Maybe she’d fly to Buenos Aires and volunteer on a biodiversity project they were doing in Patagonia. Maybe find a good-looking Argentinian to take her mind off the American she couldn’t stop thinking about.
Her cell rang, and she pulled it from her pocket, barely saying “Hello” before Sienna’s voice came over the line. Shit. She was high and crying and begging for Audrey to come and get her. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. She and Sienna had been getting on better since Audrey got back, but she could see the strain beginning to tell on her baby sister. Hell, she was feeling it too. Sienna babbled out her location and hung up before Audrey could reply.
Dammit.
What should she do? Her mom would have a mental breakdown if there was any more drama around here.
She hadn’t left this house since she’d come home to a hero’s welcome, escorted by federal agents and her two buff bodyguards. Thankfully, the press had lost interest and gone home after she’d given them a sound bite. It had been patently obvious she wasn’t going to say anything more.
She checked her watch. It wasn’t late. She could be there and back in under forty minutes. God, Sienna’s addiction was frustrating and infuriating and yet Audrey felt the weight of responsibility lying heavily on her shoulders. Even though rationally she knew it wasn’t her fault, Devon had still targeted Sienna because of her. It hadn’t been easy for Sienna to know she’d been used that way. Audrey knew from personal experience just how much it sucked.
If she took her father’s car and left now she could get her sister back before anyone knew Sienna had screwed up. Tomorrow she’d call a rehab center and get Sienna booked in and clean. If it didn’t work, at least she’d tried.
She snagged her father’s keys and crept into the garage, quietly closing the door. She pulled on her dad’s white ball cap and sunglasses even though it was dark. Logan and Noah wouldn’t know she was gone.
She sped across town, down Zorn Avenue, taking River Road toward Cox’s Park. When she was in high school this was an area where teens had parked, but more recently it was where Sienna went to get high.
High school had seemed like such a zoo at the time. It had often felt like the world was going to end though it never had. Now getting dumped by Patrick Killion felt like the end of the world. It was going to be hard as hell to recover from. Sure, she had her work—to a point—but it hadn’t taken many seconds after he’d sent her away so callously to realize she’d never get over him. Bastard.
She swallowed down the sadness.
She didn’t really hate him. She just wished she did because the idea of going on without him made the rest of her life loom empty and lonely ahead of her. She loved him.
But she hadn’t told him how she felt. She’d been too scared of rejection. Crazy after all they’d been through together. Watching him work Devon with his lies and fabrication had been eye opening. He didn’t need to torture anyone to get what he wanted. He twisted words, made his target believe one thing, even though it was patently obvious to the observer that it was a lie…
Her hands tightened on the wheel and she gasped out loud. “That rat bastard.”
He’d conned her exactly the same way he’d conned Devon, and she’d been too insecure to realize it. Or he’d been telling the truth…
Her hands shook.
Could he have been acting when he’d rejected her so cruelly? She didn’t know. And she had no way of asking him. She could ask Logan or Noah, but that idea made her uncomfortable. If she were wrong about this she’d rather be wrong with a stranger.
She dialed the number Killion had given her in the cabin in Tennessee before he’d realized it had been the cavalry on the doorstep, not the cops.
“Frazer,” a deep voice answered.
“Uh, my name is Audrey Lockhart.”
“Dr. Lockhart. I trust you’re feeling better after your ordeal?”
Her throat felt like she swallowed a mouthful of broken glass. Sienna’s Prius was parked just up ahead. The wide expanse of the river glistened in the background as it snaked on by. She pulled over. “I was wondering if you could pass on a message to Patrick Killion for me.”
“Of course. What is it?”
She thought of all the stupid frog jokes she could send as a coded message, but the bottom line was, “I love him. I know he is way too busy doing important things that we average Americans can barely guess at,” her sarcasm came through, loud and clear, “but just tell him that I love him even though he gave me the world’s crappiest goodbye. I expected more of him.”
