Confessions (13 page)

When he reached to unlock the trunk, Luke felt the

barrel of the gun lift away from his head. Now or never, he

screamed to himself as he ducked and swung out. He

managed to land a punch to Jeffries’ chin a moment before

the gun slammed against the side of his head.

Luke was stil reaching for Jeffries when he slid to the

gravel below. No, not this way, he said to himself just

before losing consciousness.

* * * *

eyes. For several moments he caught snatches of his

surroundings before his eyes fluttered shut again. House,

he knew he was in a house.

“Wake up! I don’t have al day!”

Luke tried once more to focus. Jeffries’ face was the

only thing in his line of vision. No thanks, he’d rather go

back to sleep.

A kick to his knee caused Luke to cry out in pain. “You

sonofabitch!”

“Do I have your attention?” Jeffries asked.

Luke tried to reach for his injured knee, but couldn’t

move his hands. He looked down to find both arms tied to a

chair. “Untie me.”

Jeffries cackled. “Sure, buddy, anything you want.” He

laughed again before holding a wicked looking hunting

knife in front of Luke’s face. “This belongs to your boyfriend,

so I think it’s only right we use it for our little game, don’t

you?”

“Fuck you!” Luke tugged against the restraints, trying

to free himself. He hissed when the sharp blade made a cut

across his forearm.

Jeffries laughed and shook his finger. “Now calm

down so I can tel you the rules of our game.”

It wasn’t hard for Luke to see he was at Jeffries’

mercy, so he stil ed. “I don’t like games.”

“You’l like this one.” Jeffries pursed his lips. “Wel ,

maybe not, but I’l like it.” He held the knife up once more.

“Now, here are the rules. I’m going to ask questions. Every

time you don’t answer, I get a point. If you answer with one

of your typical smartass remarks, I get a point. Oh, and by

the way, I’m keeping score on your body. So…shal we

begin?”

Luke had no doubt Jeffries would kil him once he had

the information he wanted, so what was the point of

playing? No way in hel would he give Priest up. If Luke was

going to die, and least he could do his best to keep Priest

alive.

“Where exactly is your boyfriend?” Jeffries asked.

“Probably fucking your mamma.” Luke gritted his

teeth when Jeffries drew the blade down his calf.

“Wrong answer.” Jeffries reached for a T-shirt on the

nearby bed and wiped the blood from the knife. “Let’s try

again. Where. Is. Priest?”

Luke shook his head. When the cold steel sliced

across his upper arm, Luke fought to keep his reaction

hidden. He may not be able to stop his own death, but he

refused to give Jeffries the satisfaction of knowing how

much pain he was in.

“Stupid man,” Jeffries admonished. “I’l find him

anyway. Do you real y want Priest to know you suffered like

this? What do you think that’l do to him?”

Luke tried to think of the situation from Priest’s point

of view. He hated to admit it, but Jeffries was right. It would

probably crush Priest to know Luke had been tortured until

he’d drawn his last breath.

“Okay, let’s try a different question. Priest has files

that I need. Tel me where he keeps them, and I’l think

about letting you live long enough to see your lover once

more.” Jeffries smiled. “That is, until I remove his eyes from

their sockets. I want him to hear your screams before I kil

him.”

When Luke didn’t answer right away, the blade dug

deeper into his skin as it sliced down his chest. Blood

began to flow from the wound. At the rate Mr Sadistic was

going, Luke would be dead before he had a chance to see

Priest anyway.

Stil , Luke knew if he had any chance of survival, it

would be with Priest’s help. Before Jeffries could inflict

another wound, Luke made a decision. “He has a storage

unit somewhere. I heard him mention it, but I don’t know

where it is.”

Jeffries wrapped the T-shirt around the blade of the

knife. Using the cloth as protection for his hand, Jeffries

lifted the knife. The heavy handle swung down, landing a

blow against Luke’s head.

* * * *

from the windows with his back to the wal and ordered a

cup of hot tea. For hours, he’d thought of nothing but Luke

and the situation they’d found themselves in.

The waiter returned with his tea. “Can I get you

anything else?”

Priest shook his head, his thoughts on the phone in

front of him, the desire to talk to Luke overwhelming. The

need to hear Luke’s voice, more than anything, helped

convince Priest his feelings were indeed genuine.

In the past, the men he’d slept with hadn’t invaded his

thoughts once he’d left their beds. It was different with Luke.

Not only had the memories of his brief encounter with Luke

driven him to buy a house and return to Cattle Val ey, but

the more time he spent with Luke, the more he wanted.

Once again, he tried to picture himself settling down

in Wyoming. The domestic side of such a life didn’t concern

him. The professional aspect did. Final y giving up, Priest

picked up the new prepaid phone and cal ed Luke.

The phone rang four times before it was answered.

“It’s about time you cal ed to check in with your toy,” Jeffries

said.

Priest’s heart skipped a beat as his hand tightened

around the phone. “You have no fucking idea what you’ve

just done,” he growled.

“I’m afraid I do. You see I find myself in a bit of a jam,

and since you haven’t responded to any of my cal s, I saw

no other way to get your attention.”

“You’re dead,” Priest announced. Never in his life had

he wanted to kil someone, until now.

“So is pretty boy here if you don’t do what I tel you to

do. You see, poor Luke didn’t hold up wel under

interrogation. I would let you talk to him, but he’s indisposed

at the moment.”

