Ten minutes after he’d stumbled across Amy Golden’s obituary, the power went out. Aiden had found a small flashlight in the junk drawer after the first time the lights had flickered, so he gladly reached for it now. In the dim light, he caught Shelby’s stricken gaze.
They were both shaken over the discovery that one of the women on the list had died of suicide.
“May I use the flashlight for a bit?” Shelby asked.
“Of course.” He handed it over.
“Thanks. Come with me, Eva. Time to get ready for bed.” Shelby took her daughter into the bathroom.
He sat at the kitchen table in the darkness, his thoughts whirling. Suicides among those in law enforcement and the military were not unheard of. Easy access to a weapon and the devastation they witnessed while being on the job could push people to the brink. Having faith and trust in God’s plan wasn’t always enough.
He understood some people struggled with depression. Had that been true with Amy Golden’s case? He wasn’t sure what to think about regarding the timing of her death. Was her suicide related to the shooting spree going on now? She’d been a pretty girl, not as stunning as Justine Brooks, but he supposed it was possible she’d been seeing Emmitt. But even if she had been having an affair with Shelby’s husband, why would she take her life now? Two years after his death?
The darkness was offset by the white snow piling up outside. Through the windows, he noticed the reflection of the streetlights off the snow was enough to illuminate the living room and kitchen.
He heard Shelby murmuring to Eva as she tucked the little girl into bed. Rising to his feet, he moved from window to window, searching for anything unusual.
It appeared as if the blanket of snow had put the neighborhood to sleep. There wasn’t even so much as a car driving down the road.
“Good night, Aiden.” Shelby’s low voice had him turning from the window. She held out the flashlight. “I’m going to sleep with Eva, she’s scared.”
“Sounds good. Get some rest.” He wanted to kiss her but remained where he was, unwilling to make her feel uncomfortable by crossing the line. Bad enough they were stuck in the safe house, living as if they were a family. Oddly enough, he found he liked it. “Good night.”
She smiled and turned away. He waited until the bedroom door was closed behind her before letting out his pent-up breath. He needed to keep his mind on the mission. On the task of keeping Shelby and her daughter safe from harm.
Nothing more.
He made one more sweep of the house, going into each of the rooms except for where Shelby and Eva were sleeping, before stretching out to get some shut-eye for himself. It wasn’t likely the gunman would find them at the house Brady had secured for them.
The faces of the female soldiers he’d checked out flashed in his mind, one after another as if they were a slideshow. The key to identifying the shooter had to be within this list. He finally managed to shut down his brain long enough to pray for strength and guidance, and then he fell asleep.
A muted sound woke him. He blinked in the darkness, then shifted up onto his elbow. Peering at his watch, he noticed it was four in the morning. He rolled out of bed and grabbed his pistol. Then he eased out of the room to make his way through to the main living area.
There was no sign of Shelby or Eva, but he thought they must have woken him up. The kitchen and living room lights were still off, and there was a distinct chill in the air, indicating the power had not been restored.
He frowned, scanning the five inches of snow covering the ground outside. Easy to see why they’d lost power, but if it didn’t come back on soon, they’d have to leave to find a motel. It would be too cold in here for a three-year-old.
He made a mental note that when he was ready to buy a place of his own, he’d make sure there was either a fireplace or a woodburning stove for times like this. Winter in Wisconsin was no joke.
A hint of movement outside caught his eye. Easing closer to the window that faced the road, he scanned the area. The snow appeared undisturbed for as far as he could see. The city plows hadn’t even been through yet, although he suspected they would be out soon. Even though it was a weekend, people still needed to get to work. Especially first responders.
There were deep ruts in the road from where some cars had driven past. But there was a thin layer of snow covering them, so he didn’t think anyone had been out there in at least an hour or so.
Thankfully, the snow had stopped. He was about to turn away from the window when he saw the shadow again.
