Secret Obsession (5 page)

“I gave you two chances. Reid’s in the hospital. Chastity is dead. Go back to Texas.”

Noah gritted his teeth. “Rafe, finish the preflight for me.”

His friend said nothing. He exited the vehicle and walked out to the plane. Noah gripped her shoulders. “I’m not letting you do this.”

“You can’t stop me.” She turned her palm up. “Keys.”

He shoved them into his front pocket. She followed the movement with her eyes. The challenge in them scared the hell out of him.

“There’s only one way for this to end,” she said softly. “He wants me. I’m going to give him what he wants. Hand me the keys.”

“I’m not going to convince you to come with us, am I?”

She shook her head. “You did what you could. Tell Reid...if he wakes up, tell him I appreciate what he tried to do. And that I’m sorry.”

“Damn you, Lyssa. You’re going out there to die, aren’t you?”

“I’m not planning on it.” She straightened her back, her chin lifted in determination. “But he’s going to die, Noah. And if I die, too, I’ll have done the right thing. For everyone.”

“I’m not letting that happen.” Before she could say another word, Noah grabbed her by the waist and tugged her out of the SUV so fast she didn’t fight him.

He’d obviously taken her by surprise. Good.

He heaved her up over his shoulder and placed the keys on the driver-side front tire.

The calm lasted for a second or two. She twisted against him, squirming. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Saving your life,” Noah said with a grunt when she kneed him in the gut. “Stop it or I’ll drop you.”

She didn’t obey.

Fighting against the she-cat in his arms, pretty sure she’d bruised some ribs, he climbed up the plane’s steps. Zane’s mouth fell open but he moved aside.

“Let me down, Noah,” Lyssa bit out, “or I’ll call the cops.”

He dumped her into a seat and clicked the seat belt around her. She unlatched it and sprang to her feet. She shoved her hands at his chest, then heaved her body weight at him, shoulder first. He stumbled back and gripped her arms. “Lyssa, calm down. I’m not leaving you. You’re not in this fight alone, do you hear me? You. Are. Not. Alone.”

She shook her head back and forth. “Don’t you get it? You could die. You could all
die!
And it would be
my
fault. Again. I won’t let that happen. I
can’t.

“I can’t,” she whispered over and over again.

Her fists gripped his shirt hard and he hugged her against him, tight. She tried to push him away, she fought against him, but he wouldn’t let her. Not now. He strengthened his hold, waiting for her struggling to stop. The torment in each movement and groan stripped his heart. He didn’t know how long it took, but finally, her body sagged in exhaustion, her breathing ragged.

With her energy gone, he cradled her in his arms and sat down in one of the leather seats. He ran his hand along her hair. He met Rafe’s gaze over her.

Take off?
he mouthed, knowing his friend could do it, also knowing he hated to pilot the plane.

Rafe gave him a curt nod, then motioned to Zane.

They disappeared into the cockpit.

Noah shifted her off of him, and she let him rebuckle her seat belt.

“You shouldn’t do this,” she said to him, her voice flat, her face haunted. “You know how many lives he’s ruined. He’ll ruin yours. I know he will. It’ll be my fault.”

The plane lifted off. He’d never have known the runway was too short. Rafe had quite the touch. Noah took in Lyssa’s nearly ghostlike complexion. He tugged her hands between his. Her fingers were ice-cold and he rubbed them, warming the frigid skin. “It’s not your fault. It’s his. He made the choice.”

She wouldn’t look at him but stared down at her hands. “Did you see Al’s face? He loved Chastity. And because I chose to go into that diner one day, because I couldn’t resist a friendly smile some days...” A shiver ran through her, she ripped her hands away from him, clenching her fists, her knuckles white. “I hate him. I hate what he’s done.” She lifted her tortured gaze to his. “I hate that you’re next.”

“We’ll be ready for him,” Noah promised, praying he could keep his word. If he didn’t, Lyssa wouldn’t survive. And if she didn’t, neither would he.

