by Zara Chase
“Tell us what you know about Romney,” Raoul invited, sitting down beside Cantara and grasping her hand like a lifeline.
“To use American terminology, he’s a jerk. Make that a lazy jerk. But he’s very clever at hiding his inadequacies.”
“I remember he’s good looking,” Cantara said, earning herself identical scowls from Raoul and Zeke that made her smile. She loved their possessiveness, but sometimes they took it too far.
“Oh yeah,” Levi replied, “and doesn’t he just know it. He turns on the charm when it suits him and fools a lot of people about his true nature, men and women alike. If anyone was having an affair, I’d put good money on it being him.”
“Which would explain why Pool covered his tracks.”
“Right.” Levi nodded. “As a colonel he could arrange for me to be sprung from detention on some pretense or other, and get me onto a military transport plane.”
“Let me put some coffee on,” Cantara said, feeling on information overload and in urgent need of a shot of caffeine.
“I have a feeling Romney liked the ponies, too,” Levi added. “And show me a gambler who doesn’t have debts.”
Cantara served coffee and they continued to mull over the question of Romney, and his motivation, while waiting for Mark and Karl to report back on their findings. They did so in person toward the end of the morning.
“Romney’s constantly in debt,” Jordon told them. “About the time of Cantara’s abduction he was in big time with some heavy dudes who don’t play nice with guys who default. Then, suddenly, there was an influx of unexplained cash into his account and his problems went away.”
Raoul clenched his fists. “The bastard! Let me at him.”
“Easy, partner,” Zeke said, looking only fractionally less thunderous. “What else, Karl?”
“He’s in deep again right now.”
“Wonder who he’ll betray this time to claw his way back,” Raoul muttered.
“Is he still married to the colonel’s daughter?” Cantara asked.
“Yeah, and their kids are in grade school.”
“It has to be him,” Raoul said.
“I agree,” Zeke replied. “But what are we gonna do about him?”
“Other than break his fucking miserable neck, you mean?”
“Don’t do that, Raoul,” Cantara said, smiling sweetly. “They’ll lock you up if you do.”
“Even though it would be a public service?”
Cantara perched a buttock on the arm of his chair and leaned in to kiss his brow. “Even then.”
“Does Colonel Hassan think you’re guilty?” Zeke asked.
“Actually no, he had a real hard time with that. He told me when I went to jail that they’d soon have me out again, once they’d investigated and cleared me of any wrongdoing. He knew me well enough to accept I wouldn’t cheat on my wife.” Levi flashed a mirthless smile. “He also knew that if I did I was too good with computers to leave evidence of an affair in such an obvious place.”
“Have you spoken to him since you arrived in the States?” Raoul asked.
“No, I was often tempted, but once I absconded I figured he would assume I was guilty, so I couldn’t take the risk.”
“What are you thinking?” Zeke asked Raoul.
“I’m thinking we should talk to Hassan on a secure line to start with. We know he’s in this country right now, waiting to talk to Cantara.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to invite Agent Parker, Colonel Hassan and Colonel Pool down here?” Cantara asked. “All three of them want to talk to me. They keep ringing to ask if I’ve remembered anything. Tell them I now remember everything, including talk of who betrayed me that I overheard during my captivity. That ought to bring them running.”
“That will be dangerous, darlin’,” Raoul said, touching her hand. “I’m not taking a single risk with you again.”
“If they come here to the ranch, I won’t be in danger. It’s home ground and you hold all the advantages since you don’t let anyone past the gates if they have weapons. We can spring Mr. Levi on them and let Pool explain his way out of it.”
Raoul and Zeke looked at one another. “I guess it would be the best way,” Raoul said. “If we tell Hassan in advance that Levi’s here, he might put duty before friendship and the next thing you know we’ll be inundated with military police enforcing a search warrant.”
“How do you feel about it, Levi?” Zeke asked. “There’s every chance they’ll throw your ass in jail first and ask questions later.”
