Shattered Trust (Shattered #2) (18 page)

We arrive at Madrigal’s house after midnight. Good thing he’s the head of security; no boss to question what took so long. The guard on duty buzzes us in. Once we’re inside, he communicates which room has been assigned to me. I grab the one suitcase I’ll need for tonight and leave the rest of the things in the SUV. My flight for Tampa doesn’t leave until the afternoon, so there’ll be plenty of time in the morning to retrieve and stash the rest of my things.

When we say good-night at the door to my room, Hunter brushes his thumb over my mouth, and I bite the tip. He brings it to his mouth and licks away the hurt. I want him to kiss me one last time, but without a word of good-bye, he pivots military-style and walks away from me.

Chapter 31

Madrigal

The trip back from Roanoke where the bar examination took place will take approximately three hours along I-81. Two hours into the trip, I make a pit stop to pee and grab a bottle of cold water from a mini-mart. Just as I’m getting back in my car, my cell rings. Steele. Odd. I called him before I left to let him know about my estimated time of arrival. Is he getting antsy about my return?

“Hi,” I say. “Miss me?”

“Yes. How soon will you be home?”

“In an hour or so.”

“Okay.” He sounds a bit tense.

“Anything wrong?”

“No. I just wanted to hear your voice, that’s all. See you soon?”

“Okay.”

“Madrigal?” he says just a beat before I hang up.

“Yes.”

“I love you.”

“What?” He blurts this out now? When I’m nowhere near him?

“You heard me. Bye.” And he’s gone.

Did he really say he loves me? I giggle. Yeah, he did. My heart flutters. I’ve always known he cares for me, so his declaration of love makes sense. How do I feel about him? I love the way he treats me, the things we do in bed. He’s smart and protective. Sometimes a little too much. But his heart’s in the right place. I don’t know if the way I feel about him amounts to love, though. He’s older and wiser, knows what he wants. But there’s so much about him I don’t know. He shuts down whenever I bring up his childhood, his past, only sharing what he wants. I’ll need more than that from him, a lot more, if I’m to trust him with my love. Sliding back behind the steering wheel, I start the car and point it toward the highway. Time enough after I get home to discuss what he just said.

When I arrive home an hour later, a dozen vehicles block the driveway, some of them police cruisers, one an EMT transport. What on earth’s going on? My first thought is of Madison, the second of Steele. His voice had sounded strange on the phone. Has something happened? I practically fall out of my SUV in my hurry to climb down and race up the driveway, past the myriad of uniformed police.

But before I get to the house, one of them blocks my way. “You can’t go inside, ma’am.”

“Of course I can. It’s my home.”

“You’re Madrigal Berkeley?”

“Yes. What’s wrong?”

“Please come with me.” Taking me by the elbow, he leads me through the throng. As we pass them, one and all stare at me with concern in their eyes.

“Please tell me. What’s wrong? Is my sister hurt?”

“Your questions will be answered in a moment, ma’am.”

There’s a commotion by the front door, and then Steele is standing in front of me.

I grab him by the lapels of his jacket, my surety in a world gone topsy-turvy. “What’s going on?”

He clamps his hands on my arms. “Madison’s been kidnapped.”

My knees wobble, and he wraps his arm around me to keep me from dropping to the ground. “Who took her? When did this happen?”

“Let’s step inside so we can talk.”

The officer who brought me this far pushes people aside to give us a clear path to the foyer. On the way, I pelt Steele with questions. “How could this be? Wasn’t Alicia Carson with her?”

“Yes, they went shopping.” Men and women crowd the inside of my home, some in uniforms, others in suits. I don’t know a single one of them.

A blond man in a dark jacket steps forward. “Ms. Berkeley?”

“Yes.”

He flashes an ID with “FBI” stamped on it. “I’m Agent Riley O’Connor. Can we talk?”

“In a minute,” Steele says, pulling me into the living room. As soon as we step through, he locks the French doors behind us. After he leads me to the couch and orders me to sit, he steps to the drink cart and pours scotch into a tumbler. When he returns, he pushes it toward me. “Drink.”

“I hate that stuff.”

“I know. Drink it anyway.”

Knowing better than to argue with him, I knock it back in one gulp and slam down the glass. “Talk.”

