Witness Protection (12 page)

There was dead silence.

“It would certainly explain why they’re coming at you so hard,” Smith said. “You said in your statement that you’d seen their faces.”

They’d been relentless so far. It also made sense why they seemed to understand how Nick would work. How they anticipated his moves or had had someone on his heels at every turn. A man with the same training would have a better idea where to look.

Nick took the next exit. “Send the photos.”

He ended the call and located an abandoned lot. He parked and flipped on the cab light.

Sadie’s grip on the phone had turned her knuckles white. Her hand shook and her skin had gone pale.

Nick gently pulled the cell out of her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. “I need to warn Luke.”

His brother picked up on the first ring.

“Bad news.”

A yawn came through the line. “You didn’t wreck my truck, did you?”

“Nope. Much worse. We’ve confirmed our suspicions. This case involves some of my own.”

The line went dead quiet.

“That’s not good.”

“My involvement in the case has most likely caused them to target me,” Nick said, his gaze on Sadie the whole time. She was afraid but brave.

“That’s really not good.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Any chance they know about the ranch?” Luke asked.

“A list just turned up with Texas deputies’ personal information on it.”

Luke let out a string of curse words.

“So far, I know one supervisor was involved. He got a deputy killed to protect his healthy bank account on the islands,” Nick said.

“Hard to believe someone would turn on their own for a few bucks, but to each his own, I guess.”

“He’s a jerk.”

“One I’d like to be alone with in a room for ten minutes.”

“Agreed. Problem is, because of him a good deputy was killed and many more are at risk.”

Luke grunted.

“My boss is sending over pictures for Sadie to look at, so I can’t stay on long. We’re certain all the deputies in Texas have been identified for Grimes and his men.”

“Bastard.”

“Agreed. Get everyone off the ranch, just in case.”

“Will do. I’ll have Reed take them to Galveston. Everyone except Meg and Riley. They’ll have to stick around to be close to her doctor. I’ll stay at my place in Dallas. Can’t get too far from The Metroplex while I’m working on my case.”

“Sounds like a plan. Make Meg and Riley promise to have their place watched. Better yet, do Riley’s parents live in Fort Worth?”

“I believe so.”

“Any chance you can get them to agree to stay there? I don’t want to take any risks with her so close to her due date.”

“I’m on it,” Luke said. “I’ll get the others out by tonight. Don’t worry. And I’ll make sure Sadie’s dog is taken care of, too.”

“Boomer,” Sadie said in almost a whisper.

“I’ll take care of him while you’re on the go. You got a safe house, man?” Luke asked.

“Yeah. I’m heading to Richardson after a little trip downtown. I might need a favor while Reed’s down south.”

“Yeah?’

“Grimes has a real estate holding in Houston. I need someone to check it out for me. Dig around. See what they can find.”

“Wish I could go myself.” The telltale adrenaline that hit before a big assignment deepened Luke’s tone.

“I wish we could go together. I like my odds better if I have someone I can trust backing me up.”

“I’ll tell Reed. Text the address.”

“Will do.”

“When this is over, you should come on over to our side. FBI needs more good people they can trust,” Luke said, using his sense of humor to lighten the mood.

“Believe me, after this assignment, I’d almost consider it.”

“If we were smart, we’d leave our day jobs and work for ourselves.”

“Another tempting idea. Have Reed give me a call as soon as he gets to that warehouse.”

“Can I give him a heads-up on what he might expect to find?”

“Wish I could help.”

“That close to the border, Grimes might be moving product in through Galveston,” Luke said.

“Yeah. I have no idea what to expect. All I know is he has a straight line up to Canada.”

“You’ve found the right man for the job if they’re hauling stuff through the Gulf,” Luke agreed.

“His department might find something interesting. He’ll need a reason to search the place officially.”

“Reed can be damn inventive when he needs to be.” Luke paused. “Keep me in the loop.”

Nick agreed and ended the call. He had eight text messages waiting. He opened the first and showed the picture to Sadie.

She shook her head.

The second received the same response.

The third, fourth and fifth had the same affect.

When he opened the sixth and glanced up, he saw recognition stamped all over Sadie’s features. Her pupils dilated and her breath came out in a gasp.

“That’s him.”

Chapter Twelve

“This guy looks familiar?” Nick asked. Anger rose inside him as he watched a tremor rock her body.

Her chin came up, and she locked gazes. “Yes.”

He fired off a confirmation text to Smith.

