by Cassie Miles
His brother was book smart but not so clever when it came to reading people. “You know she’s got the hots for you, right?”
“You think?”
“I was only with her for a couple of minutes, and she was gushing about your smile.”
“Nice.” Alex nodded. “Let me do the talking.”
“Negative,” Troy responded. “Until I know I can trust her, Carol Rainer is a suspect.”
“Which is why I should handle this conversation. I happen to like this woman and appreciate the volunteer work she does at the clinic. I don’t want you to scare her.”
“What?” Troy didn’t have time for sensitivity.
“Seriously?” His brother’s eyebrows arched. “You look like you want to kill something.”
“It’s because I do.”
And if Carol had anything to do with the abduction, Troy wouldn’t hesitate before applying extreme pressure. Olivia had been missing for four hours, and every passing minute was another dagger to his heart.
Carol opened the front door before they rang the bell. In her home, she gave off a different impression than when he’d met her at the clinic. When Carol had talked with Olivia, she seemed friendly and cute with a sprinkle of freckles across her nose. The freckles were still there, but Carol had transformed into a woman who had once been married to a very wealthy man. Her long, auburn hair was carefully combed and shiny. Her matching shorts and top were raw silk. A diamond tennis bracelet circled her wrist, and she held a wineglass in her right hand.
“Alex? Troy?” She appeared to be honestly surprised. “Why are you here?”
“May we come in?” Alex asked.
She held the door open, and they stepped inside. The Southwestern design in the interior complemented the stucco outside. Troy had the sense that the furnishings were top-of-the-line, but there was nothing pretentious in the way she’d decorated. Native American pottery in varying sizes and shapes were displayed around the comfortable living room.
He looked back at Carol and noticed the scars on her legs from surgeries following the accident nine months ago. In spite of her raw silk clothing and diamond bracelet, she was wearing rubber flip-flops with a frog design. Damn it, he hadn’t wanted to like this woman. He might need to be hard on her.
Her expression showed concerned. “Is something wrong at the clinic?”
Alex took the wineglass from her hand and set it on a coaster on the coffee table. “It’s Olivia. She’s been kidnapped.”
Troy groaned inwardly. If that was his brother’s idea of a sensitive bedside manner, Alex had a lot of work to do.
Carol sank onto the sofa. “Kidnapped? Why? I don’t understand.”
Alex sat beside her. “Somebody has been stalking Olivia for days. Troy was here to protect her, and he thought the person who was after her might be part of a terrorist—”
“Stop.” Alex was digging a hole he’d have a hard time climbing out of. Carol didn’t need to know the details. “We have reason to believe your husband was behind the abduction.”
“Jarvis?” Her hands twisted nervously on her lap. “He blamed Olivia. And he blamed me. According to him, our son’s death was everybody else’s fault.”
“You don’t seem too surprised,” Troy said.
She snatched her wineglass from the table and drained it. “Kidnapping seems over the top, even for him. But no, I’m not shocked.”
She rose from the sofa. “Would you care for wine? I need to open another bottle.”
“We need your help.” Alex said. “We need to figure out where Jarvis is holding Olivia.”
“How would I know?”
She turned on her heel and stalked from the room. Before she made it to the kitchen, Troy was in front of her. “You’re going to stay sober, Carol, because you’re our only clue, our only possible source of information. I need to find Olivia before Jarvis hurts her.”
Shuddering, she shook her head. “Poor Olivia. How could he do something like this?”
“You tell me.” Troy led her back to the sofa. “She was grabbed by four men who appeared to be mercenaries. They drove away in a van and almost immediately switched vehicles. The operation was slick and professional. Does your husband employ men like that?”
“Not in this country,” she said as she sat beside Alex again. “When we traveled in the Middle East, we had professional bodyguards and drivers. They were thugs, scary.”
Good to know. Because of his work, Jarvis had access to mercenaries. And he had the wealth to pay them. A rich man with a grudge made a dangerous adversary.
