Vow of Justice

by Lynette Eason

  “Done that before, have you?”

  Red tinted the girl’s pale cheeks, but she gave Allie a light shove. “Hurry. When they finish checking the bathroom, they’re going to look out here.” She settled herself back against the wall, slid the laptop to the side, and picked up a book.

  Still, Allie hesitated. “I can’t leave you.”

  “I’m out here all the time in all kinds of weather. It’s my favorite spot and they won’t think anything about it. But if you’re with me, they’ll tell him. Go! Please!” She flicked an anxious glance at the window. “It’s James and Gerard. Gerard will protect me.”

  “The evidence?”

  “I’ll get it to you later. Go!” The hysteria in Daria’s voice propelled Allie to the chair and up onto the roof.

  She knelt, ignoring the adrenaline rushing through her, and listened. There was no way she was going to leave if Daria was in danger.

  “Daria?” A harsh voice reached her. Gerard.

  “Yes?”

  “Where is she?”

  “I don’t know.” A rustling reached her. Daria standing? “I was just getting ready to go check on the food. It should be done by now.”

  “She came up here with you,” Gerard said.

  “Yeah, then went to her room. Did you check there?”

  A long-suffering sigh came from the man. “Get in here, kid. Let’s not tell your dad about this, okay?”

  “Fine by me.”

  “And no giving me the slip this time, Daria, understand?” His low voice held a lethal warning.

  Gerard had taught Daria everything she knew about escaping from her watchdogs, and she had a feeling he’d done it for a reason—only now it could backfire on him.

  “Sure, Gerard. I won’t give you the slip today. I promise.”

  The window shut and Allie let out a slow breath, thankful it had been Gerard with James and not one of the other bodyguards. One thing greatly concerned her, though. If Gerard watched the security footage and realized Allie had not gone to her room, he’d know Daria was lying. She eased across the rooftop, anxious not to make any noise that would attract attention. “Linc? You there?”

  “I’m here. I’ve got you spotted on the roof. Be careful.”

  She only had a few minutes, possibly less, before they realized she wasn’t in her room. “I’ll be coming down by the pool. Can you have the gate open so I can dart out?” He’d have heard the code.

  “I’m on it.”

  Over the COMMS, she heard the van door slide open, then close. Allie continued to the top of the roof, grateful she had no fear of heights—and that the slope, while steep, wasn’t impossible to climb. However, as she started down the other side, her foot slipped and a shingle broke away and hit the ground with a thud. She caught her balance and kept going.

  If they heard it, they’d come investigate, which meant time was short. Shorter. At the edge of the lowest part of the roof, she held on to the gutter and swung her legs over to settle her feet onto the shingles that covered the balcony roof below. And on she went until she dropped and rolled to the grassy area.

  When she stood and turned, a man she’d never seen before stepped out from behind one of the thick columns. “Nevsky would like to see you in his office.”

  The weapon he held on her dared her to argue with him.

  A flash of movement came from behind him and a golf club connected with the back of his head. Allie caught a brief glimpse of Daria before she disappeared back inside the media room. No doubt she’d slipped away from Gerard once more.

  The man staggered. Allie charged, slamming a shoulder into his chest, and his weapon fell to the smooth stone surface surrounding the pool.

  “Allie!”

  Linc. Near the pool gate.

  Allie heaved herself up and away from the groaning man.

  “Hurry!” Linc said. “More are heading this way!”

  A burst of speed propelled her toward him. She slipped out of the gate and he let the heavy metal slam behind them. He grasped her hand and they raced across the field of green grass.

  A gunshot cracked the air, then another. They ducked instinctively but didn’t slow.

  “You’re dead!” Nevsky’s voice rang across the property. “I’ll find you and end you and everybody you love!”

  Allie turned to see the man in the upstairs window of the bedroom she’d used, one hand gripping the sill, the other taking aim once more with his pistol. Her eyes locked on his for a nanosecond before Linc yanked her through the final gate and into the waiting van.

