Secrets She Kept

by Debra Webb

  Smith smiled again, his split lip burning like fire. “I decided I’d rather know that you’re rotting in a prison cell than give you an easy way out. I want you to live, old man. A very long time so you can enjoy what the future holds for you when justice is served.”

  Prentiss picked up one of the knives lying on the table with all the other torture instruments. He turned it over in his hand, pretending to inspect the stainless steel blade and handle.

  Tension slid through Smith. He braced to lift his legs and kick him across the room. He’d been waiting for time alone with the guy administering the torture in hopes of using that move as a means to escape, but so far that moment hadn’t come. Once he attempted any sort of maneuver, if he was unsuccessful steps would be taken to ensure he was unable to repeat the effort. So he had waited. Unfortunately, his strength was waning far too quickly. He’d have to make a move soon or find himself unable to do so.

  The door on the other side of the room opened and one of Prentiss’s private bodyguards rushed in. He whispered something in the old man’s ear. Prentiss set the knife aside. His gaze settled on Smith as he listened to the rest of what the man had to say.

  It was happening. Smith didn’t have to hear the words. He saw the abrupt fear in the old man’s eyes.

  Prentiss looked to the other man in the room. “Finish him and clear out.”

  Oh yeah. Either Aikman and his people were descending on the compound or the backup Sadie had gone after was close.

  Either option suited Smith.

  Prentiss hurried out with his bodyguard.

  Smith held very still as the man who’d beat and tortured him walked toward him for the last time. Mentally preparing himself to expend the last of his physical strength, Smith waited until the man was close enough to pick up that big-ass knife from the table. His fingers wrapped around the handle and he weighed it, hoping to add a layer of tension, to build the dread.

  Smith made his move.

  He wrapped his legs around the man’s neck and squeezed. Struggling to free himself, the bastard lifted his right hand, aiming the knife at Smith.

  Smith used his whole body to jerk to the right, snapping the bastard’s neck. His eyes bulged. The knife fell from his slack fingers and clanged on the floor. Smith loosened his hold and the now-lifeless body followed that route, dropping like a rock.

  Swinging his legs to the left, Smith grabbed hold of the table with his bare feet. He hung that way for a moment to catch his breath and to give his muscles a moment to recover. Slowly, he used his feet to drag the table closer. When he could kneel on it, he rested another moment. Finally, he pushed upward, lifting his bound hands from the meat hook that had held him suspended in the air. He collapsed into a kneeling position on the table. A few minutes were required for his arms to stop stinging.

  He scooted off the table and found his footing on the floor. Where the hell was the key to these wrist shackles? He checked the table and the items that had been flung to the floor when he’d dragged it close. No key. Then he checked the dead guy who’d wielded the hours of torture. The key was in his right front pocket. Smith pulled the key free.

  Collapsing into a cross-legged position, he focused on getting the key into the lock that held an iron bracelet around his left wrist. He dropped the key, once, twice before he managed to get it into the lock. He had to twist his right hand in an awkward position to turn the key but he finally managed. The lock on his left wrist fell open. Relief surged through him. He picked up the key and unlocked the bracelet on his right wrist. When the final shackle fell free, he rubbed his wrists and dragged in a deep breath. His damaged ribs ached with the move.

  Pushing to his feet, he surveyed the room for a weapon.

  Depending on who had arrived, he could be in for another battle for his life. He turned over the dead guy, snatched the gun from his waistband. He checked the ammo cartridge. Full. He shoved the gun into his waistband and went in search of his shoes. He finally found them in a pile with the shirt that had been cut from his body. The shirt he could live without but the shoes would be useful.

  Now to find Prentiss before the bastard managed to slip away.

  Smith stalled halfway to the door and went back to the dead guy for his cell phone. It was possible Prentiss would call to ensure Smith was dead. He no doubt wanted Smith dead as badly as Smith wanted him caught. A vehicle fob fell out of the guy’s pocket. Smith took that, as well.

  Running footsteps in the corridor outside the door snapped Smith’s attention in that direction. He started toward the door. Halfway across the room it opened.

  Smith leveled the weapon on the potential threat.

  Aikman.

  Chapter 15

  “Well, well, if it isn’t the man who failed his mission.” Aikman shook his head. “Tsk, tsk, Flynn, I had you pegged for better than that.”

  Apparently the idea that Smith was the one holding the gun aimed at him didn’t faze the guy. Aikman’s weapon was in his hand but not aimed at anything other than the floor. Whoever else had been in that corridor with him had moved on to the next door. A bad decision any way you looked at it.

  “I was working on it and the bastard found out you had invaded the compound. So he took off while I was still a little tied up.”

  Aikman glanced at the meat hook beyond Smith. “Ouch.”

  Smith wasn’t sure whether the guy was trying to put him off-balance or if he really wasn’t worried about the weapon aimed at his head just now.

  “You might want to put that weapon away,” Smith suggested. “I don’t want to get nervous and do something we’ll both regret.”

  Aikman smiled, made a laugh/grunt sound. “Of course.” He tucked the weapon into his waistband. “We’ve decided we prefer these accommodations over our own. So we’ll be taking over the compound.”

