Decoded

by Debra Webb

  Maggie relaxed against the seat. Her wrists burned, but she didn’t care. Slade had rescued her. Her baby was safe and he was alive.

  And they were together.

  But how long would that last?

  She turned to him. The rising sun shone on his dark hair and his beard-shadowed jaw. Her heart squeezed painfully. How would this end? If only he would let her call the Colby Agency…maybe they could help.

  Only one way to find out. “We should take care of your arm.”

  “Eventually.”

  She glanced over the seat and noted the backpack. “No first aid supplies?”

  He shook his head. “We’ll stop farther down the road.”

  Maggie stared forward. She bit her lip and dredged deep for courage. Just do it. “I believe the Colby Agency would be able to help us.”

  The silence that followed was not what she’d expected.

  She gave him a little time to absorb the idea, then she added, “Victoria and Lucas have the best team. They work all sorts of cases.”

  More of that silence. Not a no, exactly. Just a no comment.

  She spotted a building coming up on the right. Squinting hard, she made out the name on the sign. It appeared to be a convenience store and gas station. One that wasn’t boarded up.

  “We should stop and get something for your arm.”

  Without responding, he slowed and made the turn. When she reached for the door handle, he stopped her. “No phone calls.”

  Maggie nodded. For now. She would pursue that avenue again as soon as they were safe.

  The word echoed in her head as she strode to the entrance of the convenience store. Would either of them ever be safe again?

  She smiled for the clerk behind the counter. The girl was young. Seemed a heck of a place for a young girl to work. Way out here in the middle of nowhere. Maggie gathered what appeared to be peroxide, antibiotic ointment, over-the-counter pain medication and an array of bandages. They didn’t have gauze or tape. On second thought, she grabbed a small package of feminine-hygiene pads and a couple of bandannas.

  After placing the items on the counter, she produced another smile for the clerk. “Do you speak English?”

  The girl nodded. “Yes. Can I help you?”

  The urge to ask for a phone…to break down and tell someone how killers were chasing them stole Maggie’s voice for a moment.

  She cleared her throat. “This is peroxide? For cleaning a wound?”

  “Yes.”

  They went through the other items to be sure Maggie had what she needed. At the last second she grabbed some bottled water and snacks. Before the clerk finished tallying up the bill, Maggie added two cups of coffee.

  She carried the two brown paper bags to the Jeep and climbed in. Once she’d put the bags on the floorboard, she passed a coffee to Slade and cradled one for herself. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized how cold she was. She was freezing.

  Slade hit the road again before she could argue. “What about your arm?” She needed to bandage it up at the very least.

  “We’ll get to that.”

  She knew better than to try to change his mind.

  “Where are we going?” She was utterly lost. Being blindfolded hadn’t helped, but since she’d never been to Mexico before she knew nothing about the area.

  “Someplace I hope they won’t find you.”

  That he wanted to hide her away again so he could go off like a lone wolf to complete his quest irritated her. He still hadn’t answered her question about calling the Colby Agency. “Why can’t we get help?” It made total sense to her. As evil as his mother was, she wasn’t invincible. Just because she had escaped the law so far didn’t mean she would forever.

  “I explained the answer to that question already. They can’t help us. No one can.” He didn’t meet her eyes, just kept his attention fully on driving.

  Maggie refused to believe what he said.

  Whether he agreed or not, first chance she got she was calling Victoria.

  Chapter Twelve

  7:45 a.m.

  “What have you done?”

  Alayna turned from the window to meet her mother’s fierce glare. She had been expecting this confrontation for the last hour. Her brother had had time to intercept the men who had taken his woman. Apparently he had been successful.

  “What’s happened?” Alayna adopted an expression of innocence and surprise. “Is he here?” she added for good measure, infusing hope into her tone. Her mother was aware that she cared deeply for her brother.

  Camille strode up to Alayna, her fury radiating in violent waves. “Siegel called to say they were ambushed en route. We’ve been unable to contact him since the initial call.”

  Alayna blinked as if confused. “Was it him?” She didn’t dare say her brother’s name out loud. It was forbidden.

  “You have gone too far this time, Alayna.” Camille moved her head slowly from side to side. “All these years I have trusted you. I have given you everything. And you allowed me to believe that you remained stead fast and loyal. But I now know that you were keeping much from me.” She lifted her chin in resolution. “I’ve just been informed that you have betrayed me time and time again.”

  Alayna struggled to keep the panic from her voice. “I don’t understand.” Fear wrapped around and around her throat, tightening like a snake determined to render its prey helpless before devouring it. How had she discovered what Alayna had been up to? She had been so cautious.

  “You have kept him informed of our security measures. You,” Camille accused, her lips tight with fury, “warned him of this morning’s action. Your actions were deliberate and without excuse.”

  Like there was ever a good enough excuse for the Dragon. The trembling started in Alayna’s bones. She labored fiercely to keep it in check. If her mother saw the depth of her fear she would know her accusations were true. “I have no idea how to contact him,” she argued, trying to sound offended. “How could you think such a thing?” She reached out to her mother. “You know I am loyal to you. I always have been.”

