“What about the fire?” she asked, glancing between the officer and Ben.
“The fire was small and has been put out. There’s no need to evacuate, and you’re safer in here, it would seem.” The officer eyed Ben as if he understood Ben was protecting a witness. “We got a call about these guys, and someone from your agency’s CIB will be questioning them.”
Ben tensed and then his shoulders relaxed as though relief had whooshed through him.
She didn’t know what CIB was, but at least someone would question these men. Hopefully, they would finally get some answers.
She knew Ben hadn’t wanted to reveal their identities even to the police, but with the constant barrage of bad guys closing in on them, it was hard to avoid contact with law enforcement.
Besides, attempting to keep a low profile hadn’t done much to hide them from their pursuers. Whoever was after her was closing in.
Tonight was another close call.
She didn’t have to wonder who was behind this.
It was her uncle, of course. She’d been afraid of him for as long as she could remember. A year ago, when she’d testified against him and seen him convicted and sent to jail, she’d thought the fear could finally end, that she could move on with her life.
And a year later—look at her now.
The officer ushered the fake fireman out into the hallway. “Close your door and lock it. It’ll keep the smoke out, as well. We’ll send someone up to take your statement soon.”
“Will do.” Ben bolted the door. He wet a towel in the bathroom and stuck it to fill the crack under the door. “That’ll keep the remaining smoke out.”
“Do you trust that officer?”
“I didn’t get a bad sense off him, so I don’t think he’s an immediate threat to us, no. But I didn’t tell him we would stay, either.”
“We’re not going to give our statements?”
“We’re going to figure out our next steps,” Ben said firmly. “And if the best option is to leave immediately, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Chasey glanced out the window. “Rolf is still waiting out there. Maybe we should—”
Ben glanced up from his cell phone. “You felt safe with him, didn’t you?”
Was that hurt in his eyes? “No, Ben. I feel safe with you. But you have to admit, nothing happened to us while we were in his truck.”
Ben tucked his cell away and approached her next to the window. What was he doing? He hung his head and sighed. She’d never seen him look so defeated.
He lifted his forest green eyes to her. “I’m sorry, Chasey. I feel like I’ve let you down. I—”
“Shh. Please, don’t.” She pressed her hand against his mouth. Oh, now why had she done that? Touching his lips sent tingles all the way through to her toes.
And Ben...
He kissed her palm where it was pressed against his lips. She should pull her hand back but she couldn’t move. He lifted his hands to her cheeks and cupped her face. Then he inched closer, lingering millimeters from her lips. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she waited for the kiss.
Oh please, kiss me. She closed her eyes, waiting, anticipating...and then she felt his mouth against hers. His lips were gentle but strong against hers where he lingered. The stubble on his face was rough and prickling, but she relished it all the same.
“Ben...” She whispered his name against his mouth.
Ben ended the kiss—filled with so much emotion that her head, her heart, was spinning—and pressed his forehead against hers. “If anything happened to you, I don’t know what I would do. I...I’ll protect you with my life. You know that.”
“I know.”
I know. And the fear of Ben giving his life to save her wouldn’t let her go.
“I don’t want you to have to protect me if it comes to that.” She stepped back, out of his embrace. Out of his arms where she wanted to stay forever. “I never asked for any of this.”
She rubbed her arms, feeling suddenly chilled.
“Ben, I need you to do more than protect me physically.”
His brow furrowed. Hurt and regret filled his eyes as his lips turned downward. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m sorry.”
Chasey stood taller and slowly inhaled. She was strong and refused to allow the overwhelming emotions she felt for this man—and that he, apparently, felt for her—overpower her. “You know what happens when this is all over. You go your way and I go mine.”
Ben opened his mouth to say more—but just then someone knocked on the door.
He pulled his weapon out and she moved to her previous protective position between the bed and the wall.
Ben didn’t move to open the door, nor did he ask who was knocking. Instead he waited and listened. It could be more of the same ilk that had tried to fake their way in as firemen.
Too many questions bombarded her. Just how many men were after her? Why now? Why had she not dealt with this degree of harassment back when she was set to testify against her uncle?
“It’s Officer Farrow. I was here earlier.”
Ben stepped up to the door, apparently recognizing the man’s voice. Good enough for Chasey.
Officer Farrow entered the room and Ben explained about the fire and spotting the two men with guns heading down the hallway. More than that, he didn’t say. He didn’t offer up that she was running for her life or that this was just another in a string of attacks that they’d experienced over the past few days. Then Chasey shared the same story with the officer. As she answered his questions, she tried not to glance out the window, fearing that somehow he would know she was worried about her brother who lived in a facility two blocks over, even though she hadn’t mentioned Brighton to the officer.
Officer Farrow closed his notepad. “You should know the hotel manager is talking about encouraging guests to find other accommodations as soon as possible, and offering a full refund. They plan to work on repairs from the fire as soon as possible.”
