Love & Redemption (33 page)

Nick shook his head in obvious disapproval. “A good agent controls his personal emotions.”

Gavin threw his hands up. “I’m not a good agent. I’m a man going out of my mind because the love of my life is in danger.”

Nick didn’t appear to have a response for that, and Gavin didn’t really care. This job didn’t matter as much as Shelley did. He’d work at a fast food restaurant if he had to, as long as he could share his life with her.

Jenessa leaned forward, drawing everyone’s attention. “Do tell us, Ken, what makes you sure Brent’s behind this?”

“He’s happy.” Ken spread his hands wide and his lip curled with distaste. “I can’t figure it out. The man is going around smiling, making dates with women and spending money. When I asked him about it, he laughed and said all his problems would soon be over.”

“Maybe he’s just sure he’ll get Emma back,” Jenessa said, though her voice hitched slightly as if she didn’t believe that. After all, S.A.T.O. hadn’t given him much reason to believe that would happen.

“No, I don’t think that’s it. Brent has real money troubles. His business is on the brink of bankruptcy, and he’s been trying to keep that knowledge from the clients trusting him with their money.”

“Wait.” Gavin shook his head. “He took out five million dollars. How can it be bankrupt?”

“I don’t think he’s been exactly honest with where he’s putting client’s money the last few months. It was too easy for him to liquidate all those assets, and I wondered all along how he got that much money so fast. Then again, I was worried about Emma so didn’t question it too closely.”

Well, this family was just full of sleazes. Wonderful!

When no one commented, Ken went on, “He’s been real stressed out. Two years ago, Emma’s original nanny quit because she wanted more money and he couldn’t pay. I’ve been funding Rose’s salary so Emma would have someone to look after her.” Ken stared at his hands, seeming reluctant to continue. “The worst part, though, is that there’s something Brent didn’t tell Gavin about the K and R insurance.”

Nick leaned toward Ken, regarding him intently. “What’s that?”

Ken’s blue eyes darted around the room, settling on Gavin’s before he whispered, “If Emma dies during the recovery attempt, Brent gets three million dollars for himself on top of the five million he borrowed from the company.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Shelley struggled to roll off the mattress, not wanting to wake Emma but needing a drink. She had no clue how long it had been since the train ride. The sensation in her knee had gone past localized pain to an all over ache. Shelley awkwardly crawled on her good knee and hands to the counter in the back. Shooting pain bolted through her when her right knee accidentally brushed the ground and she bit back a scream.

She had to do something, and soon. Time was hard to factor down here. Paul said she and Gavin had been in that room for a day, and then she was drugged with MG-37. That knocked people out for an entire day or longer. Though it felt like an eternity since Stephen was last in the room, he gave Nick a four-hour time limit. She guessed he’d be back to beat her some more when that passed and he didn’t have the diamonds.

Somehow, she needed to find a way to fight, even with the knee pain. Emma could build up the blankets so it looked like she was still in bed. If Shelley propped herself against the wall behind the door, she could attack Stephen next time he entered. Assuming he came in by himself again, she could surprise him, knocking him out before he figured out she wasn’t in the bed where he expected.

Anything was worth a try. Even though she’d tried to reassure Emma, Shelley was certain Nick wouldn’t give in to S.A.T.O.’s demands. Though Gavin would search for her, she didn’t even know where they were. How could she expect Gavin to find them?

Shelley finally reached the counter and used her arms to pull herself upright. Even though she wasn’t in great shape after being shot, she still had a lot of upper body strength. Nick once had the opportunity to snap Stephen’s neck and passed on it, saying it would be harder than it looked in the movies. Shelley wondered if she had the strength. In theory, she knew how to accomplish it. The practice was probably quite different.

After taking a long swig of water, Shelley hopped around to face the doorway. It was a long way from where she stood, but she could lean against the wall once she made it there and stabilize herself.

Within a few bouncing steps, she questioned her ability to make it all the way. Each hop caused more pain than Shelley would have guessed, but she needed to be on her feet in order to get Stephen. She gritted her teeth, making a few more hops.

She had made it back to the bed when the sound of a key turning the lock echoed through the room.

“Damn it!” Shelley jumped as fast as she could, but she knew she left her plan too late.

