“Tell the man what he wants to know,” Luke said.
“I did not take her.”
Adam refused to ease up. “But you know who did.”
Trevor tucked his pen in his inside jacket pocket. “Maybe we can make a new deal.”
Adam felt the tension in the room shift. Trevor no longer held on to the fake sense of outrage at being accused. He’d moved into bargaining mode, which was exactly the plan.
“You’ve already violated the old agreement,” Luke said.
“Not true.”
“It is by my reading.”
Trevor pursed his lips. “There might be details I could assume for you.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “That’s nice of you.”
“My name would have to stay clear. Anything you found that referenced me or my company, or any one associated with either, would have to remain between us.”
“You want us to grant you immunity.”
“As I have stated, I have not committed a crime.”
Adam was done with the verbal swordplay. “Luke, we’re running out of time here.”
“You should listen to your computer genius.” Trevor gave Adam a dismissive look. “While he appears to be out of control at the moment, he is not wrong about the timeline.”
Luke looked at Adam and then Holden. When he turned back to Trevor, Luke wore an expression of grim determination. “Accepted.”
Adam blew out the breath he was holding. He hadn’t realized how important Luke’s answer was until he said it.
“Lower the gun,” Trevor ordered in a flat tone.
Adam pulled back but did not take Trevor out of his sights. “Talk.”
“If I were in charge of this operation, there is only one place I would take your Ms. Timmons.” Trevor paused as if waiting for them to beg for the information. When that didn’t happen, he continued. “Back to the last home she had. The house in West Virginia.”
“Why?” Luke asked.
“An accident is much easier to stage there. It’s consistent with the original plan, which likely had been in preparation for months.” Trevor’s attention focused on Adam. “And who is going to care about the accidental death of a waitress, sometimes cook, in a dead-end, off-the-grid town?”
Despite the rise of hatred in his blood, Adam didn’t take the bait. “So, she’s alive?”
“I cannot guarantee that. But I believe, if we were in charge of a money scheme like the one at WitSec, we would want to gather as much information as possible before eliminating all threats. Otherwise a new one could pop up without warning.”
It’s what Trevor didn’t say that made Adam nervous. “Information about what?”
“The final loose end.”
Adam toyed with the idea of shooting Trevor just to see him lose some of that unbelievable ego. “What are you talking about?”
“I assume you will follow this case until it ends, no matter where it ends, correct?”
“Except for the deal we made here earlier and the one before that, which let you off the hook.” Luke nodded. “Yeah.”
“Then that leaves one loose end.” Trevor took time staring at all of them. “The Recovery Project.”
The sharp silence lasted long enough to get Adam thinking. They’d spent the past year fighting off people who wanted to destroy them. That might be the only life he had from now on.
“Okay.” Luke tucked his gun in his belt. “We’ll see if you’re correct.”
Trevor’s eyebrow lifted. “Excuse me?”
“Holden is going to stay here with you for a few hours.”
Trevor sat down at his desk. “Absolutely not.”
Adam still didn’t trust the man not to hit a button that brought the ceiling down on them. He focused his aim as he issued his order. “Hands.”
Luke waited for Trevor to comply before talking. “The last time I thought we had a deal and you sent in men to help me, Caleb and Avery nearly got killed.”
“Not by me.”
“No, your men were too busy killing Russell, the one witness who could have given us the WitSec information we needed and kept Maddie safe months ago. You protected your reputation and incidentally kept the corruption going when you took Russell out.”
“He was a dangerous man,” Trevor said.
“So are you,” Adam retorted.
Luke talked over both of them. “Holden will make sure you don’t make any calls to partners or anyone else related to what’s happening in West Virginia.”
Trevor slowly lowered his elbows to his desk. “You have a trust issue.”
“I wonder why.” Luke looked at Adam and nodded in the direction of the door. “Trevor, we walk out of here and no one touches us, right?”
“Yes.”
“Because if that doesn’t happen, I’m going to kill you,” Adam said.
Holden stepped forward, his attention focused on Trevor. “And while they’re driving we can talk.”
Trevor opened a folder and stared at it. “I do not think so.”
Holden balanced his hip against the corner of Trevor’s desk and ignored the furious glare he got in response. “Okay. I’ll talk and you can listen.”
Adam waited at the door for Luke to join him. Adam wasn’t the type to drop a lot of apologies. He operated straight and focused on work. That left little room for trouble.
“Look, I—”
Luke held up his hand. “No need to explain.” Adam searched his friend’s face for anger and didn’t find it. “You realize because of me and what I just did we can’t touch Trevor.”
He glanced at the man in question then turned back. “You have to pick your fights, Luke. I pick Maddie over Trevor.”
Adam had always had priorities. For a long time, only the Recovery team, along with Claire, Mia and Avery, held those spots. Now Maddie had moved onto the list. To the top of it.
“Why aren’t you furious?” he asked Luke.
