Love Inspired Suspense June 2014 Bundle 2 of 2: Forced Alliance\Out for Justice\No Place to Run (16 page)

EIGHTEEN

S
herwood left the room.

Josie gave up on staying quiet and safe. He'd tied her hands behind her with a loose rope, but she'd already been working on that before he'd come into the room. With a little more twisting, she had the rope loosened enough to maneuver her right hand free. While she worked the ropes so she could make them look as if they were still tied, she studied her surroundings. The room was industrial, stark and empty, cold and damp, with only one door out. She got up and ran to the door, only to find it locked. No windows, no two-way mirrors. She glanced up at the ceiling. No cameras?

She thought about what he'd told her. Connor turning himself in, admitting he'd been working with Armond instead of against him, keeping her hidden away so she couldn't question Armond. It made no sense. Connor had protected her, saved her, and he'd kept her on the run.

At whose request? Sherwood had agreed they both needed to stay hidden. Had he manipulated both of them?

Now she doubted everything and everyone. But she would take matters into her own hands from here on out.

If Sherwood had Armond hidden, Connor might know that and he might come after Sherwood whether he was on Armond's side or not. She had to get a message to Connor.

Turning back to the tiny desk near where she'd been sitting, she noticed a landline telephone. Dust covered it but the wireless receiver sat inside a charger that was plugged into the wall.

Glancing at the door, Josie took a chance. She grabbed the receiver and prayed for a dial tone. When she heard one, she quickly dialed Connor's cell number and waited. When she only got his voice message, her heart sank. Then she heard a voice outside the room, someone talking, maybe into a phone. Sherwood coming back?

Josie watched the door while she waited for the beep to leave a message, her breath counting the precious seconds. The beep sounded. The door lock rattled and clicked. She said one word before she placed the phone back in its cradle and rushed back to her chair. “Cupid.”

* * *

Cupid.

Their fail-safe code.

Connor hurried down side streets and listened, his throat clogging with pain and fear.

And anger.

Sherwood had taken her, and now Sherwood expected Connor to take the rap for
his
wrongdoings. Turn himself in and confess to deeds Sherwood had obviously perpetrated?

No way.

But he said he'd kill Josie
.

Connor called Sherwood back and dangled a carrot in front of him.

“Before you starting doling out ultimatums, Sherwood, I found something that you might be interested in.”

“I'm only interested in sending you and Louis Armond to prison,” Sherwood retorted. “It's too late, Randall. I've got agents in place to escort you back to headquarters. When you get there, you will confess to being a double agent. You worked for Armond and I've got evidence to back up my suspicions.”

“Evidence that you produced?”

“Evidence that you so readily provided, but nothing that I could use to stick it to him. You were careful, smart, unshakable. I had to doctor things up. Well, now you'll pay for your little games.”

Connor wouldn't let this man rattle him. “I'm thinking you've managed to plant evidence, Sherwood. That's what you did the night of the explosion, right?” He skipped a beat, then added, “Or how about evidence that will prove you're Armond's silent partner?”

“You'll never get anyone to believe that,” Sherwood said, anger escaping with a hiss.

So, that was it, then. FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph Sherwood was notorious Mafia king Louis Armond's silent partner.

Connor knew he'd never beat the rap, but he could try to save Josie. “This is between you and me now, and I can show you what I've found. I think I have the real evidence—against you—and that's why you've been keeping Armond hidden, and that's why you've been trying to kill Josie and me. You thought we already had the evidence, thought maybe Armond had given it to us that night we helped him. Let her go. She knows nothing about your true identity and we can keep it that way.”

Sherwood let out a curse. “Not so fast. She's in the middle of it, and she showed her loyalties when she ran away with you.”

“You gave her permission to do so. Did you expect her to leave me hanging? Is that why you're so angry?”

“I expected her to do her job and bring you both in, but you talked her into running and taking that washed-up crime boss with you.”

The rage in those words sent a chill down Connor's spine. If Sherwood had been working double time with Armond all these years, he'd do anything to protect himself. Including killing as many people as he possibly could.

