“Who are you?” Kade demanded, pacing the wood floor.
Kade had forced the man back to the house at gunpoint while Nikki grabbed the other weapon. Kade could tell that she was shaken and hurt, but he knew she would be okay. Right now, he had to deal with this man.
Yet he couldn’t stop thinking: if he hadn’t shown up when he did, Nikki could be dead right now.
Kade had secured the man to a dining room chair using zip ties. They’d pulled his stocking hat off but hadn’t recognized him. He had dark brown hair, a thin build, and was probably in his thirties. He looked scruffy, with ruddy, unshaven cheeks. His wide eyes were partly defiant and partly fearful.
“My name is Mark,” he muttered. His head hung, and blood dripped from his lip. His expression was pained—perhaps from the sand that Nikki said she’d thrown in his eyes.
He didn’t carry himself like a fed, Kade thought. Feds were trained to withstand interrogation. This man looked defeated already.
“How’d you find us?” Kade continued.
Ten Man stood guard in the distance, alternating between checking out the windows and staying close for backup, just in case Kade needed it.
“I live in Onancock,” the man said. “Please don’t hurt me.”
Kade stood over him. “You were about to kill my friend. Why shouldn’t I hurt you?”
The man sneered. “Because I’m a good guy! I saw her picture on the news.”
“Whose picture?”
“Hers.” He nodded toward Nikki. “Said she’s wanted in connection with a terrorist plot. Anyway, I saw her when I was driving back from Eastville and followed her here.”
Kade’s shoulders tensed as the implications of the words hit him. “Did you call the police?”
“No, I wanted to make sure. If I brought her in myself, I could get a reward, and my family could really use the money.” He struggled against the bindings holding him. “I waited a long time for my chance to get a better look.”
“Things aren’t what they seem,” Kade said, turning back to Mark. “I need for you to realize that.”
“Isn’t that what everyone says?”
Kade couldn’t argue; Mark’s words were true. But now he had another problem: What was he going to do? He couldn’t send him on his merry way, as Mark would go right to the police. But he couldn’t hold him here as a hostage either. It wasn’t the right thing to do.
“Look, please don’t hurt me. I was just being a good American,” Mark continued. “You can’t blame me for that. I have a wife and two kids.”
“You just happened to have a mask with you?”
“I’m a hunter. I use it when I go out. It gets cold, especially with the breeze that sweeps from the sea all the way over the bay. Winters are colder here than other places. Ask anyone in the area.”
“Ten Man, keep your eye on him for a moment. Nikki, can I have a word?”
She nodded and took the ice pack from her jaw as she followed him across the house, away from listening ears.
They had to make some decisions—fast, Kade realized.
CHAPTER 25
Everything about Nikki ached by the time Kade pulled her into the office. It wasn’t just her body—though it hurt plenty. But it was her heart, her soul, her mental well-being.
Everything was a mess.
She kept replaying the attack—and how each blow had revealed more memories of Pierce that she’d tried desperately to bury. The last time she’d been beaten like that, it had been at the hands of a man who proclaimed to love her. She’d been left lying in the corner of her bedroom whimpering, unable to move.
That had been the last straw, the moment she’d realized she couldn’t live like that any longer.
As the memories tried to claim her, she sucked in a long, deep breath. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared up at Kade.
Dear, sweet Kade. The man who’d saved her life. Who’d given up everything to help her.
“What should we do?” Her voice trembled.
He stared at her a moment. He seemed to realize how hard this was on her—just maybe not how deeply it ran. He didn’t need to know, Nikki told herself. Not now. Right now they had to focus on their current crisis.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” he finally said, his voice somber. “Let’s go see Darren and talk to him—without being caught.”
She blinked in surprise at Kade’s words. “Darren. Right. But what about the man—Mark? What do we do with him?”
“We leave him here and then call the police after we’ve made it down the road a bit. That way he gets help, and we get away. It’s the only thing I know to do.”
She nodded, reality feeling heavy. “That sounds like a plan.”
Something flickered in his eyes as he stepped closer. “Are you okay, Nikki? You’re shaking like a leaf.”
She forced herself to nod, not really feeling okay at all. “I’ll be fine.”
He reached for her, his fingers gently splayed near her neck as he soaked her in.
As soon as his hand touched her throat, she tensed. Flashes hit her at full force. She waited for him to threaten her, to squeeze until pain gripped her again, until she could hardly breathe. Her muscle memory took over, and her body tensed in preparation for the coming pain.
That had been Pierce’s signature move. Place his hand innocently at her throat, and when she didn’t respond the way he wanted, he’d squeeze. He’d continue to squeeze until her breath was cut off, until she became limp in his hands.
She’d vowed to never be that weak again. To never let another person hold that kind of power over her.
Kade moved his hand down to her shoulder. His eyes narrowed with concern as he whispered, “What did he do to you?”
She knew she mustn’t go there, not now. But the memories kept hitting her, each one feeling like a punch in the gut. Every time she closed her eyes, she could picture the devious look in Pierce’s eyes. The feel of his fist. The aftermath of being beaten.
