Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

SETH STARED AT the Fortress Security campus as Teagan drove her SUV onto the grounds. Holy smoke. He did not know so many buildings were in the enclosed campus. "Is this where you train?"

Teagan glanced at him. "Sometimes. Usually, we train in Ardmore. Iona bought a house with a ton of acreage so we can train together on her property. It keeps people from being too nosy about what we're doing."

He shifted his gaze to the woman at his side. "You're talking about the Wilmington place?"

"That's right. You're familiar with it?"

"Who isn't? Down at headquarters, it's known as the Palace. We knew someone bought the property, but no one knew who. Will you give me a tour sometime?"

"I'd love to. No pictures, though."

Seth snorted. "Do I look like the kind of guy to take photos of everything I see and post them all over my social media pages?" As if that would ever happen. He only took photos of crime scenes and he posted nothing online. A cop had to be a fool to have a social media presence.

"Not really."

"There you go. Since I don't have a social media footprint, you can take my phone for the duration of the tour."

Teagan parked in an underground garage and turned off the engine. "It's not that I don't trust you, Seth. This is about security for me and my teammates."

"I get it, Teagan. You don't have to explain."

"If that's true, you're the only man I've been interested in who understood."

He paused with his hand on the armrest. "A man dumped you over security issues?" What kind of idiot let a woman as unique and beautiful as Teagan Paloni slip through his fingers?

"More than one."

"I'm a lot of things, sweetheart. Stupid isn't one of them." Seth cupped her cheek with his hand and brushed the velvet skin of her bottom lip with his thumb. "Their loss is my gain." After another pass over her lip, he climbed out of the SUV and met Teagan at the front of the hood.

She led the way to the elevator where her teammates waited for them.

How did Brent Maddox put together a team of five gorgeous women to work in black ops?

Teagan turned to him as the elevator rose to an upper floor. "Seth, these are my other teammates, Iona, Rayne, and Riley."

He shook their hands. "Seth Dixon. Thanks for helping with security." Even though it galled him to depend on anyone else when he could protect himself.

Riley smiled. "How much did that hurt?"

"More than I'm willing to admit in an enclosed space."

The women laughed.

On the sixth floor, Iona led them to a large conference room where a man in a wheelchair talked with Noah.

Seth's partner looked as though he had slept little overnight. "Pull another all nighter?" he asked.

"Tried to get as much information as possible before Burnett locked me out of the system."

"Were you successful?"

"Not enough. I put in most of the information I could access myself. The crime scene team was slow logging their findings."

"What do you bet Burnett was behind that?"

"Probably. Seth, this is Zane Murphy. He's in charge of communications and technology at Fortress."

So this was Murphy. Seth shook his hand. "Seth Dixon."

"Good to meet you, Detective. Please, have a seat. The boss will arrive shortly. He's in a meeting with Lt. Burnett and an FBI agent."

Noah and Seth grimaced.

The communications head chuckled. "We're not fond of the feds, either."

Seconds later, the door to the conference room opened. Seth's lieutenant strode in, followed by a man dressed in a black suit and shoes, white shirt, and blue tie. The fed.

Bringing up the rear was a muscular man with blond hair and blue eyes. "Take a seat, everyone." He held out his hand to Seth. "You must be Seth Dixon. Welcome to Fortress Security."

"Thank you, sir."

Maddox shifted his attention to Noah. "Noah Mann, welcome to Fortress. I'm Brent Maddox."

"Good to meet you, sir." Noah dropped into a seat beside Seth. "We appreciate you allowing us to meet on your turf."

"No problem." Fortress Security's CEO took a seat at the head of the table. "For those who haven't met them, this is Lt. Charles Burnett of the Ardmore Police Department and Special Agent in Charge Oliver Walters." Maddox introduced Teagan and her teammates to the LT and the FBI agent. "Under normal circumstances, I'd leave to attend to other things. This time, I won't."

Teagan and her teammates exchanged glances.

Seth frowned. What was going on here? Whatever it was, Teagan's team was as clueless as Seth and his partner.

"Lt. Burnett, start us off."

The LT gave a shortened version of events on the running trail the day before, ending with, "Pico's reference to The Brotherhood is where the feds come into the picture. Walters?"

The agent glanced at Zane, who tapped a few keys on his laptop. Seconds later, a picture of a compound deep in the woods flashed onto the screen. "This is Haven, the compound where The Brotherhood lives and trains. It's in the woods of East Tennessee. We've been watching this group for months, trying to get an undercover agent in place, but the leaders of this militia are paranoid and they don't trust easily."

Walters signaled to Zane. The picture on the screen changed to side-by-side shots of two men, both bearded and muscular, with matching hard expressions. "These are the co-leaders of The Brotherhood, Leon Peters and Boyd Richardson. Peters is a former colonel in the Army discharged for multiple charges of conduct unbecoming an officer and insubordination."

Seth scowled. "He should have been charged and tossed in prison."

"If he'd fought the charges, he would have been. Apparently, Peters had a lot of friends in high places and knew dirt on those people. The upper ranks decided the safer course of action was to boot him out of the military."

