Bare Witness (16 page)

She was starting to fall for Nigel Carter, and if him knowing she had killed a man like Franklin Baron was going to make a difference to him, she wanted to know now.

“I am humbled by you, Justine.”

She shook her head. “Don’t be. Killing like I did, it was necessary, but I don’t think it was anything special. It made me into who I am today, and I can’t—hell, I
won’t
regret that. But you’ve seen me at my lowest. You know I don’t know how to react properly all the time.”

“That doesn’t mean what you did was wrong, or even that your reactions are wrong,” Nigel said, and he reached over to touch her face.

“Your reactions are your own, just like your past is. You can’t be anything other than who you are.”

Justine looked over at him and realized he had a point. She’d never apologized for her past, but she didn’t wear it like a banner or a chip on her shoulder either. It was just a big chunk of who she was. She couldn’t change it.

And it had enabled her to protect other people, which was something she really enjoyed. Her skills had developed in the facility where she’d studied different types of fighting. At first, she’d thought she’d be some kind of vigilante for kids like herself, who had no one else to turn to. She’d been doing that when Sam found her.

Sam had shown her there was justice to be found inside the law. Sometimes Justine didn’t like the way the system worked because it was too slow. But she understood his point about being an agent for justice versus being a flat-out killer.

“I guess both of us were defined by our childhood,” Justine said, then realized how that must make Nigel feel.

His daughter was going to be defined by this incident, whether he wanted her to be or not. There was no way that Piper was going to walk away from Peru unscathed by all that had happened to her.

All that Nigel could do would be to ensure that she had the grounding to keep herself in check.

“I think we all are,” Nigel said. “Even the ones in the ‘normal’ households.”

“What is normal?”

“I have no idea. Where I grew up, it was fatherless families and mums that worked two jobs. None of my mates in Essex had a parent home after school, did you?”

“No. I mean, my mom married into money so she didn’t have to work, but she had a lot of social obligations and was rarely home for Millie and I in the afternoons.”

“So neither of us is normal?” Nigel asked.

“I get what you’re saying about normal being defined as what we are familiar with. But didn’t you even think about having a mom and a dad? Didn’t you ever want that Norman Rockwell picture of family?”

He shrugged. “I can’t recall. Maybe at one time, but I got married and had a child. I have a good job and make a good wage, so if anyone should have had ‘normal,’ it’s me. But I am a single dad whose daughter has been kidnapped…

He turned and looked at Justine. “I don’t think there is anything regular about family life. I believe all families are normal in their own ways, and there is little we can do to change it.”

Nigel knew he was going to implement more safety features into his family once he had Piper back. He would never be able to sleep again at night until he knew she was as safe as he could make her.

A
lfred, the head of the security team at Baron’s Cusco plant, had another envelope with Nigel’s name on it. He collected it from the man before leading the Liberty Investigations team to the house his plant manager had been using. Charity didn’t come with them, but instead wanted to stay focused on her mission, which was training the security staff. She would meet up with the rest of them later.

“Emile is concerned with his boss. He says the man wants to leave the girl in the jungle. I told Emile to leave his phone with her and we will trace it. I actually think Piper would do better on her own then with Marshall,” Anna said.

“Why do you say that?” Nigel asked. But he, too, thought the sooner she was away from the captors, the better it would be for her.

“We can get to her quickly. And even drugged kids can remember things.”

There was a note in Anna’s voice that made it seem as if she knew from personal experience. “What did he say?”

“That he’d let us know what happened.”

“I’m not sure we can trust him,” Justine said.

“He isn’t getting any money until he delivers Piper safely to us,” Anna said. “What’s in the envelope?”

Nigel opened it and out spilled a cell phone and a note like the last one, still demanding the money. He laid the contents on the table. The phone was one of those cheap pay-as-you-go models.

“So he’s going to call you on this phone and tell you where to go once you are at the ruins.”

“Yes,” Nigel said. “He also said to come alone. I don’t think he’s going to allow Justine near me.”

“We won’t be physically with you. We’re going to need a supersmall earpiece,” Justine said. “Something that can’t be seen. Also, as a backup, I think he should swallow a tracker. That way, we’ll be able to keep an eye on him no matter what happens. Embedding one in your skin would leave a scar, since we’d have to do it today. And I’m pretty sure he’d check the phone to make sure we didn’t put a tracking device in it. But we may as well try.”

“I’ll do it. I have the money in my account in Peru. He’s going to give me an account to transfer the funds into,” Nigel said.

“Does he say why he’s doing this?” Anna asked.

“Not in his note. I know we weren’t on the best of terms when he left.”

“I thought the HR department handled all firings,” Justine said.

“Normally they do, but when an employee is at upper-level management like Marshall was, I like to handle it myself.”

“I’d say it was admirable, but not in this case,” Anna said. “I’m going to keep this information to myself and see what Emile reveals to me. I get the feeling he’s the one in charge of guarding Piper.”

