by T. K. Leigh
If it were five years ago, he’d insist on a business plan, needing to know the precise dollar amount he’d be investing before making a rash decision. Melanie changed all that.
“I’ll do it,” he murmured.
A brilliant smile crossed Landon’s face. He pulled Alexander in for a quick hug, his stature relaxing, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “I’ll submit my resignation papers today.”
“Welcome to the company, Landon,” Alexander replied, pulling away from him.
“And all it took to get me to finally agree is what will probably be a multi-million dollar investment in a women’s shelter in Afghanistan. I’d call that a bargain.”
Alexander rolled his eyes. “You would,” he shot back sarcastically.
On its face, opening a women’s shelter in Afghanistan sounded relatively innocuous, but he spent time here during deployment, then in conjunction with various contracts his company had secured with the U.S. government. He knew all too well that many Afghan people saw the presence of westerners as an assault on their own culture. They would not take kindly to any establishment where the sole purpose, according to them, was to interfere with age-old customs, no matter how gruesome and barbaric they were.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Landon cut through Alexander’s thoughts, noticing the troubled expression on his face. “Trust me. I’m fully aware of what I’m getting myself into here. I know it could be dangerous for all involved, but I already have a plan. One of my buddies who works for NCIS made a few phone calls and put me in contact with a case worker at the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. She and I have already discussed at length the effectiveness of the shelters currently open in combatting this. Generally, it’s the ministry’s goal to reunite the family unit after mandated counseling. Unfortunately, she fears some of these women are forced out of the shelter too soon.”
“So what makes you think our shelter will be any different?”
Landon’s lips slowly curled into a mischievous smile. “Because, for all intents and purposes, it will be exactly what you thought. On paper and from the outside, it will operate as a state-of-the-art medical clinic. No one will know it’s actually a women’s shelter. My contact at the ministry will refer cases to us that she believes to be in greatest need of our intervention. Women the ministry’s pushing to be reunited with their families. Women who, if they return home, are at risk of meeting the same fate they’re trying to escape.”
Alexander rubbed his temples, his head spinning. He didn’t know if it was the lack of sleep, the unforgiving desert heat, or the death surrounding him, but he felt completely drained.
“So… Not only do you plan on opening a women’s shelter no one is supposed to know about, but you’re also going to hide women so no one knows they’re even there?”
Landon grinned. “Sounds about right.”
“I don’t know,” Alexander began, thinking of a hundred different scenarios where this could all go wrong. He should have known there was more to Landon’s plan than he had originally let on. That was how it always was with him.
“I know how it sounds, but if I don’t do this, I’ll always wonder whether I could have prevented another unmarked shallow grave. Please, Alex,” he begged.
Alexander let out a long breath, staring into Landon’s eyes. He knew nothing he said would convince him the risk of something happening to him and everyone else was too great. If he didn’t finance this venture, Landon would find someone else who would. When his friend wanted something, he didn’t stop until he got it.
“Just be smart,” Alexander said finally. “I don’t want to get a phone call saying you’ll be coming home in a wooden box.”
Landon gave him a look that said he was up to something. “Smart is my middle name.”
Chapter Seventeen
Present Day
December 19
12:48 PM
IT ALL HAPPENED SO fast. One minute, Olivia was staring into the eyes of the woman who took her little girl. A woman she once considered to be a friend before she cut everyone out of her life. A woman Melanie trusted and played make-believe with.
A woman Olivia trusted.
The next minute, she was forced to the floor of the makeshift platform as it collapsed, a sound unlike anything she had ever heard filling the air, almost sucking the oxygen from everything around her. An inferno rolled over her, forcing her to recall all the Sundays she had spent in church growing up. The priest had warned his parishioners to follow the Bible or they’d spend eternity in hell.
If there was a hell, she was currently in it.
As the heat on her skin waned, she glanced up, unable to see Alexander through the smoke and utter pandemonium that had enveloped City Hall Plaza. FBI agents had sprung into action, uniformed officers running toward the smoke billowing thirty yards in front of her as everyone else tried to run away.
“Mrs. Burnham!” a muffled voice called out.
Every sound seemed to be dulled, as if it were all a dream. But if this were just a dream, Olivia’s head wouldn’t have been throbbing like it was. This was real. Something horrible had happened when, for a brief moment, she felt something she hadn’t all morning…hope. Hope that she was about to get her daughter back.
Looking at the blood-covered faces and unconscious bodies lying in front of city hall, she feared the one woman with answers would no longer be able to provide those.
“Come with me.”
Disoriented, Olivia slowly turned her head toward the sound as a woman in a navy FBI jacket helped her up. She had no idea what happened, but was pretty sure even the FBI agents swarming the area were just as confused, trying to piece everything together.
Olivia snapped out of her daze. “My husband!” The reality of the situation hit her like a truck as she struggled against Agent Long, who was trying to usher her to safety. “I need to find my husband!” She looked toward the spot she had last seen Alexander before it all went to hell. There was no sign of him.
“Alex!” she screamed, fighting with everything she had. She needed to see him, needed to feel him, needed to know she hadn’t lost everything.
