Fatal Dreams (COBRA Securities Book 17)

by Velvet Vaughn

  That was a surprise to Esme. She just assumed whoever was responsible for the other attacks also torched the Gorman’s house. But she totally believed Joelle when she said she didn’t do it. She had no problem owning up to her other crimes.

  Esme waited until Joelle was distracted with the lock before she slammed her fist into the other woman’s arm.

  “Ow, that hurt like a…hey! What did you do?” Joelle’s eyes widened as she slapped a hand to her arm, slumped forward and crashed to the floor like a felled tree. Esme stared in horror as the keys to the chains slid out of reach.

  “Esme, what did you do?” Lyra asked in awe.

  Esme wiggled the ruby band on her finger.

  “My ring? Oh my God, it worked,” Lyra cried. “The ring worked!”

  “Perfectly. How long will she be out?”

  “You gave her the full dosage?” At Esme’s confirmation she said, “An hour at the most, I think. I’m not sure of the dosages yet and I don’t think I added as much as it would hold. It’s still a work in progress and that one was a prototype.”

  “That should give us enough time to get out of here. We need to get those keys.” She searched for something she could use to drag the keyring close.

  “Here.” Lyra jerked a lamp off the floor beside the mattress and handed it to Esme. She ripped off the shade and tossed the base towards the keys, keeping hold of the cord. The lightbulb shattered as she missed her target. She took another step closer, stretching the arm chained to the wall to the max. This time when she chucked the lamp, it landed with a clatter. Using the cord, she slowly drug it towards her, letting out a squeal of joy when the keys snagged and she was able to swipe them off the ground. It took several tries before she located the one that opened her lock, and then another several before she was able to free Lyra.

  “We can’t try to escape, Esme. She’s got the place wired to…” Her voice trailed off. Esme turned to see what was wrong. Lyra’s eyes were wide, and she was pointing “What’s that?”

  Esme followed her gaze to see bright red numbers glowing from a small box across the room. The numbers were counting down.

  “Do you think it’s what I think it is?” Lyra asked, not sounding as if she wanted to know the answer.

  Although she was almost certain it was a bomb, she didn’t want to worry her friend. “I don’t know, but let’s not worry about it. We need to get out of here.” She bent down and patted Joelle’s pockets, crying out in relief when she found a phone. Her fingers shook as she dialed Ethan.

  His answer was tentative. “Addison.”

  “Ethan, it’s me.”

  “Esme? Thank God,” he breathed. “Are you okay, baby? Where are you?”

  “I’m with Lyra and we’re both okay but I have no idea where we are.”

  She heard Ethan relay to Tyler that Lyra was safe and heard his answering sob of relief. Then he was back. “Stay on the line. We’ll trace it.”

  “It was Joelle. She’s the killer.”

  “We thought as much. We caught her on traffic cams with a busted windshield.”

  That jogged a memory. “I think she hit something. Maybe a deer.”

  “It was Trevor, honey.”

  Her fuzzy memory had been correct, and the entire horrific scene replayed in her head. “Oh, God, is Trevor okay?”

  “He was alive when we found him. He’s at the hospital now getting treatment. We’ll go visit him just as soon as we find you. Where’s Joelle now?”

  “I used one of Lyra’s weapon rings. I stabbed her with knock-out juice.”

  “Nice. That’ll make Tyler happy,” Ethan said.

  “But we don’t know how long it’ll last.”

  “We’ve got a bead on your location. We’ll be there in less than ten.”

  “Ethan, wait. We’re in a basement, but she wired the place with explosives and added trip wires and lasers. It’s not safe to come down here. And there’s something else.”

  His voice was resigned. “What?”

  “There’s a clock on a table but it’s counting backwards.”

  “When did it start?”

  “I think when I knocked her out and she fell to the ground.”

  “She must’ve had a dead man’s switch that activated when she released the button.”

  That was the little black box Joelle taunted them with. “Would it help if I found it? Could I stop the countdown?”

  “Probably not. How much time is on there?”

  “Twenty-one and twenty seconds.

  “Plenty of time,” he reassured her. “We’ll be there before it runs out. Hang on.”

