Emma’s small body relaxed noticeably. “I’m glad you came for me, Mommy. Are we going to leave soon?”
Hating to lie to the girl, she also didn’t want to scare her more than she must already be scared. “I’m not sure how long we’ll have to stay,” she said slowly. “I think my friend will get us soon.”
With any luck...if he was alive.
***
Gavin blinked his heavy eyes, trying to figure out where he was and why his head pounded. A metallic taste in his mouth made him want to wretch, but that would require moving. It was cold in the room and his teeth chattered together. A light on the wall showed the metal walls surrounding him.
Suddenly, it all came back. Terrance drugged him and Paul took Shelley. Gavin had tried to get up to fight him off, but Terrance covered his mouth and that’s all Gavin remembered.
Next to him on the cot was a one-liter bottle of water. ‘TELL NICK’ written in bold letters marked the side of the container and reminded Gavin of Paul’s threats. Torn between need for a drink and worry Paul might have done something to the water, Gavin finally decided if Paul wanted him dead, he would already be that way.
He cracked the seal and gulped large mouthfuls of the cool liquid. It washed the awful taste from his mouth, and the pain in his head slowly receded. He needed to follow whatever trail the men might have left. He had to rescue Shelley.
That thought goaded him from bed. Gavin lurched for the door, grabbing the lantern off the wall that the men left behind. He searched the ground, looking for any sign of footprints to tell him where they headed. Unfortunately, every print was quite scuffled and the trail ran cold about ten feet from the doorway.
His only chance was to get above ground and find Jenessa. Ken Travers was involved in this. Somehow, they’d make the man talk. Paul just thought he had a problem with Nick hunting him. Gavin wouldn’t stop until he was reunited with Shelley.
If he hurt her, Paul would pay.
Chapter Thirty-Two
As Gavin made his way onto the 2nd Avenue station platform, a few people waiting for the subway glanced at him but quickly looked away. No one wanted to be involved with a bloody, dirty man emerging from the shadows of the tracks. He probably looked crazy or homeless or both.
Not bothering to speak with any of them, Gavin pushed through the crowd and up the stairway, heading for the exit. It took several minutes to find a cab willing to stop for him.
After Gavin climbed inside and gave the address to the hotel, the cabbie eyed him suspiciously in the rearview mirror. “You got enough money for that ride?”
Gavin reach into his pocket, retrieving a hundred from his wallet. He flashed it over the top of the seat. “Will this work for you?”
The cabbie smiled. “I don’t have change for bills that big.”
Of course not. “Get me to the hotel quickly, and you’ll get one hell of a tip.”
The driver pulled out, careening around other cars to make his way up the street.
Gavin pressed his head against the glass of the window. He had no clue what to do next. He couldn’t call Nick until he found Jenessa, since he didn’t have Nick’s number written anywhere. Besides that, every second that passed made him worry what could be happening to Shelley.
He prayed Stephen wasn’t the one in charge of her. With her knee the way it was, she might have a hard time fighting him off.
Gavin shuddered with dread. The list of people he’d have to pay back if they did anything to her was growing. He just wished he had an idea what to do. The spy life wasn’t for him.
He just wanted to get Shelley back, keep her safe, and live a quiet, happy life together. Hopefully Nick would help make that happen, even if it meant handing over the diamonds.
***
The door creaked open and Shelley watched it warily, waiting for her captor to enter. She and Emma had drunk more water and Emma helped her to the makeshift toilet, but they needed food. And a way out of this room. Emma had finally fallen into a fitful sleep, but the girl was obviously worried that Shelley couldn’t immediately free them.
Stephen stepped in, beaming down at Shelley as though happy to see her. Maybe he was—happy to see her vulnerable, in pain, and in his control.
“I see you’re awake. Good. I’ve come to make a video as incentive for your friends to give us what we want.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and fiddled with the screen. “What can I do to make them hurry?” He stared at the wall in apparent thought, but Shelley figured he already knew what he planned to do.