  Camille drew away, disdain in her eyes. “The two of you were my greatest successes. When the others failed, you thrived. First he betrayed me, and now you.” Her fingers curled into fists. “My only hope now lies with the younger ones. You are dead to me, Alayna.”

  Her mother wheeled and walked out of the room.

  Alayna couldn’t move. She held herself together until Camille was gone and the door closed. The shuddering took over then, weakening her knees until she had to brace herself against the nearest table to remain standing.

  Despite the reality of what this meant, a faint smile tugged at her trembling lips. Her brother had succeeded. His Maggie would be safe now. Alayna prayed her brother would take Maggie and disappear. He should never come back here. Never, ever.

  But he would not run from the danger. Not this time. The end was near. For them all, Alayna feared.

  The doors opened. Two guards stormed into the room, coming toe to toe with her.

  “You are to come with us.”

  Alayna stared at the man who had spoken. Eli Kennemore, Camille’s chief of security, had not said her name. Defeat settled on her shoulders. In the face of that foreboding weight, she affirmed her ground, shoulders back, chin lifted in defiance. She would die with dignity.

  “How dare you address me in such a way.” She noted the glint of uncertainty in his eyes and garnered some satisfaction from that small victory.

  “I have my orders,” Eli maintained. “You must come with us.”

  Alayna snubbed her own rising uncertainty. With all that she knew, a part of her still needed confirmation. “Say my name.”

  The man she had known since she was a child stared at her now, regret written plainly on his face. “It is forbidden.”

  And so it was as her mother said. Alayna was dead.

  She pushed between the two men and exited the room. Her heart pounded, sending the blood roarin
g through her brain.

  Resignation filled her, strangely heralding a sense of welcome relief. Her brother had suffered enough. If her life was the cost of his freedom, Alayna was happy to pay the price.

  CAMILLE PACED HER ROOM. How could Alayna do this to her? She paused to stare at the monitors that kept her abreast of ongoing operations and world events. Everything was right on schedule. She was a master. Whatever operations she undertook were always a success. And no one had ever seen her coming or going. Camille had learned a long time ago that many layers were necessary to survive in this business. Every aspect of her operation was layered in such a way that years of research would be required to narrow down a specific detail. By that time she would have changed all of it.

  That was the other important factor. Change.

  But she had not been able to protect against the human emotion element.

  How could her own progeny betray her? The first two were nothing more than mistakes. With him she had miscalculated certain variables. His biological father had been burdened with that same extreme sense of self-righteousness. Until that genetic defect had surfaced, Tripp Marek—even thinking his name sickened her—had been the perfect operative. Unstoppable.

  But he had turned. The possibility that he had inherited that defective gene from his aunt infuriated Camille. Lavena had been a fool. Camille had offered to take care of the stupid old woman after her husband died fifteen years ago. She had been too full of that holier-than-thou rubbish, as well. She would starve, she’d claimed, before she would take a dime from Camille.

  All these years Camille had tolerated her insolence. She had shown far too much mercy merely because Lavena had taken care of her as a child after the loss of their parents. Lavena had defied her on every front. Crossed her at every opportunity.

  No more. She had gotten what she deserved just as her no-good grandson had.

  Camille felt no regret at having ordered her older sister’s death. She showed allegiance to no one but herself. Cared for no one…except Alayna.

  Now she was gone, too.

  No. Not now. Alayna had been betraying her for many years. Slipping information to her brother to protect him. Her biological father had been a cold-blooded assassin. She should not have inherited such weaknesses. Clearly, her brother’s behavior had influenced her.

  He would pay for his betrayal. Rage detonated inside Camille. He would pay even more dearly for taking Alayna from her. The Code was broken, the prototype a failure. But there were more coming, almost ready. Six expertly trained to begin a new program. Near-perfect assassins and relentless infiltrators. Nothing would stop her this time. She had learned a hard lesson with the first group. That group had been four in number, all born of her body. Not one had inherited her unmatched abilities.

  Being biologically involved had been a mistake, putting her at a disadvantage in terms of recognizing a weakness before the defect grew out of control. The surrogates for this new Code had been disposed of immediately after birth, breaking that infernal biological bond before it could become an obstacle.

  Camille lingered a moment, staring out the window at the fertile landscape she prized so highly. The land was the one thing in this life she could trust. It remained steadfast.

  Unlike him.

  For his betrayal, the punishment had to fit the crime. She wanted her last remaining son to writhe in agony and gnash his teeth.

  Physical pain would not be sufficient. She had trained him too well.

  Camille smiled. The answer was utterly simple.

  First, she would slowly torture this redhead he seemed to need to protect. How dare he show such weakness by allowing a woman so close. For her part in his fall, she would die first. Death would come to this pathetic creature in tiny increments. But the coup de grâce would be even more shattering.

  Lucas Camp and his beloved wife had revealed Alayna. Had they not interfered, perhaps Alayna would not have taken this final step of betrayal. Like Maggie James, Lucas would die, equally slowly. Starting with his one good leg perchance. Camille laughed. Oh, yes, she would have the esteemed Lucas Camp dismantled one limb at a time, then one organ at a time. Until the last drop of his self-righteous blood had leaked from his cold, lifeless body.

