Chapter Fourteen
Rifle shot!
Nick was through the apartment and into the office in seconds. Lindsey stood at her desk, ghost white and shaking uncontrollably. Behind her and to her left, cracks spread out from a hole in the glass like a large spider web.
“Down!” he shouted at her. “Now.”
He grabbed her and threw her to the floor, not stopping to be gentle, and crouched down next to her. Yanking his phone from his pocket, he speed dialed a number.
“Tony? Someone just shot at Lindsey from outside. Check with everyone out there, then get your ass over to the hotel next door and see if you can spot anyone carrying something that would conceal a rifle. See if they’ll let you look at their security tapes, too. I’m calling the police. This will definitely get their attention.”
“Rifle? Did you say rifle? What’s happening?”
“Someone’s using this office for target practice,” he told her. “Just stay down.”
“My God, Nick! He tried to shoot me. He’s really trying to kill me.”
Nick lifted his head slightly and peered over the desk. “No, I don’t think so. He carefully aimed wide of where you were standing. He wanted to frighten you and let you know he was still watching. I’d say he accomplished his objective.” He rose a little more and looked around. “I think we’re okay now. Whoever did this had no intention of hanging around.”
He lifted Lindsey up and sat her in her desk chair. She still trembled so hard she had to clutch the arms of the chair.
“Are you okay for a minute?” He ran his eyes over her. She was pale, her lips almost bloodless, and her hair was in disarray, but she was obviously trying to pull herself together.
Good girl.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Do whatever you have to.”
“I want to make another call and then let some people in.” His voice was tight with anger and tension. “I’ll be right back.”
McCune was in his office when Nick reached him, but said he’d be on his way at once. Nick disarmed the alarm panel in the front office and opened the door just as Tony came pounding down the hall.
“What the hell is going on?” Tony asked. “What’s this about a rifle? Who’s got a rifle?”
Nick took him into the office and pointed to the bullet hole. “I don’t think he wanted to hit her. He aimed wide of the mark, and I think it was deliberate. He just wanted to scare her. And did a damned good job, I might say.”
He wanted to kick his own ass. He’d made a promise to stick to her like glue, then let her go into the office alone even for a few moments. He should fire himself.
“I sent Scott and Dutton over to the hotel,” Tony said. “I’m sure whoever did this is long gone. Maybe the security tapes will tell us something, but I’m not hopeful. This is one smart dude.”
“We need a team here to check out everything,” Nick told him.
“Already taken care of. I called the office myself.” Tony glanced at Lindsey. “Listen, you need to get her out of here. And I mean right now. Let us do our stuff here. Do you want me to call the cops?”
Nick shook his head. “Already done, but they won’t find anything more than you will. Can you get the window fixed before tomorrow? I don’t want her staff showing up to work with a bullet hole in the window. They’ll freak out.”
“Yes. I’ll call you when I’m finished here. You take the lady and get her wherever you’re going.”
“The condo. It’s the safest place I can think of. But we need to use a little razzle dazzle here. If you’d get her suitcase from the apartment, I’ll get Lindsey. We can talk on the way down to the garage.”
At that moment, the bell rang on the fax machine in the office and a sheet of paper began printing out. Nick grabbed it before Lindsey could and swore loudly when he pulled it out.
“What?” Tony asked.
“Look at this. That son of a bitch.”
It was a picture, taken from a distance, of the window with the bullet hole in it. This time there was no writing on it.
“He had to have taken this immediately after the shot,” Nick said. “It was sent from the business center at the hotel. Look at the header on it.”
“What is it, Nick?” Lindsey tried to grab the fax from him. “What’s on the fax?”
“Nothing you need to see.”
The ringing of Tony’s cell interrupted them as Nick jerked the paper out of Lindsey’s reach.
“On my way,” Tony said quietly and headed for the front door of the office.
“What’s going on?” Lindsey demanded, twisting her hands together so tightly the knuckles were white. “Somebody tell me something. Please.”
“I think you’d better give that message to me.” The voice was deep and low.
Nick jerked his head around at the sound to see Reno walk through the door Tony had just opened. He had thunder in his eyes and his face was lined with rage.
