Love Inspired Suspense June 2015 - Box Set 2 of 2: Exit StrategyPaybackCovert Justice

by Shirlee McCoy

  “How about afternoon?” Aiden said. “We’ve got some catching up to do at work.”

  Nevins ignored him and spoke directly to Nia. “I’ll call around eleven and we can go from there.”

  Nia finally breathed a sigh of relief when they left the police station in Aiden’s truck.

  “You really didn’t have to do that,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Come with me.”

  “Sure I did.”

  “Are you…okay?”

  “I am. Does that surprise you?”

  “I guess a little. You seem different than when your brother first came to town.”

  “I’ve accepted that which I cannot change. Danny has chosen a dark path and I cannot pull him back.”

  “And it’s not your fault?”

  She glanced at him and felt her lips curl slightly in a melancholy smile. “It’s not my fault.”

  “At least some good has come out of all this.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You giving up responsibility for your brother’s choices.”

  “Yeah, it feels good to let go of guilt. You should give it a try.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your friend Yates. He wouldn’t want you to carry that around.”

  A few moments of silence filled the SUV.

  “Got any thoughts about dinner?” he asked.

  “I could really use a grilled cheese right about now.”

  “What, no Healthy Eats for you?”

  “Actually, they have their own version of a grilled cheese with hormone-free cheese and gluten-free bread.”

  “Probably tastes like paste.”

  “Too bad they close at nine.”

  “Yeah, too bad,” he said in a wry tone.

  “It wouldn’t hurt you to try something healthy once in a while.”

  “It might hurt my taste buds.”

  She smiled. “Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For not being intense after everything we’ve been through today.”

  “Intense. You mean like how I usually am?”

  “I never said that.”

  “You didn’t have to.”

  “You want things done right. That’s an admirable quality.”

  “Yeah, but my execution could use some work.”

  “It never bothered me.” She glanced out the passenger window as they passed through town.

  “Really?”

  She looked at her boss. For some reason he looked like someone else right now, not the harsh-talking, hyperfocused manager of Echo Mountain Resort. He looked like a young, vulnerable man who needed affirmation.

  “Really,” she said. “I always suspected your harsh demeanor was hiding something else, like fear or worry. It’s those blue eyes that gave you away.”

  “How so?”

  “You can’t have such kind blue eyes and be an ogre.” She slapped her hand to her mouth.

  “What?” he challenged.

  “I’m sorry. I really said that, didn’t I?”

  “Called me an ogre? Yeah, you did.”

  “It’s low blood sugar, exhaustion, worry about—”

  “It’s okay. I’ve been called worse,” he teased. “Speaking of low blood sugar, want to pick up a pizza?”

  She studied him. She’d insulted him by calling him an ogre to his face, and he wanted to pick up a pizza?

  “No pizza?” he said.

  “Um, sure. Pizza is fine.”

  “Good. Call it into Frankie’s and we’ll swing by.”

  *

  They made it back to the resort around ten with pizza. Bree called with an update: she was fine, and Will was spending the night in the hospital for observation.

  That threatened to ruin Nia’s appetite, but Aiden said he hated eating alone and asked her to join him. They were on their second slice when they heard someone jiggle the apartment door handle.

  Aiden jumped to his feet and grabbed a nearby lamp to use as a weapon.

  “Get in the bedroom,” he ordered.

  “Aiden? Open up. It’s Quinn.”

  Aiden rushed to open the door. Resort owner Quinn Donovan marched past Aiden. “What’s the deal? My garage door wouldn’t open and the key card didn’t work.”

  He nodded at Nia. “Hey, Nia. You okay?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  Turning to Aiden, Quinn narrowed his eyes. “And you’re using my fiancée’s favorite lamp as a weapon because…?”

  “Sorry, sorry.” Aiden put it back on the table and plugged it in.

  Quinn dropped his keys on the dining room table. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”

  “You got my messages, right?”

