Once they were settled in the van and driving down the road, Talia asked, “What did Elijah want you to tell me?”
“He wants us to keep it to ourselves about Tilly already living in the compound. He told everyone that she was injured and he’s bringing her to the compound to recover.”
“The esteemed Keeper of the Light wants us to lie?”
“Yep, sure does. But we won’t have to worry about it. We’ll be long gone by morning.”
#
As Rob Tobin listened to Elijah explain about his handicapped sister, telling them that she’d been injured and would be living at the compound while she recovered, his suspicions rose. He’d been partners with the man from the beginning and he’d never said anything about a sister. He’d been Elijah’s confidante, his right-hand man. Clint had been there from the beginning, too, but he was an idiot. He was all brawn and no brains. Rob was the brains. And the brawn.
It might’ve been Elijah’s idea to formulate the cult, and Rob had to give it to the guy—he was charismatic. People were drawn to him and listened to him. But Rob was the one who did most of the leg work. He had to marry the rich cow and actually sleep with her. He shuddered. That’d hadn’t been pretty. At least she’d been fertile, and he only had to sleep with her a few times before she got pregnant. He hadn’t touched her since.
But now Elijah was talking about some beloved sister and it was that newcomer Henry he trusted to bring her here? What was up with that? Rob had a feeling when Elijah had recruited the McKays, he’d been fascinated with them. He’d seen the way he looked at the couple with lust in his eyes. If he didn’t know Elijah was hetro, he’d think he had a crush on Henry. After Henry saved Elijah’s life, he looked at him with something akin to hero worship. There was a full-on love-fest going on. But Elijah couldn’t cut him or Clint out. Hell, the man had killed Nadine. They might’ve covered it up, but he did the crime. Sure, he told them she had a seizure but both he and Clint recognized the lie. Elijah thought they were stupid, and while Clint might be, he certainly wasn’t.
He wanted to confront Elijah, ask him why he hadn’t told him about a sister, but before he could even get close, Henry had whisked him away and they’d left the compound. Now as Rob laid in bed staring at the ceiling, he knew he had to do something before Elijah cut him out of the plans. He’d done his part, now he wanted his fair share of the money.
From the beginning, the three of them had joined together to raise a shit-load of cash, build the cult and then Elijah promised they’d split the profits. Maybe move on to a different city. If Elijah brought Henry into the action, Rob’s share would diminish, and he didn’t plan on that happening. What if Elijah tried to cut he and Clint out all together?
He tossed back the covers and got out of bed.
Margaret’s voice penetrated the silence. “Rob? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Go back to sleep.”
He quickly dressed, grabbed a flashlight and headed outside. Lights along the path guided him as he navigated to Elijah’s cabin. After a quick check to make sure no one was around, he entered the dark hut and made his way to the keypad securing the private office. He punched in the numbers and once he was inside, he flicked on the flashlight. The monitors from the outside cameras showed nothing but the darkness of the night. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but he started with the desk. He rifled through papers and ledgers, finding nothing out of the ordinary.
A flash of movement caught his attention on the monitor and he froze. The drawbridge had lowered. The van was returning. It wasn’t like he didn’t have permission to be in the room, but Elijah would question why Rob was here this late, especially since he wasn’t here. He glanced down, shocked to discover he’d scattered papers everywhere. By the time he gathered them up and stuffed them in the drawer, he barely had time to duck under the desk when the door opened.
He fingered the gun he carried, considering using it on Elijah if he questioned him. He chanced a peek, shocked to see Henry and Tina entering. What the hell? He’d gladly put a bullet in both if necessary.
Instead of heading toward him, they were walking to the bookcase. Rob’s eyes goggled, and his jaw practically hit the floor when they moved a panel aside to reveal an elevator. What the hell?
As soon as the elevator descended, he jumped to his feet. What was going on here? How did the two newcomers have access to a hidden room when he and Clint hadn’t been privy?
The end was coming. Elijah was planning on something that didn’t include him or Clint. Elijah told them he was waiting for all the brats to be born so they could make big bucks, but something must have spooked him.
