Team Love on the Run Box-Set #1

by Lisa Phillips

  She whipped the car around a little faster than necessary and Matt succeeded. Sneaking the phone underneath the seat would be easy enough. “My feet are freezing.” He moaned and leaned forward.

  “Give me your phone,” the man barked.

  Matt almost groaned aloud. He sat up.

  “Mine?” Kathleen squeaked, her eyes wide, her arms straight, and her knuckles white around the steering wheel.

  “No. The whiner.”

  Matt almost rolled his eyes but moved his phone to his hip and twisted his hip in a fake extraction movement. He held the phone out. Aldric snatched it and tapped on it.

  Kathleen’s eyes kept darting to Matt. She was going to drive right into another building if she didn’t calm down.

  “Do you need my pass code?” He hoped it might soothe her nerves if he played nice. Even though he seriously doubted this man would let them walk away after he got what he wanted. They’d seen his face.

  Aldric scoffed. “Pass codes are nothing. Your package is being tracked to a country highway. It looks to be next to Perry. Is this the same place where you are taking us?”

  “I believe so,” she said.

  Three shots of lightning bolted from the sky. The thunder increased in volume. Matt jerked. He wasn’t afraid of thunderstorms, but the volume and the immediate lightning display made him wonder if Kathleen’s question had merit: Was there a tornado watch?

  “Can I turn on the radio?” Matt reached out his hand for the dashboard.

  “No.”

  “Judging by your accent I’m guessing you’re not from the Midwest. Or at least not originally. We take possible tornadoes seriously. If we hear the sirens, it means we’ve got ourselves a tornado warning. If we’re driving like this and a tornado shows up, we need to pull over.”

  “Leave the car and evacuate,” Kathleen finished for him. “Lie down somewhere.”

  “Hopefully somewhere lower than the car but never underneath the car. Like a ditch, for instance.”

  The man didn’t tell him to stop talking this time. Matt took his silence as an open door. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but I’m a broker. And I think I can help you out with more than just how to behave in a tornado.” The wipers flung water so fast it sounded like a drum beat to his words.

  The thunder boomed again as Kathleen made another turn. “Almost there,” she muttered. Now that they were traveling due east, a glimpse of a sunrise could be seen only on the horizon. The wall of dark clouds blocked any remaining bit of sky or sunshine.

  “What do you think you can offer me?” The gunman laughed.

  “You said money wasn’t worth anything to you, but what about—”

  “That’s not what I said. I said your money means nothing to me.”

  Matt straightened. Was he getting somewhere? “So let me help you get more money for the SD card.”

  A gun barrel shoved into the back of his skull. Matt hollered. Kathleen slammed on the brakes. Matt’s torso flung forward then back, right into the tip of the gun, this time pointing in his shoulder. The stinging sensation ran down his spine.

  “Drive,” the man barked.

  “Not if you shoot him,” Kathleen shouted back.

  “How do you know it’s an SD card?”

  Aldric’s thick accent grated on Matt’s last nerve. He clenched his jaw and flung his hands up in the surrender position. “I don’t! I didn’t. It was a guess, an educated guess.”

  The gun clicked as if Aldric had just cocked it back, ready to fire. “Did you see it?”

  “No. I knew it had to be small and thin enough to be secured by the frame. There’s not much that fits that description that could be useful to a man of your...talents.”

  The cold metal left his shoulder. Matt’s stomach lurched. That had been too close.

  “If you had said mini-SD card, I would’ve known you were lying.”

  Matt balled his hands into fists. He owed God a hearty praise, because his mind had been thinking “mini.”

  “I said drive,” Aldric repeated.

  Kathleen pressed the gas.

  Matt’s breath shook, but he pushed onward. “My offer stands. You have information, and you’re selling it to someone. It can be helpful to have a broker get you a better deal.” He said it so fast he almost gasped taking another breath. He clenched his jaw, tense in case Aldric decided to hurt him, while he waited for the reaction.

