Lost in Shadows (Lost)

by Anita DeVito

  Tom lifted an eyebrow. “You have something against eggs this morning? That’s the third one you broke.”

  She cut him a look. “Are you watching me?”

  He raised an eyebrow and smiled teasingly. “I don’t mind the extra calcium in my diet. Anything you make is going to be better than what I can get at the airport.”

  Katie sighed. “I’m going to miss you when you’re up in Michigan.”

  “You’re going to be too busy partying your ass off on Butch’s tour to have time to miss me. You’re leaving tonight, right?”

  She snorted a laugh and nodded. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s how it’s going to be. I still have work to get done. We do have deadlines, you know.”

  “That’s insulting.” He pointed using a piece of bacon. “I’ve never missed a deadline in my life.”

  Carolina listened to the verbal tug of war between them and wished for Nate.

  Butch staggered into the kitchen, as usual, asleep on his feet. He wordlessly pulled Katie from her chair, sat down, and pulled her into his lap and buried his face in her hair.

  Katie laughed again and wiggled in to her husband. “You need to wake up, sleepyhead, if you’re going to make it into Nashville on time.”

  “Time’s relative,” Butch mumbled.

  “Well you’re going to be relatively late if you don’t get moving. You’re the one who wanted to meet with the producer before we left.”

  “Are you coming with me?”

  “No. I didn’t get a chance to pack last night. You distracted me.”

  “Eewww.” Tom dragged the Mason glass in front of Katie. “Feed the jar.”

  Carolina huffed out a laugh for the first time that morning.

  “It’s about time you lightened up, missy. Keep an eye on the two of them while I’m gone. No hanky-panky in the kitchen. It isn’t sanitary.”

  An hour later, the fall sun shined warmly on the courtyard where Carolina and Katie fussed over the flower arrangements from the wedding. Butch had raced out of the house only fifteen minutes earlier. His shirt wasn’t buttoned and his jeans weren’t snapped, but he had his hat and boots on. Tom pushed and nagged because Butch was his ride to the airport and the plane to Michigan where he planned to juggle his PhD dissertation and deadlines for the new structures he and Katie were designing.

  Carolina still didn’t know where Jeb was. It didn’t matter that she didn’t want to talk to him, he should have told her. She didn’t want to sleep with him either, but did that stop him? “Stupid jerk. Big, thick, stupid jerk.”

  Katie sat back on her heels. “What did he do?”

  She narrowed her eyes and counted off his sins on her fingers. “One, he acted like a jealous boyfriend all evening. Two, he lied to me about there being trouble. Three, he shut me out. Four, he made almost love to me when I was angry. Five, then he stopped. Six, he thinks he’s sending me away. Seven, he slept with me when I didn’t want to sleep with him. Eight, he didn’t tell me where he went.”

  “No wonder you’re pissed.”

  “Thank you,” she said sincerely and then held the small shovel at eye level. “I have had it up to here with bossy men. It’s like I’m a magnet for them. ‘Go here, Carolina. Do this, Carolina. Don’t do that, Carolina.’ I have a brain, don’t I?”

  “A damn good one.”

  “Damn right. I’ve lived on my own for years. I have a good career. A good life. I don’t need another man to drop into the middle of my life and take it over.”

  Katie ducked as Carolina swung her arms, sending dirt from the potted plant flying. “What are you going to do?”

  “What am I going to do?” she repeated. “I’m leaving. He doesn’t want me here. Fine by me.”

  Katie jumped to her feet. “You’re leaving? You don’t have to do that. Not like this. You’re upset, and rightfully so, but let’s go get a cup of coffee.” Katie stood and pulled Carolina to her feet. “Come on. I’ll put away the tools, you pour the coffee. Hagerman is the only one here, and he’s working in Jeb’s office. We’ll have girl time.”

  Girl time. When was the last time she had girl time? “All right. We’ll talk about the pain in the butt.”

  Carolina took a small plate from the cupboard and filled it with cookies while a pot of coffee brewed. Time passed quickly working in the courtyard with Katie, and a midmorning snack would do them both some good. The coffee maker huffed and puffed, taking forever to fill. The front gate buzzed, and she went to the small control panel, grateful for even a short distraction. “Yes?”