“What . . . what do you mean?” She’d wanted to sound convincing, but she failed.
“Your ex-husband. What did he do to you?”
Nikki swallowed hard, knowing Kade wasn’t going to let her ignore his question. But this wasn’t the time, even if Kade seemed hyperfocused on the issue.
The man—Mark—yelled from the other room as Ten Man kept an eye on him. “You’ll never get away with this.”
They had to get moving. They had to focus on the main thing.
But Kade seemed unfazed. He waited for her to answer.
“He wasn’t a nice person,” Nikki finally said. “When his world spun out of control, he tried desperately to keep hold of everything that was within his power. Including me. Especially me.”
Kade’s gaze went to her neck, anger simmering in his eyes. Not anger at Nikki. Anger at the situation.
Nikki had clearly seen that part of him when they dated. During those four months she’d watched him help an injured dog on the side of the road. Seen him stop to help stranded motorists. Witnessed him giving his coat to a homeless man.
“You know I’d never hurt you, right?”
Nikki touched her throat. The open, exposed area left her feeling vulnerable. “I know.”
But Kade had hurt her—though in a different way. Not physically. But he’d crushed her heart. She’d be wise not to forget that. One look into his eyes and it was so easy to brush her troubles aside for a moment. Easy, but not healthy.
“Nikki . . .” He stepped closer, his eyes taking on that smoky look that had melted Nikki’s heart on more than one occasion. Her eyes traveled to his lips, and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around his waist and forget her problems.
There’d always been an unseen pull that brought them together, something that was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. Something that was still there now and seemed to be drawing them together again despite their circumstances.
She hadn’t had it with Pierce. No, wi
th Pierce she’d been searching for acceptance in the face of loneliness.
That had been a mistake.
Was that what she was doing again?
Kade’s thumb brushed her lips, and she felt herself being drawn to him. She closed her eyes.
“Wheaton, we should go.”
Ten Man. He’d come into the room and broken whatever kind of spell had fallen over them.
Nikki and Kade backed away from each other. Nikki’s skin felt like she’d touched fire.
What had she been thinking? Had she been about to kiss him? To try to rekindle a relationship that had only left her burned? Had she lost her mind?
Thank goodness Ten Man had come into the room when he did. Otherwise she might have made another huge mistake. She was so tired of messing up.
Besides, Ten Man was right. They had to hit the road before the wrong people found them.
“Ten Man, I have something to ask you,” Kade said quietly. “You can say no. You know the risks involved in this. If you’re caught working with us . . .”
Ten Man put his hands on his hips and offered a curt nod to show he was listening. “What is it?”
“I need you to look into the background of Darren Philips. I need to see if there’s anything that’s happened in his past that might have left him with a score to settle.”
“The other navy SEAL? You think he has something to do with this?”
“He might.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said.
“And Ten Man? Try to lay low. I don’t want you to be associated with all of this.” Kade preferred to keep his guys safe, not make trouble for them.
Ten Man raised his chin. “It’s probably too late. The sheriff saw me, remember? But it’s all right—I’m okay with that.”
Kade’s shoulders slumped.
“Wheaton, you saved my life over in Afghanistan. You showed me the importance of doing what’s right, no matter the cost. I’ll do whatever I can to help you now.”
Kade nodded, gratefulness filling him. “I appreciate that. You have my number, right?”
Ten Man nodded. “I’ll be in touch.”
At that moment, Nikki came downstairs.
Just seeing her took Kade’s breath away, even after all these years. He prayed he’d be able to keep her safe. She’d endured a lot, and he wasn’t sure how much more she could handle.
“You ready?” he asked.
She shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”
He nodded toward Ten Man one more time. “Wait until you’re over the Bay Bridge Tunnel before you call the police about our visitor.”
“Got it.”
With that, they went out to Jack’s SUV. Kade hoped for Nikki’s sake that Bobby hadn’t done anything stupid. Because he knew her soul couldn’t handle any more heartbreak.
CHAPTER 26
Nikki didn’t say anything as they traveled down the highway.
They crossed back over the bridge tunnel and into Virginia Beach. A few turns later, Kade pulled to a stop in a neighborhood filled with stately brick houses with manicured lawns. He put the vehicle in park but left the engine running.
Nikki glanced around in confusion. “Where are we?”
“Darren Philips lives there.” Kade nodded to a house on the corner across the street. “We don’t know if he’s here or out of town. But we need to talk to him.”
“What if he calls the police on us? I’m sure the feds are prowling around, just waiting for us to mess up.” Nikki was becoming an expert on worst-case scenarios.
“Probably, but I doubt they’re looking at Darren. He’s just a mouthpiece, someone who wants to extend his fifteen minutes of fame.” He glanced at her. “How well did you know Darren?”
She shrugged, leaning back in the seat as deceitfully cheerful sunlight streamed through the clouds and into her window. “I met him a couple of times, but not enough to really form any opinions about him. He was my brother’s CO, but I think he took a job with a private security contractor when his service ended.”
“That explains how he can afford this house. You make considerably more going private.”
