by Mari Carr
“Goddammit, Deni. Do you have any idea the kind of hell you just put us through? When we woke up and found you gone, we thought someone had kidnapped you.”
She hadn’t considered that. Price’s mansion was more secure than Fort Knox. Plus her car had been gone. “I guess I should have left a note.” She wasn’t used to answering to anyone about her plans. This relationship stuff was going to take some getting used to. While she was taking the learning curve into account on their behalf, her lovers didn’t appear to be doing the same.
“You think?” Price’s voice was laced with complete and utter fury.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d be so upset. I assumed you’d wake up and realize where I was.”
Gunner ran his hand through his hair and she took a moment to study his face. He was pale and panicked. Price didn’t look much better.
She felt like shit. She walked around the corner and stepped closer to them. “I’m so, so sorry.”
Gunner reached out and pulled her into his arms, hugging her so tightly she couldn’t breathe. She received a second’s reprieve to suck in some air when he released her. Then it was driven away again when Price offered the same, strong embrace.
She loved them. That realization had been niggling at the back of her mind for days, but for the first time, she understood that they loved her too.
She smiled when Price dropped his arms. Her sunny expression caught them unaware as they both gave her a funny look. She wasn’t able to put her feelings in words yet. Besides her parents, she’d never told anyone she loved them.
“This is our fault,” Gunner said, glancing over at Price. “You’re right, Deni. We were lying about the crime-scene division locking down your lab. I think maybe we should have stressed how real the danger surrounding you is.”
Gunner walked over to her laptop and produced a flash drive from his pocket.
Price frowned. “Gunner, I thought—”
“No. She has a right to know what she’s up against. Maybe if we’d told her from the beginning, this morning’s nightmare wouldn’t have happened.”
Deni walked over to the computer. Gunner clicked a few keys and pulled up a file marked Top Secret. “We think you’re being targeted by a very dangerous man.”
Deni saw a picture of the Reverend, the man who’d engaged her in a rather heated debate, flash on to the screen. “That’s him. The Reverend. But I thought he was just a suspect?”
Gunner shrugged. “He’s our number one suspect, and my gut says he’s the guy. His real name is James Leopold.”
“Ordained?” she asked.
Gunner shook his head. “Not in any church we can find.”
“I knew it.”
Gunner used the mouse to scroll down the screen, revealing more information. “Apparently the Reverend James Leopold believes himself to be a prophet, a precursor to the arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. He is offering human kind their last chance for salvation.”
“You’re kidding?” Deni asked. “He’s a nut job.”
“Scoff if you want, but this man has amassed quite a following, a devout congregation willing to clean up society according to his dictates. He had a rather lengthy agenda until the two of you had your run-in at the Boston Public Library. Since then, he’s decided that the root of all evil stems from your research, pardon the pun. And you are the devil in disguise. He’s become fixated on you.”
Price leaned forward. “Prior to your lecture at the library, his followers had been arrested for causing disturbances outside abortion clinics. They had pissed off a slew of people when they picketed a gay rights assembly and protested at the funeral of several soldiers who’d been killed in the line of duty. They were a menace and their actions targeted quite a few groups. Now the man has narrowed his agenda. You.”
“Who would follow someone so unhinged?”
Price tilted his head. “Unfortunately what the Reverend lacks in intelligence, he makes up for in public-speaking skills. He’s quite the persuasive orator. According to my source, Leopold could talk a starving man into giving up his last breadcrumb.”
Deni wasn’t impressed. “So what am I supposed to do? Hide in your mansion until he forgets about me? If he’s as crazy as you say, that could take quite a long time.”
Gunner tapped his fingers on the desk, a sure sign that he was frustrated. “For right now, we play the legal game. I’ve filed for a restraining order. He can’t call or come near you. He’s forbidden from making any contact with you at all.”
“Terrific, but I haven’t seen him since the disturbance at my lecture.”
Price crossed his arms. “We believe he’s fueling the anger against you among his congregation. You said the harassing phone calls were from a woman, right?”
She nodded.
Gunner clicked off one file and opened another. “The FBI lifted some prints from the bomb and on other items in your apartment. They ran them through the computer and came up with two matches late yesterday. Agent Young emailed me this information last night.” Gunner showed her the picture of a man and woman.
“I’ve never seen those people before in my life.”
“Yeah. We figured as much. They’re a married couple and members of the Reverend’s church. The FBI is picking them up today for questioning. We’re hoping they’ll say they were acting under the Reverend’s orders.”
Price grunted. “I wouldn’t hold my breath on that.”
Deni agreed. “They won’t sell him out if they genuinely believe that he’s offering them salvation.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Agent Young can be very persuasive. We’ll just have to see if they value their freedom over the saving of their souls. Plea bargains can be very tempting when threatened by years of incarceration.”
“Do you know Chester Cook?” Price asked.
Deni nodded. “The night custodian? Sure. He’s a nice old man, little odd, bit quiet. Why?”
Price ran his hand through her hair. He looked troubled. “He hasn’t returned to work since the night of Curtis’s shooting. My source says Chester is a member of the Reverend’s congregation as well.”