The door flung open, but it wasn’t Stephen standing there.

“I see you’re up and about.” Paul’s ice blue eyes pinned Shelley to the spot she stood in. “Glad you haven’t completely given up. I was afraid you’d lost your will to fight.”

***

Jenessa stood next to Gavin in the dark hallway at Walker Investments. Disabling the security system before they went in had been child’s play for her. Gavin had done his part to sneak them inside from the roof through the ventilation system into the main hallway. Now he had to prove himself again.

“It would be too much to hope he left this door unlocked, huh?” Gavin asked.

“Can you get through it?”

Pulling the set of lock picks from his pocket, Gavin nodded. “I’m a bit out of practice, but I was one of the best as a kid.”

He tried the door first, just in case, but it was locked as expected. Shrugging at Jenessa, he inserted the tension wrench into the bottom of the lock and took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he picked a lock, but he instinctively remembered the correct pressure to apply to the wrench. He stuck the pick into the top, gently probing for each pin inside.

“Hurry,” Jenessa urged.

Within a few seconds, Gavin picked all four pins and the lock shifted. He grinned at her and opened the door. “I’ve still got it.”

“Admirable,” she said in a sarcastic tone, brushing past him to enter the office. “Nothing makes you feel safer about your privacy than hanging out with a thief.”

He snorted. “Or a hacker. Let’s get this done.”

Jenessa headed for Brent’s desk, powering up the computer, while Gavin turned to the file cabinets along the wall.

There was no indication on the outside of the cabinets what they contained, and Gavin opened the first drawer. He quickly flipped through the files, noting they all seemed to deal with clients of the investment firm. Each subsequent drawer revealed the same thing. “I don’t know if I’ll find anything useful here. Assuming Ken even told the truth.”

“Yeah,” Jenessa agreed. “The moron doesn’t even have his computer password protected. He saved files to the desktop, probably so he can find them easier. He sure doesn’t seem like a man with something to hide.”

“We have to keep searching. Stephen probably called Nick by now, and I don’t want to think about what’s happening to Shelley. If there is a slightest chance Brent knows anything, we have to find it.”

They were both quiet for a while as they continued looking.

“Ah ha!” Jenessa smiled over at Gavin. “I think I figured it out.”

Rushing to her side, Gavin looked at the computer screen. It held an email with a picture of a cat on it. “
This
is what you found? We aren’t missing a freakin’ cat.”

“No, but this cat and some of his buddies were hiding inside a folder that was inside another folder. His business documents were all laid out there for me to see. Why hide pictures of cats?”

“Maybe he knew he’d get made fun of if someone saw them.”

Jenessa grimaced and typed something into a box on the screen. “Why would anyone do that? You have a problem with cats?”

“Just tell me what you think you found.”

She hit enter, and suddenly a new document opened on the screen. “I knew it. They imbedded their conversations in the pictures. Clever, but not enough to fool me.”

Gavin scanned the short message.

The girl is where you suggested we take her. Get us Shelley Daniels, and your money problems will disappear.

“Bastard.” Gavin punched the top of the desk. “He isn’t just working with them on Emma’s kidnapping, he gave them Shelley.”

“Looks that way.” Jenessa sounded more distracted than upset, and Gavin struggled to reign in his anger. They had to keep levelheaded and figure out where Brent ‘suggested’ they take Emma. They probably had Shelley there too.

Jenessa pulled up another cat photo, entered her code, and a new message appeared on the screen.
Five million is only monetary. We need more than that to kill a child.
Another cat and another message.
Farmland would be ideal. Send a map.

“These all seem to be messages from S.A.T.O.” Gavin rubbed at his chin, confused. “Why did Brent keep these? They point to him helping kidnap his own kid, plus it is clear he asked them to kill her.” That last made Gavin’s stomach turn. No matter how shitty Shelley’s dad had been, he’d never arranged to have her killed. What kind of sadistic asshole were they really dealing with?

“He left all other files in plain sight, and I’m sure he assumed no one would dig further and find these,” Jenessa answered. “The insurance company certainly wouldn’t, and it sounds like getting his hands on that money is Brent’s major concern. He probably thought he could squeeze more money from S.A.T.O. somehow by using these messages against them. Guys like him are never satisfied.” Her voice finally reflected some of the disgust Gavin felt. “What an ass.”

