In the Shadow of Evil Book 2

by Nancy C. Weeks

  “I ask for a gun and you give me jewelry. We’re going to talk about this, husband.”

  “Your students are waiting for you, wife,” Jared said, joining his lips to her. The kiss left her mind foggy enough that, when she opened her eyes, Jared’s legs had cleared the hole in the ceiling.

  Thirty-Two

  Jennie closed her classroom door. In all her years of teaching, she had never wanted to leave the building as badly as she did today. She was grabbing her backpack off the floor, when a young boy sprinted around the corner, gasping for air. She reached out to steady him. “Hey, slow down there.”

  He held out an envelope. “Miss McKenzie, a guy asked me to give this to you,” he said, trying to catch his breath.

  “What guy?” The blood drained from her face.

  “I don’t know. Just this guy. Anyway, I gotta go.” The young boy dashed off as quickly as he came.

  Jennie leaned against her classroom door, pulled out her cell, and pretended to make a call. “Jared,” she said, in a breathless whisper, “did you hear?”

  “Don’t open it until I get to you,” he said.

  She whispered, “Can Mendoza see me out here?”

  “No, there’s only one camera, in your classroom. You should be fine where you are until we figure out a meeting place.”

  “What does this mean? Does Mendoza know everything?”

  “Don’t jump there. Ivan studied you. He probably just picked out the first kid he recognized from your class.”

  “I’m opening it.” Jennie carefully removed the seal and took out an elegant folded sheet of stationery. She scanned the short message.

  My dear Jennifer Marie,

  It is our time to meet. My car is at your disposal. Don’t keep me waiting long.

  Elías

  Two small photos folded into the note fell onto the floor; Anthony gagged, with his arms tied behind his back, and an image of Michael sitting on a metal chair in a dark building.

  Jennie quickly picked up the photos and dashed into the restroom. She checked each stall again to make sure she was alone. “Jared, I’m back in the bathroom. Get in here.”

  As much as she would have liked to keep the panic out of her voice, to prove to her husband she could handle this nightmare, she trembled while holding the note from Mendoza.

  The ceiling tile shifted, and Jared dropped to the floor. He wrapped her in his arms while he read the note. In only seconds, his blue eyes turned midnight black.

  “You’re not going. We’ll find another way.”

  “I have to go.”

  “No Jennie, you don’t! It’s crazy.” Jared rubbed his hands over his face and grabbed his cell phone. “Mac, he’s made contact. I need to know how many cars are still in the school parking lot, who belongs here, and who are Mendoza’s fucking men.” He ended the call and stalked to the small window positioned high on the wall. He turned the rusty crank, but the window didn’t budge.

  “Jared, those are nailed shut.”

  He pulled out his pocketknife and scraped away at the film that blacked out the window.

  Jennie circled his waist with one arm and reached for the hand that held the knife. “You won’t have a good view of the parking lot from here.”

  His fist struck the windowsill with such force, a sharp pain tore from his wrist to his shoulder. A small gash on the side of his palm began to bleed. Damn it!

  Jennie stepped away from him. “Jared?”

  “It’s nothing.” He wiped the blood on his black jeans and removed the vibrating phone from his pocket. “What?”

  “A dark sedan just drove into the lot,” Mac said.

  “Find another way!” Jared tossed the phone into the sink and planted both palms on the small mirror, his eyes shut tight.

  A rage so intense spiked through him, and he tried to fill his lungs with air. Jennie came over and dove into his arms. He lifted her up, placing his hands on her bottom as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He leaned his back against the cool tiled wall and held her tight until his breathing slowed.

  “I can’t let you get in that car.”

  Jennie kissed his eyelids, his moist cheeks, and then his lips. “I have to go, Jared. You have to let me go. Father Anthony, Michael, Danny, Noah…he’ll kill them all if I betray him. Their death on my conscience…you’ll be there to protect me. You said earlier that there will be so many agents you’ll be tripping all over each other.”

