Spying Under the Mistletoe (Love Undercover Book 2)

by Stina Lindenblatt

  And gets a snowball in the face.

  There’s an old saying that warns never to poke a grumpy bear with a stick.

  I ignore it and jab at Eric in his side.

  This buys Tabitha enough time to dive for evil sidekick’s gun.

  With shaky hands, she aims it at Eric. “Drop your weapon.” She says it with the same authority I’ve seen her wield during a PTA meeting.

  But alas, it doesn’t have the same impact on him that it does with everyone else.

  “Hmm. What do you think, Chloe,” she says, “if I turn him into an eunuch?”

  Eric makes a scoffing noise and steps forward.

  Tabitha’s innocent expression twists into a smug smile, and she lowers the gun, aiming it at his groin. “My ex-husband was a louse. We can all agree on that. But do you know the one thing that he did right?”

  Eric doesn’t answer.

  “He used to take me to the shooting range. He thought it was romantic. I figured it might come in handy one day. Looks like one of us was right.

  “Now, unless you want to spend the rest of your days without a functional set of balls, I suggest you put the gun on the ground and lie on your stomach.

  “And just so we’ve got it straight, my hands are shaking because it’s fucking cold out here. So you might want to take that into consideration. Chloe and I won’t be straining ourselves to drag your bleeding bodies inside the nice, warm house. We don’t want to ruin the beautiful hardwood floors with your blood.”

  I don’t know if he believes her or not, but in the end, he doesn’t want to take a chance and is clearly attached to his man parts. He lowers the gun on the floor and does what she says.

  Ten minutes later, both men are tied up with the rope from the bedroom. I found more in the shed behind the house. It seems that Nikolai really liked rope.

  And Tabitha and I made good use of it.

  By the time we finished tying them to the dining room chairs, they can’t move—other than their necks, feet, and fingers. I won’t be surprised if it takes the authorities well over an hour to untie them.

  “I had no idea you were an excellent markswoman,” I say to Tabitha as I walk to the phone by the wall.

  She grins at me. “I’m not. My ex took me to the shooting range only the one time, and I didn’t come close to hitting the target. I made it clear I never wanted to go back.”

  She turns her grin to the two immobilized men, who are staring dumbfoundedly at her. “But they didn’t know that.”

  36

  Landon

  I enter the cabin and almost fall to my knees at the sight of Chloe.

  Standing there.

  Alive and looking maybe a little badass.

  When Adam realized Chloe had gone missing at the retirement home, we contacted the team and the FBI to alert them that we had a situation. The home’s director showed us footage from the security cameras.

  We couldn’t see what happened when they disappeared into the supply closet, but it was clear who’d taken her.

  One man was known by the FBI, a henchman for one of Vadik’s rivals.

  That was all they needed to piece together who had a contract out on Chloe.

  The only problem was, the FBI had no idea where the two men had taken her.

  It wasn’t until three hours ago that we finally got our answer when Chloe called me.

  With my healthy arm, I pull her to me. “Thank God you’re okay,” I say against her hair.

  Eric and his goon are lucky the FBI got to them first.

  I mean, sure, the hand-to-hand combat would have been a little lopsided, considering I’m currently shorthanded. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have tried.

  My gaze lands on the two men tied to the chairs. Agents Foden and Ramsey don’t appear to be in a particular rush to undo them—and I can see why.

  “Did you tie them up?” I ask Chloe, unable to keep the grin off my face. Pride rushes through me at how she managed to take down the two men on her own.

  She nods toward the hallway as Tabitha enters the living room. “We both did.”

  Tabitha is smiling, an equal amount of pride on her face.

  It seems that Chloe failed to mention a few details when she called me. Okay, a lot of details, from the looks of things.

  I glance around the living room. “Nice place.” The interior reminds me of a rustic ski lodge, not your typical location for hiding individuals who’ve been kidnapped.

