Daring Deception

by Barbara Freethy

  He sighed and walked over to her.

  Caitlyn looked at her dad and tried to send him an encouraging smile but judging by the grim expression on his face he wasn't buying into her hope. But they weren't dead yet. Tim wanted to stretch this out. That could only work in their favor.

  It was quiet at the Carlson home. Too quiet, Quinn thought, as he crept through the trees bordering the property. There were no cars in the driveway, only one light on in the house. The iron gates were locked, which might mean that his instincts were wrong, that no one was here, that the action would be at the Carlson Tower.

  But he couldn't shake Donovan's words out of his head: Greed is found in the viper's nest.

  Chuck Carlson was the viper, and this was his home.

  He saw no sign of guards, although the security system on the front gate and the tall fences surrounding the property provided a strong barrier. He knew Rebecca and Spencer were at the hotel. Baxter and his wife lived elsewhere. There might be a housekeeper inside, but it felt like the house was empty.

  He walked through the side yard, coming to another gate that had a code box on it, but the gate was slightly open. His pulse leapt. There was a light on at the back of the house he hadn't seen before. There was also a person near the patio door, hovering in the shadows, perhaps looking at their phone as he caught flashes of light. In one of those flashes, he realized the person was Lauren.

  He'd been right. They were here. But where was everyone else? Were they inside? Had they not shown up yet? Was Lauren waiting for someone else to arrive?

  He didn't know how long she'd be alone. This might be his only chance to find out what was going on. He slid into the yard, staying in the shadows of the trees, walking as quietly as he could. When he was only a few feet away, he rushed toward her, throwing her body against the wall of the house, covering her mouth with his hand as her head bounced off the stucco, her eyes bulging open when she saw him.

  "Don't make a sound," he warned. He moved his hand slightly away from her mouth. "Where's Caitlyn?"

  "Go away," she said breathlessly. "They'll kill you."

  He put his hands on her neck, pressing his fingers against her windpipe. "Or I'll kill you."

  She struggled, but she was no match for his fury or his will.

  "I saved your life, Quinn. You owe me," she gasped.

  "Who's inside?"

  "Tim and Allison. Donovan's brother has more courage than Donovan ever had. He has a much bigger vision. When he asked Allison to introduce us, I knew he was the one I needed to give Donovan's plan to."

  "You ripped the pages out of the notebook." Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place. "How did you get them?"

  "I went to Yosemite with Wyatt. Donovan was blackmailing us to protect himself."

  "Wyatt said he found nothing there."

  "That's what I told him when I left the cabin. I decided to keep the information for myself. Wyatt was outside when I found the notebook. He was watching for Donovan."

  As much as he wanted to hear that story, he needed to get to Caitlyn. "Tell me what's happening now."

  "Tim is leading the fight of our lifetime."

  "He's killing people, Lauren, and your sister is helping him. You're all going to end up in prison or dead."

  "We're smarter than that. When I met Tim, I saw the same drive in him that I'd seen in Donovan, and I knew what I had to do. This time, I would take action. I would not be left in the shadows, out of the loop, useful only to provide someone else cover. I would be part of the bigger plan."

  "Where's Caitlyn now?" he demanded, cutting off her insane ramble.

  "It doesn't matter. You have to leave. They're going to blow the house up. Once again, I'm saving your life."

  "Donovan told you to save both Caitlyn and me, didn't he?"

  She gave him a cold stare. "Yes. But I hated her, so I didn't do it."

  His words filled him with rage. He wanted to squeeze the life out of her. He wanted to punish her, but he needed to get to Caitlyn. In a quick move, he knocked Lauren's head against the wall, and she went out like a light, sliding to the ground. He dragged her around the corner of the house and then entered the home through the back door. He could hear voices in the distance.

  Using the light on his phone, he made his way through the kitchen, trying to remember the layout of the house. It seemed like the voices were coming from beneath him. They had to be in the basement. He moved toward a door off the hallway, where the voices got louder.

  His pulse jumped when he heard Caitlyn's voice. She sounded strong but terrified.

