Holiday Illusion
Lynette Eason
To save a sick, orphaned boy, Anna Freeman must risk her own life.Little Paulo desperately needs a new heart. It's his only Christmas wish–well, that and building his first snowman. For the surgery, Anna must take him to a hospital in the city she once called home. A place she fled in fear years ago.Which means telling Dr. Lucas Bennett that the woman he's known all this time as a caring orphanage worker is really someone else. Someone with a very frightening past. And that the danger stalking all of them won't take Christmas Day off.
“Anna, let’s go to the boat.”
“Why?” Lucas had avoided the boathouse like the plague until now.
“I’ll explain in a minute.”
Anna did as requested and followed Lucas down the path that led to the boathouse. As they neared the building, Lucas’s steps faltered for a brief moment before he squared his shoulders, as though approaching the boathouse equaled going into battle. “Lucas, could I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” he said, but never looked at her, just kept his eyes on the door to the building.
“What’s the deal with you and your father? Why is it so tense and formal between you?”
“Because I killed my brother.”
LYNETTE EASON
Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. Her home church, Northgate Baptist, had a tremendous influence on her during her early years. She credits Christian parents and dedicated Sunday school teachers for her acceptance of Christ at the tender age of eight. Even as a young girl, she knew she wanted her life to reflect the love of Jesus.
Lynette attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, then moved to Spartanburg to attend Converse College where she obtained her master’s degree in education. During this time, she met the boy next door, Jack Eason—and married him. Jack is the executive director of the Sound of Light Ministries. Lynette and Jack have two precious children, Lauryn, eight years old, and Will, who is six. She and Jack are members of New Life Baptist Fellowship Church in Boiling Springs, South Carolina, where Jack serves as the worship leader and Lynette teaches Sunday school to the four-and five-year olds.
Holiday
Illusion
Lynette Eason
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
—2 Peter 1:3–4
To Jesus Christ, who lets me do this.
I love You, Lord.
My grandmother, Freda Trowbridge, died February 2, 2008. I’m so grateful she got to read my first published book, Lethal Deception. She won’t get to finish the series this side of heaven, so I decided I wanted to make a special dedication to the memory of my grandparents:
Paternal grandparents: Lewis Carroll, Sr. and Kate Bexley Barker
Maternal grandparents: Cary Eugene and Freda Jackson Trowbridge
Thanks for being godly men and women. I know Jesus found it easy to say to each one of you, “Well done, my good and faithful servants.”
And, of course, thanks always to my family and friends who make it possible for me to write. I couldn’t do it without you.
One more special thanks goes to Barbara Lollis, one of my childhood Sunday school teachers. I’ve lost count of how many books you’ve bought to give away. I know my sales numbers are going to look great thanks to your efforts. God bless you!
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ONE
The boy was going to die.
Lucas stared down at Paulo, the nine-year-old child in the hospital bed, listening to the heart monitor blip and beep, the sound echoing through his brain as though amplified by a hundred microphones. An innocent child with no one in the world to care whether he lived or died—except the staff at the Amazon Orphanage in Tefe, Brazil.
With compassion crimping his heart, Lucas reached out a hand to brush a finger down the silky soft skin that, in the absence of a miracle, would never know a whisker. His knuckle bumped the oxygen tube attached to Paulo’s nose and he stirred, eyelids flickering up, down, then back up. The brown eyes focused in on Lucas, and the boy smiled.
“Hey, Paulo. How are you doing? Hanging in there?” The Portuguese fell from Lucas’s tongue with practiced ease.
“Sim,” the boy breathed. “I will get a new heart soon, right, Doctor?”
“Soon, Paulo, soon.” I hope. But here in Brazil, it wasn’t likely. Even in some of the bigger cities where health care was improving, a heart transplant was a rare occurrence. The boy’s best hope lay in the United States. He’d had Paulo on the list there for four months now. Paulo’s time was running out.
“If I don’t, I will die, yes?” Speaking drained his energy, but the look in Paulo’s eyes told Lucas he’d better be honest. Paulo knew all about death as he came from the slums of Brazil. A place that made the slums of America look like high-class living.
Instead of answering with a yes, Lucas asked, “How would you like to take a trip to America?”
Brown eyes shot wide, hope mingling with disbelief as he stared up his beloved doctor. “America?”
Lucas nodded. “That’s the only way you’re going to be able to get a new heart.”
“When?”
“As soon as I can arrange for someone to take you.”
“Will I get to build a snowman? I’ve always wanted to build a snowman. And see snow on Christmas day.”
It was all Lucas could do to keep the tears from his eyes. He’d been a doctor for a few years, even had patients he’d become fond of, but Paulo…He stroked the boy’s hair. “Sure thing, Paulo, as soon as we get to America and get your new heart, we’ll build a snowman for Christmas. It’ll be here before we know it.”
“He needs to go to the States?”
Lucas whirled to face the quiet voice from the door. “Anna.” As always, his heart kicked into overtime as he watched her come into the room. She’d been his best friend for three years, but lately he found himself wondering if their friendship could become something more. And yet, he was hesitant to push it further for a couple of reasons. One, he knew her faith in God was her mainstay, and he didn’t put stock in religion. You could depend on yourself and that was it. Still, he had to admit, as he’d watched her over the past few years, he was becoming more and more interested in God, simply because he saw something in her he’d never seen in anyone else. And two, she was hiding something, holding something back. And until he figured out what that was…
Short, sassy curls framed a perfect oval-shaped face that held stunning blue eyes, high cheekbones and full lips. He watched those lips stretch into a sad smile as she zeroed in on the sick child. “Hi there, Paulo.”
She didn’t ask how the boy was feeling—it was pretty obvious. Walking around to the other side of the bed, she leaned down to press a kiss to his brown cheek, brushing black curls back from his forehead with her right hand.
The sound of Paulo’s rasping breaths filled the room, but his entire countenance lit up when he saw her. “Miss Anna, you came to see me. Thank you. I love you. I’m going to build a snowman for Christmas, will you help me?”
Her eyes went wide as her breath caught on a suppressed sob. “Oh, Paulo, honey, I love you, too. And if we’re together on Christmas Day, playing in the snow, you bet I’ll help. Just try and stop me.”
Lucas reached across Paulo to take Anna’s hand and squeeze. Slender fingers gripped his, her throat working, lips trembling. Lucas watched her gain control and stroke Paulo’s cheek, much in the same way he’d done earlier.
Paulo’s lashes fluttered shut, sleep claiming him after the effort he’d just expended. Anna’s blue gaze fixed itself on Lucas. “When?”
“As soon as possible. A week max. He’s fading pretty fast. I’ve had him on the list for a while and he’s moved up to the number two spot. I think it’s time to go.” He stood and motioned for Anna to follow him into the hall. “I made some phone calls and managed to get a plane on its way. A craft specifically designed for transporting medically fragile patients. It’s got all the bells and whistles, almost better than an operating room. I just need someone to take him.”
“Where’s he going? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Lucas blew out a sigh, rubbing a hand through his reddish-blond hair. “I’m sorry. I haven’t really had a chance. All this came together so fast.”
“No, it’s okay,” she rushed to assure him. “I want what’s best for Paulo. I knew he was on the list, I’m just a little surprised it’s actually happening, that’s all. Where are you taking him?”
“Rocking Wave Beach, South Carolina. They’ve offered to do the surgery for free. If you can travel with Paulo, then I feel confident about sending him to one of the best hospitals in the country—Travis Memorial.” He studied her, wondering if he should ask. But the thought of leaving her for an extended period of time did weird things to his emotions. He took a chance and blurted, “I know that since the orphanage is considered Paulo’s guardian, one of the higher-level staff will have to accompany him, and I was hoping that would be you. If I can arrange it, would you be willing to go with me?”
“Rocking Wave Beach?” She didn’t like the squeak in her voice but couldn’t seem to help it. “I’d rather go anywhere than there. What about another hospital, in another state?”
