CHAPTER FIVE

 

 

The photographer had finished and the crime scene team was processing the area, Paige saw, when Sam drove by the alley. With all of the garbage around, the team would be there for some time bagging items.

Dom had driven his own vehicle. Sam parked behind Dom, at the curb up the street from the squad cars blocking both ends of the alley. Paige left Sam’s truck, joining the two men on the road. The area surrounding the alley was made up of a string of abandoned warehouses and small factories. It looked to Paige like this area had once been industrial but had fallen on hard times when manufacturing had pulled out.

More graffiti, with crude signs and symbols, defaced the brick structures. The misery of the place struck Paige, as did the desolation. It looked like she, Sam, and Dom were the only three people in existence.

The rain had stopped but clouds hung heavy. It was going to pour. Head down, Paige watched the ground for anything that might get caught in her cane and take her down. She fell into step with Sam and Dom. They kept their pace slow enough for her to keep up. Paige gritted her teeth, hating that with all that was going on with Riley, Sam and Dom needed to make concessions for her.

Sam stopped in front of the first building they came to. “We need to find out where Corbett’s killer went after the alley. Split up. Paige, start in here. Dom, take the next one. I’ll take the last.”

Sam and Dom walked away. It was dark inside the warehouse. Paige took a flashlight from her belt and turned it on. Inside was colder than outside. She huddled into her suit jacket.

Before they’d left the office, they’d gone to the room where they stored tactical gear and put on communication devices. Now Dom’s voice came through the earpiece Paige wore.

“Someone was here,” Dom said. “There are a couple of ragged blankets and a soiled mattress against one wall.” Dom paused. “Cooking utensils. Used needles. No surprise that this place would be used as a shelter. Unusual that they’d leave their stuff behind. I’d say whoever was in here cleared out in a hurry.”

Paige came to a similar set up. She took a pen from her purse that was slung across her body. Carefully balanced on her cane, she bent. With the pen, she moved aside a blanket, a hat, and an aluminum cooking pot. Likely valuable items to the owner. “I’ve got the same.” She spoke into the mic on her shoulder. “Someone was here also.”

She poked again with the pen but found nothing to identify the person who’d been there. No surprise. Anonymity would be key out here.

“I’ve got nothing,” Sam said.

Paige dropped the pen back into her purse then slowly straightened and walked on. She came to a rear door and left the warehouse through that back exit. A strong wind blew, catching the hem of her jacket. Trees and plants grew wild. A small creek flowed under a rickety bridge. Rusted cans and garbage littered the creek bed.

She took out her phone and consulted the map from the conference room that she’d taken a picture of. They knew from the map that this street was a dead end but as Sam had asked, could Corbett’s killer have found another escape route? If Corbett’s killer had left from here, he’d done so on foot. There was no access for a car.

Paige crossed the bridge and peered into the trees. Were police officers combing these woods? Doubtful the killer would still be there but something may be found to trace him.

If officers were making their way in the woods, they were quiet. She couldn’t hear anything but her own breathing that was more labored than she wanted to admit after only this mild exertion.

A twig snapped. Paige grabbed her gun from the holster on her belt. Eyes trained on the area, she swept her surroundings. A man appeared briefly between two trees. He was about Paige’s own height, around five feet six. He wore a knit cap over brown stringy hair. His eyes and mouth widened in obvious terror beneath thick eyebrows and dark facial hair. One sleeve of the old coat he wore showed he was missing his right hand. He gaped at Paige for an instant then turned and ran.

“Federal Agent!” Paige shouted. “Stop!”

The man ran faster. He was only a few yards away. Not much of a head start. Hobbling on her cane, Paige went after him.

“Paige.”

Sam’s tense voice came through her earpiece.

“There’s a man out here in the woods behind the warehouse,” Paige said. “I’m following him. North, Sam. He’s heading north.”

“On my way.”

“Got it,” Dom said.

Paige went deeper into the trees, moving as quickly as she could. The rain started again in earnest, slipping through the gaps in the branches and dripping onto her head. Her cane sank in spots softened by the rain, slowing her down further.

She pushed on. Turning her head from side to side, she continued to scan her surroundings. Nothing. No one. She stopped and using the cane for support, turned in a semi circle. She blew out a harsh breath. There was no further sign of the man she was chasing.

Footsteps thudded behind her. Gun raised, Paige turned toward the sound. Their own guns drawn, Sam and Dom broke through the trees.

