“My shift’s about over so I can give you a ride. Take the elevator to the garage level. As soon as you exit turn right and go out the opening that leads to the street. I’ll pick you up there. It’s out of camera range.”
She was his savior. An angel sent to help in his time of need. Elijah pulled her to him for a quick kiss. She gasped in surprise, her eyes wide.
“Thank you.”
Red tinged her cheeks, but one corner of her mouth tipped up in a saucy grin. “You can thank me again later.”
He smiled at her meaning. He’d take her up on the offer.
With Cindi’s help, he muscled a loopy Tilly into the wheelchair. Her head lolled on her shoulders and she smiled up at him.
“I love you, Richie.”
He snapped the leg support in place and carefully arranged her foot. “I love you, too, Tilly.”
He turned and backed out of the room so he could check the hallway for any threats. It was clear. He eased the rest of the way out with Tilly in tow and beelined for the elevator. The doors swished open to reveal an older man dressed in a hospital gown and robe, holding on to an IV pole. Elijah kept his head down and pushed Tilly inside. He didn’t want anyone to get a good look at him.
“What floor?” the man asked.
“Garage level. Thanks.”
The man pushed the button and the elevator descended. It stopped two floors down and the man stepped out. The doors closed without anyone else getting on and he released a sigh of relief when they made it all the way to the lowest level. As soon as they exited, he turned right and saw the opening that led to the street. He stayed in the shadows, not wanting to be seen by anyone passing by. Tilly was out, snoring softly. Good. Getting her into Cindi’s vehicle would be hard enough without her awake and crying out in pain, though he’d do his best not to jostle her ankle.
A white four-door Toyota Camry screeched to a stop and Cindi jumped out, still in uniform. Elijah pushed the wheelchair to the back door and together, they managed to muscle Tilly inside the back seat. It wasn’t easy maneuvering her dead weight. Cindi had thought to grab a pillow to prop under her surgically-repaired ankle and he appreciated the gesture.
“Where do you want me to take you?”
“I don’t know…I can’t think right now.”
There was a pause, then she said, “You can spend the night at my place and then decide where you want to go in the morning.”
Elijah gifted her with his most charming smile. She’d played right into his hand. “That would be a lifesaver. Thank you.”
Cindi’s cheeks heated again as she flicked on her blinker and eased into the street. Traffic was light, and it didn’t take long to reach her condo complex. The wood and stone buildings were modern, the landscaping clean and neatly manicured. She punched a button on the sun visor and the door on a single garage slowly lifted. She eased inside and turned off the motor as the door closed them inside.
Elijah checked on Tilly, who was snoring open-mouthed. “If we crack the windows and lock the doors, is it safe if she sleeps here tonight? I don’t want to risk moving her again and possibly doing more damage to her ankle.”
“It should be fine. I’ll grab a blanket from the house.” She got out of the car and jogged up the two steps that led inside the condo. She returned with a fluffy blue blanket and handed it to him. He settled it over Tilly’s body and then locked the doors so she couldn’t try to get out if she woke up disoriented.
He stepped out and followed Cindi inside the house. “Do you have a roommate?”
“I do. Marlon.”
Elijah’s steps faltered. A roommate threw a huge wrench in his plans.
“Hey there, Marlon. Did you miss momma?” A fat orange tabby cat shot out from under the kitchen table to thread between her legs, his purr a loud rumble.
Elijah let out a relieved sigh. “Marlon’s a cat?”
She smiled at him over her shoulder. “Yep. King of the house.”
“He won’t be traumatized by what I’m about to do to you, will he?” He wiggled his brows.
She smiled coquettishly. “I don’t know…what do you plan on doing?”
She had no idea.
#
“Elijah is in the wind?” Talia repeated with disbelief.
“No sign of him when the cops arrived.”
“What about Tilly?” If Elijah had abandoned the girl in the hospital to save his own hide, that was indefensible. Talia would swing by after visiting Hunter and arrange for her to be transferred to Indiana. She’d take care of her.