“Madison wanted to buy a present for Philippe, some riding trinket she’d seen at a Tysons Corner shop. An hour ago, we got a phone call from the police. Alicia Carson was shot and Madison kidnapped. Alicia’s been taken to the ER at Fairfax Hospital.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s in surgery right now. We’ll know in a couple of hours. After the kidnapper shot Alicia, he pushed Madison into his car and, wheels squealing, took off. Nobody got the license plate number. They only caught a Virginia tag.” He waves toward the French doors. On the other side, Agent O’Connor, among others, is blatantly staring into the room. “As you can see, Fairfax and Loudoun County police are here. So is the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team. They’ve questioned the staff, but they need to talk to you.”

My heart’s in my throat. Is Madison hurt? In pain? I refuse to consider anything more than that. “Who could have taken her? And why?”

“They have no idea. They’re looking at footage from security cameras, but so far they’ve found nothing.”

“How could that be? That’s a busy mall.”

“I don’t know. I wish to God I did.” He rakes a hand through his hair. It’s only now I notice his disheveled appearance. He’s normally so well dressed, but his tie is crooked and his jacket’s buttoned up wrong.

“I can’t imagine Madison going quietly. She’s strong.”

“Yes, she is.” He kneels in front of me, tucks my cold hands between his. I crave his warmth, his strength, with every ounce of me. “She’s not hurt, Madrigal. You have to believe that. He took her for a reason.”

“Such as?”

“My guess would be money. Your grandfather’s murder has been in the news, and photos of you and Madison have been splattered all over the media. Somebody figured out how to make a quick buck by grabbing her and demanding ransom. You’ll see.”

A sob escapes me.

“Madison has spirit. She’s a brave girl. She’ll get through this.”

“
Will
she get through this?”

“Yes, she will. You must believe this.”

“I can’t lose her. Not now.”

Steele wraps his arms around me. I lean against him to draw from his strength.

“You need to talk to Agent O’Connor,” he says. “Should I let him in?”

“I need a minute.”

“You don’t have one, sweetheart. The sooner they piece together the facts, the faster they’ll find Madison.”

I sit up, brush back my hair, take a deep breath. “Okay.”

Steele opens the door and motions Agent O’Connor into the room. No sooner does he do that than my cell phone chirps. It’s Brad Holcomb. I debate letting it go to voice mail, but some sixth sense tells me to answer the call. “Brad, I can’t talk to you right now. My sister’s missing.”

“I know. Dad took her.”

I gesture wildly to the two men in the room and turn on the speakerphone. “Dr. Holcomb took her? Why?”

“Money. What else? He asked me to call you. He wants three million dollars deposited into a Cayman offshore account. You have twenty-four hours to do so. The minute he gets the confirmation the money is there, he’ll let Madison go.”

“He won’t get away with this, Brad. The FBI is looking for him.”

“I know that. Don’t you think I know that? But he’s not thinking clearly. Not when he’s about to lose everything he owns. You got something to write with? He wants me to give you the bank information.”

Charlie had called it. A desperate man will take desperate measures.

Agent O’Connor retrieves a pad and pen from the inside of his jacket. Pen poised over the pad, he nods.

“Go ahead,” I say into the phone. Once Brad rattles off the details, Agent O’Connor holds the pad in front of me so I can read the bank information back to Brad. A glance at my watch tells me it’s after closing hours at the bank. “It’s past five. Banks won’t open again until tomorrow. I won’t be able to do anything until then.”

“As long as the money’s in his bank account by close of business tomorrow, everything will be fine. If not, I don’t know what he’ll do. He’s not kidding around, Madrigal.”

“I’ll take care of it. But if he hurts one hair on Madison’s head—”

“He won’t if you wire the money. Just remember, he’s a doctor with access to drugs. He can give her a lethal injection and walk away.”

Gorge rises in my throat. “He wouldn’t do that.”

“He’s already done it.”

I clutch the cell so tight my fingers hurt. “What are you talking about?”

“His medical facility? Families use it to get rid of rich relatives who’ve lived just a little too long. He admits those poor souls, and they end up dead. No one complains. Least of all the family members. That’s how he kept us afloat all these years. I think he’s planning to go somewhere with the three million and start over again.”

“The police will find him and bring him back.”

“Not if he ends up in a country with no extradition treaty with the United States.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“He’s been planning an escape for years. I convinced him to wait. That’s why I proposed to you. We were going to use your money to pay off the debts we’ve racked up. But when you turned me down, he moved up his timetable.”

“So he always planned to kidnap Madison?”

“If you didn’t agree to marry me. Yes.”

“He’s insane.”

“I know, but he’s my father. And I don’t want him to die.”

When the police catch up with him, and I have to believe they will, I wouldn’t put odds on his father making it out alive. “Let me hang up so I can arrange for the money.”

