Mission Undercover

by Virginia Vaughan

  He lowered the binoculars. “No, that’s Lenny McDaniels. He must have been the friend the mayor mentioned helped her get out of the jail. The pilot may be inside the plane doing preflight checks.”

  He handed her the binoculars and she looked through them. She could see their faces clearly and recognized Officer McDaniels from the coffee shop. Having him on their side was good news. “He must have realized what you said about Mason was true.”

  Blake nodded. “Which means he’s one more person who can attest to the corruption of the NPD. He might know something about the drug ring even if he doesn’t realize he knows it.” He jumped down. “Let’s get over there. I can’t wait to question him.”

  He held up his hand to help her down and she took it. He pulled her to him and she wrapped her arms around his neck, lingering as he held her and marveling at his powerful build. She burrowed her head into his shoulder and soaked in the feel of him. After a moment, he tightened his arms around her.

  “Thank you, Blake,” she whispered. “I wouldn’t have made it through this without you.”

  She lifted her head and looked at him. He gazed at her for a long moment then kissed her, his touch whisper-soft but full of hope for more. And she knew that was just what she wanted from him—more.

  * * *

  Blake’s heart was still thumping in his ears when he pulled the minivan into the airfield and up to the plane.

  The group assembled there turned as they approached and, once they realized it was them, smiled and waved. He imagined they were all on edge, like he was, anticipating an attack, although he thought Mayor Banks looked surprisingly cool as she approached them. He supposed she might simply be good at hiding her true feelings—it seemed a good skill for a politician to have.

  “You made it. Wonderful!” She gave Blake a firm handshake and Holly a hug.

  She led them back to the group. “You remember Stephen. And I’m certain, Blake, you know Officer McDaniels.”

  McDaniels reached out to shake Blake’s hand. “I owe you both an apology. Everything you told me about Mason and the chief was true. I’m glad you’re safe.”

  “I understand,” Holly said. “They had me fooled, as well.”

  “And I underestimated you, too, Blake. The mayor told me you’ve been working undercover with the DEA. I confess I had my doubts about you. Now it all makes sense.”

  “I’d like to talk to you more in depth on the plane.”

  “And speaking of the plane, the pilot, Alex, is already inside. I think we should all board, as well.”

  “I agree,” Blake said.

  Holly slipped her hand into his and he led her up the steps and into the plane. He shook Alex’s hand and thanked him for his assistance as Holly found a seat. He slid in beside her.

  Mayor Banks turned to Stephen at the door. “I left my bag in the car. Will you please go back and retrieve it?”

  Stephen nodded and headed down the steps. Blake saw him through the window and wished for him to hurry. He was ready to be in the air and on his way out of Northshore. He had an added incentive to get out now. He needed to get Holly to safety and he was looking forward to whatever the future held with her.

  Suddenly something grabbed his attention through the window. A black SUV screeched to a halt and five men dressed all in black, wearing riot masks and carrying rifles, hopped out. He heard their shouts to stop and saw Stephen at the car turn and raise his hands in surrender. It didn’t help. One of them raised their gun and fired. Stephen slumped to the ground.

  Mayor Banks rushed to the front of the plane. “We need to take off now, Alex.”

  Blake leaped to his feet and was glad to see McDaniels did, as well, gun ready. “Close the door,” Blake hollered and since there was no automatic stair lift, McDaniels grabbed the stairs to pull them up. As he did, the masked men began firing at the plane.

  McDaniels grunted and the stairs slipped from his hand. He slumped over and Blake realized he’d been hit. His heart hammered as the men kept firing. Nothing had ever sounded as lovely as the sound of the engines firing...but he still had to get those stairs pulled up. Blake leaned over McDaniels and grabbed the lever, yanking it toward him, and the steps swept up as the plane began moving.

  Blake smelled the acrid odor of gasoline and knew they’d hit the fuel line. And they were still steadily firing holes into the fuselage. They weren’t going anywhere.

