Criminal Alliance

by Angi Morgan

  “I don’t get why he needed this. Wouldn’t they all contact him?” Wade had listened and accepted the information and reasoning handed to him earlier. But the guys were right, hearing it and then processing it were different. This time around, parts just didn’t add up.

  “It might be that he doesn’t have specific information,” Jack told him. “Or maybe he’s worried competition might be headed this way, too. Maybe you’ll get him to fess up why he needed it.”

  “Aren’t we tipping our hand if he does and knows this one is a fake?”

  “Possibly,” Jack agreed. “If that happens, we’ll ride in to save you and your princess.”

  “I wouldn’t let Therese hear you refer to her as a princess or even a lady in distress,” Slate joked, bending his arm to show off his muscles. “Have you seen the guns on that woman’s arms? I’m sure she’s okay, man.”

  Heath got that what-if look on his face and raised a finger. “I’m going to have the computer specialist check something. Be right back.”

  That look—or thought process—had saved them on more than one occasion. If it saved his hide tonight, it would be saving Therese, too.

  “What are the three of you going to be doing while I’m risking my neck?”

  “Getting the job done,” Slate told him with a straight face.

  “Don’t worry about our end—or the task force—we’ve got your back. Just like you’ve had ours,” Jack told him.

  The words meant more than he’d thought. Damn. Therese had never had that. She’d been completely isolated for the past three years. No friends, family or coworkers. It made it easier to accept that she’d walked away from him so quickly that afternoon.

  Or at least he’d thought it had been easy for her. Maybe not.

  The guys—his fellow Texas Rangers—had him covered. They’d penned him to the wall to keep him in that office after Therese had been hit by Sal. Maybe that was why two of them were still between him and the exit.

  Needing to focus, he brought his phone back to his hand to stare at it once again. Focus evaded him except for one thought. Reval.

  He’d been determined to bring Reval down before. There wouldn’t be any deals for the common scum. He’d be in front of every judge and prosecutor to make certain that didn’t happen.

  A year ago he’d felt anger at nearly being blown up. Anger at how stupid he’d been to go at it alone and let Reval’s men get the jump on him. But he’d gotten over it. Or at least he thought he had, until he’d found out Reval was out of jail.

  The past six weeks hadn’t just been about searching for Therese. In the back of his mind, he knew she wouldn’t be far from Reval. Someday he’d let her know just how right she’d been to question what his true motivation was today.

  Reval was going down. Away. For good. Without parole or deals.

  But not before Wade got a piece of him. And not before Wade severely chastised Sal for hitting his girl.

  Chapter Twenty

  Therese awoke in the dark with a headache the size of Dallas. She was on a couch in Rushdan’s office, blinds drawn. Alone. Where would he keep important, secret information? She let her eyes search for obvious cameras. None. Envisioned the sleek glass desk. Limited drawer storage only in the bookcase.

  There had to be a safe in the wall, the floor, behind the books. That meant they needed a combination. Three years and she still didn’t know. But what was most likely his special phone—as he’d called it—would still be in his pocket.

  Swinging her feet to the floor, she slowly pushed herself up and staggered to the private bathroom. Even after shutting and locking the door, she could hear the fish tank gurgling as she examined her split lip and slightly discolored cheeks.

  “You look absolutely terrible,” she told her reflection.

  She quickly washed the blood from her face and pulled her fingers through her hair. The bathroom had as little decor as Rushdan’s office. No pictures with glass that she could break. No heavy statues to swing. Just the bare necessities.

  “The Bare Necessities.”

  She returned to the couch, humming the Disney song that had popped into her head. She didn’t walk the room physically. It was too dangerous and she didn’t know if she could. She should let Rushdan return and see her acting obedient.

  God, she felt loopy. Light. No, it was more of a heavy feeling like she couldn’t get up. Weird. Or drugged.

  That was why she’d passed out so fast.

  So she continued to hum and look around the room for any indication of a safe. It had to be here. Rushdan didn’t have any other offices. She kept staring at the walls, but her headache distracted her.

  The song earworm took her back home to San Antonio. She couldn’t shake it out of her mind. She was certain there was something else she should be doing. Being the oldest, she’d been the resident babysitter when her parents took extra shifts or the rare times they went out. Her siblings had watched a ton of sing-along movies. The words drifted through her mind, urging her to close her eyes.

  But instead of cartoons or animated images, she was suddenly in the passenger seat of a car. Eighteen. Stuck in her boyfriend’s wrecked Camaro. The darkness surrounded her. No dashboard or streetlights. They’d been out in the country on a little known state highway when a deer ran across the road. They’d crashed.

  Wade.

  She hadn’t known him. She didn’t know his name until she’d read it in the paper. He wasn’t a Texas Ranger at the time, just a Texas Department of Safety highway patrolman. It was the only time in her life she’d been rescued and she’d never forgotten his face. A couple of years later she’d seen it again with his promotion to the Company B Rangers and she’d been following his career ever since.

