He retrieved a rope then wound it around her wrists and ankles, drawing it tight. He closed the trunk then turned, the headlights clearly illuminating his face.
Julie gasped and dropped into a chair.
“Eric?” Travis spun on her. “Did you know about this?”
“The abduction? No.”
“But you had something to do with the theft.”
She cringed but said nothing.
Travis advanced on her, giving her a look guaranteed to break even the most reluctant subject in one of his interrogations. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll tell me everything.”
“I stole the prototype,” she admitted, trying to back away from him, “but not to sell it—honest!”
“Then why?”
“I’m so tired of living in Claire’s shadow. Always being second in charge when I’m just as qualified. I wanted to take Claire down a peg so the people in charge of the institute would look to me for once. When Eric suggested stealing the prototype to make her look bad, I went for it.”
“And you let your boyfriend attack her?”
She shot up a hand. “No...no...wait. I didn’t know he was behind the attacks. You have to believe me. I thought she was being stalked. At least until she told me you believed the attacks were related to the theft.” She wrung her hands. “Then I talked to Eric, and he promised he wasn’t the one responsible.”
“And just like that you believed him?”
“Claire said you had no proof of who attacked her, so I thought you’d made a mistake. And besides, he was with me at the tree lot when she was attacked, so it couldn’t have been him.”
“Good point, but with two cars involved in this abduction he’s obviously working with someone.”
“I didn’t know that at the time.”
“You didn’t send the text to get Claire over here, did you?” Travis asked as his thoughts cleared and he started to process his next steps.
Julie looked at her phone. “I can’t believe he did this.” She paused for a moment and lifted her head in thought. “Maybe I should’ve seen the signs. He’s having financial issues. His parents have money and could help him, but they refused.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I didn’t know he was this desperate. I just didn’t know.”
Travis didn’t want to believe her, but he thought she was telling the truth. He’d met Eric and didn’t suspect the guy, so why wouldn’t a woman blinded by love fail to notice his duplicitous behavior? Either way it didn’t matter.
Eric had Claire, and Travis needed to find her. “He’d take her someplace private. Anywhere come to mind?”
Julie tapped a finger on her chin as precious seconds ticked by.
“Think!” Travis shouted, making her jump. “Where would he take her?”
“His family has a private compound on the outskirts of Orlando.”
“Tell me about it.”
“They have several thousand acres with a few cabins near a lake. His parents have their own plane so there’s an airstrip. The rest of the land is swampy.”
The perfect place to hide someone—and maybe even dispose of someone. “Tell me how to get there.”
She rattled off directions. “It’s very remote with only a narrow lane leading to the cabins so if he’s there he’ll see you arrive.”
“Which might make him panic.” Travis ran over the scenarios he might employ for a rescue. “You said there’s an airstrip. How close is it to the cabin?”
“Maybe a half mile.”
“Far enough away for someone to parachute in without being seen?”
“I guess so.”
Travis dug out his phone to call his CO and arrange for a helicopter to the compound.
Let me be doing the right thing here, Lord, he prayed. And hold Claire safely in Your arms until I can get to her.
* * *
The helicopter rotors thumped through the night, bringing Travis closer to the compound.
“Going black.” The pilot’s words carried over Travis’s headset, and the chopper went dark except for the faint glow from the instrument panels.
His heart racing, Travis signaled for his pilot to bank right and drop him nearby. He would’ve liked to fast-rope down instead of free-falling, but the sound of a helo hovering close to the ground would alert Eric.
He checked his gear a final time then looked through his night-vision goggles to confirm the police and an ambulance waited out of sight for his command to move in.
The door opened, and Travis signaled his readiness before dropping into the night sky. Gravity pulled him downward. The wind rushed up to meet him, and he directed his chute toward his landing target. He caught a glimpse through his goggles of Claire bolting from the cabin then racing across the lawn, heading straight for alligator-infested swamps.
A man darted outside behind her. Eric. He carried a rifle and moved at a rapid clip. He was soon hot on her tail.
With Travis’s rifle strapped to his back, he could do nothing to help her from his altitude, and panic threatened to swamp him.
Keep it together, man. Eric needs her alive.
Or does he? The thought broke through, sending terror to his heart. She might’ve already provided Eric with the specs, meaning his goal could be to silence her forever.
And Travis was powerless to stop him.
ELEVEN
Claire pounded over the spongy ground, her every sense attuned to the night hanging thick and heavy overhead. To the slight breeze carrying fetid smells from the swamp. The insects buzzing. The darkness suffocating and paralyzing as she raced through it. No matter her fear, she had to keep going. Her life depended on it.
Eric said he’d lost money in an investment and needed a quick infusion of cash. He’d borrowed it from a loan shark, and when he couldn’t pay it back, he’d conned Julie into stealing the prototype. He turned it over to the loan shark, who soon learned it had no value without Claire and he demanded Eric abduct her. The loan shark had even helped—driving the van that had rear-ended her. When she wouldn’t give him the information tonight, he’d threatened to kill Travis if she didn’t give up the specs.
