High-Stakes Holiday Reunion

by Christy Barritt

  “I wish I could tell you something, but I can’t. There’s nothing to tell. He seems to get along with everyone here and be well respected. I wish I could help you. I really do.”

  Christopher cleared his throat. “So there’s nothing going on here at work that you think would be the cause for any conflict?”

  “As I’ve already said, no, there’s nothing here that’s cause for alarm—just a bunch of computer techies doing their job and helping technology to run a little more smoothly.”

  Ashley nodded, her gut roiling with disappointment. She’d hoped for so much more from their visit. “Thanks for your help.”

  He stood and straightened his sleeves before handing her a card. “If you need anything, let me know.”

  As Ashley stepped outside, all she could think was that they’d just hit another dead end.

  TWELVE

  Their next stop was at Damian’s house. As they sat across the street from his home, Christopher was grateful that the SUV’s windows had a slight tint to them, which made it harder for anyone to see they were there. A car sat in the driveway, making it appear someone was inside the two-story, stucco-sided house.

  He glanced in his rearview mirror again. Why couldn’t he shake the feeling that he was being followed? He’d felt like that ever since Ashley had shown up on his doorstep. As he scanned the area around him, he saw nothing out of place. Still, he didn’t let down his guard.

  Beside him, Ashley hung up the phone and shook her head. “You’ll never believe this. My brother called David’s school on Friday and told them he was going to be out sick for a while. Why would he do that?”

  Did Josh have something to do with all of this? The evidence was beginning to point to a “yes.” Christopher knew it was a possibility that Ashley didn’t want to consider. He settled on saying, “That surprises me.”

  “I also called one of Josh’s neighbors about picking up his mail. While I was on the phone, the post officer came by and said that the mail had been stopped at my brother’s house for two weeks. That doesn’t even make any sense.”

  Christopher tried to find some words of comfort. “Maybe his captors made him do those things so the police wouldn’t be alerted.”

  She shook her head. “I just don’t even know what to think.”

  “The answers will come to light. Just give it time.”

  She shook her head again. “I don’t have time. That’s the problem. With each second, I feel like Josh and David are slipping further and further away.”

  He stared at the house, trying to steer the conversation away from the obscure and onto the tangible. “Tell me more about this company whose website was hacked.”

  “The company is local, but this website was for an online store that would complement their physical locations. I helped them set up all of their sales pages, as well as a check-out system with security verifications.”

  “What kind of store?”

  “They sell holistic products—you know, vitamins, supplements, all natural stuff. They’re a growing company. If I remember correctly, they have thirty stores, mostly here in Virginia but they’re about to expand to other states.”

  “You said something about layers of security?”

  She nodded. “It’s my brother’s theory. He said you need multiple layers from multiple sources in order to keep your sites safe. He helped me with that aspect of each site. That’s why I have such a hard time believing that anything could have been compromised. It doesn’t make any sense. My sites have never been hacked. Even Koury Pharmaceuticals hired me.”

  He recognized the name. “That is impressive.”

  “They hired me based on my record. A pharmaceutical company can’t risk being hacked. People’s lives are on the line if they are because the hacker could change vital information about their products. That’s why this is so unbelievable to me.”

  He sat up and nodded toward the door. “Look, someone’s leaving now. Do you recognize him?” A man, probably in his late forties with a stout build, walked toward the sedan in the driveway. His gaze shifted around him, but he kept going.

  Ashley shook her head. “No, I’ve never met him. Like I said, his name isn’t even familiar. He definitely wasn’t my contact at the company.”

  There was a good chance that this man wasn’t even with the company. As the man got into his car and started down road, Christopher eased out behind him. They followed a comfortable distance behind. Finally, he pulled in front of a restaurant in downtown Norfolk.

  Good. Somewhere public. That would be the perfect place to talk to the man and find out what was really going on.

  Christopher found a parking spot along the street. Once the man disappeared inside, they climbed from their vehicle, crossed the road and stepped into the neo-Southern restaurant. As Ashley started forward, Christopher pulled her back into the waiting area. The hostess stared at them suspiciously from behind her stand while patrons cast curious glances their way.

  He leaned in close enough to Ashley that her hair tickled his cheek. “Easy,” he muttered.

  He peered around the corner and spotted the man—Damian—being seated at a corner table with two other men.

  “What are you doing?” Ashley whispered.

  Christopher leaned in close again, this time getting a whiff of her flowery scent. Something about the smell brought him a good measure of comfort. He nodded toward the distance. “You recognize any of them?”

  She shook her head, pulling her coat closer. “Not a single one.”

  “If there’s any place to talk to them, this would be it. It’s nice and public.” He glanced around the crowded space, one that was decorated with oversize roosters and sprouts of cotton stalks in milk jugs.

  Ashley’s eyes remained on the men. “If those are the same men who tried to shoot us in a mall, I doubt they’ll blink an eye at pulling their guns here.”

  “They’re not expecting us here. That’s the difference.” Still, he was well aware of the gun at his waist. He hoped more than anything that he didn’t have to use it.

