No One to Trust (Hidden Identity Book #1): A Novel

by Eason, Lynette

  33

  A knock on the door startled them. Silas swung his glare from his wife to the door. The knob turned and Laura Todd stepped into the room.

  Olivia jumped up. “Honey, what are you doing? You’re supposed to be waiting outside.”

  Her small hand trembled, but she notched her chin. “I want to talk to the judge.”

  “But you’ve already—”

  “No, I mean again.”

  Summer glanced at the judge, who leaned forward with a frown. “Young lady, this is a very serious meeting we’re having here and you’re interrupting.”

  She met him frown for frown. “And it’s my future that you’re meeting about so I think I should have a say in it.”

  “I gave you that chance. You didn’t have a whole lot to say.”

  “Well, I was scared of you before.”

  “And now you’re not?”

  “Oh I’m still scared of you, but I’m more scared of my daddy, so may I please talk to you?”

  Olivia gasped. Then silence echoed around the room. Silas’s face grew red. He stood. “Laura, you need to stop this nonsense and wait outside. Now.”

  Laura looked at him. “No. Not until I talk to the judge. I hate you and I want him to know why.”

  “Laura—” Silas’s voice took on a menacing edge that had his lawyer placing a hand on the man’s forearm. Silas took a deep breath and settled back into his seat.

  Laura asked the judge, “Are you going to make us have to see him?”

  The judge sighed. “Honey, I have two daughters.” He pointed to Silas. “A father who would fight so hard to keep custody of his girls deserves to see them.”

  Tears filled Laura’s eyes. “Even when he screams at them that he hates them and tells them that he wishes they were never born? Even when he gets drunk and hits them?” she whispered.

  “I object.” Silas’s lawyer leaned forward. “Judge, this is irrelevant. You’ve already talked to the children.”

  “Shut up,” Judge Morton said.

  The lawyer snapped his lips shut, then started to say something else.

  Judge Morton nailed him. “You want me to hold you in contempt?”

  The man stayed quiet, speaking volumes of displeasure with his body language. The judge turned and shot a ferocious frown at Silas.

  Silas slammed a fist on the table. “Laura, why are you doing this? I’ve never laid a finger on you.”

  Summer thought Silas’s blood pressure might just cause him to stroke out and save them all a lot of grief.

  The little girl trembled and stepped closer to her mother. Olivia reached out to hold her daughter’s hand.

  Judge Morton asked, “Why didn’t you mention any of this when you had the chance to tell me earlier today?”

  “I couldn’t get my tongue to work. I was scared.” She swallowed hard. “But I have to do this for Sandy.”

  “Your little sister.”

  Laura nodded. “My dad doesn’t hit me, but he hits her. He even put her in the hospital with a punctured lung.”

  “Laura, that’s a lie,” Silas growled. “Now shut your mouth.”

  “It’s not a lie and I have proof.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out an iPhone.

  Olivia lifted a brow. “Where did you get that?”

  “It’s Claudia’s. She let me take it home one day after school.” She swallowed hard. “The day Daddy hurt Sandy so bad.” She tapped the screen. “We were playing with it. Sandy was recording me singing and stuff. Then Daddy came home. He was mad because Mom hadn’t started making dinner yet. But she was sick and didn’t feel good. She was throwing up and everything, and Daddy wasn’t supposed to be home until the next day anyway. He got home early.”

  Olivia didn’t make a sound. Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.

  Judge Morton leaned back in his chair. “Go on.”

  With a glare at her father, Laura tapped a few more times, then handed the phone to the judge. “Sandy left the phone recording. Press Play.”

  “I object,” Silas’s lawyer said. “We haven’t had the chance to review this.”

  “Neither have we,” Summer snapped.

  “Be quiet, both of you.”

  He stared at Laura, who stood trembling, everything about her shouting her desire to flee and her determination to be brave and make the adults in the room listen to her.

  “Press Play. Please, sir.”

  The judge did.

