Not This Time (31 page)

Peggy’s chunky white necklace heaved against her navy dress. “No, they won’t. Mark and Jeff found something out there. Something … dangerous.”

“Another NINA-type something?” Beth whispered.

“Kyle didn’t say, but they’ve requested a Hazmat team.”

“Oh no.” Sara’s hands went to her throat. “It’s begun.”

“What’s begun?” Beth grabbed Sara’s arm. “Enough of this. It’s NINA, Sara. Others are at risk. Tell me what’s going on right now.”

Wild-eyed, Sara gasped and fell into a full faint.

“Joe, answer your stupid phone,” Beth told his voice mail, angry and not bothering to hide it. Glaring at the water, she plunked down on Sara’s backyard porch swing. “I’m in crisis here. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s a crisis—and I trusted you. You said you cared. Well, prove it. Call me.”

She waited, and waited, but he didn’t call.

“So much for counting on you.”

Harvey and Lisa were in with Sara. She didn’t want Beth around, but she asked for Nora. Unfortunately she wasn’t answering her phone either.
Beyond odd, that
. Where was Nathara?

“Beth?” Peggy walked into view. The stiff breeze tugged at the hem of her navy dress. “Lisa says Sara’s okay. No attack.”

“Good.” Beth let out a staggered breath. “Is she talking?”

“Yes, but she’s not saying anything we want to hear. For some reason, she’s clammed up on anything but her medical condition. Do you have any idea why?”

“None.” Plenty of suspicions, but nothing she could share. Weary from the soul out, Beth swiped at her eyes. “Peggy, do you know what’s happening with the funeral site?”

“No, I don’t.” Her expression sobered even more. “But it’s bad or Mark wouldn’t have called Roxy to the cemetery.”

FBI involved again. Not a good sign. “Have you heard from Nora? I can’t reach her.”

“Nathara and Tack Grady are here, but Nora isn’t. She wanted some time alone.”

“Did Nathara say why?”

“Not really. But you know Nathara. She thinks grief lasts five minutes and it’s done. Nora probably needs a break from her.”

No doubt. “But she’s not answering her phone.” Nora never ignored Beth’s calls. An uneasy feeling nagged at her. “I’m going to check on her.”

“She’s probably just worn out with all this coming on the heels of Clyde’s passing.”

“No.” Beth stood. “It’s more. I feel it, Peg. No matter what she’s doing or where she is or what time it is, when I call, Nora answers. Something’s wrong.”

“I’ll ride with you. If something’s wrong, you shouldn’t go alone.”

Beth considered it. “No, you’d better play sentry for Sara. If Nathara or one of Robert’s friends gets around her right now, it could get ugly. But if you could get the prayer warriors busy on Sara, I’d appreciate it.”

“They’ve been praying for her since this started.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “She told me she couldn’t pray, Peg. Not that she
didn’t want to, but she couldn’t. I said I would until she felt she could, but I don’t think she believes she’s ever going to have the right to pray again.”

“Sara said that?”

“No, but I felt it. If you’d been there, you’d know what I mean.” Beth blinked hard. To go through tragedy alone … without God … it was too painful to bear.

“Whatever her trouble is, to have her feeling that way when she knows sure as certain it isn’t so seems odd to me. Grace—”

“Exactly.” Lavender scent. Beth glanced over and spotted the flowers.

Peggy frowned. “I’ll call Annie and Miranda Kent right away. This requires more.”

“Thanks.” An urgency about Nora that Beth didn’t understand flooded her. She rushed into the kitchen and snagged her purse. “Don’t tell anyone where I’ve gone. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

The special phone vibrated at Joe’s hip. Omega One.

Joe pulled off Highway 98 and onto the shoulder. Traffic noise was still too high. He whipped into a parking lot between two cars and answered the incoming phone call. “What’s up?”

“Secure?”

He checked the cars parked nearby—empty—and no one was close on foot. “Yeah.” The sun streaked down on his back.

“We intercepted an interesting conversation you need to hear. The voice is altered, but the content is of extreme interest.”

“Play it.”

“Stand by one.” A pause, and then, “Here you go.”

“Phoenix, this is Raven.”

“Mission?”

“Dead Game,”
she said.
“Code?”

“A72777,”
Phoenix said.

“Verified. I just received a kill order with instructions that you’re to handle it yourself.”

“Who is the subject?”

“A former Shadow Watcher. Joe alias Thomas Boudin.”

“But the plan … I thought he
—”

“The plan has changed and he is expendable
—
the sooner the better. This order comes from our European associate.”

“All right.”

“Be careful, Phoenix.”

“I’m aware of his special skills.”

“You’ll enjoy this, I know. Do I need to worry that your personal pleasure will outweigh your professionalism?”

“Absolutely not. You know I never get emotionally involved.”

“Counting on that.”
She sighed.
“Execute the order immediately.”

The tape ended. Joe swallowed hard.

“Did you get it all?” Omega One asked.

“Yeah, I got it.” Not surprised, but knowing you had a contract out on you and hearing it was two different things. “They’ve already made one attempt. I was in a church. The man said he was Phoenix.”

