Stolen Secrets

by Sherri Shackelford

  The team could hear her, but they couldn’t speak to her. They’d decided an earpiece was too risky in case she was searched.

  To calm her frayed nerves, she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. A soft mist from the dense rain clouds had turned the stones slick. If she recalled her local lore correctly, this was called the Morphing Stairs because no one was able to count the same number of risers twice.

  Her foot slipped and she gasped, catching herself at the last minute. No wonder no one could count them—in some places the stones were little more than piles of pebbles eroded over the years.

  Upon reaching the top, she paused to catch her breath. She was in better shape than this, but tension constricted her lungs.

  She spun in a circle, searching for her “friend.” Had she misunderstood the message?

  A lone woman walked her yellow Lab dog in the distance. There was no sign of Jordan and Westover, and she forced herself to breathe. She wasn’t supposed to see them. That was the whole point.

  The dark-haired middle-aged woman with the yellow Lab caught sight of Lucy and turned in her direction. Lucy glanced over her shoulder before crossing the clearing. Something in the woman’s posture indicated she was walking this way with a purpose.

  The woman wrestled her dog in the new direction. “Your boyfriend is worried sick about you,” she called across the distance. “He’s at the top of the hill. Follow the road and you’ll probably run into him.”

  “Are you sure he was looking for me?”

  The woman’s smile faltered. “Unless there’s another woman with platinum hair and an army-green jacket.”

  Lucy’s teeth clattered together. They knew what she was wearing. They’d already seen her.

  Someone was probably watching her now. She sucked in a deep breath. Jordan had warned her that something like this might happen. The buyer was likely to make her travel to another location in the park to ensure she hadn’t been followed.

  “Thanks,” she offered with a wan smile. “It’s like a maze in here.”

  The dark-haired woman chuckled. “Yes. You’re better off sticking to the path this time of year.”

  The wind lashed Lucy’s hair across her face, and she scraped the strands aside. Nearing the road meant cars. Though everyone had agreed the possibility was unlikely, Jordan had warned her about entering a vehicle.

  DO NOT let them take you to a second location.

  As a compromise, she kept to the grass. Her boots sank into the loamy earth, leaving deep impressions. Her ankle had healed almost entirely, and there was only a twinge now and again when she stepped the wrong way.

  She trudged the length of a football field without encountering her “boyfriend.” Once again, she paused to catch her breath.

  There were no additional messengers in sight. Either she continued forward or she retraced her steps. Since the buyer was clearly leading her in one direction, she continued following the bend in the road.

  As she rounded the corner, she spotted a single car parked before a picnic table pavilion. A familiar figure sat on a bench facing the opposite direction.

  Jordan. Even with his back to her, she recognized his posture and picked up her pace. If he was revealing himself, that could only mean one thing. Mission aborted. Had they scared the buyer? Or had this whole thing been an exercise in futility from the beginning?

  She hadn’t realized how tense she’d been until the fear drained from her muscles. Everything had happened so fast there’d been no opportunity to prepare herself. Next time she’d be ready. Then again, if they were fortunate, there might never be a next time.

  Feeling almost buoyant, she didn’t hear the van until it pulled to a stop beside her. A door slammed and a man wearing a ski mask and a leather jacket circled around the front. Her heart raced and she lunged away.

  The man snatched Lucy’s arm, halting her startled retreat.

  “Get in.”

  She frantically shook her head. “No. That’s not the deal. I’m not going.”

  “This can go easy or go hard,” he rasped. “Your choice.”

  His fingers bit painfully into her arm, and he dragged her toward the back of the van.

  She panicked. “Jordan!”

  The man gave her a painful shake. “Who’s that?”

  “My boyfriend,” she lied. “You didn’t think I’d come to this park alone? At dusk. I’m not stupid.”

  “You must be.” Easily holding her squirming body away from him, he yanked open the rear door of the windowless van. “Because that was real stupid, lady.”

  The next instant his hold went slack, and he stumbled backward.

  Jordan appeared behind him, his fisted hand raised. “Is this guy bothering you?”

  “Yes,” she shouted, rushing toward him.

  Her abductor stumbled upright. His mask had come loose during the scuffle, revealing half of his face and a distinctive collar tattoo. He caught the hood of her coat, yanking her backward. Lucy shrieked and clawed at her neck.

  A dark form moved behind Jordan.

  “Look out!” she sputtered, her throat constricted by the tight hold on her hood.

  To her horror, Jordan crumpled forward, landing in an ungainful heap on the dewy grass.

  The second man pulled a gun from his waistband.

  “No!” Lucy shouted, clawing at her abductor’s arm.

  He spun her around to face him and she gasped. His eyes were black, fathomless holes behind his mask. He yanked her closer.

  “Dead bodies attract attention,” he said, his breath hot against her forehead. “We’ll dump him off-site.”

  Her whole body trembled. The two men hoisted Jordan into the back of the van. This time Lucy didn’t struggle when her abductor hauled her to her feet. She had to stay calm. She had to think. She couldn’t afford to lose her cool now. There were two more teams watching the exits. They’d come for them. Right?

  As she frantically considered her options, a dark cloth dropped over her head, plunging her into darkness.

