Bodyguard Rescue Read online

  What if they were telling the truth?

  “Dr. MacAlister,” Dempsey prodded. “Besides being an expert on weapons and demolition, Cerberus has extensive knowledge in martial arts, communications and cyberintelligence.” He paused, his gaze assessing. “The man is a cold-blooded killer. He’s taken credit for twenty-three deaths—and those are just the ones the Agency is aware of.”

  Kate put her shaking hands to her temples and pressed hard, struggling to calm her rioting thoughts. She remembered the loving touch of Roman’s hands when they’d first made love and he’d realized it was her first time ever. The reverent way he’d held her afterward while she cried softly, overwhelmed by the sweet beauty of the experience. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t match that image with the monster they described.

  Jackson continued, his attitude more compassionate than his partner’s. “After your disappearance from Las Mesas, Cain suspected you might come here and contacted us again. He asked that we keep you safe until his return later tonight.” The younger agent rubbed his forehead, obviously searching for the right words. “We know this is hard for you to believe, but the only way we can prove our story is to put you in contact with your brother once we reach our office.” His eyes gentled with persuasion. “If you could trust us until then, Cain will verify everything.”

  Her brother. If what they said was true, Cain would be devastated over Roman’s betrayal. And her parents. They would be heartbroken. Her mother especially.

  Alarms went off in Kate’s head. Big foghorn alarms that nearly blew the top off her skull. Her mother. If what these men were saying were true, Christel MacAlister would’ve never trusted Roman all these years. She would’ve seen through his ruse almost immediately.

  Dempsey broke into her racing thoughts. “We don’t want to make you any more afraid than you already are, Doctor, but time is of the utmost importance.” The two men shared another unspoken message. Kate’s stomach clenched at the deception she now saw lurking beneath their glances. “We believe D’Amato is searching for you as we speak.”

  An icy fear twisted around her spine. She might not trust her own instincts anymore when it came to Roman, but she trusted her mother’s. The man might stink at relationships, but that didn’t necessarily make him a psychotic murderer—just a jerk.

  “Why?” she asked, just managing to keep the tremor out of her voice. “What would an arms dealer want with me?”

  The man hesitated, clearly not sure how to proceed. Jackson came to his partner’s rescue. This time his soft accent rang fraudulent in her ears. “Look, Doctor, we are going to be totally upfront with you. We know about your research. We know you destroyed it before you left the laboratory. We also know that Marcus Boyd called you right before your disappearance.” He paused, his dark eyes suddenly intent. “But what you don’t know is someone killed Boyd the night you disappeared.”

  Sheer willpower kept Kate standing. That and the fact she was sure these two men were somehow involved with her colleague’s death. She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping to blot out the searing pain that engulfed her chest.

  Another lie? Possible, but she doubted it. Marcus had told her himself that he’d be lucky to live through the night. All because he’d underestimated the power of this Threader person.

  Poor Marcus. He hadn’t deserved to die for his greed. Especially when he’d ultimately realized his mistake and had warned her.

  “You think…” Her throat was so dry that speaking was painful. If these were Threader’s men, why did they want Roman? Unless Roman worked for the government. The fine hair on Kate’s neck prickled. Yes, she could see Roman as an agent.

  So why didn’t Jackson and Dempsey take her, now that they’d found her? It didn’t make sense.

  She cleared her throat and started again. “You think Roman killed Marcus?” Somehow she needed to keep them talking until she could figure out a way to escape and warn Roman.

  “Yes,” Jackson answered. “And so does your brother. When Cain’s secretary notified him of your phone call, he immediately thought of the cabin.”

  Dempsey took over, his impatience finally breaking through his calm facade. “Look, Doctor, I don’t think you get it. We could bring you in forcibly, but we would rather have your cooperation.” He shifted slightly back, putting more space between them. “A lot of people are looking for you, but as a favor to your brother, we haven’t told our superiors you’ve been located.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I guess you could call it an act of faith on our part. Cerberus wants the formula and we want Cerberus.”

  Kate couldn’t stop herself from flinching at the viciousness reflected in his stare. This man wanted Roman, badly. But why?

