Triggered Response

by Patricia Rosemoor

  “What, then? How can it help him?”

  “Memories,” Echo said, “just not his own memories. When he touches an object, it’s like he relives what happened to it in the past.”

  Appearing to zero in on that information, Gage said, “So all he needs to do is to touch the right objects and he’ll have the answers to everything.”

  “Yeah, but he needs to get to the right objects. That’s the problem. Who knows if they even exist anymore?”

  Gage thought about it for a moment, then asked, “Can you get a message to Bray for me?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Echo hoped Bray would pick up his cell when he saw it was her calling him. She’d picked up the number of his new cell phone when he’d called her that morning.

  “Then tell him to meet me at the Landsdale lighthouse tonight at eight. It’s closed for the season, so it’s a safe bet no one will be around to see him.”

  “All right. I wish there was more I could do.”

  “Leave it to me, Echo. I’ll take care of Bray, I promise.”

  Echo nodded and watched Gage walk off.

  She started to close the door, then thought to give him her cell number so he could reach her no matter what, but when she looked for him, he’d already vanished.

  CLAIRE’S LIES were scaring her. Bray’s memory seemed to be coming back in waves. How long before he realized she’d been playing him?

  Her lies had created acceptable worlds for her to live in without having people feel sorry for her. The best mother in the world. The best home. The greatest dad. All lies. Lies had helped her get out of some chancy situations, too. Gang members who’d been hassling her. A guy at school coming on to her who wouldn’t take no for an answer. A convenience store robbery she’d once interrupted.

  Her lies had never been meant to hurt anyone, and as far as she knew, they never had before. But this time was different. Bray was different. Vulnerable. He’d come to think of her as an important part of his life.

  When he realized she wasn’t, then what?

  Claire couldn’t stand contemplating the what-ifs. Couldn’t stand thinking about a life without Bray being part of it. How had this happened? They’d only been together a few days. She guessed the attraction had been there between them from the first time they’d clashed at Cranesbrook. Being thrown together 24/7 had been like a whole series of dangerous dates strung together. Whatever the explanation, she was hooked. The lump in her throat was simply too big to swallow.

  “I think that’s it up ahead,” Bray said, indicating a three-story white house with a sprawling columned veranda decked with containers of flowers. “Sunrise Bed and Breakfast.”

  “I don’t care about the breakfast, but I bet they give great bed,” Claire said with a wistful sigh. “After spending the night in the back of this vehicle, I’m acquainted with muscles I didn’t even know I had.”

  “Which might not be from the sleeping part,” he said, his tone momentarily teasing. “Don’t get your fantasies up. This is a hit-and-run mission. I talk to Gage, we form a plan and then we head out and execute it.”

  Claire groaned in disappointment and tried not to think of how romantic as well as comfortable it might be for her and Bray to share the bed that she now couldn’t get off her mind. A comfortable mattress, fluffy pillows, a sea breeze rolling in the windows. Perhaps some quiet time with Bray on a couple of the veranda rockers or walking hand-in-hand on the beach, which was less than a block away.

  She’d only known Bray in the biblical sense for a few days. Fool that she was, she’d gotten caught in her own web. Who knew trying to get the truth about Mac would end her up in this predicament. Here she’d gone and fallen in love with the man she’d been using to get information she still didn’t have.

  And now the truth was certain to come out when they faced Gage and Lily Darnell.

  Why hadn’t she gotten out of this when she still could?

  “I don’t see Gage’s Jeep,” Bray said, suddenly sounding tense.

  “Maybe he took Lily on some excursion for the day.”

  Which meant she and Bray would be cooling their heels for who knew how long. Maybe they could get a room, and a shower, after all. A reprieve of sorts.

  “Or they already checked out.” Bray pulled into a parking spot across the street from the B & B. “Maybe I should have called first.”

  “A little late for regrets. Let’s go in and see if they’re still registered.”

