She nodded, her face flushed, and stayed in the background.
He kept her in his peripheral vision as Claire made the introductions to about twenty family members. It didn’t take long for Lori to shuffle toward the back of the cabin and a side door.
Mike broke away from the group hug and followed Lori outside into the chilly afternoon.
She already had her phone in her hand.
In two long strides, Mike was beside her, snatching the phone from her hand. “I don’t think so.”
She widened her eyes. “Mr. Brown, is there a problem?”
“I’d say so. Where are they holding Ethan?”
Her mouth dropped open, but fear flashed across her face. He could smell it coming off her.
“I-if I knew that, I’d tell the police. I know it’s my fault for not watching him more closely. I’m torn up about it. I can’t even face Claire.”
“Yeah, I can imagine it would be hard for you to face Claire after what you’ve done. How much did Senator Correll pay you, or is he promising something else? Marriage?” He laughed. “Get in line, sister. Correll’s a man whore. He spreads around whatever he’s got to all the ladies. He must own stock in Viagra.”
Lori gasped. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He grabbed her arm, pinching it through the slick material of her jacket. “Let’s take a walk.”
“Wait.” She dug her heels into the frozen ground. “I don’t want to leave the house.”
“I’ll bet you don’t.” He dragged her away from the cabin. “Especially not with me.”
“I don’t know what you think is going on. I didn’t have anything...”
He shoved the muzzle of his gun in her side. “Cut the crap.”
She froze, except for one eyelid that twitched and fluttered. “You wouldn’t.”
“Kill you?”
“You can’t kill me.”
“Why? Because you can’t tell me where Ethan is if you’re dead?”
She parted her dry lips, but didn’t answer.
He didn’t like roughing up or scaring women. Given his past, it was the hardest part of the job for him when required. But sometimes it was required, and for a woman complicit in the kidnapping of a child—Claire’s child—it was more than required.
“Who said anything about killing you, Lori?” He prodded her with his gun farther from the cabin and curled his lip. “Do you know who I am? What I do?”
A line of sweat broke out on her upper lip, despite the cold.
“We reserve death for those who are no longer of any use to us.” He cinched his fingers around her wrist. “I have something altogether different planned for you.”
“I don’t—I don’t know anything. I don’t know where they have him.”
He loosened his grip. “But he must still be in the area if Correll plans to release him after the White House blows tomorrow.”
Lori tripped. “White House? What are you talking about?”
“I guess Correll saves his truly intimate conversations for like-minded ladies such as Julie Patrick.”
Lori’s face twisted, giving everything away.
“He’s here in the area, isn’t he?”
Dropping her chin to her chest, she whispered, “Yes. Spencer told me when Claire handed over what was rightfully his from his marriage he’d release Ethan to me. I—I don’t know anything about the White House.”
“We’ll take that into consideration. Now, you’re going to call the people who have Ethan and tell them you need to see him.”
Her head came up as if on a string. “How am I going to manage that? I have no reason to see Ethan until he’s released.”
Mike narrowed his eyes. “His medicine. He has asthma and he’s going to need his medicine. If anything happens to him before Correll gets his...money, the whole plan is ruined. Now get back on the phone and put it on speaker.”
She took the phone from his fingers as if his touch would burn her and placed the call.
A man answered on the first ring. “What’s the problem?”
“The boy—he doesn’t have his asthma medication. I need to get it to him.”
“Are you crazy?”
She lashed back. “Are you? If anything happens to him before the boss gets what he wants, we’re all dead.”
“Are they lookin’ at you? Are the cops lookin’ at you?”
“No, not at all. Nobody suspects me.” She raised her eyes to meet Mike’s.
The man on the other end of the line sniffed. “I’m giving you these GPS numbers. You just have to put ’em in a GPS and you’ll get here, but you better delete ’em after...and wait until dark.”
Mike cocked his head. The guy didn’t sound like an elite Tempest superagent.