“Thanks for the heads-up.” Ben walked him to the door and shut it behind him, then bolted it again.
He remained at the door for a few moments, his head down. She wondered if, like her, he was thinking about the conversation they’d been having before the officer had interrupted. Chasey wanted to finish that conversation, even if she suspected she already knew what he would say—and that it would be something along the lines of how they could never be together.
Why were they going through this struggle again—the physical threat to her life and the emotional threat to her heart?
I don’t understand, God.
“What now, Ben?” Her question to him was about their next move, whether they should stay here at the hotel or go somewhere else. But deep inside, she knew the question went much deeper, and she suspected Ben did, too.
“We’ll be moving soon. But I need to finish my earlier conversation.”
Her heart jumped. He would tell her what he would have said?
Except he lifted his cell phone to his ear. He hadn’t meant his conversation with her, but his conversation with his supervisor, the one that had been interrupted when Rolf had called.
TWELVE
While Ben left a voice mail with his chief, he noticed Chasey cough a few times. The smoke still lingered in the air. They wouldn’t stay here one minute longer than necessary. Already, guilt suffused him that he’d kept her here even this long.
She flicked her eyes at him before turning away. He, too, turned his back to her before she saw the tumultuous emotions in his eyes.
Anguish twisted in his gut.
God, why does my every move end with us back under the crosshairs?
What am I doing wrong?
One thing he was definitely doing wrong was leading Chasey on. Leading himself on. He wasn’t doing it intentionally, but a
man who had his act together would never have kissed her. He was embarrassed to admit to himself that when she’d pressed her hand against his lips, he had lost all control. He hadn’t even realized how powerful the emotions were that he’d been keeping in check.
Her hazel eyes were like deep oceans filled with a formidable elixir he couldn’t resist. The truth he hadn’t wanted to admit was that he’d never gotten over her. He had to find a way to live with the weight of his hopeless love while he was with her. And then, on the other side of this, when, as she’d said, they went their separate ways.
Still...shame on him for kissing her.
Going down that road would only hurt them both, and Ben had never wanted to hurt her again.
He had a feeling that Chasey hadn’t simply forgotten about him and moved on any more than he had. Not with the way she’d returned his kiss, the passion and emotion he’d felt just on the other side of that gentle connection.
It wasn’t fair to stay on as her protector when he must be upsetting her just by being near her. If he could, he would give her security over to someone else, but how could he do that when he didn’t trust anyone else to keep her safe?
But, Lord, help me to protect her. Help me get her to a safe place with a new identity. Chasey and Brighton both, if that’s what she needs to be happy.
The sense of being watched—but not in a bad way—drew him back to the moment. He suddenly realized she was watching him, and he hitched half a grin—for her sake. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
They were the proverbial sitting ducks in this hotel room now, not to mention Chasey was still coughing.
“Where are we going? It seems like I’ve asked that question a hundred times.”
“I’m not entirely sure,” he said. “I’m making this up as I go. Can’t you tell?” He made sure the hallway was safe before she joined him.
“I think mixing things up is probably the best plan. If you don’t know what you’re doing, then neither will the men after me.” She almost looked like she was about to laugh.
He didn’t linger to find out and instead led her to the exit at the end of the hall. Ben glanced back at her, and caught her beautiful grin. She was teasing him, and he could do no less than offer her a grin in return. Her eyes widened as she glanced from his mouth to his eyes. He pulled his gaze from her to focus on entering the stairwell. His gun, at the ready, led the way as she followed closely behind him.
She knew the drill well enough by now.
“The question is,” she said, “just how many men are after me? Do you think the police will get something out of the two fake firemen?”
“I hope so. I also told Officer Farrow to contact the FBI.”
“Do you think that more agencies knowing I was here will jeopardize our safety?”
“It’s possible. That’s why we need to move and fast.”
“But what about Brighton?”
Ben held his hand up, signaling for her to wait for more conversation as they made their way to the exit to leave the building. He pushed the door slowly open. The frosty air hit him and he tucked his jacket tighter around him. He glanced around. Emergency vehicle lights still flashed from the parking lot. Other guests and hotel staff were still sitting in their parked cars.
Moving her like this was a risk. But staying was also a risk.
He heard the semi’s diesel engine rumbling idle across the street. Rolf was watching and waiting. But Rolf could do no more for them. Someone would always follow them in the man’s truck and continuing to accept Rolf’s help would just put the trucker in more and more danger. Still, Ben would make his way to his new friend. They could at least regroup for a few moments—and thank him for his earlier warning call.
“Let’s go.” He grabbed Chasey’s hand. Together they headed across the parking lot toward Rolf’s truck.
Rolf opened up the cab of his truck and Chasey climbed in.
“Thanks, friend,” Ben said. “I need to make a call and then I’ll join you.”
“I’ve got hot coffee waiting inside when you’re ready.”
