Dangerous Secrets

by Sidney Bristol

  “They won’t play ball?” Silas asked.

  “No.” Ryan pivoted and paced away from the others.

  Without a way to track the rental, they had nothing to go on. Time was not on their side. Whoever had taken Carson had clearly been hunting her for a while. Now that they had her, things would move fast.

  “Dude. Dude?” Silas gently pushed Ryan’s shoulder.

  “What?” Ryan turned toward his housemate.

  “Let’s call Zain.”

  “He’s on vacation.” Ryan figured his next best bet was trying the office, but the people he needed were back at the home office in Illinois if Zain wasn’t available.

  “He’s our boss. He should be our next call even if all he does is tell you to call Gavin.”

  Ryan nodded and looked back at his phone.

  Part of him felt guilty for making this call. Whenever anything went wrong, at work or in their personal lives, Zain was the one they called. He was their wizard behind the curtain and he deserved a damn vacation away from all this.

  “What’s the emergency?” Zain said.

  “Carson’s been kidnapped and the rental car company won’t play ball.”

  “Text me the details.”

  “Are you sure—”

  “I’m about to have no internet for a week. You’re doing me a favor.”

  “But you brought a laptop? Texting you the plates now.” Ryan chuckled.

  “Hey, you never know if I can steal access when the wife’s not looking.”

  “I heard that,” a woman said in the background.

  Alec waved Ryan over to his Mustang. Someone had pulled a paper map of Seattle out and spread it out on the hood of his car.

  “Shit. Boarding is about to start.” Zain muttered other words Ryan couldn’t understand.

  He doubted the plane would wait for Zain to finish doing whatever techno magic he was up to. It was probably also illegal, but whatever got their person home was permissible so long as it didn’t break any major laws.

  “Sweet heart, go. I’ll be on the plane before they close the door. Promise.” Zain’s constant calm was fractured. Ryan could hear the stress in his voice.

  Ryan didn’t dare say anything. That Zain had answered Ryan’s SOS without asking questions and simply getting down to business was appreciated. He didn’t even know if Zain knew who Carson was, only that someone had been kidnapped. This was why Ryan worked for Aegis Group. Yeah, they all liked to make a buck, but when thing mattered, they did the right thing. Ryan hadn’t always had that luxury, but he sure appreciated that now.

  “I’m in,” Zain said. He rattled off the license plate as keys clicked in the background. “I’ve got the car, sending the GPS link to your tracking app—now. Got to go. If you need backup, call the office or Gavin. He’s on standby while I’m gone. Good luck.”

  Zain ended the call before Ryan’s phone vibrated with the information.

  He pulled the phone away from his face and looked at the message.

  That address... It was familiar.

  Because that was the address Ian had given them for Carson’s apartment.

  Chapter 9

  Carson stumbled out of the elevator. Ben had his hand in her hair, bending her head backward.

  “Unlock your door,” he said.

  Shit.

  “My keys—they’re still in my car.” Carson braced her hand against the wall.

  “Fucking hell.” Ben shoved her face first into the doorframe.

  Pain blossomed along her brow and radiated down her neck.

  “Stand there. If you run, I’ll shoot. If someone comes out here and you scream for help, I’ll shoot them. Got it?”

  Carson nodded. She could only assume that Ben would do it. The kind of people he worked with, the things he did, he probably shot people all the time. She wouldn’t be his first, and he wouldn’t even blink if she died.

  She closed her eyes and sucked down a deep breath.

  Everything shook. Her legs were weak; her knees close to giving out.

  Ben pulled something out of his pocket and slid it into the lock on her door.

  This was how he’d gotten into her apartment and used her laptop to move his money. The yogurt containers. Her laptop not being where it was supposed to be. It all made sense now, and she understood why Agent Walker had suspected her. This looked bad.

  A door down the hall opened and an older woman with short, white hair stepped out with her little dog.

  “Carson, I haven’t seen you around,” the woman said.

