Desert Secrets

by Lisa Harris

  “Without the tracking device it’s going to be impossible to know for sure, but the logical choice is to go north.”

  “Agreed,” Colton said, glad they were thinking the same thing. “But if Trent doesn’t go in that direction?”

  “We’ll still find him. The man’s got nowhere to run. And on top of that we’re working closely with the Moroccan authorities, who want to find Adam Tazi’s entire network just as much as we do.”

  A minute later, they turned onto the dusty main road. Stones bounced under the wheels as the lieutenant maneuvered his way through the edges of town, past camels, donkeys and herds of goats. Trucks crawled north with oversize loads next to long lines of schoolchildren walking along the road on their way home. Soon the business of the city gave way to stretches of rust-colored earth with clumps of grass and plants in the distance, along with lone, stone houses, earthen mosques, olive groves and copper mines.

  But the details of the surrounding scene blurred together as Colton focused on only one thing. They had to find Lexi.

  “What’s your connection with Lexi Shannon?” The lieutenant’s question broke into Colton’s thoughts. “I’ve only heard parts of your story, including your brother-in-law’s kidnapping. But even from the little I do know, it’s obvious the three of you have had a rough few days.”

  “That’s an understatement.” Colton let out a low laugh, but the worry gnawing at him over Lexi’s disappearance only grew. He had no idea how Trent was going to react in a situation like this, but the man had chosen to walk away from a deal the FBI had offered him that would have lessened his time in prison. If he got caught at this point, Colton assumed that the FBI wouldn’t uphold whatever agreement had been made between them. Which meant Trent was desperate not to get caught.

  “Bret was kidnapped two months ago and his kidnappers demanded two million dollars,” Colton began. “Knowing there was no way we could come up with the money, I ended up making a deal with the Malian government. And our plan worked. Sort of. At least until my plane got shot down as we were leaving.”

  “Wow… You took quite a risk.”

  “I didn’t exactly have a lot of options. As for Lexi, she’d been abducted the day before and was being held at the same place as my brother-in-law.”

  “These kidnappings for ransom are a no-win situation,” the lieutenant said, passing a large truck filled with propane tanks. “When the ransoms are paid they become a huge source of funding for terrorist groups, which governments can’t encourage, and yet when people’s lives are at stake it suddenly becomes a complex and serious matter that just can’t be ignored.”

  He was right. There was no easy resolution.

  The lieutenant glanced at him. “We’ll find her. I promise. There’s no way they’ll get far. The police have their descriptions and this country’s full of speed traps and checkpoints.”

  Colton nodded, but the man’s assurances didn’t erase his anxiety, or his urgency to find Lexi. He didn’t know Trent beyond what Lexi had told him, but if he was desperate enough to escape both Adam Tazi and the FBI, how far was he willing to go to secure his freedom?

  SEVENTEEN

  Colton’s heart beat faster as he listened to the lieutenant’s side of a phone conversation thirty minutes later. He wasn’t able to decipher what was going on but he hoped it was good news. Communications, even on a government level, were never swift on this continent, but in this situation the Moroccan government had as much on the line as the US government. All he could do now was pray it was going to be enough.

  “They found them,” the lieutenant said, hanging up the phone and dropping it into his lap. “I knew there was no way they could go far.”

  “Where?”

  “At a checkpoint just ahead of us.”

  Two minutes later, he could see a couple of vehicles pulled over along the side of the road and several uniformed officers. But no sign of Trent or Lexi.

  “Where are they?” Colton asked.

  He studied the scene, looking for Lexi. His question was answered seconds later. Trent stepped out of one of the vehicles, dragging Lexi with him from behind. And he had a weapon pointed against her head.

  A sick feeling sliced through Colton. He grabbed the door handle and jumped out as soon as the lieutenant brought their vehicle to a stop. Because Trent had just answered another one of Colton’s question. Clearly the man was willing to do anything, even use his sister as a hostage, in his search for a way out.

  How has it come to this, God? He’s her brother.

  While the lieutenant quickly conferred with the Moroccan police, Colton searched Lexi’s face and found a mixture of fear and shock. She’d known Trent was desperate, but this—he knew she’d never expected this.

  Beside him, the lieutenant and his men had their weapons trained on Trent. If Lexi’s brother didn’t stand down, there was no way this was going to end well.

  “What’s going on, Trent?” The lieutenant took a step forward, turning his full attention on her stepbrother. “I was told you made a deal with the FBI. Your testimony for a lesser sentence. It was a very good deal, but now…now you’re about to blow everything. What do you think the FBI is going to say when they find out you’re holding your own sister hostage? I can promise you the deal’s going to be off.”

  “Forget all of that. I’ll still end up in prison,” Trent said. “Which is why this time you’re going to play by my rules. I’m going to need the keys to one of your vehicles. The two of us will drive away from here without being followed. And as long as no one tries to stop me, I’ll leave Lexi—safe—at the border.”

  “Sorry, but that’s not going to happen. I have orders to ensure this ends here, right now, without anyone getting hurt.”

  “Well then, I guess I’m going to have to disappoint you, because I have no intention of coming with you.”

