Assassin Deception Read online

  “I saw you once together, making love under the willow tree in your backyard. I followed you. Even then I was planning, looking for my opportunity. You have such passion in a single kiss. I was hot and sweaty after the first few minutes, my hands actually shook to hold you. I made it a habit to trail you both around.

  “Sometimes I pretended it was me you were coming to see for your trysts. I saw how happy you were with me…him. Then he hurt you and you went away. I hated him for that. I missed you, I missed keeping an eye on you. James had his men keep such close tabs on you I was unable to get close to you without raising suspicion. Even that single letter had taken great thought and planning.

  “I needed you to come back. I was ready for you. I knew you would eventually return to Damien, to the safety of his arms if you were afraid. Then I realized Damien was destined to grow up like me from birth. He had no choice. I had no choice. You’re right when you say you aren’t responsible for what your father did. But if you married Damien you would be trapped within a family of killers. Your children would grow up to be just like their father, uncles and grandfather.

  “I couldn’t allow that. Watching you from a distance wasn’t enough anymore. I needed to capture you…save you.”

  “You kill,” Chloe said, her accusation unmistakable.

  “But if I took you away I would have to stop. I would have a reason to stop. I would no longer be surrounded by their evil. I would have to watch you, take care of you. You would have saved me from what I have become, what your father made me do. You owe me that.”

  “I would hate you forever. I owe you nothing!” Chloe declared with conviction.

  “No. You will turn to me from need. I’ll be the only one there for you. You’ll grow to need me. I learned that trick from Dirk, you know. That was what he did to Candy. She came to love him, even though he stole her away, hurt her.

  “I felt so sorry for her in the beginning, but she doesn’t run from him, she really loves him. Did he tell you how they got together? No? Doesn’t matter anyway. We’ll have lots of time to talk about the family secrets. I know your secret, Chloe…you need family. I’ll be your family, your only family. We both can have everything we want.”

  “I want to go home,” Chloe pleaded, staring into his eyes.

  “I can’t let you go. I would be alone again. I would kill again. No more death, no more death.” Deegan began to cry heart-wrenching sobs. He reached for her wrist, pulling her closer until she was crushed against his hard chest. She pushed at him, hardly able to breathe, but was unable to dislodge him.

  His face buried into her shoulder, his lips trailing along her neck then jaw line. He moved to kiss her, his blood mixing with her own. Chloe gagged at the metallic taste, pushing at him harder. His tongue delved deeply into her mouth, demanding the type of kiss Damien had enjoyed so readily from her eager lips.

  “Chloe, Chloe, you’re finally mine,” Deegan whispered.

  Chloe was shaking. She didn’t understand him. He claimed to hate her, then to need her. He had been watching them? What was wrong with him? She felt so confused by his contradictory actions.

  “You tried to blow me up,” Chloe accused, struggling from his grasp and became successful. She scooted away from him as far as possible, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth.

  “The bomb was meant to frighten you. I needed to destroy the home your father had lived in, send a message of sorts. I set it off from James’ limo, right under their noses. Unfortunately you were too close. I hadn’t counted on you turning around for a last look. It took everything in me not to scream for you to run. I used too much, that was a mistake. I felt bad about that. I was never very good with explosives anyway,” Deegan said sheepishly. “I’m sorry you lost your sight, I felt kinda bad about that, too, not wanting to hurt an innocent.”

  Chloe tried to still her erratic heartbeat. She had never seen anyone change their facial features so quickly. No wonder she hadn’t recognized his voice the night he held the knife to her throat. Even that changed to match his strange mood. He had to be lying. He was an expert with explosives, he had to be. After what had happened to her father’s car, James made certain all of his men were specially trained. He saw to it himself. What was Deegan playing at?

  “You were going to slit my throat,” she said a touch hesitantly.

  “I stopped him,” Deegan said, on a somewhat proud note, nodding his head as if confirming his actions. “You were so afraid, you begged so pleadingly, your voice so tiny and helpless, it near melted my heart. I had to take over, take control. He was too angry, he might have actually hurt you. You sounded so young, like a frightened child. I never hurt children.”

