by Robin Perini
He shrugged, bending his leg at the knee, studying the light dusting of snow still falling. “I was good at school. I tinkered a lot with computers and stuff. Not much of an athlete.”
She poked at his biceps. “No way.”
“Believe me. I was the kid that got called egghead. My dad was a cop, my brothers kick-butt athletes. My sister...well, Sierra is a math whiz and a state-champion volleyball player. And then there was me. The brain. Uncoordinated, skinny. A computer geek.”
“I would never have guessed.”
“I was an enigma to my family, stayed in the basement playing with a computer my dad bought me for Christmas when that’s all I begged for. Then, in high school I got into encryption and decryption. I developed a couple of decryption programs. My math teacher talked to Dad. They got the patents. The companies were born. My career was set.”
“So, why did you enlist?”
Noah chuckled. “Man, you should have seen my dad’s face when I told him. I thought he was going to faint.”
“I’ll bet. The brains of the family choosing the Marines.” Her gaze bored into his very being. “You didn’t want to be who you were. You wanted to be more like the rest of your family. You wanted to fit in.”
Noah stilled. He said nothing. How could she know?
“You wear your masks well. Both of them. The Falcon and Noah Bradford, genius and CEO. But who’s Noah, the man?” Lyssa leaned closer, placing her hand on his leg.
He tensed under her touch, unable to move away.
“Not very many people look beneath the surface, do they?”
“Why are you? Why now?”
“Because lying alone in that bed I realized something. I’ve worked for two years to perfect my own mask. I hate that not one person I’ve met in the last two years really knows me. It’s lonely. Do you find it lonely, Noah?”
His body leaned toward her, almost as if a string tugged them ever closer. He could practically feel the heat of her body, and his own responded, surging to life, tempted beyond reason.
“I remembered what Jack said about you,” she whispered. “I compared his stories to what I’ve witnessed the last three days. I finally understood what’s been bothering me. You’re not who I expected when Reid said he’d be sending you.”
Noah sent her a wary look. “Is that good or bad?”
“Both. I thought you’d be a killing machine.”
Noah winced. She wasn’t wrong.
She clutched his hand, squeezing it hard. “Don’t pull away. I realize now Reid sent the Falcon. Someone who would help me and then disappear from my life.” She leaned into him. “That’s who I met our first few minutes together, but you’re more than the Falcon. You care. About me, about Jack, about the other victims. That, Noah Bradford, is my problem.” She took a deep breath. “Because tonight I realized I could fall in love with the man you hide behind the mask.”
His heart thudded in response to her words. He’d given away too much. He’d let those long-ago dreams of her distract him.
To save her, he needed to be the Falcon. Not Noah.
Noah had to stay buried, even if it meant losing Lyssa.
The buzzing of his phone saved him. He stood, needing to get away from Lyssa’s overwhelming presence.
Rafe and Zane appeared in the doorway, alert.
“Bradford.”
“It’s Ransom. Rich will have the plane at the airport around nine in the morning. Be ready.”
“We leave the hotel no later than seven,” Noah said. He looked at Lyssa. “Try to get some sleep. We’ll wake you in a couple of hours.”
“Don’t do this, Noah,” Lyssa pleaded.
“Call me Falcon.”
* * *
CTC’S PLANE ARRIVED on time.
Snow blanketed the area around the small airport. The flurries had finally stopped, and the runway had been cleared. Noah climbed the plane’s stairs, the wind whipping through his coat. The chill went straight through to his soul. Lyssa hadn’t said two words to him since she’d walked to her bedroom, head held high.
The pilot, Rich, offered Noah the captain’s chair.
“Not enough sleep last night,” he said. Rich nodded and headed out to do the final preflight check.
Noah moved into the cabin.
Lyssa had taken a seat next to Rafe. His friend lifted an eyebrow as Noah buckled in across from them.
Noah wanted to kill Archimedes. Slowly and painfully. Mostly because the guy deserved it for every life he’d taken. Noah forced himself not to look into Lyssa’s eyes. She’d reminded him of something important. Of how much he had to lose if he let his emotions take over. He’d been there and done that. The results had been disastrous.
“Do you have Archimedes’s tracking chip?” Noah asked Zane.
“Sure thing, Falcon.” Zane showed him the envelope. “Working perfectly.”
Lyssa gripped her armrests, her knuckles whitening. “He’s tracking us right now?”
“That’s the point,” Noah said. “If we block the signal—you have figured out how to do that, right?”
Zane shook his head. “Sorry. If I disrupt the signal, he’ll know we know about it.”
Noah scowled. “We’ll work with it.” He looked at Lyssa. “We want him to find us...but on our terms. Not his.”
“What’s your plan?”
“We set a trap. Somewhere he won’t be able to resist revisiting. Somewhere he missed out on the prize of a lifetime.”
Lyssa’s complexion lost all its color.
Noah wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms, but he couldn’t. He shoved aside the instinct. The Falcon didn’t hold his clients, he protected them. “That’s right. We’re going to Jack’s house.”
