by Ann, Lora
Alex leaned in closer. “Can we zoom in?”
“Negative. There’s some sort of lock on it.”
Nik reached for the keyboard. “May I?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Mitch confirmed. He turned his attention to Alex and Sofie while Nik worked at the computer. “Learn anything since I moved you to a different venue?”
Alex blew out a long breath. “Nothing that would hold up in a courtroom.”
“I’m not sure how much help I am,” Sofie admitted.
“You keep me company,” Alex winked at his wife.
Mitch added, “And it looks better to have a couple nosing around in those circles.”
“Well, I’m glad to not be pretending we’re buyers,” Sofie confessed.
“Thank fuck,” Mitch responded. “I’d worry if you enjoyed that.”
“Sick motherfuckers shouldn’t be allowed to breathe,” E spoke what they all were thinking.
“Got it!” Nik exclaimed. Sure enough he’d worked some kind of magic and suddenly they could zoom in.
“Fuckin’ A! That is Chase McNeil!” Mitch was on his phone the next second.
Nik, Alex, E, Lacey and Sofie were engaged in conversation as Keeley studied the video closer. She couldn’t take her eyes off Dr. Carla Thompson. Why were her movements so familiar?
Her head was cocked, causing E to inquire, “Who else do you recognize, Kee?”
Nik added, “I only see the two, Thompson and McNeil.”
Lacey leaned into her sister. “Keeley?”
But Keeley kept watching the doctor treating Chase. It wasn’t just her movements. The things she was saying were like déjà vu. Where had she heard them before? And then Dr. Thompson angled herself toward the camera. Keeley matched the angle. “Where do I know you from?” she mumbled under her breath.
Lacey clutched her sister’s hand, but Keeley shook it off and leaned closer to the screen.
“You were lucky there’s something to repair,” Carla told a mortified Chase.
That look on his face. God, she remembered how it felt to be damaged to the point you thought no one could ever fix you again. But it wasn’t that as much as how Carla said it, or rather the accent lingering in her words. Images were appearing in rapid fire as Keeley remembered. Her brain providing missing pieces she thought she’d never recover. And one in particular lit up like a Vegas sign in the pitch black desert. Viviane! Keeley gasped and backed away from the laptop so fast she fell.
“Are you okay?” Lacey reached down to help her sister, but Keeley batted her hand away.
“No. It can’t be. My God. Noooooooo!” She bolted to her feet and tore out of the office, running as fast as she could. Her only thought: Dr. Carla Thompson was Viv.
Lacey looked over at E. “Should I go after her?”
Nik answered, “Something spooked her. Give her a minute.”
Alex pointed out, “Mitch is out there on a call.”
Mitch raced after Keeley but she left like a bat out of hell. What was that all about? He turned to go ask her family when they met him.
“Where’s Keeley?” Lacey inquired.
“I was hoping you could tell me where she ran off to,” Mitch replied.
“Tar?” E implied.
“Now that would make perfect sense,” Sofie offered.
Lacey couldn’t deny that and nodded.
Nik chimed in, “Then she’s in good hands.”
“The best,” Mitch confirmed and decided to send Tar a text giving him a heads up on Chase and Keeley. He faced the Strands, “Let’s get back to work and as soon as Keeley reaches Tar, I’ll let you know.”
They all agreed but Lacey just couldn’t shake that twin instinct. Keeley figured something out.
Something crucial.
Vital.
Life changing.
*****
Tar was out of his mind with worry. Mitch and the team still didn’t have a location on Chase but they were working their asses off to find it. He finally convinced Mitch that once they were ready to move in for extraction, Tar would be there. And what was the deal with Keeley? He’d spoken to E, and not even Lacey could figure out what happened. Did that video somehow trigger her? God, he should be with her, holding her, reassuring her. Hell, just being with her during the crisis. That was what a good husband did for his wife, he was there for her in the good and the bad. Went the other way too, you were after all partners in all things. At least you should be. He paced thinking about that more. The Strand brothers certainly understood this. He knew that even though Aimee couldn’t be there, Nik was talking to her daily, probably more than once. But he couldn’t help but wonder, would Chase be in this kind of danger if he kept his wife more in the loop? He got needing to protect her from certain things. Yet, wasn’t it odd that she knew nothing? He ran his hand through his hair contemplating that.
