She had to put what being with Ryan for the last few days had stirred inside her back into a locked box. She sent an email to Dad, letting him know of her departure and why she’d had to leave. Tori explained that she would be back for a short visit or they could come out to see her, once the person responsible for Sarah’s death and Tori’s attacks was incarcerated. He would be hurt that he didn’t at least get to say goodbye in person—which was the reason she chose to email rather than get into the emotional drama over the phone—but he would have to understand. He would then break the news to Mom. Together, they would console themselves with the fact that Tori was doing what they had wanted her to do, and that she would be safer. They wouldn’t lose another daughter.
Tori sat taller and shoved the sudden tears away.
She let the fury at this killer wash through her and leave her as a force to be reckoned with.
Dad replied to her email sooner than she would have thought, stating that he was glad she would be safe and he looked forward to hearing from her when she arrived. Phew. Relieved at his response, she read more. He said they would discuss coming out for a visit when she had time.
And that was another issue, wasn’t it? In her job she hardly had time for family, especially when she lived halfway across the country.
Her cell rang.
Mom.
Tori flinched. Mom would stir up her emotions, and she needed to stay levelheaded as she remained on guard.
Groaning inside, she answered the call. “Mom, hi.”
“Hey, honey. I know you can’t tell me where you are, where the safe house is. I understand all that, but I wanted to hear your voice. I miss you.”
Disappointment sank in Tori’s gut—Dad hadn’t told Mom the news yet. Her mother could very well figure her location out when she heard the background noise. Tori pinched the bridge of her nose, wishing now that she hadn’t answered. Why hadn’t she simply let it go to voice mail?
“I miss you, too, Mom. Let’s pray this is over soon and we can spend time together without having to worry.”
“I can’t lose you, too, Tori.” Mom’s words sounded warbled, but Tori suspected she was doing her best to control her emotions.
“You won’t, Mom. I promise.” She might as well go ahead and tell her she was leaving.
“I meant to ask, what was in that package Sarah sent you?”
Package?
“What package?”
“You didn’t find it? It came to our house a few days ago—they forwarded it from your apartment. I stuck it in your briefcase when they gathered your things from Sarah’s house. That was after the explosion. You were in the hospital.”
“Right. They took me to the safe house from there. I didn’t see a package, but I haven’t rifled through my briefcase—” though she had pulled her laptop out of its pocket several times “—Listen, Mom, I have—”
An announcement for an incoming flight came over the intercom.
“Where are you, Tori? It sounds like you’re at the airport. What’s going on?”
Air whooshed from Tori’s lungs. “I’m heading home, Mom. I emailed Dad to explain that in order to be safe, I need to leave.”
“But—”
Mom would have at least wanted to see her off. To say goodbye. Give her a hug. Tori got it. This wasn’t how Mom had imagined Tori going somewhere safe.
Dad’s voice sounded in the background as he explained to Mom what was going on. A little late, Dad.
She’d wanted to avoid the drama. While she listened to the secondhand conversation, she dug through her briefcase and spotted a small package—the one from Sarah?
“Mom, I think I found the package. I have to go.” Tori ended the call abruptly. Mom would have to understand, and Tori would make up for it later.
Gripping the orange-colored mailer, she stared at the handwriting—Sarah’s writing—and the date it had been sent. The day before Sarah’s murder. Tori had made sure to forward her mail to Mom and Dad’s, and it had taken time to find her here.
Without a doubt she knew what she held in her hands was the information that had put a target on her head. They thought that she already knew. That she had already received the package.
She slid it over her keyboard to hide it behind her laptop and looked around the terminal. The rush and madness to make the next flight had died down and only one person sat in the waiting area with her. Few people walked the halls.
Tori ripped the package and a USB drive fell out. She peeked inside the package and found a sealed envelope, too. She opened it to find a handwritten note from Sarah.
Dear Tori,
I got myself in too deep and I’m not sure where to turn, so I’m sending this to you. I thought it would be easier to mail and have you look at it first, and then we can talk later. But no email. I’m concerned that someone could find out what I’ve been up to. I think someone has been following me.
That’s it? Come on, Sarah. At least you could have explained what this was about.
But then again, Sarah had probably been scared to say too much, and with good reason, given the danger she was in. Only it had gotten her killed anyway.
Tori detested the anger that surged through her. Anger at her sister for getting herself killed. She pushed down that hateful emotion—this wasn’t Sarah’s fault.
Goose bumps rose on her arms as she stuck the USB drive into the slot on her laptop.
She stared at incriminating documents about the company GenDynamics—the place where Sarah worked. And then it hit Tori. GenDynamics was an agricultural company. Of course! Now it was all beginning to make sense.
Tori should have looked into this from the beginning. She’d been too distraught to see clearly what was right there all the time.