  Entering the B & B, they were quickly approached by a young brunette who was coming down the staircase. She wore brown capris, a bronze sweater topped by a matching shrug and a welcoming smile.

  “Good afternoon. Do you have reservations with us?” she asked Bray.

  “Uh, no—”

  “I’m sorry, we’re fully booked.”

  “We don’t want to stay here,” he told her. “We just want to know if Gage and Lily Darnell are still here.”

  The brunette’s expression changed to one of caution. “I’m sorry, but we can’t share guest information. The Privacy Act, you know.”

  “I’m not asking for information about them,” Bray said. “I just want to know if they’re still here.”

  It was obvious that the Darnells were still guests, so when the brunette still balked, Claire said, “Please, my husband hasn’t seen his sister in nearly a year. We flew into Baltimore to surprise Lily and Gage for their anniversary, and we’re the ones who got surprised. Can’t you just call up to their room and tell them Bray is here to see them? Please?”

  The last “please” seemed to get to the woman. She nodded. “All right, I’ll call up. You wait right here.”

  “Tell them Bray and Claire,” Claire called after her.

  When the brunette was out of earshot, Bray said, “Brother? Anniversary?”

  “You weren’t getting anywhere with her. Sometimes you just have to know how to handle people who don’t want to give you what you need.”

  “Interesting take on life. Not everyone would agree with it, though. Especially not the people being handled.”

  “Everyone does it in some way. Not telling someone about a special event because they’re not invited and you don’t want hurt feelings. Pretending a blow-out with a family member was just a little disagreement. Telling people what they want to hear. All of that stuff that doesn’t mean anything in the big picture. My saying that you’re Lily’s brother isn’t hurting anything.”

  “If you lie often enough, don’t you get confused? How do you keep things straight, know when you’re telling the truth? How do the people who care about you know?”

  Claire gaped at him. How much of Bray’s memory was back?

  The brunette crossed the foyer, saying, “Mrs. Darnell will be right down.”

  Claire smiled. “Thank you for your help.”

  She’d met Lily once at Cranesbrook, so she was certain the blonde would recognize her. Now whether Lily would question them as to why she was with Bray was a reason to worry.

  “You can have a seat, if you wish.” The brunette indicated the couches and armchairs surrounding the fireplace. “Or take a tour of our gift shop.”

  “Thanks, but we’ll wait on the porch,” Bray said. “Test out those rockers.”

  “Fine. I’ll send Mrs. Darnell to the veranda, then.”

  Bray placed a hand at the small of Claire’s back and guided her outside. If he knew she was lying about them, why didn’t he just say so and get it over with? She felt every finger imprinted into her flesh and wondered if this crazy, stomach-knotting feeling when he touched her would end soon.

  Another reason to keep the charade going just a little longer…

  THEY BARELY HAD A CHANCE to claim rockers at the end of the veranda before Lily came rushing out the front door, chin-length blond hair swinging around her delicate features, yellow slacks and cotton pullover sweater complementing her pale coloring.

  “Bray, thank God you’re alive,” Lily said, looking from him to
Claire.

  Claire was doing it again, Bray thought. Touching his arm intimately, like she was staking her claim on him.

  Was she?

  “Where have you been?” Lily asked. “We thought maybe you were dead and then when the story about the boat blowing up hit the news, Gage went looking for you.”

  “He went back to St. Stephens?”

  Lily nodded. “A couple of hours ago. You might have passed him on the road.”

  “Maybe you should call him,” Claire suggested.

  A sound of frustration escaped Lily. “I would, but I found his cell phone on the floor next to the nightstand. There’s no way to contact him. I just have to hope he calls me sometime soon, though this place seems to be out of our service area, so he’ll have to call the front desk.”

  They took rockers at the end of the veranda and Bray quickly brought Lily up to speed on what had happened to him and where he’d been and the fact that he, too, had gained a mental power, though one very different from Gage’s or Vanderhoven’s. He also told her about the supposed evidence they had against him in the altered DVD.

