“Now the bad guys.”
“Oh, I know all the bad guys.” He looked up and gave her a grimace. Then he recited the cartoon villains’ names as if he’d done battle with them himself.
If only the real villains could be defeated as handily as the ones in Gavin’s world.
They decided to stick close to the hotel and have breakfast in the restaurant downstairs. Cade insisted on a table in the back corner and grabbed the seat with his back to a wall, facing the entrance.
Through his smiles and jokes, he still had an edge. Jenna knew he kept his gun close, tucked in the inside pocket of his jacket, which he didn’t remove.
The waitress dropped off their check and hovered over their cups with the coffeepot. “Top that off for you?”
“I’ll take a little more, thanks.” Jenna shoved her cup closer to the edge of the table.
Cade declined and reached for his wallet. He pulled out his phone instead. It buzzed in his hand as he checked the display.
Knots tightened in Jenna’s stomach. “Is it Prospero?”
“No, it’s my father.”
Chapter Ten
Tension crept through every muscle as Cade stared at the display.
Jenna’s words flowed from across the table. “Your father? How...why?”
He stabbed the talk button. “Yeah?”
“Son?” Kevin cleared his throat. “It’s your old man.”
“This is not a good time, Kevin.” Cade refused to call the man father.
“When is it ever a good time when you’re in the spy business, eh?” He coughed his smoker’s cough. “But you gave me your private number and told me to call when I was ready to see you.”
“Maybe I’m not ready to see you.” The lie rolled off Cade’s tongue. He’d been the one to initiate contact with Kevin Stark, more for his brother Kyle’s sake than his own. But once he’d heard Kevin’s voice, heard that infectious chuckle again, the childhood memories had come streaming across his brain. Good memories. Memories of a life lived with a devil-may-care father who’d been the life of every party and every schoolboy’s best friend.
Until he’d gone on the lam for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars, leaving his family to deal with the fallout.
“I know. I know. I don’t blame you, but the truth is, boy, I don’t have much longer.”
Cade couldn’t help the sick feeling that roiled his gut, so he clenched his jaw. “What does that mean?”
“It’s these damned cancer sticks.” He coughed for effect because the old man was all about the performance. “Never thought they’d get to me, but it turns out I have throat cancer.”
Cade’s eye twitched. Ironic to think the man with the silver tongue might be silenced. “Sorry to hear it.”
“No, you’re not.” Kevin chuckled, and Cade gripped the phone harder. “Like I said, I don’t blame you, but I would like to see my boys once more before I kick the bucket.”
“Kyle’s still in Chicago.”
“I know. I’ve already spoken to him. Your brother is more forgiving than you.” He clicked his tongue. “Not that I blame you.”
Cade had been willing to see Kevin when Kyle had located him, but Kevin had had some business to clear up first. Shut down again. Cade had shrugged it off at the time, but his father’s rejection, his second rejection, had wounded him. Now his instinct told him to return the favor, but Kevin’s chuckle and all it represented lingered between them.
Cade shifted his gaze to Jenna, who spread her hands and raised her brows. “Like I said, not good timing.”
“I’m in Vegas, Cade. I’ll meet you anywhere. I can be on the next flight to anywhere, unless it’s overseas. Then I’m off to Chicago and...who knows how many weeks or days I have left?”
He should just tell the old man he was in Europe. Squeezing his eyes shut, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Maybe you could see Kyle first and circle through the southwest in a few weeks.”
Maybe he’d at least have Jenna and Gavin in a safe location by then. Maybe the person who had the plans would reveal himself by then.
“So you are close by.”
“Close enough.”
“Is my grandson with you?”
Cade almost dropped the phone. “Who told you I had a son?”
“Relax, Cade. Your mother told me before she passed away.”
“You never told me you were in touch with Mom.”
“A married couple doesn’t owe their kids everything. Your mom meant a lot to me. We touched base throughout the years.”
