“Negative,” I answer.
“I haven’t found anything that ties him to…here,” Emily speaks up, having been pretty quiet until now. “It’s possible it’s just a place to lay low and hide out, but it’s also possible that this is just a layover and that they’re going to drive somewhere further away.”
“They could be driving to Mexico from here,” Cole suggests.
“Could, but why not go there first?” I argue.
“To throw everyone off? Who knows?” Max shrugs. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Alright, keep a distance behind us. Let’s not make it obvious that he has two of us on his tail,” I plan alloud. “Keep in touch with Alec and let him know what’s going on. I’ve notified him that they’re back in the US, which hopefully means the FBI will be stepping in soon. He’s also in contact with the Dallas PD who will be assisting as well. Unfortunately, no one is going to keep him here until they can arrive.”
“Well, we could,” Cole laughs. “But no one would like that attention on us.”
“Let’s not do that,” Emily says, looking around the small rental car area. Cole and Max both look at me questioningly, clearly picking up on her behavior. I shake my head and they immediately let it go.
“Hopefully they’ll stop somewhere, but if not we just follow them until the PD can pull them over.”
“Understood,” Max confirms. “We’re going to head over to our rental car. We’ve already scoped out the layout and exit areas.”
“No concerns?” I ask the group. Although the area isn’t that busy, there’s still too many people around for my liking. If it were up to me we wouldn’t even be talking about this here, but since we don’t have much time it’s our only option.
“Of course,” she answers sarcastically. “You have thousands of people coming and going from this airport right now, which of course is a concern. However, given what we’re working with we have all of our bases covered.”
“Be sure your coms are on,” I remind them before they leave.
“Is it always like this?” Emily asks.
“Like what?”
“The constant go go go, not knowing where you’re headed next, following people?”
“Sometimes,” I answer honestly. “To provide security coverage, our staff plans for hours. Every appointment, business trip, hell, even a trip to a doctor is planned out down to the last detail. Sudden changes in schedules drive us crazy because you have no time to plan. But…this part of the business, yeah it’s usually like this. We only involve the very best of our staff in these cases, the staff we trust the most, and they know to be prepared for the unknown. Sometimes we can plan things out, but other times, like today, you don’t have a chance to plan everything out.”
“Oh.”
“Your position with Dark Water Security isn’t like that though. Honestly, Jose never came out in the field with us. It’ll be last minute planning and searching through information until the wee hours of the morning like you’ve done with this case, but it’ll be done in Virginia. If you’re worried about constantly having to fly somewhere or having to pretend to be someone else—”
“I’m not.”
“Good, but this is definitely the exception. If it wasn’t for the urgency of this case and the need for a cover at the resort, you’d be back in Virginia where I’m sure you’d rather be.”
“You have no idea,” she mumbles so quietly that I don’t think she intended me to hear her.
A movement out of the corner of my eye, pulls my attention away from her and back to the reason we’re standing in the middle of the ground transportation section of an airport in a state I swore I would never step foot in again. As much as it kills me, I force myself to focus on Jack and the kids who are now heading toward the exit.
“Time to go.” Without thinking, I put my hand on her lower back and lead her out to the parking lot.
Jack and the kids are not far ahead of us, but we’ve fallen enough behind that it won’t look unusual if he were to turn around. It’s funny, he’s the one on the run with two kids he’s not supposed to have with him, but Emily is the one constantly looking over her shoulder and acting like people are looking for her. We quickly find the rental car that Alec set up for us, complete with a small bag in the trunk from Cole and Max. We throw our carry-on bags in the trunk, and I move the small bag to just behind the passenger seat of the car. I ignore the questioning look in Emily’s eyes, knowing that it would only make her more nervous if she knew there was a bag with guns and knives in it sitting behind her seat. While I don’t anticipate needing them, it would be stupid and irresponsible to go in empty handed. At the resort we were simply on a fact finding mission, this is different.
“Ready?”
“Yes,” she answers firmly.
I quickly put the com in my ear and confirm that Cole, Max, and Alec are all hooked up. Normally, Emily would also be listening in from the office, but given that she’s riding along she has a front row seat to this one. As soon as Jack starts backing out of his parking spot, I do the same. Everyone is silent as we slowly exit the airport, the only communication coming in is to relay to Alec the direction we’re headed.
“Dallas PD is en route, FBI as well,” Alec confirms a few minutes later. “Ten, maybe fifteen minutes until they arrive. Be aware, once they’re on site you are to fall back. If you’re able to do so safely, fall back but continue to follow. I don’t want this bastard somehow getting away and those kids being separated from their mother for even longer than they already have been.”
“Understood,” I confirm.
“Everything okay?” Emily asks.
“Is your com not working?”
“I didn’t hear anything except your end of the conversation,” she looks at me questioningly.
“You should be hearing all the conversation.”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
“When we stop I’ll see if we have another one in the bag. Alec is going to see if he can’t trouble shoot it on his end, but he doesn’t think he’ll be able to.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll keep you in the loop with what’s going on.”
