CHAPTER EIGHT
Ethan had tried every way in the world not to think about Chloe and, even though he’d managed somehow to keep himself busy all day, he hadn’t been able to really think about anything else. She was under his skin and in his blood. Damn it, she was in his heart. He thrust his fingers through his hair and sighed deeply before looking at his watch once more. It was five-thirty-seven. She was exactly thirty-seven minutes later than normal.
Maybe she didn’t want to see him and had gone to her parents’ house. After the way he’d let her leave this morning, he wouldn’t blame her. Telling her about Marie had been a shock to her, he knew. Amazingly, it had hit him sometime during the morning that he’d been able for the first time since her death to think about Marie without the gut-wrenching pain of the past. It was because of Chloe. Her love had padded the old wound and, while it would never completely heal, the pain was at least bearable.
Rising from the couch where he’d seated himself only minutes before, he looked out the window again. The sight of her rusted black Camry sitting in its usual spot had his heart beating as though he’d just run a mile. Relief that she had finally made it home rendered him weak.
Despite the sudden case of nerves, he limped to the stove with a smile. Grabbing the dishtowel, he opened the oven door and carefully removed the pan of chicken spaghetti and garlic toast that he’d been keeping warm. Setting both pans on the stovetop, he stepped to the end of the counter and leaned there. Any minute now, the woman who had sneaked past his armor and into a heart he’d thought permanently closed to any deep emotion was going to walk through the door. And he had so much to tell her.
Starting with, I love you, too.
He should have told her last night after she’d made her declaration—one that had stunned him so badly that he hadn’t been able to respond. Not in the way he should have. No, instead he’d poured out his sorry-assed story, ruining what should have been the best moment of his life. Chloe had told him she loved him. Now, she’d spent the day wondering if she’d made a huge mistake and probably regretting that she’d ever said the words.
He’d used his history to force a wall between, one, perhaps subconsciously, he’d expected her scale. Would she doubt him? Doubt his love, his ability to protect her? Hell, his need to protect her?
He’d thought of nothing else but her admission, about the nights they’d shared, and the way Chloe had been there for him. It hadn’t taken him long to realize that he couldn’t imagine the rest of his life without her.
He should have called her and told her so, but he hadn’t wanted to say something so meaningful over the phone. He wanted—needed—to see her face when she heard him say the words. She had to see that he meant them with all his heart.
With his eyes on the door, he forced himself to breathe calmly. The speech he couldn’t wait to say hovered on his tongue. He’d spent most of the day thinking about the words he needed to say. Finally, he’d decided on simplicity.
I love you.
Not the stuff of romance movies but those three little words held the ability to change the world. They’d certainly changed his.
When he thought about a relationship now, he didn’t think of Marie, the pain or the guilt. He thought of Chloe. The brightness of her smile, the sound of her voice. The way she looked as he loved her.
How someone had invaded his thoughts, his senses, in such a short time was an amazing feat. He should feel overwhelmed, even a little afraid. Instead, he felt…happy. Genuinely happy. And free. At peace with his world for the first time in a very long time.
Except for the little twitch tingling along the back of his neck that usually signaled something was about to go south on a case. He glanced at his watch and frowned. Five-fifty. He blinked as he looked at the closed door that Chloe should have come through a good eight minutes ago.
Something was wrong.
He grabbed his crutches and opened the door, all the while reassuring himself that she’d probably just stopped to talk to a neighbor. Maybe Martha had trapped her into a conversation.
Putting more pressure than he should on his healing leg, he made it down the wide hallway in less than two minutes. Another thirty seconds had him at Chloe’s car. Although the hood was still warm, the car was empty, and Chloe was nowhere in sight. Maybe he should check with Martha. He hated to do it since Chloe had filled him in on her penchant for gossip, but he had to start somewhere.
“Are you looking for Chloe, young man?”
As if he’d conjured her up by thought, he turned to find Martha at his elbow. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You just missed her. She left with that nice young Brad.”
“What?” The tingle he’d felt earlier now felt like a giant snake crawling up his spine. “Why?”
“He said his poor doggie was sick and he asked Chloe to drive him to the vet.”