Lisa approached, “I’m going to fix dinner. Is there anything that sounds good to you?”
He spun around. “How often did you talk to Chase?”
She shrugged, “When he was home.”
“So, he never called you during the day or sent you a text?”
Her eyes were wide but inside she was desperately trying to figure out what he was after. “Occasionally. We have a normal marriage,” she added for good measure.
“But he kept certain things from you,” he pointed out, “and you hate that.”
“Yes, I do. That’s no secret. It’s why I couldn’t marry you,” her voice trailed off.
“You should’ve said so, not fuck my brother.”
She blinked several times. How do I work this to my favor? Her head bowed as she cried, “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Water under the bridge,” his voice and stance softened.
“I wish I knew what it was you need to hear.” She wiped away the tears on her cheeks waiting to see if that was the in she needed with him.
He stepped forward and embraced her. “I need to hear how much you love Chase.” Holding her like that brought those crawling sensations again. She was lying. He could feel it in his bones. But what did she lie about? The past? The present?
Shit! He was onto her deception. She had to think fast. “I love your brother very much,” her voice breaking on a sob, “and I want him home.” He held her a little tighter. She traced his jaw bringing his gaze to hers. “But I never stopped loving you.”
“Lisa,” he breathed, “I care for you, but as my sister-in-law.”
She mocked indignation. “What are you insinuating?”
He took a step back. “I’m just saying, it’s normal to have residual feelings for each other but that I no longer think of you as my former lover.”
“Wow! That was a verbal slap!”
“Wasn’t meant to be. Look, all I’m saying is we’re in love with different people and that’s the way it should be. We were never meant to be.”
“Really? So you’re saying we wouldn’t be happily married right now if I could’ve handled your job.”
“I think we didn’t have a firm foundation to handle the storms of life, Lisa.”
“I don’t think we were ever given a chance,” she huffed.
“Hey, why the hell are we arguing?”
“I don’t know, Tar, maybe because you’re an insensitive asshole!”
“I’m insensitive? That’s rich!” Oh, he was pissed. She had some fucking nerve. He’d forgiven her and Chase for their betrayal, but damn her for trying to make that his fault.
Cole walked in biting his little lip. “Why are you yelling?”
Tar knelt down and held his arms wide. Cole walked into them. “Sorry, Buddy. Your mom and I are just worried about grown-up things and it came out as mad.”
“You’re not mad?” His soft green eyes searching Tar’s deeper ones. “I am. But more at the situation than a person.”
“You miss, Keeley.” His nephew wasn’t asking a question.
Tar smiled. “Very much so, yes.”
&nbs
p; His little head bobbed as he reached for his mom’s hand. “Like we miss Daddy.”
Lisa seized the opening her son just gave her and she hugged both Cole and Tar. “Yes, baby,” she hiccupped.
Both looked at her. Cole traced a tear falling. “Uncle Tar will help.”
Tar blew out a heavy breath. “I’m trying, Partner.”
Lisa stood upright. “I need a moment,” she announced leaving them quickly.