  Jared set her back on her feet but didn’t release his hold on her. “And if we can’t protect you, if I can’t protect you, what then?”

  Jennie placed a finger on his lips. “Do your job and keep me safe. I trust you. We’re strong enough to take him down together.” She wiped her own tears away and glanced at her wedding ring. “Do you have any idea what an incredible miracle we were given?” Reaching for his left hand, Jennie clasped their fingers tightly around each other. “Have some faith in us.”

  “Tell me how I’m going to let you walk out of this building and into that car.”

  “You need to make sure everyone is ready. I have to walk out the front door and do what has to be done.”

  He closed his eyes, took a deep breath of her scent, and let it out slowly. The images of the bomb and the hostages sliced into his mind.

  There was no choice here.

  If Jennie was brave enough to trust him, then fuck it, he had to trust her. “Okay, you’re right, we can do this.” Touching the pendant on her chest, he whispered, “Keep this with you no matter what. I’ll be right behind you. Don’t activate the GPS until they have swept you for a wire. He sent the photos, which would indicate he doesn’t have a clue we’re on to him.”

  The tension in Jennie’s body changed. She broke the kiss, squared her shoulders, and stepped back. She removed her earpiece and set it on the sink.

  When her hand reached for the door, he stopped her, pulling her back against him. “Jennie, I love you. God, I love you. You know that, right?”

  “I feel what you feel, remember?” She placed his hand over her heart. “Do you feel the beats?” she whispered.

  Jared could only nod.

  “The first beat keeps me alive. The second beat is for you. It’s been that way since the day we met. My love for you, your love for me, is what connected us.” She cupped his cheek and brushed away a single tear with her thumb. “You told me that love and trust go hand in hand. Well, I love you, Jared, with everything in me, and I trust you to be there when I need you. Mendoza thinks I’m all alone, defenseless. I’m not.” She wove her fingers with his. “He isn’t man enough to defeat us.” She gave him one last hard kiss and left the restroom.

  Mendoza tossed his cell phone on the desk. She was on her way to him. He had a hard time controlling his excitement.

  Would she be surprised by her destination? Their lives should have begun there eight years ago. Today, at precisely four-fifteen, their journey would either begin or come to an excruciatingly painful end. Jennifer Marie held that decision in her hands.

  He made sure everything in the study was arranged exactly as he wished. Then he checked the four monitors above his desk. On the third monitor, McNeil prowled the confines of his prison. He would take great pleasure finally ending that life; the more painful, the better. The fourth monitor displayed his hangar in Italy, where the first man who attempted to take her from him waited to die. Only one would remain alive by evening. That would be his gift to her, he owed her that much.

  Thirty-Three

  Jared barreled down the I-97, his connection to Jennie was strong. There was a calmness in her that did not affect him. The best he had to give was to stay in control.

  His cell phone vibrated in the seat tray next to him and was picked up by the Bluetooth device on the dash.

  “What?”

  “We’re wrong, Jared. He’s not taking her into the district.”

  “Then where’s their meet?”

  “It has to be the house in Anne Arundel County,” Mac
answered.

  “Of course! Why the hell didn’t I think of that? The bastard picked that location because it’s where she chose me over him. We got ourselves another problem. There was nothing unusual about the property except the land surrounding it. It can’t be approached without being seen from every direction. I’m about five minutes behind Jennie.” He exited I-97 onto Route 50 West.

  “Again, this is extremely personal. What was his plan eight years ago for Jennie?”

  “I wasn’t close enough to him to be privy to his plans. No one’s that close. Whatever it was, it was all in his head, because Jennie was clueless. If I had to guess, he was planning to fly off into the sunset, with her kicking and screaming. Noah must have interrupted his plans when he stormed the property. Get your guys to find me a way in without being detected. You have about three minutes.”

  “They’re on it. How are you holding up, bro?”

  “I have it together. I’ll get them all out. What’s the plan for Michael in Rome?”

