Chapter Thirteen

Chip returned to the cabin, her hair still damp and pulled back in a tight braid. She glanced at Riley standing beside the table. He was fitting the USB drive into a small case about the size of a paperback novel.

“Is it ready to go?” She nodded at the case.

“Yes.” He zipped the case closed and handed it to her. “Are you?”

“I am.” Her gaze met his. “About what happened…”

He waved a hand. “It was my fault. I let things get out of hand. I won’t apologize for kissing you, though.”

The look he gave her made her knees go weak. She blinked and took a breath. They were too close to completing this assignment for her to go soft now, but she had to be truthful. “Then I won’t apologize for kissing you back. But that’s as far as we go.”

“At least until this assignment is done.” He studied her face.

She swallowed, taken aback by his statement. Surely, he didn’t want a relationship with her. “I don’t know how to give you what you want.” To make her way in a man’s world, she’d learned to conceal any sexual signals for fear of inviting the wrong attention. How could she unlearn all that?

He offered that heart-stopping crooked smile. “I think you have more to give than you realize.” He squared his shoulders. “But we have a job to do first.”

****

The drive back to Valle Caldera National Preserve seemed faster the second time. The rain had stopped and the setting sun peeked between thinning clouds. Even though they would be in a meadow, by the time they got to the coordinates for the meeting, the sun would be behind the mountains.

“I don’t like how this feels.” Chip couldn’t shake the unsettled sensation growing in her chest. “It’s almost too easy.”

Riley glanced at her before returning his attention to the road. “There’s nothing easy about giving away national security secrets. The minute we make the trade, the troops will block off the exits and grab this guy. Those UAV codes will be safe.”

She nodded at the wide meadow. “That’s a lot of land to cover. The kidnapper could be long gone before the troops are even in range.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get him.”

“I hope you’re right, for Fiona and Andrew’s sake.” If the media ever got wind of the fact that the senator was willing to give away U.S. secrets, even under these extenuating circumstances, his political career would be over. The repercussions could bring an avalanche of threats against other public offices, too, further compromising national security. Which in Chip’s mind was nothing compared to Fiona’s life, but still…

“We’re stopping here first.” Riley turned the SUV off the main road and onto a graded dirt track. He parked next to a Humvee and two soldiers got out.

“IDs, please,” the sergeant said as he approached. He wore a buzz cut, camouflaged BDUs with the name of Zoewolski stitched on a tag, and was as big as a pro football linebacker.

Riley and Chip both stepped out of the SUV. Riley pulled out his wallet and showed a picture ID card with the Northstar logo on it. Chip handed over her military ID.

Sgt. Zoewolski glanced at the IDs, then stared at Chip and straightened to attention. “Ma’am.” He turned to look at Riley. “You’re a civilian?”

“I am, but I’m—we’re here to do a job.” Riley’s tone was authoritative, leaving no room for argument. “Like you and your team.”

The sergeant waved another soldier over and took a case from him. “Your comms.” He handed the case to Riley. “As long as you’re within a twenty-mile radius, we should be able to stay in contact. But line of sight would be best.”

“You’re planning to position your team in the east and west quadrants?” Chip gestured to the tree lines on either side of the vast meadowland.

“Yes, Ma’am.” The sergeant gave a short nod. “And we have the roads to the preserve blocked. If anyone tries to rabbit, we’ll have them surrounded.”

“Okay, then. Let’s end this thing.” Riley shook both soldiers’ hands and returned to the vehicle.

Chip also shook the men’s hands. “Thanks, Sergeant. Good luck.”

“You too, Ma’am.”

When Chip climbed back inside, Riley handed her an earpiece. “In case we get separated.”

“That’s not likely to happen.” She put the small flesh colored device inside her ear, anyway.

