Eleven (26 page)

I cracked open the door, gun readied as was Jack’s. I heard more sirens from the local PD coming closer.

“Take it slow,” Jack cautioned.

“Deb.
” I called into the house and looked through to the kitchen as I wound along the wall, vigilant in case the unsub was here. “We shouldn’t have left her alone.” I spoke in a whisper. “I can’t believe the unsub knows about Deb’s sister.” Not only did I worry about Deb’s safety but also her sister and her family’s. I continued down the hallway, placing foot over foot, back to the wall, gun ready.

“One thing at a time.”

“Deb.
” I called out louder than the first time.

I heard banging upstairs. I pointed upward. “There. Did you hear that? Deb?” More shuffling of feet, and a slam of a dresser drawer.

“You go first. I’ll stay behind and watch your back.”

Adrenaline forced my steps forward, suppressing my fear beneath layers of bravado. I approached the base of the stairs cautiously, straining to hear anything. Nothing but silence seeped over the upper landing like a thickly laid fog. I faced upward and raised my gun to match. There was no one there, no shadows casting against the exterior wall of the staircase.

I took each stair slowly, careful not to agitate the old wood of the home, but it didn’t matter. Even the lightest placed step caused it to moan. I turned around to Jack, who directed me to face forward with a tightened jaw and a scowl.

Keep alert, keep vigilant, take in your surroundings, and keep your eyes ahead.

I recited what I had been taught hoping the words would drown my guilt over pulling Debbie into this. If anything happened to her, there wouldn’t be a purpose in living.

I focused on the upstairs landing. A shadow darkened the doorway of our bedroom, casting its length into the stairwell. I picked up speed. Jack closed the distance between us.

In the hallway, my heart sped up causing my breath to deepen and it threatened to expose my position.

Jack motioned that he would be going to the right of the doorway, and I was to take the left. He sprung in front of the opening. His eyes said it all, someone was in there.

I nodded to Jack and took the lead inside the room. My gun readied, I would have no hesitation to take the shot. “Put your hands up! Now!”

The yell that pierced my ears would likely cause them to ring for hours.

“What the…” Debbie’s one hand went to her chest while the other ripped out the earbuds. “You scared the shit out of me.” She glared at both of us before settling her eyes on my weapon. “You’re holding a gun on me.”

It wasn’t until her words made it through that I realized it was still pointed at her. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I?” Her face scrunched up and she let out a snuff of air from her nose. “I’m getting ready to go.”

“You need to come with me. Now.” I put my gun back in its holster.

“Brandon, you’re acting strange.”

“I just need you to trust me.”

“I am trying to. You told me to go back to Karen’s. That’s what I’m trying to do here.”

I noticed the opened suitcase on the bed. Some clothes were already inside. I didn’t look forward to what I had to say next. “You can’t go to your sister’s now.”

“Brandon.” Two hands went to her hips.

“Come with me.” I put an arm around her and guided her out of the room.

She spun around and pointed at Jack. “What’s he doing?”

He was standing on our bed, his hands gloved, poking around the light fixture on the ceiling.

“We’ll talk outside.”

“Brandon.”

I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Just trust me.”

“Fine.”

I moved her out to the backyard and for a moment took in the irony of the weather and nature. The sky was cloudless, birds were chirping, and lawn mowers purred in the neighborhood. Another beautiful Virginia morning, and yet here we were dealing with an unsub bent on destroying all that was and distorting it to a twisted view of righteousness.

We stood on the back deck facing each other. Debbie’s arms were crossed. “You better tell me what’s going on.”

“The case we’re working on—”

Her head cocked to the side, and I could read the reflection in her eyes,
you put us in danger
.

“It’s complicated.”

“Say it Brandon. I’m in danger?” The arms tightened. One long strand of brown hair fell from the clip that held the rest. I reached out for it, peered into her eyes, and nodded.

“I can’t believe this. It’s a job, Brandon.” She shifted to the right, moving just out of reach.

“It’s not just a job.”

“What else is it?”

The direct question rendered me silent for a few seconds.

“Like I thought. For a job, you put our lives in danger. Great. Just great!”