* * *
BY THE TIME the plane landed in New York and they’d traveled to Darien, Connecticut, Lyssa knew the afternoon sun wouldn’t be shining much longer. Noah dropped Zane off a few hundred yards to the north of Jack’s house then pulled the SUV off on a dirt road to the south.
Despite the fact that Rafe had the chip and was heading toward the UN building, Lyssa still couldn’t drive away the feeling of foreboding. Her pulse fluttering, she exited the vehicle, hand on her weapon. Noah palmed his Glock and they made their way toward the home she’d shared with Jack.
Shadows climbed up the sides of the abandoned house nestled in the small wooden glade. Jack had picked it for several reasons: one was defense. The other was the backyard. Where they’d wanted their children to play.
The dream that Archimedes destroyed.
Noah stopped Lyssa with one hand. He signaled for her to wait.
Archimedes knew they would be here eventually. Still, part of her hoped he’d be here now. She wanted this over. Whatever happened, at least it would be done.
She could go with Noah’s plan. Set the trap. Hide, then Rafe would bring the tracking chip, and they would wait Archimedes out.
Except the serial killer seemed to read minds.
She could tell Noah wasn’t used to anyone being able to get the better of him. His forefinger scratched the knuckle of his thumb rhythmically. She’d noticed it more than once. In fact, the more frustrated he became, the more the small tell gave away his emotions.
They crept closer to the house, Zane to the north, keeping watch.
Lyssa’s entire body froze as they entered the backyard. She couldn’t stop herself. Her nerves were shot. She gripped Noah’s arm, her hold tight.
This was the first time she’d returned to their home since Jack’s death. Law enforcement had packed her bags, and when they’d recognized she might be the only person left alive to identify Archimedes, they’d whisked her away. Not that it had done any good.
Silently, Noah opened a bag and pulled out a cr
owbar. He pried off several boards at the rear of the house, the creaking echoing through the night.
He tossed the boards onto the dead grass. With a sidelong glance, he studied her. “You okay?”
With the words, Noah touched her arm. His strength calmed her a bit. If being here would get them Archimedes, then she wouldn’t let a little thing like fear stand in her way.
She nodded, but it was a lie. She didn’t want to go inside. The memories were so very good and so very bad. This was the place where she and Jack had loved, laughed, made love. Where he’d proposed to her, kissed her, held her. Made a baby.
And where he’d died saving her life.
Noah jimmied the last board away from the door. She placed her hand on the jamb and closed her eyes. She could do this.
He knelt beside her and with two long prongs picked the lock in seconds, then grabbed an electronic device from his bag of tricks. He ran the scanner around the wood. “Clear.”
Cautiously he pressed the screen and the door swung open, creaking, revealing a darkened room inside.
Lyssa took a deep breath as Noah stepped across the threshold, part of her waiting for another Archimedes surprise.
Nothing happened.
That didn’t diminish the knot of tension spreading through her shoulders.
Noah snapped on his flashlight. The beam swept across the kitchen. With each new illuminated section of tile, her heart hitched.
No one had done a thing since the cops had searched the place. The light bounced off the dust gathering on the oak table, its thickness obscuring the grain of the wood.
“Anything strike you as unusual?” Noah asked as they walked through the chaos.
“Besides the fact that cops make lousy housekeepers?” she said, trying to maintain control.
“Better than my place,” Noah said. He squeezed her arm. “You’re doing great.”
“A lot you know.”
Lyssa stopped in the center of the kitchen. The cabinet above the refrigerator was the only one unopened.
Could it still be there?
Ignoring Noah, she climbed onto the round step stool that Jack had placed in the corner of the kitchen for her.
“What are you looking for?” Noah asked.
“Nothing, just seeing if they missed anything,” she lied.
She peered inside, moved the cookie jar out of the way and let out a small sigh. Except for Reid, her secret remained safe. In her vision lay a silver rattle and a pair of baby shoes.
* * *
THE SCENT OF peanut sauce floated through the front door of the restaurant. This was Rose’s favorite place, but Archimedes hated coming here. He longed to be in his germ-free apartment, watching the video, waiting for Lyssa to arrive. Waiting for her to understand the final clues to his message.
She would prove her worth. She had to. He wouldn’t consider any alternative.
Lyssa would come to him.
Unable to resist, Archimedes glanced at the blinking light on the small screen of his phone. Fools. The tracking device showed them moving toward the United Nations. Following the trail of the insipid Frederick Allen.
Why couldn’t Lyssa see where she should be going?
Eventually, she’d have to return to where the journey began. But that time, she’d be on her own. Noah Bradford would be dealt with soon.
Then Lyssa would be his and his alone.
Archimedes pocketed the device and walked into the small café. He catalogued the floor. Clean. He weaved through the chairs, making certain he didn’t touch anything on his way to Rose.
She sat at their usual corner table, staring down at the tablecloth. Demure, controllable.
Just as he preferred.
Her chin rose and his step faltered. Gone was the typical smile of welcome. She frowned at him, a vertical wrinkle creasing her forehead.