As hard as it is, I am entirely focused on the car we’re following. Any unease about being back in Texas is gone; the only thing that matters is getting these kids back home to their mother. If everything goes as planned, I could be back in Virginia by morning. Hell, maybe even tonight if I can catch a late enough flight.
“They’re—” Emily starts to point out what I already saw.
“They’re pulling into a rest stop up ahead. Alec, get the cops or the agents here now.”
“Five minutes away.”
“Fuck.”
We watch as Jack pulls into a parking spot, before he gets out of the car with the kids. I follow him into the parking lot, finding a spot just a few cars down from his. By the time I park, Jack is heading up to the large building. I don’t hesitate, I reach into the small bag I threw on the back seat and grab a gun. Just before getting out of the car, I tuck it into my pants and cover it with my shirt. Emily’s eyes go wide, but she doesn’t say anything.
“Stay with the car,” I instruct Cole and Max. “Don’t let him leave if he gets back before our company arrives.”
“Got it, boss,” Max confirms.
“Stay here.” I turn to tell Emily, but it’s too late as she’s right behind me. For once, I had hoped that her anxiety would have worked in my favor and she would have stayed in the car, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case. I didn’t think ahead to tell her not to leave the car, to stay there until I returned, as my entire focus was on not letting Jack out of my site.
“I’m coming with you.” She leaves no room for argument.
“Just…do whatever I tell you if things…just do what I say.”
“I will.”
We walk into the crowded rest stop shortly after Jack and the kids. He’s waiting in line at the bathroom, while Emily and I pret
end to be engrossed in the vending machine offerings. I’m careful to position us in such a way that I can see him, but he can’t see me. If he does notice me, there’s no way he’ll think it’s just a coincidence that I’m here at the same time as him. Not since he would have seen me on the plane and at the airport kiosks…
“Two minutes out,” Alec relays.
“They just entered the men’s room,” I inform him.
“Let’s hope the kids delay doing their thing,” Cole says. “Don’t kids normally take hours in the bathroom?”
“How the fuck would I know?” I grumble.
“They’re coming out,” Emily says.
“We’ve got company pulling up. Can you delay them?”
“Delay them how?”
Before I even realize what’s happening, Emily, who until now has been quietly standing next to me, is heading towards Jack. I should go after her, should call for her. Hell, I should grab her and drag her back to where I’m hidden, but I don’t. She’s in front of Jack, talking to him, yet I have no idea what the fuck she’s saying. Why the fuck isn’t her com working?
“Our friends in blue say they’re good to let him come out anytime,” Max says.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, and for good measure, the car’s battery has been disconnected.” Cole doesn’t hide the humor in his voice.
“Good, let them know everyone will be out in a minute.”
As quick as she was gone, Emily is back, handing me a crisp dollar bill.
“What was that about?”
“You didn’t see?” She smiles proudly at me. “The vending machine wouldn’t take my dollar bill since it was crumbled up, so that nice gentleman kindly exchanged it for one of his crisp new ones.”
“Don’t ever do that again,” I growl, a fierce protectiveness coming over me like I’ve never felt before. That’s not true. I’ve only felt it once before…more than ten years ago.
“I’m sorry—”
“What if he had grabbed you? What if he had a gun? What if—”
“He didn’t.” She cuts me off. “But, you seem to forget that I’m trained in multiple forms of martial arts and have taught self-defense classes.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I argue. “You don’t suddenly do something without letting your partner know!”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing you’re not my partner,” she snaps.
I glance over her shoulder, watching as the uniformed officers cuff Jack from behind while another consoles the kids. I let out a sigh of relief knowing that within a few hours those kids will be back with their mother, where they belong, and the bastard who took them from her will be behind bars where he belongs.
“You drive me fucking crazy.” I grab her wrist, forgetting everything else, and pull her against me.
“You’re not the only one,” she agrees.
I don’t know who initiated it, but the next thing I know her soft lips are once again on mine. The kiss picks up exactly where the one the other night dropped off. The passion, the need, the want, is all still there. The shy, uncertain Emily that seems to be a constant presence is gone, replaced by someone who is much more confident in her actions. Her tongue teases me, darting in and out of my mouth until I’ve had enough of the teasing. With one hand cradling her head, the other on her lower back, I take control back. She moans into my mouth, surprising me with just how much she likes not always being in control of everything around her. I slip my hand under the back of her shirt, needing to feel her bare skin, even if it’s just for a moment. When she doesn’t make any effort to stop me, my hand slides up further—until I feel something that has me immediately pulling back from her beautiful lips.
I know what I’m feeling, I know exactly what I’m feeling on her back…because the raised skin feels the exact same way on mine.
“Em?” I whisper in complete disbelief.
Chapter 20
Emily
Shit.
He knows.
Preparing myself for what I know is going to happen, I focus on the floor—not yet ready to meet his eyes. I’ve been waiting for this moment for the last several weeks, hell, I’ve rehearsed just how this might play out. I just never expected it to happen right after he kissed me. I never expected any of this.
