Love Inspired Suspense April 2015 #2 (45 page)

Accumulated tension eased from Shaun's shoulders. The authoritative routine didn't always work, but this security team was already in over their heads. A person exuding confidence tended to be a welcome presence in dire situations.

“One more thing,” Shaun said as the men turned to leave. “Don't tell anyone else what's going on. The safety of the passengers and this girl may be at stake. The last thing we need is someone running scared, making rash moves or disappearing as soon as we hit the dock. Any news on the passenger, Parsons?”

“Right.” Parsons radioed through to Reed, who didn't pick up. “He's probably held up someplace. I'll track him down and fill you in.” The security personnel began walking away, but Parsons turned around and paused. “You know, if everything's as you say, I don't think the kidnapper running scared is what we'll need to worry about.”

Glancing at Lexie, Shaun couldn't agree with him more.
That's what I'm afraid of.

* * *

On the inside, Lexie reeled from the conversation of the past five minutes. Had Nikki actually lied to her eight years ago? Was her sister the one who'd gone after Shaun, and not vice-versa? All this time, Lexie had carried around disgust and anger at the boy who'd stolen her sister's heart on a mission trip only to stomp on it without warning...except it hadn't been that way at all. Or had it?

Lexie pressed the base of her palm against her forehead to ease the growing pressure. Who did she believe? Reconciling this strong, compassionate man across from her with her sister's story would be impossible had she not seen this version of Shaun in action.

Perhaps proving even more difficult to believe was what he'd just told the security officers. Combined with giving a different last name to the medical staff—she
knew
she hadn't remembered that wrong—something else was going on here. Something she doubted Shaun would willingly tell her on his own, so she decided to take a direct approach.

“Changed your last name when you started working for the government, did you?”

He flinched at her accusation, and Lexie pressed her lips together to suppress a knowing smile. After a few beats of silence, Shaun ran his fingers through his hair, offering up a disarming grin.

“It's like I said, I work for the US government.”

Lexie said nothing and stared him down, waiting.

Shaun chuckled, looked around to double check that they were alone in the room, and leaned in closer to Lexie. “You're very perceptive, Reilly. Yes, I did have to change my name. I'm CIA and I need to protect my cover. As you can tell, I didn't count on bumping into someone from my past. It happens less often than you'd think.”

Lexie stifled a gasp as a thrill crept up her spine, which she immediately tamped down on. Shaun Carver, CIA? And yet, she believed him. His coffee-brown eyes pleaded with her for trust and understanding, and for a moment, she was tempted to give it to him.

To distract herself—and to possibly drown the migrating stomach butterflies—she drained the remainder of her coffee, grateful to have at least some sustenance in her stomach. “You've been doing this awhile, I take it?”

A flicker of annoyance crossed Shaun's features. Did he think she'd just drop it? The man had willingly put himself in possible danger on two occasions already, and despite herself, Lexie felt her heart warming at the depth of Shaun's concern for both her and others. It was an undeniable and unavoidable change from the version of him she'd thought to be true, almost magnetic, compelling her to want to know more about him. To get a little closer. And yet, that would compromise her focus. Besides, they both had a serious job to do.

“Let's just say I've spent the past three years on the trail of some very dangerous people.” Shaun pushed away from the chair he leaned on. “We should get back to the search, if you're ready. Try to piece the clues together.”

He had a point. They did no good by sitting around. “Fine. But if what you've told us puts Maria in danger—”

Shaun rubbed a hand down his face. “Honestly, right now? It's not only Maria I'm worried about. Anything we tackle from this point onward, we tackle together. You've already been targeted, and I don't trust the Wolf to leave you alone until he's convinced you've given up on the girl.”

“Which I haven't. And I won't.”

“Trust me, I understand. I'm not going to try and talk you out of it.”

“You won't? Won't I compromise your operation or whatever?”

Shaun's gentle laugh sent a rush of warmth to her center. It was a reassuring sound in a tense moment, but she clamped down on the urge to fully let her guard down, regardless of his undeniable sincerity. She still hadn't decided if she believed him.

“You've just become part of the operation,” Shaun said, interrupting her thoughts. “But let's keep that between us, shall we?” His seriousness with those final words only vanished once she'd nodded agreement. He then motioned for her to follow him, and they exited the lounge in silence.

