Page 97 of Fearless

Jules nodded. “I’ll get one to you.” She paused a second and then said quietly, “I understand Smith was killed.”

She stared at Jules, almost feeling betrayed. They had been talking for over an hour. The questions had been routine and expected, but this one statement from left field derailed the carefully constructed facade she’d been maintaining.

Serena opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was an ugly, awful sound of anguish. Before she could take another breath, the door burst open, and Sean stalked inside. “She needs a break, Jules.”

In a distant part of her mind, Serena knew she should be answering the question like the professional operative she was. But the very present part of her felt the devastation, almost as if Smith’s murder had just happened.

She didn’t even realize she was crying until Sean’s arms wrapped around her. She folded into him. His warmth, comfort, familiarity were everything. Burying her face against his shoulder, she could no longer hold back the heartache.

Soft voices and urgent whispers surrounded her. She shut out everything, and for the first time since it happened, she allowed herself to give in to her grief.

Smith was dead. That kind, intelligent, compassionate young man who’d had such hopes and dreams was dead. And he’d died saving her life.

* * *

Holding his fragile, sobbing wife in his arms, Sean carried her out of the room and up the stairs to their bedroom. With each heart-wrenching cry she made, his heart shattered just a little more. Even though he had been expecting this to happen, it didn’t lessen the impact.

He opened the door, Hank right on his heels. Once they were all inside, Sean kicked the door closed. Striding to the oversized chair in front of the fireplace, he settled into it and just held her.

The harsh sobs had lessened, but the tears continued. She had been holding back for days. As much as it hurt to see her like this, he couldn’t help but be glad that she was finally letting it all out.

Hank nestled as close as possible, pushing his head against Serena’s arm to comfort her. The moment the two had met, it had been instant adoration for both of them. Hank had barely left her side since she’d arrived.

“Sean?” she said softly.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“I want to go home.”

“To our house?”

“No. To Francine. I want to see my parents…my family.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

She snuggled deeper into his embrace, and when he heard her breathing even out, he knew she was asleep. Easing his phone from his pocket, he texted Ash, asking that the plane be prepared. And then he texted Ed Allen and asked that only he and Serena’s mom be at the airport to greet them. Serena loved all of her family, but he didn’t want her to be overwhelmed when she arrived home.

After that, he settled back into the chair, closed his eyes, and prayed that somehow, someway, he would be able to make everything up to Serena and they could recover what they had lost.

And then he would turn the world over to find Colton Kingsley and make him pay for every tear she had shed.

Chapter Forty-One

Hobbs, New Mexico

Collin Kerr preened in front of the mirror, turning this way and that as he inspected his impeccably dressed form, looking for flaws or tells. There were none, of course, and he grinned at the picture he made. He looked like a man in his late fifties with a receding hairline, slightly chubby cheeks, and a thicker than was healthy waistline. At first, he’d thought the paunch was a little much, but he had to admit it went well with the overfed and overindulged persona he was looking to achieve. No one would ever recognize him as the dangerously attractive and debonair man he really was.

Part of his escape plan had always included multiple identities that he could assume at a moment’s notice. Collin Kerr was just one of a half dozen. No stage actor or movie star could pull off so many different characters with as much success and, dare he say, panache as he could. Even the most discerning person would never be able to recognize him. He’d always had a knack for acting, and now he would be putting those talents to good use.

Everything was working out just as he’d planned. After the helicopter had landed in a warehouse district outside of San Jose, California, he’d transferred the agreed-upon amount of two million dollars from one of his accounts into Gunter’s Cayman Island account. Gunter had lived up to his promise, and so had he. They had devised this escape plan a few years back, and it had gone off like clockwork. Having served his purpose, Gunter had flown away, a happy, wealthy man.

On the way to San Jose, he had arranged for a car to be delivered to the landing site. Gunter and his helicopter were barely a hundred feet in the air before he’d been driving away. Traveling through the night, he’d taken back roads and alternate routes to get to his destination. For over seven years now, he’d been paying for a small, cheap apartment in Hobbs. No one knew him here, and the landlord had been more than happy to take his money and have no complaints from an absentee tenant.

The apartment was small and unassuming, but it held everything he needed to become someone else. Several someones, actually. His closets held multiple styles, sizes, and accoutrements to enhance his different personas. On occasion, he had visited the apartment and updated the clothing. Collin Kerr wasn’t the most comfortable or modern of his disguises, but since he was sure there were cameras everywhere, he needed to look as different as possible.

He’d been at the apartment for a few days, lying low and healing from the minor wound to his hip from a sharp piece of concrete that had missiled into his flesh, cutting a four-inch bloody path across his skin. He’d stitched himself up and laughed at the minute injury.

He would stay here for a few more weeks, practicing his different roles and planning what lay ahead for him. Both WREN and Option Zero would be diligently looking for him. He’d stay off the grid until things calmed down a bit. Then he would start his new life. He had enough wealth to live anywhere he wanted and do anything he wanted.