“I’m prepared to take that chance. I’ve had enough of living on the run.”
“We’ll get you fixed up with a decent lawyer, if it comes to it,” Raoul said.
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“You sure you wanna do this, babe?” Zeke asked.
Cantara nodded. “Perfectly sure.” She shared a smile between her two men. “We need closure, gentlemen,” she said, glancing significantly at the door to the yellow room. “I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of why.”
“Okay, Levi,” Raoul said. “You’ll be our guest until we get this sorted out. Mark and Jordon have a spare room in the barn. They’ll take care of you.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” He stood up, looking resolute. “One way or another, I want my life back.”
Chapter Fourteen
“It’s almost over,” Raoul said to Cantara the following morning. “The colonels and Parker will be here soon and we can hit them with what we know.”
Cantara nodded, and reached up to cover Raoul’s hand, resting on her shoulder. All three of them were on edge, excited about settling the big mystery surrounding her capture, because it would free them up to live the life they’d always envisaged for themselves. Raoul, she knew, was especially screwed up about the risks, worried the strain would be too much for her. But once the call had been placed to Parker, the die was cast. There was no turning back now. Cantara was glad. She needed closure.
I know,” she replied. “Don’t worry about me. I can do this. I want to do it.”
“Do you think Pool will ’fess up, bud?” Zeke asked.
“Bet you ten bucks he doesn’t.”
“You’re on.”
Zeke prepared breakfast for the three of them, and the guys sat over Cantara, making sure she ate something. She almost elevated from her chair when the buzzer sounded, and Karl’s voice came through the intercom.
“They’re at the gates,” he said.
“Go get ’em,” Raoul replied. “You know what to do. Levi, in that room there,” he added, pointing to the small den off the great room. “Keep the door closed until I come to get you.”
“Good luck,” Levi said.
He was grim faced and understandably tense, since his entire future hung in the balance. Even so, he managed a smile and reassuring pat on the shoulder for Cantara before leaving the room.
Cantara sat down as the wait for their visitors to reach the house seemed interminable. She caught a glimpse of her image in a nearby mirror and was shocked to see just how pale she looked. Raoul sat on the arm of her chair and played with the hairs that had escaped from her French braid. He coiled them around his index finger and brushed her nape each time he did so, sending delicious shivers down her spine that helped to distract her. Zeke sat opposite her and treated her to one of his infectiously wicked smiles as he touched her knee. They were so attuned to her needs that they always knew exactly how to make her feel better about herself.
“We got you, darlin’,” they said at the same time.
“Look upon this as revenge time, and try to enjoy it,” Raoul said alone. “You’ve sure as hell earned the right.”
“I’m okay, really.”
“We’ll make you feel more than okay later, sweetheart,” Zeke said, winking at her. “Hold that thought.”
“You have to do whatever I want you to?” she asked, widening her eyes.
“Oh no, darlin’.” Raoul’s predatory smile, full o
f innuendo and self-assurance, caused her pulse to quicken and her pussy to spring a leak faster than the national debt. Damn it, now wasn’t the time, but when he looked at her that way, her body played by its own rules and she simply couldn’t help the way she responded to his flirtatious challenges. “You know better than that. We’re in charge in the yellow room and if you make demands it’ll earn you a good, hard spanking.”
A gurgle of laughter slipped past her guard. “Will it now?”
“Witch!”
Raoul didn’t have a chance to do anything other than tap her thigh before they heard the door open and voices in the vestibule.
“Game on,” Zeke muttered, standing.
The three men strode into the room, Agent Parker in the lead, and shook hands with Raoul and Zeke. From her chair Cantara could see just how hard it was for her two guys to shake Pool’s hand without detaching it from his wrist. All three of them then turned to look at her, smiles plastered on their faces.
“So pleased to hear you’re better,” Parker said, sounding sincere.
