Dangerous Attraction: Part Three (Aegis Group)

by Sidney Bristol

  Carlos stared up at her, his eyes big and red. There was an ugly bump on the side of his head. The duct tape around his hands and face was twisted and mangled, but hadn’t torn. Yet. He was doing his best to get free. The kid was a fighter. Priscilla would be proud.

  “Hey, Carlos, it’s okay.” She reached for his hands and held them for a second, willing him to believe her. “It’s all going to be okay. Just come with me.”

  Please let it be okay. Please?

  Wendy helped the kid out of the trunk. Like his mom, Carlos was a strong-willed personality with lots of smarts. Grayson didn’t know that Wendy had pushed Priscilla to use their address so Carlos could go to a better school district. The only thing that mattered to Priscilla was giving her son the opportunities in life she never had. Now she was gone, and who would look out for Carlos?

  “Walk,” Daniel barked.

  “Where are we going?” Wendy wrapped an arm around Carlos and hustled him away from Daniel.

  “Keep walking.”

  “Is it really necessary to point a gun at us?”

  “Wendy, Wendy, you’re so sweet and kind. You’ll make a good mother, but you forget you aren’t my first wife. I’ve had others like you. I’m not stupid. You don’t love me yet, but you will. You will.” He picked up his pace and pushed the barrel of his gun against the back of Carlos’ head. “You do as I say, or I’ll kill him, understand?”

  “Oh, God. Oh my God.” She swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes. Yes, I understand.”

  She shook from head to toe, so much that it was hard to walk. Carlos stared straight ahead, supporting her as they huddled together and stumbled forward.

  Wendy wasn’t strong enough for this. She wasn’t Bliss. She couldn’t do this.

  Travis stalked down the driveway. Ryan, Connor, and Jade stood in a circle with a few uniformed officers. The frigid breeze sliced through his clothes, but it was nothing compared to the damning looks from Bliss’ parents.

  It wasn’t his fault eyes hadn’t been on the perimeter, or that the house staff wasn’t being watched, but he still should have known. If he were dealing with a client under threat, it’s the kind of thing he’d expect to happen. But this was a deranged serial killer with a fucked up god complex, and most of Travis’ rules were out the window.

  “Hey Travis. How’s the family?” Connor asked.

  “Pissed as hell. What the fuck happened?”

  “Check those locations and report back to us,” Ryan said to the uniformed officers.

  The cops got in their cars and zoomed off, no doubt under pressure to wrap this up. No one wanted this kind of trouble in a major tourist destination on New Year’s. Shit. The days had zoomed by for him. He hadn’t realized what day it was.

  “Jade and I are going to the station to coordinate with the officers there. The rest of you, keep your phones on. When he makes a move, be ready to get there.”

  “Yes, sir,” Connor said.

  Travis didn’t reply. He wasn’t under the orders of the FBI, but for now he was going to play by their rules. Even if their rules had gotten Wendy kidnapped. Again.

  Jade and Ryan climbed into one of several black SUVs and headed out after the police, leaving Travis and Connor alone on the drive, save for the cops stationed at either end of the street.

  “Have they figured out what happened and how they lost him with Wendy wearing a tracker?”

  “One thing at a time, mate.” Connor held up his hand and sighed. “Appears Daniel got to Priscilla through her son, Carlos. Neighbors said they saw a man with him yesterday. The build fits Daniel, though none of them saw his face. Best guess is he got her when she went home last night and set this up.”

  “Where’s the kid?” Travis asked.

  “No clue. Daniel has no problem with violence toward men and women, but what he did to his children wasn’t about torture or killing, it was about preserving them. I don’t think he means to kill Carlos. He’s just a tool, but I wouldn’t bet on that. Daniel’s under a lot of pressure right now, and he could do a lot of things we wouldn’t expect him to do.”

  “Yeah. Yeah.” Travis nodded. At this point all they were doing was pointless talking. “What about the tracker?”

