“Maybe I can finally find Zoey.”
“Your sister-in-law. Astor kept her here in this cabin for his boss, Malcom Fox, a few days ago. I wanted to get out here to help her escape, but then I heard she had already gone.”
“She was here?”
He nodded. “Yes. She stole a large sum of money from Fox and has a lot to answer for to the feds.”
“Are you crazy? I don’t believe it.”
“I shouldn’t have told you any of this, but in case the worst happens, I wanted you to know some of it. Someone’s out there—it could be Astor or it could be Fox, the man I was protecting him from. Astor is in deep trouble now because he lost Zoey before he could extract the cryptocurrency passwords he needed to get the money back. I suspect Astor was going to double-cross Fox, though, and wanted the money to use against Fox as leverage.
“When you showed up, Astor blackmailed Wayne to take you out because you are so closely connected to Zoey. I think Wayne tried to scare you off at first. Wayne isn’t a murderer, but he assisted in trafficking girls.” Jack kept to the shadows with Rae. “All that to say, I can’t be sure who took that shot at you. I’m going to try to put out the fire so there’s less light, and you stay down and low. Go into the bathroom at the back bedroom and lock the door. Get down in the bathtub.”
She nodded. No way would she argue with that.
As she moved, he pushed the logs and embers around with a poker. Darkness fell on the house.
Then she saw the light beams through the window.
Someone was coming to kill them.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Wind buffeted Liam as he steered the snowmobile close enough to Ivan that he could still see the lights. This was some kind of crazy. Ivan had provided helmets with radio communication as an added precaution.
The lights ahead of him dimmed. “Dude, where’d you go?” Red lights brightened, then shut off completely.
“I’m here. Stopping.”
Liam veered to the left to keep from rear-ending Ivan.
Ivan gestured ahead of them. “Chuck’s cabin is through the woods. Shut off your lights.”
Liam did as requested. “Now what? I can’t see my hand in front of my face.”
If he sat here too long, the snow would bury him.
When Ivan didn’t answer, Liam tried again. “What are we doing?”
“Something’s wrong.”
“Because?”
“There are no lights,” Ivan said.
“Okay, maybe he went to town to wait out the blizzard.”
“Not likely.” Ivan sounded worried.
“Let’s get inside and find out if something’s wrong.” Liam got off the snowmobile. “We need to get to the other cabin to see if Rae is even there. We stay here too long, we’ll be digging the snowmobiles out.”
Ivan flipped on a flashlight. Liam did as well, and they hiked toward the cabin. Not even the glow of a fire. They kept their helmets on for warmth and communication as they hiked. Ivan knocked on the door. After no answer, he found it unlocked and entered. He shined the light around. “Looks like he was here today, but he’s gone now. Chuck would leave his fire going, if anything, since that’s his sole source of heat out here.”
The big man clomped down a hallway, his flashlight casting eerie shadows, while Liam remained in place. His nerves prickled.
Close inspection let Liam know that a few embers remained. “Looks like he buried the fire with ash. Why would he do that?”
“He didn’t.” Ivan gasped over the comm. “He’s in here. A shot to the head.”
Liam could just bet who was responsible. Chuck’s cabin was much too close to the Morning Glory cabin that Malcom and his trafficking ring used for their operation. He could cause problems. If he was off-grid and no one would miss him anytime soon, then whoever shot him hadn’t had to think twice. Liam joined Ivan in the bedroom.
“Looks like he was shot in his sleep this morning,” Ivan said.
“I’m sorry this happened.” He squeezed Ivan’s shoulder.
Ivan’s loud exhale came through the comm.
“We’ll call it in, Ivan—but after we get to Rae. Whoever shot your cousin could be the same person with her now.” Wayne, Enzo . . . or Malcom?
He wanted to get his hands on all of them.
“We should take the snowmobiles instead of hiking in. The snow’s getting deep, and as you say, this is taking too long. The snowmobiles will let them know someone’s coming though.”
“We’ll take them until we see lights from the cabin,” he said.
Minutes later, they were crossing the frozen lake on snowmobiles. Liam hoped Ivan knew where he was going, because Liam was lost. The man made his living guiding people over the mountains. Could Liam trust Ivan?
“I’m sorry, Liam. Looks like the lights are out in that cabin too.” Ivan’s tone was grim.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Multiple gunshots echoed through the cabin and jarred Rae as she hid in the bathroom. She covered her ears and tried to hunker deeper in the tub. She had to resist the screams threatening to erupt or she’d give away her hiding place. Rae imagined her father crouched down behind rubble, waiting on gunfire from opposing forces to stop. He’d been so strong.
And she would be too.
When the gunfire ceased, the resulting silence amplified the sound of her desperate gasps. She feared the deafening pounding of her heart would filter through the walls. Was Jack hiding and waiting for the right moment to ambush their attacker? She refused to think he had been shot and killed.
She would wait for him. If he was okay, then he would come for her.
Or he could be dead, and the shooter would be the one to find her.
