“Oops, sorry!”
She turned to see Kai Costa’s grinning face pressed against her window and she couldn’t help but return the smile. She shooed him back and opened her door.
“Welcome home, Talia. I’m sorry about your dad.”
“Thank you, Kai.” She hugged him and then ruffled his hair. “I can call you that, right?”
Kai’s brows dipped in confusion. “Uh, yeah, that’s my name.”
“You mean it has not been changed to Superman or maybe Captain America?”
A blush crept over Kai’s cheeks. So adorable! He looked exactly like a miniature version of his dad, Dante.
“Oh, you heard about that?”
She fisted her hands on her hips in mock outrage. “They do get the news in Israel, you know.”
“I made the news in Israel?” He pumped his fist in the air. “Cool!”
“When you save the President of the United States’ granddaughter from a child predator, yes, you make the news, not just in Israel, but around the world.” The blush deepened to a fire engine red. “Wolverine?”
He shook his head but then nodded, his eyes wide. “I could get some wicked sharp steel claws.” He wiggled his fingers and cackled. “Bad guys would flee in terror. Wait! I think I’d rather be Thor…no Daredevil!” He demonstrated this by running full speed towards the limestone building in front of them.
“Kai—” Talia raced after him, afraid he was going to hit head-first and crack his skull wide open. She stopped short when he literally ran up the side of the building, only to launch backwards into a tuck and land on his feet beside her. He finished with a “ta-da” flourish.
Talia slapped a hand to her racing heart. “Good grief, you almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Yeah,” Kai said sheepishly, “I did that to my mom the first time I showed her the trick.”
“And she did not ban you from ever attempting it again?” Kai’s stepmother Taylor was a wonderful woman and she adored her stepson, but Talia couldn’t see her encouraging his reckless ways.
When he didn’t answer right away, she cast a look at him and the blush was back. “She, uh, might’ve mentioned, uh, something about a grounding if I attempted it again.” He grabbed her hand, his eyes pleading. “You won’t tell her, will you? If I can’t work out on the obstacle course, I’ll just die!”
She narrowed her eyes in thought. “I do not know.” She rubbed her chin. “You know, my car is awfully dirty. It has been sitting in a dusty parking lot for weeks. If it were to say, be nice and shiny by this weekend, I could consider not telling.”
“You’re blackmailing me? Awesome! Just so you know, I’m making Dan help me wash your car. It’s all his fault. He’s the one who taught me how to do that move in the first place.”
Talia chuckled. She could just see Dan teaching the move to Kai. Dan was the younger, rebellious brother of Logan Bradley, one of the founders of COBRA Securities. Dan was also the reigning American Ninja Warrior champion.
“Why aren’t you in school, Daredevil?”
“Because I’ve got street smarts.” He tapped a finger to his temple. “I don’t need none of that silly book learning.”
The kid was a riot! “You do not, huh?”
“Nope. Also, it’s Saturday.”
Talia rolled her eyes at herself. She’d been so worried about meeting her bosses, she hadn’t even registered the day. “So it is.”
Someone called out Kai’s name and she turned to see two of the other kids gathered by the outdoor basketball courts. He waved a hand and then said, “I’ve gotta fly. I’m glad you’re home.” He started to jog off and then stopped abruptly and turned. “Wait, you looked sad when I knocked on your window. Is it because of your dad?”
She smiled to reassure him. “No, Kai. I am fine.”
“Well then, do you know what Daredevil’s favorite part of the joke is?”
The answer came to her in an instant. “The punch line?”
Kai snapped his fingers in disappointment. “Dang, you heard that one.”
He waved as he loped over to the other children. Even at his young age, Kai was sensitive to the feelings of others. He memorized jokes so he could cheer people up when they were sad. An unexpected sob caught in her throat and she covered her mouth with her hand. If she had to leave, she would miss him so much. She barely knew him and already he’d become important to her.
