Drive (29 page)

Epilogue

 

Madison fidgeted with the strap on her purse. Aiden pulled down the street, muttering numbers to himself. He stopped in front of a green bungalow, but it was the next-door house that had her attention.

105 Pickett Street.

Madison blew out a breath and turned toward Aiden.

“Is this a good idea?” she asked.

He shifted into park and faced her. “Did you change your mind?”

Aiden took her hand and lifted it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles and her heart melted. For all that she'd lost since meeting him, she'd gained even more.

“What if they're still mad at me?” she asked.

“Madison, it's your mom. She said she wanted to see you and that your sisters would be here.”

“I know, but—what should we talk about?” Her life had changed in the last two months. She no longer lived on the boat or worked at the airport. Her relationship with Lily was broken. It would take a long time to fix. She'd left the airport and started working at Classic Rides, under the watchful eye of the FBI. So really, her life had played right into Aiden's plans, not that she minded much.

“Roller derby and school are safe topics. Work—maybe mention you're taking over the books, but leave the Hoovers out of it. They're hard to explain.”

“I wouldn't tell them that.”

“Just—talk to them. Ask them what they've been doing.”

“What are you going to do?” She squeezed his hands.

“I'll hang around.”

“I know—say as little as possible, don't mention you, less I say the safer it is. Right?”

“You got it, babe.” He leaned across and kissed her.

“Okay. I'm doing this.” She looped her purse over her shoulder and pushed the door open.

“They're going to love you. Just like I do.”

She paused, glancing over her shoulder, smiling at Aiden.

“I love you,” she said, relishing the rush she got every time she said it.

“I love you, too. Now, get out of my car.” He swatted her bottom as she got out.

Madison pushed her shoulders back and strode down the walk, turning through the gate. The house was cute, with flower beds and toys strewn in the yard. Did one of her sisters have children? She'd missed so much, but she wouldn't change anything. Without Dustin and their divorce, she'd never have met Aiden. Their lives would never be normal, but they wouldn't lack for excitement.

The front door opened before she'd made it halfway to the door. Her mother had aged, there was silver in her shoulder-length brown hair, and she'd lost some weight. Her mother paused, mouth open, eyes wide. Tears sprang to Madison's eyes and all she wanted was to hug her mother.

“Madison?”

“Hi, Mom.”

“Oh, Madison!” Her mother rushed down the stairs. Madison met her at the bottom, wrapping her in a tight hug.

“Is she here?” someone said from inside.

“Come here, girls,” her mother yelled.

Madison's sisters and two toddlers spilled out of the house, enveloping her in hugs and tears. The only thing missing from the perfect picture was Aiden. But there was a price to pay for their love. Someday, she'd be able to bring him home, but today was her homecoming.

* * *

Aiden watched Madison's joyful reunion with one eye, and his rearview mirror with the other. There wasn't a threat—yet. Between his crew's vigilance and the good will of the police department, they'd been looked after, but that would change someday. The Haughtons slowly wandered inside, Madison weighted down with two kids before she'd hit the front door. She had a good family, and someday, he hoped to make amends with his the way she was, but for now, he'd live vicariously through her.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the one number he only called once a month. It rang several times before an older woman said, “Hello?”

“Hey, Grandma.” Aiden smiled.

“Hey, I haven't heard from you in awhile. Missed you the last few months.”

“I know, things have been busy.”

“You mean dangerous.” His grandmother didn't know the scope of what he did, but she knew enough, and she knew him.

“A little.”

“You doing okay?”

“Yeah. I was wondering what you were doing next weekend.”

“Fishing, probably.”

“Think you could do with some company? There's someone I'd like for you to meet.” Madison was his future. She'd filled a hole inside of him.

“I could be talked into that. Do I need to make up a bed?”

“No, ma'am. We'll be fine in the guest room.”

“It's that kind of someone, now is it? Shoot. Must be someone special.”

