Two Evils (17 page)

“Indeed you will. Come and see,” his friend said, gesturing for him to follow. Inside the room, a small bedroom, they walked over to the single window. Anton pointed out of it, saying, “Look who’s here.”

Andre looked, and felt his eyes widen. Down in the back yard of the house next door was not one, nor even two, but
three
of their targets. Perhaps fortune was smiling on him after all.

“It really is too bad, you know,” he mused as he watched the three. “Too bad we need these creti
ns to lead us to the others. It would so easy to just end them right here, right now.”

He turned to the man beside him. “Go and place a tracker on the agent’s car. I have little doubt they will be using it to get to the other two.”

Anton nodded and quickly left. As he stared down at the yard below, the woman was walking into the house, leaving the two men outside alone. He wondered what she was doing, when they might leave to get their comrades…

…and he wondered what he was going to do with the woman down the hall.



Silence and tension had ruled the atmosphere inside the Charger from the moment they set out. Despite the pain and anger of that morning, John now wanted nothing more than to comfort Billie, who—although trying her damnedest to hide it—was clearly in a
gony. At least, that was the conclusion he had come to based on her behavior, and the obvious concern of Gabe and her family.

Though the other man had been reluctant to do so, John had convinced Gabe that telling him what memories of her late fiancé were related to caves was something he needed to know. In fact, it was in all their best interests that each of them be at the top of their game, because there was still the Sardetsky hit squad to consider. Gabe’s surprised expression at that reminder let John know that Billie had neglected to mention the two attempts on her life in St. Thomas to her friend, and was probably the only thing that had made him see that John needed to know at least this one thing about Billie’s past.

Gabe believed that the cave part of Wayne’s riddle could only be a reference to Old Man’s Cave Chalets, a lodging park located in Hocking Hills, Ohio—which was, apparently, where Travis was originally from. There was a nature trail in the area that spanned for six miles and included a historical landmark known as Old Man’s Cave. Travis had rented a cabin from the nearby lodge for a romantic weekend with Billie the last time they’d gone away together before his death.

It was on that trip that he had proposed to her. And as Gabe recollected, it was not just a happy time for Billie—it had been the happiest of her life.

John had wanted to pick up his beer bottle and throw it upon hearing Gabe’s explanation for Billie’s reaction. He’d wanted to put his fist into Wayne Scofield’s face for reminding her of the pain she’d tried so hard to overcome. Though he had believed Thomas Ryan when he’d called his daughter a strong woman—he’d seen himself how strong-willed she was—he now knew that even the strongest of souls could be broken. And it was with sudden, absolute clarity that he realized why Billie had pushed him away.

Having come to that conclusion, there was no way he could stay mad at her.

After hearing the reason for Billie’s abrupt departure from the table, John had headed inside to find her. Gabe, being just as concerned for her as he was, followed closely on his heels. They found the three Ryan men sitting in the living room staring toward the stairs—at their entrance, all three stood, and Thomas had come forward to ask what had happened. John explained to him in a quiet voice about Wayne’s riddle and how it had something to do with Travis, but he didn’t tell him specifically what it was. He knew it was best that he and her brothers be kept in the dark about some aspects of this mission for their own safety.

From the look Gabe was giving him, the Marine agreed with his choice.

Several minutes later, Billie reappeared. Although for the most part she seemed perfectly fine—save for the bandage now adorning her left hand—John could tell her eyes were haunted. She was trying desperately not to re-live even that joyous time with the man she had loved, because it was simply too damn painful to have to acknowledge that the happiness they had shared was now only a memory.

In her right hand, she carried her duffel bag. “We should get moving,” she said, her voice even but still not 100% normal. “We’re not going to make it to our destination tonight, so Gabe, wherever you’ve been keeping your bag stashed, I hope it’s nearby.”

The soldier forced a grin. “My go bag is in the bushes. I’m ready when you are.”

She nodded, her eyes flicking between them. “It’s John’s car we’re riding in first, so he’s driving. I call shotgun,” she said, then turned to her father.

“Dad, I hate to drop in and run, but we have work to do,” she told him as she stepped over and gave him a one-armed hug.

Thomas wrapped his arms around her tightly, his eyes full of worry. “It’s not a problem, sweetheart,” he said. “I’m just glad you came home first. It was really good to see you—you take care of yourself out there and come back soon, you hear?”

“Sure,” she replied, and then hugged each of her brothers, adding, “Tell Teddy I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kevin told her. “Just do what you gotta do and I’m sure you’ll be back in no time.”

Billie made no reply to that, just turned away and headed for the door. Gabe moved to follow her and so did John, but Thomas put a hand on his arm to stop him.

“Look after her,” he said simply.

John looked at him. He turned his gaze to Kevin and Andy as well, holding theirs in the hope of reassuring them, and then looked back at their father. “I’ll keep her safe, Mr. Ryan,” he said, and then with a nod he turned and walked outside.

On the porch, he looked right and noted that Gabe was pulling a military-issue olive drab duffel bag—a perfect companion to the one Billie carried—from behind a bush between two of the windows.

“Just how long has that bag been there?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“I stashed it here last night,” Gabe replied as they started for the street. “Figured it was a good idea to have it close by now that Billie was home, because chances were we’d be going after Wayne and Darren soon.”

“Awfully presumptuous of you to assume she’d come back at all,” John noted.

Gabe flashed a grin his direction. “
Semper paratus
, Courtney.”

John shook his head and turned his attention to Billie, who stood by the trunk of the Charger as she waited for them. Her stance was rigid, her features set in a hard mask that told him she was still waging a war with her emotions. He hated seeing her like this, and much to his surprise found himself missing the Billie t
hat had held a gun to his head. That one had so much more life in her.

The one he had made love to not twelve hours ago had more life in her than this one.

