Hardwired (The Brotherhood Series) Read online

  “I’d say with Daddy around, that dream castle is as good as yours, Punkin’,” Jen laughed.

  “Daddy, do you have a potty mouth?” Bella asked, looking a bit too excited at the possibility.

  “I, well, I suppose I’ve been known to say a few bad words.”

  “Yes!” Bella exclaimed her little arm shooting up in victory.

  Luke was going to have to find a My Little Pony dream castle and just buy it for her. He’d buy her every dream castle ever made, if she smiled that big for all of them. He wanted to spoil her, as if it would make up for their lost time.

  “Bella, you shouldn’t be so excited for Daddy’s potty mouth. It’s not proper.”

  “Why?”

  “Because young ladies shouldn’t be around such bad language, nor should they use it.”

  Luke felt like he was being lectured by Jen, so he made a note to try harder not to cuss. He would make a terrible father, he was already well on his way, since he had killed men in front of his young daughter.

  “Bella,” Luke started to apologize or explain himself, but he couldn’t seem to find the right words for what he wanted to say.

  “What is it, Daddy?”

  “I, um, I’m just sorry, for everything.”

  Bella hugged Luke again and placed a small kiss on his cheek.

  “May I go play upstairs until breakfast?”

  Luke looked at Jen, expecting her to answer. She dipped her chin to him, giving him the chance.

  “Sure,” he whispered, slowly letting go of her as she jumped off the couch and took off up the stairs.

  Luke walked into the kitchen and leaned against the kitchen island.

  “You have nothing to apologize for.”

  “I have more to apologize for than I’ll ever be able to make right.”

  “Not in our eyes. In our eyes, you’re just as much the victim as we are.”

  “How are you so level headed about this?”

  “I don’t know what anger will bring me. Who do I even get angry at? All I can do is accept the gift of having you alive.”

  “I spoke to Dean this morning. They’re just a few days from finding us, so we’ll have to move tomorrow. I can’t keep you on the run forever; I’m going to have to find some way of keeping you safe. That may mean a serious relocation, possibly even name changes.”

  “What about my parents? Luke, you can’t ask me to give them up. Bella is their entire world, and she feels the same way about them.”

  “I don’t know, Jen.”

  “Please, Luke.”

  “Let me get a plan together first. I won’t promise you something that I’m not sure I can deliver but know that I will try.”

  “I can accept that.”

  “I think your pancakes are burning.”

  “Oh shit,” Jen muttered, turning back to her cooking.

  “That swear jar ought to fill up fast,” Luke laughed.

  “Don’t laugh; sometimes it has more money in it than my bank account,” Jen laughed.

  Luke didn’t laugh about that, though. The thought that they struggled, when he had more money in his account than he knew what to do with made him sick.

  “Don’t,” Jen said, not turning around.

  “Don’t what?”

  “You can’t beat yourself up over it, Luke. We were fine. You can’t turn back time.”

  “How did you know what I was thinking?”

  “Your thoughts are louder than you think.”

  “I have money. I’ll give it all to you and Bella, so you’ll never have to want for anything again.”

  “I don’t want your money, Luke. If we don’t want for things, then what will we strive toward? How do I teach Bella goals, if she has it all handed to her?”

  It made sense; it still didn’t change the fact that Luke wanted to give them the world. They deserved it.

  “If you really want to help, you can figure out how we can have coffee,” Jen said, pulling him from his thoughts.

  “Coffee. On it.”

  There used to be a retired CIA agent, Beryl Snyder, who lived in the area, which was one of the main reasons the Bravada house came to be. Beryl spent the first ten years of his retirement helping move people in and out of the safe house. Part of that was he delivered necessities to the house as needed and kept the house up when it wasn’t in use. If the neglected yard was any indication, Beryl had stuck by his word to stay retired when they shut the house down. Luke didn’t have anyone else he could trust besides the old man.

  Luke dialed the number he had committed to memory from three years ago.

