Breeding Evil

by Liz Wolfe

  “Unscrupulous con men? Isn’t that redundant?”

  She shrugged. “Well, anyway, he thought this was his really big chance. He was using me as bait to draw in some marks.”

  “Using you as bait?” Mac looked appalled and outraged.

  “Using might be too strong a word. I was well aware of what he was doing, and I participated willingly.”

  “Really?”

  “I was seventeen. My rebellious period.” Shelby laughed. “Just another way to rebel against my mother—although she certainly didn’t know what I was doing. She would have had a heart attack. My parents divorced when I was five, and I only spent a few weeks in the summer and some holidays with my dad.”

  “So, Mel was one of your father’s victims?”

  “No, Mel was with the FBI. Seems the people my dad had gotten involved with had been running this particular scam for so long that the FBI was onto them. Mel was part of the sting operation.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t get arrested.”

  “If it hadn’t been for Mel, I probably would have been.” Shelby rearranged the cards in her hand. “Anyway, my dad had me playing several roles in the scam.”

  “Several roles?”

  “A nun, aningénue, and a homeless pregnant girl. I was always good at that sort of thing.”

  “No doubt from years of practice?”

  “Pretty much. But Mel saw through my disguises and took me under her wing.”

  “Did your father get arrested?”

  “No. He agreed to help the FBI, and they cut him a deal.”

  “Lucky for him.”

  “So, Mel and I stayed in touch. By the time I’d graduated college, she’d moved from the FBI to the FSA, and she recruited me.” She shrugged. “I was with them for ten years. Then I opened my agency.”

  “I see.” Mac nodded. “So, you’re atoning for your father’s sins by being one of the good guys?”

  “No, not at all.” Shelby grinned at him. “Maybe atoning for my own sins—a bit.”

  Shelby slept restlessly, waking up for the third time at seven. Fortunately, Mac was sound asleep on his side of the queen-size bed. Unfortunately, she was curled up against him like a heat-seeking reptile. Their legs were entwined, her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped securely around her. Crap.

  She gently lifted his arm and breathed a sigh of relief that he didn’t wake up. But disengaging herself from the tangle of limbs and sheet with the weight of his leg on hers proved impossible. Finally, Shelby just jerked her legs free, and bounded out of bed before the movement brought him fully awake. Mac grumbled and raised up on one elbow.

  “Oh, you’re awake. I’m just going to grab a quick shower.”

  Shelby bolted to the counter to flip the switch on the coffee maker, and then into the bathroom, leaving him to wonder what the hell had awakened him, while she wondered what the hell was wrong with her. She was in the middle of an op, for God’s sake. Normally she wouldn’t have been the least bit affected by sleeping with a man. At least it wouldn’t have shown.

  She stripped off the tee shirt and shorts she’d slept in, turned the water on, and stepped under it. The blast of cold water slowly warmed up, and she quickly showered and shampooed. She then dried off with one of Mel’s fluffy towels, forcing herself to think of nothing but the distraction she was going to provide for Zoe’s, Shannon’s and Sam’s extraction. A part of her wished Mac had decided to go to headquarters with the others, and a part of her liked the fact that he was going with her. Shelby tugged on underwear, jeans, and a tee shirt, and opened the bathroom door to find Mac standing there in all his gorgeous glory.

  Over six feet of tanned, hard-muscled man wearing nothing but boxers and beard stubble.

  “My turn.” Mac stepped into the bathroom as Shelby stepped outside. She heard the shower start as she poured a cup of coffee. By the time she’d finished her first cup of java, she heard the hair dryer. Zoe emerged from her bedroom and joined her for another cup. Then Mac stepped out of the bathroom.

  Shelby almost spewed her coffee across the room.

  Zoe snickered. “You get that outfit from Land’s End?”

  He looked for all the world as if he were headed off to an archeological expedition, or perhaps modeling for one of those catalogs Shelby kept getting in the mail. Crisp white cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow over a pristine white undershirt, and khaki shorts with a multitude of pockets, flaps, buttons, and snaps. Heavy hiking boots with loose socks. All he needed was a backpack and a walking stick. Shelby handed him a cup of coffee.

