by Liliana Hart
The tires squealed and the car door slammed. And then the man was gone. The entire event had taken only seconds. Seconds for one man to take the life of another. People were still screaming and the blood still rushed in her ears, but she could hear the sirens in the distance.
Her knee throbbed and her teeth chattered uncontrollably. A limp and lifeless hand lay inches from her, but she had to make sure. She reached out and touched his wrist, but there was no pulse beneath the skin. And then she noticed the blood.
It pooled beneath his prone body, so dark it was almost black, creeping closer and closer to where she lay. She glanced at his face one more time and it was then the enormity of what had just happened hit her. Senator Myron Biddle was dead. And she’d be replaying his death in her mind for the rest of her life.
CHAPTER FOUR
* * *
Surrender, Montana
“No,” Cal Colter said. He knew better than to say it, but he couldn’t help himself. It was a gut reaction.
“I beg your pardon?” Declan MacKenzie raised a dark eyebrow and the jagged scar along his jaw turned white.
Cal recognized the tone of Dec’s voice. He wasn’t happy. Not that Cal could really blame him. There weren’t very many people in the world who had the guts to tell Declan MacKenzie no. Only people who didn’t know any better. Or idiots. Cal was pretty sure he fell into the second category.
“I apologize,” Cal said quickly. “You caught me off guard. I meant to say ‘No, Sir’.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that so we can move on without anyone getting fired or killed.”
“I’m okay with getting fired if it means not having to take this job.”
“Then we’ll take that option off the table and go with door number two.”
Cal was pretty sure Dec was kidding. Though Dec liked to keep things close to the vest. They’d been friends a long time, and worked together longer than they’d been friends. And still Cal wasn’t a hundred percent sure that Dec wasn’t dead serious.
“What’s the problem, Cal?” Dec folded his hands on the top of the file in front of him. “You’re like a son to Lockwood. Why wouldn’t you want to take this mission? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I can see how it wouldn’t make sense to you. But it makes perfect sense to me. I’m going to have to respectfully decline. I’m due for some vacation time. I think now is a good time to take it.”
“All vacation time has to be approved, and I can promise you that I’ll crush any dreams of vacation for the foreseeable future if you don’t take this mission. You’re the only available agent I have for the job. Cade is on paternity leave for another two weeks, Max and Jade are in Israel, Archer and Audrey are in Guatemala, Brant is in Texas taking over for Cade until he comes back, and Elena is working her ass off in communications trying to keep us all straight and keep a line on everyone in the field. And there’s no way in hell I’d trust a junior agent with Robert Lockwood’s daughter. You’re up to bat.”
“You know I hate doing field work. My job is always behind the scenes.”
“I know you hate it, but that doesn’t mean you’re not trained for it. And you still haven’t explained why you’re whining like a little girl about a job that should be one of the easiest paychecks you’ve ever earned. All you’ve got to do is go to Florida and protect her until the killer is found.”
“That could be years, Dec.” And he sure as hell couldn’t live in close quarters with Evangeline Lockwood for years. Not even for a few minutes. That was a disaster waiting to happen.
They’d seen each other only a handful of times in the past ten years and hadn’t spoken one word. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told him she’d hate him forever. But damned if that hatred had kept her out of his dreams.
Cal had stopped visiting the Lockwood home for holidays, and he’d gotten in the habit of meeting Robert at restaurants, the gym, sporting events, or on the golf course—though his golf game had never been all that good.
“I want to know what the hell is going on here, Cal? I tell you that Robert calls me in a panic to say that Evangeline is in danger and needs protection and you blow it off like it’s no big deal. You’re not an asshole. At least not most of the time. So that means something is going on.”
“I can’t believe you fell for it,” Cal said, shaking his head in disbelief. “You of all people should know what he’s been up to over the past several years. Robert has hired bodyguards for Evie ever since that assassination attempt he had a few years before he retired. He’s an overprotective father. And he’s been a meddling overprotective father ever since she hit twenty-five and showed no signs of settling down into a serious relationship. Have you noticed that every bodyguard he’s ever hired has been single and between the ages of thirty and thirty-five? And that most of them have a military background, good educations, and no shady family history?”
