RunningScaredBN (5 page)

Getting information would not be easy, even for Aidan Thorne.
 

The last man in the line, the largest of the group, shifted his eyes to her briefly. She saw something in them, just a flicker. Her training kicked in before her mind comprehended. Just as the man’s arm swept up, a slender knife in his hand, Riley lunged toward him. Swinging her arm upward, she knocked the knife from his hand, slammed her other fist into his face, and then whirled, finishing him off with a solid kick straight to his groin. Howling, he dropped to his knees, holding his crotch.
 

Justin grabbed his wrists and zip-tied them again. Looking up at her, he grinned. “You are one bad-assed, lethal woman, Ingram.”

Her adrenaline still surging, she glanced around at the other operatives. All were giving her approving looks. She felt the glow all the way to her toes. Justin was right. She was badass and tough. She had not only come through hell and survived, she had become a force to be reckoned with.
 

She gave a small nod of acknowledgment and then turned away before anyone could read her expression. She had been focused on moving forward for so long, she had never realized that she had actually arrived. She had achieved what she’d always dreamed. Yes, she still had nightmares, still looked over her shoulder. But the stark differences in what she had been and who she was now were so phenomenal, it was as if she were two different people.
 

On the heels of that realization, came another one, even more startling and scarier. But she knew it was time. Time to stop running. Time to confront the most wicked of the wicked.
 

Riley Ingram was ready to face her past.
 

Chapter Four

LCR Headquarters

Alexandria, Virginia

Noah McCall read the information he’d received this morning from his source at the FBI. Their intel on Taylor Vaughn’s abduction jived with what Aidan Thorne had uncovered from the kidnappers in Iraq. The journalist had not been taken by human traffickers or terrorists. Kidnapping the Iraqi women had provided the perfect opportunity for an abduction of a different kind. This one was all about payback and revenge.

Taylor Vaughn was an award-winning journalist. She had a reputation for infiltrating the most impenetrable organizations and gathering intel for her articles, making her one of the most admired, and reviled, journalists in the world. She had an incredible talent for deep cover, which had yielded her tons of information for her stories. Most times, the organizations she wrote about hadn’t known they had a mole in their midst until the first headline appeared. Most never knew how they’d been compromised.

According to Noah’s FBI source, several months ago, the journalist had infiltrated the organization of notorious crime boss Mateo Russo, one of the most-wanted criminals in the world. She had gained the trust of one of his generals and had apparently gotten access to a ton of information. For her safety and their investigation, the FBI had tried to stop her from writing her stories until Russo was apprehended. She’d resisted, but then it didn’t matter, because she was discovered, and Mateo Russo was out for blood. But first, he would want to know what she knew, how she knew it, and who she had told.
 

Noah’s gut told him that Russo wouldn’t kill her until he believed he had all the information. And from what he knew about Taylor Vaughn, she would hold out as long as she could. She would know that the instant she was no longer useful, she would be killed. Noah hoped to hell she was as strong as she appeared. Mateo Russo was known for his ruthlessness.

The man had the money and connections to have dozens of hideaways throughout the world, which was one of the reasons he hadn’t been captured. Mafia wealth could purchase both secret real estate and confidentiality. The man had been hidden for years, and unless something changed, he would stay that way.
 

LCR wasn’t out to capture Russo. Their mission was to rescue Taylor Vaughn.
 

Noah had followed Vaughn’s career and had read most of her articles. The journalist’s ingenuity was impressive. At the same time, he was amazed that she had survived this long without anyone targeting her. With Mateo Russo, Taylor Vaughn’s luck had run out.

Their biggest obstacle was finding where Russo had stashed her. The man had created an intricate web of hideouts that crisscrossed the globe. Many of the locations were fake, and a dozen or more were real. Finding the one where Vaughn was being held would take time. But just how much time did Taylor Vaughn have?

The buzzer on his desk sounded. Without taking his eyes from the monitor in front of him, he pressed answer. “Yes?”

“Noah, there’s a William Larson on line one. I’ve taken the pertinent information, but he insists on speaking with you. I know that you usually like to read the background facts before you talk to a prospective client. It’s just…this man…” She cleared her throat. “He’s quite insistent.”

Vicki Jackson was one of his most experienced screeners. As the wife of a law enforcement officer and the mother of two Navy SEALs, she wasn’t easy to spook or rile. From the tone of her voice, Noah knew William Larson had managed to do both.

“Send me what you have on him.”

Within seconds, Noah was looking at the bare facts on the case of a young woman who had been missing for eight years. Larson, a freelance computer consultant, was her father. The woman, Jessica Larson, was twenty-nine years old and had a long history of mental illness.
 

“Did he say anything out of line to you, Vicki?”

“No. Not really. There’s just something about him that put me on edge.”

Noah admired Vicki’s instincts. If there was something off about the guy, Noah believed her.

“I’ll take the call.”

Seconds later, Noah pressed a button and said, “This is Noah McCall.”

“Thank you for taking my call, Mr. McCall. That woman didn’t want to put me through. She—”

“
That woman
is doing her job. How can I help you?”

There was a second of awkward silence, and then Larson said, “Of course. Of course. It’s just that I’m at my wit’s end. You’re my last hope, Mr. McCall.”

“I see that your daughter, Jessica, has been missing for eight years now?”

“Yes. We’ve tried everything trying to find her.”

“And she has a history of mental illness? What is her diagnosis?”

“She’s delusional, Mr. McCall. It started around her eighteenth birthday. Up until then, she was a normal, happy-go-lucky, young woman.”

“Any history of self-inflicted harm or violence to others?”

“No, not really. Just mostly paranoia.”

“She was twenty-one when she disappeared?”

