“You can hold the quilt and then use it to cover yourself later, or I’ll find a place to cram it in,” he said picking up the tail end of her statement. “Why don’t you two go finish getting ready? Todd says we move out by five.” He turned to the doctor who’d just closed a red suitcase that was apparently hers. “Dan, your family’s been taken into protective custody. They’re safe.”
The doctor nodded. “Thank you. When I agreed to this, I didn’t realize they might be in danger.”
“Don’t worry. They’ll be safe.” Neil turned to Julia. “What about you? Is there anyone they could hurt to get to you?”
“I don’t think so,” she said and frowned as if she were trying to think of someone who might be.
“What about your boyfriend?” Nancy asked, recalling an earlier conversation.
“He’s a cop, but we weren’t engaged or anything. That’s just wishful thinking on my part.” She shrugged. “I’m hoping the ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’ thing works.”
“Okay.” Neil chuckled, setting down the tray. “It always worked for me. Remember to wear your guns and get extra ammo from Todd. We aren’t planning to use them, but it can’t hurt to be ready just in case. He’s got food for you in the kitchen. Eat. We don’t know when we’ll get our next meal.”
Nancy shivered at the intensity in his eyes. This was Neil in full protective mode, and while he was still the same man, this side of him both scared and pleased her. He would keep her safe.
“Got it,” Dan said, picking up Nancy’s suitcase and handing Julia the messenger bag. “Come on. I want one more look at this paradise before the snake kicks us out of the garden again. I should’ve known it was too good to last.” He escorted her out of the room.
Nancy swallowed, the image of evil Dan had drawn in her thoughts suddenly more frightening than ever. She watched Neil remove the items from the tray and waited for him to sit at the table with her.
“I take it something really bad happened,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t try to shield her from what was going on. “From the way he behaved, and since my neck is on the line, I think I’ve earned the right to the truth.”
Neil reached for her hand. It was amazing how that one little gesture made her feel safe. She didn’t love him, at least she didn’t think she did, but she couldn’t imagine her life without him in it right now.
“You do. I think we’ve found the reason why someone wants you dead.”
Nancy sat, mouth agape, as Neil told her everything that had happened and explained how it might or might not be connected to her. He held up what appeared to be a plastic cartoon cat about two inches long.
“Do you remember this?”
She frowned and shook her head. “No. What is it?”
“It’s a USB drive I found between the lining and the leather of your purse.”
“Why on Earth would I put it there?” she asked, eyes opening wide in surprise. Maybe it was just as well she’d lost her memory because from what she’d learned of her behavior, she hadn’t been playing with a full deck.
“I don’t know.” Neil shrugged and smiled, but she could see worry etched on his face. “It’s possible it slipped in through a little hole in the corner of the zipped pouch, or you could’ve hidden it there on purpose, and if you did...” The smile died, replaced by pursed lips and a more deeply creased brow. “I would give anything to know the answer to that. Most of the stuff on it is personal—tax returns, your resumes, your investment portfolio, but there’s one encrypted file as well. That file seems to be at the root of all this.”
He continued explaining about the various theories they had and how the virus had infected the system. She didn’t understand all of it, but one thing was clear: the USB drive was hers, and she had something on it she shouldn’t have, something people had killed for and would do so again.
“It seems too fantastic to be true,” she said, spooning the last of the soup into her mouth. She shifted on the seat, her nerves on edge. “I just wish I wasn’t so helpless and useless.”
“You aren’t helpless, and you certainly aren’t useless.” He reached over to take her hand once more. “Ewan downloaded the Paxton files onto a tablet for you in case you want to try and see if you can find what you found.”
“It’ll make me feel better if I do. Is that encrypted file on the tablet as well as on the USB?”
“Yes, he added it, and that’s what’s weird. We assumed it had something to do with the Paxton divorce, but it wasn’t in the files we were given, which surprised Ewan, but then if the file is as critical as we believe, someone at Paxton Construction could’ve removed it. There are a number of theories as to how you got it, but the consensus is you did it by accident. Hell, you may not even know what’s on it.”