  “As soon as your team’s in place, the Swiss Guard and local police will take the hangar. We’ll feed the rescue directly to Mendoza’s computer. It should distract him enough to give you an edge. I wish I was there with you. I want to hurt that damn bastard.”

  “I wouldn’t let that side of your personality out in front of Mom. She thinks you are her sweet son.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. I don’t have to tell you to be careful, right?” The fear in Mac’s voice was hard to hide.

  “Always,” Jared said, ending the call. He pulled off Route 50 at the Davidsonville exit. As he drove closer to Mendoza, Jennie’s presence grew stronger. It was her voice he heard: Trust me, trust us.

  Stepping out of the car at the red brick colonial mansion, a deep pain slice through Jennie. This was the place in her nightmares, where she lost her best friend. Taking in a deep cleansing breath, she shoved back the sorrow and settled her nerves. True evil resided here. It was up to her to destroy it before it ruined everything good in her life.

  Two of Mendoza’s goons walked out the entrance with automatic rifles slung across their chests. She bit down to keep from laughing out loud. How much of a threat could she be?

  One of the men attempted to take her arm. Jennie jerked her elbow up, smashing the guard’s jaw, then she kicked him hard in the groin. He doubled over, gasping for air.

  The other guard did nothing to prevent the assault. Mendoza would skin the man alive if he dared strike her. She shoved past him and entered the house.

  Mendoza’s long-time assistant greeted her in the foyer and offered to take her coat. “I know the way,” she said and breezed by him.

  The guard stopped her at the study door.

  “No one goes in without this,” he said, raising the security wand in his hand. Resigned, she waited as the man waved it over her body before opening the door.

  Once inside, she examined the room. It appeared exactly as it did eight years ago, down to the tiniest detail. The upholstery on the sofa and loveseat were new, but the material was the same design. Plush rugs covered the gleaming hardwood floors, and fragrant roses in an elegant crystal vase sat in the center of the coffee table.

  Elías Mendoza was silent as he leaned up against the large mahogany desk, his arms at his side. Women probably considered him handsome, even alluring. But to Jennie, everything about him, from his designer suits to his musky cologne, repulsed her. This was the monster who murdered her parents and foster brother, ordered a ten-year-old boy gunned down as if his life meant nothing —and who tortured Jared.

  He deserved nothing, especially fear from her.

  “Not even a hello, Jennifer Marie?” His voice was arrogant, his facial features set in stone.

  She lifted her chin, her attention on the monitors above the desk. “I always knew you were a vindictive bastard, Elías, but I never considered you a coward. Priests and children. That’s low, even for you.”

  Mendoza’s eyes turned hard. He took a sip of his drink and set the glass on the desk behind him. “I would be careful how you address me, mi querida.”

  “If you wanted me to come, all you had to do was pick up the damn phone and ask.”

  “May I offer you a drink?”

  “All I want from you is to let my friends go. I’m here. They have nothing to do with us.”

  “Not even McNeil?”

  This time she faced him head on before she watched Noah pace the room. “He’s a friend. Let him go.” How could Mendoza think Noah was Jared? They were nothing alike.

  “Have you been with him?” Mendoza spit each word out as he came away from the desk toward her.

  “God, no.”

  Mendoza stopped in his tracks. “You haven’t bedded him?”

  “No,” she said, meeting his glare.

  He picked up the phone and snapped an order in Spanish, before slamming it back on its base. “Have a seat, Jennifer,” Mendoza said, waving to the sofa.

  “I’m fine.”

  “I insist.” He grabbed her elbow and led her to the sofa.

  A knock sounded, and a guard shoved Noah into the room. Three guards filed in close behind him.

  “Ah, McNeil, it’s nice of you to join us. Have a seat.” Mendoza indicated the chair in the corner, directly in Jennie’s view.

  Noah’s hands were cuffed together behind him. A guard yanked on the restraints and pushed him into the chair.

  “Take these damn cuffs off, and I’ll show you just how happy I am to be here.”

  Mendoza nodded slightly, and his man backhanded Noah hard enough to rock his chair.

