02 Hunted - The Chosen

by Denise Grover Swank

  “Two organizations?” James shook his head. “Shit, Will.”

  “Yes, but the second group wants to kill her. At least the Vinco Potentia wants her alive.”

  “What the fuck does this girl do?”

  “It’s what they think she can do.” He paused. “The head of the Vinco Potentia is none other than Phillip Warren.”

  James’ mouth dropped. “Senator Phillip Warren? The guy running for president?”

  Will pinched his lips. Part of him wished he’d killed Warren when he had the chance. “Yeah, pleasant fellow,” he said, but his tone implied otherwise. “His right-hand man at the South Dakota compound was Scott Kramer. He’s the guy who actually hired me. Also, Warren’s son, Alex Warren. He’s part of them too. There was another guy named John, middle-aged guy. Dark hair with a bit of gray. I don’t know his last name.”

  “Gee, middle-aged guy named John, that narrows it down to a couple hundred thousand guys.”

  “Look, James, I wouldn’t ask for your help if I didn’t need it. You and I both know you’re a hell of a lot better at finding info on people than I am.”

  “I don’t know, Will. I’ve never heard of the Vinco Potentia and I heard about a lot of political groups when I was in communications in the service.”

  “They were all Brown graduates. That should narrow it down. Also, I have Warren’s cell phone. Maybe his list of contacts will help.”

  “Do I want to know how you got Senator Warren’s cell phone?”

  Will grinned. “I can assure you he handed it to me himself.”

  James raised his eyebrows in a challenge.

  “I tried to sort through the list, but I spent most of my time taking care of Emma. She was in really bad shape when we escaped.” Will’s voice faded as he thought about how scared he was that first week.

  “And do I want to know what was wrong with her?” James shook his head. “Scratch that. I don’t. Did you get the cell phone before or after you escaped?” Sarcasm dripped from his words.

  “Do you really want to know?”

  “Hell, no.”

  Will paused, then held James’s gaze. “I have another favor to ask, even bigger than that.” His voice softened.

  James’ eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What?”

  Will strengthened his resolve. He had to do this even if the mark on his arm protested otherwise. “I have to go back to South Dakota. There’s a book at the Vinco Potentia compound. A book that has answers. I need that book.”

  “You’re going to invade a compound owned by a powerful, secret society on your own and steal a book?”

  “No, I’m only going to do surveillance and try to figure out the best way in.”

  “And then what?”

  “And then you and I are going to go back and steal it.”

  James let loose a long string of curse words. “How did I get roped into this? Is that your favor?”

  “No, excitement and adventure with me is a given.”

  James scowled. “So what’s the favor?”

  “I need to leave Emma here. She won’t be safe with me.”

  “Are you fucking serious?”

  Will hated to ask, hated to leave her even more. He could see James didn’t like her, but she was safer with James than she would be traipsing around so close to the Warren territory. “It’s only for a few days.”

  “What? Am I supposed to take her out on the lake with my clients? Be her babysitter?”

  “No, I’m hoping she’ll be safe out here in the middle of nowhere. And if something happens, you’ll be here to protect her. I’ll be back in a few days.”

  “And if someone shows up?”

  Will’s chest tightened at the thought. “I doubt anyone will, but if they do...” His eyes hardened. “I have no doubt that you’re capable of protecting her.”

  James shook his head in disgust. “Goddamit. I can’t believe I’m fucking agreeing to this. You know she’s not going to like it. What makes you so sure she’ll stay?”

  “Because I’m not telling her that I’m leaving and she won’t have any way to take off.”

  “What the hell do I get out of all of this?”

  “My undying gratitude?”

  James snorted. “Yeah, just what I was looking for.”

  “I’m going to leave now, before she wakes up. Can you look up some of the info before I get back in a couple of days?”

  “Sure.” James scoffed. “Maybe I can cook you a turkey dinner, too.”

  Will grinned. “Now that you mention it, that sounds—”

  “In your dreams, asshole.”

  ***

  Emma woke up in an empty bed. Her fingers trailed over sheets where Will had lain. Had saving him been a dream? But if it had, wouldn’t he still be here?

  The memory of Jake’s hand gripping hers rushed into her mind, taking her breath away. Even though she could almost feel his body pressed into her back, there was no denying it had been a dream. Her eyes sank closed with grief. It had felt so real.

  She sat up, irritated that it was after ten o’clock. Why had Will let her sleep so long? Lying in bed all day didn’t get her closer to finding Jake and she’d wasted enough time in bed, delirious with a fever, the weeks before. She got up and wandered through the empty house then moved to the front porch, her mouth dropping open. The Camaro was gone.

  James walked up to the house carrying an armload of firewood, keeping his eyes down. “Will left.”

  Her breath hung in her throat. “Left? Left where?”

  He dumped the wood in a pile close to the porch then stared at her, a blank expression on his face. “South Dakota.”

  The blood rushed from her head as the heat of anger replaced it. “South Dakota?”

  James put a foot on the porch and leaned an arm on it. “Yeah, something about a book. And you.” His eyes held hers in a challenge.

  She tried to control her breathing as her temper boiled.

