Deadly Deception (Deadly Series)

by Beck, Andrea Johnson

  “No!” Anne shrieked. “Carter!”

  Her weak body heaved on the Persian rug. The fibers tore through her black nylons, burning her ivory skin. Two large black wingtips were inches from of her fingers. A large hand was aiming for Anne’s face; she hid her head to shield the blow until she heard a clicking noise. The silence was deafening; Anne slowly looked up and saw a black revolver pointed directly at the man’s right temple.

  “You touch her again, I’ll fucking kill you. Now get the hell out of here!”

  The man did what Carter commanded and left the room. Carter bent down to assist Anne, but she flinched. He was still holding the revolver tightly in his hand. Tucking it in the back waistband of his jeans, he lifted Anne up with one swoop of his arms. Exhausted and in misery, she placed her head against his chest. Her knees were on fire. Gently placing her on the chaise lounge, he inspected her scraped flesh.

  “You shouldn’t have tried to run. Now what will I do with you.”

  “Carter please, I am begging you, look at me, look what you are doing to me.”

  His face softened, glancing over her frail, bruised body. He ran his hands up her legs, stroking them tenderly. Twisting herself closer to him, Anne ran her thumb across his lips, feeling the warmth from his breath.

  “Remember, Carter, when it was just you and I? No one else mattered—our love kept us alive. The depth is like no other in this universe. Please remember, Carter.”

  She kissed his lips and ran her hands through the soft brunette waves. His body was succumbing to her every touch.

  “Feel me, Carter, want me. Love me.”

  As they arched their bodies into one another, he ravaged her supple neck with commanding kisses. Carter brushed his tongue over her collarbone.

  “Oh my love, my Anneliese, together we will rule the world, just you and I,” he whispered against her neck.

  She ran her hands up and down and his back, digging her nails in, feeling the handle of the gun. Before another word could be whispered or another kiss exchanged, Anne was holding the gun hard against Carter’s chest. Unaware of Anne’s mastering skills with firearms, he looked at her in alarm.

  “For being one step ahead, you surely were not expecting this. You see, Adam suggested I learn self-defense, and that included firearms training. My instructor said I was a natural. I do believe Adam was a step ahead of you the entire time.”

  Anne grasped the gun firmly with her finger on the trigger. Carter’s expression turned from lust to disfavor in one careless second. The whites of his eyes were webbed with red, matching the color of his face.

  “Are you going to kill me, Anneliese, in cold blood, right here?”

  Anne arched her body up, rising from the chaise, continuing to hold his stare.

  “I claim self-defense. You did kidnap me, not the other way around. You technically may be dead, but the police know your family history.”

  Inching her way toward the door, knowing freedom was just steps away; Carter dodged from her sight and yanked the rug literally from under her. Anne’s footing tilted, causing her to drop the gun and fall back against a bookshelf, slamming her spine into the sharp edges.

  The gun slid across the hardwood floor and underneath the chrome serving cart. Carter frantically searched the room for the revolver, tripping over the Persian rug and falling on his knees.

  “Anneliese!” he screamed, charging after her.

  She sprinted toward the opposite end of the room. Carter grabbed her ankle, collapsing Anne to floor as well. His nails dug into her skin, clawing his way to her. Kicking her loose foot, she landed it solidly on Carter’s face. He shouted with rage. Only subdued for an instant, he came at her again. Blood seeped from his nose.

  “Damn it, Anneliese!”

  Anne darted behind the mahogany desk when Carter clutched the back of her dress, pulling her toward him. She could feel his heavy breath; the fury seeped out and into the room, tightening its grip on her. Reaching for the weighty antique globe that sat so eloquently on the polished desk, she forcefully swung around with it and struck Carter in the side of the head. Immediately dazed by the blow, his eyes glazed over with oblivion. He buckled to the floor.

  Anne raced to his still body and dug in his pants pocket for keys, pausing for a moment to watch the movement of his breathing. It was shallow but steady. Locating a ring of five keys she pulled them from him and held them tightly in her hand.