  “Stop it,” Jennie demanded. “What the hell do you want?”

  “He matters to you after all, Jennifer,” Mendoza said, eyeing her.

  “What does he have to do with any of this?”

  Mendoza yanked her up by the hair until they were face to face. “For some reason, you have forgotten to whom you are speaking,” he said, gripping her hair in his fist. Noah’s roar vibrated off the walls as he fought the guards restraining him in the chair.

  “Begin showing me some respect, or I’ll show you firsthand what a monster I can be.” He tossed her down onto the sofa and moved to the window, his hands in his pockets.

  While Mendoza’s attention was distracted, Noah eyed Jennie. The words Just stop! shouted inside her head.

  Turning, Mendoza addressed his guest, “I believe we have gotten off on the wrong foot. I have something I think you will like, Jennifer,” he said, strolling to the door.

  Ivan entered the room, leading Danny by the arm, while another guard came in with Father Anthony.

  “Father Anthony, welcome.” Mendoza extended his hand to the priest. “Please, have a seat. Can I offer you a drink?” He glanced at one of his men. “Get our priest a glass of wine, red I think.”

  “See who I found for you, querida?” Mendoza said, putting his arm around Danny’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go say hello to your teacher, boy,” he said, shoving him toward Jennie.

  Jennie pulled Danny into her arms, her fingers lightly brushing the blackish-blue bruising around his neck, jaw, and cheek. Spinning toward Mendoza, all she could manage was, “Why?”

  “I never laid a hand on the boy.”

  Jennie faced the man who had brought Danny into the room. Her chest heaved and her body became rigid when she recognized him.

  “You sick bastard.” She rushed him.

  Mendoza grabbed her around the waist, yanking her off her feet before she got within a body length of Ivan.

  “You know, Jennifer Marie, I don’t think I appreciate this aggressive side in you. If you have a problem with one of my men, you need to address it with me.”

  She continued to struggle in his arms. “A problem? I want the man dead! Just let me go, and I’ll tear him apart myself.”

  Mendoza dumped her roughly back onto the sofa, ordering the boy to follow.

  “That is no way for a lady to behave, my dear, but if that is what you wish,
so be it.” In one clean motion, he removed his revolver from under his jacket, pointed it at Ivan, and pulled the trigger. The bullet landed squarely between Ivan’s widened eyes and he dropped to the floor, his dead gaze on the ceiling.

  Mendoza faced Jennie and shrugged. “He was one of my best men, but he had trouble following orders.”

  Father Anthony knelt at Ivan’s side, making the sign of the cross on his forehead, and bowed his head in prayer.

  “Isn’t that pious of you, Father, and after the way he treated you.” Mendoza smirked as Father Anthony continued the last rites.

  Too shocked to speak, Jennie pulled Danny’s face into her shoulder. She wanted to shield him from the violence, but he had seen everything.

  Mendoza grabbed the boy’s collar and jerked him out of Jennie’s hold. All color drained from Danny’s face.

  “For the record, I never ordered Ivan to harm the kid. Furthermore, I never ordered him to kill the young boy in front of your place. That was on him,” Mendoza commented, nodding to the dead man on the floor. “Now he has paid for it.” He loosened his tight hold on Danny. “I can’t bring the young boy back to you, but I’ll give you this one in exchange.” He released his hold, shoving Danny toward one of his guards.

  “My men will take him anywhere you wish. He’s free to go.” Mendoza signaled to one of his men. “You have your orders. See to it the kid is delivered unharmed to—” he paused, looking at Jennie. “Where should he be taken?”

  “To his home. His mother is there,” Jennie quickly replied.

  The man grabbed Danny’s arm, but he panicked. “Miss McKenzie!”

  “Wait, please, let me speak to him,” she pleaded to Mendoza. Jennie hauled Danny back into her arms and whispered in his ear, “It’s going to be okay. You have to leave. He won’t give you another chance.” Jennie held his young, sweet face.