Tangled Mark

by Becky Harmon

“Just come with me, okay.” Her tone had softened. “You want to know what’s going on. Right?”

  Nikki followed Angela to the parking lot and tossed her bag into the backseat of the red Charger when Angela unlocked its doors.

  “Show me the pictures,” Angela said when they were both in the car with the doors shut.

  Nikki pulled the two pictures from her bag and handed them to Angela.

  Angela took a deep breath and picked up her phone. After a minute, she began to talk, and Nikki listened to her side of the conversation. “I’m coming in with Mitchell.” She paused as she listened to the voice on the other end. “Yes, she has information we need.” Angela put the car in gear and exited the parking lot as she listened. “No, I don’t see any other choice.”

  She hung up the phone and glanced at Nikki. “You’re right. We don’t know where Mel and Liam are.”

  “Shit.”

  “The last time we heard from them was Friday morning. We did know Mel had been shot and that they were thinking about taking down your contact after the package pickup.”

  “That was the plan when we talked to them about an hour before, but we didn’t see them there. We just hoped they were out of sight.” Nikki sighed. “Carter had said she would call when they were secure in case they needed to know what was in the package. I texted her several times but got no response, and when I called her phone it went straight to voice mail.”

  Angela nodded. “I’ll let Mrs. Bowden tell you what we’ve done so far.”

  “She’s in charge of the mission for you guys?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you think she’s going to read me in?”

  “Yes.” Angela looked at her. “But if she doesn’t, I will.”

  Nikki nodded and sat back in the seat.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  A door slammed causing Mel and Liam to freeze. Angry voices speaking Hebrew filled the silence.

  Mel touched Liam’s arm and leaned close. She closed her eyes and concentrated on translating and identifying the voices. The men stomped around above their heads before exiting back out the door and slamming it behind them.

  “I’m fairly sure that was Daniel Abbott,” Mel stated. “Were they talking about food?”

  “Yes, the one you think is Daniel wants to give us food and water. It appears we’ve been held for over twenty-four hours now.”

  “Well, that explains my hunger and the need for a bathroom.”

  “Yeah, as much as I would like food, I would like to have my hands free more.”

  Mel nodded even though he couldn’t see her. They needed to get their hands and feet free so they could defend themselves.

  * * *

  Nikki was surprised when Angela pulled to a stop in front of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse on Parker Street. The roll-up door rumbled loudly as it raised to allow them access. Angela pulled into the first available spot and Nikki followed her quietly as she went inside. She couldn’t believe this office was a part of Flagler. It was something out of a futuristic movie. Nikki had been in the operations room at Flagler a few times, but it was half the size of this room. There were at least ten large-screen computers, and three life-sized screens filled the opposite corner of the room. A fiftyish, tall, thin woman stood beside the only other person in the room. Her long, dirty-blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail accentuating the attractive features of her face. She was dressed in a gray pantsuit and she leaned over the technician’s shoulder while he typed on the keyboard. Both of them watched the monitor in front of them.

  The woman looked up as they approached. She appraised Nikki but said nothing and Nikki felt the intensity of her stare. Angela stepped forward and spoke first. “Mrs. Bowden.” She gestured toward Nikki. “Meet Agent Nicole Mitchell.”

  Nikki reached out her hand, and Bowden hesitated a second before she responded in kind. Her grip was firm, but the look on her face made it clear she was not quick to trust an outsider. She stepped away from the monitor and headed for the coffeemaker. Nikki glanced at Angela and then followed her across the room, trailed by Angela. Bowden’s stride was long, and she had a touch of what Nikki would call a swagger despite her feminine appearance. In fact, Nikki thought, she looked like an older version of Mel. Feeling an instant bond with her, she decided to ignore her initial hostility. If Mel trusted this woman, she needed to as well. Bowden poured a mug of coffee and handed it to Nikki.

  “Thank you.” Nikki inhaled the aroma before taking a sip.

