Hidden Judgment

by Diane Benefiel

  Ellie’s heart gave a hard lurch when Sam stumbled into the room, shoved from behind. She let go of the comforter and surged to her feet. The door slammed shut behind him, the deadbolt sliding home. He no longer wore the suit and tie he’d had on when she’d left him at the courthouse. He was dressed in denim jeans and a dark coat over a sweatshirt, shoulders and hair wet from the rain.

  She rushed around the table. His face was a battered mess. His left eye was swollen so badly she wondered if he could see from it, and mottled bruising shadowed his jaw. He moved toward her, relief, rage, and something she couldn’t identify sweeping across his face as he opened his arms, clutching her to him.

  “You okay?” The words were a harsh whisper in her ear.

  She nodded. “What happened? How’d they get you?”

  “I went looking for them.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sam’s arms remained tight around Ellie. She was alive. The terror he’d been living with the past several hours eased a fraction. They stood locked together until she huffed out a breath and loosened the grip she had on the back of his shirt. Now that he’d found her, he didn’t want to let her go.

  She pushed against his chest and forced him to loosen his grip.

  “You okay?” he asked. “How did you get captured?”

  She raised a hand to cover his mouth and shook her head, then pulled his shoulder down and put her lips to his ear. “There may be hidden video or listening devices.”

  He nodded. Before she could move away, he lifted the hair from her forehead to reveal the white bandage. She pulled against his hold.

  “How bad is it?”

  “It probably needed stitches.” She shrugged. “I did the best I could with a first aid kit I found.”

  Fury welled, nearly choking him, a familiar pattern for the day. “And the pain?” He could see it in her eyes.

  “It’s better than it was. I took some ibuprofen a couple hours ago.”

  “They’ll pay for this.” He kept his tone low so only she could hear.

  She backed out of his hold. “We should put a cold compress on your eye. How’d that happen?”

  “I didn’t come without a fight.”

  He followed her into the bathroom. Sam turned on the taps and the ceiling fan. The noise should drown out their voices if there were any listening devices. He stood on the toilet to examine the vent, then hopped down to search the rest of the bathroom. “We’re clean in here.”

  Ellie leaned against a wall, still wearing her coat.

  She nodded, then picked up a towel and moistened it before wringing out the excess water and carefully folding it into a pad.

  His left eye had swelled shut and ached like he’d been hit with a hammer, which wasn’t far off the truth since Big Dog’s fist had felt like one. But it was the injury to Ellie’s face that had him wanting to slam a fist through the wall. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Anger wouldn’t help them to escape, and escape was the goal.

  Ellie was avoiding looking at him, and he was reminded of the angry words spoken the night before. He’d make things right with her once they were free.

  “Sit.” She motioned to the closed lid of the toilet. He sat, and when she lay the compress on his eye, he groaned. The coolness felt good and eased the ache, but it was more than that. He’d found her, and, at least for the moment, she was safe. The fear that had lodged like a ball of ice in his belly melted at her touch.

  His set his hands on her hips as she stood in front of him, his hand brushing over something under her coat. Lifting the hem and frowned. “What’s that?”

  She pulled a long screwdriver from under the waistband of her jeans. “I found it in a drawer, along with a metal towel rod. The rod is under the blanket on the bed, I’m carrying this just in case.”

  “Smart woman.”

  “Not smart enough to avoid getting caught. Who brought you here?”

  “A guy they call Big Dog.”

  “Did you see Drew upstairs?”

  He gave a curt nod. The betrayal cut deep. He’d been deluding himself about his brother. “Yeah, and another guy I don’t know.”

  “That’s Sarge. This is his house.”

  “Okay.” He repeated his earlier question. “How’d they get you?”

  “I was in the parking lot of the grocery store. A van stopped in front of me and a guy got out. I didn’t think anything about it. I don’t even remember him hitting me on the head, but the next thing I knew I was waking up in the back of a work van with blood running down my face.”

