by Linda Ladd
The guy was as strong as Novak and struggled until Novak got a good hard blow to his throat followed by a quick jab to the nose. Blood pumped, and the guard recoiled a bit, groaning. That gave Novak time to punch him again. He got him hard in the bridge of his nose this time and felt cartilage crunch under his fist. The other man stopped fighting and rolled over onto his back. Novak jumped atop him and pressed his thumbs hard against his windpipe. Choking for air, the guard clawed desperately at Novak’s locked wrists. Novak increased the pressure, using his weight to hold him still until the guy passed out.
On his knees, panting from exertion and tasting his own blood, Novak turned back to grab the two girls. They were not there. Panic set in, and he pushed himself up, pressed back against the wall, pretty sure another guard could have heard the fight. It hadn’t been exactly quiet, but all he could hear was the pounding in his eardrums and the roar of the surf. Novak backed through the gate, rifle in one hand, and scanned the lawn. The little girls had not gone far. They were huddled inside the shower stall, hiding their eyes and clutching each other tightly. When Susie saw him, she ran into his arms.
Novak wasted no more time. He grabbed both kids, made sure the beach was deserted, and sprinted along the outside wall toward his boat. He ran into a second guard about six feet from the hidden Zodiac. He skidded to a stop, tightening his hold on the little girls because this time the guard had him dead to rights. He thrust them both behind him as the guard pointed his rifle at Novak’s chest.
“Don’t you move, you son—”
That’s all the guard got out before a bullet hit him square in the mouth and blew most of the back of his head off. The impact knocked him off his feet; he was dead before he hit the ground. Despite the silencer, Novak heard the muffled crack of the high-powered rifle that died quickly under the wind and rain. Novak picked up the kids again and took off to the boat. Lori Garner was a hell of a good shot, all right. He was in love. He dropped both kids into the boat, dragged it down to the water, and ran it a few steps out into the surf. Pushing off, he jumped in and paddled like hell for the Sweet Sarah. He kept glancing behind him and could see lights coming on inside the house. They’d sounded the alarms. Armed men were rushing around with flashlights, their beams swinging around in arcs through the darkness looking for him. He could hear them shouting. They hadn’t pinpointed the beach yet. Next time he looked back, four men burst through the opening in the wall and headed for the speedboats. Novak paddled harder. They weren’t going anywhere.
The sailboat lay anchored in utter darkness. He could barely make out its silhouette against the night sky. Rain was drumming the water all around them, drenching them and plastering hair in their eyes. Behind him, the little girls were clutching each other and crying. Then he picked out Lori at the stern, God bless her, where she stood waiting to pull them in. She still had the sniper rifle in one hand. She put it down when the Zodiac bumped up against the landing platform. He tossed her the rope and she tied it up. He grabbed the little one and handed her out to Lori, and then he picked up Susie and climbed up to the deck.
Once they had the children safely inside the main cabin, Novak ran back up top, pulled anchor, got the engines going, and headed straight out to sea. He had to put as much distance between his boat and that beach as he possibly could. They could not pursue them unless they had other boats nearby. Even then, he would have a good head start. So far, so good. They had the children, and all four of them were still alive. That was saying something.
After he was satisfied they weren’t being pursued, Novak went down to check on the girls. Lori had them dried off and wrapped in warm blankets. They were sitting beside Lori on the couch, one child on each side. She had her arms around them and was talking softly. The girls no longer looked afraid. Neither was crying. Sammi looked half-asleep.
“That was lit,” was all Lori said to him, but then she smiled. “That’s Twitter talk for good job, Novak.”
Novak nodded, picked up the sniper rifle, and quickly headed back to the helm. It was going to be a long night spent trying to avoid the worst of the storm heading inland, and probably just as tense as everything else he’d faced since he’d first laid eyes on Lori Garner below his balcony on Bourbon Street.
Chapter 12
The adaptability of small children never failed to astonish Novak. His own twins had been that way, and now Judith Locke’s little girls were holding up better than he’d expected. Truth was, though, they were definitely affected by all that had gone down: skittish and worried and easily upset. Their quiet reserve and the wariness with which they looked at him were proof enough. Thank God for Lori Garner. She was their anchor in the middle of a sick and messy situation, and somehow made them feel protected and safe. Novak was glad she’d come along. Somehow he was surprised she was so good with kids. She hadn’t seemed the type, but she was. Once they had embarked on the sail back to Frank’s fish camp, she had hushed and shushed and patted and soothed the girls on her bed in the fore cabin. After a while, she climbed up to the stern where Novak steered the boat through a dark, gloomy night. The rain had stopped, the stars had come out, but there was a definite chill in the air. She sat near him, drawing a blanket tight around her.
“Well, they both finally went to sleep. You do know they think they’re going straight home to see their mother. Since that’s not true, what should I tell them?”
“Tell them we’re looking for her and we’ll find her soon and then we’ll bring her home. You’re good with them. I’m impressed. They’ll believe you. You make them feel secure.”
