Undone: The Untangled Series, Book Two

by Layne, Ivy

  I wanted to take her into my arms, to hold her and Adam, to promise them everything was all right.

  Later. First, I had to secure the house. I grabbed the Russian's weapon from the carpet and flipped on the safety, shoving it into the waistband of my pants.

  “I need to take care of this. Go into Adam's room and lock the door.”

  She opened her mouth to protest.

  “Lock busted?”

  She nodded.

  “Drag Adam's dresser in front of the door. Wait there. I think I got them all, but I need to be sure.”

  Lily vanished into Adam's room, shutting the door. I hauled the dead Russian over my shoulder, lugging him down the stairs. I dropped him outside the front door with the other two.

  At least the lock on the front door still worked. I re-secured the door and headed straight for the mudroom where the last two had entered.

  Fucking hell.

  They'd used an acetylene blowtorch to cut the fucking handle out of the goddamned door. The torch lay discarded on the floor in the middle of the mudroom. I shook my head.

  Fewer toys, more training, and they might still be alive. My options for securing the mudroom door weren't great. I barricaded it with the hutch Lily used for hanging jackets and storing boots.

  If someone was determined to get in, that hutch wouldn't stop them, but we wouldn't be here. A quick check of the garage told me the vehicles were still as I'd left them.

  The laptop. If I was right and Lucas' app hadn't revealed the account Trey used for business, I couldn't leave it behind. Jogging to his office, I snagged it from the drawer and stashed it in the back of the Land Rover.

  The bodies scattered all over the property were a problem. I couldn't leave them there. Lily was isolated, but not that isolated. No way in hell was I reporting them to Deputy Dave. He'd love any excuse to get rid of me.

  The only option was to call Cooper and have him send in cleaners. Not ideal, but I didn't have another choice. Before I called, I jogged through the house, clearing every room.

  When I was sure the house was empty of everyone but Lily, Adam, and me, I went back upstairs, rapping on Adam's door in a pattern I'd made Lily memorize.

  “Knox?” she asked, the sound of dragging coming through the door.

  “It's me. The house is clear. You two alright?”

  The door swung open, and a small body hurtled into my legs, little arms winding around my hips, holding tight. I wrapped my fingers around the back of Adam's neck in a squeeze. He gripped me harder, his body shaking with terror or relief. Probably both.

  Crouching down, I hooked my hands under his arms and lifted him, settling him into my side. His arms and legs wound around me, my free hand rubbing his back in long strokes.

  “Hey, it's okay, bud. I know that was scary, but you're okay. Your mom's okay. Take a deep breath for me.”

  Adam buried his face into my neck, chest heaving with sobs. I expected Lily to move to take him from me, but she just stood there, eyes wide, teetering on her heels. Shit. She looked shell-shocked.

  “Lily,” I barked, harsher than I wanted to be. As much as I wanted to coddle her, I needed her functional. We weren't out of this yet. Her head snapped up, eyes focusing on my face, on her son in my arms.

  “I need you to listen. Can you do that?” A nod. Better than nothing. “We need to get out of here. I have to make a call. Pack for you and Adam, enough for a few days. Can you do that?”

  Lily processed my words in slow motion, nodding again. “Are we coming back?”

  “I don't know,” I said honestly. “I hope so, but plan to bring anything you can't leave behind. Two bags, easy to carry. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  She moved to take Adam from my arms. He clung like a spider monkey, chest still heaving with sobs. I squeezed him tighter, nudging his head up with my shoulder. His tear-swollen face raised to mine.

  “I need you to help your mom, bud. Can you do that for me? I'm going to keep you safe, but I need your help.”

  “Are they coming back?” he asked in a thin, high voice.

  “I don't think so, bud, but we don't want to find out. Your mom is going to pack some stuff. What do you need for a long sleepover?”

  “George. My monkey. And my steam shovel book.”

  “Okay. I'm going to put you down. You go get that stuff so your mom can pack it. Can you do that?”

  “I can do it, Mr. Knox.”

