Without Warning

by Lynette Eason

  She flinched. He’d never talked to her in that tone before, but she thought it was more than anger in his voice. She heard fear. For her.

  “There you are.” She turned to find Martin standing in the hangar doorway.

  “Hey, Uncle Daniel, I’ve got to go. Martin is here.”

  “Riley, remember what I said. Tell Martin I’ve got the coin and I’m taking good care of it.”

  “Okay.” Now she was a little freaked. “Hi, Martin, I thought you were taking the rest of the day off.”

  “Where’s the coin? Why does Daniel have it?” Martin blurted.

  “What?”

  “The coin you texted me about. The one I lost.”

  “It’s yours?” Why hadn’t Daniel just said so?

  “Yes, yes. Where is it?”

  “In a safe place.” Obviously Daniel didn’t want Martin to know that she had the coin, so she kept her mouth shut about the fact that it was in her pocket.

  “Where?” he yelled.

  Riley flinched and Haley stepped forward, a frown on her face. “Tone it down a notch, will you?” She held out her hands. “I need to pat you down.”

  “What?” Martin’s eyes flared.

  Haley stared him down. “Do you have any weapons on you?”

  “Of course not, I’m sorry. I just . . . I’ve been looking for that coin everywhere. I’ve been frantic trying to find it.”

  “I thought someone stole it,” Haley said. She moved toward him and Martin backpedaled.

  “Well, yes. I thought so, but maybe I just lost it. Where is Daniel and when is he going to be back?”

  Riley frowned at him. “You lost it? But I found it at the restaurant site. The one that burned down. Why would you have lost it out there?” She was so confused. And she thought she was beginning to understand and that frightened her.

  Martin froze for a brief second, then let out a low laugh. “I mean I didn’t. I guess the person who stole it must have dropped it out there.”

  Riley studied him. He seemed nervous. “You’re not making any sense, Martin. Either someone stole it or they didn’t. Either you lost it or you didn’t.” He didn’t say anything for a moment. In fact, he seemed to be searching for words. “No one stole the coin, did they, Martin?” she whispered. Fear clutched her. They had to get away from him. This was why her uncle didn’t want her to give Martin the coin. Martin was the one. Oh God, help us.

  He laughed again, a sound she’d never heard him make. “Of course they did. Someone did. Just ask your uncle. He saw my place. It was torn apart.”

  “What were you doing out at the site?” she asked as she took a step back. She bumped into Steve, who reached up to grip her upper arms.

  Haley stepped forward. “Riley, why don’t you and Steve head inside? I’d like to talk to Martin here.”

  Riley let her gaze dart back and forth between Martin and Haley. How could she signal to Haley that Martin was dangerous? Haley’s hand hadn’t left her weapon. She didn’t have to signal her. “Okay.”

  Martin turned to head outside. Haley followed him.

  Like lightning, Martin swung around, gun in hand. Riley didn’t even have time to scream before the crack of the weapon rang through the hangar and Haley fell to the ground.

  Katie heard the shot and froze. Daniel went white. “Riley! Riley! Answer me!” He paced in front of the plane, holding the phone.

  “What happened?”

  “I think Martin shot her.”

  “Who?” Katie grabbed him and forced him to stop so she could look over his shoulder. He was still staring at the screen.

  “Riley, run!” Katie heard Haley’s cry, saw the screen shake. Riley ran, Steve beside her.

  “Riley! Stop!” Martin yelled. His face flashed on the screen, then was gone. She heard him yell again, followed by a thud. Then Riley’s breathing as she and Steve ran. Then the screen went blank.

  Katie’s heart thudded. “Haley . . . ,” she whispered. “He shot her.”

  Daniel dialed 911. “My niece is at home with an intruder. A shot was fired and a person injured.” He gave the address. “Get someone over there now, please. And send an ambulance. The intruder’s name is Martin Sheehan, he’s a family friend. Or was.” He hung up and looked at Katie. “We don’t have time to wait for help.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “I’m going to have to get this plane back in the air.”

  “Can you do that?”

