“How?” asked Clay. “They said they’d get the files to me as soon as they’d confirmed the kill. I have no way of contacting them. How are we going to find them?”
“Do we even know why they want you dead?” she asked Payton. “Think. Whoever is doing this must be really mad at you.”
“There’s a long list of people who want me dead. It doesn’t exactly narrow things down.”
Apparently, there was a lot about Payton that she didn’t know. But now was not the time for a history lesson. “Start at the top. Who do you think has both the motive to kill you and the means to find those files and hire Clay to do the job?”
“If I knew what was in the files, I could start somewhere, but unless whoever was on the phone told you, I’m afraid I can’t think of anyone specific.”
Clay’s voice came from right behind her, low but insistent. “Out of the way, Leigh. You’re wasting time we don’t have.”
Leigh ignored him. “The man at the fountain was mid-thirties, dark hair, brown eyes, expensive clothes.”
“That could be one of a hundred people I know,” said Payton. “Without seeing his face . . .”
A shard of hope lanced through her. “Wait. We got his photo.”
“That’s right,” said Clay. “We did.”
He went to the car and got the camera. He handed it to Payton, who scrolled through the photos.
“I know this man. I know who he works for.”
“Who?” demanded Clay.
Payton shook his head, anger rolling off him in furious waves. “No. I’ve got this. Go wait for me in the parking lot at the Edge. I’ll be there in less than an hour with those files. While you’re there, stock up on ammunition. We may need it.”
* * *
Payton could not remember a time in his life when he’d been more furious. Senator Gregory Kerrington II had a lot of explaining to do. Too bad Payton was in no mood to hear it.
He pounded on the senator’s door until lights in the house started to come on. When one of his staff opened the door, Payton shoved his way in, ignoring the outraged protests of the young man.
Greg came down the stairs, his wife on his heels. As soon as he saw Payton, he stalled on the steps. “Go back to bed. I’ll deal with this.”
Both Mrs. Kerrington and the curious staff disappeared, leaving Payton alone with the man who’d ordered his death.
“We’ll talk in my office,” said Greg. “Unless you mean to gun me down right here.”
The senator had aged since Payton had seen him last. His hair was thinner, and under that excellent dye job, probably a lot grayer, too. He hadn’t kept himself in shape, and out of his perfectly tailored suits, it was obvious that his age hung on him in heavy folds. His publicity shots no longer matched his current appearance, especially the genial twinkle that had doubtlessly been Photoshopped in his eyes.
“Office,” was all Payton could choke out. The second the doors shut, he exploded. “You could have at least had the decency to kill me yourself.”
Greg’s face showed not a hint of remorse. “I’m too old for that and you know it.”
“Why?”
“You know too much. Both you and Bob.”
“So you’re planning to have him killed, too?”
“No one can get to him. You . . . you were an easier target.”
“That still doesn’t answer why. I’ve known too much for years and this is the first time you’ve comeyou’ve gunning for me. Hell, I’m the one busting my ass in an effort to make up for what all of us did. You’re too worried about reelection to bother helping the people we damaged.”
“I didn’t damage anyone. I merely did what I was told. If you understood that, you wouldn’t be such a threat.”
“So that’s what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night. Must be nice and cozy all wrapped up in your denial like that.”
Greg’s face reddened with anger. “Why are you here?”
“I should kill you. Heaven knows you deserve it.”
“You’d never make it off the property.”
“Which is one of the two reasons you’re still breathing.”
“And the other is?”
“The files. I want them. Now.”
“What files?” asked Greg, doing a decent job of pretending ignorance.
“The ones you offered to hand out in exchange for my murder. Give them to me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your aide. I saw him make a deal with Clay. My life for the files, which means you have them. Give them to me.”
Greg laughed. “I don’t think so. They’re far too valuable to let go. Besides, word is that you have your own files to transport.”
“The only way you’d know that is if you’d tapped into my phone lines.”
Greg shrugged. “Seemed like a good idea to keep tabs on you. Based on what I heard, I was right.”
Payton’s patience was at an end. He grabbed Greg by the lapels of his robe and slammed him into the bookcase. “The files, Greg. The life of a woman I care about is on the line. Don’t make me beat the information out of you.”
“You don’t have the balls to assault me.”
Payton tightened his fist and slammed it into the man’s nose, breaking it. Blood gushed down his chin and he sputtered in shock.
Payton pulled his fist back. “Care to go another round? I’m sure your plastic surgeon could use the money.”
Tears streamed down Greg’s face, mixing with the blood. He pointed to his left. “There. In the safe.”
Payton shoved him in that direction. “Open it.”
Greg did. Payton emptied it out, leaving behind cash, passports, and jewelry. Anything else that even remotely resembled a file was coming with him.
“What’s in here?” Payton asked.
Greg hesitated for only a moment before shoving out the answer. “Locations of old sites. Lists of participants and last known addresses.wn addre All of the RC codes.”
Bingo. “All of them?”
“All that I know of. But they won’t do you any good.”
“Why not?”
“They’re encrypted. None of my associates could break it.”