  “Thanks,” Chloe says.

  I must’ve been looking at her funny because she clarifies what she meant. “It appears that I now own this house. It was Nikolai’s. This is where he’d been hiding while the FBI was searching for him. Eric told me Nikolai bequeathed it to me.”

  The corners of her mouth turn down. “Those two are the reason Nikolai shot you and Adam.” She points to the two in question. “Their boss made some sort of twisted deal with Nikolai. If he killed you two, the contract on my head would be dropped.”

  “But he didn’t kill us. He only injured us.”

  “Which is why they kidnapped me. He died trying to protect me, but in the end, it didn’t change anything.”

  I can feel my eyebrows draw together. “Something doesn’t seem right. The FBI had reason to believe someone had a contract out on you, but other than the hit and run, no one has made any other attempts on your life. They’ve just been attempted kidnappings.”

  “I’ve been wondering about that, too. Maybe the contract wasn’t to kill me.”

  “It’s possible. But they might have planned to kill you after kidnapping you, only they needed something from you first. Something that Nicholai obtained after the hit and run. It could also be that the contract was a way to flush your cousin out, and when he died, they needed you because he had something they wanted.” All those possibilities seem likely. “And there’s still a good chance this is tied directly to your grandfather. We can’t ignore the likelihood that the reason you were kidnapped was to get something out of him.”

  The two men watch on in interest, as if I’m Bruce Wayne, and they’re hoping I’m going to reveal Batman’s true identity.

  I nod at the two cops assigned to keep an eye on the two men. “Pass me that blanket.”

  One of them tosses it at me. “Is it okay if I talk to her in Adam’s SUV?” I ask the two agents. “I’d rather those two don’t overhear the conversation.”

  Agent Foden nods her consent. One-handedly, I place the blanket over Chloe’s shoulders and lead her to the vehicle. Once inside it, I start the engine and crank up the heat.

  “I’m sorry for what happened,” Chloe says, gaze fixed on the windshield.

  Huh? “What do you mean?”

  She turns her gorgeous brown eyes to me. “For making you worry about my safety. For making you wonder where I’d gone. I understand if this is too difficult for you. If you want to end things with me.”

  “Why would I want to end things with you?” I stroke her cheek with my thumb. It’s velvety to the touch. Like I knew it would be. “I’m in love with you, Chloe. Nothing’s going to change that. Yes, it killed me that I hadn’t realized you were missing until after you were gone. I’m supposed to protect you, but I did a crappy job.”

  Her eyes search mine, and she presses her index finger against my mouth, stopping what I was going to say next. “You’re not supposed to protect me, Landon. You’re on medical leave until you’ve been cleared to work. And according to Liam, you’re on medical leave for at least two months, probably longer. So, no, you’re not supposed to be protecting me. You’re my boyfriend, not my bodyguard.”

  I grunt, the sound which is best described as caveman. “I know that, but protecting you is in my job description as your boyfriend. It’s in the fine print.”

  She laughs. “I must have missed that part.”

  “I have no intention of ending things with you,” I say, making sure there are no doubts about that. “And what happened to you isn’t your fault. No more than i
t was Sarah’s fault she was killed or my fault. I understand that now.”

  My hand shifts from her cheek and knots in her hair. I bring her close to my mouth. She doesn’t resist.

  And then we’re kissing like I promised myself I would do once Adam and I arrived here.

  Our tongues tangle, treasuring every moment we still get to enjoy as a couple. I do have questions I need to ask her, but they can wait for a few more minutes.

  For now, I want to kiss the woman I love.

  Eventually, we come up for air—mostly because I don’t exactly want the FBI to come looking for her and find me making out with their star witness.

  “You wanted to ask me some questions?” Chloe prompts, reminding me that was one of the reasons we’re in Adam’s SUV.

