by Janie Crouch
Roman didn’t like going into a situation blind without backup, but he didn’t have any choice. He stood in front of the office door, counted from three, then kicked the door in, automatically dropping low in case someone fired from inside.
The only person in the office was an older woman standing at a filing cabinet. Upon seeing Roman and his gun, she immediately backed up against the wall, her arms raised in front of her.
“We don’t have any money in here. All the cash is in the register in the front or goes straight to the bank.”
Roman reached for his badge and showed it to her. “I’m a federal agent. Has anybody been back in this office with you for the last few minutes? Have you seen anyone else around here?”
The woman didn’t lower her hands, since Roman didn’t lower his gun. She shook her head. “Just my husband. He’s taking a deposit to the bank.”
Damn it. Roman must have missed Freihof. Gotten here too late.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Roman put down his weapon and picked it up, glancing at the caller ID. Steve.
“Steve, I missed him. If Freihof was here, he’s not here now.” Roman answered without any preamble.
“Where? At the salon? Have you seen him?”
“No. At the pawnshop. The address you sent me in your text a little while ago.”
“What pawnshop? What text?”
Roman turned and walked back out into the hallway. “You didn’t send me a text a few minutes ago with an address? A confirmed sighting of Freihof? Said you didn’t want to use Omega channels because of the mole.”
“That wasn’t me, Roman. I was just calling to give you the good news that Liam has awakened.”
Oh, no.
Roman began running toward the front of the store, where his vehicle was parked.
“Steve, this was a trap. I left Keira alone because I thought you were sending me here based on a sighting of Freihof.”
Steve cursed under his breath. “I’ll get uniforms over there right away. And some people to that pawnshop.”
“I’m on my way back to the salon now. I’ll touch base when I get there.” Roman clicked off as he threw open his truck door.
“Hey, sir?” Tyrese rushed up to him. “Did you find the person you were looking for?”
“No. I don’t think he was here at all.”
“Oh, okay. Sorry, man. Look, some old dude, not the guy who was buying the gun but somebody else? Anyways, he gave me this note and said to give it to the police guy. I think that’s you.”
Tyrese handed him the note.
Roman opened it and read the words printed in block letters, his gut clenching as he did so.
Thanks for coming out to play, Agent Weber. But I’ve got other friends who want to play, too. But not with you.
Roman turned to Tyrese. “There’s going to be some cops here soon to take your statement. You need to describe what the guy who gave this to you looked like, as much as possible.”
Tyrese nodded again. “Sure, man. But I don’t think I have to describe him. The guy knew where our security camera was. Walked right up to it, smiled and waved.”
Roman didn’t wait to hear any more. Freihof was toying with them once again. The only saving grace in this entire situation was that if Freihof had been here at the pawnshop, waving at the camera, then he couldn’t be at Fresh Starts.
But that didn’t stop Roman from gunning the engine to get back there as soon as possible.
Because in his gut he knew that Freihof had lured him out so that he could get to Keira.
Roman’s fears were confirmed five minutes later when, after breaking a number of traffic laws to get back to the salon, he arrived and found Annabel in tears in front of the building. Heather stood next to her, with her arms wrapped around the hysterical woman.
He rushed up to them. “Annabel, what happened? Is Keira okay?”
“He took her, Roman. Right after you left he came storming inside the salon. He had a gun.”
Just after he left? Holy God, had Freihof had Keira in the car when he stopped by the pawnshop and gave Tyrese his little note? Had she been that close and Roman didn’t know it?
Fear churned like acid in his gut.
“She wasn’t going to go with him. I could tell,” Annabel said, crying again. “Even if he had a gun pointed at her she wasn’t going to go with him.”
“But then he pointed the gun at Annabel and me,” Heather continued, when it seemed like Annabel wouldn’t be able to get any other words out. “That man hates her, Roman. And he’s not right in the head. Talking about finally having her back where she belonged.”
Back where she belonged? Freihof tended to wax poetic about getting his revenge, but as far as Roman knew, he’d never really made it personal with his victims. This sounded much more personal.
He got out his phone and showed them a picture of Freihof. “Is this the guy who took her?”
They both looked at the photo and shook their head. “No,” Annabel said. “That’s definitely not him.”
“Are you sure? Freihof is known for his disguises. Really good ones.”
“No. The guy that took Keira was younger. Her age, or maybe a year or two older. Taller. More frat-boy looking.”
“I heard her call him Jonathan as they stepped out the door,” Annabel said. “But I don’t know who Jonathan is.”
Realization dawned quickly. Freihof had just used himself as bait to draw Roman away. He probably had been at that pawnshop the entire time.
It wasn’t Freihof who had taken Keira. True to his MO, Freihof had just led someone else to her. The same monster who had almost killed Keira multiple times before.