  “It’s active, but it’s on a delay. We’re about half an hour behind him.”

  “Are you fucking serious?”

  “Man, we don’t have your resources. We’re borrowing Vegas PD tech here. This is a government budget we’re playing with, and we have the best tools available to us.”

  “You should have said something.”

  “And what? Your guys cost money Uncle Sam isn’t going to foot the bill for, and we both know your boss don’t do charity work. How the hell you’re still here is beyond me.”

  Travis had ignored the two calls from his boss. If it weren’t the holidays, his ass would have been called home already. The shit was going to hit the fan once everyone was back from the break, and then he’d pay for this. For now though, he was on his own time and dime. That still didn’t mean they couldn’t have found a way to get real-time tracking devices on the girls. At least Bliss was still here.

  “My balls are about to freeze off. You mind?” Connor gestured at the other SUV. “I want to start driving his trail. It’ll get us closer to him the next time we get a read on our girl.”

  Travis stalked to the truck and climbed in. He hated this whole situation. Usually, he was the guy brought in to finish a job like this, and he had no idea how to end it. They weren’t dealing with anyone remotely like what he was used to. But Daniel Campbell needed to be put down. The question was when.

  Bliss sat on her bed, Paul cradled against her chest. Everyone was downstairs, yelling and blaming each other. She couldn’t handle it anymore. Even Travis was gone, vanished to some far corner of the house where her mother couldn’t heap the blame on him. She didn’t fault him for getting out of the way, but she wished she knew where he was. Even if he was out looking for Wendy. But she didn’t have his number programmed into her new phone yet. Next time she saw him, it was the first thing she was going to do.

  Everything in the last twenty-four hours was just more weird and surreal than the last week. Except for last night.

  Last night had been perfect.

  Travis loved her.

  She blew out a breath.

  He loved her, and he meant it.

  It was crazy and totally out of character for her to jump into a relationship like this, but maybe she’d been waiting for him all along. There was no rhyme or reason to why she loved him over other guys she dated—she just did. She could totally list out the reasons why she loved him, but it was more than how he listened to her when she made a point, counted her opinion about things, or what they had in common. It was how she felt about him. How he made her feel. The way he understood her.

  When all this ended, if—when—they brought Wendy home and Daniel went to jail, they had some serious stuff to sort out. She wasn’t willing to be apart from Travis for longer than necessary. Maybe she needed to think about moving. Blush Shoppe had a handful of remote employees. She might take a pay cut, since she couldn’t manage the in-person client meetings, but there was no reason she had to be in Vegas.

  Was she serious?

  Moving meant being away from Wendy and Paul and her parents. If Wendy was out of the depression then maybe...but who would be there for her in the future? Could Bliss live the rest of her life revolving around her little sister?

  Travis had called her on it, and he was right. As much as she loved Wendy, Bliss couldn’t live her life for Wendy. If moving was what was right for Bliss, she’d do it. And Wendy would understand. Bliss hoped she would understand.

  She hugged little Paul closer and kissed his sleepy face. Wouldn’t it be nice to be a baby right about now? He had no idea there was anything wrong. Not a care in the world. Whereas, once again, Bliss was at a loss for what to do next.

  Her phone rang, clattering like an old telephone. She jumped, unacc
ustomed to the default ring tone.

  Unknown Number.

  There were a lot of people involved in the search for her sister. Maybe someone needed to get a hold of her?

  “Hello?”

  “Bliss—”

  “Wendy?” Disbelief. Hope. Dread. A dozen different emotions pounded at her from all sides.

  8.

  “Wendy, where are you? I’ll come get you.”

  “Don’t say anything. Don’t tell anyone about this call.” Wendy sounded frantic as she breathed into the phone.

  “What? Why? Are you still with Daniel? Did you get away?”

  “No—”

  “Give me the phone,” a man said in the background.

  Daniel.

  Wendy hadn’t gotten away. She was still a prisoner.

  Bliss clutched Paul to her chest and stared at the bedspread.

