Sealed In Lies (11 page)

She felt the cold steel barrel press against her neck. Trembling with fear and exhaustion she didn’t move. She couldn’t bear to think of what would come next.

“
I’m getting up now. Are you going to cooperate?”

Caroline nodded. She was crying now. Not hysterical sobs, but soft quiet tears. The man rose and pulled her to her feet in front of him. He nudged her and together they walked back through her bedroom door. He led her to the bed and pushed her toward it.

“
Sit down,” he commanded

Caroline sat on the edge of the bed. Her face wet with tears, she looked up at her captor. He was very tall, well over six feet. She already knew he was strong, so the well-defined muscles and body tone did not surprise her. His face remained in shadow but it was obvious his head was shaved. The pale rays of the moonlight coming through the window shone on his head. He was standing about two feet away, pointing a gun straight at her.

“
That’s better. Now, I’m going to step over here and turn on a light. He backed up toward the doorway and flicked on the overhead light. They both winced as the chandelier blazed to life. The man stood, taking in the elegant bedroom. He looked all around the room as if he were scanning for something. Caroline had seen Warren do that sometimes when he entered a room. Eventually his eyes rested back on Caroline, who was perched on the side of the tall four-poster bed with her feet resting on the two-step stool.

She got a good look at his face now. His eyes were so dark, they resembled hard black marbles. His look was fierce. He had sharp features, high cheekbones, a pointed aquiline nose, and a square jaw. She assumed his hair, when he had some, was the same dark color as his heavy brows, which were now knit together in concentration. She blushed under the intensity of his gaze. She gathered the folds of her nightgown up under her chin and pulled her elbows in to cover her chest.

She jumped when he spoke. “Who are you?” He asked.

She lifted her head and stuck out her chin with all the bravery she could muster. It wasn’t much. “I-I’m Caroline Walters.”

She heard a quick intake of breath as he got the full view of her face. One eyebrow rose slightly and he gave her body a thorough examination with his eyes. Caroline had seen that look before and began to tremble uncontrollably.

“
Are you Warren’s wife?”

“
Yes.”

The man cursed softly and began to pace the room in front of her. Without saying anything, he tossed her a cashmere afghan that was lying on the foot of the bed. This surprised her. She grasped it and wrapped it around her shoulders, still watching him pace.

He seemed to be struggling with a decision he was trying to make. Caroline hoped it wasn’t a decision about what to do with her, but she suspected that was exactly what he was muttering about. He stopped and looked at her again.

“
What happened to your face?” He asked.

“
I fell.” That was always her standard response. She knew he probably wouldn’t believe her, but she didn’t care. She certainly didn’t owe this intruder any explanation of why she looked like a human punching bag.

“
Where did you fall? Out a four story window?” He was skeptical.

“
No.” She said shortly.

He resumed pacing. “I see,” he said. “Well, Caroline Walters, you have created quite a problem for me. My intention was to come in here, find what I was looking for and get out without being seen. However, you have thrown a monkey wrench in that plan, so I have to come up with a new one.

“
So… here’s the plan. You will come with me back into Warren’s suite and tell me where I can find his laptop computer or any other computer that he happens to use on a regular basis. Then, you will help me find what I am looking for on that computer.” He walked over to the bed and pulled her to her feet by her elbow. He smiled at her sardonically. “You do know how to work a computer, don’t you Caroline?” He pronounced her name with a distinct southern drawl.

Fear laced Caroline’s voice as she said, “I don’t know anything about Warren’s personal business. If he has a computer in his suite of rooms I certainly wouldn’t begin to know where to look. I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

The man looked down at her, his eyes narrowing. “He’s your husband isn’t he?”

She nodded.

“
Then you should know where he keeps his personal computer. Let’s go.”

Caroline padded barefoot in front of him, the beige afghan dragging along behind her. She went through the connecting door into Warren’s suite. The room was in total disarray. He had opened drawers, thrown clothes on the floor, and knocked over the pedestal that had contained a bust of Warren’s father. The bust was lying face down on the floor. A piece of the nose had chipped off and was lying inches away. That must have been what Caroline had heard fall. A strange thought struck her that Warren’s father was more handsome with a smaller nose. She almost giggled at the thought. Stress could cause the strangest reactions, she mused.

The small desk that Warren kept in this room was thoroughly ransacked. He had obviously not found what he was looking for. He poked her in the small of the back with his gun, urging her further into the room.

“
Where would he keep a laptop computer? Have you ever seen him use one?”

“
Yes, he has one but I have no idea where he keeps it. For all I know he has it with him.”

“
Damn, I was afraid of that. Does he have a secret place where he goes or works when he is home?”

“
Just his office downstairs.”

“
Can you think of any other place where he might keep information that he wouldn’t want anyone to see?”

“
We have a safe in this room.”

“
Where,” he demanded. “Show me.”

Caroline walked across the room, around the bed and to the dresser on the opposite wall. “It’s behind this dresser.”

He waved the gun at her. “Get on this side and help me move it out.”

As they moved the dresser away from the wall, his eyes met hers. She knew he saw her wince in pain as she strained to move the heavy oak dresser. One eyebrow rose again in that quizzical stare, but he didn’t say anything until they had the dresser about six inches away from the wall.

“
What’s the combination?”

“
I don’t know. He never gave it to me.”

