“Morning, beautiful.” He said when she seen her. He was cleaning a wicked-looking blade, but he paused and looked at her as he asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Hungry.” She replied, bending to raid the fridge. When she found it stocked will all the creature comforts, she looked at Daniel over her shoulder and said, “I see you did some shopping.”
“Not me. That would be the guys.”
“Well, thank them for me the next time you see them.” She said, standing as she bit into a chocolate muffin. She crossed to the breakfast bar and eyed the three guns and the two knives as she asked, “Have you got enough there, sailor?”
Daniel grinned that sexy grin of his and replied, “There is no such thing as having too much, babe.”
Kelley rolled her eyes and took another bite of her muffin. But she was glad she had a man like Daniel. Not that he was her man. She knew that, even if she did want more. It was just nice to have someone care enough about her to fight her battles.
“No morning sickness?” Daniel asked as he swapped the blade for a gun.
“Not yet.” She looked at him and, in all seriousness, asked, “How long do you think we're going to have to stay here?”
He held her gaze and replied, “For as long as it takes for me to keep you safe.”
Twelve
Two months later …
It seemed Ronald had just vanished off the face of the earth.
The AFP still had agents looking for him and Michael Blake's WPP unit were still shadowing Kelley and Daniel, even after Michael gave the Lieutenant hell for moving Kelley yet again without permission.
They were living in Kelley's old apartment, with Michael and his men taking the apartments next door and the local police on alert for any sign of Ronald Coleman.
But it'd been two months since anyone had last seen him, and he hadn't made any moves to suggest he was coming after Kelley or trying to leave the country. But that didn't mean any of them were letting their guards down.
Kelley was now seven months pregnant, and no one – not Daniel, Michael or the sailors from HMAS Sydney – were willing to risk her life or her baby's life.
Even now, on a hot Thursday afternoon while Kelley was waiting for her doctors appointment, there was a team of agents shadowing her and Daniel as they went into the CBD for some lunch. Daniel wanted to catch up with his mates but he didn't want to take Kelley to the pub they'd suggested, so she told him to go and have fun while she had lunch at a cafe across the street that was also within walking distance of the doctors office.
Daniel was reluctant. “I don't want to leave you.”
“I know, but I'll be okay.” Kelley told him. “Agent Blake is my new shadow.”
It was true; every time she lifted her head, the federal agent was there.
“Okay.” Daniel finally agreed. “But stay within his line-of-sight and call me if you need me.”
“Okay.” Kelley agreed. She kissed him before going to the cafe.
She wasn't overly worried that something would happen while she ate lunch at a crowded cafe.
Even someone like Ronald Coleman wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything in the middle of the day at a crowded cafe.
She ordered a hamburger with some salad and flipped through an out-of-date magazine as Michael drank coffee two tables over and Daniel and his buddies enjoyed beers on the side-walk bar that overlooked the street and the cafe.
Time seemed to drag, so when she finished her lunch, Kelley decided to walk the three short blocks to the doctors office. After all, Agent Blake was still with her.
As she walked down the quiet street that had only a few pedestrians and a few cars passing, she came across a store that was having a sale on all things baby. Pausing to make sure Michael was still behind her and could see where she'd gone, Kelley ducked into the store and began browsing the many aisles, looking at everything she could buy for her daughter when she got back from the doctor. As she looked at a beautiful blanket set for a crib, she saw Michael standing outside the door and smiled.
There was one federal agent who didn't take his job lightly.
But even as she thought this, something hard and cold was jammed into the small of her back as a very familiar voice growled in her ear, “Come with me and everything will be alright.”
When Daniel saw federal agents running down the street in the direction he'd seen Kelley and Michael head, he felt sick to his stomach and didn't waste anytime in racing after them. Near the doctors office, Michael had the street blocked off and was issuing orders to his men.
Daniel couldn't see Kelley anywhere and the feeling of dread in his gut got worse. “Blake! Where's Kelley?”
Michael looked at him and said, “Gone.”
“What?!”
“She's gone, Coleman.” Michael said, his voice and face grim. “I lost her.”
“How did you lose her? You were right behind her!”
Ric Jordan placed a restraining hand on his arm when Daniel would have lunged at the fed, and Steven Leigh stood on his other side, shaking his head in silent warning not to do anything stupid. By force of will, Daniel managed to calm himself enough to speak normally and he glared at the federal agent as he growled, “Ronald has her.”
“It would seem that way.”
“For your sake, Blake, you'd better pray he doesn't do anything to her.”
