Running Strong

by Christy Reece

  The man, Ronald Tompkins, was a distinguished-looking gentleman in his late fifties. His dark gray suit was of good quality, his manners refined. He had a demeanor that was polite, if somewhat aloof. The young woman with him, Mindy Simmons, was his daughter. In her late twenties, Mindy was conservatively dressed, but the way she continually tugged at her skirt and rearranged her blouse made him think the clothing wasn’t typical for her.

  The two were requesting LCR’s assistance in locating Mindy’s husband, David Simmons, who had disappeared in South Korea while on a business trip. They both believed he had been kidnapped and taken across the border to North Korea. As of yet, they hadn’t provided any evidence other than vague theories.

  “And the last time you talked with him, he said he was fine?” Noah asked.

  “Yes, but I know my husband’s voice, Mr. McCall. He sounded as though he was under extreme duress.”

  Though she said all the right words, Mindy didn’t appear to be all that upset. There wasn’t an ounce of sincerity in her tone. On the other hand, Tompkins appeared just a little too anxious.

  Noah freely admitted he wasn’t the most trusting of people. He’d seen too much to take a stranger’s words for truth. Only those closest to him—his wife, his in-laws, and his LCR employees—received that kind honor.

  Tompkins and Simmons had looked good on paper, but those kinds of things were all too easy to fake these days. A good computer hacker could create a whole new person in a matter of minutes.

  According to public records, Mindy and David Simmons had been married for three years and had no children. Mindy worked at a large law firm in DC, and her husband worked for a defense contractor. Ronald Tompkins worked as an investment counselor at one of the larger investment firms in the DC area.

  On first look, Noah had seen no red flags. While Tompkins had no social media presence, his daughter and son-in-law were on a few sites, with Mindy being more active than David. The Simmons’ income was commensurate with their job titles, and they spent slightly above their means, which wasn’t unusual in today’s materialistic world. Their bank accounts had the normal in-and-out flow of an upper-middle-class couple. They had no significant political leanings, at least publicly, that would indicate radical behavior.

  All in all, they were a typical, upwardly moving, young, married couple. The case had intrigued him enough to want this meeting, but doubts arose from the moment he met them.

  When he’d talked to Mindy on the phone, she had seemed more mature and worried. But her answers to just the few questions he’d asked so far had him concerned. They were both vague and decidedly canned sounding. Was that her typical way of responding to personal questions? Not everyone was comfortable sharing details of their life with a total stranger. Or was there another reason?

  “Have you contacted the company David works for? Do they believe he’s in any trouble?”

  “That’s the problem,” Ronald said. “They thought he was on vacation.”

  That was new information that Mrs. Simmons hadn’t told him in their initial phone interview.

  He turned his attention to Mindy. “Mrs. Simmons, do you know why—” He jerked at the sound of a chime on his phone. Mara’s alert.

  He surged to his feet. “I’m sorry. We’ll have to reschedule.” Noah said the words calmly, but a thousand alarms were going off in his mind. Samara would not alert him unless something monumental had happened.

  Not waiting to see their reaction to the abrupt termination of the meeting, Noah turned to the door. A blinding, stunning pain slammed into the back of his head. He whirled around, swung his fist toward the person behind him. Didn’t matter who it was, his only thought was to get to Mara and his children. He made an impact, but a second later, an electrical charge zoomed through his body. He dropped to the floor, his muscles twitching uncontrollably. Pain reverberated through him, and in a distant part of his mind, he recognized the stinging blows of a man’s big, booted foot.

  His last conscious thought was his mind screaming for Mara.

  ***

  Noah wasn’t responding to her alert. Refusing to even think what that meant, she concentrated on what she needed to do. She had to get her mother out of here and then find Noah and her children. Without showing the alarm she was feeling, Samara eased toward the dressing room.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she noted the man watching her hadn’t moved from his post. She knew she was likely going to have to confront him, but she wanted her mother out of the way first.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a gruff male voice said behind her.

  The man who was watching her was still at his post. So there were two of them, possibly more. This had all the earmarks of a joint attack on her and Noah. He would have answered her alert if he were able.

  What the hell was going on, and how was she going to keep her mother safe?

  As if he knew her thoughts, the man behind her said, “We have no interest in your mother, Samara.”

  “What is it you want?”

  “First let me show you a photo.”

  An iPhone appeared within her vision, and her heart jolted as if lightning had slammed through her. The photo was of her children, her babies, lying in the trunk of a car. Their eyes were closed.

  “Don’t worry. They’re still alive. For now.”

  “What do you want?”

  “You need to come with us.”

  Before she could react, he added, “And if you’re considering signaling anyone, you might want to know there are four of us here. There’s no telling how many people we might have to kill to get you out of here, including your mother. Are you willing to risk that?”

  Of course she wasn’t.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “You’ll find out in due time. So, are we going quietly, or should we shed a little blood along the way?”

  “What about my mother?”

  “Oh, I’m sure she’ll worry, but at least she’ll still be breathing. I don’t guarantee that unless you come along with us right now.”

  “Fine. All right,” she snapped.

