by Tawny Weber
“I’m her sister.” Jessie turned to Nicole. “Tell her!”
“I don’t want you involved, Jessie.”
“It’s too late for that. I am involved.”
“Look,” Cooper said, “we don’t have time for this. If I got in here, those men out there are going to find a way in, too. And they’re not going to offer any options, nor will they be too picky about who they hurt.”
Nicole glared at him. “I had everything under control. You led them here.”
“These guys are pros,” Cooper said. “They would have found you, anyway. The only difference is you would have been on your own if we hadn’t gotten here first. Now, are you coming or not?”
Nicole hesitated, glancing from him to Jessie.
Jessie closed the distance between them and took her sister’s hands. “You’ll put everyone here in danger by staying. Trust me. We have to go.”
Nicole threw one more glance at the nun who had spoken, then closed her eyes briefly and nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Cooper turned to the nun. “We need a car.” He reached into his pockets and handed her his keys. “There’s a brand-new van parked out front. It’s all yours.”
The nun hesitated a second longer and looked at Nicole. “Are you sure?”
Nicole nodded. “The men who are looking for me . . . I can’t put you all at risk.”
“Okay then,” she said, glowering at Cooper. “This way.”
She led them toward the back of the house. In the kitchen, she took a key off a hook near the door and handed it to Cooper. “It’s the old station wagon parked in the alley out the back gate. It’s not much, but it runs.”
“That’s all we need.” Pulling his gun from under his jacket, he glanced outside. “And Sister, I suggest you call the police.”
“They’re already on their way.”
He glanced back at her and let out a short laugh. “Yeah, I bet they are.” With that, he inched out the door and crouched near the bushes that flanked either side.
The yard looked clear.
Motioning toward Jessie, he said, “Stay close.”
Jessie and Nicole followed him across the yard to another iron gate in the back wall. Fortunately, dusk had turned to full night, offering them some cover. At the gate, he stopped, glancing around again before opening it and motioning for Nicole and Jessie to wait. Stepping outside, he pressed himself against the wall and scanned the alley.
Again, nothing.
“Okay,” he whispered, and Jessie led Nicole into the alley. He motioned toward the car. “Get in the back and lay down.”
Jessie nodded, and Cooper carefully closed the gate behind her. He waited until they were safely in the car, then with one final look, started toward the car. Then he stopped abruptly as something hard and deadly was pressed into the small of his back.
“Game’s up, Cooper. And you lose.”
Chapter 12
“Lose the weapon,” Hal Framen snarled.
Cooper dropped his gun and lifted his hands. “Congratulations. I see the boys in blue got here in record time.”
“Oh, we’re here all right. Only you aren’t going to live long enough to tell about it.”
“I’m not dead yet.”
Framen pressed the muzzle of his gun a little harder against Cooper’s back. “We could remedy that real quick now, couldn’t we?”
“You know, Framen, I always figured you were worthless. I just never figured you for stupid as well. So, are you working for Whitlock or what?”
“Shut up. And tell the women to get out of the car.”
“Why should I?”
“Because this is a .357 Magnum against the base of your spine, and I’ve got no qualms about using it.”
Cooper shrugged. “You’re gonna kill me anyway.”
“Yeah, but I know how guys like you think. As long as you’re alive, you’ve still got a chance to be a hero. Now tell them to get out of the car.”
Suddenly, the iron gate groaned.
Cooper felt the slight release of pressure as Framen swiveled toward the noise. It was all Cooper needed. A quick half step forward and he swung around, grabbed Framen’s wrist and slammed it against the wall, knocking the gun free. Framen went for his throat, but Cooper was quicker, using his weight to shove the cop’s body against the wall. His head connected with the hard concrete, once, twice. Then he slumped forward, unconscious, and Cooper stepped back, letting him slide to the ground.
Only then did Cooper look over to see the small nun who’d given him hell inside standing on the other side of the open gate.
