Just as they rounded a corner, someone else emerged from the doorway. Shots rang out, echoing in the small space.
In a mall? These men were shooting at them in a mall? They meant serious business.
“Come on!” He pulled her into a store. Would those men be as brazen as to shoot at them in plain sight?
Please, Lord, keep everyone safe, not just us.
He sucked in a breath when he realized they’d stepped into a hair salon. The minimally decorated store offered no cover. As they emerged from the back, all the customers and stylists inside stared at them from their booths.
Christopher kept a tight hold of Ashley’s hand, pulling her through the space until they reached the crowded mall. He skidded to a halt after stepping into the ocean of people toting shopping bags and oversize coats.
Where were those men? It was only a matter of time before they found them again. They had to hide.
Now.
To their right was a “pictures with Santa” area. He had to lead the shooters away from that display, just in case the men started shooting again. He pulled Ashley toward the food court instead. He plunged into the middle of the crowd, hoping to stay concealed.
From behind them, he heard a yell.
Then more gunfire erupted.
Screams scattered throughout the crowd. People ducked or ran or cried out or did all three.
Christopher and Ashley burst into a sprint. They were on the second floor. They had to get downstairs and out to the car. Two mall-security officers ran past, radios in hand.
But the two gunmen kept shooting.
Who were they?
And if they were desperate to kill Ashley so they wouldn’t be discovered, then why were they shooting at her in a mall where they would be discovered? There had to be more to this than either of them realized.
He’d think about that later. Right now, they had to stay alive.
The escalators were just ahead. Going downstairs would be risky, but what other choice did they have?
A bullet grazed past his arm, and he pulled tighter on Ashley’s hand. “Stay with me here!”
Just before he got on the escalator, he pulled a trash can down behind him and created an obstacle that would hopefully gain them a few extra seconds. He took the steps by two, slowing only enough to keep his balance. Another shot was fired.
When they reached the bottom, he grabbed the emergency off switch. The escalator came to a halt, and the two men tumbled downward at the loss of motion.
He used their stumble as an opportunity to pull Ashley into a department store.
He glanced back in time to see a mall cop grab one of the men. The man swung his gun around and aimed it right at the security officer. Then Christopher heard the blast of another bullet being fired.
Oh, Lord, help us all.
Ashley let out a small cry behind him. She’d seen it also.
Shoppers huddled behind displays of toasters and blenders. Others ran toward the doors.
They weren’t going to be able to outrun the gunmen, Christopher realized. They were too close on their heels. Even if they made it outside, they’d be goners in the empty stretch of parking lot between the mall and the cars. The men would catch them.
“This way.” He pulled Ashley toward the housewares section, looping around and hopefully throwing the men off their trail for a moment. He had to find a place to hide. Now.
Finally, he saw something that might conceal them—for a moment, at least. He eased a display mattress off its frame. “Get in. Quick.”
Ashley climbed into the wood frame and ducked down. He quickly crawled in beside her and pulled the mattress back over.
He prayed that the outside of the bedding display was straight enough that no one would notice he’d moved it. He’d tried to be careful.
“What are we doing?” Fear strained Ashley’s voice. He could only see her outline as faint slivers of light crept through small gaps in the wood frame.
“We can’t outrun them, Ashley. We’ve got to lose their trail and then take off.”
He scooted closer to one of those gaps and peered out. It was hard to make out anything, but he saw policemen running past. Good. The police had been called in. That might make the men run. He could hope.
“How’d they find us?” Ashley whispered.
“Good question. I have no idea.”
Footsteps came their way. Was that...?
His pulse raced. It was one of the men. And he was walking right toward them.
* * *
Ashley’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. Her blood raced through her veins, hot and urgent. What was going on? Why were these men being so brazen?
Christopher stiffened beside her. Had he spotted one of them? She dared not speak, just in case he had. She dared not move or do anything that might give away their whereabouts.
Christopher turned toward her. Even in the dim light, she could sense the urgency in his eyes as he put a finger over his lips to motion “quiet.”
“Do you see them?” someone yelled nearby.
“I lost them. They can’t be far,” another man replied.
“The police are looking for us. We don’t have much time.”
The second voice got closer. “We shouldn’t need much time. They have to be around here somewhere.”
“Make it quick.”
One of the men muttered profanities under his breath. Ashley could see their legs. The men were right beside the comforter display. Right beside them.
Ashley closed her eyes, lifting up fervent prayers. Lord, keep us invisible.
“The police are coming. We’ve got to go. We’ll find them later!”
The men took off in a run.
Her heart stilled...but only for a moment.
They waited what was probably another ten minutes—it felt like hours, though. Finally, when the area was clear of both the shooters and the cops, Christopher nudged the mattress from above them. He stepped out and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet.
“Look calm and collected,” he whispered.
