Love Inspired Suspense April 2015 #1 (6 page)

“What is it, boy?” Adam met Lana's gaze. “Stay here.” Dog and man raced from the room.

“Not likely,” she muttered and ran after them.

Ace's barking echoed off the marble floors of the quiet museum. The dog led them to a storage room near the employee lounge. Brad and Mr. Floyd followed close behind.

As Lana skidded to a stop next to Adam, her gaze landed on a figure dressed all in white with reflective sunglasses hiding his eyes. In his hands, he held a black object. Confusion scrambled her thoughts. A blow-dryer?

Ace leaped at the intruder just as the man raised whatever he held and aimed at them.

Lana screamed.

FIVE

“L
eave it!” As the words left his mouth, an ultrasonic wave blasted Adam in the face. His brain registered the weapon as pain detonated in his ears.

Nausea rolled through his stomach. The room rotated for a second, spinning like a carnival ride.

The intruder escaped through a side door that let out into the alleyway behind the museum.

Ace lay on his side, panting heavily.

Adam's breath caught. He pushed through the agonizing effects of the wave blaster to assess the damage. Lana had fallen to her knees and clutched at her ears. The same for Mr. Floyd and Brad, the security guard.

Adam dropped to the floor next to Ace. The dog had taken the full brunt of the hit. The thought of losing Ace slid a razor-sharp blade of fear through him. He sent up a fervent prayer for the dog to be unharmed.

Placing a comforting hand on Ace, Adam used the other to call dispatch on the radio attached to his shoulder. Though he couldn't hear himself, he knew the radio would pick up his words. “Capitol K-9 Unit two. Officer down at the American Museum. Several injured. Need vet and medics.”

Adam clicked off, praying dispatch had responded. A hand on his shoulder jerked his gaze to Lana. She knelt beside him. Her lips moved but the throbbing in his ears prevented any discernible sound. He shook his head and pointed to his ear.

Understanding dawned on her face. She nodded and pointed to her own ear and mouth. “Me, too.”

An eternity ticked by before help arrived. By then the fuzzy pounding in Adam's ears had abated. The shrill sound of the sirens was welcome.

Ace recovered, as well. He sat and shook his head. No doubt the dog's hearing was ten times fuzzier than Adam's. But his partner was alive and responsive. Relief rushed through Adam. Lana squeezed his arm.

“Thank You, God,” she said.

Turning to her, Adam said, “I heard that. And yes, thank God.”

Paramedics crowded into the storage room. The unit's vet arrived along with DC police. Detective Delvecchio and his team investigated the second break-in while the paramedics checked everyone's vitals and their ears and determined them fit. Follow-up exams with their regular doctors were suggested, but the medics didn't feel there would be any lasting effects.

“He'll be fine,” the vet told Adam, giving Ace a good rub behind the ear. “He may be a bit disoriented for an hour or so, but he'll be ready to get back to work by tomorrow.”

Kind of like himself, Adam thought, trying to shake off the ringing inside his head.

Once the paramedics left, Mr. Floyd approached. “Why would the thief return?”

“That's a good question.” Detective Delvecchio joined them. “Another good question was how the perp got in.”

Brad ran a hand through his silver hair. “That door was locked and the alarm set.”

“Obviously, the guy bypassed the system again,” Mr. Floyd ground out. “I'm calling the security company and having them change the system. And they better not charge us.”

“Could he have left the arrow here the first time?” Lana said, her dark eyes wide. “I mean, if Brad came to and pulled the alarm, the thief may have stashed the arrow before escaping the other night.”

Liking how her mind worked, Adam nodded. “That's plausible.”

“Everyone spread out and search the room. If you find the arrow, don't touch it,” Delvecchio instructed.

After several minutes of searching, they came up empty.

“He must have come back hoping to take something else,” Mr. Floyd stated as he dabbed at his sweating bald head with a handkerchief.

“And clearly Miss Gomez is not involved in the theft,” Adam said, pinning Mr. Floyd with a stare.

“Possibly not,” Mr. Floyd grudgingly conceded. “However, Miss Gomez, I hope you will honor your commitment to take your vacation days. Until this whole mess is settled, I'd rather you didn't come in.”

