Mission--Memory Recall

by Virginia Vaughan

  “And how many soldiers have died because of the information you’ve been handing over to the enemy? No, I refuse to believe I was ever part of that.”

  “It’s true, Marcus. You were one of my best soldiers. When I thought you’d died, I lost a good man. I tried searching for you in the hope that you’d survived somehow, but I wasn’t able to find you. I wondered why you were hiding from me.”

  “You were the one who was trying to kill me.”

  Dillon shrugged. “I confess when I learned you were alive, I thought you meant to betray me, so I tried to have you killed. I didn’t believe the amnesia story at first, but now I’ve changed my mind about you. Now, I realize the amnesia had you confused. I am glad you’re alive.”

  Marcus hated what he was hearing about himself. His head was spinning. What was his next move? The biggest thing on his mind was how in the world he was going to tell Bethany what he’d learned. Hearing the truth about his past also meant realizing that he’d lost any chance for a future with Bethany.

  “I want you back, Marcus,” Dillon continued. “Your contributions were undeniable. You were a big asset to my operation and no one could recruit new members like you could.”

  Every word the other man spoke just made the ugliness of what Marcus had done worse. Not only had he sold secrets, he had talked other men, fellow soldiers, into doing the same. He felt sick at the idea.

  “Stop,” Marcus demanded. “I don’t want to hear any more.”

  “You don’t have a choice. You need to come with me now. You and I both know Bethany will never understand this. She’ll have you in cuffs and marching back to Langley in a hot minute and you’ll spend the rest of your life either in prison or in facing the death penalty. I know that’s not what you want.”

  “Maybe it’s what I deserve.”

  Dillon sighed. “You’re not thinking clearly, Marcus. You’re confused. Come with me now. Give yourself some time to process all this before you let Bethany lead you into a circus of bureaucracy. Don’t let your fate rest in political decisions.”

  Anger simmered inside him. It was bad enough he’d done such despicable things, but to compound that by running away, going back into hiding and continuing to betray his country was unconscionable. He could not even fathom a situation where he’d done such things, but he admitted he had no idea what kind of person he used to be.

  He started to tell Dillon he would not go with him. If he’d committed these terrible deeds, then he needed to confront his past and accept his consequences. However, before he could speak, fear gripped him. Dillon was right. He was putting his life into the hands of an agency that operated in secret and meted out justice in the same way. Would he be given a fair trial? Or would he vanish without a trace and Marcus Allen would remain the soldier who’d died the night of the ambush?

  He hated the indecision that pricked at him. He knew the right thing to do. He just didn’t know if he could do it. He knew only one thing for certain.

  He’d lost Bethany.

  * * *

  Bethany was sitting on the porch enjoying the cool night air and admiring the clear sky. It was so beautiful here and peaceful. How long had it been since she’d experienced such peace? Too long.

  From inside, she could hear the men around the table sharing war stories back and forth and imagined Marcus was soaking them all up. She hoped it would help spark some sort of memory for him.

  She was under no illusion that the reason for her peaceful attitude was due to anything other than that amazing kiss she and Marcus had shared. She’d spent years remembering the feel of his lips on hers and it was just as incredible now as it had been back then.

  The front door opened and someone stepped out. She expected it would be Marcus but it wasn’t.

  Instead Levi walked outside and glanced up at the night sky. “It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. What’s going on in there?”

  “You know, just telling tales.” He gave her a sly grin and shrugged. “It’s what we do.” Then he gave her a long, cold look. “You were there, weren’t you? I remember you being there the days before the ambush.”

  “Yes, I was there. My partner, Dillon, and I were working on logistics for the operation.”

  “You found the translator, didn’t you?”

  His tone had turned cold and she swallowed hard before answering. She had a feeling she knew where this conversation was heading. “Yes, I did find him. I thought he seemed like a good man.”

  “He wasn’t.” Levi spun to her, his face twisted and hard. “He led most of my team to their deaths. You’re responsible for that.”

  Her instinct was to match his hard tone with each angry syllable, but she didn’t. Instead she stood. “I think I’ll take a walk.” She slid by him and off the porch, but he wasn’t finished with their conversation.

  Panic pulsed through her. She hadn’t even considered that these men might blame her for the ambush. They didn’t know what she knew...that the translator she’d hired was most likely a patsy for a more threatening figure.

  She heard his footsteps as he followed her off the porch. “How can you sleep at night?” Levi demanded. “How can you sleep knowing how many people you’ve killed?”

  She stopped and turned to him. If he would allow her to explain, he might understand that she wasn’t to blame, but she could see he was in no mood to listen. His opinion of her was set in concrete and wouldn’t be budged.

  “I’m going back inside,” she said, trying to move past him, but he grabbed her arm to stop her.

  “You don’t get away that easily.” He grit the words out.

  “Let me go,” she said, trying to jerk her arm from his grasp. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t know me or what happened.”

  Then she saw it...the bandage on his arm as he held her. Her breath caught in her throat. That bandage was low on his arm, near the wrist...the same location where she’d sliced open the attacker’s arm with a meat thermometer back at the Allen house.

