Star Witness

by Lisa Phillips

  Mackenzie would be worth it. He didn’t doubt that. But if he were to risk the pain of heartbreak and things with Mackenzie went bad... He blew out a breath. When it was over, there wouldn’t be much left of Aaron worth speaking of, and he’d failed enough for this lifetime. Franklin’s blindness was proof of that.

  He could see how God could use Mackenzie as a blessing in his life to make it richer. Yet something in him still held back to the point he pushed her away. Was he strong enough to overcome that? Because while it took a lot to risk his life every day as a soldier...risking his heart?

  That was a whole different story.

  NINETEEN

  Mackenzie rotated the handle slowly and eased the door open so as not to wake Sabine, who was asleep in the other bed. Her head was still stuffed up from crying, and she was exhausted but couldn’t seem to be able to fall asleep. All she did was lie in bed and think about the kids from the class she’d supervised the last day she was there. Those frustrating traits of obstinacy and the air of bad attitude that surrounded so many of them now seemed almost endearing.

  They’d suffered so much already in their lives. Neglect, poverty and some even abuse. They hadn’t needed this, too.

  Mackenzie crept into the living room. It was lit by the yellow light above the oven, and she could make out the couch and coffee table. The rug was soft under her bare toes, and she curled up in the armchair, knees to her chest with the sleeves of her sweater pulled down over her hands.

  When was all this going to be over? Would there even be a center to go back to? The front of the building had been destroyed, and several of the kids were wounded. Mackenzie squeezed her eyes shut for the millionth time, but there were no more tears. It was all her fault for trying to help them. For not being satisfied with living a simple, quiet life.

  She’d tried to help them realize how talented they were, but all she’d done was put them in harm’s way.

  She’d walked away from her life once. She could do it again, but it would still cost her to begin anew. Another house in another city surrounded by new people and places; having to put down roots all over again, always prepared to run at any time. Carosa would still be out there, and Eva would still want revenge for her father’s death, so she’d have a new WITSEC handler. It was like a sentence, life in prison, but without the locks and bars.

  Would she ever be free?

  Mackenzie laid her cheek on the back of the chair and stared out the window. The night sky was still, the trees outside unmoving as they enveloped her in a silence that meant she could block out the rest of the world. Pretend there weren’t people out there who wanted her dead.

  Something shifted, and she turned. Aaron was on the couch, sitting up. He pushed aside a blanket and came to sit on the edge of the coffee table in front of her, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His white T-shirt stretched across his chest, showing the tone of his arms and making her mouth dry. “Mackenzie?”

  In the dark she could just make out a small smile on his face. He looked exhausted from being on alert protecting her, another casualty of her selfishness. “You okay?”

  Mackenzie looked back at the window. There was no point in getting used to having him there. She needed to know how to live without him.

  “Thinking about leaving?”

  The longing she felt was there in his voice, too. Mackenzie looked back at him. This wasn’t going to last, so why was he acting as if it would bother him to see her leave?

  “You look so lost. I wish I knew what to do, how to help.”

  Mackenzie had to not come on too strong. Just because Aaron was being open with her didn’t mean he was willing to accept everything she had to give. What if he pulled away again? She needed to keep her own feelings locked up tight. He couldn’t know that she was falling for him, because if he left there was no way she’d be able to come back from it. She had to guard her heart.

  His gaze roamed over her face, but he didn’t seem satisfied. He sighed. “Couldn’t sleep?”

  “I’ve never slept that well. At first it was dreams of watching Daniel die and seeing Carosa’s eyes when he shot me.”

  Aaron bit his lip. “Daniel?”

  “He was my head of security. We were friends, and I foolishly hoped for more. Then Carosa shot my manager, and Daniel and I walked in just in time to see it happen. Carosa shot Daniel before he could fire back, and then shot me.”

  Mackenzie touched her fingers to the spot just under her right shoulder. “Right here. It went through pretty cleanly, but left a nice hole in my lung. I actually stopped breathing before he left the hotel room. The person in the next room heard the shots and someone got the paramedics there quickly enough to bring me back. All because my manager didn’t pay his debt to the Colombians.”

  Aaron’s head tipped to one side. “It sounds as though God kept you here for a reason.”

  Mackenzie stilled. “Why would He do that?”

  “All the kids you brought into the center. You’ve made a difference in each of their lives, something they needed. It’s an amazing thing you’ve done with them, giving them confidence in their talents and making them feel loved and valued. And me...”

  “You?”

  “You’ve made a difference in me, Mackenzie.”

  He might be able to claim that, but the kids wouldn’t be able to say it about her. Not now that she had destroyed their lives, too. A tear slid down her cheek.

  “Hey.” Aaron wiped the moisture away with his thumb. “Don’t be sad. It’s a good thing. I like the idea that God knew I needed you in my life. I care about you a lot. More than I’ve ever cared about a woman before.”

  Mackenzie shook her head. “Don’t say that. I’m not who you think I am. Not anymore. The center is gone, and I’ll be gone, too, still running from Carosa. What’s the point in hiding out here if he’s going to keep killing people until he finds me? Or Eva? Maybe she’ll be the one I’m looking over my shoulder for for the next sixteen years. It’s never going to end, Aaron.”