  If it hadn’t been for the hero crush she’d had on Wade she would never have joined the police academy or been recruited for this undercover position. So, in a way, all of this was Wade’s fault. The bloody lip, the headache, the undercover life-threatening moment... Yep, all of it.

  She laughed hysterically. Out of control, she couldn’t stop.

  “Therese, my dear. Wake up.”

  She opened her eyes from the strange, disturbed sleep. Rushdan had his hand on her shoulder. Sal had his hand on his gun.

  “Are you okay, my darling?”

  Now she was his darling? Hardly.

  “I’m fine. Just a bad dream.” She scooted across the white leather sofa, away from Rushdan.

  Too late she remembered the phone. Back in his jacket pocket? Back in a safe? They needed that special phone. Before she could return to his side, he stood and went to his desk.

  “You’ve been out for a long time, Therese. I had no idea you were so...delicate.” He massaged the back of his hands, then dismissively waved at Sal. “Leave us.”

  She waited for the door to shut before saying, “You love doing that.”

  “Yes. I love being in charge and making everyone else scurry around trying to stay on my good side.”

  “Being the big, important man,” she mumbled.

  “Don’t be afraid to speak up, Therese. Nothing can change our relationship.”

  Control. Focus. Change the subject.

  “I’m afraid to ask, but has Wade returned?”

  “We’ll be joining everyone shortly. He failed, by the way. I don’t know how he pulled off the racetrack, but he failed miserably at the airport.”

  “Airport?” she squeaked.

  “Yes. It was fun discovering just how much you and the authorities knew about the show. It seems there’s an entire task force assigned to me.” He dangled a phone between his fingers. “This is what you’ve wanted by the way. It has all my real contacts. Potential buyers. Sellers. Records. Secrets. You have that look about you now, Therese.”

  “What look?” she asked, her throat and mouth suddenly drier than dust.<
br />
  “The look of desperation has settled in your eyes and caused a crease in your brow. Don’t worry. I like you, darling Therese, and you’ve been a huge help over the years. But because of your betrayal, the end you’re facing won’t be quick and it definitely won’t be painless. I intend for it to be long and humiliating, until you beg to join your ranger friend in death.”

  Long and humiliating. Beg to join...in death. The words echoed, bouncing from one side of her aching head to the other. He slid the phone back into his jacket and crossed to the door. She darted out, causing Sal to draw his weapon and Rushdan to jump in retreat.

  “Sorry, sorry.” She slowly reached for her boss’s hand. “I trusted him and was duped just like you.”

  “Don’t deny it, sweetheart. You helped him right into my inner circle. And I was never duped.”

  “When he contacted me weeks ago with his sob story, I had no reason to doubt him. Then Friday night he put it all out there to help me.” She used one hand to cover her eyes and hitched her breath a little. “I don’t know why I fell for it, Rushy.”

  “Give her the shot.” His hand hesitated on the doorknob before he left. Had she made him doubt her guilt even a little?

  Not a chance.

  * * *

  THE DIRECTIONS GIVEN to Wade on the burner phone took him north of Dallas. Straight highway gave him access to an express lane and made up some of the time he’d lost waiting on the FBI specialist to check out the computer.

  With Heath’s help, they’d discovered the laptop meant nothing to Reval. It was all a ruse. Something to keep him and the task force busy. While he did what?

  Killed Therese. Sold the algorithm. Set up in a location where he couldn’t legally be touched.

  Wade had left the task force behind in Dallas waiting for a hint of what they needed to deploy to protect the cities in the metroplex area. The Rangers—his friends—were en route via helicopter to his destination. He still had the cloned phone from Reval and they could hear through it.

  If he wasn’t shot on sight and if he could get Reval to brag, then the others could relay the info to the rest of the team. They’d all agreed the plan had a lot of holes. Too many what-ifs for any of them to feel comfortable. And they’d all left the most important question unasked...would he be able to hold it together if Therese was dead?

  He honestly didn’t know. He kept telling himself not to go there. Kept repeating that he would be fine. He’d be able to do it for her. He’d finish the job she had begun. But he was also realistic.

  Being there might change everything. Seeing her might...

  The GPS indicated he should make a left turn, and he slowed to stop on the side of the road. The warehouse wasn’t what he’d expected. Damn if it wasn’t lit up like a strip mall parking lot. It wasn’t old or broken down.

  “Why the hell did Reval bring me out here?” He said it for the team to digest even though he couldn’t hear their reply. “This place is brand spanking new. At least there seems to be a place for your chopper to land. Open parking lot, open fields around it. And completely in the middle of nowhere. See you on the other side, guys.”

  He turned into the lot, backing right up to the front door. Why not? He unlocked the gun safe built into a panel of his truck then tossed his keys in the cup holder. If they made it out of the building alive, it might help them escape.

  Heading to the main door, laptop in hand, he gave it a tug and it opened. An electronic bell alerted anyone who could hear that he’d walked through the front. Security cameras followed him from the entryway down the empty hall of offices.

  “Hello?” He raised the laptop over his head and shoved his shoulder into the last door.

  Staying in the doorway, he searched the almost-empty warehouse.

  “Walk straight ahead.”

  “They’re waiting inside the office.”