“Tell him I’ll give him the two million Marshall is asking for if he brings her to me unharmed.”

“I don’t think—

“It’s not up to Justine. This is what I want to do, Anna. Let him know.”

“Okay. Is there someplace where I can grab a shower? We can meet back here in about forty-five minutes. I’ll have the GPS tracker for Nigel. Justine, will that give you enough time to gather weapons and decide what we all should carry?”

“Yeah, that’ll be fine,” Justine said.

He took Anna down the hall to show her where the shower was. When he was about to leave, she stopped him.

“Don’t mess around with Justine, Nigel.”

“Mess around how?”

“By playing with her when you plan to walk away. She’s not like other woman. She doesn’t date or play the field.”

“I’m sure she’d love that you are telling me this.”

“She’ll probably deck me, but I want you to know that if you hurt her, I’m coming after you and there won’t be any place for you to hide.”

Nigel nodded. “I’m not planning on hurting her.”

“Good. Emile sent a message to me from Piper for you. She said to tell you that she was just like Justine…a warrior fairy.”

Nigel smiled, imagining Piper saying that. He knew what she meant by it. She was ready to defend herself, and would escape the first chance she got.

“Give her a message from me. Tell her that I’m coming to get her and to stay put until she sees me.”

“You think she’ll run before the drop tonight?” Anna asked.

“If she sees a chance to escape, she’ll try it.”

“That would be so dangerous,” Anna said, “but I understand why she’d do it.”

“You do?”

“I was kidnapped when I was fourteen. So I really do understand what she’s going through.”

“When we get her back, will you talk to her about your experiences?” Nigel asked.

“If she wants me to, then, yes, I will.”

“Thank you, Anna.”

“Anytime, Nigel.”

He walked back down the hall and found Justine standing over the table, rereading the notes. “Did you and Anna have a nice chat?”

“I guess. She warned me about not messing around with you.”

“Did she? I don’t need anyone to watch my back, Nigel.”

“I know that. I think Anna does, too. She just wanted me to know that no matter how much of a loner you are…there are people who care about you.”

Justine was seriously going to talk to Anna when they got back to the office about keeping her nose to herself. The woman should know better than to talk about her.

She went out to the Humvee and brought in two black bags that were bigger than she was. She’d always used them to carry her arsenal. She liked to be prepared, and she was the one on the team in charge of weapons.

Nigel wasn’t in the main living area when she came back in, but she’d watched the front door and had a view of the side, so she suspected he was still in the house.

“Nigel?”

He walked out of the den and waved at her, signaling he was on the phone. She nodded at him and then went to work, assembling the weapons they’d need for the coming night.

It was a job she could do with her eyes shut, so that left her mind free to wander. One thought kept circling in her head: what Nigel had said about people caring about her.

That was the one thing she really couldn’t tolerate…well, okay, she had more than one thing she couldn’t tolerate, but she really didn’t feel comfortable with emotion like that.

If Anna and Charity cared about her, then that left them vulnerable and it left her vulnerable, too. Emotions were a weakness that was really hard to protect against.

“Did you need me?” Nigel asked as he entered the room.

“No. I just wanted to make sure you were still in the house. I’ve been running around gathering weapons. I’m staying here, though. I figure the best chance we have of getting Piper back is the plan you guys came up with.”

“Am I getting a weapon?”

“I think you should take yours with you. But nothing else. He’s probably going to take it from you when you meet him face-to-face.”

“I would,” Nigel said. “So I’ll be weaponless.”

“I could show you a few moves…are you any good at punching?”

“I guess. Most people don’t punch each other.”

“I guess in your world, maybe. But if you are fighting for your life, you can punch him in the throat or in the groin.”

Nigel moaned at that thought.

“I know guys hate to think about hitting that area, but if you are fighting for your life, there’s no such thing as pride or looking cool.”

“I know that.”

“How are you with a knife?”

“I’ve never killed with one, or had a fight with one.”

“Do you want one? I have a switchblade and sheath you could put on your arm. It’s light, but deadly.”

“I’ll take it.”

“The important thing to remember tonight—

“Why are you talking nonstop?”

“Because I want you to be prepared. We’re going to do everything we can to ensure that you are safe, and that we’re there at the drop, but anything could happen. If you are left alone, you need to be prepared to save yourself—and Piper.”

He drew her close and kissed her. He didn’t hesitate or lead up to a deeper embrace, he just full-out kissed her, the way a man kisses his woman when he can’t find the words to tell her how much she means to him.

Justine held on to his shoulders and kissed him back. Tried to show him how much he meant to her, and that for the first time, she was worried about going into a fight. Not for herself—she was like the cockroach that could survive anything—but she was scared for Nigel because he had a lot to lose, and losing Piper would break him.

Breaking him was something she really wanted to avoid because she wanted Nigel in one piece, happy and healthy. She held his head to hers and went up on her tiptoes to kiss him even more deeply. She took a breath and then stepped back.

