A Cold Dark Promise (A Wedding Novella)

by Toni Anderson

  “Sorry,” she gasped in a deep, shuddering breath and then whispered, “most of the time I can pretend it never happened.” She crossed her arms over her chest and met his gaze. “You always scare me to my bones. I guess you brought it all back.”

  It was his turn to flinch. He knew she thought he was a monster. That’s why she’d come to him for help in the first place.

  “What business was Masook in?” Alex asked.

  Blue eyes were confused as she frowned at him. She was so brittle and composed he wondered she didn’t break. But she held his gaze so they were making progress.

  “When I met him he said his family was in construction.” Her mouth pinched. “I never actually saw him do any work.”

  “One of the idle rich?” Alex mused. He didn’t think Masook was idle, though. He’d bet money the man was just furtive about conducting business that was both lucrative and highly illegal.

  Jane moved away from him and picked up a bottle of wine and poured out a large glass. She held up the bottle. “Would you like one?”

  Alex shook his head. “Tell me about him. How did you two meet?”

  “In Florida at some charity function.” She took a big gulp of wine and put the glass down on the coffee table. She sat abruptly. Condensation gathered on the outside of the glass, and she stroked her finger along the stem. “I can’t lie. His being rich was one of the main things that first attracted me to him. So, it’s my own fault. Don’t they say people who marry for money earn every penny?”

  She gave another cynical laugh, and Alex felt his mouth go dry. He’d only ever guessed at half of her source of pain.

  “I come from a family with deep roots in the south. We knew how to spend money, we just didn’t know how to work for it.” Something changed in her eyes. “At first Ahmed was kind and attentive and showered me in diamonds. I thought I’d hit the jackpot. I fell in love. We got married and I became pregnant straight away, which hadn’t been part of the plan for either of us.” Her lips wobbled. “Then I had Taylor and I fell madly in love with my little girl. My mom and I were never close, so it was unexpected.” She wiped beneath her eyes, pretending she wasn’t crying. “Wait until your child arrives.”

  “I already know.” The love he felt for his and Mallory’s unborn baby was equaled only by the love he felt for Mallory.

  She shook her head. “No. You think you know. You’ve had a glimpse of it, but it’s the tip of the iceberg compared to what’s coming. When you hold them, when you smell the scent of their skin and look into their trusting eyes. They smile at you, and it’s like another universe opens up.” Her eyes met his. Tragic. Anguished. “They own you.”

  He wasn’t sure he’d survive feeling even more for the woman he loved or the child she carried.

  “Ahmed didn’t like me spending more time with Taylor than with him. He became jealous of his own daughter.” She picked up her wine again with a shaking hand and took another big gulp. It was a dangerous way to numb reality but there were worse methods. “That’s why he stole her when I left him. Because he knew that would cause me the most pain.”

  Alex forced the pity from his heart. Pity wasn’t what she wanted from him. “Come with me. I want you to look at a photograph of a man.” He went to his bedroom, and she followed cautiously as he unlocked his suitcase. Alex removed his laptop and started it up.

  He searched the internet for a photograph of Vladimir Ranich without any accompanying details. It wasn’t easy to find, but Alex knew where to look.

  He turned the screen toward Jane. “Did Masook ever do business with this man?”

  She had her hands crossed over her chest and leaned forward from the waist rather than stepping closer to him. Her mouth prepared to form the word “no” until she actually looked at the image.

  “Oh. Yes. I remember him coming to Ahmed’s house in Saudi Arabia once.” She shook her head. “I didn’t actually meet him, and I don’t know if he was there for business or pleasure. I was chasing Taylor around the foyer when he arrived.” Her gaze drifted as she lost herself in memories. “We weren’t introduced. It was just before Ahmed let me take Taylor back to the States to visit my parents. I was busy pretending to be crazy in love with him even though he liked to beat me unconscious at least once a month.” She touched her rib as if a ghost pain still lingered. Alex had that, too. Phantom symptoms of times he’d rather forget.

