It was stupid to be worried about my new Porsche when we were caught in an explosion scenario, but I hadn’t had it long. I was already attached to it.
“All right. Then it’s the tractor.” I nodded. “Oh, and bikes.” I smiled. “I think I saw bikes, but the tires might be flat.”
“We’ll head to the barn and see what’s there.”
I looked at my suitcase and all the things I had to leave behind. But if we had miles to hike, I couldn’t drag fifty pounds of accessories behind me. It was all replaceable. All of it except my recordings.
“Wait.” I stopped AJ. “I need to save room for my recorder. I haven’t backed up any of the interviews yet. Please tell me I can open the backseat door and go through that bag. I don’t care about my laptop, but I need that recorder.”
He nodded. “That we can do. And I’m grabbing your computer.”
I smiled. I could buy new microphones and headsets. All the components I needed to record the podcast on the road were an easy one-click away, but the recordings weren’t something I could purchase. Now more than ever I realized I had to go back and listen to them again. I needed AJ to hear them. He needed to listen to what Ethan Howard had told me.
“I know why you want me to keep the laptop.” I looked at him.
He shrugged, holding up his gun. “I have my weapons, and I want to make sure you have yours.”
“But—” My protests fell on deaf ears. There was no way to convince AJ I wasn’t going to join Project Compass. His mind was set, and there was one thing I always knew about him.
He was stubborn as hell.
Fourteen
AJ slipped the straps over his arms and hauled the bag on his back like a hiking pack. His eyes had a new look. They were no longer warm or sexy. He was in work mode. He scanned the backyard, keeping me at an arm’s distance before he opened the door to the porch. The last time I saw him like this he was trying to save me from the kidnappers.
“Stay right behind me the entire time,” he instructed. “I don’t know if there is anything or anyone in the barn.”
“I walked in there yesterday maybe five minutes before you got here. It was full of junk. The tractor. Some tools. I wanted to find a name or maybe some old boxes in storage, but it was a dead end.”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what happened yesterday. I have to secure it before you walk inside. You stand outside the door and wait for me to clear it. Do you understand?”
I sighed. “Yes, sir.”
He clicked his gun and a quick shiver of fear ran through my stomach.
“Come on. Let’s go.”
He waved me behind him and we took off through the yard. He stopped at the gate, looking to the left and the right. I automatically did the same thing, occasionally looking over my shoulder at the house. I didn’t realize how safe I had felt inside until I was out from under its shelter.
The ground was soaked. Muddier than yesterday. We walked at a brisk pace until we arrived at the barn. The wind whipped up, but the sky was a bright blue. I was thankful there was no more rain. No more ominous thunder.
“Stay here.” AJ eyed me.
I nodded. “I will. I’ll wait.” I wasn’t going to move until he told me to.
None of this seemed likely. The map drawn on the wall. The clues sewn into the quilt. The empty house. The pictures of a woman who was supposedly my birth mother. It made my head spin rapidly. Once again, AJ thought it was best if we were separated. Why did he keep doing this? Didn’t he know how scared I was?
He ducked inside the barn. I took deep breaths, willing myself to stay calm. Once we made it off this property we were going to talk about everything from the past twenty-four hours. We were going to dive into everything that happened on Flight 552. We would talk about Jack. I’d even open up about Project Compass, but I hadn’t changed my mind about getting involved with the FBI. I knew if we didn’t put all the cards on the table, these moments would keep happening. The moments when AJ was out of reach and I was at the mercy of hope. We couldn’t keep doing this to each other. I’d stop running, if he promised to stop moving on without me.
Maybe it was the memory of the dream from last night. Recounting that night together. Or maybe it was that even after I betrayed him, he still showed up to keep me safe. Regardless, we were at another crossroads, and we had to be honest. I knew that in the deepest part of my bones. We had used up all our second chances.
“Clear!” he yelled from inside the barn.
I ventured inside. My eyes adjusted to the darkness after the bright sun.
“You just yelled clear like I’m another agent.”
“Sorry, force of habit.”
I shoved my hands in my front pockets. I saw the tractor and the tools on the workbench. It looked like I had found it yesterday.
“You need to see this, Syd. Prepare yourself,” he cautioned. “I don’t think it’s something I can keep from you.”
AJ stood in the corner. He stepped to the side as I walked closer.
“What is it?” I asked.
I gawked when I saw the sleeping bag on the floor. There was a pillow at one end. “Th-that wasn’t here yesterday.” I covered my mouth with my hands. “I know it wasn’t. I’m positive.”
“He must have doubled back when I chased him in the woods. He spent the night here last night out of the storm. There’s no sign of him now.” AJ kicked over an open can of soup.
“I’m going to be sick.”
AJ grabbed me as a stumbled backward. “I’ve got you.”
“He was here? The whole time?” I could barely put the thoughts together. AJ held my elbow, steadying me until the dizziness passed. “Was it Jack? Do you think it’s him? Is he the one doing this to me?”
AJ shook his head. “I don’t know, babe. But I need to get you out of here.”
