Snowbound Targets (HQR Romantic Suspense)

by Karen Whiddon

  She woke hours later to bright sunshine and an empty bed. The nightstand clock read 9:00 a.m. Stretching lazily, she had a few seconds of blissful quiet before the memories came rushing back.

  Abby, not Lucy. Attacked by a man named Russell and beaten within an inch of her life. Brought here by Jason’s friend Rick, someone she wasn’t sure she even knew. And clearly in some sort of danger, though she still didn’t know why or from whom.

  Getting up, she hurried to the bathroom for her shower. After drying her hair and brushing her teeth, she got dressed and made her way into the brightly lit kitchen. Seated at the table with his laptop open before him, Jason greeted her by lifting his half empty cup of coffee. “There’s a pan of oatmeal still warm on the stove,” he said.

  “Coffee first,” she replied. “Have you been up awhile?”

  “A few hours. I’ve been combing through more photos. I’m still trying to see what NCIS could possibly want to keep quiet. I know it’s got to have something to do with the vice president, but damned if I can figure out what.”

  Punching the button to start her coffee brewing, she took a deep breath. “I think it might have to do with Russell, the man I pointed out to you earlier.”

  His expression darkened. “The one who beat you?”

  “Yes.” Swallowing hard, she waited for her cup to finish brewing. When it had, she added cream and sweetener and carried it over to the table. “What I saw in my dream last night... Well, I’m pretty sure it was a memory.”

  “Go on.”

  “I followed Russell. I wasn’t sure why he’d disappeared for so long, and I’d seen him leave when I was looking out the window.” She took a sip of her coffee, trying to calm her suddenly racing heart. “I ended up in an alley. You know how those are in Kabul. Tall and narrow, with a bunch of doorways leading who knows where.”

  He nodded.

  “One door was open. Just the smallest bit, but enough for me to hear Russell on the other side. He...” Voice breaking, she struggled to continue. “He was abusing women.” Without mincing words, she told him the rest of what she’d seen, and then what had happened afterwards.

  His mouth tightened into a grim line and she could see a muscle working in his jaw. He didn’t speak, not for several seconds after she finished relaying the facts.

  Blinking back unwanted tears, she busied herself with sipping her coffee, concentrating on the taste and the way the warm liquid felt going down her throat.

  While she pondered, something else occurred to her. “That’s why I think your friend Rick got me out of there. My life is in danger because I saw. Whoever this Russell person is, he must be high up in the government.”

  “Which would explain why NCIS wants my pictures.” He shook his head. “Still no internet, though the blizzard has slowed way down. As soon as I have access, I’ll try to find out who Russell is.”

  She nodded. “I don’t understand how I could get involved with someone like that. I can only assume that I didn’t know.”

  “Of course you didn’t know.” He defended her without hesitation. “I hope we hear from Rick again soon. I have a feeling he can fill in a lot of the missing pieces.”

  Rick didn’t call again the rest of the day, though the snow finally stopped. Since he hadn’t left a number for Jason to call him and had used something to block his number from the phone log, they had no way of reaching him.

  Tired of sitting around waiting for the phone to ring, Lucy put on her parka and gloves and went outside. The sky had cleared to that particularly bright shade of brilliant blue and the sun made the pristine white world sparkle. Across the field, she caught sight of a small herd of deer foraging for food. Delighted, she watched until they vanished into the trees.

  The beauty of her surroundings made her catch her breath.

  Her breath made plumes in the icy air as she contemplated leaving the porch and trying to trudge through the deep snow. The snowman they’d made during the last storm had turned to ice and wind and the second storm had made it an uneven mound of snow, barely recognizable as a snowman. She’d love to make another, but not without Jason. It wouldn’t be as much fun unless she shared the carefree activity with him.

  Still, she stood on the porch, gazing off into the distance, until the chill seeped up through the soles of her boots and into her bones. Only then did she turn and go inside.

  * * *

  Jason watched as Lucy grew increasingly restless. He knew an outing would help disperse some of her nervous energy, but he didn’t want to take a chance of missing Rick’s call. When she grabbed her parka off the coatrack and stamped out onto the front porch, he stayed put, continuing his perusal of what seemed like endless photographs.

  He’d always loved his job. Getting the perfect shot took a lot of work and some luck. A lot depended on the lighting and the angle and the subject. In the horrible aftermath of the bombing in Kabul, he’d gone on autopilot, trusting his instincts and knowing that out of a hundred shots, one of two of them might be “the one.”

  He’d never imagined he’d find himself in the middle of some sort of conflict made worse by the fact that he still had no idea what was going on. For all he knew, he might be sitting on the story of the decade.

  The thought gave him pause. Once a journalist, always a journalist. Though he might usually only report with photos, he’d done a few written and oral pieces in his time. With the photo book due soon, a story of this magnitude might be a gift from the gods.

  Except for Lucy. Until he knew more about the truth of her involvement in all of this, he’d have to be careful. Right now, the only thing he knew for certain was that he’d protect Lucy no matter what. Even if it cost him the story.

  Despite being watched intently, the phone didn’t ring. When it finally did, late in the afternoon, Jason leaped for it.

