Don’t Keep Silent

by Don't Keep Silent (epub)

  Malcom Fox had used the same fear tactics he used to coerce people, including trafficked victims, to force Liam into cooperating. Admittedly, Liam was scared for the lives of those he loved. One wrong move on his part could get someone killed. And Rae—he loved her. He cared about her too much not to be in love with the woman.

  He couldn’t call Heath or Austin or Rae or even Evelyn. Fox had someone watching them all. How much did he know?

  Liam pushed beyond the feeling that he was skiing from a mountain peak and approaching a ledge with no way to stop himself from flying over the edge to certain death. Regardless, there was absolutely no way he was going to work for Fox, and the sooner he made contact to let someone know what was going on, the better.

  Duke nickered and nearly stumbled. Liam tightened the reins and got off. “You wait here. I’ll be right back. I promise.”

  Maybe there was an easier way to make contact without Fox being the wiser, but at the moment Liam couldn’t think of it, and he didn’t have time to brainstorm. He couldn’t let Fox win. Liam couldn’t risk using his own phone and had left it at the house in case Fox was tracking him. Fox couldn’t be everywhere. And there was no one shadowing him in these woods out in this cold.

  He hiked up the trail, shining the light as he went. Had he gone too far? He directed the beam through the trees. There.

  The cabin. Dark and cold and lonely. He didn’t think anyone was actually staying there, but he knocked on the door. “Liam McKade. Just making a supplies check.”

  When no one responded, he opened the door and shined the light around. The cabin was cold inside. He shut the door behind him and in five strides was at the counter on the opposite wall. The satellite phone. He had no idea if these things got too cold to work.

  Please, God, please . . .

  Liam took off his gloves and rubbed his hands together. He opened up the phone. He’d need to go outside, and maybe move out of the trees. In ways, satellite phones were as much of a pain as trying to catch a signal on a cell out here.

  He powered it up and the red light came on. Yes! He would give Heath a big hug for thinking to keep a phone out here. Yes, a big hug—but first, Liam had to warn him.

  Liam walked outside to the trail, away from the tree canopy until he saw stars. He dialed Kelvin’s number and it went to voicemail. He left a short but detailed message that he wouldn’t be calling again from this number and that it was urgent. “Do not call my cell. It could be compromised.”

  He couldn’t know for certain that Fox had gained access to Liam’s cell, but if he had, then Fox knew much about what was going on. Far too much.

  He waited a few moments, then tried again.

  Kelvin answered. “McKade?”

  Liam shared every sordid detail. “Get my family out. Get them to safety.”

  “All right, just calm down. That’s going to take some time. You’re talking Hawaii. We have to find them first. Seattle for Austin and Willow. Evelyn isn’t so hard. And Rae . . .”

  “I don’t know where she is.” Molten anger built up in his chest. How could he end up in the same situation that had sent him home? How could he be here again, trying to save Rae? To get to her before someone killed her?

  I love her. God, I love her!

  The line remained silent. Liam thought he’d lost his friend. “Kelvin?”

  “I’m here. I was going to call you tomorrow with this news. Jack Anders is one of ours.”

  “The bodyguard?”

  “Yeah.”

  “DEA?”

  “No. He’s FBI. On a task force. It wasn’t easy to get this intel because he’s deep undercover. My telling you could get him killed. Enzo Astor hired him because he’s afraid for his life. He’s in business with Fox. Maybe been coerced into a money laundering scheme and, as we suspected, some trafficking because of his deceased brother, Simon. It was Enzo’s job to get some stolen money back, but the woman escaped.”

  “Wait. A woman escaped? What woman?” Zoey?

  “We don’t know.”

  “How can any of this help me at this moment?”

  “I’m saying that we can all work together and bring Fox down.”

  “Okay. Whatever. Please get someone in to get my family out of harm’s way. Once I know they’re safe, then we can go after Fox. I’ll find Rae, but I could need help extracting her.”

