by Julia Bright
He left the hotel and headed to a cell phone store. He bought a burner with cash and stashed the box in his suitcase so no one watching would pick up the trash and try to determine the phone number he’d be using.
After making sure he hadn’t been followed, he headed into a restaurant and asked to use the restroom before they sat him. Once in the bathroom, he checked his bags, finding a bug in the zipper compartment of his bag. He ripped it out and flushed it.
“Fucking hell.” He searched everything again, making sure he was clean.
He opened the phone and stuffed the box back into his suitcase because he didn’t want anyone to trace him. Someone else came into the bathroom, so he left and got a seat in a booth. He typed in one of the burner numbers they’d used before and sent a text to Adam. New phone. A text from Adam came back almost immediately. Can you talk?
He stood up and headed to the bathrooms again but paused. What if the guy who’d come in there was FBI? Could they have bugged the space? He was screwed. He went back to his seat and typed Sure then hit send. Paranoia held him tight. He’d have to be quiet and talk in code.
His phone rang, and he answered. “What’s up?” flew from his mouth before Adam could say anything.
“I got a call. She said, something happened, and that she is sorry.”
His chest ached as worry filled him. “Fuck.”
“There’s more,” Adam said. “She told me we were all bugged. And to make sure everything was in order. She said to clean up everything.”
He froze, wondering how bad this would get. “What does that mean?”
“It means we’re taking the computers and hiding them. Then we’ll wipe and rebuild the computers we leave here, making them look benign. While she’s getting them to look clean, I’ll set up the computer room as a bedroom.”
“Fuck.”
“Yes, exactly. We’re screwed.”
“What about her, where is she?” Fear filled him. Could he actually say her name and not cause problems?
“She said she’ll be in contact. She’s probably buying a burner. If she calls, I’ll give her your number.”
He rubbed his chest, wondering if the painful feeling would ever go away. “God, it devastated me. She said she didn’t want to be with me.”
“Buddy, I think she’s trying to protect us. She knows something.”
“I’m scared for her. She’s been through so much.”
“Listen, I’ve got to go help my woman.”
“I guess I’ll stay the night. If I don’t hear from her, I’ll fly back in the morning.”
“Stay strong,” Adam said.
“You too.”
He should be home with Adam and Kelsey, helping them get everything in order. This was a clusterfuck. If Hardy sent his goons out, they would have trouble.
He ate dinner, because he was starving, and looked for a place to stay on his regular phone. When he was almost done, his phone rang, not his real phone, but the other one. He stared at it for a second before answering.
“Hello.” Two seconds passed before he heard breathing.
“I’m sorry.”
He glanced around, making sure no one was watching. “What the fu—freak happened?”
“We’re in danger.”
“Tell me where you are.”
“No way. I’m staying at FBI housing tonight.”
“This is insane.” His anger rose, and he had to force himself to calm, so he didn’t yell.
“Hardy said he had evidence and will use it to put our friends in jail.”
“Goddammit.” He lowered his voice, unsure what to do.
“I’ll head into the office this week and see if I can find out what evidence he has. I need to destroy it.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I want to help.”
Marissa sighed. “I know you do. I think the best way you could help me would be to head to the ranch and help them keep safe. I can’t have them go to jail. I’d feel guilty forever if that happened.”
“You didn’t do anything, you shouldn’t feel guilty.”
She huffed out a breath, and he heard her frustration. “He was in my class at Quantico.”
“Who?”
“Hardy. He asked me out twice. I said no each time. He got pissed. I got a good job working with the international office, and he got stuck in a job he didn’t want. He was pissed off that it seemed like I got everything he didn’t. And then he found out I was dating you, and that you’re friends with them. He told me that if I go back to the ranch, he will make sure they suffer.”
“You can’t let him manipulate you. Our friends can fight him.”
“I won’t let him win. I’ll find the evidence he has and destroy it,” Marissa said.
“What if you can’t?”
“Trust me on this. I’ll make sure he doesn’t win.”
The waitress came over, and he paid with his credit card. After she left, he spoke again. “I don’t like this.”
“I don’t either. But I can’t win against Hardy unless we play dirty.”
“How can I help you?” He stood up and headed out the door, wheeling his suitcase behind him. He needed to find a place to stay unless he could get a flight out tonight.
“We need to make sure the ranch is untouchable.”
“How can we do that?”
“I don’t know but making sure there is no evidence when the jerk arrives is important.”
“I don’t like leaving you.”
“This is necessary,” Marissa said.
He coughed, trying to clear his throat which had closed a little with worry. “Okay. I’ll get a flight out and see what I can do.”
“Thank you.”
“Be careful.”
“I will. Don’t worry about me.”
“Please, I’ll be worried about you the whole time.”
“And I’m worried about everyone at the ranch. If Hardy pushes on this, she could lose her baby.”
“Jesus.”
“Go help them. I’ll talk to you later when I get a chance.”
“Okay, I love you.”
Her breath hitched. “I love you too.”
