Protecting Kate: Dark Horse, Inc: Book 1

by Amy J. Hawthorn

  She was in Hell.

  Everything came back to her in a rush as she remembered the sound of a gunshot and the feel of Trent falling under her weight. Someone in a mask had come barreling into the room and then she’d been…electrocuted?

  Tased? Had the asshole used a taser on her? It was the only possible explanation.

  Oh God. Trent. Was he okay or not? He had to be okay. Head wounds bled a lot, right? She knew she might be grasping at straws, but so be it. She refused to believe that her strong, rock solid Trent could be taken down so easily.

  “Ah. There she is. My pet is finally awake. Such nasty business, but you proved to be so stubborn.” Chills invaded her, smothered her, and nausea curled in her belly at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice. “That’s all right. In the end, you’re finally where you’re meant to be, and we’ll need your stiff backbone where we’re going.”

  She looked to the door and found her nightmare had come to life. Phillip Bailey wore a serene smile as if greeting her after he’d come home from a day at the spa. His voice was satin smooth, but his words chilled her to the bone.

  “A man couldn’t have asked for a sweeter woman than my first wife, but she didn’t have the spine a woman needs to stand tall in political circles. She had enough grace for three women, but she was full of troubling ideas. A man in my position can’t be seen going to a psychiatrist. Can you imagine?” He opened his palms and his expression said he thought she’d understand.

  Oh. Dear. God.

  Trent had been right. The donation offer had been a plan to get her away from the protection of Trent’s farm. She’d been taken and Trent…she prayed he was okay. She couldn’t bear the thought of him being hurt or worse because of her stubborn insistence. A few animal crates and free supplies had in no way been worth the risk.

  Damn it.

  Rick. Someone, most likely Rick, arrived just before she’d been tased. He would have gotten help for Trent and then started a search for her. They’d both worked so hard to keep her safe. It was possible they had leads already. All she had to do was bide her time. She’d cooperate, play nice and wait for either a chance to escape or until help arrived. She had no doubt that it would come.

  “Up and at ‘em, my dear. We have much to address today. You don’t have time to lie abed like a pampered princess. A true queen works hard for her kingdom.” He smiled at her like a doting husband and she wanted to vomit as fear and revulsion twisted in her belly.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Bailey, but I really need to get home. I have family that will worry when I don’t get back on time.” Well aware she was talking to a madman, she figured it was worth a try. She needed to stall.

  “Ah. Yes. Your family. I had hoped to give you a little time to acclimate before we discussed the…more unpleasant topic, but you insisted. Follow me, my dear.”

  Unsure of what she should do or what was to come, she followed. They wound their way out of the bedroom, down a long hallway and a flight of stairs before they entered his study. He pointed to a leather wingback chair and sat at his desk. “Sit,” he ordered

  Lost, she did as told and looked at the grandfather clock in the corner to mark the time. Why? She had no idea. She had no idea how long it would take Rick and hopefully Trent to come and get her. She had no reason to count down the minutes.

  “First, as an obedient wife should address her loving husband, you’ll address me as dearest or Phillip. You’re honored to have that privilege and will behave accordingly.”

  “Wife?” She nearly choked on the word. She’d never again be the wife of someone who cared more about what the public thought than what she wanted. She’d die first. He thought she’d simply stand beside him and smile? She couldn’t fathom the depths of his madness.

  “Yes. You’ll be my wife. I have two friends coming tomorrow. One will officiate our quiet, simple ceremony and my attorney will act as our witness. Now, before you waste any energy thinking up ways to escape our home or send for help, you need to open that.” He pointed to a plain, cream-colored folder lying on the desk before her.

  As if it were a snake coiled, ready to strike, she cautiously picked it up.

  He waited silently with his fingers pressed together and pointed toward his chin. His seemingly confident silence worried her more than if he’d continued his chatter.

  She braced herself with a deep breath and opened the folder. The breath she’d taken left her lungs in one painful exhale. Her mouth dried and felt as though it had been filled with dust. A stack of photos lay neatly inside the folder.