As Sam’s eyes met hers, Paige shook her head. Sam pointed to Dom and they set off in the direction Paige had indicated.

Paige continued on as well, maintaining her course, slow and plodding. Eventually, she came out the other end of the trees and found herself on a dirt road that wasn’t on the map. She was the last of their trio to arrive. She blinked rain from her eyes and brought Sam and Dom into focus. They were a distance up the road, making their way back to her. A few moments later, they joined Paige at the tree line. Their suits were soaked.

Dom pushed wet hair back from his brow. “Corbett’s killer could have left from here after killing Corbett. If he stashed a car, there aren’t any tire tracks. We haven’t had any rain all month before today. It’s possible the road wasn’t wet enough to preserve any tracks before he left.” Dom squinted up at the sky. “Or all the rain since washed them away.”

Sam turned to Paige. “Describe the man you saw, Paige.”

Once Paige had, Sam put out an alert on the man as a person of interest.

Sam ended the call. “We’re done here.”

What Sam didn’t say was that Paige had lost the man. If she’d been faster, if she’d been as she was before her captivity, she wouldn’t have.

 

* * *

 

Dom made his way to his vehicle and Paige limped alongside Sam back to his. It was a silent walk. They were both now soaked from the rain. Paige slicked a hand back through her hair. Cold rain water slid down the collar of her jacket to her neck and she shivered.

Inside the truck Sam turned up the heat, but Paige could not get warm. His cell phone rang and he put the call on speaker. Once Paige heard that the call wasn’t about Riley or the man she’d seen, she tuned it out.

Sam remained occupied with the call for the drive home. She was glad of it. There wasn’t anything she wanted to say to him at the moment, and nothing she wanted to hear from him.

Back at Sam’s house, she left him to finish his call in the truck and let herself inside. From the doorway, she smelled something delicious cooking. The way her stomach was knotted tight, she didn’t think she’d be eating whatever it was, no matter how good.

She’d lost the only potential witness or suspect they had. If Sam or Dom or either of the other agents had given chase, they’d be speaking to the man in the woods right now. Though Sam hadn’t said that, he had to be thinking it. Riley was depending on them and she’d failed him.

Her foot was throbbing like an exposed nerve. She left her wet shoes by the door and limped inside, biting hard on her back teeth, fighting the urge to drag her foot rather than continue to put weight on it. Paige’s sister, Ivy, was in the kitchen, leaning forward in her wheelchair, looking into the oven. Ivy was a pretty blonde with blade straight hair that she wore loose down her back. Paige entered the room.

Ivy wheeled back and closed the oven door. “Hi.”

Her tone was soft, tentative. Paige knew that was because of her appointment with the third doctor today. Ivy blinked behind her glasses. Her eyes widened with concern and hope. Paige’s throat tightened painfully.

She made her way to Ivy and kissed her forehead. She didn’t make Ivy ask. She rested her cheek against Ivy’s brow. “No change.”

Ivy’s arm wrapped around Paige and drew her in tight, despite Paige’s wet clothing. Ivy’s support meant more to Paige than she could ever express. Thames’s intervention in their lives had damaged her relationship with Ivy to a point Paige had feared was beyond repair, but in the months since Paige’s injury, they’d found their way back to each other.

Paige wound her arm around Ivy’s shoulder and held her sister as tightly. “Thanks for making dinner again. Whatever you’re cooking smells great.”

Sam clipped his phone to his belt and came up beside them. He swiped the heel of his hand over the rain on his brow. “I’ll second that. You’re becoming a world class cook, kiddo.”

“It’s just chicken.” Ivy’s cheeks went pink and her lips twitched. She was obviously pleased with the praise.

Paige released Ivy then plucked her wet blouse from her skin. “I need to change. Be right back.”

Sam’s bedroom that Paige shared took up most of a huge second story loft. After all of the exertion today, she was more unsteady on her feet and slower than usual. Clutching the railing harder with each step, she eventually reached the top. She felt Sam’s eyes on her throughout the climb.

She showered in the large bathroom that adjoined Sam’s bedroom, changed into jeans and a loose fitting top. When she returned to the kitchen, she saw that Sam had showered in one of the other bathrooms and had changed into jeans and a fresh shirt as well. He and Ivy were at the rectangular wooden table looking at one of Ivy’s sketch pads.

Paige joined them at the table. “What have you got there?”

