by Dora Hiers
The glass doors to the terminal swished open, muting the rest of their conversation. He gritted his teeth.
Summer? What happened to Christmas? If he had his way, they’d be married next week.
Gunner glanced at his watch. Seven o’clock. He pulled out his phone and tapped to connect with a co-worker who’d agreed to keep an eye on Tessa and Mina in the airport.
“Mason here.”
“Have you got a visual on my girls?”
“Yeah. They just walked in.”
“That’s right. Any sign of Brugman?” He didn’t expect Brugman to be here, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared. Mason had staked himself at the airport a couple of hours ago.
“No, man. Airport’s clean. They should be good to go from here.”
“Thanks, buddy. I owe you.” Him and a ton of other friends. He’d owe favors for this one until they tossed him in the grave.
“Nah. I know you’d do the same for me. We’ll just keep it at that. I’ll keep an eye on them until they get past security then you’ll have to take it from there.”
“Thanks. Talk to you soon.”
Gunner hopped in the truck, glanced in the mirrors, and stepped on the gas. They didn’t have much time.
He pulled up Chad’s number. “Hey. Are you ready?”
“Yep. I’ve already done the pre-flight. Just waiting on you.”
“I’ll be there in two.”
Gunner disconnected and felt the first waves of anxiety ripple through his gut. The agents in Tampa he’d called in to help hadn’t found any signs of Brugman or Regi. Regi wasn’t at her house or Mina’s condo. What next?
Pray.
Pray.
And pray some more.
28
“Thanks for watching Tessa on such short notice, Mrs. McCormick.” Her daughter held the brunt of Willow’s weight as relief rolled through her body in forceful waves, making her legs feel like limp spaghetti.
“You’re welcome, dear. Not a problem at all.” Gray hair now covered Mrs. McCormick’s head, and she walked with a slight stoop. What was she now, seventy-five?
Mrs. McCormick had been Tessa’s full-time babysitter from the age of six weeks until she started school. Now the older woman only watched Tessa occasionally. Usually only when Regi twisted Willow’s arm about going out until Willow relented.
How long had it been since Tessa stayed with her? At least a year. Why hadn’t Willow checked in with Mrs. McCormick more often? She was the closest thing to a grandmother that Tessa had known growing up.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be.” How long? Willow didn’t know if she’d be in any shape to come back for her tonight.
“Tessa’s welcome to spend the night.”
Worry shone from Tessa’s eyes as she stared up at her. “Mom?”
Mistake number one. She shouldn’t have given Tessa even skeletal information.
Mistake number two. Not divulging all the particulars to Gunner. She was still kicking herself.
All that time on the plane and Willow still hadn’t come up with a plan. She had no idea what to do. But she knew one thing. Brugman wasn’t getting Tessa. That much was clear to her. Tessa would be safe with this woman.
“Thank you. That may be a possibility. Let me give you some updated emergency contact numbers.”
“That’s probably a good idea, dear. I’m sure things have changed since the last time Tessa was here.”
Mrs. McCormick led them into her tiny galley kitchen. Tessa latched her arms around Willow’s waist as the older woman rummaged through a drawer for a pen and paper and placed them on the counter.
Willow pulled out her phone and gasped. Six text messages, all from Gunner. She’d text him back after leaving Tessa. Label her a coward, but she wasn’t about to call him.
She jotted down a couple of numbers, Gunner’s and his mother’s, since she couldn’t leave Regi’s number. If something happened to her or Regi, Gunner would care for Tessa. Willow knew he would love his niece as if she were his own child. Finished, she confirmed the numbers through bleary eyes and then pushed the paper toward Mrs. McCormick. “That should take care of it.”
Mrs. McCormick glanced down at the paper. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t comment. Wise woman.
Willow drew Tessa into a hug, and then crouched, grasping her daughter’s shoulders, as she studied the sweet face staring back at her. Would this be the last time she would ever hold her daughter? She took a deep, shaky breath and forced out the words. “Time for me to go, sweetheart.”
