Risky Return (Covert Operatives Book 3)

by Virginia Vaughan

  He stepped inside her room and his heart broke as he saw her lying so frail on the bed. He shuddered, remembering those letters and the way he’d found her sprawled on the floor. But at least she was breathing okay now. He slid into a chair and watched her, listening to her steady breathing. He wasn’t leaving her side again, at least not until he knew what was going on and why someone was trying to kill her.

  * * *

  Rebecca awoke in a panic and tried to sit up. Pain ripped through her back and she gasped, causing Collin, who was sitting beside her bed, to jump up.

  She grabbed his arm. “That woman! She held me down! She—she—”

  “I know, I know. She’s gone now.”

  Sobs racked her and she fell into his embrace. As he held her, she noticed the bruises darkening on her wrists and recalled the horror of being restrained by that monster who’d attacked her.

  “You captured her?”

  She saw by the grim expression on his face that they hadn’t. “Kent is reviewing camera footage with hospital security, but there’s no camera with an angle on this room. No one saw anyone coming or going.”

  The contempt she’d seen in the woman’s face flashed through her mind and anger bristled through her. “So she gets away with nearly killing me?”

  “She won’t, Rebecca. Do you remember what she looked like? What she was wearing?”

  Rebecca could never forget her face. “She was wearing scrubs. Her name tag said Mary. She was here when you left. You don’t remember seeing her?”

  He shook his head. “I guess I wasn’t paying that much attention to the staff. I’m sorry. I should have been. I mistakenly thought you would be safe here.”

  “It’s not your fault, Collin. She was a tall, heavyset woman. I tried to fight her, but she pinned me down. I couldn’t move. She injected me with something and said by the time anyone found me, it would be too late.”

  He squeezed her hand. “It wasn’t. I found you in time.”

  She stared up into his green eyes and felt a rush of gratitude for this man. “You came back for me? I thought I was going to die, really going to die this time.” She wiped away several tears that rushed down her face. She didn’t want Collin to see her cry, but she wasn’t sure she could stop it.

  “Kent is sending those threatening letters to the lab. I wish you’d given them to him when you first started receiving them.”

  She should have gone to the police with the letters, but they hadn’t been particularly helpful when Missy had disappeared. She’d assumed they wouldn’t be any more helpful about anonymous notes. And she hadn’t been able to convince herself, truly convince herself, that her suspicions were anything more than suspicion and speculation.

  Until now.

  Until Missy had shown up at her door two days ago.

  Until someone had tried to kill her.

  “I should have. I didn’t show them to anyone.”

  “Not even your father? He could have arranged protection for you. Hired you a bodyguard.”

  “No, I couldn’t tell him.” Missy had claimed to see Mason Industries on the building where she’d been held, which meant her father might be involved in this. She couldn’t trust him. The truth was she didn’t know who she could trust anymore. Everyone was a suspect.

  “Why not? What’s going on, Rebecca?”

  “I have a client, a teenaged girl I worked with named Missy, who went missing a few months ago. The police investigated but ultimately listed her as a runaway. But I knew this girl, Collin, and she wouldn’t have run away. I worried something terrible had happened to her, that she’d been a victim of foul play or abducted into a human trafficking ring. Foster kids are especially susceptible to traffickers. I started asking questions of all the people she knew. I put up missing posters and set up a Facebook page hoping someone would have information about her they wanted to share. I even started checking the news online for all the surrounding areas in case her body turned up somewhere else, like if she was the victim of a serial killer.” She’d felt silly even considering that possibility at the time, but no more.

  “Did they find her body?”

  “No, but I did find a mention of another missing girl who was found dead. She’d recently given birth and, Collin, she was from right here in Moss Creek. She was a foster kid, just like Missy, who went missing one day. I recognized her name immediately, but I hadn’t had much contact with her because her file was transferred to another county not long after I first met her. They found her a hundred miles across the border in Arkansas, and there was no sign anywhere of the baby she’d given birth to.”

  “What was her cause of death?”

  “The medical examiner ruled it as an overdose.”

  “But you didn’t believe that?”

  “I didn’t. I also was unable to find any trace of what happened to that child. He or she was never entered into the foster care system either here or in Arkansas. I checked with a social worker friend that lives there.”

  “She might have left it at a safe haven or put it up for a private adoption. Then she felt remorse and OD’d.”

  “I’m familiar with the adoption process. My cousin adopted her son and it was long and complicated. I realize it’s possible this girl had no connection to Missy, but I kept digging and I found other missing girls, all of them pregnant, and none of them had reason to run away from their foster homes. I became convinced I was dealing with some sort of baby-selling ring.”

  He frowned, obviously unconvinced. It was true she’d had no real evidence of a baby-selling operation—not until Missy confirmed her suspicions. Yet, he reached for her hand and squeezed it, a gesture that gave her comfort and assurance that he believed what she was saying. “Still, you’ve obviously stumbled onto something. Someone wants you dead. There has to be a reason for that.”

