The call ended leaving the brothers conflicted. This was their biggest contract yet, and it was an international game changer. But their friend was still off the grid and assumed missing due to foul play.
“That was the best call yet, they seem pleased.” Declan said, offering a round of high fives.
“Boys, we see this thing through and we all can retire – live the good life.” Wylie wasn’t exaggerating, the deal was that lucrative. “I think I want a yacht. I’ll stick it right out there in the Willamette River, so I can look at it all day from my place upstairs.”
“You’re too young to retire, kid.” Declan corrected. “And you better name that boat Collie after Ma or she’ll smack the back of your head every time she sees you for buying something so extravagant.”
“We aren’t retiring.” Dace interrupted. “We’d get bored. You can only go fishin’ so much.”
“Amen.” Liam laughed.
“Where are we with Carter’s case?” Luke asked, changing the subject to one that affected him directly. As long as Carter was missing, things with Daisy remained in limbo. “We are considering him a case now, right? I know we sent a team, but anything new?”
Liam tapped at his keyboard, pulling up an unusual looking screen that didn’t have typical digital features the common cellular or internet-based messages did.
“What the hell is that? It looks like own of those analog or DOS screens from the nineties or something.” Dace questioned.
“It’s the private messaging system. It’s an untraceable system that combines old technology like DOS and analog but sends it using modern stuff like Wi-Fi and cellular signals by bouncing them off of multiple towers at random until they finally hit a jammer that will ensure anyone that was able to follow the message will lose it at that point. Not to mention that the message itself isn’t readable because I built the system and unless I give them access it just looks like old code and crap. They’ll never be able to piece it together and read it.” Liam finished with a pleased chuckle, all but patting himself on the back for being brilliant.
When he looked up, he saw four sets of eyes staring at him, confused and perhaps slightly irritated because what he just said may as well be a foreign language.
“Oh, uh. It’s just a program I’m testing for things just like this. I’m surprised he remembered to use it. Here.” Liam said, clicking a few last keys. “Now you can read it – it’s deciphered.”
“Does City find all that…sexy?” Dace asked, waving a hand in the direction of Liam and his wall of screens with a disgusted look. “I think you just gave yourself a hard-on.”
“Fuck you.” Liam said, offering a middle finger gesture to seal the sentiment.
Luke recited the message as it read on the screen. “Found something – major break – following lead - off grid – I’ll be in touch – need time to nail it all down and make it stick.”
“Jesus, that’s cryptic,” Declan added. “Off the grid? Needs time? How much time?”
“I don’t know.” Liam shrugged. “The fact that he used this system to message us tells me he knew someone was on him, listening, maybe watching.”
After running his hands through his hair, Luke leaned forward and buried his face in his hands while he thought this one out. “We need to give him time. He knows what he’s doing – he’s one of us – can handle his own.”
“Then what?” Wylie asked.
“Then we follow our gut.” Luke hated saying that because his gut was already in knots. “Let’s keep the teams in DC and Nashville. Eyes and ears everywhere.”
“Ro and Ryker are laying low, watching everyone. And nobody is making a move.” Declan offered.
“Then we wait until they do.” Luke rebutted.
As much as Luke wanted to do something drastic, go on a mission, find Carter and figure out what the hell he was chasing, he knew they were flying blind. Acting on a whim, or in his case, emotion because of Daisy, could cost them everything. Lives could be compromised and lost.
One thing he knew for certain, something didn’t smell right. It was not like Carter to disappear for so long without telling them more, or at lease sending a sign of life. It was dangerous in their line of work, especially given the enemies each of them had generated over the years. Luke feared an enemy caught up with one of them.
“Yeah,” Luke said, sharing his private thoughts out loud. If for no other reason than to convince himself that waiting was right. “Give him time – he’ll come up for air. He said this thing ran deep and he might find himself dismantling the Capitol if it ran the way he thought.”
A senator’s murder at a dinner party in such close quarters didn’t scream assassination by a ticked off constituent. It was personal, calculated, planned. DC was as dangerous as any criminal gang out there, maybe more so.
Luke wasn’t sure time was what Carter needed. In fact, the longer he was off the grid, the more he felt drawn to Daisy and keeping her stowed away, safe from the world. His brothers were already onto him and giving him shit where she was concerned. They were a bunch of assholes like that. He didn’t dare tell them anymore than he had to about his relationship with her – nor did he tell them about that razor-sharp chill that raced down his spine when he thought about what was at stake. Something dark and menacing was circling, and it was coming their way. He could feel it.
CHAPTER 10
Oddly, Luke couldn’t get back to the vault and Daisy fast enough. She was safe there, safe anywhere in Watermark, so it wasn’t about safety so much as it was just that he missed her. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Short of missing his Ma when he went to boot camp, he couldn’t remember a time where he missed anyone, like he missed Daisy. When he walked in and saw that she was on the balcony where he left her hours before, he couldn’t help but smile. The smiling was happening more frequently – that was Daisy’s doing too.
