Protecting Ainsley Read online

  “I’m sorry, man. It sucks, but you have an even bigger problem because the reports I’m seeing is that you’re responsible for your team’s death. That you are working with Ainsley and have been for months. Or at least that’s the speculation, so you’ll be treated as hostile wherever you go.”

  “That’s fucking impossible. I didn’t know her until three weeks ago when I met her in Mexico.”

  “But you’ve met her father, and they have a picture of you talking with him in private at a party. It looks like he’s giving you something.”

  Keanu dropped his back to the brick wall. The pain rattled his teeth, but he needed to waken his brain, and that seemed to be the best way to do so. “He gave me a letter from the soldier my team rescued. That was it. If I spent more than fifteen minutes with Captain Emerson, I would be shocked.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Someone is putting those words in your commander’s ears.”

  “He should have contacted me by now,” Keanu said. “I’ve had a bad feeling ever since he told me to hide out until further notice.”

  “Do you remember my buddy Mozart?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “He’s got a good friend who is with the Air Force. She and her husband are stationed at Patrick Air Force Base. I’ve already contacted them. They set up a safe house for you. I’m sending you the information now. Tex is doing some digging. If anyone can find out what’s really going on, it’s him. Reach out when you get to Indian Harbor Beach.”

  “You don’t have to stick your neck out for me.”

  “You’d do the same if the tables were turned,” Wolf said.

  “I know and I hate to ask this, but Ainsley’s twin died in a scuba accident that she believes wasn’t an accident at all and believed she was the target. Could you have Tex look into those reports as well?”

  “He’s already started. I just emailed you a preliminary report. We’ve got your back. Be safe.”

  Keanu pulled up his email and scanned the file, which made for interesting reading. It made Ainsley look guilty as hell, but it was too neat.

  He stuffed the phone in his back pocket and stepped back into the hotel room. He stared at the sleeping beauty. So much of this didn’t settle right in his gut. He’d seen and read many a conspiracy theory, and usually they were just that, but something didn’t add up when it came to what happened to Ainsley.

  Whatever happened, he needed to protect Ainsley.

  “Wake up.” He shook her leg.

  She bolted upright and let out a loud gasp. “What the hell?”

  “Time to go.”

  “Are you taking me in now?” she grumbled. “They won’t believe anything I have to say. They will toss me in traitor jail and throw away the key.”

  “We’re heading to a safe house near Patrick Air Force Base.”

  “I’m not going to a military base of any kind. You’ll have to kill me first.”

  He nearly burst out laughing. “Relax. I said safe house.” He trusted Wolf with his life, and he knew Tex would gather as much information on the government’s investigation regarding Ainsley Emerson, her father, and their connection with known terrorists. Everything he’d seen so far pointed to Ainsley channeling money through Andrew’s family company. But Ainsley wasn’t up far enough in the company to be able to pull off such a coup all by her little self. Besides, what motive did she have?

  Every criminal had a motive.

  Andrew had been the big blip on the radar screen, but Tex hadn’t been able to find out the extent of the inquiry and if it had anything to do with Ainsley or her father.

  She sat on the edge of the bed and didn’t move.

  “I’m not turning you in, just yet.”

  “You’re lying to me,” she said with pursed lips. “But you’re all I’ve got.”

  “Good choice.”

  He gathered their things and called for an Uber. The humid morning air gathered in his throat before slithering down to his lungs. God, he hated the South.

  His phone buzzed once at the bus terminal.

  Unknown Caller: Watch your back. There are people out there who want to take you down. Keep it off the grid.

  That made no sense, especially since the last time he got a text from the unknown caller, they demanded a report.

  Keanu surveyed the terminal, scanning for anyone who looked like him, but blended. Heck, everyone blended. The entire station was filled with what appeared to be cardboard cutouts for humans. Either they sat stiff and rigid, staring at nothing, or they hid behind their tablet, or worse, they looked at him. He sat down next to Ainsley and drew her close. “Just act natural.”

  “This is fun to you, isn’t it?” she whispered.

  He leaned close to her ear. “No. It’s not. Especially since my career is on the line.” He pressed his lips against the top part of her ear. “Starting now, total honesty.”

  Her body shivered. “What does that mean?”

  “Right now, the US government thinks I’m aiding and abetting a criminal.”

  “That’s not good.” She dropped her head back on his bicep and closed her eyes. “Andrew’s family has a lot of money.”

  “So.” He rubbed his unshaven jaw. Money almost always played a role in any motive. Money and revenge.

  “Andrew does a lot of schmoozing with foreigners.” She opened her eyes and rolled her head but didn’t lift it from his arm. “I’ve seen how he is with them, and I think he uses a combination of bribery and manipulation to get them on his side.”

  He ran his hand up and down her arm, enjoying the way her skin heated his fingertips. “Johnson Industries is a global company and does a variety of things. I’m sure he had to schmooze a lot of people.”

  “Do you know what I did for Andrew? For Johnson Industries?”

  He shot her a sideways glance. “According to your file, you worked as some kind of liaison between him and the military during bidding.”