  “Anything else?” Kelvin’s tone let Liam know he was taking him seriously. That Kelvin was in this with him as if he was still officially DEA.

  “I don’t know who else’s cell phones have been compromised, so I won’t trust anyone’s. Please send a message to Heath and Austin to let them know the danger. That a hit has been put out on them—that should scare them. They can take cover. They have skills enough to protect their wives. I’ll need you to get Evelyn out of the house. Leroy and Pete can take her away and protect her. But Fox will be watching me closely. I’ll focus my efforts on finding Rae. And . . . ” Liam’s legs shook.

  “And?”

  “A blizzard is headed this way. If you’re going to send reinforcements or backup, you’d better do it now.”

  The logistics were a nightmare. In other circumstances, he would bide his time until players were in place, but with Rae missing, Liam couldn’t wait.

  He should contact Sheriff Taggart. But he couldn’t be seen with the man at the moment. It was too risky.

  “How do you want me to get in touch with you?”

  “I’ll get a burner phone. I just didn’t want to rush out of my meeting with Fox to buy a new phone. He’s supposedly monitoring me, and until I find out exactly how and also know my people are safe, I have to appear like I’m cooperating. In the meantime, I’ll text you. No calls. I’ll ask how the fishing is. If it’s good—that means they’re safe.”

  “Will do. Hang in there.” Kelvin ended the call.

  Liam started a small fire in the cabin to take some of the chill out. This might be his base of operation or a hiding place or safe house, if needed. He didn’t know what the future held.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  Saturday, 9:32 p.m.

  Jackson Hole, Wyoming

  Liam floored it along the mountain road, the snow driving hard into his headlights.

  The satellite phone had run out of power or else he would have tried to contact Reggie. Liam had memorized the man’s number when he’d had the chance. Then Alan’s. Until he got his hands on a cell phone he trusted, he wouldn’t make that call.

  If he couldn’t find Rae with Samara Davidson, he would assume that Malcom had her, was holding her. That hadn’t been the deal he’d made with Liam.

  He knew Rae wouldn’t deliberately go silent.

  Worst case—the absolute worst case—Liam would find Rae with Malcom Fox and face off with him. Liam steered Heath’s truck, speeding forward into the Mountain Valley Adventures empty lot, then he parked and jumped from the truck. Liam rushed to the front doors, kicking snow as he went. Locked. He pounded on the doors, anguish gripping him.

  Where are you?

  He would try Samara Davidson’s home next. Back in the truck, he yanked the steering wheel and spun out as he drove from the parking lot, then floored it over the slick roads to her home. He parked behind a Jeep. Not Rae’s rental. His heart sank.

  He ran up the front porch, rang the bell, and pounded on the door.

  A woman opened it, a deep frown carving her face. “Can I help you?”

  “My name is Liam McKade. I’m a private investigator working with Rae Burke. Right now, I’m looking for her. The last I knew she was at your place of business. I can’t find her—”

  She opened the door wide. “Come in out of the cold.”

  He stepped inside, panic continuing to rise. This was on him. All on him.

  “I’m Samara Davidson, by the way.”

  “You’re Zoey’s mom.”

  “Tawny’
s mom, yes.” She led him deeper into the home. “We’re sitting in front of the fireplace dozing. Going to wait the blizzard out here. Please have a seat.”

  “I don’t have time. Rae’s missing. Please tell me what you know. When did you see her last?”

  A beefy man rose from the sofa. He could have been the man in the mask. He thrust his hand out. “I’m Ivan. I was with Rae today. Took her out on the slopes, along with a couple from France on their honeymoon.” He appeared concerned.

  But was he lying? Liam fought the need to grab him by the collar and demand to know where she was. He reined in his fear and anger.

  “Well, what happened? Did you see her leave?”

