Engaging his Enemy (Shattered SEALs #4) - Amy Gamet Page 0,26

by looking for the easy way out, a shortcut to success everyone else had missed. If he wanted to make it right, it was time to do things the hard way, to fight the battles he’d been avoiding all these years and finally do right by the people he loved. And if Laney was there when this was all over, then maybe he would do something about it.

The sound of a truck rumbled behind him, and he turned to see lights approaching. He moved behind the base of the crane, easily hiding behind its structure as the vehicle passed. It stopped in front of the warehouse. Ben frowned. The property had been abandoned for over a year. No one should be here.

He considered turning back but hesitated. He moved away from the ship and the lighted path he’d been on, approaching the warehouse from the darkness, heart hammering in his chest. Perhaps the truck was in the wrong location. A simple case of mistaken address. But what if this was his chance to catch DeRegina in a vulnerable position? What if he could really do something good by investigating further?

In the distance, he could see men open the back of the truck and unload fifty-gallon drums. He crouched beside a shipping container, wishing he had binoculars to see better. His brother would have been better prepared for this kind of thing, and he instantly hated himself for his incessant failures.

“Stop right there,” a deep voice said from behind him. “Put your hands up.” Ben didn’t move, terror flooding his senses. “Now!” barked the voice, and Ben lifted his hands, scurrying to a stand and moving to face the man. “Don’t turn around!” came the command. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m Ben Sato, a Realtor. My client’s buying this property.”

“Give me some ID. Slowly. No sudden movements.”

He reached into his back pocket. “Just getting my wallet.” He held it out behind him, and the man snatched it away.

A moment went by, time seemingly suspended. Should he run? Turn and fight for his freedom? There were easily a half dozen men at the truck in front of him, any fight sure to be quickly lost, and he didn’t have a firearm. He swallowed hard. He was at the other man’s mercy.

An electronic blip sounded behind him, and the man spoke. “Ben Sato. Says he’s the Realtor.”

A burst of static, then a voice burst through. “Bring him to me.”

Ben longed to flee, panic warring with indecision. A handcuff went around his wrist and was cinched tight before locking with its mate. “No funny stuff,” said the man, who began dragging him toward the warehouse and into the light.

This was it. These were the people he’d chosen to do business with, and if he died here tonight, it was a fate he had earned. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears falling onto his cheeks, a sensation he hadn’t felt since the night his parents died. “Please. I didn’t do anything,” he begged. “I didn’t see anything.”

The man didn’t answer but only dragged him into the warehouse, the men surrounding the truck suddenly scattering like cockroaches in the light. There would be no witnesses, no one to say what had happened to him. He would simply disappear, and it occurred to him the world might be a better place with him gone.

Please. If you let me live, I’ll change my life. I swear it.

He’d be a better uncle to Wyatt, be a role model. He’d get a regular job that made regular money, be the kind of stand-up man his father had taught him to be. He’d ask Laney on a date and bring her flowers, treat her like a lady should be treated, not as a fuck buddy who didn’t matter beyond what she could do for him in bed. He sobbed.

The man dragged him through the warehouse, past scores of plastic drums, pulling to a stop before a tall, gray-haired man in a suit and tie. Ben’s guard released him, and he nearly fell on the ground. The gray-haired man smiled. “Mr. Sato. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I trust your family is well?”

14

Moto had all but given up on Ben showing his face tonight at all. For two hours, the men of HERO Force had been going over evidence in Ben’s case with Laney, and the bastard couldn’t even be bothered to join them. Moto was livid and questioning his brother’s innocence as they went over the case