Her Regret, His Resolve; Bouncing Back, Book 2

15

Sitting up in bed as a noise alerted her, Skylar looked around the dimly lit room of the hotel they were staying in. One hand slipped under her pillow as she pushed herself up until her feet touched the floor. Her eyes sought out the darker corners, watching the shadows for any sign of movement.

Behind her in the other bed, she could hear Giana’s now-familiar breaths as she slept. It was their third night, and the last chance they had to find out what was happening to the models that went missing. Earlier that day, she and Giana finally tracked down the one who stole Latoya’s designs and had the man and woman pair taken in by another of her mother’s undercover workers. They were well on their way back to Ontario by now, though.

While they were taking a short break to rest, they had yet another problem that required their attention. The kidnappers, if they actually existed, had struck the opening night of the fashion show. There were no hints at who it could be, but only one girl had been taken – the same girl who had gotten in Skylar’s face.

Again, she could hear the noise echoing though the darkness of the room. Closing her eyes, she focused her attention on the sound.

Part of their training was utilizing their senses in different situations. One such exercise had them tied up and blindfolded while whoever that was working with them rattled different objects until each sound was distinct. Each one on the team Nix put together caught on fast to the training, and it was now proving useful.

Moving to the other woman’s side, she gave the heiress a gentle shake.

“What’s wrong?” Giana asked sleepily.

“Someone’s trying to get into the room. During training, we were taught various sounds that wouldn’t normally stand out. That’s the doorknob of the primary entry. It’s two in the morning, so it’s not the hotel staff. The bathroom is the only safe zone for you, so let’s get you in there.” Skylar said calmly.

Guiding Giana to the bathroom, Skylar checked for any intruders before ushering the other woman inside and locking the door. Grabbing the ornate chair in the corner, she jammed it under the handle.

Pulling out her phone, she messaged Russell and Robert on the team chat. A few seconds later, the sound of the main door being pried open alerted them to the fact that someone had gotten into the room.

“The guys are ready on their end. When I move the chair and go confront them, you lock this room down tight. Our mission was to protect you while you performed your investigation, and I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to you.” She hissed to Giana.

Giana nodded, “I got you, Sky. Mother told me that she’d sent separate orders, and I figured that’s what your purpose was, so the trip wasn’t as boring as it could have been.”

Nodding, Skylar opened the door, stepping out into the main room. Hearing the lock turn behind her, she faked a yawn. As expected, whoever was trying to attack them moved in for the kill. Dodging, she elbowed her attacker in the ribs, hearing a masculine grunt of pain as her heel found his instep and stomped down.

Twisting out of his reach, she went through the motions of her fighting style: Dance fighting. With each time the intruder missed grabbing her, she managed to get in a hit and deal damage. Finally, as if the Fates heard her and were willing to help, the man bled. Now wounded, it should be easy to track him down.

“b***h!” The man growled when she got him on the floor.

There was a rush of feet as the room was suddenly invaded with more people in raid gear. With guns drawn, they flashed Skylar an insignia proving their loyalty.

“Branch Thirteen of the Veiðimenn,” one said, removing his helmet. “You’re Sky Marks?”

She raised a brow, c*****g her weapon as she glared at them. Anyone could pretend to be a member of their mob, but only those who knew the rules inside and out had true access to the team files. “Whose asking?”

The man tossed her a phone as Russell and Robert walked in with more people. Robert was dragging another behind him, shaking his head in disgust. The man chuckled, “Nice work. You managed to keep Ms. Victors-Stanton safe and deal a fair amount of damage. Ms. Marks, Master Ross is on the line.”

“Hello?” She asked as she put the phone to her ear.

The familiar, breathy chuckle helped her relax. “When I found out you guys already resolved the design thefts, I had a team from Branch Thirteen move in to guard the hotel.”

“Good thinking, but I had him. Three intruders, two men and a woman,” Skylar reported as she pulled off their masks and snapped a few pictures. “Oh, would you look at that? It’s the b***h that told me I needed to go on a diet.”

Sending the pictures, she rapped her knuckles against the bathroom door. “Come on out, Gia. Uncle Ross had backup sent before we even needed it.”

