Moving Target

by Kimberly Van Meter

  “I’m not sure about that. You’ve told me a little bit about your childhood but not much. If you share some more details, I’ll share some of mine, too. In college I had to take a psychology class to satisfy my major, which I found completely ridiculous seeing as I was going into a totally separate field but anyway, I actually learned a few interesting things about people in that class that I would only admit to you right now.”

  “And why is that?” he asked, curious in spite of his intuition warning him to shut down her request.

  “Because I was quite vocal in my opinion that the class was useless and I loathe the idea of looking like a hypocrite.”

  A smile tugged at his lips but he quelled it when he realized she was completely serious about digging deeper into his psyche. “Let’s not. Some stories just aren’t very interesting.”

  “I don’t believe that for a second. Men like you don’t spring up from the dirt. They are shaped and molded by their experiences. I know your childhood wasn’t happy, that much I figured out. What happened? What went so wrong?”

  “It’s really not something I like to talk about.” He gave her a hard look. “Please drop it.” It wasn’t a suggestion and Kat knew it. She appeared disappointed by his reaction but he couldn’t open that box. He worked hard to distance himself from that weak, scared boy, and talking about what it’d been like during those wretched years only served to remind him how pathetic he’d been.

  And the thought of revealing that side of him to Kat scared him to death.

  * * *

  Jake was on edge. He smiled at her jokes and made small talk but by the time 5:00 a.m. rolled around the following morning, he was no longer putting on the act that everything was okay.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” Kat asked, almost afraid to know as they prepared to go.

  He looked at her sharply. “What are you talking about?”

  “I mean, there’s something about you that’s different. You’re preoccupied with something.”

  “Of course I’m preoccupied. We’re about to leave a safe zone to venture out in the open again. My primary concern is keeping you safe. I know you’re safe here, but out there? I don’t know who’s after us or who compromised the security of my network. That makes me a bit jumpy.”

  She bit her lip. “I understand. For a second I was worried I’d done something wrong.”

  Jake paused and pulled her to him. “Listen to me. You’ve done nothing wrong. Nothing up to this point has been your fault. You’re caught in a bad situation. That’s all. Okay?” She nodded and he swept a quick kiss across her lips. “Now let’s get moving. We have about an hour drive before we reach the extraction point.”

  Kat nodded again and finished stuffing what little belongings she had into her pack. “You’re going to be with me, right?” she asked.

  “Of course,” he answered, but skewed his gaze away from her in a way that immediately set her nerves on alert. He caught her wary look and tried to assure her. “Your safety is a top priority for everyone in my agency. We’re on your side. Just remember that, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Jake wasn’t being entirely honest with her. Her intuition was screaming at her to press him harder for information but after the sweet way he touched her, her heart desperately wanted to take his words at face value. “So where is the extraction point?” she asked.

  “About an hour from here so we better get moving.”

  It didn’t escape her notice that Jake evaded her question and answered vaguely. She didn’t know what to think about his strange behavior. She wanted to believe him, which meant she had to put aside her misgivings and trust that he had her best interests at heart.

  Jake locked the house up and they climbed into the old Camaro. As they put miles between themselves and the hunting cabin, Kat couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d better treasure what had happened within those four walls because things were about to change—dramatically.

  Chapter 16

  “Why are we taking the Reno International Airport exit?” Kat asked, a note of strain in her voice. “What’s going on?” Her fingers had curved into claws as she dug into the seat. “Jake? You said we were going by car.”

  “Yes, but no one is going to notice a car amid hundreds. An airport is good cover.”

  “Oh,” Kat said, visibly relaxing. “For a second I was worried.”

  Jake nodded, ignoring that ever-present wrench in his gut each time he lied to Kat. He told himself his subterfuge was a necessary evil in order to keep her safe. With an unknown assailant on their tail, there was no way they could safely make the trek by car to D.C.

  “I didn’t used to be scared of flying until my parents died,” Kat explained while she watched the planes soar overhead as they took off and landed. Jake navigated the terminal, going to a private plane area where he knew his replacement would be waiting. “But you see, my parents didn’t actually die skydiving. They never got the opportunity to jump from the plane. An engine blew on the tiny plane they were using and they plummeted to the ground. It was determined to be a freak accident. I know they say that flying is safer than driving but having lost my parents to a plane crash, I don’t believe it. My fear is probably a bit irrational but...” She stopped when the car pulled into a hangar and she saw a sleek black vehicle and a sharp private plane waiting. She turned to Jake, her eyes wide. “Jake?”

  “Come on,” he instructed, and climbed from the car. She had no choice but to follow. He walked briskly to an impeccably dressed woman with exotic features who made Kat feel like a nondescript twig on a tree with a million branches. Kat wanted to cling to Jake but knew to do that would be to reveal their intimacy level—something Jake would disapprove of—and so she stood rigidly straight by herself as Jake and the woman talked. Maybe this wasn’t what it seemed. Maybe the woman came by plane and the car was awaiting them. It was possible. Jake gestured for Kat to come closer. “Dr. Katherine Odgers, this is agent Camille Stephens. She will be your contact from this point forward.”