She couldn’t let the man she loved die, so she’d told Eric what he needed to know. He immediately called the loan shark and when she heard them discussing how to get rid of her, she’d bolted for the door. She’d heard Eric snatch up the rifle on the table then charge after her.
He was gaining on her now, his footfalls pounding closer.
Panic raised its ugly head. She tried to pick up speed, but swampy gunk sucked at her feet and threatened to take her down. Her only hope was to hide. But where?
Think, Claire, think.
She slowed and searched the area. A pool of stagnant water lay ahead. As a native Floridian, Eric had to know water meant gators. If she took to the water, he’d never follow. She’d rather chance making it safely to the other side before Eric spotted her than stay on shore and risk a certain bullet to the back from his gun.
She held her hands high to keep the slimy water from her wrists rubbed raw from her attempt to escape the ropes and plunged in. Thankfully, her ankles hadn’t suffered the same injury or the pain might slow her down. She’d traveled about thirty feet when she heard movement to her side.
A gator? Probably. She imagined a large alligator swimming toward her. Water sluicing off his rough hide. His beady eyes skimming over the surface and fixed on her. His jaw poised and ready to snap.
Terrified, she picked up speed and the foul water churned. She saw a dark form about ten feet away.
No, oh, no.
She dug her shoes in and pushed with all her might. The quicksand of a bottom captured her feet. The water shifted more.
Now only three feet away.
Plea
se, not this!
A crack split the night and the gator stilled. She spun. Saw a man on the bank with some sort of goggles on his face and a rifle to his shoulder.
Eric? Or maybe his associate? But she hadn’t made it safely to the other side where she could hide. If it was Eric, he had to be able to see her. So why would he kill the gator when he could’ve put the same bullet in her back?
“Claire,” the man called out as he lowered the weapon.
His voice wrapped around her like a blanket. “Travis. Is that you?”
“It’s me.”
“You found me.” She started sobbing. “You really found me.”
“Shh, honey. You don’t want to attract any more of those shoes in the making, do you?” He laughed, and it rumbled through the mist helping her gain control of her tears. “I’ll keep an eye out for another one while you hightail it over here.”
“Be careful,” she warned as she slipped toward shore. “Eric’s after me and he has a gun.”
“Not anymore.”
She heard the certainty in his voice and couldn’t believe this wonderful, amazing man was in her life. The man who readily gave of himself so others might be safe. Gave of himself so she might be safe. The man she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with, if he’d have her. And she planned to tell him that just as soon as she escaped the swamp without becoming a gator snack.
* * *
Claire’s plan to declare her love had been a good one, but police sirens and a very demanding police officer stepping between them preempted it. Travis gave him a quick rundown of the events and offered the location where he’d bound Eric to a tree.
“Promise me you’ll secure the stolen prototype and specs before going after Eric,” Claire added. “I don’t want to risk him getting away and taking it from the house.”
The cop nodded. “First, we need to separate you two until we can take your statements.”
“No,” Travis growled, and fired a look that would make Claire run for the hills.
The officer widened his stance. “It’s protocol.”
“I don’t care about protocol. I’m not leaving this woman’s side ever again.”
Detective Purcell joined them, his gaze shooting between Travis and the officer then settling on Travis. “We can let protocol slide this time if you and Ms. Reed agree not to discuss the incident before we take your statements.”
“You have my word,” Travis responded quickly.
“Then after the medic clears Ms. Reed for travel, I’ll give you both a lift to the station.” He focused on the cop. “Let’s give them some time alone.”
“Wait,” Claire said. “Before you go, I wanted to ask if Officer Harper is okay.”
“He took a bullet, but he made it through surgery with flying colors.” Purcell and the other officer departed.
Claire blew out a breath of relief before scooting closer to Travis. Even in the dark, she tried to telegraph her feelings for him in a single look. “I hoped you’d come.”
“Did you now?”
She nodded. “Next time don’t wait so long, okay?”
With a laugh, he swooped her into his arms and held her tight. She wished the police would finish setting up their portable lights so she could get a better look at his face.
“I love you, Claire,” he said, tightening his arms even more. “And I promise there will never be a next time as long as I have anything to say about it.”
“Promises, promises,” she joked, suddenly too uncertain to voice her own feelings until the arc from a flashlight caught his face and she saw unfettered love in his eyes. “I love you, too, Travis.”
“I knew that.”
“Did you now?” She mimicked his earlier comment.
A floodlight clicked on next to them, letting her see the confidence fleeing from his face. “Let’s say I hoped you did.”
She looked deeply into his eyes and made sure her love burned as brightly as the floodlight. “I do. So much. Don’t ever doubt it.”
She laid her head on his chest and sighed out her happiness. A sudden breeze kicked up, and despite his nearness, she shivered.
“Let’s get you to the ambulance so we can get out of here. Can you walk?”
