Jeb’s voice came over the radio. “Either something’s going on with the shipment or the targets were expecting company.”
“Anything going on at the main house?” Carson radioed in return.
Rick replied, “Nothing. It’s quiet. No party. No gathering. No company. Hell, I don’t even see the family coming and going.”
“Stick to the mission. They’ll scramble with the oncoming storm, and we’ll strike then.”
It didn’t take long for the approaching storm’s fury to reach the winery, but he and the others were unable to get closer as early as they’d planned with the guards seeming to expect visitors. Why the hell would they be on alert tonight?
As soon as lightning struck close by, they watched the armed guards seek shelter; unfortunately, many rushed inside the warehouse the Keepers had targeted. Years of special ops training and experience had them all easily adapting to unexpected changes, but Carson couldn’t get the sick feeling out of his gut that someone on the inside had been alerted to the possibility of a strike. Shoving that thought down, he listened as more directions came from Rick and Hop, who had a bird’s eye view of the area on surveillance.
Carson and the others adapted to the changes made to Bennett’s assignment, which he carried out perfectly. Right after a lightning strike, he fired into one of the gas tanks on the back side of the warehouse. Quickly firing again, he struck the gas tank of the Jeep nearby, creating the illusion that the lightning had caused both explosions. With the multiple diversions, workers and guards dropped their weapons as they rushed from the warehouse.
Carson knew the rain would soon put out the fire so they needed to work quickly. Poole and Dolby slipped inside to install the cameras while Carson stayed nearby, his weapon ready as he stood guard. He glanced over his shoulder toward them, assured his team would work efficiently while knowing time was of the essence. Staying near the door, he could see the cavernous space filled with shelves large enough to hold wooden barrels stacked four high. On the other side were massive oak vats standing on their ends. On the far side near the huge doors that were now closed sat several parked trucks, their license tags removed, and no writing was visible on the white-paneled sides.
“Two guards have left the fire and are circling back around the warehouse toward the front door,” Rick’s voice came over the radio.
Carson tensed, not wanting to start a battle but not wanting his men to be trapped. “Talk to me,” he barked.
“Done. Jeb, check it out,” Dolby radioed.
The seconds ticked by, and just as Carson was getting ready to order them out regardless of what Jeb could see or hear, he let out a sigh of relief as Jeb radioed, “All good.”
“Let’s get the fuck outta here,” Carson ordered.
They split up, Poole and Dolby slipping out of one door while he darted out another. Racing toward the rendezvous, he met up with Adam and Leo, grabbing Bennett along the way.
“It’s like they knew we were coming!” Poole growled, swiping water from his face.
“They were fuckin’ ready,” Bennett added, stomping around but still handling his weapon with care.
“How could they know?” Adam asked, his gaze shooting toward Carson.
“I don’t know, but I’ve got a fuckin’ idea and am going to find out,” his voice hard and his jaw hard as steel. “The five of you take one vehicle and head back. I’ve got somewhere I need to go.” Carson had spent the last couple of hours watching the security increase on the estate, fury building as he began to suspect that Jeannie must have let something slip to Maggie while inside Maggie’s house where the bugs had picked it up. She knew to be careful, so how did she make that kind of mistake? Someone must have been tipped off that something was going to happen.
His anger ratcheted up, sure that she was the leak. There’s no other explanation. Lighthouse Security Investigations - West Coast was his business. Its survival depended on him not fucking anything up. He had no idea what his Keepers were thinking, but he knew what he had to do. Leo stopped him with a heavy hand on his shoulder and he jerked his head around. “What?”
“Carson,” Leo began, his voice steady. “You don’t know what happened. You need to take a breath and approach things calmly. If you don’t, you’re likely to say things you’ll regret and can’t take back.”
“I got this,” he said, Leo’s words barely registering. “Get back to the compound and check in with the others. Store your gear and secure the compound before you leave.” With that, he headed out to his SUV, soon pulling out onto the highway.
It was just after midnight when Jeannie woke, at first disoriented and uncertain what caused her to awaken. The sound of pounding on her door met her ears, and she threw back the covers, wobbling from sleep as she jumped to her feet. Shoving her hair out of her face, she rushed to the door, peeking through the security hole. Seeing Carson, his head down as though staring at his boots, her heart leaped at the surprise visit. Pulling off the chain, she threw open the door, her smile wide.
“Hey! I wasn’t expecting you! What a nice midnight surprise!” She let him in, her gaze finally taking in the hard set of his jaw and the way his eyes glittered. Moving closer, she placed her hand on his arm and peered up. “Are you okay?” He stepped back, and her hand dropped from his arm. A cold sliver of unease hit her stomach, slowly moving throughout the rest of her. Swallowing deeply, she whispered, “Carson, what’s wrong?”
“I thought I could do this.”
Blinking, she shook her head. “Thought you could do what?”
“This,” he bit out, his finger pointing between the two of them.
“Honey, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
He turned and stalked several feet into her living room, dragged his hand through his hair, then whirled around to face her, his hands landing on his hips. “Lighthouse Security and Investigations - West Coast is my business. My. Business.”
She stared, uncertain what he was trying to say, but the iciness was now moving swiftly throughout her body.
“My. Business,” he repeated as though she hadn’t heard him the first two times.
“O… kay…” she managed to choke out.
“Its success or failure depends on me. I’ve got employees who depend on me to be in charge, do the right thing, and not fuck up. I thought I could add in a relationship and it would only make things better. But starting something up with you and having you involved in what I was working on was a major fuck up.”
Her body jerked back as though she’d been hit in the gut. Still shaking her head, she stared in disbelief. “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”
“I took a risk by telling you how to check on Maggie’s place. I took a risk by telling you that the Garzas were being investigated. I took a risk by trusting that you would handle things with care. I took a lot of risks with you, and they almost blew up in my face tonight. But, more importantly, those risks I took with you put my employees at risk.”
Swallowing deeply, she tried to steady her breathing. Stepping closer, she reached her hand out to lay it on his arm, but once again, he moved away, leaving her fingers dangling. “Carson, what did I do? What are you accusing me of?”