Free Fall (18 page)

“Good. Listen to me, Rainie. If I don’t come after you within half an hour, don’t wait. There’ll be a car waiting for you over the North Range. It’s important that you do as I say. If you don’t hear from me by then, you go ahead. I’ll catch up when I can.”

I knew what he meant. If Doren didn’t follow, then I could only assume he was dead.

“You’re going to have to use the window in the basement. It’s as far away from the front of the house as possible and I don’t think anyone will be expecting us to leave. Hurry, Rainie. There’s little time.”

I tucked my weapon into my jeans under my shirt before slipping downstairs to the basement. There wasn’t any hint of movement around the back of the house. The window was siliconed shut. I pried it open with difficulty and climbed out into the coolness of the night.

Outside, I stood for a few seconds, listening for any unusual noises but there was only silence. An oppressive sound that made me aware of every breath I took.

Even though I knew the property like the back of my hand by now, it was still difficult to maneuver in the dark.

I started toward the North Range. There was no moon tonight, only a sky full of stars to give any light. The scrub brush tore at my jeans. I found myself continuously looking back over my shoulder at the dark silhouette of the house. There was no sound coming from inside. My mind worked overtime with the possibilities. Was Doren okay? Was he coming after me? Or was he locked in the struggle that we’d both been expecting for days?

I stopped for a moment to get my bearings. The gazebo where Roc and I made love was just ahead to my right. I glanced around the area but didn’t see any signs someone might be following me.

I made my way through the thick underbrush to the gazebo. From here, I could see anyone approaching from all directions. I checked my watch and saw that I’d been waiting for almost fifteen minutes already.

Then suddenly, the phone I’d clipped to my jacket pocket came alive with sound. At first, I thought Doren was trying to reach me. I reached for it and was about to ask him where he was when I heard the voice of my brother. Doren was still at the house and trying to warn me.

“So, you came after all, Jeremiah? That was foolish on your part. Do you really think we wouldn’t be expecting you?”

“Shut up, Doren!” I listened in horror to the rage in my brother’s voice. The man speaking to Doren was a far cry from the gentle person I remembered. “Of course I came. It’s going to be my pleasure to be the one to end your miserable existence. You betrayed me. I considered you my friend but all along, you were working for the Bureau. I’m going to enjoy every single second of your pain.”

Justin was somewhere inside the house. Instinctively, I realized I had to help Doren. I couldn’t do as he asked and walk away. Doren needed me.

There were no voices other than Doren’s and Justin’s. Doren had deliberately left the push-to-talk function on his phone active so I would hear the danger and not come back after him, but I couldn’t leave a fellow agent behind.

I started back down the path. I’d only taken a few steps when I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. I turned in time to see a figure walking quickly towards me. I drew my weapon.

“That’s far enough,” I said with more authority than I felt at that moment. “Identify yourself.” The figure moved closer still. It was then that I heard distinct female laughter.

“Lissa?” I said in astonishment.

Warning bells rang at the sound of her laughter.

“Are you surprised to see me, Rainie?”

“We thought you were dead.” I stopped when the truth finally hit me. Lissa wasn’t here to help. She was here for my brother—as part of his team. Lissa was the mole.

She stopped close to me. “So, you finally figured it out, Rainie. Don’t look so surprised. No one ever suspected a thing, did they? Certainly not my father until it was too late. Unfortunately, he found out about our little secret. That I’ve been giving away information about his precious Agency for years now. But he won’t be warning anyone. I had the pleasure of ending his miserable existence. Can you believe it—he actually wanted to take me in? His own daughter?” There was no amusement in her tone. She sounded deranged. “You see, Rainie, in spite of what you and everyone else thought you know about me, I wasn’t just your typical spoiled rich girl after all. I fooled everyone, including my own father and your precious Roc. And Doren, who’s about to get what he deserves for betraying Justin.”

I took a step back from the hatred in her eyes.

“That’s far enough. There’s nowhere for you to run. It’s over for you as well.”

“Why, Lissa? Why would you sell out your own father, your country, to become just another one of Justin’s patsies?”

She moved closer and I leveled the gun at her. Lissa might take me out, but not without a fight.