He froze. His gaze zoomed in on a dark shadow moving near the house to the left. It was located on the opposite side from where the driveway and garage for their rental property was located.
The shadow moved again, creeping ever so slowly from the front of the house next door toward the backyard. Who was out there? He couldn’t imagine how anyone could have found their current location, but he also wasn’t about to take any chances.
He shoved the computer into the bag and slung it over his shoulder. Then he stuffed as many of the small trucks and cars Brady had brought inside too. He picked up Shelby’s and Eva’s coats, then slipped into their bedroom.
“What is it?” Shelby asked in a whisper. He wasn’t sure if he’d woken her by coming in or if she’d already been awake.
“We need to go. Put your coat on first, then wake Eva to put hers on. We’ll leave through the back door. You’ll have to carry her to the garage.”
Without warning the power flashed on. He froze, feeling like a deer caught in headlights, then lunged for the switch, killing the lights.
Shelby had already tugged on her coat and shoes, then had reached for her daughter. Rather than wrestling the sleeping toddler into her winter coat, Shelby wrapped her in a blanket and lifted her from the bed.
“Ready.” Her voice was calm, but her wide, anxious eyes shone with fear.
He would have offered to carry Eva, but he needed to be able to shoot if necessary. They moved silently through the house to the back door. Stepping to the side, he leaned close. “Walk quickly to the garage and punch in the code 4-7-1 to unlock the side door. I’ll be right behind you.”
She gave a curt nod, then opened the door. He didn’t like sending her out first, but there wasn’t a better option. The snow muffled the sound of them moving across the small yard, but the deep footprints they’d leave behind were like neon signs announcing the path they’d taken.
He held his weapon with both hands, sweeping them from side to side as he hurried after Shelby. There was no sign of the intruder.
The small keypad on the garage door lit up after Shelby entered the code. He stepped up to the opening, then stood with his back to the garage. He’d stand guard until Shelby and Eva were safe inside the SUV.
A dark figure rushed out from between the two houses. Even though he was prepared, the move surprised him. Aiden fired his weapon, mostly to scare the guy off, before ducking into the garage and slamming the door behind him.
Sending up a prayer of thanks for Brady’s ingenious decision to back into the garage, he slid in behind the wheel. He hit the button to open the garage door. Upon hearing the sound of gunfire, he realized there was no time to waste.
He sent up a silent prayer of thanks that the power had returned in time to open the garage door. Yet it seemed to move with incredible slowness. Shifting into four-wheel drive, he punched the gas and sent the Jeep SUV lunging forward. The thin aluminum garage door crumpled like a cookie as the vehicle rolled through.
“What in the world?”
“Keep your head down!” There was no time for reassurances. At least Shelby and Eva were in the back seat. All four tires on the Jeep managed to get good traction through the deep snow. Yet they weren’t going fast enough to satisfy him.
Especially not when more gunfire rang out.
He barreled out of the driveway and fishtailed a bit when he turned left. The ruts in the road enabled him to pick up speed. Glancing back in the rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of the dark figure running in the opposite direction.
Did the intruder have a car nearby? The thought made him press on, taking several turns to get far away from the rental property.
“How did—h-he find us?” Shelby’s teeth were chattering, so he twisted the heat to full blast.
“I have no idea.” He didn’t like this turn of events one bit. “Are you okay back there?”
“Y-yes.” He suspected Shelby was far from okay, but she and Eva weren’t physically hurt, which is what really mattered. “I—need to get Eva in her car seat.”
“Soon.” He didn’t want to slow down or pull over yet. At this hour of the morning, traffic was nonexistent. It wouldn’t take long for the intruder to catch up with them, especially if he had a four-wheel-drive vehicle too.
He took the shortest distance to the interstate, relieved to see that the major thoroughfare had been plowed. Keeping a wary eye on the rearview mirror, he watched for signs of being followed. There was no one behind them.
So far, so good.
