Agent Meekins was capable of handling herself. But when she didn’t answer her phone, concern had ricocheted through Tanner.
Maybe Cara’s phone was dead. Maybe she’d left it out of reach.
Tanner didn’t believe either of those things, though. All agents were instructed to keep their phones charged, near them and to always answer.
His boots scraped across the gravel driveway, and he felt the gun in his holster as he stretched to full height. With the sun beating down on his shoulders, he climbed the fence and landed hard on the other side.
He studied the area, looking for a sign of danger, but saw nothing except the evergreen trees surrounding the gravel driveway, which curved before the house could be seen. The scene looked ironically peaceful and in direct contradiction to what his gut told him.
He hurried up the lane and around the bend of trees. The house came into view, but Tanner paused at the sight of it.
The front door was cracked open.
His pulse rate quickened.
His team would never leave the front door open. If there was one thing the agents weren’t, it was careless.
Tanner drew his gun and called for backup before pressing forward. Dread pooled in his stomach when he thought about what might have happened here.
Please Lord, let me be overreacting.
He knew he wasn’t. He glanced around, looking for a sign of trouble. Two FBI sedans were still parked out back, and no other vehicles were in sight. He surveyed the trees surrounding the property but saw no one and nothing suspicious.
Carefully, Tanner stepped onto the rustic, wooden porch, certain his footsteps didn’t make a sound. He paused as the skin on the back of his neck crawled. Slowly, he turned, glancing at the woods again.
He saw no one, yet he felt certain that someone was watching him.
His instincts went on full alert.
Using all his skills and training, he nudged the front door open. Silence greeted him.
The stillness was not a good sign. If Cara was safe and everything was normal, there would be laughter and chatter and maybe even some nursery rhymes.
Tanner stepped inside, soaking in the empty house. A baby rattle lay on the floor. One of the blankets was strewn across the brown leather couch as if someone had been taking a nap. Fresh coffee—he could smell it—waited in the percolator on the kitchen counter.
What was going on?
Remaining on the edge of the room, Tanner continued deeper into the house. As he crossed into the kitchen and looked beyond the breakfast bar, he froze.
Cara.
She laid sprawled on the floor by the back door. Blood pooled near her head, and her gun lay on the tile floor beside her hand.
He rushed toward her and put his finger to the pulse at her neck. It was still there but barely. He radioed headquarters, requesting an ambulance.
“Come on, Cara,” he muttered. “Hold on.”
There was nothing he could do to help her, he realized.
While he waited for the medics to arrive, he had to figure out what happened here and check to see if the killer remained in the house. One other thing took top priority, however.
Baby Addie.
Where was she? And where were Manning and Armstrong?
He paused as he heard a subtle rustling sound. Was someone still in the house? Just waiting to strike?
He raised his gun, ready to use it if he had to.
Carefully, he maneuvered himself toward the hallway. Each step was purposeful and careful. He couldn’t afford to mess this up. Too many people were depending on him.
Tanner reached the downstairs bedroom. He lingered by the doorway before propelling himself inside. He scanned the room, but nothing out of the ordinary struck him. Carefully, he walked across the room and pulled up the bedcover, checking beneath it.
Empty.
His heart pounding against his rib cage, he opened the closet door. A baby stared back at him from the corner. His adrenaline surged when he realized it was a doll.
The space was empty.
Tanner followed the same procedure, room after room. No one was here. Not even Manning or Armstrong.
So what had that sound been? And what about the feeling he had outside? The feeling of being watched?
He hoped backup arrived soon. He prayed Macy stayed in the sedan like he’d told her.
Another noise swished inside the house. His eyes zeroed in on the hallway wall. No, it wasn’t the wall. It was a doorway made to look like part of the wall, he realized. Why hadn’t he seen that earlier?
Cautiously, Tanner walked toward it. Not seeing a handle, he nudged it, and the door popped open as if spring-loaded.
A dark closet greeted him, full of coats, and a vacuum cleaner. He moved some of the garments aside, looking for the source of that noise.
His breath caught when he saw something on the floor. Addie. The baby was tucked away safe in her car seat. Wide awake and seemingly happy, she tugged at the coats as if they were part of a mobile placed above a crib. What he’d heard was the sound of the hangers hitting each other.
He tucked his gun away and bent down, carefully lifting the child from her car seat and holding her close in his arms.
The air left his lungs as relief filled him. The baby was safe. But they weren’t out of the woods yet, so to speak. The bad guys were most likely planning their next attack, and Tanner would have to constantly be on guard.
The good news was that Cara had insured that Addie wasn’t taken. She’d put her own life on the line to do so.
But for how long would that be true? How were they going to protect this baby that someone else was so desperate to get their hands on?
* * *
Macy gripped the gun and lifted a prayer. She didn’t want to have to use this weapon. But she wouldn’t hesitate to protect herself. To protect baby Addie.
