Disillusioned

by Christy Barritt

  He kissed her fingers before leaning back. “I wish we could stay here all day like this. But you and I both know we can’t.”

  She nodded. “We’re still going to talk to Raz?”

  “I think we should. He may be the only one with answers.”

  “I know, and I know I was the one who suggested it. But last time I met him, he set me up.”

  “I don’t think he did. Only Pierce was there, and now we know he was tracking you through your necklace. I’ve had my doubts all along about Raz, but I don’t think he reported you. In any case, we’ll do some surveillance on the place first. If we see anything suspicious, we turn around.”

  Nikki nodded. “Okay then. Let’s do it.”

  She gave him the basic directions to get to Raz’s house. He prayed that no one would identify the motorcycle while they traveled, and he took the precaution of using back roads up to DC. Finally they drove past a large house with a metal gate around the perimeter. Nikki tapped on his shoulder, and Kade knew that was Raz’s place. He could only hope that the feds weren’t planted outside the house, just waiting for Nikki to show up. They’d have to be careful.

  He decided to circle around a few more times to make sure no one was looking. Then he’d figure out a way to get inside. He prayed this wasn’t a mistake.

  Not for his sake, but for Nikki’s.

  Nikki remained low as she and Kade dodged through the woods. They hadn’t spotted anyone outside Raz’s home, so they’d pulled the motorcycle out of sight and worked their way toward the back of the property. Thankfully he lived in area with large, wooded estates.

  As they trudged through the underbrush, her thoughts went back to her conversation with Kade this morning. She felt closer to him, closer to wanting to try again. But should they? Nikki couldn’t handle another heartache in her life. If Kade up and left her again, her heart might not ever recover. Besides, they had too much history behind them to make a fresh start . . . right?

  Perhaps when she’d become disillusioned with God, she’d become disillusioned with many things: love, loyalty, friendship. They were all somehow connected. They were all a part of her core, and when one part had gone bad, the rest had followed suit. Living had nearly become a chore over the past few years.

  Something internal was urging her to change that. To hope again. To love again.

  But this was no time to make a decision like that.

  When they reached the area behind Raz’s house, they paused. Nikki looked up at Kade, her heart speeding as it always did. She hoped he didn’t notice how her cheeks flushed or her pupils widened or her breath came a little faster every time he was near.

  “If we can get over this fence, we can go to his back door,” she started, pushing a hair behind her ear. “I know where he keeps his extra key. We can get inside. If he’s not there, we can wait for him.”

  “You sure you’re good with this?”

  She’d thought about it on the ride here, and she’d come to the conclusion that this was their only option at the moment. “Yeah, let’s do this.”

  She stared at the iron fence with the decorative spikes at the top. This would be her next challenge.

  “I’ll give you a boost,” Kade said, looping his fingers together.

  She nodded, pushing aside any nervousness, and stepped into his hands. With her foot firmly planted, he boosted her toward the top of the six-foot fence. Carefully she swung her other leg over. After balancing herself on top, she jumped to the ground, landing with a thud.

  It hadn’t been entirely graceful, but at least she’d done it.

  Kade, on the other hand, seemed to leap the fence in one fluid motion. Nikki waited for him to say something teasing, but he didn’t. Instead, he grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the back deck.

  They climbed the steps, edged around the patio furniture, and stopped by the door. Before Kade could beat her to it, Nikki grabbed the knob. Raz had an alarm system, but he didn’t turn it on during the day, especially not when he was there.

  She hoped he’d stuck to his normal schedule of working at home on Thursdays.

  Her pulse spiked when she realized the door was unlocked. Slowly she pulled it open. Classical music floated out.

  Raz had always been a cultural snob, thinking anything less than name brands and the finest of literature and the arts were a waste of time. Even his house was decorated in expensive antiques, looking more like a museum than a home.

  Nikki stepped onto his glossy wood floor, Kade following behind her. They were in.

  Now they had to find Raz.

  She paused and let her gaze roam the family room. Nothing appeared out of place. She’d been to Raz’s many times, for everything from socials to meetings to family visits. In fact, this was where her first date with Pierce had been.

  She nodded toward the front of the house. That’s where Raz’s office was, and the most likely place she’d find him. They tiptoed in that direction. As they got close, she heard a voice coming from the room.

  It was Raz.

  “I think you’re off base,” Raz said. “He may need help—years of counseling, for that matter—but he’s not a killer. You’d be wise to use your resources in other places.”

  Bobby. Raz was talking to someone about Bobby.

  She paused by the door, waiting to hear what else he would say.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Raz said. “I’ve known these guys since they were preschoolers. I have a little more basis to my opinion.”

  The next moment, Nikki heard a click. He’d hung up, she realized.

  She glanced at Kade, who gave her an approving nod. With that, she stepped into the doorway. As she did, she spotted Raz.

  He was holding a gun, and it was pointed right at her.

  CHAPTER 33

  “Nikki? What in the world are you doing here?” Raz put the gun on his desk and sighed, running a hand though his thick salt-and-pepper hair. “I sensed someone was in the house, but I had no clue it was you. I could have . . .”

