Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Callie almost kept her sister out of school but at the last minute decided to let her go. Nikki slung her backpack and riding gear into the Honda CR-V that Callie had found for a good price used and jumped behind the wheel. Then she looked up, saw Callie watching from the window, and waved before throwing the CR-V in reverse and turning around to head down the driveway.
Callie’s heart thumped and her eyes watered. She coughed, a good long fit, and then she was fine. She’d been thoroughly checked last night when emergency crews busted into the lab. Her eyes were scratchy and her voice hoarse, not to mention the cough, but she felt okay. She had a bronchodilator to keep her airways open, and she was staying home to rest.
Not only that, but she had to stay home because the lab was uninhabitable at the moment. In fact, the entire building had been vacated while the structure was inspected to make sure it was safe enough for people in other departments to return to work. The leadership at Griffin Research Labs was probably apoplectic at the delays, but what else could they do?
It’d take a few days before they were cleared to open again, and then she’d find out when and where she was supposed to report for work.
Except she didn’t want to report for work. She wanted to get the hell away from here before Mikhail did something else.
There was no doubt in her mind he was the one behind the fire. He’d waited until she was alone, and he’d trapped her. She didn’t know how, but he had.
It shouldn’t have been possible, but she was learning that nothing was beyond Mikhail Volkov. She hadn’t realized it at the time, back in Poland when they’d met, but now she knew. He’d maneuvered her into this job when she needed one and slowly tightened the noose until she couldn’t escape without being willing to give up everything.
He pretended to be her friend, but he really wasn’t. Whatever he was involved in was far darker than she’d imagined, and her life wasn’t worth much to those kinds of people. Mikhail had said as much the last time he was in Huntsville, pushing her to do his bidding. He’d threatened her, and then he’d threatened Nikki if she didn’t cooperate.
But she knew, even if she did what he wanted, they were both dead. Mikhail wouldn’t leave any loose ends.
Her only option now was to run. She couldn’t do that without a plan, though. If she were going to disappear, really disappear, then she needed to take enough time to make sure she couldn’t be followed. That meant getting new identities for her and Nikki. It also meant leaving everything behind.
The horses. The Toyota and the trailer. It all stayed.
Callie closed her eyes as despair nearly overwhelmed her. She’d worked so hard to make sure Nikki had a normal life, that she could keep riding her horses and entering competitions, because the kid had lost everything when their parents died. Horses were the only thing that made her happy.
That smile and wave this morning was special because Nikki had finally started coming out of her shell these past couple of months, and Callie didn’t want to ruin it. But what was the alternative? If she left Nikki behind, she’d be orphaning her sister all over again. Nikki was sixteen, grappling with being a teenager, a new school, and a new life, and all she had was Callie and her horses. Leaving her behind wasn’t an option.
But how was Callie supposed to get new identities? Disappear without being followed? Where would they go? How would they live?
She had some money saved, but not enough because there had been so many expenses this past year. Everyone had always thought the Crowells were wealthy when Callie was growing up, but she’d learned the truth when her parents died last year.
Wealth and the appearance of wealth were two entirely different things. Credit cards and loans had kept up the illusion. The vacation her parents had been on in Vail when they died had been charged to a credit card. The house had a second mortgage, her dad’s optometry practice was barely solvent. The bank had taken the house, and the rest went to pay off debt. The practice had been shuttered.
Callie wandered into the kitchen to pour another cup of coffee. She looked at the remnants of the breakfast that she’d made for Nikki and her stomach turned. She didn’t want food. Couldn’t stomach it right now. She put the scrambled eggs in a container and refrigerated them. Same with the hash browns and bacon. No need to waste food when she could reheat it for lunch later or let Nikki have it tomorrow morning.
Besides, though she made a decent living as a programmer, she was always aware that it could end in the blink of an eye. And then what? She was twenty-six, too young to have much of a retirement saved, and living wasn’t free. Especially with a teenager and two very large animals to take care of.
She could live off credit cards the way her parents had, but the stress of dealing with their estate had taught her a valuable lesson about things she never wanted to do. It’d certainly put that expensive handbag she’d bought in Europe before her life had changed into a whole new perspective.
She’d sold it on Poshmark back when she was still trying to find a job. It’d fetched a pretty penny, but not what she’d paid for it.
She washed dishes and picked up the mail on the counter, discarding advertisements and putting bills into a stack. The Sutton’s Creek Bee, a small local newspaper—really, the word newspaper was stretching it and should be in quotes—sat at the bottom of the stack.
Callie started to toss it, but a square ad at the bottom of the front page caught her eye.
One Shot Tactical - For All Your Security Needs.
One Shot Tactical. She pictured three big, muscular men in navy blue polo shirts with those words embroidered over their hearts.
Those men had been all over Griffin Research Labs a couple of weeks ago, going over their security procedures, suggesting changes to the boss. Her anger kindled. It hadn’t been good enough, had it? There’d been a fire and she’d nearly died.
Then again, she could hardly blame them. Security had been tighter since they’d made their changes. Guards who knew her on sight demanded her identification before she entered the building. The codes to the labs were changed on a rolling basis, and everything had been by the book. She’d actually breathed easier when the changes were implemented.
No, it wasn’t their fault someone had set a fire. She had no doubt Mikhail was behind it, but in the light of a new day when she wasn’t as scared and could reason, she knew he hadn’t been inside the lab, secretly starting a fire. He’d had someone do it, which meant he had a spy on the inside.
That thought made her shiver.
She clutched the paper, staring at the ad. She’d talked to all three of the One Shot Tactical employees who’d been at the lab at one time or another. Kane was the nicest. Chance had been nice too, but he’d often seemed distracted, like he’d wanted to be elsewhere.
Seth.
Now that one, he’d been a dick. He’d frowned and growled and been about as unfriendly as a rabid dog.
He’d been gorgeous, though. They were all gorgeous, but Seth, with his coal black hair and iron-gray eyes had been particularly attractive. Until he opened his mouth, and then he’d been downright rude.
Callie sniffed at the memory.
But an idea took hold as she continued to study the small ad. For All Your Security Needs.
She didn’t know where to start, how to disappear, but she’d bet those guys had an idea how it worked. Not that she would ask outright. Too obvious.
But they were in the security business, former military guys. At the very minimum, they might listen if she said she was in danger, might offer suggestions or even security services. Of course they’d want money, but she could pay them for a few days while she worked on her escape plan.
She swallowed, considering. It was as good an idea as any. Better than doing nothing.
Better than being an easy target.
She’d ask for Kane. She wouldn’t need to see Seth at all.
For the first time since the fire alarm blared into the night and scared her half to death, she had the beginnings of a plan.