Lucas frowned, hope drooping at her negative response. “No, my buddy from college has offered to do this at no expense. Everything is already arranged.”
“And you want me to go with you?”
“Yes. Rocking Wave is perfect. It has one of the best heart-transplant hospitals in America. I pulled some strings and got Paulo lined up on a transplant list and he’s almost at the top. There’s only one other person on the list who’s as sick as Paulo. And the surgery will be free.”
She narrowed her gaze, rubbed her chin. Nightmares from her past paraded through her thoughts, mocking her, daring her. Could she finally face her fear?
Lord, what do I do? Taking a deep breath, she said, “Okay, I’ll go with him…you.” Almost as though to reinforce the thought, she gave a decisive nod. “Yes, I’ll go.”
Lucas scrubbed a hand down a cheek. “You will? You’re sure? He’ll need round-the-clock care until he arrives at the hospital.”
“That’s where you come in, right?”
Lucas furrowed his brow. The indecisiveness on his face made her wonder what was going through his mind. “Yes. I grew up not too far from Rocking Wave Beach.”
She blinked at the sudden switch in topic. What did his hometown have to do with Paulo? “So you said. I remember you telling me that during one of our little talks. Haven, North Carolina, right?”
“Yep.”
Home to the comfortably wealthy about two hours from where she’d grown up. A complete and utter contrast to her childhood of poverty and struggle. Could she really go back there? To the place where her life had fallen apart?
She had no doubt that Shawn de Chastelain, the man who wanted her dead, didn’t have a clue where she was right now or she’d have seen evidence of him a long time ago. But while he may be in jail, he still had his connections to the outside world. If she returned and he found out, her life would be in danger. She’d just have to keep him from finding out. She could go, be with Paulo, and when he sufficiently recovered, return home with him. Piece of cake, right?
Maybe.
Anna said her goodbyes to Paulo and told Lucas, “Let me know when you have the official dates. I’ll start making arrangements to leave.”
She left the hospital to head back to the orphanage, her mind swirling with memories breaking to the fore-front of her thoughts. Pulling into her parking spot, she leaned her head against the steering wheel to gather herself together before climbing out of the Jeep.
Shawn de Chastelain and Rocking Wave Beach. The combination was enough to send her heart crashing against her chest in sheer terror. Bringing images from the dungeons of her mind to swirl in front of her, causing bile to rise to the back of her throat. She swallowed hard and gave up fighting the memories.
Four years ago, she’d been undercover on a sting operation for the FBI, and she’d barely escaped the city with her life. Just being in the same state would be diving headlong into the memories that became nightmares the moment she lay her head on the pillow at night.
Anna sucked in a deep breath. Lord, I can’t go back. I’m not strong enough to face those memories. Just setting foot back in the United States will bring it all back and I don’t want to remember!
Chewing her lip, she pondered the fact that Rocking Wave Beach was a pretty big city. Surely, with a population of a couple hundred thousand, she wouldn’t run into the killer that stalked her dreams; the one she’d allowed to nose-dive her career and almost cause her to have a nervous breakdown. For a long time, she’d hidden, bogged down by depression, despair dogging her every waking moment. It had taken a long time for her to stop wishing the bullet that had pierced her uterus and left her barren had been about a foot higher to go right through her heart.
But God had allowed her to live. By trusting Him to be faithful, to get her through that awful time, she’d beaten the depression and He’d led her to the children at the orphanage in Brazil. Children who had no mother, no father and no one to tell them they were beautiful and loved. But she’d done that and slowly she’d healed…at least she thought she had.
Until she’d been asked to return to the city that haunted her dreams.
The thought brought into clarity the image of the man she’d helped put away.
Shawn de Chastelain with the military crew cut, strong jaw, bright white teeth outlined by firm, full lips that stretched into the smile that often graced the lifestyle section of the Rocking Wave Beach newspaper. His muscular shoulders had looked like they could support the world’s burdens. He also had a heart of evil, the soul of a killer.
Only he’d never been convicted of the murder she’d witnessed. The FBI had gotten him on tax evasion but not murder. Yet. She shuddered, pressed a hand to her abdomen and prayed for the strength to do this. Prayed for the courage to face her fear and defeat it.
Turning off her thoughts, she finally left the car and entered the front door to the orphanage. Instead of stopping by her office, she went straight for her small suite of rooms located just down the hall. Stepping inside, she paused and looked around. Nothing out of place, everything organized just so. She grabbed a can of soda from the minifridge.
Booting up her computer, she was relieved to see the Internet connection giving off a strong signal. With all the storms out here, the connection was intermittent at best. A few clicks brought up her homepage which was the Rocking Wave Beach News. She straightened. More news about de Chastelain. He was being released…soon. No exact date yet.
Anna took another sip and gripped the can so hard she crunched it. The crackling noise and cold liquid running down her fingers jerked her from her memories. Breathing hard, she set the can down, wiping her hand on her jeans, ignoring the stickiness.
What had happened to that evidence she’d found? She’d lost track of how many times she’d silently asked herself that question. Her colleague Justin didn’t have an answer, either. The FBI agents who’d come in behind her should have found that memory card with no trouble. The sting operation had gone off like clockwork…at least up to the point where she’d been shot and they’d realized someone had slipped through the cracks. So, who had messed up? Justin didn’t know, and she was going to drive herself insane running it over and over in her mind.
Gritting her teeth, she shut down the computer. It didn’t matter. She’d done her job, paid the price for doing it. She was in a different line of work now, didn’t have to worry about men who killed, didn’t have to wonder when she stepped outside whether a bullet would pierce her flesh. She definitely didn’t miss the stress and tension of the job…or the adrenaline high, the satisfaction of a job well done, the knowledge she’d made a difference in keeping someone safe for one more day. She didn’t miss it at all.
Much. Terribly much. Well, maybe a little. If she could get over her fear…
She was going back for Paulo. Just Paulo. Because she would need to be there to sign papers and offer him love and support. And that was it. Period.
“How’s he doing?” Anna asked as she settled onto the love seat beside Lucas, two glasses of lemonade fresh from the fridge clutched in each hand. She ignored the pitter-patter her heart made whenever she was close to him or thought about him or pictured them together at some point in the future or…Someday, maybe…Uh-uh. Don’t go there, Anna.
Ella, one of the orphanage staff who’d volunteered to go along as an extra pair of hands, snoozed on the pullout sofa off to the side. The plane cruised smoothly through the clouds at thirty-five thousand feet, due to land at Rocking Wave Beach Airport in approximately one hour. They’d flown all night, the two pilots taking turns sleeping and flying. She’d just had a nap in the queen-size bed at the back of the plane and felt refreshed in spite of what lay ahead.
Lucas looked up and took the glass of lemonade. “Thanks. He’s sleeping right now.”
“He’s such a special kid. He’s been a real trouper. I just hope…” She bit her lip, looking down at the plush carpet.
“Yeah, me, too.” Lucas set the glass on the end table, rising to check Paulo’s vitals one more time. “An ambulance will be waiting at the airport for us. I’ll get him loaded on then get a rental car while you and Ella ride with him to the hospital. I’ll meet you all there.”
“Don’t you want to ride with him? I don’t mind getting the car.”
“No, I have something I need to take care of. He’ll be in good care. My friend Mark Priestly is the heart surgeon on this case. He’s going to be in the ambulance waiting on us.”
Anna looked curious about what he needed to take care of, but didn’t ask, just nodded.
Slightly less than an hour later, they were on the ground, and rolling Paulo into the ambulance. Lucas greeted Mark warmly. “Hey buddy, how are you? I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you doing this.”
The tall, slenderly built doctor had a head of shaggy blond curls and smiling hazel eyes. He looked more like a surfer than the top-notch, highly in demand surgeon that he was. He grabbed Lucas in a bear hug. “Man, it’s been forever.” Concern touched his eyes. “You back for good?”