  “Thanks.” Mac took a big swig of the coffee and smiled. Either he was impervious to the pain of heat or his coffee was considerably colder than hers. “When do we leave?”

  “At 0830.” Shelby finished her coffee, rinsed the cup, and put it in the sink. “Don’t forget anything. We won’t be coming back.” She stuffed the tee shirt and shorts she’d worn into her duffle bag, along with the charger for her cell phone, and left the cottage, Mac and Zoe right on her heels. Her phone chirped, and she snapped it open.

  “What?”

  “Shelby, the agents should be there in half an hour. You ready?”

  “We’re getting into the car now. The set-up’s pretty good, so I think we’ll be able to keep them away for a while. Mel will make sure they haven’t left anyone behind to watch this place. If they have, she’ll call you.”

  “Good. Although I still think you should come in with them. A distraction isn’t necessary. Two agents can get the three of them out without a problem.”

  “I have to disagree with you. These people at The Center are really serious about what they’re doing. And somehow Shannon and Sam are crucial to whatever that is.”

  “I should have an analysis of the files soon. I’ll email it to you as soon as I get it.”

  “Good. That should tell us something. I’ll keep in touch.” Shelby closed her phone and waited, while Mac hugged Shannon and Sam and promised to see them shortly.

  “You’ll be met at headquarters by a man named Ethan. He’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about,” Zoe said.

  “Don’t worry, Zoe. Ethan won’t really care about your past.” Zoe probably didn’t believe her, but there was nothing Shelby could do to convince her. She and Mac walked to the garage where Mel and Bear were making a last minute check.

  “You’re good to go,” Mel said.

  Shelby threw her small duffle in the trunk and gave Mel a hug. “Thanks for the hospitality.” She hugged Bear and then climbed into the car.

  “You’re always welcome here. You know that.” Mel stood beside Bear as Shelby pulled out and drove around to the main gate.

  “Take that tracking device and hold onto it,” Shelby instructed Mac. He reached back and took the device off the Shannon dummy.

  The opening of the gate had alerted the men in the SUV, and they pulled out immediately behind her.

  “Not too subtle, are they?” Mac glanced back at them.

  “I wonder if they’re just clueless about following someone or if they really don’t care that we know.” Shelby checked out the SUV in her rearview mirror. The truck had been lifted and fitted with extra-large tires. They wouldn’t be able to keep up with her if she took a few fast turns. But for the next half hour, she wanted them to follow her. Away from Mel’s. Away from Zoe and Shannon and Sam.

  When Shelby reached the middle of town she turned to Mac. “Drop the device out the window.”

  “Why?”

  “Just drop it.”

  Mac dropped the device and then turned to her again. “Why?”

  “Because wherever we end up, we probably don’t want The Center people to know where that is.”

  “Good point.”

  Shelby led the SUV to the other side of town and headed west into the desert. Twenty minutes had passed, so she knew that the FSA agents probably had Zoe, Shannon, and Sam safely out of Mel�
��s and on the way to the airport. In a few minutes she’d lead the SUV back into town and lose them there. Then she’d return to Mel’s. At least that was the plan until the men in the SUV started shooting.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Zoe shivered as a chill crawled up her spine and the small hairs on her neck lifted. Her eyes darted about nervously. Maybe it was just that these agents were taking her to the FSA headquarters in Denver. She’d spent most of her life avoiding cops and most other authority figures. Walking into the FSA of her own free will didn’t sit well with her.

  The car pulled up next to a hangar at the Sedona airport, and the agent who was driving turned to them.

  “Stay here. I’ll go make sure the plane is ready to take off.” Both agents got out of the car. One stood a few yards away while the other one continued on into the hangar.

  “What are you going to do when this is all over?” Shannon asked.

  “Go back to my life, I guess. Finish school, so I can get a job as a CPA. What about you?”

