Undercover Texas, page 14
“I’d never seen him before that day. Some idiot let his name slip on the phone afterward. That’s all, I swear it.”
“That’s what I expected you’d say.”
The man tugged out a syringe. “This will stop your heart. The doctors will think the injuries were just too much for you. Your mother will have a body to bury, and, Terence...perhaps this deal that you agreed to wasn’t the most profitable.” The man’s voice had dropped into a very familiar accent.
“Oh, my God. It’s you? What are you doing here?”
“Haven’t figured it out yet? No one from overseas hired you, fool. You were chosen for a reason, Terence. You are expendable.”
The needle plunged into Terence’s arm. He looked down to see the syringe sticking out. Liquid heat burned under his skin.
He hadn’t expected this. He could usually smell a setup before the guy opened his mouth. He’d gotten greedy.
“You’ve figured it out, haven’t you, Terence? You were never going to get out of this job alive. I needed a fall guy. You’re that man.”
A strange heat pulsed under Terence’s skin. He blinked. His pulse raced. His throat closed off.
Terence clawed at his throat. “Please...won’t...tell.”
A door slammed open.
“No one has authority to be in...here.”
Terence turned to the woman. He reached out a hand. “Help...me.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, no. It can’t be you. Tell me this isn’t true.”
“Damn it, Leona. Why did you have to be so damned efficient?”
Terence blinked again. His vision blurred. The man covered the woman’s mouth with his hand and plunged something into her arm.
He’s killed you, too.
Terence heard the words in his head, but nothing escaped his lips.
His breathing turned shallow. Darkness faded in.
Mama. I wanted you to have a nice house. I tried, Mama. I really tried.
* * *
THE TURQUOISE SEA LAPPED against the vacation bungalow. Hunter lay in bed, Erin cuddled against him, and he watched her sleep.
He toyed with the silky blond tresses, letting them slip through his fingers. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she was.
They’d had six days together. Six passionate, unbelievable days, and he knew it was only a matter of time until he had to leave.
“You’re watching me again, Clay,” she whispered, her eyes still closed.
He winced. Just once, he wanted her to use his real name, but like so many wishes in his life, he couldn’t hope that his dreams would come true.
He kissed her shoulder, tasting the smooth skin, then nipping her with his teeth. A shiver skittered through her. He loved her responsiveness.
She turned in his arms, and the sheet fell away from her breasts, revealing the soft curves. After their first night together, she didn’t hide herself from him. She trusted him.
She shouldn’t, but how could he warn her and not ruin everything?
He cupped her cheek, and his body hardened as she pressed closer to him. Her husky laughter made him smile. Naked thighs tangled with his; an arching of her hips elicited an unrestrained groan. It started in his belly and rumbled in his chest.
Erin smiled at him, welcoming, passionate, loving.
She leaned over and kissed him, her lips doing things to his mouth that he’d never experienced.
“I’m oh so lucky,” she said. “I came to celebrate being buried in a lab for the past six years, and I found you.” She cuddled into him and nearly purred.
Hunter’s body leaped at her touch, even as his heart twisted in regret.
Maybe, just maybe, he could keep the world away from them for a while longer. He rolled her to her back and settled between her thighs, his body pressing against hers.
“I’m the lucky one,” he said as he buried himself into her.
She closed her eyes and let out a groan of passion. She hid nothing from him. He reveled in her honesty.
“I never thought anyone like you would love me,” he whispered, the truth in those words wrenched from his soul.
He moved against her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and together they escaped the world in each other’s arms. He lost himself, captured by her heart and her love. He wanted her. Always. Forever.
The vibrating phone in his pants filtered across the room.
No. It couldn’t be happening. Not now.
But he knew.
His dream was over.
Reality had come calling.
And he would have to say goodbye.
* * *
MORNING LIGHT STREAMED THROUGH the shutters. Erin stretched, her body sore in unexpected and wonderful places.
Then she remembered.
The past, the present, the unknown future.
She crossed her arms over her bare breasts and searched the edge of the bed for her nightshirt. She slipped into it and peeked out the bedroom door.
Hunter sat in a rocking chair, Brandon in his arms, staring out the front window. A cup of coffee rested on the table at Hunter’s side. He didn’t look happy or satisfied.
She cleared her throat. He turned to her, his gaze warming, but cautious at the same time. Something had happened. “What’s wrong?”
“Logan called. We’re set to meet with the woman who will provide you and Brandon with your new identification papers.”
So it was over already. Erin closed her eyes, the feeling of loss indescribable. When he’d left before, she’d been in shock. This time she’d known it was coming, but it didn’t hurt any less. “When?”
“This afternoon.”
He looked outside. “Do you ride?”
“Not for a long time. Why?”
“Do you want to? Logan has a couple of horses he keeps on hand in a barn not too far from here.”
“It’s safe?” she asked.
“Safer than sitting in one place any longer,” Hunter said.
His words sent a chill through her. She rubbed her hands over her arms, trying to ease the foreboding. It did no good. “Then let’s go. I’m getting claustrophobic anyway.”
It would do them both good to get away from these four cloying walls.
