Love & Deception (Agents in Love - Book 1)

by Chantel Rhondeau

  Then, all she had to do was figure out how to save Nick and stop Ryan from torturing innocents in Maharla.

  Like that’ll be easy.

  ***

  “Where are you going with the prisoner?” A guard walked from the far end of the hall.

  “Put your hands behind your back,” Shelley whispered. She raised her voice, “Back to her cell. The boss is finished with her.”

  The guard continued to approach, and Shelley propelled Carlie along the hallway. Carlie’s heart pounded with anxiety. So far, this was the first person they’d seen.

  “Why are you on the second floor?” he asked, stopping alongside them. “She’s on the fourth floor.”

  “New orders.” Shelley sounded bored, though Carlie didn’t know how she accomplished that. “They need her close to the loading area. She’s getting transferred soon.”

  His bushy eyebrows narrowed. “No one told me that.”

  Shelley pushed Carlie slightly, forcing her to walk past the man. “Take it up with the boss. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them.”

  Carlie kept her hands firmly together as she walked, praying the other guard wouldn’t notice they weren’t tied. It could all be over right here if he did. Freedom seemed so far away. Once they exited the building, Carlie hoped Shelley’s plan extended to getting them out of the area, since she didn’t even know where they were.

  After a few seconds, a door closed. “He’s gone,” Shelley whispered, “but keep your hands behind your back. I know it hurts, but we can’t risk someone seeing.”

  Carlie nodded, continuing along the white corridor. They finally reached another set of stairs, and Shelley opened the door to them, pulling Carlie inside.

  “This is the trickiest part,” she warned. “We’ll be pretty close to the doorway for the loading area, and we can steal a vehicle there to get away. If we’re lucky, I can convince the guards I’ve been ordered to take you to the meeting place.”

  Rubbing her painful wrists, Carlie looked over at her. “And if we’re not lucky?”

  “We’ll have to outrun some bullets.”

  Carlie shook her head. “Shelley, you don’t have to do this. I’ll be safe. They won’t kill me, because Nick won’t give them the bracelet unless I’m alive. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll get away. Give me a few minutes and then raise the alarm that I escaped. No one has to know you helped.”

  Shelley bit her lip and looked at the wall over Carlie’s shoulder, not meeting her eyes. “I knew Stephen had orders to kill you the night of the fire, and I didn’t stop it. It’s also my fault they found the lake house. Nick did a great job of hiding you, and when you called to tell me you were safe, they traced the call and found you.” She blinked rapidly, and a tear streaked down her cheek.

  Carlie already figured Shelley knew they planned to kill her the night of the fire, so it didn’t come as a shock for her to admit it. Then again, she didn’t understand how they traced her call. She’d been so careful to disconnect quickly. “How did you find the lake house?”

  “Calls are easy to trace. Didn’t you know that? The tech guy found the tower signal your call came from and learned what general area your phone was in. After that, it was just a matter of searching until they found the house.”

  Sighing, Carlie knew she couldn’t blame Shelley for her own mistake. “I thought a call had to be connected for sixty seconds to be traced. I should have known better.”

  “A real criminal would have, which proves you aren’t one.” More tears slipped down Shelley’s cheeks. “I should have trusted my gut and believed in you. I knew you were innocent, but I let them change my mind. Hell, I had to be stupid to think the government would actually hire a slime ball like Stephen.” She shuddered. “It’s my fault you’re in this situation. Let me fix things.”

  Carlie shook her head. “They’ll kill you for helping me. You thought you were doing the right thing. Paul lied. This is his fault, not yours. I can’t let you risk your life for me.”

  “I’m not arguing about it. I’m getting you out of here.” Shelley swiped her tears away and nodded down the steps. “Let’s do this.”

  She pulled a gun from the waistband of her pants, and Carlie raised her eyebrows. “Won’t that seem strange?”

  “Nope.” Shelley pointed it at her. “They’ll think it’s for you, but it’ll be ready if we need it.”

