LeBron, now the king of Beau Pays, was in his country, ensconced in the Alps, and Tom Bradley had passed away years ago. But Ethan lived here in Boston, the owner of a successful software company, and Ty was here as part of the vice president’s detail. Chase’s pulse pounded. He had to contact Ethan and Ty and warn them…if it wasn’t already too late.
Tension coursing through his body, Chase rose and pulled out the two cell phones. Both glowed with the No Signal light. Cursing, he hit the call history on the phone he’d appropriated from the gunman back at the shelter, and checked the outgoing call history. He recognized the area codes—Seattle and Boston, mostly—but not the individual numbers. Same for the incoming calls. Frustrated, he turned off the phones to conserve the low batteries.
He needed to know if Shea had been released from prison. But in order to do that, he needed a phone signal. He wasn’t going to find it in the basement of a century-old building.
That brought him back to the situation at hand—and Lily. The last thing he wanted to do was put her in any more danger than she already was. On the other hand, he wasn’t going to solve this thing by hiding out. The men with guns were not going to go away. Chase had to act, and he had to act now.
Scrubbing his hand over his face, he turned and, for the dozenth time, found his eyes on Lily. She lay on her side on a small rug with a folded towel tucked beneath her head. Her eyes were closed, her lashes dark and velvety against the pale skin of her face. Her knees were drawn up as far as her swollen belly would allow, as if she were trying to protect her unborn child even in sleep. She looked incredibly small and vulnerable lying there, and a fierce need to protect her rose up inside him with surprising force.
Chase knew better than to indulge in the moment but, even pregnant and disheveled, she was by far the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. They’d had something special once. A small part of him wanted to believe they could recapture that old magic. But he knew there was no way she would ever give him access to her heart again.
Not that he wanted it, Chase reminded himself. He was better off alone. No entanglements. No one to ask questions. No one to answer to. No one to endanger when things went wrong.
But you’ve already put her in the line of fire, a rude little voice reminded.
Tearing his eyes away from her, Chase strode to the door and yanked it open. The hall beyond stood dark and quiet. Behind him, Lily slept soundly. For a split second, he hesitated, then reminded himself that no one knew they were here. She would be safe for a few minutes. It was imperative that he get in touch with Ben Parker. He had to let him know Liam Shea could be behind not only the simultaneous ambushes, but the kidnapping of the vice president and the blackout as well. God only knows what else could be in the works.
Chase locked the door behind him and headed for the nearest stairwell. Pulling the phone from his pocket, he checked the signal display as he walked, hoping he wouldn’t have to leave the lower level in order to get a fair number of bars. No such luck.
Cursing beneath his breath, he yanked open the stairwell door and started up the stairs, keeping his eye on the phone. Midway up the stairwell, the No Signal light went out. Quickly, he dialed Ben Parker’s number.
Though it wasn’t yet six in the morning, the other man answered on the first ring.
Chase wasted no time on niceties. “I think Liam Shea might be behind this.”
“What? How do you know?”
“He fits the profile. He’s an electrical expert. He’s made threats against the people involved. There’s a direct connection between him and the vice president. We were all part of a botched rescue mission in the Middle East eleven years ago. Shea is the only man I can think of good enough to pull off these simultaneous attacks. I need to know if he was recently released from prison.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
On the other end of the line, Chase heard computer keys clicking. After a moment, Parker asked, “Where are you?”
Chase didn’t want to tell him. Not on this phone. But with Lily in tow, he didn’t have a choice. He could no longer handle this alone. “I’m at South Station. I need for someone to pick us up. We’re coming in.”
“Is Lily Garrett still with you?”
“Yeah.” Thinking of her pregnancy, Chase sat down on the stairwell step and closed his eyes. “She’s seven-and-a-half months pregnant.”
The short silence that followed told him Ben Parker suspected Chase was the father. “All right. Stay put. I’ll have someone there in twenty-five minutes. Where can they find you?”
“I’ll find them.” He terminated the call and dialed Ty’s number but got voice mail. “Call me,” he snapped, and left his number. Next he dialed Ethan.
The other man picked up on the second ring. “About time you called,” Ethan began. “I’m sure you know by now all freaking hell has broken loose.”