[25]

Early Friday morning, Haley and Christina stayed a good distance back from the idling bus and watched the students load onto it one by one. Haley’s heart lay heavy with the fact that she wasn’t going with them, but pride swelled. They were great kids, talented kids, and they’d do well. And she’d be there on Sunday to watch them perform. She waited until the bus pulled away and then climbed back into her Hummer.

Christina slipped into the passenger seat. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Haley nodded. “I’m okay as long as the kids are okay.”

She patted Haley’s shoulder. “I think they’re okay. Are we headed back to the hospital?”

“We are.” Haley cranked the car and turned in the direction that would take them there. “I probably should start paying rent, I’m there so much.”

“How’s Micah doing?”

“I saw him last night. He’s doing great.”

“Does he know about his mom?”

“No,” Haley said. “Not yet. Zeke didn’t want to tell him until he was a little stronger.”

Christina picked at nonexistent lint on her khakis. “So . . . uh . . . I mean I know it’s none of my business, but are you going to keep them? The boys?”

Haley shot her new friend and coworker a glance before checking the mirrors and the road in front of her. “I don’t know,” she said softly. “I haven’t had time to think or process a lot of things going on in my life right now.”

“No one would blame you if you didn’t.”

“I know. And for what it’s worth, I don’t really care what other people think. I’ll make the decision based on what’s best for them. And me.”

“Of course.”

Haley drove in silence for the next few minutes. Then cleared her throat. “What would you do if it was you?”

Christina let out a low laugh. “My situation is totally different from yours.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. My parents were fostering kids from the time I was ten. They still take in some occasionally. I’m single with no real attachments to anyone or any place.” She sighed. “It’s easy for me to say I’d take them in, but if I was really faced with your decision?” She shrugged. “Truthfully, I don’t know that I’d want to be tied down like that. Then again, it would be nice to have someone else in the house besides just me.” She rolled her eyes. “That sounds pathetic, doesn’t it?”

Haley laughed. “No, I understand, to be sure.” She turned into the hospital parking lot and made her way to the area reserved for the police. She placed the card on her dash, glanced around the area, then climbed out when nothing set off her internal alarms. There’d been no attempts on her life over the last two days. In her opinion, that was good news and bad news. Good news that she wasn’t dodging bullets. Bad news in the sense that she knew the person who wanted her dead hadn’t gone away.

So what was he up to and when would he strike again?

The killer noted that Haley had not gotten on the bus like she was supposed to do. He was only slightly frustrated, as he’d planned for the possibility that she might choose not to ride with the teens. However, he had thought she might follow in her car and had planned accordingly. Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to do that either. He grunted. She was scared that her presence would put her precious teenagers in jeopardy.

His phone rang and he grimaced when he saw the number. “What?”

“Is it done?”

“It will be by the end of the day.”

“I need her alive.”

The killer stopped. “What?”

“Circumstances have changed. I need her alive. Don’t kill her yet.”

“My price is still the same.”

The person on the other end swore. “That’s fine. You can kill her eventually. I just need something from her before you do it.”

The bus rolled away. “What did you have in mind?”

The killer listened to the plan and rolled his eyes. Unbelievable. It was a horrible plan. But the money was amazing. He’d make it work. He hung up.

“So, we’ll go with plan B,” he murmured. He thought about it and decided he could work with what he already had in motion. Just a few slight tweaks and all would be well. Haley would be dead, and he’d have his money and a nice cottage in the Caribbean. Finally. Never in his career as an assassin had he had so much trouble eliminating a target. Well, his strategy was about to change. Instead of going to his target, he was going to convince the target to come to him.

Steven sat in his office and stared at the screen of the laptop. He’d just come back from the hospital after attempting to talk to Carter James. The man had gotten so upset they’d had to sedate him, so Steven had texted Haley that he’d be in his office.

He wanted to sit down and really do some digging into her family. Steven didn’t want to believe they were bloodthirsty gold diggers, but he had to check. He’d requested the case file from the Gardaí and it had finally landed in his inbox. He opened the pictures of the crime scene and started going through them.

A paper airplane landed on his keyboard. He looked up to find Quinn staring at him with one raised brow. “Earth to Steven.”

He blinked at his partner. “What?”

“I’ve been saying your name for the last ten minutes.”

“Oh. Sorry. I’ve been reading.”

“No kidding.”

