Protective Custody

by Debra Webb

  Nicole slammed her cup down on the counter, coffee sloshing over the rim. “No way,” she shot back. “You promised you wouldn’t do this, Ian.” Disappointment and hurt claimed her features. “I won’t let you leave me out. We’ve been over and over this, until I’m sick of it. I’m not going to change my mind. Just forget it.”

  “I promised you that I wouldn’t leave you out of the loop,” Ian said evenly. “I didn’t say you would be going with me to meet Daniels.”

  Nicole shook her head adamantly. “Don’t even think about it,” she warned.

  Ian closed the distance between them with slow, determined steps designed to intimidate. “You do realize that Daniels intends to kill you? You know too much, and you’re still connected to the bureau. He won’t allow you to walk away from this, Nicole.”

  She squared her shoulders. “I’ll take my chances the same as you.”

  The doorbell sounded. She whirled toward the sound. She glared at Ian then, as if she knew full well who was at the door. Ian summoned the resolve it would take to do what had to be done. He strode to the front door, Nicole right behind him. This wasn’t going to be easy. He had known it wouldn’t be. After checking the viewfinder, Ian opened the door.

  “Morning, Ian.” Ethan sauntered into the entry hall and kicked the door closed behind him. He placed two rectangular cases on the floor. “Is that coffee I smell?”

  Ethan looked nothing like the typical Colby Agency investigator. Ian doubted Victoria would tolerate the look from anyone else. His long brown hair was tied back with a thong. His jeans and shirt were worn, his boots scuffed.

  But Ethan Delaney was one of a kind, and very, very good at surveillance. And there wasn’t a better marksman alive.

  Ian nodded his greeting. “Ethan Delaney, this is Nicole Reed.”

  An appreciative smile slid across Ethan’s face as he offered Nicole his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Reed. A real pleasure.”

  Nicole glared first at Ethan’s hand, then at Ian. “Tell him to leave,” she ground out, her eyes shooting enough sparks to burn the place down.

  “You’re prepared to die today, then?” Ian asked tersely. Irritation churned inside him. Why the hell wouldn’t she listen to reason? “Because if you go with me today, that’s what might very well happen.”

  “And I’m the only one?” she demanded. “You think Daniels is really going to give up half of what he’s worked so hard for? That he’ll follow through with this so-called deal? You can take the chance, but not me?”

  “I’m willing to risk my life.” Ian felt that muscle in his jaw begin to flex rhythmically. “But I’m not willing to risk yours.”

  Nicole huffed a breath of frustration and shook her head. “How heroic of you, Ian.” She planted her hands firmly at her waist. “But this is my case and it’s my decision. You’re not going without me.” She glanced at Ethan. “And don’t think your friend here is going to stop me.”

  Ethan held up both hands, palms out. “Hey, lady, I heard all about what you did to Martinez.” He grinned. “Believe me, I’m on your side.”

  Ian had known this was the way it would play out. Nicole was too damned stubborn for her own good. But he had to try. “All right,” he relented. “But don’t make one move—don’t even breathe—unless I tell you to.”

  “I’ll need a weapon,” was her only reply.

  Ian turned his attention to Ethan. “You have what we need?”

  “Absolutely.” Ethan picked up the two cases and looked to Ian for direction.

  “This way,” Ian told him, then led the way to the dining room.

  Ethan set the cases on the dining table but opened only one. “Your weapon of choice, I believe,” he said as he offered Nicole a Beretta nine-millimeter.

  She tested the weapon’s weight, then checked the clip. “Thank you, Mr. Delaney. I always feel naked when I’m unarmed.”

  Ethan made a sound of approval in his throat. “I can definitely imagine that.”

  Ian shot him a warning look.

  “You knew I wouldn’t agree to staying behind,” Nicole said, drawing Ian’s attention back to her. “That’s why you had him bring me a weapon.”

  “The thought did cross my mind.”

  Ethan slapped two fresh clips in Ian’s hand. “You’re a lucky man, Michaels.”

  “You think so?” Ian countered. He put a fresh clip into his weapon and pocketed the other. “She’s determined to get herself killed, and maybe me as well, and you call that lucky?”