“He was one of the guys who abducted me,” she said, her body shaking. “I’d been grocery shopping. I was putting the bags in my car when all of a sudden this van pulled up behind me, blocking my car. I didn’t think much about it. I mean, I lived in a relatively safe suburb. I actually thought the driver was about to ask for directions when this man came out of nowhere from behind the van. He put some kind of cloth over my mouth. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t fight. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me in broad daylight. The smell of whatever was in that cloth burned my nose and eyes.”

Nick’s fists clenched and released. He was more determined than ever to stop whoever was after the woman he was falling for. Forcing Sadie to remember such a heinous experience went against every fiber of his being. He’d buried his own bad memories so deep hell itself could rise up and not find them. Except remembering might just save her life.

Causing her more pain ate at his gut. Everything she’d been through was totally bogus.

She was in trouble. So was he. His feelings ran deeper than he should allow. He still wasn’t sure what the hell to do with them. No one since Rachael had touched his heart so deeply or threatened to crack his tough veneer and he still hadn’t figured out why he’d kept her ring in his pocket for a year. He figured something inside him didn’t work right after watching his mom’s pain and deciding love was about the cruelest thing that could happen to a person. He assumed that part of his heart had been closed off forever. “The whole scenario had to be scary as hell.”

“Yeah, panic didn’t cover it. I felt so helpless. Next thing I knew I woke up in the back of the van, and that guy was staring at me.”

Nick didn’t say the agent must’ve expected to kill her if he let her see his face. “You’re safe now. That’s the important thing.”

A car pulled into the lot.

Nick checked his rearview mirror, started the engine and drove away, spewing gravel from the back tires.

He didn’t want to press Sadie to talk but if she remembered something, anything, they might be able to pinpoint a location. He’d talk to her about it more when they arrived at the safe house later. Right now, he had a warehouse to investigate.

They’d been driving a good twenty minutes before either spoke again.

“Where are we going? Sadie asked.

“Brenner and Harry Hines. Near Love Field.”

“How convenient to have a warehouse so close to an airport.”

He exited Stemmons Freeway onto Walnut Hill and then turned right onto Shady Trail. “It’s regional. But, yeah, it would be handy. If they needed to go farther, DFW’s twenty minutes away depending on traffic.”

He parked the truck in a small lot next to Old Letot Cemetery. The cemetery was the size of a half-decent backyard encased in a four-foot-high chain-link fence. Getting to Brenner would be an easy walk from there.

Leaving a beautiful woman like Sadie in the truck in a bad neighborhood—even locked—was riskier than taking her with him. Besides, he doubted she’d stay put, anyway. He could keep a better eye on her if she went with him.

“We’ll need to keep quiet.”

She seemed to catch the word
we
quickly, and perked up at the realization she was coming. “Not a problem.”

“Anything happens to me and you’ll need a way to protect yourself.” He pulled his .38 caliber from his ankle holster.

Her hand shook as she reached for it.

“You okay?”

To her credit, she nodded and gripped the gun.

“Stick close behind me. I stop too fast, I want to feel you run into my back. Got it?”

She nodded again.

“Then, let’s do this.”

She scooted out his door, exiting the truck right behind him. Apparently, she had every intention of taking his request to heart. Good. He wanted her so close he could hear her breathe.

He hopped the fence and helped Sadie over. They cut across the small cemetery so he could investigate the warehouse from the back first. He crouched low behind the Dumpster in the back parking lot and watched.

There was no activity in the row of warehouses. A handful of vehicles were parked in the small lot—two vans and a couple of flatbed trucks. Everything was quiet. He didn’t hear any traffic. He located the numbers 2626 on top of the metal sliding door.

They’d wait and see if there was any activity. He needed to ensure no one came or went before he and Sadie made a move to get closer.

So much of this job was about patience.

Twenty minutes passed and nothing moved except for a raccoon in the trash bin that almost made Sadie jump out of her skin. She’d kept her cool.

“Stay right here while I check out the vehicles.”

Her eyes were wide, but she nodded.

Nick kept a low profile as he moved across the small lot, squat walking, just in case someone was waiting in one of the trucks. He’d learned to expect anything in these situations. Someone could be there asleep. At least he was sure no one was getting lucky in the backseat. He hadn’t seen the telltale fog of the windows. Near Harry Hines, anything was possible. In his years with the agency, he’d pretty much seen it all.

He touched the hood of each vehicle. Cold.

None of them had been driven lately.

One by one, he checked the cabs.

Clear.

Good.

He returned to Sadie. “Ready to move to the front?”