  He followed her gaze to his bandage and his face softened in an effect that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I cut myself shaving,” he told her in an excuse that was so ridiculous it couldn’t possibly be true. He grabbed her other arm and pulled her to him, his tone changing to a sneer. “Actually, I had a little accident in the kitchen. Someone needs to learn how to use kitchen utensils.”

  “Oh, I’m a whiz in the kitchen.” She hardened her stare and locked eyes with him. “Let me go now.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” he told her. “First, I need you to hear something.”

  Levi spun her around and clamped his hand over her mouth, pinning her arms with his. Then, yanking her against him, he dragged her away from the house.

  She struggled violently but her shoulder was still sore and he had her locked in a hold she could not break free from. She tried to scream for help, but even her cries were silenced by his hand over her mouth.

  Fear rushed through her. Levi, one of Marcus’s fellow rangers, was the sniper who’d been trying to kill them. And now they’d come right to him. Were the other rangers part of this, as well, or was Levi working alone? It seemed unlikely. He must have had help to pull this off, but who else was involved?

  He dragged her toward the barn and Bethany heard voices coming from inside. Levi pressed himself against the wall so they would not be seen.

  “Be quiet and listen,” he ordered.

  But she didn’t take orders from him. She continued to struggle, worry seeping into her mind at what he would do to her now that she knew his true identity. However, she stopped fighting when a familiar voice reached her ears.

  Marcus!

  She tried to pull away and call for help from Marcus, but Levi once again blocked her attempt.

  “Hush and listen,” he hissed in a quiet but fi
rm command.

  She had little choice. The voices were muffled, but what she heard made her heart grow cold.

  “I don’t want to go to jail,” Marcus was telling someone. “If I go with you, what happens to Bethany?”

  Another male voice answered. She couldn’t place it, but it sounded oddly familiar. “She’ll be fine. The entire Agency knows she’s been obsessed with finding you. It won’t be difficult to convince everyone that the man she thought was you, was actually an imposter and she made up the whole ‘being chased’ incidents.”

  She gasped. Whoever was speaking worked for the CIA and had the means to spread lies about her within it. Was this the rogue CIA agent Rick had warned her about? And, if he was speaking to Marcus, trying to convince him to go with him, did that mean Marcus had worked for him all along?

  “But my mother and sister. They’ve seen me. So have all these men here.”

  “A grieving family will believe anything. Cons prey on them all the time. We can spin it that way. And I’m not sure any of these guys are actually convinced it’s you. They’re playing along in case you’re the real deal, but you can’t forget they’ve been living with the fallout of your death for years.”

  “I can’t do that to her. I won’t.”

  “Don’t worry, Marcus. Her reputation will take some hits but nothing will happen to her. At the worst, she leaves the Agency in disgrace. That’s still better than having to watch you be executed for treason, isn’t it? I’m leaving this place in ten minutes. Be ready to go or stay and face the consequences of your choices.”

  Anger and betrayal ripped through her. She finally knew the truth about Marcus. He had been working for the enemy. Her heart ripped into pieces and only anger kept her standing when she wanted to fall apart.

  She was thankful Levi had brought her here. He had helped her find the answers she’d needed, but now her mind spun at the contradiction of it all. If Levi was trying to help her discover who Marcus really was, then why had he been trying to kill them all this time? She could almost make herself believe he’d been trying to bring down only Marcus if there hadn’t been so many collateral victims in the process. He’d murdered Milo and Marie and tried to kill Elizabeth and Shannon along with her and Marcus. How could he ever justify those actions?

  Pulling away from Levi, she ran into the barn to confront Marcus not only about his deeds but also about the fact that he was considering running out on her, allowing her to be made a fool of. She gasped when she saw the familiar face of the man Marcus was talking to.

  Dillon Montgomery. Her former partner. The man who had tried to win her heart. The man who had told her it was time to get over Marcus once and for all.

  The rogue CIA agent recruiting soldiers for the enemy.

  Her heart fell as she realized she’d once again been betrayed by another man she’d trusted.

  Nine

  Marcus couldn’t do it. He might have been a traitor to his country at one time, but he would not go back to that life now. He was about to tell Dillon he didn’t want any part of his outfit when a sound behind him grabbed his attention.

  He turned to see Bethany standing in the doorway, her jaw set firm and her eyes blazing. His first thought was to wonder how much she’d overheard, but her stance and glare told him all he needed to know. She’d heard everything. Dillon had spilled the sordid details of Marcus’s past and Bethany had listened to every word. Now, they both knew the truth about him.

  She headed toward him and he was ready to explain, but then he realized she was marching toward Dillon. He stood firm and gave her a smirk as she approached him.

  “Good to see you again, Bethany. How are you?”

  “Dillon Montgomery. I can’t believe it’s you. You’re the one behind all of this.”

  “Grow up, Bethany. The world is bigger than that little cubicle you work in.”

  “You sicken me.”

  She turned to Marcus and he saw disgust in her face. She shook her head. “I can’t even look at you, Marcus.”

