Aaron rested his head against the back of the seat and closed his eyes. “My body’s about three seconds from knocking me out, but otherwise all right. Ms. Roslin is at the spa, waiting for Ellen, who probably won’t make it up until tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll find things to do, even if it’s just napping in a peaceful room without worrying about home invaders. She’s checked in for an overnight stay.”
“Speaking of home invaders, there were no additional disturbances last night that we know of. I had Hatch canvass the area, but we’ve got nothing so far. No one has noticed any newcomers, which is even more bizarre. It’s not like there are many places for folks to hole up without anyone seeing.”
“Unless they’re in someone’s home. We’ve got plenty of empty houses, and if someone is careful, they could absolutely hide inside. And while I really hate to think that the airport attack and the home invasion are connected...”
Leo clicked his tongue. “Speculation, bro. It’s an angle, but there’s a decent distance between here and the airport. The suspect would have needed transportation between the two, and to know where Cally is staying. You didn’t see any other vehicle and no one has noticed anything new, so we have to write up the report as if they’re unconnected first. A connection is officially just a theory for now, until we have hard evidence. But I’m on your side here. Fort Mason is too quiet of a town to not consider the strong likelihood that these incidents are linked.”
His brother made some excellent points. And if anyone knew a thing or two about connecting the dots between seemingly unrelated events, it was Leo. Leo had gone through a rough couple of days earlier in the year when the corrupt staff sergeant of the Fort St. Jacob detachment had targeted Leo’s now-fiancée, Ellen, after she’d witnessed an accidental homicide. The way the law worked, until they had a direct link to tie the events together, they needed to be treated as separate, unconnected incidents.
“You’re right. Hopefully there won’t be another invasion, but if there is, we’ll have to re-examine the evidence.” Either way, he was having a bit of trouble with the concept of leaving Cally alone at the spa. He also hadn’t seen Tricia when he’d checked Cally in, so it was possible she wasn’t working today or hadn’t made it in due to weather. “You think anyone would complain if I went back up to the spa and took a nap? I’m off the clock, and I’m honestly not sure it’ll be safe to drive home. It means keeping the patrol car out here for longer than expected, though.”
Leo chuckled. “You’re the senior officer here, man. Do whatever you want. You have a change of clothes in the back of the car?”
“I do.” He hung up and rubbed his eyes. The snow had continued to fall, much lighter than earlier this morning, but he still had a feeling that between the exhaustion and the blowing snow, he risked disorientation. Going back up to the spa seemed like the smart move, even if the only thing he could afford was a free bench in a stock room to lie down on for a few hours.
Plus, then he’d be close to Cally in case she needed him. Not that he thought she would, but just in case.
Just in case I need her, is more like it, came the unbidden thought, followed by a rush of guilt. The woman was clearly still grieving the death of her husband, and she’d come here to escape the anxieties of life. Plus, she lived in another country on the other side of the world. Moreover, she was an assignment. A possible stepping stone in his career.
Not a romantic prospect. That would be totally inappropriate.
And yet, despite the reasons his brain kept trying to throw at him, his heart still couldn’t wait to see her again.
* * *
Cally was trying very hard to be present and in the moment, but she’d never been all that good at forced relaxation. The spa’s interior was as gorgeous as the exterior, and the attendants had gone out of their way to show her around the facility and point out all the amenities and various services offered. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, and yet she was unable to shake the feeling that someone was looking over her shoulder, no matter where she went. Not that she’d gone much of anywhere since the airport, but she supposed being attacked twice in one day in a new place—not to mention the car accident—could make a person extra jumpy.
I should have asked Aaron to stick around.
She’d felt safe with him nearby, and while she had no doubt the spa had some measure of security, it was hard to have a lot of faith in how comprehensive it would be in an area where few people even bothered to lock their doors at night.
“Right over here, miss,” said one of the female attendants, pointing to a cushy-looking chair with a steaming footbath at its base. “You look tense. Can I grab you a coffee or tea?”
“Tea, please.” Cally slid into the seat, pulled off her shoes and socks and dipped her toes in the little bath. Ellen had recommended she get a few of the massage treatments to start, in an effort to relax and shake off the jitters caused by the day before. The warm water felt lovely on her feet, and the lavender-scented oils in the water’s steam seemed to be starting to work their magic. At this rate, she’d be warm again and able to shed a few layers in no time. She tried to close her eyes for a moment...but a thump outside the door sent her adrenaline racing. She shivered, despite still wearing a sweater and long-sleeved T-shirt underneath.
“Hello?” she called, but received no response. Had she imagined the sound? She was probably just high-strung from the day before. It could mean anything, from a door closing to an attendant setting down a heavy vacuum cleaner.
Cally took a deep breath to chase away the flare of alarm. She left the chair to grab a white plush robe off a hanger by the door, then slipped it on over her sweater, the extra layer of warmth feeling both comfortable and protective.
She returned to the footbath, but it seemed to be taking an awful long time for the attendant to bring her refreshment. Using the call button by the door, she buzzed for assistance—but as she released the buzzer, the door swung open and a male attendant with a surgical mask over the lower half of his face and a scrub cap over his head stepped into the room.