“You have to be safe, Nigel.”

“I will be. I have the very best bodyguard in the business.”

“I’m serious.”

“I know that, but I can’t start worrying or I’ll lose it.”

She nodded. “Good, you be light and funny and crack jokes if that keeps you loose.”

“Sex would help me wind down, but it doesn’t seem to have the same effect on you.”

She was ashamed that it didn’t. But sharing her body with Nigel just made her tense, and made her struggle inside with the two women she was. One of the women had been hidden away so long she hadn’t even realized there was more to Justine O’Neill than a tough-as-nails gal.

“What relaxes you?” Nigel asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his side.

She stood there for a moment with him pressed so close against her and thought that maybe this was something that relaxed her, but then she felt her body changing. Her breasts felt full and heavy and her mind turned to thoughts of sex.

She pulled away from Nigel, and walked toward the table with the weapons on it. She needed to be the cool RoboCop girl she’d always been. Emotionless.

But she had the feeling that her emotions weren’t going to just disappear the way she wanted them to. “Working the guns and making sure that they are all ready for us. I’ll clean your gun, too, if you’d like.”

“How about if I clean it, and keep you company?” Nigel suggested.

Justine nodded and watched him walk away. She knew she was going to have to let him go. She couldn’t do her job and be in love with him.

Oh, no. She was in love with Nigel Carter. She’d never expected to fall in love, and she had no idea how to handle it now. So she did what she always did with her emotions: she shoved them way down low, out of the way. She’d just pretend it hadn’t happened, and that she didn’t know she’d fallen for Nigel.

Justine disappeared into the bedroom and came back out as the woman he’d first met. Black jeans, black T-shirt, and a pair of black leather boots. He knew she was armed to the teeth, and to be honest, she looked sexy as hell.

She was one lethal weapon. And the vulnerable woman he’d made love to earlier was completely gone. This woman was liable to bite his head off if he tried to touch her.

He felt a lot better knowing she was at his back. He’d made the decision to hire Liberty Investigations on the fly, but it was one of the best ones he’d made in years.

He was wearing a nearly invisible earpiece/microphone combo that would pick up his conversations and enable him to hear Justine, Anna, and Charity.

He also had swallowed a GPS tracking device, and according to Anna it was working right now. He had one embedded in the sole of his shoe and another one in the phone Marshall had sent.

There had been no further messages from Emile, and he could only hope that they’d go to the drop and Marshall would be happy with the money, but a part of Nigel knew the man wasn’t going to let him walk away. He knew that Marshall had taken Piper because he wanted Nigel. And there was only one person in the world that Nigel would come after.

“You can take the Humvee. I will follow you on the motorcycle. Anna will be mobile, but hanging back to monitor communications and track all signals. Charity’s going to be on another Dyna Rider, and she and I will change off following you.”

“Okay. What if you lose me?”

“We don’t intend to let that happen, but if it does, then remember what I told you. Fight for your life and your daughter’s life. There is no such thing as pride in this kind of situation,” Justine said.

“If I do lose contact, I will make my way back here,” Nigel said.

“We’ll meet you here.” Justine said. She’d already disseminated the weapons and everyone had at least two semiautomatic guns and enough clips to keep them shooting until dawn, and whatever other weapons she could fit on the portable arsenal.

“Charity is going first, so she can already be in place at the ruins. Anna will be next. And then I’ll head out when you do.”

Anna had Charity’s motorcycle loaded in the Humvee she was driving, and would unload it off-road, away from the factory in case someone was watching them for Marshall. If Marshall had an inside man at Baron, then they might be screwed anyway. But Nigel didn’t worry about that. They had contingency plans, and as long as he got Piper back, he’d be fine. He could handle whatever came at him if he knew Piper was safe.

They left the house on time and Justine was strangely quiet. “What are you thinking about?”

“Everything that we’re dealing with. Don’t forget—

“I know, Justine. I’m not going to forget anything. I promise.”

“I wish I’d taken the time to teach Piper some moves. I’ve already recommended to Sam that if we take a child from now on, that we give them a class in basic self-defense.”

“That’s a good idea, but most clients are going to feel like they don’t need to know how to defend themselves when they have your group.”

“Why would someone put their own child in jeopardy? I couldn’t work with someone who was too stupid to listen to what we advise them.”

“Like me?”

She looked at him all serious for a minute. “Just like you. Central and South America are dangerous places for American children. You don’t have to be über wealthy to be a target either.”

“Believe me, I know that now.”

“Maybe we could have you talk to the people who don’t want to listen to us about their kids.”

“Justine?”

“Yes, Nigel?”

He loved the sound of his name on her lips. There was something about hearing her call his name that made the bond between them seem stronger: He wanted to put her someplace safe, wanted to protect her so he didn’t have to worry over her while he rescued his daughter.