She heard the smile in the FBI agent’s voice. “I will pass that on. Where are you?”
Just from the way he said it she knew he was watching her phone signal. “You obviously already know. My sister got high. I’ve come to pick her up and take her home.” It was easier to talk to a stranger about this stuff than people she knew, she realized.
“Do you have your protection detail with you?”
“I’m heading right back home as soon as I get Sienna—”
“Turn around and pick up your protection detail.”
“I’m right here.” She frowned. “Well, that looks odd.”
“What?” he asked tersely.
“It doesn’t look like there’s anyone in the car.” She opened her door.
“Get back in the car and turn around. Masters and Zacharias are en route to your location.”
She fumbled the phone and jerked forward to catch it just as the windshield exploded.
* * *
“SO YOU’RE REALLY not planning to see her again? Ever?” Noah asked between bites of a burger Killion had picked up for him on the way over.
Killion had to restrain himself from putting his fist through Noah’s face. The Brit’s innocent expression failed to disguise his desire to go after Audrey for himself. Killion turned away from his friend. It was going to be up to Audrey whom she dated. His stomach twisted, and he felt sick at the thought of her in another man’s arms.
He shouldn’t have come here, but he hadn’t been able to resist seeing Audrey one last time. Even so, he still hadn’t worked up the courage to knock on her parents’ door yet.
She must hate him. But another part of him was worried she didn’t. That after a few days she’d look back on their time together and realize it was just one of those in-the-moment affairs that meant nothing in the real world.
The fact he preferred hate to indifference showed what a sick sonofabitch he really was. He took a swig of beer that he’d also brought with him for the guys, and downed half a bottle.
Tomorrow he had a new assignment. He’d been put in charge of intelligence operations throughout the Middle East. After all the mistakes he’d made during this mission, it was a dream job. One he was eminently qualified for. A huge responsibility. An important position.
Despondency dragged at his soul.
First, he had to tie up a few loose ends here. Logan and Noah needed an update and a thank you. They’d saved his ass, more importantly, they’d saved Audrey’s.
“Manuel Gómez has agreed to the staged escape in exchange for working for the US and the guarantee that the cartel will stop going after Audrey.”
“How do you know you can trust him?” asked Noah skeptically.
“We don’t.” Killion shrugged. “But Manuel’s reign was a lot less bloody than his brother’s currently is. He knows that Raoul played a part in his arrest. He also knows we know where to find him. I played him a recording of my conversation with Devon Brightman, and I’m betting Raoul won’t live past Valentine’s Day.”
Noah looked disappointed. The Regiment still wanted their piece of Raoul Gómez, but this was the best he could do for Audrey. It had taken all his chips to negotiate this deal. Every piece of goodwill the president and Frazer had for him had been played out. But it was worth it. Audrey would be off the cartel’s hit list.
“What happens to Brightman?” asked Noah.
Killion grinned. “He’s feeding
the cops some bullshit story about this giant conspiracy involving the VP and being kidnapped by the CIA in downtown Louisville. They stopped listening when they matched a gun in his apartment to his sister’s murder. Locals are prosecuting the sonofabitch. Every word he spouts makes him look more desperate.”
“And June or Tracey or whatever the fuck her name is? Any sign?”
She was the only piece of the puzzle that still bothered Killion. “Not yet. FBI accountants found her money, and it’s only a matter of time before she tries to access it. Parker has some people who can take over from you guys in a couple of days, by the way.” A second car bomb had killed a data analyst called Peter Fredericks. It turned out he and Vanek were old friends, and he’d probably been her inside source of information.
“Someone’s leaving the house.” Logan told them from the window. “Looks like the father’s vehicle.” Logan relaxed but then picked up the walkie-talkie and asked Audrey to confirm her location. There were a few seconds of silence. “She’s not answering.”
“I’ll go over and make sure everything’s okay.”