“But he didn’t have a regular bodyguard?” Alex asked.
“You should check with his vice president in charge of operations for Rainer Oil. He’ll have a current list of employees.”
Troy had already decided not to go that route. He knew what happened when the FBI and SWAT teams got involved in hostage negotiations. Olivia could end up in the center of a bloodbath. “We don’t want to talk to anyone who might notify Jarvis. It’s better if he thinks he got away with it.”
“I don’t know what I can tell you.”
Alex took her hand. “I’m sorry, Carol. This is hard for you.”
“I don’t know what to think. Jarvis has always been childish. When we were first married, I thought his whims were kind of adorable. But when he didn’t get his own way, he’d throw tantrums and sulk.” She gazed deeply into his brother’s eyes. “You must think I’m crazy for staying with a man like that.”
“I think you’re brave,” Alex said gently. “You’ve been through a lot.”
“Jarvis never actually hit me, but he was violent. At the clinic when I see abused women, I know what they’re going through.”
Troy watched as their budding attraction started to flower. Very sweet, but this wasn’t the time for Alex to start romancing a new girlfriend.
“Carol,” Troy snapped. “Concentrate.”
She sat up straight. “What do you need?”
“We think he might be holding Olivia somewhere in Denver. Any ideas?”
“We had a house in town,” she said, “but it’s up for sale. As soon as I filed for divorce, Jarvis started unloading property. His company owns a luxury loft, but it’s not the kind of place that lends itself to a kidnapper’s hideout.”
Troy pulled a street map from his pocket and spread it out on the coffee table. A dot in the center represented Bianca’s house in south Denver. A wide circle surrounded the dot. “From the time Olivia was taken and the last communication we had from her, they could have gone this far in any direction.”
Carol glanced and immediately pointed. “There. That’s the airfield where Jarvis hangars his plane and his helicopter.”
A plane and a chopper? The blood drained from Troy’s face. How would he find her? They could have taken Olivia anywhere.
* * *
AT MCGUIRE AIRFIELD south of Denver, Troy learned that Jarvis Rainer’s plane was still in the hangar, but the chopper had taken off earlier this afternoon. The timing roughly coincided with Olivia’s phone call.
Since the chopper pilot didn’t file a flight plan, he probably wasn’t headed to a regular airport. Most likely, he was on his way to Rainer’s hangar near Dillon.
Outside the flight center, lights illuminated the tarmac. Troy strode toward his brother and Carol, who had changed into jeans and a T-shirt that made her look cute again. The two of them stood under a light and chatted in hesitant bursts as though they were aware of the gravity of the situation but couldn’t help the chemistry that was growing between them. Apparently, Alex had worked with this woman for weeks and barely noticed her. Now, he was infatuated. That was typical for his brother. Alex had always been shy with the ladies.
Troy spoke to Carol. “Can you find out if the chopper landed at the usual place in Dillon?”
She took out her cell phone. “There’s someone I can call. Don’t worry. I’ll be careful not to let them know what we’re up to.”
Wh
ile she made her call, he pulled Alex to the side. “I’m chartering a flight to go after the chopper.”
“What can I do?”
In normal circumstances, he would never bring his doctor brother anywhere near danger. Troy normally worked with a team of highly trained marines who were capable of soundlessly penetrating enemy cover and defending themselves against overwhelming odds. The closest Alex had been to combat was playing video games.
“This needs to be a stealth mission,” Troy said. “I want to get in, rescue Olivia and get out without Jarvis and his men noticing.”
Alex bobbed his head. “Got it.”
“But I’m going to need backup.”
“Me? You want me to be back you up? To carry a gun?”
“Hell, no. You’d shoot your foot off.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” Alex said. “I haven’t fired a gun in ten years.”
“The only equipment you need to operate is a cell phone. And I think we should bring your girlfriend with us.”
“Carol?” A goofy grin spread across his face. “Why should we bring her?”