  “Taylor was two. I knew I had to make him believe I’d never leave him. I told him I didn’t want to go back to the US, that I needed stay with him. He slapped me and ordered the servants to pack.” She smiled a cold, brittle smile of triumph that immediately slid into despair. “He got his revenge when he stole Taylor and ran.” She huddled into herself. “The only positive thing was I got away from him. He would have killed me if I’d stayed. He’ll still kill me if he catches me now.”

  Not on Alex’s watch.

  Masook hadn’t been on the CIA’s radar. Maybe that had changed since Alex had left the agency. Maybe Masook was the real reason The Gateway Project had targeted Jane Sanders in the first place.

  “Looking back, he arranged the trip for me very quickly and never imagined I’d bolt from such a loving husband.” Her eyes sharpened. “Who is the guy in the photograph and why are you asking? Is he involved with Ahmed? Did you see Taylor? Is she okay?” The words ran together as panic overtook her.

  “I saw Taylor.”

  Jane stopped talking, and her eyes got huge. Her hand clenched and unclenched. “How did she look? Did she look happy? How tall is she?”

  Alex pressed his lips together and gave her an approximation of the girl’s height. Jane’s face turned anguished at all the years that represented.

  “Her father was telling her off for sneaking off the boat and playing with the local kids without permission.”

  Jane blanched. “Did he hit her?”

  Alex shook his head. “I didn’t see him raise his hand to her. I did see him shake her. I don’t know for sure what happened when they went inside.”

  Her eyes darted around the room without seeing it. “I never saw him hit anyone else. Only me. I have held onto that hope ever since the day he took her.” She stared off into space for a moment, then her mind seemed to snap back into place and she pointed at the image of Vladimir Ranch on the screen. “Who is this man? What does he have to do with Ahmed?” she asked again.

  Alex pressed his lips together. “I don’t know yet.”

  She eyed him like she knew he was lying. “What was security like?”

  “Minimal.”

  “Are you going back tonight?” She looked so hopeful Alex wanted to lie to her.

  “No. Not tonight. I want to do more recon. First, I need some sleep.” He needed to talk to Frazer.

  She blinked and seemed to become aware she was in his bedroom. She backed away. “Sorry. I’ll leave you alone.”

  All the years they’d worked together and they’d never really trusted one another. They’d both been trapped doing something they hated and had hoarded their secret pain. He was no longer that person. He didn’t want to dislike her anymore.

  “What made you do it? Work for The Gateway Project?” he asked quietly, so Reilly wouldn’t accidentally overhear them.

  She gave a shuddering breath and whispered back. “They told me they’d bring her home to me. Taylor. They said that if I gave them three years of my life they’d make sure Taylor came home and Ahmed wouldn’t be able to find me. Ever. I was three months away from that when…”

  When it had all crashed down around their heads.

  “There was no guarantee they’d have kept their promise,” Alex said gently. “You know that, right?”

  She nodded slowly. “Yes. But some hope was better than none.”

  There was always hope. Always. Even when things looked horrifically bleak. He gave her a soft smile. “We’ll get her back.”

  She swallowed hard as if choking down a sob and walked swiftly away.

  Reilly app
eared in the doorway.

  “Any problems today?” Alex asked.

  Reilly shook his head. “You really gonna get the kid back?”

  “I’m gonna try. Just keep Jane occupied, okay? It’s not going to be as straightforward as I’d hoped. Certain unforeseen things have come up.”

  Reilly cocked a brow. “Things?”

  “Individuals. Dangerous individuals.”

  “Is the child in danger?” Reilly asked quietly.

  “I don’t believe so, but I can’t afford for Jane to get involved in this. She’s a wildcard. Keep her contained, even if you have to chain her to the bed.”

  Something flickered across Reilly’s features and then was gone. “Roger that. I’ll keep her out of trouble.”

  Alex just hoped he could do the same.

  Chapter Six

  “Where the hell are you?” Frazer asked testily.

