Protective Custody Page 7

  Stunned, Carly drew in a swift breath and could only stare at Nick, her heart breaking at the harsh grief that stole his voice for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. “How do you know anything about that? Are you admitting to murdering my wife and sister?”

  A harsh laugh echoed in the room. “You’d be surprised at what and who I know, what I’ve done—and what I’m capable of doing.”

  The words slammed into the air. Nick shot Carly a haunted look and spoke into the phone,. “If anything happens to those kids, I’ll see you dead.”

  Another laugh. “Now, is that any way for a judge to talk?” The voice turned deadly. “I sent you a video. Either drop the case or be prepared to rule the way we want.”

  “I’ll rule according to the evidence.”

  “That’s what we figured. Watch the video, then decide. It might change your mind. Especially when you see the little bull’s-eye on Lindsey’s head.”

  The loud click of the caller hanging up spurred everyone into motion.

  Carly hit the door to find Mason pacing, his phone stuck to his ear. She got his attention. “Did you get a trace?”

  In disgust, he shook his head. “They covered their tracks.”

  She wasn’t surprised. “What about Maria and Grady?”

  “That’s who I’m talking to now. Maria said Grady went with Christopher to class. She’s with Lindsey and says everything is fine.”

  Carly looked back to see Nick standing in the doorway, listening. His relief was visible. She turned back to Mason. “This time the threat was made against the children. I want them away from that school.”

  “Working on it.” He listened a few more moments. “They’re all four together now. Grady’s going to get the car while Maria stays with the kids in the shelter of the building.”

  “Good. Let’s get more officers over there. Tell Maria and Grady to stay put until they see the cars—if they can.”

  “Carly? I need you to see this.”

  Nick’s voice stopped her before she could issue the next order.

  She turned to see that the pallor in his face had been replaced with a sickly green color.

  She snatched the phone from his hand and pressed Play.

  The children’s school came into view, followed by video of the two marshals ushering Christopher and Lindsey into the building. The marshals blocked the view of the children, using their bodies as shields. She looked up at Nick, and he motioned her back to the phone. “Keep watching.”

  The next shot was through a window of one of the classrooms. Lindsey walked in, and for a brief moment, she was a target. Carly knew the person taking the video could have sent a bullet crashing through the glass into the girl.

  Nausea curled through her as Maria rushed over to the window and pulled the blinds. Carly would have done that before Lindsey had walked into the classroom. Doing it now could have been too late if the person with the camera had a sharp shooting rifle instead.

  “Okay, the kids have officially been threatened. No more school, no more regularly scheduled activities, until this trial is over,” Carly said.

  Her heart thumped and her breath caught in her throat at the dread she read on his face. She wanted to put her arms around him and offer him comfort. A fact that bothered her. She couldn’t let her desire to grow close to Nick, the man, get in the way of her job, which was Nick the assignment. She was here for one thing and one thing only.

  To keep him and his kids safe.

  Any feelings she might have for him would have to be shelved.

  “Mason, where are the kids now? Are they in the car yet?”

  “Not yet. Maria’s still waiting.”

  She frowned. “He’s taking too long. He wouldn’t have been parked that far from the entrance. Can she see him?”

  Mason handed her the phone. “I don’t know. Here, I’m going to make sure everything’s arranged for the safe house. You take over.”

  Pressing the phone to her ear, she said, “Maria?”

  “Yeah, something’s going on. Grady shouldn’t be taking this long.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Carly muttered. “Don’t leave the kids. Give him a few more…”

  “There he is.” She could hear the relief in her fellow marshal’s voice. “And two police cruisers just pulled into the parking lot.”

  “All right.” Carly looked up as Mason walked back into the room. “Hang on a second, and I’ll tell you which safe house.”

  Mason held up four fingers.

  “Maria? Safe house number four.”

  “Got it.”

  “We’ll meet you there. The cruisers will follow you and hold back traffic to make sure no one tails you to the safe house. You know the way.”