  “I don’t know yet. I know what’s wrong with it, so I should be able to make the repair.” He went to the front of the plane and opened it up. “Can you see if you can get Riley back on the phone?”

  “Of course.”

  She took his phone and hit send, watching his face transform into deep lines of worry for Riley and the others. He hauled himself back inside, and when he returned, he held a large tool box.

  He set the box on the ground and slapped a hand against the side of the plane. “I shouldn’t have left her.”

  “We cleared Martin. We checked him out and he came back clean.”

  “I should have known. Somehow I should have sensed it. If he hurts her, I’ll hunt him down and make him regret we ever crossed paths.” His low voice left no doubt he was serious.

  “It’s not going to come to that.”

  Riley’s phone rang four times, then went to voice mail. Katie had to admit she was scared. “I’m not going to call her again. If she’s hiding and her phone rings—”

  He slapped the wheel. “You’re right.”

  She couldn’t stop the chill that raced through her. What would Martin do if he caught them? He was now a hunted man, trapped, with no way out. The cops knew who he was. Then again . . .

  “Do you think he realizes you were still on the phone when he fired that shot?”

  He gave a brief pause before resuming his work under the inspection cover. “I don’t know. I know he heard me say I had the coin, but I’m not sure about the rest of it.”

  Katie continued to call Haley while he went to work. Concern for her friend pounded through her. Was she hurt? She’d heard her yell for Riley to run. Did that mean if she’d been shot, it wasn’t bad?

  Daniel grunted, pulled back, and shut the cover, tightening the screws he’d released in order to open it. “Someone messed with the bolts on the elevator control. I just had to tighten them.” He tossed the tools back into the box and picked it up. “Let’s go.”

  Riley raced across her neighbor’s backyard. Haley had tripped Martin and given her and Steve time to get away. She felt horrible leaving the wounded woman, but if she allowed Martin to capture her, she wouldn’t be able to call for help for Haley. She gripped her phone but couldn’t stop to call 911. Not yet. How much had Daniel heard? She’d left it on FaceTime, but she wasn’t sure when it had cut off. If he’d heard the shot, he would have already called. She just didn’t know. And she and Steve had to get away. She’d pulled him into this, now she had to get him out.

  But how?

  “Riley!” Martin’s voice echoed behind them.

  Her breath caught again. Oh God, help us! “In here,” she whispered. Her neighbor had left his hangar open.

  “It’s too obvious and there won’t be a place to hide,” Steve said.

  “Well, we sure can’t stand out here in the open. We’ll find something. Come on.” She led the way inside with a glance over her shoulder. She spotted Martin, head swiveling as he looked for them. She dialed 911. The operator picked up. “What’s your emergency?”

  “Martin Sheehan is after us.” She gave the address and slipped into the hangar. “He’s got a gun and he already shot someone.” Panic wanted to consume her. She choked it down and held the phone as she looked for a place to hide. Unfortunately their options were limited. A clothing rack full of costumes, the plane, storage boxes. All neat and orderly.

  “He’s coming,” Steve hissed.

  “There.” She pointed to a large cabinet that was in the corner. Not made t
o be placed in the corner, there was space on either side next to another door. She didn’t know if that led outside or into the house. “If we pull that clothing rack in front of us, we should be good.”

  They moved quickly, Steve stepped into the small space first, then pulled Riley up against him. She maneuvered the clothing rack in front of them and prayed Martin would be too distracted to do a good search.

  “We can go out that door if he gets too close,” Steve whispered in her ear.

  She glanced through the clothing to see that the door did indeed lead outside.

  “Riley? Stop running. I’m not going to hurt you, you know that.” Through a part in the clothing, she watched Martin step inside the hangar.

  Steve tensed, his hands on her waist flexed, and she could feel a tremor race through him.

  Martin held his weapon in his right hand. Riley shivered. He made a three-sixty and then focused in on the clothing rack. Riley tensed.

  Martin walked toward them. “Come on, Riley, I know you’re in here.”

