THE CRADLE CONSPIRACY (9 page)

“She needed help.” Daniel studied her black hair shining in the sunlight and the bruise on her temple. “She’s got guts, Noah. She could have wrapped up in a ball and imploded, but she just doesn’t quit.”

“You like her.”

Daniel rubbed the base of his neck. “Yeah. I shouldn’t. What if—?”

Noah crossed his arms. “The man in front of me won’t let her down.” He paused. “I wasn’t sure when I should give you this, but...I think now’s the time.” Noah turned to an SUV parked a few feet away. He opened the back door and revealed a small bag. Without words he reached in and pulled out a leather whip.

Daniel froze. Brown leather, braided, a brass seal around the handle. He recognized it well. The crest of the Duke of Sarbonne from Bellevaux. He couldn’t take his eyes off the torture weapon. His palms went sweaty. A crack sounded in his memory. His gaze snapped to Noah’s. “What the hell are you playing at?”

“Tough love, my brother.” Noah shoved it at Daniel. “I brought it back from Bellevaux. I didn’t know if I’d ever give it to you. The shrink said to use my own judgment.” Noah glanced at Raven. “I think you’re ready to break the hold the memories of this whip have over you.”

Daniel shoved the whip at Noah. “Get rid of it. Bury it, burn it, trash it. Just get it the hell away from me.”

“Conquer your demons.” Noah gripped Daniel’s arm and forced Daniel’s hand around the whip.

With some sort of twisted need, Daniel let him and didn’t throw him to the ground.

Noah clasped Daniel’s shoulder. “The bastard who used this on you is dead, but he still lives in your head. Crack it until the sound doesn’t haunt you any longer. Until you break its hold, Sarbonne wins. He stole so much from you, Daniel. Don’t let him have your soul.”

The leather felt stiff in Daniel’s hand. His heart pounded; his gut bubbled with a fury unlike anything he’d ever known. His jaw throbbed until it ached. “Sometimes you can’t win,” he gritted. “My dad didn’t.”

“But you can. We’ve both seen the men who come home with more demons than they can live with. Some move on. Some don’t. Go forward, Daniel. For yourself. And for her.” Noah nodded over at Raven who’d turned to stare at them, her face concerned. She took a step toward them.

Daniel jerked the hand holding the whip behind his back. He wasn’t ready for her questions. “Fine. I’ll take it. But the first chance I get, I’m tossing it out the window. I want to forget.”

“And that’s worked so well for you, Forrest Gump.”

Daniel bit out a four-letter word.

Noah’s expression turned serious. “Look, do what you want with it, Daniel, however you can exorcise the demons. It’s in your hands now.” With that, Noah turned and headed toward Elijah.

Daniel crossed to the truck and tossed the whip into the back.

“Who was that?” Raven asked.

“Someone with a warped idea of friendship.” Daniel frowned.

Raven touched his arm. “Are you okay?”

He turned to her. “I’ll be fine,” he lied, unwilling to reveal how much seeing that damn weapon nearly sent him to his knees. “How about you? Any more memories?”

“You,” she said softly. “All I remember is you.”

A rifle shot echoed through the air. Daniel shoved Raven into the ground next to the truck, then pushed her beneath the vehicle. In one swift movement he’d placed his body between her and the gunfire, and pulled out his weapon.

A bullet ricocheted off the metal just over their heads. “It’s coming from behind that dirt ledge!” Noah shouted, pulling out his own weapon. “Everyone take cover in the mine.”

Men ran from their positions, preparing to go into the cave. Several shots followed them in.

Almost simultaneously a thwack hit the ground near Daniel. “Two shooters!” Daniel shouted. No time for waiting. They were too vulnerable out here. “Cover us.”

Elijah and Noah fired at the mound of dirt hiding the gunmen. Daniel grabbed Raven’s hand. “Run!”

In seconds they dove into the cave. Elijah followed. He met Daniel’s gaze with a hard look. “This the idiot who came after Raven before?”

Daniel had expected Elijah to be a science geek, but this man could hold his own in a battle. Huge, brilliant—and pissed.

Daniel nodded.

“Noah’s positioned outside behind the rock outcropping, but he doesn’t have an endless supply of bullets,” Elijah said.

“What do you have for firearms?” Daniel asked. “No way we can stay in here.”

