by Robin Perini
Faith pressed her hand against her mouth. What had she done? She should never have agreed to let Léon help them. The Thomas family had put Léon’s life in danger, but it was her fault.
“He’s that desperate?” Léon asked. “Twenty million will buy just about anyone.” He paced back and forth and looked over his shoulder right at her.
She made her expression go blank. He narrowed his gaze slightly, but she simply stared out the window, struggling not to show the anguish shredding her heart. She didn’t want him to know she’d heard every word.
“Do Logan and Katherine know?” Léon asked with a frown.
Ransom nodded. “Your sister and brother-in-law are upset. They’d hoped to rendezvous with you on their next visit to the ranch. They know if you leave, they may never see you again.”
“They’re in danger now that my enemies know I’m alive. They’ll go after anyone who cares about me for leverage. You know that.”
“Luckily, your sister has the best security in place. Logan won’t let anyone near her or the kids.”
Léon crossed his arms, his expression more intense than Faith had ever seen.
“There’s only one way to protect my family, Ransom. Someone needs to earn that million dollars and I have to die again. Publicly.”
“I know.”
Faith turned her head and looked at Zoe. Her little brow had furrowed. “Is Léon in trouble, Mom? Can we help him?”
“I’m going to try, Slugger.” Faith’s mind whirled with possibilities. She had her money back. She stuffed her hand into her pocket and fingered the piece of paper he’d given her.
“You have a day to help me get Faith and Zoe into a safe house,” Léon said. “Then I’ll worry about me.”
“Eighteen hours,” Ransom countered. “I’ll scrub your vehicle. The license plate number appeared in the chatter. You can take one of mine. It’s clean.”
Léon rubbed his chin. “Deal.”
Ransom dropped a set of keys into Léon’s hand and glanced over at the car, meeting Faith’s gaze. She swallowed hard. His expression had turned thoughtful, contemplative. Faith shifted on the seat. What was it with these men in Carder that made her shiver? It’s as if they could see right into her mind and soul.
“Running isn’t the answer for her and the little girl,” Ransom said, as if he were speaking to her, not Léon. “We can help. That’s what CTC does.”
Léon shook his head. “I offered several times. She doesn’t trust that anyone can guarantee their safety. I have to honor her wishes, Ransom.”
“At the expense of your life?”
Léon didn’t answer. Faith leaned back in the front seat and closed her eyes. She’d been right to run in the first place. She’d been wrong to get him so involved, and she could only think of one way to fix the problem. It wouldn’t be easy. But it might work.
If she was smart and quick.
“Let’s transfer your belongings into my truck,” Ransom said.
Faith twisted in her seat and lowered her voice. “Slugger, I need you to pretend you’re asleep for a few minutes, okay?”
Her daughter’s eyes grew confused. “Why?”
“We’re playing a little trick on Léon, okay? Don’t let him know you’re awake.”
She grinned. “Okay, Mom.”
Faith hated lying to Zoe, but it was for Léon’s own good.
He walked back to the vehicle. “We’re taking the white truck. No one will be able to track us.”
With everything inside of her, she struggled to remain calm. He was too intuitive not to guess her intentions. She couldn’t let anything slip. “Good.”
At her staccato response, he narrowed his gaze at her. “Are you okay?”
She let out a small yawn and blinked at him. “Just tired. Like Zoe.” Faith nodded at the back seat.
“Asleep?”
“She couldn’t stay awake any longer. It’s been a tough couple of days.”
“I’ll carry her.”
“No, I’ll take her. Keys?”
Léon handed them to her. Faith opened up the back door and pulled Zoe into her arms.
Ransom tipped his hat to her. “Ma’am.”
She didn’t know what to say to him. She slipped Zoe into the vehicle and hurried back to the SUV. Her timing had to be just right. She grabbed her duffel and Zoe’s orange knapsack.
Luck was with her. Léon, Ransom and another cowboy headed to the back of the SUV to unload the camping equipment.
With hands shaking, Faith scooted into the front seat and shut the door as quietly as she could. It closed with a soft snick.
She turned the engine on and without hesitation slammed it into gear and took off across the desert.
Léon stared after her, stunned, along with the two other men.
Within a few hundred yards she hit pavement. She never looked back.
Someday, she’d send money to pay for the truck, but for now, she had to protect Léon.
She’d head to Mexico and disappear. She refused to let anyone else get hurt because of her.
Chapter Eight
The sun hung low in the sky and shadows painted the desert. Stefan slammed his hand against the steering wheel. Faith and Zoe had vanished. He’d been a fool to try to help. He was still a fool to search for them.
Faith had left no trail to follow.
A very small part of him admired the hell out of her gumption. He kneaded the back of his neck. As a last resort he’d asked Zane, CTC’s computer expert, to run a background check on Faith’s ex-husband. Except for a few late child support payments, he’d come up squeaky clean. Too perfect, actually.
He squinted through the failing light. He was out of options and no closer to finding them.
His phone rang. After a quick glance at the screen, he tapped his earpiece. “Ransom?”
“Did you give her Annie’s number?”
