An idea hit her. She went for the second set of stairs that would lead up to Tori’s room and the upper deck. One by one, she climbed the stairs, listening for anything out of the ordinary that would come over the sound of the storm.
Where was Tori? Had the intruder caught her by surprise the way he had Janessa?
Fear for her new friend and for Simon nearly had her sobbing, but she had to keep going, had to help keep them safe.
At Tori’s room, she went straight for the balcony that overlooked the larger deck below. She slipped out of the sliding glass door and immediately the rain lashed her, plastering her hair to her head and causing her to suck in a deep breath at the freezing cold. Teeth chattering, she walked to the edge and looked over.
She couldn’t see him but thought that he was beneath the balcony. Frustration bit at her. Then she caught a glimpse of him. Pacing back and forth as though trying to decide what to do next.
She glanced at the heavy-duty glass end table next to the white Adirondack chair. Bolted to the floor. With locks she could easily open.
23
Adam stopped at the light and read the text from Tori.
Someone’s on the boat. Send reinforcements. He caught me on shore. Knocked me out. Dizzy. I’m—
His stomach hit rock bottom. Someone? Someone who? How? And why did her text end abruptly?
It didn’t matter. He pressed the gas and glanced at the clock. He would be at the marina in less than five minutes. His wipers sluiced the rain from the windshield.
He called her number and listened as it rang to voice mail. “Come on, Tori, answer the phone.”
She didn’t.
And now, neither did Dani.
A text message showed up across his screen.
HURRY ADAM. I’M SCARED. SIMON
Simon had Dani’s phone? Why? “I’m coming, Simon, I’m coming.” He texted the words and then pressed the gas pedal as hard as he dared. He wanted to go faster, but a wreck would further delay him. And neither he nor Dani could afford that.
The rain lessened abruptly. The sheets of water stopped and turned into a cold downpour, but the deafening roar of the storm had quieted.
The man who’d boarded the boat stayed out of sight just under the edge of the balcony. She didn’t want to shoot him. She didn’t want him dead, she wanted to talk to him, to question him. And if it wasn’t Stuart, she wanted to know who sent him to the boat and how he’d found it. She set the gun aside and unlatched the locks that held the table in place. She picked it up and set it on the balcony railing, waiting for the right moment.
“Come on, come on,” she whispered. Every once in a while she’d catch a glimpse of a shoulder or a foot. What was he waiting on?
With her right hand, Dani held the glass table on the rail. She shivered, wet and cold to the core, but she couldn’t stop now. With her left, she tugged her heavy boot from her foot and tossed it over the side. It landed with a sound that was a cross between a thud and a splat.
Not a loud noise, but one not completely muffled by the roar of the lessening storm. The boot caught the intruder’s attention.
And there he was just below her. Simon’s big fish, dressed in a black suit, standing over the boot. Exactly where she needed him to be. With a whispered, “Oh please don’t let this kill him,” she released the table and sent it over the rail.
He looked up and gave a harsh cry but couldn’t move fast enough. She dropped down and covered her eyes. Heard the sickening thud, then only the sound of the rain hitting the deck.
Shivering, shaking hard enough that she could barely control her muscles, she raised up and peered over the rail. Her intruder lay on his back, a ski mask on his head, rivulets of blood being washed away as the water drained toward the edge of the boat.
Adam heard the cry, then the crash, barely noting the rain had let up. Tori lay on her side, blood seeping from the gash in the back of her head. Sirens sounded in the distance and he knew help was on the way.
Didn’t matter. He had to get Tori inside out of the cold. Her lips were already a pale blue color.
“Tori!” Kade reached for her.
“Bring her on the boat. Leaving her in the cold isn’t an option.”
Kade picked Tori up and cradled her in his arms. Her head lolled against his shoulder. Adam pulled his weapon and led the way.
“Dani?” He shoved through the door.
Kade followed, being careful not to bang Tori’s head on the jamb. Adam let his eyes rove the area and found nothing amiss.
Kade laid Tori on the couch and hovered. “I know basic first aid, but she needs a doctor,” he said, his voice low.
“I know, but we’re going to have to deal with the danger first. Keep a close eye on her. Dani!”
“On the deck, Adam!”
“Stay here,” he told Kade. He bolted to the door at the opposite end of the houseboat and looked through the window. About three feet in front of him lay a dark-clothed figure with blood coming through the mask and being washed away by the rain.
Adam stepped out and held his weapon on the still figure. Slowly, he made his way to the man and knelt beside him, feeling for a pulse.
“Is he dead?” Dani’s whisper reached him.
He turned. “No. I’ve got a weak pulse. Cops should be here in just a few minutes.”
“Who is he?”
Adam pulled the mask off. “I don’t recognize him. Do you?”
When she didn’t answer, he turned to find her backed against the wall, fingers pressed to her lips, shaking her head. “That’s the guy who killed Trennan Eisenberg. He’s an FBI agent. Ryan Blanchard.”
Adam looked closer. Sure enough, it was the guy from the video. “Where’s Simon?”
“Hiding.” She whirled and raced back into the boat. Adam patted the man down, removed the weapon he’d dropped when the table hit him, and pulled a wicked knife from an ankle sheath.
