Without Warning

by Lynette Eason

  “And that’s still a pretty good haul.”

  “Yes. He’s not leaving without it.”

  “Do you think he killed Armstrong?” Katie asked.

  “I don’t know. What reason would he have?”

  “It’s crazy, I’ll admit. Maybe it was just some stupid, random thing?”

  Daniel shook his head. “Maybe, but if Martin killed Armstrong, not only do I wonder what Armstrong was doing there, but what was Martin doing there?”

  “Those are questions only Martin can answer, I’m afraid.”

  “Yeah. We’re going to need backup. Can your friend Bree go to the restaurant and scope it without him seeing her?”

  “Of course.”

  “Tell her to call me and stay on the line. I want to see what she’s seeing.” He rubbed a hand down his cheek while she phoned Bree. He heard her fill the detective in and extract a promise not to do anything that would alert Martin to her presence.

  She looked at him. “We really need to get a team on standby in case we need to go in fast.”

  He shook his head. “Martin’s serious. He’ll kill one of them if he sees any sign of cops. He’s former military. He knows how cops think and he doesn’t need two hostages.”

  She gave a slow nod.

  “And if he finds out that Riley’s had the coin the entire time, she’s dead too.”

  Katie didn’t respond, and when he looked at her, she had her eyes closed, lips moving slightly. She was praying. For Riley. For them. For him?

  The lump in his throat took him by surprise. He reached over and wrapped his fingers around hers, and for the first time since his brother and sister-in-law had been killed, Daniel found himself praying. Please, God, don’t take Riley too.

  Katie squeezed his hand and looked up. “He answers prayers.”

  “Yes, but will it be the answer I want?”

  “I don’t know, but that’s where faith comes in.”

  His jaw ached and he realized he was clenching it. He made the effort to relax it. “Yeah, that’s what Riley keeps telling me.”

  “She’s a smart girl.”

  “I know.” Daniel cleared his throat and pointed. “We’re coming up on my neighborhood. We’ll land and drive straight to the restaurant.”

  “I’m ready when you are.”

  Riley’s head pounded and her right eye hurt. The gun had gotten her solidly on the cheek and grazed her eyelid. The side of her face felt sticky and tight and she assumed it was from dried blood.

  A chill that was part weather and part fear sent tremors through her. Her hands were bound behind her and he’d duct-taped her to a column in the basement of her uncle’s restaurant. She sat with her back against the column and could feel Steve’s hands against hers, felt the heat of his body warming hers. She hadn’t been down here since her uncle had found Maurice hanging from the pipe. She swallowed and tried not to throw up from the pain in her head. She just couldn’t add that humiliation to her misery and terror.

  “Steve?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Where’d he go?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “How’s your leg?”

  “It hurts, but I think it’s just a sprain, not broken.”

  His monotone worried her. “Do you know what time it is?”

  “No.” Silence fell between them. “He took my phone,” Steve finally added.

  A door slammed and Riley tensed. “Hey! Who’s there?”

  Martin rounded the corner, carrying a bag. “Be quiet, Riley. I don’t want to have to tape your mouth shut.”

  She bit her lip. He looked so . . . normal. He wore a long-sleeved sweatshirt, khaki cargo jeans, and tennis shoes. “Why are you doing this, Martin? Uncle Daniel’s your best friend. You’ve been like another uncle to me.”

  A pained look crossed his face, then his features hardened. “I know, Riley. And I truly never meant for things to turn out this way.” He set the bag on the floor and pulled out several items.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Waiting for Daniel to get here.”

  “Okay, never mind the first question. What is that stuff for?”

  “You might call it an insurance policy.”

  “Quit playing with words. What is it?”

  “A bomb,” Steve said. “It’s a bomb. He’s going to blow us up.”

  Riley sucked in a deep breath. “Martin?” she whispered.

  He dropped his head and sighed. “I’m sorry, Riley, I really am.”