Declan’s lips twitched in what might have resembled a smile. “I noticed. But he’s not concerned about people getting to him through his daughter this time. He’s concerned because she witnessed the murder of Senator Biddle. Not only witnessed the murder, but she got a damned good look at the person who shot him.”
“Have there been any leads on the murder?”
Cal knew there hadn’t been, but it was best to let Declan think he was in the dark. He also knew she’d given a description to the sketch artist at the FBI, and between the artist’s skill and the advanced technology the FBI had access to, she’d come up with a pretty remarkable likeness. She’d been questioned extensively and sent home, and they’d promised to keep her name and the connection out of the public.
Cal had kept a close eye on Evangeline ever since he’d gotten her out of that nightclub in Russia ten years before. He knew everything about her—from how often she checked her email to the one lover she’d briefly had. He’d felt responsible for her the past ten years, to make sure she was living a life that her father could be proud of. But what he’d done was become responsible for killing the spirit that had made her one of the most formidable opponents he’d ever gone up against.
She’d changed her appearance. Gone was the flash and spark of the young woman who’d consumed his thoughts for months—no years—after that one encounter. She had a respectable job and lived a boring life. But she was safe. And that’s all that really mattered.
Dec pushed the file across the table, but Cal didn’t pick it up. “A lot of speculation is all they have at this point. Biddle was Chairman for the Committee on Armed Services, and no telling what he was working on or who he was working with.”
“I can find out easy enough. It’s been a while since I hacked into the Department of Defense. I don’t want my skills to get rusty.”
“Yeah, what’s it been? A whole week?”
“Hey, this is why you pay me the big bucks. It’s always good to know who our competitors are in this business.”
“And I appreciate it,” Dec said deadpan. “As long as you don’t get caught and destroy my company and send me and all of the agents under my command to prison. I’d prefer not to have to kill you.”
“That’s the second time you’ve threatened to kill me today. I think marriage has made you more violent.” Considering Sophia was one of the sweetest people Cal had ever met, he wasn’t sure how that was possible. “Have a little faith, man. I’m the best.”
“Someone always comes along who’s better. It’s important to remember that. Otherwise you end up dead. Besides, to hear Gabe Brennan talk the kid he has working for him is the best there is.”
He shrugged. “Kid’s got some years to go before that happens, so you can relax. He goes by the name Dragon, which is just stupid if you ask me.”
“I’m sure he’d love your input.”
Cal grinned unrepentantly and said, “I’ve been keeping an eye on him. He’s good. Very good. But a little rough around the edges still. Gabe was smart to recruit him. He’s definitely someone we want work
ing for the good guys.”
“Thanks for office gossip.” Dec grabbed a bottle of water from the little refrigerator built into his desk and tossed it to Cal before grabbing another for himself. “Maybe you could read the file and stop changing the subject. What are you, twelve?”
Cal unscrewed the cap and relaxed farther back into the chair, not touching the file. “Come on, man. What is this really about? We both know what Robert’s agenda is here. He hasn’t had any luck pairing her off with one of his chosen bodyguards so he’s expanding his breeding pool a little. Though he’d probably shit a brick if he knew you were planning on sending me. I don’t think Robert considers me son-in law material. Hell, Julie’s parents threatened to disown her if she married me. They knew I was trouble the minute they met me. And it turns out they were right.”
Time had lessened the pain of Julie’s death, though it had hardened him in ways he’d never thought possible. Settling down wasn’t for everyone. Especially not someone who lived the type of life he had while in the CIA. He still wasn’t sure how he’d survived those years. How any of them had survived. And if he was honest with himself he never should have settled down with Julie. He hadn’t been ready for marriage. And the long hours, travel, and secrets had put a burden on their union from the start.
