Second Chance (3 page)

“There’s no one more motivated than I am to get those children back to their mother.”

The flicker in his boss’s eyes told Cole he’d scored a point. Seeing that, Cole stiffened his spine, shut down his conscience, and went for the kill. “You owe me, Noah.”

In spite of his determination to feel nothing, a slash of pain ripped through his head at the guilt in his boss’s eyes. He’d lied. McCall didn’t owe him a damn thing. He’d saved Cole’s life years ago by giving him an opportunity and purpose few could. Noah McCall was the most decent man Cole knew, but if pushing this particular button got him on the case, he’d push the hell out of it. He had no choice.

McCall gave a curt nod. “Fine. I’ll give you all the intel. You can work it from here or Florida. Another set of eyes can only help. I can—”

“No. I’m going to South Carolina.”

“Dammit, there’s no reason to meet the woman.”

“I’m not in the habit of running from my demons.”

“Are you going to tell her who you are?”

“There’s no reason to bring her more pain. I’ll be another LCR operative working to find her children. What’s done is done.”

“Here’s all the intel we have.” McCall slid a thick folder across his desk. A telling gesture. He’d known Cole was coming and had been prepared. “Police report, interviews, investigators’ notes. FBI has been extraordinarily cooperative. They’ve allowed Jordan to sit in on all of the interviews. And Eden’s been Keeley’s shadow. I think having Eden there has helped the woman about as much as anything. From the sound of it, she has few friends in Fairview.”

Cole took the folder and dropped into a chair in front of the desk. He’d take the file apart tonight when he was alone. Right now, he wanted more than what the papers in his hand would reveal … he wanted a gut feeling. Noah’s take on the situation would give him important insight. The man had overseen more rescues than all his operatives combined.

“I know her parents are gone. Doesn’t she have any other family?”

“No family other than the children … and her in-laws.” Noah’s tone indicated antipathy.

“In-laws not like her?”

“From what we can tell, the sister-in-law’s a good friend. Mother-in-law sounds like one of those witches Samara reads to Micah about.”

“Wicked stepmother type?”

McCall’s mouth lifted. “Yeah. Without the poisoned apple.”

“What’s her problem?”

“Not sure other than Keeley wasn’t good enough for her son. Elizabeth Fairchild has made no secret of how she feels. Did her best to have Keeley blamed when Stephen Fairchild was abducted. Local law’s a bunch of idiots, and since she apparently has them in her pocket, they tried to charge Keeley without any real evidence. FBI stepped in and stopped them before it went that far.”

Guilt skewered through Cole. Bad enough that her husband had been killed, but to be accused of that crime only added to her pain. Through no fault of her own, the woman had suffered tremendously already. Even more incentive for him to find her children.

“What about the kids … there’s been no ransom demand?”

“No.”

His gut twisted. “Hell, it’s been too long.”

McCall’s grim expression was an acknowledgment of what they both knew. The lack of communication for that length of time meant dire consequences. If the kids were even alive, they’d probably been sold. And there were all too many places for that kind of transaction to take place. Those children could be anywhere.

Cole forced his mind away from the harsh reality to get more facts. “How’d it go down?”

“Keeley Fairchild watched a man take the children. Fought like hell to prevent it.”

“Watched?”

“Yeah, she was within a few feet of catching up with him and fell flat on her face. Another man tried to grab her … she got away from him, but suffered a broken wrist and a concussion.”

Cole stiffened. “They tried to grab her along with the kids?”

“Yeah. That’s why Eden’s sticking so close to her. She may be in danger as well. And it’s one of the reasons no one’s surprised there’s not been a ransom.”

“One of the reasons?”

Propping his arms on his desk, McCall leaned forward as he explained. “The kidnappings seemed odd enough … what with two kids taken and what happened to her husband. About a week after they were nabbed, the emails started.”

“What kind of emails?”

“Not your normal wacko stuff … though those kinds of creeps do seem to come out of the woodwork when things like this happen. These comments are targeted and constant, with only one apparent purpose—to hurt Keeley.”

Cole held up the folder. “Copies in here?”

