Coming to Colorado (5 page)

Close to ten, a guy stepped up to his table looking sexier than any man had the right to be. His jaw was dusted with a shadow of stubble that looked messy in a well-groomed type of way. Davis was a sucker for guys that sported facial hair. Hell, he was a huge sucker for guys who successfully pulled off the artful ungroomed look this guy owned.

“Was your coffee acceptable?” The man asked as he brushed a cloth over the table and picked up the plate from in front of Davis.

“It was quite good. Your accent, I can’t place it.” This man hadn’t served him earlier, and Davis hadn’t seen him inside the café when he’d purchased his coffee and muffin. Maybe this sexy man had shown up for work recently, but he hadn’t come in the front door. Davis was still watching the building as he chatted with the man, unsure if the guy was a distraction or a plant. It was too coincidental that this man would show up at this moment.

A tingle started at the base of Davis’s spine. His internal
Oh Shit
meter went off, and Davis knew he was in trouble. The dude had distracted him, purposefully throwing him off balance.

Though Davis had left the military a few years ago, he hadn’t neglected the physical training he’d grown accustomed to. Davis ducked just as a bullet smacked the pavement behind him. With a shove from his left leg, he flipped up and scurried behind a potted plant, keeping his butt low. Before moving, he’d instinctively grabbed his computer backpack. He tugged it over his shoulders as he rested, forcing his mind to stop spinning so he could concentrate. The sexy waiter had scurried off quickly, not looking back as he ran down the street away from the danger. Someone had paid him, Davis just wondered who.

The ceramic on the other side of the pot shattered, sending shards scattering over the pavement. People shrieked, and took off running down the street and away from the chaos.

This was what he’d hated about being in a war zone. Bullets flying at him always made him feel weird. Davis squared his jaw and tightened his abs before he tucked and rolled forward, coming up beside a column. He hustled behind it, shifting to the backside of the huge post, gaining protection from the next shot.

Eventually, the cops would show, which would be terrible if he were still here. “Fuck, this sucks.” He assessed his position, realizing he was screwed. The guy across the street had him. Davis stared at the glass wall in front of him, searching the wavy reflection of the building across the street, the one where the bullets were coming from. After a few seconds of searching, he found the guy in the window, his face obscured, his head covered. Davis couldn’t tell if the person was a man or a woman, blond or dark hair, facial hair or not. His stomach turned as another shot was fired. He needed to move. There would be too many questions to answer, and too much red tape to deal with. A door opened two columns away from his position. His best escape was to run for the door, sliding in before the bastard could get another shot off.

Davis took a deep breath and dashed the eight to ten feet to the next column, praying the entire way that he wouldn’t be hit. When was safe again, he drew in a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. The bastard would be prepared for him to run, or maybe the dude was packing up his shit, hoping to leave the area before the cops arrived.

Davis glanced around again, looking for something better, but he didn’t have too many options so he moved quickly, racing to the door and inside. No more shots were fired as he traveled through the building, weaving his way down halls that twisted and turned.

Someone had made him. That they had read him so well was frightening. He hadn’t been as invisible as he’d thought. The mission was a bust. But maybe something else had gone wrong and his actions hadn’t been to blame. What the fuck had just happened? Someone, maybe someone on the inside, had spilled his information, allowing the enemy to find him. Or maybe the CIA had turned against him. He needed to go to ground before he showed his face again. Who had known about this mission and why had they tried to kill him?

Davis let his subconscious spin on the problem as he made his way out of the building. He walked a few blocks, watching cop cars and ambulances stream by. This mission was beyond fucked up. Normally, he’d call in once he was safe, but today, he didn’t think he wanted to contact anyone, least of all his handler.

With a quick check over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t being followed, Davis ducked into a crowded shopping area with a grocery store attached. He snaked his way through the aisles and headed to the bathroom.

The store cameras would pick him up if he exited through the main entrance, but as he glanced down the hallway leading toward the back of the store, it appeared to be clear of video capture devices. Once he was done removing the disguise, he’d head out the back, becoming anonymous once again on the streets of Boston. At least he’d caught one break. This mission had been fucked up since the beginning. He hated that it looked like someone on the inside had betrayed him.

