Vow of Justice Read online

  Twenty feet in front of her, a woman dressed in green scrubs looked up. “Hello. Well now, you’re looking great. It’s good to see you up and dressed. I wasn’t sure I’d get to see you up and around before you were released. Did you need something?”

  “Yes. Who are you and can you tell me where I am? Because I don’t think I’m in Kansas anymore.”

  The pretty woman grinned. “I’m Catherine Hayworth. This is a rehab facility, but your friend Henry and Dr. Forsythe go way back. You’re not the first agent Henry’s brought here to recuperate because of a threat to her life.”

  Allie’s racing heart slowed a bit. “Okay. That answers a couple of questions. Am I still in Charleston?”

  “No, Hilton Head Island.”

  “I see.” She drew in a steadying breath. “And where’s Henry?”

  “He stepped down the hall to the restrooms, then was heading down to the cafeteria to grab some lunch, I believe. Would you like anything to drink? A snack?” She walked to the cabinet behind her and opened it to expose an array of healthy foods and drinks.

  “Not right now, thanks. I need a cell phone. Is there a gift store or anything where I can purchase one?”

  Catherine bit her lip. “I’m afraid not. Some clients do bring their phones and laptops, but we don’t provide them.”

  “All right, how about a business center? I need to check my messages.”

  The woman sighed and a flush crept into her cheeks. “Again, no, I’m sorry. I know you’re not our usual clientele, so I’d be happy to see if I can round up a spare laptop somewhere so you can get online.”

  “That would be lovely, thank you. I’ll just wait here.”

  Less than a minute later, the kind nurse returned with the promised laptop in her hands. “Here you are. Do you need me to call IT to help you with anything?”

  “No, I can handle it from here, thanks.”

  While the woman reached for the ringing phone, Allie took the laptop to the small seating area at the end of the hall and settled herself onto the leather sofa.

  The wall-sized window in front of her offered her a soothing view of the Atlantic Ocean. She closed her eyes, picturing Linc on the catamaran, his smile flashing in her direction when she’d come from below in her modest one-piece swimsuit. His grin held a teasing appreciation, reflecting his attraction, yet never once did he display anything that she would consider to be disrespectful toward her.

  She could honestly say her intense like for the man might have slipped over the edge into love at that moment.

  And then he’d been snatched from her less than two hours later.

  A sob built and, with effort, she choked it back. She opened the laptop and easily connected to the Wi-Fi. She wasn’t a technical genius, but she knew enough to get what she needed.

  Access to her emails and text messages.

  She swiped an escaped tear and began to type. First her texts. It didn’t take long to follow the steps to retrieve her texts and find she had one. From an unknown number.

  Unknown

  He knows and he’s going to kill me. Maybe not today, but soon. Pls find me! At his new office bldg on Montro—

  The text had been cut off as though there’d been no more time to type, and Allie’s blood chilled. It had to be Daria. Who else?

  She lurched to her feet, ignoring the shooting pain in various parts of her body.

  “Allie?”

  She spun to find Henry striding toward her, a frantic look on his face. “What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Checking my text messages, why?”

  “Are you sure you should be doing that?”

  She frowned. “Yes. We have to go. Daria’s in danger and I have to get to her. Then find out how to get Nevsky and make him pay for killing Linc.”

  Henry gripped her arms. “Allie, I told you. He’s alive.”

  She searched his eyes, pushing memories of that other time to the side. Could he really have been telling her the truth?

  With her emotions in such turmoil, it was hard to pull her next move to the surface. Finally, she sucked in a steadying breath. “Then why hasn’t he called or texted? Or emailed? Why isn’t he here? He wasn’t just a passing acquaintance, Henry. If he’s alive, then where is he?”

  “Still on medical leave from the Bureau, but he’s doing fine from what I understand. I’ve been out of the office and here with you since you were brought here, so I haven’t seen him, but I promise, word is he’s practically back to new.”

