Crossing Double (A Heartbreaker Novel Book 3)

by Tamra Baumann

  She thought she was being more like Captain Helpful but didn’t say so. Best to let him concentrate on not killing them by running into another car.

  But she hated not being able to see what was going on. Feeling helpless sucked. “Have we passed the turn-off yet?”

  “Yes.” Brent’s gaze kept zipping back and forth between the road ahead and the rearview mirror.

  With her heart still in her throat she said, “Then you’ll need help to find my mom’s house. Can I sit up now if I stay low?”

  “Negative.” Brent’s eyes cut to the rearview mirror one more time. “Miller might have figured out your mom has a house in Palm Springs too. Someone heavily armed might be waiting to cut us off in case we go that direction.”

  “Right.” She hadn’t thought of that. “Want to take the back way to my mom’s, then? I could call out the street names.”

  “Yes.” His gaze had grown hard and his jaw clenched while he navigated around a car.

  He was like a robot all of a sudden. Maybe she should ask him for permission to search his big body for a battery pack. That is, if they made it to her mom’s in one piece. The speedometer was showing 150 mph.

  She called out the first street to look for and decided that keeping her yap shut was probably the best thing to do. But then she remembered the cat. “Mittens? Are you all right?”

  She started to turn around, but a big hand landed on her head again, pinning her face in her lap. “Cat’s fine.”

  Mittens was a tough one. She was probably scared, though. Sara was scared.

  The car slowed, and Brent took the first turn. Finally, she knew where they were.

  A familiar thumping sounded from above. “Is that a helicopter? Are the cops up there?” Dammit. They weren’t a match for policemen in a helicopter.

  Brent kept his eyes on the road ahead. “We’ll know in just a few seconds.” He’d slowed considerably, so they were sitting ducks.

  As the sound of the rotors thumping slowly faded, she let out the breath she’d been holding. Must not have been the cops. She called out the next two streets for Brent to take.

  His gaze never stopped scanning in all directions. “When we get there, you need to stay in the car. I’ll check things out first.”

  “Negative, right back atcha. You need me to get in. My mom uses retina scanning on all her homes now. It’s her latest thing.”

  “Seriously?” Brent’s forehead scrunched. “That’s way over-the-top.”

  “Then you obviously haven’t met my mother yet. She’s the queen of crazy when it comes to protecting her family.” Sara couldn’t help but love her mom even more for it in their current predicament, though. Thank goodness she’d hired Brent to protect her. He was an amazing driver. None of her past bodyguards had ever come close to Brent’s skills.

  Brent’s jaw worked back and forth as they drove in silence.

  She examined the gun in her hand. Brent would have had to have something that big tucked behind his back. Must’ve been uncomfortable riding in the car.

  She glanced his way. The hardened look on his face was almost scary. “It’s the next left. Past a grove of palm trees. All my mom’s houses have back entrances.”

  He made the turn and then headed for the plain gate at the rear. As they moved slowly toward her mom’s house, Brent’s eyes scanned the area. “For deliveries and gardeners?”

  “No. For escape. My mother has an arsenal of weapons in a safe inside for the same reason. After Dani was kidnapped, we actually had intruder drills, like some families do in case of fire. It’s a wonder Dani and I didn’t turn out to be scared of our own shadows.”

  He nodded as he cut the headlights a few feet before the gate, and then they parked at the curb. He held out his hand. “Gun.”

  She turned to check on the cat, who was crouching on the floorboard in back. “I’d rather keep it since I’m the one who has to get out and stick my face into the box.”

  “While your face is in the box, who’ll be looking out for your fine rear end?”

  He thought her rear end was fine?

  Flattery always gets the gun in her book, and he had a point, so she handed it over. “I used to feel so stupid doing that zigzag run during the drills, but maybe I should do it now?”

  “Couldn’t hurt.” One side of Brent’s mouth lifted. “And here I left my phone behind. I could’ve sold that video and be set for life.”

