Safe Harbor

by Hope White

  She snapped her eyes to his. “I had nothing to do with any of this. I wanted to vindicate my brother by finding his killer.”

  “Why did you suggest he led a secret life?”

  She sighed. “When I discovered certain things about him after his death, it made me realize how little I knew about him, my own brother.” She glanced at Alex. “I guess the only way I could deal with that was to assume he had a secret life.”

  “What was your husband’s relationship like with your brother?”

  She looked up. “Good, until recently. David and my brother were butting heads about a new software product. David said he wanted to work it out, but my brother wouldn’t return his calls. When I asked Edward about it he’d promise to talk to David.”

  “So, you didn’t know what the product was?”

  “No.”

  Alex studied her as she processed the accusation that her husband could be her brother’s killer.

  “I think we both know your brother well enough to assume he wouldn’t want an innocent woman to be killed because of his work.”

  “She’s not innocent. Nicole was there, she could have stopped it!”

  “She was traumatized.”

  “Right, the traumatized girl with the criminal past. David and I knew about her being arrested for beating up her father, how there were multiple police calls to her childhood home. David told me she has severe mental problems, posttraumatic, whatever. I don’t care. She could help us find Edward’s killer but she won’t.”

  “She doesn’t deserve to die. Isn’t that what your husband plans to do to her? Kill her?”

  “No, no.” She stood and paced to the other side of the room. “I can’t believe David is involved. She’s not with him. You’re wrong.”

  But he read panic in her eyes as she grappled with the truth.

  “Then help me clear his name by telling me where he is,” Alex said.

  She pulled a business card out of her suit jacket pocket. “He was going to look at a rental this afternoon. We weren’t sure how long we’d have to stay in Waverly Harbor so we decided to rent a house. The address is on the back of the card.”

  “Officer Adams will take you back to the station.”

  “I’d rather stay here and continue to work on finding my brother’s killer, if that’s okay with you,” she said in soft voice.

  Her world was crumbling with the possibility that her husband had viciously murdered her brother.

  “If a lead implicates your husband I’ll expect you to share it with us,” Alex said.

  “Of course,” she said, with surrender in her voice.

  Alex sensed that somewhere, deep down, she’d accepted the truth about her husband but clung to hope that he was innocent.

  Alex opened the door and motioned for Officer Adams. “Stay with Abigail until you hear from me.”

  * * *

  Alex, Agent Banks and his team surrounded the rental house. Banks motioned for his three agents to cover the sides and back of the house in case David tried to escape through a window. Banks and Alex took the front.

  “I appreciate the call,” Banks said as they approached the porch.

  “Yep.” Alex’s mind was elsewhere, focused on what was happening inside. Fear burned through his chest at what he thought he might find.

  They sneaked onto the porch and Banks pounded on the door. “FBI, open the door!”

  A crash echoed from inside the house. Banks nodded at Alex, who took a step back and kicked the door once, twice.

  It swung open and he aimed his gun....

  At a middle-aged woman wearing a blue suit. He blew past her, letting the Feds deal with her while Alex searched the house. He raced up the stairs to check all three bedrooms. He slid open closet doors and looked behind shower curtains in the two bathrooms.

  The place was empty except for the woman in the living room. Beating back the dread simmering in his gut, Alex went downstairs.

  “You had an appointment with David Woods at what time?” Banks questioned the woman, who sat on the sofa clutching her hands in her lap.

  “We were supposed to meet at three o’clock, then he called and said an emergency came up but I have another appointment at four so I thought I’d wait,” she rambled.

  “I’m sorry that we startled you,” Agent Banks said, eyeing the broken vase on the floor.

  “Did he give you any indication where this emergency was? Where he was going?” Alex tried.

  “No. Sorry.”

  Alex holstered his gun and went outside. He couldn’t stand to be in this house, so close to finding her, to saving Nicole only to hit another dead end. He wondered if this wild goose chase had been intentional on Abigail’s part. Yet, she’d looked genuinely shocked when Alex accused David of kidnapping Nicole.

  No, this was all David Woods. He needed something from Nicole and as long as she didn’t give it to him she’d stay alive.

  Yet David would do anything to get it out of her. Alex fisted his hand. Would the monster beat her, like her father? Physical abuse would make her shut down for sure, and then David wouldn’t be able to get anything out of her. If David were smart he’d apply mental pressure.

  David told me she has severe mental problems, posttraumatic, whatever.

  What better place to apply emotional pressure than to take her back to the scene of Edward’s murder?

  “Banks!” Alex called.

  The agent jogged across the property.

  “Have you got men at Lange’s lake house?” Alex asked.

  “No, why?”

  Alex whipped open his car door. “Because I’m guessing that’s where he’s taken her.”

  * * *

  When David turned onto the lake road Nicole feared she had minutes to live. If David was Edward’s killer, he’d been trying to hurt or kill Nicole since the night of the murder. Or at least kidnap her.

