by Juno Rushdan
Today, he could walk on water, move mountains. Just because she was back in his life. Hell, it might take him moving a mountain to clear the path for a future with Maddox, but he’d do whatever was necessary.
Sleeping at the two-star hotel twenty minutes away had been an exercise in restlessness. He’d tossed, not quite able to get comfortable, as if his body needed hers pressed beside him to relax. And during the uneasy shut-eye he’d managed, he dreamt of her.
Not one of those pleasant, frolicking-on-the-beach dreams. The specifics escaped him, but it had centered on finding Novak, keeping her safe.
An African American lady, looking to be in her late seventies, plodded out of the apartment directly across from Maddox’s with a cute pooch in tow. Her keys clattered as she locked her front door.
With the elderly lady watching, he knocked on Maddox’s door rather than use his usual method of entry. The dog eased closer and sniffed his leg.
“Herman likes you. Surprising if you’re the one who has been putting his hands on that girl. Giving her all those terrible bruises.” She yanked the dog away. “Not that it’s any of my business.” The lady shuffled slowly down the hall. “Knock again. She’s home. A guy was here picking up a donation.”
A cold tingle sparked in the back of his head. “What guy?”
Glancing over her shoulder, she shrugged. “A man from Goodwill. Knock again. She’s there.”
Forget knocking. He reached for his tools, but the worst thought slammed into his mind. He tested the doorknob. It turned freely.
His shitstorm detector redlined. He threw the door open, scrambling inside.
“Maddox?”
At the sound of the running shower, his heart settled a little. He swept the apartment. Living room. Kitchen. Her jacket, gun, two cell phones, and keys were on the counter. The slow churn of sick dread in his chest spun faster.
“Maddox?” He tore into the bedroom and froze. A pale-green plastic cap like one from a hypodermic needle lay at the foot of her bed.
His stomach pitched. He stepped around her bed. On the carpet near the nightstand was an empty syringe and stun gun.
No, no, no.
“Maddox!” He stormed into the bathroom, flinging the door wide.
A dense bank of steam blanketed the room. He charged through the muggy cloud and wrenched the shower door open.
Empty. The shower was empty.
An achy tightness seized his heart. The world teeter-tottered, flashes of darkness blotting out the light. He grabbed the glass door, steadying himself, and shut off the water.
His gaze fell to her sneakers and jogging clothes piled in the middle of the tile floor. He rushed back into the bedroom, stopping in front of the syringe and stun gun. The air in his lungs turned coarse as sand.
They’d been apart five hours. Five.
This couldn’t be happening. But it was. Fucking Novak. Had to be.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, struggling to think. Shutting his eyes, he cleared his mind. The neighbor mentioned a man had come to collect a charity donation.
Cole had seen a Goodwill van on the street, the back of a tall guy with a sad limp. The early hour was odd, but he’d dismissed the guy, paid no attention because of the limp. And because he’d been fixated on seeing Maddox.
He dashed to the kitchen and grabbed a Ziploc bag. Using a paper towel, he threw the syringe inside. Novak didn’t kill her—he would’ve left her body—but that animal had drugged her with something. He needed to know with what.
He scooped up her things from the kitchen and tossed them into his backpack with trembling hands. Slamming her door shut, he careened down the steps of her building.
The older neighbor lumbered down the outer stairs. She plodded one careful step at a time, lining up both feet, then tackling the next. Her dog ran up to him and sniffed his legs again.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” he said. “What did the Goodwill guy look like? The one at Maddox’s apartment.”
Her eyebrows raised in contemplation. “Well, um, tall and thin. White. Blond. Eyes like a fox. Crafty, you know. Wore glasses. Herman didn’t like him. That man tried to kick my baby.” She shuffled another step. “Oh, and he had a strange accent, something foreign.”
Fear and fury thickened in his chest and clogged his throat. He jumped on his bike, turned the engine over, sped off.