  “You Americans are so prideful. You make drones to spy on countries you have no right to, because you think you are always better, always need to be involved. Your country is not superior. I have no need of your help.”

  Matt really wanted to spout back a sarcastic comment. If Aldric had no need of their help, why were they in this car in the first place? But Matt got the information he wanted. Whatever was on the mini-SD card had something to do with a new type of drone that’s purpose was related to spying. Clearly it had to be something the R&D department had created at the naval base.

  Matt wondered if the mini-SD card in his own phone could be a decoy to give Aldric. He wished he knew if that card was worth risking his life. If it meant saving American lives, he would do it, but he wasn’t a saint. He didn’t want to sacrifice his life if it wasn’t necessary.

  The sky lit up again. Kathleen’s face paled, and her fingers had gone almost pure white clutching the steering wheel so tightly. “Kathleen?”

  “I don’t feel so well.”

  “We’re almost there.” Thankfully Aldric was back on his tablet and had no comment.

  She turned onto a long stretch of county highway. Without anything else to focus on, his stomach growled, and he felt the sting in his neck from where the gun was pressed. He’d never needed a visit to a chiropractor so bad in his life.

  Kathleen made a final turn. “The APS warehouse is at the end of this stretch.”

  She braked as the headlights illuminated a locked chain-link gate. Two streetlights shone down on the entrance. The car shook from the sudden gust of winds. Matt was thankful he wasn’t out in the elements. His feet were already turning into blocks of ice. He wondered what the gunman would have in his little zippered bag to get through something like this.

  “Back up.”

  Kathleen looked over her shoulder, frowning. “What?”

  “I will tell you when to stop.”

  She faced forward and narrowed her eyes. Matt wasn’t sure what was going on. She put the car in reverse. Matt snuck a peek in the side mirror. He could barely make out the road through the sheets of rain.

  Kathleen turned around as much as she could. “I can’t see squat.”

  “Keep going,” Aldric snapped.

  She took it at a crawl.

  “Stop. This is far enough. Drive at the speed of seventy, straight through the gate.”

  Kathleen’s jaw went slack. She sat still for a moment before she moved her seat back. She glanced at Matt. “Move your seat as far back as possible.”

  “Smart.” Though he hated to get any closer to Aldric.

  Kathleen inhaled and slammed on the gas pedal. Seventy miles an hour didn’t seem so fast when he was on the freeway, but when a sleep-deprived, stressed out woman was driving on a rain-covered country road toward the equivalent of what looked like a brick wall, it was all he could do not to jump ship. His fingers dug into either side of the passenger seat as his heels pressed into the floor mat.

  The headlights brought the gate into view. Was she really going to do this? He looked over at Kathleen. “You can’t close your eyes!”

  “I’m keeping my left open,” she shouted back. She cringed, and he wished he’d been looking forward instead of at her as the car made impact. His head whipped to the right as his neck strained against the momentum.

  A loud pop made his eardrums almost burst, accompanied by a strong slap to his cheek. Ugh. Airbags. Dust with an acidic smell to it filled the cabin.

  Matt blinked rapidly, coughing. They were alive. He turned to see Kathleen gagging,
pushing the airbag away from her. The streetlights illuminated the inside. Her entire face looked red as if badly sunburned. “Can you move?”

  She nodded. The gunman said nothing but stepped outside of the car.

  “Let’s get out, too,” Matt said, hacking. “You need to get that dust off your face. I think you’re having an allergic reaction.”

  She said nothing. It was possible she was going into shock. He reached over and unbuckled her seatbelt for her. The movement jolted her. She blinked rapidly and jumped out of the car. The moment he opened his own door he almost changed his mind. The rain came down so hard it stung his already sore face.

  Matt squinted his eyes to see through the torrents. Behind the vehicle, the left side of the gate had flown off both hinges. The other side no longer hung from the top hinge but remained connected at the bottom of the fence pole. The corner of the gate lay stuck underneath the back left tire.