Steven steepled his fingers in front of him and rested his chin on his thumbs. “What do you need?”

“Your help in the sting tonight.”

“Of course. What time?”

“Five o’clock. As near as we can calculate, these guys disappear around eight, but I’m willing to bet that they’re watched first.”

“I’ll be there.”

“How’s your dad?”

“He seems to be doing okay right now. He goes back to the doctor in about a week.”

“Good.” Quinn shook his head. “No luck with Carter James, huh?”

“Nope. We’ll have to try again later.”

“What’s up with Haley’s family?” His partner leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desk. “Are they her family?”

“Looks like it.”

“So, she’s an heiress, huh?”

“Um. I guess.”

Quinn smirked. “So, you think she’ll go back to Ireland and don her tiara?”

“Why don’t you suggest that she do that?” Steven couldn’t believe he actually got that question out with a straight face.

Quinn looked horrified at the thought. “No way. She’s got a mean right hook.”

“I bet she does.” Steven fell quiet. “Hey, you mind if I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

He’d already asked Maddy her opinion, now he’d see what Quinn had to say. “You’ve known Haley a while now. What kind of guy does she go for?”

Quinn raised a brow. “Why? You interested?”

“Maybe.”

“Let’s put it this way. If she were to go out with you, then I’d know what kind of guy she’d go for.”

Steven stared at him.

Quinn shrugged. “I’ve never heard of her going out on a date for as long as I’ve known her. She doesn’t trust men when it comes to the romance department.”

“Or she doesn’t trust herself,” Steven murmured.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“What is it that you like about her? Besides her looks and sunny disposition?”

Steven recognized sarcasm when he heard it. He let it roll over him. “She’s smart. She cares about others more than she does herself. She has a good heart.”

“No. She has a new one.”

He’d posed as a road construction crew member and flagged the bus down barely fifteen minutes into the trip. When the driver had stopped, he’d approached the bus, his yellow hard hat pulled low. The driver had opened the door and the guy had shot him, pulled him out of the seat, and thrown him onto the floor. “That’s to show you I’m serious. Sit down and shut up.”

Screams echoed through the bus, only to fall silent when he stood at the front of the bus and waved the gun. “You move, you die, understand?” He knocked the hard hat from his head and handed it to Donnalynn. “Collect the phones. All of them.”

Donnalynn rose to do as he demanded. Michelle took a chance and slipped hers into the pocket of the seat in front of her. As Donnalynn moved from seat to seat, Michelle felt a slight pull on her seat back and Madison whispered in her ear. “What are we going to do, Cupcake?”

“We’re going to sit and wait. When he gets what he wants, he’ll let us go.” Michelle spoke but couldn’t stop the slight tremble in her voice.

After Donnalynn handed him the hat and he set it on the floor without counting the phones, Michelle let out a small breath of thanks.

“Now, I’m going to drive a little ways and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay seated. Anyone stands up, I’ll shoot. Nod if you understand.”

Nods all around.

“Now place your hands on the seat in front of you and don’t move them. And do not try to talk to me. I’m not interested in hearing what you have to say.”

No one had argued. Or talked.

When they stopped, they all waited in tomb-like silence. He allowed them to eat and to drink and to take turns using the restroom at the back of the bus, but as soon as they finished, they were ordered to place their hands on the headrest of the seat in front of them. And there they sat. He didn’t talk, he didn’t move.

When the sun began its slide down past the trees, he started the bus. From the dirt road where he’d parked them hours earlier, he drove, taking them past mounds of stone, dirt, and mulch. Michelle looked into the rearview mirror, and his eyes met hers with cold indifference. Chills pebbled into goose bumps. She glanced out the window, her mind spinning prayer after prayer to the only One who could help them now. The bus turned and hit an old gate, pushing it open. Metal scraped against metal as they went through.

Michelle didn’t know what his plans were or why he was attacking them, but she knew they needed help. It was time to take a chance, because she had a feeling time was running out for them. The last person she’d talked to had been Haley. Without taking her eyes from the man, she slid her hand into the pocket of the seat in front of her and pulled out her phone. With a trembling thumb, she swiped across the bottom of the screen, then held it to the home button. She flicked a glance down, then back up.

The bus jerked to a stop and he stood.

“The bus is running. You will be comfortable. You don’t have to worry about suffocating. The exhaust will be pumped out. Now it’s time to take a short nap.”