  The mental image of Ellie helpless and alone had his gut clenching. “You were knocked unconscious? Do you have headache or nausea?”

  She ran water over the pad to cool it, then lay it again over his swollen eye. “Yes to all of that.”

  Her eyes appeared flat, the spark that always lit her face missing. He wasn’t sure if it was due to their current predicament or the screwed-up state of their relationship. Maybe it was a combination of both. “You could have a concussion.”

  “Blame Sarge, he’s the one who hit me. Drew was the driver, at least at first. Those two barely tolerate each other.”

  “Good to know,” he murmured. He reached up to hold the compress and she stepped back. Hard to do in such a small space, but she managed to maximize the distance between them. “With your symptoms a concussion is likely, and we need to be careful with you to minimize damage.” He rose to his feet. “You’re lying down.”

  “We need to work on getting out of here.”

  Creaking came from overhead as someone moved around on the first floor. “I’ll figure out a plan, because you’re resting your brain.”

  “We’ll both figure out a plan. I tried to keep track of our direction when we were in the van. Are we anywhere near your ranch?”

  He nodded. “About three miles from here, as the crow flies.”

  “Do you know Sarge?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t think he or Drew expected you to become their captive. The plan was to use me as leverage to force you to free Frank Bannister and to make a decision on the side of gun rights on a Second Amendment case. Mixed in with all the other nonsense, they also blame you for letting undocumented immigrants overrun the country.”

  Not for the first time, Sam wished he’d talked with Drew before his ideas had led him down the path he’d ultimately taken. Maybe Sam could have made him see the light. He gave a sigh of frustration as Ellie took the compress from his eye to run under cool water once again, then moved to stand between his knees.

  He couldn’t tell whether the compress was doing the job, or if it was simply that he was with Ellie. Regardless, the pain around his eye eased and he felt ready to take on every one of their captors. She stood close and he wanted more than anything to wrap her in his arms and simply hold her, but she kept her touch brief and impersonal.

  He closed both eyes and allowed himself a moment to be grateful he’d found her. That she’d been hurt because of him only added to his anger. For now, he would hold on to the fact that she was alive, and once she was safe, he’d make sure every one of her captors, including his brother, paid.

  “There’s ibuprofen in the kitchen area. You should take some for the pain and swelling.”

  “I need to check for spy equipment, then I will.” He rose to his feet, sighing in frustration when she moved to avoid him. “We’ll get out of this, Ellie.”

  She looked away. “Sure we will.”

  ***

  Ellie rested her head on the pillow and closed her eyes against the light. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep, but it felt like hours. Sam had insisted she lie down and her head hurt so badly she couldn’t manage to argue with him. She had a vague recollection of Sam shaking her awake more than once. She pulled up the blanket under her chin as a shiver wracked her body. Even with her coat and under the comforter, she felt cold.

  The events of the day played in her mind like a horror movie on endles
s loop. Her brothers and Bella had to have realized something had happened to her and Sam. The thought that even now they might be closing in on her captors gave her hope. She felt like she should be doing something, helping to search for hidden mics, formulating a plan of escape, fighting back, but her head was bad enough for her to know that she needed to conserve her energy. Add all her symptoms together and she was pretty sure Sam’s concussion diagnosis was spot on.

  Ellie heard him moving about and unscrewed her eyes enough to see what he was doing. He’d dragged a chair to stand on while looking up at the vent on the ceiling. Her vision blurred and she let her eyelids droop again.

  She needed to put aside her personal feelings so they could act like a team to survive whatever lay ahead. She couldn’t let the fact that he’d destroyed her heart get in the way. Sure, he probably cared for her in his own way, but that wasn’t enough. She wasn’t a woman who went to pieces when a man cast her aside or hurt her.

  Not that Sam had cast her aside.