After making sure Henry and Tina were out of sight, Rob ran from the room and headed for Clint. They needed to take care of the two newcomers, and then it was time to get rid of Elijah. Money was on the line…lots and lots of money.
He considered barging in but banged on the door instead. Clint still slept with his wife. Rob didn’t want those images in his head. Joan was no Tina. He banged again. What the hell was taking him so long?
The door whipped open and Clint stood there with his hair askew, his eyes squinted. “What the hell are you doing here this late?”
“Get dressed now.”
“Why?”
“Clint? Is something wrong?”
He didn’t want Joan hearing, so Rob grabbed Clint’s hand and tugged him outside.
“What’s up, man?”
“Elijah is screwing us over. Shit’s going down. Get dressed and grab your gun. We need to take care of Henry and Tina. They’re in on it.”
“Give me two minutes.”
Clint disappeared back inside his cabin. Rob stuck his head to the door to hear what he told his wife.
“What’s wrong, Clint? Is something happening?”
“Nothing’s wrong, dear,” Clint assured Joan. “Rob and I are going to get things ready for Elijah’s sister. He’s bringing her home.”
Rob had grudging respect for the guy. That was a nice cover. Quick thinking for an imbecile. Too bad this would be the last time Clint spoke with his wife. After they got rid of the others, Rob planned on putting a bullet in Clint’s head.
“That’s nice, dear,” Joan said. “But do you have to do it so late?”
“He’s bringing her back early in the morning, so this way, it’ll all be done.”
“I’ll help.”
“No, you go back to sleep. I’ll be back soon.”
There were kissing noises and Rob turned away in disgust. He didn’t know how Clint played the part of loving husband with Joan. The woman was not only ten years older than Clint, but she was as plain as dirt.
Clint appeared and together they took off for Elijah’s cabin.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hunter and Talia met Sawyer and Mason at the entrance to the garage. Talia almost wept with relief to have the comforting weight of a weapon in her hand again. She checked the clip out of habit and then together they made their way to the locked door.
Mason and Sawyer took protective stances with their weapons trained on the entrance while Talia concentrated on covering Hunter as he punched in the code. Nothing happened. He tried again. Still nothing.
“Dammit,” Hunter cursed. “It’s a different code.”
“Let me try something,” Mason said, sliding the heavy backpack off his shoulders. He rooted inside and came up with a coiled wire. He handed his phone to Sawyer and then bent down and threaded the camera wire under the door. “What do you see?”
“Another dark tunnel,” Sawyer said.
“Let me send it a few more feet.” Mason manipulated the wire.
“Same,” Sawyer confirmed. “A dark corridor.”
Mason gathered the wire and replaced it in his pack. “I can put enough C4 to blow the lock. It’ll cause an explosion, but we should be far enough from the compound that it won’t be heard.” Mason had been an explosives expert in the military.
“Depending on how
close the babies are, they might hear it, but it won’t harm them,” Sawyer said.
“Let’s do it,” Hunter agreed.
Mason removed a block of explosives and attached it close to the lock. They all moved back while he detonated the charge and blew the door open. The boom from the explosion ricocheted through the tunnel. They filed through with Hunter in the lead. Talia was on his heels, with Sawyer behind and Mason taking up the rear. The tunnel was identical to the one leading from Elijah’s lair. Talia’s sense of direction told her they were heading back towards the compound. Soon, they came to another door and another keypad. Using hand signals, Hunter signaled for everyone to be ready and he tried the code. It worked. The door opened and they burst inside with their weapons poised.
An older Hispanic woman gasped and jumped to her feet, a skein of yarn rolling off her lap. She made the sign of the cross with one hand while the other gripped shiny gold knitting needles. Talia’s head whipped around when a baby started to cry. There were several cribs inside the room, but only one was occupied.
Hunter tried to calm the woman, murmuring to her in Spanish, while she moved to the crib to see a tiny baby swaddled in a onesie covered in rubber ducks. This must be Margaret’s child. Robby.
