Chapter 6

Cal was in deep trouble. And if he could reach his hands through the phone and wring Atticus's neck, he would have. Because this was all his fault.

That kiss would be etched into his memory forever. He could still taste her. Her words still shocked him. She'd loved him. Not a child's love, but a woman's. She'd wanted him. And he'd destroyed those childish dreams in an instant.

He couldn't and didn't have regrets. He'd do it again in an instant because he knew as sure as he was standing there that she was alive because of him. She might not love him anymore, but she was alive. He could make her love him again. Would make her love him again. If it was the last thing he did.

They'd been playing cat and mouse for too long. It was time for both of them to come to terms with the fact that they were meant for each other. Maybe God did have a sense of humor, because no two people belonged together—fit together—were made for each other—like he and Evangeline. He just had to convince her to agree with him.

He had a lot of regrets over the way he'd handled things ten years before. He'd damaged her pride and treated her like a child. But he still couldn't think of an alternative solution, even after all this time. He'd done what he had to protect her. And that meant more to him than her hating or not hating him. And how could she kiss him like she had if she really hated him?

What he really missed was the chase. He'd spent four years of his life searching for the Black Lily. And she'd outmaneuvered him at every turn. Except for that last time. He not only missed her as a person—they'd practically grown up together—but he missed pitting his skills against hers. There was no one else out there like her who had a combination of that level of skill and daring.

And then there was the chemistry. He blew out a frustrated breath. If Atticus hadn't interrupted them Cal didn't know what would have happened between him and Evangeline. Though he had a pretty good idea.

He wanted her the way a man wanted a woman—but not just any woman—the woman who had been made for him. There was no doubt about that. But what he wanted most was for her to trust him again. He wanted her heart. And he wanted her love. He was thirty-six years old. He was well past the point of quick and meaningless flings. He didn't want an empty relationship. He wanted someone to challenge his mind. Someone to fill the void of loneliness. And Evangeline was the only person he'd ever met who could do both.

"Cyph, are you listening to me?" Atticus asked.

"Not really," he answered. "This place is a security nightmare. What about the agents you've got on this assignment? Have they reported in?"

"If you'd been listening you would have an answer to that question. There's been no sighting of Taber in the area, and you guys are secure for the moment. You've got a weak spot on the northwest corner of the house. Beachside. No one can get in position to see from that angle, so we'll put a boat in the water so you've got eyes in that direction. Should be in place by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"What about Taber? Any sightings?"

"Not a sighting. More of a calling card. The head design engineer of AeroNaut was murdered about an hour ago in Dallas. Almost exactly the same way as Biddle. Car pulled up in the middle of the day, the window rolled down, and three shots were fired. He used a silencer this time because the streets were more crowded with pedestrians. No one got a look at his face, and he was gone and around the block before anyone could get a plate number. But the vehicle was described as a silver Mercedes, similar to the vehicle he used in DC. That's consistent with Taber's MO.

"He likes to kill in style," Atticus continued. "He studies his target thoroughly, spends a couple of weeks doing recon, following them from place to place. Ninety-nine percent of people are comfortable in their habits. They take the same roads to and from work. They stop at the same gas stations. The same few restaurants. He knows what time of day and where the hit will be most efficient. He knows what businesses have exterior cameras and where the city has cameras planted. He has an escape route. And a plan B and C if that doesn't work out. Men like Taber don't stress under pressure. If he wasn't a psychopath, he'd have made a hell of an agent."

"Comforting thought," Cal said.

"It is what it is," Atticus said, unfazed. "Taber will be making his way toward you. You might have a few days at best if he's got other hits on his list. And from the intel we've received, we think he does."

Cal put the phone on speaker and then set it on the counter so he could go back to making a sandwich.

"You said he tapped the design engineer of AeroNaut?" Cal asked, piling a piece of bread high with thinly sliced meat. "If I recall, there was a buyout a few years ago with a new owner. He shifted their business strategies pretty drastically and pissed off a lot of shareholders. Last I checked they're doing a lot of government contracts now."

"They've got about 60 percent of the pie as far as military aircraft are concerned," Atticus confirmed. "Their last government contract was worth billions."