Thirteen
On a stroke of pure luck, Ronald had found Kelley.
He'd been heading back to her apartment on his way back from the Navy yard, where he'd been informed Daniel had taken some extended leave, and had found her leaving a cafe and heading directly towards him. He'd seen the bodyguard shadowing her, and when she'd entered that baby store, he'd seen that at his ultimate opportunity to grab her because all the shops along that side of the street had an alley directly behind them.
It'd been perfect.
Now, he had her tied to a chair in an abandoned warehouse on a property that was almost impossible to find. He played with his butterfly knife as he stared at her.
He couldn't believe the little bitch was pregnant and she hadn't told him.
And he knew it was his because Kelley hadn't been away from him long enough to get pregnant to someone else. Not even to his bastard of a brother.
Snapping the knife open, Ronald went over to her and bent down so he was in her face as he asked, “How far along are you?”
Kelley jerked her head up and glared at him as she growled, “Go to Hell.”
Ronald chuckled and pressed the blade against her skin, letting the tip of the knife rest against the pulse-point in her throat as he said, “You always were a sassy little bitch, Kelley.” Moving the knife up to her jugular, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and cradled the back of her head as he whispered in her ear, “Answer the question.”
“Seven months.”
That only confirmed what he already knew; the baby was without a doubt his, because she'd been in the WPP for only five months.
He moved away from her and folded his arms, glaring at her as he said, “So I'm going to be a father and you didn't even tell me.”
Kelley said nothing.
Ronald smiled and asked, “Are you screwing my brother?”
She still said nothing.
He was starting to get very pissed with the little bitch, but he couldn't do anything to her yet. He needed her to think he wasn't going to harm her so he could use her to get to Daniel.
He wouldn't harm her.
Not yet at least.
A full-scale manhunt was underway in Cairns.
Michael Blake and his AFP agents were scouring every inch of the city, looking for Ronald Coleman and his hostage, Kelley Harmon. He'd advised Daniel to stay out of the way and to let them do their jobs, but Daniel couldn't just sit around and do nothing.
He had to get out there and do something.
He needed to find Kelley.
Ric and Steven had volunteered to assist him in searching for
them.
Daniel jiggled his car keys in his hand and shook his head as he head, “I can't ask you guys do that.”
“Then don't.” Ric said. “But we're helping.”
“What about the Navy?” He asked. “If this goes south, and it will because I know how Ronald can get, you're more then likely going to get discharged.”
Steven shrugged. “Saving a pregnant woman from an evil ex-federal agent is a good excuse to be discharged.”
“Besides,” Ric added, “We've all given the RAN twenty years of service. And all our jackets are clean.”
Daniel was grateful his mates were so keen to help him, and he said, “Alright. But don't say I didn't warn you.”
They got into his GT and began searching the streets.
It was a lousy start, but it was the only one they had because Daniel didn't have a clue as to where to start looking.
Ric and Steven had their eyes on the surrounding area, searching for anything that could tell them where Ronald was while Daniel kept his eyes on the road and his hands on the wheel, even though anger and an eagerness to locate Kelley were jumping through his veins.
Kelley was seven months pregnant, and she was in a hostage situation with the man who'd gotten her that way.
The man who'd raped her.
His grip on the steering wheel became deathly tight and he cursed under his breath.
He just prayed they found her before it was too late.Fourteen
Kelley squirmed against the restraints as Ronald dug holes into a wooden table that was on the verge of collapsing from it's own weight. Her little angel was kicking for her worth and she felt like throwing up, but Ronald had put a gag in her mouth.
He seemed to be waiting for something.
He kept looking at his watch or checking the time on his mobile.
Kelley wondered what he had planned when he suddenly came over to her and yanked the gag out of her mouth. He opened the knife with a loud click and pressed it to her throat again.
She held her breath, waiting for him to make a move.
“Tell me what your relationship is with Daniel.”
“We're friends.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
Ronald swore and suddenly slapped her, causing her head to snap to one side. She tasted blood and a dull throbbing began in her head.
“You always were a lying bitch, Harmon.” Ronald growled. “I know you've been in contact with him since you were relocated out of Melbourne.”
Kelley tried to get her head cleared so she could think straight. “He's been on patrol for most of the time I've been up here.”
“His boss told me he took an extended leave a few weeks ago.”
She didn't know what to say to that, so she kept silent.
Ronald growled but didn't say anything else as he began to pace the area in front of her. Her daughter kicked again and Kelley closed her eyes against the throbbing in her skull.