  “You looked like you could use a cup.” She glanced at Angela. “You?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  Bowden poured two more mugs and handed one to Angela before picking up her own. She took a seat at the small table beside the break area. She glanced at Angela and then at Nikki. “You have something for me to see?”

  Nikki glanced at Angela and then pulled the photos out of her bag. Bowden adjusted the glasses on the end of her nose and closely examined the pictures before glancing up at them. She removed her glasses and tossed them on the table, her scowl taking in Angela and Nikki. “Where did these come from?”

  “They were in the package Brad and I picked up before leaving Tel Aviv,” Nikki said hesitantly. She was in the presence of a supervisor within Flagler ranks, and she knew they had broken a lot of rules by opening the envelope. Though she was a little ashamed that her actions did not follow protocol, she also was ready to defend them. Mel was missing, and she would make it clear nothing would stand in her way. “Agents were missing,” Nikki stated.

  Bowden appraised her and Nikki again felt the intensity of her stare. She eventually nodded and returned her eyes to the photographs. “And you recognize this location?”

  “Yes, it’s outside Daniel Abbott’s apartment.” Nikki looked at Bowden and then Angela, searching for a sign of recognition to the name. Neither acknowledged, so Nikki continued. “The other two photos in the envelope were of Agent Carter standing on the same street outside a coffee shop. They were fuzzy and it’ll be hard for anyone to identify her.”

  “But you could?” Bowden again made eye contact searching Nikki’s face.

  “Yes.” Nikki could have said more. She could have explained how she identified Mel’s button-down shirt or the soft curves of her hips that melted into the hard-muscled thighs or the cocky stance that looked so natural on Mel. She didn’t say any of these things. She waited for Bowden to ask her next question.

  Bowden took a sip of her coffee as she held Nikki’s eyes with her own. Whatever she was searching for, she seemed to find and set her mug on the table with a thump. “Okay, then. Tell me everything that you know.”

  Nikki frowned. “I will, but first I’d like to know what’s being done to find them.”

  After a minute, Bowden finally nodded. “By the time our second team had boots on the ground, we knew something was wrong. Both Agent Russo and Agent Carter had turned off their phones. We immediately split the team, and two went to the package site and two went to the hotel to sweep their room.”

  Nikki glanced away as she remembered the note she had left for Mel. Relieved she hadn’t signed her name, she covered her movement with a drink from the mug.

  Bowden watched her closely. “I’m guessing we’re going to find your prints all over the room?”

  Nikki nodded and then added. “Brad’s too.”

  Bowden leaned back in her chair, and it was clear to Nikki she had reached her own conclusion. “And the note on hotel stationery was from you?”

  Nikki blushed involuntarily. She wouldn’t, no, she couldn’t deny she was involved with Mel. She stared back into Bowden’s eyes before answering. “Yes.”

  “Well, that’ll save us some time then.” She looked across the room at the technician. “Hey, Todd, scratch the analysis of the note.”

  “Roger that,” he called back.

  Bowden looked back at Nikki. “Is there anything else we need to know right now?” Nikki shook her head. “Okay. So, we have a progra
m set up to ping their phones every thirty seconds. No luck so far. The data from their computers has been sent back to us, and we’re combing through it.” She sighed and, for the first time, Nikki saw the stress in her eyes. “At this time we have nothing.”

  “You’re aware they were tailing Daniel Abbott?” Nikki asked, focusing on Bowden but watching Angela’s reactions from the corner of her eye.

  Bowden gave a small nod. “We sent a team to pick him up, but he wasn’t at home so they’re sitting on his apartment. The embassy car was still parked on the street.”

  Nikki exploded to her feet. “Then that’s where they were taken from. They didn’t even go to the package pickup.” As she said the words, their meaning slammed into her and she dropped back into her chair. “It’s true then. They have been taken hostage,” she said slowly.

  “We’ve come to the same conclusion, Nikki.” Angela spoke for the first time.

  Nikki rubbed her face. “Why didn’t you just tell me that?” She felt the fear grab her as she looked at Angela.

