Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #2 (46 page)

She wanted nothing more than to flee the scene. But then she remembered. “What about Brian?”

“He's on his own for now. I've got to get you out of here.” He paused. “Hang on because this could get dicey.”

She gripped her seat, but she couldn't help herself. She had to turn around. “I don't see anyone.”

“Doesn't mean they're not coming. If it is law enforcement, he could've called it in and tagged our car and plates. We may have cops on top of us as at any moment.”

“No, we can't let that happen.”

He punched the gas. “I hope Elena isn't behind this little stunt.”

“Why would you think it was her?”

“Because she'd be the only one who would focus on Brian's whereabouts.”

“We don't even know if it's anything. It could be unrelated.” She craned her neck to see out the rear window. “I still don't even see anyone tailing us, Max.”

Max didn't respond but instead floored it as he weaved through the city streets, then hit the interstate and headed north.

After a few minutes, she looked back again. “Doesn't look like we were followed.”

Max ran a hand through his hair keeping the other on the wheel. “I'm so sorry, Sydney. Maybe I was just imagining things.”

She smiled. The conscientious marshal wasn't as unshakeable as he let on. “It's completely understandable that you'd be overly cautious, and I'm grateful. So where does this leave us?”

“I'm going to circle back and head to Brian's house. Make a cautious approach there just in case. Then we'll just have to wait for him.”

“Sounds like a plan.” She only hoped that Brian made it back.

* * *

Max was worried he was losing it. By acting with his emotions, something he normally wouldn't do, he'd left Brian without backup. The more he replayed the events in his head, the more he was convinced that the person he saw had nothing to do with Sydney or the investigation. He was imagining threats where none existed. He just hoped it wouldn't cost Brian his life. He would never forgive himself for the misjudgment if it did.

He was sitting in the living room waiting on any word from Brian. It'd been almost three hours since Brian went inside the bank, and Max was worried.

When they had returned to Brian's, he'd conducted a security sweep and determined all was safe. Sydney had opted to lie down for a few minutes and rest. But Max was far too keyed up for that, replaying the night's events over and over again in his mind.

He paused for a moment and wondered how Sydney was managing to keep her cool. Yeah, no doubt she'd been getting antsy waiting in the car—and understandably so after she'd seen Ward. But once Max had lost it and driven them away, she'd regained her composure quickly. Was it her faith that made her so strong?

Max knew where his strength came from—it came from within. But with Sydney it was as if she had an extra layer of courage. Her faith was definitely helping her. And by helping her stay calm it was helping him, too.

She'd told him earlier that she was praying for him. A part of him almost welcomed those prayers. But that didn't mean he could return to his faith, did it?

His mind wandered back to his youth and sitting in church where he'd been so interested in the sermons. What ultimately had turned him off from faith? Had it been the actual ideas...or had it been his parents?

The door slammed, closing off those thoughts, and he jumped, almost knocking over his glass of soda.

He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw Brian. “What happened?” Max asked.

“I could ask you the same thing. You were nowhere to be found when I walked out of the bank.”

Max stood up. “There was a false alarm. I thought we had been made, so I got Sydney out of there. I'm sorry I left you hanging, but since I wasn't sure, I didn't feel it was safe to double back to the bank.”

Brian nodded. “Well, the meeting was a lot more than I bargained for. I can tell you that much.”

“And you don't even know all of it.”

Brian walked over to him, his eyes wide with concern. “I was hoping you could shed some light on why Jones's hired muscle came to me at the end of the meeting with a proposal.”

“What kind of proposal?”

“A deadly one.”

SEVEN

S
ydney walked down the stairs just in time to hear the ominous words come out of Brian's mouth. Her heartbeat raced. “What do you mean?”

Both men turned and looked at her with deep frowns on their faces.

“You can go back and rest. I'll catch you up later,” Max told her.

She shook her head as she entered the living room. “No way. This is all about me. I deserve to know the truth.”

“Well, I tend to agree,” Brian said. “But someone's going to have to help me fill in the blanks.”

She felt Max's eyes on her, assessing her. She nodded and he turned to Brian. “Ask away.”

“All right. Well, the guy with Lucas Jones was named Rick Ward. And after I was done talking to Jones, he approached me about using my resources to track down and kill someone.” His eyes darkened as he turned to her. “You, Sydney.”

She wasn't the least bit surprised. It was just as she suspected. Rick wouldn't rest until she had been punished for what she'd done to him. She'd embarrassed him by running out on him when he'd never expected she'd have the nerve or the courage to leave him. “Brian, that man you met is my ex-boyfriend.”

“Ward is your ex?” Brian asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Unfortunately so.” She didn't really want to rehash the history with Brian, but considering all he was doing for her, he deserved to know the truth. She gave him the condensed version. “He seemed nice enough at the beginning, but then he became highly abusive. So much so that I feared for my life. One day I was able to make a break for it, so I did.”