Though Carol seemed to despise her almost ex-
husband as much as Troy did, he didn’t trust her a hundred percent not to have a change of heart. There was a time when she had cared for Jarvis, and she might not want to see him hurt.
Troy decided not to mention those doubts to Alex, plus he had another reason for wanting Carol along for the ride. “She knows her husband—where he goes and what he likes to do. If anybody can find where a man is hiding, it’s his ex-wife.”
Carol returned. “The chopper is there. It’s an unmanned hangar, and nobody saw them land. They can’t say if Olivia is with them or not.”
“There’s something else I need to know,” Troy said. “Can you find out if your husband is at your house in Dillon?”
“Absolutely.” Her grin was mischievous. “The little old lady who lives down the hill from our house hates Jarvis. She’ll be happy to help me, especially if she thinks it’s going to irritate him.”
“Your ex doesn’t have a lot of friends,” Alex said.
She shrugged. “You reap what you sow. He’s not a nice man.”
“He never deserved a woman as wonderful as you.”
She blushed. Alex took her hand. And Troy thought he might pass out from an overdose of saccharine. Carol and Alex were sticky sweet together. As far as Troy was concerned, his relationship with Olivia was a lot healthier—sometimes sour, sometimes sugar, but always tasty.
He went to charter a chopper for them to make the trip to Dillon. While the pilot was taking his credit card and information, he put through a call to Olivia’s father.
Richard answered on the first ring. “Where are you?”
“I’ve got a good lead that I’m following. What’s going on with the rest of the investigation?”
“Nothing.” His voice was low. “I did as you suggested. I haven’t spoken to the FBI or anybody else about Jarvis Rainer.”
If Jarvis didn’t know they were coming, Troy had the advantage of surprise. “Is there someone you can trust to put together an assault team? Someone who will do what you say without demanding to know why?”
“Yes.”
“When I get Olivia away from her captors, I’ll need backup to move in on Jarvis and his men. I don’t know the exact location, but it’s in the mountains near Dillon.”
“I’ll get the men in place,” Richard said. “What kind of force are we dealing with?”
“It’s the four guys who grabbed you, maybe the pilot who flew the chopper, and Jarvis. My guess is that these guys are mercenaries and should be taken as a serious threat.”
“So are my guys,” Richard said. “How will we know when it’s time to make our move?”
“My brother will call you. You’re the contact.”
“Consider it done,” Richard said. “I trust you, Troy. Bring my girl back.”
“Yes, sir.”
In the hangar, he sat back and waited for the pilot to file his paperwork and prep his aircraft. When Troy was running a mission, these arrangements were usually made by Nelson or one of the other guys on the team. They handled logistics while he mapped out the overall strategy. He missed their support.
And wasn’t that ironic. While Olivia was being snatched, he had been on his way to help his team. It had been Troy riding to the rescue, thinking they needed him to pull off their mission in New York, imagining they couldn’t do it without him. In truth, they were all heroes—every man on his team, every soldier in the field, every cop, every person who fought to protect the innocent.
This would be Troy’s last and most important mission. He would not fail.
Chapter Nineteen
In a corner bedroom on the second floor of an old but well-maintained hunting lodge, Olivia paced from the window to the bathroom to the bed. She had a fairly good idea of where this lodge was located. Before the sun had gone down, she’d been able to see the Cathedral Rocks west of Dillon, a favorite destination for intermediate rock climbers.
If she could get out of this locked room, she could find her way back to familiar territory. The obvious escape route was through a window, but they were locked and cross-barred. Even if they’d been wide open, she wouldn’t risk dropping from this height onto the hard earth below. Plus, the men who had grabbed her were patrolling outside. They were now her jailers.
An hour ago, the skinny black guy had brought a tray of food into her room and placed it on a small, round table. Though she’d tried to chat him up, he wouldn’t respond. She’d expected her dinner to be porridge or some other prison fare, but the tray held a healthy, well-balanced meal of chicken, rice and broccoli. She’d eaten every bite.
