Beyond the Past (17 page)

Chapter 43

Gabby felt calm as she lowered the gun until she saw Lucas’s face. “Oh, my God!” she screamed, thinking she’d shot him. “Are you hurt?”

He got to his knees and rubbed snow on his face. “No,” he mumbled. “It’s just ... it’s just his blood.”

After a few moments of rinsing his face with snow, he looked at her as she crouched down next to him. He glanced over at Neal’s body, and then back to her. “Are you okay?”

She peered over at the body, half its face missing. She felt nothing, no guilt, no remorse. Actually, it felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. No longer would this monster chase her, and he’d never hurt another person again. “I think so,” she murmured. “I feel okay.”

Lucas got to his feet and she wrapped her arm around his waist and led him toward the cabin. When they stepped inside, her stomach started quivering and her hands shook. She looked out the window at the dark lump in the snow, the red halo around it.

“Don’t look, Gabby,” he said, placing his hand on he shoulder.

She turned to him and winced. “Go shower, Lucas. You look like something out of a horror film, and it’s making me sick to my stomach.”

He grinned, and she watched him walk down the hall.

Taking a deep breath, she sat down at the kitchen table trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she’d killed a man and had no remorse.

She dug down within herself to find some type of guilt, but none existed. When she thought of killing Neal, the sweet satisfaction of revenge rolled through her for what he’d done. Maybe her nightmares would end now, as well.

What had Lucas been thinking of, anyway? The plan hadn’t been to go for any hand-to-hand combat. He simply should have shot Neal, and that would have been it. Most likely, his reasoning amounted to some type of retribution, and alpha-male crap she wouldn’t fully understand.

Standing, she poured water into the teakettle and waiting for it to boil. She made two cups of the calming tea Thomas had left, and she sipped her mug as Lucas came down the hall, his hair wet, his face clean, from the shower.

She leaned against the counter holding her mug, and he mirrored her posture next to her. They stood in silence for a moment, the only noise the crackling fire and the small slurps each made as they sipped tea.

“What were you thinking?” she asked, feeling the calming effects of the tea and she made a mental note to ask Thomas exactly what was in it.

“What do you mean?”

“Lucas, the plan was for you to just shoot him, not brawl with him. Why didn’t you just kill him?”

He sighed. “I should have stuck with the plan. If you hadn’t been here—“

“Exactly, Lucas. You’d be dead, and Neal would still be after me.”

“I wanted to hurt him,” he said, studying his tea. “I wanted to hurt him the way he hurt you. I wanted payback for what he did to you.”

She shook her head realizing she had been correct—her big, alpha male had wanted to protect her and avenge her. She would have to choose her next words carefully as not to bruise his ego.

“Lucas, I love you. I want you in one piece. Now, I’m not saying that when you’re at a hundred percent you couldn’t have taken him, but you aren’t. You were living on the streets for months. Your body isn’t what it used to be.”

He nodded. “I know. It all makes sense when you say it out loud, but in my head, I was invincible.”

“No, Lucas. Despite this strange ability you have, you’re human.”

He smiled and took her free hand. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

He rolled his eyes. “For saving my life, woman.”

She grinned. “I guess that means you owe me,” she said, setting down her cup and lacing her hands around his waist. She suddenly felt the need to celebrate they were alive; to assure herself they were together and whole. Weight lifted from her shoulders as she realized they would be truly free from the thing that had weighed them down for a year. She needed to be close to Lucas, to feel him, to love him.

Lucas placed his mug next to hers and wrapped his arms around her. “I guess it does. How would you like to be repaid?”

She met his lips softly and then murmured, “I think I need a tongue lashing.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Really? That’s my punishment? I get to do naughty things to you with my tongue?”

She smiled. “That’s what you owe me. However, I highly suggest you bring your A-game because your debt is pretty high.”

