Bare Witness (18 page)

“Um, yeah, I did change when Daniel came into my life. It was like all the stuff I didn’t really like about myself—being with him made it right.

“Really?”

“Yes. Does that help you?”

Justine shrugged. She knew that Charity wasn’t just a pretty face. That she had a lost her parents when she was young, and that had made her into the woman she was today. But she didn’t have a murder in her past the way Justine did.

Was she really trying to think about a future with Nigel? That was completely crazy. She forced herself to pay attention to the trail, and didn’t think about anything other than when she saw a target, she needed to take the shot.

“I like Nigel. I think he’s a smart man, and if he’s the right guy for you, it’ll work out.”

“What if he only wants me because of this situation? Everything is more intense right now because his daughter’s life is in danger.”

“I don’t know,” Charity said. “I worried about the same thing with Daniel.”

“Daniel was totally smitten with you.”

“Maybe from your vantage point. It’s different when you’re the one going through all those emotions,” Charity said.

“Really? You seem like the kind of woman who can handle any man…. I mean, you’ve been engaged before.”

“Yes, I have. But those other men were different. They didn’t bother to see the real me.”

Charity stopped walking and Justine did, too. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that when you meet a man during this kind of a mission, they have no choice but to see the real you. There’s no illusion about the type of woman you are.”

She had a point. And Justine didn’t dwell on it anymore. One of the things she’d learned fairly early in her life was that she couldn’t change anyone else, or their decisions. The question she needed to answer was if what she felt for Nigel was real, or if it was only something spurred on by the situation.

“Anna, are we getting close?”

“Not yet, but they’ve stopped moving.”

Charity looked at her and they both started running again. In her head, Justine heard the music of AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” which always got her pumped up, and she roared it in her mind to drown out the sounds of Nigel and Piper’s voices.

Because she knew time was of the essence now, and she couldn’t afford to lose either one of them.

She stumbled as she realized that falling in love was the scariest thing she’d ever experienced. She’d thought she was self-contained and safe from harm because she’d walked away from her family, and the only people she’d cared about were Charity and Anna, who could protect themselves better than anyone Justine knew.

But she hadn’t protected herself, hadn’t learned any survival instincts. Instead, she’d simply been hiding from her emotions, and now that they were out in the open, she had no idea how to control them.

T
he village they entered was primitive by American standards, but had all the modern conveniences. He saw electricity lines running into the houses. In the middle of the village was a common area where children and women were gathered.

Everyone stopped when they saw Marshall. Dusk was falling, but it wasn’t completely dark. Nigel felt awkward with his hands bound behind his back, along with the open wound on his cheek. His arms ached, and he was tired and worried and needed to see Piper. Then he wanted to get the hell out of Peru. He was still going to open the Baron factory here because he refused to let Marshall win, but he wouldn’t be coming down here to oversee it.

Marshall shoved him toward a stump. “Sit there.”

Nigel was happy to get off his aching feet. They were bloodied and cut up from the walk. He’d tried to stay on the trail, but had fallen more than once on the uneven terrain.

He saw Emile from across the village square. The man seemed to nod toward him, and then disappeared.

He wished to hell he knew what that meant. About ten minutes later, Marshall went into the largest house in the village. Nigel tried to stand, but couldn’t. He rolled to his side on the ground and got his knees beneath him. Slowly he stood, rising to his knees one at a time.

He almost cursed out loud at the pain in his feet. They were cut and swollen and hurt like the devil. He looked around the area, searching for something to use to cut the flex cuffs at his wrists.

He saw a corrugated building on the outskirts and slowly, keeping to the shadows, he moved toward the building. He felt around the edge until he found one sharp enough he hoped would be able to cut the cuffs.

He worked the cuffs up and down and he thought of what Justine had warned him of. That there was no room for pride in life-or-death situations.

His wrist was being scraped raw, but he didn’t care. He kept working slowly and steadily. He couldn’t wait for Justine to come to the rescue. That went against the grain, to wait for that anyway. He felt the tension on his wrists lessen and then give way. He pulled his hands free.

His shoulders ached as he rotated them, and then he rubbed his wrists. He knew he should cover any open wounds. The jungle was a breeding ground for disease.

But he wanted to find Piper. He heard the villagers all talking at once and realized they had noticed he wasn’t in his spot anymore. He debated in that split second going back over there, but decided to search for Piper. He was unarmed, but he could fight dirty, and he’d find a weapon while he was searching for her.

He started with the house nearest him. There was no one inside, but he found an old machete. The handle was aged, but the blade was clean, and when he tested it, he found it was very sharp.

He tucked the machete into his waistband where he could reach it easily. He went to the next building and peered into one of the windows. It was a one-room house that held a bed against one wall, and a kitchen table. Otherwise, it was deserted. He wondered if everyone was in the common area at this time of the day.