  “The FBI has been hunting for Nikolai ever since your grandfather’s arrest. How come they weren’t aware of this cabin, but those two men tied to the chairs were? And did they know about it before Adam and I killed him, or did they only learn about it after Nikolai’s death?”

  “Eric said it was Nikolai’s lawyer who told them about the house. The lawyer is on Eric’s boss’s payroll. Nikolai didn’t realize that.”

  “Which brings us back to the possibility that Eric believes you have something his boss wants.” I look at the house, where another mystery is currently hanging out with the Feds. “Tabitha—what does she have to do with any of this? Did she know your cousin and where he was hiding? Is that why she’s here?”

  “I don’t think she knew Nikolai.” Chloe explains how Tabitha ended up here.

  All I can say is the woman might want to quit dating for a while. She’s definitely a magnet for losers if her ex-husband and Eric are anything to go by.

  “Do you have any idea what it is Eric believes you have that’s important enough to kidnap and kill you?” I ask.

  Shrugging, she shakes her head. “No idea at all. Like I told you before, I stepped away from my family a long time ago.”

  “Did Nikolai send you anything? A letter or something as simple as a birthday card?”

  “Nothing. Not in a while anyway.” Her brow scrunches. “The day you were shot, he gave me the shooting-star decoration. But it’s nothing more than a Christmas tree ornament.”

  I know the one she’s talking about. It’s on our tree at my town house. Jayden and the guys moved the tree and Chloe’s decorations back there while I was in the hospital.

  “I didn’t realize it was from Nikolai.”

  “He gave it to me in the store. He approached me and asked me if I had a holiday wish I wanted to tell Santa. Then he handed me the ornament.”

  “Did he say anything else about it? Perhaps give you a clue about what it means?”

  She shakes her head again. “He told me to remember the star. That it has the answer to everything. I knew what the star symbolized. Or at least I thought I did. But other than that, I have no idea what he meant.” A frown briefly drifts onto her face. “But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I do know what he was trying to tell me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My mom and I, along with Nikolai and his family, came here a few times when he and I were kids. The two of us would sneak out of the house and watch the stars. We had a discussion at one point about making wishes on a shooting star. Maybe the ornament was his indirect way of telling me he now owned this house. He must have known he was going to die that day, that taking you and Adam out was nothing more than a suicide mission.”

  Her chin dips, and she sniffs. I kiss her temple, wanting to do anything to soften her pain.

  Adam and Agent Ramsey exit the cabin and head our way. Adam is carrying what appears to be a journal.

  “Stay here,” I tell her. “I’ll be right back.”

  I open the SUV door and climb out before they reach the vehicle. “I haven’t finished talking to her. Is there something you need?”

  Adam shows me the brown, leather-bound journal. “Chloe needs to see this.”

  I nod for him to give it to her, and the three of us join her on the other side of the SUV. She has already hopped down by the time we get there, the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders.

  Adam hands her the book. “Read the page marked with the ribbon.”

  “What is this?” she asks, frowning lightly.

  “One of our agents found it in Nikolai’s desk,” Agent Ramsey says. “He wrote it for you, or at least that’s what the introduction suggests. Our guess is that he wanted you to find it, but the men who kidnapped you found it instead…and that’s why they were so interested in you. Read what it says.” He points at the journal.

  Still frowning, Chloe opens it and reads the page, allowing me to read it alongside her.

  …I’m so sorry I let you down, Chloe. You were the world to me, and nothing about that ever changed. I never wanted to be part of our grandfather’s legacy, but the man is crafty and found a way to drag me into it. I didn’t want you to suffer the same fate. I convinced him to allow you to go free. That came with consequences, some you know about, others you don’t.

  If you’re reading this, it’s most likely because I’m dead, and you’ve learned about the cabin. This is my legacy to you…and what I’m hoping will be the end of our grandfather’s reign over the family. I’m hoping this means you and your mother will finally be reunited. She misses you very much.