  #

  Though every available agent wanted to help, they’d narrowed it down to Ethan, Noah, Maggie, Carter, Grant Colton, Dan Bradley, Sawyer Oldham and Mason Rossi. And, of course, Tyler, who refused to wait at the compound while Lyra was in danger. Ethan and Noah jumped into Carter’s SUV with Maggie riding shotgun. Grant drove Dan, Sawyer, Mason and Tyler. The rest were on standby if needed. Ethan was grateful for their support.

  Tyler traced the phone Esme used to call him to a house on the outskirts of town. A gravel driveway took them a half a mile from the road before they encountered the house. It was a nicely kept two-story brick home with a copper roof and well-tended landscaping. Lights were on inside but there was no movement. A silver BMW was parked next to the porch.

  “Esme said they’re in the basement,” Ethan informed the other agents through the comms. “Noah and I will head that way.”

  “And me,” Tyler insisted.

  “Sawyer and I’ll clear the upstairs,” Dan said.

  “Mason and I’ve got the outside,” Grant added.

  “Carter and I’ll check the first level,” Maggie said.

  Already geared up, they filed out of the vehicles and spread out. Ethan spotted a small window in the foundation as he approached the porch. He took up one side of the door, Noah the other and then they burst inside with Maggie and Carter fanning out to clear the bottom floor. Sawyer and Dan sprinted for the staircase leading to the second level. He noticed a partially open door in a hallway and headed in that direction.

  “First level clear,” Carter said.

  “Upstairs clear,” Sawyer echoed.

  “Still checking outside but nothing yet,” Mason said.

  “The only egress from the basement is inside,” Grant added. “No other exit. There are two small windows.”

  Ethan approached the door and discovered a set of wooden steps. He shouldered it open. “Esme?”

  “We’re down here, Ethan!”

  “Hang tight. We’ll get you out.”

  “The clock is down to ten minutes.”

  “Shit. We need to get moving,” he instructed everyone.

  Tyler brushed past him, but Ethan reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt, jerking him to a stop. “Wait, we can’t go down there.”

  “I’ve got an app. I’m checking it out.”

  Of course he did. He had an app for everything, most he’d developed himself.

  “Damn, there are lasers everywhere. We’d never be able to get through without setting them off.”

  “We’ll have to extract from there.” Noah indicated the window above the bed. It was too small for any of them to fit through, but Esme and Lyra should be able to squeeze through.

  “Esme, we’re going to get you out through the window above your head. Cover your heads. We may need to break the glass.”

  “Okay.”

  The group rushed outside, meeting up with Mason and Grant by the window.

  “I’ve got a rope ladder,” Carter said, dashing for his SUV.

  Grant and Mason studied the window for any signs of a wire. “It’s clear,” they announced before moving out of the way.

  Dan dropped a tool kit on the ground and started popping the glass from the frame. Sawyer grabbed a crowbar to assist and soon they had the window removed. Maggie tossed a thick blanket over the edge.

  Ethan stuck his
head in the opening and squeezed in as far as possible. He glanced at the clock. Four minutes. Plenty of time. “We’re dropping a ladder down.”

  He rolled out of the way while Carter tossed the end through the opening. Once it was anchored in place, he moved back in position.

  “Let’s go.”

  Esme urged Lyra up the ladder. It was unsteady and she swayed a couple of times before she was within reach. Ethan clamped onto her wrist and lifted her, easing back so she could maneuver through the tight opening. Tyler let out a cry and yanked her off the ground and into his arms. Ethan positioned himself through the opening again and held out an arm. He wouldn’t be able to breathe until he felt Esme’s small hand in his.

  She clutched the edges of the rope ladder and put one foot on the bottom rung when a scream rent the air.

  “Look out.” Ethan watched in horror as Joelle launched herself at Esme and dragged her off the ladder. Ethan grabbed for his gun, but he couldn’t get a shot off for fear of hitting Esme. They were rolling around on the bed struggling for the upper hand. His eyes darted to the red numbers on the clock. One minute, fifty-five seconds. Shit. He tried to jam his shoulders inside, but the opening was too damn small. Now Joelle was trying to drag Esme towards the laser beams.