As he paced slowly toward the mattress, Emma woke up and saw him. Her small hand tightened around Shelley’s arm and her breathing turned erratic. “He’s a bad man, and the bad man hurt Rose.” Her voice was high and quiet. “Don’t let him hurt you, Mommy.”
“Emma, you aren’t part of this.” Stephen pointed toward the corner of the room. “Go face that wall until I tell you not to.”
The girl shook her head. “No.”
Shelley struggled to sit up on the air mattress, the plastic shifting beneath her making it difficult. She did her best to smile at Emma. “It’s okay, sweetling. Go over there. He’s not going to hurt me like he hurt Rose. He needs me. But I don’t want you to peek, okay?”
Emma’s mournful brown eyes regarded Shelley and an obstinate look crossed her face. Shelley was sure she would refuse to do as told, but then she got up and went to the wall. One thing about being held captive, she’d learned to do what they said. Hopefully that would keep her alive long enough to get her safely home to her father, and one day she could forget about this nightmare.
Shelley couldn’t say the same thing for herself—she probably wouldn’t survive. “Look here, dickhead,” she said, keeping her voice low and full of as much venom as she could muster, “if you ever want a chance at those diamonds, hurting me is not the answer.”
With a shrug, Stephen took another step closer, dropping back into a karate stance. “We’ll see.”
Though Shelley tried to throw herself out of the way, Stephen’s knee came up and he planted a heel stomp to her head. His heel clipped her jaw and the coppery tang of blood exploded in her mouth. Ignoring the wrenching pain in her knee, Shelley lurched sideways, biting back moans of pain for fear of Emma turning around and seeing Stephen attack her.
She threw her arms over her head to shield her face, knowing she had little recourse to fight back. The expected second blow didn’t land. Instead, the bed bounced slightly up as weight settled on the other side of the mattress.
“Look at me, Shelley. Let’s see the damage.”
Shelley cowered away, still protecting her face. She needed to wait until Stephen put himself in a vulnerable position, and maybe she could punch him with enough force to do some damage.
Stephen clenched down on a pressure point in her hand. “Come on, damn it. Don’t make me do something to the girl.”
Taking a shaky breath, Shelley lowered her hands to glare at him. She couldn’t fight him. Even if she managed to protect herself with punches, she’d be unable to help Emma. All Stephen had to do was attack her in the corner. With Shelley’s banged up knee, he could do real damage before she managed to reach them.
He tilted her face toward the light, smiling at the results. “Nice. A few minutes for the bruising to set in, and we can send a message to your boy toy of the week. Wish I could send it direct to his phone, but I’m sure someone will pass it along.”
My boy toy? But that has to be Gavin!
Shelley kept her face expressionless, not wanting Stephen to realize he’d made an error. Gavin was alive. Even if Nick gave up and didn’t save her, she knew Gavin wouldn’t stop. He was a thief, even if he was a bit out of practice. If anyone could find their trail and break her and Emma out of here, she put all her faith in Gavin.
Despite the blood dribbling from her mouth, Shelley had to struggle against smiling.
Stephen had given her a powerful weapon and didn’t even know it.
Hope.
***
Gavin grimaced through the pain while Jenessa sealed the cut on his face with butterfly bandages. Showered and in fresh clothes, he wanted to head to FBI headquarters, but Jenessa advised against it.
“I think it’s better if no one knows you’re here. Nick’s flight will land any minute. He can decide what to do.” She rose, throwing away the cotton ball she’d used to clean his cut. “Ken is in on this, and we still think someone in the FBI is involved. If you go to the office, whatever plans we do come up with could be passed to S.A.T.O. I think it is better if we keep this between us agents.”
While he wasn’t sure if that made sense, Nick could make the final decision. “What about Brent Walker? Have you been in contact with him?”
Jenessa nodded. “When you and Shelley didn’t check in, I called him after speaking with Nick. He’s pretty broken up, says he hasn’t heard from the kidnappers again and is worried Emma might be dead. He kept closed mouthed about things, not offering any helpful information to figure out where they took you. I think he’s afraid if he talks and Emma is still alive, that’ll be the end of her.”