The hum of the plane’s engine quieted as they reached a cruising altitude.

“You can’t guarantee...” She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. “You don’t know...” Her eyes glazed over and she stared out the window into the darkness that cocooned the aircraft. “Life couldn’t have been better that day. The day that changed my world forever. I’d fallen in love with Jack. We’d moved in together. At work, I’d just been tapped to do a high-profile press conference translating for the Russian president. Everything was perfect...”

She crossed her hands over her stomach, the agony almost too difficult to watch. Jack had been a lucky man. To have a woman’s love like that, Noah could only imagine.

“Archimedes destroyed everything. When I walked in the house that night, he’d been aiming the gun at Jack. He swung around. Jack yelled at me to run then rushed Archimedes, placing himself between me and that madman. The guy just shot Jack in cold blood, in the head, then he turned to me...” Her voice broke. “I could see Archimedes smile, his mouth visible through the hole in the ski mask he wore. He held out his hand to me. ‘Come,’ he said. I ran.”

Noah had never heard her version of that night. He wanted to drag her into his arms, out of the nightmare, but she’d locked herself in the past.

“Lyssa,” he said, his voice soft.

Her eyes snapped open.

“Did he ever point the gun at you?”

“Of course he did. Jack jumped in front of it.”

“That’s not what you said. You said Archimedes swung around when you came in the room.”

Her forehead furrowed. “I guess...what are you getting at?”

“I think there’s a reason you’re still alive. Archimedes doesn’t want you dead. He
wants
you. We can use that to our advantage. If you’ll let us.

Noah gripped her hand. “He’s dropping a twisted trail of bread crumbs, and you’re the prize he’s waiting for.”

* * *

C
ANDLELIGHT
FLICKERED
AT
the small corner table of the Italian restaurant, illuminating the face of the woman across from Archimedes. The fragrant spices of the exclusive D.C. eatery danced on the air.

There was no name over the doorway—just another reason he frequented the place. Enough cash bought a table...and discretion.

His companion was attractive enough, unassuming. Her eyelashes fluttered and she gazed at him, something akin to adoration.

She wasn’t Alessandra, of course. Alessandra was perfection.

He lifted the glass of red wine, letting the berries, vanilla, mocha and oak aroma tease his palate. “To our three-month anniversary.” He smiled at her. “You, Rose Wright, have placed my greatest desire within reach.”

Her cheeks flushed and she bit her lip, taking a dainty sip of the Petrus as he, too, gifted his taste buds with the fifteen-hundred-dollar-a-bottle wine to celebrate his Chicago success. While the police and the feds scurried like rats, he waited, waited for Alessandra to prove her worth.

“I’ve never met anyone like you.” Rose sighed.

The waiter approached and placed their plates of pasta in front of them.

Archimedes frowned, staring at his dish. Spots. He could see the spots. The side of his head began to throb and he pressed the heel of his hand against his temple.

“Take them back,” he snapped. “We want
clean
china.”

The waiter scowled and snatched the dinners. “Whatever.”

Rose squirmed in her chair, her face going pale. He touched her cheek, forcing himself not to wince as his bare finger came into contact with her germ-infested skin.

“Nothing but the best for you, my dearest Rose.”

The waiter soon returned. “I—I’m very sorry, sir. I didn’t realize who you were.” He practically bowed leaving them alone, perfectly pristine plates sitting in front of them.

Rose smiled in awe. “How do they—?”

“I have a variety of interests, my dear. The owner once assisted me and I helped him gain financing to open up the restaurant. Clearly, the waiter is new. He won’t make the same mistake again.”

Archimedes studied the unspoiled fork and sampled the pasta. Perfect, as always. “How is work, my dear?”

Rose frowned and leaned forward. “Terrible,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “My boss was almost killed yesterday.”

“Almost?”

The man should be dead. Archimedes had killed more than one with a blow with exactly that force and position...except, Reid Nichols had fought longer than most against the paralytic drug. He’d moved slightly, impacting the trajectory and pressure. Interesting. Just the slightest change had spared the man’s life.