  “Let’s walk out the exit together. Slow and easy.”

  Samara drew in a shaky breath as she made her way toward the nearest door of the large department store. Two more men, one on either side of the door, were looking pointedly at her, and she knew the man had spoken the truth. There were at least four men here who would apparently do whatever it took to get her to leave with them.

  Her world was falling apart around her, and while she could remind herself she had been through hell before, she couldn’t get the image of her babies out of her mind. Were they really all right? The man said they were, but how could she trust anything he said?

  And Noah. Sweet, sweet Lord, what had happened to her husband?

  Chapter Four

  St. Mary’s Hospital

  Alexandria, Virginia

  Noah woke with a stunning headache and agony in every part of his body. That pain was nothing compared to what his heart was feeling. Even without anyone telling him, he knew Mara was in grave danger.

  He told his body to get up and get moving. Mara was his world. Without her, he and his children wouldn’t survive.

  “Noah,” a familiar female voice said, “can you hear me?”

  With difficulty, he turned his head slightly to see Eden St. Claire on the left side of the bed. Standing beside her was Jordan Montgomery, her husband. Eden and Jordan headed up the LCR offices in Paris. When had they gotten here? How long had he been unconscious?

  “Tell me,” Noah said.

  “Here’s what we know,” Jordan answered. “Samara was at a shopping mall with her mother. When Mrs. Lyons returned from the dressing room, Samara had disappeared and didn’t answer her phone when her mother called. The mall security cameras inside the store were down for over an hour. There’s no footage of Samara leaving the mall. We’ve tried tracing her phone, but it’s either been disabled or turned off.

>   “Your father-in-law arrived at your house and except for your pets, found it empty. Micah and Evie weren’t there. Your home security cameras were dismantled.”

  His kids. His wife. Damn them, they had taken his entire family.

  Only by sheer force of will was he able to shut down the panic. It would do no one any good. He had to think clearly, rationally. This was no random kidnapping. This had been planned and executed with the precision of a professional, well-paid team. Whoever was behind this had money and resources.

  “How long ago?”

  “Nine hours.”

  “Any word from the kidnappers?”

  “Not yet.”

  “How’d I get here?”

  “Housekeeping at the hotel found you when they came in to clean. Mr. Alvarez called us.”

  Horatio Alvarez, the owner of the hotel, had been a friend to LCR for several years. Thankfully, Alvarez had followed his instincts and contacted LCR instead of the police. Noah might have to involve the authorities at some point. For right now, it was better if LCR took the lead.

  “What are my injuries?”

  “Concussion, bruised ribs, a couple of broken fingers, and multiple contusions. Whoever did this, kicked the hell out of you.”

  He remembered each blow until he lost consciousness. “Why was I unconscious so long?”

  “You had some brain swelling. Doctors kept you unconscious for a few hours to try to reduce it.”

  Another good reason for the vicious pounding in his skull.

  “Prognosis?”

  “They want to keep you a few days for observation. We can work from here as much as possible.”

  “Taking my family…in a coordinated attack. Someone’s out for revenge.”

  “That’s our take, too,” Eden said. “We hopped on the jet as soon as Horatio called. The Elite team is headed back home. The op in Colombia finished up early and went well. We’ll get the entire Elite team on it and call in as many other operatives as needed. We’ll get them back.”

  Gritting his teeth, Noah moved to pull the IV from his left hand. “Dammit. I can’t just lie here and—”

  “Yes, you can, McCall,” Jordan said. “You’re in no shape to do anything. We’re meeting at headquarters in an hour. Every available operative will be there. We will find your family, Noah. I promise.”

  “Give me my phone.”

  The minute he held the phone in his hand, he felt a little more control return. He might not be able to move, but he could damn well make calls. He would call every person he had ever met, if it would help him find his family. But first he had an important list that he needed to access.

  He entered a code, then his thumbprint, and pulled up a file. “I’m sending everyone a list of suspects.”

  “Do you have anyone specific in mind?” Eden asked.

  “Could be any of these people.” He winced, noticing the list was larger than he remembered. “Most of them are in prison, but that means nothing. The first eight are the most likely, but don’t rule anyone out without checking.”

  “We’ll get on these,” Jordan said. He glanced over at the door. “Your in-laws are wanting to see you.”

  “Yeah. I figured. Send them in.”

  Eden opened the door and then said, “We’ll keep you updated hourly, more if there’s news.”

  “Thank you.”

  Noah barely had a chance for a shallow, painful breath before Sam and Mary Lyons burst into the room.

  “What the hell is going on, Noah?” Sam shouted.

  “Sam, calm down.” Though it was obvious Mary had been crying, her typical stoicism was keeping her emotions in check.

  She reminded him so much of his brave Mara. Wherever she was, he knew she would be strong in the face of evil. She had stared it down more than once. And he hoped to God she was with the children. They would be terrified. Being together would give all of them strength.

  “Fine,” Sam snapped. “Where are my grandchildren and my daughter?”

  “I don’t know, Sam. That’s what I’m working on finding out.”

  “Do you know who attacked you?” Mary asked.

