Wicked Games Read online

  “Noah, wait. We don’t know for sure yet,” Brianna said with a nervous laugh. But it was useless to try to tell him. He grabbed his keys off his desk, pulled her hand, and headed to the car.

  “Well, let’s find out for sure, right now!”

  Back from the store, pregnancy test in hand, Brianna walked into the bathroom. Noah desperately wanted to follow, but he thought he should give her a little privacy, as she peed on the stick.

  How long can it possibly take to piss? He paced outside the bathroom door, hesitating with his hand on the knob several times, before she finally opened the door to let him in.

  “Well?” Like a kid on Christmas morning, he could hardly stand to wait.

  She laughed, “Noah, I just now took it. It takes a couple of minutes for the results to show.”

  He stood over the stick for what seemed like hours. After a couple of seconds, he asked, “Are you sure you did it right?”

  “Yeah, it’s kind of hard to mess it up, Noah.” She laughed and shook her head at him. She took a couple of steps away and sat on the edge of the enormous garden tub in his master bath. And waited.

  After an eternity, Noah turned to her and knelt with his perfectly chiseled body snugly between her legs. His eyes held the passion and feelings that he usually kept buried and hidden from others.

  He lifted her shirt, slowly bent his head to her stomach, kissed it, and said, “You’re carrying my baby.”

  At Noah’s insistence, the receptionist made an emergency appointment for Brianna. As she looked around at the other women in the waiting room of the OB/GYN office, noting their various stages of pregnancy, she tried to picture what she would soon look like. Brianna had explained her worries to the receptionist when she made the appointment. She wasn’t sure how many weeks it had been, she had been put under anesthesia and given other medications, and she wanted to make sure her baby would be healthy.

  The receptionist scheduled her for an ultrasound and told Brianna to bring the medical records from the hospital, so the doctor could review them. Noah was ready to tell everyone about the baby, but Brianna had convinced him to wait until after the first doctors visit and they had more information. Her name was called and they followed the nurse down the hall to the exam room. Brianna changed into the paper gown and sat on the examination table.

  Noah rummaged through everything in the room while they waited for the doctor, opening the cabinet doors, rifling through the supplies, and flipping through the magazines on the counter. Finally, the doctor strolled in the room, said hello, and then motioned for her to put her feet in the stirrups. He performed his usual physical exam and tapped on her belly. Brianna watched his face for any sign of worry. Not seeing any didn’t make her feel better, though.

  “Well, what do you say we have a look at that baby?” The nurse had gathered the materials for the ultrasound and started putting lubricating gel into a condom. She picked up the ultrasound wand, put the condom on it, and handed it to the doctor.

  Noah’s eyes locked onto it and with his threatening tone asked, “Where are you putting that, exactly?”

  The doctor chuckled, “The baby is too small at this stage to see it by regular ultrasound. We only need to insert it just past the tip, it looks worse than it really is.”

  Soon the black and white picture appeared on the screen. The doctor pointed out the baby from all the various lines and squiggles on the screen. The doctor began taking measurements of the size of the baby, the size of her uterus, and the volume of amniotic fluid. Noah moved to Brianna’s side, kissed her cheek, and grabbed her hands. Together they watched in amazement at the images on the screen.

  “Well, from the measurements, it looks like you’re somewhere around six to eight weeks right now. I can only give you an estimate right now, but we’ll do more measurements, as you get farther along.” Brianna did a quick calculation and realized conception could’ve occurred just before she was battered and hospitalized, or just after her release from the hospital. Just those few days could make such a difference…

  The doctor told her to get dressed and meet him in his office, so they could talk about her medical records, what to expect over the next several months, and any other questions they had. Brianna’s hands were shaking as she dressed, because she was so nervous. Noah put his arms around her and pulled her close, “It’ll be ok, baby.” He kissed the top of her head, and they walked to the doctor’s office.

  The doctor was nice, but matter of fact as he spoke, “We try to give as little medication as possible to pregnant women, especially in your first trimester. I can’t guarantee anything, but I don’t see any medications that alarm me.”

  Brianna let out a sigh of relief and felt Noah squeeze her hand. She looked at him and saw his unfaltering smile. His strength seemed to move through his hand and into her. She had to believe everything would be fine, that the baby would be healthy. Outside the office, she began to breathe easier and felt truly happy.

  “I have to go into the office for a meeting now. Will you be ok?” Noah’s voice was laced with concern. She could tell he didn’t want to leave her yet.

  “Yep, I’ll be fine. Quit worrying about me and get to work.” Her voice was teasing and playful.

  Noah kissed her goodbye, climbed in his truck, and drove off towards his downtown office. He really didn’t like leaving her, especially after their first doctor visit. He wanted to take her home and spoil her for the next fifty or sixty years. He knew it was somewhat irrational to worry so much about her, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there could still be some repercussions from the issue with Richard.

  Brianna walked across the parking lot to one of the Steele Security SUVs she was driving until she got her own car. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a full size SUV drive slowly behind her. She was reaching for the door handle when a man grabbed her from behind, covered her head with a black cloth, and pulled her into the back of the SUV.

  He tied her hands and growled into her ear, “Don’t fight if you want to live.”

