Dangerous Secrets

by Sidney Bristol

  She lowered the phone and tapped the button.

  “How long can you give me?” she asked.

  “Tonight.”

  “That’s not possible.” And who would she get to help her with something like this?

  “Tomorrow,” Ryan whispered.

  “Tomorrow,” she said louder.

  Silence.

  Carson cringed.

  “You want your money, we want the Adairs back. If you give us time, we can make it happen.”

  “Tomorrow morning. I will call with further instruction.”

  The call ended.

  “Oh my God.” Carson sucked down a breath.

  “Did you get that?” Ryan asked his phone.

  “The signal just shut off. I’ve got the location just outside the Adair’s home.”

  “They won’t be there when we get there.” Ryan glanced at her.

  “What about the cops? The ones who were at the house?” And what about her parents? Had they been injured?

  “Gavin, call Seattle PD and Owen King. Get them to the Adair’s house.” Ryan ended the call with one hand while the Mustang peeled out of the parking lot.

  “How am I going to get the money? What am I going to do, Ryan?” she stared at his profile as he drove.

  “You aren’t. Either they’re stupid enough to believe you can get the money, which tells me they’re not as big a threat as we thought. Or their end goal isn’t to get the money and they really want to shut you up.”

  “I’m going to be sick.” Carson pressed her hand to her stomach.

  “None of that now. You’re fine.”

  She caught sight of a dark SUV in the mirror and turned to look.

  “I see them,” Ryan said.

  “Why are they following us?”

  “Because you’re bait. That fuck face is using you and he doesn’t care what happens to you or your family. When we get your family back, I’m going to dig up so much dirt on that asshole. He’ll dig himself a grave.”

  Five minutes later they pulled up in front of her parent’s house. The minivan was there along with Dad’s car.

  Carson climbed out before the Mustang came to a complete stop.

  “Mom? Dad?” She jogged up the walk.

  “Carson? Carson—wait.” Ryan ran after her.

  “Frankie?”

  He grasped her around the waist and pulled her away from the house.

  “Carson,” he snapped.

  “Get out of my way.” She shoved at him but he didn’t budge.

  “You can’t walk in there.” He stared down at her, serious to the point it struck a chord of fear in her. “They could still be here. Let me go first.”

  That hadn’t occurred to her.

  She nodded.

  He let go of her and reached up under his shirt, drawing the weapon he’d secured to his belt before their arranged meet with the police that never happened.

  She glanced up and down the street, but Agent Walker’s SUV was nowhere to be seen.

  Of course he wouldn’t be around when they really needed help.

  Ryan walked up to the porch and peered in through the front windows. Carson stood in the yard, arms wrapped around herself.

  She’d grown up here. This was where she healed and became whole. This was a good place. It should have never been touched by this kind of evil, and yet here they were.

  Ryan pushed the door open and craned his head to look inside.

  “Hello?” he called out.

  No answer.

  “Carson, check the cars on the curb for the cops?” he asked.

  He was giving her a job that kept her from going inside. She wasn’t blind to his tactic.

  She turned and stalked to the sidewalk then the next car. Up and down the street she squinted into windows, not sure what she was looking for, but glad when she didn’t find it. By the time she checked all the vehicles on the street Ryan had emerged from the house. She met him on the front walk, wishing for good news.

  “They’re gone,” he said.

  Carson covered her mouth.

  He couldn’t be serious.

  “Mom? Dad? Frankie?” She darted past him toward the front door.

  She took the stairs two at a time and bolted into the foyer.

  A vase lay broken on the floor.

  The heavy arm chair between the living room and entry was turned over.

  Ryan pulled her back to his chest and held her.

  “They probably came in when your family wasn’t expecting them. Surprising them like that gave those guys the advantage, but your family fought back. There isn’t any blood so I don’t think they were hurt. We’ll get them, Carson. I promise. We’ll get Detective Blew in here and we’ll find something.”