“Listen, I have a coin,” Connor finally blurted. “I think I know how to break it open. And I think I know what's inside. Probably a SIM card or some sort of thumb drive. Interested? Or should I just give it to the locals?”

The line went silent for a minute. “You're smarter than I gave you credit for,” Sherwood hissed. “You're running out of time, though. You've got two hours to leave the coin in a place of my choosing. If you don't show up, the woman's dead. And Armond will have to die, too. The next time you hear of Josie Gilbert, it will be on the evening news. Her body will be floating in the swamp right next to his. Or what's left of them.”

Connor swallowed the bile in his throat. “What do you want me to do?”

Sherwood named a spot in City Park where he wanted Connor to bring the coin.

“Don't try anything, Randall. I have her and I'll keep her here until I've got that coin.”

Connor wasn't stupid. “You can't have the coin until I see Josie. If you do anything to harm her before I can see her and we can make the exchange, I'll take what I have right to the FBI.”

“My people won't believe you.”

“I won't take it to your people here in New Orleans. I'll take it all the way to Washington, D.C.”

Sherwood only hesitated a minute. “You'll see your precious Josie as long as I get the coin.”

After Sherwood ended the call, Connor started running back toward his apartment. He only had a little while to get home and prepare himself for confronting Sherwood. The man would shoot him on the spot in the park and then he'd kill Josie and Armond and somehow make it look as if Connor had done it. They'd all be dead and the real criminal would get away free and clear.

With that scenario running through his brain, Connor sprinted around corners and hurried through alleyways.

Then his phone buzzed an incoming message he'd missed while talking to Sherwood. Connor hit the screen to retrieve the message. From Josie.

Cupid.

Connor heard the resolve and the urgency in her voice. Did she think she'd never see him again? That he would run and leave her in the hands of a madman who'd convinced her that Connor was the bad guy? Did she know that he'd do anything to save her? Anything.

Connor increased his speed. He had to find out where the call had come from. He started to work right away, sending out signals to his street contacts as he jogged the sidewalks. He described the vehicle he'd watched driving away, even gave them the license-plate numbers he'd memorized. Then he checked his phone to see if the number she'd called from had come through.

It had. So he called a friend at the telephone company and begged her to break all the rules to track down the phone number by doing a reverse search. After telling her this was urgent, he said, “It's a local, but I can't get a handle on where it might be and I'm running out of time.”

“If it's a cell, it's gonna be hard to pin down,” she explained. “Let me see what I can come up with.”

He hurried back to his place and started gathering the tools he'd need to go after Sherwood. A Glock 22 with extra ammo, a hunting knife, a flashlight and a camera, and a bungee cord. He'd learned a few things about weaponry and espionage while hanging around with the FBI and Armond.

He put everything but his cell phone into a black canvas backpack and waited for his friend to call back.

After ten minutes and a bucket of sweat, his cell rang.

“It's a landline at an old abandoned manufacturing company northwest of the city, near Lake Pontchartrain's south shore.”

Connor memorized the address and started out the door. This place was located in a wetland village out from the city. A place where a person could go missing for a very long time.

An image of Josie floating in the brackish waters of a shallow swamp hit him. Connor closed his eyes and said a silent prayer. “Don't let her die because of my sins, Lord.”

Then he hit numbers on his phone as he moved through the New Orleans streets. “Mama Joe, it's Connor. I need your help.”

* * *

Josie was back in the chair with her hands behind her back before Sherwood closed the door. Trying to steady her breath, she stared up at him.

Sherwood came around the table and looked at her hands.

Josie held her breath while he made sure she was still tied. She'd done her best to make it look that way.

“Your ropes look loose,” Sherwood said. Then he yanked at the cords with such force, Josie had to grit her teeth against the burning scrape of skin being torn off her wrists. “But you can't get out of this building. It's airtight and out in the middle of nowhere.” He leaned close, his smile belying his words. “And surrounded by big, hungry gators.”

Josie refused to let him scare her. “Thanks for the warning.”