  This fucking kid. Five years old, and he had balls of steel. I squeezed his shoulder tight before nudging him in the direction of his bedroom door.

  Lily took a step forward, her eyes glued to my side. “Knox. You're bleeding.”

  I looked to see a line of red going down my arm from a thin slice on my bicep. Now that I was aware of it, the burn flared to life. Fuck. Asshole on the floor must have had a knife.

  “It's nothing. I'll take care of it as soon as I—”

  The shrill of the perimeter alarm cut me off.

  Fuck. What now?

  I yanked my phone from my pocket and pulled up the cameras. A shiny, black, Mercedes cargo van rolled down the driveway coming to a stop in front of the house. Men spilled out into the woods.

  My hand went to my weapon as my gut turned to ice. Too many. Too fucking many. Two approached the front door. I braced for attack.

  They made no attempt to enter. Working quickly, they picked up the bodies, jogged back to the van and tossed them inside. One more trip and the second set of bodies was cleared.

  They split up, one heading for the woods where I'd dropped the first guy, the other to the dock. Three minutes after the van had come to a stop, it was pulling away. I couldn't decide whether to be relieved or terrified.

  I didn't need the cleaners. That was something. Tsepov wanted a mess less than I did. Now I knew there were more of his men out there. Were they giving up or regrouping? We couldn't stick around to find out.

  Lily was looking up at me with wide, frightened eyes. “They're still here?”

  “They left. For now. We need to get moving.”

  I cupped the side of her face in my hand, stroking my fingertip along the soft skin behind her ear and she leaned into me, the stiffness in her spine softening.

  “Pack for you and Adam, okay? Be fast. Is there anything you don't want to leave in the house?”

  “Trey's laptop,” she said immediately.

  I shook my head once. “I already have it.”

  Lily's eyes stayed on mine, considering. I knew she understood my comment, knew I'd been in Trey's laptop. Knew I'd been searching on my own.

  I expected anger or protest. Her shoulders sagged, and she nodded. “Okay, then. If there's anything you think I need, get it. I'll get our stuff together.”

  “How fast can you pack?”

  “Fast,” she answered, turning on her heel and jogging to her room. I needed to get to the cottage, pack my own things, bandage my arm and wash off this blood. I wouldn't leave Lily and Adam alone in the house.

  Adam came out of his room carrying his stuffed monkey and an arm full of books. I pointed him in the direction of his mother's bedroom. “Bring that to your mom, okay?”

  He nodded and trotted down the hall. Functioning, but I didn't know for how long. I needed to get us out of here.

  I thought about calling Cooper before we left and decided we didn't need the delay. My brother would want answers I didn't have. Getting us somewhere safe came first.

  Lilly dropped a duffel bag in front of my feet. In her hand, she held a matching bag, only partly full. “We need to bandage your side.”

  “I'll get it. Don't worry about me. You need to finish packing.”

  Lily disappeared into Adam's bedroom, Adam following behind. A few minutes later she was out, the stuffed duffel in one hand, Adam's fingers gripped tight
ly in the other. “Now what?”

  “Follow me.” I led them to the garage and into Lily's white Land Rover. Tossing her bags into the back, I helped Adam into his car seat, buckling him in. I shut the door and opened the driver side for Lily.

  “Get in.” She did. I held up one of my Glocks. “Do you know how to use this?” A nod. “If anyone but me comes into the garage, shoot them and then get out of here. Do you understand?”

  “I can't shoot someone.”

  “Yeah, you can, if you're the only thing between Adam and one of Tsepov's men.”

  I hit her number on my phone. She jerked in surprise as her own buzzed in her back pocket. She pulled it out with her free hand, looking from the screen to me in confusion.

  “I want an open line so I know you two are okay in here. I'll be in the cottage less than five minutes. Keep that gun in your hand. Use it if you have to.”

  “You'll be right back?”

