Josh had forgotten that Willow hadn’t used a traditional key to unlock the door.
“A reasonable explanation. So it’s your call, honey. Do we stay here or do we head to the warehouse?”
Her lips firmed and she whirled around and strode toward the car. “To the warehouse. It has to be there.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The drive to the warehouse seemed to take forever. Willow kept pushing the imaginary accelerator on the passenger side of the car but the vehicle didn’t go any faster, which was probably a good thing. Josh was already exceeding the speed limit on the winding, deserted roads. The warehouse was in the middle of nowhere, which meant that there was no quick route to get there. They had called the others and Chase, Bailey, Peyton, and Ellis would join Willow and Josh at the warehouse instead of the civic center.
As he pulled up, he parked behind the building so the vehicle couldn’t be seen from the road. Willow moved to get out of the car but Josh stayed her movements with a hand on her arm. “Let me take a look around first. We need to be extra careful until the others get here.”
Knowing that arguing would simply slow them down, she waited in the car while he walked around the area, gun in hand, looking for anyone that might be hiding in the shadows. The moment was so full of subterfuge it was almost comical. She’d crossed over into some spy world and she had no idea how she’d landed here. All she’d wanted that first night when she met the girls was a drink.
Coming around to her side of the car, he opened her door. “The area looks clear. I did see some tire tracks on the concrete as we drove in. That could have been Grant’s vehicle.”
It had rained earlier, as it did almost every day around four o’clock this time of year, and there was a puddle of water on the driveway near the road. If Grant had driven through it after dark there was a decent chance the tracks would still be visible.
She quickly entered the pass code – her birthday and their wedding anniversary – into the keypad and the lock clicked open. Anyone who knew much about them could figure out the code. She made a mental note to change it to something less obvious.
Josh insisted on going in first but she stuck right behind him, practically glued to his back. He wanted to protect her but she was in this too, and she’d never forgive herself if anything happened to him. He flicked the row of lights on and the place lit up so brightly she had to shield her eyes for a moment.
“Which car is it?”
Stepping farther into the expansive room, she ran her gaze from left to right, landing on the bright red car in the front row. It had been one of Alex’s last acquisitions before he passed away.
“That one.” She pointed to the low slung, bullet-shaped vehicle with oversized tires. “It’s that one.”
They almost fell over each other getting to the car. Josh checked the outside of the racer while she checked the tiny interior. Running her hands around the steering wheel, she scrutinized the gear shift, along the dashboard display, and around the seat. She had almost given up when she felt a small bump with her fingertips. She had to almost fold herself in half to reach it more easily, but there was a small slit in the leather. Digging into the hole, she pulled out a cell phone.
Her breathing had sped up along with her heart rate. This could be what the three of them had been looking for. This could have the answers they needed.
“Found it.”
Hopping up from the front of the car, Josh peered over her shoulder. “A phone? Is it locked?”
Pressing a button, the phone came to life. “No, do you think it’s in the texts? Or maybe the voicemails?”
Josh picked up the handgun where he’d set it on the floor while searching the race car.
“I’m not planning to hang around here and find out. Let’s get this back to the house where we can take a good look at it.”
Tucking the phone into her purse, she and Josh turned off the lights and exited the warehouse. They walked around the back of the building and froze in their tracks. They’d become sloppy.
Archer Caldwell was leaning on their car.
Holding a gun pointed at their hearts.
Shit and double shit.
Where was that grumpy cop Ellis when you needed him?
Archer straightened up and smiled. “Did you find it? I hope so. I’m tired of keeping an eye on you. Frankly, I have better things to do, Willow. For a former stripper, you lead a boring as hell life.”
Josh’s stomach twisted in his abdomen as nervous sweat trickled down his back in the humid night air. He held up his own gun and pointed it at Archer but his first responsibility was to protect Willow. On the other hand, Archer had a gun and nothing to lose.
This wasn’t a fair fight.
“That was a long time ago, Archer,” Willow replied, her voice crisp even though Josh could feel her trembling slightly next to him where their arms touched. “But sadly, no. We didn’t find it. I was wrong—there’s nothing here. How did you find us anyway?”
“Simple. I placed a GPS tracking device on your car at the farmer’s market. Not exactly rocket science. That way I was able to stay far enough behind you so you wouldn’t see that you were being followed.”
Josh was a fucking idiot. GPS. That hadn’t even occurred to him. He really was a vet and not some kind of spy.
Archer clicked his tongue. “Now, Josh. You aren’t going to need that gun so go ahead and throw it down. A man like you isn’t prepared to take a life but me? It’s something I was born for.”
“I think I’ll hold onto it if you don’t mind.”
Archer shrugged. “Suit yourself. It’s not going to make any difference. You’re no cold-blooded killer. Jesus, you rescue dogs and cats. You aren’t going to shoot me or anyone else. Now let’s go back to the subject at hand. You say you didn’t find it?”
“Too bad you came up empty,” Josh said, trying to slowly insinuate himself between Willow and the gun. At the very least, make her a smaller target. “Better luck next time. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you’re quite interested in whatever we were going to find though.”