  “Of course it will. What do you think we’re doing here?”

  “Hiding?”

  “More like mounting a defensive position on high ground while we wait for the enemy to attack.”

  “So we just sit here for however long it takes?” Could she even do that? “I won’t ask you all to put your lives on hold for me. It’s not fair to any of you.” If something happened to them, she would never forgive herself.

  “There are just too many ways to track someone that it’s virtually impossible to hide anymore. Not with all the technology we have, or Carosa’s resources. But I’m not giving up, Mackenzie, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. I’ve found something here, with you. And I’m not leaving until I know how it’s going to turn out.”

  * * *

  Aaron was ready to tell her everything. He’d been satisfied for a long time with shallow relationships that didn’t force him out of his comfort zone. But something was missing. He’d been living life to the fullest, pushing the boundaries of what he was capable of physically—playing hard at his job and on vacations rock climbing and skydiving, but that wasn’t life.

  In fact, those things seemed almost meaningless. They challenged his strength but didn’t let him feel anything past the rush of adrenaline. For the first time he actually felt something—compassion for Mackenzie’s situation, and then coming to know her heart and her strength it grew to more than that.

  It had changed him. He was proud of her achievements. And knowing the heart behind everything she did was about helping troubled kids, well...

  Aaron had to admit, that uncomfortable feeling in his chest was love for her. Love she would be hesitant to accept, feeling as if she didn’t deserve it when nothing could be further from the truth. She was an amazing woman.

  “Mackenzie—”

&nbs
p; The front door of the cabin opened and Doug rushed in. “The hut has been breached.” Aaron stood while he strode over and set his night-vision goggles on the table. Doug stood straight and tall, battle ready. “Four men at the other cabin. They found the source of the signal and they’re headed up the mountain now on foot, spread out in formation ready to take this cabin.”

  “Armed?”

  “They’re not carrying water guns.” Doug went to the bedroom door and knocked before he cracked it open and stuck his head in to where Sabine was sleeping. “It’s time.”

  Seconds later, Sabine came out with her pistol. Doug took a rifle from on top of the fridge and tossed it to Aaron before he grabbed the other for himself. Aaron checked the weapon, making sure it was loaded and ready to fire.

  Mackenzie came over, her eyes darting between his face and weapon. “What’s going on?”

  “The mercenaries are on their way. They’ll have the back exits covered, and they’ll be prepared. They’re pros, Mackenzie. But four of them don’t outmatch Doug, Sabine and I. Remember how you said you were trusting me with everything you had? Well, I need you to do that now, even though it’s going to get scary. Whatever happens, just keep your head down, and if I tell you to do something, you don’t hesitate. Got it?”

  She bit her lip and nodded. He didn’t like going back to giving terse orders, but she looked so scared it would surely make her hesitate when she needed a clear head.

  If the guys coming up the mountain were the same ones who had been chasing them for days, they were likely supremely angry and looking for revenge. He figured this wasn’t so much about their doing the job anymore, but about saving face after being bested by Sabine and outsmarted by Aaron. They didn’t know Sabine’s skills were off the charts since she’d been trained by the CIA.

  Aaron looked around, satisfied they had what they needed to keep Mackenzie from being taken again. This time he wouldn’t have to watch her walk away.

  He looked at her again. “Trust me.”

  * * *

  The words sounded far away. She blinked at the weapons all around her. The magnitude of firepower in the room was overwhelming, and she backed into the kitchen until she hit a chair. She grasped it with trembling fingers and sat down, breathing deeply. It was like some Wild West siege scene in a movie. And everyone except her had a gun.

  This was her life now. Not just running and hiding, but fighting. And the fact these people were prepared to kill in order to keep her safe? Her brain wouldn’t quit spinning. They could die. Or one of them could be seriously hurt.

  Trust me.

  Could she do that when she knew what loss felt like? Carosa might take Sabine, too—a good person who was only here because she cared what happened to Mackenzie. And Doug, about to get married and spend the rest of his life with the woman he loved. The price was too high. There was no way she was worth their lives.

  Years ago, she craved being the focus of what was going on. Lani would have soaked up the attention, but Mackenzie didn’t know what she would do if something happened to one of these precious people, so honorable that they would risk their lives. For her.

  Sabine and Doug stood beside the windows, their bodies angled to scan the night outside. Aaron walked through the cabin, turning off lights—except for the light of the laptop on the table. Each of them was completely focused on what was happening. Aaron’s movements were precise, as though he’d done this a million times. He’d trained for stuff like this? It was unreal.

  On the computer screen, a window blinked. It disappeared, and then flickered and appeared again.

  Sabine spoke, “Bogey at two o’clock.”

  Doug didn’t move. “Me, too. I’ve got one at ten o’clock.”

  Aaron brushed by Mackenzie, nodding at the computer. “Shut that off.” He moved to the fridge, pulled it out and yanked the plug from the socket in the process. He dragged the appliance across the floor and pushed it up against the door, blocking that entrance, and brushed off his hands. “The other two are probably around back. What are they waiting for?”

