With a sad spark in her eyes, Jennifer leaned closer to Alice. "You're both missing the point. It's fun to smoke a man's entire world. He thinks he can lie? I'll show him he's the one being a fool."
Alice's stomach clenched as she asked, "How?"
Jennifer tossed her hair to the side. "I already asked Rafe to find out who the girl is."
Alice and Vicki both asked in unison, "What?"
The police should be working on finding her would-be killer, not exploring Jennifer's sorry excuse for a love life. Alice kept a tight grip on her thoughts and didn't say anything else.
Jennifer shrugged. "He'll find her."
If he did, then he wasn't spending enough time on her case. Alice squared her shoulders. "Did you have proof to give him?"
Jennifer smiled. "I'm sure there is DNA on the sheets."
Vicki's voice shook. "You took his sheets?"
Jennifer turned her focus to Vicki. "He'll never know."
Alice blinked. Rafe Soliz was her friend, but he had mentioned Jennifer in high school too. Her breaths were shallow. He wouldn't put Jennifer's nonsense case first when she had a real case, would he?
Vicki's jaw clicked. "How?"
Jennifer went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of iced tea. Then she returned. "He has maids and Caro told me everything."
Alice shook her head. "You're crazy."
Jennifer turned to her with a pout on her lips. "So are you, if you don't shore up whatever is going on with you and John."
Alice went and found herself a cold drink. The delay mixed with iced helped her focus her thoughts. She returned and nodded. "You might be right. Would you like iced tea?"
Vicki then bounced to her feet and Alice glanced at her as she excitedly asked, "What?"
"Iced tea?"
"No thanks."
The lump in her throat formed and she had to cough to get it out. "I had my mother in my head and I was so scared of falling apart that I was willing to run away. Once whatever the threat is goes away, I'm going to see if there is a future and if John wants one, with me."
Vicki hugged her. "Good for you."
Alice shook her head and gazed back at the window. "Someone was spying on us last night."
Jennifer laughed. "Don't tell me you're worried someone videotaped you to put it online."
"Eww." Alice clutched her stomach. "No. Does that happen?"
The answer was an obvious yes, but not something that had ever crossed her mind. Jennifer said, "Yeah, but don't worry about it. I'm sure John will find out who was there."
Not once had Jennifer ever talked badly about John. It was strange. Perhaps that was the closest Jennifer came to an approval of any relationship. Alice turned back to the window and shook her head. "I'm so sick of waiting. Scared. There has to be a faster way."
Smiling, happy Vicki said, "Patience is a virtue."
The beat of her heart was steady at the moment and if she thought about this morning's message, she'd drive herself crazy. "Wait, let's change the topic."
Jennifer narrowed her gaze. "To what?"
Alice crossed her arms. "To where you have been, Vicki. You never explained."
Vicki took a step backwards, like she'd leave if that was an option. "I was in Europe."
Alice shrugged her shoulders. "You let us all think you died."
With her eyes closed, Vicki took deep breaths. "Part of me did die. I couldn't live in my own skin."
Jennifer stayed absolutely still and her voice became quieter. "What does that mean?"
Vicki clutched her stomach and Alice wondered if there was a baby involved. The will reading replayed in her mind as Vicki said, "My father stole something more precious to me than my own life and there is nothing I can do to get it back."
If her best friend had been pregnant, she'd have known about it. Alice let the thought go, dropped her hands to her sides, and spoke in a soft voice. "That sounds horrible. What was it?"
"I can't talk about it." Vicki rocked on her feet. "Not yet anyhow. So I'm focusing on my family, love that exists between people, and my shop—which will become my fashion empire. You'll have to be my first customer, Alice, for a wedding dress."
It was Alice's turn to step backwards. "I'm not getting married."
With a smile on her face, Vicki asked, "Want me to discuss that with John?"
"No."
The front door opened and a split second later John called out, "Discuss what?"
Oh, goodness. With her fingers crossed she prayed he hadn't heard this conversation. Vicki rushed to give her brother a hug as he stepped into the living room. "You're back. That was fast."
John hugged his sister, and then came to Alice's side to give her a kiss on her cheek. "Peter's not home."
She clutched his arm. If he wasn't there, then they wouldn't have extra security. "He's not?"
The clack of heels echoed on the floor as Jennifer hurried to the front door. "I have to go."
Vicki rushed and hugged them both, and then raced out after Jennifer.
Together they followed their guests' footsteps to the front door. John reached out and locked it. Alice stood up on her tiptoes to be closer to John's face as adrenaline rushed through her. "Did you amp up Morgan security at least?"
John turned back to her with a smile that showed off his sexy dimples. "Yes, we spoke on the phone."
The energy inside her couldn't be contained. "Good. John, I don't want to sit here and wait for someone to attack us again."
"What do you want to do?"
As she pointed to the door, the squeal of Vicki's tires reverberated in the air and Alice's hands shook. "Go out there and wrangle up the intruder in our lives."
John nodded. "Let's review the clues together first."
"Huh?"
He reached out and took her shaking hands in his. "Solving a case usually requires going through mounds of paperwork. We have email evidence, the phone message, and the video. We have mounting clues. Help me put the pieces together."