Tori sat up and did a quick search on the company. GenDynamics produced pesticides and GMOs—genetically modified organisms. She’d heard the term repeatedly, but what exactly did that mean?
Tori read further. Gene splicing. That was what it was all about. DNA from a variety of species were forced into genes of other plants or animals. She cringed at what she read, and then went back to the information Sarah had gathered. Sarah had taken photographs of documentation that showed the company was purposefully mislabeling and selling an unapproved pesticide. If that was discovered, it could cost them tens of millions of dollars in fines, lawsuits and government penalties.
Comprehension slammed into her, and she flattened against the seat back.
Oh, Sarah...
She’d been part of an environmental group, and Tori had a feeling Dee knew about these other activities, but he’d been afraid to tell Tori. GenDynamics was a huge company with deep pockets. Maybe Sarah’s run-in with the legislator was her way of trying to get someone to listen to her about what was going on there. And when they wouldn’t, she’d gathered this information herself.
Sarah had turned into a major whistle-blower. Whistle-blowers were supposed to be protected by laws, but they were often persecuted.
And in this case, she had been murdered before the whistle could be blown.
Tori’s cell rang. Dad this time.
Tori grimaced. She couldn’t talk to him at this moment. She had to process what all of this meant. Why hadn’t Sarah given this information to Sanchez? She already had a working relationship with him. Instead, Sarah had sent the information to Tori so she could take action, and Tori had failed her sister.
Monumentally.
She couldn’t go back in time to change any of it. All she could do was go forward and try to fix it now. She would find out who was behind Sarah’s murder, thanks to this information she now had in her hands.
Tori’s cell rang again. She would need to text Dad that she would call back in a bit. She opened the texting app to tell him and then stared at a text that had come through from Dad’s cell.
If you want to see your parents alive bring me the package.
She replied with her own text. Wait. I’m at the airport. You’ll have to give me time. I don’t have it with me.
I know you have it with you.
Tori stared at her cell. Had he employed a listening app on her phone or on her parents’? Or was he watching her even now, here in the airport? Tori glanced around her. Goose bumps crawled over her.
If you want them to remain alive, you must tell no one. If the information in the package ever comes to light, their deaths will be on your hands. And then you’ll die, too.
* * *
The street was dark and quiet when Ryan finally turned into his driveway and parked in the garage. He’d had to go back to the office to catch up on his reports and update his boss again, which meant he’d had to wait to find out what Katelyn wanted to show him. He found it was best to ferret out the truth before presenting anything to his boss.
Now he was ready to hear what she’d learned. He hadn’t asked her to stay and help, but he’d take any assistance he could get.
Ryan entered his home through the garage entrance and found the breakfast area dimly lit. Katelyn sat at the kitchen table, the light from her laptop reflecting on her face.
“Sorry I’m late. Captain Moran wanted a face-to-face with me.” It had been good to be able to reassure his boss that Tori was no longer part of the investigation.
Now that Tori was at the airport, he realized just how glad he was that she was headed home. Maybe he would have caught the murderer by now, without her proximity and the fact she was in danger scrambling his brain.
And now he could focus on dousing what her presence had kindled inside of him.
And douse he would, though he wasn’t sure how yet.
Starting tonight.
He grabbed sodas for each of them from the fridge, then pulled out the chair at the end of the table to sit. Ryan popped the top, drank and savored the fizz, then guzzled the rest. He sat the empty can on the table.
Katelyn finally responded.
“And you couldn’t update him with this new information because you didn’t have it, is that it?”
“Pretty much.” He’d called her on the way to the office, but only got her voice mail. “So please enlighten me.”
“You’re still in love with her.”
Her words struck him in the chest. “What?”
Katelyn finally pulled her attention from the laptop. “You heard me.”
“Why are you saying this to me?”
Laughter burst from her. “So you admit it?”
“No. I admit nothing.” He scraped a hand down his face. “That just came out of the blue.” And it wasn’t what he wanted to hear from his sister.
“Not out of the blue. You asked me to please enlighten you. So I did. I told you something you’re ignoring.”
He couldn’t listen to this. Tori was gone and he had to get over her once and for all.
“I’m not in love with her,” he said. “That ended a long time ago. How I feel has no bearing on finding Sarah’s murderer and whoever is behind the attacks on Tori. She’s going home now. Going back to work, where she’ll be surrounded by FBI agents and be safe.” He hoped. “Please explain your phone call to me. You said you found an interesting connection. Could you have been a little less cryptic? No, don’t answer that. What have you learned?”
She rubbed her eyes. “I was looking into Eddie Slattery when I came across a connection. I thought he could be connected to Sarah’s place of employment, GenDynamics. He’s not, but that’s when I came across this interesting information.”
Ryan stared at her laptop, at the two faces she’d pulled up.
“It could be nothing,” she said.
“Or it could be everything.”
