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DUKE PREPARED LAST minute arrangements with the only person who would understand the importance of a “need to know” basis.
“It’s small.” Susan Keller wiped the flour off her hands leaving white marks on her blue apron. “But I certainly don’t mind the company. Emerie is in the city for the next couple weeks, so the place will be empty anyway.” Emerie was her daughter and they shared their recently purchased small stone house by the water. Her daughter had been accepted to a residency program at the children’s hospital in the city and Susan had insisted she not miss this opportunity starting her career.
Susan stopped by the wood countertop in the little nook of a kitchen and picked up a plastic container. “I baked these cookies early this morning. Take these with you so there are no pit stops with her. It’s too easy to track a face online these days.”
Duke took the container, but was leery of the woman’s new found love to bake with whole, healthy—and sometimes strange—ingredients. “Thank you.”
Her nose scrunched together in the way he recognized her using with Bowie over the years she’d been stationed as her nanny and housemaid. “Are you sure Sage and her mother are going to be comfortable sharing the room I’ve set up for them?”
“Yes.” He didn’t want her going anymore out of her way than she already had. He knew the risk of asking her this huge favor would infuriate Bowie when she found out. Susan was supposed to be resting, not hosting a full house.
“The room is quite small and we haven’t had a chance to redo the bedroom. It has built-in twin-size bunk beds. I could switch rooms and at least they’d have a queen size bed in my room to share.”
“That’s not necessary. We’ve already imposed enough. As long as we’re out of sight when your nurse comes this week, this is the perfect location.”
On Celeste’s short notice, he’d needed to find a place where the renters wouldn’t identify him, Celeste, or Sage. Plus, they needed to avoid any unannounced visitors. Susan’s house was the only one located down a dead end street. Although, he could have easily whisked them away on private jets like he’d initially intended, Celeste had been clear with her instructions: no jets, no cities, no extravagance. She’d always been a practical and sensible woman, and it didn’t seem like that had changed.
He briefly let his thoughts stray, speculating what Sage might be like today. Back in the day, she’d been the wild child, playing the daughter of a rock and roll star well. Late night partying, drinking, and drugs. She’d partied hard and lived recklessly. She’d loved hard too. He remembered that about her. Once she let you in to her life—really in—you were forever her family, blood or not. But if you betrayed her, you were dead to her.
Dead was the category Duke fell into now with her. Speculating anything about her would only cause complications between them. Celeste had called him for a job and that was exactly what she and Sage were: his job. He needed to remember that for their entire period together.
Duke smiled at Susan, a woman who’d been as much part of his life as the Blakes. “It’s a four-hour drive to the pickup location and four hours back. No stops.” He looked at his phone. “We’ll be back before six tonight.”
“I’ll have supper waiting.”
“I can’t thank you enough.”
“For everything you’ve done for the Blake family, you deserve so much more than a place to stay.”
“I was doing my job.”
“We both know that you and I don’t clock in from nine to five.”
She was right. She’d done a helluva lot more for the Blake family than he ever did.
“I’ll see you tonight.”
Outside the one-story house sat one of Bowie’s flashy sports cars. It had been his ride for the last week. Duke climbed behind the wheel, reversed out of the gravel driveway, and headed toward Willow Valley. He needed to swap this sweet ride for an everyday vehicle to escort Celeste and Sage.
He parked in front of Dax’s restoration shop.
Inside the front area, the colorful-haired receptionist smiled at him. “Duke, right?” She pointed the end of a pen at him before sliding it under the paisley bandana wrapped around her hair.
“Yes.”
“Marnie.” She held her hand over the desk and Duke shook her firm handshake.
“Stone’s expecting me.”
She nodded to the door at the side. “He’s in bay two.”
“Thanks.”
Duke found Stone working on a blood red Dodge Viper. “I said not flashy.”
Stone rolled out from under the car. “This isn’t for you.” He set his tool on the floor before climbing to his feet and smacking his hands together. “You’re early.”
“I want to get a head start.”
“This way.” Stone started walking. “I have to do a quick oil change before you head out.”
Shit. He’d wanted to arrive at the meeting spot before Celeste and Sage to do a quick perimeter check and set up a location that gave him a view of the possibility of anyone following them as they drove up.
“It’ll take me ten minutes.” Stone walked up to a black pickup truck. This was more Duke’s style. Big, rugged, and with a lot of horsepower.
His cell phone vibrated and he slipped it from the back pocket of his black pants seeing “Private” flashing on the screen.
“Duke Falkner,” he said into the phone.
“There was a complication at the pickup spot.”
Duke’s blood ran cold through his veins. He clutched the phone so tightly he thought he might break it in half. “Who is this?”
“Special agent, George Hughes. My partner and I were to be escorting Celeste and Sage Ellis to the drop off spot.”
“What kind of complication?” He gritted the words out, leaving the bay where Stone was under the hood changing the oil. He closed the door of the next bay and did a quick visual to ensure it was empty.
“There was a shot at the client’s condo, wounding one of the women. She was taken to a high security hospital.”
“Enough with protocol and client bullshit. Was Sage Ellis shot?” After all these years he hadn’t imagined the intensity of pain at the idea of her being hurt, but he’d also buried her so deep inside him he didn’t let her out even on the darkest, loneliness nights. Until a day ago, Sage Ellis had been dead to him. Now it seemed ironic that he could barely breathe at the thought she could actually be dead.
There was a long silence on the other end. Damn it, if he could reach his hand through the phone he’d strangle the man on the other end.
“No. Celeste Ellis has been shot. Sage is on route with my partner and will meet you at the designated spot on time.”
He breathed. “And Celeste?”
“I don’t have any details. Are you on route?”
“Just finishing up the details of our location and then I’m leaving.”
“Report in once you have the client and when you are at the safe point. I assume the police on the case are going to want a witness statement from her and will have questions about both shootings. I’ll get those numbers for you to contact.”
Like hell he’d be reporting to anyone. “You get me the goddam information on her mother the next time I phone.” Duke hung up the phone and slipped it in his back pocket to prevent throwing it across the room.
Shit.
He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his fingertips against his closed eyelids. Celeste had been shot and “no details” didn’t sound promising. Sage had just lost her father and now possibly her mother.
Shit!
He kicked a nearby garbage can and sent it rattling across the cement garage bay floor. Garbage spewed a trail Duke walked through and back into the bay where Stone was giving his truck a once over.
“Are you done?” he barked.
“Just.” Stone pulled the hood down and sent Duke a questioning glance. “Is there a problem?”
“The less you know the better.”
“You know Bowie is going to skin you alive for moving into Susan’s house.”
Hopefully they wouldn’t be staying long enough for Bowie to find out until this was over. “I’ll take care of Susan. No one is to know anything.”
Stone wiped his hands with a rag. “If Bowie finds out, I won’t be alive to tell anyone.”
Duke climbed into the truck and reversed his way out of the bay, waving out the window at Stone as the shop disappeared in the distance.
He climbed over the speed limit needing to arrive before Sage, needing to make sure she was okay.