  “The same people who took Mara and the kids. I’ll find them, Mary. I promise.”

  “Is this related to your organization?” Sam asked. “Somebody out for revenge?”

  Not for the first time, he acknowledged that his father-in-law was both smart and savvy.

  Noah and Samara had told her parents about Last Chance Rescue when they’d first moved to the US from Paris. They knew he was often involved in dangerous situations. What they likely hadn’t anticipated was their daughter and grandchildren being targeted.

  “I met with some prospective clients yesterday. I could tell something was off and was about to call an end to the meeting when I got an alarm signal from Mara. Before I could answer, I was knocked out. That’s all I know. Mary, you were with Samara. What can you tell me?”

  “I was in the dressing room. I came out, and Samara wasn’t anywhere around. I didn’t really worry. I thought maybe she went to the restroom or to another part of the store. I called her cell, and she didn’t answer. That’s when I began to worry.”

  “And that’s when Mary called me,” Sam said. “I had gone to pick up Evie and Micah. Except for Roscoe and Sassy, who were barking like crazy, the house was empty.” He swallowed hard, and tears flooded his eyes. “I’m sorry, Noah. I should have gotten there sooner. Been waiting for them when they got home.”

  “It’s not your fault, Sam.” It would do no good to tell his father-in-law that they might have beaten him up, or worse. These people were on a mission and didn’t mind hurting others to get the job done.

  Noah had to force his own emotions away. If he gave in to them, then he’d be no good. Imagining the terror of what his children and wife were going through would not help save them.

  His biggest hope was that this was about ransom, but he already knew that was a useless wish. He had the money to pay a substantial ransom, and while money might be a secondary goal for these bastards, it wasn’t going to be the primary one. He’d angered and helped put away too many sleazebags for this to be about anything but revenge.

  The need to get out of the bed and start looking for them was almost unbearable. Mara and his children were his entire world. He could not, would not, lose them. The only thing that remotely made him feel better was the knowledge that he had a cadre of experts who would do whatever it took to find them.

  This was an attack on him personally. He would pay every cent he’d ever earned to get them back, but the person behind this would want blood. His. And while he’d give his life for his family, Noah already knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.

  ***

  Darkness surrounded them. Except for the sound of water gently lapping against the sides of the boat and the slight creak of the vessel, everything was silent. Samara breathed in the air, trying to get a sense of her surroundings. She knew they were on a boat, knew they were on the water. Was it the ocean, river, lake?

  The men who had taken her had refused to answer any questions. A van had been waiting for them when they’d exited the mall. She had been shoved inside. Her purse had been taken from her, and she had been bound and blindfolded. All questions she had asked, demanded, had been ignored. They hadn’t hurt her, had barely acknowledged her existence. The thought of struggling and resisting was there, but she had held back. Even though she was trained to fight, four against one weren’t good odds. Besides, she would have done anything they told her to do as long as she could get to her children.

  About an hour into the drive, she had felt a tiny pinprick on her neck. She had fought against the drug, screamed curses, but it had done no good. When she woke, the van was stopped. She had been vaguely aware of someone carrying her onto a boat. A few minutes later, she’d woken to the feeling of both her children beside her. Despite her worry, she had felt immediate comfort.

  “Mama?”

  “Yes, Micah?”r />
  “What do we need to do to get out of here?”

  Their circumstances were too grim to smile, but Samara felt a lift to her heart at her son’s question. Micah sounded so much like his dad. Noah would be so proud. And though he was taking after his father in his height as well, already towering over her five-foot-two frame, he was only ten years old, still just a child.

  “We’re going to do what we’ve trained to do.”

  “How, Mama?” Evie asked.

  “I don’t know yet, baby, but I promise, we’ll find a way.”

  “Okay.”

  The trembling in her daughter’s voice made her want to scream. How dare these bastards terrorize her children? A seven-year-old child should not be worrying about escaping from bad men with guns. No child should have to endure such things. Once they were out of danger, she would make sure every one of these bastards paid for what they had done to her children.

  Neither she nor Noah had ever taken their safety for granted. With their jobs, they had encountered some of the most evil people in the world. Their work hadn’t made them necessarily paranoid, but they were always hyperaware of the risks. When their children were old enough, they’d included them in being ultra-aware. They’d always made the training enjoyable, like a game. They had sworn their children would never be victims.

  They had failed this time, though. No doubt about it, this was a well-organized attack. Someone wanted something from Noah and was using his family to make that happen.

  They were likely making the demands to him right now. She refused to think otherwise. No way in hell was she even going to contemplate that he wasn’t alive. She loved her husband, body and soul. If he was no longer in this world, she would know. Their connection was that strong. Besides, killing Noah made no sense. If they wanted him dead, there was no reason to kidnap his family.

  Micah had described his and Evie’s abduction. They had arrived home from school. Both were on the porch, seconds away from entering the house, when they’d been grabbed. If they had been able to get inside, they would have been safe. Sassy, their Maltese, couldn’t have done much damage. But Roscoe, their black Lab, would have taken down anyone who tried to touch her children.