“But her car is here,” Ethan spoke sharply and the woman standing by his side cast him a look that said she doubted his sanity. He was acting strangely, and he knew it. Hopefully, Martha would put his actions down to nothing more than a case of jealousy. “What kind of car does Brad drive?”
“Oh, Brad doesn’t have a car.” The old woman giggled as if she’d just made a joke. “They took his friend’s.” She was shaking her head. “I don’t know her name, but she’s been around a few times. She drives…let me think… a black SUV with tinted windows.” She leaned closer as if imparting a secret. “I think she may be more than a friend if you know what I mean.”
“Thanks, Martha.” His mind was reeling. If Brad already had someone to take his dog to the vet, why had Chloe gone? He turned and hurried back to the apartment, uncaring that the older lady looked completely disappointed that he hadn’t wanted to stay and gossip about Brad and his potential new love.
It was his love he was concerned about.
Once inside the apartment, he threw the crutches aside and lurched to the bedroom for his phone, wincing only as an afterthought at the pain that sliced through his thigh. Quickly pulling up his contact list, he pressed Chloe’s number.
“Come on, come on, come on,” he muttered as her phone continued to ring. Finally, the ringing stopped, and he listened only to the first part of the automated message that told him Chloe’s voicemail was full.
“Dammit.” Not only did her phone not work half the damn time, but she also didn’t delete her voicemail to free up space. His hands shook as he ended the call then quickly pressed another number on his contact list.
“Please be there,” he begged to the empty room, letting out a relieved breath when the call was answered on the third ring.
“Hey, man, I was just thinking about calling you. I’ve got some more news—”
“Chloe is missing.”
Instantly alert, Tom went into full FBI agent mode. “What do you mean, missing? When did you last talk to her?”
Ethan traversed the length of the small apartment then repeated his footsteps, all the while running one hand through his hair as he fought the fear assailing him like a physical blow. “Her car is here, but one of the neighbors saw her getting into a black SUV with a neighbor who told her his dog was sick and needed to go to the vet.”
A small silence echoed before Tom spoke. “If she’s gone to the vet with a neighbor, man, she’s not missing. I’m sure she’ll call you when she gets there.”
“No, you don’t understand,” Ethan broke in quickly, his voice thick with panic, “there was another woman in the car. Chloe wasn’t needed, Tom. I think…” his voice cracked and he took a deep breath, “I think she was taken.”
“Oh, shit. It can’t be.”
“What?” Ethan questioned, his terror increasing at his friend’s distressed tone.
“Do you remember the potential witness I mentioned a while back?”
“Yeah,” Ethan’s hand tightened around the phone. “What about him?”
“Her,” Tom corrected with a sigh. “At first it seemed she was cooperating.”
“But?” Ethan demanded, his heart sinking like a lead weight in his chest as his alarm rose.
“She gave Agent Collins the slip and left the safe house two days ago. Since then it’s like she dropped off the face of the earth.”
“Until today,” Ethan finished, knowing in his gut that the woman in the SUV with Chloe was the missing witness.
“Listen,” Tom said into the heavy silence, “I’m going to round up the team and come over there. In the meantime, why don’t you call the local vet offices just in case we’re whistling in the wind?”
“Okay,” Ethan agreed, knowing that the instruction was merely to keep him busy. He was thankful, nonetheless. As soon as the call ended, he started searching for the nearest veterinarian offices on his phone. There were three practices within a twenty-five-mile radius. He dialed the first number with more hope than confidence.
*****
“You can let me go and we’ll forget this ever happened.” Chloe directed the comment to Brad who sat in the driver’s seat, guiding the vehicle with careless nonchalance. Her gaze strayed to the woman in the back seat, hoping to find some sign of a sympathetic crack in her stoic demeanor. It was useless. She wore the same indifferent expression as she had over an hour and a half ago when Chloe had made the mistake of entering the vehicle. Her eyes lit on the dog lying lifeless beside the woman, the slight rise and fall of his sides the only indication that he was still alive. It was more than apparent the dog had been drugged. She only hoped that it would be okay once whatever it had been given wore off.
