“Our one and only stolen kiss.” Even then, ten years later, Derek remembered the feel of her in his arms, her soft lips on his. Would it—could it—happen again?
His shoe hit a pebble and he kicked it across a few parking spaces. Reality slapped him on the back. A relationship with Hannah, a true and lasting marriage with a woman who shared his goals and dreams, would never work. Her father had made it clear how he felt about Derek, and there was nothing to indicate that he had changed his mind. He would not come between Hannah and her parents. She needed them now more than ever. Plus, he was at the very beginning of a career with the FBI and recalled the promise he’d made to himself after his parents were killed. There was no room for a wife and family with so much travel and trouble around every turn. And he wouldn’t abandon them, like he had been abandoned.
Whether it was on purpose or simply an accidental wobble, it didn’t matter. Hannah stepped away from him as they approached the vehicle, a quiet reminder that she wasn’t in the market for a relationship, either. Not with him. Not with anybody.
But when she approached the car, she didn’t walk around to the passenger side. Instead, she placed her stack of hardback books on the roof and then turned to face him. She looked at him with an expression he couldn’t quite fathom, a mixture, it seemed, of contemplation and longing and grief.
He stepped close, the keys in his hand. He would have to lean around her to unlock the door. In the midst of the car fumes of the garage, he inhaled her scent—a light floral aroma that tingled his senses. He had to stay on alert. There could be danger lurking in the darkness of the garage. He stepped toward her, his arm reaching around her waist, beginning to draw her away from the door handle.
The click-clack of steps drew his attention away from Hannah, and a gravelly voice assailed him. “Well, isn’t this romantic.”
Hannah stiffened in his hold, and he spun around. Shadows concealed the speaker’s facial features, but Derek couldn’t miss the glint of the gun that was pointed at both of them. Was this a partner of the guy they had knocked unconscious in the library? Had he been waiting for them?
Maybe FBI agents weren’t supposed to ever be scared, but a chill stair-stepped up Derek’s spine at the malicious voice and the deadly weapon pointed at them.
SIX
Hannah dug her fingers into Derek’s arm, glad he was willing to hide her behind him yet desperate that he not be hurt. Where did these guys keep coming from? Whoever was behind these attacks, he seemed to have an army of minions covering Hannah and Derek wherever they went. Just when they thought they were safe, another gunman appeared.
Tears sprang to her eyes. She was ready to call it quits, to give them whatever they wanted, to give up to them. The man had gotten the drop on them, and Derek hadn’t even had time to grab his weapon in defense. It had been all her fault, as she’d been distracted by the presence of a handsome man. The dim light in the parking garage glinted off the man’s gun, and Hannah squinted in the reflection as prisms of light floated through her teary vision.
She shifted her view to Derek’s back to break the glare on her eyes. He had his hands at his sides, unable to move without alerting their assailant. What was the plan now? Could she figure out how to get them away before the man forced her out from behind Derek? She loosened her grip on Derek’s arm, but that didn’t release any of the tension in his bicep. Her other hand was behind him, and their attacker hadn’t insisted yet that she come forward.
Inch by inch, she reached behind her to the car door. Hope shot through her when she realized she could just reach the handle and get her fingers under it to lift up. She pressed her other fingers into Derek’s arm as if she was about to pull him around, then sent a prayer heavenward that he would understand her signal.
Barely breathing, she urged herself to go for it, then jerked her hand from Derek’s arm in the same way she’d jerked on the door handle. Derek must have understood her signal, for at her motion, he punched the gun out of the startled man’s hand. It skittered across the parking garage floor.
The man grabbed at the car door, the tips of his fingers on the top edge in an effort to hold it open. She slammed the door shut with all of her strength. The man cried out and grasped his wrist. She opened the door again, and he stumbled back, holding his wrist with his other hand and glaring at his fingers.
