by Eve Langlais
“Why is he here?” Mae asked. “I thought we were going on vacation.”
Before Macey could make the plan more difficult, Ted jumped in. “We are. All of us together. And to make it super interesting, I am going as your dad.”
Macey uttered an odd sound. He almost checked to see if she was choking.
Lin spoke for her. “Did you and Mother get married?”
“Not exactly.” He didn’t like lying, but the way Marie had explained it, he’d better give the twins a good reason for the act or he’d have to be prepared to tell the truth.
With just the little he knew, he could see why Macey wanted to keep the twins’ past hidden. So, he wove an elaborate plot, conceived by Marie.
He rubbed his hands. “So, technically, this vacation is a present from me. I won a trip for me and my family.”
“Then why aren’t you taking your family?” Mae asked, hitting the bottom of the stairs and dumping a bulging knapsack on the floor.
“Because I don’t have one.” The honest truth. “I’d planned to go all by myself, but then I ran into your mom.” He smiled at her, more mischievously than necessary as he caught her grinding her teeth. “I always did have a thing for her in high school.” Still true. “And I thought, Ted, when will you ever get the chance to not only woo the hottest and smartest girl you ever knew but also play daddy to some incredible talented young ladies?”
Lin preened, and Mae smirked. “You want us to lie.”
“Um. No. Er, that is—”
“We only need to pretend for the length of the trip,” Macey declared, and he had to wonder if the girls saw through her fake smile.
“I’ve always wanted a daddy.” Lin clasped her hands, and he heard Macey suck in a breath.
Mae proved more pragmatic. “You want us to perpetrate fraud.”
His brows almost took flight. Big word for a little kid.
“It’s just a white lie,” Macey insisted.
It was Joanna who returned a barked, “Stop mollycoddling the little coconspirators. Can’t you see they’re playing you? They’re old enough to get it. So, listen up, you brats. We got a chance to go on a free trip. The tickets are already paid for, so either someone uses them, or it goes to waste. Why not us? It’ll be fun. We’ll spend time together, take some pics and hang out. Sound good?”
“What about school?” Mae wouldn’t give up.
Macey snorted. “You’re taking grade ten algebra. I think you can manage a few days off.”
“What of our other lessons? Will Ted still be our teacher?” Lin asked, batting her lashes as if she had dust caught in them.
“If you want to, then we can practice every day. Maybe even twice a day,” he said, crossing a finger over his chest.
The girls grinned and, in tandem, said, “We can’t wait, Daddy.” With a giggle, they ran off to the kitchen with Joanna leading the way. “Anyone need a jelly sandwich before we go?”
It left him alone with Macey, who hissed her displeasure. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
“You mean get your girls on board with the plan? You’re welcome.”
“They’re my daughters. You had no right to throw that at them.”
“Because I knew you wouldn’t.”
“This will never work. No one will ever believe we’re married.” Her nose wrinkled.
“On the contrary, we’re already bickering like we’ve been together forever. Now, should I call you honey, or would you prefer baby?”
“How about neither?”’
“Couples always have nicknames for each other.”
“I’m partial to asshole.” Said with a sweet smile.
“That might draw a little more attention than you like. I’ve always seen myself as more of a Pookie.”
She blinked. “You must have suffered some kind of injury when you were in the army because you are nuts.”
“PTSD and other issues, but I’m doing better now.” Although, if they would be in close proximity, he might have to tell her about the nightmares.
Her phone rang. She eyed the number and dragged him into an office, then slid the door closed and answered on speakerphone.
“I can’t believe you hung up on me!” Macey exclaimed.
“Just figured I’d give you some time to come to your senses.” Mother declared, her voice the same familiar purr of before.
“My senses are fine. He needs to leave. He’s going to ruin everything.”
“Your confidence warms me,” Ted said, clasping his chest.
Macey tossed him a glare. “Not helping.”
“Stop whining and be nice to your husband. BBI is loaning him to us at a most excellent rate.”
“How the hell did Ted end up working for Bad Boy Inc?”
He knew that answer. “I was in a prison camp with one of their agents for a few weeks. You might know him. Ben?”
She pursed her lips.
“Do you know Devon and Mason and the gang?” he asked.
“I know them.” She rubbed her forehead. “This world is starting to feel mighty small. Too small.”
He understood that feeling. What were the chances she’d run into one let alone two people from her past in such a short time and in the same place?
“Would you feel better if I said, as far as I know, Ronin knows nothing yet?” Mother stated.
“Not really. Has anyone located Chunk yet?”
“Chunk?” Ted asked before he clued in. “You mean Ralph?”
Macey turned a sharp gaze on him. “What do you know about him? Where can he be found?”
“With Taotie, usually.” But Taotie was dead in a trunk of a car that had been cleaned. Remembering it all meant that Ted was only more determined to help—and nag Macey. He preferred her angry to worried. “Given he smells like fried chicken a lot, maybe a restaurant?”
“That’s not helpful,” she snapped. “If you can’t help, then keep that mouth of yours shut.”