Bile rose in her throat. She was trapped. Liam had been right about her all along. She always pushed too hard and dug too deep, endangering herself. But she couldn’t do less than her father had done. She wouldn’t give up either. Maybe here in the darkness she would remain hidden from the assailant. If Jack was down, Rae’s only choice was to outsmart whoever was out there. Could she overcome someone who had a gun and was willing to kill? What’s more, she couldn’t tell if others had joined the shooter in the house.
Jack had risked his cover to get her out of there. She owed him her life. She’d hoped that Liam would find her, but if he had been the one to come for her, he might have paid with his life this time.
A beam of light shined beneath the bathroom door.
The door slowly opened, and light shined bright in her face, blinding her to whomever she faced now. Rae shielded her eyes and braced herself as she imagined the feeling of a bullet slamming into her body. Or would she simply die without feeling the pain?
Every neuron in her body shook with fear. She didn’t want to die. But one thing she knew, the fear would paralyze her if she didn’t do something before it was too late.
Rae stood. “Who are you and what do you want?”
The beam lowered and the figure behind it became clear.
Malcom Fox?
But . . . where was Jack? Oh no . . .
“You? I—”
“You weren’t expecting me. When I learned that Enzo had requested Wayne snatch you—against my wishes, I might add—I redirected Wayne to bring you to this cabin. I wanted to see who would come for you here. I suspected another undercover agent—like Liam Mercer, I mean, McKade. Turns out it was Astor’s bodyguard. Enzo is as sloppy as Simon was. And now, here we are.”
Fox waved her out of the bathroom but remained in the doorway. Heart pounding, she tried to make herself small so she wouldn’t brush him as she passed. Could she sucker punch him? Elbow him in the nose?
He held a gun, so she had no chance unless she got it away from him. Guns were the great equalizer. Fox urged her down the short hallway and into the living area.
“What are you going to do with me?”
“Enzo?”
“No. Simon.” Pointing his gun at her, he urged her to sit.
She eased onto the sofa, her mind racing with possible escapes, but she could think of no way out. The wind howled outside, and a cold draft curled around her. What if she asked to get the fire going again? Maybe she could hit him with a log.
“And now, I’ve been asked to deliver you in exchange for my five million dollars.”
“Five million dollars? What are you talking about? I don’t know anyone who has that kind of ransom money.” Nor did she believe for one minute that Malcom Fox would simply hand her over, even for five million dollars.
“Oh, but you do.”
Rae hated the tears that chose this moment to surge. “Who?”
“Simon had become a part of my circle of friends. Then he ran into an old friend—a woman he’d wanted. His obsession got the best of him and he took her, during which time she gained enough information on my operations to take me down. But she didn’t.” He leaned in, his face inches from Rae’s. “Do you know why?”
He had to be talking about Zoey, but Rae didn’t understand. She shook her head.
“She was too scared—at least until you were abducted last year as a way to bait the mole in our operation. A stinking undercover cop. Your friend tried to use her leverage to free you, but McKade was there to save the day. I intended to take him down. Even though I went to prison for a time, I made plans to get to McKade and worked to find the woman who’d stolen from me five years ago. I had thought it was Simon, so I killed him. He’d been sloppy and needed to die anyway.”
“You killed him?”
“He was a liability.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” Because I’m now a liability. She shivered with fear as well as cold.
He chuckled. “You’re a reporter, aren’t you? You wanted the story when you started digging around in my trafficking operations. Now you’re getting it.”
He offered a sinister smirk that left no doubt about his plans for Rae. That was a story she would never be allowed to run with. To share with the world, even if he successfully traded her to Zoey for that money. Zoey had taken five million dollars . . . Rae struggled to comprehend what he was telling her.
Oh, Zoey. Rae squeezed her eyes shut. Please, please don’t give him what he wants. He’s not going to let either of us live.
Zoey had to know that. If what Fox said about her was true, she had tried to save Rae last year when she’d gotten herself in trouble searching for Dina, but Zoey had showed her hand, revealed too much in that risky game she’d played, and Malcom had found her.
“If we’re staying here, do you mind if I get the fire going again?” Rae asked. “It’s getting cold.”
“We’re leaving.”
“But this storm—”
“It’s the best time to leave. Nobody is going to track me or follow me in this. It’s the perfect storm. Now, give me the password you got for the cryptocurrency. Then we’ll meet your sister-in-law, who has the last code.”
The image of that moment she’d discovered the impression inside the cover of the Zane Williams novel flashed in her mind. She’d texted that word to Reggie.
Ransom.
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Liam waited in the kitchen and listened to Malcom Fox share with Rae far more information than he would share with someone he would allow to live.
With the howling wind battering the structure, Liam had easily slipped into the dark cabin undetected. The door had been ajar, so Liam’s entry hadn’t drawn attention, even when he shut it to cut off the cold and snow that swirled inside. Liam pressed against a wall. Waited. Listened. Sensing if someone else was in the room with him. He heard someone breathing . . . a ragged breath here and there.
A light switched on in the hallway, and Liam held his weapon ready. Then he saw the body on the floor behind the sofa. The man was still alive. What had happened here? Liam had almost rushed forward to assist him, but he froze when a voice echoed against the walls from farther down. The light dimmed.
Rae!
