Читать книгу Undercover Bride - Kylie Brant - Страница 8

He didn’t look like a man committed to spreading hatred, prejudice and destruction.

Rachel Grunwald tacked the color eight-by-ten glossy onto the padded wall before her where she could study it while she continued her workout. The photo of Caleb Carpenter managed to convey an aura of power; an invisible energy that all but crackled just below the surface. Based on physical appearance alone, she would have guessed the man as high-level military, or even as one of those exorbitantly priced motivational speakers that seemed to abound these days. As the leader of The Brotherhood of Blood, Carpenter was, in a manner of speaking, both.

She drew her arms up and slowly slid one foot behind her to rest on point. Eyes fixed dispassionately on the photo, she arched her back and raised her leg, the fluid movement as graceful as ballet.

Most would consider the man handsome. His piercing blue eyes contrasted sharply with his short, sleek black hair. Some might mistake the strength in his jaw as a mark of integrity; the squared-off chin as a sign of determination. Few, she imagined, would look at the man and guess him a racist who preached death or deportation for the non-Aryan and disabled.

She spun, her foot shooting out to land hard against the picture. If Carpenter had actually been standing before her, she would have just broken his nose. A slight frown marred her exquisite face. Her timing was off. She’d aimed for his nose. With an acquired patience, she ran through the move a dozen more times, until she was satisfied with it. In her eight years as an agent she’d found it most effective to neutralize an opponent completely, rather than to merely annoy.

She bent to the palm-size tape recorder on the floor and pressed Play. Moving to the long foam-packed punching bag, she swiped her face and bare midriff with a towel and waited for the quietly measured tones of a man she’d never met to describe her next mission.

“Angel. You’re looking as gorgeous as ever.”

Sending a rapid series of jabs and fake crosses to the center of the bag, she grunted at the recorded words. “Always the charmer, Jonah. If you only knew.” She could feel the trickle of perspiration matting her blond hair, but disregarded it. A shower would revive the perfect looks she’d been born with, the looks that had given rise to the agency’s nickname for her. The angelic face was as much a tool as the body she punished into well-honed condition. Both masked a will of finely forged steel.

“You’ve heard, I’m sure, about the events surrounding the kidnap and rescue of East Kirby’s son. I’m sorry to say we failed to apprehend the kidnapper.”

The mastermind of the plot, Rachel knew, was thought to be the same person attempting to destroy SPEAR, the top-secret agency she worked for, and the man at its helm, Jonah himself. All the agency had to go on at this point was a name Jeff had overheard one of his captors mention. She feinted right, then plowed her left fist into the bag, imagining for the moment it was the stomach of the traitor, a man known only as Simon.

“Jeff Kirby was found buried alive on The Brotherhood of Blood compound in Idaho, which is owned and operated by Caleb Carpenter. He was traumatized, but he’ll be okay. A photo of Carpenter has been included. We need to discover the link between him and Simon. With your experience, of course, you’re perfectly suited for the task.”

The experience Jonah referred to was her specialty at anti-militia assignments. Her most recent task had been to infiltrate Comrades, a white-supremacist group hidden deep in the Appalachian Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. She’d moved her way up in the organization, from instructor of hand-to-hand combat tactics to junior advisor to the commander.

Panting, she moved away from the bag and grabbed one of the ropes that dangled from the overhead beams she’d left intact when she’d had the old barn renovated for her home. Scrambling up it, she kept her mind focused on the words coming from the machine, and off her straining muscles.

“Carpenter is said to be looking for a wife to complete his hold on the new union he’s creating. He’s considering candidates from all over the nation. I assume you’ll have no difficulty arranging an introduction. And then in convincing him that you are a woman worthy of bearing his seed to propagate his empire.”

Having reached the top of the rope, Rachel heaved herself to sit astride the beam, then rose to balance, arms outstretched. “Sure, Jonah,” she murmured, as she tiptoed the length of the beam. Constructing a spin on pirouette, she crossed back to the rope and began her descent. “Pretend fiancée to a man handsome as sin who just happens to be Satan’s counterpart? No problem.”

