Deceived (25 page)

The guy had tactical training—either military or law enforcement. A fact that had not come up in his background check. And as soon as Sarah was safe, he was going to demand a goddamned explanation.

Right now, Sarah was his only concern. And based on the fact that his house was completely fucking trashed, lamps shattered, tables overturned, something sure as shit had gone down. He tamped down the fear that was making his heart pound and focused on clearing the house—and using Evans without getting his own ass shot in the process. He motioned for the man to take the upstairs, then headed into the kitchen.

The mess in the great room was nothing compared to the debris field that greeted him in the kitchen. Dishes lay shattered on the tile, crunching under his boots as he made his way toward the basement door.

“Sarah?” he called in a loud whisper. Hearing no response, he crept down the stairs, his back to the wall. But the gym and the weapons room were all empty. He silently made his way up the stairs and headed down the hall to the library. He was moving toward the open door of the music room when he heard a crash upon the piano keys and a strangled cry.

He rushed forward, his chest so tight with fear that he had no air to even call out to her. He was two strides away from the doorway when an enormous raccoon raced from the room. Luke jumped to one side of the hallway, then glanced back toward the music room door in time to see Sarah running toward him, broom raised over her head, a war cry ripping from her lungs.

“That's right, you little bastard!” she screamed, sliding to a halt in front of Luke, panting. “You'd better run!”

Her hair, which had been up in a ponytail—or
something
—was half hanging in her face as if she'd been in one hell of a knock-down, drag-out.

Luke slumped against the wall, laughter bubbling up from his chest before he even realized it. “A raccoon,” he guffawed. “It was a fucking raccoon.”

Sarah huffed, brushing her hair from her face. “Yeah, it was a raccoon,” she snapped. “It got in somehow—down the chimney, I think. Chief cornered it in the kitchen and they got into it. I tried to chase it out, but it tore up the whole damned house! And then—”

Luke jerked her into his arms, stopping her angry account with a harsh kiss. “Jesus, Sarah,” he murmured against her lips. “I thought . . .” He kissed her again, softer this time. Then he pressed his forehead to hers for a moment, needing a few seconds to let his pulse return to normal.

“Hey,” she said softly, pulling back and peering up at him, her dark eyes searching his face. “You okay?”

He nodded, then put his arm around her shoulders, leading her back down the hall. “Yeah. It just scared the shit out of me when I drove up and saw the door standing open.”

Her arms went around his waist and she offered him a grin. “Too bad I didn't have any embedded memories about doing battle with wild forest animals, eh?”

He dropped a kiss to her head and chuckled as they entered the great room and headed toward the front door, but his laughter was cut short by three sharp pops. He reflexively shoved Sarah aside and brought up his weapon.

But not soon enough.

The fourth bullet struck him in the side. He reeled but recovered almost instantly and dragged Sarah behind the couch, the only cover to be had.

“Oh my God,” she breathed, pressing her palm to his wound. “You're bleeding.”

He shook his head quickly. “It's okay. I think it just grazed me. Stay here and stay down.”

Crouching low, he slunk toward the front door and did a quick peek around the door frame, a bullet taking a chunk out of the wood and barely missing him as he ducked back. But he'd had enough time to see three bodies on the ground—one of which was Davis.

“Send Sarah out, Rogan,” Evans called. “I only wounded these guys, but in another thirty seconds, I'm putting a bullet in their heads. And I'll start with Davis.”

Luke cursed under his breath. “Who are you working for, Evans? Whatever you're getting paid, I can top it.”

He heard Evans chuckle. “I have no doubt about that, Rogan. But this is about more than the money. It's personal.”

Luke's phone buzzed at his hip. He glanced down at it.
Finn
. No doubt calling to give him the news that Evans wasn't as clean as he'd seemed.

“Sarah and Eli are innocent in this, Evans,” Luke yelled. “Whatever your issue is, it has nothing to do with them.”

“Means to an end, Rogan! You know what that's like, right?”

Luke's brows came together in a frown at Evans's words.

“Yeah, I know all about you,” Evans announced. “Even that op in Kabul. C'mon, you know the one I'm talking about, Rogan. . . . It's the op that brought you into the crosshairs of the Alliance.”

