“We searched John’s house.” Brooks nodded at another man at the far end of the table. That man pushed a stack of pages at him. “We found a book of newspaper clippings and maps in his desk.”
Brooks laid out photographs of the evidence out in front of him.
Heidi didn’t know what she was looking at. She peered at the pages. One after the next. They didn’t make sense to her, all these maps and pins.
“These are his kills. The people he murdered,” Brooks said.
“This proves nothing. These are all about trends during cold season.” She flipped to another page. “This proves...”
Her whole world stopped.
She stared at a picture of John’s home office with a larger map spread out on the desk. It wasn’t what was in the foreground that caught her eye. She swallowed and bent her head closer. Her body went cold and her stomach knotted up.
Please, no...
“That picture on the corner of his desk. Do you have a full shot of it?” she pointed at a frame only partially in the shot.
Adam leaned over her and gripped her shoulder.
He recognized that face, too.
“I believe so...” Brooks thumbed through his stack of photographs until he found one. “Here.”
“Fuck,” Adam muttered.
Heidi slumped in the chair and stared at the young man with the sad eyes.
Why would John have a picture of Léo? Why would John know the man who’d kidnapped her?
Brook’s earlier words rang back at her.
John wasn’t just the mole. He wasn’t selling CDC resources and intel, he was using it. And he’d had her—his friend—kidnapped. Léo had wanted her to work for him. Was that John’s doing?
Adam squeezed her shoulder tighter.
She planted her finger on the face of the young man with sad eyes and hunched shoulders. He hadn’t changed all that much. Her throat refused to work at first. Once she said this, once she admitted John and Léo were connected she’d have to believe it.
“That’s Léo. That’s the man who kidnapped me.” Heidi covered her mouth and shut her eyes. Her friend, the one person she’d really trusted these last few years, was a murderer. How had she missed that? Why hadn’t she seen the signs?
“This man?” Brooks tapped the picture.
“That’s him,” Adam said in Heidi’s stead.
“I’ll find out more about him.” Abigail stood and pressed her phone to her ear.
“Yeah.”
“Jade, do we know who this man is yet?” Brooks turned to the red haired woman sitting a few seats down from him.
“Léopold Peloquin,” the woman said. “John’s ward. I have someone looking into their history, but...the timeline would be about right to explain the dormant period.”
Léo was the reason John stopped killing? But he was the one behind the business and the lab. Mr. Reddy had even known who he was. What was going on?
“What the hell is happening? What does this mean? How did we not know?” Heidi shook her head. None of it made any sense.
Brooks glanced at the red haired woman. He’d called her Jade. Some look, some communication passed between the two. A language Heidi didn’t understand.
“Some people are very good at hiding their inclinations. Without observing and studying John’s behavior, we don’t have an explanation for you. I’m sorry,” the woman said.
“I’d love to offer you a moment, but we have minutes here. Please?” Brooks stared at her.
Heidi swallowed down the ball of emotions in her throat and straightened.
“What do you want to know?” She folded her hands together to keep them from shaking.
“What can you tell us about John’s behavior over the last week?” Brooks asked.
“He was very focused on us finding Heidi. If he wanted to keep her why go to the effort to help us find her?” Adam sat in the chair next to Heidi.
“It could be self preservation, he has to play the part,” Brooks said.
“Or he could be gloating. Some people like this get a lot of pleasure out of manipulating a situation.” Jade leaned forward.
“I understand what you’re saying, and I get where you’re going, but...” Heidi shook her head. “This doesn’t make sense. Léo did kidnap me. Are we sure they’re working together? What if Léo is the killer and John was just...protecting him?”
That didn’t sound as good as it had in her head.
Someone tapped on the door. Brooks glanced up and sighed.
“No, we’re not sure of anything right now. I’ve got to present what we have to the DOJ. Our agents are going to escort your team to a safe house. I’d like more time to talk to you each individually later.” Brooks pushed to his feet and buttoned his jacket.
“We’ll be available,” Adam said.
“Abigail, would you mind coming with me?” Brooks asked.
“Not at all.” Abigail kept her phone to her ear and glanced at Adam. “I’ll meet up with you guys tonight.”
Brooks grabbed a few things and strode out of the office with Abigail.
Heidi had grown close to John over the years. How was it he could do something like this? She couldn’t believe it.
“You’re going to ask yourself why you didn’t see it, how you never noticed his behavior before, if there was anything you could do. Not that you’re asking for advice, but—none of this is your fault.” Jade pushed to her feet.
Heidi stared at the woman. Her green eyes were sharp, striking. There was a story, some darkness that Jade struggled with.
“I hope they find him and Cindy.” Heidi sat back and sighed.
“Everyone’s looking for them. If you’d like, there’s an FBI team set up to take your people to a secure location.”
“Is that necessary?” Adam asked.
“Given the resources John and Léo seem to have available to them, yes,” Jade said.
“That’s not comforting at all.” Heidi stared at the ceiling.
John had infected an entire plane full of airmen, and for what? Why?