  “And you think you’ll be able to make it all the way to the border with a hostage?” the lieutenant asked.

  “I have resources at my disposal.” Trent moved Lexi in front of him and shook his head. “Call your boss. Tell him I need my demands met, or I will shoot her.”

  “She’s your sister.”

  “My life is on the line as much as hers. And we all know that there are times when sacrifices have to be made.”

  Sacrifices? Colton stepped up next to the lieutenant. This was no sacrifice. These were the words of a man who’d lost touch with reality.

  Colton turned to the lieutenant. “Let me talk to him.”

  The other man frowned. “You have experience in hostage negotiation?”

  “In Afghanistan.” He didn’t need to know that it had only been one time. That didn’t matter right now. He knew more about Lexi and Trent than the lieutenant. “Please. Just let me try.”

  “You’re too close to the situation.” Colton was about to argue when the lieutenant nodded. “But go ahead.”

  Colton stepped forward. “My name’s Colton Landry. I don’t work for the government, which means I can’t make a deal with you, but I might be able to help.”

  “I doubt it, but my sister has told me about you. The military hero who saved her life. Sorry you won’t be able to save her this time. I’ve already told you what’s going to happen.”

  “She cares a lot about what happens to you. You do know that, don’t you?”

  Trent shook his head, keeping his weapon pressed against her head. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I’m not going to spend the rest of my life in prison. All I need is a way out of here, and I’ll disappear forever. Lexi won’t get hurt, and the US government won’t have to ever deal with me again.”

  Lexi stared at the ground a dozen feet in front of him. Lips tight, hands at her side. It was another no-win situation. But there had to be a way out of this where she didn’t get hurt.

  “The problem is, they’re not going to agree to let you go,” Colton said. “It’s over, Trent. You’ve got to see that. There’s no way you can make it to the b
order without getting caught. And if you kill Lexi now, you’ll still be caught, or maybe even dead.”

  “Trent, please.” Lexi’s voice broke. “Don’t end things this way.”

  “She’s right,” Colton said. “And even you know that everything’s going to change if someone gets hurt. Or even worse if they die.”

  “No. You don’t understand.” His hand holding the gun started to shake. “I have to get out of here.”

  Colton took another a step forward. “You know that surrendering is the only way out of this alive.”

  Trent stared past him for a long while, then dropped the weapon onto the ground and put his hands up.

  It was finally over.

  Colton hurried over to where Lexi stood, watching them handcuff her brother. Shock registered on her expression. He pulled her into his arms and let her sob against his shoulder.

  “I really thought he was going to kill me.”

  “He can’t do anything to you now, but you’re hurt,” he said, noticing the blood on her arm and a makeshift bandage. “What happened?”

  “It’s nothing. Just a flesh wound from back at the compound.”

  “You’re sure?”

  She nodded.

  “It’s over, Lexi. For all of us. None of them can hurt you anymore.”

  She was crying harder now. Deep sobs that shook her body. He pulled her closer, knowing how personal this had become.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  She looked up at him. “Being abducted by a stranger is one thing, but he’s my brother. Maybe we’ve never been as close as I wanted, but he’s still family.”

  “He was scared, Lexi, and in way over his head. Don’t forget that. Fear makes people do crazy things.”

  “Like…like making me want to kiss you?”

  Her question took him by surprise. She looked up at him with wide eyes, her body still trembling. Maybe he was nothing more to her than someone who’d been in the right place at the right time, but that’s not how he felt. When he left Morocco, he wanted to leave knowing there was a chance for a relationship between them.

  “Kiss me?” He smiled down at her. “I don’t think that’s crazy at all.”

  Colton forgot about everything going on around them as he pulled her tighter to him, then pressed his lips against hers.

  *

  Six hours later, Lexi stood in the corner of the US Embassy looking out over the manicured grounds. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she was back in Washington, not Morocco. After finding her some clean clothes and letting her shower, one of the staff members had offered her something to eat. She’d declined as she knew she wouldn’t be able hold anything down. Not yet. She still felt numb, and all her body really wanted to do was sleep.

  But it was finally over.

  The US ambassador had met with the three of them when they’d first arrived and had given them a brief update. Adam had been arrested along with Karim and five of his other men. There was no word yet on Salif, but according to the Malian government, they had already made at least a dozen arrests and were now closing in on the leader.

  Which meant no more running. No more looking over her shoulder in fear.

  But if that were true, then why did every shadow look like a ghost? Every person who came near her a possible assailant? She turned around as someone stepped into the room and felt the muscles in her shoulders tense.

  “It’s just me.”

  Colton walked past the long table in the center of the room over to where she was standing before offering her a cold drink.

  “Thanks.”

  “I know you didn’t eat. I could get you something.”

  “I’m okay for now.” She popped open the top then took a long sip, hoping the caffeine didn’t make her even more agitated. “I’m still feeling on edge. I can’t stop thinking about Trent and what they’re going to do with him.”

  And there was something else she couldn’t stop thinking about. How she’d practically thrown herself at Colton.

  “And I owe you an apology,” she said.

  “An apology? For what?”

  “For asking you to kiss me.”