  “Move it, Ethan, I’m going in,” Maggie announced.

  Ethan didn’t want his sister to put herself in danger, but she was a trained agent and Esme’s life was on the line. He started to back out, but Esme landed a solid punch to Joelle’s jaw that sent the other woman spinning in a circle before crashing to the ground.

  “Hurry, Esme,” he called, reaching back inside.

  She scrambled to her feet and launched herself at the ladder. She was almost within reach when Joelle dove for her and latched onto her leg. Ethan managed to clamp on to her forearm as she struggled to disengage Joelle’s grip. Fifteen seconds.

  A gunshot exploded and Ethan almost lost his grip on Esme’s arm. Ethan jerked his gaze to the other window to see his brother holding a sniper rifle as Joelle cried out and then the extra weight was gone. Ethan had a split second to yank Esme out the window. Carter and Dan hauled them away from the house as the ground shook and then a loud boom sounded as the house exploded into a gigantic orange fireball. Ethan covered Esme with his body as pieces of debris rained down. The heat was intense, but they were alive.

  “Nice shot,” Ethan praised when his brother raced over.

  “I didn’t want to risk firing anywhere near Esme, so I nailed Joelle in the leg to force her to let go,” Noah explained.

  “Are you okay, babe?” Ethan asked as he rolled off her. No answer. “Esme?” He cupped her face. “Open your eyes for me, honey.” He gently shook her, but she flopped like a rag doll in his arms. “Esme?”

  No answer. She was unconscious.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Maggie dropped down beside him and checked Esme’s pulse. “Weak. We need to ger her to the hospital.”

  They hadn’t risked notifying the police before rescuing Esme and Lyra for fear that they’d race to the house with sirens wailing, maybe causing Joelle to do something rash. Sawyer called Detective Hurley as soon as they arrived and probably requested an ambulance, since one was screeching to a stop. Ethan scooped Esme in his arms and rushed over before the medics had a chance to jump out of the vehicle.

  “She needs to get to the hospital immediately.”

  “What happened to her?”

  Lyra ran over. “Joelle had a stash of syringes. She might’ve used one on Esme.”

  Ethan placed her on a gurney and climbed in beside her.

  “We’ll meet you there,” Noah called out as the driver closed the door and raced for the cab before speeding away.

  “It looks like she was injected here.” The female paramedic showed him the rip in the back of Esme’s yoga pants and the bleeding hole in her calf. Joelle must’ve stuck her with something when she was trying to escape up the ladder. “You don’t know what drug was used?”

  He shook his head helplessly. He had no idea. Joelle had proven to be adept with poisons. If she’d used the same chemical she used on Femi or Solange, Esme might die. He swallowed a lump the size of an elephant. He couldn’t lose her. She was his life. He never thought he’d marry. Hell, he never thought he’d sustain a relationship longer than a few weeks, tops. But he couldn’t imagine lasting one day, one hour without Esme in his life. He’d have no life without her.

  He now knew how Noah felt about Peyton and Maggie about Carter. With Esme, he felt whole. She was his other half. The peanut butter to his jelly. The bacon to his eggs. The frosting to his cupcake. She was his life.

  Her hand was ice cold in his and he willed his strength into her body. He skidded on the padded bench as the ambulance rounded a corner and then slammed to a stop. The doors were whisked open and Esme was being lifted out and rolled inside the emergency room. He tried to follow but was blocked by a stern nurse who ordered him to retreat to the waiting room.

  He spun around and forked his fingers through his hair. He wished Amelia Howell was on duty, but she’d left yesterday for her humanitarian mission with Doctors International. He trusted her and knew she’d take good care of Esme.

  He turned to see a flash of color streak through the doors. He’d called Esme’s aunt from the ambulance. Lumi rushed forward and threw her arms around him. At one time, he’d have been sprinting in the opposite direction at the sight of her. The woman had the power to freak him out. But he’d grown to accept the strange reaction and truly cared for the woman. Damn, he loved her, too. He hugged her back.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Lumi’s voice was watery and scared. He fought the urge to cry with her.

