Kathleen Brooks - Secrets Collide

“I see it,” Cade said as he read something on his phone. “The magazine was sued and they took down the story and issued an apology. No one credited it as being truthful and the reporter even pled guilty to libel.”

“But if that were true . . .” Kenna said.

“It would explain where he got his connections. Now, what do we do about it?” Cy asked. “My idea is to storm the place.”

“I like that idea. But I was thinking of something with a little more finesse,” Ahmed said as he stepped forward.

* * *

Tires squealed, a horn blared, and then the sound of metal hitting metal resonated through the night. The door to the beat-up Chevy Lumina creaked open as Trey Everett stepped out.

“Oh my God, are you okay? Someone call an ambulance! Babe, call an ambulance,” Trey called to Taylor as he rushed to the large white boat-of-a-car with a smashed front end.

The doors opened as Miss Lily and John stepped out on wobbly legs. Miss Lily gently collapsed to the ground as Trey rushed to her side. “Look what you did. You teenagers are all willy-nilly out here like you own the place. You could've killed us.”

“Yo, man. It wasn’t me. You were the one swerving into the lane. You old people need to get your eyes checked. You’re the hazard on the road,” Trey shouted back.

“Hey! What’s going on here?” a man in a suit asked as he walked down the driveway from the gated house.

“I’ll tell you what’s going on. This young whippersnapper and his lady were doing the hanky-panky in the car instead of paying attention to where they were going and crashed right into us.”

“That’s not true,” said the cute woman in shorts so short the perfect globes of her derriere showed when she bent over . . . as she did for the guard. “These old geezers couldn’t see the road in the dark and crossed the line and hit us.” Taylor straightened back up, having picked up her purse from the ground.

“Oh sure, so says the tart,” Miss Lily said prudishly from the ground.

In the distance, another set of car lights rounded the corner. “That ambulance must've gotten here fast,” Taylor said as she ran the tip of her tongue over her bright red lips. “I like fast.” She dropped her voice so only the guard could hear her as Trey and Miss Lily argued. “When the cops come, you’ll say the old man hit us, right?” She ran a hand down his chest and he smiled as she gave him a clear shot of her pushed-up boobs.

“Sure, doll. What do I get for it?” the guard asked before more tires squealed.

“You hussy,” Edna yelled as she hurried from the car. Out poured Miss Daisy and Miss Violet with her. “What are you doing with my man?”

“Your man? It’s not my fault if you can’t hang onto him. Maybe if you got that bunion fixed, he wouldn’t have run off in terror for someone younger.”

Edna gasped along with Miss Daisy and Miss Violet.

“And you called me a tart,” Taylor said with full twang, really getting into her role. “And all the while you’re a man stealer.”

“As if you weren’t just feeling up that young man over there,” Miss Lily shot back.

“Babe?” Trey asked, wounded.

“I was doing no such thing. You’re the home-wrecking hussy, not me.” She slammed her foot down and crossed her arms, shoving her boobs up for the guard to see again.

“That’s right, just because she dresses the part doesn’t mean she’s a slut. You, on the other hand . . .” Miss Violet sneered.

“Hey now, ladies. Calm down.” John smiled and all the women harrumphed.

“Don’t get me started on you, you hound dog.” Miss Daisy wagged her finger at him.

“I’m just saying there’s more than enough of me to go around. We can all get along.”

“No, there ain’t. I’m woman enough to keep my man satisfied. And so is my chicken and cheese casserole.” Miss Lily threw down the figurative gloves and the other women gasped.

“You can steal my man, but don’t you dare say your casserole is better than mine,” Edna hissed as she dug around her purse and brought out "Ol’ Magnum.”

“Yeah, this is gate. I have a situation here. I need security—lots of it,” the guard said into his phone as he pulled his gun. “Now, put it down slowly, ma’am.”

“Stay out of it, sonny. This concerns me and the old woman.” Edna pointed the large gun at Miss Lily.

“Who are you calling old? Why, you’re so old you couldn’t shoot me if you tried. You’d break a hip, for crying out loud. With your glaucoma, you’ll probably shoot the tart over there instead of me.”

“I’m not a tart!” Taylor stomped her foot and shouted.

Bam!

* * *

Bridget sent the text. Go . “Okay, everyone,” she whispered into her microphone. “Be on the lookout. The crew just gave us one hell of a distraction. The gates are opening and I see . . . eight guards rushing out. Move forward now.”

She gave Marko the command and they both moved silently toward the fence surrounding the large mansion. Cole, Dinky, Noodle, Jake, Miles, Marshall, Cade, Pierce, Paige, and Annie were all making their way toward their assigned positions. Jake and Paige were in sniper positions far enough away to be out of immediate danger, but the others were to advance to the fence. They would scale it when they got the signal from Cy.

Marko let out a low growl that Bridget felt on her leg as opposed to hearing it. She froze and Marko did, too. A tree provided her cover as she watched a guard walk the property. She waited until he passed and then grabbed him from behind. Using leverage, she placed him in a chokehold until he passed out. She quickly gagged and tied him to the tree in complete silence.

“One down on my perimeter,” she whispered.

“One down on my side, too,” Cade replied.

“Damn, why don’t I get any fun,” Annie complained. “Never mind. One down on my side,” she said when she came back on a couple minutes later.

“The distraction out front is still working. Where’s Cy?” Paige’s voice asked over Bridget’s earpiece. Good question. It shouldn’t be long.

Cy strapped on the parachute and then checked over Ahmed’s as the plane approached the mansion where Gemma was being held. His phone vibrated and he saw Bridget’s message.

“Mission is a go,” he said to Ahmed who was now checking his parachute.

“We’ll be there in seventy-five seconds.” Ahmed walked over to the open door and looked out into the night. “You love her.”

“More than anything.”

“How do you know?” Ahmed asked.

“I know because I can’t stand the idea of living without her. I love the good and the bad and everything in between. She’s my life. What about you, Ahmed? Ever been in love?”

“Yes,” he answered so softly Cy barely heard.

“Does she know?”

“No, not until Sergei is dead will she ever know. Now jump.” Ahmed disappeared from view and Cy looked out into the darkness. With a calm breath, he jumped out of the plane.

Gemma’s head snapped back as pain blossomed around her cheek. She’d been dragged into the house through the garage and now sat in the middle of a large foyer with Sergei and his boss.

“Where is the evidence? How did you find me?”

“I think it was you who found me. I came to Keeneston first.”

He nodded for Sergei to hit her again. Blood blossomed on her lip as she cringed in pain. “You shouldn’t have gone after my daughter again. When I killed you the first time, they told me you begged for your life. So start begging, bitch. I want all the evidence you have and I want it now,” he yelled, standing in front of her.

Gemma shook, not in pain, but in fright. The man was delusional and Sergei knew it. But it didn’t stop Sergei from hitting her. Gemma refused to beg. She lifted her chin a notch and stared at him straight in the eyes. “Never.” Gemma used all the energy she had left and launched herself at him. Her head connected with his chin and they fell to the floor in a heap. She managed to stay on top and was about to head-butt him when Sergei picked her up and slammed her into the chair.