  “About needing to use the apartment to protect Nia, yes.”

  “Well, today, Bree went missing, and when we found her, Will got into it with Nia’s brother and was hospitalized. Then the feds brought me in for questioning.”

  Quinn studied Aiden. “Everything okay?”

  “It’s my fault,” Nia said. “My brother’s gotten himself into trouble and it followed him out here.”

  “But that doesn’t explain the guest complaints we’ve been getting and the key cards not working.”

  “Guest complaints?” Aiden said.

  “They’ve been leaving feedback on the website. I came back to check things out, determine what we need to do to fix this.”

  “I’m sorry.” Aiden collapsed at the table as if his legs had given out on him.

  “I appreciate that, Aiden, but I’m wondering if maybe you need to take a break from things around here.”

  Nia nearly fell off her chair. “You’re firing him?”

  “Of course not,” Quinn said. “He’s a great manager. But right now I think he needs to focus on keeping you safe. I’m also wondering how legitimate these feedback forms are.”

  “What do you mean?” Nia said. Aiden seemed too stunned to contribute to the conversation.

  “May I?” Quinn motioned to the pizza.

  “Please,” Nia said.

  Quinn grabbed a slice. “What I mean is, maybe this is another way to get at Aiden.”

  “Why would they want to get at Aiden?” Nia questioned.

  “Because he’s an obstacle. With Aiden out of the way, Danny’s enemies can get to you, and if Aiden’s distracted with work issues, like unhappy guests, well, you do the math.” Quinn took a bite of pizza.

  Nia studied Aiden. She certainly didn’t want him sacrificing his job, even temporarily, for her. That was beyond a boss’s responsibility.

  “Maybe it really is time that I leave town,” she suggested.

  Aiden snapped his attention to her. “Absolutely not.”

  “If I’m gone, everyone’s safe. There’s no more danger to Bree or SAR members. If only I could find Danny and get him to disappear with me.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” Aiden snapped. “You’re not going anywhere with that guy. He’ll get you killed.”

  “Not intentionally,” she said. It didn’t change Aiden’s hard expression. He was being pulled in so many different directions because of her.

  If only she could put an end to all this.

  “I’m trying to do the right thing,” she said.

  “Aren’t we all?” Quinn offered. “So, why didn’t my key card work?”

  “We had to change the code so no one could breach the apartment,” Aiden said.

  Quinn sat down and continued eating his pizza.

  “Where’s Billie?” Nia asked, hoping to change the subject from her brother.

  “She wanted to spend one more night in Seattle to scope out wedding venues.” He eyed Nia. “No, we haven’t set a date yet. That will depend on the venue. Was hoping you could help with things when the time comes?”

  “I’d be honored,” she said.

  As they returned to the topic of her brother, and detailed everything that had happened in the past week, Nia sensed Aiden growing more distant
. It was as if he felt ashamed about all that transpired on his watch, that he worried his boss would somehow think less of him for not managing things better. But the week’s events were no more Aiden’s fault than Nia’s.

  Although she’d accepted the fact her brother had possibly taken another man’s life, she still worried about him. While the men continued their conversation, she said a silent prayer, asking God to help her brother.

  “Tomorrow morning I’ll have Zack investigate the feedback forms to determine if they were generated from our guests or by someone—or somewhere—else,” Quinn offered.

  “We had a fire alarm go off and a temporary power outage. Do you think that could be what caused guests to complain?”

  “Doubt it,” Quinn said. “Knowing Nia, she probably made it up to anyone who was inconvenienced with a free ice cream or something.”

  “I was trained well.” She smiled at Aiden, but he wouldn’t look at her. Had she upset him or was he—

  A sudden bang on the outside sliding door made Nia yelp.

  Quinn motioned them to stay back. He grabbed a baseball bat out of the front closet and stalked across the room to the sliding door.

  FOURTEEN

  Aiden rushed to Nia and put his arm around her. They waited, the silence deafening.

