MARCUS (Dragon Security Book 4) Read online

  It was a relief when we saw the lights and buildings of town.

  Marcus gave the boys more money before sending them off. Then he slid his arm around me and walked calmly through the town, his eyes jumping from place to place as he searched for…something.

  “What are we doing?”

  “We have to get out of here. When that shooter realizes we’re gone, which he probably already has, he’ll come here first.”

  “How? We left both our cars up at the cabin.”

  “We’ll borrow one.”

  He pulled me around the side of a block of shops. There was a large parking lot behind them with any number of cars, both newer models and older, to choose from. He led me to a Ford Bronco that looked like it rolled off the assembly line sometime in the late sixties. Not the most comfortable car in the world, but he was able to hot-wire it without setting off any alarms. We were headed toward the interstate before the owner would even notice his car was gone.

  At Marcus’ instructions, I searched through the glove box, trying to find a cellphone or a weapon. The only thing I found was the registration, insurance card, and the original owner’s manual.

  “You have your cell?”

  I nodded.

  Marcus held out his hand and promptly threw the phone out the window.

  “What did you do that for?”

  “We can’t take the risk that this person isn’t using the GPS on your phone to track you.” He tossed his phone out the window, too. “We’ll stop after we cross the Texas border and buy a prepaid phone. No one can trace those things yet.”

  “And then what? Where do we go?”

  He glanced at me. “I don’t know. We’ll get back into Texas, then we’ll get a room at a motel and we’ll call my boss. She’ll send a backup team and we’ll figure out what to do from there.”

  I leaned forward, shaking the glass and the wood from my hair. The adrenaline was finally wearing off and the aches and pains were beginning to set in. My hip hurt from falling on the stairs outside the cabin. My knees hurt from duck walking and falling to the floor inside the cabin. And my shoulder burned, but I couldn’t remember hitting it on anything.

  I reached inside my heavy, dark jacket and rubbed the spot. Pain flashed through me as I put pressure on the spot, the burning increasing threefold. When I pulled my hand out, there was blood on my fingers.

  I glanced at Marcus, but he hadn’t seen it. I quickly wiped the blood off on the lining of my jacket, deciding it would be better not to distract Marcus from driving. The further we got from Ruidoso, the better.

  The pain quickly became unbearable. I found myself wishing I’d thought to grab my bag before we left. The pain medication they’d given me for my leg was in there.

  “Who do you think it was?” I asked, trying to distract myself.

  Marcus reached over and touched my knee. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters right now is that we get you to safety.”

  We drove for what seemed like hours. We didn’t stop until we were over the border, then Marcus headed north, taking us to Lubbock. It was closer than Abilene and it was big enough that we could find a hotel that would take cash and ask no questions. I waited in the car while he arranged the room, nausea making me wish I was already in the room, already lying between crisp, white sheets.

  Marcus smiled when he came back.

  “I got us a room at the back. And there’s a Walmart down the street, so I can go get us some supplies.”

  “Good.”

  He drove around to the back and unlocked the door—thank goodness it was on the bottom floor. He kissed my temple lightly.

  “I’m going to go get a phone and some food. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  I forced a smile, waiting until he was out of the room. Then I ran to the bathroom, wishing it wasn’t necessary. I made it to the toilet just before my stomach turned inside out. There wasn’t much left of my breakfast, but that didn’t stop the dry heaves from wracking my body. When it finally passed, I managed to pull myself up to the sink. I pulled my jacket off of my shoulder, a little shocked by the amount of blood that had spilled inside. My arm was soaked, all the way down to the wrist. My shirt was damp against my side. It was so bad that I couldn’t tell where the injury was or what it was.

  I tossed the jacket aside and slipped out of the t-shirt and bra, putting them both into the sink to rinse the blood away. Then I climbed into the shower, biting hard on my lip when the water hit the wound. If I’d thought all the movement in the car had been bad, this was ten times worse. My vision darkened at the edges. I thought for a minute I would pass out.

  I didn’t hear Marcus come back from the store. I was just standing there—maybe I’d gone in and out of consciousness a few times—when the curtain suddenly flew back.

  “You’re hurt!”

  I didn’t even have the energy to respond. I just fell.

  Chapter 15

  Megan

  Dante was gone before I woke the next morning. I’d arranged for the family’s private jet to fly him into New Mexico, a rental waiting for him at the private airport in Roswell. It was a fairly short drive from there to Ruidoso. But I was still waiting mid-morning for his report.

  “We have a bit of a cluster fuck up here,” he said when he did call.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “It looks like someone used an AK-47 to take out the front of this cabin. There are bullet holes and glass everywhere.”

  “You’re joking.”

  “No. The local cops are on their way up. Do you want me to stick around?”

  “Any sign of our asset or his target?”

  “No. Their things are still here, the Dragon-registered SUV is out front, but no sign of them.”

  I got up and waved to Sam, gesturing for her to come into my office.

  “Stick around. There will be questions about the SUV. Answer them honestly, but don’t offer information, understand?”

