Freezing Point (17 page)

But Jesse was here to witness that transaction and keep things from getting that far.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins. He'd worked for months to find and expose the matrix of participants in the cash-smuggling ring, and still he'd not gotten much past Miguel and Carlos and now possibly Spear. Once these men were arrested, they'd need someone willing to provide more detailed information about all the players.

And finally, now, the operation had come to the point of a takedown. Tonight, he would be a witness to the money drop. Tonight, ICE agents would catch the perpetrators in the act,
which always resulted in a much stronger case than arrests for crimes already committed.

And tonight…Miguel would discover the truth about Jesse.

Jesse squeezed his eyes shut and calmed his racing heart. He couldn't allow his heart to bleed for the man who'd called him brother. Miguel knew exactly what he was doing in committing this crime.

Miguel, why did you do it, man?

Jesse leaned against the counter and gripped the edges.

Even now, local agencies were preparing to pounce on the ice company when Jesse signaled the drop had taken place. Agents were getting into position at both the company and the airport to keep anyone from fleeing the scene or worse, the country.

With all the information that Jesse had gained, an attorney had already gotten the search warrant signed within the last couple of hours, and all that was left was to initiate the takedown.

It all came down to Jesse…and perfect timing.

And then Jesse would have proven himself to his fellow agents and to his superiors. He could request a transfer or quit entirely, but all with a good reputation and clean conscience.

Well, maybe not a clean conscience, but he would have to work on that. And maybe they wouldn't forget his failures, but at least he would have redeemed himself in their eyes.

His cell rang. Casey?

He snatched it up, chiding himself that he couldn't get her off his mind. His heart hammered at the sight of the caller ID.

Jon, his contact in Portland.

“Jesse. I've lost Will Tannin.”

The door to Jesse's office swung open. Miguel leaned in and, noticing Jesse was on a call, waited.

“Gotta go.” Jesse ended the call, knowing he needed more information. “What's up?”

“What are you doing? We need you.”

“I thought you didn't need me until later.”

“The guy's here early.”

Perfect timing, yeah, right. Jesse walked next to Miguel down the long corridor, feeling like someone had taken a sledgehammer to his plans.

“If you do good, Jesse, there's more work for you.”

Jesse wanted to tell Miguel he wouldn't let him down. A brother would cover his back.

Miguel opened the exit onto the loading dock, and before Jesse could pass him, he grabbed his shoulder. “You don't want to mess this up.”

Jesse nodded, feeling the gravity of Miguel's words. Now they were getting to the crux of the matter.

No, Jesse didn't want to mess up. For his sake, or for Casey's. And for the first time, he realized what it was about her that he needed, that drew him to her. She gave him something to live for. She gave him a future worth living for.

Casey…

He wished he could call Eric and give him the heads-up about Will Tannin. But he was in the middle of the final act in this scene. As soon as he finished this, he'd find her and keep her safe.

Forever.

Oh, Lord, give me the chance to do that.

Jesse walked a little behind Miguel, following him. A truck was backed up against the loading dock and a man stepped around Carlos and stared at Jesse. Hard.

Spear!

C
asey finished packing the few remaining items and zipped up the suitcase.

“You're sure about this?” Holding a cup of steaming coffee, Tessa leaned against the doorframe of the bedroom.

“I'm sure.” Casey gave a halfhearted grin and lifted her satchel and bag. Then she laid them back on the bed. “Listen, Tessa, I'm so grateful to you for letting me crash here.”

“You're more than welcome.” Tessa set the coffee mug on the small writing desk and stepped toward Casey. “I was hoping you'd tell me what's going on, but since you haven't said a peep…”

Casey shook her head and lifted a hand to stop Tessa.

“Let me say what I have to say. If you're in some kind of trouble I want to help.” Tessa's eyes teared up, and she blinked, looking away from Casey. “I came to Orange Crossings to escape an abusive situation myself, so I can give you an understanding ear.”

“I'm so sorry…”

Tessa swiped her eyes. “I've never told anyone about this.”

Casey hugged Tessa then released her. “I'm glad you found a safe place, but don't worry, my situation isn't like that at all.”

She considered her words, wondering at their accuracy.

“Okay, as long as you're being honest with me. And even if you aren't, I want to help if I can.”

Casey felt bad that she couldn't share more, but the less Tessa knew, the better—at least about Jesse's covert operation at the ice company. Jesse had assured Casey that Tannin wasn't the immediate threat, but with her picture possibly in the news and on the internet, Casey believed now more than ever that she had to leave—if only for a few days.

Once Jesse was free from his current undercover obligation…

She drew in a breath. In that case, she might seek his help. After all, he'd been the only one to offer protection.

Could she ever shake free from her outrage that he'd used her?