Elijah nodded in agreement. “But it’s almost like the shooter drove us in...or he’s a horrible shot.”

“I don’t like this.” Daniel grabbed the small flashlight still hooked to his belt.

“If he wants us in here,” Elijah said, “there’s got to be a good reason.”

“Yeah. Or a damned bad one.”

“Anyone with a flashlight, look around quickly for anything out of place.”

Within minutes, a shout came out. “I found something.”

Daniel raced around the bend.

Elijah pointed at the hint of red primer cord nearly concealed beneath a pile of rocks.

“It’s rigged to blow,” Daniel cursed. “Deputy, get everyone out. Cover them.”

Elijah walked the area, then cursed. “There’s another one.” He pulled gloves from his pocket, snapped them on and pulled out a knife, taking it to the bloodstained carpet.

“No time for that,” Daniel said. “Hurry.”

He raced around the bend. “Everybody head east toward the rocks,” Daniel shouted. “Don’t stop until you reach safety. We’ll try to cover you.”

“Noah, we’ve got to come out!” Daniel yelled. “Lay down some cover.”

A spray of bullets erupted from Noah’s hiding place.

“Go! Now!”

The men hurled out of the opening just as Elijah skidded beside Daniel holding two evidence bags: one with a piece of carpet, the other with what looked to be wood shavings covered in blood.

Daniel glared at him.

“It’s our one chance,” Elijah said. “You know it as well as I do.”

Daniel grabbed Raven’s hand and bolted, his gun blazing. “Stay behind me.”

Terror lined her face, but she ran. Bullets smacked the rocks above them. Daniel leaped behind a boulder and tugged Raven with him.

A fireball burst from the mouth of the mine, a conflagration shooting through the air. Heat seared the air around Daniel and Raven, but the boulder blocked the worst of it. Nearby, two vehicles were engulfed in flames.

The second bomb exploded, and the ground beneath them shuddered. Daniel wrapped his arms around Raven’s head and ducked down, shielding her. A rain of dirt pummeled them.

When the earth had settled, Daniel took a quick glance at the cave. The entire mouth of the mine was packed with dirt and rubble.

An engine revved. They both turned to see Noah and Elijah standing in the dirt firing at an escaping van. Where had that come from? The vehicle must have been hidden behind one of the large berms off to the side of the road leading up to the mine.

“Damn it, they got away,” Daniel said.

She raised her gaze to his. “What’s so important about me and my baby that they want me dead, and were willing to kill all these innocent people to make it happen?”

Daniel couldn’t hold back the fury building in his gut. “I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.”

* * *

R
AVEN
SAT
IN
Daniel’s truck, gripping the armrest with a death hold, her fingers numb. The entire scene had been surreal. Noah and Elijah had declared the area clear. They’d discovered dozens of spent casings from what they’d called a semiautomatic varmint rifle, two sets of footprints and skidding tire marks, but the snipers had vanished.

Several trucks and a lot of equipment had been burned. The place looked like a war zone. For a few minutes most of the crime-scene investigators had been shell-shocked, then the anger had hit, and they started collecting evidence—what little there was. The mine was blocked off. Permanently this time. The whole infrastructure had collapsed.

Noah and Elijah had stayed to help, but Daniel had wanted her out of there.

Raven slid a sidelong glance at him. Once again he’d saved her life. The muscle in his jaw throbbed with fury. His knuckles had whitened with his tense grip on the steering wheel. He kept checking the rearview mirror and the side mirrors.

Even Trouble stayed at attention, as if on guard. The dog had nine lives. He’d been in the truck when the nearby vehicles had gone up in flames. The mutt had been shaken, but he’d come out of the attack none the worse for wear.

“Are we going back to the motel?” Raven asked.

“For the moment. I don’t like it. Someone was waiting for us at that damn mine. I shouldn’t have taken you there until they were caught. I should have at least had a chopper clear the area,” Daniel said. “I’m off my game. I put you in danger.” He swerved to the side of the road and shoved the vehicle into Park. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, Raven. I might not be the best person to help you. Noah can protect you in ways I can’t. I’d like for you to go with him.”

“No. I don’t know him.” She grabbed his arm. “I know you. I trust you. You protected me.”