“I knew I could rely on you.” Was that a hint of amusement she heard in Jonah’s voice? Not for the first time, she had the uneasy feeling that the man in charge of SPEAR was extremely familiar with the way she thought. An incredible feat for someone who was, for all intents, a stranger to her.

“We know it’s Carpenter’s stated intention to unite all the militia groups in the nation into one army capable of taking down the U.S. government.” Jonah’s voice hardened. “Obviously, he’s positioning himself to become the new national leader. I need details, Angel. Who’s he dealing with, and how does he hope to bring about the revolution? And finally, what tie does Simon have with The Brotherhood? His involvement, I’m certain, is critical.”

She released the rope and dropped lightly to the floor. The tape was now silent, save for a faint whirring sound as its automatic destruction mechanism activated. Picking up the towel, she looped it around her neck, before reaching for the photo and recorder. She was accustomed to the abrupt end of Jonah’s messages. Once he’d described the mission, the details were left to his agents. It made sense. She’d be the lone agent in the Idaho compound, and the danger of the assignment was such that she’d have to think on her feet. Any plans made were subject to split-second changes, depending on the circumstances.

The loft area held only her workout room, bedroom and bath. She walked through the bedroom now, tossing the equipment on the bed, and stripping on the way to the bathroom. She bypassed the oversize tub and stepped into the shower, setting the temperature just shy of frigid.

After the shower she rummaged through the kitchen for the makings of some sort of dinner. Her refrigerator held a pound of margarine and a bottle of wine. Since she’d been living in the Comrades’ stronghold, she’d spent little time at home. She finally had to settle for a can of heated soup and a handful of stale crackers. After she finished, she poured herself a glass of wine. Now was the time to think about those details. Physically soothed, with the edge of adrenaline still humming, her mind would be sharper, her instinct more certain. First, though, she went to her office and shredded the picture of Carpenter. The slim celluloid tube the picture had been encased in, along with the recorder cartridge, went into the fire she’d started in the fireplace.

Her gaze fell on the flowers arranged in a vase and set on a table in front of the couch. A special courier had delivered them, with Jonah’s message and the photo concealed inside. There was no use saving them. She’d be returning to the Comrades’ stronghold in the morning. But she could enjoy their fragrant beauty for a few hours, at least. Picking up her glass of wine, she sank down on the black overstuffed sofa to think.

She let her mind drift, ideas half forming, to be analyzed, rejected, re-formed. Her gaze focused on the large sword prominently displayed above the fireplace. Its blade was still sharp, its point still keen. She’d carry the scar it had inflicted across her chest to her grave.

It served as a reminder. Training, intelligence and caution weren’t always enough. Luck, or the lack of it, could be a powerful factor in any assignment. On that particular occasion luck had saved her life.

She tipped the wine to her lips and drank. The memory gave her no particular chill. Rachel had accepted the danger of her job soon after she’d been recruited by SPEAR on the college campus.

SPEAR. Stealth, Perseverance, Endeavor, Attack and Rescue, was an agency so guarded that most members of the government didn’t even know it existed. Founded by Lincoln during the Civil War, the head of the agency answered only to the current president. SPEAR was called in when hope was lost, or the odds too great to be chanced by another agency. Death before dishonor was the inviolable code all SPEAR agents lived by. She was no longer amazed by the ferocity with which she embraced the doctrine.

Rachel rested the cool side of the goblet against her cheek. It had ceased to seem ironic that she’d become as much a zealot for her beliefs as had her father, although their views could not be more diametrically opposed. Had it not been for her miserable childhood, for her father, SPEAR would never have sought her out. She accepted that twist of fate, and poured everything she had into the agency which represented all she believed in. Truth. Justice. Loyalty.

It certainly wouldn’t be fate she’d rely on as she considered her new mission. It wouldn’t be luck. As darkness fell, she made no move to turn on a light. She’d operated in the shadows for long enough to be comfortable in them. And as the flames in the fireplace flickered to charred embers, she considered the best way to get close to Caleb Carpenter. Close enough to learn his secrets, to discover his strategy.