  Another round of gunfire and Blake heard glass breaking. The plane began to speed up.

  He glanced back and saw Holly had run to the other side of the plane and taken cover behind a seat, as had Mayor Banks. Her cool demeanor had faded and fear shone in her eyes.

  “It was a trap,” she whispered, and Blake couldn’t disagree.

  He suspected Chief Waggoner had allowed McDaniels to sneak her out of the precinct so he could gather all his enemies into one place and make it easier to take them all down.

  He crawled to his feet and ran into the cockpit. Alex was slumped over the controls in the pilot’s seat so he slid into the copilot’s seat. He didn’t have any experience flying and doubted they would be able to take off even if he could with the bullet holes the plane had sustained. But he did need to slow the plane down so they could get off. If Mason and his goons caught up to them and they were still on the grounded plane, they would be sitting targets.

  He hit the brakes and brought the plane to a skidding stop on the tarmac. Once stopped, he hurried out and pushed open the stairs, then motioned for Holly and Mayor Banks to hurry out.

  “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to run,” Mayor Banks said, her voice faltering. Blake noticed her face was pale. She was holding her stomach and he noticed a blood circle forming around her hand. She was bleeding badly.

  Holly moved forward to help her, but she shook her head. “No, you have to go.”

  “We’re not leaving you,” Holly insisted.

  “I can’t run. If you stay, you won’t be able to do anything to help me and you’ll both be killed. You must go. Save yourself and take care of Holly. Get her out safely.”

  He hated to leave her, but knew she was right. They could do nothing to help her.

  “Thank you for your help, Mayor.”

  She grabbed his hand before he could stand. “Take him down, Blake. Don’t you let them get away with this.”

  He nodded, determination steeling his voice. He’d watched too many people die already and he was sick of it. “I will,” he vowed, then stood and followed Holly down the steps.

  “Head for the trees,” Blake shouted and Holly complied. In fact, he had a hard time keeping up with her with his sore ankle.

  He ran as best he could, checking behind him, and saw the SUV heading their way and the gunmen hopping out.

  “There they are!” one of them shouted as the men ran after them.

  Blake was sure Mason was one of the shooters behind the riot masks.

  Holly slid and fell, hitting the ground face-first. Blake pulled her to her feet. They had to keep going no matter what. Stopping wasn’t an option.

  * * *

  Holly’s knee was screaming after her fall, but she barreled through it. She felt tension pour off Blake as he ran beside her and she could hear his heavy breathing as he ran.

  “This way,” he commanded and she did as he said. She hoped he had a plan because there was no way they could outrun bullets if Mason got close enough to start firing.

  She ran behind a tree and Blake pulled her to a stop and motioned for her to remain silent. He crouched behind the trunk and peeked around it. Holly peeked, too, and spotted one of the men approaching, his gun raised as he looked around the area.

  Blake tensed, then rushed him as he got close and grabbed the rifle. The gun went off and Holly fell backward, stunned by the noise it made. The two men s
truggled and the rifle slipped through their hands and fell to the ground. The man lunged for it, but Blake grabbed him and threw him down, pulling off his mask and tossing it, confirming to Holly that it was Mason behind the mask.

  Anger bit at her again at how Mason had ruined her life. He’d killed Jimmy. She was certain of that. He’d made her a target and forced her to run for her life. Now he’d murdered people who were trying to help her.

  Rage filled her. She was done running.

  While Blake struggle hand-to-hand with Mason, Holly moved past them and swooped up the rifle. The weight of the cold metal in her hands empowered her with control of the situation. She fired off a round to get their attention and both men stopped struggling and spun around to face her.

  Mason’s face reddened with anger and his eyes narrowed. “Give. That. Back.”

  She aimed the barrel at him. “Not a chance.”

  Blake leaped to his feet and grabbed Mason by the collar, pulling him upright. “Get up,” he commanded.

  Mason staggered to his feet. He sneered at her. “You won’t fire that thing, Holly. You don’t have it in you to kill anyone.”