“You sure that’s a good idea? You were pretty harsh with the brushoff,” Noah asked with wide-eyed innocence.
Logan tried to hide a smile. Killion kicked the chair Noah was leaning back on. “Asshole.”
Killion left before Noah could pick himself up off the floor. It was crazy that he felt so proprietary over Audrey when he’d dumped her so publically. Fuck. He stopped walking and stared up at the sky for a brief moment before he strode across the street. Time to get this over with.
Before he could knock on the door, Noah was running out of the house, holding his cell.
“Tracker signal has her on the move.”
“What?” Where the hell was she going?
“I’m following her, Logan’s staying here. You check the house.”
Killion shook his head. “I’m coming with you.”
They ran to the Brits’ rental that was parked in front of the neighbor’s house and jumped in. Killion checked his weapon and put it back in his holster.
“She might have just popped out for something,” Noah suggested helpfully.
Killion tried to call her, but she was engaged. Dammit. “Whatever the reason I’m going to—”
“You already broke her heart, Patrick. There’s not much you can do to top that, mate.”
Killion swallowed what he wanted to say. Shit. “I just want her safe.”
“We both know no one is ever completely ‘safe.’”
“Where the hell is she going?” He stared at the dot on the screen as she headed toward the river. Then his cell rang, and it was Frazer.
“Audrey Lockhart just called me to ask me to tell you you’re an asshole, but she loves you anyway. Then there was a gunshot.”
Elation then ice filled Killion’s veins.
“Where are you?” asked Frazer.
“We’re about five minutes behind her.” And every second felt like a million years.
“She said her sister was high, and she went to pick her up. Think Vanek set this up?”
“Yes.”
“I’m calling the locals for backup.”
Killion hung up. “Pretty sure Vanek set her up using her sister as bait.”
Noah swore. “That is one sneaky bitch.”
Killion didn’t say anything. If June Vanek hurt Audrey she wouldn’t survive their next encounter. But if Audrey died, neither would he.
Chapter Twenty-Four
AUDREY HAD WATCHED enough cop movies to know the best place to hide from a bullet was behind the engine block of a car.
The gunman had shot out both front tires just as Audrey had been about to drive away from this ambush.
God, how stupid could she be? Was Sienna still alive? Probably not, and grief washed over her even as another bullet smashed into the radiator. She gripped her phone in her hand and pressed Noah’s speed dial button.
“Audrey?”
Then another voice. One she recognized with every nerve in her body. “Where the hell are you?” asked Killion.
“Cox’s Park. Just off River Road. Someone is shooting at me, but I can’t see where they are firing from.”
“Pistol or rifle?”
“How the heck would I know?”
“Okay. Sorry. We’re on our way. Just sit tight. We’re five minutes out.”
“Okay.” She was shaking so badly she could barely grip the cell. She was so sick of this terror that kept following her everywhere. She wanted this over. She wanted her life back.
A voice shouted out of the darkness. “You willing to swap your life for your sister’s?” Female.
“If you go to her, I will fucking shoot you myself,” Killion shouted so loud she didn’t need the phone against her ear.
She laughed. “I love you, Patrick. I meant to tell you, but I fell for that act back at the warehouse. I’m so stupid because I’d just watched the full performance you did on Devon. I never for a moment thought you’d do it to me, too.”
The rush of the nearby river almost drowned out his words. “I figured it would be easier if you thought I didn’t care.”
“Easier?” She choked out a laugh. “Having my heart shredded by your professional indifference was supposed to be easier?”
“My career makes it too dangerous to have a relationship—”
She laughed harshly. Another gunshot rang out. This one close enough to brush against her hair. She screamed and curled herself into an even smaller ball.
“I’m going to shoot Sienna in her pretty little head if you don’t come out,” said a sing-songy voice in the darkness.
“Don’t you move, Audrey.” Killion sounded beyond pissed.