Lucas shrugged, ignoring the meaning behind the question. “We’ll see.”
“Yeah, and we’ll talk, too.”
Lucas motioned to Anna. “This is the lady I was telling you about. Anna Freeman, this is Mark Priestly.”
Mark turned his smile to Anna, holding out a hand graced with slender yet strong fingers. “Nice to meet you. You’re as beautiful as Lucas said.”
Anna blushed, which Lucas found extremely charming. He shot his buddy a glance that said watch it, then introduced Ella, who smiled shyly and shook the doctor’s hand.
Anna, Mark and Ella climbed into the ambulance and Mark turned professional in the blink of an eye, checking Paulo’s vitals, reading through his chart and asking a dozen questions. Once he was satisfied he waved Lucas on. “We’ll see you there.” Lucas watched the ambulance pull away.
Sighing, he shivered, tugging his leather jacket tighter around himself. Gripping his cell phone, he wondered if he should even bother checking in with his family. After all, it had been close to three years since he’d even spoken to his father. Three years since his father had blamed him for his brother’s death. Lucas shook off the thoughts, clipped his phone back into its case and headed for the rental car counter. Four days ago, when he’d called to let his family know he’d be coming home, Ted, the family chauffeur had been thrilled to hear from him and had offered to send a car around to the airport. Lucas had refused because, until he had more time to get a feel for how things were going to go at home and with his father, he didn’t want to be without immediate transportation. A rental car would be just fine.
“Excuse me, sir.”
Lucas looked up to see a fresh-faced teen dressed in the popular tradition of faded frayed blue jeans, and a cropped top revealing a pierced navel. Didn’t the girl know it was the last week in October and unseasonably cold?
Hiding his thoughts, he asked, “Yes?”
“We’re on a mission trip and I just wanted to give you this. You look like you could use a friend.” She handed over the little slip of paper.
A tract. Great, just what he needed. He forced a smile. “Thanks. Good luck with your trip.”
A beautiful smile crossed her lips to mesh with the peace written in her eyes. Eyes that reminded him of Anna even though this girl’s eyes were chocolate-brown and Anna’s were sky-blue.
“I don’t need luck,” she said. “I’ve got God.”
Well, since I don’t have God, I guess I’ll have to stick with luck.
Why that thought depressed him, he wasn’t sure, but instead of dwelling on it, he crossed to the car rental place to get in line. A dancing reindeer with a red nose greeted him as he approached the counter bobbing in time to “Jingle Bell Rock.” He shook his head. Not even Thanksgiving yet, and Christmas waved to him from every direction.
The trash can to his right caught his attention while the tract burned a hole in the palm of his hand. Curling his fingers around the paper, he started to slam-dunk it when, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a blue-jean-clad leg jiggling in time to the music in the girl’s head. She was still watching him. Instead of scoring a two-pointer, he slid the paper into the front pocket of his jacket. He’d toss it later when she wasn’t around. No use in hurting her feelings even if she was deluded into thinking God cared about anything she did.
Finally, keys in hand, he headed for his car, tugging his phone from the clip on his side as he walked, his other hand pulling his rolling suitcase along behind him. Anna’s and Ella’s things would be shipped to the hospital within the hour.
Frigid air greeted him as he stepped outside, nearly sucking every last drop of oxygen from his shocked lungs. He’d forgotten how cold it could get even in the South. Used to eighty-plus-degree weather year-round, the fifty-two degrees he was now shivering in seemed to make his blood freeze mid-flow.
Fingers trembling, he pressed the remote unlock for his compact little car and climbed in. The heater finally going full blast, he pulled out of the parking garage and stopped at the stop sign. Tapping his fingers on the wheel, he finally decided it was now or never to ask the question he’d been wondering for the past three years.
Pulling out his phone, he dialed his father’s number.
“Hello?” The voice sounded weaker, not quite containing the strength it had had three years ago.
“Hello, Father, it’s me, Lucas.”
Silence.
“Father?”
A throat clearing was his only clue that the line hadn’t been disconnected.
“Lucas. Well, I must say, son, you’ve taken me quite by surprise.” The voice was stronger now, although Lucas heard the shock in the words. “May I ask the purpose of your call?” The British accent had never faded from his father’s voice in all the time he’d been in the United States. The formal stiffness the man injected into his tone was enough to intimidate the most stalwart. Fortunately, Lucas was immune.
“Yes sir, I’ve had a question that’s been bothering me for the last three years or so, and I’ve finally decided to ask it.”
“Very well. What is it?” Typical. Straight to the point. No, how are you? Where’ve you been? What have you been doing with your life since you’ve been gone? Old hurt and new anger shot through him.
“Did you really mean it when you said it should have been me that died in the fire instead of Lance?”
TWO
Anna sat by the bedside of the sick boy, praying like she’d never prayed before. For Paulo, for herself, for Lucas. And for the strength to face her fear. She would not think about the past right now. Ella would be back in a few minutes. She’d taken a short break to run a few personal errands before ensconcing herself by Paulo’s side.
Reaching for the backpack Anna carried in lieu of a purse, she grabbed her Bible and turned to the verse that had become her mantra over the last four years. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. She whispered the verse to herself, praying, God, I know the time has come to face the past, but I’ve got to be honest with You. I’m scared. Really, really scared…and I don’t want to be. Don’t let the fear handicap me. Could You please keep Your hand of protection on whatever it is I’m getting myself back into?
“Hey.”
She looked up to see Lucas standing in the door looking rumpled and wonderful, his reddish-blond hair windblown…or maybe it was messy from the number of times he’d shoved his fingers through it. No matter. He still looked good, safe, a comfort zone. She wondered what he’d do if she ran to him and threw her arms around him. Better not find out. Instead, she cleared her throat and asked, “Hey, yourself. Did you get your errand run?”
When his jaw started twitching, she figured that was the wrong question to ask.
“Something like that,” he muttered. “More like an overdue phone call.”
“Ah.” She refused to press. He’d tell her eventually; he always did. At least he used to. “What did Mark say?”
“He agrees we need to change two of Paulo’s meds. There are newer, more effective ones on the market now. I didn’t even know about them until two weeks ago.” He shook his head. “I’ve been out of touch too long.”
“Lucas, you can’t blame yourself. Paulo arrived on our doorstep as sick as any child I’ve ever seen. But he seemed perfectly healthy after recovering from that virus. There’s no way any of us could have known it affected his heart.”
“Mentally, I know that. I did the best I could. But still…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I can’t help wondering if I missed something, should have suggested bringing him to the U. S. sooner.”
“Brazil is so far behind in health care. If you hadn’t acted as you did, Paulo would be gone by now. Unfortunately, he’s a product of his country…and very, very blessed that you were there when he needed you.”
Lucas slipped an arm around her shoulders for a squeeze then let her go. “Thanks. You always know the right thing to say.”
Anna blinked. Not that she and Lucas hadn’t shared a friendly hug or two, but it always surprised her. He wasn’t normally the most demonstrative person. Growing up in a strict British household, he’d told her affectionate moments were few and far between.
“Sure,” she gulped. “You’re welcome.”
Lucas leaned over Paulo one more time while Anna stepped to the side, eyeing the phone on the nightstand by the bed. She took a deep breath, wondering if she should call Justin and just…check in. Let him know she was back in the States; get an update on de Chastelain. The old adage keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer ran through her mind.
“What’s going on in that head of yours, Anna?”
Lucas’s insightful question startled her. Chewing her lip, she debated how much she could tell him. She could just shrug the question off, but found herself wanting him to know. Wanting to confide in him. Open up to him. Carrying her burden alone had become so tiresome. “I was just thinking about how I ended up in Brazil. I told you a little about it.”
“You just said you had to get away from home for a while. That you’d witnessed a crime and didn’t feel safe.”
“Right, well, it’s a little more in-depth than that.”
