“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“Terrence Willis has admitted his cousin’s husband hired him to come after you. To scare you into leaving town.”
“The last time I saw him...” She realized that wasn’t accurate. “The time before, in the woods—” when Jude had saved her, and she’d been injured “—he said she’d changed her mind, and the order was to bring me in. But he was going to kill me. Save everyone the trouble, since he didn’t believe I wasn’t going to tell anyone what I saw. He said she.”
“She, meaning his cousin—the woman you thought Alan killed? Think back to that night. What did you see, if the woman is alive?”
“I thought it was her murder,” Zoe said. “I figured it was why they wanted me taken out of the equation. But if she isn’t dead, then what did I see?” Maybe she’d witnessed something and made an assumption, not even realizing the truth—which was what they were trying to hide.
“I guess we’ll find out when Alan Reskin is found.”
She nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her, and said, “Thank you.” She knew they didn’t necessarily want to help her, but what they did would mean she was free of this cat-and-mouse game her life had become.
Zoe said, “I know you aren’t doing this for me, but I appreciate it. My son will be safe because of all of you.” She glanced at Jude, just so he knew her gratitude was genuine.
Even if he hadn’t believed her story—and she could see why he wouldn’t, given the evidence—he had still done what he could to keep her and Tyler safe. How could she fault him for that, even if it meant they would part ways? She wanted a relationship with him, but could still keep things amicable if it didn’t happen.
Later on, when she was alone, she would cry it out. She could never let Jude know how sad she’d be if nothing developed between them. But she would let him go. Jude was way too out of her league for it to work.
“Stay safe,” the agent said. “We believe Alan might be desperate enough to do anything to cover up what he’s hiding.”
“Will do, sir,” Jude said to him. “And tell the team I said thank you.” He tapped the screen to end the call, and Zoe immediately jumped on the silence.
“That’s why you were acting weird. Because she isn’t dead, and you thought I was lying about having seen a murder.”
He opened his mouth, and then closed it without saying anything.
Zoe folded her arms, which was actually quite painful to her injured shoulder, and huffed. “Don’t bother to deny it.”
“I didn’t.”
She huffed again. “Good.” Maybe it was for the best they go their separate ways after this. If they tried for a relationship, they’d probably end up arguing like this for the rest of their lives. He’d never believe her, and she wouldn’t want to stoop so low as to try to defend herself in order to change his mind.
* * *
Jude wanted to kiss that pouty set to her lips, but didn’t think she’d be too amenable to it in her current mood. When they fought, how would he keep himself from laughing and then kissing her?
She would probably get even madder if he did that.
He was scared for his parents, for Tyler and Ember. But he was more worried about Zoe having to face Alan Reskin. Despite the backup, she would be in danger.
Jude took the turn for the meeting, and asked her, “What do you need to do with Alan?” He figured repeating it would get her mind off her frustration with him and back on what was about to happen if she went over it with him one more time.
Jude had some ideas of his own that he’d pitched to Daniels in an email. Right now Zoe and this meeting were his focus.
“Keep him on topic. Don’t let him threaten me. Ask questions if I can.” Her voice was quiet, and she stared out the window at the buildings on either side of the street instead of looking at him. “So we can figure this out.” She paused. “He might just plan to kill me and be done with it.”
“He might.” Jude hadn’t wanted to mention the possibility to her, but it was one she needed to consider. He was glad she was doing so now.
She shifted then, straightening in her seat. “I could try to get him to say what happened, and what he’s hiding. Though I can’t believe Alan’s wife is denying it when she was involved.”
“Maybe it was someone who just looks a lot like her, or who was pretending to be her?” Jude thought more on it, then said, “Maybe she has a sister.”
Zoe was quiet, so he glanced at her. “I already told Daniels. He’s looking into it.”
She looked mad again, not excited as she’d been at the prospect of getting Alan to talk.
“Zoe—”
She looked away from him. “Now I don’t even know what I thought. But I’m mixed up in something, and it’s got Tyler, Ember and your parents’ lives on the line. Even if they’re safe the Secret Service will probably just arrest me for being part of it even when I have no idea what it even is.”
“That isn’t—”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” she said, derision in her voice. “I don’t think I need any help. Not if you’re just determined to think badly of me no matter what.”
Jude pulled up short of the building they were supposed to be at in fifteen minutes for the meeting that would hopefully end all this back-and-forth. He shoved the gear shift to Park and turned in his seat to face her.
“Enough.” He scratched his head, wanting instead to tear out his hair. “We need to focus. This is about Alan Reskin, not about you and me and whatever you think is going on right now. You saw what you saw—you didn’t have all the information. We still don’t know exactly what happened.”
He took a breath. She didn’t meet his gaze, just stared out the windshield. He said, “In the meantime, this man has sent his wife’s cousin after you, and is threatening our families. I’m guessing he was the one who found Tyler in the tree house and sent you that message. Unless we do this right, these people are going to keep coming after you. So for everyone’s sake maybe you could push aside your worries about the Secret Service and do this with me.”
