by Robin Perini
Faith pulled Zoe toward her, pressing the little girl close.
Léon crouched inside the tent and peered out. The buzzing swooped down closer. The drone flew over them, then circled in for another pass.
Faith’s heart slammed against her ribs. She could barely process what was going on.
Had Burke found them again? She had no other explanation. This was why they had to run, why they needed new names. If only she could make Zoe understand they truly had to disappear. Forever.
Otherwise, they’d never be free. He’d always find them.
She looked over at Léon, not caring if he saw her fear.
His jaw tightened. “Someone’s found us.”
Chapter Seven
The morning sky offered no clouds, no cover. The drone had pinned them down. Stefan shoved his hand through his hair and peered through the tent’s mesh screen.
“It’s Burke, isn’t it?” Faith’s face had paled to the color of milk.
He wished he could reassure her, but he didn’t know. Besides, whether it was her ex or Ray’s contacts or even Stefan’s enemies, it didn’t matter. They’d been compromised.
All he could do now was minimize their vulnerabilities. Most drones recorded their information on an SD card and didn’t necessarily go wireless. Either way, the machine had captured too many images, including Faith and Zoe, Stefan’s face, the scars on his back and their license plate. If there was a chance he could keep the images and location from being disseminated, he had to take it. Hell of a shot, though, given the speed.
“You two stay here,” he ordered.
Keeping his head low, he raced to his truck, dug into the cab and pulled out his rifle case. Within seconds he’d yanked open the zipper and lifted the Keppeler KS-V. His obligatory stint in his country’s military had highlighted his unusual skill at long-distance shooting. It’d been the reason CTC had approached him for covert operations in the first place.
The drone made yet another pass over the camp, its camera visible at the bottom of the machine. He pressed the butt of the weapon to his bare shoulder and swept the barrel toward the drone. Whoever flew the machine may have recorded the location of the camp, but if they hadn’t written it down or if they were counting on the drone’s memory to keep the info, Stefan might be able to buy them some time.
He’d just have to hope the footage wasn’t being recorded remotely.
Stefan sighted the drone and estimated the speed. He couldn’t hesitate, not while his target kept on a steady path. He lined up the target, and anticipating its speed and trajectory, took in a slow breath. His instincts took over. He exhaled, and in between heartbeats, squeezed the trigger.
The loud crack echoed across the landscape. The drone broke apart in midair, its remains plummeting onto the desert floor several hundred feet to the south.
He swept his weapon along the landscape in a circle, searching for any vehicles. Nothing for at least twenty miles in any direction. He had a few minutes, but they couldn’t hang around long.
“You can come out now,” he called. He grabbed his T-shirt from the ground and tugged it on.
Zoe barreled out of the tent and raced to him. “You shot it? Right out of the sky?” Her eyes shone with awe.
“It’s one of my jobs.” Stefan returned his rifle to the case and met Faith’s gaze over the girl’s head. “We’re leaving in ten minutes. Pack your things as fast as you can.”
“Zoe,” Faith said, nodding her head toward the tent. “Go ahead. I’ll be right there.”
Surprisingly, Zoe didn’t argue or resist. Maybe it was the flat order from Faith, or the urgent tone in her mother’s voice. Whatever the reason, the little girl raced to the tent while Faith followed Stefan out of the camp.
“Where are you going?” she asked, hurrying to his side.
“To check the camera and retrieve any memory chips that could identify us or the vehicle.”
She paled and clutched his arm. “Are you telling me Burke may have seen us?”
“If it was Burke at all. The drone may not be your husband’s. It could be Ray or the men he hasn’t paid for your ID. Or, as you may have inferred, I have my own set of enemies.” Stefan glanced over his shoulder. Zoe had set her knapsack outside the tent.
“You don’t really believe that, do you?” She matched him step for step. “After everything, I don’t need to be placated, Léon.”