  A child’s singing, girls giggling echoed through the room.

  Then a door slammed. Curses rent the air.

  Silas jumped up once again. “Shut it off!”

  “Sit down,” the judge roared.

  The officers moved toward Silas as he started around the table. His lawyer stopped him. “Sit.”

  “The video was rigged.”

  From the phone, Silas’s voice echoed, “Where’s your mother? Where’s that lazy, lying, no good—”

  “I’m here, Silas,” Olivia’s weak voice answered.

  “So this is what happens when I’m gone? You haven’t even started dinner?” He called her a few more names.

  A whimper. “I’ll start now, Silas. I’m sorry. I’ll start now.”

  “Leave her alone!” The young girl’s voice echoed through the room. Sandy, the younger child.

  “Sandy, no!” An older girl’s voice. Laura.

  Heavy footsteps. Then a sharp crack. A gasping cry of pain. “Talk back to me, will you? Guess it’s time to teach you some manners.”

  What followed was too horrible to listen to. Summer wanted to cover her ears. She didn’t. She listened and swallowed the ever-present nausea churning in her stomach, flinching at Sandy’s high-pitched screams and Laura’s cries for him to stop.

  Summer wanted to rail at the man who’d done this to his family, a man who could beat a child. She glanced at the judge. Even he looked horrified.

  Olivia wept silently. Silas sat still and glared at them all. And even though she trembled, Laura glared right back.

  Judge Morton broke the silence. “Full custody granted to Olivia Todd.” He looked at Silas. “No visitation until you get the help you obviously need.” He looked at the two officers near the door. “Take him into custody. Charge him with child abuse. I’m not sure on how many counts, but it’ll be enough to put him away for a while.”

  Laura burst into tears and raced around the table to fling herself into the judge’s arms. “Thank you.”

  Judge Morton looked stunned and gave her back an awkward pat. He held her away and looked into her eyes. “No one is going to hurt you anymore.” He guided her to her mother. Olivia held her and stroked her hair as Laura closed her eyes and wept.

  Silas bolted to his feet with a roar. “No! You can’t do this!” He rushed toward his wife. “You’re dead!”

  The nearest officer slammed into Silas, tackling him to the floor. He whipped his hands behind his back. “And you’re under arrest.”

  Summer sat, stunned by the abrupt end to the ordeal. As the officers led a protesting Silas down the hall, Olivia lifted her gaze. The judge cleared his throat and Laura grinned at her mother through her tears. “I didn’t believe her, but Summer was right, Mom. God sometimes answers prayers in a big way.”

  David and Summer, flanked by Adam and Chase, walked toward the exit. David squeezed her hand. “You did it.”

  Summer took a deep breath. “Yeah, well, I think I’ll give God and Laura the credit for this one.”

  “Silas was not a happy man.”

  “Nope.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m better. I’m so glad I was here.” She looked at him. “You understand why I had to put my life on the line to be here?”

  “Oh yeah. I understand.”

  She nodded and they continued their trek through the courthouse flanked by the two marshals.

  “I don’t think I’m mad at God anymore,” she said. He lifted a brow and she shrugged. “Remember in the car I was so furious
with you? You had said something like I didn’t deserve what you’d done?”

  Wary, he eyed her. “Yeah.”

  “I’m glad God doesn’t always give us what we deserve. We deserve to be miserable creatures for as long as we’re on this earth, and yet he delivers us from evil time and time again.”

  “And uses children to do it sometimes.”

  “Exactly. Laura will always know that she was a hero today.”

  “So were you.”

  She gave a half laugh.

  A pop sounded and Chase dropped.

  “Gun!” Adam yelled as he shoved David toward the nearest door. The stairs. Chaos erupted inside the courthouse.

  “Chase!” David resisted.

  Adam gave him another hard push. “I’ll take care of him. You’re the priority. Now go!”

