Desperate Play (Off the Grid: FBI Series Book 3)

by Barbara Freethy

  As Kyle stopped talking, they heard a pounding on the front door, a ringing of the bell, followed by shouts of, "FBI."

  Rena threw open the door and a dozen agents swarmed into the house.

  Wyatt put away his gun, grabbed Kyle's arm and turned him over to one of the agents.

  Avery didn't recognize any of the men, but Bree and the woman who had arrested Wyatt earlier were front and center. She was surprised to see the other agent there. She'd thought Bree and Flynn would bring their own team, and she really hoped Wyatt wasn't going to be arrested again, too. She felt like she was on the very edge of a breakdown, overwhelmed by emotion, and she couldn't lose Wyatt for a second time that day.

  She instinctively took a step toward him.

  Wyatt gave her a reassuring look. "It's fine," he said.

  Hamilton was back on his feet now. "Agent Davis," he said to the blonde woman. "It turns out you were right. One of my sons was working with a foreign government to sabotage my company. But it wasn't Jonathan."

  "I've been read in on everything," Joanna said, in a crisp, cold tone. "We also have agents arresting Larry Bickmore as we speak. We would like you to call off the launch tomorrow. That's not really a request, by the way. This is a matter of national security."

  "I understand," Hamilton said, a weary note in his voice. "I'll make the call."

  "We're going to need to interview each and every one of you as well as numerous individuals at Nova Star," Joanna continued. "Special Agents Adams and MacKenzie will take your initial statements now. This is just the beginning of a long investigation. But it will not be conducted by me. Agents from New York and DC will be in town tomorrow." Her gaze moved to Wyatt. "You have friends in high places, Wyatt. But someday you and I will finish our unfinished business."

  That sounded ominous, Avery thought, wondering why the agent seemed so personally angered by Wyatt. Maybe she was just embarrassed that she'd been used as a pawn in the game.

  Joanna walked out of the room, followed by all the agents, except two people in plain clothes: Bree and an attractive man who had to be Flynn, the leader of Wyatt's task force.

  "I need to get to my boyfriend," Whitney said to Bree. "He's been shot. And I don't know anything about any of this."

  "We'll start with a few basic questions and then you can be on your way," Bree said, leading Whitney to another corner of the room, while Flynn isolated Jonathan.

  That left Hamilton standing with her and Wyatt.

  "Who are you?" Hamilton asked Wyatt.

  "I'm FBI. I was inserted into your company by a secret task force after you refused to cooperate with the FBI. My mission was to find the traitor in your company."

  "Even if it was one of my children."

  "Yes," Wyatt replied, meeting Hamilton's gaze. "You didn't want the bureau in your business, but the stakes are too high when it comes to a foreign government and national security."

  "You were very good. Very convincing. Are you even an ex-Marine?"

  "No, but I knew you had a soft spot for fellow soldiers."

  A growing awareness spread through Hamilton's gaze. "The carjacking—the robbery—"

  "A set-up," Wyatt admitted. "Your former security director also won a lottery prize courtesy of the bureau."

  "Which allowed him to move up his retirement. You thought of everything." Hamilton's gaze moved to her. "You knew all this, Avery?"

  "Not until this morning," she said, hardly able to believe it had only been that morning. So much had happened in the intervening hours.

  "So, he lied to you, too? But it looks like you've forgiven him."

  "How could I not? He saved my life three times. And Wyatt is a good man. He was working to find the mole in your company. He was working to prevent a national security disaster. You might hate him for lying to you, but you can't deny that without Wyatt, you might be launching a defective satellite tomorrow, destroying your company and everything you have worked for."

  Hamilton gave her a thoughtful look. "That's quite an impassioned response."

  "I'm just telling the truth. I know you feel betrayed—"

  "You have no idea how I feel," he said bitterly. "But most of those emotions are directed at my son."

  "I'm sorry about Kyle," she couldn't help saying. "I didn't want it to be anyone in the family. I didn't want to believe that someone at the dinner table last night was plotting to kill me."