“I contacted him after the military told me Bobby had been abducted. I begged him to give me more information about what happened to my brother, but he didn’t. Said he couldn’t. Even then, I realized something was wrong.”
“The military didn’t tell you anything?”
She shook her head. “Only that Bobby had been taken by terrorists. It didn’t come out until a few months later that people suspected my brother of being a deserter. It was revealed through the media. That’s how I heard.”
“That’s unacceptable.”
“It suddenly started to make sense why Darren acted so strangely, like my brother’s safety wasn’t that urgent a matter. Whenever I tried to talk to him, he shut me down. Said it was all top-level security and that he couldn’t share details. He tried to sound apologetic, but he never came across as very sincere.”
Kade stared down the street, deep in thought. “You deserved the truth and not to learn it from the press.”
Nikki glanced at Kade, trying to read his expression. “Did you know Darren?”
“We met a few times, and he seemed decent enough. But anyone who’s that quick to go on TV and throw a colleague under the bus loses points with me. It’s reckless.”
“Reckless? That’s a recurring theme I’m seeing with SEALs.”
He nodded. “That’s why I started my nonprofit. So many SEALs and other Special Forces groups feel like they’re untouchable after returning from war. They’ve survived some of the worst conditions a human can experience. They come back here and go crazy.”
“How so?”
“They buy motorcycles and take unnecessary risks. They sleep around, they start bar fights, they just act like they’ve shut their brains off and that adrenaline is their only guide. The military has started campaigns to try and curb their behavior, but nothing’s working. Not yet.”
“I guess that’s where you come in with Trident.”
“I do what I can to help. I’ve been there. I know that people can be self-destructive without ever realizing it. I named my organization Trident because I don’t believe people can truly heal without three things: faith, family, and focus. Each prong on the trident represents one of those things.”
Nikki pondered his words. What had he told her when they broke up? That there was too much on the line for them to be together?
She’d gotten the hint: she wasn’t important to him. Career came first. She wasn’t special enough to warrant any shifts in his life. She wasn’t important enough for him to even attempt to carry on a long-distance relationship.
Before she could dwell on that thought very long, a car pulled into the driveway of Darren’s house. She reached for Kade and squeezed his arm. “Is that him?”
Kade straightened, his eagle gaze focusing across the street. “It looks like him.”
“I don’t see anyone else around. No other cars, joggers, or even mothers with strollers. Do you think it’s safe to approach him?”
“I don’t think we have a choice.”
Nikki started to get out of the SUV when Kade grabbed her arm. She paused, heat rushing to her cheeks at his touch. “Yes?”
“You know this can be dangerous,” he murmured.
She offered a quick, definitive nod. “I do.”
“I don’t want to put you in the line of fire.”
“I’m already there, Kade. I was before you ever got involved.”
He stared at her another moment before pulling his gaze away. “Let’s do this then.”
They climbed from the car and looked both ways. Everything still seemed clear, with no indication of danger. Nikki stuffed her hands into her pockets, trying to look casual, and hurried across the street.
A tremor started in Nikki’s legs as they walked. There was so much that could go wrong. But life was about risks. Big discoveries didn’t co
me without big chances. She had to keep that in mind.
Kade rang the bell, and a moment later Darren came to the door. He had aged since Nikki had last seen him. His jowls were heavier, fuller, and his shoulders seemed broader, not with muscle but with weight. He had light brown hair that was shaven closely in a no-nonsense style, and he still carried himself like someone with a military background: his shoulders were back, his chin up, and his actions measured.
The moments dragged past as he stared at them. Nikki could hear the mental clock ticking in her head. What was he thinking? How would he react? Did he have the media on speed dial? The feds? ARM?
Finally his eyes widened with recognition. He glanced behind them, seemingly scanning the area for Bobby.
“What are you two doing here? You know there’s a BOLO for you, Nikki,” Darren said.
“We just need a minute of your time,” Kade said. “From one former SEAL to another.”
Darren stared at him, hard lines on his face. Finally he nodded. “Come on in before someone sees you.”
They stepped into his house but remained in the foyer with Kade positioned near the window, on the lookout for trouble. There was no time to make themselves comfortable. They had to get information and get out.
“Where’s your brother?” Darren’s gaze was hard and unrelenting.
“I don’t know. He disappeared.”
Darren raised his chin and looked at Kade. “Why’d the two of you come here then?”
“We just need some answers. We’re hoping you might have them,” Kade said.
Darren shook his head and took a step back. “I don’t want to get involved in this.”
Anger flashed through Nikki. How could he have the nerve to say that? Her fists clenched.
“That’s not apparent based on the number of TV appearances you’ve made.” Her voice managed to sound surprisingly calm.
Kade gave her a warning look, and she knew she wasn’t playing her cards right. But attitudes of people like Darren riled her up. He didn’t know Bobby like she did. He hadn’t even given him a chance.
“Darren, we know you’re an honorable man who wants what’s best for the country,” Kade said, his tone diplomatic. “We believe a terrorist attack is imminent, and we’re trying to stop it.”
Disillusioned Page 16