  Something bad was going to happen, and she couldn’t stop it.

  “Hello?” Daniel said.

  “I’m here.” She sat up straighter, refusing to cower at the sound of his voice.

  “Don’t get any smart ideas and tell the cops about this call. Are they listening?”

  “No. I’m up in a bedroom by myself.”

  “Good. Good.” He practically purred with approval.

  Her stomach rolled and Paul grunted in his sleep. She eased her hold on him and willed him back to sleep.

  “What do you want? You know the cops are looking for you.”

  “I’m making a one-time offer. Meet me in half an hour, and I’ll trade your sister for you. Come alone. I see the cops, I shoot the kid, and then Wendy. If you’re late, I shoot the kid and leave with your sister.”

  Seriously?

  This was his offer?

  It was such a steaming pile of shit. Bliss kind of wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t sleeping. She knew he wanted them both. Did he really think she wouldn’t figure out it was a trap?

  No, because according to the feds he had a narcissistic god complex. He thought he was smarter and better than everyone.

  “Bliss, time is running out.”

  “Yes. Fine. I’ll be there.”

  If the cops showed up though, if they caught up to Daniel, Carlos and maybe her sister would die.

  The tracking device.

  The cops were already closing in on them.

  They’d find Daniel before she did, and then everyone died.

  “I’ll text you the address. Hurry. Don’t be late.”

  “Wait!” she blurted.

  She had to do this. She had to save her sister.

  “What?”

  “My sister has a tracking device on her. It’s probably attached to the hem of her shirt or something. I put it there. If you don’t take that off and move, I’m not responsible for the cops showing up.”

  She practically heard his teeth grinding before the line went dead.

  “Daniel? Daniel? Damn it.”

  Bliss tossed the phone onto the bed.

  Shit. What was she going to do?

  No cops, or everyone died.

  Think. Think.

  A text message landed in her inbox from the same Unknown Number. One line of text, and yet it was all the hope she had.

  She needed Travis...but what if there was no way to hide him? Plus, she hadn’t seen him since earlier, and there wasn’t time to track him down. Besides, he’d try to talk her out of this. He loved her. He’d want to keep her safe, and she couldn’t really fault him for being biased, but he didn’t care for Wendy like she did.

  Hadn’t she been a tiny bit glad it wasn’t Travis who’d been shot up in the mountains?

  God, that felt like an age ago.

  Bliss carefully removed the tracking device from her bra strap and pinned it to Paul’s onesie. First things first, she needed to hand the baby off.

  She padded downstairs, quickstepping to stay out of the officers’ way as they hustled back and forth.

  Travis, Connor, Jade—none of the faces she recognized were there.

  The living room was a sea of uniforms and more unfamiliar faces. She tiptoed down the hall to a smaller den area that Wendy had converted into a play room. The more comfortable space was where her parents and a few friends and neighbors were clustered.

  “There you are. Come sit.” Her mother patted the couch next to her.

  “My head really hurts. I think I want to take a shower and lay down. Would you mind?” She lifted Paul a bit and smiled.

  “Of course. Hand him here.”

  Bliss kissed Paul’s forehead. If she fucked up, she might never see her nephew again. But if she didn’t do something, Daniel might disappear with her sister before the cops ever found them. The feds hadn’t been able to find him. Maybe it was time to try something else. Something stupid, but at least it was—something.

  “Come back down and join us,” her mother said.

  “Will do.” Her smile was forced, but it merely supported her claim of a headache.

  She took the smaller staircase up to the second floor. It was quieter up here, but also rather eerie. She glanced over her shoulder. If Travis were there, he’d know something was up. So it was a good thing he was MIA.

  Back in her room, she flipped the flimsy lock into place and changed into jeans, her boots, a long-sleeved shirt and a bulky sweatshirt. The Taser and mace Travis had gifted her were easy enough to stick in her pockets. But would those be enough to stop Daniel?

  She needed something with stopping power.

  She needed a gun.

