Explosive Reunion

by Karen Kirst

  Desperation threatened to override logic. Glaring, he crowded the shorter man. “Are you telling me that this guy’s life, this guy who attacked Tori and tried to strangle her to death, is worth more than hers?”

  “You know that’s not how this works,” Avery said. “I’m as concerned about her as you are—”

  “Doubt it.”

  “You need to get yourself under control,” he warned. “Otherwise, you’ll be cooling your heels in lockup, and then how will you help her?”

  “You don’t understand—”

  His phone vibrated, and his mouth went dry. He fished his phone from his pocket and his body lost some of its tension when he recognized Brett’s number. He’d thought it was the video Aaron had promised. What kind of video, Cade couldn’t bring himself to think about.

  “I can’t talk now,” he told his friend.

  “Wait! What’s wrong?”

  He ground his back teeth. Turning slightly away from the deputy, he stared at the faded painting on the wall. “Tori’s been taken.”

  “By who? The retired Marine?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s he look like again?”

  Bile coated his throat. “Blond. Gray eyes. Built. Tattoos.”

  Brett’s breathing changed rhythm. “Cade, I think I know who he’s working with.”

  He stiffened. “What? How?”

  “Dante, Heath’s roommate, brought me a packet of photographs last night when he reported for our night-fire exercise. He found them beneath Heath’s bed. I didn’t have a chance to go through them until now.”

  “And?”

  “I found several photos—some old, some more recent—with the same four people. William Poole, Heath Polanski, a man who matches Aaron Waters’s description and a brunette female.”

  “Do you recognize her?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. She’s in intelligence. She was with us in Afghanistan. I don’t know her name. But Cade, she’s got to be your mystery perpetrator. It’s clear she and William were a couple.”

  Hope ignited. This was the clue they’d been searching for. A member of the intelligence battalion would have the knowledge and skills to rig the bomb that took out Tori’s car. They’d also be adept at using long-range rifles. Sensing Avery’s intense scrutiny, Cade told Brett to text him pictures.

  When the first one came through, Cade had to put a hand against the wall to steady himself. “This can’t be her.”

  “You’d better fill me in,” Avery stated.

  Numb, he relayed everything he knew. “This woman, Felicia Ortiz, has insinuated herself into Tori’s mom’s life.” His blood ran cold as he recalled the times she’d had access to both Barbara and Tori. “Barbara could be in danger, too.”

  “On it.” Avery called in the threat. He also ordered a complete probe into Felicia’s life. “We’ve got someone headed to Barbara James’s residence.”

  Cade nodded, his mind racing. He hadn’t once been suspicious of the reserved, sharp-eyed Marine sergeant. Was she that good of an actor? Or was he that inept at reading signals?

  Another picture came through. William had his arm slung around Felicia, and she was leaning into his side.

  Avery tapped the screen. “Is that an engagement ring?”

  He enlarged the photo. “Looks like it. If they were engaged, they kept it under wraps. She outranked him. That’s a big no-no.”

  “There’s your motive. Felicia’s fiancé was killed, and she blames you.”

  His stomach dropped to his toes. “She found out that Tori and I used to be involved.”

  He’d assumed Brett had shared the information. Now he decided it must’ve been Barbara. She was proud of her children and loved to talk about them with her customers. There was even a photo of Tori and Cade near the shop’s register. When Felicia had stepped in to help her cousin, Maria, she must’ve made the connection. Her grief and misplaced blame led her down the path of revenge.

  “This is good news,” Avery said. “We’ll run down every scrap of information.”

  “But will it be in time to save Tori?”

  * * *

  Constant ticking penetrated the darkness shrouding her.

  A moan escaped as she came to. Her head and neck throbbed. Disoriented, she forced her eyes open, the sense of space and florescent light registering at the same time as the motor oil and grease that were heavy in the air. She must’ve succumbed to the drugs after all, because the last thing she remembered was Aaron’s phone conversation.

