“Who said I have to come home?”
“The men who broke into my house. They said. . .”
“Hold on,” he interrupted, his voice not as angry sounding as before. “Did you say some men broke into your house?”
Tears began to roll down her cheeks, and she struggled to hold back the sobs. “Yes. I was awake and went to check on Max. When I got back to my bedroom, two men were there. One of them held a knife to my throat and said if I made a sound they’d kill Max.”
“Lainey, did they hurt you or your son?”
His shouted words hurt her ear, and she pulled the phone away until he’d finished speaking. “No, but they wanted me to tell them what I knew about Firebrand.”
“Firebrand?” She could hear the surprise in his voice. “What did they want to know?”
“Just what I knew about it. I told them I didn’t know anything. They said it was a group of paid mercenaries taking any dirty job the government offered.” A strangled sob burst from her throat. “Oh, Ash, I’m so scared. They said if you don’t come home, they’re going to come back and kill Max and me.”
“Did you get a good look at these guys? Could you identify them?”
“No, they were dressed in black and had ski masks on.” Her legs trembled so that she dropped down in a chair. “Please, Ash, tell me the truth. Have you done something that has made these men want to kill us?”
“I-I don’t know, Lainey.”
His answer frightened her more than anything else. “You have! I can hear it in your voice. What if they come back? I couldn’t bear it if they hurt Max.”
“Lainey. . .”
“I’m begging you, Ash!” she cried into the phone. “I’ll do anything you ask, just please come home. If you’ve done something to make these people angry, then you have to make sure nothing happens to Max. Richard always took care of you when you were growing up, and he would expect you to do it for Max.”
There was a slight pause before he spoke. “You’re right.” There was no mistaking the resignation in the flat tone of his voice, and he took a deep breath. “I’ll come.”
She wiped at the tears on her cheeks and scooted to the edge of her seat, her hand clutching the phone in a death grip. “When?”
“I’ll be there in the morning. In the meantime I’m going to call some friends to keep a watch on you until I get there.”
“What kind of friends?”
“Very good ones, but don’t worry. You won’t even know they’re there. Just stay inside and keep your son home from school. Don’t go out of the house until I get there.”
“I won’t. And thank you, Ash. And one more thing. . .”
“What?” he asked.
“He has a name. Please don’t refer to him as my son. Call him Max.”
There was a pause before he answered. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
The phone clicked, and she stared at it a moment before she placed it in its cradle. So he was really coming home. She’d both dreaded and looked forward to this moment for years. She had to be careful while he was here. The past couldn’t be changed, and she had to make sure that nothing happened to bring up old memories.
From the sound of his voice, he hated her, and perhaps that was good. If he could find out who had threatened her and Max, he would be gone as quickly as possible. Then she and Max could return to the life she had struggled to build for the past eleven years without Ash.
<><><>
Ash stared through the windshield of the SUV at the snow falling on the lake. Everything seemed so peaceful here, but it wasn’t elsewhere. Two men had threatened Lainey and her son, two innocent people were dead, and a beautiful woman had made a fool out of him just to give him a message. What was going on?
When he’d started his conversation with Lainey, he’d had no idea of going home. But just as he’d committed to going through that swinging door earlier, he was now bound to his promise to Lainey. He’d thought the years had toughened him so that he could resist anything she asked, but he hadn’t counted on her playing her trump card. His nephew was an innocent boy caught up in something Ash didn’t yet understand, but he knew one thing. He had to protect Richard’s son no matter what the cost.
Ash looked at the phone again and punched in another number. He’d been intending to make a call to his friend Reese Alexander for weeks now, but he hadn’t expected it to be like this. It only took a few seconds for the sleep-laced voice of Reese Alexander to answer. “Alexander.”
“Reese, this is Ash. I need a favor.”
He heard a bed creak, and he knew Reese had sat up. “At three o’clock in the morning? It must be important.”
“It is. Sorry about the time. I’m two hours earlier here. I need you to get the plane to Denver for me so I can board as soon as possible. And I need a car waiting for me at the Asheville airport when I arrive.”
“Got it. Anything else?”
Ash raked his hand through his hair. “Yeah. Can you get some of the guys who are already staying at the training center to go to Lainey’s house and set up a perimeter? I don’t want anyone to come in or leave until I get there.”
“I’ll put Casey and her team on it right away.”
Ash smiled at Reese’s answers. No questions about why, no mention of what he’d decided to do about Firebrand. Just a quick assurance Reese would take care of it. That’s what Ash liked about Reese Alexander. When a team member asked for help, he didn’t ask questions. He simply got busy.
“Thanks, Reese. I appreciate it.”
“No problem, Ash. That’s what Firebrand is all about. We help our brothers when they need it.”
“I’m going home to get a few clothes, then I’m heading for Denver.”
“I’ll call you back with the ETA for the plane. Do you need me to do anything else?”
“I don’t like what’s gone down tonight, Reese. Two men broke into Lainey’s house and told her if I didn’t come home they’d be back to kill her and Max. Then a woman left two dead bodies in a café here and handed me a note telling me to call Lainey. Somebody’s gone to a lot of trouble to get me home. I have no idea why.”
“Do you think this has anything to do with Firebrand?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”
“Okay, brother. I’ll take care of things on my end and call you back.”
“Thanks.”
Ash ended the call and slipped the phone back on his belt clip. He couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight’s events were connected to something much more sinister than he realized. Could it have to do with some mission he’d performed? He thought back to the places he’d been in the last few years, and only one place stood out—a small village in Mexico.
