The Diehard Warrior

by Youngblood, Jennifer

  “Thanks,” she said mechanically, resuming her narrative. “Gram was lying in her bed. I was sitting beside her, praying and shedding a few tears, when I felt a tug on my arm.” She laughed softly. “I looked, surprised to see a little girl standing in front of me. She had these big brown eyes that seemed like they could see into your soul, her hair in braids. She never said a word, simply smiled and handed me the card before bounding out of the room. I looked down and read the message—Be Happy.” Her voice caught. “I knew in some inexplicable way that my prayer had been answered by that little girl. Later, I found out the girl was there with her mother. Priscilla Roseman is her grandmother.”

  A tear slipped down Addie’s cheek. She wiped it with the palm of her hand, a self-conscious laugh issuing from her throat. “I’m glad that Priscilla now knows what a wonderful granddaughter she has.” Addie took in a deep breath and shot Maddox a brief smile, shrugging her shoulders. “Now you know the rest of the story.”

  “Thank you for sharing that,” he said quietly. Addie was truly one in a million. No wonder he’d fallen so hard, so fast for her. There was so much he wanted to say to her right now. He wanted to take her by the arms and shake some sense into her—make her realize that the two of them were meant for one another. Make her realize that he still loved her, had never stopped loving her. That she consumed nearly his every thought. “Hey, I want you to know that regardless of what happened between us in the past, I’m glad I’m here with you.”

  Her expression was unreadable as she stared at the road ahead of them. “Thanks.”

  He got the feeling that his words had fallen flat.

  She drew in a deep breath as if trying to bottle up her emotion. He’d gotten a glimpse into her soul and now the dark curtains had been pulled over the window. She was once again the tough, capable, take-crap-off-no-one girl. Heck, he loved that aspect of Addie too. She looked in the rearview mirror at Piper who was following them. Maddox glanced in the side mirror to make sure no one was tailing Piper. All seemed to be okay...for now. After Piper got out her laptop, it had taken less than fifteen minutes to track down the unit. There were several storage locations near Birchwood Springs. Putting the phone on speaker, Piper called all of them saying that she’d received an invoice for Jordan Phelps and was calling to question the balance. The first three people had no record of Jordan Phelps. On the fourth call, however, they hit pay dirt. The lady on the other end of the phone found Jordan in her system.

  “I’m showing that a payment was made a week ago. The account is current.”

  “Then why did I get an outstanding invoice?” Piper questioned. “What unit number are you showing in your system?”

  “Twenty-seven.”

  “Ah, this invoice is for forty-three. It must’ve been sent to me in error. I’ll just shred it. Thanks,” she clipped, ending the call.

  Feeling his gaze, Addie looked his direction. “What?”

  The mood between them was way too somber. Maddox had to do something to lighten it. “I was just thinking, it was around the same time last year when we traveled down this very road to the trailhead where we hiked. Remember?”

  “How could I forget?” She chuckled. “Hiking is a loose term though. We mostly walked, while you snapped pictures of the landscape and every animal that moved.”

  He laughed. “If I’m remembering correctly, we also made time for a few other things,” he said in a low, husky tone. “We gathered around that cozy fire, sitting so close you couldn’t wedge a sheet of paper between us. Quite similar to what occurred this morning, actually.” A grin tugged at his lips. “You were the first to kiss me then too.”

  Color fanned her cheeks. “No, you’ve got it wrong. I distinctly remember you kissing me first,” she grumbled. “At any rate, I thought Southern gentlemen weren’t supposed to call attention to those types of things.”

  He ignored her smart remark. “Of course, it was more than just kissing around the fire.” He drank in her profile—dainty nose, chin set in iron determination, full rosy lips, tangles of brown ringlets spilling over her shoulders. Her slender hands were gripping the steering wheel with a vengeance, and the stormy look on her face told him it would only be a matter of seconds before her temper blew. “There was some hugging involved, a little necking …”

  “Stop!” She shoved him hard, the motion causing the car to weave onto the shoulder of the road, the warning hum of the textured asphalt reverberating loudly against the tires.