  “We can’t capture him without your help,” Jackson in terjected solemnly, his college-boy features carefully blank. “We need a bargaining chip to lure him into a trap.”

  “The formula,” Dempsey prompted. “If you could give us the formula, after we get you somewhere safe, of course, we would take care of the rest.”

  Kate pretended to consider their suggestion for a moment, desperately searching for a plausible reason not to go with them. “I’m sure what you are telling me is the truth, gentlemen. Nevertheless, what we are talking about is classified information. Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the authorization,” she said, her voice steady as she made her choice. “I need verification. High-level verification.”

  “You need—” Dempsey made a strangled sound, deep in his throat. “We don’t have the time. I can make book on the fact that Cerberus knows you’re on the run. We’re sure he got the information from Boyd before he killed him.”

  The muscles in the agent’s neck bunched with the effort he used to maintain some control. “Cain assured us Cerberus knows about this cabin, which means he’s on his way here to get you. How long do you think it will be before he comes knocking on your door?”

  A distinctive click sounded from behind the two agents, causing them to freeze. A tense silence filled the room as Roman stepped from a trapdoor beside the fireplace.

  “Knock…knock.”

  Chapter Five

  Cerberus, the watchdog of hell.

  Whoever had chosen the name for Roman had chosen well.

  She sensed the danger from across the room. An aura of controlled violence surrounded him like a tight leash. Outwardly he appeared to be the Roman she’d loved, dressed in a pair of khaki pants and T-shirt. But the clothes failed to conceal the constricted muscles or the rigid stance. His clean-shaven skin, bronze against the whiteness of the shirt, was drawn taut over his cheekbones. The muscles in his jaw flexed, almost as if he were holding back the desire to bare his teeth and tear into his adversaries, feasting on their evil carcasses.

  Kate shuddered. With the late-afternoon light casting sinister shadows over the planes and hollows of his chiseled features, she could almost see Cerberus’s huge serpent tail whipping fiercely behind him, ready to strike against whoever tried to escape from his world.

  A world she’d never known about.

  His unblinking gaze moved over the two men. The dark, incandescent orbs reflected a lethal aloofness that lowered the temperature of the room by several degrees.

  Kate studied him as his gaze flickered over her. In that millisecond, she saw the cold starkness of his rage, the unbending integrity and something else she couldn’t identify before it disappeared under a hood of indifference.

  His words from the previous night came back in a rush. Let me help you.

  With breathtaking clarity, she understood that the Roman she’d loved never truly existed. He’d been the glossy surface to this other being, this Cerberus. One sent on a mission to recover a formula for his government, not a man who just happened to run into an ex-girlfriend. She stiffened, trying to control the spasmodic pain that rippled within her, but she was unable to prevent the gasp of anguish that escaped her lips.

  Roman heard the soft cry, like the sound of a wounded animal. As the
realization dawned, clouding her clear gray eyes, he saw it, absorbed it. He knew that what she’d doubted a few minutes ago, she now accepted as the truth.

  “Why?” She barely whispered her question, but he heard it. Hell, he would have heard it a mile away. It hit him like a sonic boom forcing him to steel against any outward reaction.

  Why what? Why did he lie? Why did he choose to keep the dark side of his nature from her? Why was he cursed to bring them both pain because he was driven to eliminate the Threaders of the world?

  “Tell me,” she whispered again. He saw her muscles tense before she took the damning steps toward him, her distress making her oblivious to the danger.

  “Stay there!” Roman snapped, fear keeping his tone terser than he’d intended. “It’s you they want.”

  She stumbled back from the harshness of the order, her look of pain instantly transformed into sheer terror. A tight knot of fear squeezed against his lungs.

  Because the warning came too late.

  Dempsey snatched her from behind, giving her no chance to struggle, giving Roman no time to react. In a fraction of a second he had her pinned to him with a Glock leveled at her temple. The position put her up on her toes, immobile, her body covering most of his.

  “You’re wrong, Cerberus.” Dempsey drew the syllables of the name out, his tone dripping with venom. “We want you both.”