  Lurking through the hallway, listening for any hint of conversation or footsteps, she tiptoed down the staircase. A blanket of grey spread through the window above the grand staircase. Day was at its ending point, which would work in her favor, since soon she would be hunted.

  Anne entered a four-stall garage. As she touched the key fob, the Escalade’s lights illuminated. Anne ran to the driver’s side, sliding onto the leather seat. With her lack of footwear, the pads of her feet barely reached the pedals. She tried to pull the seat closer, but didn’t want to waste any more time. With a shaky hand, she pushed the garage door opener; freedom was just seconds away. Once she was confident she could clear the elevated door, Anne slammed the SUV into reverse, squealing the black rubber against the asphalt. As she navigated her way down the curvilinear driveway, the iron gate opened. Without hesitation, Anne thrust the gas pedal to the floor. According to the navigation screen, she was heading south and she would continue this way until she located a major highway. The twilight engulfed her. There were no trailing headlights. She was in the clear, for now.

  Chapter 13

  Anne’s white-knuckle grip was causing cramps to radiate through her fatigued muscles. The glow of headlights on Interstate 494 streaked her face, illuminating black in her eyes. She had to find Adam. The urgency of this thought intensified her breathing. She knew Carter was conscious and aware she had taken his keys and fled.

  Nearing the interchange of 494 and 35W, Anne pulled off onto an exit to sort through her next steps of survival. Behind a small strip mall was a gas station. She threw the SUV in park after hiding on the side of the white concrete building almost out of sight of traffic. She searched in the glove compartment, finding a sleek cell phone. Her hands where trembling so violently she could barely dial Casey’s number.

  “Hello?”

  Casey finally answered after four agonizing rings.

  “Oh god, Casey, it’s me!”

  Anne hysterically whispered trying to bite back her sobs.

  “Anne, where are you? Are you all right?” Casey yelled.

  She knew there was no time for a detailed conversation; quickly she explained what she needed.

  “Casey, listen to me. I don’t have much time. Have you heard from Adam?”

  “No, why? Isn’t he with you?” Casey asked.

  “No, I don’t know what to do. Oh god!”

  Anne began to lose all focus.

  “Anne, what is going on? Please tell me!”

  “I’m in big trouble, Casey! He’s going to kill me!”

  “Who is? Anne? Where are you?”

  As Casey began demanding Anne’s whereabouts, a beeping noise sounded in the ear piece. Slowly she pulled the phone away to view the screen. An unknown number was calling the phone. Before she hung up on Casey, she already knew who was on the other line. Anne could hear Casey screaming, and then there was silence. She listened quietly but her ragged breath deceived her.

  “My sweet, Anneliese isn’t so sweet anymore.”

  Anne closed her eyes while throwing her hand over her mouth, silencing her panic. Hearing the roar of an engine in the background, she started the Escalade, speeding through the parking lot and nearly rear-ending an innocent mini-van that was waiting for the light to turn green.

  “You can’t hide, my love, and you’ll never find Adam.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  Anne shouted into the phone as she maneuvered her way through the dense night traffic, rapidly driving toward the next exit that would merge her back onto the interstate.

>   “I want what is mine. Over the past couple of years, I have come to realize that I was sick and tired of listening to other people boss me around, take advantage of me, and take what belonged to me.”

  “So you are out for revenge?”

  Anne blended into the interstate traffic.

  “You know what they say—revenge is profitable. Anneliese, please try and understand.”

  Carter’s tranquil voice was laced with insanity.

  “This has to end, Carter.”

  “You’re right, and it will not be in a happily-ever-after kind of way.”

  Swallowing hard, Anne ended the call and tossed the phone on the passenger seat. Rational thoughts were in a distant era, but Anne needed to find one. Was it possible Adam had predicted this entire event? He imparted his firearms skills upon her, so what else in their conversations and actions had he left her as a breadcrumb trail to this exact moment?