Gavin understood his fears, but if Brent had told them what happened, Jenessa might have found them before they took Shelley away. Now they were left with no leads. Presumably they’d hear from S.A.T.O. soon enough with demands for the diamonds, but how long would they keep Shelley safe?
He glanced at Jenessa. “Is there any chance Nick will give them the diamonds and rescue Shelley?”
Jenessa sat on the bench in front of the vanity mirror, her lips pressed in a thin line. “Whatever the ultimate plan is for those bracelets, we know it isn’t good, Gavin. Whether it’s microchips to hack secret files or something less complex like a simple spying device, either way, Paul plans to use them to the detriment of our country. How can Nick just hand them over?”
“Why doesn’t S.A.T.O. give up on these diamonds? If they need a high clarity or something, wouldn’t a fake diamond give them what they need? It seems like a lot of trouble to go to for a bag of jewels worth a few million dollars.”
She frowned. “You didn’t listen to my explanation very closely that day at the precinct, did you?”
“Well, honestly, Ken talked about making moves on Shelley, I thought he meant you, and I was distracted by plots of how to warn you away from him.”
“As nice as that is, you missed some vital information. They can’t use any old diamond for this, and nothing except a diamond will work. Do you know anything about the new laser technology?”
Gavin narrowed his eyebrows. “Lasers, as in spy movies and fantasy?”
“Not so much a fantasy anymore. It’s happening. The diamond doesn’t have to be very big, but scientists are using the technology mostly for medical purposes, creating a superior laser. That same practice is helping show the way for other uses. Such as whatever Paul plans.” Jenessa stood and fetched her purse from the entertainment center, pulling her tablet from inside. She tapped on the screen, then crossed to sit next to Gavin. “I’ve been doing some research on Sierra Valentine, the girl they murdered.”
Shuddering, Gavin nodded to indicate he knew who she meant. He’d never get the image of Sierra’s last moments out of his mind.
“Apparently, she worked for S.A.T.O. and was supposed to be the girl to wear the bracelet to whatever high society function it was intended for.” Jenessa flipped to a news article on the tablet, which showed a picture of Sierra with President Sharp. “She already had an in, being an up and coming star. She had received several invitations to White House functions and was scheduled to sing at a benefit next fall.”
“How do you know she worked for S.A.T.O.?”
“Besides what you reported Stephen and Terrance said to her in that room, you mean?”
At Gavin’s nod, she closed the news article, opening a typed document.
“I’ve been researching her and tracking down where the diamonds came from,” she responded. “These aren’t just any diamonds. Each was handpicked by her, paid for with more money than she should have had, and made into this collection. She had some very exacting standards for what she was looking for, which I found when I hacked into an underground jewelry trader’s records that she dealt with.”
“Clever of you. Digging up personal records.”
“Yes.” Jenessa said it without an ounce of shame. She was good at her job and knew it, and didn’t care who’s privacy she violated in the name of justice. “After she collected the last diamond, there was a weird, encrypted message that would have only made sense to the person it was meant for. I think it was to tell Paul that she had them all. About two months after that, the messages about the sale of the diamonds went out, and I caught the phone call that made Nick send Shelley to that opera house.”
Sierra had been so afraid when she saw Terrance and Stephen there, begging for her life. They said she would have been a top agent and shouldn’t have crossed Paul.
Staring at Jenessa’s notes as if they held more answers, Gavin said, “I wonder what made her change her mind and go against Paul.”
Jenessa turned off the tablet. “My guess is she found out what they were going to be used for, and instead of turning them over to him for mass destruction...” she shrugged, “...or whatever, she decided to get rid of them to someone who just wanted diamonds for jewels. Your estimate of their worth is lower than what I’m finding. It would have been a good deal for anyone into black market diamonds.”
