by Paula Graves
“You’re right. We’re lucky they haven’t tracked us already.”
“If we’d stayed in a normal motel room, management might well have asked for our license plate number when we registered.” Risa finished the last of her crackers and downed the rest of the Sprite he’d bought.
“That’s why I went for a place where nobody would ask any questions.”
“Do you think Quinn has figured out we’re not at the safe house yet?”
“Probably,” Connor conceded. “Someone will have noticed that the GPS tracker was disabled. We didn’t put it in a plastic bag the way we did with the rogue tracker. The next step is to check the safe house.”
“So they must know we’ve gone.”
He nodded. “If we ditch the Tahoe, how are we going to get around? I don’t want to steal a car, and we don’t have enough money to buy one, even a piece-of-garbage car.”
She bit her lip, thinking. She wasn’t nearly as certain as Connor that Alexander Quinn was playing things straight with them, but Connor was right about one thing—if they wanted to have the mobility to stay on the run, they needed transportation. And she wasn’t any more inclined to grand theft auto than he was.
“Who do you trust the most at Campbell Cove Security?” she asked him.
“Heller,” he answered immediately.
“Any way to get in touch with him without anyone else at Spear knowing about it?”
He gave it a moment’s thought before he smiled. “As a matter of fact, yes.”
* * *
TEN MINUTES LATER, they stood outside a small gas station on the main road, huddling together against the frigid cold and praying that the pay phone hanging on the front of the attached food mart was in service.
Connor breathed a sigh of relief at the dial tone. He punched in the number jotted in his address book and waited for a response. “Please answer,” he muttered.
Next to him, Risa edged closer, as if seeking his warmth. He put his arm around her shoulders, tugging her closer.
On the fourth ring, as he was starting to lose hope, a woman’s voice replied, “Hello?”
“Iris, it’s Connor McGinnis. I need to talk to Maddox. Is he with you?”
A moment later, Maddox’s gravelly drawl answered. “Where the hell are you, Connor?”
“We had to run. Someone put a tracker on the SUV—besides the Campbell Cove Security tracker. Whoever it was tried to get his hands on Risa last night at a place we stopped. We didn’t think it was smart to return to the safe house.”
“Good call,” Maddox said. “Why’d you call Iris’s number?”
“We don’t know who might be trying to find us or how they’re doing it. I didn’t think it would be wise to call a company-connected phone, but I hoped I might catch you with Iris.”
“You lucked out. What do you need?”
Connor glanced at Risa. They had discussed what they’d ask for on the way to find a pay phone, but now that it was time to make their demands, he was beginning to wonder if they weren’t being a little too paranoid.
“Connor?” Maddox asked.
“I’m here,” he said, looking at Risa. He covered the mouthpiece of the phone. “Are you sure this is how you want to do it?”
She nodded.
“We need a car that can’t be connected to Campbell Cove Security. And I don’t want Quinn to know I contacted you. Can you do that?”
Maddox was quiet for a moment. “Yeah. I can do that. But I want to see you. I need to talk to you face-to-face. Do you trust me to do that?”
“He wants to meet with us,” Connor told Risa.
Her brow furrowed, but after a moment, she nodded. “Tell him not to use a vehicle that could be easily connected to him.”
Connor relayed the request.
“I’ll make it happen,” Maddox agreed. “Where and when?”
Connor thought fast. “You know that sandwich shop next to the dollar store in Cumberland? Think you can get there by lunchtime?”
“It’ll be cutting it close, but yeah. I should be able to.”
“See you at twelve thirty.” Connor hung up the phone and looked at Risa. “We’re set.”
She looked tense. “You think I’m paranoid.”
“Maybe a little. But we have to keep you and the munchkin safe, don’t we?”
She rubbed her stomach. “So what do we do while we’re waiting?”
“There’s a public library in Cumberland. Why don’t we see if we can find a free internet connection?”
* * *
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY was doing a brisk business that Saturday morning, mostly parents with young children who were there for a special reading of Clement Moore’s famous poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” They passed the group of rapt children listening to the tale of the night before Christmas on their way to the computer terminals.
“We’ll be reading that poem to Junior next Christmas,” Connor murmured.
Risa slanted a glance at him, noting the faint look of amazement in his blue eyes and wondering if he realized he’d used the word we. Deciding not to push, she followed him to the computer area, where they found that three of the terminals were open. He went to the one that was the farthest away from other library patrons and pulled up a second chair for Risa.
“Okay, what should we look for first?” he asked.
“I can’t stop thinking about the project I was supposed to report on before the plane crash, ever since we discussed it last night.” She pulled up a search engine and typed in the name of the upstart company.
The first hit came as a shock. “Agri-Tech Entrepreneurs Killed in IED Attack.”
“Oh. That’s not good,” Connor murmured.
She clicked the link, which took her to an English-language paper from Qatar, which reported the death of the two Kaziri businessmen, the owners of the agricultural start-up called Akwat, which loosely translated to “sustenance” in Kaziri. The date of the article was the day after the plane crash.
“Why didn’t Dal tell me about this?” Risa wondered.
