Trapped In Shadow (Shadow Walker Romance Series Book 4) (17 page)

Stacey kept her eyes locked to his and couldn’t help a small smile. She loved it when Hugh let his inner warrior out.

He lifted her hips, driving deeper. Stacey felt fire lick her insides. Her body trembled. It felt so damn good. A wave of desire rose inside her. She moaned.

“God, Hugh. I’m close, so close.”

“Come for me, baby. Give yourself to me.”

As if his words released a floodgate, pleasure so intense she could barely breathe washed over her. Her back bent as she cried out. Lights burst behind her eyes.

Hugh yelled her name and jerked inside her. Warmth filled her. Stacey fell, her body limp. He lowered his body to cover hers completely before taking her mouth in a tender kiss. She ran her fingers down his cheek wanting to express how much he meant to her even as her eyes fluttered closed.

“When I piloted the plane to the Atlantic, I promised myself if I survived, I’d grab you and disappear. Take you someplace safe and make the life we want without worries of Zenith.”

Stacey wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. Hugh wanted a life free of danger and she was afraid that wasn’t possible being married to her. There would always be the chance someone could figure out who she was and come after her and her family. She sighed, her heart aching.

“Hugh… I’m sorry. You have to understand we will always be on guard. Our life will never be normal.” She wished with all her soul she could give him a measure of peace.

He chuckled. “Normal is highly overrated. I want you safe. I know we can’t disappear, but we can pull back. Build the house in Montana. Try and stay under the radar.” She saw the determination in his gaze and truth be told, she wanted him safe, too.

“Okay.” A look of confusion crossed his face.

“Okay? You’ll give up being an operative?” Hugh pulled back.

“I will if you will.”

Hugh looked incredulous.

“What? I want what you want. A house and family. Is that so hard to believe?” Stacey smiled, trying hard not to laugh at her husband.

“You’re Stinger, world renowned assassin.”

“Not anymore. Now I’m Mrs. Hugh Thunder Hoof.”

Hugh took her mouth. His kiss possessive and filled with tenderness. Stacey wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close. This man was hers. She loved him more than she could say.

The phone ringing made Hugh frown and shift off her. He answered and Stacey could hear a male voice on the line. She couldn’t make out what was said and Hugh didn’t make much of a reply.

“What is it?” Stacey asked when he hung up.

“Your sister and the rest of your family are leaving. Dasan is going with them.”

“What? She’s leaving without even saying goodbye?”

“Left. They used magic and ported.”

“Nadezhda didn’t say anything? Leave me a note?”

“She’s going back to work with Star Fire to take down Zenith. Raven is afraid that includes assassinating your father.”

There’s nothing like an imminent assassination to kill the mood. Hugh watched Stacey pace in Raven’s office. He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. She’d insisted they stop “lying around in bed” and figure out what to do about Nadezhda. Right after she’d promised to leave this life behind.

Hugh really couldn’t blame her. Stacey’s sister killing their dad wasn’t right. Unfortunately, her father pulled Stacey back into this mess. Hugh would never let his wife face danger alone, so whatever the mission, he would be part of it.

“I have to warn him.” Stacey paused in front of Raven’s desk.

Raven sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The general befriended him when he was in college with Stacey’s brother. He was fond of the old man.

“The last time you called the general, we were attacked. Until we know which side he is aligned with, I don’t think we can risk it. I sent Grey Wolf to spy on him at the Pentagon. We need to wait for his report. Knox has given us a list of Zenith operatives, but he doesn’t know anyone at the top except his handler.”

“I can’t understand why Nadezhda is doing this.”

“Your sister is part of a worldwide task force fighting Zenith. I’ve heard rumors through the intelligence community. I’m surprised she didn’t try to recruit the two of you. A computer specialist and an assassin would be an added bonus to her team.”

“She probably already has members who fill those slots. Dasan and his Shadow Walking skills was all she wanted.” Stacey hung her head.

Hugh moved to her side and pulled her into his arms. He hated to see her looking so dejected. “Dasan would never agree to kill your father without concrete evidence that he is America’s enemy. As Nadezhda’s mate, he might actually temper her need to take action against the general. General Holland is her father too.”

“Stacey, did you and your father ever set up a secret way to communicate? One off the books. Kept between just the two of you.” Raven asked.

Stacey’s head jerked up. “Yes. We had some key phrases if we talked on the phone. Dad worried one of us might go black, limiting contact, so he set up an email account. Dammit, I should have thought to check it, but we’ve never used it before. I need a computer.”

“Here. Use mine.” Raven stepped back from his desk.

Stacey hurried around the side with Hugh behind her. Her fingers flew over the keyboard.

