Chapter Twenty-Nine
Once Maya finished talking with Kessler, she headed back out to her vehicle. They were all leaving in about ten minutes to
start the drive over to Stone Creek Falls and the visitor center. They’d checked with the fire command and would be able to
use some roads that were closed. The fire was contained on that side of the forest where the prescribed burn had helped stop
the flames. Closer to the visitor center was another story. The fire command wasn’t thrilled that they were heading into that
area since winds had shifted and what was once a voluntary evacuation was now mandatory.
Maya had overheard Kessler arguing with whoever was in charge. Kessler had finally said that they would accept the risk and
hung up. Maya had to agree. They couldn’t stay away when Hope was being held in a building where she was in danger from both
Abigail and the fire. Maya didn’t know which one was more lethal, but she was leaning toward Abigail.
Josh and Deputy Wilson arrived as Maya was getting Juniper out to let her run around and take care of business before they headed out.
Josh parked and came over to Maya. He wrapped her in his arms and then gave her a gentle kiss.
What she wouldn’t give to be away with him right now, just the two of them.
That would mean this was all over, Hope would be safe and Maya could find out why Josh was nervous.
She had to think that everything would turn out okay.
Although, she was also realistic that things might not turn out well.
With Abigail you never knew, and deep down, that scared her.
Pushing that thought aside, Maya updated him on the plan with Agent Bernardo pretending to be Eric and trying to distract
Abigail so the HRT could get to Hope.
“Did you tell Kessler what I found out?” he asked.
“I did,” Maya said. “I’m worried he’s going to share the information with his guys since he now thinks Abigail’s partner is
a marshal.”
“You don’t think he should?”
“I don’t know,” Maya said. She paused and then continued, “When I was in Afghanistan, I would get funny feelings. Sometimes
it was that a mission was going to go well. Other times it was that it wasn’t. Intuition. Maybe that’s what it was. Whatever
it was though, it always seemed like I was right. The night I lost Zinger, I had a really bad feeling. I have that same feeling
right now. I know what Andrea told you this morning, but I still don’t trust anyone. I think all personal files should be
looked at before we share information outside of our core group.”
“Then tell Kessler,” Josh encouraged. “He respects you.”
“I know,” Maya said. “I’ll try to get him alone and talk to him. He feels confident that his guys are trustworthy.”
“It looks like everyone is leaving,” Josh said, nodding toward Kessler’s black SUV pulling out of the lot. “Let’s follow and
see if we can get Kessler alone before this op starts.”
“I’ll be behind you,” Maya said, pulling him down for one more kiss. What would she do without him?
Maya followed the others toward the Stone Creek Falls visitor center. Who could they trust? What if Bernardo was Abigail’s
partner and using this as an excuse to get inside and give her information? But Bernardo seemed genuine when it came to wanting
to help find Hope. If it was Aaron who wanted to go in, Maya would put her foot down with Kessler. She wanted to find out
more information about him.
Juniper had her head sticking through the compartment door into the cab. She could always feel Maya’s emotions—sometimes better
than Maya herself. Right now, the Mal had a serious expression and every now and then gave a whine in anticipation.
The wind was light and luckily, at the moment, pushing the fire away from the visitor center. The drive seemed slow, the clock
ticking, and every second Hope was in more danger. Nick and Aaron were in front of her. Aaron had stayed quiet while she was
trying to figure out where Hope was being kept. Maybe Nick had talked with him.
Then there was Hope’s dad. He had continued to hang around, but he also was distant, although he’d decided to join Nick and Aaron.
Maya really didn’t like him, but other than being a jerk, he hadn’t done anything suspicious.
But he was still on the list of suspects in Maya’s mind.
Would he turn on his own daughter with Abigail?
She didn’t want to believe that, but had to keep it open as a possibility.
But if the woman Josh talked to this morning was to be believed, then Abigail’s partner was a marshal.
Officers switched agencies all the time, though.
And sometimes they were deputized by other agencies for jurisdictional reasons.