“They’re so little and seem so lost.” She pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned back on the banquette. The night had grown still, and the moon had come out in all its white glory. Good news was that they weren’t being pursued by killers. That was always a plus. Not yet, anyhow.
They were well on their way back home, but that didn’t mean holy hell couldn’t break out any minute. If the judge reported the children’s abduction with an Amber Alert, if he called in his dirty cops and caught them at sea, Novak and Lori would find themselves sitting behind bars. Locke was their grandfather and legal guardian, and they had no proof that he had abused them. Instinct told Novak the judge wouldn’t involve legitimate law enforcement. Not without a ton of adverse publicity and TV cameras pushed into his face as reporters asked him pointed questions about the whereabouts of the girls’ mother and why the children had been taken if no ransom had been demanded. Nope, the police and media would not be involved. One concern Novak could check off.
Calvin Locke was the sort of man who would handle the sticky stuff by himself. He would come after them, all right, Novak had no doubt. He was still raging around inside that beach house, punishing his men for the abduction and calling in his buddy, Timothy Hennessey. Novak felt a certain vindictive pleasure thinking he’d tied his enemy’s hands. Rattling one’s enemies put them on the defensive. Make them run around in circles, panicky and blind to exactly what was going. That’s when they got careless and did stupid things.
Lori had been sitting there, quiet and pensive, but now she spoke, pretty much echoing Novak’s thoughts. “Locke’s coming after us himself, right, Novak? He can’t call the cops or they might find all those nasty skeletons in his closet.”
“He doesn’t need cops to find us, not with mob contacts. By the sound of it, he’s already paid off enough dirty police officers to feel safe on his home turf. If they get lucky and figure out who I am, they’ll conjure up a phony warrant on me. I don’t think the guys I put down on that beach can identify me. They might remember my size, maybe, but it was dark and everything happened fast. The one you put down will never say another word.”
“Locke won’t stop until he’s got those kids back. You know it; I know it. It’s going to get intense now.”
Novak shifted his attention to her. She had her head resting on the back of the seat, gazing at a blanket of sta
rs. He didn’t blame her; it had turned out to be a beautiful night. “You think those little girls are going to come out of this thing okay?”
“God, I hope so. All they want right now is to have their mother back, but they trust me. I’m pretty sure they’ll believe that we’ll find her and they can be together again. They miss her terribly. They said the nanny was nice, but they didn’t like Locke and his men.”
“Do they have any idea where their mom is?”
“Susie said the judge locked her mom in her bedroom at the mansion and wouldn’t let them see her.” Sighing, she sat up. “It’s sad, you know. She and Sammi used to lie on the hall floor and talk to Judith under her door when the judge was in court. The nanny let them, but she wasn’t supposed to. They’re scared to death of Locke, too. They definitely do not want to live with him.”
“You think he’s hurt them?”
“I think he’s still wooing and earning their love. You know, pampering and spoiling them and getting them ready. That’s the way it’s done. You saw how he was kissing and tickling them. I’m so relieved we got them out of there.”
“I guess I owe you a thank you. That guy had me dead to rights when I was holding those kids. You hit him dead-on.”
“No problem. Did the girls see it?”
Novak shook his head. “They hid their eyes against me.”
She was quiet for a time. “I recognized him, the one I shot. He’s one of those bastards who got me at the airport. He’s the one who...” Her words trailed off. A moment later, she finished. “He deserved to be shot. He would’ve killed you without a second thought.”
“You got him in the head. That’s good shooting from that distance in the dark and rain.”
“Not that good. I aimed between his eyes.”
She dropped the subject after that, and Novak didn’t pursue it. That guy had done something awful to her, something she didn’t want to talk about. He didn’t want to hear about it, either.
After that exchange they said nothing, just sat and listened to the prow cut through the waves. They were headed north up the coast, and the cold wind felt good on his skin.
A long time later, she spoke again. “Judith was in the sixth grade when he started messing with her. She told me all of it once when we were still at Tulane. She wept the whole time. She said she’d never told anybody before because after her mother died, the judge wouldn’t let her have any friends. I keep thinking if she’d had somebody, anybody, to report him to back then, if her mom had lived, if she wasn’t so scared of him, maybe that pedophile would be rotting in jail instead of wearing judicial robes.”
“We’ll find her, Lori, but until then I guess we keep the kids with us. It’s not the best option, but we’ve got little choice.” He thought about it for a moment. “Maybe I can persuade Leslie to take them into protective custody now, before we find Judith. We’ve got a clue where to look for her.”
“If she’s still in that bedroom. He could have moved her.”
“I think she might still be there. If he loves her, he’ll keep her close.”
“You think the Feds will take them without her? I mean, we just broke into the house of a state judge and kidnapped them. They’re not going to want to get involved in that.”
“Leslie’s different. She doesn’t always go by the books, so I think we’ve got a chance to convince her. I can’t promise you a deal, though. We do have an ace in the hole. My partner? Claire and her husband are influential in some circles. If push comes to shove, they might be able to pull some strings. Can’t count on it.”