  She sat motionless, trying to calm herself, and figure out what to do next. Her voice couldn’t hide her fear as she asked, “What do you want with me?”

  She felt the car move and knew they were on the main road. She tried to figure out where they were headed, but her sense of direction was off under the hood she was wearing. Thoughts of Noah and their baby kept her from going into complete panic mode. She was trying to keep her stress levels as low as possible, but at the moment she wasn’t having much luck.

  After several stops, starts, and turns, she heard the vehicle’s engine turn off. Rough hands grabbed her from the back seat, yanked her out, and pushed her forward. One grabbed the back of her arm and guided her in the darkness. After more turns and pushes, she was guided to what felt like a soft chair. She asked again, “What do you want?”

  An angry, hushed voice responded. “I want those documents, Brianna. Give them to me, or your family will get you back in pieces.”

  Her hand went instinctively to her lower abdomen to protect her baby. Bile rose in the back of her throat, and she fought to push it back down.

  “I - I don’t have them.”

  His voice held disgust and disdain for her. “Then what good are you?”

  Keep him talking. “I don’t have them with me. I can get them.”

  “Can you now?” He didn’t believe her.

  “Yes, just….don’t hurt me.”

  He didn’t answer, and she knew he was considering his options.

  “If you let me call Noah, he can get them. He can meet you somewhere, or he can leave them somewhere…. you can let me go. Just take the documents and let me go.”

  She recognized the man’s voice...US Marshal Stevens. Over the last couple of months, Noah had told her about several high-ranking officials, who had been arrested during Shadow’s investigation of Richard. She hadn’t heard Noah mention his name. She had just assumed he’d been arrested, too. Now I’m here with him…w
herever here is.

  He didn’t answer her, but she could hear him moving around the room. She heard him rummaging through something, but he was moving so quickly she couldn’t tell what he was doing. She could hear muffled sounds of things being moved, cabinet doors opening and closing, and at one point, he was talking to himself. She kept straining her ears to figure out what he was up to.

  How long until Noah figures out I’m gone?

  Chapter 22

  Noah finished his meeting at his security firm in downtown Miami and was very pleased with the new contract he had acquired. Shadow had been doing his best to keep Noah’s name, and his business name, out of the negative press. Shadow had also helped get Richard’s name off the business, even as a silent partner. Noah had no idea how Shadow did it and he never asked, certain he didn’t want the details.

  Noah’s new client owned a major computer software business with offices located throughout the nation. The owner wanted a security detail at each location for the next twelve months, as they worked to develop a new product line. This contract would put Steele Security on the map like no other before it, and it was entirely legitimate.

  After his meeting ended, Noah began planning for resources to staff that many locations in his first long-term contract. He was so engrossed in his work that he quickly lost track of time. When he finally looked up, he realized he had been at it for hours, but Brianna hadn’t called him. He grabbed his cell phone to check for missed calls, but there were none.

  He tapped the screen and dialed her number. It rang several times before going to voicemail. He tried the house phone, but no one answered. Don’t panic…she could be busy or taking a nap or… He turned to his computer, tapped a few keys, and checked his home security system. It hadn’t been set or reset since they left the house this morning.

  He called down the hall for Bull and Rebel to come to his office. He relayed his worry to them, and when they tried to convince him he was overreacting, he blew out an exasperated breath and considered what he was about to tell them. If he was wrong and she was fine somewhere, she would have his head. But if she wasn’t…

  “Brianna’s pregnant. We just found out. Look, we haven’t told anyone yet, not even her family, because we just went to the doctor today to confirm the baby’s ok. She’ll be pissed at me telling you without her here, but if anything’s happened to her…”

  Bull and Rebel were obviously stunned, but they were smiling and congratulating Noah. Bull knew Noah was worried and added, “OK, let’s find her. Wasn’t she driving one of our SUVs today?”

  Bull pulled up the GPS tracking software for their fleet of Steele Security SUVs on the computer. Each one had been fitted with a tracker, so others could find them in case of an emergency. He found hers and looked up the address where it was located.

  He turned to Noah, the worry obvious on his face and said, “Reaper, she never left the doctor’s office this morning.” The three men sprang into action. Rebel started calling in backup, as they made their way to the garage. They decided to start at her last known location and work their way out from there.

  The SUV still sat in the parking lot, where she had met Noah that morning. He looked around the car, but found nothing to help them. He used a spare key, checking for car trouble, but it started fine and had a full tank of gas. Noah went back inside to talk to the receptionist, but he was told Brianna hadn’t come back in the office.

  Running back across the parking lot, he called Brad. “I need you to hack into the area traffic cameras, and any other security cameras at this location, and find out what happened to Bri. Now!”

  Bull had his phone out and called Shadow to have him stay on alert. Shadow was back in Miami, and they all decided to meet at Noah’s house to search for Brianna. Noah had called Brianna’s phone several more times, but it always rolled to voicemail. He knew without a doubt that she was in danger.

  Brad’s tone of voice startled Noah from his thoughts, “Noah, I got something here!” Noah rushed to his computer, as Brad played the video again. He watched as a man in a black mask grabbed Brianna, dragged her into the SUV with him, and sped away with her. The camera caught the direction the vehicle traveled for another twenty seconds before it panned in the opposite direction.