She gingerly picked him up. She wasn’t an expert, but she’d held her sister when she was an infant. She bobbed the boy and crooned to him. He stopped crying and studied her with big brown tear-filled eyes. Her heart melted in her chest and her womb contracted. What would it be like to hold a baby with Hunter’s blond hair and gray eyes staring back at her? Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she indicated the baby. “Robby?”
The women nodded. “Si.”
“Mason and I’ll stay here with the baby while you two get Margaret.”
After the burst of excitement, Robby quickly nodded off. Talia gently placed him back inside the crib. After tucking the cover tight against his tiny body and running a finger down his downy-soft cheek, she faced her coworkers. “What about the murder? We can’t let him get away with it.”
“Our assignment is Margaret,” Sawyer reminded her. “We’ll give the information to the proper authorities once we’re out and they’ll take care of it.”
Talia knew that was the right move, but she was worried about the others in the cult. Joan had been so good to her and she’d practically taken her under her wing. Several of the others had welcomed her. They deserved to know the true nature of the man they revered. Mostly though, she was worried for Tilly. What would happen to her when Elijah was arrested?
#
When Talia picked up the wee baby and cuddled him to her chest, Hunter had a hard time pulling oxygen into his lungs. Instead of the red-haired cherub with brown eyes, he pictured a little girl with shiny black hair and Talia’s light green eyes. Her baby. His baby. Their baby. The image was so strong he staggered back a step and bumped against the wall. He knew it was only a daydream, but it felt more like a premonition.
Somewhere along the way, he’d fallen head over heels for the tough beauty. It could’ve been the first time he made love to her in the bathroom of the cabin. Or the time in Georgia when she face-planted him to the ground, trying to retrieve a disk he was keeping from her. He was six-four and a solid two-twenty. She was five-seven and all of one-hundred and ten pounds or so, but she’d felled him like an ax-wielding lumberjack facing a tree. But if he were honest with himself, he’d admit it was the first time she walked into Senator Mullins house where he was working undercover for the FBI. She’d been undercover as well, posing as a yoga instructor. He’d taken one look at her and knew his life had changed forever. Even though she’d stuck her pert nose in the air and ignored him that day, he’d been a goner.
Sawyer, Mason and Talia were discussing the next move and he’d totally missed it. He needed to get it together. Get his mind on the case. They left Sawyer and Mason guarding Robby while they left to retrieve Margaret. They’d all leave through the garage.
As soon as they stepped into the hallway, Hunter crowded Talia against the wall and covered her startled gasp with his mouth. After that vivid image, he had to touch her. It’d thrown off his equilibrium. He felt like he was a drifting in a boat in the ocean and she was his anchor. She whimpered and tried to climb his body. He carried her through the door Mason had blasted open, far enough away that when he made her scream, the others wouldn’t come running with guns blazing.
He plastered her to the wall again. The bullet-proof vest was a distraction. He couldn’t touch her breasts. Instead, he slid his hand under the waistband of her pants and touched her there. She was ready for him. Her hands were busy working the button free on his jeans. Then she was lowering the zipper and freeing him. He wasted no time getting her out of her pants and then he was slamming into her, both groaning in pleasure. He wanted it to last but the sensation was too strong. He tried to go slow, but she dug her fingers in his shoulders and urged him with her feet against his thighs. He pounded into her and too soon, he felt her inner muscles gripping him like a tight fist. He covered her mouth with his to capture her screams. He couldn’t hold back. His release crashed over him, his breath catching in his throat and his knees weakened. He’d never come so hard in his life. Talia’s head rested on his shoulder, her breath ragged.
“Wow,” she murmured.
Wow was right. With great reluctance, he released her legs and she slowly slid to her feet. His body didn’t want to leave hers, but when it did, he realized one of the reasons that it felt so incredible was because he forgot to wear a condom. Skin on skin.
Was it subconscious? The image of her carrying his baby was a strong one. Still, he’d never do something so irresponsible without discussing it with her first. “Talia, I’m sorry. I was so crazed, I forgot a condom.”
