Deceived (6 page)

“Chicago?” Sarah cried, hurrying over to him and tugging on his arm. “We can't go to Chicago!”

He waved away her protest, motioning for her to be quiet. “Am I coming in to HQ or one of the safe houses?”

“Neither,” Will informed him. “Whatever the hell is going on is seriously fucked up. We've had a security breach of our master files. I'm not sure how the hell someone was able get by all the shit Finn has in place, but they did. Until we lock everything down and mobilize our resources, I'm gonna need you to keep the woman and her son off the grid.”

Luke nodded, understanding the implications of a security breach of that magnitude. “Copy that. How long are we talking here?”

“Couple of days,” Will assured him. “Few weeks, max.”

“A few—” Luke pulled his phone away from his ear and forced himself to take a deep breath and bite back the curses that came to his lips. He had a death grip on his phone when he put it back to his ear. “I'm supposed to be in Moscow next week. You tellin' me I'm off that mission?”

“I'll send one of the other guys instead,” his commander replied. “No need for you to worry about it.”

Luke ground his back teeth. He'd busted his ass for five years to earn the trust and admiration of his commander—a man he respected the hell out of and one of the few people whose good opinion he actually gave a damn about. The fact that he'd been selected for the Moscow mission was a vote of confidence that spoke volumes. Besides that, the less time he spent with Sarah Scoffield, the better it'd be for both of them.

“Rogan? You still there?”

Luke blew out a harsh breath. “Yes, sir, Commander. I'm here.”

“This is priority one for you. You get me?”

Luke glanced over into the SUV at Eli, who was still out cold in the back seat, his young face unlined with worry or concern now—unlike last night when he'd been running for his life. And then there was Sarah, the woman who even now was looking at him with those wide dark eyes filled with tentative, fragile trust.

Even if he wanted to bail, he realized there was no way he could. They needed him. Hell, aside from those he'd fought alongside, they were probably the only people who ever had. And he wasn't about to let them down.

“So if we're not coming in,” Luke continued, “where am I supposed to take them?”

“Your call,” Will told him. “Just make sure it's somewhere we don't have on record in case this bastard has dug deep enough to unearth our property holdings.”

There was only one place Luke could think of that would be secure enough to keep Sarah and Eli safe and wasn't in the Alliance's records. “I got a place in mind. But I'll need a care package for the Scoffields if this is going to take that long. Anyone out in this area?”

“I'll have Finn put something together and get it to you ASAP,” Will assured him.

“Copy that. Rogan out.”

“Where are we going?” Sarah asked when he hung up.

“Home.” He opened the passenger door to the SUV and extended a hand to her to help her climb back in.

She took his hand, her fingers cool in his grasp, and turned those soulful eyes up to his. “So, we're going back to Bakersville after all?”

“Not
your
home,” Luke corrected her with a shake of his head, hoping he was making the right call. “I'm taking you to mine.”

Jacob Stone glanced over his shoulder where he'd left the lovely Ms. Holt panting and sighing in her seat, her black pencil skirt still up around her waist where he'd shoved it in his haste to get between her thighs. She'd seemed a little shocked when as soon as the private jet was at cruising altitude, he'd very bluntly admitted he wanted to fuck her. But then she'd come at him like a lioness on the prowl. And
damn
but the woman was just as accommodating when it came to sex as she was in the office, letting him do to her whatever the hell he wanted.

If his cell phone hadn't rung a moment before, he would still be balls deep inside her, but that would have to wait. This was one call he'd been expecting.

“Good morning, Will,” he said, forcing his tone to be congenial.

He couldn't stand the commander of the Chicago commandery. The little bastard wouldn't even be in the position if his grandfather hadn't been high commander of the Alliance. The man had dragged his grandson in from his duties with the CIA to put him in charge of the region when Will's father had been killed during a mission several years earlier. The appointment hadn't sat well with anyone in the Alliance—Templar or
confrere
.

But now it was like no one remembered how they'd been screwed over for advancement as a result of blatant nepotism. And the son of a bitch was regarded as one of the best commanders in the Western Hemisphere—possibly the world—and considered to be heir apparent to the high commander if he could be convinced to take the position. Will Asher's modesty and constant deprecation of his glory and accolades made Stone's gut twist with disgust. He'd been handed power on a silver platter and refused to embrace it while other, more deserving brothers would've been more than happy to take what they were due. Will Asher was weak, pathetic.

But not Stone. Such injustices merely galvanized his determination to take what should've been his all along.

“Good morning, Jacob,” Will replied, his tone grave. “I'm sorry to call so early.”

“You know my line is open to you any time, Will,” Stone said, reminding himself that he'd only be kissing Will's ass for a little while longer. “To what do I owe the pleasure, my friend?”