Noah whistled.

"Boyd Richardson was also in the Army and is a former detective with the Miami-Dade police. Several reprimands were in his file for brutality. Although suspected of taking kickbacks, no one could pin evidence on him. When his lieutenant demoted him because of yet another brutality charge, Richardson resigned. He disappeared for several months, then reappeared in Tennessee when he joined The Brotherhood. Richardson moved up the ranks quickly to become co-leader of the group."

"What does this have to do with Artemis, Seth, and Noah?" Iona asked the agent.

Burnett said, "Dixon's confidential informant was positive one of the three men he'd overheard talking was a cop. Since he didn't recognize the man, we do not know if he was local, state or federal."

"What do you need from us?"

"Undercover operatives."

Teagan's eyebrows rose. "All of us? You're talking about seven people, Lt. Burnett. If Peters and Richardson accepted all of us, which I doubt, we'd attract attention with this many people applying for membership in the militia."

"Not all of your team, Teagan," Maddox said. "Two members of Artemis, plus the detectives."

Seth and Noah exchanged glances. His partner gave a slight nod. All right then. "We're in," Seth said.

"Risky, though," Noah added. "After all, we're law enforcement. No way Peters and Richardson won't check us out six ways to Sunday. Not only that, we still have the dirty cop in the mix."

"We have a couple of options, which we'll discuss in a minute. Teagan, I'd like to send you in undercover with Seth as an established couple. You already have chemistry with the detective. If you're uncomfortable with it, I can choose someone else on your team to partner with Seth."

Although her expression was blank, she shook her head. "I'll go with him."

"T," Iona murmured. "Are you sure?"

Seth narrowed his eyes. What was that about? Did Iona honestly believe that he would do anything to hurt Teagan? Or was something else going on that he didn't know about, something that impacted Teagan?

Under the table, Seth's hand fisted. He should have manned up and gotten to know Teagan sooner. He didn't want the woman at his side caught up in something that made her uncomfortable with him or the situation.

"I'm fine."

She wasn't. Seth knew it to his bones. Taking a chance, he covered her hand with his and lightly squeezed. Teagan glanced at him and turned her hand until their fingers laced together. Her fingers were icy.

Unable to do anything else in a room full of people, Seth stroked her hand with his thumb before shifting his gaze to her boss.

Maddox gave a slight nod. "All right. Teagan and Seth will go in. Noah, I'd like to pair you with Violet. Where you're going, you'll be likely to need a medic."

Noah blinked. "Seriously?"

"Rumors abound on the Net about the members of The Brotherhood. None of them are good. Once you're in, the only way to leave is in a body bag."

"Nice," he muttered. "Just like old times."

Seth's lips curved. With Noah's background, he could see why his partner drew that conclusion.

Maddox shifted his attention to Violet. "You in?"

"Yes, sir."

"How are we going to pull this off?" Seth asked. "Richardson still must have contacts in the law enforcement community. Noah's right. The Brotherhood leaders will check us out. If they learn we're cops, we're dead. They'll kill Teagan and Violet right along with us." That couldn't happen. "I won't risk their safety."

Maddox stared. "First, these women are highly trained in black ops. They could gut you and be gone before you realized what happened. Second, the choice isn't yours. It's theirs. Suck it up and deal, Dixon."

Fury burned in his gut. Yeah, he realized Teagan and her teammates probably did this type of work routinely. That didn't mean he wanted to be the reason she walked into danger. Seth knew Teagan didn't want to take part in this operation. He also knew she would knowingly put herself in the middle of this op to watch his back.

"Seth," she murmured. Her gaze locked with his. "This is what we do. We'll have your back."

He watched her for a long moment, then gave a slight nod. "And I'll have yours." No one would hurt this woman on his watch.

Maddox cleared his throat. "Since you seem to have agreed, let's continue. We have two ways to handle The Brotherhood problem. One, Fortress can create new identities for you. Our tech team is the best in the business. By the time we're finished building your identities, no one would recognize your background as Ardmore cops."

Too many risks with that option. "What's the second way?"

"That one is more complicated," Burnett said. "It would require some serious acting abilities by you and your partner." He paused. "This option would also involve muddying your reputations."

A ball of ice formed in Seth's gut. "What do you mean by that?"

"You're already under suspicion of murdering your CI," Walters said. "Wouldn't take much to sully your reputation further and paint you and your partner as dirty cops."

Noah groaned. "Great. Just great. We'd be going into The Brotherhood as disillusioned cops? Talk about slapping a big red target on our backs."

"You could take option one," Maddox said mildly. "Unfortunately for you boys, you're good at your jobs and have been in the Ardmore press more than once over the past few years. Chances are decent that someone might recognize your ugly mugs and figure you for plants in the militia."

Seth scowled. "What's preventing us from being shot on sight when we present ourselves for membership to this militia group?"

"Nothing except you and your ability to pull off the greatest acting job of your lives."