After removing his shirt and jacket, taking off the extra padding and stuffing it into the backpack he’d been carrying, he removed the facial prosthetics that hid his true identity. The only real question he had was if the man shooting at him actually knew where he lived and knew what he really looked like. Once he was safe, he’d need to go over this mission with a fine-toothed comb. For the rest of the day and tonight, there could be no mistakes. He wouldn’t return to his hotel. Luckily, he traveled light and had everything he needed in his backpack. Tonight, he’d stay somewhere else, hiding from everyone he knew.

He exited the bathroom, heading to the back door used by the employees. It wasn’t the first time he’d snuck out the back, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last, but it was the first time he’d had to run when he was afraid of the people he worked with.

What had he done wrong? His disguise was solid, or he thought it was. Maybe he hadn’t been careful when he’d arrived. Or maybe he’d made a mistake taking the red line instead of a cab, or there were a thousand little things he’d messed up on or just one. It was maddening. Or possibly he hadn’t made any mistakes at all, and he’d been burned, tossed out, fed to the wolves. Davis drew in a deep breath, forcing a calm he didn’t feel. Today was going to be a very long day.

Chapter Six

Once again they’d set up everything in the den and kitchen, taking over the main rooms of the ranch. Roger looked up from the computer he’d been working on, letting his eyes adjust. Twenty-four hours of nothing but studying financial records and trying to figure out where in the hell Craig was had left him exhausted.

“I’m going to take a nap. Anyone want to take a crack at what I’ve been looking at? I’ve noted a few things that I think are interesting, but honestly, I’ve got nothing. Craig isn’t using his normal accounts or any of the aliases we know for him.”

Billy stood from the couch where he’d been napping. “I’m up to it. I’ve been asleep for...” Billy stared down at his phone screen. “I guess I’ve slept about three hours. I’m good for a bit of time. I’ll see what I can find.”

Roger nodded and headed to the room he and Grant shared. They’d made almost no headway figuring out where Craig was. The man was an enigma. He could go anywhere, hide in the most unlikely places then come out, ready to attack.

The door to their bedroom was shut, and he wondered if Grant was still asleep. He hated waking him, but he was about to drop. Roger slowly turned the handle and opened the door, trying to be silent. Grant grumbled and rolled over, pulling the covers over his shoulder.

When he’d first arrived at Wild Bluff, he hadn’t expected to find a family. Grant was more than just a guy he had sex with. He really was his husband. Hayden would have liked Grant, that much he was sure of.

“Hey, what are you thinking about?” Grant asked.

Roger hadn’t realized that Grant had rolled to face him and was watching him strip. He tugged off the rest of his clothes and moved to the bed, sliding under the sheets and getting close to his man. They hugged before Roger rested his head on Grant’s arm, closing his eyes.

“I was thinking about how much Hayden would have liked you.”

Grant laughed and kissed the top of Roger’s head. “He would have hated that I have you in my bed.”

“Yeah, but—”

“I know, you wouldn’t be in my bed if Hayden were still around.”

“Yeah, basically.”

“I love you. I’m glad Hayden took such good care of you and that he was so nice to you. It shows that he was a good man. I wouldn’t like knowing that you were with a guy who treated you like shit.”

“He was really nice. Never mean.”

“Good.”

Roger had almost drifted off to sleep when Grant moved his arm and started to slide out from under him. “You getting up?” Roger asked.

“I slept for a while. I need to get out there and see what I can find. Craig isn’t going to go away.”

“No, he isn’t.” Roger snuggled deeper under the covers, drifting off quickly.

Grant watched Roger’s facial features relax before he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. Craig just wouldn’t die. This time, if he found Craig, he’d put a bullet in the guy’s brain and his heart. He wouldn’t settle for injured, he’d make sure the guy was deader than dead.

After a quick shower, Grant left their room and went to the den. The guys were spread out, computers dotting the flat surfaces with paper covering the rest of the tables and countertops. He sighed, guessing that no one had found anything important about Craig’s location, at least not yet.