Cally frowned, feeling awkward and a little alarmed about the attendant entering the room without knocking. “Hello? Who are you? The woman who was here a few minutes ago—”
“RMT,” he said, his speech low and staccato.
Cally shook her head. “You’re my Registered Massage Therapist? No, thank you. I’d prefer the other attendant to do the foot treatment, if you don’t mind.” The intensity in the man’s eyes made her suddenly very uncomfortable. “Actually, I’ll just head to the washroom while I wait for her—”
She reached for the door, but the man slammed his palm on the wood, holding it shut.
“Sit down,” he snapped. When she didn’t move, he pulled a cell phone from his pocket and moved it toward her. She flinched back in alarm, clutching the edges of her robe.
“What are you doing? Please leave.”
“Heart rate monitor before massage, standard safety procedure,” he said, without missing a beat.
Cally had an incredibly weird feeling about all this. Where was the woman who’d come into the room with her first? “I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of anything like that before. I’m leaving.”
When he didn’t remove his hand from the door, Cally knew something was very wrong. She swallowed down a rush of panic, then backed away toward the chair and the footbath.
“I really need to go,” she said, pressing her back against the arm of the chair. A tray next to it held implements for her pedicure—clippers, cuticle oil and a nail file, among other things. She slipped one hand behind her back and wrapped her fingers around the nail file. It had been years since she’d completed her compulsory service in Amar’s military, but she hadn’t forgotten everything about self-defense.
The man began to advance on her, leaving the door unguarded.
Good, she thought, just a little closer...
“Please take a seat,” the man said, and something about his speech sounded strange. But with her pulse racing in her ears, she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
“I’ve already said no,” she growled. Hadn’t Aaron said this place was secure? “I’ve already asked you to leave and I won’t ask again.”
Even with only his eyes visible through the mask and cap, she saw his patience vanish, replaced by anger. His steps toward her quickened. Cally took a deep breath, steadying her nerve.
The instant the man was in arm’s reach—his own hand extended as if to grab her—she whipped the nail file from behind her back and slammed it into his biceps.
He screamed in pain, stumbling backward, knocking over tables and trays. Cally didn’t waste a second of the opening she’d created—she shouted and dove for the exit, banging her hand onto the call button at the same instant as she flung open the door. The hallway outside was empty.
She was almost free! Footsteps pounded from elsewhere in the building, coming closer.
She took a step forward and opened her mouth to scream for help again—and a hand clamped over her lips, muffling all hope.
FIVE
Aaron had just lain down on a futon in one of the empty massage therapy rooms when he heard a thump and a scream. In the spa?
He leaped up and raced toward the noise. The sounds of banging, like someone flailing around and knocking things over, raised his pulse and his speed. He passed a bewildered attendant hurrying down the hall, barely registering a sense of familiarity about the person, and turned the next corner to see Cally lurch backward as someone’s hand closed around her mouth. She stood in a doorway, and her eyes widened at the sight of him.
Her entire body tensed and she dropped to the ground, escaping her captor’s grasp. Aaron could see it was a man, slight with broad shoulders—possibly the same man Aaron had grappled with twice already.
And both of those times, Aaron had lost.
This time Aaron could see directly into his opponent’s eyes, however, and it wasn’t a good thing. The man clearly recognized Aaron from their previous encounters...and knew the odds based on yesterday’s outcomes.
“His arm!” Cally shouted, rolling away from the attacker and swiftly rising to her feet. “He’s injured, go for his arm!”
Aaron saw the man’s confidence falter. And there’s my opening.
Aaron lunged forward to close the gap and finish this, but instead of coming out to meet him head-on, the man backed up and slammed the door. A loud click told Aaron he had locked himself inside.
“Why would he do that?” Cally blurted.
“I don’t—”
The crash of breaking glass sent Aaron back into motion. He hurled himself against the door shoulder-first, the wood splintering with each hit, until finally it buckled and he stumbled inside.
A blast of frigid air swept through the room as a figure launched off the windowsill, dropping from the second story to the ground below. Aaron rushed to the empty window and looked down, bracing himself for an ugly scene—instead, he saw an imprint of a human body, tiny red specks of blood and footprints that were rapidly disappearing under the heavy snowfall.
“Is he...?” Cally murmured.
“Nope. The snow cushioned his fall. It might have hurt a little, but with all the accumulation we’ve had lately...” He released a long breath through his nose. As frustrating as it was that Cally’s attacker had slipped through his grasp again, the fact remained that Aaron had been here to stop him from harming Cally further.
Thank you, Lord. Guess there was a reason I stuck around after all.
He pointed to the floor where Cally stepped as she moved closer to the window, drawn by curiosity. “Be careful, there’s glass all over the place and you’ve got flimsy slippers on. Are you hurt? Will you be all right if I run outside?”
She waved toward the door. “Go! Before he gets away for good!”
Aaron rushed after the intruder, passing the attendant who’d been on the way to the room, and slipped out the closest emergency exit.