“Be nice, or people won’t believe that you and your old flame are married,” Mother interjected.
“We never dated,” Macey growled.
“Nope, which is why we moved so quickly when we reconnected.” Ted put a hand to his chest.
“I can’t work with him,” Macey declared. “He’s already getting the story wrong. We are supposed to be married, not reuniting.”
“The married couple with adopted children will be your primary cover story,” Marie declared. “But if you do, in fact, run into someone you know from your current life, then the secondary tale, which is the one the girls are most likely to believe, is that you reconnected, and when Ted mentioned he had free tickets, you decided to be impulsive and go on a trip.”
“I don’t see why we can’t just pretend that Daddy got sick so just the girls and me could go.”
“He’s going, and that’s final. Or have you forgotten that if Ronin is aware of everything that’s happened, then Ted is in as much trouble as you?”
Ted could have explained that he’d be fine. It wouldn’t be hard for him to uproot and start over elsewhere, and yet the more Macey fought to send him away, the more determined he was to remain.
“This is only temporary,” Macey growled.
“Break my heart.” He clutched his chest. “And here I thought our make-believe family would live happily ever after.” He deserved the dark look she tossed him.
He smiled.
“I want him gone by the end of this cruise.”
“If we’re lucky, by the end of the cruise, Ronin won’t be a problem anymore,” Mother stated.
“As if we’ll have any better luck this time. You know he’s too well guarded.” Macey slumped in a chair that rolled slightly on the wood floor.
“If you can’t get close, why not hire a sniper?” he asked.
“Gee, why didn’t we think of that?” she snapped.
“Surely, he’s not that well guarded.”
The way Macey turned from him told him just how stupid the remark was
. Obviously, he must be, or she wouldn’t live in fear like this.
Knock, knock.
It was Joanna. “It’s time to go. I’ll drive.”
Exiting the den, he noticed the girls standing solemnly by Joanna’s side. Lin clutched a book, while Mae looked around before saying, “Our next house shouldn’t have the staircase facing the front door. It’s bad feng shui.”
With those words, the girls marched off, and he could see the devastation in Macey’s face.
They knew they weren’t coming home.
Chapter Eight
Ted got to ride shotgun in the front of the van with Joanna behind the wheel, while Portia took the very back row, leaving the girls in the middle, each in their own captain’s seat, headphones on, watching documentaries on their tablets. Lin was into pyramids these days, while Mae chose something on hunting. Odd. She’d never shown an interest in the outdoors before.
Only pure strength of will held Portia together. A screaming panic beat within her as the day she’d dreaded finally arrived. Ronin might, at this very moment, be sending people looking for her. If Ralph had spoken, he’d have feelers out at the very least, digging for tidbits. A good thing she’d kept her presence as innocuous as possible. Lived in a neighborhood where no one spoke to each other. The hedges kept things private. No one brought pies over when they moved in. No one hosted barbecues.
The private school had her on file as being against her children’s names or likenesses being used in any public way. The medical institute she worked for had hired her under a company name.
The passports in her purse were for Maevis and Linette Hogan. She had to wonder if Ted would be a Hogan too by the time they boarded the ship. Marie would probably make sure of it. Or BBI would.
It blew her mind to find out that Ted even knew Bad Boy Inc, let alone worked with them. What were the chances? Mae could probably figure it out, she was a whizz at math.
Glancing at Ted, Portia still had a hard time reconciling what she knew. The concept of the Ted who’d caved meekly to Chen, versus the knowledge of him being a soldier. He’d not shown many guts during the confrontation with Chen. A front, or so he claimed. Had she known he would fight, she might have handled things differently, yet he’d basically kowtowed until the very end. Then again, it wasn’t as if she needed his help.
She’d had things perfectly well in hand until he’d shown up. And now, Mother expected her to work with him.
Husband, indeed.
Too late to change now. The plan had been set in motion, and Mother did what she did best. Coordinated.
A fellow with an envelope met them in the parking garage of the airport the moment they arrived. He handed the package over and then kept walking.
Opening it, Ted slid out a new identity: Theodore Hogan. Driver’s license. Passport. Credit cards. There were even matching wedding rings, his and hers.
He held out the circlet of white gold. “May I?”
Portia’s first impulse was to scream, “no,” and hide her hand behind her back. Yet the girls watched with wide eyes. She mustn’t let them know that anything was amiss.
Her hand trembled a bit as he slid the slim metal onto her finger. It didn’t weigh her down like her last ring had. The action didn’t go unnoticed.
“Who sent the rings?” Mae asked. Nothing ever got past her.
“Me. As soon as Ted invited us, I ordered them special for this trip. Just like we all have new names.” No time like the present to tell the girls. She whipped out the passports and handed them to the twins. “Those are your names for the duration of our vacation.”
Mae wrinkled her nose. “Maevis. Really?”
“Lucky. Isn’t that the vampire girl from Transylvania. I sound like an old lady.” Lin’s lips turned down.
“I think Linette is very pretty,” Ted declared. “Let me carry that for you.” He held out his hand for both the girls’ bags. Lin handed hers right over, but Mae hesitated for a second. He put one on each shoulder, then grabbed his duffle in one hand and Portia’s suitcase with the other.
