“Where?”
“I’ll make arrangements for a safe house.”
“Molly has a daughter of her own.”
“She can take them both. It’ll be safer that way.”
He didn’t think it possible for her to grow any paler, but she did. “Okay. I’ll call her. Anything else?”
He yanked the truck into another sharp turn and then drove into an abandoned warehouse in the commercial district. He killed the engine. It was dark inside and their breathing filled the silence to bursting. He didn’t think their tail had managed to follow all his turns, but they needed to wait it out for a few minutes before they could leave. He was already planning his next move, but her last question hung in the air between them. He said the first thing that sprang to mind.
“Yeah, there is… Tell me why you wouldn’t marry me but you married Eric Archer only three weeks later.”
5
Annabelle’s pulse drummed in her veins. Not only from the grand prix race through the streets, but also from worrying about Charlotte, Molly, and Becca.
And then boom, Dex asked that question.
When she’d gone looking for him at his dad’s farm, she’d considered the possibility that he would ask it. Until today, they hadn’t spoken since the night before the wedding. She’d thought about what she’d tell him if he did. She’d thought about telling him the truth, but what did it matter? Whatever she said, he’d still be angry and she’d still be the woman who’d betrayed him. Didn’t matter if she’d done it to save her father’s miserable skin or if she’d done it because she was a coldhearted bitch. The result was the same.
Now the question was here and she still didn’t know what to say. The truth was complicated.
“I wanted to marry you, Dex. With all my heart, I wanted to. But I wasn’t brave enough.” That much was true. Instead of defying her father and letting him face the consequences of his actions, she’d caved into pressure and stayed home on the day she should have been saying “I do” to this man.
“So you didn’t show up. Didn’t call, didn’t answer my texts. Just stayed home and let me wait for you. You could have had the decency to send a text to me, but you said nothing for almost two hours. Until you texted Katie that bullshit excuse.”
Her heart pulsed a wave of pain into her belly, her brain. It was as fresh now as if it had happened yesterday. He would never know how much she’d cried or how afraid she’d been once he was gone and she’d realized he wasn’t coming back.
A couple of nights later, Eric had come over to talk to her about their wedding. The memory of that night was seared into her brain. She wasn’t ever telling Dex—or anyone—about the things Eric had done.
She hardened her resolve. It did no good to let herself remember. Charlotte was her priority. She would do whatever it took to keep her daughter safe.
“I was afraid to tell you I’d changed my mind.” It wasn’t a good excuse and she knew it. She had been afraid, but not of telling Dex she’d changed her mind. She hadn’t changed her mind; she’d let it be changed. And she’d been afraid that if she had any communication with him, she’d fly out the door and race to the church. She’d been a sobbing, angry mess that morning. Her mother had cried too, but her tears were more about self-preservation than any tender feelings for Annabelle’s heartbreak.
“You have to help us, Annabelle. You have to marry Eric or your father and I will be ruined. I don’t know what will happen to us.”
The heat of Dex’s anger flared bright. “That’s what I don’t get, Annabelle. You didn’t seem in the least bit conflicted when you were fucking me two nights before the wedding.”
She dragged in a breath, both at the vulgarity and at the way it sent a little sizzle of lightning into her sex. She wasn’t a dirty talker, didn’t get off on hearing it, but there was something about that word on his lips that made her breathe a little faster.
“Don’t talk like that. I don’t like it.”
He snorted. “Because you’re such a lady, right? Living in a fancy-ass neighborhood and driving a fancy-ass car. You’ve ended up exactly where your parents wanted you to be, haven’t you? Guess you started thinking about life with me, living in cramped housing on Army posts around the world, and got cold feet, huh?”
“That’s not what happened!”
“How did Eric feel about that last pity fuck you gave me, huh? Or didn’t he know about it?”
Fury and hurt twined together, rolling through her like lightning, sparking and crashing against the walls of her heart. But what right did she have to get upset? She’d left him and she’d married Eric. From his perspective, what else could it be?