  “You planning on killing everyone here?” Smith hoped like hell backup was close.

  Aikman shrugged. “There are some I’d rather have join my team.” He made a questioning face. “You interested, Flynn?”

  He lowered his weapon and wiped his bleeding mouth. “Why not? As long as the terms are agreeable.”

  Aikman glanced around the room. “Where’s your little friend? I was looking forward to seeing her again.”

  “I’d like to know the answer to that one myself.” He started toward the door that Aikman currently blocked. “I’m hoping Prentiss didn’t take her with him.” Smith knew that wasn’t the case but Aikman couldn’t know.

  Aikman turned his back to Smith and exited the room first. The guy continued to surprise Smith.

  “We’ve rounded up all the Council members.” Aikman glanced at him as they moved along the corridor. “Except Prentiss and you, of course.”

  Dread thickened in Smith’s gut. “Did you kill them?”

  Aikman shook his head. “Not yet. They no doubt have information I’ll need going forward. Unless you have everything you think we’ll need. In that case we can be rid of them right away.”

  “Prentiss was careful never to give all the power to one person. Each of us had our domain. We’ll need them all.”

  This was a lie but if it kept Aikman from performing a mass execution, that was all that mattered.

  There was just one problem as far as Smith could see. He couldn’t be sure which of the Council members would be smart enough to keep his mouth shut about him being an undercover agent. If any of those who knew warned Aikman, this situation would do a one-eighty in a heartbeat.

  He needed that backup to arrive now.

  “I have them gathered in the conference room.” Aikman glanced at him. “We’ll join them and start the downloading of information, so to speak.”

  “I’ll meet you there in fifteen. I need to wash the blood off my face and change clothes. We don’t want them to see any sign of weakness. We need to present strength and uni
ty so they’ll understand the shift in power.”

  “Smart move. Fifteen minutes.” Aikman suddenly stopped and turned back. “Ollie!”

  One of his followers hustled up to join them. “Escort our friend Mr. Flynn to his personal lodging. Ensure he’s in the conference room in fifteen minutes.”

  “Yes, sir.” The man named Ollie turned his shaggy head to glare at Smith. “Let’s go, Flynn.”

  Aikman didn’t trust him as much as he’d let on. That made them even because Smith didn’t trust him at all.

  Outside was quiet. “Where is everyone?”

  “They’re in the detection center.”

  Smith was surprised the other man, Ollie, gave him an answer but he was glad he had. As much as Smith despised Prentiss, he did not want this day to turn into a mass killing of people whose only mistake was believing in the wrong man.

  Walking across the quad was eerie. No sound. No movement. Nothing. The faces in the guard towers were unfamiliar to Smith. Aikman’s people, no doubt. When they reached his cabin, Ollie went in, looked around and then waited outside, leaving the door open.

  “If you go in the bathroom,” he said to Smith, “don’t close the door.”

  “Got it.”

  Smith grabbed fresh clothes and went into the tiny bathroom. He pulled the cell phone from his pocket, placed it on the sink, then did the same with the gun. When he’d dragged on the clean clothes, he looked to see that Ollie was still outside the door. He held the phone where it couldn’t be seen from the door and sent a text message to 911. He had no idea if the 911 service in the area was able to receive text messages but, at the moment, it was his only available option. He couldn’t risk making a call with Aikman’s man right outside.

  Once he’d sent the text, he deleted it. He set the phone to silent just in case the dispatcher tried to call him back, then slid it into his hip pocket. He shoved the weapon into his waistband at the small of his back, then washed his face.

  His eyes and jaw were swollen, and he was reasonably sure he had a couple of cracked ribs, but things could be far worse.

  He joined Ollie outside. “I’m ready.”

  The walk across the quad was the same as before, too quiet. Too still. They reached the headquarters and entered. Two guards were posted outside the door to the conference room. Ollie walked right up and opened the door and entered. Smith followed him.

  The scene in the room brought him up short. The members of the Council lay on the floor in a neat line. All were dead, all had been shot once in the head.

  His gaze swung to Aikman, who stood in the center of the room. Behind him someone was seated in a chair but Smith couldn’t see who it was since Aikman blocked his view.

  “I thought we were going to interrogate them.” He glared at Aikman, his fingers itching to reach for the weapon in his waistband.

  As if Ollie had sensed his thought, he plucked the weapon from Smith.

  “That was far too much trouble,” Aikman said. “It seemed far easier to simply go to the head and learn everything straight from the source.”

  He stepped aside, revealing the person in the chair.

  Rayford Prentiss.

  “You weren’t expecting to see me, were you, Agent Flynn?” Prentiss laughed. “Looks like this game of double-cross is going to turn out just fine for me.” He glanced up at Aikman. “New blood is always a good thing.”

  * * *

  Sadie dropped to her haunches next to Sheriff Tanner. “Aikman and his people have taken over,” she said, worry gnawing at her. “We can’t wait, we have to move fast. The killing won’t stop until we stop it.”

  The text message relayed to Tanner from the 911 dispatcher mentioned heavily armed men and numerous prisoners. Dozens were dead already.

