Chapter 29
K ane listened for Beth’s breaths to settle into a steady rhythm before he left the room. He wasn’t in the habit of lying, but he’d lied to the woman who trusted him with her body, with her deepest secret. He couldn’t address the untruths now. Stirring up that clusterfuck of emotions was as volatile as the threats against her life.
She’d said she didn’t love him. He’d lied his ass off when he said he didn’t love her. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if this terrifying, free-falling feeling qualified as love, but it was damn scary. He’d spent time on a Navy ship, but all that time at sea didn’t teach him to navigate the uncharted waters he’d lost himself in since he’d met Dr. Beth Parker.
He checked his comms unit as he pulled himself out of bed and away from the temptation to bury his face between her legs and wake her up with another orgasm, and then fall asleep again with her tucked safely in his arms. Nic was still outside watching the front of the house and Linc was monitoring the perimeter in the back. He checked in with both. Assured all was secure, he quickly dressed and quietly made his way into the living room. His phone flashed next to his laptop with an incoming call from Gran. “Merry almost Christmas Eve. Having fun?”
“Yes. Did you and Beth set a wedding date yet?”
So much for not thinking about his feelings for the sugarplum in the bedroom.
“Gran, I barely know her.” But he knew she loved Christmas. Supported her hometown, shared her love of science with kids, and was committed to saving lives. Enjoyed living in DC. Liked to be in charge because it made her feel in control. Believed she was a black widow but didn’t want to. That she was afraid to fall for him.
“I knew your grandfather for only a few days before we got married. And your mother and your father got hitched after a few weeks. I could tell your mother was the one for my son the first moment I met her, just like I know Beth is the one for you. Stop being a pussy and make that girl your wife.”
“Gran, we really need to have a conversation about your word choices.”
“Oh, please. You should hear the gals at bingo when their number isn’t called. And never mind when the announcer says ‘ O sixty-nine.’”
He put his hand over his ear. “Jeez, Gran. I don’t want to hear that. Do you even know what it means?” Thinking about Gran and her friends talking about oral sex certainly did the trick of halting his libido to a grinding stop.
Gran giggled. “Of course. Do you need me to explain it to you?”
Fuck no. “I’m good. How’s Livvie?”
“You know how your sister is. She rushes in without thinking, but she’ll figure out soon this guy isn’t the one for her.”
And then she’ll be devastated and swear to never fall in love again. Until the next time . He hoped the next guy Livvie brought home had Gran’s stamp of approval.
Wait, was he buying into Gran’s sixth sense nonsense? It had to be nonsense. Right? But what he felt for Beth, what he swore he wouldn’t feel until years from now when he retired and death wasn’t a constant shadow, felt…divine.
“Gran, how do you know two people are meant for each other?” He couldn’t believe he was asking, especially since his mission was to make Beth understand that curses from a higher power didn’t exist. But did a sixth sense come from a higher power, or was it really something inherent in Gran? He didn’t think his instincts were nonsense. Trusting his hunches about danger kept him alive. Who was he to say Gran’s didn’t hold value?
“I don’t really know. I just do. It’s a feeling. Like I can sense a strong magnet pulling two people together.”
Kane nodded. Even before he’d witnessed Beth’s nightmare on their not-quite date, he’d sensed she was afraid of something. “Tell me more, Gran.”
“Well, the best example is when I met your mother for the first time. The charge I felt stole my breath when she walked into my house holding your father’s hand.”
Kane asked the questions he’d been avoiding for years. “But if they were so in love, why did she…”
“Give up? She didn’t give up. She fought as hard as she could.”
Fighting didn’t entail missing his and Livvie’s graduation ceremony because she was too drunk to drive or sleeping so much she couldn’t stay awake to tell them good night. “But she checked out, Gran. Dad died and she couldn’t live without him.”
“She checked out and I allowed it because she needed to for a while. My way of dealing with my son’s death was to lose myself in you and Livvie. Everyone deals with loss differently. Your mom needed time to sit with it, to feel and absorb and process while I pushed through. It wasn’t until you and Livvie went to college that I allowed myself to fully grieve.”
A thick lump clogged his throat. He’d dove headfirst into campus life to combat his grief and never realized how much he’d missed at home. “I’m so sorry you went through that by yourself.”
“Don’t be. It’s what I had to do. What I’d already been through when your grandfather died. You were deployed and didn’t see how hard I took his death. It was months before I could bring myself to get behind the wheel of the Buick.”
