Tufts of beige carpet seemed to come alive. Patterns swirled and twisted, making her eyes cross. She blinked and stared at Sam. “What did you say?”
He planted his feet wide and stuck his hands low on his hips. “Cal sent me to find you. He has—“
“Why should I believe you? Everything you’ve ever said to me has been a lie.” She held his gaze but moved the flashlight closer with her foot.
He rubbed the goose egg on his temple. “I agree, I’ve told my share of lies.”
“Is your name even Sam Boudine?”
He lowered his head.
Sadie grabbed the flashlight, and before he faced her again, shoved it behind her back.
“You’re right. My name’s not Sam. I used it because it was Aaron’s nickname for you.”
She closed her heart to his words. They slithered over her like frozen rain. Keeping the weapon concealed, she stood on rubbery legs and took a step closer. “Who are you?”
He removed his wallet and held it out to her, exposing his driver’s license on one side and the photo of his wife and child on the other. The one he showed her before.
Without looking at the license, she asked, “Is that your wife?”
“Don’t know who she is. But here, check my license. I’m Bowen Boudine.”
Another step closer. She glanced at it. “Is that supposed to make me trust you, Bowen? Is it real?”
He snapped the wallet shut. As he slipped it into his back pocket, she lashed out with the flashlight. This time she hit him on the back of the head. The blow sent him staggering into the wall. She raced out of the bedroom, down the hall, and made it to the front door before his groans followed her.
Out the door, across the lawn. The slick soles of her sandals lost traction on the damp grass, and she landed on her knees. Scrambling up, she scanned the area. Where could she hide? She ran on blind instinct. With her car keys still in her purse on the dresser, she had no fast escape. She rounded the corner of the unit and collided with Kyle.
“Where’re you going in such a hurry?” His voice sounded thick and strange.
“Kyle. What are you doing here?”
He held onto her arm and jerked his head in the direction of her apartment. “I left my wireless card on…on your coffee table. I need it for work tomorrow.”
Staring at his twitchy mustache, she frowned. “I didn’t see it when I cleaned up. Are you sure?”
His grip on her arm tightened. Alarm bells clanked in her brain. She struggled. “Let me go.” She didn’t like the tone of his voice nor the way his eyes narrowed to dark slits. Why was he really here? Had she missed something in his reaction to her photo? “Let me go, or I’ll scream.”
He jerked her closer. A hard jab in her ribs. “If you scream, it’ll be the last thing you do. Now, keep your voice down and tell me where you’re going?”
The gun digging into her side froze her vocal chords but spurred her brain. Kyle meant no good, for sure. Sam, uh, Bowen hadn’t tried to hurt her. Maybe she could pit one against the other.
“I left something in my car,” she whispered,
Kyle, taller by at least eight inches, lowered his head until his hot, garlicky breath seared her cheek. “You won’t need anything from your car—or anywhere else. Turn around.”
She complied.
His left arm circled her throat. The gun poked her lower back.
“Keep walking.” He forced her to her door.
They entered the dark apartment. Had Bowen turned off the light? If the open door surprised Kyle, he didn’t comment on it.
Sadie listened for Bowen, but her heart pounded so hard, she heard nothing but the tick-tock of the hall clock.
With the gun digging into her flesh, Kyle thrust her into the dark living room and stopped.
“Turn on the light,” he hissed.
She raised her arm.
Kyle moved the gun a fraction.
Before she could flip the switch, a slight noise to her right made her hesitate.
Then Kyle spun away, grunting and cussing.
Sadie turned on the light. Bowen had Kyle in a headlock. She couldn’t see the gun. Kyle twisted free and aimed the weapon at Bowen, who swung his leg in an arc, knocking the gun across the room. He threw several hard punches at Kyle’s head, but the taller man ducked and stepped sideways. Bowen didn’t give up. Kyle avoided each thrust, dodging furniture as he maneuvered around the room.
Light bounced off a metallic object on the floor. “He’s after the gun!”
Her words distracted Bowen enough for Kyle to land a solid blow to his jaw. She’d meant to warn Bowen, not to give Kyle the advantage. The men locked arms and struggled. They fell to the floor and rolled, first Bowen on top, then Kyle, thuds and moans accompanying their movements.
