Reunion at Mistletoe Lodge (Sweet Colorado Romance #3)

11. CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 11

Liam

Liam stared at his brother in disbelief as tiny waves of shock zapped through him. He’d really wanted to have spoken to Barb before this happened. Liam had a feeling that his brother was starting to remember.

“Everything?” Liam asked his brother.

“Yes,” Zac said, nodding and looking at his brother. His eyes were shadowed. “I’m so sorry, little brother, for what I’ve put you through.” He turned to Barb. “I’m incredibly sorry for everything I’ve put you through, Barb. Courtney told me you have a daughter?”

“I do,” Barb said, and Liam could see her frown and nod. “Yes, Charlotte, she’s three months.”

“That’s a lovely name,” Zac told her. “My parents are going to love Oscar and Charlotte. They have been dying for grandchildren, and they know I don’t have any plans to have kids, nor does Courtney.”

Liam’s jaw clenched. “That’s enough!” he barked, seeing the look on Barb’s face and knowing that what his brother was saying was hurting her. “Barb doesn’t need to know about your and Courtney’s plans.”

“Of course,” Zac said, nodding and looking at Barb apologetically. “Barb, I have to tell you something. Ten years ago, Trevor called me to help him. He’d intercepted a disk your uncle sent to you.”

“Trevor opened my mail?” Barb's eyes widened with shock, and Liam didn’t think she was fully hearing what was being said. “Why would Trevor take a disk from my uncle?”

“Because it had information on it about the people from your mother’s family, the Pooks, you know the mob side of your family?” Zac said. “And the people in power that are helping them. But the day we met, your wedding day, someone had followed us, and Trevor was shot.”

“But he didn’t die!” Barb said, and Liam could see her eyes looked a little glazed as she took all the information in. “You and my good uncle moved him to Hawaii, where he got married and has a horde of kids—probably three.” She gave a soft laugh. “He always wanted to have three kids.”

Zac looked at Barb, confused, and before Liam could stop him, blurted out. “No, Trevor always wanted kids, but he could never have them.”

“What?” Barb’s brows drew together. “Yes, he could,” she corrected him. “Oscar’s his child. He…” She swallowed, her cheeks turning red. “He uh… used a clinic to keep some of his specimens . We once had a conversation about kids. We knew we were both in danger. Me, for as long as my uncle and his mob were free. Trevor because his job put him in danger every day.”

“Barb…” Liam said, trying to stop her from continuing as the alarm bells were ringing loudly in his head. “You don’t need to—”

Barb cut him off, continuing, “I had some of my eggs frozen, and he also got some specimens frozen. We made a pact that if anything happened to either of us, we’d use them to have a child together, and that’s how I had Oscar.”

“Really?” Zac frowned. “Are you sure it was Trevor’s sample?”

“Yes,” Barb said, nodding.

“That's…” Zac started, and Liam cut him off.

“That’s a great story, Barb,” Liam interrupted. “And you have nothing to feel embarrassed about. You have a beautiful son, and I’m sure Trevor would be proud to know him.”

Zac exchanged a look with Liam. “Of course.” He nodded and changed the subject from Oscar. “Barb, do you know where Trevor would’ve hidden the disk? Do you know what bubbles is?”

Barb looked at Zac, her eyes wide, and she glanced down the hall, but as she did, Charlotte started fussing.

“Excuse me,” Barb said and got up. “I have to get my daughter.”

Barb left the room, and Liam watched her walk into her bedroom.

“Don’t say things like that to Barb,” Liam hissed at his brother. “You were the one that took Trevor from her, and the only comfort Barb has is Oscar— their son. ”

“Trevor had to go into hiding,” Zac hissed back. “When Barb’s parents died, Trevor came to me for help to make Barb safe. I was the one who had her name changed and got her the job at the Holland Corporation.” His eyes narrowed. “That’s when Trevor and I set up our form of witsec with a man who was his mentor who used to be FBI and then went to work for the U.S. Marshal’s office.”