“What are you doing here?” Nick asked.
Reno reached for the sheet of paper. “I take it very seriously when someone tries to kill one of our clients, and my partner and my brother are both in the line of fire.” He stared at the photo. “Shit.”
“My sentiments exactly,” Nick echoed.
“Is anyone ever going to tell me what’s going on?” Lindsey asked, drawing Nick’s attention from the paper.
“Let me introduce you to someone. Lindsey Ferrell, meet Reno Sullivan. The brains behind Guardian.”
“Nick’s far too modest.” Reno reached out to take one of Lindsey’s trembling hands. “We all pull our weight. In any event, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I only wish it were under different circumstances.” He looked at Nick. “I asked Sarah to get the entire file and put it on my desk. You and Lindsey get out of here. I brought the team Tony requested to work the scene and see what we can find.”
“Nothing, most likely,” Nick told him. “It’s been the same each time.”
“No more.” Reno shook his head. “It’s time for us to get the upper hand. Where are you two staying tonight?”
“The condo if it’s empty.”
Reno nodded. “It is. You’ve got a key, so go on. Get out of here, then.”
“The cops are on the way,” Nick pointed out. “We’ve got to talk to them first.”
“I’ll handle it. And cover your tail.” He turned to his brother. “Tony? The usual game of tag, all right?”
Tony nodded.
The men all shook hands. Nick took the suitcase and led Lindsey out to the elevator. Tony got in with them. Nick studied her face, trying to assess her mental state.
“I’m fine,” Lindsey said, in reply to his unasked question.
“No, you’re not, but you’re a damn fine trouper.”
He clamped a lid on his frustration. He was itching to reach for her, but she’d erected this invisible wall between them and he didn’t have a clue in hell as to why. He settled for taking one of her hands.
“We’re going to play a little game when we get in the car,” he told her. “Just trust me and everything will be okay.”
“All right.” But he could tell she wasn’t very happy about it.
“I don’t think the shooter is still out there. He did what he wanted to, although he absolutely could still be lurking somewhere around. He hung around long enough to take that picture and fax it to you minutes after he fired. I intend to keep you out of harm’s way, and that means making sure no one sees where we’re going. I want whoever it is to lose track of you.”
In the parking garage, Tony took Lindsey’s arm and gently tugged her in his direction.
“What’s going on?” She looked at Nick. Everything was coming at her too fast.
“Tony will take care of you, okay?” Nick assured her. “Just go with him.”
“We’re doing a little bait and switch here, love,” Tony said. “Just stick with me. Whatever I tell you, just do it, all right?”
She nodded wordlessly, but her mind was going a hundred miles a minute. Who was doing this? How did they always know exactly where she’d be standing? What had she ever done to anyone to earn this kind of campaign of terror?
Tony hustled her to yet another a black SUV parked next to the outer wall of the elevator. He helped her into the back and told her to lie down on the seat. “Don’t look up for any reason until I say you can.”
Lindsey nodded, then curled up and wrapped her arms around herself as Tony threw a blanket over her. She had no idea of time as they drove or even where they went. She sensed when they left the surface streets and entered the Interstate, and then when they exited, but that was all. Twice, she heard Tony on his cell speaking in low tones. Finally, he pulled to a stop and told her she could sit up.
She threw the blanket off. “Where are we?”
“The garage at my condo.” He opened the door for her. “Come on. Just slide across. Nick’s right here.”
She scrambled out of the vehicle and Tony helped her into the truck.
“All clear as far as we can tell,” he said. “We had two cars tailing you. They didn’t spot anything, and I kept a good eye on my own rearview mirror. Also, I came in by the back entrance, so if anyone was on my ass, I’d have seen them. Get going.”
“Okay.” Nick looked at Lindsey. “One more time, get down as low as you can.”
Lindsey crouched on the floor, not even daring to breathe as they raced through the city. Finally, they were at another underground garage. Nick parked, helped her out, and led her to the elevator.
The condo was as basic as a place could be, totally without personality. Even in the stress of the situation, she itched to bring in some color, rearrange furniture, give the place some personality.