  “Agent Mitchell.” Bowden called Nikki’s attention back to her. “We needed to see if you reached the same conclusion. You were on the ground with them and we weren’t sure if something might have changed their position. Now maybe you’ll tell us everything you know.”

  Nikki nodded and began replaying everything from the time they had followed Liam and Mel back to the hotel on Thursday. She saw Bowden frown when she said Brad went with Liam for surveillance, but she kept talking. She didn’t need to justify their participation, especially now, when they were the last ones to have contact with the two missing agents. Nikki sat up as she remembered the data Liam had found in Daniel’s apartment.

  “He has another cell phone. One Carter didn’t know about.”

  Bowden frowned. “Who has another cell phone?”

  Nikki looked around. “You have Agent Carter’s data from her laptop?”

  Angela nodded and crossed the room, returning with a laptop and a data stick. She handed both to Nikki without looking at Bowden for approval. Nikki inserted the data stick and began looking through Mel’s files. She found the pictures Liam had sent of the cell phone bill and enlarged them on the screen. “Daniel Abbott has a second cell phone. The bill shows an incoming call from Mr. Flagler’s office.”

  Bowden read the cell phone number off the screen to Todd, and he began typing. “Big screen, Todd.” Todd hit a few buttons and his computer screen was mirrored on one of the big screens in the corner of the room. Bowden, followed by Nikki and Angela, crossed the room to stand in front of it.

  “It’s on right now,” Todd said excitedly. “Searching…got it. He’s at the coffee shop on his street.”

  Nikki frowned. “What’s he up to?”

  “Maybe he’s watching the new surveillance team,” Angela suggested.

  “And having a latte?” Nikki grumbled.

  Bowden turned back to Todd. “See who else has been calling that number. I’m going to call and have the team pick him up.”

  Nikki looked at Angela and then crossed back to the table. “I’m going to keep looking through Carter’s data.”

  “I’ll get Liam’s data and join you.” Angela tried to give her a reassuring smile. “We’ll find them.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Mel stuck the tips of her fingers in her mouth. They were raw where the blisters had ruptured. “Almost there,” she mumbled, her fingers still in her mouth. “Just give me a minute.”

  Liam stood and stretched before sitting back down in front of her. Ignoring the pain shooting through her fingers, Mel pulled on the knots with renewed vigor, tugging the ropes back and forth. “I’ve got them,” she finally said as she unwound the remaining ropes.

  Liam rubbed his wrists. “Let me see yours.”

  “Hold on.” Mel wrapped the rope around one of his wrists and then wrapped the rope that held his feet and hands together around the other wrist. “Now if they come back before we’re completely untied, you can put your hands behind your back and hold your feet. It’ll look like you’re still tied if they don’t look too closely.”

  “Good idea.” He began working on the knots at her wrists.

  Mel swallowed hard and tried not to think about water or food. She tried to calculate how much time had passed, but without her watch or cell phone, she had no idea.

  “How long do you think we’ve been down here?”

  “I’m not sure. We know we were unconscious for most of the first twenty-four hours at least.”

  “So it must be the middle of the night now.” Mel stretched her legs out to the side and tried to ignore the pain that rippled through her ribs.

  Liam heard her small intake of breath and paused. “Ribs?”

  “Yep. They surprise me every time I move.” Mel paused for a second, looking around her. “It’s so dark. I wonder if this is a bomb shelter.”

  “I thought so too.” Liam tugged on the knots at her wrist. “He didn’t wrap yours as tight as mine. It shouldn’t take long to get these off.”

  Mel felt the tug and pull as Liam worked on the knots holding her hands together. She moved her thumb and gently touched the ruptured blisters on the tips of her fingers. Not for the first time since she had woken up, she thought about Nikki and how she would be taking her disappearance. She remembered the panicked look on her face when she had seen the bullet wound and wondered if anyone from her team would give Nikki information. Remembering Nikki’s rage when they’d first started tailing her, Mel felt sorry for anyone who might stand in her way.