When he read off the GPS coordinates, Lori scribbled them on her palm while Mike committed them to memory.
“You get your ass over here, deliver those meds and get out. I don’t want the kid seeing you. He’s already yapping about Christmas. I don’t wanna hear any more out of him.”
“I’ll be there around seven o’clock.”
When she ended the call, Mike took the phone away from her and tapped it against his chin. “Who are the kidnappers?”
“I don’t know. I only talked to him once before.”
“Him? One guy?”
“Spencer figured the fewer people involved, the better.”
“He’s a local? Some local scumbag?”
“He’s from Denver. Spencer knew someone who knew someone.”
Mike chuckled. “And he thought he could take over the reins from Caliban? Caliban would’ve used his agents for an assignment like this.”
Lori looked at him like he was the crazy one instead of her. “Who’s Caliban?”
“The good senator really did keep you in the dark, unless you’re lying—but you’re not that good of a liar. I sensed something between you and Correll the first morning I was there. Too bad I didn’t know enough then to act on it.”
She held up her hand. “I have the GPS coordinates.”
“Wash your hands.” He tapped his head. “I have them right here.”
* * *
CLAIRE DIDN’T KNOW what Mike had said to Lori but when they returned to the house, Lori couldn’t even meet her eyes. Hope surged within Claire.
She didn’t have to pretend to be the frantic mother for the police. She was that mother, but she had something other frantic kidnap victims’ mothers didn’t have—six feet four inches of solid man, willing to do anything to get her son back for her, even give up his chance to make himself whole by foiling the biggest plot of his career.
She and Mike couldn’t get any time alone together, until the end of the day.
Mike had been sticking to Lori all day like a burr, and while the others gathered in the kitchen to order some pizza, Mike brought Lori over to Claire and one of the police officers.
“Lori agreed to take me out to the mountain where she last saw Ethan. I’d just like to get a visual, and Lori could use some air.”
Did Mike really think she’d let him do this on his own?
“I think that’s a great idea.”
The deputy scratched his chin. “It’s going to be dark soon.”
“Night skiing on Christmas Eve, right? We’re not going to be searching for clues, Officer. I just want to see the area.” He pinched Claire’s shoulder. “It might be too upsetting for you, Claire.”
“I’m going stir-crazy in here. Maybe Ethan just needs to hear my voice. If someone does have him, maybe he’s not far from that spot.”
“I—I agree with Claire.” Lori took Claire’s coat from the hook by the door and pressed it into her hands. “And I’d like an opportunity to explain what happened.”
With a furrowed brow the deputy’s gaze bounced between the three of them. “You’re free to do what you like. Be careful, and report anything to us immediately.”
“Of course, and you have Lori’s phone number if any
thing happens here.”
Mike took her arm and Lori’s as he marched them toward the rental car. He stopped at the rear bumper. “You can go back inside now, Claire. Tell him you changed your mind.”
“No way. You’re going after Ethan now, aren’t you? Do you think I’m going to stay here? He’s going to need me. What if...?”
“Nothing’s going to happen to Ethan. I’ll bring him home safely.”
“I won’t go unless Claire comes along.” Lori folded her arms, hunching her shoulders. “Mitch or Mike or whatever the hell his name is pulled a gun on me, threatened me with bodily harm.”
Claire put mittened hands over her ears. She didn’t want to know how Mike got his results. “I don’t care, Lori. It serves you right. I thought you loved Ethan. I thought you cared for him.”
Lori sobbed, “I do. Spencer assured me he’d come to no harm.”
“No harm? He’s been kidnapped by some lethal superagents.”
“What?” Lori stepped back.
Mike heaved out a breath. “No, he hasn’t, Claire. I guess Correll thought all he’d have to deal with was the local sheriff’s department. He hired some dirtbag out of Denver to do the job.”
“Oh, my God.” Claire’s knees weakened and she put a hand against the car to steady herself. “I don’t know if that’s better or worse.”
