Nowhere to Turn

by Lynette Eason

Simon went rigid. His stomach hurt so bad, he wanted to vomit. His uncle looked so much like his dad he couldn’t help the small gasp that slipped from his lips.

  Stuart walked over to him and hunkered down in front of him. Mr. Faust returned to his position behind the desk. “Simon, glad to see you. What are you doing here?” His eyes slipped to the door and the man behind the desk taking everything in, then back to Simon. “Where’s your mom?”

  Simon stood. “That’s why I’m here,” he said, doing his best to keep his words clear and firm. “I want to talk to you about my mom.”

  Stuart raised a brow. “Why don’t you come on up to my office and we’ll talk?”

  “No. Here’s fine.” No way was he going up to Stuart’s office. And besides, he was beginning to think he might need to find a doctor.

  Stuart reached out and gripped his upper arm. Simon winced and tried to pull away. His uncle waited until Simon turned to look at him. “Then we’ll step outside. No sense in having an audience.”

  An audience? As his uncle dragged him to the door, he realized Stuart didn’t want Mr. Faust to hear the conversation. That was fine with Simon, but he didn’t like being manhandled by Stuart. He’d had enough of that from his father.

  Outside the building, Stuart jerked him around to face him. “Where’s your mother, Simon?”

  “Hiding from you.” Simon yanked on his arm. His uncle’s grip never budged. Simon’s fear escalated, but he refused to give in to it or the pain raging through his abdomen. “I wanted to come ask you to leave us alone. Leave her alone. She doesn’t want to date you or marry you or even be with you. Now stop following us.” He pulled again and Stuart’s hand dropped.

  Simon turned to leave, but Stuart grabbed him again and spun him back to face him. The dark look on his uncle’s face scared him. Slowly the look faded and Stuart dropped his head and released Simon’s arm.

  Simon watched, his insides screaming at him to run. A sudden sharp pain wrenched at him and he grabbed his belly with a cry. He dropped to the ground, gasping. He pressed and the pain eased to an intense ache.

  He looked up to see Stuart standing over him, the frown on his face one of confusion, not anger. Stuart asked, “Are you all right?”

  Simon shook his head and felt the sweat pop out on his forehead. Then he jumped to his feet and raced to the nearest bush to lose what little he’d had to eat today. He looked up to see Mitchell staring through the bushes with wide eyes. Dizziness hit him. Simon signed, “Get your phone. Turn it on.”

  Before he could sink to the ground, he found himself swept off his feet and being carried in Stuart’s arms. Mitchell’s scared face disappeared. Simon put up a token struggle, then gave up, resting his hot head against Stuart’s shoulder.

  “I want my mom,” he whispered.

  30

  Stuart paced his living room. Simon lay on the couch curled into a ball, sleeping now after downing two ibuprofen Stuart had insisted he take. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with the kid, probably a stomach virus.

  He swigged back a beer and thought about what he should do. He had Simon. Now he just had to figure out the best way to use the boy to get to Dani. So, what now? A phone call?

  Simon stirred and blinked. His gaze focused in on Stuart and fear flashed across his face. Good, fear would make him more agreeable to deal with. He still didn’t look good though. “Use the trash can if you need to puke again.” Stuart pointed just in case Simon didn’t understand his words.

  Simon dropped his eyes to the bucket next to the couch. “It doesn’t hurt as much.”

  “Good.”

  Simon looked at him. “Will you call my mom, please?”

  “You have the number?”

  “Yeah.” Simon rattled it off.

  It probably belonged to one of the goons she’d found protection with. Stuart entered it into his phone. “Lie back down.”

  “You calling my mom?”

  “Yes, yes. In a minute.”

  Simon pressed a hand to his stomach and groaned. “I really feel sick.”

  Stuart sighed. “You’ll live.” He paused, then snorted. “For now.”

  “I’ve gotta go to the bathroom. Where is it?”

  Stuart pointed. “Down the hall to the left.”

