Forged Risk

by Sidney Bristol

  “Move.” Evan pushed past people, ignoring their curses, flattening her to the wall.

  A chugging engine crept by and even Jamie ducked his head.

  She caught a glimpse of red paint and a taillight as the sports car eased past.

  Felecia shook her head. This was no time to fall apart.

  She flipped open the wallet, pulled out cards and cash, then tossed the rest in a nearby garbage can. The phone she’d deal with later.

  “Come on, let me do the talking,” she said quietly.

  It was like she was two people. Half of her was locked in her mind, terrified and screaming while the rest of her was on auto-pilot, doing what had to be done.

  They merged in with the press of people, a sense of urgency settling on her.

  Trains didn’t stop long.

  She peered at the digital board behind the clerk and chewed on her lip.

  They had three, maybe five minutes.

  Felecia peeled off a few bills she’d taken off the dying man then tapped the person ahead of her. “Let me in front of you.”

  The man glanced from her to the money, snorted and stepped aside, pocketing the money.

  She used fewer words for the person ahead of him.

  By the time she reached the counter and shoved the last of the money across at the woman behind the window she wasn’t sure they’d be able to make the train. The woman slid three tickets to her.

  Felecia whirled, grabbed Evan’s arm and dove through the people.

  They sprinted through the station. It was small, with only two platforms, but their train was already beginning the final boarding call. She put on a burst of speed as the doors began to slide shut.

  Jamie darted in front of her, moving faster than her or Evan, and planted himself in the doors. He didn’t say anything—smart—but did wave them on.

  Felecia’s feet pounded on the floor of the train car. She bent over, sucking down air, her heart finally beginning to slow down a bit.

  “That was close,” Evan said. He reached up and scratched at his ear. “We’re on the train. See you tonight.”

  She didn’t think those words were for her.

  The rest of their team was out there, but they’d managed to get out of this unscathed.

  An older woman gave her a dirty look as she slid past them.

  Felecia straightened and grasped the bar overhead as the train rocked forward, beginning on its journey.

  “We need to find a different car where we can sit,” Jamie said glancing over his shoulder.

  “Front of the train.” She handed both him and Evan a ticket. “We have a private cabin.”

  “Stay between us.” Evan gently squeezed her arm while his gaze roving over the passengers.

  His hand slid down, but she caught it in hers.

  How easily could they have died today?

  Evan gave her hand a squeeze and tugged her after him.

  The train was newer, which surprised Felecia. They made their way through the cars all the way to the front of the train where nicer accommodations were offered. Along the way they were stopped by an attendant who clipped their tickets and told them to keep going.

  The cabin was clearly marked. Inside they had two padded benches facing each other along with a small TV mounted against the wall.

  She sank down on one bench while Evan and Jamie remained standing.

  “I think one of us should keep watch in the club car or something,” Evan said. There was a note of reluctance in his voice. “Just in case.”

  “Okay. I’ll go,” Jamie said.

  Felecia buried her face in her hands.

  It made sense for Evan to be the one to keep an eye out. He spoke the language. He looked like he belonged. But she wanted him here. With her.

  A man she’d known for years had tried to kill her.

  She’d killed a man today.

  What was she becoming?

  “I’ll check in every half hour,” Jamie said before the door opened and he was gone.

  Felecia squeezed her eyes shut tighter and tried to smother the guilt she felt over having Evan there with her still.

  All of this was because of her, and she didn’t deserve it.

  12.

  Tuesday. Train bound for Finland.

  Evan was grateful he’d been paired with Jamie. Any of the other guys would have aggravated the situation and made it worse. But Jamie understood the delicate nature of both protecting a woman and being there for her.

  Felecia’s dark hair hid her face as she bent forward, head in her hands.

  There was no doubt in Evan’s mind that under all of this she was a good person. Worth saving. But she had him wrapped around her finger. At every turn that thread connecting them was wound tighter and tighter until he couldn’t bear to even see her flinch or be sad.

  “Hey?” He slid his hand across her lower back to wrap around her waist.

  When she didn’t pull away from him he tugged her closer. She let him pull her to his chest and cradle her there. Then the first sniffle came. She tried to muffle it, but she’d stuffed too much behind that damn of emotions.

  “It’s okay,” he murmured and stroked her back.

  She fisted the front of his shirt with one hand and clung to him with the other as the first sob shook her.

  “Go on, get it out,” he whispered.

  This was his fault.

  He knew that thought was ridiculous. They’d come here as part of a job. They’d found her as part of that same job. If they’d quit the Task Force, it would be someone else who would have found her. Things could have turned out very different. None of it shifted the blame for this moment anywhere though.

  She’d been forced to kill a man to protect herself today. That alone was tough.

  Then there was the man in the alley.

  Evan had seen her face. He knew that man was familiar to her. And she’d watched that man die, too.

  Felecia curled up next to him, the sorrow spilling out of her. They had the time and the luxury of letting her have this moment, though eventually she did cry herself out. He was glad when the tears finally stopped. Each sniffle and sob still tortured his insides. It was something he should be at least a little immune to seeing as he’d grown up with sisters who could cry at a drop of a hat. But he wasn’t.