“Better, much better.” Mike unlocked the doors. “Now let’s get going and rescue Ethan.”
Mike punched some numbers into the GPS and turned to Lori, whom he’d put in the passenger seat beside him. “Does this guy know your car?”
“No. Spencer sent him a picture of me, that’s it.”
They followed the directions the GPS intoned, which took them deeper into the mountains. From one ridge, Mike pointed out some lights. “That’s probably it, nothing else around here.”
He parked the car on an access road and said, “We walk in from here. Claire, you’re not coming to the cabin with us. You wait at a distance.”
She nodded. She didn’t want to upset his plan. She just wanted to be there for Ethan.
“Do you know how to use a gun?” He pulled a second weapon from his coat and held the butt toward her.
“After all we’ve been through the past few days, I can’t believe you’re asking me that now.” She gripped the handle. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
They all exited the car and hiked down the access road with Lori leading the way.
The cabin up ahead played peekaboo with the trees, and Mike took her arm. “You stay right here, behind this tree. Don’t go into that cabin. Don’t go anywhere near it.”
She grabbed his pockets. “Save my little boy.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” He pressed a quick kiss on her mouth and turned, pushing Lori in front of him.
From her hiding place, she heard Lori call out, “It’s me. I have the meds.”
Claire leaned against the tree, her hair clinging to the bark. Mike must’ve remembered that she’d told him about Ethan’s asthma scare.
What happened next literally flashed before her eyes in a matter of seconds.
A rectangular patch of light appeared, and then Mike crowded the door behind Lori. There was a shout and then a flash and a bang. Another bang and a long, high scream.
Claire’s feet sprouted wings and she flew through the trees to reach the cabin. She tripped over Lori, collapsed at the entrance, rocking and whimpering, blood oozing through the fingers she had clamped to her shoulder.
On her hands and knees, Claire crawled through the door and cried out when her hand met the boot of a man lying on the floor, a puddle of blood beneath his head.
Then her gaze locked on to the tall man in the center of the room, cradling her son in his arms.
Crying out, she launched to her feet and threw herself at both of them. She wrapped her arms around Mike and rested her head against Ethan’s legs.
“Mommy?”
“I’m right here, Ethan. Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.” He rubbed his sleepy eyes and yanked on Mike’s beard. “Mommy, is this Santa?”
“Yes, baby.” She pressed her lips against the back of Mike’s hand. “This is our Santa.”
Epilogue
“Dude, you really didn’t miss that much. Ali-Watkins got out of the limo and we swarmed him, dragged him to the staging area we’d set up and disarmed him—or de-vested him.”
Mike narrowed his eyes at the young agent, Liam McCabe, stuffing a shrimp puff into his mouth. “Why do people of your generation feel it necessary to call everyone dude?”
Claire grabbed Mike’s hand. “You’re becoming the crotchety old retiree already. Watch yourself.”
“Just trying to make you feel better about missing the takedown, du...Mike.” Liam pointed to the TV, where Ethan was sitting with Jack and Lola’s older son, Eddie, and their twins. “Hey, hey, that’s Katie’s game.”
“What do you mean?” Claire left Mike’s side and sauntered up behind the kids. She tousled Ethan’s hair as she took in the cartoonish images of the video game playing out across the screen. “How is this Katie’s game?”
“She designed it.” Liam hung his arm around the shoulders of his girlfriend and kissed the side of her head. “She’s a computer whiz, and that’s why I got Jack to hire her at Prospero.”
“Really?” Claire smiled at Katie. “I’m impressed. Ethan loves all these games.”
“Thanks.” Katie ducked her head, her asymmetrically cut black hair falling across her face and the gold ring in one nostril gleaming. “I can show him some tricks to beat the game faster.”
Katie pushed off the arm of the chair and sat cross-legged in front of the TV with the kids.