“CartoonQueen?” Hugh asked, looking over her shoulder at her username.

“I loved to watch the Saturday morning cartoon shows on television when I was a kid. Dad used to tease me by calling me the cartoon queen. That was before Mom died.”

Hugh ran his hand down her back at the sound of sorrow in her voice.

“There are actually a few messages here.” Stacey pulled up the chair and sat.

She opened the first one and skimmed quickly through before moving down the list.

“He’s infiltrating Zenith to find out who the major players are here in America. He names the Vice-President as a member and his way inside.”

Stacey continued skimming the emails, opening one right after the other.

“Dad is meeting with Vice-President Linden tomorrow night. There is a party at his official residence and Dad was included on the guest list. No one would question it since my father has supposedly been friends with Darren Linden since before he took office. I wonder when Dad realized the Vice-President worked for Zenith. Anyway, since it’s an official function it would be easy for Nadezhda to find out and target him. We have to stop her.”

“Does your father say anything about what Zenith is up to?” Raven asked.

“He mentions the stock markets in New York City, but only vaguely. Most of his messages are very brief and in one he assumes I’m reading them after his death.” Stacey looked up at Hugh. It was easy to see the sorrow in her eyes.

“He doesn’t expect to come out of this alive.” Hugh made it a statement.

“He writes that Zenith killed my mother when he first refused their advances. He never expected them to target his family. That’s why he hid me away and estranged himself from David.” Stacey kept reading. “Oh, he’s writing about Nadezhda. He knew about her. He says it was too dangerous to send for her. He encourages me to find her and apologize to her and David. Hugh, he tried to protect us.”

Tears gathered in her eyes and Hugh brushed them off her cheek.

“We’ll stop your sister. The general can apologize in person. I want to check if Dasan still has his Shadow Walker issued cell phone. It has a tracking chip and we may be able to find them if he didn’t disable it. Before we do that, you need to eat.”

“I am hungry. Wait. This is strange. It says ‘birthday present’ in the subject line. My father never celebrated my birthday after my mom died.”

Hugh looked over her shoulder and read the short note telling Stacey her father left her a gift in her favorite spot.

“Where is your favorite spot?” Hugh asked.

“The cabin where you found me.”

“I think someone from Zenith hacked this account. They blew up the cabin to stop you from finding whatever information your father left you. Dammit!” Hugh walked across the room. They couldn’t seem to catch a break in this case.

“Not necessarily.” Stacey rose and brushed the tears from her face.

“What do you mean?”

“My favorite place at the cabin was actually the boathouse. I used to go down there all the time and play. My father would often have to come find me.”

“So your father might have left you information at the boathouse?”

“We’ll have to look.”

Hugh reached for her hand and pulled her toward the door. They would save the general, get the information, and then he and Stacey were out of it.

“Let me know what’s going on. I have to tell you, it’s a relief to know the general is still on our side.” Raven smiled. “I wonder if that’s why he recruited the Shadow Walkers to work for him, to counteract Zenith.” Raven returned to his chair. “Oh, Joe read Knox’s mind and is positive he didn’t send you into a trap to retrieve his daughter. We’re still looking for her. Knox gave us a few safe houses his wife might use.”

“Okay, Chief. Let us know when Grey Wolf reports in and what you find out about the girl. We might need Robert’s help to stop Nadezhda and Star Fire.”

Raven nodded as they hurried from the room.

§

“If we go to retrieve this information, we’ll have to make our way back using surface transportation. Shadow would destroy whatever device your father used to store the information.” Hugh ran his hand through his hair. Stacey felt the information was important, but what about her father’s life? “Dasan has probably destroyed his cell phone. I’m not getting any kind of signal. So we have no way to know where he is. Pass the chips, please.”

Stacey passed the bag and Hugh took a bite of his sandwich. He was starving. They’d missed lunch while working and it was now almost time for dinner. Raven called them to his office to report before he left for the day. After finding out they hadn’t eaten, he ordered food from the cafeteria.

“Isanti has a plane at its disposal right? There’s a small airport right here.” Stacey pointed at the map laid out on the desk. “My father used to land there when flying up from the Pentagon. It’s only ten miles from where the cabin was located. Have your pilot leave now and he can meet us. He should probably fly us directly to Washington DC after we get the information. Can Katherine do her mojo and have formal attire waiting for us when we get to D.C.?”

“You think we’ll have time to get back and still attend the party?” Hugh asked.

“It won’t take me long to find whatever my father left and we still have Robert keeping an eye on Dad. He can always pull Dad into Shadow if my sister tries anything before we get to the party.”

Hugh looked at Raven. He nodded and reached for the phone.

