“What happened at the cabin could have easily ended differently. You’re good at your job. You’re a light sleeper.”
“I could say the same thing about you.”
“Well, now that we’ve complimented each other, I’d better try to find Pete Calloway on the internet since he’ll be here in five hours or so,” she said. “You would think after all that Gus did for us earlier today that we could trust his judgment and cousin.”
“This job has made me jaded. That’s the part I hate about it. I want to believe in the good in people but...” Brody shoved back his chair, not able to put into words how the years in law enforcement had changed him. Sometimes he didn’t like what he was becoming—totally cynical and distrustful. He realized it when he thought of Gus’s cousin. He thought of it when he heard Charlie had his friend check him out. “I’m going to walk through the house, then step outside and walk around. Don’t let me in unless I say it’s getting cold.”
“Sure.”
Brody hurried from the kitchen, needing to put some space between him and Arianna. It was becoming harder for him to separate his professional and personal life with her. He wanted her to testify, but there was a part of him that didn’t want her to for a while so he could spend more time with her. Not a good way for him to think.
* * *
Arianna looked at her watch. Four-thirty in the morning of the day she would testify. After that, her name and life would officially be changed. The thought scared her more than she wanted to admit. Her future was unknown. Not only where she lived but what she would do.
Then there was Brody. She wouldn’t see him after this. She rubbed her hand over her heart, pain piercing through it. In such a short amount of time, she’d fallen in love with him. She’d tried not to. She knew no good would come of it in the long run. There was no future for them. No dates. No watching the sunset with not a care in the world for anything but each other.
Then she remembered that time fleeing the dogs and Rainwater’s men when they were going over the mountain. They had paused and stared at the night sky as an aurora blazed an eerie green across it. A special moment she would never forget. When she’d looked into his eyes, she’d known then even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself that she could and probably would love Brody Callahan. And she couldn’t even really tell why other than she felt a connection to him she’d never had with another, not even Dirk.
Through a slit in the blinds, she peered out a window and saw the growing light in the sky as dawn neared. Gus and Pete would be here soon. According to what she discovered on the internet, Pete was exactly what Gus had said. The man had a wife and two children. He had been working security at the courthouse for ten years.
A little voice inside her said that didn’t mean he couldn’t be on Rainwater’s payroll. But somewhere along the line she had to trust the Lord. He was with her; she couldn’t do this by herself.
Arianna knocked on the bedroom door. “Brody, it’s time to get up.”
Before she had a chance to step away, he opened the door, their bodies inches apart. The hairs on her arms stood up, tingles zipping down her spine. The urge to embrace him and take that kiss she’d wanted all evening washed over her. She backed away.
“Did you sleep?” she asked to fill the silence.
“Yes. I set the alarm on my watch.”
“Scared I’d leave you to sleep until Gus came?”
His eyes twinkled. “Yep.”
“Only because you let me sleep half an hour longer than I should.”
“You’ve got to be sharp today to testify. We don’t want Rainwater’s crafty lawyer getting the better of you.”
“I’m not gonna let this all be for nothing. You may enjoy hiding out, but it’s totally overrated as a form of entertainment.”
Brody threw back his head and laughed. “I’m going to miss your wit.”
She paused at the end of the hallway, turning toward him. “Only my wit?”
A look came into his eyes that stole her breath. It consumed her. It enticed her toward him. A step then another and she was past the bedroom door.
He took her face within his hands and combed his fingers into her hair, holding her still. “I’ve been telling myself I shouldn’t kiss you. It’s wrong. But you’ll be gone by tomorrow, and I’ll regret that I didn’t.”
He leaned down, brushing his lips across hers. Soft. Heart melting. As his hands slid down her neck and spine, he molded her against him, increasing his claim on her. She surrendered as she never had before to the sensations bombarding her from all sides. The warmth of his embrace. The scent she had come to identify with him—clean and slightly earthy. The intensity in his kiss.
She could forget everything but him. The danger he was in because of her. The hurt she would feel when they parted. The unfairness of it all that she’d finally met a man she could love with her whole heart.
When he pulled back a few inches, he framed her face and rested his forehead against hers. His ragged breathing sounded in the quiet, mingling with her own.
“I wish we had met differently,” he murmured and dragged himself away.
He stared off into space for a moment, and she could see his professional facade fall into place. “The second you step out of this house you will wear a bulletproof vest at all times.” He strode toward the kitchen. “Any news while I slept?”
“Charlie couldn’t find anything on Ted other than some loans for his twins for college tuition. He borrowed quite a bit but that isn’t unusual with the high cost of college.”
“So we really don’t know for sure about anyone.”
“No, although Mark is still looking the most suspicious. Charlie also looked into the helicopter pilot who brought you and your team to the cabin. A state trooper with a stellar record.”
“What did he find out about Kevin?”
“The only thing is that his brother is stationed at the air force base here.”
Brody halted and swept around, frowning.
“Did you know that?”
He shook his head. “I thought his family lived in Seattle.”
“They do except his older brother and family.”
