Protected Secrets

by Heather Woodhaven

  “You played tag with the toy?” Winnie asked.

  Delaney glanced in the mirror. Bruce’s shoulders almost reached his ears. “I didn’t know how else to explain.”

  If there hadn’t been people trying to kill them, she would’ve found the description adorable. It served as a good reminder that keeping Winnie calm and happy would go a long way to keeping them safe. She remembered the way Bruce had gotten Winnie to cooperate with hiding and being quiet back at the hotel. “Since Winnie likes to play hide-and-seek, I think we should stop and do that because I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep driving the car once we reach the trees.”

  “Hide?” Winnie asked.

  “Yes, except I think we’re going to hide with you,” Bruce said.

  “No, I want Laney to find me.”

  Laney? No one had ever called her that, except for a frat boy who tried to boss her into going out with him. He hadn’t made the same mistake twice. Laney didn’t sound like a hard-hitting law enforcement officer. Neither did Delaney, but at least it had a more official-sounding ring to it. Hearing the nickname said sweetly by a toddler, though, was something she wouldn’t mind hearing again.

  Bruce didn’t acknowledge Winnie’s request. “Are you going to radio the other marshals to come get us?”

  That was actually the last thing she had in mind. Could she trust anyone? For all she knew the CryptTakers had gotten to someone on the inside. Given their reputation for contracted jobs with foreign powers, the organization likely had monetary resources that would make most government employees stumble. How else did the hackers keep finding their location?

  “No. Not yet. We’re going to the safe house alone.”

  “Alone? Do you really think that’s a good idea? How will we defend ourselves if more trucks full of men show up in front and behind us? Even if I used this—this—well, I don’t know what it’s called but I’m willing to shoot it. I just don’t know how good I’ll be. But even if we were both armed, they would still outnumber us.”

  She needed to keep Bruce calm. Logic flew out the window when panic got its claws into witnesses. “I’m aware of the situation, Bruce, but right now I need to focus on getting that drone to stop watching us.”

  He leaned back in his seat and blew out a breath. “It popped up again. Hovering over the fields.”

  Delaney slowed down just enough to slip under the canopy of leaves and park. The strip of trees was roughly a hundred feet wide, split down the middle by a thin trickle of water at the bottom of a low, muddy bank. One large step and they would be able to cross. On the other side of the grove, another cornfield began.

  “Take Winnie with you and hide in one of those rows. Don’t run once you’re there. Walk. Those leaves can slice you like paper cuts if you brush against them at high speeds.”

  He unbuckled Winnie’s car seat and disappeared past a grouping of old birch and red elm trees. She made a mental note of exactly where they hid so she didn’t aim anywhere in their direction. Delaney heard the hum of the drone’s blades before she saw it.

  This drone looked like a square with three fins sticking up in the back and two fins pointing down to the ground. The blades moved so fast they looked like blurry gray air. She stepped behind a thick trunk and waited, acclimating to the sounds of the small forest. If it were true that the drone had acoustic sensors, she would have to be fast.

  The high-pitched hum grew louder. Winnie’s squeal reached her ears. If she had heard Winnie, then the drone might have, as well. Delaney rounded the corner and shouted, hoping the drone would be attracted to the loudest noise. It spun in place, a camera lens reflecting off the sun hovering over the horizon to the left.

  She raised her weapon and shot. The drone zoomed to the right, not a hint of the wobbling that the other drone had exhibited. It was getting dangerously close to the edge of the forest. She couldn’t shoot it now that it was in the line of Bruce and Win—

  Bruce’s head popped out of a row of corn. She wanted to shout out, to tell him to stay down, but that wouldn’t help matters. Delaney ran for a tree ten feet in front of her, hoping to lead the drone away from her protectees. She looked over her shoulder. Bruce had picked up a branch that was at least three inches thick at the center and swung it over his shoulder. There was no way he’d be able to hit the drone—it was staying too high up for him to be able to reach. But the drone would easily be able to reach Bruce, especially if it had a small weapon on it. The only thing that made sense was for Delaney to distract the drone, overwhelm it with—the shotgun.