  Carefully, to conceal the frustration burning in his eyes, Roman shifted his gaze lazily from Kate to Dempsey, who met it with icy contempt.

  Roman was sure Dempsey wasn’t the man’s real name, but it didn’t matter. Aliases were a necessity that he’d used himself over the last decade and a half. More than they’d listed for Kate. Dozens more.

  Roman responded with practiced ease, his voice was low and filled with amusement. “Threader couldn’t be missing me already?” His shirt clung to the dampness between his shoulder blades, but he ignored it, subtly shifting his stance to allow for a better angle on his target.

  “I believe he feels your last visit ended prematurely,” Jackson responded congenially, his lethal smile leaving all pretenses behind. The younger man hadn’t moved during the scuffle, his hands splayed carefully at his sides. From the bland look that crossed the college boy’s face, Roman suspected Jackson was willing to let Dempsey play out this hand with the gun while he tried conversation. So be it.

  Jackson nodded toward Roman’s weapon. “But considering our current circumstances, I might be able to persuade him to forgo your company for that of the beautiful doctor here.”

  Roman laughed, a harsh laughter that sounded more like metal grinding in his throat. Jackson’s sincerity could’ve enticed many of the politicians Roman knew out of their campaign money. No wonder Kate had let them into the cabin. The fact that she had seen through their charade at all impressed him.

  “Your strategy needs work,” he said, deliberately not looking at Kate. “Or haven’t you heard that this lady’s IQ is registered somewhere with Guinness.” His lips twisted cynically. “She was on to you boys halfway through the first act.” Roman just barely kept the admiration out of his voice by covering it with a tinge of scorn.

  Jackson conceded the point with a shrug. “My associate became overeager when he boasted of a friendship with her brother,” he said, his mouth tight and grim. “Regrettable but not irreparable. I admit it would’ve been much easier to deliver her if she had believed us, but we won’t let a bit of poor luck—” he studied the fireplace for a second, where the trapdoor stood ajar, before shifting his attention back “—deter us.”

  “To hell with this.” Dempsey jabbed the gun into Kate’s temple, eliciting a small gasp of pain. “Drop the pistol or I’ll leave her precious IQ spattered across the floor.”

  “Shut up, Carl,” Jackson ordered, disgusted. The action triggered a vague recognition somewhere in Roman’s mind. “Your ineptness has already cost us time.” The younger man’s eyes flickered over Kate, who returned the gaze with defiance.

  The MacAlister temper was keeping her brave. Admiration tugged at Roman again.

  “We would prefer to deliver her as ordered.” Jackson’s voice became razor sharp. “But if we can’t, we’ll make our explanations later.”

  Roman realized they wouldn’t kill Kate—not without the formula. But Roman wasn’t willing to risk her life in a possible crossfire. Not yet, anyway.

  “Go ahead, Dempsey, kill her.” Roman spoke in soft, easy tones, though the words lay bitter against his tongue. He deliberately relaxed his stance. “Saves me the trouble. I can’t allow her to go with you. I’ve got my orders.” Roman smiled. “For the good of the country and all.”

  Jackson’s gaze didn’t waver. Suddenly Roman realized he’d seen the look before. But where? Frustration scraped at the base of Roman’s spine. “You boys have to answer to Threader.”

  Dempsey jerked Kate closer to him, literally pulling her five-six frame off the floor, the gun pressed firmly against her throat now. “I’ll take my chances, you son of a bitch.”

  Roman saw a tiny drop of blood seep over Kate’s lip, but she didn’t utter a sound over the rough handling. His dark eyes sought hers, silently telling her to be ready. The delicately curved brows drew together in uncertainty.

  “It seems we have a standoff, gentlemen,” Jackson said conversationally, cutting short another one of Dempsey’s remarks.

  Roman rubbed the pad of his thumb lightly over the grip of his gun, using the reassurance of the smooth steel to settle his impatience.

  “Jackson is much smarter than you, Dempsey. He figures the only reason why I haven’t wasted you and the doc yet, is that I might be interested in something else.”