Shaun positioned himself about two feet behind her as they checked the public rooms on the deck, searching for any sign of disturbance or possible person-sized hiding spaces.

Even at this distance, Lexie found herself fully aware of Shaun's presence. He matched her every step and every turn, ensuring he'd be within arm's reach should they come across any danger. In a way, it was comforting, but having him so close brought up unwelcome feelings that were getting harder to bury.

As they exited a small cloak room, Lexie couldn't help but notice Shaun's build as he glanced from one side to another down the hallway. With such broad shoulders and chest, anyone who didn't know what he did might mistake him for a construction worker or logger. Of course, his plaid shirt and puffy vest didn't help. She supposed not all spies wore suits and dark sunglasses, despite what she'd seen on television.

“Library,” Shaun said behind her. Lexie stopped and touched the door on their right. “Even if there's nothing in there, we might as well sit down and go over what we have so far.”

“You mean, the nothing we have so far?” Lexie entered the room and Shaun closed the library door behind them. Six-foot-high shelves lined the walls of the small room, and several armchairs and coffee tables were strategically placed in small groups or singles. Lexie's shoulders dropped by an inch as her tension began to melt away. Shelves of books tended to have that effect, enveloping her with a sense of peace. Shaun surveyed the room with an impassive gaze, tucking his hands in his back pockets.

“This is nice,” he said. Lexie gaped at him, barely believing her ears. He caught her eye and shrugged. “No, really. I don't get to read much, but if I wanted to get away from the bustle of a busy ferry trip, I'd come here. Something tells me you would, too.” He watched her curiously, as though seeing her through a magnifying lens.

Lexie rolled her shoulders back, trying to ease the discomfort of feeling examined. “Yes, I would. Deductive reasoning from a trained agent?”

“Or a good memory from the distant past?” He winced and looked back toward the door. “But you might want to be careful how loud you throw the
A
word around. It's not a feature we want to advertise. Right now I think we have the element of surprise, with the Wolf knowing only of your purpose here, not mine, as far as we know. This should give us an advantage both in keeping you safe and in searching for Maria, though that could change at any moment.”

Shaun walked around the room's perimeter, checking behind tables and tapping on the sides of shelves. Lexie followed suit, starting at the other end of the room until they met in the middle. The final shelf yielded no secrets, which didn't surprise Lexie. Searching rooms had seemed like a good idea until they'd come up empty in one place after another. She still wasn't entirely sure what they were searching for, but Shaun had ideas about intelligence gathering from subtle clues that she couldn't very well argue with.

She leaned against the final shelf as Shaun swept his hand across the top, coming away with a handful of gray dust for his efforts.

He raised his eyebrows and held his palm up toward her. “Huh. Dust at sea. I had no idea.”

Lexie suppressed a laugh. The man had saved her from being choked to death and hadn't hesitated to enter her room when he thought someone dangerous might be inside, but a sprinkling of dust stopped him in his tracks. “Where there are people, there's dust, Mr. Lane. Or did you think the sea automatically vacuumed it out of the air?”

“Guess I never thought about it,” he said, wiping the dust on his jeans. “Dusting at sea just seems...wrong, somehow.”

Lexie couldn't hold back the laugh this time, but as her giggle escaped, she became acutely aware of just how close Shaun stood to her. Her breath caught as he smiled at her, and in the strangeness of the moment, she found herself unable to move away.

“There doesn't seem to be anything here,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “We haven't found what we're looking for.”

He swallowed hard, and Lexie thought she saw a bead of sweat break out on his forehead, despite the cool air of the ship.

“I wouldn't say that,” he said, his voice deep and smooth.

The kindness and determination in Shaun's eyes sent a shiver through Lexie from head to toe, the space beyond Shaun becoming hazy and dim. Her lips parted without warning, though she willed them to close. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't be here in this room with him, alone. Too much was at stake, and she risked too much by letting him come this close. Knowing what she did now about Maria's possible circumstances, neither of them could afford this kind of distraction.

Her voice cracked as she forced out the words she hoped would trip the breaker of the static building between them. “Shaun, I can't believe you—”

A click at the door shattered the moment, snapping Lexie back to full awareness of her surroundings. She launched herself away from Shaun's side and reached the library door in four strides.

