Daring Deception

by Barbara Freethy

  Contents

  Also by Barbara Freethy

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  What to Read Next

  Access MEMBERS ONLY Page!

  About the Author

  Also by Barbara Freethy

  Want more Romantic Suspense?

  Off the Grid: FBI Series

  PERILOUS TRUST

  RECKLESS WHISPER

  DESPERATE PLAY

  ELUSIVE PROMISE

  DANGEROUS CHOICE

  RUTHLESS CROSS

  CRITICAL DOUBT

  FEARLESS PURSUIT

  DARING DECEPTION

  RISKY BARGAIN

  * * *

  Lightning Strikes Trilogy

  BEAUTIFUL STORM

  LIGHTNING LINGERS

  SUMMER RAIN

  For a complete list of books, visit Barbara’s Website!

  Daring Deception Blurb

  He didn't just break her heart, he broke her soul…

  * * *

  When a bomb exploded at her college, Caitlyn Carlson's life changed in an instant. Ten years later, she's no longer a vulnerable, trusting girl, but a tough, ruthless, FBI agent. But her hard exterior covers a deep, aching hole in her heart.

  * * *

  Quinn Kelly has changed his life, too, trying to make up for the horrific mistakes of his youth. But some mistakes can't be outrun or forgiven.

  * * *

  An explosion at a local university takes them back to the past, to the one place they never wanted to go again…and to each other. They barely survived loving each other the first time around. The secrets and lies almost killed them. Will this be their second chance, or will this be the end of everything?

  Prologue

  Ten years earlier…

  * * *

  "It's not what we planned. It's not even close," Caitlyn Carlson said, wanting her boyfriend to refute every word.

  "Life rarely goes the way we plan, but we can make it work," Quinn Kelly said.

  She wanted to believe him, but she couldn't. She also didn't think it was a coincidence that he wouldn't look at her, that his sea-blue eyes were fixed on his phone.

  She took a sip of the hot chocolate they'd just picked up at the coffee cart and looked toward the heavily forested hills above Bolton College, a private university located just north of San Francisco. She loved her school, which was set in a beautiful and somewhat isolated location between the mountains and the California coast. She loved the guy by her side even more.

  But despite Quinn's reassuring words, there was something wrong. It wasn't just the March weather that was making her cold; it was the growing distance between them, a gap she didn't understand. In the last year, they'd become incredibly close, so close she knew he wasn't telling the truth.

  Did she want the truth?

  Their lives were about to change. Maybe neither one of them was ready.

  Quinn tossed his empty coffee cup in a nearby trash can and frowned once more at his phone.

  "Something wrong?" she asked.

  "Lauren needs to change the time of our study group. They're going to meet now instead of at three."

  "But we have the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new environmental center in an hour. Will you be done by then?"

  "I'm sorry, Caitlyn. I don't think I can make it."

  "But it's important." Quinn was getting his master's in ocean sciences, and the new three-story building would provide environmental scientists with incredible new tools. "The facility will directly impact your research."

  He finally looked at her, and she could see the conflict in his eyes, which made her feel marginally better.

  "I know," he said. "But it's a group project, and I need to be there. Frankly, I think you should blow off the event, too."

  "I can't do that, Quinn."

  "Why not? Your family is giving it a pass. Who are they sending? Some PR rep?"

  "My brother is coming, too."

  "Your brother, but not your father. He's the one who should be there. He's the head of Carlson Industries, a conglomeration of companies who have done far more to harm the environment than to help it. If your family was really focused on change, they'd be doing more than just building a study center. It's easier to throw money at a problem than time and genuine commitment."

  "You have a point, but the center is a good thing. It's a start. We can at least celebrate that, can't we? I don't want my family or their business to come between us, especially not now." She felt a desperate need to convince him of that. The love she felt for him was deep, overwhelming, and all-consuming. It shouldn't have gotten so serious so fast, but it had—against all odds. They came from different worlds. But when they were together, there was only one world, one island of love, and they were the only ones on it. No one else mattered.

  However, as Quinn checked his phone once more, she couldn't help wondering if that was true. Maybe she was on the island alone.

  "Why do you keep looking at your phone?" she demanded.

  "I'm getting a lot of texts from the study group."

  "Is that it? Or is there something else going on? There isn't going to be a protest, is there?" Quinn was part of an environmental activist group on campus, and there were many people in the group who weren't thrilled with Carlson Industries.

  "No. There won't be a protest. I made sure of that, Caitlyn. Donovan gave me his word."