That wasn't the only problem. "If we're declared dirty cops, I assume you plan to make statements to the media, LT?"

Regret filled Burnett's eyes. "It's the best way to keep you safe in the militia."

Noah flinched. "And torpedo our careers."

"After the op is finished, I'll inform the media and your brothers in blue that additional evidence came to light and you've been exonerated. However, you'll still have to watch your backs on calls."

"What does that mean?" Teagan asked.

"Cops have long memories, and they're suspicious by nature. Noah and Seth will have to prove themselves all over again."

"Which means what, exactly?"

"Seth and his partner may have to protect themselves against the criminals and their fellow cops."

She glared at Burnett. "You're setting up Seth and Noah as traitors?"

"It's okay, Teagan," Seth murmured. It wasn't, but what could he do?

"No, it's not. Your own lieutenant is hanging you and your partner out to dry."

"Paloni," Maddox snapped.

"You wouldn't do that to one of your people. You would never throw us under the bus."

"Not unless I had no choice. I've done it before." His gaze slid to Murphy, who saluted his boss.

Seth couldn't imagine Brent Maddox turning on his communication and tech man.

"Why is this necessary?" Noah demanded. "All we have right now the is word of a CI that he thought a man was a cop. Why put our careers in jeopardy on Pico's word alone?"

Burnett motioned to Walters. "Your turn."

"As I said, we tried to insert an agent into The Brotherhood and failed. We need to get someone in there soon. It's imperative."

"Why?"

"This group isn't just a bunch of men and women hauling around peashooters and doing target practice. Richardson and Peters are fanatics, and they're planning something big. The problem is no one is talking, and if we don't get someone inside that compound soon, we'll be too late to stop them from doing a lot of damage."

"And you think Noah and I are your best bet at getting inside that organization?" Seth stroked the back of Teagan's hand when she stiffened.

"Who better?" Walters countered. "Two disgruntled cops who are former military. You have the skills The Brotherhood values in their recruits. I had planned to send you and your partner in alone. Maddox convinced me it would be easier for the two of you to get inside with Teagan and Violet."

"Explain."

"Violet is a paramedic. Every organization needs medical personnel on the inside to treat wounds. As a former Army medic, she's no stranger to combat injuries."

"And Teagan?"

"She's a trained sniper."

Seth froze. "Military trained?"

"That's right."

As much as Seth hated to put Teagan in the middle of this operation, he had to concede she was more than qualified as was her teammate, Violet.

He exchanged glances with his partner and saw the same reservations he had. Seth turned to Burnett. "When do we have to decide?"

"Now."

"I need a few minutes with Teagan, Violet, and Noah before I give you our answer."

Maddox said, "Small conference room. Ten minutes."

"Yes, sir." Teagan stood, her fingers still threaded through Seth's.

Might not mean much in the scheme of things, but he was pleased she hadn't released his hand. Now everyone in this conference room knew something was brewing between him and Teagan. Noah and Violet followed them from the room.

Teagan walked down the hall and motioned to a door on the right. Seth opened the door to a small conference room. He closed the door when they were all inside. "Opinions?"

"I don't like it." Noah paced the room and back. "This has disaster written all over it. Come on, Seth. We're putting our lives and reputations on the line for what could be a mistake by Pico. I hate putting the women at risk for a dicey operation like this." He stopped and folded his arms across his chest. "Worse, Walters didn't mention what's going on inside the compound. You know what those places are like."

Yeah, he did. "Explosive."

Noah pointed at him. "Exactly. The fed is holding something back, and I don't want Violet or Teagan caught in the backwash. If things go bad, we may not get them out in time."

"You're not going in alone." Violet dropped into a chair. "You'll be under more suspicion if you try to gain entrance without us. We know what we're doing, Noah. People see what they want to see."

"Which is what?"

"A paramedic following her boyfriend, who is furious at being let go from the force and has her own problems with authority." She flashed a smile. "It's why I was drummed out of the Army, after all."

Seth's eyebrows rose. "Seriously?"

"It's the story Zane has in place in my records. Trust me. Peters and Richardson will only see what we want them to see."

"What about you, Teagan? What story is in place for you?"

"Knowing Z, he'll doctor my records to include a mission gone wrong, a bullet hitting the wrong target."

"Is it the truth?"

"In a way."

Watching her, Seth realized she would not tell him anything else for now. Something he'd have to ask her later.

"Are we doing this or not?" Noah asked. "If we are, we need to be ready for the fallout. This is going to hit our families, Seth. No way will Burnett or Walters give us permission to inform them of what's coming. They'll think we're as dirty as the media will claim."

He flinched. His parents and brothers would be devastated. The Dixon family had a long and honored history in law enforcement. This operation would sully their pristine reputation and his own. "I have to do this, Noah. You know I do. Pico died on my watch while trying to give me valuable intel. I can't let him die in vain."

"Yeah?" His partner grimaced. "Our deaths may be in vain if he was dead wrong in his assessment. Are you willing to risk your life on this gamble? More important, are you willing to risk Teagan's life in this crazy scheme?"