  How could he say that? What could she do to get them back? What if she lost them? What if the last time she spoke to them was to tell them their lives were at risk?

  Carson would never be able to forgive herself.

  RYAN KEPT ONE HAND on Carson’s lower back as he guided her out of the elevator and back into the Aegis Group offices. Last night he’d thought they would undoubtedly be ensconced in a safe house making awkward new boyfriend talk with her parents. That was before he’d realized how much the agents didn’t give a fuck about who got screwed in their investigation.

  Merida was already sitting at her desk, frowning at her monitor, hands working furiously on the keys.

  “Morning,” Ryan said.

  “Ian has everyone in the command room waiting for you,” Merida said without skipping a beat.

  His second phone call after reaching out to Detective Blew had been to contact the office and bring the guys up to date. Yesterday when Carson had been clearly kidnapped from the gas station down the street from his house, there’d been no doubt about their team jumping in to save her. A victim only had so many hours to live once they were taken. They couldn’t waste a single minute.

  Today was different.

  They’d handed the case over to the cops, who in turn were relieved by the FBI. This was no longer an Aegis Group job. They weren’t getting paid for it and there was no monetary reason for anyone to stick their necks out on Carson’s behalf. Ryan didn’t know what they were walking into, but if he had to go this alone, he’d do his best. The system had failed Carson, and she deserved better. Agent Walker saw her as bait and not a human being. Ryan didn’t know what the guy’s deal was, but Agent Walker’s actions could very likely lead to the death of the Adairs.

  “Everything’s going to be fine,” he muttered, as much for her sake as his.

  They walked down the hall and into the large, rectangular room that served as their central command space. Though Zain’s office was considered a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, they’d begun the process of extending that security here considering the recent contract they’d landed with the Department of Defense.

  Ian turned toward them as they stepped through the doors. Ryan’s other housemates were spread out, some sitting, a few frowning at monitors, but mostly—there when they didn’t have to be.

  “You can’t give us one easy day, can you?” He smiled, but it was a tense expression.

  “Never a boring day.” Ryan nodded at the list projected on the wall of everything they knew. “Thanks for this. I know none of you have to do this—”

  “Don’t thank me yet.” Ian sipped his coffee. “With the new contract for Troy Team, it’s in our best interest to keep the government’s ass from hangin’ out. I verified that with top brass. Whatever the fuck this Agent Walker has goin’ on isn’t good.”

  “Whatever the reason is, thank you,” Carson said. It was the first sentence she’d managed without some kind of wavering.

  Ryan was damn proud of her. She wasn’t accustomed to anything more stressful than tax time and she was finding her feet. He was nervous about what came next. Ian glanced at him. He didn’t say anything or make a move, but Ryan got the drift. Carson didn’t need to hear what came next.
>
  “Miss Adair?” Merida appeared as if from nowhere.

  Carson started and turned to blink at the woman.

  “Sorry.” Merida smiled and gestured at the door. “Will you come with me? We put together a few line ups of the other men I’d like for you to look at.”

  “I never saw their faces. Except the driver.” Carson frowned. “I forgot he wasn’t wearing a mask.”

  “We never got a clear shot of them,” Ian said.

  “I’ll do whatever I can to help.” Carson straightened her spine.

  Ryan felt both pride and pain for her. She was holding herself together so very well, but he was afraid of where this was going.

  “I’m going to stay here. Go over things with the team,” he said.

  “Okay.” Carson glanced from Merida to Ryan.

  “We’ll be down the hall. Not far.”

  Carson nodded then followed Merida out of the command room. The latter shut the door behind them, sealing the team in.

  Now they had to have the tough talk. The things he couldn’t say in front of Carson.

  Chapter 15

  “What do you think our chances are of bringing her family back alive?” he asked.

  “Shit.” Ian shook his head.

  “I figure we’re at twenty-five percent,” Alec said.

