Ransom

by Terri Reed

  If I don’t make mistakes then how will I learn if something is right for me or not?

  Jillian’s word echoed through Liz’s mind. Well, hopefully, Jillian learned that Travis was a mistake, but what a painful way to learn that lesson. A lesson that had lifelong consequences. Marriage wasn’t something to enter into lightly. And despite how easy it was to obtain a divorce, both Liz and Jillian had been taught that marriage was sacred, something to be honored and cherished. What was God’s purpose for Jillian to marry a thief and a smuggler? A man obviously not of God.

  Judge not, least ye be judged. The line of scripture ran through her head like tickertape, reminding her that it wasn’t right for her to evaluate Travis’s worth.

  Still, the man had knowingly committed more than one crime.

  Shaking her head with exasperation, Liz selected a long tunic sweater in green over fleece-lined stretch pants tucked inside her winter boots. She was braiding her hair when she heard voices outside her room door.

  Blake’s deep tone she recognized. Two others, one male and the other female, she didn’t recognize, but figured they were Drew and Samantha, whom Blake had mentioned last night.

  After securing her long braid with a rubber band, she opened the door and entered the living room. Blake had his back to her, blocking her view of the two people with him. But then he turned around and captured her whole focus.

  He’d changed into green cargo pants and a cream-colored cable knit sweater. He’d also taken the time to shave, which accentuated the planes and angles of his face. His dark hair was still damp. Liz liked the way the ends curled at his nape. Weariness rimmed his dark eyes. He gave her a quick once-over.

  She caught something akin to interest in his expression, which seemed to thaw the hard coldness of his eyes just a tad more. Her heart bumped against her breastbone as attraction zinged through her veins and made her knees weak. Her mouth went dry. Confusion swirled within her brain. She never went all mushy over a man. Only heartache lay in that direction.

  Watching her sister fall in love over and over again with various men through the years and then witnessing the emotional upheaval when the relationship ended had drilled home to Liz what she’d learned from watching her father after her mother’s death. Love equaled pain.

  Whether it was a bruised ego, as was often the case with Jillian, or a broken spirit like their father, giving one’s heart away meant losing a part of oneself.

  Liz had no intention of losing herself for anyone.

  “Good morning.” A hint of a smile touched his lips drawing her attention. He had such a nice-shaped mouth. She batted down that errant thought. “I hope you slept well.”

  She was surprised to realize she had. Knowing he was close had given her a sense of security. Physical security, that is. Certainly not emotional. If anything, he made her emotions more raw and tender. But he had protected her from danger, and she had no doubt he would again, if needed. That was his job. And he seemed to take his job ultraseriously.

  “Yes, thank you.” She straightened her spine and leaned to the side to see around him. A tall, good-looking man and a pretty, blond-haired woman smiled at her. “Hello.”

  Blake stepped aside. “This is Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Drew Kelly and FBI liaison Samantha Kelly.”

  She noted the wedding rings on their fingers. A married couple. That was unexpected. And yet comforting. Though she wasn’t sure why she felt comforted by the knowledge that these two were together. Maybe it had something to do with how pretty the petite woman was?

  Whoa, what did that matter? Liz wasn’t in competition for Blake’s attention. She wasn’t interested in him in that way.

  The woman thrust out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Miss Cantrell. You can call me Sami.”

  Sami’s bright blue eyes sparkled with curiosity. She wore gray wool pants and a charcoal-colored sweater that set off her creamy complexion. Her golden-blond hair was clipped back at her nape. She was a beautiful woman and made Liz feel dowdy in comparison. Self-consciously, Liz pushed the end of her braid off her shoulder so that it swung out of sight behind her.

  Liz shook the woman’s hand, liking her directness. “Likewise. And call me Liz, please.”

  “Miss Cantrell.” Drew extended his hand, as well. He was a big man with wide shoulders beneath a flannel shirt. His brown hair was shorn in a close crop and his hazel eyes regarded her with kindness and a tinge of sympathy.