  “Wow.” She raked a hand over her messy ponytail. “All right, then. Good.” But that didn’t explain why he hadn’t contacted her. “He can help us find Daria.”

  “No,” Henry said, “he can’t.”

  She frowned. “I don’t understand. You said he was doing fine.”

  “It’s not that.” Henry paced behind the couch, coming back to stop in front of her. “He thinks you’re dead.”

  “What!”

  “Allie, there was mass chaos on the water. You and Linc were both hurt and it was just . . . crazy. By the time everything calmed down, I actually thought Linc was dead at first. By the time we were airlifted out of there, they hadn’t located him. I just assumed . . .”

  “Assumed? Henry!”

  “I know, I know. But can’t you see how that could happen?”

  Unfortunately, she could.

  “Allie, no matter how much it hurts you, he can’t know you’re alive.”

  She began an agitated pace from one end of the area to the other.

  “Just listen for a second, okay?”

  She paused in front of him and gave him a short nod. She’d hear him out, but there was no way she wasn’t going after Daria.

  “You know as well as I do that Nevsky was going after you and threatened the people you loved. He knew you and Linc were partners.”

  “And even had pictures of his family,” she murmured.

  “Exactly. But as long as you’re dead, they should be left alone.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because he has no reason to go after them now. I think he’ll watch them for a while longer, just to be sure, but you’re the one he has the personal grudge against. You infiltrated his home, you befriended his daughter—and you betrayed his trust.”

  Allie sucked in a breath. “He’ll hate me, Henry. I can’t do that to him. Not only will he hate me and never forgive me, he’ll be terribly hurt. I know I would be. We were just beginning to develop something . . . personal.”

  Henry frowned.

  “Oh, come on, Henry, you’re not blind. I know you noticed.”

  “I did, but that’s not my business. My business is doing what’s best for my agents.”

  “And what’s best is for Linc to think I’m dead? Let him grieve when there’s no reason to? To one day find out that I deceived him on purpose? I can’t do that to him!”

  “You have to. At least until we have a plan.”

  “What kind of plan?”

  “That will depend on Nevsky’s next move.”

  “Which is?”

  “I don’t know!” Henry paced to the window and raked his hands over his head. “I . . . don’t know. But there must be some advantage to having Nevsky think you’re dead. And if there is, I want some time to think about it and plan accordingly.”

  “Nevsky, yes. Linc? No!”

  “If Linc finds out you’re not dead, Nevsky will know. He’s got people watching him around the clock. There’s no way to tell Linc without telling Nevsky.” Henry’s flat, no-nonsense statement stopped her.

  “I need a chance to think about it,” she finally said. “And I can’t do that right this second. I can’t think past anything other than the fact that Daria texted me that she’s in trouble and begged me to find her. I need to get out of here and figure out a way to help her.”

  “When did she send the text?”

  “Yesterday.” She pressed fingers to
her suddenly pounding head. “We may be too late.” Allie narrowed her gaze on Henry. “You got me here by chopper, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then get that chopper back, please, so it can take us home. I’ve got to go after Daria.”

  “I’ll call in a team—”

  “No. It’s got to be me.”

  “Allie—”

  “Just do it, Henry, or I’ll find my own way!” The shout reverberated between them and she swallowed at his stunned expression. “I’m sorry. I know you’re concerned, but the heavy meds are out of my system.” A flush heated her cheeks. “I’m off opioids. I took the IV out yesterday.”

  “You what?” Anger flashed.

  “So there’s nothing keeping me from doing this. Now, will you help me, or am I on my own?”

  Henry gave a slow nod. “There’s no talking you out of this, is there?”

  “No. I need my weapon.”

  “Fine, but no contacting Linc, understand? Not until we talk about this more. After we have a plan in place to keep him and his family safe, you can let him know you’re alive.”

  “Understood. I have no desire to do anything that would throw him back into the path of danger.” She grabbed the laptop. “I need to give this back to the nurse, then I’ll be ready to go.”

