Poker Face (The Masks Series Book 4)

by Melissa Pearl

  She groaned softly, nestling her head against his shoulder and mumbling something incoherent. There was a deep gash on her arm; blood spots trailed her as Rhodes walked her out of the debris. I scrambled over it, following the bright red spots until there was room to take her.

  I stretched out my arms.

  “You’re too weak.”

  I made a move to snatch her from him but Dad’s hand landed on my chest, pushing me back. “Just follow him!”

  Knowing he was right didn’t make it any easier to chase after Rhodes as he made for the only safe exit we could see. Dad urged me forward, taking up the rear and looking over his shoulder as we made for the outer wall.

  His step faltered just before a deep voice echoed across the open space.

  “She’s MINE!”

  It wasn’t until I heard him that I realized the gunfire had ceased. I whipped around, noting the carnage. Bodies scattered the floor, limbs at funny angles. The sharp tang of blood mingled with a deathly silence hung low and brooding, like dry ice misting through the air.

  Santiago was a gnarled tree in a ghostly forest, standing there, pointing a gun at us. He limped forward, his dark eyes bulging.

  “Give her to me.”

  Rhodes gripped her tight, holding her against his chest. “We’re taking her home.”

  “I paid good money for her!”

  “She wasn’t for sale!” I glared at him. “And you can’t have her,” I whispered the words, gazing back at my girlfriend.

  Her head lifted off Rhodes’s shoulder, her eyes squinting open. Her blue gaze found me, softening with a relieved smile before rounding when they landed on Santiago.

  He held out his spare hand. “Come with me, Carlotta, and no one will get hurt.”

  She looked at the gun, her eyes filling with tears as she swallowed.

  “I will let your boyfriend live this time, I swear to you.”

  “Hold her, Rhodes!” I made a move towards them.

  “Eric!” Dad shouted my name as the gun went off. I felt like it happened in slow motion. Dad shouting my name and launching towards me, the loud pop of a bullet firing from its chamber, Dad’s body lurching back and falling against me. I caught him before he hit the floor, wrapping my arms around him. We teetered to the ground together. I landed on my butt, Dad’s body cradled against my torso. Blood bloomed on his side. My throat constricted, shock rendering me speechless.

  “No!” Caity cried out, struggling out of Rhodes’s arms. “I’ll go! I’ll go! Don’t kill anyone!”

  “Caitlyn, you can’t!” Rhodes tried to hold her steady, but she struggled out of his arms. She staggered on her bad ankle and fell to the floor. Rhodes reached behind him, ready to pull out his gun, his eyes rounding wide when he realized he didn’t have it on him. His head whipped to the scaffolding before closing with regret.

  Santiago chuckled, his laughter growing. He had all the power now and he was going to try and take my girl again.

  “Come, my dear. This man needs to get to a hospital.” He pointed to Dad and then pulled a large handkerchief from his pocket, throwing it at Caity.

  “We need to stitch up that arm, too. Wrap that around to slow the bleeding and let’s go.”

  She struggled to do it. Rhodes crouched down to help her, eyeing Santiago’s gun and itchy trigger finger. He took his time, making sure the wound was wrapped securely. Blood was already seeping into the fabric by the time he was done.

  “Okay!” Santiago shouted. “Now move away from her.”

  Rhodes hated the idea, but got to his feet and inched back.

  Santiago stretched out his hand, reaching for Caity. She eyed him carefully, her fingers quivering as she extended her hand.

  She paused, her fingers curling into a fist. “I can offer you something better.”

  My breath hitched. What was she going to offer him?

  His eyebrow arched.

  Slowly rising from the floor, Caity balanced herself on one foot and smoothed down her pants.

  “You can have it. If you let us walk free and get him to the hospital before he bleeds out.” She pointed at my dad. “Then I’ll give you my power right now.”

  She held out her hand, her whole arm trembling.

  “I thought you wouldn’t give it to a man like me.”

  “I don’t want to, but I’d do anything to save the people I love.” She swallowed, her face crumpling.

