Seconds to Live

by Susan Sleeman

  She noted his name by the budget line item and added Read Inman In. “I’ll need your permission to do that.”

  He sat forward and rested his elbows on the table to steeple his fingers. “I don’t want you talking to him about it.”

  “Why?” She hated hearing the suspicion in her tone, but she was beginning to wonder if he was planning to micromanage and control every aspect of this investigation. If so, they would clash daily. Maybe hourly, for that matter. Again, so different from their friendly online conversations.

  “The minute you break the news, he’ll want to run it up the flagpole to his supervisor. But the investigation is on a need-to-know basis, and he really doesn’t need to know.”

  “He does if you want my help or a protection detail for the twins.”

  “Actually, all he needs is a phone call from his supervisor, directing him to comply with our team’s requests.”

  She gaped at him. “You’re going above his head?”

  “Not me. Eisenhower already started at the top. Management has been informed of the hack.”

  She set down the marker and planted her hands on her hips. “If that’s so, then deputies should’ve received a communication to warn witnesses, and we didn’t.”

  “I don’t imagine that will happen until there’s actionable information. If released now, it would send everyone into panic mode. And when people panic, they often get hurt.”

  “Management can’t ignore the hack. What if one of the compromised witnesses is killed and the higher-ups could’ve done something about it? That would almost make them complicit in the death.”

  “Another reason why we have to move fast before someone gets killed.” He grabbed his phone. “I’ll get that warrant going for Dustee’s workplace and the library computers so I can clear her. Once you check her finances, we can move forward.”

  There he went again, jumping in and starting when they hadn’t even ironed out the whole plan. “I—”

  A commotion in the hall captured Taylor’s attention.

  “I don’t care, I need to talk to her!” Dustee’s raised voice came from outside the conference room door.

  “That’s Dustee,” Sean said. “She sounds freaked out.”

  Taylor resisted groaning. “Relax. She creates drama with most everything. She’s probably hungry or something simple like that.”

  Taylor stepped into the hallway. Jim Coates had been assigned to babysit the twins, and he blocked Dustee’s access to the room.

  Taylor smiled at her fellow deputy. “It’s okay, Jim,” she called. “I got this.”

  Looking exasperated, he hurried away at a speed she’d never seen him move before. Dustee truly had that effect on people. Taylor willed herself to stay in place and do so with a patient smile.

  “Taylor. Thank goodness. I just got a text. See . . .” Dustee held out her phone, her hand shaking. She latched on to Taylor’s arm with her free hand, and fear radiated through her touch.

  Something really was wrong, and for once, Dustee wasn’t crying wolf.

  Taylor looked at the phone. Her heart dropped.

  You think you can run from me? No one makes a fool of me, Bridgett. I’ll be there when you least expect me and pay you back for trying to out me to the FBI.

  “It’s from Phantom . . . using your real name.” Taylor locked eyes with Dustee. “And he has your cell number. Phantom has your number.”

  Dustee nodded, up and down in rapid bobs born of terror. She tightened her grip on Taylor’s arm, her fingernails cutting in. “And he’s going to kill me.”

  CHAPTER 8

  BACK IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM, Taylor planted her hands on curvy hips, looking like a fierce mother bear protecting her cub, and Sean found her burning intensity even more appealing. He never expected to find her so attractive. She wasn’t at all spontaneous or a go-with-the-flow kind of person. It was as if, by being so cautious, she was refusing to embrace all life had to offer, and he didn’t understand that. He knew the reason. Her brother. Sean had often wanted to help her work through her lingering grief, but she wouldn’t share the details. So he prayed for her. Every day. And watched for change, although she continued to struggle with the terrible loss she’d suffered.

  “With Dustee’s confirmation of Phantom’s size and build, and now this text,” Taylor said, totally oblivious to his thoughts, “it’s a good bet he’s behind the hack, and we should review the information we have on him. You know, get into his head. Make a plan to preempt any future attacks.”