She almost choked on her soup. “Are you kidding me? It’s possible someone’s trying to kill me over something I don’t know, essentially over nothing at all?”
“Not nothing, Nance. Whatever’s on that file is extremely important to someone. We just don’t know who or why. It’s possible it belongs to B.J. Pratt, Paxton’s lawyer, and got sent to Larry Jackson and then to you in error. That would almost make sense since Pratt isn’t what you’d call a role model, and if it contains information potentially dangerous to another one of his clients ... People have killed for less. Until it’s opened, we won’t know, but whatever you do, don’t try to open it unless you’re positive you know what the password is. It’s got some kind of anti-tamper thing built into it.”
She put down her spoon and rubbed her temples, worried the twinges of pain there could be the onset of another headache, no doubt caused by all the stress at the moment.
“I understand I changed a lot over the six years I don’t remember, but it seems weird that I would’ve saved something like that on what’s obviously my personal USB. Normally, I kept my personal stuff separate from work related files. You mentioned there are tax files on it—mine or my clients?”
“Ewan didn’t say, but you can have a look. He left those files decrypted.” He narrowed his gaze questioningly. “Do you want anything else to eat? It’ll be a while before we get to our destination?”
“No, I’m fine. Where are we going?”
“I don’t know yet. When you go dark, information is handed out in small chunks. I do know we aren’t going to arrive at our destination anytime soon.”
Her eyes grew sad. “I’m going to be a burden, aren’t I? I can’t walk or share the driving. I’ll slow you down.” Her lower lip stuck out, and her eyes filled with sadness once more.
Neil stood and moved closer to her, pulling her up into his arms. She leaned into his chest, the steady thumping of his heart promising security.
“Let me worry about that,” he said, the sound of his voice resonating in his chest. “There are three of us who can drive. We can break it into two or three hour shifts. We’re leaving through an old bootlegger’s tunnel under the house. Todd found it when he first arrived. None of the others here know about it, so if they’re caught…”
“No one can torture the truth out of them,” she said, realizing the potential danger the others faced because of her, and shuddering anew. “This is such a nightmare.”
“I honestly wish it were. The tunnel’s about three miles long, but I’ll carry you.”
The acid in her stomach churned as his words sunk in. There were two irrefutable things she recalled. The first was that she disliked closed-in places. The second was she didn’t like creepy crawlies.
“That’s our only option?”
“It is. I know how you feel about tight places and bugs, especially spiders, but you’ll be safe. I promise. Julia, Dan, and Todd will be with us, too. We can’t leave by helicopter or car because someone’s probably watching the place.”
She chewed her lower lip. It didn’t seem as if she had much choice. All she could do was hope she could hold it together and not disgrace herself.
Dan came back into the room. “To
dd sent me for the dishes. He said we’re good to go. I hate to leave the place this way. Reminds me of rats deserting a sinking ship.”
She gasped. Tight places and spiders were one thing, but rats?
“Tell me he’s joking,” she pleaded, her heart trying to pound its way out of her chest as it had before.
Neil chuckled and shook his head. “I wish I could say no, but I just don’t know. If there are, whoever’s ahead of us will scare them away. I’ll be carrying you. Todd’s going first, so if some miscreant has the nerve to show his pointy, little face, he can shoot them before we walk by.”
She frowned, her teeth biting into her lower lip.
“You’re laughing at me.” She drank the last of her tea so Dan could take the cup. “You’d better hope I don’t see a rat, because if I do, I’ll scream loud enough that they’ll hear me in Baltimore,” she finished with as much dignity as she could muster.
Dan stood by the door, trying hard to contain his laughter. “Use the facilities, and then come into the kitchen. We’re waiting for you.”