  “Stopped who?” Chloe asked with dread. He was being so confusing.

  “Deegan,” he replied, eyes wide, as if it was obvious and she wasn’t paying attention.

  Chloe swallowed heavily with trepidation. “If you’re not Deegan, who are you?” Chloe whispered.

  “Trevor.”

  * * * *

  Chloe was sequestered deeply within the side of a mountain. After Deegan’s admission Chloe had sat quietly while he turned the plane around and drove it into a huge cave near the side of the lake.

  The stone overhead extended outwards, making the cave beneath completely sheltered and undetectable from above. The water foliage from around aided in the deceptive crevice. The remote control lights flickered within, lighting their way to a small dock.

  Deegan exited and took Chloe’s hand, helping her out. He stopped briefly to examine the damage he had caused to her face and, once satisfied, it seemed he decided it was minimal. Deegan had led her deeply within the mountain.

  She shivered with cold and he pulled her to his side for warmth, Chloe knew better than to pull away from him. They continued on, deeper down a long, partially lit tunnel, Chloe’s heart falling further with each step. Even Dirk would have difficulty tracking her in here. They were buried within a mountain fortress.

  Deegan’s safe home was situated behind a massive iron door built into the cave. The walls to the cave formed beautiful patterns with different multicolored rocks within.

  Chloe estimated the ceiling to be about twenty feet above them in most places. Different areas were sectioned off with small see-through panels, but for the most part everything was open. Deegan could watch her from almost anywhere.

  There were no windows and Chloe wondered at ventilation, but could smell fresh air. Once the iron door swung shut Chloe felt her tears fall uninhibited from her cheeks. How would she ever get away?

  “This is your room,” Deegan said, steering her into a huge area. This was the one room that was enclosed with another iron door sealing the entrance.

  Chloe gazed about, wide-eyed. The cave walls had indeed been painted a rosy quartz pink to define the sleeping space. The bed was large and looked soft. A few stuffed animals rested on a stand nearby.

  There was a washroom off to the side. The sink and toilet lay exposed and not enclosed within another room, again defined by see-through panels. Only within the tiny shower would she be offered a small measure of privacy.

  Chloe stilled suddenly on a quick intake of breath. She wanted to bolt. Lying on top of her bed sat Salvare. Hesitantly, Chloe approached the doll. Her fingers closed around an arm and she pulled it to herself.

  “I thought she would help you feel more at home,” Deegan explained.

  “How…”

  “How did I get her?” Deegan began. He chuckled. “I grabbed her first, the night you regained your sight. Sort of a trial run; she was as easy to snatch as you were. You never even knew she was gone. I hope you watch the kids better.”

  Chloe remembered that night; she vaguely remembered Damien making reference to the doll, promising to retrieve her from James’ study. All along Deegan had it and they never realized? Then suddenly Chloe’s eyes narrowed at Deegan’s words. “Kids?” she questioned, swallowing hard.

  “Sure, just a few,” Deegan replie
d. “It’ll be great.”

  “How do you plan on having children?” Chloe asked, eyes scowling. She placed the doll onto the bed and faced him.

  “With you of course, sweetheart,” Deegan replied, smiling widely.

  “I wouldn’t let you touch me if you were the last man on earth! You really are crazy!”

  Deegan had her by the throat. He had moved so quickly Chloe had never even seen it coming. His eyes glared into hers. She was almost lifted off the ground, struggling to breathe, flailing her arms.

  “Don’t ever call me that! They all said it, but it wasn’t true! I witnessed a horrible tragedy when I was only a child. It wasn’t my fault I couldn’t speak. Don’t you ever be mean to me, never be mean to me!” Deegan raged. He shook her harder.

  Chloe flailed helplessly, struggling, kicking wildly. Her fingernails dug into his arms and wrist, racking at him frantically with no response. Her eyes began to close, she couldn’t get enough air. He was killing her, crushing her neck.

