Dangerous in Charge

by Sidney Bristol

  Jay hung up. He’d pay the price for that later.

  Right now he had to lose this car and get some distance between him and that theater. He needed to think. To make a plan. He couldn’t lose his dream now not after he’d sacrificed so much.

  SATURDAY. AEGIS GROUP, Seattle, Washington.

  Bethany stood at the windows looking out over the parking lot. At best she’d get a momentary glimpse of the van before it turned into the underground parking lot. She’d be okay with that.

  Faith snored softly from where she’d passed out on the sofa in the waiting room. After a long shift, the attack and everything they’d gone through today, it was no wonder she was dead on her feet. Bethany hoped she got the recharge she needed because she had a bad feeling this wasn’t over.

  Bethany watched Merida’s reflection in the window. She wasn’t at all like her cartoon namesake. This Merida had dark hair, tanned skin and an intense vibe. It made sense she’d be a strong personality what with working here and all. Merida crossed to where Faith lay and spread a blanket out over her. That done, Merida crossed to the windows to stand next to Bethany.

  “Usually when they come home the worst is over,” Merida said, keeping her voice low.

  “You don’t think they got him? The man who took her?” Bethany could hope...

  “The police issued a BOLO for the suspect, but we don’t have a lot to go off of. Except for the hospital, he’s managed to avoid getting caught on camera.” Merida crossed her arms over her chest.

  Then Megan’s kidnapper was still out there. He’d already tried—and failed—to grab Faith. What if he came for Bethany next? She went back to work on Monday. If this man had been following them, listening to them, then he could know her schedule. Her patients. What if he went to one of their houses to wait for her? What then?

  “What does that mean for us?” Bethany swallowed and looked at Merida’s profile.

  “I’ve arranged a safe house for you three through the week. We’ll take it one day at a time.”

  “But...how will we pay for that?”

  “It’s part of the package Mr. Hunt purchased. Standard jobs take around five to seven days so that’s what we bill for as a down payment.” Merida glanced at Bethany. “What matters is you don’t have to worry about anything. I know what you did for Kyle. So does Zain. We aren’t going to let anything happen to you.”

  “God, I wish I had your confidence.” Bethany sucked down another breath.

  “My secret?” Merida’s lips quirked up in a smile.

  “What?”

  “Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it. My dad taught me poker as a little girl. He wanted sons, but he got me instead. So, I played poker. When I went into the Navy in a support role I was terrified, but as long as I didn’t let people know that, everything was fine.”

  Bethany chuckled.

  “How bad was he? Kyle’s dad, I mean?” Merida asked.

  “I can’t discuss a patient,” Bethany said slowly. Even if the person she was speaking with knew the hell Kyle lived through.

  “I almost feel guilty to be glad Kyle’s dad is gone.”

  Deep down, Bethany was, too. If the Mr. Martin she’d experienced was merely a watered-down version of what it was like to grow up with him, she could hardly imagine what it must be like for Kyle. Shouldering the burden of caring for the man who’d abused and resented him must have worn on Kyle. No wonder he’d always been reserved and distant before now.

  “I don’t know how to respond to that,” Bethany finally said.

  “There they are.” Merida nodded at the window.

  A dark van pulled into the parking lot, then turned into the underground parking garage.

  “Time to prepare for the circus,” she muttered.

  “The circus?” Bethany blinked at the other woman.

  “The cops are going to want statements. Then there’s the Hunts. Media. My back-up should be here any minute. We’re going to handle most of it through the office and keep you three off site.”

  The doors to the suite opened.

  Bethany whirled, her heart in her throat.

  Two men she didn’t recognize strolled in. One was tall, with wide shoulders and red hair. His arms were covered in tattoos. His counterpart was a bit shorter with shaggy brown hair and he carried a familiar bag.

  “Ian. Kade. Thanks for coming on such short notice.” Merida strode across the office and extended her hand to the brunette. She glanced at Bethany. “Ian is one of our PIs. He’s the one who was out yesterday talking to your neighbors. Kade is a paramedic, and sometimes he helps us out.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Kade waved at Bethany.