“Okay.” He held out his hand. “Why don’t we walk down to the cafeteria and get a bite to eat. You can explain over our savory hospital food.”
Anna was about to agree when the door opened. Dr. Mark Priestly entered, followed by an orderly pushing a gurney. “I thought Paulo might like a roommate. Sometimes it can get awfully lonely when you can’t get out of bed. The television will probably get old fast.”
A boy about Paulo’s age lay on the gurney. Wide green eyes took in his new surroundings. A shock of red hair stood on end and the freckles on his pasty white cheeks appeared three-dimensional. The portable heart monitor rode in front of him, the oxygen tube blended into his face. A worried mother, the last to enter the room, was in her early thirties and the feminine version of her son.
Mark spoke up. “Missy, I’d like to introduce you to some friends of mine. This is Anna Freeman and Lucas Bennett. They’re here with Paulo who’s over there sleeping.” He gestured toward the newcomers. “This is Missy and Andy Spears. Andy’s waiting on a new heart, too. He’s ten.”
Anna shook the woman’s hand. “I wish it were under other circumstances, but it’s nice to meet you.”
Giving a wan smile, Missy shrugged. “I’m just glad Andy will have someone to talk to…when he feels like talking. He seems to be getting weaker all the time.” Tears appeared but didn’t fall. Just as quickly, they were gone. Anna suspected Missy probably went through this many times during her days—and nights.
“I know Paulo will appreciate it. I’m sure the two of them will hit it right off, although Paulo is very weak, too. I don’t know how much talking he’ll do.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Missy stroked her son’s red hair. “As long as he’s willing to listen, my Andy will keep the conversation going.”
“Okay guys,” Mark said from the door. “I’m off to check on other patients, but let me know if there’s anything else you need. I’ll be back this afternoon.”
“Thanks, Dr. Priestly,” Missy all but whispered, and sat on the bed beside her son who was fumbling with the remote.
Lucas waved to Missy and stepped outside to speak privately with Mark. Anna turned to Missy. “We were just going down to grab a bite to eat. Would you like to join us?” Although she really needed to talk to Lucas alone, she felt sorry for the sad-eyed mom.
“No, we’re fine. I’ll stay here with Andy. Thanks, though.”
“Anytime. I’m sure I’ll see you later.”
Stepping from the room, she was just in time to watch Mark disappear around the corner at the end of the hall. Turning to Lucas, she said, “Ready now?”
“Ready.”
Anna took a bite of her chicken salad sandwich eyeing Lucas while she chewed. How much should she tell him? What would he think about her when he found out? She dropped her focus to her plate.
Lucas set his cheeseburger aside and raised a red-tinged golden brow. “So?”
“All right, here goes. I’m an ex-FBI agent. I quit four years ago, signed my resignation and never looked back.” At least not any more than I could help.
Shock seemed to hold Lucas captive. She went on before he could ask the questions she saw gathering on his lips. “A little over four years ago, I was working undercover as an au pair for a wealthy, big-name family here in Rocking Wave Beach. It was supposed to be a routine sting operation. I was there to get information about this guy who was involved in all kinds of bad stuff. It was a well-known fact that he worked from home, and our main target was his office computer. Anyway, I waited until my ‘employer’ left for a business meeting in India. I got on his computer and went to work.” Talking about Chastelain was hard for her.
“I think you left a few details out of the many talks we had in Brazil.” He cleared his throat. “So what did you find?”
“Nothing.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing terribly incriminating. Not for the big stuff we were after. There were a lot of e-mails containing numbers. Written almost in something like code.”
“What did that mean?”
“I wasn’t sure, but I had a gut feeling it had to do with money. I needed one of our analysts to go over them, so I forwarded them to her, then erased my ‘footprints.’ I just had to take the chance he wouldn’t realize someone had been on his computer. Later, we figured out the numbers were the ones entered into a set of books. Doctored books.”
“And that’s how you guys were able to arrest him? For illegal books?”
“Yes, but I wanted more. I knew there was more. He was reportedly into all kinds of things. Thanks to another agent, we had pictures of de Chastelain meeting with a member of one of the top crime families in South Carolina. Anyway, I finally cracked his safe open and found the books. There were two sets. One was a record of income from the legitimate side of his import/export business, the second set of books held doctored numbers. That’s the income that was reported to the IRS. The other one kept up with what they really brought in. Anyway, by the end of the investigation, the only thing he was able to be charged with was tax evasion.” She shook her head, took a sip of her soda. “I had a small microphone planted in his office, but he never mentioned murder, gun running, or the transporting of illegal aliens from Mexico to Texas, then on to South Carolina—at least not in a way that we could pin a charge on him. But he did brag about stealing the IRS blind.”
Lucas looked a little green. She placed a hand over his. “Are you all right?”
“I’m not sure. Is there more?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Dr. Lucas!”
They turned as one to see the nurse rushing toward them.
Anna’s heart stopped. Paulo.
Nurse Lindsey, the woman assigned to Paulo, said breathlessly, “Paulo’s in cardiac arrest. They’re working on him now.”
Anna and Lucas bolted from the cafeteria and took off down the corridor.
Arriving at Paulo’s room, they found him surrounded by medical staff but still alive. Machines whirred, Mark barked orders, nurses jumped…and Paulo fought like a trouper.
Anna felt tears clog her throat. How did she pray? If she prayed for a heart for Paulo, she was praying for someone else to die. Shutting her eyes, she told the Lord, It’s in Your hands, God, whatever You decide is best.
For the next hour, she and Lucas paced and she prayed. Finally, Mark came out to tell them that Paulo was bouncing back and would be in good hands for now but said in all seriousness, “I hope he gets a heart soon. He doesn’t have much longer without it.” Lucas followed Mark back into the room, leaving Anna to wilt against the wall.
Relief battled grief. Relief that the little boy had pulled through this setback and grief that another person would have to die for Paulo to live.
Then she realized something. And the sudden glaring insight into her character slugged her in the gut, leaving her breathless, nearly gasping out loud. She stumbled to a chair and dropped into it, staring into space, seeing nothing but the past four years of her life.
Then in crystal clarity she saw how hard Paulo fought, pushing through his fear, battling the odds that were against him, conquering one obstacle after another—with faith and courage—and sheer bulldog stubbornness. She’d often thought how brave he was, been amazed at his willingness to never give up, been brought to her knees at his incredible, unconditional love for the God who created him.
But she had never realized what a coward she’d become.
Until now.
And with that same discerning eye, she now saw what she had to do if she ever wanted to be free of the fear that held her captive.
Oh Lord, tell me no. And yet, how can I say I have faith when I live in fear?
One way or another she was going to have to find that evidence. The evidence that she knew was there, somewhere in de Chastelain’s house. That was why she was here. And, she blew out a breath in disbelief, God had used a sick little boy and a caring doctor, to get her here.
Still stunned at her self-realization and what God was asking her to do, she sat there in a fog of thought trying to decide what she should do first. Where should she start?
The little rush of excitement took her by surprise. Oh, it didn’t overpower the all-consuming fear, but it was there—that feeling she used to get before venturing out on a new case. For the next thirty minutes, she sat in the hospital waiting room, praying, formulating a plan. She was going to catch a murderer. After four years, she was going to complete her case.
De Chastelain.
A short phone call later to Justin Michaels, her former supervisor, informed him of her impending arrival. He’d been blown away to hear that she was actually right here in his city and was definitely anxious to talk to her.
Slipping from the room, she planned to catch a cab to the FBI headquarters branch office downtown. Part of her dreaded returning to that place, yet another part of her was anxious to see if revisiting the location where she’d been shot would enable her to put the nightmare to rest.
Only one way to find out.
“Where are you going?”
Lucas’s voice startled her. She turned, gulped at the effect he had on her blood pressure, ignored it for the umpteenth time, and said, “I’m going to call a cab. I need to go see my former supervisor, Justin Michaels, and figure out if we can pull together a plan to put de Chastelain away for good—before he gets released.”
