Sins and Scarlet Lace Read online

Between the key and the way the hacker was taking the bait he’d laid, he was starting to get a good picture of the person who was after Sophia, and he knew he needed to tell her what was going on so she didn’t think he was keeping things from her, but he couldn’t think of a way to do it without hurting her more.

  He took a deep breath and stepped into the kitchen, wincing when her fist punched into the dough.

  “How’s it going?” he asked, keeping his distance on the other side of the kitchen island.

  “Fantastic. I don’t know why I’ve never done this before. It’s very cathartic.” She patted the dough into a ball and then put into an oversize bowl before tossing a towel over the top. “So what was all the muttering about in there? I take it you haven’t found which bank the key belongs to?”

  “Not yet, but it’s going to be an extensive search. I think I’ve found out a few important pieces of information though.”

  “Oh yeah?” Her brow arched in question, but she could see the tension in the balled fists of her hands.

  A high shrill alarm sounded from his office and his phone started buzzing at the same time. His only thought was to protect Sophia, and he pulled his weapon free. The alarm meant that there was a breach somewhere on the property, but he couldn’t pinpoint where or who until he looked at the satellite.

  “Go down to the basement and bolt the door behind you. You remember where the exit is that leads into the tunnels?” he asked.

  She nodded and was already heading in that direction, but he pulled her back as someone pounded at the door.

  “It’s Shane. Open up.”

  Dec went to the door and let his brother in. Shane’s weapon was held at the ready in one hand and the other was holding an electronic device that looked like an oversized iPad. It was still in the testing phase, but it showed a 3D projection of all satellite images and the topography of any terrain in the world.

  “We’ve got an unidentified military transport closing in.” Shane went to the table and laid down the device and hologram of the area rose up above the table.

  “Whoa,” Sophia said. “That’s cool.”

  “It’s in stealth mode, but those new tweaks you added to your system worked and we can see them coming in plain as day.”

  Declan’s phone buzzed again and Shane tossed it to him. “MacKenzie,” he barked.

  “It’s Cade,” his brother said. “We’re about to land. Don’t shoot us.”

  “You’re telling me that’s you that’s flying toward us in an unidentified military transport?”

  “Yep.” He could hear the grin in Cade’s voice, and his hand clenched around the phone so hard he was surprised it didn’t turn to dust. “And it’s a piece of work too. Still in the test phase. Gabe knows some people who owe him a favor.”

  “I’m going to kick your ass as soon as you land.”

  “No you’re not. You’re going to kiss my feet because I brought you something you’re going to need.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Backup.”

  Cade disconnected the phone and Declan dropped his head down to his chest with a sigh of relief.

  “He always does like to make an entrance,” Shane said, closing down the device. “I think I liked him better before he started being so happy all the time. I’d finally gotten used to him being an asshole and then the man falls in love and suddenly it’s rainbows and unicorns.”

  Sophia snorted out a laugh, and they all left through the kitchen door out to the deck, searching for Cade. If Dec hadn’t felt the rush of air against his clothes he never would have known it was there. A sleek black helicopter hovered silently over his roof—one of the newest versions of the stealth helicopter that was still in the test phase. It looked like they’d finally succeeded in silencing the blades all the way.

  He shook his head as he saw Gabe in the pilot seat and Cade grinning next to him like it was Christmas morning. It was large, bulbous, and obviously meant to transport a team of soldiers into a hostile area.

  “Holy shit, will you look at that,” Shane said, his grin stretching from ear to ear. “I wonder what kind of favor someone owed Gabe for this to be the payback.”

  “You probably don’t want to know,” Dec said wryly.

  “Ooh, baby. I can’t wait to ride out on a mission in one of these.”

  Gabe maneuvered the helicopter to a flat area of ground and landed it smoothly before shutting down the motor. The side door slid open and Dec put his hands on his hips, irritation etching his face as he watched his agents and brother pile out of the helicopter.