  “Agreed.” Sean dropped onto a chair and committed himself to giving her time to plan so that he didn’t add to her stress. He opened his report on Phantom. “Not much is known about his childhood or upbringing, but we do know a few things about his behavior as an adult.”

  Taylor flipped through the folder in front of her. “Such as?”

  “He seems to enjoy the publicity surrounding his hacking. In a search of the abandoned warehouse where they found his hard drives, they also found a box of news clippings. He was following himself in the news and had printed out internet stories. Including one about his missing partner. That was when the FBI started looking at him for murder, as well as hacking. The pages were ragged and worn from handling.”

  She turned to the disturbing photos of Phantom’s murdered partner. “He removed the guy’s tongue.”

  Sean nodded. “Our profiler thinks it’s a message to others. That he would silence anyone who betrayed him or tried to help authorities find him.”

  She shuddered. “He’s brutal for a hacker, right?”

  “Yes, but these days hacking is big business, and just like the rest of the criminal world, there’s more violence today than in the past—including infighting, with hackers trying to take over.” He took a long breath. “And I’m just talking about hackers in our country. Don’t get me started on other countries.”

  She looked horrified. “So Phantom’s all about sending messages, plus he likes to read about himself. Do you think he’s hungry for attention, and that’s part of his reason for coming after Dustee?”

  Sean looked her in the eye. “Maybe, but his text sounds more like he’s bent on revenge. Dustee betrayed him. Big-time.”

  “And revenge is one of the most powerful motives for murder, so we need to proceed with caution.”

  Sean was glad to hear she was taking this threat to Dustee seriously. “Before we talk about anything else, I want to point out that he isn’t about to let anyone stop him. If you get in the way—”

  “He won’t hesitate to take me out.” Her lips pressed together. “You too. During transport, we should wear vests and insist that Dustee wear one too.”

  “Agreed. And you need to be extra vigilant.” He paused to make strong eye contact. “I care about you, Taylor, and I’m worried for your safety.”

  “I’m concerned for you too,” she said, an innocent blush stealing up her face. “The entire team actually.”

  “Thank you.” His heart warmed, taking in her heartfelt words, but he wouldn’t continue this conversation as he could easily get lost in her gaze. “Our profiler says Phantom’s self-image depends on the belief that he’s smarter than everyone. With Dustee outsmarting him, he has a burning desire to prove he’s better than she is. I think that was the point of his text to her. He wants Dustee to know he’s the one coming after her. Probably wants us to know too.”

  Her forehead creased. “But why? It also tells us who to focus our efforts on.”

  “When he gets to Dustee—and in his mind there’s no doubt he will—then we’ll know he beat us. That’s what he wants. For us to know he’s behind everything.” Sean could see he was scaring her more, but she needed to know the full extent of Phantom’s wrath and abilities. “We have to remember he’s bested law enforcement up until this point and proved he can murder someone and get away with it. He’s certain he can do it again.”

  “Then we can’t let him do it again.” Taylor got to her feet and started pacing. “W
e need to get Dustee moved to the safe house, but he may be counting on taking her out then. No way will I allow a simple transport. We’ll need local law enforcement assistance. That means it’s imperative that we read Inman in on the hack.”

  Sean wanted to agree with her to ease her distress, but he had to keep this hack under wraps for now. “We can’t read anyone else in at this point.”

  She lifted her chin and stared at him but didn’t speak. She didn’t need to. He could read her thoughts. He respected her for the way she championed her witnesses. Her commitment and dedication were to be commended. Except, that is, when she let her past fuel her motive, taking it to extremes. Sure, she needed to be vigilant and extra careful, but telling Inman? Sean wished he could convince her to back down on that, but she wasn’t one to back down in her personal life when she believed in something. He doubted she’d do so at work either. That meant he needed to find a compromise.

  “What do you have in mind for the transport?” he asked when she likely expected him to argue.