Cal made a mental note. "Ahh, well people have died for a lot less than that. Money is always worth digging into a little more. Who's the new head honcho at AeroNaut?"

"Well, it was John Amir," Atticus said.

"Was?" Cal asked.

"Yeah, he's dead. I'll send you the file. I've still got intel coming in from my sources, but it doesn't look like it's a coincidence. Go ahead and start probing into any connections between Senator Biddle and Amir. The sooner we cut the head off the snake the sooner we can get Taber off Evangeline's back. Whoever Taber hits next will be connected. Whoever has hired him is cleaning up loose ends."

Cal rinsed his knife off and stuck it in the dishwasher and then put everything else away. He stood over the sink, looking out across the water, and took a bite of sandwich. The waves were calm and the sun bright overhead, but he'd grown up on the water. There was a slight chop to the waves. Rain would be coming before too long.

"If I remember right—" Cal said, irritated that the weather was going to wreak havoc with his security detail.

"And you always do," Atticus said.

"—Taber doesn't take a job for less than seven figures. The higher the profile of the target, the higher the price tag. And he's just killed two very high-profile targets. Those kills are two big paydays." His words were slow and thoughtful, his drawl more pronounced. "But here's the problem. Whoever hired Taber wouldn't shell out money like that for Evangeline. She was a witness, and Taber is responsible for his own anonymity. It's part of his contract. Which means he's coming after Evangeline on his own dime. His ability to become invisible is what makes him so effective at his job. And there's only been one other time where a witness was able to identify him to the level that Evangeline can, and that was almost two decades ago."

Atticus sighed. "Taber's been in the game a long time. Longer than I have. And I remember what happened to the last witness."

"Yeah, me too," Cal said. "They found pieces of him across twelve square miles. Medical examiner said he'd been alive while he was being dismembered."

"Then you understand why I sent you to protect Evangeline," Atticus said. "All we can do is hope that Taber has other contracts to fulfill before he comes for you so we have more time to track him down. Nate and Eden got back from Guatemala yesterday. I'm giving them a day to sleep and then I'll put them in the field to apply some pressure to Taber. I want him to feel us breathing down the back of his neck."

"You don't think that will send him underground?" Cal asked.

"Not as long as Evangeline is alive. He's going to be gunning after her no matter the cost. And because she's Lockwood's daughter he's going to see it as a personal challenge. Just don't let him get the drop on you."

Cal snorted. "Thanks for the pep talk. I feel much better now."

"We're all working on this, Cyph. As soon as any agents are free I'm sending them to you. Lockwood means a lot to all of us."

Cal felt the anger start in his gut and work its way up, so he could feel the flush of rage in his neck and face. His jaw was clenched so tight he was surprised his teeth didn't crack.

"I'm not doing this for Lockwood," he said. "Evie is the one whose life is in danger. She's the one that matters."

"Like that is it?" Atticus asked.

Cal didn't hesitate. "Yes, it's like that."

"That didn't take long. You haven't even been there a day."

"It's been twenty years in the making," Cal said. "Evie's life is not a game. I'll do whatever it takes. At all costs. And if I decide that she can't be protected here we'll disappear off the face of the earth. No negotiations."

"Settle down, Cyph. We all want Evangeline safe. My name and reputation mean something in this business, and I won't settle for anything but success on any mission. You should know that better than anyone. But I need you to put aside emotion and think like an agent. We have an opportunity to take Taber out. We need to be smart in how we do it. You're right about Taber hunting Evangeline until he can silence her. And you know as well as I do that Evangeline isn't going to let you take her underground to hide for the rest of her life. From what Robert's told me about her, she'd likely slice your throat in your sleep. We have a chance to bring Taber in."

"Are you kidding me? You want to use Evie as bait?" Cal asked, his blood running cold. "I'm not going to risk her life by putting her in Taber's path needlessly. You know what he did to that last witness. He was sending a message. It wasn't three shots to the chest like his normal targets. He wanted to make sure that no one would even think about testifying against him. That witness died a horrific death. I can't even entertain the idea that something like that might happen to Evie. Not to mention Robert will kill us all if you dangle his baby girl like a piece of raw meat in front of a tiger."

