“No Internet. No cell service. No lights.” Marcus gestured toward the hall that led to Meredith and Alicia’s rooms. “You need to get Meredith and take her to the panic room.”
Without breaking stride, Derek asked, “Where are you going to go?”
“I’m going to get Alicia, and we’ll meet you there.” Marcus paused, then, keeping his voice low, he said, “Seal the door and don’t open it unless I give you the password.”
Derek stopped and turned to stare at him for a moment before nodding. “Understood.”
Meredith and Bond came out of her room as they approached. “What’s going on, Marcus?“
There was a tremor in her voice that was difficult for Marcus to hear. He couldn’t have her witness another trauma which was why it was so important that she get to that panic room with Derek. He was afraid that Meredith might freeze up if he tried to give her instructions while she was under stress. This way, he knew that she would be safe with Derek in the panic room, and he could focus on getting Alicia and following them.
17
Marcus stood watching for a moment as Meredith followed Derek, Bond walking close to her side. The darkness swallowed them as soon as they got to the end of the hallway and turned the corner into the small study where the staircase to the panic room was hidden.
Trusting that Derek would get Meredith safely there, Marcus focused his attention on finding Alicia. He was a bit concerned that she hadn’t discovered the lack of Internet or cell service on her own, not to mention the fact that the lights were out. Without turning on his phone light, he made his way further down the hallway toward Alicia’s room.
He knocked on her door, but when he got no response, he turned the handle and slipped inside. There was absolutely no light present in the room, so he had to switch on his phone light to take a quick look around the room. He spotted a lump on the bed and quickly made his way toward it.
Bending over the edge of the bed, Marcus reached out and grasped her shoulder, giving it a quick shake. “Alicia. We have a security issue.”
He had to shake her again before he felt her stir and then push herself up into a sitting position.
“Marcus? What’s going on?”
She shifted some more, and Marcus realized she was moving to the edge of the bed. He straightened and stepped back to give her space. “I think someone is trying to gain access to the house. It appears they put a jammer of some nature over the property because we can’t access the Internet and we have no cell signal. Also, the lights just went out a few minutes ago.” Marcus watched as her phone screen lit up. “We need to get going. Derek has taken Meredith to the panic room. I’m going to take you there as well and then try to figure out what’s going on.”
“Do you think someone’s already in the house?” Alicia asked as she got to her feet.
Thankfully, she appeared to be steady and alert as he reached out to take her arm. “I’m going to operate under that assumption until it’s proven differently. Unfortunately, we may be on our own for this. The panic room has a separate phone line, but this guy has proven himself to be fairly thorough with his information gathering. It’s entirely possible that he has already cut that access as well.” Marcus paused as he realized what all he was saying to her. He was so used to protecting Meredith from the details of stressful situations. It was somewhat refreshing to be able to just put everything out there, knowing that Alicia would take it all in stride.
But right then wasn’t the moment to dwell on that realization. “I need to get you to Meredith so you’re both safe in the panic room while Derek and I deal with this situation.”
Together they exited Alicia’s room into the darkness of the hall. As they took a couple of steps towards the opposite hallway where the study was located, Marcus reached his arm back to make sure that she stayed behind him. They had just reached the top of the stairs when the first indication that they weren’t alone reached them.
“Well hello there, Marcus.” The voice was loud and echoed as it came through the security system intercom.
Marcus quickly pulled Alicia down toward the floor, and they crouched behind the railing of the landing, though he wasn’t sure it would make any difference. There was only one reason someone would turn off the lights in an unknown environment where they were hoping for the upper hand, and that was if they had night vision goggles to be able to see.
Without knowing where the other man was, Marcus shifted his body so that he could speak to Alicia in a whisper. “I want you to go back to your room and go to the bathroom. Lock all the doors behind you and wait there. It’s not as safe as the panic room, but he’s after me, so it should be safe enough for you there.” Marcus hoped that he was telling the truth because he really couldn’t stand the thought of Alicia being hurt. He should have given her the instructions on how to find and use the panic room, but it was too late to do that now. “Go!”
Alicia turned in the direction of her room but had only taken two crouched steps away from Marcus when the voice spoke again.
“Uh, uh, uh! Alicia, my dear, you’re not going anywhere. Why don’t you stick around so we can chat? How are you enjoying life here in the mansion?”
The words caused Marcus’s blood to run cold. How did this person know who Alicia was? How did he know that she was living in the house with them? He reached out and grabbed her arm to bring her back to his side, still crouched down, though now he had no illusion that the man couldn’t see them.
“I really think that you need to be here for this conversation, Alicia,” the man’s voice drifted to them from the security panel at the base of the stairs. “Don’t you think that Marcus would like to know about how you and I have already been talking?”
Even through the sudden roar of blood rushing to his head, Marcus heard Alicia’s gasp. Confusion flooded him for a moment. But just for one moment. Then he was once again the soldier he’d been for most of his adult life—whether in the military or not. Pushing aside his emotions, Marcus focused on the situation that had now turned into a mission in his mind. He didn’t understand what Alicia’s connection to this man was, but he would deal with that later. For now, he needed to stay focused so that he could get all of them out of the mansion safely.
