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

by Shirlee McCoy

  “Because you love him?” Billie said.

  Nia glanced at Quinn.

  “It’s okay,” Billie said. “You’re not going to lose your job because you fell in love with the boss. It happens to the best of us.” She smiled at Quinn, her boss-turned-fiancé. “And I still have my job.”

  “Until she gets a better one called Mommy,” Quinn teased.

  A twinge of melancholy arced through Nia’s chest at the tender exchange. Quinn and Billie were so blessed to have found each other.

  As was Nia, to have found Aiden.

  “Well, if we can’t talk you out of this—”

  “You can’t,” Nia interrupted Quinn.

  “Then I’ll put Billie in charge of concierge responsibilities temporarily so you can focus on finding your brother,” Quinn said.

  “Thank you, both of you,” Nia said. “And do me a favor?”

  “Sure,” Billie said.

  “If anything happens to me—”

  “Don’t talk like that,” Quinn said.

  “But if it does, can you make sure Aiden knows I never meant to hurt him? That I’m doing this to protect him and my friends in Echo Mountain?”

  “We won’t have to tell him any such thing because everything’s going to be fine,” Billie said.

  *

  Nia spent the next hour bringing Billie up to speed on the day’s events. Nia would stay away from the resort to make sure her brother’s business didn’t threaten resort guests.

  Nia packed her suitcase since she thought it wiser to spend the night in a random hotel rather than on resort property. When Agent Nevins showed up at the cottage, she was ready to go, although she wasn’t sure how to proceed with her plan. The last text she got from Danny was from a blocked number, so she wasn’t sure how to reach him to set up a rendezvous.

  They got into the car. “No Agent Parker today?” Nia asked, not that she minded. He was an aggressive man.

  “He’ll join us later,” Nevins said.

  As they pulled out of the resort, she swallowed back the lump in her throat. It was only temporary. She’d be back.

  “So, how do we start?” she said.

  “Our best bet is to speak to the last person who saw your brother,” Agent Nevins said. “Will Rankin.”

  Poor Will, another victim of her brother’s craziness.

  “What about the man who attacked Aiden?” she asked.

  “Gus lawyered up. He isn’t talking.”

  “Odd, since all he wanted to do was talk to me,” she said.

  “Don’t worry, he’ll stay locked up this time—for assault, at least.”

  Nia nodded. Somehow it didn’t make her feel better.

  *

  When they arrived at Will’s house, his in-laws were reticent to let them in.

  “Please, ma’am, it’s important that we speak to him as soon as possible to help us close this case,” the agent said.

  Mrs. Varney debated for a minute. “Fine, we’ll take the girls for ice cream.”

  “Ice cream! Ice cream!” Marissa shouted.

  “Me, too,” Will said from inside the house.

  “You can’t, Will. The FBI is here to ask some questions,” Mrs. Varney called into the house. “Come on, girls, Grandpa’s buying.”

  Nia heard smacking sounds, which she guessed were the girls kissing their dad goodbye.

  “Bring me some volcano chocolate with Gummi Worms,” Will called out.

  “Eeewww,” the girls cried, rushing up to their grandmother at the door.

  “Let’s go, girls.” Their grandmother motioned them outside, where her husband was waiting.

  As little Marissa passed, she smiled at Nia. “I know you. You’re the lady from the restaurant. You’re going to marry my daddy.”

  Mrs. Varney gasped and glared at Nia.

  “Don’t worry, Grandma,” Claire said. “Marissa thinks everyone is going to marry Daddy.”

  “Come on, the ice cream’s melting.” Mrs. Varney quickly shooed the girls away from Nia.

  Understandable. Nia had brought trouble to Echo Mountain, and Will had suffered his share.

  Nia and Agent Nevins entered the house, where they found Will reclining on the couch.

  “Hey, Nia.”

  “Hi, Will. This is Agent Nevins from the FBI. I’m helping them track down my brother.”

  “Oh, okay.” Will sat up. “How can I help?”