  “I do.”

  “Good. Keep me informed.”

  Sam came to the door, concern on her face.

  “Marcus has gotten himself into trouble. Have we had any calls from an unauthorized phone?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “Keep an eye out. He’ll be calling in eventually.”

  Sam started to go, but I caught her shoulder. “Where’s Hayden?”

  “Out on assignment.”

  I bit back a groan. “Important? Or can we call him back in?”

  “I can call him back in. Why?”

  “We’re going to need him to go after Marcus. It sounds like he’s got someone bad after him.”

  “Okay. Anything else?”

  “Vincent’s back, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Have him be ready to go, too. I want as many men on this as possible.”

  “Will do.”

  I watched Sam leave my office, wondering what I would do without her.

  Call in, Marcus. We can’t help you until you do.

  Dante called back an hour later.

  “The local cops think the shooter was in the woods. They found some casings, but not much else. There’re no vehicles in the area, no other houses. There are no witnesses.”

  “So, nothing.”

  “Nothing. Except the cops did have a report of a stolen car in town. A 1966 Ford Bronco.”

  “Marcus must have taken it to get out of town.”

  “Probably. The SUV is still three feet under snow. The door’s open on the driver’s side and there are bullet holes on the passenger side, suggesting he was trying to get it started, but abandoned the idea.”

  “The stolen Bronco suggests they’re still alive. That’s what’s important.”

  “Are you going to call the client?”

  “Don’t know. Come back. We might need the plane to go after them.”

  “On my way.”

  I set the phone in the cradle, thinking about Blake Zimmerman. He was paying for our se
rvices, so I owed him at least a phone call. But he could also be behind this attack on my asset. Or at least know something about it. That required a face-to-face meeting.

  “Hayden? You’re with me.”

  We drove across town in silence. Sam had briefed Hayden on what was happening, so I didn’t have to explain it to him. And my thoughts were a million miles away anyway.

  We pulled up to the main gate of the house, suddenly the center of attention of the half dozen paparazzi sitting along the street. Hayden whistled under his breath when the gate opened and allowed us access to the long driveway. The house appeared at the top of a small swell of the land, a stone and brick monstrosity that could probably house all the paparazzi outside the gate along with their families.

  Hayden was impressed. I…well, I grew up two blocks from this place, so I was less impressed.

  Blake was standing at the front door when we came to a stop in the circle drive. He was barefoot, looking much too casual for the kind of man who could afford a house like this. I don’t think I ever saw my father barefoot. And he only wore jeans when my mother forced him to. Daddy was a suit and tie sort of guy.

  “Ms. Bradford,” Blake said, approaching me with his hands outstretched. He was wearing a white oxford shirt that made his skin a deeper shade of ebony, but it, too, was made overly casual by the lack of buttons done up the front. He looked as though he’d just thrown clothes on when we rang at the gate.

  “I apologize for bothering you at home, Mr. Zimmerman.”

  “Blake, please.”

  “Only if you’ll call me Megan.”

  “Of course.” He gestured toward the house. “Come inside.”

  Hayden stayed close to me as we went inside, his hand on the small of my back. It was comforting to know he was there, but it wasn’t necessary for him to act as some sort of bodyguard. I could handle myself. I picked up the speed of my steps, moving away from his touch.

  “Can I get you a drink?” Blake asked as he led the way into a large sitting room to the right of the front doors. “We have water, wine, liquor. Just about anything you could want.”

  “No, thank you. We’re only here for a few minutes.”

  Blake nodded, coming to stand in front of us. “I’m guessing you didn’t come all the way out here with good news.”

  “I’m sorry, but you’re correct.”

  He crossed his massive arms over his chest and studied my face for a moment. “What happened? Is Cadence okay?”

  “We don’t know. It appears that someone fired a high-powered weapon at your cabin. You wouldn’t happen to know who would want to do such a thing, would you?”

  Blake shook his head. “Of course not.”

  “My asset was there with her. We believe that they somehow found a way back to Ruidoso and got a vehicle there. But we haven’t heard from them.”

  “I haven’t heard from Cadence in days. I thought she was snowed in.”

  “She was, we think. But another of my assets managed to get up to the house today and found them gone.”

  “And the cabin shot to hell.”

  “Yes.”

  He shook his head, turning away from us. He walked over to the bar and grabbed a bottle of water, downing half of it in one gulp.

  “Cadence was shot at before she left for the cabin. Have the police come up with any suspects?”

  “No. Whoever did it was careful to wipe his prints from the stolen car. They have nothing else, not even footage from the security cameras outside the restaurant. The guy apparently knew where they were and he was able to avoid them.”

  I glanced at Hayden. That sounded like someone with a little experience at this sort of thing. Like someone who’d served time in the military.

  “When you hear from Cadence, you’ll have her contact me?”

  “Of course.”

  Blake ran his hand over his shaved head. “If you hear anything…”

  “What’s going on?” a woman’s voice asked from behind us.