  Her heart fluttered in her chest like a trapped bird. Was this really happening? “Then stop!”

  He shook his head. “I can’t. Daniel’s going to give me that coin or this building is going to go boom.”

  Riley’s chest tightened. Should she just give him the coin? Tell him it was in her pocket? But then he would have no reason to keep them alive. He had no choice but to kill them at this point. “Everyone knows it’s you.”

  “Well, the original plan was to just use the coin for fame and sell off some of the other artifacts. Altogether I’ve probably uncovered a good three million dollars’ worth of artifacts. I didn’t need the coin, but now there’s no way I can move those things and get the money, because now I have to deal with this situation. Because of you and your uncle and those bodyguards, nothing has gone according to the plan.”

  She wanted to yell, “Good!” but held it in. She didn’t figure that would help the situation. When he wrapped a wire around her throat, she shook her head. “What are you doing?”

  “This is linked to the bomb. If you try to take it off, you will detonate the bomb. Understand? Your boyfriend’s going to have one too. So both of you need to sit real still. I just need to get away. Then someone will come in and rescue you.”

  He was lying. She knew it. She met his eyes for a brief second and saw that he knew she knew it. Tears welled, then streamed down her cheeks. “Please, Martin, please don’t do this.”

  “Sorry, Riley.” He almost sounded like he meant it, but they both knew he didn’t.

  She wanted to release the scream building in her throat. Instead, she clamped down on the wail and began to pray.

  Daniel landed the plane without a hitch and taxied to his drive. Katie raced into the hangar and stopped at the blood on the cement. “She’s going to be all right,” she murmured.

  “Come on, Katie, let’s go.”

  She spun to find Daniel waiting beside her Jeep. She hurried toward him, pulling the keys from her pocket. He climbed into the passenger seat and she hauled herself into the driver’s. Within seconds, they were racing down the drive toward the restaurant. His silence worried her. “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m winging it.”

  “That could be deadly. I think we need to stop and come up with a plan. If we go charging in there, someone’s going to get hurt.”

  “As long as it’s Martin, I’m okay with that.”

  She heard the vicious threat in his voice. She got on her Bluetooth and dialed Maddy. The woman answered on the second ring. “Are you up to working?”

  “Of course. I’m just being Snow White and sitting here with Grumpy. What do you need?”

  Katie filled her in. “Bree’s there now. She’s scoping the area.”

  “I’m on the way. Should I call Haley and Olivia?”

  Katie paused. Of course Maddy wouldn’t know. “Haley’s been shot.” At Maddy’s gasp, Katie hurried to reassure her. “She’ll be all right. It was a through and through and didn’t hit anything vital, but she’s got a broken nose and lacerated cheek from where the attacker kicked her. She’s in the hospital where you are, but you can check on her later. We need you and your surveillance equipment.”

  “What about Charlie and Lizzie?”

  “Yes, call them.” The restaurant came into sight and Katie hung up. “Maddy’s on the way. She’s former FBI, so her presence might come in handy. She’s also had hostage negotiation training.”

&n
bsp; “Is there anything your team can’t do?”

  “Not really. But let’s not use this situation to find out.”

  “I’m good with that.”

  [27]

  They parked several feet down on the side of the road next to the cemetery. Daniel’s restaurant lay thirty yards ahead.

  Katie had Bree on the phone. “What do you see?”

  “Nothing much. No cars in the vicinity that match the description you gave me of Martin’s vehicle. No license plate that matches, no cell phone use with the number. Nothing. I got up to the window and there’s no one in the main area. The only place I couldn’t see in was the basement.”

  “And that’s the only camera we can’t see working,” Katie said. “They’re in there and we need to see what’s going on.”

  “Maddy’s on her way and bringing her surveillance equipment.”

  “Is there any way he can monitor what’s going on out here?” Bree asked.

  Katie looked at Daniel. He shook his head. Then paused. “Only if he’s in the office looking at the computer and the computer is password protected.”