  After parking the Escalade a few blocks from Adam’s residence, hidden in the darkness of an alley way, Anne jogged down the sidewalk and inspected her surroundings. Since Adam was a person of interest in her missing persons case, she knew there would be an undercover cop hiding somewhere in the vicinity. The smart thing would be for her to run to the car, bang on the window and beg for help, but that wasn’t how this game was played, and she would surely lose it for her and for Adam.

  Hunching down behind a bush that sat near the side entrance of the town home, Anne dug her hand into the unpleasantly cold earth, searching for the hidden key. She had buried it there herself and now, since she was without keys, cell phone, license or even shoes, she needed to locate the key to the house. The bottoms of her feet were numb and sore from the cold pavement.

  Pulling the silver metal from the dirt sent relief through her body. She inched toward the door, maintaining her child-size height and inserted the key. Quietly hearing the lock release, she slowly opened the door and peered into the thick black room.

  Like a cheetah, she sprinted up the stairs. Surprisingly, Adam’s house seemed untouched, which she found odd because the Montgomerys and Minneapolis PD were searching for him. Or maybe they already knew his bleak fate. Anne shook the thought and proceeded to dig in the small walk-in closet for her clothes.

  In the darkness, everything looked black and white and out of focus. Finally finding a pair of dark jeans and a magenta shirt, she undressed in the shadowy bedroom. She returned to the closet to find socks and shoes, and began digging through the pile strewn against the baseboard. The warmth of thick cotton felt comforting to Anne’s battered feet. She laced up a pair of white canvas shoes and floated down the hallway to Adam’s office, where she had once before searched for evidence against him, believing every word that fell from Carter’s deceitful lips. She had lost close to two full days of her life thanks to Rita and Carter. Adam could have been anywhere right now, even half-way around the world faking his own death like his counterpart. Somewhere burning in the depths of her soul, she knew Adam wouldn’t leave her like that, wouldn’t throw her to the wolves like Carter had.

  Anne shifted a heap of papers sitting atop the wooden desk. She accidentally knocked over a newspaper headlining the Leeds family and a partially torn bank slip. It showed a withdrawal dated yesterday but the amount had been removed.

  “Anne?”

  She whirled around to find a feminine outline in the doorway. Anne felt a shock of fear travel her spine. She squinted, trying to make out who was blocking her in. The figure took a step forward.

  “Victoria?” Anne gasped.

  Why was the law firm succubus in Adam’s house, lurking in the shadows?

  “Yes, but its Agent Victoria Mason.”

  Victoria flashed a badge at Anne. She could barely see it in the darkness of the office. The only light came from a nearby street lamp.

  “Agent…how…when?”

  Anne stammered, trying to comprehend this new blindsiding development.

  “Yes, agent. I’ve been with the FBI for seven years. Adam was brought on board for intel. I was placed as his assistant to keep him alive and to take down Carter Leeds and his associates. Mr. Leeds does a very good job of keeping his hands clean. He’s made my job quite difficult. Adam took a deal.”

  “To use me?” Anne snapped.

  “No. To gather information about Mr. Leeds and his family, to possibly lure him out of hiding, to locate the money and to keep you safe.”

  “Like I said, to use me.”

  Victoria inhaled in a fashion that emanated annoyance.

  “Look, he wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you. He jeopardized this case and many lives…”

  Before Anne could interrupt, Victoria held a hand up, requesting the opportunity to let her finish. Anne nodded.

  “However, I can’t fully fault him. I may be in the FBI, but I don’t have a heart of stone. What I’m going to tell you is off the record.”

  “OK.”

  “Adam did what he did to protect you and he was sworn to not breathe a word of this to anyone, especially you. He couldn’t tell you even though he begged so many times, but my superior vehemently denied his request. We knew Mr. Leeds was alive and unfortunately he has gained some very powerful and dangerous allies. They will not hesitate to kill.”

  Anne could barely fill her lungs with enough oxygen to hold herself up. She leaned her trembling frame against the desk. Her mind continued to whirl.