  “We need to know everything Danny Sharpe said to you when you fought in the mountains,” Agent Nevins said.

  “Well, unfortunately, I’m still a little foggy on some stuff.”

  “Anything could be a huge help,” Nia encouraged him.

  “Okay, well, he was mostly freaking out about you, Nia. Said the men after him were also after you, and even accused me of being sent to kill him. He wasn’t right in the head. I thought maybe he was dehydrated, that he’d been in the mountains too long without water. I tried calming him down, but he whacked me with his gun. I didn’t see it coming and I…I’m still a little confused about some things.” He glanced at a framed picture of himself, his deceased wife, Megan, and the girls.

  It was as if he knew Megan was gone, but he couldn’t quite believe it.

  “I’m so sorry,” Nia said.

  Will slowly glanced up. “It’s okay. It’s all part of the job, right?”

  “The job?” Nia said.

  “Search and rescue. And man, if anyone needs to be rescued, it’s your brother.”

  “Was he specific about who was after him?” Agent Nevins questioned.

  “No, just that he had to save Nia, take her someplace safe.”

  “Where did you see him?”

  “Near Flat Rock Ridge. Aiden would have the specific coordinates.”

  “But he didn’t give you any indication where he was headed?” Nevins asked.

  Nia’s phone vibrated with a text from an unknown number: Meet me at Spruce Falls.

  She shared the text with Agent Nevins. “It must be Danny.”

  “How far is Spruce Falls?”

  “About an hour.”

  “I’ll make arrangements.” Agent Nevins excused himself to make some calls.

  “Be careful, Nia,” Will said. “Your brother seemed pretty confused.”

  “Yeah, and violent. I am so sorry, Will.”

  “Stop apologizing. Hey, how’s Aiden? I heard he was attacked last night.”

  “He was, but he’s fine. They’ll probably release him from the hospital later today.”

  “Good. I’ll have to give him a call.”

  Nia was about to ask him not to tell Aiden she’d stopped by but thought better of it. Aiden would find out soon enough, and he wouldn’t be happy with her decision to use herself as bait.

  But the image of a sleeping Aiden, bruised and bandaged, haunted her every waking moment. His mother was right: it was Nia’s fault that Aiden was stretched out in a hospital bed, so still and fragile-looking.

  And Nia knew what she had to do: take responsibility, not blame, and make things right.

  *

  His sisters and mother meant well, but they were driving Aiden crazy. As they escorted him back to his cottage on resort property, they hammered him with questions.

  “How’s your head?” his mom asked.

  “Are you dizzy?” Bree questioned.

  “What do the stitches look like?” Cassie said.

  He opened the door and entered his rustic living room. “Fine, no, and none of your business.”

  “He’s cranky. Get him some pain meds,” his mom said.

  “He’s always cranky,” Bree corrected her.

  “Am not,” he said.

  “Are too.”

  “Enough.” His mom intervened.

  Although he appreciated them being here, a part of him wanted to be alone. More specifically, he wanted to see Nia to make sure she was safe.

  “I don’t know why you won’t come back to the farm for dinner,” his mom said. “Harvey fixed
the window, and he and my Bible-study group cleaned up the place, although I took care of the kitchen myself. It was a mess.”

  Yeah, mostly from Aiden’s blood. He suddenly realized how traumatic this must have been for his mother.

  “Hey, Mom, I’m sorry.” He eased himself onto the sofa, his arm secured against his body in a sling.

  “You should be sorry. Now I have to drive all the way home to make dinner and drive all the way back to serve it to you.”

  “You could use my kitchen,” Bree offered.

  “Or I could order from the resort kitchen,” Aiden said. “I’m a grown man.”

  “That’s debatable,” Bree said.

  His mom motioned to Bree. “Let’s go to your place and whip something up for dinner. Cassie, you stay here and watch over your brother.”

  Good. It would give him a chance to call Nia.

  Scott and Quinn stepped into the doorway.

  “Hey, honey,” Scott said to Bree. “Where are you going?”