  Liz shook the Canadian’s massive hand, then retracted her own and tucked both hands behind her back. She sent Blake a curious look.

  “The Kellys will help with the sting operation,” Blake offered, apparently reading her unspoken question.

  “The more hands on deck the better, right?” She was glad to know he wasn’t above asking for help. Maybe he wasn’t as much of a control freak as she’d first assumed.

  “We’ll be wiring you here rather than at the drop point.” Sami picked up a black bag from where it sat on the coffee table.

  Liz swallowed back a lump of trepidation. She was going to wear a wire? Like in the movies? Were they expecting her to actually talk to Santini?

  She’d assumed she’d hand the necklace over and in exchange be given her sister without much fanfare. At least none until Blake and his team swooped in and arrested Santini for kidnapping and whatever other charges Blake had in store for the man. Liz’s gaze jumped to Blake. “Why am I wearing a wire?”

  “The more evidence we have against Santini the better.” His impenetrable gaze dared her to challenge him. “Plus, it will give us a way to communicate with you.”

  His words made sense. She appreciated “just in case” thinking. “Okay, good.”

  Mild surprise flared in his eyes. Clearly he’d expected her to balk. She had to admit she got a little thrill from keeping him guessing. Which was so unlike her. She didn’t play games or flirt. But for some reason she wanted to shake Blake out of his stoicism. She needed to nip that in the bud right now. He was not her concern. They would be parting ways as soon as they found her sister.

  Focus on Jillian! she silently scolded herself.

  “Great,” Blake said. “Drew and I will get breakfast started while you ladies...” He waved a hand toward the bedroom Liz had vacated, clearly unsure what to say.

  Sami laughed. “Wow, I’ve never seen you flustered, Blake. It’s refreshing.”

  He gave her a scowl then strode toward the kitchen.

  Sami grinned and motioned for Liz to follow her back into the bedroom.

  Liz was grateful to have a female attending her, which was far better than letting Blake help her. She wouldn’t give in to the pull she felt for the handsome agent. She needed to keep her focus on Jillian and the danger ahead. Letting herself be distracted put Jillian, herself and everyone else in greater jeopardy.

  Sami unzipped the bag and took out a thin wire with a pea-sized ball at the end. “We’ll tape this to your chest. It will record any conversation and allow us to hear what’s going on. You’ll be given an ear piece so you can hear Blake’s instructions.” She smiled. “And don’t worry, the tape comes off easily without taking any skin.”

  “Good to know.” The whole situation seemed so surreal. Here she was being wired by an FBI agent in an attempt to trap a crime boss and rescue her sister from his evil clutches. It was almost as if she’d stepped into an action flick or one of her favorite author’s crime novels. “How long have you been with the FBI?”

  “I was accepted into the academy right after college,” Sami replied. “I’d majored in criminal justice so I made a good candidate for the bureau.”

  “Blake had said you’re a liaison?”

  “Actually an assistant to the legal attaché, but since Drew was coming to help Blake, I convinced my boss to let me offer support since this involves both of our countries p
lus Venezuela.”

  “How long have you two been married?”

  A tender smile touched Sami’s lips. “Almost six months.”

  A strange ache in the vicinity of her heart made Liz look away. She didn’t understand what she was feeling. Envy? But she’d never experienced envy when her college friends married one after the other until she was the last one still single. It didn’t make sense now. She chalked up the odd sensation to nerves and fear. The situation she found herself in would wreak havoc on anyone’s emotions.

  “How did you meet?” Liz asked to keep her mind off what she was feeling inside.

  Sami’s hands stilled for a moment. “I was hunting a serial killer who murdered my childhood best friend. I was determined to solve her murder and discovered that her killer had killed before on both sides of the northern border. When the man I was tracking crossed into Drew’s jurisdiction, our agencies allowed us to form a joint investigation. I dubbed the killer ‘Birdman’ because of the bird symbol on the clue he left at each crime scene.”