  Ashley finally glanced up at him, a new determination in her gaze. “You should let me do the talking, just in case there is any validity in what he’s saying and he actually does work for the company who hired me.”

  He raised his hands. “I’m just here for moral support. And protection.” Of all the people he’d saved in his life, he could think of no one he desired to watch over more than Ashley. That realization caused Christopher to feel slightly off balance.

  She nodded, seriousness staining her gaze. “I appreciate it.”

  She started toward their table, and he trailed behind. From the way she held her shoulders, he could hardly tell she was nervous. “Mr. Maro?”

  The man looked up, his cool gaze accessing her. He had more bald spots than hair and wore a suit that looked expensive. Two men sat on either side of him. Both were large—both in frame and in weight—and one had an ugly scar across his forehead. What looked like tea, presumably sweet, waited in condensation-covered pickling jars in front of them, and fried green tomatoes sat in the center of the table.

  Damian’s eyebrows flickered up. “Yes?”

  “I got a message from you about your company’s website.”

  He squinted. “And you are?”

  “Ashley Wilson.”

  His eyes lit and he shifted in his seat. “Ms. Wilson. How unexpected. How did you know to find me here?”

  She raised her chin. “I just had to make a few phone calls.”

  His gaze moved back toward Christopher. “You brought police protection, I see? Off duty, I assume? Was that necessary? Perhaps it’s protocol. That’s what I’ll believe. Better that than to be insulted.” His eyes flickered. “Have a seat.”

  She shook her head. “I’d rather no
t. I can’t really stay and talk very long. I’m in town so I thought I should try to meet with you during this very short window of time.”

  His eyes seemed to darken. “I see.”

  “As you can imagine, I’m anxious to resolve any issues you might be having with the site. I was concerned because in all of the conference calls with your company, your name never came up. I was surprised you were the one who contacted me.”

  Christopher glanced behind him. Was someone lingering outside the front door? The same shadow that he’d sensed following them since this all began? His muscles tightened as he felt danger closing in.

  Damian chuckled. “As I said in my voice mail, I’m new with the company and I’ve been assigned to oversee this massive glitch that has us all on edge, especially since you promised a better product than what’s been delivered.”

  Her hands went to her hips and a new fire lit her voice. “My websites have firewalls that hackers can’t get past. So why did you really want to see me?”

  “I can understand why you’re leery.” He glanced at the two men on either side of him. “I’m also a little on edge, especially since you’ve confronted me here at a restaurant of all places. Why don’t we talk about this back at my office?”

  She shook her head. “Have you talked to Joey Anderson about any of this?”

  “Mr. Anderson is the one who approached me.”

  Ashley’s lips curled in a small smile. “Was he? That’s funny, because Joey is a woman.”

  The man smirked. “You’re a smart one. I’ll hand that to you. There are many things a computer expert can do for you. Clarifying whether someone with a unisex name is a male or female is apparently not one of them.”

  “My brother is not involved with this.” She took a step closer, looking ready to jab him in the chest to drive home her point. Christopher’s hand encircled her arm and held her back.

  “How about you, Ashley? Are you involved?” The man’s voice remained ice cold, absent of any emotion.

  “Where’s my brother?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “If you hurt that little boy, so help me...” She lunged toward him again, but Christopher held her back.

  Damian only smiled with that blank look in his eyes.

  Christopher tugged at her, the feeling of danger closing in becoming tighter and more urgent. “Come on, Ashley. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Going so soon? I thought the fun was just beginning.”

  She pulled away, back toward Damian, and sneered. “What fun would that be that you’re talking about?”

  “The fun where you die.”

  Warning alarms were sounding in Christopher’s head. They had to get out of here. Now.

  “Come on, Ashley. We’ve got to go.” He pulled her toward the door.

  “Tell me where David is!”

  Damian smiled, that same self-satisfied smirk that made Christopher want to lunge at him also. “You’ll have to find him yourself. Unless we kill you first.”

  The two men seated on either side of him stood. Too late. Christopher’s muscles tightened. This didn’t look good. Not good at all. He pulled Ashley closer.

  “Why don’t you two go for a little ride with my friends here? I call them Bruno and Babyface,” Damian said. “They’ll take good care of you.”

  “We’re not going anywhere with you,” Christopher muttered.

  “Fine. We can do the dirty work here, if we must. But you’ll be making more work for us, cleaning up. I suppose it will be worth it.”

  Christopher was all-too aware of his gun tucked into his waistband. He just had to get a hold of it somehow without drawing attention to himself. Still, even with his gun, could he take down these guys? He wasn’t sure.

  Another man appeared at the front door, blocking their exit.

  Not this again.

  Not another game of chase.

  But apparently, that was exactly what they were playing right now.

  He mentally counted to three and then took off toward an emergency exit door to the side. He pulled Ashley with him. Alarms wailed as soon as he opened the door, but he kept charging forward. The men trailed not too far behind.

  They burst into the chilly air and darted toward their SUV. Shots fired behind them, coming dangerously close.

