Deadly Commitment

by Kathy Harris

  Perhaps another TBI agent she hadn’t yet met. She smiled and took off jogging.

  Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have taken long to run five blocks, but the closer she got to the restaurant the more she realized how bad the weather had become. Large puddles, more like swirling ponds of water, had settled into low spots in the sidewalk, making her navigation precarious. She kept her eyes on the terrain in front of her, occasionally looking up to gauge her progress.

  Lightning flashed, sending eerie shadows across the cityscape, its ricocheting booms of thunder startling her. But she was far more concerned about getting to the restaurant and forestalling additional damage. They couldn’t afford to be down for long. Not when things were going so well.

  She prepared to step off the curb and turn on to the brick-paved alleyway leading to the back entrance of the restaurant when a flash of lightning shot across her path. The bright light reflected off the dark and swirling water at her feet. She stopped short, her heart beating double time in her chest. More than a foot of water rushed into the nether lands of the narrow alley. If she had stepped into it, she might have been swept off her feet.

  She would need to enter through the front door of the building, so she rerouted her steps toward the Second Avenue entrance. The rain was now coming down in pellets. Thankfully, the main street entrance was located on higher ground than the back. The kitchen might be taking in water, but so far the dining room should be dry.

  Danni darted beneath the gold-and-white striped awning with the restaurant name screen printed on its front. Fumbling with her keys she could feel the wind picking up, blowing the rain sideways across her face. At least it wasn’t pelting her now.

  She fought to catch her breath as she struggled with the deadbolt securing the heavy stained glass and wood door that welcomed every guest to Amoré. Because one of the entrance lights was out, inserting the key became a chore. Why hadn’t she brought a flashlight? She reached for her cell phone to engage the flashlight app, but a quick inspection of her pockets revealed nothing that felt like a phone. Had she left it at home?

  The amber-colored streetlight and flickering neon from the storefront next door would have to be sufficient for her to insert the key into the lock. Finally, the key found the lock. But just as the latch turned, a shadow appeared in her peripheral vision.

  Strong hands grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her backwards into a rock-hard chest. As arms encircled her, she screamed.

  One hand flew to her mouth, the other to her neck, making it difficult to breathe. She had to fight! If she passed out, this would end badly. Very badly.

  CHAPTER 33

  Caleb prayed God would help him get to Danni in time. Whatever this was all about, it wasn’t good. He parked his truck on the street across from the Rutherford and approached the undercover agent posing as a homeless guy.

  “Hey, buddy. Here’s a dollar.” He grabbed a single bill from his pocket and stepped close enough for a private exchange. “Have you seen our CI tonight?”

  The man nodded. “Thank you, sir. You’re very kind.” He cleared his throat. “Not since she and the dog went inside, presumably for the night, less than an hour ago.”

  “You take care and keep your chin up.” Caleb turned and rushed across the street toward the high rise. He entered the lobby through the double doors, stopping to place a phone call to Matheson before punching the elevator call button.

  The agent in charge of watching the garage confirmed Danni’s Escape was still parked where she had left it when she got home a couple hours ago. Caleb shoved his phone back into his pocket and waited for the elevator to descend. It was feasible Danni had been screening her calls—or was in the shower—earlier, and that she hadn’t yet left for the restaurant. But he needed to be sure.

  “Sir.” The night watchman walked up to Caleb at the same time the elevator arrived. Caleb held the door open so as not to lose the lift.

  “If you’re looking for your pretty friend,” the security guard said. “She’s gone. She left a while ago.”

  “How long?” Caleb removed his hand from the elevator door, allowing it to close with a pop.

  The uniformed guard looked at his watch. “I’d say about twenty minutes.”

  “Thank you!” Caleb slapped the man on the back and took off running.

  What had Danni been thinking? Why hadn’t she driven? That made no sense. And why wasn’t she answering her phone?

