Sanctuary Deceived WITSEC Town Series Book 4

by Lisa Phillips

  Antiquated, but necessary for their protection. Nadia had seen commercials for fancy cell phones and iPads on TV and online, but she’d never actually seen one in person. She’d been in Sanctuary twelve years next month. Bolton had been there before her. Neither of them had ever talked about what put them in witness protection. It wasn’t done. Every single resident was there to start a new life and leave their past behind. The cost of that life was some of the freedoms people enjoyed. But it was worth it, given the alternative was death.

  Nadia sighed. “Of course I don’t have the number to John’s satellite phone. What about a computer? Maybe I could log on to my email from here and send them a message?”

  “We have to be careful. We can’t let anyone find out who we are.”

  “That’s why you gave the sheriff fake names?”

  Bolton lifted his chin. “If he hadn’t shown up, I’d have stolen that rancher’s truck, and we’d be two towns away by now.”

  “But this is where the helicopter exploded,” she said. “They’ll come looking for us, to help us.”

  “Everyone will be busy tracking down Tommy and getting Remy back. We have to hang tight. But not here. The good guys aren’t the only ones who’ll be looking for us.”

  She’d forgotten about Remy. Lord, protect her. Nadia’s faith had been born as part of her new life in Sanctuary, and now it meant more to her than anything. God was the one who would protect Remy. Nadia’s brother, Shadrach, had been a marine. He would find Remy, and Ben Mason would help him.

  When they found her they would deal with Tommy. The rogue SEAL wouldn’t get away with nearly destroying Sanctuary and then kidnapping Remy. Leaving Bolton and Nadia Marie for dead. They’d get Remy back. They were experts at saving people, particularly witnesses they were charged with protecting.

  “Tell me about that necklace you gave Remy.”

  Bolton stared for a second then nodded. “It had a GPS tracker in it. It was the only way I could think of that Ben and Shadrach would be able to find her.”

  “And you just happened to have it on you?”

  “Yes.” His voice didn’t invite any argument. Was she supposed to be grateful he’d told her that much? He’d barely begun to answer all the questions she had about what on earth was going on here. They needed to get back to Sanctuary. Then Bolton could figure out getting his surgery.

  “Shadrach will help Remy. Then he’ll be here.”

  “I’m sorry, Nadia. Your brother won’t be here for a while.”

  Nadia folded her arms. “So we wait here for someone else to come and help us.”

  There was no procedure for this. It was unprecedented.

  “We’ll be dead before they get here.” He wasn’t agitated. He showed no sign of distress. Bolton just sat there, cold as anything, and told her they’d be dead. “The necklace was a tracking device, remember?”

  “One that will help them find Remy!”

  “And it will also help someone else find us. Unless we get out of here and find somewhere safe to hide.”

  “Who?” He didn’t answer, so she said, “Someone is after you?”

  Bolton nodded. “The threat against me is very real. They will come looking.” He paused. “What about you? Do we have to worry about someone coming after us, who wants you dead?”

  Nadia didn’t even know how to answer. Her story was so complicated she barely knew where to start or how to explain the way the story had ended. She took a breath and tried to decide what to say.

  The door opened. The sheriff strode in. She preferred John Mason, and the way he’d made Andra—a former assassin—do that melty smile she did now.

  The man nodded his greeting. “Well, folks. Got a couple questions for you, and then the doctor will be in to see y’all.” He looked at Nadia. “Heard you’re feeling dizzy.”

  “Some.” She found a chair, just to keep up the ruse. It was basically lying, and she didn’t like doing that. She hadn’t done it in a long time. But Bolton evidently thought it was going to keep them alive now.

  If Bolton was telling her the truth then maybe it would put the sheriff in danger if they told him who they were. Maybe he had kids, and they would come home from school to find their father had been killed. All because Nadia had un-learned how to lie.

  “I’m just glad we’re okay.” She tried to smile. “It’s been a hard week, especially for Steven. We were headed to the city for some tests, you know. Get that little problem of his figured out.” She leaned toward the sheriff and whispered, “A little night-time problem.”

