Close Pursuit

by Cindy Dees

  Alex glanced up at her, and she recoiled from the reptilian coldness in his eyes. They looked...dead. “My lawyer’s been murdered. Some of his files were apparently broken into.”

  Foreboding roared through her. “Yours?”

  Alex nodded grimly and disappeared into his office. She was deeply alarmed to see him chambering a round and holstering a pistol as he emerged. “I’ve engaged the crisis security system. You’re effectively living in a fort. As long as you don’t let anyone in, you’re safe,” he explained tersely. “No one. Understood?”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  WITHOUT ALEX THERE to hover over her and insist she stay on the couch, Katie paced the living room nervously. It felt like some sort of terrible net was closing in around her and Alex and Dawn. She couldn’t see it, but the trap was about to spring.

  Her head spun with the events of the past week. From the moment they’d left that tent in Zaghastan, somebody had been dogging their steps. What was so flipping special about the Karshan Valley?

  Or was it Dawn? Did this have to do with her mysterious, unidentified father? She mentally crossed Mike off the list as a possible suspect in the mayhem. Not only was he the kind of man who would own up to a by-blow child and do right by the mother, he’d also been stabbed and hospitalized for most of the past week. He couldn’t be the source of the car chases or the assault on her.

  Reluctantly, she replayed the attack in the parking garage in her head. It had been so dark, and the guy had come at her so fast. She’d barely had time to defend herself, let alone register details. The man had been taller than she was. Heavier in build than Alex. Strong. She would never forget the feel of that rock-hard fist slamming into her face. It obviously hadn’t been the first time he’d ever clocked someone. He’d been brutal and efficient. A professional thug, then. FSB? CIA? Or...what about the cluster of Slavic names Alex had determined were all associated with one another? Maybe her attacker this morning had been with the Ukrainian mob. The notion seemed silly to her, but she couldn’t discount it.

  Dawn’s mother had denied being raped. Which meant she’d had an affair. The father had to have been in the valley for a while to pull that off. Urgently, Katie pulled out her cell phone and dialed Uncle Charlie.

  “Hey, Katie-kins,” he answered jovially. “Have you got good news for me?”

  “Working on it. You know that list of names you sent me?”

  “The guest list for the party? Of course.”

  What? Oh. Crap. This wasn’t a secure line. “Exactly,” she replied cheerfully. “Can you get me arrival and departure dates to go with it so I can make sure everyone’s got rides?”

  “Of course.”

  “Like...now?”

  “No problem. I’ll have my secretary send them over, kiddo.”

  She severely doubted Uncle Charlie was ever that perky for real at work. He must think her cell phone was not only unsecure, but was being monitored by someone unfriendly to him. And he was CIA. What enemy of the CIA had the power, the reach, to tap her phone—

  The question had only to enter her mind for her to know the answer. The FSB. More specifically, Peter Koronov. Alex was convinced his father would come after her and Dawn to force Alex to work for him. And, hey, it had worked. Alex was prepared to steal sensitive information from his own employer for Peter.

  She commenced pacing again, but after about three laps of the spacious condo, her phone beeped an incoming email. The days and months in the list Charlie had forwarded her were all followed by this year’s date. But she got the point. She ignored the year and focused on the days and months, instead.

  Only the four Ukrainian names on her list and Mike had been in the Karshan Valley for more than a few days last year. In fact, the four Ukrainians had been there for the entire three-month window of time in question.

  Alex thought Archaki was the leader of the bunch and the other three were probably his bodyguard flunkies. Doubtful a flunky would get enough time off to romance a local girl. More likely, Archaki had been the seducer.

  Call her selfish, but she wasn’t about to contact a mob boss to ask him if he’d like to take custody of his baby daughter. What the guy didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. She would ask Alex to help her do whatever it took to adopt Dawn, and she’d take the baby home, get a job and settle down. And she’d raise the baby herself. God, it sounded good to leave behind all this fear and stress and mental pressure. Life with Alex was exhausting.