Their attacker pulled a can from his pocket.

And it was leaking.

Panic swirled in her chest.

He was going to gas them. Oh Lord, help us!

He pulled a gas mask over his face and looked at her. “When you wake up, do not try to escape. The doors are rigged with bombs. Do you understand? Nod if you do.” His voice sounded odd, but she could hear him.

The gas filled the bus quickly and Michelle felt her arms growing weak, her eyes closing. She thought she managed to nod just before she leaned into the window. She let her eyes close and held her breath, desperate for a few more seconds of consciousness.

She peeked at the screen and hit the green button.

He left, shutting the doors behind him.

She heard Haley’s voice. Her lungs strained. “Haley . . . we’ve been kidnapped. Help.” And then blackness.

The morning had given way to the afternoon and the afternoon to the evening sooner than Haley would have liked. She’d spent the time getting to know her new family and holding Micah’s hand for most of the day. He didn’t understand why his mother hadn’t been in to see him, and the doctors still didn’t want him to know about her death. Not just yet.

She’d been sitting with Micah when her friend Nathan had texted her to let her know he was sick with the flu and wouldn’t be able to make it to care for the horses for a few days.

She and Christina had arrived at Haley’s home about an hour ago. “Thanks for helping,” Haley said as she finished mucking out another stall. She shut the door, then moved to the next one.

Christina looked up from unwrapping the hose. “Of course. Two makes the work go faster.”

Haley led Comet from his stall and tied his lead rope to the hook on the wall of the barn.

“Where did you learn to take care of horses?” Haley asked her.

“I ride every once in a while. My brother has a barn in Kentucky. When I visit him and his family, we always go out on a trail ride with my niece and nephew.”

“Is that where you’re from? Kentucky?”

“I’m an Army brat. I’m from all over.”

Haley’s phone buzzed and she pulled it from the back pocket of her shorts. “Hello?”

“Haley . . .”

“Cupcake, good to hear from you. Are you all almost there?”

“. . . been . . . help . . .”

“Michelle? You’re breaking up.” The call dropped and Haley dialed the number back. It went straight to voice mail. “Cupcake, call me back. I couldn’t understand what you were saying.” She hung up and stuck the phone back in her pocket. She frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. That was Michelle. One of the trip chaperones. I mean, I think it was her. She must be in an area with a really bad signal.”

Haley stroked the brush down Comet’s side while Christina held the hose over the bucket in the stall. She filled it to the top, then set the hose aside, swiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her wrist, and placed her hands on her hips. “You think they’re okay?”

“I don’t know. I heard the word ‘help.’ It makes me nervous.” She dialed Madison’s number. It went straight to voice mail. She tried a few more and got the same response. “I don’t like it.”

“Let’s try tracking her number.”

Haley dialed Steven’s number and got no answer. Then she tried Quinn’s. “Hello?”

“Hey, I need you to see if you can get a location on a phone for me.”

“Sure. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I’m hoping nothing.”

“Hold on, I’m almost to my desk.” She heard rustling and then the click of the keyboard keys.

“You still there?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a long night. Steven and I have a sting set up to see if we can catch our killers in action. All right, give me the number.”

Haley did.

More keys clicking. “I’m not getting a location. She’s off the grid.”

Haley’s stomach tightened. “Try this one.” She gave him Donnalynn’s number.

“Same thing,” he said.

“Something’s wrong.” They tried five more numbers with the same results and Haley’s panic level shot up. “Something’s not right, Quinn.”

“Well, we’re not able to track them through their phones.”

“What about the bus? Track the bus.”

“Give me the name of the company.”

She did and Quinn said, “Hold on.”

Haley bit her lip. God, keep them safe, please.

“What are you thinking?” Christina asked.

“That I need to find them. I want to ride the route they took. See if we can see them. Find out why we can’t reach them.”

“And I said track the bus, now!” Haley flinched at Quinn’s bellow. “If I have to come down there, I’m going to arrest someone, understand? This is an emergency.”

Somehow that’s how Quinn got results, so she didn’t chastise him about catching more flies with honey.

He came back to her. “They’re getting it.” His voice faded again as he spoke into the other phone. “Yeah? Yeah. Okay. That’s what I needed to know . . . Haley?”

“Yes.”

“They said the GPS was disabled. There’s no way to track it.”

“I’m going to drive the route.”