Cade flattened a hand against his scalp. Another betrayal. His mother had never told him and Kyle she’d had contact with Kevin. “My son’s not with me. I’m on assignment, and it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to bring him along, anyway.”
“Bring pictures, then. Give me a time and a place, and I’ll be there.”
Kevin had detected a chink in Cade’s armor and had gone for the parry.
“I—I have nothing, son. I want, no I need to see you and Kyle before I leave this earth. I need redemption, Cade. Haven’t you ever needed redemption?”
And the thrust.
Through half-lidded eyes, Cade watched Gavin draw patterns with the tines of his fork in the syrup left over on his plate.
“I’m near Albuquerque. I’ll figure something out and get back to you.”
When Cade ended the call, he knew he’d been sucked in again. Maybe this time he could get some closure, or whatever the pop psychologists were calling it these days.
“So, that was your father.”
He peeled a couple of bills from his stack and dropped them onto the table. “Yeah.”
“Obviously not the first time you’ve talked to him.”
“After Mom died, Kyle insisted I use my resources to track down Kevin.” He shrugged. “He wasn’t too hard to find, but Kyle was the one who contacted him.”
“But you haven’t seen him yet?” Jenna whipped Gavin’s napkin from his lap and handed it to him. “Wipe your mouth.”
“When we first contacted him, he said he had to get some things in order.”
“He’s in order now?” Her eyes narrowed.
Jenna had been outraged on his behalf when he’d told her the sad story of his father’s criminal life and abandonment of his family. Then she’d become fiercely protective of him. He’d detected a lot of irony in that because he was supposed to be the tough guy. But after seeing how Jenna had responded to everything life had thrown at her since, it made perfect sense.
“Kevin’s ill—throat cancer.”
“That’s too bad. Now that he’s on death’s door, he wants to see you?”
“Something like that.”
She sat up in her seat. “You’re not taking Gavin to see him, are you?”
“Of course not, but apparently Mom told Kevin about Gavin before she died.” He shook his head and took a gulp of water from the half-empty glass in front of him. “I didn’t even know Mom had been in touch with the old...guy.”
“I thought she hated him almost as much as you hated him?”
“Maybe all that hate’s not so good.”
She held up her hands. “I’m not judging you for wanting to see him, Cade. It will give you closure.”
He laughed and her eyebrows shot up. “I know it’s a hackneyed expression, but there’s truth in it.”
“Don’t I know it.”
She tapped his phone on the table between them. “Nothing from Prospero yet?”
“Not yet. I got confirmation of the messages I sent earlier, so I’m sure Prospero took care of the situation at the Arizona outpost. Jim is in custody and Miyata is safe.”
“Do you think Jim ever met Zendaris?”
“I doubt it. Jim was just another pawn, and that’s the danger. Zendaris has them all over.”
Jenna’s gaze darted from table to table in the restaurant as if expecting to see a Zendaris pawn drinking a cup of coffee. “Do you think it’s okay to do some shopping here?”
/> “We’re safe here for now. Zendaris knows I’m with you and he realizes he’ll have a harder time getting what he wants.” He reached across the table and tweaked Gavin’s nose. “In fact, I’m going to stay with you until those plans surface and Zendaris knows I don’t have them.”
“Really?” Jenna’s voice squeaked and she grabbed his hand. “Really?”
“Is that so hard to believe? After what happened at the compound, I decided I couldn’t bail on you again.”
Her fingernails dug into his flesh. “I wouldn’t call it bailing. You have a job to do, and if staying with us takes you away from tracking down Zendaris, I’d rather have you on the job.”
“That’s a one-eighty from just two days ago when your claws came out at the sight of me.”
She rubbed his hand where her nails had left crescent indentations. “I know what’s at stake now. Maybe I always knew. When Prospero hired you, I had my chance then to leave you.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” He threaded his fingers through hers. “Even though we’ve both paid a high price.”
“I don’t mind paying the price, but I don’t want Gavin to live his life in hiding. Do you think Zendaris will back off when the owner of the plans steps forward?”