  He shook his head before stepping forward and pulling Nikki into a hug.

  “Sorry, Raz,” Nikki said.

  “It’s so good to see you. I was afraid something had happened to you.”

  “I’m okay.” She stepped back. “Raz, you remember Kade?”

  His eyes darkened. “Of course.” He offered a curt nod. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “We have some questions,” Kade said.

  “You do realize that every law enforcement agency out there is looking for you, right?”

  Kade nodded. “We figured as much.”

  “But you’re both safe here for the time being. I suppose you heard the conversation?”

  Nikki nodded. “Part of it.”

  “I was on the phone with a reporter from the New York Times. You and your brother have caused quite the upset, and everyone seems to want a quote.”

  “I can imagine.”

  Raz let out his breath. “Let’s have a seat. Can I get you something to eat? To drink?”

  “I could use a bite, if it’s not a problem,” Nikki said.

  “For you? Never. Come on.”

  They followed him into the kitchen. Nikki sank down at the table as Raz began making sandwiches. Kade couldn’t sit, though. He was too wound up. Instead, he hovered near Nikki, keeping one eye out the window, just in case.

  So far, so good.

  Raz set a plate of sandwiches on the table, along with two goblets of water. “Help yourselves.”

  Kade took his place at the table, angling himself so he’d have a view of both the house and the backyard.

  “I’m not even going to ask how you’ve managed to elude authorities. It’s probably better if I don’t know.” Raz crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Where’s Bobby?”

  Nikki shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You lost him?”

  “He ran away,” Nikki said.

  Ra
z shook his head. “I hope he doesn’t do anything foolish. People are likely to shoot first and ask questions later.”

  “I fear that, too.” Nikki set her sandwich back onto the plate, knowing she had to get down to business. “Raz, when we met at the café, you said you’d have investigators look into Steel Guard.” She sat back and folded her arms, waiting.

  “I did,” Raz said. “They confirmed Steel Guard waited for you and Bobby outside the hospital, but you never came out.”

  “What?” Nikki said. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I think the driver who picked you up was an imposter.”

  “That’s crazy,” Nikki said. “If they were truly there, how could they have not seen the other Steel Guard vehicle? The one we got into?”

  “Are you sure it was a Steel Guard vehicle, Nikki?” Raz probed. “It was hectic, right? Lots of reporters, lots of stress. Is it possible you and Bobby just assumed that was Steel Guard waiting for you?”

  Nikki thought back. It had been a stressful moment. She remembered the crush of reporters, the tension radiating from Bobby, her fierce desire to protect him. But would they have been so careless as to not get in the right car?

  “I suppose it’s possible,” she conceded. “But there’s more, Raz. I have questions about my father. I’m hoping you can answer them.”

  Surprise flickered in his gaze. “Your father? Of course I’d be happy to answer your questions, but I thought you’d have other, more pressing concerns at the moment.”

  She swallowed hard. “I wonder if this is connected with my father, truth be told.”

  Raz’s eyebrows twitched upward. “Now this is getting even more interesting. What kind of questions?”

  “I heard he served in Colombia. I need to know more about his time there.”

  Raz slowly bobbed his head up and down, as if the conversation had surprised him and thrown him off balance. “Colombia? Well, yes, he was stationed there for a short period.”

  “Do you know anything about his time down there?” she asked.

  Kade watched Raz carefully, looking for any sign of deception. So far, he didn’t see anything. The man appeared to be almost a father figure to Nikki, and there was no reason to think he wasn’t trustworthy. But Kade wasn’t about to let his guard down, not when so much was on the line.

  “Your father didn’t like to talk about his time in the country.” Raz sighed and leaned back, almost appearing burdened. “I know it was a time of civil unrest. There was a lot of guerilla warfare, things that young members of the armed forces weren’t prepared to experience. Things that people didn’t bring up during dinnertime conversations.”

  “Did he ever say anything else?”

  Raz shrugged. “I can’t say he did. Is there anything specific you’re looking for?”

  “I don’t even know what I’m looking for right now.” Nikki frowned. “I just need information. I feel like I’m so close to answers.”

  “I wish I could help you. I don’t remember him saying much of anything about it. I think it was just one mission of many.”

  She shook her head. “I suppose I’m perplexed because Bobby just happened to be sent on a mission to Colombia, too. What are the odds?”

  “I can’t tell you that. Stranger coincidences have happened, I suppose.” Raz leaned closer. “Nikki, do you have any idea what’s going on?”

  “No, but I have to wonder if Pierce has something to do with all of this.”

  “Pierce? Why?”

  “He found me. Attacked me. I thought I was going to die.”

  Raz’s eyes widened. “You didn’t hear, did you?”

  Nikki stared at him. “Hear what?”

  “Pierce’s been put on probation by the FBI. He’s gone rogue.”

  Nikki went to lie down for a few minutes, so Kade excused himself to make a phone call to Ten Man. As he dialed his number, Kade kept an eye on Raz in his office to make sure he didn’t call the police on them. Nikki might trust the man, but Kade wasn’t quite ready to.

