Hunter (In the Company of Snipers Book 14)

by Irish Winters

  “And pizza and ice cream.” His brows slanted. “Only not ‘matoes. They’re icky.”

  Eddy caught her smiling. “There’s the girl I used to know,” he said, lifting his water goblet in a toast. “You look radiant tonight, Miss Flynn. What would you like to eat?”

  She reached past Courtney to clink glasses with Eddy. “I’m a mac-n-cheese gal myself.” He might as well get used to it.

  “I bring you to the top restaurant on the East Coast and you want simple fare?” He shook his head, tsking. “Knox? You heard the lady. How’s the mac-n-cheese here?”

  Knox, the blond waiter with his hair neatly parted on the left, stepped forward. “We only serve the best,” he said with a nod to Courtney. “Would you prefer chocolate milk or apple juice with your entrée, young Mr. Welch?”

  “His name is Courtney Flynn,” Meredith corrected before this misunderstanding went any further. “And he’ll have...” She cocked a brow at her son, who by now was hanging on every word.

  “Root beer!” he declared hopefully.

  Eddy ran his pinched thumb and finger over his lips, and all eyes were on Meredith. The scene around the table felt like a happy family. It was just possible Eddy would make a decent father after all. “Then root beer it is. You do have root beer, don’t you?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Nothing but the best for Master Flynn.”

  The meal couldn’t have gone better. The service was excellent. The unobstructed view of the Chesapeake at night defied description and the mac-n-cheese was by far, the best Meredith had ever tasted. Courtney finished every last morsel. The root beer disappeared as quickly.

  “I done,” he announced, resting his fork on the edge of his plate as she’d taught him. “I tired, Mama.”

  “Me too,” she admitted. The day had gone far better than she’d expected.

  “Would you care for an after-dinner drink, ma’am?” Knox offered, an elegant white napkin laid his forearm. “A liqueur? A brandy? Perhaps coffee?”

  “An Irish coffee would be nice,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am.” His gaze shifted to Eddy. “Your usual, sir?”

  Eddy nodded, his eyes glowing and focused on her. “I think I see a pattern,” he said, his voice full of silk. “It’s taken me these last three years of living alone to realize that you’re content all by yourself, Meredith. You’re strong and competent. You work hard and you take excellent care of your son. What’s more, you’re happy. You don’t need anything from me, do you?”

  That came out of the blue. Her cheeks blushed with warmth. “I’d appreciate your friendship for Courtney’s sake.”

  “You’ll always have that, Meredith Flynn.” He enunciated her last name carefully. “But you don’t need a man in your life to direct you or provide for you, do you? You do quite well on your own, even though you have very little to your name.”

  “I have everything I want or need.” She turned to the sleepy boy between them. After that delicious meal, Courtney was on carbohydrate overload, his eyelids heavy and his cheeks flushed.

  “Yes. I believe you’re right.” Eddy sighed. “You do have everything you need.”

  Not once during the meal had he stretched his arm across Courtney’s back to snare her fingers or brush her shoulder. It was a relief not being hit on for a change. “What’s come over you?”

  “Nothing.” His gray eyes were hooded, making them sexily dark. Eddy always knew how to use that smoldering look he had going for him. “I’ve just been watching you today, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. I owe you an apology. I know I was hard on you the short time we were married and, God…”

  He shoved his fingers through his hair and looked away as if he was embarrassed. “To say I behaved badly makes me sound like a decent person when I wasn’t.” The muscles in his neck constricted as he swallowed. “I hurt you and worse, I deserted you and Courtney when you needed me the most. I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”

  She blinked, not sure what to believe.

  “I’m not asking you to forgive me.” He kept his eyes on his plate. “In so many ways, you’re stronger than me. I respect that about you. I need you to know that I’m afraid I’m smitten all over again with you, only it’s too late, isn’t it? I’ve made the one mistake that can’t be fixed with money. I’ve lost your trust. It only follows that I’ve also lost you forever, haven’t I?”

  Meredith lowered her gaze to the crystal cup of Irish coffee Knox had just placed in front of her. “Water, ma’am?” he asked politely.