“I’ll go with you. I’ve got the rental, remember?”
“I can take a cab, and besides, I’d rather you not go.”
“Well, too bad. I’m going. Paulo’s stable and being carefully monitored. I’ve got my cell, and the hospital will call if I’m needed. I’ve got no reason not to go.”
“Lucas, that’s crazy. I don’t even know…I mean…”
“Exactly what are you trying to say, Anna?”
“It could be dangerous and I don’t want you involved if I’m putting myself back into the line of fire.”
THREE
He stilled, keys swinging from his fingers. “‘Back in the line of fire’?”
Anna snapped her mouth shut. Oh, Lord, he’s been my best friend for close to three years. Don’t let him do something stupid like think he has to try to help…or stop me from doing what I need to do. She was well aware the only reason their relationship hadn’t gone beyond friendship was because of his attitude toward God…and the fact that she hadn’t quite put her past to rest. But she also knew the “more than friendship” feelings were right there waiting to burst forth and make themselves known.
Tucking the keys back in his pocket, he placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. Brown eyes stared down at her. She swallowed hard as he demanded, “Anna, what do you mean, ‘back in the line of fire’?”
Tears welled, and she blinked them back. “Four years ago, I was…under special protection.” In the hospital recovering from a bullet wound and an emergency hysterectomy while the person who’d shot her got away clean, but she left out those details. “The two FBI agents assigned to guard me…died. They died protecting me, okay? I can’t let anyone else get in the way, put themselves in the path of this killer. Especially not you.”
His eyes glinted at that last part, but he didn’t address it. Instead he asked, “What else is there, Anna? What else were you going to tell me down in the cafeteria before we were interrupted?”
Glancing at her watch, she grimaced. How much should she say? Justin would be waiting for her, but she couldn’t just walk out on Lucas. Spying two chairs down the hall, she nodded toward them, talking as they sat. “I knew de Chastelain was into much more than just tax evasion. I couldn’t leave it alone. So, I decided to give it one more shot. My ‘employer’ was still supposedly in India. His wife was at a party and the kids were in bed. I went down to his office to do one last search, but I heard a noise in the living room. Thinking one of the children might be up, I went to check it out, but as I got closer, I realized it was voices belonging to several men. No one was supposed to be in that house but me, the kids and the live-in housekeeper who slept on the third floor. Now here were these strange men in the living room and I had two kids to protect. Just as I was about to call 911, I heard some grunts, a yell, harsh breathing. Then I heard, ‘Get rid of him.’”
“Oh, Anna…”
“I peeked around the corner to see my employer, obviously not in India, bending over the body holding a knife. He must have flown home that day without letting anyone know. I decided to get out of there. There was no way I could take on all of them and live to tell about it. Backup would take too long. I fled, but must have made some noise because I heard someone coming. The closest room was his office. I slipped in and hid under the desk.”
Lucas shut his eyes as though he couldn’t bear the picture she was painting. “When I scrambled under the desk, I heard something. A buzzing noise. It was coming from a little hidden drawer up under the far corner of the desk. I pulled it open and found a BlackBerry. I just knew that this was the evidence we’d been looking for. There was an e-mail waiting to be read—the buzzing sound I’d heard—so I clicked on it. It was asking if the ‘deed had been done.’ I assumed the ‘deed’ was the dead body I’d just seen. Anyway, I read enough to know that this could put the man away for a good long time, palmed the memory card, shoved the device back into the drawer and caught my breath. Then the door opened.”
Now Lucas looked a little mad. “I can’t believe you haven’t told me this during the three years we’ve known each other. What happened?”
Dropping her head to her hands, she muttered through her fingers, “I tried to forget it, Lucas.” Looking up, she added, “And it’s not like I didn’t want to tell you. I just didn’t want to relive it. I haven’t talked about it in four years. The only person I’ve had contact with is Justin. And it’s not like you’ve told me every last detail of your life, either.” He looked away and she knew she’d scored a direct hit. Hmm…he was hiding his own secrets. She refused to feel bad for not baring her soul. “Anyway, when the door opened, I knew I had to get rid of that card. If he caught me and decided to have me searched, I was dead.”
“Anna, that’s…”
“I know.” She waved him off. She couldn’t deal with the pain, the sympathy, the fear for her that he had written in his eyes. Reciting the details of that night wasn’t so difficult as long as she kept an emotional distance from it, as if she were talking about a past case that held nothing personal for her. But if he started showing concern, she’d lose what little control she had over her fear and her emotions. “I’ve been checking up on him, keeping tabs on the results of our sting, waiting to see if they ever found enough evidence to try him for murder, but just recently Justin said he’s on his way out. He told me they never found any other evidence on him and certainly nothing to indicate a murder ever happened.”
“So what happened when he opened the door to the office?”
“I had to get rid of the card. There was an umbrella stand right there by the desk, so I dropped it in there.”
“Did de Chastelain see you there at the house? Does he know you saw him holding the knife?”
She shook her head. “No way. I realized I’d be next if they knew what I’d seen. I was in shock at the way things had gone down, but thinking clearly. Someone opened the door only seconds after I replaced the BlackBerry into its hiding place. I pretended to be searching for something for one of the children, making a lot of noise, muttering to myself, acting like I was completely unaware of anything else but my search. If questioned, I would explain that I had just tucked the kids in. Andrew couldn’t sleep without his pacifier. The reality was I had one in my pocket. So, I pulled it out and tossed it into the corner near the desk.
“Anyway,” she continued as Lucas listened intently, “I knew my time to run was short. There were security cameras all over the house. What if one of them caught me standing outside that office door? I didn’t have to get the card. I could only hope the books would be enough for a search warrant, which would result in finding the card.”
“So, what did you do?”
“I grabbed the books, walked out the front door and took off. I went straight to my supervisor and told them what I saw, that my cover was blown. Because just as soon as de Chastelain checked his BlackBerry and discovered the missing card, I was toast. We threw together a team and got a search warrant, but by the time they raided the house, they found nothing. The card was gone, but de Chastelain was furious with me for turning over his books. I was under FBI protection when someone tried to kill me. Two agents assigned to protect me were killed, I escaped through a fluke, flew off to Brazil. End of story.” She didn’t bother telling him that she’d been shot coming out of the FBI headquarters and had gotten the rest of the story after she’d awakened from surgery. The words just wouldn’t come yet.
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, it’s all you’re going to get for now. I need to get going.”
“All right, let’s go.”
Everything about him shouted he was going with her whether she liked it or not. She didn’t, but could see she’d have no choice in the matter. Fine, he could come to the meeting…then she’d find a way to ditch him. For his own good.
Anna told Lucas she’d meet him at the car, but had to visit the ladies’ room first. Entering the restroom, she walked to the sink to stare at the mirror above it. The room was empty, echoing every sound she made. Her breathing sounded harsh in her ears while her blood thrummed through her veins and her heart beat in rhythm to the pounding in her head.
Dumping those memories in Lucas’s lap had felt…freeing somehow. And yet, at the same time, it brought even more clearly into focus her fears, and the turmoil she’d lived with for the past four years rumbled back to the surface, making her into a boiling pot of emotions. She’d needed a moment to get herself together before going to see Justin, because coming face-to-face with her former supervisor was going to bring back even more unpleasant memories. Memories she’d rather leave buried. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.
Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. Hearing the door whoosh open behind her, she scooted into a stall, not wanting to paste on a false smile or look anyone in the eye. Locking the door behind her, she leaned against it, still lost in fighting her reaction to the memories, the fear that wanted to surface and take over.
Footsteps sounded, stopping first in front of the row of sinks, then moving toward the stalls. Her senses tuned in and she stilled, zeroing in on the sound. The steps moved heavily, sounded clunky. Steps like a man might make. She froze, then turned sideways to peer through the crack. Broad shoulders, muscles, definitely a man. She caught a brief glimpse of dark pants, a white shirt. Hiking boots? Then the person entered the stall next to her. Wrong restroom or something more?