  Unbelievable. He shivered at the cold seeping through his clothes.

  Aldric pointed the weapon in his face. “Move. Get to the truck.”

  Matt wanted to slap the gun out of his face, but a quick look over his shoulder confirmed that would put Kathleen at risk of getting shot. He began a slow jog to the truck. Lord, please give me some wisdom, some opening to get Kathleen to safety. Because once they found that package, he knew Aldric wouldn’t want them alive.

  Chapter Seven

  Kathleen tilted her face upward into the downpour. The stinging sensation instantly dissipated everywhere but her eyes, but that pain didn’t come from the powder. The gunman had made reference to Americans making new spy drones. The likelihood that he was referring to something Cameron had been working on was high. And Cameron was out testing whatever they’d made right now.

  What if the SD card had the power to take out not only their new technology, but also the scientists and technicians making it happen?

  What if it contained the location where they were testing? Or the schematics to build another weapon of some kind?

  She didn’t have enough information to know for sure, but while she may be able to save her sister, she might not be able to save Cameron. Could she live with that if it came down to making a choice?

  No, she couldn’t.

  The gunman yelled at Matt, but her thoughts stayed with her brother-in-law. She had no idea how to stop Aldric.

  Kathleen ran through the rain toward the nondescript blue package truck. Aldric already had the passenger door open.

  She followed Matt up the truck steps with their captor bringing up the rear. Once inside, she dared to look out the windshield. Across the parking lot, her car sat, looking miraculously unharmed except for the bent up bumper. She allowed herself a moment to close her eyes. Lord, please—

  Something sharp pressed through her wet sweatshirt. Her back arched as she cried out.

  “You’re running out of time. Find the package.” Aldric almost spit in her ear, he was so close.

  Matt yelled, “Hey!”

  Kathleen looked over her shoulder. Lightning illuminated the interior of the truck. The back of it resembled a long steel hallway except either side had three shelves, packed full of boxes.

  Matt was moving from the back of the truck toward them, his hands in fists. “Leave her alone. We’re doing what you want.”

  “If you were, I’d have it in my hands by now,” Aldric barked. A flash, this one closer, lit up his face. A small flesh-colored earplug was molded inside his right ear. It had to be how he monitored their phones. “Use the flashlight app.” The gunman tossed Matt’s phone back at him. He caught it easily.

  She didn’t want to admit the fact she’d left her phone in the car. Instead she nodded. “Matt, you shine the light so I can look with two hands.”

  Her suggestion seemed to satisfy the gunman as he took a seat on the driver’s chair, mostly hidden by the left shelf. If he faced forward, maybe they could take him by surprise and—

  The gunman turned sideways, shifted his knees, and bent forward, taking her plan with him.

  Kathleen started on the right side, shuffling through packages, looking specifically for tall, thin, and wide ones.

  Matt pointed the beam toward her with his left hand but stepped close. “I’m covering up the microphone with my thumb,” he whispered.

  She moved to the next section of boxes on the top shelf. It held the most packages with the shape she was looking to find. She turned her face to the back of the truck as she whispered, “Do you think that’s good enough?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t really want to push it to find out.”

  Still nothing. She stepped closer to the back. “I’m worried the card might contain the location where my brother-in law is testing new naval equipment.” She held her breath for a moment. If Aldric could hear her, surely he would jump on that statement. Kathleen peeked.

  He continued tapping on his tablet in short, agitated movements. It might have been her imagination, but it seemed as if Aldric was on his last fuse. Her heart beat wildly, and she shook with each gust blowing inside the open delivery door. The truck doubled as a wind tunnel.

  Matt reached over to shift a heavier box out of the way. His warm breath brushed across her neck. She wanted to press into his arms for warmth, bombarded with the memory of how safe she’d felt there in the package warehouse.

  “You obviously know more about what goes on at the base than I do, but—”

  “Don’t assume that,” she interrupted, her mouth close to his jaw. “Cameron never tells me anything.”