Behind her, Derek urged her into the vehicle. Hannah crawled across to the passenger seat, pulling her feet up to allow space for Derek to jump into the driver’s seat. Their attacker still held his wrist, looking from them to his gun, seemingly uncertain as to what his next move should be. It didn’t take long for him to decide, and he quickly stumbled to retrieve his weapon.
Derek glanced at her as she continued to unfold herself from her crawling position into the passenger seat. “You good?”
“Yes. Go! Go!”
He threw the car into Drive and stepped on the accelerator. As the tires squealed against the pavement and caught some traction, Hannah turned to see their attacker gain his footing and dash to within a few feet of the car. He was pointing his gun at Derek.
But as the car took off, the books Hannah had left on the roof of the car flew off. One hardback book smacked the man in his chest. The other catapulted into his head. It bounced off, leaving a trail of red oozing down his forehead. The impact forced him to step back just as he squeezed the trigger, his arms waving to keep his balance. The shot arced toward the ceiling. Bits of cement rained down on the roof of the car.
Derek turned sharply, and Hannah grabbed the door handle to stay upright. The Corolla zipped around the garage toward the exit. Another shot rang out and hit a cement pillar as the car screeched behind it.
Ducking down, Hannah peered through the space between the top of the seat and the headrest. She jabbed the moisture from her cheeks and forced herself to breathe. They were safe. For now.
Before she could relax, a third thug emerged from the elevator and joined the second. She tapped Derek’s arm. “Another one,” she whispered and nodded behind them. “Was he in the library, too?”
He looked in the rearview mirror, a grim set to his mouth. “Sit down. Hold tight.”
She quickly fastened her seat belt and fisted the hem of her shirt to dry her palms.
An engine revved behind them. Tires squealed on the cement as they raced for the exit ramp. Derek hit it as fast as seemed safe, but the vehicle felt airborne for a moment before they crashed back to the ground.
The Corolla sped out of the parking garage, past a couple of sheriff’s vehicles and a van. Derek cranked the wheel and turned a hard left onto the street. The thugs shot out a few moments later. The sheriff’s vehicles immediately flipped on their sirens and apprehended them a couple of blocks down the road. As Hannah peeked around the front seat, the thugs were removed from their truck and put in the back of the sheriff’s van.
Was it over now? The thumping of her heart told her it wasn’t yet. She raked a hand through her hair and released a quavering breath. “What do you think?” Perhaps Derek would have an encouraging word.
“Not clear yet.” He changed lanes abruptly, shifting his focus from the front windshield to the rearview mirror and then to the side mirror. “Close, though.” He rolled through a stop on Meridian Street, checking both ways before focusing on the road ahead again.
A sudden bump rocked her forward in tandem with Derek. “What was that?” She spun around to see the sheriff’s van backing off before the engine revved and the vehicle slammed forward again.
“That’s not the deputy at the wheel.” Determination tinged with irritation laced his words.
Hannah touched her hand to her forehead. It came away damp with perspiration. “What happened to the sheriff’s deputies? I hope they’re all right.” She bit the side of her lip. “I hope we’re okay.”
Derek retrieved his ph
one. “I’ll call the sheriff. See if they’re okay and find out what’s going on.”
“What should I do? I need to do something.”
“Pray.”
Derek spoke briefly into the phone, weaving through downtown traffic with one hand on the wheel. He hung up and placed the phone on the console in between the seats without taking his eyes off the road. “They’re fine.”
Hannah sighed with relief. “What happened?”
“They’re not sure. Got out of the zip ties somehow.” He turned a fast right onto Monument Circle. “They took over the van so quickly they must have figured we weren’t too far away yet.”
“At least there’s isn’t much going on downtown tonight.” Hannah peeked back again and found the sheriff’s van right behind them. Both vehicles had slowed so as not to endanger the few pedestrians that dotted the downtown sidewalks. “Would they try anything in front of these people?”
“I doubt it. They’d leave evidence and probably get caught again.” Even as he finished his sentence, sirens pierced the air.
