Targeted (Firebrand Book 1)

by Sandra Robbins

  She lifted her chin, but her lips trembled. “Yes. Not like I’d loved you, but I did love him. So think whatever you want to about me, but Richard doesn’t deserve anything but your love. You made your choice when you left us, and Richard took care of the mess you left behind as he always did. He gave Max and me a future, one I had never dreamed of. Maybe I was wrong for not telling you, but at the time I was so hurt because I felt like you had deserted me that I told myself it wouldn’t make any difference, that you didn’t care about anyone but yourself. Through the years I came to believe it even more, but Richard never did. He often said that you deserved to know the truth, but I always said no. So don’t blame Richard. He loved you so much he couldn’t bear to think of you not knowing you had a son. Hate me if you want to, but if you have any human feelings left in that stone-cold heart of yours, maybe someday you can come to realize how thankful you should really be to have a brother who loved you so much.”

  Before he could speak, she jerked the door open and walked from the room. He stepped to the hallway and watched as she disappeared into her bedroom and closed the door. After a moment, he reentered his room, closed the door behind him and leaned his head against it. With a groan he covered his face with his hands.

  Everything Lainey had said replayed in his head, and he flinched at the angry words she’d spoken. Selfish hypocrite, she’d called him. Was that what he was for feeling robbed of his son? No! Max was his son, and Lainey wasn’t going to keep him from his real father any longer. He wasn’t given the chance to be a father ten years ago, but now he knew the truth, and he didn’t intend for his son to grow up calling Sam Black dad.

  If Lainey thought she could keep Max away from him any longer, she had another think coming.

  <><><>

  Several hours later Lainey sat in the back seat of her car, her hands clasped in her lap, and glanced over at Max beside her, his eyes half-closed. He’d barely climbed into the car before he’d popped his headphones on and turned on the music he’d downloaded on his mp3 player. Although his lips moved, the only sounds he’d made since they left the house were his frequent attempts to punctuate the recording with his own rendition of a rock star’s growl.

  In the front seat Casey sat beside Ash who hadn’t spoken to her since their argument earlier. Every time she remembered how angry he had been her stomach clenched. Had she been wrong to marry Richard? He would have helped her and Max even if she had refused his proposal, but at the time she couldn’t think of a reason to refuse. In her highly emotional state she had wanted someone to make all her problems go away and take care of her, and Richard had offered to do that. And he had been successful. From the day she married him, he had never failed her. He saw that her every need was met.

  She had been surprised, though, after his father’s death when he told her he wanted to teach her about the electronics business his father had built from the ground up. Later she realized he had done it because he feared his cancer would return, and he wanted his family’s company kept safe for Max.

  She had worked hard to learn everything she could about the business, and if things continued as they were going now, it would all pay off big time in a few months when the company launched its newest product, a new technology tablet that cost a tenth of others on the market. It promised to open up new educational opportunities for the poorest countries in the world to have the same advantages as all others. And DeHan Enterprises would make a lot of money in the process.

  Just thinking about all the work that had gone into this project made her happy, but the smile on her face quickly froze when she glanced at the rear view mirror and saw Ash’s eyes reflected in an angry stare at her. She straightened in her seat and cleared her throat.

  “How much further is it to where we’re going?” she asked.

  Ash didn’t answer, but Casey turned her head and smiled. “The entrance is about a half mile away. We should see it soon.”

  Casey had no sooner finished speaking than Lainey caught sight of a wire fence that stretched across the road and disappeared into the distance in opposite directions. A large gate blocked the gravel road they’d been traveling. As they drew nearer, two men wearing camouflage and holding automatic weapons stepped into the road in front of a small sentry house.

  Ash pulled to a stop at the checkpoint and rolled the window down. One of the guards bent over, peered inside, his eyes shaded by sunglasses, and nodded when he saw Ash and Casey. “Heard Casey was moving you and your family in today, but we thought you’d be here earlier. We were gettin’ a little worried about you. Glad you finally made it.”