  “I'll be right back, Lily. I wouldn't leave you here if I wasn't almost positive it was safe. Keep that gun in your hand, just in case. If you have to use it, drive out of here as fast as you can. Don't worry about me, just go. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  Lily didn't sound convinced, but I didn't have time to talk her into leaving me behind. I shut the driver’s side door with a firm thunk and sprinted to the cottage.

  My mind scanned through lists, everything I had to do in the next five minutes. The first thing to worry about was the cut on my arm. I couldn't walk around out there with a bloody shirt. I stripped off my clothes as soon as I hit the cottage, ducking into the shower, wincing at the sting.

  Fucking bastard sliced me with a knife, and I didn't even feel it. The cut wasn't deep. It had already started to clot, though not enough that the water didn't hurt like a bitch. I rinsed off the blood and left my clothes on the floor of the shower where my bloody T-shirt wouldn't leave a stain.

  Grabbing a clean T-shirt from my bag, I tore it into strips and bandaged the cut. As soon as that was taken care of, I pulled on fresh clothes and shoved boots on my feet.

  It only took another two minutes to pack up the rest of my stuff. I was used to living out of my duffel. I zipped it closed, made sure my laptop and surveillance equipment were stored in their cases, and I was ready.

  Lily's end of the line had been quiet, mostly soft murmurs from her to Adam. “Lily, you good?”

  “We're okay. How much longer?”

  “I'm headed to you now. Don't shoot when I come through the door.”

  I was only partly kidding. I needed Lily armed. I did not need her to panic and shoot me.

  I squeezed through the side door, calling out, “It's me, Lily. Putting my stuff in the back. Get out and sit beside Adam in the backseat.”

  She did, coming to me first and handing me the weapon I'd left with her, turning it carefully so the barrel wasn't pointed at either of us. I took it and flicked on the safety. “Get into the car, Lily.”

  She scrambled in beside Adam and fastened her seatbelt. I was grateful for the boy's quiet, but I didn't like it. It wasn't like Adam to be silent. He sat there, clutching his stuffed monkey, his face bone white, eyes wide and pupils dilated.

  Lily took his hand in hers. “Everything's okay, baby. Everything's okay.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Knox

  Everything was far from okay, but I wasn't going to tell either of them that.

  I hit the garage remote and backed out, eyes alert for any movement in the driveway. Nothing. Just because I couldn't see them didn't mean they weren't out there somewhere, watching.

  I turned the Land Rover in the direction of Bar Harbor, a city on the coast. Dawn barely kissed the horizon. We had a three-hour drive. Three hours to shake our tail if we had one. Three hours to get in touch with Cooper to find out what the fuck was going on.

  I thought about doubling back towards town and taking a circuitous route around the lake to flush out anyone following us. If we were in a more densely populated area, I would have done that.

  Here? Waste of time.

  There were innumerable back roads around Black Rock Lake, but there was only one road to Bar Harbor. It was the only road to anywhere. If someone wanted to follow us, all they had to do was wait by the highway, and they'd pick us up eventually.

  At this hour, traffic was light. Based on their performance at the house, I doubted Tsepov's men could hide if they were following us. I'd pick them up on way to Bar Harbor if they were there.

  Lily was quiet as we drove, talking to Adam here and there, calming him but saying nothing to me. We needed to talk. I was done playing around, done with her hiding things from me.

  First, I had to get in touch with my brothers. I called both Cooper and Evers twice, getting nothing. Finally, when the sun blazed in the sky and we were almost to Bar Harbor, Cooper answered.

  “Knox. You guys okay?” Cooper was never easy going, but his voice was drawn tight. Something was wrong in Atlanta.

  “In one piece. Six men attacked the house before dawn. We're fine. What's going on there?”

  Cooper let out a gust of air. “It's a fucking clusterfuck. Tsepov hit Rycroft Castle. Smoky Winters let them in. He took Summer.”

  “Fucking hell.” A quick glance in the rearview mirror. Adam was asleep. Good. “What's the plan?”

  “We just traded her for Evers. It's under control. Are Lily and the kid okay? You okay?”

  “I took a scratch to the arm, but we're fine. Got out of the house, headed to Bar Harbor. Summer?”

