Striking Distance Read online

  He held her gaze for a couple of beats, weighing her words and the emotion that looked very much like desire he’d noticed there. “Is that an invitation, Victoria?” he ventured, ignoring her question for the moment. His heartbeat accelerated, sending a surge of heat through his body. He wanted this. Wanted it very much. But it had to be her choice…her decision.

  She unconsciously rubbed her left hand, missing the ring she’d worn for more than half of her life. “Yes,” she said succinctly. “It is.”

  Scarcely breathing for fear he would somehow break this spell, Lucas took her hands in his and considered how she’d tucked that precious gold wedding band into the ground next to her husband’s headstone. That act had taken a great deal of courage, and he respected what it surely meant. She was ready to move on. But he would not push the issue. He had waited a lifetime for this woman, a few weeks longer wouldn’t hurt. But her safety was another issue altogether.

  He was getting closer.

  Lucas had sensed his presence today at the cemetery. During lunch he’d excused himself briefly to meet with his security team leader in the restaurant’s bar. His suspicions had been confirmed.

  The man, who they assumed at this point to be a hired assassin, had taken up a position about fifty meters from Victoria. He’d been armed with a special police-style rifle, complete with tactical scope and bipod. At one point, one of the two specialists assigned to Victoria’s secret security detail had almost engaged the target. Lucas had warned his men that the assassin was to be kept alive if at all possible. But he’d gotten damned close today. The only thing that had kept Lucas’s man from taking out the assassin was the fact that he’d visually verified the weapon’s positive three-position thumb safety was still locked. The shooter had had no intention of killing Victoria today.

  He’d simply been watching.

  Lucas could only assume that he was standing by for final authorization to complete the mission. He’d had at least three opportunities so far and hadn’t acted. But there would come a time when he would, that was a certainty. Lucas had to take countermeasures before that happened. Somehow, while keeping Victoria safe and allowing the assassin to stay on their trail temporarily, he had to get someone close to this guy. It was the only way he could hope to catch the real threat: Leberman.

  Victoria would never be safe as long as Leberman was alive. If he had hired this assassin as Lucas suspected, there might be a chance of tracking this hired killer right back to the bastard’s hiding place. Which was the only reason they hadn’t taken out the shooter already. They needed him to get to Leberman.

  “Then we have plans to make,” Lucas offered as he dispensed with the other troubling thoughts and focused on her invitation. “Where would you like to go?”

  She searched his face, looking for some hint of what was on his mind. Suspicion still nagged at her, he knew. “Shall I have Mildred bring us coffee while we discuss the possibilities?”

  The prospect of planning their joint vacation pleased her, and he hated like hell to disappoint her. They were so close. He groaned and glanced at his watch. “I have another meeting in thirty minutes. I could try and reschedule or—” he pretended to mull the idea over

  “—why don’t you think about the destination possibilities and then we’ll discuss the options over dinner tonight?”

  “That would be lovely.”

  He squeezed her hands once more before letting go. “I’ll see you at eight, then.”

  She nodded, her hopeful expression wilting just a little.

  He would make this up to her.

  Victoria watched Lucas leave her office, the ever-present limp only adding to his distinguished demeanor. He looked so handsome today. The gray shirt emphasized his eyes. The elegant charcoal suit fit his lean frame perfectly. Their time at lunch had been more relaxed than any they’d shared since before the incident on St. Gabriel Island. It had felt good to simply be, with no talk of Leberman or the past.

  She wanted it that way from now on.

  He wanted it, too. She knew he did.

  The only thing she couldn’t figure out was why he insisted on lying to her.

  CHAPTER 4

  Lucas leaned against the examination table in the small treatment room and waited for the others to arrive.

  The door opened, and a nurse with a cheery expression peeked in at him. “Mr. Camp, would you like some water or coffee?”

  “No, thanks.”

  She shot him a cheeky smile and disappeared, allowing the door to close with a slow whoosh behind her.

  He couldn’t risk detection of this meeting. Complete secrecy was crucial. If Leberman or any of his people—and he could only assume that the assassin might be one of several—saw Lucas with Victoria’s most-trusted investigators, they would know he was on to them. He didn’t want that to happen any sooner than necessary. Nor could he risk that any part of the Colby Agency offices were bugged. It was a long shot since the offices were swept for foreign electronics on a regular basis, but one he wasn’t willing to chance. As long as Leberman thought they were one step behind, he wouldn’t get nervous and perhaps do something rash, like giving the final execution order.

  The door opened again and Ian Michaels entered the room followed closely by Simon Ruhl. They were the kind of spit-and-polish guys who epitomized the term spy. But Lucas knew the gritty, less glamorous side of the business. He couldn’t be deputy director of Mission Recovery without having been exposed to the worst that man was capable of. The highly trained Specialists in Mission Recovery were only called in when all else failed.

  Ian acknowledged Lucas with a mere nod while Simon commented, “Nice place for a meeting.”

