by M J Adams
The officer said nothing, but he scanned his card to open a door, and Luke went through it. “You can wait here,” he said, once they were both inside. A few chairs sat facing the tinted windows, and another officer came through a door and sat in one of them.
Two doors led out of this tiny hallway-like room, and the officer stepped over to the man who’d sat down, and they spoke briefly. Then he left.
Having no other choice, Luke sat down. Each door here had a scanner on it, and he’d need a keycard to get through either of them. Which meant Miah wasn’t coming in either.
It seemed to take forever for the plane to board and then take off. But it eventually left, with Luke sitting in a chair on the ground floor, watching.
“You can go back upstairs now, sir,” the other officer said, and he used his card to let Luke out of the confined room.
“Thank you,” he said. But he didn’t go back upstairs. On the ground level, he could get baggage—and a car. He needed money first, and Luke’s simple plans got all blown up. He stepped over to an ATM, wondering if this transaction would send an alert to the Grand Master’s phone.
But he couldn’t rent a car with the prepaid credit card he had. He needed cash for that. And he had personal cards. He chose a credit card instead of one linked to his bank in Aberdeen, and he stuck it in the machine.
Moments later, he had hundreds of dollars and he joined the line at the nearest car rental counter. He’d been planning to drive for fifteen hours from Aberdeen to Richland Center. And it was only thirteen from Denver.
Renting the car was simple, and he sat behind the wheel of it and used his phone to book a room at a hotel in Aberdeen online. “Three nights,” he muttered to himself and then he typed in the prepaid card’s numbers.
That done, he studied a map for how to get on the right path toward Richland Center, turned his phone off, and got going.
At two o’clock in the morning, he eased the car around the corner and passed the first house he, Max, and Isaac had bought. All the windows were dark, but it looked nice enough. Two minutes later, he pulled into the driveway at the main house, jumped out of the car to key in the garage door code, and moved into the safety and security of the garage.
With the door down, he got out, everything in him exhausted. He’d stopped as little as possible—only for food and to go to the bathroom. Once in Omaha to get more cash—this time from his own bank—and to purchase a new phone.
His thoughts revolved around Cora, and where she was, and what she might be doing. She and Isaac were scheduled to stay the night in Amarillo, but Luke had no way of knowing if they actually were.
His gut tightened as he took his backpack and carryon into the house. His luggage was still in Denver, and he didn’t think he’d ever get it back. Didn’t matter. He could buy new clothes and new shoes. He had all the essentials with him, and he was here. Safe.
The electricity worked, as did the air conditioning, and Luke explored the house, claiming one of the bedrooms in the back corner as his own. Tired, and with nothing to do and no one to check in with, he climbed into bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, he went to town and stocked up on food with the rest of the cash he had. Called his bank and added his “wife” to his account, a woman by the name of Laci Holt. New cards would be in the mail to his new address, and he put a rush on them so he could start getting things done.
He needed a car of his own. Needed to get supplies to get the house in good repair for the others. There were a few things that needed to be done if they were going to live in the house for any period of time, and over the next several days, Luke washed and wiped, painted and nailed, bought sheets and towels and curtains and made sure every bedroom was ready for habitation.
Finally, Friday came. Cora was supposed to arrive today, and Luke couldn’t eat or rest. Every moment felt filled with anxiety as the hours passed. Night came—but Cora didn’t.
Something was wrong, and Luke couldn’t do a single thing about it.
Chapter 21
Cora
Cora abandoned her suitcase after about fifteen steps into the woods. There was no way she could carry it very far, and the wheels kept catching on undergrowth. Free from it, she was able to run much easier, only her purse bouncing against her back now.
She couldn’t hear Rich anymore, but it wouldn’t take long for him to figure out where she’d gone. “It’s fine,” she panted. “You’re fine.”
Her mind buzzed, and it was hard to hold onto any coherent thoughts. She tried to remember what Isaac had told her. Her training with him, and Max, and Luke. Don’t let them put you in a vehicle or take you inside a building.
But she really needed to get out of the open right now.
Something else Max had told her streamed through her mind. Stay somewhere public.
So not the woods.
Foolishness raced through her as she ducked around another tree and caught sight of a house. Somewhere in the backyard, a dog growled. She felt like she’d entered one of her nightmares, and her heartbeat sprinted out of control.
But she liked dogs, and they liked her, and she told herself this wasn’t a wolf. And she needed help. She had a phone, but she didn’t dare use it. She had cash. She could get a hotel and stay out of sight. Figure out what to do next.
She stepped into the backyard and glanced left and right, seeing no one. The dog barked at her but she went over to it and scratched behind his ears. “Which way to go, huh? I need a phone, bud.”
The dog couldn’t help her, so she left him, left the backyard, and headed down the street away from the house on the other side of the woods. She flagged down a woman in a minivan, and she must’ve looked a sight, because the woman’s eyes widened and scanned Cora’s body.
“Do you need help?”
“Yes,” Cora said, moving around to the passenger side and getting in. “My ex showed up at my house, and I had to run. I need a phone, and I need to go to a hotel.” She hoped telling the truth wouldn’t put this woman in danger. Wouldn’t result in Rich being able to find her.