“Mom—”
“It’s all right, honey. I’ll take care of things. You be a good girl for Mrs. McCormick until I get back.”
“We’ll get along just fine, dear. Don’t you worry.”
Don’t worry?
A crazy lunatic held her best friend hostage.
Worry?
She’d agonized about what to do over the interminably long night and finally surrendered everything to God on the plane ride here.
Everything.
The terror that lurked in the shadows of her heart that something horrible had already happened to her best friend.
The constant worry over Tessa’s safety that churned in the bottom of her belly.
Her unwavering love for Gunner.
And she didn’t plan on taking any of it back.
So she prayed. Again. Asked God to help her know what to do. And for the power to carry it out.
****
Gunner prayed.
Prayed for Mina, for Regi, for Tessa. Prayed for Chad and the two other Deputy Marshals he’d just briefed, the four of them a team for the next few hours, for the two others stationed at Regi’s house. And for himself. For strength to do what needed to be done, for courage to accept the outcome. “You guys understand the plan? Any questions?”
“We’re good.” One of the Tampa guys responded, then both men left the rental car, parked a block behind Mina’s condo.
Chad hesitated, his fingers curled around the door handle. “Are you okay?”
Gunner caught his friend’s serious expression and nodded once. “Yeah.”
“Cool enough to be in on this?”
“Try to keep me away.”
“Yeah, well, if you’re not objective about this, you’ll be hurting more than one person. You know that, right?”
Gunner blew out a long breath. Nobody knew that better than him. “Yeah. I know.”
Chad opened the door, took a step but turned and stuck his head through the open window. “I’ll do my best for you. I know how much you love Mina.”
“Thanks, man. Thanks for everything. I know you will.” He swallowed the giant lump that threatened to cut off his air and eased the car to a predetermined spot, far enough that he wouldn’t be noticed, but close enough to see Mina’s garage door.
The vibration of his phone startled him. The screen indicated an unidentified phone number with a Tampa exchange.
He connected the call. “Chapel.”
“Gunner?”
Tessa? Love blossomed from a tender spot in his heart at her sweet little voice. “Hi, sweetheart. Are you guys in Tampa yet?”
Mina hadn’t texted or called. He’d hoped she would. But, he really hadn’t expected a response. Likely, she was terrified for her best friend and overwhelmed by guilt.
“Yeah. Mom dropped me off at Mrs. McCormick’s house. Mrs. McCormick said it was okay if I called you since Mom listed you as an emergency contact.”
Good thinking, Mina. “Who is Mrs. McCormick?”
“My babysitter from when I was a baby until I started school. Sometimes Mrs. McCormick watches me when Mom and Regi go out. That’s hardly ever, though. Usually they let me tag along.”
“Where’s your mom now?” According to her tail, five minutes from the condo.
“That’s why I’m calling, Gunner. Mom said something about Regi being in trouble. Can you come help? I’m scared.”
Gunner smiled. Even though he heard the fea
r lacing Tessa’s voice, a giant burst of pride billowed through him. Tessa trusted him. She’d called him for help. He uttered a silent prayer of thanks. “Already taken care of, sweetheart. You don’t need to worry.”
“So, you’ll help?”
“Chad and I are already here. I think Chad’s plane beat yours.” The agent stationed at TIA said they had a good thirty-minute start on Mina’s plane.
“You’re here? In Florida?” she squealed.
Smiling, he held the phone away from his ear. “Yep. I may be with your mom when she picks you up. Would that be all right?”
Another squeal. This one pure delight.
“If I’m not, it’s because I have to take care of some business, but I’ll see you not long after, okay?”
“Okay, Gunner. I love you.”
His heart melted. “I love you, too, sweetheart. See you soon.”
The call disconnected. So Mina hadn’t called, but he’d gotten the next best thing. Love swelled his heart until he thought it would pound out of his chest.
