Sanctuary Breached WITSEC Town Series Book 3

by Lisa Phillips

  Remy didn’t move. “The president gave me access to everything I needed. He believed in what I was trying to do.”

  “So why Sanctuary?”

  They all looked at John. Remy sighed. “Shadrach knew his sister was in witness protection, high profile, but he didn’t know where. President Sheraton found out from Grant” —she looked at John and had the good grace to wince— “and we created a scenario that meant the director had to send me here.”

  “So you played us.”

  Sam looked at Beth for a second, then back at her cousin. “Seems like you both played all of us. Maybe you have been this whole time.”

  Beth strode over, but didn’t get near him. “Remy, you have to tell them everything. Now. Shadrach isn’t right. Something happened. It must have, or he wouldn’t have shot at Sam.”

  “He wasn’t trying to kill him.” Remy waved toward him in a brief movement. Nothing she did or said was wasted. The woman was the epitome of economical. “Shadrach would never do that. He knows what you two mean to each other.”

  “Then who was he trying to kill?”

  Sam glanced at Beth. “He wasn’t trying to kill me.” The bullet had hit the wall, not Sam. He tapped his finger on the side of his leg. “It was a warning.”

  “Yes!” Remy tried to stand, but Sam set his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down onto the chair. “You were in my face, and he wanted you to back off.”

  “He’s that tied to you?” Sam studied her. Was there a relationship here he didn’t know about?

  “We met in the Army, when I was working that contract about bio-warfare in Iraq. Beth probably told you.”

  He shrugged. She had, but that wasn’t what he remembered most from that weekend with his wife. “Go on.”

  “Shadrach and I became…friends.” She blushed. “We wrote to each other afterward, stayed in touch. It didn’t matter where we were. You guys did it, so why not me, too?” She lifted one shoulder. “When I realized what was happening at my job, I called him. He helped me figure out what to do and told me to tell the president—” Mouth open, she stopped and sucked in a choppy breath. “I didn’t know they were going to kill Uncle Thomas and Aunt Susan.”

  John glanced at Beth. “She’s your cousin?”

  Sam studied Remy. “What was it?” The scientist Ben had referenced during the conference call. It all clicked in his head. “This is all about your father, isn’t it? He did something, or had you do something.”

  “If this gets loose or goes public, thousands—maybe more—could die.” Her lips pressed into a thin line.

  Beth rounded the desk and crouched beside her cousin. “I know you have to stick to your resolve. I know you have to believe you’re doing the right thing, or you’ll go crazy. Yes, the cost has been high, and it could get higher. But you’re not alone. We’re here because you need help, and who better? This isn’t just you anymore.”

  Remy turned a hard stare on Beth. “I get it. You’re supportive now. But that’s not why you and your mom came here. They got close to you, figured out you know where I am. Things got hairy, and you started to doubt the plan. But it was safe, everything was secure until you came here. And why?” Remy’s words hung in the air. “Because something changed for my uncle. This was an entirely political move on the president’s part.”

  Beth stood. “You think I came here because my dad had an agenda?”

  “I know you did. And now everything’s wrong. They’re dead, but we’re still here. I’m sorry that happened. So sorry you don’t even know. Shadrach was…”

  Beth flinched. “What?”

  Remy said nothing.

  “Tell me what you were going to say. What do their deaths have to do with Shadrach?”

  “He was there.” Beth’s face whipped around. Sam absorbed all the emotion, taking it on board because it would be worse if she held it in.

  John said, “We don’t know for sure what happened, but we do know one of the sniper’s bullets wound up in your father’s body.”

  Beth covered her mouth.

  “He didn’t kill Uncle Thomas.”

  “That you know of.” Sam wasn’t going to let Remy skirt out from under this. “What did your father do?”

  Remy took off her glasses and tossed them on the desk. She scrubbed her face with her palms and pushed her hair back.

  “It was research.” The silence stretched to a minute. “That’s what I was told. Research. I didn’t know it had anything to do with my father, otherwise I never would have accepted the position. One day I met with my supervisor. Not that he was my boss; he just sat in his office all day and made phone calls. I spoke with him, informed him I’d made progress on something and on the corner of his desk was a copy of my dad’s book.

  “I didn’t say anything. Our names are different. Thomas did everything he could to keep their relationship as brothers-in-law separate. The same way Susan never mentioned her much older brother. No one knew. I started to keep records of everything I did from that point. When I poked my nose further in, it got cut off. I pulled the evidence I’d saved from my safe deposit box and sent it to Shadrach. I couldn’t risk it being stolen. I got shut down, shut out. People started acting weird. My phones at home and work were bugged. I dug further. I found out the experiments I was doing were being taken and altered. They were attempting to turn a vaccine into a virus and weaponize it. That’s when people started dying. My co-workers. My housekeeper.”

  Sam said, “What did you do?”

  “I broke in one night and stole it.”

  “What?”

  “All of it. Every bit of research from one end to the other all contained in one building. I have never seen arrogance like that in my life. And trust me, I know what arrogance looks like.” Remy took a breath. “I erased myself from existence as best I could. Thomas helped me set up an identity as a hacker for hire. I stole sensitive files, and the president had Grant put me in witness protection. Grant doesn’t know I lied to him.”

