Last Stand in Texas

by Robin Perini

  “Not Léon. My real name is Stefan, Prince of Bellevaux.”

  Chapter Ten

  A prince?

  A loud gulp echoed in the guest bedroom over the cacophony of crickets outside. For a brief, horrifying moment, Faith realized it came from her.

  “This is a joke, right?”

  Stefan shifted, more uncomfortable than she’d ever seen him.

  “Unfortunately, no. My real name is Stefan, Prince of Bellevaux.”

  Her mind whirled in confusion. “But...I remember the news story. There was a revolution. The two heirs to the throne were murdered. A woman from Texas became queen.”

  “My half sister, Kat.” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t know about her until after I was captured. She’s Queen Katherine now.”

  Faith rubbed her temple. “You’re a prince. Hiding out as some kind of spy?”

  This couldn’t be real.

  “Why did you become Léon in the first place?” Her mind tried to understand, but she kept running into the obvious. “I know why I’m doing it. Because Burke is too powerful to fight. But why would a prince want to disappear? You have money and power.”

  “Not as much as you’d think.” He removed his hand from hers and scratched his brow. “I never thought I’d be king. I was the stereotypical playboy second son until I completed graduate school in the States.”

  “I remember seeing your picture in the checkout line at the grocery store.” She refused to tell him she’d always taken a second look at him. A real-life Prince Charming.

  “I sold a lot of newspapers in those days.” A chuckle escaped from him. “Everything was simple before I went home and served my two years in the military, like every other young man in my country. During my training they discovered I had a gift for long-distance shooting. I got pegged for a mission to verify rumors of a terrorist attack and stop it if we could.”

  “You succeeded.” She didn’t have to guess.

  He shrugged. “I discovered I was good at black ops. My father was furious, but I’d found my calling. Until I killed the son of one of the terrorist leaders.”

  She gasped.

  “A price went out on my head. Soon after the coup in Bellevaux took place, and the revolutionaries dumped me into the prison, sending out press releases I had been killed. They were planning to sell me to help fund their takeover of my country. Daniel and his team rescued me, but I was almost dead, and the hit was still in place. Even more so when the coup failed. They couldn’t keep me safe.”

  He stood and paced the floor. “I had no choice. The people trying to kill me were in the shadows, they had operatives everywhere. Anyone near me would be at risk.” He frowned at her. “Something for you to remember. If someone wants you dead badly enough, eventually they’ll succeed. No matter what the security. You always have to be on your guard.”

  Faith shuddered at his flat statement because she knew he was right. But sometimes running was the only option.

  Stefan stared out the bedroom window. “The palace didn’t contradict the information that I’d been killed along with my brother. Kat became queen. I went into hiding.”

  She walked over to him, forcing him to face her. She studied his face. “You don’t resemble the prince I remember from those papers or television.”

  He touched a small scar on his cheek that she’d barely noticed before now. “During my captivity, they broke a few bones. The shape of my face changed a little and I wear my hair longer and darker. I don’t look completely different, but enough. Even if I tried to go back, I’m not sure the public would accept me. I not only look different, I am different. I can’t be what they’d accept.”

  Faith took his hands in hers. “I’m so sorry. Because of the Thomas family, you have to start over again. After you’ve made friends and connections in Carder with CTC.”

  He lifted her fingers to his lips. “This is not your fault. Léon Royce has become someone I don’t even like anymore. A black ops, sharpshooting expert who makes too many mistakes.” He drew his knuckle down her face. “I would give anything to be normal again.”

  “Léon...” She shook her head. That wasn’t his name. “Stefan.” She chewed on the moniker. “It’s not going to be easy calling you that. Léon saved Zoe’s life. He’s who I thought maybe...” Her voice trailed off.

  What was she supposed to say? That somewhere in her mind, before she’d realized she’d put him in danger, before she’d realized who he was, she’d wondered if Léon would go with them? That she’d have a partner on this crazy journey she was about to embark on? She’d been more a fool than she’d thought. She’d done the worst thing she could possibly do. She’d come to rely on him.

