“Let me start at the beginning since Reed and Kyleigh may not know what’s been going on.” Aiden took a moment to gather his thoughts. “While attending the funeral for Sergeant Major Gregory Savage, who is Shelby’s father and Eva’s grandfather, someone took a shot at them during the twenty-one-gun salute.” He described how the frozen ground had kicked up and how they’d gotten out of there. “Then someone was waiting at Shelby’s home and tried again. Then we were found at the American Lodge; I believe Gary verified there was a GPS tracker on her Jeep. Then we were discovered again outside the homestead while in Brady’s car. The perp used a signal jammer to mess with our phones. We rented clean vehicles and headed out to the Timberland Falls Suites. I called Tom Mitchell, an army intelligence officer I know, and he came out to meet with us there. He let us know about a rumor related to Shelby’s deceased husband, Emmitt Copeland, and the fact that he may have been having an extramarital affair. Tom and I thought maybe the current shooting might be related to that, for example, a family member of the female soldier found out and has come after Shelby seeking revenge. Or maybe that Shelby’s father discovered something and put an end to someone’s career. Tom brought a list of female soldiers including three who had been recently discharged from the National Guard.”
His family members, or in Reed’s case, almost family member, were listening with interest. He was grateful to have a group with so much experience on their side.
“Ninety minutes after Tom Mitchell left us at the hotel, he was shot,” Aiden continued. “The long time frame is odd; we think he may have stopped for lunch. Thankfully, he managed to call and warn me so we could get out of the hotel. Which we did. But we later learned he died as a result of this so-called random shooting event.”
“Random? Yeah, right,” Reed muttered.
“Ditto,” Marc Callahan said.
Aiden nodded. “I have only just started going through the list of names. I have a few names of women who may have had an affair with Emmitt, but I also found a woman by the name of Amy Golden who committed suicide three weeks ago.”
“Interesting timing.” Kyleigh looked thoughtful.
“Exactly.” He glanced at Shelby, then said, “We were at a rental house when yet another shooter showed up. Thankfully, I saw him early enough that we could get out of there, but I have no idea how we were found. The property was rented under Marc Callahan’s name, which makes me think someone with a lot of brass could be involved.”
“That’s not good,” Tarin said with a frown.
“I double checked with Donovan, our special agent in charge,” Brady said. “He spoke to a Sergeant Major Bill Parsons who referred the new army investigator, Heath Strauss, to the case.”
Marc scratched his chin. “You’re thinking one of them dug up the connection between me, Brady, and Aiden? And what, came out themselves or hired a shooter?”
“That’s my working theory, unless you can come up with another possibility.” He spread his hands wide. “We ditched our smart phones. We’re using a rental car and were staying in a rental property.”
“True,” Marc agreed. “But the army brass now knows the feds are involved, so maybe someone within the chain of command dug deep enough to find the link between the Callahans and Finnegans.”
“Everyone at the grave site watched as Aiden took me and Eva away,” Shelby spoke up. “It was no secret that Aiden was helping me.”
“And it never occurred to me that our family connection is on a DNA website for anyone to see,” Aiden admitted. “I should have thought of that.”
“Either way, it seems highly likely that someone who is currently in the army is involved,” Reed said. “Is the affair the only reason someone would come after Shelby and Eva?”
“I haven’t been able to come up with another reason.” He shrugged, then added, “But I’m open to suggestions.”
“The woman who committed suicide is an angle we need to investigate further,” Kyleigh said.
“We lost power last night in the storm, it came back on just as the bad guy showed up, so I haven’t had time to do that yet.” He frowned. “If Amy was having an affair, why would she kill herself now when Emmitt Copeland died two years ago?”
There was a long moment of silence as the group considered the possibilities.
“People in love do crazy things,” Brady finally said. “Maybe she was depressed before the affair happened and hadn’t been able to deal with it.”
“Maybe.” Aiden was no expert on behavioral health issues. “Keep in mind, I didn’t get through the list. There are other names to look into. And there is no guarantee that we’re on the right track. Mitchell was the one who mentioned hearing the rumors of an affair, but he was going to do more research and dig deeper into some key personnel files. Which brings us to the meeting that we’re supposed to have with Lieutenant Heath Strauss, the guy replacing Mitchell.”