  Colton smiled, seemingly unruffled by the conversation. “If an apology is due, then I suppose I’m to blame, as well. I didn’t exactly object.”

  “I know. It’s just that… I wasn’t… I’m not thinking straight.”

  Which was true. She’d been overwhelmed by the situation with Trent and how she felt about Colton.

  “It’s okay.” He leaned against the edge of the table. “Everything you’re feeling right now is normal. You know that, right? The lack of appetite…fatigue…edginess…”

  “I know. I just can’t seem to convince myself that we’re not running anymore.”

  “There are a lot of reminders,” he said, glancing at her arm where the bullet had grazed her. “What did the doctor say?”

  She automatically reached for the spot the doctor had cleaned and bandaged. “It’s just a flesh wound, though he started me on a round of antibiotics just to make sure there’s no infection. It could have been so much worse.”

  “I agree. I keep telling myself how much we have to be thankful for. The three of us are alive and relatively unscathed. And they have the bad guys—or at least most of them—in custody.”

  “What about your sister?” Lexi asked, taking another long sip of the cold drink. “Have you been able to speak with her?”

  “Bret’s on the phone with her right now.”

  “How is she?”

  “I left to give them some privacy, but I think she’s going to be okay. The FBI has determined that there’s no longer a threat toward her, so she’s gone home and has both her parents and in-laws with her for the time being.”

  “I bet Bret is ecstatic knowing he’ll see them soon.”

  Colton’s smile broadened. “Another thirty hours and he’ll finally be home. It’s been a long, hard journey for him. One I wasn’t sure, to be honest, was actually going to happen.”

  “You risked your life for him, knowing this could have had a far different ending.”

  It was ironic, really. Colton had risked his life to save his brother-in-law, while her stepbrother’s decisions had put her own life at risk. And ended his own freedom. But her feelings about her brother’s betrayal were something she was going to have to explore another time when she had the emotional energy to deal with the situation. Right now, she just wanted to find a way to convince herself that Adam and Salif could no longer get to her.

  She took another sip of her drink, then caught Colton’s gaze studying hers. Her stomach flipped at their intensity and she looked away. Because she was trying to convince herself of more than the fact that she was no longer in danger. She couldn’t deny she had feelings for him any more than she could deny the sense of safety he gave her when he was with her.

  Because he was the kind of man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Honorable. Heroic. Funny.

  Already their experience in the Sahara was beginning to feel like someone else’s life. Something that she was ready to walk away from.

  But was she ready to walk away from Colton, as well?

  Her gaze settled on his lips for a brief moment. She knew the answer before she even asked the question. Despite the attraction she felt toward him—an attraction that had managed to transform into an undeniable connection—she could only see one way forward. Their lives were too different. Her heart was going to have to find a way to let go.

  “What about your brother?” he asked, breaking into her thoughts.

  She pressed her lips together. “He’ll be flown back to the US to stand trial. I spoke briefly to my stepfather. He’s struggling with the news. I know he’s always prayed that Trent would start making the kind of decisions that would turn his life back around, but now…”

  Now he was facing a steep prison sentence.

  “And you?” Colton tossed his empty drink container into a metal trash can sitti
ng in the corner of the room. “How are you dealing with the news?”

  “I’m not even sure how I feel at this point. Mainly, I think I just feel sorry for him. He made choices that will affect the rest of his life. And that is going to be hard for us as his family to accept. And yet I still care about what happens to him.” Lexi glanced out the window onto the manicured lawn and driveway, where there was a sudden flurry of activity. “What’s going on down there?”

  Colton hesitated before answering. “I was just speaking to the lieutenant who coordinated our rescue before I came in here. Most of the men who work for Adam will be tried here in this country, but they’re preparing to take Adam to the US.”

  The thought of Adam being in the same building as she was sent a new wave of panic through her. She looked outside the window where they stood. She saw him now. They were escorting him across the paved driveway toward a white van. The smirk he’d had when they were at his house had vanished, and in its place was anger.

  “Lexi…”

  She felt Colton’s hand brush against her arm for support, but all she could see was Adam. He was walking, handcuffed, between three agents, staring at the brick paving. But instead of fear, a surprise wave of relief settled inside her. She’d been wrong. Seeing him again didn’t bring with it the terror she’d expected. Instead, it brought a deepening sense of relief. Because she was free, and he was the one who was going to be spending the rest of his life in prison.

  “Lexi?” Colton’s fingers pressed around her elbow.

  “I’m okay.” She looked up and caught the concern in his eyes. “Really okay, actually. I didn’t expect to feel this way, but there’s a sense of closure in seeing him this way. A tangible reminder that this is really over.”

  “I agree. Listen…there’s this great restaurant not far from here I’d like to try out. I was wondering if you were up to going there with me.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t.” A wave of disappointment swept over her, but she shook it off. This was how it had to be. And there was no use dragging out something that wasn’t going to happen. “My teammates arranged for a bag of mine to be flown in from Timbuktu with my clothes, some personal things and my passport. As soon as it arrives later this evening, I’ll be flying out. I’m actually headed to the airport in just a few minutes.”