Sins of the Undead Patriot (44 page)
Read Sins of the Undead Patriot Online
Authors: a.c. Mason
Rubble and dust showered down on her. The monitors went blank. Vaihan had to be out of the building with the president. Didn’t he?
“Shit.” Barton shoved her into the corridor. Red flashing lights illuminated the pathway.
Voices came from the hall and footsteps echoed off the walls.
Barton pushed her forward with the barrel of his gun. “Hurry.”
As if she was going to make it easy on him to get her out of there.
“Hands up, Mr. DeGruise.” Devin stood, gun pointed at them. Around his neck hung a string with a badge.
“Get any closer, and I’m going to have to kill her.” Barton grabbed her by the neck and pointed the firearm at her temple. “Let me guess, Agent Sheehan, if that’s even your name. CIA deep cover.”
“Let her go, Mr. DeGruise.” Devin raised his gun and stepped forward.
Barton backed her up to the emergency exit door. “I don’t think so. Leera’s coming with me. Aren’t you, hon?”
“Not by choice, I’m not.” Leera pushed back into him.
He grabbed her by the hair. “Keep it up, bitch, and I’ll make sure it hurts.”
“Leera, don’t give him cause to harm you.” Devin’s eyes didn’t lower to meet hers.
Devin was an agent.
“Why don’t you tell Leera how you killed her husband, Agent Sheehan?” Barton opened the door and wedged them in the frame.
What? No... If Vaihan, via Rowley’s actions, had killed Jean, how could Devin be responsible?
“It wasn’t like that. It was an accident.” Devin lowered his gun then moved it back up. “I went to him. To explain. Rowley wanted him dead. It was my job to make that happen. I needed to get Jean into protective custody. For how long, I didn’t know. It would depend on when we could finally prove Rowley led the Army of the Living and ordered the bombings. He asked me to deal with Jean personally. Rowley didn’t want the others to become aware of Leera. I explained to Jean, his digging into Rowley’s affairs meant he needed to go away for a while. And you couldn’t go with him or Rowley would have thought I offed you too. He would have killed me, throwing away nearly a decade of work. When I told Jean he had to come with me, he ran out into the street. The car came out of nowhere. By the time the driver saw him, it was too late to stop. The car ran right into him.”
Jean had run into the street that night. That was how he’d died. Vaihan was at the wrong place, wrong time.
“Leera, I swear to you it was an accident.” Devin’s green gaze held hers.
Tears ran down her cheeks. The truth was, she’d killed Jean. If she hadn’t worked to provoke jealousy toward Rowley, Jean never would have been snooping into the man’s affairs.
What she feared the most was true.
Jean was dead because of her.
“You and your men back up, or I’ll shoot the bitch, Agent Sheehan.” He pushed and poked her.
“No need to get testy.” Devin stepped back. “This is us easing off.”
Barton had her shielding him in the doorframe. Once hidden by the wall, he shoved her into Devin.
He gathered her into his arms. “I’ve got you,
cron sceimhiuil
.”
The door drew shut with a bang. The two other agents moved in and rattled the door, to no avail.
“Head around the other way to try and cut him off,” Devin ordered. “I’ll escort Ms. Waltz.”
Leera stepped back. She didn’t know this man.
The two other agents hustled off around the corner. Their footsteps faded in the distance.
“Are you injured, Leera?”
She shook her head. Physically, she didn’t have anything beyond a few cuts and bruises. Inside, she was riddled with scars. The man before her looked like the Devin she’d known. He even sounded like him. But nothing else was the same. Not his clothing or his mannerisms or his eyes.
“You are looking at me as though I’m a stranger.” He moved toward her.
She jerked, hitting the wall behind her. “I don’t.”
“Or course you do.” He took her cuffed hands into his and unlatched them, keeping hold of her. “I’m sorry about Jean. I couldn’t tell you.”
“I don’t blame you. It’s my fault.” She tugged her hand back and crossed her arms.
Chapter 59
Flakes of ash snowed down, coating everything and everyone. Vaihan turned to find Leera wrapped in a blanket, being led out of the building by an agent from CIA’s antiterrorist division. The male’s musk was one he’d smelled on her many times recently. Her other lover.
The man held out his hand. “Special Agent Devin Sheehan.”
Vaihan took the firm grip into his and nodded.
“We cornered Barton with Leera. He aimed the gun at her head. Pulling the trigger wasn’t an option. None of us could get a clear shot at the bastard.” An Irish brogue flavored his speech. “He tossed her into us, blocked the access, and we couldn’t follow. With exits impeded due to the explosion, he might already have vacated the perimeter.”
Though his tone was professional, concern made the pitch of his voice rise. Part of him must feel as though he’d failed Leera. During their time together, a bond had formed with her that was more than the job.
Moments ago, Barton had a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. Given the size of the crater in the cityscape, Barton was a serious, unexpected threat.
Each second Barton remained free, the worse it was for all of them. “And McKie?”
Leera clutched the cover over her shoulders, trembling. A glow radiated from her. He too felt as though he’d failed her, with Barton at large.
“Shot. From the look of the wounds, Homeland Security-issued firearm, nine millimeter.” Devin headed for the parking lot.
“Freeze!” a man shouted from behind them.
Vaihan froze in place. This wasn’t the time for this. Every second counted if they had a hope of catching Barton before he moved to a secondary location.
“Place your hands on your head,” the man ordered.
Leera ran toward Vaihan, who did as the man instructed. “Agent Sheehan, do not let Leera breach the Secret Service line. In her condition, she can’t be tackled to the ground.”
With a nod, Agent Sheehan ran after Leera, pulling her into his arms.
By the time Vaihan would be able to explain the scenario to these boneheads, the evidence to help track Barton would be gone.
“Vaihan Louchian, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of the president,” the man arresting him said.
“Agent Sheehan, keep Leera safe in my absence.” As Vaihan’s temper reached its boiling point, he squeezed his fists shut and squared his shoulders.
“Vaihan, no!” Leera reached out to Vaihan.
Nothing would be right until Barton was apprehended. And the woman he loved would never be safe.
Other Lyrical Books By a.c. Mason
Aequitas II: Punishment
Aequitas
Chocolate Damsel
Wolf-Spirit Series
Chocolate Temptation
Wolf-Spirit Series
His Mortal Soul
Irish Stories Collection 2012
About a. c. Mason
Born from the union of her Scottish and Belgian mother and an African American and Cherokee father, a.c. Mason’s youth was filled with dichotomies and moving from place to place. She developed a curiosity to explore, through writing, the seedy side of our nature and desires. Given her own diverse background, she writes stories that represent the world she grew up in. She is fluent in French and English. For the past eight years of her life, she has worked with one foot in the past, spanning such times as the 18th century, the Bering Strait theory to modern day, and now late Victorian, and WWII.
Her stories are the place where darkness meets human desire and fairytale endings are not promised, but earned.
Sins of the Undead Patriot
9781616504113
Copyright © 2012, a. c. Mason
Edited by Mary A. Murray
Book design by Lyrical Press, Inc.
Cover Art by Renee Rocco
First Lyrical Press, Inc. electronic publication: October, 2012
Lyrical Press, Incorporated
http://www.lyricalpress.com
eBooks are not transferable. All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
Published in the United States of America by Lyrical Press, Incorporated
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