Imposter

by Karen Fenech

  Eve shivered at the chill in Matt’s voice and his words.

  “You have to get out of there,” Matt went on. “Tell me where you are?”

  Matt’s urgency in learning where she was sent alarm bells ringing in her head. Could he be the accomplice? No. Of course not. He was with British Intelligence. One of the good guys, sworn to defend and protect. But how many agents sold out to the other side . . .

  Eve willed her voice to be calm, to stick with the plan she’d devised. Except, she didn’t know exactly where she was. She certainly couldn’t ask Matt to hold while she went to ask Burke. She had to improvise.

  “I don’t know exactly.” Eve licked her lips “At a cabin in West Virginia. The nearest town is Crowley.”

  Matt exhaled a short breath. “I’ll meet you in Crowley.” She heard the click click of computer keys being struck. “There’s an abandoned warehouse on the south side of town. On Little Street. Number Ten. I’ll wait for you there. Come when you can. When it’s safe. Wait until you’re alone before leaving. Don’t let Burke know that you’ve found him out. Don’t let him suspect that you’re leaving him. Bring the formula. We can’t let Burke sell it. Eve, can you hear me?”

  Of course he wanted the formula. Any hope she’d had of his innocence vanished. She nodded, then realizing Matt couldn’t hear her, said, “I hear you.”

  “I’ll be waiting at the warehouse. Burke is dangerous. Eve, I implore you, don’t delay too long.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Eve ended the call and set the phone down on the counter.

  He’s already made two attempts on your life already.

  When he thinks the time is right . . . Burke will kill you, Eve.

  Matt’s words replayed in her mind. Burke was outside. Through the window in the living room, she could see him, chopping wood. He’d removed his shirt. His impressive shoulders and back, well defined with muscle, glistened. The muscles on his arms rippled as he brought the ax he held, up for another swipe of the log he’d set on the ground. Could the man who’d held her in passion, and in sympathy when she’d cried her eyes out over her daughter, mean her harm?

  He must have felt her gaze on him because he glanced up from the log and to her. He smiled and winked at her. She could imagine the picture she made. Dressed in only his shirt which fell to her mid-thigh, her hair tousled from their latest lovemaking. Her lips swollen from his kisses and her eyes filled with the love she was feeling for him. Oh, God, did she sound like every blind, naive woman, defending the criminal she was so in love with - Eve exhaled a deep breath. There it was. She’d fallen in love with Burke. Like a sneak attack, her feelings had crept in. The question though remained, Was she being naive? Was she wrong?

  How many agents sold out to the other side?

  She’d thought that about Matt. But why not, Burke? He was an agent, too . . .

  And Matt had told her at the cottage that he wanted the formula to destroy it. Had he asked her to bring it to him for that reason? Or was his request more sinister than that...

  She linked her hands together in a tight grip. Could she be so wrong about Burke?

  The kettle whistled, startling her.

  Eve blinked back tears. No. No. She wasn’t wrong about Burke. She turned off the burner and went out to him.

  “Hi,” he said when she reached him. His gaze became scrutinizing. “You okay?”

  “I just got a phone call.”

  He stopped in mid-swing.

  “It was from Matt Deligne. He told me that he knows who the accomplice is. He says it’s you.”

  Burke set the ax down on the ground slowly. He reached for his T-shirt on a tree stump and swiped it across his brow. “Since you’re here calmly telling me about it, I don’t have to ask if you believed him.”

  Their gazes locked. “No, you don’t have to ask.”

  Burke nodded. “Was that all Deligne had to say?”

  Eve shook her head. “He wants me to meet him. He wants to take me someplace safe away from you.”

  “I’ll bet he does. He expects to lure you to him.” A muscle throbbed in Burke’s jaw. “So he’s the one. Finally this will be over.” He reached out and brushed his thumb across her cheek. “I’m sorry it’s Deligne. I know you considered him a friend.”

  Eve nodded, saddened at the realization that Matt was not a friend at all.

  “Where does he want you to meet him?” Burke asked.

  She told him. She glanced at her watch. “I’ll get dressed and then I’d better be on my way. It’s going to take me a while to find the warehouse.”

  “You don’t need to worry about that. I’m meeting him.”

  “What about me?”

  “You’ll wait here.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  She shook her head. “I won’t sit on the sidelines like some helpless female.”

  Burke tipped up her chin. “You’re not helpless. I respect you as a strong, capable woman. This isn’t about you, Eve. It’s about me. I can’t finish this if I’m worried about you. I need to know you’re safe. Stay here. Wait for me here. Do this for me. Please.”

  Eve held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded slowly.

  He reached out and took her in his arms, holding her close.