  “Thanks, Monroe. We got off a little later than we’d planned. Reese said you’d be at the gate.” Ash jerked his thumb toward the rear of the car. “He’s behind us.”

  The man glanced at the car behind, then turned to his partner. “Open the gate for these guys.” The gate swung wide, and Monroe motioned them to drive forward. Ash gave a slight salute as they drove past, and the guard returned it.

  She and her son were entering what Ash and his band of brothers called a training center. It suddenly dawned on her that all the Firebrand members she’d encountered, including Ash and Casey, were well-trained. . .as killers. Her heart constricted as if an icy hand had grasped it and was squeezing the breath from her. A few days ago she and Max had been living a quiet life, and now they were being hunted by a vicious drug cartel lord who wanted to kill them.

  Casey’s voice from the front seat jerked her from her thoughts. “There’s the administration building.”

  Lainey stared out the window at the structure looming before them as Ash turned the car into the drive leading up to the front entrance. He pulled to a stop and glanced over his shoulder. “This is where you’ll be staying”

  Lainey nodded and gathered her purse that sat on the seat between her and Max. Before she could turn to the door, it opened, and Reese Alexander smiled at her. “Welcome to Firebrand Training Facility, Mrs. DeHan.”

  She’d met Reese once years ago when she and Ash had dinner with him and Colt Hanson in St. Claire. She’d liked him then but hadn’t seen him again until today when he showed up at her house to follow them out to this facility.

  She smiled and stepped out of the car. “Thank you for allowing us to stay here, Reese. And please call me Lainey. I expect we’ll be seeing each other a lot while we’re here.”

  He returned the smile. “I hope you’re right. It will be nice to have a woman around.”

  Lainey glanced past Reese at Casey who had just gotten out of the car. She blinked in response to Reese’s words, and her lips trembled. Lainey’s heart lurched at the hurt she saw in Casey’s eyes. She took a deep breath and smiled at Reese. “But you already have a woman here, and I look forward to getting to know Casey better. She’s been a tremendous help to me and my son.”

  His eyebrows lifted, and he glanced over his shoulder into Casey’s eyes. She lowered her eyelids, pulled her sunglasses from her pocket, and slipped them on. “I’ll help Ash get the gear inside,” she said.

  Before either of them could respond, Casey pushed past them and disappeared around the back of the car. Reese stared after her for a moment before he took a deep breath and inhaled. “Well, why don’t we get you settled?”

  Lainey glanced around for Max, but he was already entering the building beside Ash. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the expression on Max’s face reminded her of how he looked on Christmas morning when they opened presents together.

  She hurried after the two with Reese and Casey behind and stopped inside the lobby where Ash and Max waited. Whatever they’d been talking about was still being discussed. As she got closer, she heard Max’s excited voice. “Really? You’d let me do that?”

  Lainey stopped next to him and frowned. “Do what, Max?”

  His face beamed with happiness as he looked up at her. “Uncle Ash says I can bunk with him if it’s okay with you. Isn’t that great, Mom?”

  She frowned
. “I don’t think so. I want you with me.”

  He tilted his head to one side and stared up at her. “Aw, Mom, please let me. I want to stay with him.”

  Before she could respond, Casey called out. “Hey, Max, come let me show you the TV room.”

  Lainey mouthed a thank you to Casey as Max ran toward her. She nodded and looped her arm around Max’s shoulders as she steered him down the hall. When they were out of earshot, Ash spoke up.

  “Lainey, first let me say that I’m sorry about the way I reacted earlier. It was quite a shock, but I’ve thought about it on the way out here. I’m still having trouble understanding why you kept me in the dark about Max, but I know you’re a great mother. Now all I want is to get to know my son a little better. That’s all I’m asking, Lainey. Reese has given us three rooms upstairs. Max and I can stay in one right next to you, and Casey will be on your other side. What do you say?”

