by Tess Diamond
Chapter 40
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Frank said, walking up to Maggie and Jake as they passed through the security desk. “We’ve got everything set up on the second floor. Come on.”
“Who’s leading the SWAT team?” Her heart was pumping like she’d been running at full tilt. Things were falling into place. There was a chance that they were finally one step ahead of Mancuso. Maggie might be able to get Kayla out safely. She felt deep down that Mancuso probably didn’t want to hurt the girl, but she was worried about what would happen if he was pushed.
The kind of bond he clearly had with his brother was hard to break. If Joe was still alive, she might have been able to play the brothers against each other, but with his death, Joe had turned into a martyr. In Mancuso’s eyes, he’d become more than a man, more than a brother—now he was a symbol of mythic proportions. Trying to break that bond would be next to impossible—and too dangerous to attempt at this point.
“Mike Sutton was the only one available,” Frank said, and she could hear the apologetic tone in his voice. Working with Mike at Sherwood Hills had been a disaster, but Maggie smiled reassuringly at Frank. She wasn’t going to let Sutton and their bad blood get in the way of this. She couldn’t second-guess herself now, not with the clock ticking down and the FBI closing in on Mancuso. There was only one chance to get this right—and she had to get it right.
“Everyone else is already assembled?” Maggie asked.
Frank nodded. “We’re ready to go.”
She couldn’t let her nervousness make her falter. She was in control, she reminded herself. She could do this. She’d faced much worse than a roomful of men who resented her. “Let’s get to it, then,” she said.
Frank opened the conference room door, and she walked in like she owned the room. Mike Sutton was standing next to Paul, examining the images projected on the screen. Aerial images of thick trees and a cabin’s rusty tin roof set in a small clearing filled the room. The Thebeses were sitting at a table in the corner, the senator’s arm around his wife’s shoulders. She looked as if she hadn’t slept in days. Now that Maggie knew he was involved in oil smuggling and partly responsible for at least one man’s murder, she had difficulty hiding her disgust as she met Thebes’ eyes. The obvious fact that his reputation was more important than his child’s life made her want to scream at him. To shake him. She hated that she couldn’t fully confront him, not now. Maybe not ever.
Mike Sutton looked over his shoulder, his mouth twisting into a sneer when he saw Maggie. She ignored him and walked up to stand next to Paul, Jake following her. “Where are we?” she asked.
“Images from the surveillance chopper,” Sutton said, pointing to the screen. “As you can see, it’s a thickly wooded area. Coming in from the north, it’s uneven terrain, and not a lot of visibility. The southern approach—” he pointed to the bottom of the picture “—is a little clearer because of the river. But it adds to our trek time by fifteen minutes.
“The park’s been condemned for years,” Sutton continued. “So we’ll be dealing with major overgrowth, fallen trees, obstructed trails. Even the rangers rarely patrol out there anymore. We’ve already sent them an alert so they know we’ll be going in.”
“When the chopper got close, the lights in the cabin went out,” Paul said. “So we know someone’s in there.”
“We’ve got no visual confirmations that Mancuso’s in the cabin,” Sutton said. “Or the girl. The chopper’s too high to get an accurate body heat scan,” he said, his brows drawn tight in frustration. “Whoever’s in there, it could just be squatters. I’m sure there are a lot of them this time of year.”
Maggie shook her head, coming forward to examine the photo. It looked like a peaceful place—Mancuso probably had good memories of it. But it also meant he was surrounded by memories of his brother. Nancy said the brothers spent most of their free time there, so maybe the cabin was a shrine of sorts. A representation of their fraternal bond.
If Mancuso wanted to go down in a firefight, the cabin would be the perfect place.
Maggie rubbed at her wrists, trying to think. What would be the best approach here? Send in SWAT, guns drawn, and hope for the best? She could tell Sutton wasn’t thrilled about the terrain, and neither was she. A lot could go wrong.
Too much.
Kayla was in that cabin. Maggie knew it.
“She’s inside,” Maggie said.
“How can you be sure?” Paul asked.