The lightness she felt talking with Kai evaporated like a drop of water in the Mojave Desert. Worry settled in again. It was an unusual feeling and she did not like it one bit. Gathering her strength, she turned and pushed through the doors. She took the elevator to the floor that housed many of the offices. Since it was the weekend, most of the rooms were deserted, but there were a few people milling about. They came out to greet her and welcome her back, offering condolences and hugs. By the time Logan Bradley’s secretary showed her into his office, she was a wreck. Worst case scenarios were playing on a loop in her brain.
Logan stood and shook her hand. “Talia. Welcome back. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, and thank you for the bouquet of flowers. They were lovely.” An understatement. It was the biggest arrangement she’d ever seen. That her bosses had done that for her—a brand new employee—meant so much to her.
Logan’s secretary, who didn’t usually work on weekends, returned with two cups of coffee. The fact that she was here today was worrisome. She handed one steaming mug to Talia and the other to Logan. Talia took a sip of the hot beverage just as Logan’s partner, Luke Colton, strolled through the door. He walked to her with his hand extended.
“It’s good to see you, Talia. How are you holding up?”
“I am fine. Truly.” More than fine. Ready to get back to work, she wanted to add.
Logan’s secretary returned with a cup for Luke and then she left the pot, closing the door in her wake.
Luke guided her to the conference area of Logan’s office and she took a seat across from her bosses. She wiped her sweaty palms against her pants under the table. They looked serious. She prayed they couldn’t see her heartbeat pounding away in her neck like a hummingbird’s wings.
“Now that you’re back stateside, you’d probably like some down time to process everything you’ve been through,” Luke started.
“No, I am fine,” she insisted. “My father and I, we did not get along. We were not close.”
“Still, it’s hard to lose a parent,” Logan said gently. “Are you sure you don’t want to take a few days to rest?”
“Truly, I am good.”
Luke nodded. “Okay. We’ll take you at your word. Are you up to an assignment?”
Talia’s eyes widened, and her heart tried to beat out of her chest. They weren’t going to fire her! They wanted to put her back to work. She sat up straighter. “Absolutely.”
“Great,” Luke said. “It’s an undercover assignment.”
“No problem.”
“We were approached yesterday by Mr. and Mrs. Conrad,” Logan began. “Their daughter has become involved with a cult and they’ve lost all contact with her. She was courted by a man who her parents believe targeted her strictly for her money. They are exceedingly wealthy. Their daughter has never given them trouble and she didn’t have a very active social life. She’s shy and for lack of a better word, naïve. The man swept her off her feet and they were married in a whirlwind ceremony. Their daughter added him to her bank account. Before the parents knew it, they’d joined a cult and all contact was severed. Their bank account was emptied out. Her parents were able to block access to the majority of her trust, but the cult got their hands on a substantial amount.”
“They insist this is out of character for their daughter,” Luke added. “They were very close, and they think she’d contact them if she could.”
“She is being held against her will?” Talia asked.
“They aren’t certain at this point. By all accounts, she joined of her own volition.
But the fact that they haven’t heard from her in over a year is troublesome.”
“It’s been a year? That is a long time.”
“Yeah, that’s why they are so worried,” Luke said. “They’ve tried to get in touch with her, but all attempts have failed.”
Adrenaline coursed through her veins. “You said this was an undercover operation. You want me to infiltrate the cult?”
“That’s the plan,” Logan confirmed.
She lunged to her feet. “Great. I am ready. When do I leave?”
“Not so fast,” Logan said with a smile in his voice. “There’s more.”
Her stomach fell and she dropped into her chair. She knew there would be a catch.
“We need to brief you on the details,” Luke said, also with a smile in his voice. “We’re glad you’re eager, but you can’t go in unprepared.”
She’d been so excited they weren’t going to fire her, she’d jumped the gun. “Yes, of course. I am sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Logan said. “We like that you are enthusiastic. However, the cult only accepts married couples.”
“Oh.” That posed a slight problem since she was currently unattached, but there were several agents who could act as her spouse.
As if reading her thoughts, Logan said, “We’ve got another agent who will pose as your husband.”
