Web of Deceit
Book One: Agents Under Fire Series
by
Susan Sleeman
Bell Bridge Books
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events or locations is entirely coincidental.
Bell Bridge Books
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Ebook ISBN: 978-1-61194-600-0
Print ISBN: 978-1-61194-468-6
Bell Bridge Books is an Imprint of BelleBooks, Inc.
Copyright © 2015 by Susan Sleeman
The author is represented by MacGregor Literary Inc. of Manzanita, Oregon.
Published in the United States of America.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
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Cover design: Debra Dixon
Interior design: Hank Smith
Photo/Art credits:
Interior scene (manipulated) © Citalliance | Dreamstime.com
Exterior scene (manipulated) © Konstantin Sutyagin | Dreamstime.com
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Dedication
For my ever-patient and understanding husband Mark, who always believes in me and is by my side through good times and bad. I couldn’t do any of this without you.
Chapter One
Portland, Oregon
KAIT KNIGHT MET her brother-in-law’s piercing black eyes. The façade he’d lived for the last two years peeled away, revealing the cold, harsh eyes of a murderer.
“Why are you doing this, Fenton?” She tried to take a deep breath in a room that felt as if it was closing in on her.
“Why are you doing this, Fenton?” he mimicked, his voice going high and shrill as he pointed his 9mm Sig in her direction.
“No, seriously.” She eased closer, one inch at a time, her hands raised so he could see her every move. The last thing she needed was for him to panic and pull the trigger. “What are you hoping to accomplish here?”
“You know exactly why I’m doing this. I’m not letting you or anyone else at your prized FBI office arrest me.” He came around the desk, his hand trembling as a nervous finger flicked off the gun’s safety. “Now go over there and lock the door before your family hears us and someone comes running.”
Kait thought to ignore him, but she heard her twin sister Abby and their parents in the other room cooing over Abby and Fenton’s infant daughter. Kait could still smell Lily’s sweet, powdery scent clinging to her shirt from their cuddle, and she’d do anything to protect this precious child from her deviant father. She had to follow his directions.
For now.
She twisted the deadbolt, setting the tumblers in place with a firm click before turning to face the traitor. He was sweating now, soaking his tailored shirt though her father’s study hovered at a cool seventy degrees. He couldn’t seem to focus on one thing, his gaze darting around like a pinball.
“Now get over here,” he insisted. “Slowly. No false moves. You got that?”
She started across the room, her footfalls soft on the thick carpet. She’d spent countless hours playing at her father’s feet, and Lily deserved the chance to play here, too. To know the joy of family. The love of her grandfather. And Kait deserved the chance to watch her. That meant smiling, pretending, promising. Working the process until she negotiated Fenton off the mental ledge of insanity he teetered on.
Easy now. She made sure her voice was gentle and reassuring as she approached. “Think about Abby. How would she feel if she saw this?”
“Don’t try to pin this on me. This’s all your fault for taking your partner’s call when you should be enjoying your niece. Always working. Living for that stupid job.” He pressed his gun against her forehead and leaned closer, his minty breath fanning over her face as his lips parted in a hideous smile.
“And now you’ll pay for it.” He jerked her gun from her holster and dropped it on the desk behind him. The solid thunk of the Glock 17 reverberated through the space as he ground the barrel of his weapon into her forehead.
Dread coiled in her stomach, churning her lunch, and burning up her throat. In her four years as an FBI agent, she’d never been this close to death. She swallowed hard.
Don’t panic. Keep working the plan. One step at a time. Work the plan.
She fixed her gaze on him, willing him to listen. “Don’t make Abby and Lily go through this.” Uncertainty flickered in his dark eyes. Good. She was finally on the right track. “Abby loves you, Fenton. This will destroy her.”
“I don’t want to hurt her.” He raised his eyes for a fraction of a second, not long enough for Kait to disarm him.
“I know you don’t. You love her. And Lily, too. So give me the gun, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”
His hand relaxed a bit, a whisper of air sliding between the barrel and her skin. “But not the rest, right? You’ll still turn me in.”
“I don’t want to,” she lied as the bitterness over what he was doing to her family expanded in her chest, making it hard to breathe. “Put the gun down, and I won’t tell anyone you drew on me. That way it won’t be added to your charges.”
“Hah! The minute I give this up—” He pressed the cool steel deeper into her flesh. “—is the minute I run out of negotiating power.”
“There’s really no one to negotiate with. Just me having a conversation with you. So let’s sit down and work through this. I’m sure we can reach a compromise.”
He watched her, indecision playing on the sharp features of his face as he stroked a thin white scar on his chin.
Good. She had a chance here. Just a few more minutes of talking softly and reminding him of the people he loved, and she’d get him to surrender.
The doorknob rattled.
“Fenton,” Abby called from the hallway. “Fenton, is everything okay?”
His gaze shot to the door, then back to Kait. Panic wedged in his eyes, and they darted about before settling on her again. Now, mean and ugly, they darkened, and a slow, sick smile spread across his lips.
Oh, no.