“You can’t just go relocating people!” Liam looked at his brother in disbelief .

“Nearly every witness that ever went up against the Pooks ended up dead,” Zac told his brother. “Trevor, myself, and Barb’s Uncle Brent Jackson suspected that someone quite high up in the FBI and possibly the Attorney General's office was working for the Pooks. So, with the help of the U.S. Marshal, we started our program.” He looked at Liam with raised eyebrows. “How do you think we were able to convict Niall Pook this time?”

“Witnesses from your program!” Liam guessed, and he had to admit to being impressed by what his brother, Trevor, and Barb’s uncle had accomplished. “But why is Trevor still in hiding?”

“He’s happy where he is, and well, he knows Barb has her own life now.” His eyes met his brothers. “A life that we , or at least I, have once again ripped apart.” He patted Liam on the back. “But hopefully, this time, once we’ve found that disk and eliminated the threat to our family, Trevor, and Brent…” He glanced at the baby monitor where Barb was changing Charlotte. “And Barb and her kids, I can fix it.”

“No,” Liam said, shaking his head. “Barb is my mess to clean up.” His voice dropped, and his heart ached.

“I’m sorry, little brother,” his eyes met Liam’s. “I should’ve kept you in the loop, but I was trying to protect you so you could get back to your family in Africa.”

“What?” Barb’s shocked words came from the hallway as she stood staring at Zac and Liam in shock, Charlotte bundled in her arms. Her wide eyes traveled from one brother to the other. “I knew it.” Her voice was soft and throaty as his eyes shone with unshed tears and resonated with pain.

“Barb!” Zac and Liam said in unison.

“Please let me explain,” the real Zac stood and started walking toward her.

“No!” Barb recoiled and stepped back into the hallway. “I need you both to leave.” Her eyes blanked off as they met the real Zac’s before moving to his brother, and she held up a palm-sized gold and silver jeweled bear. “This is Bubbles.”

She shoved it at the real Zac. “Barb, please…” He took a step toward her, but she took another step back .

“Please, just go,” Barb said, her voice trembling as she glanced at the brothers. “Both of you. You have what you want now.”

Zac’s eyes met hers, but she looked away and walked to the door, pulling it open and then waiting for them to leave. Liam walked past his brother and took the bear from him.

“Thank you, Barb,” Liam said. “I’ll get the bear back to you once I’ve figured out how to retrieve the disk.”

“Keep it,” Barb snapped. “Please just don’t come near me again.” She glanced at Zac. “—neither of you.”

Zac and Liam walked out of the bungalow, and as the door shut behind them, Zac couldn’t help but feel it was symbolic of how Barb was slamming the door shut on their relationship. Not that he could blame her, as he deserved to be shunned by her.

“Liam, is everything okay?” Patrick approached Zac.

“It’s okay, Patrick,” Zac told him. “My brother’s memories have returned. You can call me Zac again.”

Patrick’s eyes widened in surprise as he turned and looked at the other twin.

“Really?” Patrick asked wide-eyed. “That’s amazing.” He glanced at Barb’s bungalow. “Does Miss Gardener know?”

“Yes!” The identical twin brothers said in unison.

“Patrick, if you’re rested, we’re going to need you to take us to Denver to go see a specialist to have Liam checked out,” Zac told him, still trying to fit back into his persona.

He’d been living as his older twin brother for eleven months. He’d almost forgotten who he really was. He wasn’t even sure that Zac existed anymore. He glanced back at Barb’s bungalow as they walked toward their chalet. What he did know was how much he loved Barb, Oscar, and Charlotte. Zac also knew that he more than likely had no future with Barb as she’d never forgive him for this betrayal—and Zac would never expect her to .

“There doesn’t seem to be anything inside this,” Liam said, shaking the gold and silver bear.

“Here,” Zac took the little ornament as they walked into the bungalow and sat on the sofa. He frowned as he noticed that the head and arms had turned.