  “Whoa, Nellie!” Maddox yelled, holding onto the dash.

  Addie clutched the wheel, correcting her mistake, as she swerved back into their lane.

  “Are you trying to kill us?”

  “You started it,” Addie sulked.

  “I was just playing around. I didn’t expect you to run us off the road.”

  “I didn’t,” she said tartly. “We barely went on the shoulder.”

  “Barely, huh? That’s an understatement.”

  She grunted.

  Maddox’s phone buzzed. He fished it out of his pocket.

  “Let me guess,” Addie said, her voice loaded with irritation. “It’s Felicity.”

  “Nope,” he said pleasantly. “It’s Sutton.” He swiped to answer. “Hello.”

  In true Sutton form, his boss launched right into the conversation. “I have some information on the kidnapper.”

  Maddox glanced at Addie, could feel the interest radiating off her. “I’m all ears.”

  “All right. Thanks for the intel. Heart of a warrior,” Maddox clipped after several minutes, ending the call.

  Addie scrunched her nose. “Heart of a warrior?” Her voice had a teasing edge. “What was that about? Kind of has an Indiana Jones meets Braveheart feel to it.”

  “Just a phrase we say to each other, it helps us remember our purpose.” Normally, he didn’t mind Addie razzing him, but not about that.

  She laughed. “O—kay.” She switched gears. “What did Sutton say?”

  “The attacker’s name is John Wilson. He’s from North Dakota, has a long rap sheet that includes burglary, attacking a police officer, and domestic violence. He was contacted on the dark web by an anonymous person who hired him to kidnap you.”

  “For what reason?”

  “Wilson didn’t know. He was to be given further instructions after he had you in his possession.”

  “Great! We’re no closer to finding out who’s behind this than we were before,” Addie spouted.

  “Not necessarily. While John Wilson didn’t know the identity of the person who contacted him, he was paid half his fee up front. Get this, the payment was deposited electronically into his bank account.”

  “That was stupid. I thought most criminals demanded their money in cash, so it couldn’t be traced.”

  He grunted a laugh. “Yeah, you’d think so. I guess Wilson never expected to get caught, and he certainly didn’t anticipate being interrogated by Sutton’s …” he hesitated “… experts.”

  “You mean torture specialists,” she said dourly.

  “I don’t know what kind of sordid picture you’re conjuring up in your mind, but there are various ways to extract information other than torture, such as truth serum, emotional threats…” a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth “…being dropped in the middle of a foreign country with no money or ID.”

  She chuckled dryly. “Call it what you will, but it’s still a version of torture.”

  “Hey, don’t knock it. Sutton got us the info we need. Before it landed in Wilson’s account, the money ran through a series of accounts, but Sutton’s IT guys were able to track it to an offshore account owned by Barrett Medical.”

  She pursed her lips. “That fits with what Piper said.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  She flashed a chipper smile. “I told you Piper was on the up-and-up.”

  “So far.”

  She stuck out her tongue.

  “Careful, or I might have to kiss you again,” he murmured, quit
e pleased with himself when her face turned scarlet. He couldn’t get that kiss they’d had this morning off his mind. After they got back to the cabin this evening, he hoped to finagle another one.

  “You really are a moron,” she muttered.

  “But a very lovable moron, right?” He gave her a goofy grin.

  She laughed and shook her head. “Yeah, sometimes.”

  “Okay, back to the serious stuff. The jewelry came up clean.”

  “I guess we can check that off the list.” Addie lifted a finger from the steering wheel. “There’s still the bracelet, but if the other jewelry came up clean—”

  “Chances are the bracelet will too,” Maddox finished.

  “Exactly.” She hesitated, her lips forming a grim line. “Now for the million-dollar-question. Did Wilson kill Jordan?”

  “He claims he didn’t.”

  “Does Sutton believe him?”

  He tried to think of a way to respond delicately to her question. “Sutton’s interrogators are thorough. I think it’s safe to say that we can bank on the information they gave us.”

