Echoes of Time (Echoes of Time Travel Series: Book One)

by Rylee Swann

  The squeal of the roof’s door opening had Shawn spinning into a crouch. He expected someone to arrive to give him his instructions, but couldn’t help his muscles coiling.

  The figure stepped onto the roof to reveal his identity.

  The man wasn’t an enemy.

  Not exactly.

  “Muy bueno,” Ramón said as the door shut behind him with a groan. “You are ready for me, si?”

  He held an Astra A-80 9mm pistol, pointed at Shawn, and carried a large brown briefcase.

  Shawn rose to his full height, putting out his hands in a placating gesture. “You’re here to give me my instructions, aren’t you? So, why do you need the gun, Ramón?”

  “Not until you pull the trigger on the target I give you will you have earned my trust.” Ramón placed the briefcase on the floor and stepped away. “This is insurance. Take the briefcase and open it.”

  Ramón kept his pistol trained on Shawn as he moved forward. He felt the weight of what was inside as he hefted the case, stepping back to a distance that he figured would be more comfortable for Ramón. Flipping open the latches, he raised the top and glanced inside to find the unassembled parts of an SSG 82 sniper rifle. He gave a little involuntary shrug and looked back up at Ramón.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No, but I do prefer the McMillan.”

  “Ah, I see but you are familiar with this one?”

  “Sure, line the target up in the sights and pull the trigger,” Shawn said in an offhanded manner.

  Ramón boomed out laughter. “Bueno! Put it together, por favor?”

  Shawn took out the individual parts and set them on the ledge of the roof. Taking a knee, he assembled the rifle, hesitating only once with the less familiar weapon. Ramón kept his distance, never lowering the handgun from Shawn’s chest. Finished, Shawn stood, rifle pointed at the ground as he met Ramón’s gaze.

  “Ammo?”

  “All in good time, my boy.” Ramón took in the roof with a sweeping gesture of his free hand. “We have time.”

  “Who is the target?”

  “Ah, does it matter, my boy?”

  Ramón’s attitude started to frustrate Shawn, but he made a concerted effort to keep it from his voice. “It does if you want me to lock onto the right person.”

  “Very well, then. Male, mid-forties, salt and pepper hair. He’ll be wearing a police uniform.”

  Shawn raised a brow and took a step closer to the edge of the building.

  “How do you know this cop will be here today?” he asked without turning back to Ramón.

  “It is not necessary to question my knowledge. He will be here.”

  Shawn turned around, his grip on the rifle growing tighter as his annoyance increased. “Would you have answered one of your student assassins? I don’t like working in the dark.”

  “They would not have asked,” Ramón said in a flat tone. “I insist that you relax and do the job you’ve been given. To continue questioning me, vexing me like an insolent child will not serve you well, despite my attempts to bring you into the fold.”

  Shawn opened his mouth to offer a retort but snapped it shut again, his brain latching on to the words “insolent child.” Was that what he’d been doing? Arguing like a child with his...father? He remembered his own father, a stern man who’d professed his love for his dark-haired son but never hid the disappointment well enough in his eyes. To his father, Shawn always came in second best to Kyle, his golden child. Kyle got the attaboys and deep conversations about growing up and life in general, and Shawn got the scraps and leftovers.

  At the time, Shawn had thought the treatment was normal. As the second son, he’d believed he could never rise above second best. As an adult, he realized the truth—his father had failed him and it made no sense. His father had fallen in love with a dark-haired alien beauty, and Shawn should have received an equal amount of paternal affection.

  The heat of the day wore on him. The sun seemed to have a hand on his head, pressing him into the rough floor. A sheen of sweat slickened his skin and threatened to burn his eyes. Sweeping a forearm across his face, he shrugged with all the pent-up rage and hostility of that long-ago child who never fit in.

  “You’re not my father,” he said, and winced at how petulant he sounded.

  “No, of course not.” Ramón softened his tone. “There is no blood shared between us, but I think I could be a better father to you. I see the pain in your eyes at the thought of him. Whatever he did or did not do, I can do better... I want to do better.”