  “He hired me to be your babysitter for the next few days.”

  “Days?”

  “Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction, too.” James turned around and walked toward the dock. “He left you a note on the kitchen table.”

  Emma stormed inside to find a folded paper with her name written on the outside. She’d overlooked it before.

  Emma,

  I’m sorry I left like this. I thought it would be easier this way. I need to do some reconnaissance in South Dakota and I didn’t want to risk taking you. You’ll be safer here with James. I’ll be back in a few days.

  Love,

  Will

  James walked in the side door, stomping his dirty boots on a rug. “You can earn your keep by catching up my laundry and cooking. You look like you’ve worked in a restaurant or two. I’d like a roast and potatoes for dinner.” He brushed past her down the hall.

  She crumbled the note in her hand. “Excuse me, but I was an accountant.”

  “Yeah, sure you were, honey.” His voice was muffled as he shut the door to the bathroom. The sound of the shower followed.

  Emma clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. Who the hell did he think he was? And what in the hell was Will thinking leaving her here? He expected her to stick around for days just waiting for him?

  She felt lost and alone without Will and that pissed her off. She’d spent her entire life alone, so when did she start needing him? And look where needing him got her. Farther away from Jake than ever before and stranded with the dickhead singing in the shower.

  Will made his choice and she made hers. He expected her to sit here barefoot and possibly pregnant while he ran off and did manly things.

  To hell with that.

  She dug in the bag he left behind and found his stash of money. She wouldn’t take much, just enough to get a new pair of shoes, some food and a bus ticket to Arizona. She’d walk to the nearest town and catch a bus to Tucson. Hopefully, they had a bus station out in the middle of Timbuktu.

  She found
an old backpack in the bedroom closet. Stealing it from James almost made her feel bad, but the fact he was an ass negated any guilt. She stuffed the few clothing items and toiletries she had into the pack. As an afterthought, she grabbed a handgun and bullets. Unfortunately, she’d probably need to use it. She pushed away the fear that blossomed at the thought and placed them in the front pocket of the backpack. A purse would have been better and given her faster access to the gun, but she didn’t have one anymore. Hers burned up in Will’s truck, which reminded her that she’d need to get a fake ID soon. With a huff of anger, she strode for the door when the pendant on the nightstand caught her eye.

  She couldn’t believe she almost left it.

  The stone warmed her fingers when she picked it up. She unfastened the clasp and hung the chain around her neck, the weight heavy on her chest. She wasn’t used to wearing jewelry, but it gave her comfort. Right now, she could use all the comfort she could get.

  The water was still running in the bathroom as Emma slipped out the front door. The gravel in the lane dug into her bare feet, but she hurried anyway, moving to the grass along the side of the road and cursing when the occasional rock or thorn stabbed the tender flesh of her sole.

  By the time she made it to the main road, she felt a sense of victory. She doubted James would actually come looking for her this far. He made no secret of his dislike of her, and was probably glad to be rid of her.

  After she’d traveled a mile or so, she wished she’d grabbed some food before she left. She chastised herself for being in such a hurry that it never occurred to her make better preparations. If Jake were with her, that mistake could have been disastrous.

  If Jake were here.

  The fact that Jake wasn’t there burned, mixing with her anger and Will’s betrayal. What gave Will the right to leave her without consulting her first? He should be out looking for Jake, not on some snipe hunt in South Dakota. Yet she knew that wasn’t fair. He’d been trying to find Jake. In fact, he probably hoped to get clues from the book at the Vinco Potentia compound. Just as she began to question whether leaving James’s house was a good idea after all, a car pulled beside her and slowed.

  She was pissed anew that she had been so lost in thought that she missed its approach. Goddamn, she was getting sloppy.

  “Need a lift?” a familiar voice asked.

  Emma turned in anticipation and dread, her suspicion confirmed.

  Raphael had found her.

  His arm draped over the steering wheel and he leaned over, looking out the open passenger window, wearing an amused smile.

  She looked straight ahead, ignoring the yearning in her gut. “No, thank you.”

  The car rolled along side of her. “Where are you going?”

  She kept walking. Talking would only encourage him.

  “Emma, are you seriously going to walk to town barefoot?”

  She stopped and turned to him, screwing on her fiercest look. “How did you find me?”

  He smiled. “I stay in a cabin at this lake every summer. How is it that you keep showing up in my path?”

  “You really expect me to believe that?” She put her hand on her hip. “You’re seriously trying to tell me you’re not following me? Unfuckingbelievable.” She started walking again.

  The car stopped behind her and she hoped he had given up, although the primal part of her hoped he didn’t. She shoved that part way down and stomped on it.

  Footsteps approached from behind her. “Emma, wait.”

  “Why the hell would I do that?” she shouted.

  “Do you really think I would follow you to a lake in Minnesota? Do I look like a stalker to you?”

  At this point, if the pope himself was following her, she’d consider him a stalker. “Yes.”

  He laughed, a rich, deep, melodious laugh. It rumbled through her, teasing the instinctual reaction she still fought to suppress.

  “Where’s your boyfriend? I’m surprised to see you out here walking shoeless on a country road instead of nursing him back to health.” He was beside her now, less than a foot away.