“I don’t want to talk about this.” Because she couldn’t breathe if she had to talk about it.
“Of course you don’t.” His voice was like iron—hard and unyielding. He twisted the key with a jerk of his wrist. The engine roared awake, startling her.
“Is it safe?” she asked when he eased the truck backward.
He threw a glance at her. “We’ll find out.”
It was dusk now and the streetlights popped on around town. Dex eased onto the road running parallel to the warehouse and accelerated in the opposite direction of downtown. He put his phone to his ear. When he started talking, she knew he must have dialed someone.
“Need to get a little girl and her babysitter to a safe house,” he said. “The sitter also has a daughter, so room for two kids and an adult.”
Annabelle’s spine melted into a puddle of relief. Her child would be safe. Molly and Becca would be safe too. Guilt tapped a beat in her brain at getting Molly into this mess though. There weren’t enough chocolate cakes on earth to pay Molly back this time.
“Yeah, thanks. Send me the coordinates when you get them. I’m taking Annabelle to a different location.” He paused and then laughed, a sharp burst that wasn’t real amusement. She thought he glanced at her but she didn’t turn her head to find out. “Nope, nothing to worry about, boss. It’ll be a cold day in hell before that happens again.”
He tossed the phone into the console and pressed his foot down. As the truck picked up speed, she rubbed her hands over her arms. They were in Briar Creek’s commercial district, and the buildings were starting to thin.
“Wait,” she said, and he turned his head casually, his gaze dripping over her like hot syrup.
“Yeah?”
“Eric’s computer. I need to get someone at Archer Industries to crack the password.”
“No can do, sweetheart. We’re going somewhere safe. I’ll take a look when we get there.”
She tried not to get angry, but that was hard to do when her emotions were already on edge. “Are you a programmer, Dex? I didn’t think that was what you went into the Army to do.”
She knew he hadn’t. Unless he’d changed jobs. Possible, she supposed.
“Nope, not a programmer. But I have a guy who can crack it.”
“Is that where we’re going?”
“Not tonight.”
Fear was a pit in her belly that grew bigger with each passing minute. “He gave me twenty-four hours. Time’s running out.”
“You’re with me, and your daughter will soon be in protective custody. It’ll be all right.”
“Look, I know this is probably no big deal to you, but someone threatened to kill me—and if I don’t give him what he wants and he can’t get to me, who knows what he might do? I have friends, family, a company to run—this person could be capable of anything, and we can’t put everyone in protective custody!”
“I said I was going to help you, and I will. I may not like you, but I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.”
She crossed her arms and tried not to feel the pinprick of hurt in her soul. “I need to let my secretary know I won’t be in tomorrow.”
“You can’t call anyone.”
Her stomach churned. Lucy needed to know where she was. Maybe not right now, but definitely by tomorrow morning when Annabelle didn�
��t show up. “I have responsibilities. I can’t ignore them.”
He glanced at her. “This guy gave you twenty-four hours. What were you planning to do for those hours anyway? Run your company and search for the money on your off time? Or dedicate every minute to finding it? Or have you found it?”
She whipped around to stare at him. “What? No, I have no idea where it is! Why would you ask that?”
He shrugged. “You didn’t exactly seem happy to see me. Maybe you found it and don’t need me anymore.”
“I didn’t. I was hoping I’d know where it is as soon as I get into Eric’s computer. Then I could go back to work and forget any of this ever happened.”
He snorted. “Do you really think you’re going to be able to forget? Even if you found the money and transferred it where this guy wants you to, do you honestly think he’s going to let you off the hook? Or will he keep demanding more?”
Her throat went dry. She didn’t even know who this Mr. Lyon was or what Eric had done to him. He hadn’t given her the chance to ask either. He’d said Eric had his money and he wanted it. End of story. “More? What else could he want?”