He hung up and immediately wanted to call back, demanding to know where she was so he could pick her up. This was insane. Agent Hardy needed to be taken down a notch.
Jackson called Adam’s burner phone, waiting only one ring for it to be picked up. “Hey,” Adam said.
“I’ll find a flight out tonight if I can.”
“Actually, there isn’t any need.”
His heart glitched. “What’s wrong.”
“Nothing. It was easier to get everything set up. We have the computers hidden well where no one will ever find them. The furniture was easy because Kelsey’s grandfather had an old furniture dolly that was amazing, and was have copied the drives, then wiped them and she’s rebuilding them.”
“You got all that done already?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t hard. We figure Hardy will be out here in the morning. If he comes tonight, we’re ready for him.”
“I hate that you have to deal with this.”
“Don’t worry. We’re on it. And it’s not your fault. We knew what we were doing.”
“Just stay safe and take care of your family.”
“I will. You stay there and watch after your woman. Maybe it’s best if you stay in the shadows. If she doesn’t know you’re staying, she won’t be mad. Maybe stick to the background and take a wait and see approach.”
He grunted and looked around. There were so many people, so many cars. He liked the peace and quiet of the ranch. “Okay, I’ll be here. Call me if you need me. I’ll come home.”
“Will do.”
I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sure, I’ll see you later.”
Marissa was in danger because of this Hardy jerk who wanted to make her life miserable. The guy was trying to break them up, to what end, he did
n’t know. It wasn’t like Marissa would ever go out with him, not after this.
He found a cheap hotel where he could crash for the night. Tomorrow, he’d figure out a way to help Marissa.
23
Getting dressed for work the next morning felt off. Fear traced her nerves, and her head spun. Maybe it was the lack of food, or perhaps it was the fact that she’d been held prisoner in some little house in Morocco by some jerk who wanted to sell her to the highest bidder and she was going back to work for the agency that had written her off as dead. Everything was all messed up. She just wanted to go home to the ranch and be with the people she cared for. The FBI wasn’t her family any longer, and she hated being held hostage once again, this time by Hardy and his insanity.
She stopped for coffee on the way in and picked up a sandwich with egg and cheese. Before going to bed, she’d run by a discount store and bought two pair of black slacks, four shirts, and two jackets. The pants she’d bought were a little loose so when she gained back weight, they wouldn’t be too tight.
When she checked in with Janice, she’d found out Director Black had assigned her to the cold case unit. At first, it pissed her off, then she realized this would give her the perfect cover for looking at Hardy’s old files.
It took about an hour for her to get a desk. An older guy, paunch belly, stains on his tie, came over and stuck out his hand.
“I’m Frank. What did you do wrong to get into this mess?”
“Hi Frank, I’m Agent Marissa Edwards.”
“Edwards. Are you that… explains the hair. So why are you down here instead of being celebrated for your awesome escape?”
Her stomach twisted, and a shiver raced up her spine. Frank lifted a brow. “I can’t work in the field. It’s too much stress. I think Director Black was doing me a favor by sending me here where it’s quiet.”
“It’s not always quiet,” Frank said.
“I probably won’t get abducted here though.”
Frank threw back his head and laughed. “You haven’t seen the rats yet. So you want any coffee? I’m headed up to grab some.”
“Um, I already had some, thank you.”
“Suit yourself.”
Frank left the room, and she immediately began searching for Hardy’s cases. They had assigned her a Cold Case ID, so all her searches showed up as CC009, not Marissa Edwards. Eventually, Hardy may realize what she was doing, but he wouldn’t see her name on the log of people who looked at his old files.
In the fifteen minutes Frank was gone, she’d pulled up and downloaded the information Hardy had on Adam and Marissa, as well as four other cases Hardy had worked on that weren’t solved.
When Frank came back, he gave her a list of cases to work on. Work consisted of calling people, seeing if they changed their stories. Running DNA results through the database one more time just to see if a new entry matched.
It was tedious work. At the end of the day, she understood why Frank seemed not to care. None of these cases would ever be solved unless something miraculous happened, and she didn’t think that was coming any time soon for far too many of these cases.
The one score she achieved today was getting Hardy’s cases logs, which she couldn’t take home. She would stay late, reading over the information after Frank took off.
24
Kelsey heard the car on the drive and met Adam’s gaze. They’d talked about not panicking and discussed how to handle the situation. This was it, they would be investigated.
A car door slammed, and she waited for another door to slam, but there wasn’t a second door. If Hardy had come out by himself, he’d probably have a hard time searching everything on his own.
Bam, bam, bam, on the door made her jump. Adam grimaced and swallowed hard. He stood, but she waved for him to sit as she strode over and pulled the door wide, the fake smile on her face flattening as her brows pinched together.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?”
“Randy. Didn’t Reg tell you I was coming out here?”
Adam strode over, worry filling his gaze.
“Who is Reg?” she asked.
“Um, my brother always hated using that name,” the young man said.
She slapped her forehead. “Oh, you meant Jackson.”