  “Most people think that witness transport is cut-and-dried, that we put our protectees in a car and just drive off. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. We don’t take any chances. Especially when the person who wants our witness dead could be watching, like Phantom might be. We need to confuse him so he doesn’t have a chance to harm her.”

  “And how do you propose doing that?”

  “We’ll dress a variety of officers and deputies in hoodies of the same color. I’ll make sure several people fit Dustee’s body type. Then we’ll have as many vehicles as possible departing and returning to our parking structure at a rapid pace so he doesn’t know which vehicle she’s riding in.” Her expression came alive with the challenge.

  He loved seeing the fire in her eyes. “You’ve obviously done this before.”

  “Several times for high-risk witnesses. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough staff here to be effective, so I’ll need to reach out.”

  Her plan sounded fairly elaborate, and the novice might think it was over the top, but Sean’s training told him she was following proven procedures carried out by top-notch law enforcement personnel every day across the country. “Sounds like fun.”

  “Yeah, you’ll like it. It’s action, action, action.” A smile curled her lips, her face lighting with a radiant beauty.

  He bit back a groan over the surge of warmth in his veins and forced his mind to remain on the subject at hand. “I should be able to provide enough agents and cars to make it happen. We won’t need to involve local PD, and reading Inman in won’t be necessary.”

  “Sure it will.” Taylor firmed her shoulders. “Dustee is a witness. I’m moving her under extreme circumstances. I’ll be using fellow deputies to implement my protection plan at the safe house. He has to know.”

  “I could provide the protection detail too.”

  “I knew it was only a matter of time before you offered that, but no thank you.” She crossed her arms. “We’re trained in witness safety. Agents aren’t. Dustee is my responsibility, and I’ll handpick the people on her detail from my coworkers.”

  Sean knew when to give in. “Fine, but I want to be there when you talk to Inman, and we give him the barest of information.”

  A satisfied smile crossed her face.

  He shook his head. “I never took you as someone who would smirk over your victory.”

  “I’m not,” she said, her grin widening. “I’m thinking about you trying to be vague with Inman. I promise you, it isn’t going to fly.”

  She was probably right. Still, Sean would start out with the smallest amount of information required. “You’ll need to be in the know on the investigation. I’ll text Eisenhower and get you official clearance and bring you on as a temporary member of the RED team.”

  “Okay.” But she sounded like she had reservations.

  “It’ll be great to have you on the team again. This time not on the other side of the country but right in the thick of things with us.” He waited for her to respond, but she didn’t say a word.

  “Are you—?” His phone signaled a text from the team. He lifted it and saw Mack’s name. “The RED team just arrived in town. They’ll meet us at the safe house.”

  Taylor took a step back, a skeptical frown replacing her good mood.

  He had to admit that seeing her in person was great but also perplexing, as he was having a hard time understanding her body language. “What’s the frown for? You know the team.”

  “Exactly. I do.” She squared her shoulders. “You’re all a force to be reckoned with. Everyone will want to weigh in on my protection plan. Maybe take charge, like you’ve been trying to do ever since you walked through my door.”

  She was right. He’d thought about the investigation more than he considered how she was feeling, and he didn’t want her to think he didn’t care about her. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve been pushy, and I’ll try to curtail that. I promise. But I think it’s good to have additional input on protection, don’t you?”

  She watched him for a long moment, her gaze drilling deep for something, but he didn’t know what. “You have to remember who I am and what I do. Protection is a Deputy Marshal’s primary skill set. No one does it better than we do, and honestly, we don’t like being told how to do it.”

  He nodded his understanding. He wanted to put their friendship first. He really did. To put her first too, but he couldn’t. Not with so many lives counting on him. So he wouldn’t warn the team off. Not only did he feel responsible for keeping Dustee alive, but for keeping alive the one link they had to Phantom. If they lost Dustee, they might lose every chance at stopping the cyber creep, who didn’t have any qualms about selling information that guaranteed people would die.

