Love Inspired Suspense May 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: Trail of Evidence\Gone Missing\Lethal Exposure (15 page)

TWENTY

T
he knock on the door startled her. Her attacker jammed the gun against her head and she winced at the streak of lightning that arced through her skull. “Don't say a word,” he growled.

“My car is sitting out front,” she whispered. “My friends know I'm here. I'm late for a meeting and they're probably checking on me.” She hadn't pulled into the garage that faced the front of the house. She'd just pulled in the drive and come in the front door.

He cursed. She stayed rock-still, her mind spinning. Who was out there? Gavin?

“Brooke? You in there?”

Nicholas. She glanced around for a weapon. The gun at her head was a slight deterrent, but not much. If she didn't act, she was dead. She knew it and the man next to her knew she knew it. But now she was a hostage. He needed her until he could get away. Which she would make sure didn't happen.

She kept her face toward the front door, hoping someone would glance in the kitchen window and be able to see her.

With the door that led to the garage at her attacker's back, the only way out for her was going to have to be the front door.

“Get rid of whoever it is or they're dead, you understand me?”

“I understand.”

“Brooke?” Nicholas called again.

“Yeah, Nicholas, what is it?”

“Are you all right?”

“Yes, late for my meeting with Gavin, but getting ready to head that way.” She kept her voice as normal as possible, but speaking up for him to hear her sent pain vibrating through her brain. “I'll meet you there, okay?”

A loud crash ripped through the air and Brooke tensed as the man holding the gun went rigid. “What was that?”

“I don't know. Sounded like glass breaking,” she said.

“Get up.”

Brooke rose to her feet. The room spun, the nausea brought her to her knees and she fell, managing to roll to keep her head from taking another knock against the floor.

A shot sounded. Her attacker cried out. His weapon skidded to a stop in front of her and he jerked back, blood spreading across his left shoulder. He went to his knees.

She reached out to grab the gun. Her fingers skimmed across the grip but before she could close her hand around it, his palm swept her out of the way and once again, he had the Glock under control. He stood, his back to the kitchen door, the barrel aimed at her head. His finger twitched.

With a desperate cry, she rolled and heard the bullet slam into the hardwood next to her.

Another crash sounded, a scream of fury echoed through the house. Brooke turned to see Jonas come through the garage door, eyes blazing, bat swinging.

A crack and then her attacker's cold eyes closed and he fell to the floor beside her.

Jonas dropped the bat he'd snagged from the neighbor's yard. He had broken the back window then raced around to the kitchen door just in time to see Brooke roll and a bullet slam beside her. Without pausing to think, he'd kicked the door in and swung the bat.

It had worked. She hadn't been shot, but her pale face, bleeding forehead and shallow breaths sent terror spiking through him. He dropped to the floor beside her. “Brooke? Brooke? Are you all right? Open your eyes. Talk to me.”

“I'm okay,” she said without opening her eyes.

“The ambulance is on the way,” Nicholas said as he cuffed the still unconscious thug.

“He's not dead, is he?” Jonas felt queasy at the thought, then stiffened his spine. The man had tried to shoot Brooke and, by the grace of God, missed. He'd been about to pull the trigger again. What else could he have done?

Nicholas shook his head. “He's alive. He'll have a whopper of a headache, but he'll live.” Nicholas sounded as though he regretted that fact.

“I didn't want to kill him, just stop him.”

“Well, you did that.” Officers swarmed the house. Nicholas gave him an admiring nod. “Nice job. A dangerous move, but you did it well.” His jaw tightened. “If you'd waited, she would be dead, so I'm not going into all of the ways things could have gone wrong.”

“All I cared about was getting to Brooke. I didn't really stop to think about it.”

“It's probably best. When you stop to think too much, it slows you down.” He gave a Nicholas a smile and the unconscious thug a hard shove. “Wake up, you. Time to rise and shine and do some talking.”

Chase and Gavin stepped inside and Jonas could see the intense concern for Brooke and himself. Gavin took one look at Brooke and frowned. “Stay put. I think the ambulance just pulled up.”

“Who is he?” Brooke asked. She ignored Gavin and struggled into a sitting position. Jonas reached out to help her and then kept one hand on her shoulder in case she felt dizzy and started to keel over. She swayed, but stayed upright. He looked at the man on the floor, who'd started to stir, and wished he'd swung the bat a little harder.

Nicholas shook his head. “I don't know who he is.” He patted him down. “No wallet or anything on him to give us a clue.”

“He's starting to wake up,” Gavin said. He shoved the man's shoulder. “Nap time is over. We need to talk.” The man groaned and blinked. Gavin stood over him. “What's your name?”

“Shut up.”

“Got a bit of a headache, I guess?” Brooke snapped.

