FRAUD: A Romantic Suspense Novel

by R. C. Stephens

  Natalia

  “Get in there,” Mark shouted, pushing me from behind. My legs were scratched up from the branches and twigs, my feet covered in mud as I walked up to the front door of the shack. I reached for the rusty door handle, and it made a creaking sound. I pushed the door open slowly, expecting some creature to either fly at me or to attack me. I held my breath, waiting.

  “Move.” He gave me a strong shove inside. My head jarred backward with the strong and abrupt movement. I lost my balance, fell forward, and tripped over my own feet. I slowly straighten myself and gauged my surroundings. Other than some cobwebs and a musty smell, it looked pretty safe. Probably safer than what lived outside. The stagnant air made me claustrophobic. I gave myself a little shake, needing to keep my wits about me. “Sit down and be quiet,” Mark spluttered. Was he kidding me? I’d rather stand.

  I didn’t move. I didn’t want to sit on that floor. It looked dirty, and I was sure there must be rodents hiding in the crevices of the worn-down walls.

  “I’d rather stand.” I didn’t look him in the eye when I answered, not wanting to feed his anger.

  “Suit yourself.” He pulled out his cell and began mouthing off to someone in Spanish. The only thing I understood was the exit number. Not that it would help me much. He said Mateo’s name, and it sounded like he was barking orders. Shit! Was he telling Mateo to come here? I knew from Hayes and Mark that Mateo was a trained killer. He closed his phone and looked at me. “Don’t get too comfortable.” He smirked. A chill ran through me.

  “Please, let me go. It will take me forever to walk back to the road. You’ll be long gone by then. I’m pretty sure you plan on disappearing anyway. If I ever meant anything to you, I need you to find some—”

  His left hand lifted, and before I had a chance to move, he slapped my cheek. “Shut the fuck up. I don’t want to hear your whining right now.” I was stunned into silence. My hand touched my throbbing face. Pleading with him clearly wouldn’t help. “I was going to wait for Mateo to come to do this, but it looks like it has to be me.” He lifted the handgun and pointed it at me.

  “Mark, no please.” I burst into tears and begged. “Think of Lily and Liam. How will you look them in the eye if you kill me. They need me, Mark. They need their mother.” I noticed a slight tremor in his hand that held the gun. He still pointed it at me, and I fell to my knees and cried.

  “Fucking hell. Why did you have to talk to the Feds? You made a fucking mess. You leave me no choice.” He pulled me by my hair and dragged me outside.

  “Mark, please no,” I screamed and cried. My legs lost traction on the wet ground as he dragged me behind the house. “Mark, please,” I continued to beg.

  “Fuck, were you always this annoying?” It looked like he asked himself the question. I’d fallen to my knees, and he lifted the gun. He hit me on the head.

  Everything went black.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Hayes

  We’d been driving for an hour. There were too many stops along the highway. “There are police checking all truck stops. No sign of Lopez’s van,” Higgins said as defeat blanketed me. I looked out the window and tried to come up with a plan. I couldn’t quit now. Not when she was out there somewhere with that deranged fuck.

  “Higgins, this stop.” I pointed to the exit.

  “What? The gas station is miles out,” he answered.

  “That’s it. There is no one around. If he knew the Feds got into his house today, then he also has a snitch telling him the police were at his house. He knows we’re looking for his van. He has to ditch it,” I explained. Think like a felon or a terrorist. That was what we were taught as the Royal Navy took us through the tropical rainforest in Belize for training. I remember going through the tropical terrain. The humidity stifling as we searched for our targets.

  “Taylor, we’ve sent out a warning to all car rental locations in the state of Florida to look for a man with Mark’s description. Anyone renting a car in this state today will have their identity scanned in the system. We have our bases covered,” he clarified in case I thought he was an idiot. I didn’t. I was just frustrated and scared.

  “This exit, Higgins. Oblige me, we don’t have anything to lose,” I said.

  My stare moved to the sky where a chopper scanned the area. This was a swamp area, the brush high limiting visibility.

  “Is that a police helicopter?” I pointed above.

  “Yeah, they’ve been scanning this area for the past half hour,” he explained.