He’d given in. Let evil prevail, taking him to the same deranged place he’d inhabited when he’d murdered his partner.
Kait had lost.
A terrorizing coldness iced her heart. “Tell Abby to go away, Fenton. That you have work to do. I won’t move, and we’ll keep this just between us.”
“Fenton?” Abby knocked this time, her fists rattling the door. “Fenton, why is the door locked?”
“Sorry, honey,” he yelled back, the smile spreading wider. “I’m coming to open it.”
“Please, Fenton, don’t involve Abby in this,” Kait said, losing her professional tone and imploring him with every bit of love she felt for her twin. “She doesn’t need to be a part of this.”
Kait watched, waited for him to react. He backed away from her, his steps sure and strong as if on a mission. She wanted to jump him and take her chances, but if they scuffled and he killed her, there’d be no one left to protect her family.
“Don’t move, or I’ll kill Abby.” Gun barrel still pointed in Kait’s direction, he pulled the door open and stepped aside.
Abby entered the room, large brown eyes just like Kait’s landing on Fenton, on his weapon, then going wide before settling on Kait. “Kait, what are . . .” She cut her eyes back to Fenton. “What’s going on here?”
Fenton jerked the gun. “Get over there, Abby. By your sister.”
“Fenton?”
“Do as I say.” He gave her a little shove, and she stumbled.
Kait took a few steps toward her twin who now looked lost and pale with shock.
“Come any closer, Kait, and I’ll kill her.” Fenton’s glassy eyes locked on Kait, and she knew with certainty this man—this monster masquerading as her brother-in-law—wouldn’t hesitate to fire.
“C’mon, Abby.” Kait held out her hand. “Over here.”
Abby crossed the room in a daze, stepping cautiously as if she couldn’t decide who to trust. “What’s going on, Kait?”
Kait wrapped her arm around Abby’s shoulders and pulled her into the protective circle that felt like a lie. A big, bold lie. She couldn’t control Fenton or protect Abby. He was holding on by the barest of threads and could snap at any moment.
“Kait?” Abby asked again.
“Fenton isn’t who he claimed,” Kait replied. “He’s involved in a huge Internet scam. Nina just called to tell me about it, and he overheard the call.” Kait decided to withhold the part about him being a murderer . . . for now, anyway.
“Tell her it’s not true, Fenton.” Abby’s eyes pleaded with her husband. “Tell her.”
He didn’t move. Not a flinch. Not a twitch, but a hint of sadness deepened eyes that only moments ago had flirted with madness. Maybe he really did care about Abby.
Too bad.
When he’d bilked thousands of people out of their money and killed a fellow hacker, he’d lost the right to care about her sister. As much as Abby loved her husband, she needed to know the truth.
“It’s true, Abby, and he’s decided to make a run for it.” Kait peered at Fenton, hoping he would find her suggestion of running more palatable than opening fire. “You are planning on running, Fenton, aren’t you?”
“You’ll just come after me.”
“I’ll stay here with Abby.”
A guttural laugh rumbled from his chest, his true colors revealed in a single burst. “I know you. Remember, Kait. You like nothing more than the chase, and when it ends, you get sullen. So, no . . . you won’t stay put.” He raised the gun and sighted it on Kait. “You may let me get out of the room, but then you’ll hunt me down.” His finger slowly squeezed.
“No, Fenton, don’t!” Abby pushed in front of Kait, knocking her to the floor.
The gun exploded, a deafening sound ripping through her parents’ quiet suburban home. Abby jerked back as her chest flooded with crimson, the circle growing and saturating her white blouse.
“No!” Kait screamed.
Surprise etched Fenton’s face. He stared for a moment before turning away. Kait pushed to her knees and lunged for the desk. She grabbed her weapon and fired. Two kill shots, aiming for center mass, then holding her fire in the event her parents or Abby came running.
Had she hit him? She could only hope, but her awkward position meant the odds weren’t in her favor. She holstered her weapon and scrambled to Abby who lay on her back. There was blood. So much blood. Covering her chest and staining the thick wool carpet. Kait ripped off her blazer and pressed it against the wound. Sticky, warm, it oozed through her fingers.
Bile crawled up the back of her throat. She looked away to stave it off and dialed 911, the operator promising a swift EMT response.
Kait dropped her phone and turned to Abby, whose face was ashen and drawn. Her mouth opened and closed as if she needed to speak. Terror for Abby threatened to take Kait down.
Hold on. Stay in control. She needs you.
Abby moaned, the sound cutting to Kait’s core.
“Hang in there, Abs.” Kait bent low to look into her twin’s eyes. “I love you. Don’t leave me.”
“I . . . Lily. Take care of her. Promise me.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“No, promise me, Kaitie. Promise,” Abby said then her eyes lost their luster.
“No.” Kait pressed harder on the jacket, her sister’s lifeblood slipping through her fingers. “Hang in there. Please, Abby, hang on. For me. For you. For Lily. She’s just a baby, Abs. She needs you.”