  She hung up.

  Nick looked ready to explode. She forced reassurance into her tone. “The kids are fine, Nick. You’ll be with them within thirty minutes. Debbie is being taken to the house as we speak, and the children will join her within minutes.”

  He paced from one end of the small room to the other. “I should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have sent them to school. If something happens…”

  She rested a hand on his arm, felt the tension radiating from the bunched muscles. “Nothing is going to happen.”

  He jerked away. “You don’t know that.”

  Carly flinched as though he’d slapped her. He was right; she didn’t know that. After all, she’d thought Hank would pull through, had even laughed with him one last time before his heart stopped. Pulling in a calming breath, she said, “You’re right. I don’t. I…”

  He held up a hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just want to see for myself.”

  “Absolutely. So let’s get going.”

  Mason stepped back inside and motioned for them to follow him. Security coated the courthouse. The halls had been cleared. A police officer stood at each door, even the restrooms. They would make sure no one followed them out of the building. Mason, Carly and Nick would take the steps down to the parking garage. No elevators.

  Mason led the way. Nick followed behind, and Carly brought up the rear.

  Once in the garage, Mason got the car and brought it around. Carly and Nick hastened inside. Nick fastened his seat belt and asked, “Where is this safe house?”

  Carly sat next to him in the backseat of the compact four-door car. Nick leaned toward her, his eyes intense, worry for the children visible. She felt something melt a little inside her when she saw the pain in his eyes.

  “Just outside of town,” she said soothingly.

  Mason accelerated, and the bright sun hit them as they exited the garage.

  Carly reached across the six inches separating Nick’s hand from hers and placed her palm over his fingers. He jumped, that muscle in his jaw working once more.

  But he didn’t pull away.

  Nick watched her flush, but she didn’t take her hand from his grasp. “Carly?” He needed her to talk. He needed noise, a distraction—anything to keep him from dwelling on what could happen to the children if the marshals guarding them failed to protect them. “Yeah?”

  He barely heard her. “Are they safe with Maria and Grady? Would they put their lives on the line to protect them?” A pause. “Like you would?”

  Her stormy blue eyes softened. “They’re professionals, Nick. They’ll do everything in their power to keep those kids safe, I promise. But—” she reached up to touch his cheek “—as soon as we have them back, we’re not letting them out of our sight again, okay?”

  We. Our. He liked her use of the possessive. Even as his heart climbed into his throat at the thought of what could happen to Lindsey and Christopher, having Carly by his side made all the difference in the world. “I need them to be safe,” he whispered and bent his head to touch her forehead with his.

  “I know,” she whispered back. “And they will be. They have to be.”

  He pulled away and stared down at her, wondering what was happening between them, even i
n the midst of this crisis. He saw that if Carly’s determination had anything to do with the children’s safety, all would be well.

  But he knew the killers were just as determined.

  And that scared him more than he ever thought possible. “God is in control,” he said. “They’re in His care.”

  She jerked away from him and snorted, a new fire in her gaze. “I’m sorry, but just because you believe God will keep anything from happening to them doesn’t make it so. If we want them safe, we, as in the marshals, will have to see to it.”

  For a moment, Nick felt extreme sadness. “Where’s your faith, Carly?”

  “Dead. As dead as Hank, my friend and mentor.”

  He winced as he felt her pain scorch his heart. “What would Ian say about that?”

  She barked a laugh. “My brother says a whole lot about that when I give him the chance.” A pause. “That’s why I don’t.”

  Then she turned her back on him, effectively telling him that she was done talking. Their intimate moment seemed to be a figment of his imagination, the comfort he’d derived from her closeness gone.

  Fine. He pulled out his cell and called his housekeeper, Stella Jefferson. She answered on the first ring. “Hello, Nick.”

  He didn’t spare any words. “We’re going to have to go into a safe house. Do you and Carl want to join us or leave town for a while?”