  Her lungs constricted. Her heart raced. In the distance she thought she heard sirens. Oh please, please, hurry.

  Martin came closer, then paused, head turned as though listening. He heard them too and cursed. He swung back to the clothing and raised the weapon. “Come out now, Riley.”

  She looked up at Steve and mouthed, “Push.”

  She raised her hands and placed them on the bar where the clothing hung and then pushed with all her might. With Steve’s added strength, the heavy rack flipped over onto Martin. His howl of rage echoed through the hangar as he went to the floor. The gun discharged, but Riley didn’t stop to see what he hit as she flung open the door.

  Steve’s hand on her lower back assured her he was with her. They raced across the backyard toward the wooded area. The yards were large and they were going to be exposed for a good bit. She just prayed he didn’t come out of the hangar until she and Steve could find cover again.

  Another gunshot cracked through the air and she flinched. So much for finding cover.

  “The bridge,” Steve gasped. “Go for it.”

  She knew exactly where he meant. The large airpark neighborhood had a park area about the size of half a football field, but with a lot more trees, hills, and valleys, and a creek with a bridge.

  And all kinds of possible hiding places in the woods lining the area.

  She ran to the right, then headed straight. Her boots clunked on the asphalt for a brief moment before she hit grass again. The bridge was just ahead. Steve grasped her hand and surged forward. Riley wanted to glance behind but couldn’t take a chance on tripping. She stayed with him.

  The park stood empty, the cold keeping families away. She followed Steve onto the bridge. Another shot rang out, chipping a piece of the railing in front of her. She let out a low scream and Steve pulled her to a stop.

  “Riley! Stay there or I’ll shoot again!” Martin’s harsh threat shivered through her.

  “Go over,” Steve said.

  “What?”

  “I hear the sirens, they’re getting closer. Hopefully they’ll scare him off. Go over. Try to hit the ground and not the water.”

  She was right at the edge of the bridge and saw what he meant. The ground sloped down into the creek. If they hit it right, they could dash into the trees. She hauled herself over. Heard Martin’s angry roar and the crack of his weapon. She hit the ground with a thud and a grunt, but rolled just like she’d been taught in Katie’s self-defense class. She almost landed in the water but caught herself and climbed the slight bank back up to the trees. She whirled to make sure Steve hadn’t been shot and saw him launch himself over the rail. He landed beside her and let out a harsh cry. He fell back and grabbed his left leg.

  “Steve, what happened? What’d you do?”

  “My leg.”

  Riley looked up to see Martin on the bridge. They had to get into the trees before he spotted them. She tried to help Steve to his feet, but he let out a loud gasp. “I can’t put any weight on it.”

  “Is it broken?” she asked, trying to help her friend and keep one eye on Martin at the same time. Only he’d disappeared. She swiveled to the left, then back to the right. “Come on, can you walk?”

  He tried, flinched, and lost what little color he had in his face. “I think so. I don’t think it’s broken, just sprained.”

  She grabbed his hand and pulled, glancing over her shoulder. A wave of nausea swept her when she saw Martin coming toward them. He held the gun in front of him, aimed right at her.

  “Don’t move,” he said. The wind whipped his wild hair around his face, his eyes were wide and darting, but the weapon was steady in his hand.

  Riley froze. She could run, but there was no way Steve would be able to keep up. She stepped in front of him and he groaned. “Don’t do that, Riley.” But she stayed where she was, keeping her body in between them.

  Martin came to a stop in front of her, the gun never wavering from her and Steve’s general direction. “Now get—”

  She lashed out in a kick that caught Martin’s forearm. The gun spun from his hand and he roared, leaped forward, and tackled her to the ground. She rolled and got her thighs locked around his neck. “Steve, go!”

  Martin grabbed her leg and bent it toward her until the pain gave her no choice but to loosen her grasp. From the corner of her eye, she saw Steve going for the gun.

  Martin must have seen him at the same time. He shoved Riley away from him and dove for the weapon. His shoulder crashed into Steve’s chest and her friend went down with a grunt. On her knees, Riley scrambled to get the weapon, but Martin beat her by a breath. He whipped it around and smashed it against the side of her head.