  “Anne, are you still with me?”

  “Yes,” she breathed out.

  “Adam is MIA. Do you know where he is?”

  “You’re the FBI, for god’s sakes, and you don’t know where he is? Christ!”

  “We assumed he was with you.”

  “I was fucking kidnapped by Carter! I’ve been held against my will for…I don’t even know for how long because I don’t even know what day it is. Everything is a blur!”

  Anne unleashed her fury on Victoria. How the hell would she know where he is? Isn’t that their job? Anne remembered the bank receipt.

  “Didn’t you know he pulled money from a bank account?”

  Anne grabbed the paper, holding it up to Victoria’s face. Her face scrunched to read the small print.

  “Shit!” Victoria barked.

  “Leeds Imports.” They spoke in unison.

  Adam planned to meet Carter.

  “He’s going to give Carter the money in exchange for our lives,” Anne whispered.

  “That’s not enough, Anne. He wants him dead and Adam walked right into it.”

  Anne pushed past Victoria, ignoring her questions about where she was going. She had to get to Adam before Carter did. Victoria gripped Anne’s arm, halting her mid-stride.

  “Where are you going, Anne?”

  Anne yanked her arm free. FBI agent or not, she was tired of being man-handled.

  “I’m going to find Adam before Carter. This has to end.”

  “I can’t let you do that.”

  “Watch me!”

  “Anne! Do I have to arrest you?”

  “Only I know what to say to Carter. He’ll listen to me. Please, Victoria. I need to do this. I know what I’m doing, trust me,”

  Anne pleaded, as the FBI’s Kate Moss doppelganger stared at her, gnawing on her lower lip. She was allowing Anne’s words to soak in.

  “Go. We’ll be there soon with back up. Don’t make me regret this, Anne. We all have a lot on the line.”

  She nodded. Anne swiftly located Adam’s spare key for his newly restored 1967 cherry red Ford Mustang Shelby convertible. She left Victoria, knowing she was probably already regretting her decision to let her leave.

  There it sat in all its vintage glory under a large black tarp in the car port next to the garage. Anne pulled the heavy nylon covering off the flashy red splendor and slid into the black leather driver’s seat. The roar of the engine growled like a lion ready to pounce. The thin snake-like steering wheel felt peculiar in her hands as she backed out of the parking spot.

  Ann
e had grown to despise Victoria, but now she had become her only ally. She had never seen that one coming. She didn’t scream FBI—more like lingerie model. Anne was such a fool. She had believed Carter over her own fiancé. Carter had abandoned her, Adam had saved her, and what did she do? She turned around and abandoned him. Her chest flared from rage to sorrow. Her mother’s insanity had driven her into the ground. Maybe that’s what she needed to finally rid herself of Carter—a little insanity.

  Chapter 14

  The moon hung high in the velvet sky, only occasionally covered by ill-omened clouds. A few droplets of rain raced down the windshield while distant lightning lit up the city. Silently, Anne prayed that she would make it in time to save Adam. In his own backward way, he had been protecting her. She had made a deal with the devil the moment Carter held her in his arms and soothed her worries with a lullaby of deception. The very thought of their intimate encounter made her shudder with repulsion.

  The drive to Leeds Imports seemed endless; her heart raced with angst. The flashes of electricity sewed through the black clouds, illuminating the large brick building. The parking lot was empty; all was quiet. She pulled around to the back of the building where the barbed wire fence separated her from the tan metal door. Leaving Adam’s prized possession parked in the darkness, she walked along the side of the building where she had noticed a gap between the fencing and brick wall. She slinked through without difficulty and pulled on the door, but it was locked tight.

  “Damn it,” Anne hissed through her teeth.

  Approaching three two-story dock entrances, she saw that one was slightly opened. Lowering her body to peer through the thin slit, she could see nothing but darkness. Hoisting herself onto the damp concrete slab, Anne pushed her body through the tight opening, sucking in her stomach until her ribs grazed the bottom of the massive steel door.