The Ghost had been at her damn apartment. Somehow found out where she lived. Had touched her a second time. Had taken her right under his nose.
Zipping down the street on his bike, he rode by pure instinct, his gut pulling him to the Gray Box. He clawed through his mind for details he’d disregarded earlier.
White van. Fucking Goodwill had been written on the side. What was the license plate?
X-ray, Lima, Delta. The last three parts of the Washington, DC, plate were XLD.
How had Novak gotten close enough to use the stun gun on her? Maddox would’ve put up a fight, stayed out of reach, but there wasn’t any sign of a struggle in the apartment. Why take her instead of killing her? What was he doing to her right now?
A three-ring circus of terrors spun in his head, and he cranked the turbine-powered bike into overdrive.
At the Gray Box gatehouse, the guard waved him in. Screeching to a stop in front of the main building, Cole killed the engine. He raced up the steps, yanking off his helmet, and burst through the front door, setting off the metal detector.
Two guards behind the front desk took a defensive stance, eyes narrowing to slits. One guard raised a hand of warning. The other reached for something under the counter. Most likely a gun. “I’m going to have to ask you to stay where you are, sir. Please raise your hands.”
Cole marched toward the desk. A red laser beam of light hit his chest, stopping his feet.
A sniper. Hidden somewhere on the top floor. Cole was in his sights.
Cole raised his palms. “I need to get in. I have to speak with Castle Kinkade. It’s urgent.”
“I’m sorry, sir. But we can’t let you in without an escort.”
“This is an emergency. Maddox Kinkade has been abducted. I need to speak to Castle.”
Why weren’t they listening to him?
They’d seen him before with Maddox. He was on their damn list.
The security guards behind the desk exchanged a quick glance. One picked up a phone and made a call. The other said, “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to wait outside.”
“I’ve been here before. With Maddox Kinkade. You know who I am. Cole Matthews.”
“Sir, you’re emotional and armed. I’m going to have to ask you to wait outside.”
Cole glanced down. With his arms up, the holstered Glock was visible. Damn it to hell. He hadn’t been thinking about the gun, and he had a knife sheathed at the small of his back and another in his boot.
“You need to step outside, sir. Castle Kinkade will be up shortly.”
Turning, Cole kept his hands in the air. His heart was a merciless hammer beating against his rib cage as he stormed outside.
Rage revved through him full throttle. Unable to contain the blistering steam, he stalked back and forth on the pavement. His fists shook at his sides. His body wired, he was keen to bring the Ghost serious pain. To break every bone in his body.
Leaving her had been a mistake. He should’ve protected her, above all else. That was his one job. He was supposed to protect her. He should’ve followed his gut.
Damn it! What had that maniac done to her? What if…
No. No ifs. He’d find Maddox. He’d get her back. He’d find the Ghost, too, and put him down for good.
Ferocious thoughts of violence battered his brain.
Castle, Reece, and Gideon rushed outside.
Cole clung to the thinning threads of his sanity. “He took her.”
“Wh
at happened?” Castle steamrolled up to him. “Who took Maddox?”
The hot tang of bile spurted up Cole’s throat. “I was just with her. Most of the night.” He stalked in a circle, the words flying from his mouth. “I left for five fucking hours. When I got back, she was gone. The shower still fucking running. That bastard!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Castle grabbed Cole by his jacket.
This was Cole’s fault. He’d left her alone. Five hours. Long enough to give the Ghost a chance to take her. To hurt her.
If he’d been there, the way he should’ve, this never would’ve happened.
“I-I-I didn’t think she wanted me to spend the night. So I left.” He should’ve swallowed his pride and slept on the stupid pullout. Then she’d be safe right now. But she needed space.
Stupid. He was so stupid.
“Wouldn’t let you spend the night?” Castle’s face twisted into something beastly. “Did you fuck my sister?”
The hot bite of those words ate through the panic, gave the thrumming fury a way to vent.