“I know, but no worries. I am on the pill.”
“Okay. Good. I’m clean, by the way.”
“As am I.”
If it was good, why did he feel so bad? Was it because he wanted to get her pregnant?
After Talia righted her clothes and Hunter zipped up, they jumped into the golf cart and headed back to the compound to retrieve Margaret. With Elijah at the hospital with Tilly, the only obstacle would be Margaret’s husband, Rob. Hunter couldn’t wait to take care of the man. He’d teach him a long-overdue lesson for daring to touch his wife.
When they arrived at the end of the tunnel, they hopped off and Hunter punched in the code. The door opened and they came face-to-face with the barrel of two guns.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Stop right there,” Rob said, his gun pointed at Hunter’s forehead. “Give me a reason, punk.”
Hunter gritted his teeth. How the hell had the two men gotten the jump on them? How had they known where they were?
“I know you both have guns so slowly take them out and toss them on the floor.”
Hunter prayed Talia listened to the man. He could feel her vibrating with coiled energy. He removed his Sig and tossed it away. Talia did the same. “You, get over there,” Rob shoved him aside. “Tie him up,” he told Clint. The man grabbed his arms and yanked them behind his back. Hunter refused to let him know how much pain it caused. Clint pushed him into a chair and used duct tape to secure him in place. He made eye contact with Talia, silently conveying the message to stay calm.
“Was it you who killed Nadine?” Hunter asked.
Clint tried to look innocent, but failed miserably. “Nadine killed herself.”
“With help,” Hunter said. “She was murdered.”
“Well, I didn’t do it.”
“No? Who did? Rob?”
“No. We just strung her up.”
“So, it was Elijah?”
“Er, I didn’t say that,” Clint stuttered.
“Shut up, Clint,” Rob ordered as he stalked over. “You know what, McKay? I’ve wanted to do this since I met you.” His fist slammed into Hunter’s cheek and he saw stars. The chair teetered and crashed to the ground. With his hands bound behind
his back, he was unable to brace for the fall and his head bounced off the floor. His ears rang as his vision blurred.
“Pick him up,” Rob ordered Clint.
It took considerable effort, but Clint muscled the chair upright.
Rob swaggered around Talia, looking her up and down. “I’ve wanted to nail your wife from the first time I saw her. I’m going to do it now while you watch and can’t do anything about it. What do you say about that?”
“I say go for it,” Hunter slurred. He’d put his money on Talia every single time.
“You hear that, bitch? Your husband doesn’t care if I bone you. How about it, sweet thing, you want to know what it feels like to be with a real man?” He reached for her and before he could touch her, she’d flipped him head over heels and planted her foot on his windpipe.
“Hey,” Clint yelled jumping up to help. Hunter leapt up and swung around, slamming the chair legs into Clint’s stomach. The wood splintered, freeing his arms. Clint stumbled to the floor but managed to reach out and grab Talia’s foot, jerking her off balance. Rob gripped his gun and lifted it, squeezing the rapid-fire trigger to spray bullets before Talia kicked it out of his hand.
Pain sliced him, burning his arm but he ignored it to dive on Rob before he could grab the gun and fire off another shot.
Clint scrambled up to help but Talia took him out with one Muay Thai chop. While her attention was diverted, Rob swept out a leg and took her down. He punched Hunter in the arm…which he was pretty sure was broken…and his breath hissed out. He wasn’t sure if it was the first bullet or the second that cracked the bone, but the pain was intense. He was having trouble feeling his fingers. Rob pulled out a knife and lifted it up.
The door burst open and Sawyer and Mason rushed inside.
“Drop the weapon,” Sawyer ordered.
Rob looked from the two men back to Hunter and with a gleam, he lifted his arm to strike.
Two shots rang out. The knife clattered to the ground as Rob slumped over. Hunter flicked the weapon away and checked to make sure he was dead. He was.
Total Surrender (COBRA Securities Book 11) Page 20