  She called Alex’s cell phone to tell him what she’d learned of Archaki’s time in the Karshan Valley, but she was sent immediately to his voice mail. If Peter was tapping her phone, he was darned well tapping Alex’s phone, too. She didn’t leave a message.

  Her cell phone rang moments after she disconnected her call, and she snatched it up eagerly.

  “Alex?” she said quickly.

  “Katie? Is that you?”

  Sister Mary Harris. “Yes, Sister, it’s me. Is everything okay with Dawn?”

  “She’s perfectly fine, dear. But there’s been a break-in at the orphanage. It appears the thief got scared away when the alarms went off. I thought you and Alex ought to know.”

  Katie’s blood literally ran cold. “Uh, thanks. I’ll be right over.”

  “That’s not necessary. The police are here and the thief didn’t get anything. He just broke a window.”

  “Nonetheless. I’m on my way.”

  Katie ended the call, grabbed her car keys and screeched to a stop at Alex’s front door. Crap. Would she get shot or electrocuted or something if she tried to leave the penthouse? She threw the door open, ducking as she did so. Nada. Cautiously, she stepped out into the hall. So far so good. Worried about just how far Alex’s paranoia might extend, she bypassed the elevator and raced down the stairs instead.

  Dusk was falling as she climbed into her car and headed out into the mess that was rush hour in D.C. She had no idea whether or not she was followed. There was no way to navigate the traffic chaos and watch her rearview mirror and actually spot anyone in the tangle of vehicles diving in and out of lanes, honking and turning on headlights in the failing light.

  What was going on? If Dawn was being targeted now, surely Peter Koronov was behind it. But he was the person who’d had the security system at the orphanage installed in the first place. Wouldn’t his guy know that it existed and, furthermore, know how to get around it? Or had the later upgrades to the system taken Peter’s man by surprise?

  Fury erupted in her gut that an innocent baby would be pulled into Peter’s power struggle with his son. If that bastard did anything to hurt Dawn, he’d have her to deal with.

  Two police cars were parked prominently in front of the convent, but she was appalled that she was able to walk inside the facility without a soul challenging her. Thankfully, a cop was stationed at the door to the cloistered section of the building. He spoke into the radio at his collar, relaying news of her arrival to Sister Mary Harris.

  In a few minutes, the elderly nun appeared at the door and actually invited her in. Katie was under the impression that the public was not generally let into this area. This exception to the rules alarmed her almost more than anything else tonight. The nun looked exhausted and was showing every one of her eighty years this evening.

  “How are you doing, Sister?” Katie asked gently. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “I think we’ve got things under control. Thankfully, that security system Peter Koronov installed did its job. All the doors locked when someone without a security badge tried to gain entrance. Fellow had to break a beautiful stained-glass window to get out. Threw a chair through it. That window was nearly a hundred years old. Terrible loss...”

  Katie was not particularly interested in the window. “How’s Dawn?”

  “A little fussy with all the activity.”

  “But she’s safe?”

  “Yes, of course, dear. A thief wouldn’t bother the babies.”

  Ha. Any self-respecting thief w
ouldn’t break into a freaking convent in the first place. “I’d like to see her, Sister.”

  “I understand. A little cuddle would calm both of you. Wait here.”

  Katie sank into a lovely bentwood rocking chair in a small alcove. The window overlooked a cheerful garden. In a few minutes, Sister Mary Harris returned with a blanket-wrapped bundle. “She’s wide-awake, the little rascal. I think she’s interested in all the noise and movement.”

  “That’s my girl,” Katie cooed softly. “Smart and beautiful.” She inhaled the sweet baby smell of Dawn, and all was right with the world. Nobody was hurting her little girl while she drew breath. But she also couldn’t leave the baby here. The intruder would be prepared next time. Dawn mustn’t be here when that next time came.

  “How about I rock her to sleep, Sister? I’d like a little time alone with her if that would be okay.”

  “Actually, that would be helpful. All the children are upset, and my sisters could use some help getting everyone to bed tonight.”

  “Go on, then. Dawn and I will be fine.”