  “What part of go underground didn’t you understand?” he asked. Cade led the group up to the deck—Max and Jade Devlin, Cal Colter, Archer Ryan, Brant Scott and Gabe Brennan—they were all there.

  Cade snorted out a laugh. “Seriously? You think we’re going to let you lure the bad guys here to face all by yourself? You’re not Superman, you know.”

  Shane was already giving knuckle bumps and slaps on the back to the new additions to the group and then he headed toward the helicopter to get a closer look.

  “Don’t worry, brother,” Cade said. “I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to pay us all back.”

  “I’ve already got it planned,” Dec said, deciding to wait to tell them he was moving headquarters to Surrender. “If you guys are determined to stay, then lets get to work. Coordinate with Shane and his team and get settled. We’ll debrief in an hour.”

  “We’re going to have a problem,” Sophia said. “There’s not enough food in your fridge to feed all these people.”

  “I’m sure they’ll figure something out.”

  “What are they going to do, go get takeout? Because I think I missed the part of Surrender where all the restaurants are located.”

  He let out a sigh because she was right. They were going to have to feed all these people. “We can pick up some steaks and potatoes. There are enough grills around here that it’ll be quick and easy.”

  “Can we go after you meet with everyone?”

  “I’ll go. Why don’t you make a list while the rest of us are meeting?”

  “I don’t think so, Declan MacKenzie. I’m starting to go stir crazy. I’d like to get out for a little while, even if it’s just to the grocery store. And I’d like to get my chain fixed while we’re out.”

  “I can take her while you’re doing the debriefing,” Shane said, not bothering to hide the fact he’d been eavesdropping. “I’ve got a couple of things to grab as well, so it’ll kill two birds with one stone. And before you tell me I need to be at the debriefing, let me tell you that the stores all close at six and we won’t make it in time if we wait until after. Also, I’ll be with her and I won’t let her out of my sight. Does that cover everything?”

  Dec sighed and knew Shane was right. “Call me when you head back in.” He pulled Sophia into his arms and didn’t care that everyone stopped what they were doing to watch him kiss her brainless. When he pulled away she was out of breath and her eyes were heavy-lidded with arousal. “I love you. Don’t let Shane talk you into anything that will get you arrested or banned from the stores. He has a reputation of causing trouble in this town.”

  “I’ll try to keep him on the straight and narrow,” she said, winking at Shane.

  “You’re killing me, Soph.” Shane threw his arm around her shoulder and Dec smiled as she elbowed him in the ribs.

  “She’s going to fit right in this family,” Cade said from behind him.

  “I was just thinking the same thing.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Declan and Cade drove the perimeter of MacKenzie land in an open-top Jeep used for rough terrains. There was less than two years difference in age between he and Cade, and they’d been the closest because of it. Not that they didn’t love their younger brothers and sister, but they were friends as well as brothers.

  “So what was it you didn’t say to everyone back there?” Cade asked.

  Dec drove across a shallow stream a
nd water splashed up on the tires. They climbed higher until they were at the top of a hill and could look down on the MacKenzie land, while the mountains stood menacingly to the east. Things were happening. He could feel it in his bones, and he took comfort in the fact that men he trusted were ready to cover his back.

  “Whoever hacked into my system and followed my trails set a few pieces of bait of his own. It was clever the way he did it. More showing off than trying to be effective in doing any damage. On top of that, he knew where to look and what to look for when he hacked into Director O’Daniel’s classified files. He knew to look for me first, and that led him to MacKenzie Security and the agreement we have with the government for contract work.”

  “So who is it?” Cade asked.

  “That’s the problem. The only man I know who could do all of those things is supposed to be dead.”

  “That’s the thing with this business. Dead isn’t always as dead as it’s supposed to be.”

  “He knows we’re here, and he’ll come for her because he thinks she still has the safe deposit box key. He’s going to need that money to set up his new life, and we’re standing in his way.”