"It was Robert's idea," Atticus said. "He was briefed in the car after he left the house, and he contacted me immediately. That's why I called you."

Cal's hand fisted, crushing what was left of his sandwich, and he tossed it in the sink in disgust. This was what he hated about the spy game. The mission was the most important thing. It was more important than people and possessions and family. And obviously it was more important than an only child.

He'd been raised in the game, so he knew it better than anyone. And he'd worked for Robert Lockwood for the majority of his career. He'd seen Lockwood compartmentalize so he could make the hard decisions—sometimes there was no other choice. But he never would have imagined he'd put Evangeline on the sacrificial altar. That meant that absolutely everyone was expendable.

The air went out of his chest. Robert Lockwood had been his hero. And now he didn't know what to think. If anything, it intensified his anger.

"What the hell, Atticus?" he asked. "This isn't what we do. Or who we are. Our jobs were to complete the mission, but we never sacrificed the innocent. We always found another way. So if that's your plan you can take my resignation and shove it. Evangeline and I will disappear before you hang up the phone. To hell with Robert if that's his way of thinking."

"You'd turn on him just like that?" Atticus asked, his voice sharp. "After everything he's done for you?"

"I'd turn on him in a second," Cal said fiercely. "She's his own daughter."

"It just so happens I'm on your side. And that's exactly what I told Robert. He is who he is. That's why he was named the Director of the CIA. Just because Evangeline is his daughter doesn't mean he can't see the big picture. It didn't take long for him to figure out that we're dealing with something Senator Biddle was working on with the Defense Committee. We could be talking billions of dollars at stake and countless lives depending on what's up for grabs. And you know as well as I do that Lockwood would never sacrifice the good of the whole for one person. Not even if that person is his daughter. Lockwood is from the old school of thinking."

"Cut the crap, Atticus. What happened to Jane was a tragedy, but you can't tell me if she were still alive you wouldn't move heaven and earth to keep her safe. You'd do the same for your daughter. You'd lay waste to whoever got in your way."

"Out of line, Cyph," Atticus said, his voice harsh.

Cal slammed his fist down on the counter and dropped his forehead against the kitchen cabinet next to the sink.

"I'm sorry, Reaper. I didn't mean it that way. I'm pissed. And a lot disappointed in a man I thought of as my father."

Cal deliberately slowed his breathing to get control of the emotions rioting through him. Emotions got you killed. And it had been a long time—ten years in fact—since he'd let his emotions get the better of him while on a job.

Guilt ate at him about what he said to Atticus. His wife and daughter had been collateral damage a couple of years before when gunmen had opened fire in retaliation to an op that had been leaked from an inside American government source. His wife, Jane, had been pronounced dead at the scene. And Anna, his daughter, had died twice on the operating table as they did surgery to repair the damage from the three bullets that had ravaged her small body. Atticus still didn't know where the leak had come from, but Cal knew he was looking with vengeance in mind.

"I'm sorry, Reap." Sorrow etched in his voice. "I really am."

"Forget it," Atticus said. "I already told Lockwood to stand down and that we'd do this my way. I call the shots for Dynamis. Not Robert Lockwood. And we're solvent enough where we could still survive without the contracts he gets us on occasion. I never cared much for politics. It's why I left the CIA."

Cal winced with regret. He should have known Atticus would do the right thing. He always did. Cal trusted him with his life. He felt like even more of a jerk.

"I know," Cal said. "So what do you want us to do?"

"What you do best. Find the connection between Senator Biddle and Amir, find out who hired Taber to kill them and see if anyone else is a possible target. And keep Evangeline alive."

Cal laughed dryly. "Just another day at the office."

"I've got local agents positioned around the area, and Nate and Eden can forgo sleep if you need them in an emergency. Otherwise look for them in a couple of days. And Cyph, don't get so wrapped up in the woman that you can't see the weapon pointed in your direction."

"Yeah," Cal said with a sigh. He disconnected the phone and went to find Evangeline. It was time they had a talk.