Circle of Deception

by Carla Swafford

  “Where did you get this?”

  “A guy I know builds them special and doesn’t mind having a woman tell him how to design it.” She picked up a plastic box and flipped open the lid. When she pulled out the same kind of silver bullet Rex had found, Abby stumbled back.

  “Damn it, Olivia. Where did you get those?”

  “Rex sent over a box for Collin to examine and test.”

  “Is that a Hell’s Purifier?” Marie craned her neck to get a better look.

  Charlie muttered, “Shit,” and looked around as if she was trying to figure out a safe place to hide.

  “Hell’s Purifier.” Abby shook her head. “I hate it when people call inanimate objects names like that. It romanticizes it. Where do people come up with that crap?”

  “There’s nothing romantic about the Inferno. I’m guessing they expect this to cleanse the world for them.” Marie’s frown changed in a blink to a full-blown smile. She slapped Charlie on the shoulder and pointed a thumb toward two large black SUVs pulling up.

  Rex and Arthur Ryker stepped out of the nearest SUV as a couple guards exited the other one. Hanging back, Abby watched the scarred and intimating leader of The Circle give his wife a crooked smile. He appeared human.

  “Be careful, Olivia. We don’t need to be playing with them.” Collin walked out of the shadows and kneeled next to his wife.

  Where did he come from? The man was creepy good at showing up where he wasn’t expected. He’d proven that a couple times in the past.

  Abby heard a click and looked over to her friend.

  Olivia had set up the rifle on the mat and stretched out behind it. “I never play around with my weapons—you know that, sugar pop.”

  Collin growled in warning, “Olivia.”

  She grinned as she looked through the scope. “Watch this.” She took a deep breath, waited a second, and then squeezed the trigger.

  A ten-foot section of the twenty-six-foot dirt-filled mound exploded into the air, leaving a hole the size of a bowling ball, spewing fire, in the concrete wall behind it.

  “Jesus H. Christ! That’s some ammo!” Charlie raised her arms and folded them over the top of her head, eyes wide.

  Abby’s hands trembled as she stuck them in her pockets. She’d understood what Rex and Jack had told her about the bullets, but seeing them at work confirmed how dangerous they were to civilians and military personnel alike.

  “Everything all right with you?” Rex stopped next to her.

  “We’ve got to stop this guy.” She swallowed, trying to calm down.

  “Just think if we had the microcomputer set up on this rifle with the software to program the microdot, the bullet could’ve turned and hit Charlie.” Olivia looked over her shoulder at the other woman.

  “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.” Shaking her head, Charlie dropped her arms to her sides. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in the SUV.”

  Collin shook his finger at Olivia, obviously holding back a smile, and walked over to talk with Rex and Ryker. Surviving deadly situations as often as they did, it was easy to develop a warped sense of humor that was hard for others to understand.

  Abby waited until Marie followed Charlie into the SUV and closed the back passenger door. “Olivia, why do you do that? You should be ashamed of yourself. She admires you and you just scared the crap out of her.” Sometimes she wondered what caused Olivia to act that way.

  “Admires me?” Olivia’s forehead wrinkled and she darted a look to where Charlie sat with her back to the side window, avoiding her view of the mound. Marie patted her friend’s shoulder and listened intently to her.

  “What’s the real reason you brought me out here?”

  Olivia looked over her shoulder at where the men stood before moving her attention back to Abby and softly saying, “I knew if we stayed in the house, you wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about Rex. I hadn’t planned for them to follow us out here.”

  “What makes you think I want to talk about him no matter where we’re standing? I certainly don’t want to when he’s only a few feet away.”

  With delicate eyebrows lifted, Olivia dipped her chin. “Are you really trying to pull that on me? I know you. For the last few months now, you’ve pretended you like how things are between the two of you. Now that you’re going undercover, it’ll be different. You know, pretending to be a married couple, you’ll be with him up close and personal every waking moment. This is your chance to see if what you two had was real.”

  “Hey, I already know it was lust and nothing else.”

