by Debra Webb
She turned in the circle of his arms, a lovely blush creeping into her cheeks. “I meant for food. The pizza is nearly done.” She moved away to check it.
Caring for others was such a Lucy thing to do. Something he’d taken for granted too often. He used the tablet to check for any new data from the drone. Still flying and recording, so that was good news.
“We should talk,” he said. Her shoulders stiffened but, with an effort, he kept the conversation on point. “The rescue operation is a go. The team will go in as soon as they arrive.”
The timer went off and a spicy aroma filled the kitchen when she opened the oven door. His mouth watered, for the food and the woman.
“But?” she prompted, setting the pizza stone on the stove top to cool.
He tapped his fingers on the counter. “What do you want to do about Kathrein?”
She pursed her lips, her hands fisting in the pot holders. “What I want to do and what we should do are two different things,” she said. When she looked up and her gaze met his, he saw the blast of fury in the brown depths. “I wouldn’t lose any sleep if he died,” she admitted.
“Lucy.” He went to her, covering her restless hands with his. Although he hoped, he couldn’t be sure it would be that simple. “I absolutely understand the sentiment.”
He cut the pizza and served up two slices for each of them. When they were seated at the table, a glass of wine and water for each of them, he gathered his thoughts as he dug into the meal.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about this bully that ran the detention center,” he said at last. “Sam and I must have dreamed up a dozen violent ways to take him down.”
Her mouth parted on a soft gasp. “You never told me that.”
“There were plenty of things I should have told you,” he said, his pulse hammering in his ears. And plenty of things he wanted to tell her now, starting and ending with “I love you.” He reminded himself there would be time to tell her that, and more, for the rest of his life. He would make sure of it. “You’ve seen the pictures. Sam and I were skinny nerds. We didn’t have the ability to take him down. It was just the two of us against him and the friends who watched his back.”
Silently, she watched him over her wineglass.
He didn’t like to dwell on those days when he’d been so utterly inadequate to meet the challenges. “Being incarcerated motivated me in several areas,” he said.
She smiled, still waiting.
“My point is, we had to make a plan to work together,” he continued. “Not just to avoid the physical assault but to carve our way through it. We’d agree how to proceed and then the idiot would divide us. He knew how to push our buttons.”
“He was doing the divide and conquer routine?”
“It’s effective,” he admitted. “We let him get away with it too long and it’s a lesson that stuck with me.”
She prodded the pizza crust, breaking off a small piece and chewing slowly. “I’m angry and scared and I believe he plans to kill my family.” She stopped, rubbing her hands on her jeans. “He has too much to lose. Are you afraid we aren’t in agreement about Kathrein?”
“I just want us to go in united. His actions and history prove the ruthless, deadly nature of the man hiding behind the recluse facade.”
“Believe me I understand he’s dangerous. What are you suggesting?”
“If we arrange a meet and you give him the files you found—”
“You let me find,” she interjected.
“Semantics.” He grinned at her. “He gets the files and he wins. Most likely that ends with him killing all three of you to be sure those reports never surface. Unless you convince him you arranged for the documents to be released if something happens to any of you.”
She shivered. “Option two?”
“Do you have any idea if he tried to breach Gray Box on his own?”
“I don’t know who he hired, but he said the man failed. He manipulated me because he thought I could sweet-talk you or something.” She shook her head. “He completely underestimated you.”
How was it she couldn’t see how tightly he was wound around her little finger? He’d do anything for her, including throw over his company. What was money except a tool to rebuild something better?
“Rush?”
He shook off the thought, drained his glass of water and set it back on the table. “Option two is to contact Kathrein and let him know you failed and can’t break into the box.”
She bit her lip. “How does that help?”
He appreciated her trust. “He would need to regroup or come after me.”
“Stop it.” She pressed her hands to her eyes. “In that case Gwen and Jackson die and I’d be next on the hit list.”
He felt terrible for taking this approach. “Lucy, look at me.” He waited until she did. “I am not going to let that happen.”
She held his gaze. “I know you don’t want to let that happen,” she replied, softly. “I can see the investment you’ve made here for me and my family, but we both know Kathrein has all the leverage,” she finished, fighting back tears.
“He doesn’t, not anymore. I’m pushing your buttons now so we can be stronger, united when we face him,” he insisted. “He wants you to feel inferior. He’ll play on your fear to get his way. We have to be prepared or those fears will undermine our ability to outsmart him.”
She took a deep breath, held it. “You’re right.” She fanned her face. “Keep going.”
Her courage would forever dazzle him. “We have the element of surprise. He thinks we’re still in the States, not around the corner. We’re a team,” he added, emphatically. “Kathrein can’t risk bringing his family into this. On top of all of that, we have eyes on him.”
She eyed the countertop behind him and the tablet monitoring the drone. “How long is your drone able to stay out there?”
“It’s programmed to fly a random pattern for several hours before returning.”
“What if someone on his team spots it and follows it here?”
“The altitude and random route should keep them from noticing anything out of the ordinary,” he assured her. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll show you some other features that might give you a little peace while we wait to make the rescue.”