Going back to the call, she sighed, “How did you know when to send them in?”

“I didn’t. The alarm Robbie installed the first night went off alerting them to the attack, so they moved in according to the normal formations.” He advised. “I’m going back to bed. Try to stay out of trouble, and I’ll see you all when ya get back. Oh, and tell my nephew to bring me back a souvenir. Last time I was in B.C., I didn’t get to grab one for myself.”

Finding it almost impossible not to laugh, Skylar chuckled softly at the much older man who helped train the soldiers. He was currently the only one left in their mafia that remembered a time before Hans became the Kingpin of the Underworld. “Sure thing, Uncle Ross. I’ll let him know.”

As the three people were led away, Skylar glanced over at the two men on her current work team. “Rob, Uncle Ross wants a gift. Russell, we should probably follow them to find out where the missing girls are.”

“Agreed,” her boyfriend replied. “Rob, are you good to guard Giana on your own?”

“Have at it,” Robert answered as he grabbed the girls’ stuff and transferred it to their room instead.

Following the branch team, they got to a building an hour away from where they were staying. Walking in, they were met with the humming buzz of activity. Walking up to one of the people that looked like they were in charge, Russell presented his insignia.

“How long before we can complete our mission?” He asked.

Glancing at them, the woman smiled, “My, aren’t you a handsome one.”

“We’re from Branch One, meaning we outrank you. Stick to the task at hand, or I’m going to have fun at my brother-in-law’s expense. Prisoners. Now,” he growled out.

The woman paled, her eyes going wide. “Just a minute here! Who the hell do you think you are walking in here and spewing that s**t?”

“I said what I said,” Russell snapped. “I’d hate to wake the Dove King at this ungodly hour, so do the job you were trained for or get me someone who will.”

Tapping out a message on her phone, sky wasn’t surprised when her father responded quickly. A few minutes later, the woman’s phone started ringing loudly. Skylar smiled, “You may want to get that.”

Another soldier ran over, his face pale. “Ma’am, Master Jonathan is demanding you get to his office with these two right away. He said the boss ain’t happy that his people are getting the run-around with the mission.”

“What, these brats?” The woman laughed.

Rolling her eyes, Skylar pulled her gun and dispatched a bullet at the woman’s feet. “Move before the next one finds a home inside your head.”

Now fully scared out of her wits, the woman led them up to the branch leader’s office. Letting them inside, she thought she was being sneaky when she pulled her weapon on the girl. Being faster, Skylar took aim and fired a second shot, keeping her original promise to put a bullet in the woman’s head.

Russell glared at the man sitting at the desk, his hands folded neatly over a stack of information. Grabbing it, he ignored the man’s cries as he flipped through everything. “Boss ain’t going to like this. Don Hans’ legacy is at stake, and we all know how much Don Callum worshipped his father.”

Pulling out his phone, he called Ross. “This branch needs an overhaul, Sir. They had intel on the kidnappers and didn’t disclose the intel to home base before Sky, Rob, and I left. Sky is with me at the branch building, too. She offed one b***h who thought she outranked us.”

With the call on speaker, Ross’ voice created fear in the man watching them. “They what? Absolutely no one outranks soldiers from Branch One. I’m sending a full team to do overhaul and will let Cal know in the morning. Emma had trouble sleeping and kept talking about her “sissy Sky” being in trouble. Now we know why. You’ve all done well, so go rest and come home as soon as you’re able.”

“And the prisoners?” Skylar asked.

“It will all be taken care of by me personally. Is Jonathan there?” Ross asked darkly.

The other man, Jonathan, shook with fear. “S-Sir, I didn’t know the intel was viable!”

“Viable or not, you report back every f*****g piece of information your people find to the main branch so that we can create a plan of action. The heir of the mob’s team has been temporarily split for personal reasons, making Ms. Marks the highest ranking official there. Her guard and boyfriend, Russell Reyes, happens to be our Donna’s younger brother, so tread lightly. Russell, take the required measures to get the girls home before brunch.”

“As you command, Master Ross.”