He cursed softly and took her by the arm. He led her over to the bed and pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket. Caroline’s eyes widened in fear. He was going to handcuff her to the bedpost. Oh God, help me please, she silently prayed.

“
Sit down,” he ordered. She obeyed. He raised her arm and handcuffed it to the bedpost just as she suspected. “Sit tight while I open this safe.”

Caroline watched as he walked over to the safe and studied it for a moment. She heard him mutter a soft curse and then put his ear to the metal door. He turned the tumbler and listened then turned the tumbler again. He tried the latch. Nothing. Cursing again, he took another try at the tumblers. After the third try she heard him say, “Bingo.”

He opened the door to the safe and began to rummage inside. He pulled out several items. There were two jewelry cases, a wad of cash, and three CD ROMs. He placed the jewelry cases and the wad of cash on the dresser and began to study the CD’s. He was more interested in those than he was the money or the jewelry. He nodded, seeming satisfied, picked up all the items and approached the bed.

“
I need you to get dressed. You are going to come with me.” He must have seen the look of shear panic on her face because he added, “I won’t hurt you as long as you cooperate, but I can’t leave you here after you have seen what I look like. Looks like I’ve got myself a hostage whether I want one or not. Let’s go.”

He uncuffed her hands and led her back through the connecting door into her bedroom. “Put some jeans and a sweatshirt on. Grab tennis shoes and a heavy coat. We may have to do some physical running and I don’t want you slowing me down. Hurry up, I’m running out of time here.”

She felt his eyes on her as she went into her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans, a US Navy Seals sweatshirt, heavy socks and a pair of tennis shoes. She opened her dresser and pulled out a bra and panties. She didn’t miss the look on his face. God, men were so predictable. “Can I go into the bathroom to put these on?” she asked.

“
Yes, but keep the door open.”

She held the clothes to her breast as she stepped into the bathroom. He stood just outside the door. Knowing he could see her through the mirror, she turned her back and pulled on her panties. She then pulled the nightgown over her shoulders and heard his sharp intake of breath as the full color of all the bruises she had up and down her body was revealed. She expected him to say something, but he didn’t. He just stood there quietly.

Quickly she fastened her bra and pulled the sweatshirt over her head. She pulled on the jeans and turned around. Walking out of the bathroom and to the dressing table, she sat on the small stool and put on her socks and shoes. She pulled on an expensive sheepskin jacket and stood before him ready to go.

“
Hold out your hands,” he said. She did as he asked. He cuffed her wrists together and motioned with the gun for her to move ahead of him.

They went out the door and down the stairs. He walked her through the kitchen.

“
Wait a minute,” he paused by a small white board hanging on the refrigerator door. He picked up the pen and wrote;

Warren,

I’ve got your wife. Don’t try to find me or I’ll kill her. We’ll talk when I’m ready.

J

Caroline read the note and shivered again, despite the warm coat. Was this man serious? Was he really going to kill her? How could she get away from him? She couldn’t remember a time she had been so frightened.

“
Let’s go,” he said. Motioning her ahead of him with the gun, they left the house.

Chapter 12

“
Don’t tell me to calm down. That son-of-a-bitch has my wife! You said you had him under control! You said he was an insignificant ant on an elephant’s ass. Well, your insignificant ant has kidnapped my wife. God knows what he is capable of doing to her. Damn you.”

Warren raged at the man sitting calmly behind his mammoth mahogany desk sipping bourbon on the rocks. He looked at Warren over the rim of the glass, his face expressionless. He watched as Warren paced back and forth across the very expensive Indian rug that covered the oak paneled floor. He noticed, without comment, the purple color of Warren’s face and the vein that had popped out on Warren’s neck like a Kudzu vine creeping it’s way up an oak tree. If Walter didn’t calm down soon he was going to have a stroke. That would be the complete opposite of where he wanted his plan to go. He spoke at last.

“
Jesus, Warren, calm down. I know Weaver has your wife and that upsets you but he won’t hurt her, you know that. He’s not into hurting women, like you are.” That comment earned a seething look from Warren. “He either took her because he thinks he can get your goat and have you spill your guts about what is going on, or he thinks that he is a little safer as long as she’s with him. Maybe he plans to use her as leverage later. Whatever his thoughts are, I guarantee you he won’t hurt her.”

“
You don’t know him half as well as you think you do. If you did we wouldn’t have the problems we are having now. I served with that man for eight years as a SEAL; I know what he can do. Chasing him is like chasing smoke. He can completely disappear when he needs to. He will be so deep underground that you won’t be able to find him if he had a GPS locator chip up his ass.

And another thing, this little complication will draw the press’s attention again, and we will have to explain this away like we are going to have to explain how Larson died in Colombia. How is it going to look that some ex-SEAL CIA agent just waltzes into my supposedly secure home; I’m going to kill those guards by the way, and just waltzes back out again with my wife. Do you know what an idiot I look like? I can’t even keep my own wife safe? How can the country have any confidence in me as the leader of their nation?

“
You have no idea what kind of damage that little shit house rat has done and it’s entirely your fault. You were the one that had the brilliant idea to send Larson down there to expose him and have Cortez’s men do away with him. That didn’t exactly go as you planned, now did it?” Warren had stopped pacing and was leaning over the desktop stabbing a finger into the smaller man’s chest. “This is all your fault,” he repeated. “I never should have gotten mixed up with the likes of you. You’re going to end my political career before I ever make it to the goddamn White House.”