Agent in Training (18 page)

The elevator doors opened and they stepped out into the parking garage.

Immediately, a piercing pain struck him in the back of the head. He heard Shiloh scream as his world tilted and the ground came rushing toward him. Nick tried desperately to reach out to her, but blackness engulfed him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Shiloh eased her eyes open. An intense pain radiated in the back of her head. She tried hard to focus on something, but everything blurred. Why couldn’t she see straight? What happened to her?

Where was Nicholas? An image of him going down flashed before her, then blood. Whose blood? Nick’s?

Shiloh’s heart beat wildly against her ribcage and her mind raced. Was he dead?

She sucked in a ragged breath. No. He couldn’t be. They had a life to plan, children to conceive. Why couldn’t she remember what happened to him?

The only thing she knew for certain was she sat on a chair, one that reminded her of the small seats from grammar school, hard and uncomfortable. She tried to move but her hands were tied behind her back.

Oh God
. Where was she? A gush of water splashed in her face and caught her breath.

She shook her head and looked up, then froze. “Sheppard,” she hissed, fighting the restraints holding her. Shiloh had never seen such a crazed look in anyone’s eyes before. It was frightening.

“Not happy to see me, Shiloh. I’m crushed.”

She snorted at his rancor, and received a hard slap across the cheek for it.

“Don’t you look down your nose at me, bitch. You’re in no position to, as you can see.”

He waved his hands at their surroundings. The room she sat in was dimly lit, but actually looked like an old classroom. Dust covered everything and the only light in the room filtered in through a dirty broken window.

Her eyes welled with tears, a response to the stinging on her cheek. “What do you want, Grady?”

“I want you to pay for your crimes.”

Shiloh gaped at him. “Crimes? What crimes? I did nothing to you.”

“Bullshit! You destroyed my career and my marriage. I intend to see that you pay dearly. You see, I have two kids that my soon-to-be ex-wife, Nancy, won’t let me see. I can’t get a job to support myself. The way I see it, I have nothing else to lose,” he said matter-of-factly.

The guy had clearly lost his mind. “I didn’t do anything to you, Sheppard. You were the one who wouldn’t leave me alone. I never asked for your sexual overtures. Actually, I begged you to stop harassing me.”

He grinned. “You wanted it. I saw it in your eyes.”

“You’re crazy. Let me go,” she screamed.

He laughed. “The only way you’re leaving here is in a body bag. But first, we’re going to have a little fun.”

Shiloh studied his face. His dull gray eyes frightened her. They glazed over, seemed blank. Could he be serious about killing her?

She continued to watch him under hooded lashes, amazed at how much he’d changed since she’d seen him last. He’d lost at least twenty pounds, grown a beard, and was in need of a haircut. He looked a bit like the Una-Bomber upon arrest. His once-tailored clothes hung on his gaunt body and were badly stained.

This wasn’t good. Obviously he didn’t care about anything or anyone, including himself. And worse yet, he hated her. If she didn’t think of something fast she was going to die—and with that, the beginning of her perfect life with Nick would end. She refused to let that happen. She and Nick were going to have the white picket fence, and 2.3 kids.

The blood came back to haunt her. Was Nicholas still alive? He had to be. Tears threatened in her eyes.

“Where’s Nick?”

“Who? Oh, you mean that snot-nosed kid you’ve been screwing? Probably dead. I hit him pretty hard.”

Shiloh could no longer hold back the tears. They sprang to life, trailing freely down her cheeks.

“Does it hurt? Good. Now you know how I feel. I lost my wife and kids. Oh, and I want you to know that right after I kill you, your father’s next. Damned vegetable. He’s really not there anyway, you know. His mind left weeks ago. Thank God I was able to get to him before that happened.”

His last statement caught Shiloh’s attention and her eyes narrowed on him. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the letter he gave me that was tucked inside one of his books. A letter that contained a little family secret.” He roared with laughter.

Shiloh shook her head. She had no idea where this talk was leading. “What book? What letter?”

“Some stupid tome. I don’t know. The book is insignificant. What matters is the content of that letter. Something you have no idea about.”