With a swift downward blow, Cole broke Castle’s hold and gave him a vicious shove, sending the big guy stumbling back. “It’s none of your damn business. You’re not hearing—”
Launching a right hook, Castle swung wide. Cole dodged it, but Castle followed up with a power punch, clipping him.
Pain stabbed his rib cage. Cole fought through it, throwing a jab. A sharp reflex. His fist smacked Castle’s chin, throwing Maddox’s brother off balance. Sweeping a leg out under Castle and snatching the tough guy’s wrist, Cole flipped him over, hurling him to the ground.
Then he stepped back.
“I’m ready to stomp someone’s face in! But I’d rather it not be yours, because I need your help to find Maddox. That maniac drugged her. Took her! Do you understand? She’s gone. And I don’t know where. Help me find her.”
Growling, Castle climbed to his feet.
Reece swept in front of Castle. “Look, man, Cole is right. I get you’re pissed at this dude. I gather he hurt Maddox pretty bad back in the day, gives you a right to be angry. But you need to table this shit. We need to work together to find her. Once we do, she’ll handle her issues with Lover Boy.”
“We’re on the same side.” Gideon clasped Castle’s shoulder. “We’re all fighting for the same thing.”
Castle scrubbed a hand over his face, regaining his composure. Jaw tight, he finally nodded. “Let’s go inside. Find my sister.”
Chapter 27
Gray Box Headquarters, Northern Virginia
7:19 a.m. EDT
In the conference room, Cole told the story twice. Once for the guys and a second time when Castle thought it best to bring in Sanborn, Harper, Amanda, and Cutter.
“You said you saw the van, right?” Harper asked. “Did you get a plate number?”
“I did, yeah.” Cole nodded. “Partial. X-ray, Lima, Delta. A District of Columbia plate.”
“We might get lucky,” Harper said. “Land a hit from a traffic cam.”
“I’ll run the plate.” Cutter hopped to his feet and shot out of the room like there wasn’t a moment to spare.
The doe-eyed analyst’s expression of furrowed brows and pinched lips mirrored Cole’s, but for different reasons. His appreciation for the kid’s gusto was slow to rise.
Everyone’s motives had to be questioned, offers to help examined, suggestions scrutinized. First, Novak knew Maddox’s name and that she would attend the auction. Next, he found out where she lived somehow and kidnapped her.
A compelling argument that an insider was helping him was snowballing.
“Cole, walk us through everything again.” Sanborn stroked his smooth chin. “Slowly. We’re missing something. I know it.”
How many times did he have to go over this? Replaying it wasn’t helping. It only made the vein in his head throb harder. Maddox was out there somewhere, Novak had the upper hand, and they were wasting precious time. The longer it took to find her, the lower the probability that they ever would.
And it was Cole’s fault for being too prideful to sleep on a sofa.
He gritted his teeth, hating himself. “I left her place a little after one in the morning.”
“Stop.” Sanborn lifted a hand. “Close your eyes. What cars were parked on the street? Was the white van there?”
Closing his eyes, Cole retraced his steps. “Yes. The van was parked further back across the street, but I didn’t notice anyone inside. I wasn’t focused on it.”
“Okay.” Sanborn folded his hands. “So the bastard was there, waiting. How did he find out where she lived? I still can’t understand that.”
Furtive glances were exchanged. Sanborn’s eagle-eyed gaze seemed to notice, but he said nothing. The silence dragged, the tension in the room building along with the pressure in Cole’s chest, prodding him to vomit the truth.
You have a mole. Someone in the Gray Box sold her out like a commodity. Not once, but twice. Someone entrusted with classified information violated that trust and stabbed her in the back.
He put his elbows on the table and pressed down hard while biting his tongue.
Janet breezed into the conference room with a pot of coffee and a large box of doughnuts. She set the box down and plugged in the electric carafe. “Should I notify Mrs. Kinkade about…what’s happened?”