“He managed to abscond with her as well.”
Talia’s eyes widened and she staggered back a step. “What? He took her? But she just had surgery.” Oh, the girl must be in severe pain.
“They think he had help, either from a doctor or nurse. Someone within the hospital. The monitors were turned off, so no one was notified until we sent cops to pick him up.”
“What about video? Surely the hospital has cameras everywhere.”
“They’re reviewing them now. I gave them a time frame to check the feed.”
The high-pitched wail of sirens sounded, and bright lights painted the night sky in swirls of red and blue. Several police vehicles arrived and screeched to a stop. They were spotlighted with headlights. Talia blocked her eyes to avoid the harsh glare.
“Please, miss. I do not want to go to jail,” one of the women pleaded.
“Tough,” Talia spat. “You will be there for a very long time.”
She had no remorse for the two women as they wept openly when cops approached. The crimes they had committed, even if only on the periphery, were heinous. Their silence was the same as guilt. They didn’t deserve pity. Anyone who harmed children were the worst offenders in her eyes.
She spotted the SUV where Margaret was gazing down at her son, warmed by the smile of joy on the woman’s face. A sudden thought struck and she hustled to the vehicle. “Margaret? What about the other members of the congregation? What did Pam do with them?”
“She told them that we were under attack. Elijah planned for Armageddon and built a rudimentary bomb shelter. She locked them in there.”
Talia turned to Mason, who was speaking with the officer in charge. “We need to free the rest of the men and women. They are locked in a bomb shelter.”
She faced Margaret again. “Are there supplies in there? Weapons?” She wanted to know what they would face when they opened the doors. If the group thought they were under attack, they were likely to strike.
She shook her head. “Not that I know of. I think he used it more as a scare tactic.”
“Can you draw me a map where to find it? We were not told of the shelter, so I have no idea where it is.”
“I’ll take you there.”
“You don’t have to do that, Margaret.”
“I don’t mind. I have my son back. His bastard of a father is dead. I’d like to pick up a few items from my cabin. Most of it can burn, for all I care, but I have his first photograph and some of my parents that I’d like to retrieve.”
Two cops were loading the bawling women into the back of a cruiser. Mason jogged over and explained what they needed and then headed back to the SUV. They led a parade of cop cars to the entrance of the compound. Instead of using the ingress through the nursery, they entered from the garage. Talia knew the codes to the keypads and the route was more direct. They formed a long line through the tunnel and as they neared Elijah’s room, Pam’s screeching voice echoed through the corridor.
“I’ll kill you all! Untie me now! You’ll all die for this! Let me go!”
Mason had given the police all the details on her attempted bombing and confession to killing the real Joan Finch. Two cops entered first and hauled Pam, to her feet.
“What are you doing?” she shrieked. “Unhand me.”
“Be quiet,” the cop ordered as they dragged her back down the tunnel. She jerked and twisted and fought against her binds, her mouth spouting every obscenity Talia knew…a
nd some she had never heard before.
With a hand to Margaret’s arm she guided the woman through Elijah’s room, intending to leave a wide berth around Rob’s covered corpse. Before she could stop her, Margaret broke her hold and headed straight for the blanket. She stopped and stared at it for several moments. When she crouched to her knees, Talia feared she would peel the sheet back and she didn’t need that visual in her head.
“Margaret—”
Instead of crying over her dead husband’s body, she spat on the blanket.
Talia smiled ruefully. Margaret’s parents had said their daughter was meek and nonconfrontational. She wasn’t anymore.
She rose to her feet and turned away. “He was such a bastard. I wish I had seen him for what he was in the beginning. I overlooked all the signs, but my parents saw them, as did my friends. I was just so happy that a handsome man wanted me. Little did I know he only wanted my money.”
“I know this has been an ordeal for you, Margaret, but you survived, and I believe you are stronger for it. And on the positive side, you got Robby out of the deal.”