Her mouth moved, like she was torn between a full-on pout and biting her lip. Before she could argue some more with him, Jude said, “Now let’s get set up.”
She opened her door, so he did the same and jogged to meet her on her side. “Stop.” He held up one hand. “You shouldn’t have gotten out without waiting for me.” He held out one hand, the other on the small of her back, leading her to the rear of the SUV.
“I wasn’t really in the mood to wait for you.”
“You need to get in the mood, Zoe. Because the alternative is Tyler loses his mom.” It was the reality of the threat against her. “This could be a trap. Which means you need to put aside your feelings and listen to what I say. I know what I’m doing.”
“Fine.” She lifted her chin.
Jude didn’t figure that meant she’d give him more than the tiniest bit of leeway. She wasn’t about to relinquish her anger. But she would have to figure out how to either ignore him, or put it aside until later. The woman needed to focus, despite the stress and the pain, or they wouldn’t get safely through this.
He lifted the rear door and had her sit for a minute while he slid a protective vest over to her. She should probably wear a helmet as well, but there hadn’t been time to get one. They’d barely made it here—and only had minutes to spare now—before they had to be inside the building.
Jude checked his weapon and then holstered it.
“Do I get one of those?”
“No.”
That so-cute lip curled up. “Too bad. It looks good on you, so I figure it will make me look less like a bedraggled mess.”
She thought that? “What does Alan care how you look? Trying to impress him?”
She shot him a look, like he
was the dumbest man she’d ever met.
“Or not.” He didn’t understand her at all. “We’re supposed to be focusing.” He secured his radio and stuck the earpiece in. “Lone Star, this is Choirboy. Do you copy?”
The voice returned, “We copy you loud and clear, Choirboy.”
Zoe laughed. “Choirboy?”
Jude shrugged. “Pastor’s kid.”
The smile on her face was cute—and completely distracted his focus from what was ahead.
“Come on.” He waved her off the rear of the SUV so he could shut the door. When he did so, he said, “We don’t have much time.”
She walked with him, but didn’t let it go. “We aren’t going to talk about what that was? For a second it looked like you were going to kiss me.”
Could he even define what had birthed that desire in him? Jude couldn’t resist saying, “Would you have let me?”
Zoe shook her head. “You should know the answer to that by now. Even if everything else is messed up.”
He went first, holding his shotgun—because why carry one gun when he could carry two—and led the way into the building, a metal walkway cutting the room in half horizontally. Some kind of manufacturing warehouse.
It was quiet inside, maybe even deserted. Jude moved slowly, scanning the area. He didn’t see anyone.
A tiny movement up above them, at the far end of the room, drew his attention.
Before he could react, shots rang out.
Jude dived, taking Zoe down with him. At the last second before they hit the concrete floor he heard, “Shots fired!”
EIGHTEEN
Before Zoe even knew what happened Jude’s body slammed into hers and they were flying through the air. Gunshots cracked across the room and pinged into the concrete wall behind where they’d been standing only a second ago.
She hugged Jude’s body as they hit the ground and rolled, her on top for a second and then him. His big frame shielded her, but that only meant he was the one who was left exposed. She knew how that felt, and she didn’t want it to happen to him. She held him tight in her arms, her grip secure as she prayed, “Jesus, please!”
Not that she even knew what words to say, but wouldn’t He know even if she couldn’t form more words? He was powerful, and He had saved her—she could admit as much now; otherwise she’d have been dead long before this. She had no doubt in her mind He could do it again now. And in return, Zoe would give serious consideration to this whole “church” thing. It couldn’t be denied that God just kept saving her—using Jude to do it.
Secret Service agents poured in the door. One even came through a window. The yells were blurred words, and she realized her ears were ringing, but there were no more gunshots. Zoe let go of Jude long enough to stick her fingers in her ears and wiggle to try to get some hearing back. Like she could jog the ability loose.
Jude grasped her hands and mouthed something.
Zoe said, “What?”
He said it again, but she couldn’t understand more other than it looked like he said Eyebrower Rifle. He drew her hands down, though, so she left her ears alone. The ringing was still there.
He got off her and rolled to the side. Zoe sat up and saw agents pin a man to the floor, his face mushed against the dusty concrete. They got him secured and up on his feet fast, like complete professionals. They hadn’t wasted any time taking care of the threat.
One picked up the huge gun the man had been firing. High-powered rifle. As they walked him across the building, right past her, she realized that’s what Jude had mouthed.
The man looked familiar, though he wasn’t her former boss. Who was trying to kill her now? She certainly didn’t want to add another man to the list, but since Terrence had been captured by the Secret Service, Alan Reskin—or his wife—could have sent this man. The whole meeting had been a ruse. He hadn’t wanted to talk to her, and now they had lost their shot to capture him.
Alan was still at large.
Zoe slumped against the wall.
Jude leaned over to her. “Are you okay?”