  She took a deep breath and made a decision. She needed to trust someone and Collin had proven himself today. Besides, he’d been out of the country for the past few months. He was the only person she knew for certain wasn’t involved. “There’s more,” she said and he looked at her. “Two nights ago, Missy reappeared. She showed up at my door. She’d been beaten and terrorized. She confirmed everything I’d suspected. She’d been held hostage and had her baby stolen from her.”

  His eyes widened. “What? She was here in town?”

  “Somehow, she escaped and came to me for help. I’ve been trying to help her piece together where it was they were held, but she was so panicked that she can’t be sure of anything. It can’t be far away because she hitchhiked to get here. She doesn’t remember being in the car for more than an hour or so.”

  Collin jumped to his feet. “Where is she now? We have to get her to the police.”

  “She won’t go. She’s afraid the police are involved. She claims she saw someone in a law enforcement uniform talking with one of her captors. I don’t know who she saw or from what town or county, but she’s convinced the police are involved. She was so frightened and I knew I couldn’t keep her at my house in case they came looking for her so I hid her out at a motel.”

  Collin leaned over her, his brow tightening in a way she remembered it did when he was anxious. “Rebecca, what if they followed her here? They know you have her. They could have already gotten to her at the motel. If this is true, they’ll do anything to keep her from ruining their operation.”

  She saw the fear in his eyes and suddenly felt the weight of what she was doing. She’d been too deep in protecting Missy to even think about the consequences of hiding her out. But three attacks in one day had opened her eyes. “I know there’s danger, but I can’t abandon her. I also can’t take the risk that she’ll run again if I go to the police before she’s ready to talk.”

  “Kent is right outside questioning the nurses. He’s going to want to talk to you about this latest attack, Rebecca. You need to tell hi
m about Missy.”

  “I can’t. Please, Collin, you’re the only one I’ve trusted with this.”

  He stared at her and she saw his mind running through all the options. “Well, I can’t let you do this alone. I don’t know who or what she saw, but you can’t just assume all police are dirty because of it. We’ll talk to her and take her to the police together and try to sort this all out.”

  “Thank you, Collin. That means a lot to me.” Tears pressed at her eyes. It felt so good to not be in this alone any longer.

  Collin stood, his expression grim and worried. He leaned over her, placing a kiss on her head. “Try to get some rest. Don’t worry, I’ll be here making sure you’re safe. No one will bother you. I promise.”

  Yet just as he made that promise, the door swung open and her cousin Janice entered the room, followed by her father. She didn’t miss the way he zeroed in on Collin’s hand over hers. Collin obviously didn’t miss it, either. He took two steps backward and Rebecca found she missed his presence.

  Janice leaned over the bed and embraced her. “What are you doing here?” Rebecca asked. “How did you know?”

  “Kent called us,” her father said. “He told us what happened.”

  Good ol’ Kent. A family friend for years. He’d obviously neglected to mention Collin’s presence, given their reactions to seeing him.

  “I’m fine,” she assured them. “I wasn’t badly hurt.”

  Her statement did nothing to alleviate the concern on Janice’s face. “Honey, look at you. What happened?”

  She hadn’t seen a mirror but she figured she looked as black and blue and beat-up as she felt.

  “Who did this?” her father demanded, slicing his eyes at Collin, who stepped farther away from her bed. She didn’t care for the distance he’d put between them.

  “Do you know why someone attacked you?” Janice asked her as she sat down.

  “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” her father said. “That neighborhood she lives in is dangerous. You should have let me buy you a place in a nicer area.” She was used to his comments about her modest home, but she loved her neighborhood and she didn’t want his money.

  He turned on Collin next. “What are you doing here?”

  She rushed to his defense. “It’s okay, Dad. He was there when I was attacked.”

  Her father gasped and turned to her. “He was at your house tonight?”

  “No, I meant the first time I was attacked. This afternoon.” She glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was four a.m. “I mean, yesterday afternoon.”

  They both gaped at her and she realized Kent had obviously not filled them in about the multiple attacks.

  “Someone attacked me in the parking lot of the grocery store today. Collin was there.” She glanced at him and smiled, true gratitude welling up inside of her. “He saved my life.”

  Janice leaped to her feet. “Then he’s a hero.” She rushed over to him and threw her arms around Collin’s neck. “Thank you for being there. We all owe you a debt.”

  “Yes,” her father said, his face less grateful than Janice’s. The man didn’t know how to admit when he was wrong. “Thank you for your assistance, but we’ll handle it from here.”

  Collin’s jaw clenched in a way she remembered meant he was holding back from speaking his mind. Her father had always had that effect on him. “I’ll give you some time with your family,” he said, turning to Rebecca. “I won’t be far.”

  “Will you come back?” she asked, not surprised at all by the look of disbelief from her father.

  He gave her a slight nod. “Don’t worry. I’ll be close by,” he promised, and she believed him. She shouldn’t after the way he’d left her all those years ago, but something about his demeanor said he was sticking around. She needed to trust in that, at least for now.

