“You know who?”

  “No. But Data and Zora are working with Giovanni. They’ll figure it out, of that I have no doubt. Once we do, we’ll hit the son of a bitch first, then take out his assassin.”

  “I’ve got a big-ass truck. I can load her up and head out in thirty. We’ll meet the boys on the road.”

  “That’ll probably be best. You alert enough to do this on your own?”

  “Had a couple hours’ sleep already. I can make it until we meet the boys. It will cut down the time we have without an escort in half.”

  “Good, then. Let me know the second you’re on the road. You’ve got thirty.”

  He packed Suzie’s laptop and a change of clothing before waking her gently. She murmured sleepily, but wrapped her arms around his neck without protest when he lifted her. Thank God the garage was attached to the house so he didn’t have to take her out into the open. Even though it went against what he’d normally do, Stunner put her in the back seat, asleep on her side, and tucked her in with a quilt. He kissed her temple before shutting the door and climbing into the driver’s seat.

  The truck he’d brought was a black Ford F-350 dual cab. The extra room should be comfortable enough she would sleep for a few hours. Thank goodness, too, because Stunner had to think.

  The question was, who had done this? He could guess the why. But he honestly couldn’t imagine who because he’d never left anyone alive who would come after him or El Diablo. That had been part of his job.

  As he headed down the interstate, he cursed himself all kinds of a fool. He’d known something like this would happen. It didn’t matter that he’d taken all the precautions he could, killed everyone he’d had to, he still had no right to put Suzie in this situation. He glanced back at her sleeping form. She looked like an angel laying there. So beautiful. Innocent of the things he’d done in life. She’d never hurt anyone. And she’d been hurt far too much early in life.

  Stunner made a vow then. No matter what, he’d eliminate the threat to her, come clean with her father, and take whatever punishment he had to before he left. Then he’d make sure she was never in this kind of danger ever again.

  Then he had a thought.

  No. No, that couldn’t be right.

  Taking out his burner, he called El Diablo himself. The bastard answered on the first ring.

  “Wondered when you’d call to tell me to back off.”

  “So, did you put out the hit in Salisberry’s name or take it for him?”

  “Neither. But I’ve been watching.”

  “Well, don’t. I need you to back off.”

  Stunner could almost see the other man’s grin. “Now, why would I do that? Someone has to keep an eye on you. You tend to get into trouble without it.”

  “Now ain’t the time, motherfucker. Just back the fuck off!”

  There was a silence before El Diablo spoke. “You haven’t come clean, have you.” It wasn’t a question. When Stunner didn’t respond, El Diablo continued. “You can always come home. Bring your woman with you. She’ll be welcomed as well.”

  “I’ve never asked you for anything. But I’m askin’ you now. Back. Off.”

  Before El Diablo could reply, or Suzie could wake up, Stunner snapped his phone shut. No sense tossing it out the window. It was obvious Stunner was headed back to Somerset and the Bones clubhouse. Hell, with El Diablo keeping tabs on him, the bastard probably knew the club was meeting Stunner to escort him and Suzie home.

  There was so much rage and frustration pent up inside Stunner, he wanted to yell and pound the steering wheel. Fuck. He wanted to get out and find someone to take out his anger on. Hell, a tree would do. But he couldn’t. He had to put distance between Suzie and Cambridge. And he had to bring them both closer to his brothers. Once they found out about Stunner, they might choose not to help him, but they’d never turn their back on Suzie. She needed their protection more than he did. He could take care of himself. Thank goodness, too, because it looked like he was going to be on his own.

  * * *

  Suzie had never slept so soundly. She had no memory of Stunner putting her in the truck or of them leaving the house. But she found herself three hours out of Cambridge by the time she woke.

  She climbed over the center console and into the passenger’s seat. As she snapped her seatbelt she glanced at Stunner. He’d been unfailingly kind, but he’d closed himself off like he used to. It was funny that she thought of it like that. “Like he used to” meant before the last two weeks. She’d gotten used to him sharing everything on his mind. She loved it.