  Ash’s dark eyes bore into her, and the breath almost left her body. She’d denied it for years, but she couldn’t anymore. Max was the image of his father, in looks and in how he could get his way with her.

  After a moment, she nodded. “Okay, Max can bunk with you for the time being, and I’ll stay next door.”

  Before he could respond, she heard Max and Casey approaching. “Hey, Mom,” Max called out, “you should see the TV room. They’ve even got a pool table.”

  Ash smiled down at Max as he came to a stop beside them. “Maybe we can shoot some pool while we’re here. In the meantime your mom has agreed for you to stay with me for a while.”

  Max grabbed her around the waist and squeezed. “Thanks, Mom.”

  The elevator doors opened before she could answer, and they stepped inside. Max chattered all the way on the short ride to the second floor.

  Five minutes later Lainey stood in the room she’d be living in for a while and looked around. The bed looked comfortable enough, and there was a small sofa against one wall, a bureau where she could put her clothes, a desk with a chair, and a wall-mounted television. Not the accommodations of a five star hotel, but enough for men used to rugged living.

  She heard voices in the hall outside and opened the door. Ash and Reese stood there talking. Ash looked up in surprise when she appeared. “Lainey, do you need something?” he asked.

  She smiled, hoping her face didn’t portray her true feelings. “Yes, I wondered if you have time to talk to me a minute?”

  He hesitated. “Well, Reese and I are. . .”

  Reese held up a hand to stop him. “We can check those things out later. Go on and get Lainey and Max settled.” He turned to Lainey. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

  “Thanks, Reese. And thank you for all you’ve done for Max and me.”

  He turned and walked back to the stairs and headed down. Ash frowned and took a step toward her. “What is it, Lainey?”

  She motioned for him to come inside. “I’d like to talk to you in private, please.”

  He paused as if trying to decide whether to enter her room or not. After a moment, he walked inside. Lainey shut the door, then turned and leaned her back against it. “I’ve been thinking about our argument, too, Ash, and I don’t want you to hate me because I didn’t tell you about Max. Please try to understand. You were gone. I couldn’t find you. I had to take care of our baby, and I did the only thing I could think of.”

  His hands dangled at his side, and he clenched them into fists. “Everything except wait for me to come back.”

  Tears flooded her eyes. “I don’t think we’ll ever understand what the other one was feeling at the time, but the important thing now is Max. I don’t want him hurt.”

  “I agree.”

  She took a deep breath. “Do you want to tell him the truth?”

  He shrugged. “It’s too soon to know. Let’s try to get through this business with Eduardo Diaz and then decide what we’ll do about Max in the future.”

  She tried to say something, but no words came so she only nodded. He was right. They had more important things to think about at the moment—mainly how to stay alive.

  Ash reached around her and put his hand on the door knob. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some things to do. I’ll see you at dinner.”

  She stepped out of the way, and he walked from the room. She couldn’t move for a moment and then rushed over and sat down on the bed. His words about Eduardo Diaz reminded her of what had happened earlier today, and she didn’t want a repeat.

  Right now, that’s what she needed to concentrate on. If running DeHan Enterprises for the last five years had taught her anything, she had learned she could be a formidable foe when someone tried to take advantage of her.

  She and Ash needed to work together if they were to stop this killer. After that they could work out their problems concerning their son.

  Chapter 10

  Victor tossed the butt of the cigarette he’d been smoking out the window of his car into the hospital parking lot and glanced down at his watch. 10:30PM. He’d been waiting patiently for the last half hour for the next shift of nurses and aides to arrive, and it shouldn’t be much longer.

  The fake mustache coupled with the two-day growth of beard he sported made his face itch, and he scratched at it, careful not to displace the mustache. It wouldn’t do for the thing to fall off while he was inside the hospital. As soon as he could get this loose end tied up, he’d head back to the motel where Sophia waited, and they could get on with their plans to spend a relaxing evening together.