  Liz gaped at the woman, not even sure what to say. Sympathy for Sami’s loss crowded Liz’s chest. She couldn’t imagine what that sort of job would entail and wasn’t she sure wanted to know any more details. “Did you catch him?”

  A look of triumph crossed Sami’s face. “We did, but it wasn’t easy.”

  Liz stifled a shiver. “It must be hard with you both having such demanding and...risky careers.”

  Sami cocked her head. “Some days, but I wouldn’t trade even one day of my life with Drew for a million without him. I took the job with the legal attaché so that I could live in Vancouver, British Columbia, with Drew. After our wedding, we bought a house where someday we’ll raise our kids. We’re careful when we’re out in the field and are grateful for every day we have together because we know how easily and quickly life can spin out of control. God willing, we’ll grow old and reminisce about our adventures to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.” She scrunched up her nose. “We’ll leave the details out.”

  Again, that bizarre twinge made Liz’s chest hurt beneath the spot where Sami patted down the tape over the little microphone. “Jillian wanted to start a family, but now...” She pressed her lips together for a second as a wave of anger washed over her. “Travis wasn’t such a great catch.”

  “I’m sorry your sister was taken by Santini.” Sami stepped back to let Liz dress. “But we’ll get her back.”

  “I’m counting on it,” Liz replied. “Blake convinced me to trust him.” She let out a rough scoff. “Or rather threatened me with jail if I didn’t.”

  “He’s all talk.”

  “I don’t know.” She remembered the intense way he’d stared her down in the interrogation room. “He seemed pretty serious about it.”

  “That’s just his way. Though I’ll admit he can be intimidating,” Sami agreed. “However, once he relaxes a bit, he’s not so bad.”

  “He relaxes?” Liz couldn’t imagine it. The man appeared so buttoned down and rigid. But that brief smile earlier lingered in her mind. She’d like to see him fully smile again. To hear him laugh. Would he have a deep laugh? She couldn’t imagine him laughing. “That I’d like to see.”

  Her breath caught on the admission. No, she wouldn’t, she silently scolded herself. She wanted this situation over and done with so she never had to see Blake or the inside of an interrogation room again.

  She wanted to go back to her quiet life on Hilton Head Island, back to the store and her own home with her sister where the only excitement she had to contend with were the tourists who came during the warmer seasons or the storms that blew through off the Atlantic.

  Liz and Sami left the bedroom and joined the same Canada Border Services officer Liz had met last night at the dining table. Nathanial Longhorn stood and hurried around the table to pull out Liz’s chair. “Miss Cantrell, you’re looking lovely.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured, appreciating his manners and his compliment though she knew he was only being polite.

  He sat across from her, leaving the chair next to her open for Blake who carried over a platter stacked with pancakes.

  “Here ya’ll go. Dig in,” Blake said, setting the platter of steaming warm cakes on the table next to the carafe of coffee and a pitcher of orange juice.

  Drew brought over a plate piled with link sausages, offering them to his wife first. Sami’s adoring smile brought a lump to Liz’s throat.

  Blake sat down beside her, bumping her knee as he did. “Sorry.”

  “No problem.” She adjusted her legs away from him and rubbed at the spot on her knee that felt branded by the accidental touch.

  As they ate they discussed the details of the plan. By the time their appetites were sated, Liz had the particulars of her part of the plan memorized though she’d had to argue a few points. She’d enter the fort alone—Blake had wanted to accompany her but she’d argued Santini probably knew who Blake was and would recognize him. Blake conceded the point.

  Then she would head for the middle of the fort yard and wait for Santini’s next contact. Blake and his team would be on scene hidden from sight but covering the entrance and exit, all the while keeping a close eye on her.

  On the ride to the fort, she was struck by Blake’s easy command of his vehicle as he diced his way through the morning traffic. He was probably in easy command of most things in his life. She wondered what had compelled him to become an ICE agent, and then doggedly chased the wondering away.