Ivy glanced up from the sketch. “I’m working on something for the school art exhibit.”

Sam pulled a rustic chair beside his out from the table and held it as Paige slowly lowered herself on to the seat. She didn’t look at Sam but again she felt the weight of his gaze. She returned her attention to Ivy’s sketch, glad to have something good to talk about, to think about.

Ivy usually painted landscapes, seascapes, and most recently portraits, beginning last spring with one of Sam’s seven-year-old son, Jonah, posed as a superhero. The sketch Paige was looking at was an abstract piece made up of bold colors that slashed across the page. Something completely different for Ivy.

Ivy ducked her head a bit. “It’s something new I’m trying out.”

Paige gazed at the sketch, impressed by her sister’s talent and thrilled for her. “Wow. I love it.”

“That’s what Sam said too.” Ivy hugged the sketch pad. Her face glowed with pride. “Dinner’s ready.”

They took the food, plates, and cutlery to the table then settled in there once again.

Sam filled his plate with chicken, rice, and an assortment of vegetables. “I don’t know what I’m going to do while you’re at your sleepover this weekend. You’re abandoning me to your sister’s cooking—or worse, my own.”

Ivy laughed. Paige cracked a smile at Sam’s teasing and poked him in the ribs. He captured her finger and opened his mouth as if to bite her but his gaze went soft and he kissed the hand he held. Paige’s heart squeezed at the gesture.

Ivy hadn’t missed Sam’s show of affection and laughed again. “Something tells me you won’t miss me too much while I’m gone.”

Sam, seated between Ivy and Paige, reached over, put his arm around Ivy and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll always miss you.”

The truth of Sam’s words warmed Paige. Ivy had come to love Sam like a big brother and he returned her feelings.

Ivy swallowed a mouthful of carrots. “I was thinking that I’d like to invite Chad over for dinner one night this week.”

Chad Slater had been Ivy’s first and only friend for the first few months they’d lived in Kirk County. Ivy had made more friends since, but Chad had remained a constant. Paige watched her sister’s face light up at the mention of Chad.

“Chad.” Sam frowned. “You see a lot of him. Is this a date?”

Ivy blushed. “Sort of.”

Sam’s frown deepened. “Aren’t you too young to date?”

Ivy’s lips quirked. “I’m almost sixteen, Sam.”

Ivy had a birthday coming up in one month. Sweet sixteen. With everything going on in her own life, Paige hadn’t yet made any plans to celebrate that special day.

“Sounds too young to me,” Sam muttered. “I think forty is about right.”

Ivy rolled her eyes. Her lips curved. “Paige isn’t forty.”

Sam took a big bite of chicken. “That’s different.”

“How?”

Sam swallowed then sighed. “Busted. I have nothing to refute that.” He tapped the end of Ivy’s nose gently. “Brilliant and beautiful, just like your sister. If it’s all right with Paige, pick any night you like.”

Ivy glanced at Paige and she nodded. It was so normal when her life had become anything but and she found herself fighting back tears. She pushed back her plate after having taken only a couple of bites.

“You guys are the best.” Ivy did a fist pump.

Sam laughed. “Come on. We’ll drive you to the party.”

“Won’t take a minute. I’m packed.”

Ivy all but bounced in the chair as she wheeled out of the kitchen to the former guest room on the main floor that Sam had converted into a bedroom for her.

Sam rose from the table and dug his keys out of his pocket. “Ready?”

“You go. I’ll clean up. I don’t want to come back to the mess.”

Sam bent over her. He tipped her chin up and peered down at her. “Leave the clean up,” he said gently. “I’ll get to it when I get back.”

No doubt she looked as tired as she felt. Paige turned her head away from his scrutiny.

“Sam. I’m ready,” Ivy called out.

Sam nudged Paige’s face back to his and kissed her softly. “I won’t be long.”

She watched him walk to Ivy. Her large suitcase was across her lap.

“You are just going for one weekend, right?” Sam teased.

Ivy gave Sam a prim look. “Women need a lot of stuff, Sam.”

One corner of Sam’s mouth rose in a smile and he raised his hands. “I can see that you do.” He lifted her case and started down the hall. “So what goes on at a sleepover?”

Paige heard Ivy giggle and then the closing of the front door. Ivy laughed a lot lately. She was happy. Finally happy. Just a few months back that hadn’t been the case when they’d been on the run from Thames. Paige had uprooted Ivy. Paige wrapped her arms around herself, terrified that she would once again be the one to take Ivy’s happiness away.