  “Making dinner for the prince.”

  “Hey!” Aiden protested.

  “If the crown fits,” Bree called as she and his mom left.

  Scott and Quinn joined Aiden in the cottage.

  “How are ya doing, boss?” Scott said.

  “Better than last night.”

  “How many stitches?”

  “Twenty-two,” Cassie offered.

  “I’ve got good news,” Quinn said. “The guest complaints were generated by one IP address, so it was like I suspected. Someone was messing with you, Aiden.”

  “That is good news, I guess. Hey, have either of you seen Nia?”

  Quinn glanced at Scott, then back at Aiden.

  “What?” Aiden said.

  “She’s gone,” Quinn said.

  “Gone? Gone where?”

  “To help the feds find her brother.”

  SEVENTEEN

  It felt as if he’d been punched in the gut, only this time with a baseball bat. Aiden sucked in a breath and fought back his temper, which was about to explode in front of his friend, boss and baby sister.

  “Uh-oh, I know that look,” Cassie said. “I’m going to go help Mom make dinner.” Cassie dashed out of the cottage.

  “I told her to talk to you about it first,” Quinn said.

  “Agent Nevins probably manipulated her.”

  “I don’t think so,” Quinn said. “It sounded like it was her idea.”

  Quinn leaned against the refrigerator across the room, and Scott sat at the kitchen table.

  “If she’s got the feds protecting her, she’ll be fine,” Scott offered.

  “I don’t trust them,” Aiden said.

  “Why not?” Quinn asked.

  “They’ve been pressuring Nia from the beginning about her brother, even though it’s clear that she doesn’t know anything.”

  “Maybe she does,” Scott offered.

  “What are you talking about?” Aiden snapped.

  Scott put out his hand in a calming gesture. “Before you bite my head off, let’s think about this. What if her brother gave her something, or told her something that could lead the feds to his location?”

  “And you’ve got to wonder, why is the guy still hanging around?” Quinn said. “Because he’s worried about his sister, or is it something else?”

  “The only thing that would keep a guy like that around is money,” Scott said.

  “Like the two hundred thousand he stole from the drug cartel,” Aiden added. “Why hasn’t he taken it and fled the state?”

  “Maybe he really is worried about putting his sister in danger and wants her to go with him,” Quinn said.

  “She’d never go,” Aiden countered.

  Quinn raised an eyebrow. “Unless she thought it would protect the man she loves.”

  Aiden stood up and grabbed his jacket. “I’ve got to find her.”

  “Take it easy,” Quinn said. “You’re wounded.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Quinn didn’t move.

  “Would you let twenty-two stitches stop you from finding Billie before she disappeared with her criminal brother?” Aiden challenged.

  Quinn sighed. “Point taken. Let’s go to my office and see if we can ping her cell-phone location.”

  *

  Forty-five minutes later, Nia and the two federal agents were approaching Talus Ridge. The falls were less than a quarter of a mile away. This was truly almost over. She wondered if that meant she’d get her life back.

  Deep in her heart, she feared things could never go back to the way they were. Everyone knew now. They knew about her criminal brother, her shame, and worse, how she’d put people she cared about in horrible danger.

  No, after they arrested Danny, she’d quietly slip out of town. It would be better that way, even for Aiden.

  Especially for Aiden.

  “How far?” Agent Nevins said.

  Agent Parker had remained oddly quiet.

  “About ten minutes,” she said. Thankfully, the ankle brace Dr. Spence suggested she wear gave her the support she needed on this moderate hike.

  “As we get closer, we’re going to hang back so your brother doesn’t get spooked and take off,” Agent Nevins said. “If you can get him to say anything about stealing the money, or killing the other agents, that’s even better.”

  Sadness washed over her. She’d gone from being her brother’s protector to betraying him. Yet, at this point, she wasn’t sure he was capable of making the best decisions for himself.

  “Here, you’ll need this.” Agent Nevins handed her a small device. “Press the red button to record your conversation.”