* * *
LUCY FORGOT THE dishes and followed Rush to the garage to see the other features he believed leveled the field. Thanks to him, her renewed confidence blotted out the fear that had crept up on her. Somehow she and Rush, along with his team, would prevent Kathrein’s escape and she was eager to get on with the rescue.
At the workstation Rush cued up the live footage from the drone’s camera. “Let’s see if we can find a weak spot.” He pulled up an extra stool for her.
“I didn’t realize we could have been monitoring this in real time,” she said, awed by the clarity of the live feed. Instead, they’d had stunning sex and a great meal while her sister and nephew remained prisoners. Guilt nipped her conscience and she pressed her hands between her knees to keep from chewing on her fingernails.
He leaned over and kissed her temple. “Real time would have simultaneously frustrated you and bored you to tears. The flight path spends significant time well away from the target.”
It was little comfort but she realized he was absolutely correct as she watched him work. Various searches and commands appeared on one screen while images flashed by in a rapid slide show on the other. “Give me something to do,” she said, restless. “Should I check in with Sam?”
“He’ll call us.” Rush squinted at something on the monitor. “Use my laptop and bring up the history on this place.”
She opened up his personal laptop, momentarily stymied by the password field. “Shall I guess or will you tell me the password?”
“What? Oh.” He glanced over and she swore he blushed. “You know it, unless you’ve forgotten.”
She typed in the password she remembered from a year ago, stunned and inexplicably fla
ttered he hadn’t changed it. Clicking the folder on the main screen, she saw Sam had added a great deal to the property file over the past fifteen hours. “This winery has always been in the family. Kathrein didn’t buy it, he inherited. Or rather, he stole his cousin’s inheritance.”
“Brace yourself, I might stand up and cheer.”
Lucy was distracted by the video segments he was reviewing. “My goodness, that camera is amazing.”
“Isn’t it?” he agreed absently. “Remind me to give everyone in R & D a raise when we get back.” He zoomed in, changing the color filter on the video.
She didn’t have a reply for his assumption that she’d return with him to San Francisco. It wasn’t as if she had a better option just now, but she didn’t want to give either of them a reason to believe she’d used him.
“I’ll be damned.”
“What is it?”
“Tunnels.” He aimed a finger over a recorded feed that was recycling.
She set the laptop aside and stepped up behind him. “Show me.”
He slid his arm around her waist and her heart did a quick, happy pirouette in her chest at the easy intimacy. She rested her hand on his shoulder, unable to fight her affection for him even though she knew she was setting herself up for another long, lonely recovery when they parted ways.
He used the mouse to illustrate what he’d found. “This topographical application is a feature we’re developing for a potential client. I think we’ve nailed it.”
“Impressive.” He’d all but admitted he was inventing for military applications. That was his way, always looking to help someone. “How do we use it?” Without a more familiar map or reference point, she couldn’t make sense of the bright colors.
“In this location, the family must have been part of the French resistance.” Rush muttered a curse. “Ironic a Nazi cousin stole their rightful heritage.” He scowled at the monitors, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on the table. “What are the odds Kathrein doesn’t know about the tunnels?” he murmured to himself. “This could be a huge advantage for Lawton’s team.”
She sat down and dug back into the property file on his laptop. “He assumed his cousin’s identity,” she reminded him. “Wouldn’t he have access to everything?”
“Did he bother looking is a better question. He was a young soldier with a superiority complex, alone and on the run. Would he really care about anything other than establishing himself as his cousin?”
“Can we go check the tunnels first?” she asked.
His fingers flew over the keyboard, but she knew he’d heard her. “He doesn’t have guards anywhere near the tunnels.”
“They might have collapsed or been sealed,” she said.
“Collapsed would show on the image. Sealed up at the house is possible.”
Her adrenaline spiked at the opportunity to do something. “He took his family there for vacations. Any normal child would have found every nook and cranny.”
“His children aren’t there.” Rush stood up, pacing back and forth. “He planned this kidnapping quickly, but he’s a stickler for detail. If the tunnels were a concern, he’d have men standing guard.”
She laughed, a bitter sound that broke Rush’s thoughtful concentration. “Sorry.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I can’t help it. The idea that Kathrein has had possession of a Resistance house all this time and been too self-absorbed to learn the real secrets is bizarre.”
Rush gave her a long study. “What are you willing to risk to find out?” He caught both her hands in his. “The way the winery and cellar are situated, I worked up two ideal attack options for Lawton’s consideration. We could take a walk and see about giving them a third choice.”
A walk through the French countryside at twilight sounded daring. And possibly romantic under different circumstances. “If we’re spotted we blow our element of surprise.”
“We’re two random lovers out for a stroll.” He ran his palms up to her shoulders and back down. “No guards around this end of the tunnel.” He grinned at her. “And Kathrein has no idea we aren’t in San Francisco.”
Lovers. The word derailed her thoughts for a moment. If only that could be true again. If only so much more could be true in the future. Unlikely as that outcome was, her mind reached for more practical concerns. “If the tunnels are open, maybe we can get them out tonight.”