Paige’s temper sparked. She could not let that happen. She would not let that happen. But underneath the bravado was the fear that she was helpless to do anything to stop it.

Abandoning her plans for the clean-up, she took her cane from where it leaned against the wall behind her chair and left the kitchen. In Sam’s living room, sliding glass doors led out to a deck that overlooked more open land and beyond that the dense woods that surrounded Sam’s property. The blinds on the door were open to the gloomy day. Paige hobbled across the dark wood floor, moving as quickly as she could, seeking to outrun the dismal future she saw for herself.

After a stop to get a pair of clean yoga pants and a T-shirt from the dryer, Paige went to Sam’s workout room, a couple of doors down that same hall. He had all manner of equipment in there. She’d used most of it at one time or another since her physical therapy ended. Now, she went to the treadmill.

Ignoring her aching foot, she started the machine. She set the speed beyond the crawl that had become her norm when performing her exercises. After a time, she turned the dial again. She needed to push herself harder. She needed to be strong again.

“When I saw you on that mountain, so defiant, so proud, I thought, what would it take to reduce you to your basest spirit. We’re going to find that out.”

Thames’s voice came to her from the darkness then he struck her with the speed of a snake. Again, and again, and again. She gasped. Screamed. Went on screaming…

Pain, weakness, and fear surged inside her now. Paige felt the scream building, fought to choke it back, barely managing to keep it contained.

“Paige.”

Sam’s voice was sharp as he reached her, bringing her back from her thoughts. She hadn’t heard him return to the house, or enter this room. She stopped the treadmill.

Sam’s gaze narrowed on her. She caught her face reflected in the dark window across from the machine. No wonder Sam looked alarmed. She was as pale as a corpse.

“You okay?” Sam asked, the edge still in his tone.

Breathing hard, she leaned against the machine. “I’m fine.”

Sweat trickled from her hairline. She swept the back of one hand across her brow. Her other hand had a death grip on the treadmill. Gently, Sam pried her fingers apart. Keeping her hand in his, he used his free hand to get the cane from where she’d left it on the wood floor and gave it to her. He went on holding her hand as she stepped down from the treadmill.

Pain radiated from her foot and up her leg as if Thames had just struck her. Her breath caught, seeping out slowly from teeth she clenched to keep from crying out. She leaned more heavily on the cane, feeling helplessness and rage over her weakness.

Sam’s eyes darkened. A line appeared between his brows. “Come here.” He spoke the words gently.

Slowly he led her to the bench press, then eased her down to sit on the padded surface. Towels were stacked on a stool. He removed them, setting them on the floor, then picked up the stool and rested her foot on it.

He sat on the bench beside her, and put his arm around her shoulders. She found the familiar hollow of his shoulder and rested her cheek against it.

He wrapped his other arm around her as well so she was encircled by him. “You don’t need to be strong all the time and not with me. Never with me.”

She let out a brittle laugh. “I’m not strong.”

“You’re the strongest person I know.”

She blinked back a surge of tears. “You need to meet more people.”

Sam ignored her bitter reply. “I can’t take this for you, but I’ll be damned before I’ll sit on the sidelines and let you go through it alone. I’d turn the world upside down for you. Talk to me.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and didn’t respond. She was afraid she was falling completely apart. She could feel pieces of herself crumbling.

The silence between them grew. She could feel Sam’s anger over her situation, his worry for her, but he didn’t press her further. Maybe he knew how close to the edge she was.

After a while, Sam exhaled deeply then his lips brushed her hair. “Ivy mentioned at dinner that she’s almost sixteen. She has a birthday coming up next month, right?”

Paige welcomed the shift of her thoughts away from herself, and wasn’t that why Sam had mentioned Ivy now? As always, Paige went soft when thinking of her sister. “Yes.”

“How about giving her a party?”

“She would love that.”

“Good. Let’s make it a big party. We have plenty of room.”

“You want to have it here?” Paige had not yet given up her lease on the apartment she’d moved into when she’d first arrived in Kirk County.

“This is where Ivy lives. We haven’t talked about your apartment lately. You don’t need it. No point continuing to pay rent there.”

Sam’s phone rang. Paige used the excuse to avoid giving him an answer. The vision of her dismal future returned to her. No, she had not given up her apartment. Maybe in the back of her mind, she’d known not to.