“You don’t understand.” He let out a slow stream of air. “I was held captive in Bellevaux last November and December. I was tortured, beaten, whipped and starved. They shattered my leg in three places. My ribs and hands weren’t much better. I’m put together with bolts and screws. They messed with my head. I’ve got claustrophobia and PTSD. I get flashbacks. If something happened to you because I didn’t know where I was...I couldn’t live with that, Raven.”

He looked away, his face devoid of expression, and she knew under normal circumstances he would never have revealed the truth, but it explained so much. Their time in the cave, how he could calm her down. He understood the panic, the fear. She couldn’t think of anyone better to help her.

She slid closer to him, and his entire body stiffened. “I see you fighting your demons,” she said softly. “Help me battle mine. I
have
to remember, Daniel, and I’m not sure I can do this alone. I trust you to help me.”

Daniel shoved his hand through his hair. “You’re making a mistake.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I don’t think so.”

He pulled back onto the deserted highway. No matter what Raven said, he’d contact Noah. He didn’t trust himself. Just as they entered Trouble’s city limits, Daniel’s phone rang.

He punched Speaker. “Adams.”

A crackling voice filled the cab. “Elijah’s equipment is toast. He can’t test the evidence he salvaged. I have to fly him back to Carder. Do you want another CTC crew?”

Daniel rubbed his face. “I’ll let you know. Keep me posted on the results.” He paused. “The data probably won’t hold up in court due to the chain of evidence issues, but that doesn’t matter. Run Raven’s prints and DNA through every database we’ve got. Local, federal, international. We
have
to identify her. We have to find her child and the baby’s father,” Daniel ordered.

“We’ll do everything we can,” Noah promised. “If you decide to come back with us, call within the hour. Otherwise, I’ll keep in touch. And, Daniel, think about working with what I gave you. What have you got to lose?”

Raven shuddered. She had seen Noah hand off the whip to Daniel, had watched his automatic response. She hoped Daniel threw the whip away. Horrible thing.

“Got it.” Daniel ended the call and turned to her. “We should go with them. The company headquarters in Carder is a fortress. CTC can protect you.”

Raven squeezed the locket in her hand. “Whoever wants me dead probably has my daughter, don’t they?”

“It’s a safe bet.”

He didn’t offer any comfort. How could he? Raven closed her eyes, knowing what she had to do. “The men who attacked us are my only connection to my child. I won’t hide away somewhere protected while she could be...” Her voice broke. “I have to stay close. I have to try everything I can to remember. Maybe, if I set myself up as bait, I could get close enough to see one of their faces—”

“No way.”

“What choice do we have? We have no solid leads. I have this locket. There was a toy box in that mine. Everything points to my baby being at the center of this crazy conspiracy. I’m not leaving town until I know.” She looked up at him. “Please.”

Daniel kneaded the back of his neck. “Noah gave me a computer program that the CTC psychologist has been using to help witnesses and trauma victims remember details. If you want—”

She leaned forward, eagerness pulsing through her. “You don’t even have to ask. What are we waiting for?”

Finally something to help her remember.

“Don’t get your hopes up. It’s experimental. It doesn’t always work, and you’re still physically bruised. We haven’t tried this with anyone this recently injured. The concussion may affect it.”

“It doesn’t matter. We have to try.
I
have to try.”

Daniel nodded cautiously, but for the first time since she had woken, Raven sensed possibilities.

“We need quiet, solitude, safety,” he said. “The motel won’t do. I’ll need to find another location.”

He pulled into the motel’s parking lot in front of their room.

“We aren’t safe here?”

“You’re not safe anywhere. It’s a small town. They know we’re nearby. It’s time to go off the grid.”

Daniel exited the truck, then took her by the hand. She followed him, watching him as he walked to the front of the motel, looking around, his entire body alert. This was the warrior. This was the man who made her feel like she could breathe again.

The motel’s office door opened up. Daniel’s hand went to his midback, where she knew he tucked his weapon. Lucy stuck her head around the side.

Raven touched Daniel’s arm. “Don’t scare Lucy,” she whispered.

He sent Lucy a slight nod and smiled at the timid woman. “What can we do for you?”

“Hondo made a batch of peanut butter cookies,” she said quietly. “Can I bring them over without you shooting me up?”

“I don’t—”

Raven shoved her elbow into Daniel’s side. “Sure, Lucy. We’d love some.”

“I don’t like peanut butter,” he muttered to Raven with a frustrated glare. “But I was going to say that I don’t want her to be afraid of me.”