“We need a neutral meeting ground,” Reed agreed. “One that enables us to surround the place to protect Shelby and Eva.”
“Yes, and the recent snowstorm will limit our outdoor possibilities.” Tarin thought for a moment, then said, “We could use the American Lodge. Gary is always super supportive of us.”
“I thought of that, but there’s still only one way in and out of the rooms.” Aiden grimaced. “I was thinking of another rental property.”
“I can rent a place,” Reed offered. “My last name shouldn’t raise any red flags.”
Aiden grinned at his soon-to-be brother-in-law. “I would appreciate that, thanks. Maybe find a place that’s somewhat isolated to make it easier to surround the property.”
Reed reached for the computer. “I’ll start searching now.”
“I have Heath Strauss’s contact information,” Brady said. “But I think we should wait to call from the new rental property to keep this one secret.”
“I like that idea,” Shelby said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt safe, the way I do here.”
His heart ached for her. “I agree, this location needs to be kept highly confidential.”
“It’s nice.” Marc glanced around with interest. “The bullet-resistant glass windows are a great feature.”
“We’ve used it before,” Tarin said. “Thankfully, my boss has been decent about allowing me to pay for the privilege of using it for our family’s personal situations.”
“We can chip in too,” Kyleigh said. “I didn’t realize it was coming out of your pocket, Tarin.”
“Not a problem.” Tarin waved that off. “Let’s just focus on our next steps.”
Eva began to fuss, so Shelby excused herself to take care of the little girl. He caught Kyleigh’s curious gaze, as if she could see his interest. He did his best to stay cool, hoping she wouldn’t say anything to embarrass him.
Or Shelby.
“I found a place,” Reed announced. “It’s located outside of Timberland Falls.” He turned the computer to show the map. “No other homes nearby for a half-mile radius.”
“Book it,” Aiden said. “We’ll need to get out there before making the call to Strauss.”
“Should we keep Shelby and Eva here?” Marc asked.
“I considered that, but Strauss will likely want to talk to Shelby.” Aiden glanced at Brady, who nodded.
“I agree. With so many of us, we can keep them safe.” Brady grinned. “We’ll need to draw straws to determine who has to stay outside.”
“You all do,” Tarin said. “I’m staying inside with Shelby, Eva, and Aiden. The rest of you are out on patrol.”
“Oh yeah?” Marc raised a brow. “I’m the oldest. I think I should be the one staying inside.”
“You’re the oldest of the Callahan family, not ours,” Kyleigh pointed out. “However, it may be smart to have a federal agent in on the meeting too. That way the army will know they can’t mess around.”
“Okay, fine. Brady will stay inside with Aiden, Shelby, and Eva.” Tarin pinned the others with a narrow gaze. “We’ll work together to keep them safe.”
“Agreed,” Reed said, waiting a moment for the others to silently nod in agreement. “The rental property is booked. We should head out now. It’s about a forty-five-minute drive without taking the recent snowfall into consideration.”
Aiden swept his gaze over his family. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this.”
“Hey, we’re glad to help,” Kyleigh said with a grin. “Let’s hit the road. I think Reed should take the lead. Aiden, you follow him, and the rest of us will fall in behind. Once we reach the property, Reed, Marc, Tarin, and I will split up, covering each of the compass points.”
“Sounds good.” He was truly touched by how quickly they’d come running. He turned toward Shelby and Eva. “Ready to go?”
“No! Don’t wanna!” Eva stamped her foot, her expression stubborn. She looked so cute he had to work hard not to laugh. Especially since Shelby appeared a bit frazzled.
“Oh, did I forget to give you another toy?” Brady said, feigning surprise.
Instantly, Eva’s gaze locked on his. “You brought me a toy?”
“I did, but only good girls get toys.” Brady put his hand in his pocket, regarding her steadily. “Good girls take car trips without complaining when their mommy needs to go someplace.”
“I like car trips.” Eva ran toward him. “I’ll be good!”