Riley phoned Northstar. “We’re set,” he said when the line connected. “I’ll give you an update when it’s over.” After disconnecting, he pulled back onto the blacktop and drove another two miles to the turnoff for the preserve. He slowed and drove about a hundred yards along the road until they were well off the main highway, then turned the SUV around to wait for the kidnapper to appear. To the men on the other end of the commlink, he said, “We’re in place.”

“Roger that.” Chip heard the reply in her earpiece as well.

Anticipation hung heavy inside the vehicle. Chip was itchy and couldn’t wait to see Fiona. “How long, do you think?”

“We’re on time.” Riley checked his watch. “Let’s hope he is too.”

They waited another long five minutes. Instead of a car appearing in the growing dusk, Riley’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. “It’s Northstar.” He pushed the speaker button so Chip could hear. “Have you heard from the kidnapper?”

“Yes,” Byron said. “We have the new set of coordinates. You have ten minutes to get there or the deal is off.”

“Ten!” That bad feeling Chip had was growing. “Didn’t you tell us we’d have fifteen minutes?”

“We go with what we got,” came the reply on the other end of the line.

Riley started the SUV. “Give them to us.”

Byron rattled off the new coordinates, while Chip punched them into the GPS, verbally repeating them so the listening troops had the new location as well. “Got it.”

“Riley, Chip. He’s aware of the reinforcements. If you don’t come alone, Mrs. Burnsworth’s body will be all that is waiting for you.”

They couldn’t go in with the troops? Chip exchanged a look with Riley. They were on their own, and going blind into an unknown situation, but she didn’t hesitate giving the command. Over the commlink, Chip said, “Sergeant, have your men stand down. Stay back. We’ll let you know when we have the all clear.”

“Ma’am.” The voice on the other end was filled with concern over the order.

“That’s an order, soldier.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Chip conferred with the sergeant a moment longer while Riley floored the SUV making the vehicle literally leap onto the highway. He turned left and raced toward the new coordinates.

“The troops will follow at a safe distance,” she told Riley, “and stay out of sight until we give the word.”

“Good.” He’d turned on the headlights to see the road, which was mostly deserted. Very few cars came at them from the opposite direction. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“We’re in this all the way.” She tried to bury her own bad feeling. “The senator is counting on us.” She crossed her fingers and silently sent a prayer that the exchange would go down as planned.

Seven minutes later the GPS sang out. “Arriving at destination.”

“I don’t see a road.” Riley angled his head to peer through the gloom.

Chip looked at the thick juniper lining the road and spotted a break in the brush with a trail leading into the trees. “There.” She pointed.

“Got it.” He slowed and turned onto the narrow track and braked to a stop. He let the engine idle for a moment as he looked around. Then he turned it off. “I don’t see anyone.”

“Me either.” She opened the door and stepped out. The night was cool from the recent rainstorm and the piney, pungent scent of juniper was strong. Behind her, light was fading from the sunset, but in the sky to the east, the first star was already twinkling on the horizon.

“Stay close.” Riley put out his arm to keep her from getting ahead of him as they walked several more yards along the dirt track. Thick brush crowded on both sides, making the night seem darker.

“No one’s here.” As he spoke, a spotlight illuminated them.

Chip held up a hand, momentarily blinded by the sudden brightness.

“Do not come closer.” A voice shouted from behind the light, the accent sounded Spanish.

“Listen to that accent. I’m starting to believe we are dealing with a cartel,” Riley whispered, as he stood closer to her.

“Do you have the codes?” called the voice behind the lights.

“Right here.” Riley held up the case with the USB device.

“Give them to the woman. She will bring them over.”

“We want to see Mrs. Burnsworth, first,” Chip shouted back. “I’m not coming over until you send her out.”

Behind the spotlight, Chip saw movement and then Fiona stepped into the light, a man wearing a balaclava stood behind her.

She had on a pair of tan slacks and a white short-sleeved blouse. Both were filthy, and a knee in her slacks was torn. Her beautiful blonde hair looked like a bird’s nest. Tears streamed down her face. Her mouth was taped closed, and the frantic sounds she made were muffled. She kept shaking her head.