“I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t think there was a connection?”
“The day after the plane crash? Isn’t that a bit too much of a coincidence?”
Connor frowned. “Maybe not.”
She searched deeper in the article for more details. The attack had actually happened the same day as the plane crash, a few hours after the first report of the crash. “It’s almost like they waited to be sure I was dead before they struck the agri-tech business.”
“But why? Why try to kill all of you?”
“I don’t know!” Her voice rose higher than she intended, and a nearby patron gave her a disapproving look. She quickly lowered her voice. “I think we need to get out of here, in case somebody is tracking web searches about Akwat.”
“You really think that’s possible?”
“It’s absolutely possible, if someone has access to national-security internet resources.”
Connor lowered his voice to a whisper. “You’re talking about someone inside our own government.”
“Or China’s or Russia’s or any number of countries in Europe.” She glanced around her, making sure nobody was watching them. “Or hackers, for that matter, if someone was paying them for the information.”
“But why? Why would anyone care about an agri-tech start-up business in Kaziristan?”
“Why did anyone want me dead? I don’t know. But I need to find out.” She rose from her chair and started to reach for the straps of her backpack. Connor beat her to it, swinging the heavy pack over his shoulder.
They made their way back through the library, trying to blend in with the rest of the patrons. They emerged into bright sunlight and a hint of warmth that took the edge off th
e cold breeze flapping the American flag hanging on a pole outside the library. It was already noon, close to the time they were supposed to meet Maddox Heller at the sandwich shop.
Inside the Tahoe, Connor turned to look at her, his gaze intense. “Whatever this is you’re up against, I’m in it with you. You know that, don’t you? What I said to you last night—it doesn’t change that fact. We’re going to figure this out together. We’re going to get your life back for you.”
She held his gaze, afraid to read too much into what he was saying, especially since he’d said your life instead of our life. But she found his words heartening anyway. “Okay.”
“And then we’ll have the time and space to figure out what happens next.” He softened his words by reaching out to touch her face, his callused fingers deliciously rough against her cheek.
She closed her fingers over his. I know what I want already, she thought, intensely aware of the quivering sensation of the child wriggling in her womb. I want us to be a family.
* * *
BY HABIT, CONNOR sat with his back to the wall, facing the door of the sandwich shop, acutely aware of the store’s glass-front facade. It wasn’t the most secure of meeting places to have chosen, but at least nobody else in the shop seemed to think there was anything amiss about the man and pregnant woman sitting alone at a table for four. They had gone through the buffet line to select their sandwiches—beef and Swiss with tomatoes and peppers for Connor, and chicken salad with spinach and tomatoes for Risa. They had barely unwrapped their sandwiches before Maddox Heller and his wife, Iris, entered the sandwich shop.
Maddox spotted them and gave a wave before he and Iris went through the line for their own sandwiches. Carrying their trays, they joined Connor and Risa at the table.
“Did you know there’s a tree in the back of the Tahoe?” Maddox sat across from Connor with a grin that carved deep dimples in his lean cheeks. He’d been a favorite with the female embassy employees during his time with the Marine Security Guards, and he’d not been afraid to take advantage of that popularity during his off hours.
But Maddox was clearly smitten with his pretty brunette wife, Iris, a slim woman with eyes the color of pecan hulls, an odd hue somewhere between brown and gray.
She smiled across the table at Connor before turning her attention to Risa. “Welcome back from the dead.”
“Thank you.” Risa managed a smile in return before turning her attention to Maddox and his opening statement. “Yes, we’re aware we have a tree in the SUV. It’s Christmas.”
Connor quickly caught them up on the details of what had happened to them the night before. “We don’t think we’re safe in the Tahoe. They have our tag number and the make and model of the vehicle.”
“Yeah, I can see how you’d be worried.” Maddox leaned closer across the table, lowering his voice. “We drove here in a Dodge Durango. Rented by my brother-in-law, and there shouldn’t be any easy way to connect it to you. He just asks that you don’t do anything crazy in it.”
“I’m not sure it’s safe for you two if you’re in the Tahoe, either.”
“No worries. We’ve already called to have the Tahoe towed back to the office. We’ve also booked a week at one of the lodges near Sunset Mountain, in the names of Daniel and Rose Hartman. You roughly match their descriptions. Well, except for...” Iris waved at Risa’s pregnant belly. “They’re waiting for us at the lodge. You’ll drop us off and they’ll drive us back home. Then you stay in the lodge in their names.”
“The lodge has free Wi-Fi, so you can get online if you need to do any research. And here.” Maddox reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone, which he slid across the table to Connor. “No trackers, no connection to Campbell Cove Security or anyone else. Daniel bought it earlier this morning. It’s got an app that lets you change your phone number as often as you like, so if you have to make calls, use the app and keep switching out the numbers. That will make you very hard to track.”
So far, they hadn’t told Maddox about their suspicions regarding the agri-tech firm Risa had been vetting shortly before the plane crash. Connor glanced at Risa and saw the wariness in her hazel eyes. He decided to let her make the decision about what else to tell Maddox.