Anna shivered, swallowed hard as she acknowledged her only protection right now was a thin metal door. She hadn’t wished for a gun in four years. Today, she did. Why was she so nervous? No one knew she was here.
Adrenaline flowed freely as she pondered what to do. Should she call out? Speak? Call Lucas on her cell phone? Justin? Shifting her backpack, she set it on the back of the commode, keeping her eye on the crack in the stall.
Fingers fumbled for the phone.
Hard metal touched the back of her head. She froze. Dropped her purse. Heart pounding, fear exploding, she remembered the feel of a bullet piercing her stomach. The bullet hitting her was memory. The feel of the gun on her skull wasn’t. Gritting her teeth, she couldn’t do anything about the shaking as she forced the words from her mouth. “What do you want?”
“Go back to Brazil before you get hurt, little girl,” a voice rasped in a low whisper from up above. He’d be standing on the toilet, hanging over the wall separating the stalls. “Don’t bother calling the police. They won’t find me. This is your only warning.” With the nose of the gun, he shoved hard, knocking her off balance. Her leg hit the toilet bowl. She missed catching herself and landed on the floor—hard. The door beside her opened, then swung shut. Retreating footsteps, the main door whooshing, then silence—broken only by the sound of her harsh, hiccupping breathing.
Her mind screamed at her to get up and chase him. Don’t let him get away with this! But fear had her paralyzed. Nausea swirled. Fortunately she didn’t have to go far to lose what little she’d eaten that day.
Then she got mad. Mad at herself for caving in to the fear. Furious at her weakness but still shaking, she opened the stall door and stepped out. Whispering a prayer, she gathered every ounce of courage, strode to the main door and yanked it open. She looked up one hall, then down the other.
Nothing.
At least, no one wearing the clothing she had glimpsed.
Okay, she was back to square one. The whole reason she’d entered the bathroom in the first place. She needed to pull herself together so she could go meet with Justin. And she needed to rinse her mouth. Lord, I’m going crazy here. How did he know I was here? There’s no way anyone can know. Justin is the only one.
By the time she stepped out of the hospital, after another deep breath, she had herself relatively collected. And she had a few questions for Justin.
Lucas headed to the car to wait for Anna to join him. Shoving his hands in his pockets to protect them against the cold, he made a mental note to purchase a pair of gloves as soon as possible.
Paper crinkled in his palm and he pulled it out to stare at the tract the teen from the airport had given him. The title caught his eye. God has a plan for your life. Hmm. Well, so far the plan wasn’t exactly working out, in his opinion.
Maybe that’s because you haven’t given God a chance to direct it.
Whoa. Where had that thought come from? But then he realized it was true. He’d been pushing God away for so long, was it any wonder his life was upside down? Oh, it wasn’t terrible. Brazil had been a definite improvement over what he’d left behind, he just felt…incomplete, like something was missing.
Like a relationship with Anna?
Or, more likely, a relationship with God?
“Hey Lucas!”
The shout brought his head around to see Mark coming toward him and he felt a huge sense of relief at the distraction from his thoughts. The smile on the man’s face eased his instant worry that something had gone wrong with Paulo again. Mark reached him, saying, “I thought that was you.”
“I’m waiting on Anna. What’s up?”
“Do you think you’ll have any free time in the next couple days?”
Lucas thought. His main purpose for coming home was to be there for Paulo. And to reconcile with his father. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, no matter how much he tried to forget the reason he’d taken off for Brazil three years ago, the past still hurt and he wanted to somehow make it right. He’d be here a while. “Sure, I probably can arrange it, why?”
Mark gave a shrug. “Just thought we could get together for lunch or something, you know, catch up with each other.” He gave Lucas a playful punch in the arm. “Hey, man, I’ve missed you.”
And Lucas had missed his best friend. Much more than he’d realized. “Lunch it is. Just name the place and the time.”
“Well, it might end up being hospital fare, but at least the company will be interesting.”
Offering Mark a grin, he agreed. Then he looked up to see Anna coming his way, beautiful as always…and pale, shaken, like something was wrong. He frowned, reaching for her hand as she approached him. The smile she pushed to her lips for Mark was forced and Lucas squeezed her fingers. She looked up at him. “Are you ready?”
“Ready when you are.” He got the message. Questions could wait until later. He nodded to Mark. “Give me a call.”
“You got it.”
Since their meal at the hospital had been interrupted, Anna and Lucas drove through the nearest Starbucks for bagels and a coffee.
She had called Justin from the hospital to tell him she was running late but on her way. Then she’d told Lucas what happened in the restroom, and he wanted to call the cops. But she convinced him it wouldn’t do any good; she wanted to talk to Justin first. Lucas didn’t like it, but decided to go along with it—for now. Justin was waiting for her as they walked in the door. He was a tall man, around Lucas’s height with a military crew cut and a firm no-nonsense jaw that had felt more than one fist. The large bump in the middle of his nose said it had been broken once upon a time. Green eyes took in Anna’s appearance in one sweep, then flared with recognition. “Anna Freeman? You don’t look like the Anna I knew four years ago.”
“It’s me.”
“The voice is the same, but…wow. You’ve changed.” He turned to Lucas, sizing him up and seeming to approve of whatever it was he saw. “Is he coming with you? We can talk in front of him?” At Anna’s nod, he gestured them into his office, saying, “I would’ve picked you up at the hospital, you know. In fact, if you hadn’t said you were leaving that very minute, I would’ve insisted.”
Lucas clenched his jaw at the man’s tone, but he kept quiet. Better to watch and observe first, and act later.
Anna shook her head. “No need.” She’d tell him about the restroom incident later.
“So, who’s this guy?”
“This is Lucas Bennett. Lucas, meet Justin Michaels.”
The men nodded at each other. Lucas and Anna took seats on the ugly green sofa from the nineteen sixties, and Justin sat in the faux-leather chair behind his desk. He looked pointedly at Anna. “You’ve been gone a long time.”
“I’ve been hiding.” In more ways than one. Not just physically, but emotionally, too.
“And you’ve done it well.”
Ignoring every unasked question behind those words, she decided to cut to the chase and said, “I think he knows I’m back.” She explained the restroom incident.
Justin frowned. “Not good, my dear. Not good at all. How would he know?”
“I don’t know, Justin. You tell me. Did you have a trace on my passport?”
Her former boss flushed, and she said, “That’s what I thought. Well, who’s to say he doesn’t have the same capabilities and has been waiting for me to come back? He knew I came from Brazil. He mentioned it specifically.”
Blowing out a breath, Justin shook his head. “It’s unlikely, but not impossible.”
Anna fisted her hands on her thighs and looked Justin in the eye. “He’s going to get away with it, isn’t he?”
Justin rubbed his jaw, leaned back and crossed his legs. “Yeah, unfortunately, it looks like he will.”
“I want to find the evidence you need to nail this guy. I saw him standing over the body holding the knife. The man was bleeding on the floor begging for his life. Then he quit talking. Then they started moving the body, and I hid.”
“We searched for it, Anna. The office, the desk, everything. Nada. No secret drawer, no hidden BlackBerry, nothing in the umbrella stand…and no dead body.”
“I don’t get it. I know I shoved it in there.”
“Well, our guys didn’t find it. We even confiscated his computer based on the tax stuff and altered books you gave us. Our specialists still came up with nothing.”
Anna stood. “No, he wouldn’t put anything on his computers. Not even e-mails. I told you that.” She sighed. “Then I guess it’s over. If you can’t find that memory card, I have no way of proving anything. You can’t even figure out who the body might have been.” She closed her eyes, rubbed her forehead with thumb and forefinger. “Maybe I dreamed it all.”
