Christmas Witness Protection (Protected Identities Book 1)

by Maggie K. Black

  It was up to him to give people hope that they could break the cycle. And now, if he and his team didn’t stop the identities auction, the very people they’d pledged to protect would be hunted by the same monsters they’d entered witness protection to escape.

  Seth still wasn’t meeting his eye. “I downloaded the blueprints, discovered this space existed and changed the vents around.”

  But if you hide things from me, it makes it harder for me to help you. The words crossed Noah’s mind, but he didn’t speak them. Seth had lost everything at least once before, and now, because he’d tipped Noah off about the Imposters, he would be losing everything again.

  Worried faces surrounded him on either side, coupled with tense bodies at the ready, and Noah realized that whether he’d intended to be in charge of this chaotic mess or not, people were now looking at him. All except Holly. She was lying on her back with her eyes closed, almost as if she were trying to nap.

  “I think everyone’s plan is still a go,” Noah said. “Assuming we can find a way out of here. I’m not sure if they’re planning on breaching the building or waiting for us to come out. Either way, anyone in uniform who’s either bulked up and over six feet tall or looks skinny enough to wash down a storm drain could be an Imposter.”

  His colleagues nodded. He heard tapping. Seth had a small tablet of some sort in his hands. Noah imagined he had some kind of self-destruct system set up for the computers downstairs.

  “Any idea how they found us?” he asked.

  “Not from security camera footage of the area,” Seth said. “That was clean. But when I accessed the auction, they traced my location somehow. Looks like they’re gathering data on everyone who registers to bid. I can create a new dummy account to monitor the auction from, but it’ll take me some time.”

  “Any idea why they’re waiting until Christmas Eve?” Jess asked.

  “They just accessed Elias’s devices an hour ago,” Seth pointed out. “Downloading, managing and packaging the data for sale takes time. Then there’s advertising, signing up bidders and building hype...”

  Noah shuddered. It was evil and vile, but at least it bought them close to a week.

  “It’s not like you to leave bread crumbs,” he said.

  “Everyone and everything leaves bread crumbs,” Seth replied. “Though most are too small to see and most people aren’t savvy enough to find mine, unless I want them, too.”

  Got it. “You said there’s a way out of here?”

  “Yeah.” Seth nodded. “Through the window, along the ledge until you reach the end, then there are some rough bricks sticking out you can use to climb up. This side of the building faces the lake, so there’s a lot less risk of being seen by the crowd now gathering in the street. Then it’s just a matter of running and jumping across a few roofs until you hit either a fire escape or stairs down. I’ve tried out a few routes just for fun. Never in weather like this.”

  At least the pelting snow would make for decent cover.

  “Does that sound like something you’re able to do, Holly?” Noah asked.

  “Of course.” Her eyes snapped open and she sat up. “If Seth can do it, I’m sure I can.”

  Fair enough, but Seth didn’t have her headache. Noah scanned the faces of his colleagues. “Our top priority right now is keeping Seth and Holly safe. There’s an empty and highly secure safe house just on the outskirts of Brampton. I suggest we scramble now and meet up again there in an hour.”

  “Sounds good,” Liam said. “I’ll take Seth. My truck is hidden in a garage just west of here.”

  “Someone should go out the front,” Mack said, “to make them think they’ve succeeded in smoking us out. Noah, you can take my truck. It’s in a garage by the water. You’ll find spare license plates under the front seat, plus a gun in a box under the false floor in the back.”

  “Thanks.” Noah smacked his friend on the shoulder, then gave him a half hug.

  “No problem,” Mack said. “Just get Holly to safety.”

  “Will do.” Noah ran his hand over the back of his neck. At least everyone had kept their boots and coats on.

  “I’ll go with Mack,” Jess offered. “I actually really liked Holly’s bait idea. But let’s make it a bait and switch. I’ll change jackets with you, Holly. Noah, you and Mack switch jackets, as well. We’ll run out the front and make a dash for it. Buy you some cover.”

  Mack nodded. “That works.”

  Noah didn’t much like the idea of his two colleagues charging through the smoke into a potential ambush. Then again, if the tables were turned, he’d have done the same for them. And he had not a sliver of a doubt they were tough enough and skilled enough to handle it.

  “Again, thanks,” he said. So his buddy Mack was giving up both his truck and his leather jacket then. “I owe you huge for this one.”

  “No worries.” A grin crossed the other man’s face. “I know you’re good for it.”

  “Hang on, I got something that might help,” Seth said. He rummaged in his rucksack and came up with a short dark wig. Just how much work had he put into his escape plan? Noah wondered, as Seth handed it to Jess. “It’s not the best, but from a distance, in this snow it should throw them off a bit.”

  “Sounds good,” Jess said. She twisted her hair up and tugged the wig down over it. Then she shrugged off her coat, as Noah and Mack swapped theirs.

  Seth grabbed a jacket from his rucksack and shoved his arms through the sleeves as Noah turned to Holly.

  “Did you catch that? We’re going to scramble and then meet up again in Brampton in an hour.”