  "And I'm sorry that you had to go through all this," Hamilton said. "You lost your friend. And you almost lost your life. I had no idea Kyle felt the way he did about his mother's illness and her death. Margery and I were a team. I begged her to let me get her the most experimental treatment in the world. I would have spent my entire fortune to save her life, but there was nothing that could be done, and she didn't want any of that. She wanted to spend her last days with her family."

  "I believe you," she said, seeing the pain in his eyes.

  "Kyle was very close to his mother. I should have realized he was more deeply affected than the others, but he always keeps everything inside of himself. As for the security breach, I honestly didn't think anyone was conspiring with the Chinese to sell our technology, especially not Kyle. He was the brains behind the business, and I always gave him credit for that. I thought we had a shared dream, but I was wrong. I don't even know my own son." He paused, his eyes turning even more embittered. "And Larry—my best friend. He was conspiring against me, too. What's that old saying—it's always the person closest to you who carries the knife? I should have remembered that sooner."

  "Larry has a lot of debts, from what I understand," she said.

  "And a drunk for a wife," Hamilton added. "I've been bailing him out for years. I was happy to do it. I thought that's what friends did for each other." He let out a heavy breath. "I need to call the launch team, scrub the mission."

  "You're not going to give up, are you?" she asked. "You can reschedule once everything is back on course."

  "I don't know, Avery," he said with sad eyes. "Maybe this dream has run its course."

  "Or maybe it just needs to be rethought."

  He gave her a small smile. "I know you love space as much as I do. We might be the only ones."

  "We're not the only ones. There are thousands of people at Nova Star alone who believe in your vision. You can come back from this."

  "Thank you, Avery." He glanced at Wyatt. "And what will you do now, Mr. Tanner? Move on to the next case?"

  "Eventually."

  "You were a good undercover agent," Hamilton said with a note of admiration in his eyes. "You knew exactly what I needed, and you gave it to me."

  "I doubt you'll believe this, but I actually enjoyed getting to know you, and I didn't want any of your children to be guilty."

  "Well, you didn't make Kyle do what he did. That's on him. He's going to pay a heavy price, won't he?"

  Wyatt nodded. "A very heavy price."

  "I still want to protect him. How ridiculous is that?"

  "It's not ridiculous. You're his father," Wyatt replied.

  Hamilton looked back at her. "Is Brett going to be all right, Avery?"

  "He will be. He put himself between me and a bullet. I don't think I ever expected he would do that."

  "Funny. I would have never expected anything less. If I could take a bullet for Kyle, I would it in a heartbeat. You love your kids even when you shouldn't—even when they hate you.

  As Hamilton walked away, she blew out a breath, then turned to Wyatt. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but she hesitated, thinking not here—not with so many people around.

  But Wyatt had no such concern. He pulled her up against his chest and gave her a kiss. "It's all over, Avery. You're safe now."

  She closed her eyes, believing every word. Not just because Kyle was on his way to jail and the contract killer was dead, but because she was back in Wyatt's arms, and that's where she wanted to stay.

  Twenty-Six

  Wyatt drove Avery and Whitney to
the hospital, leaving Bree and Flynn to finish up with Jonathan and Hamilton. He didn't know what was in store for his future career, but based on Joanna's cryptic comment, someone high up had come to his defense. He wondered who that could possibly be. He didn't know that many people in the upper echelons of the bureau. He also still wanted to know who had taken the time to frame him.

  Maybe Kyle had done that, too, just to separate him from Avery.

  But that was a problem for another day.

  Both Avery and Whitney were quiet on the drive. He would have expected Whitney to be filled with questions, but since she'd gotten into the back of the car ten minutes ago, she hadn't said a word.

  Avery shifted in her seat, glancing at him, and then over her shoulder at Whitney. "Are you all right?"

