Striking Distance

by Debra Webb

  “Pulling me out will blow your best chance at getting Leberman,” she retorted, knowing he couldn’t deny her words. “I think you’re smarter than that, sir. I’m a more valuable asset than ever at this point. I’m willing to take the risk. You’d be a fool not to take advantage of the opportunity.”

  A flare of fury ignited inside him. She might be right about many things, but she was wrong about him. He wasn’t going to knowingly get her killed. She’d gotten too close to the guy. Every instinct warned him that she wasn’t thinking like an agent…she was thinking like a woman.

  “I may be a fool, but you have your orders. We’ll bring down Leberman another way.” He’d already considered his options. She wasn’t the only bait he could offer. Once he and Victoria disappeared, he had a feeling that this guy would gladly follow any available avenue. He was too focused to let anything get in his way.

  “In that case, I guess I’ll head back to Langley,” she said as she stood. “I have no desire to work for a fool.”

  She was angry. If there hadn’t been some credibility in the words she’d flung at him he might have been angry himself. But she was more right than she knew. For that reason he let her insubordination go.

  She walked out of the camera’s visual range. He let go a heavy breath as he heard a brief, heated exchange between her and Maverick and then the slamming of a door.

  “You want me to take her into custody?” Maverick asked as he moved in front of the camera.

  Lucas nodded. A new kind of fury flamed inside him. Leberman always had a way of turning everything to shit. Even his own life. Leberman blamed James Colby, had tried to destroy all that was his because he had screwed up. “Don’t let her get away or she’ll be out there looking for him.”

  “Will do.”

  Maverick signed off to catch up with Tasha. She had a stubborn streak about her, Lucas had to give her that. But that determination he’d so admired was going to get her killed under the circumstances. He should have seen this coming. But he hadn’t.

  Maybe he was too personally involved to make reliable decisions. He shook his head and closed the laptop that had provided the face-to-face encounter without his leaving Victoria’s home.

  “Lucas.”

  He looked up to find Logan waiting in the doorway of Victoria’s small home office.

  “Yes.” He stood and moved toward the door. “Did we get the results of the analysis?”

  Logan nodded. “It’s a match. The blood on the T-shirt definitely belonged to Victoria’s son. And the age of the sample tested is consistent with the time frame of his disappearance.”

  There it was.

  Leberman wasn’t merely playing with Victoria’s emotions, this was the real thing. Her son’s actual shirt…his blood. The bastard had killed the child—violently probably.

  Fury twisted inside Lucas. He would see that he died in a similar manner…screaming for mercy.

  CHAPTER 32

  Tasha didn’t bother slamming the door to her apartment since she knew Ramon was right on her heels. The door closed behind him but she didn’t look back, just kept moving until she was in her bedroom, then she slammed the door as hard as she could. She wanted him to know how pissed-off she was, for all the good it would do. It was his job, she imagined, to keep an eye on her until Maverick finished up with Lucas, and then she’d be under house arrest so to speak.

  Lucas wanted her out. Not that she could blame him. She’d crossed the line. It was true. But that didn’t mean she was out. She could finish this if he’d only let her. She was very nearly positive that she’d gotten to Seth on some level. She’d felt it.

  It wouldn’t matter now because he was a dead man. Lucas’s men would take him down. Every instinct told her that Leberman would get away. He was too smart to get caught by the usual means. Lucas knew that. That was another thing she was certain of. Yet, he refused to allow her to do what needed to be done.

  He was protecting her.

  Because she’d failed.

  And, ultimately, it was his responsibility to know when an agent was no longer reliable.

  A blast of fury obliterated the mixed emotions playing havoc with her ability to think.

  Yes, she’d crossed the line. But she was still an asset.

  And that left only one thing to do.

  She went into the bathroom and lifted her arm, surveying the tiny healing cut where they’d inserted the tracking device two days ago. Tasha moistened her lips and braced herself for the discomfort.

  Using a pair of tweezers she tore the tiny incision open and dug around under the skin. Her stomach roiled and a thin line of sweat broke out on her upper lip before she made contact. She grasped the tip and pulled out the matchstick-size device. Letting go a ragged breath, she wiped away the blood, careful not to leave any signs of her little surgical procedure, and shoved a small strip bandage into place. Another deep breath or two and the nausea had passed. She swaddled the device in a tissue and set it aside.

  After pulling on her denim jacket, she tucked her handgun into the waistband of her jeans and groped around in her purse for that nifty little ink pen Ramon had given her. She tucked the pen into the right pocket of her jacket and shoved what cash she had and the tissue containing the tracking device into the other. Her sneakers would allow for stealth. She was good to go.

  When she heard Maverick’s voice in the living room of her apartment, she made her move. The hidden door inside her walk-in closet that concealed a laundry-chute-like egress route into the apartment directly below opened with ease. Five seconds later Tasha stood in the kitchen of the command center Ramon and Maverick called home.

  She hurried to the front door, unlocked and opened it, praying that one of them wasn’t one step ahead of her already.

  The corridor was empty.