He scowled at her use of his alias. Before they parted he’d really like for her to call him by his given name. Just once. Strange how badly he wanted what he’d never wished for in the past.
Stepping up his pace, he picked through a thick group of shrub bushes. “I think chances are better than even that your husband is using some rather extraordinary means to find you and Zoe.”
He knelt beside a twisted mess of plastic and metal. The drone hadn’t been military quality. He popped out the hard drive and SD card and filtered through more wreckage. He let out a curse. The transmitter was expensive. He took a series of quick photos with his phone. “I can’t tell if the video could live-stream ten miles out. I’ll find out. Either way, they know our coordinates, so we’re out of time.”
They rushed back to the campsite. Zoe had taken it upon herself to pack up her mother’s duffel and she’d even placed Stefan’s makeshift kitchen items in a box.
“Are you sure you’re not twenty instead of seven?” Stefan kept his tone joking and light, but even as he said the words he grabbed the duffel and box she’d packed and shoved them into the back of his SUV.
She poked her chest out and placed her hands on her hips. “I’m a big help. Just ask Mom.”
Faith knelt and hugged Zoe. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Slugger.” She rose and looked around the campsite. “Let’s load everything into Léon’s truck. I’ll race you.”
Zoe chuckled and they darted around the area, folding up camp chairs and putting away his kitchen staples. Faith laughed with her daughter, but Stefan recognized the tension lining her mouth, the stiffness in her back and shoulders.
Nothing could be done about that. Except to get them to safety.
They disappeared into the tent once more. The moment they began talking, Stefan grabbed his sat phone and called a number he rarely dialed.
The phone rang once, twice, three times. What if Daniel wasn’t home?
A click sounded.
“Stefan?” Daniel Adams asked, his tone surprised. Maybe even shocked. “Is that you?”
For a moment Stefan simply closed his eyes. Daniel was the only person to use his given name these days. The man who had saved his life daily for weeks.
“How’s your family?” Stefan tucked in his earpiece and pocketed the phone so he could finish loading the SUV. He shoved several tubs filled with tracking equipment and weapons and moved on to the boxes Zoe and Faith and closed.
“Unbelievable. The girls are into everything, and Hope’s still in remission. We’re going on almost four years now. I think we’ve beat it. Knock on wood.”
“That’s terrific.” Stefan grabbed a bag of tools and the camp chairs, stowing them away. “How are the flashbacks?”
The last time he’d communicated with Daniel, his friend had still been struggling, though he’d improved a thousandfold since he’d vanished from a VA hospital and walked across the country to clear his head. Of course, he’d met his wife, fallen in love and found a family in the process. Not to mention all the headwork.
Daniel didn’t answer for a moment. “Under control. I doubt they’ll ever go away but I’m managing.” He paused. “Are you having them?” his friend asked quietly. “Is that why you called?”
Only Daniel knew what had really happened to Stefan in the dungeon. Stefan had spent months in the hidden catacombs below his family’s castle in the small country of Bellevaux. He’d expected to die, but the handoff to t
he terrorist leader who’d paid for the privilege had been delayed. Stefan’s brother-in-law-to-be and a few others from CTC had rescued them before the exchange could be made.
“Sleeping outside helps,” Stefan said. “Seems to me you gave me that advice.”
“A bed isn’t a bad way to spend the night. You should try it, my friend.”
The sound of soft footsteps coming up behind him caused Stefan to pause. Faith cleared her throat.
“Hold on, Daniel,” Stefan said. He faced Faith. “If I take down the tent, can you fold it up while I get the rest?”
“Sure.” She set down two more bags. “That’s the last of it.”
Stefan glanced at his watch. “I’m back, Daniel.”
“Distracted by a lovely female voice. Sounds like your life is improving,” Daniel said with a smile in his voice. “So why this phone call out of the blue?”
“I need a favor.” He loaded the last two bags and quickly toured the area.
“Anything for you, Stefan. You know that.”