Every time she said the word
job
, it came out with such disdain that it angered a portion of my soul. “The FBI swear to protect—”

“Save the brochure for new recruits.” She said the words, but after she did her eyes snapped to mine. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No, I think you did. But I get it. You weren’t really into this career choice from the start.”

“It’s not that. It’s just, it’s dangerous.”

“Damn right it’s dangerous!” I averted my eyes from her. My earlobes heated with anger.

“Brandon.”

I watched a squirrel run across the yard and up one of the giant oaks.

“Brandon.”

“What?”

She placed a hand on my arm. “Where do you need me to go?”

Paige’s eyes were fastened to the photo of Brandon’s wife. Bingham was right. The woman was beautiful and it would be a lie to say it didn’t bother her on some level. But she was jealous of the woman for more than her looks. She got to spend her life with Brandon. “Why would it bother me?”

“You love him.”

“Special Agent Fisher is a colleague of mine, a member of the—”

“Then you love him.” Bingham’s lips curled upward. The smile chilled Paige.

“Who is helping you on the outside?”

“Round and round you go.” A small laugh.

“Earl Royster is dead.” She dropped the fact, callously with unwavering eye contact.

Bingham tapped a finger on the table. Paige counted as each one rapped off. Eleven total. A smirk still on his lips, he said, “I suppose that creates a problem for you?”

I took the SUV leaving Jack at the house searching for cameras and audio recorders. Nadia volunteered her place and it was deemed a safe house for the time being. We picked up her key on the way.

She lived in a condo building in Logan. When she told me the address, it had me wondering how much money she had. Logan was a historic district in Washington, and condos there would have ranged up from half a million.

“It’s only going to be temporary until we find the guy.” I parked the car, and Deb looked through the window at the building.

“How does she afford this place?”

“Good question.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine here. For a little while.” She straightened up and undid her seat belt.

“I wouldn’t ask you to do this unless it was for your safety.”

“I know.”

She got out, and I followed her to the back of the SUV. She opened the back door and went to haul out the suitcase and the one bulging overnight bag. I came in between and took them from her.

“I want you to stay in contact. I call, you answer.”

Her hands went to her hips. “If the same applies to you. How do I know this psycho won’t come after you? You’ve got their attention obviously.”

“You let me worry about me okay?” I walked toward the building. She didn’t need to read my face or she’d witness the truth. As much as I wanted to think positively uncertainty hindered the vision.

Her sandals flapped as she walked along the sidewalk behind me. “Not fair.”

“Don’t start Deb. It’s for a few days until we catch this guy.”

“How do you know you will?”

“That’s what we do. We catch the bad guys.”

A hand reached out to my shoulder, causing me to turn to face her. “And what’s your track record?”

I hated it when she did this. She had a way of tapping into my perfectionist nature. She knew I was technical and critical.  “It’s about to have an arrest on it.”

“Uh huh.” She brushed ahead of me and flung open the front door. “And how am I supposed to explain this to my work?” She held the door, and her eyes fixed on mine.

We had discussed how imperative it was for her to stay away from anywhere or anyone familiar. She wasn’t to leave Nadia’s condo and that included going to her job. Even to me those restrictions equated capture.

“I’m going to go nuts inside four walls for days.”

“You could be in a place with six.”

Her expression went sour. She got my implication—a coffin. “You think they’d kill—”

Her words died on her lips as we stepped into the lobby.

“She lives in a hotel.”

High ceilings held recessed lighting that cast almost an enchanting glow over the area. A few seating areas were laid out, and minimalistic artwork was displayed on the walls. The combined textures of the wood flooring and color of the walls welcomed one with the warmth of a sun-kissed beach.

“May I help you?” A concierge called out from behind the front desk. His eyes read,
and who are you?

“I believe Nadia Webber called ahead.”

“Oh yes, most certainly. Mister Bond, is it?” His eyes passed judgment and skepticism the same way mine did when Nadia told me the cover name she assigned. She said it would be fun.

“Yes, it is.”

He kept watching me but didn’t say anything. I could only imagine what was going through his mind.

“The elevators?”

“Right there Mister Bond.” He passed a glance to Deb. “Enjoy your stay.”

I put an arm through Deb’s. “Let’s go.”