“Okay.”

“What’s his address?” Agent O’Connor asks as soon as I end the call.

I rattle off the location that’s only a few miles from us.

“I’ll arrange for a team to head there now.”

“Okay.”

O’Connor steps out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Wrapping my arms around my waist, I pace up and down the rug. “I don’t know what to do!”

“About the money?” Steele asks.

“Yes. Even if I pay him, he may still kill Madison.”

He walks up to me, throws his arms around me, drops a kiss on my head. “He won’t. Kidnapping her is bad enough, but if he harms her, he’s done for. He’s not dumb. He knows the consequences of such an action.”

“Yes, but he’s desperate.” Think, Madrigal, think. I take a deep breath, let it out. The money. I need to take care of that first. “The bank manager. His number is in Gramps’s study, in the bottom drawer with his business papers. Please go get it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I have to believe he’ll let her live as long as I pay him.”

As soon as he leaves, the FBI operative steps back in. “I have someone tracking the GPS in Dr. Holcomb’s car. We’ll find him, Ms. Berkeley, don’t worry. We’ll be leaving for his house in five minutes.”

“I want to go with you.”

“I’m not sure that’s wise.”

“I know Brad. He was my boyfriend at one time.”

Steele overhears this as he steps back into the room. His frown intensifies. “Here,” he says, handing me a piece of paper with a name and a phone number.

Something chirps in Agent O’Connor’s jacket. His cell. He retrieves it and reads the message. “We’ve tracked the GPS in his car as far as the Potomac River. A team’s been dispatched to the location. While we wait for their report, I’m headed out.”

“Where are you going?” Steele asks.

“To Brad Holcomb’s home.”

“I’m coming with you,” I say.

“No,” Agent O’Connor says.

I stuff the piece of paper Steele handed me into a pocket as a different scheme flits into my head. “You won’t get anything out of Brad. He’ll see you as a threat to his father. But I can get him to talk.”

Agent O’Connor mulls that over for a couple of seconds.

I grab Steele’s hand. “And he’s coming with me.” If Brad refuses to talk, I’ll set Steele loose on him.

O’Connor’s gaze bounces between Steele and me. Hands clasped, we stand ramrod straight like soldiers.

“Fine,” O’Connor says. “But you’ll need to stay out of the way and let me do the talking.”

“Okay,” I say. Steele promises no such thing.

On the way to Brad’s home, the police report in. They found Dr. Holcomb’s car abandoned, and there are tracks from another car nearby. They don’t know whose.

“Could he have rented a car?” I ask.

“No record of that,” O’Connor clips out. “He must have bought one. In cash. Or stolen it from somebody. Tell me about Brad Holcomb.”

I give him a rundown. “I doubt his father would trust him with any details. Dr. Holcomb did not have a high opinion of Brad. He thought his son was weak.”

“You never know. Holcomb owns several properties. We have teams headed to all of them. He’s bound to make a mistake. As soon as he does, we’ll grab him.”

The memory of a conversation I overheard between Gramps and Holcomb pops into my mind. “He has a place that might not be on a list of his properties.”

“Where?” O’Connor and Steele ask in unison.

“In West Virginia, near Bear Rock Lakes.”

Agent O’Connor checks something on his phone. “You’re right. It’s not there.”

“It wouldn’t be. I heard him and my grandfather talking about it one day. It’s nothing but a trailer with a porch hanging off the side. They stayed there when they hunted.”

“That doesn’t exactly narrow it down,” O’Connor says.

“The son has to know where it is,” Steele jumps in.

“Let me talk to Brad. I’ll get him to tell me.”

When we arrive, I’m surprised to see Hunter Stone jump out from one of the FBI vehicles. How did he talk them into letting him come?

Agent O’Connor pounds on the door. Brad looks shit-in-his-pants terrified, but he lets us in. Mrs. Holcomb looks like hell swaying back and forth in a rocking chair. Although I feel sorry for her, I don’t have time for sympathy, not when my sister’s life is on the line.

“We have some questions,” Agent O’Connor says to Brad.

“You mind if we use the study? My mother has Alzheimer’s. She’s confused over what my father did. I’d just as soon not cause her more upset.”

“Lead the way.”

Once we arrive at the study and Brad shuts the door, he turns to us. “I don’t know where he’s keeping Madison. He didn’t say.”

“Ms. Berkeley mentioned he had a trailer at Bear Rock Lakes, West Virginia,” O’Connor says.