The Truth (Butler Ranch Book 5)

by Heather Slade

“I’ll gather the family,” said Laird.

  “Not today, Da.” Kade motioned in Quinn’s direction. “I need some time.”

  “Sorcha will meet us at the Harmony house,” Mercer told them.

  As far as his siblings were concerned, tomorrow would be soon enough for Kade to see his brothers. The following day, he’d see his two sisters, Skye and Ainsley.

  He rubbed his chest, knowing the hurt he’d rained down on them would be difficult to overcome. While his siblings had been kept in the dark, believing, for the past two years, that he was dead, his parents had been uncertain. They knew to wait until they received final confirmation from the K19 team before giving up hope.

  The four partners, including himself, were former agents who’d worked for the CIA’s Special Activities Division of the agency’s National Clandestine Service, or NCS. Three years ago, they’d all left government employment and founded the private security and intelligence firm they called K19 Solutions. Ironically, almost one hundred percent of their assignments came from the NCS. However, they made a lot more money carrying them out than they did before.

  “Welcome back, Doc,” Mercer said, embracing him before he walked Quinn out to the vehicle that had just arrived to transport them.

  “Good to be back.”

  “How’s Leech?”

  “We flew him to Ramstein. He’ll be ready for transport home in a few days.”

  “Anything I can do?”

  “Paps and Razor are still over there. Get ’em out as soon as possible.”

  Mercer nodded and held up his phone. “They’re already out, sir. Someone named Fatale is arranging transport now.”

  Kade nodded. He would’ve gotten them out himself if Merrigan, code name Fatale, hadn’t briefed him on Calder’s return to the United States.

  Once Mercer was gone, Kade surveyed the building one last time.

  “Moving out, sir,” Welsh reported.

  “I’ll ride along.” Kade intended to transport the two dead bodies to Camp Roberts personally.

  He and Leech had taken out the rest of the Maskhadov faction when they’d mounted their escape after two years of captivity. Calder had been the only surviving member of the organization responsible for killing countless US agents and operatives in the mid-nineties, and that was only because he’d returned to the States shortly after the Maskhadovs captured Leech.

  In order to leave the country and exact his revenge, Kade had been forced to make a deal with the most unlikely of allies—United Russia, the only organization who wanted the Maskhadovs dead more than the CIA did. As part of the deal, Kade had agreed to turn Calder over to UR, dead or alive.

  He had no intention of leaving Calder’s body until he was absolutely certain it was in UR’s possession. Only then would he know that the nightmare that began over twenty years ago would finally be over.

  “Quinn’s asleep,” Mercer told Kade when he walked in the back door of the Harmony house. The hand off of Calder’s body had happened quickly and covertly, and for that he was thankful.

  “Where’s Ma?” he asked right as she came around the corner, almost knocking him over.

  She held him tight and cried. At the same time, his father rested his hand on Kade’s shoulder.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Quinn come around the same corner his mother had. Her bewildered gaze traveled back and forth between him and Mercer.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Okay,” she murmured in response.

  “Would you like to talk?”

  “Now?” she asked, once again looking at Mercer.

  “It doesn’t have to be,” Kade answered. “But we can if you want to. I’m sure you have questions.”

  It was only when Mercer reached his hand out to her that Quinn came all the way into the room.

  “There isn’t any rush, precious,” Kade heard him say to her.

  “My head hurts,” she said, turning to Sorcha who rushed to the sink to get Quinn a glass of water.

  “Drink this, precious,” she said, which elicited a smile from both Quinn and Mercer. “And take these,” she added, handing her what looked like aspirin.

  “How about you, Da?” Kade asked, wondering if they should consider taking him and Quinn to the hospital.

  Before his father could answer, his mother pointed to a bag sitting on the table. “Have someone run this to the hospital and ask Susan in the lab to analyze it.”

  Of course his father had made sure to collect the cloth used to knock him out, or maybe it had been the one used on Quinn. Regardless, having tests run to determine whether simple ether or something more powerful had been used should be done immediately. Kade wished they’d let him know earlier; he would’ve taken it to Camp Roberts with him. He looked over at Mercer who was studying something on his phone.

  “What’s up?” Kade asked.

  “It was chloroform. Someone beat you to it,” he reported.

  “Who?”

  “Welsh. Evidently, he picked up a second cloth at the scene.”

  “Who uses chloroform these days?” his mother said, more than asked.

  That was a valid question, although with the Russians, it depended more on what they could get their hands on. What Kade wanted to know was why Welsh hadn’t informed him of what he was doing.

  “Who is Welsh? Who brought him in?” Kade snapped at no one in particular.

  “I did,” said his father.

  “Sorry, Da.” Kade rolled his shoulders. He needed to decompress, something he’d always made arrangements to do in the past, but this time, his return was nothing like any other. He’d been gone over two years. First, deep undercover, and then the majority of it held in captivity. Not to mention, reported dead.

  “I need a minute.” Kade walked out the back door.

  “Want one?” Mercer came out later and offered him a beer.

  “Ten would be better.”

  Kade twisted off the cap and downed half the bottle. “Been a damn long time.”