“I found it,” Liam stated, holding up his phone. “On the internet. How to open the bear.” He took the little ornament back. Turned its head to the side, lifted the left arm, and pushed the right arm back, and the head popped open. “Here we go.” He reached in and pulled out a disk and note. “This is the note to Barb from her uncle.”

Zac got his laptop, and they loaded the thumb drive. There was video footage of Liam’s office at the Deputy General’s office in California. But it was just an empty office, so Liam fast-forwarded it until they both sat gaping at the screen, and the door to his office opened. Two people entered it—a familiar woman and a familiar man.

“You shouldn’t be here,” the woman hissed. “I told you I’d get the information you wanted. You’re being reckless.”

“With my father in hiding, you know if we don’t get the correct information…” the man answered, his voice holding traces of panic in it. “Nothing scares me more than my father. You know what he’ll do to both of us if we don’t do what he wants.”

The woman sat behind Liam’s desk and logged onto his computer, downloading information onto the disk, which, when it was done, she gave to the man.

“Who are you giving this information to?” the woman asked the man.

“You’re already in this too deep,” the man told her with a soft smile. “He’s someone at the FBI who's been working with my father for years.”

“Who is it?” she insisted. “I’m in this with you now, too, and I need to know who I’m dealing with.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Special Agent in Charge Mark Rogers. ”

“Trevor Gardener’s boss?” the woman’s eyes widened. “You know he’s going to give your father the information that’s on that disk.”

“Look , you know I don’t want to do this,” the man assured her. “I want nothing to do with the man, but he just keeps showing up like a bad penny.”

“Then maybe we should be helping to put him away rather than keep him free,” she pointed out. “He’s going to kill them. Your uncle, aunt, and cousin.”

“What do you want me to do?” The man looked at her. They heard and saw the despair in his eyes. “Do you know what it’s like being Niall Pook’s son?” He looked at her, palming the thumb drive. “You know how you gave yourself a whole new identity so no one would know you grew up in a trailer park with a junkie mother and deadbeat dad?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t give us the right to trade the lives of innocent people for our own,” she implored him. “There must be another way?”

“I’m working on it,” the man promised. “It’s just going to take some time. ”

“Time and innocent lives,” she said, logging out of Liam’s computer and making sure nothing looked like it had been disturbed. “You’re lucky I love you so much.”

“I’d never let anything harm you,” he assured her. “I am sorry that it may harm a few others in your life, though.”

“We just need to find a way to stop your father for good,” the woman said as they left Liam’s office.

Zac and Liam sit staring at the screen in disbelief.

“The traitor was your ex-wife, Sally Shaw?” Zac looked at his brother. “She was the one feeding all the information from your computer about various cases and other classified information to Jason Pook.”

“And David Bradley, the governor of California’s Chief of Staff, is Jason Pook's son!” Liam said, astounded. “They used my computer to access the information in case the disk ever showed up.”

“How did they know there was a disk with evidence on it?” Zac frowned. “Did you record this? ”

“No,” Liam said, shaking his head. “I don’t have any cameras in my office.”

“Are you sure? The camera that filed this was definitely in your office,” Zac pointed out.

“I put it there.” Courtney’s voice came from the living room door, and they turned to see her watching them. She pulled out a badge and threw it over to Zac. “You can check with my boss, the head of the special joint task force between the FBI and IA, to investigate corruption in various state departments.”

Zac looked at the badge and then at Courtney with narrowed eyes. “You knew about this all along but said nothing?” He shook his head. “You were the one that convinced me to step into the part and be Liam.”

“Because we had to confuse whoever was after that disk and the other information only Liam knew,” Courtney told them. “I didn’t know what was on the disk. When I went to retrieve it, Sally caught me in Liam’s office. I had to pretend to be checking his calendar because someone needed to see him urgently.”

“So you mean to tell me you had this disk but didn’t know what was on it?” Zac didn’t believe her.