Anxiety coiled in her as a bad feeling continued to churn in her gut. Something was seriously amiss here, and she didn’t know what to do about it. She liked to fix things. To make people’s problems better.
But here she was locked in the sedan, crouched low in her seat, and feeling helpless.
There was one thing she could do. One very important thing. She could pray.
Dear Lord, protect Addie. Protect Tanner. Protect the other agents. Please.
Movement in the distance caught her eye, and her grip on the gun tightened. It was two men walking down the road.
She peered up again, trying to get a better look.
Wait...was that Manning and Armstrong?
What was going on?
Once their faces came into focus, she opened the car door and rushed across the gravel at the side of the road to meet them. She was desperate to know if they were okay, to learn what happened.
She soaked in how they both looked dazed and out of sorts. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“We were ambushed,” Manning said, rubbing his temple. “Put in the back of a van then shoved out on the side of the road.”
“That’s terrible. I’m glad you’re both alive.” Her concern spiraled to a new level. “Where’s Addie?”
“We don’t know,” Armstrong said. “Cara was inside with her when we stepped out to investigate a noise outside. It was all a ploy to get us away from the house.”
Worry gripped her again. How had their location been discovered...again?
“Macy, over here,” a familiar voice called.
She swung her head toward the sound and saw Tanner standing at the gate...with Addie cradled in his arms.
Relief flushed through her. She put the gun on the car hood and rushed toward them. She took Addie into her arms and held the baby close, relishing the clean fresh scent of her skin and hair. In response, Addie cooed and grabbed for Macy’s locks.
; “How’s Cara?” Macy asked, still not letting down her guard.
“She was shot, but she’s alive. But an ambulance is on its way.” Tanner turned toward Manning and Armstrong. “Are you guys okay?”
They nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Where have you been?”
“We were ambushed, sir. But we managed to get away.”
“I’m glad to hear that, and we’ll debrief later. For now, I need you two to stay here with Cara. It’s not safe for Addie to be here. We don’t know where the bad guys are. We need to get out of here before someone tries to make us victims again. It’s too big a risk.”
Manning nodded. “Of course.”
“You two will be okay?” Tanner continued.
“Yes, sir,” Armstrong said.
Tanner put his hand on Macy’s back. “Okay, we’ve got to go then.”
Macy saw that Tanner had grabbed the car seat and diaper bag. They quickly loaded everything into the vehicle and then started down the road.
“I’m sorry about Cara,” she said through the tension-stretched quiet.
She could tell he was deep in thought, and that he was disturbed about where all of this was leading. He took his job to protect others—even his colleagues—very seriously.
Tanner bit down. “Me, too. I think she’ll be okay, though. But, right now, I have a mission. I’ve got to keep this baby safe.”
“I understand.” Macy shook her head as her thoughts pressed down on her, feeling like she was going under an emotional wave that kept hitting her again and again. “How do these people keep figuring out where we are?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” His jaw flexed like it always did when he wasn’t happy. “I don’t even have any good guesses at this point.”
Silence stretched between them again as the miles rolled past. Addie played with a little toy that was attached to the car seat and seemed content for the moment. But Macy had too many unknowns, too many questions. Contentment felt far away from her.
She cleared her throat. “Where are we going?”
“I don’t know yet,” Tanner said.
She studied the set of his jaw, the way he focused on the road straight ahead, his tight grip on the steering wheel. “There’s something you’re not saying, Tanner.”
He snapped out of his ultra-focused mode and rubbed the back of his neck. He still didn’t say anything for a moment. Finally, he drew in a deep breath. “I wonder if there’s a leak within the FBI.”
Macy gasped at his words. “Really?”
“Yeah, really. I don’t know how else these guys could keep finding us. They have to have an inside connection.”
“Who do you think it is?”
“There’s only a handful of people who know where we’re staying. Manning, Armstrong, Saul, Cara, and maybe an administrator.”
Each of their faces flashed through Macy’s mind until she shivered. “I hate to think that any of them would betray the FBI.”
“Me, too.”
Her throat suddenly felt dry and tight. She glanced out the window, the landscape around them looking more ominous by the moment. It was like she couldn’t trust anyone or anything...except maybe Tanner.
“What are we going to do, Tanner?” she asked.
He glanced at her. “We may have to go rogue.”
Twelve
As Tanner cruised down the road, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was Saul. Even though he’d just declared the need to go rogue, Tanner knew he had to play it cool right now in order to not raise suspicions.
“Hey, Saul,” Tanner answered through the Bluetooth in his car. “What’s going on?”
“Cara’s going to be okay.” Saul’s voice came through. “She has a surface wound and will spend some time under observation, but doctors aren’t expecting any complications.”
Relief filled him. “That’s great news.”
“I knew you’d want to know.”