  “No, Knox. Thank you. This looks perfect.” She waved him away, flustered at the tenderness emanating from the man she’d tried for so long to hate. It took her a moment before she could look her ex in the eye again. “You hit me, Eddy. You hurt me. I can forgive you, but I can’t forget that. None of it.”

  His head bobbed. “Understood, but because of my former abuse, I’ll forever remain your most humble servant. To my death,” he said quietly, his tone somber and more than a little sad. “I stand in awe of you, Meredith. I’ve met royalty and celebrities the world over. I’ve dined with wheelers and dealers. Hell, I’ve hosted the Vice President on my sailboat, but you, the mother of my son, are the most brilliant woman I’ve ever known. Truly. You’ve just eaten a beggar’s meal, yet you sit there with a contented smile that makes you shine.” He reached behind Courtney for her hand and lifted it to his lips. “Courtney is a very lucky little boy, and I’m a fool.”

  Embarrassed by all the flattery, she eased her hand from his, willing to accept his kindness, nothing more. Eddy always did have dreamy eyes. The last thing she needed was to get sucked back into them.

  “And that lucky little boy is now sound asleep,” she said.

  Eddy cocked his head, his eyes full of tenderness at the child between them with his chin sagging on his chest. The Irish coffee was forgotten. Eddy pushed back his chair and scooped Courtney into his arms, covering him with his jacket. “I think I promised to have you home by eight. We’d better leave now.”

  They left McGinley’s through a private rear exit. The valet must have known they were ready to go. He stood next to the open sports car door, ready to assist wrangling Courtney into the very limited back seating area.

  “Next time, remind me to drive one of my SUVs,” Eddy muttered as he all but climbed into the back seat to strap Courtney in. “This will never do in the future.”

  There it was again, a future plan he hadn’t yet vetted through her. Oh, well. She shrugged her annoyance away. Maybe it was the pleasant way the day had gone, but she’d finally seen something in Eddy’s eyes that made a friendly relationship with him seem possible. She rested her hand on his back as he secured her son with loving care.

  Immediately, he stiffened. “Don’t. Please don’t.”

  Startled, she pulled her hand back.

  Pushing the driver’s seat into position, he turned to her. “You have no idea how much your touch means to me, Meredith. My soul craves to have you back in my life, but you’ve made it perfectly clear I’ve lost that privilege. Don’t tempt me more than I’m able to bear.”

  She gulped. Wow. He looked—beaten. “Thank you for a very good day,” she murmured.

  He nodded, escorting her to her side of the car. “I’m afraid I haven’t kept my promise. It’s nearly eight now.”

  “It’s no problem if we’re a little late getting back. Thank you, again. This has been wonderful.”

  Resolutely, he shut her door and climbed into the driver’s side. “Do you have Bear?”

  Meredith looked over her shoulder at her sleeping son. Bear wasn’t in sight. Eddy scrambled out of the vehicle. “I’ll be right back.”

  In no time at all he returned with the prized plush. “Shall we leave then? Or would you allow me the simple pleasure of the first sleepover with your son? Your son, I repeat, not you. I shall be the perfect gentleman. You have my word.”

  It might have been the mac-n-cheese. It certainly wasn’t the Irish coffee. But the slightest hint of
concern didn’t even flit through her mind. Eddy seemed sincere, nothing like the brash, over-confident bully he’d once been. Could it be true? Had he changed? Did he deserve one last chance to make things right with Courtney?

  Meredith looked at that sleeping boy who, despite his blond hair and blue eyes, still resembled his father. She took a deep breath and decided to give her ex another chance. “Just this once.”

  “But what about your job?”

  Oh, that. “I’ll have to call first thing in the morning.”

  He handed over his cell phone. “Then call now and leave a message. Tell them where you are and who you’re with so they don’t worry. There’s no coverage at my place, remember?”

  Meredith lifted his phone out of his hand, upset for telling a lie in the first place. Oh, the tangled web she’d tried all her life to avoid. She dialed her office and left a quick voice mail message explaining that she wouldn’t be in the next day. That’d be a surprise to Paulette, Teague’s secretary, since she already knew none of the MI team was scheduled.