  As he turned the corner at the cross street on his way to Amoré, his head swirled with questions—the most important being, was she safe? He settled into an easy pace, slow enough not to miss something suspicious along the route to the restaurant, and fast enough to satisfy his worried mind. Urgency in his gut pushed him forward, but concern that she might be lying somewhere in a dark alley along the way tempered his speed.

  He searched right and left for any sign of danger in the shadows, which had been deepened by the foggy rain. Pulling his jacket closer to his neck and the bill of his cap down over his eyes, he kept an even stride.

  Danni kicked and clawed at her assailant. He would not win. Not as long as she had any fight left in her.

  But she could feel herself losing ground, sliding toward the street. Her strength was no match for this guy. She calculated the location of his foot. What she wouldn’t give to be wearing high heels right now. She landed a blow with the heel of her boot into the man’s ankle.

  “Ouch!” He cursed and loosened his grip.

  Danni struggled to break free, but his upper body strength was too much for her. When he clamped down again, he tugged her toward the street with a renewed vengeance.

  A block from the restaurant Caleb saw movement near the front door. The area was dimly lit, but he could see two people standing close together. Maybe embracing?

  That couldn’t be Danni. If she was anything, she was fiercely loyal. How else would she have put up with Robert Evans for more than two years?

  The rain was now coming in torrents. Large drops of water pelted him mercilessly. He ducked his chin and averted his eyes toward the ground. At his feet was a massive stream of water. If he hadn’t looked down, he would have stepped off the sidewalk into a maelstrom.

  Where was it all coming from?

  He looked to his left and then to his right. Why hadn’t he seen it before? There was a breach in the fire hydrant across the street.

  Turning his head in the opposite direction, and straining to focus, he could see another open hydrant not far from the back door of the restaurant. No wonder the place was flooding.

  So it wasn’t only rainwater filling Amoré? Most of this flood was manmade, leaving him with the obvious conclusion. Luring Danni back to her work was a ruse.

  And that meant her life was in danger.

  Caleb’s presumption was punctuated with a scream. The two people, now less than thirty feet in front of him, weren’t a happy couple after all. The man was dragging the woman toward a car.

  It was Danielle!

  With no time to calculate options, Caleb jumped across the tide of gushing water in front of him, clearing it without difficulty, and landing on solid pavement. If his old track coach could have seen the move, he would have been impressed.

  Caleb sprinted toward Danni and her attacker, who by now had pushed her fully inside the sedan. He could see she was fighting with everything she had, but it wasn’t enough.

  Stepping up his pace, all Caleb could hear was his own breathing, ragged and rasping, and the memory of Danni’s scream. He reached for the Glock inside his jacket, and taking one final, flying leap, closed the space between him and the car. Grabbing the man by the shoulders, Caleb threw him backwards and unto the ground. The thug bounced off the pavement, crying out in pain.

  “Run . . . now!” Caleb grabbed Danni’s hand and pulled her toward the curb. She scrambled into the shadows of the building several yards away.

  Caleb turned to deal with her attacker, but in a split second, the man ju
mped to his feet and bolted to the other side of the vehicle.

  “Stop. TBI.” Caleb brandished his weapon. But the man dove into the backseat of the car, just as it sped away, tires squealing.

  Caleb seared the number and letter sequence of the license plate into his memory, and then turned back to Danni. She was cowering in fear, staring at Chef Jaycee Alexander, who was holding a gun.

  And it was pointed in his direction.

  CHAPTER 34

  The gun may have been pointed in his direction, but Caleb knew he wasn’t the target. The woman holding the weapon was staring into the empty street behind him, reliving the past few, dramatic moments. He’d seen that kind of delayed reaction many times. Once the danger passed, it took a while for reality to take hold.

  One wrong move on his part could be a fatal mistake.

  “Jaycee!” Danni screamed.

  Amoré’s chef cocked her head but didn’t change her focus.