  3

  ONE WEEK LATER

  ON THE COOPER RIVER NEAR THE JOINT BASE CHARLESTON

  CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

  Seated under the shade of the oversized umbrella on the deck of the forty-five-foot catamaran, Allie lowered the binoculars and frowned. “I’ve got nothing but regular comings and goings from the base.”

  After finding the pictures in Nevsky’s desk, Henry had worked quickly, putting together a raid to go down the next time Nevsky appeared on the base. Today was reported to be that day. How the man had clearance to enter was beyond her. Had to be some kind of forged or faked identification card. But agents were on base as well, ready to snatch him the moment he arrived. Henry had insisted they take the water surveillance. They’d move in and dock as soon as they got the signal.

  Linc, lounging in the antigravity chair next to her, ran a hand through his wind-tossed dark hair, then ran his fingers over the five o’clock shadow that Allie begged him on a regular basis not to shave. She liked it. His blue eyes focused on her. She liked his eyes too. In fact, there weren’t too many things about Linc St. John she didn’t like.

  He turned to Henry. “You’re sure this is good intel?”

  “I’m sure.” Henry grinned. “Come on, you have to admit, this isn’t the worst assignment you’ve ever had. Eighty-two degrees on a first-class boat floating on the river?”

  “True,” Allie said. “But I’ve got to say I’ve had enough of the sun for now. I’ll just stay here under this nice bit of shade.”

  “Have you ever heard of the pea aphid?” Henry asked.

  “Uh-oh,” Linc said, “here it comes.”

  “Humor him,” Allie drawled. “No, Henry, I haven’t.” Henry did like his insects. A former forensic entomologist, he took great pleasure in educating those who didn’t know—or care—nearly as much as he did about the subject.

  “A pea aphid is interesting for all kinds of reasons.” Henry pulled his keys from his pocket and spun them on his forefinger, a habit that seemed to help him think. “But most recently it’s been discovered that it’s possible they grow their own carotenoids. No other creature can do that. They have to get them from their diet.”

  “That’s just fascinating,” Allie said.

  Linc smirked. “You have no clue what that means.”

  “And you do?”

  “Nope.”

  Henry laughed. “It basically means they’re the only creature that’s able to harvest energy from the sun. So, all that to say, be like a pea aphid and soak it in while you can. You may need the energy later.” He drew in a deep breath. “Smell that fresh air? Feel the sun? It beats climbing out of windows and racing from the home of a killer, I would think. Are you really going to complain?”

  Allie smiled. “I’ve definitely been on worse assignments.” It had been a week since her adventure in escaping from Nevsky’s home, but her adrenaline still hadn’t calmed down. Her smile faded. “But where’d this intel come from, Henry? We moved to get out here so fast, you didn’t have time to explain how you arranged everything with the Charleston office.”

  “Boyd Jackson, the SSA here, is a good friend. I told him we’d been chasing this guy for months, that you’d been on the inside and had managed to get information about the stolen military equipment. Then he received intel that Nevsky was coming today. He was stretched a bit thin with some extensive training exercise and an ongoing wiretap, so when I offer
ed to do this, he took me up on it. Backup is waiting in the wings as soon as I give the order.” He paused. “He knows how bad I want to be in on taking Nevsky down.”

  That made sense. “How’s Daria?” she asked.

  “She’s fine—just like she was the last time you asked. We’ve got eyes on her.”

  Allie had insisted that the girl needed protection—or at least someone watching her. Henry had agreed. For now.

  “Mark got a glimpse of her at school,” Henry said, “but Nevsky is definitely keeping close tabs on her.”

  “As long as she’s safe,” Allie said. “And that means we need to make sure Nevsky doesn’t know what a threat she is to him.” She’d been trying to find a way to get back in touch with the girl that wouldn’t endanger her. She could text her, of course, but was afraid Nevsky might be monitoring Daria’s phone activity.

  The fact that Daria hadn’t texted Allie had her nerves in a twist. She should have heard from her by now. So why hadn’t she? Because Daria couldn’t text or call? Or because she was just afraid to?