Then he’d get his answers.
Figuring that the man had already used Alicia for his own purposes, Marcus decided to once again try to send her to safety. It sounded as if she, like Jeff, was a pawn in this man’s scheme. At least he hoped that was the case. It bothered him more than he wanted to admit that she hadn’t felt safe enough to come and tell him what was going on.
Frustrated that his thoughts were once again drifting from the mission at hand, Marcus got to his feet and turned to face the stairs. “What is it exactly that you want from me? It’s time to stop with all the games and bring this to an end.” He shifted his body slightly and looked down to where Alicia was still crouched next to him. “Go.”
She hesitated, but only for an instant, and then she was moving away from him, away from the open position at the top of the stairs. Away from him but toward safety.
“I didn’t say that she could go,” the voice droned. “But I suppose it’s okay. She’s already served her purpose. I suppose it’s shocking to realize how easy it is to convince the people around you to talk to me. To let me in.”
There was a dark chuckle that caused the hair on the back of Marcus’s neck to stand on end. Shifting on his feet, Marcus slid his gun into the back of his waistband, then let his arms hang loosely at his sides. “It’s just you and me. Tell me what you want.”
~*~
Alicia paused when she got to the cover of the hallway. Marcus’s words sent chills down her spine and opened a pit in her stomach. She pressed against the wall but moved no further toward her bedroom. She knew that Marcus wanted her to escape to the safety of her bathroom, but she just couldn’t do it. She needed Marcus to know that she wasn’t the traitor the man had made her out to be.
She c
ould barely see Marcus and knew he couldn’t see her in the shadowed hallway, but she just had to stay close by. As the stranger’s voice drifted through the air in a dark and menacing way, she knew she couldn’t just leave Marcus there alone. She had no weapon or way to help him defeat this person, but she still couldn’t go far from his side.
As she waited for the man to respond to Marcus’s demand, Alicia squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that somehow, someway, Derek would be able to reach the outside world for help.
“So, we’re back to you making demands again, are we?” The man’s voice held a strange mix of humor and irritation. Alicia feared what he might do if Marcus pushed him too far.
“I can’t believe that you’re any more interested in having this drag out than I am,” Marcus stated.
“Well, then you’d be wrong. I’m in no rush. If nothing else, the past year or so should have taught you that I have infinite patience. I’ve been more than happy to take my time as I toyed with you and the others at BlackThorpe."
Alicia held her breath as she waited for Marcus to reply. But there was no response, and she’d heard nothing to indicate that he’d moved. She exhaled slowly then held her breath again and strained to hear something…anything…in the darkness.
“No response to that?" the man taunted. “Do you just plan to stand there as a fine target, waiting for the bullet that is surely going to come your way?”
Alicia pressed her hand against her mouth to keep from crying out at the man’s words. This couldn’t be how things would end for them. Whatever the man thought Marcus had done, surely it didn’t warrant death.
Please, God, send someone to help us.
Marcus still didn’t reply, and the pit in Alicia’s stomach yawned wider. She was afraid that the food she’d eaten earlier was going to rise up and make a reappearance. She took several deep breaths to quell the nausea, hoping that Marcus couldn’t hear her.
Slowly, she slid down the wall so that she was crouched on the floor, her hands pressed flat against the carpet. She knew it would be better if she stayed on her feet, but her legs just wouldn’t hold her. If her life depended on her being able to run at some point, she was as good as dead.
It seemed an eternity passed before Marcus finally responded to the disembodied voice. “Tell me what you want from me."
“I’ve always heard you were a man of few words. I guess the rumors are all true.” The man hesitated. “You already know part of what I want. Money and lots of it." The air fell silent, and Alicia hunched forward, straining once again for any sound from Marcus. Who was this man trying to take over Marcus’s life? “I want BlackThorpe destroyed. And I want you dead. I thought about killing your sister so that you would have to live with the knowledge that her death was on your head. So that you would have to learn how to live your life without someone you loved. But I do draw the line somewhere, so apparently, that means I can’t kill an innocent person."
Marcus gave a bark of laughter. “You must not know much about me. I’ve already had to learn to live my life without people that I love." There was a beat of silence before Marcus continued. “And really? You can’t kill an innocent person? You sent an armed man into the midst of a group of people who knew how to defend themselves against such an attack. There was no reason for him to die. You killed Jonathon Jaeger just as if you pulled the trigger on that gun. Don’t kid yourself. You have no problem killing an innocent person."
Alicia absorbed this new information. She didn’t know about everything that had occurred before she started at the company, but she’d heard bits and pieces. Enough to know that some of the attacks had been more serious than others. Marcus’s words were not reassuring at all. In fact, her anxiety over Marcus’s safety now extended to Derek and Meredith, as well as herself. For some reason, she had figured that the man’s attention was solely on Marcus, but now it was possible that the man would take out her, Derek, and, possibly, Meredith without any hesitation.