  Fifteen minutes later, she sat in the helicopter with her headset on. Medication had eased her headache and she was able to ignore the rest of the aches and pains.

  And lo and behold, Henry had placed a brand-new cell phone and weapon in her hand as he’d climbed into the seat beside her.

  “Thank you, Henry.”

  “Of course. Let’s go rescue Daria.”

  6

  Allie adjusted the earpiece a little deeper into her ear canal. “You’re sure she’s still there? In the same place? Alone?”

  Even though Daria’s text had been sent yesterday, it hadn’t been hard to find the building, even with the partial address. A quick reconnaissance of the structure with thermal imaging had given them a picture of the inside.

  Five men gathered around a table in a conference room. The smaller form sitting on the floor in a separate part of the building looked like it could be female. She was going on the educated guess that it was Daria.

  “I’m sure,” Henry said. A pause. “You don’t have to do this, Allie.”

  “Yes, I do. She said they were going to kill her.” If she was honest, Allie hadn’t expected her to still be alive. She’d almost wept when she realized she wasn’t too late. “She’s got evidence against Nevsky that will put him behind bars forever, remember? I want my life back, I want Linc and his family safe, and Daria’s the key to making that happen.” She wanted a lot of things back. Like Linc. “But the most important thing is making sure she’s safe. She’s the priority, understand?”

  “Of course. But if you get caught, they’ll kill you too. Will make it kind of hard to get your life back.”

  “Then let’s make sure I don’t get caught.” She placed the flat-head ax and Halligan bar tool against the exterior exit door that led to Daria’s room and pulled, popping the flimsy lock. Normally, SWAT would be the one making the dynamic entry, but she didn’t want to waste time waiting on them to organize and get over here.

  Bars on the windows and a ten-dollar lock a five-year-old could snap. She’d take it and be grateful for it.

  Waiting to see if anyone burst outside to investigate the noise, Allie gripped her weapon, breaths coming in slow, measured puffs. Senses sharp, adrenaline on high, she held still.

  When seconds passed and nothing happened, Allie crouched and slid her tactical mirror through the broken lock. She angled it to see a closed door across the small room. A glass window separated it from the outer area—and the girl sat on the floor working on a laptop, eyes darting from the exit door to the window every few seconds.

  Daria held herself in a strategic position that allowed her to watch the window, but anyone looking in wouldn’t be able to see the laptop screen. The kid was smart with good instincts, and Allie intended to ensure that she stayed alive to see that potential unfold.

  Rotating the mirror once again, Allie decided she could open the door and anyone on the other side of the privacy window wouldn’t notice. Not unless they were right up against the glass and looking into the office.

  Allie adjusted the mirror down and saw Daria’s leg shackled to a steel loop attached to the floor. The girl shot furtive glances at the interior door, then back to the mirror, then at the door once more.

  Still kneeling, Allie pushed the exit door inward and lowered herself to all fours. She let her gaze meet the teen’s. Daria’s eyes widened and hope flared. Finger to her lips in an unnecessary warning, Allie shoved the mirror into one of the pockets of her tactical vest.

  “Daria,” she whispered.

  “Allie, I’m so glad to see you.”

  “If I can get you loose, can you run out the door?”

  “Yes, please!”

  Allie shut the damaged door behind her as much as possible, then army-crawled the short distance to the desk, using it to stay out of sight of anyone who looked into the room. Her stitches pulled and she grimaced at the shooting pain but refused to let it slow her down.

  She removed the handcuff key from her pocket and released the teen’s leg. “Don’t move yet,” Allie whispered. “As soon as I tell you, go. There’s a guy on the other side who’ll be looking for you. His name is Henry, midforties, tactical gear on. Get to him and he’ll keep you safe until I can get there.”