  Emma shook her head in irritation. “He’s better. He’s fine.”

  “You mean he’s recovering just fine?”

  “No, I mean he’s completely healed.”

  He stopped and to her annoyance she halted and turned to face him. A look of pride crossed his face before it was replaced by polite congeniality. “Wow, that’s quite a miracle.”

  She studied him closely. “Yes, it is. What do you know about it?”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “Me? How would I know anything about it?”

  “You told me I could heal him. You told me I had the power to do it.”

  “I meant figuratively, not literally, Em. I meant that your beauty and sweet presence would surely make him better.”

  “That’s a crock of bullshit and you know it. How do you keep showing up where I am?”

  “Perhaps it’s fate.”

  “No way. You’re following me. Why?”

  “Are you telling me you don’t believe in fate or destiny?”

  That’s a good question. She honestly wasn’t sure. Everything with Will, Jake and her was all supposed to be chalked up to destiny, but destiny at this point pointed to one cosmic train wreck.

  “Where is that boyfriend of yours?”

  She started walking again.

  “Emma, where are you going?”

  “Away from you. For all I know you’re a psycho serial killer.”

  Raphael’s laugh echoed behind her. “Emma, if I was going to murder you, don’t you think I would have done it by now?”

  “I have no idea how serial killers work, but I don’t intend to stay and find out.”

  “I concede.” Raphael called behind her. “It’s not a coincidence.”

  She stopped and turned back to him, brushing the hair out of her face.

  “If you get in the car with me, I’ll drive you into town and answer some of your questions.”

  “No, I want answers right now.”

  He shook his head. “No, I can’t answer them all right here. It would take too long. If you come with me, I’ll tell you what I know.”

  “Like what?”

  “How did you heal your boyfriend?”

  “Will?”

  “Yes, Will,” he said his name as though it left a bad taste in his mouth.

  She knew she should run. But he said he knew things. He might be able to provide answers to her questions, which in turn, might help her find Jake. “How do you know I healed him?”

  Raphael took a couple of steps toward her. He stopped when he saw her alarm. “Emma, you and I both know he was far too injured to be just fine. How did you do it?”

  “How do you know about me?”

  Raphael took another step toward her. “For now, you answer my questions and I promise to give you information… as I think you need it.”

  “That hardly seems fair.”

  Raphael’s mouth lifted into a sad smile. “Emma, you of all people know that life is far from fair. But I’m presuming no one else around you has answers to the questions racing through your mind. What are the marks on your back? What powers do you possess? How did you heal Will?” He paused and his eyes narrowed, making them look black in the shade. “Who your father really is?”

  Her eyes widened in alarm. “How do you know those things?”

  “I just do. Spend the afternoon with me and I promise to give you information.”

  “How can I trust you?”

  He lifted the corner of his mouth into a sardonic grin. “Can you afford not to?”

  She eyed him with wariness. He was right. She only hoped the price wasn’t more than she was willing to pay.

  Chapter Twelve

  “All right.” She relented, then her cheeks flushed remembering their kiss. “But you can’t touch me.”

  “Fair enough. You have a boyfriend, after all. Any other conditions?”

  She looked int
o his dark eyes. “You’re not going to hurt me, are you?” It was a ridiculous thing to ask. It wasn’t as if he would tell her that he would.

  Raphael started to reach for her arm, then stopped, lifting his hands in mock surrender. “Emma, haven’t I saved you twice already? Three times if you’ve seen horror movies and count my picking you up off this deserted road. If I wanted to harm you, why would I have intervened? I only want to help you.”

  She didn’t want to trust him. It pissed her off that once again she was at some man’s mercy, yet she wanted answers more than anything. “All right.”

  “Good. I’ll take you into town and buy you lunch. Then we can talk.”

  She nodded and walked beside him toward his car, making sure several feet separated them.

  “Do you have some aversion to shoes? I keep finding you without shoes.”

  “Shut up.”

  He laughed, a rich, rumbling sound.

  “The pair I kicked off running were my only shoes. I’ve been a bit busy to worry about shopping.”

  A half an hour later, after buying a pair of tennis shoes at the Dollar General, Emma and Raphael sat in silence at a table in an old cafe overlooking the lake. Emma ate her sandwich while Raphael studied her. He claimed he wasn’t hungry but refused to answer any questions until she finished. Emma looked out onto the water, trying to avoid eye contact with him, but she noticed he watched her every move.

  “Didn’t your mother ever teach you it was rude to stare?”

  He laughed and glanced away. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to being so close to you. I see you’re wearing the pendant.”

  Emma sat up straighter. “How did you know about the pendant and what do you mean so close to me? So you have been stalking me.”

  “I have seen you before, but no, I haven’t stalked you.” Raphael grimaced. “This is harder than I expected.”

  “Yeah, it’s not so easy for me either, except I’m totally clueless. You know a hell of a lot more than I do.”

  “Aww, now there’s that spirit I’ve missed. How did you get so broken?” His voice softened.

  Emma stood, frightened. “How the hell do you know anything about me?” she asked, her voice nearly a whisper.