Pushing his speed as much as he dared, Aiden left the city of Ravenswood. When reaching Greenland, he exited the freeway, then pulled over to the side of the road.
“Mommy, I hav’ta go to the bafroom.” Eva rubbed her eyes.
“I know, sweetie.” Shelby met his gaze in the rearview.
“I hear you. We’ll find a place.” Most gas stations opened early, but that may not be the case on a Saturday after a snowstorm. Once Eva was in her car seat with her coat on, he searched for the closest one.
They pulled up just as the dayshift clerk flipped the lights on. He drove around to the farthest corner of the building, away from the main road to avoid being seen. It was hardly foolproof since there was no way to hide two adults and a young child.
“I’ll carry her,” he offered. Shelby gratefully stepped back so he could gather the little girl into his arms.
They hurried inside. He sent the clerk an apologetic glance, saying, “We’ll buy something for breakfast while we’re here,” as he strode directly to the restrooms.
Shelby took over from there, ushering Eva inside.
As before, he stood guard, waiting for them to finish. The enticing scent of coffee helped him relax.
They’d gotten away from the intruder. There were too many possible directions for them to have gone, so he believed they were safe. At least for the moment.
But for how long? That was the troubling question.
When Shelby and Eva emerged from the restrooms, he headed over to the coffee machine. “Can you find something here for Eva to eat for breakfast?”
“Yes. We should eat something too.” Shelby’s expression was weary. He wished he could reassure her they’d be safe. But every time he’d thought he’d accomplished that mission, he was proven wrong.
“Grab whatever you need.” He chose a bacon-and-egg sandwich that he had to nuke in the microwave and a cup of coffee. Carrying both the sandwich and the coffee to the counter, he walked back to help Shelby with her items.
After he’d paid for their breakfast meals, coffee, and chocolate milk for Eva, they headed back outside. The area appeared deserted, but he didn’t intend to linger.
Minutes later, he was relieved to be back on the road. Yet he couldn’t completely relax his guard. Not until he was absolutely sure there was no one following them.
Then again, they hadn’t been followed to the rental property either. Look how that had turned out? They’d been found. But not right away. It had taken almost fifteen hours for the intruder to arrive on scene.
There were only two possibilities as to how this perp had found them. The house had been rented under Marc Callahan’s name. Maybe his brother’s boss, special agent in charge of the Milwaukee FBI office, had spoken to someone in the army about Brady’s involvement and that person dug deep enough to find the house rented in Marc’s name. Maybe they assumed the two federal agents knew each other. Or they’d somehow stumbled across the family connection. The Finnegans and Callahans being related wasn’t a secret. Anyone with access to a DNA site would see it.
Or the new Army Intelligence Officer Heath Strauss had found the link. He may, in fact, have been the guy outside the property.
Neither option was remotely reassuring.
She and Eva would never be safe again.
Shelby struggled not to break down into uncontrollable sobs. It felt as if this nightmare would never end.
It wasn’t Aiden’s fault. He was doing his best. Hadn’t he gotten them out of there in the nick of time? Yet somehow, even with the amazingly supportive manpower of the Finnegan family, they couldn’t escape the shooter.
Maybe they never would.
The depressing thought threatened to overwhelm her, but then Aiden said, “We need to pray, to thank God for this blessing.”
“What blessing?” The words shot out of her mouth before she could stop them.
“I know this has been difficult, but we are safe.” He met her gaze in the rearview mirror. “God is watching over us.”
“He needs to do more.” She hated sounding like an ungrateful child. But hadn’t they been through enough already?
How much more did God expect them to take?
“Don’t lose faith.” Aiden’s voice was soft. “Please, Shelby. Don’t lose faith.”
She swallowed hard and looked away.
“Dear Lord, we ask You to bless this food and to continue keeping us safe in Your care. Amen.”
Despite her anger at God, she found herself bowing her head and silently echoing his amen. She still wasn’t satisfied, but there wasn’t anything she could do about that now.