“I just dropped my kids off at school,” she said. “My phone’s right there.” She put the van in drive and pulled back onto the street. “Where do you want to go?”
“How far is the next town?” Cora asked, picking up the phone. “And do you have time to take me there? I have money.”
“Oh, it’s fine, sweetie. I understand about exes. I have two of ‘em.”
Cora smiled, but the action felt like it was going to crack her. The woman started talking, and Cora let her drive. She noticed when they left Silver Lake and got on the highway toward Austin.
That was fine. Good, even. Austin was a big city, and she could lay low for a couple of days. Figure something out.
She wanted to call or text Max, who should still be in the area. But she hesitated, remembering that Isaac had said he’d mirrored his phone with Rich’s. Saw all his texts and calls.
Then why didn’t he know Rich was in Silver Lake?
Maybe the mirroring had stopped once Isaac was no longer with Parkwood. Maybe Rich had gotten a new phone. So many maybes.
Cora turned her phone off, and she put the woman’s back in the cupholder without calling or texting anyone. She could do it later, from a more secure location and line.
The woman took her all the way to Austin and dropped her off at a hotel right in the center of town. Cora went inside and paid for a room for one night. After all, she was supposed to leave Silver Lake tomorrow. She’d just done it one day early.
“Everything’s fine,” she said once she was behind the locked and chained door of her room on the fourth floor. “Just fine.” She stood at the window, so much like the times she had in Hollywood Hills, wondering what to do.
Where to go.
Would she be putting anyone else in danger if she went to Richland Center as planned? She was already in Austin now, no rental car needed. Her flight to Seattle was the following afternoon.
“And you’re going to be on it,” she said, her faint reflection in the glass showing a determined woman, one who wasn’t going to let her abusive husband back into her life.
She stayed cooped up in the hotel room for the rest of the day and all night. She slept little, showered and put on the same clothes—the only clothes—she had. A taxi took her to the airport, and her new documents identified her as Abigail Montague, got her a ticket on the one-thirty flight to Seattle, through security, and onto the plane.
She didn’t see anyone she recognized. No one looked her way. She dozed on the plane, her headphones in so the person next to her wouldn’t talk to her.
As soon as she stepped off the plane, she knew something was wrong. She tried to go left, but there was a roped off area there, forcing her to go forward—right toward the group of airport security and Seattle policemen.
“Cora Middleton?” one of them asked, a man wearing a dark suit. He flashed a badge in her face.
“No,” she managed to say. “I’m Abigail…Montague.” Why hadn’t she memorized saying that so it sounded true?
“You’ll need to come with us.” He took her by the elbow, and Cora wanted to scream. Rage against him. Run as fast as she could.
But there were seven men and one woman in uniform, watching her, and there was no way she was getting out of this airport without a fight. A fight she couldn’t win.
“I’m not Cora Middleton,” she said as the man nudged her forward. None of the officers responded to her. Everyone in the airport turned to look at her, as if she were the criminal. But she wasn’t the one who’d done something wrong. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she held them back.
Held her head high.
She was not wrong here. She could fly to Seattle if she wanted to.
The man led her down to the baggage claim area and down a sterile hall, so many bootsteps sounding on the tiled floor behind her. “In here, ma’am,” he said, almost shoving her into a small room.
He entered after her, along with two other men who reminded her of her Rangers in size and bulk. Everyone else stayed outside in the hall, and Cora turned to watch a couple of them take up positions on either side of the door.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“We know you’re Cora Middleton,” the man said. “So you don’t need to deny it.”
Cora pressed her lips together. She wouldn’t admit to anything. “I’m not,” she said. “I’m Abigail Montague. I’m here to see my sister, who just had a baby.” That sounded true, and the man flicked a glance at one of the men in front of the only exit out of this room.
Cora’s panic reared, and she stumbled forward a step to the chair there. Placing one hand on the back of it, she tried to breathe deeply. Very little air entered her lungs, and the room spun.
“Sit down,” the man said, but Cora couldn’t move.
He helped her into the chair while she continued to try to get a proper breath. He moved around the desk and started tapping on the keyboard there. “This is you, right?” He turned the monitor toward her, and Cora looked right into her own eyes.
“No,” she said, hating the way that woman looked broken. That woman had bags under her eyes, and sharp cheekbones. “That’s that woman who went missing. That’s not me.”
Isaac had said he was going to make sure Rich called off the search for her. That they’d plant evidence that she was dead. Cora Middleton needed to die in order for Abigail Montague to live.
Desperation built behind Cora’s tongue. Could they detain her like this? Didn’t she have rights?
A flash of anger centered her, and she stood up. “You have no right to keep me here.” She turned toward the two men guarding the door, and they both folded their arms as if they had one brain.
“Move,” she said. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Cora,” the man at the desk said. “You shouldn’t have left Silver Lake.”
She spun back toward him. Her eyes widened, and she couldn’t stop them. The man looked weary as he reached to pick up the phone. “Connect me to her,” he said.