“My family needs me,” she said quietly, allowing tears to well in her eyes. Although they were genuine enough, the waterworks were a result of the intense anger she felt at Brad for doing such a lowdown thing and only a little bit about her mom and dad. If she allowed herself to think of her parents and what they would do if anything happened to her, Chloe would lose the anger that fueled her and kept her able to stay sane in such an insane situation.
She’d been kidnapped.
By someone she knew. It was so cliché. Brad had taken cruel delight in telling her exactly who had ordered her abduction and what was going to happen to her. Scared didn’t begin to describe her feelings as she’d pondered her circumstances for the last hour. As horrifying as being turned over to the notorious drug lord, Ramon Valdez, was going to be, facing whatever he had prepared for her seemed inconsequential compared to the effect her death would have on Ethan.
While he might not love Chloe the way he had Marie, he would feel responsible for whatever happened to her nonetheless, and Chloe wasn’t sure he could handle that kind of guilt again.
“Don’t try and gain any sympathy from me,” Brad said. “Your parents are fine and that man in your apartment isn’t family. He’s the reason you’re here, remember, sweetheart?” He placed his hand on her knee and gave it a familiar squeeze, winking as he did so. “He’ll be gone soon enough and then we can have us some fun.”
The woman in the back seat moved and, for the first time, Chloe saw a break in her expression. Maybe she didn’t care if she’d been kidnapped, but she at least showed some remorse for her part in what Brad had in mind.
“Listen, Brad, I know you’ve been down on your lucky lately and I...”
“Down on my luck?” His voice grew angrier. “I was fired from my job because some bitch complained about my behavior. It was a good job. And you?” He snorted indignantly. “You never gave me the time of day.”
Chloe’s indignation rose to new heights. “That’s why you did this? Because I wouldn’t go out with you?”
Brad snarled. “You bet your panties. When you brought that man home, it really, really pissed me off. Then, I realized he seemed familiar. I finally put two and two together. It was easy to get the word back to Valdez.”
“Brad, you need to stop this right now. I don’t know what you’ve done so far, but I’ll go to Clay, make sure you get the best legal defense.” She’d always assumed Brad was into some shady dealings, but this just confirmed her worse suspicions. She twisted in her seat, not above begging at this point. Anything to get him to stop the car.
He turned to her, his signature smarmy smile plastered on his face. His hand reached out and grabbed her leg again, this time biting into her flesh so hard, she knew she’d have bruises come morning.
If she were still alive in the morning.
“Why would I mess up a good thing, bitch? And as for you? You’ll do exactly what I say.”
Chloe’s heart dropped, and she knew there was no getting out of this situation. At least not at the moment. She took a deep breath and told herself to remain calm.
Ethan would figure this out, she thought. He had to. Otherwise, she’d never be able to tell him again how much she loved him.
Their trip took little over an hour. By the time they got to the sprawling warehouse, darkness had fallen, and Chloe had lost all sense of direction. Not that that would matter. If—no when—she got a chance to run, she was going to run fast—in any direction.
Brad ordered the woman in the back to take care of Chloe as he walked to the metal door located on the side of the building. Within seconds, a light had come on and it looked as if Brad and the person at the door were arguing.
Chloe turned in her seat, her expression imploring. “Please, you have to help me. Let me out and I’ll run. I’ll just run away.”
The woman looked up, her expression now one of pity, although her voice remained expressionless. “Even the innocent must to face their demons sometimes.”
With those cryptic words, she got out of the car and opened Chloe’s door. For a brief second, Chloe thought about kicking her and trying to make a run for it, but her legs and arms were trembling so badly she didn’t think she could muster the strength. Tears welled in her eyes again. Damn it, she’d always thought if she ever found herself in such a situation, she’d be strong and brave. “Turns out I’m just a wimp,” she murmured ruefully.
“No, you’re not. You will make it through this.” The woman pulled a large white handkerchief from the pocket of her jeans. “I will tie this loosely around your wrists and when the moment comes, you are to run. Run as fast as you can toward the trees.”
