by Hope White
“Gary,” Matt muttered. “No, that makes no sense. He said the cartel was after him, that he’d developed the scheme and wanted out.”
“Maybe he found his own way out by pinning it on Jenna. Pragge is out of his mind that the case is in shambles.”
“Does he know you’re here?”
“Are you kidding? I don’t want to lose my job, and you’re his least favorite person right now.”
“We need to find Jenna,” Matt said.
“How do you suggest we do that?” Bob asked.
“She has my phone. Let’s get someone at work to ping it for us.”
But twenty minutes later, they were unable to get a location on Matt’s phone. Had she ditched it because she didn’t want to be tracked?
Jenna was out there, alone, with no one to turn to.
“Patrice,” he said.
“Who?”
“A woman who helped Jenna before when she escaped her abusive husband.”
Matt contacted Nancy Miller and asked for Patrice’s phone number. From there, Matt took a chance that Patrice still used a landline.
She did, and they were able to ascertain Patrice’s address.
Going to Patrice made the most sense, since Jenna had been abandoned by Marcus and had given up on Matt’s ability to protect her.
Regret tore through him. Exposing Patrice could jeopardize the Guardians, something Jenna was adamant she didn’t want to do.
“I need a favor,” Matt said to Bob.
“Another one?” Bob teased.
“Don’t share Patrice’s location with anyone else.”
“Why, what’s she into?”
“Helping people.”
“Sounds noble. I wouldn’t want to mess with that.”
“Thanks.”
* * *
A few hours later they pulled up in front of the house. The living room was lit up and the porch light glowed, as if to welcome visitors.
They approached the house and hesitated.
The front door was ajar.
Bob withdrew his firearm. When he realized Matt didn’t have his gun, Bob pulled a second one from an ankle holster and offered it to him. He motioned that he was going around to the back of the house. Matt nodded and, gun in hand, toed the front door open.
The living room had been tossed, as if someone had been looking for something. Furniture was tipped over, a ceramic lamp lay in pieces on the floor and cabinet drawers were pulled out, papers strewn across the rug. He checked each room carefully, making it to the back of the house. As he stepped out on the back porch, Bob came around and joined him.
“It’s clear,” Matt said.
“Clear out here too.” He holstered his gun and peeked into the back window. “What happened?”
Matt shook his head, unable to speak, to find words to state the obvious: They’d found and taken Patrice, Jenna and Eli.
He was too late.
He’d failed to protect them.
Why, Jenna, why did you leave me at the hospital?
Because she’d seen his violent side and knew he was capable of beating a man to death. A traumatized and gentle woman like Jenna North couldn’t be around that kind of darkness.
“What do we do now?” Bob asked.
“Find Jenna.”
“Over my dead body,” a woman said behind Matt.
Bob reached for his weapon.
“Don’t even,” the woman threatened. “Let me see your hands.”
“Ma’am, we’re FBI agents,” Bob said.
“I fell for that once already. Drop your weapons!”
This had to be...
“Patrice?” Matt said, placing his gun on the ground and turning to her.
The middle-aged woman aimed a shotgun at his chest. Her lip was bloody and a bruise was forming on her cheek.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I survived my fall over the cliff, no thanks to your friends.”
“What friends?”
“Two guys who claimed to be cops. Cops don’t threaten innocent people, and they surely don’t hit ’em.”
“I’m sorry that they hurt you.”
“Hurt me? They threatened to kill me unless I told them where Jenna was. Well, I escaped and slid down the ravine where they couldn’t find me.”
“You’re a strong woman. An inspiration to Jenna.”
“Go on, get outta here.” She motioned with her shotgun.
He had to convince her he was one of the good guys. “I can prove I’m here to help Jenna.”
“One...two...” she counted.
Matt put his hand up to prevent Bob from withdrawing his gun in self-defense.
He nodded at Patrice. “Jenna and I spent a lot of time together. We grew very close. She told me about her ex-husband, and how Gloria’s Guardians came to her rescue. She was able to protect a little boy this week thanks to you.”
“Three...four—”
“Wait.” Matt extended a calming hand. “Her ring, her silver braided ring. You gave it to her as a reminder that you and the Guardians are always there for her, that God’s always there. Please, you’ve got to help me find her.”
She lowered the weapon. “You’re really him?”
Matt nodded.
“And we’re really federal agents,” Bob snapped.
“Do you know where she is?” Matt asked Patrice.
“I know where she was going. If they took my car, they do too.”
* * *
Jenna turned to flee the barn. And was immediately blocked by a tall, broad-shouldered man.
“Nah-uh,” he said.
She clung tighter to Eli and looked into the eyes of a killer, the husky, broad-shouldered guy who’d been with Chief Billings the night of Chloe’s death.
It was over.
No, I will not accept that.
“Where’s Patrice?” she said sharply to the thug.
“I told you, dead,” a voice said behind her.
She spun around and a lantern clicked on, illuminating the other side of the barn and...