Gavin pulled his iPhone from his pocket, hooked up the fingerprinting scanner and held it to the guy's index finger. “We'll know in a minute who you are if you're in the system.”

The prisoner squirmed and yelled. Nicholas simply placed a foot in the middle of his back and held him down. With his hands behind his back, there wasn't much he could do. Jonas thought the officer was much too gentle.

Gavin looked up. “Damian Sharples.”

“Priors?” Brooke asked.

“Oh, yes. A lot of them.” Gavin kneeled to look the man in the face. “So, Mr. Sharples. Who hired you?”

“I need a doctor and a lawyer.”

Gavin pinched his lips shut. Jonas could see his disgust. He nudged the man. “Where's my son?”

The thug's cold, empty eyes met his. “I don't know.”

“You're a liar. Try again.” Jonas kept his tone just as chilly.

Damian snarled. “If I knew where he was, he'd be dead.”

Jonas drew back. And yet relief filled him. He really didn't know. And Felix wasn't dead. The sighting near Travis's house had encouraged him, but not laying eyes on Felix himself had kept him wondering. Had the officer really seen him? Maybe. Jonas wouldn't feel better until he had Felix back home.

“What about my dog?” Brooke asked. “You're the one who broke in and stole her. I know you know where she is.”

“Yeah. I do. Good luck.”

Jonas gripped Brooke's arm to keep her from going after the man. She fell back against him.

Brooke allowed the EMTs to bandage her head. However, when they tried to convince her to go to the hospital, she refused. “I know what a concussion feels like and I know what to do for it. I'll be fine.”

Jonas disagreed and wanted to protest. He settled for a frown. She wrinkled her nose, but didn't budge on her decision. Jonas chanced a look at her boss, but Gavin simply shook his head and gave a small shrug as though to say not even he could force her if she refused.

Jonas grasped her hand and helped her to her feet. She swayed and he slipped an arm around her and tucked her into his side. “You really should get checked out.”

“If the symptoms don't subside in a day or so, I'll go to the doctor. For now, it's just a headache. The priority is finding Felix and Mercy.”

“We'll take care of that,” Nicholas said. “You need to go home and rest.”

Brooke lifted her chin. “Damian Sharples may be in custody, but this case isn't over yet. Felix could still be in danger.”

Jonas tensed. “But that guy said he didn't know where he was.”

“That guy didn't, but someone else might.”

TWENTY-ONE

O
nce Damian Sharples had been hauled away, Brooke put an ice pack on her head and downed a dose of ibuprofen. She would have preferred something a little stronger, but couldn't afford to feel drowsy. She had a kid and a dog to find.

Nicholas stepped back into the house. “Two officers picked up Felix's friend, Travis. They're waiting on us to come by and talk to him.”

“The parents there?” Gavin asked.

“Yes.”

“Let's go,” Brooke said.

Gavin frowned. “Not you.”

“I don't mean any disrespect, Gavin, but I'm going. I can ride with one of you or I can drive myself. It's important. I need to do this.” She kept picturing Felix's face at the children's home. He'd opened up there, let go of his attitude and let his true self come out and shine for a bit. She'd seen so much potential in him in that short period of time. And he was Jonas's son. She wanted to see him safe.

Jonas stepped up beside her. “I'm coming, too.”

Gavin's face turned red, but he gave a short nod. “We're keeping it informal for now.” The color faded from his cheeks and he rubbed his chin. “It actually might be a good idea to have you along, Jonas. They know and trust you.”

“That's true.”

“All right,” Gavin said. “Nicholas, you and Chase head over to the Fuller home. Jonas and Brooke can follow. You guys stay out of sight and let Jonas see if he can get the information from the kid. If he doesn't have any luck, you can step in and put the pressure on.”

Brooke walked past Gavin and out the door. Jonas stayed with her. He patted his pockets.

“You didn't drive, remember?” she said.

“Right.” He held out his hand and she dropped her keys into it. “How's the head?”

“Hurts like crazy.”

“I'm sorry.”

She gave him a small smile. “It's all right. You got Sharples with a baseball bat. The fact that his head probably hurts worse than mine gives me great satisfaction.”

Jonas climbed in the driver's seat, and Brooke slid into the passenger side. She leaned her head back and gave a small sigh. “I'm just going to keep my eyes closed while you drive, okay? Just follow Nicholas.”

“Got it.” He cranked the vehicle.

“Do you think Travis will tell you anything?”

“I have no idea, but I think he'll talk to me before he says anything to the police.”

Silence fell between them. She could almost hear him thinking. “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Something.” She reached over and grasped his hand, just holding it, relishing the feel of his palm against hers. She'd almost died today. She hadn't had time to process that thought. Now she could feel the shakes start to set in and tried to steel herself against them. She could fall apart later. Right now, she needed to be strong.

