do it. Didn’t mean he had to act like he was gung-ho about it.

  “We can’t alert Ortega,” John added at his continued silence. “We also have rough intel that Ortega is in a power strugg
le with the Mexican cartels. We can’t rock that boat right now in case they’re after the bioweapon as well. This has to look like a lover’s reunion.”

  Just that thought caused bile to rise up his throat. “The fuck? I thought you said she’s in love with Ortega.”

  “She was attracted to you once. Charm her. You can make her talk.”

  “Weren’t you an actor?” Levi asked.

  “A shit actor,” Declan muttered.

  “You said he could get to Claudette,” Walker scoffed at John. “Looks like he doesn’t have the balls to do it.”

  Garrison leaned back in his chair, eyeing Declan. “Are you hoping to get back with Gabby?”

  “That ship has sailed,” he said shortly.

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “The problem is Theo will hate him,” Levi interjected. “Jesus, you two are a bunch of morons. You need to go and have kids to figure this out. If Theo is led to believe that Roarke cheated with Claudette, it’s a double betrayal. On Peter Woodward who he has only known as his father and Gabby. The kid hates his mother, and the way I see it, he does like Gabby who prefers not to give him the time of day right now. So, if Roarke goes ahead with this …”

  John smiled. “This should be interesting.”

  “Fuck you, Garrison,” Declan growled.

  8

  “You shouldn’t be reading.”

  Gabby glanced up from the documents on the table and looked at Kelso. He and the captain were already in the Brentwood home when she arrived this morning with Declan. They were sitting under the shaded patio beside the pool, escaping the activity in the living room. Theo had largely ignored her.

  Before Levi left with Declan to do whatever they needed to do, she asked the bodyguard what was up, but Levi didn’t know either. Then the parade of teen actors marched through the Brentwood house. They were supposed to be practicing their scripts, but instead they were watching Dead Futures DVDs and Gabby’s young fifteen-year-old face appeared on the screen in a show about the zombie apocalypse.

  Kill her now.

  “I’m fine,” she assured her partner. Her head was beginning to throb again even after taking a couple of painkillers, but she was sure it was from obnoxious reactions of the teenagers to the series that had been a big part of her adolescent years. Concentrating on Peter’s previous will would help her ignore their boisterous comments about the special effects that weren’t as advanced back then. “My father changed his will a month ago. From what I can see, all that was added was a clause regarding Claudette and the adjustments in the amounts as Mr. Goodman pointed out. Why did he suddenly include her?”