Lexie gripped the door handle and turned, but it didn't budge. Adrenaline rushed her senses and a wave of internal heat threatened to drag her into the terrifying oblivion of a panic attack. “We're locked in,” she said, pounding a fist on the door. How could she have allowed herself to be so distracted? And by Shaun Carver, of all people—

“Lexie, stop!” Shaun reached her side and tore her fist away from the door, covering her knuckles with his hand. “There's no need to assume the worst. Maybe someone locked it with us inside by accident, shutting areas down for the night. They could have heard your banging and be out there right now, trying to find the right key.”

“Or I could have got the attention of the wrong person,” she moaned. “What am I thinking?” Lexie yanked her fist away from Shaun and stalked to the other side of the room, feeling the need to get as far away from him as possible. “Call security on your walkie-talkie. Have them come let us out.”

Shaun pulled the walkie-talkie out of his belt and turned the top dials, fiddling with them to clear up the static. He grunted, smacking the unit against his hand. “I thought Parsons put this on the right channel, but I must have bumped it. Hang tight.”

Lexie pressed her index fingers into the corners of her eyes, hoping to stave off the growing pressure in her skull. She wrinkled her nose at a sudden unpleasant smell and sniffed the air as a second hissing noise joined the walkie-talkie's static. “Do you hear that?”

She visually scanned the room, looking for an escape as the smell of rotten eggs grew stronger. “You smell that?” she asked, feeling oddly light-headed. “What is that?”

Shaun swayed on his feet, coughed and sniffed the air. He regarded her with grave seriousness, a complete one-eighty from their interaction moments before. “That's hydrogen sulfide gas. And it will kill us in minutes if we don't find a way out.”

SEVEN

S
haun looked around the room, searching for the gas's entry point. He saw it at the same moment Lexie did—a clear hose, inserted underneath the library door. Taking a deep breath, Shaun dropped to the floor and scooted to the door's edge, trying to see underneath. An opaque film obscured any sight of the hallway, and the crack was too small to fit his fingers through.

“The bottom of the door is taped over,” he said, standing. “Look for something that we can put against the hose.”

Lexie grabbed cushions off the plush chairs and tossed them to him. “Will those work?”

Shaun began stacking the cushions on and around the hose. “It won't stop the gas from coming inside, but maybe we can slow its progress enough to find a way out of here.”

“What about tying fabric around our mouths? It smells terrible.” Lexie held a hand over her face, using her other hand to pound on the door at random intervals. “I feel dizzy.”

Shaun yanked the walkie-talkie from his belt again and continued turning the dials, trying to find the right channel for the security team. If they didn't get a hold of someone in the next minute, they were in serious trouble. They were both having trouble remaining upright, which meant it wouldn't be long now before their respiratory systems gave out. Just five minutes of exposure to hydrogen sulfide could be lethal. “Find the room's emergency phone.”

“It's not working,” Lexie cried, seconds later. She stumbled across the room toward him, banging into furniture.

Shaun coughed, feeling tightness in his lungs with each breath. For once, he had no idea what to do. “Sit down, try not to exert yourself. Here, take the radio—turn the top dials until you hear someone. I'll keep looking for something to break the door down.”

She nodded sleepily, but took the device from his hands. By sheer willpower, Shaun dragged a nearby coffee table toward the door, forcing his feet to take each step. Maybe he could dislodge the door handle and release whatever had locked it in place from the outside. Maybe he could punch his way through the door. Maybe he could...

His thoughts became jumbled and scattered as he heard Lexie shout into the walkie-talkie.

“Hello? Anyone, please...library...locked in...” Lexie coughed and the walkie-talkie tumbled to the floor. Static crackled from the speaker, and Lexie's prone form stretched out on the chair, motionless.

He'd failed. He'd promised to keep her safe, and he'd failed. Why would anyone do this to them? Did the Wolf want Lexie out of the way that badly? The irony of the situation didn't fail to escape him—Lexie had acted incredulous that someone could be trying to kill her, and yet here was undeniable proof. But she'd never get the chance to acknowledge his need to keep her safe, because it would be only a matter of seconds before both of them succumbed to the gas pumping into the room. Permanently.

Shaun's legs gave out, and his knees cracked against the library floor. He placed his hands on his lap to stop from falling all the way over. Lexie hadn't moved for the past fifteen seconds, and Shaun's heart ached. Why hadn't he told her how deep his affection had grown in just a few short hours? Why had they met again after nearly a decade, only to lose each other to the cruelty of an unknown villain?
I trust You, Lord, but I don't understand.

