High Stakes Escape

by Elizabeth Goddard

  “I’m talking to you, lady.”

  She jerked her gaze to the masked man now, acknowledging that she understood, but she still said nothing.

  “Now that I have your attention, remove your friend’s gun then very gently slide it over to me. Try any funny business and I’ll have to shoot.”

  She tried to hide that she was shaking as she opened up Ben’s jacket and reached to just beneath his arm, around behind his shoulder. His warm breath hit her cheek. She wished he could speak his thoughts into her mind.

  What are you thinking, Ben?

  Did he want her to hand the gun off to him and duck out of the way? Or did he want her to swing around and fire the gun into the man’s chest?

  After tugging the gun from Ben’s holster, she backed away and flicked her gaze to his, holding it for a mere heartbeat before turning around.

  “Eh, eh, eh... Dangle it between your fingers, honey, and trot it on over to me.”

  “I thought you wanted me to slide it over to you.”

  “I changed my mind.”

  Boy what she wouldn’t give to give this—

  “I see you’re thinking about it. You want to hurt me real bad. I see it in your eyes. But you don’t want any trouble, do you? I don’t want any trouble, either,” he said.

  Could have fooled her, but she bit back her retort.

  She held the weapon out at arm’s length when she was close enough that he could reach it. God, please let the cashier get control of this situation. Call the police. Something. Ben didn’t have his gun anymore.

  Before she could react, the man yanked her forward and twisted her around. He held the gun to her head and started backing out of the store.

  Twice in one day now, she’d had a gun pressed against her temple. Really?

  “Wait!” Ben started forward.

  The attacker tightened his arm around her throat. “Don’t even think about it. You take one step out of this store and I’ll kill all of you, starting with her. Get on the floor.” Slowly, Ben complied. “And you—” he directed his words to the cashier “—you’ve got twenty seconds to empty that register and put the cash on the counter. Then come around from behind the counter and get on the floor. If I see that you have a gun on you, I’ll blast a hole through you.”

  This was just an armed robbery and had nothing at all to do with someone after her.

  The cashier nodded vigorously and opened the register after three tries. He pulled all the bills out and stacked them on the counter, then lifted his hands above his head so his cooperation wouldn’t be questioned. He hurried around the counter and got on the floor, lying flat next to Ben. Hope drained from Chasey.

  The man in the mask dragged her out of the store—without taking the cash, she noticed—and she couldn’t help it.

  Chasey screamed.

  FIVE

  Ben never took his eyes off the masked man as he dragged Chasey out of the store at gunpoint. From where Ben was positioned, he couldn’t see the man’s vehicle. He could only see the back of the Suburban at the gas pump as he looked through the glass-doored entrance to the store.

  Chasey’s scream had reached to his bones, pierced through his heart. He should have been more vigilant. What was wrong with him? He could berate himself later. Now he had to think. To act.

  But he couldn’t move. Not yet. The man who’d taken her continued watching Ben as if he sensed that at any moment he would spring up from the floor and attack. His muscles were coiled and waiting for that moment.

  “You have an exit out back, don’t you?” He mumbled the words to the other man on the floor in case the watching masked man could read lips.

  “Yes,” the cashier said. “What are you thinking? What can I do to help? I should have done something more—”

  Ben was already moving. The masked man had disappeared from his sight, which meant he could no longer see Ben. That gave him the opening to get moving, but it also meant that Ben could no longer see Chasey, or where the man was taking her. What he was doing with her. If he didn’t get eyes back on them soon, the man might succeed in dragging Chasey away, and Ben would have no idea where to find them.

  He dashed for the back of the store, toward the red-glowing exit sign, and stepped out into the cold, dark night, taking care to let the door ease closed rather than let it slam shut. The sound would alert the masked man. Heart racing, Ben hurried along the back and then the side of the building until he could peek around the corner to the front.

  The man had opened the trunk of his four-door sedan and, while pressing a gun under Chasey’s chin, was attempting to force her to climb inside. Ben couldn’t let him drive off with Chasey or she would be lost to him forever. Her life could very well be forfeit.

  He’d already failed her monumentally. This never should have happened.

  Ben knew to never let his guard down. Just like he knew not to let Chasey distract him so much that he forgot to pay attention to anything else.

  He gulped air. It was now or never.

  He had this one chance to save her.

  He crept forward, willing the masked man to remain distracted by Chasey, who had been pushed into the trunk but was still putting up quite a fight, keeping her kidnapper from closing the trunk on her. She kicked out, making solid impact against her captor’s chest, and the man—clearly angry and frustrated—lifted the gun as if he was going to hit her in the head.

  Ben rushed forward and grabbed the man’s arm from behind, calling on all of his training and experience to disarm him. At the same moment, the cashier burst from the storefront and pointed his shotgun at their attacker.

  The masked man lifted his hands. Ben retrieved his weapon from the man’s pocket and chambered a round before holding it up, aimed. “You won’t be needing this anymore,” he explained. “You’re about to be locked up.”

  He glanced at the cashier, who nodded. “That’s right. I called the police. They’ll be here any minute.”