He laughed and took her hand. As they walked through the living room to the bedroom, she glanced outside. Neal’s body was gone; the mangled snow the only evidence an altercation took place. Even the blood had been buried or cleaned up. She hadn’t heard a car pull in or anything.

“Joe works fast,” she commented, and Lucas looked out the window. It amazed her how a human could be present and accounted for one moment, and then next, it was as if he never existed.

“Yeah, he does.”

They stared at the spot for a moment, and Lucas led her down the hall. “I better start atoning because I’m sure Joe will be calling soon.”

As if on cue, the phone rang, and they stopped just outside the bedroom doorway and looked at each other.

Disappointment crossed Lucas’s face, and Gabby felt her own heart sink.

“You still owe me, Tate,” she said, turning around and heading back toward the kitchen.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, following her.

Chapter 44

The next few days went by in a blur. Joe moved them from the cabin to a safe house in Charlotte, North Carolina via private plane. They spent one night there and then boarded the plane again to be taken to St. Maarten, where they met up with Brody, Lucas’s friend from his military unit, and Rayna, Brody’s girlfriend. Joe said he was working on a new assignment for Lucas and Gabby, but it would take a few days to put the pieces in place.

The reunion with Brody proved bittersweet for Lucas as he’d been standing next to Brody when the explosion happened. They recalled the searing pain and blinding light. As they sat in the bridge of the
By Sea
, the yacht Brody captained
,
Lucas listened to how the explosion had affected Brody and he learned about Brody’s supernatural abilities of being connected to the ocean in detail.

All the proof Lucas needed that Brody told the truth lay in the pod of dolphins that stuck by the boat and seemed to get very excited when they saw Brody or Rayna. He had to admit, he held a little envy because Brody’s ability seemed a lot more fun than seeing people dying.

Rayna and Gabby took an immediate liking to each other, and became fast friends.

As the yacht rolled over the waves while they traveled back to the marina, Lucas sat up on the Bridge with Brody. He kept glancing over at the security cameras where he could see Rayna and Gabby lying out in the sun. At the sight of his wife’s ample breasts pulling against her bikini top, he smiled and his cock came to life. God, he loved everything about that woman. Never again would he be so stupid and leave her.

“So, you like working for Joe?’ he asked Brody, hoping a conversation would calm the lower half of his body.

“Yeah, I do. He’s a solid guy. He cares about his employees and wants us safe.”

“You heard about Garrett, right?”

Brody nodded. “I know. The dude can turn into a bear. Crazy shit what was done to us.”

Lucas agreed. He knew he had to put that night behind him and move into the future. Perhaps, one day, he would look at his ability as a gift instead of a curse, but honestly, he didn’t see how seeing people die could benefit him in any way, especially if he didn’t know who they were.

As they pulled into dock an hour later, the golf cart that would carry them to meet Thomas pulled up. They all said their goodbyes, and Gabby and Lucas slid into the cart.

When they arrived at the parking lot a few minutes later, a black van came to a stop in front of them, and the door opened. Joe motioned for them to come in. Lucas grabbed their bags and followed Gabby to the vehicle.

The door slid shut as they took seats across from Joe, facing backward.

“How was your little voyage?” Joe asked.

“Amazing,” Gabby said. “It’s so beautiful down here.”

Joe nodded. “Yes, it is. And Lucas? Did you get caught up with Brody?”

He nodded. “It was good to see him.”

“Excellent. I have your new assignment in place, but I also wanted to go over a few loose ends,” Joe said, pulling a manila folder from the bag next to him. He rifled through some papers, and then showed them a picture of a thin woman with short, blonde hair.

“Do you know this woman?” Joe asked. She walked across the street, staring in the direction of the camera, but directly into it, as if unaware of her picture being taken.

“I recognize her,” Lucas said, thinking she reminded him of a woman from one of his visions.

“I know her,” Gabby murmured.

“Who is it?” Lucas asked, surprised, as he knew all of Gabby’s friends. Then he reminded himself he’d disappeared for six months.