  I wanted to call out don’t. It felt wrong. She couldn’t give up her sight to this whack job, but...it could save her life, and Dad’s.

  Santiago smirked. Stepping towards her, his gun was trained on me as he placed his palm lightly on top of hers. Caity clenched her jaw and closed her eyes. I had no idea how she was supposed to transfer it. I was guessing she just wished it into him.

  But she never had the chance to find out.

  One final gunshot rang out, ending the nightmare.

  Santiago jolted sideways before flopping to the floor. Our heads all jerked in the direction of the bullet, hunting out the assassin, and found the last person we expected to see.

  “Please tell me you didn’t just give your powers to that asshole.” Kaplan, gun still in hand, flicked her arms in the air.

  Caity’s mouth dropped open as Kaplan’s heels clipped on the concrete.

  The hard-ass agent leaned over Santiago’s body. “Getting the likes of him to work for the FBI would be near impossible.”

  I scowled. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Saving your life.” Kaplan’s sharp eyebrow arched. Whipping out her phone, she punched in a few numbers. “Yeah, I found them. We’re gonna need an ambulance at Club Impulse.” She rattled off the details and slid the phone back into her pocket.

  Caity and I were still staring at her. She let out a sigh and shrugged. “Rhodes called me last night after he lost track of you guys and updated me on the situation.”

  Folding her arms, Caity’s eyes flicked between the two agents. “No, he didn’t. You called him and made him ‘fess up.” She shook her head. “Your guilty conscience finally caught up with you, huh?”

  Rhodes chuckled. “Don’t worry, Kaplan; she’s still got it.”

  Kaplan stiffened, her eyes narrowing at Caity before flicking to Rhodes. “Get your butt upstairs and meet the EMTs. I’ll make a few calls and get a team down here.” Her eyes traveled over Caity while she pulled out her phone. “And sit your butt down before you fall over.”

  Caity did as she was told, moving to my side before dropping to the floor. I caught her, gently pulling her to my chest with my free arm. She rested her head against my shoulder, rubbing Dad’s arm and murmuring a few words of comfort. He smiled back, nodding at her before closing his eyes. I pressed my cheek against the top of her head and soaked in the moment. I focused solely on the feel of Caity’s body beside mine, of her soft breath tickling my collarbone as she pressed her forehead into my neck and murmured, “I love you.”

  Chapter 41

  Caitlyn

  We spent the longest day in the world at the hospital. Rhodes insisted we all got checked out with full physical exams. I was spoken to and prodded at by at least three doctors, four nurses and two x-ray technicians. I was ferried from one part of the hospital to the other.

  Turned out I had three fractured ribs, a badly bruised foot, and a mild concussion. The plank of wood I crashed through probably saved my life. The wound in my forearm was closed with no less than twenty stitches and I’d had enough creams and antiseptics dabbed over my scrapes and bruises that I felt like a walking medicine cabinet.

  Gingerly lowering myself into a waiting room chair, I tapped my fingers against the hard plastic frame and wondered where Eric was. He’d been waiting for news on his dad when I was taken away for another x-ray.

  My eyes skirted the area, landing on the tall, sharp woman who started this whole thing. Her back was to me, thankfully. I didn’t want her to know I’d returned. She may have saved our lives today, but that still didn�
��t take away everything she’d done. I saw her face as she gazed down at Santiago. I heard her words.

  “Getting the likes of him to work for the FBI would be near impossible.”

  I didn’t trust her.

  She was going to use me again; I could feel it.

  “Psst, Caitlyn.”

  I whipped around to see who was calling me, wincing at the pain shooting through my side.

  Rhodes’s face crinkled with apology before he flicked his fingers at me. His eyes darted to Kaplan and I could see instantly this was a covert conversation. I eased out of my chair and limped over to him.

  “What is it?”

  He took my arm, guiding me down the corridor until we reached a private room at the end. I slipped in after him and saw Eric standing beside a hospital bed. Declan Shore was sitting on the edge, fully dressed, his feet dangling over the side. He looked pale and way too green to be up.