  “She has to be,” he said hoarsely. He wouldn’t make it without her.

  Noah, Maggie and Carter arrived, along with both of his bosses and several of his teammates until soon, COBRA Securities personnel flooded the waiting room.

  A man with dark hair, wearing green scrubs and a stethoscope around his neck, pushed through the doors with a clipboard in his hands. He looked up to scan the room, his eyes widening when he noticed the crowd. “Ethan Addison?”

  He stepped forward. “That’s me.”

  “We’ve got her stabilized and her vitals are improving. Since we don’t know what she was injected with, the lab’s analyzing her blood as we speak.”

  “Can I see her?”

  “Not yet. I want to make sure we know what we’re dealing with first. She’s still unconscious but as I said, her vitals are good. All you can do is wait. We’ll let you know when you can visit.”

  Wild horses couldn’t drag Ethan away, but he urged his teammates to go home, promising to call with updates. Noah refused to leave, as did Maggie and Carter and Lyra and Tyler. Lumi’s friend Ethel came down to sit with her while waiting on news from Trevor’s surgery. Ethan made a mental note to check in on him once he knew for sure Esme would recover.

  He tensed when Gavin Brinks entered the waiting room. He didn’t feel like a showdown with the cocky detective. Frank Hurley was with him, probably saving Brinks from a punch to the face.

  “How is she?” Hurley asked.

  “Unconscious. Her vitals are strong, so the doctors are optimistic.”

  “We’re heading to the scene now, but we wanted to stop in and check on Esme first.”

  Brinks shuffled his feet. “Listen, maybe my approach was faulty, but I was trying to do my job. I apologize for implying your girl was guilty. Please pass along my get well wishes.”

  His girl. She was that. Ethan gave a short nod, accepting the detective’s apology. He might not like the man, but he’d no doubt run into him often, so they needed to get along.

  Hurley shook his hand. “We’ll keep you posted. You do the same.”

  After the first half hour, he couldn’t sit any longer. He shot to his feet to pace the hallway. When he came to an information desk that was closed for the night, he dropped his forearms on the counter and hun
g his head. Esme had to be okay. He wouldn’t even consider the alternative. He only wished it was him lying in the bed instead of her.

  The scent of coffee drifted to him and then a cup appeared in front of his face. He accepted the offering from Noah and took a sip, turning so that he leaned his back against the counter. His brother mirrored his position.

  “You love her.” It wasn’t a question. Ethan wasn’t surprised Noah picked up on his feelings. He’d known Noah had fallen for Peyton the moment he saw them together. They’d always been close, and they still were. Noah was his best friend.

  “Yeah.”

  “She’s beautiful.”

  “She is.”

  “And tough. She’ll pull through.”

  “What if she doesn’t?” God, moisture was gathering in his eyes. He so did not want to cry in front of his big brother.

  Noah slung an arm over his shoulder and yanked him close for a one-armed hug. “She will.”

  #

  Esme woke slowly to the sound of machines beeping softly and muted voices over an intercom. Her limbs felt cumbersome and sluggish. Her lids were too heavy to open. A vague memory of recently enduring the same sensations nagged at her. It took a few minutes for the events to come rushing back. Joelle kidnapping Lyra and then her. Ethan coming to her rescue but Joelle trying to drag her back inside the basement before stabbing a needle into her leg.

  Something was niggling at her and she needed to wake up and figure it out. She’d wanted to warn Ethan as soon as he yanked her outside into the fresh air but then the house exploded and that’s all she remembered. She was pretty sure it was something Joelle said that bothered her. Esme concentrated hard and then it hit her. When Joelle talked about her mother committing murder and then suicide, she said we instead of I. We were seven.

  “You’re awake.”

  She blinked her eyes open to see a doctor standing by her bed with a clipboard. It was as if she was looking at a ghost. She shook her head to clear it, but he was still there, staring at her with a predatory gleam.

  “I see you’ve figured it out.”

  The effort to talk was almost too much, but she managed, “You’re Joelle’s twin?”