  “At last,” a female voice sniped. Fingers gripped Tori’s chin and jerked her head up. “Time to wake up and join the party.”

  The woman’s features came into focus. “You.”

  “I played my part well, yes?” Felicia’s eyes were twin pools of callous hatred. Tori had once thought her beautiful. Now the ugliness in her soul was printed on her face.

  Fear shot through her. “My mom,” she gasped. “Where is she?”

  “I have no reason to harm Barbara.” She dismissed the notion. “In fact, I owe her. She’s the one who inspired this entire plan. She simply wouldn’t stop prattling on and on about her beautiful, talented daughter and her lost chance at love. She painted a picture of you and Cade that rivaled the Hollywood classics. Barbara helped me see that the best way to repay Cade for every day I’ve lived without William was through you. You’re the one I need to make Cade miserable. And I’ve finally got you.” To the man beside her, she said, “Got your phone ready?”

  Aaron fiddled with the device and then pointed it at Tori. “Say hello to Cade, little librarian. This is your final message to him, so make it count.”

  “My guess is he’ll watch it a thousand times, tormented by the fact that he wasn’t able to save you—his first and only love.”

  Tori shifted on the hard chair, struggling against the rope wound around her upper body. An unusual weight registered on her midsection. She looked down and wished she hadn’t woken up. Horror rocketed through her, rendering her dizzy and weak.

  A metal pipe with a battery and timer and wires was strapped to her. A bomb.

  They’d blown up her car, and now they were going to make sure she succumbed to the blast this time.

  “Aw, she looks scared.” Felicia seized the phone and spoke into it. “William didn’t have a chance to be scared. He didn’t have time to think about his loved ones, the family and friends he was leaving behind. Your girl will have that chance. She’s got about thirty minutes to mourn her untimely demise. You, on the other hand, will have the rest of yours to hate yourself for failing her.”

  “Who was William to you?” Tori ventured in a quavering voice, inwardly begging God to intervene.

  “My soul mate.” She snagged a locket from beneath her shirt, opened it and flashed a picture of William Poole. “Cade’s ineptitude stole him away.”

  Tori battled to ignore the relentless ticking of the timer, which was an ordinary wind-up kitchen timer. She struggled to remain still when her instinct was to fight the ropes and try to escape. The bomb looked homemade. Who knew if the design would hold up or go off with little provocation.

  Felicia continued to stare at his photo, lost in the past. For a moment, she looked like a normal, grieving fiancée. Then bitterness and hatred reclaimed her.

  She dropped the locket as if it burned her and stuck her face close to Tori’s. “We had plans,” she cried. “He was going to serve out the remainder of his current contract. He had eight months left. Eight!” She threw her hands up. “We were so close to getting everything we ever wanted. Did you know I was in Afghanistan when it happened?”

  “On patrol?”

  “On the FOB. As part of the Female Engagement Team, I was supposed to accompany the guys. Act as liaison to the local females.” She tugged at her hair.

  Still filming, Aaron
shook his head. “You can’t blame yourself, Felicia. You had no choice but to stay behind that day.”

  Tori was starting to piece together the puzzle. Felicia didn’t blame Cade as much as she blamed herself. “Why did you?”

  “She was sick,” Aaron supplied, his gray gaze trailing Felicia. There was more than friendly concern there.

  Were the two involved? Gauging from the sergeant’s mental state, Tori doubted she would entertain thoughts of another man. Aaron...he looked as if he worshiped Felicia. Was that why he’d gone along with her plan?

  “Something she ate the night before didn’t agree with her.”

  “If I’d been there, I would’ve prevented a tragedy.”

  “Or gotten yourself killed,” Aaron argued.

  Felicia continued to pace for long, tense moments and then appeared to pull herself together. “What’s done is done. Now it’s time for payback.” She jerked the phone from him and shoved it in front of Tori. “What do you want to say to your beloved Cade?”

  Tori stared at the phone, afraid she might be sick.