  Claire just listened and kept her own counsel, no doubt worried that Lily was going to say something about their being together. Lily kept giving Claire questioning looks as she listened, but apparently she chose to be discreet about Claire’s presence.

  “I wanted to tell Gage all this in person,” Bray said. “I can’t even imagine what he’s been thinking about me.”

  “I’ll be honest, Bray. He didn’t know what to think. He wanted to believe you were innocent, of course, but you know how pragmatic he is. The authorities were convinced you had something to do with the lab accident itself, especially when your niece was kidnapped and you were the ransom. We learned you were having some financial difficulties and—”

  “Gage thought someone paid me off to do their dirty work.”

  Lily shrugged and Claire said, “Bray would never take a bribe.”

  But she didn’t really know if he would or not. Did she have that much trust in him? Or was she simply lying. He couldn’t be sure which.

  “Gage had some doubts,” Lily went on, “but he never gave up on you, Bray. And then when the authorities had you in their radar for the boat explosion, as well, he knew he had to get involved. I guess it’s a good thing he forced me to stay behind so someone would be here, or the two of you would be running around in circles, never finding each other.”

  So what now? Bray wondered. How long before Gage called in so they could set up a rendezvous?

  “I was hoping Gage and I could work together like in the old days,” he told Lily. “Do a little commando raid on Cranesbrook tonight. If I can find the right objects to touch…”

  “You’ll finally get some answers,” Lily finished for him.

  When Bray’s cell rang, he said, “That has to be Echo. No one else has this number.” He flipped the phone open and said, “What’s up?”

  “Hey, Bray. Gage was just here.”

  “Of course.” He shook his head at the irony. “We’re in Rehoboth Beach with Lily. She said we must have passed Gage on the road.”

  “Well, at least you have enough time to get back.”

  “For what?”

  “He wants you to meet him tonight at eight at the old lighthouse at Lansdale Point. Do you remember it?”

  “Not really, but I’ll find it. Landsdale lighthouse at eight. I’ll be there. Everything else all right?”

  “Zoe and I are fine. And I talked to Rand…um, actually I yelled at him for being such a big jerk with that stunt he pulled. I told him about the DVD, how Claire had figured out it had been faked. Rand really is on our side, Bray.”

  “You don’t know that, Echo.”

  His sister had been too trusting with men, the reason she’d been left high and dry with a baby. Not that he was going to get into that with her, at least not in front of Claire and Lily, both of whom seemed to be glued to his every word.

  “Rand is different, Bray,” Echo said. “And I’m in love with him. He saved Zoe. You have to like him.”

  “I can try. Maybe when this is all over.”

  “No, now. I’m going to tell him about the lighthouse.”

  “Don’t!” No matter what his sister felt for this detective, Bray didn’t trust him to work in his best interests. “I’m serious, Echo. I don’t want McClellan to interfere with whatever Gage and I plan. We’ll handle whatever needs to be handled, like in the military.”

  He could hear his sister’s disappointment.

  “Promise you’ll call after you and Gage decide on a plan.”

  He noticed she hadn’t agreed to anything. “I’ll call.”

  “Zoe and I love you, Bray. Stay safe.”

  “I’ll be okay. You sit tight and take care of that niece of mine.”

  Echo made a little noise like a stifled sob. Bray clenched his jaw and hung up on her.

  No sooner had he stuffed the cell in his pocket than Claire asked, “What’s going on?”

  She looked worried. For him? Or for herself?

  “Gage stopped at Echo’s place, hoping I would be there. Said he had a lead and I should meet him tonight.”

  “A lead,” Lily repeated. “Did he say what?”

  Bray shook his head. “But maybe he’ll have some ideas by the time Claire and I meet him.”

  “I’m going with you,” Lily said, standing when he did.

  “You’re going to stay here the way your husband wanted you to,” Bray countered. “Gage was concerned for your safety and so am I.”