  The sheriff coughed. “Of course.”

  “Wouldn’t you know there was some kind of malfunction, and the bird just got out of control. I can’t believe it exploded. There was a full tank of gas in there. And my purse!”

  Nadia could have burst out laughing at her own fake-ness. Hopefully she wasn’t laying it on too thick, or they’d be sunk. She’d never claimed to be a good actress, though a part in the town play had given her a few pointers. Make it real enough they believe it.

  She’d said all those lines about love and devotion on the stage and pretended she’d been saying them to Bolton. But that was months ago now.

  The sheriff said, “And…who was flying the helicopter?”

  “Me, silly!” She slapped her hand down on his knee then lifted her fingers and gasped. Nadia whipped her head around to Bolton. “My ring!” She explained for the sheriff. “It’s too big. I stowed it in my purse so we could drop it at the jewelers before my darling’s doctor’s appointment.” She faked up some tears and moved so her back was to the sheriff.

  Bolton reached for her. “It’ll be okay, honey. We’ll get you a new one.”

  Nadia nodded for the sheriff but widened her eyes for Bolton. She didn’t want to give them away, but there had to be a logical explanation for everything.

  Her brother would find Remy, and that was good. Shadrach really liked Remy, and he needed to make her safe. Ben and Grant, John’s brothers, would bring Tommy down. Everything would be fine—except for them.

  Lord, what do we do?

  Chapter 2

  The sheriff cleared his throat. Nadia shifted on the bed and looked at him like she’d forgotten he was there. Because she was a shallow rich woman with a helicopter pilot’s license. Were they different from a regular pilot’s license? A rich woman whose cowboy husband had “night-time” problems. She nearly groaned aloud.

  “Just a couple more questions.” He glanced at Bolton. “Any idea about a cell phone? The rancher you hit said he pulled it out, and you grabbed it.”

  Bolton had a cell phone?

  “No idea. I was so out of it, just coming around. I didn’t know what I was doing. That’s why I hit him.” Bolton paused. “I’m real sorry about that. Will you convey that to your friend? The pain, you see. It’s real bad. I wasn’t thinking.”

  The sheriff nodded slowly.

  “Anything else?” Not that Nadia was eager for more questions. She just wanted to be alone again with Bolton so they could talk about what they were going to do.

  Warm fingers covered hers. She didn’t look at Bolton’s hand, just turned hers over and grasped his. He always seemed so strong, even like this. Like there was nothing he couldn’t do.

  “Actually there is something else,” the sheriff said. “I’d like to know how you came to be in this area in a helicopter. You see, there’s a whole bunch of strictures about flying around here. We’re almost a no-fly-zone except for the military, because of this extremely rare, wild bird. It’s endangered. Can’t set off fireworks. Kites can’t be more than two stories high. Forget about clay pigeon shooting. That’s what’s gotten me so confused, see. The rancher reported you came from over the mountains. Hills we can’t even hike because it’s this bird’s nesting grounds. Yet you flew right from there.”

  Nadia was going to have to sell this. It was their job to protect the integrity of the witness protection town of Sanctuary. She shuffled on the bed, and Bolton squeeze
d her hand. “It was my fault.” She turned to him, but his attention was on the sheriff.

  “The pain was bad, and getting worse. I couldn’t hold it together, so I had Marie fly this way. We both know about the flight restrictions, but I couldn’t bear to save a bird and wind up losing my dignity all over the floor of the helicopter.”

  “So you were going to…what? Set down and find a bathroom?”

  “Right,” Bolton said. She could hear the edge in his voice. Served him right. It was his idea to lie, so why not make the lie that he was going to wet himself. “That was when the helicopter began to malfunction, and we had to set her down. Turned out it was catastrophic, and we barely got out before it exploded.”

  Some of that was true, but this sheriff didn’t need to know about the rogue SEAL or the town of Sanctuary. He wouldn’t have believed it anyway.

