Gavin's Song (Road to Salvation A Last Rider's Trilogy 1)

“That works out better than we anticipated. It would have been too suspicious not to be recovering anyone from the plane crash, but it didn’t sit well with me that we couldn’t also extricate her.”

She was right; Hammer was a nice man.

“We did what we could. Trudy isn’t a threat to Allerton; Evangeline is. That is if we can keep her alive. That’s going to depend on you. The only way to keep her alive is to make her disappear without telling anyone where she is. If the mission is compromised, no one can be forced to give away her whereabouts if they don’t know her location. I found a place where Peyton and Rae can live a couple of states away. If my involvement with the mission gets compromised, I’ll be the first target Allerton goes for, and I’ll cover any tracks that could lead to them. Allerton won’t hesitate to use them to make me talk, which is why I’ve already turned command over to you. You’ll be the only one who knows where she is. I don’t want to know, and the president doesn’t want to know either. Her safety will be solely in your hands.”

“And why would I agree to keeping my mouth shut about Peyton and Rae? You’ve already turned command over to me.”

“I’ll do what I have to do to keep Peyton safe. Allerton won’t kill me if I’m the one who tells him that Evangeline is alive and what she knows. I’ll be an ally he can only dream about having. I won’t want to sell Evangeline out, but I will to make sure that Peyton is out of danger. I won’t have her hurt to get information out of me.

“It will only take the president to decide to use her as a bargain chip, or one of the team to fuck up and discuss the mission to the wrong person to put Allerton on the trail of finding her. As the commander of the mission that extricated her, I’d be the obvious person for him to go after first.”

“If you’re so fucking concerned about someone being safe, how about the wife and kids that you acknowledge?”

“Cassandra has agreed to put Tim and Marilyn in a private boarding school where they’re equipped at protecting children of high-profile parents. I’ve also bought a house where it’s guarded, gated, and I installed additional security myself. They’re as safe as I can make them, but truthfully, no one is untouchable if Allerton decides to target them. The only way any of us can live normal lives is if Evangeline’s death is accepted and no one finds her, at least until we’re in a position that none of us will be in danger.”

“When in the fuck will that be?”

“That’s not our call; it’s the president’s.”

“Jesus Christ! You want me to sell my soul by keeping quiet about Peyton to protect Evangeline?”

“I want you to do your fucking duty! As much as you hate me, take a step back and think objectively the way you were trained to. I’m not proud of my behavior with Peyton. I fucked up. If I could do things differently, I would, but I can’t. The only way I can make amends is keep her safe. To do that, I need your help.”

“You forgot one thing; I have another choice. One that will keep Peyton, Rae, and Evangeline just as safe.”

“Kill me? You know me better than that. I plan every eventuality. That’s why I’ve never failed on a mission, even when the odds are against me. I made a file that has to be updated daily. If anything happens to me, Allerton will be contacted about Evangeline.”

“Are you insane? What if something happens to you beyond my control?”

“Then I suggest you make sure I live a long life until Evangeline can be useful. Well, what’s it going to be?”

“I really don’t have a choice, do I?”

“No, you don’t.”

“Don’t look so fucking pleased with yourself. You’re good, damn good. I’ll give you credit for playing dirty and tying my hands, but you’re not going to have it all your own way. I’ll find a place for Peyton to live, and I’m going to make it as hard as possible for you to get to her. I’ll keep an eye on her myself so that, when you do manage to see her, it’ll take you more than a few hours’ drive to reach her. Limiting your access to her won’t make her happy, but it’ll make my fucking day. You’re going to convince her that it’s your idea, or she won’t go for it. I’d cut you out of her life if I could.

“Peyton already threatened to run away with Rae when I told her I was going to report you. Some distance from you is the only thing I can do right now for her, and if she finds out that I’m the one responsible for moving her so far away from you she’ll hate me.”