“Thanks, yes. I feel much better.” She motioned to the seats surrounding her. “Forgive me if I don’t get up. But please, sit down, all of you. How can I help you?”
“If it’s not too painful, talk us through everything that happened to you.”
Cantara did so, and for the most part no one interrupted her. Occasionally Parker asked for clarification on some point or other, but aside from that, the floor was Cantara’s.
“Can you remember the names of any of the people who stopped by to talk to Salim?” Parker asked.
Cantara could, and gave them, along with descriptions and as much as she knew about each individual’s background. Parker was recording everything she said, but still took copious notes.
Pool, who looked distinctly unwell, broke his silence. “Did you hear anything said about Levi’s reasons for turning traitor?” he asked.
“How could she have done?” Raoul replied for her. “Since you know as well as I do that Levi wasn’t the traitor.”
Hassan looked surprised. Parker, significantly, did not, and Cantara wondered just how much information the spook was privy to that he wasn’t sharing. Pool fell back on belligerence and posturing.
“What the devil do you mean by that remark, Washington?” Pool stood up, as pugnacious as ever, but Raoul and Zeke stood also, making him appear puny and insignificant by comparison. “Levi’s e-mails condemned him, to say nothing of his breaking out of jail.”
“Those e-mails were planted,” Zeke replied. “And he didn’t break out of the detention center. He was removed by the US military to be taken back to headquarters for questioning.”
“What’s all this?” Hassan asked, sending Pool a questioning glare.
“We know the truth, Pool,” Raoul said. “You have one chance to help yourself and confess, and this is it.”
“I know you don’t like me, Washington, and I can assure you the feeling’s mutual. Just because you aren’t as good as you think you are and managed to lose your wife, don’t blame me for your incompetence.”
“Told you he wouldn’t man-up,” Raoul said, shrugging. “You owe me ten bucks, bud.”
“Americans soldiers went to the detention center with a signed order to release Levi to them so he could be taken for questioning,” Zeke said. “Who do you suppose signed that order, Pool?”
The colonel shrugged. “How would I know?”
“It was signed by your adjutant, and countersigned by you.”
“Bullshit!”
“Is it?” Raoul asked, flexing a brow.
He strolled about the room, hands clasped behind his back, clearly enjoying himself. Cantara enjoyed watching him. In spite of all those rippling muscles and his aura of tightly controlled strength, his movements were lithe and graceful—a flowing display of masculine vitality that she would have to be dead not to appreciate, no matter how lousy and inappropriate the timing of her thoughts. But it was always that way whenever she was anywhere near Zeke and Raoul. However dire the situation, sex was never far from her thoughts, and she had long since learned not to fight against the power of her instincts. The feel of their hands doing what they did so well, the exquisite agony of being chastised by one or both of them, the joy when they finally penetrated her…
Dear God, she was damp again. Cantara opened her eyes wide and made a superhuman effort to pull her thoughts away from the erotic direction they appeared determined to take. She blamed her guys for that, of course. How was she supposed to concentrate on the matter in hand when they kept distracting her with displays of raw musculature? Anyway, Raoul was right. They had earned this moment and she intended to make the most of it.
“I had a feeling that’s what you would say,” Raoul said, “and so I called in a few favors.” Had he? That was news to Cantara. Raoul leaned over his desk and extracted a piece of paper from a drawer, winked at her and handed the paper to Parker. “This is a copy of the order in question.”
Hassan leaned over Parker’s shoulder and read it. “This says Levi was required for joint questioning by the task force. My name’s cited, but I knew nothing about this.”
“Because the questioning would never take place,” Zeke replied. “It was a ruse to break Levi out of custody because the real traitor knew the evidence he’d planted wouldn’t hold up. He screwed up there, not being as proficient at computer hacking. Levi could have proven he wasn’t having an affair, and even if there was still any doubt, no one who knew him would ever believe he’d left evidence laying around where anyone could find it. You didn’t believe it, did you, colonel?” Zeke asked, addressing the comment to Hassan.