He crawled across the floor with shaking limbs and rattling breath, reaching for Lexie's hand. It felt cold and clammy. The walkie-talkie still crackled, and his vision had become a complete blur of muted shades. He'd failed, and this was the end.

Something banged on the door as Shaun's world turned black.

* * *

“Come on, Lexie. Wake up.” Shaun held the petite brunette's hand between his palms, rubbing warmth back into them. She'd been out for too long, the oxygen mask covering her soft, pink lips for the past forty-five minutes since he'd regained consciousness. The onboard nurse had chalked her delayed recovery up to their size difference, though the nurse's initial assessment stated that they hadn't inhaled a strong enough dosage of hydrogen sulfide to do lasting damage. They'd need to take care for the next seventy-two hours, as symptoms of lung damage could show up at any point during that period, but they'd been rescued literally in the nick of time.

If Parsons hadn't barged through the door when he did, they could have been facing permanent eye damage, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest or complete cardiac failure. That the culprit who'd set up the gas trap had wanted them dead, Shaun had no doubt. It was only by chance—and God's grace—that their exposure had been midlevel and short-term.

“Let her rest,” Parsons said, sauntering to Shaun's side. Shaun glanced past Parsons to see the two ubiquitous members of Parsons's security crew standing watch at the door. It was a thoughtful but unnecessary gesture. They had plenty of other passengers to deal with.

Shaun shook his head and squeezed Lexie's hand. “You know I can't do that, not when there's someone aboard trying to kill her. The nurse says she'll wake up soon.”

Parsons nodded and gestured to his men. “If you want to head out and get something to eat, or bring back a tea for her when she wakes up or whatever, we can keep an eye out here. My boys know not to let anyone else in aside from medical.”

“No, thanks. I can't risk that whoever gassed us could cause a distraction elsewhere on the ship and force you guys to leave her here unprotected. I don't mind waiting around. She'll want answers when she wakes up.”

“You think it's likely someone might try more funny business this soon?” Parsons crossed his arms, taking a wide stance. “Gotta say, I don't like this happening on my ship. Makes me look like I can't do my job.”

Shaun empathized with the man. Getting bested by an unknown culprit on one's own turf tended to be more than a little disheartening. It wouldn't surprise Shaun if the burly man had begun questioning his ability to run the ship's security at all.

“Don't be too hard on yourself,” Shaun said, cuffing the man on the arm. “Whoever is after Lexie saw an opportunity and took it. I suspect they saw us searching the decks and took advantage of the moment.” He'd already gone back to check the room out with one of the medical staff. Everything—tape, hose, tubing—had been removed, and no one had owned up to it. “The equipment and chemicals needed for hydrogen gas aren't hard to come by. Most supply closets have everything a person needs for it. You guys have a policy to lock up supply areas?”

Parsons grunted and trained his gaze on the floor. “Between you and me? Yeah, on most levels. The boys in engineering and maintenance get a little sloppy though, since there's no passenger admittance down there. So long as they do their job right and no one gets hurt, I don't police the little things. That's up to management.”

Shaun had been afraid of that. “And the passenger Reed ran into?”

“Engine level. Hey, Reed?”

Reed poked his head around the door. “Boss?”

“You find that nosy passenger yet?”

“No, boss.”

Parsons rolled his eyes and addressed Shaun. “I'll go deal with that. We'll find him, but you let me know if there's anything else the boys and I can do, all right?”

“Sure thing. Quick question, though.” Shaun considered how to ask his question without raising the man's ire. “Reed and Josh, they've been with you a long while?”

Parsons frowned, his eyebrows scrunching together in suspicion. “I've been in this business nigh on twenty years, kid. You think I wouldn't know a bad apple if I saw one?”

Shaun shrugged. “Two years? Six months?”

“Josh came on eleven months ago. Reed's a year and a half in.”

“You know them well?”

“Well enough.” Parsons jabbed a finger in the air at Shaun. “And I don't appreciate what you're implying, government man. Remember, I'm only letting you in on this because you asked nicely.”

Not quite the truth, but Shaun would let him win this one. He kept silent as the man stepped from the room, summoning his team to follow.

The moment Parsons left the room, Lexie's fingers curled in Shaun's palm.