“Okay.” Brady pulled his hand from his pocket and handed her three farm toys. A cow, a goat, and a pig. “Do you know what these animals are?”
To Aiden’s surprise, Eva knew them. She took the plastic animals from Brady, but then Shelby put a hand on her arm.
“What do you say to Mr. Brady?” Shelby prompted.
“Thank you.” Eva barely looked at Brady, though; she was already making farm animal noises.
“Cute,” Reed said with a smile. “I’ll have to remember that trick.”
“Yeah?” Tarin scowled. “You and Alanna just got engaged.”
Reed arched a brow. “I’m aware.”
“Give him a break, Tarin. Let’s hit the road,” Brady said.
Aiden packed the computer, figuring they’d have time to work while waiting for Strauss to arrive. Ten minutes later, they were back on the road in their caravan heading north to Timberland Falls.
He kept an eye on their rearview mirror out of sheer habit, not because he didn’t trust his family to back him up.
“You think this will work?” Shelby asked.
“Yes.” He glanced at her. “Are you worried?”
“Not really.” A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Having your family accompanying us makes a big difference.”
“I feel the same way.” He shrugged, then said, “I hope we can trust Strauss. Having someone on our side who can get the information we need is huge.”
“I know.” She sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. “But really, how will we know? He could just pretend to be on our side, right? And then pull something sneaky when we least expect it?”
Since he’d had the same concern, he nodded. “He could be working for whoever is responsible. If so, the remote location of the property might work in our favor. Maybe he’ll make a move today without having any clue just how much backup we have waiting in the wings.”
“I guess that alone would put us on the right path,” Shelby murmured. “Everyone in the army can’t be responsible for this.”
He didn’t say anything. Someone high enough in the military ranks could set something up without the soldiers on the ground even knowing what was really going on. Carrying out orders without questioning them was the hardest part of his job. Questioning your superiors wasn’t encouraged. At all.
The way it should be.
“What if this investigator is followed the same way Tom Mitchell was?”
“If he’s taking over Tom’s investigation, he’ll know what happened and make sure he’s not as vulnerable.” He glanced at her. “Try not to worry. The army tends to take shootings seriously, especially when one of their own is taken out.”
“They didn’t seem too concerned when Emmitt died,” she said.
He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Emmitt was killed during a riot. Those are some of the most dangerous situations we face. There’s always a lot of chaos, and far too many civilians carry weapons. Tom said he investigated your husband’s death and deemed it accidental. We have to trust he did a thorough job.”
She nodded, her expression grim, but didn’t say anything more. He understood how difficult this was for her. First losing her husband, then her father, then discovering her husband’s infidelity.
Not to mention being shot at more times than he cared to count.
His phone rang. He answered Reed’s call. “Are we getting close?”
“Yep. See that white farmhouse? That’s our destination.”
“Looks good.” He remembered seeing the image on the computer. “There are trees along the northwest side but open fields to the east.”
“I can cover the east without a problem,” Reed assured him. “I have a white sweatshirt with me.”
He winced. “You’re going to get wet.”
“Won’t be the first time,” Reed drawled. “That’s my problem, not yours.”
“Thanks.” If Aiden didn’t know better, he’d assume Reed was only doing this to get in his good graces because of being in love with his twin sister. But he’d discovered Reed was a genuinely nice guy.
He should have known Alanna wouldn’t have loved the guy if he wasn’t honest, decent, and true.
It occurred to him that his twin would not be happy if he allowed Reed to get hurt during this plan of theirs.
He said a silent prayer. Please, Lord Jesus, keep us all safe in Your care.
“The house looks huge.” Shelby turned to look at Aiden. “We’re only staying here until we finish meeting with Lieutenant Strauss, right?”
“Right.” He reached for her hand. She found herself gripping it tightly, unwilling to let go. In the back seat, Eva was singing “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” while moving the farm animals up and down as if they were dancing. Thank goodness for Brady knowing it didn’t take much to distract a three-year-old. “Once we know it’s safe, we’ll return to the original safe house Tarin arranged for us.”
“Okay.” She tried to smile, swallowing against a knot of nerves. “Nothing against the farmhouse, but it doesn’t look as bulletproof as the other place.”