Luke stood in the doorway to the balcony and listened to her make magic. Papers were scattered about, a pencil in her hair, and one in her mouth too. She was in her element, completely focused. She was writing a song, it appeared – a beautiful song.
With a gentle knock to the door jam, as not to startle her, he got her attention. “Hey, brought take out from Scoops. You hungry?”
“Oh my God, yes. That place has quickly become a favorite.”
“That song, it’s…beautiful. You’re writing it.” He said a statement, not a question. “Why don’t you do that professionally? Your talent is endless with music, you could do a lot with it. In fact, we have a client that’s…”
“Whoa, reign it in, big guy.” She laughed, cutting him off before he could finish. “It’s just a hobby. I love it, but if it becomes a job, it will be forced and no longer fun. It’s my escape from everything, always has been.”
“You’ve never thought of selling songs, just here and there?”
“I have, but again, I don’t want to lose the magic. Where would I escape to then?”
He wanted to say, his bed, but thought better of it. “What are you writing?”
Daisy smiled. “My song for Liam and City. When she asked me to sing if I was still in town, I told her that even if the case was over, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Luke wasn’t sure what he liked hearing more, that she was so generous with his family, or that she wasn’t planning on hanging around for a while. “You’ve become close with them.”
“I adore them. It’s like the sisters and annoying brothers I never had.” She chuckled.
His immediate thought in that moment was, I adore you, but chose to say, “They are annoying.”
“But in a good way. You’re lucky you know…to have them.”
I’m lucky to have you. His own thoughts surprised him, all of which he couldn’t repeat because by doing so, he’d have to explain them, and he didn’t understand them himself. “I suppose.”
Luke knew how lucky he was. His family was his safety net. They were his sanity, despite how crazy they m
ade him. They were his reason and purpose. In that moment, he wanted to share that with her, he wanted her to have that too…with him. Daisy was quickly becoming his reason and purpose.
That scared the shit out of him. It was like Daisy flipped on a switch – one that made him feel and think of things he never had before. In such a short time she became the greatest part of his life, the part that could go on…forever.
“No, you really are. I would give anything to have family like that. You all just…take care of each other, even in subtle ways. Just knowing you have that must be…healing and comforting. It’s like home…always there with the lights on.”
I’d give anything to have you, Luke thought, then he realized, he was screwed.
An ounce of sadness fell from her words, and he wasn’t sure how to handle such raw emotions. This was all too new to him. Determined to shift the mood, he asked, “Did you just recite the song – is it a sappy family strong song?”
“Funny…but I mean it. You are lucky to have them. I’ll miss them…when…you know.”
And I’ll miss you. I don’t think I can let you go…not now…but I have to, he thought, but couldn’t say. Playing it safe with his poker face on, he said, “There’s always texting, email…it’s a quick plane ride too.”
The pained look on her face told him he wasn’t saying what she wanted. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she wanted to stay. Wanted him to ask her to stay. He couldn’t, though, and eventually she would see that.
He didn’t deserve her, or anything that resembled a relationship with her. He was broken, damaged goods, and didn’t deserve to be loved by anyone, especially someone like her. His family was stuck with him, but she wasn’t, and he wouldn’t ruin her like he knew he could. If she knew what he had done throughout his life, the awful things…she would be running from him.
“Well, when this is all said and done, I don’t know if I can go home, ya know? Too much happened there. I like it out here. Maybe I’ll travel a little, plant new roots and bring Gran out here when I’m settled. She’d love it here.” She went on, “Not here here, but this part of the country, it’s a different world out here. I like it.”
He knew about her Gran, more than she let on. Her optimism was commendable, but he dealt in harsh realities and the truth of the situation was that she wouldn’t be moving her Gran anywhere. Deep down he could tell she knew that but wasn’t ready to deal with it. Her Gran didn’t have a lot of time left, hence Daisy’s plan to travel, but he’d let her wander around in the place that she was in mentally and be there for her when she had to face the truth. If her Gran, her only relative, made it through the weeks and months they had until they finally had a smoking gun and trial, he would be surprised.
The tears welling in her eyes told him she was thinking the same thing. He sat next to her and put an arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and silently wept while they sat in silence. He didn’t need to say anything for her to know how he felt, he didn’t have the words anyway.
“I miss her” she whispered.
It broke his heart – something he didn’t think was possible. Her only family was hidden away from the world, all alone. Even if she wasn’t always lucid enough to be aware, the knowing was painful, especially for Daisy. He’d see what he could do about that. He’d call in some favors.
Days passed into weeks, and Carter was officially declared off the grid and considered missing. They gave him the time he requested and still hadn’t heard from him. The teams in DC and Nashville had grown in numbers and expanded their reach. Each with an ear to the ground, they still had not seen or heard anything from or about Carter.
Brother’s Keeper had officially deemed him a priority case calling in all resources – with little to nothing to work with. Liam was using the software he was developing for the government to test its abilities – and because every little bit helped – it was pulling a few leads. For the most part, they were flying blind with a double-edged sword. If Carter got to close to something and it bit back, there was no telling how close it was getting to Watermark and Daisy.