  Nevsky’s last threat still echoed in her head. “You’re dead! I’ll find you and end you and everybody you love!”

  Fortunately—in this case—the people she loved were few and far between. She didn’t let many people get too close. Her eyes slid to Linc. Except her partner. He’d snuck under her emotional walls with very little effort. And Nevsky knew that. But how? How had he even connected the two of them? They’d been so careful.

  Obviously not careful enough.

  A low hum above the catamaran snapped her attention skyward. She frowned. “What’s that?” She walked to the side of the vessel, tracking the object with her eyes. Because of the Air Force base, it wasn’t unusual to have airplanes occupying the airspace over the ocean, but that was too small—a mere dot that was growing bigger and coming closer.

  Linc joined her and raised his binoculars to the sky. “A drone.”

  Henry snagged his phone. “Keep an eye on it.”

  While Henry barked questions at the person on the other end of the line, uneasiness crept up Allie’s spine and she slowly followed the rail around the side to keep the drone in sight.

  “Get it out of the sky,” Henry said. “This is restricted airspace. Allie, come here a sec. Linc, see if you can get any identifying marks off it.”

  Linc continued to monitor the drone while Allie slipped up next to Henry.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  He lowered the phone, then handed her his binoculars. “Who do you see sitting in the Hummer next to the dock? Tell me that isn’t Nevsky.”

  Allie spotted a man who looked similar to the Russian Mafia boss, but she didn’t think it was actually him. “No, I don’t—”

  “Get down!”

  Linc’s cry from the other end of the vessel jerked Allie around. The drone was coming in fast, aiming right for them. “Linc, jump!”

  A hard hand clamped on to her arm and pulled her over the side and into the water.

  When she hit, the breath whooshed from her lungs. She threw her arms out, scrambling to stop the descent. She slowed, got her bearings, and kicked toward the surface, desperate for air and the need to know what was going on—and that Linc was safe.

  A loud boom sent a shock wave through the water, rolling her over twice. Stars danced in front of her eyes while her body begged for air. She kicked, aiming for the surface.

  When Allie broke through, she filled her starving lungs, treading water and waiting for the blackness that had been so close to sucking her under to fade. When her eyes focused, they settled on the catamaran, now burning with great orange and blue flames. “Linc! Henry!”

  “Allie! I’m here,” Henry called. He grasped a life jacket in one hand and swam toward her.

  Sirens sounded from the base. They were mobilizing rescue boats. She turned in the water, debris knocking against her. She took a hard hit to the back of her head, bringing back the stars. Allie swept a hand up to feel the wound. A knot had already started to form, but the stars were fading.

  “Henry, I don’t see Linc!” She swam toward the burning vessel, ignoring Henry calling her name. She aimed herself toward the stern, where Linc had been watching the drone. “Linc, where are you?”

  Allie pushed aside a piece of plastic and tried to go forward. Then stopped. Smoke surrounded her, burning her eyes, filling her lungs.

  Henry reached her. “Put this on.” He shoved the life jacket at her.

  She slid the head opening around her neck and had to back away from the burning boat. Something jabbed her shoulder and she spun to find Henry shoving away debris. He caught her arm. “You’re hurt!”

  “I’m okay.” Tears clogged her throat. “Linc,” she whispered. Dizziness hit her and she blinked as her vision wobbled.

  Rescue boats arrived and Henry waved one over. “Get in the boat, Allie.”

  “No, we have to find Linc.” The rescuers blurred. Her muscles refused to cooperate and her head throbbed.

  Henry slid an arm around her and towed her to the nearest rescue boat. Within seconds, she was on the hull, fighting to stay conscious. “Linc . . .”

  “Heart rate is dropping,” someone said, the urgency in the voice making Allie frown. Who was he talking about? “Pulse is slow and thready! Let’s go!”

  And then Allie let the blackness swallow her.

  4

  Thirsty. Had he ever been so thirsty in his life? Linc pried his eyelids open and instantly regretted it. Squinting, he registered the monitors next to his head with their incessant beeping.