“I’ll alert the pilot and have Katherine work on the clothes,” Raven said. “I’ll also arrange for a car. You’ll need to get to the party. That’s a nine-hour flight from New Mexico to the Adirondacks. You might as well wait here and Shadow Walk in closer to the plane’s arrival time. Hugh can keep looking for Dasan. As soon as you find the information and you’re safely onboard the plane, send us a copy of what your father left you, Stacey. I want to make sure we don’t lose the data.” Raven sighed. “I won’t tell you two to be careful, but I will say, come back in one piece. You’ve been getting close to the edge. I don’t want to lose either one of you.”

“No worries, Chief. It’s us…” Hugh smiled and winked.

Raven shook his head. “That’s what I’m concerned about.”

§

“Hugh, what’s bothering you?” Stacey could tell from the way his jaw clenched something was wrong. Was Hugh afraid to go back into Shadow after being lost? They lay in bed after making love. Stacey felt nicely relaxed and cuddled up against Hugh’s chest, but she could hear the gears working in his brain. They’d enjoyed a romantic dinner for two in the apartment before falling into bed. About an hour remained before they needed to Shadow Walk to the remnants of the cabin.

“It’s Dasan. He’s one of the most careful men I know. He was in charge of security at our Seattle facility. He researches everything. I can’t believe he would help your sister assassinate the general. It doesn’t add up.”

“Maybe love is clouding his judgment. I know I had a hard time staying focused on our missions when you and I first worked together. I crushed on you so hard, it was difficult to breathe.”

“As flattered as I am to hear you say that, we both know you always stayed focused on the job. No, I think Dasan is doing his research. He’s going to figure out that your father is trying to infiltrate Zenith.” He ran his fingers down her back. Stacey shivered.

“Maybe, but we can’t take the chance that Dasan doesn’t, and my dad gets killed.” Stacey kissed his chest.

“I agree. I think we need to be cautious. Something more could be going on and we don’t have all the facts.” Hugh pulled her tighter and kissed the top of her head.

“If you want me to think about it, we need to get up. The more you touch me, the less I can think.”

“Not yet. We’re always rushing off to the next mission. I want to hold my wife in my arms.”

“You like saying that, ‘my wife.’”

“Yeah, I do. I waited a long time for you to marry me. I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”

“That’s one of the things I’ve always loved about you. You remind me to take time to enjoy life.” Stacey rubbed her cheek against his chest.

“Honey, our whole married life will be about finding the fun in living. As soon as this mission is finished, I’m taking you on a honeymoon you won’t forget.”

“Really? Where to?”

“I thought we’d start with Paris, City of Love, and go from there. Before we leave, I want you to look at some house plans. I want to get started on our house in Montana. Which reminds me, I want to make babies with you. Come here and let me plant some seed.”

Stacey laughed. “Plant some seed? Is that slang?” Stacey swung a leg over him and adjusted her position to sit over his growing erection.

“You can call it anything you want as long as you only do it with me.” Hugh reached up and cradling her cheek in his palm, brought her face down for a kiss.

§

Hugh clutched Stacey’s hand and stepped out of Shadow. The smell of burnt wood and smoke still permeated the area. They stood on the cement slab where the cabin had rested. Someone had tried to clear the area. A charcoal covered pipe sticking up in the corner was the only sign that a building once stood here. Near the road, someone had shoveled the small pieces of blackened wood and cedar shingles that hadn’t completely been destroyed.

Stacey sighed. “The boathouse is down by the lake. This way.”

She stepped off the pad and followed a trail through the woods. It was easy to see with the moon lighting up the early morning sky. In the distance, Hugh could hear the lapping of water on the shore.

The trail ended at a beach. Hugh could see cabins across the expanse of water, while a boathouse stood to the left. The smell of fresh paint filled the air.

“Someone’s been working on fixing things up. I wonder if the owner plans to rebuild the cabin.” Hugh followed Stacey to the small pier that ran next to the building.

“I always loved this place. Look at those stars.” Stacey pointed out over the lake. “You don’t see stars like that in the city.”

“The sky is beautiful tonight. Do you want me to check and see if the owner is putting the property up for sale? We have our own lake in Montana, but if it means that much to you.”

Stacey stepped up and grabbed his shirt before pulling his face down for a kiss. “You are so good to me. I don’t need another lake front property. The one in Montana is fine. It’s just that lots of good memories were made here. The best memories of my childhood.”

“We’ll make our own memories, baby. The best of your life, I promise.”

“Hey! You’re trespassing. This is private property.” A light from a flashlight shone onto their faces. “Oh, my God. Stacey? Is that you?”