  The device was black and about the size of a thumb drive. She slipped it into her lightweight jacket pocket.

  God, I hope I’m doing the right thing.

  They reached the last switchback before the falls and headed down toward the water. Nia loved this place because she could get so close to the falls. Some people even swam in the water.

  “Okay, this is a good place for you to hang back,” she said.

  “We’ll stay close enough to protect you.”

  “I’m not worried. He won’t hurt me.”

  She continued down the trail, secretly hoping he’d deny knowing anything about the stolen money or the dead federal agents. Even though she told herself she’d given up on her brother, a part of her never would. A part of her would always think of him as that little kid with the messy brown hair who loved collecting baseball cards and playing soccer.

  As she approached the water, she scanned the area.

  “Danny?” she called out.

  She carefully stepped on the wet rocks to make her way to a bigger rock in the middle of the pool of water. She wanted him to see her, to feel safe enough to come out.

  Something caught her eye and she turned a little too suddenly. Her foot slipped out from under her and she plunged into the water. Stunned by the frigid temperature, she gasped before she went under.

  Flailed her arms to stay above the surface.

  But her pack was weighing her down.

  She broke through the surface and reached for a rock, but she couldn’t get ahold of it.

  She heard a splash and suddenly her brother was in the water, pushing her up onto the rocks.

  “Are you okay?” Danny asked, shifting beside her.

  “I’m embarrassed.” She sat up and eyed herself. “And soaked.”

  “You look like a soggy cat.” He squeezed water from his shirt.

  “Thanks for saving me.”

  “You would have made it out eventually.” He eyed her. “But it’s nice to save you for a change.”

  Suddenly she realized he seemed perfectly fine, not crazy or out of his mind.

  “What’s going on, Danny?” She automatically felt for the recording device but realized it wouldn’t work after being submerged. Relief washed over her.

  Danny must have noticed her movement. “What’ve you got for me?” he teased
. “Soggy chocolate?” He reached into her pocket.

  “Danny—”

  He pulled out the recording device.

  “What…what’s going on?”

  “I wasn’t going to use it.”

  He glanced at the device, then at the surrounding woods. “Nia, what did you do?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Danny jumped to his feet and whipped out a gun.

  A crack echoed through the falls.

  Danny dropped the gun, gripped his shoulder and fell back into the water.

  “No!” Nia launched herself toward her brother and grabbed him by the shirt collar before he sank into the water.

  Agent Parker came up behind her.

  “Help me!” she demanded.

  The agent pulled Danny up onto the rocks.

  “Danny, Danny, open your eyes,” she pleaded.

  His eyes fluttered open. “Why…why did you—”

  “Where’s the money, Sharpe?” Agent Parker got in Danny’s face.

  “You didn’t have to shoot him.”

  “He was about to shoot you,” Nevins said from ten feet away, still holding his firearm.

  “No, he wasn’t.” She pulled off her backpack and searched for dry socks in a sealed plastic bag. She pulled them out and shoved them against Danny’s gunshot wound.

  “The money!” Parker demanded, grabbing Danny’s hair.

  “Stop it!” Nia shoved Agent Parker aside. “We’ve got to call search and rescue.” Nia continued to put pressure on Danny’s wound.

  “I don’t suppose you recorded anything,” Nevins said.

  “The device was damaged when I fell into the water. You can interrogate him when we get back.”

  “We don’t have time for that,” Parker said.

  She heard a click against her ear. He was pointing a gun at her temple. She froze and automatically put up her hands. Danny’s eyes widened with fear.

  “I’ll kill your sister if you don’t tell us where the money is,” Parker said.

  “And admit to killing Agents Brown and McIntyre,” Nevins said.

  “You know I didn’t kill them,” Danny protested.

  “What are you doing?” Nia said, more irritated than scared by their aggressive tactics.

  “We’re closing this case,” Nevins said. “That’s what you want, isn’t it? If you can get your brother to tell us where the money is, maybe we won’t add your murder to his list of felonies.”