Luke's blood turned to ice in his veins. How the hell did the guy know about that mission? The circumstances of his recruitment were classified within the Alliance. If Evans had been behind the breach in the Alliance's files, if he'd gotten into the dark files, then God knew what he had access to . . .

“Tick-tock,
brother
,” Evans taunted. “These poor men are bleeding into the snow. . . .” Before Luke could respond, Evans roared, “I'm not fucking around! Send her out or I'm putting a bullet in the head of every fucking one of them, including the kid!”

There was a sound of shattering glass.

Sarah immediately lunged to her feet, her arms raised. “I'm coming out!”

Luke sent a warning look her way. “Sarah—”

She shook her head and slowly walked toward the door. “I'm coming out, Evans! Just don't hurt my son!”

“Mom!” Eli cried out, the word ending on a whimper that enraged Luke like nothing else ever had.

“Do you see Eli?” he ground out just loudly enough that only she could hear.

Sarah dipped her chin ever so slightly.

Luke couldn't risk taking another look and possibly drawing a shot with Sarah standing in the line of fire. He'd have to rely on Sarah to reveal something, give him something he could work with.

“My father lied,” she insisted, inching forward slowly. “I'm the one with the information you want. Just leave my son and the others alone, and I promise I'll come with you without a fight.”

“Afraid I can't do that, Sarah,” Evans insisted. “Your boyfriend's one of the deadliest snipers in Alliance history. Gonna need a little assurance that he won't do anything stupid trying to be a hero.”

Sarah sent a quick glance Luke's way.

“Ah . . . didn't know about the whole sniper thing, did you?” Evans chuckled. “Well, no, I guess you wouldn't—his missions were all classified, didn't get any official recognition. But I'm pretty sure he could put a bullet between my eyes without breaking a sweat unless there's a chance I could pull the trigger first and ice his old army buddy. Or maybe your little rug rat.”

Sarah stood where she was, her body beginning to tremble, her cheeks flushed. But her voice was steady when she said, “You only need me, Evans. Luke won't risk hurting me.”

Evans laughed again. “You forget, Sarah—I know what
you're
capable of too. I need a little assurance that you'll behave yourself.”

Luke saw Sarah's jaw clench, her eyes narrow. “That's the thing, Evans,” she said, her voice suddenly calm. Deadly. “You have no
idea
what I'm capable of . . . but get that gun off the others, you fucking
coward
, and I'll be
happy
to show you.”

The next few seconds seemed to occur in slow motion. Sarah's brows lifted slightly and she dropped flat onto the floor. Taking it as the signal he was waiting for, Luke swung out into the doorway and fired.

Evans stood stock still, a shocked look on his face. Then a thin rivulet of blood trickled down the center of his forehead and onto the bridge of his nose, before his knees buckled and he dropped to the ground.

The bastard had called it. Right between the eyes.

Luke pressed a hand to his side and rushed outside, hurrying toward where Eli was crouched behind the Expedition, his eyes wide with fear, but Sarah had already scrambled to her feet and reached her son first, dragging him into her arms with a relieved sob and peppering his face and hair with kisses.

“Is he dead?” Eli asked, his voice choked.

Luke nodded. “Yeah, buddy. He's dead.”

But to be sure, Luke turned away from Sarah and Eli and went to where Evans lay and turned him over. The man's open eyes were vacant, lifeless.

Luke snatched his phone from his waist and dialed 911 to call in the shooting as he hurried to Davis and checked his wounds. It was bad, but he was still alive. As were the other two men. “Sarah! I need my medic kit. It's in my office. Eli—come over here, buddy.”

Sarah immediately spun and ran back into the house. Eli crawled to him, still obviously shaken, but keeping it together. The kid was just as strong and brave as his mother. Luke captured Eli's gaze. “I need you to put your hand right here and press hard, okay?”

Eli nodded frantically and did as Luke told him. When Davis groaned, he reflexively pulled his hand back, but Luke guided him back to Davis's wound. “It's all right, Eli. You need to put pressure on his wound to slow the blood loss. Okay? When your mom gets back I'll put some clotting powder on it, which will help. But I need you with me, buddy. Okay?”