  “What’s going on? You shouldn’t be out of bed, should you?”

  “I’m well enough,” he croaked.

  He looked to Eric, who looked to Rhodes and then everyone’s eyes were on me.

  “So, um...” Rhodes licked his bottom lip. “I think it’s time we get you guys out of here.”

  “What are you talking about?” My eyes shot to Eric. He gave me a pained smile, but I knew instantly what he was thinking. “Just walk away, from everything?’

  “Marchant has family,” Declan said softly. “French mafia, and they’ll find out what went down. They’ll go after anyone who was involved.”

  “Plus, Miguel’s still out there.” Rhodes crossed his arms.

  “And Kaplan.” Eric fired a dark look at the FBI agent.

  Rhodes didn’t bother returning it. He just raised his eyebrows and nodded. I could see Eric’s rancor pissed him off, but beneath that, he knew my boyfriend was right.

  “What are we supposed to do?”

  “Disappear.” Rhodes gave me a sad smile, his eyes filling with that touch of affection I’d seen before. I could sense I was the only one to see the full beauty of it.

  I nibbled the edge of my lip, looking down and gripping the edge of the bed.

  “There’s a car waiting for you in the back lot. You need to drive to the southern border. I’ve given Eric the details. Once you’ve crossed into Mexico, a contact will be waiting for you. He'll be able to look after Declan and once you’re all healed, you guys need to keep moving.”

  It was hard to take it all in. We were running? Like fugitives? It felt bizarre.

  “What about my family?” I whispered.

  “They’ll be safer if we go,” Eric mumbled, giving me a pained smile. “We need to cut all ties, babe.”

  I blinked at my tears, thinking of Nicole and Dale...their wedding that I would never get to attend...and Holly’s new baby that I’d never get to meet.

  “Think of it as Witness Protection. I already have a story fabricated, and a couple of death certificates are being drawn up as we speak.”

  I couldn’t hide my horror. “But they’ll be heartbroken.”

  Rhodes frowned, mussing his hair with a soft sigh. “Caitlyn...if any of these guys think you’re still alive, if they come looking...”

  “You’ll be saving their lives by disappearing,” Declan muttered.

  I glanced up, worry hitting me as I caught Rhodes’s anxious gaze. “What about you? Won’t you get in trouble? How are you going to get this past Kaplan?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ve put the right change in the right pockets. It’ll be okay.” He forced a smile and stepped towards me, holding my shoulders. “I owe you this much.”

  I could see he didn’t mean a word of it. He wasn’t helping us because he felt guilty. He wasn’t actually doing this for Eric or his dad, either.

  This was all for me.

  I wrapped my arms around his waist, squeezing tight. “Thank you, Rhodes.”

  He rubbed my back, lightly kissing my forehead before suddenly letting me go. He swallowed hard and stepped back. “Would you guys get the hell out of here? We’ve only got a small window.”

  Lifting his chin, he ignored my soft smile.

  “Take care of Monique for me.”

  His hard expression softened and he shook his head with a grin. “Always thinking about someone else, aren’t ya?”

  I shrugged. “Can’t help it.”

  “Go on, get out of here.” He gently nudged me towards Eric.

  Standing on the other side of Declan, I helped him up and we staggered towards the exit.

  Rhodes led us out a side entrance, dodging human traffic as much as possible. Holding open the door for us, he nodded towards a dark green sedan in the back corner. Eric supported his father down the steps and I stopped to look back at Rhodes.

  “I won’t let you down, Caitlyn. You take care of yourself.” His gaze grew with an intensity I couldn’t ignore. “Just promise me one thing.”

  “Of course.”

  “Don’t let anyone use you again.” His voice broke.

  My eyes filled with tears and I nodded, my lips quivering into a smile.

  “Goodbye, Caitlyn.” He walked away before I could say more. The green hospital door clicked shut and that was it. No more Rhodes.

  Sniffing at my tears, I hobbled down the stairs and over to the car. Eric held my door for me, making sure I was safely inside before slamming it and jumping around to the driver’s seat. Easing out of the parking lot, Eric followed Rhodes’s directions south. I had no idea which route we were taking or where we were supposed to cross the border, but I knew we’d get there safely, because I trusted Rhodes.