  He hit a button on his key chain and the lights flashed on the vehicle, unlocking the doors. With the men still at their heels, they dove inside the car. Keeping his head low, Christopher jammed the keys in the ignition, cranked it, and threw the car into Drive.

  “Stay down!” he yelled.

  Ashley crouched on the floor. Glass showered around her as a bullet hit the windshield. Christopher squealed into traffic, narrowly missing an oncoming car.

  A bullet hit their wheel. The car lurched. Ashley screamed.

  He gripped the steering wheel, desperate to maintain control of the vehicle. The wheel pulled to the right, thumping along the road on the deflated tire.

  He glanced in his rearview mirror and saw the men standing on the street corner, staring after the vehicle.

  They were going to get away. Barely, but Christopher would take whatever victories he could.

  * * *

  As Ashley pulled herself back up into the seat, she glanced down at her biceps and saw the blood there. She’d been hit. In her haste to stay alive, she hadn’t even noticed the injury.

  But even in her haste to stay alive she couldn’t outrun her memories. Her heart still pounded erratically from the drive. She instantly remembered the sound of crushing metal, the feeling of broken limbs, the panic over feeling herself begin to die.

  It had been a long time since those memories had consumed her. But feeling so close to being in another accident had triggered the thoughts and sent her toppling back in time. She gripped the armrest and took a few deep breaths.

  She was going to get through this. She had to. Moving forward was the only option.

  From the driver’s seat, Christopher touched her arm, his eyes wrinkling as he stared at her wound. “You’re hurt.”

  She touched the cut, squinting with sudden discomfort. “I’ll be okay.” And she would be. Things could have turned out far, far worse.

  “A bullet must have grazed you. We need to get you help.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he frowned.

  She shook her head, unwilling to stop—yet. They needed to get farther away. Those men could still find them. “It’s not that bad. A bandage and some ointment will do the trick.”

  The SUV continued to bump down the road. They’d made it out of Norfolk and now headed north on the interstate. Ashley knew enough to realize they wouldn’t make it much farther on this tire. She wasn’t sure how much longer her nerves would let her continue to travel. Each bump of the tires seemed to nudge her thoughts back into the past.

  Ashley stared out the window and took a deep breath. She had to focus on the present. What had that meeting been about? Just who was that man? And why were these men so brazen, so determined to get to Ashley at any cost?

  Christopher pulled off the interstate. “This is the end of the road for us right now, Ashley. I’ll call Denton and he’ll send someone out here to help us. This SUV just isn’t going to make it anymore.”

  A small community came into view in front of them. A river graced one side of the town and a strip of shops nestled into a cliff on the other. It looked familiar, like she’d been here before, but she couldn’t place it. “Where are we?”

  “Historic Yorktown.”

  “Nice.” She pointed to a restaurant in the distance, The Revolutionary Grill. “It looks like it’s open. Can we grab a bite to eat and I’ll get cleaned up?” Ever since she’d smelled those fried green tomatoes, her stomach had b
een rumbling.

  “Absolutely.”

  Relief filled her when they pulled into a parking space. Finally. The car ride had nearly done her in. It brought back too many memories of the accident that had nearly claimed her life.

  Christopher gripped her elbow and helped her from the car and into the grill. They stepped inside the restaurant, pleasantly surprised by the warm decor. Patrons scattered the dining area, chatting quietly to each other. The place had an old-world charm about it.

  A petite woman with long, brown hair greeted them at the door, a baby on her hip and an apologetic smile on her lips. “We’re short-staffed tonight so I’m working with one less arm. We usually try to be a little more professional than this. Table for two?”

  “Don’t apologize. He’s adorable.” Ashley smiled. “And, yes, please. A table for two.”

  The woman stepped closer and pointed to Ashley’s arm. “That’s a nasty cut. Do you want me to get my first-aid kit for you?”

  “Would you?” A bandage sounded really nice. The cut throbbed, though she didn’t want to admit it.

  “Absolutely.” She extended her hand. “I’m Kylie, by the way. This is my and my husband, Nate’s restaurant.”

  Ashley glanced around again, liking the place already. “It’s lovely.”

  She grinned. “Thank you.” She led them to a corner table, placed the menus in front of them, and then hurried to the back.

  Ashley watched in the distance as Kylie talked to a man in the kitchen. He kissed her forehead and affectionately tousled the boy’s hair before grabbing something from the cabinet. Ashley’s heart lurched at the sight of the happy little family.

  Having a happy little family apparently wasn’t in store for her. The sooner she accepted that, the better. Seeing Christopher had stirred up those old hopes, but she had to let them go.

  The man from the back approached their table. “My wife tells me you need the first-aid kit?”

  Christopher nodded. “We had a little accident. If you have a bandage, that would be much appreciated.”

  The man put a plastic box on the table. “Here you go. Use whatever you need. If we can do anything for you, let us know, otherwise we’ll leave you be.” He took a step away before looking back. “And welcome to The Revolutionary Grill.”