Jase came in from the Coburns’ kitchen with a sparkling water for his fiancée, Nina, who was expecting a baby—not Jase’s. Her ex-fiancé had been one of Tempest’s superagents before he’d gone off the rails and died.
Nina smiled her thanks and patted the cushion beside her. “Sit. I’m fine. I don’t need anything else.”
Jase perched on the edge of the sofa next to her as if he expected her to go into labor at any minute. He hunched forward toward Jack. “Do you believe Correll that Haywood was Caliban? Or do you think he was covering for himself?”
“I’m not sure. The way Correll bungled that—” he glanced at Ethan “—job in Colorado, I find it hard to believe he was the mastermind behind all the chaos Tempest created, or even second in command behind Haywood. Besides, there was definitely someone trying to ensure his cooperation by sending him those pictures and video. Whether or not that person was Haywood is going to require more research on our part.”
“Is he giving up any information in prison?” Lola, Jack’s wife, came up behind Claire and ran a hand down the back of her hair. “Sorry, sweetie.”
Claire twisted her head over her shoulder. “Do you think I care that Spencer’s in prison where he belongs? He should be there for what he did to my mother, too, but the authorities told me there’s not enough evidence, even the passing reference he made implicating himself in that phone call. But that’s okay. I know in my heart that I got justice for Mom, and the rest of the world now knows him for the lying psychopath he really is.”
“I know you don’t care about Correll. I’m sorry Jack and I doubted you at first.”
Claire turned and hugged her longtime friend. “You sent Mike my way, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Jack snorted. “Yeah, Prospero has become a regular dating service, and in answer to your question mi amor, Senator Correll has lawyered up and is keeping mum—so far. We do know he was in contact with the man who beat up Fiona. I think that was more personal than anything else.”
“And Hamid?” Claire twisted her fingers in front of her. “Can you tie him to Hamid’s death?”
Jack lifted a shoulder. “I think Hamid knew more than he’d been telling you, Claire. When he agreed to meet with you, Tempest had to take him out. I’m sure Corre
ll gave that order, too.”
Jase jumped up from the sofa. “Then Caliban could still be out there, and we still haven’t found the Oxford Don.”
Mike glanced at Claire. “Donald Yousef is not going to be able to hide out for long, and if the real Caliban is out there, we’ve completely defanged him.”
Jack said, “Mike’s right. We’ve even brought in most of the Tempest superagents.”
“Did I ever thank you for the use of your palatial estate?” Mike clapped Jase on the back, and Claire knew he was trying to change the subject from Don Yousef.
“Not really. And how did a poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks manage to identify the most expensive bottle of wine in the kitchen?”
Mike jerked his thumb toward Claire. “I had help from the upper-crust broad.”
Jase peeked out the curtains. “Someone’s coming—tall guy and a petite blonde.”
“It must be Max Duvall and Ava Whitman.” Lola put her glass down on the coffee table next to her husband. “I invited them. Jack’s going to talk to Max about working for Prospero.”
Liam popped his head up from the game controller. “Is that a good idea, Jack? The guy was one of Tempest’s superagents.”
“So was Simon.” Nina rubbed her pregnant belly. “They were duped.”
“Shh.” Lola put a finger to her lips as the doorbell chimed, and she headed into the foyer to greet them.
The conversation lulled when a tall man with black hair and wary dark eyes entered the room with a woman his polar opposite—all blond sunshine and light.
She took the initiative. “Hi, all. I’m Ava. This is Max. Hope you don’t mind that we crashed your Christmas party.”
Lola hugged the perky blonde and shook hands with Max as the others in the group waved or got up to shake hands with the newcomers.
Ava held up a bottle of Patrón. “I brought a bottle of tequila for a peace offering just in case any of you still think our loyalties lie with Tempest.”
“Tequila?” Katie hopped up from the floor. “Why didn’t you say so when you walked in?”
Her lame joke broke the tension, and soon all the adults in the room were talking business.
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