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KAYLEE THOMAS MUTTERED under her breath, sliding her burner phone into her pocket as she wove her way through the parking lot. Leaving the safehouse the Feds had put her in weeks ago might have been stupid, but she couldn’t sit still any longer, waiting to learn what was happening, wondering if they really had her best interests in mind. Something had felt off about the entire situation from the moment they’d whisked her away. It’s not like she’d been placed in the Witness Protection Program. Kaylee had temporarily been shuttled somewhere safe, away from her family and friends. Certainly, police or Federal Agents could have guarded her small apartment if they really felt she was in danger. Instead, she’d simply vanished. They’d taken her away from her old life and kept Kaylee in a constant state of waiting.
She pulled her hoodie more tightly around herself as she shuddered.
Kaylee watched as a mother pushing a shopping cart full of groceries passed her, two crying toddlers keeping her hands full. The woman’s life looked so ordinary, mundane even, if not for the cranky kids. She was grocery shopping for crying out loud, no doubt clearly on her way home.
Kaylee’s gaze tracked across the parking lot. The bus ticket she’d purchased earlier that morning had taken her hundreds of miles away from her own home. The Feds said they’d told her parents that she was somewhere safe the night they’d whisked her to the safehouse, but had they? Kaylee was starting to doubt that they were actual Federal Agents.
She gripped her backpack more tightly, mentally cataloging the contents. Clothes. A few toiletries. Laptop. Granola bars. Cash. She had her wallet, but if she actually used any of her credit cards, they’d locate her.
Was she running from the people she worked with or from those supposedly tasked to keep her safe? It didn’t matter at this point. She was far from home and needed to keep it that way. Maybe she should’ve gone straight to the authorities and told someone what was going on.
Ten minutes later, she was heading out of the grocery store, a jar of peanut butter, box of crackers, two bottles of water, and some apples in her plastic grocery bag. Kaylee had no idea what to do and couldn’t afford to spend a lot on food until she figured it out. Plus, she didn’t want to cart it with her if she had to flee again. She’d get a cheap hotel for the night and figure out a plan.
The wind whipped through her, and she shivered. Too bad her coat and boots had been in the front area of the safehouse. She’d left with barely more than the clothes on her back, slipping through the window in the hours before dawn and fleeing.
“Are you okay?” a woman asked.
Kaylee blinked, realizing she’d frozen in place, then pasted on a smile. “Yeah, fine. Just daydreaming. I better get going,” she said, lifting up the single plastic grocery bag she was carrying. Kaylee hurried on her way before the woman questioned her further or she drew too much attention to herself. This was a small town, and certainly, people would remember a stranger. At least the bus had dropped her in the business section. There was a motel down the street, and it would have to do for the night.
Kaylee started walking on the sidewalk, taking in the shops and stores. It looked like a decent enough place to stay for a few days. Come to think of it, however, she should continue on her way tomorrow. The more distance she put between her and her hometown, the better. Until she knew who those people really were, she couldn’t risk them finding her. She’d taken exactly one bus to get here. If anyone starting searching the cities and towns the buses went to directly from Omaha, she’d be relatively easy to find.
A few minutes later, Kaylee handed over some cash to the woman at the front desk of the motel. Thankfully, they’d had some vacancies. It didn’t look like there were any other options within walking distance. This place was old but seemed safe enough, at least for a night. It’s not like the parking lot had been full of drug dealers or prostitutes.
“Are you in college, hun?” the woman asked.
Kaylee had always been on the petite side, but it was probably more the backpack and hoodie that gave her the college student look right now. “Yeah. I’m just visiting for the night.”
The woman nodded like she’d expected exactly that, handing over a key to a motel room. “Check out is at ten. There’s no restaurant here at the motel, but I always recommend the diner down the street.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Kaylee took the key, the cool metal biting into her hand, and then moved to the elevator. No one else was around at the moment, but it was late afternoon. She assumed later this evening guests would be returning from whatever had brought them to this sleepy little college town. And while she’d love a hot meal at the diner, that wasn’t going to happen either. She needed to stretch her cash for as long as she could.
Dumping her backpack onto the faded bedspread once inside the room, Kaylee fired up her laptop. While she’d been made to leave her cell phone at her apartment when they’d whisked her away last month, they’d allowed her to bring the laptop. At least the motel had Wi-Fi. Kaylee opened the browser, searching the news for Omaha. There was nothing about her disappearance, no mention of her name or a missing woman, so maybe the people who’d hidden her away really had notified her family. She worried her lip. No one was looking for her.
No one except the people she’d run from.
Kaylee let out a frustrated sigh. She was never in the office on Sunday evenings, except that once, and then—she shook her head, trying to push away her memories. It was little use, because they played like a movie reel in her mind.