  “Very funny.” She shook her head and opened the car door. At least his sense of humor seemed to be back. The scary Brent was sort of…scary. She preferred the Brent who looked at her like she was an alien, albeit one with a nice butt. “Let’s hope they read my text and are all heading for Vegas. Not hiding with guns in the bushes.” She was freaking herself out with the possibilities as she got out and crouched beside the car looking inside, waiting for him.

  Brent pulled up his hood, motioning for her to do the same, then got out and took a position with his back to the twelve-foot stucco wall. “Go!”

  She did the zigzag run, feeling like an idiot, but an alive one. When she got to the gate that was just like the one at home, she lifted the lid on the security panel. She tapped in her code and quickly scanned the display, searching for any trouble lights on the estate. All lights were green, so she poked the button and then leaned her face in for the scan.

  Her mom recorded all the individual greetings with her sexy-movie-star voice. She updated them often, so Sara never knew what to expect, but they were usually very mom-like. “Do my eyes deceive me? Is it really my wayward child who never writes, never calls… Welcome home, sweetheart.”

  She smiled as she waited for the gates to slowly part. If she lived through this, she’d call her mom every Sunday for the rest of her life.

  Brent started the car and slid past the open gates. She tapped the button on the other side to be sure they closed right behind them before she opened the passenger door and slid inside. Brent’s shoulders were shaking with his restrained laughter.

  “Shut up. No one looks normal doing the zigzag run.”

  Brent quickly scanned the area in front of the house on the lush estate filled with palm trees and flowers. No sign of activity. Yet. Looked like they were alone. He returned to the car and opened Sara’s door. “All clear.”

  “I told you that already. The security system was all in the green.” Sara grabbed the cat and got out of the car.

  He shut the door behind her. “Eyes are more reliable than electronics sometimes.”

  “Not at one of Annalisa’s properties.” Sara entered a code to let them in a side door of the pink stucco mansion.

  He scanned the perimeter again. Where were the other agents? He needed to have a look at his phone to see what the current plan was.

  After a beep sounded, Sara opened the door and put the cat down. “The security team is going to call any second. They’ll have gotten an alert and know it’s me by the scan, but they’ll check anyway.”

  “Are they here in town?” Maybe he could use that. Have an agent pose as one of them.

  She shrugged. “I have no idea.” The phone sitting on the desk in the big chef’s kitchen rang as she’d predicted. “Should I ask them for help or not?”

  “If they call the local police, we’re screwed. Better not. Where’s the bathroom?”

  She pointed down a hallway as she picked up the phone.

  He jogged down the short hall. A motion sensor turned the overhead lights on as he closed the bathroom door behind him. After he’d used the facilities and washed his hands, he dug the phone out of his sweatshirt’s pocket.

  Arrived. What’s the next move?

  Only a few seconds passed before Brent got a response from Rick.

  Boss ordered a chopper to pick you guys up. Holding for orders overhead.

  Dammit! Probably the same chopper that had passed over earlier.

  Blow my cover and we might never get to Annalisa with her army of lawyers. She knows something. She tried to warn Sa
ra. Need to stay undercover. Sara’s my ticket in.

  Dude. You’re pissing the bossman off. Hold for instructions.

  The only thing Brent intended to hold was his curse as he shoved the phone into his pocket. If they blew his cover, he’d be off the case. They’d have no one on the inside anymore. And he didn’t have enough evidence yet to get the players at the very top. Why didn’t Braydon see that? Could he be protecting someone?

  It’d been unusual to be placed inside Holden’s house when he could have gotten the banking records without any trouble. Taking the old guy’s place after he died gave the FBI an excellent opportunity to see what was going on from the inside. They already had enough to bring Holden and Miller in for questioning, but that might cause the operation to shut down before they could gather enough evidence to convict. Brent’s assignment was to figure out who was at the top. Maybe finding out a dirty cop was involved changed something? He’d proceed as if the mission was on, even though every second that passed without instructions dimmed his hope.