“He never said a word in the nine months he’s been here. That’s odd. We were on a couple of details together. You get to know someone then. Long hours with not a lot to do.”
“Yeah, I know.” She felt she knew Brody though they’d met only a short time ago.
He let Arianna enter the kitchen first. “I haven’t said anything, but after we plan how we’re going to get to the courthouse and inside, I’m paying the prosecutor on this case a visit away from the office. He needs to know you’re here and will be at the courthouse.”
Arianna stopped, blocking his entry. Her gaze automatically swept the room, taking in the exits and the empty seat where Charlie had been sitting before he went outside to wait for Gus and Pete. “Where are you gonna meet him?”
“His house. I know it’s risky, but the leak of our location wasn’t him because he didn’t know where we were. I need to be there before the police escort him to the courthouse. Whatever we decide on how to get in, he’ll make it easier for us. There’ll only be three of us besides Pete on duty, to protect you and get you inside. Rainwater will have a lot more men than that. Nothing can go wrong.”
A knock at the back door caused Arianna to gasp, so intent had she been on Brody and what he was going to do. She understood why he needed to do it, but she didn’t like it. What if Rainwater’s men were watching the prosecutor’s house? What if Brody was caught and killed?
The very thought pained her more than she thought possible. It had always been easy for her to detach her emotions from what she was doing. That was how she survived in dangerous situations. This time she couldn’t.
Brody pulled his gun out of
the holster, peeked out to see who was there then opened the door. Gus and his cousin came inside.
Charlie followed the pair into the kitchen. “I didn’t see anything unusual out there. It doesn’t look like anyone followed you two.”
“At this time of day few are up and about. That made it easy to spot anything unusual. We didn’t see anything suspicious.” Gus smiled at Arianna. “Good to see you’re all right. I worried about you until I heard from Brody last night. This is my cousin. Pete, this is the little lady we’re gonna make sure testifies today. I have some good news. Pete is the security officer on the back door into the courthouse today.”
* * *
Brody crouched near a group of shrubs, close to the deck, in the backyard of Zach Jefferson’s house. Fifteen minutes ago the lead prosecutor on the Rainwater case had opened the blackout drapes on a window upstairs—probably his bedroom. He was single, living alone. Brody would wait until the man came downstairs. He knew from past dealings with the prosecutor he was a heavy coffee-drinker, so Brody hoped he went to the kitchen before leaving for the courthouse.
When he’d cased out the place earlier, he’d noticed a police car out front. There was some kind of surveillance on Jefferson, but the man in the past had refused police protection. This time he had agreed to a cop outside the house. For his purposes Brody was glad that was all. He didn’t want to call Jefferson or meet him at the office, and he wasn’t familiar enough with the man’s daily routine to plan a chance encounter somewhere else. Besides, time was very limited.
A light came on in the kitchen. Two sets of blinds opened. Brody caught a glimpse of Jefferson staring out one of the windows. When the man turned away, Brody surveyed the backyard then hurried to the deck and knocked on the back door. This was the tricky part. Would Jefferson answer or notify the police out front?
A minute passed. Standing exposed on the deck, Brody felt vulnerable, every nerve alert, every muscle tense. He wanted to be able to get Arianna to the courthouse and immediately into the courtroom to testify. Jefferson could quietly tighten security on the floor and pave the way for Arianna. He could also ruin everything if he was on Rainwater’s side.
The door flew open. Jefferson held a gun pointed at Brody’s chest.
* * *
Arianna stood in front of the mirror in the master bedroom at Dan’s house, staring at herself. The dark circles under her eyes attested to the lack of sleep she’d endured over the past few days. The cuts and bruises she could hide with clothing confirmed the trauma she’d gone through to get to this point. Now she was only hours away from walking into the courtroom to end this ordeal. At the moment waiting for Brody’s return from the prosecutor’s house, she looked and felt like a wreck.
But that couldn’t be the case when she sat before the jury. Not only what she said was important but how she said it mattered, too. She had to make it clear that there was no doubt in her mind that Joseph Rainwater killed Thomas Perkins. And there wasn’t. Now she just needed to convey that to the twelve men and women when her body and mind were on the verge of exhaustion.
Lord, You’ve brought me this far. I know You’ll be with me the rest of the way. Please guard the persons protecting me. Don’t let anyone else die to keep me safe. I’m trying very hard not to let my fears interfere with what I must do. Rainwater can’t win. But I’ve been in the middle of so much death that leaving here for a new life will be a relief.
Except for Brody. Tears smarted her eyes, and she pivoted away from the mirror. That was all she needed to fall apart right now.
I won’t think about what could have been. He’s my bodyguard. That’s all.
Then why was she fretting that he wasn’t back from the prosecutor’s?
* * *
Jefferson scowled. “What are you doing here?”
“To fill you in on Ms. Jackson and what will happen today.” Brody didn’t take his gaze off the gun still aimed at him.
The prosecutor lowered his weapon and stepped out of Brody’s way. “Come in.” After he shut the door, he faced Brody, still grasping the .38 but held down at his side. “Where is she?”