When he reached her, she jumped out of the chair and flung herself into his arms.
Archimedes congratulated himself on the discipline not to toss her away from him. Instead, he awkwardly patted her back.
Not removing his gloves, of course.
“What’s the matter, my dear?”
“My boss is still in the coma.” Her voice choked. “They don’t know if he’ll ever wake up.”
With a concerned expression—one Archimedes had fine-tuned from years of looking in a mirror—he forced his lips to touch her temple.
He’d have to disinfect himself when he returned home.
Rose nestled against him, rubbing at him. His body shuddered, not from desire, from disgust.
“Will he recover?”
Not that Archimedes cared. The point had been for a message to be delivered. And that had been accomplished.
She clung even tighter to him. “Now, dear, everyone is watching.”
At the soft admonition, she flushed. Such a good girl. If he hadn’t known Lyssa was his, he might have trained Rose properly, but she wasn’t smart enough, not poised enough, not perfect enough. No match for him.
“I’m sorry.” She stepped away from him and turned to the table. Quickly, she adjusted his silverware, placed the breadbasket in the precise center of the table, then wiped down his chair and waited for him to sit before seating herself.
Her fingers folded and refolded the napkin on the table. He sent her a pointed glance. She sighed and placed her hands in her lap.
“You don’t understand,” she whispered. “They still can’t find his most important client. The one I told you about. They’re desperate.”
“I haven’t seen anything on the news,” he commented, motioning for the waiter. When the man hurried over, he didn’t glance at Rose. “We’ll have the salmon. See that it’s not overcooked. Two garden salads. No tomatoes. No cheese. No croutons. Dressing on the side. Three tablespoons exactly.”
The waiter skittered away.
“The authorities have no idea where she is?” he asked, tugging his tracking monitor into view. Still at the UN. Inside he smiled. He relished the image of the WitSec authorities scrambling.
“No idea. They had me go through Marshal Nichols’s computer and desk.” She leaned forward. “I found a hidden drawer. It’s locked. And there are files on his computer I can’t decrypt. Tomorrow I have to call his boss. They’re going to think I’m too stupid to know what Mr. Nichols was doing.” A tear slid down her cheek. “What if they fire me?”
Her watery blue eyes gazed up at him. Archimedes smiled gently when all he wanted to do was stop her from speaking, giving away her weakness. “I helped you fix the computer a few weeks ago,” he said softly.
The hope on her face widened his grin. “Would you like my assistance again?”
“You’d come with me?” She bit her lip. “We could get into trouble.”
“We know how to get in without anyone knowing, don’t we, Rose?”
She flushed. “You kissed me for the first time in my office after you sneaked in after hours.”
“This time, we may do even more,” he said, lowering his voice to a tempting whisper.
The waiter returned, placing the plate three inches from the edge of the table. Rose hurriedly adjusted the salad to precisely two inches.
“Well done, my dear.” He glanced at his watch. “Let’s finish our meal. By this time tomorrow, you will be able to share the information and be a hero.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said quietly.
“No, Rose. Thank you. You’ve given me more than you realize. I cannot wait to show my appreciation in a way you deserve.”
* * *
JACK’S HOUSE HADN’T changed—except for the mess. Noah had only been here a few times. It was a family house, an old restored farmhouse. His friend could have made a good life here with Lyssa. He should have.<
br />
Noah took in her stiff posture as she stared into the cupboard above the refrigerator. “You sure there’s nothing up there?”
She stepped off the stool, her expression wistful, but only for an instant. “Nothing but memories. Nothing I need.”
She lied.
He said nothing, but the recognition she still held back tore at him. He wanted to either kiss her or shake her, to force her to reveal the truth, but now wasn’t the time. Or the place.
“I want to scope out the house before we set the trap,” he said. “Are you ready to go into the living room?”
She nodded and he pushed through the archway.
He remembered the scene all too well. The fine black powder of fingerprint dust clung to the furniture, covered by a light layer of regular dust. A large area of the carpet had been cut out, but the rust of bloodstains still remained, surrounding the empty square.
He shot a glance at Lyssa. She didn’t say anything but hugged her arms around her body and stared at the spot where Jack had died. She paused at the dinner table, still set in the corner, though a glass had broken and silverware had scattered, candles turned over.
Her tortured gaze met Noah’s. “We were planning a special night,” she said softly.
“I know,” he said, his voice full of regret.
“We’re going to get him, Jack,” she whispered into the empty room. “I promise you.”
“Just bedrooms upstairs?” Noah asked. “If I remember right.”
With a curt nod, she padded toward the stairs.
“The master bedroom?” he asked.
“Down that hallway. This floor.”
“A second entrance?”
“French doors in the master.”
“We need to make sure we have an escape route we can use, but that he can’t sneak in,” Noah said. “Let’s take a look there first.”
Lyssa paused.
Noah clasped her by the shoulders. “Only a few more minutes, Lyssa. Keep your eye on the goal.”
She led him to a closed door. Noah stepped in front of her. He used the scanner on the doorway. “Just checking,” he said.