“You think he shot Curtis?”
Gunner took over the explanation. “You spend lots of nights here in the lab, Deni. The night custodian would know that. You said yourself Curtis had never slept here. When we found Curtis, his face was turned away from the door. I think we can assume Chester opened the door and fired, confident he was harming his intended victim.”
“Me,” she whispered.
“That’s why we were so frantic when we realized your car was gone. Our fears turned from kidnapping to the idea that you were here and Chester could get to you.”
Her heart broke at Price’s admission. “But you said he’s gone.”
“There’s a warrant out for his arrest, but so far the police have had no luck in finding him. He could be anywhere. If he felt strongly enough to try to kill you once, what’s to stop him again?”
Deni’s chest tightened with a fear so blinding she was afraid she’d fall down. Too much had happened in too short a time period. Shock and panic were warring for control inside her. “Does that restraining order you requested apply to the Reverend’s entire congregation too? You know…that huge group of people who are apparently willing to do his bidding?” She didn’t try to hide the quiver in her voice.
Gunner frowned, recognizing her fear. “I didn’t say it was the answer to the problem. It’s just a hoop we’re jumping through in order to build a case against the man. We’re going to keep you safe, Deni. You have to believe that.”
“I’m sorry.” She felt guilty for snapping at him. She just hated living this way. After a lifetime of nothing special, she was suddenly thrust into a world of absolute bliss and unquestionable terror. The extremes were starting to wear her out.
Price reached over and grasped her hand. “We’re going to get this guy, Denise. He’ll slip up somewhere and then we’ll have him. He’s going
to pay for what he’s done to you. To Curtis.”
The mention of her assistant’s name sent tears to her eyes. “It’s my fault he was shot.”
“Oh, hell no.” Price tugged on her hand, pulling her into his arms. “Don’t you dare go there. Leopold hurt Curtis. Not you.”
Deni wrapped her arms around his waist, soaked up the strength of his embrace, let it ground her, calm her. “I’m not waiting for him to make a mistake.”
Gunner narrowed his eyes. “What?
“I think we should draw the Reverend out into the open. Lure the beast from his lair.”
Price shook his head. “Hell no.”
“Think about it. Right now, we’re always on the defensive, trying to sidestep his attacks. We’re not in control. He is. We’ll never win this way. If we set a trap, one that’s too tempting for Leopold to resist, suddenly we’re holding the cards.”
Gunner pushed away from the desk. “Absolutely not.”
Deni looked from Gunner to Price and knew she’d never win this argument with logic. She’d have to fight dirty. “Fine. Then I’ll go to the Grand Master and refuse this match. Tell him I’m no longer interested in being a member of the Trinity Masters.”
Price reared back as if she’d hit him. “Why would you do that? You’d lose everything.”
“I already have. Let’s face it. I’m sitting on a big pile of nothing right now. I can’t continue my research. I’ve lost my freedom. And I don’t have your trust.” It was a low blow, but it had the desired effect.
Gunner grasped her hands. “That’s not true.”
“How long have you known about Leopold?”
Gunner flushed, glanced over at Price uneasily.
Price shrugged once, the action filled with guilt. “Five days.”
She knew that answer, but it didn’t make his admission hurt any less. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We didn’t want you to be scared, Denise.”
“You didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth. You tried to hide it from me. I’m just a child in your eyes. Some little doll for you to play with and coddle. I won’t live like that.”
Gunner’s face reflected pure misery. She hated hurting them, but she refused to put their future on hold, be held prisoner according to the whims of a madman.
“That’s not true, Deni.”
“Prove it. Trust me enough to do what I’m asking.”
Price frowned. “You’re not leaving us much of a choice.”
“So you’ll help me set a trap?”
Neither man moved for several moments, and then they both slowly nodded.
Price stood at the entrance of the Boston Public Library three weeks later and cursed himself for being such a lovesick, fucking fool. Denise had pressured him into this farce with her threat to leave him, and he’d reacted with his emotions rather than his brain. That never happened.
“Is the sound working?” Gunner’s voice broadcast through his earpiece. Price glanced toward the stage where the other man stood and nodded.
They’d begrudgingly agreed to participate in Denise’s trap, though it had taken them some time to put all the pieces in place. Denise had moved her research to their home—he’d stopped thinking of it as his house weeks ago—and set up a makeshift lab in a small cottage just outside the main house. His father had built the cottage for his mother, who used to enjoy writing poetry. Price’s mother would spend hours in the quaint little house, letting the peace and solitude of the place fuel her muse.
Denise seemed to have fallen in love with the cottage as well. He’d never met a more devoted or harder worker in his life. While the three of them lost themselves in lust for hours each evening, Denise never failed to rise with the birds, heading to her lab to run her trials and experiments for hours on end.
Gunner had secured a permanent transfer to the Boston office, returning to D.C. for several days to pack up his apartment and office. They’d just finished unpacking the last of Gunner’s things two nights earlier, most of his belongings being absorbed into the large house, while a few things—unneeded furniture—was sold or given away.