  SEVEN

  Jordan’s head throbbed.

  He was on a boat. It must be a boat because of the gentle rocking. Despite the pain radiating through his skull, his head was cradled on something soft. He moved his fingers, but his wrists were tied before him.

  His training kicked in by rote. They must not see him as much of a threat or they’d have secured his hands behind his back. He kicked his legs, but his ankles were secured, as well.

  He cracked open his eyes to inky blackness.

  Lucy.

  He moved his head, and a blinding pain sent him gasping.

  “It’s all right,” Lucy said, her voice gentle. “Try not to move. They’ve locked us in the van.”

  Jordan’s senses gradually came awake through the fog of pain. They were in a moving vehicle, which explained the rocking, and Lucy had cradled his head in her lap. Beneath the scent of exhaust fumes, he caught a hint of her jasmine perfume.

  “Are you all right?” he demanded, surging upright. The instant before he was struck on the back of the head came rushing back. When they’d grabbed Lucy, he’d seen red. The rest of his actions had been fueled by a blind rage. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine. I’m more worried about you. You probably have a concussion or internal bleeding or something.”

  “I’m fine. I promise. I’ve taken worse hits than that over the years.” He moved his head and winced. “How long have we been driving?”

  “Ten minutes.” Her voice caught. “I was afraid they’d killed you.”

  “Not with this hard head.” There were no windows in the service van and the pitch darkness was disconcerting. He had no sense of time or place beyond the moments before he’d been knocked unconscious. “Anything else happen while I was out?”

  “They took our p
hones and I lost my sunglasses during the scuffle.” There was a long pause. “They have your gun.”

  Jordan made a sound of frustration. At least he hadn’t been carrying his credentials. Since Lucy had claimed he was her boyfriend, there was no reason for the men to assume otherwise. As long as the men holding them didn’t know she was working with the authorities, they had a chance of getting out of this alive.

  “Okay,” he said, keeping his voice level. “Did they say anything else?”

  “They’re not going to kill you.” she said. “They talked about pouring whiskey over you and dumping you someplace. I guess they figured if you looked like a drunk, no one would believe you’d been kidnapped. They took the flash drive. I don’t know why they’ve still got us.”

  Neither did Jordan, and that had him worried. “I messed up their strategy, and they don’t know what to do. They don’t have a contingency plan.”

  “I’m sorry.” A sob accompanied her words. “I shouldn’t have gone near the road. You warned me about getting into a vehicle.”

  Her fear sliced through him like a knife, and he shook off the unfamiliar emotions crowding him. He reached awkwardly for her bound fingers and threaded their fingers together. Where was their backup? Why hadn’t Karp or Westover stopped the van by now?

  “It’s not your fault. They didn’t give you much choice.” Jordan twisted his hands, but the zip ties held strong. “You did the right thing. They didn’t gag us. Our hands are tied in front of us, which means they aren’t very worried about us escaping. They’ve already said they don’t want to kill us. That’s all good news.”

  “It doesn’t feel like good news.”

  Jordan chuckled humorlessly. “One of the NSA teams is tailing us by now. We have to trust they have a plan.” The surveillance teams should have spotted them leaving the park. Even if no one had witnessed the kidnapping, a white cargo van was a huge red flag. Except too much time had passed for his peace of mind. “The team will have a BOLO out. That’s a ‘be on the lookout.’ It’s only a matter of time before they come for us. Until then, we stick with our story if these guys ask any questions. You’re selling classified information, and I’m your overprotective boyfriend.”

  Her grip on his hand loosened, and he touched her wrist. Her pulse had slowed in the past few minutes, and relief washed through him. Risking her life further was not an option. Whatever happened, he’d see that she came out of this safe and alive.

  “What do you think they’re going to do with us?” she whispered.

  Jordan bent his knees and braced his back against the side of the van, then shifted his body, giving Lucy something softer to lean on than the metal siding. “I don’t know. We’re on the interstate. They’re not going through the city. They certainly don’t care if we’re screaming our heads off back here or they’d have gagged us.” His eyes had adjusted to see vague shapes, and he reached for her hands again. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

  Even without the luxury of sight, the vibrations from the wheels indicated they were going too fast for any kind of an escape attempt. This wasn’t like the movies. If they flung themselves out of a moving vehicle at high speeds, they’d be killed.

  He felt her move against his shoulder. “You don’t have to lie to me. I’d rather know the truth.”

  “How could you tell I was lying?” He caught her familiar jasmine scent along with citrusy undertones, and his heart rate quickened. “I thought I was doing an excellent job of being reassuring.”

  “Instinct, I guess. I’d rather you were honest with me.”

  The van hit a bump, throwing Lucy against him. He shifted, tucking her against his shoulder.

  “It’s like I said—they’re off script.” Jordan sighed. She was far too perceptive for her own good. Lying was only going to make things worse, so he might as well be truthful. “They should have left us in the park once I interrupted. They didn’t. Now they don’t know what to do. Panic leads to bad decision making. That’s the part that concerns me.”

  “Then what do we do? Can you get free?” She released his fingers. “I saw a YouTube video on escaping from zip ties.”