“I can, but...” She snuggled closer.
“Freeloader,” he joked, and carried her to the ambulance, then gently set her on the bumper.
The cheerful sound of Christmas carols played from the medic’s phone mounted on her belt. “Let me know if you want me to turn the music off. I’m not supposed to have it on, but sometimes this job gets me down and music picks me up.”
“Please keep it playing,” Claire said, fully embracing the Christmas spirit now that her ordeal was over for good.
“I agree.” Travis rested a shoulder on the vehicle. Claire noticed his eyes didn’t leave the medic while she disinfected and bound Claire’s wrists, then checked her vitals.
“You’re good to go.” The medic climbed into her vehicle to stow her supplies.
Claire looked up at Travis and found him watching her carefully, that uncertainty she’d seen earlier in his expression. She took his hand and twined their fingers together. “I want you to know that I don’t care how dangerous your job is. I’m not going to send you away again. Ever.”
He looked deeply into her eyes. “Not that I’m not pleased, but why the sudden change?”
“These last few days have shown me that I can’t eliminate danger.” She ran her finger down the side of his face. “The only thing I ask is that we try to find a way to communicate in your long deployments.”
“About that.” He joined her on the bumper and settled her on his lap. “I was thinking I’m ready for a more stable job. One where I’ll be around for you and all the little Chapmans we might have.”
“You can’t do that for me. The army needs you.”
“And they’ll have me. Did I mention Colonel Lynch offered me a job at the institute?”
“You know you didn’t.” She playfully punched his shoulder and he grinned.
“Ah, guys?” The medic pointed at a sprig of mistletoe hanging from a shelf. “Feel free to use this if it helps the cause.”
Claire felt a blush creep over her face, but she didn’t care. She was going to kiss this man now, and no medic or even the officers escorting Eric to their cruiser were going to stand in her way.
She looked into Travis’s eyes. “I suppose this means you’re going to have to kiss me.”
“Oh, yeah. Now and copious times every day for the rest of our lives.” Smiling, he lowered his head.
As his lips claimed hers in a bruising kiss, Claire heard strains of “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” coming from the medic’s phone and she knew without a doubt every time of the year would be wonderful now that her Green Beret was home for good.
* * * * *
HOMEFRONT HOLIDAY HERO
Jodie Bailey
You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?
—Galatians 5:7
For the brave men and women of the military and their loving families who support them at home.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
EPILOGUE
ONE
Kelly Walters hit the snowy ground by the road with a thud that knocked the wind from her lungs. The crack of the gunshot echoed off the trees surrounding the parking lot of the Fort Campbell Family Resource Center, shredding the December midnight air.
“Hey!” The shout followed the gunshot and a body leaped over her, pounding f
ootsteps crunching in the fresh snow that had fallen that afternoon. Get it together, Walters. Her fingers dug into the chilled ground and she pulled in a deep breath, the residue of gunpowder tickling her nose. She assessed the damage as she focused on the brittle stars. Toes moved. Fingers moved. She turned her head from side to side. Neck fine. But her bicep... With a sudden rush, the adrenaline ebbed and the pain kicked in. Her fingers flew to her right arm and came away warm with blood. Her blood.
Somehow all of that seemed faraway. This wasn’t happening. She was outside the Family Resource Center on Fort Campbell, not in a war zone like the soldiers whose families she aided as a Family Readiness Support Assistant. Her job involved connecting dependents to resources and holding hands when times got hard, not dodging bullets.
Surely she’d fallen asleep wrapping that mound of presents for tomorrow. That had to be it, because there was no way she was shot by some punk kid who’d flagged her down in the crosswalk to ask for directions.
The footsteps came back, slower this time, a slip in the gait. Major Tyler Rainey took a knee beside her, grimacing as he did. “You okay?”
“Mostly.” Blood smeared across her jeans as she dragged her fingers across her thigh. The whole scene receded, as if she was watching it on a movie screen instead of living in the moment. “Nicked my bicep instead of drilling my shoulder, thanks to you.” If he hadn’t pushed her out of the way... She shuddered, then shoved aside the what if like her father had taught her. Emotion got you nowhere. If she gave in to emotion, she’d curl up in a ball and whimper like a kicked dog. “Did you get a license plate?”
The dark crossover had pulled up as she and Tyler stepped into the crosswalk on their way to the parking lot. Kelly hadn’t hesitated to lean in when the young man in the passenger seat asked for directions. She’d turned to point down the road when Tyler threw her to the side and the world cracked with a gunshot.
“No. They were gone too fast, but the guard gate will have something on them.” Tyler dragged his hand across the slight wave in his short dark blond hair. “They had to have just come in. The gate’s not even a half mile up the road. That’s what drinking and carrying a pistol will get you.” Dropping to a sitting position, he pivoted and waved his fingers toward himself. “Let me see your arm.”
Holiday Defenders : Mission: Christmas Rescuespecial Ops Christmashomefront Holiday Hero (9781460341254) Page 15