  Carson glanced at Ben who gave her a side-eye glare. She knew what he’d do.

  She twisted to face her neighbor and put herself between the woman and Ben.

  “I took a trip with my family,” Carson said. She even mustered a smile.

  “Such a good girl.” The woman patted Carson on the arm before ambling past. “Can’t talk, dear, puppy’s got to pee.”

  Carson held her breath until the elevator doors slid shut. Only then did she sag against the wall.

  Her door clicked open. Ben grabbed her by the arm and shoved her inside.

  She was alone with the devil now.

  “What are you going to do to me?” She couldn’t really believe he intended to trade her like a commodity. That sort of thing didn’t happen here.

  “Log in. Now.” He gestured at the coffee table where her laptop was hidden.

  “If the accounts are frozen, there isn’t anything I can do. You know that.”

  “Try,” he snapped.

  “Is there anything else I can do to fix this?” Was there something she could say to give her a little more time? Even if she had a few more minutes would she come up with a plan?

  “Move the God damn money,” Ben snarled.

  “I can’t.”

  Carson understood that the biggest concern right now was the money, but this had to go deeper than that. If this was all about money and Ben, wouldn’t it be over by now?. This whole back and forth wasn’t going to make the FBI go away.

  He lifted his arm and pointed the gun at her. “You figure out how to get that money, or I wrap up loose ends. You’re a liability at this point, understand?”

  She pressed back into the sofa cushions and sobbed.

  All she’d ever done was her job. It was a fluke that had assigned Ben’s account to her. She’d never wanted to get involved in an investigation that threatened her life and broke US sanctions on other countries. She just wanted to pay her bills and live a quiet life.

  “Stop crying and start typing!” Ben yelled.

  What did she do? She couldn’t do what he wanted.

  But could she email someone? Did 9-1-1 take social media messages? Could she get out her last I love you’s to her family before Ben realized what she was doing?

  Her front door swung open with a bang.

  The metal kick plate skidded across the linoleum floor.

  Four masked men stepped in, holding bigger guns than Ben’s.

  “Guys! There you are. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.” Ben actually laughed and braced his hand on the bar while pointing the gun at the intruders through the cabinets. “Close the door.”

  One of the masked men actually did as Ben suggested.

  “Hey, great timing. I just got the accountant here, and she’s going to clear all of this up. Right, Carson?” His voice went up there at the end.

  The two bigger masked men circled the end of the bar. Ben backed up, his gun pointed at his pseudo friends.

  “Guys? Guys, come on. We’re all on the same side here.”

  The biggest one made a grab for Ben. He didn’t even try squeezing off a shot. Because these really were his friends? Or was he hesitant to have it out with these people?

  The fourth member of the group held no weapon now that she got a good look at all four. He was slender in comparison, his clothes neater. The man reached up and pulled his mask off. He was tan, with a slight olive tint to his complexion. His dark hair was tr
immed and neat. A generous stubble gave him the hint of a beard. His nose was the most prominent feature on his face.

  “What’d I say? I’m going to fix all of this,” Ben said, focusing in on the unmasked man.

  “How?” the newcomer asked in a flat voice.

  “This woman is my accountant. This whole mess is her fault. You and I, we’re both victims here.”

  “I do not care—”

  “She’s got access to the funds I don’t have. She’s going to unfreeze the accounts and transfer them over.” Ben gestured at Carson.

  She swallowed.

  Did they really believe him?

  Judging by their accents, they weren’t local.

  “You have become a liability to us,” the man said.

  “And I’m going to fix it. What have I always said? Stick with me and we’ll get the job done. Am I right?” Ben grinned.

  Carson licked her lips.

  He was selling them a lie, and they were considering it.

  “You’re saying this woman can fix it?” the man nodded at Carson.

  “She’s the reason we’re in this mess in the first place. And yeah, she can fix it.”

  The man locked eyes with Carson.

