The White Lily

by Susanne Matthews

  “What do you mean, he’s found her?” Trevor asked.

  “I mean the bastard knows where she’s staying, what room she’s in. He left a package for her at the desk. She opened it—I know she should’ve waited. It looks like keys to the van he’s been using to move around. As well, he threatened her again. The threat in the note implies he’s met her before and he’s looking forward to renewing the relationship. Lilith doesn’t remember meeting him. Did she?”

  “Not as far as I know, but he could’ve met her at Quantico. What exactly does that note say?”

  Jacob reread it. “... Don’t despair, the best part of any game is the chase. I’ve waited a long time to see you again.” Those words filled him with horror just as they had the first time.

  “He’s obviously furious with her for upsetting his plans and forcing him to change vehicles. With the description she gave, everyone on the East Coast is looking for him and that van. He’s probably been forced to alter his appearance, too, inconveniencing him further, especially if he’s trying to hide four kids. I’ll have the computer techs run simulations and generate other sketches based on disguises. Basic facial configuration and bone structure don’t change.”

  “That’ll make him harder to find, won’t it?”

  “It will, but we’ve always known he’s a crafty bastard. As far as the second line, it sounds like he’s daring her—wants to prove he’s smarter than we are. Whatever evidence we’ll find in that vehicle will be conflicting. Some of it may even be planted. Don’t forget, Pierce worked on everything from joint investigations with the DEA to kidnappings, serial killings, you name it. Some of those unsolved cases could’ve been his dirty work, or he could’ve retained bits of evidence for further use. Nothing screws up a DA’s case faster than evidence that doesn’t fit. He could muddy the waters and have the authorities thinking they’re looking at the wrong man.”

  “I see, but what about wanting to see her again?”

  “It’s cryptic and could mean they’d met before, but it could also be a delusion on his part. He could be referring to seeing her on television when she announces his next disgusting, horrendous crime. If he’s behind the plagues somehow, we haven’t much time before the second one hits. I wouldn’t have taken him for your typical narcissistic killer, but maybe he enjoyed the five minutes of fame he got a few months ago and wants to bask in the limelight again. On the other hand, he could just be trying to spook her, but nothing that man has done makes sense to me. Every time I think we have his profile set, something changes. I shouldn’t have made her the spokesperson on this, but you’re right. It doesn’t explain how he found her. I’ll have Tom go through everyone who works in the damn building. If we’ve got a mole, something will stand out. We know what to look for this time. I’ll get a different crew in here checking for bugs.”

  “But hoping to see her again on television doesn’t really fit with ‘waiting a long time’ for it, does it? He wouldn’t have been waiting to see her at that press conference. He didn’t know she’d be the one addressing the media. He shouldn’t even have known she’d been assigned to your team. I’m convinced they’ve met in person, even if she doesn’t remember him. But that’s not the worst of it. The son of a bitch has been in her room.”

  “What?” Trevor screamed into the phone, forcing Jacob to move it away from his ear, hoping there hadn’t been any permanent damage to his eardrum.

  “He’s left a calling card, a white lily, in the center of her bed. We’ve checked the place and haven’t found anything else. It could’ve been placed there by the staff, bribed into doing him a favor, but I don’t think so. You need to get a team over here. There could be a bomb, a booby trap, God knows what. The only reason we’re here is so she could change since we’d planned to drive to New Hampshire this afternoon. We could’ve walked in on him as it is.”

  “Damn it. That man makes a fool of me every time. It’s my fault he found her. I should’ve realized he’d remember where we placed out-of-town team members. It’s where I was housed when I was first on the case. It’s probably where he lived himself when he came to Boston. How could I have forgotten that? I’ll bet the son of a bitch has a passkey. Once he saw her on television, he knew she was a member of this team. He’s done this to throw us off the scent. He knew we’d assume a mole and would waste precious time and resources chasing ghosts. There’s no leak, Jacob. It’s just me blindly repeating myself, thinking he was long gone. Pierce knows the way I do things as well as I know them myself. How is she?”

