Assassin Deception (28 page)

“Evil begets evil. If I put you away I save others from you, my father is avenged, and I haven’t harmed an innocent. I realize you can’t help who you are, Chloe, but this way I can watch you. This really is for the best.”

“Locking me away is going to hurt me. I want my family,” Chloe pleaded.

“So do I!” Deegan snapped in outrage. His voice dropped an octave as his eyes twisted into a sinister expression. “Thanks to you I will never have another. I’ll spend my days taking care of you. No wife, no children, do you even understand I how much I hate you?”

Chloe recoiled. “Damien will come for me, he will find me.”

Deegan shook his head, once more all smiles. “No, no he won’t. I’ve had this planned for five years. It’s perfect. The perfect hideaway in the middle of nowhere. Wait until you see your new room. I painted it pink, you like pink, right? Oh, it’s nothing like the grandeur of James’ home, of course, but it has a bed and washroom. I even picked out some clothes for you.”

“You’re insane,” Chloe whispered.

“I’m smart, and generous. You’ll come to see that. Aren’t you grateful I spared your life? Can’t you see how this is for the best? Your dad wouldn’t have spared my life. I had been just a terrified little boy; at least you’re a grown woman.

“But I can still understand how helpless you are against me. I had understood how frightened my mom was compared to someone James’ size. I couldn’t blame her for not being able to take us away; she was as trapped as you are. You’re lucky I possess mercy. See how much better I am than he is? In time you’ll grow to appreciate what I’ve done for you, you’ll see.”

Chloe sat quietly, her mind rapidly thinking. Once the plane landed she needed to escape. If he sequestered her away Damien would never find her. Eventually he would kill her, or the unbearable loneliness would. She envisioned a dank, lonely cell. Solitary confinement for years upon endless years.

She was young and healthy; it would be a slow, brutal, inhumane demise. No wonder Deegan seemed insane, though Chloe honestly couldn’t imagine James hiding a child and his frightened mother away into a life like that, no matter what they had witnessed. James could never be so cruel; she wouldn’t believe he had been.

Chloe’s thoughts again shifted to Damien. He would spend eternity trying to find her. So would Dirk. She knew how badly Dirk would want to find her. He would take responsibility for this. Damien would be so angry with him. It would tear them apart, affecting the entire family.

The shift in the plane alerted her that they were landing. A small, beautiful lake came into view. They skimmed over the massive amount of tree tops. Deegan would have to be well versed in the arts of landing a plane on such a tiny waterway. He would need every ounce of concentration to land them.

Chloe took a deep breath. Deegan was huge. She would never be able to overpower him one on one. This was her ace in the hole. She wouldn’t get a second chance, she needed to act now. With resolve, Chloe steeled her thoughts against dying. The pontoons hit the water, bounced then touched down, settling with a whooshing sound. Chloe threw herself at him.

Deegan had been unprepared for the assault. The small plane pitched to the right while he struggled to gain control. Chloe sunk her teeth into his shoulder.

Deegan howled in agony. With one hand, he shoved her against the side of the plane. She bounced back, clawing at his eyes. Deegan balled his fist, with the intent on rendering her unconscious.

The blow glanced off Chloe’s chin as she turned her head. She came back swinging. Her left fist connected with Deegan’s eye. Deegan released the controls and lunged at her. Chloe’s feet came up into his midriff.

The plane spun sharply, almost upsetting itself. Water splashed up at the windows, blurring their view of beyond momentarily. Deegan grabbed a handful of her shirtfront and yanked her closer. He backhanded her viciously across the mouth and cheek, slamming her hard into the door, then released her.

Stunned, Chloe shook her head while Deegan once more attempted to get the plane under control, yelling violent obscenities. They were off course and heading for the large bank full of rocks.

Regaining her senses, again Chloe was at him, screaming her rage and fury aloud into his face. How dare he blame her for things a cruel, evil man did? How dare he control her the way she had been controlled her entire childhood?

She didn’t have a mother growing up either; at least he had his mother. Because of his insanity they would both die, alone, no family, no loved ones. If he thought he hated her it was nothing compared to the rage she felt towards him. James had treated him like family; Deegan threw it away when he shot him.

If he hated what he had become it was his fault. He had been trapped as a child. He was a grown man now, capable of making his own choices. He was the evil one. He hurt someone who trusted him. At least her father never played his father for a fool, never befriended him, then tricked him.

How could he shoot an unarmed, helpless old man? He had murdered another in the limo after cutting the brake lines, a man he had called friend. He was responsible for his own actions, just like her father had been.

They were both disgusting, pathetic shells of men, pretending at being human, pretending nothing was ever their fault, while innocents suffered. He disgusted her. He was the evil filth James had spoken of.

Before long Chloe realized she was pounding into hard unresisting flesh. Deegan wasn’t even defending himself. He took blow after blow and never raised his hands while Chloe’s fists began to ache at her assault on his powerful rock hard arms and chest.

Exhausted and sobbing, Chloe sat back, her eyes wet from her enraged tears. She saw blood drip from Deegan’s nose down his chin. He didn’t bother to wipe it away as it fell to stain his shirt. Her jaw shook with her fury when he looked at her. Her eyes cast her blame.

The plane had slowed and banged gently against the rocks, rocking over the water, drifting.