Sherwood stood tall and rocked back on his heels. “I had a nice chat with your partner in crime.”

“Connor?”

She hated the plea in that question. Sherwood would use it against her.

“Yes, Connor. Charming, conniving, conflicted Connor. He's trying to make a deal.”

Josie wouldn't let this man convince her that Connor wasn't doing everything in his power to help her. “I'd expect no less.”

“So you know him and don't even care that he's still a criminal?”

“I know him and I believe he's trying to change. That he will change for the good.”

“Amazing.” Sherwood paced in front of the old desk. “I've decided to bring him out here to our little party.”

She swallowed, prayed that Connor would get away. “No need for that, right? I mean, if he confesses, you're free and clear. I hope you've built a good case against him. Covered all of your tracks.” She settled back against her chair, willing herself to stay calm. “Exactly how long have you been Armond's silent partner, anyway?”

Sherwood whirled and pounced, his fingers digging into her shoulders as he lifted her out of the chair. “You have no idea what you're talking about.”

She stared at him, the courage of a last resort giving her strength. “I think I do know what I'm talking about. I think each time Connor got too close, you pulled him back just enough to make it look like he wasn't doing his job. I think you insisted he back off after the Benoit fiasco last year because he was very close to finding out the truth—that you're the one who's been working with Armond for years now.”

She shrugged away from his grasp. “It was almost the perfect cover. Until I showed up.”

“Until Connor Randall showed up,” Sherwood replied. “Did he ever tell you how he got that fancy loft apartment?”

She had to admit to herself she'd wondered about Connor's explanation regarding the loft, but she wouldn't give Sherwood the satisfaction of knowing that. “His mother left it. But I'm not worried about that.”

“Oh, you should be,” Sherwood retorted, his hand moving over his close-shaved hair. “But I won't spoil the surprise. I'll wait and let him explain all of this to you himself.”

Josie held a breath. “You won't find him.”

“I don't have to find him,” Sherwood replied. “He's agreed to meet me and...he doesn't know it yet, but he'll have to turn himself in and come with me if he ever wants to see you alive again.”

NINETEEN

B
efore he left for the Carousel Gardens in City Park, Connor tried to open the coin. He'd realized after looking at the slender pin that held the coin to the necklace that this silver-dollar-size gold coin was similar to the coins spies used back in the day before electronics took over. It was an old-school piece and probably worth a lot of money on its own merit.

But whatever was inside might be worth more than gold. The coin was big enough to hold a wealth of information on a tiny SIM card or thumb drive. Connor easily manipulated the pin by turning it until the coin clicked open. He didn't have time to look at the information, but he did find what he'd expected.

A little flat black card that should fit in a smartphone or a computer. Armond had pretended he didn't know or care about electronics, but he'd been smart enough to hide this information on a small electronic device. This little inch-square file could tell the tale on all of Armond's operations, including the identity of his very silent and now very scared partner. Information that would probably point to Joseph Sherwood as being the person everyone had been looking for—right there in plain sight for years now.

When Connor thought back over his time with Armond, he could see it all now. Each time he'd bring a solid report to the FBI, Sherwood would somehow decide it wasn't enough. Or evidence would suddenly go missing so Connor had no proof of his observations. Not enough probable cause or not enough to get a search warrant, so many tiny rules that always caused the FBI to back off. Sherwood had been going behind him with each assessment, changing facts and destroying evidence.

Who was the real con man here now?

Armond must have decided he couldn't do it anymore. He'd called the one person he felt he could trust—Connor.

Had he wanted Connor and Josie to find this? Or maybe he'd hoped his son would find it and give up the goods on Sherwood. This had to have been what Vanessa and Lou had been so eager to find that night of the garage fire. But did they want to help Louis or just destroy his will and maybe what would be his confession?

Connor carefully took the tiny card out of the coin and stored it in a safe place in his backpack. Then he replaced the card with an old one from one of his phones. It would look like the real deal long enough to buy him some time.

