Dark Deceptions (11 page)

“Doesn’t sound much like a terrorist.” She frowned, sorting through her belongings until she found a bottle of ibuprofen.
Swallowing three, she tipped back her head, clearing her thoughts. “You think maybe the attack was incidental? That he was
just robbing the place?”

“It’s possible.” He shrugged.

“But if he is involved in all this…” she said, staring down at her bloodstained hands.

“Then we’ll figure out how to deal with it.” He shook his head. “Did he attack you or the other way around?”

Again she pushed her fear away. She wasn’t going to help her son by falling apart. “He jumped me when I went to check the
balcony. The door was open and my stuff was all over the bed.”

“But he wasn’t in plain sight.”

“No.” She shook her head, picturing the scenario. “Definitely hiding.”

“All of which supports the idea that it was a break-in.”

“Except that the room door wasn’t open.”

“It isn’t that difficult to secure a keycard. Especially in a place like this. All kinds of people have master keys.”

“So why didn’t he just run? I mean, I was headed for the balcony; he could have made it to the door.”

“If he saw your gun, he’d have known better. Or maybe he was hopped up on something. Either way I think his attempt to take
you out only supports the idea he’s not involved with Adam’s kidnapping. I mean, there’s no reason for them to want you dead.
At least not yet.”

“What if they know about you?” she said, her panic rushing back, threatening to swamp her. “About A-Tac. They told me they’d
kill him if I talked to anyone. Oh, God, what have I done?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” he said, dropping down on the bed beside her. “There’s no reason to believe that they know
you were taken. We took precautions. And so did you. Besides, if they did know, there are a hell of a lot easier ways to take
you out than sending someone to attack you in your hotel room.”

“Maybe they wanted it to look like a robbery?” she asked, her breath coming in gasps. “Maybe Adam’s already dead.”

“Annie, stop it,” he said, gripping her hands. “You know as well as I do that the only way we can help Adam is to keep it
together. He needs his mother.”

She nodded, releasing a breath and squaring her shoulders.

“That’s my girl,” he said, reaching into his pocket for his cell phone.

“What are you doing?” She reached out to stop him, alarm bells ringing in her head.

“I’m calling Avery. We need someone to sanitize the scene.”

“It’s my mess,” she said, defiantly, her momentary panic passing. “I’ll clean it up.”

“There’s no point in you calling attention to yourself. Besides, we need to check for evidence. Maybe there’s something here
besides the gym card and the knife. And they’re professionals, Annie. They know what to do.”

“I’m a professional, too. Or did you forget that?” She sounded petulant and she knew it, but then Nash did have a tendency
to bring out the worst in her.

“Of course I didn’t forget.” He frowned. “But you have to admit you’re out of practice.”

Considering Bruebaker had almost killed her, she didn’t have much ground for argument, so she decided to ignore the comment.
“Okay, but what if someone is watching?”

“I think we just established that they’re not. You’ve changed hotels several times already and, if I know you, taken all kinds
of other evasive measures. But if it makes you feel better, we’ll clear out and then I’ll call.”

“What will make me feel better is to hear from Rivon. I need to know that Adam is still alive.”

“It’s the same as with you, Annie. Until Dominico is dead, they have no reason to hurt Adam. He’s their only bargaining chip.”

“I’m sure you’re right, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying.” Turning her back to hide the tears filling her eyes, she
made a play of straightening her things.

“Look, I know this is hard for you.”

“You have no idea. It’s been Adam and me on our own for so long. I thought I could protect him. I thought that I was enough.
That as long as we stayed under the radar, nothing would happen. No one from the past could find me.”

“I can’t imagine what it was like for you.” He frowned, studying her. “On your own with a kid. It must have been hell.”

“Adam is my child. I would do anything for him. Anything. He’s changed everything. All my priorities now center on him. Simple
as that. Unlike you, I’ve never had trouble stepping up.” The last bit came of its own accord and she immediately wished the
words back.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I’m sorry. I was just sounding off.” The last thing she needed was to alienate her only ally. “I guess I was thinking
of us. Of the fact that we couldn’t make it work.”

