by Rebecca Deel
“Did they hurt you?” the policeman asked softly.
She shrugged one shoulder and repositioned the ice pack to the side of her head. “Thug One hit me and one of them sliced my side with a knife.”
“I should take you to the hospital,” he muttered.
Protest roiled in Zane’s gut. Too much easy access to her there. A lot of entrances and exits with many people walking the halls at all hours of the day and night, every one of them a potential accomplice. “Davenport treated her.”
Taylor grunted. “Pictures?”
“Got them on his cell phone. I’ll have Jake send them to you.”
The detective returned his attention to Claire. “Would you recognize them if you saw them in a lineup?”
“Not by sight. They wore ski masks. I will never forget their voices or their body movements, though.”
“Body movements?”
“I’m a photographer. I pay attention to the way people move.”
“Interesting.” One side of his mouth curved upward. “So do I. It’s necessary for survival. Did they say your name?”
Claire remained silent a moment, a thoughtful look growing on her face. “No, they didn’t.”
“So you don’t know if they were looking for you specifically.”
Her face flushed. “I just assumed they hadn’t made a mistake. I was afraid to push for information.”
“I’m not criticizing your handling of the situation, Ms. Walker. In fact, after seeing the perps up close, I’m amazed you managed to get away from them at all.” He was silent a moment. “What’s your connection to Fortress?”
She glanced at Zane, worry in her eyes.
He reached over and wrapped his hand around hers for a moment. “It’s okay to tell him. Taylor is also affiliated with Fortress on a part-time basis.”
“My brother is an operative. Before he left on his latest mission, he programmed the number for Fortress into my phone and told me to call if something happened while he was gone.”
“Have you contacted him?”
“She can’t,” Zane said. “He’s been deep undercover for two months.”
“Has he missed a check-in?”
“No.”
“When was the last one?”
“Nineteen hours ago. We should hear from him in a few hours.” Yeah, he got it. Plenty of things could have gone wrong since the last call from Adam. “Claire, did these guys mention Adam by name?”
She shook her head. “I was afraid he was in trouble because of the leverage comment, but I didn’t mention my name or his.”
“What about the rest of your family?” Taylor asked. “Have you talked to them?”
“I called my grandmother on the way here. She’s fine. There is no one else.” A wobbly smile curved her lips. “She calls us the three musketeers.”
Zane made a mental note to contact the Fortress CEO about the grandmother’s safety. If there were no operatives available, he’d suggest contacting Personal Security International in Otter Creek to draft a couple of bodyguard trainees. The current class should be close to finishing their training. “I’ll talk to Maddox about protection for the grandmother just in case,” he told Taylor.
The detective nodded, then said to Claire, “Do you feel up to coming down to the station?”
“Can’t this wait until tomorrow?” Zane interrupted.
“I’m holding them on trespassing charges, Murphy. I need her statement and voice ID to charge them with attempted abduction. Otherwise, they’ll be out in a matter of hours with no more than a slap on the wrist for trespassing.” He closed his notebook and stood.
“We’ll bring her to you within the hour,” Remy murmured, one arm around his wife.
Taylor started to protest, but Zane cut him off. “That’s the best deal you’ll get. Claire’s safety is our priority.” The detective left, his back stiff. Zane felt a moment’s guilt for causing the occasional operative to feel like he wasn’t a trusted part of the organization. Taylor would get over it. Claire might not survive if Zane, Lily, and Remy didn’t take the right steps for her protection. Zane had enough regrets in his life. He didn’t want to add Claire to that list.
CHAPTER FOUR
Claire moved a step closer to Zane as they entered the Criminal Justice Center. The building was bustling with activity. Somehow she’d figured there would be fewer people and less chaos after 2 a.m. Looked like Nana was right again. Nothing good happened after midnight, and the CJC was proof of that.
“Feeling okay?” the man at her side murmured, his dark, intense gaze focused on her.
“Physically, I’m hanging in there.”
“Mentally?”
“I keep expecting someone to grab me and throw me into another van.” Stupid to think something like that could happen in the middle of all these law enforcement officers, especially with Zane and his friends close. Although they’d been forced to leave their weapons in Zane’s truck, all three operatives were alert and trained. The man at her side might be in a wheelchair, but he was just as dangerous as the other two. Only a fool would cross Zane Murphy.
“Not going to happen.” Confidence rang in his voice and wrapped around Claire’s heart, bolstering her courage. She was grateful he’d arranged for another tech expert to cover the rest of his shift in the communication center. Somehow, just his presence made her feel safer.
As they approached the bank of elevators, one of the doors opened and Detective Taylor stepped out. He nodded at her. “I prepared a statement for you to sign. Once you’ve signed, I’ll take you to a room where you can see a lineup without the men seeing you.”
“What good will that do?” she asked as the elevator doors closed on her protection detail and the policeman. “I never saw their faces.”
“You can observe their body movements and I’ll have them each say something. Hopefully, you are as observant as you claim.”