  “Yup, I did.” She got it, but something about the look on her face told him she didn’t like it.

  “Do you still have my phone?” he asked.

  “It’s in my pocket,” she told him. “I ended the call when the first smoke bomb came through the window.” She pulled herself up onto her knees, slid the phone from her pocket and handed it to him. Then she tugged her coat off and swapped it for Jess’s. “I need to talk to you about something.”

  He glanced around the room. Mack and Jessie were getting ready to crawl back through the vent. Seth was halfway out the window.

  “Okay, we’ll talk once we’re out of here and somewhere safe,” he said.

  “God go with you.” Liam clasped his hand on Noah’s shoulder.

  Jess and Holly exchanged a quick hug.

  “Stay safe,” Jess said. She hugged Noah briefly in turn. “See you soon.”

  “You, too.”

  Mack and Jess disappeared through the vent and into the smoke. Liam and Seth slipped out the window and made their way along the ledge to the right, leaving Noah and Holly alone.

  “We’ll give them a two-minute head start and then we’ll go,” he suggested. “How’s your head?”

  “Not great,” she confessed. “But lying quietly helped.”

  He straightened back up to standing, and when Holly rose in turn, he found himself reaching for her hand. She took it, grasping his wrist with her fingertips. They stood there face-to-face in the narrow space, while the cold wind and snow whipped at them through the window. Then her hand slid slowly from his. The frown lines on her face grew deeper.

  “I’m guessing you don’t like this plan,” he said. “If it’s any help, I don’t blame you and probably dislike it for the same reason. I want to be the one running out there into the melee and opening fire. I don’t want to be slinking out the back to safety. I never do. Hey, if it were up to me I’d don a red cape and fly around, single-handedly saving everyone.”

  A laugh slipped from her lips. “Yeah, I can kind of see that about you.”

  He chuckled, too, and wasn’t quite sure when his arms parted and she stepped into them, but the next thing he knew, he was clasping her with the same kind of camaraderie or foxhole hug he’d given his colleagues j
ust moments before. She hugged him back, hard.

  “You know how it is.” He tightened his grip around her. “Sometimes you’re the one running into danger. And sometimes you’re the one ducking, covering or even retreating. In another place and another time, you and I would be the ones out front, drawing fire and letting other people slip out the back.”

  She relaxed slightly, and it was like she somehow softened in his arms. He felt his palms slide down her back, gently now, until the hug felt nothing like the quick, strong ones he’d given his fellow detectives moments ago. Her hands came to rest behind his shoulders. But still neither of them ended the hug.

  “I don’t want anyone risking their life for me,” she said in a low voice.

  He pulled back just enough that he could see her face, and something caught in his chest at how deep both the worry and pain were that floated there. She’d radiated pure defiance and strength when he’d first laid eyes on her. Now something else hovered within their green depths: vulnerability.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “They’re amazing cops and it’s a team effort. We’ll get you working with a sketch artist and going over mug shots as soon as we hit the Brampton safe house. The two most important things right now are keeping you safe to testify against General Bertie, and stopping the Imposters, and both of those involve keeping you alive.”

  But still her head was shaking, and he could feel the softness of her pixie cut brushing against his fingertips.

  “Look, I get it,” he said. “I really do.”

  “No, you really don’t,” she said. “I don’t think I can identify the Imposters. I can’t remember what their faces look like.”

  * * *

  I might have a concussion, Noah. I don’t know for sure, but your doctor friend suspects I might have a mild traumatic brain injury. She heard the words fill her mind but didn’t know how to push them past her lips. She’d never been one for admitting weakness. Sucking things up, forbearance and pushing through was more the way she’d been raised. Her mother hadn’t complained about how a military wife’s life of moving every few months had meant losing any opportunity at having her own career. And wouldn’t have put up with Holly whining that being the only child in a military family meant constantly being the strange new kid in class. The men and women she’d gone through basic training with hadn’t fussed about the pain of sore muscles, scrapes or bruises. Besides, she didn’t know if Anne was even right. After all, if Holly did have a concussion, wouldn’t she be in more pain? She’d been hurt far worse than this dull, persistent ache that felt less like an injury and more like getting up after a night of barely sleeping and having taken cold medication.

  “Do you understand what I’m saying?” she asked. “I honestly can’t remember their faces right now.”

  Noah shrugged, and she felt the movement through her body.

  “That’s pretty common with witnesses and people who experience trauma.” His voice was caring and sweet, but neither of those things were what she wanted right now. His fingertips brushed the small of her back and suddenly she was extremely aware of the fact that she was still hugging him. What was she doing? She’d never once fallen into anyone’s arms and expected them to save her. She wasn’t about to start.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it,” he was saying. “Now, are you okay to climb or do you need me to help you? The ledge isn’t that high, but as long as you’re able to hold on to my back, I can carry you.”

  A crash sounded in the distance, once again the sound of breaking glass.

  “No, I’m good.” She pulled out of his arms and then pressed her hands up against his chest as she pushed him away. The fact that he’d carried her once was embarrassing enough. But she’d rested since then and her head was pounding less now. “I don’t need you to baby or coddle me, Detective. I’m a full-grown, adult soldier. Come on. Let’s go.”