Three quarters of the way around the circle, the theater stood tall. What she wouldn’t give to be at the symphony right now instead of in this high-speed car chase. Soothing music instead of sirens. Red velvet seats instead of the Corolla’s vinyl. Derek in a dark blue suit and jaunty tie instead of...
Whoa. Her thoughts were racing away as far as the bad guys. She gripped the seat belt and pulled it away from her neck. She was straining forward so much that it was probably pressing a red mark into her neck.
With the sheriff’s van close behind, Derek turned right onto Market Street. A block later, he jerked the car south onto Pennsylvania.
“Where are we going?” Her voice sounded much calmer than she felt. But her stomach roiled at the sudden turns, and a bitterness rose at the back of her throat.
“Not sure. But I don’t want to get them on a straightaway, where they can gain speed.”
He turned again, and a three-story mall came into view. Pedestrian traffic increased in this part of downtown, and Derek slowed the car. The aroma of a pretzel shop wafted into the vehicle, and Hannah glanced toward it, half of a prayer on her lips.
A second later, she returned her gaze to the road. A young couple holding hands had stepped out into the street, right into their lane.
“Derek! Look out!”
* * *
At Hannah’s scream, Derek tore his attention from the rearview mirror. Two people stood directly in the path of the Corolla. He hit the horn, touched the brakes and swerved into the next lane with barely a glance to his blind spot. Lord, help!
The car in his blind spot honked, but the scream of tires assured him that the other guy got out of the way. The couple jumped back, the woman clapping her hand to her mouth in fright. Derek barreled through, but the sheriff’s van had lost a little distance.
Hannah gripped the armrest and swiveled to look back. “They’re all right. They look dazed, but they’re okay.” She swung back to the front. “Why don’t they just rear-end us? Take us somehow?”
Derek tapped the brakes then hit his signal and jumped into another lane. “They’re in a sheriff’s vehicle, but they’re not in uniform. It’d be safer not to exit and call attention to themselves.”
“We can’t continue like this all night. What do we do? Drive until someone runs out of gas?”
“Law enforcement is on the way. They’ll get them.” They better. He was running out of options, despite the rigorous training he’d had on the precision course at the academy.
Should he get them to the federal building a couple of blocks away, where they could run inside and let their security handle it? There was always someone on duty, no matter the hour. But would the thugs driving the van follow them inside or just shoot Derek and Hannah as they ran? The doors probably wouldn’t be open anyway, and he didn’t want to crash through the gate and into the interior parking area. And did he really want to complicate the situation with yet another division of the law-enforcement agency involved?
There was another option, though. Why not ditch the Corolla?
He merged into the traffic on Washington Street. The mall parking garage beckoned on the left side, but he drove on. He definitely did not want another underground parking garage. Restaurants lined the other side of the street, their outdoor lights twinkling as patrons smiled at one another over iced tea or lemonade. Maybe when this was over, he’d bring Hannah downtown for an evening out, a stroll around the circle, perhaps a horse-and-carriage ride. Out where everyone could see them. No hiding, like in high school.
He shook his head to clear it of the image of Hannah in evening attire, a lightweight sweater draped over her slender shoulders. That visual wouldn’t help them at all right now. It would, in fact, cause only more problems. He needed to get his head in the game and get them both safe.
He pulled deep into the traffic, glancing in the rearview mirror to see two angry faces scowling at him, but not so closely that he could distinguish any features. He maneuvered through the lanes until the faces disappeared, putting a tall Coca-Cola delivery truck between the Corolla and the thugs in the sheriff’s van. An empty city bus pulled up in the left lane as all lanes stopped at a red light.
“Get your bag, and let’s go. Chinese fire drill.”
She spun toward him, her hand on her purse, a look of confusion and skepticism etched on her beautiful face. “What? Leave the safety of the car?”