  “You murdered my husband,” she said, surprised at how her voice cracked. “And you just killed all those people on the plane. Jimmy taught me how to shoot. So, if I were you, Mason, I wouldn’t second-guess what I am capable of.” She heard the way her tone turned hard as she spoke and at that moment was unsure how much it would bother her to shoot him. But Blake’s hand on her shoulder pressed into her, pulling her back from that dark place.

  “You’re not a killer, Holly,” his gentle voice insisted. He pulled the gun from her hands and pointed it at Mason. “But I will shoot you, and not lose a moment’s sleep over it.”

  Mason sneered at them again, but conceded and raised his hands over his head.

  Holly stayed behind Blake as he marched Mason back through the field toward the plane and Mason’s waiting crew.

  “Holly, get down on the ground. Stay there until I tell you differently.”

  She lay down and studied the situation. She counted four men present around the SUV. They’d removed their riot masks, and Holly recognized each one by their faces, but also from their names in Jimmy’s journal. He’d known they were corrupt cops.

  “Drop your weapons!” Blake called and they all turned toward him, raising their guns. Blake stayed behind Mason, but made it clear he would shoot Mason if they didn’t do what he commanded.

  “Do what he says,” Mason commanded.

  The men reluctantly did so.

  “Kick them out of the way,” Blake told them and again they complied. “Now move toward the plane. Go!” They hurried over, hands raised and defeat on their faces. “Where are the keys to the SUV? Who has them?”

  “In my pocket,” Mason said shortly, and only the resignation in his voice surprised Holly. Of course he held on to the keys. Mason wouldn’t have given up control of anything, including letting his men take off without him.

  Blake dug into Mason’s pocket and retrieved the keys, holding them out to Holly. “Take them. Start the car.”

  She saw what he was thinking. They were going to use Mason’s vehicle to make their escape. She jumped up and grabbed the keys, then ran for the SUV. On the tarmac, she noticed the bodies of Mayor Banks, Stephen and the pilot. Mason’s men had obviously removed them from the plane. A wave of sadness filled her at the sight and she wondered how she ever believed anything Mason or the chief told her. She crawled into the SUV and slid in the key, started it up, and guided it closer to where Blake had moved Mason with his men. He was watching them bind each other’s hands, and checking the zip-ties.

  Her heart was racing as he back-stepped to the vehicle and then hopped inside. “Punch it,” he told her and she gladly took off, speeding away from the carnage Mason and his men had caused. She felt Blake start to relax as she turned out of the airfield.

  “What do we do now?” she asked him.

  “We play the only card we have left,” he told her. “We have to find Sherri Livingston and pray she knows where the manufacturing plant is located.”

  Holly agreed and headed for the hospital. She prayed they could find Sherri and she could provide the answers they needed.

  * * *

  Holly remembered the day she’d approached Sherri about the invoice that had landed in her inbox by accident. As the charge nurse, her department was responsible for the supplies they used. She’d been relieved when Sherri had assured her it was a billing error. She’d even laughed about having a warehouse full of cleaning supplies. Holly had been glad to hear it.

  Holly replayed in her mind the events of that day. Sherri had seemed nervous when Holly had approached her, just after receiving a notice from the Social Security Office that there’d been a review of Jimmy’s benefits. She’d spent three hours on the phone to correct it then cried for another two hours missing him and dealing with the fallout of his death. She remembered feeling dismayed at yet another problem she’d had to deal with, so she’d been relieved when Sherri had assured her it was a billing error.

  Now, she fumed. She should have noticed the worry on Sherri’s face and the way her hands had shaken, but she hadn’t thought much about it at the time. She’d been too wrapped up in her own problems to worry about someone else’s. Maybe that’s what happened to Ben. It burned her up that grief had made it so easy to deceive her, and maybe the old widower, too.

  She spotted Sherri exiting the hospital. Holly reached for the door, ready to jump out and confront her, but Blake touched her shoulder, gently calling her back.