  “Terrified, and I’m convinced there’s something else eating at her. I’m not sure knowing how he found her will be much comfort. Normally, she wouldn’t have been back until later tonight, and she’d have been alone. I can’t imagine what that would’ve been like. I’m not kidding, Trevor. I’ve never seen anyone this frightened.”

  “Well, Lilith had a rough time of it when she went undercover a few years ago, and it’s left her vulnerable. She’s a damn fine agent, but this case is bringing back memories best left forgotten. I can’t say any more since it’s her story to tell, but she’ll pull herself together—she always does. Now, what we have to do is figure out where to go from here. She’d too exposed there.”

  “I agree. Finding this now has probably upset his plans. No doubt, he expects her to be at work, so he’s probably not watching the place. He may intend to come back later and wait for her. He said he’d add her to the stable, and if he could waltz in here like this during the day ... she’s packing her stuff right now, and I’m taking her to my hotel. We were planning to go back there and work after we got back from the farm. My suite has two bedrooms. You and the rest of the team can meet us there. I’ll leave the box with the keys and note inside the apartment here for the forensic team.”

  “If she’s agreeable to that, I’m fine with it, but do you think she’ll be any safer at your hotel than where she is? It’s a public place with people in and out all the time. Wouldn’t placing her in one of the FBI safe houses be a better move?”

  “I doubt it. If Pierce knows about this place, it stands to reason he’d know about the others.”

  “When you put it that way ... You’ve got about twenty minutes before Rob gets there with a forensic team. Don’t leave until they do—we don’t want anyone else going in there and tampering with the evidence. Leave the car where it is, and get in with the detail. I’ll let them know to go around and pick you up at the service entrance. If you’re right and Pierce is planning a return visit, let’s not tip our hand that she won’t be there. We can set a trap for that rat. I’ll meet you in your suite.”

  “I’ll tell the manager to let you in. I have to make a few calls. We’ll be ready to go when Rob arrives. I’ve arranged personal security for key witnesses in the past. I promise you, she’ll be safe with me.” He hung up.

  Lilith came out of the bathroom. She’d tried to erase the damage from crying, and while he thought she was as beautiful as ever, anyone seeing her would know something terrible had happened. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she chewed her lower lip. She looked beaten down as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders and she couldn’t escape her fate. This invasion of her personal space had devastated her, so there was more to it than being the object of a suspect’s unwanted attentions. He’d like to know what had happened to her on that undercover mission, but this wasn’t the time or the place to question her about it. As Trevor had said, she was pulling herself together. He’d offer to take her shopping again, but he suspected there wouldn’t ever be enough retail therapy to fix this.

  Walking over to her, he pulled her into his arms, pleased when she went willingly. He moved his hand up and down her back in what he hoped was a comforting gesture but stopped the motion at the familiar skin texture under the sweater.

  Welts! Someone had whipped her severely. This wouldn’t have been the kind of whipping a dom might use on a submissive. No, for marks like these, it would’ve have been a torturous beating like he’d
received from Pierce. No wonder she’d empathized. Guilt tore through him as he remembered his angry words when she’d called him on abandoning Eloise. If anyone had the right to judge him, it was Lilith. She’d suffered as he had. This wasn’t the time to ask her about it, but when she settled and things calmed down, he’d find out who’d done this to her and tear him apart, limb from limb.

  “Feeling better?”

  She nodded, only the movement of her head against his chest telling him she’d answered.

  “You’ve got twenty minutes to pack your stuff, and we’re out of here as soon as Rob arrives. Leave the box on the table and your car keys. Where are they? We’re getting in with the detail.”

  “Over there,” she said so softly he barely heard her and pointed to the table next to the sofa but made no effort to move away from him.

  “Pack your stuff, Lilith,” he said just as softly but with the same authority he’d used with the settlers at the jail. She’d respond to that sense of control even if she didn’t want to. “I’ve got a few calls to make.” Reluctantly, she moved out of his arms. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere without you.”