  Delaney fired, shooting the shotgun shell high in the sky. Leaves and twigs exploded all around her. Bruce had let the branch in his hands go and it hurtled, flipping end over end directly toward her and the drone that was stuttering, unsure of which direction to go as the forest leaves rained down from the bullet’s disruption.

  Like a bat hitting a baseball out of the stadium, the branch struck the drone right in the middle. The crack of metal and plastic breaking echoed underneath the trees. Delaney dropped to the ground as the drone soared over her head until it smacked into the trunk of a walnut tree.

  Delaney didn’t waste any time. It was still mostly intact and could take off at any moment. Or worse, transmit the data to the men with guns to show that it had found Bruce and Winnie.

  * * *

  Bruce’s heart pounded against his chest. He’d seen the dark cylindrical thing hanging underneath the drone and didn’t know if it was a camera or a weapon. The only thing he knew was a flying Frisbee was not taking out Delaney or his daughter. He rushed forward to help Delaney finish off the thing, but Delaney held up a finger over her mouth and stepped on the drone. She grabbed a nearby rock the size of a softball and smashed the remaining rotors that still spun, clearly attempting to get back in the air.

  She flipped it over and after a few targeted hits, the black cylinder underneath snapped off. Why was she methodically taking it apart? She opened a panel and her eyes widened. She inserted her fingers and exhaled. “I think the power is completely off.” She stood and carried the drone to the trunk of the car.

  “I’m not sure turning off the power from the drone is enough to stop the tracking.”

  “Even if I unplugged the power? I was hoping the Marshals could use it to reverse track the origin.”

  “Might be safer to leave it at a landmark you could lead them to.”

  She set the machine against a tree. “True. You know more about drones than I do.”

  He wouldn’t argue that point. Before the year of betrayal—he probably should stop thinking of it that way if he wanted to get over it—he had researched them thoroughly, tossing the idea around of investing in drones that would give lightshows, similar to fireworks. He wanted to give back to the community, and it sounded like a perfect gift. He hadn’t given it a single thought in months. “Don’t like them as much as I used to.”

  “Being chased by them can have that effect. Hey, how’d you take it down anyway? That was an impressive throw.”

  “You can thank my javelin throwing days in college. Muscle memory.”

  “Do I need to go find Winnie?”

  “That’s what she wants, yes.” He’d never been so thankful that his daughter’s favorite game was hide-and-seek. It made the countless times he’d had to “find” her behind their couch at home worth it. Maybe, after this was all done, she’d even be willing to hide in different locations.

  Delaney crossed the space between them. She came to the row of corn and squatted. “Oh, where, oh, where is Winnie?”

  A giggle sounded and Winnie dived into Delaney’s chest.

  Delaney lost her balance and fell backward, her arms encasing Winnie. His daughter’s giggles were like a balm. Delaney’s wide eyes met his before she closed them and a hearty, rich laugh escaped. Winnie giggled harder and slapped her little hands on Delaney’s shoulders as she
stood over Delaney.

  “Need a hand?” He scooped Winnie up with his right arm and offered his left to Delaney. She wiped away a few tears before she accepted and stood. The action seemed to remove all traces of humor.

  A fire had returned to her eyes. “I think they must be tracking us. You owned an iPhone. You know the find feature that shows a map, a blue dot with a geographic circle estimating the location?”

  “Of course. A GPS tracker.”

  “That’s the only explanation I can figure on how those drones found our exact location.”

  Unnatural cold seeped into his bones. “What are you saying?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I’m saying they might be tracking you specifically. Maybe you have something on your person. If you do, we’ll never get free. Another truck, another drone... We can never escape if you don’t fess up.”

  Bruce pulled his chin back. Was she insinuating that he was hiding a phone and endangering them on purpose? “You can search me right now.”