  If Shelley really wanted to help her, Carlie was in no position to refuse assistance. She started down the stairway and Shelley followed. When they reached the bottom, she put her hands behind her back again, letting Shelley open the door.

  They stepped into a cavernous room with supportive pillars sprouting from the concrete floor. Various boxes were stacked in mountainous piles around the space, some cardboard, others wood. A few men carried some of the boxes to another pile. No one glanced at her and Shelley.

  “What is this place?” Carlie whispered.

  “The supply center,” Shelley whispered back, her words barely reaching Carlie’s ears above the clomping of the workers’ shoes. “Food, guns, whatever else is needed to run S.A.T.O., it all comes here. I understand it’s a new facility, which makes sense now that I know Paul no longer works for the President.” She pushed her forward, and Carlie saw a door with an exit sign above it, about thirty feet away. “That leads to the outside and where the vehicles are,” Shelley explained. “Let’s hurry.”

  They upped their pace, and still no one questioned them. They were nearly to the door when it opened and another woman stepped inside. Even though Shelley propelled Carlie forward, the woman flung an arm out to stop their progress.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Boss ordered me to take the prisoner to the transport van,” Shelley answered. “Not too long until we wrap up this mission.”

  The woman narrowed her eyes. “No one told me to get the van ready.”

  “Not my problem, Jade. Get out of my way. I’m not getting my ass reamed because you don’t know the job.”

  The woman stepped back, and Shelley urged Carlie through the door. The sun glinted down on them and the heat was a palpable force. Wherever they were, it certainly wasn’t Canada. Several vans were parked in the dusty lot, and more people stood in the area.

  They all had guns drawn and ready, and turned to face them as they stepped from the shadows.

  “Showtime,” Shelley murmured.

  “What are you doing down here?” A man yelled, walking quickly across the pavement. He carried a clipboard instead of a gun.

  “Taking the prisoner to the transport vehicle,” Shelley replied. “Boss is on his way. I need the keys, Doug.”

  Doug frowned and glanced at his clipboard. “Already? I thought it would be a few more hours.”

  Carlie’s arms ached from holding them behind her back and it was hard to keep them there. She wondered if it was time to run. If Shelley didn’t follow, no one would know she switched sides. Carlie was safe, even running. They wouldn’t shoot her. At least, she didn’t think so.

  Only the fact that Shelley would probably feel honor bound to come along stopped her from that course of action. Shelley had no protection, and Carlie didn’t think the men would hesitate in killing her.

  “Do you have the keys or not?” Shelley snapped. “It’s hot out here and I’m supposed to get inside duty today. I worked outside last week.”

  Doug grumbled under his breath, but trotted over to a portable awning set up on the side of the building. Grabbing some keys, he returned and handed them over. “Black van.”

  Carlie looked across the lot. The black van was the furthest from the opening in the chain-link fence and closest to the men with guns. This wasn’t going to work.

  “Thanks, Doug. I don’t want the boss bustin’ my chops for making him late,” Shelley said, once again pushing Carlie forward.

  Carlie glanced over her shoulder and noted the men in the lot relax slightly as Doug walked the opposite direction. Guns lowered marginally, but no
t all the way.

  “Shelley, hand me the keys and let me knock you down. I’ll get in the vehicle and leave. They won’t shoot me, and you can say I escaped. I can’t put you in more danger.”

  “No,” she replied. “We’ll get out of here together. You don’t know how to fire a gun. You’ll need me later to get Nick back. They have him captive too. Did you know that? They’re driving him to the place where you’ll meet, and if he does anything wrong, they’ll kill him and take the bracelet, then kill you.”

  Carlie doubted it would be a simple matter to kill Nick or they would have already done so. However, knowing he was in their power worried her. He lied, true, but she knew his need to protect her motivated those lies.

  Before she could decide about Shelley coming along, a booming voice sounded around the compound, “Stop right there, ladies, or Shelley dies.”

  Carlie glanced over her shoulder. Paul and Ryan stood on a balcony off the second floor, Stephen by their side.