  “Why?” The all-important question was the one children tended to ask the most. He wanted, needed to break out of this father-son mentality.

  Ramón smiled and raised a hand toward him. “Because you are special, a brilliant specimen of an hombre. I want to give you my kingdom, make you my heir. I cannot do this job forever and wish my legacy to live on in you.”

  Emotions he didn’t understand swirled within Shawn, and his heart seemed to physically ache. He had to resist the urge to bring a hand to his chest. These were the words he’d always wanted to hear from his father. This was acceptance, and he relished it, yet there were still some details that nagged at Shawn. “Allie is your heir.”

  Ramón nodded, an expression of profound sadness making him appear older. “My daughter will never be a part of the family business. She doesn’t want to be involved and, I must admit, part of me is grateful for her rebuff. If harm were to come to my precious child, I would lay waste to this Earth with savage and furious vengeance. I cannot give her the mantle and would lay it at your feet instead. Will you pick it up, my son?”

  “You.” Shawn’s throat threatened to close up, and he swallowed hard. “You say all this but you still hold a gun on me. Your actions are louder than your words.”

  Ramón shook his head, making a tsking sound in his throat. “Still such defiance. When you lay down your own suspicions, I will lay down my weapon.”

  “So, this is what it takes to earn your complete trust?” he asked in an even tone. “Just shut up and do what I’m told? What if I don’t take the shot? Or miss? Both unlikely, but I’m uncomfortable with your gun pointed at me. After all this time, I deserve an explanation.”

  “Have I not given you explanation enough!” Ramón’s eyes narrowed and his grip on the gun tightened. Spittle flew from his mouth. “You deserve nothing until I say you do. Already, I have opened my home to you, my family, my asylum to your request. I have even given you the gift of my daughter. Allowed you to spend hours together, alone, unsupervised! I have put as much trust into you as I possibly can without having yours in return!” He raised the gun higher, leveling it at Shawn’s head. “I am done! Make your decision before I pull the trigger! Are you with me or not!”

  Without hesitation, Shawn made his decision, choosing life over a bullet in his head. Forcing his nerves to become steel, he turned his back and took up a position on the ledge with the sniper rifle.

  “ETA on the target?” he asked in a cool, contained tone.

  “Gracias, son,” Ramón said in a warm, pleased tone. “Soon now, very soon. Do you see the convenience store to the left of this building? Every day the target walks his beat and he stops there for a cup of coffee. An old man always comes out with him and they stand by the entrance talking for a time. That is your moment. Here, take this.”

  Shawn turned around as Ramón tossed a round of ammo to him. He caught it and loaded the rifle, relishing the sharp, satisfying click. He lined up the sights on the store, yet he couldn’t leave well enough alone. “What did you mean when you said you gave Allie to me? She and I are good friends, but that’s as far as it goes.”

  Ramón grunted, but Shawn dared not turn around. “I think given my blessing and a little time, that will change. She is a perfect match for you. She is the fire to your ice. Her spirit is untamed and you would not try to break it. In fact, she speaks of you often.”

  Shawn’s shoulders bunched with tension. More and m
ore he suspected that Ramón was insane or, at least, borderline unstable. This craziness further strengthened his belief. Did Ramón honestly believe that giving his blessing would make Allie come around?

  “She’s a great girl, but she won’t have me, Ramón. She won’t have anything to do with those who do what we do for a living.”

  Ramón gave another dismissive grunt. “That too will change once you have taken over and I have retired. When you are no longer killing, she will think differently. I think even the promise of an end to it will have her looking at you with fresh eyes.”

  Ramón could have been describing Rayna and, unbidden, an image of her face appeared in Shawn’s mind. Beautiful, innocent, sweet, loving, strong, and so much more. More than he deserved, but she wanted him. He admired each of her qualities. Longed for her touch. To hear her voice.

  Something snapped in Shawn, like a switch being flipped, and he knew with cold certainty that he did not want to kill for this man standing behind him.