  “Do what you need to do, Doc.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. Everyone is going to understand, and if they don’t, screw ’em.”

  “Even if what I need to do is escape to a deserted island somewhere?”

  Mercer laughed and nodded.

  As tempting as it was, this time, for the first time, Kade had to put his family before himself, something he’d never been able to do before. Quinn needed him now, if only to explain the last twenty-one years of her life.

  He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees. “I don’t know where to start,” he said. “How is she?”

  “Quinn? She’s okay. She has questions, but she knows more than you think she does.”

  Mercer told him about the time they’d spent at Casa Carrizo, the house in Montecito, and how Laird had also given her access to Kade’s apartment above the winery.

  “She remembers me.”

  “She does. Bits and pieces at least. She remembers you teaching her how to ride a bike.”

  Kade smiled. He remembered that day well for its normalcy. He, Lena, and Quinn had spent the morning in town. When they came back to the house, he’d asked if she was ready for him to take the training wheels off her bike. She’d told him she was scared, and he’d promised her that he wouldn’t let go until he was sure she was ready. Quinn hadn’t pedaled twenty feet before he had. She’d ridden around and around the circular drive, making him dizzy. He could still hear the sound of her giggling.

  Two days later, before the crack of dawn, he’d left on another mission. Lena had begged him not to go, even though she knew damn well he had no choice. The joy he’d felt with Quinn was replaced by guilt and remorse. His guilt, though, wasn’t because he was sorry he had to leave. Instead, it was because he couldn’t wait to get out of there.

  “I’m a selfish bastard,” he muttered. “Always have been.” He looked up at Mercer. “Right now, all I want to do is leave. That’s about as honest as I�
��ve ever been, Eighty-eight.”

  Mercer took a swig of his beer. “Talk to Quinn first, and then leave. However much time you need, take it. I know without you saying a word that you’ve been to hell and back. You look like it too.”

  Kade laughed. He knew he did. His body was soft, and he probably weighed fifty pounds less than he had when he left.

  “I can’t, not until I’ve seen everyone. By the way, how’s Lena?”

  “No different.”

  Kade laughed. “She can come back now.”

  Mercer shook his head and looked away.

  “What?”

  “If it weren’t for Quinn, I’d say we should let her stay gone.”

  Kade knew exactly what Mercer meant. “She wasn’t always this bad.”

  “Paps told me.”

  “Paps? Interesting.”

  Mercer laughed. “I’ve never seen two people hate each other more than Paps and Lena.”

  “You know what they say about love and hate.”

  “Not this time.” Mercer shook his head. “So, who’s Fatale?”

  “MI6.”

  “How’d he get involved in your mission in Moscow.”

  “She.”

  “Huh?”

  “Fatale is a woman, and to answer your question, she infiltrated the Maskhadovs about six months ago.”

  “What was she after?”

  “Same thing they were.” Same thing Calder was. Same thing he was. MI6, CIA, UR—everybody was after what Calder had hidden over twenty years ago.

  “Must be important, considering Calder was willing to kill me to get it.”

  He hadn’t heard Quinn come out the back door. Kade stood. “Have a seat.”

  “No, thanks. I just came out to see if you were hungry. Sorcha made cock-a-leekie soup.”

  “She did? Huh.” Kade scratched his chin.

  “It’s my favorite.”

  “You used to…well, that was a long time ago.”

  “No, tell me. Please.” Quinn sat in one of the other empty chairs and motioned for Kade to sit back down.

  He told her about her mother insisting she wouldn’t like it, but she had, even when she was little enough to still be in a high chair.

  “You used to call it—”

  “Kukie-lukie.” Quinn laughed. “I remember now.”

  “Excuse me.” Mercer stood and went inside.

  “I, uh, guess I better get used to this. There’s a lot I need to tell you, not just stories about soup, but stories about your life, Quinn.”

  “Not today,” she murmured, her eyes filling with tears.

  “You asked me a question—”

  Quinn stood. “Don’t answer. Not yet.”

  Fall for Me

  Summer

  Liv raised her arms and swayed as the warm breeze of the Colorado night danced and swirled around her.

  Sitting in the sixth row of the outdoor amphitheater, she closed her eyes and sang along, as the opening band played her favorite song.

  She didn’t remember how she found them, or the first time she listened to their music, but this was the first time she saw them perform live.

  I don’t wanna play it cool

  Act like meeting you

  Ain’t got me all jumbled up inside.

  I don’t want to play along,

  Dance with you for just one song,

  Then politely step aside.

  Let’s don’t let go of this

  No, let’s don’t let this go.

  I don’t wanna move too fast

  If I let this moment pass

  May never get the chance again.

  Tomorrow I will either be

  Tangled up in you and me

  Or lost in thoughts of what could have been.

  “Open your eyes,” her best friend, Paige, whispered. “He’s singing to you.”

  When Liv opened her eyes, CB, the lead singer of the band CB Rice, was looking right at her. When she smiled, he nodded and smiled too.

  “Oh my God,” Liv’s daughter, Renie, giggled. “Look, Blythe.” Renie nudged her best friend.