  “Oh, my.” She sighed. “We’ll leave. That’ll be two less people to be protected, taking their attention from you and the children. Yes, we’ll go to my sister’s in Arizona. We’ll be fine.”

  Emotion welled for his mother’s friend. “Thank you for everything, I’ll call when it’s safe to come back.”

  “Take care, dear.”

  “You too.”

  Nick hung up, leaned back and stared at the ceiling, praying desperate prayers that the children would be fine. That everyone would stay safe until the criminals could be brought to justice.

  Please, God.

  Carly’s phone rang, and she snatched it then fumbled with it, juggling it like a hot potato until she finally had it under control. “Hello?”

  Nick studied her, wondering who it was. Then her face went pale; the sick look she shot him made his heart thud. “What?” he demanded. “What is it? The kids?”

  She handed her phone to Mason and grabbed his from the cup holder. “Talk to Maria while I call for help.” She shot Nick a compassionate look and dialed another number. “I need assistance at Old Gap Road and Silver Street. Officers down. Take a left up here, Mason.”

  Nick felt his heart freeze.

  Mason shot her a look in the rearview mirror. “What is it, Carly?”

  Nick grabbed her hand and demanded. “Tell me.”

  She swallowed once. Twice. “That was Maria. They’ve had a wreck. She’s been shot, and Grady’s… She thinks Grady’s dead.”

  He forced the words past lips paralyzed with fear. “Christopher? Lindsey?”

  “They’re gone.”

  SEVEN

  Nick sat in stone-faced silence the entire four minutes it took to get to the scene of the accident. Carly tried to order him to a secure area, but he’d stated he was going with or without her. She figured it would be safer for him to be there with her and Mason than to go off on his own.

  Once they arrived, Carly took in the sight. One police cruiser had slammed into a tree. The officer in front lay unmoving across the steering wheel. The second cruiser had left skid marks, an obvious attempt to escape the bullets that had peppered the side.

  Where was that officer? She couldn’t see an outline through the window.

  The marshals’ vehicle didn’t look good. The car lay on its side, the rear window completely shattered.

  Cold chills swept through her. Someone had come prepared to take out bullet-resistant glass. Oh, God, please.

  The prayer slipped through her mind, and, whether she wanted to admit it or not, it felt good, familiar, like talking to an old friend. Something to think about later.

  They’d beaten backup there. Carly cased the area as Mason drove up to the edge, behind the marshal’s battered car. Nick had his right hand on the door handle, ready to fling it open. She grabbed his left wrist, felt his pulse hammering under her fingertips. “Stay in the car, Nick. Please.”

  “I’m going to check on my kids.”

  “It may be a trap. Stay put.” She could just picture him stepping out of the car and a sniper planting a bullet between his eyes. This was the perfect spot for it.

  Trees lined the street on one side and buildings on the other. Plenty of hiding places all around.

  “Mason, is Maria still on the line?”

  “No, I lost her about a minute ago.”

  “She hung up?”

  “I think she passed out.”

  Carly couldn’t see anything through the tinted glass in the other car. Trees lined the edge of the road, and the woods beyond looked still, silent. Like they held secrets never to be revealed. She shook her head at herself. She knew better than to let her imagination take over.

  The sound of a helicopter whirred above. She looked at Nick, who still had his hand on the handle. “Help’s coming. I’ll go check for the kids. You stay put.”

  His brow shot up. “I thought you said it might be a trap.”

  “A trap for you. They have no reason to shoot me.”

  The skepticism on his face said he didn’t believe her. Well, that was all right. She wasn’t sure she believed it herself.

  Mason spoke from the driver’s seat. “Carly, you know the drill. Don’t do anything until the situation’s been assessed and cleared.”

  “I’ve assessed it. I’m going to look for those children.”

  She was scared to death about the kids, and it sounded like Maria and Grady needed help, too.

  Now.