  “Stop the car,” I shouted, and he hit the brakes too hard. My seatbelt locked and my body jolted forward.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” He gave me a look that told me he thought I was fucked in the head.

  “Tire tracks, off the road,” I said, pointing to the dirt road along the edge. Tracks continued into the grass and a very large swamp area.

  “I’m not taking my car in there. If you want we go by foot,” he said with that gruff voice of his.

  “Fine by me. Notify the men in the helicopter we’re out there. Just in case.” My pulse beat at a staccato.

  Higgins nodded and shut down the motor.

  The ground was wet, and my feet sunk into it with every step. The brush around here was as tall as I was, making visibility past a hundred feet ahead nearly impossible. Higgins caught up to me briskly.

  “Fuck, Taylor. I hope you aren’t leading us on a wild goose chase,” he chided. “I’ve been tailing Lopez too long to let him getaway.”

  “Someone has been through here. Broken branches, tire tracks. I’m merely following a trail.” I was a tracker. My hands fought their way through the brush, pushing grass and other shrubs out of my way.

  “Fuck,” I hissed at the sight of Mark’s van. He couldn’t make it through the mud.

  Higgins was already on his phone, calling it in.

  “We have to move fast. Come on.” My brisk walk turned into a run as we slipped along the mud and fought our way through the tall brush. We passed a pond, and I didn’t know much about Florida but I thought fucking gators.

  “Keep your eyes open. Gators can sneak up,” he huffed. Fucking great. I noticed he took a gun out of his glove compartment when he left the car.

  “You packing two guns, Higgins?” I turned back but kept pace. Natalia must be terrified.

  “Yeah,” he answered out of breath.

  “Mind giving me one of those?” I asked. I was either going to need to shoot at a gator or fucking Mark. I saw two sets of footprints in the mud. A smaller set and a larger one. They were out there.

  “Can’t do that,” Higgins said, and I knew that would be his answer but it was worth a try.

  We approached a shack. It looked deserted. I turned to Higgins, lifting my finger to my mouth. I was pretty sure he had her in there.

  He nodded in agreement, and we slowed our pace, our movements silent. I was holding my breath out of fear Mark would hear us and run. I was sure he’d have guns on him.

  We approached the shack quietly and looked through a side window. It was empty. Fuck! My pulse quickened. Where the hell were they?

  “Hurry the fuck up.” I heard a man’s voice. He must be on the phone. Higgins pointed silently that it was coming from the other side of the shack.

  I nodded.

  Where the hell was Natalia? Why wasn’t she with him? “No, I had to ditch my car. There’s choppers around here . . . no she’s out. Looks like I’m going to be the one who needs to put a bullet in her head.”

  My eyes turned wide as adrenaline spiked my veins. Higgins passed me, probably seeing I was seconds from going apeshit. “Stay here,” he whispered tiptoeing around me.

  “Fuck no,” I hissed and followed him. There was no way I would stand by and do nothing.

  Higgins rolled his eyes at me as he reached into the back of his jeans, passing me a second gun. “Only if you absolutely need it.” He gave me a pointed look. I thought after the Royal Navy I’d never touch a gun agai
n.

  “You have my word.”

  Higgins walked with his legs bent and his head ducked low, away from the shelter of the hut. What the fuck was he doing? “Detective John Higgins. We finally meet.” It was Mark’s voice. Shite! Okay. He must be causing a distraction. I stood ready with the gun.

  “Games over, Lopez. Drop your weapon and surrender. You aren’t walking away from this.” Higgins stone voice was firm and demanding.

  Mark laughed deep and hearty. “John, I took you for a smart man. I’m not walking away. I’m flying.”

  A small aircraft circled the area above us. Where were those damn choppers now? I took a step forward and peeked over the corner. Natalia was on the ground, lying in mud. Her face was covered in blood, and my chest tightened. I watched her closely, searching for signs of life. Relief washed over me when I saw her chest rising and falling.

  The loud sound of choppers told me they must be close again. I remained hidden as shots were fired above us. Probably the chopper and airplane having a shootout. Higgins head tilted to the sky. Fuck, why was he taking his gaze off Mark? Mark followed his line of sight, but before Higgins could aim, Mark shot at him. My breath caught, my instinct to lunge forward and shoot too, but I didn’t want to create a blood bath. I held myself still, and realized Mark missed. Fuck, okay. I took a shaky breath; that eerily reminded me of being back on the streets of Kabul.