“I used to watch you with Damien when I first came to James. I’m not much older than you are, you know,” Deegan said, his voice was soft, gentle, and unthreatening. “You looked so young, innocent, and beautiful. The highlights in your hair are dazzling under the summer sun. No matter the season you always smell like a fresh spring breeze.

“I saw you once together, making love under the willow tree in your backyard. I followed you. Even then I was planning, looking for my opportunity. You have such passion in a single kiss. I was hot and sweaty after the first few minutes, my hands actually shook to hold you. I made it a habit to trail you both around.

“Sometimes I pretended it was me you were coming to see for your trysts. I saw how happy you were with me…him. Then he hurt you and you went away. I hated him for that. I missed you, I missed keeping an eye on you. James had his men keep such close tabs on you I was unable to get close to you without raising suspicion. Even that single letter had taken great thought and planning.

“I needed you to come back. I was ready for you. I knew you would eventually return to Damien, to the safety of his arms if you were afraid. Then I realized Damien was destined to grow up like me from birth. He had no choice. I had no choice. You’re right when you say you aren’t responsible for what your father did. But if you married Damien you would be trapped within a family of killers. Your children would grow up to be just like their father, uncles and grandfather.

“I couldn’t allow that. Watching you from a distance wasn’t enough anymore. I needed to capture you…save you.”

“You kill,” Chloe said, her accusation unmistakable.

“But if I took you away I would have to stop. I would have a reason to stop. I would no longer be surrounded by their evil. I would have to watch you, take care of you. You would have saved me from what I have become, what your father made me do. You owe me that.”

“I would hate you forever. I owe you nothing!” Chloe declared with conviction.

“No. You will turn to me from need. I’ll be the only one there for you. You’ll grow to need me. I learned that trick from Dirk, you know. That was what he did to Candy. She came to love him, even though he stole her away, hurt her.

“I felt so sorry for her in the beginning, but she doesn’t run from him, she really loves him. Did he tell you how they got together? No? Doesn’t matter anyway. We’ll have lots of time to talk about the family secrets. I know your secret, Chloe…you need family. I’ll be your family, your only family. We both can have everything we want.”

“I want to go home,” Chloe pleaded, staring into his eyes.

“I can’t let you go. I would be alone again. I would kill again. No more death, no more death.” Deegan began to cry heart-wrenching sobs. He reached for her wrist, pulling her closer until she was crushed against his hard chest. She pushed at him, hardly able to breathe, but was unable to dislodge him.

His face buried into her shoulder, his lips trailing along her neck then jaw line. He moved to kiss her, his blood mixing with her own. Chloe gagged at the metallic taste, pushing at him harder. His tongue delved deeply into her mouth, demanding the type of kiss Damien had enjoyed so readily from her eager lips.

“Chloe, Chloe, you’re finally mine,” Deegan whispered.

Chloe was shaking. She didn’t understand him. He claimed to hate her, then to need her. He had been watching them? What was wrong with him? She felt so confused by his contradictory actions.

“You tried to blow me up,” Chloe accused, struggling from his grasp and became successful. She scooted away from him as far as possible, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth.

“The bomb was meant to frighten you. I needed to destroy the home your father had lived in, send a message of sorts. I set it off from James’ limo, right under their noses. Unfortunately you were too close. I hadn’t counted on you turning around for a last look. It took everything in me not to scream for you to run. I used too much, that was a mistake. I felt bad about that. I was never very good with explosives anyway,” Deegan said sheepishly. “I’m sorry you lost your sight, I felt kinda bad about that, too, not wanting to hurt an innocent.”

Chloe tried to still her erratic heartbeat. She had never seen anyone change their facial features so quickly. No wonder she hadn’t recognized his voice the night he held the knife to her throat. Even that changed to match his strange mood. He had to be lying. He was an expert with explosives, he
had
to be. After what had happened to her father’s car, James made certain all of his men were specially trained. He saw to it himself. What was Deegan playing at?

“You were going to slit my throat,” she said a touch hesitantly.

“I stopped him,” Deegan said, on a somewhat proud note, nodding his head as if confirming his actions. “You were so afraid, you begged so pleadingly, your voice so tiny and helpless, it near melted my heart. I had to take over, take control. He was too angry, he might have actually hurt you. You sounded so young, like a frightened child. I never hurt children.”

“Stopped who?” Chloe asked with dread. He was being so confusing.

“Deegan,” he replied, eyes wide, as if it was obvious and she wasn’t paying attention.

Chloe swallowed heavily with trepidation. “If you’re not Deegan, who are you?” Chloe whispered.

“Trevor.”

* * * *

Chloe was sequestered deeply within the side of a mountain. After Deegan’s admission Chloe had sat quietly while he turned the plane around and drove it into a huge cave near the side of the lake.

The stone overhead extended outwards, making the cave beneath completely sheltered and undetectable from above. The water foliage from around aided in the deceptive crevice. The remote control lights flickered within, lighting their way to a small dock.

Deegan exited and took Chloe’s hand, helping her out. He stopped briefly to examine the damage he had caused to her face and, once satisfied, it seemed he decided it was minimal. Deegan had led her deeply within the mountain.

She shivered with cold and he pulled her to his side for warmth, Chloe knew better than to pull away from him. They continued on, deeper down a long, partially lit tunnel, Chloe’s heart falling further with each step. Even Dirk would have difficulty tracking her in here. They were buried within a mountain fortress.