Key Witness (4 page)

Terror seemed to freeze her expression, make her unable to move. “It said that ‘Agony awaits.’”

* * *

“Is it really necessary for me to leave right now? Can’t I just make an appearance at the reception?”

Denton kept a firm grip on her arm as he led her toward a door at the back of the building. “More than necessary. You do understand that the person who’s threatening you was—maybe still is—here tonight, don’t you?”

She nodded, her eyes dazed. “I do, but...” She paused from her distress to shake hands with a few people who tried to chat with her about the debate. Denton urged her onward. Once she escaped from the crowd’s grasp, she looked up at him. “I don’t know what to think right now. This is just crazy.”

“The police are going to search for any evidence here. They’re sending me the security tapes so we can see who’s been in and out of your dressing room. No one, other than authorized personnel, should have had access to that area, though. I want to know how someone got back there.”

“You need to talk to Bentley.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I will. Just as soon as I know you’re safe. Which, right now, you’re not.” He pushed open the door and cool nighttime air hit them. He did a quick examination of the area outside to make sure everything was clear. Just as they stepped onto the sidewalk, a black SUV pulled to a stop and one of his agents stepped out.

Denton led Elle to the backseat, opened the door and gently prodded her inside. He climbed into the front seat and did another scan of the area for danger. Nothing appeared out of place. Without wasting any more time, he pulled away.

Elle leaned between the two front seats. “Who was that who drove the SUV to the door?”

“Sit back and put on your seat belt. And that was one of my men.”

Her harness clicked in place. “You had some of your men at the event tonight? I thought my father only hired you?”

“He did. But I always plan for the worst. It’s a good thing I did.”

The suburbs and strip malls of Virginia Beach blurred past them as Denton escorted Elle away from the Convention Center. He let silence fall while the reality of the situation sank in for Elle.

The person behind these threats was brave. Coming to an event like this and sneaking into Elle’s dressing room where they could easily be caught showed a lot of brazenness. The suspect was clearly bent on making Elle shake in her boots. But despite the threats, Denton would make sure that all this ended well. He’d see to it that nothing happened to Elle.

“Where are we going?” Elle’s voice sounded quieter than usual as it drifted from the backseat.

“To your parents’ house.”

“But they took pictures of me there. Is it safe to go back?”

“Those pictures were taken with a telephoto lens. Most likely, the photographer wasn’t even on your father’s property—not directly, at least—when those pictures were snapped. My men are going to canvas the perimeter tonight. We’re stepping up security.”

Silence stretched for a moment, until Elle finally whispered, “Denton, I’m scared.”

He softened his voice. “I know, Elle. Let me do the worrying, okay? That’s my job.”

In the rearview mirror, Denton saw her nod, but her eyes didn’t look convinced. She hunkered down in the backseat, just as he ordered. He glanced in his rearview mirror again, this time at the road behind them. Though it was dark outside and an array of headlights glared behind them, his gut told him they were being followed.

He watched the vehicle behind them, noting that it was keeping pace with them at a close clip. He needed to figure out if they were being tailed. He switched lanes and noticed the vehicle behind them did, also.

“Your seat belt is on, right?”

“Of course. Why?”

“Because this ride is going to get a little crazy.” He pushed on the accelerator and shot into the right lane of the interstate, swerving onto an exit ramp.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m making sure we’re not being followed. Stay down.”

Elle’s eyes widened just before she disappeared behind the seat. His gaze went to the rearview mirror again. The headlights were still there.

He zipped down the right lane of the highway. The vehicle behind them was so close now that Denton couldn’t even see the headlights except for the rays that illuminated up from his bumper.

A red light waited ahead. He couldn’t stop. Not now.

As the intersection approached, he didn’t slow. He remained in the right lane, prepared to turn. When he reached the cross road, he jerked the steering wheel to the left, narrowly missing the oncoming traffic. Horns blared. Tires skidded. People yelled.

But everyone was safe. For the moment, at least.

Elle’s high-pitched voice rose in the backseat. “What are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed?”

Denton watched as the SUV behind him threw on the brakes then skidded to the right.