  She felt the pressure release as Liam pulled the remaining ropes off her wrists. She gave each one an involuntary rub before holding them back out for Liam to put the fake knots back on each one.

  They each pulled their knees into their chests and began working on the ropes holding their feet together. It didn’t take long until they were free and both immediately stood stretching. “You don’t think…” Mel trotted quietly up the stairs and tested the locked doorknob. “Well, it was worth a try.” She came back down the stairs and started walking around the room until she found a wall. Tracing her fingers across the cold brick she circled the room. “Guess it is a bunker.”

  “Yeah,” Liam answered. “Not a single ray of light.”

  “I don’t think the stairs are wide enough to try and kick the door down.”

  Before Liam could answer they heard movement above them. A door slammed and footsteps crossed the floor.

  * * *

  Angela set a cup of fresh coffee beside Nikki before dropping into the chair across from her. Nikki nodded her thanks but continued to search through the data Mel had compiled on Daniel Abbott.

  “So,” Angela said casually. “You and Carter, huh?”

  Nikki leaned around her computer screen to see Angela’s face. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw Angela grinning. “Yeah. I guess so.” Nikki hesitated. Would Mel say they were together? She felt weird talking about them being together when she didn’t even know where Mel was. “I mean we haven’t talked about it or anything.” Nikki struggled with the appropriate words. “Besides, we were a little busy with her getting shot and all.”

  “Right. I wasn’t trying to put you on the spot, Nikki. I just wanted to make sure I had it correct before I stepped on someone’s feet.”

  “Well, you should talk with Carter first. I can’t really speak for her,” Nikki stammered. Would Mel be interested in Angela? Her entire body roared with jealousy as she thought of anyone other than her touching Mel. “I don’t really know who she’s interested in so you should wait and talk with her.” Nikki looked up at Angela and stopped talking.

  “Wow.” Angela gave her a slow smile. “That was an interesting speech, but I was actually thinking of asking out you, not Carter.”

  “Oh.” Nikki’s face flushed but she recovered quickly. “I can speak for myself then.” She winked at Angela. “I’m flattered, but someone else has my attention right now.”


  Angela laughed. “She’s a lucky woman.”

  “No, I am,” Nikki said softly as she closed the open file and selected a new one. Mel’s disappearance was never far from her mind, but being here with Mel’s co-workers made her a little curious. She leaned around the monitors again and looked at Angela. “How long have you known Carter?”

  “I met her the first time a couple of years ago, but this is the first time we actually worked together.” She grinned. “Carter is a bit of a legend in our office. She always works alone and is a bulldog until her case is closed. This is the first time that I recall her working with a team.”

  “So, basically she doesn’t play well with others?” Nikki asked.

  “No, no, she gets along well with everyone, but she prefers to do her own research and follow her own leads.”

  “So she has trust issues?”

  Angela laughed, but then her face grew serious. “She might but she has good reasons for it.”

  Nikki frowned. She wanted to ask, but she knew this was a story she didn’t want to hear from anyone but Mel. She looked up to see Angela staring at her.

  “This isn’t the first time she’s been captured,” Angela said, lowering her voice.

  Nikki wasn’t sure if this was supposed to make her feel better or worse. She held her breath, but words wouldn’t come and she was glad when Angela returned her attention to reviewing files. Nikki let out her breath and concentrated on the screen in front of her. She was surprised to see an hour had passed when Angela stood. “More coffee?”

  Nikki nodded, but before Angela could step away Nikki pointed at the screen. “Look here.” Angela walked around the table and slid into the chair beside her. Nikki read aloud. “Daniel Abbott’s father and little sister were killed by a sniper.” She calculated in her head. “Twenty years ago next month.” She frowned. “And then his mother killed herself a year later.”

  “Where’s that information coming from?” Angela asked.

  Nikki scanned the computer. “An Israeli newspaper archive. But look, Carter wrote a note on it.”