  Katie waited until the nun’s habit disappeared around the corner, and then she hurried to the exit. As she approached the door, she tucked Dawn inside her coat, laying the baby flat across her stomach. “Just like old times, eh, sweetie?” she murmured.

  Thankfully, like old times, the sound of her heartbeat calmed and quieted the infant. She stepped out, nodding a greeting at the police officer. It was all she could do not to break into a mad dash for her car, but she forced herself to stroll casually across the parking lot.

  She didn’t breathe properly until the convent disappeared behind her. Now what? She thought frantically as she navigated surface streets south toward downtown Washington. Her car was known, and she’d lay odds the convent was being watched. She had to assume she was being tailed. And then there was her cell phone. Uncle Charlie seemed convinced it was being monitored. And if the FSB could hear her calls, they could also use its GPS function to track her.

  What would Alex do in this situation? He would do the unexpected. Okay, so what was “expected” of her? She’d just taken Dawn. The logical thing would be for her to head home. To Pennsylvania. She spied a homeless guy lounging in front of a closed store ahead and inspiration struck. She had a couple hundred bucks in her wallet. Hopefully, it would be enough.

  She pulled into the alley about a half block beyond the guy and pulled out her cell phone. She turned it off and stuffed it deep into the seat cushions before scooping up Dawn and hurrying back to the panhandler.

  “Got a buck for a cup of coffee, lady?”

  Right. Coffee. The guy stunk of drunk vomit. “I’ll do better than that. I’ll give you—” she opened her wallet to check the contents “—two hundred and sixty dollars if you’ll take my car and drive it to Pittsburgh.”

  The guy’s jaw dropped.

  “You do know how to drive, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, lady. But Pittsburgh?”

  “Just head out of D.C. toward Pennsylvania. You have to leave right now, though. Here are the keys.”

  “You crazy?”

  “As a jaybird. You want the cash or not?”

  “Hell, yeah.”

  “Take the Beltway to Highway 270 northwest out of town. It merges into Highway 70. Follow the signs to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It’ll take you straight into Pittsburgh.”

  “What am I supposed to do when I get there?”

  “Ditch the car and get drunk off your ass. You might want to save enough money for a bus ticket back to D.C., though. I expect panhandlers do better here than in Pittsburgh.”

  The guy snatched the keys out of her hand. Whether he would actually head for Pennsylvania or merely drive to the nearest liquor store, she had no idea. But it was worth a try. The guy did get into the rental car and head for the Beltway, at least. She cringed back in the shadows of the store building as the traffic lights changed and a stream of cars rolled past. Good Lord willing, one of those was whoever’d tailed her from the convent.

  She waited until the street was deserted to hurry down it toward the nearest Metro stop. She used spare change from her wallet to buy a one-way Metro ticket and fell gratefully into a plastic seat as the train crept out of the station. A few people jumped on the train at the last second, but none of them looked like FSB operatives to her. Not that she would be able to tell one from a harassed businessman, she supposed.

  Dawn declared her opinion of the past few minutes’ worth of racing around and started to fuss. Katie rocked her quickly before she could get too wound up. Last thing she needed was to have everyone on the train notice and remember the tense woman with the screaming baby. Katie won the race against baby meltdown and got Dawn settled before screaming commenced. Whew.

  The rhythmic noise and swaying of the train seemed to lull Dawn to sleep. The baby slept through several stops, and Katie sighed in relief.

  Now what? Unpredictable. What would be unpredictable?

  * * *

  ALEX LOOKED INTO Chester Morton’s office grimly. His lawyer’s body had been removed already, but an obscene tape outline remained on the blood-coated desk, and a crime-scene team was hard at work collecting samples. He wasn’t allowed into the room, of course, but he’d seen enough. Chester had been shot at his desk, and the man’s computer was turned on; a dancing screen saver was still going strong. Which meant the killer had likely been able to access the lawyer’s files.

  “Time of death?” he asked Chester’s secretary tersely.

  “This morning sometime. The firm was closed for Good Friday.”