“She is, Grandma.”

“Oh hell, the plumber is here. I've got to go. Bring another fishing pole.”

He didn't think Madison would catch much. She talked too loud, but he wouldn't have her any other way.

Aiden hung up the phone and laced his hands together behind his head, settling in for a long wait. But it wasn't anything compared to how long he'd waited to have her in his life. What was an hour or so to forever with her?

Keep reading for a special sneak peek at the next Hot Rides novel,

SHIFT
,

coming in August 2016!

 

 

 

Tori Chazov isn't exactly the girl next door. For one, if the neighbors found out she's an FBI asset and the daughter of a KGB defector, she'd have to grab her go bag and run. Then there's her day job: making magic happen under the hood of big beautiful muscle cars. She's more likely to be wearing engine grease than mascara, and most guys don't fantasize about their mechanics.

But then most girls don't fantasize about FBI tech geniuses, either, and Tori has it bad for Emery Martin. Emery has a past. She can see it in the way he keeps his body honed like a weapon, in the mysterious scars under his snap-button shirts. She can see it in the way his eyes follow her around the room, even though he never says a word.

He's going to have to start talking now, though. A vicious Russian hit squad is on the way to Miami to take Tori out for good. And without Emery's help, she might not make her last great escape....

Some operations he could see unfold before the first move ever happened.

Emery Martin watched the little drama unfold across the street where two Iranian jewel thieves were no doubt pissing their pants, surrounded by six federal agents. Emery sipped his martini, but he couldn't enjoy the taste. He hadn't been able to think about anything since his last conversation with the frightened thieves.

There were only two people in Miami the Russian mob might want to take out badly enough to send a hit team after them instead of hiring some dime-bag thug.

The Chazov twins.

Emery fired off a quick text to the arresting agent. He'd struck a deal when the case agent came to him with a gig outside of Emery's current operation. Emery would work his regular, high-end document forgery angle, keeping the thieves stateside long enough to get a warrant, and the Feds would allow Emery first crack at them. It was time for the suit to live up to his part of the bargain.

Though Emery was employed by the FBI as an agent and field tech, his role was much more elaborate. Deep cover. He leveraged his ruined reputation and embellished criminal past to create a persona that fit the FBI's needs, while he got to work for the good guys and pull in a paycheck that didn't leave him hating the air he breathed. It was a deal that worked.

His phone buzzed with an incoming text.

 

Alley
.

 

It wasn't an ideal location, but he needed to know for sure why an assassin team was coming to Miami.

Emery kept his head down, slipping out the back door of the club and into the alley. No one would comment about him making a clandestine exit. After all, everyone knew Emery was a money launderer and go-to guy when the needs were high-tech. Too bad the majority of his customers wound up in jail or passing on merchandise that was bugged by Uncle Sam.

An unmarked van idled at the end of the alleyway. He kept close to the brick wall, eyeing the van. A man stepped out of it, closing the door quickly behind him. The yellow FBI letters were emblazoned across the back of his bulletproof vest.

“Seriously? Are you trying to make me?” Emery glanced from the vest to the arresting agent. The last thing he needed was for someone to link him to the FBI.

The agent ignored his protest. “They said someone's coming to do a hit on some girls. That's all they know.”

“They—who? He mentioned a hit team.” Emery jerked his head toward the van. He'd learned a few things while stalling the thieves. Like all the lowlifes in Miami were suddenly finding somewhere else to be for the foreseeable future.

“Doesn't know who. Just that it's the Russians sending them. Got to get them to lockup.” The agent thumbed toward the van with one hand and held out the other.

Emery shook it, trying not to grimace.

“Thanks again.”

“Don't mention it,” Emery replied. He stepped back, keeping to the shadows, and put as much distance between him and the van as he could.

Assassins in Miami.

That was the last thing he needed.