  He walked back to the kitchen. Sara, bent over at the waist, made for an enticing view of her rear end as she rummaged through a cupboard. With her hands full, she turned around and let out a yelp. “Geez, Brent. You’ve got to stop sneaking up on me like that!”

  He lifted his hands. “Sorry. Which way to the garage? We need to get going.”

  Sara shook her head as she filled a paper bag with the cans and jars she’d found. “I’ll show you as soon as I find a can opener. Can you please look for Mittens? I think she headed for the dining room. She used to like to hide under the furniture at Scott’s.”

  Great. His boss wanted to scrub the mission, and now he’d been relegated to cat-finding duty. Staying in character sucked sometimes.

  He found the dining room with a long wooden table all set as if company would arrive any second. He glanced underneath and found the sleeping cat. “Time to go, kitty.” He lifted the polka-dotted feline and held it against his chest. Mittens snuggled her face under his chin. The sleepy little cat was sort of growing on him.

  Filled with defeat now that their mission was probably over and he’d failed to solve the case before being booted off it when his cover was blown, he walked into the kitchen. Sara was nowhere to be found.

  The sound of a toilet flushing down the hall signaled where she’d gone. How mad was she going to be when she found out he was an agent in a few minutes? And why did he feel guilty for deceiving her even though he’d only been doing his job?

  He’d probably never see her again after they took her into custody. The thought sent a surprising pang to his heart. Sara was growing on him just like Mittens.

  Sara reappeared and grabbed the bag off the counter. “Let’s go see what we have to drive.”

  He followed behind her down another long hall, past a laundry room the size of his apartment and then into a big closet. Inside was a panel with a set of car keys, a control panel for the security system, and a huge gun safe. Sara typed in the code and cranked open the safe, revealing the arsenal she’d said was there earlier. “Which do we want?”

  If they were going to call off the mission, they’d be better off leaving Annalisa’s guns behind. Otherwise, they’d get confiscated. “We’re good with what I have on me.”

  Sara glanced over her shoulder. “Which is still a secret to me. But fine. I’m taking this for myself.” She chose a .38 and grabbed some ammo. She slapped the safe closed and then swept the car keys off the hook.

  He listened for the thump of copter blades while he followed her to the garage. Should they take the car and make a run for it? He hadn’t gotten an official answer yet. If the mission was still on, the farther away they got before morning, the better. It was already past one a.m.

  He asked, “Since we can’t call the police for help, what if we called the FBI? I’m sure they could keep us safe from Miller.” He’d feel better knowing he’d offered her an out once she found out who he really was.

  “Nope.” Sara opened the door that led to the garage. “Besides, I think you have to cross state lines or something for the FBI to get involved. And like you said earlier, how do we know the FBI wouldn’t get the local cops involved and therefore Miller?”

  He wasn’t going to explain jurisdiction to her. “Why are you so sure your mom can protect you?”

  “She’ll protect you too.” The big garage was empty except for a sleek black Mercedes. Sara opened the car’s back door and tossed the grocery bag inside. “It’s hard to explain, but my mom sort of has this sixth sense about things. She’s never wrong. She told me to trust only you and to come home.”

  Sixth sense? That sounded like a crock of crap. There had to be another reason she wanted to go to her mother’s so badly. And he was going to find out what that reason was. They’d get back on the road, and he’d risk his boss’s wrath and claim ignorance. After all, it was his first real field assignment.

  He added Mittens to the backseat with the food and shut the door. Then he rounded the car and studied the front license plate. The number ended in two threes. “Do you think there’d be any paint or a marker around that’d match the color of these numbers? We can make these threes eights.”

  Sara joined him and placed her hands on her hips. “Would nail polish work? My mother must have every color under the sun.”

  He nodded. “Whatever you can find will have to do. I’ll go get our things from Scott’s car while you look.”