  Alex blinked. This was Easter weekend? He’d been so distracted by Katie he hadn’t noticed. The woman continued tearfully, “Mr. Morton must have come in to catch up on some work. He must have surprised an intruder.”

  Or maybe the intruder had followed Morton and forced the man to reveal his passwords before killing him. Chester was far too security conscious not to have encrypted the hell out of his computer.

  “Who knew Chester’s passwords?” Alex asked grimly.

  “Nobody—” The secretary broke off as the significance of the question dawned on her.

  He was right then. The intruder had been after files. Alex turned to Chester’s paralegal, who’d just walked up to them. “My files were copied, weren’t they? All of them.”

  The young man frowned. “That’s correct. How did you know?”

  “Call it a hunch,” Alex replied drily.

  The paralegal continued, “Just the recent ones were copied. The custody paperwork and the trust-fund documents.”

  “Anything else?”

  “All of Mr. Morton’s recently opened documents were copied from the cache in his computer. We’ve notified the other clients affected, but...” The guy hesitated, and then added in an apologetic rush, “But he said that if anything bad ever happened to him, it would be because of you.”

  Alex’s jaw tightened. Chester had been no dummy. He knew the ilk of Alex’s enemies, perhaps better than anyone. Morton had been his father’s attorney, too.

  Why in the hell did someone go after the legal documents pertaining to Dawn? Only his father could be interested in the infant like this. But his father surely knew where the baby was already. What did the child’s legal status or trust fund have to do with anything or anyone else?

  Frowning, he pulled his vibrating cell phone out of his pocket. He didn’t recognize the number. “Yes?” he said brusquely.

  “Thank God you answered, Alex. It’s Sister Mary Harris. We have a problem.”

  His heart skipped a beat. “Is Dawn all right?” he demanded urgently.

  “Well, that’s the thing. Katie came to see her a little while ago, but now they’re both gone. I’m sure Katie left with her.”

  “What?” He took off running down the hall, phone still plastered to his ear as he sprinted for his car. He listened in dismay to the details. A break-in. The nun had called Katie, who’d showed up shortly thereafter at the co
nvent. Dammit. Any idiot could figure out a threat to the baby would draw her out of my place. Sister Mary Harris had brought Dawn to see her. Katie volunteered to rock her to sleep....

  He leaped into his car and tore out of the law firm’s parking lot. He dialed Katie’s phone but got sent immediately to voice mail. Why in the hell would she turn off her phone? His alarm turned into panic as he headed for home. He tore into his condo, shouting her name. “Katie? Where are you?”

  Only silence answered him. His panic became infused with helplessness. Where had she and Dawn gone? Had someone snatched them? Or had Katie fled on her own?

  He got onto the internet and used an illegal site to find her father’s cell phone number.

  “Hello, Mr. McCloud. My name is Alex Peters, and I’m a friend of Katie’s.”

  “You’re the guy who stabbed my boy, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, sir, I am,” he answered impatiently. “Have you heard from Katie tonight?”

  “No, and she blew off a dinner date with us, too. What’s wrong?” The cop in the man obviously smelled a problem.

  “She’s disappeared. If she contacts you, please have her call me immediately.”

  “Likewise, Peters. Have her call us.”

  “Will do.”

  “Can I help?” her father bit out.

  “If you can, you’ll be the first to know.” Alex disconnected the call and stared at nothing. Katie knew her parents were in D.C. with Mike. Would she still head home to Pittsburgh with Dawn if they were all down here? His gut said she wouldn’t. Who else would she turn to for help?

  He called André Fortinay’s emergency cell number.

  “Good evening, Alex. What’s up?”

  “Have you heard from Katie McCloud tonight, sir?”

  “No. Is something amiss?”

  “She’s disappeared with the infant we brought back from Zaghastan.”

  “What do you mean disappeared?”

  “She’s dropped off the grid. Completely. I’m worried that something might have happened to her.”

  “Did you two have some kind of falling-out?”

  Alex rolled his eyes at the ceiling of his office. “No. We didn’t. Look, this is totally unlike Katie. Something’s wrong. Please have her call me if you hear from her.”