“You’re just trying to get my goat—trying to pull something over on me for ulterior reasons.”

“No, I think your parents were the ones pulling the wool over your eyes, Shiloh. Speaking of which, have you ever noticed that your eyes are green and your father’s are brown?”

Shiloh frowned. “So, what does that have to do with anything?”

“What color were your mother’s eyes, Shiloh?”

Shiloh had no idea where Grady was going with this, but she’d play along for now. “Brown, why?”

“Exactly, two brown-eyed parents can rarely have a green-eyed baby. So what does that mean?” He cocked an eyebrow in inquiry. “Want to take a wild guess?”

“I don’t have a clue what you’re trying to get at, Sheppard.”

He snorted. “And they made you Director of the Department of National Security. Who’d you sleep with to get that job? Oh wait, it wasn’t who you slept with, it was who your mother did, actually.”

“What are you talking about?” Shiloh’s voice pitched an octave. The man was making no sense. What did he mean by bringing her mother into this? No way could she have known anyone at the Department. Grady was just blowing smoke.

“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Grady shook his head. “Damn, woman, you’re slow. I’m talking about your real father. Ben Templar isn’t biologically yours.”

“Now you’ve gone too far, Sheppard. I’m not going to listen to any more of this crap.”

He paced in front of her, then stopped. “Fine, how about a suicide letter in your mother’s handwriting? Or maybe the letter from your father explaining the lies you were told? Would that convince you?”

“You’re lying. Momma never killed herself.”

“Ben lied to you about that too. She took a bottle of pills. Would you like me to read the letter to you?”

Shiloh shook her head. This couldn’t be true. Grady was lying to hurt her. Why else would he say such an awful thing?

Raw emotion clogged her throat but she swallowed past it.

“No? You don’t want to hear about how she couldn’t live without the man she loved? Your biological father.”

“No, you’re lying. She had a heart attack,” she shouted.

He laughed with gusto. “Yeah, that’s what your father told you.”

Shiloh refused to listen any longer. She focused instead on trying to work her hands out of the ropes that held her to the chair.

“Let me read you the letter that Ben wrote before his mind left him. Sad really. It was obvious he loved your mother very much.” He pulled some wrinkled sheets of paper from his pocket and unfolded them.

“It’s starts with, ‘Shiloh.’ You.” He pointed at her. “ ‘If you’re reading this letter then I must be dead or too far gone to care. I’m sorry that I never had the courage to tell you the truth while I was alive, but I was afraid. I didn’t want your feelings toward me to change. I love you. Please always remember that.’ Aw… Isn’t that touching?”

“Shut up, Grady. You wouldn’t know a genuine feeling if it hit you in the head.”

“Funny you should mention getting hit in the head. Do you remember the blood circling Trent’s after I hit him? What a sight that was.”

Shiloh clenched her teeth in anger. She wanted to kill this man who was attempting to erase her life and discredit everything she’d believed. As soon as she got loose…

“Anyway, now let’s look at the letter, written by the man who, until now, you believed was your father… shall we?” Grady winked at her and continued reading. “ ‘I met your mother three months before we were married. She was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen. But she was seeing someone else. I didn’t know who then, but after she found out she was carrying you, the man disappeared. I found out later, his parents disapproved of their relationship. Your mother was older. They sent him away. She was heartbroken. I hated to see her so unhappy. When she told me she was carrying you, I offered to marry her and make you mine. She reluctantly agreed. After you were born, she tried her best to be a good wife, but she never loved me. She loved him. She just couldn’t go on living without that love and took a bottle of pills. By the time I found her, it was too late. She was gone. I hurt inside and became bitter. I pushed you away. I’m writing this letter because I believe you have a right to know who your real father is.”

Grady stopped. “What a letter, huh?”

Shiloh scowled. Should she believe this letter was from her father? Or had he made the whole thing up? She didn’t know. She’d go along with it to pacify him for now. “So who is my biological father, Sheppard?”

“What? Now you believe me? Why should I tell you? I think I’ll let you die not knowing.” He laughed again, his eyes turning dark.