“I'm so sorry, Sydney. But now this makes a lot more sense to me. It seemed very personal for Ward. And we had this conversation after Lucas Jones had left the room. Ward was very intent on getting this job done whatever the cost. He offered me one hundred thousand.”

“How did you respond to Ward?” Max asked.

“I told him I'd think about it, but that I'd want a better deal than that, as well as access to Jones.”

Then it hit her. “I have an idea.”

Max walked over to where she stood. “What is it?”

“Have Brian agree to this deal with Ward.”

“What?” the men asked in unison.

“We'll fake my death.” She stood with her hands on her hips, proud of her idea.

“No way,” Max said. “It's way too risky. Ward is the type of guy that will want proof.”

“We'll have to come up with something,” she told him. “But just think about it. It's the perfect plan. It gets Ward off my back and gives Brian time to investigate the link between Diaz and Jones.”

“And how do you suppose that we'll make the US Marshals think you're dead?” Max asked. “They're still looking for us.”

“All the more reason to go on the run. Get away from here.” She looked at Brian, hoping he'd back up her idea.

“She may have a point,” Brian said. “It could be a great plan.”

Max threw his hands in the air. “Maybe in the abstract. But I'm telling you, the details of faking her death make me very nervous. How are you going to convince Ward that you killed Sydney?”

Brian remained calm as he defended his opinion. “We've done things like this before.”

“But this is different,” Max said.

“But it's doable,” Brian countered.

As the men argued, Sydney grew more certain of her plan. Feeling as though she could fight back against Rick was empowering. Maybe it wouldn't be with her fists, but this would be even better.

Finally, Brian seemed to win out. He calmly explained how he'd make Sydney's plan work. “Ward is supposed to get back to me with a new quote for my dirty work and a guarantee of another meeting with Jones. I didn't want to seem desperate to work with them. I think Lucas Jones and I had a good talk. But it's going to take more than one meeting to get what I need from him. Guys like him don't divulge critical details in the first meeting. Sydney's plan would buy me the additional time to work on the connections.”

She clasped her hands together in front of her. “So it sounds like it's settled to me. We're going to do this. Now it's just a matter of logistics.”

Max scoffed. “If only the logistics weren't the hardest part.”

“What about Elena?” Sydney asked.

“I think we have to keep her in the dark. The only people that can know the truth right now are the three of us.”

“Well, we better sit down and get to work,” Brian said.

They gathered around the table, developing a plan of action. Sydney loved the fact that they were going on the offensive as opposed to waiting for something else awful to happen.

Brian ordered three large pizzas, mainly because he and Max claimed they were starving. Now with two pizzas decimated and a third being worked on, it seemed like the right choice. She'd even polished off three slices of pepperoni.

“Now, about proving my death,” she said, wiping her hands on a napkin. “Maybe Brian could take a piece of my clothing and a lock of my hair.”

“I don't know if that would be enough.”

“Could we stage a picture?” she asked.

“We could definitely do that,” Brian said. “That could be my backup if he doesn't go for the tangible articles.”

“What about timing?” she asked.

Brian looked at her. “Ward wanted it done ASAP. Like I said, it was clear he had it in for you. Once he gets back to me with his revised offer, which could be as soon as tonight, then I'll tell him I'll get started.”

“Either way, this will be our last night here. We're going to move,” Max said.

“That's smart. Are you sure you'll be okay for the rest of night? Are you still good with Elena?”

“
Good
may be too strong of a word, but I think if she wanted to do something, she would've already done it. I just have to make sure we're not followed when we leave.”

Brian seemed unsettled. “Maybe you should leave now. Are you awake enough to drive for an hour or so?”

“Of course,” Max said. “And come to think about it, I agree with you.” He turned to Sydney. “Pack up your things.”

“I picked up two burner phones.” Brian handed one to Max. “I programmed my burner number into yours.”

“Great,” Max said.

“Before you leave, though, I need to get the picture of Sydney and her things.”

These guys were professionals. Sydney was in the best possible hands given the gravity of the situation. And even though she couldn't stop being anxious, she felt a lot better knowing that they had a plan. Especially a plan that involved making Ward think she was dead. It wouldn't solve her problem forever, but at least it would be a temporary solution.

* * *

Sydney awoke the next morning with a start. Where was she? Then it came back to her. They'd driven into South Carolina and stopped in the middle of the night so that Max could get some much needed rest.

The night had passed by in a blur as she had cut off a lock of her hair and then posed for the picture to fake her death. Brian had been careful about the picture, setting up the angle and the lighting that would make it the most realistic. As a professional forensic artist, she felt a bit strange being the subject of the photo and not being able to provide her expert input. What was even more troubling was the fact that if she had stayed with Rick, she might be dead right now instead of just posing as if she was.

Max and Brian insisted that they got a shot that could fool Rick. Rick wasn't stupid, but his arrogance often clouded his intelligence. He used his size and strength to get his way and not his brain.

