Chapter 25 #2
After I quickly unlocked the door, he slid into the cab and I was surprised when he didn’t try to take the keys from my hand.
“What’s wrong?”
He took a deep breath, always contemplating what to tell me. “The mole was found.”
“The mole?”
“The person responsible for sharing my location in Vermont with a range of assassins.”
“Who was it?”
His entire demeanor had changed since stopping at the gas station.
Whoever he’d talked to on the phone had alerted him to several discoveries.
“A traitor. There is nothing worse than sharing time and space with someone you believed you could trust only to realize they were playing a role. A treacherous game.”
The quick look he gave me had me holding my breath. “I don’t understand.” Why was I holding my breath? I’d done nothing wrong except for listen in on his private conversation. Okay, and I’d called my friend to warn her. What was so horrible about that?
“I’m so sorry. Who was it?”
“My pilot. He’d been with us for years. Years. One of my brothers considered him a friend. Hell, he came to several holiday events over the years with the entire family. Can you imagine what it’s like to find out someone you completely trusted betrayed you?’
“Why would he do that?”
He laughed. “Why do men do anything? For money. You can buy anything you want, Fleur, including false loyalty.”
“What will happen to him?”
“Well, right now he’s on ice.”
“What does that mean?”
Very slowly he turned his head and it seemed as either if he was testing me or searching to see if I could be trusted. “That means his punishment will wait until I return. Although my men will soften him up in anticipation of my arrival.”
“You’re right. I don’t need details. How did you find this out?”
“I called my brother. Since we’re in the dark at this point, Alexander had been picking up the slack, discovering as much about what we’re dealing with as possible. Starting wars based on partial information isn’t in our best interest.”
“Just spill it, Montgomery. Whatever it is you need to tell me, please do. I can take a lot in my life and have through the years as I’ve shared with you, but beating around the bush isn’t one of them.
Just say it.” The weight of the candy bar left a tingling sensation in my hand, a lead weight as if prepared to drag me into hell.
“Fair enough. Danny had been staying at the motel for several days.”
“What? What are you saying?”
He nodded, looking at me. Was an accusation in the statement? “He checked in the same day I arrived in town.”
I knew instantly what he was insinuating. “You think Danny was hired to kill you.”
“I think there’s a distinct possibility. As we both know, if he was, then he joined a long list of people prepared to do so.”
“For the Bratva he worked with.”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t he complete the task? I mean other than you’re a highly skilled marksman.” There was more irritation in my voice than I’d intended.
He chuckled, but there was no light in his eyes, only the darkness that I’d noticed the first day I’d run into him. “This is just a guess, Fleur. Because on day one we met.”
“So?”
After studying the cars coming and going, he glanced at me again, waiting for my response.
As the words settled in, I slumped into my seat. “Oh. He thought we were together.”
“Likely so. On day two you ended up at my house bearing gifts.” He was studying me as if I was hiding something.
Another lump formed in my throat, the cold chill unlike any of the others. “You think I was working with him.” The words were stilted.
He tugged the keys from my hand and as our fingers collided, I immediately pulled my arm away. As if he’d burned me. Not believing in me after all this time.
The ache was real, a heavy hit on my psyche. I finally turned my head.
“Were you?” He asked the question in the same tone as he’d done with the Russian man whose mouth he’d shoved the barrel of his weapon into.
“No. I didn’t know he was in town. I mean he called me, but I told him to stay out of my life. Remember? He sent a text and I just told him to go away a second time.” A sudden feeling of suffocation washed through me.
“What is it?”
“I knew I was being watched. I felt it several times but blew it off. You don’t honestly think he tried to run me over?”
“A blue truck matching the one that tried to run you down was in the motel’s parking lot.”
His expression was stern, his jaw tightly clenched.
“You also think I staged almost being run over? For what reason? So I could gain your trust so I could set you up to be killed? That’s crazy!
” The brooding man didn’t answer fast enough, so I pitched the candy in his face and tried to get out of the Blazer, only to have his huge hand wrap around my arm, tugging me all the way back until I was basically sitting in his lap.
For the first time around him, I was frightened of what he could do to me. Wait a minute. Two minutes ago, I’d silently professed my budding love for the man. Now I was afraid of him?
“Don’t make a scene, little flower. We’re still in danger. Remember?”
“Yeah, I’m in danger from you. If you honestly believe I would ever consider working with my brother to kill you then you’re fucking insane.
God, I hate you. I cannot believe you’d think something so horrible of me.
” I struggled in his hold, wondering why the hell no one was paying attention to the two people who were obviously fighting like cats and dogs.
“Breathe, Fleur. There are several missing pieces, but your brother was in town for more than just having a nice, long chat with you.”
“That truck wasn’t his. That had to belong to the person who killed him.”
“Maybe. Did you see any keys in the duffle bag?”
“No!” I was so rattled I couldn’t remember. “Maybe.”
As he pulled out of the parking lot, he slowly released his hold.
“I’m not accusing you of anything, Fleur.
If someone was following you, your brother could have realized we were close and indeed was trying to warn you.
It’s entirely possible if he was given the orders to kill me and was subsequently found trying to contact you, that he could have been killed. ”
“You’re backpedaling. I know what you’re thinking.” I almost jumped into the back, trying to grab Danny’s duffle bag.
“Sit down.”
“No! Not until I prove the keys weren’t in the bag. Did you check his pockets?” My dead brother’s body. Another ache formed. This was all completely insane. I finally managed to snag the handle, jerking with force until I was able to wrangle it into the front seat.
As I tore through the bag, he was absently tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Frustration continued to grow, all the items I’d neatly folded where Danny had tossed them into his back were finally jerked free and tossed over my shoulder.
I even turned the bag over, shaking it. “See? No keys.” Yet I noticed a lump on a side pocket. After exhaling, I pressed my fingers across it.
“What is it?”
“A pocket.” I didn’t wait for him to instruct me to look inside. When I pulled a set of keys into the light, I felt every drop of blood drain from my face. “What did you say the make of the truck was?”
“A Dodge Ram.”
In the flash of sunlight, I twisted the keyring. It was a rental truck, the make and model still on the tag. One big Dodge Ram. Blue in color.
He wrapped his hand around mine and this time I didn’t try to pull away. “We’ll get answers. You should know Zane could be involved.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because the Russian your friends captured in the woods allowed me in on a little secret. Somone wants you back home where you belong.”
“What do you mean?” The moment it dawned on me what he was saying, a series of tingles tickled every muscle. “New York.”
“Exactly.”
“Think of it this way. I’ll be out of your hair for good.”
“Is that what you think I want?”
“That’s the only realistic thing that can happen.”
“No, Fleur. That’s not what will happen. In case you haven’t realized my intentions, let me spell them out for you so we’re very clear.”
“Why don’t you do that?” I barked in return.
He cleared the small town, heading into the great unknown and I found myself holding my breath. He was going to tell me that once he discovered the truth, and maybe used me as bait, he’d dispose of me since I was obviously a traitor like his damn pilot.
“Because I’m not letting you go, Fleur. Not now. Not ever.”