by Cynthia Eden
She shook her head. “I don’t think you’re anything alike.”
“You shouldn’t be so certain.”
Control. The word whispered through her mind. Kenneth was trying to control everything that was said in that room.
She had to stop him.
Rachel surged to her feet. “This is a waste of time. You don’t have any intel to give me.” She spun on her heel and marched for the door. “And I don’t have any more time to waste on you.”
“Don’t you leave me!”
She reached for the door.
“If you leave me, they’ll die.”
Rachel stilled. “Who will die?” This wasn’t supposed to be about new victims. She was supposed to be getting the names of all the people who’d hired Kenneth over the years.
Rachel turned to stare at him as she tried to decide if the guy was just playing her.
The smile was gone from his face. He stared at her, cheeks red, mouth tight.
“Who will die, Kenneth?” Rachel pressed.
“My name’s Jack!” He shot up.
Dylan’s hands came down on his shoulders and he pushed the man right back down.
Rachel didn’t advance toward Dylan and the killer. She just stood there, waiting. If he wanted to talk, he would.
And he did.
“Aidan O’Sullivan loved explosions. Loved to light up the night. He learned how to wire the bombs when he was a kid, at his da’s knee. But the grandfather... Oh, he was the law-abiding type. That was why he left Ireland. Left them all, and came here.”
She didn’t move.
“I already had some demolitions know-how, but Aidan taught me a few new tricks.” He looked back at Dylan. “I used one of those tricks on your car. It was small, though. Nothing at all when compared to what I’ve got coming.”
She couldn’t tell if he was lying or not. “You don’t have a target. You wouldn’t—”
“As much as I do enjoy you, sweetheart, you aren’t the only reason that I came back to the U.S. I had work to do. A job that only a man with my...talents could perform.”
“You killed Henry Patterson,” she said.
A shrug. “A side deal I picked up. Not my main ticket.”
Her heart raced, shaking her chest. “You’re lying.”
“Am I?” His grin held a cruel edge. “Then by all means, waste a few more hours. When the fire hits the sky, you can believe me then.”
A bomb. Had he really planted a bomb in the city?
“Where is it?” Rachel asked him.
But he shook his head. “Doesn’t work like that. It’s more of a show-and-tell deal.”
Her gaze strayed to Dylan. There was still no expression on his face.
“I’ll show you where it is...or we can wait, and when all the people die, you can be the one to tell their families just how sorry you are.” When she didn’t speak, he exhaled on a long sigh. “Still don’t believe me, huh? Well, I’m sure the EOD agents are at the pub. Tell them to check downstairs. There’s a false wall behind my kegs. They’ll find some...leftovers down there. Enough to prove exactly what I’m saying.” He laughed. “Or maybe they’ll be the leftovers...the parts that are left of them after—”
Rachel ran from the room. Mercer met her outside. He was already on his phone. She heard him say, “Get out of the pub, out of the damn building. Get everyone out!”
But would they be able to get them all out fast enough? Or had the agents just walked right into the killer’s trap?
Chapter Ten
Dylan walked around the narrow table. He and Kenneth Cross were alone.
And Dylan wanted to kill the man.
Kenneth lifted his brows. “Wishing you’d left me in the water, aren’t you?”
Hell, yes.
“But then...if you had, all of the agents in the pub would be dead.” A pause. “If they aren’t already. And that’s just the first little surprise that I have planned. Surely you didn’t think I’d be unprepared for a—a containment, did you?”
“I think you’re insane. I think you’re not going to tell us the names of anyone who hired you. I think you just want to jerk Rachel around.”
Kenneth lowered his gaze as he stared at the tabletop. “I want many things from Rachel.”
“Yeah? Too bad. You’re getting nothing from her.”
“Because you think she’s yours?” Kenneth didn’t sound concerned. He should’ve. “Shannon was supposed to be yours, too, wasn’t she?”
“Rachel isn’t like Shannon.”
“No, and that’s the fun part. At her core, I knew that Shannon was weak. I could predict her behavior. But Rachel? Ah, now I never can tell what she’ll do. In a world of few surprises, she is one.”
He wanted to drive his fist into the man’s face. Would that be enough of a surprise for this nut?
“Going through the window? Perfect.” And he sounded like he meant it. “I never saw it coming, not until it was too late.”
The door opened. Rachel was back. Mercer was right behind her. “They barely got out,” Rachel whispered.
Mercer pushed past her. “Two of my men are on the way to the hospital. You son of a bitch—are there more bombs?”
“Now,” Kenneth said, nodding, “I think we all might be on the same page.” His gaze swept over Mercer. “So you’re the man in charge?”
Control. Noelle had told them that the killer wouldn’t give it up. She’d been right.
“I have a very large target in this city. One that I will take out...my bombs are already set. But I can be persuaded to show you their locations. I’ll take Rachel with me. I’ll disarm the bombs and, in return, you will let me just walk away.”
“Hell, no,” Dylan snapped. The EOD had a standing rule—we don’t negotiate with terrorists.