Half an hour later, Hunter drove the SUV over a series of dirt roads to a newly constructed barn.
Erin exited the vehicle and looked at the utter destruction of the surrounding area. The earth had been scorched. Half a dozen buildings had burned to the ground. There was nothing left. “What happened here? It looks like a war zone.”
“This was the Triple C Ranch. Logan’s ancestral home. It used to be a fortress, until he crossed some demented, determined people who liked guerrilla tactics and to play with explosives. This is the result.”
“And we’re safe here?”
“We’re never safe, Erin, but no one lives here. Construction crews are just starting to rebuild the ranch and the main house, and the ranch hands still take care of the horses. Logan is now Prince Consort of Bellevaux, and he and his wife and kids live there.”
Erin’s eyes widened. “Logan’s wife is that queen in Europe they just discovered?”
“The same.”
Hunter entered the barn and saddled a gentle-looking mare. Erin looked down and strapped Brandon more closely in his baby harness. His weight was reassuring on her chest.
“You sure you don’t want me to take him?” Hunter asked. “He’s kind of heavy.”
Erin shook her head. “I need to hold him right now. I’m feeling a little shaky.”
Hunter’s face clouded, but he nodded and saddled a large black stallion. “Let’s head out.”
The mare walked slowly, but it still took a few minutes for Erin to get comfortable. Finally, she relaxed into the horse’s rhythm.
“You’ve got a good seat,” Hunter said.
She glanced at him. “I learned when I was a kid. I guess you don’t forget.”
They rode past the destroyed structures and picked up a faint trail that wound around and led into some rolling hills nearby.
Erin glanced up at a telephone pole. The sophisticated security monitoring system was attached to the top of the pole. With equipment like that, it was amazing anyone got near the ranch. How much was functional?
She said nothing until they passed a second one that had fallen onto the ground.
“Wait,” she called to Hunter. She indicated the monitoring equipment on the ground. “I want to take that security camera back to the cabin.”
“What are you planning, Erin?”
She paused. “We have nothing to warn us if someone’s sneaking up on the cabin. I don’t think it would take much for me to repair it.”
“I like it. I’d feel a lot better if we had an advanced warning system. Keep using that sexy brain of yours, sweetheart.”
His words fed a warm glow in her core. “With the quality of this equipment, I bet I could come up with a design that’s tamper-proof.” Erin could already see the circuits in her head.
They started back a different way. Hunter pointed out some of the local grasses and birds, and a short while later, they came upon a gurgling stream. With the Texas heat, it was a welcome sight.
“Want to stop for a while?” he asked. “I brought some food and something a little special in case we needed it.”
Erin shifted in the saddle, and the baby started to fuss. “If I don’t stop, I won’t be able to walk when we get back to the cabin.”
Hunter helped Erin down from her horse, then pulled his binoculars and some snacks out of his saddlebag. Brandon had been lulled asleep by the horse’s cadence, but because of the jostling required for his mother to dismount, he was wide-awake now.
Hunter built a small fire, and Erin studied the water’s ripple. “I didn’t think west Texas had creeks.”
“There’s the occasional water source, but having this makes Logan’s land all the more valuable.”
Hunter looked around him. “This is the kind of place I’ve always wanted, you know. My mother and I lived in a tiny apartment. I slept on the sofa and I dreamed of wide-open space. That’s one of the reasons I joined the military.”
“My dream was a lot different than yours,” Erin said softly. “I wanted to run a research lab and invent things that would make life better.” She toyed with the grass brushing her legs. “I reached that goal, but it didn’t turn out like I imagined. I guess after all this, I need a new goal.”
Hunter lifted a package of marshmallows and chocolate. “How about we start with s’mores.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I got a hankering for them. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Why not?”
She watched as he skewered the white fluffs on a stick and handed one to her. She let it toast and then suddenly the marshmallow erupted into a flame.
Quickly she doused fire with a few quick breaths. A crispy, crunchy, charred mess remained.
“Want a new one?”
Erin shook her head. “Hand me the chocolate and the graham cracker.”
She trapped the marshmallow on the stick. The hard charcoal crust faded and oozed inner sweetness. She licked the sticky mess and looked up at Hunter.
“I finally figured you out,” she said softly. “You’re a burnt marshmallow.”
“How do you figure?”
“You act all tough and hard.”
“I’m a spy. Of course I’m tough,” Hunter said.
She handed him Brandon and he kissed the boy’s cheek.
“You’re gooey on the inside.”
Brandon rolled over on his back and grinned up at them. Erin blew a raspberry kiss on his tummy, and her son laughed. He reached out his arms to Hunter. “Da.”
“He knows you’re gooey, too,” Erin said, a bittersweet realization that this might be the only time left for the baby to be with his father.
“I’ll miss him,” Hunter admitted. “I just didn’t know how it would be. The reality of having a son is so much more than I expected. Leaving him...” Hunter paused and looked into Erin’s eyes. “Leaving you both is going to kill me.”
She took a deep breath. “What if you quit, Hunter? What if you got new identification along with us when we see that woman today? You could come, too. We’ll find a place like this, far from all the conflict surrounding us. We could be a family.”