Shiloh worked at her hands, and all the while the ropes cut into her wrists. She had to get loose or she was going to die.

Grady walked over and knelt in front of her, placing his filthy hand on her thigh. “You have the sexiest legs.” He ran his hand under her skirt, making her skin crawl.

“Get your hands off me, you creep.” She arched in the chair and tried hard to kick him.

“Yeah, I’ll do that,” he laughed, wrestling with her flailing legs.

Shiloh yanked at the ropes again, and one hand slid free. Her mind raced. Now what? What were her options to get out alive?
Just bide your time. Wait until he lets his guard down, then attack. Use what you’ve been taught. Make him think you like his touch. Then strike where it would do the most damage
.

“Like mother like daughter huh? You like ‘em young. Why, so you can train them?” Grady asked.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“You could have gotten me to do anything for you. Anything!”

Shiloh tried to keep the contempt out of her eyes. Grady Sheppard was disgusting. “You’re married, Grady. I want a man that’s free when I need him.”
Keep him talking. Make him think he has a chance with you
.

“I would have dropped everything to be with you, Shiloh.”

“You mean like the other woman in Texas. You never wanted me as much as you wanted her?”
Good. Keep him confused. Make him explain his actions
.

“Gale meant nothing to me. That’s why I killed her. You’re the one I want, Shiloh.”

Shiloh didn’t know what to say. The man had just confessed to murdering Gale Symms. Which meant he’d have no qualms about killing her.
Just keep going with what you’re doing. Make him believe he has a shot
. “You just said I was leaving here in a bag, too. How can you insist you care for me if you still want me dead?”

Grady’s eyes narrowed. That did it. He was confused now.

“Maybe you could change my mind. I don’t care that you’re some rich man’s bastard.”

Shiloh decided at that moment that before she took him out, she wanted to learn who her biological father was––if it wasn’t a lie.

“Rich, huh? How rich?” She batted her eyes at him, hoping to coerce him into telling her.

He started to laugh. “Damned rich and powerful.”

“Do I know him?” she asked casually.

“Hell yes. You know him.” He held a gleam of triumph in his eyes.

Who did she know that was both wealthy and powerful? In Washington there were a lot of rich, influential men. Her boss was one of them.
Oh my God. Drake Danfield. No way
. He couldn’t be her father. Her mind replayed the day in her office. His concern. His eyes… They were green.

Shiloh swallowed hard.

“You’re looking a little pale there, Shiloh. Did you finally figure it out?”

“Is Drake Danfield my biological father?” she asked then brought her knee up into his crotch, sending him sprawling to the floor in agony.

Shiloh leaped over his crumpled body and raced for the door. She heard him curse behind her, but wasn’t about to look back to check. She continued to run. She reached the door and flung it open. Her heel hit a sheet of paper on the marble and she slipped, going down on one knee.

Quickly, she regained her footing and ran down a long, deserted hallway, praying the exit was near.

A gunshot pierced the silence, then a bullet bounced off a metal locker directly in front of her, penetrating the opposite wall.

Shiloh dove to the floor, determined to get away. He wasn’t going to kill her. She refused to die. She had a bright future with Nick, and she wasn’t going to allow some lunatic to take it all away.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Nick stomach twisted like he’d been kicked hard. If they didn’t locate Shiloh soon, they’d probably find her dead. Emotion tightened his throat. He thought about losing the one woman who’d become integral to his every waking breath. His heart refused to think of her ‘not’ being there. Hell, it was difficult to think at all with this crushing headache.

He had to remember that Shiloh was smart. She’d find a way to escape Sheppard.

“Nick, a black Town Car was spotted outside an old elementary school slated for demolition.” Gary handed him a slip of paper with an address on it.

“This guy’s not stupid,” Nick admitted. “What a great way to hide a body, allowing explosives to get rid of the evidence. Let’s get over there, pronto.”

Gary pointed to his head. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“I’m fine. ” So it was a lie but he had more serious things to worry about now.

On the ride over, Nick replayed their night together. Their intimate shower. The sudden change in her when his mother was brought up. Then the ride down in the elevator.