“What?” He glared at her. “No.” A pause. “Maybe.”
Kara kicked the lid down, slamming the trunk shut.
Liam barely yanked his hands free in time, letting out a curse.
“What the f—” He grabbed the lid and tossed it back again, shoving her foot off.
She stomped down, holding it in place this time. Water dripped from her shoe, soaking the top of the footlocker.
“I don’t have time to screw around.” Liam snarled. “I need to…”
“What? What?” She cut him off. “Collect what you need to kill an innocent person? I thought you were trying to change your life, not step on the gas in your race to get to Helheim.” In an effort to keep from throttling him, she spread her hands.
“Hel…what? Look.” Liam ran his hands through his long hair. “This doesn’t involve you. I don’t want it to involve you.”
He rested his palms on his thighs. “Kara—I need you to leave. Now. Grab your stuff and head for the police station. You’ll be safe there until the bus arrives. Go to Denver and then somewhere, anywhere—far away from the Ridge. If I survive…” The pained look slayed her. “I’ll come find you when this is all over, I promise.”
“No!” She dropped to her knees beside him, her rage dying like a snuffed candle. “I’m not going to run out on you again. I did it a year ago and regret that even if I don’t remember it.”
“It’s not safe here for you.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Kara grabbed his hand before he could wrench the trunk open again. “Liam. Look at me.”
He turned to her, avoiding her gaze. “Listen. This is all about me. It’s got nothing to do with you. You’ve got to leave town.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” She touched his cheek with her index finger, drawing his eyes up. Her heart ached as she forced her voice down to a low whisper, drowning her anger in the love she felt for him. “Tell me what’s going on. Who was that man in the diner? Why did you run out after him?”
Liam stared at her and she felt the weight of the world settle on her shoulders. “That was Jeff McKay.”
“And you know him because…”
“He’s a member of the Sons of Cain. Their primary scout. His job is to search around the target area, do a quiet recon of the resources available and assess the situation. Document law enforcement in the area, possible resistance to acquiring the target.”
“Who are the Sons of Cain?” She ground her teeth together, forcing herself to be patient.
“A mercenary group.” He opened the trunk again. “If they’re here in town, they’re here for one purpose—to kill someone.”
“You think they’re here for you.” Reality pushed aside her anger as she rocked back on her heels. “That I led them here. That’s why you left me in the diner, that’s why you want me to leave now.” An icy fist gripped her heart, gripped it tight. “You believe I betrayed you.” Her voice broke on the last sentence.
“No. No.” He took her hand in his. “If I believed that, I’d already be on the way out of town.” He hesitated. “I won’t lie to you, for a second, a microsecond, I considered the thought you were a Judas Goat.”
“A what?” The distraction pulled her out of the horrific emotional hole she felt herself slipping into.
“It’s a term. A trained goat is placed with a herd of sheep when they’re quite young, and the herd in time accepts as one of their own. Then, when the owners want to get the herd to the slaughterhouse the Judas goat leads them in—the sheep trust the goat and follow without causing a fuss.”
“Oh.” She frowned, trying to process the information. “Wait. You thought I was a goat?”
“Yes.” The seriousness in his face sent a chill through her veins. “Sent by the Sons to soften me up. Then I thought it out—if they knew I was in the Ridge they’d just show up and kill me. They’re not given to playing the long game—psychology isn’t their strong point.”
“But who would want to hurt you?”
“Given it’s been five years since I walked away, I suspect only one client. My last one.” He withdrew a dark turtleneck from the trunk. “I told you about the village, the civilians I saw massacred. The Valkyrie.”
A throbbing erupted behind her left eye. “Yes.”
“I told you I walked away from it, from everything. I gave the money to charity—including the fee for a job I didn’t finish.”
“But…”
Liam eyed her. “Do you think they’d let me just walk out of the room after returning the money, apologizing that I’d seen a battle angel and changed my mind? Not a chance.”