Tanner kept his eyes on the road, his adrenaline still pumping. “Any idea how these guys found us?”
“That’s what we’re still trying to figure out.”
He’d been hoping for a more definite answer. “No clues?”
“Not at this point,” Saul said. “We’re investigating to see if there was a tracker planted somehow. It’s the only thing that makes sense to us at this point.”
Now that was an interesting idea. Interesting and highly disturbing. “Are you checking the place for anything that may have slipped past us?”
“As we speak. I also wanted to let you know that we just got a report on Deborah Graham and Mike Devry, the supposed relatives of baby Addie.”
“And?” Tanner braced himself for what he might hear.
“They appear to be legit,” Saul said. “Deborah’s sister is named Michelle Nixon. She really did have a baby about six months ago, and no one has seen either of them in a couple of weeks. We’re still tracking down details, though. Nothing is confirmed, though initial analysis seems to be positive.”
“Where are they from?”
“Down near Galveston,” Saul said.
“Even if their story is true, that still doesn’t explain the extreme measures someone is going through to get this child,” Tanner said.
“Maybe the mom got herself into trouble. Maybe she owes some drug lords and they want the baby as payment.”
“These guys seem a little smarter than your average drug lords.”
“I agree. But that’s the only logical conclusion we’re able to draw right now. We’ll let you know as more information comes in. We’re in the process of getting another safe house set up for you.”
Tanner wanted to tell him to not bother. But he didn’t. He had to be more subtle than that. “I’ll lay low until then.”
“Sounds good.”
He ended the call and placed his phone on the seat beside him. His mind reviewed what Saul had told him as he continued down the road.
Macy shivered beside him. “I don’t like the sound of any of this.”
“Neither do I.”
“Are you really waiting for them to assign another safe house?”
He shook his head. “Of course not. But I’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do in the meantime.”
“You always have a plan,” she said.
“I usually do.”
“I don’t like the sound of that, either.”
Tanner glanced in the rearview mirror and saw no one. So he wasn’t being followed. But what if someone was tracking him through another means? He didn’t want to think that was possible, but it was.
They needed to ditch their possessions and get a clean start—a totally clean start.
When he came to the first shopping center, he stopped. Part one of his plan started here. But they had to act quick.
“What are we doing?” Macy asked.
“We’ve got to buy everything new. Clothes. Baby supplies. New phones even. We’re going to lose these people once and for all.”
* * *
Two hours later, they had gotten rid of all their old stuff. Macy had an entirely new outfit. Addie had a new car seat, new pacifier and new bottles. The only thing that stayed the same was Tanner’s boots and cowboy hat, but he had thoroughly investigated both of them. He’d also carefully checked the car to make sure there was no tracking device there.
Macy wasn’t sure how she felt as she climbed back in the car. All of this seemed like something from a movie, like it couldn’t possibly be her real life.
Before they left, Tanner grabbed some food at a fast-food joint. The entire time they were in the drive-through line, he continually scanned the area. Macy could tell he was on edge.
Finally, they hit the road again, though Macy had no idea where they were going.
&n
bsp; She leaned back in her seat and took a bite of her chicken sandwich. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was. She sat in the back seat with Addie, though part of her wished she could sit up front with Tanner. She wanted to talk with him. To really talk. To see his eyes when she asked questions. But that wasn’t an option right now.
When she finished, she put a hand on Addie’s belly, trying to keep her settled. The baby’s agitation certainly didn’t help the stress of the situation. But all Macy could do was try to keep the child soothed. This was hard on all of them.
“So, what now?” Macy asked, feeling the first signs of real exhaustion pressing on her. She’d hoped Tanner might share this information on his own but apparently not.
“We’re going to my friend’s house.”
Surprise rippled through her. “Really?”
He nodded. “Yeah, really. He’s one of the few people I can trust in this situation. We’re almost at his place now.”
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to a ranch-style structure located in the Texas countryside.
“Wait here,” Tanner said.
He hopped out and darted up to the door.
Macy’s eyes widened when she saw the man who answered.
Devin Blankenship. Tanner’s best friend.
Macy hadn’t seen him in years. Back in grad school, she’d spent endless hours hanging out with him and Tanner. He’d almost felt like a brother.
Devin was the former high school football player who’d forgone a contract in order to join the police. He was still built like a linebacker. His dark hair was a little thinner now.
The man had always been a straight shooter, and Macy had always appreciated his honesty.
Except right now, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to face it. She was certain he’d have harsh words for her after she’d broken up with his best friend.
Memories of the past rushed back to her, hitting her like a tidal wave. They’d all had some really good times together. They’d not only had cookouts and game nights, but they’d gone hiking together and spent a week at the beach playing volleyball and body surfing.
This wasn’t going to get any easier, was it? She looked down at Addie. The baby gripped her finger and tried to shove it in her mouth.
The Baby Assignment Page 10