  Higgins turned away to hide by a tree. Couldn’t blame him with the way Mark was shooting off his gun. The plane that was here to get Mark was unable to land. The ground was too muddy and unfavorable. Mark would need to get back to the main road to get on it. He looked to Natalia and held his gun pointed at her, a slight tremor in his hand as I held my breath. My own hand was on the trigger, ready to shoot him between the eyes. Mark had bad aim, but I didn’t. Fuck, Mark, don’t do it. Don’t fucking shoot. A look of remorse crossed his features, or something else, but I could see he didn’t have it in him to pull the trigger. Mark turned away and took off toward the road, and I lunged for Natalia. My gaze turning for a brief moment to see Higgins running after Mark.

  “Are you okay?” I lifted her out of the mud, figuring Higgins would go after Mark on his own. “Natalia, sweetheart.” My hands ran over her body, checking for wounds. Outside of a few lacerations, she seemed okay. Except for the wound to her head, which was bleeding at a worrisome pace. I removed my shirt and tied it around her head. Head injuries always bled more than other areas. “I’m going to pick you up,” I said, only she barely moved or acknowledged me, which told me her head wound was serious. I lifted her in my arms and carried her toward the road, trying to see the direction Mark and Higgins took off, but I couldn’t see much. Shots were fired above my head as I ran through the swamp past the pond again. Natalia stirred in my arms and began to mutter.

  “I’ve got you. You’re going to be all right,” I said. It wasn’t easy carrying her and running, but I’d done this before. Any PTSD I thought I had conquered from the war came back with a vengeance as I remembered running through hot streets carrying my injured mates. Dust flying in my face and floating up my nostrils, making it hard to breathe. I tried to stay present. I was not in Afghanistan. I was in Florida, and Natalia needed medical attention. As I was running I tripped and tried to catch my fall by crashing sideways. Winded but thankful that my body broke Natalia’s fall. She was still in my arms. Okay, this is going to be all right . . .

  When I looked down, I saw I had tripped over Higgins. My mind spun back to Afghanistan, remembering a similar scenario. We were under attack, an ambush. A few of my buddies went down. Sweat ran down my temples, my body temperature too hot, my heart beating too fast like it would burst if I made a simple movement.

  “Taylor. Taylor . . .” Higgins voice pulled me from my hallucination.

  I shook my head and focused on him. He’d been shot in the shoulder. “Fuck. Let me help you.” I rested Natalia’s legs on one of my thighs so I could reach down with one hand and pull Higgins up. Garnering all my strength, I reached for him under his armpit. I was going to burst a blood vessel or maybe ten.

  “Fuck, you’re a beast, Taylor,” Higgins choked out through the pain. He was losing a lot of blood.

  “Can you hold on to me?” I asked him. He seemed woozy as he nodded, then he almost fell over. “Fuck, this isn’t working.” I placed Natalia gently on the ground. This area had a little more grass than mud. I lifted Higgins onto my back. “You’re going to need to hold on with your good arm,” I said.

  “No way you can carry us both,” he murmured.

  I didn’t want to tell him he was wrong.

  I took a deep breath and reached for Natalia, lifting her in my arms. My body cursed me. Every muscle screamed from the strain. Every step felt like a million as I slowly trudged back to the road and Higgins’ car. Gunshots flared nearby, but it was hard to decipher reality from my own hallucinations. I’d studied PTSD extensively. One foot in front of the other, slowly, steadily. I could do this. My lungs screamed for air. My arms tired of carrying her through this tough terrain. I saw the road nearing. The plane had landed on the road. The chopper was a good thousand meters away, and there was too much shooting going on. I couldnt’t get any closer.

  “I have to take a break. We can’t go up there,” I said to Higgins as I felt his body slither down mine. “Fuck.” He’d passed out. I placed Natalia on the ground, trying to keep my wits about me. This was not the time for a full-blown panic attack. I got to tend his wound by placing pressure on the area bleeding out from the gushot. Slow deep breaths, slow deep breaths. I started to see colors. Think. Fucking think. I broke through the panic and called Nathan. Higgins never gave me another contact with the FBI.