  “If that was true, it wouldn’t bug you so much to see him with Nic.”

  “It doesn’t bug me.” She turned away, hoping the shadows concealed her flushed face.

  “Liar.” Olivia grinned. “Just go with it and see what happens. If nothing else, you’ll have him out of your system and show yourself to be an excellent operative willing to go the extra mile.”

  “Have you and Jack been talking?”

  “Jack? Hell, no.”

  Seeing Olivia’s reaction, Abby decided to ask, “Is it true that you and Jack hooked up for a short while before he came to work for The Circle?”

  “Who told you that?”

  She shrugged. “Just something I heard and figured you wouldn’t mind me asking.”

  “You of all people should know you can’t believe everything you hear.”

  Abby stared at her for a few more seconds. Olivia hadn’t really answered her question. Not that it was important. She just liked to deal with the truth. Often it helped her understand people’s reasoning for saying the things they did. A person’s past influenced their every thought, including how they reacted to situations and their expectations of how others would react.

  A pop followed by a whistling caught her attention. Then an explosion of light lit up the darkness nearby. The sharp smell of burned skin and hair filled the air as it rained thick blobs of something. In seconds, everyone ran low to the ground, straight for the shelter of the SUVs. Abby slid to a stop next to a wheel for extra protection. Rex bumped into her as he landed on his knees beside her. At the other end of the SUV, Ryker hunched over Marie, protecting her with his body.

  Abby shook her head. Why had the woman gotten out of the vehicle? Marie would be so much safer back in the SUV—that was, if the person or persons shooting resisted firing on the vehicles. Then she heard Charlie cussing on the other side of the passenger door. A smart woman to drop to the floorboards, but they needed to find out who was shooting before someone was killed.

  “Where’s Olivia?” Panic raced through her body. She pulled out her Sig from the holster at the small of her back.

  “She can take care of herself. Were you hit?” Rex eyed her with concern. Moisture on her face and arms warned she would need to take an extra-long shower that night.

  “I’m fine. Where’s Olivia?” Oh, God. She prayed the pieces of burning flesh hadn’t been anyone she knew.

  Rex jerked his head toward where they’d parked earlier.

  Abby stretched her neck to peer over the bumper. Olivia and Collin crouched at opposite ends of another SUV. So far only one person had been hit. No sight of the guard who had been standing near the vehicles. She guessed it was him. Where was the second one?

  Several more pops echoed in the air; then the ominous whistling sound zipped overhead and struck the second guard, who was kneeling behind an overturned firing range table. His body exploded and scattered chunks of flame over several yards. Abby heard choking near her. Marie threw up in the grass while Ryker held her hair from her face.

  A sick feeling clutched her stomach.

  “That whistling, is it what I think it is?” She kept her voice low, not sure if she did so to keep the enemy from hearing her or to listen for that horrible sound.

  “Yeah. We heard a case reached Inferno. They’re pissed and want the rest. They must have the software to program the chip.”

  “You’re sure it’s them?”

  “We hav
en’t heard of anyone else receiving one.” At that moment, the revving of several engines broke the silence. “The cavalry is on the way.”

  “Help for us?” She hated the helpless feeling.

  “Ryker called in support after the first shot.” Rex thumbed her cheek and leaned forward.

  Abby jumped back when more gunfire echoed around her. The difference was no whistling followed.

  A motorcycle slid to a stop nearby. Jack cut the engine and let it fall to the ground. “After we fired back, the shooter disappeared. Anyone else get hit?”

  A few other motorcycles pulled up, and Circle operatives scrambled to check over everyone while headlights flashed in the trees from the direction they believed the sniper had hidden.

  “It appears they only got the two guards,” Ryker spoke up.

  Olivia headed over to where Abby stood.

  “A bit of a coincidence, wouldn’t you think?” Abby asked, not really expecting an answer. She suspected the sniper had killed only the guards on purpose. Maybe the Inferno hoped it would halt The Circle’s efforts in stopping the sale and manufacture of the Hell’s Purifier.

