Serial Escape

by Melinda Di Lorenzo

  And Hanes was already charging at her again. Raven pushed to her feet and stumbled out of reach again.

  Hanes didn’t let up. He was out of control. Still blinded. But he was like a wounded animal, desperately seeking his prey. Screaming furiously and nonsensically, he leaped her way. Only this time, he went the slightest bit wide, giving Raven the briefest moment of reprieve. She spun in a frantic circle, trying to find the gun or the bear spray through the swirling water.

  Where?

  For a moment, she couldn’t see anything but ripples.

  Vaguely, she was aware that Lucien was hollering a protest. Telling her to get out while she could. But she wouldn’t leave without him. He was crazy to suggest it. And his voice faded out when she spotted an anomaly—an even darker break in the murkiness—about six feet away. She stepped toward it. Immediately, her foot caught on something, sending her down. For a second, she was crawling through the water. Slogging against it. Then she realized there was an easier way. She drew a breath, pushed her face into the wetness, kicked out her leg and swam. And a heartbeat later, there it was.

  The gun.

  She stretched out her arm, yanked it up and spun. Her rear end hit the bottom at the same moment the barrel lifted from the water. It was a second too late.

  With red-faced, eyes-shut fury, Hanes bore down on her. His shoulder clipped hers, and sent the gun flying yet again.

  If she’d had time to do it, Raven would’ve cried. But there wasn’t a moment to spare. In spite of the fact that Hanes couldn’t see her, he’d obviously zoomed in on her location. He flung his body at her, and knocked into her a second time. And before Raven could react, his hands were on her. One drove into her stomach, winding her. The other came up and closed on her throat. But it didn’t squeeze. Instead, it pushed her down and held her there. And Raven realized his goal wasn’t to choke the life out of her—he intended to drown her.

  No, she thought, a surge of determination rushing in. I’m not going to let him win.

  She closed her eyes. She focused. And she saw a way out.

  Eyes or baby-maker, Lucien had always said.

  The oldest trick in the women’s self-defense handbook.

  * * *

  Lucien felt more powerless than he’d ever felt in his life. The woman he loved—the woman to whom he still hadn’t expressed that love—was on the brink of death, and there was nothing he could do. It didn’t seem real.

  “Stop!” he hollered uselessly, slamming his wrists against the pipe and pleading with the universe to cut him some slack.

  He’d saved her three years ago.

  And for what?

  To just die at the hands of the same man who he’d rescued her from in the first place? It was viciously cyclical.

  “Hanes!” His voice was harsh and hollow at the same time. “Please. For the love of all that’s—”

  His words cut off as the painful tableau in front of him exploded into action. Water surged up, and a blur surged with it, slamming straight between Hanes’s legs. The evil man cried out and doubled over. Raven’s foot—which Lucien belatedly realized was what made up the blur—came flying up again, hitting its mark a second time. And with the repeated blow, Hanes went over backward. His head smashed straight back against the concrete, and very abruptly, the killer went silent.

  Stillness hung in the air for a long moment. Then Hanes slid sideways, crimson pooling from his skull, and Lucien was 99.9 percent sure that the other man had left the world for good. Relief hit, but only for as long as it took him to realize that Raven hadn’t yet resurfaced. Lucien whipped his attention away from Hanes’s body back to the place where she’d been just a moment earlier. What he saw stopped his heart. She was there. Faceup. But motionless except for the water lapping against her.

  “Raven!”

  Lucien smacked his wrists so hard against the pipe that he was sure he was going to come away with broken bones. He didn’t care.

  “Raven. Oh, God. Please.”

  He gave up on the zip-ties and stretched out a foot.

  If I can just reach her. Pull her closer.

  He was too far away. Despair and hopelessness washed over him. He closed his eyes, frantically searching his mind for an answer. And then her voice—weak and small—carried to his ears.

  “Pick me,” she said.

  His eyes flew open, and he saw that she was righting herself. But she didn’t move toward him.

  “Pick me,” she said a second time, a little stronger.

  “Raven...” his voice was hoarse. “Pick you? What do you mean?”

  “I don’t care if it’s selfish.”

  “What are you talking about? Come here.”

  “The choice,” she told him, a hint of stubbornness creeping into her tone.

  Her tone almost made him laugh. “What choice, Raven?”

  “Between me and the job.”

  “There was never a choice between you and the job.”

  “But you said it. And that’s why you left.” The pain in her words palpable. “You chose work.”

  Lucien’s heart throbbed. “That’s why I...no. I left because I didn’t think I could make a life for you. I thought my job would stop me from being the man you deserved.”

  Her face creased. “How could you think that? You saved my life. You’re not just my hero. You’re literally a hero. I never wanted to get in the way of that.”

  This time, he did laugh; he couldn’t help it. “Raven. Trust me on something. You’re your own hero. But please—I’m begging you—come here.”

  She didn’t move, and he realized he still hadn’t said the all-important words.