When he reached the door, he ran outside and looked both ways, hoping for some sign of the direction the man had traveled, but the falling snow was so thick he could barely see more than a few meters ahead. His own footprints on the path were obscured almost immediately by the heavy snowfall.
Frustrated, he stormed back inside. Cally sat on the floor outside the room, her back against the wall and knees tucked up to her chin. She gripped the sides of her head, fingers twined through her hair, squeezing every few seconds like a pulse. After a moment, she sighed. “Please tell me you have an explanation for what just happened.”
“I wish I did.” He rested his hands on his hips, feeling the weight of the past day. “Are you sure you’re all right? I feel like I’m asking you that nonstop.”
Cally looked up, sliding her hands down the sides of her face. Her lipstick was smudged, making it look as though she’d cut her lip. “I’ll be all right soon. Someone is getting me some water and an aspirin. My neck hurts from when that man pulled me backward. I’m so confused... I thought this place was supposed to be secure?”
“I thought so, too. I’m so sorry, I’d never have even imagined... Did the attacker say anything to you? How did he get into the room?”
She flinched. He hated to force the memory so quickly, but any information to help figure out what on earth had happened would be beneficial.
“He came inside implying he’d be doing my massage—the foot massage—and then pulled out a cell phone saying he wanted to use a heart rate monitor on me. He was super insistent that I sit down, which made sense at first because he claimed to be a massage therapist, but he was acting strangely.”
“Heart rate monitor? Now I’m even more confused. Unless...” Aaron had a sinking feeling, but he wasn’t sure if he should voice the concern out loud before giving the theory more thought.
Cally was having none of it, though. “Say it, please. Or...what do you say here, ‘Spit it out’? I can see your brain spinning through your face.”
He felt his shoulders rise as tension increased across his upper back. “Cally, I know you don’t want to think any of these attacks are related to your family status, but you said he pulled out a cell phone? And he didn’t harm you right away but tried to put you at ease, albeit rather poorly? To me, it sounds like the makings of another attempted abduction—like he wanted to preemptively take a proof of life photo in case the kidnapping got you banged up or worse.”
Her brow creased as she frowned. “What are you talking about? Proof of life?”
He swallowed, trying to force the words out around the tightness in his throat. “Cally, I think whoever is after you wants to kidnap you for some reason or another. And based on the way their abduction attempts have been going...taking you alive and unharmed might not be a priority.”
* * *
Cally felt like she might be sick, though she partially chalked that up to the pain along the sides of her neck. So it might be abduction after all? Her? It made no sense. It was impossible. She was a no one, an outcast by choice. If a kidnapper wanted ransom, she’d probably rot in their clutches before her family agreed to pay any kind of exorbitant sum—and besides, her family didn’t have the kind of money kidnappers might ask for in the first place. Like she’d told Aaron, she barely knew or saw her actual higher-up relatives, and they were the ones with money and influence.
“Well, he’s now failed three times in a row, so maybe these ridiculous attacks will stop. I’d be giving up and moving on to an easier target if I were him. What I can’t figure is how someone knew that I’d be here. We didn’t notice anyone following your car, right? For that matter, has it really been the same person all three times?”
Aaron massaged the side of his temple, grimacing. “I’m quite certain. I’d initially thought the airport attac
k was unrelated, but now I’m willing to admit they’re tied together. How this guy knows where you’re going to be, though...I have no idea.”
Cally suddenly felt very tired. “So much for a relaxing spa day. I feel ready to go back to bed.”
“I hear you. And while I’d love to tell you that we can stay here all day and rest, I need to get back to the station and help organize the investigation into what’s happened so far. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you remaining here on your own. Clearly the security isn’t as tight as I’d assumed.”
The blonde attendant who’d run off to get Cally water and aspirin returned as Aaron spoke, agitation growing on her face with each word. “Excuse me, Officer, but we’ve never had anything like this happen before, I assure you.”
Aaron flinched as the attendant came into his line of sight. “Tricia.” He nodded at her in acknowledgment. “I didn’t realize you were here today.” The woman raised her chin, apparently indignant at his words.
“I could say the same to you.” Tricia brought the water and aspirin to Cally, handing them off with an apologetic smile. “I’m so deeply sorry, Ms. Roslin. If there’s anything else I can do—”
“You can start by upgrading your security system,” Aaron cut in. “Should I assume the doors throughout the facility aren’t locked during operating hours?”
Tricia raised an eyebrow. “It’s never been a necessity. Sometimes clients like to step out for a breath of fresh air or some other reason, and the doors are open so they can come and go as they need to. We’ve never had an issue.”
Aaron crossed his arms as Tricia took a step closer to him. The air seemed to fill with tension, and not in a good way.
“Sorry,” Cally said, speaking slowly. “But am I missing something here?” She hoped her tone implied her meaning. When the two people across from her locked eyes, Aaron looked away from the woman first. Tricia didn’t respond, either, but appeared to have greater trouble pulling her gaze from the Mountie.
Christmas Under Fire Page 5