  “I guess he’s going to be in for a surprise when he finds out we have the key and you managed to find the location of the lockbox.”

  “He got cocky using the bank Sophia used for all of her business. He was still trying to make her look guilty, but it was just a little too pat. We’ll hand over the information to Director O’Daniel in a day or two. I’m more than willing to let the CIA clean up the rest of this mess. I’ve got plans.”

  “I hope they involve finally making an honest woman out of Sophia.”

  “I’d love to. The problem is she isn’t so keen on being an honest woman.”

  “Those are my favorite kind of women,” Cade said with a sigh and a smile.

  They started back down the hill again and the CB radio in the Jeep crackled to life. “We’ve got signs of a hot spot about midway up the mountain range and tangos moving in,” Brady said.

  Declan jerked up the transmitter and held it to his mouth. “Shit, are Sophia and Shane back yet?”

  “Negative. No response. Everyone is in position and Jade has your back from up top. It looks like things are about to heat up. Get your asses back here.”

  Dec floored the accelerator and the Jeep went flying down the hill. He and Cade both saw the missile launch from the hot spot Brady had warned them of in the mountains at the same moment.

  “Fuck,” Cade swore. “Clear out.”

  There was no time to slam on the brakes. They both opened their doors and rolled to the ground, taking cover as the Jeep went on without them. Training saved their lives. They both covered their heads and rolled towards a gulley. They’d almost made it when the missile hit its target and the Jeep went up in flames.

  Heat so intense he was sure it scorched the back of his clothes surrounded them and black smoke and nauseating fumes blurred their vision and darkened their faces with soot. He and Cade both rolled to their feet and started running the rest of the way.

  Declan felt his heart stop in his chest as a second short-range missile launched. He knew who the target was, and there wasn’t anything he could do but pray.

  ***

  “This has to be your fault somehow,” Shane said to Sophia as he used the jack to raise the front of the Jeep.

  “You’d better be nice to me or I’ll leave you here by yourself,” she said. “I can see the gates from here. I could be back home grilling steaks by the time you get it rolling again.”

  “He’d like hearing you call it home. He built it for you, even though I’m not sure he realized it at the time. The rest of us did though.”

  She sighed and handed him the tire iron when he held out his hand. “It’s complicated.”

  “Not so much. You both have some shit to overcome. But you love each other. That’s what it boils down to, right?” He took off the old tire and put on the new.

  “So speaks the man who’s determined be the last standing MacKenzie bachelor.”

  Shane grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “That doesn’t mean I can’t recognize something is right when it’s staring me in the face. Besides, I’ve decided I like you okay. Not everyone can be a MacKenzie. You seem to come by it naturally.”

  “Only a MacKenzie would think that was a compliment,” she said, laughing.

  “See what I mean? You’ll fit right in.” Shane rolled to his feet and dusted off his hands. “Now let’s go cook some steak. I’ve worked up an appetite.”

  He was about to get back in the Jeep when he heard the familiar sound of a missile launching. An explosion rocked the ground as it hit higher up above MacKenzie land, but he knew it for what it was. Someone had declared war on the MacKenzies.

  “Move,” he yelled at Sophia, launching himself over the hood of the Jeep as the second missile was launched. He felt it bearing down on them and grabbed Sophia around the waist, throwing her as far as he could and hoping she’d be clear of the blast.

  He knew he wouldn’t.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Sophia didn’t remember where she was or what had happened once her eyes opened. She was on the ground, her body a mass of aches and pains, and when she moved her head she felt like she was going to throw up. She realized it was probably because her head had hit the giant rock she was currently lying beside.

  Blood flowed freely from the wound in her head, and she tried not to panic when she saw exactly how much blood she was losing. Head wounds always bled badly, even the little ones.

  She groaned as she rolled to her hands and knees, and she gagged as the knot on her head made her dizzy and uncoordinated. She had to find Shane. Something bad had happened, but her brain was too fuzzy to put all the pieces together. Smoke burned her eyes and then she remembered the explosion.