Justin spread his hand in a beseeching manner. “I’m not saying I don’t believe you—in fact, just the opposite. The fact that the security camera in that room had been turned off tells me something happened there and de Chastelain planned ahead of time to make sure it wouldn’t be caught on tape. The attempt on your life made it obvious someone was out to get you. The deaths of two good agents mean that I believe you saw what you say you saw. I’m saying I just can’t prove it. Somehow, I need to get new evidence on this guy and I need it soon.”
Anna couldn’t pin down the main emotion raging through her right now. She felt fear, anger and disbelief that de Chastelain might actually go free. And part of that was her fault. She should have planted microphones all over the house, not just the office. Clenching her fists, shoving aside the terror at what she was about to say, she stared at Justin and let the words tumble from her lips. “What do I need to do to get back in the game?”
FOUR
Lucas protested, “No way, this is just too dangerous.” He looked at Justin. “How could you even think of putting her life in danger again? You couldn’t protect her last time and even lost two agents, what makes you think this time would be different?”
Before Justin could respond, Anna placed a calming hand on Lucas’s forearm, appreciating his defense of her but aggravated at the same time. “Stay out of this, Lucas. I appreciate that you care, but I didn’t ask you to come.”
Hurt flickered in his expressive eyes right before a shutter closed off his feelings from her view. “Fine. I’ll wait outside while you figure out how to get yourself killed.” He left the room without a backward glance.
Blowing out a breath, her heart told her to go after him. Common sense said the sooner he left, the safer he would be. She was trained for this, he wasn’t. Mentally, she made another check mark by the category “apologies owed to Lucas” then focused back in on what Justin was saying. “…might need to get you back under our protection.”
No way. Not that. “Can you search his house again?” she asked.
“We could if we had probable cause. Unfortunately, I don’t have that.”
“Then it’ll have to be me.” Nausea churned at the thought. “I’ll have to go back in there and find it.”
A surprised snort slipped from his nose. “I don’t care how different you look. You’d be recognized in a heartbeat. No way.”
“Come on, Justin, even you almost didn’t recognize me earlier. And you’ll just have to come up with a valid reason to search the man’s house again. You and I know his criminal activities didn’t stop because he was in jail. As much as I don’t want to do this and, honestly, wouldn’t have considered it before this morning, I’m determined now, Justin.” She leaned back against the plastic sofa, crossing her arms over her stomach. “So we need to come up with a plan.”
“Still thinking crazy, aren’t you?”
Anna swung around. Lucas stood in the door, one shoulder casually posed against the doorjamb. Her emotions lurched. But fear for him overshadowed anything else. She arched a brow. “I thought you left.”
“I’m back now.”
Justin broke in, back to business. “Forget it, Anna. It would be suicide. I can’t even consider it. You know that. In fact, I should be tossing you into protective custody after that restroom incident.”
She bit her lip, thinking hard, examining her emotions. Was there any way in the world she could pull this off without the memories destroying her? She’d gotten herself to the place where she could hold a gun again, but what would happen if she found herself on the wrong end of one? Would she be able to handle it? She insisted, “I’m not going into protective custody. And I want to do this. I have to do this.”
“No!”
Anna cringed at Lucas’s outburst.
Justin shot a look at Lucas, slapped his hands on his desk and rose to his feet. “I’m afraid I agree with your boyfriend here. You’ve been out of the field a long time. And your cover was blown. I can’t even consider sending you back in there.” He shook his head. “No, we’ll figure something out. Just give me a little time.”
How much more time did the man need? She rubbed her left side, moving her hand across her abdomen. It was tempting to give in and assume someone else would take care of everything, but she couldn’t take that chance. “So, what now?”
“Lay low. Hide out. We’re actually working on something, coming from things at a new angle. If this works, the only thing we’ll need you for is when all this comes to trial. So keep your head low and keep in touch, okay? And if anything else happens, you’re going into protective custody whether you want to or not.”
Not likely, but she ignored that point. “A new angle? What new angle?”
“The wife.”
“Oh brother, you’ll never get anything out of her. She’s as jealous as the day is long, but she’s fiercely loyal to the man.”
“Well, we’ve also come back to looking for de Chastelain’s brother. It’s crazy. There’s practically no information on Brandon de Chastelain. As you know, both boys were in the foster care system forty years ago. But we can’t find his records anywhere. Back then everything was done on paper. Things got misfiled, lost, whatever. Shawn is all over the place. But Brandon…” He shook his head. “Nothing. All we know is that the two boys were raised in foster care from the time Shawn was six years old. We haven’t even managed to find a birthdate for Brandon.”
“What do you have?”
“I’m getting to that. There’s a Brandon de Chastelain somewhere in Canada. We’re going on the assumption that’s the brother we’re looking for. He’s a street preacher, of all things. No known address, no credit cards, no bank accounts, you name it. There’s nothing even on the Internet about him. He lives on the streets with the people he ministers to. We’ve been trying to find him for over a year now. We’re thinking he moved on to another area, but we’re at a loss as to just where to start looking.”
Justin was shaking his head, rolling his eyes. “But the brother was a dead end four years ago, so I’m not holding out much hope now. Nevertheless…do I need to put you up in a safe house somewhere or can you stay beneath the radar until we get this wrapped up?”
“You think it’s going to happen soon or will I be ‘flying beneath the radar’ while another four years go by?”
Justin flushed red, the vein in his temple starting to pound.
Anna held up a conciliatory hand, “Sorry, I’m sorry. That was uncalled-for. Although if that guy had wanted to kill me, he would have pulled the trigger. But he didn’t, which is a bit strange. Regardless, I will keep out of sight as much as possible. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be working on digging for more information.”
“I’ll watch out for her,” Lucas promised.
“And you’re trained in…what?” Justin asked derisively.
“Well, I’m pretty good with a scalpel, and I’ll be staying in a house with better security than Fort Knox.”
“You can stay with me,” Lucas announced as they left the FBI office, both of them shivering once again in the nippy air. The smell of hot dogs coming from the sidewalk vendor’s cart tantalized her nose. Then his statement smacked her brain.
Anna nearly tripped on her way down the steps, his comment registering through the rush of memories that had just assaulted her. She was now standing on the very step where she’d been shot four years ago.
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“I don’t mean with me alone, I mean with me…at my father’s house, with the rest of my strange extended family and our loyal staff.”
Her mind played the mental video she couldn’t shake. She could still see the bullet come from the crowded sidewalk, feel the burn as it slammed into her. She swallowed hard and stated absently, “I thought you and your father didn’t exactly get along.”
“The understatement of the year, but nevertheless, that’s where I’m going to stay. Trust me, there’s room.”
She didn’t respond, her mind caught in the vividness of the past. It had been a cold day, with snow dusting the streets. But the weather hadn’t stopped the crowd from showing up and protesting the FBI’s arrest of one of the city’s most prominent businessmen and benefactors. She remembered the precise sound the gun had made as the shot rang out, the exact feel of the bullet as it hit her. Her breathing accelerated as she pictured the person with the gun, ski mask covering features she’d strained to see. The figure melting back into the screaming, scrambling crowd. Then she was falling, falling, everything happening in slow motion as sounds rushed by, voices called her name, then the pain faded and darkness settled over her like a warm blanket on a cold night.
“Anna!”
Blinking, she focused back in on Lucas. The concern in his eyes wrapped itself around her heart. His hands rested on her upper arms, and he’d obviously been calling her name for some time. He gave her another shake. “Are you all right?”
“I…no. I mean, yes. I was just…remembering something.”
“Not something pleasant, that’s clear. Want to share?”
How did one share the kind of grief that was ripping through her very being, tearing her heart from the depths of her body? What could she say? God, please help me.
“No,” she said. “I can’t stay with you. I mean…I can get a hotel room. It’s not a big deal.”
His expression said he didn’t buy her evasion but was going to let her get away with it. Then he shrugged. “Maybe I want you there for the moral support.”