  She mustered a smile.

  Faith groaned in her sleep and rolled over.

  “What’s going on?” she muttered.

  “Megan should be here in a minute,” Bethany said. How long did it take people to go up an elevator?

  “Really?” Faith sat up and frowned at Kade. “What...?”

  “That Faith? Hey.” His smile faltered. “Is...”

  “Megan.” Faith stood and smoothed a hand over her hair. “Yeah.”

  “You know each other?” Merida asked.

  “Kade, Megan and I all work at the same hospital,” Faith said.

  “Small world.”

  “I’m goin’ to my office. Ladies, glad everyone’s okay.” Ian waved and made a B-line for the hall.

  Kade crossed to stand with them. Faith muttered something but Bethany couldn’t take her eyes off the doors.

  Any minute Megan and Kyle were going to walk through there.

  Weren’t they?

  Had something happened?

  What if this was all a nightmare?

  What then?

  The silver elevator doors slid open and the two people she most wanted to see hobbled out.

  Megan had her arm around Kyle’s shoulders. She limped forward into the hall.

  “Oh my God.” Bethany rushed forward and pulled the door to the suite open.

  “Megan!” Faith rushed their third roommate and wrapped her arms around Megan the moment she was through the door.

  Bethany covered her mouth.

  Megan’s hair was clumped together. Scratches and bruises covered her face and arms. Her clothes were ripped and dirty. Her shoes were gone.

  But she was alive.

  And there.

  Faith reached out and grabbed Bethany by the wrist, reeling her in. She wrapped her arms around both women and held on tight.

  This was her family, and they’d almost lost one if it weren’t for Kyle and the others.

  Bethany peered around Megan’s head at Kyle standing patiently by.

  “Thank you,” she mouthed.

  Without him they’d still be looking for Megan. Faith might have been kidnapped. And who knew where Bethany would be?

  11.

  SATURDAY. AEGIS GROUP, Seattle, Washington.

  Kyle wanted to get the girls out of the office as fast as they could. By now plenty of people knew the Hunt family had hired Aegis Group, so it wouldn’t be terribly difficult for some enterprising journalist to come here and find their story. But there were things to do before he and the team could leave, like the medical checkup.

  “Are you sure I can’t talk you into going to the hospital?” Kade asked Megan for the fifth or so time.

  “I’m fine,” Megan snapped.

  “You’re dehydrated—”

  “I’ll drink lots of water. Go home to your wife, Kade.” Megan leveled a glare at Kade.

  Bethany and Faith had given up arguing with Megan. The ordeal hadn’t broken her spirit, which was a good sign.

  Almost all the boxes were ticked and in order for them to leave.

  Kyle’s phone vibrated.

  He peered at the screen.

  Detective Blew.

  That had taken longer than anticipated.

  He ignored the call and strode down the hall to Zain’s office.

 
Zain sat behind his desk with a pad of paper in hand.

  “How soon will she be ready to move?” he asked.

  “Any minute now.”

  “Okay, let’s call the parents. Then we’ll handle the cops.”

  Zain dialed a number off the pad of paper. The call rang through the speaker between them.

  This wasn’t going to be a pleasant phone call that was for sure.

  “Hello?” Elijah said. There was a thread of annoyance in his voice.

  “Mr. Hunt, this is Zain Lloyd—”

  “Why has it taken you so long? I had to hear you’d found my daughter from the police.”

  “Sir, securing Megan’s safety is our first priority,” Zain said in a patient tone.

  “We’re losing the sweet spot to make this work in our favor. You’re losing me votes.”

  Ah, there it was. The real reason Elijah wanted them.

  Kyle and Zain had discussed that Elijah’s reasoning for hiring them could be because he thought the contract meant control of what happened with Megan.

  “I need you to bring Megan to me. Before the sun sets. We can salvage the photo opportunity,” Elijah said.