“No need to apologize,” he said, his mouth folded into a grimace. “You’re right. I don’t do relationships.”

“So there’s no wife hidden away somewhere?” Again with the wild words. “I’m sorry. My mouth seems to be working overtime.
Your private life is none of my business.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said, shaking his head. “You already know the answer anyway. There’s no one. My lifestyle isn’t exactly
conducive to white picket fences.”

“Espionage will do that to you.” She tried to keep her voice light but it cracked anyway.

“Maybe”—he shrugged—“or maybe it’s just me. But
you
made it work, with Adam—and his father.”

“With Adam, yes. But not with his father. I seem to have made a practice of putting my faith in the wrong men.”

“That’s sounds pretty cynical.”

“You know my history.” She shrugged. Her father had walked out on her when she was just a kid. Left her to fend for herself
after her mother’s death. She’d survived. But she’d never forgotten his betrayal. It had taken years for her to work up the
courage to trust Nash—to take a chance on the two of them. And then he’d thrown it back in her face, rejecting her just like
her father. “If I’m cynical, it’s with good reason.”

“I’m sorry.” His voice was soft, and she felt the weight of his body as he sat down next to her on the bed, his hand warm
against her shoulder. It would be so easy to melt into his arms. To let him hold her close. But it was only an illusion, and
Annie had learned long ago the cost of believing in something that wasn’t real.

“Don’t,” she said, shaking her head, pulling back. “I’m hanging on by a thread here. And I’m not sure I can take it if you’re
nice to me.”

He nodded, his expression grim as he released her. “So where’s the phone?”

She whirled around, reality slamming back into place, as she plowed through the things scattered across the bed, heart pounding.
“It’s not here. Oh, God, what if he took it?”

“Just stay calm. We haven’t even had a look yet.”

“You’re right. I’m jumping to conclusions. I’m just not thinking clearly,” she said, angry with herself for letting fear get
the upper hand. “Help me search the room.”

She checked her duffel and under the bed, then carefully went through the drawers of the bedside table. All to no avail.

“Nothing in the television cabinet,” Nash reported, heading for the bureau to check the drawers. “Where did you leave it?”

“Over there on the table by the landline.”

She walked to the cubicle serving as a closet, but except for her leather jacket, the space was empty. That left the bathroom.
She walked inside, scanning the countertop, her stomach sinking when there was no sign of the missing phone.

“Where the hell is it?” she muttered, anger warring with dismay.

As if on cue, the staccato
brring
of the phone filled the hotel room, Nash and Annie both scrambling to locate the source of the sound. By the fourth ring,
they’d found it, on the floor behind a chair where it must have fallen when Bruebaker was rifling through her things.

Annie scooped it up, only to stand staring as it vibrated against her hand.

“Answer it,” Nash said. “Just pretend nothing’s happened. And if you can, try to arrange a meeting. That way if we can’t get
anything from the phone, we’ll have another firsthand shot to get information.”

She nodded and swallowed, then clicked the button to answer the call. “Gallagher.”

“Where the hell have you been?” Rivon’s angry voice filled her ear.

“Actually, you’re late. You were supposed to call”—she glanced down at her watch—“seven minutes ago.”

“I called half an hour ago and nobody answered.”

“I went out for something to eat,” she said, sounding much calmer than she felt. “I didn’t take the phone with me.”

“Well, I suggest, in the future, you keep it with you.”

“When can I talk to my son?” she asked, her heart pounding.

“After you’ve given us something to verify that you’re cooperating.”

“Other than handing you Dominico’s body, I’m not sure how you expect me to do that. I did spend the morning casing his apartment.
I think it’s our best chance at access. But it’s going to be more difficult than I expected.”

“In what way?”

“The man’s got security out the wazoo. My best chance is a long-distance shot, and for that I’ll need specialized equipment.”

“So get it.”

“It’s not something you can just pick up on the street, and as you are well aware, I haven’t got those kinds of contacts anymore.”

“And you think I do?”

“I think if you don’t, you’ll know someone who does.”