  “And he wouldn’t know the password?”

  “Only the manager and a few select employees know it.”

  “Does Riley know it?”

  “No.”

  “Then we may be all right.”

  Riley tugged against the duct tape. The bomb was strapped around the column right above her head. Martin had gotten it in place, then disappeared up the stairs. “Martin! Martin!”

  “What are you calling him for?” Steve sounded rattled.

  Riley gave a grunt and another tug on the tape around her wrists. She made sure to keep her head still, even though she didn’t think the bomb was active yet. No sense in finding out the hard way. “I want him back in here. I’m more comfortable being able to see what he’s doing.”

  “Well, I’m more comfortable with him out of sight.”

  “I don’t suppose you have anything sharp on you?”

  “No, sorry, I wasn’t planning on being kidnapped today.”

  Riley fell silent and listened. Thought. How much time did they have before the bomb went off? Was it even armed yet? “I’m sorry I got you into this,” she said.

  He didn’t answer for a moment. Was he mad? Of course he was mad. She sighed and the base of her neck started to throb. Her head hurt where Martin had struck her and every once in a while she had to fight a wave of nausea.

  “Riley, it’s not your fault,” he finally said. “I knew about the stuff going on with your uncle and I didn’t really care. As in, I wasn’t going to let it keep me from hanging out with you. I could see that Beth and Kyle were preoccupied with each other and you needed a friend. I wanted to be that friend and try to make up for the lousy way I treated you.”

  Riley swallowed against the next round of tears that wanted to flow. She had needed a friend. Beth was supposed to be her best friend, but ever since she and Kyle had started dating, their time together had been significantly less. And Steve had noticed. “Thanks,” she whispered. She tugged again. Something loosened and hope sparked. “Can you reach the tape around my wrists and see if you can work on it?”

  He shifted. She felt his hand brush hers, then stop. “Hang on. It’s too awkward this way.” He maneuvered around so that his body was more perpendicular to hers. “He’s got me taped to the column but maybe—”

  She felt him push his arms back, his fingers dug into her upper back. There was a sucking sound as the tape pulled away from the column and Steve gave a victorious grunt. “Okay, that was almost too easy.”

  “Don’t knock it. Just be grateful.”

  Footsteps on the stairs froze her. “He’s coming back.”

  “Got it,” Martin said. “I’ll be back up there in just a minute.” A pause. “Yes, yes. I got all of the artifacts. As soon as I have the coin, we’ll be set.” Another pause like he was listening. “They’ll be too busy digging through the rubble to worry about me. Now you do your part while I do mine.”

  Riley’s adrenaline pumped. Who had he been talking to? Martin stepped into the basement. She glared at him. “So how many people are involved in this little scheme of yours?”

  He frowned. “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Oh come on, of course it matters. What was that little press conference about? You were glowing, all puffed up with pride. I was proud of you, happy for you that you were finally seeing your dream come true. What’s going to happen to your golden-boy image when the press gets ahold of this?”

  “If they get ahold of it. I told him no cops.”

  “And you really think he’s going to follow your orders?”

  Martin rubbed a hand down the side of his face.

  “You can stop this now,” she said. “Let us go and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

  “I wish I could, but I’m afraid I’m in too deep.”

  “So the press will know, then everyone will know that you were behind this. What’s that going to do to your precious career?”

  Martin grimaced and for a moment she wondered if she’d gotten through to him. Then he shook his head. “My name will be mud, of course, and that would be a big disappointment. A huge one actually.” His jaw tightened, and she saw him blow out a slow breath. “So. This is what it’s come to. I wanted fame and fortune. At this point, I’ve resigned myself to settling for the fortune and possibly a bit of notoriety.”

  “Like being labeled a murderer?”

  His jaw tightened and his narrowed eyes lasered into her. For a moment she wondered if she’d pushed him too far. “Well,” he said, “it’s a little late to worry about that one, isn’t it?”