Eli swallowed hard and nodded again. “Okay. I'm good.”

Luke went over to the other men, doing what he could to help them as he returned Finn's call. He heard Sarah running down the steps and glanced over his shoulder as she dropped down beside Eli.

“Luke said to put clotting powder on it,” Eli told her.

She rummaged through the kit, spilling its contents in the snow in her rush to help Davis. She quickly sprinkled the clotting powder on Davis's wound, then brought the rest of the kit to help the other two men.

“Shit, Luke,” Finn said in greeting just as Sarah handed Luke the second packet. “I was about to scramble a team,
brah
.”

Luke worked quickly but his hand began to shake, scattering the package's contents. His vision went blurry, and he ass-planted in the snow.

The truth of what was happening hit just as the world began to spin.

His grip on the phone tightened as he tried to force the world to stop spinning. “Better do that anyway, brother.”

He heard Sarah calling his name, her voice sounding far away, as the world went dark.

Will pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, grinding away the sleep that threatened to overtake him. He'd completely lost track of time at this point, couldn't even remember when he'd slept last.

He blinked at the screen again, trying to make sense of the most recent report from Finn and cursed roundly, the words swimming before his eyes. When his phone rang, he didn't even bother looking at the number before he answered. “Asher.”

“You failed to send an update at noon.”

He heaved a sigh.

“You do realize your position hangs in the balance, do you not, William?” his grandfather continued

“Of course I do,” Will ground out. “You've reminded me during every single fucking conversation—”

“Indeed?” the high commander interrupted. “Well, then, I suppose you have discovered who is behind this?”

“We know who's behind it,” Will hissed. “You just won't face the truth. I can't be effective when my high commander won't admit that we have an enemy among us.”

“All you have to go on is conjecture and suspicion, William,” his grandfather said. “When you have proof, then I will listen. Until then, I refuse to believe this is anything other than an isolated incident.”

Will huffed, his lack of sleep affecting his ability to hide his frustration. “Grandfather—”

“I will look for your report within the hour.”

Will tossed his phone onto his desk with disgust and got to his feet, needing to get the hell out of the compound for a while. There was a sexy-as-hell CEO named Delia who'd left a standing invitation for him to stop by her office anytime he needed to relieve tension. And today certainly qualified.

But before he could reach the door, Finn burst in, his normally calm expression taut with concern. “We gotta go. Rogan's down.”

* * *

Stone looked down at the display on his phone and frowned. It was not the number he was expecting to see.

He pushed back from his desk and got to his feet. “Excuse me, darling,” he mumbled to Allison, who was busy proofreading the speech he was to give at a museum gala later that week. “I'll only be a moment.”

He waited until the office door was shut before answering. “Jack, what is it? Is it Hal?”

“No, Hal's fine,” Jack assured him. “In fact, they're planning to remove his breathing tube. We're hoping to ask him a few questions soon, if he's up to it.”

Stone stopped dead in his tracks, his stomach clenching painfully. Stifling his panic, he said, “That's wonderful news. But it doesn't sound like that's why you're calling. I'm afraid to ask the reason.”

“There's been an incident,” Jack informed him. “Sarah and Eli's location has been compromised. Luke and a few others were wounded, but the assailant was killed.”

Stone bit back a furious string of curses and felt the vein in his neck begin to pulse as rage coursed through him. He pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment, pacing in the narrow hallway as he attempted to regain his composure. So much for Evans getting the drop on Rogan first.

Finally, he heaved a harsh breath, then brought the phone back to his ear. “How did this happen, Jack?”

“We've no idea,” Jack admitted, sounding defeated.

“Someone must've found Rogan's address when the Alliance's records were breached,” Stone mused.

“Luke's dark,” Jack insisted. “No one got that far in the breach. And no one outside the Grand Council has access to the dark files.”

Stone continued to play devil's advocate, hoping it would keep the Alliance's attention diverted for as long as it would take for him to implement the plan forming in his head. “Well, none of us are completely off-grid. Someone knew where to look.”

There was a slight pause. “We think it was Eric Evans, according to info Luke sent to Finn to check into.”