  At long last she was quiet, her face still hidden from him.

  He let a little more time pass before easing away from her and bumping her chin up.

  Felecia kept her stare on the floor, but she didn’t hide her red, puffy face from him. He brushed her hair back and wiped the last wetness from her cheeks.

  “It’ll get better,” he whispered.

  “Promise?” She tried to smile, but it was a weak attempt that never took hold.

  He shouldn’t promise, but in that moment he’d say anything. “Yes.”

  She really did smile then. For a moment it touched her eyes, but then it was gone again.

  “Are you okay?”

  Felecia nodded.

  “Did you get hurt at all?” He once more took her cheek in his hand, turning her head a bit so he could look at her.

  “No. I’m fine.”

  He still checked her hands and arms. She had a few scratches, but it was hard to say where she’d gotten those. He still passed his hands over her legs, knocking some bits of glass and debris out of the folds of fabric.

  Evan went to a knee in front of her, looking up at her face. He laid a hand against her side, the feel of the Kevlar vest under her hoodie comforting. At least to him.

  “How you doing?” he asked softly.

  One side of her mouth quirked up. “How many times are you going to ask me that?”

  “Until I know you’re okay.”

  Her eyes widened a bit and her lips parted.

  Had anyone ever put her first? Really considered her well-being? He doubted it.

  The train rocked and he put out a hand to steady himself.

  “Sit.” She tugged
on his hand.

  Evan sat next to her, only this time she twisted to face him, still holding onto his hand.

  Felecia blew out a breath and traced his thumbnail. “I expected Dad to send people after me, but this? Trying to kill me?”

  That was his fault. He’d made this worse.

  “I’m just glad no one on your team was hurt.” She lifted her gaze to meet his. “I’m glad you aren’t hurt.”

  He did his best to smile, but he wasn’t Jamie or Harper. He couldn’t crack jokes at the worst of times. “I’m hard to kill.”

  “Stay that way, okay?” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone.

  He watched her try to unlock the device, but without a passcode they were out of luck. Instead she picked the phone apart, separating the pieces like a pro. It was clear she knew what she was doing.

  Evan thought back on their turbulent morning.

  Was her father trying to kill her now?

  He’d sent the former SEALs after them. The one she’d called Caleb had to have been nearly on top of her when she shot the man. It was hard to say if he’d had a kill order. In Evan’s shoes, he’d have taken the shot at a distance, spare himself the risk of getting up close with a cornered target.

  “We don’t know for sure your dad’s trying to kill you,” he said slowly.

  “But, what happened on the road...?”

  “Why not throw a grenade at the car? Ram it? They tried to force us to stop.” He shook his head. “I’m not certain—I can’t be—but he could still be trying to take you alive. And that gives you power. But I don’t want you to risk yourself, okay?”

  She nodded and her gaze slid down to his chest, a line of worry marring her brow.

  He wanted so badly to lift the burden from her shoulders. To help her. To make promises he shouldn’t.

  “What next?” she whispered. “After Helsinki?”

  “I think that depends on what you decide to do,” he said slowly. He sure as hell hadn’t forgotten what she’d told him sitting in front of the elevators.

  “I want for my word to be enough. I want for what I know to be enough.” She sighed and slouched a bit, defeat hanging around her shoulders.

  Evan studied her. He’d come to a conclusion already, he just hadn’t told her. Or anyone for that matter. But he was committed.

  “Felecia?” He squeezed her hand until she glanced up at him. “I’m going to help you. It might mean stashing you somewhere until this is over. It might mean you have to lay low somewhere for a while. But, I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of. I know people.”

  If possible, her eyes only seemed sadder.

  “What?”

  “I think I’m going to have to tell the others about...you know.”

  Her leverage.

  Why did that make her this despondent?

  “You know that means we’ll be able to put away a lot of bad people, right? It might even make things safer for you. If you can hand that to Zora, I can’t imagine she’d refuse to help you.”

  “What happens after that?” She stared off over his shoulder, not seeing the train at all.

  It had to be overwhelming to spend most of her life locked away, only able to see the rest of the world through a television, and then be thrust into it.

  She needed to think about something else. Something that would lighten her load. Make her smile. The only problem with that was that he shouldn’t be crossing any line with her. It was far too late to haul himself back over the line.

  Screw it.

  He couldn’t take her looking sad anymore.

  “Well, after all of that I suppose things would calm down enough I could ask you on a date.”

  Felecia blinked at him. He’d surprised her.

  Good.

  “If you said yes, I’d spend at least twelve hours obsessing over picking just the right restaurant. You’d spend just as much time picking out an outfit. In the end, you’d be too nervous to eat and I’d forget to compliment how good you look.”

  That made her laugh and a twinkle return to her warm, brown eyes. “Then what?”

  “Oh, well, we’d have to do something after dinner. Take a walk, boat ride, something. Maybe end up at home, eating leftovers in our pajamas.” He had to admit, that last bit sounded awfully appealing. A thought occurred to him. “Have you been on a date before?”