Neil nodded. Nancy reached for her walker. “I’ll just go ... you know.”
“Need help?” he asked.
“No. I’m good. Without this contraption it’ll probably be the last time I do anything under my own steam for a while.”
Five minutes later, she left the washroom. Neil had opened the drapes and she looked outside, surprised to see how dark it was considering it wasn’t yet five. She jumped and gasped when a flash of lightening lit up the sky.
“There’s going to be a storm,” she whispered. “This is just getting better and better. I hate storms.”
“I know,” Neil said, moving over to put his arm around her shoulder. “There’s quite the light show going on out there in the distance, but we’ll be underground. We’d better go, though. I don’t want to press our luck. We need to be on the road to wherever the hell we’re going before this hits, not walking outside in it, getting soaked. The last thing I want is for you to catch cold.”
“Do you think the tunnel floods in the rain?” she asked, suddenly concerned about that possibility.
She imagined being trapped like a rat in a sewer and shivered, recalling a scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when Jones had been trapped in the catacombs of Venice and all the rats had appeared. Her foot had brushed against that of the man beside her in the theater, and she’d screamed bloody murder. Not her finest moment. Gazing out at the gray billows piled high on the horizon, looking more like mountains in the distance than clouds, she cringed when the skyline lit up momentarily and bit her lip. At this rate she’d have it bleeding if she didn’t stop.
“I hope not. To use one of Todd’s expressions, let’s not borrow trouble.”
He walked over to the bed, folded the hummingbird quilt, and handed it to her.
“Ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she answered, holding the item close to her chest, but she was certain he saw the fear she was trying so hard to hide.
He scooped her up in his arms and opened the door.
* * *
Neil closed the door behind them, the electronic lock clicking loudly into place. He hurried down the hallway, clutching his burden close to his chest. Ewan had loops on the cameras, but if whoever was after her figured that out ... They had to get out of the house as soon as possible. Nancy’s heart pounded against his chest, beating out the same tempo as his own.
“Don’t worry,” he said trying to calm her. “We’ll be fine. Todd’s the very best there is at this.”
He inhaled the familiar strawberry scent of the bath gel she loved. Dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, her head covered in the dark wig, no one would realize what she’d been through this past month. Before the accident, before she’d succumbed to her grief, he’d admired her grit, reminded once more of her determination to learn to ski. Maybe, when they were safe, they’d try it again. Anyone who could do what she was doing now deserved a second chance to conquer the slopes.
“Neil, stop!” she shouted, knocking him out of his head. “Are we doing the right thing by leaving?”
“What do you mean? We have to go, Nancy. We’re sitting ducks here.”
She bit the inside of her lip again, and he fought the urge to bend down and take the bit of pink into his mouth. He swallowed, forcing the image away.
“Maybe that’s what they want us to think, what they’re waiting for, and once we’re out of the safe house, they’ll pick us off one by one. That’s the way it is in all the movies. People leave safe places and do dumb things.”
He chuckled, seeking to inject a little humor into the situation, and help her relax.
“Not for James Bond. He always makes a clean getaway.” He kissed the top of her head. “This place might look safe, but if they know you’re here, it’s a death trap. I’ve moved people and hidden them in plain sight for almost eight years. Todd’s been doing it even longer than that. We haven’t lost one yet, and I have no intention of losing you. Do you trust me?”
She swallowed. “Yes, I may not remember a lot about us, but I trust you.”
“Then let me do what’s best for you right now.”
Nancy nodded, her brow furrowed, not as convinced by his argument as he’d hoped. He carried her through the kitchen and into the pantry where Todd waited. The secret door was open. Neil noticed the cans on the shelf had been placed so as to obscure the latch once the hidden door closed behind them. Todd held a large LED flashlight.
“Julia and Dan are waiting at the bottom of the stairs,” he said, moving out of their way to give him easier access to the steps. “I’m right behind you.”