He shook his head. No, it couldn’t be that.
There was no use in second guessing himself at this point. This could very well have to do with someone holding a grudge against his father’s company Lainey was now running. Whatever was going on, he’d find out once he got back to North Carolina.
<><><>
The cheap motel Victor had checked into looked nothing like the swanky hotels that housed the casinos along the strip across town. This Las Vegas neighborhood didn’t see any high rollers like those places. Instead it catered to gangs, drug dealers, prostitutes, and pimps. In his line of work, he fit right in.
As usual, he’d chosen a single-story motel so he could walk right from his car to his room, one with a bathroom window that could provide a quick exit if needed. He’d lived out of places like this for so many years he’d developed a comfortable affection for the stained bed spreads, rusted plumbing, and cockroaches that came out at night.
He stopped at the door to the unit he’d rented and inserted the key in the lock. Years of experience had sharpened his survival skills. He glanced over his shoulder and scanned the parking lot before he pulled his gun from the shoulder holster.
Snow had begun to fall while he was gone, and the cars he’d seen earlier when he left were still parked in the same places. Now piles of snow covered their roofs and hoods. He eased open the door to his room and stuck his gun through the opening. The light he’d left on still burned, and he pushed the door with his toe until it swung wide. He stepped into the room, both hands on the gun, and swept his arms from left to right.
After a moment, he exhaled and kicked the door closed. A quick check of the bathroom and closet told him he was alone.
He walked to a table that sat in the corner of the room and laid his gun down before he stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the bottle he’d picked up earlier at the liquor store. Then he shrugged out of his coat, unbuckled the shoulder holster, and poured himself a drink. The warm liquid burned a trail down his throat and he sank down in a chair, the job he’d finished tonight replaying in his mind.
It had been quick, hardly enough time for the man to even know he was about to die. That’s the way he liked it. Over and done with in minutes, and a body disposed of in a place where it wouldn’t be found. Now all he had to do was collect the nice payoff waiting for him for a few hours of work. He chuckled and shook his head. A few hours? He’d spent weeks tracking this guy and making sure the hit happened at the right time.
He pulled his phone from his pocket. Time to report that the deed was done. He punched in a text message to the contact number for his employer and then reread what he’d typed. Your package was delivered tonight as you instructed. As always, it was a pleasure to deliver your regards.
Victor smiled as he sent the message on its way to El Jefe. This hit was completed. Now to turn his full attention to his next assignment—Ash DeHan. He wished he could have been there with Sophia tonight, but he had to finish this other job first. He glanced at his watch and wondered if she had completed her work in Colorado by this time.
The thought had no sooner entered his head than his cell phone rang. He raised the phone to his ear. “Hello.”
“Hi, Victor.”
The sound of her voice sent ripples of pleasure through him. He slumped down in the chair and stretched his legs out. “I was just thinking about you. How did everything go tonight?”
“Just like you said. The message was delivered without any problems.”
The minute El Jefe introduced him to Sophia in Las Vegas three years ago, he’d known she was the one he’d been looking for, the perfect partner both professionally and personally. And he’d been right. “Good girl. I knew I could count on you. And what about Leo? How did his assignment go?”
“Fine. He waited in the car for me and is driving us to Denver now.”
“That’s good. Now, what about the day after tomorrow? Is everything set in St. Claire? I won’t be there to help. I have to go to California to meet El Jefe.”
“It’s all taken care of. Leo has arranged for the guys who went to see Lainey tonight to help us. Everything should go as planned. But be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“Every time El Jefe comes across the border, he’s putting himself in danger of being caught. I don’t want you to get caught up in it if something like that happens.”
“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
She hesitated a moment. “And one more thing. I’m concerned about this elaborate plan he’s hatched. Why taunt DeHan so much? Why not just kill him and the girl and her son? I don’t understand.”
Sophia had a point, and he’d learned to trust her instincts. The same thoughts had troubled him. They needed to be very careful. “Do you think El Jefe is making a mistake with how he’s handling our assignment?”
“I’m just saying we need to watch our backs and not let our guard down.”
“I won’t, but you do the same. Be careful and I’ll see you in St. Claire in a few days.”
“I can’t wait,” she purred and ended the call.
His pulse raced and he smiled in anticipation of seeing her again. It had been nearly four months since they’d last been together for a week in Mexico, but that couldn’t be helped. She was too busy setting up her new identity in St. Claire, and they couldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.
He sat still for a moment before he laid the phone on the table and picked up the glass he’d drunk from before Sophia called. She was right. He couldn’t figure out why El Jefe was hesitating so long to get on with his vendetta against Ash DeHan. Why would he set up such an elaborate scheme just for a murder? There was something Victor was missing in this whole situation, but he had no idea what it was.
After a moment he shrugged, chugged the last of his drink, and stretched. No need to worry about it tonight. They were meeting tomorrow. Maybe he’d find out more then. If not, he and Sophia had pledged their loyalty to El Jefe a long time ago, and they’d do whatever he asked. That’s what they were paid to do. It didn’t matter why El Jefe wanted to play this game with DeHan. All he had to remember was that they were being paid to make the hits on DeHan and his family. As long as he got his money, that’s all he cared about.
Chapter 3
Ash stared out the car window at the Smokies in the distance and felt the first stirring of happiness he’d had in years. There was no denying these mountains, although not as high as the Rockies where he lived now, had a hold on him. It had been years since he’d been back to where he’d grown up, but the old love for this familiar part of the world had surfaced the minute he looked out the airplane window at the peaks below. This had been home, and for the first time he realized how much he had missed it.