by Kells, India
Cleo couldn’t believe her ears. “I remember some of the names of Spears’ lieutenants. Maybe they’re still active.”
“That would help, especially if Travis can’t help us. Email them to me, and we’ll start tracking them down, it will speed up the process.” Gently, Mason cupped her cheek, making her look at him. “If I could, I would make all of this go away.”
“Will it ever go away?” Cleo felt so tired now. “If he isn’t the stalker, Spears knows where I am, and he’s not the type of man to let go of what he wants easily.”
Mason’s beautiful face turned dark and menacing. “I love you, and I’ll do everything in my power to protect you. Do you believe me, Cleo?”
She nodded, convinced he would lay his life on the line to do so. He took her into his arms and blurred her mind with the most soul-searing kiss. The warmth and strength of his body overtook her, his scent making her head spin. But it was his unique and addicting taste that she relished most and would never get enough of.
“I’m meeting with Travis in an hour for a chat about that list. Do you want to come?”
Cleo forced herself to smile and shook her head. “No. I still have some work to do, and I’m a bit tired. I wouldn’t be good company. And I don’t want to hear about cults, to be honest.”
His smile returned. “I understand. If you want to go to the apartment, I’m sure the guys would be happy to escort you.”
“Thanks. May I use your office? Normally I don’t mind the noise and people, but I want to get this stuff finished quickly so I can go home. I need peace and quiet to do that with no interruptions.”
With a peck on her lips, he winked at her. “What’s mine is yours, just don’t look at my browser history. Call me if you need anything.”
Cleo watched him disappear through the door. Once more he was her defender. The entire team was, and she was incredibly grateful for it. However, as she looked around, seeing people disappear to accomplish their tasks, diverted from their initial missions because of her, a somber realization came to her. In her mind and soul, the pressure was taking a toll on her, and there was no way she could withstand it anymore without acting upon it. Mason may have confronted Jeffrey, but she was the one who could make this entire nonsense stop.
Waving at Malco as he walked inside, Cleo locked herself in Mason’s office. After a few steadying breaths, unable to sit, she picked up her cell phone and dialed a number she had hoped to forget.
“Spears speaking.”
Only sheer will forced her voice to remain steady. “Spears, it’s Cleo Darwin.”
His voice immediately turned from business to interested. “Well, there’s a voice I’ve dreamed of hearing for a long time. Never thought coming to Miami would bring me so much closer to you. How are you, sweet and elusive, Cleo? I met a very intense man who threatened me and told me to stay away from you. But you know me better than that, don’t you?”
She knew for a fact it would take much more than threats to make him step back, and that was the reason she was calling. “I heard about your sister. I was told your mother is also living in Miami.”
“Are you inquiring about her health? What a sweetheart you are.”
“If I’d known living here meant I risked seeing you again, I would have avoided Miami like the plague.”
“Your loss is my gain. I’m impatient to rekindle our relationship.”
Nausea gripped her stomach at the thought. “We will never have a relationship, get that in that perverted brain of yours. In fact, I’m calling to tell you to back off.”
The laughter that came from the other end of the phone sent shivers down her spine. “If that stupid boyfriend of yours couldn’t convince me to stay away, you’re certainly not going to succeed.”
“I didn’t get away and stay in the shadows for so long because I’m stupid. And I didn’t get away without taking some precautions.”
The glee in Spears’ voice dimmed quickly. “Are you threatening me?”
“Would that keep you away from me and mine?”
“You’re flinging empty threats.”
“And if I wasn’t? I may have left in a rush, but I didn’t go empty-handed.” As soon as she said the words, Cleo knew full well she was unleashing a dangerous beast.
“You’re bluffing.”
“Am I? The last time we talked, you had taken me into your office. You shouldn’t have left those statements out in the open on your desk. Last time I checked, bank statements from the Caymans were a sure sign of a tax haven. I wonder what would happen if the IRS found out? You’ve tiptoed around the FBI for a long time, but those money guys are another type of guard dog. Don’t you think?”
“Be very careful with your threats, Cleo darling. You’re biting off more than you can chew.”
“It’s simple. You disappear from my life, stop stalking me, and I won’t send those papers anywhere.”
Cleo heard rustling and voices in the background but couldn’t make anything out of it until Spears came back on the phone. “I didn’t want to go this far, darling Cleo. But you leave me no choice.”
The line went dead. She looked at her phone, thinking she’d kicked a hornet’s nest. She did have those papers they were locked safely away for when she needed them. It was her ace in up her sleeve if she needed one.
What should she do now? With her cell still in hand, she was still debating her next step when it started ringing again. The unknown number wasn’t a good sign.
When she answered, she could hear crying in the background followed by Spears’ voice. “Sorry for hanging up on you, darling, but I messed up trying to do a conference call. Just wanted you to know there are advantages in having a lot of time. When you’re looking for someone, sometimes you get a lead on something completely unexpected. Say hello to your grandmother, darling.” The world started spinning. From a distance, she heard a slap, and the female started sobbing harder.
“Let me talk to her! Put her on the phone!”