Archer took a few steps back, still smiling in that smarmy way he had. “Luck is a funny thing, Dr. Coleman. For example, Grant’s luck is running out. I know what he’s doing and I’m going to stop him. Your luck has also run out, not that you had much to begin with. I’ve known what you’ve been up to even before you spent the weekend at The Retreat. I also know that you broke into The Clubhouse.”
Shit. He’d known someone had seen him.
But Willow was shaking her head. “You were with me at the ball.”
Chuckling, Archer waved the gun around, causing Josh’s breath to hitch in his chest. That barrel was way too close to Willow. “Cameras. You see, Josh thought about the cameras at The Clubhouse and he did a great job staying away from them. Kudos to you. What he didn’t realize is that there are cameras all over those wooded areas. Motion-sensor cameras that recorded your arrival and your departure. Did you find whatever you were looking for? You should have just asked me, Willow. A woman like you? I would have given you anything you asked for. For the right price, of course.”
Now Josh wanted to puke. The thought of Archer’s hands anywhere near Willow made him sick. “You were the one that gave her those phony files to send her off on a wild goose chase.”
“Most of those files were the God’s honest truth. Alex wasn’t a good person, Josh. He never treated Willow the way he should have and keeping Grant a secret was just a small part of that. And Greg Nelson? He had an entire secret life tucked away in London. That’s not a nice thing to do to your wife. Personally, I think Evandria and the world are better for their deaths. It might be painful for a while but in the long run it’s kinder.”
Willow’s hands were in tight fists, the knuckles white. “Is that why you killed them? Because you didn’t like how they treated their wives?”
“Are we sharing our feelings? How touching.” Archer grinned, eyeing Willow up
and down. “I’ll tell you what. You tell me the truth about your marriage and I’ll answer your question. Is that a deal?”
Josh wanted to tell Willow to say no but she was already nodding her head. This was going to get brutal and he couldn’t help but admire her courage in the face of what was bound to be ugly.
“So here’s my question. Why did you stay with the asshole? Was it the money? Was it the sex? Did you actually think the bastard was going to change or something pathetic like that? Tell me the truth, Willow. Why did you stay? That was something that I never could figure out.”
Swallowing the lump that was lodged in her throat, Willow answered. “Because I didn’t think anyone else – anyone decent – would ever want me. And yes, there was a part of me that hoped he would eventually get the help he needed. But then I didn’t know that he was in Arsenal and he was simply waiting to die.”
“He was weak,” Archer spat, his lip curled in disgust. “He couldn’t take the pressure of playing both sides. Frank talked Alex and Greg into volunteering for Arsenal but they didn’t have the guts, any of them. They were always afraid and it showed.”
“You were in Arsenal.”
“I was. It was a stepping stone to where I am now.”
Willow steadied her breathing before continuing. “So answer my question. Why did you kill them? Because of the way they treated us?”
Archer laughed and shook his head. “Hell, no. That would be a stupid reason, wouldn’t it? That was simply my opinion, although it made killing them much easier. No handwringing or soul searching about it. I slept like a baby after Alex ran off the road and into that concrete barrier.”
Willow sucked in a breath at the heartless words but she was determined not to give him any reaction. “So why then?”
He shrugged. “It was business. I know you’ve spoken to Holmwood so you know that Evandria is split into two factions, both battling for power. Arsenal is the initiative that goes between those two worlds, keeping both in check. My side needed a distraction…something to take everyone’s attention away from what we were really doing. Sort of like what a magician does on the stage. Get the audience to look over here while he’s hiding the rabbit over there. Three operatives killed on Evandria’s birthday was a big fucking deal inside the organization. It looked like an accident to you but everyone inside knew it wasn’t and they scrambled to find out what was going on. Why were they killed and who did it. While they were busy doing that, my superiors were active elsewhere. And it worked. We were able to consolidate more power while everyone else was running around like it was the end of the world that three less than stellar human beings died. You may be the only person that truly misses Alex, Willow. Isn’t that a little sad?”
Tears pricked the back of her eyes and she had to blink rapidly to keep them from falling.
“Grant misses him.”
“Grant is all but dead, and no one will care about him either.”
Willow stood up straighter despite her trembling knees. “I will.”
Archer’s grin widened. “How sweet, although I’m not sure Grant deserves such devotion. He’s no choir boy.”
Josh had been slowly moving in front of her, one millimeter at a time until now he covered half of her body. The idiot was putting himself between her and Archer’s gun. She tried to maneuver out from behind him but his left arm grabbed hers tightly, making her stay put.
It was gentlemanly but not very bright. Archer might not kill them as long as he thought she had a chance of finding the evidence.
“So you’re in the rogue faction?” Josh asked. “What is the mission of that half of Evandria?”
“There is no rogue faction. Not really,” Archer mocked with a laugh. “There are only two sides, each one wanting the same thing but going about it in different ways. If you think my side is evil and the other are saints, you are wrong, Josh. This is no black and white struggle, but the results are real. It would be easy for me to brand the other side as the devil but I can’t do that. This is war and like all wars through history each side believes in its just cause.”