Why did Marcus insist on making himself a target by standing there? Alicia wanted to run to him and push him, push him into the darkness of the other hall that lay just beyond where he stood. She needed him to be safe. She needed him to live. She knew now that there would never be anything between them. He would see her actions as a betrayal of his trust and a threat to the company he’d built. And she couldn’t blame him for that. But before she moved on to the rest of her life, she needed to know that he was alive and still living there with Meredith. It was the life she would’ve loved to have shared with him.
Ache ballooned in her heart and quickly spread through her body as tears threatened to spill over. These past several weeks had been an unexpected blessing. The job, though challenging, had been a perfect fit for her. The opportunity to befriend Meredith and be a part of Marcus’s life had been surprising, but oh-so-welcome. It was over now, though, and somehow, she’d have to figure out how to move forward and leave behind the hope that had taken root in her heart.
Though she’d tried hard to protect herself, her love for Marcus had grown alongside the hope that had bloomed inside her. Hope that maybe she would get her chance to live life with Marcus by her side. Protecting her. Loving her. But now he would not be the one leaving the light on for her.
Alicia almost wished she’d obeyed Marcus and gone to her bathroom because right then all she wanted to do was weep. The pain pressed against every part of her body, looking for an outlet, but she kept her lips pressed tightly together, fearful that any sound or movement would distract Marcus and give the madman an opportunity to hurt him. Although, it appeared that the man planned to hurt him whether Marcus gave him the opportunity or not.
Still unable to move, Alicia stared out into the darkness. Her heart was pounding within her chest, and it was all she could do to draw breath into her lungs without gasping. Fear and anxiety filled her in a way that she’d never felt before—not even during her attack in California—because this time the life of someone she loved was at risk.
For the first time, Alicia gave herself permission to truly embrace what she felt for Marcus. It didn’t really matter now, but for a moment her mind separated itself from the scene around her, and she imagined what it might be like to love Marcus and be loved by him in return.
There was nothing more that she could do now. Alicia knew that when this was over, she would never see Marcus again since the stranger with hatred in his voice seemed intent on taking his life.
~*~
Marcus stared out into the darkness and let his mind drift. He thought of his mom and the siblings he’d lost to his father’s rampage. He thought of Meredith and the life she’d have to continue to live without him. He thought of Jeff and wondered if it was just a coincidence that he had chosen this weekend to go away. To visit his mom and sisters. Was he behind this attack? Was this his ultimate revenge on Marcus’s family?
He thought of Alex and the times he’d shared about his faith in God. The times he’d told Marcus what he needed to do to be sure he would go to heaven when he died. Marcus hadn’t been willing to take that step back then. He’d still been confused as to why a loving God would have allowed his father to commit the horrible act that he had. But now, as he was facing death, his thoughts went to the conversations he’d had with Alex.
He was in a unique position of knowing that death was coming—sooner rather than later. It gave him time to think about what would happen to him after that bullet from the Mastermind ended his life. Was it too late to take the step of faith? To believe the way Alex did?
As he stood there with no way of preventing his own death, Marcus knew that if he died, he wanted to go to heaven. And if by some miracle, he survived the night, he wanted to do it a changed man. He closed his eyes and thought of Alex’s words once more and took them to heart. Marcus confessed to God that he was a sinner then he asked Him to forgive him of those sins. There were too many for him to name, but he knew from what Alex had said that God knew each and every one of them. Finally, he asked Go
d to come into his heart, to take control of his life and—if he lived beyond the night—to show him how to be the man He wanted him to be.
When he opened his eyes a short time later, Marcus was prepared to accept his death. He didn’t want to die and leave Meredith alone, but if God’s plan was for his life to end, he had to believe God would be there for his sister.
Finally, he allowed himself to think of Alicia and to feel the pain in his heart at the thought that she might have played a role in what was unfolding there that night. He didn’t want to believe it, but the Mastermind’s words and Alicia’s response seemed to indicate otherwise. If only he could ask her why. Why had she felt the need to hide such important things in her life? Why had she felt compelled to lie to the people who loved and cared for her?
The pain of her betrayal hurt more than anything in recent memory.
A sudden loud noise brought Marcus back to the present. There was a flash of light and then a gunshot.
Pain exploded in his body as he was propelled backward. His legs would no longer hold him, and he crumpled to the floor.
As he lay there, Marcus heard a scream and continued to see flashes of light. He felt gentle hands on his face, and from a distance, he could hear his name being called.
“Marcus, stay here. Stay with me. Please. Marcus, you can’t leave me now. You need to stay here.” A pause.” For Meredith’s sake. Please fight.” The words were punctuated with sobs even as the hands stroked his face gently. He looked up into Alicia’s eyes, surprised that he could see her. Were the lights back on?
He heard another shot, and the hands that had been cupping his face jerked away. Alicia’s face was no longer above him. Where was she? Panic overtook Marcus. He tried to move, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. He tried to call out to her, but no words would come.
A Sense of Security: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 6) Page 24