  As we drove away, I glanced out the back window one last time and I could feel the chapter ending.

  I had no idea what lay before us. It was both terrifying and liberating in the same moment.

  But somehow, I knew it’d be okay.

  Somehow it had to be, because you didn’t survive an ordeal like that without it meaning something.

  Chapter 42

  Eric

  Three weeks later...

  The white sheets were scratchy, the ceiling fan creaked, the pillows were lumpy and the springs in the mattress dug into me every time I rolled over, but none of it mattered.

  I gazed up at the ceiling, my eyes locked on the curls of paint peeling away. One hand lay on my stomach while my other was trapped beneath my sleeping beauty.

  Rolling onto my side, I ran my hand lightly down Caity’s body, kissing her naked shoulder. She sighed sweetly, but kept on sleeping. It was tempting to wake her, relive the night before in all its delicate, exquisite detail, but I wouldn’t do it. She needed her sleep. It was the first time we’d made love since she broke up with me nearly a month ago. Her body was finally strong enough. The winces she used to make every time she moved were less frequent, proving her fractured ribs were healing. Her skin was no longer mottled with black and blue bruises and the wound on her arm had healed nicely. I’d been hesitant at first, not wanting to hurt her, but her gentle kisses won me over, her silky body on top of mine impossible to resist.

  We’d been holed up in this Mexican motel for three weeks, but it would soon be time to get moving. The doctor had taken Caity’s stitches out a few days earlier and all that was left to heal were her ribs...and her broken heart. We were both emotionally spent after the harrowing experience, but I hadn’t lived through Caity’s ordeal. Nightmares still woke her. She never cried out or made a big drama about it, but I could tell by her flinching body and jerky legs that the images in her mind weren’t pleasant.

  She wasn’t the only one. My dreams of drowning were coming thick and fast, but I didn’t want to burden her with them. We chatted a little, but the conversation would dribble off to nothing as memories consumed us.

  A light tap at the door jolted me from my thoughts. I gently slid my arm free from beneath Caity, pulled the sheet over her naked back, and snatched a pair of shorts off the floor. Checking the peephole, I slid the chain free and l
et my father in.

  “How you feeling?” I kept my voice to a whisper, pointing to the bed.

  He saw Caity sleeping and nodded, creeping into the room. “I’m good.”

  The speed of his recovery still surprised me. The guy had been shot. Yes, the bullet had whizzed straight through and not hit any vital organs, but still. He’d been up and about for a week already, his confident optimism a real morale-booster. Through Caity’s really bad days early on as she cried into her soup, lamenting the fact she’d never see her family again, it was Dad who talked her through it, convinced her that she was saving their lives by vanishing.

  At first I thought her heartache was to do with missing them, but when it really came down to it, she despised the thought of hurting them, letting them down...and that’s what was killing her. Dad set her free with his quiet reassurances and I was eternally grateful.

  I patted him on the back after he’d taken a seat at the table, giving him a genuine smile.

  I had a lot to thank him for.

  Sliding the bag off his shoulder, he placed it on the table and unzipped it. “I got a going away present for ya.”

  Spinning the bag around, he showed me the wads of cash. My eyebrows lifted.

  “Don’t worry, it’s all legit. That’s what I’ve been working on this week. I’ve managed to drain the accounts and set up new ones off-shore. Hopefully the money will stay undetected for a while.”

  “This isn’t all of it?” I picked up a wad of twenty-dollar bills and skimmed my thumb along it.

  “I just took the cream for you guys...to get you started.”

  Throwing the money back, I slumped against my chair, struggling to find my voice.

  Pulling a notebook from his pocket, he slapped it down in front of me. “These are all the numbers, passcodes and details you need to access the rest of the money. I’ve split it: half for your mom, half for you. I don’t want anyone linking you guys again. It’s easier to keep you safe this way.” He tapped the front pouch. “There’s also two passports in here.”