She bit her lower lip. This was at last something useful to do. She hugged her waist. "Where do we get started?"
He led her back to the rest of the house. "I have my case brief in the bedroom. Let me get it."
The charged energy she felt needed direction. In the bedroom, she'd likely get distracted. "Let me put coffee on and I'll meet you in the kitchen."
The threat would end soon and there would be nothing that stood in her way.
Chapter 28
John sat next to Alice in the kitchen as they studied everything they had. His years in the FBI had taught him how to build a case. The organization of this empowered him. Alice replayed the video that Jennifer took of the man that reached for her again. He glanced toward her and something flashed on the screen. "Go back."
"What?" She handed him her laptop. "Where do you want me to play?"
The scene went backwards, but nothing caught his attention other than a man's profile beneath a dark cap.
His sister's quick thinking to order Jennifer to take video as she saved Alice showed her intelligence.
A knock at the door chilled his blood. He pushed his chair back as he stood. "Wait here."
She picked up the piece of paper detailing the first email to read. John walked toward the front door and peered through the hole. His old boss from the FBI stood on the front step. Finally. John ran his hand through his hair and opened the door. "Smith."
With a curled lip, his ex-boss peeked around the foyer and then said, "I'm here for your badge, Morgan."
John's jaw tightened. "I thought you'd send an agent days ago."
Just as John remembered, Smith curled his mouth into his usual sneer. "I wanted to do this myself."
With a frown, John let the man walk into the foyer and closed the door behind him. "Any headway on who is after Alice?"
"I'm here to review what you have. It won't take long."
Smith hated him and didn't care what happened to Alice. He rolled his eyes. "
Whatever. Let me get everything."
Sweet-sounding Alice's voice penetrated the cold. "Who's at the door?"
With clenched teeth, John hoped to avoid niceties and send the man on his way. "Agent Steve Smith, my former boss, from the FBI. He's not staying long."
Smith straightened his shoulders. "This is the brunette from the note. I had no idea your tastes were quite so clean and innocent, Morgan."
Smith wasn't worth spending another moment with. John told Alice, "I have to go to my room and get him his badge. Please ignore him. I usually do."
With a welcoming expression on her face, Alice reached out to shake Smith's hand. His ex-boss actually broke a smile. "How did you get to be John's boss?"
Smith turned his back on John like he wasn't in the room. "Morgan was transferred to my division a few months ago. He had some personal insight on a few cases under investigation."
Alice laughed. "Rich people that the Morgans knew, no doubt."
Smith's metallic voice grated on his eardrums. "You're very perceptive."
His former boss wasn't worthy of being in the same room with Alice. From now on, he'd keep people like him from soiling her hands. John walked past them both to get his badge from the top drawer of his nightstand. Perhaps it was time to claim his last name and his birthright.
The door slammed and John closed his eyes. Had Smith forgotten something in his car? He slid open the drawer, picked up his badge and job-issued gun. His personal gun was still locked inside the drawer.
For years, John had planned on using the gun to arrest Mitch Morgan and right the world. Now he'd never have that opportunity, but his heart was okay with how things had turned out.
Alice kept him grounded in a way he'd never been before. She'd be his forever, once he convinced her his feelings were real.
He returned to the hallway. Ice went up his spine the second he entered the foyer. His gut felt like someone sucker-punched him and a buzz sounded in his ears. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. "Hello?"
No answer.
A sour taste in his mouth grew as his stomach rolled. This wasn't happening. No. With heavy footsteps, he walked back to the front door. Unlocked, it opened wide into the blazing hot sun. All the humidity of the outside stuffed the room with its overpowering presence, but his skin was cold and clammy.
Alice was gone.
Agent Smith kidnapped his Alice.
Chapter 29
Alice woke up in the back of a car and tried to scream. With a pain in her chest, she clamped down on the impulse. The whimper she made was muffled anyhow.
Something was tied across her mouth. Adrenaline spiked through her. There had to be a way out. Despite the dizziness, she lifted her feet and realized they were free. Her shoulders were so tight that the pain brought tears to her eyes, but she squirmed anyway. She tried to wiggle her arms, but cold metallic handcuffs kept her locked in place.
The noise to her left sounded like she was in a fast moving car. With her head down, she decided to slowly open her eyes. Leather seats stuck to her skin.
This was a small sedan with a window, probably shatterproof glass, that blocked her from the front seat.
"You're awake."
The male voice of the man in the foyer. He must have been sitting and watching her. Her mind raced. She knew his name. The words escaped her until she remembered the words ‘Agent Smith.’ That was it. She hadn't known he was the agent of death. "Aren't you one of the good guys who work for the FBI?"
"The lines got blurred the day we let people like your boyfriend in."
The best weapon she had right now was to humanize herself and keep talking. The car rumbled. "Why? He sought justice."
The rapid turn of the wheel sent the car in a spin. Black spots formed in her eyes. Then the car came to a complete stop. In a reflex her head hit the glass, and she saw stars.