She wondered who they chose. Would it be Sawyer Oldham? Maybe Wyatt Hollister or one of the Addison brothers. It could be one of the married agents, too. It might be Grant Colton. She already knew him, and they got along well.
The door to Luke’s office opened.
“Here he is now,” Luke said.
Talia turned around and gasped out loud. Her racing heart suddenly stopped. She knew that smile. That blond hair. Those gray eyes. She saw them every single night in her dreams.
“Hunter McGrath? What are you doing here?”
#
Hunter thought he’d exaggerated in his mind Talia’s attractiveness. It’d been weeks since he’d seen her. She’d haunted his dreams and his daydreams. But his memories hadn’t done justice to her exotic beauty. Her long, ebony hair was fastened into a pony tail and her light green eyes sparkled. Color tinged her high cheekbones. She was a bit thinner than the last time he saw her, and she looked tired. He guessed losing a parent could do that to a person, though thankfully he didn’t know that firsthand. Still, she was in a word: breathtaking.
The rosy hue drained from her cheeks as she stared at him, almost as if she’d seen a ghost. He’d been correct when he guessed that no one had mentioned to her that they were coworkers. He’d known as he watched her walk away from Senator Mullins house weeks ago, that it wasn’t the end for them. Somehow, someway, he would see her again. He hadn’t realized it would be so soon when Luke Colton contacted him, offering him a job. Hunter had assisted with a case that had become extremely personal for Luke. He was now marrying Layla Brooks. It’d been her felonious stepfather he helped take down.
“We hired Hunter away from the FBI while you were gone,” Luke told her. “He’s one of us now.”
The mask of shock hadn’t eased, but now twin flags of red appeared on her cheeks. “You want me to pretend to be married to him?” This was accompanied by a thumb pointed in his direction.
Hunter grimaced at the expression of horror on her face. Apparently, the attraction he thought was mutual, wasn’t. She looked downright appalled. Well hell, he wasn’t conceited, but he knew he wasn’t hard to look at. He’d never had trouble with the ladies. He’d even been voted Homecoming King in high school. Twice.
“You have a problem with us hiring Hunter? Working with him?” Luke asked. “We can get another agent to partner with him.” Apparently, Hunter wasn’t the only one who detected the disgust in her voice.
Talia shook her head, her ponytail swinging across her shoulders. “No, no problem at all.”
Relief had him blowing out a breath. He took the seat next to hers, accidentally on purpose brushing her arm. She scooted away. This didn’t bode well for an undercover operation that required the two people to pretend to be married. His eagle-eyed bosses noticed.
“Talia, it’s critical for this operation for the couples to be married,” Logan pointed out. “We were under the impression that you got along well with Hunter after your last op. Now you act like you can’t stand him.”
Hunter cringed, feeling awkward. What had happened in the time apart to make her despise him? He was truly clueless.
“Oh, no, no, I like Hunter fine. I can do this,” Talia insisted.
“When he brushed your arm just now, you looked like you tasted something foul,” Luke informed her. “Look, you’ve been through a personal tragedy. You need time to recover.”
“Luke’s right,” Logan added. “We shouldn’t have rushed you into an assignment. We’ll find someone else. We just thought you’d want first shot since you worked with Hunter before.”
Hunter’s gut sank. He’d been looking forward to working with Talia again. Seeing her, possibly touching her. Of course, that had been back when he thought the budding attraction was mutual.
Now that they were working for the same company, it would be awkward running into her. Would they offer polite platitudes or just ignore each other? That thought depressed him. Maybe he should’ve asked if she was okay with him signing on, but the idea of her being upset never even crossed his mind.
“Kayla Hepburn’s available,” Logan told them. He picked up his phone from the table. “I’ll give her a ring.”
Hunter’s sour mood suddenly turned sweet. He wouldn’t mind playing the husband of the gorgeous blond. She was stunning, not as stunning as Talia in his eyes, but beggars and all that. People would look at Kayla and think she was girly and sweet, but he’d seen her in the gym and she could kick the ass of men three times her size.