“We chose this place so we could make sure no one was able to sneak up to take another shot at you.” He gently squeezed her hand. “The gunman won’t get close enough to shoot through any windows.”
“I know.” She blew out a breath and forced a smile. Aiden was doing his best. Not just Aiden, but his family too. “Ironic that the one who avoided the military is now in the cross hairs of a killer.”
“Do you regret marrying Emmitt?”
What? Where had that question come from? “No.” She turned to glance back at Eva. “I could never regret Eva. She’s worth everything.”
He nodded. “She is. And you should know I think Emmitt was an idiot.”
The added comment almost made her smile for real. Up ahead, Reed slowed his speed, using his blinker to indicate the driveway of the rental house, then continued on, driving past. She wasn’t sure where he planned to park the car, then figured it wouldn’t matter. Aiden turned into the freshly plowed driveway. Apparently, whoever owned the place had hired people to help take care of upkeep, which was a good thing because the snow seemed even deeper out here.
She told herself there was no reason to worry about his siblings and cousin Marc. They were all well-trained cops and FBI agents who could take care of themselves.
When Aiden slowed and began to turn around in the driveway, she had a flashback to how they’d barreled out of the garage earlier that morning without even waiting for the garage door to get all the way up. This driveway was longer, but the ability to drive straight out, rather than backing up, was probably a good way to ensure they were able to escape if needed.
She wasn’t surprised when Brady pulled in behind them and did the same thing. She quickly pushed open her passenger-side door. Aiden joined her.
“I can carry her,” he offered.
“Thanks.” She unbuckled the little girl.
“Now can we make as snowman?” Eva asked.
“Not yet.” Aiden glanced at her with a hint of panic. Shelby could tell he wasn’t used to saying no to young children. She had to admit, it wasn’t easy to hold the line when Eva gazed up at her with bright, adorable eyes. “Maybe later.”
“Not later, now,” Eva said with a pout.
“Don’t forget your farm animals.” Shelby picked the cow up from where Eva had dropped it on the seat. “Wasn’t that nice of Mr. Brady to bring you toys?”
Eva nodded. “I like Mr. Brady.”
“Ouch,” Aiden muttered. “No loyalty with this one.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid she’s fickle.” Shelby chuckled and followed him up to the house. He shifted Eva to one arm, then unlocked the keypad.
The farmhouse wasn’t quite as clean as the pictures made it look, but it was certainly large with windows on all sides. The kitchen was bright and recently renovated with white cupboards and a solid granite surface. There was a smaller in-room kitchen dinette set, along with a large dining room in the next room. Since they weren’t staying, she decided there was no point in checking out the bedrooms.
If all went according to plan, they would only be here for a couple of hours at the most.
Brady came inside, stomping snow from his boots. “Okay, Aiden. Call Strauss.”
Why she held her breath as he did so, she had no idea. He didn’t put the call on speaker, but she listened to his side of the conversation.
“Lieutenant Strauss? This is Staff Sergeant Finnegan. Ms. Copeland and I would love to meet with you as soon as possible.”
Aiden caught and held her gaze reassuringly, even as he listened.
“Eleven thirty is fine. I’ll give you the address to where we’re staying.” He rattled off the information, then added, “Lieutenant Tom Mitchell was followed and murdered. I hope you take precautions. Whoever is behind these shooting attempts won’t hesitate to eliminate anyone who gets in his or her way.”
Another silence. She glanced at Brady, who was also listening while texting on his phone. She assumed he was providing the rest of the team information on the proposed timeline.
She checked her watch surprised to find it was already nine forty-five. Less than two hours until Strauss was scheduled to arrive.
“Yes, sir. I appreciate your concern. Trust me, we’ve barely managed to stay ahead of the shooter ourselves. See you soon.” Aiden lowered the phone and looked at her. “We’re set.”
“I heard. Eleven thirty.” She frowned. “Do you know where he’s coming from? Milwaukee? Madison? Green Bay?”
“Madison.” Aiden shrugged. “Soldiers are scattered all over the state, but the Army National Guard base is outside of Madison.”