Smith threw open her door and grabbed her hair. She was dizzy, but the place looked familiar. As they walked to an elevator in the parking lot, her heart raced but she recognized where she was. This was her new condo building.
He pressed the button to the top floor as he dragged her along. The building had just been finished yesterday. It was brand new. Her mind swirled with information as her stomach tightened.
She breathed in, but every inhale was pained. She licked her dry lips and tried to speak. At first no words came out, but finally she had the courage to continue and said, "Please let me go."
"Your boyfriend deserves to be punished."
Tears formed in her eyes as the elevator climbed. She backed into the wall as he let her go for the moment and crossed his arms. "Revenge isn't justice. Rich boys like him don't know anything about how the real world works."
If the doors opened, she'd run down the hall to the stairs and make it to the first floor. She held her head up. "So you're punishing him for crossing the lines?"
"I intend to make Morgan pay."
The beep of the floor echoed inside her and Smith's grimy hands grabbed her by the neck as she flinched. "What did he do to you?"
"He breathes and thought he was my equal."
Smith dragged her down the hall, close to the stairwell. The penthouse apartment was three feet at most to salvation. "So you hate him enough to destroy your career?"
"Yes."
A chill went down her as her chin trembled. "Why would that take over your life?"
"You ask too many questions."
Her limbs shook, but she had to keep it together. "I grew up on a farm where everything we do is grounded and made in an effort to grow the right fruits."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
At least she had his attention. Now she'd try to talk her way out of this. "On a farm, it takes more work than just planting the seed for the fruit to blossom. You worked hard to be a boss at the FBI. You earned a pension to retire on. You have to have a plan."
"I do."
Smith opened the door to an unfinished apartment. The wind rattled plastic sheets that were taped onto walls.
He stilled for a moment as the door behind them to the apartment creaked shut. She was inside this empty place with no windows. He locked the door behind them, and the image of falling to her death played in her mind. She had to keep talking. It was her only option. "What is it? It can't be better than government security."
He grabbed the handcuffs and dragged her to a machine used in construction. He tied her cuffed hands with the rubbery material. "My partner in this intends to leave the country and if I help her, then I get a one-time settlement that pays for all my expenses the rest of my life."
The rubber pressed deeper into her skin than the cuffs, and she cringed as he tied her tight. Then he unhooked the cuffs and stuffed them in his pocket.
Without a word he hit a button on a huge machine and her hands went into the air. "So if you kill me then you get to retire right now. That's the plan?"
"Basically."
The machine continued to lift her. As her feet rose in the air, she squealed. Then he hit another button. He planned to drop her to her death. Her heart raced. She was running out of time. "Are you waiting to trap John too?"
"That's plan A. Plan B is to kill you and let him find your dead body."
Okay… he meant to lure John here. There might be time. "I'm not that important to him. He'll get over me in a second."
"Now that is a lie."
The wind outside rattled the plastic wraps. Her voice sounded shrill and she blinked uncontrollably. "It's the truth. He has so many women. I seriously doubt he'd care if I died."
With one punch, he knocked the plastic so it flapped outside. The rustling of the wrap sent a chill down her spine. "He said he'd marry you."
Her limbs shook, but the rubber tie kept her in place. "How would you know he said that? And I don't take that serious so you shouldn't either."
"I've never heard him on the phone with another woman, saying those words."
"He didn't say that on the phone."
"Are you with him twenty-four hours a day to know what he says to who?"
Of course the FBI had tapped their line. She pleaded with him. "It's a joke. He doesn't truly care."
"You're the one who's delusional. Now be brave."
He hit another button on that machine and she felt herself swing outside. "Where are you going?"
"To the spot where we planned your death. It's going to be a long way down."
The wind slapped her in the face as she dangled high above the ground. Her heart thundered. "Plan A requires John to be here, remember."
"We'll just let you hang until he is."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm busy."
Footsteps echoed in her ears. She swallowed and opened her eyes. There was no escape. She was trapped. It might be better to close her eyes and just let herself die. The rapidness of her heart might be a kinder death than a fall. It had better not be John falling for a trap.
The wind knocked the rubber ties that held her and her feet swung.
Chapter 30
Alone, Alice refused to look down as the wind swung her in the air. Hyperventilation hadn't helped her racing pulse. She squeezed her eyes tightly as she prayed. If she was to fall to her death, then it was cruel to hold onto hope. They were on the top floor of her new condo complex. If somehow she lived through this, she'd never step foot in a high rise again.
"You think you can get away with stealing my man."
Her heart hammered in her chest. Jennifer. She swayed which turned her around in the air. Alice kept her eyes closed, but she called out, "Help."
"Why should I help…." Jennifer's voice stopped midsentence, while Alice's heart thrashed in her ears. Then Jennifer called out, "Alice? Is this a joke? What are you doing here?"
Her throat was so dry. She kept her eyes closed as her head swam. "Please get me down."
"How did you get out the window?"
This was a cruel torture. Out of all people to save her, she had not expected Jennifer. She was going to fall to her death any minute. Her body convulsed. "Please, just help me."
[House of Morgan 01.0 - 03.0] Boxed Set Page 18