  “Shane,” she tried to call out, but her voice was weak and the effort made the pounding in her head worse. But she moved anyway because she owed it to him to help him if she could. She realized she was a good distance away from where the Jeep had ended up, and she didn’t know if it was because Shane had thrown her that far or if the explosion had catapulted the Jeep.

  Her ears rang and the blood from her wound made her clothes sticky. Tears streaked down her face as she kept searching. And then she saw him, and bile rose in her throat and her stomach cramped with despair.

  His body lay completely still, his torso and head flat to the ground, but his legs were at an unnatural angle. At least what was left of them.

  A sob tore from her throat and she started to crawl toward him, but a hand gripped her arm and jerked her to her feet with a cry. Dizziness overwhelmed her and her knees gave out, but he pulled her up again.

  “Get up, bitch,” a familiar voice said.

  And she did out of pure shock. “Kane?”

  “Where’s the fucking necklace?”

  ***

  Declan surveyed the scene before him quickly and tried to assess the best way to handle Kane. He trusted his team to take care of everything else. Even as he had the thought he heard the familiar sound of Jade’s rifle coming from her point location as she protected his men’s backs.

  He came out of the trees and into the clearing where Kane was holding Sophia with his hands raised and his gun pointed to the sky. Shane’s body lay unmoving off to the side, bloodied so badly he couldn’t assess the damage from a glance except for the horror of his legs.

  “Drop the gun, friend,” Kane Huxley called out.

  Dec pushed his emotions away. Emotions would only get him and Sophia both killed. All he could do was keep a level head and pray the good guys won this round. Sophia hadn’t escaped the explosion unscathed. Blood matted her hair and covered her body and her clothes were torn and dirty. Shock and pain had settled in and her reactions were slow as Kane pushed her forward so she landed on her hands and knees. She looked up at Declan with terror-filled eyes but he didn’t return the gaze. If he did i
t would all be over. For both of them.

  Kane held the gun pointed steady at her head, and Declan had no choice but to throw his own weapon to the ground. “I’ve got a dozen men with their scopes trained on you right this moment, Kane. There’s no getting out of this.”

  His smile slashed cruel on his handsome face, and seeing him now, Declan wondered how he’d ever been fooled by his act.

  “We’ll see how many men you have left. You don’t think I came without my own backup did you? I’ll see you your dozen and raise you by another ten.” Kane’s laugh slithered across Declan’s skin and he tensed as the gun he held at Sophia’s head wavered. “Now I’m going to ask again. Where is the necklace? Or maybe I should just start shooting till one of you gives me the right answer.”

  “It was pretty clever of you to hide the safety deposit box key inside.”

  Kane froze and Declan prayed he hadn’t miscalculated his reaction to the news they’d discovered it.

  “I thought so,” he said. “Found it, did you? Well you can just give it back. You’re going to have to face the facts that I’m just better than you and I’ve won this round.”

  “That’s what this is really all about, isn’t it?” Dec asked. He saw Shane shift slightly from where he lay and breathed out a sign of relief. His brother was still alive, but with that kind of blood loss he wouldn’t be for long if he didn’t get help. “That’s all it’s ever been about. About how you never quite measured up? Second best in our military class. Second under my command when we were both recruited for the CIA. Passed over again and again for promotions because your skills weren’t quite at the level they needed to be. Never quite smart enough, were you Kane?”

  “I was smart enough to sell your meet location with that group of SEALs for a nice chunk of money,” he said, grinning. “You were supposed to die in that Black Hawk explosion by the way, but I almost think it worked out better. I’d look at that scar on your face every day and have to turn away to keep from laughing at the realization that I did that.”

  “And then I was smart enough to steal your bitch and give her my name. That had to sting, didn’t it, Mr. High-And-Mighty MacKenzie? I can’t tell you how many times I watched our wedding video just to see the looks on both of your faces.”