I trembled. “Please. Let’s go.”
He pointed behind where the door had swung open. “I think I’ve found our ride out of here.”
I looked at him. “A dirt bike? I’m sure that wasn’t here yesterday either.” I saw the mound of fresh mud under the tires and knew it was what he had used to come and go from the property. The thunder and wind had masked the sound.
“All the gauges and parts are exposed. No explosives on this ride. What do you think? There’s half a tank of gas. I think we can at least make it into town where we get cell reception.”
I nodded. “All right. Let’s try it.”
AJ rolled the dirt bike out from behind the door and into the sun. We stopped by my car and tucked my recorder in his bag.
“You’re going to need to wear the pack.”
“Ok. It’s not that heavy.”
He fastened it around my shoulders and hopped on the bike.
I threw my leg over the seat and climbed behind AJ. I wrapped my arms around his chest. I was careful not to hold on too tightly, but as he cranked up the bike I felt like we were both holding on for our lives.
Fifteen
I stared at the cup of coffee in front of me. My hair was wrapped in a towel and I wore a white robe from the hotel.
AJ was on the phone with his boss, a woman named Heidi. He had mentioned her in the airport hangar after the kidnapping. I assumed she was senior level.
I listened while he talked. The shower had felt luxurious. Running water combined with steam was something I wouldn’t take for granted for a while.
He smiled and nodded at me before turning toward the windows. It was AJ’s idea to take an Uber to New Orleans once we reached a gas station. It was the opposite direction of where I thought we were headed, but there was an FBI field office in the city. He wanted immediate protection for me. He said we weren’t taking any more chances.
I understood the deeper message. I wasn’t the one making the decisions. He was in control as long as someone was after me.
There was an officer in the hall outside our suite and I knew of at least two plain clothes agents that were roaming the lobby
and halls. The Ritz-Carlton seemed safe to me, but I had learned this week that nothing was as it seemed.
AJ tossed his phone on the dresser.
“That was my boss. She wants us to stay until we can have a full escort back to D.C.”
My eyes popped. “Stay in New Orleans? But why?”
He sat on the bed next to me. “Two units are headed to the farmhouse now. One forensic team is going to gather everything they can about the map and the evidence we found in the barn. And the other one is taking bomb tech to analyze our cars.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “And then what?”
“Agent Canson is running the Flight 552 hijacking. He wants to fly down tomorrow and debrief you immediately. He told Heidi you’re a flight risk.”
“What?”
AJ scowled. “Just go along with it. Ok? But this web has gotten more tangled. Canson needs to talk to you about the flight. And the units here are going to want to know everything about the farmhouse. You arrived at the scene before I did.”
“But you saw what it looked like,” I argued. “You were there. I didn’t even break into the house. That was you.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re going to be in New Orleans for a while. You’re the center of two open investigations.”
I considered what he said. “But you won’t leave?”
“No. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Because of Project Compass,” I stated. “That’s why they’re letting you stay.”
“Yes. They want you on the team. I think you’re in too deep to turn away.”
“Or is that just what everyone wants me to think?”
He shook his head. “What does that mean?”
“I was fine. I was happy. None of this insane shit was happening to me until Project Compass.” I shoved off the bed.
“That’s not true.” AJ eyed me. “I told you on the flight someone has been trailing you. And everything we found in the farmhouse proves that. I don’t even want to say the fucking word.”
“What word?”
His jaw clenched. “It’s a stalker, Syd. Everything points to that.”
My stomach rolled with nausea. “Oh my God.” I sat down again. “The emails,” I whispered.
“What emails?”
“I haven’t had a chance to tell you. Everything keeps happening so quickly. And more things are piling on top of each other. I feel like we’re drowning in all this.”
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t made the connection before. When would I finally learn that none of this could be coincidence? I felt like a puppet on the end of a string, pulling me further and further into the dark. And AJ was following me.
I buried my head in my hands. A ragged gasp shook my body.
“Take a big breath and start at the beginning.” AJ’s voice brought me back to reality. “There’s an agent at the door. We’ll order room service. We’ll stay all night. Ok? It’s time for you to tell me everything”
I nodded.
“Besides,” he cracked a smile. “You can’t run this time even if you want to.”
I felt a smile creep onto my face in spite of everything. I playfully shoved his chest.
“Ow.” He grabbed his ribs.
“Oh my God. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I was so wrapped up in my fear I kept forgetting his pain.
He winced. “I’ll live.” He struggled for breath.
“You haven’t even showered yet. You need hot water and at least to take some ibuprofen. You haven’t slept. I’m worried about you.”
“Is this you playing nurse?”
I bit my lip. My cheeks turned red. How did he do that so easily? We were in the middle of the most serious situation of my life and he had a way of taking my mind somewhere fun and dirty. Somewhere in time that reminded me of a freer, more adventurous me. A time when I didn’t know AJ could break my heart.
“You were never a good patient,” I reminded him.
“True. I won’t ever be. And I’m not heading to the shower until you tell me about these emails.”