“He’ll back off, but I don’t want to sugarcoat this, Jenna. None of us who were involved in that operation will be safe until Zendaris is—” he glanced at Gavin busily jamming his straw into the lid of his cup “—out of the picture.”
“Then you need to make sure he is. So maybe it’s not a good idea for you to play bodyguard for me and Gavin.”
“There were three others on that team with me. I think they can pick up the slack. Maybe Gage already has his informant.” He slapped the table. “Now, let’s find some clothes that fit.”
They shopped for a few hours, and Cade didn’t even mind waiting as Jenna tried on jeans and sweaters. It all had a comfortable married-couple feel to it, which he and Jenna had never had the luxury of experiencing. He liked it.
With their shopping done, they picked up some sandwiches and brought them back to the hotel.
Jenna handed Gavin a small bottle of water and a napkin. “What did you decide to do about your...Kevin?”
“If he can get out here from Vegas, I’ll see him tomorrow.”
“Here in Albuquerque?”
“No.”
“You don’t want him to see Gavin?”
“Nobody needs to know where you and Gavin are right now. There are a couple of small towns outside of Albuquerque, and I’ll find some watering hole for a meeting place. That’s more his style, anyway.”
She peeled back the paper on her sandwich. “Give him a chance to apologize. It will be good for both of you.”
Cade snorted. “Who says he’s going to apologize? He’s probably going to hit me up for money.”
She stopped fussing with the sandwich and grabbed his wrist. “Are you preparing yourself for that?”
“I’m not expecting much more.” Cade jumped to his feet and paced to the window, angry at the lump that formed in his throat. Angry that he couldn’t keep an impassive face in front of Jenna.
“It’s okay to let that little boy inside of you hope for something more, some kind of connection to the man you clearly adored as a child.”
Cade pounded his chest. “There’s no little boy in here. He slipped away years ago.”
Rolling her eyes, Jenna plucked up half of her sandwich. “Don’t be afraid to let him out, Cade. Even if he’s disappointed again.”
“No need to be disappointed. I told you, I’m not expecting much from Kevin.”
“Probably the best way to go.” She sighed and took a big bite of her sandwich.
Cade took advantage of her full mouth by changing the subject. “Prospero has been strangely silent. I would’ve expected someone to contact me by now, at least to tell me what went down with Jim.”
Jenna circled her finger in the air while she chewed. “Maybe they don’t have a place for me yet.”
“For us. I’m not leaving you this time, Jenna. More than any Prospero safe house or relocation plan, I can keep you and Gavin safe.”
“You’ve been doing a great job so far.”
“Is that sarcasm?”
She dropped her sandwich. “Absolutely not. I don’t think we would’ve even made it out of Utah if you hadn’t shown up.”
“Maybe, but the warehouse and the Prospero outpost didn’t work out too great. I put you in even more danger.”
“But if we’d never gotten out of Lovett Peak, we never would’ve...” She brushed some crumbs from her fingertips. “Never mind. We’re glad you’re here. Aren’t we, Gavin?”
Gavin nodded, his cheeks bulging.
Cade had a sudden urge to hold his son, so he sat next to him on the couch and dragged Gavin into his lap, sticky hands and all.
Gavin curled one arm around Cade’s neck and fed him a pickle, and that damned lump in Cade’s throat got even harder to swallow.
One thing Cade knew for sure—from now on he’d take better care of his family than his father ever did.
* * *
THE FOLLOWING DAY, JUST about sunset, Cade kissed the soft cheek of his sleeping son. “Keep the chain on the door at all times, don’t open for anyone and don’t leave the room for anything—not even to get ice down the hall.”
“I’m not going anywhere, but what if the security guard you rented for the evening knocks?”
“Don’t even answer for him. I paid him plenty to take some extra swings down this hallway, but my instructions didn’t include knocking on your door.” Cade pressed his hands against the hermetically sealed window and scanned the outside of the hotel for the hundredth time. Jenna had complained earlier that such an expensive suite didn’t even have a balcony or windows that opened, but Cade welcomed the inconvenience.