Talia jumped to her feet, sending her rolling chair crashing into the wall. Logan paused mid-dial. “Do not call Kayla. I can do this. I want this assignment.”
Luke narrowed his eyes. “Even if you have to work with Hunter?”
She gave a firm nod. “Yes. Even then.”
Logan and Luke studied her closely while Hunter held his breath. Kayla was a beauty, no doubt, but Talia was his first choice for fake wife.
Appeased of her sincerity, Logan nodded. “Have a seat then. There are several details we need to go over before Mr. and Mrs. Conrad arrive. I’ll page Dana Conway so she can brief you both on all the details. Dana has thoroughly researched the cult.”
A few minutes later, a woman entered the room looking both energetic and frantic. Her light brown hair was piled haphazardly on top of her head and secured in place with a pencil. Amber eyes peeked through thick black frames resting on her pert nose. Her clothes were at the same time trendy yet comfortable, if a little wrinkled. She looked like an absentminded professor.
“Talia Cohen and Hunter McGrath, this is Dana Conway. Dana is also a new hire. She works for Peter Dennis in the Technical Operations department. Not only is she a computer expert, but she’s also a research analyst and a behavior specialist.”
“Three degrees,” Dana confirmed. “I might’ve been a little addicted to school.”
Hunter chuckled as he shook her hand and then Talia did the same.
Hunter held out his chair and Dana thanked him as she took a seat and studied her iPad. He rounded the table and grabbed a chair across from Talia. She didn’t look his way once.
“The name of the cult is the Church of Light and their leader is Elijah. One name.” Dana held up a finger to illustrate her point. “They call him the Keeper of the Light, or Lightkeeper. He’s charismatic, charming, a real Svengali. And there is no record of him before eighteen months ago when he established his church.”
“How did he set up a church without credentials?” Hunter asked.
“He had them, but I’m pretty sure he stole someone else’s identity, changed his name to Elijah and started conning people out of m
illions.” She scrolled to a new page. “He’s rented an historic church in Denver that he uses to recruit members, but the cult itself is located about an hour away in a remote part of eastern Colorado.”
“How does he recruit members?” Talia asked.
“From what we can gather, he got started with the “build it and they will come” mentality. He tacked up a sign, opened the doors and people started flocking to the church. He holds services on Saturday evenings, Sundays and Wednesdays. I believe he ascertains a couple’s willingness to adhere to his beliefs. He does not extend invites to families with children or to singles. And everyone he has targeted has been in their twenties and early thirties.”
“Isn’t that a young demographic to target if he’s gunning for millionaires?” Hunter asked. He assumed most people made the bulk of their money later in life.
“You’d be surprised, in this day and age,” Dana said. “Also, it seems he prefers couples where the man is clearly in charge.”
“That’s going to be a problem,” Hunter muttered.
“What was that?” Dana asked, glancing up from her screen. She pushed her sliding glasses back in place.
Hunter pinned Talia with his gaze. “I don’t think Talia will take kindly to being submissive.” It was true he didn’t know her well, but he knew enough to realize she wouldn’t like having to be demure and devoted. She’d rather kick ass and take names. He admired that about her…among other things.
“I do not have to like it to do it,” Talia retorted, her pert little nose sticking in the air. “It is a part I am playing, nothing more.”
She might as well have said she didn’t have to like him to do the job. He flopped back in his chair. What the hell happened in the time between the case in Georgia and now that she so clearly despised him? He absently rubbed at the ache building in his chest.
Dana’s gaze bounced between them, her eyes wide. Clearing her throat, she continued. “Okay, then. The couples Elijah deems worthy are subjected to in-depth interviews and if they pass, they are invited to join the cult. They sign over all their possessions, bank accounts, stocks, bonds, automobiles, everything of monetary value to the cult. They retain nothing but the clothes on their backs. They aren’t allowed to have cell phones or access to the internet. Then they move to the compound and their families don’t hear from them again. They’re completely cut off from their old lives.”
Total Surrender (COBRA Securities Book 11) Page 2