  “Well now, that’s why I’m here, isn’t it?” Ethan pointed out good-naturedly. “The best plan is the one with good backup.” He opened the second case, which held a disassembled high-powered rifle and related accessories.

  “Well said,” Ian agreed. If he couldn’t keep Nicole out of the picture, at least he could make sure she was well covered from the best possible angles.

  “I don’t know about this,” she said uncertainly. “If Daniels gets wind of a third party—”

  Ian leveled his gaze on hers. “Daniels will never know Ethan is there.”

  NICOLE STUDIED Ian’s handsome profile as they drove to the rendezvous point. She wanted to commit each detail to memory, so she could call upon it during all those long, lonely nights that lay ahead of her. She would remember every moment they had shared. And she would love him for the rest of her life. She prayed that she would somehow be able to protect Ian as this sting played out. If Daniels hurt him…

  Nicole couldn’t bear that thought. She had to do whatever it took to keep him safe. The agreed-upon meeting place was at an old rock quarry with nothing but trees around it. That would provide plenty of cover for Ethan. Daniels had been outraged when Ian would not allow him to pick the rendezvous location. But when Ian refused to budge on the point, Daniels caved. Another indication of his proximity to the edge. Nicole hoped like hell that Ethan was as good a shot as Ian implied. Both their lives might depend on it.

  Ian turned right onto the gravel road that would lead down to the quarry. Nicole’s heart pounded hard in her chest. Fear gripped her throat in a serious choke hold. What if Daniels showed up with half a dozen cohorts? His partner might be a whole damned committee. What if—

  Stop it, Reed, she scolded. Keep your focus. Put everything else out of your mind. Nicole took a deep bolstering breath and rolled her shoulders one at a time. No way would she allow Ian to die in the next few minutes. She would protect him, she reaffirmed. She had dragged him into this mess and she would see that he made it safely out of it.

  “Stash your weapon there.” Ian gestured to the small storage compartment in the car door. Ethan had given them his rental, and he had driven the car parked in Solomon’s garage.

  Nicole frowned. “Why?”

  “He’ll pat you down and take your weapon,” Ian explained. “Daniels considers you hostile.”

  “He’d better,” Nicole said hotly.

  “Do it, Nicole,” Ian insisted as he braked the car to a stop near the abandoned quarry.

  “This is not a good idea,” she complained.

  “When this is over,” Ian said, his words staying her move to obey his order, “we need to talk.”

  Hope flickered in Nicole’s heart, but the reality of the differences between them quickly dashed it. “Sure,” she murmured. “We’ll talk.”

  Turning away from him, Nicole placed her Beretta, butt up, in the compartment that was most likely designed for maps or tissues. She would not dwell on Ian’s unexpected statement. Was it a promise or a threat? she wondered briefly, then put it out of her mind. Before Ian turned the engine off, she powered the window down for ready access to her weapon.

  Daniels was here already. A dark sedan was parked some ten yards away from where Ian had stopped. The driver’s-side door opened and Daniels emerged. Nicole suppressed the strong desire to destroy that rose immediately in her chest.

  Ian placed a hand on her arm when she started to get out. “Slow and easy, Nicole,” he w
arned.

  Nicole nodded, then opened her door. She closed the door and leaned against it. Ian skirted the trunk, careful not to turn his back to the man sauntering toward them.

  “Well, well, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon,” Daniels said disdainfully, his gaze traveling the length of Nicole, then back to her face.

  “I guess I’m just lucky, that’s all,” Nicole spat.

  “Maybe not,” Daniels growled as he moved closer. He patted Nicole down, a little too thoroughly, too roughly.

  “She’s not carrying,” Ian said pointedly.

  Daniels turned and reached toward him.

  Ian had the weapon in his hand and the muzzle pressed between Daniels’s eyes before he knew Ian had moved. “You don’t want to do that,” Ian suggested in a dangerous voice that made even Nicole retreat farther against the car.

  “Keep your weapon then,” Daniels said quickly. “Just keep it holstered.”

  Ian took his time lowering his weapon, then putting it away. “Where’s your partner?” he inquired, cutting to the chase. “I didn’t come here today to see the sights. No partner, no Solomon.”

  “My partner is a little shy around strangers,” Daniels said in an oily tone. “How about you and I take a little walk over to my car? We don’t need Reed for this. She might make my partner nervous.”