  "I don't think so," Whitney said, a lost note in her voice. "I can't believe what Kyle did, how many people he hurt, how many lies he told. He even set Jonathan up. He would have sold his own brother if he had to. He probably would have sold me out, too, if I'd had anything to do with Nova Star." She paused. "I really need to see Brett. I need to talk to him. He'll know what to say, how to make me feel better." She took another breath. "That sounded selfish, didn't it? That's me, always thinking of myself. I want Brett to be okay. I need him to be all right. He's everything to me."

  "We'll be there soon," Avery said, not commenting on whether or not she believed Whitney was selfish.

  "I know you don't like me," Whitney said. "Or at least you don't like me with your father. Oh, hell, maybe you just don't like me. But you have to know that I am crazy about Brett. He's the best thing that ever happened to me. I love him like mad. And, surprisingly, he seems to love me, too."

  "He does love you," Avery said. "He told me that earlier tonight. He said the only thing he was afraid of was that you'd suddenly realize he wasn't that young."

  "I don't care about his age. He gets me. You know how rare it is to feel free to be yourself with someone?"

  "I do know," Avery said, her gaze moving to him. "It's very rare."

  He gave her a smile, really wanting to get her alone, so he could tell her how he felt about her. Her defense of him at Hamilton's house had given him hope that they might be able to get past the lies he'd told her. He really hoped so. But he couldn't go there now. They still needed to tie up some loose ends, and one of those ends was her dad. Avery wouldn't be able to really relax until she saw that her father was all right.

  A few minutes later, he dropped Avery and Whitney at the front door, then parked the car in the lot and headed inside. He found both women in Brett's room on the fourth floor. Whitney sat on the bed next to Brett, who was propped up against the pillows, pale but smiling, while Avery was in an adjacent chair, watching the two of them. She seemed to appreciate their loving reunion.

  After undergoing minor surgery, Brett's arm had been bandaged and was now encased in a sling. He was apparently going to spend the night just to make sure there were no complications.

  "Thanks for bringing these very special women to me," Brett told him, as he moved into the room. "And thank you for showing up at the house when you did. Avery and I owe you both our lives."

  "I'm happy I arrived in time."

  "I can't believe it was Kyle behind all of this madness," Brett added. "Avery was just filling me in. Hamilton must be beside himself."

  "He's going to need some time to work it out," he said.

  "My brother is truly crazy," Whitney put in. "I never had any idea he blamed my father for my mother's death. My dad really did try to save her life. But my mom didn't want experimental treatments. She just wanted to live while she could. I thought Kyle knew that."

  "It sounds like he was blinded by grief," Brett told Whitney.

  "We were all grief-stricken; he wasn't the only one. I was incredibly sad."

  "But you're stronger than Kyle," Brett told Whitney. "And you'll have to use that strength to help Jonathan and your dad get through all this."

  Wyatt saw Whitney respond to Brett's words like a flower opening up to the sun. She soaked it all in and somehow became a better person.

  Avery got to her feet. "I'm going to leave you two alone. Dad, I'll call you tomorrow."

  "Where are you going now?" Brett asked.

  She hesitated. "I guess I'm going home."

  "You're really safe?"

  "I am, Dad. It's all over."

  "Maybe you could still keep an eye on her," Brett told Wyatt.

  "I am absolutely going to do that," he said, opening the door for Avery.

  As they stepped into the hall, she said, "I still have my bag at my dad's house, but I don't want to go back there right now. I don't know what happened to that man's body, and I really don't want to see him again."

  "You don't want to go back there anyway. The police and FBI are probably at your dad's house. It’s a crime scene."

  "Well, I don't need to break into any more crime scenes," she said lightly, reminding him of when they'd first met.

  "That's a good idea," he said, as they walked out to the car. "You can pick up your things later. But you're not going home, Avery."

  She frowned at his words. "My home is safe now."

  "It is safe, but I'm fairly certain that your apartment was trashed at some point since we left on Saturday, and I don't think you should deal with that tonight. I want to take you to a nice hotel by the beach. We'll get a room with a balcony and a view, so you can take a look at the stars before you go to sleep."