The thought of Jeffries laying a hand on Luke further

fuel ed Priest’s rage. There was no doubt in his mind

Jeffries would end up dead, but Priest needed to ensure

Luke wouldn’t be harmed further until that moment. “What

do you want?”

“Why, you, of course. Oh, and the files I know you

keep after doing a job. I’ve searched your entire house and

can’t find them, which tel s me you’re storing them

somewhere else. Your little boyfriend confirmed it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I destroy files

once the job has been completed.” It was a lie, of course.

Priest had an entire storage unit ful of file cabinets in a

smal town in Iowa. The only file he hadn’t had time to store

was the one on Alhena and that was taped under the seat

of the minivan.

“I’m not a fool, Priest. I know you think of those written

orders as a get out of jail free card.”

Priest needed to stal Jeffries. “Why’d you turn

traitor?”

“Traitor is such an ugly word. I prefer opportunist.

There was a lot of money to be made that the agency

wasn’t taking advantage of. I saw a need that wasn’t being

properly cultivated and decided to go into business for

myself.”

“So why drag me into it?” Priest asked. He spotted

Sul y walking into the bar. Although he was in disguise,

Sul y was never able to hide his true beauty under a beard,

bal cap and baggy clothes. Priest stood and motioned

Sul y over, the action obviously surprising the assassin. No

doubt Sul y was ordered to arrive early and blend in with the

crowd.

“Not only are you the best, but you do what you’re

ordered without question. An admirable trait for a soldier,

but also an easy trait to exploit.”

Sul y approached Priest. At the same time, they

opened their coats to let the other know they were armed, a

professional courtesy. Priest put his finger to his lips and

indicated the phone.

“So, if I bring you these files you believe I have, you’l

let Luke go without harm?” Priest asked. The subtle lift of

Sul y’s eyebrows told Priest he’d worked out what was

going on.

“I think you mean further harm, don’t you?” Jeffries

asked. “But I’m not stupid enough to take you on in your

home territory. As we speak, I’m on the move. Tel me, in

which direction should I drive?”

Priest bit the inside of his cheek. “Head east towards

Nebraska. I’l cal once I’ve made travel arrangements.”

“Don’t take too long. It’s awful y chil y this time of year.

I’d hate for your lover to catch his death. And, I think it goes

without saying, I know al your tricks. Try to double-cross me

and I won’t hesitate to take it out on Luke.”

“You obviously don’t know me as wel as you think you

do, otherwise you would know I wouldn’t put my life and

career in jeopardy over a piece of ass.”

“Oh, so you wouldn’t mind if I stopped and kil ed him

now?”

Did he cal Jeffries’ bluff or do whatever it took to

ensure Luke’s safety? “No. You harm another hair on his

head, and I’l make sure your death is slow and painful.”

“Big talk for someone who doesn’t hold the trump

card.”

Trump card? Did Jeffries have something else up his

sleeve? “What’re you talking about?”

“You don’t think you’re the only one with files, do you?

Of course mine have al been doctored to implicate you as

the mastermind behind our little side business.”

Seated across from him, Sul y spoke softly into a

microphone hidden somewhere on his body.

“Head towards Nebraska,” Priest barked before

hanging up. He met Sul y’s gaze. “I guess you’ve already

worked out who that was?”

Sul y nodded. “Midnight’s on his way in.”

“Just Midnight? I thought I was supposed to meet the

Director.”

Sul y shook his head. “Pipe dream, brother. The

Director is a phantom. No one but Midnight even knows

who he is.” He stood and wrapped on the tabletop with his

knuckles. “I’l leave the two of you to your meeting, but I

won’t be far.”

“Of course not.” Priest took a drink of his cooling tea.

Midnight walked into the pub like a man without a

care in the world. As usual, he was impeccably dressed in

an expensive black wool business suit. Although Midnight

strode through the late lunch crowd with a smile on his face,

Priest knew Midnight was seething. His pale blue eyes

narrowed as he neared Priest. “Sul y tel s me you’ve been

talking to Jeffries,” Midnight accused as he sat down.

“Jeffries has Luke.”

“No he doesn’t.” Midnight waved away the waiter

before he could open his mouth.

“How do you know that?” Priest asked. Did he dare

hope Luke remained safe at home, unharmed?

“Because Luke’s with the Director.”

Luke groaned as he came to. Why the fuck did I

insist on jogging, he asked himself for the hundredth time.

His bruised and bleeding body protested each bump in the

road as he travel ed hogtied in the trunk of Jeffries’ rental

car.

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against

the spare tyre. When Jeffries had surprised him in the al ey

behind O’Brien’s, Luke had done his best to fight the man

off, but quickly discovered he was no match for a gun

pointed at his head.

Biting his lower lip, Luke fought to stay conscious. He

didn’t remember being put into the trunk of the car. His

thoughts swung from his own fate to Priest. If Priest

managed to survive whatever Jeffries had planned, would

he ever forgive Luke for betraying him? Not that it would

real y matter since Luke had no doubt he was being driven

to his grave.

The car slowed to a stop, and Luke held his breath.

Was it time? Several seconds ticked by, and he began to

wonder if Jeffries had decided to abandon the car in the

middle of nowhere with him stil in the trunk.

A loud noise echoed in his head a split second before

the trunk was opened. Luke looked up at the man looming

over him. “What’re you doing here?”

“No time for that. Let’s get you the hel out of here.”

* * * *

asked. He imagined Luke sitting in one of the holding