Could she retrieve the weapon? She’d have to step over the flailing bodies. She decided not to risk it. The action moved closer to her. She jumped onto the sofa in time to avoid their entangled, thrashing legs.
Kyle groaned and rose to his feet, his eyes unfocused. Bowen knocked him into the coffee table. Candles and candleholders flew in all directions as the table disintegrated.
Avoiding the debris, Sadie slid off the sofa and staggered to the wall.
Bowen punched Kyle three times in quick succession and then held back.
Kyle lay among the broken table pieces as still as if asleep.
After feeling for a pulse, Bowen flipped him over and twisted his arms behind his back. “Get something to tie him up. He won’t be out for long.”
Leaning against the wall, Sadie stared at the men on the floor. She was glad Bowen had overpowered Kyle, but she still didn’t trust him.
“Come on Deb…Sadie, I’m the good guy here. Help me tie him up, and I’ll prove it.” His chest heaved in and out from the exertion. “Hurry. Do you have any rope?”
She shook her head.
He pointed with his chin. “Then hand me that lamp. I’ll use the cord.”
Giving Kyle a wide berth, she reached for the plug. “Wait. How about extension cords? I have three or four.”
“They’ll do. Hurry.”
She scrambled in a kitchen drawer and withdrew a tangle of cords which she deposited near Bowen.
While he lashed Kyle’s wrists and ankles, he said, “Get me something for a gag.”
A dishtowel lay on the counter. She threw it to Bowen.
After he tied it around Kyle’s mouth, he sank back on his haunches and rubbed his head. “Sadie, girl. You sure have good aim. Kyle’s jabs didn’t help, either. Now, please, we need to talk.” He pulled himself to a stand and examined his grazed knuckles.
With Kyle safely out of the way, Sadie still had questions for Bowen. “Go wash your hands, and I’ll get you some ice.”
“I’ll wash, but I don’t need the ice. Promise you won’t run?”
Sadie nodded. She wanted to know why he said Caleb sent him. But now she’d have an advantage. Kyle’s gun lay on the floor behind a potted plastic ficus. She picked it up and held it out of sight by her side.
When Bowen returned, the hair around his face damp, she aimed the gun at him and motioned for him to sit in the armchair. “Now prove to me you’ve come from Caleb.”
Hands help up in mock surrender, he stood by the chair. “We need to move to another room. Don’t want Kyle to overhear us.”
“But—“
“Let me check on him. I’m sure he’s still unconscious.”
Taking a step backward, Sadie lowered the gun a fraction. “OK. No tricks.”
Bowen lifted one of Kyle’s eyelids and then felt his pulse. “Out cold, but I don’t know for how long.”
“The bedroom.” Sadie wiped her clammy palm on her slacks. “Move slowly.”
He held his hands high and walked down the hall.
She followed with the useless weapon aimed at his back. She’d never fired a gun, but holding it gave her a bit of confidence. “Sit on the stool by my dresser.”
After Bowen sat, she closed the door and leaned against it. “Start talking.”
He sucked in a breath and kept his gaze fixed on her face. “Cal sent me to find you because he has important news.”
The gun was heavy. She supported her wrist with her left hand and aimed in the general direction of Bowen’s chest. “You’ve already said that. Where’s the proof?”
“Cal gave me a code word. He said you would know it and accept me. The word is cooterpeter.”
Sadie’s arms trembled. The gun wavered as an icy shudder skated through her. Cooterpeter. That’s how Hannah pronounced computer. Caleb would know that. Lonnie Levasseur would not.
She sank onto the bed, gun forgotten. Cal sent Bowen to find her. Why? A hoard of reasons collided in her brain, but none made any sense.
The gun dropped from Sadie’s numb fingers. Her voice came out in a tight whisper. “What does he want to tell me?”
Sliding next to her on the bed, Bowen placed an arm around her shoulders. “Brace for it, Sadie. Cal thinks Hannah is alive.”
13
Bowen caught Sadie before she slipped off the bed. He cradled her head on his shoulder and stroked her cheek.