Luke took out his gun and signaled to Holden to provide cover in case Trevor was working another con. “Because I know what I’d do if someone had Claire.”
“I appreciate that.”
For the first time all day, Luke smiled. “What, you’re not going to tell me how this is different because I love Claire and married her, and you’re just watching over Maddie?”
Adam didn’t hesitate. “No.”
Chapter Sixteen
The man circled her. Every inch of Maddie’s skin crawled at his presence, but she tried not to move. She didn’t know who he was, but she despised him.
Lying there, still tied to a chair, she was completely vulnerable to him. And she couldn’t even see his face.
Black unscuffed shoes thumped against the floor, stopping behind her. She felt her last chance at freedom slip away when glass crunched beneath his feet.
“You could have hurt yourself,” he said.
She didn’t recognize the deep voice and didn’t bother responding. She needed him to talk. The more time he wasted, the better chance for her to come up with a way out.
He grabbed the chair and with a grunt lifted her to a sitting position. The inside of her head continued to rock even after the chair stilled.
She’d kept her body toned and in shape with long runs. The goal was to stay in good condition to handle stress and increase her chances of getting away if needed. But all the injuries over the past few days were adding up. Her shoulder ached and her muscles functioned now only thanks to a rush of adrenaline and the fuel of fear.
When her head stopped rattling, she looked up at her captor. She expected some recognition but had none. His dark, short hair was nothing unusual. In his black suit he looked like every businessman in D.C. This guy could fit in any upper-middle-class neighborhood and no one would know about his killing instincts.
If life were fair, the evil ones would give off a vibe to warn women to run. “Who are you?” she asked him.
“That’s not important.”
“Since you want me dead it’s
a big deal to me.”
There was no way Knevin hired this guy. Knevin wasn’t the type to hang out with guys who cared about retirement accounts and stock portfolios.
“You’ve caused me a great deal of trouble.” The man paced back and forth in front of her as he talked.
“You’ll have to narrow it down a little.”
“You’re supposed to be dead.”
“Several people have tried to make that happen. No one has been successful.”
“Yet.”
She twisted her hands. The bindings gave a little more than before, though she couldn’t shift her shoulders or break free. She had to figure out a way to convince this guy to loosen the restraints.
He took a few more steps. “And you violated the rules.”
She stopped fidgeting. “What rules?”
“Witness protocol is very clear. When you ran to the Recovery Project, you became another sad statistic.”
He was with WitSec. The fact hit her like a blow to the head. It all made sense. He was high up somewhere, likely above Russell, and knew all about her.
“You’d think a woman with your past would appreciate the opportunity you were given to start over.” He stopped in front of her, so close she had to wrench her neck to see his face. “Instead, like so many before you and countless others who will follow, you broke with the plan.”
The guy didn’t even know her and he hated her. His disgust wrapped around every word. The snarl and angry tone just highlighted how insignificant and unworthy he found her to be.
She’d gotten that from men her entire life. As if being poor made a person unlovable. That need for male acceptance drove her right to Knevin, a man who claimed to love her and only gave her pain.
Well, no more. She deserved better and was not about to let some piece of garbage in a suit talk down to her. If she was going to die, she’d go out on her terms.
“Your men were trying to kill me. I did what I had to do to survive.”
“The statistics are clear. Participants stay safe unless they break with protocol.” He droned on as if giving a speech.
“What are you talking about?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s what I’ll explain when I testify behind the closed doors of the congressional committee concerning the spate of recent deaths in WitSec. The program has a perfect record so long as the participants follow the rules. When they contact their old criminal friends or do one of the many things they’re told not to do, they risk the lives of the U.S. Marshals who are trying so hard to protect them.”
“I didn’t do any of that.”
“But why is anyone surprised? You know what they say, once a criminal…”
“Who are you?” This time there was anger in her voice.
“The man who makes the decisions.”
“I don’t—” She saw movement through the window next to the front door. She tried not to focus on it, to just glance in case the light and shadow belonged to help.
The man laughed. “Don’t get excited. He’s one of mine.”
Her lungs deflated. “Good for you.”
“Before you become a statistic, I need you to answer some questions.”
“No.”
“While I might not believe in hurting women, my men will not hesitate. You might want to keep that in mind before being flip.”
Her stomach tumbled at the threat, but she held her expression still. “I assume you think you’re above it? Well, let me tell you something. You’re worse than them because you don’t even have the guts to roll up those sleeves and do the job yourself.”
His teeth slammed together right before he backhanded her. Her neck snapped as her head fell to the side and her hair fell across her face. She was about to sit up and face him down again when she saw it. The small door in the hallway moved. It opened a few inches then closed again.
Adam.
It was impossible and unlikely, but she felt the truth through every cell. He’d lived and figured out where she was and how to get to her. He knew about the makeshift escape route.
He needed cover to get in without being detected. And she’d provide it.