  “I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

  At last she surged forward, then collapsed against him. “I love you, too, Lucien.”

  “And just so we’re clear it was never a choice. It was you over the job, the whole time.” He bent to press his lips to her forehead. “Now... One small favor?”

  “Anything.”

  “Break these stupid zip-ties so I can kiss you properly.”

  And thankfully, this time, she didn’t stop to argue.

  Epilogue

  Lucien stepped into the kitchen of the former safe house—their house now—and frowned when he didn’t spot Raven right away.

  “Sweetheart?” he called.

  “Down here,” she replied. “I knocked your phone off the counter, and now I can’t find it.”

  Chuckling, Lucien slid around the counter and found her kneeling down on the ground. His mouth twitched a little. He’d been working on a speech for the last two hours, and all of it required him to be the one on bended knee. He started to ask her to stand up, then stopped as a familiar ringtone came to life.

  “Well,” he said, “my best guess is that it’s coming from under the fridge.”

  Raven groaned. “It is, isn’t it?”

  She started to flatten herself down, but Lucien stopped her. “Hang on. Wait a second.”

  She paused and looked up at him. “What? Why?”

  “Because ten bucks says that’s my boss and his bad timing.”

  “His bad timing? What’s he interrupting now?”

  In response, Lucien lifted an eyebrow, dropped down beside her, and—thinking it suited them to be on equal ground anyway—he pulled the velvet box from his pocket.

  * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Colton 911: Suspect Under Siege by Jane Godman.

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  Colton 911: Suspect Under Siege

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/>   Chapter 1

  Griffin Colton’s job had its highs, lows and harrowing moments. Although his business premises were based in downtown Grand Rapids, his reputation as one of Michigan’s best adoption attorneys meant he was in demand across the state. As a result, he spent too many days like the one that had just ended, during which he had been traveling from one courtroom to another.

  He loved what he did and wouldn’t trade the feeling that came from knowing he’d helped a child find a place with the right family. Even so, by the time he returned to his office for a late-afternoon meeting, his already-low energy levels had drained even further. The leader of the local adoption fundraising organization was passionate in her commitment to securing financial help for families. Griffin agreed to provide leaflets to his clients and direct them to further support if necessary. Although the exchange was productive, it was late when his visitor left, and all Griffin wanted to do was drive the short distance to his Heritage Hill home, order takeout and eat it while watching an old movie.

  He was closing down his laptop when his receptionist, Martha Dunne, appeared in the doorway.

  “Dr. Abigail Matthews is here to see you.” Her expression was apologetic. “I explained that I could make an appointment for another time, but she said it was urgent.”

  Instinct told Griffin it wasn’t a good idea to talk to Abigail. She was the daughter of the man his family were investigating. Colton Investigations was the private firm run by his elder brother, Riley. Griffin and their four sisters—two sets of fraternal twins—took cases only involving a search for justice. The more they investigated banker Wes Matthews and his pyramid scheme involving selling RevitaYou pills the more criminal activity they uncovered. Could Abigail be on a fact-finding mission to discover how much they knew about her dad?

  But on the one occasion Griffin had met Abigail Matthews, he’d been touched by her obvious devotion to her nine-month-old foster daughter. Children had always been his weakness, particularly those who were fostered or adopted. Having been in the foster system himself, he could never resist stepping in when there was a child involved.

  If Abigail had come to see him because of her baby, it didn’t matter who her father was, or what he had done. He would help her.

  Without revealing any CI secrets...

  “Show her in.” He glanced at the clock. “Then go home, Martha. I can lock up here.”

  When the receptionist returned, she was accompanied by accompanied by Abigail, whose tall, slender frame was dressed in jeans, sneakers and a cotton shirt. Martha indicated for Abigail to step inside, then left. Although his visitor’s expression was distracted, Griffin was struck again by her beauty. Her brown hair was streaked blond and hung in waves past her shoulders. With her huge brown eyes, bronze skin, high cheekbones and full lips, she was breathtaking.

  Baby Maya was in the stroller and a heavy bag was slung over one of Abigail’s shoulders. The look in Abigail’s eyes as she focused on Griffin was painful in its intensity.

  “Thank you for seeing me...” As she started to hold out her hand, the bag slipped from her shoulder. Diapers, baby wipes, bottles of formula and bags of snacks spilled out across the office floor.

  “Oh.” Abigail kicked on the stroller’s brake and knelt on the rug. Her cheeks flamed as she picked up items and stuffed them back into her bag. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Hey, it’s not a problem,” Griffin assured her.

  As he squatted close to the stroller to retrieve a bottle of hand sanitizer, Maya leaned forward to get a closer look at him. With her chubby cheeks, brown eyes, and mass of dark curls, the baby was adorable. She gave Griffin a grin followed by a friendly kick to the shoulder. When he pretended to stagger back in pain, she giggled and did it again.

  “You might find yourself doing that all day,” Abigail said. “Once she finds a game she likes, she wants to play it over and over.”