  Releasing a tense breath she ran for the stairwell. She listened intently for someone else to enter the stairwell as she double-timed it down one flight after the other. Just as she reached the final dozen steps, she heard the echo of footsteps above her. She had to get out of there before she was caught. Whichever of the two wasn’t bounding down the stairs would be coming down in the elevator. Time was not on her side.

  She burst through the stairwell door into the first floor lobby and, without pausing, exited the building. Five-o’clock rush hour had turned frantic with drivers and pedestrians alike determined to get home to begin their weekends. She didn’t hesitate. She pushed through the crowd on the sidewalk and shot into the street, dodging and weaving to avoid the cars. A horn blew and tires squealed, but she made it to the other side without ending up a hood ornament. When she would have darted into the alley between two upcoming buildings a taxi, sans fare, slowed to a stop practically right beside her.

  It had to be fate.

  She jerked his rear door open and rattled off an address. “How fast can you get me there?” she demanded, leaning forward, needing him to feel her urgency.

  He shrugged. “In this traffic, I can’t say.”

  “Just get me there as fast as you can. I’ll make it worth your trouble.”

  No sooner than the words were out of her mouth than there was a break in traffic and the taxi eased left, then zoomed forward. At that precise moment she caught a glimpse of Maverick and Ramon on the sidewalk panning the street. She slumped down in the seat and didn’t breathe easy again until the taxi had moved ahead several blocks.

  When he reached the address she’d given him, she paid the fare plus a generous tip. “Do me a favor,” she said, peeling off another hundred bucks, “drive around for a while. Maybe on the other side of town.”

  He took the money and smiled. “Sure, I got some errands I could take care of before I call it a day.”

  “Thanks.” Tasha climbed out of the car, leaving the tracking device tucked safely
in the back seat. She’d watched for a tail and hadn’t noticed one. Maverick and Ramon were likely caught in the traffic. The chase the taxi would lead them on would buy her some time. But she couldn’t afford to waste a second. Lucas would be notified and more of his men would pick up her trail. Unless he decided she wasn’t worth the time and manpower.

  When the taxi was gone and there was still no sign of Maverick or Ramon, she surveyed the Oak Park house. This was as good a place as any to start looking for Seth. Though she felt fairly confident he wouldn’t come back here, there might be something inside that would give her an indication of where to start looking. Something the others had missed.

  The fine hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end.

  The sound of a vehicle braking to a stop sounded right behind her. She swore, certain it would be Maverick.

  “Get in.”

  She whipped around as recognition of the voice exploded in her brain cells. Seth’s SUV sat at the curb, the passenger-side window down, his 9 mm aimed directly at her. Was this her lucky day or what?

  “Now,” he commanded.

  He hadn’t needed the gun. She would have gone with him anyway. But he didn’t know that. She climbed into the vehicle as ordered.

  “Give me your weapon.”

  “What makes you think I’m armed?” she tossed back as he eased away from the curb.

  Those piecing blue eyes cut in her direction. “The weapon,” he reiterated, “give it to me.”

  She reached behind her and removed the gun from her waistband and placed it on the console between them. “This isn’t necessary,” she told him quietly. “I know you found the bug. But there are things you don’t know.”

  He just drove, not even bothering to glance her way.

  “We need to talk,” she said bluntly, hoping like hell he would at least listen to what she had to say before he killed her.

  He picked up her weapon and tucked it into his waistband. “Don’t talk.”

  She should have expected that. He didn’t mince words. She was the enemy. He would kill her.

  Tasha faced forward and relaxed into the seat. She ignored the ache in her arm where she’d removed the tracking device. The idea that she’d probably made a mistake doing that flitted through her mind. No, she decided, that had been necessary. She had to do this on her own. Staring out the window, she couldn’t be sure where he would take her to do the job, but between here and there, she needed to come up with a plan that would keep her alive and accomplish the mission at the same time. She resisted the urge to laugh. Piece of cake, right?

  Yeah, right.

  One glance at her captor’s stony profile and she decided that staying alive might just be impossible. But impossible had never stopped her before.

  The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the treetops, by the time he reached his destination. She didn’t recognize the house or the thinly populated neighborhood as he parked his SUV in the deserted drive. Woods bordered the back of the property. The house was dark, empty looking. A For Sale sign tucked into a front window told her the reason why.

  “Get out.”

  His voice startled her after the long minutes of silence. She moved to obey, knowing that a play for her weapon would be futile, not to mention suicide.

  As they crossed the yard, her heart rate accelerated. He nudged her from time to time to keep her moving toward the wooded area.

  “Where are we going?” Her voice sounded as shaky as she felt and she hated the weakness. He was taking her into the woods, to kill her no doubt. Panic trickled through her, but she pushed it aside. She wasn’t dead yet. The pen in her pocket gave her some comfort. She hoped like hell it worked as fast and efficiently as Ramon had said, since it was the only thing standing between her and certain death.

  “Just keep walking,” he said in answer to the question she’d almost forgotten she asked.

  After about fifteen minutes he finally said, “Stop here.”