  Bolton shifted and cried out. Was that a lie, too? She’d seen it for herself, and whatever the problem it was surely serious enough he was probably in pain like that. How was she supposed to help him? She didn’t have a medical degree like Remy. Nadia was a retired artist who cut and colored hair. Everyone wanted to cover their gray these days. Her small life of work and working out at the town gym, then church. Her friends. None of it had equipped her for this.

  Okay, Lord. I guess this is where You come in.

  He’d placed Nadia here with Bolton, and she knew He would give her the tools she needed to help him in whatever way Bolton needed help.

  And not just because she had been in love with the rancher for years.

  **

  Pedro swiveled in his chair. The glow of the computer screens was the only light in the room, and it turned Alfie’s face an eerie blue-white color.

  “You aren’t going to believe this. I got something.”

  Alfie didn’t respond. He was chatting with some gal online.

  “Alfie.”

  Alfie sat back in his chair. “Finally. She’s buying the plane ticket with her dad’s credit card.”

  Whatever. “The necklace was activated.”

  “What?”

  “The necklace. The one Dante wanted us to monitor.”

  “Dude, that was years ago.” Alfie shook his head.

  “Yeah, but its online now.”

  “So make the call. If you want.”

  Pedro reached for his iPhone but hesitated. “You don’t think I should?”

  Alfie shrugged. “I’m just saying. It’s been years, and your cousin is probably dead in prison by now. We have too much going on with Tank, and that business you have with that crooked DEA agent. We’re in hot demand.”

  Like Pedro wouldn’t know if his own cousin was dead or not? He couldn’t wait for the day he was free of Dante. “If he’s not dead this week and he finds out it came online and we didn’t say anything?”

  There was an edge of fear in his eyes. “Maybe we don’t care. Maybe we ignore it.”

  “Maybe you shut up and get back to work.” Pedro didn’t plan to die over a stupid necklace that probably didn’t mean anything anyway.

  He picked up the phone.

  **

  “I can’t believe you lied to a pastor.” Nadia pulled an extra blanket from the closet and hugged it to her chest.

  Bolton lay back on the pillows. It had taken some wrangling and a lot of sweet talk, but the sheriff had backed off in lieu of talking with them more the next day. She didn’t know what they were going to come up with. The truth wasn’t a story they could tell.

  He shut his eyes. “As opposed to you lying to a sheriff?”

  “That’s totally different. The pastor could probably tell.”

  “If he could, it’s only because you’re such a bad liar.” Bolton’s lips twitched.

  Nadia was tempted to throw the blanket at him, but he’d probably keep it, and then she would be cold.

  “You’re the one I was worried about.” There it was. That flash of what she’d seen in Sanctuary. The part of Bolton that cared, the part she’d fallen for. He was still in there, and that was the man she trusted to keep them both safe now.

  “Nadia.” The look was gone.

  She shook her head. She didn’t need to tell him what she was thinking.

  Bolton looked exhausted. “We needed space. Time to regroup without having to answer more questions.”

  “I’m pretty sure you could have found that without telling a man of God that we are married.”

  Bolton opened his eyes and raised one brow. “He wasn’t going to leave us alone otherwise.”

  With Bolton in a wheelchair, the elderly widowed pastor had given them his ground floor bedroom and told them he would be perfectly happy in the guest room upstairs. So for the first time in hours they were alone—and totally exhausted. Bolton had to be in serious pain. The injury on his back had looked bad enough from the outside. She couldn’t imagine what the inside felt like.

  Nadia dropped into the armchair where she would be spending the night. The weight of the day pushed her down into a slump, still clutching the blanket.

  “You okay?”

  She didn’t open her eyes. “I should be asking you that. This morning we woke up in our home town, and yes it’s true all was not well. Tommy was bent on taking over the town, and—” Her voice broke.

  “What is it?”

  “I just remembered about Hal.” Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. “He was in your house when it collapsed.”