  “I have a reliable source who claims that your cousin is very important to you. Is this correct?”

  She couldn’t form a single sound, let alone a full word.

  “No answer, my pet? I’ll assume by the paleness of your face, that my information is accurate.” She stared at the photo in her lap. The picture caught a smiling Kylie halfway down a slide with her arms up in the air. She recognized the slide as one from the elementary school Kylie attended. “There are plenty more pictures where those came from. Go on, you can look through them while I explain how things are going to work from now on.”

  With shaking fingers, she flipped to the next picture. Kylie and Joe’s mother held hands as they walked into the grocery store. Kylie wore a matching red and black shorts outfit with her favorite mismatched boots.

  Something cold and slimy slithered in her belly.

  “Tomorrow we will marry. You will tell everyone in your family that you are happy and you want to live here as Mrs. Phillip Bailey. You will stand by my side and act as the perfect First Lady when the time comes.” He nodded to something on her left. She woodenly turned her head and saw a painting of Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy.

  She suddenly understood why he looked familiar but not quite like himself. The plastic surgery had been to make him look more like the former president.

  Terror for herself and sympathy for Marilyn Bailey flooded her.

  Noah Ramsey showed up first and, Trent had to admit, he wasn’t surprised. He’d always been the rule follower. He’d been the first to roll call at basic and the last to call it quits on the firing range. He’d lived and breathed every job until it ended, whether it had been assigned or if he’d taken it on by choice. Quiet, stalwart and all business, they’d teased him mercilessly and the brick wall took it in stride—a damn good thing, considering the amount of ribbing he received.

  “Trent.” The single word and a nod of his head said it all.

  “Thanks, man.” What else did a person say when a friend they hadn’t seen in over five years showed to take part in a dangerous and deadly, off-the-books rescue mission? He didn’t have adequate words to cover his feelings. He gestured for his old friend to come inside and get comfortable.

  Much the same as he’d always done, he came in and took a place near the corner and waited.

  “The rest of the crew should arrive soon. You want something to drink?” Damn, how Trent hated the situation. They’d taken Kate and anything could be happening while they stood around twiddling their thumbs.

  “I’m good. How’s your head, man?” Noah peered at him as if looking for cracks in his skull. “Are you sure—”

  “I’m sure I don’t need a visit to the ER.” Trent looked up to the ceiling in exasperation.

  “That looks vicious. Son of a bitch. I believed Rick, but it all sounds unreal. I’m glad you called me in on this. That bastard really did shoot at you and steal your woman.” His old friend shook his head.

  “Yeah, or someone working for him did. We think we know who it might be. I won’t rest until she’s home.” He met his friend’s gaze and let him see his determination.

  “Here’s a picture of Kate from a charity event a little over a year ago. Her hair is a little longer and darker now.” Rick turned his laptop around to display an image from a newspaper article and Noah moved in.

  Trent couldn’t bring himself to look at the image. Turning to the window, he found an old, beat
-up Jeep tearing up his driveway. A monstrous blue pickup he recognized as Joe MacDonald’s personal ride followed close behind.

  Good. It was best to get the chest-thumping and fist-swinging out of the way so they could get to what was most important—bringing Kate home. He itched for a fight, but as much as he hated to have a go at her cousin, he wouldn’t hesitate if it meant he could get to business sooner.

  He barely spared Pete’s rust-bucket Jeep a glance as he headed straight for Joe. The man stepped down and looked Trent over as he did the same in return. He’d come in dark jeans, boots and tee. “What, no uniform? You’re wearing the wrong color.”

  “I left my uniform, my badge, and everything else county issued at home. We need to talk. Damn, you look a little pale. Are you sure—”

  Good God. Not again. “No, damn it. I’m on my feet, aren’t I? Nothing matters except bringing Kate home.”

  Joe appraised him once again. Unless it was his head wound talking, there might have been a dash of grudging respect in Joe’s gaze.