Hope swelled through her.
“Let’s start with a walk and go from there.”
She nodded stepping away from him, missing his touch immediately. “Let me change clothes.”
“Choose something dark. I’ll shower and do the same,” he added, falling in behind her.
In less than half an hour they were back in the garage, debating whether or not to go for a drive through the area first when the replacement cell phone rang. The caller ID showed Kathrein’s personal number.
“Pick it up,” Rush urged. “It will show you’re in California. Put it on speaker.”
“Got it,” she whispered and accepted the call. “Hello?” Her voice fractured as she answered.
“Lucy?”
Lucy’s knees turned to jelly at the sound of her sister’s voice. “Gwen!” She reached for Rush’s hand. “Are you okay?”
“He took Jackson.” The rest of her words were lost in a series of sobs.
“What? How’d you get the phone?”
Gwen sniffled. “He gave it to me.” Her voice gained some strength. “Told me to call you.”
“Tell her!”
Lucy and Rush exchanged a look at the sound of Kathrein barking the order in the background.
“Whatever he wants, Lucy,” Gwen gasped. “Do the right thing. Do not give it to him. I love you. Jack’s waiting for both of us,” she finished, shouting the last words amid an audible scuffle.
Lucy jerked at a feminine cry of pain.
Kathrein’s rasping voice came on the line. “Do you hear?” Another agonized wail soared through the garage. “Stop flirting about with your lover and bring me what I need. Time is running out for your family, Ms. Gaines.”
The call ended and Lucy stared at the device in horror, as if it were a bomb ready to level the villa. Her hands trembled and the shivers moved up her arms until her entire body shook uncontrollably. “He’s hurting her,” she said in a ragged whisper. “Who knows what he did to the baby.”
Rush wrapped his arms around her, bringing her head to his chest and smoothing her hair, stroking a hand up and down her spine, over and over. “We’ll get them back, Lucy.”
“She’s been through so much,” Lucy said into the soft cotton of his black sweater. “The baby’s arrival... They were so happy. Then Jack died and...and...” She just couldn’t finish it. Gwen had been broken and lost and there had been a few weeks when Lucy wasn’t sure the baby would be enough of an anchor for her sister’s heart. She poured it all out for Rush as he held her. Leaning on his strength now as she’d wanted to do so often then. “Gwen is smart. She might not know why Kathrein started this, but she clearly knows how it is meant to end.”
“There’s a way to stop him,” Rush insisted. “No one is invincible.”
“Just like no system is impenetrable?”
He tipped up her chin and she had to look into his eyes. “You got into my system.” He feathered a kiss over her forehead.
“Only because I remembered the things you talked about with such passion.” She made herself step back, testing her resolve. “I don’t want to cave to his demands or damage your Gray Box reputation, but I can’t allow my family to die for the preservation of his.”
“Let’s take that walk,” Rush suggested. “The fresh air will clear your head.”
She supposed it wasn’t too strange that he’d remember that detail about her. His mind was a steel trap of facts and trivia. Bundling into the dark coat and gloves Rush provided, she felt like a spy in cashmere, though the warm garments didn’t erase the vicious chill of the circumstances.
Rus
h sent details of the call to Sam and Lawton. He took her hand and they set off toward the hills in the west, leaving the villa behind them as they followed the road toward the winery.
“What if someone in town saw the drone?”
“Altitude,” he replied. His shoulder brushed hers as he shrugged. “Even if it was spotted, we won’t be here long enough to get found.”
“Not what I’m worried about.”
“He can’t have spies everywhere, Lucy.”
“Okay.” She knew paranoia had seized her, but her sister’s plea to let them die kept ricocheting through Lucy’s head. “He’ll kill them whether I cooperate or not.”
“We’ve known that for some time.”
She’d known it on some level since this nightmare began. “I didn’t know it soon enough to say no to his job offer.”
His hand squeezed hers as they walked along. “Why is it you could tell me no easily enough when I wanted to hire you with your sparkling new MBA degree?”
She slid a glance his way, but it was impossible to read his expression in the deepening shadows. “You didn’t need me. Me working for you would have only propelled us faster to the inevitable breakup.”
“You were that sure we wouldn’t make it?”
The sorrow in his voice startled her. “I wanted us to make it.” She still regretted that she’d handled it so poorly. “You were a great boyfriend.” She squeezed his hand. “When I showed up in Chicago, Gwen called me an idiot for walking out. Well, she used the term ‘running away.’”
“Did you ever consider my average daily bank balance as a reason to stay?”
“No.” The words stung. One minute he seemed to know her so well and then he’d lump her in with the other women he’d known. “You actually thought I was that shallow?”
“No. But you’re the only one I’ve found who isn’t.”
“For the record, I recently decided my ideal man has a net worth of only half a million.”
“Shh.” He tugged her away from the road, down the slope of grass and up another small hill. He stretched out on his stomach and crept up the rise. “That’s the Kathrein winery.”