  Wait a minute. He’d killed someone? Her fear ran deeper. She hadn’t realized that. She’d been talking about her and Steve. “Martin,” she whispered, “who did you kill?” His gaze went to the pipe just beyond her and he suddenly looked weary. “Maurice? You killed Maurice? Why?”

  “Who do you think found the coin and called me to get an estimate on how much it was worth? He found it before he was fired. When I saw it, I made him tell me where he found it. He showed me and was all excited about making things right with Daniel, that giving him the coin would make up for what he’d done.”

  “Only you betrayed Daniel and killed a man who wanted to do something right.”

  Anger flashed in Martin’s eyes. “Shut up, Riley, or—”

  “Or what? You’re going to kill me too?” He didn’t respond, so she watched him. Then dared to ask him a question that was at the front of her mind. “Why did you burn down the restaurant on North Lake? You know how important that box is to me. Why?”

  He snorted. “I had to fix the situation I’d caused at the other restaurant by hanging Maurice in the basement. I needed the focus taken off of the place.”

  Riley gaped. “So you burned the other one?” He opened his mouth to answer, but she beat him to it. “Of course you did. Uncle Daniel would be so busy with insurance and everything else, he wouldn’t be paying attention to what was going on at the one on Elmwood.”

  “Pretty much. It wasn’t anything personal.”

  “Not personal! Are you nuts?”

  His anger returned full force. “Shut up or I’ll put a piece of duct tape over your mouth.”

  She snapped her lips shut. That was the last thing she needed but dread shivered through her. He’d killed Maurice Armstrong over a stupid coin.

  He patted her head. “That’s a good girl.”

  “I’m not a dog.” The words flew from her lips before she could bite them back. She honestly didn’t know why she wasn’t in a mute puddle of terror, but . . . this was Martin. Would he really kill her? Her aching head said it was a real possibility. His eyes narrowed and he reached for the tape he’d left stuck to the column just above the bomb. “Sorry. Sorry. I won’t say another word.”

  “Good.”

  A knock on the basement door snapped his head up. “That’s probably your uncle.” He
held the gun steady. “Now, it’s time to wrap this up.” He walked toward the door.

  Riley tugged again. Felt the tape twist slightly. Was she helping or simply pulling it tighter? Martin hadn’t used a whole bunch. He’d been in a hurry. “Steve,” she hissed.

  “Yeah?”

  “Go to work on my tape, will you?” she whispered.

  His fingers fumbled, felt around, and she knew he was trying to find the edge of the tape. And finally she felt him press, his fingernail scratching. Then he gave a pull and the tape rasped.

  He froze and she waited for Martin to turn, but Martin wasn’t paying them any attention at all. Instead, he stood at the door, his hand on the knob. Steve pulled again. More tape moved.

  Martin placed himself behind the protection of the door as he held the gun in his left hand and aimed it at the opening. He walked backward, staying behind the door as it opened.

  “Keep your hands where I can see them,” he said.

  Her uncle Daniel appeared and Riley finally was able to take a deep breath. His eyes caught hers and she saw the banked emotion there. He was scared spitless for her. She lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes and she thought she saw the corner of his mouth twitch slightly upward.

  He kept his hands away from his body and walked into the basement of his restaurant.

  Katie continued to stare at the screen, hoping that somehow the camera would start working and she’d be able to see into the basement. Of course it didn’t. She scrolled through the rest of the screens, monitoring each room in case they moved from their current location.

  Maddy stepped up to her. “SWAT team is in place.”

  “Good. Make sure there’s no way they’ll be seen by Martin.”

  “Not to worry. These guys are good, you know that.”

  “Yes, I know, it’s just . . .” She shrugged.

  “It’s never been this personal for you before?”

  Katie glanced at her friend. “Something like that.”

  “He’s a good guy?”

  Katie tapped the screen that would show her the lobby. “Yeah. The best.”

  “I thought there was something between you two when you brought him to Quinn’s room.”