  She could feel her medallion, ice cold, between the palm of his hand and her throat. Home. Salvator, her mind screamed desperately. She was slipping silently away now, her thoughts drifted within her mind. Misty fog began to settle within the recesses of her brain to creep cautiously forward in a rolling, surreal motion. His grip was too tight, she was powerless against him, she could take no more. Her small body stilled beneath him. Her arms went limp at her sides, her eyes rolled back into her head.

  * * * *

  “Chloe?” Deegan asked. His anger was quickly replaced with concern. His eyes widened in surprise, his grip loosened, and he released her onto the bed. She lay motionless and not breathing. “Chloe? What’s wrong with you?”

  Panicking, Deegan tilted her head and puffed two breaths into her mouth after pinching her nostrils closed. He lay his head onto her chest, listening. Relieved, he heard her heartbeat and he once more blew into her mouth.

  Chloe coughed and choked, gasping in large amounts of air. When she opened her eyes and saw Deegan poised over top of her she cried out fearfully. The sound that emerged from her burning throat was a ragged squeak. She tried to scoot back away from him, but he held her immobile.

  “There, you see,” Deegan said, smiling down on her. He brushed her hair from her wild, terrified eyes.

  Carefully he settled her head into his lap cuddling her to him. He lifted one of her slender hands to his cheek, feeling the softness of her fingers as they trailed across his roughened face. “I will take good care of you, haven’t I already proven that? Once again I’ve saved your life. You are safe with me, Chloe.”

  * * * *

  Too terrified to speak, Chloe’s throat throbbed horrendously. She took tiny labored breaths. She remained perfectly still while Deegan smiled down on her with obvious delight, thinking himself once more her hero. The man hovering over her wasn’t right in the head, there was no doubt in her mind. He hadn’t been speaking of a twin; Deegan and Trevor were one and the same. Oh my God! What could be more lethal than an insane assassin?

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Deegan?” Chloe asked hesitantly, still somewhat confused. “Who is Trevor?”

  Once more Chloe had spent a fitful night locked within a room as an unwilling captive of another, though she doubted Deegan would be as careful with her as Mitch had been. Undoubtedly Deegan didn’t fear Dirk’s wrath.

  Deegan had left her shortly after he had revived her, claiming it was time for dinner. He had never returned that evening. Chloe had grown more fearful throughout the night. She wondered if he had left her to die, or if he would suddenly storm in and kill her.

  When she had succumbed to her exhaustion in the early hours of the morning, wrapped in a tight ball in a thick comforter against the shivering chill of her tense, highly strung emotions, she awoke fearfully to Deegan sitting beside her on the bed.

  His fierce eyes were leveled onto her and she cowered back into the pillows, whimpering for him not to hurt her. Her throat was bruised, her words were tiny, weak, and her splayed hands shook.

  At once his expression changed dramatically and he smiled when he told her to shower and dress for breakfast.

  “Pancakes!” Deegan declared excitedly. With flourish he placed a large plate in front of her, splashing a generous amount of maple syrup onto them, with strawberries and whipped cream. A steamy mug of black coffee followed with cream and sugar.

  He sat down beside her and shoved a huge fork full of food into his mouth. He chewed lazily for a while, studying her. “I hope you like my cooking, I hear yours is to die for,” he said, and chuckled outrageously at the lame joke.

  “I did not kill Mitch,” Chloe replied. She had yet to take a bite of her repast.

  “Man, you should have seen the look on his face when I walked through the door. Obviously Dirk had found out I was somehow involved in James' death and got word to him. Can’t imagine how he knew, though.

  “Poor guy went for his gun, the one that you took, then he went to stand up, couldn’t do that either. He really was pathetic, flopping about like a fish out of water. Finally he just lay groaning on the couch.

  “It would have been a merciful act to take him out, but I feel for the guy. His wife is something else, one hundred and ten pounds of mouth, the mother of all shrews…never stops! I did you a favor, you know, knocking him unconscious before you came back. He wants to kill you, can’t say I blame him. But if you don’t mind, I’ll be doing all the food preparations.”

  “I’m not hungry,” Chloe said, hanging her head.

  “You’ll eat when you’re ready. Though you should be grateful I’m feeding you. Deegan wouldn’t like it,” he replied, then shifted uncomfortably with the admission.