  “Delivery for Carolina Walker,” a masculine voice said through the speaker.

  She pushed the button to open the iron gate. She went to the coffee maker and, tired of waiting, took out the pot to fill the cups.

  “Who is at the gate?” Hagerman asked from the doorway.

  “It’s just a delivery for me,” she said. She looked at the coffee and felt compelled to offer it. “Would you like a cup?”

  The low growl of a big truck came closer to the house. “Who sent you something? No one knows you’re here.”

  Her mouth dropped open and before she could close it, bullets ripped through the kitchen. The freshly made coffee splattered, dripped down the walls.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jeb surveyed the front of the airport from a shielded position in the open surface parking lot while Beck did a final drive through. “Clear?”

  “Clear.” Beck’s deep voice rumbled into the small device in his ear. “I don’t like this. It’s too open. It’s impossible to clear every vehicle. I don’t see anything obvious, but I don’t like it.”

  “I don’t, either.” He brought himself to his full height and looked around the sea of parked cars. “But it’s what we’ve got. I’m going in.”

  Beck pulled the big SUV into a handicap spot where he could easily see Jeb through the glass front of the airport.

  Jeb caught the blue handicap tag dangling from Beck’s rearview mirror and knew he’d brought the right man for the job. “Talk about being prepared.”

  “There is no talk, only do.”

  “You and Yoda.” He huffed silently and then acknowledged being grateful for having Beck at his back. Beck had joined Chameleon a few months ago and quickly proved his worth. He had been considered for an assignment in D.C. when Jeb overrode his partner and took Beck for his own.

  He walked through the automatic revolving door into the small airport, confident with the decision he’d made.

  Corded ropes segregated the long, wide concourse between departing passengers and those arriving. The flimsy barrier prevented inadvertent wandering more than hindering actual movement. To the left were rows of white plastic seats in front of the twenty-foot-tall wall of windows that would make passengers sitting ducks for anyone with homicidal intent.

  He crossed into the arriving passenger area and went to the screen displaying flight arrival status. “Miller’s plane has landed,” he said for Beck’s benefit. Soon after, a thin trickle of passengers began flowing into the concourse. His gaze flew over the faces, comparing features to the photo of Miller he’d found on the newspaper’s website. A man with dark circles and long strides appeared. “Showtime.” He circled and came into step with the target. “Miller. We need to talk.”

  Miller jumped. “Who are you?”

  Jeb stopped walking, bringing Miller to a halt, and then motioned to the relative protection of a roof column. “Jebediah McCormick. You’ve made some enemies, Miller.”

  “Damn it. I can’t see you.” Beck hissed in his ear.

  Jeb ignored Beck and reached for Miller when he took a step backward. “I’m not one of them.”

  Miller searched the concourse. “What are you talking about? I don’t have enemies.” He rubbed his hands down his thighs.

  “When you’re afraid, everyone looks like an enemy. It makes it hard to see the real threat.”

  Miller’s gaze snapped back to Jeb’s stone face. “You hurt me and I’ll call
for security.”

  He sized up the man. Miller was a man of words, like Finch, not a fighter. “I’m here to protect you. And your family.”

  All color drained from Miller’s face. “My family? Kelly? Where is she?”

  “Your wife and daughter are safe. They’re enjoying a few days at a hotel, waiting for you.”

  “I want to see them. Now.”

  Jeb nodded his head. “I’m not holding you hostage, Miller. Just the opposite. I’m offering you protection.”

  Miller ran his hands over his face. He staggered to the plastic chairs and fell heavily into a hard seat. “From whom? Why is someone after me?”

  Jeb took the seat across the narrow aisle. Their knees nearly touched. “The land deal story you are working on. You hired a researcher.”

  Miller nodded. “Carolina Walker. She’s supposed to be the best.”

  “Someone attempted to kill her. They did burn her home down and steal her computer.”

  Miller swallowed hard. “Oh my God. Is she…is she?”