She made out his voice over the ringing, and nodded. She was exhausted and in pain from the jar to her shoulder wound. Would she ever just be able to rest and let the thing heal? It felt like this would be her life now. Minutes stretched into days, terror lacing every second of it as she fought for some semblance of normality in this craziness.
Can You help with that as well, Lord? Wasn’t peace His thing? She could certainly use some of that right now, and it would likely start with speaking to her son and assuring herself he was okay. When she could actually hear well enough to make a call, she was going to ask Jude if she could borrow his phone.
A Secret Service agent, the one Jude had been speaking to outside the safe house, strode over. Jude helped Zoe stand, and she leaned on him. More for comfort than because she needed the support. He had saved her life, and whatever weirdness was between them, he was a good man. One who was too good for her.
Could they still be friends? She didn’t want to live with a broken heart, wondering what could have been while he found someone better than her. But she did want him in her life.
He wrapped his arm across her lower back, and she put her head on his shoulder.
The agent said, “Are you both okay?”
Her hearing was getting better. “I’m okay.”
She felt Jude’s nod brush against the top of her head. “Me, too. And for the record, the shooter is Alan Reskin’s head of security.”
Zoe gasped, then spun to look at the man. Jude was right. She’d seen that man at work.
“This guy is just digging his grave deeper by trying to kill both of us.” His arm around her waist tightened. “Reskin should’ve been here. We should have gotten him. Instead he’s just making things worse for when we do catch up to him.”
“He is.” The agent nodded. “And it looks like he was never here.” He glanced at Zoe. “You were lured here with the threat to your families, probably so his man could kill you.”
She’d figured she was the one they wanted to silence.
“He’s ex-military,” Jude said.
The other agent didn’t like that much. “I’ll pull his record.”
Federal agents all seemed to be a breed of man the likes of which she’d never met. Zoe couldn’t imagine being as noble as Jude, as self-assured. It was probably part of Secret Service training, but she didn’t think it would lessen the longer she knew any of them. It was likely they would just keep impressing her even more.
The agent studied her, then smiled. “What is it?”
Zoe shook her head. Jude shifted her so he could see her face, then said, “You okay?”
“Can I borrow your phone? I want to check on Tyler.”
He pulled it out. “I can’t believe it’s not even cracked or anything.” He swiped at the screen, and when he handed it to her said, “It’s already dialing my mom.”
“Thanks.” Zoe put the phone to her ear and stepped away so they could talk and she’d still be able to hear Leanne.
“Jude? Is that you?”
“It’s Zoe, actually. Did you want to speak to him? I was just wondering how Tyler is doing.” More words wanted to come out, but she halted them to give Leanne a second to speak. What was it with adrenaline making her want to talk a mile a minute?
“Tyler...” Her voice was shaky.
Dread filled Zoe as she said, “Leanne. What happened to Tyler?” Hearing the shift in her tone, Jude and the agent moved toward her, and she felt Jude’s comforting touch on her shoulder. But she couldn’t relax into it. “Leanne?”
Jude took the phone. “What happened?” His face paled as he listened. Then he said, “Do that.” He hung up. “Tyler was taken. The cops showed her a few photos and Mom identified the man as Alan Resk
in. He hit her over the head, but she saw him for a second. He took Tyler from the hospital.”
She couldn’t even think. “He took Tyler?”
Jude glanced at the agent. “This was a distraction.”
Zoe’s mouth gaped. “What?”
“He lured us here so he could take Tyler while we were busy fending off the shooter.”
* * *
“I’ll make some calls and find out who is running point.” Agent Milsner took a step back, then glanced at Zoe. “I will keep you informed, okay?”
She nodded, though Jude was unsure she’d actually understood what the man said to her. When he’d left them alone, Jude said, “What do you need?”
She shook her head, glanced at the ceiling and bit her lip.
He wanted to gather her into his arms, but was that going to help? She seemed restless, like she needed to move. “Let’s go outside.”
He led her to the night air, his arm around her shoulders. She was tense, like she was ready to bolt at any second. He wanted her to stay with him, to lean on him as she had done so many times already. Instead, he found himself caught up in her tension.
Jude pictured the boy in his mind, and fear moved through him like the first tremors of an earthquake even as he tried to be reassuring. “They’ll get him back.”
She didn’t say anything.
When he stopped on the sidewalk, Zoe looked at him. “What are we doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“We need to go. Like to the hospital.”
He shook his head. “Tyler isn’t there anymore, and we would just be in the way.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Shouldn’t we be doing something?”
“I know it feels like that, but we have to wait for Agent Milsner to find us with the information. Or Alan will call us. He’s contacted you before.”
She nodded. “On your phone. To schedule this fake meeting.” Her hands balled into fists, and her jaw clenched. “Now we have to just wait? I don’t know if I can even do that.”
“It might not be long before he calls—” Jude didn’t know for sure, but what else could he say? “—to ask for a ransom.”
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