Damien Freihof might be the psycho, but in this case, Jonathan Cunningham was just as dangerous for Keira. Roman knew he had to find her immediately or there was no telling what Cunningham would do to her.
He turned away from the women and had his phone out in an instant, calling Steve Drackett.
“Roman. You okay?”
“Freihof was at the pawnshop, Steve. There’s no doubt about it. He drew me out there to get Keira alone.”
“How could he get to Keira if he was at the pawnshop where you were?”
“He didn’t come after her himself.” Roman fought to keep the panic from overwhelming him. He had to focus. “He sent her ex-husband, Jonathan Cunningham, a man with a violent history against her, to take her.”
He heard Steve’s savage curse. It matched exactly what he felt.
“I need her tracking device activated again.”
“We’ve got a bigger problem here at HQ. You know that text you got from me—the one I didn’t send? The one that led you to the pawnshop?”
“Yeah.”
“Every single active Omega agent received a similar text. Basically, the same line of information, but with a location somewhere close to them based on their GPS location.”
Now it was Roman’s turn to curse. Whoever the mole was definitely knew what he or she was doing.
“So if the mole is sending out false communication, there’s no reason to assume that the tracking device works at all,” Steve said. “But if we can get any information from it, I will be sure to send it to you immediately.”
Roman let out a harsh breath at Steve’s words. This was pretty much as bad as it could get.
“I’m sorry, Roman. But as of right now, we have to assume all communication devices and computers within Omega are compromised. I can’t even get in touch with most of the agents, who have been sent out to various locations based on bogus sightings of Freihof.”
Roman could hear Steve saying something to one of his assistants before he came back on the line.
“I’ve got to go. If anything changes I will notify you immediately. But for right now, as much as I hate to say this, you’re on your own.�
�
Roman sat staring at the phone in his hands. He wanted to throw it. He wanted to punch a wall.
But neither would help. He knew he had to keep himself focused.
He looked over at Heather and Annabel. “Did Keira ever mention anything about her ex-husband? Anything at all?”
Annabel shook her head. “No, nothing helpful. She only told us that he’d been abusive, to show us she understood what we had gone through.”
Roman scrubbed a hand over his face. Where would Jonathan Cunningham have taken her? The only thing Roman could think to do was to get in touch with Bridgette Cunningham. Roman knew the woman hadn’t had much contact with her son, but maybe she knew something.
He was pulling out his phone to get her number from information when a car came screeching into the parking lot. It pulled in sideways next to him.
Roman’s eyes bugged out when he saw who was driving.
“Mother?”
“Bridgette Cunningham called me a few minutes ago and said she had heard from Jonathan for the first time in a year,” Maureen said as she got out of the car, looking worriedly at Roman. “He told her that he and Keira were getting back together. That they were going to live happily-ever-after.”
Roman didn’t have time to go through another session of his mother’s attempt to keep him away from Keira. “Damn it, I showed you what he did to her. Do you really think she would get back together with him?”
His mother actually rolled her eyes at him. “I would certainly hope she was too smart to get back together with him.”
“Then why are you telling me this? Yes, Jonathan Cunningham has Keira. But I don’t think happily-ever-after has anything to do with the plans he has.”
“I didn’t trust Keira. I thought she was using you.”
“Yeah, Mother. I know.” He turned away, to go inside and see if he could find any clues as to where she might have been taken. If not, Bridgette would be the next person he talked to.
“I had her followed, okay? I thought she was pulling something over on you so I had her followed, so that I would have proof of that. When I found out last week how much she really meant to you, I canceled the private investigator who was tailing her. But since I already paid through to the end of the month, the guy is still on her.”
Roman spun around, barely willing to believe what he thought his mother was saying.
She nodded at him. “I know where Jonathan has taken Keira.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Riding in the car with Jonathan, her hands and feet tied, Keira struggled to keep the panic from swamping her. Next to her, Jonathan hummed along with the radio.
When she’d been married to him, he’d been violent. Now, he was evidently violent and crazy.
What Bridgette had said was true. Jonathan’s mental health had definitely deteriorated over the last few years. Keira couldn’t help but think that her chances would’ve been better with Damien Freihof.
She kept her body as far away from him as she could, and her tone as neutral as possible. “Where are we going, Jonathan?”
He stopped humming and glanced over at her. She didn’t feel any more secure at the smile he gave her. “To our house, darling.”
He had kept their house even all these years later? “We are going all the way to Denver?”
“Oh no, no. Mother and Father made me sell that house. But don’t worry. I had one built just like it. An exact replica.”
That he’d had an exact replica of their house built just added to the panic inside her.
“Don’t worry, it’s not far now. I knew eventually we’d get back together and I wanted us to have privacy.”
They had left Colorado Springs a few miles ago and were now on some remote country road. The farther they went, the more Keira knew she was in trouble. One of the first things Jonathan had done was throw her phone away. So Roman wouldn’t be able to track her that way. If Roman hadn’t walked into a trap.