“Sadie, wake up.” His heart still clenched at her pain-filled moan. What was going through her mind? He couldn’t imagine.
Her eyelids fluttered, and she brushed his hand away. “Sam?” She raised her gaze to his face, eyes heavy with confusion. “Bowen, did I hear you right? Hannah may be alive?”
Although he wanted to wrap his arms around her and somehow convince her to trust him, all he did was touch her arm. “Yes. Cal sent me.”
“I heard that part, but what about Hannah?”
Bowen rubbed the lump on the back of his head and flinched. “My assignment was to locate you. Cal didn’t give me details about your daughter.” Why hadn’t he demanded more information from Cal? Here he was, flying blind and causing misery, when all he wanted to do was comfort.
Sadie stood, steadied herself, and paced to the door and back. “I must talk to him. I need to get back to California. Now. I must go now.” She moved about the room fidgeting and pacing like a hyperactive kid. “Where’s my phone? What…I’ve forgotten his phone number. How can I call him?”
Bowen caught her in mid-stride and gently squeezed her shoulders. “Sadie, calm down. I’ll give you the number I have for Cal. I agree we need to get out of here. But first, we have to take care of Kyle. It appears he was after you, too.”
“You mean after me as Sadie or as Debra?”
“You, Sadie. Kyle came after you. He saw your photo with Aaron and Hannah and must have recognized you.”
Swallowing despite the tightening in his throat, he rubbed his thumbs on the soft skin of her neck. He’d come close to botching this assignment. The face of a client who died while under his protection years ago slammed into his memory. Why did he dismiss the holes in Kyle’s background so cavalierly? His blunder almost cost Sadie her life and he wouldn’t let that happen again. “Your identity has been compromised.”
She pulled away and moved to the door. “I know—you found me.”
“Cal hired me. No one else. We can’t take a chance on Kyle’s motives.”
Anxiety tightened her face. “I must call Griff—”
“He’s your WITSEC contact, isn’t he?”
She brushed the curls off her forehead and nodded.
Bowen didn’t want her to contact the U. S. Marshal, but he would understand if she did. “Is that a good idea? Will he allow you to visit Caleb in California?”
Sadie flopped on the edge of the bed, her hands kneading her thighs. “But he can’t stop me. If I leave Austin, it will break my contract and—“
A thump from the living room interrupted her.
“Stay here.” Bowen picked up Kyle’s pistol, opened the door, and moved down the hall.
He found Kyle conscious and thrashing about. “Sa…Debra, come here and help me.” If Kyle was after Sadie, Bowen didn’t want to confirm her identity.
As Sadie entered the living room, a knock sounded on the front door. She and Bowen exchanged glances.
Bowen whispered, “Quick, help me get Kyle out of here. Let’s take him to the bathroom.” He placed the pistol on the kitchen counter and then picked up Kyle’s head and shoulders. “You get his legs.”
They carried the thrashing man down the hall and dumped him in the tub.
Eyes wide, breathing hard, Sadie hurried to the front door and peeked through the peephole. She turned to Bowen, who’d followed her, and mouthed, “It’s Pete, my neighbor.”
Bowen mouthed back, “Open it, but don’t let him in.” He stepped out of the line of sight, picked up the pistol, and positioned himself for another fight.
With the safety chain on, Sadie cracked the door. “Hi, Pete.”
“Came to check on you. We were up with Zack——he’s coughing a bunch—and heard loud voices and strange noises.”
“I’m sorry. You know I had company, earlier. While cleaning up, I knocked over a chair.”
“So there’s nothing wrong?”
“No. Sorry I disturbed you guys. See you tomorrow.” With the fake smile still plastered on her face, she shut the door.
From the kitchen, Bowen motioned for her to come. “Good job. Now let’s get out of here.” He set the weapon on the counter and stepped towards the hall.
Sadie remained glued to the door. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow, and her gaze darted back and forth. Bowen couldn’t decide if she was contemplating her next move or if she was frozen in shock. But he had no time to be gentle.
He held out his hand. “Come. I have a plan, but we must hurry.” Bowen put a finger to his lips. “We need to keep our voices down. We don’t want Kyle to know what we’re doing. You should pack a suitcase.”
