“That makes sense.”
“Besides, Josh never suspects anyone inside. Redstone employees are family to him.”
“What if one does go bad?”
“If it does turn out to be someone on the inside, you have to prove it to him far beyond question. He always gives his people the benefit of several doubts.”
“So he’s as amazing as he seemed?”
“And more.” He took his foot off the accelerator. “Is this that left?”
“Yes.”
“I see what you mean,” he said as the road turned sharply. He slowed, but not enough to make her comfortable. “Hope we don’t lose him…ah, no, there he is.”
“Thank goodness for moonlight,” she said as he kept going and took the turn faster than she would in full sun.
She saw his teeth flash as he grinned. “This? This is a piece of cake. Try the mountains in New Zealand with no brakes. Now that’s an adventure.”
“You’re enjoying this,” she accused.
“I’m going to enjoy catching this guy,” he said.
“Me, too,” she admitted.
He glanced at her. “I suppose it’s too much to ask for you to just stay safely here in the car, while I do my job and wrap this up?”
“Yes,” she said sharply. Then, in a milder tone, “I will keep out of your way, though.”
He sighed. “Bring your cell phone. In case we need to call for backup.”
“I doubt if the cops will believe me,” she said wryly. “I’m sure I have quite a reputation with them, after the two times I’ve already called them.”
She only then realized that he had never even suggested they call the police to arrest the thief. Redstone, it seemed, took care of its own problems as well.
“What will happen to him after—”
“Whoa,” Rand said, cutting her off as he tapped the brakes. “He’s slowing down. And…turning.”
Kate leaned forward to look, then frowned. “There’s nothing there. It’s a big tract of land some developer owns but hasn’t done anything with.”
“Is there a road?”
“A track, maybe. But if I’m remembering right, it’s awfully overgrown.”
“Overgrown enough to hide the van?”
She hadn’t thought of that, only that it would be hard to drive in there. “Yes. Yes, I think so.”
Before she’d even finished speaking he’d killed the engine and coasted the SUV to the side of the road. He reached up and did something above them, and pulled out the keys. Dark and silence, she realized. No dome light and no dinging door warnings. He also didn’t close the door after he exited, and she followed his lead.
“Just stay close,” he whispered.
“And behind,” she said, her voice just as soft but with a note of wry acceptance. Rand flashed her that grin again, and her stomach did a crazy little leap.
She did stay close as they kept to the shadows of the big trees and worked their way silently toward where the van had turned. Rand clearly was picking his route through the brush and evergreens very carefully, in an effort to avoid making any noise. She tried to step just where he stepped; if something went wrong she didn’t want it to be because of her. She hoped they didn’t run into any blackberries with all their vicious thorns.
He stopped abruptly, holding a hand back to make sure she stopped as well. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on, then shut it again; if he was worried about making noise walking, then talking was definitely a bad idea.
He cocked his head, listening, although Kate had no idea to what. And then she heard it, the sound of a motor through the trees. No sooner had she recognized it than it stopped. And she heard the faintest sound of voices. Plural. Their thief wasn’t alone. Or it had been thieves all along.
And then Rand was moving again, more quickly now, although she didn’t notice much increase in noise. The voices however, she realized, were getting louder.
Again Rand stopped, this time crouching down. She did the same, and realized she could see the van through a break in the underbrush, parked in a small clearing. She heard the slamming of two car doors almost simultaneously and then saw the two figures, one coming around the back of the van, the other coming from the passenger side. It had been, she realized, two all along.
She watched for a moment before she realized what was bothering her.
They’re just boys, she thought.
This was a possibility she hadn’t foreseen. And it made her wonder if she’d been right all along to suspect Mel might be involved. These boys looked about her age, perhaps a little older but not much.
They opened the side sliding door of the shop van. Kate immediately spotted the stack of familiar boxes. The two boys began to lift them out and set them down on the ground.
“When both of them have their hands full,” Rand said, so softly she had to strain to hear him.
She nodded, and continued to watch. The two boys were obviously short on patience. Where they had begun stacking carefully, they were now getting sloppy. And starting to rush. And the moment came when they both started picking up two boxes at a time.
Kate felt Rand tense the instant before he moved. Still he managed to move through the brush without making a sound. When she stepped after him into the small clearing where the van was parked, she realized the two boys hadn’t even realized he was there yet.
For a second he simply stood there, watching. Then one of the boys, the one who’d come out of the passenger side of the van, spotted him.
“Shit!” He dropped the boxes he was holding.
The other boy whirled. Dropped his own boxes. Stared. The color drained from his face.
“I’m outta here!” The first boy took off running. Rand glanced at him, but didn’t move to go after him. He returned his attention to the driver, who was standing there as if frozen, gaping at them. Only now, that he had turned to face them, did she realize he was wearing a pair of Redstone coveralls. And then something else registered at last.
“I know him,” Kate said, startled.
“I’m not surprised,” Rand said, moving forward until the boy was hemmed in against the side of the van. “And I believe he knows you, too. Don’t you?”
This last was directed at the boy, who squeaked out a barely audible “Yes. Ms. Crawford.”