Close enough to destroy him.

At 0900 the next morning Rachel was in uniform seated at the conference table of Donald Parker, Commander of Comrades. Six other advisors were also in attendance. The meeting was a ritual, held twice weekly. Rachel wasn’t certain how much input the more senior officials had into Parker’s decisions, but from what she’d observed, the man preferred to keep most of the power for himself. That was the case with many of the militia groups she’d infiltrated. Paranoia was so rampant within the organizations that the leader did little delegating. It was a weakness that worked to the advantage of the government. Once the militia leader was removed, without another officer capable of salvaging the organization, its threat was eliminated. She supposed it was too much to hope that Carpenter had a similar leadership style. It would make the destruction of the Brotherhood all the more final.

“Take a look at this.” The advisors were silent as they perused copies of a fax Parker handed out, the same fax message Rachel had arranged to be delivered to his machine that morning. “Any thoughts on it?”

Rachel was silent as she skimmed the information she’d sent. The message was a copy of the mass mailings sent from The Brotherhood’s Compound in Idaho. She never doubted that Carpenter’s name would be recognized. The man had been making ripples in the white-supremacy movement for over two years, purportedly financing The Brotherhood’s stronghold with his considerable personal wealth. The Brotherhood of Blood was one of the fastest growing militia operations in the nation, a source of grave concern to the U.S. Civil Rights Division.

“What’s it to us if Carpenter wants a wife?” Lee Crandall, one of the senior advisors, said finally. “Seems to me with his money he could buy himself just about any woman he wanted.”

“I heard he’s got a real fancy compound out there,” another man noted. “Using his own money to build it, too. Maybe we should start paying more attention. A guy with unlimited resources could be a threat.”

“Or an ally.” All heads turned in Rachel’s direction. Here was the opening she’d planned for. “If The Brotherhood has that kind of financial backing it might not hurt to have someone there on the inside. Someone with ties to Comrades who gets close to Carpenter might be able to do us some good in the long run.”

Parker leaned back in his chair and let his advisors debate the issue. Rachel said no more. She knew the commander was listening closely, despite the fact that his heavy eyelids were almost closed. With his crew-cut hair, square face and barrel-chested body, he still looked like the Marine drill sergeant he’d been over twenty years ago. He ran the organization like his own personal kingdom, and perhaps it was. A kingdom that bred on hatred for all people of color.

His beliefs were abhorrent and his tactics often shockingly violent. She’d wondered more than once if the man wasn’t a psychopath. When he was spewing his organization’s dogma his eyes would become a bit glazed and his face red as the hate-filled words seemed ripped from his throat. It was at those times that he reminded her of her father.

It was at those times she found herself despising him the most.

“Enough.” Parker waved a hand and the discussion immediately ceased. “Let’s move on. We need to discuss recruiting opportunities in the area. A structure is only as strong as its foundation. We’ve got to get new blood into the ranks. Ideas?”

The rest of the meeting passed without incident. The suggestions were frightening in their simplicity. Web pages, chat rooms, literature, student groups in high school and college…it occurred to her, not for the first time, that hatred had to be taught.

An hour later when the group was dismissed, Parker stopped Rachel before she could leave. “Grunwald. Sit.”

She obeyed silently, waiting until the door had closed for the commander to speak. He studied her without a word for a few moments, his eyes giving nothing away.

“How was your visit home this weekend?”

Not even by a flicker of an eyelash did she reflect her surprise at the question.

“Fine, sir.”

“And your mother? She’s doing well?”

Rachel didn’t have to feign her hesitation. The sudden knot in her chest was all too real. All too familiar. “She’s about the same, sir.” It didn’t surprise her that Parker knew about her bi-monthly visits to her mother’s nursing home in Philadelphia, but it did surprise her that he’d mention it. He’d never pretended to be a leader who cared about his members’ personal lives.