“I’ve changed my mind.” Gone were the erratic eye movements and bloodless cheeks.
“You don’t want to see Cal?” What now?
Determination firmed her jaw. “No. Yes. I want to leave right away, but I’m going to call Griff.”
Here it comes. His plan could fall apart in the next second. “Go ahead. Where’s a suitcase? I’ll get it ready for you.”
Sadie pointed to the hall. “In the closet. Get the big black one.” She punched a number on her phone.
“Stay in here while you talk so Kyle can’t hear you.” Bowen hovered in the doorway.
She sat on the sofa, ankles crossed and one leg bouncing up and down. “Hi, Griff. Sorry to bother you so late, but I’ve got a big problem.”
Bowen joined her on the sofa, watching her face as she listened. Her eyes narrowed, and she bit her lower lip. What was wrong?
Her voice lowered and she frowned. “All right. I’ll be in touch.” Sadie’s eyes glazed over. All color drained from her face
Bowen slid closer. “What’s wrong? Why didn’t you tell him?”
But then her eyes sparked with fear as she tensed. “I’m in serious trouble. Griff used our code word. I can’t believe…code words, twice in one night. He….I must leave Austin.”
“I know that, but why didn’t he come here and tell you?” Her words were making no sense. What could Griff have said to cause such a reaction?
She stood and moved to the hall. “I have to pack.”
“No.” Bowen reached to restrain her. “Tell me here. Kyle—“
“OK.” She entered the kitchen and opened a cabinet. “How will we travel to California? Fly, drive?”
“Drive. Flying will leave a paper trail. Now what about Griff?”
“That’ll be a long drive.” Sadie snatched items from the shelves. “We can take these.”
Bowen caught the bottled water six-pack before it slipped off the counter. “We’ll have to share the driving.”
Since it seemed Sadie intended to take several items, he found a cloth grocery bag next to the refrigerator and packed the water and boxes of snack bars. “Tell me what Griff said.”
Sa
die opened the refrigerator. “We had a plan. We had a code word to use if either of us were in danger. Should I pour out the milk? It’ll turn—“
“No. You have to leave everything in place, like you stepped out for a minute. In fact, when you pack, take the hangers too so it doesn’t look like clothes are missing.”
She closed the fridge and fled to the bedroom. “But Kyle—“
Bowen set the bag of snacks by the front door and then followed Sadie. As he passed the closet, he retrieved the suitcase and unzipped it on the bed. After closing the bedroom door, he folded his arms and kept out of Sadie’s way. “Kyle doesn’t know we’re leaving together. He can assume. Please tell me more about Griff.”
Sadie snagged items from her dresser drawers and dumped them into the suitcase. “He didn’t want to talk. There may have been someone with him.”
On the sidelines, Bowen chomped at the bit. Why had Griff used the code word? Frustration at not being able to help the marshal churned in Bowen’s gut. But he had to make getting Sadie safely back to California his first priority.
She gathered clothing from the closet and then haphazardly folded T-shirts, slacks and jeans into the case. Sneakers and a pair of brown shoes topped the pile. Plastic hangers lay in a colorful mess on the bedspread. “That’s it. Except my makeup and toiletries. They’re in the bathroom.”
“Leave them. We’ll stop along the way and purchase what you need. Are you ready? What about the hangers?”
She placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the room “I’ll throw them in the dumpster. Yes, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Can we stop at an ATM on the way out?”
“No. You don’t want to leave a trail.”
“Oh, yeah. I understand. There’s not much in my account, anyway.” She raised her strained face to his and held up a finger. “Wait. One more thing.”
Bowen heard her rummaging in the closet. She came out holding a thick brown envelope.
“Ever since I entered WITSEC I’ve dreaded being at the mercy of others. So I keep a stash of cash for emergencies.” Holding up her treasure, she quirked an eyebrow. “And I think this qualifies as an emergency.” She shoved the envelope deep into her large purse. “I’m ready now.”
Bowen zipped the suitcase and carried it to the small foyer.
Weep In The Night Page 9