  "Where's Lauren?" Caitlyn asked.

  "What does it matter?" a man replied.

  Quinn crept down the hall. The man sounded like Donovan, which probably meant it was Tim.

  "If I'm going to die," Caitlyn said, "I have a few things I'd like to say to Lauren first."

  He was impressed at the determination in her voice. She was not giving up without a fight. He pulled out his phone and quickly texted Agent Emi Sakato that Caitlyn was being held at her family home.

  "I know Lauren is involved in this," Caitlyn continued. "Is she too cowardly to show her face? I am shocked you'd work with someone like that, Tim."

  "Lauren is dedicated to our cause."

  "Lauren is the one who pointed the finger at Donovan. She's the one who told the FBI to go after him. It's in the file. I read all about it."

  "She's lying," a woman said. "Lauren wouldn't betray Donovan."

  Quinn took a quick breath at the new voice. Allison was clearly still alive. He had at least two people to deal with. He hadn't heard Chuck's voice, but he had to be there, too. Unless he was unconscious or worse…

  "Of course Lauren would do that," Caitlyn said forcefully. "Lauren always looked out for herself. She even told me about you, Allison, about how you'd joined forces with Tim and were responsible for the bombing. She was trying to protect herself in case you were caught. She didn't want it to look like she was involved."

  "I don't believe you. Lauren wouldn't sell me out," Allison retorted. "You're a liar."

  "And here I was just thinking the two of you might actually be smart," Caitlyn continued. "There's probably a reason Lauren isn't here. She is going to sell you out, the way she sold out Donovan."

  "Go get Lauren," Tim said sharply.

  "No," Allison replied. "My sister is looking out for us. You can't believe her, Tim."

  "I said, go get her," Tim repeated.

  "Tim, let's just get out of here," Allison pleaded. "We don't need to prove anything to this bitch. And we have to get to the tower to meet the others. Don't get distracted from the plan."

  "Don't tell me what to do. I said go get Lauren. I want to see these two face each other."

  Quinn heard Allison coming up the stairs, so he moved toward the back door, grabbing a heavy vase from a kitchen counter. As Allison came around the corner, he smashed her head with the vase.

  She fell with a heavy thud, no time to let out a scream. Now it was time to get Caitlyn.

  Caitlyn's mind whirred with possibilities. Once Lauren came into the room, she could buy more minutes with a conversation. What about after that?

  "Why were you trying to frame my brother?" she asked abruptly.

  "Easy. I needed someone to take the fall for everything. Spencer was perfect. It's actually going to look like he was here, like he had you and your father kidnapped because your dad wouldn't give him the job he wanted. Kevin provided us with your brother's angry emails and texts. He also told us how Spencer tried to warn you away from the first bomb. At the end of the day, he'll look like the mad bomber who hated his family and everything Carlson Industries did to hurt the environment."

  "It won't work," her father cut in.

  "Shut up, old man. You know nothing," Tim said.

  "What about Wyatt?" she asked. "Is he in on this, too? Are any of the other LNF members helping you?"

  "No. This is my show. They were of no use to Donovan. Why w
ould they be of use to me now?"

  "Lauren is with you."

  "She's different. She understands the vision that my brother had. And she offered me his plan in exchange for her participation. It was a fair trade. Now, I'm tired of talking. While we're waiting for Lauren to join us, because I wouldn't mind seeing you two bitches go after each other, I'll give you a little preview of what's to come."

  He walked over to the bottom of the steps, drawing her attention to the large duffel bag on the floor. It didn't look like something her family would have had in the basement. As he unzipped the bag and pulled the sides away, he flipped a switch and a clock panel lit up.

  It started at fifteen minutes, and it immediately began to count down. She couldn't see the explosive device that it was attached to, but it became very clear how little time they had. She looked over at her dad.

  He gave her a despairing look. "I'm sorry, Caitlyn. This is my fault."

