Hidden Threat

by Sherri Hayes

  It was all coming together for Cali. She remembered Matthew telling her about the employee they’d discovered embezzling shortly after he’d started working for her father. He wouldn’t be happy that an innocent man had been framed.

  But Cali’s thoughts were interrupted as Peter turned. But this time, his hand wasn’t empty. He waved the black barrel of a gun carelessly in her face.

  “Everything would have been fine if your father would have just left things alone and trusted me to take care of it!” he said, slamming his hand down on the desk in front of her, making her jump.

  “You…you’re the one who sent the notes to my father threatening him.”

  The left side of his mouth quirked up into a smile, “You are a smart one, aren’t you, Cali. No wonder daddy wanted to put you in charge. Too bad it will cost him an heir.”

  Cali’s heart pounded in her chest. This was it? Her dad. Matthew. I’ll never be able to tell him that him that I love him. Never be able to look into those blue eyes again and dream that he could one day love me back.

  Suddenly the door flew open. “Cali, are you—” Lisa stopped dead in her tracks as Peter brought the gun up from where it was resting on the desk and pointed it at her.

  “Step inside and close the door, Lisa.”

  But she didn’t move. There was indecision in her eyes.

  Then there was a muffled thump, and Lisa fell to the floor, unconscious. Cali saw movement in the doorway and looked up. She gasped.

  “Sorry I’m late. Did I miss anything?”

  Chapter 42

  As Matthew pulled into the parking garage, he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. The weasel had covered his tracks well, but not well enough. Peter Carson was going to pay for all the trouble he’d caused.

  With the information they already had on Mariana, Martinez was getting a warrant to tap all his phone lines and put him under twenty-four-hour surveillance. Matthew could monitor him at work, but outside would be more difficult; he just didn’t have the manpower for something like that, especially long term.

  And it would be long term, a few weeks at the very least. Peter wasn’t hijacking the shipments himself, but he probably had contact with whoever it was by phone or in person.

  Cali’s words earlier about the financials not making sense kept replaying in his mind. He’d already put a call into an old army buddy of his who was a whiz with numbers. After everything else, Matthew wouldn’t put it past Peter to skim the accounts. He probably had a nice little nest egg in an offshore account somewhere.

  Pulling into his spot, he turned off the car and jogged to the elevator. After hitting the up button, he pulled out his phone to call his brother. He wanted Jason to meet him in Cali’s office so he could tell them both the good news.

  When he looked down at his phone, he realized he’d turned it off at the station. It came to life just as the doors opened, and he stepped inside. Moving to hit the top floor, his hand stopped mid reach. His phone was programmed to show him a current image of Cali’s office every fifteen minutes.

  The doors automatically closed as he scrolled through two hours of saved images.

  He reached the next to the last one, and felt his stomach sink like a stone as he watched Peter walk toward Cali. Pushing the down arrow revealed the last picture, which, according to the time stamp, was taken only moments ago. Peter was at the window, and Cali sat in her chair, her body set in unnatural stillness.

  Hitting the elevator button for the floor just below executive suites, Matthew pressed the speed dial on his phone. He didn’t wait for a greeting when Martinez picked up the line. “He’s in her office right now. Something’s wrong.”

  His friend knew him enough not to argue. “We’re on our way.”

  Matthew knew Martinez would prefer he wait for backup to arrive, but that wasn’t going to happen.

  The minutes seemed to tick away as the floors passed by one at a time. It had to be the longest elevator ride, but when the doors finally opened, Matthew hit the floor running. He wanted his presence to go undetected until he could assess the situation. He slowly opened the door to the stairwell and silently made his way up one floor to the executive level and to Cali.

  It was one of the top floors, and no one up here used the stairs. Not to mention the fact that it was just minutes before five o’clock when eighty percent of the employees would pile out into the streets, completely unaware of what was happening on the top floor. Matthew slowed down as he quietly approached the final flight of stairs, freed his gun from his ankle holster, and checked the magazine.