  Pain flashed and she hit the ground hard. Dark spots dimmed her vision and nausea rolled with the excruciating headache. Darkness threatened but she hung on. She rose to her knees and lifted her head. Her gaze met Martin’s. He held the gun against Steve’s head.

  “Try anything like that again and he dies.”

  [26]

  Daniel aimed the plane toward home. Anxiety pounded through him. Fear for Riley, shock at Martin’s betrayal. “Still can’t get Haley?” he asked Katie.

  “No.”

  “Plug that cable into the phone. Since our headsets are linked, you’ll be able to hear as well.” She did as instructed and then dialed again.

  They listened to it ring. And another line beep in. “It’s Riley,” Daniel said.

  Katie switched over. “Riley?”

  “No, unfortunately Riley is a bit indisposed right now. This is Martin. I have Riley and her friend, and if you want to see them alive, bring me the coin. And if I see any cops, I will kill Steve or Riley. And I haven’t decided which one yet. But I’ve killed before and I don’t mind doing it again.”

  Daniel paled. “So it’s been you all along. All we’ve been through together? This is what it comes to?”

  “Save it. All I’m interested in is the coin. With three ex-wives, I don’t have much left. I’m about to lose the house and—” A sigh. “Never mind. That coin is my ticket out. Give me the security code for the restaurant on Elmwood.”

  “What? No.”

  “Do it or I’ll beat it out of Riley.”

  “7625.”

  Martin hung up.

  Daniel slapped the dash. “See if you can get him again, will you?”

  She tried, but it went to voice mail each time. “He’s cut the phone off.”

  “Try his cell number.” He rattled it off to her and she dialed.

  The mechanical voice said, “We’re sorry, this number has been disconnected—”

  Daniel hung up. “All right, we’ll do this another way. Can you find the app on my phone that says ‘Security Monitoring’ and pull it up.”

  “Okay. Got it. What next?”

  “Scroll down until you see the Elmwood store. Tap it and then start clicking through the different rooms. Once he’s there, we should be able to see where t
hey are and what’s going on.”

  She followed his instructions while his heart beat like a hummingbird’s wings in his chest. He’d been in dangerous situations before. He’d dodged bombs and been in hand-to-hand combat with enemies as skilled as he. But nothing had scared him like knowing Riley was in danger.

  Katie kept tapping.

  “What do you see?” he asked.

  “I can see all of the rooms except the basement. That screen is just black.”

  “Then that’s where they are.”

  “I’m going to try and check on Haley again, if that’s all right.”

  “Of course.”

  “If Martin beeps in, I’ll switch.”

  He nodded, his mind churning. He heard her voice, registered someone answering her, but didn’t process the words. He was too busy trying to figure out his next move.

  She hung up and pressed her fingers to her lips.

  “How is she?”

  “You weren’t listening.”

  “No, sorry. It’s not that I don’t care, I do. I just . . . was thinking about Riley. I’m scared.” There, he’d said it out loud.

  “Being scared for someone you love is normal,” she said. “I’m worried and scared too, but we’re going to do our best to make sure she’s all right.”

  “I know. Thanks.”

  “And Haley’s going to be fine. It was a flesh wound. She managed to trip him to give them some extra time. He kicked her in the face and she may have a broken nose, but at least she’s alive. She said she closed her eyes and played dead. He was too intent on going after Riley and Steve that he left her alone.”

  Relief swept him. “Good, that’s great news.” He drummed his fingers on the wheel and thought, even while his adrenaline raced and worry for Riley and Steve tore at him. “I know Martin.” He gave a low, humorless chuckle. “Or at least I thought I did.” He drew in a deep breath. “Okay, I’ve got to think like him.”

  “How does he think?”

  “Right now, he’s thinking like a criminal. How to survive. How to get the coin and get out of the country. That coin is worth around four million dollars. He knows he’ll never sell it legally while I’m alive, but he also knows he can sell it on the black market for at least half.”