  “Do you prefer Léon?” he asked in a too-calm voice.

  At his odd tone, she raised her gaze to his. Tension lined his eyes. His normal self-confidence had vanished. Discomfort and hesitation remained. For someone who’d lived under a false identity for years, he seemed oddly concerned by her response. “Léon’s the man I grew to trust.”

  “Does my name matter that much to you?”

  She chewed on the question for a moment. What was he really asking? “No matter what my name, I’m still me, right?”

  He sat silent for a moment, not answering until she squirmed.

  Her throat thickened. “Is Léon different from Stefan?”

  Stefan considered her for a moment. “Do you want the truth?”

  She nodded, now afraid of the answer.

  “Changing your name changes you. Your new identity will change you. No matter how much you fight it, or how much you wish it didn’t.”

  “Is it your life that changed you,” she asked, “or your name?”

  “Touché. It’s hard to know after years of being Léon. Stefan is dead in so many ways. He died in that dungeon.”

  In a flash of insight she understood. They both felt trapped. “If you could do anything, go anywhere, what would you want your life to be like?”

  She’d been afraid to ask herself that question.

  “I’d want to have a chance to be with you,” he said in a husky voice. “I’d want you and Zoe to come away with me, to be free from fear, free from looking over your shoulder.”

  He slipped his arms around her, and she rested her head against his shoulder as if she’d always meant to be there. With gentle hands, he stroked her hair and she didn’t move. He felt strong and warm and solid. She never wanted to leave his embrace.

  The cadence of night sounds filtered through the window. A soft breeze, the hoot of an owl, the buzz of cicadas.

  “Why can’t this last forever?” she whispered.

  “Being in hiding doesn’t give us the freedom to follow our hearts,” he said softly. “Being smart will keep us safe.”

  “Am I a coward?” she asked. “For running.”

  “Power can be destructive. It can twist justice into something perverted, but power used for good can level the playing field. I’ve always believed that.”

  From the tenor of his voice, she got the message. “You’re talking about your friends,” she said. “CTC couldn’t help you?”

  “It’s different. Burke is one man.”

  Before she could respond Stefan’s phone rang. “Speaking of which...” He tapped the screen. “What’s up, Ransom?” Stefan frowned. “She’s right here. I’ll put you on speakerphone.”

  Faith leaned closer to the phone.

  “Faith, I’ve been looking into your ex-husband to see if we can help you in your situation.”

  “I...I know. Stefan told me.”

  “Stefan. I see.” Ransom paused for a moment. “I have some bad news.”

  Faith’s heart stuttered. “What’s wrong?”

  “Gerard Thomas is dead. It appears to be a heart attack.”

  Her body went numb. “I...I don’t understan
d. He was so healthy.”

  “You were close?” Ransom asked.

  Faith shook in Stefan’s arms. “Not really. He never wanted me to marry Burke. I think his wife, Janice...oh my gosh, she must be devastated. He and Burke are her entire world.”

  Ransom cleared his throat. “I need to ask you an awkward question. Would you say Gerard protected Burke? Maybe intervened over the years on his behalf?”

  Grabbing the phone, Faith stepped away from Stefan. “What do you mean?”

  “Your ex-husband’s life is too...perfect.”

  “I...I don’t understand.”

  “No one gets to be thirty without having some transgression on their record. A parking ticket, a few unpaid bills, a few photos that are less than flattering, but Burke’s records are too clean. Which, frankly, has us wondering about some bought and sold influence.”

  “Mr. Thomas had friends across the state. People owed him favors. Burke threw the family name around a lot to get what he wanted. There was even talk of a run for governor.”

  Stefan joined her, and she hadn’t realized how much she’d come to rely on his presence. His warm body pressed close to hers and he clasped the phone. “Ransom, if Gerard Thomas was willing to help Burke get custody, what if he helped his son in other ways, too?”