  Simon made his way in that direction. Stuart pulled his attention from the kid and decided he’d better call in with an excuse for disappearing. He punched in Joe’s number and paced while he waited for Joe to pick up.

  “Are you working today or not?” Stuart winced at the ire in Joe’s voice.

  “No, ah, something’s come up.”

  “What kind of something?”

  “I’ve got Simon with me. He’s sick and I need to take care of him.”

  Silence. Then Joe’s low voice came through. “How did you get your hands on him? I didn’t see you leave.”

  “You were in the meeting with the SAC when Faust called me down to the lobby.” Stuart laughed, but there wasn’t any humor in it. “And he came to me. Found me at the office. I don’t know where Dani is. I’m getting ready to call her now.”

  “The one day you’re actually in the office and Simon finds you?”

  “I know. It must mean Dani and I are meant to be.”

  Joe blew out a sigh. “I’m not sure how you get that as a sign you’re meant to be with Dani, but whatever. I don’t really care. Look, just … take care of the kid. I’ll cover for you with the SAC.”

  “Thanks.”

  Stuart hung up and began his pacing again.

  Dani thought she might come out of her skin. The not knowing was killing her. She prayed until she felt prayed out. Mitchell’s phone had come on and they’d been able to track it. Straight to Stuart’s office building. Summer tapped her fingers against the wheel, humming a song Dani thought she’d heard before but didn’t have the mental energy to come up with the title.

  Adam returned moments later and climbed back in the car.

  “Go to Stuart’s house.”

  “What?” Dani gaped. “Why?”

  “The guy at the desk inside said Simon came here asking for Stuart. Stuart came down and moved Simon outside to talk. He said it looked like the two of them were arguing though. And he said Simon didn’t look like he felt very good.”

  “He’s sick?”

  “I don’t know. Why don’t we get to Stuart’s house and find out?”

  Summer was already pulling out of the parking lot. Dani’s heart felt ready to beat right out of her chest. “What’s wrong with him?” She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, the one she’d been given with strict instructions to only use in an emergency. She figured this qualified.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Calling Stuart.” She dialed his number and waited. Voice mail. “Stuart. This is Dani. I know Simon’s with you. I’m on the way to your house. He better be all right. Call me back.” She hung up and clutched the phone. “How far away are we?”

  “Fifteen minutes, maybe. It’s five o’clock traffic, so it may take a bit longer than that.”

  Fifteen minutes. She could hang on for fifteen more minutes. Her arms ached to hug her son. She desperately needed to know if he was sick, to touch his forehead to feel for a fever.

  Oh please, God, take care of him. I can’t. He’s in your hands. But let him be in mine soon.

  Adam barked into his phone and Dani did her best to pay attention, but praying for Simon won out. When he hung up, he looked at her. “I called the authorities in on this.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m not sure about Stuart’s mental well-being. I don’t know what he’s thinking or how he’s feeling right now and that makes him dangerous.”

  Dani gulped. “You’re thinking he might use Simon as some sort of hostage, aren’t you?”

  He reached over and grasped her hand. “I don’t want to go there yet, but I want to be prepared if it happens.”

  Dani fell back into prayer.

  She prayed until Summ
er pulled to the curb of Stuart’s house. A house Dani had never seen before. It sat on a gently curving hill, a nice brick two-story with black shutters and a matching front door. The well-manicured front yard invited one to approach.

  She wanted to shrink into her seat. And if Simon hadn’t been inside, she might have done just that. Instead, she reached for the car door.

  Adam grabbed her arm. “Wait.”

  “What?”

  “Backup will be here soon. I want to make sure it’s not a trap.”

  “A trap?”

  “Sorry, I’m a little paranoid these days.”

  She could understand that.

  Within minutes, three squad cars pulled around them.

  Dani swiveled her neck, hand on the door handle. “I just want to get to Simon,” she whispered.

  “I know, Dani, I do too. But I want to make sure he stays safe in the chaos, okay?”

  She met his gaze, and nodded. Adam climbed from the car and flashed a badge. She looked at Summer. “Is that real?”