  Chloe’s ears perked at that information. “Why wouldn’t Deegan like it?”

  “I never got pancakes,” he answered.

  “When didn’t you get pancakes?” Chloe asked. She eyed him steadily. His head was somewhat bowed, his eyes downcast as though reliving some type of sad experience. Then just as suddenly he perked up and seemed to change.

  “We can watch TV, you know,” Deegan replied instead, his chest puffing with pride. “I’ve piled up a great selection of movies, even classics chicks like.”

  “Deegan, why didn’t James ever figure out who you are?” Chloe asked. She knew beyond doubt all of his men were screened intensely. James should have caught on to this man. He wasn’t right in the head; James should have seen it.

  Deegan looked at her with a calculating smile. “James sent this nice shrink to save me from myself. You can’t imagine the manipulating skills you can acquire from a good shrink. James, the dirty bastard, sent us to this place out of the way…beyond out of the way, to keep us quiet, to protect your father and his precious Damien and Dirk.

  “Mom died eventually. They weren’t mean to her or nothing, she was just so sad after Dad died she couldn’t take it anymore, the loneliness. Her son was a vegetable, poor little guy couldn’t speak for the longest time, pitiful, really, and heartbreaking.

  “The shrink was a decent sort for the most part, at least in the beginning, intrigued with the kid. Fed him all sorts of power-boosting crud mixed with vitamins, because he was so small for his age and didn’t want to eat. He finally hypnotized Trevor and told him he was Deegan. The man who was killed was Trevor’s dad, not Deegan’s. Deegan never saw the man murdered, it was more like a bad dream. I could speak after that.”

  Chloe was studying him. A split personality? But they seemed to be aware of one another. Referring to each other in past tense and the present. As though they were one in the same and not exactly separate entities. How could that be possible?

  “I’m not insane, Chloe, I assure you,” Deegan began. “The only way I could cope with my dad’s death was to invent Deegan, only he stopped being an invention. He developed emotions and thoughts. Trevor and I are the same, but different. Trevor has the anger, but I kill for him; he isn’t nearly strong enough. Trevor is the trapped c
hild. I’m the man who looks out after him.

  “It’s a perfect arrangement, really. Trevor is given the power back through me. It was hard at first until we decided where each of us fit. It took a long time for me to coax him back and console him.

  “The doctor really did a number on the poor kid. I had to look for him after a while. I could always hear his crying, just about drove me nutty. Sometimes when I heard him cry the tears would drip from my face. I had to stop that. Hardened assassins really shouldn’t be blubbering like babies. But we got through it.

  “It’s like having two heads on one body, Siamese twins, only separated by thoughts…though we hear each other's.

  “By then the shrink was getting nervous and we were getting bigger, a lot bigger. We’d outgrown him substantially by the time we hit sixteen, or maybe even before that.

  “Two heads are definitely better than one. When one of us was at a loss the other knew exactly what to do. We came up with the perfect plan. I’m sure you can imagine the doctor’s surprise when I killed him; he was my first. I took his identity, then killed him, me, off again in a staged accident, becoming Deegan for good.

  “No one knew about Deegan. The doctor had told James that Trevor never spoke again, then later said he’d died altogether. It wasn’t for me really, he did it because I was his little lab rat. I made my own identity. It was surprisingly easy. The doctor had done the leg work to stage Trevor’s death. I simply stepped into a new role. I was able to infiltrate James’ stronghold by garnering a reputation for myself.”

  Chloe could see Deegan’s agitation rising. “Is that why you killed him, the doctor, because he used you?” she asked with trepidation. The man before her was a ticking time bomb; she could feel his anger radiating from him. Although she felt certain pity for the trapped boy he had been, it still didn’t garner him sympathy for the man who had almost killed James and kidnapped her.

  “I killed him because he was a doctor and should have helped my mother and those other people escape. I had started to care for him, but he pushed me away like I was insane, a stupid little freak, when it was his fault I became two people. He should have treated us like a son and not some damned experiment,” Deegan snapped.