  "You're right. It is your fault," Tim said, moving away from the bomb. "And you've got fifteen minutes to think about all the harm you've done, to realize that you will die with your daughter. Trust me when I say that the rest of your family will also suffer. So will your employees and your companies. Your profits will tumble, because once the head of the snake is cut off, it cannot survive."

  "Let Caitlyn go," her father begged. "She has never had anything to do with the business. She is not responsible for my crimes."

  "Touching," Tim said with a laugh. "Do you think I care?" As he finished speaking, he glanced toward the stairs with a growing frown of concern.

  "Maybe Allison finally came to her senses and left you," she suggested.

  "Shut up!" he growled, waving his gun at her. "Or I'll shoot you now."

  "That would deprive you of watching me sweat."

  He looked toward the stairs once more.

  Something was wrong…or maybe it was right. Maybe the FBI had figured it out. They'd grabbed Allison. She needed to keep Tim in the room.

  She kicked at a nearby tower of boxes. As they came tumbling down, Tim swore and took a wild shot at her. The bullet hit the wall next to her.

  Her father screamed.

  She kicked at another box. Bottles of wine rolled out.

  Tim jumped out of the way to avoid them.

  Then someone came flying down the stairs in a blur of motion.

  Quinn!

  When Tim turned, he got hit in the face with a golf club. The gun dropped out of his hand as Quinn hit him again.

  But Tim recovered, fighting back fast and furiously.

  She yanked at the pipe once more. Harder and harder, desperate to get free so she could help Quinn.

  With every ounce of strength that she had, she screamed as she pulled on the pipe. To her shock, it broke apart, and while she was still cuffed, she was no longer attached to anything.

  The men were still fighting for their lives, completely unaware she was free. She crawled over to the gun and managed to pick it up.

  She wasn't sure she could shoot with her hands bound, but then Quinn was shoved into the wall so hard he was stunned. Tim looked around for his gun, fury in his gaze when he saw it in her hands. He rushed toward her, and she pulled the trigger.

  The bullet hit Tim in the neck. His eyes popped open in shock. Then he crumpled.

  Quinn ran over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders, as his wild gaze searched her face. "Are you all right?"

  "I'm fine. But there's a bomb." She tipped her head toward the device. It had ticked down to seven minutes. "Allison and Lauren are somewhere."

  "I took care of them. Is there anyone else around?" he asked.

  "Not that I've seen."

  "Let's get out of here."

  "My dad can't move."

  Quinn's gaze turned to her father. "I'll get him. But I'll take you out first."

  As he got her up on her feet, she said, "There isn't time. Please get my dad. I can make it up the stairs myself." She jumped forward to prove she could do it, then looked back at him. "Quinn, please," she begged.

  Indecision played through his gaze. Then he ran over to her dad.

  She jumped forward and again until she reached the bottom step.

  "Get Caitlyn out first," her father told Quinn.

  "I'm going to get you both out," he replied tersely.

  Her father had some weight on him, but that didn't seem to bother Quinn. He got her father up on his knees. Then his dad leaned into him and Quinn was able to somehow lift her dad up and over his shoulder. He held him awkwardly as he moved toward the stairs, half-carrying him, half-dragging him.

  Her gaze moved to the timer. Five minutes.

  They still had to get up the stairs and out of the house. She slid toward the wall, allowing Quinn to move ahead of her. He gave her a grim look but kept on going. He moved up the steps far more quickly than she could. She stumbled while hopping onto the third step, and crashed into the wall, her heart racing with fear.

  Four minutes.

  She hopped up to the next step, then the next. She'd told him she could do it, and she had to be right.

  Three minutes.

  Three more steps to go. She jumped up another step, then crashed to her knees. She wanted to scream with frustration. She couldn't see the clock anymore.

  How much time did she have left?

  Quinn reappeared as she struggled to get to the top step.

  "Where's my dad?" she asked.

  "Outside." He swung her up into his arms and raced toward the front door.

  As they left the house and hit the steps, an enormous deafening blast lifted them up in the air.

  Not again…

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  It felt like the last time.