“Now, why would you want to have access to those files, Greg?” asked Payton, already knowing the answer. “Were you looking for some people to do your dirty work—people you could control without any question of loyalty?”
Greg’s lips pressed together, as if holding in the truth. Which only confirmed it.
“Is there anything else you have that is even remotely related to the Threshold Project?” asked Payton.
Greg shook his head. Anger burned in his eyes, but he was too much of a coward to do anything about it. That didn’t mean that there wouldn’t be more hits ordered on Payton’s life, however.
He gave Greg a good shove, pushing him into his desk hard enough to make his pens rattle. “If I so much as think someone is following me—by your orders or not—I’m coming back to take you out in your sleep, understood?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“If you really believe that, then I guess you have nothing to lose. Good luck with that.”
Payton left, burdened by the knowledge that there was at least one more man he was going to have to kill before he died.
* * *
“He’ll show,” said Leigh. “He cares about Mira as much as you do.”
Clay scanned the entrance to the underground lot at the Edge, searching for headlights. “I doubt that.”
“He was willing to die for her. That has to prove something.”
“Maybe,” Clay grudgingly admitted. “Maybe he’s just that good of an actor and knew all along he’d find a way out. I don’t trust myself to know the difference anymore.”
Leigh covered his hand with hers, and he wasn’t sure if he should push it away so he could concentrate or beg her to touch him more so he could find a moment of blissful distraction.
Mira’s l
ife was in danger. Because of him. It had to be his fault. If he’d managed to get those files before now, she’d be at home, snuggled safely in bed, or watching one of those stupid B movies she loved so much.
Clay had taken her for granted. He’d always assumed that she’d be there—that she was the one permanent fixture in his life. She was the only family he had, and now he realized just how much that meant.
“We will get her back, safe and sound,” said Leigh, telling him exactly what he needed to hear so he could pull in his next breath.
If it weren’t for Leigh, Clay would probably not be breathing at all. It made him wonder how he was going to keep going once they went their separate ways.
The thought left him feeling too empty and desolate to consider. He was already dealing with too much shit to add any more, so he shoved those bleak thoughts aside and willed Payton to hurry the hell up.
A minute later, Payton pulled in, just as he’d promised. Until Clay saw his face, he wasn’t sure the man would actually show. Only his willingness to end his life had allowed Clay the room to let him go.
Payton got out of his car. There was blood on his shirt and a promise of retribution in his pale eyes. “Any word from Mira?”
Leigh glanced at the phone. “No. We have another few minutes before they’re supposed to call.”
Payton had a stack of folders and envelopes in his hands. “I’m going to make copies of everything. I’ll be back in five.”
“Copies?” asked Leigh.
“No, it’s a good idea. Whatever information is in there, we’re going to want to know what it is.”
Payton nodded and headed into the building. “I’ll hurry.”
A few minutes later, the phone rang. Leigh jumped, fumbling to answer it. She was silent, listening. A male voice was barely audible, the words completely muffled.
Clay held a notepad and pen ready for her to use if she needed it. She wrote down a string of numbers that Clay recognized as coordinates.
“I want to talk to Mira. We need to know she’s okay.”
He heard nothing coming through the plastic; then there was a lighter, fainter voice. Mira’s.
Relief fell over Clay but lasted for only a second. The sound of her voice changed pitch, moving into a choking sob.
“We’re coming, Mira,” said Leigh. “Just hang on.”
The man’s voice came back. Leigh’s expression changed to one of pure, undiluted hatred. “He’ll never go for that.”
More deep words, only this time they were harder, louder—choppy with anger.
“Fine,” grated Leigh from between clenched teeth. “But if you give her so much as a hangnail, I’ll—” She looked at the phone, then at Clay. “He hung up.” Her chin quivered and she started breathing fast with panic.
“What’s wrong, Leigh. What did he say?”
She closed her eyes and pulled in a deep breath. When she let it out again, she seemed more in control. “He said to be there in ninety minutes. After that, he’s going to start cutting off her fingers—one for every minute we are late.”
Nausea hit Clay like a fist in the gut. “Oh God. Mira.”
“We need to go. Now.”
Payton came out carrying a briefcase, two rifle cases, and a duffel bag. Clay laid on the horn to get him to hurry. Payton had barely lifted his foot from the pavement when Clay took off, leaving a layer of rubber behind.
Leigh had to raise her voice to be heard over the engine. “He said I have to go alone.”
“Like hell,” said Clay. “I’m going. I won’t risk you, too.”
“You can’t,” said Payton. “Sage will trigger you, and you won’t even remember or care who Mira is. I’ll go.”
“He said it had to be me. If anyone else goes in, Dr. Sage said he’d kill her.”
“His own daughter?” asked Clay, outraged.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” said Payton. “He already murdered his wife.”
The engine roared as Clay hit the highway. “I’m going to kill that fucker. He doesn’t deserve to live.”
Payton leaned forward so they could hear him. “You won’t be able to do a thing to him. Sage was the man who put those controls in your head. He also made sure that there was a fail-safe in place that would keep you from hurting him. Sage may be a dick, but he’s not a fool.”