  He ran his hand over his mouth. “She seemed to have fun. Asked me a few questions. When we got back, she grabbed her gear and went inside. I was with the others getting stuff from the helicopter. When I got inside, I saw her sitting on a sofa in the foyer looking more exhausted than I’d expected. I asked if she was feeling well. She told me that she was okay. Then I got distracted with the French couple. When I turned back, she was gone. I assumed she had left.”

  “Her vehicle wasn’t in the parking lot,” Samara said. “So she clearly left. What do you think happened to her?”

  “I’m trying to get to the bottom of this.” Were they lying to him? If they truly knew nothing about her, then where had she gone? This had to be Malcom Fox or Enzo Astor. Those two were working together. Rae’s disappearance had to do with Malcom and his using her as leverage over Liam . . . Or it had to do with Rae’s search for Zoey. Liam should have asked Malcom about Zoey, but he didn’t want to get into a conversation with him without leverage of his own.

  “I need a minute to think.” He paced the room. Get it together, Liam. One mistake could cost Rae’s life. “Tell me about the books.”

  Samara’s eyes widened. “Books?”

  He moved to the bookshelf and ran a finger down the shelves until he spotted the spines of the novels by Zane Williams and tugged one out. “Rae pulled one of these from your bookshelf when she was here. She ‘borrowed’ it, she said. She’d discovered you were sending these to Zoey. So you were in contact with her, after all. Tell me what they mean. They could help me discover the whereabouts of both women. Zoey and Rae.”

  The woman gasped and shared a look with Ivan, who appeared stunned at the news.

  “I . . . She sent those to me years ago. Made me promise to keep them. She told me they were important. I could never let on that we were in contact, I knew that. Then a month ago, out of the blue, I heard from her. She wanted me to send her a book. One per week so it wouldn’t draw attention.”

  “What was so important about the books? They could hold the answer.” He’d told Rae they meant nothing. He was grasping at straws now.

  Sam stared, her mouth hanging open, then she bit her lip. “I honestly don’t know. Tawny, in her new life as Zoey, was secretive. I think she was terrified that if he got her again, he would kill her. She told me the less I knew, the better. I wanted to keep what little contact I had with her, so I didn’t ask more. I don’t know anything about the books, but there is something I do know.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  Saturday, 10:02 p.m.

  Denver, Colorado

  Callie slept fitfully in her bedroom.

  In his own bed, Alan lay on his side and stared at the way the moonlight streamed through the window and hit the sage green walls—a color Zoey loved.

  Come home to me, baby. Come back to us.

  His silent pleas wouldn’t bring her back. Sleepless nights as he tried to figure this out hadn’t brought the answers he sought.

  The police had her laptop or else he would have spent the lonely hours of the night scouring it for answers. Zoey was a master at her part-time job for a cybersecurity firm where she was paid to hack her way into businesses—mainly financial institutions—and government entities to show them it could be done. On the flip side of that coin, she knew how to keep her laptop safe from prying eyes.

  That’s why he kept thinking about those books. He’d thought they’d been sent by a stalker, but Zoey’s mother had a stash of them in Wyoming. So it stood to reason that Zoey’s mother had sent Zoey the books.

  Why?

  Had Zoey hidden something in those books? And if she had, why would she hide something in old novels that she could just as easily hide in cyberspace?

  He would have called Rae and talked it out, but he didn’t want to wake Callie. And Mom had to go home for a couple of days, so she wasn’t around to run interference. Her boss wanted her at his side during his presentation to the board. What a wasted trip. He’d decided to let himself depend on her, and now she was gone.

  Even amid his crisis, the lives of others continued around him as if his own life hadn’t been turned upside down. As if Zoey hadn’t disappeared. Mom assured him that she would return next week if Zoey’s disappearance wasn’t resolved. So much for her wanting to be here for Callie.

  He’d seen the look of sympathy and grief for her son’s loss in his mother’s eyes. She didn’t believe Zoey was coming back, despite the hope he clung to because she’d returned before.