  “Trent? What’s going on? We got trouble?” Pete stood beside them, watching as if ready to jump into the fray. Standing tall at his full five-foot-six, Pete Taylor weighed all of a hundred and thirty pounds. Every single ounce of it was loyal and brave to the point of near stupidity.

  “Nah man. It’s all good. We’re heading inside to get down to the real business.” He turned to his friend and forced a weak smile. “When are you going to get rid of that deathtrap set of wheels?”

  “It’s the only ride I’ve got that doesn’t have a baby seat in the back. Crystal won’t let me take the girls anywhere in it. I can’t even drive them to the mailbox. It may be the only chance I get to drive it for another six months.” Pete ran his hand over the Jeep’s dented hood.

  Trent smiled in amusement “How old are the girls now?”

  “Six and three. They get prettier and smarter every day.” It never failed to amaze Trent how proud Pete was to be a father. He’d married his high school sweetheart the week before basic and never once looked back.

  “You’re going to have your work cut out for you if that’s true.”

  “No shit. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Best and most important job I’ll ever have. Let’s go figure out how to get your girl back so you can put a baby in her belly.”

  Joe, who’d been silently walking beside them, stopped dead in his tracks as disbelief washed over his features. He blinked and then anger filled his gaze.

  Trent barely resisted pulling out a chunk of hair and thanked the heavens when a dark gray SUV pulled in behind the Jeep. He’d never been so thankful to see James Holloway.

  Tall and lean, he stepped out and considered their gathering. He seemed to gauge each man’s mood before he stopped and looked to Pete, shaking his head. “Runt, are you making trouble again?”

  “Yes—” Pete always made trouble.

  “No. What did I say?” Pete genuinely looked confused as he looked from Trent to James.

  “Would you girls quit with the gossip and get in here? We’ve got work to do.” Rick called from Trent’s open door. Beyond eager to get to work, Trent jogged up to the wide porch and released a sigh of relief as the sound of booted feet followed.

  “How are we going to do this? I mean, I’m itching to go in, guns blazing, but we can’t bust in blindly. That’ll do more harm than good.” Noah looked up from where he’d pushed Trent’s couch back and shoved his dining room table into the middle of the living room. Piercing green eyes flashed in anger. He ran a hand through his russet hair and shook his head as if in frustration. “A living target and not only a living target, but one who essentially belongs to one of ours? That’s like leaving a girlfriend or wife behind enemy lines. It could be our most important mission ever. We can’t make a single mistake. Holloway, take this for a second.” Noah lifted Trent’s TV from the entertainment stand and handed it to James to hold while he disconnected the satellite cable. Trent ignored the throbbing pain in his head and watched as Noah finished removing the cable and took the TV back. He sat it on the table and connected Rick’s laptop to it.

  “Agreed. There’s no question, Kate’s rescue is the most important mission we’ve ever taken on. Getting in and getting her out safely is the number one goal.” Trent knew they’d understand the seriousness of the situation, but hearing it straight from James’s mouth reinforced his confidence that they’d done the right thing by calling them.

  “I have just the thing we need to gain an edge.” Rick’s words blindsided him as he held the front door open. Pete came in the door carrying a backpack and slid out his laptop and placed in on the table. He returned with a chair and sat, almost gleefully, in front of the computer.

  “Runt, where’d you get a beast like that? That is a high-dollar machine, not something the local electronics store would carry. Did you rob a bank?” James asked and, like a kid who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Pete flushed.

  “Uhm. Well.” The room went silent as everyone stopped and shifted their focus to Pete.

  “It’s mine, but it belongs to Pete as long as he works for me. I’ve had him digging for dirt on Bailey and a few other projects. He’s come through for me several times now. It’s a damn good thing he did, too. Joe, this is your last chance to back out before the line between black and white gets blurred.”

  “Hell, Rick, blurred? Try broken into bits.” The importance of Pete’s words hadn’t seemed to dim his enthusiasm as he ran a hand lovingly over the laptop.