  Another bang echoed across the apartment, then tapping, as if someone was knocking to come in.

  “Aiden?” Nia whispered.

  He pulled her against his chest.

  Quinn whipped aside the curtain, but Aiden couldn’t see what was on the other side of the glass.

  “Oh man,” Quinn said, putting down the bat. “It’s okay. Aiden, come help me.”

  Aiden went to his boss’s side as Quinn slid open the door. They helped Zack Carter into the apartment. Aiden heard Nia gasp at the sight of a disheveled Zack: dirt and blood smudged his cheeks and hands, and his clothes were ripped.

  “I came this way so they wouldn’t find the apartment,” Zack said.

  Aiden and Quinn helped him to the sofa.

  “I don’t want to get blood on your couch.”

  “The couch can be replaced,” Quinn said.

  “What happened?” Aiden prompted.

  “Some guys were hanging out by the barn. I went to investigate but stayed out of sight. They were talking about Danny Sharpe and finding Nia. But I knocked into something and they heard me. I ran. They came after me in their car. I couldn’t see their faces. I disappeared up a trail and they didn’t bother me after that. So I sneaked over Mr. Donovan’s fence, hoping somebody would be here.”

  Aiden glanced at Nia. “Can you get some ice and a washcloth?”

  “Sure.” She went into the kitchen.

  “You’ve gotta get her out of here,” Zack said, panicked.

  Aiden patted his shoulder. “We will, don’t worry.”

  “If you want to leave now…” Quinn offered.

  “That’s what they’re expecting,” Aiden said. “They’re probably waiting at the end of Resort Drive for my truck to pull out.”

  “You want to wait?” Quinn said. “Call the police?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “You’ve got something in mind,” Quinn said.

  “We not only need to keep Nia safe, but we need to move this trouble away from the resort, as well.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Let’s take control of this situation and intentionally lure them away from the resort. We’ll make it obvious which car Nia is in and ask a few friends to run interference. Scott’s with Bree, so I won’t bother him. I’ll call Nate and Harvey, and maybe even Chief Washburn. You guys are buddies, right?”

  “We’ve gone on a fishing trip or two, yeah,” Quinn said.

  “Good. By the time Nia’s tucked away safe and sound, the drug thugs will know she’s off resort property, but they won’t have a clue where we’ve taken her.”

  “I like the way you think,” Quinn said.

  Good. Aiden needed not only to protect Nia, but he also had a responsibility to the guests of Echo Mountain Resort.

  “You’ll stick close to Nia?” Quinn asked.

  “I’d like to, yes.”

  “Excellent. I’ll temporarily fill in for you as manager until things are resolved.”

  “But—”

  “You need to do this, trust me. I’ve always blamed myself for not taking better care of Billie when criminals were after her. I kept getting distracted by work, by life, everything else. I want you to ignore everything else and focus on Nia. That’s an order.”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

  “You know where you’ll take her?”

  “I have a pretty good idea, yes.”

  “Take me?” Nia said, coming into the room and tending to a cut on Zack’s cheek. “Where are we going?”

  “To my mom’s farm.”

  She snapped her attention to him. “Aiden, no. We can’t bring my troubles to your mom’s home.”

  “She’s on a shopping trip in Victoria with her lady friends. Won’t be back until late tomorrow afternoon. The house has got a state-of-the-art security system we installed after Dad passed away. It’ll serve the purpose—for one night, anyway.”

  “Let’s get started on this distraction plan of yours,” Quinn said.

  Aiden called Nate and Harvey, while Quinn called Chief Washburn.

  Ten minutes later, Aiden and Nia were ready to go. Once Nate, the chief and Harvey were in position, they’d text Aiden and he’d pull out of the resort with Nia in the passenger seat, easily seen.