  “What?” Kat looked wildly to Jake for an explanation but he wasn’t looking at her any longer. In fact, he seemed as if he were loath to look at her at all. Tears stung her eyes. “You promised me you were going with me.”

  “Plans change. It was out of my control.”

  “I don’t believe you. I think you knew all along, which is why you’ve been acting so weird.”

  He didn’t get the chance to refute her accusation. The woman, Camille Stephens, stepped forward and introduced herself with a cold, efficient smile. “I’m Agent Stephens. I will be seeing to your safety for the second half of this mission.”

  She wanted to refuse but seeing as Jake had just washed his hands free of her without a single ounce of regret, she didn’t know how she could. Plus, she was spitting mad at Jake for blatantly lying to her face. If he lied about one thing, chances were, he’d lied about other things, as well.

  Two large men flanked Camille Stephens and made Kat uncomfortable, but she figured they were bodyguards whose purpose was to make people think twice about making trouble so she tried to relax.

  “We’re here to make sure you arrive safely in Washington, D.C., and the best way to facilitate that is to fly,” Camille said calmly as if she hadn’t just blown the last bit of Kat’s ability to remain sane in this messed-up situation. Kat began to shake her head in protest but Camille kept talking as if Kat’s terror weren’t an issue. Camille gestured to her bodyguards and they began advancing on Kat. “We’ve been made aware of your phobia and we have prepared something to ease your anxiety. If you’ll allow us to administer the sedative, we’ll be on our way.”

  “Hell, no,” Kat said, backing away and shooting a look to Jake for help, but he wasn’t going to lift a finger to help and tears stung her eyes. This was a nightmare. “Do
n’t you dare touch me with that syringe. I have rights. I’m an American citizen!”

  The bodyguards had Kat in their grip faster than she could run away and soon they were dragging Kat, kicking and struggling, toward Camille who was holding a syringe as if it were a completely normal occurrence to drug someone unconscious. Within seconds, Camille had plunged the needle in Kat’s arm and it was done. “Jake! Oh, my God! Why aren’t you helping me? I can’t believe you would let them do this to me.” Her words were already slurring but her ears worked just fine. Jake didn’t say a word. At least not to her.

  “Do you have a medic on board in case your little knockout drug causes her to have a bad reaction?”

  “Of course. She’ll be fine.” Camille handed Jake a manila packet. “Your new assignment. This one you should be able to handle. Be aware that there is a timely element to this one. Tardiness is ill-advised.”

  Jake glared at Camille and tucked the packet under his arm. “Take care of her.”

  “Of course I will. She’s a national treasure. But you seem overly attached. Maybe I should let Miles know you got too involved with the target of this mission?”

  “Mind your own business. Just take care of her. If a hair on her head is harmed, I’m putting the blame on you.”

  Camille chuckled at that as if his warning were of little consequence and if Kat’s tongue had been working, she would’ve yelled that it served him right but she could no more say her piece than say her own name. And she was fading fast. Her last thought before she dropped off a cliff into total blackness was a pitiful cry for Jake’s betrayal.

  * * *

  Jake immediately put miles between him and the airport, not wanting to remember the expression on Kat’s face when she realized he’d betrayed her. It’s for her own good, he told himself. Her safety—not personal feelings—was paramount, but as he drove in the opposite direction something kept tugging at his mind. Something that didn’t feel right and had nothing to do with his personal feelings. This was a warning in the back of his mind alerting him to a potentially dangerous situation.

  It was something Camille had said. She’d called Kat a “national treasure.” What did that mean? To his knowledge the mission was to secure Kat for her own safety. The plan had been to relocate her with a different identity so she could live out her life like a normal person and not have to always look over her shoulder for whomever might want to appropriate her for their own purposes.

  So if the plan remained that Kat was going to be relocated with a new identity, why would she be called a national treasure? Breaking it down even further Jake picked apart the words national and treasure. For Kat to have value to the U.S. government, that would mean they were planning to use her knowledge for something else—which also meant she was not going to be relocated or given a new identity. A queasy, greasy knot congealed in his stomach as he wondered if he’d just handed over Kat to the wrong people. But that couldn’t be, because Miles Jogan, his boss, had sent Camille to collect Kat and there was no way that someone as highly decorated as Miles was crooked. You’re being ridiculous. There is no conspiracy theory. Stop reading more into the situation than is warranted.

  Kat was protected, that’s what mattered. Sure it wasn’t an ideal situation but at least he didn’t have to worry about a sniper putting her in his sights. He was a government agent, first and foremost. He was the job—and the job was him. If he hadn’t given in to his primal instincts, he wouldn’t be faced with the situation and he wouldn’t be questioning the orders. It was not his job to question. It was his job to deliver.

  Perhaps Camille was right and he should let Miles know he’d compromised the mission in some way. Well, now you’re just talking crazy, the voice chastised. There was no sense in tanking his entire career over one decision when in the end everything worked out as it should. But had it? He didn’t know that everything had worked out. All he knew was that he had handed over Kat, someone he’d come to care about, to that coldhearted bitch Camille Stephens in the hopes that everything was on the up-and-up.

