Carter: The Sinner Saints #1 (7 page)

“Jake?” Ally asked.

“Bruiser,” Carter clarified.

Mason chuckled. “
Bruiser
…I like that.”

“I’m going to have to get Ally somewhere safe. I don’t trust Fuller not to have a mole or two in the department. If the police take her down to the station, she’s as good as dead.”

Ally swallowed hard. That sounded bad. Really bad. What did somebody do when they couldn’t trust the police? And why hadn’t Carter told her any of this until now?

“Where are you going to take her?” Mason asked.

Carter shook his head. “Not sure yet. But I’ll let you know as soon as I do. Keep communication to secure channels only.”

“Done.”

Carter grabbed his keys off the desk and came over to Ally’s side. He made a show of linking his hand in hers.

“You’re in charge while I’m out,” Carter said.

“The boys are going to love that.”

“They’ll get over it,” Carter said, leading her out of the office. “Just don’t let the place burn down while I’m gone.”

“No promises,” Mason replied.

***

“So we’re running from the police?” Ally asked as they hit the emergency stairwell at the back of the office.

“Looks that way,” Carter said, pushing their pace. He could trust Jake to talk circles around the officers in the lobby for a few minutes, but Carter knew he couldn’t hold them off forever.

But he didn’t need forever. He needed another sixty seconds to get Ally into a vehicle and out of the garage.

That was all.

The good news was it appeared that she’d given up fighting him. He didn’t have to drag her down the stairs. She was doing just fine keeping up and staying by his side. He could probably even let go of her hand.

But he didn’t want to.

He told himself it had nothing to do with the flash of jealousy that had briefly flared when he’d watched Mason lay his most flirtatious smile on her…and Ally smile back.

Nope. Had nothing to do with that momentary break in his emotions.

He just figured that Ally had to be scared right now. This was all new territory for her. She could probably use a little reassurance. And there must have been something to his reasoning. She wasn’t pulling away from his touch.

“Is running our only option?” Ally asked as they went through the door to the second level of underground parking.

“You didn’t seem to have a problem with it last night.” He pushed open the door, and spotted the silver Lotus.

Perfect. That one would do just fine.

“I mean do you really think that—”

“Fuller has spies in the department? Most probably.” Carter pulled the key out of his pocket and hit the button. The rear lights flashed. “Do I think that he’d seize the opportunity of having you in a known and confined location to finish the job? Absolutely.”

He let go of Ally’s hand as they reached the bumper, then she paused by the passenger side door.

“You know because it’s what you would do.” Her voice was soft, far away, like she’d just come to some horrible realization.

“In another life, yes.” Carter rested his hands on the top of the car. They didn’t have time for this, but he had the feeling she wasn’t getting in the vehicle without hearing the truth. Lies and spin just weren’t going to cut it. “I know how these guys think, but that makes me the best person to keep you safe. And I will keep you safe, Ally, I promise.”

She stared at him for half a second before nodding and getting in the car. Only once she was inside did she look around in confusion.

“This is a different car,” she said.

Carter chuckled. For someone so perceptive, she could miss a lot when she got lost in her mind.

“I think it’s best not to drive the same one twice for a while. Fuller’s already shown his fondness for car bombs. It’ll be harder for him to plant one on us if he doesn’t know which car we’ll be getting into next.”

Her brows pulled together. “How many cars do you have?”

Carter put the Lotus in reverse and pulled out. “Plenty.”

“Plenty is not a number,” she said.

“Sure it is.” He kept his speed low as he drove through the narrow corridors of the parking garage. There was no sense in attracting any unwanted attention.

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s not.”

He smiled at her insistence. Funny, he found himself smiling at a lot of things that she said, even in the most serious of situations. Maybe especially then.

“I wouldn’t have gotten very far in this field if I didn’t have plans for every possible contingency.”

“You have contingency cars?” Her voice shot up an octave.

Carter glanced over to her before driving up the ramp and pulling into traffic. “You don’t?”

Chapter Six

Ally was pretty sure Carter wasn’t lying when he said that he didn’t know where he was going to take her. At least, that was the conclusion she’d come to after their second loop around the Capital City Freeway.

The quips and the banter had faded the instant that they’d hit the freeway on-ramp. His face was a serious mask of concentration, one that she’d only caught glimpses of before.

Ally didn’t bother him. He needed to think. She probably should as well. The problem was her brain refused to work when she was this damn tired.

She glanced at the clock. By her count, she was quickly coming up on thirty-six hours without sleep.

Now, being driven around in a constantly moving car with only the hum of the engine to keep her company, she found her eyelids drooping more and more.

Adrenaline, it seemed, would only take her so far.

Her chin had just touched down on her chest when the car came to a stop. Her head snapped up as a startled sound escaped her mouth.

“I’m awake,” she said before she could stop the words.

Ally ignored Carter’s chuckle. “I can tell,” he said.