“You may change your mind. I need a place to hide for a few days. Somewhere no one can find us.”
“Us?”
“I’ll be bringing a woman and her daughter with me. They’re on the run. They’re in trouble, Daniel. I’m involving Annie.”
His friend let out a slow sigh. “Bring them here. No one but CTC knows of our connection. Besides, Raven would love to see you.”
Stefan strode across the camp where Faith and Zoe still struggled with the tent. “I’ll owe you one.”
“That’s what friends are for, Stefan.”
“Thanks, Daniel.”
His friend hung up, and Stefan slipped his earpiece back into his pocket. They folded the tent and he loaded it, slamming the back end shut. “That took fifteen minutes. Come on, we’re out of here.”
Faith and Zoe jumped into his SUV and he joined them. “We have a place to lie low,” he said, yanking the car into gear.
“We’ll be safe?” Faith asked. “You’re sure?”
Stefan sped across the desert, the sand kicking up behind him. “He won’t find you. I promise.”
* * *
THE TEXAS MORNING sun hadn’t peeked over the tall buildings of downtown Dallas. Burke’s Mercedes whizzed west, leaving the city behind, past too many exits to count. He headed through Fort Worth and finally came upon the Weatherford exit, but he couldn’t return to the Shiny Penny. It was too soon.
He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles whitened. Every nerve ending under his skin fired until he could hardly bear the stinging.
His father didn’t understand. Burke wasn’t some self-indulgent child. He had to feed his needs or he would explode.
He gripped the armrest just as his cell phone rang.
Burke tapped his Bluetooth receiver on the steering wheel. “Thomas.”
“It’s Orren. I found them.”
At the news, Burke’s heart raced. “You have Faith and Zoe?”
“I said I found them. And their cowboy friend. He shot down the drone and knew enough to take the hard drive and memory card before they bugged out. Their camp has been scrubbed clean. We caught a few fuzzy images during streaming, but there was a delay. We were too far away for clear reception.”
Burke’s knuckles whitened. “Who is this guy?”
“I got no leads. No one in this town talks to strangers.” Orren cursed. “It’s damned spooky. I couldn’t even get the waitress at the diner to gossip.”
Burke’s neck and shoulders clenched. He gripped the steering wheel with a death-like force. “How will you find them?”
“Leave it to me. Your ex-wife doesn’t have any family or friends, so my best bet is tracking this guy. I’m sending you several photos. We need your father’s contacts to run them through enhancement and facial recognition software. Someplace that has military records. This guy is no cowboy.”
“Done.” Burke couldn’t ask his father for a name, of course, but he had access to his father’s files. He’d find someone.
“By the way, boss. Your ex and the cowboy are very close, if you know what I mean. I have a photo of them in a lip-lock that practically melted the camera.”
Burke’s hands jerked. The car veered. He cursed before straightening out and pulling off the road.
He banged on the steering wheel, the fury rising up his neck. “I’ll take care of the photos. You find Faith. I don’t care how, just do it. Because if you don’t, I’ll find someone else who can. And you know what a canceled contract means.”
Orren gulped through the phone. Burke relished the fear he could evoke with the simplest of words.
A woman in a convertible passed his Mercedes and pulled over. Her blond hair whipped in the wind as she backed up on the side road.
She turned to him and smiled. “Need some help?”
Burke grinned back. Just his type.
He glanced in the back seat. His kit was packed. The Smiley Face Killer had been his latest research project. He’d even included yellow chalk to mark her.
His father could go to hell.
“My phone died,” he said. “May I use yours?”
She glanced at him and then his car, the smile in her eyes deepening. “I think I can trust a Mercedes man.”
“You can.” He pasted on the expression that had gained him trust from all of his victims. “My name is Burke.”
“I’m Shanna.”
“Well, Shanna. You have a beautiful smile.”