  "But you still don't want to go, because you're caught in the middle between me and your friends. Isn't that the real reason you're blowing me off?"

  "No. And I'm not caught in the middle. The study session is just too important. I'll see the center when it opens. Is it really that big of a deal?"

  She sighed. "I guess not."

  He put his hand on her shoulders and gave her a smile that made her feel immensely better. "We'll meet up later."

  "You promise?"

  "Of course. Why would you even ask me that?"

  "I just feel like something is off."

  "It's going to be all right, Caitlyn. We'll work everything out."

  "Are you sure? You haven't really said what you're feeling about all this, Quinn. I've had longer to think about it than you have. I know I sprung it on you."

  "You don't have to worry. I'll take care of you."

  "I'm not worried about someone taking care of me. I want you to be happy. I want us to be happy."

  "You make me happy." He pulled her in for a kiss, and the heat of his mouth drove the fears away. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

  "I feel that way, too."

  "I'll see you later."

  As he walked away, her gaze followed him across the quad. She felt a deep yearning to be back in his arms, to feel his lips against hers, to be connected to him, because despite his words, she could feel their connection slipping away, and it scared her.

  She'd never loved anyone the way she loved Quinn. She'd fallen for him at first sight, his blue eyes capturing her heart with one look. He was incredibly handsome with his dark hair, sexy m
outh, and long, lean, powerful body, but it was his passion for science, changing the world, and doing something important in his life that had really sealed the deal for her. He wasn't just a sexy scientist; he was also a fighter, and she liked that he fought for the world he wanted to live in. But she wondered sometimes if he thought she didn't fight enough. There were cracks appearing in their relationship; some she understood, some she didn't.

  As Quinn reached the edge of the trees by the library, he looked back and gave her a wave, and it made her feel better, like they were connected again. Maybe her fears were all in her head. That was probably it. She waved back, watching until he disappeared.

  She needed to give him time and space. He'd been through a lot in his life, losing his dad when he was eleven and his mother when he was sixteen. Quinn had been on his own ever since then, and he'd told her more than once that he'd forgotten what love felt like until he'd met her, that he was always afraid he was going to lose it. That's why he slept with his arms wrapped around her.

  Well, she would keep showing him that love until he was smothered in it, until he could trust that it wouldn't disappear, that she wouldn't disappear.

  They would work through their problems and would move forward. They would be together forever. It was what they both wanted.

  Feeling better, she turned and continued on her way across campus. She had an hour before the ceremony. She could go back to her apartment and study. She had tests to worry about, too. As she checked the time, her phone buzzed, and her brother Spencer's number flashed across the screen.

  "Hey, are you on your way?" she asked.

  "Sorry, but I can't make it," Spencer replied.

  "Are you serious? Why not?"

  "I broke my tooth. I'm on my way to the dentist. I'm sorry, Caitlyn."

  "I'm sorry, too, about your tooth, and the fact that I'll have to do this event alone."

  "Dad said he's sending Marian down to represent the company, so you won't be completely alone."

  "There should be more family members there."

  "Well, it's not going to happen. You should let Marian handle it. I know you've been feeling caught in the middle between Quinn and his environmental activist friends and our family business. Why don't you skip the ceremony?"

  "I think someone from the family should be there."

  "Our name is on the building. It's not like anyone will forget who built it."

  She frowned. "That's not the point. You were supposed to talk about how the company is changing and making efforts to go green and protect the environment."

  "Yeah, Dad didn't really want me to say much. He said just cut the ribbon and raise a champagne glass."

  "Sometimes, Dad really pisses me off," she said with annoyance.

  "Sometimes? It happens to me more often than that. I have to go. Just bail on it, Caitlyn. Don't put yourself in the position of having to stand up for a company you don't really have anything to do with. There could be protestors. And you don't want to get caught up in that."

  "I've been assured there won't be."

  "Well, good, but I'm sure Quinn doesn't want to go. Why don't you hang with him, do your own thing?"

  "I'll think about it. Good luck with the dentist."

  "Thanks."

  As she ended the call, she considered her options. She didn't really want to hang out with the dean and smile for pictures or have to say something about the company plans when she knew nothing about them. Marian was more than capable of handling the ceremony. But it still felt wrong for no one from the family to be there.

  Still debating, she kept on walking. When she got to the front of the new building, which sat on a hilly rise with a perfect view of the sea, she paused, feeling proud of the new center. It would house four classrooms, three labs, a study lounge, and a small auditorium. The center wouldn't make up for the questionable business choices her family had made in the past, but it was a good move in the right direction.