  She must have twisted her wrists because she inadvertently elbowed him in the ribs.

  He grunted. “It won’t work.”

  “Are you certain?” She huffed. “Ouch.”

  Clumsily he grasped her forearm. “Don’t hurt yourself. These guys saw the same video, because they used heavy-duty zip ties. We’re not going to break them.” He took a deep breath and braced for her reaction to his next words. “They can’t afford to let anything happen to you, but I’m expendable. If you see a chance to escape, take it. If I tell you to run, then promise me you’ll run and don’t look back.”

  “But—”

  “I can take care of myself.” He steeled his resolve. “If I’m not worried about you, I’ll have a better chance of saving myself.”

  Another lie. He was going to be worried about Lucy until they had the buyer, the impostor and their abductors in custody. His duty was no longer to his team, but it was to Lucy’s safety.

  Though he strained his ears, there was nothing to hear beyond the steady whir of the tires against the pavement. “I’m going to see if there’s anything in here we can use as a weapon.”

  Inching along with his bound hands and feet, Jordan traced the rear panel doors and ensured they were locked inside. The rest of his efforts were wasted. The inside of the van was completely and totally empty.

  A banging sounded from the front, and Lucy gave a startled yelp. Jordan scooted toward the cab and pressed his ear against the metal partition. The men’s voices were muffled but clearly raised in anger. They were arguing, and if he was careful, he could use their discord to his favor.

  A slender thread of hope formed within him, and he returned to his seat by Lucy. “How are you holding up?”

  She nestled against his side. “I’m scared.”

  He couldn’t think as clearly when she touched him, but she was frightened. If sitting near him made her feel safer, there was no harm in that.

  “I’m scared, too,” he admitted. “Believe me, I will do everything in my power to get you through this.”

  “I know you will.”

  His throat ached with an emotion he was afraid to identify. Everything about this was wrong. He’d promised Brandt he’d look out for Lucy if anything ever happened to him. Instead, he was risking her life.

  Lucy shifted, and the soft silk of her hair brushed the sensitive skin of his neck.

  “Why were you sitting at the picnic table?” she asked. “I thought you were supposed to be out of sight. I thought maybe the drop had been called off.”

  “I would have looked out of place loitering by the stairs. Once you were on the move, it wasn’t such a big deal to be seen.”

  “I’m glad you’re here and not Westover. I know it may sound strange, but because you were such a good friend to Brandt, I feel like you’re my friend, too, even though we never met before this week. Does that make any sense?”

  Guilt coursed through his veins. “I know how you feel.” To distract her from their circumstances, he added, “Do you remember that time you dipped your necklace in the ranch dressing?”

  He didn’t know how far the men planned on taking them, and there wasn’t anything to do other than wait until the van slowed. He might as well distract Lucy and talking filled the time.

  “How could I forget?” She chuckled. “I leaned over the vegetable tray at the Christmas party and dragged the beaded fringe of my necklace through the dip. By the time I realized what I’d done, I was a mess. I spent the rest of the night with wet blotches on my dress. I figured that might give you guys a laugh.”

  Most people cultivated a better version of themselves online—a fake, plastic version with a perfect background. Not Lucy. She was open and completely authen
tic. Although, come to think of it, he didn’t recall her telling many stories about her successes. She mostly focused on the silly, clumsy things that happened to her.

  Recalling the papers on her desk, he asked, “How did you become a software engineer?”

  “Programming is creative, if you think about it. Everything I do is ultimately creative problem-solving.”

  “I never thought of it that way.”

  “And also because my mom wanted me to be a doctor.” She laughed, though he sensed the emotion was forced. “Computer programming was the furthest I could get from health care.”

  Her voice was stronger, and her breathing had slowed. Since the diversion was working, he plunged ahead. “Then you’ve always liked computers?”

  “Pretty much. I took a programming class in junior high. The school website was atrocious. I overhauled the whole thing. I even designed a program to send reminders to parents for upcoming sports events. The teacher was so impressed he nominated me for a scholarship my senior year. While I was in college, someone hacked my Facebook account. That was a catalyst, I guess. I became fascinated with cybersecurity. God was looking out for me, because my college was designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations by the National Security Agency.”

  “That’s a mouthful.”

  “That just means it was a good place to be if you were fascinated by cybersecurity. Firms that deal in classified material do a lot of recruiting out of the senior class. I took a job at Consolidated Unlimited before I’d even graduated. The rest, as they say, is history.”

  “And you like what you do?”

  “I love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else. Most people think what I do is boring, but I find it fascinating. There’s always a challenge. I’d like to work in a building with more windows, and sometimes it’s frustrating because people don’t understand why I can’t talk about my work. Other than that, it’s great.”

  “I know what you mean. It’s hard to keep secrets from the people you love.”

  His friends mostly understood what he did for a living and the restrictions on his time, but he hadn’t realized what a toll his job was taking on the rest of his family until Emma’s accident. His stepsister had assumed his work was more important than her. Nothing was further from the truth. Since then, he’d tried to do a better job of keeping in touch. Especially since she’d gotten married the previous year and was expecting his niece or nephew.