  “I’m working on cleaning up the image for the license plate.”

  “Email that image to me,” responded Shadow’s deep voice.

  Within a few minutes, Shadow had an email back from his contact at Langley. The email was a clear picture of the SUV, the license plate, along with the owner’s name, address, and all known phone numbers.

  US Marshal Michael Stevens.

  “He was Brianna’s handler when she was in the WITSEC program,” Shadow added.

  “Hey, wait a minute…” Rebel was remembering a conversation and putting the pieces together in his head.

  “What, Rebel? You know something? Talk to me!” Noah’s agitation was evident in his tone.

  “That morning she made waffles. I told her that US Marshal Stevens came by to talk to us. He told us that he didn’t think Richard was on that plane and he thought Richard had been taken hostage. She didn’t say he was assigned to her. She must have put it together that this dude was dirty. How could he not be, if he knew Richard was alive? They never reported he was taken hostage until he showed up. This one guy knew they were both alive.”

  “And he knew Brianna was the key to the investigation.” Noah was beginning to realize what they were dealing with.

  Noah dialed the cell phone number from Shadow’s email. He was surprised when the man answered.

  “Stevens.”

  “You took something of mine today, Stevens. I will tear you limb from limb with my bear hands, if even one hair on her head is missing.” Noah’s voice was calm but low. He was serious and determined to get Brianna back and carry out his threat to Stevens.

  “And you have something I want. How about a swap?” Noah didn’t like Stevens’ cocky tone. He sounded so sure of himself and not at all threatened by Noah’s statement.

  “What do you want?”

  “The documents….All her evidence.”

  “Let me talk to her first. I want to know she’s ok.”

  “Noah?”

  “Bri – I’m coming to get you!”

  “Not until I get what I want, you’re not.”

  “Just say where and when, Stevens.”

  He gave an address where he wanted to meet in one hour. As expected, he told Noah to come alone. Brad saved a copy of the documents he had saved on his computer, from his earlier research, to a flash drive and gave it to Noah.

  They geared up for battle – this time in their work fatigues, guns and knives in various holsters and hiding places, communication devices, stun guns, smoke grenades and mace. Noah sent one team to the address listed in the email Shadow received, just in case Stevens was sending them on a wild goose chase. Shadow called the boys at Langley to start searching for any other local addresses that were remotely associated with Stevens.

  When I get my hands on him, he won’t have to worry about going to prison. He’ll be going to a morgue. There was a reason why his nickname was Reaper, and he was determined to put it to good use.

  ****************

  “Come on. We’re going for a ride,” Stevens said, as he yanked her up from the chair.

  “Stevens, you don’t have to do this.”

  “Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me over the last three years?“ He was pushing her back into the SUV.

  As he closed her door, she felt something at her feet and quickly leaned over to touch it. My purse! She quickly grabbed her cell phone out of the side pocket. As he slid in the driver’s seat, she tucked it between her right thigh and the edge of her seat, as far away from Stevens as she could get it. She kept her hands at her sides and only moved her fingers as she unlocked the screen.

  With her head held just right, she could barely see the touchscreen of her phone from under her
hood. She quickly hit the speed dial button for Noah’s cell and let the phone stay on. She hoped he could somehow track her cell phone signal and find her. She at least felt better knowing he was on the other end of the line.

  “Where are we going, Stevens?”

  “Oh, I’m going to meet your boyfriend and be done with all this shit.”

  “And what do you plan to do with me?”

  “You’ll see soon enough.”

  Is he really enjoying this? “How did you get involved in this? You’re supposed to be one of the good guys.”

  “Good guys finish last, sweetheart. Haven’t you heard? Hollingsworth screwed me over, after I helped him. He owes me.”

  “But your name didn’t even come up in any of those documents. You were safe.”

  “He screwed me over! That’s why my name wasn’t there! At first, I thought you were playing me when I kept asking for them and you never gave them to me.”

  “I wasn’t playing you. I didn’t know you were even involved.”

  “Yeah, I figured that out. Richard cut me out completely. Took all the money for himself, but you have all the offshore bank account numbers.”

  “So you can take all the money…”

  “Such a smart girl…too smart for your own damn good.”

  ***************

  Noah jerked the phone up when he saw Brianna’s number come up. He hit the button and heard her talking to Stevens and knew what she was doing. He put the call on mute and transferred it to the vehicle Bluetooth link, so the team could listen through the speakers.

  “Brad, track her cell phone and find her!”

  Brad was already on it. He was sure what he was doing was illegal, but Shadow gave him the nod to continue. He hacked into the cell carrier’s website and identified the towers Brianna’s phone was pinging off of. A few calculations later, he had triangulated her position within a few hundred yards.

  Brianna was still talking and keeping Stevens talking. That was a small consolation, just knowing she was still alive and didn’t sound hurt. But Noah had heard Stevens’ comment and his tone of voice. Stevens wasn’t leaving any loose ends, and Brianna knew too much for Stevens to just let her go. He planned to kill her as soon as he got the bank numbers.