He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. She let her eyes flutter open and turned her head to watch him drive. “Something, Jonas. What is it?”

“I can feel you shaking.”

“My adrenaline is crashing.”

“I could have lost you today,” he said. His voice was soft, but she heard the emotion behind the words, the hitch in his breath.

Her heart contracted. He didn't say,
You almost died today
. He'd said,
I could have lost you
. That sentence held so much more meaning than the other one.

She cleared her throat. “I've been in a lot of tight spots, but I'll admit, that was the tightest.”

His fingers tightened around hers. “I understand that being in some danger comes with the territory, it's part of your job, but today...seeing you with the gun on your head—” He stopped and she saw his throat work.

“I know, Jonas. I'm sorry you had to see that. To go through that.”

He whipped his gaze to hers for a brief moment before looking back at the road. “That's not it. Well, part of it, but seeing that, it brought home a lot of things for me.”

“Like what?”

“Like...” He paused and sighed. “Like I want my son back. Now.”

“I know.” Her heart tumbled to her toes. And that surprised her. She'd wanted him to say something else. Spending time with him over the past week had hit home the fact that she'd never forgotten him—or moved on from him. She gasped.

“Are you all right?”

“Um, yeah. I just realized something, that's all.”

“What?”

She looked up. “I'll tell you later. We're here.”

Jonas led the way to the door. Nicholas and Brooke fell in behind him. He raised his hand to knock, but didn't need to. Charles opened the door and nodded. “Come on in.” He took a look at Brooke's bandaged head. “Are you all right?”

“I'm fine. Just a little run-in with a bad guy and his gun. I'll heal,” she murmured.

Jonas stepped inside and made his way into the living room. His heart beat a little faster. If Travis knew where Felix was, Jonas needed to rein in his anger and concentrate on just getting the boy to tell what he knew. Jonas took the couch. Brooke sat beside him. Travis shuffled into the room and slumped onto the wing-back chair near the fireplace.

“Tell them what you know, Travis,” his father said. Anger vibrated beneath the surface. Travis's shoulders stiffened and his jaw hardened.

Jonas didn't need the man making things worse. “Travis, I just want to say I appreciate you being a good friend to Felix.”

Travis's head shot up before he looked back down at the floor. He shrugged.

“Travis—” Charles stepped toward his son and Brooke rose and walked to the man.

She placed a hand on his arm. “Mr. Fuller, do you think I could have a glass of water?”

The man sighed, not fooled a bit by Brooke's manipulation. “Of course. I'll be right back.”

“Thank you.”

He left and Brooke returned to her seat with a nod for Jonas to continue.

Jonas cleared his throat. “Anyway, I just wanted to say that Felix really looks up to you and enjoys hanging out with you.”

“He's the best friend I've ever had,” Travis finally said.

“I know you want to protect him, but I really need to find him.” Jonas's throat worked and he had to force the words out. “There are some pretty mean people after him and while we think we have one of them, it's possible the guy was working with someone and that they're still looking for Felix.” Travis simply sat with his head hanging, the baseball cap shielding his face. “Travis, will you look me in the eye for a minute?” Travis hesitated, then looked up and Jonas snagged his gaze. The kid was completely conflicted. “If those guys get their hands on Felix, they'll kill him. It's that serious.”

The indecision faded and Travis nodded. “And you can keep him safe?”

“As soon as we know he's not in the wrong hands, we have a plan to make sure they know that Felix doesn't have what they want. Once they know that, there's no reason for them to keep coming after him.”

“He was afraid you were going to get hurt.”

“What?” Jonas sat back.

“That's one of the reasons he took off. He was mad at you for wanting to send him away, sure, but he told me that maybe it was better if he just stayed away from you, then the people who were after him would leave you alone.”

Jonas's breath left his lungs. A punch to his solar plexus wouldn't have had more effect than the boy's words. He swallowed and nodded. “I appreciate that. That means a lot to me, that he would do that, but we need to get him home and make sure he's protected. Please, Travis...”

“He's in my neighbor's tree house. Their kids are all grown up and they don't have any grandchildren, so I figured it would be a good place for him to hide out for a while. Just until things cooled down.”

Jonas bolted to his feet. “He's there now?”

Travis nodded. “As far as I know.”

Brooke laid a hand on Jonas's arm. “Take it easy. If you go charging out there, he might run.”

“I won't charge.” Jonas headed for the door. He wanted to see his son. He needed the tight ball of worry that had been his constant companion for the past few days to dissipate. And he needed to be able to tell Brooke exactly how he felt about her.

He stepped outside onto the back porch. The woods out back hid a lot. Including a tree house in the backyard of the neighbor to the right. The lack of a fence made for easy access. Heart pounding, palms sweating, Jonas headed for the woods. At the base of the tree, he looked up. “Felix?”