“Braden.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m changing his name to Braden. It was my mother’s maiden name. I will not saddle my son with the name Robert Tobin, Junior. I don’t ever want to hear that name again. He’ll be Braden Conrad on his birth certificate and his father will be listed as unknown or dead or something.”
“Good for you, Margaret.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“I heard you talking with those two women, Ms. Sánchez and Ms. García. Is what you said true? Did they plan on selling Braden?”
Talia wanted to lie, to deny it. Tell her it wasn’t true. Margaret didn’t need anything else that would cause nightmares. But after everything she’d been through, she deserved the truth. “We believe so, yes. And the other babies as well.”
Margaret shuddered and cuddled Braden closer. “That’s why Elijah preached so much about everyone doing their part and having children. He wanted to maximize profits.”
“Yes, it seems that way.”
“You ready?” Mason asked. At Talia’s nod, they loaded into the elevator, taking turns until everyone was topside. Following Margaret’s lead, they headed to the bomb shelter.
“Let me call out to them first,” Margaret offered. “They’ll be scared and might try to fight. If they hear my voice, it should calm them down.”
She handed Braden to Talia and then knelt to the trap door that led to the bomb shelter. “Brothers and sisters? It’s Margaret. Can you hear me?” She made a face and muttered, “I really hate calling them brothers and sisters. It’s so corny and I feel ridiculous.”
“Sister Margaret, are you okay,” a muffled voice called out.
“Yes, it was a false alarm.” She winced. It wasn’t but they needed to come out with their guards down. “I’m opening the door now.”
She stood back as one policeman used a tool to snap the chain Pam had attached to the handles and then opened the door.
People started pouring out and then stopped, causing a chain reaction pile-up.
“Sister Margaret, Sister Tina, what’s going on?” Edward asked as he eyed the throng of police guarding the perimeter with their hands on their weapons.
“It’s a long story…”
Chapter Thirty-Five
It took an inordinate amount of talking to convince the flock that their beloved, revered leader was indeed a humongous fraud. Between Margaret and Talia, they were able to lay out the details, including the part about selling the babies so that everyone understood the nightmare they’d narrowly escaped.
Once the truth settled in, anger replaced skepticism. They wanted answers, and more importantly, they wanted their money back. Talia tried to reason with them. She wasn’t sure the money was available anymore. Elijah had spent a fortune building the compound. That didn’t appease them. She was glad there were no lanterns or pitchforks for them to storm the castle, so to speak.
During the long hours, she kept checking her watch. Every time someone asked a question, she felt her head throb harder. She needed to be with Hunter. She hated that she wouldn’t be with him when he woke up…and he would. She refused to consider any other alternative. But before she could even think of heading to the hospital, she needed to reunite Margaret with her parents. Her bosses were flying them to Colorado and they were set to arrive soon.
Her cell beeped a text. Speak of the devil…the corporate jet had landed. She made eye contact with Mason, who’d checked his phone as well. She left the remaining members of the Church of Light in the capable hands of the local authorities. She had no idea where they would go now or how they would get there, but it wasn’t her problem. They’d signed on with Elijah of their own free will. They’d have to figure out how to pick up the pieces themselves.
After stopping by Margaret’s cabin to retrieve the items she wanted to save, they detoured to the cabin she shared with Hunter. Most of the clothes were throw-aways, but she packed everything in the suitcases anyway. They could always be donated to a charity. She tucked the fake wedding picture into her bag. After cleaning out the toiletries in the bathroom, she swept her gaze over the cabin, landing on Buddy the Teddy bear reclining on the bed. She grabbed him and added him to her luggage. She hoped to reunite him with Tilly someday.
She waved off Mason’s attempt to carry her bags. He was already toting Margaret’s things. Though the drawbridge had been lowered so law enforcement could enter, they made their way back to the hidden tunnel. She’d given the lead detective directions to Serenity Park so Nadine’s body could be exhumed for clues to prove Elijah had indeed killed her. Authorities were scouring his office and secret lair, looking for proof of his other crimes. She was thankful she thought to erase her and Hunter’s sex tapes. She didn’t want those images floating on the internet for infinity.