“Mrs. Burnham, please!” Agent Long begged, using all her strength to pull her from the collapsed stage and toward flashing lights.
Smoke billowed around her like a cheesy haunted house during Halloween. It almost seemed like a scene out of one of those “end of the world” movies. She had never seen anything like this before.
“We need to get you to safety. We’ll find your husband, but you need to get checked out by the paramedics and stay out of the way so we can get to the people who do need help. Okay?”
“But my husband…,” she cried, her body growing weak, exhaustion setting in.
Sirens blared in the distance as firefighters in full gear rushed past her. She glanced over her shoulder at the confusion enveloping City Hall Plaza, praying Alexander was simply being who he was. That he rushed off to find the woman who had taken their daughter. She refused to consider the alternative. That he was one of the bodies lying on the pavement, bloodied and lifeless. Her husband was too strong, too resilient, too determined. She couldn’t stomach the thought of seeing him in any sort of vulnerable state. That wasn’t who he was. He was a fighter. Deep inside, she knew it would take a hell of a lot more than whatever had just happened to take her husband from her.
“I’ll go and look for him myself, but it’s too dangerous for you,” Agent Long assured her. “There are people who are seriously injured and need medical attention. Paramedics need to be able to get to them as quickly as possible. We can’t have anyone in the way.”
“But…” She looked into the young agent’s deep blue eyes, pleading. She couldn’t think clearly. All she knew was that her daughter had been taken from her, and now her husband was missing in a cloud of smoke and flames, people with gashes on their heads, arms, and legs limping toward safety. What if Alexander was injured and on the brink of drawing his last breath?
“
If I have to lock you in the back of a cruiser so I know you won’t interfere, I will.” She raised her eyebrows, her formerly docile and easygoing mannerisms replaced with a fierce and stern expression. Despite her light, airy voice, motherly demeanor, and contagious smile that made Olivia think she moonlighted as a Disney princess, she came to the conclusion that Agent Long wasn’t someone to mess with.
Drawing in a breath, Olivia reluctantly nodded and allowed Agent Long to lead her toward a handful of ambulances several blocks away. A sense of familiarity washed over her when she saw Alexander’s mom sitting on a stretcher beside Tyler, who fussed over scratches and cuts on her face.
“Olivia, dear,” Colleen said in relief when she entered the area.
Olivia let out a sob and walked toward her mother-in-law. Colleen shook Tyler off her and stood, reaching her arms out toward Olivia.
“Colleen,” Olivia breathed. “Thank God you’re okay.”
“Of course I am,” she said, still the same spitfire, regardless of the situation. Olivia supposed she’d have to be after having been around this kind of thing nearly her entire life. She had been married to a navy pilot turned CIA operative, who then went off and started his own private security company. She probably lived every day wondering if her husband would come home at night, much like Olivia used to until she grew complacent that nothing would ever happen to Alexander.
Now, given the events of the past twenty-four hours, she wasn’t too sure.
“And I’d appreciate it if my darling boy would stop making a fuss over nothing. It’s just a few scratches.” Colleen glared at Tyler, who had resumed his attempt to apply a bandage over a deep gash on her forehead.
“It’s not just a few scratches, Ma,” Carol interjected, Dave nodding.
“Paramedics are a bit short-handed, so I’m helping out,” Tyler explained. “Ma wouldn’t let any of them treat her anyway. She made them all leave to go help people who actually needed it, according to her.”
“And do you blame me?” Colleen shot back, gesturing toward City Hall and the pandemonium surrounding them.
A sense of comfort wrapped around Olivia as she listened to their conversation. She needed this. She needed some sense of normalcy. The overbearing, protective son. The level-headed daughter. The feisty, spunky mom. This was her family, and she needed them more than ever right now.
“I suppose not,” Tyler mumbled.
“What do you think caused all this?” Olivia looked at the worrisome expressions on their faces. They didn’t have to ask her where Alexander was. They all knew. No matter how dangerous the situation, he ran toward it, not away. He was brave, strong, and sometimes a bit reckless, especially when it came to his family.
“My guess is a bomb,” Tyler said softly, still diligently patching up Colleen’s face.
“A bomb?” Olivia’s eyes widened. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach, thinking Boston had enough tragedy with bombs to last a lifetime. The city didn’t need another catastrophe to mar it.
“I could be wrong, but I don’t think this was just the result of some gas main explosion.”
Olivia met Tyler’s green eyes, the shade identical to her husband’s. The two men were almost mirror images of each other, with just a few differences. Both were tall with dark hair, strong jaws, and piercing green eyes. But Alexander was slightly more muscular and looked more distinguished than his brother. Even though he was now over thirty, Tyler had retained a sort of boyish look about him. Where Alexander had some harder, more defined facial features, Tyler’s were soft.
“Have you been able to get in touch with your wife?” Olivia asked. “Let her know you’re okay?”
“I can’t,” he sighed, placing the pack of bandages into the first aid kit and stepping away from Colleen.
“Standard protocol after any sort of suspicious explosion,” Dave explained. “You don’t want another bomb going off, so you take the cell towers offline in case that was a trigger.”