  “Hello?”

  “Jason, this is Sheriff Jeffords.”

  Squashing a ton of disappointment, Jason greeted the other man. “What’s up?”

  “I just wanted to give you a heads-up that our secondary plow is broken down. It’s going to take longer than usual to make it up your way. Do you have enough provisions to last a couple more days?”

  “Yes, I do. How long are you estimating?” Not that Jason really cared. He didn’t have a pressing need to go down into town.

  “I’m not sure. At least three or four. We’re working on getting it fixed, but right now the other one is all we have. Nothing’s going to be able to make it up your way for a while, except for a snowmobile.”

  The subtle warning wasn’t lost on Jason.

  “I’ll keep an eye out,” he said. “Thanks for letting me know.”

  The phone rang again an hour later. This time, Jason refused to get his hopes up when he answered it. And of course, it was Rick.

  “Where are you?” Jason asked as soon as he heard his friend’s voice.

  “Someplace safe,” Rick replied. “Trust me, the less you know, the better.”

  Unable to find fault with that logic, Jason sighed. “Can you at least tell me why you’re in hiding? I admit, I’m a little lost in all this. NCIS has subpoenaed me, wanting to look at my photos, though they’re claiming you’re the entire reason.”

  “That’s a bunch of bull.”

  “Is it? Then why’d you go AWOL?”

  Rick made a sound of disbelief. “To stay alive. Didn’t Abby tell you?”

  “She still hasn’t regained her memory. Tell me what?”

  “There was a huge scandal with the vice president’s son. Since the VP is planning to run for president, they’re taking out anyone who knows about it. That’s why I had to get Abby out and why I’m staying hidden.”

  “The VP’s son.” Jason asked, “Is his name Russell? Sorry, but we still don’t have internet so I haven’t been able to check.”

  “Yes. You ne
ver were much for keeping up with the news,” Rick chided. “Abby is—was—engaged to him. Apparently, she saw something she wasn’t supposed to see.”

  “She did. She just remembered what.”

  “Did it involve local women being held prisoner and tortured and raped?” Rick’s matter-of-fact tone seemed at odds with the awfulness of his statement.

  Jason glanced at Lucy/Abby before responding. “Yes. She just remembered. She also remembered being beaten.”

  “To within an inch of her life. Russell used the bombing to cover for how badly he hurt her. I think he intended to kill her and would have, if a couple of the search-and-rescue guys hadn’t heard her crying out.”

  Jason’s jaw had begun to ache from his clenching it. “How did you get involved?” he asked.

  “I was there when they brought her out. Russell and his security detail were trying to interfere, to keep her from being taken to a hospital. I’d heard rumors from a few of the locals about Russell’s, er, sadistic tendencies, and I put two and two together. One of Russell’s men waited for me and told me if I didn’t hide her, she would end up dead. He must have had an attack of conscience, though I imagine it would have cost him his life if Russell found out.”

  Though a slow burn of fury had begun in his chest, Jason kept his tone steady. “How’d you get her out? I would have thought the US delegation would have been notified of her departure, at the very least.”

  “Probably. And then they would have stopped her. That’s where it pays to have contacts. I put her in a military uniform and shipped her out with several other wounded service members. I hopped a ride with them too. They flew us to Ramstein Air Base. From there, I spirited her out on a charter flight another friend was piloting. No one even noticed she was missing.”

  “But they did notice when you didn’t show up,” Jason pointed out. “Do you think they realized what you’d done?”

  “Probably.” Rick sounded unconcerned. “But without proof, I can’t do anything. They’re wanting to make sure and tie up all loose ends.”

  “Which is why they want my photos,” Jason mused. “Quite honestly, we’ve been going through them. So far, we haven’t found anything the slightest bit incriminating.”

  “That’s weird.” Rick went silent for a moment. “Wait, do you have any with the VP in them? Or Russell?”

  “Yes. Also I somehow managed to get one of Lucy, I mean Abby, as they wheeled her out on a stretcher.”

  “Damn. All three of those things are probably what they’re wanting to erase. What are you going to do?” Rick asked.

  “I’m setting up separate files,” Jason answered. “They aren’t aware that I have the slightest idea what they’re after. They have no way of knowing if I keep certain photos and subjects out of what I turn over to them. It’s not much of a plan, but it’s all I’ve got right now.”

  “Just be careful,” Rick advised. “They’re pretty desperate. Your life might be in danger. Abby’s definitely is.”

  Hearing the verbal confirmation of what he already knew made Jason wish he could do like Rick had—find a private plane and spirit her away. “I won’t let anything happen to her,” he promised, his voice as fierce as his intentions. “Believe me.”

  “Good.” If Jason had surprised his friend, Rick hid it well. “You two must have hit it off.”

  “I’ll let that one slide.”

  Rick responded to that with a bark of laughter. “I’ve got to go. I’ll try to check in with you when I can.”

  “Okay. And man, stay safe.”

  “You too.” Rick ended the call.

  Replacing the phone in its cradle, Jason paused for the space of a few heartbeats before turning to face Lucy. He took a deep breath and then told her everything Rick had said.