“You’re Ray’s son, Doug, aren’t you?” she said. The boy winced. Kate looked at Rand and explained. “Ray Belker is our best mechanic. He’s been under awful stress for a long time now, over his son getting into trouble.”
“So,” Rand said, “I presume those are dad’s coveralls? That and the Redstone van made a pretty good cover. And I’ll bet you borrowed dad’s keys, too, so you had access to the delivery truck, including the side door.”
“You can’t prove nothin’” the boy muttered, but he looked even more frightened. He glanced over his shoulder, as if looking for the partner who had deserted him.
Kate, finally getting over the shock of realizing who the thief—or one of them, at least—was, put the rest of the pieces together quickly.
“It was you in the video, pretending to be working on the van,” she said. “It never was the night mechanic at all, was it?”
“Video?” The boy’s voice was squeaking again.
“You didn’t know that, did you?” Rand said. “We’ve got some lovely footage of you and your friend, from the new surveillance cameras.”
The boy went from pale to ashen. Again he looked over his shoulder.
“And I’ll bet, when we enhance it, we’ll see you and your buddy—some buddy, by the way, to bail and leave you to take the heat—moving these boxes through the side door of the delivery truck and the side door of the van.”
She saw the boy swallow hard, his Adam’s apple jumping quickly. She knew what the boy didn’t, that Rand was bluffing. The clever ruse of parking the shop van so close to the delivery truck had hidden their activity very effectively. But it was obvious Rand had nailed it.
&nb
sp; “Well, Ms. Crawford,” Rand said, “what do you want to do with him?”
Startled, Kate stared at him. “Me? You’re Redstone security.”
The boy swore. And then swore again, a look of grim resignation coming over his face. The reputation of Redstone security was obviously known to him.
“Yes, I’m security, but you’re the one who said it was your responsibility.”
“But I—”
Rand whirled, and pushed her behind him. She nearly yelped aloud, but the sound died in her throat as a man stepped out of the trees.
Three, she thought. There were three of them. Doug hadn’t been looking over his shoulder for the other boy, he’d been looking for this man.
He was tall, thin, with a receding hairline and sideburns halfway down to his jaw. He was smiling, a wide, pleased smile that was somehow chilling.
But not nearly as chilling as the shiny, silver pistol he held.
Chapter 21
“Ah,” Rand said, his voice deceptively calm. “Now it begins to make sense. I didn’t think those kids had come up with this on their own.”
“Oh, this is too delicious,” the man said, the cold smile becoming an even colder grin that told Rand that there was more to this than was immediately apparent. “One of the famous, vaunted and so beloved Redstone security team, dropped right in my lap. What a gift.”
The words were curious, indicating a knowledge Rand didn’t know how he’d come by. But that didn’t matter now. He thought quickly. He could feel his weapon, know how swiftly he could get to it. If he was alone, he’d take the guy out right now. But Kate was here, and the man had a clear line of fire at her, so he didn’t dare. He was just going to have to try and keep a lid on things until he had a chance to act without risking her. Or risking the kid who now, judging by his expression, was more scared than anything else.
Something tickled the edges of his memory as the man walked slowly toward them. He studied the face. He couldn’t place him, but he was certain he’d seen him before, somewhere. He didn’t know the context, wasn’t even sure it had been in person, but he knew the face.
The closer the man got, the more Rand realized they were dealing with a loose cannon. He’d seen that kind of look before, an intensity and glee that spoke of a not quite normal mind. And the fact that this loose cannon was clearly delighted that Rand was Redstone security told him they were in bigger trouble than he’d thought. He’d better dig that memory out of wherever in his mind it was hiding, and soon.
He glanced at Kate. As if sensing his movement, her gaze flicked to his face for a split second, and then quickly back to the armed man. But Rand had seen enough in her expression to be sure that she realized as well as he did that there was more to this than simply a thief who’d run into a complication in his plans.
The armed man covered the last few feet that separated him from Rand and Kate. He paused a moment in front of Kate, looking her up and down. He reached out and caressed her cheek with the barrel of the gun.
Rand tensed as Kate jerked away. The man laughed. It was a very unpleasant sound. It was all he could do to keep from going for his gun, and only the image of Kate caught in a lethal crossfire stopped him. And with that came the sudden, undeniable knowledge that he loved her.
“Too bad you decided to come along, pretty lady. But since you brought me this prize—” he gestured at Rand “—I might think about being nice to you.”
“Don’t bother,” she said. Her tone was heavy with disgust and her nose wrinkled as if she had smelled something rotten. The man glowered at her.
Don’t antagonize him, Kate, Rand thought, while at the same time he smiled at her in salute to her nerve.
“Now that’s not a very nice attitude. But I’m sure it will improve with a little effort.”
And then he grabbed Kate’s arm and yanked her to him. Kate let out a yell and elbowed him, hard. At the same time she stomped on his foot. He cursed, staggered back. Rand leaped forward. The man recovered. He’d kept his hold on Kate, and now jammed the barrel of the gun to her head, freezing Rand in his tracks.