  “What is he even doing back in town?” her father demanded when Collin was gone from the room. “I thought we were rid of him for good.”

  Rebecca couldn’t believe the contempt in his voice. “His mother died a few months ago. Perhaps you heard. He’s in town to sell her house.”

  “Oh, that’s terrible,” Janice said, coming to Collin’s defense as she returned to Rebecca’s side. “His mother was a very nice lady.”

  Rebecca was thankful for her cousin’s support. Even though they lived in a small town, they didn’t move in the same circles as Collin’s family. They wouldn’t have known that Collin had moved her to a facility to care for her several years ago. But Rebecca knew. She’d kept up with Collin’s activities through visits with his mother for years and had seen the woman’s steady decline. “I know you never cared for him, but he saved my life. He didn’t have to jump in and rescue me, but he did. He’s a good man.”

  Her dad had the good sense to look chagrined. She knew he meant well, but she didn’t like being treated like a child. She was a grown woman and knew what was best for her.

  Janice leaned over and hugged her neck. “We should go. Get some rest. I’ll call and check on you later.”

  “Thank you.”

  Her father also planted a kiss on her head but held back as Janice left the room. “I realize you’ve been through something traumatic, Rebecca, but I hope it hasn’t clouded your judgment. That Collin boy cannot be trusted.”

  She couldn’t believe his gall—he was still treating her like a child. “He’s not a boy any longer, Dad.” He was a man now and she couldn’t help reliving what it felt like to be in his arms. She pushed away those thoughts. He’d proven he didn’t want her when he’d left her after the miscarriage. But she needed him now and he’d already stepped in multiple times to help her. Maybe he would continue to do so.

  “Be careful, Rebecca,” her father told her as he walked out, but she wondered if he was referring to the attacks on her life today...or to getting involved with Collin again.

  Rebecca lay back in the bed. She needed to guard her heart where Collin was concerned. Her father was right about that. But she believed him when he said he would keep her safe and help her navigate through the potential baby-selling ring she’d uncovered.

  It felt good not to be on her own and, for the first time in a long while, she actually felt safe.

  THREE

  Rebecca insisted on being discharged a few hours later. The doctor reluctantly signed her papers but instructed her to rest and take it easy. Collin helped her to his car. He knew she’d feel better after she’d checked in with Missy and gotten the assurance the girl had safely made it through the night. Rebecca was still weak after her ordeal and he hoped she would go home to rest, but he wasn’t surprised when she had other plans.

  “I want to go by the police station. I want to know if Kent has found any evidence about who attacked me.”

  He nearly refused and insisted she needed rest. She handled the pain well, but he could see she was hurting. Then he realized it wouldn’t matter. She needed to know what was going on. They both did.

  They walked into the police station and located Kent.

  “Have you found anything that might identify who is attacking me?” she asked him.

  He led them into an office and offered them seats, then pulled out a file. “None of the prints we collected have led to anyone yet, but I can tell you there were different prints at your house than on your car.”

  “So the person who attacked her in the parking lot wasn’t the same guy who broke into her house.”

  “It appears that way. And, of course, the attacker at the hospital was a woman. We haven’t been able to pick up a good image of her on the security footage. She kept her face hidden. Obviously she knew where the cameras were located. None of the employees recognized her photo or anyone matching the description you gave. She must have been posing as a hospital employee. We’re still looking into how she got access to the drug she injected into your IV. It doesn’t look
like any is missing from the hospital, so she may have brought it in herself.”

  He pulled out the letters, still in their evidence bag. “I’ve had these dusted for prints but the only ones we found were yours from when you were fingerprinted for your court-related duties. We’ll keep searching, but so far, we’ve come up with very little except you seem to have antagonized a group of people.” He leaned over the desk and gave Rebecca a hard look. “Is there anything else you can tell me about what is going on? I need to know everything.”

  Collin watched her stare him down without blinking and wondered if she would change her mind and tell him about Missy. Kent could help them protect her, but only if he could be trusted. It was difficult to believe Kent could be involved in something as underhanded as baby selling, but Collin had been gone a long time and people’s behavior often surprised him. If Rebecca had a reason not to trust Kent, he had to respect that.

  “I’ve told you everything I know,” she said, and Collin saw disbelief in Kent’s face. He knew she was hiding something...but did he know because he was aware the girl had escaped her captors, or because he was good at his job? It wasn’t Collin’s decision to make.

  As he led her outside to his car, he could sense she was uneasy. He thought it was fear rearing its head again and tried to reassure her. “Don’t worry. I’ll be there with you. I won’t leave you, but you do need to get some rest.”

  She sighed, frustrated. “I’m tired of being told I need to rest. I’ve been stressing over all this for too long. I’m ready to find out who is behind it all. I want to know who is trying to kill me, Collin, and who is after Missy. How can I rest without knowing?”

  He understood her anxiousness. He was ready to find out who was behind this, too. But she did need her rest.

  “You promised you’d protect me, right?”