  The sound of gunshots was deafening in the background. The sound of another chopper landing made it too loud for me to hear what was happening on my phone.

  “Nathan. Nathan, it’s Hayes,” I screamed into the phone. He was saying something, but I couldn’t understand him. “Nathan, John Higgins has been shot. Natalia is out cold, looks like a head injury. We need help fast. Higgins is bleeding out.” I removed my belt and buckled it over his wound. “FBI and police are here. We need an ambulance. We are on exit 356 on the Florida freeway heading north.” I didn’t know if he heard me. His voice sounded jumbled. “We are a mile from the exit.” I hoped he would know to send help.

  I turned my head to see one of the choppers flying away. What the hell? I realize it wasn’t a police chopper. Someone picked up Mark, and he was getting away. “Motherfucker.”

  “Nathan. Nathan, can you hear what I said?” I screamed.

  “YES.” I finally heard his answer. “I’ve called it in. Fuck, man, this is all over the news. What did you get yourself into?” he asked. I wanted to ask myself the same question, but there was no time to overthink.

  I could barely breathe from all the exertion. “EMS, Nathan . . . are they coming?”

  “They’re on the way, Hayes. They don’t know how close they can get.” I hung up the phone.

  Natalia eyes began to flutter, and she held her head as she moaned from pain. “Thank fuck. Natalia, sweetheart, do you think you can try to walk?” I knew she was still out of it, but I had to get Higgins to an EMS or he’d die.

  “What? Who?” she murmured. I hated to see her like this. My heart broke.

  “Sweetheart, I need to help John,” I said softly. When her eyes landed on him, they nearly bugged out of her head.

  “Oh no, oh no. Mark!” She shuffled to a seated position, her eyes wide saucers.

  “You’re safe with me. Mark is gone,” I said, not wanting to tell her that he just eluded the FBI.

  “Gone, and we need to get John help,” I explained.

  She swallowed hard and focused on John. “Okay.” She nodded her head. Her body was shaking. She looked confused, possibly in shock.

  “Let’s try to stand you up.” I lifted her under her arms and helped her to her feet. “You okay?” I asked before letting g
o.

  “Yes,” she said, touching her head where blood seeped through the shirt I’d tied around her head.

  I reached down and lifted John. “Walk beside me. You can hold on to me for balance,” I said and felt her hand wrap around my elbow. We began to move. After a few minutes I saw the hill and Higgins’ car in the distance. I climbed the hill with John over my shoulder, Natalia weak and frail beside me. An officer spotted us almost immediately. He ran toward us while shouting to his buddies for help. He took Higgins off my back, and I took my first cleansing breath.

  “EMS is making it through the highway exit now,” the officer explained.

  “He’s lost lots of blood,” I muttered.

  The officer nodded, and I turned around and picked up Natalia. “What are you doing?” she asked. My body was exhausted, my mind in meltdown, but I knew she needed help. I had to keep her safe.

  “I promised to be there for you. I wasn’t. I’m truly sorry.” My eyes closed briefly as the EMS trucks approached.

  “Don’t be sorry.” She traced my face with her hand.

  I had a million questions for her, but EMS parked their trucks and Natalia needed a hospital. She was weak and drowsy. One paramedic ran toward me. Another prepared a gurney. I turned around to see Higgins carted off to the hospital. A few minutes later we were off too.

  Chapter Forty

  Natalia

  Pain . . .

  Throbbing . . .

  My kids.

  I needed to get to my kids.

  I was so tired. I had to fight it. I had to open my eyes. Where are Lily and Liam? I needed to find them. I forced my eyes open and sucked in a harsh breath. My kids. My heart raced.

  “What’s happening?” It was Immy’s voice. She sounded scared. “I’m calling the nurse. Just take it easy, Natalia. Everything is okay.”

  “Oh dear.” Mom’s voice. What’s wrong?

  “Relax, Elizabeth.” My dad was there too.

  “What? Where am I?” I tried to sit up but tubes stopped my movement. “Ouch.” I yanked at an IV in my arm.