After a pit stop by the nursery to pick up diapers and supplies, they headed to the SUV. One of the deputies provided a car seat so they could strap Braden in safely. After he was belted in with a blanket covering his tiny body, Mason drove to the private airstrip where the COBRA Securities plane was already on the ground. While they waited for the door to open. Talia turned to Margaret. “Why don’t I hold him while you greet your parents?”
“Thank you.”
Margaret kissed his cheek and then handed Braden to her. Talia adjusted the slight weight in her arms. He was sound asleep, his tiny lashes fanned out against his smooth skin. She inhaled his sweet baby scent and the overwhelming desire to hold Hunter’s baby like this assailed her. She never dreamed she would want a child of her own. She didn’t know how to be a mother, after losing her own so young. But with Hunter by her side, she thought she might be willing to give it a try.
They watched as the hatch opened and the steps slowly lowered. Luke Colton was the first out, followed by Margaret’s parents. Logan Bradley and Wyatt Hollister, a fellow agent and the pilot, brought up the rear.
Luke turned and spoke with Margaret’s parents before shaking their hands and then heading off to a car idling off to the side. He slid inside, and it motored away.
“They’ve aged,” Margaret said in a choked voice, watching as the group crossed the tarmac. “I did that to them.”
“Do not think that way,” Talia said. “They are so happy to have you back.”
Margaret’s mother looked up and when she spotted her daughter, she cried out and ran forward with her arms outstretched. Margaret met her halfway. Her father joined them, his arms encircling both women. They laughed and cried and basked in their reunion. Talia felt tears sting her eyes. She wasn’t a crier. Is this what being in love did to a woman? Made them emotional wrecks? If so, that sucked.
Margaret motioned Talia over. “Mom, Dad, there’s someone I want you to meet.” Their gazes landed on her before sliding down to the bundle in her arms. Both sets of eyes widened in shock and awe and so much j
oy, another tear streaked down Talia’s cheek. Margaret took the baby from her arms and she was surprised at how reluctant she was to let him go. His weight was a comfort and his scent intoxicating. Unaware of her inner turmoil, Margaret turned to her parents. “This is Braden.”
Both broke down in tears as they fawned over their grandson. The excitement woke him, and his lids blinked open. He stared at the unknown faces with wide brown eyes and then he pumped his little fists, a toothless smile breaking across his face. This brought a laugh from everyone.
“We can never thank you enough,” Mr. Conrad said as he mopped at his face with a handkerchief.
“No thanks are necessary,” Talia protested.
“Yes, they are,” Mrs. Conrad insisted through her tears, “We’d given up hope that we would ever see our daughter again. You’ve given us our lives back. We’re so sorry Mr. McGrath was injured. We would like to personally thank him, too.”
Hunter. How was he right now? Sawyer would text her if there was any news. Her silent phone was a lead weight in her pocket.
“I spoke with the local FBI office,” Logan told the family. “They would like to speak with Margaret before you leave town.”
“I’ve reserved a room at the Four Seasons. We’ll contact them when we’re settled.” After another round of heartfelt thanks, hand-shaking and hugs, which Talia was not entirely comfortable with, Logan led the Conrads to a waiting car and gave the driver instructions.
Finally, they were free to visit Hunter and they couldn’t leave fast enough, as far as she was concerned. Mason drove with Logan riding shotgun, while she and Wyatt sat in the back. She wanted to urge Mason to go faster, to push the damn pedal to the metal…or better yet, shove him aside and take over driving duties herself. She’d get them there in record time. But she wisely bit her tongue.
“Where did Luke go?” Mason asked once they were motoring down the road…still not fast enough for her liking.
“He headed to the hospital to check on Hunter.”
She glanced at Wyatt to see the big Aussie watching her, one brow quirked in amusement.
“What?” she snapped.
Total Surrender (COBRA Securities Book 11) Page 23