He heard footsteps behind him and kept moving in a circle to the right. Staying still wasn’t going to help anything. He ducked around the corner of the house he’d just searched and drew the machete.

He heard the footsteps again, and held his breath, waiting. He saw no movement but sensed that someone was there. He put his arm out in the dark and jerked the person back against him. He brought the long blade of the machete up under the person’s chin.

“It’s me,” Justine said.

He relaxed his hold on her and she turned in his arms. “There’s no time. Piper is being held in one of these houses. Will you help me search?”

“Of course I will,” she said.

He hugged her close before letting go. “Thank God you are here.”

“Charity is working her way in from the other direction,” Justine said. They both moved off in the same direction. She handed him a gun and a clip. “Not that the machete isn’t effective.”

“Thanks,” he said. “I saw Emile. He nodded at me, but that was it.”

“Anna hasn’t heard from him, and I’m not sure how far we can trust him.”

“I lost the earpiece. I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s not a problem,” she said. “We are here, and we aren’t going to let Marshall leave.”

“Alfred is working for him,” Nigel warned. He was a little lightheaded from all the blood he’d lost, and he knew he wasn’t as coherent as he could be.

“We heard.”

“I’m firing him. And I want everyone on my staff to—

“Nigel. Look at me.”

“Why?”

“You are rambling. Are you okay?”

“I think so. My feet are swollen and I think I may have stepped on some kind of stinging insect.”

“Anna? Do I have an EpiPen?”

Nigel couldn’t hear Anna’s answer, but a few minutes later, Justine pulled a pen from her pocket and stabbed him with it. Immediately he felt the swelling in his feet recede.

“I think you were having a reaction,” Justine said.

“I think so, too. I’m feeling better now.”

“I don’t suppose I could convince you to sit here and wait for me to get back with Piper.”

“Not on your life. If you need to go back to Anna, you can leave.”

Justine looked up at him with those steely eyes of hers, in that sweet pixie face, and shook her head. “I’m not leaving until you do.”

Justine couldn’t imagine them in worse shape. Nigel had stopped rambling and his color had returned, but she knew he wasn’t up to his full strength yet. Charity was finding the same thing, that most of the huts were deserted. The people of the village had fanned out and were searching the jungle area, looking for Nigel, she supposed.

They met up with Charity in the middle of the village near the large house. “That’s where Marshall went.”

“How many people are inside?”

“I saw two people go in when he did.”

“Anna?”

“Yes?”

“Can you get a thermal image of the village for us?” Justine asked. “We need to know how many people are in the large house in the center of the village.”

“I’m on it.”

Justine waited and noted how anxious Nigel was beside her. She knew he couldn’t wait another minute to get to his daughter. She was amazed that he’d freed himself and started searching. “Why didn’t Marshall put a guard on you?”

“Because I knew he wouldn’t go far without his daughter,” Marshall answered her. “Put your hands on your head and turn to face me.”

Justine did as she was ordered. Marshall wasn’t that tall, and there was a weakness around his eyes that reminded her a lot of Franklin Baron. He seemed like a little bully of a man.

“What are you staring at?”

“You,” she said.

“Like what you see?”

“No. Two-bit criminals aren’t my cup of tea.”

He backhanded her, knocking her off balance and into Nigel, who caught her.

“Keep your hands to yourself,” Nigel said.

Justine realized Charity had blended into the shadows when Marshall had captured her and Nigel.

“Where is the girl?” she asked as Alfred came up behind her. He bound her hands behind her back, but left all of her weapons on her. She realized he was either stupid or didn’t care enough about Marshall to want the other man to win.

“Inside. Are you ready to wire my money?” Marshall asked Nigel.

“As soon as I have my daughter.”

“Then let’s go inside so we can finish our business. Alfred, bring the woman.”

Justine allowed herself to be manhandled up the steps and into the house. Nigel ran across the room to the pallet on the floor where Piper lay curled on her side. She seemed unharmed from her position across the room, but was unconscious, and her lips were cracked as if she was dehydrated.

Marshall walked over to Nigel and jerked him to his feet. “You’ve seen the girl. Now do your part. I need that money wired into my account.”

“I am going to need a guarantee of safe passage out of here—for me, Piper, and Justine.”

“No more negotiating. The deal was your daughter for the money. Now call.”

He handed a cell phone to Nigel. He took the device from Marshall and held it loosely in his left hand. Justine was not a bit surprised that Nigel had renewed strength now that they were here with Piper. It seemed to her that seeing his daughter had reenergized him. Made him realize he couldn’t give up.

“I can’t remember the number,” Nigel said.

Marshall balled his hand and raised it toward Nigel, who just stood his ground, staring at the other man. From across the room, Justine could feel the disdain that Nigel had for Marshall.