  Technically, they hadn’t even been together. Their entire relationship was built on a false premise, and if she’d lost sight of that, if she’d thought there was something more between them, then that was her mistake. Her heart would heal and she would move on without Sam Creed.

  The mattress dipped and she opened her eyes to find Sam on the bed beside her.

  “Sit up so you can take these. It’s ibuprofen.”

  She propped herself with her elbow and he dropped the tablets onto her palm. She swallowed the pills with a mouthful of water from a paper cup he held out for her.

  “Did you take some?”

  “Yeah.” He set the cup on the floor. “Look, I’m sorry about last night. I was way off base.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “I need to explain.”

  “No, you don’t.” She forced herself to stay alert when all she wanted was to burrow under the blanket and shut out the world. “Tell me how you were captured.”

  “I tried calling at lunch but you didn’t pick up. Went home to see if you were there and not answering your phone because you’re pissed at me.”

  “I wouldn’t do that. It’s not professional.” It was easier to talk with her eyes closed.

  “I was getting worried, so I had to check. The rest of your team was at the courthouse. I let them know I was heading home to find out what was going on.” He glanced at her. “Then I made arrangements to get myself here.”

  She was drifting, so it took a minute for his words to sink in. “That doesn’t make sense,” she mumbled.

  The bed dipped farther. “I’ll explain later.” There was a brief touch on her forehead that made her wonder why he would kiss her, then sleep claimed her.

  ***

  It seemed like only moments later that a hand on Ellie’s shoulder was shaking her awake. She opened her eyes to find the room in darkness, only a faint light coming from the bathroom. “What’s going on?”

  “Shh. I’m making sure you’re asleep, not unconscious.”

  Sam’s voice, barely audible, came from immediately behind her, his breath warming the back of her head. She tried to sit up but found that she was cuddled next to him, his arm wrapped around her middle and his head next to hers on the pillow.

  “How’s the head?” he whispered.

  “Not as bad.” She matched her voice to his. “How’s yours?”

  “Swelling is down, so better.”

  “You’re in bed with me.”

  “Observant, marshal. Feels right, don’t you think?”

  “God, how come you sound so chipper?”

  “Not chipper, but at the moment, I’m right where I want to be.”

  She turned her head to try to look at him. “Held prisoner in a basement is where you want to be? I don’t get you.”

  “That’s because your brain is muddled. You’ll figure it out. Until then, getting in bed with you keeps us both warm because it’s damn cold down here. Plus, it seemed like the best option for keeping an eye on you, and there’s only one bed.”

  “Oh.” She figured she should object but couldn’t gather the energy. Sam pulled her tighter against him, the warmth of his body sinking into her bones, and despite their current predicament, his outdoorsy scent and his strong arms wrapped around her made her feel safe.

  When Ellie roused again, it was to Sam’s low voice rumbling in her ear.

  “Time to wake up, love.”

  Ellie blinked open her eyes and tried to clear the dream from her head, a dream that had included someone chasing her through a pounding rainstorm until she’d been captured, only her captor had turned out to be Sam, and they’d tumbled into wild, no-holds-barred sex. This was not the time to be having sex dreams about the man currently spooned snugly against her. “I’m not your love,” she mumbled.

  “Heard that, did you? Voices low, remember?”

  “Right. What time is it?” She rolled over to face him. Considering the erection nudging her backside, it seemed prudent.

  “According to the clock on the ancient VCR, almost five a.m.”

  “You didn’t sleep?”

  “No. I needed to wake you every two hours. That, and I had work to do.”

  Ellie tried to make sense of what Sam was saying. What had happened to the man who’d accused her of prostituting herself for the Marshals Service? His tone, his words, his care for her—none of those matched the cynicism with which he’d lobbed accusations the night before.

  She’d like to blame her jumbled mental functioning on the possible concussion, though she suspected that might be better explained by Sam’s proximity. It didn’t seem to matter that he’d hurt her and she was still angry with him, or that they were in danger. All she could think about was how good it felt when he held her close. She spread her hands that had somehow become lodged against his chest, the steady beat of his heart reassuring.