  Noah’s eyes widened, and she wondered if, despite the fact that she’d tried to sound lighthearted, she’d somehow offended him. Or if something else was going on behind those gray orbs. Then something shifted in his gaze, replacing the confusing softness she’d seen there just moments before with a firmer resolve. He turned and climbed through the window and out onto the ledge.

  Holly pulled up the hood of Jess’s jacket and fastened it tightly. Then she followed him out the window. The ledge was about a foot wide and three stories off the ground. The blaring sirens were louder now. The flashing lights from emergency vehicles on the other side of the building cast odd red and blue hues in the sky. Thick snow pelted against her, cold air lashed her body and for a moment it was only the relief at how the freezing cold numbed the pain in her skull, and the sheer determination not to fall, that kept her from tumbling backward over the edge. She could do this, right? She’d definitely climbed higher, narrower things before. She reached up and felt the rough groove of a gap between the bricks above her head. She glanced to the side, Noah was already several feet ahead of her.

  “It’s a tiny bit slippery,” he called, “but there are good handholds! Just take it nice and slow. You should be fine.”

  “Don’t worry about me.” She gritted her teeth and dug her fingers in deeper. He didn’t know that Anne said she might have a concussion. He didn’t have to know. “Just go. I’ll catch up.”

  She pressed her body against the rough brick wall and slid her feet and fingertips inch by inch along the ledge. Hopefully, he’d known she’d meant it when she’d said if tables were turned she’d have carried him through the snow to Seth’s. If she was back to full strength, she’d have even climbed along this ledge at twice the speed he was going now, with him clinging to her back. If she wasn’t injured, she’d have handled all this on her own, without breaking a sweat. And sure, Noah was undeniably strong, brave and also kind of sweet. Definitely the type of man she’d be happy to serve alongside and get to know better. But something about the way he wanted to take care of her irked her. It was like he thought she needed taking care of. Like he thought she was fragile or something, when she’d happily match her wits, strength, skills and mettle against his any day of the week. And beat him half the time.

  She kept moving forward, inch after inch, her eyes focusing on the brick so close to her face. She glanced to her right. Noah was gone.

  “Noah!” She shouted his name into the wind. “Where are you?”

  “Here!” His voice came back to her, strong and solid. She glanced to her right. He’d somehow climbed up onto the roof and was now reaching down toward her. He stretched out both hands. “Grab on! I’ll pull you up!”

  Except he’d clearly made it up without help. She scanned the wall. A series of uneven bricks jutted out at the edge of the building in what was clearly an intentional pattern. Looked like they’d been recently wiped clear of snow where his hands had grasped them.

  She made her way over and started climbing, her toes wedging deep into the grooves. Truth was, she wasn’t exactly sure why she was being so stubborn. Was she trying to prove to herself that she didn’t have a concussion? To Noah that she was stronger than he apparently thought she was? Or was she simply afraid that if she stopped moving the nausea would sweep over her again?

  His hand brushed her shoulder as she neared the top. She yanked herself over the edge and onto the roof, then lay there for a moment, feeling the snow pelt against her. Then she dragged herself up to a crouching position. “Update?”

  Noah’s eyebrows rose. Then he walked over to the edge of the roof and looked down. She resisted the temptation to do the same. Anne hadn’t been wrong when she said Holly would probably be sensitive to motion, noise and light. Heights weren’t so great, either.

  “I count five buildings with smoke coming out the windows,” he said, “and a whole ton of emergency vehicles. We probably won’t hear from the rest of the team until we meet up at the safe house. Now, are you good to run?”

  “Yeah.”
Pushing herself back to her feet was harder this time than it had been before. But what other option did she have?

  Noah started across the roof. She followed after him, pushing her body as hard as she could, forcing herself to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. She clenched her jaw and leaped after him, nearly stumbling to her knees when she landed safely on the other side. Sirens roared, lights flashed and the smell of smoke filled the air. Every step, breath and heartbeat seemed to hurt worse than the one before.

  Her legs were growing weaker. Another gap between two buildings loomed ahead, this one not much wider than the one before. But it might as well have been the length of a football field. Help me, Lord! She threw herself across the chasm, praying every second that she’d make it to the other side. Her feet hit the roof and her body collapsed there.

  Noah stopped and looked back. His hand hovered at his side, and part of her willed him to reach for her. She wanted him to grasp her hand, pull her up and help her run. She wanted his support.

  Almost as much as she wanted his respect and to prove to him she didn’t need it.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yup. Let’s keep going.”

  She clenched her jaw and rose.

  All she had to do was make it to the safe house, where she could close her eyes and lie down. Then she could rest and get up feeling better. It was all she needed to do.

  A metal door stood in a small concrete bunker in the middle of the roof. Noah ran toward it and yanked the handle. When it didn’t budge, he delivered a swift roundhouse kick to the frame that popped the door off its hinges. He pushed through into a steep and narrow stairwell. “This way. Come on!”