Why do women do anything? For love, of course. I love Justin and he loves me. He’s promised we’ll be together soon. No more keeping our love secret.”

“Lissa, you’re not that stupid. Don’t you see he was only using you? You’ve lost your value to him. Once this is over, he’ll dispose of you as well.”

She waved the weapon between us. “Shut up, Rainie. You just shut your mouth. You don’t know anything about it. You always thought you were so smart—you and Roc with your secrets. You thought you were better than me, but look who has the best of you and your precious husband. And where exactly is Roc now that you need him? He’ll be dead for real very soon. You see, the documents, my apartment, they were all just an elaborate setup to get Roc exactly where we wanted him.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked before I could stop the words. I didn’t want her to know how much those words hurt.

“He was out of it. We actually believed Roc was dead, gone for good. He would never have had to die this way if it weren’t for my father. Dad thought he was so smart, keeping his little golden boy a secret. You see, he slipped up and forgot to get rid of the evidence. That’s how I found out Roc was still alive. Of course, Dad was beginning to get suspicious about me. So, we staged my kidnapping. The apartment—that was my idea. Dad would go straight to Roc. Justin is so brilliant. He figured out a way to accomplish what we’ve been working toward all these years, and get rid of Roc and my father in the process. So, you see, you’re too late, Rainie. You can’t save yourself and you certainly can’t save Roc. He’s done exactly what we wanted him to do, for once. He’ll be dead soon.”

I recoiled at those words and she saw my weakness. Lissa smiled and came a little closer.

“Drop the gun, Rainie. We both know you won’t use it.”

While the bizarre conversation between Doren and my brother continued below us, I knew no matter what, I had to disarm Lissa quickly.

“Lissa, look, it’s not too late for you. If you give yourself up, things will go better for you.”

Her derisive laughter told me just how little she believed what I was saying.

“Better for me? You know the price for treason in this country, Rainie. There will be no turning myself in. Justin and I will be leaving tonight. Unfortunately for you, you’ll be dead, as will your friend Doren.”

We stood facing each other in the darkness, weapons drawn and ready to fire. I prayed I would be quick enough to wound her before she accomplished her goal. I needed something to divert her attention, if only for a second, to give me the advantage I needed.

Close by, something moved. A small animal rustling through underbrush startled us both. For a split second, Lissa’s attention was distracted and I took that opportunity to fire first. The bullet hit its mark, straight though the heart. She dropped lifeless to the ground without ever getting a shot off.

I checked for a pulse, knowing I wouldn’t find one. Lissa was dead. Once I secured her weapon, I checked for any movement around me. Somehow, I hoped Justin and Lissa were here alone.

I circled around the same way that I’d left the house, stopping every few yards to make sure no one followed me.

When I reached the basement window, I slipped inside and stood listening for any evidence Justin might have backup in the house.

Just as I started up the steps, the sound of gunfire interrupted the conversation between Justin and Doren. I forced myself to move cautiously through the cabin to the sound of Justin’s amusement. Instinctively, I knew Doren was hit.

The door to the great room stood slightly ajar. I nudged it open a little farther and saw Doren lying on the floor in front of the fireplace. Justin stood over him, gun leveled at his head.

Without hesitating, I burst through the door, taking both men by surprise.

The expression on Justin’s face made it clear he wasn’t expecting me to be alive. Doren was bleeding from his left shoulder. I couldn’t tell how serious his injuries were, but he had lost a lot of blood. He needed immediate medical attention.

“Well, well, my little sister.” Justin turned toward me with a grin. “Glad you could join us, after all. She never was good at listening to reason, Doren. Don’t take it personally.”

“Drop the gun, Justin.”

Justin’s smile disappeared at my command, but he kept his weapon trained on Doren.

“What, you’re going to kill your own brother, Rainie? I don’t think so. Don’t worry, I promise I’ll make your deaths painful for the both of you. Drop the gun, or I’ll kill him right now. Besides, we both know you won’t use it against me.”

“It was a nice touch recruiting Lissa as your mole. How’d you do it? Did you tell her you loved her?”

Justin’s eyes narrowed in anger. “It was easy. She’s weak. I used that to my advantage.”