  He reached for her arm. “Please, let me explain.”

  She jerked away. “Don’t touch me.”

  Shame filled him. “I don’t know what to say. I didn’t expect this.”

  “I made a mistake trusting you, Marcus. I should have gone with my original thought and not gotten sucked into your fantasy that you were the good guy.” Tears filled her eyes. “You did it to me again. You made me trust you.” She turned to Dillon, then back to Marcus. “I’m calling for backup then I’m taking you both back to Langley to face prosecution.”

  “You don’t really think I’m just going to let you walk away, do you?” Dillon said to her. He pulled a gun from his jacket and aimed it at them.

  She turned and glared at Dillon. “Try and stop me.”

  She started for the door when someone from outside filled the doorway. She stopped. Levi stood there, blocking her path, a rifle laying in his arms.

  Dillon’s next words cleared up Levi’s presence. “I think you both know my associate.”

  “So this is your attack dog, is it?” Bethany looked at Levi. “I knew you were involved when I spotted that wound on your arm. I hope it hurt when I jammed that meat thermometer into your arm.”

  He sneered at her. “I knew at that moment that I was going to enjoy killing you.”

  Dillon stepped forward. “Back down, Levi. No one is going to kill anyone. At least, that’s not my intent, not anymore. As I said before, when I thought you were going to betray me, I made sure Levi was tracking Bethany’s investigation. He had orders to kill you on site, but unfortunately, his injuries sustained in the ambush have affected his abilities as a sniper. He wasn’t able to complete the job, which is a fortunate turn for us both.”

  Levi gave a low growl, obviously not enjoying Dillon’s pointing out his failures.

  “What do you want from us?” Marcus demanded.

  “I want you, Marcus. You’re the reason I’m here. You come with me now and I promise you Bethany won’t be harmed.”

  “If you think I’m just going to look the other way, then you’re crazy,” she countered. “I’m taking you down, Dillon.”

  Levi tried to grab her but Marcus stepped in front of her. He didn’t have his gun on him, but he would fight for her with his last breath. “Don’t you touch her,” he warned him.

  Dillon attacked him from behind, kicking out the backs of his legs and sending him to his knees. Before Marcus could even turn, he felt a sting on the back of his neck. A rush of warmth flowed through him and he doubled over as dizziness overtook him. Bethany screamed and, through a haze, he saw Dillon grab her. She kicked and fought him, but she was no match for both him and Levi. Dillon pulled out a syringe and shoved it into her neck while Levi held her down. After a moment, she stopped struggling. That must have been what they’d done to him too. They’d drugged them both.

  God, please help me save her.

  He resisted the urge to pass out and gathered what little strength he could muster to lunge at Dillon, who only laughed as he moved out of the way. Marcus hit the ground. He lunged again, grunting at the effort, but he couldn’t let him take Bethany.

  “Leave her alone.”

  His vision began to fade but he saw a car pull up to the barn. Dillon picked up Bethany and carried her to the car, where Levi helped him load her into the back seat.

  Dillon returned and knelt beside Marcus. “I hope you remember this when you wake. Meet me at the old drive-in theater. Come alone if you want to see Bethany alive again.” He stood and walked to the car.

  “Don’t,” Marcus cried as Dillon slid into the passenger’s seat and the car roared away.

  Marcus’s heart fell as it disappeared from view. He had to get up. He had to catch up with them. He had to get help.

  His vision dimmed and he felt himself fall. Just before he lost
consciousness, dread filled him. He had to save Bethany.

  * * *

  Marcus came to, his head pounding. He pulled himself to his feet, having no idea how long he had been out, but the sky outside the barn doors was still dark. Every single moment he’d lost was one that put Bethany in greater danger. He couldn’t believe he’d let Dillon ambush him like that. They must have planned it that way. Dillon would attack while they were focused on Levi.

  Levi.

  He had to get to the other rangers and let them know one of their own was crooked. Mostly, he had to beg for their help. He couldn’t rescue Bethany on his own. Dillon’s words about the rangers not truly believing it was him came flooding back. Was he right about them? And if they thought he was lying, would they want to help someone who was accusing one of their own of treason?

  He crossed the yard and burst into the house, shouting for help. A figure on the couch lifted up. Garrett. A moment later the others came rushing down the stairs.

  “What’s going on?” Colton asked. Behind him on the stairs were Matt, Josh and Blake, all looking as if he’d wakened them from a sound sleep.

  “Where’s Levi?” Marcus demanded.

  “He left,” Blake told him. “He had to get back to New Orleans for an appointment in the morning.”

  Marcus stared at them all. Would they believe him about Levi? He couldn’t worry about their feelings on the matter. “No, he didn’t. He and Dillon Montgomery just kidnapped Bethany.”

  They all looked at him, confused. Garrett rubbed his eyes as if trying to clear out the sleep. “What? Who is Dillon Montgomery?”

  “He’s CIA. He was there the night of the ambush.”

  Josh stepped forward. “Yeah, he was working with Bethany, wasn’t he?”