  When Jack didn’t answer, she noticed how his gaze remained on Olivia as if he wanted to see for himself that she was okay.

  “They could’ve easily taken out one of us, and it would’ve certainly slowed down the investigation but never stopped it.” Rex stepped in front of her.

  Why block her view of his brother? Her attention on Jack was nothing more than curiosity. Olivia acted like Jack was nothing more than furniture, but he stared at Olivia as if she were a piece of spicy candy.

  She had to admit that Rex’s back was a better view. Wide shoulders and small hips with just enough of a curve down to his buttocks that her fingers itched to grab his cheeks.

  A light touch on her arm brought her gaze to her friend’s concerned face.

  “Let’s go back to your house and have that drink I promised you, Marie, and Charlie,” Olivia said. “I believe we deserve it. Let the fellows figure out what the hell happened tonight. They like all the blood and gore. Besides, Marie looks a little pale. I think she could use one. Charlie looks no better.”

  Abby glanced over to Charlie sitting in the SUV with her hands over her face and Marie once again trying to comfort her friend. “You’ve got to apologize to her for what you said earlier, especially after all this.”

  Olivia shoved the ammo box next to the disassembled rifle inside the bag. “You’re right. But you’ve got to admit she was funny. That expression on her face . . .” She chuckled, shaking her head as she sauntered to the vehicle.

  “Shh, behave yourself. You’re incorrigible.” Abby fought a grin. Olivia wasn’t really making light of the guards’ deaths. She caught the desperation in her eyes, wanting to lighten the mood a little. Maybe there was even a little relief mixed in as once again they’d thwarted death. “Charlie is a sweetheart and reacted like normal people do. Our problem is that we’re no longer normal. We’ve seen too much.”

  “You’re right again. I’ll apologize. I could use a normal friend in my life.” When Abby faked a gasp, Olivia laughed and slapped her on the arm and then opened the door. “Hey, Charlie, how about I make that margarita extra strong?”

  Abby didn’t hear Charlie’s response, but Olivia howled with laughter as she climbed in behind the wheel.

  She grinned. Most likely it had been graphic and physically impossible to do. Enjoying her friend’s warped sense of humor, and happy to be alive, she slid into the front seat. Unable to hold back, she glanced over toward Rex. His gaze remained on her as Olivia drove by, heading to the house. In that moment she realized she’d been lying to herself for some time.

  She still loved Rex.

  Chapter Six

  * * *

  “WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD.”

  Abby lifted achy and swollen eyelids. The deep, sexy voice matched the masculine face hovering above hers. Stretched out alongside her, propped up by one hand near her head, Jack grinned big. The loop on his bottom lip glinted.

  She groaned and covered her eyes. “Please don’t tell me I screwed up again.” Oh no, oh no, oh no . . .

  He chuckled and moved off the bed. She squinted at him from between her fingers. Thank you, God! He’s wearing clothes.

  “The only thing you screwed up was drinking too much before a mission.” With a stretch, he twisted at the waist and then straightened his shirt. His khaki pants flowed over muscled thighs that pulled at the cloth in the right spots. What a beautifully toned man.

  “I don’t have a hangover. One margarita isn’t too much.” She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. “Shit, Jack. I only got in bed two hours ago. That’s why I feel like crap.”

  “That’s your problem. Time to get up. Rex is downstairs and waiting.”

  Abby tossed the sheet to the side. The oversized T-shirt she’d worn to bed covered her well enough for a mad dash to the bathroom. The mirror confirmed she had dark circles beneath her eyes. Refusing to think about the horror they’d gone through the night before, she splashed cold water on her face and pulled on a bathrobe. When she returned, she glared at her boss and then noticed the clothes draped over her bed.

  “What’s this? I don’t need you picking out something for me to wear.” From the corner of her eye, she spied a couple of her suitcases next to the door. “What are you up to?” She lifted a suitcase, its weight telling a story. “You packed for me,” she said.