  She gave him a smile. "That does sound nice. I'm exhausted, but I don't really feel sleepy."

  "You're still coming off the adrenaline."

  "That must be it."

  Silence fell between them for a few moments, as they got into the car, and he maneuvered his way out of the parking lot.

  "I want to stay with you at the hotel," he added, just so there was no confusion. "I'll sleep in a separate bed. I just need to be near to you." He turned his head when she didn't reply and saw her heart in her eyes. "Is that okay?"

  "More than okay. I need to be near you, too, Wyatt."

  "I know that you're still angry about the lies I told you."

  "Honestly, right now I'm all out of anger. I'm tired of being afraid, worried, suspicious, or angry. I just want to breathe and be grateful that we're both alive, and my dad is alive, and we're going to get justice for Noelle. Although, I still don't really know what her motivation was. She kept telling me that night at the pier that she'd finally decided to do the right thing, be a better person, so why did she steal the drive but then not go through with the hand off? Why leave her bracelet in her apartment? It's really a miracle that I found it."

  "Well, Carter is going to survive his wounds. He may be able to tell us more when he's not fighting for his life. My gut tells me that Noelle first saw the opportunity to make some quick cash, but then she saw a chance to make a big play, to save Nova Star, the company she was coming to love, and maybe to impress you. I'm sure she thought the foreign agent would believe that the game was over, since Hamilton had the information, and that she could walk away, but that was naïve. She was in over her head."

  "Noelle always leapt before she looked."

  "Whoever stabbed Noelle probably consulted with Kyle right after her death. Kyle must have confirmed that his father was in the dark and that the drive was still missing."

  "So they went to her apartment and then came after me. I wish she would have just talked to me, told me what she'd discovered. There were a few moments that Friday night when I thought she wanted to say something, but she didn't."

  "I don't know why she didn't, Avery. Unless she was embarrassed that her new boyfriend was a thief and a traitor."

  "Maybe it was that," she said. "I guess I just have to hang on to the fact that as misguided as her actions might have been, her heart was in the right place. And that's actually how Noelle always was—a good person, who didn't always make the best decisions. I'm going to miss her. I might have held her fee
t to the ground, but she always pushed me to let go, step out of my comfort zone." She paused. "I wish you could have known her."

  "I feel like I know her through you."

  "I still have to plan her memorial."

  "You'll get to all that, but not tonight."

  "Definitely not tonight."

  Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up in front of the valet at a five-star beachfront hotel, hoping they could get a room. Since it was a Monday night in December, he was hopeful.

  Their luck held out, and they were given an oceanfront room with a balcony.

  "This is going to cost a fortune," Avery said, as he unlocked the door and ushered her inside.

  "I've still got the two thousand dollars from the contract killer's wallet," he said lightly.

  "Let's use that," she said with a reckless smile. "Although, it's probably against the rules, isn't it?"

  He shrugged. "Since it was money toward killing you, I think if anyone deserves it, it's you."

  "Me, too." She walked through the bedroom to the balcony doors and opened them.

  He followed her onto the dark deck. The night was clear but cold, with a brisk wind coming off the water.

  Avery looked up at the sky and let out a sigh that was more pleasure than weariness. "It's beautiful, isn't it? The stars are so bright tonight."

  Gazing at her beautiful profile, amazed that there could still be wonder in her eyes after everything that had happened, he thought she was far more beautiful than the night sky."

  She glanced over at him. "You're not looking up, Wyatt."

  "No. I'm looking at you, Avery."

  "And what do you see?"

  "The brightest star…the one that can lead me home."

  "Where is home?" she asked, a hushed note in her voice.

  "I'm pretty sure it's wherever you are," he confessed.

  Her eyes widened. "Really, Wyatt? That might be the best line I've ever heard."

  "It's not a line, Avery." He put his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him. "I'm being honest. I know that might seem ironic, because I've spent a lot of time lying to you. But that ends now."