“So they’ve been hunting you ever since.”
“Which is why I didn’t stay in one place for so long—but the Ridge, it got comfortable. I began thinking it was time to either move on or stay. After all, it’d been five years. Maybe they’d given up.” One edge of his mouth twisted up. “Then you fell against my apartment door in the middle of a thunderstorm.”
“Not a coincidence.” Her stomach churned.
“I’d say not. But whatever the connection is, I know you didn’t betray me.” He paused. “I trust you, Kara. More than I’ve trusted anyone before. If not, I’d already be gone—taken the truck and driven out of town.”
She gave him a wan smile and withdrew her hand. “I can’t blame you for thinking about it. First, I show up on your doorstep, having hunted you down somehow from wherever I was before, and then you’ve got these monsters coming into town… if I were in your place, I’d think the two were related.”
“I did. Then I thought of something else,” Liam said. “There’s a chance, a slim one, that they could be here for someone else. I can’t walk away without knowing the full story. If I’m the target, we’ll deal with it. If it’s another person…” He tapped his chest. “I won’t let them finish the contract. Not in my town.”
“Agreed.” Kara pulled the trunk lid up. “What’s the plan?”
“The plan is for you to leave town, like I said.” Liam picked up a pair of night vision goggles. “That part hasn’t changed. It’s too dangerous for you to stay with me.”
“Not an option.” She snatched the glasses out of his hand. “You can’t take these men on alone. Let’s go talk to Marie and see what she says.”
He took them back and placed them on the floor. “Really? And how do you propose I start that discussion? Hey, Marie—I’m a retired assassin hiding in your town, and a bunch of killers just drove in. How do you think that’ll look?”
“She won’t be happy.”
“That’ll be the least of it. She’ll want to call the professionals in and that’ll lead to a whole lot of dead people.” Liam plucked a USB flash drive out of the trunk and studied it before adding the black stick to the pile. “The Sons won’t sit around and wait for the State Troopers, the FBI, whoever she calls, to arrive and set up to take them into custody. As soon as they get a whiff that law enforcement is on their tail, they’ll do whatever they need to do in order to finish the deal and get out of town. These bastards don’t play around. To avoid being captured, they’ll kill anyone in their way.”
“Okay. Then let me help.” Kara stood up. “Let’s find out why they’re here, and then deal with it.”
“Do you understand who I’m talking about?” He followed, swiping at his jeans. “These are amoral, cold-blooded executioners. People who don’t have any problem killing a woman or taking hostages to complete the contract.” Liam hesitated. “Like I used to be.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry for putting this all on you. I said I’d put that part of my life behind me, but…”
“No.” Kara patted his chest. “I’m not leaving you. Fate put me here for some reason, and I’m not walking away.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” He stared at her. “You’ve no idea what these men are capable of.”
“You can’t do this alone. And as you said, asking Marie for help isn’t not an option.”
Th
e pained sigh made her smile.
“Right.” Kara cleared her throat. “So where do you want to start?”
Liam looked down at the trunk, studying the contents. “First, we need to find out who the target is. Once we have that information, we can plan from there. We’ll have to move fast. The Sons don’t do long engagements—get in, score the kill, and get out.”
“How much time do we have?”
“Depends.” He eyed her. “As soon as they locate their target, they go for it. If it’s me, they’ll be trying to find out where I am and plan their attack. If it’s someone else, I don’t know. But we’ve got hours, not days.”
She steeled herself. “Tell me what to do.”
Chapter Fifteen
Liam was torn in two—thrilled she’d chosen to stay, refusing to flee the town and save herself, and annoyed, knowing his attention would be split between keeping her safe and doing what was necessary to stop the Sons of Cain from destroying the Ridge.
“Remember the hotel bar?” Liam locked the door behind them, shouldering the backpack he’d filled with the items plucked from the trunk. “The way you flirted with me?”
“Sort of.” Her cheeks pinked. “I was rather forward, as I recall.”