Kenneth slumped back in his chair. “Then I guess it’s just a matter of us waiting and seeing...who will die next?”
* * *
“YOU AREN’T GOING with him,” Dylan said as he pulled Rachel into his office and slammed the door shut. “I don’t care what Mercer decides—you can’t.”
Rachel stared up at him. “You’re not my team leader anymore.”
“You’re not even EOD anymore!” he shouted. Then Dylan took a deep breath. He paced the confines of the office, looking very much like a caged tiger. “It’s a trap. We all know it. He’ll take you to some secluded place, and he’ll kill you. If he’s got bombs out there, the guy isn’t going to disarm them. Hell, he probably just wants to go and watch them blow.”
The way the pub had blown? She’d been told there was nothing left of the building but rubble now. “He didn’t kill any civilians in the explosion today. He—he could have set the bomb to go off last night, but he waited...”
Dylan stopped his pacing. “You think if we hadn’t brought him in, then the guy would have gone back and disarmed the bomb there?”
She nodded and the guilt was on her. “I should have come and talked to him sooner. Then no one would be hurt and—”
Dylan lunged toward her and grabbed her arms. “He’s insane. He wanted to cover his tracks. That’s what he was doing. He set the bomb to blow at O’Sullivan’s because he thought he’d be taking you away with him today. He probably planned to kill me then take you away in one of the boats at the harbor. He set the bomb at the pub so all the evidence that he’d left behind would be destroyed. That’s not on you.”
“But it will be on me if his next bomb kills someone.” Her words were soft. Sad.
His grip tightened on her. “Rachel...”
“He’s not lying, Dylan. There is another bomb.” She’d never been more certain of anything. “He’s in D.C. because he has a big target, and he’s going to take out that target.” He’d moved to
take her last night... Why?
The answer came to her immediately. Because he’d planned to take out his real target today. And Dylan was right—Kenneth planned to take me with him when he left D.C.
“We have to act fast,” she said, voice wooden. She knew the risk she was taking. Kenneth could lead her straight to the bomb site and the place could explode around them.
“A bomb squad can go with him,” Dylan argued. “We’ve got plenty of demolitions experts right here in the EOD.”
“You know Kenneth won’t take them there. He’ll only cooperate if I go...or he’ll just sit in that little room, and he’ll wait for the explosion to come.”
The mask fell from Dylan’s face. And the first thing that she saw? Fear. “I don’t want to lose you, Rachel.”
She tried to smile for him even though the same fear chilled her veins. “And here I thought you were trying to ship me off to Atlanta.”
He flinched. “I’m so sorry...so damn sorry.” His mouth crashed down on hers. He kissed her with a wild desperation, holding her tightly. “I wanted you safe. That’s all I wanted...”
She kissed him back. Held him just as tightly. She wanted him safe, too, and that was why she’d take any risk. Even falling three floors and nearly drowning. To protect him.
His mouth lifted from hers, the barest of spaces. “I want to leave with you. Walk out the door and just be with you.”
Tears stung her eyes. “That’s not who you are.” She pushed against his chest. He stepped back.
“No,” Dylan agreed. “It’s not.”
“I’m going to do this.” She stared into his eyes. “And you’re not going to stop me.”
“Rachel, I—”
“Because you know who I am. You know me better than anyone else alive.” Her family saw the image that she presented to them. When she visited them in New York, they embraced her in their wonderful, loving arms, but they didn’t know her. He did. “You won’t make the mistake of trying to push me aside this time.” He couldn’t.
His hands had fisted. “What will I do...damn it, what if you die?”
“I won’t.” Her fingers wrapped around his fist. “Because you’ll have my back, just like you always do.”
His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed. “I know you well,” he rasped.
He wouldn’t stand in her way.
Rachel turned from him. There wasn’t any time to waste. She had to tell Mercer—
“I love you.”
She felt the impact of those words roll through her whole body.
“I screwed up before,” Dylan said. “I hurt you...because I was so scared. I’m not used to fear. I’m not used to love, either. But...I love you.”
Rachel glanced back over her shoulder. “I know.”
His eyes widened.
“I know you pretty well, too,” Rachel told him softly. “And when I come back—because I am coming back—I’ll show you just how I feel about you.”
Rachel pulled open the door and hurried into the hallway.
I love you.
His words gave her strength.
Mercer waited for her in front of the interrogation room door. When she approached him, he straightened and said, “You don’t have to do this.”
She heard footsteps behind her. “Yes, I do.” It was time to end this chapter of her life. She wanted the future that waited for her.
She wanted Dylan.
But first, she had to stop the killer in that interrogation room.
Mercer opened the door for her.
Kenneth glanced up.
“Show me,” she told him. Because that was all that she had to say.
* * *
DYLAN WATCHED AS Rachel drove away. She and Thomas Anthony were in the front of the vehicle. Kenneth was secured in the back. Dylan followed behind them in a separate vehicle, as did several other agents. Demolitions experts.
They were ready for whatever trick Kenneth tried to throw their way.
Because there would be a twist, Dylan was certain of it.
The miles slid past. Soon enough, Dylan realized that they were heading back to the harbor.