  Wasn’t it serendipitous she knew someone who over-packed their firearms?

  This is how accidents happen.

  She opened Travis’ bag and poked around.

  Buried on the bottom, under a plastic traveling case with built-in locks, was another gun. She’d seen him squirrel away the three he had a few times, enough that she’d dared to hope it would be there. They were going to have to have a serious conversation about gun safety, but for now his lapse in judgment was playing in her favor.

  She knew what the safety was, but other than that, she was working on blind faith. A row of shiny bullets laid waiting in the bottom of the bag. She pocketed those as well and put the rest in the hoodie pouch.

  Twenty minutes and counting to make it to the meet on time.

  She was being reckless, crazy, and stupid, but it was her sister. She had to do this, because so far nothing else had worked.

  Bliss adjusted her clothing and headed for the hall.

  Now she just had to find a car and get her ass out of here.

  Her car.

  Her car was still here!

  She hustled down the hall and into her sister’s room, pulling up short at the last minute.

  Grayson and his assistant sat on the bed, papers spread out between them.

  “Need something, Bliss?” he asked.

  “Are you working?” She tried to not...gape...but how could he concentrate at work when Wendy was missing?

  “I’m trying to stay busy, but it’s not working.” He got up and paced the bedroom. His assistant glared at her.

  “They’re going to find her, it’s going to be okay,” the assistant said. Bliss could never keep them straight, so she’d just stopped trying.

  “Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure you’re right,” Grayson muttered.

  “Hey, you know where Wendy kept my spare key? I wanted to see if I left a change of clothes in my trunk.” Bliss smiled and hoped he believed her.

  “I have it. It’s in here.”

  Grayson strode to the closet, which was as big as her bedroom back at her apartment. He opened a small safe and rooted around inside for a moment before turning to present her with the spare key.

  “Thanks.”

  She grabbed the key, focusing on acting natural. How exactly was she supposed to act though? It wasn’t every day a serial killer proclaimed his obsessive hatred for a girl. She glanced at her phone again and cringed at the time. It was running out.
/>   Bliss took the small staircase to the ground floor and checked the map once again. She wasn’t great with directions, but the phone could also be used to track her in a pinch. At least that’s what happened in the movies. So she left it on the bottom stair, waited until no one was looking, and slid out the front door. With her hood up, she hoped she looked like any one of the neighbors coming and going.

  If one of the cops made her, it was all over, and Wendy was as good as dead.

  She crossed the lawn and slid into her little car, shivering. Boy, it was unusually cold this year. She started the car, glancing at the cop cars every few moments. Easing it into drive, she rolled down the street, holding her breath.

  Neither car moved to follow her.

  No one ran out of the house after her.

  She had some serious road to burn if she was going to make it.

  “Do you think he had a car waiting here? Or did he boost something parked on the street?” Travis studied the blocked-off street. He wanted to get out of the SUV and walk the scene, look for a clue, but then he’d be in the way of the professionals.

  Officers and what had to be the forensics team clustered around the first car, Priscilla’s. The one Daniel had driven into the gated community and right up to the house to kidnap Wendy in.

  “Nah. Two hostages? He had to have something waiting.” Connor twisted to look behind them.

  “If they’re both tied up, what’s he got to worry about? Wendy’s not strong enough to break loose, and the kid’s probably scared shitless.”

  “Time. He knew we would chase him, so he needed to get away clean and change vehicles before we got too close. He had to have something waiting at this location. He knew he was coming here. Look at the street. There’s no camera in sight. He knew he’d change vehicles without us knowing what to look for.”

  “What about there?” Travis pointed to a dome camera mounted on the cross street.

  “Nah, that’s blind this way. It only goes north and south. You can’t see the lights, that’s how he knew.”

  “Fuck.” Travis rubbed his forehead. He’d gone up against some thorough bastards before, but they’d had teams to do the work. This was one man. “Do we have another ping on Wendy’s location?”

  “Yup. Patrol is in the area now looking for a car or some sign of them.”