“Léo wanted me to work with them. Is it possible that they took Cindy because I got away?” she asked.
“That is a possibility,” Jade replied.
“I’d like to get Heidi something to eat,” Adam said.
Food sounded wonderful to Heidi’s empty stomach.
“Let me call the team. They’ll have food at the safe house along with your luggage. Thank you for your help.” Jade pushed to her feet and pulled out a phone.
“Were we given a choice?” Riley chuckled.
“There’s always a choice.” The corners of Jade’s mouth twitched, but she didn’t smile.
Adam turned Heidi’s chair until she faced him. He took her hands between his and leaned forward. She watched him, numb to the events going on around her.
“It’s going to be okay,” he muttered.
Heidi wanted to believe him. She really did, but how was any of this going to be okay?
13.
FRIDAY. DAYUS PHARMACY, Atlanta, Georgia.
Léo followed John into the bedroom, shadowing his every move.
“We need to talk,” he said.
“Not now,” John mumbled.
“Yes. Now.” Léo hated being terse. He just wanted what was best for John. Didn’t he know that? “We need to talk about your East Coast job. We’re almost down to the wire and—”
“There is no job.” John sat on the bed and toed his shoes off.
“Wait. What?” Léo gaped at the man. “There is no job?”
“Never was.”
“Then—”
“Léo, I love you, but you need to stop hovering. This? It’s something I need to do. No clients, no targets, no planning. I need to make a difference for nothing other than it makes me happy.” John waved him away. “I’ll explain later.”
Léo was too shocked to demand more answers.
What the hell had gotten into John?
What they did al
ways had a purpose. First, to do the work John needed to do. To help those who no one else would get help. People like Léo and the others. Second, for the money. Taking care of John’s needs wasn’t cheap. They’d built a nice little enterprise, and they had enough tucked away to finally consider some freedoms, but the business would dry up once the heat was on. Their biggest market appeal was the fact that no one suspected a thing. If they did a pleasure project like this, on the scale of what John had hinted at, they’d be on the radar of every country. They would never be safe. Léo wouldn’t be able to protect John.
Léo shut the bedroom door and paced into the living area of the basement safe house.
This was bad. Really bad.
John would no doubt be passed out. It was to be expected. He likely hadn’t slept in a few days. His blood sugar was all out of whack, and that didn’t even get them to the point of considering what to do with the other woman.
Léo felt eyes on him.
Crane hadn’t spoken more than a few words since they’d arrived. The guy had to see what they were dealing with that the boss wasn’t well. If Léo was going to convince anyone they needed to gently transition leadership, it was now. He was doing this for John, to save him from himself.
“Can we talk? Serious talk.” Léo pulled out a chair and sat across from Crane.
“What’s on your mind?” Crane pushed a tumbler of amber liquid toward him.
Léo shook his head. A drink wasn’t what he needed right now.
“We need to talk about the boss.” Léo stared at the other man. He’d like to call Crane a friend, but in this line of work the only person they were all truly loyal to was John.
“What about him?”
“He’s not well.”
“He’s been under a lot of stress. We all have.”
Léo sucked in a breath and straightened his spine. He’d lived every moment of his life for John since the day that man had rescued him. Léo had cleaned up the messes, made problems go away, he’d cooked and cleaned, he’d done anything John needed because he loved that man more than his own family. But there were limits. Léo had so much blood on his hands they’d never be clean, but what John was talking about went too far.
“I don’t think he’s fit to be in charge anymore.” Léo hadn’t spoken the sentence out loud. His stomach clenched at the sound of them, even worse because it felt like the right thing to say.
“Have you told anyone else about this?” Crane asked.
“No.” Léo glanced over his shoulder at the door. “But, you see him. You’ve seen how things have gone. The last year, we’ve had one near disaster after another. If we’re going to succeed, we need someone with a level head running things.”
“And you think that’s you?”
Léo flinched and stared at the stairs.
The short, shapely figure was swathed in shadows.
She took a step down, and then another.
“What are you doing here, Julie?” Léo asked.
“Answer my question first,” she said.
Léo fought the urge to stand. These weren’t the kind of people he could negotiate with. Either they were loyal to the death or realistic.
“If the company wants me to retain my role in operations, I’m more than happy to serve,” Léo said.
“More than happy to serve?” Julie came to a stop next to crane and gripped the back of the man’s chair. “If you’re so happy to serve, why do you want the old man out of the picture?”
“That’s not what I’m saying.” Léo held up his hands. “John—the boss—he’s sick. And when he’s sick, he doesn’t always make the most reasonable decisions. I mean, look at this last week? How does any of this make sense?”
“I believe in the boss,” Julie said.
Léo blinked at the woman. Since when had Julie believed in anything but money?
“You’re right,” Crane said.
“Oh, thank God.” Léo blew out a breath.
“I’ve had a lot of time to watch you, get closer with the boss, and what I see is that you constantly try to snuff out the boss’ great ideas. You drag him down. The problem, is you, Léo.”
He stared into Crane’s eyes and felt the noose closing around his neck.
