Mercenary's Perfect Mission. Carla Cassidy

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СКАЧАТЬ of her children. He had no idea what had happened to her, had no idea if she was dead or alive. He’d put the child with the other one, hidden away in a secured location until he could find out what had happened to Olivia.

      He’d had a couple of his men check her house and they had reported back that nothing seemed to be missing—no clothes and no baby items. There had been a Crock-Pot plugged in with what appeared to be Swiss steak charred to a crisp. They’d unplugged the pot but had touched nothing else.

      It was possible she’d been grabbed off the street by the FBI because of her position at the Community Center. The joke would be on them. She knew nothing except how to schedule therapy sessions for him with the locals or renting out the space in the basement that was used for weddings and celebrations.

      They’d get nothing from her that could harm him. She’d been simply the office help, although he’d been close to turning her completely, and once that happened he wouldn’t have minded a little intimate time with her. She’d been a hot little number despite her two brats.

      Whatever had happened to her, it had appeared she’d had every intention of returning home the day that she had disappeared. If he didn’t hear from her soon, he would make the appropriate plans for Ethan. He would fetch a lot of money, a handsome little boy in perfect health. Just this thought alone made him feel more in control.

      He was going to be fine. The people against him would eventually drift away and he would continue his work here in Cold Plains. He wouldn’t be satisfied until everyone in town sported the small D tattoo on their hip that marked them as his.

      Chapter 3

      By six o’clock that afternoon, Micah realized they didn’t have enough diapers for Sam. “I feel terrible,” Olivia said as several of them sat at the table. “I have a huge box at home, but I never got a chance to go back there and grab anything before I took off.”

      “Not a problem,” Micah said. “I’ll sneak into town tonight to your house and grab whatever it is you need.”

      June gasped. “Micah, you know you’ll be shot on sight.”

      He smiled, a mirthless gesture that didn’t lighten the dark green hue of his eyes. “They’d have to see me to shoot me.”

      “I don’t want to put anyone in danger,” Olivia protested.

      He hadn’t seen her since their discussion that morning. Most of the time in the afternoons, Micah went to one of the darkest, smallest rooms in the cave and slept so he’d be prepared to stay up through the night when he could use the cover of darkness to explore Cold Plains.

      “I’ve been in town after dark several times before. It shouldn’t be too great a challenge to get into your house, grab some things and then get out,” Micah replied.

      June looked at him dubiously. “You could always drive into Laramie and pick up whatever is needed.”

      “That’s fifty miles away,” Micah replied. “Besides, I intended to go in tonight anyway and see if I can find out where they might be keeping your son. I’ve already put out the word to FBI agents working the case that we’re looking for the whereabouts of a three-year-old. All I really need from you is a list and a location and a house key if you have it. I’d rather go in through the door than break a window that might draw unwanted attention to your place.”

      “As important as the diapers are, I need you to find Ethan.” Her eyes were simmering pools of emotion, pools that if he wasn’t careful he felt like he might fall in.

      He knew nothing personal about Olivia Conner. He had no idea what had brought her to Cold Plains, what had happened to the father of her children or who she was at her core. But, what he did know was that she drew him as a woman, not as somebody to be used to further his goals.

      There was something about Olivia Conner that reminded him that he was more than just a mercenary, more than a hunter seeking the source of a deadly disease named Samuel in a small town.

      Something about her softness, her aura of vulnerability reminded him that he was also a thirty-eight-year-old man who had basically been alone for all of his life.

      “I just don’t want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt on my account,” she said.

      “Trust me, I have no intention of getting hurt,” he replied smoothly. “Just make me a list of things you want and as soon as it gets dark, I’ll go in.” He got up from the table, both uncomfortable with her nearness and knowing he needed to get some sleep before night.

      He decided to check in with Hawk and used his radio to call the agent. Cell phone usage was impossible amid the mountains and beneath the cave. So, old-fashioned handheld radios were still the best form of communication between the agents hiding out in the area.

      Minutes later, Micah left the cave entrance and made the long trek down the narrow passageway that would eventually lead him to the forest where he’d found Olivia and Sam.

      He got to the meeting place first and stood watchful, as usual listening for sounds of anyone else nearby. An unexpected bullet to the head had not only left him with killer migraines and a burning need for revenge, but also a heightened awareness of his surroundings. Never would anyone sneak up on him again.

      Normally he didn’t hear Hawk’s approach until he was almost on top of the meeting place, but this time he heard the snap of a dried twig and the faint whisper of feet against the forest floor.

      He held his gun, alarmed by the unusual noise and then relaxed only slightly as the sandy-haired, brown-eyed FBI agent appeared. He wasn’t alone. Beside him was a somber-looking dark-haired man with pain-filled brown eyes.

      “It’s okay,” Hawk said, indicating that Micah could put down his gun. Micah pointed the barrel to the ground, but didn’t holster it. “This is Dr. Rafe Black and he wanted to speak to you personally.”

      Micah knew that Rafe and Darcy were a couple and he also knew that Rafe was one of the good guys, helping to not only bring down Samuel, but also desperately seeking the child he’d never met but was certain existed. Rafe had his own practice in town and treated anyone who needed medical attention while walking a fine line between pretending to be part of the cult and actively working against them.

      “I’m looking for my son,” Rafe said without preamble. “I had a photo of him, but it has mysteriously vanished. In the picture he was about three months old and he has brown hair and brown eyes like me. He’d be about nine months old now.”

      “I heard from Darcy that you thought he’d been found,” Micah said.

      Rafe nodded. “They tried to fool me by giving me somebody else’s child and pretending it was my Devin, but the real father came back and reclaimed his son.”

      “And you’re sure Devin really exists?” Micah asked. Darcy had told him that Rafe had learned about his son when Abby had called him and that he’d sent money via Western Union for her and the child. Sounded like a potential scam to Micah.

      Rafe’s eyes darkened. “Definitely. Abby wasn’t the kind of woman to lie. Besides, if Devin didn’t exist, then why did somebody in Cold Plains go to so much trouble to force a man to give up his own son to replace mine?”

      “Good point,” Micah conceded.

      Rafe СКАЧАТЬ