Disillusioned

by Christy Barritt

  ALSO BY CHRISTY BARRITT

  Standalone Books

  Dubiosity

  Imperfect

  The Good Girl

  Home Before Dark

  Gone By Dark

  Mystery Series

  Squeaky Clean Mysteries

  Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries

  The Sierra Files

  Suburban Sleuth Mysteries

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Text copyright © 2016, by Christy Barritt

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Waterfall Press, Grand Haven, MI

  www.brilliancepublishing.com

  Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Waterfall Press are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

  ISBN-13: 9781503934795

  ISBN-10: 1503934799

  Cover design by Shasti O’Leary Soudant

  CONTENTS

  START READING

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  EPILOGUE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  When you hear what I say,

  you will not understand.

  When you see what I do,

  you will not comprehend.

  For the hearts of these people are hardened,

  and their ears cannot hear,

  and they have closed their eyes—

  so their eyes cannot see,

  and their ears cannot hear,

  and their hearts cannot understand,

  and they cannot turn to me

  and let me heal them.

  —Matthew 13: 14–15

  Disillusioned: Having lost faith or trust in something: disappointed that something is not as good, valuable, true, etc., as it had seemed.

  CHAPTER 1

  Nikki Wright ducked as an onslaught of reporters shoved microphones at her. Her anxiety surged with such intensity that she feared she might pass out right there on the DC sidewalk. The twenty feet that stretched from the hospital exit to the vehicle waiting at the curb might as well be twenty miles.

  She gripped her brother’s arm and urged him forward. Of the two of them, Bobby had always been the strong one. But right now, Nikki played the role of protector. She pulled him toward their escape—a waiting SUV.

  “It’s going to be okay,” she murmured, trying to keep a level head. She’d been telling herself that for the past two years—longer, if she were being honest with herself. Truth was, she had no idea if everything was going to be all right or not.

  She glanced ahead at the open SUV door and the man standing by it. A bodyguard. He stood with his arm outstretched as he beckoned her to move faster. He might as well be a Secret Service agent the way he was dressed—expensive suit, uptight stance, and sunglasses despite the overcast day outside.

  They were almost there.

  “Lieutenant Wright, is it true that you were conspiring with terrorists?” A blond reporter shoved her microphone closer.

  “You haven’t been debriefed by the military yet. Can you tell us why?” another reporter asked.

  “Ms. Wright, how much longer do you plan to help your brother evade making a statement?”

  Nikki tried to pull Bobby away from the frenzy, but he froze. Nikki tugged, but it was like trying to move a firmly planted tree. For the first time since Bobby had returned home, fire flashed in his eyes. He turned toward the throng of people around them, his strong chin jutting out.

  Nikki held her breath as she anticipated what might happen. Unpredictable was the best way to describe her brother since his detainment in Colombia. One moment he acted paranoid and the next nearly catatonic. Right now he was silent.

  He was five feet eight inches tall, the perfect height for a US Navy SEAL. His normally close-cropped brown hair was now completely shaved. His face, once chiseled and filled to perfection, had hollow spaces beneath his eyes and a pasty appearance.

  The former high school football star looked nothing like his yearbook picture. But when he spoke, his voice still sounded like steel. “As I’ve said before, leave me alone, and leave my sister alone. If you want to judge someone, look in the mirror.”

  Nikki tugged him again, and he finally moved.

  Once Bobby was inside the SUV, Nikki climbed in behind him. The security guard slammed their door before darting into the front seat.

  “Let’s go!” The guard tapped the dash with a touch of urgency.

  As the driver pulled away, vulture-like reporters continued to follow the SUV with microphones extended and questions pouring from their lips like salt on a wound.

  What a nightmare. How had Nikki’s life turned into this? In one regard, this was an answer to prayers she’d thought had fallen on deaf ears: her brother was home. Yet, in another regard, it was a worst-case scenario. There were so many questions surrounding Bobby’s abduction at the hands of terrorists, his escape, and his service to the military.

  “How can those reporters live with themselves?” Nikki’s gut churned with disgust as she turned her gaze away from the spectacle behind them. “They have no clue about how their assumptions can destroy lives.”

  “Maybe they do,” Bobby muttered, the dullness returning to his gaze.

  He’d been like this since they’d reunited in Colombia two weeks ago. What he’d gone through at the hands of cruel terrorists was something she couldn’t fathom. He needed time to heal and recover.

  Nikki had contacted the military about the situation after she’d confirmed her brother was indeed alive. Sticking to protocol, the navy had flown Bobby and Nikki from Colombia to a base in Norfolk. Normally the military would have spent a considerable amount of time debriefing Bobby, but Nikki had managed to get the best lawyers and buy them some time.

