“Why can’t you just tell me where she is? All of this cloak-and-dagger stuff is bullshit. How do I know you’re not leading me away from where I need to be? How do I know you’re not lying to me because you’re Sergei?”
A deep-throated laugh filled the night air. “Unlike your boyfriend, you have a great imagination. I can’t tell you because I don’t know. That’s why I need you. I’m giving you the information I have and hoping you can prove my theories true. If they’re not, if I’m wrong . . . well, I don’t even like to think about that. I don’t particularly want to live in that world. So do what you do and make it all nice and shiny for me, Lara Armstrong. I’ll contact you again.”
She took the paper and secured it in her pocket. She wouldn’t waste time studying it until she was safely home. “I still have questions.”
He’d already turned away. “Of course you do. That’s why you’re perfect. You won’t stop trying to solve the puzzle. Just make sure you’re using the right pieces. Now hurry back or that man of yours is sure to get upset. I don’t think you’ll like him when he’s upset. People tend to die around Connor Sparks. Ask him what he was doing that night in the Crawford Building a few weeks ago.”
Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. Time was up.
Damn it. He disappeared into the shadows and she had to go.
Before she could shove her phone back into her pocket, a text came through. Unknown. A chill went down her spine.
She opened it though she knew she should wait.
I warned you to get rid of him. This blood is on your hands.
Nausea threatened. She looked out into the night. It had seemed so peaceful before. The informant had told her the Russians were after her. The Russian mob? That part made sense, but it also made sense that they wouldn’t want her dead. She couldn’t lead them to Natalia if she was cold and in the ground. Why would they start this slow, mental torture? Why did it feel so very personal?
She paused on the top step. Was her would-be killer out there? Had he followed her and sent that text? Pure primal instinct sent a shiver through her. He was a hunter and she was prey. He wanted her blood on his hands and she was a sitting duck until she got back to Everly.
Run. Something deep inside her told her to take off and not look back. It was the same little voice that had told her to run as a child, to try to get to safety. She needed to stay in the light. He would be in the darkness, watching and waiting for her to make a mistake.
Her heart was racing as she pounded down the steps. She would make for the car and Everly. Once there, she could take a deep breath and think about everything the informant had said. With every word, she felt as if he’d sent her world spinning a little faster. Even now she wasn’t sure where she’d landed. What had he meant about Connor? How did he even know who Connor was? Was that his real name? Lara knew she’d heard it before but where?
She ran. Why the hell were there so freaking many stairs? They seemed to never end.
She got to the bottom and a figure stepped out in front of her.
Lara stopped and fell back because she recognized him. The homeless man from earlier, the one with the hood. She saw the glint of metal in his hand and opened her mouth to scream.
* * *
Hiding in the lobby of Lara’s building, Connor stared at the elevator, willing it not to open. Let her stay in her place. Let her be real and honest. If she would just prove him wrong, he would spend the rest of the evening making it up to her. She would never know he’d been suspicious, but she would get a night of pleasure she’d never forget.
The elevator dinged and his heart fell.
Lara walked out dressed in all black. She strode through the lobby and toward the back exit.
Connor touched his earpiece. “She’s on the move.”
Dax’s voice came over the Bluetooth. “Damn, man. I’m sorry to hear that. I’m approaching the door. It’s been a while since I picked a lock. I hope I’m not rusty. If I get caught doing this, you better be down to bail me out ASAP. I am not spending the night in jail.”
“I promise, but I happen to know you’re fairly safe. I checked earlier today while Lara was showering. The units around Freddy’s are all empty. Two congressmen are back in their districts for the weekend and Mrs. Sullivan is gone for the next two weeks visiting her grandkids.” Maybe Lara hadn’t known. Or maybe she had and simply planned to stall him to coincide his break-in with her rendezvous. He’d been getting in good with the elderly couple next door. They liked to gossip. They also liked Lara. They talked incessantly about how wonderful she was.
Did they know she liked to lie?
“I’m taking the bike if it looks like she’s not going on foot.” Connor pulled the hood to his jacket over his head.
He’d traded assignments—and coats—with Dax, worried that Lara might recognize his jacket. Dax was bigger and broader than he was. The jacket hung off him, the hood drawing down over his eyes. He pulled the keys to Dax’s motorcycle and headed out of the building. He eased around the corner. Even if he lost sight of her, he could track her using her phone. He touched his own, making sure the connection was working and that she’d brought it with her. Sure enough, there was a little blue dot marking her movements.
“Are you sure you want to do this? Won’t your fiancé be upset?” Lara’s voice was quiet, but he could hear her speaking to someone at the other end of the alley.
“I can handle it,” a familiar voice replied.