  She didn’t need to know about Blake Fallon. Didn’t want to know. She needed to keep her concentration on the task at hand. Saving her sister.

  She didn’t want to become some starry-eyed ninny following after her “man.”

  Yet the image of happily married Sami and Drew floated through her mind. There was no way anyone could accuse Sami of being starry-eyed or a ninny. The woman was an FBI agent and had successfully stopped a serial killer. She was strong and competent, a woman Liz could admire. Yet, Liz worried what would happen to Sami if something horrible happened to Drew. Or vice versa. The risk of heartache was enough to make Liz’s throat ache.

  She was grateful for some distance when Blake dropped her off at a bus stop a mile from the entrance to the fort. She noted the worry in his eyes, and for some reason his concern made her feel cared for. Dumb for her to think that. He was only worried she’d blow the sting operation somehow, and that Santini would slip through his hands again. Right?

  She boarded the next bus per their plan and got off in front of the long path leading to Fort George. She quickly made the trek and entered the fort, which was walled by a wooden fence. Inside the enclosure, large expanses of lawn dusted white with snow spread out between buildings that retained their 1800s charm. She paid to enter and roamed the center of the fort, wondering when and where Santini would show up.

  She glanced at her watch. It was close to noon. Close to the time she was to ransom her sister’s life for the diamond necklace tucked in her mother’s beautiful box and then inside a shopping bag clutched in her hand.

  The wire taped to her chest itched. Liz poked at the device in irritation.

  “Stop fidgeting,” Blake admonished in her ear through the communication link.

  It was weird having him in her head and his gaze on her as well, though she had no idea where he’d positioned himself. She smoothed back her hair, wondering what he saw when he looked at her. Did he see how scared she was? How uncertain? Could he see the blush creeping up her neck at knowing he was watching her every move? This off-kilter feeling made her edgy. She shouldn’t care what he thought of her. This was about Jillian.

  She dropped her hand to her side and scanned the crowd milling about the historic Fort George. The fort employees were dressed in period costumes and several were leading small groups on tours.

  Sh
e’d read the brochure last night before finally falling into a dreamless sleep. As a history buff, she’d found the rich history of the fort and the surrounding area fascinating. She lifted the brochure she’d brought with her to her mouth to hide the fact she was speaking. “Did you know during the War of 1812, this fort served as the headquarters for the Centre Division of the British army?”

  “No, I didn’t,” Blake responded. “I must have missed that in history class.”

  Her lips twisted. She moved to a plaque pretending to read it. “Well, considering this is a part of Canada’s history and since you’re from the South, you wouldn’t have been given this tidbit of information.”

  “What makes you think I’m from the South?”

  “I’ve an ear for accents. Plus, you dropped a ya’ll this morning. It was kind of hard to miss.”

  He actually chuckled in her ear.

  She was so surprised her hand loosened around the bag and she almost dropped it. “Did you just laugh?”

  “Maybe.”

  She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling and slipped the brochure into the bag.

  Someone brushed against her. Startled, she jumped back a step. Remembering the last time someone had bumped into her, she swung around, ready to jab her assailant in the nose.

  A short, older woman wearing a heavy coat and a hat pulled down low over her ears, allowing little tufts of dark hair to poke out, blinked at her.

  “My apologies.” The woman reached out a hand to steady Liz and pressed a piece of paper in Liz’s hand before hurrying away. A note!

  Liz unfolded the paper. “That woman passed me a note that says to be at Butler’s Barracks in five minutes.” Her heart revved up. Would she find Jillian there? She dug out the fort’s brochure and consulted the map to see where the barracks were located.

  “Sit tight, Liz,” Blake instructed. “Drew will detain that woman and see what she knows.”

  “It says be there in five minutes.” She found the barracks on the map and rushed in its direction. “I’m heading there now.”