  “Shit,” Shelley murmured. “It’s time to run, my friend. If I don’t make it, I’m sorry for everything.”

  “No. We can’t run.”

  “Carlie, even if you don’t run, I’m going to. The van is ten feet away. We can make it. Let’s get out of here.”

  Shelley took off in a sprint, and Carlie fell into step behind her, hoping the men wouldn’t shoot for fear of hitting her instead. A few guns fired, but no bullets found their mark and they reached the vehicle. Shelley struggled to shove the key into the lock, swearing under her breath the entire time while Carlie continued to shield her.

  A single gunshot rang out. Glass shattered in Carlie’s face. Shelley screamed once and dropped to the ground, blood spreading across her chest, staining her shirt. Carlie looked through the blown out windows to the man standing on the opposite side of the van.

  He trained his gun on her. “Don’t move or you’re next.”

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Carlie ducked next to Shelley, out of the line of fire of the man on the other side of the van. However, that didn’t do her much good about the men approaching from the compound, guns pointed at her. Shelley groaned and clutched her upper chest. Blood covered everything.

  Carlie was torn between picking up Shelley’s gun and opening fire or trying to stop the bleeding from Shelley’s wound. Common sense won out and she knocked Shelley’s hands away, pressing hard over the bullet wound opening. Picking up that gun would likely get her killed.

  “Shit.” Shelley raised a trembling hand and patted Carlie’s arm. “Guess you were right. Sorry I didn’t get you out of here.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out.”

  Tears leaked from the corners of Shelley’s eyes. “All the shooting I’ve done in my life, I never considered how bad this hurts. If I don’t make it, promise me you’ll find a way for you and Nick to get your true love.”

  Carlie’s heart skittered with conflicting emotions. The thought of Shelley dying was too much to contemplate, and Nick... “He never told me the truth, did you know that? All that time we spent together in Canada, he continued lying.”

  She shook her head weakly. “Don’t hold that against him. I’m sure he was protecting you.”

  That was true. In any event, it didn’t matter unless they made it out of this alive.

  “Get up, Stephanie.” Ryan sneered down at her. Stephen and Paul flanked him on either side, guns drawn. “It’s time to get my bracelet. I’m tired of you.”

  Paul motioned to the side with his gun. “Get in that van over there. We’ll see how much Nick really cares about you soon. Do you trust him to come to your rescue?” Paul laughed and the other men joined in. “Love is weakness. You ruined him.”

  Carlie didn’t respond, nor did she move her hands off Shelley’s wound.

  “I said move your ass, Princess,” Paul said.

  She shook her head. “Shelley needs a doctor.”

  He scoffed. “Shelley’s going to die. Leave her.”

  She glanced down, hoping for some guidance, but Shelley closed her eyes, a small crease of pain between her narrowed brows. Carlie wasn’t even sure whether she knew what was going on anymore or if her world was focused on pain and survival. Carlie had been in that state after the fire, so knew how it was. Looked like it was up to her.

  Grabbing Shelley’s gun from where it had fallen against the pavement, Carlie lifted it, aiming it at Ryan with her right hand while keeping her left hand pressed against Shelley’s chest. “Get her a doctor or Ryan dies.”

  Paul laughed. “Kill him and I have no reason to keep you or Nick alive.”

  “Fine.” She shifted the barrel Paul’s direction. “I’m a horrible shot. There’s a fifty-fifty chance whether I’ll hit him or you.”

  Ryan held his hands out, fingers splayed. “Let’s calm this down.”

  Carlie cocked her head to the side. “Why? You’ve made it clear that I’m going to die, no matter how this plays out. If I kill you now, I’ll still die, but you won’t be able to torture anyone else. Your brother will become king next. That seems like a good reason to sacrifice my life.”

  “Stephanie, I promise to let everyone there live. I won’t hurt them, just put the gun down.”