She stiffened at his implication. A large, rough-skinned hand squeezed hers. Claire glanced down at Zane. He winked at her, then released her hand. She almost didn’t have to look down to face him eye-to-eye. Made her wonder how tall he was. She drew a deep breath and gave him a slight nod at his raised eyebrow. Yeah, she could handle it. She hated having her word questioned. Claire would prove her observation skills were as good as she claimed when she chose Thug One and Thug Two from the crowd of possible suspects.
The ride in the elevator was completed in silence. Taylor led them to his desk where he handed Claire two pieces of paper. “Read and sign unless I need to make changes,” he said curtly.
Zane narrowed his eyes at Taylor’s tone. Without thinking, Claire laid her hand on his shoulder a moment, then reached for the statement. She read through the typed pages and plucked a pen from the messy desk. “This is accurate.” She signed with a flourish. “What now, Detective?”
“You follow me. The rest of you stay here.”
“You know better than that,” Zane said.
“This building is swarming with cops.”
“And suspects, lawyers, and family members or friends of suspects, along with informants, any one of whom might be connected to the gruesome twosome,” Remy said mildly. “One of them could be on the take.”
The detective blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine. One of you come with her. The room is small.”
“You go, Zane,” Lily murmured. “She’s your principal.”
Claire’s head whipped her direction. There was something in the other woman’s voice. A kind of satisfaction. She turned to Zane and was startled to find a warrior watching her instead of the Fortress communications expert. All the operatives were former military or law enforcement. She had to wonder which branch of the military Zane belonged to. No way was he former law enforcement. Come to think of it, Taylor had the same bearing as Zane. He was definitely something more than simply a cop.
“Let’s go.” Taylor strode from his desk.
“Stay on my right by the wall and slightly behind me,”
Zane said softly. “Follow my orders without question. You can argue with me all you want when your safety isn’t on the line.” He trailed Taylor.
Claire walked to the observation room. Taylor closed the door once she cleared the threshold. He inclined his head toward the large window. “One-way glass. They won’t be able to see you.”
She noticed a few chairs lining the far wall. “I’d like to sit down.” Her lips curved. “It’s been a rough night.”
“Of course.” Taylor retrieved one of the chairs and positioned it at the window.
At least now she wouldn’t be forcing Zane to look up at her. She didn’t want to do that if she could avoid it. Must be irritating. She knew it bugged her to constantly be having to tilt her head back to look people in the eye. Someone as tall as Zane appeared to be must hate it even more than she did.
Once she was situated at the window, Taylor activated the intercom and instructed an officer to bring in the men one at a time and have them say a mundane sentence. Claire shook her head when the first man finished speaking. The process repeated itself twice more before she sat up straighter at the fourth man’s entrance. When instructed to repeat the sentence like the others, he scowled but complied.
Chill bumps surged down her spine. “That’s Thug Two. He tried to keep his buddy from hurting me.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“Excellent.” Taylor gave instructions for Thug Two to be secured in the interview room and to send in the next man.
Again, Claire shook her head. Five more men were brought in, none the right one. The last man they brought in sent her heartbeat into overdrive. She leaned closer to the glass in anticipation. She was almost positive this man was Thug One. His voice would confirm it.
Sure enough, when he spoke, she nodded at Taylor. “Thug One. He’s the one who hurt me.”
“You’ll testify to it in court?”
“Of course.” Just because she was the size of a ten-year-old didn’t mean she lacked the strength to follow through. The last thing Claire wanted was Thugs One and Two running around town where they could hurt someone else or potentially come after her again. Her mouth went desert dry at that possibility.
“Is that all you need, Taylor?” Zane asked.
A nod. “Thank you, Ms. Walker. I apologize for dragging you down here in the middle of the night.”
“If the inconvenience prevents them from harming anyone else, I’m glad to do it.”
“I’ll be in touch. Be careful. I’ll try to find out why these guys grabbed you, but I can’t guarantee success. Until we know, you’re vulnerable. Listen to your bodyguards. Go home. Get some rest. I have work to do.” He left.
“Will he tell us what he learns?” Claire asked Zane.
“Doubtful.” A small smile curved his lips. “We’ll find out what he learns anyway, which Taylor knows. Are you ready to leave?”
“I want out of here, but not so sure about being home alone,” she admitted.
“You won’t be alone until I’m satisfied you’re safe. I also want to check the security at your house.”
She smiled. “Adam had Fortress set up a security system and safe room.” Claire wrinkled her nose. “I couldn’t get to the safe room before Thug One grabbed me.”
“I don’t trust anyone’s judgment but my own when it comes to safety.”
Hmm. The communications expert was stubborn, something to keep in mind going forward. Fine. She could handle that. Adam was at least as stubborn. So was Claire. “What are my options for the rest of the night?”
Surprise filtered into his eyes. “Hotel, safe house, or the bunk room at Fortress headquarters.”
“Any of those options are fine with me. You choose.”
“Bunk room. That way I’ll be on hand when Adam checks in.”
“Let’s go. The adrenaline rush is fading fast.”
They followed the same procedure down the hallway to the bullpen where Remy and Lily waited for them. Remy’s gaze locked on Claire’s. “Any luck, sugar?”
“Got them.”
His eyes glittered. “Good job. Two down.”