SIXTEEN
Tori’s palms slicked against the steering wheel. She’d taken a cab back to Sarah’s to get her sister’s car, and now she sat parked on the side of a dark road and looking at an empty building that had been condemned.
This monster had her parents in there?
Oh, Mom...
Anger raged in her veins. How dare he do this to her family? How dare he bring them into this?
Lord, please help me know how to play this. How do I get them back, safe and sound, and take this guy down?
If only she hadn’t sent Ryan away, maybe he would be following her now as he had on multiple occasions, saving her from danger. She’d given him the cold shoulder in her need to get away from the situation, believing it was for the best.
But now her parents’ lives were at stake.
Gripping her weapon, Tori quietly exited the car. She would likely be forced to give up the weapon, but she had another tucked away at her ankle.
Creeping forward, she held her weapon ready, prepared to use it if necessary. Wouldn’t it be nice if she could surprise the kidnapper and killer and get the best of him...not that she thought it would ever be that easy.
She’d tucked the package in her purse. Maybe she shouldn’t have brought it so she could have strung this guy out a little longer while she tried to save her parents.
At the building, she hesitated, mentally preparing herself to face whatever evil lurked inside with her parents.
Footfalls approached from behind. She stiffened.
“Don’t move,” a distorted voice said. “Toss the weapon and hold your hands up where I can see them.”
Tori tossed her weapon, but not terribly far. “My parents?”
“In due time. Now, toss the other weapon, the one you keep at your ankle.”
She heaved a sigh and removed the smaller pistol from the ankle strap, then shucked that, as well. Again, not too far. In a pinch, she might be able to reach it.
The distorted voice creeped her out. Then again, he was hiding his identity, which offered her hope that she and her parents might actually make it out of this alive. If he planned to kill them, there would be no reason to take such precautions to disguise himself.
“Keep walking and go inside the building.”
Again Tori complied, her mind racing with how she could overtake this man. But she had to make sure her parents were alive and then get them someplace safe before she took action that could get them killed.
She stepped up to the doors.
“Open it.”
“Look, there’s no need to involve them.”
“Open the door and go inside.”
Tori did as she was told, stepping into a condemned and dark building, even though that went against every bit of instinct she had and all her training. But the threat to her parents trumped everything else.
A flashlight came on from behind, lighting her way ahead.
“Keep walking to the end of the hallway and then take a right.”
Tori feared that her parents weren’t here at all and she was only walking into a trap.
Lord, help me to get us out of this. Please save us.
In the long, dark hallway, she could see light up ahead of them, coming from beneath a doorway. A room in the middle of the building so no lights could be seen on the outside. No sniper shots to take out the person or people orchestrating the abduction.
She paused at the door from which light beamed. “This one?”
“Yes. Go inside and see your parents.”
Tori opened the door and stepped inside. Her parents were both gagged and bound, sitting in chairs. Their eyes widened when they saw her. Short-lived relief rushed through her.
She started to move toward them to hug them.
“Stop.”
Tori stopped, fear and anger surging through her. The terror in her parents’ eyes nearly stole her breath. They both subtly shook their heads as if they wished she had stayed away. It shocked her that they expected her to save her own life a
nd leave theirs to this monster.
“I assume the package is in your bag. Empty the contents on the floor.”
She dumped everything out, suddenly wishing she’d done a more thorough search. What if Katelyn had planted another tracker and that was revealed now? She and her parents could die for that mistake. Who was she kidding—they would die anyway. Even if the abductor hid his identity, they still knew too much. Sarah had known too much and had died for that.
Still, the thought of a tracker gave her hope. What if there really had been another tracker she hadn’t found? That meant Ryan would know she had left the airport and wasn’t on a plane to the far side of the country, if Katelyn still followed the tracker’s data and shared that information with her brother.
“Kick the envelope away from you.”
Tori kicked it away. The man morphing his voice stood behind her. She still hadn’t seen his face. “All right. You have your package now. If you’re thinking of killing us now, then you’d better think again.”
He didn’t respond.
“You told me if the information ever comes to light, then my parents’ lives will be threatened again. The reverse is true—if something happens to them or to me—then I’ve made arrangements for everything to be revealed to the authorities. Do you understand?”
The words she was trying to use to gain their safe passage from this situation fell flat to her own ears.
“You’re bluffing.”
“I’m not. But if you kill us, you’ll find out.” Would he kill them and dump them in the river, or try to tie their murder to drugs like he’d tried with Sarah’s death? He’d tried to make it look like she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong group of people.
Whatever happened, she trusted Detective Ryan Bradley to discover the truth about their deaths.
Except Tori had no intention of letting it go that far.
She slowly began turning around.
“Stop!”
She continued turning, because if she wanted him to believe her about her threat, then she’d better start acting the part. Soon she faced off with a smallish figure dressed in black and wearing a mask.
Target on the Mountain Page 17