“You’re safe now, Fiona. We’re going to take you home.”

Fiona shook her head even more violently.

Chip glanced over at Riley. “Give me the case.”

****

“I don’t like this.” Riley hesitated, sensing something off about the situation. He wished he had more time to assess the nagging feeling.

“This is the plan.” Chip held out her hand. “Give me the case.”

“Be careful.” He placed the case in her outstretched hand.

“I intend to.” She took it and started walking toward the spotlight.

A rush of protectiveness rolled through Riley, unlike anything he’d felt before. He wanted nothing more than to grab his girl, drag her back to the car, and drive away as fast as he could.

Instead, he was helpless to do anything but pray the exchange went without a hitch. He straightened and reminded himself that the mission was to rescue Mrs. Burnsworth. If anything happened to Chip—to either one of these women—he didn’t know what he would do. He didn’t understand this attraction to Chip, hadn’t been prepared for the feelings the petite lieutenant brought out in him, but once this assignment was over, he promised himself he would take the time to sort through those feelings. He would charm her into wanting to be his girl.

Chip walked slowly toward Fiona and the man holding her. As she drew closer, Fiona began to sob, her voice muffled by the tape. Her head shook even more violently.

The man behind Fiona turned and that’s when Riley saw the gun he held at Fiona’s side.

“Chip, there’s a gun,” he whispered into his commlink.

She hesitated. “I see it. Be ready,” she whispered back and continued walking.

The man jabbered something in Spanish and another masked man appeared with a laptop. It was already booted up, the screen glowing a ghostly blue hue that melded into the spotlight.

Riley swore. The kidnapper wasn’t alone. He wondered how many others that he couldn’t see were hidden behind that spotlight.

The man pointed his gun at the case in Chip’s hand. “Open it.”

She unzipped it and held it open so he could see the contents. “This has what you want.”

The man with the laptop took the drive and plugged it into a port. Several tense minutes passed before he nodded. “Sí. It’s good.”

Chip had her hands in the air. “We kept our end of the deal. Now you keep yours.”

Above the sound of Mrs. Burnsworth’s sobs, a shot rang out.

Chip froze.

Riley reacted on instinct, drawing his weapon and dropping to a crouch.

“I do not think so.” The man holding Fiona took a step backward, dragging her with him. “You.” He pointed his gun at Chip. “You come with us.”

“No!” Riley aimed his weapon on the spotlight ready to take it out.

Chip stood her ground. “You have what you want. Let the senator’s wife go.”

“Zoewolski,” Riley said under his breath. “Are you close?”

“No joy. This went down too fast. We’re not in position yet.” The reply came back to Riley as painful as if he’d been struck in the chest with a bullet. He knew Chip also heard the sergeant’s response by the barely perceptible droop in her shoulders.

The man holding Fiona gestured again with his gun, his voice more agitated. “Come here now! Or the senator’s wife dies. And then you will be next.”

“Okay.” Chip’s voice was resigned. “I’m coming.”

“No, Chip,” Riley shouted. “Don’t.”

“I have to.” She started walking toward the men. “I can’t let them hurt Fiona.”

Another man came running out of the darkness. Blinded by the light, Chip dodged, but was too late when he brought his gun up, butt first, and swung it across her temple. She slumped into the man’s arms. He backed toward the shadows dragging her with him before Riley could react.

“Chip!” Riley stood with his gun extended, ready to fire.

The leader pointed his gun at Riley and fired first. The shot zinged by his ear, and shattered a tree limb behind him. He dove to the muddy track as another shot rang out, slicing the air where he’d stood.

The leader shouted, “Do not follow us! Or you’ll find both women’s bodies in the woods.”

The men disappeared behind the spotlight. A moment later, Riley heard the distinctive rumble of ATVs starting up. His heart sank even lower. Roadblocks weren’t going to stop the kidnappers. By the time the sergeant and his team arrived, these men will have disappeared into the woods, taking Chip and Fiona with them.