Spears snickered. “My dear, I don’t have to do anything for you. You’re lucky I haven’t already killed her. You’re pissing me off, girl. Don’t push me.”
“You are a monster.”
“No, love. I’m a planner. I located her years ago, and when I met your boyfriend last night, I knew it was time to get my baby back.”
“Don’t you dare touch her!”
Her control was slipping, and the situation she had thought would solve everything was turning into a full-fledged nightmare.
“Now I have your full attention, love, and your full cooperation, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m a simple man. All I ever wanted was you, and you’re a good granddaughter. You want your sweet grandmother to live a long life, so you’re going to follow my directions starting now. You’re going to leave your cell, get those papers you stole from me, and get to the address I’m going to give you within an hour. You fail and I’m going to ask my men to start cutting your grandmother bit by bit. One word to your boyfriend or anyone else you work with and she dies.”
Cleo felt like a zombie when she wrote down the address on a notepad and heard the line cut off again. She had to go back to her old apartment where she had hidden the papers in a safe spot. She should have thought of scanning them as a safeguard, but she hadn’t and there was no time to do so. It was time to act. Her body moved, but the rest of her was huddled deep inside, crying, unable to think.
There was no way she could risk her grandmother’s life. It didn’t matter that her parents were technically still alive, they had been dead to her for a long time. Her grandmother was the only family she had left.
She braced her shoulders and went back to her desk. The reception was still calm and peaceful. She didn’t waste a minute. She grabbed some money from her bag under her desk, but left everything else behind, including her IDs. Without them she wouldn’t be able to fly and it would buy her more time.
Cleo wished she could tell her friends, tell Mason, but she had dug herself into
a hole, and there was no way she would bring them down with her. This was her problem to fix.
Sitting at her computer, she went into the security settings and shut off the alarm for the back door. Without a word, her eyes filling with tears, Cleo walked into the backroom and disappeared.
Chapter Sixteen
Mason pulled up to the restaurant where he was meeting Travis and parked out front. He hadn’t wanted to leave Cleo, but this could be the break they needed to find the stalker. He knew she would be angry later when the news sunk in that he had gone behind her back and looked into Spears, but he couldn’t regret it. He’d prefer it to the compliant acceptance she had shown instead.
Her spirit had dimmed as soon as the man’s name had come up. He hated it, which was why the meeting with Travis was imperative. Cleo was meant for color and drinks with umbrellas in them. Not the fear and vulnerability that was her current mood.
His mind went back to the first time he had seen her at Alliance. She had been standing with her hand on her curvy hip, throwing some serious attitude at the flower delivery guy who had managed to snap the head on a lily with his carelessness. The poor kid had been blushing and stumbling over his words to apologize. She had managed to make him feel as if by doing better, he would please her.
Cleo had that effect on people, most especially men with her sexy curves, and the way she dressed all sweet and feminine but with more sex appeal than a fifties pin-up. He had stood inside the door watching until she looked up and saw him as she waved the kid, who was more than a little in love with her by then, away.
The flower print pencil skirt, pale pink sheer blouse with a huge bow that sat just above the swell of her breasts and the high pink fuck me heels had been enough to make him pant. Then she opened her mouth, and looking back he’d known she was the one for him.
He hadn’t acknowledged it at the time though. All his preconceived ideas about falling in love taking time and building a relationship had been wiped away, and he now recognized the moment for what it had been. Him seeing the other half of himself in her. She was the light to his dark, and he was damned if anyone would dim that light on his watch.
The thought made him more determined as he walked toward On The Border Mexican Grill. Moving through the doors, Mason scanned the lunchtime crowd for his friend. Seeing him in a booth near the back, he waved and made his way over.
Travis stood as he neared, “Hey, Mason. I was glad to get your call.”
Mason shook his friend’s hand and smiled as he seated himself. “Thanks for meeting me at such short notice.” Mason looked around the busy lunchtime service for a waitress. He was eager to get the pleasantries over so he could get back to Cleo. “Have you ordered?”
Travis shook his head, “No, I only just got here.”
Mason picked up the menu and scanned it, picking the first thing he saw. A young female waitress with blonde hair in a messy bun on top of her head and pretty girl next door vibe going on stopped beside them and he smiled at her as she asked if they were ready to order, with her eyes on Travis all the while.
Travis had a way with women, he attracted them like flies, and yet he very rarely took them up on their invitation. Tall, broad-shouldered with blond hair and blue eyes, Travis was like catnip to most women, but he blew it off like it was embarrassing somehow. Mason had often wondered if there was a heartbreak in his past that he never talked about.
“I’ll have a soda water and a pulled pork quesadilla, please.” He closed the menu and handed it to the waitress, who was still looking at Travis.
“I’ll have the same.” He didn’t seem to notice her which made Mason smile despite his impatience to get gone.
“What you smiling about?”
“That woman was practically laying it on a plate, and you didn’t give her the time of day.”
The surprise on Travis’ face was proof the man had no clue. “I didn’t notice.”