  “And that shrinks every hour they’re gone?” Ryan didn’t need to hear the answer. “What do we know so far? Where are we?”

  “I’ve been putting a timeline together this morning with Owen’s help.” Alec tapped the remote, and the screen changed. “This morning at roughly eight you met with Detective Blew and Agent King, though Owen’s strictly off the record so he’s not represented on any of this. According to Blew, he got in his car and immediately made arrangements for protective custody of the four Adairs, plus one—being Ryan. That order was pushed through and then there’s a span of a few hours here while preparation is being made for the two o’clock pick up at the coffee stand.”

  “How confident are we that Blew is shooting us straight? He hasn’t been our biggest fan since his run-in with Alpha Team.” Ryan glanced at Ian. It would be great if Zain were there with all his techno magic.

  “He doesn’t like us, but that doesn’t really matter. It’s his case,” Ian replied.

  Alec didn’t miss a beat picking up where he’d been interrupted. “After talking with Blew, our best guess is that the FBI made a one o’clock phone call to cancel all of this, but local PD was slow to respond. That would account for why no one told us, they were hoping to still make this happen.”

  “Owen said there’s a good deal of tension between cops and feds after that Queen’s Nest raid,” Ian said.

  “Looking at this shit show? I’d believe it.” Alec gestured to the end of his timeline. “One of the first units to be pulled was the protective detail on the Adair house. Based on the photos Ryan sent in, I’d be willing to bet the Adairs were taken shortly after the unit was pulled from their house.”

  “Which means they were waiting.” Ryan didn’t like the sound of that. If this Kawa guy and his men traced Carson this fast, how soon until they were at Chloe’s door or here at the office? They’d made decisions with limited information on hand.

  “You know this doesn’t look good?” Ian nodded at the timeline.

  “Do we believe they’re focused on the money?” Ryan stared at the screen.

  “That’s what Carson said they wanted.” Alec leaned back in his chair.

  “Small time terrorist with a team of—what? Six? Maybe eight? What’s he up to?” Silas turned toward the pin board where an image of Kawa Dwek was posted. “What do we know about him?”

  “Not much.” Ian scrubbed a hand over his face.

  “Are Chloe, Taylor and the girls at home today?” Ryan asked.

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Tell them to go somewhere else.” He had a bad feeling about this.

  “That’s what I’m thinkin’.” Ian pulled out his phone.

  “Kawa, he’s from Syria, right?” Ryan strode across to the computer hooked up to the projector.

  “Yeah. Why?” Alec rolled out of the way.

  “Syrian terrorist. Does that sound wrong to anyone else?” Ryan glanced around at the others. “What’s this Kawa charged with? What’s the source?”

  “It’s unofficial.” Alec set the remote down. “I looked at it with Ian, and we both agree, that’s some sketchy shit.”

  “But where’s it from?” Ryan would not be deterred.

  “This Russian report named him as some kind of lieutenant in a terrorist group.” Alec grimaced and crossed his arms over his chest. Russia was a supporter of the Syrian dictator. Anyone who spoke out against that supreme leadership would be branded an enemy of the state. They couldn’t trust a Russian report.

  “What are the latest headlines out of Syria? Anyone?” Ryan couldn’t think too much about global politics without bringing back bad memories. He’d let the world move on while he kept his head down.

  Silas flipped through a print out of current events. “Another bombing. More refugees. The biggest hit is all about part of the country breaking off and trying to become its own country called Akkadia after some ancient civilization.”

  “It was the first ever empire,” Paxton said.

  “How would you know?” Alec frowned at Paxton.

  “Boy wonder here’s a nerd.” Silas slapped Paxton on the shoulder.

  “Where’s Kawa from?” Ryan wouldn’t deny that money made people do terrible things, but it also might not be so simple.

  “We don’t know. Other than the Russian report, there isn’t a thing about him out there.” Silas pinned the current events back to the board.