He pulled out the mini-binoculars and did a full one-eighty visual scan. Twice.
So far, nothing.
He settled back against the seat, prepared to wait, and glanced at his watch. Eleven o’clock.
“Mina just pulled through the gate,” Chad’s voice alerted through the radio.
“Ten-four. No sign of Brugman?” Gunner had forwarded a picture of the man via email to the Deputy Marshals working this case.
“Not yet.”
When Mina’s car eased into the driveway and disappeared inside the garage, Gunner clenched his fists. His stomach felt weighted with bricks. Sweat beaded on the back of his neck. Please God, let this all be over soon. Keep Mina and Regi safe.
The garage door closed, and Gunner released the breath he’d been holding. Good girl. Don’t make it easy for him.
Now if he only knew her plan. Maybe he should call her and rattle her, see if she’d give up any information. He held his phone, staring at it for a second before finally connecting the call.
Which went straight to voicemail.
A few choice words from his past life flitted through his head but he refused to let them slip through his lips. Forgive me, Lord.
“I’ve got eyes on a silver luxury sedan with a single male inside turning onto the block. Not our guy, though. This one has gray hair.” Josephson, the Tampa contact, spoke clearly over the radio, his voice carrying certainty.
Gunner jerked his head toward the car to study the driver, pausing every few mailboxes to check out addresses. Finally, the vehicle pulled into Mina’s driveway.
Gunner sucked in a deep breath. Had Brugman gotten someone else to do his dirty work?
The man exited the vehicle. Something about the way the guy pulled on a suit jacket, the once rigid shoulders that now appeared stooped from pain…
No way! Gunner snatched the mini-binocs from the seat and raised them to his face, bumping his forehead. Whoa, Chapel. Slow down. One wrong move could cost lives.
Recognition slammed into his gut. He bit back the urge to groan aloud.
Jefferson Berkshire? What was Mina’s dad doing here?
29
What was her father doing here?
“Dad?” Willow’s heart plummeted to her toes. She squished a cheek against the peephole of the front door until it pinched, biting back a groan when her father mashed the doorbell for the second time. Of all times for her father to show up in Tampa, he picked today? Now?
She cracked the door open and tugged his arm to yank him inside the foyer. He tripped, but steadied himself by pressing a well-manicured hand against the wall.
“Wilhelmina.”
Sucking in a deep breath at the name she rarely heard anymore, she took in her father’s haggard appearance. The custom tailored suit jacket looked as if it belonged to a person three sizes larger. His once full head of gray hair only sported strands that poked from the top of his head, and deep-set wrinkles covered his face. But what really drew her attention was the hunched shoulders and the pain etching lines around his eyes.
“Dad?” Jefferson never initiated contact, so she reached a hand to his shoulder and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
“Sorry to barge in on you like this unannounced, Wilhelmina, but I need to talk to you.”
He needed to talk to her? As if she hadn’t needed to talk to him over the years? Like the day her mom and brother died. Or when his new wife, Melanie, evicted her, banishing her to boarding school. College graduation day. The day Tessa was born.
Willow gave an imperceptible shake, snapping out of negative-thinking mode. She needed to stay positive. For Regi. Besides, whatever he needed to say must be important for him to make the trip to Florida.
“Come on in.” She gestured for him to follow her into the family room. “Have a seat.”
Her father seated himself in an armchair, looking totally out of his element.
She perched on the edge of the couch, tapping her fingers against the armrest. Tried to steal a glance at the time on the open laptop but couldn’t make out the tiny numbers.
Her father followed her gaze. His eyebrows scrunched at the papers strewn across the coffee table, narrowed his eyes as he studied the screen. “I apologize for interrupting your work, Wilhelmina, and showing up unannounced. But then, in this business there’s never really a good time to stop for a chat.”
She mumbled her agreement and licked her parched lips.
“I won’t keep you long. And perhaps I can be of assistance when we get through talking.”
Her father was offering help? Willow’s eyebrows shot clear to the top of her head.