He paused at the end of the alley and watched the van pull out onto the street. It merged with the evening traffic, blending in seamlessly. He was already mentally sorting the who's who of the Russian mafia in the States. He'd made it a private study to know each and every face, their record and family vendettas. The FBI wouldn't appreciate his recreational uses of their intelligence, but he couldn't find it in him to care. Not where she was concerned.

Tori Chazov.

She was his every temptation. The one bright spot in dark days strung together in a blur of surveillance and counterintelligence. Emery's life was a twisted mess, but hers made his appear to have been a cakewalk. Tori and her twin, Roni, were the daughters of a KGB spy turned American informant almost thirty years ago. Their old man was dead, but the girls were still kicking. They were also part of his undercover FBI team, pretending to be nothing more than talented mechanics at Classic Rides, a garage that specialized in muscle car restoration. Though Emery had never been tasked to keep an eye out for those who still had a beef with the Chazov family, he did it for Tori. Not that she knew, or would even appreciate his vigilance, but it made it easier for him to sleep—when he could manage to close his eyes, which wasn't very often lately.

He turned the corner and strode through the alley, heading toward the valet lot where he'd left his ride. If something bad of the Russian variety was coming to town, it couldn't be good for Tori or her twin sister, even if they weren't the intended targets, which he found unlikely. There was no connection between the mob and the criminal organization they were stalking. None at all. There wasn't even a Russian presence in Miami to speak of. So why now? What were they after?

He needed to set scans to run all TSA screenings against his database, which was on top of his current mammoth workload.

Three months ago, he'd thought they were finally in the clear, that their primary objective was completed and the job done. The whole purpose of their team setting up in Miami was to take down the kingpin of the biggest drug ring in south Florida, which they'd done without harming a single civilian. Except their target, Michael Evers, was still in police custody. Not rotting in a federal penitentiary. And there were no new marching orders. Add to it a rival car gang who wanted to see Emery's crew dead, and he'd spent more time lately watching his rearview mirror than the road ahead of him.

“Shit,” he muttered.

He hovered in the alley as two patrol officers and a man in a polo shirt and slacks walked around Emery's Tesla Roadster. The hundred-thousand-dollar car was a hand-me-down from a government bust meant to bolster his street cred. Too bad it also made him stick out at the least opportune times.

Emery sucked in a deep breath. He wasn't a people person, preferring his bank of computer monitors to actually dealing with the living. The last person he wanted to interface with was Detective Matt Smith. The cop had kept his distance after Aiden brought him in to make the arrest on Michael Evers. What was more, Matt Smith knew their secret and hadn't shared it to Emery's knowledge. At least Matt hadn't e-mailed, texted, or chatted about it. To cover their asses, Emery had hacked the good detective's accounts and set up a program to record every keystroke. Matt Smith hadn't so much as run a search on any of them.

That was a lie.

Matt had looked up Roni's record once, but nothing came of it. Emery had ensured the girls had nothing out of the ordinary in their public files. Still, it was curious.

Emery pulled out his phone and activated the app that connected to the car. The electric vehicle had almost a full charge and it didn't appear that the good detective had attempted to tamper with the vehicle. Good for both of them. Emery had somewhere to be. Too bad it didn't appear as though Matt was going anywhere.

“Can I help you, officers?” Emery strolled toward the trio and one nervous valet, hands at his side.

Detective Smith stood at the front of the car, hands on his hips. He'd pushed his sunglasses up on his brow, messing up his perfectly gelled blond hair. Aiden had nicknamed the cop Golden Boy, which was fitting. To Emery's knowledge, Matt colored inside the lines.

“You wear something besides your grandpa's clothes?” Detective Smith smirked.

Emery stared at the officer. He'd heard every variety of insult in his life. Picking on his clothes was about as boring as it got. Besides, the clothes were designer—some name brand all the South Beach hotshots were wearing. Yeah, it looked ridiculous, but it also helped his high-rolling, go-to-guy image.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“Checking on a stolen car report. Running serial numbers, is all.”