  “I can see you’re worked up and ready to fight, but this is our last chance to get answers. So we have to be smart. We can’t scare her off. We need to impress on her the danger she’s in. Can you do that?”

  She took a deep, fortifying breath then let it out slowly. Of course he was right. She’d almost blown it by flying off the handle. She looked at him and nodded. “I understand.”

  “Our first goal is to find out exactly how involved she is. Is she a willing participant who knows what she’s doing or someone Mason intimidated into doing what he told her? How well do you know her?”

  Holly sighed. “I don’t, really. I know who she is and we see each other around the hospital, but we don’t have a personal relationship. I noticed a picture on her desk of a little girl. She’s a mother.”

  “Well, I would hate to use her child against her, but I guarantee Mason has made that threat to her.”

  “How will we convince her to talk to us if he’s threatened her daughter?”

  “By making sure she knows we’re her only hope of protecting her daughter. She has to understand that Mason is the enemy.”

  They got out and approached Sherri as she headed for her car. When Holly called her name, Sherri turned and her eyes widened. “Holly?” She glanced around, her expression conveying hope that someone would be nearby to help her. “What are you doing here? I heard you’d been abducted. It’s all over the hospital. Security is even insisting we don’t walk to our cars alone.”

  “I guess you’re wishing you’d listened to that advice, aren’t you?” Blake suggested.

  “But you didn’t worry because you knew I hadn’t been abducted, didn’t you, Sherri? You knew that Mason tried to kill me and I was running for my life.”

  Her eyes widened again and she backed up against her car. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Someone tried to kill you?”

  Holly couldn’t believe the gall of the woman, denying her involvement.

  “I’m glad you’re safe, but I really have to go.” She opened her car door, but Blake shut it again and stood in front of it. “Let me go.”

  “You’re not going anywhere until you tell us what we need to know.”

  “And what’s that?”


  “Where they’re manufacturing the drugs.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She jutted her chin, her tone impertinent. “Now I really have to go.”

  “Do you know what they’re doing with those chemicals, Sherri? They’re using them to manufacture drugs that they hand out to kids. Children are dying! And you’re complicit in their deaths. Not to mention the deaths of everyone else Mason has murdered.”

  She gasped, shocked. “Murdered? Who—?”

  “Mayor Banks and two members of her staff. Officer Lenny McDaniels. Alex Milton. Mr. Casey from the loading dock.”

  “I—I heard Mr. Casey committed suicide. He was distraught after his wife’s death.”

  Blake spoke through clenched teeth, “Mason tried to make it look like a suicide, but he was definitely murdered. They’re tying up loose ends, Sherri. It won’t be long before they’ll get around to killing you, too.”

  She jutted that chin again. “Mason wouldn’t do that.”

  “But Mason isn’t the one in charge, is he? He’s taking orders from someone who doesn’t care a lick about you. Let’s face it. You messed up by letting Holly see that invoice. If Mason had been able to complete the job of killing Holly, I’m certain you would have been his next target.”

  She clutched her bag tighter and Holly could see Blake was getting through to her. She knew Sherri wasn’t to blame for that. Someone in the mailroom messed up and sent it to Holly by mistake, but she felt certain Mason blamed Sherri for the mix-up.

  “I can protect you,” he said. “I have friends with the DEA. They can work out some kind of witness protection for you.”

  Holly saw her struggling with her decision and then her face hardened. “You can’t even get yourselves out of this town. Why would I believe you can protect me?”

  “Because we’re your only hope.”

  Holly was surprised by the intensity of the truth in his words.

  Sherri heard it, too, because she pulled a hand through her hair and indecision returned to her face.

  In that moment Holly knew that Sherri wasn’t comfortable being a part of this operation. She was either lured by the money or maybe the attention of Mason, or he’d threatened her from day one. Either way, Holly knew the look of a person who’d seen Mason’s dark side.