  It might’ve been his imagination or the breeze that blew underneath the trees, but her cheeks seemed to redden. She tilted her head. “If you didn’t bring any electronics, then we need to check all your clothes. I don’t know how, but maybe they planted something on you.”

  “Almost every item I have on was either given to me by you or your team.”

  She nodded. “If we’ve been compromised by someone on my team, then we better find out. It doesn’t change that I need you to check every inch of your clothing. Don’t forget your shoes. I’ll check your bag.” She strode to the car. “Maybe we can do it while we drive. We need to hurry, Bruce. Assume there are more of them on their way.”

  He strode to the vehicle and decided to sit in the back with Winnie again. “You’re not planning to drive through the woods, are you?”

  She picked up the shotgun from the ground and placed it, nose down, on the front floorboards next to the console. “I just need to get over the creek bed and there should be another access road in between those fields.”

  Bruce strapped Winnie into the car seat as Delaney dumped out the contents of the mailbag onto the front-passenger seat. Winnie kicked her feet and squirmed against Bruce. “Lovey!”

  Delaney picked up the item in question and let the satin edge of the blanket slip through her fingers. She felt along all four edges before she smiled and handed it back. “Okay. Here you go.”

  Bruce hopped in the back as Delaney started the car and aimed between two elm trees.

  Winnie pressed Lovey up against her cheek in a soothing motion. Something bothered him, but he wasn’t sure what. He tried to ignore the lurches of the vehicle over rocks and logs. “Why...why did you feel her blanket that way? You don’t think it’s possible someone could’ve placed a tracker on her, do you? She’s only worn her own clothes from home. Maybe we should stop and check the car seat the Marshals provided.”

  Delaney nodded. “Maybe. We need to be thorough.”

  He reached over and took the seam of Winnie’s shirt between his forefinger and thumb. Winnie squirmed, with a laugh. “No tickle, Daddy.”

  Bruce tried to smile but his insides twisted. If the CryptTakers had gotten to him, he could deal with that, but how would they have even had the opportunity to have gotten to his daughter? He removed her right shoe. She released a high-pitched angry scream. Delaney slammed on the brakes. “What? What happened?”

  “She’s mad at me. She doesn’t understand why I’m taking her shoes off. One second, sweetie.” The tread, aside from a little mud, didn’t appear to have anything stuck to it. He felt along the inside seams and pressed along the sole. He froze.

  The soles were plain white. The rainbow-colored shoe logo in the center had disappeared. It was possible it had worn off from use, though she’d only had the pair for two months. He reached over and removed the other shoe. This time Winnie frowned and watched him but didn’t complain. Also no logo. Not even a faint outline or indention where it used to be.

  “Hold on,” Delaney said. “This seems like the most shallow part of the creek bed.” The car bounced violently as she drove it on a diagonal. The back tires spun for half a second. She downshifted and made it over the other side where she sped up, but a sickening crack sounded as the car jolted over another bump. “I don’t like the sound of that,” Delaney said. “But it’s still running so we’re going to keep going with it.”

  The engine revved and she turned a sharp corner. The side mirror crashed against the line of cornstalks. A minute later, she found the access road and pulled onto it. Bruce hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until she straightened and drove straight.

  He returned his focus to Winnie’s shoe. The sole was stiff but wasn’t glued into the shoe like he’d thought. It slid out to cries of “No, Daddy! Don’t break it.”

  “I’ll fix it.”

  She sniffed. “You’ll fix it?” Her little voice, full of trust and hope almost broke him. The sole definitely wasn’t part of the original shoe.

  “Did you find something?” Delaney asked.

  “Maybe.” He turned the foam to the side. It was two layers. He stuck his thumbnail into the seam and worked until it split apart just enough for him to fit his fingers in and pull. The glue gave way and the two parts divided. An electronic chip with an attached battery nested inside the bottom half of the sole. “Stop the car.”

  She braked without question. He barely made it out of the vehicle before his stomach lurched and gave up its contents.