  All of that was because Bobby had insisted he wasn’t ready to talk about what he’d been through yet. One look at the fear on his face and Nikki had relented, doing everything in her power to help her brother. But she knew she couldn’t hold the navy off much longer.

  For good reason, his superiors wanted to debrief him, to find out what he knew, how he’d gotten away, if he’d shared any secrets while being tortured. Bobby claimed his service commitment had ended and that he had no obligation to the military, but Nikki knew it would be hard to convince others of that in the long term. She’d promised her navy envoy that as soon as Bobby was released from the hospital, he’d answer their
questions.

  At first Nikki had tried to keep Bobby at home and had found a doctor who made house calls. But her brother’s behavior had worsened until it became more than she could handle. After he broke half the china in her cabinet, she knew help was needed, beyond what she or family friend Raz Jennings could offer. The hospital had seemed like the right option—he’d get better care there. But now it was clear that what he really needed was rest and privacy. She’d rented a house away from the media, away from the military, away from everything that seemed to stress her brother out. Her envoy would be furious, but Nikki couldn’t turn Bobby over just yet—he was still too weak.

  Her brother was physically here, yet in some other way, Nikki felt as if she’d lost him. The man sitting next to her seemed like anyone but her fun-loving, protective older sibling. He didn’t playfully tug her brown hair or roll his eyes when Nikki talked about her dreams of becoming a missionary.

  Of course, she didn’t talk about that anymore. The new Nikki knew better than to trust a God who’d only been silent in her times of need. Her worldview had changed, and not only because of the ordeal with her brother. Bobby wasn’t the only one who’d discovered that being willing to give your life for a cause didn’t result in any reciprocated loyalty or favor.

  Nikki flinched as something in the air changed. Whatever it was, it was so subtle that she couldn’t pinpoint the cause. She only knew that some kind of internal alarm was sounding.

  The media. They must be tailing them still. Or what if it was a military car? She hadn’t violated any laws by spiriting Bobby away, had she? She didn’t think so, but she felt unsettled by the evasion she’d planned.

  Nikki glanced behind her. For now, it was the media in pursuit. Several vans with news station emblems emblazoned on their doors followed at a close clip.

  “They’re not leaving us alone,” she muttered.

  “We’ll lose them,” the guard in the front seat said.

  Tension stretched across Nikki’s every muscle. Lose them? That seemed impossible. The people following them knew what kind of story Americans were hungry for. They were willing to do anything to get their hands on Bobby and twist his words. Their only objective was to make him a bad guy instead of a victim.

  The driver cut through the streets of DC, but the trail of paparazzi still remained behind them. Nikki had asked Raz to do some research, and this security firm, Steel Guard, was supposed to be one of the best in the country. They guarded senators and diplomats. She had no choice but to trust them now.

  The driver took several quick turns, and finally the string of vehicles behind them disappeared.

  Nikki’s heart slowed for a minute.

  This is all going to be okay, she told herself again.

  But does everything really turn out okay? We like to tell ourselves that. We want to believe it because it gives us hope. But sometimes you have to face the fact that things don’t work out. The future doesn’t get brighter.

  Nikki closed her eyes, trying to shut out the ache that felt permanent. She couldn’t think like that. She had to stay positive for Bobby’s sake, if no one else’s. He was the one who’d suffered the most through this.

  Nikki settled back in the seat, knowing she just had to pass time until they reached the protected haven that would be their temporary home. The traffic had thinned slightly as they moved away from the DC area. Now they just had to make it to the rental house. Raz had also set that up for them, under his own name as a safety precaution.

  Nikki knew she’d need every ounce of her strength in order to face the coming days. Bobby had nightmares. There were still health concerns. He hadn’t talked to anyone about what had happened during his ordeal. Nikki hoped that some peace and quiet, as well as routine, would help him heal.

  Without warning, the SUV squealed to a halt. Nikki’s eyes popped open. They’d stopped in the parking lot of an old, grungy-looking warehouse. “What’s going on?” she muttered.

  Where were they? This hadn’t been on the schedule of stops they’d reviewed for the day. Each of their details had been planned carefully.

  Fear gripped her, but Nikki pushed it back. She had to be strong and brave. She had no one to depend on except herself.

  Bobby straightened, his eyes scanning the area as the SUV’s doors were jerked open. Two men Nikki had never seen stood on each side. They were dressed just like the guards from the security company.

  Quickly she glanced toward the front seat at the men she’d hired—the supposed best in the business. They didn’t move. Why weren’t they reacting?

  “You need to come with us,” a tall, broad man said. The wind blew open his jacket, revealing a gun at his waist.

  Nikki shook her head, her fingernails digging into the leather seat. “Never.”

  “It isn’t an option.”