No answer. “I know you're up there, Felix. I talked to Travis. Will you please come down?” If Felix decided to stay quiet, Jonas would have to climb up. He'd placed one foot on the bottom rung of the ladder when Felix's head popped through the window.

“I can't believe Travis sold me out.”

Jonas sighed. “He's trying to help you. Like we all are.”

“I don't need any help and I'm not going to be sent away. I can take care of myself.”

“You don't have to go away. You're not in danger anymore.”

Felix fell silent, then his head disappeared. The small door opened and his son came down the ladder, as agile as a monkey. When he reached the bottom, Jonas reached out and pulled him into a hug.

Felix stood there for a moment, then Jonas felt his arms wrap around his waist. “You're not mad at me?” Felix mumbled into his chest.

“Oh, I'm mad, but I'm more glad than mad. So very glad you're safe. You scared me to death, son.”

“I'm sorry. I really am. I just didn't want to go away and leave you all alone and not be able to make sure you were okay. Travis kept checking on you for me and letting me know that you were safe.”

Jonas sighed and kissed the top of his son's head. “I understand. I'm not saying I'm okay with the way you went about everything, but I do understand.”

Felix pulled back and looked up at him. “Really?”

“Really.” He thought about the night he'd taken off after Brooke and shook his head. “Love makes you do dumb stuff sometimes.”

“Love?”

“Yeah, love.” Oh, boy. Yes, love. He cleared his throat. “I love you, Felix, you know that. And I know you were worried you'd brought those guys down on us because you took the phone.”

Tears dripped down Felix's young face. He nodded. “I know. I was stupid. Still am, but you know I love you, too.”

“Yeah,” Jonas whispered. “I know. And you're thirteen. I suppose you're going to do some stupid things over the next few years. Let's just make sure they don't get you killed, okay?”

“Or you,” Felix mumbled.

Nicholas stepped up and Brooke was only two steps behind him. “Were you in that tree house when Max was trying to track you?” Nicholas asked.

Felix pulled away from his dad. “Yes.”

Nicholas frowned. “I guess Max and I need to do some more training.”

Felix gave a small smile. “It wasn't totally his fault. I figured someone would try to track me with the dogs so I changed into one of Travis's shirts and had him drag mine along the ground, then get on his bike and ride with it flapping in the wind. I didn't know if it would work or not, but figured it was worth a try.”

Admiration glinted in Nicholas's eyes for a brief moment before he shook his head and looked at Jonas. “Smart kid.”

“Too smart,” Jonas muttered.

Brooke's phone rang. She answered it and relief crossed her face. She looked at him. “They found Mercy.”

“Wonderful.”

He nudged his son. “Come on, let's go tell Travis everything's fine.”

“His dad's going to kill him.”

“Naw, he's mad, but I don't think he'll do Travis any bodily harm. Might ground him for a year or two...”

Felix smiled and wrapped an arm around Jonas's waist as they headed back to the house together. Brooke walked beside them. Jonas reached out and grasped her fingers.

“Now what?” Felix asked.

“Now I go greet a prodigal of my own,” Brooke said.

Chase and Isaac met her at her home. Chase opened the back of his SUV and Mercy bounded out.

“Mercy!” Brooke called. She raced over to her friend and partner and dropped to her knees. The dog gave her a sloppy kiss and Brooke didn't even care. Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She knew she shouldn't be so attached to the animal, but her heart had been lost from the day they became partners. She looked up at Chase and Isaac. “Where did you find her?”

“Damian's house. He had her tied up in a shed out back.”

Felix climbed from the car. Mercy trotted over to him and gave him a wet greeting, too. Felix simply laughed and patted the dog's head. Mercy went to the front door and sat. Brooke laughed. “I guess she wants to go in.” She opened the door and Mercy beelined it for her bed in front of the fireplace. She snagged her bone, settled it between her paws and started chewing.

“She's glad to be home,” Jonas said.

“I'm glad she's home,” Brooke agreed. She looked at Felix. “And I'm very glad you're all right.”

Felix looked away then back at Brooke. He gave her a small smile. “That makes two of us.”

Chase clapped Isaac on the shoulder. “We've got a meeting in thirty.”

Isaac nodded. “We'd better head out.”

Brooke frowned. “Is it the whole team?”

“Yes.”

“Then I'd better get ready.”

“Whoa, wait a minute,” Chase said. “That was a hard crack on the head. You're supposed to be taking it easy.”

“Says who?”

“Gavin.”

She sighed. “I'm fine. I need to be in on the meeting. I'll meet you guys there.”

“I'll bring her,” Jonas said. He looked at Brooke. “You don't need to be driving, so we'll just remove that from your list. If you have your mind made up to go, I'll take you.”