  “Are you okay? I think I can stay straight for a while.”

  He slowly straightened, his back still to the car. “It’s not your driving. I found this.” He held up the tracker, still attached to the broken sole. He sucked in a breath of fresh air and turned to meet her eyes. “They’ve been tracking my daughter all along.”

  ELEVEN

  Delaney tried to make sense of what he was showing her. “It was in her shoe?”

  “Yes.” He extracted the tracker, then shook the flimsy thing in the air and reared back his arm as if to throw it.

  “No. Stop!”

  “I don’t want it near her.”

  “I know that and I agree. But it’s better to lead them far away from her instead of close.” She pointed down the road. In a few feet, the land sloped down, leading to a set of railroad tracks.

  She thought she’d heard the sound of a far-off horn a moment ago. Just then, the distinctive horn blasted again. “Do you hear it? Get in. Find something to tie the soles together and let’s get the tracker on that train.”

  Bruce’s face fell. “I think we have another problem.” He pointed to the dirt behind the car. A long, black line went straight back to the grove of trees they’d exited. “Looks like we’re leaking oil.”

  No, no, no. She really needed something to go right. Every second they spent in the outdoors was another moment another drone or gunmen could appear. “Are you a mechanic?”

  “I wouldn’t say that, no. I know enough to get by.”

  “Then let’s hope the damage isn’t serious. Get in.” She didn’t wait for him to fully close the car door before she stepped on the gas pedal. The telltale chugging sound grew closer. “It better be a long train because it’s fast approaching.”

  The car pitched forward and stopped responding to the pedal. Cloudy billows of smoke or steam poured from under the hood. At this rate, they were going to miss the train. “Do you have the shoes ready?”

  “Let me do this. I need to do this. Get Winnie out for me, please.” Bruce jumped from the car and with what looked like a US Marshals shirt tied around the two soles he’d removed, he sprinted past the white puffs still slipping out of the car.

  Delaney gritted her teeth. He hadn’t even taken a weapon with him. She pulled Winnie out of the car seat and watched him run down the dirt road.

  “Daddy’s fast
.”

  “Yes, he is.” She’d forgotten Bruce was a runner, but obviously his legs remembered. The man knew how to race, and his long legs took him at a speed she could only match for maybe a minute. He, however, showed no signs of stopping. At least she knew he was good at throwing.

  Winnie grabbed her face with both hands. “Let’s run. Catch him.”

  For half a second Delaney wanted to do just that. But the entire reason Bruce ran was to keep his little girl safe. He was trusting her with Winnie. Now more than ever, she needed to be cautious. Delaney scanned the area. So far no hints of anyone else coming, but that could change in a heartbeat.

  The thunderous roar of the train could be felt and heard before she saw it rushing past the fields at the bottom of the hill. The freight train’s rust-colored containers were almost a blur. Clearly there was no intersection to cross anytime soon. The train traveled at a faster speed than she’d seen before.

  Winnie held her hands over her ears. “Too loud.”

  Bruce picked up something off the ground—maybe a rock to add weight—and put the object inside one of the shirtsleeves, which he tied together in a knot. He pulled his arm back and the blue shirt soared into the air.

  The shirt bounced off the roof of one of the containers. Her entire body tensed. It wasn’t going to work.

  The shirt seemed to blow in the breeze as it spun to the next container and began to fall to the ground. At the last second, it jerked, caught by what appeared to be a ladder on the back of the final container. Delaney hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until she exhaled.

  The shirt remained fully attached to the train as it sped away. Bruce turned and jogged back up the hill toward them, as the blue-and-yellow-striped caboose took the loud sound of metal drumming against metal away with it.

  “I want my shoes on.”

  Delaney glanced at Winnie’s socks. “Let’s see what we can do.” Bruce had left them discarded on the floorboards. She feared they would be bumpy and utterly uncomfortable with the inner sole removed, but it looked as if the thin original soles had been left underneath the fake ones.