“What are we going to do now?” Chuck demanded.
Stella was shaking as she set the bags down in the kitchen and turned to him. “We do what we’ve always done. Survive.”
“It won’t be easy,” Stephanie said as she walked into the room.
Stella met the agent’s blue eyes and shrugged. “It never is. Did Marlee see you?”
“I’m better than that,” Stephanie said in a flat tone.
Chuck snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. “How many times are we going to underestimate Marlee before she gets to each of us?”
“She has nothing on me,” Stephanie stated.
Stella’s gaze was on Chuck. What Stephanie didn’t know was that his loyalty didn’t lie with her or the FBI, it was with Stella. Chuck would turn Stephanie over before he said anything about Stella or anyone else in the company. That’s just the way Chuck was. He’d never liked Stephanie, and while he understood what her role was, he hadn’t been comfortable with it.
His reasons were valid. Stephanie wasn’t the only agent in the FBI that Stella had dealings with, and she had enough blackmail on all of them to ensure they didn’t turn on her. But that didn’t mean the rest of her employees were safe.
“Stop,” Stella told the two of them. “Stephanie, you need to get out of town. Quickly.”
Stephanie shook her head of blond hair. “There’s no need. Besides, I was sent by someone much higher up to make sure this meeting tonight goes smoothly. If it doesn’t, it could be a nightmare for the agency.”
As if Stella gave a damn about the FBI. The only reason she had dealings with them at all was to keep the authorities off her scent. It was the price she had to pay to continue her operation, and she did it willingly. The cost was being at the FBI’s beck and call when it served them. As it did tonight.
Stella took a deep breath and faced Stephanie. “I’ve never failed the agency before, and I’m certainly not going to start now. What I need is to have Marlee and her Scooby gang off my ass. You’ll serve better in that department while you let me do what I do best.”
For long minutes, Stephanie stared at her. Then she sighed. “Let me make a call.”
Once Stephanie was out of the room, Stella turned to Chuck. “Notify the others. We need to get some of them out of the state as soon as possible.”
“What location do you want to meet at?”
She thought about that for a moment. “I think it might be time we all took an extended holiday. We need to lay low. Otherwise, Marlee is going to end all of this.”
Chuck’s nostrils flared as he dropped his arms to his sides. “That isn’t going to happen.”
“We all knew this couldn’t continue forever. She’s gotten too close.”
“You should’ve let me get rid of her years ago.”
Stella looked away. “Maybe I should have.” But she hadn’t wanted her friend to lose both of her daughters. It would destroy Diane.
“I’ve always protected you,” Chuck said as he came closer. “Even when you didn’t want me to.”
Her head swung around, and she met his brown eyes. “I know.”
“We could’ve had a life together.”
This wasn’t the time to be discussing old feelings, but instead of shutting him down, Stella found herself replying. “I wouldn’t let myself.”
“Why?” he pressed, a frown marring his features.
“I left an abusive home to live on the streets where I fought for food every day. But I didn’t care because I was free to live my life the way I wanted. Then I found myself with an opportunity that I could use not only to pull myself out of the gutter but to also give me a life I never would’ve had.”
Chuck’s shoulders lifted as he inhaled. “I know the story.”
“Yes, you do. But what you don’t know is that when I made the decision to become the woman I am, I knew I would never get to share it with anyone. Not because I was afraid that someone would betray me. Rather because I have to be this cold person who doesn’t let feelings get in the way of business. If I let myself love someone, if I dared to open my heart, I feared that what I had created would crumble.”
“And you’d rather have the money,” he replied.
She put her hand on his arm. “It’s not just the money, though that is a factor. It’s that I built this company. I put together the teams, hired the employees, developed the contacts. I did that. A woman without a college education. Because what I learned on the streets was much more valuable. Look at what it created for us.”
“You,” he corrected. “You created this for you. The rest of us just happen to be along for the ride.”
He was hurt. Of that much, she was certain. She dropped her arm to her side. “I’m trying to let you know that my decision about us had nothing to do with you. It was about me.”
“I see that now. Have you ever been in a relationship?”
The very idea of it made Stella shudder, but she held it back. “No.”