“The location makes sense,” Noelle murmured from beside him. “He had plenty of access to this place. We know he did.”
Dylan yanked out his phone and called Mercer. “Harbor bound,” he snapped.
“I’m watching the GPS,” Mercer replied. “Already got a crew checking on all the boats there.”
Because it would be easy enough for Kenneth to rig a bomb to a boat. The thing could explode when the ignition turned, the same way it had with Dylan’s car.
Or the bomb could be on a timer.
“There’s a celebration set for the harbor tonight,” Mercer said. Dylan heard the murmur of voices then Mercer swore and told him, “Senator Lawrence Duncan has a boat out there. The Dreamer. Duncan’s ex-navy. He could be the target.”
Maybe. Maybe not.
“Stay close, Agent Foxx. Don’t lower your guard for an instant.”
* * *
MERCER PUT DOWN his phone. The whole setup felt wrong to him.
Kenneth Cross is a crazy SOB. He could be planning to light up that whole harbor and kill everyone in his path.
Except...Kenneth liked a challenge.
I have a very large target in this city. One that I will take out...my bombs are already set. Kenneth’s words echoed in Mercer’s mind.
There were so many potential targets in the city. Powerful men and women who fit Kenneth’s attack profile.
Ex-military.
Positioned with connections to all the big players in D.C.
There were senators, generals...
Hell, even the president.
And...
Mercer stared down at his phone.
There’s also me.
* * *
RACHEL GLANCED BACK at Kenneth. His face appeared calm. He’d spoken only to give them directions. His voice had been quiet, almost mild.
Soon, very soon, they were stopping at the harbor.
Rachel quickly exited the vehicle. Thomas pulled Kenneth from the backseat and kept a tight hold on the man. Dylan and Noelle marched toward them. The other agents hung back.
Kenneth was manacled—hands and feet—and he could only take slow, mincing steps. He should have seemed powerless. He didn’t.
“I’m not going to be able to get on a boat this way,” Kenneth said, yanking at his cuffs.
“That’s because you’re not getting on a boat,” Rachel snapped at him. She wanted to be done with Kenneth. “We’re here, and our bomb-sniffing dogs can do the rest. Your job is over.”
Rachel motioned to the van that had just pulled in the lot behind them. The doors opened, and the handlers brought out their dogs.
Dylan’s gaze scanned the boats. “Start with the Dreamer,” he ordered.
Rachel’s brows rose. Why had he picked that boat?
“It belongs to Senator Duncan,” Dylan said, glancing her way. “Mercer thinks the guy could be Kenneth’s target.”
Kenneth frowned at him. “Trying to steal my show? That’s not good form, Agent Foxx.”
Dylan advanced on the guy. “It’s not a show. It’s life. We did our part. We let you drag us out here, and now you—”
“Senator Duncan isn’t my target, though he is someone that I wouldn’t have minded killing.” Kenneth tilted his head to stare at Dylan. “But I had a very, very big fish to fry this time. The biggest of my career.”
“No...” Rachel whispered as a new fear snaked through her. She stared at Kenneth, hoping, praying that she was wrong.
A very, very big fish.
She grabbed for her phone, dialed the EOD.
“Too late,” Kenneth said as he glanced toward her. “I had to get you out of there, of course, before the explosion could commence. Didn’t want you getting caught in the blast. It was actually quite tricky to arrange everything, you know...”
I had to get you out of there.
“Mercer!” Rachel’s voice shook when he answered the phone. “Get out of the building! Get everyone out!” Her words were eerily reminiscent of his own from just hours before.
Kenneth shrugged. “You all gave me the idea with that little tracker under your skin... I learned about that a few months back, and thought, why not use it myself? Those trackers were so clever.”
“What the hell is happening?” Mercer demanded in Rachel’s ear.
“I think you’re the target. Hit the alarm there. Get everyone out!”
Kenneth kept talking. “I just had to attract the EOD’s attention, had to get your fine, upstanding agents to bring me to your office. And when I knew that Mercer was there, at the facility, I just had to signal my employer.” He winked at Rachel. “Want to guess what the signal was?”
Dylan lunged forward. His hands clenched around Kenneth’s shoulders. “You bastard!”
Kenneth laughed again. “It was a convoy of cars leaving the facility.”
There was silence on the line. Too much silence.
“Mercer!” Rachel screamed.
Then the deafening boom burst across the phone line.
The phone slipped from her fingers and hit the ground. She stared at Kenneth, horrified.
But he just kept laughing. “And the Jack just took out the King. The untouchable Bruce Mercer is now little more than a pile of ash.”
No, no, he was wrong. He had to be wrong.
Rachel bent and scooped up her phone. She called Mercer back. The phone rang and rang.
Thomas signaled to some of the other agents. They jumped in their vehicles, sped away. The demolitions team was needed at the EOD, so they were burning rubber to get back to base.
If anything was left of it.
Dylan dropped his hold on Kenneth, stepped back and heaved in a breath. Then he drew back his fist and punched Kenneth. Kenneth stumbled back and fell—