  She bent forward, hands in her hair as she squeezed her head. “I didn’t know Thomas and Susan were going to die.”

  “That doesn’t make it any less your fault.”

  Sam glanced at his wife. She’d done well not making the depth of her grief public knowledge, but he was getting the idea she’d reached the end of her tether.

  Remy ignored Beth’s statement. “Beth and Susan came here to convince me to tell them where I hid it.” She glanced at her cousin. “And I can’t help but think why that might be.”

  “It doesn’t matter now. My father is dead. Even if he wanted to use it somehow, he can’t. He’s gone.”

  “I said I was sorry. What else can I do?” Remy looked at John. “Grant only knows this isn’t a normal, testify for immunity deal. It’s just me having to live in hiding. We only lied about the ‘why.’ He felt sorry for me.”

  Sam ushered Beth aside, while John spoke with Remy. He leaned in close. “Are you okay?”

  He’d made her stay inside the library until he knew for sure one shot was all the sniper was planning. Shadrach needed to come out of the mountains and make his intentions plain. He’d killed once and was clearly here to protect both Beth and Remy. But even FORECON, he couldn’t be in two places at once.

  Beth shrugged, so he pulled her into his arms and hugged her.

  “We’ll figure this out.”

  “It won’t get them back.”

  “No, it won’t.” He thought about his dead brothers and what he’d intended to do to Tommy when he either showed up, or when Sam tracked him down. “But it has to end.” He moved his hand to her tummy. “I want both of you to be safe.”

  She nodded, and he kissed her forehead. She pulled away and looked at Remy. “I don’t want these people to get their hands on what you stole any more than you do.”

  “I told you it can’t be destroyed. It’s too unstable.”

  John straightened. “Where is it?”

  Remy stared at him.

  B
eth sighed. “She won’t tell me, either. You think you’re doing us all a favor keeping this a secret, but you’re not. These people will stop at nothing to get to you. To get to me. To get to this, whatever it is that you have. Remy—”

  “You think I want him to find me?”

  Sam let his wife go and crossed the room to her cousin. “Your father is not going to get near you. That’s why you’re here. That’s why Shadrach is here. Right?”

  Remy nodded.

  “Then trust us. But that might mean you need to let us help you keep this thing out of your father’s hands.”

  “But the collateral damage…”

  “It’s not going to ease up unless we finish this.”

  Remy chewed her lip. “Beth said the same thing.”

  “Why do you think I married her?”

  Remy’s lips twitched in a smile. “He really wasn’t trying to kill you. And I don’t know what happened with Thomas and Susan, but Shad didn’t hurt them. He was trying to help.”

  Sam stepped back. “I’m going to figure that out, too.” He grabbed his tablet from the desk and loaded a map of the town—and the mountains. He was going to solve this.

  By finding the sniper and bringing him out into the open.

  **

  Hal leaned against the building. It was getting dark, and fake-Abigail had clocked the man following her an hour ago. Thirty minutes after that, she’d managed to ditch him. It’d been Hal’s idea to let her think her tail was a bunch of bumbling hillbillies—especially since it was working so well for the sheriff. She’d let her guard down more and more if they came across as dense.

  Now they knew where Abigail kept the stash that included a satellite phone of her own. He’d dug it up three days before and planted a tracker in the device. If she made another phone call they’d get more info off this one. Though Ben Mason seemed to have done well after the first. He’d found Abigail Myerson, but no one had heard yet how it went down after his team went in.

  Abigail glanced behind her to the east, but Hal was southeast. She had no idea he was watching her. She strode down the street, and he periodically made his way to a new hiding spot farther down, keeping his distance. He knew every inch of this town. He’d been hiding here from day one—forty years this summer. No one here knew it better than he did. Not after years running the dinky radio station and surveillance on all the electronics in town concurrently. People and their cell phones—it was getting worse over the years, and he’d had to learn it all to keep up with technology’s advances.

  Hal crossed by Bridget’s house but didn’t glance in the window. He doubted the girl would see him. She never did, and it broke his heart every single time. Born here. Raised by Bridget with no clue who Hal was, he’d halfway expected her to quit the town as soon as she turned eighteen and never come back. But she hadn’t.

  Another mystery he couldn’t solve.

  Abigail crossed the street. The path in front of him. The spot where the mayor’s wife had been murdered. Where was she going? Still scanning. She was no agent of espionage, but she’d been taught a few tricks. Abigail ducked around the end of the row of houses. He followed her to the back of Main Street, where she looked up at the apartment above the sheriff’s office.

  John lived there with Andra, his son Pat, and a local special needs kid in his early twenties. What did Abigail want with them?

  Hal waited. Abigail touched something in her ear. A headphone? The cord was out of sight if it was. She put her hand in her jacket pocket. From her stance it was clear she was listening.

  Hal backed up and knocked on the first house, like he’d been strolling by for a visit. So Abigail saw him; that was fine. It would explain why he’d been behind her if she saw him. If.

  “Hal.” The young mom smiled. “What can I do for you?”

  He didn’t look back at Abigail. “Can I use your phone?”

