Deceptions

by Cynthia Eden

  THE AMBULANCE DIDN’T have its siren on. The vehicle wasn’t hurtling through the traffic. The idiots around him didn’t care if he suffered.

  That’s fine. They’ll be suffering soon enough.

  “I want to know how many people you’ve killed.” It was the DA talking. Still running his mouth off. A guard—a uniformed cop—was nearby, with his hand hovering close to his holster even as he crouched in the back of the ambulance.

  They didn’t strap me down well enough. Because he’d done a good job of acting as if he was in agony. A man battling pain wasn’t usually perceived as a threat.

  That was their first mistake.

  An EMT leaned over him. “Your blood pressure’s too high. See if you can follow this light.” The man shined a light right in his eyes.

  He didn’t follow the light. He turned his head and looked at the DA. “You gonna keep me out of jail?”

  The guy—Jamison—hesitated. “It depends on what you tell me.”

  Everyone had an angle. “I lost count of ’em all.” His lips curled. “All those years, the faces just sort of blend together.” That wasn’t true. He remembered every single one. The first one...he’d vomited then. He’d woken up for nights afterward, that scream of twisting metal and breaking glass in his head.

  He’d been a PI, once. Hired to watch. To report. But then he’d been paid extra, if he could just fix a problem and make it go away.

  He’d been so nervous. The opportunity had presented itself, and he’d struck.

  I could have sworn that I heard her screaming for help.

  But those hadn’t been her cries. Those cries had belonged to the kid.

  The money had helped to soothe his guilt. And he’d learned—really fast—that there was more money to be earned, as long as he didn’t mind getting his hands dirty.

  So he’d changed. He’d learned to kill without hesitation.

  It had gotten easier.

  The money had made it easier.

  And so what if some of the memories still made him wake up, yelling? Memories couldn’t hurt you.

  He’d saved all of his cash over the years. He’d been set to retire, for good this time, until the hit had been called in on Yeldon and Elizabeth Snow. He liked to finish his business, so he’d taken the case.

  Wish I hadn’t. Wish I’d kept myself down in the Keys. Down there nobody looked twice at you. Down there a man could truly disappear.

  “You don’t remember?” The DA leaned closer. “That’s not going to help me.”

  Lean forward a little bit more. Just a bit.

  “I need names.” The DA inched toward him. “I need dates, I need locations, I need—”

  Got you. He grabbed the DA. They should’ve strapped me down better. He slammed his forehead into the DA’s face, and the guy howled. The guard was trying to reach for his weapon, clawing at the holster.

  Too slow.

  He grabbed the EMT and yanked the guy in front of him. By the time the guard got his weapon out, he’d hurtled that hapless EMT right at the guard.

  The gun exploded.

  Did it hit the EMT? Like he cared.

  He leaped off the stretcher and grabbed a defibrillator. The dumb DA had risen again, and he slammed it into the side of his head.

  Then he lurched toward the back doors. He’d jump out and be home free.

  “Freeze!” It was the cop shouting at him. The fool really thought he’d obey orders.

  He flipped the guy his middle finger and kicked open the door. The ambulance was going faster than he’d realized, rushing down the road, but he could handle this.

  “I said freeze!”

  He jumped.

  The cop fired.

  He never even felt it when he hit the pavement, but he did remember...

  The victims’ screams...because I’m screaming now, too.

  Chapter Ten

  “I’ve got our flight taken care of,” Mac announced when he walked back into his office later. “Before you know it, we’ll be in North Dakota.”

  Elizabeth glanced up from the computer screen. She was still behind his desk, and her fingers were poised over the keyboard. “I found another article from the Dallas Times. Wesley Sutherfield was in the area at the time Nate’s mother got pregnant. He’d come down here for some kind of public policy convention. There was a photo of him taken...”

  He hurried to her side.

  “See that woman in the background?” Her finger hovered over the screen. “That’s Gloria Daniels.” She clicked on another tab, and Gloria’s obituary picture appeared. “The governor knew her. There’s no denying it.” She glanced up at him. “Why would he take out a hit on his own son?”

  “Because he didn’t want his voters finding out he wasn’t the family man he pretended to be. I’ve seen it before. Power will trump blood any day of the week.”

  She focused back on the screen. “We’re going straight to the governor, aren’t we?”

  “Hell, yes. I’m not giving him a chance to send someone else after you.” They’d be on that plane soon, and he’d get answers.

  She rose from the chair. Her body brushed against his. “He’s not just going to confess. You know that, right?”

  “We have evidence to use against him.”

  Her eyes widened. “Since when?”

  He lifted his brows. “Remember the pictures that Yeldon had?” Pictures they’d borrowed. “Remember the shot of the cemetery? That one guy who was there, all alone, after everyone else had left?”

  Elizabeth nodded.

  “I think that was the governor.”

  “Thinking isn’t evidence.”

  He smiled. “It will be once I have some of the techs at McGuire Securities go over the image. I’ve already called Sullivan. He picked up the photos from my place and he’s bringing them all here. If that is the governor, then we know he realized Nate was his son.”