She gave a small nod to her right. In the darkness, Chloe could barely make out the tree line but didn’t care. The woman was helping her. For whatever reason, she didn’t know, and again, didn’t care. She might have a chance to escape with her help. She might live to see Ethan again.
“How will I know when to run?”
“You will know.”
Before she could answer, Brad yelled. “What’s taking you so long? Get over here.” The door to the building now stood wide open behind him, the other man having disappeared inside.
“Turn around,” she ordered tersely, all show of empathy erased from her expression.
Chloe did as she was told, her eyes focusing on the ignition switch of the vehicle. If only Brad had left the keys, she might have seriously considered trying her luck and knocking the other woman down. Just as she was gathering the courage, the woman grabbed Chloe’s arm roughly, forcing her to march forward. Chloe hoped it was for appearance’s sake and she was really going to help Chloe when the time came. And, she hoped that Brad was too busy congratulating himself on the success of his trap to suspect his helper wasn’t entirely on his side anymore. The thought almost made her smile.
The inside of the warehouse was filled with large white bags with the words sugar and flour printed on the sides, but Chloe had more than a sneaking suspicion about what was actually inside them. Brad walked to the back of the warehouse and the woman hustled Chloe along behind him. It was almost surreal. She heard subdued voices and smelled an array of chemicals that immediately started affecting her breathing. She felt her lungs begin to tighten. There was an office set up along the back wall—complete with a large oak desk, an area rug, soft, muted lamps and a leather executive chair.
In that chair sat a man with dark skin, black hair, and an expression that said it all. Power and danger. She knew immediately that this was the man Ethan had failed to capture—Roman Valdez.
“So, what do you bring me, my friend?” The man placed his hands on his desk, his large fingers covered in rings. Chloe figured the suit he wore would pay her rent for a year. Maybe two.
“This is your ticket back home, sir. She’s been shacked up with that FBI agent for weeks now.” Brad grinned, his expression as expectant as if he were about to be handed a million dollars. And maybe he was, Chloe thought. Lord, she prayed, please let Ethan realize what was going on. She knew it was a weak prayer, seeing how Ethan didn’t even know she was with Brad.
“Ah, yes, Agent Hollister. I hear he was shot. Only in the leg, most unfortunately.” He gave Chloe a slight grin and she knew instantly that this man had shot Ethan. His expression turned cold as his gaze focused once more on Brad. “But how does having her here help me?”
“He’ll do anything to get her back. Maybe even let you slip away in exchange for her life.”
“Ahh, Brad.” The man stood up, straightening his tie as he walked closer. Chloe instinctively took a step back, not at all surprised when Brad just stood there grinning. Brad was not the brightest bulb in the box. The man’s lack of expression was more terrifying than if he’d worn a mask of rage. “You should have done your homework a little better. This agent that you speak of does not form attachments very easily. And, when he does, he still does not care if they are sacrificed, does he?”
The man looked straight at Chloe. She knew immediately that this man knew of Ethan’s loss. Of his pain. And that now intended to do the same thing to him again.
That courage that she couldn’t find for herself rose to the surface as she thought of Ethan trying to live with her death and the thought that he was responsible. There was no way this man was going to use her to hurt Ethan. Not like he’d been hurt before.
Mentally squaring her shoulders, she stepped from behind Brad, facing the murderous drug lord with a courage she was far from feeling. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, and frankly, I don’t care. This asshole,” she motioned to Brad with her tied hands, “has been bothering me for months, wanting to get into my pants. And now he brings me here for some kinky shit. Just let me go, and I’ll forget I ever saw him.” Or you. Those words remained unsaid.
“Too late for that, my dear.” The man moved, coming to stand beside her. He stroked the back of his fingers down her cheek. “I will say, Agent Hollister has very good taste in women.” He smiled nastily at Brad. “If the Agent is as enamored as you say, you have done well. Using her to gain my freedom will do nicely.”
“Andre, tie her to the chair.” One of the large men that had been standing guard beside the desk moved forward, grabbing Chloe by the arm. His grip was tight, and he pulled her along, uncaring when she stumbled and almost fell. Within minutes, she was tied tightly to a folded, metal chair, her heart beating furiously as she mentally willed Ethan not to come after her.