Chief Billings.
As he sauntered toward her, Jenna’s pulse pounded into her throat.
“You’re a real pain, ya know that?” Billings said.
“What did you expect me to do? Turn this innocent child over to a killer?”
“Me?” He stopped mere inches from her. “A killer? No, I’m the Cedar River police chief, who found the suspect that embezzled money from the Broadlake Foundation and then kidnapped a child because she’d lost her own.”
Jenna held her breath. How could he know about Joey?
“I’ll take the child.” Billings reached out for Eli.
Jenna turned away from him.
“You can’t take him where you’re going,” Billings said.
“You’ll never be able to prove any of this in a court of law.”
“I won’t have to.”
“Hello, Anna.”
She gasped. It was Anthony’s voice.
Her former husband stepped out of the shadows and offered a menacing smile. “I’ve missed you.”
Her first instinct was to cower. Her second instinct was to fight.
“Shouldn’t you still be in jail?” she snapped.
“Early release for good behavior.” He winked.
“More like you paid somebody off.”
“My, my, you’ve developed quite the attitude,” Anthony said. “I can fix that.”
She’d like to see him try.
“I’m sure the loving couple would like some time alone,” Billings said and reached for Eli.
Once again she turned away.
“You’re being ridiculous,” Billings said. “I’d never hurt a kid.”
> “Then why do you want him?”
“To draw Gary out of hiding. He’s made a mess of things.”
“You mean the cartel?”
Billings’s eyes flared. “Anthony, I’m relying on you to make this disappear.”
The tall thug grabbed her shoulders and yanked her back against his chest. Eli wailed.
“Look at that, she and the child have bonded,” Anthony said.
She held on as long as she could, but Billings was too strong. He ripped Eli out of her arms.
Then Anthony laughed.
Eli cried, reaching out for her.
Rage consumed her, followed by something even stronger.
Protect Eli.
In a blind fury, she kneed the tall guy in the crotch, ripped the gun out of his hand and smacked it against the side of his head. He stumbled backward. She spun around just as Anthony was about to grab her.
With a quick motion, she broke his nose with the gun, and he cried out in pain.
She aimed the weapon at Billings...who was pointing his gun at Eli. “Put it down.”
Now what? If she relinquished her weapon, she was dead. If she didn’t, Eli was dead.
She put out her free hand in surrender. And spotted Anthony charging in her direction. “I’m gonna kill you!”
She aimed the gun and fired. He fell to the ground, gripping his shoulder.
“You will never hurt me again,” she said.
She glanced at Billings, who seemed surprised that she’d actually shot Anthony.
“Add attempted murder to the charges,” Billings said.
“Let him go!” Gary cried.
Billings spun around and fired a shot into the darkness.
Eli screamed and kicked, making it impossible for Billings to get off a straight shot. He put Eli down and the boy toddled off. Jenna dove to grab him.
Gary rushed Billings.
A shot rang out. Then another.
Jenna backed up toward the exit.
“Get back here!” Anthony shouted, coming after her.
She aimed the gun...
But before she could squeeze the trigger, another shot rang out.
Anthony collapsed mere inches from her. She stared at him, unable to move.
“You’re okay,” Matthew said. He placed firm hands on her shoulders. She stood there, staring down the barrel of her gun at Anthony’s motionless body.
Matthew reached around and slid the gun out of her hand. “Let it go.”
She did, but she couldn’t look away. Matthew kneeled to check Anthony’s pulse. He glanced at Jenna and shook his head.
Her former husband was dead.
Matthew stood and pulled Jenna against his chest. He held her tight, with Eli between them, stroking her hair.
“You’re under arrest!” a voice shouted behind her.
Patrice touched Jenna’s arm and offered a nod.
“You’re okay?” Jenna asked, happy to see her friend.
“I’m tough, remember?”
Only then did Jenna see Eli’s father, Gary, motionless on the ground, and a second agent cuffing Chief Billings.
“You have the right to remain silent...” the agent said to Billings.
“Eli...Eli,” Gary croaked.
Matthew extended his arm, as if offering to take Eli to his father.
“I can do it,” Jenna said. Matthew and Patrice escorted Jenna over to Gary. “Can you cover up his wound?” she asked Matthew.
He took off his jacket and draped it over Gary’s stomach, where he’d been hit.
“Ambulance is on the way,” the other agent said.
Holding Eli, Jenna kneeled beside the little boy’s father.
“Eli.” Gary smiled and reached out to touch Eli’s cheek. Eli turned away.
“He’s scared,” Jenna said. “Lots of loud noises, right, buddy?”
“Did you set up Jenna to take the fall for the money laundering?” Matthew asked.
“What?” Jenna said.
“Did that before, when I...planned to run with Eli.” He looked at his son. “I thought I could keep him safe. I thought...”
“You can still keep him safe,” Matthew said. “Give us something to shut down the cartel.”