  This wouldn’t be the first time Lucas had used a physician’s office for a clandestine meeting, but it had been a long time. Not since his surgery after bringing down the traitor who’d almost destroyed Mission Recovery before Casey came on the scene as director. Had it been four years already? At any rate, this physician was an old friend from his military days. His Chicago clinic, situated mere blocks from the Colby Agency’s location just off the Magnificent Mile, was a perfect front for conducting covert ops.

  “You have any trouble with the transportation?” His lips twitched when he noted the slightest flinch in Ian’s carefully controlled exterior.

  “Not if you discount the siren,” Ian commented dryly.

  Though Lucas had walked into the office like any paying patient, Ian and Simon had arrived by ambulance and were hustled in through the rear emergency entrance. Anyone watching Lucas enter the clinic would never know that two Colby agents had arrived via the back door.

  “So, what’s going on, Lucas?” Simon was the first to call the meeting to order. Ian remained occupied with sizing up Lucas and his intentions. The man was good at that. Could tell more by watching his prey for mere minutes than from listening to hours of interrogation. Victoria had bragged to Lucas long ago about Ian. He was good at the business of peeling away the outer layers and getting to the bottom of things.

  “I told you two weeks ago that I suspected Victoria was being watched.” He spread his hands in a speculative gesture. “I couldn’t be sure of the source of the problem—still can’t be absolutely certain. But we now have reason to believe that this man may be connected to Leberman. He may be on the verge of making a move.”

  Silence reigned briefly while the two men absorbed the ramifications of that bit of information. Anyone who had been with the Colby Agency for any length of time knew about Leberman. The bastard had made it his life’s mission to destroy Victoria Colby and all that she stood for. Lucas was certain he’d killed James Colby as well as the boy, Victoria’s only child. But even that wasn’t enough for the devil. He just kept coming back for more. Playing his sick games and then going back into hiding. He hybernated for years…until it was safe to surface
again. Then he’d strike.

  But this time was going to be different. This time Leberman was going to die.

  “We don’t have any real evidence to support our assessment, of course,” Lucas went on pushing the disturbing memories away, “but I’m certain enough to take the appropriate action. I’ve put a security detail in place.”

  “We’ve reviewed every case that might carry enough significance to warrant this sort of vengeance,” Simon informed him, bringing him up to speed on their end and lending even more credence to Lucas’s conclusion. “There simply isn’t anyone out there related to a Colby Agency case who we have reason to suspect at this time.”

  Lucas stroked his chin as he considered how to broach the next step. Neither of these gentlemen was going to like his strategy, and their cooperation was essential.

  “What is it you’re not telling us?” Ian cut to the chase.

  Lucas almost smiled. Two minutes and the guy had nailed him to the floor. Judging by the fierce glare he had trained on Lucas at that moment there was no way around giving him a straight answer.

  “The man watching Victoria may be a professional assassin hired by Leberman. I believe his mission is to complete what Leberman started on that island.”

  The air thickened with a new level of tension. All three were well aware of the events that had unfolded on St. Gabriel Island in a matter of hours. Events that had been years in the planning. The tiny island off the coast of Georgia had proven the perfect stage for his devious plans.

  “Then she is no longer safe in any public setting,” Ian suggested.

  “I would have to agree with you.” Evading the issue would be pointless. “To be frank, he’s had ample opportunity already, but has chosen not to take the shot. My conclusion would be that he’s keeping surveillance and waiting for final authorization from Leberman.”

  “But you can’t be certain that Leberman is the one behind this,” Simon countered. “You don’t have any actual proof. No factual intelligence.”

  “No.” Lucas looked from one to the other, reading the skepticism they wanted to cling to. No one wanted to believe Leberman was back, least of all Lucas. “Everything I have is speculation. But we all know he’s the most logical candidate.”

  “Why haven’t you taken out the assassin already?” Ian pressed as his own sense of anticipation obviously moved to the next level. To his way of thinking that would have been the most strategic move. Hell, it made perfect sense, but Lucas had his reasons.

  This would be the tricky part. “We all know that Victoria will not hide from this once she’s briefed on the situation. Nothing any of us could say would change her mind. And we also know that she will never be safe as long as Leberman is alive—”

  “We’ve had this conversation already,” Simon noted matter-of-factly. His agitation was somewhat more evident than Ian’s. Tension radiated in every aspect of his posture.

  “We have,” Lucas agreed. “My stand on the matter has not changed. We need to get Leberman. If this assassin can lead us to him, we have to take the risk.”

  “The risk you speak of,” Ian interjected calmly, his subdued tone more lethal than if he’d shouted the words, “involves Victoria’s life, correct?”

  Their gazes locked for two beats. “Correct.”

  “And you are willing to take this risk?” Ian pushed for finite clarification.

  “It’s our only option.”

  The two Colby agents exchanged a look.

  Simon spoke up first. “Lucas, I’m confident that Victoria’s best interests are your primary concern. I know you’ll do whatever is necessary to protect her, but you must know that we can’t simply pretend this isn’t happening. We have to take some sort of action.”