“Yes. Yes, you were.” He let out a chuckle, enjoying her embarrassment. “Marched right up to me and said you wanted me to buy you a drink before taking you to bed. One hell of a turn-on. Think you could do that again with McKay?” He grinned. “Just the flirting part and the drink.”
She scowled. “If I have to.”
“Good. I wouldn’t be as forward with him as you were with me but get friendly—do some of that small-town charm you’ve seen around you.” Liam turned into the bitter wind, smelling snow in the air. “If we’re lucky, we can clean this up before the storm hits.”
“What storm?”
“Heard it on the overnight news in the break room. Forecast says this is the one, the big ballbuster. If it hits and we’ve got McKay here and the rest of the Sons are on the other side…”
“He’ll be alone, without any backup. We might be able to contain the damage.” Kara pulled up the collar of her leather jacket before reaching over and doing the same with his own.
They trod along in silence, light snowflakes whipping around them.
“I want you to know I don’t like doing this, any of this,” he started. “I need you to be aware that this isn’t who I am—not anymore.” He reached around and touched the pistol in the small of his back. “I’d hoped to put this all away in time, keep moving forward.” Liam shifted his heel, feeling the combat knife against his shin. “I’m sorry you have to see this side of me.”
“I know.” She squeezed his hand. “But you’re going back just for this. Once it’s over and done with, we’ll go someplace else and start over again, build a new life.”
“I guess.” He turned down an alley. “I like it here. That’s why I stayed—usually I don’t hang out in any place more than a month or two. Keep on the move, don’t become too attached to anyone. Do what I can to earn some cash, help out where I can, then back on the road.” He chuckled. “The Ridge got its hooks into me when I got snowed in last year, and it never let me go.”
“Can’t blame you.” She kept pace with him as the walls rose around them, closing out the light from the street. “I can feel it, too.”
“Then let’s see if we can keep it alive.” Liam stopped at the back of the hotel. “Right. I can get into McKay’s hotel room and search it—that’s not the problem. The issue is keeping him from interrupting me while I do it.”
“Which is where I come in.” She picked up on the idea. “But it’s still early in the morning. Why would he come downstairs? He just picked up some breakfast.”
“He’s not here to admire the scenery, he’s here to find his target, scout out the town. I know his type, how these men work—he’s going to eat fast and come downstairs, ask questions about the people and the town. Jamie’s the best person to ask because he’s the front desk clerk and easily accessible. McKay needs gossip and information. Neither of which he can pick up on his laptop in his room.”
Liam pointed at the nearby lane. “That one goes ’round to the front of the hotel. I’m going in through the back and head upstairs to wait. I’d say an hour or less before he comes down. When he approaches Jamie, you do your thing—keep him busy. Last thing I need is him returning before I finish poking around his room.”
“I can hang out in the lobby for as long as I need to. Maybe plant some false leads, depending on what he asks about.” She nodded. “What if he heads out of the hotel before you call me, following up on what he finds out from Jamie?”
“You let him go. I don’t want you following him around—he might recognize you from the diner. McKay’s not above taking you out if you present a threat. As for throwing out fake info, be careful. He’s an expert at what he does—lying and getting people to tell the truth. If he catches you in an outright lie…” His stomach twisted into knots, remembering stories about the Sons of Cain.
“Just…” He cut the air with his hand. “Just don’t follow if he leaves. Stay in the lobby with the others.”
“You don’t think I’d be able to keep out of sight?”
“I know the Sons.” He touched her cheek. “Please, don’t fight with me on this. I’ll send you a text when I’m done. Don’t worry about answering it, just detach and go. I’ll meet you back at the apartment.”
“Then what?”
“Then we decide what to do, based on what we’ve got.”
“Right.” She kissed him quickly before pulling the elastic out of her hair and giving a shake, the long golden locks falling over her shoulders. “Low and slow, take my time.” She smirked. “Don’t want to burn the guy out at first glance.”