  Nicole started to argue, but Ian stopped her with a look. She sagged against the car and crossed her arms in irritation. Daniels and Ian walked over to the other car. Nicole strained to listen to whatever was said. She wasn’t about to miss a single word. She watched every move Daniels made. She felt fairly confident that Ian was safe as long as Daniels didn’t have Solomon’s location. But what about the partner? He was an unknown variable. He might go off half cocked and do something stupid. Nicole swallowed the metallic taste of fear rising in her throat. She cleared her mind and directed her full attention to the conversation taking place between the two men.

  “You told me that she was being taken care of!” a female voice ranted angrily.

  Nicole frowned. She didn’t recognize the voice. Was Daniels’s partner a woman? The passenger-side door of Daniels’s car flung open and a petite redhead emerged.

  Ice formed in Nicole’s stomach. She shook her head in denial. It couldn’t be…

  Leonna Landon.

  Director Landon’s wife?

  “I want her taken care of,” Mrs. Landon demanded of Daniels. “She wasn’t supposed to be here.”

  “All in good time,” Daniels assured her. “All in good time.”

  “I was expecting a man,” Ian said coolly, obviously to infuriate Leonna further.

  Leonna laughed at him, her oversized purse swinging around her hips. “Get over it, Michaels, I am the man.”

  Ian turned to Daniels. “I’m not doing business with a middle man,” he said curtly.

  Before Daniels could respond, Leonna pushed between them, her hands on her thin hips. “I told you, I’m the one in charge here,” she hissed.

  “Convince me,” Ian said evenly.

  Leonna’s rebuff involved a sexually explicit four-letter word and Ian.

  “I don’t think so.” Ian gave them his back and strode deliberately in Nicole’s direction.

  The air evaporated in Nicole’s lungs. He turned his back! He was an open target.

  “Wait!” Daniels shouted.

  Ian stopped. One side of his mouth lifted in a hint of a smile, for Nicole’s eyes only. Then he slowly turned around.

  Nicole dragged in a much-needed breath. The man was going to give her heart failure.

  “Landon cut Solomon a deal,” Daniels explained as Ian approached him once more. “That’s why we operated outside the normal channels. Solomon bought himself special treatment. A total blackout operation. And the AG’s office was none the wiser.”

  That chunk of ice in Nicole’s stomach shattered with the tension whipping through her body. Landon on the take? She wouldn’t believe that. “You’re lying,” she charged angrily.

  Ian cut her a warning glare.

  Leonna appeared to get a cheap thrill from Nicole’s distress. “Oh, yeah, Agent Reed, everybody’s got their price.” Leonna’s red-red lips spread into a grin. “A cool million with more to come later was my dearly departed husband’s. For one million dollars he gave the order for Solomon’s special treatment. Then, when the time was right, there would be more money. A lot more.”

  “Can we get down to business?” Ian said impatiently.

  “Back off,” Leonna snapped. “I want little Miss Goody-Two-shoes to know how it was.”

  Nicole glared at the woman from across the short distance that separated them. Director Landon couldn’t have been on the take. Nicole had respected him. She knew him. Defeat sucked at Nicole’s composure. Landon had been… Oh, God, how could she have been so naive? Both Daniels and Landon had fooled her. Was she that gullible?

  “Dear old Bobby was smart enough to take advantage of the prime opportunity Solomon offered,” Leonna continued. “He just wasn’t bright enough to keep me happy.” She sniffed. “Stupid bastard thought he would keep the money hidden until he retired and moved away to some foreign country where no one would ever suspect where the money had come from. He was convinced he would get caught if he spent any of it.”

  At least Landon had been right about that, Nicole mused. If he had suddenly begun to live above his means, suspicion would certainly have come his way.

  Leonna patted her salon-styled hair. “I wasn’t about to wait until I was too old to enjoy the money to spend it.”

  “That’s where I come into the picture,” Daniels interjected. “Leonna and I go back a long way,” he said smugly. “When Leonna confided in me what Landon had done, well, I decided we had to do something about it.”

  “You’re sick,” Nicole said with disgust.

  Another of those warning looks from Ian arrowed in her direction.