Stone paused for a beat to give the illusion of surprise. “I thought Evans was dead.”

“He is now,” Jack drawled.

“Have you confirmed that?” Stone asked, torn between rage and relief.

“We'll run his face through the database once the team arrives, of course, but his Social Security number and general description matched what we had on file. Unfortunately, Finn wasn't able to get the intel back to Rogan before Evans made his move. According to the sheriff's report, Luke killed him, but not before Evans wounded him.”

“How badly was Rogan hit?” Stone asked, his brow furrowing, wondering why Rogan wasn't already dead. Evans had intimated that he'd take Rogan out before moving on Sarah and her brat. Maybe he'd had to act in haste....

“The wound isn't fatal,” Jack told him, “but the bullets Evans was using must've been treated.”

Stone swallowed a snort of appreciation. Evans had been one smart son of a bitch. He'd apparently coated his bullets with a slow-acting poison—a fairly common practice in the Alliance and a rather effective means of disabling an enemy if the bullet itself hadn't done the job. Which begged the question—how had someone so fucking smart gotten himself killed? He'd told Stone that Luke wasn't someone to underestimate.

Guess he hadn't taken his own advice.... It was a shame. Stone would've enjoyed having another drink with him before he offed the bastard himself.

“Do you know which one he used?” Stone asked, realizing he hadn't yet responded. “Does Rogan have a chance?”

“We're mobilizing a team as we speak,” Jack assured him. “Will's taking the point on this one himself. We need to move Sarah and Eli to a new location until the final assets are relocated tomorrow.”

“I'll go,” Stone told him. “I can be there in the same amount of time as your team—if not sooner, as I don't have anyone but myself to coordinate. I left the city after visiting Hal in the hospital and came to my estate outside of Chicago, so no one would expect to look for them here. And I have ample security to keep them safe. Besides, who better to look after them than family—especially if you have a mole inside the Alliance? Just tell me where I need to go, brother.”

There was another pause—longer this time. Experience had made Jack cautious. It was the only thing that had kept him alive this long. But he was far too trusting when it came to the people he believed to be his friends, a flaw that would be his undoing. And one that Stone was counting on.

“We couldn't ask this of you, Jacob,” Jack told him. “All things considered.”

He was talking about Stone being kicked out of the Alliance, humiliated and degraded in front of his peers, his friends, his own
family
. His grandfather had been mortified, too ashamed to even show his goddamned face at the de-cloaking. But Stone was nothing if not magnanimous. After all, chivalry was the Templar way....

“You're
not
asking,” Stone replied. “I'm
offering
. And I insist.”

After getting the specifics of the hospital where Luke was, Stone strode back to his office. Allison's eyes came up as he entered and widened slightly as he grabbed her and jerked her to her feet to kiss her hungrily.

“Jacob, what is it?” she asked, her lovely brow furrowed with concern when he finally released her.

“Allison, how would you feel about marrying the most powerful man in the world?” he smirked.

She gave him a cautious look. “By that I assume you mean yourself?”

He chuckled. “Soon I will be pulling the strings of kings and presidents, making the self-righteous pricks dance to my tune, bending them to my will. They'll be lining up to kiss my ass and thanking me for my generosity for granting them the chance. And I want you by my side.”

Allison's eyes brightened and she took his face in her hands. “I have been waiting for this day, Jacob. Waiting for you to accept your destiny and finally ascend to the power you deserve. Where do we begin?”

* * *

Sarah paced the hospital room, chewing her thumbnail, glancing at the monitors for the millionth time. The wound in Luke's side had been a flesh wound, just as he'd said. By no means lethal. But the unknown substance on the bullet was a different story.

One of the men who'd been shot had already died. Another was on life support. And she knew Mel was pacing the floor down the hall where Davis lay in a coma.

“Is he gonna be okay, Mom?” Eli asked softly from where he sat in the chair tucked in the corner of the room.

Sarah forced a weak smile. “I'm sure he will. He just needs some time for his body to work through whatever it's fighting.”

The sound of urgent footsteps in the hallway brought Sarah's attention to the door just as it swung open. She nearly wept with relief when she saw the familiar face.