Denton breathed easier. He’d lost them. For now. It would only be a matter of time before those men found Elle again.

Would they be this lucky next time?

FOUR

R
eality embedded itself deeper and deeper as Elle gripped the edge of her seat so hard that her knuckles began to ache.

Agony awaits.

What did they mean by agony? What had these men planned for her?

The thought of death alone was scary enough. But to think about dying slowly, painfully, was enough to make panic begin to quake inside her.

She’d heard stories about people who’d been tortured. She’d always felt immune from the reaches of people who inflicted pain like that. But was anyone immune? Not really. It was simply that no one wanted to face the reality that something like that could happen to them.

Would even Denton be able to protect her? She believed the man to be capable, but no one was superman. All it would take was one wrong move.

She was right with God. She wasn’t afraid of being dead. It was the dying part that got to her.

Finally, the vehicle seemed to slow and merge in with the flow of traffic. Her heartbeat eased some. The reality of the situation wouldn’t leave her, though.

“Where’d you learn to drive like that?” Her voice had lost any sense of perkiness it may have once had. Even with some effort, her pitch still sounded dull.

“I’ve had some training.”

“What did you do before you worked for...what did you call it? Eyes?”

“That’s right. Iron, Inc. is our real name, but everyone who knows about us calls us Eyes. I was a Navy SEAL for a while before the CIA recruited me.”

“You were a spook?”

He smiled. “I’d tell you what I did for them, but then—”

“Let me guess, you’d have to kill me?”

“Smart lady.”

She pushed herself back into the seat, her head beginning to pound as her limbs throbbed. That’s what happened when adrenaline pulsed through her uncontrollably only to wither over and over again, she supposed. “Tell me about Eyes.”

“A friend of mine, Jack Sergeant, started it several years ago. We do contract work, a lot of it for the Department of Defense, but we also work for local law enforcement agencies, as well as for citizens.”

“I see. It sounds dangerous.”

“Depends on the job.”

“And what’s your job there? Bodyguard?”

He chuckled. “No, I’m actually the assistant director.”

“This must be serious if my dad hired the assistant director.”

Denton’s nonanswer seemed to be answer enough. Elle chewed on her thumbnail as they rolled down the road. Everything still seemed so surreal. Was this really happening? Maybe it was a nightmare and she’d wake up any time now.

She knew she wouldn’t, though.

“Why don’t they just ask for money?”

Her question seemed to surprise Denton. “What was that?”

“If they know I’m a senator’s daughter now, why don’t they simply demand money? Isn’t that what they’re ultimately after? Why go through all this trouble to threaten me?”

“That’s the question we’re trying to answer, Elle.”

They pulled onto the lane that led to her family’s home. Tonight, the drive seemed eerily quiet. It was just because everyone else was at the reception, she told herself. It’s where she should be.

Denton pulled up at the gate. Elle unbuckled her seat belt and leaned forward, feeling like safety was finally in sight. “Just pull forward and I’ll wave to Jimmy. He’ll open the gates for us.”

Denton crept closer, but the gates didn’t move.

Denton gripped the steering wheel. “You think he stepped away for a minute?”

“I doubt it. He’s very dedicated to his job.”

Nausea churned in Elle’s gut. Something was wrong. She knew it. She could tell that Denton knew it, too.

He put the car into Park and pulled the gun from its holster beneath his jacket. He glanced in the backseat at her. “If anything happens to me, Elle, I want you to get into the driver’s seat and get out of here as fast as you can.”

Reality hit her like cold water in the face, causing her hands to tremble. “Denton, why are you talking like that?”

“Just do what I say, okay? Lock the doors when I get out.”

“You’re scaring me. Can’t you just stay in the car? Call the police?”

He locked gazes with her. “Everything’s going to be okay. I just need to check things out.”

She nodded, even though all her instincts told her to do just the opposite.

“Did you hear me, Elle?”

She started to nod again, but instead cleared her throat. “Yes, I hear you.”

Denton climbed from the vehicle and Elle hit the lock button almost before he was even out. Her heart raced as she watched him approach the guard station. Where was Jimmy? Why wasn’t he at the gate like he always was?