  She opened the door and slid out, her eyes probing every possible sniper hiding place.

  “Carly…” The warning note in Mason’s voice stopped her, and she looked back.

  “Just keep your eyes open for me, will you?” she pleaded.

  Steel fingers wrapped around her wrist and jerked her back into the car. Nick’s hard eyes stared down at her. “Don’t you dare. You follow protocol.”

  Speechless, she froze. What was that in his eyes? Fury? Fear? Yes, definitely fear. But something else, too. Disbelief at his nerve hammered her. “What are you doing?” she sputtered. “The kids…Maria…”

  “He’s right, Carly.” Mason’s hard voice and Nick’s ironclad hold on her made her shudder. The helicopter thumped louder. She knew it was doing a thermal scan of the woods. Soon, she would get the okay—if the shooter was gone.

  But she was so mad, her hands shook. She needed to get to the car. Desperately. “Let me go,” she ordered in a low voice. “The kids…I promised…”

  Again, she tried to pull away, but Nick held fast. A noise in her ear distracted her, and she shoved her earpiece in, willing the pilot in the helicopter to give her the all-clear and to say he spotted two small figures.

  The feel of Nick’s strong fingers still wrapped around her wrist made her hesitate. She stopped, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Why was she reacting this way? She’d had tough assignments before. Even ones involving children. Why was this case different? It shouldn’t be. But it was. She’d been blindsided by her feelings. She realized she had come to care for this little family far more than she probably should.

  Swallowing hard, she ordered herself to remain objective.

  Right. She looked Nick in the eye and nodded. His fingers slid from her wrist as though in slow motion, his eyes never leaving her face.

  Just as she registered the words in her ear, Mason shoved open his door. “I got the all clear,” he said. “Two bodies that could be children spotted close by—one moving, one still, near the edge of the woods. No one carrying a weapon. We’re good.”

  No one needed any more encouragement. Carly shot out of the vehicle q
uicker than any sniper’s bullet. She made her way over to the damaged car with Nick right on her heels. Knowing it was useless to try to convince him to stay out of the open, she didn’t bother. Instead, she focused on the backseat.

  Empty.

  Please, no, no, no…

  Breaths came in quick spurts, fueled by her rising panic. She couldn’t lose the children; she’d promised. Maria lay to the rear of the vehicle. Grady was slumped against the driver’s door, pinned against the ground.

  Mason hurried for Grady while Carly checked on Maria. Maria’s pulse beat against her fingers in a steady rhythm, but the gash on her head didn’t look good.

  “Christopher! Lindsey!” Nick called their names, his voice hoarse, trembling with suppressed emotion. Her heart ached for him, pounded with adrenaline as she refused to think they wouldn’t find them.

  She looked at Mason as the ambulance pulled up along with several police cars. “Grady?”

  Grimly, he shook his head. “He’s alive, but it doesn’t look good. He’s trapped under the steering wheel. I’m not sure where all the blood is coming from. Looks like he’s in shock, though.”

  Sorrow hit her. “Maria managed to climb out of the vehicle as though she was going after the kids.” Carly looked around and came to a decision. “Okay, you handle Grady and Maria. I’m going with Nick to look for the children.”

  “They’re probably long gone from here, Carly.”

  She knew that. Didn’t want to acknowledge it. Rescue workers surrounded the car while officers combed the wooded area. Maria and Grady were in good hands.

  “Christopher!” She whirled at the shout and saw Nick grab the seven-year-old into his arms. Relief nearly brought her to her knees.

  Carly raced over to the pair. “Where’s Lindsey?”

  Christopher had a stranglehold on his uncle, and she could hear the boy’s wheezing. He also had several superficial cuts on his forehead and one on his cheek.

  “Where’s his inhaler?” she asked.

  Christopher lifted his head. “Car. Backpack.” He pointed. Carly sprinted back to the car and climbed through the rear window, shoving the shattered glass out of the way. She spotted the backpack and snatched it.