  The thought of Sophia reminded him again of how she’d bungled the kidnapping earlier today. It wasn’t like her to let something like that happen. In all fairness, though, she was just as upset about the turn of events as he was. And just as determined to make Ash DeHan pay. Maybe they had underestimated the man. Even if he had stopped them today, nothing had changed. They were still going to bring down the DeHan family. That had to wait, however, while some other problems were taken care of first.

  One of those problems was Leo. How could he have been so careless to get himself shot? Now he posed a problem for them, and there was only one thing to do if they were to remove the possibility of his talking to the police.

  The sound of a car door closing jerked him from his thoughts, and he glanced across the parking lot. A woman in a nurse’s uniform stood beside her car and watched several other vehicles turn into the lot. Within minutes a small group of uniformed people who he assumed to be employees of the hospital had gathered beside her. They stood in a small circle underneath one of the streetlights in the parking lot and chatted for several minutes before they started to walk toward the building’s entrance.

  Victor waited until they were nearly to the door before he climbed out of his car and followed them into the building and into the ER waiting room, right behind the chattering nurses. The clerk at the desk glanced up from her computer when they passed, her gaze first taking in the gaggle of nurses then drifting to him and over the scrubs he wore. Apparently seeing nothing that seemed out of the ordinary, she directed her attention back to the screen.

  He couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief. It never ceased to amaze him how he could blend into a group and not be noticed. If the ER clerk were asked later if she’d seen any suspicious persons enter the hospital tonight, she would only remember seeing employees as they came on their shifts.

  As the group he was following approached the elevators, he ducked into a restroom across the hall and watched as they waited for the doors to open and then entered the car. When the elevator doors slid shut, he pulled on a surgical cap he’d brought with him, stepped into the hallway, and entered the stairwell. If the information he’d received was right, he would find Leo on the third floor guarded by a police officer who sat in a chair outside his room.

  At the third floor landing, he eased the door open and smiled when he spotted an empty wheelchair sitting in the hallway. He took a deep breath and sauntered into the hall toward the abandoned wheelchair. He had just gripp
ed the push handles when a female voice spoke.

  “What are you doing?”

  He glanced around to see a nurse’s aide, perhaps in her mid-twenties, standing in the door of a patient room. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail, and she looked tired, despite her fresh-scrubbed complexion. She held an armload of linens. Victor smiled. “We were missing a wheelchair down in the ER. I came to find it.” His gaze swept the sheets and towels she held. “Are you getting a room ready for a patient?”

  She nodded and frowned. “Yeah. It’s almost time for me to go home, and the supervisor told me we have a patient coming in from the ER. I have to get this room ready.”

  “Yeah, I heard we’d be transporting somebody, but it’s going to be a while. I can spare a few minutes if you’d like for me to help you. I’m really good when it comes to making up hospital beds.”

  The young woman hesitated and glanced at the wheelchair. “Don’t you need to get that back downstairs?”

  He smiled and shook his head. “No, like I said, it’s going to take them a while. They’re still waiting on some lab results. I know how it feels to pull some late duty when all you want to do is go home. I don’t mind helping out so you won’t have to stay late.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s very kind of you. I really appreciate it.”

  She turned and walked into the room. Victor glanced up and down the hallway and, satisfied no one had spotted them talking, he entered and closed the door. He walked up behind her, and as she turned to face him, her gaze drifted over his shoulder to the closed door.

  “You didn’t have to shut the door,” she said.

  He cocked an eyebrow as he wrapped his fingers around her neck. “Oh, I think I did.”

  Her eyes bulged, and her fingers clawed at his hands as Victor tightened his grip on her throat. She struggled for a few seconds before her body went limp. He didn’t release the pressure but waited until he was sure she had stopped breathing. Then he picked her up and laid her on the unmade hospital bed.