  She walked up the steps and opened the front door, stepping into the foyer. There was a table set with empty champagne glasses for the reception. Everything felt new: the floors polished, the walls artfully decorated, and the air clean and crisp. There was a distant murmur of conversation, probably coming from a floor up, but there was no one in sight. She stepped into the study lounge, which was also a library. It was impressively filled with an array of books.

  Walking over to the nearest shelf, she ran her fingers down the spine of a new textbook. She'd always loved to read and to write, which was why she planned on being a journalist. She had a lot of questions, and that seemed to be the best way to get them answered.

  The sound of ticking drew her attention to the wall, but she didn't see a clock.

  She just heard a tick, tick, tick. An eerie feeling shot down her spine.

  It suddenly felt too quiet.

  She turned toward the door, but before she could take a step, a thunderous blast lifted her off her feet and threw her against the shelves behind her. The ceiling and walls collapsed around her.

  She screamed as she put a protective hand against her stomach, in one last desperate attempt to save herself and her baby…

  Chapter One

  Present day…

  * * *

  Dark storm clouds rolled in off the ocean and an icy chill followed Special Agent Caitlyn Carlson through her four-mile run from her LA apartment to the Santa Monica pier and then home again. She couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding shadowing her steps, and that annoyed her. She and her team had just wrapped up a three-month investigation that had taken down a dangerous cult leader and saved the lives of dozens of young women. She should be happy and relaxed.

  But it was late March, and that had never been her favorite month. It reminded her of the terrible memories from the weeks she'd spent in the hospital one spring a long time ago, and the pain that had stayed with her for years after that.

  Ten years, she thought, as she headed into her apartment for a hot shower.

  It wasn't an anniversary she wanted to celebrate. Sometimes it felt like a long time ago; other times it felt like yesterday. But she was no longer a twenty-one-year-old college student; she was a thirty-one-year-old FBI agent. She was living a completely different life, one that was extremely satisfying. She needed to keep the past in the past.

  She showered and dressed, then jumped into her car and headed to work, wondering where her next assignment would take her. They were having a team meeting at nine to discuss their ongoing cases and which investigations needed more manpower. She was looking forward to digging into something new.

  She had just pulled into the underground garage when her phone buzzed with an incoming call from her mother. Frowning, she sent the call to voicemail. She rarely spoke on the phone with her mom. Occasional texts were her preferred method of communication. A text gave her the opportunity to learn what her mother wanted so she could figure out the best way to say no.

  She was fairly certain that this morning's call was regarding the Carlson Foundation Gala to be held Sunday night in San Francisco. It was an event that had always meant a great deal to her family and raised vital money for many nonprofit organizations. She'd gone every year except for one when she was in London on a case, but she didn't want to go this year. They'd moved the event from its traditional May date to March, and this was the time of year when she preferred to hunker down and not socialize with anyone, especially those people who would remind her of the past.

  Sliding out of the car, she took the elevator to the second floor and entered the suite of offices that housed her FBI task force. She'd worked as a special agent for over five years now, and her job was truly her life. It was where she felt in control, and that was the most important thing to her.

  But as she walked past one empty cubicle after the next to find her colleagues crowded into the glass-walled conference room, she got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  Something was wrong.

  The meeting hadn't
begun yet, but the group's attention was on the television monitor with a Breaking News tag running across the bottom of the screen.

  As she neared the room, she could see the screen more clearly—the flames and plumes of smoke behind the reporter. There had been an explosion.

  She froze, an overwhelming sense of panic hitting her from a decade ago. No matter how many times she thought she'd gotten past the trauma, it came back.

  She'd get through it, just as she always had before. But her stomach twisted as she saw the next headline: Bomb blast at Bolton College.

  Her breath came short and fast. Screams of No! No! No! went off in her head. It was all she could do to hold them back.

  Not Bolton—not again.

  The conference door opened, and one of her fellow agents, Lucas Raines, came out of the room. Lucas had brown hair and green eyes, and his usually friendly, easygoing smile had been replaced by an expression of tense concern. She didn't know what he saw in her expression, but his tall, powerful body was suddenly right in front of her, blocking her view of the screen. His hands came down on her shoulders, and his gaze commanded her attention.

  "Breathe," he ordered.

  "I'm breathing," she said, as she pulled herself together. She hated looking weak in front of anyone, especially her fellow agents. She'd worked hard to build a reputation as a tough, ruthless, smart agent; one who didn't let her emotions cloud her judgment. Clearing her throat, she said, "Is anyone taking responsibility?"