She had to get out of here before anything happened to harm her baby.
Only problem was, she didn't know where here was, and she didn't know if Daniel knew if she was missing yet. She couldn't tell what time of day or night it was and she was beginning to regret insisting he go and have some beers with his mates.
Did Blake even know she was gone?
Surely by now they knew and were looking for her.
Ronald was getting angrier and angrier with every minute that passed, and Kelley knew first hand what he was like when he got too angry. If she was alone with him for too long, her little angel might not get to see the light of day.
It was almost midnight and Kelley had been missing for twelve hours.
Daniel, Ric and Steven were now in farming country, and Daniel pulled over on the side of the highway. He put the GT into park before getting out and shouting his frustration into the quiet night.
No one had anything and he was getting frustrated that they still hadn't found Kelley.
“Danny, it's going to be okay.” Ric said as he got out of the front passenger seat. “We're going to find her.”
Daniel slammed the drivers door and leaned against it with a white-knuckled grip, breathing heavy as his heart continued to pound with anger.
“Come on mate.” Steven said as he joined him near the front. He slapped a hand on Daniels back and said, “You won't be any good to her if you give up or let your anger overtake you.”
He sucked in a calming breath and turned to face his friends. “She's been missing for twelve hours. How do I even know that bastard hasn't already killed her?”
“You know Ronald Coleman better then anyone currently searching for him.” Steven said. “Do you honestly believe he would have killed her by now?”
“I honestly don't know.”
“Then you can't start thinking like that until you see the body.” Ric said. “For now, you have to believe Kelley is still alive and that nothing has happened to her.”
Daniel nodded. “You're right.”
Steven slapped him on the back again and said, “There you go. Now, let's get back on the road and get back to looking for your girl.”
Before he could get behind the wheel, his mobile rang. “Coleman.”
“It's Blake.” Michael said. “We may have found them.”
Daniel felt his heart jump into his throat and he demanded, “Where are they?”
“Intel hasn't been confirmed yet, but a witness put someone matching Ronald Coleman's description at an old farm not far from the city.”
“Where?” Michael gave him the co-ordinates and Daniel entered them into the GPS he kept in the GT. When the location came up, he told the agent, “We're not far from that location.”
“I'd be wasting my time if I told you not to proceed without me and my team, wouldn't I?” Michael said.
Daniel had to smile. “Yes. Kelley's family. I'm not going to let Ronald have the chance to hurt her anymore then he already has.”
“Alright. Just try not to get yourself killed.” Michael said. “And try not to kill him.”
Daniel didn't respond. He couldn't agree to something he'd been wanting to do since learning what Ronald had done to Kelley a few months ago. Ronald might be his big brother, but if he'd hurt Kelley in any way, Daniel was going to kill him. He hung up on Michael and told the guys the news.
“There you go.” Ric said, smiling.
“Let's go get your girl, Coleman.” Steven said.
Daniel smiled. The RO sounded so confident and he couldn't help but envy that a little.
He'd finally admitted he loved Kelley and that he wanted to share a future with her. He didn't want to lose her before he had a chance to tell her.
Fifteen
The bright shine of lights woke Kelley.
She was still bound to the chair in the warehouse and a quick look around told her Ronald was at the table, asleep and snoring. He obviously wasn't worried about being found.
She looked to the wall across from her, where she thought the lights had come from, but it was all dark and nothing was moving, telling her she must have imagined it. For how ever many hours or days Ronald had had her captive here in this dark warehouse, he hadn't fed her, and Kelley knew that would be the reason for her hallucinating. She also knew it couldn't be good for her baby.
A loud snore bounced off the walls and Ronald shifted on the table, causing it to creak loudly in protest, but he didn't wake.
Kelley decided it was time to try and escape.
It was obvious Daniel and the AFP were having trouble finding her, so she knew it was up to her to try and make a move that would help them and get her out of here.
Just as she started trying to get out of the rope binding her hands, noise came from in the direction of the front door, and she froze, trying to listen. From what she could tell, it sounded like raised whispers and the occasional thud of a boot on the hard ground that surrounded the warehouse. She stopped trying to escape and listened, hoping to catch something that t
old her whether or not it was someone she could count on to get her out of here.
The whispers suddenly stopped, then came the creak of rusted hinges, and Kelley's heart began to pound a million miles a minute. She looked over at Ronald, who was still sleeping, and wondered who could possibly be coming into the warehouse.
A Hero In Uniform - The Complete Series Page 5