  Now, he was still affectionate -- he’d hardly let go of her hand since she’d settled herself -- but he hadn’t offered information. She’d refrained from asking because she trusted him to let her know what she needed to know.

  He stopped when he realized she was awake, but only long enough for her to pee beside the road. She protested loudly, but he calmly told her they couldn’t risk stopping anywhere there were cameras. Naturally, she’d demanded to know why, but he’d just said he’d explain later. She’d huffed and muttered but had done her business and climbed back in the truck, and they were off again.

  Once on the way, he’d explained that they were in danger but didn’t know all the particulars. She got the feeling that was the strict truth, but that there were layers he was omitting. Still, she trusted him to do what needed to be done to protect them both.

  To pass the time, she’d taken out her laptop to get some work done. Thanks to the little Internet hotspot Data had put together for her, she had decent Internet access. She worked for about two hours before a message popped up on her screen.

  D Bonez: Stay on the DL. Stand by.

  Data. Telling her to keep quiet and stand by? What the hell? She almost said something to Stunner, but he didn’t look like he could take any more. He still reached over occasionally to rub her knee or put his hand around the back of her neck to knead her muscles gently, but he really looked like he was at a breaking point. A few minutes later Data contacted her again.

  D Bonez: Sending encryption to your hotspot. Log on and follow the breadcrumbs.

  She acknowledged and did as he told her. The message she retrieved chilled her to the bone. Someone was stalking Stunner. Not her. Whatever it was, was personal. And highly sophisticated. Together, Data and his wife, Zora, had managed to find some information but not enough to lead to a source. By them bringing Suzie in on the work, she knew they’d reached the end of anything they could do. She knew from experience that they’d likely used Giovanni, too. They were concerned and, really, anybody this intent on keeping hidden wasn’t up to anything good. By giving this to Suzie, they acknowledged that they knew she’d keep digging until she figured it out. No matter what.

  So she started digging through the dark web. Double checking the work already done and using it to form her own leads.

  A few hours later, they met up with Bohannon, Sword, Viper, and Trucker. Or rather, it was more like she and Stunner never stopped and the other four turned around on the interstate and caught up to them. And that was it. Until that mad dash from Cambridge to Somerset, Suzie had never understood the term “hard driving.” Hard driving was basically going as fast as they dared without getting noticed by the cops, and not stopping the entire trip. Even gas for the truck and bikes had been hauled with them in gas cans Trucker had in the bed of his truck.

  And still she worked.

  Through it all, Suzie did as she was told and clung as tightly as she dared to Stunner when she could while she worked. Every time she reached for him, she knew she clasped him tighter and tighter. She had the feeling he was slipping away from her, and she had no idea why.

  “You good, baby?” The question caught her off guard. He hadn’t spoken much during the entire trip, but he clung to her hand as hard as she did to him.

  “Not really. What’s happening, Stunner?” They were about fifteen minutes from the clubhouse and safety, and she was no closer to finding who was watching Stunner than she had been ten or so hours earlier. This was a conversation they should have had hours ago, but she’d wanted to give him every opportunity to do this on his own. Before they had to face the others, however, she had to get this out.

  “I told you all I know.”

  “I’ve known you a long time. That’s the first time you’ve ever truly lied to me.” It hurt, and she didn’t hide it from him. She thought she understood, but it didn’t make it any less painful.

  He didn’t wince. The old Stunner she’d always known was back. Closed off as ever.

  “We’re almost home. You’ll be safe there.”

  “I’m safe with you, Stunner,” she said, backing up and trying again from a different angel. “No one, not even my dad, could protect me better than you. We’re a team. Right?”

  “Yes,” was all he said.

  “You’ve got to meet me halfway. I can take anything you tell me, but you’ve got to tell me all of it. Now. Before we have to face my father.”

  “I’ve got this. That’s all you need to know.”

