Page 5 of Nuclear Option (Owens Protective Services)

“Sir…”

“Is it done?”

“I’m afraid not. Our team never checked in.”

I sat up in my chair, baffled that a group of trained men hadn’t been able to take her. “What do you mean? Did they disappear?”

“We believe she had help this time.”

“She’s had help before,” I argued.

“We think this time she had help from someone much more capable.”

I spun around in my chair, facing the window. If I didn’t get this under control, everything would go up in smoke—my career, reputation, and the lucrative deals I had in place. I would go to prison. Those other assholes would do fine. Prison was like a second home to them, but orange never looked good on me.

“Who?”

“We’re not one hundred percent positive, but we think it was Owens Protective Services.”

“Owens…the group of ex-military that protects celebrities?” I scoffed.

“Sir, as you said, they’re ex-military.”

“You had every resource I could provide,” I argued. “You had a helicopter!”

It was silent for a moment. “Sir, I’ve been looking into it. According to police reports, a helicopter went down in Kansas, just outside of where her aunt used to reside. We believe it was our men.”

“And how the fuck did that happen?”

“They seem to be very resourceful.”

“Then hit them where it hurts. Find out where they’ve hidden the girl, and you take them out.”

“Yes, sir.”

“In the meantime, you go after all of them. I don’t care who you need to send in, you make sure every last one of them is buried in the fucking ground!”

“Sir, if we go after just them, we can make it look like an accident. If we go after the whole company, how would we explain it?”

I stood and paced my office. I didn’t know what to do. I had to get rid of them. My life depended on it. Hell, the whole operation depended on it. “Fine, find them. Wherever they are, you find them and you take them out by whatever means necessary, and anyone that gets in your way.”

“Yes, sir.”

I hung up and shoved my hands in my pockets. Now that she had help, I could feel the walls closing in. If I couldn’t get to her, she would destroy me. But I still had one ace up my sleeve. I hadn’t wanted to use it, but at this point, I would use whatever means necessary to destroy this woman before she destroyed me.

3

CASH

“Any news on my wife?”I asked the nurse after she walked into the waiting room for another family. She seemed slightly miffed that I was asking her. Then again, I had asked her the last three times she came out here.

“Sir, when I hear something, I’ll let you know.”

“It’s been hours.”

“It’s been one hour, and like the doctor said, it’s a very simple procedure.”

“Then why is it taking them so long?” I growled, pissed as hell that I couldn’t be back there with her. I wasn’t under the illusion that I could help in any way, but I hated that I couldn’t protect her. We were all stuck in the waiting room, threatened with security if we tried to go back there again. I could take them out, but that would only draw further attention to us.

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