“Jacob!” she cried, going to him and hugging him tightly for a moment. “What are you doing here?”

Jacob offered her a sympathetic smile. “When I heard what had happened, I volunteered to come collect you and Eli and get you somewhere safe until this is sorted out.”

Sarah shook her head. “Thanks, but I'm not leaving Luke.”

Jacob placed a comforting hand on her upper arms. “Sarah, I know you don't want to leave, but your safety has been compromised. Whoever is behind this knew you were here. You can't stay.”

Sarah glanced back at Luke, his strong, muscular frame at odds with his helplessness at that moment. How could she possibly leave him in such a vulnerable state?

“What if they come looking for us?” she asked. “Who will protect Luke?”

“I've already taken care of that,” he assured her. “I spoke with the sheriff on my way here. They are going to post guards outside the rooms of Rogan and his family members.” When she hesitated, Jacob took hold of both her arms and bent his knees a little so that he was at eye level with her. “Think of Eli. We need to make sure he's safe, Sarah. It's for one night. Then you can come back here to be with Rogan.”

“But what about the toxin?” Sarah persisted. “They still don't know what was on Evans's bullets. What if . . .” She swallowed the tears that tightened her throat, unable to even speak the words.

Jacob glanced at the clock, clearly impatient to be on their way. “Will's sending a team, Sarah. They should be here any moment. There are certain substances that the Alliance sometimes uses to subdue their enemies, some of them deadlier than others. Knowing Evans's history, I imagine it's one of the latter.”

Sarah sagged, something between a gasp and a sob shaking her to her core. Dear God, if Luke was in danger . . .

Jacob shushed her. “These are typically slow-acting,” he assured her, his mouth twisting into something resembling a smile. “Trust me, the Alliance has ways of drawing out one's death. Don't worry. Finn's people will be able to figure it out within the hour.”

“Then what's another hour?” Sarah argued, her heart hammering. Her knees began to shake at the thought of losing Luke when they'd only just found each other. “We can just wait here until I know for certain—”

“Damn it, Sarah!” Jacob barked.

She jerked back at his harsh tone, completely unaccustomed to such a lapse in the man's calm demeanor. In all the years she'd known Jacob, she'd never seen him angry. Granted, it'd been several years since she'd seen him—not since Greg's funeral. A lot could've changed since then. But he had always been the consummate diplomat, the one who could be counted on to keep a level head in any crisis. That's why he'd been her father's protégé, his confidant. And why word was that he would soon be tapped for a leadership position at the White House.

Jacob took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I'm sorry. You're family, Sarah. It's hard enough to see your father in his condition. You know what he means to me. I feel I owe it to Hal to keep you and Eli safe. I can't disappoint him.”

Sarah could hear the genuine emotion in Jacob's voice, could see the emotional toll the situation was taking on him.

“And, besides,” Jacob said gently, “don't you think Rogan would want to know that you and Eli are safe with family when he's unable to protect you? Do you think he'd want you to put yourself and your son at risk for him? I don't know Rogan, but it's not the Templar way to put ourselves before others when there is danger nearby.”

Jacob had a point. Her rational self knew he spoke the truth. Luke was the least selfish person she'd ever met. But the idea of leaving him . . .

But she had to put aside her own feelings. She had Eli to consider. And she had nearly failed him once already today. She wasn't about to do it again.

She went to Luke's bedside and smoothed his dark hair, wishing she could will him awake, that she could hear his voice, feel his arms around her. But he didn't seem aware of her touch upon his brow, didn't respond at all when she bent and brushed a kiss to his lips nor when she whispered in his ear, “I love you.”

“Sarah,” Jacob called softly.

She nodded, her gaze lingering on Luke's beloved face for a moment longer before she finally turned away. “Okay,” she said, reaching for Eli's hand and pulling him close. “Let's go.”

Sarah grasped Eli's hand tightly in hers as Jacob led them through the hospital corridors. Her brow furrowed when they took a turn into an area she didn't recognize. “I think the exit is the other way.”

“I'm taking you out another entrance,” he informed her. “It's one that's harder to observe if someone's watching for you to come out. There's more cover.”