  “You mean on a lazy Saturday morning?” Alex answered casually. It was already evening in the south of France, of course. He’d made a decision and needed Frazer’s help. If Jane found out, she’d gut him, and he wasn’t sure he’d blame her.

  The audible equivalent of an eye roll came down the line. “I was going to organize a few drinks tonight. Figured that was part of my best man duties.”

  Alex laughed. “You going to try and get me drunk?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Frazer mocked. “But there is a bar at the academy.”

  Alex and Frazer both had too many enemies and too many trust issues to get hammered in a bar anywhere except maybe the FBI’s National Academy. No way in hell would either of them get drunk there.

  “No strippers?” Truthfully Alex hadn’t even thought about a bachelor party. It seemed too normal for a man like him.

  Frazer grunted. “Rooney would kill me. So would Izzy.”

  “So would I.” Strippers held little appeal when you were in love with a smart, beautiful woman. “I should have organized a trip down to Haley’s private island for the weekend,” Alex said. The men who’d attacked Patrick Killion and Audrey Lockhart had been removed and repatriated months ago. Haley still didn’t know exactly what had happened, but she had asked about the bullet holes in the front door. Alex was glad they’d never breached the main house. Haley would have strung him up by his balls if it had been damaged.

  “I hadn’t planned any strippers, but I did round up a couple of the guys to come over tonight for a few beers and some steak. When can you get here?”

  Alex hesitated. “Something came up.”

  He sensed the moment Frazer’s focus shifted. “How so?”

  “You at your laptop?”

  “I’m sitting on my deck with a beer. Izzy is insisting on making me brunch before she catches a flight to OBX to close on her houses. Kit’s going with her and they’re driving back in Kit’s car—alone.” Disapproval dripped from Frazer’s tone.

  Alex understood it. It was disgruntlement that they couldn’t wrap the people they loved in cotton wool. Dissatisfaction they couldn’t force the world to their will.

  “Izzy and Kit can take care of themselves. They should be fine.” Frazer’s girlfriend was a former Army captain and routinely carried a Glock. Alex liked her. She was reserved. Alex was reserved, too. People with secrets generally were. She and Lincoln Frazer were perfect for one another.

  “I know she should be fine. Doesn’t stop me from thinking about all the bad things that could happen.” Frazer’s tone was beyond pissed and made Alex smile. He sympathized. He really did. Unfortunately, they didn’t get to make all the rules when it came to the women they loved.

  “What’s up?” Frazer asked with a sigh.

  “I’m going to send you two photographs.” Alex hit send and carried on talking. “The one guy’s name is Vladimir Ranich. The second is Ahmed Masook.”

  “Jane Sander’s ex.”

  “Yes.”

  It made sense that Frazer had checked Jane out. He’d checked out everybody associated with The Gateway Project.

  “Alex,” Frazer finally drew out, “where did you get these images?”

  Time to ’fess up. “I took them this afternoon in Antibes.”

  There was a long-suffering sigh. “I know you aren’t working—so what’s going on?”

  Alex expelled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. When Frazer said “working” he wasn’t talking cybersecurity. “If I was working I wouldn’t tell you, you know that, right?”

  Frazer laughed. “I know you better than that, Alex. You asked me to be best man for a reason.”

  It was humbling to realize Frazer trusted him even though Alex had killed more people than most serial killers. Death was often the most effective solution to a serious problem, but Alex couldn’t do it anymore. He couldn’t pass judgment or carry out a sentence for other people’s misdeeds. Not unless someone forced his hand.

  “You know you’re getting married next weekend, right?” Frazer said drolly. “You need to get a move on and tell me what’s going on.”

  Alex glanced at the door. Jane and Reilly were both sleeping. He’d set up a basic alarm system that would alert him to intruders or to anyone trying to leave the property. He didn’t trust Jane’s ability to resist spying on her child. He’d swept for bugs. Twice.

  “Jane discovered Masook was in Antibes and that he’d brought their daughter with him.”