She nodded, and they casually began walking toward the door. Her gaze scanned the area again. Two officers hovered near the store’s mall entrance.
They probably didn’t know to look for Christopher and Ashley—yet. All of their efforts were focused on the gunmen. When they reviewed the security tapes later, they’d see Christopher and Ashley fleeing. They’d want to bring them in for questioning.
Still, Christopher grabbed a coat from a rack and handed it to her. “Put this on.”
She didn’t argue. She slipped the blue coat on over her white one. Christopher grabbed another coat from across the aisle and did the same.
Smart thinking, just in case anyone was looking for them. They’d be able to slip outside and get away—hopefully.
Christopher dropped some money on the register as they passed.
Finally, they reached the outside doors and stepped into the parking lot. Bright sunlight hit them. Police cars swarmed the building.
An officer reached for them. “You need to get out of the way. There are shooters in the building!”
They nodded and ran toward their SUV. As they passed a police cruiser, a radio crackled inside. “We’re looking for a man and a woman also. The woman is wearing a white coat...”
Ashley willed herself to keep her steps casual, to not draw attention to themselves. The SUV was just within sight. Only a few more steps...
When she was within arm’s reach, she broke into a jog and climbed inside. Each of her limbs shook with fear, with the mounting pressure of how serious this situation was. Christopher cranked the engine and they took off down the road. At last, they were safe.
For a moment, at least.
&nb
sp; SEVEN
Christopher’s thoughts raced as he started down the road. How had those men found them? Christopher’s only guess was that they realized Ashley was with him, and that he worked for Eyes. Perhaps they’d had men stationed near the Eyes’ headquarters, just waiting for them to leave. But that would take a lot of planning and manpower. Why would they put so many resources toward tracking down and killing Ashley?
“That was a nightmare. A dark, horrific nightmare.” Ashley slunk down in the seat and rubbed her temples. “I hope that poor security guard is okay. I hope no one else was hurt.”
“Me, too,” he muttered.
“I can’t even comprehend how someone could do that.”
No, she couldn’t. That’s because she was sweet and innocent. He wouldn’t want her to be any other way. But he had to be honest with her.
“Ashley, this is going to be all over the news.”
She nodded and nibbled on her thumbnail. “I know.”
“The police—maybe even the FBI—are going to pore over all of the security-camera footage from the mall. That could eventually lead them to us. I don’t know how long we’re going to be able to keep your brother and nephew’s disappearance under wraps.”
“I’ll just push as hard as I can until they track us down. At least I have a head start.”
What was she thinking? That if she found her brother and nephew, she’d be able to burst through the doors to save them single-handedly? He was trying to leave the decisions in her hands, for the most part, at least. After all, it was her family that was on the line.
But how far should he let her go? He didn’t know. He only knew that he’d be by her side and try to protect her from any danger that came her way. She was going to do this with or without him.
He sighed and they headed toward a more upscale area of Virginia Beach, careful to avoid the icy patches on the road. They traveled back toward her brother’s house. They had to remain low and not draw any attention to themselves. These men had found them at the mall. Certainly they could find them at her brother’s house, an obvious choice for where they might go.
At Ashley’s direction, he pulled into a subdivision, a place where no doubt many doctors and lawyers lived—people who earned a nice paycheck. The homes were all brick and large with expansive yards. Each lawn was neatly manicured. Her brother had done well for himself.
“Park here.” Ashley pointed to a section of trees.
“On the street?”
She nodded. “Trust me.”
The thing was, he did trust her. She had a great head on her shoulders. But this situation...it was hard to know exactly what to do when thrust into an unknown circumstance like this one.
He pulled up along the curb to an area on the edge of the neighborhood. A large cluster of trees stood to one side. Snow and ice frosted the tree limbs and blanketed most of the ground. From the look of those dark clouds in the distance, they’d be getting some more snow soon.
“Did the guys from Eyes check out the place?” she asked.
Christopher nodded. “Yeah, there are two guys stationed outside of the house now. They haven’t seen any signs that someone’s there. Despite that, we need to play it safe.”
Ashley nibbled on her lip as she stared at the woods. “If we cut through those trees, we’ll get to my brother’s house. His neighbor is out of town for the next week. They’re down in Disney World. If we can get into their backyard, they have a massive tree house that offers a bird’s-eye view of my brother’s yard. We can watch from there to see if anyone is at the house.” She glanced at him. “What do you think?”
“It sounds like a place to start. Let me check in with the guys first.” He dialed their number. The men were stationed in cars at opposite ends of the house, and there were no new updates since they’d spoken earlier. Christopher told them that they were headed over. Those guards would offer a second set of eyes, but they’d still need to take precautions.
He popped his door open. “Let’s go.”