“Are you working with Damien Freihof?” Like always, she never knew what question might send Jonathan into a rage, but she had to know if Roman was okay.
Jonathan gave her another friendly smile. “Damien is my friend. He helped me find you. Convinced me that you would want to spend time with me.”
Keira fought to keep from cringing. How could anyone, especially Jonathan, think that she would want to spend time with him?
“Because I wanted to kill you right then,” Jonathan continued, in the same conversational tone. “But Damien convinced me otherwise. Now we can live together for a while before I kill you.”
Keira tamped down her terror and her anger. She didn’t want to allow Jonathan to browbeat her again, but she wanted to stay alive. If there was any chance for her to get out of this she needed to play it smart. To cater to him. He’d always liked it when she was afraid.
It went against every molecule of the woman she’d become to allow herself to act terrified of Jonathan, rather than stay angry and fight him. But she would do it. She would act browbeaten and submissive.
Because she couldn’t bear to think what it would do to the baby if Jonathan began beating her like he had in the past.
“I hope we can live together for a long time,” she said quietly, trying not to choke on the words.
Jonathan just smiled.
They were going farther and farther down this road that seemed to lead nowhere. She worried about Roman. Had he walked into a trap? Was he okay or had Freihof gotten to him the way that Jonathan had gotten to her?
She had to believe that Roman was okay. That was the only way she could continue right now.
When the road bent around a group of trees, Keira blanched. There right in front of her, in the middle of nowhere, was an exact replica of the house she and Jonathan had lived in when they’d been married.
Jonathan looked excited. “See? I had it built. It took a lot of money.” A stormy expression overtook his features. Keira knew from experience that wasn’t a good sign.
“It’s beautiful,” she said quickly. “I’m so glad you brought me here to show it to me.”
Jonathan parked the car in front of the door, then came around to Keira’s side of the car. He reached down and picked her up out of the vehicle, holding her in his arms. Keira fought not to let her distaste show. She didn’t want him to touch her, and she damn well didn’t want him to be holding her in his arms like a groom crossing the threshold.
He opened the unlocked door and pushed his way inside. Keira grew even more distraught when she saw that the interior was just as similar to their old house as the outside was.
“You made it perfect,” she whispered, hoping it sounded more intimate and not how she really felt: violently ill. “It feels just like home.”
“You should’ve never left me, Keira.” He shook his head sadly. “I’ll have to punish you for that. Make you understand that a wife’s place is with her husband.”
Terror flooded her entire body. She knew what those quiet, calm words meant. Had heard them many times before. He set her gently on the couch.
And then backhanded her so hard she fell over. She could taste blood in her mouth as she struggled to get her bearings.
“Why did you leave me, Keira?”
Keira used her tied hands to push herself back into a sitting position. She knew from experience that lying down just made it easier for him to punch her.
But once she sat up, she realized he had a gun and it was pointed right at her head.
“I loved you so much, Keira. And you left me. We’re not supposed to live without each other. Don’t you know that?”
Keira had to think fast. This Jonathan was definitely not the same man she’d been married to. The Jonathan she’d married had been alternately charming and violent.
This man was violent and homicidal. A much worse combination.
He at least took the gun away from her head. “You didn’t? But you’ve been gone for so many weeks now.”
Oh, dear God, he thought she’d been gone only for weeks? His mental health was obviously much more deteriorated than anybody had known.
“And they’ve been the longest weeks of my life.” She almost choked on the words, but forced them out. “I needed to think things through. You can understand that, right?”
Jonathan nodded solemnly, his brown eyes cloudy, definitely unaware of reality.
He trailed a finger down her cheek and she barely refrained from flinching. “Yes. I do understand that. And what’s important now is that you and I are here together. Finally. Our final resting place together.”
Keira realized that this man was much more dangerous than the Jonathan she had known. This one was determined that they would both die. She saw him bring up the gun again.
“Jonathan, the reason I left,” she said, as quickly as possible, “is because I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.”
She closed her eyes as she said it. This lie seemed worse to her than all the others. Especially not knowing if Roman was okay. If Freihof had gotten to him.
But like always, Keira knew she had to do whatever she could to survive.
“We’re having a baby?” Wonder was evident in Jonathan’s tone.
She smiled. “Yes, I’m pregnant.”
This obviously changed things for Jonathan. Some factor he had not considered. Keira watched silently as he paced back and forth for a long time, muttering to himself. She didn’t want to interrupt him, didn’t want to bring his attention back to her. She used the time to glance around as much as possible without it being evident. She had to figure a way out of here.
Because she was on her own.
Jonathan was beginning to look at her with more and more skepticism. Did he think she was lying?
She smiled at him. “Do you mind just untying my feet? My ankles have been a little swollen.” She made her smile brighter. “You know, pregnancy stuff. Our baby, Jonathan.”