“Gran, I…”
“It’s okay. I’m proud of you for following your dreams, but you need to know this. After you and Livvie left for college, your mom started making progress with her grief. She’d gone to a support group and met a few friends. Had talked to me about going to AA. The night she was killed, she’d met her new girlfriends at a bar for someone’s birthday. I was so proud of her for going out. And yes, she had been drinking, but she hadn’t been driving.”
“I remember her mentioning grief counseling, but I didn’t know she was thinking about going to AA.” That took strength and courage he admired. He kicked himself for not recognizing it. “I just thought she hung around the house all day in Dad’s old sweatshirts.”
He pictured Beth in his T-shirt. Would she wear it when he was away, waiting for him to come home alive? The belief he’d held on to for so long—serve first, love later—crept back in at the bittersweet idea.
“Kane, honey, I know your mom wasn’t fully present after your dad was killed, but she tried her best, and she would have gotten there. When we talked about AA, she was so excited for you and Livvie to come home from college during Christmas break to their old mom.”
Thinking about coming home for the holidays to the mom he remembered before she lost herself to grief stung Kane’s eyes with hot tears. Instead, he’d come home during Halloween for her funeral. “I don’t know if I can do that to Beth, Gran. How can I let her fall in love with me and leave her behind if I die? What if she winds up like Mom?”
“It’s not up to you who she falls in love with.” Gran’s tone hardened to the one she used to reprimand him as a kid for not minding his manners. “I know the kind of life you choose to live. Your mother and I both knew the risks when we fell in love with military men. Beth is a smart woman. She knows the risks too. But if you ignore what’s happening between the two of you, there’s a risk of regretting not living every moment you’ve been granted on this earth together. Understand?”
“Yeah.” He understood that Beth, Scarlett, and now Gran were the three smartest people he knew. “Beth has this irrational idea that she’s cursed, and I don’t know what to do about it.” He didn’t wait for Gran to ask why. Instead, he spilled the whole story in one breath.
“Sounds like her fears are as irrational as yours.”
A call from Scarlett stopped him from agreeing. With a quick goodbye and a promise to send Beth’s number to Gran so she could wish her a Merry Christmas, he switched to Scarlett. “What’s up?”
“How’s Beth? Is she alright? I figured you two might be sleeping after the night you had and didn’t want to call, but I’ve been so worried even though I was assured you were both okay.”
“Your bestie is fine. She was awake earlier, but she fell back to sleep.” After I fucked her into sweet oblivion. “You did a great job of teaching her to shoot, by the way. She did well with the gun last night.”
“She’s a natural.”
“That she is. Did you have a conversation with Henry yet about his connection to Evangeline?”
“I was about to call you. Henry is meeting with his lawyer in a few minutes. Edgar is about to send me a link so I can have a video chat with him about Evangeline. I thought you might like to join.”
“Hell yeah.” He also wanted to wring Henry’s fat neck, but glaring at him would have to do.
“Hold on. I’ll send you the link. We have five minutes with him.”
Scarlett came on the line, looking professional as always in a red blouse and her blonde hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. A radiant bride-to-be smile lit her face. Her happiness would piss Henry off.
After a few minutes of going through security channels, Henry appeared on the screen. The polished man who’d graced covers of business magazines for decades looked like hell in a cheap gray jumpsuit that matched his thinning hair.
Henry smiled. “Scarlett, I knew you’d call to wish me a Merry Christmas. And you brought one of your VIPER pets. How nice.”
Kane gave Scarlett credit for not telling him to fuck off. He, however, didn’t have such restraint. “Hope you’re enjoying the first of many incarcerated holidays.”
Henry’s cheeks turned as crimson as Scarlett’s blouse.
Kane savored the reaction. “Do you remember Scarlett’s friend, Evangeline Martin?”
“Hmm, let me think.” Henry tapped his finger on his cheek. “Oh yes, I met her at the party I threw when I was named Washington, DC’s Businessman of the Year.” He turned to his lawyer sitting next to him. “Did you hear what I just said? Businessman of the year and they have me locked up. Can you believe that?”
The lawyer didn’t answer.
Scarlett smiled into the camera. “Please answer Kane’s question, Henry.”
Henry smirked back. “Look at you, thinking you can order me around now. Nothing’s changed, girl. I’m still your family.”
Scarlett just smiled wider. “No, you’re not.”
Kane bit back his own grin. No wonder Beth and Scarlett were best friends. They both had backbones of steel. “Answer the question.”