  “All right,” she finally said, but he could tell from her tight expression that the idea of interrogation didn’t sit well with her. It didn’t sit well with him either, but it was a hard fact of life. Better to interrogate the guilty than to let the innocent suffer.

  “Sutton sent a team of investigators to New Jersey to check out Piper and Jordan’s facility. They’ll interview the employees, see if anything unusual turns up.”

  She frowned. “Do you really think that’s necessary?”

  “No stone unturned, remember?”

  Disapproval coated her voice. “Need I remind you that Piper’s my closest friend? I don’t want her to think I’m checking up on her.”

  He tensed. “Need I remind you that my job is to protect you? To do that effectively, I need to know all the angles.”

  She thrust out her lower lip in a pout. “Fine. But would you mind telling Sutton to make sure his guys are stealthy about it? I’ve already lost one friend. I don’t want to lose another.”

  “I think I can handle that.” Man, she was a fireball, fighting him at every turn. There was another tidbit to his conversation with Sutton that he wasn’t ready to tell Addie. Sutton suggested that it might be beneficial for Maddox to go to New Jersey and question Brent Barrett in person. That way, Maddox could gauge his reaction. Maddox was all for it, but no way was he leaving Addie’s side. She’d have to go along too. He wasn’t sure how she would feel about that. He decided to wait until tonight to broach the subject. First, he wanted to see where this key led.

  She frowned. “You know, there’s something about this whole thing I don’t get.”

  “What’s that?”

  “What does Sutton get out of all this?”

  A startled laugh broke through his throat. “Excuse me?”

  She shot him an agitated look like she didn’t appreciate him laughing at her question. “Corbin’s my brother. Of course he would feel responsible for me. You’re here because Corbin’s one of your best friends and you want to help him.”

  “Yeah, that’s partly true, but I also care about you.” He caught her look of surprise.

  “Thanks,” she said, giving him a slow, soft smile that did funny things to his insides. She tightened her hold on the steering wheel. “So, what’s Sutton’s angle? Is Corbin paying him to help me?”

  “I don’t know the details of what Corbin worked out with Sutton, but I would venture to say that Sutton’s helping because that’s the type of person he is. Money’s no object for Sutton. He’s a multi-billionaire. Sutton would offer his resources to Corbin out of sheer loyalty.” He could tell from her perplexed expression that she was trying to work that through her head.

  A few beats stretched between them before she spoke. “You think a lot of Sutton.”

  His response was immediate. “Darn straight I do. It’s a privilege for me and my former SEAL buddies to work for him.”

  “You love what you do.”

  The forlorn tone of her voice hit him like a truckload of bricks. “Yes,” he finally said, “I do.”

  She gave him a resigned smile as she nodded. “I’m glad,” she said softly. He could almost see her pushing him away. While he was trying to think of something he could say to break down the barrier she was erecting, the storage facility came into view.

  “Here we are,” Addie said turning onto the road leading to it. “Here’s hoping the key goes to the unit.”

  “Indeed.”

  13

  Addie held her breath as Maddox pushed the key into the lock on storage unit number twenty-seven. Anxiety clutched Addie’s stomach as she looked at Piper. Her poor friend looked like she was barely holding it together. “Are you okay?”

  Piper gave her a strained smile. “I’m hanging in there.”

  Addie stepped up beside Piper and took her arm, patting her hand for reassurance.

  A second later, Maddox turned the key. Addie felt a burst of exultation when the lock opened. Maddox pulled up the metal door. At first, it was too dark to see anything. Then, the sunlight filtered in. Addie surveyed the unit with a quick glance. There were a couple of filing boxes on the floor, a tandem bicycle, and a shelving unit along the back wall. Otherwise, the unit was empty.

  “The good news is that it shouldn’t take long to look through these items,” Maddox said.

  By unspoken consent, Addie and Piper walked over to the boxes, while Maddox headed for the back shelves.

  Addie turned on the flashlight on her phone. She lifted a lid and peered inside. The box contained pictures of Jordan’s family. Addie recognized Jordan’s younger brother and sister in the photos, along with his parents. They were taken at all different stages of their lives.