“Mancuso values his brother over everything else,” Maggie explained. “Look at everything he’s done to bring his murder to light. The cabin is the place the brothers shared. It’s where he feels the connection to his brother the strongest. It’s also remote, in a thickly forested area. He’d keep her there. It’s ideal. Isolated. He’d probably need only minimal construction to drywall over the windows in one of the rooms to keep her from escaping. It’s close to the river.”
“Which would explain the water beetles we found in the video,” said Jake, picking up on her train of thought. “Maggie’s right. This is the place.”
“I agree,” Paul said. “That means we need an attack plan in place.”
“What are you thinking?” Jake asked.
“I’d hit the cabin hard and fast,” Paul said. “From multiple sides, so if he’s got an escape route ready, he’ll have nowhere to run.”
Sutton nodded and said, “I’ve got a team of twenty geared up and ready to go.”
Maggie didn’t look at them, but kept studying the aerial photos. She could see why they wanted to rush in. She really did. Time was ticking down.
But Mancuso had planned this too well. If he felt cornered, if things began to truly unravel, there was no telling what he’d do.
She’d gone in too fast at Sherwood Hills. She hadn’t taken the time to look at the situation from all angles. She needed more time here, so she wouldn’t make the same mistakes.
“No,” Maggie said.
“Excuse me?” Sutton demanded. Even Paul was looking at her like she was crazy. The only person who didn’t seem startled or angry was Jake. He just gazed steadily back at her, reaffirming her decision.
“We have to wait until he contacts us again,” Maggie said.
“He’s made it clear he’s not going to contact us again,” Paul said quietly. “Remember what he said? He said he’d slit her throat.”
Maggie pressed her lips together. She understood Paul’s take, but she knew in her gut it was wrong. “He needs proof. He needs that file. He’s not going to screw up his one piece of leverage,” she said. “I know why he’s doing this now. I have a profile. I understand his motivation. We can keep him talking, keep him distracted. We can work this out.”
“Did Sherwood Hills turn you crazy?” Sutton demanded. “Since when are you gun-shy? We have only a short window here, Kincaid.”
“Watch it,” said Jake, glaring at Sutton, who glared back, squaring his shoulders angrily.
“Look, Maggie,” Paul said. “I understand the instinct, I do. You want everyone out safe. But we’re out of time. We know where Kayla is. It’s time to go in fast and hard. We can distract him with flash bombs. He won’t even know what hit him. He’ll be on the ground and cuffed before he can draw.”
“I agree with these two fine agents,” said the senator.
Maggie turned to him, her lip curling and her eyes darkening with disgust.
“Senator,” Jake said. “You should trust Maggie’s instincts. We wouldn’t have made any of this progress without her. These guys—” he gestured to Sutton and Paul “—would still be chasing their tails.”
“I think it’s time for the professionals to take over, O’Connor,” Thebes said.
“If that’s how you feel,” Jake said. “Then send me in. Send me in alone. You know I have stealth training. This kind of terrain is nothing new to me, and frankly, no offense, but I’m trained for this.” He jerked his thumb at Sutton. “Storming in with a team of twenty is going
to spook Mancuso so badly he’ll have no choice but to come out shooting. I can get in unnoticed and dismantle the threat before he even knows I’m there. Kayla will be safe.”
“No,” the senator said, his eyes glittering with a bizarre, almost crazed light. “I want the team. I want this guy wiped off the map.” He glanced at Maggie dismissively. “You’re done, Ms. Kincaid. Thank you for your help.”
“This is a terrible idea,” Maggie said, her anger sparking inside her like a firecracker. This was his daughter—but to hide his corruption, he was willing, even eager to risk her life. She shook her head in disgust. “You seem to just be full of them.”
Thebes refused to even look at her, but instead went back to stand with his wife. Mrs. Thebes looked at Maggie, and Maggie thought for a moment she’d side with her, that she’d try to reason with her husband, but then the woman turned away, leaning into the senator.