“I'm sorry to have to do this over the phone,” Will began, “but you need to know Senator Hal Blake has been shot in an assassination attempt.”

“My God,” Stone breathed, feigning shock and concern. “When? How? Do you have any leads?”

“Not yet,” Will said. “I know Hal's like a father to you, Jacob. I promise we're going to do everything we can to figure out who's behind this.”

Stone had to suppress a grin and cleared his throat as if emotion was choking him. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“We're trying to keep it quiet, spin Hal's condition with the press,” Will continued. “But I didn't want you to find out from some other source if it leaks out. I thought you should hear it from us.”

“What about Maddie and Sarah? Do they know?” Stone asked, holding his breath as he waited for Will's response, hoping he'd give away a clue as to Sarah's whereabouts.

“Yeah,” Will replied.

Stone waited for a moment, but when it became clear that Will wasn't going to say another word about the senator's daughters, Stone suppressed a sigh and continued, “Well, please let them know I'm thinking of them. And that if they need anything, I'm here.”

When Will disconnected, Stone had to resist the urge to lob his phone across the cabin.
Cagey bastard.
The man wasn't nearly as willing to confide in Stone as some of his colleagues. And of all the commanders, Will Asher was the one he most needed in his pocket—not just because he commanded all of North America but also because of his family connections. Unfortunately, he was the commander who was proving the most difficult to win over.

Still, Stone had no concern that Will suspected his true motives or plans for the Alliance. He'd known Will long enough now to understand that his reserve wasn't personal—the guy didn't get close to
anyone
. Jack Grayson, whose family was almost as legendary and well-connected as Will Asher's, might be the one exception. Perhaps
that
was the angle Stone needed to work....

“Mr. Stone?”

Stone turned at the sultry sound of Ms. Holt's voice, and all thoughts of the Alliance vanished. She was completely naked now except for her red pumps and a paisley scarf around her neck—which he'd be sure to make use of in ways she'd probably never imagined—her golden hair falling around her shoulders. “Why, Ms. Holt, I think I have underestimated just how useful you are going to be. . . .”

* * *

Jacob Stone was a fucking weasel. Will never had liked the guy, hadn't trusted his too-charming smile, his easy manners and perfect answers to any question. But the guy had gotten a shitty deal from the Alliance. If any other brother had made the same mistakes that Stone had, he would've been sanctioned, maybe stripped of any rank or at least bumped down. But Will knew when his grandfather had handed down the verdict on Stone's hearing that he'd been acting on an old vendetta against Stone's grandfather, Angus Stone. So much for not getting personal.

But Will hadn't been in a position to argue. Not back then. But if any of his men were to go up against the Grand Council now, he sure as hell wouldn't let them go down in flames like his father had done to Stone. He would defend his men, no matter the risk.

He just had to assume that his father had had reasons for burning Stone that went beyond the family rivalry. He had to believe that his father had been a good man, an excellent commander, who'd kept his oath to put the Alliance before all else. And that his grandfather had made the right call.

That was certainly easier than admitting that his family was comprised of power-tripping assholes just like the Stone family had been. Regardless, he was working damned hard to distance himself from that perception since taking command. Maybe Jacob was as well. So far, he'd proven to be an adept politician under Hal Blake's tutelage, and his meteoric rise to the spotlight had as much to do with his own talents as Hal's influence. Hell, maybe he should give the guy a chance to prove himself. Wasn't that what Will was asking from his fellow Templars?

Will rolled his head, trying to work out the tension in his neck, but it didn't do a damned bit of good. With a resigned sigh, he turned his attention back to his laptop screen, checking the most recent updates about the movement of the assets. He shook his head at the estimated time for completing relocation. It overshot his promise to his grandfather by at least two days, maybe more. “Too long.”

“I get that all the time.”

Will's gaze snapped up to see the wide grin of his tech specialist, Elliot “Finn” Finnegan. Normally, he appreciated Finnegan's levity and unwavering optimism. Those personality traits were certainly in short supply in the Alliance. But today he couldn't even bring himself to crack a smile in response.

“What do you have, Finn?”

“Put together the tech for Luke,” Finn told him. “Should be enough to get them by until we can bring them in. I can be on the plane as soon as you say the word. But I'm hosed when it comes to picking out ladies' things. . . . Gonna have to hit up Maddie Blake to figure out what to get her sister and nephew, if that's cool with you.”

Will gave him a terse nod. “I'm expecting Luke to give me a call soon to let me know the rendezvous point. Might not be able to give you much notice, so be ready.”

“Copy that.” Finn jerked his head toward the screen on Will's wall. “Just sent you the latest assessment.”

Will tapped a sequence of keys on his laptop, and several documents popped open on the wall display. “What am I looking at?”

“A whole lotta fucked up,” Finn said.