  Handing the phone back, Meredith caught that same tender look in Eddy’s eye. “There, all done.”

  “You think you’re clever, don’t you?” he asked, one brow raised.

  What on earth was he talking about?

  “I’m beginning to understand how devious you are.”

  What could she say? Silence filled the car.

  “You love that little boy in the back seat more than anything, don’t you?”

  “Of course,” she whispered. “Courtney’s my life.”

  Eddy pressed the ignition button and the sports car rumbled to life. “I wish you were talking about me,” he said wistfully.

  Meredith had to look away. This was a different side to the guy she’d once fallen in love with. But he was right. That day was done, and it hadn’t been love to begin with. It was a young girl’s infatuation with the most popular jock on campus. Nothing more. The privilege of being her husband and the man she adored now belonged to Hunter Christian. “Just drive.”

  The sun had barely risen when Hunter’s flight touched down at Dulles. He dialed Meredith as quickly as he could. Still no answer.

  Alex had his phone clamped between his shoulder and ear. “They what?”

  Hunter’s hackles lifted at the anger in his boss’s voice.

  “When? She’s been off the grid since yesterday?”

  “Who?” Hunter damned well needed to know.

  Alex shot him a dark look. “Maverick and Taylor went over to Meredith’s yesterday, but she wasn’t there.”

  “They lost her?”

  “They never had her,” Alex bit out.

  Lee lowered his cell phone. “I just talked to Mother.”

  “And?” Hunter and Alex barked in unison.

  “She’s not getting a GPS signal from Meredith’s phone, so either the battery’s dead or she’s out of range.”

  “Bullshit,” Hunter roared, his gear bag slung over his shoulder as he headed for the exit.

  “Wait up.” Lee called to him. “Where are you going?”

  “To find her.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  She allowed herself one long, languorous stretch on waking. From her head to her toes, Meredith felt rested. As promised, Eddy hadn’t bothered her, but she felt uncomfortable sleeping in one of his T-shirts. This would never do.

  Easing away from Courtney, still sound asleep beside her, she scurried into the in suite bathroom. She took a quick shower and used several guest items on the counter to brush her teeth and hair. Changing back into her jeans and sweater, she ventured forth.

  By then, Courtney was gone. Bear too. Feeling proud for giving Eddy a second chance with his son, she fluffed her hair before she made her way downstairs. Divorced people could be friends. Other couples did it all the time.

  Better yet, she intended to call Seth. If he and his guys hadn’t located Hunter or Ky yet, she was headed back to Brazil.

  The delicious aroma of coffee drew her into the kitchen. After helping herself to a steaming cup of caffeine, she leaned over the granite kitchen sink to peer out the window. There stood father and son at the bench on the front deck.

  Eddy was patiently explaining the black cloth in his hand. Courtney looked intent, his forehead wrinkled as if he was thinking extra hard. Meredith’s heart warmed. They looked good together.

  But what was that in Eddy’s hand? Oh. That pennant from his sailboat. That silly pirate flag. What was it called? The Jolly Roger?

  Startling revelations sprang to life. Something about Jed’s competition. Someone named Roger Teach. Hunter called him a corporate raider, and a corporate raider was a—pirate.

  Oh God, no.

  Where the hell is she?

  Hunter’s fist crashed the steering wheel of his SUV. He was on his way to Meredith’s townhouse in Falls Church, Virginia. The day before, Maverick and Taylor had illegally entered her place, and they’d found no evidence of foul play, but something wasn’t right. She wasn’t answering her phone.

  The cell phone in his hand rang, startling him. Mother.

  “Are you getting any GPS signal from her yet?” he asked without the customary hello.

  “No, but Ember backtracked her cell phone. We’ve got the last signal narrowed down to a hundred-mile radius near—”

  “That’s not helping!” He punched the wheel again, the cell phone tucked in his neck.

  “Shut up and listen,” Mother barked back at him. A petite woman with premature white hair, she ruled the office with an iron fist of genius technological skills and a touch of gossip. “Let me finish talking before you bite my head off. We’ve also been digging into this Roger Teach guy who took over Brinkman EX.”