“It was up to me to check the SD cards from the recording device,” Courtney explained. “I had to change the SD card each morning and send it to my boss.”

“Who is your boss?” Zac asked, glancing over her credentials once more and wondering why he’d never heard of the task force.

“Professor Brent Jackson,” Courtney’s words sent a cold shiver down Zac’s spine as his eyes met his brothers.

“The same man who helped you set up the other secret program.”

“Don’t!” Courtney held up her hand. “You can never mention that program. Professor Jackson and Liam have helped a lot of people start new lives.” She glanced at Liam and smiled. “I’m sorry it turned out to be Sally as the traitor. At first, I thought it was Zac as he was the one closest to you. That made more sense as he also worked at the FBI. ”

“Thank you for the vote of trust!” Zac drawled. “But before I trust you, I think I’ll make some calls of my own.”

“I wouldn’t,” Courtney advised. Her eyes met his. “As soon as I saw who the two people were on that video, I called my boss, and he’s already having Sally, Mark, and David taken into custody.”

“Was it you that had Liam shot to find out what he’d done with this disk?” Zac glared at Courtney. Anger was washing over him at all he’d given up so she could get her hands on this disk.

“No, of course not,” Courtney hissed, her eyes softening as they turned toward Liam. “I love you, Liam, you know that. I would never try to kill you.” She frowned. “I also don’t think that whoever shot Liam intended to kill him as they shot him in the shoulder.”

Zac’s eyes widened as he glanced at his brother. “You think they were trying to kidnap him to get information about a witness he’d relocated?”

“Or, all the witnesses Liam had relocated and possibly get the name of who headed up the division,” Courtney told them. “Professor Jackson is the only one who knows all the names and locations of the many people he and Liam have relocated.”

Liam grunted and grabbed his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as pain seared through his brain.

“Liam!” Courtney and Zac said in unison as they rushed toward him. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t think whoever shot me was aiming at me,” Liam said, keeping his eyes closed. “I remember the shooting now. I was about to get some coffee for Paige and me when someone called me. I turned around to see…” His eyes opened wide as his head spun around. “We need to go now,” he said. “I know who shot me, and he was trying to kill my bodyguard to get to me so he could get to the professor.”

“Who?” Zac asked as he and Courtney followed Liam to the chalet door .

“Patrick!” Liam’s words made Zac stop dead in his tracks.

“No, you must be wrong.” Zac shook his head in disbelief.

“I’m not.” Liam shook his head. “I saw him, and he came into my hospital room when Eric stepped out to call you, Zac. I fought with him, fell, and hit my head.”

“Why didn’t he just kill you then?” Courtney asked.

“Because they still needed to know who was running the task force you were working for, Courtney,” Zac told her. “Patrick was probably interrupted by Eric and had to get out of there. Eric must’ve then gone outside to phone me, and before he could tell me who it was, he was run down.”

“Patrick’s been keeping close to us, waiting for clues probably to feed to…” before Courtney was finished, she was grabbed from behind and a gun aimed at her head.

“Well done for figuring it all out,” Patrick sneered, pushing Courtney further into the room. “ Now I have all the information I need. Including a disk that my employers are very eager to get their hands on.” His cold eyes met Zac’s. “Thank you for telling me about it.”

“You traitor!” Liam hissed. “All this time, you’ve been working for Sally and David!”

“You’re all really on a roll today, aren’t you,” Patrick said with a nasty laugh. “Pity you’re not going to be around to do anything about it.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Courtney told him, standing with her hands in the air while the cold barrel of Patrick’s gun was stuck at the back of her neck. “You won’t have any bosses to go back to. I’ve already called my boss.”

“Not much they’re going to do without that disk for evidence,” Patrick pointed out. “I’m sure Miss Shaw will state you were jealous or something like that. I’ll have the Professor and his niece to ensure he cooperates.”

“You leave Barb out of this,” Zac growled, fear flooding him .