  “My father got me that job.”

  “So?” He hated it when women talked in circles.

  “FYI, I’m an Army brat.”

  “Again, so?”

  “Let me give you a brief history lesson.” She sat up, rotated her body sideways, and tucked her feet under her butt. A piece of hair had fallen out of her ponytail.

  He brushed the silky strand from her face and adjusted it behind her ear. “I’m listening.” Her face flushed.

  “Both my parents came from political backgrounds, and we’ve never had to worry about money.”

  “What does your privileged life have to do with your troubles now?” he asked, annoyed.

  “Because I’ve never had to work.”

  “Goodie for you.” No matter how hard his sisters tried to help him to ‘get it,’ he’d never understand women, much less female terrorists. Not that men terrorists were easy reads, but they usually didn’t beat around the bush. Or ramble.

  “Not really.” She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. “My dad wanted me to be more like my sister, and he had to talk Andrew into hiring me. I ended up dealing with the military contracts because of who my father was, but I kept the job because I was good at it.”

  “Could you please get to the point?” Using his peripheral vision, he made a mental note of two men, who moved into different spots. What was wrong with where they had been before?

  “I’m working on it. Both my sister and I graduated from college, but she graduated with honors, every possible award, and at least five job offers. She got busy making Daddy proud, and I got busy doing the bad twin thing.”

  “Sounds dandy.” The man to his left stuffed his tablet into his briefcase and pulled out what looked like a palm pilot. “I’m listening. Keep talking.”

  “Janet started in the foreign affairs office at Johnson Industries. She spoke three languages fluently, and she’d been wanted by every top company in the world.”

  Keanu glanced at his watch. The sun would be up in less than an hour, and the bus should be there any m
inute. “I’m getting bored again.” He kept a close eye on the man to the left.

  “I wasn’t qualified, and I don’t have a clue about half this stuff. But my sister? Johnson Industries was beneath her, but JB talked her into it, and I never liked him, so I took the job to keep an eye on her.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “A lot of reasons. Make my father happy. Make sure JB treated her right.”

  “What did JB do?” he asked, although he could guess based on his military background.

  “Consulted mostly with the military contracts and worked as a liaison with the military.”

  “That all makes sense.” Her sister worked in her field of expertise, and so did JB. He wondered what Ainsley’s area of expertise was. “What was your degree in?”

  “Why?”

  “Just a question.”

  “Why does it matter what I did in college?” She ran her hands up and down her thighs.

  “You said your father got you the job. Were you not qualified?”

  “I have a degree.” She scowled. “It shouldn’t matter in what.”

  “Hey. I’m just trying to hear your side.”

  “My degree is in Theatre Arts with a minor in Dance.”

  He opened his mouth but couldn’t manage to form words. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, you weren’t qualified.” But what a great cover.

  His oldest sister Gina had been a dancer, a good one too. She’d even spent a couple of years working for a cruise ship. His own mother still did local theatre, and as a young woman, she’d performed in a few B-rated movies. Of course, he’d never get into what he could do on the dance floor. His men would never let him live it down.

  Keanu certainly didn’t discount her choice in possible careers. Being able to act or pretend to be other people, he viewed as an asset in the business of espionage. Probably in any business. It certainly had helped him many times.

  Which made Ainsley a dangerous woman in more ways than one.

  She folded her arms across her chest and scowled. She didn’t look hurt, just pissed. “Are you done staring at me?”

  He cleared his throat, taking the opportunity to watch the man to his left get on another bus. Five other people got on, leaving two older ladies, one biker guy, and a young couple sucking face in the corner. “Why didn’t you go to Hollywood? Or New York? Or even Vegas?”

  She slumped into the bench as large black tires attached to a bus screeched to a halt a few feet from them.

  He waited a few moments for an answer, but when he got none, he asked, “What did you do before you went to work for Andrew?” He really needed to go back to asking specific questions.

  “This and that.” She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “My father loved me, but he got tired of me drawing the wrong kind of attention to myself. He wanted me to be more like my sister,” she said again.

  “Why was it so important for you to be like her?”

  She shrugged, which annoyed him. “Doesn’t matter anymore because she’s dead.”

  “It obviously matters to you, and somehow you think it has something to do with your situation now. So, if you want my help, answer my questions.”

  “He got tired of my wild ways and said he’d cut me off if I didn’t get a job. So, I did. But only because Janet started to change when she started dating JB.”

  “Change? How?” A pesky voice in the back of Keanu’s head told him Ainsley was holding out on him. It shouldn’t surprise him, but it did irritate the hell out of him.

  “She kept things from me.” Ainsley ran her fingers through her hair. “I thought I knew her. But after she came to me when JB had… gotten rough with her—”

  “What do you mean rough?” She’d finally piqued his interest.

  “I only know that they fought, and he hit her. So, I took Janet to Saint Croix for a week. Jerk followed us.”

  “This is our bus.” He took her hand and led her onto the bus. “Back seat.” Solve a problem by going on a vacation. Seems the Emerson sisters had made a habit out of running.

