Targeted (Firebrand Book 1) (5 page)

“I thought you’d gone to sleep.”
      

He swiveled in his seat and stared at his friend Reese Alexander who was driving. “No. Just spending some time reacquainting myself with these mountains.”

Reese nodded but didn’t take his eyes off the road. “Beautiful, aren’t they? I’m glad we decided to build the new Firebrand Training Center here. I’m going to enjoy living in this part of the country.”

This was the first time Reese had mentioned the new facility since picking him up at the airport, and Ash didn’t want to get into a discussion about it just yet. Time for that after he’d tried to make some sense out of the events of last night. For right now, they needed to keep Firebrand out of the discussion. “You didn’t have to meet me, Reese. You could have left the car in valet parking like we usually do.”

Reese darted a quick glance at him and shrugged. “I didn’t have anything better to do this morning. Besides somebody woke me up in the middle of the night, and I couldn’t get back to sleep.”

“Sorry about that. I knew if I waited for a commercial flight I might not get here until tomorrow. With all that went down last night, I thought I’d better get home as soon as possible. ”

Reese pursed his lips and cocked an eyebrow. “Home? Seems like I remember you saying you never wanted to come back to St. Claire, North Carolina, or anywhere near this part of the country. Didn’t know if you could work at the new Firebrand Training Center either because it was too close to where you grew up.”

Ash sighed in resignation. No matter what they discussed, Firebrand always seemed to pop up in the conversation. “I remember all right. You’ve probably gotten tired of hearing me talk about it all these years, but last night changed things. Coming back has nothing to do with whether or not I’m going to be a part of the new training facility. It’s about my brother’s son. Lainey sounded frantic on the phone, and I keep seeing those two bodies in that storage room. I’ve got to find out what’s going on.”

“I’d say Lainey has every reason to be scared. Especially if somebody wants to kill her and her son. Just remember that any of Firebrand’s resources are available to you while you’re looking for this guy or guys, as the case may be.”

Reese’s words reminded Ash of what he’d sworn his allegiance to years ago—the brotherhood of Firebrand International. It didn’t matter whether or not he accepted the partnership in the center. There would always be ties to his band of brothers and the experiences they’d shared.

Ash rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. “You and Colt and I, we were a cocky bunch, weren’t we? Thought we were hot stuff back in the day. Three guys just out of the military who were still on an adrenaline high. We wanted to do something nobody else had by serving our country in a different way. And we made something good, didn’t we?”

A half-smile curled Reese’s lips. “Yeah, it’s good we had some high-ranking military brass as well as support at the CIA who believed in us or we never could have pulled off the dangerous covert missions we tackled.”

Ash swiveled in his seat and faced his friend. “How did we do it, Reese? How did we live to tell about the things we’ve done.”

“We lived because we swore to protect each other, and we have.” Reese took his left hand off the steering wheel and touched his right bicep. “We carry the mark to make us remember.”

Ash couldn’t feel the tattoo through the jacket he wore, but he knew the symbol was there, a sword and a flaming torch in an X. It was a part of him the same way that the brotherhood was.

His fingers tightened on his sleeve as the memories of past missions, and their casualties flitted through his mind. He closed his eyes to make the visions go away, but he knew they wouldn’t. They were a part of him, and they went with him everywhere. Even to his dreams at night.
      
“Reese, do you think my brother’s son might be  in danger because of something I’ve done?” His voice quivered as he spoke the words he’d been thinking ever since talking to Lainey last night.

“I don’t know. What makes you think that?”

“It’s just a thought. Those guys at Lainey’s house asked her about Firebrand. It stands to reason Firebrand’s connected to this some way.”

Reese’s forehead wrinkled, and he cast a quick glance in Ash’s direction. “It does make me wonder, but it could be anything. Maybe somebody has a grudge against Richard or Lainey.”

“Yeah,” Ash said. “Or it could have something to do with my father’s business that Lainey’s running now. But I can’t dismiss the possibility that it might be connected to one of our missions.” He swallowed hard. “I can’t quit thinking about those two people at the diner. What if they were killed because of me, and Lainey and her son are in danger because of something that I’ve done?”

At that moment they passed a highway sign that displayed a distance of ten miles to St. Claire, and Reese exhaled a big breath. “There’s no use speculating, Ash. Whatever it is, it won’t be long until you know.”

<><><>

Lainey glanced at the clock on the mantel in the den for the tenth time in the last few minutes. She’d never known time to drag so slowly. She closed her eyes and rubbed her hand across her forehead. The headache that had been threatening all morning had finally become a full-blown attack. She reached for the medication her doctor had prescribed for her headaches and downed one more pill with a swig from the bottle of water on her desk.

She set the water down just as Max, dribbling a basketball, bounded into the room. Lainey closed her eyes and grabbed her head with her hands. “Max, please stop that. I have a splitting headache.”

Max came to an immediate stop, looped an arm over the ball, and rested it against his hip. His bottom lip trembled at her rebuke, and a hurt look flashed in his dark eyes. “Sorry, Mom. I didn’t know.”

Remorse filled her at the sharp tone she’d used with her son. It wasn’t his fault she was so upset this morning. She reached out and patted his shoulder. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bark at you.”

He grinned, her rebuke already forgotten. “That’s all right. You’ve barked louder before. I guess I’m so excited because I got to stay home from school when I wasn’t even sick and that I’m going to see Uncle Ash, too. I’ll keep the noise level down. I promise.”

  See his Uncle Ash. He’d talked of nothing else ever since she’d told him this morning that Ash was on his way home. She’d never spoken to him about Ash until about two years ago when Max was playing in the attic and had found a box filled with pictures of Richard and Ash together. With little memory of Richard and none of Ash, he’d asked her questions about the two of them until she had thought she would go out of her mind. From that day on, he had developed a hero worship for the uncle who had to be some kind of super military operative who could take on anything that came his way. Now Max was going to meet that uncle, and she didn’t intend for him to break a young boy’s heart by proving he was nothing like the man in Max’s imagination.