  “My father’s gone crazy,” Daria hissed. “Or crazier. Somehow he knows what I’ve done and he’s going to kill me as soon as he figures out where the evidence is. I’ve got to get out of here.” Hysteria tinged her words.

  “I know. Hold on a second,” Allie said.

  “How could he know, Allie? You’re the only person I told.”

  Allie shook her head. “He must have heard it on a mic we missed or something.”

  “I guess.”

  “We’ll figure that out later. Right now, we’re going to go out the way I came in.” She stole a glance at the window and noted the silhouette on the other side of the privacy glass, cloudy but still clear enough to see through. She wondered exactly how she was going to get her out.

  “The guy at the window is watching me,” Daria murmured, slowly closing the laptop and sliding it under the desk. “I don’t think he can see very well, but he can see enough to know if I’m here or not—and if I’m alone.”

  “Okay, just stay still.” Allie’s gaze went to the backpack against the wall. Whoever had locked Daria in the room hadn’t bothered to search the backpack? Interesting. Weird. Stupid? Or for a reason?

  Using the desk to hide behind, much like Daria had done, Allie maneuvered so she could see the window. She could make out the profile of a large man to the side, eyeing Daria, who sat with her forehead resting on the knees she had drawn to her chest.

  “Henry? How’s it looking outside?” Allie asked.

  “SWAT is here.”

  “What?” she hissed. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “They just got here. I didn’t know about it. I’ve been a bit out of the loop lately, if you’ll recall.”

  Because he’d been hiding her away from the world, letting everyone think she was dead. For many valid reasons, she’d admit, but still . . . “So, now what?”

  “There’s a guard on the perimeter near the door,” he said. “Stay put while I get rid of him and let SWAT know you’re here.”

  The knob rattled.

  “Someone’s coming,” Daria hissed. “We need to get out now!”

  Linc held his weapon ready as SWAT surrounded the office building. As always, when he was about to enter enemy territory, his adrenaline pounded and his nerves twitched, but the hand that held the weapon was rock-solid steady.

  Blood humming, he drew in a steadying breath and tried not to think about what he would do once the mission w
as completed—meaning Nevsky was either dead or behind bars. While he wanted him alive, if he had to die, he decided that was fine too. He just wanted him unable to hurt another soul.

  But after that . . . He tried not to picture life without Allie. The black hole of grief would swallow him up if he wasn’t careful.

  His earpiece came to life. “Thermal imaging shows four live ones in the front, two in the back office, and one standing near the two in the back but not in the office with them,” the voice said. “The two in the office look like they could be female, the others are all male. SWAT team is in place. We’re a go on command.”

  Two females? Daria and who? A guard?

  Linc had positioned himself to be the first one in the door. The team member with the battering ram stood prepared and Linc nodded. “Go!”

  The ram slammed into the wooden door, knocking it open. Linc swept inside, weapon in front of him. The chopper thumped above. Other agents poured in behind him, commands echoing. “FBI! Hands in the air! Keep your hands where I can see them! On the floor! On the floor!” The four men who’d been gathered around the table full of white powder and cash scattered.

  Two obeyed the agents’ orders. The others ran. While his coworkers went after them, Linc vaguely registered the shocked expressions of the two on the floor as their hands were cuffed behind them. The raid had been a complete surprise. Good to know.

  The man who had been by the office in the back darted for the nearest exit.

  “Got another runner,” Linc said.

  He wouldn’t get far. The helicopters hovering above would take care of tracking the guy. Linc continued his journey farther into the building, his goal the back office where the women were. Daria especially. Hope pounded. This was it. At the door, he stood to the side, then kicked it in.

  And came face-to-face with a dead woman.

  “Linc!” Allie gasped. “Behind you!”

  She grabbed his forearm and pulled. He stumbled into the room.

  “Look out!” Daria shoved the rolling chair toward the man who was raising his weapon behind Linc. The chair clipped him, throwing him off balance, and Linc turned, swiping his weapon across the man’s temple.