“There will be casualties,” Josh observed, his fingers still gripping her arm. “Innocents will be hurt or die.”
“Yes, but that always happens in times of great strife. Evandria was born out of bloodshed against a brother and it will be reborn in the same way.”
Listening to this man speak…he was a true believer, and that was a terrifying thought. He was willing to do whatever he needed to do.
“You sound like a cult,” she said. “Not a philanthropic organization.”
“Evandria is no cult but those in the inner circle have to believe, Willow. I wish you had joined us. I was sincere in that offer. We could have used someone like yourself. Smart and hard working. You know how to get things done.”
It was her turn to laugh even though she hardly felt merry. “I would never join you. I don’t thirst for power. I don’t want to rule the world.”
“Even to make it a better place for all mankind?” Archer asked, taking another step closer and causing Josh’s fingers to tighten like a steel band on her arm. “Let me ask you this, Willow. If you knew that your death or Josh’s death would bring about peace and end hunger around the world, would you do it? Would you die to save your fellow man? Would you take this gun and shoot the man you love to save millions?”
“That’s not a fair question. Taking a life is wrong.”
“Even if it saves millions?” Archer pressed. “Come on, Willow. Don’t wuss out on me now. Answer me.”
He had to give her something in return. “If I do will you answer another question about their deaths?”
Shaking his head, he pointed the gun straight to her chest. “I like you, I really do. All right, it’s a deal. Now answer mine first. Would you?”
“Yes, I would die if I knew that for certain it would make a difference.”
He nodded toward Josh. “And would you kill him? Knowing you could bring about a nirvana for the survivors?”
Wiping her sweaty palm on her shirt, she tried to steady her voice. “No, I could never kill Josh. Taking my own life is different than taking another’s.”
“Love is such a beautiful thing. What about a stranger? If you could solve world hunger and homelessness with one act, would you do it? Would you kill a stranger to save millions? Be honest with me now. What if you knew they were a terrible person? They beat their kids and cheated on their wife. They didn’t pay taxes and they’d hurt people just for fun. Would you kill them to feed starving children across the globe?”
She didn’t like this game at all. “No. Every life has value. No one is completely evil.”
Archer seemed to like her answer. He spread his arms wide and grinned.
“You believe you’re above it but you’re not. That, Willow, is the ultimate power. Who lives, who dies. That’s what you can have in Evandria. Your life can have that great of a meaning, and you’re lying to me and yourself right now. You only think you don’t want power. You simply haven’t admitted it to yourself yet.”
She wasn’t like him. She wasn’t. Was that what Alex had wanted? God-like power? Had he taken life in some lame attempt at a better world?
“Now my question. You’re one person. How did you kill all three men on three different continents on the same day?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
At this point, Archer was supremely confident and with any luck it would make him sloppy. Josh had managed to move Willow behind him about halfway without Caldwell noticing. If he could get her completely blocked he might think about pulling a Chase-move and rushing Archer, hitting him squarely in the gut. Honestly, the man didn’t look any more comfortable with a gun than Josh was. He might even be a terrible shot.
“I had help,” Caldwell admitted. “It wasn’t difficult to find people who would do anything for the right price. Greg’s death was the easiest of all. A chef with a gambling problem and lots of debt put a massive amount of peanut powder in th
e food. Done deal. Frank’s was more complex. I’d originally planned to have him killed by a thief during a mugging, but when I found out he was going to the islands for some diving that made things easier. His diving companion that day was on my payroll. He was charged with befriending Frank in the bar and then convincing him to dive the caves, something he’d never done before. The man made sure to kick up a lot of silt, causing Frank to become disoriented inside the cave. It was all downhill for him from there.”
This guy seemed a little too fucking proud of his handiwork.
“How many other people have you killed?” Josh asked, hoping his utter disgust was loud and clear.
“A few others but after they died I was promoted. I moved up the ladder of power quickly. My parents were very proud.”
Willow had tears in her eyes from listening to Archer’s story. “Did you kill Stephen Baxter?”
“That I did not do but I’m sure whomever did had a good reason.”
They were afraid he might talk. Plain and simple.
“I’m not sure I believe you,” Willow replied, her lips trembling with emotion.
“Why would I lie about it? Now, as much fun as this has been, I want the evidence that Grant left for you. Give it to me and things won’t get ugly.”
“We don’t have it.” Willow shook her head. “We didn’t find anything. This must not be the right place.”
“It’s the right place.” Caldwell waved the gun toward the building. “I put a GPS on Hollister’s vehicle too. He came here instead of Roy’s. So if you didn’t find it, it’s still in there. We can find it together. If you behave, I’ll kill you painlessly. If you act up, then all bets are off and I’ll find it myself. Josh, you can watch Willow go first, slowly.”
Fuck you, asshole. Over my dead body.
Going inside might be better for them. There was an entire wall of heavy tools that Josh could use as weapons. But even better would be to find an opening to end this for good and get Willow out of here. Sweat had pooled under his arms and at the back of his neck. His palms were slick but his fingers were secure around the cool metal of the handgun.
Midnight Of No Return (Midnight Blue Beach Book 2) Page 20