With one last hug, Casey said her goodbyes to Tessa and climbed into her little green car. She was on the road again to only the Lord knew where. With a quick glance in both directions of the street, Casey backed the car out and shifted into first. If there was an agent watching over her now, he was definitely invisible.

Casey headed toward Main Street. From there she'd take Shoreline Road back to her aunt's house for a quick stop to gather the rest of her things. She wouldn't even go back if it weren't for her stupid diary. But she had to get the diary.

If Tannin somehow got his hands on that—

She shuddered, not wanting to think about what he could do with the information. Plus, she really would have no place to hide if things continued on this course. Anyone she'd ever known was in that diary.

She'd stayed late at the newspaper to complete the ice story, proving herself the professional she was. To her credit, Danny had seemed pleased. How strange it was to write a story such as that, when she was right in the center of a far
more intriguing story. As soon as this was over, Danny would have his exclusive from her.

If it weren't for her need to fall back into obscurity, she'd be there, waiting as soon as those men were arrested. How she'd love to smirk at the one who tried to silence her—that Carlos.

Driving down Main Street, Casey could see the ice company in the distance.

What was going on there at that very moment? Was Jesse arresting the bad guys, or had the deed already happened?

Regardless, she hoped no one spotted her little green car and misunderstood, thinking she was up to trouble. But surely no one would notice her from this far away.

She turned left on Shoreline Road and sped up. In her rearview mirror, she spotted lights emanating from the loading-dock side of the building—not so unusual. The men worked late at times, depending upon delivery needs.

But she saw no flashing lights that would indicate the police were there.

Lord, please, please keep Jesse safe.

Her hands trembled against the steering wheel. Finally, she arrived at the beach house and zipped into the driveway. A few lights remained on as she'd left them, and the house looked as it should. She didn't bother to drive into the garage—she wouldn't be that long. Knowing that someone was watching out for her reassured her. Still, she wanted to be smart.

Get in and get out…

That was quickly becoming her mantra.

If the alarm was tripped, she'd know something was wrong. Casey eased the front door open and glanced at the alarm. It blinked, which meant it was waiting for her to enter the code.

Alert to her surroundings, Casey flipped on lights as she
trotted down the hallway, making frequent glances behind her. What an idiot she was. If she was this paranoid, why had she even come?

Relax. Tannin is in Oregon.
The bad guys were with Jesse tonight. And Casey had protection.

In the guest bedroom, she opened the closet and sighed with relief, like she expected someone was behind the door.

Her big suitcase sat in the corner, undisturbed. Casey yanked it up and flung it on the bed. She opened it and began pulling the rest of her limited wardrobe from hangers and tossing the items into the luggage. The action reminded her of when she'd first fled Oregon. She hadn't considered that she would be staying away from her aunt's house for an extended period when packing to stay with Tessa. She could have taken it all then.

As things stood, she couldn't be certain if she would return.

And that stupid diary—where had she put it? She searched the nightstands and under the pillows.

Her heart nearly broke at the thought of leaving Jesse behind for good. Never knowing for sure if the words he'd spoken were true. Now she understood what he meant when he'd said that all that mattered right now was her safety. She felt the same way about him.

In the end, the most important thing was his safety, and she continued to pray for that. She zipped the luggage and skimmed the contents of the room. Her aunt had mentioned returning in a few days, though she hadn't given Casey a specific date. Casey wanted to leave the room like she'd found it. Spotless.

But she didn't have time to fluff the pillows. She had an increasing sense of unease and blew out a breath. She needed to leave now.

Where is that diary?
She bent to look under the bed. There.

Her diary was under the bed along with…? What was that? The
Lladro
figurine. With everything that had happened, Casey had completely forgotten about it.

On her knees, she slid her arm forward, reaching for the diary first.

Pop, pop…

Casey pulled back from under the bed, bumping her head and leaving the diary.

Gunfire!

Pop, pop…

Glass shattered somewhere in the house.

Casey froze, her heart seemed to stop, then pounded erratically.

No!

Not again. This couldn't be happening again.

Glancing around the room, she searched for a weapon and spotted another figurine. That tactic didn't work so well for her the last time. Her cell was lying around somewhere. Or was it in the car because she'd been in a hurry?

The landline phone was next to the bed. She lifted the receiver to call 911. No dial tone.

Hands shaking, she almost shrieked.

This was for real.

No case of mistaken identity. At that moment, Casey knew she had one option—to get out of the house. To escape through the bedroom window was the only way out. She ran around the bed to the window where darkness stared back.

Pain seared her scalp as something—or someone—caught her hair, snapping her head back and bringing tears to her eyes. She screamed and squeezed her eyes. When she opened them, she was staring into the eyes of a madman.

“Tannin!”

“You thought I wouldn't find you,” he said, his sour breath hot in her face. “I've known where you were all along.”