Hearing Dave talk about the possibility of another bomb made Olivia dizzy, her knees growing weak. They were in a secure area, but what about everyone still in the vicinity of the initial blast? What about Alexander? Her stomach churned as she peered down the street toward City Hall Plaza and the flashing lights of over a dozen ambulances, bomb squad trucks, and fire engines.
“Don’t worry,” Carol said, approaching Olivia and wrapping her arm around her shoulders. “He’s fine. He’s probably just doing what he does. He’s just being Alex.”
Olivia pulled her lower lip between her teeth and chewed on it, an old nervous tick. She didn’t know how long they expected her to wait, but she needed to do something. Fearing all of this was just a way to distract the FBI from finding her daughter, she grew even more anxious that Melanie was slipping further and further away.
She swallowed through the lump in her throat, her gaze shooting up and down the block, frantically searching for some sign of her husband. Her legs felt like jelly, heat rushing to her head. She was tired and achy, running on pure adrenaline. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare, to hold both her husband and daughter and never let go, never take them for granted again.
“It’ll be okay,” Tyler said, pulling Olivia against his chest.
As she tried to find comfort in Tyler’s encouraging words and reassuring arms, she almost swore she heard Alexander’s voice calling out to her. It was muffled, like a dream.
Then it grew louder, more distinct. She spun from Tyler toward the source of the voice. Her eyes set on a tall figure dressed in a deep gray suit emerging from a cloud of smoke.
Letting out a sob, she darted from the medical tent and leapt into Alexander’s arms, his familiar warmth surrounding her.
“You’re okay,” she cried, tears pouring down her cheeks as she held onto him, never wanting to let go. Relief washed over her, the unease and fear that she had lost Alexander leaving through each unbridled tear. “One second you were with me; the next, I was alone. I…” Avoiding his eyes, she placed a hand over her panicked heart. “I tried to go find you, but they wouldn’t let me. The whole time, all I could think about was—”
“Shh,” Alexander soothed, running his hands up and down her back, kissing her forehead. “It’s okay. I’m okay. Nothing bad is going to happen to me. I promise.”
“But what if it does? I can’t—” She shook her head, burying it against his chest once more, and drew in a long breath, finding comfort in his familiar musky scent. It brought back so many memories of their years together — the ups, the downs, and everything in between. No matter what, Alexander Burnham had always been at her side, supporting her, loving her.
“Olivia, look at me.” His voice was firm and forceful, yet serene. This man was a walking contradiction, and Olivia loved everything about his duplicitous nature. “Please, love. I need to see those beautiful brown eyes of yours.”
She melted into a puddle at his term of endearment. It didn’t matter that they had been together for over a decade. Hearing his voice sent shivers down her spine. So many of their married friends struggled to keep the flame alive. Theirs only grew stronger with each passing day.
Pulling her head away from his chest, she met his gaze.
“I’m sorry I scared you.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I was on autopilot. Once the worst of the blast died down, I glanced behind me to make sure you were okay, then ran off to look for—”
“Did you find her?” Olivia interrupted, her eyes growing wide, her lips parting. She searched his face, desperate to hear that Rayne had survived the blast and was in custody, answering questions.
That she had told them where Melanie was.
That this nightmare was almost over.
Her heart fell when he hung his head.
“She didn’t make it.”
Olivia pinched her lips together, fighting back the helplessness washing over her. They were within arm’s reach of finding Melanie, but the hope had disintegrated in the blink of an eye. She fe
lt cursed, as if no matter how hard they tried, no matter what they did to find her, it wouldn’t matter. Whoever was behind this would have the upper hand. She tried to stay positive, to ward off the negative thoughts circling her head, but it became more and more difficult.
“Melanie’s never coming back, is she?” she blurted out in resignation.
“Don’t think like that.” Alexander brought her back into his arms. “You need to stay positive. We will find her,” he declared, even though Olivia was certain it was just as difficult for him to remain optimistic. She was usually the assured and hopeful one, not Alexander. He was pragmatic and realistic to a fault. “This is just a tiny setback. It happens. We had no idea who was behind any of this before the press conference. Now we at least have something.”
“We do? How?”
“We’re going to sift through Rayne’s life with a fine-toothed comb to see if anything falls out.”
“Do you think that will work? That you’ll find Melanie that way?”
He ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know, but I have some of the best men working for me. They could probably find Jimmy Hoffa’s body if they really wanted to.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Burnham,” a female said, out of breath. They turned to see Agent Long come running up. “Agent Moretti needs to see you right away at the FBI field office.”
Alexander turned to Olivia, letting out an irritated sigh. “Stay here with Tyler, okay?”
“Actually, he needs both of you. This involves your wife.”
“My wife?” Alexander furrowed his brows.
“What’s going on?” Olivia asked, nerves settling in her stomach as she glanced between Agent Long and her husband. She wondered how much digging the FBI had conducted into their backgrounds, whether they had found something she didn’t want them to know.
Something she didn’t even want Alexander to know.
“He ordered me not to say anything, just to bring both of you back…in handcuffs, if necessary.” She raised her eyebrows, looking directly at Olivia.