In the bathroom she splashed water on her face. What the hell was she going to do? Tar was slipping from her grasp every second. Fucking cunt, Keeley was her biggest problem. Though his code of honor was a formidable adversary as well. She needed a plan. One that was foolproof. Maybe…she began to search for something to use. A drug of some kind. Anything that brought down Tar’s defenses. Then she recalled, to help Cole with nightmares before Chase’s disappearance he’d been prescribed a mild sedative. Yes, she’d just increase the dose and slip it into Tar’s food. Perfect. With him under the influence, she could take advantage of him. She’d video the whole thing and use it to get rid of Keeley once and for all.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Shit. Shit. Oh shit! Keeley paced staring at the checkpoint. What the hell was she thinking? R-U-N pulsed through her blood stream, each letter emphasized by a hard beat of the drum. Her heart demanded she turn back and face her past. Fight her demons. Her head told the story tried and true. Run away. Start over. Don’t look back. That song was what she knew and it did not matter if she broke her heart in the process. Wouldn’t be the first time. She stood there one foot ready to move her forward, the other poised to turn back. Sweat dripped down her brow mixing with tears. Could Tar forgive her for being an accomplice to murder? What about Lacey? Hell, then there was prison. Time she would most certainly do, Viv would see to that.
The demon leaned in closely and whispered, “You’ll be killed in jail. You must go. Now!”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, fighting the urge to cross the border in front of her. Viv had gone to great lengths to hide her identity, posing as Dr. Thompson. The answer as to why was clear: she needed to befriend Keeley. Jesus, how did she not notice before?
Again the demon murmured, “She needs you dead, Keeley. You’re the only link to tie her to the senator. Tar can go on if you leave, but if your dead, he’ll never find happiness again.”
The thought of Tar with another woman made her want to rip things to shreds. Lisa would take full advantage. Keeley felt it in her bones. Add that to the fact something else was niggling just behind the surface, telling her this wasn’t her first encounter with Viviane since leaving that house in Folsom. A war was raging inside her and she found her nails raking along her inner wrist. Control. She needed to find control of these thoughts, emotions.
A commotion drew her attention to the border between California and Mexico. There were police everywhere and two young women about her age in the back of police cars, crying. On the ground, in handcuffs was a business man. Keeley realized what she was witnessing as she read the lips of one officer. “Sex slaves.”
She met the eyes of one of those girls. Lost and alone were written in her features, but the shame etched between her brows was what made Keeley Kincaid stand up and square her shoulders. No way in hell was she letting another girl live through this horror if she had a way to stop it. Maybe she could only save one, but that one was worth more than all the gold on the planet. Fuck what happened to her. If Viv killed her, then she’d make damn sure she took the bitch with her. Keeley nodded toward the eyes locked on her. She mouthed, “I promise to do what I can.”
The girl leveled her gaze with Keeley’s. “Stay strong,” she mouthed in return.
Keeley turned away from the border and beelined for the car.
The demon seethed as he watched the angel walking right behind her. He wasn’t giving up on Keeley but knew he needed to go after her weaknesses from a different angle. Fine by him, he would prevail. She was his and she knew it, sooner that fucking light left her for good, the better. Love made him physically ill as he clutched his stomach. In his opinion that four letter word was the vilest of them all. And he would bring out every lie and trick of deceit to win this battle of Keeley Kincaid’s soul.
The laugh was terrifying enough to cause her to look over her shoulder, searching for the source. She faced forward and continued without looking back again. Keeley was going to tell Tar every gruesome detail of her role in Caleb Reynolds’ death. Fully aware this could be what took him from her forever. Yet she wasn’t going to let fear win. Time she stood her ground and damn the consequences.
*****
Lisa peeked around the corner making sure Tar was distracted. Cole had him engaged in a mad game of Go Fish. She smiled wondering for the umpteenth time what it would be like if Tar were the father of her son. Easy enough to remedy, she could easily get pregnant that night. She’d make sure not to give Tar too much diazepam that he couldn’t perform. And knowing him as well as she did, he wouldn’t just walk away from his baby. A wicked grin lit up her face. Yes, she would take this man from Keeley. No way Chase would deny a niece or nephew either. They could be one big happy family. She snuck the pills into her front pocket and went to the kitchen. Taking the prescription bottle out and putting it inside a drawer when she heard, “Can I help you with dinner?”
She jumped and slammed the drawer shut. “Crap! Tar, you scared me!”
“Sorry.” He quirked a brow. “What’s in there?”
“Um…not the cooking utensils I was looking for.”