  “She’s with me. I’m not letting anyone get to her. You brought this threat to her.” Jeb stopped and forced a deep breath. This wasn’t the plan. It’s not supposed to be personal. He fisted his hand to control the temper seething through him. It seemed everything was personal to him when it came to Carolina Walker.

  “Kelly said someone tried to break into our home. Our dogs stopped it.” Miller shook his head as though clearing away the clouds. “The governor? He’s behind this?”

  Jeb shrugged. “I doubt it. He’s not a man to get his hands messy, is he?”

  “No,” Miller agreed. “No. But Lincoln Kennedy is. The man is slicker than a greased pig. I know he’s dirty. I know it, but the man knows how to cover himself. There’s never a paper trail.”

  “What about the land deals?”

  “I stumbled across them. Large land transactions that put prime tracts into the hands of a few developers. It smelled bad and at last, I thought, there would be a paper trail. I tried to follow it but was shut down by my editor.”

  “So you hired Carolina.”

  Miller nodded. “I knew once I had the information, my editor would change her position. This was big. This is big. I can’t let it go.”

  He watched as Miller’s dark eyes hardened, realizing his mistake. This man may not use his fists but he was every bit the fighter that Jeb was. He nodded approvingly. “Let’s talk about your problem. We’ve taken steps to eliminate the threat.”

  “We? Who’s we?”

  “Chameleon Security.”

  Miller closed his eyes. “I never thought it would come to this. I would never put anyone in a position like this.”

  Jeb read the man clearly enough now. Miller would frequently, and without pause, stand up against what he saw as wrongs in the world. But he would stand on his own.

  “We’ll take you to your wife and daughter. I have a man with them now. We’ll keep you protected until this is over.”

  Miller ran his hands through his hair again. “How long?” When Jeb merely shrugged, he stood and began to pace. “I have some money saved.”

  “This isn’t about money. Not for me,” Jeb stated flatly.

  “I can see that, but you’ll take what I have. I doubt it’ll be enough, but I want you to keep my wife and daughter safe.”

  “But not you.”

  Miller hung his head. “It’s more important than ever that I write the story. I’ll get it out there and, once it’s public, there’s no point in killing to keep things quiet. It’s the best way I can think of to protect my family, your wife.”

  Jeb opened his mouth to deny Carolina was his wife, but nothing came out. Something about those few words heated his blood and set every nerve on end. He wanted her to belong to him in the way God and man recognized. For all his flaws and issues, he knew he could be a good husband to her and be the kind of man she needed. First, she needed to be safe and freed from the stress that had begun with taking Miller as a client.

  Jeb unzipped his jacket and began unstrapping the bulletproof vest he wore.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Beck hissed in his ear again.

  Jeb held the vest out to Miller. “Here. Do you know how to use a gun?”

  Miller shook his head. “I’m not—”

  “There’s a very fine line between brave and stupid. Make sure you know which side you’re standing on.”

  Miller shrugged out of his own jacket, pulled on the thick black vest, and quickly put his jacket back on, zipping it to cover the vest completely. “Thank you.”

  “Let’s get out of here.” He led Miller out of the terminal, using his body to shelter Miller from the parking lot. He didn’t have to look to see that Beck’s attention hadn’t wavered and that he didn’t approve of Jeb giving up his vest. Three rows back, a white Honda waited. Miller went to his trunk to stow his bags. His chin lifted, daring fate, defying the threats. Miller offered his hand and Jeb accepted. “Take care of yourself.” He walked away, respecting that every man had choices to make. Good men made the hard ones.

  A full-size pickup customized for off-roading barreled across the grounds, going up and over curbs as it drove a row down from the reporter. The truck sat four feet off the ground with tires as big as a man.

  “Jeb. Two o’clock.”

  He saw the truck even as Beck shouted in his ear. “Miller. Down.” He pulled the weapon he had strapped to his ankle and fired. It was as effective as shooting spitballs at a charging bull. He ran toward Miller. The man had frozen, a deer caught in the headlights. He wouldn’t be in time. He wouldn’t be in time…again. “Miller! Get your ass down.”