  Somehow she needed to stall him long enough for Alex to find her.

  Really, Nic? You walked out on him without so much as a note. How is he going to find you?

  They pulled up to the gates of Edward’s lake house. “Since I couldn’t find Merriweather Crossing I figured there’d be police officers here who could protect you better than I.”

  Oh, wasn’t he clever.

  Edward pressed the code, the gates opened and he pulled up to the house. Her pulse raced with the memory of the night Edward Lange was murdered. Images filled her brain: shouting, crashing and blood.

  So much blood.

  She realized that’s what he was hoping for. He wanted Nicole weak and broken, traumatized to the point where she’d give him what he needed. She wondered what it was.

  She knew the moment she gave it to him he’d no doubt kill her. Probably slit her wrists and make it look as if she’d committed suicide.

  With his briefcase slung over his shoulder, David pulled down the yellow tape blocking the door and motioned her inside.

  “Thank you so much.” She smiled, hoping he had no clue she was onto him.

  “Hello!” he called out. “Any law enforcement here?”

  Silence echoed back at them.

  “Strange,” he said. “Well, as long as we’re here, maybe you could help me with something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Abigail and I were discussing the murder the other night.” He motioned her into the office.

  She froze in the doorway. “I...I don’t think I can go in there.”

  “Just for a second?”

  Then she remembered the alarm button beneath the desk that connected directly to the Waverly P.D. If she could get to it without David knowing...

  “Okay.” As she wandered into the office, heat crawled up her neck to her cheeks. The room
smelled of dried blood and death, and she could picture Edward laying facedown on the floor.

  David placed his hand on her back and led her across the room to the closet. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as she drowned in violent images.

  “It must have been horrible for you to be sitting on the other side of this door.” He tapped on the wood with his knuckles. “The things you must have heard....”

  Nicole was falling deeper, deeper into the abyss.

  Which is exactly what he wants.

  “Are you all right?” he asked in a saccharine sweet voice.

  She couldn’t answer. She just stared at the door, a war raging inside of her. As she kept telling herself she was not a victim, her father’s words hounded her: you will never be safe.

  Then another voice rose to the surface.

  Well, look at you.

  It was Alex’s voice when she’d fisted her hands, ready to take on the intruder at the mill. He’d been proud of her courage, her newfound strength.

  The memory of his voice pulled her out of her spiral. She had to get to the desk and press the alarm button without raising suspicion.

  David expected her to be fragile so she’d play along. Then, after she pressed the button she’d work up to using the Donovan Slam and escape.

  She placed a dramatic hand to her chest. “I think I need to sit down.”

  “Of course.” Cupping her elbow, David led her to the desk chair.

  Perfect. The button was within reach.

  “I’m sorry, it was wrong of me to bring you in here but I’ve got this problem and I need your help,” David said.

  She gazed at him, pretending to be disoriented.

  “The Lange Industries all access network pass code, do you have it?”

  “Yes.”

  As he pulled a laptop out of his briefcase, she reached beneath the desk and pressed the alarm. Now she just had to survive the three to five minutes it would take for authorities to get here.

  She couldn’t believe how comfortable David was in the very room where he’d violently killed his brother-in-law. But then, psychopaths didn’t feel anything like empathy or remorse.

  Yet remorse filled her chest at the thought that she may never see Alex again.

  Eyeing his laptop, David asked, “What’s the pass code?”

  “I’m not supposed to tell anyone or I could lose my job.”

  He cracked a smile that made her skin crawl. “Not to worry. That won’t happen.”

  Yeah, because I’ll be dead.

  “Why do you need it?” she innocently asked.

  “I have a project that Edward was in the process of approving, and I need to know if that happened before he...” David glanced at his computer screen and pretended to fight back a moment of grief.

  Once she gave him the pass code her life was over. Not that she’d ever give him the real pass code.

  “I understand your reticence. You hardly know me. It’s all about trust, isn’t it?” He placed his hand on her shoulder.

  She closed her eyes.

  “We should get to know each other better. I understand your sister, Adeline, started a new job as a school counselor in Marysville. How is she liking it?”

  “Fine, thank you,” she said, recognizing the insidious threat to her family.

  “I’m not sure about the neighborhood she moved into. Did you help her choose it?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I’d hate for anything to happen to her. Your family has been through enough.”

  He squeezed her shoulder.

  Nicole broke the connection by wandering to the window. Stall, girl, buy time.

  “Do you have brothers and sisters?” she asked.

  “Yes, one of each. Family is so important, don’t you think?”

  “Very.”

  “Then why haven’t you spoken with your brother in more than a year?”

  She spun around. “How do you know that?”

  He shrugged. “I also know he’s been in an alcohol recovery program.” He stalked toward her. “I know he’s struggling to keep his job as a police officer, that he lost the love of his life to a better man. I know he passes a pub every day on his way home from work.”