“Yeah, Jackson. I’m Randy, his little brother.”
She shook Randy’s hand then stepped back. “Come in.”
“I told him I needed a break from dad. He’s been bugging the shit out of me. I can’t take it anymore.”
Worry filled her. What would this mean if Hardy showed up? She’d not been expecting Randy and confusion had filled her at first, now she worried Randy would say something to get them in trouble.
“Would you like anything to drink?”
Randy grimaced. “Could I use your restroom first?”
“Sure, it’s this way.”
Once he was in the bathroom, she spun to find Adam’s brows pinched tight. He had his burner out, typing in a text.
“Did you know?” she whispered when she was close.
He shook his head. “No, not at all.”
His phone buzzed, and she glanced at the text from Jackson. Sorry, I forgot. We’ve been busy.
Randy stepped out of the bathroom, and she turned, hoping she didn’t look annoyed. “Come on into the kitchen, and we can get you something to drink.”
“I thought for sure Reg would have told you I was coming.”
“We’ve had a little stress lately,” Adam said.
Randy took a seat at the table while she poured tea and grabbed the cookies she’d made earlier, pushing a plate in front of him.
“So Adam, I need to thank you for—”
Adam held up his hand. “Stop right there. Seriously, never mention that.”
“But we’re at your home, isn’t this a safe place to talk about it?”
Kelsey shook her head. “No, no place is safe.”
He jerked his head back and blinked at her, making her suspect he thought she was crazy. It was too complicated to explain. They’d been through so much, and now Hardy was threatening to come back and inspect them.
“Listen, I just—”
A loud knock on the door interrupted her. She looked up, panic filling her face.
“Shit,” Adam said.
“What is that?” Randy asked.
“Probably the FBI,” Kelsey said.
Randy stood, worry making lines on his otherwise smooth forehead. “Why would they be coming out here?”
“They have a thing for Adam and me.”
Randy went with Adam to the door while she stayed in the kitchen. She stilled so she could hear what was going on. The sound of the door swinging open made her heart drop.
“Mr. Whitney, here’s a warrant to search your house. Step aside.”
It was Hardy. Thank God Marissa had warned them. Their computers were in the storm shelter where she and Adam hid the night of the storm. No one would ever think to look there.
She couldn’t hide in the kitchen any longer, so she stepped into the den, seeing Hardy in all his smugness. The urge to slap him grew, but she wouldn’t assault him.
“Ah, there she is. I hope you enjoy confined spaces because you’re going to prison, and not here, but in Algeria. Their prisons are barbaric.”
“Agent Hardy, how unpleasant to see you. I thought you had decided we weren’t involved in whatever scheme you’ve tried to pin on us.”
His gaze flicked to Randy, and he sneered. “So the asshole sent his brother.”
“He didn’t send me anywhere,” Randy said. “I came here to get some healing after being abducted.”
Hardy barked out a laugh. “Like you expect me to think that wasn’t staged. There is no way you were actually abducted.”
Adam looked like he was about to say something when she stepped closer to him and put her arm around his waist. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. We didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You did everything w
rong, and I’ll prove it,” Hardy stalked off, going from room to room.
Kelsey took a seat in the den, watching as the men went through her things. Two hours later, most of the men had left with nothing in their hands. Hardy looked pissed, and he snarled at her when she shot him a smile.
“Your computers, where are they.”
She glanced at her grandfather’s old roll-top desk she’d shoved her laptop into. “What do you want my computer for?”
“You’re hiding something, and I’m going to have tech go over it. They’ll find what they are looking for.”
“Okay, but I want it back after you’re done.”
“Ha, you’ll be in jail.”
“You have no evidence. I won’t be anywhere but here.”
“We’ll see about that. I’ll investigate your supposed abduction too. I doubt you were taken anywhere you didn’t want to go, Mr. Jackson.” Hardy stalked out, slamming the door behind him.
She moved to the window and watched as they disappeared. Randy looked like he was about to say something, so she put her hand on his mouth and shook her head. Adam pulled the new bug detector they’d purchased from where he’d been hiding it in the waistband of his pants. The second he turned it on, the thing went off. Randy lifted his brows and shook his head.
“Wow,” he whispered.
“I’ll start with this one,” Adam said.
“I’ll get the old one and let Randy start in the kitchen then work his way around the house. With the two of you going at it, we should find all the devices.”
Randy looked from her to Adam. “Did they really do that? Did the FBI really come here and try to intimidate you and me?”
“Yes, they really did.” Kelsey only hoped her cryptographic erasure worked and the new platform she’d uploaded fooled them. They needed a new way to operate. She had more than just herself and Adam to think about. The baby growing inside her belly was at risk, and that scared the crap out of her. She had to be better at hiding everything if they wanted to continue to operate.
25
Jackson watched Marissa from afar. He’d found her coming out of FBI Headquarters at close to eight in the evening and followed her. He’d worried about her seeing him. Lucky for him that hadn’t happened. Now he knew where she was living.