  “Real enough. The governor issued all of Operation Refuge law enforcement badges. We only use them in extreme cases.”

  “So Adam considers this an extreme case.”

  Summer nodded. “Yes.”

  “Okay then.”

  She couldn’t pull her eyes away from the house. Simon was behind that front door and she wanted to kick it in and grab her baby.

  Instead, she watched the officers swarm the house. Three in one direction, three in another. Two walked with Adam to the front door. Adam lifted his knuckles and rapped.

  Silence.

  “Stuart, answer the door, I know you’re in there.”

  “We got cause to believe a kid is in danger?” the officer to his left asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Then let’s go in.”

  The knock on Stuart’s door took him by surprise. He wasn’t expecting anyone. He’d made no calls other than the one to Joe and then turned his phone off.

  He glanced out his window.

  Butterfly. He opened the door. “How’d you know to come here?”

  “Because you weren’t at work and you weren’t at home.”

  He sighed and let her in. “This place has become more home than anywhere else.”

  Butterfly wound her way into the den. “What made you come here?”

  He shrugged. “I felt like being on the water.”

  The den windows opened to the lake. The house wasn’t large, but it was definitely peaceful. Isolated. Calm. All the things Stuart wasn’t. He’d bought it for Dani, but so far she hadn’t seen it. But she would. Soon. “I’m kind of in the middle of something right now.”

  “So I’ll help you.” She hefted her purse on her shoulder.

  “Look, my nephew’s here. He’s sick. You need to leave.”

  “Why don’t I just check on him?” She headed down the hall.

  “Fine. Check on him.”

  While she was gone, Stuart paced, wondering how to get rid of her. He glanced at his weapon on the counter. He could take care of her very easily if it wouldn’t leave him a mess to clean up.

  He walked to the couch and picked up a pillow. He could suffocate her.

  While he was pondering his options, she returned to the den, her purse clutched in front of her. “He’s sleeping on your bed. I think he has a fever.”

  “I told you he was sick. Now leave and I’ll call you when things are settled down.”

  “No you won’t.”

  “What?”

  “You won’t call. You don’t want to be with me, do you?”

  “Butterfly—”

  “Don’t bother.”

  She paused in front of the windows and didn’t speak for a moment. Stuart sighed, then ground his teeth. He didn’t have time for this. When she turned, Stuart found himself staring down the dark barrel of a gun.

  He froze. “What are you doing?”

  “You’re never going to give up on her, are you?”

  His mind clicked. Her steady hand and unwavering gaze chilled him to the bone. “Butterfly. Put the gun down.”

  “Answer the question, Stuart. You’re so obsessed with Dani you can’t see what you have staring you in the face.”

  His jaw tightened as he tried to think through how to handle her. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  She barked a harsh laugh. “You know I’ve been in love with you since you pulled me from the gang.”

  Going deep undercover could mess with your mind sometimes. He’d come across Butterfly and she’d been different than the others. Hard, but not hardened. Willing to kill, but innocent of doing it. But she had information. Lots and lots of inside information that helped him look good. Allowed him to one-up Kurt a little more often.

  She sighed and shook her head. “You killed for me.”

  “And I’d do it again. No one messes with my property.”

  “Your property?” Another laugh, this one disbelieving. “But you don’t love me.”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure I know what love is.”

  “But you love Dani.”

  “No. I don’t think I do.”

  That took her by surprise. She blinked and Stuart moved closer.

  “Then why are you so determined to have her?”

  He shrugged. “Because she was Kurt’s. Once I have Dani, I will have taken everything from Kurt.”

  “Kurt’s dead, Stuart. What does it matter now?”

  “Oh, it matters. And yes, he’s dead. We all die. But once Dani belongs to me, Kurt will have died with nothing.”

  “That doesn’t even make sense. She doesn’t want you.”

  A smile tugged at his lips. “She will now.”

  Confusion pulled her brows together. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean I have Simon. When she comes to get him, she won’t be leaving.”