  “If Landon already had the money, then why are we here?” Ian demanded.

  Daniels smiled a sinister smile. “Because there’s way more than just one million. The word the cartel put out after Solomon’s highly publicized demise was twenty million.”

  “Why settle for one when you can have more?” Ian suggested. “And what about Solomon’s cut?”

  Daniels laughed. “Solomon isn’t going to get squat. I plan to take the full twenty million.”

  “Ten,” Ian reminded.

  “As you put it so eloquently a few minutes ago,” Daniels retorted, “I don’t think so.” The barrel of his weapon was in Ian’s face before the last word stopped echoing around them. “Now,” Daniels said in a self-satisfied tone, “where is Solomon?”

  “Go to hell,” Ian said, enunciating each word carefully so that there was no misunderstanding.

  Nicole glanced at the woods between their position and the highway. Ethan was out there, but with Ian standing between Daniels and the woods Ethan would never get a clear shot. Nicole swallowed convulsively. She placed her hand on the car door. Slowly, one inch at a time, she reached toward her weapon.

  “The deal is off,” Ian said flatly.

  Daniels’s face contorted with rage, his knuckles whitened around the grip of his weapon. “And you’re dead.”

  The bottom fell out of Nicole’s stomach.

  “We have to have Solomon,” Leonna cried, staying Daniels’s next move. “Without him we can’t get the money! The money is in a joint foreign account. You have to have a special PIN to access it. Solomon supplied half the number, my husband the other half. It was a built-in safety net to make sure neither one tried to take the money without the other’s knowledge.”

  “Landon is dead,” Ian reminded.

  “But I’m his widow,” Leonna shot back. “What was his is mine. I have his half of the code.” She turned to Daniels. “We have to have Solomon.”

  “Okay, Michaels,” Daniels ground out. “Either tell me where he is or I’ll kill you both.”

  “T
hen no one gets the money,” Ian rationalized.

  “I said tell me where Solomon is!” Daniels screamed.

  One second turned to five. Nicole glanced at the woods again. Where the hell was Ethan? Her heart hammered in her chest. He probably still couldn’t get a clean shot. Her fingers were almost to her weapon, but she couldn’t make any sudden moves. Couldn’t risk Daniels pulling that trigger.

  “Fine,” Daniels relented when Ian remained silent. He reached beneath Ian’s jacket and took his weapon. “Then Reed dies.”

  Nicole stiffened. She saw Ian do the same. Her fingers tightened around the butt of her weapon. Could she draw it quickly enough and take out Daniels before he fired his weapon?

  She didn’t think so.

  “I’ll give you the choice.” Daniels shifted his bead to Nicole. “Either you do it, or I will.”

  “No.”

  The single word, fierce and at the same time desperate, came from Ian.

  Daniels turned his head, meeting Ian’s gaze, without taking his expert aim off Nicole.

  “I’ll do it,” Ian said quietly.

  “Now that’s more like it.” Daniels thrust Ian’s weapon at him at the same time that he focused his own weapon back on Ian. “Remember, if you miss, I won’t. In fact, I’ll enjoy killing her.”

  Ian turned to Nicole. That intense silvery gaze settled fully onto hers. Nicole’s heart rushed up into her throat.

  “If you can’t do it, Michaels, I will,” Daniels reminded.

  “I’ll do it,” Ian repeated as he raised his weapon and took aim at Nicole.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ian gazed down the barrel of his gun and into Nicole’s eyes. Trust me, Nicole, he tried to relay with his own eyes. She stood there staring at him with one of those expressions of uncertainty and disbelief that is beyond describing with mere words. The urge for fight or flight stiffened her posture.

  “Do it!” Daniels demanded harshly.

  The blood roaring in his ears, Ian steadied his arm and fired just over Nicole’s left shoulder. As if she had read Ian’s mind and knew what to do, she dropped as if she had been hit. Ian pivoted and fired at Daniels, sending him diving for some kind of cover. Somewhere behind Ian the crack of a high-powered rifle sounded, and then the blast of a handgun from Leonna’s direction. Leonna crumpled to the ground next to the dark sedan, a look of surprised dismay on her face. Ian kicked out of reach the thirty-two-caliber pistol Leonna had dropped onto the ground.