She really wanted to find out more about all these guys, including Kessler’s agents.
Maya tried to slow her thoughts and focus on the task at hand—to see if they could find Hope and get her to safety. Then they
could tackle arresting Abigail and figuring out her partner’s identity.
They all drove into a parking lot that was about a quarter mile away from the visitor center and hopefully out of sight of
Abigail. The parking lot was a trailhead that would normally be full this time of year, but thanks to the fire, there wasn’t
a single person. For Maya it was eerie and her stomach flip-flopped again. This whole idea didn’t feel right.
She gave Juniper a scratch behind her ears and then stepped out of her vehicle to join the group. Her feet were heavy. Heart
pounding. The smell of smoke was strong and even though the wind was pushing the fire away from them for now, there was still
a layer of air that was almost gray. The haze made visibility difficult and Maya’s eyes stung.
The other agents had formed a circle as they discussed the plan.
Agent Kessler had somehow managed to get blueprints of the building and had them spread out on the hood of his vehicle.
Maya hung back, observing them. Looking for anything unusual or even usual like someone on their phone.
Assuming Abigail’s partner wasn’t Bernardo, then he would be in danger.
If her partner alerted her to the plan, he would be walking into a trap.
“Thompson,” Kessler said, jolting her from her thoughts. She joined him and he said, “Which room has the painting and probably
Hope?”
Maya worked to visualize the building. It was funny how you could have been somewhere many times, but when you needed specific
details, the brain was as hazy as the air outside. She studied the blueprints for a minute, orienting herself. “There. It’s
the break room. It’s in the back, not open to visitors, and is an interior room with no windows. It’s a smart place to keep
her.”
“It is,” Kessler agreed.
Maya knew if they had windows, they might be able to see Hope and create a better plan. “Kessler?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I talk to you alone for a minute?”
The other agents rolled their eyes, but Maya didn’t care.
“Sure,” Kessler said.
They walked to a spot about ten feet away.
Maya spoke in a low tone so no one could hear her.
“I know this sounds crazy, but I don’t have a good feeling about this.
I think Abigail’s partner is one of the officers working with us and I think that person will tip her off.
If it’s Bernardo, he may just give her information, but if it’s not him then Abigail might know he’s coming. His life could be in danger.”
Kessler nodded, not saying anything. Maya wondered if she’d overstepped. Then he finally spoke up. “I thought of that too.
Josh said that the lady he interviewed thought that Abigail was working with a marshal, right?”
“Right,” Maya agreed. “But we don’t know for sure. All we confirmed was that Abigail was working with someone. You could be
sending Bernardo to his death.”
“We don’t have time to do anything else,” Kessler said. “We know where Hope is and if Abigail takes her and runs again, who
knows what will happen? Bernardo has undercover experience and my supervisor approved this plan. Bernardo worked with Abigail.
He can talk his way out of anything. Plus, he’ll be wired up and can call for help.”
“If he has time,” Maya said. “There’s a chance that the wire won’t work in that building and if Abigail knows the plan, she
probably won’t be up for talking.”
“I think this is our best shot. We’re doing it.” Kessler’s face tightened. Maya knew she had better back off. He was tired,
probably didn’t get any sleep last night and her questioning him was not helping. But she felt she had to say something.
“Let’s get Hope, then we’ll figure out the next step,” Kessler said, his voice strained.
“Good plan,” Maya said, trying to not ruffle any more feathers. Kessler was in charge and she had to respect that. She studied the group of men watching them. Almost everyone had pulled out their phones. They might have a pocket of service here. The mountains were funny that way.
She still worried about Bernardo walking into a trap since there was a chance one of the guys was texting Abigail right now.
The only person she completely trusted was Josh. Once again, anxiety swept through her—just like the night things went very
wrong with the mission where Zinger was injured and ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Somehow, Maya had always managed
to escape.
Her therapist, Dr. Meyers, also a veteran, had told Maya she had survivor’s guilt. She felt like the grim reaper was waiting
in the wings again. Who would it be this time?