Luckily, the marshal’s survival wouldn’t alter Archimedes’s plans. His disguise would misdirect any inquiries.

“He’s still alive, but he’s in a coma. They’ve clamped down tight on security.” She lowered her voice. “They think a serial killer did it. That woman I told you about last week, the one who is the only witness, she’s on the run now. They can’t find her.”

“Really?”

He let the slight hint of red chili in the sauce tingle in his mouth and hid a smile of satisfaction. He knew exactly what had happened to Alessandra. And
who.

Archimedes had thought he’d recognized the man at her side. A bit of research on the plane from Chicago had verified his rival’s identity.

Noah Bradford. Supposed electronics wunderkind. Wealthy, and his company’s contracts with Homeland Security and the Department of Defense were the envy of many a high school geek who wanted to make it big.

There was Gates, Jobs and Bradford.

This time, though, Bradford had no idea who he was dealing with.

The question was, why would someone like Bradford step out of his pristine corporate CEO position and partner up with three unidentifiable men? Why would Bradford care about Alessandra? Archimedes would have to dig deeper. There had to be a connection.

Not that it mattered.

He slipped his phone from the pocket of his fine cashmere coat and opened the map. After zooming out a few times, a small dot blinked.

So, his prey had gone to Texas.

He looked up from the screen to his companion. She spun her fork in the spaghetti and stuffed it in her mouth. Sauce marred her chin. He sighed.

No, she definitely wasn’t Alessandra.

“I’m afraid we have to cut tonight short, my dear.” He indicated his phone. “Business call. I have another plane to catch.”

She bowed her head, clearly disappointed. “But you just got back. I’d hoped we could spend the night...together.”

He struggled to hide the shudder of revulsion. At least he had an excuse. “My job shouldn’t take long, and then I’ll be able to show you how I really feel.”

He folded the napkin perfectly eight times and grimaced at the mess she’d dropped on the plate. Lipstick stains and marinara sauce smudged the white linens.

Disgusting.

Even if he’d desired her, she would require too much work to perfect.

She wasn’t Alessandra.

No one was.

A small plane ride and his message would be delivered.

Noah Bradford would soon understand.

Alessandra would receive the next clue...her next test.

They couldn’t hide from him.

He was too smart, too clever.

Archimedes stood, waiting for Rose. She stumbled to her feet and he escorted her out of the restaurant to the Metro. At just after midnight, the train still bustled. A man in a suit shoved them aside in his hurry to board the red line.

The pain in Archimedes’s head throbbed. He scowled and pressed against the sharp agony.

Rose clutched his hand, digging her fingernails into his palm, an act she’d pay for. “That man d-doesn’t matter.”

Archimedes tugged her onto the train and sat across from the insolent passenger who focused on his tablet computer.

A few quick strokes and Archimedes had exactly what he needed. He led Rose off the train.

“Where are we going?” she asked. “This isn’t our stop.”

He ignored her. He tapped an image.

The red-line train pulled away. Through the window, Archimedes could see the man convulse as an overload of electrical current pulsed through his fingertips from the tablet. He fell to the floor.

Dead. Heart stopped.

Another lesson learned. They
would
respect him.

Sooner or later,
everyone
would understand.

Chapter Five

The dim light of dawn brushed the edge of the horizon by the time Noah ordered Rafe to head directly to the safe house. At least the Texas weather cut them a break. Ten degrees warmer made for a big difference, even in the dead of winter.

From the backseat of the rented SUV that CTC had supplied, Noah scanned the area surrounding the new location. A screened-in front porch encased the ranch-style house. One more barrier. He liked the setup.

“Drive past it and circle around,” he ordered Rafe, even though they’d serpentined through the Dallas–Fort Worth area for the past ninety minutes.

On high alert, his hand on his weapon, Zane peered out the other side of the vehicle. Normally, Noah would have taken the front passenger seat, but he’d slipped into the back with Lyssa.