  The plan was simple: Nate would be waiting at the end of the driveway. Once Aiden knew they were being followed, Nate would pull over the car following Aiden for a traffic stop. Nia and Aiden would head into the Williamses’ barn and switch cars with Chief Washburn, who would drive off in Aiden’s car. After getting a good look at them, but not having anything to ticket them for, Nate would release the men, who would catch up to Aiden’s car, driven by the chief. The chief and Harvey would lead the men in the opposite direction from the McBride farm.

  Everyone agreed this plan should keep Nia safe for the next twelve hours or so.

  “So, why did the feds bring you in for questioning?” Quinn asked Aiden as they waited for the text messages indicating everyone was in position.

  “They claimed I hindered their investigation, first by hiding Nia and then by locking them out of our network.”

  “No kidding?” Quinn said.

  “I’m guilty of the first but have no idea what happened with their access. You told me to give them full access, and I did.”

  “That was me,” Zack admitted, holding an ice bag against his cheek. He’d moved to a chair at the dining table, where he was nibbling pizza.

  “You froze them out without my permission?” Aiden asked.

  “They’re jerks.”

  “That might be true, but you nearly got Aiden locked up,” Quinn said.

  “I couldn’t help it. They were poking around in places where they shouldn’t be, and I think they left a bug in the system, which I’ve been trying to eradicate for the last twenty-four hours.”

  “Why would they leave a bug in the system?” Quinn said.

  “Like I said, they’re jerks.”

  “I sense there’s more to it,” Aiden said. “Were you afraid they were going to find something they shouldn’t?”

  Zack glanced at Quinn, then back at his pizza.

  “What is it, Zack?” Quinn said.

  “They were digging around in your special files, Mr. Donovan.”

  “Special files?” Aiden asked. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with something called Timberline, would it?”

  “I didn’t tell him,” Zack defended.

  “The feds told me,” Aiden said. “They suspect money is being funneled into the Timberline mystery fund, and they don’t know where it’s coming from. Is there something I should know about?”

  “It’s personal.” Quinn glanced at Aiden. “And pe
rfectly legal.”

  Aiden and Nia shared a concerned look.

  “Okay, fine,” Quinn said. “It’s a surprise for Billie. I’ve been fund-raising on the side to build a retreat center for the church, you know, for special events, Bible study, that sort of thing.”

  “That sounds lovely,” Nia said. “But why don’t you tell Billie?”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure I could totally fund it. We’re only about halfway there. It’s kind of, well, part of her wedding present.”

  “That’s so sweet,” Nia said.

  “My job was to keep an eye on it but not let anyone know about the fund,” Zack said. “Fail.”

  “Hey, you didn’t know the feds would go poking around,” Quinn said.

  Aiden’s phone buzzed with a text. “It’s Nate. Everyone’s in position.” He reached for Nia’s hand. “You ready?”

  “I am.”

  She seemed so confident that Aiden could take care of her, protect her from the faceless enemies waiting for them. Aiden wished he shared her confidence.

  *

  The plan worked seamlessly. Less than an hour later, Nia was settled at the McBride home, where she felt safe and at peace, at least for the time being.

  They’d called Agents Nevins and Parker to let them know they were going into hiding but would check in tomorrow morning. Nia didn’t want the agents to think she was trying to flee the state or anything.

  Aiden asked Nia to relax in the living room while he made tea. It felt odd to be waited on by a man, but she was getting used to it. She was growing more comfortable with their role reversal: Aiden taking care of Nia, instead of the other way around.

  Although she initially didn’t want to stay here because of putting Aiden’s mother in danger, Nia loved the McBride home. She’d attended their holiday open house two years in a row, a celebration where church and community members enjoyed delicious food, lively conversation and much-needed laughter. Every time she stood in this very living room she couldn’t help but think how wonderful it must have been growing up in such a loving family.

  She studied a line of framed photos on the mantel and noticed a picture of Aiden’s father with his arm around his teenage son, dressed in his football uniform. It made her smile. Aiden’s expression was typical for the age, aloof and disinterested. Yet she could sense his deep love for his father.