Hands still gripping her hair, he crushed her face down into the carpet as though to smother her. Then he yanked her head up again enough for her to breathe and for him to press his face near hers, making sure she had to look into his eyes. See the death wish there.

“Will, no, please…” Her voice sounded like someone else's, trembling, begging.

“You had no idea who you were messing with when you started that article!” He was yelling now.

Casey felt the last of her will to fight trampled under the terror he was raining down on her. “No, you're right. I didn't have a clue. I'm so sorry.”

“And you still don't know.” He tightened his grip on her hair. “It doesn't matter, because sorry isn't good enough. It's too late for me and now it's too late for you.”

Oh, Lord, please help me!

“What are you going to do?”

She asked, knowing she was going to die. There could be no doubt. If there was a time for Jesse to save her, now was it. But she knew where he was—he was fighting his own battle. She couldn't wait for him.

Tannin grabbed her wrists and flipped her over, venom in his eyes. He reached for her throat. Casey begged him with her eyes and searched the room for something—anything—that could help her. But as the pressure closed around her throat, choking off her air, she knew it was hopeless. She groped for the bed post with one hand and the dresser drawer with the other. If she could pull a drawer out…

It was impossible.

Speckles of light began edging her vision. Wait. The figurine was still under the bed.

Could she reach it? She stretched while fighting unconsciousness.

Gripping it with her hand, it felt solid and heavy. With all
her strength—
please, Lord
—she slid it from under the bed and swung at Tannin's head, slamming it into his temple.

His eyes rolled back and he loosened his grip, releasing her. He fell over next to her. Hands at her throat, Casey gasped for breath and climbed to her feet.

What had happened to the agent who was supposed to be watching her? Was that what the gunfire was about? Was he injured or dead?

Tannin groaned. Casey wasn't going to wait around for him to rouse. Unfortunately, he was between her and the door. Dare she step over him? What if he woke up and grabbed her?

She made for the window, her original plan, and opened it then slipped through and landed on the deck. She ran around the house and climbed into the VW.

Slipping her fingers into her pocket, she freed the keys and started the ignition. Casey peeled from the driveway and watched her cell slide from the passenger seat into the space between the seat and the door.

The only way to reach it was to stop the car and climb over the seat or get out and walk around. Forget that.

She would drive directly to the police station—they'd believe her this time about a crazy man trying to kill her. The guy had been in her aunt's house. There would have to be evidence all over the place, including her neck. If only Tannin would follow her directly there, then she could get her life back.

But things never worked out so easily.

A quarter of a mile up the road, bright headlights filled her rearview mirror, nearly blinding her.

The vehicle was big, had to be a truck or SUV, and judging by the aggressive approach, she knew it was Tannin.

He slammed into the rear of her car. Casey's head whipped
back against the seat, sending pain through her neck and shoulders, and reigniting the throb in her head.

Ignoring the pain, she pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

Come on, come on, come on!

Climbing the hill, the VW couldn't accelerate enough. Soon, they'd approach the bend in the road.

The vehicle behind her bumped her again. To her horror, the driver pulled right next to her on the left.

He was in the wrong lane.

Headlights appeared up the road, heading directly toward them. Casey glanced over. She couldn't see inside the SUV. Was he going to back off, or what?

She'd better slow up herself, unless she wanted to be part of this collision.

Before she released the accelerator, Tannin slammed into her from the side.

Her car veered off the road and went into a spin.

Casey steered into the spin, trying to maintain control.

She'd been knocked too far to easily get back on the road, and then the car skidded to a stop. The airbags deployed. Stunned, Casey sat still, trying to comprehend it all.

She knew she had to get back on the road. Taking in her surroundings, realization dawned.

Déjà vu.
This was the same place where she'd gotten the flat and been forced from the road. Was that the same SUV that tried to run into her before?

She searched the darkness and spotted the vehicle up the road.

Upside down.

And what happened to the other car? Surely if they hadn't been involved in the wreck, they'd call the police.

Casey attempted to disentangle herself from the airbags. Could she even start her car now? Even so, how could she
steer the thing with this mass of nylon fabric hanging all over? Casey freed herself and clambered from the car.

Breathless, she glanced up the road again.

Was Tannin…? Had he survived that? Could she leave him? She jogged up the road and approached the flipped vehicle. She leaned over to peer at the driver's side. If Tannin had survived, what then?

Buckled in his seat belt—he'd had time to do that?— Tannin hung upside down in his seat. Blood oozed from the side of his head and dripped down to what under normal circumstances would be the ceiling of the cab.

Tannin began to stir. The seat belt had saved his life. If Casey's car had flipped, she was certain she wouldn't have been so lucky, because she hadn't buckled.

In the distance, Casey saw the lights from the ice company still shining bright. Despite the danger there, the lights were a warm invitation. With Tannin stirring now and her car inoperable, what choice did she have?