Léo had made a mistake. A miscalculation.
“If the boss didn’t love you so much I’d kill you now,” Julie said.
“I’m not convinced we shouldn’t.” Crane glanced at the woman.
Léo pushed to his feet and took a step back.
“I’ll give you a head start.” Crane lifted his glass and saluted Léo. “Go. Before the boss wakes up and tells us to kill you.”
Léo’s instincts said to run, flee, get out of here. But then he’d be leaving dad—the boss—with these people. They didn’t understand him like Léo did. They hadn’t been there for the ten years before, learning how to deal with John’s need to rescue people, the bodies showing up at the worst possible moments.
All Léo wanted was to protect John, but maybe it was time Léo worried about himself. This was the path that John had picked and no amount of steering him had worked. If Léo didn’t jump ship now, he might go down with the whole boat.
Right now, it was every man for himself.
“Alright. Have it your way.”
Léo held up his hands and walked slowly toward the stairs. He held his breath all the way to the top of the stairs. Everything in him wanted to run back into the basement and wake dad up, but John had changed. Maybe Léo couldn’t save him anymore.
FRIDAY. FBI SAFE HOUSE, Atlanta, Georgia.
Adam walked into the living room and stopped.
Heidi was up out of the wheel chair and standing with Riley’s arms wrapped around her. The room hazed red. A tremor of ugly, suffocating jealousy rose up to suffocate him. He closed his eyes and breathed in a deep breath.
It’d been a decade since he had to face his jealousy. Heidi wasn’t the only one with issues. He had his fair share.
“And that is how you two-step.” Riley twirled Heidi in place then bowed.
Heidi tossed her head back, her freshly washed hair bouncing. Riley’s gaze snagged with Adam’s and the younger man ducked behind Heidi, crouching as though he could use her as a shield.
“Oh no, I think I’m in trouble.” Riley laughed.
Heidi planted her hands on her hips and leveled a glare at Adam. It was the little arched brow that did it, untwisted his insides so he could breathe. His jealousy had created quite the issue when they were in high school. She’d gotten blamed for his behavior by others claiming she was a bad influence when in reality she was the one who made him better. He didn’t want to be her dad just as much as she didn’t want to grow up like him either.
“Adam hates dancing,” she said.
“I do not.” He crossed the living room and sat on the sofa, pointedly not looking at Riley. Heidi was Adam’s. The ring she kept at home said as much. Her claim that she, too, had been faithful all these years soothed him. Riley wasn’t going to threaten that, not with a little shuffling around the room.
“You do, too.” Heidi stepped around the coffee table and sat next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder.
“You aren’t supposed to be on your feet,” he said softly and handed her the soda—without ice.
“As much fun as it is for you to carry me everywhere, that’s getting old real fast.” She took a sip and set the cup on the coffee table.
Grant walked into the room, phone in hand.
“What?” Riley asked.
Adam tightened his grip on Heidi.
“That was Abigail. She said we’re free to go home first thing in the morning. The feds don’t need us, and so long as we keep them in the loop about where Heidi is, we’re good to go,” Grant said.
Then why did Grant appear less than pleased about that news?
“Any word from Kyle? About his dad?” Heidi asked.
“No,” Grant replied.
Heidi stared at the car
pet, her mind elsewhere.
“Come home with me,” Adam whispered while Grant and Riley launched into a conversation about flights.
“Maybe I’m not that kind of girl anymore. Ever thought about that?” Heidi tilted her head and glared up at him, but there was no heat behind her eyes.
He threaded his fingers through hers and considered his next words. She was open to the idea. They weren’t done, but they didn’t know where they could go from here. He loved her. He wanted to be with her, which meant he had to do this right. Had to let her know.
“I have a spare bedroom. I’d like to spend some time together.” She kept staring, so he added the rest of the truth. “I want you away from all this. Until they catch John and Léo, I want you somewhere safe.”
“And I’m safe with you?”
“You’ve been safe so far.”
“Hey, love birds. Knock it off.” Riley launched a balled up napkin at them. It fell several feet short of its target. “We’re trying to have a conversation here.”
“Sorry, what earth shattering topic were we discussing?” Heidi asked.
“The most important topic of all. Dessert.” Riley grinned.
“You’re still hungry?”
“I have gone a whole week without a real dessert.”
“Ignore him. He’s got a sweet tooth problem.” Grant shook his head. He hid a yawn behind his hand.
“Don’t start that now.” Riley groaned.
“How do you two put up with each other?” Heidi leaned her head against Adam’s shoulder again.
“Very carefully.” Grant aimed a glare at Riley that the other man simply shrugged off. They really did look like they could be brothers from the facial features to the dark hair and eyes. No one would ever mistake Riley for Grant once they’d spent time around either. Their dispositions were night and day.
“You know what I haven’t heard this whole time?” Riley glanced at Grant then at Heidi. “Some good dirt on Adam. You’re holding out on us.”
“Christ,” Adam muttered, leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
Dangerous in Motion (Aegis Group Alpha Team, #4) Page 19