  “Nikki,” her brother muttered. Something dark had crept into his voice.

  Bobby knew something, Nikki realized.

  He’d put things together more quickly than she had—his instincts were more finely tuned for these kinds of things. Nikki wished she had Bobby’s training, that she knew the best way out of this situation. But her talent rested in fundraising for senators and nonprofits, not in guerilla warfare.

  “Who are you?” Nikki desperately wanted to steal a glance at her brother, but she was too afraid to look away from the man in front of her. She had to remain alert.

  “We’ll tell you once we get to where we’re going.” As the man said the words, the two guards in the front seat climbed out and walked away.

  Nikki sucked in a breath, outrage heating her blood. This had all been arranged, hadn’t it? But by whom? “We’re not going anywhere with you.”

  “I don’t think you understand—you don’t have a choice.” The man reached for her arm. Before she could draw back, his fingers clenched her biceps. He jerked her out into the unseasonably chilly early autumn air, and she stumbled onto the asphalt.

  As she straightened, she surveyed the area around her. A warehouse. A fence with barbed wire on top. Four black SUVs. Men dressed in black, wearing sunglasses, guns strapped to their waists.

  Was this the government’s way of trying to force her brother to talk about the classified mission he’d been on when the terrorists had abducted him? Raz had secured the proper legal documents to ensure Bobby didn’t have to speak to anyone, at least for the time being. Was there a loophole he’d missed?

  Nikki tried to jerk her arm out of the man’s grasp, but he held her tighter. Instead, she brought her other elbow back. The man seemed to anticipate her move. He twisted her limb until pain traveled through her wrist all the way up to her shoulder. She gasped as tears popped to her eyes.

  Terrorists. Were these men a part of the terrorist ring who’d captured her brother? Had they arranged all of this?

  Nikki jerked her head toward Bobby as a different man pulled him out into the parking lot and jammed a gun into his side. Though Bobby stood there compliantly, a spark of life returned to his eyes.

  In an instant, Bobby’s elbow snapped back and slammed the rib cage of the man beside him. The man dropped to the ground holding his stomach. Bobby grabbed his gun and, in one fluid motion, pulled the trigger. The man cried out in pain and clutched his knee.

  Then Bobby turned toward Nikki.

  He pointed the gun at her.

  The air left her lungs.

  No . . .

  She started to say something, but the words lodged in her throat. Beg for your life. Talk some sense into your brother. Buy some time.

  Before she could do any of those things, Bobby fired.

  CHAPTER 2

  Nikki screamed, waiting to feel the sting of the bullet burning through her flesh, her muscle, her bone. Time seemed to freeze, and the world around her turned to gel.

  Shouts. Movements. Confusion.

  Yet all she could think about was pain. When would it come? Had her mind blocked it out?

  How could her brother have tur
ned on her? He was her own flesh and blood.

  Everyone she’d ever trusted had let her down. This only proved it.

  Everyone. Her husband. Her family. Even Jesus.

  Just then, the man holding her captive grunted and collapsed to the ground.

  Nikki released her breath and staggered away, her mind reeling.

  Bobby had shot the man beside her, not her. Of course. Her brother would never hurt her.

  “Get in!” Bobby yelled as the other men scrambled toward them.

  As a bullet whizzed by her, Nikki dove into the driver’s seat. When she pulled herself up, she spotted more men rushing toward them, guns in hand.

  “Hit the gas!” Bobby ordered as he hurled himself into the SUV in one fluid motion.

  Nikki’s foot slammed down on the pedal, and the Expedition jerked forward. She looked straight ahead at their escape route, and her stomach clenched.

  They might be moving, but they had nowhere to go, she realized. A metal fence trapped them.

  “Bobby, there’s no way out!” The gate ahead was closed and held in place with a thick chain.

  “Gun it.”

  “What?” Her voice sounded breathy with fear.

  “Go through the gate. You can do it.”

  A glance in the rearview mirror at the men chasing them made the decision for her. A bullet pierced the back glass, causing it to shatter. She jammed her foot down on the accelerator and charged toward the exit.

  She held her breath as the vehicle collided with the fence. She braced herself for the impact, for a collision, for metal screeching across metal.

  But instead, she looked up to see that they’d made it out of the complex in one piece.

  “We did it,” she whispered. The vehicle might be bruised, but they’d gotten through unscathed—physically, at least.

  “It’s not over yet.” Bobby slung his arm across the seat and peered behind them. Sweat beaded his forehead. “Keep moving.”

  Two SUVs were behind her—closer than she’d like, but not right on her tail. They were headed into a retail business area. Car and pedestrian traffic increased, and Nikki knew that their plight had just become even more precarious.

  “Turn here,” Bobby said.