Adam hated seeing the disappointment in Lana's gaze. The need to protect her rose sharply as it had earlier when her boss accused her of being in league with the thief.

She drew herself up and inclined her head. “I will, sir. I always honor my commitments.”

* * *

An hour later, after giving their statements, Lana, Adam and a groggy and wobbly Ace exited the building and climbed into Adam's vehicle. Lana's shoulders drooped. She was wiped out, emotionally and physically.

The appearance of that man had brought all the terror of the other night rushing back. Her mind had gone numb with shock until he'd aimed that bizarre weapon at them. Then excruciating pain had filled her head. The effects of which lingered, making her ears tingle.

“What was that weapon?” she asked.

“A sonic shock wave device used for deterring animals, most specifically rodents. Easily obtained online.” Adam's tone hardened. “Obviously, the guy had the power amped up.”

“Seemed like something out of a science fiction movie.”

“Sometimes reality takes its cue from fiction.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. Her head ached from the residual effects of the blast. She could only imagine Ace still suffered considering how sensitive dogs were to sound. She sent up a prayer of thanksgiving the sonic blast hadn't ruptured Ace's eardrums. Nor hers or Adam's.

“I can't believe Mr. Floyd's attitude didn't change.” She clenched a fist. “I sure hope this ‘mess' as he put it is resolved before I have to go to court.”

“When is the custody hearing?”

“Tomorrow,” she managed to say around the lump of emotion in her throat. Tomorrow, her and Juan's futures would be decided. She had no control of the outcome of the custody hearing

But none of this was out of God's control, she reminded herself. She had to trust He knew what was best for them all. Sometimes that was so hard to do. But faith was not easy. Trusting was not easy. No one had promised anything would be easy.

Adam turned the key and the engine roared to life. “I'm sure Juan is anxious to come home with you.”

Her heart ached. Folding her hands in her lap, she stared out the front window. The gray clouds had parted, allowing a peek of blue sky and sunshine to bathe the earth in a warm glow. The cherry blossoms surrounding the Washington Monument glistened in the sunlight as he turned the vehicle down Independence Drive. “He doesn't know I exist.”

“What?”

More guilt heaped on her head. Her heart ached with sorrow and regret. “I haven't been able to bring myself to visit him. I don't want either of us to get our hopes up.”

“He's your nephew. The courts will side with you.”

“There are no guarantees. According to my lawyer the decision could go either way considering...”

“Considering?”

“The judge might consider my situation too risky to bring a child into. I did take out a civil protection order on Mark.”

She hated that her marriage hadn't turned out as she'd expected. But then life never did live up to her dreams. She'd learned long ago that having expectations only led to disappointment. Better to live each day, each moment in the present than to indulge in fanciful plans and imaginings of the future. Maybe that was why she liked history so much. The past was done. “And now that I'm a suspect in a crime...”

“Not a suspect anymore.”

Her breath caught. “Really?”

“Yes.”

She let out a relieved exhale.

“And I don't believe a judge would hold your ex-husband against you.” He pulled into the parking lot of her building. “You should go meet Juan.”

“I will. Eventually.” A knot tightened in her chest. “I don't want to do anything that would hurt him.”

“Visiting him won't hurt him.”

“
What if he becomes attached to me and I have to leave him there if the judge ruled against me? I'd rather wait and see how the hearing goes.” She popped her door open. “Thank you for the ride.”

His mouth quirked. “We'll walk you up.”

She shook her head. “You don't have to. I'm fine. Really. And safe. There's no reason for you to sit and wallow with me. I'd rather you were looking for the arrow.”

“Don't leave the building without an escort. The police will send a patrol car over. I won't leave until they arrive.”

Touched by his consideration, she nodded. “I won't leave without an escort. I promise.”

“I'll check in with you later. If you need to go anywhere call me. I'll take you.”

He took his job of protecting her seriously. His commitment was admirable. Respect for him expanded in her chest. “I will.”

She entered the building and waved to Adam to let him know she was okay. The lobby was quiet. The doorman, Rob—a twentysomething college student—was busy with Mrs. Creps, an elderly woman who lived on the second floor and needed assistance with her mailbox. Behind the reception desk a muted baseball game played on a small, portable television. Lana considered saying something about his lack of attention to the door but then decided she wasn't up for lecturing him, not when Mrs. Creps obviously needed help. He'd probably seen her walking up.