  “I haven’t really thought about it.” Shannon shrugged. “I doubt I could get my old job back. Besides, I think I’m ready to get out of Tucson.”

  “Where would you go?” Zoe asked. She wasn’t really interested, but the conversation was taking her mind off the situation.

  “Maybe California.” Shannon snuggled Sam closer to her and smoothed his blond hair back.

  “Is that where his father lives?”

  “He’s in the Marines. Stationed at Pendleton.” Shannon shook her head. “But I don’t know that he would want us close by. Besides, I’ll have another child to take care of soon.”

  “Yeah. Still it would be nice for Sam to know his father.”

  “Yes, that would be nice. I suppose I should have made more of an effort to tell Chase about him. But at the time I didn’t think he wanted to be saddled with a wife and child.”

  “But isn’t that his decision to make?”

  “You’re right. It is his decision to make. I’ll just have to tell him about Sam and see what happens.”

  Zoe’s situation seemed easy in comparison to Shannon’s. All she had to do was get through this and get back to what passed for a life. She wasn’t eager to return to thieving, though. This had scared her. Black Joe had always told her that there would come a time when she should stop. He said that she’d know when the time came, and if she didn’t stop then, she’d probably end up in jail or worse. She figured the time had definitely come, although she had no idea what she’d do to get through school for another six months.

  “What’s taking them so long?” Zoe wondered aloud.

  “I wish they’d hurry too. I’ll feel better when we get to the FSA.”

  “I’m going to go see what’s holding them up.” Zoe opened the car door.

  “But they said to stay here.”

  Zoe laughed. “I’ve never been that good at following orders.”

  The agent who’d been standing close to the car was gone. Probably to check on the one who’d gone into the hangar. Halfway across the tarmac, she heard a shot. Damn! Zoe ran the rest of the way, stopping just inside the hangar, and ducking behind a stack of oil drums. She stayed crouched down, while her eyes adjusted from the bright sun outside to the darkness inside, and heard several more shots. After a few minutes, she cautiously peeked around the barrels. One of the agents lay on the floor, a bright red stain spreading over his starched, white shirt, his gun still in his hand. The door of the small plane was open, and she could see the pilot slumped forward in his seat.

  Zoe scanned the hangar for the other agent, and found his lifeless body in the doorway to a small, glass-enclosed office. She ran over and saw another man sitting at the desk, his head lying in a pool of blood on the desktop. Then she heard footsteps. She slipped inside the office and crouched behind a filing cabinet. The footsteps continued past the office, and soon she heard the car peeling out. She edged out of the office and over to the hangar door. The car they had arrived in was gone, and her stomach soured as she realized they’d taken Shannon and Sam.

  Zoe stood in the doorway wishing she’d gotten Shelby’s cell phone number. The hangar was totally quiet, and she had the feeling that she was alone. Her mind sorted through the situation. She couldn’t go back to Phoenix. The FSA would be looking for her as well as the people from The Center. Since she’d cut back on her theft jobs, she’d lost a lot of the contacts she used to have. There was only one safe place to go. She left the hangar, walked across the tarmac and through the gate. Fifteen minutes on the narrow road that serviced the hangar brought her to the main airport building. She went inside, looked at the monitor displaying departing flights, and then went to the America West counter and bought a ticket for Phoenix. From there she could go anywhere.

  Mac jerked around when the first shot glanced off the car. “So much for them not shooting at us.”

  Either they knew that Shannon and Sam weren’t in the car, or they didn’t care if they killed them. Neither made any sense, but Shelby didn’t have time to think about it right now.

  She gunned the car and shot away from the SUV. The shooter was using a handgun, and his shots were going wild. A couple shots ricocheted off the trunk of the car, and she was wishing they’d had time to install the bulletproof windows.

  Shelby came out of a set of curves, and there was nothing but straight road ahead of them. She knew they’d try to gain speed and come up alongside her. She only had two choices. Turn around and force them to follow her back to town, where she could possibly lose them. But she’d be putting a lot of innocent people in harm’s way. The other choice was to just deal with them in the desert. Shelby brought up a mental picture of the map she’d studied. There was a dirt road a few miles ahead. And about fifteen miles down that road was a ravine.