  Trent looked to Joe. “As a member of Kate’s family, you’re welcome on our team as long as you remember that’s exactly who and what you are. A team member. You follow orders and there will be no lone wolf action. If you’re willing to be a team player and are able to forget your badge and skirt the law for the day, you’re welcome to join us. Otherwise, you need to turn around, head out that door, and trust that we know what we’re doing. Kate is coming home tonight. It’s up to you whether you want to participate or wait patiently.”

  “I’m in. All the way. I said I left my badge at home and I meant it.” Joe’s eyes met his and Trent saw anger and determination that equaled his own.

  “Okay, cop. Welcome to the dark side.” Rick gestured to him to join the group and find a spot in the makeshift planning room.

  “Damn. I forgot the cookies.”

  Four male voices groaned in unison over Pete’s lame joke.

  Rick shook his head at the group and began a rundown of everything they’d dug up on the senator, Boyd Campbell and Preston Hayes.

  “How the hell did Campbell get from Afghanistan to the States without getting caught?” Noah asked as he brought a chair in, turned it backward and sat with his arms crossed on the back.

  “Bailey has ties with a couple of civilian contractors who are based in Bagram. It’s my best guess that he may have been able to come home on a private flight or with cargo of some sort.”

  “This is the most recent image we have of Boyd. I snapped this on the sly in the courtroom. We suspect he’s the one who took a shot at Trent and took Kate.” The slightly blurry cell phone picture appeared next.

  “You’re certain she’s alive?” Trent’s gut clenched when the soft question came from James who stood behind the seated group.

  “We are—” He began his answer to the hated question without anger. As much as he refused to believe that she could be anything other than alive and well, waiting for his rescue, he understood where James’s question came from. The bad guys didn’t keep their captives in pampered comfort… if they kept them alive at all.

  Rick interrupted, his voice pure steel and one-hundred percent business. He was in his element. “We are and I have proof that, as of ninety minutes ago, she was taken to Senator’s Phillip Bailey’s home.”

  Trent’s head snapped to his friend. “Proof?”

  “Pete?” Rick gave an order and they seemed to be miles ahead of the game while Trent played catch up.

&nbs
p; “On it.” Pete left his laptop and moved to Rick’s and the TV it had been connected to. Video came to life and displayed a street or long driveway leading up to a Colonial style mansion. Then the image split into two images. It flickered and then there were three video feeds displayed on his TV. “Live feed is up.”

  He didn’t know whether to flatten Rick because he clearly hadn’t shared everything he’d been doing or kiss him for being a devious bastard and providing a minor miracle.

  “How long have you had Bailey under surveillance?” Joe leaned in to take a closer look, his words were directed to Rick, but his gaze never wavered from the TV. Trent wondered if Joe was trying to look into the windows just as he was, even though the mansion would have been built for privacy as much as it had been elegance.

  “Four days. Once it became clear that they wanted Trent out of the way badly enough to frame him for murder, I put a few things into place. Trent may be pissed at me now, but his focus needed to be on Kate. I had the time and the ability, so I…played around a bit. I brought in Pete and James the day Trent was released on bail. It took a little time to get things set, but it may have been worth it. They installed the cameras before daylight as soon as I received the equipment. We’ve been taking shifts watching and reviewing the feed since.” Rick gave him a pointed look that said he needed to chill.

  “And? What have you seen?” With his impatience getting the better of him, Trent returned the look but tried to check his anger. The suspense was killing him. He knew, logically, Rick would have let him know if anything vital happened. He knew from experience that his friends basically were on a homebound stakeout and likely been bored out of their skulls. Yet, impatience reared its ugly head and demanded to be heard. Years of friendship and trust were the only thing keeping it at bay.

  “Three times in the last few days we’ve seen this SUV arrive late in the evening. It usually parks in front and here’s the driver.” The TV split into two halves. On the left, a live feed while the right showed footage dated three days ago with a time stamp of 7:47pm. They watched in silence as a tall, rangy male stepped out and walked right on in as if he were a member of the household.