Maggie couldn’t watch them, fearing that her fury would spill over. She needed to talk sense into someone, though. Paul. Paul had to listen to her. “Don’t do this,” she said to him in an undertone. “Please, Paul. You said before that I’m a natural. That my instincts are a gift. Trust those instincts, then. Trust me. There is a better way to do this. A safer way.”
Paul sighed. He wouldn’t even meet her eyes. “This has nothing to do with trust, Maggie,” he said, the clipped tone in his voice hurting her more than she expected. “This is the right play. You and your new boyfriend did good work. Now leave it to us to handle the rest.”
He turned away deliberately, showing her his back. The physical act angered Maggie even more than his pointed words.
Fine. Fine. If these idiots were going take this bullshit macho approach, she wasn’t going to watch them march off to what could easily cost them not only their own lives, but Kayla’s too. She couldn’t do it.
She couldn’t watch more people die.
She needed air, and she needed it now.
She backed away from the men so deep in discussion that they didn’t even notice as she slipped out of the room and down the hall, heading out of the building.
But the distance didn’t help. With each step, dread built in her chest. The same words looped inside her mind, that instinct in her screaming, This is a mistake, this is a mistake, this is a mistake!
Chapter 41
Dusk approached, the hum of the city was rising with the moon. The rush of traffic, people coming and going, heading home, heading out for a night on the town. Maggie closed her eyes and breathed it in, letting it carry her away for a moment before reality kicked in.
She looked up at the sky, trying to calm herself, to block out the memories. She swallowed, trying to banish the tight feeling in her throat. She couldn’t cry. She had to be strong.
She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
“Hey, honey.” Her mother’s normally cheerful voice was concerned. “I saw you on the news.”
“Hey, Mom,” Maggie said.
“You went back.” The statement was no accusation. Maybe it should have been. Maggie knew that when she’d quit the Bureau, her mother had been overjoyed. Maggie couldn’t blame her for that: She’d lost one daughter, and Maggie dove headfirst into danger to cope. It would wear on any mother . . . especially hers, who had already lived through the worst kind of agony.
“I know why you took this case,” her mother continued, when it was clear Maggie couldn’t say anything. Her throat was choked with emotion.
“I had to,” Maggie forced out.
“I know,” her mother said, her voice softened, full of warmth and praise. “You, my sweet girl, are just like your father. Hell-bent on justice. He’d be very proud.”
Maggie smiled. It was bittersweet, being compared to her father.
“Are you okay?” her mother asked.
Maggie shook her head, trying to regain control. “I’m fine,” she lied. She knew her mother wouldn’t believe her, but Maggie prayed she’d let it go. Just this once.
“Are you close to finding whoever did this?”
“Yeah,” Maggie said, “and I’m gonna bring the girl home safe.”
Was she? Or had she condemned Kayla by not putting her foot down? By not finding some way to get Paul and Sutton to understand that a full-out assault was the worst kind of fire to light in this situation?
“Yes, you are,” her mother said proudly. “Honey, come up and visit after all this is over, okay? Just for a few days.”
Maggie could see Jake heading toward her across the courtyard. Excitement and worry fizzed inside her. Had SWAT moved out already? Or had he gone searching for her because he was worried?
“I’ll think about it, Mom,” she said quickly, her throat getting tight. “Listen, I’ve got to go. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
She hung up, blinking back whatever tears she had left before Jake reached her. But she must have done it badly because he reached out, brushing her curls off her face. His arms wrapped around her and he drew her close, pressing her cheek gently into the softness of his shirt. She breathed in the faint smell of his aftershave—a hint of something rich and earthy—and felt the tension uncoiling at the base of her spine, spreading through her body.
“They’re making a mistake,” she mumbled into his shirt, because she couldn’t bear to look in his eyes and have him confirm what she knew was true.
“They’re trained,” Jake said. He was clearly trying to look on the bright side, but the strain in his voice revealed his concern.
“He’s going to panic. Mancuso’s desperate enough. Add the pressure of SWAT breathing down his neck? It’ll trigger anything. What if he has a backup plan?” Agitated, she pulled away from Jake, pacing up and down the sidewalk.
