Exposed

by Rhonda Pollero

  “He can be that,” Darby mumbled.

  “All the mother knew was that her daughter stayed the night—the man didn’t, but he showed up early the next afternoon and the two of them took off to pick up the little girl.”

  “Please tell me she told her mother where she was going?” Darby asked.

  “No. Just that she’d be in touch when they were settled.”

  “What about other people in the house?” Darby asked.

  “There is a fifteen-year-old sister, Rachel. But she told the agent she was out most of the time Roxanne was at home.”

  “If they were going to pick up the baby, why did they abandon the car?” Jack asked.

  “Probably because he’d rented it under his own name. Easy to trace with rentals, they all have GPS units.”

  “So where did they go after they left the Kolkinas?”

  “I’m afraid we don’t know that yet.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Darby excused herself and went into the bedroom. She needed to cry and she preferred to do so in private. Not knowing where her precious daughter was was shattering her heart into thousands of sharp pieces. If only she hadn’t started this whole thing. She’d been a fool for thinking she could outmaneuver someone as evil as Sean. Glancing at her end table, she looked at the framed photograph of Mia, the one from the hospital, taken just a few hours after her birth. Darby’s tears flowed in a steady stream. Mia looked so peaceful and precious and just thinking about her being in Sean’s custody made Darby feel physically ill. “What have I done?” she cried into her pillow.

  There was a light tap on her door. “Darby?”

  She wiped her tears with the backs of her hands, then went and opened the door for Jack. “I’m afraid I’m not very good company right now.”

  He pulled her into his embrace. “I don’t expect you to be,” he said as he placed tiny kisses on the top of her head. “I just wish I could do something to find that son of a bitch.”

  “We’re down to one lead,” Darby said. “Finding Glen Burnie.”

  “I asked the agent to run the name. He’s doing that now.”

  Darby reached up and flattened her palms against his chest. She vacillated between pulling him to her and pushing him away. Intellectually she knew the smart move was to keep some distance between them. It was no secret that people sometimes became unnaturally close during times of crisis, so she didn’t know if this was that, or something real. She knew her desire was real; her body’s strong and immediate response was impossible to deny. But what was she doing? Where could this go? She couldn’t answer any of those questions until she had Mia back in her arms.

  She took a step backward. Jack watched her every move. “I’m sorry,” she finally said to break the tension. “I’m confused, Jack.”

  “About?”

  “This. Us.”

  He held his hands up in mock surrender. “No one is asking you for anything here. No pressure, okay?”

  “Why does you being so understanding make me feel even worse?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “We called out for pizza. Come eat something.”

  “I’m not really hungry.”

  “You haven’t eaten anything all day. You have to stay healthy, Darby.”

  “Pizza is really healthy,” she replied sarcastically.

  “Want me to go out and find you a salad or something?”

  “I’d rather eat pizza,” she told him. She was very careful as she walked past him not to make contact with his body. The last thing she needed was more confusion clouding her brain.

  She joined the men at the table and ate a slice of pizza without really tasting it. Once they were finished, she cleared the dishes and took the pizza box out to the garage. When she returned, she found Declan looking at a long list of Glen Burnies. There had to be a thousand of them.

  “How do you narrow that list?” she asked.

  “What list?” the agent asked.

  “One of Roxanne’s friends said she mentioned a man named Glen Burnie. He’s probably a distant relative of hers, but there are too many of them to check.”

  The agent sat up excitedly. “Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.”

  “What?” Darby asked.

  “I worked out of FBI headquarters at Quantico for a while.”

  “Isn’t that in Virginia?” Darby asked.

  “Yes,” the agent replied. “But there are three airports that service northern Virginia. One of them is BWI. In Glen Burnie, Maryland.”

  “It’s a place?” Darby asked, feeling excitement surge through her.

  “Could be,” he answered. “Let me make a couple of calls.”

  She stood behind Jack and hugged him tightly. “Maybe he went to Maryland.”

  “Does Sean have any ties to Maryland?”

  Darby shrugged. “I don’t know. He told me he was from California but that probably wasn’t true. Remember he beat up one woman in Texas and he’s a person of interest for a missing woman in Michigan. He left all that out, so I can only assume he lied to me about everything.”

  “Okay,” the agent returned to the kitchen, his blue eyes steely. “I just heard back from the Baltimore office. Lyssa Chandler was killed in a hit-and-run on Monday.”

  “Oh God,” Darby said as more guilt washed over her. “What about the baby?”

  “According to the police, the father showed up with her birth certificate and passport so they turned her over to him.”

  “Was it Sean?”

  “Description matches.”

  “What about Roxanne?” Darby asked.

  “No one saw her. He was alone when he picked up the baby. He said Lyssa was his sitter and after they examined the footprints on the birth certificate against the baby’s, everything checked out.”

  “Talk about balls,” Declan said. “The guy walks into a police station and claims his kid when he’s wanted for murder and kidnapping here in Florida. How does that happen?”

  “Apparently no one ran him, just the baby.”

  “How long ago was this?”

  “Two days. Probably right before he made his first call to you.”

  “So now what?” Darby asked. “Is he still in Maryland?”

  “We’re checking now.”