His face was severe and uninterested, and Mason was about to ask about it but decided not to. It wasn’t his business if he’d had his heart broken by some woman way back when. Everyone had their secrets, and some liked to keep it that way. He certainly respected his friend enough to give him that.
“So why the call to meet you?” Travis sat back in his chair and studied Mason.
“I need your help with this stalker case. Cleo is in danger, and I want whoever it is caught.”
Mason watched as Travis took that on board, his face a mask. His ability to blank his emotions was part of what made him an excellent agent. “You really do love this girl?”
Mason was taken aback by the personal nature of the comment. He and Travis shot the shit, but they didn’t usually talk emotions. He needed to be honest with his friend, though. He would be putting his ass on the line with this favor and Mason owed him that. “Yes, I do. She’s special, kind, beautiful, funny. She makes me feel things I never have before.”
Travis raised an eyebrow at that. “Wow, I hadn’t realized it was so serious.”
“It is, so you can see why I want her safe.” They paused as their drinks were set down, Mason offering the girl a smile of thanks.
“So what do you need from me?”
“I need you to check into the list of cults the government has information on. She ran from Arizona when she was a girl from a man named Jeffrey Spears.”
Travis leaned forward, his arms on the table. “You think he’s involved in the stalking?”
Mason sighed. “He is the best and only lead at this point.” The admission was sobering, knowing they were putting all their eggs in one basket with this and it could be a fatal mistake.
“Okay, give me the details, and I’ll look into it.”
Mason was relieved to have Travis helping him. “Thank you, man.”
Travis chuckled and shook his head. “Been a while since we got into any scrapes together. I miss it.”
“Yeah, we got into a few interesting situations.” Mason laughed at the memory.
They caught up on a few members of the team while they ate the delicious quesadillas before parting ways an hour later. He walked Travis to his car and watched him drive away in his red truck. He’d reached his own car when his cell rang. Sliding inside, he hit answer to Shane’s call.
“Mason, we have a problem. You need to get back here now.”
Mason stiffened at the urgency in his boss’s voice. He knew in that second it involved Cleo. “What happened?”
“Cleo is missing. We found her cell in your office and her things are still under her desk. I checked the last call she made, and it was to Spears.”
Mason slammed his hand against the steering wheel as he pulled the car into traffic. “Fuck. Do we have any idea where she may have gone?”
The silence on the other end of the phone seeped in, and he felt every muscle in his body tense as he waited for the blow he knew was coming.
“No, but Cain has lost Spears. Kingsley has gone to help him.”
Mason thought he was going to lose his lunch at the thought of his beautiful Cleo in the clutches of that sick bastard.
“Mason.”
Mason shook off the fear and tried to think like an agent instead. “Yes, sorry. Get Caitlin over to the hospital. If he has her, he has a weakness, and that’s his sister. No way would that man have left his followers in Arizona for so long if he didn’t care about his mom and sister. Put Knight and Nick on them. He doesn’t get near his family without me seeing him. If he has Cleo.” Mason stopped as his gut swirled at the thought. “If he has her, then we need them as a bargaining chip, and I’ll use anything to get her back.”
“On it.”
Shane disconnected as Mason drove the last two miles to the office. His head was a mess of emotions that threatened to fell him with their intensity, but he wouldn’t allow that. He had a job to do, and it was the most important one of his life. He needed to save the woman he loved from her nightmare, then he was going to put a fucking ring on her finger and keep her ba
refoot and pregnant so she stayed out of trouble.
For some reason, the thought cracked through his fear and made him smile. Cleo carrying his child. He liked it more than he’d ever thought possible, but it was the thought of what she would do if she ever found out he’d had the idea in the first place that made his lips twitch.
Cleo was smart and ballsy to go with her sweet, making her a dangerous combination for his heart, but it also made her strong, and he knew she would do whatever it took to stay safe until he could get to her. The only thing that would make Cleo weak was if someone she loved was in trouble.
Then like a hammer, it hit him. Jumping from the car before it had fully stopped in the Alliance compound, he ran to the door of the conference room and threw it open taking in the worried faces of every operative on the team as they all looked at him. “Her grandmother. Find out where she is.”
James was on it in seconds as he read Mason’s thoughts. “Her only weakness.”
“Exactly, and he wouldn’t care about using an elderly woman to get what he needs.”
A few minutes later, Emme was on the phone with Cleo’s grandmother’s neighbor who promised to check on her and then call them straight back.
It was a tense ten minutes as they waited for news. Each person in the room held a lot of affection for Cleo and her troubles had become their troubles. He flinched when he felt a hand on his back and turned to see Sydney, looking at him with determination.
“She’ll be okay. She’s strong and resilient.”
Mason nodded and covered her hand with his squeezing it. He didn’t say anything though because he couldn’t, his words were paralyzed with fear. He appreciated her comfort though and thought again how lucky Knight was to have found her.
It was not her that had pulled him from the fog of the coma though. It had been Cleo who’d read to him, railed at him, and just damn near demanded he come back to her. His Cleo, the love of his life, the woman who was now in the hands of a psychopath.