  As he waited for Ten Man to answer, Kade’s mind reeled as he replayed the earlier conversation with Raz. They’d learned that Pierce had apparently been acting erratically lately and had been cited enough by his superiors that they’d put him on probation. From what Raz had heard, the final straw had been when Pierce failed a drug test. That would also explain, in part, his unpredictable behavior.

  Pierce had been tracking Nikki on his own, not on the authority of the government, Kade realized. Could he be connected with this entire affair in some other way than an obsession with Nikki?

  Ten Man answered on the first ring.

  “I was hoping it was you,” Ten Man said.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Okay, it took several phone calls, but I finally found some information on the deaths of Nikki’s parents.”

  “Let me have it.”

  “Well, I talked to one of the officers on the scene. He said he always suspected there was more to the accident than met the eye. The problem was they couldn’t prove it.”

  “Why did he think that?”

  “Because the roads weren’t slick in the area where the wreck occurred. Besides, Mr. Wright was trained in defensive driving. Apparently he was talking to one of his superiors at Homeland Security on his cell phone right before the accident. He said something about his brakes not working right before the line went dead.”

  “What? Why didn’t any of that ever come out in the report?”

  “You tell me. The best guess is that someone pulled some strings to keep this quiet.”

  Kade thought about Nikki. How would she handle that kind of news? It might be too much.

  “Keep looking into it,” Kade said. “This whole web might be entirely more complex than we ever imagined. Listen, before you go, I’d like for you to do one more thing.”

  After Kade gave out some instructions, he hung up and glanced again at Raz. The man was staring at something on his computer screen, but his eyes almost seemed glazed. With Nikki still upstairs, Kade decided to ask him a few questions.

  Raz looked up as Kade approached. He rubbed his eyes and snapped out of his daze. “I’m trying to read some contracts. If that doesn’t put a person to sleep, I don’t know what will.”

  Kade crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “What do you know about Pierce, Raz? You seem like a pretty knowledgeable guy. I’m sure not a lot gets past you.”

  Raz laced his fingers across his abdomen and leaned back in his leather desk chair. He let out a deep breath. “Pierce has always been very focused on getting what he wants, no matter the cost. I suppose that’s how he got his job with the FBI and even how he charmed Nikki. He saw what he wanted and went after it.”

  “Do you know much about his background?”

  Raz shrugged. “I can’t say I do. He was from Florida, I think, and moved up here because that’s where the FBI assigned him.”

  “That’s correct,” said a voice.

  Kade looked over and saw Nikki standing there, her hair matted from lying down. “I never met his parents.”

  “But you were married for four years.”

  She nodded slowly. “He said he lost them in a plane crash when he was a toddler. He lived with aunts and uncles and various other family members until he graduated high school. He made it sound like his family never really cared about him, that he’d been an outsider and a burden who was passed around.”

  “Could he have any connection with Colombia?” Kade asked.

  Nikki’s eyes widened. “I don’t know. You think . . . you think he’s involved somehow? Or, even worse, that he’s . . . the Ace?”

  “I’m trying to examine every possibility.”

  She rubbed her throat again. “You think he married me to gain access. He would be able to get close to my father and use his connections in order to further his goals.”

  And when your father caught on to what he was doing, Pierce killed him. Maybe Pierce had a friend
on the police force who covered the accident up? Maybe his network of other sleeper cell members somehow worked together to infiltrate America at every level?

  Kade dared not voice any of those thoughts out loud. Not yet, at least.

  “I’m just brainstorming,” he finally said.

  Nikki nodded slowly, thoughtfully. “It’s a possibility. He could have purposely befriended Raz in hopes of getting to know me.”

  “Do you think he’d do that?” Raz asked.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me.”

  “Did he talk to your father a lot about his job?”

  She thought about it a moment. “I’d have to say yes. I mean, they both seemed cut from the same cloth. They lived to do their jobs. They constantly talked politics and bullet points from government press releases.”

  “Did Pierce ever mention Colombia?” Kade asked.

  “Not that I can remember. I know he went to the Middle East a few times to do some training with the FBI.”

  “I can call a friend to run a background check and see what I can come up with,” Raz said.

  “I appreciate that.”

  “You guys are welcome to stay here as long as you feel comfortable. But I have to tell you that the feds have stopped by more than once. I’ll do what I can to hold them back, but I want you to realize the risk you’re taking.”

  “Thank you,” Kade said. “We’ll stay a little longer. It’s not smart for us to stay anywhere for too long, though.”

  CHAPTER 34

  An hour later, Raz had new information. Nikki braced herself to hear it, knowing that his words had the potential to rock her world.

  Raz stared at a paper on his desk, pressing his lips together in contemplation. “According to the background check I just got, Pierce Stark came to America when he was three years old.”

  “Came to America? So he wasn’t born here?” Shock washed through Nikki.

  Raz shook his head, still somber. “No, he wasn’t. According to this background check, he’s originally from Ecuador. I have a call in with a delegate there to confirm that information. My gut tells me it’s not accurate.”