“I’m on the way.”

“No, I’ll let you know if I need backup. Right now, it could be nothing. Christina’s with me.”

“I don’t like it. I’m going to send an officer to go with you.”

“Fine, but they’ll have to catch up to me.”

“Haley—”

“Gotta go, Quinn.” She hung up and turned to Christina. “Let’s go.”

They checked the Hummer and found it clean. The two of them climbed in and Haley cranked the powerful vehicle. She pulled out and headed down the drive, waving to the police officer sitting at the entrance to her property. He waved back and stayed put. His orders were to make sure no one set foot near Haley’s house whether she was home or not. Haley didn’t bother to ask him to follow her. She wanted him there in case Hugh or someone decided to come to her house. She sure didn’t want anyone walking in on a killer.

Haley headed for I-20. Christina was texting and letting the others in the agency know what was going on and what they were doing.

“Maddy agreed with Quinn and thought you should wait for some backup.”

“I don’t know if we even need backup for anything. This is just a scouting mission.”

“All right,” Christina said, “messages sent.” She paused. “You know this could be a trap, right?”

“The thought occurred to me.”

“Okay, just checking.” A short pause. “Because right now, it’s just you and me.”

“And the officer on the way.” Haley blew out a low breath. “Do you want me to let you out?”

“No way. This is my job and I don’t mind doing it. I was just pointing that out.”

“Thank you. We’ll be careful.” Her phone buzzed. “Take a look at that, will you?”

“Sure. It’s a text from someone named Madison.”

“Madison? She’s one of the teens. What does it say?”

Christina lifted her eyes to Haley’s, then back to the phone.

I have them. I will kill them. Come alone. Come now. You have fifteen minutes to get here. If you’re not here at the appointed time, they die. If you have anyone with you, they die. If I see any cops, they die. If you text or call anyone, they die. I’ve hacked your phone, I’ll know. It’s very simple.

Haley swerved to the side of the road. “Fifteen minutes. What time is it?”

“7:15.”

“Okay. It’s time for you to go.”

“There are pictures.” Christina held the phone out so Haley could see.

Solemn, scared faces in a dark bus stared back at her. She swiped. Another picture. This time of the door of the bus wired shut with what looked like a bomb attached. And the last picture was of the emergency exit. Another bomb. Her heart pounded. “I’ve got to go. Get out.”

“I’ll lie down in the back.”

“He’ll check. Get out now. Track my phone. Track the GPS on my car, but get out.”

“He’ll kill you if you go alone.”

The vivid image of him coldly firing three shots into her bed flashed. “He’ll kill them if I don’t. I’m running out of time. Now go!”

Christina gave Haley’s phone back to her, then pulled her own phone from the clip on her belt. “He doesn’t know you’re with anyone. You can use my phone to communicate.” She laid her phone on the center console.

“Perfect. Thanks.”

Christina slipped out of the car and slammed the door. Haley responded.

I’m on my way, but I don’t know where I’m going.

Yes you do. Just follow the signs. And tell your friend to get back in the car and to throw her phone out the window. Now! Thirteen minutes.

What signs?

12 minutes. Tell her to get back in the car.

He could see them. He was watching. But how? Haley scanned her dash, the area around the mirrors. No cameras. That meant he was watching from a distance. She rolled her window down. “Christina, come back!” The woman turned and Haley motioned her back. While Christina was quickly retracing her steps, Haley slid Christina’s phone off the console and sent a group text to Steven and Quinn.

911. Help. I-20 toward NY. Bus rigged to explode.

She snapped a picture of her phone’s screen with the three photos and hit send. She was surprised her fingers cooperated, but her adrenaline was flowing, her mind sharp, and her fury boiling. She was taking a chance that he could see what she was doing, but she had to do something.

The passenger door opened and Christina looked in. “What?”

“He knows you’re with me, get in.”

Christina climbed in.

Her phone buzzed again.

The clock is ticking. Throw her phone out.

“Throw your phone out the window.”

Christina grimaced but did so.

Haley put the Hummer in drive. “He said to follow the signs, but I don’t know what signs.”

“It’s close by. He gave you fifteen minutes.”

Haley glanced at her phone. “Which is now ten minutes.” Her fingers flexed on the wheel. “Follow the signs,” she muttered. Her eyes landed on the orange and black detour sign just ahead. She took the exit ramp, praying she was right.