The men had left the spotlight on to blind Riley as they made their escape. He raised his gun and took careful aim, shattering the light and plunging the entire scene into darkness. He got to his feet and ran forward, hoping the sudden loss of light would prohibit the shooters from seeing him. Through the trees, he caught a glimpse of a roll bar before it disappeared into the blackness of the juniper forest.

At least one of the ATVs appeared to be a side-by-side. The kidnappers would be able to strap the women into a seat without them falling off the back of a four-wheeler. But, like a four-wheeler, they’d be impossible to track through the thick brush and rough terrain at night, even if his rented car could keep up.

Riley slowly holstered his weapon and tried to find a trail left by the machines. He wanted to race after the ATVs, but without any kind of light, he’d never see which way they went. He spoke into the commlink, uncertain if Chip still had her earpiece. “Chip, if you can hear me, I’m coming for you. And Fiona.” He swallowed at the sudden thickness in his throat. “Don’t let them hurt you. I will find you.”

His stomach knotted. Now the kidnappers had the senator’s wife and the general’s daughter. He wondered if they knew what kind of trouble they were asking for. Once General Anderson learned of Chip’s abduction, all hell would break lose.

He raced back to the SUV and punched in the number for Northstar. Connecting to his father’s desk took one of the longest minutes of his life. Finally, Byron’s voice came on the line.

“Is the trade complete?” The director got right to the point.

“No.” Unable to sit still, he climbed back out of the car and started to pace.

“Why not? What happened?” The shout made Riley pull the phone away from his ear.

“Stop yelling at me.” Riley was rarely so abrupt. His father went silent. “Chip, um, Lieutenant Anderson was kidnapped during the exchange.”

He wasn’t sure how he expected his father to react, but it didn’t surprise him to hear his father swear and then switch to a brusque business tone. “Hold on.”

He waited while Byron shouted into an office intercom. “Get me General Anderson on the line. NOW.”

“Okay.” Byron was speaking to Riley again. “Give me the details.”

Riley climbed back inside the SUV and described how the kidnappers hit them with a spotlight the moment they arrived and blinded them from seeing the area. “They checked out the USB drive and then threatened to kill Fiona unless Chip went with them. Before I could react, they struck the lieutenant on the head with a pistol. She lost consciousness.” Riley took a breath to hold in the horror at seeing her crumple in the kidnapper’s arms. “They took off on ATVs. The brush around here is too dense for me to follow in the rental. And it’s too dark to track them on foot.”

“Any demands? Any conditions on getting the women back?” Byron sounded almost desperate in his query.

“None.” Riley’s head dropped back on the seat. “They just took off.”

“Assessment?”

“The military team is en route. A helicopter would be great if we had one.”

“What are you thinking?”

“ATVs run hot.” Riley pictured the machines crawling through the thick underbrush. “If we can get in the air with thermal vision equipment, we may be able to track them, or at least see if they’ve stopped somewhere. I figure we’ll have one or two hours at the most to locate the hot engines after the vehicles stop.” He paused. “If they’re out in the open.”

“Did you get a sense of the direction they headed?”

“Northeast. But that doesn’t mean they’ll maintain that course. If it was me, I’d give as many false leads as possible.”

“That two-hour window is an interesting coincidence.” Byron’s tone sounded worried.

“Why’s that?”

“Once they try to use the software on that USB device, malware will infect the computer and cause their system to send out a locator beacon. We have another team standing by for a search and destroy mission.”

“And you’re just now mentioning this?” Riley’s blood ran cold. “If that happens, then the women are as good as dead. Please tell me you have those satellites in place to help us start this search.”

“I’m told we’ll have real-time feed in about twenty minutes.” He heard Byron take a deep breath. “We’ll hold off as long as we can on the search and destroy, but you need to find those women.”

“I’ll do everything I can.” Riley stared into the growing darkness, hoping the troops arrived fast. “In the meantime, what have you found on Weston and Pomeroy?”