  “What are you doing?” Danni’s voice was thin, and with good reason. She’d narrowly escaped death. Twice. Now her coworker had gone off the deep-end.

  “Jaycee,” Danni screamed. “Put the gun down!”

  This time the chef looked fully at Danni. And a few seconds later, she lowered the weapon to her side.

  “What just happened?” Jaycee switched her focus to Caleb.

  He took a step toward her with his hand out. “Ms. Alexander, please give me the gun.”

  She handed the pistol to him, grip first, and as soon as he had wrapped his fingers around it, he let out a long breath.

  Danni grabbed her friend and pulled her into a hug. “Where did you get that?” She pointed to the Smith and Wesson now in his possession. Caleb released the cylinder, emptied its contents into the palm of his hand, and pocketed the ammunition.

  “I keep it in my car. I have a permit.” Jaycee shook her head. “I just never thought I would have to use it.” She lifted her chin and looked directly at him. “But I would have shot that man if you hadn’t stopped him.”

  “Thank God you didn’t have to.” Caleb replayed the possibility in his head.

  Danni patted her friend on the shoulder. “Let’s go inside.”

  An hour later, after the fire department had shut off the water hydrants and Caleb had helped the crew mop up the remaining water, Jaycee offered coffee.

  “That would be great.” He gestured to a table in the front, the one where he and Danni had first sat and talked only weeks before. “I need to make a phone call. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

  While the women prepared the coffee, Caleb placed the call. A sleepy-sounding Martin Ridge answered. “This had better be good, Samuels.”

  Caleb chuckled to himself. “We’ve had a deal changer. Ms. Kemp was assaulted tonight in an attempted kidnapping.”

  “Is she okay?” Ridge’s voice grew stronger with each word.

  “Yes. Fortunately, I was here.”

  “Did you apprehend the guy?”

  “No. He got away, and I didn’t see his face. But I have a vehicle tag number. I’ve already called it into headquarters.”

  “I assume you’re still with Ms. Kemp?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Find out what she knows. I’ll see you in the office first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Caleb started to hang up.

  “Samuels?”

  “Yes?”

  “Good job. We need to keep Ms. Kemp safe. She’s our best asset right now.”

  “I know, sir. See you in a few hours.”

  Caleb looked at his watch. Three a.m. Scratch the good night of sleep he’d hoped for.

  Ten minutes later, Danni and Jaycee returned, both carrying large mugs of hot brew. Danni placed the delicious-smelling concoction in front of him.

  He took a sip. Perfection. “This is a life saver.”

  She took the seat in front of him. “No. You’re the lifesaver. Quite literally. That was another close call.”

  “Another? You mean this isn’t the first?” Jaycee plopped down next to Danni. “I think it’s time the two of you leveled with me. Does this have anything to do with Ramirez?”

  Danni looked as if she was about to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth.

  “I’ve got this.” Caleb raised his hand, palm out. Then, taking a deep breath, he began. “Ms. Alexander, let me give you some background . . .”

  Jaycee leaned back in her chair, her arms folded over her chest.

  “First, please assure me this will be kept confidential.”

  She nodded. “You have my word.”

  “The TBI is investigating a case involving a global narcotics ring with ties to this area.”

  The chef’s expression darkened, and she glanced toward Danni.

  “That’s unfortunately how Danielle became involved,” he said.

  “So it does have something to do with Michael’s death,” Jaycee half-whispered.

  “Maybe not directly. We may never know for sure. But it does relate directly to the burglary that took place at Robert Evans’s condo more than a month ago.”

  “I knew I didn’t like that guy.” Jaycee turned to Danni, who didn’t look up.

  “Although we’re certain he’s involved,” Caleb said. “We can’t, or more accurately, we don’t want to prove anything yet. Not until we have enough to put him, as well as everyone else involved, behind bars for a long time.”

  Danni’s hands were trembling as she fiddled with her coffee cup, still not looking up.