Surprising how her new name fell off his tongue so easily. He’d almost stopped thinking of her as Alessandra. He glanced over at her. She’d fallen into a deep sleep on the plane. Nearly thirty-six hours awake had scraped her nerves raw. The nap had returned some color to her cheeks. That, along with a hint of embarrassment and a flash of resentment in her eyes.

He’d half expected her to hightail it when they’d landed. He’d practically kidnapped her, after all. She’d been quiet since they’d landed. He had to wonder what she plotted behind those compelling green eyes. She gripped her duffel tight. The shotgun was just inside. He didn’t blame her for keeping the weapon close, as long as she didn’t use it on him.

He’d told her the truth. Maybe the sleep had made her see sense. She was smart. She’d stayed alive for two years. They
all
needed to regroup. He didn’t like being in retreat, but better alive and together than the alternative.

Right now, Archimedes had the advantage.

Noah didn’t anticipate the situation to last long.

“Appears clear,” Rafe said, taking another turn around the block in the suburb north of Fort Worth.

“Agree,” Zane added.

“Go inside,” Noah ordered. “Check it out.”

The SUV pulled up to the house. Zane jumped out and keyed in the code to the garage door. The metal slid up, strangely quiet.

Lyssa slipped her hand beneath her coat. Noah didn’t say a word.

A few minutes later, Zane motioned them forward. Rafe pulled the car into the garage, but Noah didn’t breathe until they were sealed inside the house.

Lyssa finally removed her hand from her .45. “You’ve got me here. Now what?”

Her gaze dared Noah. He knew very well he didn’t have much time. Lyssa was resourceful; she’d find her way back to Chicago if that’s what she really wanted.

“Now we locate Archimedes.” Noah punched in a code in the garage. “I’ve scrambled the garage-door signal. If anyone was watching, they won’t be getting in. He walked directly into the small dining room. “Set up here.”

Zane nodded, tugging his laptop from its case. “I need secure internet.”

Noah glanced over at Lyssa. He could almost feel the nerves shooting through her body. “Want to go out back? I have to hook up a satellite system.”

She gave a sharp nod and followed him onto the porch then into the yard. There was a chill in the air, but not so much that he needed gloves. He positioned the small dish so that it faced the sky and flipped open a case from inside his jacket.

He twisted a few screws and lifted the weather cover. “How are you feeling?”

She scuffed the grass with her shoe. “Embarrassed. Rafe and Zane must think I’m certifiable.”

“Nah. They know you’re exhausted and that you’ve been through hell.” Squatting down, he secured the equipment before pulling out his phone to position the receiver.

Lyssa said nothing. She crossed her arms over her jacket then slipped her hand inside, as if reassuring herself that protection was near. Noah observed her carefully. Even while she spoke, she scanned the backyard, searching for anything out of place. Noah had been in life-threatening situations more often than not since he’d joined the Marines, but there was always an end to the mission. How would it be, month after month, year after year, to never let your guard down?

Walking the twelve-foot concrete wall encasing the rear perimeter of the house, she reached the gate and yanked. It didn’t budge; it was secured shut with a series of large steel bolts.

Finalizing the satellite positioning, he strode to the screen door and cracked it open. “Check out the connection, Zane. We’ll be a few more minutes.”

He studied Lyssa across the yard. She stiffened, her expression one of caution.

“Are you planning to run?” he asked.

She didn’t respond but returned to the gate and tugged at it again. “If he finds us, how do I escape? I’m trapped here.”

Noah joined her. Without hesitation, he flicked open a panel painted to look like concrete. “The code is seven-nine-one-three.” He pressed the numbers. The bolts slid back.

With an easy push, Lyssa swung the heavy gate open and peered into a small carport behind the yard. An escape vehicle waited.

“Gassed and ready to go.” Noah resecured the backyard. “The keys are in a similar hiding place on the backside of the wall. Satisfied?”

Her incredulous expression, then quick nod made his lips quirk. Her body seemed to relax a bit.