  Looking through the small window, he could see the foyer was empty. Why wasn’t Lisa at her desk?

  Cali’s door was open, which was a good sign. So as silently as he could, he opened the door to the stairwell and slipped unseen onto the top floor.

  A quick scan confirmed there was no one else here, so he moved closer to the open doorway, gun at the ready. He heard voices coming from Cali’s office, and as he listened, he could hear more than just Cali and Peter in the room. Another female?

  ***

  “What’s going on?” Cali asked. “I thought you were my friend.” Cali sat dumbfounded as she stared at the woman who’d been one of the few friend’s she’d had overseas.

  “Oh come on, Cali. You know the old saying, blood is thicker than water,” Rachael said flippantly.

  She laughed at Cali’s confused expression.

  “What are you talking about?” Cali asked and then paused to look at Peter before going back to Rachael. “You’re related?”

  “Sometimes it’s a good thing when the old man can’t keep it in his pants,” she laughed.

  Cali’s stomach turned. It was impossible to keep an eye on both of them.

  Rachael paused briefly to give a firm kick to Lisa’s limp body, reaffirming the butt of her gun had knocked her out cold. A chill ran up Cali’s spine. Lisa isn’t moving.

  Peter and Rachael are going to kill me. She closed her eyes briefly and prayed it wouldn’t be Matthew who found her body. She didn’t want that to be his last memory of her.

  Rachael walked slowly to Cali’s left side. She took her gun and used it to tilt Cali’s chin up. “So…are you going to be a good girl and cooperate or is a little persuasion in order, hm?”

  “What do you want?”

  Rachael looked at Peter, and her eyebrow quirked up in question. “I hadn’t gotten that far,” he said and then added, “Why you don’t do the honors.”

  A wicked smile crossed her face as she looked back down at Cali. “Well, you see, we need to take care of a little business.” Cali refused to respond, and Rachael’s smile grew. “Oh, it’s nothing big really. We just need you to sign some things. It will make everything go so much smoother.”

  Cali was determined. They would not see just how afraid she was even though her insides were doing somersaults. “I’m not signing anything,” Cali said firmly. She was not going to help these two. They’d done enough damage already. I only hope it won’t hurt too much.

  A tearing pain shot up her arm, and a loud popping sound filled the room as she cried out. The room tilted as she tried to remain focused and not black out.

  “You only need one arm to sign your name, Cali. And where you’re going, you won’t need your legs either. So what’s it going to be? Do I start working off body parts here, or are you going to sign the papers?” Rachael nodded to the small pile Peter had placed in front of her.

  Cali looked down through the tears forming in her eyes at the few sheets she could see. Several were for the quarterly reports she’d been reviewing. If she signed them, it would be her approval and anything negative found would be on her.

  But that wasn’t what made her toes curl. The second paper did that all by itself. It was a resignation letter stating she no longer felt able to fulfill her obligations as acting CEO and that she was returning to her first love—being a doctor overseas.

  Her heart pounded in her ears. Cali knew
what would happen if she signed that paper. Communication was sparse in Africa. Her father had been lucky she was in a place where she could be reached when he called. There’d been many times over those two years when she’d be out of touch for more than a month. And that would be more than enough time for Peter and Rachael to get rid of her and any evidence linking them to her disappearance.

  Rachael’s voice brought her back out of her musings. “We don’t have all day, Cali. You have thirty seconds to pick up that pen, or I put a bullet in your leg.” Everything stilled.

  The seconds ticked away but no one moved. “Five seconds, Cali.” Her mouth went dry. “Four.” Fear took over and her breathing came in short, rough pants. “Three. Two.”

  ***

  “Don’t move!” Matthew shouted from the doorway.

  Rachael didn’t listen.

  The sound of her gunshot filled the room, and Matthew’s heart stopped for a split second before he reacted. Another shot rang out mingling with Cali’s scream.