  Hunter stilled. The name still bugged the hell out of him.

  “We might not be able to tell you where he came from, but we can tell you what he’s been up to the last few months. Besides hostile takeovers of three floundering corporations, Brinkman EX included, he’s been buying Chesapeake watershed property along the South River, east of Annapolis. Ember’s contacted several real estate offices in that area, and guess what? All the agents know him. The second any parcel becomes available, they have instructions to contact him first. He grabs it up, no questions asked, and no price is too high.”

  Hunter’s fingertips worried the steering wheel. “So?”

  “So Ms. Flynn’s last call came from the southernmost area Teach owns.”

  Hunter stilled. “Who is he, Mother?”

  “I think you already know him. I’m sending a bitmap to your phone. You tell me.”

  Hunter swiped his cell phone to incoming mail, tapping the image from Mother. It downloaded quickly. “Shit. It’s Eddy Welch. Track his cell phone.”

  “Already done, Junior Agent,” Mother shot back, like she meant to put him in his place. He was, after all, the new kid on The TEAM. She’d been there like, forever. “He’s got a home near Redemption Bay. I’ll send you the coordinates. Begin there and tell me what you find, and Hunt?”

  “Yes?” He had his foot to the pedal as he executed a drifting U-turn and pointed the SUV north by northeast.

  “This guy has the money and means to do anything. Be careful. He can make you disappear.”

  “He can try.”

  Meredith couldn’t breathe. Her mind skittered over signs she’d missed. Details she’d seen, but ignored or rationalized away. Every. Little. Thing.

  Dominoes slammed, each a lightning strike to her heart. Roger Teach. The name itself was a twisted combination of Blackbeard’s real name, Edward Teach, and the pirate flag, the Jolly Roger. And standing on the deck at this moment, with his hands on her son, was—Roger Teach. The man who’d sent men to kill her in Brazil. The one behind Lyle and Dan’s deaths and Seth’s torture.

  It all made sense. Crystal-clear, scary sense. The unlikely reunion with her ex just when she’d returned—alive—from South America. The hard press to convince her that he just wanted more tim
e with his son. How could I have fallen for his lies again?

  Eddy Welch was—Roger Teach.

  She turned on her heel, taking in the grand home around her. Everything was an elaborate ruse, and…

  Oh, my God. I’ve fallen for it. Hook. Line. And—anchor. Not only that, she’d brought Courtney along with her like a lamb to the—she could barely think it—slaughter.

  Reeling, she stumbled backward, searching for the edge of the kitchen island behind her before she fell. It can’t be. He wouldn’t kill Courtney and me, would he? He couldn’t. Not after...

  Oh, yes. Even after all he’d said and done to convince her otherwise, Eddy Welch was perfectly capable of murder. She knew it to her soul. He’d blended just enough truth with his lies to make her believe he’d truly changed.

  Inconsistencies screamed at her. How had Bear gotten all the way up to the third level yesterday when Courtney had left him on the couch in the front room? And Eddy’s injured hand. Where was the bandage he’d made so sure she noticed the first day? How had he hurt his hand? Or had he? Why did he relinquish his parental rights—or did he? Were any of those legal documents real? How easily could a man like him reverse every last one of them? She cringed. I should’ve had a lawyer look at them.

  A sinister shiver whispered over her neck. Was that why he’d wanted her dead, to get custody of Courtney? Was that his end game? It seemed an extreme measure for someone who could obviously buy off any judge in the country. That was another reason she’d never asked for more child support. He could’ve taken Courtney away from her without batting an eye. Powerful people always got their way.

  Meredith didn’t have time to connect all the dots. Killing her might make his life easier, but she doubted that was all he wanted.

  Where’s my gun?

  Taking the stairs two at a time, she ran for the backpack still safely tucked beside the nightstand where she’d left it. Courtney had slept with her. At home she’d have made sure the gun was stored out of his reach, but last night she’d felt better with the backpack nearby, only now...

  Her bag was too light. Shit! She’d done it again. She’d left her weapon behind, and now Eddy had her pistol. And her son.