Lord, I don’t even have the words for the situation. My heart is just crying out to You. You know my prayers even when I don’t.

With the skill of someone who had done this a million times before, Denton checked his surroundings, moving swiftly but purposefully.

Capable. Denton was capable, Elle reminded herself. It would be different if it were her out there looking for Jimmy while trying to keep one eye out for the bad guys.

As he disappeared inside the guard house, she held her breath. Minutes ticked by. Or perhaps it was actually seconds that felt like minutes.

Was Denton okay? Was Jimmy inside? And was Jimmy okay? Questions raced through her head so fast she could hardly keep up.

She didn’t release her breath until she saw Denton emerge. He strode over to the SUV and tapped on the window until she unlocked the door. He slid inside.

“Well?” She tried to read his gaze but couldn’t.

“Jimmy’s been shot. I called the police. They’re on their way.”

“Shot? Will he be all right?”

“He’s dead, Elle.”

* * *

Elle’s parents’ lawn became a jungle of emergency response vehicles, trolling firefighters and police officers and dizzying flashing lights. The police had already questioned both Denton and Elle, and now the crime scene unit was collecting evidence. Elle’s father and his entourage had arrived and now milled around, only adding to the confusion.

Elle looked pale as she stood on the massive porch, her arms wrapped over her chest and a dazed look in her eyes. Denton wrapped up a conversation with her father and hurried across the darkened lawn toward her. She was a sight to see, that was certain. Even in the middle of the terrible circumstances he’d already seen her experience, she maintained a certain dignity and strength that Denton had to admire.

She didn’t turn his way as he strode up the stairs and to her side. Her eyes had that faraway look still. Denton put a hand at her elbow, trying not to jar her. “Elle, I need your help.” He needed to distract her from her thoughts, also.

Some of the focus returned to her gaze as she angled toward him. The tight hold of her arms over her chest loosened slightly, but her eyes still looked strained. “Of course. What do you need?”

“To start with, I need a list of your father’s staff, his interns, his campaign volunteers—everyone.”

“Do you plan on checking out all those people? Because we have hundreds of volunteers right now. The election is only three weeks away.”

“We’ll vet them all if we have to.”

She stared at him a moment before nodding, shades of blue and red from the police cruiser in the distance lighting her face. “I’ll get a list for you if you think it will help.”

He nodded toward the front door. “I’ll also need a tour of the house and a list of anyone staying there.”

She blinked. “A tour?”

“It’s going to be your temporary home and mine until we know you’re safe. I’m bringing in another agent to guard the perimeter at night and someone else to shadow your father. We can’t take any chances.”

She swallowed, still appearing stiff. The shock of finding Jimmy hadn’t worn off yet. The death of a loved one sometimes never wore off. Denton knew all about that.

Elle stepped toward the door, her lithe figure somehow looking weighed down with a million stones at the moment. “Why don’t I give you that tour now? It beats standing out here and staring at the chaos and destruction around me.”

Exactly. “Sounds like a plan.”

They walked into the massive house—seven thousand square feet, from what Denton had been told. Two wings and no expense spared. Apparently, the senator had won several big lawsuits as a trial lawyer that afforded him any luxury he might want.

They paused in the two-story marble entryway, and Elle pointed to the left. “In the south wing, we have the kitchen, living room, my father’s office, two other rooms we use as offices when working here and a library.”

“Do you work here a lot?”

She shrugged. “We have campaign offices throughout the state, including one in Norfolk. But working here is convenient and the space is ample.”

“Your best option right now is to work here until these men are caught.”

Her expression remained neutral. “That’s what I concluded, also. That’s no problem. I can do my job from here with relative ease.” She sucked in a deep breath and slowly released it, as if regaining her composure. “Oh, and speaking of work, Bentley stays in a bedroom upstairs, also.”

“Bentley stays here?”

“Not all of the time, but if he’s in town with my father, he’s around enough that he’s practically family.” She stepped in the opposite direction. “In the north wing we have the family’s bedrooms, some guest suites, a racquetball room and an exercise room.”

“I’ll need to stay somewhere close to your bedroom.”