  • • •

  She heard bits and pieces of Jacob’s one-sided conversation while she packed up her toiletries but was too worried, too upset to care. If the calls concerned her, he’d tell her about them when the time came. Right now, like a turtle, she needed to crawl into her shell and hide until she got a grip on herself. Moving like an automaton, she took her suitcase out of the closet, opening it on the floor rather than going near the bed. She dumped the contents of each dresser drawer unceremoniously into the case, not caring if her clothes were creased beyond recognition.

  Too afraid to close the door and be alone in the room with Pierce’s token, she moved away from the doorway, stripped off her skirt and top, and pulled on her favorite jeans and an old university sweatshirt—her comfort clothes. If she could, she’d slip into her nightgown and bury herself in the blankets of her bed at home in Quantico, but that wasn’t possible, so her grubbies were her next best line of defense. She fastened her ankle holster in place and tossed the shoulder one into the suitcase. After stuffing the skirt and top she’d worn in the bag along with her other soiled garments, she went back into the other room for the jacket and shoes she’d removed earlier, as well as her gun, which she quickly placed in the holster. Jacob stood near the window, still engrossed in the phone conversation.

  Grabbing the smaller bag she used to carry shoes, she filled it with the pairs in her wardrobe and donned her loafers. She looked around the room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and stared at the small LED lanterns next to the bed. She couldn’t leave without them.

  Steeling herself, she grasped the locket at her neck for courage and hurried over to the bedside, grabbed the lanterns, glancing at the lily only long enough to realize there was another note there. Surely she didn’t have to reach for it, let alone read it. Trevor would tell her what it said sooner or later. Right now, she needed to get out of here. Going to stay with Jacob might not be the wisest move, especially after last night, but at the moment, she needed him as she hadn’t needed anyone before. Dropping the lanterns into the bag so that the clothing would protect them, she closed both bags and returned to the other room just as Jacob ended his call.

  A loud knock at the door made her jump.

  “Relax. It’s probably Rob and the forensic team.” But still Jacob checked the peephole before answering the door. “She’s packed, and we’re good to go.”

  Rob nodded and sent the forensic team into the bedroom. “How are you doing, kid?” he asked.

  “I’ll live,” she said, both surprised and touched by his concern. “I’ve probably made a mountain out of a molehill here. No doubt this is just a scare tactic to throw me off.” And it worked.

  “Hey, you’re enough like Faye for me to know how having someone invade your space feels. We had to sell the damn loft, remember? Tom’s looking through everything he can find to see if we can figure out where Pierce might’ve seen you. It could’ve been on a case, at a convention, or at a seminar. Wherever it is, we’ll find it. Like you, Trevor thinks this is a scare tactic. On the off chance it’s a credible threat, your security’s been doubled, and if you still want to go to the farm, we can send you by helicopter. It can pick you up at The Museum of Science. They’ve got a helipad. Otherwise, you travel in a squad car with escorts front and back, but you won’t be back by dark.”

  She nodded and smiled weakly. “Even the First Lady doesn’t have this level of security.”

  “The First Lady doesn’t work for Trevor. It looks as if this is the straw that broke the camel’s back for Faye, too. She and her mother will catch a commercial flight out of Logan in four hours. It broke the bank, but I’m sending them first class.” He turned to Jacob. “I assume you can get someone to meet the flight?”

  “Of course. I’ll get the information from you later and have a car ready to take them to Melbourne. The other women and children should be arriving around the same time. I’ll see my housekeeper has rooms ready for them. She’ll be glad to have someone to look after. She misses Andrew almost as much as I do.”

  “Thanks. Tom, Trevor, and I are going to stay somewhere together. It’ll be a two-edged sword—we’ll be simpler to protect, but it’ll also make us easier to take out if he gets past our defenses. You know, when we get our hands on Pierce, it’ll be damn hard not to pop him one for this inconvenience. We were going to use one of the FBI safe houses, but Trevor’s reconsidered, so I’m not sure where we’ll be. Now, Lilith, have you got your gun?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. Keep it on you at all times. If a stranger approaches you, shoot first, ask questions later. Trevor’s orders.”

  Lilith swallowed. If Pierce knew about her, then Jacob could be in danger, too.

  “Does Trevor think we may have a mole?”