  He wanted...needed to get back to Rayna.

  Ramón rattled on. “Now that Eddie, Leon, and Matt are fully trained and taking assignments, I have not taken one myself. It surprises me, I must admit, to find I am enjoying the vacation. I think I will retire sooner than planned, in fact. Especially now that I have you to hand the reins to.”

  Shawn spun on his knee to face Ramón. He pulled the rifle up and aimed it at Ramón’s chest.

  Ramón’s eyes widened before narrowing to slits.

  “Don’t do it,” he growled, and pulled the trigger of his gun.

  Shawn had anticipated this and rolled to the right. Ramón’s shot missed by inches. Screaming in rage, Ramón closed on Shawn. He easily batted away the rifle as Shawn tried to line up a shot. The weapon clattered to the ground out of reach. Ramón charged at him like a bull. Shawn tensed for the impact and made a grab for the handgun, trying to wrest it free of Ramón’s grip.

  Ramón punched him hard on the chin then in the stomach, knocking the breath from Shawn. Unable to pull the gun from Ramón hand, he landed a savage blow to the side of the man’s head and followed up with a quick punch to his solar plexus. The gun flew out of Ramón’s hand and Shawn dove for it. Ramón stopped him with a desperate fury of blows. Shawn could do nothing but defend himself.

  Forced back, Shawn’s foot connected with the rifle. Now or never. Leaping backwards, he brought his leg up for a roundhouse kick. His foot connected hard with Ramón’s chest, sending the man crashing to the ground. Dazed, Ramón fumbled to his feet as Shawn dove again. Grabbing the rifle, kneeling, he found Ramón in the crosshairs, his finger steady on the trigger.

  Just then, the door to the roof slammed open and the last person Shawn expected to see stepped into view behind Ramón.

  Alec Connor.

  Ramón arched his back and raised up his arms to shoulder height, bowing as if in preparation for a swan dive. His lip curled into a sneer, daring Shawn to fire.

  Shawn’s trigger finger twitched with a final fleeting moment of indecision. The man who had tried to be his surrogate father gave Shawn pause until another vision of Rayna floated in his mind’s eye.

  No longer confused, he pulled the trigger, the recoil punching his shoulder back as the bullet flew to its intended target. Ramón’s chest exploded, bits of flesh and clothing flying as blood spray-painted the rooftop. He collapsed, looking like a fallen eagle dancer with his arms outstretched.

  Two of Alec’s men scrambled through the door as Shawn gained his feet and met Alec’s eyes. Alec had drawn his own gun and held it at an angle between the ground and Shawn as the two stared at each other.

  Shawn had had enough of guns pointed at him for one day and handed off the rifle to one of the men as the two circled behind him. He spared another glance at Ramón, heaving a long, slow breath from his lungs as the blood pooled and spread around the fallen man.

  “You hesitated,” Alec said in a low voice, bringing Shawn’s attention back to him.

  “Shut up, Alec. I don’t want to hear it.” Shawn strode to the door, a hollow hole burning in his chest and emotions he wished he still didn’t understand threatening to tear him down. “Just get me the hell out of here.”

  26

  Alec ushered Shawn from the rooftop, then they drove to the airport and took a private jet to New York City. Throughout, Shawn remained introspective, processing the events surrounding the death of his pseudo father figure. The only time he spoke was when Alec demanded to know the location of the settlement of Ramón’s assassins in training.

  “Goddamn it, Shawn! Tell me, or I swear I’ll throw your damned ass out of this plane.” They’d already reached cruising altitude as Alec spit fire at him.

  Shawn merely looked at him with cool detachment, divulging the information before returning to his state of utter silence.

  Alec returned to his seat, buckled himself in, and began making phone calls. The rest of the flight remained a blur as Shawn lost himself in terrible memories. Unable to close his eyes, he couldn’t stop the events from playing out in his head again and again, like a movie projector stuck on an infinite loop.