Jefferson cleared his throat. The father she’d grown up around never cleared his throat. “I have cancer, Wilhelmina. The doctors tell me that I’ll be lucky if I survive the six month mark. I came to tell you that I’m sorry for the deterioration of our relationship and that I allowed my grief to separate us for so long. Can you forgive me?”
Did that gasp come from her? She grabbed a handful of chocolate-covered peanuts from a bowl on the coffee table and sank back into the couch, popping the entire handful into her mouth. Lord, what’s next?
Her phone rang, startling her and setting off a hammer in her head. She pressed a hand to her temple and closed her eyes for a brief prayer. Please, Lord, help me!
Willow drew a deep breath. Her gaze pinged to her father as she scooped the phone off the table, the case almost sliding out of her damp palm. “Excuse me, please. I need to take this call.”
“About time you answered the phone. I was beginning to think you didn’t care about your friend.”
Willow didn’t respond. What could she say that wouldn’t give him ammunition against Regi?
“Any cops with you?”
“No. Only my father. But he’s a CPA, not law enforcement.”
A grunt from the other end. “Like father, like daughter.”
Not anymore. She planned to make some drastic changes in my life after this.
“Have you got what I asked for?”
“I’m just finishing it now.” Willow’s gaze darted to the laptop and the revised audit report.
“Meet me at your front gate in thirty minutes. No cops or your friend is dead.”
“No cops.” Willow firmed up her voice, tried to mask the quivering she felt down to her bones. “And what about my friend? Where is she?”
“You’ll get her back when you give me the report and the flash drive.”
She pushed her shoulders back. Show no fear. “That’s not good enough. I want to know where she is.”
“Pushy, aren’t you?” Brugman laughed, an evil noise intended to scare her. “You’re playing my game now.”
Click.
Willow set the phone down and turned around, her stomach threatening to give up the contents of last night’s dinner. “Dad, I’m so sorry. I’ve got to—”
“Someone threatening you, Wilhelmina?”
A
sob escaped her throat. How did he know? “I did an audit of an insurance company. Supposed to be routine. The owner, he—”
“What does he want?”
“He’s holding my friend Regi hostage until I rewrite the audit report and give it to him along with the flash drive.”
“Doesn’t he know that’s not going to change anything?”
“He’s crazy, Dad. Fanatical crazy. He even tried to take Tessa.”
Her father nodded, wisdom and determination replacing the ridges of pain etching his face. “I’ve been through something like this before. Here’s what we’ll do.”
****
Gunner couldn’t believe his eyes. Mina followed her father out of the condo and got into his car. What was going on? Had he missed something? Had he risked his career by involving the Marshal’s office for nothing?
He skimmed a hand across the heavy stubble covering his face, debating their next move. Maybe Chad was right. He was too emotionally close to the situation. “Chad, are you still in position?”
“Ten-four. What do you need?”
“I’m coming around to pick you up. Tampa, maintain your positions.”
Both agents responded in the affirmative. Gunner’s gaze flickered from the car backing out of Mina’s driveway to the road as he eased around the corner and stopped at the curb.
Chad slid into the vehicle. “What’s up?”
“I don’t know. The guy is Mina’s dad.”
“Yeah?” Chad raised an eyebrow.
“She hasn’t talked to him in about eight or nine years. Maybe more.”
“Interesting.”
“Let’s just tail them for a few minutes.” Gunner pushed the baseball cap further down on his head and slanted a look at Chad. “Here. Put these shades on.”
Chad rolled his eyes but complied.
Gunner followed at a respectable distance, slowing when Jefferson pulled to a stop just outside the guard gate. “Huh?”
“The meet’s set up for outside the gate.” Chad glared at him. “I told you, you were too close to the case.”
“Her dad showing up threw me.” Gunner turned into the condo’s common area parking lot, satisfied that the undercover agents hanging Christmas decorations were near the front gate. Good. If something went down, they were close.