As she lay in the hotel-room bed, she couldn't help but think about how she'd ever ended up with a man like Rick Ward in the first place. But there was no use thinking about it now. That was the past. And because of what had happened with Rick, she'd found faith. Her life had forever changed.

But her heart still ached because of something else. Someone else. What if the Lord had put Max in her life for a reason? What if she could be to him what others had been to her? Max had lived a Christian life for years and had only turned away because of his difficult childhood. Did the Lord want her to help bring Max back to faith?

She could only continue to pray that God would give her the strength and wisdom to know how to handle the situation. To show Max that returning to his faith would actually be freeing and empowering. That how his parents lived wasn't the way he had to live.

One thing was for certain. She wasn't giving up on Max. He was her friend and always would be—if they made it through this alive. And she wanted to have the opportunity for him to continue to see how God worked through her life. No doubt it would be an uphill battle, but one she was ready for.

But was she ready for Rick and the East River gang to continue their pursuit? She wasn't sure, but she knew she'd get through it. And when this was over, she wanted Rick to face justice for what he'd done to her. Because if he had treated her that way, he surely had done the same thing to other women.

A knock on the adjoining door had her jumping up out of the bed and throwing on a sweater over her T-shirt. She looked at the clock and saw it was almost 10:00 a.m.

“Hey.” She opened the door, and Max stood there with a faint smile.

“I slept like a rock,” he said. “But I guess I needed it.”

“Yeah, we didn't get in last night until after one.”

“How are you feeling?” He stepped inside her room.

“Considering everything that's happened, I'm holding up pretty good.”

He grabbed her hand. “You are strong.”

“Thanks.” She felt her heart warm, whether at his words of praise or at his touch, she didn't know.

“You must be starving. I know I am. Want to grab some food?”

“Yeah, can you just give me a few minutes to hop in the shower?”

“Of course. Knock on my door when you're ready.”

When he let her hand go and walked out of her room, she realized her heart was pounding. And it had nothing to do with danger—and all to do with Max.

* * *

Max exhaled after he left Sydney's room. With each passing day his respect for her grew. The strength and courage she had demonstrated throughout this ordeal was amazing. But he wondered if he was starting to feel something else for her.

How was that even possible, though? He'd had casual relationships before, but there had never been any authentic emotion. He felt as if he understood Sydney more than any of those other women. And even more strangely, he felt like Sydney got him.

His burner phone buzzed, and he picked it up.

“Hey,” he said, knowing it had to be Brian.

“I've got good news. The operation is a go. Ward took the bait. I told him I'd have the job completed ASAP and would send him proof as soon as it was done. I'm also supposed to meet with Jones again tonight.”

“How are you feeling about things?”

“Actually pretty solid. I think this plan just may work. I'll have to feel out Jones to determine how much to push the Kevin Diaz angle. I set it up to where I'd be worried about Diaz being my competition. But I don't want to come off as too nosy or it may send up red flags. I'll have to go with my gut once I hear what Jones has to say.”

“I get that, but we also don't have a lot of time here. We can't risk that trial restarting without Sydney's testimony against Kevin Diaz. Once word gets out to Diaz that Sydney is dead, he'll think he's home free on the charges. Without her expert testimony, the state's case isn't that strong.”

“I understand, man. I'll do all I can and then some.”

Max took a deep breath. “I know. I appreciate this more than you can ever know.”

Brian didn't reply right away. A few seconds passed, and when he did speak, his voice was different, more tentative. “Max, is something deeper going on between you and Sydney?”

“What do you mean?”

“I've known you for years. And there's something about the way you are around her that's different.”

Max didn't want to go down this road because he didn't fully understand it himself just yet. But he wasn't about to tell Brian that, either. He responded as any marshal would. “I just want to do everything in my power to protect her.”

“Understood, bro. Be careful. I'll update you as soon as I can.”

Knowing the plan was set into motion, Max ended the call and paced for the few minutes until Sydney was ready. They opted for the fast-food drive-through and brought back an assortment of things to the hotel. They ate in her room since she had the bigger table.

“I'm glad they let us order breakfast and lunch. I'm starving.” Sydney laughed as she eyed the array of food.

It was great seeing her smile and laugh. Over the past few days there had been few opportunities to do so. Her smile reached all the way to her big brown eyes and seemed to light up her face, making her even prettier.

They ate in silence. When they were done he wasn't sure why he broached the topic he did.

“I know you said that you found a church after you left Ward. But before all that happened with him, what was your stance on faith?”

Her eyes widened. He'd definitely surprised her with that question. “You know, I didn't really have a stance. I guess I'd say I was neutral. My mom never took me to church. Sadly, she died a few years ago.” She paused. “So, growing up I didn't have any example to go by. But I wouldn't say that I was as skeptical as you are. I never had the experience of believing and then wanting to walk away from faith.”

“I am skeptical,” he concurred. “But I have reason to be.”

“What happened to you, Max?”

He looked down. “I don't really like talking about it.”

“You have walls around you. Believe me, I get that. But I think you realize at this point that I wouldn't judge your past.”