  Faith turned in his arms. “Are you saying Mr. Thomas knew about Burke?”

  How could anyone know about what Burke had done? Faith couldn’t fathom it.

  “All I know,” Stefan said, “is my father smoothed over a few things he probably shouldn’t have when I was a teenager. Fathers don’t always make the best choices for their kids.”

  “Burke is a serial killer.”

  “And with his father gone, Burke doesn’t have anyone to protect him anymore.”

  Ransom’s words sent a chill through Faith.

  Stefan squeezed her shoulders. “This could be an opportunity. Ransom may have the bigger hammer.”

  Not liking where this was going, Faith let out a long, slow breath. “I don’t think—”

  “This can work, Faith. Send your proof to CTC. All of it. Give them every piece of ammunition you have, and let them run with it. Without your father-in-law’s influence, we have a chance to get Burke behind bars.”

  The energy and certainty in Stefan’s voice reached into Faith’s heart. Her mind whirled with unforeseen possibilities. For the first time in a long time, a small pinprick of hope filtered through the darkness.

  Could she take the risk?

  She met Stefan’s gaze. She trusted Léon. And no matter what Stefan argued, his name changed nothing.

  Faith placed her hand on his chest. “Okay,” she whispered into the phone. “Let’s end this.”

  * * *

  TWO HOURS LATER Stefan pressed the scanner button in Daniel’s office, sending the last page of Faith’s evidence to CTC. She sat on the sofa, her feet tucked under her, chewing on her nail as she watched each piece of paper feed through the scanner. He returned the last page to her, and she slipped it into the folder and secured it.

  “That’s everything,” he said. Stefan’s phone sounded and he pressed the speakerphone. “You’re on with both of us, Ransom. What do you think?”

  “I’m impressed,” he said. “After the first batch I had Zane do some preliminary digging. Since Faith went into hiding, there’s been one murder—of a woman who worked in Burke’s office. Not to mention six women disappeared from the Dallas-Fort Worth and surrounding areas. All of them match the description.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “It gets worse. Three of the disappearances occurred in the last two weeks.”

  “He’s escalating.” Stefan couldn’t stop the worry from his voice.

  “It doesn’t make sense.” Faith rose from the sofa. “He killed after we fought, when he got angry with me. Why is he getting worse? I never meant for it to get worse.”

  “He was a murderer before he met you.” Stefan forced her to meet his gaze. “This isn’t your fault. You can’t allow yourself to believe it is.”

  “Stefan’s right, Faith.” He paused for a moment. “I just learned another fact. Burke was with his father when he died.”

  Faith’s eyes widened with shock.

  “What was Burke’s relationship with his father?” Ransom asked through the phone, his voice quiet.

  Stefan recognized the moment Faith understood the implication of the question.

  “You can’t believe Burke killed his own father?”

  “We need to consider whether or not this is a spree. If he’s lost control, he’ll take risks he wouldn’t normally take, he’ll do things he normally wouldn’t do.”

  “Like make mistakes.” A flood of curses circled Stefan’s head.

  “With too much collateral damage,” Ransom added. “Faith, did Gerard control Burke?”

  “Yes.” Her voice croaked the words. She turned pale. “Burke complained about the tight thumb he kept on the business, the money.”

  “Have Daniel do a psychological profile on Burke,” Ransom ordered. “It wouldn’t surprise me if there are murders back to his college days.” The tapping of a keyboard sounded through the phone. “I have a few good friends in high places who I trust. Just hold tight. And stay safe. Don’t give him an opportunity to find you. If he’s on a spree, he’s deadly. To anyone. And Stefan,” he added. “Pick up.”

  The tone in his boss’s voice froze Stefan. He tapped the screen and placed the phone to his ear. “What’s wrong?”

  Faith threaded her hand through his. He squeezed her fingers. With CTC’s help, Faith and Zoe might end up with that happily ever after they wanted.