She rubbed at her eyes and did a quick check of her sweatshirt for drool spots before deciding it was too old and raggedy to tell. Instead, she turned her attention out her window.

They were stopped in front of a familiar-looking building. Tall and stately, Ally knew that she’d seen this place before. A uniformed valet walked toward the car. Behind him was a revolving glass door, and Ally could just make out the crystal chandeliers hanging in the lobby.

She
did
know this place.

She quickly swiveled around in her seat to look out Carter’s side of the car.

Just like she knew this skyline.

Ally felt all her blood rush to her face. “You brought us to The Grand Capital Hotel?”

Carter raised his brows in answer.

But just as she was opening her mouth to demand he tell her what the hell he was thinking driving them around for hours only to bring them right back into the center of downtown Sacramento, the valet opened her door. Ally had two choices, throw a fit or get out of the car.

Ally pressed her lips together tightly as she stepped onto the sidewalk. It looked like the fit would have to wait.

Carter handed the keys over to the valet and came to her side. Ally stiffened as he slid his arm into hers. He leaned in close as he walked her into the lobby.

“I’ll explain everything soon enough,” he whispered.

“You better,” she hissed right back. “You
do
know that every cop in this city is searching for us right now.”

“I need you to trust me,” he said, not showing any reaction to her words. “And stay by my side.”

Ally ground her teeth. What other choice did she have?

Carter strode up to the reception desk, smiling at the gentleman behind the counter.

“Good afternoon, sir,” the man whose golden nametag read Richard said.

“Good afternoon. I’d like to get a room for the weekend,” Carter said.

“Do you have a reservation?” Richard asked, sliding his gaze over Ally, who suddenly felt more than a little self-conscious in her tattered grey sweatshirt and rat’s nest hair. “This is a very busy weekend for us.”

Carter slipped his arm from hers and took out his wallet from inside his jacket.

“No,” he said, laying down a black American Express card with the name Sean Ward on it. “Is that going to be a problem?”

Ally’s eyes widened, but she didn’t open her mouth.

Richard, the receptionist, took one look at the card and all his suspicions melted away.

“No problem at all, sir,” he said.

Carter pulled a matching ID out of the wallet, and, a few minutes later, they were all set up with a room.

“Do you have any bags, sir,” Richard asked after the receipt had been signed.

“Not this time,” Carter said, shaking his head. “Impromptu trip.”

Ally’s lips twisted up in a wry grin. That was one way of putting it.

But their lack of luggage didn’t seem to bother Richard. He smiled and swept his arm in the direction of the elevators.

Ally kept her mouth shut the whole ride up to the twelfth floor. She even bit into her lower lip to make sure that her mouth stayed that way. But the moment that Carter slid the keycard into the reader and opened the door, she couldn’t hold her aggravation back any longer.

The only problem was Ally couldn’t decide where to start. There were so many places to choose from. The false identity? The credit card fraud? Bringing them right back to the belly of the beast?

Yep. That was definitely the best launching point.

Ally pushed past Carter and stormed into the room. She balled her hands at her side as she spun around to face him.

But he was ready for her, his back propped up against the closed door, his arms crossed in front of his chest, as though he was anticipating her tantrum. But it was his raised brows and quirked lips that really irritated the hell out of her.

Did he think this was funny?

If so, the man was certifiable.

“Why the hell are we here?” she asked through tight lips.

He shrugged. “Because we needed a place to stay.”

Ally’s shoulders stiffened as red-hot fury surged through her. She was dangerously close to her breaking point. She felt hot pricks behind her eyes.

Tears? Great. That was
exactly
what she needed right now.

“Do you
want
me to throw a lamp at your head?” she asked, her voice starting to shake.

Carter’s expression turned serious. He took a step away from the door. “There are a few reasons I brought us to this hotel, but the most important is that it’s the last place that anyone is going to look for us.”

Ally tilted her head. She wasn’t sure she agreed with his opinion. She could think of half a dozen places—the dead center of Nevada sounded particularly good—that no one would ever find them. But at least his earnest answer made her more willing to hear him out.

“How can you be so sure?” she asked.

“Because Fuller and the police are going to focus on our families and known associates. They are going to stake out our workplaces and usual hangouts. They’ll be looking for hits on our bank and credit cards. They won’t concern themselves with what’s going on across the street. They won’t find us here.”

“Not unless they’re looking for Mr. Sean Ward,” she said.

“Exactly.” He walked past her to the window and opened the drapes.

Ally turned with him. For the first time she really noticed their hotel room. The place was ridiculous. They weren’t even in The Grand Capital’s best room and the suite was bigger than her apartment…by a lot.

It was a hell of a lot nicer too. The bed, the carpet, the couch—everything screamed high class. And the view…

Ally joined Carter at the window and looked across the glistening buildings and rooftops that surrounded them. The sun was starting to dip toward the horizon, setting off golden sparkles on the gentle waves of the Sacramento River.