  “That so?” Dempsey snorted with disbelief. “What, money?”

  “Threader,” Jackson answered, his voice silky smooth. “A small matter of personal revenge.” He raised his eyebrows slightly. “Am I close?”

  “You’ve got my attention.” Roman watched Jackson’s hooded expression. He reminded Roman of a cobra right before it struck at an unsuspecting victim. “My complete, undivided attention.”

  With fluid precision, Roman’s memory snapped into place. Jackson was one of a handful of men present in the courtyard watching with sadistic pleasure while Threader tortured Amanda.

  Jackson clicked his tongue. “Revenge does strange things to people.” He started to slide his hand toward the waist of his jacket, unbuttoning it. “Mind if I smoke?”

  “Yes,” Roman answered, this time his tone was flat and uncompromising. The man would die, of course. He owed Amanda that. “Get to the point, Jackson. My arm is getting tired.”

  With a careless shrug, Jackson let his hand fall back to his side. “Perhaps I know the weak link in Threader’s operation.”

  Roman’s gaze snapped to Jackson’s. “Tell me and we deal.”

  The other man shook his head, his face full of humor. “I’m by nature a cautious man, unlike my partner here.” A deadly look from Jackson cut off Dempsey’s swearing over the insult. “I’ll negotiate, Cerberus, but not in a hostile environment.” He gestured toward Roman’s gun. “Drop it.”

  The information Jackson had could be invaluable to his personal plans for Threader. For the first time Roman cursed his dark craving for vengeance, knowing ultimately it didn’t weigh well against Kate’s life.

  She must have seen the intent in his eyes, because he heard a whispered, “No,” as he let the gun fall to the floor.

  “An intelligent choice,” Jackson said, but Roman only half heard him. Making a noncommittal sound, he watched Dempsey out of his peripheral vision. A sudden awareness glinted sharply in the depths of the other man’s eyes. Rather than releasing Kate, he tightened his hold. Time slowed the moment Roman realized he’d miscalculated Dempsey’s astuteness.

  Roman reached for the small 9 mm tucked into the back of his waistband at the same instant Dempsey turned to his partner in warning, extending his pistol toward Roman. Both actions came too late.


  Jackson’s gun was already drawn.

  Death cemented Carl Dempsey’s look of surprise. Marred only by the clean, symmetrical bullet hole in his forehead. Unfortunately, the exit wasn’t as tidy. It shattered the back of the man’s skull, showering blood on the couch behind him.

  Kate screamed and fell to her knees under the full weight of Dempsey’s body.

  Crawling away from the smothering pressure, she felt the body slide over her and back onto the floor. The sickening thud forced her to bite back another scream. In a panic she looked up searching for Roman.

  She saw Jackson first. He stood only a few feet away, holding a gun similar to Dempsey’s.

  “You live up to your reputation.” Jackson tsked, his pistol trained on Roman. “I should’ve known the great Cerberus would never leave himself defenseless.” He spoke in a casual, jesting way, his Southern drawl thick.

  Roman had remained in front of the fireplace, both arms raised with the gun dangling from his right hand.

  Jackson’s smile revealed a neat row of white teeth. “You understand of course, you won’t be traveling with us. I’ll tell them you killed Carl. I kill you and then I get all the profit.”

  Roman lifted his shoulders in a way that Kate was com ing to associate with Cerberus. Intuitively she knew he’d try to stop Jackson with his last breath.

  Her heart thumped madly. If she didn’t do something, Roman would die. Not stopping to think, she braced all her strength into her legs and lunged forward, ramming her head into Jackson’s groin. The man screamed and a shot discharged into the rafters.

  Roman, his eyes ablaze, was on him then. He knocked the gun from Jackson’s hand then grabbed the doubled-over man by the neck, slamming his face onto the floor.

  Jackson growled. Whether it was from his injury or the fact that Roman had braced one of his knees in the man’s back, Kate wasn’t sure. Roman’s face was hard and expressionless, his eyes cool. Still, she sensed the deceptiveness in his attitude while he kept his gun pinned to the base of Jackson’s skull.