He didn’t like the way this was going.
“What if that psycho gets to her first?” He paced the length of O’Riley’s office once more. “What then?”
“He won’t.” O’Riley knew the psycho he referred to was Lester, the serial killer who’d escaped lockup less than twenty-four hours ago.
“How can you be so sure?” Remington threw his hands up, then planted them firmly at his waist. “Can we take that chance?”
“We have to.” O’Riley settled one hip on the corner of his desk. “Aidan will protect her.”
“But this is his first solo operation,” Remington argued. “He’s different from the others. He uses the power of his mind more than his physical strength.”
“That’s right,” O’Riley agreed. “But that’s an advantage, not a disadvantage.”
The governor paused and glared at O’Riley. “If she remembers everything, this whole operation could blow up. She might become unstable.”
“Aidan knows how to handle the situation. He’s prepared for every scenario.”
“Meanwhile we just wait it out,” Remington countered. “We don’t send in anyone else. We don’t do anything. Galen is there. We have to stop him. To hell with Lester. It’s Galen we really have to worry about.”
O’Riley clasped his hands in front of him and strove for patience. “That’s true. But it’s also the most important reason to leave things just as they are.”
Remington finally collapsed into a chair. “What the hell does that mean?”
“There’s too big a risk that Darby Shepard would sense the presence of a second Enforcer. We can’t take that chance. Aidan can provide sufficient protection.”
“But what about Galen?” he demanded. “Who’s going to stop him? Aidan can’t play protector and aggressor at the same time.”
O’Riley smiled. Some guys just didn’t see the forest for the trees. He’d just have to spell it out for him. “Our ultimate goal is to get Galen while protecting Center.”
Remington made a dramatic “go on” gesture.
“He’s a slippery bastard. We might not ever be able to catch him in the usual manner. He knows too much…knows the Enforcers. But we have him at a disadvantage right now.”
“How’s that?” Remington asked, his curiosity piqued now.
“He wants our girl. She’s the only vulnerable link to Center. He’ll come after her, no question. If we wait, lure him in on our terms, we’ll get him.”
“Use her as bait,” Remington stated for clarification.
“That’s right. What better way to catch a man who thinks he’s God than with his own creation?”
“Can Aidan do this alone?”
“I believe so.”
“And if we lose them both as a result of this strategy?”
“As long as we get Galen and Center is protected, we’ve accomplished our mission.”
“So both he and the girl are expendable?”
O’Riley shrugged. “Aren’t we all?”
“You’re expecting that special bond that once existed between the two of them to carry them through this ordeal, aren’t you?”
“I’m not only expecting it, I’m counting on it.”
If Remington only knew how true that was. The woman was the key to far more than he knew.
That was one secret O’Riley intended to keep.
Chapter Eight
New Orleans
Sunday afternoon
Traffic was light on I-10 as they made their way to the West Bank exit across the Crescent City Connection Bridge. From there, General de Gaulle East led across the Intercoastal Waterway Bridge. A right on Louisiana Highway 406 and less than thirty minutes after leaving her apartment, they had reached English Village, the community where her parents’ home stood empty.
Aidan drove his sporty black sedan. Two doors, low to the ground, sleek and sexy with tinted windows and four on the floor. Hot and fast.
So, she mused, he was one of those guys who liked to shift gears, pushing an engine for all it was worth before rocketing to the next level. She should have known there would be a racy side to this quiet, enigmatic man.
Contrastingly, the only vehicle she owned was the old Cadillac she had inherited from her parents. It stayed in the garage at their home, gathering dust more often than not. A car was just in the way in a busy city like New Orleans.
Aidan stopped at the security gate to the residential community long enough for Darby to show her ID. A gated neighborhood located on the riverbank, with numerous parks and family-oriented amenities, the Village had been a great place to grow up. Safe, prestigious. But it was the nights she’d spent in the city with her friends that she recalled most about her childhood. The secret strolls along the cobblestoned streets of the French Quarter and adrenaline-pumping adventures in the cemeteries. Her parents would absolutely have suffered heart failure if they’d had any idea.
The vibrancy of the city had been like lifeblood to Darby. Even now when she ventured too far away from New Orleans proper, she felt lost and out of sorts.
“Take a right there.” She pointed to an upcoming cross street.
Aidan slowed and took the turn.
“The second house on the left.”
He pulled into the driveway and Darby immediately experienced an ache in the center of her chest. Even after five years, it hurt to come here.
The Georgian-style home offered every amenity. More than four thousand square feet of elegance. Her friends couldn’t understand why she refused to live here. But she would some day…maybe. If she could beat down her addiction to the steamy, gritty world of New Orleans.
Aidan had opened her door before she’d realized he’d gotten out of the vehicle. Just another of her bad habits. Daydreaming…always lost in thought.
The gardener had already put in the fall flowers. As she moved closer to the house, the sight of those colorful blooms made her think of Jerry Lester and his sickness. Revulsion shuddered through her. Coming here was probably a good thing with him on the loose. She didn’t like wondering if he would discover her new address or if he would risk taking another child.
Darby glanced over her shoulder as the police cruiser parked at the curb in front of her house. They had insisted on staying close by, which added another layer