Other than the slap, she hadn’t been mistreated and she couldn’t understand why. These accommodations were pleasant, and she was being fed healthy food. Why? Clearly, Jarvis despised her. He’d gone to a great deal of trouble to abduct her. She was his prisoner. Her head was on the chopping block. When was the ax going to fall?
Eventually, she’d have to see him. Did she have any leverage at all? Any tools she could use for negotiation? Threats were empty. Though she was sure that Troy and her parents were working hard to rescue her, Jarvis was too crazy to be dissuaded from whatever path he was on.
Or was she the crazy person? Though she’d suspected Jarvis and knew he was wealthy enough to pull off an operation like this, she hadn’t really believed that he was after her. Imagining that she was the target of international spies or terrorists seemed easier than thinking that anyone could hate her so much.
She stretched out on the bed, lying on her side. What else could she use to bargain for her freedom? Ransom wasn’t an option; Jarvis was too rich. Was there something else she could trade? A promise she could make?
When she heard a key being fitted in the door lock, she sat up on the edge of the bed. Jarvis Rainer stalked into the room. The past nine months had not been kind to him. Formerly, he’d had a golfer’s tan and an erect posture with his chest puffed out like a barnyard rooster. Not anymore. His shoulders slouched, and he’d developed a pot belly. His reddish-brown hair, combed back from his forehead, was noticeably thinner, and his complexion had faded to pasty-white. There was such an intense hatred in his eyes that she could barely stand to look at him.
“Hello, Olivia.” His voice was raspy. “Long time, no see.”
She’d had a lot of experience dealing with people in tense situations. The main thing was not to make him angrier. “I want to thank you for dinner. You’ve been kind.”
“My plan is to take care of you. If you need anything, knock on the door. Someone will answer.”
Why? “I like to take a stroll after dinner. May I step outside for a moment?”
“There’s a treadmill in the exercise room on the lower level. One of my men can escort you there.”
Her instincts told her that it was wise to find out as much as she could about the lodg
e. Keeping her tone conversational felt creepy, but it was necessary. “This is a lovely place. I’d very much like a tour.”
“And we always want to do what the midwife wants, don’t we?” He went to the door. “Come with me.”
In the hallway outside her room, two of the guards were waiting. She gave them a nod, as though they were civilized people sharing accommodations. She followed Jarvis and they followed her as they went to the staircase in the middle of the lodge.
“This property was developed in 1948 after World War II,” Jarvis said, acting the role of a tour guide. “Tourism and skiing were just becoming popular in Colorado, and the lodge was designed as a getaway for hunters and fishermen. The initial structure was little more than a cabin with its own well. It’s still standing, just over the ridge from here. The owner is thinking about developing that first cabin into a special retreat.”
“So you don’t own this place?”
“I’m not an idiot, Olivia. I wouldn’t hold you prisoner in a place that could be traced back to me. The lodge belongs to a friend who lets me use it whenever he’s out of the country.”
Bad news for her. Troy might figure out that Jarvis had taken her, but he wouldn’t know about the lodge. She asked, “How many rooms does it have?”
Jarvis paused at the top of the staircase and glared at her. “You like to push people. Make snotty demands.”
“I’m just curious about the house.”
“You’re in the south wing. It has four luxury bedrooms. The other side has six. That’s where my men are staying.”
“Is there an attic?” She was thinking of places she might hide if she ever got out of her room.
“It’s just storage space over the eaves. No rooms.”
He led the way down the carved wood staircase to the first floor. The main room was huge with a giant, walk-in
fireplace and lots of animal heads on the walls. There were round tables that looked like they’d be perfect for playing poker.
The furnishings were rustic, including a long, polished oak table in the dining room. But the appliances in the large kitchen were top-notch. As they toured, Jarvis kept up a narrative about the history of the place and how many famous people—including presidents and kings—had stayed here. Bragging, he seemed to enjoy himself, almost forgetting the circumstances that brought her here.