  About halfway to the wall in the middle of the emptiness, the two who had spoken to him stepped from the darkness. One pointed an automatic weapon at his chest while the other frisked him, then pushed him forward again.

  “Open the door and go inside.”

  Sure enough, the wall had a door. He hesitatingly opened it to find an exact replica of the office he’d stood in earlier that morning. Rushdan Reval sat behind his desk. Sal stood on the other side of the door. The two men from the chase the night before were on either end of a fish tank empty of fish.

  Therese was on the couch. She sat with her head back as if she’d fallen asleep. She didn’t stir and seemed to be out cold.

  “I guess the party can get started now that I’m here.” Wade held the laptop out in front of him.

  The nerdy guy from the airport stepped through the door after him and took it. He opened it on the desk, punched several keys and shook his head. “Just like we thought. Bogus info. No tracker. You still want him to do it?”

  “I think with the proper motivation he’ll do fine.” Reval waved his hand toward the unconscious Therese.

  Damn.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Wade’s mind got stuck on what Reval had done to Therese to keep her so solidly out of commission. He shifted gears to what the criminal who’d escaped the law too many times had planned for them both. Why here in this remote part of Denton County?

  “I suppose a good investigator like yourself,” Reval said, leaving the comfort of his chair, “wants to know why you’re needed.”

  “You might say that.”

  “Access, access, access.” Reval moved toward Therese, leaning on the arm of the couch closest to her. “I need to get in and out of a place without detection.”

  Reval flicked his finger in the air and the nerdy man at the laptop crossed the room and held out his hand in front of Wade.

  “We’ll take the phone back from the racetrack.”

  Wade pulled it free from his back pocket and handed it over. The younger man pulled a screwdriver from his hip, popped open the cover and removed both the battery and SIM card. One of the what-ifs had just happened.

  Wade was cut off from the team. They’d be deaf and blind until they landed and set up some type of surveillance.

  “Tell me how much of my plans does the Homeland task force know?”

  “Homeland?” Wade tried to play dumb. “I don’t work too much with those characters.”

  Reval slapped Therese’s check, snapping her head to the left, but she didn’t react.

  “Wrong answer, Ranger Wade. You won’t get very many, so you might want to be truthful.”

  “You drugged her. What did you give her?”

  “You see my predicament, don’t you, Hamilton? You’re here and I’m certain you didn’t come alone. But I still have a problem.” He splayed his hands toward Therese. “I need to know if her task force has discovered my plans.”

  “There’s no reason to hurt Therese. She didn’t pass anything to me.”

  “Oh, she’s not hurting. I promise she’s not hurting...yet.” He pulled a syringe from his jacket pocket. “But we could make certain. Just one more little push and she won’t have any pain at all ever again. That the path you want to choose?”

  Reval lifted Therese’s arm. He’d do it. Wade didn’t have any doubts.

  “Okay, okay. I believe you. But I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about. I followed your directions at Love Field and brought the laptop back to you.”

  “Then why are you so disappointingly late?” He shifted the needle closer to her vein.

  “I... I had to hide until the cops searched the entire airport because of your men. I got here as soon as I could get back to my truck. What more do you want me to say?” Dammit. Even he thought he sounded like he was lying.

  “Maybe we should try to wake her up?” Reval stood, backed away and slashed a fat finger through the air. Sal and his armed companion moved across the room
.

  “I don’t know anything. Nothing.” Could Reval’s computer guy tell that the FBI had searched what was on the laptop?

  “Don’t waste my time, Wade. This isn’t a negotiation,” Reval continued. “Tell me what I want to know, but you’re right. An overdose is such an easy way out for Therese.” Another flick of his finger sent Sal and the second man to either side of Therese.

  “Wait. Look, I don’t know what those two inept morons you sent to Love Field told you, but I followed your instructions. I’ll do whatever you need me to get done.” Wade’s heartbeat skyrocketed. They were going to torture Therese.

  He had no way to stop it or let anyone know it was happening. And she was still out cold.

  They hooked an arm under Therese’s arms, semi-standing her, then dragged her to the fishless tank of water against the wall. Wade hadn’t noticed that the tank stood just a little higher than waist level. Not before Therese’s head lobbed forward and her long hair fell to drift in the circling water.

  Therese was suspended between the two men.

  “Stop! What do you want me to tell you? I wouldn’t be here if the Rangers knew anything.”

  “Do it,” Rushdan commanded.

  They lifted her higher and shoved her head underwater.

  “She’ll drown. Are you trying to kill her?”

  When Therese struggled and kicked to get air, Sal let her catch a short breath before shoving her down again.

  “Come on, Reval. This is between us. If you don’t believe me, then put my head underwater.”

  Reval nodded. Sal grabbed Therese’s hair and wrenched upward. She spit out tank water as she sucked in air. She tossed her head, waking up from whatever drug Reval had given her.

  Therese kicked and twisted to get free. Then they did it again.

  And again.

  Wade grabbed the edge of the couch and held his breath along with Therese. Each time she got close to getting a deep breath, Reval’s men sent her under again.