  “Fine. Pissed as hell that Evers traded himself for her.”

  “What's the plan to get him back?”

  “We're on it. Go to Bar Harbor, stay visible. Public. Alice will call you with arrangements. We need a few hours here to deal with the situation. Agent Holley is on his way. The FBI should have Tsepov by the end of the day. Just hang tight.”

  “Can do. I'll wait to hear from Alice.”

  “Don't do anything stupid with the widow,” Cooper growled.

  “I'm not the one trading myself to a mob boss,” I said, dodging his comment.

  “It was his fucking idea, the idiot,” Cooper spit out.

  “Of course, it was.” If I'd had more time to get my head around their predicament, I would have guessed that.

  Evers was head over heels in love with Summer, had been for over a year. The moron just couldn't admit it to himself. Bad enough that Tsepov got his hands on her, but to have it happen on his own job? Of course, he’d trade himself for Summer.

  “Stay safe,” I said.

  “Yeah, you too. As soon as the situation stabilizes, I’ll call.”

  “Got it. Later.”

  Lily met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Is everything okay?”

  I debated what to tell her and settled for the truth. “Tsepov hit the team in Atlanta. Grabbed my brother’s girlfriend. They have it under control, but we need to stay moving until everything is resolved.”

  “What does that mean?” Lily asked.

  “Hopefully, it means Andrei Tsepov is headed for jail. More than that, I don't know yet.”

  Ten minutes later my phone beeped with a text. I glanced down to see an address. House of Blueberry: Pancakes & More. I tapped the link and let the maps app on my phone guide us to breakfast.

  A second text beeped. Alice.

  Call me when you get there.

  I glanced in the rearview to check the backseat. Adam was still asleep, his hand gripping his mother's, a faint line between his eyes. Lily sat stiffly, her eyes bouncing around, unable to settle.

  We needed to talk. Adam was a wrench in the plans. Nothing we had to say should be spoken in front of him. It could wait. If Cooper was right, the FBI and Evers were about to buy us some time.

  The pancake house wasn't far. I pulle
d in a few minutes after Alice's text, the gentle sway of the car parking jostling Adam from sleep. He blinked slowly.

  I asked, “Who likes pancakes?”

  His eyes cleared and he bounced a little in his car seat. “I do! I like pancakes. We're having pancakes?” A sudden thought occurred to him, and he slanted his mother a suspicious look. “Did you make the pancakes?”

  A startled laugh burst from Lily. She leaned over and kissed her son on the cheek. “No, baby. We're at a pancake restaurant.” She started to undo her seatbelt, but I stopped her.

  “Hold on a second, Lily. Alice—she manages our office in Atlanta—she wants me to call before we go in. She's the one who found the pancake place. Let me check in with her and then we'll get some food.”

  Adam squirmed with excitement at the thought of pancakes not cooked by his mother. Lily unfastened her seatbelt but stayed where she was.

  Alice answered on the first ring. “Hey, Knox. You guys okay?”

  “So far, so good. How are things there? Cooper didn't tell me much.”

  “You know, same disaster, different day. Cooper is pretty solid on getting this settled in the next couple of hours, but he wants you to stay away from Black Rock for now. I checked out Bar Harbor. You have the little boy with you?”

  “Yeah,” I confirmed.

  “Cool. I looked it up, and there's Acadia National Park nearby with a big sand beach. Why don't you have breakfast at that pancake place and then take them to the beach? It's public, it's in the open, and this time of year there will be park rangers all over the place.”

  The beach at Acadia National Park. That would be perfect. Adam could play and relax. Lily and I could talk.

  “Listen,” Alice cut into my thoughts, “if you need to leave the park, call first, okay?”

  “No problem. We're going to need a team up here when everything is settled.”

  “Gotcha. Someone will call as soon as things are stable here.”

  “Good luck.”

  I hung up. I didn't like my brother with Tsepov. I liked the idea of Tsepov having Summer even less. Evers was former special forces. Tsepov trafficked women.