Liam's Witness Protection (Man on a Mission 4)

* * *

Liam’s agency-issued cell phone rang just as he was pouring himself a second cup of coffee. He answered it, but lost the signal before he could find out who was calling, so he excused himself from the table and took his coffee cup and cell phone outside onto the front porch. Sure enough, it rang again almost immediately.

“Yeah?” Even though supposedly no one but the agency, his brother and Callahan had the number, Liam wasn’t about to answer with his name.

“Liam.” Alec’s voice sounded in his ear. “I’m glad I reached you. Angel’s desperate to know how Cate is.”

“She’s fine.”

“Don’t tell me where she is, but how safe is she? All Cody would tell me was that Nick D’Arcy has her stashed someplace. But he says he doesn’t know where that is.”

“Yeah, as far as I know, he doesn’t know.” Liam laughed a little under his breath at the irony of hiding out in Cody’s cabin without Cody’s knowledge. “I’m staying with her for now.”

“You are? That’s good.” Alec’s voice had betrayed his initial surprise, but it had quickly been followed up with approval.

“Yeah. And you can tell your wife to stop worrying. Even if someone knew where to look, I don’t think they’d find us. And if they did, we’d have plenty of warning,” he added cryptically.

“That’s good to hear.” There was a muffled sound, as if Alec was holding his hand over the phone and talking to someone. Probably Angelina, Liam theorized. His theory was confirmed when the warm contralto belonging to his sister-in-law spoke in his ear.

“Liam? Please, may I speak with Cate?”

“Sure. Hold on.” He stepped to the doorway and called, “Cate? Angelina’s on the phone. She wants to speak with you.”

He handed Cate the cell phone when she came outside, but as he did he warned her, “Stay out here. Remember what Callahan said, that reception inside the cabin isn’t the greatest. He’s right—I already had one dropped call inside.”

Cate nodded and flashed Liam a grateful smile, then took the phone and moved a little away from him before speaking. He tried not to listen to her end of the conversation with her cousin, but even though she was speaking in Zakharan he couldn’t help understanding most of what she was saying. He reached out quickly and grabbed the phone from her just before she revealed their location.

“Need to know,” he reminded her, dead serious, holding the phone against his shirt so their voices couldn’t be heard on the other end.

“But my cousin...surely it’s safe to—”

“I didn’t tell Alec. Don’t tell Angelina. Especially not over the phone. You don’t know who’s listening.”

Cate’s silvery-blue eyes were huge in her suddenly pale face. “I thought we were safe here.”

“We are,” he explained patiently. “For now. But in order to stay safe, we have to think safe. Act safe.” He lifted the phone and spoke. “Put Alec back on, will you?” And when he heard his brother’s voice he said, “Cate was just about to tell Angelina where we are.” He winced at the curse from the other end, followed by staccato reminders. “Yeah. I know. I know. And she knows, too. She just didn’t realize—look, you don’t have to tell me how to do my job. Just tell Angelina I won’t let anything happen to Cate, okay?”

“I’ll tell her,” his brother said.

“And, Alec? Do we know anything about how the guns were smuggled into the courthouse?”

“The FBI is working on that. The agency, too, but separately.”

“I’ll bet. I got the impression D’Arcy doesn’t trust the FBI at this point, and from what he had to say I don’t blame him. I just hope it wasn’t them. Or the US Marshals Service. Or...oh hell, you know what I mean. Keep me posted if there’s something I need to know, okay?”

“Will do.” Liam started to disconnect but Alec stopped him. “Oh wait, I forgot to tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“Remember the two men chasing after you in the courthouse? The ones you thought might be FBI or backup killers?”

“Yeah?”

Alec chuckled softly. “Turns out they’re neither. You won’t believe this, but they’re from the Zakharian National Forces.”

“What? How...why...?”

“Long story, but they were trying to help you. They weren’t armed—no way they could get firearms into the courthouse past security—but they were sent to protect Cate. I just found out, or I’d have told you sooner.”