Marshall lowered his hand and pulled a Remington semiautomatic weapon from the holster at his side. He pointed the weapon at Piper. “Call or she dies. I’m not bluffing, Nigel. You have less than a minute to dial the number.”

Nigel moved his fingers over the keys on the phone. Both men were balancing on a tightrope. They both had something the other wanted, but giving in too soon would spell destruction for either one of them.

“I’m coming in from the left,” Charity said. Justine heard her in the earpiece and knew she needed to stop Charity from startling Marshall.

“Stop,” she said.

“Me?” Charity asked in her ear.

“Shut up, bitch. Your life isn’t necessary here.”

“No, you shut up,” Justine said, lowering her shoulder and driving her body into Alfred. Her move startled the guard and knocked him off balance. She kept driving until she got him completely on the ground. She used pressure from her foot on his windpipe to knock him out. Then turned to face Marshall, who was coming toward her.

He fired at her, but she dove for the ground, rolling as best she could with her hands behind her back. Nigel had crossed the room to Piper and had his daughter in his arms.

“Charity, northwest window, now.”

“I’m there.”

Justine struggled to her feet, watching as Marshall came closer to her. Nigel had his sights on the window, and as soon as he turned his back on them to lower Piper through the opening, Marshall turned and fired two shots at Nigel’s back.

She saw them hit him, and watched as he shook and fell forward. Justine was in motion even as Marshall turned toward her. She jumped a few feet away from him, using a flying sidekick aimed at his shoulder. He fired the gun and she felt the bullet impact on the same thigh where she already had a wound. But her kick was on target, and it took him down.

Charity came in through the open window and coldcocked Marshall on the side of the head, knocking him out. Justine left Marshall to Charity, then went to Nigel. She had to climb through the window to get to him.

“I’m okay,” he said. He was holding his daughter in his arms, and she thought that maybe at last he would be okay. Having Piper with him was what he needed.

The bullet in her thigh was throbbing, and she heard a faint buzzing sound before she started to sway.

“Oh, damn, I’m going to pass out,” she said, and then the world went black.

Justine awoke to smelling salts being waved under her nose. She jerked upright, feeling a wave of pain in her thigh.

Charity had one hand on her shoulder. “Where are you hurt?”

“Thigh. Bullet wound…not a graze this time.”

“Can you walk out, or do you want me to have Anna send someone down to get you?”

“I can walk,” Justine said. “Where’s Nigel?”

“Over there with Emile. He’s the one who got all the villagers away from here so that we’d only have to deal with Alfred and Marshall.”

“Well, I guess that’s something.”

Charity shrugged.

“Do you need a hand?”

Justine hated to admit it, but she did. She took the hand that Charity offered and got to her feet.

“Do you need me here?”

“No. Why don’t you lead Nigel and Piper out of here?” Charity suggested.

“I will.”

She made her way over to them and Nigel looked up at her. “Piper hasn’t woken up yet.”

“Did Charity find out what he was using to sedate Piper?”

“According to Emile, it was just an over-the-counter type of thing. The effects should wear off in the next two to three hours.”

“Are you ready to go back to the vehicles? Anna will have a medical professional waiting for us.”

“Can you walk out?”

“Yes. I’m fine. How’s your back? I saw you take those two bullets.”

“Sore,” he said.

Justine realized that for all the talk between them, there was no real communication going on. Nigel was pushing her back into the role of stranger, and she was letting him.

When she’d seen Marshall shoot at him, she’d felt a panic well inside her that, to be honest, she hadn’t been able to control. She knew better than to let herself care this deeply for anyone, and yet somehow Nigel had found his way into that small circle of people she cared about.

“Are we okay?” she asked Nigel.

“Yes. Of course we are. I just need to focus on Piper right now.”

She understood that. She hoped he didn’t think that she needed more attention than his daughter. What kind of selfish woman would she be?

With a man like Nigel, his daughter was always going to come first, and it was time she acknowledged that. She shook her head and realized it didn’t bother her at all. Part of why she loved him was because of his dedication to his daughter.

“Let’s get her to safety,” Justine said. She led the way out of the village. A few of the villagers were returning as they left, and gave them a wide berth. Nigel looked battered and barely able to stand as he walked next to her.

Nigel took the lead when the jungle around them became denser. She followed him, watching the man she loved, and wondering how she was going to deal with him once they were out of this place.

“I’m surprised we haven’t run into any tribes,” Justine said. She’d noticed signs of people in the rain forest, but they had yet to encounter anyone. She thought that maybe they all had a live-and-let-live attitude, which worked for her.

Or maybe she should say, had worked for her. Because she wanted to figure out a way to still be herself and live with Nigel. But to be honest, she couldn’t. In her head, she still pictured him in that perfect house with a well-coiffed wife.