  Stop it. Focus. There was a new assignment to complete—that’s where his attention needed to be. Reaching over to the passenger seat he picked up the manila packet and ripped it open, steadying the wheel with his knee as he pulled the paperwork and scanned the contents.

  He frowned. This type of assignment was beneath his rank. This was rookie stuff. Delivering paperwork? Now he was a clerk? What the hell did he do to piss Miles off so badly? Had he inadvertently offended his superior? Or was it that Miles blamed him for the situation getting bungled with Kat? Jake grumbled, his mood souring even further. This was all manner of messed-up crap. But he’d do the job because he always did what he was tasked to do.

  At least he was headed in the right direction. The exchange spot was only a few miles from the airport, according to the directions in the packet. Without his phone he couldn’t double-check the GPS. No problem. Before GPS, he was a pretty good navigator. He didn’t have any worries that he wouldn’t find the location.

  Just as he expected, he found the location—a small deserted gas station on the outskirts of a lonely highway—and waited. Right on time, a sleek black government car rolled up. Jake exited his vehicle at the same time as the other agent. “The sky is blue,” the agent said by way of greeting.

  Jake answered, “And the mud is red.”

  The agent nodded and Jake began to walk forward with the paperwork but that same sense that kept telling him something was wrong when Camille came to collect Kat began shrieking in his head and it was that minute, split-second warning that caught the quick movement by the agent as he pulled his gun.

  Jake dove just in time to avoid getting shot in the gut and pulled his own gun, burying a bullet in the agent’s head. It’d all happened so fast that for a moment Jake wasn’t sure if his bullet had hit the mark or if the agent’s bullet had hit his. But when he saw the agent fall and not get back up, and after a quick body check, Jake realized he was unharmed. He quickly scrambled to his feet, breathing heavy and pissed as hell. He’d been set up. This was no drop-off and pickup. This was a designated hit. Someone had wanted him out of the way. And he had a feeling it had everything to do with Kat.

  After a quick search of the agent’s body, he pulled the man’s cell phone and wallet. He did a quick scan of the cell for any messages that might pertain to who had given him the order and, finding it empty, he crushed it beneath his booted heel, knowing that the GPS would send them here. Then he took whatever cash the agent had and tossed the wallet. While the agent’s car was a sleek ride with all of the niceties, Jake also knew it was equipped with GPS and whoever wanted him dead would be able to find him quite nicely if he took off in that car.

  He doubled back to the old Camaro and jumped inside, hitting the gas hard. He had to find Kat before it was too late. And he had to find out if Miles was the security breach or if he was unaware that there was a rat in the organization. But how? How was he going to find out the answers he needed without getting himself killed for asking? He thought of his brother, Nathan, and realized he may have pushed away his brother’s offer of help prematurely. He was too desperate to be embarrassed, thank God. All that mattered was fixing the colossal mistake he’d made in handing over Kat when his gut had warned him against it.

  He should’ve listened to his instincts.

  He could only hope he hadn’t just sold Kat into a lifetime of slavery under the guise of protection.

  Chapter 17

  Kat opened her eyes to stare blearily at her surroundings. It took a moment to remember what had happened but everything came back quickly once she focused her mind. She rubbed her mouth and wiped away the dried drool, thankful that she was alone.

  Of course, Jake was nowhere to be found. She squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of pain followed. She still couldn’t believe he’d so quickly betrayed her. Had everyth
ing been a lie? Had he set out to seduce her so that she would be easy to manipulate? Of course he had. She’d known something was different. He’d gone from pushing her away to practically dragging her into his arms. And she’d been happy to soak up every lie that he’d sent her way, because she wanted to believe.

  A ragged sob caught in her chest. She wanted to believe someone like Jake had felt the same way about her as she felt about him. How could she be so stupid, so naive? She should’ve known that it was all an act. Lord knew she had plenty of experiences in her life that would’ve supported her theory.

  She surveyed the small room. At least she was no longer on a plane. Whatever they had given her had done the trick. Damn government, they had access to all sorts of drugs. Only God knew if it was safe or not. Chances were because it wasn’t released to the general public, it had some quirky side effects. Hopefully she didn’t start growing a sixth finger or something strange like that because of it. Or, as in the case with MCX-209, she lost all her memories.

  The door opened and Camille walked in. The woman was almost too beautiful to look at, and Kat was momentarily curious if she was the kind of woman who Jake preferred. Who cared? She didn’t want to care but she did. She might’ve fallen in love with Jake. Maybe it was just infatuation. But right now her heart felt as if it were caving in and it was all Jake’s fault.

  “Here are some new clothes,” Camille said, tossing the bundle to Kat. “There is a shower, please use it. You have a meeting with Miles Jogan in one hour.”

  “Who is Miles Jogan?” Kat asked. “Where is Jake?”

  A thin smile spread across Camille’s lips. “Jake is no longer your concern. Miles Jogan is the man you’re going to want to impress.”

  “And why is that?”

  Again that thin smile that Kat didn’t trust one bit. “One hour.” And then Camille left. There was the distinct sound of a lock sliding into place and Kat knew she was no guest.