  David grabbed Summer and pulled her with him into the stairwell. A bullet slammed into the door just above his head. He shoved the door closed and guided Summer halfway down the steps. “Stop here.”

  Shivering, shaking, she obeyed without a sound. David had his weapon in his hand, ready to use it. The stairwell door opened once again and he lifted the gun.

  Adam stumbled through it. “Go, go, go. The car’s coming around.”

  He spoke into his mic. David kept a tight grip on Summer’s hand as he descended to the basement floor.

  “Who was able to get a gun in here?” David demanded. Security had been so tight.

  His question went unanswered as they burst through the basement door. Three black SUVs sat waiting, engines running. Adam opened the door to the middle vehicle and Summer climbed in. David followed her. Bennie sat at the wheel.

  Adam said, “Get them out of here.”

  “What about you?” Summer finally spoke.

  “I’m making sure no one’s following you. Bennie will take care of you. You’ve got marshals in front of you and marshals behind you. See you soon.” He shut the door.

  The first vehicle took off with a squeal of tires. Bennie was right after him. The third vehicle stayed close behind.

  They exited the parking garage into the sunlight. David squinted. The SUV in front of them peeled off around a corner. Bennie went straight. He turned to see the vehicle behind them go in yet a third direction. At least they knew what they were doing. If anyone was trying to follow, they’d have to guess which vehicle David and Summer were in. Hopefully they would guess wrong.

  David watched the mirrors. No sign they were being followed. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a brief moment. Summer sat silent beside him.

  The car jerked to the right and David slammed into the door. “Hey!”

  Bennie put the vehicle in Park and turned. “Sorry about that.”

  “What are you doing?”

  Bennie lifted his left hand and David found himself staring into the barrel of a Glock 40.

  34

  Summer pulled in a deep breath. No, no, no. This was not happening.

  She noticed David kept his hands where Bennie could see them so she did too. “You?”

  Bennie gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Money talks. Give me your gun.”

  David handed over his weapon. “So what now? You kill us?” he asked.

  “Nope, I need you alive. At least for now.” He turned the weapon to Summer’s face. She flinched and pulled back. The gun followed her. She wished she had her own weapon with her. Because of David’s status as still active military and his work with the FBI, he’d been allowed to keep his gun in the courthouse. Summer had had to turn hers over. She hadn’t had time to get it before the shooting broke out.

  “Now hand over your phones.”

  David narrowed his eyes and for a moment Summer thought he might refuse, but when Bennie kept the gun on her face, David reached in his pocket and tossed the phone into the front seat. Summer did the same.

  With his right hand, Bennie handed back a set of handcuffs. “Put these on him.”

  Summer took them. Looked at them. And said, “No.”

  He lifted a brow. “Then I’ll kill your sister, and I’ll kill you while David watches.”

  David shifted. “Put them on me, Summer,” David said.

  She saw his eyes darken, trying to tell her something.

  “Behind your back,” Bennie ordered.

  David shifted and put his hands behind his back. “Do it, Summer.”

  “David, I—”

  “Just do it,” he snapped.

  The ring of the first cuff encircled his right wrist. Then the second. She left them loose.

  “Tighten them. I need to hear a few more clicks.”

  Summer tightened them and glared at the marshal. “You leave my sister out of this.”

  Bennie smirked and, without taking his eyes from Summer, said, “She’s already in it.” He reached over one more time and handed her a phone. “Take a look at this and see if it’s a little incentive for your cooperation.”

  Summer snatched the phone and, with a shaking finger, pressed Play.

  David watched over her shoulder.

  Marlee’s scared face came onto the screen. She glanced up at the person holding the phone, then back to the camera. Tear stains tracked her cheeks. “Summer? I’m sorry. They came in and killed the marshals.” A sob escaped and a hand slapped her across the face. She screamed.

  Summer gasped and flinched.

  A voice said, “Focus. Say it.”

  Marlee sniffed, her cheek already puffing up. “They’re going to kill me unless you give them what they want. That laptop. You’ve got to give it to them.” The video stopped.