“Safe.”
The man’s frown deepened even more. “We weren’t sure you were alive. All we knew was she was missing. In fact, I’d come to the conclusion that Rainwater’s men had taken her and killed her somewhere else. Then yesterday some information came to me that made me think I might be wrong.”
“I figured by now you’ve heard about the wreck on Richardson Highway and all the activity on the roads into Anchorage.”
“Yes. I knew something was going on. I don’t want Rainwater walking on this. Law enforcement officers have been injured and killed because of him. There were two firefighters hurt, too, trying to put out that forest fire. It’s still smoldering in places. This has got to stop.”
“I’m bringing Ms. Jackson to the courthouse this morning. First thing, I hope. I have protection for her, but I want her to go right into the courtroom and testify. The longer she has to wait the more chances Rainwater will do something desperate.”
“Why aren’t you relying on the U.S. Marshals Service?”
“There’s a mole. I don’t see how else the location of the safe house could have been leaked. To be on the safe side, I have to go on that until proven otherwise. We nearly died several times getting here.”
“Your boss isn’t going to like that you came straight to me rather than through him. Not protocol.”
“My primary—actually only—concern is Ms. Jackson’s safety.” Nothing can happen to her. The thought it could curdled Brody’s gut like corrosive acid.
“Fine. We’ll deal with the fallout after this is over.”
The doorbell rang. Brody stiffened. “Are you expecting anyone?”
“My escorts to the courthouse. I have been persuaded under the circumstances to accept a police officer outside my house and an escort. There really isn’t any reason to go after me. Another prosecutor in my office can step in and wrap the case up. But the police chief, your boss and the mayor insisted.”
“I should probably wait until you leave before I do.”
“Stay in here.” Jefferson grabbed his coffee mug for traveling and started for the front of his house to answer the door.
Brody moved closer to see and hear who was taking Jefferson downtown. While he glimpsed Carla in the entry hall, Ted Banks’ booming voice filled the air. “Are you ready, sir?”
“Yes,” Jefferson murmured, “let me get my briefcase. We’ll go directly to the courthouse.”
“I thought you wanted to go to your office first,” Carla said.
“Changed my mind.”
Footsteps sounded on the hardwood floor, and Brody popped back into the kitchen in case it wasn’t Jefferson. Brody wasn’t happy that Ted and Carla were escorting the prosecutor. He didn’t know if he could trust them, but Jefferson was right. Killing him wouldn’t accomplish anything, and he didn’t think Ted and Carla were both on the take. Actually he didn’t think either one was, but he’d learned to reserve judgment of guilt or innocence until all the evidence was in.
When he heard the front door close and silence permeated the house, Brody left the kitchen and planted himself in the dining room to watch Jefferson leave. Brody peeked through the blinds to see Jefferson climb in the back with Ted next to him while Carla started the engine and pulled away from the curb. The police car followed behind the marshal’s car.
Not seconds later across the street in a neighbor’s driveway, a dark van backed out and turned in the same direction as the small convoy going to the courthouse. If that was someone tailing them, Ted and Carla were good marshals and would spy the vehicle behind them and take measures to evade. He couldn’t worry about Jefferson. He had to get back to Arianna and implement their plan to get her to the courthouse in a couple hours.
>
Brody hurried to the back door. When he came earlier, he’d gone through a hedge at the back of the property that separated Jefferson’s place from his neighbor’s. His car was parked two streets over.
As he neared the seven-foot wall, someone behind him said, “What are you doing here?”
TWELVE
Arianna prowled the kitchen. “Why isn’t he back by now? He said the prosecutor didn’t live that far away. He should have been in and out.”
Charlie shut down the laptop. “He’s fine. Brody knows how to take care of himself.” He rose. “I think I’ve gotten this computer back to the way it was. All traces of me erased. How about the rest of the house?”
“Done. Ten minutes ago. Where is Gus?”
“Getting the truck we’re going to use. It’s nice knowing someone who has a lot of relatives.”
“And Pete?”
“Gone to work. He’ll be ready for us when we show up.”
Arianna kneaded her thumb into her palm. “I just want this over with. I want Brody back safe.” I want my old life back.
Not for the first time she asked God why she had witnessed the murder. If they had been half an hour later, her life would be so different.
Charlie’s throwaway cell phone rang. “Yeah. Okay.”
“Was that Brody?”
“No, Gus. He’ll be here in five minutes.”
Arianna collapsed back against the counter, gripping its edges. “When he gets here, we’re going to get Brody, and if you say no, I’ll go without you. Once we get Brody, we can leave for the courthouse from there.”
* * *
Brody slowly rotated toward the man behind him. It was a man he’d seen before in the forest—Boris Mankiller. And behind him was Stefan Krasnov. Each held a gun in their hand. Brody calculated his chances of getting away without being killed and came up with nil. There was nowhere to run at the moment.
Brody glanced at the van he’d seen following the marshal’s vehicle. “You’re going to lose the prosecutor’s car if you don’t hurry.”
Guarding the Witness Page 16