Finding no more weapons, Adam stepped back and kept his Glock trained on him, but didn’t think he’d be up and moving anytime soon. He had a nasty gash on his forehead.
EMTs made their way out onto the deck and Adam shifted to give them access to the injured man. He tucked his weapon into the shoulder holster. “Did you see the woman on the couch?” he asked the first one through the door.
She nodded. “We have two others behind us. They stopped to help her.”
Relieved, Adam stayed with the EMTs to make sure Blanchard didn’t wake up and decide to fight; however, he itched to check on Tori, Dani, and Simon. He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the fingerprint app. Pressing the man’s thumb against the screen, Adam waited until he got the print approved, then sent it to his contact at the lab in South Carolina.
“You can do that?” The EMT stared, obviously impressed.
“I can.”
“Are you a cop?”
“Yes.” There was no way he was going into the long explanation of his organization and the powers he’d been granted by the government agencies. One of which was the ability to collect evidence and submit it. With a request for the lab to put a rush on it.
Even though he was quite sure who the man was, it wouldn’t hurt to have it confirmed. Ryan Blanchard would be in the system.
Officers swarmed the boat. Adam flashed his badge and explained what had happened. As they took over, cuffing the man and patting him down once again, Adam moved back inside to find Tori sitting up, an ice pack on the back of her head, pain shining in her golden brown eyes.
He went to her. Shivers racked her even though she had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. He gripped her upper arms. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I went hunting for him and he got the jump on me.”
“Happens.”
She grunted. “Not to me it doesn’t. Simon even wondered if loosening the moorings was a trap.” She sighed. “I took him seriously, wondering the same thing myself. The only problem was, our intruder was watching for me and saw me before I saw him.” S
he glanced around. “Are they okay?”
“We’re fine.” Dani’s soft voice filtered through the chaos and Adam turned to find her standing at the top of the steps. Simon stood next to her, a hard glint in his eyes, his lips pursed. The kid was mad, Adam thought. And he didn’t blame him. Simon signed something, but Adam missed it. He looked at Dani. She interpreted. “He wants to know if it was Stuart?”
Adam signed, “No.” He quit signing and said, “At least he didn’t come here himself. I don’t know if he hired the guy or not, but it wasn’t Stuart.”
Some of the tension seemed to seep from Simon’s shoulders.
Simon moved to Tori. Kade shifted so he could sit next to her. “Are you okay?”
Tori gave the boy a hug and signed, “Just don’t ask me to nod my head and I’ll be fine.” She glanced at the kitchen cabinet. “I could use a few ibuprofen pills, though.”
“How many?”
She held up four fingers.
Simon went to get them.
Kade moved back close. Adam could tell the man was worried. And in love. He briefly wondered if Tori knew.
“So what do we do about him?” Dani asked Adam. “He’s an FBI agent. He’ll get off easy.”
“No he won’t. Not with this. There’s no way to sweep this one under the rug, and I plan to make sure Ryan Blanchard goes away for a long time.”
Just because he was no longer a US Marshal didn’t mean he no longer had friends in convenient places. Jeb Owens with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division—otherwise known as SLED—would run the print for him and confirm it belonged to Blanchard. The evidence would be admissible in a court of law and Adam would make sure he was there to testify.
“All right, ma’am, we’re ready to transport you to the hospital.”
Tori snorted. “Not me. I’ll be all right.”
Adam frowned. “You need to get checked out.”
“I got hit on the head. I have a headache. If I start seeing double or throwing up, I’ll go to the doctor.” She downed the four orange tablets Simon handed her.
Adam grimaced. “How do you do that dry?” He’d never been able to understand how she did that without choking. He wanted to gag just thinking about it.
She smirked. “Some of us are just talented.” She turned serious. “I’m not going anywhere, but you three are.”
“Yeah. Which brings me to another question.”
“How did they find us?” Simon asked.
“Exactly.”
24
Dani also wanted to know how they’d been found and how they would avoid being found again. Simon sat in the backseat once again staring out the window, his jaw set, eyes narrowed. She wondered what he was thinking, but didn’t have the energy to ask him.
The storm had moved on and the rain stopped. “Where are we going now?” Dani asked.
“Another safe house. We’ve got to figure out how Stuart—or whoever—keeps tracking us down. We’re going to have more security too. Tabitha and Isaac are going to meet us there.” He rubbed his face and shook his head. “I thought keeping it small and understated was the way to go. That the less people involved would make it harder to find you. Obviously, that didn’t work.” She thought he muttered, “Nothing’s working.” But wasn’t sure she heard right.
“But how did they track us to the boat? How? You were so careful and even had us followed, backtracking, and making sure. I just don’t understand.”
“You’re not asking any questions I haven’t already been over in my mind a dozen times.” He turned left, then right, glanced in the rearview mirror, and took the next right. “You see that helicopter up there?”
She glanced toward the clouds. It was dark outside now, but she saw the lights directly above them. Blades churned the air and she could hear it. “Yes.”
“That’s David and Kade. They’re keeping watch from the air this time.”
“But it’s dark.”