“The last one was in my inbox Sunday morning. Just before I left for the airport.”
“And the first one?” he questioned.
“I think about six months ago.” I leaned into a stack of pillows on the bed. From the dirt bike ride, the lack of sleep, the tropical storm, and now finally landing somewhere soft it was hard not to feel the exhaustion settle in.
“Who were they from?”
“I don’t know. It was just a shell dot com address. I tried to trace it.” My eyes sharpened. “Just using a search engine. No hacking.”
“And it went back to nothing?”
“Right. There were a few at first. I thought they were a scam. And then I realized they weren’t. But just when I started to be concerned, they stopped. I hadn’t received one until Friday when I landed in Dallas. And then I had another one Saturday. Back to back, which was weird after he hadn’t sent any in so long.”
AJ rubbed the side of his face. “Do you have the one from Friday on your phone?”
“Yes. I didn’t delete it.” I reached for my phone on the bedside table. It had charged over the last hour. I powered it on and tapped my email icon. I scrolled through, searching for Friday’s emails first. I needed to do a better job of sorting my junk mail. My inbox was filled with sales offers and coupons.
“I kept them both.” I kept searching. I checked my spam and my trash boxes. I checked the dates for Friday and Saturday. My days were getting mixed up in my head, but I knew I had flown into Dallas for the weekend. Friday and Saturday were definitely where they should be, but the emails weren’t there.
I looked at AJ. “They were both here. I swear.”
“Damn it,” he swore. “They must have had time encryption in them. Ok. So, what did they say? Do you remember?”
I nodded. “I’ll never forget them.”
“Syd, this might be the connection to the guy at the farmhouse. You might have him.” He looked hopeful. “Anything you can remember will help. A single word can be a piece of the puzzle. This is huge.”
I closed my eyes. “I-I thought it was a sick joke. You know? Some prank. Like I was on one of those weird list serves or something. It didn’t seem real.”
“Syd, what did he say?”
I swallowed hard. “I didn’t tell anyone. I thought he was gone. He was supposed to be gone.”
AJ cupped the side of my face. “Do you want to write it down instead? If it’s too hard to tell me, you can write it. I need to know so I can keep you safe. However you want to tell me is fine, babe. Please, just tell me.”
“Destiny,” I whispered. “He said I was his destiny.”
Sixteen
I think it was only the second week we dated when AJ and I went to this swanky jazz bar below the street. We took the M for several stops before we found it. It felt like we were sneaking into a speak easy, but once we got there we ordered drinks and sat in the corner. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. We had finally hit the three-date mark and discovered sex together was incredible. I wanted our nights together to start early so we could end up back in bed.
That night I had worn a cute dress. The hem was lined with sequins. It was short. I already knew AJ had a fondness for my legs and ass. I wore it for him. Not for the asshole sitting at the bar. Not for the string of assholes scattered around the night club.
Becca and I had gone shopping the day before. We walked out of the boutique excited about our dresses. Proud of how good they looked on us. Eager to wear them on date night.
But all it took was one lewd comment when I strolled to the restroom for all hell to break loose.
“I have something nice and hard for you to sit on, baby.”
I knew better than to acknowledge the taunt. I would have walked faster, but I was blocked by a line of people ordering drinks from the bartender.
“Just lift it a little higher and I can give you a ride right here.” He chuckled.
I didn�
��t want him to see me do it, but I tugged on the sequins, forcing more coverage over my thighs. I needed to find a way around the line, but instead of making a path to the right I was forced left when a waitress plowed forward with a tray of drinks.
I stepped into his space and felt his fingers circle my arm. “I bet you’ve never had it the way I give it up the a—”
I’d never seen a fight break out that fast. I didn’t know when AJ became aware of what was happening, but he was now. I’d never witnessed anything like it. AJ was all over him. Pinning the dick to the bar in a choke hold. I was in awe. No one had done anything like that for me before. No one had defended me. In all the times I had to listen to cat calls and vulgar comments, no one came to my defense.
I was used to going to bars and fending off guys as they tried to grab me, or touch me in places their hands should never be. Becca and I had war stories from clubs and bars in the city. The sad thing was, I could swat hands. I could protest. I could call a bouncer over, but I couldn’t fight back. I knew that was asking for the kind of trouble I couldn’t handle. And it pissed me off. But that was my reality. How were we supposed to stand up to men twice our size? How did we tell them to back the fuck off without putting ourselves in more danger?
We had been taught to always go out in pairs. Always have a girlfriend system. We had checks and balances to keep each other safe. But there was no way to keep vulgar taunts from happening. There was no way on a beautiful night, wearing a beautiful dress to stop a prick like this from thinking he had the right to verbally assault me.
AJ did what I’d never been able to do. He had that asshole’s throat in his hand.
“Don’t you ever talk to a woman that way.” He glared in his eyes. “Do you understand?”
The man gurgled. His face was red.
“AJ.” I tugged on his arm.
“I’m waiting for an answer. Are you going to speak to women like that?”
Shattered Hart: Hart Pursuit Trilogy Book 2 Page 6