  Fifteen minutes later, Burke emerged from the shower, Eve sat on his bed while he dressed. He strapped on his shoulder holster, shrugged into his jacket and it was done. She followed him to the door. He turned and kissed her.

  “Be careful.”

  He nodded.

  When he was about to turn away, she latched onto the sleeve of his jacket. She was reluctant to let him go. She recalled the day at the cottage Richard had rented when she’d thought Deligne didn’t take a hit well. All a ruse, she realized. Deligne was also an agent, was as well trained as Burke. She didn’t diminish Burke’s capabilities, but Deligne would not be an easy take-down and she was afraid for Burke.

  She pulled him close once again.

  Burke kissed her hard, then left.

  * * *

  Burke made good time to the warehouse. He’d considered then dismissed the notion of calling in back-up. Deligne would spot an ambush.

  Deligne. There would be payback for what he’d put Eve through. Badge be damned. Burke had to remind himself to keep from killing Deligne.

  Burke wanted to arrive before Deligne and get into position before the other operative realized that he’d been duped and it wasn’t Eve who was meeting him. Eve had not thought to ask where Deligne was calling from. It would have been helpful to know just how far away Deligne actually was and how much time Burke had before Deligne’s arrival. Lanski was monitoring Eve’s cell phone; he would know about Deligne’s call, but it was likely that Deligne’s phone was secure as well and had masked his location. Lanski would not be able to track Deligne’s location either.

  Burke pulled into the warehouse parking lot. The old building had suffered a fire years back. The brick was scorched. Jagged glass remained in window frames, blown apart from an explosion that had rocked the building. There were no vehicles on the lot. It appeared that Deligne had not yet arrived.

  Deligne parked Richard’s car then crossed the lot to the building. The warehouse backed onto a wooded area. Burke took up a position among the trees to wait.

  About thirty minutes later, he spotted a compact sedan pulling into the lot. The driver parked then emerged from the vehicle. Deligne.

  The operative went to Richard’s vehicle, peered in the windows then turned away from it and looked about the lot.

  “Eve!” Deligne called out.

  Burke took his weapon in hand and stepped out from the trees. He walked at a leisurely pace to Deligne.

  The agent’s eyes widened on Burke, then narrowed and Deligne lunged at Burke.

  “What have you done to her?” Deligne shouted.

  Burke raised his weapon chest-high. “Easy.”

  Deligne stopped, but just barely, Burke thought. T
he agent rocked back on his heels. His body was visibly straining to leap. Blood lust raged in Deligne’s eyes. The urge to kill was there.

  Deligne’s reaction gave Burke pause and started his heart pounding. Clearly his interest wasn’t in the formula, but in Eve. Something wasn’t right . . .

  “What have you done to Eve?” Deligne repeated.

  “Eve is fine.”

  Deligne scoffed. “I don’t believe you. My one regret is that I’ll be going to my grave without having killed you for what you’ve done to her.”

  “Believe what you will, but it’s the truth. Now I have a question for you. Who is your buyer for Patterson’s formula?”

  Deligne laughed. “Oh that’s rich, mate. Turning the tables on me? Why don’t you just shoot me and get it over with. Stop playing games. It’s what you came here for.”

  Burke frowned. “Something isn’t right here,” he mumbled.

  “That’s the first thing we agree on. Give me your gun, Burke and I’ll make it right. I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

  “Don’t you want the formula first?”

  Deligne gritted his teeth. “I don’t give a damn about the formula. My country wants it. I’m of a mind to leave it with you. Let whoever finds your body take it. Let you all kill yourselves with it.”

  Burke’s gaze narrowed further. “Why did you tell Eve that I’m Patterson’s accomplice?”

  Deligne crossed his arms. “Don’t play me for a fool. Since she’s been with you, there have been two attempts on her life. You are the only one she’s been in contact with. It has to be you.”

  Burke rubbed his jaw as another thought came to him. “Why did you ask Eve to meet you here? Why didn’t you go to her?”

  Deligne gave Burke a look of pure hatred. “I would have gone to her, if she could have told me where she was. But she couldn’t do that could since you’ve gone to great lengths to keep that information from her. She thinks, no doubt, you have her in protective custody, but you’ve isolated her. She doesn’t know that she’s been abducted. Tell me Burke, how are you going to explain her death to your superiors? You going to say that you killed her when she overpowered you while attempting to escape? A big guy like you? Do you really think that will wash, mate?

  But Burke had tuned out the latter part of Deligne’s monologue, focused on one thing: Deligne hadn’t known where to find Eve.

  “Eve’s location has been disclosed. Haven’t you been monitoring your Intel?”