She rode the elevator up to the fifth floor and then walked the short distance to her apartment. She was rarely home during the day so the lack of noise was a bit disturbing and made her wonder what her neighbors did for a living. She wasn't the most social tenant. Other than nods and polite small talk she didn't know the other inhabitants of the building. After living through the trauma of her marriage and divorce, she preferred keeping to herself.

She slid her key into the lock but the door was ajar. The fine hairs on the back of her neck rose. She pushed the door wide. Someone had ripped her couch to shreds, the stuffing all over the carpet like puffs of clouds plucked from the sky. Books littered the floor. The dining table and chairs were smashed to bits. The chaos stole her breath. Panic seeped into her bones.

Someone had trashed her apartment.

* * *

Adam waved a thank-you to the DC patrol officer who arrived a few moments after Lana disappeared inside her building.

Adam couldn't believe Lana hadn't had any contact with her nephew. Okay, he got that she was trying to protect them both from getting their hopes up. Becoming attached to the boy then being denied custody would be a horrible blow, but even if she were denied, Juan was still her kin and she should still be a part of his life.

Somehow Adam would have to convince Lana that meeting her nephew was the best thing she could do for them both. Why he felt the need to get involved in her affairs, he couldn't say. Must be the hero complex his brother had accused him of once.

Free to leave now that backup was here to watch over Lana, Adam hoped to make it to headquarters in time for the weekly update. He prayed one of the team's informants would have intel regarding the Golden Arrow and if the artifact was for sale on the black market.

If they could catch a bead on who had the arrow then they could reacquire the relic for the museum and Lana could have her job back. Hopefully, before the custody hearing.

The vehicle's Bluetooth connected to his cell phone and sounded a loud trill into the cab of the small SUV. Ace whined. His ears must still hurt.

Adam quickly hit the answer button on his steering wheel. “Donovan here.”

“Adam, it's Lana.” Her voice trembled with distinct fear.

Adrenaline rushed through him. He threw the vehicle in Reverse and backed away from the exit. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. But I need you. Can you come back? I'm downstairs at the front desk.”

He pushed aside the jolt of shock at hearing her say she needed him. Something was wrong and she was reaching out to him. He wouldn't fail her. “On my way.”

He clicked the call off and spun the steering wheel, sending the SUV into a half spin. He sent up a quick prayer that nothing horrible had transpired. Curiosity wound through him. He'd know soon enough what trouble had occurred. Once the vehicle faced the correct direction, he punched the gas and drove the short distance back to the front entrance of the ten-story, sprawling apartment complex.

He parked and jumped out while motioning to the patrol officer sitting in his car to join him. The sliding glass doors of the building opened and Lana hurried out. Her olive complexion had lost color, her wide dark eyes full of fear.

He rushed to her side. “What happened?”

She clutched at his arm. “Someone broke into my apartment. The door was open and the inside...” She swallowed. “It's destroyed.”

Shock dropped through him like a falling meteor. “How?” His gaze shot past her to the young man standing at the desk talking on the phone. An older man had attended the front desk last night and this morning.

“I don't know. Rob says he saw no one go in or out that wasn't supposed to be here.”

After explaining the situation to the patrol officer and sending him to check the rear of the building for a break-in, Adam released Ace from the vehicle, leashed up, then stalked inside the building and straight toward the kid behind the front reception desk. Lana and Ace stayed close to his side.

Rob's eyes widened when he saw Adam and Ace. “That was fast. I was just talking to the police.”

“How long have you been on shift?”

“I came on at nine.”

“Have you left the desk at all since you came on shift?” Adam eyed the small television set where a muted baseball game played.

Rob followed his gaze. Flushing a deep red, he said, “I haven't left the desk. I know when anyone comes or goes.” He gestured to the security monitor. “There are cameras all over. No one goes anywhere in this building without being seen.”

“I want to see this morning's videos.”

“Uh, sure.” He grabbed keys from a drawer. “The system's in the utility room.”

After carefully reviewing the video footage of the front entrance from the moment he'd escorted Lana out of the complex at seven-thirty until the time that Lana returned, only a handful of people had come and gone. All were identified as tenants.