By the time Sherwood figured out he'd been duped, Connor hoped to be on his way out of the country with Josie. He didn't stop to think about whether she'd be willing to go with him or not. He just headed out on instincts and hope.

Right now, he had to get to the park and make the switch.

* * *

“Can I see Armond now?”

Josie wondered where Sherwood was taking her. He'd hinted they might go for a little ride. Would it be her last ride or was he moving her to throw off Connor?

“Sure,” her corrupt supervisor retorted. “You'll get to see everybody before this is over.”

“Everybody? What do you mean?”

“You ask way too many questions, Gilbert. Should have left you in Dallas.”

“Why did you hire me?” she asked, thinking he'd used her mistakes against her.

Sherwood took her down a long hallway. “I figured you had a grudge against the Connor Randall type, considering your old man was one of the most notorious white-collar criminals in the Lone Star State.”

“Why don't we leave my father out of this?”

“Still eats at you, doesn't it? You with your perfect scores and stellar performance. Your crooked daddy's the driving force behind your code of honor. But even your strong sense of duty didn't keep you from messing up in Dallas, did it?”

Josie allowed him to shove her along, but she noted each hall crossing and exit sign as they went. The lighting system was low and weak but she could tell this place was like a maze. A musky gray maze she might not ever escape.

“What? No comeback, Gilbert? I'm disappointed in you.”

“You thought you could just dole out petty assignments to me, give me enough cases to keep me hopping while you kept right on working with Armond. But you misjudged all of us. You probably enjoyed shoving me toward Connor.”

“Oh, yeah. I knew he'd charm his way into your straitlaced system. Was I wrong on that?”

“He's a charmer, that's for sure,” Josie retorted, remembering Connor's kisses. “But he's nobody's fool. He's got you figured out, so I'd say you're the one who should be worried right now.”

“Shut up,” Sherwood said, his voice rasping like a burning wire against her skin. “Just shut up. You'll see the real Connor Randall. Finally.”

“I hope so,” Josie said. She hoped she'd see Connor again. She prayed he'd stay safe and stay smart.

When Sherwood opened a door, she fully expected to find Connor there waiting for her. But the man lying bloody and tied to the bed wasn't Connor.

Louis Armond moaned and opened his eyes. “Who's there?”

Sherwood laughed. “Hey, Armond, since you were so willing to double-cross me, I brought you some company. To take on the journey with you when I throw you into the swamp.”

Armond moaned again and glanced up. When he saw Josie, he pulled at his restraints. “Where's my son? What have they done with my son?”

* * *

Connor waited by the carousel, checking his watch to make sure he was on time. His heart ticked off the seconds, every one precious until he had Josie in his arms again.

Imagine him falling for an FBI agent? He shook his head as memories swirled and twirled like the painted horses going around and around on the carousel. Children's laughter echoed around the musical ride, reminding Connor of things he'd tried to forget.

He'd never planned on falling in love. Who'd want a man like him anyway? He was damaged, broken, bitter and ruthless.

Would Josie want him?

The Lord wants you
.

His sister's gentle reminder held him steady. He thought of the thief on the cross next to Jesus. The Lord had told that man he'd see him in heaven.

Connor closed his eyes and envisioned Josie's always-doubtful smile. “Will I see you in heaven?”

He asked God to allow him a bit more time on earth. Just until he could put the real criminals away forever.

“After that, Lord, I'll leave it in your hands.”

When he opened his eyes, he saw a man wearing a dark suit and sunglasses approaching him. Connor prepared for a fight. He wasn't giving up this coin until he saw Josie. Glancing around, he took strength in knowing Mama Joe's men had his back.

The man walked up to a bench a few feet from Connor and sat down to look straight ahead. Connor approached and took a seat next to him.

“Do you have what we need?” the man asked.

“That depends,” Connor replied. “Do you have the package I've requested?”

The man glanced around, then turned toward Connor. “If you can't give me what I came for, I'm to take you to meet my supervisor.”

Connor nodded, then stood up to give the man a once-over. They were close to the same size and height. “Lead the way.”