“Yeah, Annabelle—more. People like that don’t typically get what they want and disappear. Once he knows you’ll respond to the trigger, he’ll keep pulling it until there’s nothing left. He’ll bleed you dry—and he may kill you anyway. This is war, honey. All-out war—and this guy has to be stopped.”
6
She was looking at him like he’d just told her she had terminal cancer. If she was a part of what Eric had been up to, she was doing a damned good job of being shocked. He had to consider it though. Maybe she knew exactly what Eric had been doing and she needed Dex’s help because the chickens were coming home to roost. If she was involved, it was treason. Dex wouldn’t stick his neck out for her. He’d keep her alive, but he’d turn her over to face the consequences when this was over. No questions asked.
“How do you know you can stop him?” she asked.
“Because it’s what I do. You just need to hang in there and let me do it. Isn’t that why you came to me?”
She nodded. “So can you call my secretary? Tell her I’ll be back in a day or two?”
“I’ll make sure it’s done.”
She reached out and squeezed his arm. A lightning bolt of electricity zipped through him. “Thank you,” she said.
“Sure.” He shifted in his seat as his groin throbbed to life. It had always been thrilling whenever they touched. Seemed as if time hadn’t changed a thing. He wasn’t so out of control of his body that he had a raging hard-on from a simple touch, but he wasn’t as in control as he’d like to be.
He could still remember the last time with Annabelle. They’d torn at each other’s clothes, kissing and tasting and moaning as they worked to get naked. He’d entered her without finesse and pumped until he exploded.
He’d been away in Afghanistan and she’d been in Briar City, and he’d missed her like hell. She’d claimed to miss him too. He’d believed every sweet word that came from her lips. They’d been lies.
Even after she’d abandoned him at the altar, he hadn’t stopped believing all at once. He’d been trying to make sense of what had happened, trying to think of what he could say or do to get her back—and then he’d called home and his father had told him that Annabelle was married. He’d been downrange for two months at that point.
When he’d found out she’d married Eric three weeks after she’d been supposed to marry him—well, he’d gone a little nuts. He’d applied to Delta selection. He hadn’t made it the first time, but he’d applied again. He’d gotten in and life had turned into one dangerous mission after another. When the Hostile Operations Team came calling, he didn’t hesitate to throw himself into the job.
He’d thought he wouldn’t have time to think about Annabelle, but he’d been wrong. Being part of a sniper team meant he had nothing but time while waiting for the enemy to arrive so he could take the kill shot. During those quiet hours when speech was too dangerous to engage in, he’d thought about the girl he’d loved and what her betrayal had done to him.
He hadn’t been celibate, far from it, but he hadn’t entered into any relationships either. He hadn’t found anyone who’d made him want to try. He’d pictured Annabelle smiling at Eric the way she’d once smiled at him, and everything inside him stayed dead and cold.
His phone startled him out of his thoughts. He picked it up to glance at the screen. It was Katie. Shit.
His sister’s bright voice filled his ear. “How’s spaghetti for dinner? Kyle wants it, and I said I’d ask you first since you were the guest of honor.”
Dex pulled in a breath. “Katie, I’m sorry—”
“You forgot, didn’t you? Well, it’s not going to be ready for another two hours, so you’ve still got time.”
Guilt pricked him. “Honey, I’m really sorry but something came up. I can’t make it.”
Katie sighed heavily. “Oh, Dex, the kids will be so disappointed.”
“Yeah, I know. Well, the three-year-old might be, but I’m going to bet you can distract him with a Minion movie or something.”
“Fine, I’ll distract him. But who’s going to distract me?”
“It’s work, Katie, or I’d be there. Swear. How was Dad?” he asked, changing the subject.
“He’s good. Tired, but rehab is going well. They think he’ll be out in a couple of days. He says he’s happy to come stay with me, but I don’t know that he is. He’s going to miss those cows after a while.”