  In the parking structure, Taylor ended her prayer for safety for all parties involved in Dustee’s transport and flipped up her hood. The soft fabric of the new hoodie caressed the sides of her face and belied the tension surrounding her. She stood with Dustee and the other decoys, each dressed in nearly identical attire, their focus on high alert.

  She glanced at Dustee, who looked lost since Dianne had departed for the safe house. Or maybe she was worried. Taylor sure was. She couldn’t get Sean’s comments about Phantom out of her head. She’d known he was dangerous, but now? Now she knew the full extent of his paranoia, and she had to up her game to keep Dustee alive. Taylor would give her life for her witnesses without blinking an eye, and she knew Sean and the team would do the same.

  In fact, everyone in the parking garage would do so. They were the unsung heroes, men and women who put their lives on the line every day, like soldiers going into battle. This battle was in the homeland, because like it or not, there was a war on crime being waged in America, and she was glad to do her part to end it.

  The final decoy vehicle with a hooded driver shot past Taylor and out into the busy Portland street. Rainwater hissed and spit under the tires. The vehicle gained traction but lost grip and slid in front of Sean’s SUV as he made his return trip, turning toward the entrance. He slammed on his brakes, narrowly missing the other vehicle, skidding across the slick pavement, plunging toward a solid concrete barrier.

  Taylor sucked in a breath and held it.

  His vehicle came to a sudden stop a foot shy of the barrier.

  She exhaled, a long drawn-out affair. They’d done it. Successfully sent all decoy vehicles out, and no one had gotten hurt. Sean had come close, but he was a highly skilled driver. She was unreasonably proud of his defensive driving skills, and this wasn’t the motherly pride she felt when her witnesses chose to do the right thing. Far from it.

  He slid out of the SUV. His hand drifted to his sidearm, and he planted his feet in a wide stance as he surveyed the space. He stood tall and rugged, his shoulders thrown back. Taylor might’ve been arguing with him since he’d arrived, but right now she couldn’t be more thankful that he was here and would be driving them to the safe house.

  “Ready to
go?” she asked Dustee.

  She looked down and didn’t speak.

  “Nothing is going to happen to you,” Taylor promised. “I’ll be right beside you, and I’m armed.”

  Dustee looked at Sean. “I’d feel better if Hunky IT Guy was by my side and you were driving.”

  Taylor gritted her teeth. Why did people automatically assume a big strapping guy could provide better protection than she could? Sure. Fine. He could out-bench-press her. Still . . . “Don’t worry. I can protect you.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Let’s go,” Taylor snapped, and instantly regretted it.

  Dustee arched a brow. “I do something wrong?”

  “No. We just need to get going.” Taylor pointed at the SUV.

  Dustee took full advantage of a space filled with male agents and strutted across the parking garage, her head cocked with enjoyment as the men watched her glide toward the SUV.

  “Ready to go, Hunky IT Guy?” she asked Sean, followed by a flash of her pearly whites.

  “I have a name.” He jerked the vehicle’s back door open. “Agent Nichols or Sean. Please pick one.”

  “Ooh, testy. What’s the matter? You feeling insecure with these other macho guys around?”

  “Just get in.” He ground his teeth.

  She complied, and as Taylor approached, he met her gaze and shook his head.

  “Don’t expect it to get any easier.” Taylor crawled over the vehicle’s folded-down back seats, making her way to the large cargo area. Settling in, she drew her weapon.

  Sean got them on the road, and she remained on high alert as he raced through town. She ignored Dustee’s rambling and complaining, keeping close watch until Sean pulled up to the safe house without incident.

  “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” She left Sean and Dustee in the vehicle and rushed up to the house.

  A young agent opened the door and stepped back. An ill-fitting suit hung on his slight frame, looking like she could blow him over with just a puff of air. After flashing her ID, Taylor stepped inside. “I’m Deputy Mills. Our witness is in the car with Agent Nichols. Secure that door. I’m going to clear the house.”