“The bedroom beside mine should be comfortable for you.”

They moved through the house, and Denton found out her schedule for the week—which included a huge fund-raising gala in two days. The mere thought of it caused Denton’s muscles to tighten. Big crowds, a difficult-to-control environment and at least two men who wanted Elle dead—not a good combination.

Elle paused by the kitchen, her luminous eyes glancing up at him. He saw intelligence in their depths...and fear. “I don’t have to go to the gala.”

“No, you should go. It will take some planning on my part, but we can make it work.”

She sagged against the wall a moment. “None of this seems real, you know.”

“We’re going to get through this, Elle.”

She seemed to hesitate a moment before nodding. “Yes, we will. Now, if you don’t need me for anything else, I’ll show you to your room and then get some sleep myself. I have a busy week, as you’re going to soon find out.”

“Remember—your safety is more important than your father being reelected.”

“I know.” She looked off in the distance. Denton wanted to do something—anything—to help wipe away her worries. But there was nothing he could do except offer his protection...and pray.

He’d be doing a lot of praying until these guys were behind bars.

* * *

Even in the midst of cardboard alphabet letters, multiplication tables and twenty-five giggling second-graders, Denton stayed glued to Elle’s side. No, an elementary school wasn’t the most likely place for someone to come after Elle. But Denton couldn’t be too careful.

Senator Philips sat at the front of the classroom, reading a book to the eager students seated in a semicircle around him. Elle stood at the back of the room with the rest of her father’s handlers. Her gaze fluttered between her BlackBerry and her father.

Denton had encouraged her to stay home and to lay low, but Elle wanted nothing to do with that. The police had found no clues, come up with no answers. Nothing was known except that an innocent man’s life had been taken.

Jimmy had been shot by a Glock, right through the skull. The rest of the perimeter was clear. But someone had obviously been trying to send a message—a deadly message. They’d gotten to Jimmy. Denton would make sure they didn’t get to Elle.

“‘The end.’” Senator Philips closed the book and grinned at the children around him. A newspaper photographer snapped a picture, capturing the moment. Great publicity shot, which Denton was sure was exactly what Elle hoped for.

Elle tucked her phone back into her purse. “I think we’re all done here. My dad has some meetings he needs to attend for the rest of the afternoon.”

“So what else is on your schedule?” They began walking with the entourage down the hallway. A menagerie of black SUVs waited out front. Denton made sure that one of his best men would be driving the one Elle rode in. He wouldn’t take any chances. The stakes were too high, the threats too ominous.

“I’ve got to answer some emails.” She glanced up at him and, just for a moment, Denton thought he saw a glimpse of vulnerability. As quickly as it appeared, it vanished. “Other than that, I’m not sure. I just need to keep myself occupied.”

“Why is that?”

“Because if I don’t, my anxiety might get the best of me.”

She wasn’t too proud to admit her fears or weakness. That was a good sign. That vulnerability reminded him a bit of Wendi, though she hadn’t let very many people see that side of herself. It had been a privilege reserved for those closest to her and seeing it had always had a way of making Denton feel special.

His heart panged as he remembered her bright smile, a smile that had been dimmed by too much chemo and radiation and pain. He missed that grin. No, there would never be anyone else like Wendi. That’s probably why he’d contented himself simply to casually date women who he saw no future with. It seemed safer that way.

He stopped by the front doors and waited for Senator Philips to finish shaking hands with the principal. His slick-soled shoes clacked against the floor as he headed toward them.

“Elle, don’t forget. You need to listen to Denton.”

Elle’s lip pulled down in a frown. “He’s my bodyguard, not my babysitter, Dad.”

“I know. But I know how stubborn you are. This is no time to try and prove yourself. Lay low.”

She offered a curt nod. “I will.”

Senator Philip’s gaze fell on Denton. “Keep an eye on her.”

“Yes, sir.”

He motioned to the three others with him to follow him outside. Denton saw the red on Elle’s cheeks, could tell she didn’t like being addressed like a child—probably ever, but definitely not in public. Her father probably had good intentions, just poor delivery. He took her arm. “You ready?”