  “The cops didn’t take those pictures when they turned your house into crime scene central?”

  “They didn’t think those pics had value. And I wasn’t about to lose my evidence.”

  But Elizabeth appeared uncertain. “If we’re going to stop him, we need stronger evidence. Not just an old photo. We need a confession—we can’t let him just get away with what he’s done!”

  Mac hesitated. “I think this goes back far longer than you realize.”

  “Wh-what do you mean?”

  He’d been considering this, again and again, and his suspicions had mounted. “That image of Gloria’s car. Her side was hit so hard...a fatal accident. But the other driver was able to just run away from a scene like that? I contacted Ben, and he was able to pull strings and get that old accident report faxed over. Witnesses said the other driver was a white male, tall, thin. A real average-looking guy.”

  She sucked in a sharp gulp of air. “I know someone who fits that description.”

  “A man who makes killing his life,” Mac agreed grimly. “It’s possible that Wesley Sutherfield feared Gloria would expose him, even back then, so he took her out.”

  Her lower lip trembled. “But Nate was in the car. He was just a kid—”

  “He was still just a kid when the Fixer was sent after him.” Grim words. Brutal. “Eighteen, Elizabeth. And the guy was gunned down.”

  She looked away from him. “You don’t have to tell me that. I’ll never be able to forget what happened to him.” A tear slid from her eye. “I want to give him justice.”

  He understood that, probably far better than anyone else. Didn’t he want to do the same thing for his family? To give his parents justice? They deserved that.

  So did Nate.

  A boy who’d chosen love over everything else.

  “Elizabeth, I want
you to know—” Mac began but his phone rang, cutting him off. Frowning, he pulled the phone from his pocket. He recognized Ben’s number and answered immediately. “Have you learned something new? Is the guy talking—”

  “He’s not going to talk with anyone, not ever again.”

  Mac could hear the chatter of voices in the background.

  “The man tried to escape. He was jumping out of the damn ambulance when Officer Porter fired at him. The prisoner was dead within minutes of hitting the ground.”

  Elizabeth stared at Mac with wide eyes.

  “We still don’t know who the SOB was,” Ben continued gruffly. “And now...now all I can say is that we’ve got another body for the morgue. Without the guy’s identity, we’re gonna have a real hard time figuring out who the hell hired him.”

  “I think I have an idea,” Mac told him. He reached out and his fingers slid over Elizabeth’s cheek. “She won’t be targeted again.”

  “Mac...” Now the captain sounded worried. “What are you planning?”

  “A visit to the past.” A little trip down memory lane. But he wouldn’t be going alone. He’d take backup with him on that trip. And he would get to the truth.

  Elizabeth wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life being afraid. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to have the safe home she’d always wanted.

  He’d give her that, no matter what he had to do.

  Or who the hell he had to threaten.

  * * *

  SHE HADN’T EXPECTED a private plane. When Mac had told her that the flight had been arranged, she’d figured they’d be flying coach back to North Dakota.

  They definitely weren’t going coach.

  They were at thirty thousand feet, flying straight and easy; the pilot and Sullivan were both up in the cockpit, and Elizabeth felt seriously out of place as she sat in the lush leather seat. They’d been flying for a while. She’d actually lost track of the time, consumed by her own thoughts and fears.

  “Elizabeth?”

  She yanked her gaze off the window.

  “What’s wrong?”

  What wasn’t wrong? “You didn’t tell me—” she waved her hand “—about this.” But she’d seen the ranch. All of the land. McGuire Securities. How had she seriously not realized that the guy was loaded? She’d just...she hadn’t thought that much about money. She’d only thought about Mac.

  His brows rose. “I told you our flight was waiting.”

  “You didn’t say we had a private plane!”

  He sat next to her, his shoulder brushing hers. “Is that why you’re upset? Look, there was a case...hell, there have been a lot of cases recently where we realized we needed our own transport. We’re not just working in Austin any longer. We hop back and forth across the US now. A while back Sully was on the East Coast and—” his voice lowered “—we needed him back pronto. That made us realize that the plane was an investment that we had to make.”

  “It’s quite an investment.” She shifted uncomfortably, completely feeling that she didn’t belong in that plane.

  Maybe I don’t belong with him.

  “Stop.”

  Her gaze darted to his face.

  “Our security business has done well, damn well. But I’m not the plane. I’m not the business. I’m not anything else.” His fingers curled under her chin. “Don’t start changing the way you feel about me because of this. It’s just a thing, baby. A tool to make our clients’ lives easier.”

  Changing the way you feel about me... Her heart had stopped at those words. Did he know? Did he realize just how lost in him she was becoming?

  “I’m not used to this,” she said as she struggled to find the right words to explain how she felt.

  He leaned closer, and Mac put his mouth on hers. It was a quick kiss. Soft. Reassuring. “I’m betting,” he whispered against her lips, “that you’re also not used to being hunted by a killer. Things haven’t exactly been normal lately.”

  No, they hadn’t been. And what would she do when things did return to normal? Would Mac still be in her life, trying to take her out for that drink? Or would their time together end?