  “No!” Peter shouted as he saw Rachael fall, and her gun drop to the floor. He didn’t hesitate, raising his own gun, but Matthew was faster. His second bullet found its home directly in the center of Peter forehead.

  Matthew’s training kicked in and took stock of the entire situation. Two enemies.

  Two casualties. And two victims. He didn’t allow himself to feel the despair that was threatening just yet. He knelt down quickly, making sure Lisa had a pulse before moving to Cali.

  When he reached her side, her limp body was slumped over on itself, and her face was devoid of color. “Cali?” he pleaded. The ache in his chest was nearly unbearable. “Please, Cali, look at me.”

  Gradually her eyes came up, but they were glassy, unfocused. He felt moisture sting his eyes but pushed it away. She needed him right now. He couldn’t lose it. Matthew could see the blood rushing out of her leg, and he pressed down hard to staunch the flow. I can’t lose her. Seconds later, he dialed 911 for the second time in two short months for the woman he loved.

  The operator tried to get him to stay on the phone, but he refused. He was watching Cali fall apart before his eyes. He couldn’t concentrate on anything but her.

  As he hung up the phone, he heard the elevator ding followed by a half dozen running feet. Looking up, he saw Martinez take a quick look through the doorway, taking in the scene before giving the all clear sign and coming into the room.

  Matthew was too busy tending to Cali to care too much about what was going on around them. With every bit of color Cali lost, that feeling in the pit of his stomach grew. With every shallow breath she took, his heart ached just a little more.

  When he saw Martinez bend down to Lisa, he said, “She’s alive.” Martinez checked her pulse anyway and nodded.

  Martinez fired off some instructions to one of his officers. After that, he disappeared into the connecting bathroom, returned with a towel, and placed it over the gash in Lisa’s head.

  Then they waited.

  Matthew kept his eyes on Cali. She didn’t look good. “I’m sorry.” He pressed harder, willing the bleeding in her leg to stop. “I’m sorry,” he whispered again.

  It seemed to take forever for the medics to arrive. They took charge of the situation, loading each of the women onto stretchers before wheeling them to the elevator.

  Matthew heard Lisa come around as they lifted her stretcher into the ambulance.

  “Jason?” she mumbled.

  Martinez took her hand. “He’ll meet you at the hospital, okay,” he heard Martinez answer.

  Then his entire focus was back on Cali as the doors closed on the back of the ambulance, and they got her ready for transport. He knew enough to know that the bullet had hit an artery. She was losing a lot of blood. There was no exit wound that he could see, and that would most likely mean surgery.

  Matthew felt lost, numb. The only woman he ever loved lay dying in front of him.

  I can’t lose her. I just—can’t.

  Chapter 43

  Jason arrived at the hospital moments after Lisa. He was frantic. Martinez told him she’d be fine, but he had to see for himself. The nurse wouldn’t let him in until he talked to the doctor. It was beyond frustrating, and he found himself pacing the hallway to release some of the tension.

  Then the doors flung open and a rush of doctors and nurses came to meet them.

  He flattened himself against the wall to get out of the way, and then he saw Matthew covered in blood. His brother’s face was drawn in more agony than he’d seen since their mother’s death. Following the stretcher with his eyes, he saw the familiar thick reddish- brown hair.

  Cali.

  Jason reached out for his brother, but Matthew wasn’t paying attention. He rushed to follow the stretcher until a nurse held up her hand with a stern look on her face. Matthew ignored her, trying to sidestep her, but a security guard placed a hand on Matthew’s should, reaffirming the nurse’s restriction. His brother could not go any farther. Once the nurse was sure he would stay in place, she turned around and walked through a set of double doors that clicked into place as they closed.

  ***

  Matthew stood motionless as his physical and visual connection with Cali was severed. He wanted to be with her. He needed to know she was okay.

  There was no doubt in his mind he’d screwed up. It was his responsibility to keep her safe. He’d promised her and he’d failed.

