by Luxie Ryder
Wade reached down to offer Brandon his hand, and tugged him to the edge of the bed. “Has she ever?”
When Wade wandered into the bathroom, Brandon threw on his clothes and stepped into his boots. Checking to make sure Wade was still busy, he reached into the bedside drawer and took out a handgun. Ensuring that the clip was full and the safety was off, he slipped it down inside his sock and went to meet Wade out in the hall.
Chapter 9
“What do you mean you’re leaving?”
Brandon stared back at her, unfazed by her anger. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the dining room wall. “I have to go. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”
“That’s not fair, Brandon. I thought we sorted this out?” Wade banged the table with his fist, jangling the cutlery on it and making the vase full of flowers in the center tremble. Kimber put her hand on his forearm, trying to remind him to keep his head. He shook her off and got to his feet. “Are you leaving because you’re still having doubts about our relationship?”
“What? No!”
Kimber got up and stood beside Wade, the pair of them trapping Brandon in the doorway to the kitchen. “Then why are you going?”
Brandon turned away. “I have my reasons. Isn’t that enough?”
She grabbed his arm and dragged on it until he came around to face her. “It’s nowhere near good enough. Why on earth would you do this to us?” She felt her lip quivering and closed her eyes against the tears, angry that she couldn’t handle the thought of him leaving again without getting as emotional as she had the last time. “Are you really gonna do this to me again?”
Brandon tried to brush the tears from her cheek and sighed when she shrugged him off. “I’m not running away again, I just won’t be around for a while. That’s really all I can tell you. The less you two know, the safer you are.”
Wade stepped in front of her, blocking Brandon from view. “If you think you are just gonna say something like that and then stroll out of here without telling me what is going on, you can forget it. There is no way in hell you are gonna put Kimber in harm’s way and then refuse to tell me what I need to do to protect her.”
“I shouldn’t have said that. I made it sound worse than it is. The danger is mine, not yours. Besides, I’m not leaving for good, just until this little problem I have is sorted out.”
Kimber moved to stand beside them, tired of being left out of a conversation that involved her, too. “Will you please stop talking about me like I’m not here? I don’t need either of you to protect me. I can look after myself.” Brandon and Wade ignored her, too involved in staring each other down to care what she had to say. “Fine, I don’t need you to listen to me anyway!”
She shoved Wade out of the way and went back to the table, grabbing at the cutlery and making as much noise with it as she could. Kimber marched past them and dumped it in the kitchen sink, even though it was still clean, and went back to get the rest of the stuff she’d set the table with. If they thought she was cooking for them now, they were crazier than she’d given them credit for. She stacked the plates and dumped them in the kitchen, then reached down into a cupboard for a cloth and a bottle of spray cleaner.
Kimber went back to the table to wipe it over, but changed her mind and slammed the cleaning stuff down on the surface. She looked their way for the first time in five minutes to find Brandon watching her silently, his hands braced behind him on the windowsill and Wade leaning with his back against the wall by the door, arms folded, gaze fixed on the tip of his boot. Mad as she was, she couldn’t help thinking that they looked like a couple of naughty schoolboys. Despite herself, she laughed.
Relief flooded Brandon’s tense features, and Wade finally looked up from the floor. All of a sudden, she felt stupid. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper. I just don’t like being ignored…okay?”
Brandon moved to stand beside her. “Don’t apologize. It’s my fault. I’ve relied on myself for so long that it’s hard for me to listen to what other people have to say.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, too.” Wade stayed where he was, obviously still pissed off at something. He looked at Brandon. “But this wouldn’t have happened if you were being straight with us.”
“If it’s any consolation, I wish I could tell you, but I can’t.”
“You mean, you won’t.”
“Okay, won’t!” Brandon looked at his watch. “I can’t stay much longer. I’ve got to finish a few chores and then hit the road.”
Kimber rushed forward to wrap her arms around Brandon’s chest. “You’re leaving so soon?”
Brandon kissed the top of her head. “I really shouldn’t have come at all, but I wanted to say goodbye to you personally.”
Wade seemed to realize the battle was lost and came to stand beside them. “Why didn’t you tell me this a few hours ago?”
“Because you’d have tried to talk me out of it and I didn’t want to waste the little bit of time we had left arguing about it.” Brandon reached out to grab Wade’s shirt and dragged him closer, opening his arms to embrace him and Kimber together. The three of them hugged silently for a moment longer, and then Brandon sighed and pulled away.
Wade hooked the keys to his pickup out of his jeans pocket. “I guess I better take you back to your place.” He turned to look at her. “You gonna come along for the ride?”
Kimber shook her head. “Not a good idea. I’m barely keeping a grip on my emotions as it is. I’ll say my good-byes here.”
“It won’t be for long, darlin’. I’ll see you real soon, okay?”
“You’d better.” Cupping Brandon’s face in her hands, she pressed her lips to his and ran from the room, fighting back a sob.
She hid out in the kitchen until the front door banged shut and had a good cry when the sound of Wade’s truck pulling away told her they’d left. She was surprised to hear footsteps behind her a few minutes later when she returned to the kitchen after going to the utility room to put on some washing.