  Sadie’s chest squeezed. The text had to be from Flynn, which meant, for now, he was still alive. She hoped he stayed that way until they could get in there and stop the killing.

  The good news was, inside those walls were the leaders of the Resurrection and those of the others. This operation was going to stop two of the worst kind of extremist organizations in one fell swoop.

  As much as she wanted to be grateful for that possibility, she couldn’t help worrying about Flynn. She didn’t want him to end up a casualty. She wanted to spend time with him. Time that didn’t involve a mission or a race to stay alive.

  Tanner nodded. “We’re almost ready.”

  Sadie had been able to warn them about the scouts around the compound. Strangely they hadn’t spotted any outside the walls. Had to have something to do with the takeover. Several bodies had been discovered.

  Tanner put a hand on her arm. “We’re moving.” His gaze locked with hers. “But you’re staying right here until we have the situation under control.”

  She drew her arm away from his touch. “No way, Sheriff. I’m going in with you.”

  He nodded to someone behind her and she shot to her feet only to come face-to-face with two female deputies.

  “Ma’am,” the dark-haired one said, “we’ll go in as soon as we receive the all-clear signal from the sheriff.”

  Anger swirled through Sadie as she watched Tanner sprint forward. He’d double-crossed her. Dwelling on the reality would only distract her so she shrugged it off and focused on the events unfolding only yards away.

  The two deputies moved in close next to her. One wore earbuds to listen in to the ongoing operation. The other watched through binoculars. Tanner hadn’t left these two women with her because he didn’t think women were as strong as men. Sadie had noticed seven female deputies. The other five had obviously gone in with Tanner. One of the women, she noticed, was very pregnant. She would have needed to stay away from live fire anyway.

  Obviously she was fearless or she wouldn’t be in these woods right now.

  The echo of gunfire jerked her attention forward. The exchange was happening outside the entrance to the compound that had been built into the mountainside. Aikman no doubt had the entrance heavily guarded.

  The sudden silence was more unnerving than the bursts of gunfire had been.

  One minute turned into two and Sadie couldn’t take it a second longer.

  “Sorry, ladies, but I can’t do this.”

  Sadie took off in a sprint. The deputy who wasn’t pregnant rushed after her. Sadie ran harder. She disappeared into the thick trees and underbrush that camouflaged the entrance. The entrance stood open, dead followers lying on the ground.

  Inside, Tanner’s deputies had fanned out and were entering buildings.

  Sadie palmed her weapon and headed for the headquarters building. As she neared the entrance, Tanner and the female caught up with her.

  He pulled her next to a vehicle that had been parked there.

  “What the hell are you trying to do, Buchanan?”

  “They’ll be in there.” She jerked her head toward the building that was the headquarters. “This is where all the decisions are made. Where the Council meets.”

  “And you’re certain Flynn will be in there.”

  His words hit like a blow to her midsection. She wasn’t certain. She was guessing. Speculating. Concluding the most likely scenario.

  “It makes the most sense.” Sadie suddenly felt completely unsure.

  Tanner used his radio to divert resources to their position. Sadie’s heart thundered in her chest. What if she was wrong?

  A single shot exploded beyond the walls of the headquarters building. Sadie might not have heard it if one of those moments of absolute silence hadn’t settled around them beforehand. And the entry door stood open.

  Tanner was the first to move. He burst through the open entrance.

  Sadie was right behind him. The other deputy behind her.

  With Tanner’s glance at her, Sadie moved ahead of him and led the way to the conference room whe
re she had been questioned by the Resurrection Council.

  At the door Tanner gave her the signal to wait.

  His next signal had Sadie and the deputy dropping into a crouch. Tanner banged on the closed door.

  The door opened and a guard walked out.

  Tanner rammed the muzzle of his weapon into his temple and pulled him aside.

  Another guard rushed out. Sadie handled him.

  “Well, well, it appears we have the proverbial standoff.”

  Sadie recognized the voice. Aikman.

  “Do come in,” he said. “Agent Flynn and I were just discussing our next move.”

  Leaving the two guards under the careful watch of the female deputy, Tanner and Sadie entered the conference room.

  “Drop the weapon,” Tanner ordered.

  Sadie moved to one side of Tanner, who had a bead on his target. When her brain absorbed the image before her, her heart sank to the floor.

  Aikman had Flynn on his knees. His weapon was pressed against Flynn’s forehead. Nearby Prentiss sat in a chair, the bullet hole between his eyes leaking blood.

  On the floor to her left was a line of dead bodies.

  The Council members.

  “I’ll drop the weapon when I’m safely on my way out of here,” Aikman argued. “I’ll turn Agent Flynn loose at that time, as well. Otherwise, I’m going to do the same thing to him that I did to Prentiss and the members of his esteemed Council.”

  As Tanner negotiated with the man who wasn’t going to change his mind, Sadie made a decision. She lowered her weapon. “Take me instead. The Bureau is far more flexible in these negotiations than the ATF. Did we mention that both are here?”

  Something flashed ever so briefly across Aikman’s face. Flynn’s was far easier to read: he was not happy with her offer.