  “On the ground,” Ben said.

  “What? I’m not getting on the ground.”

  “Oh, you’re getting on the ground.” Chasey climbed from the trunk. “You’re getting on the ground so we can restrain you or I’m going to kick you and you’re not going to like where.”

  The man seemed to consider her threat, as if wondering if she’d really go through with it. The determined look on her face told him all he needed to know. He got on his knees then his stomach and placed his hands behind his head as if he’d had some practice with being arrested.

  Sirens grew louder.

  While Ben was glad for the police, he wasn’t making any headway with his plan to protect a witness. He checked the man’s pockets to see if he could find any identification, but there was nothing on him. Ben memorized the license plate.

  Chasey looked at Ben and he thought he could read the question in her eyes. Should they stay and wait for the police? Ben had been all about avoiding encounters that could give her location or identity away. Even law enforcement couldn’t be trusted, not completely. Not when it took only one turncoat to leak life-or-death information. But in this instance, they had no choice but to remain. The police were already too close, and they’d draw too much attention and suspicion if they tried to run.

  He could only hope that the police finished with them quickly. Maybe he could gain distance and find a place to hide before Chasey’s pursuer somehow got wind of their trouble tonight.

  He wished that the attack on his witness was over and done with. That she wasn’t a pursued target. But instinct told him otherwise. And if someone was able to track them to this gas station, that someone must be watching them very closely—closely enough to potentially learn the trajectory and their path.

  Lights flashing and sirens wailing, both a highway patrol car and a sheriff’s office vehicle sped into the gas station parking lot and simultaneo
usly braked to a stop. Law enforcement officers jumped out of the vehicles and held their weapons up—not surprising, considering Ben was holding a handgun and the cashier had a shotgun. Not wanting to spook anyone, Ben lowered his weapon to the ground.

  “That’s the man right there.” The cashier hadn’t put away his shotgun. “He held us at gunpoint and tried to stuff this lady in the trunk of his car.”

  The deputy quickly handcuffed and ushered the attacker into the back of the county vehicle.

  Ben and Chasey both gave their statements to the deputy and the Nevada state trooper. The deputy taking Ben’s statement eyed his credentials and glanced up at him.

  “What are you doing out this way so late at night?” He glanced between Ben and Chasey.

  “Traveling,” Ben said and crossed his arms.

  The officer wrote in his notepad but said nothing regarding Ben’s response. He handed their identification back to them. “All right, you can go now. We’ll contact you if we have more questions. But thank you for what you did—it sounds like you were a hero tonight.”

  If only the officer knew just how not like a hero Ben felt. If he’d been more vigilant, more careful, more attentive to something other than the beautiful woman by his side, maybe he could have halted this whole situation before it began.

  “The cashier deserves credit, too. If anything, we messed up by letting that guy catch us off guard.”

  “It happens,” the deputy said. “But hang on to the fact that it all worked out in the end and that no one was hurt.” He left them and walked into the store.

  Looking over, Ben saw that the trooper was in his own vehicle talking on his radio.

  Most likely, he was just reporting back to the station. Most likely, it was completely innocent and nothing suspicious at all. But maybe, just maybe, he was talking to someone willing to pay handsomely for news of Chasey’s whereabouts. Maybe it wasn’t safe for them to stay a moment longer.

  Ben turned to Chasey. As rushed as he felt, he still had the urge to catch her up in his arms. He wanted to comfort her and calm her nerves. But to his surprise, though he expected her to collapse after nearly being abducted, strength shone in her gaze and demeanor.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

  “I think you forgot your coffee.” She smiled.

  He took her hand. “I just want to get out of here. With all the adrenaline I’ve got pumping through me right now, I don’t need coffee anymore.”

  But as he climbed into the Suburban, the cashier came rushing out with their snacks, and a new and freshly poured cup of coffee for Ben.

  Surprised, Ben grinned. “Thank you.”

  “Keep up the good work. You two have a safe drive. I’ll be talking about this for days.”

  Ben groaned inside. Please don’t.

  Ben suddenly pictured the nightmare scenario of security cameras with their images and reports of the incident going viral. He needed to get Chief Calvin on that. He’d been leaving a message for the chief just before they’d gone inside, when Chasey had woken up while he was refilling the tank. He supposed it was time to leave another message now.

  “I need to make a call,” he explained.

  “Sure thing.” The cashier waved goodbye and rushed back inside where it was warm.

  Ben called his chief, who answered immediately.

  “I got your cryptic message. Where are you?”

  Ben glanced at Chasey. He hadn’t wanted to have this conversation in front of her. “I’m driving.” He shifted into gear, eager to leave the gas station. “I saw the man who was after Chasey, and fought with him on the lake.”

  “Did you get a good look?”

  “Yes, of course, but I didn’t get a picture.”

  “We need you to work with an artist for a composite sketch.”

  “I understand that, but I don’t feel comfortable coming back. Not yet. I think there’s an inside man.”