Feeling the loss of the young starlet all over again, a sadness descended on Gavin. Then, he had another thought that clenched his chest with anxiety. “Paul didn’t hesitate to kill Sierra when she double crossed him. Shelley did the same thing, nearly getting him captured a few months ago.” Wringing his hands together, Gavin didn’t want to ask his question, but knew he had to. “Do you really think there’s any way he’ll let her live?”
“I...” She stopping, blinking a few times before shrugging. “We have to find her fast.”
Not encouraging.
A chime sounded and Jenessa jumped. After digging in her pocket, she pulled her phone out. “A forward from Nick? He must be off the plane.” Her face paled and she licked her lips. “Oh, no.”
“What is it?” Gavin tried to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
She handed him the phone. “It’s a video that came to Nick from Shelley’s phone.”
The still shot frozen on the video clip showed Shelley. Though the lighting was dim in the picture, the blood across her lip was easy to see, as well as the swelling and bruising on her chin.
Gavin tapped on the video to make it play.
“You see this, Nick?” came Stephen’s voice as the camera zoomed in on Shelley. “This is only the beginning. What would Carlie think if you let me kill her best friend?” His laughter testified to the fact that he would enjoy killing her. “Get me the diamonds. You have four hours to make arrangements, or what I’ve done to her this time will seem like a love tap.”
Gavin thrust the phone at Jenessa, unable to look into Shelley’s pain-filled eyes any longer. “Nick needs to get his ass here. If he won’t do something to save Shelley, I will.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Gavin felt nearly out of his mind with worry twenty minutes later when Nick knocked on his door. Jenessa opened it with a ready smile for their boss, but Gavin didn’t feel as generous.
“It’s about time you got here.” He resumed pacing the track from the bed to the bathroom. “I hope you have a plan.”
Nick raised his eyebrows, but stuck his hand out when Gavin drew near. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
Slightly embarrassed at his lack of manners, Gavin shook his hand. “Sorry, boss, I’m going out of my mind. Stephen’s beating her while I sit doing nothing. We have to save her.”
Nick shuddered visibly. “Don’t call me boss. Nick is fine.” He crossed the room and sat in the chair near the window, glancing at his watch. “We have under th
ree hours before Stephen contacts us again. I need to know everything that happened. Maybe we can figure out where they’re holding Shelley.”
While explaining what happened on the 2nd Avenue platform, a feeling of helplessness overwhelmed Gavin. “I know there are other places in the city where tunnels for train lines were dug but never used. If they have Shelley at one of those other sites, it could take us a long time to find the right one.”
Nick glanced at Jenessa. “And you have the diamonds after the explosion at the precinct?”
She nodded. “They’re in my room safe here. I didn’t know where else to hold them. As I told you before, we have reason to suspect a traitor in the FBI. Also, we’re sure Ken’s working for S.A.T.O.”
“But you ruled out Agent Dan Worth as a suspect?” Nick asked.
“We did,” Jenessa said, blushing slightly and confirming Gavin’s suspicion that things were heating up between her and the other agent.
“Good.” Nick nodded as though coming to a decision. “We have to deal with this situation with Shelley, but those diamonds need to be secured. Call Agent Worth and tell him I need to see him. I’ll have him take care of it.”
Gavin gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew there was little chance Nick would hand over the diamonds to Paul, but it might be the only way to ensure her safety. It was time to give Nick more incentive to help Shelley, and perhaps do whatever it took to get her back.
“I talked to Paul,” he said, staring intently at Nick. “He wanted me to tell you that you’re like a son to him, but if you don’t hand over the diamonds, he’s going after Carlie.”
“What?” Nick rose from the chair, his dark eyes boring into Gavin’s. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
He whipped out his phone and punched in some numbers. “Is she safe?” he asked whoever answered the line. “I knew moving back to Sayle was a bad idea. Paul’s threatening her.” He paused, listening to the other person. “Hal, you know how vicious he is. Hide her somewhere until I work this out.”
Nick lowered the phone, still glaring at Gavin. “You should have told me right away. I can’t let anything happen to Carlie.”
Love & Redemption Page 25