“Pomeroy’s clean,” Byron said. “We’ve checked him out as thoroughly as we can. He doesn’t like the program to sell the drones to Mexico, but it’s a political objection. Not personal. Pomeroy is blaming Weston. He gave Weston access to his place about a month ago, claiming Weston wanted a quiet getaway.”

“So what about Weston?”

“We’re still digging, but we did learn that he was cited for possession of cocaine about six months back. The charges were dropped and the whole incident swept under the rug.”

“Possession’s nothing. There are probably not many on Capitol Hill who would pass a lie-detector test when asked if they inhaled.” Riley couldn’t help the sarcasm. He had no time for the party scene where so many aspiring movers and shakers burned out before they could let their potential shine. “Sounds like Weston pulled some strings.”

“Weston’s mother was married to a state supreme court justice. I’m sure she had a hand in her son’s release.”

“Was married?”

“A second marriage, after her first husband died. Judge Weston, her second husband, passed away last year.”

“Don’t tell me. His mother has the apron strings?”

Byron gave a dry chuckle. “More like the poor little rich kid trying to cut those apron strings, except Mom holds the key to the trust fund.”

“Do you honestly think he’s the brains behind all this?” Riley couldn’t believe some prep boy with too much time on his hands had the balls to hold a senator’s wife for ransom. Why would he put himself in the crosshairs between the U.S. and Mexico?

“Not directly,” Byron replied. “My money is still on someone higher up the food chain. We need to find the connection between Weston and whoever that is.”

“I suggest you dig deeper into the cartel angle. At least two of the kidnappers had Spanish accents.” As Riley spoke, headlights knifed the darkness and a vehicle headed directly to where he’d parked. “Get back to me on what you find. And get me a helicopter. The troops have arrived and I want to get the search started.”

“I have a better idea. We’ll get the necessary equipment to you in another thirty minutes,” Byron said. “By then we should have real-time satellite online, too.”

“I’ll be waiting. Dad…Hurry.” Riley hung up and stepped out of the vehicle to meet the sergeant.

The big soldier walked over with a scowl on his face. “Well, that was one royal FUBAR. We never should have let the two of you work this op on your own.”

“I won’t argue with you.” Riley felt the failure burn a hole in his gut. “But our hands were tied. If we’d arrived with backup, they could have easily killed the senator’s wife.”

“Sometimes, ya just gotta take a chance.” The sergeant waved at a team member and gestured down the muddy track toward the blown-out spotlight. “Check it out and report back.”

“On it.” The soldier jogged off.

“I’ve got some surveillance equipment on the way,” Riley told the sergeant. “They’re providing some gear for thermal imaging.”

“Because?”

“The group drove out of here on ATVs. I caught a glimpse of one that looked like one of those side-by-sides.”

The sergeant gave a low whistle. “Those run hot.”

“Exactly.” Riley pointed to the tangle of brush that covered the low hills in front of him. “They took off that way. I’d like to get in the air and see what’s out there.”

Sergeant Zoewolski nodded. “Then that’s what we’ll do. We have night vision that will come in handy too.”

“Guess I’m still a bit rattled with this situation. I should have thought of that. Glad you’re prepared.” Riley glanced at his watch. “We’ve also got a deadline.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s not.” Riley swallowed the ugly worry that he’d be too late. “They have the USB drive and there’s a virus on it that will render their computer useless two hours after they access the data.”

“That’ll piss ’em off.” The sergeant scowled. “Are you trying to get these women killed on purpose?”

“Not my call.” Riley wasn’t happy about the circumstances either. “We need to make things happen before either one of them is hurt.”

“Roger, that.” The sergeant turned toward his men. “Listen up, guys. Here’s what we’re dealing with.” He huddled his group together and gave them an update.

Riley gathered a deep breath and stared into the darkness where Chip had disappeared. “Please let her be safe,” he whispered into the night.