  Normally a leg wound wouldn’t be a big deal, but she was bleeding out. They’d given her a transfusion on the way, but he knew it wasn’t enough. She was in shock, and her blood pressure was dropping rapidly. He’d heard the instructions over the radio. Emergency surgery.

  He felt someone come up beside him; he knew it was his brother, but he didn’t move. Eventually, Matthew felt hands guide him to a waiting room and push him into a chair. Someone placed coffee into his hand, but he didn’t drink it. Every movement, every sound at the door and he’d look up in hopes it would be news she was okay.

  The minutes ticked by endlessly. Jason said something to him and left the room for a while, but nothing connected with his brain. He registered the sounds around him, but didn’t react.

  Two hours later, his coffee cold and disposed of by his brother, a doctor in scrubs walked into the room. “Is anyone here for Cali Stanton?”

  Matthew shot out of his seat and crossed the room in a heartbeat. “I am.” The doctor nodded and motioned for him to sit down. He took off his cap and sat across from Matthew, folding his hands.

  ***

  Four hours later, Matthew sat in the ICU. Cali was still unconscious, but alive. Her femoral artery had been hit, which caused an alarming amount of blood loss.

  According to her doctor, they’d given her several pints to replace what she’d lost between the ambulance ride and surgery.

  When the doctor asked if her family had been contacted, Matthew immediately felt another wave of guilt. Alvin. The thought to call him hadn’t even crossed his mind. His brother surprised him, saying he’d talked to her father, and he’d be here as soon as he could.

  Jason. Matthew didn’t know what he would have done over the past six hours if it hadn’t been for him. The waiting for word from the surgery had been hard enough, but knowing she was still fighting for her life and not being able to see her was worse.

  They’d kept her in recovery for two hours before transferring her to the ICU. Then they’d told him he couldn’t see her because he wasn’t family. Family! Thankfully, Alvin and Jessie arrived.

  Even though it just about killed him, Matthew stood back and let her father go first. Alvin and Jessie stayed in her room for almost an hour while Matthew paced the floor waiting. Shortly after Alvin and Jessie arrived, Jason left to visit Lisa.

  She’d been moved to a room for overnight observation but was going to be fine.

  When Alvin and Jessie came around the corner, Matthew could see that their eyes were bloodshot from tears. They came straight to Matthew, and he tried
to listen to them, he really did; but the only thing driving his actions was his need to see her. Jessie noticed his mental state and suggested to Alvin that he add Matthew, Jason, and Lisa to the visitor list. To Alvin’s credit, he didn’t think this was an unusual request.

  After everything was settled, Jessie offered to take Alvin home for the night. It was almost midnight, and he was still recovering. He protested a bit at first, but when Matthew offered to stay with Cali, he finally agreed.

  Matthew looked down at her limp hand in his, so small, so delicate. He would give anything to trade places with her if he could. “I’m so sorry, Cali.” She didn’t stir, but he hadn’t expected her to. The doctor said she could wake up at anytime, but it probably wouldn’t be until sometime tomorrow.

  So, he waited.

  At some point, he must have dozed off, because he awoke with a blanket draped over him. The sun was coming through the single window in the room. And Cali’s eyes were still closed.

  Looking up at the clock, he knew her father would return soon, and he’d have to leave. Jessie had said they’d be back around eight. It was now seven thirty.

  So taking the little bit of privacy he had left, he stood, grasping her hand once again. Leaning down, Matthew placed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I love you, Cali Stanton,” he whispered. “You make me feel things I never imagined were possible. I’m sorry I failed you and…” His voice caught in this throat. “And I hope you can forgive me.” His fingers traced down the planes of her face, memorizing them.

  “How’s she doing?”

  Matthew jumped, pulling his hand back. It was Alvin and Jessie.

  “She’s…she’s the same.” Then looking back at her one last time, he turned toward the door. “I’ll leave you alone.”