  Caitlyn tried to hang on to Quinn, but the explosion ripped them apart. She landed hard in the middle of her mother's flowerbed as fiery pieces of wood and plaster rained down on her. Something hit her head, then her side. She winced against the pain but struggled to stay conscious. She would not die. Not like this.

  Her ears screamed with pain. She could hear rumbles and bangs, but it felt like she was underwater. As the sound receded, she blinked several times, coming fully awake. The house behind her was raging with fire. One of the tall trees in the yard had broken in two, a huge branch on the ground nearby. There was so much smoke and ash in the air she couldn't see her father. She couldn't see Quinn.

  "Quinn? Dad?" she screamed. "Where are you?"

  Her gaze lit on a pile of rubble. She could see Quinn's shoes, and her heart crashed against her chest. She crawled over to him, her hands and feet still bound.

  She managed to pull some bigger pieces of stucco off of Quinn. When she saw his face, white with ash except for the blood on his forehead, she almost lost it. He could not be dead. He couldn't be!

  She knelt next to him. "Quinn, Quinn. Open your eyes. Please, God, open your eyes." He didn't respond. He was so still. She put her head on his chest. She thought she could hear his heartbeat. Was that just desperation?

  She moved closer to him, putting her mouth by his ear. "I need you, Quinn. Don't leave me. Please don't leave me. I love you. I should have told you that before. Wake up. You have to live."

  She almost cried when she saw his lids begin to flutter, and then his eyes—his beautiful blue eyes—were staring back at her.

  "Caitlyn, are you hurt?"

  She bit down on the sob that came to her lips at his generous question. "I'm fine." She kissed his mouth, needing to know that he was really okay. The heat of his lips reassured her. "What about you?"

  "I'm okay. I think." He shifted and then winced as he raised his left hand. "Actually, my hand might be broken."

  "Don't move. You might make it worse. I've got to find my dad." She paused, realizing she wasn't going anywhere fast. "Damn these ties."

  Quinn sat up. "I put your dad on the driveway. I tried to get him far enough away. I'll go find him."

  "Wait. Help me get the tie off my ankles." She ti
pped her head toward a shard of glass. "If you can put the edge right in the pin of the tie, it should open."

  Quinn grabbed the glass with his good hand and worked the sharp edge against the tie. With enough pressure, it opened, and the tie fell apart. She jumped to her feet in relief. She'd worry about the cuff on her hands later.

  They ran toward the driveway, having to dodge flaming piles of rubble along the way.

  "Dad? Dad?" she screamed, wishing the smoke wasn't so thick or so black.

  "Over here," her father called out.

  She blew out a breath of relief as she followed the sound of his voice. He was sitting up, staring at the house in shock.

  "I didn't know if you were still in there," he said. "I thought I saw you and Quinn right before it blew up, but I wasn't sure."

  "I'm okay." She knelt down beside him. "Quinn got me out in time."

  Her father looked past her to Quinn. "Thank you."

  Quinn nodded. "You're welcome."

  "Are you sure you're not hurt, Dad?" she asked worriedly, scanning his face for any sign of injury, but he seemed to be all right.

  "I'm fine," he said. "How did you find us, Quinn?"

  "Donovan used to say that greed is found in the viper's nest. Everyone else was heading to the tower, but I played a hunch. When I arrived, the house was so quiet and dark, I thought I was wrong, but then I went through the side yard and the gate was ajar."

  "Tim quoted that saying tonight," she told him. "It was kind of brilliant—kidnapping us and taking us home. I think I know how they got into the house, too. They used Kevin to access the security systems, the proprietary information for not only the tower but also this house, and probably how they got to my dad's personal security. One of his guards lured us to the loading dock."

  "I know. That man is dead. He was killed the second they got you."

  "Good," her dad said coldly. "Kent betrayed me."

  "Did you see who grabbed you?" Quinn asked.

  "I didn't see a thing," she replied. "Someone hit me over the back of my head." She paused. "Allison said something about people waiting for them at the tower. I need to call Emi. Do you have a phone?"