  Sara nodded and then headed back into the house. He took out his phone. Rick still hadn’t answered, so maybe they were reconsidering. He shoved the phone back in place and then went outside to Scott’s car. The faint sound of a chopper filled the air as he grabbed their stuff. He placed Scott’s key fob in the glove box and then shut the car’s door. Interesting that the chopper wasn’t getting any closer.

  Before he went back inside, he typed a message to Rick.

  Can you confirm our tail’s 20?

  Rick replied. We have visual on your tail. Heading north toward Vegas. You’re clear.

  Brent typed, THX. Contain Scott so he doesn’t report Sara for stealing the car.

  Done. Boss says he’ll give you 72 hrs. Sara gets a scratch and you’re a dead man.

  Yes! He couldn’t help his grin. He was going to get a chance to prove he was right about Annalisa and the Russians. But they were going to need just a bit more help to be sure he could keep Sara safe.

  Can you arrange vehicle swap in AZ? Somewhere along Hwy 60. No GPS.

  10-4.

  Brent wiped the smile off his face and went back inside to doctor up the license plate. If they stayed off the major roads and could keep Sara’s face hidden, they had a fighting chance to make it to Annalisa’s house in Albuquerque now.

  He returned to the garage to find Sara admiring the numbers she’d just painted. “That looks great.” When she looked up and smiled at him, it made his stomach do a flip and roll.

  She said, “Painting my own nails all these years came in handy. Ready to go?”

  “Yep.” He started for the driver’s side, but she slipped by him and placed herself uncomfortably close between him and the car.

  “My turn to drive, Brent. You can get some rest now.”

  Since they’d lost their tail, he didn’t see why not. They’d have to drive the speed limit anyway. “Only because you’ve been to evasive driving school. And it’ll give me time to study our route.” Her pretty face, with her brows arched in silent challenge, was just inches from his. It took everything inside not to close the gap and kiss her. Instead, he opened the car door for her.

  “Thank you.” With a smug smile, Sara slipped behind the wheel while he rounded to the passenger side. She opened the garage door and then started the powerful car.

  After closing the door behind them, she got out of the car and typed a code into the panel on the house. Afterward, they headed for the back gate. When they were on the small highway that would take them to Arizona, she flipped on the radio.
“What kind of music are you in the mood for, Brent?”

  He shrugged as he studied the map. “Anything but country.”

  “What?” Sara’s face flipped his way. “But country music tells stories we can all relate to. I mean, don’t all of your exes live in Texas too?”

  God, he liked her.

  “Hearing about some achy breaky heart just ain’t my thang darlin’.”

  Sara laughed. “Do you have a girlfriend who makes your heart achy for her?”

  “No.” He went back to studying the map, looking for a good place to make a car swap.

  Sara tuned into a classic rock channel, while Mittens decided she didn’t want to be in the back and jumped into his lap.

  “You and your one-word answers. Have you ever had an achy heart over any woman?”

  “Nope.” He didn’t want to look her in the eyes when he lied to her, so he kept his gaze glued to the map while he petted the cat. He had a feeling his heart would never be the same after the mission was over. She’d wormed her way in there like no other woman ever had. But no way could he act on it.

  “Well, that’s just sad. Maybe when this is all over—”

  The radio announcer interrupted the song with a news bulletin. “Police are looking for Sara Chapman, daughter of Annalisa Botelli and Holden Chapman. She disappeared from her father’s wedding earlier, along with a man who works for Sara’s father named Brent Jackson. Police fear Jackson has kidnapped Sara and ask for your help if you have any information. They were last seen in a late-model dark BMW heading west just outside Palm Springs.”

  Sara’s forehead creased. “Why would they accuse you of that? And who would’ve reported me missing already? It’s only been a few hours since we left.”

  “Miller, probably. By implying I kidnapped you, it’ll get more people’s attention.”

  Why didn’t Rick share that information? It hadn’t been fifteen minutes since they communicated. Surely the FBI would have known it before a radio DJ. He trusted Rick like a brother, had known him for years.