  Was she really going to die in this warehouse? A violent death that would haunt Cade and her family for years? She bit down hard on her lip to keep from crying. Cade would never accept this wasn’t his fault. He’d be crushed beneath the weight of guilt.

  “Better hurry up,” Felicia taunted. “Your time is growing short.”

  He’d never know how much this time with him had meant to her. Yes, they’d been in danger, but it had brought them together like nothing else could’ve. The time with Cade had cemented what she’d always known—he was the love of her life. Her best friend.

  She’d been a fool to allow his choice of career to drive them apart.

  Father God, I can’t guess Your sovereign will. But if this is how it’s meant to end, I pray You’ll lift Cade, my mom and Jason up. Walk beside them through the aftermath. Create joy from ashes.

  “You have no idea, do you?” she said.

  Felicia’s frown deepened. “Idea about what?”

  “Aaron’s in love with you.”

  He stiffened. Felicia shot him a confused glance.

  “Why else would he do your dirty work and be willing to risk jail for you?”

  “You’re not as smart as you think you are, librarian. The four of us—William, Brandon, Heath and me—were childhood friends. Grew up in the same poor West Virginia town. He’s as eager for vengeance as I am. Tell her, Aaron.”

  His gaze dropped to the cracked cement floor. “When you and William became a thing, I accepted that you’d never look at me as anything other than a friend. But after his death, I had hope again.”

  She looked aghast. “There will never be another man for me.”

  Hurt washed over him. “I can make you smile again. I know it. Give me a chance, at least.”

  “You can be together,” Tori said. “As friends or whatever. Just let me go. You won’t face murder charges. If you let me go, I’m sure you can negotiate some sort of deal—”

  “Shut up,” Felicia snarled, backhanding her. Pain radiated through her cheek, and her eyes smarted.

  “Let’s just go,” Aaron urged. “Forget what she said. Forget the video.”

  “No.” Seizing a fistful of Tori’s hair, she tugged hard. “You listen to me—”

  “What was that?” Aaron trotted to the nearest window. A hiss whistled between his teeth. “They’ve found us!”

  Releasing Tori, Felicia whirled around. “Impossible.”

  “I see three sheriff’s department vehicles.” He whipped his head toward them, his eyes pinned to Tori. He stalked across the warehouse floor and jabbed his finger at her. “Do you have a tracker on you?”

  “N-no.”

  “Then how did they find us?” The tendons bulged in his neck, and his nostrils flared. He looked like he was contemplating killing her with his bare hands. Still, hope welled inside.

  “I don’t know.”

  “We have to go.” Felicia flung her hand toward the pair of motorcycles parked near a rear metal door. “We can escape out the back while they’re casing the front.”

  Together, they jogged to the motorcycles and grabbed their helmets.

  The ticking of the timer reminded Tori the danger hadn’t passed. The authorities had no idea a bomb was involved. There wouldn’t be time to call in a SWAT team to disarm it.

  Sweat trickled down her spine. Fear lodged in her throat.

  Had they found her too late?

  Aaron was straddling his bike and Felicia was pulling on her helmet when movement registered in Tori’s peripheral vision. A man entered through the same door the pair intended to use for an escape. A man in jeans and a black T-shirt with the McMann fishing logo. A man whom she’d believed she might never see again.

  Her heart stuttered. Cade.

  “Hold it right there,” he snapped, his weapon aimed at Aaron and Felicia.

  But Aaron’s reflexes were quick. He had his own gun drawn in a flash. “Get out of our way, McMann. As you can see, your girlfriend doesn’t have much time left. You’ll want to say a quick goodbye.”

  Cade’s furious blue gaze shifted past them to where she sat, strapped to the explosive device. Denial danced across his features before his mouth hardened with the determination she knew forged his soul.

  “I slipped away from the deputies. You have less than five minutes before they figure out I came looking for a back entrance.” His finger was steady on the trigger. “Disarm the bomb, and I’ll let you go without a fight.”