  Mackenzie clicked on the pop-up window. It was an instant message. But from whom?

  You in the cabin. Send out the girl and no one has to die.

  TWENTY

  She should just close the lid. Mackenzie didn’t want anyone to die, but what else was she supposed to do? The three of them were trained. This was what they did, so she should just trust that they would keep her safe. And yet, none of them knew what the outcome would be. Mackenzie wanted to pray, but all she could think was what she would do if one of them was hurt. Or killed.

  Just the girl. That’s all I want.

  Her fingers hovered over the keys for a moment. She tossed aside the prick of doubt at what she was about to do and typed, If I come out, you have to leave them alone.

  The response came almost immediately: You have my word.

  Eva. She must be out there, if the mercenaries were hers. Or it could be Carosa. Mackenzie should have known that neither of them would leave it to chance after so many failed attempts to capture her. But what was the alternative? Live a life where every crazy person came out of the woodwork to collect the million-dollar reward? Never having a moment’s peace? Her dreams of home and a family couldn’t be part of her future, and she just needed to accept that. But that didn’t mean Doug, Sabine and Aaron had to.

  Mackenzie looked over at the living room. Doug and Sabine still had their attention on the front windows. Aaron would be a problem. He stood at the entrance to the back hall, his eyes on the rear door. The only other option was...the bathroom window. She prayed it wasn’t locked.

  Mackenzie typed the message that would seal her fate: I’m coming out the side window.

  She didn’t wait for the response. It didn’t matter anymore that Eva and Carosa would win. Her life wasn’t more important than three people who would go on without her because they didn’t need to have their lives, their missions, cut short.

  When she stood, her knees shook. Mackenzie willed strength into her legs to carry out what she was about to do. She slipped on her shoes and went to Aaron. “I have to use the bathroom.” She didn’t meet his eyes, and hoped he wouldn’t hear the tremble in her voice.

  “Right now?”

  She prayed he was too honorable to come between a woman and her personal needs.

  “Be quick.”

  Mackenzie pushed out a breath through tight lips and looked up. “I just want to say thank you. For everything.”

  He frowned. “Mackenzie—”

  She backed up and pushed open the bathroom door. “I really have to go.”

  “Leave the light off. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself.”

  Mackenzie closed the door and squeezed her eyes shut. Waiting a minute, she flushed the toilet, using the sound to cover the scrape of her opening the window. She gritted her teeth and pulled herself up to the frame.

  A man dressed in black appeared out of nowhere. He wore those weird goggles like Doug had done, covering his eyes. Green-and-brown paint was slashed across his face in wide swipes, and he had a huge gun in his hands. He let go with one hand and motioned for her to come.

  Mackenzie kept her eyes on the outside. If she looked back at the closed bathroom door, knowing Aaron was just beyond it, she would lose her nerve. This was the best way, the only way. She held her breath and crawled out. The night air was frigid enough to cut through her sweatshirt and yoga pants and make her shiver. Breath puffed out in white clouds in front of her as she crossed the open stretch of grass to the soldier.

  When she got near, he grabbed her upper arm in a tight grip. She sucked in a breath, but he didn’t loosen his grasp, just pulled her along. Farther and farther from the house.

  He pressed a button on his vest. “I have her. Get rid of the others.�
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  He kept going, too fast so that she stumbled to keep up. “What do you mean—”

  Gunfire erupted behind her. Long spurts from the weapons of the men hired to collect her for Carosa.

  “She gave me her word she wouldn’t hurt them.”

  The soldier shook his head, goggles still covering his eyes and focused on the path they were cutting through the brush.

  “She promised me.” Mackenzie didn’t even know who had sent these men for her.

  “And you believed it? No one is trustworthy, least of all who you’re dealing with.” He snorted. “Case in point, we dumped the woman since the drug lord’s son pays better. So it’s off to Carosa you go.”

  Mackenzie looked back at the house. Everything was still and quiet. So fast. Were they dead?

  “Don’t bother looking. No one will be coming for you this time.”

  She stumbled and went down on one knee to the cold, hard ground. He jerked her arm so hard she cried out. They walked and walked through the brush. Her limbs grew stiff, the feeling permeating all the way through to her heart.

  She felt nothing but the cold.

  Aaron, Sabine and Doug were all dead because of her. Everything she had done was for nothing, a complete failure of her effort to do the right thing.

  * * *

  Aaron smashed the sole of his boot into the door, just beside the lock. It swung open, hit the bath and bounced back splintered. The window was open.

  Mackenzie was gone.

  “No!”

  Gunfire discharged like a deafening wave of fireworks. He dived to the floor as shards of wood and insulation rained down on his head. He peered out at the living room. Doug and Sabine had done the same thing. Both were prone with their arms covering their heads as bullets peppered the front of the cabin. Doug brushed a splinter from his ear and crawled to his fiancée.

  The front door was kicked in and the fridge was shoved aside. Aaron lifted his weapon and fired, the sound muffled to his ringing ears. His aim was off, but he succeeded in distracting the two men and giving Doug and Sabine time to rally. They got to their feet and surged at the two mercenaries hand to hand, almost in sync. Before he turned away, Sabine already had her man on the floor.