Hunter didn’t respond. He just stood with his back rigid and stared around him. The grasses swayed in the wind, and the creek gurgled, but he remained silent.
She couldn’t believe she’d begged him. He loved Brandon. He wanted her, but she didn’t know if he loved her. Oh, God, had she made a fool of herself?
“Forget I said anything—” she started, but he whirled to face her.
“I can’t forget it.”
She didn’t expect the depth of the longing in his eyes.
He squatted in front of her. “Erin, look, I want to come with you. God knows I want every single thing you said, but I can’t be sure my enemies won’t find me. General Miller was right when he warned us that first day about the risk of having a family. I know now that I would do anything to protect you and Brandon.” He stroked her cheek. “Even give you up.”
Erin looked away, swiping at the tears building in her eyes. So she would be alone without him. Anyone else she would meet in the future would never know the real her. The Dr. Jamison who invented incredible crazy things. The shy, naive woman who’d been seduced and loved in a way she’d never known possible. They’d only know whatever made-up identity some unknown woman was coming up with today.
Erin Jamison would be gone. The only thing besides Brandon to go with her from this life would be her broken heart.
Hunter leaned into her. He kissed away the tears from her cheek. “If I could find a way, I would, Erin. I owe the general, but I would give up my life with the team with no regrets if I could have you and Brandon and keep you safe.”
He shifted his mouth and took hers in a sweet and tender kiss.
If only he could find a way.
Her lips parted under his and she let out a low groan. He dragged her closer.
The snort of a horse burst them apart.
A large white animal crossed toward them, with Sheriff Redmond’s little boy, Ethan, sitting in the saddle. He stopped and patted the horse’s neck. “Are you two making babies? My new dad said all that hugging and kissing makes babies. I just don’t get it.”
Erin flushed, glad the kid hadn’t come by a few minutes later or he might have witnessed that baby-making firsthand.
“Are you out here alone?” Hunter asked
“No, I just rode ahead on Sugar. He likes me, but you can’t get too close. He’s ornr...ornery. That means he doesn’t like most people. He had a tough time when he was young, but he likes me a whole bunch.”
Hunter stood and helped Erin to her feet, then settled Brandon back into his front harness carrier. “Who did you ride ahead of...your parents?”
“Yep, Dad’s bringing Mom out in a car with lots of blankets. She can’t ride horses ’cause of the baby.” Ethan grinned. “It was all that kissing and hugging they did, for sure.”
Chapter Ten
The narrow Texas county road leading to the woman who would make up Erin’s and Brandon’s new documents headed straight west. A few hills, lots of open spaces and no other vehicles as far as Hunter could see. He glanced at his watch. They were cutting it a bit too close to the scheduled meeting for his liking.
By the time he and Erin had delivered Ethan safely back to Blake and Amanda, the sun had risen high in the sky. They’d grabbed a quick bite for the road and changed Brandon, and now the SUV headed to a rendezvous point in the middle of nowhere.
The woman creating Erin and Brandon’s documents was supposed to be out here. Somewhere. And she didn’t wait for stragglers. Hers was a mobile operation and she didn’t like staying in any one place too long. No exceptions.
Erin looked around dubiously. “Are you certain this is the right way?”
“According to Logan. A little farther and we should be there.”
Hunter turned the SUV off-road, and the vehicle shot dirt into the air around them. The cloud of dust would be visible from quite a distance. He’d taken a few detours along the way, and hadn’t seen a tail, but somehow the people who wanted Erin knew their location. He’d torn everything apart looking for a bug but had found nothing.
They needed to get the paperwork done and move on. Fast.
Finally, just over a small hill, he spotted a pickup truck with a nondescript tow camper behind it.
“Just like Logan described it,” Hunter commented. “This woman must be paranoid as hell. There’s nothing out here but mesquite and lizards.”
He pulled up about twenty-five feet away from the camper, as instructed. Hunter removed his gun from the back of his pants and set it on the seat next to Erin.
“Move over to the driver’s side. If something goes wrong, get out of here. Go to Blake and have him contact Logan. Understand?”
She gripped the weapon and scooted over as he exited the vehicle. “Don’t let anything happen, Hunter. Please.”
“No worries.” He gave her a quick wink. “We’ll be fine.”
He trusted Logan, but Hunter couldn’t ignore the tingling that had settled on the back of his neck. It had started the moment the team had attacked them at the Florida safe house. How had they known how to find them? The Zodiac assault on the Precious Memories had sent the feeling into overdrive. Now the warning signals hummed under his skin again.
“Halt. That’s far enough,” an electronic voice boomed through a sound system. “Who’s with you?”
“Scorpion,” Hunter said, providing her with the preagreed-upon code word.
“Stay where you are. I’ll come out.”
A small, attractive woman, her dark hair tied up in a topknot, emerged from the camper, an Uzi in her hand. “You Clay Griffin?”
So Logan had decided to use the alias. Good. One less person aware of his real identity. Hunter nodded and raised his hands in the air. “I’m unarmed.”
She shook her head. “And I’m Little Orphan Annie. In fact, just call me Annie. Don’t bother taking the knife out of your boot. I’m assuming you have a gun stashed somewhere, too.”