Then a second voice . . . Fox?
And Fox emerged from the hallway, holding Rae at gunpoint.
Anger threatened to erupt. Liam’s instinct was to rush in and protect her. But he’d done that before. He’d been shot and left for dead. She’d escaped unscathed, and Malcom Fox had been put away because of Liam’s undercover work.
Now they were back in this never-ending nightmare.
Liam struggled with the fact that Fox was here now with Rae. A man of his word, Fox was not. Liam had let Fox believe that he had Liam under his thumb with the threat of harming Liam’s loved ones. Was abducting Rae Fox’s way of showing Liam he meant business? Whatever the reason, Liam couldn’t let what happened last year happen again tonight.
God, you opened doors for me. Now I’m here. What do I do? How do I save her?
Liam let his protective instincts kick in and rule him. He’d save Rae at all costs.
He hadn’t known where he belonged before, but maybe, just maybe, he was here at this moment in time because in the end, he was supposed to save Rae again. That was his sole purpose in life.
He had no purpose after that.
His chest grew tight, squeezing his heart.
Ivan was waiting outside. Upon Liam’s signal, Ivan would create a distraction.
With Fox making plans to take Rae with him—it was game time.
“Now.” Liam whispered the word into his helmet and hoped Ivan heard the call to action despite the storm raging outside.
A snowmobile started up. Lights shined brightly into the house, blinding them.
While Malcom backed away from the window, Liam rushed to stand between the man and Rae, tugging off his helmet so she would know it was him. “Go!” Liam pointed to the front door. “Ivan is waiting for you.”
“Liam!”
“Go!” he shouted with all the command he could muster as he lifted his gun, aiming it at Malcolm, even as the man aimed his gun at Liam.
She fled through the door and into the storm. The opened door allowed more light in . . . Light that shined on Malcom Fox—a dark, evil man who destroyed lives. Liam never took his eyes off the man. Every minute he’d spent working his way up in the man’s organization, Liam had dreamed of this moment but never imagined it would happen.
Malcom laughed. “You can’t survive this stalemate.”
“I don’t have to survive. And neither do you.” But Rae had to live.
Liam heard the snowmobile zoom away. He had instructed Ivan to leave him behind and whisk Rae to safety.
“You might not care if you live or die, but I have a business to run.” Malcom’s eyes gave him away. He would shoot.
A gunshot blasted through the cabin, startling Liam.
Fox stared at Liam in shock, then dropped to his knees. He fell forward, the gun tumbling from his hand and clattering onto the floor. His eyes were lifeless.
Who had fired the shot? The other man in the cabin? Liam turned around and spotted him on the other side of the sofa, holding a gun. Liam scrambled over to him.
His lips twisted into a weak grin, and his hand went limp, dropping the gun.
Liam recognized him—Enzo Astor’s bodyguard. Jack Anders. Kelvin said he was an undercover agent. “Stay with me!”
Liam found the gunshot wound at the agent’s side and put pressure on it to stop the bleeding. Jack’s hands were covered in blood too. He must have been trying to stop the bleeding. Maybe his efforts would be enough to save his life. With one hand pressing the wound, Liam tried with his other to call for help on his cell, but he couldn’t get a signal.
Even if he could, out here in the middle of nowhere during this raging
blizzard, he worried the response would be delayed too long to save the agent’s life. Liam put away his cell and used the comm in the helmet to contact Ivan. “He’s gone. Malcom Fox is dead. But we still need emergency services here. An agent is down too. Please get help!”
“I’m turning around,” Ivan said.
“No. You get Rae back to safety.”
“I can help whoever has been shot. My pack has a medical kit. Gunshot wound powder too. I’m coming back.”
Liam wanted Rae safe, but he also needed to save Jack Anders’s life. “You’re going to make it,” he said to the man as he kept pressure on his wound. “You saved me. I’m going to guess that you were trying to save Rae too. So you’re not going to die on me.”
Anders squeezed Liam’s hand. “I’m too stubborn to die.”
The snowmobile returned. Light blazed into the cabin, illuminating the room. The door swung open as Ivan ran in and dropped next to Liam with his pack. Rae ran in behind him, shutting the door, and began building a fire in the fireplace.
“The power’s out or I’d turn on the lights for you,” she said.
Probably had a generator, but he wasn’t going out in that storm to get it started.
When Ivan had dressed Anders’s wound, he looked at Liam. “With all the backcountry wilderness stuff, you never know what’s going to happen, so I have all the certifications. I have a medical emergency kit on me at all times.”
“That includes gunshot wound powder?”
He grinned. “We have hunters around here. People like that. I’m always prepared.”
“I can’t thank you enough for what you did tonight, Ivan.”
“No thanks required. Now, I think it’s okay to move him. Let’s get him onto a bed, and I’ll start an IV. He needs fluid.”
They moved Anders into one of the rooms. Ivan pulled more supplies from his ample kit and started an IV.
“You really do have everything,” Liam said.
“I’m glad I am able to help him.” He crossed his arms, satisfied with his work.
Anders grinned up at Ivan. “Thanks, man.”
Don’t Keep Silent Page 29