He gave him a sardonic look. “Not what I was hoping to hear, Finn.”

Finn nodded. “Ah, sorry,
brah
. It's sunshine, rainbows, and pretty pink ponies.”

At this, Will actually chuckled. “That's more like it,” he said with a grin. “Walk me through it.”

* * *

Luke's eyes were burning by the time he finally pulled into the parking lot of a roadside motel that looked like it would fit his needs—a place that wouldn't be crawling with bugs and God knew what else but where no one would bat an eye at people just needing to hole up for a few hours. Even better that it had a greasy-spoon diner a parking lot over and a gas station down the road, where he could fuel up before they continued on the next leg of the trip to his personal residence.

“Are you sure you don't just want me to drive?” Sarah asked.

He offered her a grin, knowing damn well that what she was asking was more along the lines of
Are you sure we won't catch something if we sit on a chair here?

“We'll be fine here for a little while,” he assured her. “I wouldn't take you somewhere I thought would put you and your son at risk. As soon as I check us in, we'll grab something at the diner, and you and Eli can hang out while I catch a couple hours of sleep.”

She cast a hesitant glance toward the rows of cheap motel rooms with bright red doors, but nodded. “Okay.”

Ten minutes later, he was leading them into the diner and sliding into a booth at the back of the room so he could keep his eye on the front door as well as the kitchen, where he assumed there was a second exit.

“How you folks doin' this morning?”

Luke lifted his eyes to the middle-aged waitress standing beside him. “I'd like coffee and your country breakfast.”

The woman blinked at him. “Well, alrighty then. Guess that answers my
next
question.”

“I'm sorry,” Sarah said gently, reaching across the table and placing a hand over Luke's. “He's not usually so surly. We've been in the car a long time. He's just tired. Isn't that right, honey?”

When he caught her gaze, her eyes widened slightly, giving him what he assumed was her “teacher look,” silently chastising him. “Sorry, ma'am,” he muttered to the waitress, suddenly feeling like he was back in school and getting in trouble for not turning in his homework again.

“Where you folks headed?” the waitress asked.

Eli sent an expectant look Luke's way, waiting for an answer, but before Luke could get a word out, Sarah stepped in.

“Michigan,” she said with a friendly grin that brought her dimples to her cheeks. “Visiting family there during my son's fall break from school. It should be a
lovely
drive this time of year, don't you think? Hopefully we won't hit any snow. . . .”

Luke watched in amazement as Sarah chatted easily with the waitress, feeding her a cover story he couldn't have invented any better had he tried. Soon, the waitress was plying Eli with chocolate milk and fresh donuts and bringing Luke and Sarah freshly baked blueberry muffins that were mouth-wateringly good.

“What was that all about?” Luke asked after downing half his coffee and his second muffin.

Sarah glanced toward the lunch counter, where their waitress was bustling about helping other customers. “Well, I assumed we needed a cover story.”

“The less you say, the better,” he told her, realizing just how shitty that sounded the minute the words left his mouth.

“Is that right?” she snapped. She leaned toward the table, hissing, “Well, an ill-tempered man and a rather rumpled woman traveling with a school-aged boy at this time of year deserves some explanation, don't you think? The way she was looking at us, it seemed to me that she was curious. Places like this probably don't get a lot of kids as customers.”

He had to admit she was right, and had his brain not been half-numb with sleep deprivation, he probably would've drawn the same conclusion and come up with something similar. As it was, it impressed the hell out of him that Sarah had so seamlessly intervened.

“Thank you,” he said simply before he turned his attention back to his breakfast.

Half an hour later, they were waving good-bye to their new pal Lorraine, who'd sent them on their way with a box full of muffins for the road and to-go cups of coffee.

“How long are we staying here?” Eli asked as Luke unlocked the door to their motel room. “It doesn't look like they have decent cable.”

“Just for a few hours,” Sarah answered, smoothing the boy's hair from his wide, dark eyes. “Mr. Rogan needs to sleep for a little while. You and I will find something quiet to do in the meantime.”

“Don't worry about being quiet,” Luke assured her as he pulled back the dingy curtains just enough to check the parking lot for any cars that looked out of place. But it didn't appear that they'd been followed. “I'll be fine. Just stay in the room and don't open the door for anyone.”

Eli dropped down on the end of the bed and grabbed the remote control, flipping on the TV and finding a documentary on the African Serengeti. While the boy was preoccupied, Luke strode to the bathroom and glanced inside, noting a small window over the toilet. It was for ventilation but was big enough that someone small could squeeze through.

He checked the latch to make sure it was secure and turned to head back to the bedroom, but stopped short when he saw Sarah blocking his path.

“I thought we were safe here,” she said, her arms crossed over her chest.

“We're as safe here as anywhere until we get to my place,” he assured her.