With a gentle touch I know I don’t deserve, he lifts my chin up until our eyes finally meet. The look in his eyes tells me everything I need to know. Not only does he know exactly who I am, but he hates me for deceiving him. I don’t blame him…not at all.
“You knew?” He doesn’t need to tell me what he thinks I knew. He’s asking if I knew who he was this entire time, because confirming I knew who he was means I lied to him about who I was.
“Luke—”
“What the fuck?!?! This whole fucking time, you knew?”
“I’m sorry—”
“You knew…” he steps away, putting even more distance between us. Even though he’s only a few feet away, it feels like we’re worlds apart…again. “You fucking knew all along, didn’t you?”
“I—”
“Yes or no? Did you fucking know from the beginning?”
“Yes, but—”
“Guys.” Cole comes rushing over to us. “What’s going on? Luke, is your com not working either? Alec has—”
He takes the com from his ear and toss it at Cole; who catches it and tucks it into his pocket without question.
“Get her back to Virginia.” He gestures towards me without even looking at me.
“What should I tell Alec?”
“I don’t give a fuck what you tell him.”
He storms out, leaving me standing there with a man I’ve only known for a few minutes. In that moment I watch as the only person I have left, walks out of my life for good. I knew I should have told him the truth the day he offered me the job. Hell, it’s not like I didn’t have multiple chances to tell him who I was over the last couple of weeks that we’ve been working together. The truth is I had countless opportunities…I was just too chicken shit to do anything about it.
Walking out of the busy rest stop, I pause realizing in that moment that I have nowhere to go. I watch as Luke tosses my overnight bag at Max before pealing out of the parking lot in the rental car we used. I feel my knees threaten to give out as reality hits me in the face with what just happened. Not only did Luke finally learn who I really am, but he also just walked out of my life again. If I thought losing him ten years ago was hard, the truth is it doesn’t even compare to what I’m feeling right now.
I shouldn’t have lied to him. I should have told him who I was. I should have—
“Come on…I think we have a plane to catch.” Cole’s hand on my arm immediately has me jumping back.
How did I not know he moved closer to me? How did I not realize he stopped talking to Alec? I quickly look around, taking in the numerous people who are walking past us as they curiously glance in our direction. I never let myself get so locked in my own thoughts that I lose track of what’s going on around me. I can’t remember the last time someone was able to sneak up on me like that…
“I…where’s he going?”
“I don’t know.”
I allow Cole to lead me to his car, all the while though I’m typing away on the my phone desperately trying to get a signal on Luke’s before he’s too far away. Though even if I knew exactly where he was going, I don’t know what good it would do me. If I followed him, then what? How could I ask him to forgive me for lying and deceiving him? By the time we reach the other rental car I’ve managed to ping his phone.
“You okay?” Max asks.
“No,” I admit.
“Can I…do you need anything?”
“No…thank you.”
I’ve only known her for a few minutes, but she’s incredibly sweet despite the bad girl exterior. She’s dressed just like Cole is, jeans, a fitted shirt and a light jacket. Her long brown hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail. I try to give her a small smile o
f appreciation as I walk past her.
I slide into the back seat of the car and sit there silently staring at my phone while Cole speaks with the police officers. The only positive thing that came out of the last half hour or so of heartache is watching Jack get led away in handcuffs.
I move through the motions, allowing Cole and Max to lead me to where I need to go once we arrive at the airport. For once I don’t focus on everything going on around me, constantly watching for him to appear from the shadows somewhere even though logically I know he’s locked behind bars. To their defense they both try to talk to me about everything other than Luke, but I spend most of the flight back to Virginia ignoring them and staring out the window.
What am I going to do now?
Chapter 21
Luke
I storm out, furious and fucking betrayed by the one person who I never thought would betray me. By the time I get to the rental car a few minutes later, I turn to see Emily walking out of the building beside Cole with her head down. I grab her overnight back and purse from the car and toss them to Max before I jump in the car and take off. I speed past the police cars, slowing momentarily to see Jack sitting in the back while the kids are on a bench outside eating ice cream. That’s the only positive thing about what just happened.
Against my will, concern for her forces me to pull the car over only a few miles down the highway. I fucking shouldn’t worry, but I do. I yank out my phone and quickly look up Cole’s number.
L: She doesn’t like enclosed spaces. She’s going to struggle on the plane.
C: Got it.
L: Distract her. Make up shit to talk about if you have to, just find a way to distract her.
C: Will do. I’ll clue Max in, maybe she can talk about girl shit or something with her.
C: You okay, man?
L: Fine.
C: She’s doing shit on her phone, hasn’t looked up since you left. She’s probably trying to find you.
L: Probably. She won’t though. Don’t let her out of your site. She needs to go back to Virginia.
C: I’ll get her there.
C: Anything you want me to tell her?
Luke (Dark Water Security Series Book 1) Page 13