Lainey forced a smile to her face and reached up and smoothed Max’s long dark hair back from his forehead. “You need a haircut. We’ll have so see about getting an appointment.”

He rolled his eyes. “Can’t we wait until after the school musical? I want to look like a guitar player in a rock band, and I need long hair.”

Lainey laughed out loud and reached up and tousled his hair. “Max, you’re ten years old, and you’re going to be in a school concert. You aren’t ready to go on a national tour yet. So we’ll save the long hair for a later time in your life.”

He grinned and nodded. “Okay. Maybe Uncle Ash will take me to get it cut.”

      
A new feeling of dread washed through her. Ash should arrive soon, and she had no idea how he was going to act toward her or Max. She couldn’t quite picture the Ash she’d known as someone who would enjoy taking a child for a haircut. For her son’s sake, she hoped Ash was cordial to him.

“Your uncle may have other things to do while he’s here, and we can’t expect to monopolize his time. So, let’s not start asking him to do things for us. Okay?”

Max nodded. “Sure, Mom. Have you heard from him this morning?”

“Not yet. I have no idea how long it will take him to get here. You’re going to have to be patient. In the meantime you can get a head start on that rock and roll career by going back to your room and practicing the solo you’re playing in the program.”

A groan rumbled in his throat. “Aw, Mom, I know that solo backwards and forward. I’m ready.” He grinned, and her heart lurched at the way his mouth turned down exactly like his father’s. “Isn’t it great that Uncle Ash will be there to hear me play?”

She put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head. “Don’t get too excited, Max. Like I said, we don’t know what he has planned or how long he’ll be here.”

Disappointment flashed in his eyes. “But he has to stay. You told me he used to play the guitar, and I want him to hear me play.”

She blinked back tears and tried to smile. “We’ll ask him. Now I have some work to do. You go up to your room and practice for a while. I promise I’ll call you downstairs when your uncle gets here.”

He backed toward the door. “You promise?”

“I do.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later.”

As Max turned and started toward the hallway, her attackers’ words popped into her mind. The next time you and your son will both end up dead. She took a step into the hallway and called out. “Max?”

He stopped and glanced back. “Yeah, Mom?”

Her heart almost stopped as she gazed at him. He was all that she had, and he was growing up right before her eyes. No matter how much Ash hated her, she had to make him protect her son.

She took a deep breath. “Is it okay for me to tell you how much I love you?”

He grinned and nodded. “Sure, as long as none of the guys are around.”

She smiled. “I won’t embarrass you in front of your friends. But remember I love you.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”

Then he was gone like a whirlwind up the steps to his bedroom. She waited a moment before she collapsed into a chair and began to cry. For a long time she’d wanted Ash to come home, then she’d hoped he would never return. Now he was on his way, and she would soon know which of her wishes had come true.

<><><>

Reese pulled to a stop next to the intercom on the wall beside the locked gate. Ash stared at the buttons he’d pushed so many times in the past. Beyond this gate stood the house he’d lived in all his life until he left for the army. He closed his eyes for a moment and willed himself to remember why he was here. It wasn’t a homecoming. He was here to protect his brother’s son.

He realized Reese had spoken, and he turned toward him. “What did you say?”

“Do you know the password?”

He shook his head. “It’s probably been changed through the years. Push that big button. Lainey will buzz us through.”

Reese complied, and within moments they stopped in front of the house. Ash let his gaze drift over the stately southern colonial with its six white columns and the curved driveway in front. He remembered the four acres at the back and the stable for the horses he and Richard had ridden when they were children. He wondered if Max rode.

“Well, you’re here,” Reese said. “Want me to come in with you?”

Ash shook his head. “I think I’d better go this one alone, buddy. But thanks.” He glanced around. “Where’s Casey and her team? I thought you were going to send them over to guard the place.”

Reese chuckled. “They’re out there on the grounds. If you need them, they’ll come into view quick enough. I’ll head back out to the Training Center and send another team to relieve them. Let me know what you need next.”

“I will.”

He reached out his hand, and Reese gripped it in the handshake that the brotherhood used. Ash glanced down when Reese didn’t release him right away. “Be careful,” Reese said.

Ash chuckled and eased his hand free. “You know me. I don’t back down from a fight.”

Reese didn’t break eye contact with him. “You’ve been backing down from one for over ten years.” He glanced at the house. “You’re about to see Lainey, and it may bring up a lot of old memories. I guess I’m just worried about you.”

Ash gritted his teeth and shook his head. “No need to worry. I’m here to take care of my brother’s son. I could care less about what happens to Lainey.”

“I’m just saying, Ash, that there’s a fine line between hate and love. Be careful.”

Ash started to respond, but instead he stepped out of the car, grabbed his bag from the back seat, and strode toward the front porch. He stopped at the bottom of the steps and waited a moment, then climbed to the porch. He reached to press the doorbell, but the door swung open before he could.

His stomach clenched at his first sight of Lainey standing in front of him. He’d convinced himself through the years that she probably looked nothing like the young girl he’d once known and loved. In fact, he doubted if he’d even recognize her if they met. But he’d been wrong. If anything, she was more beautiful than ever. The only distracting thing about her appearance was a bandage that covered the side of her neck.

Her hair was a lighter shade than the ash blonde he’d always liked, but the blue eyes still had the power to make his knees go weak. The skirt and blouse she wore had a simple look that screamed how expensive it actually was. As that thought popped into his head, he scowled. She should look good. With the whole DeHan estate in her hands now, she had enough money to keep her in the lifestyle she’d wanted from the moment they met.