“I’m the one who has to go. You two need to accept it. Besides, if she is hurt, who better to be there for her than a doctor?”
Payton pulled something from his duffel bag. “We’ll equip you with an earpiece. We’ll be able to communicate with you, but we won’t be able to see anything. You need to remember that.”
“Will you be able to hear me?”
“Yes. And those around you.”
“They’ll know I’ve got to be wearing some kind of device. What’s to stop them from using that to trigger Clay?”
“He won’t be monitoring comms. I will.”
“Fuck,” spat Clay, furious at the whole situation. He needed to act—to do something to help—not sit by useless and impotent while his best friend’s life was at risk.
Payton ignored the outburst and went on. “I’ll help you in any way I can. If you get into trouble and need us to come in, say the word ‘noodle’ and we’ll storm the place. We won’t be far.”
“Noodle,” repeated Leigh. “Got it.”
“Here’s some body armor. Put it on now and we’ll get the comms working on the way, too.” Payton shoved the vest into the front seat. “How are you with firearms?”
“I know which end to point at the bad guys. I’ve been to the range a few times. That’s about it.”
“That’s okay. I picked up a gun with an extended magazine. You’ve got a lot of bullets, so just keep firing until you hit what you need to hit.”
“I really hope it doesn’t come to that,” said Leigh, sounding like the idea made her queasy.
Clay put his hand on her thigh, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “You’re going to do fine.”
“I hope so. For Mira’s sake as well as mine.”
* * *
Leigh was in way over her head. She’d lied to both men, and now she was seeing just how much danger that lie had created.
Not that there was any choice.
Dr. Sage had said that they could send only one person in for Mira, but he hadn’t said it had to be her. She’d said that to cut through any argument the men would have.
Clay couldn’t go because they could control him. If he walked in there, she and Payton would have one more bad guy to take down.
Payton couldn’t go because there was no way Clay would ever trust him to do so. As little as he may have trusted Leigh, he trusted Payton even less. He would have found some way to go along to keep an eye on Payton, and they’d be right back to facing an additional bad guy.
And while Leigh had briefly considered that being a woman, she might be in less danger—that a man would be less likely to hurt her—she now knew the flaw in that logic.
Dr. Sage had killed his own wife. He’d threatened to kill his daughter. He’d have no trouble ending Leigh’s life.
But even knowing what she did now, she still believed that this was the only way to keep Clay out of the hands of the enemy. She was going to have to suck it up and pretend she was completely capable of an armed rescue.
They made it to the coordinates with five minutes to spare. They were in farm country, with no sign of anyone nearby. It was pitch-black, with only the distant glow of Dallas miles away.
“There’s no one here,” said Clay. “Where the hell are they?”
A text came through. “Apparently, they can see us. They want me to get out and start walking west.”
Clay let out a low growl of frustration. “I don’t like this.”
“We don’t have much choice,” said Payton. “Just remember what I told you, and you’ll be fine.”
Leigh nodded and stepped out into the cold. Wind sucked her body heat away, despite the body armo
r. She’d broken out into a nervous sweat, and now that cooling sweat was going to ensure that she suffered.
Clay hurried around the car and took her by the shoulders. “Don’t take any chances. If you see anything you don’t like, just say the word and we’ll come get you.”
“I’ll be fine,” she told him, hoping that it wasn’t a lie. “You’ll see.”
Clay kissed hClay kiser. It was too fast for her to sink in and really enjoy—just a brief skimming of his lips filled with a barely restrained desperation she’d never felt from him before. “Stay safe.”
Before she could think twice or beg for a reprieve, Leigh turned and started walking.
She’d made it maybe a quarter of a mile when a black SUV approached. It skidded to a stop. The door opened. There were three men inside. All big, all serious, all armed.
The one holding the door open said, “Get in.”
Leigh did.
Chapter Twenty-eight
“This is insane,” said Clay. He fought the urge to drive after her, knowing that if he did that now, it was going to get all of them killed.
“You need to stay steady.” Payton pulled from the trunk one of the rifle cases he’d taken from the Edge’s armory. “Leigh needs us to be her backup. And so far, there’s nothing coming through her earpiece to indicate she’s in trouble. Let this play out.”
Clay wasn’t sure how steady he could be, knowing Mira and Leigh were both in danger like this. His hands were shaking, and a furious ripple of anxiety kept pulsing through him. “I want to hear what’s going on.”
“No,” said Payton, his tone hard and final. “They’ll assume you’re listening. The risk of your being triggered is too high. You know that.”
Clay scrubbed his hands over his face. “Yeah, I fucking know. It doesn’t make it any easier.”
“Stay busy. Stay calm. This will all be over soon.”
The headlights of the SUV bounced over the road, weaving toward an old farmstead. Clay grabbed a pair of binoculars and watched as three armed assholes shoved Leigh into a run-down barn. His view from the ridge where he stood was clear. He didn’t even bother to find cover. They already knew he and Payton were here.
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