  I turned and found myself looking at a familiar face. Annie Kincaid Zimmerman. She’d been a model before she married Blake at the height of his career. She’s pretty much just become a trophy wife since then, always on his arm at important events, but never in front of the cameras any other time. I’d heard a rumor she’d been ill, but she looked quite healthy as she stood in front of us.

  “Cadence is missing,” Blake said, crossing to her. “And someone shot up our cabin.”

  “What?”

  Annie seemed to grow a little faint, falling into her husband’s arms. He lifted her up and carried her to the couch, laying her with a carefulness that was heartwarming. He glanced at me.

  “She’s got a heart condition.”

  “Is there anything we can do?”

  He shook his head. “If you could show yourselves out…”

  Hayden laid his hand on my arm, guiding me out the door.

  We drove back to the office in the same silence we drove there in, though my thoughts were on Annie Zimmerman now. The poor woman. First she couldn’t have a child of her own because of her health issues, and now her surrogate was missing. It must be incredibly stressful.

  “Do we know if they’d completed the surrogate stuff?” I asked aloud, aware that Hayden wouldn’t know.

  He glanced at me. “I think our main concern should be her safety right now.”

  “I know. I’m just wondering if we’re protecting a woman, or a woman and a child. These are the kinds of things that Sam asks the clients, but I didn’t think to ask.”

  “It doesn’t really matter.”

  He fell silent again until we reached the office, clearly not in the mood to talk. I knew Hayden well enough to know that meant he had something on his mind. That’s why I wasn’t surprised when he grabbed my wrist as I started to get out of the car in the parking lot.

  “What’s going on between you and Dante?”

  I stared at his hand on my wrist until he let go.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “You’re my friend, Megan, more than you were ever my boss. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  “I’m a big girl. I can handle my own stuff.”

  “You’re wrapped up in Peter’s case and Cole’s getting married, I know those things are bringing up a lot of ghosts for you. Don’t let Dante take advantage of that.”

  “I’m not.”

  “We don’t know anything about him.”

  “I know that, too.” I studied him for a second. “What’s going on with you and Sam? All the whispering that’s been happening lately?”

  He looked away. “Sam’s worried about you, too.”

  “So the two of you are talking about me behind my back? That’s healthy.”

  I started to get out of the car, but he put his hand on my shoulder.

  “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

  I glanced back at him. “I’m going to be fine. You…don’t break my best friend’s heart.”

  He just nodded, his expression thoughtful.

  Chapter 16

  Marcus

  I caught her just as she passed out. Blood was seeping from a wound on her shoulder. I lifted her, carried her into the bedroom and wrapped her in the bedspread on the bed. She was shivering even though the water had been warm and her skin was hot. Fever. I set her on the bed and rushed back to the bathroom, grabbing a couple of towels to press against her shoulder.

  It looked like a through and through. Not a lot of damage, but she’d lost some blood. And the fever. That worried me. She should have told me sooner.

  I didn’t have any bandages. Didn’t have any medical supplies at all. I had a bottle of cheap wine that I bought on a lark. Nothing else. I put pressure on the wound until the bleeding began to slow. Then I grabbed the wine and poured the whole bottle over the wound. She moaned, but she didn’t wake.

  I hated to leave her, but I had to get some bandages on her wound. I lifted her higher up on the bed and wrapped her
a little better in the bedspread. I was careful to lock the door behind me and drove back to the Walmart, making my purchases quickly. Tylenol. Bandages. Antiseptic. Cold packs. Thread and needles. A couple more bottles of wine.

  She was in the same place when I got back. I pulled the towels away from the wound and it was seeping blood again. It went right through, but it was a significant hole in her shoulder. I had to sew it closed or she’d just continue to bleed. I expected her to wake when I pierced her skin with the needle, but she only groaned. It was a quick procedure, one I’d done before. But it hurt more doing it to a woman I cared for than a man I barely knew.

  When it was sewn up, I bathed it in antiseptic and covered it with a thick, heavy bandage. Then I laid the cold packs over it, hoping it wouldn’t swell too much.

  She was burning up. I needed to do something to bring down the fever. But I didn’t know what to do beyond putting her back in the shower and that would require getting the wound wet, something I really didn’t want to do right now.

  I crushed the Tylenol and put it in a cup of water. It wasn’t the best solution, but at least she drank a little of it.

  All I could do now was wait. If anything happened to her…

  I grabbed the burner phone and stepped out onto the little concrete porch outside our room. It only took a second to put it together. I punched in the appropriate numbers and listened to the phone ring some nine hundred miles away.

  “Grosbeak.”

  A second later, Megan’s voice filled my ear.

  “Where the hell are you?”

  “We were ambushed. We had to get out of Ruidoso in a hurry.”

  “I know. I sent Dante out there when we hadn’t heard from you in three days.”

  “We were snowed in.”

  “Know that, too. Where are you?”

  “Lubbock.”

  “Good. I’ll send Hayden and Vincent to pick you up.”

  “Cadence is sick. She was hit in the shoulder and didn’t tell me right away. She’s got a fever.”