  “I’m going to email you all the definition of retired,” Beryl answered the phone in lieu of a greeting.

  Luke smiled. Beryl was still grumpy.

  “You could have just changed your number,” Luke offered up sarcastically.

  “Kiersey, what are you doing in my town?”

  “It’s a delicate situation. You’re the only person I can trust right now. Got time for a coffee run?”

  “You operatives. When are you going to start keeping coffee makers in the trunks of all your vehicles. Its damn demeaning running coffees for you boys. I was killing criminals while you all were still shitting in your diapers.”

  “I know, I know,” Luke laughed at Beryl.

  The man always took time to remind him and anyone else who would listen about his younger days spent in the agency. Luke and the others hadn’t been ignorant to who they were working with. Beryl was a legend across the government agencies for his work in intelligence and as a man for hire. There weren’t many men the government kept on payroll well into their eighties, but Beryl was one of them.

  “You still drink that trash black?”

  “Yeah, I also need one with three equals, and…” Luke looked at Jen who had a shocked look on her face.

  “Would Bella like anything to drink this morning, aside from water?”

  “She loves orange juice, no pulp.”

  “I also need an orange juice, no pulp.”

  “It’s always a woman,” Beryl replied, before hanging up on Luke.

  “You remembered how I take my coffee,” Jen said softly, once Luke put down the phone.

  “I did? Wait, I did. You drink it with three equals?” Luke rushed, as he tried to focus in on that fact, hoping it would maybe lead to more.

  “I do. I actually used to drink it with loads of creamer and equal in it, but you kept insisting I try it black. I never did like it black, but we compromised, and I ended up liking it,”

  “With three equals,” Luke finished for her.

  She nodded.

  “I wish I knew how these things were popping up, so I could try to remember more. It just rolled off my lips, just like that night with the Ahava.”

  Jen flipped the rest of the pancakes off of the griddle, loading them into the oven to stay warm. Luke watched her. She was wearing a pair of short shorts and a tank top. He recalled what she had looked like under her tank top, goosebumps covering her delicate flesh. His fingers itched to trace her body again, his mouth watered wanting a taste.

  The air between them changed, as Jen stepped around the island to stand next to him. Luke once again flexed his hands hoping they would keep to themselves. Jen wasn’t so careful; her hand slid up his arm, slipping up under his shirt sleeve. He rolled his shoulders, suddenly very aware of his hard drive.

  “I want to see it again,” she whispered.

  Luke lifted his shirt before he could think better of it, discarding it on top of the kitchen island. Jen moved to stand behind him, her fingers trailing across his shoulders, careful not to dip too low to touch it.

  “You roll your shoulders a lot; does it hurt?”

  “Not any more. It’s a habit more than anything. Most of the time I forget it’s even there.”

  Her fingers drifted down to where the wires were most noticeable just under his skin. Luke couldn’t remember the last time he had let anyone touch him there.

&
nbsp; “You have different chips that allow them to control how you function,” she repeated what he had told her previously, more as confirmation, than as an actual question.

  “Yes.”

  Jen’s hand moved to his lower back, her other hand joining it as they slid around to his stomach. Luke held his breath, soaking in her healing touch. Her head pressed against his back, just below his hard drive.

  “I always loved how short you are,” he blurted out, as the memory popped into his mind.

  “I know.”

  He could feel her smile against his back. Her hands were splayed across his abs, and they just stood there. Luke covered her small hands with his, afraid she would disappear.

  “Sometimes I’m afraid you’re just an illusion. As if my PTSD has conjured this all up in my head.”

  “I’m real, baby; I’m right here. I’m not letting go, either.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Luke

  Beryl knocked on the door an hour after Luke had called him. They had all already devoured their pancakes, and Jen and Bella had taken upstairs to play. Jen came down at the sound.

  “Jen, this is Beryl, he’s an old friend.”

  “Hello,” Jen responded.

