Asher and Mina were up very early the next morning. Asher carefully went over the plan with her as he put a bulletproof vest on her and handed her one of his sweatshirts to put on over it. "If I tell you to duck, run, get behind me, or start squawking like a chicken, you do it immediately and without hesitation. Don't argue; I'm trying to keep you, me, and Les safe so you can't disobey. Got it?"
"Yes sir." She smiled up at him. "Although I'm unsure how squawking like a chicken will keep me safe."
He captured her chin and kissed her. "I said it to illustrate that you need to follow my directions no matter how silly or stupid you think they are." He kissed her nose and pulled her tight to him. He had been hugging and kissing her since they woke up, and she knew it was because he had figured out she was going back to North Carolina when they were done things here. She was pretty sure she loved him and wanted to be with him but wanted a few months to confirm it and make sure it wasn't Stockholm syndrome.
At seven forty-five, they went out to a small garden and sat a visibly scared Derrick at a table, handcuffing him to the leg. Asher kept Mina close to him, and they chatted quietly with Les. and at five to eight, two large, black SUV's pulled up next to the garden. Four men got out of the first one and did a quick survey of the area, then the second vehicle driver got out, opened the door to the back seat, and a short, dark-haired man with olive skin and icy blue eyes got out. He was dressed in dark blue jeans and a white shirt. He walked up with the driver close to him.
"Asher! Les! Excellent work. I must say, I am impressed; we couldn't track him at all." Asher and Les stood up, and Mina followed suit.
"We struggled at first, but Mina's information proved invaluable." Asher held out the keys to the handcuffs, and one of the men from the first jeep came to take it and uncuffed Derrick, who was now whimpering and sweating profusely. He pulled him to his feet and walked him toward Draco.
"Ah yes, Mina. It is lovely to meet you." His eyes swept her up and down, and he frowned, turning to Derrick. "This is the woman you thought would take the place of one of my girls?" He snorted. "No offense, my dear, you're very pretty, but I deal in the exotic and rare, and you are very clearly of Irish descent and a dime a dozen."
"You almost got me." Mina grinned. "Irish/Scot descent."
"A quarter a dozen then." He smiled at her. "I look for girls worth a couple of grand a night." He gestured at Derrick, who looked like he was about to pass out. "Put him in the SUV."
Asher put his arm around Mina's waist and nuzzled her neck. "I think you're devastatingly Gorgeous." He murmured.
"Your opinion is the only one that matters." Mina smiled.
"Asher." Draco held out his hand. "This concludes our business. Hopefully, I will not need your services in the near future." Asher smiled and shook his hand.
"Next time, you won't get a freebie."
Draco nodded and got in his car. Asher tightened his arm on her waist as the car started to drive away, and suddenly they were surrounded by a dozen cop and FBI vehicles. "Get Down! Hands behind your head!" Was shouted by a bunch of people, and Asher, Les, and Mina obeyed.
"What's this about?" Asher yelled. "What the fuck?"
"I don't believe this!" Les shouted. "We're innocent! Don't shoot!"
"Asher? What's going on?" Mina did her best to sound terrified as cops came running up and handcuffed the three of them. They watched from their position lying on the ground as the people in the other vehicles were pulled out and arrested after a brief armed stand-off. Derrick jumped out in the ensuing chaos and tried to run but didn't make it very far before four different FBI agents tackled him, and because his hands were still cuffed behind his back, he faceplanted hard into the dirt-covered pavement.
They were pulled to their feet and put in the back of one of the FBI vehicles. A quick conversation and the agent undid Mina's cuffs, allowing her to breathe again. After a short wait, Agent Batton got in the car and turned in the seat to face them with a huge grin. "I don't know how to thank you Asher. You just helped me take down Draco Consuelos, one of the guys on our most wanted wall and a serial kidnapper/killer. Your tech girl sent me enough evidence to put Draco away for at least two hundred years if he's convicted and serves his sentences concurrently. Agents interviewed the members of Derricks's family who were terrorized, and everything is lining up nicely. Plus, we found the body of Matthew Steffen on his farm as well as the vehicle. There's so much biological evidence in the case of Derrick Talbot; he'll never get out of prison either.
They gave their statements at the FBI office in Fargo and were released. Batten passed on that Draco's men were all folding like "Cheap Suits" and giving up all kinds of information. They flew back to North Carolina and Asher hired a car to pick Mina up from the airport and take her back to her apartment. He kissed her one last time after holding onto her for dear life on the plane, cupping her cheeks in his large hands, murmured he'd wait for as long as she needed and made sure she had his and Les's contact information, put her in the car and watched it leave, feeling like his heart had been ripped from his chest. He and Les went back to their office in Raleigh and Asher threw himself back into his work.