“That’s at least an hour away, maybe more,” Brady pointed out.
“I know. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about that.” Aiden looked chagrined. “I feel bad Marc, Tarin, Kyleigh, and Reed will be stuck out there for so long.”
“They can handle it,” Brady said. “We would do it for them, too, if the situation was reversed.”
“I’m going to see what I can find on TV for Eva.” She turned toward the living room. The furniture itself was comfortable enough but not new like the kitchen. The television was the same brand she had at home, so it didn’t take long to find another cartoon.
Eva sat on the floor, surrounded by her dolly, trucks, cars, and farm animals. For a moment, she gazed at her daughter, her heart constricting painfully in her chest.
She could never regret marrying Emmitt and having been blessed with Eva. But every time she thought about his infidelity, she felt sick to her stomach. How could she have been so naïve? So clueless?
Forcing the wave of self-doubt and recrimination aside, she returned to the kitchen to find Aiden making coffee.
“Need help?”
“Nope.” He flashed a smile. “Have a seat. We’ll be here for a while.”
Brady’s phone rang. “My boss,” he said, before lifting the phone to his ear. “Donovan? Yeah, we’re set. The meeting with Lieutenant Strauss will be at eleven thirty.”
She wanted to ask why there weren’t more FBI agents involved but held back. She should be grateful they had two feds and three cops, in addition to Aiden.
Six against one. There was no reason to be nervous. She swallowed hard and tried to relax.
The Finnegans were the strongest family she’d ever known. Not just in their chosen careers but also in their faith. She felt safe and secure in their care.
Aiden brought her a cup of coffee, complete with nondairy creamer and sugar the way she liked it. She curled her fingers around the hot mug, cradling it gratefully. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” His low, husky voice made her shiver.
“Don’t worry about me,” Brady said with a lopsided smile. “I can get my own.”
“Yep, you can.” Aiden ignored his older brother’s dig and dropped into the chair beside her. “Patience is a virtue, right?”
“Right.” She managed a smile.
The next hour passed with excruciating slowness. It was worse than when they’d waited for Mitchell to show because she was all too aware of the others hiding outside in the cold.
Brady abruptly straightened, holding up his phone. “Looks like our guy might be early. Reed thinks he’s here but drove past as if to check the place out.”
“Oh yeah?” Aiden stood and moved to the window overlooking the street. “At least he’s being careful.”
She shifted her gaze from Aiden to Brady and back to Aiden. “Why is he early? To catch us off guard?”
“Could be the traffic wasn’t as bad as he’d anticipated.” Aiden shrugged, then said, “I’m not surprised. I expected him to show up early.”
She stood and crossed to the doorway leading into the living room. Eva was lying on the sofa now watching her cartoon with sleepy eyes.
“He’s back.” Aiden’s voice drew her back to the kitchen.
“I’m sure he has no idea we have the place surrounded,” Brady said.
“I agree.” Aiden continued to watch from the window. “He returned too quickly to have made a more thorough search.”
“I hope he did a better job of watching for a tail,” Brady muttered, his fingers working his phone. She sat back at the table, waiting anxiously.
Aiden moved from the window to open the door. He stood back to let Lieutenant Strauss enter the farmhouse. He was dressed in a formal uniform, and his gaze narrowed when he saw Brady standing near Aiden.
“Staff Sergeant Finnegan? You didn’t mention there would be anyone else here.”
“You didn’t ask.” Aiden shut the door. “This is my brother, FBI Agent Brady Finnegan. And this is Ms. Copeland. She’s the one who has been targeted by gunfire nonstop over the past forty-eight hours.”
She rose on shaky legs to shake Lieutenant Strauss’s hand. The lieutenant nodded at Brady, then turned back to Aiden. “I don’t like being ambushed. There was no mention of the FBI being here.”
“My brother has my back,” Aiden said firmly. “Something I haven’t gotten from the army recently.”
After a long tense moment, the investigator shrugged. “Okay. Considering how Mitchell was killed, I can understand you taking extra precautions. Let’s sit down and get to work.”
Shelby sank back into her seat. So far, so good.
Maybe, just maybe this guy was on their side after all.