The man took his time taking a cigar from the wooden box on the corner of his desk and lighting it. After puffing for a moment, he said, “I’d like to hear more about what you said earlier. About this Carpenter fax.”

“I just wondered if an applicant from Comrades might be advantageous to us, sir.”

His gaze shifted away from hers and he leaned back in his chair. “That’s what I wondered, too. If we send someone who Carpenter doesn’t choose, what the hell. It’d be a goodwill gesture, the kind that might do us some good if The Brotherhood continues to grow. And if our applicant was selected as his wife—” he paused to exhale a stream of smoke “—well, that wouldn’t do us any harm, either.”

Voice carefully neutral, Rachel said, “Well, if you’re considering applicants, I would suggest Western or Bailey, sir.”

“I’ve already decided on the candidate, Grunwald. You.”

“Me?”

The man nodded, and she knew the deal was made. Once he’d reached a decision he never strayed from it and he’d just been led, neatly, irrevocably, to the outcome she’d arranged. “We have to think of the future. I’ve never met Carpenter, but I’ve been keeping track of him. And I think he has one thing right. He believes that all the militia groups in the country will have to join forces to effect real change in this country. Revolution will come with strength in our ranks, and strength can only come through unity. When that time comes, I want to make sure Comrades remains among the leadership. An alliance between you and Carpenter could ensure that.”

When she didn’t answer, he continued, “I know this probably isn’t the way you planned to serve, but change doesn’t come without great sacrifice. You have to consider the good for the Aryan race, not just about yourself. Think about how this step could advance our cause. Think—” his voice dropped persuasively “—about how your father would feel about your work.”

A faint smile crossed her lips, and her words were edged in irony. “Sir, I think about that every day.”

Two days later Rachel was in a private limo, approaching the fortress that housed The Brotherhood of Blood. Parker had wasted no time proceeding with his plan. Rachel’s candidacy, consisting of pictures and background, had been shared with The Brotherhood via faxes and phone calls. She’d been accepted for Carpenter’s consideration.

What kind of man, she wondered, arranged for a wife in this manner? One who thought himself too busy, too important, to be bothered with the social rudiments of what society politely referred to as dating? Or one who had so little regard for women, for their importance, that appearance and background were the most important factors to be considered? The answer, she suspected, was both. The e-mail response from The Brotherhood had made it clear that Rachel would stay at the compound for a thirty-day trial period, and that she would have no say in Carpenter’s final decision. She was content with the time frame. A month would give her plenty of time to determine the connection between Carpenter and Simon.

Glancing at her watch, she saw that it had been over three hours since they’d left the airport. They would be approaching the compound soon, but she didn’t bother glancing out the windows. The glass was so deeply tinted that she could make out little more than filtered light and vague shapes. An effort by The Brotherhood to protect the secret of their site, she imagined. It wouldn’t matter. Jonah knew exactly where the compound was located.

The limo slowed to a stop and the driver got out of the car. After a few minutes he returned to the vehicle, and began a slow approach. Security gate, Rachel guessed. She wondered just how protected the compound was. Certainly Carpenter believed in precautions. She was fairly sure that her bags had been searched at the airport, while she’d waited in the limo. However, she’d been undisturbed at the invasion of privacy. Though there were a few items among her personal belongings that should raise some questions, it would take an astute man, indeed, to find them, let alone identify them.

She reached into her purse and withdrew a compact mirror. With a critical eye, she smoothed her hair and renewed her lipstick. The beauty reflected in the mirror failed to register. It was a tool, nothing more. Looks could be as potent a weapon as any she’d ever wielded. She’d learned to use every weapon she had at her disposal most effectively.

The car pulled to a stop and she replaced the items she’d used in her purse. The back passenger door opened, and the driver extended a hand to her. Rachel accepted his help and stepped out of the car, blinking in the sunlight.