  He began to pull away. Her hand rose and curled around the back of his neck. “Kiss me again,” she said.

  He didn’t even hesitate. His lips took hers. Not soft. Hot. Hard. His tongue thrust into her mouth, and desire poured through her. Being with Mac had been incredible. She hadn’t been prepared for the force of the pleasure that had hit her. She’d been so consumed by him. Elizabeth had almost felt as if she’d lost a part of herself, and she hadn’t cared.

  She’d just wanted him.

  She still wanted him.

  When he pulled back a bit, she nipped his lower lip.

  “We haven’t talked about it,” Mac growled. His hands were around her waist.

  “It?”

  “You. Me. The way you made me go out of my head.” Then he lifted her up, pulling her close and putting her on his lap. Her knees pushed down on either side of his legs, brushing against the leather.

  “Mac...”

  “I like it when you say my name like that. Sounds sexy as hell.”

  Her hands pushed against his shoulder. “Your brother’s up front. I shouldn’t be doing this—”

  “Sully has serious control issues. He’ll be in the cockpit until the plane lands. It’s just you and me.”

  Elizabeth stared into his eyes. “You made me go out of my head, too,” she confessed softly.

  His face tensed. “Baby, do you have any idea how much I want you right now?”

  She could feel his desire pressing against the apex of her legs. “Probably as much as I want you.” Wrong time, wrong place, but why couldn’t she enjoy him, just for a bit? She was worried about what she’d find in North Dakota. The last thing she wanted was for the past to grab hold of her again.

  She’d contacted her director at the library and taken a few more days off from her job. Cathy had been more than understanding. She wanted Elizabeth safe. She was a good friend.

  And Mac...

  He is a good...everything.

  Her fingers tightened on Mac’s shoulders.

  His head bent and he pressed a long, hot, open-mouthed kiss to her throat. His lips were right over her racing heartbeat.

  Her eyes slid closed. “I can’t remember wanting anyone the way I want you.”

  He scored her with his teeth. “You know I won’t let you go.” His hands slid up her back then moved to curl around her rib cage. Mac’s fingers rested just under the curve of her breasts. “I won’t be able to do it.”

  Her lashes lifted. She stared down at him and tried to read the tangle of emotions in his eyes. “What do you want from me?” Maybe she should have asked that question before.

  “Everything that you can give me.”

  Instinctively, Elizabeth shook her head. She didn’t even know what she had. Control. Control was what she’d known for so many years. Control was key, it was—

  He took her mouth again. The kiss was demanding, and she reveled in it.

  “Everything,” Mac muttered. “Because that’s what I’ll give you.”

  This was the first time they’d talked about any kind of future. She usually only focused on the present and tried to bury her past.

  Her tongue slid over his lower lip and then thrust inside his mouth. She tasted and she savored and she caressed. The desire built within her, tightening her muscles, making her breasts and her sex so sensitive. He arched up against her, pushing his hips into her. His jeans were between them. Hers were in the way.

  They couldn’t have sex. Not there. Not with the pilot and Sullivan up at the front of the plane.

  They couldn’t.

  But she wanted to. She wanted to strip h
im and let go. Danger was around them—no, danger was waiting for them in North Dakota. What promise did she have that there would even be a future for her and Mac? Why not savor the time with him now?

  Why not let all control go? It was so tempting.

  Her hips pushed down on his, and Elizabeth rocked against the long length of his arousal. Again and again, her body rippled against his. She needed the pleasure they shared.

  She needed him.

  His hands clenched around her waist as he stared up at her. Intent. Focused. He’d never looked more so than in that moment. His green eyes glittered at her. “Just how long,” Mac asked her, “do you really think my control will last?”

  She needed to stop. But a fierce desire had taken hold of her. The girl she’d been—the one who’d lived in the moment, the one who’d felt alive when she took risks—that girl hadn’t died. No matter how hard Elizabeth had tried to quiet her over the years, she was still there.

  And she wanted out.

  No, she wanted Mac.

  She caught the lobe of his ear with her teeth and gave him a little lick. When a shudder rocked through him, a wave of sensual power filled Elizabeth. Mac was—

  He lifted her off him. She nearly stumbled because he’d moved so fast. Her hand flew out to brace herself, but her fingers just tangled with his. “Come on,” Mac ordered, and he pulled her toward the back of the plane. There was a small, separate area back there. He yanked aside the curtain, and she turned back to him, her body still aching and sensitive.

  “You can’t make a sound.” His hands went to the snap of her jeans. “Neither will I. Because you’re mine—everything that happens here is ours. Not for anyone else.”

  That wildness pumped harder in her. She’d tried to be someone else for so long. I’m not perfect. And I hate always having control.

  She kicked her shoes aside and ditched her jeans. Elizabeth reached for her underwear. Staring into his blazing eyes, she pushed the underwear down her legs and let it puddle at her feet.

  Mac pulled her into his arms. He lifted her up easily. His strength could really be phenomenal. His arms were tight bands around her, and their gazes locked.

  His arousal pushed against her. He’d opened his jeans, and that heavy length met her bare flesh.