  “I didn’t find any surveillance devices,” he whispered. “Doesn’t mean there aren’t any, so we talk quietly. How do you feel about getting out of here?”

  “Favorably.”

  “Good, because they plan to kill us.”

  A chill raced down her spine. She spoke so quietly she barely breathed the words. “Why would they kill us? It won’t get them what they want.”

  “They screwed up, and they know it. Their original plan may have been to use you to pressure me, but now that they’ve kidnapped a federal judge they’re adjusting. They think killing us will send a warning to others in the justice system, and potentially ignite their movement.”

  “I still don’t get how you got caught.”

  “I’ll tell you about that later.”

  His response made her wonder why he was stalling, but she let it go. “How do you know their plan?”

  He moved his head on their shared pillow until they were nose to nose. “I overheard them. Remember how you said you heard me through the vent in your bedroom? There’s a vent in the ceiling that must connect to the living room. I was searching it for a hidden camera and heard voices. They were having a nasty argument. Couldn’t make out every word, but I got enough to know they plan to shoot us and bury our bodies somewhere on this property. Drew argued against it, but the fucker was eventually brought around.” His breath fanned her cheeks as he whispered. “Big Dog is in charge. He took off a couple hours ago, said he’d be back in the morning so they could deal with us.”

  She jerked her up to lean on an elbow. “Why’d you let me sleep? We need to do something. Now.” She didn’t know how, but there had to be a way out of the basement. Sitting and waiting for someone to come through the door with a gun wasn’t an option.

  He used a hand to her back to pull her against him. “I was waiting for Sarge and Drew to either leave or go to sleep.”

  “How would you know if they’re asleep?”

  “I can hear Sarge snoring. He must be on the couch or recliner. Drew doesn’t snore so I know it’s not him.”

  “So where’s
Drew?”

  “That’s the wild card because I don’t know where he is. I heard a door being opened and shut, so maybe he left. His pickup was parked by the barn when Big Dog brought me in, so he could have gone to the ranch.”

  “And if he didn’t, we’ll deal with him.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Okay, I’ll use the bathroom, then we’ll have to figure a way out of here. We don’t have much time.”

  “Use the bathroom, but don’t flush. We don’t want anyone upstairs to know we’re awake.” He turned on a lamp and when she returned, he’d stripped the pillowcase from the pillow and was filling it with water bottles and a couple of granola bars. He opened the box of Cheez-Its and stuffed a handful in his pocket, putting the rest of the box in the pillowcase.

  “Hungry?” she whispered.

  He shoved some in his mouth. “Yes, but these?” He indicated his pocket as he crunched. “They’re for Fido up there.”

  “His name is Rex. What’s your plan?”

  He pointed to the door. “See that?”

  Her brows flew up. The door was still firmly shut, but the pins had been pried out. She winced at the throbbing pain reminding her that the wound on her forehead was nowhere near healed. “How’d you get the pins out of the hinges?” she whispered.

  He pulled the screwdriver from his waistband, tipping his head next to hers when he handed it to her. With their heads together they talked in low tones. “Here’s your weapon back. Took time to work the pins out with that and not make a lot of noise, but the door’s only recently been installed so the hinges are well oiled. They slipped out fairly easily, considering. We should be able to slide the door out, even with the deadbolt.”

  Ellie nodded, mind leaping ahead. “So our plan is to get out of the house as quickly and quietly as possible and not engage. If we have to overpower Sarge, we do it, but with Drew’s location unknown, there’s a risk of alerting him. Problem for us is Sarge likely has guns stashed around the house. I saw an AR in a corner of the living room, and two rifles on a rack over the fireplace. There were weapons in the van. He has at least two handguns, one of them mine. He could have guns under the couch, in drawers, under the cushions. He could sleep wearing his holster. There’s no telling.”