Castle shook his head. “I don’t want my mother to worry. She doesn’t need to know. Not yet.”
Their mother, Susan, was a sweet woman who wore her heart on her sleeve and doted on her children. Knowing what had happened to Maddox was a cruel burden she didn’t need to carry.
Janet nodded and left as Cutter hurried back into the room and sat.
“Negative on the plate. The Goodwill van probably hasn’t been reported stolen yet, but I have a search running through traffic surveillance cameras.”
They needed to catch a break, some lead to help them find Maddox.
“How did Novak find out where she lived?” Sanborn asked again, slowly, softly, not dropping the issue. “Any ideas?” He gave Castle a pointed look like he saw right through him.
Castle stared back, his face deadpan, his eyes hard.
Moments ticked by. It was like there was a time bomb ready to explode in Cole’s chest.
“Maybe he doubled back to the hotel a second time after taking a taxi to Union Station,” Cutter said as if he was thinking as he spoke. “He could’ve watched from across the street in front of the museum, followed the team back to the Gray Box. Then waited for her to leave and trailed her home.”
Sanborn cocked his head and straightened slightly. “Where would he wait without being seen and still be able to have a line of sight to identify her clearly?”
Cutter shrugged. “Hell if I know. It’s just a theory, boss.”
Reece flipped his cap around backward and leaned forward. “The woods across from the access road that leads to the front gate. It’s possible he hid there, with a motorcycle, and watched through a night-vision device. With his training, that would’ve been right up his alley. When he spotted her, he could’ve trailed her with no lights on until she hit the highway. It was late. She was tired and may not have noticed.”
Sanborn held a poker face, didn’t blink. “That is a solid theory,” he said with a bite in his voice.
Since Novak had her name, he could’ve paid a talented hacker to track down where she lived, the same way Cole had. It was also possible someone from the Gray Box called Novak, told him when she was leaving and what vehicle she was driving, making it easy for him to follow her.
A more insidious thought crawled inside Cole’s head. What if someone in this building, in this room, had simply given Novak her address?
His stomach soured.
“Cole, we need to establish a timeline,” Sanborn said. “
When did you get to her place?”
“It was just after six.” Cole shook his head, berating himself again. “I parked behind the Goodwill van.” That maniac had taken her right in front of him. His insides squeezed like something in his chest was going to burst. “Novak shut the back door and limped around to the front. The pathetic little hobble threw me, caused me not to think twice about him.”
And Cole had been too distracted by the anticipation of seeing Maddox, had lowered his guard and let situational awareness slip.
“Her neighbor came into the hall, said she knew Maddox was home because a guy had picked up a donation. When I asked for a description, the lady mentioned a foreign accent.”
The air thickened with each detail repeated, and Cole’s anxiety swung back toward panic.
Reece clasped one fist, relaxed his fingers, and clasped the other. Over and over. Gideon chawed on gum, like a former smoker itching for a hit of nicotine. The analyst, Harper, jotted every word on a notepad. Elbows perched on his knees, Castle stared intently at the table. But Sanborn’s expression was serene, his gaze soft and unfocused as if he was visualizing everything Cole described.
“The front door was unlocked,” Cole said. “Her gun, jacket, cell phone, and car keys were on the kitchen counter. She’d picked up her clothes from the living room floor from earlier. The cap to the syringe was right in front of her bed. It was the first thing I spotted. The syringe and stun gun were on the other side near the bathroom door.”
The Ghost had taken her by surprise as she came out of the bathroom.
Had she let her guard down, too, thinking it was Cole breaking in yet again?
The thought weighed him down with guilt, and his heart twisted. “The shower was running. The bathroom full of steam. Her sneakers and clothes were on the floor.”
“Stop,” Sanborn said. “Was the bathroom floor wet or dry?”
Cole raked his memory. “Dry.”
“He got her before she stepped into the shower. No signs of a struggle?”
“None.” And she would’ve put up one hell of a fight if she’d had the chance.