After a minute spent staring off into the distance, Carter turned toward her. “Feeling better?”

If she was, she wasn’t about to admit it.

“I feel…exhausted,” she said.

It was the truth. Ally couldn’t remember a time that she’d ever felt so tired in her life. And it wasn’t just lack of sleep. Her brain was fried. She felt as if the last drops of fight had been drained out of her. She was tired of running. Tired of fighting. Hell, she was even tired of standing.

Carter put his hands on her shoulders and spun her around so that she faced the bed. “So sleep,” he said.

“Maybe just a little nap,” she said as he guided her over to the oversized mattress. The thing looked like a heavenly cloud, all thick and white and fluffy. It was almost impossible to resist its call.

The frame was set so high off the ground, Ally almost had to get a running start to lift herself on top. But it was worth the effort. The moment her back hit the soft down comforter, she sank into its depths. She reached up and grabbed a pillow, dragging it to her head.

“Just for a few minutes,” she muttered as she curled up. She still wasn’t convinced that this was the safest place they could be, but she figured the chances of Fuller and his men knocking down their door in the next twenty minutes was pretty low.

“Whatever you say,” Carter said, not doing a very good job of stifling his laughter as he pulled a fuzzy throw from the end of the bed and draped it over her. He must have sensed her lingering unease, because he traced his fingers down her cheek after pulling the blanket over her shoulders. “Everything is going to be all right, Ally. I promise.”

Ally tried not to read too much into the comforting gesture. It wasn’t too hard, since a moment later her eyes closed on their own, and a moment after that she drifted off.

***

It was a promise he had no right to make. Carter knew that. They were in a hell of a mess.

But telling Ally that wasn’t going to help her sleep, and she desperately needed to rest. He tried telling himself that was the real reason he’d wanted to reassure her, that she was no good to him running on fumes, that exhaustion only made her a liability.

But those were just more lies. Ones that were meant to make
him
feel better.

The truth was, he felt a strange ache in the center of his chest seeing her struggle to stay upright, to keep her eyes open for a few more minutes just because she was scared and confused. He didn’t like watching Ally suffer. He didn’t like it at all.

Some of his own discomfort faded now that she was peaceful and calm. The gentle rise and fall of her chest told him she was asleep. It hadn’t taken long. No surprise.

He brushed back a few stray strands of hair from her cheek, and she unconsciously shifted toward his touch. Carter let his hand linger for a moment on her warm skin, before forcing himself to turn away.

Little white lies might help Ally fall asleep, but they weren’t going to save her life when the bullets started flying again. To truly keep her safe, he would have to stop Fuller, but before he could do that, he needed to know what the son of a bitch was up to.

He grabbed his phone and went to the window. He looked out across the city as he dialed the office’s secure line.

Mason picked up on the first ring.

“I was wondering when you were going to get around to calling,” Mason said in lieu of a greeting.

“Is the office clear?” Carter asked.

“Affirmative,” Mason said. “The police left a few minutes after determining you weren’t hiding somewhere in the office. They didn’t leave happy though. Looks like you’re officially wanted for questioning in two shootings now.”

“So, no witnesses saw the other shooter at the Weaver’s?”

“Doesn’t look like it,” Mason said. “From the sound of it Fuller wasn’t just trying to get rid of Ally. He was also looking to pin it on you.”

“Again,” Carter added. “He won’t get away with it. Fuller can’t keep coming at us this aggressively and not leave a trail of evidence behind.”

There was a beat of silence from Mason. Apparently, his friend didn’t share his optimism.

“You disagree?” Carter asked.

“I don’t know,” Mason said. Carter could almost imagine his old friend shaking his head slowly as he spoke, just the way he used to back when they’d debated tactics at West Point. “Fuller is powerful, well-connected. He’s not known for making mistakes, just like he’s not known for forgiving them. I don’t think we’ll be able to get anyone to turn on him. Right now, everyone is more afraid of him than they are of us.”

Carter laid his palm against the windowpane. “We’ve dealt with men like him before.”

“Yeah,” Mason said. “But this one you can’t take out with a sniper bullet.”

Now, it was Carter’s turn for silence.

“Wait,” Mason said with more than a hint of anxiety in his voice. “Please tell me that’s not your plan.”

If only.

“It’s not my plan,” Carter said.

“Thank God.” Mason said, letting out a long breath. “Besides, you’d have a hell of a time getting at him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Congressman Fuller boarded a flight back to DC this morning.”

“Before the attempt on Ally’s life?” Carter asked.

“Exactly,” Mason said. “My guess is he’s betting it’s harder to pin attempted murder on a man that’s nearly three thousand miles away.”

Carter propped his fist up against the windowpane. “That just means someone else in his organization is running the operation. Any theories?”

“Well, Fuller’s Communications Director did get a promotion today for ‘his years of loyal service’. He’s now Chief of Staff.”