“This is a terrible idea,” she said for what felt like the millionth time. “I hate this. I hate that there was an easier, safer solution they ignored.” Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I hate that they won’t listen to reason. And I hate that Thebes is going to get away with murder. He shouldn’t be serving our country. He’s not a patriot. He’s not even a good father. And most of all, I hate that Kayla . . .”
She was breathing hard, her chest heaving, her blood spiking hot. She couldn’t go on. She felt all the fight trying to leave her like water down a drain, and she tried to keep her hold on it. She needed to fight. Kayla needed her to fight.
“Hey.” Jake reached out and caught her hand, wrapping it in his. Her breath caught, and the strength and desire he inspired filled her, making her bold. How was he so warm? All she wanted to do was sink into him, let him envelop her in his arms. Being held by him felt safe. It drove everything else out of her thoughts until it was just him and her, their breath, their bodies, the memories of those moments in the greenhouse, his skin against hers, his body moving against hers, the choked words breathed like a prayer against her ear.
“Kiss me,” she found herself saying. And she didn’t have to ask twice. His lips were on hers, that glorious feeling—hope, warmth, and something else, something she wasn’t ready to name—filling her. She stroked the slope of his broad shoulders, down the hard breadth of his biceps, remembering vividly how strong he’d been, holding her up against the greenhouse wall. It had felt like he’d hold her up through anything.
And it felt like that now. Like no matter what happened, he would see it through.
He was a man who kept his promises. And he’d promised Kayla would be all right.
She’d be a fool to believe him completely, because you can never predict the outcome of cases like these.
But maybe, in his arms, she could be the fool. She could believe. In herself. In him.
In them.
She couldn’t save Erica. She couldn’t save Gretchen.
But maybe, with Jake’s help, she could save Kayla.
Chapter 42
Kayla blinked slowly. When she licked her lips, she could taste blood on them.
She was back in the gray room Max had been keeping her
in. He must have dragged her back in here when she’d passed out in the bathroom.
The bathroom! She pawed at her side, breathing a sigh of relief when her fingers came in contact with cool metal. She’d managed to tuck the scissors into the waistband of her skirt, and they were still there.
With clumsy hands, she pulled them out and began to saw at the ropes binding her hands. She was shaking so badly. Disoriented from the lack of insulin, it took a good ten minutes to get through all of them. When she managed, she nearly sobbed in relief when the tight ropes loosened.
A loud sound—like an alarm—went off. Kayla started, dropping the scissors. What was that? Was someone coming? Was she finally rescued? Her heart leapt and then fell to the pit of her stomach when she heard footsteps coming toward the room. Panicking, Kayla kicked the scissors under the sleeping bag just as the door burst open. Max’s eyes were shining with a scary light, and his hair was a mess, like he’d been running his hands through it.
He stalked toward her like a lion closing in on its prey. Kayla scrambled away, looking desperately—uselessly—around. But she knew there was no escape. Terror spiked inside her, swamping out everything else. Oh, God . . . Oh, God. Was he going to kill her? Her heartbeat roared in her ears, and black spots clouded her vision as the room swayed around her.
She screamed as he grabbed her arm. Screamed like she’d never screamed before. He winced at the sound, but continue to pull at her. She went limp, hoping it would stop him. Instead, it seemed to make him angrier. He slapped her across the face, a move that was so unexpected it left her silent and gasping, her cheek throbbing as he dragged her out of the room.
“It’s time,” he said.
Chapter 43
Paul moved steadily and swiftly through the woods in a half crouch, his gun making slow, even sweeps as he neared the structure.
Mancuso’s cabin rested by a river in Potomac Overlook Park. Overgrown and unkempt, the park trails were more a hindrance than a help. He and the SWAT team moved as silently as possible through the woods off trail, approaching the cabin from the north. His footsteps crunched through the forest floor as he navigated around trees, hopping over a fallen log. He scanned the woods around him as he moved, his footsteps assured, his breathing steady. The sun was beginning to set, and they had to pick up their speed. A firefight in the dark was the last thing they needed.