  “Mr. Hunt, this is Kyle.” He leaned forward. He got to be the bad cop in all this, something he was actually looking forward to. “Megan has made it clear that she does not want to return to your house.”

  “I don’t care what she wants. My money found her, she’ll play her part.”

  “Sir, according to our contract and US law, we cannot force Megan to go or do anything she does not want to.” Kyle had a love hate relationship with that line item. Today it was going to work in their favor.

  Zain stared across the desk at him while Elijah sputtered.

  “Bullshit. I paid you—”

  “That doesn’t mean we can ignore US law,” Kyle said.

  “I’m coming to you then.”

  “You’re more than welcome to come to the office, Mr. Hunt, but Megan won’t be here. She’s being moved to a secure facility for her protection,” Zain said, jumping in.

  “I want to see my daughter,” Elijah demanded.

  “She doesn’t want to see you,” Kyle replied. It was his job to hold this line while Zain kept things smooth.

  “At least let me talk to her?” Elijah sighed.

  “I can arrange that in an hour,” Kyle said. He was going to make sure they missed that window for perfect fucking pictures.

  “An hour?” Elijah sputtered.

  Kyle was willing to bet Elijah had some bargaining chip to get Megan to bend to his will he wanted to use. Kyle was growing to dislike the Hunts more and more.

  “Mr. Hunt, we’ll be in touch, but right now we have to talk to the police,” Zain said.

  They said their goodbyes.

  “One call down,” Zain muttered.

  Kyle was looking forward to talking to Roger less. They’d traded choice words at the theater. Roger wanted to parade Megan out front where the cameras were. All he cared about was getting his killer. The victims no longer mattered. He’d lost sight of the real goal in this case.

  “Here goes.” Zain folded his hands on the table.

  “What?” Roger said by way of a greeting.

  Zain nodded at Kyle.

  “Detective Blew—”

  “Where is my witness?” Roger demanded.

  “Megan is being checked out by a paramedic and resting,” Kyle replied.

  “You can’t run off with my only lead.”

  “Megan and Faith are both willing to give statements, but our job is to protect them. I would think you could appreciate that given what Megan has been through.” Kyle wanted to make sure he used the women’s names. Driving home that they were people, with lives and fears might get it through Roger’s thick skull that these people had to be treated with consideration.

  “I’ll meet them at the station.”

  “After you brought the media with you to the crime scene?” Kyle chucked. “I don’t think so.”

  “I can charge you with obstructing justice.”

  “The people who told you where your suspect was holding a kidnapped woman? That’ll go over well.” Kyle was fairly certain Roger’s credibility was shot and his threats empty. “Here’s what I propose we do for Megan’s safety. I’m going to come pick you up from the station and bring you to the girls at a safe, undisclosed location. You can take their statements there and when it’s safe for them to come to you, we’ll make that happen.”

  “I’ll need to talk to Mr. Hunt—”

  “He has already been informed that Megan does not want to see him.” Kyle wasn’t going to yield on that one. He’d left home and hadn’t looked back for a decade. Megan shouldn’t be forced into line for her family’s sake. Not after what she’d been through.

  “You aren’t giving me a choice in this, are you?”

  “No.”

  “This isn’t right. You can’t keep my witness from me.”

  “I’m not. I’m offering you a way to keep her safe not on the tax payer dime. It’s a win win. You don’t have to worry about her. You can focus on finding your man.” Kyle glanced at Zain who gave him a thumbs up.

  “Fine,” Roger grumbled.

  “Great. I’ll be by to pick you up soon.”

  Zain ended the call.

  “That didn’t go too bad,” he said.

  “Yeah, I get the feeling he’s got something up his sleeve.” Kyle grimaced.

  “Well, the community is gated. They have their own police.” Zain spread his hands. “I’m also going to pull a few guys and have them do shifts watching the street outside the gates. Eventually it’s going to get out where the girls are. We need to be prepared to protect them from the media. Have you kept tabs on the news?”

  “No...”