“No, not for one moment, but when it looked like he had absconded, I no longer knew what to think.”
“Which is precisely why it was made to appear as though he’d gone on the run. Guilt by association.”
“I knew nothing about this, either,” Pool said, sounding rather desperate. “I didn’t sign that order.”
“Yeah, you did, but you weren’t the traitor.”
“Romney,” Hassan hissed.
“Exactly right, colonel. We would have put it together sooner, but for the fact that we didn’t know he was married to Pool’s daughter.”
The air left Pool’s lungs in an extravagant whoosh and he fell back into his chair.
“You kept that one quiet,” Hassan said, clearly seething.
“You knew Romney hadn’t covered his tracks well enough to fool anyone for long, and so cleaned up for him. I suspect not for the first time,” Raoul said.
“Why did Romney do it?” Parker asked.
“He was badly in debt to some very unforgiving people,” Zeke replied. “We have his financials that show those debts mysteriously disappeared shortly after Cantara did.” He fixed Parker with a significant look. “But I’m probably not telling you anything you didn’t already know.”
“It’s all circumstantial,” Pool blustered. “If Levi’s so innocent, why doesn’t he step forward?”
“My thoughts precisely,” Raoul said, opening the door to the den, through which Levi walked, shoulders back, head held high.
“Hello, Colonel,” he said, offering his hand to Hassan.
Hassan grasped it in both of his and then engulfed Levi in a back-slapping hug. “Why didn’t you contact me?” he asked.
Levi explained all that had happened to him, and the part Pool had played in it. Especially the threats against his family.
“Which is why I couldn’t take the risk,” he finished. “Until I heard Cantara was safe. Then I came here, hoping Washington and Orion would hear me out before killing me, which they did.”
“It’s his word against mine,” Pool said. “A distinguished colonel—”
“Distinguished?” Zeke threw Pool a disbelieving look.
“A distinguished colonel with a spotless record against an adjutant who can’t keep his pecker in his pants.”
Raoul smiled at Pool’s bluster.
“Once Romney’s been picked up and interrogated, his financials soured, my guess is, we’ll soon know who’s telling the truth.” He held Pool in a death glare. “Sure you wanna go there? There’s still time to distance yourself.”
Pool appeared to shrink in his chair and suddenly looked years older as he dropped his head into his hand, clearly realizing he couldn’t bluster his way out of this one.
“We’ve pieced it all together,” Zeke said, “but would like to hear it from you, Colonel.”
No one spoke, but every pair of eyes in the room was trained condemningly upon Pool.
“Everything I’ve done has been done to protect my daughter,” he said in a defeated voice. “I want you to believe that. She and her kids are the only people I have left in the world worth living for. I warned her against Romney when she first started dating him. There was something about him I didn’t trust, but she was smitten and there was nothing I could do to stop them from marrying.” He looked up and grimaced. “She’s still smitten, by the way. No matter how badly he treats her, she stands by him. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve offered to look after her and the kids, but she won’t even consider leaving him.”
“And so when he didn’t meet the criteria for any of the elite corps he wanted to become a part of, you got him a job close to you where you could keep an eye on him?” Zeke suggested.
“Pretty much.”
“How could you cover up for him when you knew he’d probably gotten me killed, and could easily have gotten Raoul and Zeke killed, too?” Cantara demanded to know. “You swore an oath, didn’t you?”
Pool spread his hands. “You were determined to go in there. Your brother-in-law would have gotten you, no matter what. I don’t condone what Romney did, in fact I nearly broke his damned neck when I found out. But in the end, all he did was tell those people you and Washington were married.”
Raoul shook his head. “I can’t believe your stupidity, although I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me. Salim was obsessed with Cantara. When he found out she’d married me, it tipped him over the edge with jealousy. She suffered way more at his hands because of that and because he knew we had her back, he was able to lay a trap for us.”