She wasn’t hungry but made sure Eva ate her breakfast. The little girl was thrilled with the chocolate milk treat. When the little girl was full, she forced herself to take a few small bites of her now cold sandwich.
Aiden ate his breakfast sandwich in four bites, then pulled out his cell phone. “Brady, call me back when you get this message.” Aiden lowered the disposable phone into the cupholder in the center console.
“I’m not sure we can trust the FBI.” She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. She’d finger combed it in the gas station bathroom but didn’t get all the tangles out. “Or this new army investigator.”
He surprised her by nodding in agreement. “I share your concerns. But we need to talk to someone within the army.”
She hated to admit he was right. Whatever was going on here had roots in the armed forces.
“Don’t forget, my family will back us up.” Aiden smiled reassuringly. “We’ll be okay.”
Would they be okay? She wished she could be so sure.
Aiden’s phone rang, and she was glad he put the call on speaker. “We’re on the road and need a place to stay.”
“You were found at the rental?” Brady’s tone was incredulous. “How?”
“You tell me.” Aiden slowed to a stop at the intersection. “Had to have been either Donovan or the new guy, Strauss.”
“My boss is clean,” Brady said quickly. “We’ve been able to trust him in the past.”
“Donovan spoke to someone within the army. We need to know who that was,” Aiden said. “I’m getting a bad feeling that the shooter is related to someone with a lot of brass.”
“Yeah.” Brady’s tone sounded thoughtful. “I’ll talk to Donovan.”
“We still need to set up the meeting with Heath Strauss.” Aiden met her gaze in the rearview. “He could be the leak, too, although that’s less likely.”
“Why?” She wasn’t following his logic. “Maybe this was his plan all along. To eliminate Tom Mitchell just so he could take over the investigation.”
“Anything is possible,” Brady said.
“True, but I’m still leaning toward this being a part of Emmitt’s infidelity.” She listened as Aiden explained about the female soldier named Amy Golden and how she’d committed suicide. “One theory is that Amy killed herself because she was unable to live with the guilt of having an affair with a married man. Now her father, brother, whoever is closest to her is out for revenge. Since the guy seeking revenge on her behalf can’t target Copeland himself, Shelby and her daughter are the next best option.”
“Suicide is an interesting angle.” Brady paused, then added, “First you need a place to stay. Let me check with Tarin about the safe house. He mentioned it might be available soon.”
“The one with bulletproof windows?” Aiden asked. “That would be nice.”
“Yeah, it was being used, but it can’t hurt to ask. Keep moving, I’ll be in touch.” The call went silent.
She thought about Aiden’s theory. “We need to find out if Amy Golden has family, brothers, sisters, or parents.”
“Yeah. I was going to do that, then the power went out.” He turned at the next intersection and headed in a different direction. She hoped they didn’t end up burning an entire tank of gas while waiting to get to another safe house.
She had to agree, one with bullet-resistant windows sounded ideal.
The snowplows were out in full force, which slowed their progress a bit. Not that they had a firm destination. In her mind, driving around wasn’t much safer than sitting in a single-family home.
A full twenty minutes passed before Brady called back. “Okay, Tarin has the safe house ready. Here’s the address.”
Aiden typed the address into the GPS screen on the SUV. “Got it. We’re about fifteen miles away. Could take longer to get there in the snow.”
“Be safe, there’s no rush. I have the rest of the crew meeting us there too.” Brady said something in the background. “No, Caleb, you can’t play with Eva today. Maybe another time.” Then he spoke into the phone. “Sorry about that, the day care is obviously closed today, so Grace and Caleb are here with me. Anyway, we’ll all meet at the safe house in an hour or less, okay?”
“Is there a code to get in?” Aiden asked.
“Yes. Hang on.” There were rustling sounds, then Brady said, “Tarin used the last four digits of Rhy’s cell phone.”
“Got it. Thanks, Brady. We’ll see you soon.”