The curt question caused Léon to groan. “I instructed Faith not to call the number until I spoke with Annie personally.”
“She’s not too happy with you. Her number is a sacred trust. What were you thinking?”
“That Faith is hiding from a serial killer who found her in the middle of nowhere.” Stefan winced despite his excuse. “I’m in deep trouble with Annie, aren’t I?”
“I’d get used to permanent groveling. If she forgives you.” Stefan recognized the frustration in Ransom’s voice. “On the other hand, Annie normally would’ve left us in the dark. Instead, she called to let me know Faith and her daughter were at the trailer.”
The world had just tilted on its access. “Annie never reveals her clients. Even if we’re the go-between. Why?”
“She discovered a $250,000 reward on the dark web. Too many people are looking for them.”
“Annie would’ve already moved her camper by now. Where are they?”
Ransom gave Stefan the GPS coordinates. He cut a sharp U-turn. Next stop: Annie’s.
Two hours later, the sun had set and Stefan’s headlights pierced the night. He drove over a small rise and when he hit the top, a lantern beamed at him from the distance.
Almost there.
What was he supposed to say to Faith when he saw her? She was an adult. She could make her own mistakes. Why in the hell was he driving in the middle of nowhere trying to find her when she clearly didn’t want his help?
Because he was an idiot, and for some reason Faith and Zoe had inserted themselves into a soft, squishy place he’d believed he’d eradicated a long time ago.
He parked his truck next to the one Faith had stolen and exited the vehicle.
Annie stepped out of the trailer, hands on her hips. He winced at the expression on her face. He raised his hands. “I’m sorry, Annie. I just—”
“I know exactly what happened. One look at Faith and th
at kid of hers and you melted into a puddle of primordial ooze. Just so you know, I’ve changed my number, and you don’t get it.” She opened the door and shook her head in disgust. “Swallow your apology and come in. Zoe’s going to be happy to see you. Faith, not so much.”
“She stole Ransom’s truck,” he said with a bemused shake of his head.
Annie chuckled. “I’d have loved to have seen his face when she took off. And yours.”
“We weren’t expecting her to do something so damned crazy.” Stefan scowled at her, but Annie simply smiled and led him inside.
At least she wasn’t angry enough to shoot him.
He followed her into the camper.
Faith sat at the makeshift table with Zoe. When he strode in, she shot to her feet. “What’s he doing here?” She whirled on Annie. “You called him! I thought I could trust you.”
“Zoe,” Stefan said with a wink. He held the latest and greatest handheld device up. “I brought you a game and some earphones.”
Zoe’s eyes got big. “Really? Danny had one at home, and I used to play—”
Stefan placed it in her hands and she shot a pleading glance to her mother. “Please?”
“Just for a while.” Faith shot Stefan a withering glare while Zoe bundled down in the recliner with her new game. “Are you trying to buy her off? That’s one of Burke’s tricks.”
“Maybe I didn’t want her to hear that every criminal on both sides of the border is looking for you both to earn a nice finder’s fee.”
“How much?”
When he told her, she lost all color and sank into a dining chair. “What can we do?”
“What you should’ve done in the first place. Let me help you.” He faced Annie. “How long to create a new identity for them?”
“I can turn the birth certificates and driver’s license around in a day. It’ll take longer to backstop her identity, though.”
“I can work with that. We’ll disappear for a few days.” Stefan stared down Faith. “You’re coming with me. No more running.”
“Can’t we stay with Annie?” She sent a pleading glance to the woman.
The plea shouldn’t have hurt, but it cut Stefan to the core. Why couldn’t she trust him?
“I’m sorry, honey,” Annie said. “I’ve got clients whose lives depend on secrecy. It just wouldn’t work.” She glared at Stefan.
“What about a motel?” Faith chewed on her bottom lip and met Stefan’s gaze. “I know people are coming for you. I heard your boss. Your life is in danger because of me. If you’re not with us you can disappear.”
“Faith—”
Annie let out a sharp curse.
“It was only a matter of time before my previous life caught up with me.” Stefan forced an uncaring shrug. “Speaking of which, is my new passport ready?”
Annie shook her head. “You said you weren’t in a hurry, but I can have it the same time as theirs.”
Stefan crossed his arms and glared at Faith. “You blew my cover, darlin’. You owe me and I’m collecting. For now, we stay together, we get out of town and we hunker down. Agreed?”
“I think you’re making a mistake.” Faith sank into the bench behind the table. “I was only doing what I thought was the right thing. I was trying to protect you.”
“That’s my job. Not yours.” He studied her, baffled. When had anyone ever cared enough to sacrifice for him? He knelt next to the table and took one of her hands. “Let me finish this, Faith. Let me keep you and Zoe out of Burke’s hands.”
She lifted her head and he met the tired gaze in her red-rimmed eyes “I should be able to handle my own problems. Burke was mine.”
“We all need help sometimes,” Annie said quietly. “Léon knows what he’s doing.”
Stefan squeezed her fingers. “You may have believed you were fighting this battle alone, but you’re not anymore. Burke’s my problem now, too.”