Nobody could scale this building and get in through the window.
“There’s a gun in the safe if you need it.”
“You already told me that.” She bounded from the bed and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “We’re going to be fine. Go see your father. It might be your last chance.”
Cade had struggled with the decision of whether to go through with his meeting with Kevin, but Jenna had pointed out that once Prospero relocated them, Cade might not have another chance to see his father.
He threaded his fingers through hers and kissed her hand. “I left the phone number and address of the bar by the telephone. Use the hotel phone to call, not your own cell.”
Moving to his side, she saluted. “Got it. Now you’d better get going.”
He pulled her back into his arms and wedged a finger beneath her chin. “I love you. Never stopped.”
“I never stopped, either, not even when I hated you.”
He ran the tip of his tongue along the seam of her lips, and then sealed his mouth over hers. She melted against him, her body warm and pliant.
She pulled away first because he wasn’t capable. They touched foreheads, their breathing shallow and erratic.
“We’re going to start over, Cade. I won’t even say we’ll begin again when this is over because it may never be over. It doesn’t matter. We’re going to have a life together, aren’t we?”
“I’m going to do everything in my power to make that happen. Last time...”
She placed a finger over his lips. “Last time doesn’t matter, either, only the future.”
He kissed her again and grabbed his jacket. “You’ve got a gun. Don’t be afraid to use it.”
He stood outside the hotel door until he heard the chain slide into place. Then he tracked down the security guard he’d hired for the night to let him know he was leaving.
Cade headed west on the I-40. Before calling Kevin to set up this meeting, he asked the hotel staff to recommend a place on the outskirts of the city where a man could get a drink and have a conversation.
He didn’t know what to expect from his reunion w
ith Kevin, but he didn’t want the awkwardness of someplace too quiet and formal or a rowdy club scene. The sports bar the concierge recommended seemed like the perfect spot. Kevin insisted he’d have no trouble getting there by eight o’clock that night.
Cade would’ve preferred to meet during daytime, but Kevin couldn’t make it out any earlier and Cade and Jenna might be on their way to parts unknown tomorrow.
The traffic thinned out the farther he got from Albuquerque’s city center. He glanced at his cell phone in the cup holder. Nothing from Jenna, although he’d been gone just twenty-five minutes. And nothing from Prospero. Why the silence on that end? Nobody had even called him to give him news about Jim—the whys and whens of his betrayal.
He shoved his foot against the accelerator. People turned traitor for lots of reasons—ideological, love and money—always money.
A neon rattlesnake curled around a lighted sign that read Ted’s Sports Bar, although what a snake had to do with sports, Cade didn’t have a clue. Maybe it was a holdover from the previous bar to inhabit this lonely stretch of road.
Cade cruised into the busy parking lot, swiveling his head from side to side. Trucks, motorcycles, minivans and the occasional luxury sedan hinted at an eclectic clientele.
Would he recognize Kevin after all these years?
He parked and strolled through the door of the bar, his new boots scuffing the wood floor. Jenna hadn’t been the only one shopping yesterday. Cade figured he’d pick up a pair of boots to fit into this southwestern town, but he passed on the cowboy hat.
Two flat-screen TVs blared with the same basketball game, barely competing with the loud voices and laughter that cascaded through the room. How exactly was this atmosphere conducive to conversation? At least all the activity would drown out any awkward silences between him and Kevin.
Cade’s gaze traveled around the room, flitting over clutches of people drinking and socializing, focusing in on old, solitary, sick-looking men.
Then he heard the chuckle above the cacophony. Unmistakable. He jerked his head in its general direction and he was pretty sure his eyes were bugging out of their sockets when he spied Kevin.
The old, solitary man he’d been seeking had a seat at the bar, right in the thick of things. A small band of men and women gathered around the long, lean raconteur, laughing and hanging on his every word.
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