* * *
NOON IN WEST Texas brought the sun beating down, especially in late summer. Faith leaned forward and turned up the air conditioner. They’d been traveling over dirt roads alternating with paved for hours, and she had no idea where they were headed. The West Texas landscape didn’t hold a lot of distractions, much less unique landmarks. No matter which road he turned onto, nothing changed.
Faith sent Léon a sidelong glance. “You haven’t told me exactly where we’re headed.” She didn’t like getting the silent treatment.
“We’re meeting my boss to switch vehicles in case the drone picked up the license plate.” Stefan glanced at his watch. “After that, I’m taking you to a friend’s house.”
Faith couldn’t stop the gulp that seemed to echo through the car. “My situation has already caused you to leave your home.” She scooted across the seat closer to him and lowered her voice. “Zoe and I should disappear. Like we planned.”
“He’s got the scent now, Faith.” His low voice rumbled in his chest. “I’ll hide you until I can connect with Annie. In the meantime, I’d like to see if there’s a way we can stop him—” he glanced over his shoulder at Zoe “—without you two being forced on the run for the rest of your lives.”
“It can’t be done,” she whispered with a tone of resignation lacing her voice. “Just give me Annie’s contact information. It’s the only choice. We both know it.”
“Give me the chance to fix this for you. I have the resources. In the meantime, I can keep you two safe. I promised, didn’t I?”
His voice rose a bit, and his challenging scowl caused Faith to sigh inside. Just what she needed. Another person even more stubborn than Zoe in her life.
“Léon always keeps his promises, Mom. He told me.” Zoe munched on a bag of chips behind them.
Faith’s head whipped around to stare at her daughter. How much had Zoe heard? Faith couldn’t read her face. Zoe simply looked at Léon with complete adoration. She was his biggest fan.
“Good to know,” Faith muttered. “I can’t be in the dark like this. I need—”
“To control your life. I get that.” Léon had the grace to wince. “Sorry. I’m used to working alone. We’re closing in on the first rendezvous point to meet the head of CTC, Ransom Grainger. I’ll give you Annie’s number then.”
They turned d
own another dirt road. Dust kicked up behind them, leaving a visible cloud ten feet in the air.
Two vehicles waited just ahead. Léon pulled up beside them, before reaching across her to snag a notebook out of the glove box. He scribbled a phone number. “Don’t use this until I have a chance to call Annie,” he warned. “She takes her privacy very seriously.”
Faith pocketed the number and nodded.
“Wait here,” he said, and exited the vehicle.
He crossed over to the two men. Faith rolled down the window. She wasn’t about to be in the dark about her own situation.
“Ransom,” Léon said, and shook a tall man’s hand.
From what Faith could see, Ransom Grainger would intimidate most people. His black hair added to his intense demeanor, and his dark brown eyes were cold and calculating. His appearance alone made Faith shiver. She wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of that man.
She strained to hear what they were saying.
“What’s their story?” Ransom asked Léon with a skeptical frown.
Léon’s brow arched. “Why are you asking?”
“Because about an hour ago an image of you popped up in a federal-agency-wide facial recognition sweep.”
Léon paled. Faith couldn’t have imagined him ever appearing scared, but he did.
“What’s wrong with Léon, Mom?” Zoe asked. “He looks like he’s going to be sick.”
“Shh, Zoe. Let me listen.”
“Damn it. The drone.” He rubbed his face. “Faith was right. Her ex-husband’s family’s got a lot of contacts.” He looked at Ransom. “So, how bad is it?”
“Let’s just say it’s a good thing you’ve got Annie working on a new identity, even though there was no reason for you to leave Carder,” Ransom said in a curt voice. “Now there’s every reason. You’ve been made.”
The statement hit Faith in her chest, forcing the air from her lungs. He was in trouble just like her. He had to disappear, too.
“Are you just assuming? Maybe—”
“The chatter’s up, and I’d say in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours, your enemies will be landing in Texas to vie for a $20 million price on your head. There’s even a $1 million reward for proof you’re alive.”