She gripped his arm, her touch causing warmth to spread through his veins. In all these years, Ashley hadn’t lost her ability to affect him like that. “But they’ll see our footprints in the snow.”
“We’ll see theirs also. That’s the good news. I’ll find a branch to try and cover up our tracks. The snow didn’t make it through all of those tree limbs in the wooded area, though, so that will help.”
She stared at him another moment, apprehension knotting between her eyes, before finally nodding and opening her door. He grabbed a branch and began wiping away evidence of their path. His kept his gaze attuned to passing cars or anyone suspicious. He saw no one. Still, he remained on guard. Things weren’t always as they seemed. He had firsthand knowledge of that.
They traveled quickly through the patch of trees until finally they reached a privacy fence. He motioned for Ashley to stay back as he crept forward. A gate waited along the back of the barrier.
He tugged at the handle. It was locked. He nodded at Ashley before scaling the fence and unlatching the gate for her. She slipped inside, her breaths coming out in raspy, icy puffs. She pressed herself into the wooden pickets, her wide-eyed gaze soaking in everything around her.
The good news was that he hadn’t seen any other footprints or signs that anyone was around. The bad news was that it was biting-cold outside and would only get colder as the sun began to sink farther on the horizon.
He spotted the tree house in the distance. They crept toward the massive, hand-built structure. Ashley climbed the ladder to the top, Christopher right behind her. His gaze continued to scan the area as they moved, waiting for a sign that they had been spotted.
So far, so good.
They scrambled inside. The walls of the tree house blocked the bitter wind that swept over the area—at least a little.
Christopher peered out the window. Ashley was right. This tree house did offer the perfect view of her brother’s house and yard. “How’d you know about this tree house? That the family was out of town?”
“I bring David over here to play sometimes.”
“You’re really close to him, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I love him...like he’s my own.”
“He’s lucky to have you.”
She nodded. Why did she look like the motion was painful, though? Why did her gaze look so strained?
He didn’t have time to ponder that now. Instead, he watched the backyard. When he’d known Josh, he’d lived in a townhouse in an older part of town. So much had changed in the years since he’d talked to Ashley last.
“It looks like your brother has done well for himself.” He kept his gaze on the backyard.
“With a better job and more money, unfortunately, has come less time for the family.”
“Nothing’s worth sacrificing family.” Even as he said the words, he realized how Ashley would probably take them. After all, wasn’t that why he’d broken up with her?
She said nothing, so he continued to watch silently. The sun began to sink, cloaking the area in dusky gray, until finally the night was on them.
He’d seen no signs of movement. If they were going to check out the house, now was the time. He looked back at Ashley. “You ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
He reached for her hand. “Let’s go, then.”
* * *
Now, why did he have to reach for her hand? Ashley had been doing just fine sitting huddled in the corner by herself, trying to get his words out of her mind.
Nothing’s worth sacrificing family.
Nothing except his career, Ashley supposed.
She couldn’t let those thoughts linger in her mind, though. They’d only make her weak. Right now, she had to concentrate on finding Josh and David. That was all there was to it.<
br />
Christopher pulled her along, his hand warm and strong and way too familiar. Relief filled her when he released his grip in order to help her jump the fence. A moment later, he landed beside her and they ran toward Josh’s house. Christopher covered their tracks again as they moved, making sure no one could easily trace them.
As they climbed onto the deck, Ashley pulled her keys from her pocket. The metal was cold on her already numb fingers—apparently they weren’t completely numb, though. She could still feel the bitter cold. Christopher took them from her, calmly inserted them into the back door, and they slipped inside.
They both paused, listening in the dark room. All Ashley could hear was her heartbeat in her ears. Christopher held up a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet and to stay where she was. He crept around the edge of the house and upstairs, making sure everything was clear. Ashley could barely breathe. Around every corner, she waited, expecting someone to jump out.
But there was nothing.
Christopher returned and shoved a flashlight into her hand. Turning on the lights would be too risky, be too obvious of a sign that they were here.
“Where should we start?”
“Let’s look on Josh’s desk,” she whispered. “Maybe there’s a clue there.” She started toward the corner room on the first floor. Christopher stuck close by. Just having him near calmed her spirit, made her feel like she could face giants.
“You have any idea what we should look for?”
She shook her head, shining her light across the wooden floorboards. “No, but I’m assuming we’ll know when we see it.”
“Sounds like a good theory to me.”
She stepped into the office and scanned the room. Josh’s computer was gone. All three of them. But otherwise, everything appeared in place.
Strange.
She hurried across the room to her brother’s desk and shoved some papers aside. There were bills, hand-scribbled notes and piles of paper for his work. There was nothing, however, that gave her any idea of what was going on.
She grabbed his calendar and began flipping through it while Christopher paced the perimeter. “Anything?”
High-Stakes Holiday Reunion Page 7