“You can’t give me orders anymore,” Patrick told him. “I’ve finished my mission now. So don’t make this any harder and throw me the disk.”

Zac walked toward Liam’s laptop, but as he went to get the disk, he stopped, seeing Patrick jolt, his eyes widening in surprise before they rolled back in his head and he crumpled to the floor.

“Take that you scum bucket!” Paige hissed.

Zac, Liam, and Courtney all turned to gape at the sight of Paige and her bodyguard, Herschel. Herschel had hit Patrick in the back of the head with the butt of his gun.

“Paige!” they all said in unison before going in for a group hug while Herschel tied up Patrick and called the authorities.

“What are you doing back here?” Zac asked her.

Paige’s eyes narrowed as she looked from her one twin brother to the other. “Are you two back to your normal selves, or are we still pretending Zac is Liam?”

“I have my memories back,” Liam assured his little sister before pulling her in for another big hug. “I’ve never been happier to see you and Herschel in all my life.”

“Why are you back here?” Zac looked at Herschel.

“I bugged Patrick,” Herschel told him. “Last night at the hotel, I noticed he kept getting messages, so I cloned his phone and then bugged him when I realized he was a mole.”

“And before you pick on Herschel for bringing me along,” Paige knew what Zac’s following words were going to be, “I insisted and then snuck into his car when he was on his way here.”

“I’m really sorry about that,” Herschel assured Zac. “I’d never intentionally put Miss Paige in harm's way.”

“We understand, Herschel,” Liam assured him and sent Paige a black look. “We know how sneaky our little sister can be.”

“On the bright side…” Paige said, her eyes lighting up, “now that this is all over, we can enjoy Christmas because I’ve canceled everything to spend time with my older brothers.” She looked around the chalet. “And you were right, Li… Zac. This place is magical, and I thought in light of what happened to Liam, we needed to have a family Christmas, which we haven’t had in years.”

“Actually, Paige…” Zac said, his eyes darkening with emotion. “I was going to suggest we leave Mistletoe Lodge now that we no longer need to be here.” He glanced out the large windows that looked across the snow-laden field toward Barb’s bungalow. “Maybe we can go to Hawaii together for Christmas.”

“Why?” Liam. Paige, Courtney, and Herschel asked in unison.

“Because we’re not wanted here,” Zac told them.

“Then we’ll just have to remedy that,” Paige said. “Because if you all want to leave, then go, but I’m staying as I want to get to know my niece and nephew.”

“I second that,” Liam said.

“I’m voting yes, too,” Courtney said, smiling at Liam. “And I go where Liam goes.”

Liam smiled at Courtney and lovingly put his arm around her.

“I have to stay where Miss Paige stays.” Herschel’s eyes filled with apology as they met Liam. “But, sir, if I might speak honestly.” Zac nodded. “I, for one, have seen the lengths you’d go to for your family. You sacrificed your heart for your brother. I have no idea where to even start, but I’d be proud to help you try to win back your wife and kids—they’re the family you need to make sacrifices for now.”

“I second that!” Liam stated, turning to look at his younger twin. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help repair your relationship with Barb.”

“I’m with them,” Paige stated, pointing from Liam to Herschel.

“I’m voting yes too,” Courtney told them. “So even if you want to run away,” she warned, “the four of us are going to stay and fight for you. ”

Zac felt a lump burn his throat as he looked into four pairs of eyes, waiting for his reply. His heart skipped a beat as he glanced toward Barb’s bungalow. Zac remembered the bunch of roses she’d gotten, and he had no doubt they’d come from Doctor Reece . A surge of anger washed over him, and he turned to the group in the room.

“Like Herschel, I have no idea where we’d even start or if Barb will ever forgive me,” Zac told them. “But I’m willing to try and fight for the woman I love and my kids.”

“Good, so operation Win Back Barb and the Kids begins with the Christmas Decorating Competition!” Paige said, grinning.