Gavin pulled out the replacement cell phone Nick had given him, dialing his number. When Nick answered, Gavin didn’t waste any time. “Have Ken help you find his in-law. Brent is guilty. He handed Shelley over to S.A.T.O. as payment for them to kill Emma.”

“That’s disgusting. I’ll handle Brent personally. Ken and I are already watching him. We hunted him down right after I sent Agent Worth to secure the diamonds. That’s one less thing to worry about, at least.” Nick paused and muffled the phone, likely speaking to Ken.

Gavin tried not to feel frustrated that they could no longer use the diamonds as a bargaining chip. Despite what Nick said, they might have been able to save Shelley with them. Now they had to figure out what Brent had done.

The phone line cleared. “Is there any clue about where the girls are?” Nick asked.

“One message said something about farmland. Jenessa and I are still searching.”

“Good. I’ll see if that means anything to Ken, but don’t worry. I’ll make Brent talk. After we grab him, we’ll bring him there.”

Gavin stuffed the phone in his pocket and turned back to the filing cabinet. If Brent hid things like that on his computer, maybe there were incriminating files mixed in with all the innocent-seeming ones.

***

Paul gestured behind him and Terrance entered, carrying two folding chairs. He set them up, nodded at Paul, and exited the room.

“Come, sit. Rest that leg of yours.” Paul gestured to the chairs and sat in the one facing her. “We have things to talk about before I decide what to do. You realize that Nick refused to hand over the diamonds to save you?”

“Of course he did.” Shelley jumped the remaining distance to the chair, figuring she may as well be comfortable. She fought off her grimace of pain, not wanting to show Paul any weakness, and sat down. “So, what is it you want to talk about?”

“You. In particular, how you can save your life.” Paul crossed his hands over his belly and kicked his feet out in front of him, entirely at ease. He obviously knew Shelley had no way to overpower him and didn’t offer any apprehension that she might try. “My scientists have been doing a lot of research, figuring out things. They’ve already discovered how to make the diamonds into a small, concentrated weapon, and they are fast on their way to creating a superior spy device.”

Determined to show no weakness, Shelley shrugged. “Why do I care? Besides wanting to stop you, I mean.”

Paul laughed. “Just as I remember. You don’t shut your mouth even when it could save your life.”

“You’re either going to kill me or not. You know everything about me, having tricked me for an entire year into working for you. I doubt anything I say would surprise you. What do you want?”

“I want you to come back to work for me.”

“What?” Shock couldn’t begin to describe how she felt. She shook her head. “What makes you think I would?”

“Because I can offer you a lot more than a gig as a waitress and a lonely, unfulfilled life.”

She’d be stupid not to at least hear him out. If nothing else, it would buy more time. “What’s your offer?”

He leaned forward, patting her good knee. Shelley did her best not to shudder at his touch.

“You and I are a lot alike,” he said. “Both thinking our country was the best, fighting hard to protect it.” His expression grew shrewd and his eyes narrowed. “Both of us thrown away by fathers who used us.”

Shelley’s mouth went dry. How did he know that? No one was supposed to know anything about Rick.

Paul waved that away, as though that revelation wasn’t important. “The biggest thing we have in common is being crushed by someone who promised to love us. For you, it’s every man who’s ever made you a promise. For me, Nadia. I thought we’d be together forever, and she chose Jason Steele.”

Shelley remembered that name. “Isn’t Jason Steele the agent you forced Nick to kill?” She didn’t mention the fact that Nick hadn’t really killed him, just helped him flee the country.

Paul nodded. “And when Nadia found out, she broke my heart all over again.”

“And that’s why you’re killing people, plotting against the government? Over a woman?” That seemed extreme, even for a man like Paul who enjoyed having so much power and not much conscious to go with it.

“The government is to blame for everything, Shelley, all my misery. The board members of S.A.T.O., when it was a government operation, thought it best we have no ties, no emotional attachments.” Paul shrugged. “That’s the real reason Nadia left me. I know it is. She would have to be kept secret, and I was always in danger from enemies.”