“Fatalities?”

“No. He punched a woman, we fought, and he dropped his gun. She found it. Fired at the ceiling and he took off. I was getting some distance before reporting it.” Joe gave Omega One a description of the man and his car, fed in other details, then stopped.

“Okay, then,” Omega One said. “Keep your gun close and powder dry.”

“Will do. Appreciate the cover.”

“We’re doing all we can, but you know who you’re dealing with. Watch your back.”

“Always.”

Joe stuffed the phone in his pocket, cranked up his motorcycle, and took off.

Leaving Sara’s house by the back door, Beth fished out her keys and headed for her car. When she stepped into the street, a man called out from behind her. “Beth! Beth, wait!”

Her heart beat hard and fast. She stopped and turned around. Thomas Boudin jogged toward her.
Joe
. His hair was darker, inky black and absent of gloss. She met him halfway, rushed into his arms.

Surprised by the contact, he stiffened. “Are—are you all right?”

Still unwilling to reveal himself. “No. I’m not all right. Where’ve you been? I’ve called and called—”

“You got my message?”

“No. Why haven’t you taken my calls?”

“I came as soon as I could.”

NINA?
Beth looked up at him. “Sara’s banned me from being around her—something is wickedly wrong, and she’s trying to protect me … I think. I know she’s in trouble, but she won’t tell me a thing.”

He looked around. “But you think … what?”

“I think someone in NINA has been pressuring Sara for information. She won’t touch a Quantico file. She told Margaret to send everything from them directly to me and not to tell her a thing about hearing from them.”

“Did she have a dispute with someone there or something?”

“No. The only thing that makes sense is she doesn’t want to know because what she doesn’t know she can’t tell.”

“What exactly do you and Sara do at Quantico? I’m assuming it’s computer related.”

“I can’t say.”

“Information-type computer work?”

She didn’t answer.

“That’s our club-attack connection. The missing groom is Robert.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you on the phone.”

“I’m sorry.” He stroked her face, dropped a tender kiss to her lips. “Couldn’t be helped.”

“Kiss me again and I’ll forgive you.”

“Gladly.” His lips brushed hers, testing, then settled in and caressed.

When he pulled back, Beth nearly wept. Nothing. She’d felt nothing. How could she be so attracted to Joe and feel nothing?

The hint of a smile curved his lips. “I was getting worried.”

He was oblivious. Joe was never oblivious. Confused and disappointed, she wasn’t sure what to say or do. “No, I’m not immune to you.”

“Didn’t you get the message that the funeral was delayed?”

“I did.” Jerked from the disappointment haze, her worry returned with a fury. “Nora!”

“What about her?”

“She isn’t answering my calls.”

“Is that unusual?”

“You know it’s extremely unusual.” What was wrong with him? As much as they’d talked about Nora, how could he not remember that?
Men
.

Unfair. He’s got a lot on his mind
. Beth pushed aside a mystery of the ages and started walking. “I’m going to check on her.” She thumbed the SUV’s remote entry. The locks clicked and she opened the door.

“I’ll ride with you. If there’s trouble, you shouldn’t go alone.” When they were seated inside, he buckled up, then said, “Beth, I have something to tell you.”

“About what happened at the cemetery?” She keyed the engine. It roared to life.

“That too.”

At least he wasn’t denying that something had happened out there. What else could possibly …? His case. “Did you find a connection in your case with Robert?”

He frowned, hesitated, then ignored her question and turned the subject. “A man named Paul Clement contacted me.”

Beth slid the gearshift into Drive and pulled out. “Never heard of him.”

“He claims he has critical information on Robert. He wants a million dollars for it.”

“Scam artist?” They were coming out of the woodwork like roaches. “Mel—the receptionist at Crossroads Crisis Center—has nixed at least two extortion attempts.”

“He says he has proof Robert is alive.”

Braked at the stop sign, Beth stilled. Joe had a lot of contacts still active in the intelligence community—a lot more than she had from her assists at Quantico. His Thomas Boudin persona was a former OSI agent. He had contacts too. “Did you check him out?”

“Yeah. He wasn’t the kidnapper. Clement was in Angola then.”

“Angola? What could a guy in southwest Africa—”

“Wrong Angola. Clement was in the Louisiana State Penitentiary.”

Prison. Beth hit the gas, pulled out into traffic. “He heard something there?”

“Doubtful. He was in solitary confinement.” Regret shone in Joe’s eyes. “I’ve beaten the bushes, knocked off every leaf, and come up with nothing.”

“What was he in jail for?”

“Cybercrimes. He’s a hacker.”

Odd that Beth hadn’t heard of him. Notable hackers were on her radar. “NINA related?”

Joe stilled. Blinked. Then blinked again. “No connection I can find.”

“Then why do you think he could be credible?” Pulling into Nora’s slot in the Towers’s parking lot, Beth cut the engine, then turned in her seat to face him.

Her phone rang.

Her special phone.
Joe. Joe?