Abby’s throat gurgled, and she shuddered. Kait was losing her sister. Her best friend. Her life.
“No,” Kait cried to the empty room, forgetting all of her FBI training and searching for her next step. How could she help her sister? Her family. Her niece. Lily. Oh, God, Lily!
“Mom! Dad!” Kait screamed. “Help!”
She listened. Heard only her heart pounding. Abby’s labored gasps for air.
They had to have heard the gunshots, so where were they? Had Fenton taken one of them hostage?
“Don’t let him take them. Please, no. Please.” The whispered plea joined Abby’s last breath.
Kait sagged to the floor.
“I’ll get Fenton, Abby. Don’t worry. I’ll get him,” she whispered as Abby’s eyes glazed over and fixed in a lifeless stare. “No matter how long or what it takes, I’ll get him, and he will pay.”
Chapter Two
Beaverton, Oregon, Three Years Later
Monday, August 10, 1:00 a.m.
THE FRANTIC SCREAM startled Kait from her sleep. She shot up and swung her legs toward the floor.
“Nantie Kait.” Lily’s terrified cry came from her bedroom on the other side of the house.
Kait clawed at tangled sheets entwining her legs. “Calm down,” she told herself. “She’s fine. It’s just another bad dream.”
So what? Her sweet little niece really believed the man came into her room. She was afraid and needed Kait. She finally ripped free of the fabric and ran through the family room, flipping on the light as she went. The hazy beam drifted through the open doorway and settled over Lily’s soft blond curls. Huddled in her bed, her little bottom pointed in the air, she cried softly, her tiny body shuddering under the Dora quilt. Mr. Bear was snuggled tightly under her trembling chin, her eyes scrunched closed.
“I’m here, pumpkin.” Kait quickly swept the room, looking for the man she knew Lily would say had lurked in the doorway. Empty as suspected. She scooped her three-year-old niece into her arms.
“I saw him.” Lily’s voice shook.
Kait pressed the terrified child’s head against her chest and stroked her baby-fine hair. The sweet fragrance of her strawberry shampoo enveloped Kait, reminding her of her niece’s bath time giggles just a few hours ago. What a difference a few hours could make.
Kait dragged in a deep breath to still her racing heart. “Remember, pumpkin. There’s no man. It’s just a bad dream.”
“Nuh-uh. He was here. I saw him.”
“Shh. No one else is here, pumpkin. Just you and me.” Kait’s gaze drifted around the room the two of them had such fun decorating together. Dora, Swiper, and Boots smiled from walls painted in bright primary colors. Now the space held terror for Lily, and Kait didn’t know what to do about these recent bad dreams.
She believed the nightmares were related to an incident at Lily’s preschool when a non-custodial father tried to abduct his daughter a month ago. At least, that was the only incident in Lily’s protected life that could have incited such dreams.
At first, Kait had retrieved her weapon from her gun safe and checked the house. She found the security system set and no sign of forced entry. Still, to be safe, each time she’d changed her security code.
Better safe than sorry, right?
Now, beyond the initial panic and terror, Kait accepted the incidents as a normal part of parenting she hadn’t been prepared to handle.
Parenting. Right.
How could Abby have named Kait as her daughter’s guardian? True, Kait was thirty when Abby had died and Kait should have been ready for motherhood, but she didn’t have a motherly bone in her body. Put a gun in her hands and give her a lowlife breaking the law. That she could handle. That she did well. This mommy stuff . . .
Lily’s sobbing stilled, and her little body shuddered a final time. She drew away, plopped her thumb into her mouth, and fixed sleepy eyes on Kait.
“All better?” Kait asked as her heart melted into a river of love.
Lily nodded.
“Okay, then let’s get some sleep.”
“Stay here.”
“Of course I’ll stay, pumpkin.” Kait settled her niece under the covers and slid down next to her.
“Love you, Nantie Kait.”
The sweetness of Lily’s voice split Kait’s heart. “I love you too, pumpkin.”
Her poor, poor baby girl. This couldn’t continue. It was time to find a way to end these nightmares. Kait needed to talk to an expert. Tomorrow she’d make a few phone calls.
She yawned and moved into a more comfortable position, why, she didn’t know. After the terror of waking up to her little sweetheart screaming, it’d be a few nights before Kait would sleep soundly again.
WITH LILY’S SCREAM still echoing in his head, Fenton Rhodes crouched in the underbrush outside. He watched the windows. Kait’s bedroom. Lily’s room. The family room. Waiting for the lights to go out. Then he could hightail it out of there without being seen. Out of the nasty, damp fog—the swirling vapor blanketing the area and inflaming every nerve ending in his leg. The one Kait had destroyed in her lame attempt to stop him with a bullet three years ago. Three long years while he got his financial house in order freeing him to seek revenge.
He rubbed the damaged muscles, the pain firing his anger. He fisted his hand and slammed it into moist ground. Pain, pain, and more pain. He shouldn’t have to live with it. And he shouldn’t have to sneak around just to make sure his baby girl was okay.
Web of Deceit Page 1