  The chief sighed. “I agree that’s a possibility. Getting hold of your list of witnesses would be no easy task. We’re looking at all angles on this end to see who could have accessed the database, and we’re not doing it alone. I’m in conversations with half a dozen different agencies to try to get to the bottom of this.” Besides Ben, no one knew the details of his witnesses—their new identities and addresses—unless they got into the database. The US Marshals Service had set up the system decades before. It was the only way to ensure the safety of countless witnesses dependent on their protection against the organized crime element bent on retaliation. But no system was perfect.

  “There’s something more. When I helped Chasey escape, I saw a man dressed in a deputy marshal uniform. I didn’t recognize him, but he was somewhere he shouldn’t have been. Almost as if he was already in position, waiting for her. None of the men I took with me could have gotten there that fast. The only one who knew Chasey was out on the water was Silas, and that man definitely wasn’t him.”

  “You’re sure you’re not mistaken? One of the other men could have got wind you needed help and was covering all the bases.”

  “It was dark and I didn’t get a good look at him, but from what little I saw, he wasn’t someone I recognized.” Was he even a deputy marshal or simply disguised as one?

  “Maybe I can line someone up for a virtual sketch session. Where are you now? What’s your plan?”

  “I’m going off grid with Chasey. Given how this thing has played out, I suggest the rest of my witnesses be kept in safe houses before being permanently reassigned to new locations.”

  The chief paused briefly before saying, “We’re not moving anyone.”

  “What? I thought—”

  “We’ve assigned a security detail to each of the witnesses you placed. There are only three more we need to be concerned with.”

  Ben ground his molars. “Fine. I’m personally handling Chasey. I have a theory this could be connected to her uncle. Someone’s investing a lot into capturing her. I’ll be in touch.”

  “You have my full permission to stay in protection mode—whatever it takes. Just keep in touch. Think about getting us a sketch—that could help the search.”

  “Yes. I’ll call you with updates.”

  He ended the call before his chief could say more. Though he could feel Chasey’s eyes on him, Ben stared at the long road ahead, both literally and metaphorically. He wouldn’t stop at a hotel to rest now. Staying anywhere near here would make them too vulnerable.

  And as he continued driving, he had the feeling the target on Chasey’s back had just grown even larger.

  * * *

  Chasey noticed when Ben passed yet another hotel on the long stretch of road. Okay. Time to speak up. “I thought we were going to stop to get some rest.”

  “Can’t do that now. After the gas station incident, someone with connections could learn our whereabouts. From there, it would be easy for them to figure out that we’re on this road headed east.”

  Whoever had attacked his witnesses obviously had connections that could reach even into the ranks of law enforcement. He could take no chances.

  “But you can’t keep driving all night, Ben. Why don’t you let me drive for a while?”

  The grim set of his jaw remained in place. “Maybe later. I’m fine for now.”

  She could see well enough that he wasn’t going to sleep. He was wound tight, especially after the call with his boss. What did it all mean?

  “You should get some rest, though,” he said.

  “Oh, I can’t sleep after all the action.” In which someone had tossed her in the trunk of a car. Chasey rubbed her arms and sank down into the seat. “I keep thinking about that. I can’t believe it happened. What are the chances? I’ve never witnessed an armed robbery in my life, not even in New York. When the man first entered the store wearing a mask, I thought that he was someone who ha
d come after me. That we’d been followed and found. Then I was confused that he wanted the money and then I decided that no, this was just a robbery.”

  “Let me guess, you’re starting to second-guess that now.”

  “I mean, if the guy was there to rob the gas station, why not wait until we were gone and the cashier was alone? More people around just meant more ways that things could go wrong for him. Add to that, why take me? Why stuff me in the trunk? And there’s another thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “He asked the cashier for the money but then he didn’t take it.”

  Ben was quiet a few moments and then finally responded. “I thought that was strange, too. I don’t want to scare you, but I had wondered if this was about you and not a random convenience store robbery.”

  “So you kept it to yourself? Ben, we’re in this together. Please, tell me what you’re thinking.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t have any answers, just theories. All I know is that I want to get you far away. I want us to get lost and, depending on the level of sophistication of whoever is after you, getting lost won’t be easy.”

  “I heard you talking to your boss. If the list of your witnesses is kept so secure, then you’re right that whoever was able to access them is smart and ruthless. Has connections. Maybe they can hack computers. Maybe they just have a truckload of money for bribes. I don’t know. But if they’re determined to keep coming after me or your other witnesses, then it’s going to be hard to lose them.”

  Ben nodded, staring at the road. “Somehow, I also need to get my fingers on the pulse of what’s going on with the investigation so I can help find the person, or group, behind going after my witnesses. Technically that’s not my job, but indirectly it’s a way to keep you safe. There are a lot more resources I can use to protect you—but only if I can trust the department not to leak your location.”

  “You should tell your boss to start looking at my uncle.” Even though he was in prison, she sensed that she still wasn’t truly safe from her uncle Theo. While she didn’t understand the inner workings of prison life and communicating with the outside world, she had no doubt that her uncle had established a network both inside and outside the prison walls.