“Because of time?”
Why was he pressing her about this? Why couldn’t he just leave well enough alone? “The fact is, I don’t like anyone thinking they can control me.”
“That’s not what relationships are.”
“Really?” she asked with a quirk of a brow. “Because all the ones I’ve been in have done exactly that.”
“I didn’t control you.”
She blew out a breath, reining in her anger. “No, you didn’t. Because I didn’t allow you to get that close. It’s how males are, Chuck. You let women think we’re equal, and once the relationship is solidified, usually by marriage, then the men start laying down rules. They begin telling women what they can and can’t do, and then the beatings start.”
“I’ve never laid a hand in anger on any woman I was dating. Never,” he stated in a deep tone.
“You’re a decent man. Otherwise, I never would’ve hired you, much less taken you to my bed. We had a good time together. Shouldn’t that be enough?”
“You’d think,” he said before he pivoted and walked into the kitchen.
Stella put a hand on her brow. Chuck had never spoken to her like that before, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. She didn’t get a chance to think more about it as Stephanie came back into the room.
“It seems that you get your way,” Stephanie told her. “I’m leaving and will make sure Marlee is diverted elsewhere. That should give you time to get to the meeting tonight in Houston.”
Stella was aware that nothing else was offered. Even if she asked, she wouldn’t get it. She had to be happy with whatever the FBI gave her. It was too bad she hadn’t developed any relationships with the local authorities in Clearview, because that would have come in handy right about now. There hadn’t been a need before, but it was a mistake she would rectify as soon as she could.
“Thank you,” Stella said. “Looks like we all need to get busy. Time is of the essence.”
Time certainly is of the essence, Chuck thought to himself as he sent out the texts to the other groups. Everyone had their own escape routes wherever they were, and they never left together. It made it harder for the authorities to track them down.
Chuck watched Stephanie get into her car that was hidden in the garage and then drive away. He breathed easier with her gone. But a cloud still loomed over them. Marlee Frampton. If something wasn’t done about her, they might as well turn themselves in to the authorities.
Marlee knew their faces. She was smart. That’s why she had been out in the area today. As soon as she saw Stella, Marlee pieced it all together. The fact that the police weren’t here yet was only because Marlee didn’t have any substantial evidence—and she never would.
They were professionals. None of them left behind any DNA. Besides that, Stella had a system designed by the world’s leading hackers, just to make sure that no one could crack it. The files there were set to be wiped the moment an incorrect password was keyed in twice.
There wouldn’t be any evidence this go-round, but how much longer until Marlee had what she needed? Since she knew their faces—and Stella’s name—it was simply a matter of her following them wherever they went. They might get a month or more in a new city before Marlee showed up but show up the little bitch would.
Chuck looked over his shoulder to see Stella in her office. She’d always traveled light. The only things she had on her were her laptop and a planner, neither of which would give anything to the police to link them to the murders or kidnappings.
“It’s hours before your meeting,” Chuck said. “I’d advise against staying here.”
Stella dropped her cell phone into her purse before she turned to him. “No doubt Marlee has someone watching the house. They’ll know when or if any of us come and go.”
“Then why did you send Stephanie away?” he asked with a frown.
“Because I wanted her out of my hair and doing something useful.”
Chuck didn’t like the sound of any of this. “If you think Marlee and her gang will buy any of that, you’re wrong.”
“It’ll send them after Stephanie. If she doesn’t want to blow her cover, she won’t tell them she’s FBI if she’s stopped and questioned. Then she can—and will—do what’s been ordered and get Marlee to follow another lead. I’m not worried, Chuck, and neither should you be.”
“Marlee came to the house. I’m fairly certain every one of us should be fucking worried.”
Stella gave him a stern look. “You’re the one I count on the most. I need you to make sure everyone gets out of town. Maria will leave with me when I go to the meeting.”
“You won’t have time for that. Besides, the last thing you should do is stop for anything. I’ll take the women.”
“Thank you,” Stella said with a smile. “You always come through for me.”
Yes, he did. And he was going to do it again tonight. Stella might not like what he planned, but she’d get over it eventually.