  “Of course I have. There’s been no such information. If there had been, rest assured, mate, I would have come to you, and you’d be dead.”

  The sincerity in Deligne’s voice was impossible to mistake.

  There was only one reason Deligne didn’t know Eve’s location. Because it hadn’t been disclosed . . .

  “Spare me your denials, Burke. The one behind all this could only be you.”

  Deligne was wrong about that. Burke now knew who they were looking for and the knowledge hit him like a punch to the gut even as his lips thinned at the betrayal.

  Lanski.

  Burke had to warn Eve yet he couldn’t reveal that Lanski was their traitor. Lanski was monitoring Eve’s cell phone calls.

  He considered telling Eve that Deligne was the man they were after. That it was over. He’d tell her the truth later. Would hearing that lull Lanski into a false sense of security until Burke could take him down, or ease Eve, causing her to let down her guard?

  Burke couldn’t take that chance.

  His heart drummed as he took out his cell phone and called her. She picked up before the first ring had completed. He exhaled a deep breath, willing himself to be calm, to keep the strain from his voice.

  “Eve.”

  Deligne’s gaze darted to the cell phone.

  “She’s alive,” he said.

  Disbelief rang in Deligne’s voice. Burke ignored it and focused on Eve.

  “John, are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. Eve, it isn’t Deligne.”

  He heard her sharp intake of breath. Her disappointment cut him, but he couldn’t allow himself to be distracted now.

  “The man we’re after is still at large. Stay inside. Trust no one. I’ll be there as quickly as I can. Eve are you there?”

  “I’m here.”

  “I’m on my way. This will all be over soon, Eve, I promise you.” His voice throbbed with conviction.

  Burke closed his phone.

  Deligne shook his head. “I misjudged you, mate.”

  “There’s a lot of that going around today.”

  Burke replaced his semi-automatic in his shoulder holster. He had to get to Eve. He turned away from Deligne and ran to the car.

  Fifty minutes later he was back at his cabin. For the first time, he cursed the remote location and the distance from it to the nearest town.

  The cabin door had a pathetic lock that he never used. Still, it was better than nothing. He’d asked Eve to lock up after him. Apparently she hadn’t, though, because his key turned in the lock without resistance. He would install dead bolts at once.

  Inside, he called her name.

  At a glance he saw that she wasn’t in the living room or kitchen areas. He knocked on the bathroom door.

  “Eve?”

  No answer. He opened the door. She wasn’t there.

  The bedroom door was closed. She hadn’t slept well last night. He knew because she’d been in his arms all night and he’d felt the tension in her. The stress had to be getting to her. If she’d gone to rest for a bit, it was no wonder. He hoped she was in a deep sleep.

  He eased the bedroom door open. He’d never gotten around to fixing a hinge that squeaked. He tried to open the door with as little noise as possible. The sound never bothered him before, but at the moment, the squeak sounded as loud as a scream.

  Damn. The last thing he wanted was to wake Eve.

  The room caught first light, but now, in late afternoon, was dim. Even in the low light, though, he could see that Eve was not in the room. The bed was made and Eve wasn’t on it.

  “Eve!”

  He strode into the room calling her name, a useless endeavor, since he could see she wasn’t in the room.

  She was not in the cabin.

  He searched outside.

  She was not outside either.

  Eve was gone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Eve, it isn’t Deligne. The man we’re after is still at large. This will all be over soon . . . I promise you.

  Eve stood clutching her phone long after Burke had ended the call. One thought echoed in her mind: The accomplice was not Matt. They were no closer to ending this, despite Burke’s assurance.

  She could not let this go on. She wanted her life back. And she wanted a chance to find out if that life could include Burke. He’d awakened feelings in her she’d thought dead. He’d awakened her. She was so in love with him. She wanted a chance to tell him that.

  But she wouldn’t. Would not do that to him. Not while a charge of treason hung over her head and her future was uncertain. When she declared her love, she would be free, free to explore the possibility of a life together, if that was what he wanted too. Until she was free, she would not burden him with her feelings.

  The idea of spending the rest of her life in a prison, or sentenced to death was unthinkable. She could not let that happen.

  She could no longer stay safe and hidden at the cabin. She needed to rejoin the world, make herself a target.

  And do so without Burke’s help. He would certainly not approve. He wanted her tucked away here where he could stand between her and any harm that would come to her.

  Aside from his disapproval, she would not make him a party to her flight from justice. To the CIA, she would become a fugitive.

  She’d been a cop and a good one. It was time she took back her life.

  Burke had shown her where he kept his spare gun. She would --

  Her cell phone rang. The number was unknown. She
hoped it was the man they were after, that the plan they’d set into motion had worked. Her stomach fluttered as she answered the call.