  She wanted to shake her head, say no, anything to stop the way this was going, but she couldn’t. Her body had frozen, all while Ben spun his lies around them.

  “Is this true?” the man asked.

  “Yeah,” Ben replied.

  “I’m not asking you.”

  Carson gulped.

  “You’re going to fix this, aren’t you, Carson?” Ben turned to look at her.

  They were all looking at her now.

  “The FBI doesn’t want your money. They want his records. They want to know who he’s doing business with. Even if you get the money that’s not going to stop them. The only reason they haven’t figured out the files are because they’re in some kind of code.”

  “Do you know this code?” the man asked Carson.

  “No. I saw it, but I don’t know it.”

  “It’s my own thing. It’s how I keep us all safe,” Ben said.

  Oh, no...

  Carson felt a scream bubbling up inside of her.

  That was not the right thing to say.

  “So no one but you can read them?” the man asked.

  “Exactly.

  “Then we don’t need you anymore? Good.” The man lifted his gun.

  Ben’s eyes widened.

  He realized too late what he’d told them.

  “No—Kawa, I can—”

  The man fired. Once. Twice. Three times.

  Blood splattered against the cream-colored walls and on the beige carpet. Ben fell to the floor, his mouth moving silently while his eyes were already dead—and staring straight at her.

  “Get her. Let’s go. Now.”

  RYAN AND VITO ENTERED Carson’s apartment building by the front doors. The large complex occupied the upper floors of a shopping strip situated in a trendy part of town. It was the kind of place he’d call safe. Today that word had a different meaning.

  He hoped they were going to find Carson at the end of this and not something worse.

  “We’ve got the garage covered,” Alec said through the headsets.

  “Copy that. Proceeding to the elevators,” Ryan replied.

  His housemates had brought their full kit with them. Ryan was grateful they’d dropped everything given what they’d just learned. He’d have come by himself regardless, but having the other four to back him up was a relief.

  “I see the rental car. It’s idling on the third floor of the garage along with another rental,” Paxton said, his voice charged.

  “Have we considered that these people might be working with Carson?” Alec asked.

  “Shut the fuck up, Alec. Paxton, do you see people?” Ryan paused. There was no point in getting up to Carson’s apartment if people were headed out.

  “Only two drivers. Snapping pictures for ID later,” Paxton replied.

  Ryan glanced at Vito.

  They might catch Carson and whoever these people were in her apartment. Or they could pass her.

  “Movement. Two—no, three—men. I think they’re armed. There’s one not wearing a mask. He’s got Carson,” Paxton said.

  Ryan was torn between relief to know she was alive and fear of what came next.

  “I’m moving the truck to block the exit, but I need a moment,” Silas replied.

  “On it.”

  “I’m coming up to you,” Alec said.

  And Ryan was a building away from the action. They were useless here.

  “Vito and I are coming around.” Ryan turned and caught Vito’s eye. The other man nodded.

  They were going to get Carson back and then Ryan was going to find out what was really going on.

  “Hey? Hey, excuse me?” Paxton called out.

  “What the fuck is going on? Who are you talking to?” Ryan pushed through the front doors.

  “Shit. He’s moved to intercept,” Alec replied.

  “Hey do you guys have any jumper cables?” Paxton asked.

  Ryan’s stomach sank. That was the ploy Paxton wanted to use?

  Except Carson knew Paxton. She’d recognize him and know they were there. That could make all the difference. Unless Alec was right, and this was all a set up. Paxton could be putting himself in harm’s way. Some Aegis guys had no common sense.

  “Paxton’s a dozen yards from them. They’re packing at least nine mils and trying to hide it. There’s blood on Carson.” Alec kept up a running report while Paxton went back and forth with the unhelpful cohort.

  “Blood? Is she hurt?” Ryan asked without receiving an answer.

  “Truck is in position,” Silas said, chiming in.

  “Wow, wow, wow. All I wanted was a jump off, man.” Paxton’s voice grew strained.