“Her name’s Cherri. She’s a friend of Rachel’s.”

Joe grimaced. “I see.”

“Why?” Gabby asked.

Joe sighed. “Her name is Cherri-Anne Lewis. She was an assassin for Group Nine.”

Lucas’s blood ran cold. “An assassin?”

“Yes. Apparently, she was assigned to work with Neal Jerrod to find you, Lucas.”

He glanced over at Gabby, who’d paled.

“I’m not sure of their exact plan, but their end game seemed pretty clear. You were to be terminated, Lucas, and once that was completed, Gabby was to meet the same fate.”

Lucas shut his eyes, thankful beyond measure Joe had come into their lives when he did.

“I noticed you referred to her in the past tense,” Gabby said.

Joe nodded. “Yes. I sent people to your apartment to clean out your things. She showed up in the middle of the night as they worked, and there was an altercation. She won’t be heard from again.”

The vision now made sense, but it was odd to consider her death had taken place in his own apartment and he hadn’t even realized it.

Lucas swallowed, thinking again how his efforts to protect Gabby had come so close to killing her.

“What about Rachel?” Gabby asked.

“Yes, Rachel. Quite an interesting woman,” Joe said with a grin. “I sent Garrett to see her, and he said she definitely sexually harassed him. Apparently, Rachel touched him in ways he deem inappropriate, and was also full of sexual innuendos. In essence, he complained she sexually harassed him.”

Gabby laughed, and Lucas imagined Garrett had met his match in Rachel.

“I’m sure he enjoyed it,” Lucas commented.

Joe grinned. “Yes, well, he did complain with quite a smile. He also told her Lucas had been found and you two had moved to another part of the country. She was well compensated for her ability to forget she ever knew either of you.”

“That’s Rachel,” Gabby said. “Will she be safe?”

“Yes, we believe so, but will monitor her. Remember, we’ve erased your existence, Gabby. There are no traces of you, your friends or family. There is no record of your relationship with Rachel. In the simplest terms, you have literally fallen off the face of the Earth.”

Gabby squeezed his hand, and Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. For the first time in almost a year, he felt like they were going to be okay.

“Now, would you two like to know where you’ll be stationed?” Joe asked.

Lucas nodded and smiled. “We’re ready.”

“Very well. I took everything you said into consideration and based on the events that have transpired, I made my own decision that it was best to have you out of the country.”

Gabby squeezed his hand. She’d never traveled outside the United States, and they’d talked a little bit about the places they wanted to visit.

“I’ve decided that Switzerland will be a good place for you two. I’ve procured a chalet on fifteen acres outside of St. Moritz. The area is quite lovely.”

“Oh, wow,” Gabby said, glancing over at Lucas. “Switzerland?”

“Yes. Is that agreeable to you?” Joe asked.

She nodded. “I can’t wait!”

“Now, I’m taking you to the airport where you will be flown to Switzerland. You will have a week to familiarize yourself with the area and the chalet as your first client will be arriving then.”

“Who is it?” Lucas asked.

“It’s an independent scientist who has developed a drug that can possibly cure diabetes. He believes someone from the pharmaceutical companies is after him and they want him silenced.”

“Why? If his drug can end diabetes, then—“

“Money,” Lucas said. “If diabetes is put to an end, the pharmaceutical companies lose millions upon millions of dollars. It’s good business for them to keep diabetes alive and well.”

“Yes. Always follow the money,” Joe said, rifling through some other papers, finally finding the one he needed. “Now, it will be a simple assignment as he prefers to read, and he may possibly take in the sights the area has to offer.”

“How long will he be with us?” Gabby asked.

“I’m not sure yet, but I’ll keep you abreast of the plan.”

Gabby gave his hand another squeeze, smiled at him, and Lucas’s heart soared. He was alive and with the woman he’d always loved. They were starting their new lives, and moving beyond the past.

As far as he was concerned, it didn’t get any better than that.