  Finally, the plane landed, and Shawn came full circle, returning to the beginning—the New York City covert operations building in Midtown Manhattan where he and Rayna had been held months ago. To Shawn, it felt like years had passed. He grunted in acknowledgment as Alec led him to the room where he’d been held prisoner for weeks. This time, however, there was one not so subtle change—the door remained unlocked.

  He still wore the clothing he’d had on for the past several hours, covered in splattered blood and gore, so he stripped and showered. Finished, he dressed in a pair of jeans and a red graphic tee shirt that had been left in the room. He couldn’t rest, nor did he have the energy to pace. He chose to sit on the bed cross-legged, shutting his eyes. To any observer it might look as though he’d entered a meditative state.

  He hadn’t.

  He only waited for Alec’s return and the promise of his debriefing.

  Finally summoned to the conference room, he knew who he’d find inside—Rayna. The woman he’d turned his life upside down for and would do it again in a heartbeat. He wanted to latch on to her and never let go. His body thrummed with tension that hadn’t dissipated since he’d killed Ramón. Pinpricks of energy raced over his skin, seeking release from the endless turmoil. The aftermath of a target taken down had never been like this before. Often, he would celebrate with booze, or women, or both. Now, his body threatened to regurgitate whatever acidic fluids were in his stomach as he entered the room with Alec.

  “Shawn!” Rayna jumped to her feet. She rushed forward and enveloped him in her arms. She almost squeezed the life out of him as her tears overflowed.

  His arms closed around her warm lithe body, holding her close while her tears wet his shirt and soaked through to his chest. He breathed in deeply her familiar scent of lilac shampoo, and tears stung his eyes.

  “Give us a minute,” he said to Alec in a thick voice.

  Alec left the room without a word, shutting the door behind him.

  “Oh god, Shawn. I thought I’d lost you. I thought…”

  “I know. It’s alright now. Everything is alright now.”

  “When Alec told me…”

  “No, don’t relive it. I’m here now. I’m back, and this is the only place I want to be.”

  “But your new friends…”

  “Stop, Ray, don’t do this.” He pulled away far enough to gaze into her eyes. “I made you a promise to return and there was never any doubt that I’d keep it. This is where I want to be.”

  Tears cascaded down her cheeks. “I lo—”

  He crushed his lips to hers in a kiss so urgent, it stole his breath. He pulled her closer as their tongues danced. Her body pressed against his, her nipples rising to hard peaks and stirring need in him so great he gasped into her mouth.

  A knock at the door made them both jump. Alec cleared his throat as he came back into
the room.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but Shawn and I have business to complete before the two of you can continue what you were...doing.” He took a seat at the round conference table, setting down a thick manilla folder. “Come on.”

  Shawn smiled down at Rayna as she licked her swollen lips, her face flushed. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered into her ear before grabbing her hand and leading her to the table.

  Joining Alec, they took their seats, Shawn not letting go of Rayna’s hand.

  Alec smiled awkwardly. “Rayna, if you wouldn’t mind waiting outside? Maybe get a cup of tea in the cafeteria?”

  Shawn met Alec’s eyes with a cool gaze. “She stays.”

  “I’m afraid that’s against protocol.”

  “The hell with your protocol. She stays,” Shawn insisted.

  “Hey, it’s alright. I’ll be in the cafeteria. Come find me when you’re done here.” Rayna started to stand but Shawn held firm to her hand.

  Alec sighed and rubbed his temples with his fingertips. “Are you really going to hold this up until I say that she can stay?”

  Shawn nodded and Alec turned to Rayna.

  “You can stay.” To Shawn, Alec said, “Are you ready to talk?”

  “Yeah,” he said, squeezing Rayna’s hand.

  “Good. Why did it take you so long to complete the mission?”

  “It was impossible to get Ramón alone. He was always flanked by at least two of the boys.”

  “Boys?” Alec asked.

  “Assassins.” Shawn met Alec’s gaze. “Didn’t my brother tell you all of this already? Wasn’t Kyle here?”

  “Yes, he was. I want to hear it from you now.”

  “I enjoyed meeting your brother,” Rayna said. “I liked him.”