  Bolton’s face softened. “He was killed?”

  She nodded.

  “I’m sorry, Nadia. I know you were close.”

  The crusty old biker had been a friend. He’d run Sanctuary’s only radio station, and she and Andra, her best friend, had helped him out when he had plans with his ‘lady friend.’ Whoever she was, the woman was likely grieving hard right now.

  “I hope everyone else is okay.” She shut her eyes and prayed for her friends—more like family, really.

  Bolton’s voice was heavy with sleep. “I’m sure they’re fine. Probably better than we are, except for Remy.”

  Nadia pursed her lips and blew out a breath. She heard the concern in his voice that bled through only because he was tired. Would it always be that way, wondering what his feelings were behind the words he said?

  Bolton had lied to the sheriff, used a fake name, and drawn her into a ruse that covered the things they couldn’t tell anyone. The nondisclosure agreement they’d both signed prevented them from telling anyone who they were, why they were in witness protection, or anything about the town of Sanctuary. But he had used that nondisclosure agreement like armor to protect himself. Just like he used the things he said like armor to cover his true feelings.

  Nadia was going to have to work hard if she was going to be able to draw him out. The man had more walls up than Andra, and she’d been a government assassin. With Andra, Nadia had simply loved the woman until she caved and admitted she appreciated it. Was that even going to work with Bolton?

  Her eyes drifted shut. Was that… They snapped open. A phone, on the bedside table. She could call… Someone. After she looked up their number.

  Her brother. The director of the Marshals—Grant Mason. Or his brother, John Mason, who was the sheriff of Sanctuary. The three men all had phones, and she could tell them where she and Bolton were! She could ask for help to get Bolton to the doctor who was supposed to operate on him!

  For the first time since she’d realized Tommy was in the helicopter with them, posing as the pilot, she had hope. Prayer was all she could do for Remy, whom Tommy had taken with him when he’d run off. But now Nadia had a way to help Bolton. A way to get them both out of this.

  With a whispered prayer of thanks on her lips, Nadia fell asleep.

  Hours later her shoulder was jostled. Nadia swatted away the annoyance.

  “Wake up, Nadia.”

  “Huh?” She opened her eyes. The clock by the bed said 2:13. “Do you need help?” Maybe he needed to get to the restroom.

 
He was already in his wheelchair. “Get up. We’re leaving.”

  She couldn’t see his face in the dark. “Why? What’s going on?”

  “We aren’t staying here, Nadia. We have to go.”

  “But—” The phone.

  He covered her mouth with his hand. “No more talking. Let’s go.”

  **

  Four days later

  Shadrach swept out the sheriff’s office onto the sidewalk. Nothing but a hick town sheriff with no answers as to where Nadia was. This town was a flea on the dog’s back of all the places he’d been in the world. Idaho sucked, except for the fact Remy’s favorite author—Heather Woodhaven—lived here. Who wanted to live in a place with one area code for the whole state? It was backward. And there were cows everywhere. Wasn’t it supposed to be potatoes?

  The door clicked shut behind him, and Shadrach lifted his head. Glanced both ways. Anyone who looked at Shadrach for any time whatsoever would realize fast that he was a marine. The sheriff hadn’t seen anything but a threat. He’d dismissed Shadrach’s search and only asked him questions. Wanted to know why Shadrach was so interested in those two people.

  “Long gone?”

  Shadrach nodded. “We’re not the only ones to come looking for them, either.”

  Ben leaned against the car, his arms folded. “The fact that they’re gone means they’re safe.” His voice was measured. Shadrach had seen him in the midst of one of the most stressful times of Shadrach’s life, and he’d still been total ice. The man was a mystery that itched at Shadrach to solve.

  Ben would never broadcast his feelings the way Shadrach did, but whatever. So he wasn’t as good as Ben. That was painfully obvious. Which was the reason why Ben was his boss, and Shadrach had been working for him for about forty-four hours. Tommy was dead. Remy was safe now. All that was left was to find Nadia Marie.