  Desperate, she decided to take the plunge. “Data gave me access to something he, Zora, and Giovanni have been working on. Did you know you have a stalker? Whoever they are, they’re watching every single move you make.” His gaze jumped to hers, but he said nothing, just slid his focus back to the road. But that muscle in his jaw ticked like crazy, and his eyes got a wild look to them. Yeah. He knew he was being hunted. And he did not want her to know who it was. “You know who it is. Don’t you?”

  “No.”

  “You’re lying again.” She was going to cry. She was losing him. And it worse than sucked.

  “Suz, just let it go. Please. For me.”

  “Someone put a hit on you, and you’re being stalked! I can’t let this go! If they find you. If they…” She swallowed. “If they kill you…”

  “They won’t. And it’s not the same person stalking me that put the hit on me. Just… just trust me on this. Please, baby.”

  She gave him what she knew was a desperate, panicked smile. “I can’t risk it, Stunner. Please, just tell me and we’ll fix it. Whatever it is. We’ll fix it together.”

  Just her luck. He pulled onto the driveway leading to the clubhouse and fucking floored it. He was going to shut off this conversation any way he could. Since she wouldn’t stop, he was forcing the issue.

  They skidded to a stop, and Stunner shoved the door open. He stalked around to her side and helped her out. “Listen to me, Suzie.” He glanced around, noting where everyone was. The whole of Bones were on alert, but gave Stunner and Suzie the seconds they needed. “This is all part of my past. All of it. Well, not the assassin part. That’s all the Salisberrys. But this person watching me. It’s all in the past. I swear, it won’t touch you, but you’ve got to just let it go.”

  She shook her head. “If you’re in danger from someone and I can stop it, you know I’m going to.”

  “I’m begging you, Suz. Let. This. Go.”

  Instead of waiting for an agreement, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her fiercely. She could have been imagining things, but she thought she felt his body trembling. Could have been her own, though. Because tears leaked from her eyes, and she was silently sobbing. He held her a few more moments, then turned, pulling her with him by the hand, and headed inside the clubhouse.

  After leaving Suzie in Somerset, Stunner spoke with Cain for a few minutes, then got in the truck and left. Alone. No goodbyes, and he hadn’t texted her. Which left her right back where they fucking started. If she hadn’t been so worried and frustrated, she’d have cried her heart out. Instead, she turned her anger and fear into finding Stunner’s shadow. Which meant she basically locked herself in her bedroom for the next two days.

  She was just about to crash when she got the mother of all leads. Intellectually, she knew it was too easy. But she followed it like a bat out of hell. As fast as her fingers could fly across the keyboard, she tailed the son of a bitch. Later, she’d realize he’d let her find him, but in her sleep-deprived mind she’d spent the better part of three days hunting, and all that work had finally paid off.

  When she finally put a name to the faceless stalker, it sent chills through her body and dread in her heart.

  El Diablo…

  Chapter Seven

  The second Stunner pulled into the Bones compound, he knew he was caught. The place was locked down tight. They let him in, but no one welcomed him or even talked to him. Not even Shadow. The only thing anyone told him was that Cain wanted to see him. Great. After more than forty-eight hours on the road with no sleep, the last thing he needed was the confrontation he knew was coming. The thing he hated most about it was that Suzie had been the one to find him out. Or, at least, she’d been the one to find the path the others needed to find him out.

  He’d gone back to Cambridge to get their things, including his bike. He’d cleaned everything out and stowed it in the trailer. Hauling that much on the frantic dash home would have used gas and sacrificed speed they couldn’t afford. Now, he was bone tired. Weary in body, heart, and soul.

  The second he stepped through the door, several Bones members behind him to guard against a retreat, he scanned the room for Suzie. The second their gazes collided she gave a cry and ran to him. Bohannon intercepted her, pulling her into his arms and whispering something in her ear. She shook her head, her gaze never leaving Stunner’s. Bohannon gripped her chin and said something to her Stunner couldn’t make out. He wasn’t harsh with her, but he was firm, obviously impressing the importance of her following his instruction. Before she could defy him, Angel reached her, pulling the young woman into her arms, pulling her away from Stunner.