Henry sat up straighter in his seat and puffed out his chest. “Evangeline was looking for my expertise on a cybersecurity project she needed help with. She seemed like a good kid who respected her elders, not loud and obnoxious like Beth or ungrateful for my assistance, like some people I know.” He shot Scarlett a glare. “So I decided to grant her my advice.”
Grant? Damn, the guy thought he was still the king, even behind bars. Kane slid to the edge of the chair. “What kind of advice?”
He steepled his hands under his chin. “All I remember is that she needed an advantage. I put her in touch with someone who could help her.”
Kane muffled a curse. “Who?” The last thing they needed was more players in this game.
“You expect me to remember insignificant details like that? She must have appreciated what I did, though, because a few months later, she asked for my assistance again.”
“And you got her a job in the Middle East.” Kane leaned closer to the screen. “She’s back in town and has been trying to reach you. Do you know why?”
Henry sat back in his chair and laughed. “She probably wants my help again. Even though I’m locked up, I still have connections with important people.”
A loud beep sounded from inside the interview room. “Time’s up, Miss Kerrigan.” A second later, the screen went dark.
“Fucking dead end,” Kane muttered as he shot Scarlett an email asking her to find out who Henry had referred Evangeline to. As he shut the laptop and rose from the table, a mind comms alert sounded in his brain. Hurrying to the window, he pushed the shade aside and scanned the street for a threat much bigger than the vapid blonde who treated Beth like a pariah.
“Someone’s driving around the block too many times,” Nic said. “ Video feed is coming to your comms now.”
Kane looked at his wrist. A black sedan passed the house too slowly for his comfort. “If it comes around again, stop it.”
“That’s the plan.”
The bedroom door opened behind Kane. He didn’t turn to Beth. “Get back in there.”
“Has something happened?”
He ignored the alarm in her voice as he activated himself into phase two. “Someone’s circling the house. It’s probably nothing.” But the hair on the back of his neck rose, and it wasn’t from the sting of activation. “Grab my gun from the table, then stick by the bedroom doorway. Be ready to run on my order. Got it?”
Kane heard her startled agreement as she scurried to heed his instructions. Long seconds ticked by as he watched Linc casually cross the street and take cover behind an RV parked at the curb.
Beth poked her head out of the bedroom. “What’s happening?”
He held up his hand to silence her as the sedan turned the corner .
“If the car slows again, we take out the tires on my command,” Nic said from the SUV parked in the driveway.
“Roger that,” Linc said.
As the sedan approached the house, the driver’s side window rolled down. Before the dark glass lowered an inch more, all four tires blew in rapid succession. The car spun a hundred and eighty degrees. As it careened onto the lawn and into the lamppost, the screech of metal crashing into metal reverberated in the house.
Beth screamed.
“Stay here and lock the door behind you.” Kane didn’t wait for an answer as he slipped out the front and schooled his mind in mission mode. “Cover her,” he said as he rushed past Nic and inhaled the stench of melting rubber.
Slowly, he made his way to the driver’s side of the sedan. As he approached, a glint of something metallic at the top of the window flashed in the sunlight. “Gun.”
He fired a V-Strike. The shot shattered the window into thousands of dark crystals. The glass on the passenger side suffered the same fate from Linc’s barrage. Tiny shards crunched under Kane’s boots as he carefully approached, his gaze trained on a figure with black hair slumped over the steering wheel.
Linc reached through the window and yanked the driver upright. Blood gushed from the busted nose of the familiar face. “Chavez?”
“Looks like him.” Even though the unconscious man appeared thinner and much less menacing than in the intel files, Kane had no doubt he stared at the Diablo enforcer.
A hiss gurgled from Chavez’s throat as he opened his eyes and glared at Kane. “You’re a dead man. Mi hermano will…”
Kane didn’t doubt that Chavez had plenty of mercenaries he counted as brothers who would be gunning for them .
Linc released his grip as the enforcer lost consciousness again and slumped back onto the steering wheel.
“Is that Chavez?”
Kane twisted his head. Beth stood on the stoop, his gun aimed at the sedan. Rooting his boots to the ground, he fought the urge to tackle her back into the house. “Get inside.”
She stepped onto the grass, weapon still drawn as if protecting him. “Is that him? Is this over?”
“Back. In. The. House.”
Nic’s curse broke the silence over the mind comms. “That was too easy.”
“Agreed,” Linc said.
God, Kane hoped they were fucking wrong.