  “How embarrassing,” Blythe murmured.

  “Ow! Jeez, Mom. Why’d you hit me?”

  “Let Liv enjoy this moment, and don’t be such a brat, Blythe.”

  The people behind them leaned forward. “Shh…”

  Blythe turned around. “You want us to be quiet during a rock concert? Seriously?”

  Paige swatted her again.

  “Ow, Mom. Stop hitting me!”

  “Shh…” whispered Liv, wanting to hear nothing but CB’s voice singing her favorite song.

  In my mind I’ve already let this go too far

  Saying goodbye tonight

  Would be just like a broken heart.

  Let’s don’t let go of this

  No, let’s don’t let this go.

  The song ended, and Liv wished she could hit replay, like she did so often when she listened to their music. It was as though the words of every song were written just for her. She’d never forget this night, finally having the chance to see them perform live.

  Since CB Rice was the opener for the opener for the headliner, their set was short. After six songs, CB thanked the bands that would come after them for inviting them on stage tonight.

  “Playing Red Rocks has always been our dream,” CB told the cheering audience.

  Every band she’d seen at the spectacular venue nestled into the mountains outside of Denver had expressed a similar sentiment.

  The natural rock formations created an open-air amphitheater with perfect acoustics. A large, tilted, disc-shaped rock formed a multi-story backdrop behind the stage, and a huge vertical rock angled outward from the right. Several more large outcrops angled outward from the left.

  From the stage, rows upon rows of wooden benches led up to a vast and open view of the starry Rocky Mountain nights.

  “Ready for a beer?” Paige asked.

  “Sure. Why not?” Liv smiled. She’d insisted they rush to their seats when they arrived, so she didn’t miss a single minute of CB Rice on stage.

  “We’re going to look at merch,” Renie told her mother, pulling a pouting Blythe behind her.

  “All the years they’ve been friends, you’d think Renie’s personality would’ve rubbed off, at least a little, on my daughter.”

  “She’s fine,” Liv answered.

  She hummed the last song the band played, wishing again she could hear it one more time.

  “You should get a t-shirt,” Paige teased.

  “Maybe I will.”

  Two beers and one of every t-shirt CB Rice was selling later, Liv and Paige returned to their seats just as the second band took the stage.

  Their seats were situated just outside the roped-off area, which was designated both for VIPs and for the sound equipment. When Renie came and sat beside her, Liv leaned against her daughter.

  “Having fun?” Renie asked.

  “Thank you for doing this,” Liv answered.

  “I know how much you like Red Rocks, and with three of your favorite bands playing, it seemed like the perfect way to end our summer.”

  Her daughter was a pre-med major at Dartmouth, and would be returning to school next week.

  “I miss you already, sweetheart.”

  The second band began to play, and soon everyone in the ten-thousand-person audience was on their feet, dancing and singing along.

  “Look.” Renie pointed to Liv’s left.

  She looked up at the large rock formation, expecting to see something projected on it. “What?”

  “Not up there. There.” Renie pointed again to the VIP area, where CB and his band were seated.

  When Liv looked over, CB was looking right at her, just like he had been while onstage. Warmth traveled up her cheeks, and she looked away. A few minutes later, she looked back. His eyes still rested on her; this time he smiled and winked.

  “Hey, you.” Paige smiled when Liv scooted closer, putting R
enie and Blythe between her and the ropes.

  “Mom’s hiding from CB Rice.”

  Paige leaned back.

  “Don’t look,” Liv gasped.

  “Why not?”

  “He’s been staring at her all night,” Blythe groaned.

  “Shh…” the people behind them whispered again, which only made Liv and Paige giggle.

  When the second band’s set ended, Liv sneaked a peek at the VIP area, disappointed that she didn’t see any members of CB Rice.

  “You were ignoring him, so he went home,” Renie smirked.

  Liv rolled her eyes.

  Soon, the third band took the stage, and the audience went wild. Liv forgot all about CB and his band as she danced and sang along for the rest of the two-hour show.

  Too soon it seemed, the band played their encore, and the audience slowly began making their way to the exits.

  “Wait,” Liv heard someone yell.

  “Mom, stop.”

  When Liv turned around, CB was standing right behind her.

  He smiled. “Hi.”

  “Uh, hi.”

  “What’s your name?”

  Liv looked around. “Me?”

  CB laughed. “Yeah, you.”

  “Liv,” she answered, and then turned back around. “And this is my friend, Paige, my daughter, Renie, and Paige’s daughter, Blythe.”

  He bent to see around Liv. “I’m Ben Rice. Nice to meet you.” He waved, and then rested his gaze back on her. “Thanks for coming to the show tonight, Liv.”

  “You’re welcome. Um…well…nice to meet you, um…Ben” Liv pushed past Paige. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Paige waved and followed Liv, who was already beyond the end of the row, near the exit.

  “What has gotten into you?” Paige asked when they got in the car.

  “Nothing. Why?”

  “You weren’t very polite to him, Mom.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “He was flirting with you.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Liv murmured and turned up the volume on the stereo.

  Download today!

  Fall for Me