  It felt good to finally have the upper hand. Even though she cared about her own life, if they thought she was desperate enough to do something drastic, it could work in her favor. “But you’re still going to kill me. I think my idea’s better.” She squeezed the trigger slightly, staring into Ryan’s eyes and feeling completely calm for the first time since waking up from Terrance’s drug. “Do you have a better offer?”

  Ryan turned to Paul. “Get her friend a damn doctor. You’re supposed to protect me.”

  Paul jerked his head at Stephen and he ran off, presumably for help. Paul looked at Ryan. “I’m merely a hired gun, Prince. You’ll have to strike a deal with your wife.”

  Carlie shuddered, hating that she was still his wife. “Don’t call me that. Stephanie died in a car explosion, and I would never look twice at this piece of dog crap.”

  Shelley chuckled. “Such language, Carlie.”

  Relief flooded through her. If Shelley were still up to cracking jokes, that was a good sign. She never let her gaze waver from Ryan, however. “What deal do you have in mind? Make it worth my time or I’ll pull the trigger and end this now.”

  He took a step nearer Paul, probably hoping if she fired the bullet would go wide and hit the boss—then everyone in the compound would protect him by killing her. “If you put the gun down and help me get the bracelet, I’ll let you live. I’ll kill someone else in your place and convince the king it’s your body.”

  Carlie snorted. “You never did know me, did you? I’m not letting you kill someone in my place.”

  Stephen came running back, a man carrying a bag following behind him. Carlie hoped there were medical supplies in that bag.

  Paul glanced at them and lowered his weapon. “Carlie, if you put down your gun, I’ll have the doctor help Shelley.”

  Slowly, she lowered the gun, but Shelley slapped her leg. “Don’t do it. They’ll kill you. The gun’s your only insurance.”

  Though she worried Shelley was right, Carlie had to do what she could to save her. She placed it on the pavement and slid it away from her, beneath the van. “Help her and I’ll get you the bracelet.”

  The doctor stepped forward, kneeling next to Carlie. “I can stitch this and stop the blood flow, but her best chance would be at a hospital. I’ve dealt with a few gunshots before and it’s not a good idea to treat her here.”

  Paul shook his head. “It’ll have to be here. We don’t have time and I’d guess Carlie isn’t letting Shelley out of her sight.” He gave Carlie an expectant look, and she nodded.

  “Do what you can now,” Carlie confirmed, “and then Shelley comes with us.” There was no way she’d trust them to actually take Shelley to a hospital, nor would she leave her friend here. Something told her the second she le
ft, a bullet to the head would end all Shelley’s problems.

  The doctor sighed. “I have some pain medicine, but this is going to hurt. A lot. I have to dig the bullet out.”

  Carlie soothed Shelley’s bangs against her head, wishing things were different as her friend’s scared eyes met hers.

  “I’m sorry, Shelley. There’s no other way.”

  At Shelley’s nod, the doctor opened his kit.

  ***

  Muscle Man pulled the truck into an empty field and cut the engine. The area was completely flat and visibility extended for miles. The FBI agents would never be able to approach unnoticed.

  “Pretty wide open area,” he said, hoping the feds would realize the information was for them and he wasn’t really talking to his captor. “It’s going to be hard for anyone to come up on us unaware. I take it the boss is somewhere else still.”

  Muscle Man gave him a disgusted look. “Why do you keep talking to me? All I know is I’m supposed to bring you here.” He nodded his head out the windshield and Nick noticed the late afternoon light glinting off several things in the distance. “Don’t be fooled by how remote things seem. There are plenty of men waiting to make sure this goes down right.”

  “Hmmmm... Maybe down in the sand like that your shooters will all get stung by scorpions.” It was the closest Nick could come to letting the other agents know the positions of the gunmen. “Looks like you have a lot of firepower out there.”

  “Of course we do. You think the boss would underestimate you?” he sneered. “Your crime spree comes to an end now. Give me the bracelet.”

  Nick laughed. “That’s rich. ‘Give me the bracelet,’” he mimicked. “You don’t think I actually brought it with me, do you? I’m insulted that you’d underestimate my intelligence that way. No one gets the bracelet until I get the girl.”