  The broad canopy overhead blocked most of the sun’s waning light, leaving them shrouded in gloom. She glanced around the area. There were trees on all sides but the smell was different here. She inhaled deeply, noting the deep woodsy smell and something else…something damp and earthy.

  Water.

  The lake.

  She suddenly knew where they were.

  Victoria Colby’s lake house.

  “Why are we here?” she asked, her skin prickling with a familiar warning. This place held some significance…that’s why he kept coming back.

  He leveled that chilling gaze on hers. Despite the near darkness, those eyes of his seemed to draw whatever light there was and reflect it as if he possessed some sort of supernatural power. She suppressed a shiver. Reminded herself that he was likely about to kill her. How had her instincts failed her so miserably where he was concerned?

  “I told you to stay away from me,” he growled.

  She looked straight into those haunting eyes and told him the truth. “I couldn’t do that.”

  That assessing gaze narrowed. “You want to die, is that it? Is your job worth dying for?”

  She took a step closer to him, ignored the alarm bells going off inside her head. He was way bigger than her. And strong. The memory of those arms holding her firmly while he pumped in and out of her made her shiver in spite of her best intentions not to.

  “I came back,” she told him as she stared up into that unyielding face, “because I thought you were worth saving.” Unfortunately for her, it was the truth. That’s why she’d failed…because she felt something deeper…stronger. He was more than just a killer. Every instinct urged her in that direction.

  He laughed, the sound a harsh bark bursting from his chest. “And just who do you think you have to save me from?”

  “Lucas will eliminate you,” she said flatly, a fierce combination of emotions warring inside her. Her loyalty to Lucas battled relentlessly with her yearning to save this man…this killer. “You could walk away now. All he wants is Leberman. Tell me where Leberman is and you can disappear.”

  Rage claimed his rock-hard expression. “You think you know what this is about? You don’t know anything.”

  She held her ground beneath that intimidating glower. He hated talking about the past. She’d learned that very quickly. And this had everything to do with the past. “Then why don’t you explain it to me.”

  “I have an obligation to fulfill, and nothing will stop me.” His voice sounded calm and collected but she could sense the building tension, the hot fury beneath it. “Not Lucas Camp. Not you.”

  She shook her head. “This is about more than money. Whatever Leberman is paying you to do his dirty work, that’s not what drives you.” His guard went up instantly. Checkmate. She gave herself a quick mental pat on the back. “There’s a lot more involved. It’s something in your past.”

  He tensed visibly. “Shut up.” His fingers tightened on the weapon in his hand. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Someone did this to you. Made you what you are. Your father, maybe?” she ventured, her pulse racing in anticipation of his answer. “A caretaker for certain. You don’t trust anyone…you don’t need anyone. You’re a classic case of abused child turned raging adult. You don’t even know why you do this…you just do it because it’s the one thing you have control over. It’s all you have.”

  “I said shut up!” He shoved the weapon against her temple. Every feature of that chiseled face turned to

  granite.

  She ignored his threat and went on, “I knew when I saw those scars that someone had done terrible things to you. Someone you trusted to take care of you…someone you cared about.”

  “I’ve never cared about anyone,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “What did your father do
to you, Seth?” She didn’t let up. Laid her hand against his chest, knowing he hated to be touched. He flinched. “Tell me what he did to you.” She threw down the gauntlet, knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist the challenge. “Or are you too afraid to talk about it? I thought you weren’t afraid of anything.”

  He laughed softly, the sound almost sinister. “You want to know what he did to me? You think all those stories you read in your psychology books have prepared you?” He tangled the fingers of his free hand in her hair, dragging her closer. “He punished me each time I didn’t live up to his expectations. Kept me shackled in the dark in a basement like an animal…fed me when he decided it was convenient.”

  Her heart was pounding. She was getting closer. “What about school or training?” She winced as his fingers tightened a fraction more in her hair.

  “I’ve only had one kind of training. The kind—” he leaned closer, until she could feel his breath on her face “—you can only get from men who are no longer men…they’re animals who crave violence, who live for nothing else. The kind that teaches a fourteen-year-old how to be a ruthless killer.”

  “But you were just a kid,” she protested, her heart aching at how horrible it must have been.

  “That’s right. And do you have any idea what they did to me? They beat me within an inch of my life for every misstep I made. They withheld food and water for days at a time if I failed in some way. Far more frequently and far worse than anything Leberman had ever done.” A muscle jerked in his tense jaw. “When they couldn’t break me that way, they made me their personal whore.”

  The brunt of his words made her shudder, brought the sting of tears to her eyes. Dear God…how…

  Before her thought could mesh fully in her mind, he continued, “But I kept growing bigger and stronger until I wasn’t a kid anymore.” He made a guttural sound, a laugh maybe. “Then I had my revenge. I’d killed half the bastards who’d ever touched me before the others could stop me. They kept me locked up, afraid to come near me, until Leberman arrived to take me away.” He tapped his head, right where that bizarre tattoo was. “That’s when I got this. Leberman laughed and said that I wasn’t human…that I was a beast.”