Page 93 of Thaddeus

Drugs were being sold, bets were being hedged, and men and women both were standing around the ring shouting and cheering.

All in all there’d been no preparing for what I’d witnessed. And the smell of blood and animal waste was enough to choke you.

But, it was a good night. The SWAT, SRT, and the narcos made several arrests, and all of the dogs had been confiscated. When we left, Animal Control and the Humane Society were pulling in to sort their end of the operation.

Everything had gone to plan, we were done earlier than we’d thought, no one was hurt, and the good guys came out on top. Yet, something was wrong.

I could feel it.

“I’ll write up the AAR when we get back to the hotel,” Kyle offered.

“’Preciate it,” Dec mumbled.

I didn’t have the wherewithal to contemplate Declan’s current mood. He’d been all business tonight, and much quieter than normal. I vaguely wondered if he felt it, too. Something was lurking over us like a cloud of death.

“You straight?” Brooks asked.

“Who, me?” I returned.

“Yeah, you. You’re staring out the window like you’re plotting murder,” he joked.

“Something’s off. I can’t shake the feeling,” I answered him honestly.

“What feeling?” Declan snapped.

Definitely in a bad mood.

“Wish I knew, brother. Everything was smooth sailing tonight. Thought that was it but even now my gut is twisted.”

I watched the speedometer inch toward ninety as Declan sped down the highway. I appreciated him getting a move on it. I wanted to get home to Emerson and crawl into bed next to her. If luck was on my side she’d gone to bed in one of those sweet nighties she’d picked up at the mall today when she and Tatiana had gone to buy her a dress for tomorrow.

* * *

I gently closed the door behind me, careful not to wake Emerson, and made my way into the bedroom. She’d been right about the price of the suite costing a whack; however, it was worth every penny. Luxury throughout and it was the perfect place for us to relax and regroup.

I still needed to talk to Emerson about where she wanted our home base to be. Here in San Diego or in Maryland near the office and the other team wives. Brooks and Tatiana were leaning toward the east coast and I hoped Emerson would, too. This would be Tatiana’s last mission working with us in the field, and since she was employed by Z Corps as well, Annapolis made sense for them.

I started to pull my shirt over my head and froze.

My eyes sliced back to the empty bed.

Empty.

I flipped the light on and the comforter and many toss pillows were all still in perfect order. I went to the bathroom and switched on that light.

Empty.

My heart was jumping in my chest as I moved back to the living space, hoping I missed her on the couch. I was turning on lights as I went and coming up empty. No Emerson.

What the fuck?

“Emerson?” I shouted.

Nothing.

I went for the French doors, unlocked them, and threw them open. Not on the patio. I stepped off the small outside space designated for our room onto the public pathway and Declan appeared.

“Beach is clear,” he told me.