  Jaycee leaned toward Caleb. “So what was the other close call?”

  “Two nights ago, there was an explosion at the rehabilitation center where Danni visited.” Caleb took a breath. “The vehicle she was about to get into went up in flames.”

  Jaycee paled, gathered her thoughts, and finally said, “Please take good care of my friend.”

  “We’re doing the best we can,” he said.

  “I’ll be praying.” She looked from Danni to Caleb. “And for you too. I have a feeling there’s more going on than I know, than I want to know. But you’ll both be in my prayers, and if there’s anything I can do . . .”

  Caleb took a long draw from his coffee, saying a silent prayer of thanks for Jaycee Alexander. He liked her a lot. It was obvious God had put her in Danni’s life.

  Just as he was beginning to believe He had also put Danni into his.

  “Go home and get some sleep,” Jaycee said as she pushed Danni toward the back entrance of the restaurant. “We’ll be fine this morning.”

  “But—”

  “Don’t argue. You may need to close for me tonight.”

  Likely story. Jaycee never left early. But you couldn’t win an argument with her either. She had always been a good negotiator. Danni remembered watching her verbally spar with a street vendor in Mexico on the trip they had taken last year. Jaycee had walked away with a necklace at half price. Afterward, she had returned to slip the young girl an extra coin or two as a tip. Her friend might be feisty, but she had a soft heart.

  “Please take care of her, Agent Samuels.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Caleb cupped his arm lightly around Danni’s waist and escorted her out the building.

  “I’ll be back soon.” Danni shouted over her shoulder before Jaycee closed the door behind them.

  “Notice anything different?” Caleb asked.

  “The rain has stopped!” The moon was peeking through the clouds. “What a difference a few hours can make.”

  Not just with the weather. If Caleb hadn’t come along when he did, she might not be alive right now. “How are you holding up with no sleep?” she asked as they walked.

  “It’s overrated, don’t you think?” The light from storefronts along Second Avenue twinkled in his eyes. Was it just her, or was he a devastatingly handsome man? Especially in the moonlight.

  “If not, we’re both in trouble,” she laughed. “I haven’t slept well in weeks.”

  He stopped walking. “I hope to fix that for
you soon.”

  She turned to look at him. “I know. But I have to do my part too. I can’t expect everyone else to fix the mess I’ve gotten myself into.”

  He studied her, nodded, and started walking again. He was not only handsome, he was a generous man. He hadn’t hesitated to help with the cleanup they had done tonight after the rescue.

  Rob wasn’t exactly a roll-up-your-sleeves kind of a guy. He would never have helped the way Caleb had. Caleb had done whatever was needed, including carting out the trash. None of that fell under his job description. The only thing he was supposed to do was keep her safe. And he had done that too. Several times.

  Maybe someday she would find a man like that to love her.

  “Thank you for helping me,” she said, catching her breath.

  “With what?”

  “With everything. Cleaning up tonight. Keeping me safe. And mostly for helping me see the truth.”

  “About Rob?”

  “About life in general.”

  His glance lingered, but he kept walking. “How’s that?”

  “By setting a good example.”

  “Wow . . . you’re too kind—”

  “No. Just smart enough to know a good man when I see one.”

  He stopped walking again and looked around the landscape.

  Was he embarrassed?

  He suddenly grabbed her arm and tugged. “You have no idea.”

  Danni bit her lip. “About how good you are?”

  “No. About the things I’ve done in my life.” He shook his head. “I’m not proud of my past.” He kept a good pace as he looked behind every tree and signpost, and up every alley, for trouble.

  “Hope and grace,” she said.

  He glanced toward her. “What do you mean?”

  “I know what it means now. The name of the rehabilitation center.”

  “Okay.” He didn’t seem to know where she was going with this.

  “Those girls are being given the hope that they will have a better future. And the grace to put their past behind them. How beautiful is that?”

  “HGRC is a great place.”