  Summer threw the phone at Bennie. It smacked him in the forehead. He glared and his nostrils flared. “Temper, temper.”

  Bennie heaved their phones into the bushes lining the parking lot. Then he opened the driver’s door, got out, and opened the door next to Summer. She wanted to cringe, lean in to David.

  Instead, she stared at Bennie, refusing to cower. He snagged her arms behind her back and cuffed her. He shoved her back into the seat, and she fell against David with a cry she couldn’t hold back. He tensed and she could tell he wanted nothing more than to lunge at the man, but she was in the way. Which was probably a good thing.

  She righted herself and glared at Bennie.

  He ignored her and climbed back into the driver’s seat. “Now, David. I need you to give me directions on how to find this elusive laptop that Raimondi wants so bad.”

  “So, it’s come to this, has it?”

  “I’m afraid so. Now which way?” He held up the phone. “One call is all it takes to start killing off everyone your wife loves. Starting with her sister.”

  Summer couldn’t stop the groan that escaped her.

  David glanced at her and said, “Get on I-26 and go west, then get on I-40 toward Asheville.”

  “That’s better.”

  “How are you going to explain our disappearance to your boss?” David asked. “You were the only one in the car we got in.”

  “I appreciate the concern, but you don’t need to worry about that. I’ve got it taken care of.”

  “Where’s Mike?” David asked.

  “Again, not your concern.”

  “Oh come on, Bennie, did you kill the man? What’s the big secret at this point?”

  Silence from the front seat. Summer felt her heart drop. “You did, didn’t you?” she whispered. “You killed him.”

  “Mike was too nosy for his own good. Figured out some things he should have left alone.”

  David blew out a breath. “He didn’t know about the tracking device on Summer’s necklace so he figured someone from the inside was leaking our whereabouts. He went to you, didn’t he?”

  “Like I said, it doesn’t matter.”

  But David wasn’t done. Summer could almost hear his brain whirling. “When he told you his suspicions, you didn’t know about the tracking device either, did you? So when Mike told you he thought someone on the inside was ratting us out, yo
u got nervous because you’d been feeding Raimondi information.”

  More silence.

  David let out a harsh laugh. “You weren’t sure if he suspected you and was feeling you out, getting your reaction, or just had the misfortune to pick you to report his suspicions to. So you killed him to make sure it didn’t matter. How close am I?”

  “Pretty close,” Bennie said. The coldness in his voice made Summer shiver.

  David clamped his jaw shut and Summer could see his desperate struggle to control himself. For a few moments, he stayed quiet. His arms moved, restless against the back of the seat.

  Finally, he stilled and took a deep breath. Her heart pounded in her throat and terror clogged her lungs. His wallet fell to the seat between them. He turned his head and caught her eye. “Get ready,” he mouthed.

  She frowned. “For what?” she silently asked, moving her lips to form the words, making sure Bennie wasn’t watching in the rearview mirror.

  “Escape,” he whispered.

  “How?”

  He shook his head. They rode in silence for the next hour. Summer leaned her head against the window, her nerves shot, her stomach threatening upheaval at any moment. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes to offer up prayers to the God she struggled with.

  Please, God, if you’re there, do something. I don’t know why you’ve let this happen, but I don’t want to die.

  A tear leaked down her cheek and she swiped it against her shoulder.

  Please, God. Save us.

  “What now?” Bennie’s question made her jerk. Her wrists ached and her shoulders protested the awkward position, but she just bit her lip and watched David’s face.

  “Keep going and turn at the next exit. Follow that road until you see a bunch of trees.”

  “Great directions, Hackett. Street names?”

  “I don’t remember. Just drive. I’ll tell you where to go.”

  With an annoyed sigh, Bennie did as directed, following David’s instructions. He got on the phone and talked low with whoever was on the other end. After they hit I-40 and headed into North Carolina, every once in a while David would give Bennie another set of directions.