  This was different. Yes. He’d admit that much. This time was different. Of course it was. Why had he continued to hold on to the hope that it would be the same as the last time she disappeared?

  Hope was all he had.

  In the meantime, Callie needed Alan full-time, and he didn’t want to talk to Rae or upset Callie. He so easily used his little girl as an excuse when he could have texted Rae. He’d asked her to do this for him, after all. But the simple act of texting her left him feeling hollowed out.

  Callie could sense that, and she was already on edge. For her, Alan wouldn’t allow himself to step over that line and become a nonbeliever like his mother. Maybe even the detective and the rest of the police.

  Callie counted on Alan, and maybe even Zoey counted on him to keep believing she was alive.

  Come back to me, Zoey.

  Alan had never been a violent man. But if given the chance, he would kill. He knew that now to his marrow. His gut boiled with anger. If given the chance—God, please give me the chance—he would look the man who took Zoey away from him in the eyes right before he exacted vengeance.

  For now, he would do his best to protect his daughter. His handgun remained tucked under his pillow, within his reach.

  If only he could escape this living hell and torture—reporters watching and waiting to catch him every time he left. The detective’s endless questions. If he could take Callie from here, he would.

  But he had to stay here and stay strong for Zoey. He had to be home when she came back.

  A tear leaked out the corner of his eye.

  Scritch, scritch. Scritch, scritch.

  He stiffened.

  Callie? The dread crawling over his body told him no.

  Slowly, he sat up in bed and placed his shaking hands on his weapon. He started to call out to see if Callie was sleepwalking, but his gut told him to remain quiet.

  Someone was creeping down the hallway. He got out of bed and backed into a dark corner and waited.

  The figure crept slowly into his room until he hovered near the bed.

  Alan aimed his weapon but kept his distance. He hadn’t trained for hand-to-hand combat like so many others. He was a geek like Zoey.

  The figure froze near the bed. He must have realized Alan wasn’t in the bed but was behind him instead, because the stranger turned and whispered, “Alan?”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

  Alan.” Again, the woman he loved whispered his name—the sound blowing unspeakable emotions through him.

  He dropped the gun as his wife rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him, then buried her face in his chest.

  Zoey sobbed.

  Was Alan dreaming? No. Zoey was here in their home. In their bedroom.
In the flesh. He held her in his arms and could have sobbed with her.

  Thank you, God. All he’d wanted was to have her back safe and sound. He hadn’t cared if she was having an affair—though he’d refused to believe it. He’d tried not to care that she’d simply walked away with that stranger. He hadn’t cared about her secrets. The mysteries of her past. Only prayed she would come back to him.

  He loved her too much.

  He wanted to stay in this place—her in his arms forever. He wanted to keep her here where she belonged. But suddenly . . . now that she was back—he cared about all of it.

  A chill crawled over him. Anger kindled in a place he hadn’t known existed until this moment.

  Zoey must have sensed the change in him—even before he recognized and accepted it himself. She slowly dropped her arms and stepped back. “I’m so sorry.”

  Alan remained silent. He wasn’t sure what to say, what his first words should be. But that wasn’t true. “Zoey, I . . . I feared the worst but wouldn’t allow myself to think you were dead. I’ve been so worried about you. I was dying inside. Callie needs you. Where have you been?”

  “I can explain later. We need to get out of here. You’re in danger. There’s no time.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you until you give me at least some reasonable explanation. Who was the man you met with? Where have you been? I want answers.” You could have called or texted if you were free enough to find your way here!

  Zoey’s eyes widened.

  She appeared surprised that Alan would demand answers. He never had before.

  Zoey frowned and nodded. She crept to the door and shut it. “I don’t want to wake Callie. Is she . . . is she all right?” Her eyes shimmered with tears in the moonlit room.

  “She misses you.” He loved her so much. But unless she had a good explanation, she was going to break his heart. “I’m waiting.”

  Zoey sat on the edge of the bed and shoved her hair out of her face. She took a slow, shaky breath.