The sun was coming up, and they’d spent almost an entire night gaining no advantage. Craig was dangerous. His manipulations could easily result in their death. Maybe they should leave the ranch and hide somewhere that Craig didn’t know about. But the man was smart and would do something to draw them out.

Grant took a sip of his coffee and grabbed a biscuit and a sausage patty before moving to the table. Billy came up beside him and sat, an
iPad
in his hands.

“Hey, Grant, I think I might have something.”

“Show me.” Grant took another sip from his mug as Billy pulled up a PDF of a news article.

“Okay, I know this is a long shot, but if you look closely and read between the lines, this might be Craig.”

Grant held the iPad up so he could read as he sipped his coffee. The article was about a robbery in Virginia. He scanned the report once then a second time. “I don’t see anything.”

Billy pointed to the iPad and shook his head. “The description of the guy, look at that again.”

Once more, Grant studied the description. He closed his eyes and breathed out. This could be nothing, or everything. Grant stood, knowing that this was the biggest break they’d had so far. He moved to the center of the room, his heart pounding. They needed answers, not loosely gathered clues that may turn in to nothing. They had to take the chance with this and investigate the lead, because right now it was all they had.

“Okay, everyone, listen up. I got this from an article Billy found. A day after the crash on the boarder of Tennessee and Virginia, a gas station was robbed. The guy took essentials. It might be Craig. This is a very long shot, but we need to check it out.”

“I’ll call the gas station and see if they have any video,” Zander said.

“Send us all the link to the article. We’ll see what we can plot out,” Duff said.

A map of Tennessee and Virginia was pulled up on the big screen television. Grant stared at the path Craig would have had to take. “We need to get eyes on the ground.”

“Who wants to travel?” Duff asked.

“We need people here,” Marshal said. “I’ll stay and keep looking.”

“I’m ready to travel,” Mike said.

“I’ll go,” Roger piped in.

Grant glanced up, his heart racing as fear filled him. If Craig knew about Roger, he would want to hurt him. But Roger was a professional and could take care of himself.

“I thought you were asleep,” Grant said.

Roger shrugged. “I was too keyed up.”

“Mike and Roger, you two are on. Grab your bags, have I’ve got a surprise for you.” Duff slapped his hands together and rubbed them, his eyes twinkling.

“What’s going on?” Grant asked.

“I’d planned on telling you all in a couple of days, but we don’t have time to wait. I bought a helicopter. They delivered it last night to Colorado Springs. It was flown into a small airport near Pueblo this morning. All you have to do is drive into Pueblo, and then someone can fly Roger and Mike to Colorado Springs. It should take less time for us to travel now.”

“Really? When were you going to share this?” Grant asked.

“Probably tomorrow. We’ve been busy. I know that means you don’t have time for a test flight, but I think you guys can handle it. Tucker, could you fly them to the airport then bring the helicopter back to Wild Bluff. We can store it in the barn that isn’t being used. I also have a new contract with an outfit in Colorado Springs for a private jet. I’ll call the company and get a plane ready.”

“Awesome. Let me go grab my bag and I’m ready,” Roger left the den and Grant followed.

When he stepped into the bedroom, he pulled Roger into a tight hold. “Don’t fucking die on me.”

“Babe, I’ll be careful.”

“It’s Craig.” Grant’s head hurt and his heart pounded. He wouldn’t be happy until Roger was back home, safe in his arms.

“I know. I won’t let him win.”

“Shoot on sight. He’s deadly. We can get you out of any charges or trouble with the law. Craig needs to die.”

“Babe, I’ll take care of it. If I find him, I won’t let him hurt any of us, not you or anyone else on the ranch, ever again.”

Grant slid his lips over Roger’s, almost wishing that he’d spoken up first. But he knew Duff wouldn’t let him face Craig again. He’d messed up once, and he wouldn’t get another chance.

*~*~*

Billy heard the truck start as he studied the information in front of him. He had no idea where Craig was headed, but he was going to figure it out. First, he’d check all flights from that area in the last week against all of Craig’s aliases or anyone paying cash for a ticket. There were a surprisingly large number of travelers paying by cash, but he ignored any who were women or traveling in pairs. No one matched Craig’s description.