“Sit,” Nick told her, leading her to the couch. In seconds, he was handing her a glass with some liquid. “Here. Drink this. No argument.”
She frowned. “What is it?”
“Brandy. Just like the other night.” He wrapped her fingers around the tumbler. “Remember, don’t chug it. One big swallow, then sips, but you have to finish it. That’s an order. I’m going to get your stuff.” She heard him moving around for a while, and then he was beside her again, taking the glass from her hands. “Good girl. You drank it all.”
She couldn’t deny the fiery liquid had warmed her blood a little, although it hadn’t reached the knot of cold fear that lay inside her like a huge boulder. More than anything, she wanted to lean against Nick’s solid chest, but her fears and the memory of that phone call wouldn’t let her.
“Shower first, then dinner,” he said. “Then an early night. How does that sound?”
“Nick, why does someone want to kill me?” She couldn’t get that terrifying thought out of her mind.
“I don’t know, Lindsey. Maybe they only want to scare you, but we’ll for sure find out who and why. That’s a promise. This trip should give us some of the answers.”
He led her to one of the bedrooms where he’d put her suitcase and then through another door into the private bath.
“Towels, soap, whatever you need. If you can’t find it, just yell.” He took her cold hands in his warm ones and squeezed them. “You can’t keep up this wall forever, darlin’. Sooner or later—and I’d like it sooner—you’ll have to tell me what the hell is going on. Now go shower.”
She stood under the water for a long time, hoping its heat would melt the cold inside her, but nothing seemed to affect it. Rummaging in her suitcase that Nick left at the foot of the bed, she pulled out a pair of sweats she’d tossed in without really thinking about it. Now she was glad to have the comfort of their warmth and softness.
In the kitchen, she found Nick just turning steaks on a countertop grill. Potatoes were counting down in the microwave.
“I’ll have everything on the table in a few minutes,” he told her and inclined his head toward the counter behind him. “How about pouring us some wine?”
“First the brandy, now the wine.” She had to swallow the urge to laugh. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
He turned his head, and the look he gave her was so intense she had to tear her gaze away from him.
“Sure, if I thought it would work.” Then he looked back at the grill. “Just drink what you want.”
She couldn’t have said whether the food or wine tasted good, but she ate and drank because she knew she needed to. By the time she finished, the terror gripping her had been reduced to a manageable size.
That disappeared, though, when Nick’s cell rang. He looked at the Caller ID and stood up. “I need to take this in the other room.”
“If it’s about me, I should know about it,” she protested.
“If it’s important, I promise I’ll tell you. No sense stirring anything up if we don’t need to.”
But her curiosity drove her to move around to where she could overhear the conversation. And the cold feeling came back icier than ever.
“No, everything’s still okay. I told you I’d make it and I will. We should have this wrapped up before then. After that, it will be my top priority.”
Was it the same woman who’d called him the other night? His next sentence confirmed her suspicion.
“Stacy, when I make a promise, I keep it. Quit worrying, sugar. You know you can count on me.”
Sugar! He called her sugar. Did he toss the word around like a used penny? Well, she’d told herself to expect this, despite his oblique promises of a future. She’d been right to call a halt to what was going on between them. The problem was Nick Vanetta was in her blood and getting over him wouldn’t be the easiest thing to do. Especially when they were about to spend the next few days together. Maybe she should just tell him to put someone else on the case and go to Stacy, whoever and wherever she was.
She tiptoed quietly to the bedroom he’d given her, stripped off her clothes, and crawled into bed. At last, the terror and fatigue of the day caught up with her and she fell into a dreamless sleep.
****
I’m watching you and laughing. Did you like my little trick with the rifle? That was a blast, if you’ll pardon the pun. A little farther to the left…
But no, it’s not time yet. When we get to the end, I want to savor the moment to enjoy every minute of your pain. To watch you bleeding out and know that no one will help you.
You think you’ve lost me again, bitch? Not likely. I don’t care where you go to ground. I’ll find you. I know how to find you. I’ve done my homework well.
I’m patient, you know, and the prize is worth the wait. Pretend you’re secure. You’ll let your guard down, and I’ll be right there.
We’re almost at the end of the game.
Soon, very soon.
Bitch!