“Are you going to use the code and car to leave?”

With a sigh, she rubbed the back of her neck. “I may have lost it on the plane, but what I said was true. You’re in danger. It would be better if you and your friends let me finish this on my own.”

She gazed up at the cloudy sky. “I want it over.”

He could see the emotion welling in her eyes. She’d used up all her reserves.

“I want you safe, Lyssa. You’re not a prisoner, even though part of me would like to lock you up at the North Pole until this psycho is out of your life.” Noah rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “We’re hundreds of miles away from Archimedes. You’ve been battling him solo for too long, Lyssa. Lean on me...on us. We can help.”

She blinked several times in quick succession. “I’ve been alone a long time, Noah. I can’t promise anything. I don’t know how to trust anymore. That ability died with Jack.”

Turning away, she walked back to the house. He cursed himself for listening to Reid and abandoning her to the system back then. When Archimedes had found her in hiding shortly after being placed in WitSec, Noah had hoped he was doing the right thing. What if somehow the killer had broken into Noah’s systems, using him to track Alessandra. He couldn’t chance it.

He’d been wrong. He refused to let her go. Not again. She wouldn’t get rid of him, no matter what she said or did.

He scanned the periphery then followed her inside, locking the doors and setting the external alarm.

Lyssa hovered near the dining room table. “What are those?” she asked, staring at the six-inch-tall group of files at one end.

“The information from WitSec connecting to Archimedes,” Zane answered.

“I thought there’d be more,” Noah said. “Are you sure this is everything?”

Rafe pulled up a chair. “Zane and I agree this can’t be it. Some of the files must be missing.”

“Zane, can you bore into Justice through a back door?” Noah asked, thumbing through the documents. “Take another look?”

“Probably.” Zane looked up from his keyboard. “I’m not just crossing the legal line on this, Noah, I’m jumping with both feet into big trouble if we’re caught.”

“And your point is?”

Zane grinned. “Thought you should know why we’ll end up in jail if we’re caught.”

“No choice,” Noah said. “With Reid in the hospital, I don’t know who to trust. Just don’t leave a trail. I hate being locked up.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Zane asked. “My zeros and ones are invisible.” He lowered his head and tapped away at the keyboard.

Biting her lip in concentration, Lyssa thumbed through the files, taking time to read each name. “There are names I don’t see here.” She looked up. “Archimedes got to someone at WitSec, didn’t he?”

“That’s what Reid believes,” Noah said. “It’s probably how Archimedes found you.”

Lyssa settled into a mahogany chair at one end and pulled off a small stack of files.

“Chastity’s information isn’t here, of course.” Rafe patted the remaining stack. “And while we were on the plane I caught word of another strange death. A woman set on fire only a few blocks from the diner where Chastity died.”

“Archimedes likes fire,” Lyssa said, her voice matter-of-fact.

That flat note captured Noah’s attention. Ever since she’d entered the house, she’d encased herself in an iron curtain, maintaining precarious control. He understood the necessity, but she was on the edge. Her fingers shook just a bit, and yet she powered through.

She awed him.

“Thirty percent of his crimes involve either death or destruction by fire,” she added. “The arson investigators haven’t been able to identify the accelerant that he uses. All they know is that it burns fast and hot and completely disintegrates most of the evidence.”

Zane’s hands paused on the keyboard, his expression stunned. “How—?”

“The fact leaked out after a warehouse fire killed the owner of a freight company. It surprises you I want to know exactly what he’s doing? And where he is all the time?” Lyssa stared at him, unblinking. “Why would I give him the upper hand?”

“Will you marry me?” Zane blurted out. “I love a smart woman with guts.”

“Just keep your eyes on your keyboard.” Noah planted himself between Zane and Lyssa.

Zane gave Noah a jaunty salute and huddled back on the computer, but not without a smirk on his face.

Okay, so Noah hadn’t hidden the fact that he liked Lyssa. A lot. He glanced over at her, too hesitant for his own peace of mind.