* * *
THE WOMAN’S DEATH hadn’t satisfied. Burke struggled to slip the key into the lock of his condominium. His hand trembled. Drawing that stupid smiley face near her body, mimicking the Smiley Face Killer, had been anticlimactic at best. He needed a more hands-on approach to the body. More up-close-and-personal time.
Burke pushed open the door of his home. The place was elegant, pristine and perfect. White, black, glass and metal. Without a stick of mahogany anywhere. Exactly how he wanted his life.
He set down his kit on the entryway table. The thrumming in his veins had dissipated, but it hadn’t left him. The urge remained.
He now understood. He needed a more personal kill. He relished witnessing the life fade from their eyes, hearing them beg for mercy, but he needed more time with them. To touch them, to cut them, to make them his own.
The urge, the desire, grew stronger by the minute. He’d have to find someone else. Tonight.
“You broke your promise to me.” His father’s voice pierced the darkness. “Again.”
Burke spun around.
His father flipped on the lamp in the living room. A tall glass of whiskey sat in front of him. He took a sip. “Why?” he asked. “Why can’t you stop?”
The fatigue on his father’s face surprised Burke. Weakness? His father never showed anything less than strength.
Gerard Thomas swirled the drink around. “Maybe I should have told the authorities about Heather when you were sixteen. That was a mistake, I think. I thought you’d grow out of it. I thought you’d learn self-control.”
Heather. When was the last time Burke had heard her name aloud? His one true love. His first. In everything. She’d just turned eighteen when she’d gone to work for his father. Burke had been doing time in the mailroom when he’d first seen her. Beautiful, pure blond hair, a waiflike figure who wore clothes like a New York model. Passionate lips and hands that had brought him more pleasure than he’d ever known. His ideal. His passion. His only love.
His father set the glass down with a clink. “I can’t cover for you anymore, Burke. You need help I can’t give you.”
Burke straightened his back, shoving the past away. “I’m fine. I don’t need your interference. I can see to my own affairs.”
“You’re not fine. You killed again. You’ve hired a man who can’t be trusted to deal with your ex-wife. You’ve become reckless.” He paused. “I’ve decided you need professional help.”
“What have you done?” Burke stilled and knotted his fist.
“I found a place overseas. They’ll be...discreet. They will teach you discipline, how to control your urges. When you’re better, you can return.”
“You’re sending me away? To what? Some hospital?”
“It’s a facility that deals with...difficult cases.”
“You SOB.” Needles of fury pricked the back of Burke’s neck. “You’re committing me, aren’t you? You want me to disappear.”
“Just until you’re better.”
The placating tone grated on Burke’s already-raw nerves. He paced back and forth, shaking his head with force. The man would ruin all his plans. He needed to think. He had to clear his brain from the roar echoing in his skull. He faced his father. “I’ll have Faith soon. I’ll stop her. I’ll get Zoe back for Mom. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“You’re taking too many girls. They’re being noticed.” His father rose and grabbed Burke by the shoulders. “Look me in the eye and tell me you can stop.”
“Of course I can.”
“That’s what you said after Heather.”
“You don’t get to talk to me about her. She threatened to tell Mom about your affair with her,” Burke spat out. “What was I supposed to do?”
His father’s head snapped around. “What?”
“She was mine!” Burke shouted. “You had to put your filthy hands on her, and she threatened to tell. I couldn
’t let her hurt Mom. I killed her because of you.” Burke crossed the room until he loomed above his father. When had the man gotten so old? “You didn’t call the cops because you knew Mom would find out. She’d divorce you and her family’s money would drive you out of business.”
His father’s face slackened with shock.
“I didn’t know then, but I’m in the company now. I’m good at what I do, Father. I studied the history, believing you were something you’re not.”
Burke walked over to the bar and pulled a small leather pouch from a drawer. He’d been prepared for this day from the moment he’d divorced Faith. He poured himself a double and downed the whiskey in one gulp before unzipping the kit. A syringe and small vial lay protected inside.
Filling the syringe didn’t take long. He returned to his father.
“You’re taking drugs now?”
“This isn’t for me,” Burke said with a smile.
He grabbed his father’s left hand. The whiskey fell to the floor. In one motion Burke jabbed the needle at the base of his ring finger and plunged all the way.
His father stared at his hand. “What have you done?”
“What I should have done years ago.”
His father shot to his feet. Burke shoved him back to the sofa. He recognized the fear lacing his father’s eyes. His chest swelled with satisfaction.
“I protected you.” His father clutched his chest. “I’ve saved you countless times. You’ll get caught without me.”
“You taught me well.” Burke pinned the man he’d hated for fifteen years to the sofa. “I’ll never get caught.”
* * *
FAITH COULDN’T STOP staring at the white center lane on the West Texas road. The blurring line mesmerized her. Or maybe it was the lack of sleep. She’d tossed and turned in the fold-out bed Annie had provided her and Zoe until about four this morning.
The dreams had come feverishly. Léon reaching out to her and someone jerking him away. The visions had all ended the same way, with them lying on the ground in a pool of blood, Burke standing over them laughing, Zoe at his side.