  A barrel appeared in the window and laid down a line of fire that cut across the row of trunks, bumpers, and Miller’s chest.

  He dove for cover and crawled to Miller, watching his body fall. “Beck. Get that son of a bitch!” He reached Miller and rolled him over. His eyes were screwed shut, his arms and legs fighting against an unseen enemy. Jeb tore open the coat. The vest had held.

  “You’re okay, Miller. You’re okay.” He lifted his head and saw Beck’s SUV tearing out of the parking lot after the truck. Airport security would be scrambling. All Beck had to do was contain him until backup arrived. “Beck. What’s happening?”

  “Fucker’s all over the place.” Beck’s voice, calm and collected, came across the Bluetooth connection. “I’m hanging back. No way of telling which way the truck will go next. He’s gone overland, he’s between the road and the airfield fence. Security coming?”

  “I don’t see them yet.”

  “This bastard’s not getting away. I’m going for the tires.”

  Jeb heard the distant pop, pop, pop.

  “That did it. He’s on his side in the drainage ditch. He’s not going anywhere.”

  Jeb had Miller sitting up, a crowd gathered around them, when his phone rang. “Finch. I’m busy.”

  “You’re about to be busier.” As always, Finch’s voice was matter-of-fact. “Kennedy called. He located the contract and bought it out, which is the cover-his-ass way of saying he called it off.”

  Jeb paced away from the crowd. “Finch, he just hit Miller.”

  “Cooper and Hunter branched out on their own. They made some ill-advised threats toward Kennedy and indicated they wanted vengeance for the death of their brother. They’re holding Carolina responsible.”

  He swallowed down the fury and forced his brain to think. “Carolina didn’t kill their brother, Millstone’s man did. And why hit Miller?”

  “Professional pride? I’ve never claimed to understand the mind of a bloodthirsty psychopath. That’s your job.”

  “Jeb,” Beck’s voice broke in. “I got him. He’s rambling on about a bigger hit.”

  “A bigger hit? What’s bigger than an airport?”

  “Let me find out.” Flesh hit flesh. There was a strangled cry and then two softly spoken words. “Tell me.”

  Adrenaline strung out the word
s that followed but they were clear enough. “The woman.”

  Beck was back in his ear. “Shit, Jeb. They’re going after Carolina.”

  Bile rose, burning his throat. He’d played the wrong hand. He’d thought he had Carolina locked down, that she was untouchable. “Quit fooling around and get back here.”

  …

  Hagerman tackled Carolina to the floor an instant before the world exploded. He covered her body while glass and hot coffee rained down. “We need to move. Now.” He rolled off her and crawled to the back door, opening it. They hurried through the courtyard to Jeb’s wing. “Get down, now!” He barked the command as Katie walked in, unsuspecting.

  She dropped immediately and crawled as fast as she could to join them. Without slowing, Hagerman opened the door to Jeb’s office. He pushed Carolina inside and sprinted back into the courtyard for Katie.

  Carolina bounced off the paneled wall but quickly gained her footing. She raced to the gun cabinet where her daddy’s .44 had been stowed for safekeeping. She spun as Katie flew in through the door. Hagerman came in behind Katie and secured the door as he pulled out his cell phone. They waited the eternity while Jeb’s phone rang and then rolled to voicemail. “Get home now. We got company.” Hagerman spoke into the speaker as he moved with practiced precision, going to Jeb’s cabinet and pulling out vests and rifles. “Do you know how to use one of these?”

  Carolina nodded, shoved the .44 into the waist band of her jeans, and took the rifle.

  Katie shook her head. “I’ve never fired a gun in my life.”

  Hagerman loaded a magazine into a 9mm, released the safety, and handed it to her. “Hold it straight, pull the trigger, and make sure you want dead whatever you’re aiming at.” Hagerman pressed a button on his phone.

  “It’s Beck. How many?” Professionalism came over the speaker. Carolina admired the steel that ran through him. It calmed her, knowing he and Jeb were on her side.

  “Not sure.” Hagerman handed out bulletproof vests and then shoved ammunition into his oversized pockets. “I’ll get the two of them to safety.”

  “We’re twenty minutes out.”