“Never did care much for bullies,” she said.
Cooper shook his head and smiled. “I owe you, Sister. Now get back inside and lock up before this guy comes around.” Grabbing Framen’s gun, he jumped into the car. “Stay down and hang on,” he said to Jessie and Nicole. “It’s gonna be a rough ride.”
The old V-8 engine roared to life, and Cooper said a prayer of thanks. Then the car sputtered and choked, and he realized he’d spoken too soon. They would be lucky if the old rattletrap made it more than a couple of miles. And it sure as hell wasn’t going to outrun or outmaneuver the men who’d be on their tail any minute. He had to hope that Framen was the only one assigned to case the back of the shelter. Otherwise, this was going to be a very short ride.
Leaving the lights off, Cooper slipped the car into gear and headed for the end of the alley. As he reached the street, he heard sirens in the distance. He silently thanked the vigilant little barracuda of a nun. Cops swarming all over the place might create enough of a diversion for him to get Nicole and Jessie away unnoticed.
That is, if he hadn’t just used his last piece of luck.
Jessie hated riding blind.
Lying flat across the backseat with Nicole crouched on the floor next to her, Jessie fought the urge to sit up and see what was happening. But after a few rough turns with the engine whining and the tires squealing, she decided ignorance was bliss. If they all died inside this hunk of steel, at least she wouldn’t see it coming.
Just then, Cooper stopped hard, knocking both women against the back of the front seat.
“You okay?” he called.
Jessie couldn’t stand it any longer. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing more than a little maneuvering.”
“Are they following us?”
“Not this time.”
“Who is this guy?” Nicole whispered.
“Sam Cooper.”
Nicole started to ask another question, but Jessie cut her off. Now wasn’t the time to go into a long explanation about how she’d found Cooper. There would be time for that later. If he got them out of this alive. “It’s a long story,” she said. “But we can trust him.”
Nicole looked doubtful, and Jessie couldn’t blame her. Since they had forced their way into the shelter, things had gone from bad to worse. And now Jessie and Nicole were crammed into the back seat of a twenty-year-old car, racing through the streets of Miami, with no idea where they were headed.
“Okay,” Cooper said a few minutes later. “I think we’re clear now.”
Jessie sat up and started to help her sister off the floor.
“I can manage,” Nicole said.
Jessie pulled back, stung by the terse words. Nicole had changed, but not in the ways Jessie had been led to expect. Nicole seemed not only determined to do things for herself but angry at her offers of help.
Suddenly, Jessie realized she didn’t recognize their surroundings. “Where are we going?”
“The airport,” Cooper answered. “We’re going to get rid of this car and grab a cab.”
“A cab? Are you nuts?” Nicole said. “Those men back there are trying to kill us.”
Cooper threw a dark glance over the seat. “In case you didn’t notice, Mrs. Whitlock, I just had a .357 Magnum shoved against my spine. I got the idea.”
Nicole paled, and Jessie grabbed her hand.
“He know
s what he’s doing,” she said, wondering who she was trying to convince—Nicole or herself.
They made it to the airport without incident, and the transfer went smoothly. They left the station wagon in the long-term parking lot and hiked over to the terminal building.
“If they find the car,” Cooper explained, “they’ll think we flew out. It might buy us a little time.”
“Why don’t we do that?” Nicole asked. “Take a flight and get out of Florida?”
“And have them waiting for us on the other end?” Cooper shook his head. “These guys are pros. The minute we use a credit card, it’s all over.”
They climbed into a cab, and Cooper told the driver to head north. None of them spoke as they left the airport behind.
Exhausted, Jessie closed her eyes and settled back against the hard vinyl seat. She was so grateful to have Nicole sitting beside her. There had been times over the last few weeks when she’d wondered if she would ever see Nicole again. Yet Jessie questioned whether she’d done the right thing. Nicole had been safe until Jessie and Cooper had led those men to the shelter. Now it was anyone’s guess what would happen next.