She nodded again. She was either scared to the point of being mute or a good listener. He hoped for the second. He could work with that.

“Let’s move.”

He was almost surprised when she followed him. Meant she was coherent. Another good sign.

The strip of warehouses was encased by wrought-iron fences out front. He hoped none of them were hot. He could scale the six-foot barrier easily with one hand on the top rail, but Sadie wouldn’t be able to. He picked up a rock and tossed it at the fence.

No telltale crackle of electricity.

The sounds of tires turning on pavement caught his attention. Two dots appeared down the street. The headlights were moving toward them.

He grabbed Sadie by the hand and climbed over the fence. She dropped to her hands and knees and crawled behind him.

The headlights moved closer.

Adrenaline thumped through his veins. He couldn’t guarantee Sadie’s safety. Didn’t especially like the feeling gripping him that he’d compromised her security by bringing her along.

Wouldn’t do any good to second-guess himself.

She was there.

He was there.

He’d make sure they both made it out alive.

Brakes squeaked the car to a stop two buildings down. Nick made out an older model Lincoln. There was a driver and a passenger. The passenger moved over to the driver’s side and the seat flew back. Both of them disappeared.

Nick watched carefully for the overhead light to come on in case someone was exiting the vehicle. An experienced criminal would know to turn it off before slipping out. Neither Grimes nor the U.S. Marshals searching for them were amateurs.

Nick waited another five minutes, his gaze intent on the dark sedan.

“I’m moving closer to check it out. You stay right here,” he whispered when enough time had passed. He had to crawl across the empty parking lot to get close enough to see what was going on. No one had left the vehicle as far as he could tell.

A light came on in the third building as he neared the halfway mark across the lot. The warehouse was right next to him. He froze, making himself as small as possible.

Nothing but stillness surrounded him.

He inched closer to the Lincoln. Made it to the corner where his lot and the one for building number two met. The car wasn’t a hundred yards away. He was close enough to see the windows fogging up and hear the shocks creaking. Lovers? Not likely. Not at this time of night on this road. But they were having sex.

Nick had a problem on his hands. He could flash his badge and get rid of the prostitute and John, but possibly call attention to himself and Sadie. Or he could wait it out. His back already hurt like hell.

The light flipped off on building number three.

He had to assume whoever was there had gotten what they came for. They must’ve used the back entrance, which made the most sense if they were loading supplies. He didn’t have time to care why a person would be here at this late hour.

Even though he knew exactly what was going on in the car, he had to make sure. Getting close enough to get a visual would be right up there with his least favorite task of the night.

On closer assessment, the pair was doing exactly what he suspected.

Nick crawled across the lot. Relief flooded him that Sadie was exactly where he left her. Not having his eyes on her for even a second did all kinds of crazy things to his insides, to his heart. This didn’t seem like an appropriate time to get inside his head about what that meant.

She leaned so close he could feel her breath on him. “What could they possibly be doing over there? I freaked when they pulled up, thinking the worst, but no one’s getting out of the car.”

He couldn’t wipe the ridiculous grin off his face. This wasn’t the time to be charmed by her innocence. “You don’t want to know.”

“What does that... Oh.” With the dim glow of a street lamp, he could see her cheeks flush with embarrassment. “What do we do now?”

“Wait.”

Fifteen minutes passed before the passenger’s door opened and a tall skinny girl crawled out.

Sadie reached out to Nick, placing her hand in his. Hers seemed small by comparison. And soft.

He squeezed her fingers for reassurance. A few more minutes and they’d get what they came for.

The door slammed shut and the Lincoln pulled away, squealing its tires.

Skinny tucked something, presumably cash, in her bra and stumbled away, either drunk or high, or both.

Nick didn’t like the idea of her or anyone else being around or the possibility they could be seen. Her presence also most likely meant there were others like her wandering around, searching for their next twenty dollars or fix.

His warning system flared up that anyone else could see them or identify them at the scene. Especially since he had no idea what this warehouse was being used for.

He had to prepare himself for any possibility.

Damn that anyone could signal inside or send up a red flag, alerting Grimes’s men to their presence if anyone was there.

“Stick close by me.”

Sadie nodded.

He had to make sure Skinny was far enough away, and there was no pimp nearby working this end of the street.

Nick kept to the shadows, with Sadie right behind him every step of the way.

He followed Skinny back to Harry Hines, where she met up with a few similarly dressed women.

Relief flooded him as he backtracked the couple of blocks to the warehouse.

Instinct told him they needed to get the information they came for and get the hell out of there.