Carter woke up in an empty bed.
He knew even before he opened his eyes that he was alone. The heat that he’d cradled against his body all night was gone. The mattress felt light. He knew that if he stretched out his arms all he would catch was air.
Still, he opened his eyes to check. Sure enough, the sheet was folded back where Ally had been. Her pillow still showed a deep impression.
Carter shot straight up in bed. For a moment, adrenaline flooded through him.
Wherever she’d gone, she couldn’t have made it far.
He threw back the covers and jumped out onto the cold floor.
And caught the scent of fresh brewed coffee wafting up from the ground floor.
Slowly, he inched over to the loft railing and peered over.
Ally was down at the computer table, wearing his button up shirt from the night before. She sat on the chair in front of the computer monitor, her hair pulled back into a makeshift knot as she stared at the screen, her knees bent and pulled up in front of her. From this height and angle, he couldn’t see exactly what was on the screen in front of her, but it didn’t take a genius to guess. She was checking out the drive Charlie had given them.
He wondered for how long?
He silently stepped back from the railing and pulled on his pants. If he were being honest, he was amazed that she’d managed to sleep at all. He knew how badly she wanted…needed to see what was on the drive.
Carter ran his fingers through his hair as he came down the stairs.
“There’s coffee,” Ally said, lifting an arm and pointing toward the kitchen without turning his way.
“Thanks for making it,” he said. He found a mug and poured himself a cup. “How long have you been up?”
“Since a little before dawn,” she said. “I was wondering how long you were going to sleep in.”
Carter looked over at the clock hanging above the stove. It read 7:04. So, that was her idea of sleeping in?
He moved up behind her and cupped her shoulder with his free hand, giving her a little squeeze. He felt some of the tension in her muscles give way.
“How’s it going?” he asked.
“Not great,” Ally said, shaking her head. “It’s just like Charlie said. There’s a lot here. Hundreds of pages—quarterly forecasted earnings for Applied Dynamics, minutes from Fuller’s Defense Appropriation meetings, classified documents from the DOD, confidential memos from Army Intelligence. It’s maddening. It’s like we’re going at this backwards, looking at all the evidence and trying to figure out the crime.”
“Putting a puzzle together not knowing what the picture is supposed to look like.”
“Exactly.”
“And how’s it coming together so far?”
She drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Well, I’ve talked myself out of kicking a hole in the computer screen at least three times in the past hour, so I figure that’s progress.”
“At this point, we’ll take what victories we can.” Carter planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Keep at it. I know what you’re looking for is there.”
“As long as one of us stays optimistic,” she said, frustration making her voice growly.
“We’ll call Mason later and see how he’s doing on the puzzle. Sometimes it helps to talk it out with someone else.”
A knock sounded against the front door. Ally jumped from her chair. “And sometimes taking a break can be helpful.”
She went to the door and peeked outside before opening it.
Mrs. Garcia was standing on the front step with a heavy tray, a paper grocery bag and a concerned look. Carter rushed forward to take the tray out of her hands.
“I was making breakfast for the boys before school and I thought I would bring you some.”
“Thank you,” Ally said, holding the door for Sofia. The woman stepped inside but her frown didn’t dissipate.
“There are clothes in the bag too. You and I are basically the same size, Ally,” she said, but then glanced over at Carter. “But you’re quite a bit bigger than Ramon. I did my best, but the fit might be a little tight.”
“Thank you. I’m sure they’ll be fine,” he said. He kept his voice light. It was obvious that something was bothering her, but Carter doubted that Mrs. Garcia was going to open up to a stranger.
Ally must have sensed it too. She put her hand on Mrs. Garcia’s shoulder. “Is everything okay, Sofia?”
The woman looked up at Ally and slowly shook her head. “I don’t know how to tell you,” she said.
Carter instantly tensed. Good news never came from such an apologetic tone.
Ally’s brows pulled together. “Tell us what?”
Mrs. Garcia gripped her hands in front of her, but Carter caught the tremble that shook her fingers. “It was on the news when I turned on the television.”
“What was?” Carter could tell Ally was struggling to keep her voice calm, but the strain leaked through.
Fortunately, Mrs. Garcia didn’t seem to notice. She didn’t seem to notice much of anything that they were saying.
“But then I went out on the porch and it was in the paper as well,” Mrs. Garcia said. She lifted the folded paper off the breakfast tray and handed it to Ally.
Carter moved to Ally’s side as she snapped it open.
Local journalist kidnapped from downtown hotel by shooting suspect.
Carter stared at the headline. There was a picture underneath it, black-and-white and grainy, but he could clearly make out his and Ally’s faces through the front window of the SUV. His hand was at the back of her neck just before he pushed her down.
The paper must have taken it from one of the security cameras inside the parking garage. More likely, Lucas Addams had given it to them.
Ally turned her face up to him. “What does this mean?” she asked, obviously confused.
“It means that Fuller has us exactly where he wants us.” Carter raked his hand through his hair. He cursed under his breath. He’d played directly into the man’s hands. “He hasn’t been able to get to you, but he’s found a way to silence us.”
“I don’t understand,” Mrs. Garcia said.
Carter drew in a deep breath. “Lucas Addams told the police I abducted Ally. The only way for her to clear my name is to go to the police, but the second Ally does that, she’s a dead woman. If I turn myself in, she’ll be unprotected. If we contact anyone to try to get the truth out there, Fuller’s men will be on us in a heartbeat.”
Ally turned to Mrs. Garcia. “I’m so sorry we brought this to you. I never thought it would come to this. If you want us to leave, I totally understand.”
Mrs. Garcia shook her head. “No. Don’t go. It sounds like if you leave you’ll have a target on your back. How could I live with myself if something happened to you? After all that you did for my family, I’m happy to do this for you.”
Ally nodded and Carter caught the bright reflection of tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you.”
“No one knows you’re here, right?” Mrs. Garcia asked. Carter nodded. “Well, I won’t tell if you won’t.”
“Good plan.”
Mrs. Garcia fixed Carter with a stare, looking directly into his eyes. “But if something does happen, I want your word that you’ll protect this family,” she said. “I know just by looking at you that you’re capable.”
Carter met her stare and gave her his most solemn nod. “With my dying breath.”
***