  When he finished speaking, she nodded. “That’s pretty much what I figured. I need to get out of your hair.”

  “No. You don’t.” He went to her and wrapped his arms around her, unable to keep from showing her how much she meant to him. Though he ached to tell her, to say the words, he didn’t want to muddle up anything until she was 100 percent herself again.

  “We’re in this together,” he murmured instead, stroking her hair. “No matter what.”

  Without looking at him, she nodded. “Are you sure? Because it seems to me that your life would go a lot more smoothly if I didn’t involve you in any of this.”

  “I’m already involved,” he chuckled. “Too late.”

  Despite his attempt to display a light-hearted attitude, inside he churned with a sort of frustrated anger. As a journalist, he lived to take down corrupt people like the VP and his son, Russell. Right now, neither he nor Rick, or for that matter, Lucy, had actual proof, but that didn’t matter. He’d figure out a way. Until then, they all had to stay safe.

  They stood for a few minutes in silence, holding each other. Finally, Jason reluctantly released her. When she murmured something unintelligible and escaped to the bathroom, he didn’t follow. He eyed the television, tempted to see if the satellite signal had returned, but decided to wait in case Lucy wanted to talk later.

  Walking into his bedroom, Jason stopped. The subpoena sat on his dresser, the date circled in red. Jason picked it up and stared at it, as he did at least once a day, wondering what they possibly expected to learn from him once they’d taken possession of his photographs.

  And then he realized he might have a problem. According to NCIS Special Agent Paul Groesel, they were concerned with locating Rick. Now that Rick had called, once Jason had been put under oath, he’d have no choice but to reveal that he’d heard from him. Which, until he knew the entire story of what had happened in Kabul, wouldn’t be a good thing.

  Right then and there, he decided he’d ignore the subpoena. Sure, a warrant would be issued for his arrest, but at least this would buy him—them—some much-needed time.

  As he wandered back into the living room, he saw Lucy had gone into the kitchen. With her back to him, she rummaged through the pantry, clearly looking for something, though he didn’t know what. He took a moment to admire her shapely figure, marveling at the circumstances that had brought her into his life. He’d never before considered himself a particularly lucky guy, but he did now. If he could just get them through this rough patch, then he could talk to her about the possibility of them having a future together.

  Now that the snow had stopped falling, he knew they could go outside and snowshoe or ski. But even though cabin fever had begun to set in, he hated to travel too far from the phone. Twice he almost suggested to Lucy that they go out on snowshoes but didn’t. He wasn’t sure what or who exactly he was waiting for to call, but he’d long ago learned to go with his gut instincts.

  “I thought you already talked to Rick,” Lucy said, catching him eying the damn phone again.

  “I did. I’m not expecting him to phone again, at least not for a while.”

  “Then who?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Maybe the sheriff, letting me know someone is in town looking for me. Or calling with news about when we can expect the plow to make it out this way.”

  “Or NCIS to call and hassle you one more time.” She put a casual hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “How about we take a break and go outside for a little bit? We can rebuild that snowman or just head up the mountain a little way.”

  He had to grin. “I’ve been thinking that exact same thing myself.” Checking his watch, he made a quick decision. “Let’s do it. We can take an hour or two and get the heck out of this cabin.”

  She grinned back. “Great. Let me go put on some layers. And Jason, you know what they say?”

  “No, what?”

  “A watched phone never rings.” She grabbed her duffel bag and escaped to the bathroom, giggling.

  Chapter 13

  Getting dressed in the small bat
hroom in front of the mirror, Lucy found herself thinking back on that day in Kabul. The small bit of memory she’d dreamed had expanded, and she now remembered many more details, including the emotions she’d experienced.

  She’d realized she could no longer be with Russell. Not only did she not love him, but she’d come to realize he was a cruel, emotionless man. He treated her as if she was his possession, nothing more. Trying to conform to the mold he’d made for her had changed her, and not for the better. The vibrant, cheerful woman she’d been had slowly faded away, until she felt like a mere shell of herself.

  She’d actually followed Russell that last day, hoping she’d find him in a quiet, peaceful place so she could tell him she wanted out. Though they’d traveled to Afghanistan via military aircraft, she was hoping Russell would let her take another, earlier flight.

  In a million years, she’d never expected what had happened after that. None of it.

  Pushing the awful memories from her mind, she finished layering her clothes and emerged to find Jason already suited up and waiting for her. She snagged her parka, put on her hat and gloves, and grabbed the snowshoes she’d used before.

  Outside, the icy purity of the air made taking a breath feel like a rebirth of sorts. She found herself grinning at Jason, so relieved to be out of the cabin she didn’t bother to hide it.

  “You must be an outdoorsy type,” Jason commented, grinning back.

  Blinking, she gave a slow nod. “I am.” And just like that, she knew. Everything. All of her life, her childhood, her teenage years, where she’d gone to college and what kind of work she did. She remembered the gut-wrenching loss of her parents, gone twelve years now, how she and Russell had met. She hadn’t wanted to date him—something about him had made her uneasy—but he’d refused to give up and had finally worn her down. He’d tried to keep secret the fact that the vice president of the United States was his father, but she’d learned it on the news and confronted him.