  **

  Beth looked at her cousin. Had she ever really known Remy? They were familiar enough with each other but never what she’d call “close.” Beth had been the one person Remy ran to when her life collapsed, when she’d wanted to put right her mistakes. But was that because they were family, or because Remy needed the access they had to witness protection? The power Beth’s father had possessed to protect her.

  It was too late now to question it, but Beth couldn’t help wondering if, after all of this was done, she and Remy would have much of a relationship. Their lives were entangled, not the least of which was due to the fact Remy was currently her doctor. Beth couldn’t get out of this without endangering her baby.

  The door to the sheriff’s office flung open. Nadia Marie stormed in, flustered and wringing her hands. “I have no idea where Dauntless is.”

  Remy gasped. Nadia shot her a funny look then turned to John. “I know this isn’t in your normal sheriff’s duties but...I don’t know...I’m really worried.”

  John looked at Beth. Remy looked at Sam. Nadia glanced between all of them. “What did I miss?”

  They were going to have to tell her.

  Beth stood. John walked past them all and opened the door, motioning outside with a nod. “Let’s go find Dauntless.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Nadia smiled. “Great, thanks.”

  The door shut.

  Beth said, “Shadrach’s dog is missing?”

  Remy’s eyes widened. Sam said, “John is going to find Shadrach, and he’s taking Nadia Marie with him?”

  Beth shrugged. “Why is that bad?”

  “Shadrach nearly killed me. It isn’t going to be good.”

  “Nadia is his sister. They’re twins.”

  Sam’s mouth opened and he started to nod, but the inside door opened. Andra strode in with a dark look on her face. “Is John here?”

  Beth shook her head. “He went with Nadia to find Dauntless.”

  Andra strode to John’s chair and sat. Folded her arms.

  Sam studied her. “If you’re gonna stay, I have something to find. If you don’t mind.” He motioned between Remy and Beth with a pointed finger.

  “Sam—”

  He turned to his wife. “I have to find Shadrach. If for no other reason than to make sure he doesn’t try to kill anyone else. He’s a wildcard, Bethy. Stay with Andra. She’ll make sure you’re safe until I get back.”

  He kissed her forehead and strode out.

  “Wow. The two of you have got it bad.”

  Andra had said it, but Beth turned to Remy.

  Remy held her hands up, palms out. “I was looking at the door. I wasn’t thinking about Sam.”

  Beth didn’t say anything. She didn’t think Remy had a crush on her husband, but this whole thing had certainly proven she didn’t know her cousin as well as she’d thought she did.

  Andra tipped her head to one side. The world-weary woman, a former assassin, still retained a dose of the wariness she’d had before she was cleared of a murder that took place in Sanctuary. While John had successfully reintegrated her into the town so that she seemed to fit now, there was a trace of the person she had been. Beth had heard all the stories of what Andra had been like before. Now she doted on Pat, had multiple friends, and she smiled.

  “Is there someone…” Andra glanced at Beth.

  Beth was honestly sick of talking about all this, but she figured Andra needed to know if there was a chance Nadia Marie might react badly. “His name is Shadrach Carleigh.”

  Andra sat up. “Nad’s brother? The one missing in action?” She looked at Remy. “I’m so sorry, girl. That’s a tough one, not knowing if your man is—”

  “He’s here.”

  Andra jerked her mouth closed. Her eyes pinned Remy to her chair, judging by the fact Remy squirmed. “Maybe you should run that by me again.”

  When Remy gave her nothing, Beth filled the gap. “Remy is the cause of all of this. Me, my parents, and Sam. Abigail. Harrison being dead. And now Shadrach. The marine sniper is here because he came after Remy.” She turned so her cousin could see he
r face. “He shot at Sam because Sam got in Remy’s face.”

  Remy swallowed.

  “Tell me where you hid it. Tell me so we can all get on with our lives.” Beth took a breath. “At least tell me who these people are, the ones after your father’s work, so we can go after them and put a stop to this.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t.”

  “Then at least tell me what you did, what was so awful you couldn’t let it get out? Because I’m sick to death of being targeted for you, Rem. I need this to be over. I need out so I can get on with my life instead of being sucked into your orbit…again. I know he was a horrible father, and I did the best I could to help when you let me. But you’ve been tangled up in what he made you for so long it’s like you don’t even believe you can out-run this. You think you have to tuck it all inside, and it’ll blow over. But no matter how long you tell yourself that, the storm will come. Eventually your hidey hole will cave in, and you’ll be dragged out into the light all over again.”

  Tears pricked Beth’s eyes, but she pressed on. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You know that. You know we did everything we could to get you out of there, but it’s like every time something happens you walk right back there on your own.”

  “I didn’t know it was his project.”

  Beth said, “They headhunted you.”

  Remy nodded.

  “And as soon as you found out it was him, you took it all and left.”

  “He can’t find me.”

  Beth agreed. “He won’t. Sam already promised you that, and I’m saying the same. We all are. But you have to tell me where you hid it.”

  “Actually, why don’t you tell me?” The door was half open, and the woman who called herself Abigail Myerson stood in the doorway.

  “Why don’t you tell me right now.”