Was this some kind of code? Did Smith want to talk? Then why bring the uniforms? Only an idiot would think the Tesla was stolen.

“Where's DeHart?” Smith asked.

“I believe he has a date tonight, so you'll have to get in line for your good-night kiss.” For a couple months, before their crew got involved, Matt had tried to shield a woman named Madison Haughton from her ex-husband, one of Michael Evers's fall guys. Emery, like many others, had suspected the detective of being sweet on Madison, but Smith wasn't her type. She'd moved in with Aiden DeHart and had all but taken his last name in the intervening three months.

Matt stalked around the car and got up in Emery's face. The detective was about the same height, but Emery was willing to bet the good ol' cop would go down easy. That was the problem. Cops had to fight fair, while Emery fought to survive. He'd had plenty of practice and had managed to keep most of his skin, while he was willing to bet Matt had only ever suffered scraped knuckles and a black eye.

“I need to talk to DeHart,” Matt said, pitching his voice low.

That was it?

Something had to be up if the detective couldn't just ring the garage, but this wasn't the place to talk about it. First the Feds, now the cops, there was far too much brass in this part of Miami tonight for Emery's tastes.

“We'll be in touch.” Emery pitched his voice louder, so the uniforms heard. “Unless you have something of worth to the public of Miami to say to me, get away from my car.”

Matt glanced down. “That knee of yours is looking a little tight. Bothering you?”

Emery didn't say it, but he sure as hell tightened his right hand into a fist. Matt had to be digging on a device that Emery hadn't hacked yet if he knew about Emery's knee injury. Instead, he gestured to the valet who produced his key fob.

“Don't let me catch you sniffing around my car again, Detective. You won't like the consequences.” Emery would have to dig around on the detective a bit more. Truth was, they could use him. Especially if Smith could tell them why Evers wasn't in federal custody.

Something wasn't right, and Emery had to get to the bottom of it all before shit hit the fan. His team relied on him to head off or warn them about possible threats.

He dropped into the Tesla and slid his phone onto the cradle. The engine hummed to life, barely noticeable compared to the noise other cars made. The suit jacket and button-up shirt were stifling, but he didn't have time to shed them. The cruiser backed off, giving Emery enough room to burn a little rubber as he left the lot. The cops didn't make any move to tail him, but he still kept an eye on his six.

Unlike the rest of Emery's crew, he worked away from the garage and cars in a fortress of solitude and servers. Not many knew he was connected to the mechanics at Classic Rides, and he liked it that way. It gave him the freedom to perform tasks the others couldn't. Which meant it was probably easiest for Matt to approach him rather than the others without drawing notice.

The on-board computer muted the music as the clatter of an old-timey phone rang through the speakers.

“Incoming call from, Tori,” the mechanical voice announced.

His pulse jumped. Were the Russians here already?

“Answer,” Emery said.

The car's system beeped, activating the call. He tapped the steering wheel and consciously decreased the pressure on the accelerator.

“Tori?”

“Hey, are you at home?” Grease. Laughter. Mint gum. Torn coveralls. A hundred little details about her he'd catalogued flitted through his brain. There was a new one to add to his list. Strain. Her voice didn't contain any of the sunshine it usually did.

“No. I'm headed there. What's up?” Screw it. He accelerated, cutting in front of an eighteen-wheeler and turning onto a side street, then onto another two-lane road, zigzagging his way through the heart of Miami.

“I just . . .” She sighed. “Roni's going to the Orlando Race Battle with the others.”

“Oh.”

He scrambled to recall the discussion they'd had about the merits of the trip in their last get-together at The Shop, a warehouse they'd outfitted for their less-than-legal operations. On one hand, the crew had a lot of targets on their back and dividing the team for an upstate race was leaving them handicapped in Miami. On the other, the rogue Eleventh Street crew's leader might not be able to help showing up and burning rubber, giving them an excellent opportunity to bust his ass.