“I’m sure you did. So how did you convince her to kill her father? You promise to marry her?” Some of Justin’s composure slipped when I added, “Lissa’s dead…Jeremiah.” I’d wanted so desperately to believe he was my brother that I’d overlooked so many things. But this man wasn’t Justin. He was a cold-blooded killer.

His eyes met mine and he knew it was over. I’d figured it out. “So you know. Well it really doesn’t matter anymore, does it? You’ll both be dead soon.” For a second, Jeremiah wavered. “And Lissa was beginning to get on my nerves, anyway. All that whining and attention she needed. You did me a favor, really, Rainie. How’d you figure out I wasn’t really your brother?”

My gaze slid to Doren for a second. I could tell he was in incredible pain. I had to get help soon. “This is your last warning, Jeremiah. Drop the gun. I’m not kidding. I wouldn’t think twice about taking you out.”

“Really? And risk killing your precious hubby in the process?” He watched my reaction with pleasure.

“Don’t believe him. He doesn’t know where Roc is.” Doren struggled to get the words out.

“Shut up.” Jeremiah waved the gun at Doren. “Just shut your mouth. You’ve wanted to get her in bed since the beginning. You could care less about Roc or The Agency.”

“What do you know about Roc?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

“I can still save him. It’s not too late. Put down the gun and I’ll call it off. If you shoot me, you lose your only chance at saving him.” He took a step closer to me. “Drop the gun and we can work something out. You know it’s your only chance at saving Roc.”

“Don’t trust him, Rainie,” Doren clutched his shoulder then staggered to his feet.

“Don’t come any closer, Jeremiah.”

“Rainie, he’s not on your side,” Jeremiah said. “He’s just using you. He’s here to clean up a mess. That’s you, Rainie. He’s here to get rid of you.”

“Don’t listen to him. He’ll kill you.”

Jeremiah took another step closer and I hesitated for a second.

Doren saw me hesitate. He lunged for Jeremiah, who aimed the gun at me, no doubt believing he could take me out before Doren reached him. Out of sheer reflex reaction, I leveled my weapon at Jeremiah’s chest and fired, beating him to the draw.

Jeremiah looked at me in disbelief before he fell to the floor.

Doren knelt next to him and removed the gun from Jeremiah’s lifeless hand, feeling for a pulse.

“Is he?” I asked and he nodded. I sank down to the floor, tossing my own weapon away.

I was shivering from the adrenaline rush. I couldn’t find the strength to stand. Doren came to my side and lifted me off the floor, leaning heavily against me.

“We need to get you help.” I got him to the sofa and opened his shirt to examine his injury. It appeared to be a flesh wound, but he’d lost an alarming amount of blood in a short amount of time.

“Stevie’s team is on the way,” he said, struggling back to his feet. “I’ll be all right. It’s not serious.”

The radio still broadcast everything that was happening inside the house when someone intercepted the frequency.

“Rainie, its Stevie, we’re almost there. Are you and Doren okay?”

“I’m okay, but Doren’s been shot. He needs immediate medical attention. Stevie, you need to get word to Roc and Mark that they’re walking into an ambush. Lissa and Jeremiah set it up. Ed’s dead as well.”

“What? Ed’s dead?” Stevie paused for a moment to take in what I’d said. “I’ve been trying to get through to Roc and Mark for a while now, but they’re not answering. I’ll keep trying. Don’t worry, we’ll get them.”

“Doren, where is he?” I asked.

“Somewhere outside of D.C. They received information earlier today that Lissa might be outside of the city in an abandoned farmhouse.”

“Stevie, get a chopper sent to this location right away. I’m going after him,” I said.

“Roc’s strong,” Doren said with difficulty. “He’ll be okay. He has lots of backup.”

“I’m going, Doren. Don’t try to stop me.”

Within minutes, dozens of agents descended on the cabin, combing every square inch of the property for any remaining threats. While the medical team treated Doren, I answered Stevie’s questions as best I could.

“Any word yet, Stevie?”

“Nothing, but it’s not uncommon for him to go to radio silence. Don’t worry, we’ll find him.” But I could tell Stevie was worried.

“Let me know the minute the chopper arrives, okay?” I said before joining Doren. The EMT bandaged his shoulder and left us alone.