When the cab stopped, Jessie opened her eyes and realized she must have dozed. She climbed out of the car, and the tangy scent of the ocean hit her squarely in the face.
Cooper had taken them to the Fort Lauderdale strip.
A string of shops, small hotels, bars and restaurants, the strip ran along A1A directly across from the public beach. Day or night, the crowds moved up and down the concrete sidewalk. The local youth came to see and be seen, the tourists to take in the native color. Jessie had discovered it the first evening she’d arrived in town, and like every other nonresident, she’d let herself be swept along in the tide of bodies.
This time, they fell into the crowds with a purpose, Jessie and Nicole following as Cooper led them south. As they reached the end of the strip, he kept going and the crowds thinned. Not until a marina loomed dark and threatening in front of them, did he slow down, and Jessie froze in her tracks.
“No,” she said.
Cooper turned and took the few steps back to her. “I’m sorry, Jess.” His voice was gentler than she would have expected. “There’s no other way.”
She searched his face, but in the darkness, she couldn’t read his expression. “There has to be.”
He touched her cheek briefly and then settled his hands on her shoulders—as if afraid she’d bolt. “Victoria has arranged another safe house for us . . . in West Palm. That’s a good fifty miles north of here.”
“Can’t we call someone to pick us up or something?” She struggled with her panic. “The police or Victoria? Another cab? Someone?”
He tightened his hold on her shoulders. “That was a cop threatening to put a hole in me back there. I don’t know who we can trust. As for Victoria and her people, our friends are keeping too close a watch. Otherwise, they never would have tracked us to the shelter.” Urgency edged his voice, but there was patience and understanding as well. “Jessie, we need to get up to West Palm on our own. Undetected. And the only way we’ll make it is by water.”
She wanted desperately to say yes, to be strong. “I don’t know if I can.”
He slipped his hands up to cradle her face and brought his mouth down to gently brush hers. “I do,” he whispered against her lips. “You can do this, Jessie. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever known.”
It was a lie, but it didn’t matter. She felt his strength seep into her with his touch, propping her up, giving her courage that she hadn’t possessed a moment ago. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll try.”
He smiled, a soft, heart-stopping smile, and kissed her again. Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and nodded toward Nicole. Jessie caught the look on her sister’s face and knew they had added another question to the dozens they would already have to answer later.
Instead of heading straight for the boat, Cooper led them to a small, one-room shack at the center of the marina. One hard kick to the locked door and it sprang open.
Motioning Jessie and Nicole inside, he said, “Wait here and stay out of sight.” Pulling a dollar bill out of his pocket, he pressed it into Jessie’s hand. “If I’m not back in fifteen minutes, head to the strip and call the number written on that bill.”
“Where are you going?” She didn’t want to let him out of her sight.
Again he touched her cheek. “I’ll be back, Jess. Trust me.” Then he was gone, leaving Jessie and Nicole alone in the dark room, with only the soft whisper of water brushing against the pilings to break the silence. Jessie moved closer to Nicole and reached for her hand. This time Nicole let her take it.
It seemed longer than fifteen minutes when suddenly he reappeared in the doorway. “Let’s go,” he said without preamble or explanation.
“Cooper,” Jessie whispered, realizing how frightened she’d been that he wouldn’t return. “Where have—”
He held up a hand to cut her off. “Later, Jess.”
She bit back her automatic demand for an explanation. He was right, now wasn’t the time. So without another word, she and Nicole followed him outside. They moved quickly, winding their way ever deeper through the labyrinth of wooden docks and water. Finally, he stopped in front of a long, open boat that looked nothing like his graceful sailboat.
“We’d be sitting ducks on the Freedom Chaser,” he said, answering her unspoken question. “This belongs to a friend.” He nodded toward the boat in front of them. “She’s built for speed.”
He dropped down onto the deck and swiveled back to hold his hand up to her. “Come on, Jess.”