  “You sleep like the dead. I could’ve strangled you before you had a chance to defend yourself.” Jack opened the door into the hallway as he grabbed the suitcase from her hand. “You and Rex have a party to go to after a brief meeting downstairs. You’ll be newlyweds flying in early from Vegas and staying at the Wynfrey in Birmingham for the evening. To be all fresh and ready to meet your mommy dearest the next day.” He added, “We had to move it up. Another shipment is scheduled in the next few weeks for Inferno. Brody will be at the party. A perfect opportunity for you two to meet and become fast friends. So don’t give me a hard time. Wear what I left you. I’ll meet you in my office.” He quietly shut the door.

  Men! They love giving orders. She sighed. Problem was she wanted to keep her job. She hurried through a quick shower and applied makeup. Then she dressed in the outfit Jack had left on the bed.

  What in the world?

  The dress was nothing like anything she’d ever owned. Cocktail length, the cream silk hugged her in all the right places, dipping low in the front and the back going high into a stand-up collar. The style was reminiscent of what a 1950s movie star would’ve worn. Beneath it she wore a lacy bra and garter along with a barely-there thong. The whisper-thin hose stopped at midthigh, and she slipped into matching high heels. She enjoyed feeling sexy. This was a new experience.

  She looked through her jewelry for anything that would accentuate the clean neckline. Giving up on finding anything perfect, she settled for a thin gold chain and small pearl earrings.

  At the last minute, before leaving the room, she pulled her hair back and used the fanciest hairclip she owned. The mother-of-pearl overlay gave it a sophisticated look.

  With a finger hovering over the DOWN button next to the elevator, she hesitated. Jack never did anything without a purpose. Sure he said a party, but what else was he up to? And why dress for it so early? Her hand glided down the sleek material. No matter his plans, she loved wearing the dress. Shoulders back, head held high, she inhaled deeply, releasing all her tension and pressed the button. She could handle him. She could handle anything either brother threw at her. As the door slid closed behind her and the car began its descent, she shook her head. The best way to handle the niggling feeling was to quit worrying and go with whatever he had planned.

  Obviously, Jack planned to throw her into the fire by letting the public see her and Rex as husband and wife at a fancy party. She’d read everything The Circle had on Brody and studied Rex’s files. To delay it would only give the Inferno a chance to
take possession of more ammo. Besides, if they waited any longer, problems would start creeping up, giving her and Rex time to get on each other’s nerves.

  The first thing she noticed as she walked off the elevator and headed to the office was the slight hum of a crowd. When she opened the door, she almost turned back around.

  Rex and Jack stood near a huge bouquet of flowers. A sullen Nic whispered frantically to Liam, while Charlie and Olivia sat at the conference table with Collin. What the hell were Olivia and Collin there for? Had someone died?

  A movement near the flowers brought her attention to the white bells and doves immersed in fringe-tipped curtains draped over one wall. Next to a podium stood a tall, well-built man dressed in rhinestones and sunglasses and wearing his coal-black hair in a pompadour.

  What was an Elvis Presley impersonator doing here? Her gaze jumped to Rex and Jack. What were they trying to pull?

  One of The Circle’s IT guys, holding a small video camera, pointed it at her with the red light blinking.

  “Surprise!” Jack stepped over to her and waved at Charlie. “What are you waiting for?”

  Charlie shoved a small spray of flowers into her arms. “These belong to you. Congratulations.”

  Stunned, Abby grasped them to her chest and looked at Rex. The satisfied look on his face ignited her anger. She caught Jack’s arm.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Can’t you tell? I’ve come to Vegas to give you away to my good buddy, Rurik. Unless you’d rather have Elvis walk you down the aisle.” Jack grinned and clasped her arm, nearly forcing her to where Rex stood. “When you called, telling me that you two crazy kids couldn’t wait a minute longer and wanted all your friends here, I got on the first plane out.” As the IT guy aimed the camera at Rex, Jack leaned over. “Play along.”

  “Are you crazy?” she shot back under her breath.

  “If I had told you before we did it, would you have done it without arguing?”