  Despite her underlying distress, there was a warm look in her eyes when she looked at Maya that intrigued Griffin. Abigail proclaimed she had no knowledge of her father’s crimes. She had even come to Colton Investigations just a few days ago and told him and his siblings about a horrifying discovery that she’d made. Her research had uncovered that there was a compound of ricin in RevitaYou that could be deadly, depending on the person taking it. She believed it was only a matter of time before there were deaths as a result of her father’s con.

  Yet Griffin’s doubts about her lingered. Was it possible that Wes could have funded the development of RevitaYou without the knowledge of his research scientist daughter? Surely she was the first person he would have gone to for advice and support? He couldn’t help wondering if this innocent act was an attempt to distance herself from consequences, now that the criminal activity was being uncovered.

  Between being kicked by the baby and gathering up stray items that had fallen from the bag, he didn’t have any time to pursue that thought. A final glance showed him that most of Abigail’s belongings had been restored to her. A flash of pink under his desk caught his eye and he crawled in that direction. As he reached for the knitted teddy bear, his fingers closed over Abigail’s and they lightly bumped foreheads.

  She clutched the soft toy to her chest. “It’s her favorite.”

  And there it was. That look in the depths of her eyes was what drew him to this job. That need to help his clients and their kids... But it felt like something more this time. It was a little sharper. A touch deeper. He was drawn to Abigail in spite of his reservations about her family.

  Griffin got to his feet and held out a hand to help her up. As he did, he was conscious of a damp, sticky feeling in the region of his right knee. He glanced down.

  “Mashed banana?”

  Abigail bit her lip as she looked at the stain on his suit pants. “You must have knelt on the bag. I’m—”

  He grinned. “Sorry? You don’t need to keep saying that. Most days my clothes tell the story of my appointments. Paint, ice cream, milkshake...” He pointed to different points on his shirt as he spoke. “My dry cleaning bill would bring tears to your eyes.”

  For the first time, she managed a slight smile. “I guess it must be one of the hazards of your job.”

  “And I guess that leads us neatly to the question of why you’re here?” Griffin went to sit at his desk and indicated one of the chairs on the opposite side.

  Before she sat down, Abigail handed the teddy bear to Maya. When she looked back at him, her smile had gone, and her features were tight with tension. “Maya has been in my care since she was born. Her mom died when she was three months old and it was always my intention to adopt her. This morning, I got a call from my foster care caseworker telling me that my paperwork is being stalled due to an investigation into my fitness to be a parent.”

  * * *

  Abigail was struggling to keep her emotions under control. It had taken every ounce of courage she possessed to walk into Griffin Colton’s office. She was going to fight for Maya, and to do that she needed help from the best in the business. His professional reputation was well-known. But the reason she had chosen him went deeper.

  Abigail had never been under any illusions about her father. Wes Matthews had the looks and charm of a Hollywood idol combined with the heart and soul of a grifter. But his latest fraud had gone too far. When details started to emerge of the RevitaYou pyramid scheme, she had been genuinely surprised that he had kept it secret from her. She was his daughter, and she was a respected clinical pharmaceutical scientist with a reputation as one of the leading independent researchers in the business. Her role involved the discovery and development of new drugs, alongside the improved use of existing medicines. Who better to help Wes keep this new venture on the right side of the law?

  Her old insecurities had kicked in. All her life, she’d known she was a disappointment to her dad, who’d made no secret of the fact that he’d wanted a son. Fo
r as long as Abigail could remember, she’d been striving to impress him. Her childhood had been a scoreboard on which she’d never gotten enough points. Academically she’d been gifted, getting straight As in every subject. She had never forgotten the time Wes barely glanced at her report card before asking why she wasn’t playing more sports. The following year she’d won an athlete-of-the-year award in high school. He turned up late to the presentation, then told her all about his friend’s son who was a gifted musician. Now she played piano to concert performance level.

  Naturally, she’d believed he hadn’t come to her with his plans for RevitaYou because he’d found someone better to provide the clinical support. The old childhood longing for acceptance, never far from the surface, had bubbled up once more. Underneath the hurt, she’d felt a sense of curiosity. What made this wonder drug so special that she wasn’t good enough to be part of it? Determined to find out, she’d ordered a thirty-day daily supply of capsules for herself. Although it was not FDA approved, RevitaYou was widely available online.

  The pretty green bottle containing the daily vitamin supplement promised to make the lucky user look ten years younger within one week. Instead of swallowing the product, Abigail had taken it into her laboratory and broken it down into its component parts. That was when she’d discovered the awful truth...

  “Did your caseworker explain why the process has been stalled?” Griffin’s question drew her attention back to the present. Back to the most important part of this whole horrible mess.

  Maya. She glanced at her little girl, grounding herself.

  I can’t lose her.

  One thing Wes had taught her about parenting was that she knew what sort of mom she wanted to be. She’d seen all the mistakes and was determined not to make them with her own little girl. Her love for Maya burned fierce and strong, and she clung to it.