“So what is it exactly that you want?”

“I can’t explain it over the phone. The modifications are tricky. I’ll have to show you specifically what it is I want. I’ll
draw up schematics.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then all bets are off. I can’t just waltz in and take the man out. It doesn’t work like that. It takes planning. Which brings
me to another point,” she said, frowning over at Nash, as she frantically tried to think of something else to convince Rivon
they had to meet. “I’m going to need blueprints of the building across the way, as well as a floor plan for Dominico’s apartment.
The one you gave me isn’t to scale, and I need everything to be precise if this is going to work.”

Nash nodded, circling his hand to urge her on.

“I’m not sure we’ll have access to blueprints,” Rivon said.

“If you want this to happen, you’ll find a way.” She hoped she sounded more confident than she actually felt. She was bargaining
with Adam’s life. “And I’ll need to talk to Adam again.”

“I’m not in a position to make that kind of promise. But if I can make it happen, it won’t be until after we finalize plans.
As I said, we need proof of cooperation.”

“So when do you want to meet?”

“I need to clear everything with my bosses. But I know they’re anxious to conclude our business.”

Annie nodded, shooting a thumbs-up at Nash. “Well, move as quickly as you can. The window of opportunity isn’t going to last
forever. People are always watching and listening, and if they figure out Dominico is a target, you can bet your ass they’ll
pull him from public access.”

“So you’ll just have to work a little harder. I’ll be in touch.”

“Make it soon.” She clicked to disconnect, and then sank down on the bed, all signs of bravado evaporating. “Oh, God, Nash,
what have I done?”

“You’ve set the wheels in motion to rescue Adam. All we need is to figure out where they’re holding him. And Rivon is our
best bet.”

“You can’t take him.” She lifted her head. “They’ll kill Adam if anything happens to that bastard.”

“Only as a last resort. As I said before, Jason is a whiz with all things electronic. So first order of business is to show
him the phone. It may be possible to trace the call back to wherever they’re holding Adam. And if that doesn’t work, he’ll
figure out a way to use the meeting with Rivon to tag him.”

“And then we follow him to Adam.”

“At least it gives us options.”

She nodded, not certain at all that she’d made the right decision, to work with Nash and his friends, but oddly relieved nevertheless
to have him here—on her side.

At least for now.

T
he phone’s clean,” Jason said, looking up from the body of Annie’s disassembled phone. “There’s nothing here connecting back
to the source. But on the plus side, there isn’t a tracking device either. So if they’re watching you, it isn’t through the
phone.”

“But there’s no way to use the phone to give us Adam’s location?” Nash asked from his perch on a chair in the corner.

The three of them were in the latest of Annie’s hotel rooms, this one a little smaller than the last, but not quite as seedy.
Annie had wanted to meet Jason here instead of at the brownstone. She wasn’t all that keen on dealing with Tom. And although
Nash had no problem with the guy, there was no avoiding the fact that as far as A-Tac was concerned, his old handler was an
outsider working his own agenda. So meeting here had suited him as well.

“No,” Jason said. “My guess is they’re scrambling or relaying their locations. We might be able to pull something off it if
we run the next call through our computers. But it’s far from a sure thing.”

“And there’s always the chance they’ll figure out we’re trying to get in, right?” Annie asked, eyes narrowed as she considered
the possibilities.

“Exactly.” Jason nodded, working to reassemble the phone. “Which makes it an option of last resort, in my opinion.”

“So we’ve got nothing.” She offered a tight smile, then stood up and walked over to the window out of Jason’s earshot.

“We’re going to get him back, Annie,” Nash said, coming to stand behind her, his hands on her shoulders. He knew the words
were an empty promise, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. In truth, Annie’s pain felt a hell of a lot more personal than
it should have. And the idea that she could lose her son—well, it just wasn’t an acceptable option. At least not as long as
he had any say in the matter.

She nodded, still staring out the window. “He’s just so innocent. You know? And none of this is his fault. It’s mine. I’m
the one with the past. A mother should protect her son, not throw him in the middle of danger.”