He reached around her as her heart raced and opened the other drawer. “This what you need?” His voice was in a tunnel as her ears were filled with the heavy thump of her heartbeat.
“Yeah,” she breathed out heavily.
“You okay?” His head angled at her. He reached for her forehead and she dodged his hand.
“I don’t like people watching me cook,” she shot out the explanation.
Tar crossed his big arms over his chest. “Since when?”
“I’ve changed. Now go!” She pushed him out.
He relaxed and chuckled. “You’re a great cook, Lisa. I’m sure that hasn’t changed,” he said over his shoulder as he met Cole in the living room.
She leaned against the wall that was out of his sight. Holy shit! That was too close for comfort. “You okay with lasagna?”
“Absolutely,” came his happy reply.
She’d remembered it was his favorite dish and went to make a meal he’d never forget in more ways than one. By the time everything was ready, Cole had fallen asleep on the couch. Silently she thanked her little boy, Good job, pumpkin. “He’ll be fine right there while we eat,” she reassured Tar.
He sat down at the table and praised, “This looks incredible.”
She beamed. “Thank you.” Walking over to the counter that was at an angle where he couldn’t really see what she was doing, Lisa dropped the already crushed seven white pills into his wine glass. She made a show of tasting the wine before bringing him a glass.
“I can only have a little of this.” He raised his goblet to hers.
“I figured. But a good Chianti is necessary with Italian food.”
“Yes, ma’am, it is.”
She giggled. “You can take the man out of the military but you can’t take the military out of the man.”
“Some habits just can’t be broken.” He took a sip and then began to eat.
She watched him coyly as they made small talk and ate, knowing from experience with Cole the sedative wouldn’t take effect right away. Cole woke up and had some dinner too before turning in for the night. She’d just finished tucking him in and walked into the kitchen to see Tar washing dishes. There was a slight tinge of regret as he yawned loudly.
“I must be more tired than I realized,” he affirmed while putting away the last plate.
“Children have a way of doing that.” She smiled. “We can have dessert later. Go ahead and lie dow
n.”
He placed the dish towel on the hook. “I’m not gonna argue,” he said around another big yawn.
Lisa waited another ten minutes before slipping into Tar’s bedroom. Like she planned, he was out cold on the bed, naked. She eased down between his legs softly stroking the inside of his thigh, thankful the habit of sleeping nude had never changed. His moan was deep and she could tell he was dreaming by the crease between his eyebrows. “Prefect,” her hot breath skated along his erection.
Tar was lost to the erotic dream of Keeley teasing his cock before she took him into the hot wetness of her mouth. “Hmmm,” he purred at her perfection.
Keeley slid between the bushes around the window hoping she found her way to Tar. She had no desire to sneak in through Lisa’s window, or worse, scare the living daylights out of Cole. The room had a dim light on and as she leaned forward, what she saw brought tears to her eyes. Tar’s hand was holding Lisa’s head as he thrust into her mouth. How could he betray her like that? Him of all people, knowing how furious he’d been with her when Braxton had forced her to orgasm. Hell, he’d left her over that. And now there he was letting his ex suck him off. She was about to burst in and let him know just how pissed off she was when shock froze her in place.
Tar pulled on Lisa’s hair and brought her upright. His eyes closed as deep concentration lined his face. Lisa placed her hands on his impeccable chest and positioned his shiny cock, thanks to her salvia, to her more than ready opening.
He was lost to Keeley in the dream, yet something felt off somehow. Was it the fact her hands weren’t placed where they normally were? Or that she wasn’t kissing him with her wicked skills? The other thing that wasn’t right, Keeley didn’t demand he play rough. Sure they had moments of tender lovemaking but still… Something else just did not feel right, like a drug was wearing off. The tip of his cock was gliding into her hot silk when Keeley’s scream brought him to full alert and shook the last effects of the drug completely from his system.
Keeley turned to leave but slipped and fell, hard, breaking her arm instantly. “FUCK!” she howled.