  Her foot was pressed to the floor, and she glanced at the speedometer. At a hundred and ten, the spot she wanted would be coming up fast. Mac looked back at the SUV and then over to Shelby. His eyes were wide with apprehension, but at least he tried to smile. Although it might have been a grimace.

  Shelby saw the turn-off she wanted up ahead. Waiting until the last possible moment, she slammed on the brakes, jerked the steering wheel to the right, and headed down a bumpy dirt road. Shelby watched in her rearview mirror as the SUV sped past the turn-off and then slammed on the brakes. In a couple of minutes the SUV appeared in her rearview again. All she’d gained were a few more yards of distance.

  “I suppose you have a plan in mind?” Mac lifted his eyebrows at her.

  “I always have a plan.” That was a lie. A lot of times, it was just by the seat of her pants. But Mac looked a little nervous, and she thought it might help if he thought she had a plan. And she did, somewhat.

  After a few miles, Shelby let the SUV gain on her until it was practically kissing her bumper. She wanted their attention on her, not on what was ahead in the road. Which was a lot of nothing. She was kicking up a lot of dust, which helped. And the road was so bumpy they weren’t even trying to get off a shot.

  Mac watched the SUV for a few minutes and then turned back around. He stared out the front windshield, a look of stark terror spreading across his face.

  Shelby sped toward the edge of a steep, wide ravine, ignoring the urge to slow down. At the last possible moment, she slammed on the brakes, pulled the steering wheel to the left, and prayed. The crunch of the car slamming into a boulder was echoed by the loud pop of the airbags inflating. She heard a hissing sound and pushed the deflating airbag down. Steam was pouring from the radiator.

  “So, does this count as an unintentional accident?” Mac asked.

  “No, not at all.”

  “Right.” Mac looked around us. “I don’t see the SUV anywhere.”

  Shelby hadn’t expected to see the SUV. She got out of the car and walked over to the edge of the ravine. The SUV was a crumpled, smoldering heap at the bottom. It was unlikely that they had survived, and she certainly wasn’t going down there to
make sure.

  Shelby turned and walked back to the car. The dummies were still lifting their arms and turning their heads repetitively. Mac looked at her, reached over, and flipped the switch that turned them off.

  “What now?”

  She took stock of their situation. They were probably about forty miles from Sedona. There didn’t appear to be anything within sight other than rocks, desert, and the occasional cactus. From the bashed-in front end of the car, it was clear that they were without transportation. She pulled out her cell phone. No service available.

  Crap.

  “We’ve got about ten hours of daylight left.” Shelby opened the trunk of the car to check out the supplies Mel had given them. “I figure we can make it back to the main road. Hopefully, we’ll run into someone, or at least reach a place where my cell phone will work.”

  “Nice day for a walk.” Mac grinned. She was relieved at his positive attitude.

  “Let’s see what we can take with us.”

  Shelby peered into the trunk of the car with Mac leaning over her shoulder. Evidently, Mel wanted them to be prepared for any eventuality. There were blankets, bottles of water, pouches of dehydrated food, flashlights, and a couple of backpacks. She handed Mac one of the backpacks, and they started loading as much as they thought they could carry without slowing them down.

  Mac hoisted his full pack onto his back. “The shooting doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I know,” Shelby said, putting her arms through the straps of her own pack. “I still don’t think The Center would take a chance on killing Shannon or Sam. Somehow they knew we only had dummies in the car.”

  “I don’t think they got close enough to be able to tell they were dummies,” Mac said.

  “Let’s just hope Ethan was able to get them out.”

  By early afternoon, they’d made about ten miles. Shelby thought they were doing pretty good until the rain started. The rain itself wasn’t much of a problem.

  Given the heat of the desert, it was a welcome relief. It was the accompanying lightning that was worrisome. Other than some rocks, Mac and she were the tallest things in the immediate vicinity, and their backpacks had metal frames. Human lightning rods.