“Now, now, getting one of Redstone’s people killed would be against your precious rules.”
And just how did he know that? Rand wondered. The welfare of his people had been Josh’s first priority since he’d formed the security team, in fact, since he’d started Redstone and it had begun to grow. All else, he’d said time and again, including money, property or facilities, came second to the people who made Redstone what it was.
He had to poke at this guy, Rand thought. To prod, figure out who he was, what his buttons were. And how to use them against him.
“Let her go,” he said. “Deal with me. Unless you’re afraid to.”
The man tensed and glared at him, but didn’t rise to the bait. So he had at least some semblance of self-control, Rand thought.
“Oh, no,” he said, digging into Kate’s skin with the pistol. “She’s my insurance. Redstone’s private regiment won’t let one of Redstone’s own get killed. You run more to ruining lives.”
That tickle in the back of Rand’s mind grew stronger as the man spoke, along with the idea that this was somehow very personal.
The man looked over his shoulder at the frightened boy and snapped, “Get in and start the van.”
The boy jumped, startled. His gaze jumped from the newcomer to Rand, and then back.
“Move!”
The boy scrambled to do as he was told.
“Now, let me just make sure neither one of you is carrying any nasty surprises.”
Rand winced inwardly. He’d been hoping the guy was too lax or stupid to search them. No such luck.
He ran his hands over Kate with the same sort of salacious enjoyment that gleamed in his eyes. He gave a low growl as he squeezed her breasts. Rand wanted to kill the man where he stood for even daring to touch her, and wanted to do it in a way that would cause him the maximum amount of pain. And that was a reaction he’d never had before in his life.
Kate stood it, stoically, but Rand could see the revulsion in her face. Her reaction only seemed to provoke the man to do more.
“I’ll just take this,” the man said, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket and tossing it into the cab of the van. “I wouldn’t want any more uninvited guests showing up to spoil the party.”
The man’s search of Rand for weapons was far quicker, since he had to hang on to Kate at the same time, but it was thorough enough. And for her safety, he let himself be disarmed like some green rookie. The man laughed as he yanked the .38 free and jammed it in his own belt. All Rand could think was that it sounded like a cackle. An evil, bone-chilling cackle. Keeping his tight grip on Kate, and the gun pressed against her temple, the man turned to Rand.
“Get in,” he said, gesturing with his head at the open side door on the van.
“I don’t think so,” Rand said.
“I’ll kill her,” the man promised.
“Do that, and you’ve lost your insurance. And you’ll be dead before your next breath.”
“You won’t let that happen. You guys are all alike, you buy into that nobility crap. Now get in.”
Rand looked at Kate. He could see fear in her eyes, and the continued loathing of the man’s hands on her, but there was anger there as well. He gave her an almost imperceptible shake of his head; for now, they would have to go along. He just couldn’t risk making a move now. Even if he took the guy out, it would only take one centimeter of contraction on that trigger and she’d be dead.
Rand climbed into the back of the van. The man pushed Kate in behind him. Rand caught her before she fell. Then the man got in himself, keeping the weapon leveled at them while he went forward and sat in the passenger seat, swiveled around so he faced them.
“Get this thing out of here,” he ordered the boy behind the wheel.
“What about your loot?” Kate asked, obvious contempt turning her voice to ice.
“It’s not going anywhere,” the m
an said. “In this case, pleasure before business.”
The inference that dealing with them—or him—was more important to the man than his stolen property did nothing to ease Rand’s mind. He looked around the inside of the van, looking for anything that might be of use. He saw a couple of things—some wire and a flashlight—but neither would help them right now.
“Go up the hill,” the man ordered when they reached the road. “And just keep going.”
Rand saw Kate go very still. Instantly, her earlier words popped into his mind. …it drops off to the sound about a hundred and fifty feet.
“What…what are you going to do?” Doug asked.
Rand saw the flicker of irritation in the man’s face. He started to speak, then paused, apparently thinking better of what he’d been about to say. He looked at the boy assessingly for a moment. Then, finally he answered,
“We’re going to dump these two out in the middle of nowhere, so we’ll have plenty of time to pick up the boxes and get away.”
“Oh.” The boy sounded relieved.
Rand knew the man was lying. He could tell by the almost manic gleam in his eyes that his true intentions were quite different. He probably just wanted to insure the boy’s continued cooperation until he’d safely made his own escape. Then the kid would be on his own.
If he was still alive, of course.
“What problem is it you have with Redstone security?” Rand asked, making his tone purposely conciliatory. “Maybe we can work something out.”
The man’s laugh was loud, harsh and vicious. “It’s a little late for that. No, it’s a lot late.”
Okay, so negotiating was out, Rand thought.
“Where will you run to, Doug?” Kate asked the boy. Her voice was completely different than when she had spoken with such disgust to the man with the gun. It was gentler, held an undertone of concern.
“What?” The boy sounded startled.
“You’re only sixteen. Where will you go?”
“I dunno.” He glanced at the man with the gun, as if he expected him to have the answer. When none came, he muttered, “Someplace. Better’n here.”
In His Sights Page 18