Son of a bitch. Connor knew they’d been plotting. Everly Parker was waiting for Lara.
“I think in this case everyone will agree it’s better I go with you than let you go alone,” Gabe’s fiancée continued. “We have fifteen minutes to make the meeting, then another fifteen to get back here and have you safely ensconced in your apartment. To be safe, you shouldn’t talk to our CI for more than ten minutes, in case we run into traffic. Set a timer on your phone so you don’t get lost in conversation. You remember what questions we agreed on?”
They kept speaking but he was busy texting Gabe. There was no way he was keeping quiet about this.
Your future wife is a bad fucking influence and if she gets Lara killed, we’re going to have trouble.
They were obviously using Everly’s car. He would have to find out what she was driving.
His cell trilled as he shoved the helmet on his head.
My future wife is sleeping at the hotel.
He smiled with savage satisfaction. Check again, buddy.
She’s with Lara. What’s she driving? I’m going to follow and make sure they don’t die.
Lara needed to live long enough for him to get his hands on her. If anyone was going to murder that woman, it was him.
Lexus SUV. White. Shit, man, I’m so sorry. Where do you need me?
He switched over to his locator app and discovered Lara was moving west on Independence. He revved the Harley and took off after her.
“I can hear you,” Dax said into his ear. “You better not kill that bike. I know the rest of you might have come into your billion-dollar trust funds or blackmailed daddy and hit it big on the stock market, but my mother is still alive. That bike set me back more than a freaking house. Don’t dent it.”
It was good to know he had his friends with him. “I’ll try not to dent your bike. Where the hell is she going?”
“Try not to dent your girlfriend, either.”
He resisted the urge to claim she wasn’t his girlfriend. Dax knew better. At least he wasn’t alone in the deceptive girlfriend column. “She’s got a partner in crime. She’s with Everly.”
A whistle came over the line. “Nice. Gabe is going to be pissed. Look on the bright side. Lara probably isn’t heading out for a booty call with another man.”
He pulled in behind them and revved the engine just a little. Sure enough, Lara turned in the passenger seat. She was probably afraid since someone had tried to murder her the last time she’d been followed by a motorcycle. Good. He wanted her afrai
d. After he got through with her she would wince every time she heard one of the things. And was Dax high? “You thought she was seeing another man?”
“The thought didn’t occur to you? I thought that was what we were afraid of.”
The thought hadn’t occurred to him once. Lara would lie if she thought she had a higher purpose, but . . . “No. Lara wouldn’t cheat. She is, however, the kind of woman who would put her sweet ass in harm’s way for a fucking story. She’s turning, I think toward the Mall. She better be giving Everly a tour.”
“I’m almost in. Be careful.”
“You, too. Keep this line open.” He pulled into a spot and locked down the engine, leaving the helmet on the handlebars. He hustled to get in front of her. She’d stopped and was talking to Everly, gesturing toward the Lincoln Memorial.
The desperate need to spank that pretty ass of hers was riding him hard. She would likely protest so he would have to find another way to punish her for scaring the shit out of him, but he could picture it in his mind. She would cry and beg and he would paddle that sweet flesh until it was a shiny pink and she promised to never, ever lie to him again.
He hit the steps at a run and then found a good place to settle in.
She was meeting her confidential informant. There was no other reason for her clandestine shit. Despite combing through all her correspondence, he’d missed their communication somehow. So had Roman’s people. Deep Throat was here and if he got the idea Lara wasn’t alone, he would take a hike. That served no one’s purpose.
He watched as Everly and Lara started toward the memorial. Everly peeled off before the stairs and took up a position. It was a good one from what he could tell. She was a professional. She’d picked a place where she could see but remain unseen.
They had a good plan, and at least Lara hadn’t come alone. It wouldn’t save either one of them. His cell vibrated. He glanced down.
She’s stopped on Independence Avenue. I think she’s close to the Lincoln Memorial. On my way.
It was good to know he wasn’t the only one who had LoJacked his girlfriend. He quickly texted back.
Do not come in hot. Delicate situation. Silence necessary.
He slid the phone back into his pants before Lara strode up the bank of stairs on which he sat. He kept his head low but watched as she moved by him.
She slowed and for a second he worried she would recognize him. He heard her breath catch before she shot up the stairs. Prey instinct. She knew a predator who intended to eat her when she saw one.
He stood and leaned against the wall. She could run, but she couldn’t hide and he was definitely going to make a meal out of her.
“Goddamn it. I’m going to fucking kill you. Why didn’t you mention this place was owned by a medieval freak? I just nearly got my head taken off by an axe.”
Ah, so Dax had made it inside Freddy’s lair.