  “My guess is Roger let it leak yesterday.” Zain leaned back in his chair. “I did some digging.”

  “Of course you did.

  “Roger’s spent his whole career hunting one person. He’s been moved around, made fun of. This is his chance to redeem himself. I feel for him, but I am not putting innocent lives at risk for his cause.” Zain’s gaze flicked to something behind Kyle. “Bethany, come in.”

  Kyle felt a prick as though something hit him between the shoulder blades. Warmth spread through his chest and the very air felt different.

  “Sorry—I didn’t mean to...”

  Kyle turned, catching sight of Bethany hovering in the hall just out of view. From the moment he’d met her he’d liked her. That was why he’d drawn boundary lines, but those no longer mattered. He could feel himself pulled toward her.

  This wasn’t a good idea.

  Bethany deserved someone better. Someone whole.

  “Come in,” Zain said.

  She glanced at Kyle, the corners of her mouth twitching up. He clenched a fist and considered asking Shane to deck him one for being a dick like this.

  Kyle hadn’t been thinking clearly.

  They should have never crossed that line last night.

  “Megan is hungry. I don’t know where Merida went.” Bethany stepped into the office, hands clasped together.

  “She’s hungry? That’s good.” Zain shuffled papers around. “We’re actually going to move you ladies to a safe house. It’s not going to be long before this case has national media attention—”

  “Media attention?” Bethany’s eyes grew large.

  “That you don’t have to worry about,” Kyle said quickly.

  “Exactly.” Zain clicked his pen a few times. “We want to give you ladies as much privacy as possible. I’ll bet Merida is finalizing food and equipment delivery. As soon as Kade says Megan is good to move, we’ll go. Do you know if Kade said she could eat?”

  “Standard stuff. Keep it simple. Lots of liquids.” Bethany’s shoulders relaxed. “Thank you, for everything.”

  Kyle patted the arm chair next to him. He should push her away, but not when she was so clearly nervous. His job demanded he put th
e women first.

  “I’m going to go pick up Detective Blew. He still needs a formal statement from both Megan and Faith,” he said.

  “Do they have to?” She stopped behind the vacant chair and gripped the back of it.

  “If we want to find this guy, yeah.” Kyle did his best to maintain an easy tone. Right now his main objective was to get the ladies to a secure site and dig in. Once they had their defensive position established they could work on an offense.

  “Want company?” Bethany asked.

  The question took Kyle by surprise. He should say no, but he couldn’t. Not to Bethany. He owed her too much to deny her anything. “If you want to ride with me I’d love to have you.”

  “Then you two should go. Take the long, scenic route to the safe house,” Zain said.

  “Copy that.” Kyle pushed to his feet. “Come on.”

  He and Bethany stepped out into the hall. They made a quick stop into the surveillance room to update his team, then let the girls know what was going to happen before heading down to the parking lot.

  Deep down, Kyle was glad for Bethany’s company. She soothed parts of him that were still raw, proving that she was a healer in every sense of the word.

  At least he’d been able to keep his word to her and get Megan back alive.

  He’d been worried that between the well planned abduction, Megan’s family and the narrowly focused detective they’d bring the young woman back in a body bag. Instead, it was all working out. With any luck Detective Blew and his officers were tightening the net on their search and they’d have their man within hours if not a few days. With a killer who’d been active this long it was a matter of time until he was caught. He’d get lazy or the police would build up enough evidence. One thing or another would lead to his arrest.

  “Thanks for letting me ride along.” Bethany buckled in and sank down in her seat. There was a nervous vibe to her still. He’d thought it was Zain. Some people were uncomfortable around him due to his serious nature and the cutting edge prosthetic arm. Now, he wasn’t as sure.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  “No, I’m just—we’ve got her back. I feel...panicky? Relieved. And yet all this happened and I don’t know how to deal with it. I’m tired. I want to laugh, cry, hide.”

  “That’s normal. You’ve been pumped full of fear and adrenaline, now it’s gone.”