She looked at him and then at her sister. Nicole nodded, and Jessie turned back to Cooper. She did trust him. And she could do this. Taking his hand, she let him help her down.
“You okay?” he asked.
All she could manage was a nod, but it was enough. He released her and helped Nicole.
“Okay,” he said as he began readying the boat. “The best place for you two is in the back.” He motioned toward a long cushioned seat that extended across the rear of the boat.
Jessie and Nicole took their seats, and as the engines rumbled to life beneath them, Jessie waited for the rush of fear to engulf her. Instead, a low thrum of excitement worked its way past the tight knot in her stomach. It was Cooper’s doing, she realized. Being with him had changed her in some elemental way. He gave her strength. And courage.
As he eased the boat away from the dock, she kept her eyes on him. Nicole took her hand, and Jessie smiled tightly. She was going to be okay. They left the lights of the marina behind and slipped into the darkness of the Intracoastal Waterway. Still, Cooper took it slow, moving through the dark water without creating a wake. He headed south for a few minutes, under a bridge and toward a wide stretch of water, then turned east toward a break in the land with the open ocean beyond.
“The cut’s going to be a little rough,” he called back.
She barely heard him. The sight of the open ocean pulled at her, just as it had the night before. For the first time since the day her father had rammed another boat, killing himself and his young wife, Jessie wanted to experience a broad expanse of water beneath her and feel the brush of wind against her face. She’d once loved the water.
Except, Cooper had been right.
The water grew choppy, and Jessie struggled with a fresh rush of fear. But she kept her eyes on Cooper, on his wide shoulders and his steady handling of the controls, and she got through it. Before she realized it, the water had calmed, and he nosed the boat north. Then he turned and once again called over his shoulder.
“Hold on,” he said. “I’m going to open her up.”
Jessie nodded and gripped Nicole’s hand.
It took them several hours to get to the safe house.
The run up the coast was quick and easy, but when Cooper eased up to the dock of a small canal-side bar in West Palm Beach, he ran out of luck. He’d been pulling in fav
ors all night, and had counted on one more friend who owed him to be tending bar. Cooper had planned to slip the guy a few dollars for cab fare in exchange for the use of his car.
It was his friend’s night off.
They ended up taking cabs from one night spot to another, working their way west, until they were within a couple miles of the house. They walked the last stretch in a light drizzle.
Jessie and her sister had held up surprisingly well throughout the whole ordeal. Actually, he’d known Jessie would do anything to get her sister to safety—even face her biggest fear. It was Nicole who had surprised him. Everything he’d learned about her had led him to expect a prima donna and party girl, but she hadn’t lagged behind or spoken a word of complaint since she’d suggested they take a flight out of Miami.
It seemed Jessie wasn’t the only strong one in her family.
The safe house, at least, was ready for them. As Cooper checked it out, Jessie and Nicole went in search of dry towels and blankets. By the time he returned to the living room, confident that the house was secure—at least for the night—the smell of coffee filled the air. In the kitchen, he found Jessie filling three mugs. He claimed his, and she carried the other two into the living room, handing one to her sister.
Cooper sat on the chair across from Nicole. “How are you feeling?”
Nicole took a sip of the coffee and nodded. “Better. Thank you.”
“Are you ready to tell us what’s going on?” he asked.
She looked surprised. “You don’t know?”
Jessie sat next to her sister. “Nicki, all we know is that it has something to do with Robert.”
Nicole sighed and put down her cup. “Robert’s involved,” she said. “But he wouldn’t hurt me. I know he wouldn’t. But the others . . .” She shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around her.
Jessie slipped an arm around her shoulders.
“What others?” Cooper asked.
“About a month ago, I discovered that Robert belonged to a secret organization that call themselves The Regimen. The group is made up of men and women who believe that our legal system is no longer working.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and looked at Cooper. “They’ve made themselves the law.”