Executive Protection(64)

Darcy understood this man was some kind of mercenary or gun for hire. “Yeah.” He nodded. “Got it. Everyone we love.” The man stood, smirking down at him. Cars flew by, a spray of rainwater developing. So much for Good Samaritans.





Chapter 16


The Jeep bounced and jerked through the deep, wet sand. Lucy kept looking over at Thad’s grim but focused profile. He had to fight his way at a snail’s pace. The windshield wipers were at top speed and water ran off them. Lucy gripped the door handle and checked on Sophie, who looked up every time the Jeep lifted her off the seat. Her dolls and a vivid imagination kept her oblivious to the severity of the storm.


Ahead, a stream of water coursed across the road. Thad didn’t slow, he took it on without preamble. The Jeep sank into the depression and threw all of them up off their seats. Lucy came down hard on her butt. Water splashed high on every side of their car.

Sophie started crying.

The dolls she’d been holding had dropped to the floor, her mouth was an open frown and tears sprouted from her frightened eyes.

“It’s all right, sweetie,” Lucy said. “The road is just a little wet from the rain.” Boy, was that an understatement.

Straining to reach the nearest doll, Lucy handed it to the girl. “We’re almost home.”

Quieting, Sophie took the doll and then bent forward to retrieve her other doll.

Crisis averted, Lucy faced forward. The Jeep handled the conditions amazingly well. Dips and washed-out portions of road didn’t stop them.

Finally, through torrents of rain, Lucy spotted the lights of the beach house.

“We’re home, Sophie,” Lucy said with as much animation as she could muster.

“Yay!” Sophie dropped her dolls and looked out the window, not possibly seeing much through the rain.

Thad drove onto the long driveway, maneuvering two mini floods streaming across and bouncing them across washed-out holes.

At last the Jeep came to a stop. They’d made it.

Lucy helped Sophie with her tote and Thad waited for them to climb the stairs first. They all ran for the door. The rain was incessant. A bolt of lightning flashed at the same time an explosion of thunder boomed. Sophie started crying. Thad opened the door, and Lucy gently pushed Sophie inside.

Dripping wet, Lucy unzipped Sophie’s jacket, trying not to laugh at her adorable, crying face. “You’re all right.”

Her cries eased up, but she still wore a cute pout.

Lucy took off her hat and ruffled her hair. “Shower time.”

After Lucy sent Sophie to change into pajamas, she came back down to the second level. Thad stood by the back windows, the television tuned to a news channel. The storm was going to intensify tonight, turning to snow by morning.

She went over to him, daring to slip her arm around him. He warmed her by putting his around her while they watched the rain in the lights over the pool. The ocean wasn’t visible through the darkness.

“Darcy called,” he said. “We lost cell service but I called him from the landline.”

Darcy was staying at Kate’s estate. Had something happened? She moved out from under his arm and faced him as he turned from the window. “Why?”

“A man met Wade Thomas at his house and then followed him.” He explained what happened.

Who would do that? Who would risk being caught? Someone who wasn’t afraid. That’s why Thad stood here staring out the window. He wanted to go back to the estate, and it looked like the weather would stop him.

“What was his warning?” she asked.

“You and your friend better stop interfering,” Thad summarized. “Darcy found out the chief is in trouble financially just like Layne and Jaden.” Thad shook his head incredulously with a long sigh.

And then he’d gone to check out Wade. “How would the chief be involved?” Lucy asked.

“I don’t know. None of this makes sense. I don’t think Cam is involved, but Jaden could have taken money from Cam and the person who contacted Layne. He’s vulnerable, and someone with the right resources would be able to find that out.” Cam had.

So, Cam was just a coincidence? He hadn’t met her on purpose to try and get close to Kate? He didn’t strike her as the sniper type anyway. He was crazy enough to stalk women but not smart enough to use his sniper abilities to attempt to kill a presidential candidate. She had to agree with Thad. “Who was the man who attacked Darcy?” she asked.

“Darcy is pretty sure his name is Andrew Lindeman. We think Wade hired him.”

A gunman? Someone to do the serious threatening? “Could he be the shooter?”

“I think he’s the one who paid Layne to kidnap Sophie and Jaden to allow the shooter access to the estate. I don’t think he’s the shooter.”

“Why not?” Thad walked away from the window and stopped in front of the TV. “Whoever is behind this must be very rich and powerful,” he said. More powerful than Wade. “It’s more than a lone shooter.”

“You mean like some sort of network?”

He looked back at her. “Or organization, yes.”

She could see how that was possible. It did seem that there were several involved. Jaden. The chief of police. And now this Andrew Lindeman character.

“I need to get back to the estate.”