“I need to take that backpack,” the man replied.

“Negative.” Connor stood over him. “I have what you want, but I'm not giving it up until I see the woman.”

“Then you'll have to take a nice drive with me out into the country.”

“I'm prepared to do that,” Connor retorted.

That and more. They'd try to take the backpack away from him when he got there, but he hoped before then he'd have help in securing this messenger and some of Mama Joe's boys would be there to get behind the wheel.

* * *

Josie rushed to Armond's bed and tried to check him over. “How long have you had him here?”

Armond went in and out of consciousness, still moaning and asking for his family. He tried to reach out to Josie, his hand old and withered, like a broken bit of dry bramble clawing at her skin.

“Tell him where his wife and son are,” Josie said, her hand on Armond's arm. “He's worried about his family.”

“Relax,” Sherwood said, shaking his head. “You do remember he's a criminal, right?”

“I remember everything,” she retorted. “But have you forgotten everything we stand for? This man should be in a hospital.”

“He was, long enough to save his sorry life. I convinced the hospital personnel to let me take him to a safe place. He agreed to it, since he's so afraid for his life.” He shrugged. “Or maybe he's afraid I'll kill someone he really loves.”

Armond moaned. “No agreement. Kidnapped.”

Sherwood walked up to the bed. “I should have killed you myself, since you can't seem to let go and just die.”

Josie wondered why he'd kept Armond alive. “Are you making him suffer because you thought he was going to turn on you?”

“I'm making him suffer because he's a liar and a cheat and I'm tired of fighting the system. We have to walk a tightrope to bring in scum like this. I got tired of all the rules and regulations.”

“So you took matters into your own hands?”

Sherwood nodded. “I needed to keep him alive for leverage.”

Josie inhaled a deep breath. “So you could lure Connor and me into a trap because you were afraid we'd find out the truth?”

Sherwood nodded, his scowl softening. “I knew sooner or later you'd want to talk to Armond, and I couldn't allow that. That's the FBI way, isn't it? Question everyone and everything? Get the evidence, record and preserve the crime scene. Jump through hoops while these scumbags get away with everything from murder to...taking over a man's soul. And so on and so forth.”

Josie saw a trace of regret in his wary eyes, but she didn't give Sherwood any points for it. “So you got tired of doing all of that?”

Sherwood let out his own long sigh, his brown eyes going dull. “I'm close to retirement, Gilbert. But a few years ago, I got tired of beating my head against the wall...and I made a few bad decisions.”

“So you joined up with Armond—to bring him to justice or maybe to pad your retirement funds? Why, Agent Sherwood? Why did you do this?”

Sherwood turned away from the man on the bed. “I got greedy and saw an opportunity too good to pass up.”

Josie wondered what made a person take such a risk. “So you're the one who's been helping Armond along all these years, protecting him, warning him. But you tried to pin some of that on Connor, since he kept getting closer and closer to the truth.”

“The truth,” Sherwood replied with a snarl, “is so well hidden no one could find it.” He pointed to Armond. “This man knows where he hid the truth—the fact of the matter is that truth is much bigger than any petty deals I had with Armond. But he's too stupid to tell me or anyone else— even the amazing Connor Randall.”

“And that's the only reason you're keeping him alive. You're afraid if he dies, someone will find what he's hidden and you'll be exposed.”

Sherwood's chuckle echoed over the still room. “Everyone is looking for something, Gilbert.”

“The garage fire—did you set that?”

“No,” Sherwood admitted. “I think Little Lou panicked on that one. His mother is so afraid we'll all go to jail, she tried to tear down the place so she could find the hidden evidence.”

“You're right on one thing,” Josie said, her gaze on Armond. “Everyone is looking for the proof of the criminal activities you and Armond have been involved in for years now.” She turned from the man on the bed and stared straight into Sherwood's cold brown eyes. “And you'd better hope none of us found it.”

“You'd better hope your boyfriend brings me what I want,” Sherwood shouted. “Or I'll kill you and this old man before Randall ever gets to tell you goodbye.”