Noah nodded. “FBI is keeping the emails under their hat for now, along with the information that she was almost taken, too. As far as the media knows, it’s a
kidnapping, not a personal vendetta. Press doesn’t need more fodder.”

“Media circus?”

“It was for a while. They’ve backed off since there’s been no developments.”

“So what’s your take?”

“The woman’s definitely got an enemy. Whether the emails are being sent by the kidnappers is less clear. They make no mention of the kids … where they could be, why they were taken, no admission of guilt. Just very pointed and cruel remarks toward her.”

“So it could still just be some sick creep who gets off on hurting those who are already hurting.”

“Possibly. Thanks to her mother-in-law, Keeley isn’t the most popular person in town. Could be one of them.”

“The whole town dislikes her?”

Even though it was intentional, Cole cursed his lack of knowledge of Keeley Fairchild. His goal had been to make sure she stayed safe. Finding out personal information about her was a line he hadn’t wanted to cross.

“Elizabeth Fairchild owns many of the businesses in Fairview and most of the land in the county. She’s got the money and the influence to control the vast majority of the town’s employment. Apparently they stay in her good graces by ostracizing Keeley.”

Cole clenched his jaw. Getting involved in small-town dramatics would be pointless. Still, hearing how Keeley Fairchild had been treated in her own town didn’t sit well with him.

“Any reference to the husband’s abduction in the emails?”

“No, nothing about him. Just remarks about what a terrible mother she must be to lose her kids. The writer knows exactly where to stick the knife to do the most damage.”

“How many FBI are on the case?”

“Seven when they started. It’s dropped to one. Honor Stone … you’ve worked with her before. You remember?”

A vague mental picture of a pretty, freckle-faced woman with a no-nonsense attitude and compassionate green eyes flashed in his mind.

When Cole nodded, Noah continued, “She’s worked well with Eden and Jordan but I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s reassigned soon.” He lifted a shoulder. “They’ll still work it, of course.”

Noah didn’t need to add the obvious. The FBI would continue to work it, but there were hundreds of other missing-persons cases they were working, too. Fortunately, Cole had two things the FBI didn’t have. Time and total focus. He would never give up until those kids were found.

“Where’d it happen? Her place is like a fortress. Hell, the wall that surrounds her property would stop ninety-nine percent of the population.”

“The park. She took the kids for a picnic. An older couple close by called the cops, but their description was as vague as Keeley’s. Masked men, white van, no tags or identifying features.”

“FBI have any suspects?”

“No strong ones. That’s what makes it so damned frustrating.”

“Two abductions in two years in the same family,” Cole muttered. “No way the two aren’t related. Somebody hates Keeley Fairchild enough to take her husband and then her children.”

McCall blew out a sigh. “Question is, who?”

“What’s your gut say?”

“No one was ever fingered for hiring the husband’s abduction.” McCall’s gaze narrowed on Cole. “You still think it was someone Fairchild knew?”

“Yeah. Rosemount’s records never said for sure, but there was something in his insane ramblings that made me believe someone who knew the family hired him.”

“Then it stands to reason it’s the same person. Someone who either sees Keeley as a cash cow or …”

“Or has an intense hatred for her.”

“Or both,” Noah said.

“If money was the primary motivator, they could’ve got a hell of a lot by demanding a ransom.”

Noah’s eyes went bleak. “Yeah. But if there’s an additional reason, like hurting Keeley, selling the kids off would make some money and accomplish the other, too.”

“And the local law … they any help on this case?”

McCall snorted his disgust. “Despite eyewitness accounts, they waited till Keeley regained consciousness before they put out any kind of alert on the kids. Keeley ended up calling the FBI herself. They got there within hours of her call and took over. Did a round of interviews. Got squat. Either no one knows anything …”

“Or they’re not talking.” Cole finished his boss’s sentence, then asked, “Jordan and Eden come up with anything yet?”

“Pretty much what we think. Someone has it out for her. Taking her kids is the best way to hurt her.”

Yeah, he knew all about that. To truly tear someone to pieces, you go for the heart. “If taking her kids doesn’t satisfy them, Keeley could be next,” Cole said.