“I mentioned he was a paranoid prepper who probably booby-trapped the place,” Connor murmured.
He watched as Lara strode by a couple holding hands. She seemed to pick up the bounce in her step, as though happy she wasn’t alone with the likes of him, but the moment she walked past them, they turned to watch her.
Shit. He wasn’t alone in following her. He hoped like hell Everly was packing. It looked like they might need some firepower. He slumped down. There were homeless people all over D.C. He didn’t even need to talk quietly. Homeless people often had mental issues. It was one of the unfortunate realities that often led to their state.
“I thought you meant he would have trip wires that alerted him to the fact that someone had been in his house. I didn’t realize the fucking wire would trip an ax flying at my head.”
“You never took this business seriously, brother.” He gave his head a couple of light slaps and noticed the couple utterly dismissed him. “Get the package and get out of there.”
“I’m a little worried the package will explode in my face. This dude is insane. Oh, and he’s got a massive hard-on for you. He’s got a wall full of data about Connor Sparks.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” The couple drifted up a few steps, pretending to take in the majesty of the Mall, but it didn’t look like they were pursuing Lara. When the man turned, he recognized him. Pavel Sopov, the assassin from the park. His associate was a blonde, but Connor didn’t recognize her. She would almost certainly be with the Krylov syndicate. He wished he could take pictures, but that might give him away.
“Holy shit. He’s after Zack. He’s got tons of pictures of Zack on the walls. It looks like he’s been stalking him for months at least, maybe a year or more. What the hell has your girl gotten herself into?”
He couldn’t think now about the fact that Lara seriously believed Zack had killed his own wife.
Of course, he had been down three points in the polls, a little voice whispered. What would a man who had been groomed for one thing all of his life do if it was about to be taken from him?
People had killed for far less.
No. He knew Zack. Connor couldn’t let himself believe Zack had offed Joy for his own gain. “If you’ve got time, take it all. If you don’t, take pictures. We need to know who we’re up against and what he knows. I need to go silent.”
“Understood.”
They would keep the line open but quiet until Connor gave the word or Dax needed serious help. Connor stood and started pacing the stairs. The Russians had moved up and seemed to have some sort of listening device.
“Она получила упаковку.” The woman didn’t even attempt to hide that they were watching Lara.
“Это список возможных имён. Мы должны добыть его не смотря на цену.” Pavel nodded and took her hand again. He pocketed his device then started back down the stairs.
Why couldn’t jihadists be after Lara? Connor spoke Arabic, Farsi, and Pashto, but not Russian. The couple descended past him. He had to think they were going to wait for her somewhere at the bottom of the stairs where there would be fewer witnesses to what might be anything from a mugging to a murder.
He ambled up the stairs, desperate to get a sight line on Lara. If she slipped past him somehow, she would be walking straight into a trap, and the odds would likely be their two guns to Everly’s one. He needed to get her out of here and fast. If Deep Throat didn’t like that, then he could find someone else’s girl to make his Woodward and Bernstein. Lara was getting out of this business for good.
He was just about to storm the meeting when he stopped behind her.
Lara stood slightly above him, talking to a man dressed like a douche bag college professor who’d watched too much Mad Men.
The only problem with the scenario? It wasn’t Deep Throat—at least not the one Everly had met in New York a few weeks back.
This man was a good four inches shorter and had a slightly stockier build than Everly’s informant. He was also at least ten years younger.
Who the hell was he?
Lara turned and Connor realized the couple had melted into the shadows somewhere on the outskirts of the memorial. He moved to intercept her at the bottom of the steps. Damn, he should have brought Dax with him. He pulled his cell and didn’t bother with texting. He needed Gabe.
Gabe answered and didn’t waste time. “I’m almost there. I have a lock on Everly’s phone.”
He didn’t have to worry about Everly. She probably wasn’t on Pavel’s radar. He doubted she would know who these Russians were, either. “Is Roman with you?”
“I’m here.”
He hustled down the steps. “Get the police here and fast. I’m going to take Lara and run, but we’ve got at least two Russians on our ass and where there’s two . . .”
“There are probably four more. Shit. I’m on it.”
“Dax, I’m taking my woman out of town for the night.” He couldn’t risk leading her back to her place until he was certain it was secure. “Could you hang there and see if we have
any visitors?”
“Sure. It’s been an amazing fucking night. Did I mention that he electroshocked his computer? I can’t feel my left arm.” A long sigh came over the line. “Be careful, brother.”
He traded his phone for his SIG, easing it out of its holster. He stopped at the bottom and waited. He could hear her running. He searched the periphery for any sign of movement. Everly stepped