It had become abundantly clear that it wasn’t by choice that Carter was MIA. Whoever had him was good – too good, which meant Daisy may not be as safe as the brother’s thought, even if she was locked in the vault. It had Luke on edge. He was leaving Daisy less and less, and the cramped quarters were getting more and more cramped. He couldn’t ignore the feeling that they’d been compromised. Carter’s disappearance only validated that inkling he had been wrestling with. Whatever darkness was looming had landed, and it felt like it was coming from all sides – even if it was in their blind spots, he knew it was there. Luke and Daisy spent their days on edge, nerves raw, and their nights working out their problems in bed.
Daisy challenged him, made him think, want, feel, need. She was the devil and an angel that made him both dislike her and adore her. He couldn’t have the things she made him want. He couldn’t be honest with her, and if they had anything more between them, it would require total honesty – complete transparency. If she knew his truth, she would fear him more than the men she watched kill Senator Martinez in cold blood. Luke didn’t fear anything, except her knowing who he really was. And perhaps losing her.
Luke had been bringing the ladies up to the vault to keep Daisy company and set up a smartphone on their own internal network that couldn’t be traced beyond Watermark. With only the numbers she needed to talk, text, and even Facetime the ladies, or Colleen O’Reilly who’d quickly become a fan. Despite all the options, all Luke did was call and send cryptic texts…technology in this form wasn’t his thing. He could navigate a team out of a burning jungle using analog resources and intuition all day long, but a smart phone? He was at a loss.
Luke was getting ready leave. They were sending him on a recon mission to find Carter or at least more clues. Wylie and Eva were going too – she was their connection to the cartel and the cartel cells were what they were after. The cartels still trusted her and believed she was a hired liaison, so to speak, for Brother’s Keeper. It was important that she maintain that persona where they were concerned, as well as the other less than desirables they often infiltrated. They didn’t know she was on Brother’s payroll and under cover – nor could they know.
Luke had already packed his bag, so he’d be ready at a moment’s notice, all while trying to stay quiet while Daisy slept. He’d already been for his run with Gibson, showered, and was now staring at himself in the mirror.
He didn’t know what they would encounter while gone. Would he come back with more blood on his hands? Carter? Would they compromise the case and make Daisy vulnerable?
Every mission was different, and he walked through it a thousand times asking similar questions with everyone. Luke always thought ahead and reconciled what was at stake but this time the stakes were different. He didn’t recognize the emotion leaving Daisy and facing this mission provoked…he already missed her. And there was that other thing digging at him, demanding his attention and focus because it was the one thing that could interfere with the mission, and his own safety as well as that of his team. He supposed it might be considered fear.
Fear from missing her, fear from losing her, fear for putting her life potentially on the line with one wrong move – fear of never coming back to her. Death was always a possibility and a sacrifice he was willing to make for the greater good, for the republic. But now, even that was up for question. How far would he go for the republic if it came down to a choice between life or death, success or failure, or simply coming home to Daisy?
Luke dragged his hands through his beard, scary, he thought and laughed to himself. Daisy wasn’t wrong, it intimidated his enemy, but it was nothing more than a mask, a shield, a façade that was quickly changing. Changing because of her. She had become the one thing he thought could never come between him and his work, him and his country, him and his own family. Given a choice, he suspected it would always be her and that was the proble
m.
He needed to get out of his own head, get mission ready. He braced himself with each hand on either side of the sink. What had he gotten himself into and how was he going to get himself out? If there even was a way out, would he take it?
The smell of smoke caught his attention followed by the smoke detector. Rushing from the bathroom, he saw the bed was empty. Daisy was probably franticly looking for a way out and feeling trapped by whatever was on fire. Just outside the bedroom, in the open concept living space, he found Daisy perched on a stool at the breakfast bar in tears, fanning the smoke detector above the stove.
“I tried to make breakfast. I suck at cooking!” Daisy said breathlessly, trying to wave the smoke away. “I wanted to do something for you for a change. Like a good home cooked meal before you leave. I would have ordered in, but can’t because I’m locked in the tower like fucking Rapunzel.”
He grinned at her cursing and rant; even her frustration was adorable to him. He grabbed a plate, piled on burnt pancakes and runny eggs and ate it while she continued to fan the space and watch him in either awe, or disgust, he wasn’t sure. Then, he bit into burnt bacon with a hearty crunch, and that was enough for her. She plopped on the stool and buried her head in her hands.
Luke turned her barstool to face him. “Thank you. Breakfast was great.”
“It was awful – you must be used to eating dirt.”
“Sometimes.” He wasn’t kidding. He’d had his fair share of bad food when out in the field on a mission. “This is really…great.”
“Thanks for trying, but I know you’re lying. You don’t have to eat it.”
“But I’m enjoying it. The eggshells add an interesting texture. Probably protein or something too.”
Daisy swatted his arm. “See? It’s terrible.”
Her eyes welled up. “I’m absolutely useless here. I can’t even clean up because you’re oddly neat and tidy…like really neat and tidy.” With her arms fully extended, she scanned the room, as if showing him something he didn’t already know. The space was immaculate.
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