  “You know more than I do.” She stared out the window.

  “I also know that you’ve grown close to Detective Donovan in the past few days. I understand he’s had a rough time, what with his girlfriend and his father dying in the same year. Must be hard to lose everyone you care about. It’s just a matter of time before his little brother gets killed in a thrill-seeking adventure.”

  Losing Quinn would destroy Alex.

  “Quinn’s a smart man. He can take care of himself,” she said.

  “You think so?” David pulled out his phone. “It’s David. Take care of Quinn Donovan for me, will you?” He pocketed his phone.

  “What are you doing?” she said.

  “No more games. Give me the code and I’ll retract my order.”

  “Who was that?”

  “A loyal employee.” He wandered back to the computer. “A mercenary who knows how to terminate a problem.”

  Quinn. They were going to terminate Quinn.

  God, no.

  “The pass code?” he prompted.

  She couldn’t trust that David would cancel his order to have Quinn killed.

  “Cancel what you just did,” she said.

  “After you give me the pass code.”

  “Six, four, seven, two, nine, eight, four,” she lied.

  She had to get out of here, warn Alex that his brother’s life was in danger.

  When the numbers didn’t work, he slammed his fist on the desk and glared at her. “Are you messing with me?”

  “What? It should work.”

  He tried again. She glanced out the window. Where were the cops?

  “Do you think I’m stupid? Who else has to die because of your stubbornness?”

  “I can’t help it if you can’t type.”

  He marched toward her, his eyes glaring.

  He wouldn’t kill her until he had the code, but he’d continue to hurt the people she loved.

  Unless she stopped him. Please, God, help me be strong. Help me protect the people I love.

  He reached out to grab her.

  “No!” She swung the heel of her palm against his chest—left, right, left—and slammed her palm up to connect with his nose.

  He cried out and grabbed his nose, stumbling backward.

  Nicole shoved him to the ground and sprinted for the door.

  SIXTEEN

  She was halfway down the driveway when gunshots vibrated against her eardrums. She hit the ground and glanced left, looking for a place to take cover.

  Tires squealed as three cars sped up the driveway.

  “Stay down!” Alex called out to her.

  A few more shots were fired, then silence. Heart pounding against her chest, she looked up as Alex kneeled beside her.

  “You’re okay, right?” he said. “Tell me you’re okay.”

  “I did it, Alex. I did the Donovan Slam and got away.”

  “I’m so proud of you.” He hugged her.

  “Quinn’s in trouble.” She broke the hug. “David made a call. Ordered someone to hurt Quinn.”

  Alex helped her stand and pulled the phone off his belt to call Quinn. When she glanced toward the house, he put his arm around her and led her away.

  “You’ve seen enough,” he said, then directed his attention to the phone call. “Quinn, we got David Woods, but Nicole said he ordered someone to come after you. We’ll trace the call but in the meantime...I’d rather you not... Just stay where you are. Why are you fighting
me on this?”

  He held out the phone and stared at it. “Stubborn kid.” He glanced at the FBI team swarming the property. “Banks!”

  Alex redirected his attention to Nicole. A warm, relieved smile played at his lips. “I’m so sorry. I should have been here.”

  She thought he might kiss her; she wanted him to kiss her. Everything she’d done had been to protect herself and Alex in the hopes of pursuing something real together, a future.

  “I’m going to have an agent get you out of here.”

  “Alex, I—”

  “David Woods is still alive,” Agent Banks said, approaching them. “Ambulance is on the way.”

  “Can someone take Nicole back to the station?”

  “Alex, I want to stay with you.”

  He looked deep into her eyes. “Please, sweetheart. I’ll be able to focus better if I know you’re tucked safely away.”

  She nodded.

  “I’ve gotta check David’s phone. Nicole said he sent someone after my brother,” Alex said.

  Agent Banks waved a young agent over. “Masterson!”

  All the activity and shouting was giving her a headache. Or maybe it was the tension building in her chest for the past hour, the stress of thinking she’d never see Alex again. Never kiss him again or feel his arms around her.

  A tall, blond agent joined them.

  “This is Agent Masterson,” Agent Banks introduced.

  “Hi,” Nicole greeted.

  “I’ll catch up with you later.” Alex squeezed her hand.

  When he let go, a chill flooded her chest and her legs weakened, but she forced herself to remain strong for Alex.

  “Go on,” she said.

  Alex took off toward the house and she had an odd feeling that she was never going to see him again. The agent led her to the waiting Suburban.

  “Nicole!” Alex called out.

  She turned and he smiled at her. “I’ll see you back at the station.”

  She watched him disappear into the house. It was as if he’d read her mind or felt her trepidation about being apart from him.

  In that moment she realized how emotionally connected they truly were.

  * * *

  Alex didn’t stop by the police station that night. Even though Agent Banks said Alex was fine, Quinn was safe and all was well, she felt anything but calm.