  It took almost three hours for the FBI to determine that Sean hadn’t boarded an airplane or used any other form of mass transportation. But they hit pay dirt when they shifted their focus to Roxanne. She’d rented a car near the airport and the GPS showed them travelling southbound on I-95. The tracker placed them a few miles over the Virginia border when it began to just beep in place. A short while later when local police arrived at the rest area, they found the GPS chip in the men’s room.

  “He’s got to be headed back this way,” Darby said. “He can’t get very far without my money.”

  “There’s an APB out on the vehicle but there’s a lot of ground between here and Virginia, especially if he stays off the interstate.”

  “Again: balls,” Declan said. “This guy must think he’s smarter than the whole world.”

  “If I—” Darby was cut off by the sound of the throwaway ringing. She raced into the living room and answered it on the second ring. “Sean?”

  “Who else were you expecting?”

  Darby heard the muffled sound of a crying baby and drew comfort from it. It confirmed Mia was alive. “Tell me what you want,” she said.

  “Two million in cash.”

  “When and where?” she asked.

  “I’ll call you back with details.”

  “Sean, don’t do this. I need some sort of proof that my daughter is still alive and unhurt.”

  “You have my word.”

  “Sorry, but that doesn’t cut it. Send me a picture of her with a newspaper showing the date so I know she’s okay.”

  “You’re testing my patience, Darby.”

  “You’re the one who needs the money.” Afraid of alienating him she added, “Which I am happy to gi
ve you. I just need a little good faith from you.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” He hung up.

  Darby glanced at the clock. The bank opened in three hours. Hopefully some state trooper would spot them first but if not, she wanted the cash on hand.

  * * *

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jack asked.

  “No. But I don’t have a choice. I want my daughter back.”

  “Okay,” he said as he turned into her community. “But we need to have a foolproof system for you to deliver the money. I’m not letting you get within ten yards of that bastard.”

  “I just want my baby back,” Darby said.

  “Can you really shoot?” Jack asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing. Any other hidden talents?”

  “That’s about it.”

  “Declan and I will back you up.”

  “What about the FBI?”

  “That will be your call. I’d just be careful that they don’t send so many agents that they scare Sean off.”

  “No, I don’t want that.” Her cellphone buzzed and she took it out of her purse. Someone had sent her a picture. “Wait!” she said, grabbing hold of Jack’s arm. “Look at this!”

  It was a clear picture of Mia lying across a newspaper. Darby pulled the image with her fingers, zooming in on the name and date. “Jacksonville paper dated this morning.”

  “Christ. How did he make such good time?”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. You can’t cover all that mileage in that amount of time.”

  “He’s not flying,” Jack said. “The FBI has him on the Wants and Warrants list. He’d never make it past security.”

  “Unless he is flying,” Darby said.

  “Privately?”

  “Yes. We do it all the time when we go to the Bahamas.”

  “Do you think that’s where he went?”

  “Maybe. It’s very private. I have a small house on one of the northern islands. The only way there is by boat or plane. And only rarely do they send anyone out to check passports.”

  “That would be a great place to hide out,” Jack agreed.

  “And a great place to exchange the money and the baby,” Darby added. “There’s no real police force to speak of.”

  “That’s bad,” Jack said. “I’m not going to let you go there on your own.”

  “Then I hope you can swim.”

  * * *

  Ten minutes later, Sean called. As she’d expected, he wanted her to bring the money to Marsh Harbour. Even if he hadn’t asked for that location, she could hear telltale steel drums in the distance.

  “Do you have the money?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Tonight at seven,” Sean said. “Come alone.”

  “Okay,” she replied and hung up the phone.

  “This is a big mistake,” the agent said.

  “My mistake to make,” Darby said. “You don’t have jurisdiction and it will take you days to get cooperation from the Bahamian government.”

  “You could be walking into an ambush.”

  Darby went to the living room and opened the evidence box that held her nine-millimeter. “I’m not going alone.”

  “What?”

  “Jack, you and Declan charter a boat over to Marsh Harbour. Rent a Jeep there from Carmine; he knows me. Then wait for me by the airstrip. Go now so Sean won’t get suspicious of a boat coming into the harbor.”

  “Mrs. Grisom—” the agent cautioned.

  “It’s Hayes. I don’t ever want to be called Grisom again,” she snapped.

  “This is a terrible idea,” he insisted.

  “Well, it’s the only one I have right now. If you come up with a different one, I’m all ears,” she said as she filled another magazine with ammunition.

  Declan and Jack left Darby alone with the agent and her frazzled nerves. She might have put up a decent front, but she was scared to death. The idea of confronting Sean was scary but her fears were tamped down just knowing she was hours away from getting her baby back.

  The FBI agents came and went, each one of them trying a different tactic to get her to rethink her meeting Sean. But all their talk fell on deaf ears. Darby was so anxious that she showed up at the Martin County Executive Airport nearly an hour before her reserved flight.