“Did you forget something?” she called out, hoping it was Brandon coming back to say he’d changed his mind.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind and a hand clamped over her mouth. “No, but thank you for asking. I think I’ve got everything I need right here.”
* * * *
“Pull over!”
Wade stood on the brakes and scanned the road. “What?”
Brandon shut his phone. “Turn around. We’ve gotta go back—now!”
“Who was that on the phone?” Wade asked as he pulled away and jerked on the steering wheel, spinning the truck in the dirt as he hit the gas, blindly obeying Brandon’s instructions. A driver behind them honked his horn and gave Wade the finger as he almost sideswiped the truck, but Wade didn’t care. His main concern was finding out why Brandon had gone pale as a ghost and was pulling a gun out of his boot.
“That was my boss. I’ve got a lot to tell you, and it will be quicker if you just shut up and listen.”
Wade nodded. “Okay. What’s going on?”
Brandon took a deep breath. “Up until my discharge, I was part of a Special Forces team—”
“Special Forces?”
“I need you to focus. This involves Kimber.”
“What?” Wade put his foot down hard on the gas, pressing the pedal to the floor.
“Last week, there was a guy at my mother’s funeral, another Special Ops agent that I used to work with. I got in touch with my unit and asked why Travers was checking up on me. The chief said he’d look into it. I didn’t hear anything else until this morning when I got a call to let me know that my old team suspects Travers has been in regular contact with a guy I sent down five years ago—someone who hates me enough to want me dead.”
Wade swerved to overtake a tractor, swearing as the truck fishtailed on the road before he got it under control. “If your team is on to Travers, isn’t he being watched?”
“The team thought he was on the base until a few hours
ago. They had no reason to arrest him because they had no proof he’d done anything illegal, and they didn’t want to alert him to the operation until they’d found out if he was working with an accomplice. But when the chief sent for Travers over a routine personnel matter, he was already gone.”
“So where is he now?”
“I wish I knew. He could be anywhere. The last confirmed sighting we have is from the security camera in the mess hall at noon today. “
Wade looked at his watch. “He’s been missing for six fucking hours?”
Brandon’s hand tightened around his gun. “Don’t remind me.”
“Why would he take such a huge risk? Anybody could have seen him leave and then his cover would be blown.”
“He’s Special Ops, remember? Getting out of a base that’s open to civilians without being seen is child’s play to any operative worth the name, and Travers is one of our best. If he is working for Costanza then he couldn’t take me out in front of all those witnesses at the funeral, and he knows I saw him there. He couldn’t be sure I didn’t report his presence to the unit immediately. So I guess he needed a new plan. What better alibi could he have than a security log showing him on the base at the time somebody was killing me?”
“I still don’t understand how this involves Kimber. Why would he come to my home?”
“He could have been watching us this afternoon for all we know. When you and I left together, he would have trailed us to your place. Travers wouldn’t think twice about threatening Kimber, or even you for that matter, to gain the upper hand. He knows I’ve had the same training and he would never try and take me on without having an edge. Travers values his own hide too much.”
Wade stared at the road, willing the truck to go faster, his brain racing through every grisly scenario. “I swear to God, if he touches her I’ll—”
Brandon grunted. “You’d have to beat me to it.”
“Why did they wait until today to tell you anything?”
“I’m a civilian now, and the department doesn’t share its secrets with civilians. The chief broke with protocol and put his job on the line to warn me that I was right to suspect Travers was up to something. The plan was that I would head back to the base while they kept him under surveillance. They didn’t want to arrest him until he saw me, that way, if he had any accomplices, he’d get in contact with them to call them off and the unit would pick them up.”
Wade swung the truck to the right, taking the turn towards his house as fast as he dared. “So what—we just walk into this?”
“If he’s there, and he’s got Kimber, then he hasn’t had the time to lay much of a trap. Take it easy, though. We can’t risk making a move until we know she’s safe.”
The house loomed into view, and Wade squinted at the porch, afraid to believe what his eyes were showing him. He stopped the pickup on Brandon’s command, his brain barely functioning as he bolted from the truck.
“No, Wade! You’ll get her killed!”
Brandon’s words pulled him up short. Wade skidded to a halt in the dirt, rage making his heart race as he stared at Kimber.
“She’s still alive. Let’s keep her that way,” Brandon muttered, latching on to Wade’s arm when he reached him.
Kimber stood on the porch, her body visibly shaking and her hands and feet bound. She stared at them, her eyes wide with terror and pleading for help, tears streaming down her face. A movement in the doorway behind her caught Wade’s attention, and when Brandon’s grip tightened around his arm, Wade knew he’d seen it, too.
The muzzle of a gun came into view, its barrel pointed straight at the woman they loved.
Chapter 10
Brandon prayed that Wade would keep his cool for just a little while longer. Wade could do whatever he wanted to Travers the very second Kimber was safe, but right now, giving Wade’s primal urges free reign could result in her death. Brandon didn’t even want to think about the effect it would have on Wade if he caused any harm to come to her.