“You know, Cal, of all the agents I’ve worked with, you’re the only one I’ve never been able to understand what the hell was going on inside your head. For someone with more brains in the tip of his fingers than most people will ever hope to have, you manage to underestimate and undervalue yourself. And when you underestimate and undervalue yourself, everyone else starts to believe it’s true.”
“Thanks for the advice, Pollyanna, but I’m just telling you the truth. I promise you that I would be the last choice Robert would pick to guard Evie. I’m not marriage material. He told me so after Julie died. He said men in our professions are better off being alone because we don’t bring anything but loneliness and heartbreak to the people who love us. And damned if I’ve ever forgotten those words.”
“If I believed that I’d still be single. It’s about finding the woman that makes you a better man—a better agent—and complements your personality in ways you never imagined. The right woman will make you wonder how the hell you ever survived thirty-six years without her.”
Cal whistled and then smiled. “Man, you are whipped. It looks good on you, my friend, but I’d rather be hung up by my toenails than to go through all that again. And I sure as hell don’t want to be the sacrificial lamb to Robert’s matchmaking attempts.”
“This time I don’t think matchmaking is at the forefront of Lockwood’s agenda. Someone trashed Evangeline’s townhome last night.”
Cal took a long drink of water and tried to get his racing heart under control. “Was she hurt?”
“Fortunately, she worked late and missed her train. She ended up staying overnight at Robert’s home. She had clothes there, so she went to work like any normal day, and then pulled up at her house a little before six o’clock this evening.”
Cal calculated the time difference. “That’s barely two hours ago. You work fast.”
“You don’t fuck with Robert Lockwood’s daughter. He’s out for blood. Evangeline had a bad feeling the minute she opened her garage door. She told the responding officers something just felt off, so she decided to park street side instead of pulling in where she might get trapped before calling the police.”
“She’s got good instincts. Robert raised her to be cautious.”
“With good reason. Her place wasn’t just trashed. It was gutted. Everything was destroyed. Shoes, clothes, pictures, dishes—”
Cal didn’t move a muscle. His skin went cold as ice and his grip on the arm of the chair was so tight he was surprised it didn’t snap off in his hand. He had to check the urge to make sure she was safe for his own peace of mind. Emotional reactions never solved any problems.
He’d learned to separate the emotion from the logical side. He’d been accused on more than one occasion of being as much of a machine as the computers he worked on, but in his mind it was the only way to survive the atrocities he’d seen over the twenty years he’d spent in the bowels of covert ops.
“And none of the neighbors heard or saw anything? She’s got houses on both sides and neighbors across the street. It’s a safe neighborhood.” Cal finally reached for the file Declan had pushed toward him. There was no turning back now. Despite his vow to stay out of her life, he knew it wasn’t a vow he had any intention of keeping. She was going to be pissed. But her safety came first.
“None of the door-to-doors came up with unusual cars or strangers in the area. The police have virtually nothing to go on. Despite the damage that was done to her house, it was a very well executed plan. She’d be dead if she hadn’t missed her train.”
Cal’s head snapped up at that bit of information. “What are you leaving out?”
Dec’s mouth tightened and his eyes went stone cold. “When the police entered the residence there was blood everywhere. The neighbor’s cat was slaughtered and a message left on the wall in blood. Whoever murdered Senator Biddle knows Evangeline can identify him. The media posted the artist’s drawing along with her name as the eyewitness. No one knows who leaked the information.”
“Of course not. Assholes.” Cal’s blood boiled. He’d never had much use for the media, but deliberately risking someone’s life for the sake of a story wouldn’t be tolerated. If Declan didn’t find out where the source came from then he sure as hell would.
“What did the message say?”
“You’re next. There were no prints, fibers, or hairs left on scene. As soon as Robert was notified, local PD was pulled out and the FBI was brought in. Their crime scene people were thorough. Take a look at the computer rendering of Senator Biddle’s shooter.”