“Yes, but we’re not switching drivers. We’re abandoning the vehicle. Follow me.”
He popped open his door and, leaning low, peered out.
No sheriff’s van in sight. He didn’t dare to hope that meant they were safe, but it would buy them a little bit of time.
He motioned to Hannah to follow, and she scooted across his seat, keeping her head below the headrests. Clasping her hand in his, he stepped up to the city bus and rapped on the door. The bus driver was staring straight into the traffic and flailed in his seat when Derek knocked. Eyes wide, he shook his head no and gripped the bus’s steering wheel. Derek retrieved his badge from his belt and flashed it at the driver. The man wouldn’t have any choice now.
The door lurched open, and Derek whispered a thank-you to the driver. He pushed Hannah in first. “Stay low. Head down the center aisle and lie down.”
She got onto her hands and knees and crawled several feet down the aisle. Derek followed, keeping his voice low to instruct the driver. “You off duty now?”
“Yep,” the driver said softly. “Heading home. Problem?”
“Just act normal and continue your route.”
He raised up enough to peer out the windows. The light hadn’t changed yet, and the thugs in the sheriff’s van were stuck two cars back.
“FBI, sir. Please just sit as you normally would. Look forward, not down at us on the floor, and everything will be fine.”
He lowered himself back to the grimy floor, facing the driver and far enough forward that he could peek out the long windows in the door. What was Hannah’s impression of her surroundings now? Gum wrappers, some with bits of chewed gum clinging to them, were scattered around, along with paper receipts, rocks and debris off of shoes, half-eaten French fries. It was gross and disgusting and the only escape he could think of.
Whatever he’d thought of Hannah before, and it had been a considerable impression, it was just elevated. She hadn’t protested or run. The girl who had grown up in luxury and opulence had followed his plan without debate and now was lying on the gritty floor of a city bus. Add resilient to her long list of positive characteristics.
Derek cleared his throat and tapped the driver’s knee to get his attention. “Don’t look down at me, but I need to know what’s going on out there without revealing my position. Nod if you understand.”
The guy nodded slightly.
He would do well.
“Do you see a sheriff’s van?”
The driver leaned forward in his seat to peer out the side-view mirror as he pushed on the accelerator and the bus lurched forward. The light must have changed. “Yes. Behind us and to the right a couple of cars. It’s moving forward now, around a car in the middle of the road.”
“Do you see two men in it?”
“One.”
“One?” Hannah’s panicked whisper reached his ears. “Where’d the other one go?”
Derek felt her hand on his ankle, as she sought reassurance. “Safety is our concern. Right now, we’re good. Just stay low.” It may be the grimy floor of a city bus, but at least she was with him, and he could be assured that she was well.
He rolled to his side and retrieved his cell. A hushed conversation with his supervisor lasted less than a minute. It ended with the instruction to continue to stay low.
Derek closed his eyes briefly. He had to make a plan. The Corolla was gone, so they had no transportation. He had no idea where the bus terminal was, but he figured he had the authority to commandeer the vehicle. And when providing protective custody, keeping the woman as far away as possible from the bad guys was always the best game plan.
“Driver, we need to get to the airport. Since you’re done with your route, let’s head straight there.” He had a buddy with the airport police, and there were plenty of rental car agencies there as well.
“Uh—” the driver glanced down at him then quickly returned his attention to the road “—that’s not on my way.”
What was up with this guy? Didn’t the FBI badge mean anything, or did Derek need to work on his authoritative command? “I understand your eagerness to get home, but we’re in a bit of a jam here. Make an exception.”
He peered out the door window again to find the sheriff’s van pulled up alongside the bus. He jerked back behind the seats, digging his elbow right into a gooey piece of gum on the floor. Derek inched forward to dare another peek through the window. The thug from the library sat in the driver’s seat, a scowl on his face as his gaze swept the bus. A tremor of panic swept through Derek.
Deadly Disclosure Page 9