  “Nothing’s wrong exactly,” Ransom said. “I debated whether or not to tell you, but you have a right to know before you leave Léon behind for good.”

  Stefan gripped the phone, bracing himself for bad news. His boss didn’t prevaricate over good news. “Just say it.”

  “There’s movement on the terrorist cell that put the hit out on you.” Ransom lowered his voice. “They showed their hand too quickly when the Thomas photo went public. Your brother-in-law has a strong lead.”

  Stefan had been expecting a blip. He was surprised it had taken this long. Normally he would bail immediately and disappear until he could hook up with Annie, but one look at Faith made him pause. He had to think this through. “How solid a lead? Did they make it to the airport? Are they in Texas already?” His enemies bringing the fight here changed everything. No way would he risk Faith and Zoe. Or Daniel and his family.

  “Logan’s fairly certain they stopped them from boarding. They have three men in custody.”

  “Timeline?” Stefan asked.

  “According to the itinerary, they would’ve made it to DFW in about twelve hours. Eighteen to reach Carder. If they had the location.”

  Stefan’s neck muscles twitched. Terrorist groups were like roaches. Even if they appeared to be exterminated, they popped back up in greater numbers. “What if there were four? One could be on the way. You know better than most I can’t count on hope.”

  “Logan’s got them talking. The organization’s been decimated by Katherine and Logan’s anti-terrorism efforts. This is the best—if not the only—opportunity you’ll get to come back from the dead.”

  Stefan couldn’t think. If it were him alone, he might grab the opportunity with both hands, but he had others to consider. “I put a target on everyone around me.”

  “Give us twelve hours,” Ransom countered. “It might be different this time.”

  “Don’t bother.” Stefan held Faith close. “Direct all your energies to helping Faith. I need to know she’s safe.”

  “Twelve hours. Please.” Ransom ended the call.

  Knowing his luck, it probably wouldn’t go well. Maybe plastic surgery. A more radical transformation?
<
br />   He glanced down at Faith’s worried expression. The modicum of hope he’d nurtured deep inside him, that maybe they could be together, that maybe they could find a future in some anonymous place with some anonymous name, had disintegrated.

  “What did you just do?” She frowned at him. “Is everything okay?”

  Stefan forced a confident smile to camouflage his worry. “Let’s focus on you and Zoe staying safe. I’ll worry about me later.”

  He texted Daniel and relayed Ransom’s request, leaving the file on the desk.

  “Talk to me,” she said. “What’s going on?”

  “Catching Burke is Ransom’s first priority. I made sure of that. It’s going to be fine.”

  Faith sighed in resignation. “I guess that’s it then.”

  Stefan didn’t like the disappointment on her face, but he couldn’t share the truth. She’d run right into danger, and he couldn’t live with himself if something happened to her.

  He wasn’t ready to say good night—or goodbye. Still, he hesitated. When he said nothing, with heavy footsteps, she walked to the office door.

  Before opening it, she turned to him. “Thank you, Stefan. For everything you’ve done. You didn’t have to get involved, and you did.” Her gaze warmed. “You reminded me that there are good people in the world.”

  Her footsteps faded up the stairs, leaving Stefan standing alone in Daniel and Raven’s home. In that moment, he’d never felt more alone.

  Nothing could be done about the situation until another lead popped. He trusted CTC to find one.

  Tonight might be the last sleep he’d get for a while.

  Heart heavy, he trudged up the stairs. Twelve hours from now he’d be forced to say goodbye, whatever happened.

  Everything inside his body screamed not to leave her.

  He had no choice. Neither of them did.

  At the landing, he froze. Faith stood there, just outside the twins’ room, looking beautiful and vulnerable and tempting.

  She delicately closed the door and the lock snicked closed. “Zoe’s asleep. Finally.” Her lips turned down. “I’m worried about her. Something’s not right. She usually bounces back from a pout before now.”