“They have the equipment they need. They can see.” Adam pressed on the earpiece. He looked at her, then back at the road. “All clear.”
“How can you guys afford all this? I mean, I’m not paying you anything and you have all this equipment and safe houses and—”
“We’re a privately funded organization, but the governor is also involved. She’s a friend of mine, and she believes in what we’re doing. When David approached me about being a part of Operation Refuge, I asked the governor what she thought about it. She decided to get behind it as long as it could fund itself. She couldn’t provide financial backing—and we didn’t want it—but she could provide other things like law enforcement privileges and access to certain equipment.”
“Like the helicopter. And Ron is your private funder?”
“Yes.”
She nodded. “I got that impression. What’s his story?”
“I don’t really know. David is the one who would have to tell you that. All I know is Ron helped David out of a tight spot a couple of years ago. They’ve been tight ever since. And Ron has a soft spot for people in trouble. He goes out of his way to help others.”
“Like the good Samaritan,” she murmured.
He nodded.
“Did you talk to Ralph?”
“I did.”
“What did he say about the key?”
“That it didn’t go to any of the lockers they had on the premises and he wasn’t sure what it went to.”
She let out a sigh. “What did he say about Kurt?”
Adam talked and she listened, gaining insight into the man she’d married. “Did you know Gordon Faraday?” he asked.
“Yes, he was Ralph’s partner. He died the same day that Kurt did.” She twisted the Kleenex that had appeared in her hand. “I bought the snakes,” she whispered.
“What?”
“The snakes that Kurt packed in that box. I bought them.” Tears flowed freely now. “I didn’t know.” She gave a hiccuping sob and grabbed a breath. “I didn’t know what he was up to or I would’ve warned Gordon.” She gave a helpless shrug and mopped at the tears. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s Kurt’s.”
“A man died,” she blurted. “How can someone be so evil?”
“It’s a question people ask every day, unfortunately.”
“Gordon has a daughter. Julie, I think her name is.”
“Yes. I met her briefly when I went to talk to Ralph. She’s still pretty torn up over her father’s death.”
“I’m sure.” Dani gulped.
He squeezed her hand. “So apparently Kurt has a stellar reputation as an agent. But he’s also known as a practical joker.”
Dani shuddered. “Yes, but obviously, his practical jokes weren’t harmless. They were mean and degrading. You didn’t want to be the target.”
“Sounds like you learned that the hard way.”
“I did. I was on the receiving end of a couple.” She drew in a deep breath. “I hate spiders and one time I opened my dresser drawer and he’d emptied a whole slew of them in there. I had to get rid of them. And I did, but I saw spiders everywhere for a month after that.”
“He preyed on people’s weaknesses. It made him feel superior. Powerful.”
“Yes, I suppose it did.” She sighed. “How’s your mother?”
He shook his head and glanced at his phone. “I’m not sure. No one’s bothered to text or call me.” A muscle jumped in his jaw. He shot a glance at her. “You said you got married when you were nineteen.”
“Yes.” She could tell he was upset and didn’t want to talk about it. She wouldn’t push him to do so then.
“And you never went to college?” he asked.
“No. I wanted to, but Kurt wouldn’t let me.” She’d begged to take a few classes to work toward a degree in linguistics and he’d refused. “I have an affinity for languages and wanted to study them, but Kurt scoffed at the idea and told me my place was in the home.”
She saw Adam’s hands flex on the whee
l and knew he was angry on her behalf. She appreciated it, but didn’t need it. “You come across very educated.”
Dani gave a watery laugh. “Well, thanks, I appreciate that.”
He blew a raspberry. “I didn’t mean it like that. I know people who don’t go to college can still sound educated. I just meant—”
“I know what you meant. It’s okay. I was very isolated in a lot of ways, but I read a lot. I mean, like all the time. There’s a library across the street from our neighborhood. I spent a lot of time there. Especially when Simon was in school and Kurt was traveling. I would read for hours about different places, cultures, everything. And I found all kinds of ways to learn languages online.” She shrugged. “Some of it rubbed off, I guess.”
“I guess so.” He shot her a smile.
She leaned her head against the window. “I want my life back.”
“That’s supposed to be how it works,” he said. “We’ve done this dozens of times. We give you a new look, a new job, a new place to live—a new identity. You go about your business and only have to look over your shoulder every once in a while. No one we’ve ever relocated has ever been found.”
“So I’m special, huh?”
He took her hand and squeezed her fingers. “Yeah. You’re definitely special.”
Dani felt the flush rise into her cheeks. “Thanks.”
“Tell me about your life after Kurt.”
She shifted to face him. “Life after Kurt, huh?”
“If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t.” She fell silent, thinking. “It was very strange at first as you can probably imagine. I had FBI wives and widows in and out of my house for nearly a month. They were so kind, so giving.” She shook her head at the memories. “After being pretty much alone for so long, it was hard having them around—and wonderful too. Their kids would play with Simon and he finally started to smile easier. He lost his tension, his guard went down slightly. It was nice. I started jogging and getting to know some of the people in the neighborhood. Jenny and I became much closer.”
“Jenny’s house was where you were attacked?”
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