  “The only action that will make a difference requires Victoria’s cooperation, which will compromise our efforts.” He divided his attention between the two somber-faced men. “I have an alternate approach in mind. First I have to persuade her to take a vacation with me. I’ve plotted a destination. She’ll be completely cocooned by my team of Specialists until we can reel this guy in. I won’t allow anything to happen to her, you can rest assured of that.”

  “You’ll keep us informed of every step,” Simon persisted.

  “I’ll keep the two of you informed.” Lucas gestured from one to the other. “I don’t want anyone else to know the plan. No one, is that understood?”

  “Are you implying there might be a traitor inside the Colby Agency?” Ian inquired, one brow raised slightly higher than the other his only outward indication of surprise.

  “I’m not implying anything,” Lucas asserted. “I’m simply not taking any risks. No one but the four members assigned to her security will know exactly where she is. And even those four won’t know where they’re going and for what reason until they get there. If there is a breach in security it won’t be on my end.”

  “If you spirit her away to safety,” Simon countered, “how is that going to affect the situation with the assassin and his leading you to Leberman?”

  Another dicey maneuver. “I’m going to send someone undercover to get close to him.”

  “Since complete anonymity is essential, who will you utilize for that assignment?” Ian wanted to know, his tone reflective of his uncommitted stance on the matter.

  “I’m going to use someone who isn’t affiliated with my people at Mission Recovery or the Colby Agency. Someone completely out of the game.”

  “You think that’s wise considering who we’re up against?” Simon prodded, his arms folded over his chest. He clearly didn’t like this any more than Ian did. For that matter neither did Lucas.

  “This agent is a recruit fresh from the CIA’s training facility. Our Forward Research group has been tracking her progress since before she entered the program. She’s good. Damn good. She has a degree in psychology, which could prove useful. And she has no stake in the matter either way.”

  “What makes you think she’ll go for this assignment?” Simon looked even more suspicious of the whole strategy. It did sound like a suicide mission, even Lucas had to admit it.

  “If she’s got half the fire burning in her belly to impress the brass as it appears, she’ll go for it.”

  “But is she good enough to do the job?” Ian voiced the remaining variable.

  Lucas smiled as he thought of the hotshot he’d observed steamrolling her peers, female and male alike. He’d been waiting for the right kind of opportunity to bring her onboard. “Oh, yeah. She’s good enough.”

  “She’ll try to get close to this guy in hopes that he’ll lead her to Leberman, is that it?” Simon relaxed, but only marginally.

  “She’ll get close to him, and then when Victoria vanishes he won’t have any choice but to contact Leberman for additional instructions.” Lucas hoped like hell it would be that easy.

  Five seconds lapsed into thirty as the two men closest to Victoria at the Colby Agency considered his proposal.

  “I can see how this might work.” Simon was the first to edge toward commitment.

  “And what about you, Ian? Do I have your support?” Lucas couldn’t move forward without both these men on board. Timing and synchronized reactions were everything. There couldn’t be a single glitch.

  “I have no reason to doubt your loyalty to Victoria,” he said in response, without actually answering at all. “I do, however, have reservations as to the plan you’ve outlined, but I can’t conceive of a better strategy.” His gaze locked fully with Lucas’s. “As you say, Leberman must be stopped. It’s past time we got this done.”

  “All right, then. I’ll set things in motion on my end. The only thing I need on yours is full cooperation and complete secrecy.”

  “You have that unconditionally,” Ian said with that quiet intensity that would unnerve most men.


  Lucas nodded. “I’ll keep you posted.”

  With the preliminary plans out of the way there was nothing further to discuss. “We’ll ensure status quo at the office until we hear from you,” Simon offered in parting.

  “I don’t want Victoria to suspect anything,” Lucas reiterated as they moved toward the door. “She’s already picked up on my uneasiness.”

  “We understand.” This from Ian. He paused before following Simon into the corridor. “Just one more thing.” He looked directly at Lucas. “I have no doubt that you will do all in your power to protect Victoria from this assassin.”

  “I will,” Lucas assured him.

  “If,” Ian qualified in that low, deadly tone, “you take this risk and fail, it will be the last thing you do.”

  Their gazes held for a beat of screaming silence.

  “If,” Lucas allowed grimly, “I fail, you can use my gun to do the job.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Tasha North tossed her bag into her car and yanked off the confining double-breasted suit coat that had felt like a straitjacket all day. This stuffy attire was just one more thing she hated about her new job. She flung the inside-out garment into the back seat and dropped behind the wheel of her Volkswagen Beetle. She breathed a sigh of pure, unadulterated relief. Whenever she settled into the white leather seat of her little yellow Bug she felt normal…almost.

  Jerking the pins loose from her hair, she shook the blond shoulder-length mass free and pushed her sunglasses into place. She cranked and revved the engine. Thank God it was Friday. She couldn’t wait to get out of here.