McCall nodded. “If it’s a personal vendetta, whoever it is won’t be satisfied until she’s destroyed.”

Having heard enough to give him a good start, Cole stood. “I’ll head out tonight.”

“I’ll let them know you’re coming.”

Unable to leave alone the words he’d used earlier, Cole turned at the door. “For what it’s worth, you don’t owe me anything, Noah. What happened wasn’t your fault.”

McCall’s mouth tightened into a grim line as if he were fighting back words. Finally he nodded and said, “Be safe.”

When the door closed behind Cole, Noah released a ragged breath. No way in hell could he not feel responsible for what Cole had experienced. There wasn’t a person at LCR who didn’t feel some sort of guilt. Noah felt the grief and guilt deeper than anyone. He was responsible for every individual at LCR. He’d recruited, trained, encouraged, and, when necessary, disciplined every operative. Noah took his responsibilities seriously. He’d let Cole down.

Instead of investigating the possibility that Cole had been kidnapped and not killed in the warehouse explosion, Noah had concentrated on getting the man responsible for Cole’s death. While they’d been searching for a murderer, Cole had been drugged and tortured for months. Used as a killing machine without any concept of what he was doing, he had endured mindless, anguished agony. The scars on his body were only a glimpse of the damage done inside him.

When he’d hired Cole, he’d been impressed with the man’s strength of character. Having survived this past year with his sanity intact told Noah he had underestimated that strength.

Having Cole work this particular op wasn’t something he could feel comfortable about. He owed it to Cole to let him have the job, but he’d seen that look in other operatives’ eyes before. Cole had lost everything and felt he had nothing left to lose. Getting those kids back would be his only aim and focus.

While all LCR operatives understood that the victim always came first and self-sacrifice might well be necessary to get the job done, most of his people had more than an ounce of self-preservation. Cole didn’t have that.

Noah picked up a frame from his desk and felt a strong tug to a heart he hadn’t even known existed until he’d met Samara. The photo was of his beautiful wife holding their infant son, Micah. He never knew he could feel such love. And if he lost them … his life would be destroyed.

A few years back, Cole had lost his wife and daughter in an act of senseless violence. Noah had heard about the case and did his own investigating. He had learned what he needed to know, and had given Cole a few months to grieve. Then Noah had called him. After only one meeting with Cole, he’d offered him a job.

It had been one of the best decisions Noah had ever made. LCR had given the man the purpose he needed. Cole’s terrible ordeal and his own innate strength had made him an excellent operative. Compassion tempered with steely determination. And then Cole had been captured; the torture he’d suffered had almost destroyed him. Now all he felt he had left was the payment of this one debt.

If Keeley Fairchild’s children could be found, Noah had no doubt that his operative would rescue them. Problem was, would Cole survive it?

Dampness cloaked her, saturating Keeley’s skin with a welcome layer of moisture. Legs pumping with furious energy and urgency, she raced through the woods. On a deep breath, she inhaled the fragrant scents of pine and cedar. Already budding, dogwood and redbud trees would soon unfurl their blooms, scattering pink and white petals along the trail. Another month or so after that, magnolia trees would fill the air with a subtle lemony fragrance and blend with the sweet scent of honeysuckle. She drew in another breath; she could almost smell them
.

To her left, the bright glow of the sun peeking just over the horizon told her it was time to go in. Despite the fact that she’d been running for over an hour, she felt a pang of regret. Sometimes she wanted to run forever
.

This was her favorite time of day. The gentle music of nature, along with an invigorating run, always filled her with tranquillity. As a single mom of two rambunctious little girls, her day was filled to the brim. She loved every second of being a mother, but this hour alone, before they woke, was just for her
.

Today was Sunday and she’d planned for it by running an extra mile
.

Sunday was Hannah’s day to choose breakfast, which meant pancakes, with strawberries and whipped cream. If asked what she wanted, at breakfast or anytime, “Pancakes” was always Hannah’s answer
.

Saturday was Hailey’s breakfast choice. Yesterday’s had been cereal and toast with grape jelly. Her answer for most meals was an eclectic variety
.

Her girls might be twins, but they were polar opposites in almost everything
.