  She had dressed carefully for this. She had on slacks and a loose fitting off-the-shoulder flowy top. It wasn’t for fashion. It was so Sean wouldn’t notice the nine-millimeter she had tucked into the back of her waistband. She had a small duffle bag with the cash in it tucked by her feet. She wore flats just in case she had to make a run for it. In a bag she planned to leave on the plane, she had packed for Mia. A blanket, clothes, a bottle, diapers, and a small stuffed toy from her crib. She also stopped on the way to the airport and purchased a replacement Pergo car seat so Mia would be safe on the ride home.

  She had just the gentle buzzing of the engine for company for the twenty-five-minute flight to Marsh Harbour. The sun was just starting to set as she deplaned. The pilot helped her with the heavy bag of money, then promised he’d wait for her until she returned.

  The airport was really just a landing strip and a couple of hangars. There was a token immigration booth but per usual, it was vacant. She walked through an overgrown path to the sandy road and found Jack and Declan waiting for her in the place they’d decided upon before she’d flown over.

  “Okay,” she said. “Here’s the plan. My house is about a mile up this road. Go out to the beach and come up by the dunes. I’ll go to the door and hopefully Sean will make the exchange right then.”

  “I doubt that,” Jack said.

  “Which is why I want you two to go around to the back of the house and take the stairs up to the second floor balcony. Sean always leaves the French doors open. No shooting with the baby in the house. Okay?”

  Declan nodded reluctantly.

  Jack reached out and grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. “Be careful,” he whispered against her mouth. Then he gave her a quick kiss.

  Her adrenaline was already pumping and the kiss just pushed it up a notch. She got behind the driver’s seat of the rented Jeep, but waited until Jack and Declan had made their way down to the beach before she drove toward the house.

  It was a lovely two-story made out of local wood by local craftsmen. Its construction had been a year-long process and a thirtieth birthday gift to herself. Never could she have imagined that she was going to end up using the house as a location to bargain with a killer.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Darby willed her hands to stop shaking as she pulled into the horseshoe-shaped drive in front of the house. She wasn’t the same woman Sean had taunted only days earlier. Dragging the heavy bag of cash with her, Darby went up to the front door and reached for the knob.

  At the same time, the door opened. There in front of her was a badly beaten Roxanne. One eye was swollen; her lip was cut and there were purplish bruises around her neck. Darby felt a pang of pity for the young woman. She had been there too many times herself to not feel something for Roxanne.

  Darby looked past her to see Sean holding Mia. The baby was fussing as he tucked her under one arm like a football. She began to cry in earnest.

  “Come get the baby.”

  Darby took a step, but he said, “No. Roxanne.”

  Dutifully, Roxanne went over and took the baby. She held her properly and tried to sooth her.

  “I brought the money,” Darby said. “You get what you want, I get what I want.”

  “When did I ever give a shit what you wanted?” Sean said as he took a couple of menacing steps forward.

  Darby tossed the bag forward and it skidded across the polished wooden floor. Without taking her eyes off Sean she said, “Roxanne, give me my baby.” She was surprised that she wasn’t shaking like a leaf. A mere two weeks ago, she would never have had the nerve to speak with such authority.

  Roxanne
was frozen in fear. Darby remembered that feeling. “Roxanne?” she tried again. “He wants the money, not the baby.”

  “Stay put,” Sean commanded. Roxanne recoiled into the corner of the room. “Pick this up and hand it to me,” he told Darby.

  She did as he asked and before she could take a step back his hand shot up and caught her across the face. She fell back onto her bottom and yelled, “Sean!”

  The minute she did that, Declan and Jack came flying down from the second floor. Declan tackled Sean and Jack went to her side.

  “Stop!” Sean yelled. He had somehow managed to take one of Declan’s guns and he had it pointed at Declan’s temple.

  “Hang on,” Jack said as he raised his hands. “No need for anyone to get hurt.”

  Sean ignored him and glared at Darby. “I told you to come alone.”

  “And you wonder why I didn’t?” she asked as she wiped the blood from her mouth.

  “This is going to cost you,” Sean warned. “Big time.” He glanced over at Roxanne. “Put the baby on the floor,” he said.

  “Sean,” she practically pleaded. “Don’t hurt her.”

  He kept moving the gun between Declan’s head and where Mia was lying on the floor, wriggling as she cried out. Darby couldn’t take it anymore. In a flash, she pulled the gun out of her waistband and fired.

  Sean screamed.

  Declan pounced.

  Jack grabbed the baby and ran her out of the house.

  “Oh shut up,” Darby said. “It’s just a few fingers. You’ll live.”

  * * *

  The return trip to Martin County was a tad more crowded. They had hog-tied Sean and put him in the aisle. He was still bitching about his wound.

  “You are a good shot,” Declan said.

  “Actually,” she admitted, “I was aiming for the gun. I didn’t mean to shoot off the two fingers.”

  “Still,” Jack said with a smile. “Remind me not to make you mad.”

  Darby couldn’t be mad at anyone. She had Mia in her arms and she was feeding her a bottle. Darby was in heaven.

  The baby seemed to have been well cared for, which probably had been Roxanne’s job. Darby actually felt a pang of sympathy for the nineteen-year-old. She was no match for Sean’s suave manipulation or his viciousness. Hopefully she hadn’t been so involved in his plotting that she’d spend the rest of her life in jail, too.