  Instead of responding, Felicia finished tugging on the helmet, jammed the keys into the ignition and revved the engine. The huge warehouse’s metal walls shook. With a nod to Aaron, she gunned the sports bike. The large machine lunged toward Cade.

  Shots rang out.

  Tori screamed.

  The motorcycles sped through the door in single file, the angry sounds fading as shouting began outside the front of the building.

  Cade lay unmoving on the floor, his eyes closed and his gun yards away on the oil-stained floor.

  TWENTY

  His chest felt like he’d been run over by an armored vehicle. He struggled to sit up.

  “Cade! Can you hear me?”

  Tori. He’d found her.

  Bomb. There was a homemade explosive strapped to her.

  “I’m okay,” he managed to say, pushing to his knees. “They made me wear a Kevlar vest.”

  He heard her crying, and it spurred him to his feet. The shock of the close-range hit lingered, and there’d be major bruising, but he would live. They were both walking out of this warehouse.

  He rushed to her side and bent to peer into her eyes. “We’re going to figure this out.”

  Her hair was tangled, her clothes stained. There were the beginnings of fresh bruises on her neck, and an angry welt on her left cheek. Anger burned inside him. They would pay for hurting her.

  “How did you find me?”

  “Traffic cameras, for one. We also traced this warehouse to Maria’s father, who’s Felicia’s uncle. It’s remote. Made sense.”

  He gently wiped the moisture from her cheeks, bringing her focus to the bandages on his hands. “You’re injured!”

  “I had to destroy my coffee table in order to slice the ropes. The cuts are minor.” He wouldn’t have bothered with them, but Avery hadn’t given him a choice.

  “You have to leave, Cade.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  Her eyes bore a wealth of regret and urgency. “Take care of my mom. And Jason.” A sob ripped from her throat. “Tell him I’m proud of him.”

  “Tell him yourself.”

  He checked the timer. Eight minutes. Fear coiled inside.

  He dashed to the front entrance and hollered for help at the same time deputies e
ntered the back door, weapons at the ready.

  “We need someone to diffuse a bomb!”

  They rushed over to inspect the device. Claxton and Avery joined them.

  “The SWAT team can’t make it in under fifteen minutes,” Claxton said in a hushed voice, his normally stoic face pinched with worry.

  Tori overheard. Though her eyes communicated fear, she didn’t panic. “Leave me. That’s your only choice.”

  “Out of the question.” Cade went and crouched beside her chair. Studying the thick belt around her waist, he said, “We have to remove it.”

  Deputy Lewis, who’d accompanied them to the warehouse, moved closer to Tori, trying to get a better understanding of how the pipe was attached to the belt. He grimly nodded. “It’ll be risky without knowing how well this thing was designed, but I agree.”

  “Our SWAT team members wouldn’t approve, but we’re out of options.” Claxton and Avery looked at each other. “Let’s do it.”

  While the deputy went to fetch his tools, Cade gently cupped Tori’s face. “Hang on, sweetheart. This will all be over in a few minutes.”

  A single tear snaked down her cheek. “Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

  “I promised to protect you. This is me fulfilling that promise.”

  She glanced down at the device, a shudder racking her. “If this doesn’t work—”

  “It will.”

  He had to believe it. He wasn’t naive. There was a chance jostling the homemade explosive would set off a reaction. Or cutting off the belt would release a hidden trigger. Without Felicia and Aaron here to give them answers, there was no way of knowing. But walking out of here, choosing his own safety while sacrificing hers, went against everything he stood for.

  Pushing thoughts of his own family aside, he focused on Tori. His love for her gave him hope. It gave him courage.

  Deputy Lewis returned with heavy-duty cutters. He advised everyone to vacate the building and move the cars. Claxton, Avery and another deputy did as he suggested. Cade didn’t move.

  “I don’t have time to argue with you,” Lewis informed him, his gaze serious and steady. “If you have any doubts about your decision, leave now.”