***
KAYLEE SWIPED HER BADGE and moved into one of the secure areas in her office building, passing through the quiet, empty cubicles. Staff were on duty elsewhere, but she wasn’t in the branch of her division that required coverage twenty-four seven. The graphics Kaylee designed went into other classified reports—not current, pressing intelligence that might be required in the middle of the night. Too bad she’d accidentally left her wallet in her desk. She’d managed without it all weekend but needed to go grocery shopping. At least she’d had her work badge to get into the building.
Voices suddenly drew her attention. Only the higher-ups had an actual office with a door, although this one was clearly wide open. The offices lined the perimeter of the space, and she slowed, sensing something was wrong.
“Just let me take a peek,” a woman’s voice said, and Kaylee heard the low murmur of a man. “You have it with you, right? Show me.”
Kaylee stilled. She didn’t hear the man’s response.
“Your wife doesn’t know I’m here,” the female voice continued. “She just thinks you’re working late. Let me take care of you first.”
Kaylee heard the sound of a zipper, and then a male groaned. “Fuck. Let me see your tits, baby. That feels so good.”
“You like?” the woman asked teasingly, and then Kaylee heard the distinctive sounds of clothes rustling and a couple having sex right there in the office. Grunts and moans filled the silent space, and she felt nausea rising within her.
“Shit,” Kaylee muttered, quickly turning away. She accidently knocked a tape dispenser off of a cubicle desk in her haste, the sound thumping on the ground of the otherwise quiet vault.
“Someone’s here,” the man said.
Kaylee bent to retrieve the tape, and as she stood, a military officer was already coming out of the office, adjusting his clothes. Kaylee might be a civilian, but she worked closely with her government and military counterparts at Offutt Air Force Base. While she didn’t know his name or rank, she recognized him.
His sharp gaze landed on her.
“I forgot my wallet,” she said quietly, feeling nervous. “I’ll just quick grab it from my cube.”
The military officer narrowed his eyes and watched her as she hurried away. That wasn’t his office anyway. Had he and the mystery woman just grabbed a dark room to have sex in? Her heart pounding, she yanked open her desk drawer and grabbed her wallet, fumbling with it as she slid it into her bag. Kaylee took a deep breath, hoping they were already gone.
When she walked back around the corner, the mystery woman was sliding a phone into her purse. “Thanks for the fun, baby,” she purred. “And the photos.”
“Quiet down,” the man chastised, still inside the office.
Kaylee’s jaw dropped as she realized the woman was someone in HR. Although she had a low-level clearance, she shouldn’t have access to any intelligence reports. And she damn sure shouldn’t have a cell phone or camera in a secure area of the building. The woman didn’t see Kaylee and quickly walked in the other direction, her hips swinging in her tight skirt.
Kaylee froze in place. Should she go to security? Contact her boss?
The man stormed out of the dark office, papers in his hand, and stared at Kaylee with an icy glare. “I need a word with you.” He began to move toward her, his face hard.
She turned and ran.
***
KAYLEE BLINKED, AND her gaze focused again on the tiny motel room. The bedspread that she was currently sitting on had clearly seen better days, and she tried not to cringe as she imagined how many people had slept there before. There was a small TV, dresser, and an old but clean bathroom. She’d bolted the door but would probably shove the chair in front of it later to feel safer.
Kaylee closed her eyes for a moment. Would she ever feel safe again?
She’d learned the military officer’s name was Colonel Mike Cornwell. He’d been having an affair with a woman in the office, funneling classified intelligence to her. Kaylee had been whisked away that very evening by men saying they were Federal Agents, allegedly to protect her as a witness. But Kaylee hadn’t been fully interviewed by anyone. She hadn’t been able to contact her own office. Kaylee had been taken from her apartment that night, only allowed to gather a few things, and then—poof! They’d whisked her away. She’d shot off a couple of texts when she’d been quickly packing, before leaving her phone behind as she’d been instructed.
Briefly, an image of Nick, her ex-boyfriend from years ago flashed though her mind. She’d texted him asking for his help. Nick had been leaving, however, readying to catch a flight. He was a busy man, even outside of life in the Army. The company he worked for was known to be the best of the best. Shadow Security provided bodyguards and protection for their clients—protection she needed.
Had he tried to call her? Had he forgotten all about it?
She shouldn’t have agreed to leave her phone at her apartment. What if someone else had accessed it, contacting her family and friends? What if everyone thought she was okay?
Kaylee bit her lip, feeling chilled to the bone despite the fact that she was inside her motel room. She should text Nick again. If he knew she was in trouble, he’d help her.
Kaylee picked up her burner phone.