“Um. Yes.”

The hesitancy in Larson’s speech could have been a normal response to Noah’s somewhat intrusive questions. If Larson thought those few queries were intrusive, he hadn’t heard anything yet.

“Where are you located, Mr. Larson?”

“Located? You mean, where do I live now?”

“Yes.”

“Uh, um. Chicago.”

“I have business in Chicago on Monday. I can meet you at one. Bring all the information you have on Jessica.”

“Oh, couldn’t we meet sooner? I can come to your office. Where are you located?”

“The Drake Hotel in Chicago. One o’clock Monday. That’s my offer.”

“Well, of course, of course. I just thought…” Larson gave a long, overly dramatic sigh. “I’m just so eager to find her, Mr. McCall, but I’ll comply with your timeframe.”

“I’ll see you then.”

Noah slumped back in his chair, frowning at the phone. Vicki’s instincts were indeed sound. There was something off about William Larson. A fakeness to his tone had put Noah on alert and made him highly curious. Just what was William Larson hiding?

Pressing another button on his phone, he waited until one of his best researchers answered, then said, “Deidre, get me everything you can on a William Larson. Says he’s in Chicago, but I have my doubts. Trace the number. See if it’ll tell us his location. I’ll send you what little I’ve got.”

After he sent Deidre the sketchy information Larson had supplied, Noah leaned back in his chair again. A shadow of an idea niggled at the back of his mind. He wasn’t going to jump to conclusions. But one thing he knew for sure. He was definitely looking forward to his one-on-one with the man calling himself William Larson.

Chapter Five

New York City

Riley slipped into the small, elegant room in the back of the church. The cathedral was well guarded, and she had wondered if she’d have difficulty getting inside. Thanks to the forethought of the bride and groom, she’d had no problem. Saying
LCR
had been the golden passkey.

The paparazzi surrounded the building but would not be allowed inside. Still, the number of reporters and photographers who had been allowed into the church was enough to make anyone nervous, much less a woman in hiding. Being photographed, even accidentally, wasn’t something she could risk. Even dressed in a disguise, she was on edge. She had no idea if anyone was still looking for her. As helpless as she had been, they probably assumed she was dead. Still she would take no chances. The blond wig and thick glasses were an easy, uncomplicated cover-up.

“Kacie?”

The bride whirled around, and Riley caught her breath. She had never seen anyone lovelier. Dressed in a gorgeous, fitted white gown of lace and silk, Kacie Dane was the very definition of a beautiful, glowing bride. So glowing that Riley looked around to see if there was some sort of light shining above her head. There wasn’t. It was all Kacie. Had any bride ever looked happier? Had any bride ever deserved happiness more?

“Hey!” Kacie’s smile was both brilliant and welcoming. “It’s so good to see you. I’m so glad you could come to the wedding.”

“I hope you don’t mind me coming in here.”

“Absolutely not. Skylar was here but stepped out for a moment to help Gabe with his bow tie.” She winked at Riley. “I like your disguise. Very retro.”

That was another reason she liked Kacie Dane. Not one question of why she felt the need to wear a disguise. Kacie accepted people as they were.

“Your dress is lovely.”

“Thank you. I was thrilled that Julian Montague agreed to design one for me.” She glanced down at her dress and then grinned. “Brennan’s going to love it.”

“Yes, but not as much as the person wearing it.”

“Oh yeah.” Kacie expression softened.

“So, I just wanted to wish you well and…um…” Riley trailed off, belatedly realizing what a colossal mistake it had been to come here. Bringing up the worst experience of Kacie’s life on what should be the happiest day of her life was not only incredibly insensitive, it was downright cruel. Even someone with her limited people skills should know that.
 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to say congratulations.” She began to back away, toward the door.

“Thank you.” Kacie held out her hand to stop her. “But there’s something else isn’t there? What is it?”

“No. Not really. We can talk another time. Maybe when you get back from your honeymoon.” Seeking to change the subject, she asked, “Where are you two going?”

“I don’t know. Brennan planned everything. He won’t tell me until our plane lands. He even packed for me.” Kacie laughed and added, “Considering the small suitcase, I have a feeling it’s not a place that requires a lot of clothes.”

Riley gave a strained smile and put her hand on the doorknob. “I’m sure it’ll be great. Have a wonderful time.”

Kacie grabbed Riley’s hand and led her to a low settee. “Listen. LCR is my family, which means you’re family. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong. I just—” Seeing the compassion and concern in Kacie’s eyes, Riley swallowed and said, “I just wanted to tell you how courageous you are for what you did.”

Confusion glimmered for a second, and then she said, “Oh, you mean spilling my guts at the press conference?”

“Yes.”

“It was something I felt I had to do.”

Thankful that Kacie didn’t seem the least bit upset to be talking about her dark past, she said, “Why?”

“For several reasons. One, there was always a chance that someone would have found out the truth on their own and try to use it against me. Living under that kind of shadow wasn’t something I wanted. Now, that risk is gone. And two, I was living a lie and I felt like a hypocrite. I’m a role model for a lot of young women. How could I tell other women who have been raped to come forward when I kept my past abuse hidden?”

“How did you find the courage to do it?”

Awareness flickered in Kacie’s eyes, and Riley knew she saw the truth behind her questions.
 

“Part of it was Brennan. Having his love and support gave me the strength and courage to face my past.”

“What was the other part?”

“The knowledge that I did nothing wrong. Nothing I did could ever make me deserve what happened to me. Even though I had recovered, I still felt shame for what I’d gone through. Even though I knew up here”—she touched her head—“that I’d done nothing wrong, I realized I still felt shame. I was raped and tortured by a monster. The shame was on him, not me.”