  She misses you and will need you when she finds out what really happened to her husbands. Both of them were murdered by her father. Not by his hands exactly, but by the hands of Victor Hedmead. This was also the case with your boyfriend, Mark Greenwood. He never dumped you like you were led to believe. I was the one who sent you the text after he disappeared. I wanted you to be able to move on and not waste years waiting for him to return. I’m sorry for the role I played in that deception. I never wanted you to get hurt.

  You’re probably wondering why they were killed. There was no one reason. With your father, our grandfather erroneously believed that he would eventually want to be involved in the family’s criminal activities. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Your father had no idea about the true nature of Granddad’s business when he married your mom, and she did everything she could to keep him from finding out the truth. He didn’t say anything to your mom about Granddad’s proposition, but he confronted Granddad and made the mistake of threatening to expose him. Your father greatly underestimated the old man.

  I’m guessing your mom never told you, but your father supposedly left a letter for her, telling her that he was concerned for his safety and was disappearing before anything could happen to him. The letter was forged by one of Granddad’s associates. Our grandfather lied to her and told her that as long as your father didn’t say anything about the true nature of the family’s business dealings, your father was quite safe. He also ensured that your father paid child support, even after he was long dead. Your mother never suspected the truth.

  As for your stepfather, Granddad learned his lesson and didn’t try to recruit him into the family business. I don’t know all the details, but your stepfather stumbled across something that would have incriminated dear old Granddad and could have brought down the house of cards. Like with your father, Granddad managed to hide his tracks so no one grew suspicious about your stepfather’s sudden disappearance.

  Chloe sniffs but keeps reading, tears streaming down her face. I want to take the journal away from her, to stop her pain, but I also know she needs closure. She needs to know why the three men were murdered.

  If Mark Greenwood hadn’t had aspirations of becoming a prosecutor, he might still be alive. I don’t know if he ever told you that, or if he continued to let you believe he was studying to become a corporate lawyer. He stumbled across something linked to you and your estranged family and started to investigate a suspicion he had. He got too close to the truth, and Granddad had him removed from the picture. And like with everyone else, the old man planted enough evidence to make it look like Mark had quit law school du
e to not being able to handle the stress, and that he moved away to start a new life. Since he had grown up in the foster care system, it was a lot easier to make him disappear.

  The FBI probably doesn’t have enough information to figure out who was responsible for the deaths of all three men. I do. I have the evidence for that, maps to show where their bodies were buried, and evidence for so many other crimes that our grandfather was responsible for. Evidence that will ensure the Orlov crime family is forever destroyed. The family has resulted in so much loss over the years, including the death of my parents, Dimetric, and Nadia. It’s time for it all to end so that you can truly start anew.

  Just remember this: X marks the spot.

  I am so proud of you, Chloe. No matter where I wind up after my time on earth ends, I want you to always remember that.

  Nikolai

  Chloe wipes the heel of her hand against her wet cheek. I wrap my arm around her waist, providing her with my good shoulder to lean on for now. And later, once we’re home, to cry on.

  And I’m positive Whiskey will be delighted to lick away her tears.

  “X marks the spot.” With tears still running down her cheeks, she turns around, scanning our surroundings. “Aye, aye, Captain.” Her tone is that of a pirate—a pirate muttering to herself.

  As if in a trance, she pulls away from me and walks away from the cabin. Adam, Agent Ramsey, and I exchange looks and follow after her.

  We end up at a large tree with an X carved in the bark. The letter isn’t even an inch tall—easily missed if you don’t know what you’re looking for. At the bottom of the tree is a hollow opening.

  “The night Nikolai and I talked about wishing on a shooting star, I’d asked him if he could wish for anything, what would it be. He said to be a pirate. The next day, we searched for the best location to hide treasure should his wish ever come true.” Chloe kneels and inspects the hollow opening for a moment.

  She reaches inside, drags out a large metal box, and looks up at Agent Ramsey. “I think this is what you’re looking for.”