  “Can Owen look into it?” If Ryan was going to get Carson’s family back and not lose her, he had to cover all his bases.

  “Chloe and Taylor are packin’ up.” Ian closed the door behind him. “What about Owen?”

  Ryan quickly caught Ian up on the tangent idea.

  “That Walker guy doesn’t care too much for Owen now. He’s got to be careful askin’ questions. After this mornin’, I think Walker knows Owen’s friendly to us.”

  “Owen’s partner?” Ryan was willing to grasp at whatever straw he needed to.

  “Rusty might help us, but he could run into the same road block Owen is. Walker wants to use Carson as bait and he’s makin’ it damn hard for anyone to help her.”

  “And Detective Blew isn’t willing to stick his neck out for us, is he?” Ryan hated all the road blocks they were running into. Every path seemed to lead to the same destination, putting Carson in danger. “We also need to look into Walker planting evidence on Carson’s little sister. That’s how all of this got started. They wanted to get at Carson, so they go for Frankie.”

  “What kind of evidence?” Ian asked.

  “Fake ID, some drugs. Carson didn’t say what, except she’d never believe that her sister would do that sort of thing.” He paced away from the others, blocking out their replies and conversation.

  Carson had put her life on the line for her sister. What would she do if she knew how dire the situation was with her whole family?

  She’d run in there, empty handed, and end up dead.

  If he didn’t tell her and her family died she’d hate him for the rest of her life.

  There had to be a solution that ended with the Adairs coming home alive.

  Kawa’s group wanted money, or something else Ryan didn’t know about.

  The FBI wanted to catch Kawa.

  Both wanted to use Carson to achieve their own end.

  “Guys?” Ryan turned toward the cluster. “We know we can’t unfreeze the money, but what if we get the money another way?”

  “You have it sitting around?” Alec snorted.

  “The cops or the FBI, they have to have seized fake bills we could use. They want these guys. If we give them a solution where they get Kawa and we get Carson’s family back—everyone wins, righ
t?”

  “Let me get this straight.” Alec leaned forward. “You want to ask the FBI assholes for a bunch of fake bills so we can do all the leg work to set up a sting op for them?”

  “They’re going to follow us to it, anyway. We might as well use them.” Ryan shrugged.

  “I don’t know that we can trust the FBI that much. If it were Owen, I’d say yes, but this Walker guy?” Ian shook his head.

  “Then we go to the cops. We might not like Blew, but we know he wants the credit. Look at what happened with him and the Alpha Team.” Ryan was beginning to see the scene now. They could do this.

  “I don’t know who I trust less, Walker or Blew?” Ian crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m just not sure.”

  “Then you tell Carson her family is hours away from dying, because I can’t.” Ryan glared at his friend.

  Ian glanced away almost immediately.

  “That’s what I thought,” Ryan said.

  “Either way we do this, we’re working with a snake.” Alec’s chair squeaked as he swung from side to side.

  “At least we know it. So long as they can give us enough bills to convince these guys and be there to make the arrest, we can do the rest.” It was a lot more support than Ryan or anyone else had seen from the authorities in a lot of ops they’d pulled off.

  “If we do this, it needs to be tonight,” Ian said.

  “Think they’d believe she could make it happen that fast?” Alec asked.

  “How would they know she couldn’t?” Ryan countered. “They think it’s possible to get money unfrozen. I don’t think we’re dealing with big dogs. There’s something else going on, some reason why they’d go after the broker the way they did.”

  “You handle Blew. I’ll call Owen,” Ian said.

  “Vito and I will look for a good spot to do the sting.” Alec spun toward the computer

  “We need to know more about this Kawa guy. Pax, can you get on with Gavin? See if he can dig up anything else about him?” Ryan asked.

  “On it.” Paxton nodded.

  “Silas—”

  “I’m going to make some calls to some friends.” The way Silas’ mouth twisted, Ryan questioned the word friend, but didn’t have time to ask questions.