  Butterfly studied him, the gun still steady. Stuart waited, biding his time. He was fully confident in his ability to take the weapon from her.

  “You know, it’s funny, this rivalry between you and Kurt. Apparently he felt the same way you do.”

  Now it was Stuart’s turn to be confused. “How would you know that? You didn’t even know Kurt.”

  “Of course I knew Kurt.”

  “How?” Uncertainty hit him. He hated the feeling and his anger surged. “You’re lying.”

  “Why would I lie about knowing your brother?”

  “When did you meet Kurt?”

  “I introduced myself to him at your office.”

  Stuart felt the vein in his forehead begin to swell and throb. In a deadly quiet voice, he said, “You went to my office? I told you, never go to my office.” He took another step forward. The gun lifted to center itself on his forehead so he stopped.

  “And, of course, I’m supposed to do everything you say, right?” she sneered.

  “Tell me.”

  She gave a delicate shrug. “I wanted to see where you worked. I dressed up in this killer business suit and went. When you weren’t there to see how I could dress when the occasion called for it, I was crushed. But then the elevator opened and out walked a man who could have been your twin. And I realized it was Kurt, the brother you hated so much.”

  Stuart forced himself to unclench his teeth. “And what did Kurt have to say?”

  “Once he found out I was your girlfriend, he had a lot to say.”

  “You were never my girlfriend.”

  “Whatever. All that mattered was that Kurt thought I was. He took me out for coffee and we became very good friends.”

  Stuart felt the rage build. This was not what he’d had planned. “No. You wouldn’t do that.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? Oh, at first, I didn’t believe him when he told me of your obsession with his wife. I defended you, I really did. But he just laughed and told me to watch and learn. So that’s what I’ve done this past year, Stuart, I’ve watched and I’ve learned. Oh boy, have I learned.”

  St
uart wanted to howl his fury. Instead he narrowed his eyes. “So why have you continued to lead me on? Let me believe you loved me?”

  Some emotion he couldn’t identify flickered in her eyes, then they hardened. “I suppose because part of me hoped you would get over this thing with Dani. And part of it was that you were the only one who could lead us to Dani.”

  “Lead you to her? And who’s us?”

  “Kurt wrote me a note to be delivered in case he died. Do you want to hear it? I have it memorized.”

  “Sure.” Somehow he got the word out through clenched teeth.

  “‘Dear Butterfly—I have to say the nickname fits—I guess I’m dead, but I have something I want to make sure I leave you with. You see, my brother Stuart is obsessed with my wife and that’s just not going to happen. As soon as he hears I’m dead, he’ll move in on her and knowing Dani, weak woman that she is, she’ll fall right into step with whatever plan he has. I repeat: That. Can. Not. Happen.’”

  Stuart felt the heat start at his feet and work its way up. He opened his mouth to speak, but she wasn’t finished.

  “‘The plan is for Dani to join me in the hereafter. Wherever I am. So here’s the deal. Send Dani to me. If you want your reward, you will have to get Dani to help you. She holds the key to your wealth.’”

  Stuart frowned. “Key to your wealth?”

  “I know. As soon as Dani tells me what I need to know, she’s dead and I get everything.”

  “He sent you a letter? He left instructions for you to kill Dani?”

  “Yes. And it gets even better. I quote, ‘The only way to make sure you stay out of prison is to make sure Dani dies. Get rid of her and claim the prize.’”

  “What prize?”

  “Kurt really didn’t tell you anything, did he?”

  He balled his fists at his side and turned his back on the woman with the gun. He glanced down the hall, wondering where Simon was. If only the kid would show up and distract her. He could get the jump on her and—

  “Turn around, Stuart.” Her low silky voice made him wonder if she’d come to her senses.

  He turned.

  She smiled. “Time for you to join Kurt so you two can battle it out for all eternity.”

  His anger fizzled like cold water on a flame. Fear blossomed.

  He lunged toward her. The gun cracked.