Now that both of his lovers were living in the house, Price wondered how he’d spent so many years in the huge rambling mansion alone. Gunner, a music lover, was always blasting his collection of classic rock, while their absent-minded Denise was forever losing a shoe or her comb. Once she’d actually misplaced her toothbrush, and they’d spent nearly an hour looking for it. They’d found it in a jar of pencils on her desk.
They had decided to try to lure the Reverend out into the open by widely advertising another lecture on the importance of stem-cell research given by Dr. Denise Parker. Denise’s first talk had lured Leopold out, so they hoped this one would as well. They’d sweetened the pot by adding that the lecture would be held as part of a fundraising effort for the laboratory. The newspaper reported that several top politicians in the area would attend. The Grand Master had friends in high places and he’d pledged to help Price in his attempts to lure the madman into the open.
For three weeks, Price had his top men at Bennett Securities working closely with Gunner’s friends at the FBI. They’d gone over schematics of the library—most specifically the Rabb Lecture Hall, where Denise would speak—pinpointing key places in the auditorium that needed to be covered. Price had purchased bulletproof material for the podium as well as a thin Kevlar vest that Denise was currently wearing under her suit jacket. Gunner would be in position near her on the stage, while Price would cover things from the back, watching the audience from above. Three of Price’s best men, as well as Agent Young, would be stationed at various places around the auditorium, though they would be dressed in plain clothes and acting as members of the audience. They decided it would be best if they maintained the appearance of a low-security event.
Given that most of the Reverend’s past attempts on Denise had been instituted through the use of other people, they were on high alert, well aware that the threat could come from anyone. Price wasn’t sure if he should hope for the man’s arrival or not. He’d become accustomed to Denise working from home. He liked the peace of mind that provided him. He and Gunner had begun taking turns working from home, ensuring that one of them was always close by during the day.
The doors to the auditorium opened and people began filing in. Price heard Gunner mutter, “show time,” through the earpiece. Price tried to remain calm, but an uneasy feeling crept in. He began to question their decisions, second-guessing everything. The lecture hall was on the lower concourse, which meant they would have to climb stairs to reach the nearest exit. That had been his main concern when they chose this room, but he’d let Gunner assure him they had the stairs secured and that Denise would have easy access to it from the door at stage right. Men were in position at the top and the bottom of the stairwell and his limousine was parked right outside the exit, Roman instructed to keep the motor running and to be ready to leave quickly if needed.
“We’ve got a big crowd of protestors forming up here.” Price recognized Pearson’s voice coming through his earpiece. Pearson was one of his top employees and Price didn’t like to acknowledge the man’s anxious tone.
“Stay in position. Keep them out of the library,” Price said into the microphone tucked in the lapel of this jacket.
Gunner and Denise were standing in front of the stage, speaking to the lab director and the mayor. Denise’s boss was unaware of the trap, so it was important Denise play her part. For the director, this lecture was the kickoff of a huge fundraising campaign. Price had already promised to make a large contribution to the lab should things take a bad turn. Hell, he’d make the donation regardless. After weeks spent with Denise, he’d come to understand exactly how vital her work was.
The auditorium was nearly full when Pearson spoke again. “Local police have arrived. It’s getting crazy up here.”
Before Price could respond, a fire detector went off. Glancing toward the door, Price saw smoke drif
ting under the door.
Someone else noticed too. “Fire!”
Panic ensued as everyone in the auditorium rose, clamoring for the exit. Price caught only a brief glimpse of Gunner as he grabbed Denise and pushed her toward the side exit.
Price fought his way against the tide of terrified people, waiting until he saw Gunner get her safely out of the auditorium. Then he took off for the staircase. He’d meet them at the top and together they’d get Denise out. As he reached the stairs, he glanced down in time to see Gunner and Denise turn a corner. Before they could begin climbing, Gunner roughly shoved Denise forward.
Time stood still as a shot rang out. Price sprinted down the steps, desperate to reach his lovers. Gunner’s body flew back, slamming against a wall just as Price grasped Denise.
“Get her out of here,” Gunner yelled. Price’s gaze met Gunner’s and a lifetime of understanding passed between them in those split seconds. Price nodded and turned Denise, pushing her up.
“No!” Denise tried to go back to Gunner, so Price lifted her, tossing her over his shoulder as he ran up the stairs.
“Stop! Gunner’s hurt. We have to go back! We have to go back!” Her fists beat on his back as smoke burned his eyes, but Price didn’t stop. He had one goal. The limo.
The bright sunlight pierced his vision as they burst through a side door. Mercifully, the limo was in place. Price ran to the car and threw open the door.
Denise was crying. “We have to get Gunner.”
He tossed her onto the seat. “I’ll go back, Denise. I’ll get him and we’ll meet you at home.”
“Please.” Her voice trembled through her tears.
“I’ll get him. He’ll be okay. I promise.” He prayed to God that was a promise he would be able to keep. Slamming the car door, he pounded on the roof twice, indicating for Roman to take off. The car pulled away from the curb quickly.
Before Price could turn to return to the library, he spotted a man lying in the middle of the street right next to where the limo had been parked. Roman.
Price started to run to his driver just as Gunner emerged through the side door.