  Maybe she would video the entire procedure and send it to his lovely widow.

  Perfect.

  Camille would lose much this day, but the final, lethal blow would be hers. Perhaps this would be her greatest achievement yet.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Colby Agency, Chicago, 8:00 a.m.

  “The jet is ready.”

  Victoria turned from her treasured window. Whenever her world was a little shaky she could count on the view of the city she loved to steady her.

  “Excellent,” she said to her husband. She needed every ounce of strength she possessed right now. “I’m ready.”

  Lucas did not want her to go. But how could she not? Every instinct she possessed warned that this was somehow as much about Lucas as it was about Slade Keaton.

  “I wish you’d change your mind.”

  The worry etched in Lucas’s face tugged at her heartstrings. He was exhausted. They had both been up all night. Ian Michaels had confirmed that Keaton and Maggie had left the country. The pilot who’d returned to Chicago last evening had happily given all the details as soon as Simon Ruhl had called in his friend from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Jim had left for Mexico City immediately upon hearing the news. The agency’s jet had returned only a few hours ago.

  After a much-needed rest and necessary preparations, the agency’s pilot was prepared to return to Mexico City with Victoria, Lucas and Ian. Simon would stay behind and coordinate activities here. Thomas Casey, Lucas’s dear friend from the CIA, continued to liaise with Lucas as well as with Interpol.

  The Dragon was wanted in several countries. If she was found, treason charges would be the least of her worries. Victoria suspected that whatever punishment she received would not be nearly severe enough.

  Lucas joined Victoria at the window, and he cupped her face in his hands. “At least four people are dead already. I don’t want you any closer to the fire than you already are. I could not bear it if you were hurt any more so than you already have been.”

  Two deceased assassins had been discovered at the motel near the major interstate between Chicago and St. Louis. A truck driver’s conscience had gotten the better of him hours after the incident and he’d called the police. Chicago P.D. had informed Jim of what they knew. After sitting in on the interview with the pilot who had taken Maggie and Keaton out of the country, Jim had headed for Mexico. From the airfield outside Mexico City he had traced Keaton’s movements to a borough called Coyoacán. Two more victims had been discovered. The collateral damage was piling up. Victoria and her agency had to do something. Maggie was an innocent in all this. Victoria speculated that on some level Keaton was, as well.

  Lucas did not agree. But they both concurred that action had to be taken.

  Victoria offered her husband a smile. “Whatever happens, Lucas, I will be at your side.”

  He sighed, the sound weary and filled with worry. “You are far too courageous for your own good.”

  Victoria pressed a kiss to his lips. “I belong at your side, for better or worse.” She draped her arms around his waist and pulled him close. “Besides, we both owe it to Maggie to do all we can. Her family and friends are worried sick. We have to bring her safely home.” Victoria had made that promise to Maggie’s older sister, and she would not break that vow. “Don’t ask me to ignore what I feel. This is something I must do, Lucas. It’s far too important to all of us.”

  “This may not turn out the way we hope.” Lucas had warned her repeatedly that this evil Dragon was by far the deadliest enemy either of them had faced thus far. “She won’t be easy to defeat. Not even with all our resources.”

  “We won’t be defeated.” Victoria refused to consider that option. Good would prevail over this heinous wo
man. To believe otherwise was too unthinkable.

  “If there’s no dissuading you…” Lucas relented. His arms went around her and held her close. “But I want you in the background.”

  Victoria pressed her cheek to his chest. She loved listening to the beat of his heart. They had talked about his brief relationship with this woman who called herself the Dragon. He had been drawn to her because she reminded him so much of Victoria. At the time, Victoria had been married to James. Lucas had been in love with her even then, but Victoria hadn’t known. Maybe she’d sensed he had deep feelings for her, but she had been so in love with her first husband and the father of her only child that she had dismissed the idea.

  That Lucas had loved her for all those years, had waited selflessly, made her love him all the more.

  Victoria lifted her gaze to meet his. “We have to try to protect Keaton, as well. You must see that.”

  Her husband’s expression darkened. “He brought this to us. Put you in danger at least twice—”

  “We can’t prove that he was responsible for any of those events. You know that.” Victoria was convinced that Keaton had simply been watching so closely that he’d picked up on trouble before anyone else. Watching her and Lucas had been his singular focus. “Until we understand what brought him here and how that plays into what’s happening now, we have an obligation to help him.”

  “He has put you in danger, Victoria.” Lucas spoke sternly. “And he may cost Maggie her life. You can’t view this any other way. He is dangerous to anyone around him simply by virtue of his connection to the Dragon. That is what we do know.”

  “Lucas.” Victoria had broached this subject already, but the escalating events had prevented her from pursuing the idea. “You have to seriously consider that Slade Keaton may be your son.” Lucas had no children of his own, unless Slade Keaton proved to be his biological child. But her husband had loved Victoria’s son just as much as if he’d been his own. He loved their grandchildren. Lucas was not a man who could do otherwise.