“Hang on,” Neil said to her, knowing that if she didn’t the steps would be even more dangerous than they appeared. “These are steep. No attempted swan dives, okay?”
She giggled nervously and tightened her grip on his neck.
He pulled her more closely into his chest, and she settled herself in his arms, leaning away from his gun in its shoulder holster, still seemingly uncomfortable with the fact that he wore it so openly. How could he blame her? She didn’t recall the violence that had brought her here, and he was a constant reminder of it.
“I hope I’m not too heavy,” she said, trying to distance herself even more from the weapon while remaining as still as she could in his arms.
“Heavy? Are you kidding? You’re as light as a feather.”
“That’s what you say now, but in three miles’ time…”
“Hey! I’ll have you know I marched a lot further than three miles with over seventy pounds of gear. Carrying you won’t wear me out.”
Nancy weighed a little more than a hundred pounds, but unlike his loaded pack, she wasn’t dead weight.
“Yeah, but that was twelve years ago.”
“Are you implying I’ve gone soft?” he asked, pretending to be affronted.
She stifled another giggle, but her eyes shone. “No. Would I do that?” she asked, batting her eyelids at him.
He chuckled and moved down the staircase, one step at a time, carefully feeling his way. As they went down, he felt Nancy stiffen in his arms, the few moments of bantering overshadowed by the reality of the danger.
“It smells musty,” she said, no doubt wrinkling that pretty little nose of hers, “but dry. I don’t think it floods.” Her voice rose. “That’s good.”
“Yeah,” Todd said, a couple of steps behind them. “It rained the day before we arrived. If the tunnel had flooded, the smell would be different, and it wouldn’t be as dry as it is now.”
“Are you ready?” Neil asked, not liking being caught halfway between here and there.
She nodded.
“Then let’s get this show on the road.”
Carefully descending the last of the ten wooden steps, Neil sighed when his foot touched the dirt floor. Julia and Dan, each carrying LED flashlights, stood a few feet beyond the staircase. Dan wore his backpack and had Neil’s slung over his le
ft shoulder. Julia was similarly burdened with Nancy’s purse as well as her own gear. Both she and Dan had guns at their waists, and he hoped that the nurse would be able to shoot accurately if he needed her to. The sound of the door closing and the snap of a padlock presaged Todd’s arrival beside them. His partner had donned a bulging backpack and carried the flashlight in one hand and a semi-automatic rifle in the other.
“I thought it would be made of stone,” Nancy said commenting on the tunnel whose walls and ceiling were reinforced by wooden planks, while the floor was beaten earth. “I expected it to look like the sewers of Paris or Roman catacombs.”
“Parts of it are farther along,” Dan said. “I have an uncle who lives near Tampa. Florida sits on karst limestone, with a lot of underwater caves, sinkholes, and springs. I did some recon while I waited for you to get here. The tunnel could use a little cleaning out for cobwebs, but Julia will walk ahead with Todd and clear as much as she can out of your way. It’s quite a bit damper under the lake, but still passable. Stinks a little, but...” He shrugged. “Most insects living in here will stay away from the light. I’m bringing up the rear. How are you doing? Any pain?”
“Maybe a little headache,” she admitted. “Nothing I can’t tolerate, but I’m scared shitless.” She reddened. “I don’t like dark places, especially like this one.”
“Believe me when all three of these lights are on high beam, it isn’t dark,” Dan said, “but I’ll give you something when we get out of here. No point in suffering for nothing.”
“Okay. You all seem to have your hands full. Who’s going to carry those?” She indicated her suitcase and two others sitting under the stairs.
“No one today,” Todd said. “Once we’re clear and it’s safe, I’ll send someone back for them. It might take a few weeks, but I’ll do my best to get them to you.”
Nancy hugged the quilt she held. Neil was glad he’d suggested she carry it because if something happened, they might never see the contents of those cases again. The only other thing she would be likely to miss was the angel, but she could always make another.
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