She sat back up and screwed her lips in a look filled with her revulsion for the guy in front of her. “Did that make you feel like a man?”
“Do not test me.”
“Maybe that’s what you need to feel good. Is that right?”
“You would be wise to keep your mouth shut.”
“You want a woman to smack around so you can hide how incompetent…or should I say, impotent, you are.”
He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Hate spewed out of him. He called her names and promised her a slow death.
She took it all. Seeing Adam’s shoulders peek out of the closet gave her the strength to take anything. On his hands and knees now, he moved with the grace of a panther and as quiet as smoke.
He was halfway out when a figure appeared in the opening to the bedroom behind him. Adam stopped midcrawl.
“Looks like we have company,” the figure said.
At the sound of the voice, the guy in the suit spun around. All attention went to the small hallway.
The figure kicked out, taking advantage of Adam’s position on his knees and hands. When the swift kick to the stomach knocked Adam to the floor, a scream died in her throat. Seeing Adam down, his face turned toward her and his eyes closed, sapped the rest of her strength. She felt the hit against her ribs as if she’d been the victim.
“Search him for weapons,” the man in the suit said. He leaned down until his face floated right in front of her. “Do you still think I’m weak?”
TREVOR LOOKED OVER THE TOP of his folder and eyed Holden. “I would assume your assistance is needed in West Virginia.”
Holden sat with his feet propped up on the corner of the desk. He held his gun and never looked away from Trevor. “I’m fine here, but thanks for your fake concern.”
“If you came on with me at Orion you could take on more of a leadership role.”
“Really?”
In Trevor’s experience, all men had a price. It was a matter of finding it and making the offer. “A man with your skills and background would thrive in my company. I could limit your travel and risks. You are a strategy man and that is always in demand.”
Holden blinked. “I meant, are you really trying to sell that garbage to me?”
“You have a purpose now. Responsibilities and a future.” Trevor tapped his pen against his open palm. The answer was to go straight to Holden’s weakness. “I know Mia has refused to set a date for the marriage, but having a stable income could help push her in the right direction. Women need stability.”
A muscle in Holden’s jaw twitched, but his voice stayed even. “And you know that from your divorce counseling?”
It looked as if Holden’s tipping point would be harder to find. “It is a matter of vision. Looking into the future and setting your course toward a goal.”
“You know what I can’t figure out?”
Trevor was not naive enough to believe he had changed Holden’s mind. The man was playing, searching for information. Trevor really could not blame Holden for doing what came naturally.
“Have we finished talking about future prospects?” Trevor asked.
“You have everything—the power, the solid reputation, the son, the million-dollar company.” Holden’s gaze traveled around the room, landing on photographs and objects as he talked.
“Your point?”
“How does a guy who built all that get wrapped up in a scheme to earn quick cash by knocking off WitSec participants?”
“I had nothing to do with the deaths of those women in the WitSec program. I didn’t sell the information about their location or pull the trigger.”
“You say that like you believe it.”
In Trevor’s mind it was true. He had been dragged in by Russell and Bram. That the operation went deeper and higher, that John decided to engage in
blackmail, could not be seen as Trevor’s responsibility. He refused to take that on.
Trevor decided it was time to plant the seed. He had not been lying when he talked about loose ends. John Tate was one. Tate’s unknown partner was another. If Trevor could arrange for the Recovery team to trim away those dangerous pieces he’d view his plan as a success.
He just had to get them running in that direction first. Sending them to grab John under the guise of rescuing Maddie Timmons was the first piece. When the partner rose up, Trevor would send Recovery after that person, too, even if it was one of their own.
The blackmail tape would become another part of the deal with Recovery. They were really helping cover up two problems, not one.
“Have you ever made a mistake, Holden?”
Holden sighed. “Look, if you’re asking for forgiveness it’s not going to happen.”
“This is not my battle.”
“You’re involved.”
“Not by choice.”
Holden sat up straighter. “What does that mean?”
Trevor almost smiled when Holden took the bait. “It is really a matter of finding an end. John Tate is not the top of this. He was career civil service but under too close a level of scrutiny to pull this off alone. And Russell was an idiot. A follower only.”
“Who is the leader?”
“I honestly do not know.”
“Did you really just use the word honestly?”
Trevor leaned forward on his elbows. “Do you think I would continue on this road if I did not have to?”
A smile crossed Holden’s lips. “What do they have on you?”
“It will not be that easy.”
“So, there is something.” Holden glanced at his watch. Whatever he saw there made him frown. “You have to know where else we should look.”
“Think in terms of who else has access. I did not kidnap Ms. Timmons, but someone with connections and financing did.” Trevor tapped his fingertip against the desk. “You should ask yourself who is in a position to have information on the WitSec participants and the funding necessary to make the plan work.”
“That’s a lean list.”
“Look at the details no one should have known and then figure out who other than the Recovery agents did.”
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