“To who?” Cora asked, her voice a tiny bit shrill. “I have every right to leave Silver Lake. I can go where I want.” She was free. Wasn’t she? Or would she be forever tied to Parkwood Academy, forced to do whatever they said? Live where they dictated?
In that moment, she wondered if she’d made a mistake in calling them. She’d never felt like that before, but in this small, sterile security office, her doubts roared to life.
“Yes, she’s here. Yes, she’s alone.” The man met Cora’s eyes, his own full of fire and challenge. He didn’t seem like he’d hurt her, but Cora’s muscles stayed tense and ready. He moved the phone so the speaker was below his chin. “Do you have plans to meet up with Max, Luke, or Isaac?”
“Of course not,” Cora said, lifting her chin. “I want to leave that wretched place behind me. Why can’t you guys just let me go?”
The man stared at her, and she wasn’t sure if he believed her or not. He moved the phone back into position and repeated her sentiments.
“Who’s he talking to?” she asked the muscled guard by the door.
“The Grand Master,” he said without looking at her.
And he’d said, Connect me to her.
Her.
Cora had not anticipated the Grand Master being a woman. She wasn’t sure why it shocked her, only that it did.
The man hung up, and Cora faced him. “We need you to go back to Silver Lake.”
“I can’t,” she said, her chin starting to wobble. She pulled in a breath to steady her emotions. “My husband showed up there. He came to my house.” She shook her head. “I won’t go back there.”
The man moved around the desk, never taking his eyes from her. “Richard Middleton was in Silver Lake?”
“At my house,” Cora said, emphasizing each word. She shook her head. “I’m not going back there. I’m not.” One tear splashed her cheek, and she wiped it quickly. “You guys said I’d be safe. I believed you.” She scoffed, hoping this performance was working. “I just want to be safe.”
He folded his arms and leaned against the desk. “Where were you planning to go?”
“I don’t know.” Cora threw up her arms. “I just had to get out of there. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“The Grand Master has recalled your team to Parkwood,” he said. “Luke Holt is not answering.”
Cora’s heart skipped a beat. “And that’s my fault?” she asked. “Luke went to Aberdeen.”
“He’s not there.”
“Well, I don’t know where he is.”
“The security of our operation has been compromised,” he said. “If Rich really was in Silver Lake.”
“He was,” Cora insisted. “Don’t you have people there that can check?”
The man cocked his eyebrows, glared at her, and reached behind him to pick up the phone again. He turned his back on her to have the hushed conversation, but she could still hear him ordering people to sweep the town, as well as Rich’s house in Hollywood Hills, his office, his bank records.
“I’m afraid we’ll need to keep you here until we know more,” he said.
Cora felt her future with Luke, Isaac, and Max slipping away from her. She tried to grab onto it, but it was smoke, and simply moved around her fingers. “Fine,” she said. “What’s your name?”
“Carlisle,” he said. “You’ll be at our temporary housing facility until we can determine the threat level and what to do about it.”
“I’ll be safe there?”
“Yes, Miss Middleton,” he said. “You’ll be safe there.” He nodded to the two burly men at the door, and one of them opened it. He gestured for her to follow them, and seeing no other choice, Cora did.
But she had to figure out how to get to Richland Center without anyone knowing. It felt impossible—because it was impossible.
Chapter 22
Isaac
“No, then I’m going to
return to Parkwood at this time,” Isaac growled into the phone. “You can berate me and fire me and all of that after I’m sure Cora is okay.” He hung up on the Grand Master, almost regretting it.
Almost.
He was already in California, checking in on a lead there for a safehouse. After that, he was driving to San Diego to check on a charge from two years ago—and not even his. He hated this job already, and he couldn’t imagine doing it for another twenty-eight days.
Then his phone had rung, and seeing Lucinda’s name on it put his temper at the top of his tolerance level. He’d considered not answering it, but in the end, he had.
Cora had left Silver Lake.
Isaac had expressed the appropriate shock at such a thing, and the Grand Master wanted his team back at Parkwood for an assessment. An interrogation was more what Isaac thought would happen.
Not only that, but Luke wasn’t answering his phone, and he wasn’t anywhere to be found in Aberdeen. Isaac had denied knowing where he’d gone or why he might deviate from his approved relocation.
But the Grand Master wasn’t stupid. If Cora was in transition and Luke off-grid, she’d naturally assume they were together. Or planning to be.
Isaac had denied knowing anything about that too, and his most recent call with the Grand Master had given him more clues to the puzzle.
Rich had shown up in Silver Lake—at least according to Cora. That had truly shocked Isaac, as he’d personally put all the pieces in place for Rich to stay nice and quiet in Hollywood Hills. The evidence of Cora’s death was two days away from being “found,” and the case would be closed. Over. Done.
He ground his teeth together as he went outside to the black SUV he’d rented yesterday. He’d just been tasked with finding out if Rich was in town, and if not, when he’d left, and where he’d gone. If he learned the slime ball had gone to Texas…Isaac couldn’t predict what he’d do.
The house in the hills was ridiculously huge, and Isaac waited outside it for a couple of hours to see if anyone went in or out. They didn’t. He got out of his SUV and approached the house, knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell to no avail. Not even a housekeeper came to the door.