Wordlessly he popped the trunk with his key ring remote, and she and Gabe placed their bags in the trunk next to his gym bag. As Billie seemed to think they’d be gone more than a day or two, it looked like a second pit stop was in order, and he mentioned a need to stop by his place as they were each getting in the car.

“Just make it quick,” Billie said as she strapped on her seat belt. “I’m sure by now Gabe’s told you where we’re going. If we want to catch Wayne and Darren there before they move on, we need to get our asses in gear.”

John nodded. “I’ll be in and out in fifteen minutes, tops,” he said. Most of that time would be taken up changing into casual attire; he had a go bag of his own packed and waiting in his closest for occasions like this one.

“What about this other car we’re getting?” Gabe asked from the back seat as they pulled away from the curb.

“According to my guy at the agency, it’s an SUV. Nothing too fancy or that will attract a lot of attention. Just big enough to fit five…though if your friends are as hefty as you are, Lincoln, the back seat might be a tight fit for you, unless it’s got a third row seat.”

“I hope this not-too-fancy SUV has a GPS system in it,” Billie said then. “I might remember where we’re going, but I don’t remember how to get there. Someone else did the driving.”

John merely nodded as he maneuvered the car in the evening traffic. Cutting across town to his apartment building normally wouldn’t have taken ten minutes, but he took a slightly roundabout course because, if he was right, they were being followed. He didn’t say anything to Billie or Gabe yet, wanting to be sure he wasn’t just being paranoid.

When he pulled into the below-ground parking garage, the black SUV drove past, but his instincts were screaming at him that it was just a ruse. John found himself wishing that he’d arranged for their transport to be delivered to his apartment garage, but the driver wouldn’t have had an ident card to get past the gate, nor would he or she have known anyone in the building to let them in. Besides, he mused darkly, the only way to be sure they were being followed would be to leave in the same car they’d arrived in—and if he was right, he’d then have reason to alert the others and come up with a plan of action.

Parking, he turned to Billie and Gabe. “You can wait down here or come up with me. I won’t be long.”

He’d figured Billie would immediately reject the idea of coming up to his apartment, not wanting to remember the incredibly hot sex they’d shared any
more than she wanted to remember her engagement weekend right now. It was a surprise, then, that she said she would join him—though it was not a surprise that Gabe agreed to come with her.

Once he’d opened the door to his place, he made a beeline for the bedroom, telling Billie and Gabe that he’d “be back in a bit.” In the bedroom he shut the door and immediately started shedding his clothes in preparation for changing. He’d gotten as far as removing his shoes and shirt and was just undoing his belt when the door opened and Billie walked in.

“Shit!” he yelped in surprise.

“It’s not like I haven’t seen it already,” she said, shutting the door quietly and leaning against it.

John dropped his hands down to his sides. “What do you want, Billie? We’re pressed for time, remember?”

She stared for a moment, and he began to regret being short with her. She had, after all, been dealt a heavy blow earlier. Her emotions were likely still in
great turmoil. If just being reminded of that weekend was enough to do
this
to her, he couldn’t even imagine the hell she would be forced to endure when they actually saw the place.

Billie glanced at the bed, which he hadn’t bothered to make. “Part of me wishes I could just turn back the clock,” she said slowly. “Back to when we laid there together, and I hadn’t yet let the fantasy slip away from me.”

She looked back to him with a wistful yet sorrowful countenance. “Reality is a fucking bitch, John.”

He chuckled mirthlessly. “Indeed it is,” he agreed.

“I treated you like shit when we first met,” she went on. “And I treated you like shit after we made love this morning. I’m probably going to keep treating you like shit, and you don’t deserve any of it. I just thought you should know that, for a little while anyway… I thought I could be happy. You showed me something wonderful, something beautiful, but the reality is that it’s just too far out of reach for me. I’m too broken to be fixed.”

“Billie—” John started to say, but was cut off by her abrupt departure.

Frustrated, he ran his hands over his face and groaned, then finished changing into a t-shirt and jeans before grabbing his packed duffel and heading out. In the front room, Gabe eyed him curiously, obviously having been kept in the dark about the reason for Billie’s visit to his room. Well, if she hadn’t explained it, neither would he.

“The car lot where we’ll pick up the truck is about ten minutes from here,” he said as he led the way out into the hall. “It’s one of our shadow companies that doubles as a legitimate business.”

He was pleased to see a spark come into Billie’s eyes at that and she said, “Just like CIA, right?”

John laughed. “Pretty much.”

“Am I missing something here?” Gabe asked as they headed for the elevator.

Billie shook her head. “A leatherneck like you wouldn’t understand,” she quipped as she pressed the button for the garage level.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Might I remind you, young lady, that you were once a leatherneck just like me?”

“She was also a…businesswoman…just like me,” John countered, and giving in to the impulse, casually slipped an arm around Billie’s shoulders and gave her a peck on the temple before turning a grin Gabe’s way. The look that took over the other man’s face, especially when Billie didn’t immediately protest the move, was priceless.

Gabe was jealous, and though it was petty to be happy about that, John admitted to himself that he was. But it was probably best not to push his luck. After all, Gabe had been trained in nearly as many ways to kill as Billie had.

Billie shrugged out from under his arm when the elevator pinged open. “Yeah, I’m a regular Jackie-of-all-trades,” she said as she brushed past them both and stepped inside. “Come on boys, time’s a wastin’.”

It was a quick ride back down to the car. Billie claimed shotgun for the second time, forcing Gabe to sit in back alone again. Though outwardly he was amused, the moment he stepped off the elevator, John’s senses were on alert. He’d not forgotten the black SUV that had shadowed them the entire distance from Thomas Ryan’s neighborhood, so he was on the lookout for it the moment they pulled out of the parking garage.