  The other box was full of bank statements and bill stubs. She picked up a statement, inspecting it. Jordan’s mother’s name and address were listed on the top. It was dated ten years ago. She rifled through the bill stubs, all belonging to his mother. Her heart felt heavy in her chest. At first glance, there was nothing here but old pictures and outdated paperwork. Why did Jordan leave her the key? Maybe the clue was hidden in one of the boxes. They’d have to dump them out and sift through the contents piece by piece.

  Piper leaned over and picked up a photo of Jordan as a teenager, his arm slung around his younger brother Steve. They were in a boat, smiling broadly for the camera, holding up open, soft drink cans. Addie heard a muffled sound and realized Piper was crying. She slid her arm around Piper’s thin shoulders.

  “I still can’t believe he’s gone,” Piper stammered. “The two of us were going to change the world.”

  “You have. Once PZT hits the market, the world will know you two as heroes.” A lump formed in Addie’s throat. She hated that Piper was going through all this turmoil and loss. When Addie thought Maddox was dead, she’d nearly gone out of her mind with grief. Of course, Maddox came back, but Jordan wouldn’t.

  Gratitude simmered in Piper’s luminous eyes. “Thank you. You’re such a good friend.”

  Her voice cracked. “I’m so sorry you got caught in the middle of this.”

  “Me too,” Addie sighed, “but it’s not your fault.”

  “Hey guys. I think I found something,” Maddox said.

  For an instant, they looked wide-eyed at each other. Addie removed her arm from Piper’s shoulder. Hurriedly, Piper wiped her eyes as they rushed back to Maddox. In one hand, he held a large padded envelope. In the other, a black rectangle box with a cord attached that Addie recognized as a computer accessory.

  Piper frowned. “That looks like the external hard drives we have at Therapia.”

  Maddox turned it over in his hand as Addie shined her flashlight. On the back, was a small white label with two words: Therapia. PZT.

  Addie’s heart began to pound. “This has to be what Jordan wanted me to find.” She looked back and forth between Maddox and Piper and could tell from their exp
ressions that they agreed. “Do you think Jordan’s copy of the formula is on it?” Addie asked, eagerness rising in her chest.

  Piper nodded. “Probably so.” Her tone grew speculative as she turned to Addie. “I’ll bet Jordan realized someone was after him that day he had lunch with you. He probably dropped the key in your purse for safe keeping.”

  Addie thought back to the events that occurred. “Yep, I believe you’re right.”

  Piper reached for the hard drive. “If I know Jordan, it’s probably encrypted, but I can take it back to Therapia and have my tech team look at it.”

  Maddox held it out of her reach. “Not so fast. I’ll hold onto this for now.”

  “But it’s my property,” Piper protested, her voice going an octave higher. “If that drive contains the formula, I can’t risk it falling into the wrong hands.” Her voice quivered with intensity. “It could undermine my business, everything Jordan and I worked so hard to achieve.”

  Maddox squared his jaw. “This could be the missing piece in all of this. I have no intention of relinquishing it until I get to the bottom of what’s going on.”

  “You have no right,” Piper fumed, her hand going to her hip. She turned to Addie. “Tell him.”

  Addie felt like a pebble caught between a car tire and the hard pavement—with Piper being the tire and Maddox the pavement.

  “Please, Addie,” Piper continued. “You know how important this is to me, how important it was to Jordan.” Piper’s gut-wrenching expression cut Addie to the core.

  Addie homed in on Maddox. “Piper’s right. Once that hard drive leaves your hands, you can’t guarantee that the wrong person won’t get ahold of it.”

  His eyes were as unyielding as stone. “I’m sending it to Sutton.”

  She lifted her chin. “And who will Sutton get to look at it? Someone you don’t know.”

  “All right, I’ll insist Sutton makes sure it goes to Logan Steele. He served with me in the SEALs. I trust him implicitly.”

  She leaned closer. “Uh, huh. You trust him because he’s a close friend, right?”