“Yes, oh, and just so you know, I have Marc Callahan joining us too.”
“Wait a minute,” Shelby protested. “Who is that? I don’t think we should add anyone who isn’t a Finnegan or related to one.”
“The Callahans are related to the Finnegans,” Brady said with a chuckle. “And most if not all of the Callahans have helped us out over the past year. We can trust them, Shelby. I promise.”
Aiden nodded. “He’s right. They’re second cousins or something like that. We share the same set of great-grandparents. And Marc is also with the FBI. The more federal resources at our disposal, the better.”
“Okay.” She sat back in her seat. “More is better.”
“Maybe not always, but absolutely in situations like this when you need backup,” Brady said. “See you soon.”
“Bye.” Aiden ended the call, then hit the brake as a sedan fishtailed in the road ahead of them. The driver managed to stay on the road. “And that’s why I like having four-wheel drive.”
She couldn’t argue with that assessment. Even though the schools often closed during storms, they didn’t always get enough notice. She’d driven through plenty of storms. “You haven’t seen anyone following us?”
“No. Very few people are out today, which is good. It’s a weekend, so most are smart enough to stay home unless they absolutely need to get to work.”
Or if they’re on the run from a vicious gunman.
She sighed and turned her attention to Eva who was getting antsy. Her daughter did not love long car rides. And now that she was fully awake, Eva was ready to roll.
“Out! I want out!” Eva tugged at the strap holding her in place.
“We’ll be there soon.” She put her hand to stop the little girl from releasing the buckle. Eva knew how to get herself out of the car seat. Too bad Shelby hadn’t been able to teach her yet how to get in on her own.
“I’m bored.” Eva threw her head back to stare up at the ceiling. Then she looked at the snow. “Can we make a snowman?”
“Maybe later.” Eva’s disappointment brought a fresh wave of guilt. Was this her fault? If she had been more in tune as to what Emmitt was doing, could they have avoided being in the center of danger?
“There’s a television at the new house,” Aiden said helpfully.
“Don’t care. I wanna build a snowman.”
“Eva, behave.” She used her stern teacher’s voice. “You don’t get to have everything you want.”
Her daughter’s lower lip trembled, but thankfully, they’d arrived at the safe house. The place appeared newer than the rental Brady had secured for them yesterday under Marc’s name, the outside a brown brick with tan trim. The homes in this neighborhood were farther apart too.
But the best feature of all was the bulletproof windows.
“Ready?” Aiden asked.
“Yes.” The driveway and sidewalks were not plowed or shoveled, so she’d have to carry Eva in. “Now you can get out of your car seat.”
“Goody.” The little girl made short work of the buckles.
“Hold on a minute,” Shelby warned. “The snow is deep.”
“I’ll take her,” Aiden offered.
Eva didn’t seem to mind. The inside of the home was nice enough but impersonal. Even hotel rooms and rental properties had artwork or photos on the walls.
This place had nothing like that.
Aiden went back outside to shovel, leaving her to explore. It didn’t take long for the rest of the family to trickle in.
“Shelby, this is Reed Carmichael, he’s engaged to my twin, Alanna. This is my older sister, Kyleigh, and of course you know Tarin and Brady.” Aiden gestured to each one as he introduced them. “This is Marc Callahan; he’s also with the FBI.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She rested her hand on Eva’s head. The little girl had turned shy with all the newcomers. “This is my daughter, Eva.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Reed and Marc said at the same time. Kyleigh laughed and came over to give her a hug. “I told Aiden I wanted to be here to level out the testosterone.”
She smiled at Aiden’s beautiful red-haired sister. If not for the gun on her belt, Shelby would have assumed she was a model. “Tell me about it.”
“Let’s sit around the kitchen table,” Aiden said. “We have a lot of work to do.”
Heartened by the sheer strength in numbers, Shelby joined the Finnegans, feeling certain they’d come up with a strategy that would put an end to this nightmare very soon.