Read Online Long Gone by Marliss Melton, Janie Hawkins - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Marliss Melton, Janie Hawkins
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yet.”
Drake regarded his father in surprise. “His wife is in on this?”
“She’s our lead witness.” Connor’s confident smirk faded. “Listen, I can’t waste another minute down here. I need you to take me to the airfield.”
In other words, it was time to relinquish Skyler to the U.S. Marshals. Drake tightened his hold on her, every cell in his body protesting.
“She’ll be safe,” Higgins promised.
Drake hit him with a level stare. “You’ll answer to me if anything happens to her,” he threatened.
Higgins inclined his head in acknowledgement.
“Let’s give them a minute.” Connor gestured for the U.S. Marshal to join him by the door.
Left alone, Skyler and Drake turned to face each other.
He tried swallowing around the lump in his throat. “This isn’t what I wanted,” he protested.
“I know.” She raised her hands to his broad shoulders. “But it’s better this way, Drake.”
Possibly, but it was hard to convince himself of that.
“What we shared today will give me the strength to keep going—” Her voice broke. “—without you,” she added, her tears overflowing suddenly.
He locked his hands over hers and slid them to rest over his heart. “Don’t worry. I’ll wait for you, Sky,” he swore. “For as long as it takes.”
“I love you!” she cried, throwing her arms around him.
He crushed her to him one last time. “I love you more.”
“Time to go,” Connor called from the door, his tone less abrupt than usual.
Closing his eyes to savor the memory, Drake pressed a final kiss on Skyler’s lips.
Then he stood up, jammed his feet into his shoes, grabbed up his possessions and headed for the door. He did not look back.
After the Culprit was apprehended and incarcerated, the Centurions who remained would be exposed and prosecuted. Then Skyler would be free to live her life with him.
Drake had to believe that. It was the only thing that kept him moving forward.
**
Bill Milton was in a pissy mood. He had spent his entire morning trying to rectify the mistakes of imbeciles. Was there no one else in this whole world capable of discretion and forethought? The idiocy of those he protected and those who worked for him now threatened his own future. It was everyone else’s damn fault he was being forced to bail out earlier than planned.
He had done everything flawlessly.
Snatching up his suitcase from the taxi that had picked him up at the movie theater and brought him to Ronald Reagan International Airport, Milton waved off the porter who stepped off the curb to help him. With his jaw jumping, he stalked through the automatic doors into the airport lobby and headed straight toward security with his carry-on bag, having printed off his boarding pass at a net café earlier.
The airport was crammed with traveling business people. Bill hated airports. Having owned a private jet for a decade now, he had yet to encounter the post 9/11 security measures that plagued the average traveler. But flying out of the country on his private jet was what Connor Donovan expected him to do.
Oh, yes, with a little probing, he’d discovered that Donovan was on a mission to expose him. His involvement with the Skyler Dulay fiasco down in Myrtle Beach last month was no coincidence. If Donovan caught word that his boss was leaving the country, he’d automatically assume he was taking his own jet. Hence, the necessary but distasteful use of public transportation.
He’d told his wife he was leaving on a business trip. Armed with a passport identifying him as a German-American named Hans Steuben and wearing a convincing disguise that he had donned in the bathroom of the cinema near his home, he was confident of his ability to leave the country undetected.
He hadn’t become Deputy Director of the FBI by being stupid.
Stepping into line at Security, Bill double-checked his false mustache. As he bent over to unlace his shoes, he spared a thought
Drake regarded his father in surprise. “His wife is in on this?”
“She’s our lead witness.” Connor’s confident smirk faded. “Listen, I can’t waste another minute down here. I need you to take me to the airfield.”
In other words, it was time to relinquish Skyler to the U.S. Marshals. Drake tightened his hold on her, every cell in his body protesting.
“She’ll be safe,” Higgins promised.
Drake hit him with a level stare. “You’ll answer to me if anything happens to her,” he threatened.
Higgins inclined his head in acknowledgement.
“Let’s give them a minute.” Connor gestured for the U.S. Marshal to join him by the door.
Left alone, Skyler and Drake turned to face each other.
He tried swallowing around the lump in his throat. “This isn’t what I wanted,” he protested.
“I know.” She raised her hands to his broad shoulders. “But it’s better this way, Drake.”
Possibly, but it was hard to convince himself of that.
“What we shared today will give me the strength to keep going—” Her voice broke. “—without you,” she added, her tears overflowing suddenly.
He locked his hands over hers and slid them to rest over his heart. “Don’t worry. I’ll wait for you, Sky,” he swore. “For as long as it takes.”
“I love you!” she cried, throwing her arms around him.
He crushed her to him one last time. “I love you more.”
“Time to go,” Connor called from the door, his tone less abrupt than usual.
Closing his eyes to savor the memory, Drake pressed a final kiss on Skyler’s lips.
Then he stood up, jammed his feet into his shoes, grabbed up his possessions and headed for the door. He did not look back.
After the Culprit was apprehended and incarcerated, the Centurions who remained would be exposed and prosecuted. Then Skyler would be free to live her life with him.
Drake had to believe that. It was the only thing that kept him moving forward.
**
Bill Milton was in a pissy mood. He had spent his entire morning trying to rectify the mistakes of imbeciles. Was there no one else in this whole world capable of discretion and forethought? The idiocy of those he protected and those who worked for him now threatened his own future. It was everyone else’s damn fault he was being forced to bail out earlier than planned.
He had done everything flawlessly.
Snatching up his suitcase from the taxi that had picked him up at the movie theater and brought him to Ronald Reagan International Airport, Milton waved off the porter who stepped off the curb to help him. With his jaw jumping, he stalked through the automatic doors into the airport lobby and headed straight toward security with his carry-on bag, having printed off his boarding pass at a net café earlier.
The airport was crammed with traveling business people. Bill hated airports. Having owned a private jet for a decade now, he had yet to encounter the post 9/11 security measures that plagued the average traveler. But flying out of the country on his private jet was what Connor Donovan expected him to do.
Oh, yes, with a little probing, he’d discovered that Donovan was on a mission to expose him. His involvement with the Skyler Dulay fiasco down in Myrtle Beach last month was no coincidence. If Donovan caught word that his boss was leaving the country, he’d automatically assume he was taking his own jet. Hence, the necessary but distasteful use of public transportation.
He’d told his wife he was leaving on a business trip. Armed with a passport identifying him as a German-American named Hans Steuben and wearing a convincing disguise that he had donned in the bathroom of the cinema near his home, he was confident of his ability to leave the country undetected.
He hadn’t become Deputy Director of the FBI by being stupid.
Stepping into line at Security, Bill double-checked his false mustache. As he bent over to unlace his shoes, he spared a thought
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