She wiped a tear from her face. “I actually figured out you didn’t do relationships before we had sex. And you seem to forget I was already in danger before you turned up.” She heard the swish of footsteps through grass. “Oh, God. She’s coming.”
“We’re almost there.”
“So is she.” Audrey peeked up over the hood. An attractive blonde woman appeared about thirty feet away, carrying a rifle. If Audrey ran for the road she’d be picked off. Same if she ran anywhere except through the brush down into the river. She contemplated jumping into the water for three whole seconds, but its treacherous currents would pull her under and suck her deep. She’d never survive, especially when the temperature was close to freezing.
Another shot, and Audrey felt the sting of a bullet across her scalp and the hot rush of blood gushing over her face. She screamed and dropped the phone. Killion was shouting so loudly she could still hear him even though she was sprawled on her back in the mud. He sounded a long, long way away. Wishing things could have been different between them, she closed her eyes and lay there, absolutely still.
* * *
IN ALL HIS years as an Intelligence Officer, Killion had never experienced the kind of terror he felt when he heard the gunshot followed by Audrey’s scream that was abruptly cut off.
“She’s been hit.” He called nine-one-one on his phone and requested an ambulance to go along with the cops. “It isn’t far.”
The tracker signal was about a quarter of a mile down a gravel road. Noah gunned the engine knowing speed was more important than stealth if Audrey had been incapacitated with a gunshot wound. Finally they came to a clearing by the river and there was Audrey’s dad’s SUV lit up by the headlights. June Vanek stood beside it, looming over Audrey’s prone body, holding a rifle pointed down at her.
Rage overcame him, and he rolled out of the car, coming up in a crouched firing stance.
“Drop the weapon, June. It’s over!”
“What’s it like to be a few seconds too late, Patrick?” Her voice dripped vitriol. Her finger was wrapped tight around the trigger. If he shot her she’d probably fire anyway and hit Audrey. And just because Audrey looked dead, didn’t mean she was. Audrey was a fighter. He ignored the fear that corroded the edges of his heart and
stared into June’s laughing face.
Victory shone in her eyes.
Suddenly, Audrey kicked June between the legs, and the barrel of the rifle jerked up into the air.
He nailed June between the eyes with two shots and watched with grim satisfaction as she toppled over onto the ground. Audrey was instantly on her feet, crimson blood streaking her face, making her look like the survivor from a horror movie.
“Where are you hit?” Killion ran toward her and started pulling at her clothes to try to find the wound. She shoved him off her.
“It’s just a graze along my scalp. We have to find Sienna.” She stumbled away and ran toward a stand of trees while he stood staring at her like an idiot.
Noah sprinted after her. Killion shook himself out of his stupor and raced after them both, catching up before they got to the trees. A silver sedan was parked in the shadows, and Audrey’s sister lay in the back seat. Killion held his breath as Noah felt for a pulse.
“She’s breathing. Gunshot wound to the shoulder.” He started working his magic, and Killion called the cops to give them the all clear, making sure his weapon was back in its holster as two cruisers screamed down the gravel road. He waved them over. They radioed the ambulance crew and, after what felt like forever, the paramedics were on scene.
He pulled Audrey away so they could work. She turned and started crying, resting her head on his chest. “Thank you. Thank you for coming and saving me again.”
“You were doing a pretty good job on your own.”
“No.” She shook her head. “As much as you hate praise, I’d have died if you hadn’t turned up exactly when you did. It’s a habit I happen to appreciate.”
“Hate praise?” He attempted a grin. “Are you sure you’re talking to the right guy?”
“Oh, you’re definitely the right guy.”
His arms went around her at that, and he pulled her tight against him. God, he’d missed this. Her softness, her scent, her grit. He closed his eyes and tried to imprint this feeling on his memory. As his heart started to return to normal, he was hit by renewed worry. How the hell was he going to tell her he had to leave tomorrow? How could he return to her arms only to leave again the next day?
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