Cal flipped through the file until he saw the sketch. “Son of a bitch. That’s Victor Taber. That scar on his forehead is unmistakable.” He looked at the image a little closer just to be sure, but it was Taber. Eyes, black and soulless, stared back at him and a jagged scar in the shape of a sickle was just over his left eye. Fuck.
Cal closed the file and stood up, already heading for the door. Time was of the essence. He wasn’t sure he’d ever experienced such heart-pounding fear as he had when he realized who was after Evangeline.
“Who’s watching Evie now? Jesus, Dec, Taber could put a bullet through her head before anyone knew there was a threat.”
“Relax, I’ve got men on her,” Declan assured him. “And Robert is with her. They’re travelling to that giant pink compound in Florida. She’ll be safe and well guarded until you get there.”
“And then what? She’s got a professional hit man out for her. One of the best any of us has ever seen. Has Taber ever missed an intended target?”
He squared off against Declan and folded his arms across his chest, waiting for an answer. Declan didn’t move from behind his desk. He leaned back in his chair and picked up a pen, rolling it between his fingers.
“Tell me, Dec. Has Taber ever missed a target?”
“You know he hasn’t,” Declan finally said. “He’s the best there is. But so are we. I don’t hire anyone less than the best.”
“What does Evangeline know?”
“Nothing about Taber and the level of danger she’s in. As far as she’s concerned it’s a vendetta against her as a witness. For that matter, Lockwood doesn’t know about Taber either. Taber’s professional work started a couple of years after Robert retired from the CIA, so he’s an unknown entity.”
“She’s going to resist, you know. She’s headstrong and stubborn on her best days. The last thing she’s going to want is my protection. Especially my protection. She hates my guts.”
“Are you saying you can’t handler her?” Dec asked, his brow quirked curiously.
“That’s not what I’m saying. I can handle her just fine. She’s just not going to like it.”
; “As long as she stays alive she doesn’t have to like it. And you can make her love you again. You’ve been known to pull out the charm when you want. Must be that South Carolina drawl that makes women turn to putty in your hands.”
Dec went back to whatever he’d been working on before their meeting and Cal knew he’d been dismissed. He headed toward the door, running through the argument he and Evie were sure to have the moment she realized he was going to be her bodyguard, and wondering how the hell he was going to keep her safe. Taber was batting a thousand in assassination attempts.
“Oh, and Cal,” Dec said. “Maybe some day you’ll fill me in on what really happened on that mission in Russia. Evangeline didn’t always hate you.”
Cal didn’t turn back. Dec always saw more than a person intended—could infer more from a look or a hesitation than most people could get from a full written confession. It was one of his gifts.
Instead he kept walking, the decision already made to make things right between him and Evie. Because there was no way in hell he could guard that luscious body without sharing her bed. It was time to put the past where it belonged.
CHAPTER FIVE
* * *
Robert Lockwood considered himself a patient man. He’d headed the CIA for a decade, overseen countless ops, and dealt with politicians without bloodshed. Surely that made him qualified enough to deal with his daughter.
“Evangeline. You’re overreacting. Take a deep breath and sit down. This isn’t at all how I taught you to respond during a high-tension situation. Emotions cloud logic and have no place during a mission.”
“I’m overreacting?” she said, stopping her pacing to stare at him in disbelief. “You take all of my choices away like an errant child and put me in lockdown in another state with a contingency of bodyguards who all happen to be eligible bachelors and I’m overreacting?”
Only a lifetime of training kept him from wincing at the bite in her voice. Saying she was angry was an understatement. Energy practically crackled around her. Her hair had always been as reddish-gold as a sunrise, but he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen it down. She always wore it pulled back. Even in Florida in the middle of the summer she was as unassuming as ever in a pair of baggy lounge pants and an oversized shirt. She’d spent the last ten years trying to hide away so no one noticed her, never making an effort to cultivate relationships or move out of her comfort zone. He worried about her a great deal.