His heart fluttered. He couldn't believe it—how could this woman have such an effect on him? That moment in the library, she'd been so close to him. From the top of his head to the tips of his toes, he'd fought to resist the urge to turn the moment into something else. There'd been enough electricity in the air between them to power a lightbulb. Maybe three.

And yet, she'd been all too ready to pull away from him when danger arrived. After all that had happened since they met on the parking deck, could he blame her?

Lexie's eyelids flickered like tiny butterfly wings and pulled open. She blinked several times as her eyes adjusted to the light before focusing on Shaun. He called the nurse over, who removed the oxygen mask, checked her vitals and warned her to stay put and rest for a bit longer.

With the nurse out of sight, Lexie pounced. “What happened? How did we get out?”

Joy welled up in Shaun's chest at the sound of her feisty, if imperious, voice. Of course she'd want to get right down to business. “One thing at a time. We were rescued, believe it or not.”

Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “How? We didn't get through on the walkie-talkie.”

He shrugged. He'd been in just as much disbelief, but being saved from a fatal gassing at the final moment wasn't the first close call he'd had in the field. “God is good, I guess. Plus, Parsons said he heard you through the static. We must have been one notch off on the dial.”

Lexie squeezed her eyes shut, yawned and blinked them open again. “I assume we don't know who did it.”

“No one was caught, and there's no fingerprinting kit on board to try and match prints with passengers. We do know the gas was homemade. Hydrogen sulfide requires materials that aren't hard to find on board.”

“On board? Isn't that dangerous? Why would the ferry have those ingredients?”

Shaun wished he could tell her it had been a fluke, but the reality was, homemade gasses and bombs were all too easy to throw together in a pinch with standard household items. He'd been up against both more than once.

She closed her eyes again when he explained how the hydrogen gas had been made and delivered. “So we're dealing with someone who knows the ferry, or has a passing familiarity with these ships. They know where to find things,” she said, eyes still closed.

Shaun blinked in surprise at her deduction. The woman in front of him was not only brave, but incredibly smart as well. “Exactly. It could be a frequent passenger, someone who uses this kind of vessel to move people along the route regularly. If he's well-recognized and liked by the crew, he could finagle his way into restricted areas of the ship reserved for staff. Or sneak into an area where the storage closets aren't always locked.”

“What about the passenger list? The captain or the security team should have a copy. Maybe we could call into Atlantic Voyages's main office to get information on the passengers. If the wireless is working, they could email it through.”

What Shaun wouldn't give to be able to kiss her right now.
Settle down, buddy,
he scolded himself. “That's the best idea I've heard all day. I'll call down to Parsons and have him bring us a copy.”

“Perfect,” Lexie said, shifting on the medical gurney. She propped herself up on her elbows. “Want me to go down to the computer room and make sure we can get online?”

“Whoa! Slow down, soldier.” As much as Shaun appreciated her enthusiasm, they'd both been through a lot. “Another attempt was made on your life less than two hours ago. You might want to sit this one out. If you'd like, I can see if the captain will let you rest in the captain's quarters? It has high security, and isn't easily accessed by anyone aside from the captain and the security team. I'd rather not take you back to your room just yet—whoever gassed the library could conceivably trap you in there and finish the job.”

He hated to state it in such a blatant way, but sugarcoating the danger wouldn't help either of them.

“No, thanks.” Lexie swung her legs over the side of the gurney and hopped to the floor, stumbling slightly as she landed. Shaun winced and reached out to steady her, remembering his own wobbly attempt to stand up a little while ago.

“You're in danger, Lexie. Serious danger.”

Lexie stared at him, fire in her eyes. “So is Maria. I have to find her, Shaun.”

Shaun shook his head. “It's not worth it. Rest here and let me do my job, and then we can—”

She cut him off with a wave. “You don't understand. I
have
to find her. This is not optional. I'm doing this, and I won't let this Wolf character scare me off. Her family needs her, and her future...she wants to be a veterinarian. Vet school, Shaun. Maria failed algebra three times, got a tutor and went to summer school to pass the class so she can apply for a veterinary program this fall. Are you telling me that I should sit back and leave her survival up to a bunch of strangers when I have the means to do something about it?”

Her comment stung. “I'm not a stranger, Lexie.”

“Aren't you?”

The silence that followed her outburst filled the room, catching in the cracks and corners until Shaun couldn't take it anymore.

“Fine,” he said, resting his hand lightly on her cheek. “But we're doing this together.”