And who knew how many more to go. Claire sighed. She hoped they learned more when Adam called. The one thing weighing on her mind more than anything else? Her brother. Was he safe? She tried to tell herself he was fine; he’d checked in hours earlier. Her gut wasn’t buying it. Lives changed in minutes. She wouldn’t be satisfied until her brother called.
CHAPTER FIVE
Zane escorted Claire to the bunk room, a few doors past the comm center. “You can choose any of the bunks. There are pillows and blankets in the closet.”
“When should Adam call?”
“Two hours.”
“I want to talk to him.”
He hesitated. Adam’s margin of safety was a minute or less. He couldn’t afford to have the call traced. His mark was paranoid and dangerous when crossed. “If it’s safe for Adam. You can’t use his name or mention your grandmother.”
The color drained from Claire’s cheeks. “His mission is that dangerous?”
“Not so far.” Didn’t mean it couldn’t turn that way. One misspoken word or wrong move would cost the operative his life.
“That is not reassuring, Zane.”
“You want me to lie to you?”
“No, never.”
“He won’t take unnecessary risks.” Lame comfort, but it was the only thing he had at the moment. Maybe when Adam called, Zane would have more to offer Claire.
She dropped onto the nearest bunk, which happened to be the one he used. “Come for me when it’s close to his check-in time.”
The sight of Claire on his bunk made his heart skip a beat. She’s not for you, he reminded himself. “He doesn’t always call on time,” he warned. “You might wait a while.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Rest while you can.” He spun around and wheeled to the comm center. Clearing the threshold, Zane said to the man covering his console, “I’ve got it, Tom.”
The tech geek hopped up from the rolling chair and moved it out of Zane’s way. “I’m decrypting code if you need me to come back.”
“Thanks.” Zane positioned the headset and went back to work. As always, his tasks absorbed his attention. This time, though, he kept a close eye on the clock. At the thirty-minute mark, a call came in.
“Murphy.”
“Z, how’s it going?”
He grinned at hearing the voice of his friend from Otter Creek. “Rio, how’s your girl?”
A chuckle from Rio Kincaid, Durango unit’s medic. “Fantastic. Darcy’s restaurant is open for business, and she still loves me.”
Another pang of longing zinged Zane’s heart. “That last statement, my friend, is something to treasure.”
“I do, buddy. I don’t deserve this woman, but I’m keeping her. Listen, Darcy’s agent arranged for her and Nick Santana to record a couple songs together this weekend in Nashville. We want to take you to dinner to thank you for your help last month. You free?”
“Not sure.”
A pause from the Delta medic. “What’s going on, Zane?”
“I’m part of a protection detail. I can’t guarantee the situation will be resolved by the time you and your lady hit town.”
“Need help?”
“Remy and Lily Doucet are working with me.”
“Durango will pitch in if you need us. We’re not scheduled for deployment for another month and we all owe you.”
“Chocolate chip cookies are the price for my research skills.”
Another chuckle from his friend. “Deal. We’ll bring a couple batches with us. I’m sure Serena Blackhawk will contribute to your cookie addiction.”
Zane’s stomach rumbled at the thought of anything from Serena. The personal chef was pure magic in the kitchen. “Sounds great. Listen, if I’m still on this protection detail, we can have dinner at my place. I’ll ask Claire to join us.”
“Claire?”
“Adam Walker’s sister.”
A soft whistle from the medic. “We’ve crossed paths with him in the field. What’s happening with his sister?”
Zane gave him a condensed version of the evening’s events. “Adam is out of the country on a mission.”
“Leverage, huh? What are the chances Adam’s cover has been blown?”
His stomach knotted. “Close to perfect. I’m hoping this was a case of mistaken identity.”
“But you don’t believe it.”
“No. Listen, Remy owes me a pot of his mother’s gumbo. I’ll have him make enough to feed all of us. I know he and Lily would love to see you and meet Darcy.”
“Darcy would like that. I’m not sure if Nick can stay, but we’ll contact you Friday to check your status.”
“Give Darcy a hug for me.”
“Copy that.”
Zane checked his watch. Time to wake Claire. In the bunk room, he wheeled to where she slept. Man, she was gorgeous, bruised face and all. Get over it, Murphy. She’d never look twice at someone like him. His lips curled. No woman did anymore. All they saw was the iron horse he rode. “Claire.”
Her eyelids slowly lifted. She looked confused a moment, then smiled at him. Seeing the smile made him feel the same as when he witnessed the sun rising each morning. Hope, joy at being alive. This time, though, the guilt of being a lone survivor didn’t steal the moment of peace.
“Thank you for waking me,” she murmured and sat up.
Zane backed away, headed for the door. “Fifteen minutes, if Adam calls on time.”
Her small feet padded behind him. “Has he been late?”
“Twice, no more than thirty minutes.” He returned to his console, but faced her instead of the many screens updating information in real time. “How do you feel?”
“Decent, considering a couple creeps kidnapped me a few hours ago. How does my face look?”
He stilled. He figured describing her as heart-stopping beautiful wasn’t what she was after. “No swelling. Slight discoloration.”
“Glad to hear that. I have a photo shoot later today. Wouldn’t do for the bride and groom to wonder if my boyfriend was beating on me.”