“Travers, you might as well give it up. The chief knows you’re here. And he knows all about your little deal with Costanza. We found your offshore account.” Brandon edged forward, gesturing at Wade to stay where he was. “We’ve already got the place surrounded. You know how this is gonna go down. The only way for you to walk out of here alive is to give yourself up.” Brandon doubted that Travers would fall for the bluff, but he had to try.
“Throw your weapon up here.”
Brandon dropped down on one knee and pulled out his gun, careful to lift it by the barrel using his forefinger and thumb. Releasing the clip to fall into the dust and kicking it in Wade’s direction with the side of his foot, he tossed the piece onto the porch. There was no way in hell he was giving Travers another loaded gun. Without the bullets, it was totally useless, and one less thing to worry about.
“I know why you’re here. If you want me, you have to let her go.”
Travers laughed. “Now why would I do that?”
“Because if you give up now, you have a chance of getting away with this.”
Kimber tried to take a step towards Brandon, stumbling over the ties at her ankles. Brandon raised his hands, warning her to keep still. Travers came into view for the first time when he lunged forward and caught her by the waist, lifting her from the ground and dragging her back to where she was before.
“Come on, you lousy piece of shit. What kind of man are you?” Brandon moved closer to the door, deliberately aggressive, knowing that if he could keep Travers attention on him, he wouldn’t have time to hurt Kimber. “Since when did you need a woman to protect you?”
“One more step and she dies.”
Brandon stopped, inches from the porch, the open doorway tantalizingly near, but too far away to risk making a break for it. From the corner of his eye, he spotted his gun a few feet away, lying where he’d tossed it only minutes earlier. He still had a spare clip in his jeans pocket. Seconds…that was all he would need. Brandon inched towards it, barely gaining any ground at all before Travers figured out what he was up to.
“Get away from the gun!”
Brandon raised his hands and took a step back, every instinct in him screaming that he should listen to his heart rather than his head and run to Kimber. He looked over his shoulder at Wade, and his stomach clenched at the thought of never seeing him again, but he pushed it from his mind. He caught Wade’s gaze and raised an eyebrow to ensure Wade knew to keep watching him, then looked down at the bullet clip laying at Wade’s feet. Wade followed his lead, glancing at the ground for only a heartbeat before looking to Kimber again, giving an almost imperceptible nod to show he understood.
“I’ll exchange you for her. Now walk very slowly up the steps towards me.”
Brandon turned towards the sound of Travers’ voice. If he surrendered now, Travers would know he was alone and then Travers wouldn’t need anyone to bargain with. There would be no reason to keep any of them alive. Unless the team arrived within the next few seconds, they were all dead anyway. It was time to force Travers’ hand.
“You aren’t gonna let any of us walk out of here alive, so I’ve got nothing to lose by trying to save my own skin.” Brandon couldn’t look at Kimber, afraid he would see that she truly believed he was going to desert them. “I’m not coming in until you send her out. You’ve got ten seconds to let her go before I walk out of here.”
“How stupid do you think I am? You’re not going to leave her here to die.”
Brandon forced a smile. “Five seconds left, Travers. Do you really think you have time to kill her, fight off the very large, very angry man behind me who is just waiting for the chance to rip your head off, and find and kill me before Special Ops takes you out?”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Four seconds.”
“I’ll kill her now, I fucking swear.”
“Three.”
Travers shoved Kimber through the doorway ahead of him, using her body as a shield, the gun pointed
at her head.
Brandon charged forward, sweeping his discarded gun from the porch and tossing it to Wade in one swift movement, seconds before his shoulder made contact with Kimber’s waist. He wrapped his arms around her and dragged her out of Travers grip, slamming Kimber to the boards and landing on top of her, shielding her with his body. The sound of gunfire split the air, and Kimber screamed when a bullet ricocheted off the floor beside them, splintering the wood only inches away. There were more shots and then an angry groan from Travers. Brandon didn’t try to fight when a hand grabbed at the scruff of his T-shirt and he was dragged to his feet. If Travers had him, he wouldn’t need them.
Travers fell through the doorway to the house, almost pulling Brandon in on top of him as he struggled to regain his balance. In the last few seconds before the door was kicked shut, Brandon’s gaze darted from Kimber to Wade, and he wanted to cry when he saw that, for now at least, they were both unharmed. Wade was behind the truck, his gun trained on Travers, but Brandon doubted he had the confidence to risk Brandon’s life by taking the shot.
A hard shove sent him sprawling to the floor. Jumping onto the balls of his feet, Brandon crouched low and spun around to find himself staring down the muzzle of Travers’ gun. “What are you waiting for?” Brandon strained to hear the sounds of the truck pulling away, hoping that Wade wasn’t damn fool enough to think he could win a battle with Travers. “You’d better take your shot because if you don’t, I’m gonna kill you with my bare hands.”
“Good bluff about the team by the way.”
Brandon grinned. “I liked it.”
Travers wiped at a flesh wound on his cheek, pulling out a splinter of wood and glancing at the blood smeared over the back of his hand. “I should kill your friend for this.”
“He’s long gone. It’s me you want. Get on with it.”
“If only it were that simple.”
“You’ve been paid. Seems pretty straightforward to me.”