  “No, but he screwed up. Pierce knows this was where we put temporary agents. Once Pierce realized you were a member of the team, the rest all fell into place for him. I know the note makes it sound like he knows you, but he could just be trying to rattle you. You’ve made him look bad. Now, grab all your stuff and get going. Let the techs do their job, so we can set a trap for the son of a bitch.”

  Jacob picked up her two bags, leaving the shopping bag for her to carry, and they retraced their steps to the elevator. But instead of exiting at the main floor, they went down to the basement and out through the service door. The detail waited outside the vehicle, guns drawn. The men quickly loaded the trunk with her cases and bags, adding them to Jacob’s parcels they’d transferred from her car.

  She got into the backseat with Jacob, both of them bending toward the floor, out of sight. With the car’s tinted windows, down low like this, it was dark, too dark. Her heart pounded and her breath came in gasps, and given her current state, it was hard to stave off the panic.

  “You can sit up now,” the driver said. “We’re clear and no one’s following us.”

  “Are you okay?” Jacob asked, concern on his face as she fought to breathe again.

  “Yes, just a little rattled. If that was Pierce’s intention, he succeeded.” Crap, she was gripping Jacob’s hand. She dropped it. “Sorry, sometimes I don’t know my own strength. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

  He reached for her hand again and entwined his fingers with hers. “Hold on as tight as you like. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Knight in dull, dented armor, remember?”

  She blinked her eyes to keep the sudden tears away. There was no way she could deny her desire to be with Jacob. She might not be able to think straight right now, let alone aim and fire her gun, but he’d have her back. Would he be able to accept all the scars she bore? The ones on her body were just the tip of the iceberg.

  At the Park Plaza, the car drove into the delivery area. Quickly unloading the contents of the trunk into an empty linen bin, Jacob pushed the cart to the service elevator and
waited for it to arrive. They rode the freight elevator to the top floor.

  When the door opened, the hotel manager stood next to a man in SWAT gear.

  “This is Mr. and Mrs. Andrews,” he said to the armed officer. While the title surprised her, it didn’t upset her—it was clearly part of the cover and security they’d put in place for her safety. Giving her name at the front desk would negate everything since if Pierce was determined to find her, he’d be checking every hotel in Boston until he did. All it took was a phone call asking for her by name.

  “Mr. Andrews, the floor’s been cleared as you requested and the elevator locked off. The employees with permission to come up here are the ones vetted to service foreign diplomats. If there’s anything else you need, let me know.”

  Jacob handed him some bills, and the man got into the elevator, the door closing almost as soon as he did.

  “You cleared the whole floor of the hotel? Won’t they lose money?”

  “They didn’t have any reservations, and I made it worth their while not to take any. I’ve arranged for private security to supplement the police presence. They’ll need a place to sleep, and I’ll feel safest knowing they’re just down the hall.

  Before she could argue the merits of that, Jacob unlocked the door and Trevor stood up.

  “Okay,” he said without preamble. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jacob noted how Lilith paled the moment she entered the suite. Her nerves were frayed. It was almost as if seeing her boss added to her discomfort. What did Trevor know that she wanted to keep hidden from him? Did it have something to do with the scars on her back?

  While she sat with Trevor explaining about the package, Jacob put away the items he’d purchased, giving her time to compose herself.

  One of the calls he’d made had been to the Guardians, an elite paramilitary group of bodyguards who protected the who’s who of the world. He’d used their services a time or two in the past, both when working undercover and in his private life. He’d arranged for two teams in Australia—one at Evergreen and the other at the house in Melbourne. Just because he was moving the Prophet’s property, as he called them, halfway around the world didn’t mean his uncle would stop searching for them. Duncan had been a powerful man, so who knew how big his network really was? He’d also set up a team to join him here in Boston, and they’d be here later tonight. Their pictures would arrive through a secure web link so he could identify them. He’d show them to the members of the team, but it was unlikely anyone else, even those on the protective details, would notice them. No one would get past them. They’d have Pierce’s picture and the composite drawing of his accomplice in the bombing—both as a man and as a woman. Anyone resembling either one who came close would be out of commission in seconds.