  “It’s his safety I’m worried about.” Lily’s forehead pulled into a frown. “And yours.”

  “He and I will be all right. We’re trained to watch each other’s backs. He loves you and would put you first. You would be a distraction, Lily, you know that. If Gage had you to worry about, he might get sloppy. Not to mention hurt.”

  He wouldn’t say “dead.” Too many were dead already. He didn’t want to think there might be more.

  Bray looked at Claire. “Actually, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to stay here with Lily.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “You wanted that bed and all.”

  “They’re full up.”

  “There are other bed and breakfasts. We can find you a room.”

  “You’re not leaving me behind,” Claire said, her expression mulish.

  “I’m not taking you with me.”

  “You don’t have a choice. It’s my vehicle. And we’re wasting time with this argument, when we could be back on the road. I need time to get something professional-looking to wear if I’m going to get back into Cranesbrook tonight.”

  Bray didn’t continue to argue the case, but he didn’t want Claire to get back into Cranesbrook. He’d put her in too much danger already just being with her. He hadn’t forgotten how close a call the boat had been. She didn’t know enough to make her a threat on her own.

  “Lily, if Gage calls, let him know I’ll meet him at the lighthouse tonight as requested.”

  “Will do.”

  Claire waited until they got to the street before saying, “I’m going, Bray. I’m part of this. I won’t be left behind.”

  But she would be.

  If something happened to her, his own life wouldn’t be worth saving.

  HE’D BEEN SAVING the gun for a special occasion…and this occasion was special enough to make him crack open the wall safe where he’d been keeping the weapon.

  After the “accident,” he’d taken it from the security chief’s office as insurance. Brayden Sloane’s fingerprints were all over the piece.

  That was why he was wearing gloves.

  He would prefer a different method. Something more creative.

  What good was his power if he couldn’t expand it?

  But this particular plan was meant to get rid of the major obstacle that still stood in his way. Gage Darnell would have to surface sometime, and when he did, he, too, would hav
e to be handled.

  Then he wouldn’t have to resort to such primitive means.

  He sat back in his office chair for a moment and turned the gun over, trying to extract from the steel that sense of power men sought. His own power came from within. The thing in his hands was merely a means to an end. Once used, it would be useless to him. He would be done with it.

  Once his mistake was erased, he could get on with reshaping his future. No more being a small cog in the giant wheel of life. No more answering to some know-nothing whose title gave him a false sense of power.

  He would have real power.

  He would be a god.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The tension that tied Claire’s stomach in a knot never subsided as they drove west toward St. Stephens. She supposed she ought to be flattered that Bray wanted to keep her safe in the same way Gage did for Lily. Only she wasn’t. She might lie to other people, but she never lied to herself. Not purposely, anyway. She knew it wasn’t that Bray cared so much for her. She was simply an inconvenience.

  Bray was regaining his memory in leaps and bounds, and he was no longer dependent on her. In a few hours, he would have Gage to watch his back.

  She already felt Bray’s loss.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” she complained. “I could use some fuel in addition to a new outfit. Easton is just ahead.”

  “You’re driving. It’s your vehicle.”

  “Is that why you’ve been sulking?”

  “I haven’t been sulking. I’ve been thinking.”

  About her? Claire decided not to flatter herself. Of course Bray had been thinking about what answers tonight might bring.

  “Are you familiar with Lansdale Point?” he asked.

  “Sorry. Never been there. But once we get to Easton, I can look it up on the Internet.”

  “You think we’ll find an Internet café?”

  “Don’t need to. I’ll hack into a signal.”

  “So you’re good at hacking?”

  “I know a few things.”

  “Then why haven’t you been able to get into the Project Cypress files?”

  “It’s not been for a lack of trying.” She explained her failed methodology of using the key logger program and her conclusion that the password had to be obtained using a physical key. “If only I could find it, I could get us some answers.” She realized her solution might be sitting next to her. “Wait a minute. You could find the key.”