Before Liam could answer she walked away, an extra sway in her hips. He watched her turn the corner, heading for the street and the hotel entrance.
He let loose with every curse he could think of, launching them all at the Sons of Cain before pulling the back door open and entering.
It was easy to climb to the top floor and find McKay’s room out of the other nine rooms on this level—it was the only one with the television sound so loud it was bleeding through the paper-thin walls, a familiar routine to those in the business. It wasn’t so much to watch the local news, it was to keep people from overhearing conversations.
Liam didn’t care. Even if he did overhear anything it’d be out of context and impossible to comprehend. He’d get nothing pressing his ear to the door and hoping to hear something useful.
He waited in the stairwell, watching the hallway through a crack in the door. Five minutes…ten minutes…fifteen minutes…
The noise cut off suddenly, the television set going silent.
Get ready.
Liam pressed himself against the cold concrete wall, holding his breath as he heard the door open.
McKay stepped out. He advanced toward the elevator before stopping, his forehead furrowed. He slowly turned, making a full circle, his hands at his sides.
Liam’s lungs ached, his heart racing as he waited. His fingers itched to reach down and pull out his combat knife, but any move, any sound might trigger a reaction from the mercenary.
The man was no fool. You didn’t get to this position by not having a sixth sense, hyperaware of your surroundings.
Liam tensed, ready for a fight. He didn’t want to start something, but by God he’d finish it and finish it fast if McKay…
The man coughed and moved on down toward the single elevator.
Liam let his breath out slowly, not making a sound.
The mechanical doors opened and closed to take the merc to the lobby where Kara lay in wait for him.
A flash of fear stabbed through his gut as he thought about the danger he was putting her in.
Her, Jamie, Tony, and everyone else in the hotel. In the Ridge.
Make every second count.
His mental clock started, tracking the minimum number of minutes the scout would be away from his room. It’d be a full minute for the elevator to descend to the lobby and disgorge McKay. A minute for the return trip. Whatever time was spent talking to Jamie and/or Kara.
No time to lose.
The lockpick gun worked on the first try, easily manipulating the old hotel door to open. Liam brushed past the Do Not Disturb placard on the doorknob and slipped inside, his back to the wall as he surveyed the new battlefield.
The Sons were known for their booby traps.
Kara walked through the hotel door, sauntering up to the front desk with a slow, measured pace. In the short time coming around from the back alley her hair had gotten windblown, her cheeks pink with exposure. She’d chewed her lips on purpose, hoping to bring some color up.
The lobby was empty, and she let out a silent sigh of relief. The fewer people around, the better.
Jamie looked up from his work table and got to his feet hurriedly, knocking a stack of paper to the floor. He bent down and grabbed at the fleeing pages as she rested her elbows on the varnished wood and watched.
“Damn… Hi, Kara. If you’re looking for Jack, you just missed him.” He gestured at the nearby exit door with a handful of papers. “No extra work today.”
“Actually, I’m here to check if Lizzie needs anything from the store. Can you give her a ring and see if she does?” Kara smiled. “I don’t want to go upstairs and give her a scare, knocking on her door so early in the morning. She’ll be scrambling to get her housecoat on and I don’t want her to fall—that knee of hers has been acting up something awful.”
“Sure.” Jamie picked up the phone and punched in a number. “You’ve been a big help to her and the others, running errands and all. Only been a month or two, but can’t imagine you not being around to help out.” He gave her a wide smile, putting the receiver to his ear. “Don’t know what we’d do without the two of you.”
She tapped her foot nervously, waiting for Jamie’s answer. If Lizzie needed help, she could put the trip off until Liam finished getting information out of the merc. For a moment she thought about trying to warn Lizzie and the others—logic tamped that down before the idea was half formed. Any attempted warning would create questions, inquiries she couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to answer. Not to mention draw McKay’s attention, something she didn’t even want to contemplate.
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