  Never in his life had he felt more defeated. Not when he’d killed for the first time. Not when he’d left for Argentina at thirteen. Always, no matter what life threw at him, Stunner had put his shoulders back and pressed on. No retreat. No surrender. Now, he felt like he was crumbling under the weight of guilt and shame and loss. And it was his own damn fault.

  “Come on, honey,” Angel said. “This is club business. We need to leave.”

  “No! Mom, I’m not leaving.”

  “Baby, we have to.”

  “I said no! I’m not leaving Stunner. If this has to do with him, it has to do with me. We’re a team.” She turned to fix her gaze on Stunner’s. He could see her lower lip trembling, like she knew something bad was coming, but refused to let him face it alone. Even if her parents wouldn’t let her be at his side, she was standing solidly with him. That gave him hope when nothing else could.

  “Enough,” Cain said. His voice was soft but no less menacing. He shifted his body between Stunner and Suzie, but she moved to the side, not letting her father come directly between them. “You have anything you want to say to me, boy?”

  “Would it matter now?” Stunner wasn’t stupid enough to think that if he came clean now everything would go back to the way it was. One family had been lost to him forever two decades earlier. Now, he’d lost a second.

  “No.” There was no hesitation on Cain’s part. “But you will tell me the extent of your dealings with El Diablo and exactly how much of Bones and ExFil has been compromised.”

  “Short version is --”

  “Stop!” Cain held up a hand. “You don’t get to give me the short version, Stunner. Start at the beginning and give me everything.”

  Stunner nodded, holding on to his composure as tightly as he could. “Before I do, will you tell me if the threat to Argent Tech has been contained?”

  “It has. Salisberry had no clue who he was dealing with. Alex shut him down. Suffice it to say that, whatever Giovanni dug up on the man was enough to get him blackballed from every business he’s ever been involved with. If he’s not broke yet, he will be by tomorrow. Didn’t negate the hit on you, but stopped any thought of a takeover of Argent. Now stop fuckin’ stallin’.”

  “When I was thirteen, I watched my father kill my brother and my mother.” Stunner heard Suzie take in a sharp breath, but her mother held her back when she tried to go to him. He glanced in her direction but then returned his gaze firmly to Cain’s. “The details are a little fuzzy, but the bottom line is I killed him before he could kill me. We lived in an extremely secluded area of Oklahoma on a farm with over ten thousand acres, much of it woodlands. Again, the details aren’t important, but I got rid of the body and scattered anything that remained in places where I knew the wildlife would take care of it. Anything I couldn’t depend on the animals for, I burned.” Stunner focused wholly on Cain, needing to see the man’s reaction. And this wasn’t the worst part by any means. So far, Cain held steady.

  “Anyway, after it was done, I knew I couldn’t stay in Oklahoma. The chances someone would find something were just too great. At thirteen, I couldn’t imagine anything being worse than going to prison. So I fled to Argentina.”

  “Helluva place to pick. Why?”

  He shrugged. “Foolishness. I read in school how, after World War II, there were Nazis who fled there and lived long and happy lives. I guess I figured if they could harbor that kind of murderer, no one would bat an eyelash at me.”

  “Christ,” Cain swore, but nodded for Stunner to continue.

  “Anyway, I lived there a year before I got into real trouble. Crossed the wrong gang. That’s when I first made contact with El Diablo.” When Cain said nothing, Stunner continued. “He could have killed me. Was supposed to kill me, but he didn’t. Instead, he gave me a reprieve with the understanding that I work for him. I’d be loyal to only him for the rest of my life, do what he said, learn everything he had to teach me. In exchange for my service, he’d let me live. I found out later that the average life expectancy of people in his employ was about twenty. Since I’d started at fourteen, I wasn’t expected to make it to sixteen. I was twenty-two before I realized I’d survived past what was technically the original agreement, not that I was stupid enough to mention it.”

 

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