Ben couldn’t thank the man enough. He called his chief again and relayed all the information regarding the latest aggressive tactics. “This has to be her uncle behind this. What can we do to stop him? I need to get her somewhere safe and, right now, I’m struggling to lose the man after us. It shouldn’t be so hard.” Ben realized he was on the verge of yelling at his boss and forcibly calmed his words. His frustration was coming through. His lack of sleep and exhaustion were spilling out. “What have you learned?”
Ben bit back the barrage of a hundred more questions that he wanted to ask.
“I have some news, Ben.”
“Well, what is it?”
“You’re not going to like it.”
* * *
Chasey held the stainless-steel thermal travel mug containing hot coffee in one hand and eased her other hand to the cab’s door handle. She planned to give the coffee to Ben to keep him warm as he stood out in the cold. She opened the door and climbed down the steps. From the cab of Rolf’s semi, she could see the hotel, still ringed with two firetrucks, several police cruisers and scores of emergency personnel. From what the officer had told them earlier while they were giving their statements, no one had been hurt aside from a little smoke inhalation. But it could have been so much worse.
Because of her.
The men after her had put so many lives in danger.
How was she supposed to deal with that?
Ben stood at the back of the eighteen-wheeler, white clouds from his breath puffing out as he spoke. The conversation sounded more like an argument. He shifted back and forth and his shoulders bunched up. His tone sounded tense, rose and then dropped suddenly as if he remembered where he was. He wouldn’t like her eavesdropping, but this was her business, too.
Her life.
Brighton’s life.
She advanced slowly, but even so, she expected him to hear her approach. It was part of his job to always be aware of his surroundings. And before she was too close, he turned, shock and regret registering in his eyes.
It was too late.
She’d heard the words out of his mouth.
And dropped the thermal coffee mug. Hot coffee spilled out onto the frozen slush, steam rising.
“My uncle escaped prison?”
Ben grasped for her but she stepped out of his reach before he could connect. He continued his conversation, sounding like he was trying to end the call, but of course, with this new development, he had to stay on the line to get all the relevant information. Meanwhile, she backed toward the passenger door of the truck. Rolf leaned out of the passenger seat, looking between her and Ben.
Ben signaled for Rolf to help her.
Brighton. Oh, Brighton.
She knew what her uncle planned.
She knew her uncle was coming for Brighton. She didn’t know how she knew, but she was still absolutely certain of it, down to her bones. She turned and approached Rolf, noting his concerned expression. Was he reading her, trying to anticipate her next moves? She had a feeling that if she tried to walk away, he would stop her, knowing that that was what Ben would want him to do. She wasn’t a prisoner but had chosen to go into WITSEC.
And her next move would be her own decision, too. She dashed passed the opened door, around the front of the truck. Shouts erupted behind her, Ben and Rolf both. She didn’t care what either of them wanted at the moment.
All her thoughts converged into one.
Brighton. She had to get to Brighton.
At the end of the day, at the end of this chaos, Brighton depended on one person only. Not Ben.
Brighton depended on Chasey, his guardian.
She might employ protection, or depend on other protectors, like Ben, but ultimately, Brighton’s safety depended on the dec
isions she made.
And she was making a big one right now.
Crossing the street, she dashed down alleys, between stores and houses until she’d traveled the two blocks to the facility. Streetlights were at each corner of the complex, so there were no real shadows. She heard footfalls coming up behind her, but she was a runner and, even in this frozen landscape, the cold arctic air, she would beat them to the front door and spring Brighton from the virtual prison where she had placed him under the foolish idea that it would keep him hidden from their uncle.
God, forgive me for that mistake!
A sound drew her attention to the sky as she cut diagonally across the expansive snow-covered lawn toward the entrance.
Whop-whop-whop.
A helicopter? Chasey headed toward the walls of the building and out of the way of the helicopter. She had no idea who would be landing in the field. And she didn’t care. Across the way, she spotted Rolf and Ben looking at her. They were too far back to catch up and they also backed off when the helicopter landed, skirting the edges of the lawn.
To her surprise, two men rushed from around the front of the building, dragging someone between them. Someone screaming.
That voice. That upset, hysterical voice reached her ears, sounding all too familiar. The men ushered the young man onto the helicopter and shut the door. Realization dawned much too slowly as she eyed the helicopter, which immediately lifted off the ground.
“Brighton!” Chasey ran toward the helicopter and waved her arms, jumping up and down as though she could stop the helicopter and save her brother through sheer force of will. I’m here, Brighton. I’m here! “Brighton. Oh, God, please help us!”
The helicopter hovered a moment. A face appeared in the window, illuminated by the lights around the facility. She’d hoped Brighton would look down and see her. But now...
Her uncle saluted her, then the helicopter rose higher and flew over the facility, disappearing into the predawn morning.
Chasey watched in shock, listened to the sound of the rotors growing distant.
Strong arms lifted her from the ground where she’d fallen in the snow.
High Stakes Escape Page 11