Hundreds of people were assembled at her side, facing a stage placed on a rolling green lawn. The troops were clad in black fatigues, and their voices swelled in unison as they shouted fervored agreement to the speaker’s words. Above the stage on either side flew black flags emblazoned with a fisted hand clutching an American flag, dripping blood. The banners seemed to frame the man on the center of the platform, the man who had the troops transfixed.

Caleb Carpenter.

He, too, was clad in black, although rather than fatigues he was wearing dress pants and shirt. He paced back and forth across the stage, speaking into a microphone, and every sentence he uttered seemed to send the crowd into a frenzy.

Anticipation pricking her nerves, Rachel ran her palm down the front of her pink skirt to smooth wrinkles acquired by the long ride. Her eyes never left the man who stood front and center. He resembled a big jungle cat, dark and lethal, prowling the stage, roaring intentions of certain death for its prey.

“And I say to you—” the words boomed out over the audience “—we will topple this illegal government. We will tear apart its carcass and feast on the carnage. And upon the ashes of the corrupt, upon the ruins of the decadence, we will build a new union!” He paused as the voices in the crowd swelled in agreement.

“There will be no mercy for those who have prolonged this moment—no compassion for our enemies. Those who defy us will be destroyed. The filth and unworthy will be deported or eliminated. Our new union will be untainted, and we will sustain it by strict adherence to the doctrine of The Brotherhood. We will set the standard for white purity in this nation.”

A howl of support came from the audience. Carpenter made no move to interrupt it. He stood with feet apart, fist raised, in a gesture of arrogant eminence. Despite the heat, Rachel felt a chill river over her skin. Carpenter was as vitriolic as any of the militia leaders she’d come into contact with, but he was clearly far more dangerous than most. He possessed a potent presence, one that reached out and gripped the minds of his followers. His words bared their deepest fears, fed the fires of their fanaticism. They were screaming and chanting his name now, and he remained still, head thrown back, his face a mask of triumph and determination.

The driver of the limo reached for Rachel’s elbow, and she allowed him to lead her to the makeshift stage. Carpenter raised his hands to still the crowd, and when voices fell silent he began to speak again.

“Just as a revolution is a product of its loyal soldiers, so an empire is the sum of its leadership. Do I have your support?”

“Yes!” the crowd roared.

“Do I have your loyalty?”

“Yes!”

Rachel was close enough to see the perspiration trickling down the side of Carpenter’s face. He seemed impervious to the heat. His attention was focused on the people before him, and his own message.

“Our new white union must be guarded closely by a leader with the wisdom and courage to cull the misfits coddled by our society. I vow to be that leader for you, to remain committed to our goals and to build an undefiled empire from which shall spring sons to rule and daughters to serve. To that purpose,” Carpenter stopped as the volume of the crowd increased. “To that purpose…” he repeated as the voices ebbed, “I continue to screen applicants for the position of my mate. It is imperative, as your leader, that I choose a woman of purity and integrity, one who will honor our commitment and dedicate herself to her role of begetting heirs to carry out our holy mission.”

The crowd was completely silent now. There was an aura of expectancy in the air, and Rachel had an instinctive notion of what was about to happen next. The man at her side obeyed some unspoken command and motioned Rachel up the steps to the stage. As with every new case she worked, she could feel adrenaline spike through her veins. The game had begun. The boundaries were drawn, the stakes raised, and, although Carpenter didn’t yet realize it, the outcome was determined.

The hush of the assembled troops seemed unnatural. She drew herself up to her full height and began mounting the steps, drawing closer to her quarry. She needed to call upon all her poise when she reached the top, when Carpenter turned the considerable force of his presence toward her and reached out a hand.

She walked toward him, her movements sure and deliberate. Their gazes locked. The brilliant blue light in his eyes gave nothing away, nothing except for a luminous, burning intensity. When she’d reached his side, he clasped her hand in both of his and, his gaze still fixed on hers, raised it to his lips.

Rachel forced a slight smile, despite the renewed shiver sliding down her spine. Under the beam of that charismatic gaze, encased in the warmth of his touch, there was no doubt in her mind that she was in the presence of true evil.