Dex laughed, but it was a sad laugh. “So take him to the farm. He can talk to Bob and get his fill of cows.” Bob had been their neighbor for as long as Dex could remember. When Dad had his accident, Bob stepped in.
“Are you headed back to DC?”
Dex’s eyes felt gritty. “I might have to, yeah. But I’ll be back just as soon as this job is finished. I’ve got leave saved up.”
“We never see you, Dexie. You’re always out of the country on some job or other. I thought the Army might send you to Fort Knox one of these days and then you’d at least be in Kentucky.”
“Maybe,” he told her, but the real answer was never. Not unless he left HOT and asked to be transferred. Even then, it might not happen.
Except he wasn’t leaving HOT. Not until he got sent home in a box.
“All right,” she said. “Well, call when you can. Let me know when you’re coming back.”
“I will.”
Annabelle sniffed and he shot her a glance, wondering if she was crying. Not that he cared. He couldn’t see her eyes, so he didn’t know. He flexed his hands on the wheel and threw up a prayer to the heavens that she wasn’t. He didn’t want to deal with a crying woman—most particularly not this woman.
“I’m sorry I ruined your plans,” she said.
Okay, so not crying. Good.
“I’ve been in town for a few days. It’s fine.”
“You asked Katie how your dad was—did something happen?”
“He had open-heart surgery last month, and just a few days ago he fell and broke his leg pretty badly. The doctors put it back together, but he’s in rehab.”
“Oh.” She sounded surprised. “I didn’t know. I hope he’ll be okay.”
Dex shrugged. “As well as he can be, I guess. He’s being forced to retire, which is why the farm is for sale. He can’t manage it anymore.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t realize the farm was on the market.” She made a bitter sound. “I haven’t realized much of anything in the past month, quite honestly.”
“You drove past the sign earlier.”
“I didn’t see it.”
“I thought you were the real estate agent when you turned into the driveway.”
She laughed, but it wasn’t a very happy sound. A few moments later she asked, “How’s Katie?”
“Fine. She’s married, has two kids. You probably know that, living in the same town.”
&nb
sp; “I do. We never talk though.”
He knew why that was, and even though he loved his sister for taking his side, he knew she had to miss her best friend. Katie and Annabelle had been friends since kindergarten. They’d known each other’s secrets, their hopes and dreams. He sometimes thought that if he’d never fallen for Annabelle, it would have been better for his sister. He’d cost her a best friend, and he still felt guilty for that even if he’d suffered too.
Annabelle didn’t say anything else as the miles ticked by. After a while, he could see her dip her head and lift her hand to her eyes. Dammit.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Sure, why wouldn’t I be?”
Her words were bright, but he didn’t quite believe it. “No reason.”
“I mean, being threatened by a crazy person and being here with you is a lot to process,” she said, her voice still artificially bright, “but I’ll be okay.”
She curled a fist in her lap. He could feel the emotion vibrating from her, the sense that she was working to keep it all together.
“After Eric died I thought the worst thing was dealing with the business and keeping the contracts on schedule. Which I’ve done to the best of my ability. But now this. Jesus, what the fuck was he doing?”
Her voice had grown hard and angry. It wasn’t something he was accustomed to hearing out of Annabelle. She’d always been optimistic and hopeful. It was one of the things he’d adored about her. Yet he couldn’t let sympathy for her cloud his judgement. She sounded like she had no idea what Eric had been doing, but she could be trying to throw him off the scent.
“Tell me about the radio wave recharging system,” he said.
Her head whipped around. Her eyes bored into him. “How do you know about Helios?”
“It’s my job.”
“You’ve said that a couple of times already, but exactly what is your job? I thought you were an Army Ranger and that you’d done tours in a war zone. But now you can arrange safe houses and you know about our top secret project when you shouldn’t. What’s going on, Dex?”
“That’s why you came to me for help? Because I’d done tours in a war zone?”
HOT Addiction: A Hostile Operations Team Novel - Book 10 Page 4