He’d expected her to be looking at him, expected that shot of awareness that tingled just below the surface of the skin to bounce between them, but she’d turned him off.

Instead, she took a folder from the shorter stack in front of her.

Noah placed his hand on hers. “You don’t want to—”

Lyssa opened the file anyway. She let out a shocked gasp. “I can’t even tell if this is a man or a woman. What did Archimedes do?”

Noah tugged the file away from her, but not before he caught a glance of an autopsy photo of a corpse with a bloated face floating at the edge of a slow-moving river. “One thing about Archimedes, I’m sure you know, is that his M.O.s are all over the place. He’s an encyclopedia of modus operandi.”

“I know. I’ve been researching him for two years,” Lyssa opened another file. “Newspapers don’t print these kinds of photos, but I know there are victims from all over the country. Mostly on the East and West coasts. Men and women, old and young, professional and homeless. I can’t find a connection.”

“That’s why the feds have no case and no clue,” Noah said. “Except you. You’ve heard his voice.”

“A whisper two years ago. Even I know it’s not enough.”

Noah knelt in front of her chair. “There
is
a connection. We just haven’t found it yet.”

“Lyssa.” He waited until his patience forced her to meet his gaze. Her dead eyes terrified him. He gripped her hands. “I’m telling you right now, we’ll find the connection. We’ll find him.”

She stared down at their entwined fingers and squeezed his tight, the desperation clearly etched on her face. She glanced at the table and the files, then at Rafe and Zane.

A heavy sigh escaped her.

“I want to believe that, Noah. But somehow I’ve got a feeling that the only way we’ll find Archimedes is when he finds me first.”

* * *

L
YSSA
HAD
NEVER
seen anything like Noah, Rafe and Zane at work. She tucked her knee under her chin and wrapped her arms round her leg. Their intensity rivaled anything she’d ever witnessed.

Occasionally Noah would glance up at her, meeting her gaze with a worried one of his own. She couldn’t stop watching him, and the deep tenor of his voice sent a small shiver up her spine.

While part of her wished he’d let her stay in Chicago, the past few hours had convinced her not to use that code and take off. Despite everything, watching Noah made her believe in the possibility—the possibility of a future.

Should she even allow herself to think that way?

She leaned forward as Noah and Zane rattled off terminology with an ease she’d only witnessed on television.

“Archimedes might be a wacko, but he’s a damn good engineer. Check out this design, Noah,” Zane said. He pulled apart one of the cameras they’d taken from her apartment. “He’s good. I wish I’d dreamed up how he put together the motion-and voice-operated sensors. Efficient, saves size and power. I’m borrowing it.”

“Well, when we see him, you can tell him how brilliant you think he is,” Noah said. “Can you use the camera to track him?”

Lyssa perked up. Was this it?

“I tried.” Zane scowled. “I ended up in the middle of Kandahar when the bouncing finally stopped.”

“Somehow, I don’t think he’s there.” A sharp curse escaped from Noah’s lips, and he shoved back from the table. “There’s got to be a way.”

He paced back and forth like a panther in a cage, waiting and wanting to pounce. Lyssa could practically feel the frustration emanating from each step. He settled at the back window and stared outside, his mind obviously whirling with possibilities.

“What about Chastity’s notepad?” Lyssa asked.

“No fingerprints,” Rafe answered with a frown. “Of course, Archimedes has never left so much as a partial print. The guy is careful.”

Rafe was right. Lyssa shoved the files she’d read from cover to cover. “I always thought the feds were hiding something from me. I couldn’t believe they didn’t have leads that the papers hadn’t published, but there’s nothing here.”

“What about the note Archimedes left for us?” Noah said, still focused on the backyard.

“The infinity symbol matches the other notes he’s left on paper,” Rafe said.

No one mentioned there were only a few examples of his handwriting. More often than not, Archimedes left his calling card carved into the body.

In fact, Jack had been the first body he’d carved into.