Apparently she decided to keep those facts to herself for the time being, for she remained quiet through lunch and made only small talk as they exited the sandwich shop into the warming afternoon sunlight.
“Since y’all will be at the lodge through New Year’s Eve, if everything goes well, why don’t we put the tree on top of the Durango?” Iris suggested. “Most people who stay in the lodges at this time of year are there celebrating the holidays, so it’ll add a touch of authenticity.”
Connor looked at Risa. Looking genuinely pleased by the idea, she gave a quick nod. “Good idea,” he told Iris, and he and Maddox got to work transferring the tree to the Durango’s roof rack, while Iris helped Risa pack the rest of their supplies in the back.
“We packed some clothes for y’all,” Maddox told Connor when they had finished transferring everything to the Durango.
“I had some maternity clothes left over from my last pregnancy,” Iris told Risa. “I’m a little taller than you, but I think they’ll fit well enough.”
Risa looked up at Connor, her eyes shiny with emotion. She turned back to Maddox and Iris. “I don’t know how to thank y’all for everything.”
“You’ll probably get a chance to return the favor sooner or later, if I know my husband and his history of attracting trouble,” Iris said, flashing her husband a look of exasperated affection.
“Here’s the wrecker,” Maddox said, nodding toward the large tow truck that pulled into the sandwich shop parking lot. While Maddox and Iris took charge of getting the Tahoe loaded onto the tow truck’s flatbed, Connor helped Risa into the front passenger seat of the Durango, then took his place behind the steering wheel.
“Maybe this will buy us enough time to figure out what’s really going on,” he murmured.
“Maybe.” Risa leaned her head against the back of the seat. “I feel as if I’m standing in the middle of a highway with no way to escape. Vehicles flying toward me in both directions, and I don’t know which way to turn.”
He reached over and took her hand, bringing her knuckles to his lips. He gave them a quick brush of a kiss. “You’re not alone in this. We’ll figure it out. I promise.”
She turned her gaze to meet his, giving his hand a light squeeze. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Come on, Risa, have a little faith in me.”
The look she gave him was sharp and intense. “I do. I made a big mistake not telling you everything that was happening. I won’t make that mistake again.”
He wanted to believe her. More than anything in the world.
Iris and Maddox climbed into the backseat of the Durango, snapping the sudden tension that filled the SUV’s quiet interior. “All taken care of. You know how to get to the lodges?”
Connor gave a nod, and they were quickly on the road.
“Listen, there’s something you need to know.” Maddox broke the comfortable silence that had fallen inside the SUV as they neared the turnoff to Sunset Mountain. “Farid Rahimi is one of ours.”
Risa turned around to look at him. “What?”
“Rahimi is one of ours. Working for Campbell Cove Security undercover.”
“Since when?” Connor asked, glancing at Maddox’s reflection in the Durango’s rearview mirror.
“Since the beginning of the company, it seems. He’s former CIA. Worked with Quinn for a while at the consulate in Mariposa, under a different name—Malcolm Faris. He’s not even Kaziri. He’s Iranian. But he spent several years in Kaziristan with Central Intelligence, so...”
Risa shook her head. “Unbelievable. What did Quinn task him to do, act like
a complete ass?”
“More or less. He wanted someone in a position to know who’s got the power in the Kaziri community in Cincinnati. So they set up the identity of Farid Rahimi and let him play the role from there. He quickly picked up the fact that The Jewel of Tablis was becoming the center of the community, so he and Quinn manufactured him a background and résumé that made him perfect for the management job.”
“Did he know who I was?”
“No. Quinn didn’t tell him, and apparently you look different enough from your official photos from your previous cover jobs that nobody made the connection.”
“Thank God for that,” Connor murmured.
“I don’t know if it matters now, knowing the truth about Rahimi. But I thought you had the right to know.”
The large wooden sign proclaiming that they’d reached the entrance to Sunset Lodges appeared as they took a sharp curve into a straightaway. Connor slowed the Durango and made the turn through the entrance gates.
“Your cabin is the Big Bear,” Maddox told them as they neared the lodge office. He nodded toward a dark blue sedan parked in a space at the side of the building. “That’s Daniel and Rose. No need to stop and chat—just drop us off here and keep going.”
Connor slowed to a stop to let Maddox and Iris get out of the Durango. He met Maddox’s gaze. “Thank you for everything.”
“Be safe.” Maddox joined his wife and headed for the parked sedan.
Connor drove on, up the gravel-paved road marked “Big Bear Cabin.” The road wound up the mountain, ending at a two-story chalet-style cabin nestled in the woods.
“Beats the hell out of the Rest Stop Motor Lodge,” Risa said.
With a fervent nod of agreement, Connor parked the Durango and started unloading their things.
Chapter Thirteen
The Christmas tree filled most of the large picture window that, during daylight, offered a splendid view of the fog-veiled Appalachian Mountains spreading east into Virginia. The homemade ornaments and garland went well with the open-beam walls and ceiling of the cabin, Risa decided, and made herself stop wishing they’d been able to purchase twinkling lights to complete the festive picture.