  Beryl handed Jen the coffee with three equals and held up the orange juice.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Boy, you going to tell me what you’ve gotten yourself into, or am I just the errand boy?” Beryl grunted, directing his question to Luke.

  “Jen is my wife, and the orange juice you brought is for my five-year-old daughter, Bella.”

  “Well, that’s a hell of a situation, boy.”

  “I’ll let you two talk. Thanks for the drinks.”

  Once Jen was out of sight, Beryl and Luke sat down.

  “What do you need from me, kid?”

  “Advice, a way out,” Luke said honestly, rubbing his hand over his face in hopelessness.

  “You’re in deep, kid. If they knew about the wife and kid and didn’t tell you, it means they want you.”

  “Jen told me I was getting out after my last mission. If I can’t get out, I just want to make sure that they leave Jen and Bella alone. I guess I should have listened to Dean when he told me to leave them alone. I brought this on them, because I couldn’t walk away.”

  “Have you thought about witness protection?”

  “You and I both know if someone on the inside wants to find someone, it’s easy. They’d find them; I need this to be under the law, and I need it to be solid.”

  It was Beryl’s turn to drag a hand over his face. Luke knew he was asking a lot of him, but Luke also knew that Beryl could deliver. If there was anyone that Luke trusted to help him protect Jen and Bella, it was Beryl.

  “I know a guy. I did him a favor off the books, a long time ago. He’s got what you need to get them safe. Let me make some calls. How long you got here?”

  “Dean thinks I’ll be good here for a couple days, but I want to move tomorrow.”

  Beryl nodded and tapped his fist on the table a couple of times, while he thought some more.

  “Keep your ear to the ground, kid. I’ll be in touch.”

  “I appreciate this, Beryl.”

  “I know you do, kid.”

  Beryl stood and left. Jen came down the stairs as soon as the door closed.

  “How’s Bella?”

  “On a sugar rush from the juice,” Jen laughed. “Is he going to be able to help us?”

  “I think so. He’s making some calls; we’ll more than likely be on the move tomorrow.”

  “Does his help involve you being able to be with us?”

  “I don’t know, Jen. I can’t be sure.”

  She nodded, her arms wrapping around her stomach protectively. Luke closed the distance between them and tugged her arms away, pulling her into him. Jen molded to him, fitting against him perfectly. Luke dropped his head down on top of her head, soaking in her scent. Even though he couldn’t remember, he knew he had missed holding her.

  Jen drew her head back and looked up at Luke. The second her liquid brown eyes met his, he knew he was a goner. His lips captured hers; the kiss was gentle at first, as they remembered who they were together. Then it turned carnal, and the years between them melted away as Luke’s tongue brushed against hers.

  He felt frantic for her touch, for her kiss. The passion was all-consuming. Luke knew he shouldn’t have touched her. His hands travelled down to her ass, lifting her up. Jen dragged her hands out from where they were pinned to his chest and wrapped them around his neck. She moaned against his mouth, and he felt the sound in every single fiber of his being. His mouth slanted over hers, reclaiming her as his.

  “Ewww!” Bella squealed from the top of the stairs, instantly breaking up the heated kiss.

  “Shit,” Luke exclaimed, jerking away from Jen and turning his back to Bella so that he could adjust his erection.

  “That’ll be a dollar, Daddy,” Bella scolded.

  Jen laughed. Luke’s eyes darted over to her, which didn’t do much for his problem. Her lips were swollen from their kiss, and her eyes were hooded with lust. He let his head fall back so that he could stare up at the ceiling as he groaned in frustration.

  A car coming down the driveway grabbed his attention, and instantly he was back in his element: soldiering.

  “Go upstairs, and don’t come down until I tell you to,” he said to Jen and Bella.

  The girls disappeared upstairs, and he went to see who was there. The same young soldier from the night before pulled in with a different vehicle. Luke stepped out front.

  “Troop Commander,” the young man said, saluting.

  “At ease. What’s your name soldier?”