“I can carry it,” she argued.
“I am the man of the family. I’ll do it. It’s my job.”
“It’s sexist,” she remarked. “How come you’re not taking Joanna’s?”
“Because, as my niece, that falls on you.” Joanna gestured to the much larger case. A hefty one.
“What the heck did you pack?” Portia grumbled as she dragged it along.
“Sunscreen.” And probably parts to assemble a weapon. Joanna wasn’t one to go anywhere unarmed, but airports tended to frown on actual guns and knives, so cleverness was required.
Despite Portia’s paranoia—Is that guy by the magazine rack watching us? Is that security guard calling in reinforcements?—they had no problems in the airport itself. This time of night proved rather quiet.
Too quiet.
It made her twitchy. Their flight would be leaving within an hour, taking them to an airport where they’d have only a thirty-minute window to make their connection, and only after they falsely checked in for another flight.
That she’d have to lie didn’t bother, it was the fact that she had the girls with her that caused a flutter. They would ask questions. They would see something was amiss.
With her nerves stretched tautly, she parked the girls with Joanna at their gate and paced the terminal.
To her annoyance, Ted stalked with her.
“Why are you following me?”
“We should take this time to iron out the details of our story.”
“I’d rather avoid talking to people at all.”
“That might work,” he said in a musing tone. “Tell people to fuck off because we’re so in love.”
She almost stumbled. “No one will believe it.”
“They will if we’re constantly caught necking in the halls.”
“There will be no necking.”
“Hand-holding?” he said with a hopeful lilt. His attitude made no sense.
“Why are you so calm about this?”
“One of us should be. You’re a mess,” was his bald statement.
She halted and glared. “Can you blame me?”
“You’re no good to anyone if you’re going to be agitated.”
“I think I have earned that right.”
“Save it for later when we’re not being observed.”
“Someone is watching us?” Her gaze slewed left and right.
“Could you be more obvious?”
The rebuke stung, but she wasn’t about to apologize. “People are always looking around suspiciously in airports.”
“I meant watching on cameras. Security monitors all the public areas.”
“I know.”
“Then act like it. We’re supposed to be a married couple going on vacation with our children.”
“What would you suggest I do? Sit and read them a story while you browse a newspaper?” she retorted sarcastically.
“You can be agitated but have a reason. We’ll hit that little pharmacy by gate nine and grab something for upset stomachs.”
“I’m not taking any drugs.”
“Pretend. Do you know how to make believe?” His sarcasm hung thick.
“Don’t talk to me like I’m a moron.”
“Then snap out of it and show me why KM thinks you’re worth hiding.”
“Am I not playing the part of wife well enough? Oops. Bad me.” She stepped closer, enough that she had to tilt her head to keep her gaze on him. A wary look entered his eye.
“What are you doing?”
“We’ve been fighting. So now I’m being a good wife and making up.” She nipped his chin, her lips scraping on the stubble.
He trembled. “Making up by biting me?”
“Is this better?” She lifted her lips and brushed her mouth against his, meaning for it to be a light embrace. He had other plans. His arm slid around her waist and snared her, pulling her close. His mouth slanted over hers, took a feather
y touch and ignited it.
The kiss left her breathless, her lips tingling, other parts of her heating…
“That’s better, wife,” he purred against her mouth. “You’re forgiven. Go fetch me that Alka-Seltzer while I grab a newspaper.” He twirled her from him and gave her a slap on the ass as he pushed her in the direction of the pharmacy. But he remained close, browsing a magazine display as she bought a few things. Did anyone else notice how he managed to watch in all directions, paying special attention to their gate?
She paid for the stuff and sauntered back his way. “See anything, oh mighty spy?”
“Not yet.”
“Rather than hovering over me, you should be guarding the girls.”
“You’re the one in more imminent danger.”
“Except I care less about me than them,” she snapped as he kept pace by her side.
He had his hands shoved into his pockets. “And I’m sure they feel the same about you. How about we do our best to keep you all safe?”
She sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a bitch. I just wish we didn’t have to live like this.”
“Your mother didn’t seem to think Ronin knew yet.”
“I can’t take the chance.”
“Let’s assume then that he knows. He’ll obviously have pictures of you he can use to track you down.”
“They won’t work.” She put a hand to her nose. “We had it shaved to change the shape.” She touched her chin. “More squared. With the hair, it makes any old images of me invalid when it comes to facial recognition software.”
“I recognized you. Taotie, too.”
“People have an ability to see beyond measurements in person. Computer programs don’t.” She shrugged. “Or so we’re hoping.”
“But if Ralph talks…”
“Then Ronin will know I’m alive, and he won’t stop looking until he finds us. We kind of stand out.” She glanced down to their gate, where Joanna sat with the girls. A white woman with Asian-featured children always drew attention.
“Going back to my argument, let’s say he locates you, is he likely to hurt his daughters?”
She chewed her lower lip. “No. He’s usually very big on family.”