  “Keep talking.”

  “You believe me now?”

  “Let’s just say, curiosity killed the cat,” he mumbled.

  “Killed my sister too,” she said, then fell back into the seat next to the window.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Does it matter? She’s dead.”

  “It matters.” He glanced at her. Her eyes filled with grief. He wanted to find out more about her sister. Somehow, Janet seemed to be a huge player in Ainsley’s motivations and problems. Except whatever Janet knew, she had taken to the grave. Same with her father.

  “After she told me about what she thought JB was up to, she couldn’t let it rest.”

  Footsteps drew his attention to the people getting on the bus. Cute couple, two old ladies, and biker guy settled themselves in seats. Then he studied the four other passengers that he hadn’t seen at the terminal.

  “Neither could you.”

  “That’s true, but I’m alive, and she’s dead, and I can’t help but think it was supposed to be the other way around.”

  Survivors guilt. He understood that. But he couldn’t help but wonder what fate her sister would have had if Ainsley had died instead of Janet.

  The engine roared, and the bus jerked out into traffic. She rested against his shoulder, and her breathing became rhythmic and soft.

  Nine people had gotten on the bus, not one looked suspicious, making him uneasy.

  The bus bounced as it made its way down the highway. The humming didn’t drown out the rattle of metal.

  He rolled the facts around in his brain. Ainsley Emerson’s personal account had large sums of money dumped into it days before she’d left the country, then it had been cleaned out. Every penny wired to an offshore account. The offshore account had been closed on the same day Ainsley had arrived in Mexico. Three days later, she’d boarded a plane for France and disappeared.

  However, according to Ainsley, she had never left Mexico, and that is exactly where Keanu had found her. Something stunk in this scenario, big time.

  Ainsley shifted, sliding down, resting her head in his lap.

  He brushed the hair from her face. She looked very different from her tabloid pictures. Her facial features seemed softer, and she looked less made up, more natural. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his head of any and all distracting thoughts, and focused on what he knew to be true.

  Which wasn’t much.

  He had to admit, he’d always thought her father’s death seemed suspicious. The only reason he’d given it a second thought was because he’d met the man and couldn’t believe the rumors that Emerson had a drinking problem.

  Then again, people never thought he’d screw up so badly in the field. Thanks to his mistake, people died. He shook his head. That was months ago. He’d been cleared of all responsibility. There was no way to know the information he’d received had been false.

  Except he hadn’t done everything he could. He just took his source across enemy lines on face value. Something he’d never do again.

  He rubbed his neck and thought about the night he’d gone to Ainsley, offering to help her get back to the States. Her story had been lame. Hell, he hadn’t believed she’d evaded taxes. At first, he’d thought she’d fed him a line because he’d gone and asked her to come back to the States and continue their affair.

  Not such a manly thing to do after only being with a woman for two weeks. But later, when she lay asleep in his arms, he had wondered what she’d really done. His first thought had been an abusive husband or something. Not once did he think he’d been dealing with a wanted traitor.

  The investigation cited that Andrew had been caught trying to cover up Ainsley’s tracks. He’d apologized publicly, saying that he just wanted to put the sordid mess behind him. Could Andrew have used the situation to steer the authorities in the wrong direction? The direction Andrew wanted them to go in. “Damn,” Keanu
whispered.

  “Huh?” Ainsley jumped. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he said, fighting his urge to kiss her pouty lips. Besides, he couldn’t tell her any of his thoughts. Not until he knew for sure he could trust her. “When was the last time you spoke with Andrew?”

  She stared at him with a blank expression. “Not since he left me beaten in the middle of nowhere.”

  “But he knows you’re alive, right?”

  “I have no idea. I tried to keep up on the rumors about my disappearance, but no one ever reported that I was dead.” She sighed. “The best headline was that I was a mistress to some arms dealer. Heck, I don’t think I could pronounce his name if I tried, much less pick out his face in a room full of strangers.”

  Keanu glanced out the window. The sun had risen above the horizon and cast a yellowish-red glow across the morning sky. He estimated they were about twenty minutes from their final destination.

  “Are you starting to believe me?”

  He raised a brow. “You want me to answer that honestly?”

  She nodded.

  He ran a hand down his face. She was a glutton for punishment. “Yes and no.”

  “I’m not sure I understand that answer.”

  “It’s the best that I’ve got.”

  She shot him one hell of a look, with narrowed eyes and a tightened face, then turned her gaze out the window.

  When he reached for her hand, she yanked it away. She sniffled.

  “Look,” he started.

  “No, you look.” She whipped her head around. “Deep down I knew you weren’t who you said. The bartender pegged you as a mercenary, not an HP salesman. I’m not an idiot. I just wanted to get back and find the proof I need to at least clear my father’s name and maybe mine.”

  “How noble.” Pangs of guilt hammered his conscience. She’d lost everything. Maybe she hadn’t been responsible. Hell, he had to wonder if Naval Intelligence wanted her more to pump her for information about Andrew than anything else.

  But if that were the case, why was his team dead and he was on the run?

  Chapter 4