“This is your chance to be a hero for your son,” Jenna added.
Gary nodded, a tear trailing down the side of his face. “There’s a flash drive in his bear. It has everything, recordings, accounts.”
Matthew glanced at the bear Eli clutched in his hand.
Gary’s eyes misted over, and he looked at Eli. “I’m so sorry. I love you, tiger.”
Eli pressed his cheek against Jenna’s shoulder.
“Eli, your papa has an ow-ee,” Jenna said. “He needs a kiss.”
“Ow-ee.” Eli touched his head where he’d bumped into the window frame at the Millers’ farm.
“Can you give him a kiss to make it better?” Jenna encouraged.
Eli whipped his head around and looked at his dad. Jenna put Eli down. He leaned forward and kissed Gary on the nose.
“What a good boy,” Jenna said.
Eli turned to Jenna and hugged her.
“Feels...much better,” Gary said, before his eyelids fluttered closed.
THIRTEEN
“They were after Eli to control his father?” Patrice asked, as they sat in a conference room at the FBI field office.
“Looks that way.” Jenna offered Eli a sippy cup with water, but he was more interested in playing with his wooden trains.
Jenna, Eli and Patrice had been taken to a field office to make their statements. Matthew rode with them, but said little.
Unfortunately Gary hadn’t survived.
“And Anthony... I still can’t believe he got early release and found you,” Patrice said.
“He’d hired someone to break into my attorney’s office and found my address, a PO box in Cedar River. From there, he hired a private detective, who eventually tracked me down. Anthony had him go through my apartment.” Jenna shuddered. “I remembered thinking things were out of place, but figured it was posttrauma paranoia.”
“You thought it was over with Anthony.”
“The PI kept me under surveillance and became familiar with my routine. Somehow he got access to my messenger bag and put a tracking device inside so he’d always know where I was.” She hesitated. “So Anthony would always know.”
“How long had this been going on?”
“A couple of months.”
“What was Anthony waiting for?”
“He only got out a few weeks ago. My guess is he enjoyed the hunt, planning what he’d do to me in retaliation for sending him to jail. We had all kinds of criminals tracking us. Just when we thought we were safe at the Lazy Shade Resort, Anthony sent thugs to kidnap me. When that didn’t work, and knowing that I was wanted for kidnapping Eli, Anthony contacted Billings. They probably had a great time planning my demise.”
“Someone should have notified you that Anthony had been released.”
“For all I know there’s a letter waiting for me in the PO box, but I only check it periodically. I honestly thought he was done with me.”
“The man was a bully.”
“I’m sorry you got caught up in all this. I never should have called you.”
“Yes you should have. As I said many times when you stayed with me, we can’t face our challenges alone, nor should we have to.”
“But the Guardians... Have I put them in jeopardy?”
“No. Your friend Matthew gave me his word he wouldn’t expose our network. Who knows, maybe someday the FBI will need our help.”
“I love your attitude.”
Patrice glanced at Eli. “And you love that little boy, don’t you?”
Jenna nodded, smiling at Eli as he made a choo-choo sound.
“And Agent Weller?” Patrice said.
“He loves Eli too.”
“I meant, how do you feel about Agent Weller?”
Jenna snapped her gaze to Patrice. “I know, these feelings are inappropriate,” Jenna said.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You were about to. I get it. Only—” She hesitated. “He’s the first man who has ever made me feel safe.”
“That says a lot, considering what you’ve been through this past week.”
“I guess.”
“What is it?”
“I’m not sure he feels the same way.” Even though he’s held me, comforted me...kissed me.
“Well, the way he asked me to help him find you sounded more like the plea of a man in love than that of an FBI agent.”
The door opened, and Matthew nodded at Patrice. “They’re ready to take your statement.”
Patrice patted Jenna on the hand and left.
“How’s the little guy doin’?” Matthew asked, sitting at the conference table beside Jenna.
“He’s great.”
Silence permeated the room. There was so much to say, but how to say it?
“What will happen to Eli?” she asked.
“Marcus is on the way.”
Jenna nodded, fighting back the grief at having to say goodbye to the adorable child.
Would she have to say goodbye to Matthew as well?
“What a crazy week,” she said. “Is your case solid against the cartel?”
“Yes, ma’am. Everything’s on the flash drive, just as Gary said.”
“Why didn’t he turn it over to the authorities earlier?”
“He wanted to avoid making enemies with the cartel. He hoped to control the situation and stop having to move money around for them. The cartel hired Billings to keep an eye on Gary. I suspect Billings has been corrupt since his days as a border patrol agent.”
“Yikes.”
“Gary wanted out. The cartel refused. Gary figured he’d use blackmail, like he did with corporations, but the cartel decided to go after his family. At the end of the day you’d do anything to protect your family.”
“So true.”
Another awkward silence.
“I’m glad your ex-husband will never hurt you again,” Matthew said.
“Thank you.”
He glanced at her with regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”