  “New Guy Kip, sir.”

  “Kip. Is this my new ride?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m to dispose of the other as well.”

  Luke tossed him the keys.

  “How do you know Dean?”

  “He’s my cousin, sir.”

  “I see. Are you on leave, or do you work for our particular unit?”

  “I’m on leave sir.”

  Luke nodded.

  “Good work, New Guy,” Luke said, dismissing Kip.

  Kip jumped in the car he had given them the night before and drove off. Luke inspected the car Kip left, making sure it didn’t have any tracking devices and making sure the navigation system had been completely disabled. Once he was satisfied, he went back inside.

  Bella and Jen’s laughter met him at the front door. They were upstairs playing a game of some kind.

  “Daddy, come play with us,” Bella chirped when she saw Luke in the doorway.

  “What are you playing?”

  “It’s an alligator, and you have to put his teeth down and try not to get your hand caught when he snaps.”

  “I have cat-like reflexes; it wouldn’t be fair,” Luke smirked.

  Jen rolled her eyes at him as she laughed.

  “What are cat-like reflexes?” Bella asked.

  “Cats are very quick and nimble, kind of like myself.”

  “Daddy, you’re being silly, aren’t you?”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Jen

  Watching Luke be silly with Bella was Jen’s favorite thing. They played the alligator game for almost an hour before they finally called it quits. Luke had managed to save his hand much more often than Jen or Bella had, so he declared himself the ultimate winner.

  “I’m hungry,” Bella chanted.

  “My goodness, does she have a condition?” Luke asked.

  “No,” Jen laughed.

  “We would stick out like a sore thumb at the local grocery store, but there’s a larger city about thirty mile away that we could blend in at.”

  “Are there any fast food joints we could go to? I don’t know if we necessarily need groceries, especially if we’re leaving tomorrow.”

  “That we can do.”

  They all piled into the new car and took off down t
he gravel road. Their trip to town didn’t take long. Jen had slept their way into town before, so this time she took it all in. It was a small town, but not as small as Avon. They had multiple fast food places, and several food chains. Avon had none of those things. Jen liked that about Avon, though. She loved the mom and pop restaurants, and small businesses.

  Luke pulled into the Golden Arches, and Bella squealed with delight. It wasn’t often she was treated to the salty, golden fries and perfectly crisp nuggets. Jen was most excited about the iced coffee. Luke ordered last, and Jen laughed when he ordered two meals for himself.

  “I’m hungry,” he shrugged, his face a little red with embarrassment.

  No one’s food survived the ride home as they tore into the bags with gusto. Luke tensed briefly at the truck parked in the driveway when they pulled in.

  “Beryl is back quick,” Luke stated as he parked.

  His eyes scanned everything as they walked up to the house. Just as Luke opened the door, they heard Beryl announce himself.

  “Sorry to barge in, kid. Time is of the essence.”

  Jen and Bella followed Luke inside. Bella’s eyes locked onto Beryl as she studied him. She was like her father like that, always studying people.

  “Bella, baby, why don’t you go upstairs and get a movie started, I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Okay,” Bella agreed, even though it was a bit warily.

  Everyone watched Bella go up the stairs.

  “I heard back from my guy; he can help you, but you’re going to have to move quick. The time frame to get you out of here is very narrow.”

  “Where are we going?” Jen asked.

  “You won’t know until it’s time to leave. He has you covered, though, and I forwarded him your information so that your passports and backstories will all be done upon your arrival.”

  “Where’s the drop point?” Luke asked.

  “He’s out in Reno, Nevada. I know it’s a haul, but you need to get there quick. You’re going to have to drive, too; chatter about you is everywhere.”

  “Shit, I was afraid of that. We’ll leave tonight.”

  “There’s a brothel there just outside of town; ask for Mick. Don’t worry about Bella, there are separate entrances and rooms for you all. We actually run a lot of women and children through this place for witness protection. They’ll take care of you, and Mick will get you where you need to go.”