  “Pax has a gun on him. I’m taking the shot,” Alec announced.

  “No. Not with Carson hurt.” Ryan broke into a run, headed around the corner to the garage.

  He vaulted over the concrete wall and planted his feet on the hood of a sedan. He leapt to the floor as the alarm went off. Ahead of him, Silas’ truck sat across most of the path out of the garage.

  “What do you want me to do?” Alec demanded.

  “Sorry, guys. Sorry. I’ll just be on my way. No harm, no foul, right?” Paxton’s tone grew more relaxed.

  “Can you get to Carson while their attention is on Paxton?” Ryan sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

  “Negative. Pax is between us. Are you coming up the northwest stair?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You will be behind them. They aren’t looking that way. Fuck. We need their attention on Pax.”

  “We’re on the third floor.” Ryan flattened his back to the concrete wall and glanced over his shoulder at the two idling cars pointed away from him.

  Sure enough, all the focus was in the other direction.

  “I’m going for Carson,” he said.

  He darted around the stairwell wall and circled around to the outer wall, keeping the parked vehicles between him and Carson’s kidnappers.

  “Stop there,” one of the men said.

  “Okay. Alright. I don’t want any trouble,” Paxton said in a slow drawl, hands out at his side.

  One of the other men said something Ryan couldn’t make out. Carson was twisted around, watching the drama play out behind her.The driver of Carson’s getaway car got out and popped the trunk—leaving the driver’s side door open.

  “They’re looking real nervous,” Alec said.

  “I’m almost to Carson,” Ryan whispered.

  Two more cars.

  “Hurry up. I don’t think they’re going to wait much longer.”

  “Vito and I are behind you, Ryan. We’ll stop the car from getting out of here,” Silas said.

  But at what cost? All it would take was a stray bullet to hit Carson in the wrong spot and she’d be dead
. He couldn’t let that happen. Regardless of the lies, he still cared about her. It wasn’t all an act.

  In the distance sirens wailed.

  The unmasked man at the back of the lead car snapped an order.

  The gunman lifted his weapon higher.

  “Take the shot,” Ryan said.

  A shot rang out, echoing through the garage.

  Ryan felt a chill go through him as though he’d been shot. He pushed that aside and sprinted forward. He squeezed off two shots, scattering the men closest to the car with Carson in it and dove into the driver’s seat.

  A bullet struck the rear window, shattering it.

  Carson screamed.

  Ryan jammed his foot on the accelerator and shifted into drive. The town car shot forward and the driver’s side door slammed shut. They careened around the end of the row.

  Except the exit was blocked.

  “Go, go, go,” Alec yelled in the headsets.

  “Ryan?” Carson gaped at him in the rearview mirror.

  “Hold on.” He cranked the wheel, taking the turn halfway down the ramp and headed back up.

  “They’re running,” Silas announced.

  Tires squealed below them as Ryan sent the stolen car higher in the parking structure.

  “Are you hurt?” Ryan yelled over his shoulder.

  Carson didn’t reply.

  A crash from below drowned out everything the others might have said.

  “God fucking damn it,” Silas yelled.

  “They’re gone,” Alec said through puffs of breath.

  Ryan stopped the car and shifted into park. He twisted to look back at Carson, bits of glass sticking to her hair and littering her clothes alone with drying blood.

  “Are you hurt?” Ryan wanted to reach for her, but he knew these moments could be vital to her health.

  “N-no.” Carson leaned forward. Once again, fat tears brimmed in her eyes.

  Ryan reached for her and she crumpled against the seat, her head on his shoulder and sobbed.

  She was safe. That was all that mattered.

  CARSON SAT ON THE CURB, Ryan’s arm wrapped around her. She stared at the asphalt and the bits of twinkling glass that had fallen out of her clothes and hair. The cops that had arrived a few minutes after Ryan rescued her were going back and forth. No one was speaking to her yet, which she was grateful for.