  Probably what had pulled him from his deep sleep.

  Sleep? What . . .

  Last thing he remembered was being on the boat.

  The explosion.

  That explained the hospital, but . . .

  Allie! Henry!

  Heart pounding, he pushed himself into a sitting position. The sheets puddled at his waist and he shivered at the chill in the room. But that was the least of his worries. He lifted a hand to the bandage over his left ear. A head wound. That explained the pain jackhammering at his skull.

  The door opened. “Linc!”

  His sister Ruthie rushed at him. Dressed in operating scrubs from head to toe, she looked like she’d just come from surgery.

  “Hey.”

  “What are you doing?” The question came from his left. His mother rose from the chair next to him and placed a hand on his bare shoulder. “Lie back down.”

  “Can’t.” He cleared his throat. “Water. Please.”

  Ruthie shoved a straw between his lips and he drank until she pulled it away. “Not too much.”

  “There was an explosion. Where’s Allie? And Henry?” The two women exchanged a look.

  The door opened again and his father entered, followed by his other two sisters, Izzy and Chloe. He caught a glimpse of Derek and Brady, his brothers, hovering behind them.

  “The room’s too small for all of you,” Linc said. “I’m fine. You can all go away for now. After you tell me where Allie and Henry are.” He sounded grumpy and rude even to himself, but fear had taken hold of him. That look between his mother and sister when he’d asked about Henry and Allie . . .

  “Fine?” Ruthie asked. “I hardly think so.”

  “Where’s Allie?” he asked softly.

  Ruthie looked away.

  “She didn’t make it, Linc,” Izzy said, stepping forward, tears in her eyes.

  Paralyzed by the words, Linc could only stare while he tried to get his brain to process. “Yes, she did.” She had to.

  Chloe bit her lip. His mother squeezed his shoulder. His dad cleared his throat. They’d known her about as long as he had and they’d fallen in love with her just as fast. His partner. His best friend. His future—

  “No, she didn’t,” his mom said. “I’m so sorry, honey.” A tear slid down her cheek. “Henry said she died on the way to the hospital.”

  “Henry? Henry survived?”

 
“Yes.” She nodded.

  “But Allie—?”

  “No. They life-flighted you both to the Medical University in Charleston. You know they’ve got some of the best doctors in the state. The country even. But Henry said the wound to her head was just too great. It caused her brain to swell—” She broke off and Linc closed his eyes. “When you were stable, we had you transported here to Columbia so we could be with you.”

  “How long have I been out?”

  “Since yesterday.”

  “I want to see her.”

  “You . . . can’t,” Izzy said. “Henry said she had express wishes that she be cremated. She didn’t want a funeral.”

  His mind rewound to one night after a touchy raid.

  “No funeral,” Allie had told him.

  “What?” He’d looked up from his steak to find her staring at a landscape of the Australian Outback on the wall of the steakhouse.

  “I don’t want a funeral. Just cremate me and scatter my ashes over the ocean.”

  “Why are we talking about this?”

  She shrugged. “You’re the only person who’d come to my funeral anyway. Well, I suppose your family would, but yeah, that’s what I want.”

  “Allie—”

  She held up a hand. “Promise me. No funeral if I die first.”

  “Fine. No funeral. Now, pass me the salt.” She did so. He looked up to catch her eye. “I’m going to need dessert after that depressing topic.”

  Allie threw her head back and laughed and ordered them the largest molten chocolate cake he’d ever seen. They ate every bite and stumbled from the restaurant in agony. “Never again,” he grunted as they lounged on his sofa in front of one of the classic movies they shared a love for.

  She agreed with a groan. “We made a very bad choice.”

  “But it was worth it,” he’d said and grinned at her before grimacing and downing another antacid.

  “Linc?”

  He blinked and realized his mother had said his name several times.

  Linc rubbed his eyes. “I need some time alone. Please.” He didn’t recognize the rough hoarseness in his voice.