“We can’t count on anything right now.” She stared at him. “You’ve got a woman for a partner? Awesome. I read you as a man’s man, all macho and no women allowed.”
Novak wanted to smile. “You’re aboard my boat, aren’t you?”
“Yes sir, I am. Despite all that kicking and screaming you did.”
“You exaggerate. I noticed that’s a bad habit of yours.”
“Get real. You haven’t begun to see my bad habits yet.” She stopped there and watched him a moment. “Frank told me about your wife and children, you know, that they died on 9/11 when the World Trade Center came down. I just want you to know I’m sorry that happened. That’s the worst thing that could happen to anybody.”
Novak stiffened where he stood and kept his eyes straight ahead. Few people ever mentioned his lost family to him, and he immediately felt defensive and uncomfortable. “Sorry but I don’t talk about that.”
“Maybe you should. Maybe it would help you cope.”
“Maybe it’s none of your business.”
“You’re right about that.”
Novak leaned back in the swivel chair and propped his foot on his opposite knee. He was glad she was willing to drop the subject. He was wrung out. He wanted to go below and collapse on his bunk, but that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. “Just so you know, I don’t hate women, with a few exceptions.”
“What about me? You like me?”
Novak could barely see her face in the moonlight, but he knew she was smiling.
“You saved my ass tonight. I look for that in women.”
Lori gave a little laugh and stood up. “I’m going down to check on the kids and get some sleep. Call me if you need me to spell you or save your ass again.”
With that, she disappeared below. Lori Garner was turning out to be something else. What that was, he hadn’t pinned down yet. He was beginning to like her. That didn’t mean he wanted her up in his business 24/7. He believed now that he could trust her. They had been thrown together in a dangerous situation, the kind that he worked better on his own. As long as Lori listened and didn’t go off half-cocked, they’d get along fine. One thing for certain, she was a crack shot.
They made good time back. The cabin was still there, not burned to the ground by the bad guys. No gang charged the boat with guns firing. The night was quiet and dark, and Frank met them out on the dock with a flashlight. He caught the lines Novak tossed to him, and Novak shut off the ignition and drifted into berth. Once the boat was secure, he set the gangplank and stepped down onto the dock where he filled his friend in on how things had gone down.
“But Lucy wasn’t there?”
“No, and we watched the house for hours. Judith wasn’t, either. I checked out the property and didn’t find any prisoners. Now we think Judith’s still in his house in River Oaks, so maybe Lucy is, too. It’s secure there, and they can control who comes in and out.”
Frank’s face appeared disappointed, and his anger was coming back. Novak told him about the little girls, and Frank wanted to see them. They went below and found Lori and both kids asleep. The sliding door had been left open, and Novak pushed it together. He wanted them to sleep as long as they could. All three had been through a lot. They sat down in the main cabin, and Novak related everything that had happened. Frank listened but had lapsed into a brooding silence. After a while, he walked back up to the house. Still nervous about possible retribution, Novak stretched out on his bed, fully dressed, his .45 right beside him. There was a lot he needed to find out before he ventured inside Locke’s estate, but he was definitely ready to go in and leave behind a good bit of havoc and hellfire.
When he slept, his repose was patchy and troubled. At one point, he heard a sound and came awake with his weapon clutched in his hand. No bad guys, just the quiet lapping of the current against the hull. Then he sensed a presence and switched on the bedside lamp. Susie was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the doorway. Novak quickly hid the gun. The child said nothing to him but stared at him with her big, haunted eyes. She did not seem afraid anymore.
Novak glanced around. Not a sound. Nobody else was awake. He swung his legs off the bed and looked at her. “You okay, Susie? You need something?”
She answered in a whisper. “I’m real hungry.”
Nova
k stood up. “Okay, no problem. I can find you something to eat.” He stopped and squatted down beside her. He found that put little kids at ease. Get down to their level when you talk to them. “How about some chocolate milk? You like that?”
She nodded. Funny that she sought him out, instead of waking Lori. He wouldn’t have expected her to come to him. If they got friendly, maybe she’d talk to him. Maybe she knew stuff she hadn’t said yet, like which room her mother was held in and the best way to get to it.
In the galley, he got out a gallon jug of milk and poured some in a mug while she sat at the galley table.
“I like marshmallows in mine,” she told him in the same barely audible voice.
Novak did like kids, always had. He got along just fine with them. “Well, I think I just might have some. Let me see what I can find.”
Susie just sat and waited, as if she hadn’t been taken out of her house in the dead of night by a complete stranger. She was a brave kid for four years old. She was not afraid of him. Neither of them said much else as Novak took the milk out of the microwave and stirred in a couple of spoons of Nesquik. Susie watched without a word. She was so small that her feet didn’t touch the floor. Novak rummaged around in the cupboards until he found a package of miniature marshmallows and a bag of Chips Ahoy! cookies. What kid didn’t like chocolate chip cookies? As far as that went, what adult didn’t? He popped some marshmallows into the cocoa and carried the mug and cookies to the table.