  “Ah, not really what you’d call a date.” She glanced down and away. “Even when Dad wasn’t hiding us, he and Mom were really old school. First time I ran away though, I did go on a date. Kind of. We got pizza and watched a movie in the park.”

  “Damn.” Real disappointment settled in him. He wanted to be her first, even if that was silly.

  Her thumb swiped over his knuckled and she peered at him.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  He wasn’t sure what she was referring to, so he simply smiled back at her. He was tangled around her even though he knew the dangers. He knew them and he didn’t care. Not one bit.

  TUESDAY. SAFE HOUSE. Helsinki, Finland.

  Felecia didn’t breathe an easy breath until they were behind the secure doors of the Helsinki safe house. Evan had explained during the train ride that Kelsey had taken their return route, setting these sites up so that they had destinations ready for them.

  It sounded smart. All of it.

  While Evan and Jamie began going over the security measures, Felecia wandered the cozy little flat squeezed into the heart of Helsinki. She’d never been to the city before, but she’d read about it. The thing that struck her most about the little she’d seen was how clean the place was. Another time, maybe in another life, she’d like to come back and tour the place. Take pictures. Buy silly souvenirs she didn’t need.

  She wound up in the kitchen and without anything better to do, set a kettle on the stove to make tea.

  The train had them almost an hour ahead of the rest of the team. There hadn’t been any further attacks, but she didn’t think that would last long. All it would take was the right person asking the right questions to find out they’d boarded a train. Helsinki was an obvious destination point, and all airports had watchers, people working for someone, keeping an eye out for persons of interest.

  She knew as soon as they went to the airport she’d become a target again.

  Did her dad want her dead?

  The whistling of the kettle broke the maddening silence answering that question. She went through the motions of making tea, adding sugar and getting it just right.

  Evan had given her a lot to think about. He’d spent much of the train ride distracting her, getting her to laugh and forget that morning, which she appreciated. But all the while she’d turned the problem over every which way in her mind.

  The leverage was her only sure bet. But even that came with risks.

  Dad wouldn’t let her just waltz in and take it. She’d have to fight for it.

  That was if he didn’t move everything.

  She wasn’t a fool. She knew he had to have entrusted someone with his insurance plan. Whoever that was could probably pick it all up and move at the drop of a hat. It could be gone already. But it was a chance she’d have to take.

  Felecia sipped one cup then another, building her plan in the silence. Deep down she hoped that when this was over, when it was all done, she could have that date with Evan. Hell, she’d settle for leftovers on the sofa in pajamas with him.

  By the time a staccato knock sounded at the door she had a plan in mind. It wasn’t a great one, but it was what she had.

  Evan and Jamie appeared, guns drawn despite telling her they knew it was the others. One by one, the rest of their team entered, carrying bags and trunks of gear they’d salvaged from the flat that morning. They piled it all up against one wall, exchanging hushed words.

  Kelsey was the only one who paid her any mind. The woman crossed to the table, pulled out a chair and plopped down.

  “Tea enough for two?” she asked.

 
“Yes.” Felecia picked up the tea pot and poured Kelsey a cup. “Everything okay?”

  “As okay as it can be after five hours in a car with those assholes.” Kelsey nodded over her shoulder at the men. “How’s you?”

  “I’m sorry?” Felecia blinked at the other woman.

  Kelsey chuckled. “How are you?”

  “Oh.” Felecia flushed a bit. Most of the time she did well understanding the team, but every now and then their words tripped her up. “Fine.”

  Kelsey studied her a moment.

  Felecia sipped her tea to keep from filling the silence. She wasn’t truly fine, but she needed to be.

  “Okay,” Kelsey said at last.

  Felecia felt eyes on her. She glanced away from the other woman and found Evan looking at her. Was it time?

  “I want everyone at the table in ten,” Logan said, pitching his voice loud enough he couldn’t be ignored.

  Felecia nodded just a bit. Evan bobbed his head, acknowledging what she’d just agreed to.

  She said a muttered prayer under her breath that this wouldn’t go badly. It was one thing to try to capture her father, it was another to back him into a corner. She didn’t have a good feeling about this no matter what Evan told her.

  “You don’t look so great,” Kelsey said.

  “I have to do something I don’t want to do,” Felecia said carefully.

  Kelsey nodded as if that made perfect sense. “Tea is good.”

  Felecia folded her hands in her lap and stared at the table, listening to the men move around her. Someone turned the oven on and someone else pulled things out of the freezer to make their dinner with. Kelsey refilled Felecia’s tea cup and they sat in relative silence while the men gathered around. There were more people than chairs, so Evan came to stand behind her, hand on her chair where she could feel the press of his fingers against her shoulder.

  Logan finally joined them and took up position just behind Kelsey. There was a long scratch across his cheek and nose. With the dark circles under his eyes and the hard stare, he was not a man Felecia wanted to meet in a dark alley. Which she supposed was good for her, bad for anyone coming after them.

  “Well, it’s been a day,” Logan said.

  A few of the guys muttered something in reply, but nothing Felecia could hear.