“Oh.” He needed moral support? To deal with his family? Obviously there was way more to his past than he’d told her during their talks in Brazil. She eyed him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I can’t take the chance that I might put you or your family in danger. Somehow de Chastelain will find out I’m back—if he hasn’t already. And when he knows, he’ll be after me, mowing down anyone in his path.”
Lucas gripped her arm, pulling her to a halt. “Look, Anna, we’ve been friends for a long time. When you agreed to bring Paulo to America, I can’t tell you how relieved I was. I wanted the time with you…was hoping maybe here, we could…” He looked away, seeming to search for the words.
Longing mixed with shock curled through her. He’d come for her. To be with her because he felt the same thing she did. He also knew why neither of them could explore the possibility of a relationship other than friendship. Yet. But his action said he still held out hope…
“I…I don’t know what to say. I mean if the circumstances were different…” But they weren’t. “Don’t you understand? If something happened to you because of me…” Her throat clogged. “I can’t take that chance.”
“It’s not up to you. I’m a big boy. Sure, I’m here for Paulo, but you can count on the fact that I didn’t come all the way back to America just to wave goodbye to you and send you on your way to face death all by yourself. I’m in this with you…all the way.”
“Lucas…”
Placing a finger over her lips, he shushed her. She gulped as he trailed the finger past her mouth, under her chin, then curved his hand around her neck. He continued. “And I know what you’re thinking.” Narrowing his eyes, he promised, “If you decide to disappear, I’ll hunt you down. I’ll haunt the FBI office until someone tells me what I want to know.”
“Don’t you realize the danger you could be putting yourself in?” Anguish curled in her stomach at the thought of what could happen to him.
He quirked a crooked smile. “Then you’d better keep me with you so you can keep an eye on me.”
She stared up at him, her mouth working, but nothing came out. He tapped her chin and her lips came together.
He sighed. “Look, my father suffered a stroke about a year ago. I almost hopped a plane when it happened, but Godfrey, my cousin, told me that it was very mild, nothing the man couldn’t bounce back from, so…”
“You stayed in Brazil.”
Lucas closed his eyes, raised thumb and forefinger to rub them as though he could erase what lay behind them. “Yeah. I took the coward’s way out and let Godfrey handle everything. I kept in touch with him and Father’s been fine, recovering nicely. But when I started lining things up for Paulo…it got me to thinking that it was time to see if anything had changed around here.” He slid a narrow look in her direction. “And when you agreed to come…”
She ignored the fact that her entire being tingled at his last words. “So, has anything changed?” He was holding something back from her.
“I called Father from the airport and nearly shocked him into another stroke. Godfrey and Dahlia, his wife, have been living there, looking after things for the past nine months or so, ever since he came home from rehab. They’re having the staff get our rooms ready.”
“You told them I was coming?”
“I told them there was the…possibility…I might be bringing a guest.”
“I see.” She eyed him, wondering if he’d really put his life on the line just to keep up with her. Yes, he would. But it was the fact that he’d so easily read her mind while she’d been thinking about slipping off and disappearing that really got her. Keeping him with her might be the only way to ensure his safety. She’d give it a trial run and see but knew she’d be looking over both sets of shoulders…his and hers. Throwing her hands up in surrender, she asked, “Okay, do you want to go straight to the house or back to the hospital to check on Paulo?”
“I’ll give the hospital a call while we head toward my father’s house. If Paulo needs us, they have my cell number.”
While Lucas drove and talked with the hospital, Anna made a mental list of what she needed to do. “Flying beneath the radar” wouldn’t be possible if she was going to figure out what happened to that evidence she’d found and apparently hid too well. The only plan she could come up with was devising a disguise of some sort to throw them off her trail. She’d think on what kind later. But that would gain her access to the house, then somehow, she’d have to create a diversion, slip into the office and have a look around. She sighed. Who was she kidding? Four years had gone by. Shawn’s wife had probably remodeled that house fifty times over by now. The umbrella stand had most likely gone the way of some tax deductible path.
But still…she could look. No harm in that, right?
Glancing in the side mirror, she noticed a fast approaching car coming up behind them. A black car with tinted windows. The Mercedes symbol glinted in the sunlight. Anna blinked at the glare and adjusted the mirror.
“Hey Lucas, you might want to move over into the right lane; that Mercedes is riding awfully close on your bumper.”
“You’re right. I just noticed that.” He signaled, pulled to the right. The Mercedes followed. Now, Anna became concerned. Lucas sped up, the powerful black car followed easily.
“Lucas, something’s not right with this.”
No sooner had the words left her lips than the Mercedes gunned it and rammed into the back of the rental.
FIVE
Anna heard Lucas yell and felt herself thrown back against the seat, then bounced off the passenger door. Her head cracked against the window, pain radiating. The seat belt cut into her shoulder and waist, pinning her in the seat. She threw her arms out and grabbed the dash turning to look at Lucas’s horrified expression. He wrenched the wheel to the left to avoid a headlong plunge off the highway. Wheels screeched against the pavement, the smell of burned rubber singed her nose.
“Lucas!”
“Hold on!”
The black Mercedes crept up closer, the tinted windows making it impossible to see anything inside. The powerful engine roared. Anna swiveled to look out the back window to get a look at the driver, hoping the front window wouldn’t be darkened, but before she could catch a glimpse, the Mercedes gave a sudden burst of speed to ram into the tail end once again. She screamed as the rental went into a tailspin.
Fighting the steering wheel, Lucas growled, focusing his attention on keeping them in the right lane and out of oncoming traffic. Anna grabbed her purse from the floor, searching frantically. She pulled her cell from the side pocket and punched in three numbers.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
“We’re on Standing Wave Highway heading toward North Carolina. Someone’s trying to run us off the road!”
A slight pause. “I have a car on the way. Give me a specific exit number if you can.”
“Passing Exit 53. Hurry! Lucas, watch out. They’re coming again!”
The impact jerked her head back into the window for the second time; stars danced before her eyes.
“Ma’am, are you there?” Anna focused back on the 911 operator.
“Yes, I…I’m here, but we need some help. Fast.”
Lucas managed to dodge another run at the car. The Mercedes slid past, the brake lights flashing. Two more minutes of watching Lucas avoid another collision had her nerves stretched to the breaking point. Finally a siren sounded to her left, another up ahead. The Mercedes immediately backed off, took the next exit and disappeared, but not before Anna thought she caught a glimpse of the number 1 on the license plate. Not that that information would do any good. How many Mercedes would be registered in the city of Rocking Wave Beach with a 1 as one of the numbers on the license plate? It would be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
Lucas slowed, allowing the police to catch up. One went after the Mercedes, but Anna didn’t hold out hope that he would catch it. Her head hurt. Lifting a hand to the throbbing ache centered over her right eye, she felt wetness. When she looked, bright red stained her fingers.
Her door opened and the officer, seeing her blood, said something into his radio. Lucas reached over to grab her left hand. “Are you all right?” he demanded.
She lifted her eyes to his. “So much for staying under the radar, huh?”
How had they found her so fast? Lucas fumed as he thought. First the hospital and now this. He rubbed his shoulder where the seat belt had cut into it. But he ignored his minor aches and pains as he thought.
How was it possible that she’d been located so quickly? Was it truly possible that de Chastelain had the ability to track her passport usage? Or was it something else? Something so obvious, it was scary. It could also be that FBI guy, Justin. He was the only one who’d known Anna was back. Lucas ground his teeth as he paced the den of his father’s home.
The old man had yet to put in an appearance. They’d been let in by Ted, who’d gone to get an ice pack for Anna as soon as he’d heard their story. Anna sat on the couch, the ice pack held to her head. She’d downed two ibuprofen pills without complaint. Her pale features worried him, but Anna assured him she was fine, she just needed to lie down. Maddy, one of the household staff, promised him that their rooms would be ready within five minutes.
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