  “I was going to agree with your theory, though. It’s where my mind went.”

  “So how do we stop Aldric but not get ourselves, or my sister and her kids, killed in the process?”

  “Enough talking!” The man stood up. “You have ten more minutes then the deal is off, Miss Wicks. Maybe your sister will be more cooperative.”

  Her chest seized with the effort of holding back her cry. She needed to focus on the task at hand. While she worked, she prayed Matt was thinking of a solution.

  She sighed. “Nothing right here. Let’s try over there.”

  They stepped across the space to the next set of shelves.

  The light brushed over a return address: “Matt Kaplan.” It was here. They’d found it. The beam brushed across the addressee: “Jasmine Gray.”

  She prickled. She’d thought Matt had bought the painting for sentimental value. She thought he’d actually liked her, liked the painting. But he was giving it away to some girl?

  She never would’ve let him buy it if she’d known. Not to mention they wouldn’t be in this dangerous situation—her shoulders dropped.

  Who was she kidding? She would’ve probably sold it to anyone who asked. She’d been so desperate for affirmation that she had even the smallest shred of talent. Ugh. She’d wanted to paint for something more than her own pleasure. Maybe that was too much to ask.

  “You’ve found it, but keep searching,” Matt whispered. “Be really loud about looking through the next packages. I’ll try to open this one and break the SD card before he can—”

  “Did you find it?” Aldric popped out of the seat.

  “Go, go, go,” she whispered. This might be their only chance. She pulled out the next similar-sized package, hoping she could stall the man. But how?

  A thump at the front of the truck caught attention. A blue boot stepped up the metal stairs into the truck. An employee with a poncho and a black metal flashlight appeared in the cab. “Hey! What are you—”

  The gunman cocked his gun.

  Crack!

  The APS employee screamed. He looked down, howling, his right pant leg dripping with blood. His breath cut off, and he dropped to the floor. His head bounced against the side of the shelving before he crumpled to the ground.

  Kathleen gasped. Instinct drove her forward. She dropped the package and bolted toward the employee. Aldric said nothing, but he didn’t stop her. She grunted, the tendons in her stomach burning
as she turned the man over, praying he was still alive.

  She grabbed him to feel for his pulse. It thrummed against her fingertips. So he’d fainted. Thank you, Lord. The bump to his head would likely keep him unconscious longer. He’d fallen hard. Blood soaked his pant leg. She didn’t know how to treat a gunshot victim, but she knew the bleeding needed to be stopped. Next to the dent in the shelving his head had made was a pile of packaging tape.

  She grabbed a dispenser. “He needs a doctor.”

  The gunman took something from Matt, disregarding her plea. He had the package with the frame. Her shoulders sagged, but she focused again on the security guard. They’d lost, but she couldn’t let that keep her from saving a man’s life.

  She lifted the man’s leg as best as she could and wound the packaging tape around the leg, over the wound, a few times. Hopefully the tight pressure would at least slow down the bleeding, but not so tight he’d risk loss of limb. Without his input, she had no way of knowing. “It’s probably good you’re not awake for this,” she muttered. At least it didn’t spurt like an arterial bleed, or she would’ve definitely fainted.

  The sound of ripping cardboard echoed through the truck. “Point the light here,” Aldric yelled.

  Matt’s light swung over to the package as the gunman yanked the tissue paper and bubble-wrapped frame out of the box. Kathleen didn’t move from the unconscious employee.

  What if the employee had a phone?

  Acting like she was continuing to tend to the wounds, she slipped her hand underneath the poncho and found a phone in the cargo pocket on the side of his thigh.

  She couldn’t dare turn it on, though. The light from the screen would catch the shooter’s attention. Instead she slipped it into her sweatshirt’s front pouch along with the box cutter. Rage built within her gut until it burned. Aldric had threatened her sister, her brother-in-law, her cute niece and nephews. She squeezed the knife’s handle, her forearms twitching with adrenalin.