  “So, let Interpol serve the arrest warrant,” said Frazer reasonably.

  “Jane thinks he’ll have paid off enough local cops to receive a warning and flee. If that happens she’ll never see her daughter again.”

  Frazer huffed. “So, she asked you to help her?”

  “I said no.”

  “And yet there you are.”

  “She was gonna try and do this herself.” Alex let out a frustrated breath and ran his hand through his short hair. “She played by the rules, Linc. She went through the court system and allowed Masook to see his child even though she must have hated taking that risk. And he fucked her over. Gave the legal system the bird because he’s a rich asshole and thinks the rules don’t apply to him.” His voice vibrated with anger.

  “And you’re such a fan of rules. What else?”

  “He hit her.”

  Silence on the other end of the line. Violence was common in their business, but there was something particularly wretched about a man hitting his wife.

  “Tell me about this other guy Ranich,” said Frazer.

  “When I was working for the agency he was funneling weapons from old soviet military installations into the black market. I showed Jane a photograph and she said she’d seen Ranich at Masook’s house once, but she doesn’t know anything about him and hadn’t been introduced.”

  “You believe her?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “So, you think Vladimir Ranich is selling arms to Ahmed Masook?”

  “Not necessarily. But I am sure Masook’s legitimate businesses don’t make enough money for him to live the way he does, and it seems like a hell of a coincidence they just happen to be here at the same time.”

  Frazer groaned. He knew this was too big for either of them to ignore.

  “Ranich might also be looking to buy something for the Russians.” Alex thought about the woman who’d watched him in the cafe. She might have been attracted by his devilish good looks, but his spidey senses had pinged way too fervently for that. “I think the Agency might be involved. And if not Five Eyes or Israel, then possibly France or Germany.”

  “Ah, hell.” Frazer wasn’t making him feel any better.

  “If I go in and grab the kid then I might fuck up an operation. But if our intelligence agencies aren’t involved, or the ICs of our allies aren’t involved…”

  “Then they should be. But bringing them into the loop ruins your chance of grabbing the kid.” Frazer swore. “Why do you always make things complicated?”

  “It’s a gift,” Alex said. “Look, I’m going to go back to the marina to see what I c
an discover, but if you don’t hear from me for a few days…”

  “Oh, no. Nope. You called me. Now we’re doing this my way,” Frazer told him.

  “Only if you can guarantee getting the kid back and me getting home in time to marry the woman of my dreams.”

  They both knew that in this sort of situation there were no guarantees. Frazer swore colorfully. Frazer didn’t usually get flustered, but being a best man had clearly upset his equilibrium.

  Alex heard him talking to someone before coming back on the line. “Don’t do anything until you hear from me, understand? I’ve a few contacts I can leverage, but if there’s an illegal arms deals going down we need to know about it.”

  “That’s why I called you.” And why, if she found out, Jane Sanders would have Alex’s head.

  Chapter Seven

  Monday morning, Alex was back at that same cafe, reading another copy of Die Zeit, drinking another cappuccino and slowly going out of his ever-loving mind. Today he wore a pale blue, linen shirt, cream, linen pants and a white, straw fedora and dark sunglasses. He missed his jeans. He missed his combat boots. He missed Mallory more.

  The good news was he’d written one-hundred place names on customized white cards in his best handwriting. The bad news was he still had another hundred to go. He’d run background checks on everyone attending their wedding and some of the guests he wouldn’t let look after his potted plants. But they were friends of the senator’s or the judge’s and, apparently, the groom didn’t get a say. He’d hired another firm to provide security as an added precaution. He wasn’t expecting trouble, but neither was he taking any chances.

  Frazer had gone dark, which wasn’t like the guy. Alex needed to make a decision about whether or not to fulfill his primary objective and grab the kid, or pursue this new angle. Putting arms dealers out of business wasn’t his job anymore, but defeating terrorism was everyone’s problem. No one got a free pass.

  Jane was getting antsy. Reilly had his hands full trying to keep her occupied and contained.